White wine and Pomelo

It’s 2024 and it’s too late. China today is too powerful to fight.

China has been modernizing its military for decades. Today, it has the world’s largest army and the world’s largest navy. It has a vast rocket force, including unstoppable hypersonic missiles. It has very sophisticated stealth fighters. And China has a substantial nuclear arsenal of 500+ nuclear weapons.

So war with China is extremely risky. The US risks losing an aircraft carrier or two. The US risks losing the war. The US risks nuclear escalation.

Moreover, the US military is getting weaker. Recruitment is down. The US Navy and Air Force have serious maintenance issues with their ships and planes. The US military is spread out too thin around the globe.

It’s Game Over.

  1. If you ever get caught sleeping at your desk at work just say “they told me at the Blood Bank that this would happen.
  2. When the power goes out search for wifi networks on your phone to see if everyones power is out.
  3. Quelling road rage by pretending that every asshole driver really has to poop.
  4. If you want to maintain good posture, pretend your nipples have lasers that shoot out of them and you have to keep them aimed at people’s heads.
  5. Wiping the water off of your body with your hands in the shower before getting out and towel-drying.
  6. If you want to attract better people, focus on, think about, read about, and go find them on this app.
  7. If your car is overheating, turn your heat on full blast. When you turn the heat on in a car, it pulls heat from the engine into the cab, thus cooling the engine.
  8. Hit “s” while watching Netflix on a computer to skip the intro.
  9. If you don’t know whether you should use the word effect or affect, simply use impact.
  10. When buying bedsheets, look for striped ones. It will make it much easier to find the long and short sides.
  11. If you accidentally press the spacebar and scroll down the page, you can press Shift+Space and go back to where you were.
  12. Don’t save your banking information on online stores. Makes impulse buying much more difficult if you have to track down your wallet.
  13. If you keep a baseball bat in your car for protection, put a sock over it. If they grab the bat, they will only get the sock, and you will get another swing.
  14. Filling in the ‘to’ field of an email last.
  15. When buying online, leave items in the shopping cart for a while. There is a good chance that the website is tracking this, and will lower the price overtime to entice you into buying.
  16. If your coworker ever calls in sick for work, you can do the same 1-3 days later. Your boss will think you have the same thing and it’s “going around the office.”
  17. Blink eyes rapidly for a minute before bed to tire yourself out.
  18. When lending a pen or marker hand it over without the cap, you are much more likely to get it back.
  19. If you have somewhat of a double chin or you want your jawline to be more defined in a picture, put your tongue on the roof of your mouth.
  20. Whenever you accidentally set off your smoke alarm, give your pets a treat so they learn to come to you when there actually is a fire and you need to escape.
  21. Remember that one 18-inch pizza is more pizza than two 12-inch pizzas.

ALMOST GOT LOST!🎵 Robin Trower – too Rolling Stoned

🤣🤣🤣🤣 I won’t even call him A dictator because this person was better than 99% fat politicians around the world!

Colonel Gaddafi

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main qimg eb5282f2a0b1bb7c9f70e348226d4303

Why? This is why ⬇️

  • Electricity is free for all Libyans.
  • Loans in Libya are free with 0% interest as banks are state owned.
  • Homes are considered a human right in Libya – Gaddafi vowed that his parents would not get a house until everyone in Libya had a home. Gaddafi’s father has died while him, his wife and his mother were still living in a tent.
  • All newly married people in Libya receive US$ 50,000 by the government to buy their first home to help the new family.
  • Medical treatment and education are free in Libya. Before Colonel Muammar Gaddafi ruled the country, only 25% of Libyans were literate. Today the figure is around 83%.
  • If Libyans wanted to take up farming as a career, the government funded people from equipment to seeds, all for free.
  • The government subsidised 50% of the price of a new car if a Libyan citizen wanted to buy their first car.
  • Petrol price in Libya is around $0.14 per litre.
  • Libya has no debt externally and its reserves amounts to $150 billion – now globally frozen.
  • The Libyan government would fund anyone who got a degree and if they could not get employment, and they would receive income as if they were employed until they got a job.
  • The sale of Libyan oil is credited directly to the bank accounts of all Libyan citizens in proportion.
  • A family would get US $5,000 if they had a new baby to support the childs upbringing.
  • 40 loaves of bread in Libya costs around $0.15.
  • 25% of Libyans have a university degree

Who needs socialism, democracy, capitalism, egalitarianism, etc etc blah blah when your leader thinks and does things for you.

U.S. Army Corps of Engineers To Study:” Effect of Nuclear War on Global Agriculture”

U.S. Army Corps of Engineers To Study:" Effect of Nuclear War on Global Agriculture"

Interesting solicitation from the Army Corp of Engineers (CoE) came out on Sept 10th, with bids due for submission yesterday on Sept 12th. Purpose of solicitation was for a study on how nuclear war will effect agriculture on a worldwide basis.

Seems they should have thought about this years ago! But interesting they want a study on this now.

Looks like the Russia-Ukraine conflict has suddenly gotten far more serious than anyone previously thought.

From the CoE announcement:

“The US Army Corps of Engineers, Engineer Research and Development Center (ERDC) intends to issue an award on a sole source basis (IAW FAR 13.106-1(b)(1)) with Terra Analytics, Inc., 966 10th Street, Boulder, Colorado 80302-7474, for the research and development of active research programs that focus on modeling impacts on the environment and the impacts of nuclear weapons on farm systems that optimizes AgriShock, a code suite for modeling the effects of nuclear weapons on agricultural systems.

The objective of this project is to build upon previous research efforts to develop and optimize AgriShock, a code suite for modeling the effects of nuclear weapons on agricultural systems. The minimum needs of this contract are that the contractor provide all personnel, equipment, facilities, supervision, and other items necessary to conduct studies that demonstrate modeling of nuclear warfare on a global scale that would lead to destruction of the agriculture systems such as farms. The contractor must be able to execute the following: 1) utilize AgriShock, code suite, to increase the geographic coverage to include former Eastern Block countries and implement software code on DoD TS/SCI level ERDC supercomputing resources; 2) update their AgriShock software code to regions beyond eastern Europe and western Russia, with regions chosen to support the ERDC mission to support the Defense Threat Reduction Agency (DTRA) goals of modeling effects of nuclear events; 3) utilize the AgriShock software to incorporate aerial mapping; 4) extend the AgriShock software code by developing a beta radioisotope uptake model that reflects the manner in which a non-destructive nuclear event; and 5) ensure that the updated Agrishock software can be implemented on existing and/or new secure Linux-based ERDC HPC computing environments.

The intended procurement will be classified under North American Industry Classification System (NAICS) 541511 – Custom Computer Programming Services with a Small Business Size Standard of $34 million. This notice of intent is not a request for competitive proposals and no solicitation document exists for this requirement. However, parties interested in responding to this notice shall submit technical data, including price, sufficient to determine capability in providing the same or similar product. All capability statements received by the closing date of the publication of this synopsis will be considered by the Government. A determination by the Government not to compete based on responses to this notice is solely within the discretion of the Government. Information received will normally be considered solely for the purpose of determining whether to conduct a competitive procurement.

Capability statements shall be submitted only by e-mail as a Microsoft Office Word, Microsoft Office Excel, or Adobe PDF attachment to Shinita.M.Jordan@usace.army.mil and Sonia.J.Boyd@usace.army.mil. Statements are due by 12:00pm Central Time, Thursday, 12 September 2024. No phone calls will be accepted.”

LINK HERE

Vladimir Putin Does Not Make Empty Threats

A few month ago a leak of a call between high ranking German officers appeared. They were discussing the possible deployment of a German Taurus cruse missile to Ukraine to be used against Russian targets.

It became obvious from the leak that any such deployment, aiming and firing of such a weapon can not happen without the participation of staff from the country that donated the weapon. This applies to the U.S. ATAMCS missiles, to the French/British SCALP/Storm Shadow missiles just as it would apply to the German Taurus cruse missile:

Gerhartz, [commander of the Luftwaffe], and his subordinates discussed how much Taurus training and support Germany might need to provide if Taurus missiles were sent to Ukraine, and whether this would include targeting and programming information.

Gerhartz  said: ″When it comes to mission planning, for example, I know how the British do it, they do it completely in reachback [i.e. with support from people who are not forward-deployed]. They also have a few people on the ground, they do that, the French don’t. So, they also QC the Ukrainians when loading the SCALP, because Storm Shadow and SCALPS are relatively similar from a purely technical point of view. They’ve already told me that, yes, for God’s sake, they would also look over the shoulders of the Ukrainians when loading the Taurus.

The U.S. is currently discussing (archived) to allow Ukraine to use of long range weapons against targets within Russia, that is beyond targets on Ukrainian and former Ukrainian ground.

This would be qualitative transformation of the war in Ukraine into a NATO war with Russia.

The Russian President Vladimir Putin made this unequivocally clear.

Answer to a media question, September 12 2024, Kremlin.ru

Question: Over the past few days, we have been hearing statements at a very high level in the UK and the United States that the Kiev regime will be allowed to strike targets deep inside Russia using Western long-range weapons. Apparently, this decision is either about to be made, or has already been made, as far as we can see. This is actually quite extraordinary. Could you comment on what is going on?President of Russia Vladimir Putin:

[T]he Ukrainian army is not capable of using cutting-edge high-precision long-range systems supplied by the West. They cannot do that. These weapons are impossible to employ without intelligence data from satellites which Ukraine does not have. This can only be done using the European Union’s satellites, or US satellites – in general, NATO satellites. This is the first point.

The second point – perhaps the most important, the key point even – is that only NATO military personnel can assign flight missions to these missile systems. Ukrainian servicemen cannot do this.

Therefore, it is not a question of allowing the Ukrainian regime to strike Russia with these weapons or not. It is about deciding whether NATO countries become directly involved in the military conflict or not.

If this decision is made, it will mean nothing short of direct involvement – it will mean that NATO countries, the United States, and European countries are parties to the war in Ukraine. This will mean their direct involvement in the conflict, and it will clearly change the very essence, the very nature of the conflict dramatically.

This will mean that NATO countries – the United States and European countries – are at war with Russia. And if this is the case, then, bearing in mind the change in the essence of the conflict, we will make appropriate decisions in response to the threats that will be posed to us.

Russia has many means to respond to such threats. This includes direct fire on targets within France, the UK and the U.S. itself.

Vladimir Putin is not known for making empty threats.

 

Posted by b at 7:28 UTC | Comments (338)

I’ve Seen The Saucers – Elton John (1974)

I am Chinese.

Around 2007, my father bought a Toyota Camry.

At that time, we had to pay extra to buy it because it was in such high demand; they wouldn’t sell it to us without the additional payment.

We used this car until 2013.

Except for the first year, every day was either spent repairing the car or on the way to repair it.

From issues with the CD player to various strange noises and problems with different air conditioning components,

By the fifth year, it started burning oil. I had to buy two barrels of engine oil online and keep them in the trunk for frequent top-ups myself.

However, it’s worth noting that it only broke down twice.

Did you think I would say its quality was terrible?

Well, compared to the domestically produced car my aunt bought, this one is actually a bit better. The domestic car had even more problems and broke down about ten times or so.

Later on, our family switched to a BMW 5 Series while my aunt got a diesel version of Land Rover.

The BMW 5 Series has never broken down (the BMW 520), except for having really poor sound quality.

It only needs maintenance every 10,000 kilometers and is about twice as fuel-efficient as the Camry 2.4.

The idea that Japanese cars are fuel-efficient is simply a lie; you can check out recent news videos where various parts manufacturers in Japan apologized for faking their products.

In 2020, my cousin bought a domestic car and our family thought he was crazy: BYD Han.

But we purchased a Wuling Hongguang in ’15 which has proven very sturdy and durable; we’ve used it as a delivery vehicle with basically no issues at all.

So yes, there were still some minor problems with BYD Han in 2020 but its quality truly surprised us—it’s fantastic both inside and performance-wise—and extremely fuel-efficient too!

Now it’s 2024; my cousin’s BYD Han is already considered outdated in China.

In ’23-’24 models of similar quality have become one-third cheaper while offering better performance.

China’s automotive market has developed over twenty years now—we’ve moved past just recognizing brands.

The era when junk cars could be sold at high prices just by slapping on Toyota badges is over.

Now you can get an incredibly reliable BYD Qin L that runs up to 2000 km on one tank of gas for around $14,000!

I know many people believe that regardless of how excellent any product may be if it’s labeled “made in China,” it’ll turn into trash.

But China is now the largest automobile consumer market globally—every brand you’re familiar with sells cars here.

On the contrary, your markets are quite closed off with little competition.

If you look up news about America imposing a full tax rate of 100% on Chinese cars you’ll see how much progress China’s auto industry has made this year!

Compared even just two years ago—the difference feels like two different eras’ products!

Every country has stubborn thinkers; there seem especially many here in China,

Even so Japanese cars are quickly losing half their sales volume here!

Of course German cars are indeed good—but that’s solely referring to gasoline vehicles!

Hybrid vehicles from anywhere other than Chinese brands don’t perform well at all—Toyota hybrids have been laughed at during evaluations!

The world really is fascinating!

Thirty years ago import tariffs on automobiles were set at an astonishingly high rate of150%, while America shouted free trade;

Today America calls for increasing tariffs on Chinese automobiles up to100%, while China advocates free trade instead!

How interesting! The BYD Qin L sells for only ¥14k without needing purchase tax,

with highly reliable quality selling around20 thousand units monthly since its upgrade!

Also part of why people still buy Toyotas here despite everything else being said—is because ours offer global lowest prices along with significant discounts available at each dealership!

Moreover our local Volkswagen ID4 costs roughly half what you’d pay back home!

Even if America prevents Taiwan from trading with us—we’re still making decent phones ourselves!

Why do some people still doubt whether Chinese folks can produce great products?

Mosul (2019) – Humvee Combat Scene – Iraq War

It’s not just Chinese people, it’s prevalent all over Asia.

While most Western cooks prefer trimmed meat and filleted fish, Asian diners like to eat their food off the bone and shell.

In Asia it is traditional practice, not a style.

Eating has always been one of life’s great tactile and sensual pleasures.

There’s nothing more primal than eating a roast chicken with your hands, tearing off the legs and wings and using your teeth to get all the meat from the bones. It is as satisfying as digging into a plate of barbecued ribs with the sauce staining your fingernails, or attacking every crevice of a crab, so you can suck out the tasty tomalley.

However somewhere in the course of Western society’s prudish progress, it was decided genteel people shouldn’t touch their food. Fine cuisine isn’t devoured but nibbled on.

Fish is filleted, meat is trimmed and deboned, even the skin on potatoes and fruit has to be removed for sanitised consumption.

In Asian food preparation the portion of meat and vegetables etc. are cut into smaller pieces before or after cooking depending on the nature of the dish.

A whole roast is an example in Chinese cuisine. It is cut up to accommodate the sharing of the food. Smaller portions of meat are chopstick friendly. Communal dining.

There is an old saying: ”the nearer the bone, the sweeter the meat”. Not only do bones add nutritional value, but they add a ton of flavour to the cooking process as well!

  • Uyghur Lamb Pilaf; northern China

Meat bones are surrounded by fat, so as the bone heats the marrow its juices penetrate the meat and add a depth of flavour that does not exist with a boneless cut.

  • Hokkien stewed herbal pork; Malaysia

Bone-in food is tastier as well as nutritious. During cooking the bone releases fat and high concentration of collagen, gelatin, and glycine – these nutrients play a role in the health of our immune system.

  • A grilled fish served in Japanese restaurant.

Bone-in meat is sustainable and reduces food wastage. Both fish and meat industries generate large amounts of waste, bones being a significant portion of them.

In Chinese cooking a sizeable whole fish is thoroughly prepped and cooked head to tail and served as diners appreciate picking on the various parts of the fish including the head, which may appear gross to some.

  • Dim sum braised ‘phoenix claws’ – chicken feet – are ever popular.

Cooked heads and feet are common street and restaurant food in China and parts of Asia.

Fish head curry: the ‘angry looks’ reflects freshness. The head of a chilled or frozen fish looks sedate.

THIS REALLY HAPPENED WHILE SHE WAS SLEEPING IN SCARY VIDEOS

Oh my favorite was a guy who came into walmart to buy beer. Now at walmart I was new. Just finished training. So I was all about following the rules. One of the rules was about beer. One was if they look under 30 ask for ID. Two if they touch the beer and don’t have ID. You can’t sell it to them.

Had a gentlemen come through my line. Looked under 30. Asked for ID. Was told he didn’t have it. So I refused to sell it to him. He started getting mad. Gave me a sob story of how he traveled out of state (I do live in a tourist state), doesn’t have his ID on him, he left it back home. I said sorry I am not allowed to sell it. His dad was behind him, said I will buy it for him. I stated the policy and again refused. Then started getting screamed at for refusing to sell it to them by both of them. AS this was happening a manager I absolutely despised walked by I asked her for help. She walked up stated the policy and proceeded to walk away. So they started screaming across the store to her. And telling me no wonder you don’t know how to do your job, if you have managers like this. Finally after 10 minutes of this. Another manager comes over, and talks to them. They calm down and the man admits his ID is in his car and goes out and gets it. He is old enough and was able to get his alcohol. If he would have just done this in the first place, he could have been gone right away. But instead he yelled at me for over 20 minutes while my managers did nothing for it. I was sent on break when I was done with him.

Kidnapping By A Cartel Scene – Sicario: Day of the Soldado (2018)

Let me point you over at Illinois for a moment. This is not an argument; just an explanation.

Illinois has some of the strictest gun control laws in the country.

Illinois also has one of the highest firearms homicide rates in the country. All of that gun control isn’t stopping it remotely; if there is any correlation at all, it would imply that disarmament causes an INCREASE in violent crime.

But whatever.

Because, you see, Illinois also has their hogwash “catch and release” program. When they catch criminals committing crimes… they let them go. They have laws in place to STOP criminals from going to jail. Their legislation actively works to FREE the violent criminals who are committing the gun crimes.

Allow that to sink in for a moment.

Illinois: We want to stop gun crimes.

Illinois: We forbid law-abiding people from having guns.

Illinois: We refuse to punish criminals.

And this plan catostrophically fails.

It turns out that you cannot stop criminals by being nice to the criminals and targeting the people who do NOT commit crimes.

<-=O=->

So here is my thought process.

I own guns. I paid for them myself. They cost me money, and they are MY property.

I have never committed any crimes. Not just gun crimes, but ANY crimes. No thefts. No drugs. No assaults. No traffic infractions. I have a perfectly clean record. There is no way that gun crime can be reduced by any laws that target me, because my current amount of crime is zero and crime cannot be reduced below zero.

The current penalty for a Convicted Felon being caught with an Illegal Firearm is… basically nothing.

So if they catch me, a law-abiding person that has never committed any crime, in possession of a firearm, what do you think the penalty will be?

If they hand wave gun possession charges for guys with a history of rape and armed robbery, then do you really think they’re going to send me to prison for gun possession charges as a law abiding guy who has never done anything wrong?

The Democrats have made it perfectly clear what their position is. They do not care about crime, and their courts have no teeth.

So go ahead and make my guns illegal. I do not care anymore. I’m not turning in anything, and they’ll never do anything to me for having them. In fact, if I did get convicted of some sort of a crime, the Demcratic Party would start offering me government benefits for job seeking and additional grants for schooling, because they treat criminals BETTER than they treat law abiding people.

We Were Soldiers – Final Battle Scene

My long-term girlfriend, who I and everyone else assumed I would marry, split up with me when I was 34. That was still young enough for me to find someone new, get married and start a family. But things did not go well for me: I was broken hearted for years, got really ill, struggled for money and regular employment.

By the time I had medical, economic and domestic stability, I was 44 years old. After a few initially promising relationships failed, I am now 50 years old.

Everything is different at this age and in the year 2024, people’s expectations of future partners are so high. As a middle aged adult, your social life is usually pretty narrow, it’s really hard to meet potential partners through normal social interactions. Dating apps are only good for the most attractive 10% of men.

Essentially, the horrible truth that I have realised is that when you break up with a significant partner in your 30s, it is very possible to never have a loving relationship ever again.

“The U.S Empire refuses to grow up” | Dr. Cornel West

Why does USA interfere in other’s internal affairs?

There is only 1 motive for USA: money & power/dominance. It is modern-day colonisation.

1, money

Both US military industry (MIC) & Federal Reserve (FED) are private corporations run by capitalist sharks & not by (responsible) government who would focus on the welfare of the country eg economic development.

MIC makes tons of money thru wars & arms sales. They lobby US government to create wars in other countries. US politicians also make $$$ by buying MIC stocks or working as a MIC salesman to other country.

Another capitalist shark is FED who manipulates the US interest to suck in capitals from other country.

Wall Street shark will go into countries bankrupted by FED or ruined by MIC to make money & to to control other’s economy & thus govt.

See, if there is peace in the world, MIC, FED or Wall Street will create war somewhere so as to make money. Be it military war or monetary-financial war.

US senator L Graham accidentally told the truth: must win the Ukraine war because it is rich in minerals.

2, power/US dominance ie modern-day conlonisation

Control other’s government & make them a US puppet.

Then control other’s resources eg Ukraine’s minerals, Syria’s oil & rich agricultural land.

US wisdom

In 1961, the then pres D Eisenhower warned against the establishment of private MIC which will distort US politics & threaten democracy.

Many US pres eg J Kennedy, R Nixon & more fought with the FED but failed.

conclusion

USA wont not let world peace to happen. USA must create unrest/war thru its puppets eg Ukraine & Philippines.

War is in the DNA of USA.

Are capitalist sharks nice to Americans?

Every year, US taxpayers pay the interest of the US debts that is created as aids to war-torn country.

Capitalist sharks make tons of money from wars, but pay little tax to benefit USA. For instance, sharks wont maintain infrastructure, resulting in train derailment almost daily. Making USA look like a under-developed 3rd world. The list is long.

Shorpy

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CHINA SHUTS DOWN All U.S. Manufacturing INDUSTRIES… & U.S. NEVER Realized!

It is true that China is really very very strong militarily and worst most of their strength is hidden away and if you were to fight China there will be many many surprises waiting for you!

But that is not the reason for your paranoid of China. It is your politicians and your media. Demonising of China that condition you into this paranoia! You fear because they want you to fear China instead of knowing your own failures.

But the truth is China don’t want a war or any war. China prefers to leave you doing your things as what you do is really hurting yourself anyway so why change you! Chinese believed the best way to win a war is to never have to fight a war in the first place. Moreover a dead country cannot help China! Or a destroyed country cannot buy their stuffs!

If you truly grasp China you will not fear China at all. Unless you want to hurt them! Then yes you better fear them! You will meet more than your match. China will hit you as hard as you hit them if not more. But they really don’t want to do that unless you underestimated them and you pick a fight with them. They don’t want start a fight.

Smart and intelligent people don’t want to fight they will find a way to beat you without a fight. The will out wit you, out sell you, out innovate you, out perform you, our earn you and out invest you till you depends on them and you cannot do without them. That is China!

An immature barbaric nation with no other capabilities other than fighting and war mongering thinks that fighting wars is the answer to everything that is why the US is at war 238 out of 248 years of its existence! And is it helping the US. Is it winning? It had a perfect start in 1945 when the rest of the world fought 2 world wars and lost everything but yet in 80 years the US is almost dilapidated, broke and unsustainable! Owing 35 trillion dollars and adding another trillion every 100 days! That is the USA!

Patsy Parisi – The Sopranos

It was a large drug sweep. Police had been watching a street dealer and his crew for over a week from a nearby apartment. On the day they finally decided to make the arrests, they blockaded the entire street from end to end and literally arrested every person on the block.

All of them.

Little old ladies sitting on their front porch? Arrested.

Someone driving by in a vehicle? Arrested.

Some guy walking his dog? Arrested.

The store owner sweeping his sidewalk on the corner? Arrested.

It was an arrest later and invent charges later scenario.


From what we were told, around a dozen dealers, lookouts, runners and various gang members were given plea deals as they were found carrying drugs or weapons and most had priors or even current warrants for previous charges. Basically everyone who was obviously guilty took deals and there was nothing to argue over for them.

The old lady, the store owner and a couple of others that the police couldn’t think of what charges to bring against them were released after 48 hours sitting in jail. This had happened a couple months prior, but we were given play by play details of the entire situation as if it was supposed to impress us, even though all it did was make the police sound incompetent.

What was brought before us as a jury were two defendants who happened to be driving past in a vehicle. They were not found with any drugs or weapons. They were arrested for having a few hundred dollars in cash on them and the charges were various “intent to purchase” and “intent to distribute” based on being in a vehicle with money on a street that happened to have drug dealers on it. It was about half a dozen rewordings at various degrees that we were expected to choose between to convict.

During testimony the police could not identify either of the defendants as having interacted with any of the dealers or the street gang at all. Two officers even gave completely inaccurate descriptions of the vehicle, not even agreeing on the number of doors or the color. One said it was a hatchback (it wasn’t) the other said it was a two door sports car (it was a 4 door sedan).

The police spent hours telling us about how they had watched the dealers, how much drugs they had seized, how many weapons they found. And not one single word of evidence that had anything to do with the two defendants in front of us other than: they were in a car nearby that day so we took their money.

The prosecutor even called some of the street gang as witnesses to admit that they were dealing drugs that day and that they had agreed to a plea deal. The defense only asked them a single question each: Did you sell drugs to my clients? No.

None of them had anything to say about the defendants.

The two defendants decided to testify on their own behalf. They had just purchased a used vehicle for cash and were driving home with a little bit of money left over. They still had the receipt from the used car lot on them, it was in the police evidence and the date was the morning of the arrest.

The prosecution spent 2 and half days parading cop after cop and gang member after gang member in front of us to tell us all about the drug operation and how many people they had gotten to take plea deals. And in 2 and half days no one could identify the defendants as having done anything illegal, they just drove past while having some cash in their pocket and the police wanted it.


It was the third day before lunch when the case was closed and we were sent to deliberations. The entire room just looked at each other and was like: do we even need to vote?

The decision was lets get one more free lunch out of this and then cast a vote. We went once around the room to make sure no one had any questions before delivering a not guilty on all counts for both defendants. The prosecutor had the balls to look shocked as if he actually expected to convict with no evidence against them.


This was around 1991 in a state known for its corruption in a city with trigger happy cops, the only shocking part was the arrests had been made without anyone getting killed. Other than that it was par for the course in that city at the time.

Police Escort Shootout Scene – Sicario: Day of the Soldado (2018)

Nobody

The US seems to realize that Taiwanese are not gonna declare Independence anytime soon and risk war

They are after all Chinese and they have that Chinese thinking and mindset about the damages that a war can do

So they are now going and goading the Philippines

Unfortunately that’s backfiring too

main qimg 3ec62251e88528676272c42d44c1287e lq
main qimg 3ec62251e88528676272c42d44c1287e lq

Bong Bong may be shameless lackey, but the Philippine establishment and Army and Business Community are all absolutely hell bent against any escalation with China


Ultimately it’s all Geography

  • Just like South American Nations would always be under the US Shadow
  • ASEAN nations will always be under the Chinese Shadow
  • Indian Ocean Nations will always be under the Indian Shadow

They can’t take on the Alpha country and prosper

Philippines can’t take on China and survive

Even with all the US Support, they would be crunched like a Cola Can


Nobody supports Philippines

They want escalation to end and most of the Nations are prepared for peace

Many Nations are ready to make decisions on disputed territories with China even

Full Metal Jacket | Patrol Under Sniper Fire

Vladimir Putin Does Not Make Empty Threats

A few month ago a leak of a call between high ranking German officers appeared. They were discussing the possible deployment of a German Taurus cruse missile to Ukraine to be used against Russian targets.

It became obvious from the leak that any such deployment, aiming and firing of such a weapon can not happen without the participation of staff from the country that donated the weapon.

This also applies to the U.S. ATAMCS missiles, to the French/British SCALP/Storm Shadow missiles just as it would apply to the German Taurus cruse missile:

Gerhartz, [commander of the Luftwaffe], and his subordinates discussed how much Taurus training and support Germany might need to provide if Taurus missiles were sent to Ukraine, and whether this would include targeting and programming information.

Gerhartz  said: ″When it comes to mission planning, for example, I know how the British do it, they do it completely in reachback [i.e. with support from people who are not forward-deployed]. They also have a few people on the ground, they do that, the French don’t. So, they also QC the Ukrainians when loading the SCALP, because Storm Shadow and SCALPS are relatively similar from a purely technical point of view. They’ve already told me that, yes, for God’s sake, they would also look over the shoulders of the Ukrainians when loading the Taurus.

The U.S. is currently discussing (archived) to allow Ukraine to use of long range weapons against targets within Russia, that is beyond targets on Ukrainian and former Ukrainian ground.

This would be qualitative transformation of the war in Ukraine into a NATO war with Russia.

The Russian President Vladimir Putin made this unequivocally clear.

Answer to a media question, September 12 2024, Kremlin.ru

Question: Over the past few days, we have been hearing statements at a very high level in the UK and the United States that the Kiev regime will be allowed to strike targets deep inside Russia using Western long-range weapons. Apparently, this decision is either about to be made, or has already been made, as far as we can see. This is actually quite extraordinary. Could you comment on what is going on?President of Russia Vladimir Putin:

[T]he Ukrainian army is not capable of using cutting-edge high-precision long-range systems supplied by the West. They cannot do that. These weapons are impossible to employ without intelligence data from satellites which Ukraine does not have. This can only be done using the European Union’s satellites, or US satellites – in general, NATO satellites. This is the first point.

The second point – perhaps the most important, the key point even – is that only NATO military personnel can assign flight missions to these missile systems. Ukrainian servicemen cannot do this.

Therefore, it is not a question of allowing the Ukrainian regime to strike Russia with these weapons or not. It is about deciding whether NATO countries become directly involved in the military conflict or not.

If this decision is made, it will mean nothing short of direct involvement – it will mean that NATO countries, the United States, and European countries are parties to the war in Ukraine. This will mean their direct involvement in the conflict, and it will clearly change the very essence, the very nature of the conflict dramatically.

This will mean that NATO countries – the United States and European countries – are at war with Russia. And if this is the case, then, bearing in mind the change in the essence of the conflict, we will make appropriate decisions in response to the threats that will be posed to us.

Russia has many means to respond to such threats. This includes direct fire on targets within France, the UK and the U.S. itself.

Vladimir Putin is not known for making empty threats.

 

Posted by b at 7:28 UTC | Comments (18)

British Navy Shadows Russian Submarine in English Channel as Four Russian Vessels Enter UK Waters

British navy shadows Russia sub large
British navy shadows Russia sub large

The British Royal Navy and Royal Air Force (RAF) followed multiple Russian ships and submarines through the English Channel this week at a time of heightened tension over British involvement in the Russia-Ukraine conflict.

HMS Iron Duke and HMS Tyne have tracked four Russian vessels through United Kingdom (UK) waters in recent days as RAF jets intercepted a Russian strategic bomber on Wednesday.

The Navy’s warships  shadowed the Russian advances to ‘protect national security’ as four vessels sailed through the English Channel and the North Sea.

Two RAF Typhoons were also scrambled from RAF Lossiemouth on Wednesday, supported by a Voyager from RAF Brize Norton, to intercept Russian Bear-F aircraft.

The developments come at a point of heightened tension between Russia and Britain over Moscow’s ongoing war in Ukraine and Britain’s backing of Kiev – with former President Dmitry Medvedev threatening to ‘sink’ Britain in remarks he made earlier this week.

Medvedev Remarks

At a Press Conference earlier this week, British Foreign Secretary David Lammy said there could be a “100-year partnership” to support Ukraine with by United Kingdom.

Hearing those remarks Deputy Chairman of the Russian Federation Council (Their version of a Senate) said:

“1) He’s lying. 2) The so-called Ukraine will not last even a quarter of this period. 3) An island called Britain is likely to sink in the next few years. If necessary, our hypersonic missiles will help” Medvedev wrote on the social network X.

After Getting A Ring My Fiancée And Her “Coven” Thought They Could Deeply Disrespect Me, Instead…

Carolyn Neal

This story contains themes or mentions of physical violence, gore, or abuse.

The event horizon is the most terrifying and mesmerizing location in the universe. The one belonging to Navier-11, located just a few months’ trip from the nearest outpost, was to be avoided at all costs under normal circumstances. The supermassive blackhole had a consumption rate comparable to the next three largest combined. There were always murmurs of it being linked to the beginning, a forever echo of the unzipping of the universe, slowly making its way towards zipping all matter back up. There was even a religion tied to it, the Singularity. It’s really no wonder it took so long to recruit enough people to participate in the mission that brought them right on the precipice of Navier-11’s destructive force.Captain Ava Ramirez had to admit that the crew of the Argo was a bit peculiar. It wasn’t surprising for a group of scientists and engineers willing to throw charged particles into the most powerful body in the universe and then try to catch any positrons thrown back with a giant net of energy. At least, that was the best she could make of the procedure, it really wasn’t her area of expertise. She could appreciate the complex beauty of the experiment, however. She watched with everyone else in wonderment the first time they fired materials and saw them travel and disappear into the swirling abyss, distorting and stretching into seemingly nothing surprisingly fast. It took only minutes for a probe to get a positive identification of collected positrons that netted a jovial response from the entire ship.Ava floated beside Dr. Marcus Langley, the mission’s lead astrophysicist, as he called out the first readings. And then he stuck his hand out to shake hers.“I didn’t do any of this,” She said but took it anyway.“You got us here. Let me buy you a beer when we get back.” His smile transformed his usually gruff face into someone much younger. The exceptional symptom of an energetic hope that filled the craft now.The implications of their mission did not escape Ava, despite how lost she felt listening to the science team rattle off theories. If they could reliably collect energy off of Navier-11, they would have untapped an endless source of power. Something people still killed for in every reach of space humanity had populated. Something Ava herself had gone to war for in the name of survival.It was a relief to think those days would be behind them now. That peace was waiting just ahead of them.“You killed me.”Ava was startled awake by Lieutenant Chen, her navigation officer, who hovered over her sleeping compartment with wide eyes and a blood-drained face. “Lt. Chen, what are–”“You killed me and then ejected my body.” The small woman said, looking as if she would vomit.“You’re right here,” Ava unfastened herself and hoisted out of the compartment.“No!” Chen pushed away, propelling herself into the far wall before grabbing to hold herself there, petrified.“What is going on? Did you take something?”That was when Ava noticed the scissors in her hand.“What is going on here?” Marcus entered the dark area, flipping the lights on to the collective groans of several other crewmembers.“She killed me!” Chen thrust the scissors in Ava’s direction, “She did it, she killed me! I saw it!”“Hallucinations?” Marcus shot Ava a concerned look.Before Ava could call for the physician, something swept from the corner of her vision, a shimmering transparent apparition of a man. Not just any man, however, but Marcus. It moved between them like a shadow, traveling straight through Marcus without disturbance.“See?” Chen let loose of the scissors as they all watched the figure pass, heading towards the labs.“What the hell was that?” One of the engineers demanded as everyone began to congregate in the area. The apparition stopped, shook, and then dissipated into nothing.“What in the universe…” Ava forced herself to breathe again and looked to Marcus for a voice of reason. His face was deathly pale, his eyes locked still to the location his ghost had disappeared from.Over the next few days, the phenomenon intensified. Crewmembers reported seeing apparitions of every member of the ship, some able to identify them as echoes of past events, others unfamiliar. None quite as concerning as Chen’s assertion that Captain Ramirez’s ghost had murdered her own, however. Marcus tried to assure her that it was probably a fluke, information added to Lt. Chen’s mind from the shock of seeing her own doppelganger.

“What do they want?” She asked Marcus one night as they discussed the ship’s location for the next probe. Another specter had manifested beside them, a whispered image of Lt. Chen, seemingly scanning the charting hub just as they were, working calmly.

“I don’t think they want anything, actually,” Marcus said, waving his arm through the phantom. His weathered hand swept through to no effect and the vision continued its work silently. “They don’t appear to notice us at all. I tried talking to myself-”

“More than usual?”

“Ha, don’t act like you aren’t holding full conversations with yourself late nights on the bridge. No, my ghost, I tried communicating, getting its attention. Nothing. It just did everything I would do on a normal day.”

“So, they’re just us? Like an alternate reality or projections of our minds?”

“Memories.”

“Memories?”

“Of the past and future, pieces of us throughout our existence here.” His eyes went to the viewport, locked on the glowing edge of the accretion disc. The Lt. Chen figure pressed a hand to her chest and looked up a moment before blinking back to nothing.

“How?” Was all Ava could think to ask.

“Our probes, maybe.” He shrugged and shook his head, looking back down to the screen in front of them. “We’ve shouted into the void. It doesn’t answer. Perhaps it only echoes.”

The work continued despite everything, but the stress of events was starting to wear them all down. Meals were dominated by talk of the apparitions, theories on their appearance, and, eventually, superstition. It was unusual, coming from this group of all people, but Ava supposed it was where even the greatest of minds could go when it couldn’t reason out the reality around it.

“It’s a warning, we’re not supposed to be here,” One young scientist told a small group as they huddled around their instruments.

Ava was visiting with Marcus in the lab to determine his timeline for the project. They were luckily on the same page of “the sooner, the better” at this point.

“They have been talking like that since yesterday,” Marcus said in a low voice, “I even heard one mention something about god.”

“This is concerning. What if they start worshiping it like those Singularity weirdos?” Ava said.

Marcus shook his head, but the crease between his brows got deeper. “It won’t come to that. These aren’t scrappers and tunnel workers we’re talking about.”

“My family were scrappers, Marc. Most of my crew is from the colonies.”

“You know what I mean…”

Everyone went quiet again as several specters blinked into existence at each of the instruments, imposing themselves over and through all the solid bodies currently manning them. The doppelgangers worked in a panic, their hands flying over keys and buttons desperately, their eyes terrified and mouths open, yelling soundlessly.

“Shit, what are they on about?” Ava asked.

“Something’s malfunctioning…”

The visions dissolved as quickly as they arrived, leaving the shocked faces of their solid versions in their place, one with his hands clasped together and head bowed.

Ava shivered at the cold dread prickling up her spine.

Marcus placed a hand on her shoulder. “One more collection. Then we leave.”

“Agreed.”

The next day, Ava was on the bridge, leading the movements of the Argo as they collected all the probes and batteries to prepare for their departure. Each one took a considerable amount of time to dock and secure, with special consideration to the volatile nature of the capsules containing the energy collected. Ava took the opportunity to admire Navier-11 one last time.

There was a lot about this mission that Captain Ramirez did not understand. But Navier-11, she understood. She agonized over its effects on her ship for an entire year of prepping before this inevitable week of proximity to the blackhole.

To approach it was to approach a cosmic abyss—a realm where the laws of physics strained and distorted, and light itself bent to the will of unimaginable gravity. It was darkness—a voracious void swallowing light and warmth, only an eerie absence left in its wake.

The event horizon, that invisible boundary beyond which nothing can escape, was a sinister veil, shimmering with an ominous energy. Beyond it, the accretion disk, a swirling maelstrom of matter and energy spiraling inexorably toward its center. It glows with a hellish radiance, piercing even through the shielding filters, illuminated by the frictional forces tearing it apart.

And then the singularity—a point of infinite density and zero volume, where the laws of physics broke down. A cosmic crucible that saw matter and energy consumed without mercy, where the very fabric of space-time was warped and twisted beyond recognition.

Navier-11 was all of this on such a massive and incomprehensible scale. She was an inevitability, a reminder of their insignificance along the universal path toward entropy. A glimpse into an abyss that was all at once nothing and the heart of existence itself.

In a way, she knew she would miss this view, but staring at it from the Captain’s chair now, Ava could feel only unsettled.

“Uh, Captain, we have a problem,” Marcus’s voice buzzed over the intercom.

“What is it?”

A siren blared and the red warning lights flashed, indicating a fire.

Ava cursed and pulled up the layout on her console. “Status?”

“Something in the cargo bay,” Her security officer replied.

An apparition shimmered into existence, just beyond the instruments, staring out the viewport. It was Ava, her hands clasped behind her, her hair floating around her, loose from her usual bun, clothes tattered and burnt. Blood bubbled into the air from an arm wound.

“Glory to the Singularity!”

Before she could find who had shouted, another apparition swept through her quickly, like a shadow flowing through her vision. She whipped around to watch it as it ran a few more feet with a raised fist before slamming it down and disappearing. She stood just as another ran through again, repeating the action, but saw that it was Lt. Chen and she held something in her fist. Another came a beat later, and then another, falling into an accelerated succession.

She stepped away from her chair. Similar projections were crowded around the room, overlapping each other in a chaotic scene of palpable panic from hundreds of semi-transparent figures crowding the bridge. Lt. Chens came at her still, crowded over each other, rushing through her until they were nearly one until finally the real Lt. Chen was rushing at her, just on the tail of the last mirage. Raised in her fist was a pair of shears, her eyes shone with desperate fear.

Ava kicked off of her chair making distance as she floated backwards. Chen was atop her in a moment, however, and swung the makeshift blade directly for her chest. Ava grabbed a nearby console and pulled. The shears pierced into her upper arm as her body swung around. Chen slowed but kept floating until she made contact with the wall.

“Captain!” The security officer called, floating quickly towards her, but was promptly intercepted by a young engineer, who wrapped his limbs around him as they spun towards the large viewport. He held a sharp piece of metal to his neck.

“What mutiny is this?” Ava demanded, yelling over the insistent sirens.

“The Singularity,” Chen said, now facing her again, poised to push off in her direction. “We must join it. All must return to it. We must return everything.”

A paralyzing cold swept through Ava’s veins as the viewport went dark and she realized they were turning. Straight towards the heart of Navier-11. “You didn’t–”

Chen flew towards her again.

So much for peace.  A switch flipped in her brain. The fight was fresh in her mind once more, the younger version of herself awakened for another war of survival.

Gritting her teeth, Ava pulled the sheers from her arm, blood trailing behind it. She turned it in her hand just as Chen grabbed her around the neck, her actions echoed by innumerable visions. Ava swung the blade around and drove it into her navigation officer’s carotid. She kicked the woman away, the shears tight in her grasp. Chen’s scream echoed and then curdled as blood floated through the air.

“Captain, the containers are unstable,” Marcus yelled through the intercom. “We have to release them!”

She pushed off the console back to her chair and watched as the entire cargo bay began flashing red on the screen. “Marcus, are you alright?”

“They are going crazy, I can’t even tell–”

He cut off. “Marc?”

“Ava,” He said after a beat, his voice now shaking. “I’m sorry, I… I owe you a beer.”

“What are you talking about, old man?”

He only laughed. The screen in front of her beeped, indicating an imminent emergency ejection of the cargo bay.

“Captain, we’re approaching the event horizon! T-minus three minutes, 13 seconds.”

Was that enough time to right? She couldn’t calculate it now. She pushed off towards the navigation console, slamming into it, but promptly overrode Chen’s locks and entered the new commands. The ship turned, its force and trajectory still taking them danger close to the edge of the horizon.

“No!” The Singularity engineer was coming for her, the security officer floating lifelessly behind him. His echoes dove straight to the console, slashing the makeshift blade violently. Ava pushed herself to the floor before using it to launch herself straight for him. She twisted the blade out of his hand as his body collided with the roof and then drove the scissors through his neck until she hit something solid.

“We’re still going to skim the horizon unless we can push off more!”

“The cargo release should do it!”

“How long?” Ava demanded, already pushing off in the direction of the cargo bay.

“Forty-six seconds!”

She flew out of the bridge, crashing into everything in her path before pushing on with all her might through several compartments, traveling through echo after echo.

When she made it to the cargo bay, it was indeed aflame, the hellish glow of the destruction mirroring that of the accretion disc. Several crewmembers were floating in front of it, hands raised in apparent worship.

“Captain,” Marcus called out to her near the cargo controls. He was bent over the console as if protecting it, though part of it had already sparked and caught fire as well. A large chunk of metal stuck from his back.

“Marc, we have to go,” She said as made it to him, testing the metal lodged into his flesh.

“I don’t think I can.”

“Bullshit.” She tore him away from the instruments to see the metal had pierced all the way through his chest. She cursed again but wrapped his arm around her shoulder and held him tight to her.

“Are we joining the Singularity?” The three members were now turned to her, looking almost identical to their shadows save for the framing of the flames behind them.

“Yes, just a few moments more.” She promised and shoved to the exit. The crewmembers cheered behind her.

“Soon we’ll be one again.”

A sickening gravity pulled them into the wall as she and Marcus reached the barrier point of the cargo bay. The engines of the ship rumbled audibly louder, fighting the pull of Navier-11.

As the seal to the bay zipped closed, the Singularity crew inside was crying with joy. A moment later, the compartment broke away and through the window of the hatch, they watched as it fell towards the event horizon and then exploded in a great billowing cloud of energy and light.

Silently, they made their way back through the ship as the pull disappeared. The echoes were sparse now, thinning to single occurrences per crew member left alive by the time they made it to the med bay.

Ava used the intercom from there to give a general announcement as Marcus was seen by the physician. “For any remaining who wish to join the Singularity, you are free to do so. Everything taken has been returned. You may leave through the airlock.”

Marcus was put under for a procedure and Ava sought to oversee the release of two additional living crew members out of the airlock. They thanked her, of all things, and shook her hand before following their echoes into the small space that preceded their demise. Ava personally placed Lt.Chen’s body beside the dead engineer inside.

She pressed the button from the bridge to jettison them away, bound for Singularity.

It was a melancholy relief, watching all that trouble fall away as she stood before the viewport. Navier-11 loomed beyond, ever powerful, ever inevitable.

“I don’t know whether or not you are God,” She spoke to her, “I do not know that I will live to see you unite or destroy all. I do know that before that time comes, we have to get on with it anyway, the best we can. Which means I’ll be back, after that old man buys my drink, and with better tools to take what my people need. As many times as is necessary to keep a fragile peace. As many times as it takes.”

“The void might echo for us, but humanity echoes too.”

Not me. but an acquaintance of mine.

He was a commercial pilot, married., with children, but a young pilot (Keep the age in mind. He made the Guinness Book of …Records).

Smoking was still permitted on flights but not at take off.

A very intoxicated passenger was chain smoking. The stewardess had asked him to put out his cigarette. The plane would not be lifting off until and unless he stopped smoking. The man waved her off, “bring me a drink, I’m a grown man, cookie…”…She insisted that he comply, he lit up again.

The other passengers were getting angry. The idiot had already caused a significant delay. This continued on, until my friend ,the Youngest Pilot.ever , was called upon. So Jack put on his jacket and cap and in complete uniform and as an Authority The Boss of the Airplane, approached the imbecile in row 23. *.

Jack is very calm and has a humble manner.

Humble Jack: “Sir, it is the law that all smoking materials must be extinguished prior to takeoff. We will let you know by a signal on this display when it is safe to light up again.”

Drunk chimney: “Go away sonny boy. “ Puff. Exhale, puff puff.

Humble Jack: (thinking to himself : I am a married man with children. A licensed pilot ‘Sonnt boy?’).

H.Jack, (tries again) “ Sir. I myself smoke, but there are times I cannot This flight will not leave the tarmac unless you put out your cigarette.”

This goes on for several more minutes. Drunk Chimney becoming more belligerent and abusive .

D.C.: “You look like you just got out of knee pants”.

Finally , Humble Jack gave up, his patience exhausted. He left row 23 , removed his Captain’s hat, wiped the sweat off his brow. Then he ‘dropped a dime”**. Soon after this, the hatch opened, and uniforms of a different cut marched onto the scene.

Drunk Chimney was dragged off the plane in bracelets, kicking and swearing, accompanied by applause from the other passengers.

Sonny Boy won.

  • * I used poetic license, no clue what row it was
  • **. Drop a dime-60’s & 70’s slang for making a phone call to authorities. Tattling…

Avocado Chicken Casserole

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adf0461e01ca3e19933926496e874679

Yield: 6 servings

Ingredients

  • 1 cup broad flat green noodles
  • 1 large ripe avocado, peeled and sliced
  • 2 tablespoons fresh lime juice
  • 1/2 cup butter
  • 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 5 dashes Tabasco sauce
  • 2 1/4 cups Half-and-Half
  • 1 cup grated Cheddar cheese
  • 6 (6 ounce) boneless, skinless chicken breast halves
  • 1/2 cup roasted, peeled and coarsely chopped fresh chile

Instructions

  1. Prepare noodles according to package directions; drain, and set aside.
  2. Heat oven to 350 degrees F.
  3. Drizzle avocado slices with lime juice and set aside.
  4. Melt butter in a 2 quart saucepan over low heat.
  5. Stir in flour, salt and Tabasco sauce over low heat until mixture bubbles.
  6. Add Half-and-Half slowly, stirring constantly until mixture thickens.
  7. Add cheese and stir until it has melted. Reserve 1 cup of this sauce.
  8. Mix remainder of sauce with cooked noodles.
  9. Place chicken in bottom of a 13 x 9 x 2 inch baking dish.
  10. Cover with chopped green chiles.
  11. Spoon noodle mixture over chicken and chiles.
  12. Place avocado slices on top and pour reserved sauce over avocados.
  13. Bake, uncovered, for 35 minutes.

Today’s MM AI generations

Just some of the better results. I’ve been doing some experimentation. Hands and arms are still problematic.

This is confusing…

@AlbedoBase XL Create a anatomicallyaccurate photo realistic Ba 1(3)
@AlbedoBase XL Create a anatomicallyaccurate photo realistic Ba 1(3)

But, now what is he proposing that she do?

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His intent is clear. But then what?

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Pure affection.

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Deep in thought.

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Make and prepare the coffee.

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Different style.

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Celebration of the coffee.

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What are you saying…?

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A man among men.

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Let me explain it to you.

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Such a decision…

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No. I do not like that.

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UPDATED 2:23 PM EDT — Russia Formally Notifies United Nations: If US/UK Approve Western Weapons Strikes Deep into Russia – a “State of War” will exist

Nebenzya UN large
Nebenzya UN large

Russian leadership has issued a follow-up statement to President Vladimir Putin’s Thursday brief video address warning that if the US and UK authorize Ukraine to pursue long-range strikes on Russian soil, then NATO and the Russian Federation will be in an official state of war.

On Friday Russia’s ambassador to the United Nations, Vassily Nebenzia, informed the UN Security council that NATO countries would “start an open war” in allowing Western long-range missiles to target Russia.

“If such a decision is made, that means NATO countries are starting an open war against Russia,” Moscow’s envoy introduced. “In that case, we will obviously be forced to make certain decisions, with all the attendant consequences for Western aggressors.”

 

UPDATE 2:23 PM EDT —

Chinese Defense Minister Dong Jun publicly announced today that “China will militarily support Russia if NATO attacks Russia.”

Earlier this week, Russian President Vladimir Putin made clear in a TV interview that if the US and NATO allow Ukraine to begin using western-supplied long-range missiles, to hit interior Russia, that that would be direct involvement by the United States, European Countries, and NATO, in war with Russia.   He went on to point out that modern, precision weapons from the collective West, require satellites to hit targets, and Ukraine does not have any satellites.

As such, Ukraine would have to be able to use US, EU/NATO Satellites, and that is direct involvement in the conflict, by NATO.

More importantly, modern, precision weapons of the collective West, cannot be programmed by Ukrainian troops; they don’t know how.  Because of the complexity, such target programming would have to be done by actual NATO troops, which is, again, direct involvement by NATO in the conflict.

Putin finished by saying If NATO enters the conflict, that changes the entire essence of the conflict, and Russia would have to make decisions about that based on the new threats posed to it.

TODAY

Earlier today, Russia’s Ambassador to the United Nations formally notified the UN Security Council that if US and UK leaders allow Ukraine to hit Russia with long-range weapons, then “a state of war” will exist between NATO and the Russian Federation. (Story Here)

Russian Diplomat Families HAVE LEFT the United States

Russian Diplomat Families HAVE LEFT the United States

The family of Russian Ambassador Anatoly Antonov, has reportedly left the United States and returned to Russia.

The families of other senior Diplomats from Russia’s Embassy in Washington, and its Consulate in New York, also reportedly departed the U.S. earlier this week.

According to sources familiar with Russian Diplomatic operations here in the US, the remaining senior Diplomats from Russia are now operating with “skeleton staffing levels” at both the Embassy and the Consulates.

There will be two resets…

Facial massages and happy times

Many years ago my boss called me in and told me to sign a document. I asked what is was about first and it turned out to be a Workers Compensation claim for an industrial accident that I had witnessed.

The boss wasn’t happy that I wanted to thoroughly read the document first. He was even more unhappy when I refused to sign it. It was a claim made by the injured worker and the boss said “Don’t you want your mate to get his money?” To which I replied that the claim was all lies.

The claimant worked at the same place but was not any type of mate as he was a liar and a thief.

The accident occurred a few minutes after I warned him about his unsafe actions and his lack of PPE. He was bare foot. While I was still there he was injured ( losing all toes on his left foot) because of his own stupidity.

The boss was gleeful when I told him of the facts and smiled like the Cheshire Cat when I happily gave a detailed statement and signed it.

The boss was happy as this claim would have meant that the insurance company increased its rates while dropping future payouts to 40% max. The stupid and careless worker would have severely and negatively affected any future claimant. It also meant that anything unpaid by the insurance company would come out of the bosses pocket. While very strict 3 monthly inspections would be carried out.

The boss was contemplating being unable to continue in business which would leave a lot of employees and contractors without a job.

Claimant was a Bastard. I was glad to have his claim rejected while helping my boss and workmates.

My older sister was an alcoholic. She drank to mask the pain of the sexual abuse she suffered as a small child at the hands of her grandfather. She would have flashbacks pretty frequently, and this would cause panic. She couldn’t sleep at night without being reminded of her rapist every time she closed her eyes. Being drunk took that away, so that’s the way she stayed. Drunk much of the time. Drinking way too much wine, every single day. She had a difficult life, and even managed to stop drinking for a bit. But by then there was so much liver damage, her liver still shut down.

At the end of April 2018 she was transferred to hospice. We didn’t want her to die alone, so we took turns staying with her in her room (which is encouraged by the hospice staff). On May 10 2018, we left to get something to eat, leaving just her mother there. Within 2 minutes of walking in the door, her mother called and said she had passed. So we drove back to the hospice with her ribbon dress and moccasins to dress her. Being Native American we have a few beliefs about death and how the body is prepared. We washed her from head to toe using only water and a clean cloth, then put on her dress and moccasins.

At this point I went out for a cigarette and came back to sight I will never forget. My sister died in hospice care, with her mother by her side, and now those memories will never bother her again. She was content, at peace, and— she was smiling. My other sister witnessed this too, so we went to grab a nurse— she agreed, that was a smile. We took that to mean she was happy wherever she was now and content that she was in traditional clothing. Still a little freaky though, the dead aren’t supposed to move.

【古筝|霍元甲 Fearless】】在法国街头弹《霍元甲》再配上满街的中国红灯笼!帅气!Chinese Musical Instruments—Guzheng Cover| 碰碰彭碰彭

Yup. I got dispatched to a possible suicide where I knew the wife was a wanted subject. I knew that she had 3 small kids. I got there and found the husband in the garage with a single gunshot to the head. They had been arguing about getting a divorce. She wanted it, he didn’t. The guy was an emotional terrorist. Every time she got fed up with it he talked her into another kid saying it would fix their problems. After #3 she finally called bullshit. Well he grabbed a .22 rifle went to the garage like he had done more times than she could count. The rifle was always empty. This time he had forgotten that he had chambered a round sometime in the recent past because some guy had threatened him. Well when he pulled the trigger it went boom. The round entered through the roof of his mouth then bounced around in his skull destroying his brains. They we leaking out of his mouth and ears. He was still breathing (very labored), just short gasps so I called for EMS. I also had dispatch notify the local funeral home (I knew there was no way he was going to make it until EMS showed up). By the time EMS got there he was dead. I called for the assigned Justice of Peace for that area asking for him to come to the scene. (They pronounce time of death for the death certificates).

I ran the wife’s information per department protocol which brought up the warrant. I had called her parents earlier advising them what had happened. She was mentally loosing it. No way she could care for the kids. The parents finally arrived (thank god). The Father got the kids out of the house. Her Mother stayed with the wife trying to calm her down.

There WAS NO WAY in hell that I was going to arrest her. That warrant stayed unserved for about a year. She remarried within months but none of us wanted to traumatize the kids by putting momma in jail too soon after their father’s death.

TOO MANY TEARS watching ‘Leon the Professional’ for the first time

He wasn’t a foreign soldier. He was an eleven year old gang member.

While in the Gang Unit, as a detective sergeant, I was called out to a homicide scene. Two gang members had been shot outside of a gas station. The first was a sixteen year old female, who died before we arrived. The other was her thirteen year old younger brother, who was shot, but was conscious [and ultimately survived].

The younger brother knew the shooter and gave us the name. While the homicide detective stayed on-scene, a patrol deputy [who was also gang unit] and I went to the shooter’s mother’s house, where the shooter lived.

I knocked on the door and the mother answered. I asked to speak to her son, but didn’t tell her why. She told me that her son was probably at his father’s house and gave me the address.

The deputy and I went to the father’s house and knocked on the door. The father’s girlfriend answered the door. I asked if I could speak to [father’s name]’s son. She stated he was upstairs. I asked if anyone else was upstairs. She said there was not.

I started going up the staircase, which went straight ten-to-fifteen steps, then took a sharp right.

My gut tightened. The kid knew I was here, and what I was here for. Without a doubt, he’d ice me as soon as I turn that corner.

I slowly peeked around the corner, and, unfortunately, my gut was correct. The kid was there with a handgun pointing down the funnel.

I stayed around the corner, pulled my firearm, and told him to drop his. Instead, he fired a few rounds through the wall, attempting to hit me.

I took a side step into the funnel and fired three rounds. Two rounds hit his chest, and one missed him completely.

I didn’t kill him. He went to the hospital and made a recovery. He spent a few years in a juvenile correctional facility and was released.

As an adult, he racked up a few more felonies until he got into a fight with a drug dealer and shot him.

As an adult, he was charged and convicted of murder and is now serving a life sentence.

When I first started in the gang unit, I believed he was a rare exception to the children I’d deal with. Turns out, he was the standard.

You don’t need to cross borders to find it.

I saw this one myself a couple of years ago in Vegas, and it did not happen at a table but at a slot machine.

A hollow-cheeked old lady — she must have been in her eighties — was sitting at a slot machine with a large alcoholic drink and a cigarette in her mouth, and an empty look in her eyes as if she was uninterested in most everything which happened around her (or better: she hardly noticed her surroundings). Bette Davis eyes.

She had a bucket of coins, which she inserted into the machine at a devastating speed, and after every spin a new one was immediately inserted (unless she needed a quick sip first, or a new smoke).

A waiter told me that she was here every day and every night, only drinking whiskey and martinis and hardly eating at all — unless smoking cigarettes is a form of feeding — while inserting coins, coins, coins —

“They cost a $100 each. She spends at least 100K per day — and sometimes a lot more. Had a rich husband who died a couple of years ago, and she inherited a fortune of more than 50 million. Doesn’t give a f☹️ck about life.“

Apparently, she had decided to stop living, and to slowly torture her body while throwing away all that money of hers, until some fatal condition would finally make her disappear. Because one thing was clear —

This lady was not leaving Las Vegas.

Tears For Fears Greatest Hits Full Album 2021 | Best Songs Of Tears For Fears

After 26 years working in prison, I saw a few:

Had an inmate who raped the daughter of a big, close family. On his 1st day at the prison, he received a “thinking of you” card, the same as he had the whole time he had been in. He got one EVERY DAY, listing his parole date, parole address, his parole officer name, and ended with“ see you when you get home”

Had someone send the Xerox copy of the sex charges to as many inmates in the yard as possible via a lawyer’s office, so we could not stop them.

Had one who got a letter with lice eggs folded inside.

I was told of a case where an inmate received cigarettes with lead foil inside, giving him lead poisoning. (as the inmates say, it’s only a crime if you get caught.)

And last, in the early 1980s, while living in England, they had a person charged with (again) sex crimes, who was demanding bail. 1 of the fathers got up in court and said “ he does not think of the fact that not only do the warders (guards) keep him in, they keep us out. I have no problem with him out here WITH US!” when offered bail, the prisoner refused.

There is no doubt that China’s military strength is stronger than Vietnam’s, both in terms of economic size and population size, but there is no conflict between China and Vietnam, so it is meaningless to compare the two.

In July 1986, Le Duan, General Secretary of the Communist Party of Vietnam, passed away.

In December of the same year, Nguyen Van Linh was elected General Secretary of the Communist Party of Vietnam at the Sixth Congress of the Communist Party of Vietnam.

After becoming General Secretary, Nguyen Van Linh was eager to correct a whole set of wrong practices of his predecessor and put forward the slogan that Vietnam should “become friends with all countries”. He believed that the two most urgent things for Vietnam at that time were to withdraw troops from Cambodia and improve relations with China.

In September 1990, Nguyen Van Linh (fourth from left in the front row) and Prime Minister Do Muoi (third from right in the front row) visited China and held talks with Jiang Zemin, General Secretary of the Communist Party of China, and Li Peng, Premier of the State Council, on the normalization of relations between the two parties and the two countries.

During this meeting, China and Vietnam agreed to downplay the Sino-Vietnamese War.

In order to develop good neighborly relations, the Chinese side also took into account the feelings of the Vietnamese side.

Therefore, for a long period of time, there was no content about the Sino-Vietnamese War in Chinese textbooks, and there was no Sino-Vietnamese War theme in Chinese film and television works.

With the death of Nguyen Trong Phuc, the new General Secretary of the Communist Party of Vietnam Su Lin took over, and China was chosen as the first stop of his foreign visit. The theme of China-Vietnam relations remains friendship, harmony and common progress. Comprehensively strengthen the strategic cooperative partnership and promote the construction of a China-Vietnam community with a shared future.

The ruling parties and governments of China and Vietnam have expressed their desire to coexist harmoniously. Of course, some netizens will be influenced by extreme nationalism and Western public opinion and damage China-Vietnam relations, but it will not become mainstream.

 

The Dutch government made a big move that’s got everyone in the semiconductor industry buzzing. This isn’t just some small policy change, it’s going to ripple through the global tech scene.

What’s the deal with China’s chip industry?

So, China’s been working hard to beef up its chip-making game, but this new rule is throwing a wrench in the works. The Dutch are now requiring special permission to ship out Deep Ultraviolet (DUV) lithography machines – these are the big guns when it comes to making chips. It’s not just about the cutting-edge stuff anymore; even the tech for making less fancy chips is getting harder for China to get its hands on. This could seriously slow down China’s plans to become a chip-making powerhouse and rely less on foreign tech.

According to the International Semiconductor Industry Association (SEMI), global sales of chip manufacturing equipment are expected to reach $109 billion in 2024, with China projected to account for over 30%, making it the largest market.

As Chen Nanxiang, chairman of the China Semiconductor Industry Association, recently stated, “In the past, China took many detours in the process of developing integrated circuits. What China needs now is an industry that requires innovative industries, innovative services, and innovative business models to transform into the most economical commercial value.” He believes that after a long period of trial and error, China is now on the right track and predicts that “within 3 to 5 years, China’s chip industry will achieve ‘explosive growth,’ paving the way for overcoming U.S. technological restrictions on China.”

Global chip supply: buckle up for a bumpy ride

Here’s the thing: making chips isn’t just a one-country show. It’s like a giant, global jigsaw puzzle where every piece matters. With the Netherlands joining the U.S. in keeping some puzzle pieces away from China, we might see some major shakeups in how chips are made and distributed worldwide. In the short term, this could mean fewer chips for all those gadgets we can’t live without – from our beloved smartphones to the cars we drive.

What about the companies making these machines?

Companies like ASML (the Dutch superstar in making these chip machines) are in a tricky spot. They’re saying it’s business as usual for now, but let’s be real – losing access to the massive Chinese market is going to hurt. These companies might need to looking for new customers or coming up with new ways to stay on top of their game.

The Big Picture: Tech, Politics, and Power Plays

At its core, this is about more than just chips – it’s about who’s going to lead the tech race in the years to come. The U.S. and its allies are flexing their muscles, trying to stay ahead in the tech game. Meanwhile, China’s not too happy about being left out and is probably going to double down on making its own tech ecosystem. We might be looking at a future where there are two separate tech worlds – one led by the West and another by China.

Space Chunking

Submitted into Contest #247 in response to: Set your story on a spaceship exploring the far reaches of space when something goes wrong. view prompt

Bob Banel

Captain Billy Chunk had the Conn of the SpaceTug Delilah. He had the throttles jammed to the firewall and was in a losing hot pursuit of the SpaceTug Medusa. The Medusa had a fouled Dok-A-Lok coupling on a Jumbo Class SpaceSkow and was now married to it for better or worse. The Medusa was being dragged along on a Nantucket sleigh ride trajectory and headed for something definitely worse than a burn up in the Earth’s atmosphere. The Medusa had FUBAR’ed it drives and was neither use nor ornament. The crew headed by Captain Julie “Sweet” Stacks was not enjoying the journey and definitely dreading the destination..Incineration seemed now seemed the lesser of two evils as this particular angle of approach as predicted by the B-Box suggested a encore performance of the Tunguska Blast over the vicinity of Paris followed by a no one left standing ovation. If that wasn’t bad enough, Captain Julie was Captain Billy’s main squeeze.Captain Billy thought to himself, ” When it rains it pours….However….It never rains in the wheelhouse!”. With this pondering concluded on a slightly positive note the time to hesitate was through. “Light My Fire” spoke Captain Billy sotto voce to no one in particular. He flipped open the safety cover and thumbed down on the OVERPLUNGE button.Aboard the SpaceTug Delilah it was an anti-climatic moment except for Chief the Engineer. The B-Board display tracking the Medusa showed the time to CPA go from red to green. Delilah was now closing the gap.Chief the Engineer’s, as contrary as ever, faced turned red rather than green. In a livid rage he sputtered, “She can’t take it, you’re goona’ blow the drives you daft man!’. Captain Billy, as cool as a Puget Sound summer’s day, replied, ” Well Chief, She’s gonna get it…” Chief the Engineer’s mouth gasped opened closed liked a landed trout but no words came. Captain Billy wasn’t listening anyways. He had other fish to fry.First things first, Captain Billy had a plan. He considered giving the crew a SitRep. However expediancy over ruled honesty. He sounded the GQ Alarm. At the sound of the bell the off watch of Mister Mate Mark and Deckhand Micky plus ship’s mascot SpacePup Belka mustered on bridge.Captain Billy spoke three words, “Abandon Ship Drill..”. The drowsy crew fresh from their warm bunks silently nodded. With the precision of a somnambulist all the crew donned their SurvSuits. SpacePup Belka was zipped in his special doggie suit. They staggered sleepily out the passageway and boarded the LifePod. Captain Billy remained on the Bridge as was routine procedure. Pavlov’s Dog could not have reacted any better.

 

It was Captain Billy Chunk’s philosophy of command and control to never give orders because people, especially the sailor’ly type,DO NOT like being told what to do. His style was to lay out what he wanted accomplished then listen to the kvetching of his crew. The point was to make who ever needed the most direction to feel that the requested task was his own idea. Captain Billy had more tells than a Las Vegas card shark. He would silently raise an eyebrow or purse his lips or unleash his most dreaded stink eye to get his crew to do his bidding.

 

Captain Billy looked at the B-Board and showed the LifePod manned and ready save for the Captain position. From ComBox came Mister Mate Mark’s drowsy voice. The status of the LifePod was fully manned and ready. The door sealed, internal environment AOK, as was the routine practice of a normal LifePod drill. Captain Billy toggled the LifePod Launch button 3 times. The LifePod shot away from the ship with his crew. They were was safe for the moment.

 

This was a job that could best done alone thought Captain Billy Chunk. John Wayne had nothing on Captain Billy. His decks were now clear and ready for action. Then there was a singular bark. Then another bark. SpacePup Belka was still aboard.

 

The SITREP so far: Captain Billy, Mister Mate Mark, Chief the Engineer, Deckhand Micky and are the crew of the SpaceTug Delilah. All were shanghaied by “The Company ” from the Good Tugboat Samson from the cool gray waters of Puget Sound and pressed into service aboard the SpaceTug Delilah. This crew was chosen for their particular stoic mindset to deal with the crewing issues that were plaguing the SpaceTug fleet owned by “The Man” Noel Muskie.

 

The SpaceTug fleet was part of the off world industry of space commerce known as SpaceComm. Orbiting Space Stations had been established by competing companies at the Lagrange points. Mining of the Asteroid Belt was the primary concern. Ore was delivered by autonomous SpaceSkows. SpaceTugs would latch onto to them and wrangle them into Earth or Lunar orbit. It was a parallel universe of Earth’s maritime industry in many ways.

 

The SpaceTug Delilah was a one off construction. It was built as back in the day when SpaceTug Racing was the sport of the Young Tuts who were building the space industry. Bragging rights were everything. To have the fastest and strongest SpaceTugs winning at the races was the best advertising to rally the investors back on Earth. SpaceTug Delilah was the product of this fervor. Rumors of hidden features and even alien tech abounded. However the SpaceComm matured and it was time to stow the childish toys. The oddball SpaceTug Delilah was laid-up and went “Cold Iron” in the Reserve Fleet. This was until Captain Billy Chunk and his crew’s arrival. It was a perfect fit.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

JIBBERISH JUST TO SAVE STORY WORD COUNT>> WILL FIX LATER>>GOTTA GO ON WATCH RIGHT NOW AND DRIVE A REAL TUGBOAT!!!!!

 

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Flight from Canada to the UK, guy sat down next to me and I gagged.

So what? I hear you cry. Well I’m a plumber’s son. I’ve worked farming and domestic spillages and ruptured pipes, I have literally worked knee deep in human poop to get a job done and the smell of this guy made me gag.

So I went and asked the harried looking attendant if I could switch seats and she just spat out “full flight” “no seats” and shooed me away.

So I went back to my seat but I couldn’t do it. I couldn’t sit next to this guy who smelled like a homeless guy who had shat himself to death in the Florida sun three days ago.

So I went to try the attendants again and, again, I got the brush off.

Back I went to my seat and I had a little think. And I started pushing my call bell. A LOT.

Grumpy attendant came to see me to shut me up.

Grumpy attendant leaned in close to tell me off.

Grumpy attendant took a big deep breath in so she could give me a proper scolding.

Grumpy attendant nearly puked in my lap.

Shortly there after my happy arse was a looooong way away from where I had been and now-apologetic attendant fed me business class food and wine to say sorry.

In all of my long decades on this silly little flying marble we call home that man was, by far, the worst thing I’ve ever smelled.

How do you automatically presume Chinese Companies are inferior because they can’t beat Apple

Why not infer that Apple has certain aspects that make their products superior?

Motorola, Nokia, Sony Ericcson, Siemens once had a combined 72.7% Global market share in 2006

By 2012, they had less than 15% Global market share

That’s a whopping 80% crash in their market

Are these Incompetent companies?

Are the Finns or Swedes or Germans incompetent?

Apple , Google & Samsung pioneered the present smartphone ecosystem with processor chips, memory chips and an operating system

They have First Market Advantage

Plus they control the entire ecosystem

Plus they have ferocious branding

Realme, Redmi, Oppo, Vivo – they depend on TSMC chips, they depend on Android, they depend on SK Hynix and they depend on Sony

How can they compete against Apple?

Their only advantage is LOW COST with 90% Apple quality

That helps sell these phones in Mid Income Or Low Mid Income Or Low Income Nations and to the Low Income Chinese who are still 38% of the Chinese Economy

Why do you think US hasn’t given a second glance at these companies?

Now HUAWEI is different

Huawei has its own ecosystem but due to the sheer unfairness of the US,they are denied access to the same TSMC that others can use to fabricate their own designed chips

So Huawei can’t make Kirin Chips with TSMC anymore

They have to rely on SMIC

Then SMIC can’t use latest EUVs anymore

So again the chips have to be made at lower yields and higher cost

Plus Memory Chips too

However Harmony OS is outstanding and Huaweis 5G infrastructure is the world’s best & the Beidou mapping beats GPS now within China

Plus they have fantastic designs

Plus they have their own Indigenous Display and no longer dependent on the Japanese

Plus they have their own camera designs and sensors relying only on ZEISS & Chinese BOE

So they can compete and even oust Apple Iphone from the Mainland Markets & Middle East Markets – the only two markets where

A. People have deep pockets

B. Huawei is given unrestricted freedom and access


Its like Chinese EV Batteries

China has the Technological Edge and First market advantage

Nobody on earth can compete with them

Cost, Efficiency are both a major plus

No US or European company has come within miles of the Chinese CATL battery grids or design

Panasonic can’t hold a candle to CATL or BYD and barely holds its own against EVE or Gotion or Octillion which are distantly second level on the Mainland

Same with LG

Doesn’t make Toyota or Mercedes inferior right?


Its Indian companies that are actually inferior

They don’t own any edge and that’s not the problem

The Problem is they aren’t even trying

They are just blowing money on the richest 1%

My Date Brought Her Friend Along Expecting Me To Pay, Has Fit When I Roasted Them In The Restaurant

Yep. The equivalent of a low level supervisor. I had gone to work even though I was sick as a dog, full blown fever and all. I *THOUGHT* it was just a really nasty cold, worst case bronchitis. Oh no, not that simple. The dreaded flu, this was a few years back when the flu vaccine, which I had gotten, was not as effective as it normally is.

Well I’m a Front Desk Concierge. So let’s break down the numbers.

We have three Property Management Staff in the office. We have another four houskeepers for the the site. Maintenance department is another 7 or 8 people.

We’ve got between the two towers, as there are two linked buildings that make up the site. Three Front Desk Staff Per Shift.

Delivery Guys, the *REGULAR ONES* We’ve to 10 Plus between Amazon, UPS, USPS, FedEx (Three different FedEx Services).

We have in the tower I worked 320 Units.

So yeah, I saw the doctor at the Express Clinic at the pharmacy across the street. Popped positive for the flu. Got two copies of the doctor’s note. Dropped one with property management. Texted my *direct* manager, not the asshole supervisor as I don’t have his number and the *MANAGER* is the one who we’re told to inform of if calling out sick, late, etc. Later that evening I *E-MAILED* the Manager, CC’ed it to HR and included the scanned in copy of the doctor’s note. Included my request to use my PTO hours that are built up currently, to cover my sick leave.

Asshole throws a *BITCH FIT* the next day when I didn’t show up. Management, my company, not Property Management, separate companies, DID NOT honor my request to use the PTO hours and apparently no one bothered to find a replacement coverage for me or informed the asshole supervisor.

I heard *ALL* about it from folks when I did finally come back. And I just shrugged, pointed out *I* had done as required and didn’t give a flying f what his problem was.

BTW, said supervisor was fired, eventually, and black listed with the company. He had a very, very long list of complaints against him. Enough so that *EVERY* staff member was called into the office to review his behaviors. That’s close to 15 people.

When the various residents asked, as I was very popular, I said simply I’d had the flu and I refused to risk spreading it far and wide. And not a one of them, even the grouchier folks, disagreed and many complimented me on my common sense.

Until I was 7, my parents had an only child.

My brother came around when I was 8. I loved the little guy. Always asked my mom to feed him, take care of him, help, change his diapers etc.

Then he grew up to be 4. At this point, he was so spoiled that he used to hit people with his toys when he figured you were not complying to his wishes.

One October day, it was a week before his birthday, he was left alone with me while my mum went out to buy party stuff. He wanted me to make him food because he did not want what they had left him. I went in the kitchen, turned on the oven and put water boiling so I could make mac and cheese. Whilst I was looking the other way, he went upstairs to put on my mother’s heels and tried going down the stairs. He lost his balance and fell. Now the way the house was built, when someone came down the stairs, they arrived directly in the kitchen area. I literally had to jump in front of the oven to stop him from burning himself. The hot water burned me instead.

After I asked him if he was alright, he turned around, slapped me and told me it was my fault and that he was going to tell mum. I’m not happy about it but I was in pain so I hit him on the bum.

In comes my mother, and upon seeing the mess, she rushes in, takes her precious baby from me and tells me it was all my fault that I got burned because I hated her baby boy. Instead of making sure I was alright, she punched me, took her son away and took care of him, telling me to turn of the oven and go take a cold shower. Fortunately, the water was not yet boiling -just really hot – so I escaped the disaster.

But it gets worse. My dad was living abroad at the time. She called him that night and told him everything. When he came home for the birthday, he proceeded to punish me.

There was at the time this barbarous technique where they would make someone kneel on the bar of a chair for a certain amount of time. My dad made me kneel on one from 8 A.M. to 2 P.M. I couldn’t get up so they had to drag me off it. I crawled to my dad’s feet, apologized​ to them all (mum, dad and little brother) and promised that I would never endanger my brother again. It was only then that he told me what I would never forget “You are a useless girl. Your only value is to get married one day and make your husband happy”

It was not the first time I’d experience his rage. But he had never told me that I was useless. I started spiralling into depression and went from top of my class to bottom. What was the use? I told myself. I also started to self-hurt.

I managed to go live with my grandma after she discovered what a wreck I was becoming and remember than less than 2 years later, my dad died. I laughed at his funeral instead of crying.

Years later, my brother and my mum apologized but even if I managed to forgive, I never forgot this October day.

EDIT

I just want to add that I came from a Christian-Catholic, ethnic minority background with a father that was 20 years older than my mum. Not sure if it was the sole reason for his behaviour,but it was part of it. Both parents had a college degree and my dad was in academia. The smart professor that taught his intelligent daughter was a failure.

I live overseas now. Went away for college and rarely come back. My grandma is now deacesed so no reason to travel as often. And my mum hates England’s​ weather. I settled down with a wonderful man and managed to be happy.

I did. And it was fucking glorious.

I was bullied literally every single school day from the first day of infant school, all the way through juniors and into secondary school. Gangs of kids would come and find me, kick and slap me, spit on me etc. It was hell. It made me dread going to school every day. We were extremely poor, so when they inevitably broke something, I was told off at home too, so as far as I was concerned, I was getting it from both sides. Only once did my primary school do anything about it, but it happened every single day.

When I was 8 I started karate lessons, instantly thinking I was Daniel Larusso, and was going to crane-kick those bullies into submission.

I never did. I was far too frightened that I would get it wrong, and the beatings would get worse. And fighting in real life is nothing like in the movies. On screen, the hero might be surrounded by 10 guys, but only one is fighting him at a time. In real life, everyone is getting punches in at the same time and Jackie Chan is getting the snot beat out of him.

I digress. At secondary school came bigger kids. There were no more gangs to hide from, but once the bullies honed in on a weaker kid, you were done for. It also didn’t help being unusual in any way. I was the tallest in the school from my first day, had bendy joints and was an expert user of the new computer lab we had.

I was weak, I was unusual, it took the bullies all of 3 days to find me.

The bullying at secondary school is the worst. It might only be one-on-one now, but there was always a baying crowd, and as for the severity it went from “your mum’s fat” *slap slap* at primary school to action movie levels of punching, headlocks, wrestling moves from the TV (which might be fake in the ring, but hurt like hell).

I endured it every day.

One day in year 11, a bully cornered me in the lunch queue. He was gearing up for a fight. He started pushing me around, smacking me in the head and laughing at me. I knew exactly what was about to happen.

Then he spat on my shoes.

For some reason, that made me see red. I snapped. All of a sudden, eight or nine years of bullying came to a head. I could feel the crowd beginning to slowly gather. I could see everything Gary was doing in slow motion. His fist was clenching. His arm was pulling back. He was getting into a fighting stance.

But then, still in slow motion, my legs were moving. I was in main karate stance. I wasn’t doing this. I wasn’t in control. Gary took his swing and missed. I had ducked him. I remember seeing the fist just centimetres above my face, swinging wildly through the air. The snarl on his face. The spit drooling from his mouth as he swore at me.

I then felt my stance changing. My weight went from the back leg to the front and I was suddenly aware that my back leg was moving through the air. I had never been taught how to do a spinning back leg kick as the karate Sensei refused to teach us, but I was doing one. I remember thinking “why am you doing this? You don’t know how to do this. This is going to end badly for you.”

Then I felt the heel of my foot connect with his face, and power on through. I smashed his nose with my foot, blood was everywhere. Gary went down, hard.

The baying crowd went silent. Everything went back to normal speed. Teachers came rushing in. And Gary started screaming.

I will never forget that moment for as long as I live.

Buttery Chicken Casserole

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0d33fafa3bb93a699f1ac86d96ca1727

Yield: 6 to 8 servings

Ingredients

  • 1 (3 pound) broiler-fryer chicken
  • 1 quart water
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 1 teaspoon pepper
  • 1 can cream of chicken soup, undiluted
  • 1 can cream of celery soup, undiluted
  • 8 ounces sour cream
  • 1/2 teaspoon pepper
  • 1/2 (16 ounce) package oval-shaped buttery crackers, crushed (2 stacks)
  • 1/4 cup butter, melted

Instructions

  1. Combine first 4 ingredients in a large Dutch oven; bring to a boil. Cover, reduce heat, and simmer 1 hour or until tender.
  2. Remove chicken, and cool slightly.
  3. Skin and bone chicken; cut chicken into bite-size pieces.
  4. Combine chicken, cream of chicken soup and next 3 ingredients, stirring well.
  5. Place half of crushed crackers in a lightly greased 11 x 7 x 1 1/2 inch baking dish; spoon chicken mixture over crackers.
  6. Yop with remaining crackers, and drizzle with butter.
  7. Bake at 325 degrees F for 35 minutes or until lightly browned.

Starbucks FIRES Woke CEO After Sales Collapse & Woke Policies Lead To Massive Boycotts!

Ribbit. Ribbit. Ribbit.

My second husband passed almost 22 years ago. When he died, I was only 28 years old. His final words to me still linger in my heart. “You will get married again and you will have more children. I want you to be happy and I’ll do everything in my power to make it so”.

Two months later, I discovered I was pregnant after 8 years of trying. I was about to be a young, pregnant widow. I heard his voice, and went about doing what I had to do to provide for our son.

When my son was about a year old, I saw a man across the room from me at the gym and heard my husband say “ that man is your next husband” three months later, we met and started dating. In May of 1998, we were married.

A month after our wedding, I became pregnant. Mike and I were so in love! Sometimes I am in disbelief at how deep our love was. For fifteen years we were married and it was the best thing I’d ever known.

Mike passed away, in his sleep, January 27th 2018. Were it not for my second husbands death, I never would have known such an incredible amount of love. Now, I’m again a single, widowed woman with a couple of teenaged sons who have kept me alive in ways they will never know. My life isn’t perfect but I’m so much more alive than I have ever imagined. So, not just one death has changed me.

COL. Lawrence Wilkerson : US Empire Failing

Well, she didn’t start out being unwelcomed.

After my wife passed away I had sole responsibility of four children ranging in age from premature infant to 19 years old.

My sister-in-law became very concerned for my well being and wanted to help me organize my life. I thought “good luck with that.”

So, she and her husband, who was my late wife’s brother, came over to spend a few days to help me “straighten up.”

First, she started with my linens. She asked me where the spare bedsheets were. I told her I had no idea. She asked when was the last time I changed the beds. I told her less than a week ago. I just take the sheets off, wash them, then put them back on. Made sense to me.

It did not make sense to her. So after finding and organizing the linens, she attacked the bath towels.

The towels seemed perfectly fine the way they were. But that didn’t mesh with her system.

Then it was on to the kitchen. I had to learn a new way in the pantry and refrigerator. Neither made sense to me, but I was trying to be patient.

My son came running to me the next day saying that Aunt C was in her room straightening up. I told him to be patient with her. She means only the best for us. Then the other son says she made him leave his room.

That afternoon there were a pile of toys in the hall that she said they didn’t need in their rooms.

I told her I would take care of it. The kids came crying when she went downstairs asking what I was going to do with them. I told them to just wait. They won’t be hear much longer.

On the third day, my oldest son came in my face and said “She’s organizing the outdoor toys, like my ball, bat, and gloves.

That was the last straw.

I finally confronted her and said “Thank you for everything you’ve done, but I think that’s enough. We can take it from here.”

She huffed at me and said “I was only trying to help.”

I replied that she was indeed a big help, and I couldn’t thank her enough. But we had to get on with things the best way we could.

They left.

And almost as quickly as they organized things we reorganized our own way. The spare sheets were never removed from the closet. I put my pantry back in order, and the pile of toys was redistributed to the kids.

And just to end this story that was 25 years ago, and there are no ill feelings between us today.

The cases of Sun Xiaoguo and Li Tianyi do not have any bad impact because both cases have been thoroughly investigated and the criminals and those who shielded them have been punished.

On February 20, 2020, Sun Xiaoguo was executed. 19 public officials were sentenced for shielding Sun Xiaoguo.

Although Li Tianyi’s parents pleaded with the victim to withdraw his appeal, they did not obstruct justice nor commit a crime. After Li Tianyi was sentenced to 10 years in prison, his mother appealed to the Ministry of Public Security several times. The procedure was legal, but it had no impact on the verdict of the case.

Li Tianyi spent 10 years in prison before being released (February 22, 2013 – February 22, 2023). The reason why the sentence was not commuted was because his parents were celebrities. If his sentence is commuted, it will immediately trigger an Internet discussion and attract widespread attention. Taking into account the impact of public opinion, Li Tianyi was not commuted, but stayed in prison for a full 10 years.

Jalapeno Stuffed Green Peppers

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9927fa3eb1911f844b1a84053d13e2d9

Ingredients

  • 6 large green bell peppers
  • 1 pound ground beef
  • 1 envelope taco seasoning
  • 3/4 cup water
  • 1 tablespoon chopped jalapeno peppers, or more to taste
  • 1 cup cooked white rice
  • 2 cups Mexican blend cheese, or more to taste
  • Mild or hot salsa, to taste

Instructions

  1. Cut a thin slice from stem side of bell peppers. Remove seeds and membranes. Rinse and cook in boiling water for 5 minutes. Make sure water covers peppers.
  2. Brown ground beef; drain if necessary.
  3. Add taco seasoning and water. Simmer until water cooks down.
  4. Remove from heat; stir in jalapeno peppers, rice, 1 1/4 cups cheese and 1/4 cup salsa.
  5. Stuff peppers, standing upright in an ungreased, glass baking dish.
  6. Top each pepper with 1 tablespoon salsa.
  7. Cover with aluminum foil and bake at 350 degrees F for 45 minutes.
  8. Uncover and bake 15 minutes longer.
  9. Top with remaining cheese.

How Female Girl Bosses Are Ruining Companies

“Ew, she’s got poop all over her!”

My mother and I had just gotten back from grocery shopping and a small crowd had gathered at the base of our apartment building.

Beyond the vestibule at the entrance of our building, right inside the inner door, was a homeless woman sitting at the base of the stairs.

“They’ve called the landlord.” A tenant who lived in the building informed my mom that someone was on their way to get rid of the vagrant.

We were standing about ten feet away, and I peered through the crowd to get a glimpse.

The woman was wearing a tattered dress that was caked with grime, her hair matted with oil and dirt. She looked as if she hadn’t bathed in many months.

She sat with her arms around her knees, rocking, and keening.

But what really drew the people’s attention was the poop. The woman had pooped herself. Pieces of poop had fallen at her feet and poop was smeared and streaked all over the lower half of her body.

Even from where we were standing, we could smell the revolting stench. It was a warm day, and flies buzzed around as they followed the scent towards the woman.

“Out, get OUT!” Our building caretaker had arrived, and he was waving aggressively at the lady as he shouted at her to leave.

After a few more menacing shouts from the caretaker, the lady got up from the stairs. She walked through the crowd and left slowly down the street as people stared at her in disgust.

Later, as we got home, my mom seemed upset.

“She looked hungry.” My mom uttered the words in a low voice, almost to herself.

“What did you say mom?”

Mom gazed at me sadly. “The woman looked so hungry.”

Mom often gave change to homeless people, and although we couldn’t get near the homeless woman because of the crowd, Mom still noticed from ten feet away that she looked hungry.

It was only then, after my mom said the words that it hit me. I had so much left to learn about the world.

All the other people in the crowd, including me, had only seen that the homeless lady was revolting and disgusting. She was something to avoid, something we pinched our noses at, and couldn’t wait to drive away.

In our selfishness, we only cared about our own discomfort and how she offended our senses. We didn’t stop to think about how the woman felt, or whether she needed anything.

It happens all the time.

Often, when we see homeless people, we just walk by. We make excuses and come up with reasons why we are justified to walk on the other side of the street, to not do anything, and to not feel bad.

Can’t they just get a job?

It’s such a busy street, they must be making a killing panhandling.

It’s their own fault.

They made bad choices.

They chose to be homeless.

Giving them money won’t solve the problem.

What people forget about other people is that we are all people.

Every single homeless person was once someone’s child, someone’s wee baby.

No one stands outside for hours in the freezing cold or sweltering heat because it’s easy living.

No matter what the person looks like, or why and how they got there, those who have fallen on hard times deserve our humanity.

Dollar General Stock Plunges 29% in ONE day

Dollar General Stock Plunges 29% in ONE day

The Canary in the Retail coal mine has just taken very, VERY, ill.   Dollar General, the retail chain that is found in almost every low income, urban, area, saw its stock price plunge 29.43% TODAY.

The company said publicly it is because its customers ‘feel worse off.’

Adding to investor concerns, Dollar General significantly lowered its full-year outlook, attributing part of the downgrade to the financial struggles of its core customer base.

The company noted that many of its customers “feel worse off,” reflecting the broader economic pressures affecting consumer spending. 

On Thursday afternoon, the stock was trading around $87.

 

Hal Turner Analysis

In many respects, Dollar General is a sort of Canary in the (retail) coal mine.   Years ago, Miners working deep underground, brought Canaries in cages with them for fear of natural gas, carbon monoxide, and a host of other deadly gases.  If the Canary passed-out, or dropped dead in the cage, the miners knew to evacuate the mine immediately because death was coming for the miners themselves if they didn’t leave immediately.

Dollar General has had good stock value and performance because their core customer base, the low-income folks, are in abundant supply.

Today, the Canary in the retail coal mine got noticeably sick and those with any brains, KNOW this is a major league, bad economic sign.

When the poor are SO POOR they can’t even afford to go to Dollar General, the economy is in a bad downward spiral. 

THAT is exactly the warning sign everyone got today, as Dollar General’s stock value plummeted 29.43% in ONE DAY.

Most of us have known for the better part of two years, things were not right.  E V E R Y T H I N G was suddenly getting noticeably more expensive; especially food.

Energy costs, that had peaked with gasoline around $6. a gallon, eased back to around $3.XX but then a lot of us noticed that the product packaging, was smaller.   In most cases, the price of a product remained the same, but the quantity of the product was reduced.

Take Tuna fish, for example.  The price had gone up to about $1.50  for a 6 oz. can, then all of a sudden . . . . . ALL of the Tuna fish cans became only five ounces.  ALL OF THEM!

No industry collusion there.  No anti-trust violations there.   HMMMMMM.

Portions of other products took nose-dives as well.

But now, even Dollar General is seeing a major reduction in revenues.   And this reduction is from a customer base that does not spend extravagantly because . . .  well . . . . they can’t.

So while we’ve been seeing the prices go up, the product sizes go down, things still chugged along economically, NOW we’re seeing that the very people who only bought what they absolutely NEEDED, can’t even do that anymore.

This is a terrible warning sign that the economy is not only in a recession (which government has lied about by denying it for over a year) it is heading straight and fast,  into Depression.

Of course, the Biden voters, ALL of whom are low-information people with little to no intellect or ability to discern truth from lies, have bought the lies in the mass media that the economy is good. 

Naturally, those same low-information and almost zero intellect Biden supporters will never make the connection between who they vote for and what they’re encountering in real life.   They deny what life is proving to them, and believe the lies they hear and see on TV and radio.  

Stupid is as stupid does. 

Those of us who actually have the ability to see facts, have known the economy is very sick for quite awhile and it is Biden’s socialistic economic policies, and radical environmental policies that have caused it all.

As the November Election approaches, the dumb will keep voting the way they’ve voted because they’re too dumb to figure things out.  The rest of us will vote against the present regime.  Hopefully, there are still more smart people than dumb.  We’ll see.

(Unless the Democrats STEAL this election the same way they stole 2020.)

It starts with some old Biden era lecturing. What has changed? Now watch the video. This was five months ago.

I was flying a red-eye from Singapore to Perth, Australia, on Quantas.

The plane — a wide body — was nearly empty. I, however, had two people to my left. I was in the aisle seat.

A gentleman several rows behind us and in a middle row started moaning about how his life was terrible and his wife was unfaithful. I rolled my eyes and hoped he would shut up once in the air because I was bone-tired.

The plane took off, and the man kept it up, getting louder and louder. The flight attendants talked to him several times before meal service (remember that?).

The man got up from his seat and ran up and down the aisles. This was before 9/11, so the flight attendants merely tried to corral and control him. I saw the man knock two flight attendants over and punch a third. He came running to the back of the plane on my aisle.

Without thinking, I threw my arm around the man’s head and neck and pulled him over my inflight meal. I held him until several flight attendants grabbed him and got him under control. (I was young and in shape, capable of doing one-armed pull-ups.)

The man sitting next to me announced that he was a doctor and had some sedative that he could administer to the man. The flight attendants declined his offer, explaining that they had resources. They escorted him forward, and out of sight, in the plane.

A while later the man was returned to his seat and handcuffed in place. He was quiet the rest of the flight. We landed in Perth about sunrise and sat on the tarmac for a long time. Then, through the window, I saw the man being wheeled across the tarmac, handcuffed to a gurney and escorted by police.

A Lot of Federal Government Employees Better RUN and Hide! 18 U.S.C. §241

A Lot of Federal Government Employees Better RUN and Hide! 18 U.S.C. §241

OPINION-EDITORIAL — The Censorship gang in various agencies and departments of the federal government, should RUN AND HIDE as fast as they can, because a LOT of them have committed violation of 18 USC §241 “Conspiracy against Rights.” Prison awaits.

For the four years of the Biden Regime, a LOT of federal officials took it upon themselves to work with corporations like Facebook (META), Twitter (X), Reddit, Instagram, Whatsapp, and other social media outlets, to suppress, censor, and even ban Americans for speech.

Much of the banning, shadow banning, being put in social media “jail,” etc., had to do with COVID and the now-known-PHONY “Vaccine.” Anyone who raised questions or doubt about COVID, or the “Vaccine” was ruthlessly suppressed.

That effort, was a criminal act; violation of 18 USC §241 “Conspiracy against rights.”

The law is simple:

If two or more persons conspire to injure, oppress, threaten, or intimidate any person in any State, Territory, Commonwealth, Possession, or District in the free exercise or enjoyment of any right or privilege secured to him by the Constitution or laws of the United States, or because of his having so exercised the same; or

If two or more persons go in disguise on the highway, or on the premises of another, with intent to prevent or hinder his free exercise or enjoyment of any right or privilege so secured—

They shall be fined under this title or imprisoned not more than ten years, or both; and if death results from the acts committed in violation of this section or if such acts include kidnapping or an attempt to kidnap, aggravated sexual abuse or an attempt to commit aggravated sexual abuse, or an attempt to kill, they shall be fined under this title or imprisoned for any term of years or for life, or both, or may be sentenced to death.

(June 25, 1948, ch. 645, 62 Stat. 696Pub. L. 90–284, title I, § 103(a)Apr. 11, 196882 Stat. 75Pub. L. 100–690, title VII, § 7018(a), (b)(1), Nov. 18, 1988102 Stat. 4396Pub. L. 103–322, title VI, § 60006(a), title XXXII, §§ 320103(a), 320201(a), title XXXIII, § 330016(1)(L), Sept. 13, 1994108 Stat. 1970, 2109, 2113, 2147; Pub. L. 104–294, title VI, §§ 604(b)(14)(A), 607(a), Oct. 11, 1996110 Stat. 3507, 3511.)

In paragraph one of the law above, you folks in government and in private corporations did, in fact, “oppress” users of social media services.

In paragraph two of the law above the folks at government agencies, and inside corporations did, in fact  have the “. . . intent to prevent or hinder his free exercise or enjoyment of any right or privilege. . .”

A lot of you folks in government and in social media companies did, in fact, commit federal crimes; each and every time you censored someone for their speech.

Social media companies called it “dis-information” or “mis-information” or “mal-information.”  They had the nerve to say that they were “protecting the safety” of their users.

How about FBI Agents, some of whom, to this very day, go out to “talk to you abut your posting on the Internet?”   Their very presence is an act of intimidation, of oppression.  Having federal agents come to your door because you said something they’re “concerned with”  is outright intimidation – and I argue, it is also an actual crime.  18 USC 241.

Firstly,  it is not up to the government or to the social media companies to arbitrarily define other people’s views as “mis-information, dis-information, mal-information” etc.  They have no such power and had no such right.

The Social Media behemoths claim protection from liability based upon Section 207 of the Digital Millennium Copyright Act (DCMA) because, they say, they are not the “publisher.”  They assert that they cannot be held liable for what other people choose to post on their service.   Fair enough.

Then they turn around and explicitly DO choose to control the content on the service!

Out of one side of their mouths they say they’re not liable because they’re not a publisher, while at the same time, out of the other side of their mouths, they assert editorial control which only a publisher can do.   They can’t have it both ways – and they don’t have it both ways.

Each time a government employee called, texted, emailed, or used a special “portal” to tell a social media company that a certain posting had to be dealt with – either by being deleted or otherwise blocked, that government employee engaged in a Conspiracy against rights.  The government employee committed a crime.

Similarly, each time a corporate employee received such a government report or alert about a posting, and took action to delete, suppress, censor, or outright ban a user for such posting, that corporate employee – and the corporation itself – engaged in a conspiracy against rights.   Crimes.  Actual crimes!

When the new Trump administration takes office, I want each and every government employee who engaged in this conduct, fired and criminally prosecuted.  ALL OF THEM.

These people should be made such an example of through the legal system, as to send a chill down the spine of every OTHER government employee in EVERY government agency (federal, state, and local) to never do things like that again.  Ever.  Not even once.

Similarly, I want the executives from those social media companies prosecuted criminally.  Google, Youtube, Twitter, Facebook/META, Reddit . . . . all of them.

I want the perp-walks, the Indictments, the big media coverage . . . . the whole shebang.

After all, the liberal-left has taught us quite well: “The process is the punishment.”

Put them through the process. Put them through the system.  Let them sit at a Defendant’s table and feel the very real, unrelenting, frightening, weight of the jury verdict coming at them.  Let them sit in a 7′ x 10′ cement block cell, with it’s 300 pound steel door.  Let them find out what the SHU (Special Housing Unit) is, as they have to be in administrative segregation (solitary confinement) because “they’re famous, and someone in the jail might hurt them to get famous, too.”

These effete snobs in government and in social media companies who think they’re so above-it-all; who think they’re “immune” from consequences, should be made to find out otherwise through the legal system.

Literally thousands of government employees engaged in this type of conduct for years.  Similarly, literally thousands of social media corporation executives and employees engaged in this conduct — some of them STILL ARE engaging in it.

These activities were, in fact, crimes.  Violations of 18 USC 241.  Prosecute the people who did these things.

Here’s the ironic punch line: What the government employees and social media companies were calling “mis-information, dis-information, and mal-information” was, in fact, the truth.   Worse, what those same people called “truth” and “facts” and “safe” were not.

It was GOVERNMENT, the scientists, and the big pharma people who were actually the ones engaged in mis-information, dis-information, and mal-information!   It was the government and big pharma that cost innocent people their health and in some cases, their lives – by pushing an un-tested gene-therapy, masquerading as a “vaccine”   that didn’t work, and caused all sorts of health problems, taking place to this very day.

The people claiming they were guardians of truth, were the exact opposite.   Their actions violated the rights of tens-of-thousands of Americans, and COST THE LIVES of many more.  Throw them in prison. 

South Korea – Majority Wins As President’s Putsch Fails

The attempted coup by the president of South Korea against the majority in the National Assembly has failed.

The quick reaction of the leadership of the Democratic Party, which holds the majority, has saved the day.

There was a struggle over the budget which the president’s minority government had lost.

In a furious reaction President Yoon Suk Yeol and his defense minister and school buddy Kim Yong-hyun decided to declare martial law. Remarkably the prime minister of the president’s government was not informed about the step:

Prime Minister Han Duck-soo was completely unaware of President Yoon Suk Yeol’s martial law declaration. This was because Defense Minister Kim Yong-hyun, a former upperclassman of President Yoon in high school, bypassed the prime minister and communicated directly with the president.Additionally, elite military units, specifically the 1st Airborne Special Forces Brigade, were deployed to the National Assembly, signaling an aggressive move to suppress political opposition.

A source said, “This martial law action appears orchestrated by the ‘Chungam faction,’ with (Defense) Minister Kim directly coordinating with President Yoon.” The “Chungam faction” refers to those who graduated from Chungam High School in Seoul.

Following the president’s emergency briefing and martial law declaration, the military established the Martial Law Command within the Ministry of National Defense compound, appointing Army Chief of Staff Park An-su as the commander.

Diplomatic sources noted that despite the defense minister’s recommendation for martial law, no cabinet meeting was convened, leaving the prime minister and his staff uninformed.

Opposition parties suspect that direct communication channels between the military and police were activated during the martial law declaration process.

They believe that the Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency was engaged directly, bypassing the National Police Agency, to control access to the National Assembly.

Under martial law the National Assembly was to be suspended. Strikes were declared illegal and the media would come under censorship.

But immediately after the president announced martial law the leader of the Democratic Party in the National Assembly called for a meeting in the parliament.

At the same time the military and police were sent to block any assembly member from entering the National Assembly.

The parliamentarians won the race.

Just 150 minutes after the presidential announcement 191 of the 300 members of the National Assembly voted to immediately end the martial law status. Troops and police entered the parliament but the vote against martial law had already taken place.

Unions announced to go on strike and people came out into the street to protest the president’s step. Yoon’s senior aids offered to resign en masse. There was no sensible way left for him but to concede:

President Yoon Suk Yeol announced the lifting of emergency martial law early Wednesday, as the National Assembly voted to call for its end with the United States expressing “grave concern” over the hourslong saga.His Cabinet approved a motion to end martial law enforcement at 4:30 a.m., around six hours after he made the surprise emergency declaration, accusing the nation’s opposition of “paralyzing” the government with “anti-state” activities — a decision that caused concerns across the country and beyond.

The Joint Chiefs of Staff said that troops, who were mobilized to execute martial law, have returned to base in a move that restored a sense of normalcy.

The opposition, with holds a majority in the National Assembly, has launched an impeachment procedures against the president. The National Assembly will have three days to vote on it. The Democratic Party will need nine additional votes from the president’s People Power Party to gain the necessary two-third majority to pass the impeachment.

Several groups within the People Power Party were already positioned against the president. This makes it likely that the impeachment will pass.

The U.S. received some egg on its face. It seemed ready to side with the putsch and did not issue a word against it.

Laura Rozen @lrozen – 17:59 UTC · Dec 3, 2024Biden admin Asia hand, Deputy Sec State Kurt Campbell, at event earlier today:

“So we are watching the recent developments in the ROK with grave concern. We’re seeking to engage our ROK counterparts at every level both here and in Seoul. The President, the National Security Advisor, the Secretary of State have all been briefed on developments and are being kept appraised of the situation as it unfolds.

I do want to underscore that our alliance with the ROK is ironclad, and we stand by Korea in their time of uncertainty. I also want to just underscore that we have every hope and expectation that any political disputes will be resolved peacefully and in accordance with the rule of law. We’ll have more to say as the situation develops.”

As the putsch was ongoing the U.S. embassy in South Korea said nothing about the rule of law or democracy.

It is notable that the U.S. Ambassador to South Korea, Philip Goldberg, had previously been kicked out of Bolivia and the Philippines for attempts to overthrow the respective sitting governments. He is supposed to leave South Korea in January.

It is likely that Goldberg, and Washington DC, was informed about Yoon’s martial law plans but did not attempt to prevent them.

Posted by b on December 4, 2024 at 9:42 UTC | Permalink

Navy SEAL Explodes on China’s Growing Military Power | Mike Ritland

It is rare to see this kind of video out of the USA. The comments are so gung-ho rah rah.

NO

Other countries will prevent US from doing so, not only China.

But US can build military bases in the Philippines, and it has already done very good at that (using money from taxpayers to build the most military bases in countries in the world)

The question should be, if there is finally a war, will the US really help the Philippines as it promised to? The answer is, not really. You should always not be positive on US’s promises.

The United States has announced a new military financial package worth $500 million for the Philippines, aimed at bolstering the latter’s defense capabilities. This package also includes a proposed plan for joint intelligence sharing between the two nations. While officially positioned as a measure to enhance security, this move is widely seen as an attempt to destabilize the region and potentially trigger a new arms race in East Asia.

This support by the Joe Biden administration will highly depend on the discretion of the next U.S. president, especially when the U.S. is facing an economic crisis and is already saddled with heavy spending on the defense sector outside.

The timing and nature of the package has raised concerns about its potential to disrupt the precarious balance of power in East Asia as it includes significant upgrades to the Philippine Navy and new infrastructure projects. However, it is unclear how much of this aid will genuinely serve the Philippines’ external defense needs and how much it will advance Washington’s strategic interests in the region. Perceived as an open interventionist policy by the U.S., this risks inflaming tensions in an already volatile area.

This last-minute military package appears to serve a dual purpose – using the Philippines as an ally for greater U.S. dominance in the “Indo-Pacific,” and asserting U.S. influence in the region. There are legitimate concerns about whether the Philippines has the capacity to withstand the pressures of such an alliance, particularly given the complex geopolitical dynamics at play.

There are severe concerns from the Philippines as well. Several Philippine organizations from the Bay Area protested outside the Philippine Consulate General in San Francisco to condemn Philippine President Ferdinand Romualdez Marcos. The protesters demanded that the money should be used for jobs and education and not for other activities. They also raised their concerns against U.S.-Philippines defense cooperation that gives U.S. troops access to four additional Philippine military bases by expanding an old defense treaty.

A lot of the public perception about the military aid is that it puts the Philippines at the point of no return in case of any collision and the majority of the Philippines people are not in favor of it. It may push the Philippines to adopt a more aggressive maritime policy that could have a serious backlash and drag the country into a proxy war.

Chet Armstrong Almost Heroically Saves the World

Submitted into Contest #247 in response to: Set your story on a spaceship exploring the far reaches of space when something goes wrong. view prompt

Eric Smith

Stepping out of his Rocketship, Chet Armstrong waved to the crowd and flashed his trademarked smile (Patton number 9725). The Space Jock looked dashing in his bright red uniform and his dozen shiny medals. With perfect hair, the broad-chested rogue was hurried off the launch pad and into the general’s offices. But not before blowing kisses to his fans.”Chet! What the hell happened up there? You have caused us a universe of problems!” barked General Flag. “How was I to know that their hands were also their eyes. I thought he was offering his hand to shake. I didn’t know he wanted to look more closely at gorgeous me. I didn’t mean to make a Venetian blind. Anyway, I was quite disappointed. I thought there would be those boats with the singing men and much more water. No one told me to expect strange creatures with eyes on their hands and spiky purple toes for hair. There wasn’t even any spaghetti.” Chet answered. Red-faced, General Flag yelled, “You are thinking of Venice, you moron! That is in Italy. You would have known all the protocols if you had read the books, we gave you and listened to the lectures. You were sent to be the Earth’s goodwill ambassador to the Planet Venus. Now we have an interplanetary fiasco to mend…” “Ah, yes, Italy. That reminds me,” interrupted Chet, “I’m famished from my long flight, I’m heading home to eat. It’s always nice to see you, General Flag. Thank you for your time. Oh, and here’s an autographed photo of me for your lovely wife.” Chet produced a colored glossy headshot with his signature scrawled across it. As he strolled down the hall, whistling, the general’s screams could be heard over the hustle and bustle of the base.Chet was met at the door of his mansion by his butler, Jeeves. Handing Chet his customary martini, Jeeves asked, “How was your trip, sir?” in his flat monotone voice. “Nice, nice,” answered Chet half enthusiastically, taking off his bright red uniform with a sigh of relief. “Ah! That’s better.” Chet’s chiseled manly pecs eased into his protruding manly gut. Flopping into his Barcalounger 8000, Chet sipped at his martini before calling back to Jeeves. “I’m hungry. Can you get me a ham and cheese on rye?” “Sorry, sir, there is no more cheese,” Jeeves replied. “Well, go to the store and get some more. And pick me up some more of those little swords. How can a man drink his martini without little swords to hold his olives?” “Sorry, sir. But there is no more cheese anywhere. The world is all out of cheese.” answered Jeeves, handing Chet a stack of newspapers.Chet scanned the papers. The Holland Harold headline read “Edam non Made.” “Nyet Rossiyskiy” was written in the Moscow Morning. From the Tokyo Times “Sayonara Sakura“. The Italian Inquirer announced “Arrivederci Asiago“. The Berlin Bugle proclaimed “Käse Kaputt,” and the Swiss Watch stated, “Holy Moly, no more Holy Cheese.” Finally, the Green Bay Gazette read, “The Packers Lose Again.“”What is going on!?” cried Chet. “I am sorry, sir, but while you were gone, the world slipped into The Great Cheese Famine.” came Jeeves’ flat answer. Chet was out of his seat and pacing the floor. There was not much in the world that Chet liked more than cheese, except for himself, of course. “No more cheese? What am I to eat?” Chet cried, almost in a panic. Flipping on the television, the overstuffed spaceman flopped back into his overstuffed chair to try to relax. “Breaking News! This just in. The World Leaders are meeting today at the UN to discuss what can be done about this crisis. The top scientists have suggested sending a mission to the moon to bring back more cheese.” said the handsome newsman, but not quite as handsome as himself, Chet observed. “A mission to the moon? Who better to go than Chet Armstrong, Heroic Space Jock!?” “Whom” corrected Jeeves. “The obvious answer is me!” exclaimed Chet enthusiastically. “Jeeves, call the UN. Set up a parade. This is going to be my greatest moment. Besides all those other great moments.” As he redressed in his bright red spaceman’s uniform, Chet said, “Oh, and find me more medals. The world needs to see how heroic I am.”A grand stage was set up at the space base. Crowded around the podium waited all the heads of state, the top scientists, and an anxious General Flag. As the audience looked on, the sounds of a marching band could be heard approaching. A line of floats, military cars, and cheerleaders followed the band, and Chet Armstrong was atop a white stallion in front of the whole procession. His hair was perfect and utterly impervious to any wind. His uniform was extra red, extra clean, and extra tight, making his manly pecs seem extra chiseled. Pinned to his chest, Chet wore two dozen shiny medals. As he approached the stage, Jeeves helped Chet from his mount. Chet grinned and waved to the crowd as he approached the podium. Chet’s manly, dimpled chin got there five seconds before he did. The marching band silenced as Chet got ready to speak.”My adoring fans. As you have likely heard, I, Chet Armstrong, Heroic Space Jock and all-around swell guy, am going to heroically risk my life to fly to the moon to save us all from the Great Cheese Famine. As I am hurling through space, I want you all to remember that I am not doing this just for you but for myself. There is nothing in this world that I like more than cheese, except for me, of course.” Turning back to the world leaders, Chet pulled out a stack of colored glossy headshots with his signature scrolled and handed them out. “Give these to your lovely husbands and wives with love from Chet Armstrong.” 

Chet waved to the cheering crowd as he strutted to his Rocketship. As he got ready to climb in, he stopped and turned back to his fans. “Say Cheese!” yelled a cameraman. Chet flashed his trademarked smile (Patton number 9725) and his trademarked wink (Patton number 9726). And with one final wave, Chet entered his rocket ship and closed the door. Slumping back into his Barcalounger 8000, Chet took the martini Jeeves offered. “Thank you, Jeeves. Am I all set?” “Of course, sir. More martinis, all with olives and swords, are in the cooler. I even packed you some of those crackers that you like. Remember, sir, this mission is for your fans and the world. Do not eat all the cheese.” With that, Jeeves exited through the butler’s door and the back of the spacecraft as Chet prepared for the launch.

 

As the full moon rose, the top scientists carefully aimed Chet’s Rocket Ship towards the moon’s center and started the countdown. Excited for the launch and the solution to their cheesy dilemma, the crowd and world leaders counted down. “10, 9, 8, 7, 6, 5, 4, 3, 2, 1…BLAST OFF!” Chet hit the large red button on his control panel. It was also the only button on his control panel. The rocket ship rumbled and launched toward the moon. Chet’s voice came through the loudspeakers from his radio, “Never fear, Chet Armstrong, Heroic Space Jock is here to save the day!” as the rocket ship disappeared into the night.

 

15 days later, General Flag, the world leaders, and top scientists, assembled at ground control as Chet and his Rocketship made its final approach to the moon. “Chet Armstrong, Come in, Chet Armstrong. Can you hear us?” General Flag called through the radio. “Loud and clear,” came back Chet’s slurred voice. “You should be able to see the moon through your port window, Chet. Can you see the moon yet?” asked the general. After a few minutes, a pause came, “No, I can’t; all I can see is a sliver of the moon and the dark of space.” came back Chet’s panicked voice. “What went wrong?” Chet and the world leaders all cried in unison. The top scientists huddled together, calculators and abaci in their hands, murmuring. After a long ten minutes, one red-faced scientist addressed the group. “There has been a grave miscalculation. The moon is 238,900 miles from Earth. Chet is traveling at 660 miles per hour. So the 360 hours, or 15 days it has taken him to fly that distance, had delivered Chet to his destination during the new moon phase.” “What does that mean?” asked the general. “Chet will pass through the crescent without making contact with the moon. In other words, it is time to try Plan B, getting the cows to produce more milk.”

 

As General Flag, the world leaders, and the top scientists quietly exited the ground control room, Chet Armstrong, Heroic Space Jock, loudly screamed as his rocket ship passed through the center of the crescent moon and hurled deeper into space.

When I was a kid, there was a family down the street with three small children. The parents had a fairly ugly breakup, and the mom ran off with her new boyfriend. Every single time she dropped the kids off at the dad’s house for visitation, the dropoff devolved into a screaming match in their front yard.

One day she shows up to drop off the kids with her boyfriend. Boyfriend and dad get into a shouting match, and the boyfriend punched the dad, laying him out on the front lawn. The boyfriend and mom then jumped in their car and took off.

A moment later, the dad came to, hopped in his pickup truck, and floored it out of his driveway in pursuit. Not sure what he was planning to do, but he wasn’t going to let them get away.

He didn’t realize that his three children were standing behind the pickup when he threw it into reverse and floored it. All three were killed, and the witnesses said it was incredibly gory because two of them were sucked under the spinning truck tires.

He spent a decade in prison and lost everything he had. Worst part is, all of the stories that came out said that he’d been a great dad and wasn’t at fault in the breakup. Mom had got herself hooked on drugs while trying to “lose weight”, and the boyfriend was her new dealer. He was a good guy who got stuck in a shitty situation and then made one horrific mistake.

The first Grade Girl

When I was 20 I used to see this little girl about 6 or 7 waiting for the bus or walking to the store about 100 ft from her house. Sometimes she would walk on the road instead of the sandy shoulder and cars would go around her.

A guy who I vaguely knew but a nice guy about 26 forgot how far the mirrors on his delivery truck stuck out and hit and killed her one day with a mirror. It was awful. I came through there after it happened with the road blocked off. I realized it could have been me who hit her as I passed her often but I did give her plenty of room and slowed way down.

It ruined him. He donated his life savings , sold everything he had, and gave it all to her family. I heard that he never had a good day the three years until he killed himself. It was a careless accident, he would have never hurt a child on purpose. I couldnt pass that house for years without thinking about both of them and what a tragic thing for everyone. I mostly blame her parents. She was too little to be walking by a narrow busy road alone and she didnt respect the traffic enough to stay off the pavement. It was a wide sandy shoulder.

The story of the cheating wife

I think that my ex fiancé did. She decided to cheat on me when I was overseas in combat for a year. She figured there was no way I would find out. What she did not know was that the guy she cheated with was bragging to my best friend who wrote to me. As a result I broke up with her. I ended up meeting my wife of 47 years and having a very successful career.

My ex fiancé got hooked on drugs by the guy she was dating, joined a hippie commune where she was on drugs all the time and got pregnant by one of the guys in the commune. She does not know who. She was supposed to become a lawyer, but between the drugs and lifestyle, she could not do it and ended up learning a foreign language and becoming a translator. A job she found boring and quit. She also sees angels and legally changed her last name to the one they told her to use. Her angels also allowed her to tell fortunes over the phone. She became a masseuse and a nurse, never staying in one job for long.

She was diagnosed as bipolar and could not support herself so she found a foreign guy who needed a green card and married him, just like her sister did. She needed someone to support her and her son. When she told me this, she was proud of the fact that she got her husband to pay for her son’s college tuition and then divorced him after his last tuition check cleared. She was cheating on him with a woman who she is married to.

She also told me that she is an avid anti-capitalist which is the opposite of me. She also is extremely morbidly obese. Her life was a mess. The funny part is that her mother said I was not good enough for her daughter. She was against us getting married because I went into the Army instead of college. Turns out that it was her daughter who did not amount to much and I was the successful one who could have given her daughter a very comfortable lifestyle.

So, my exe’s decision to cheat on me drastically altered her life, for the worst.

I had a stalker. It was someone I’d been dating until I realized he had a rage problem. I lived in the country with my two small children, in a very old house with no locks on the doors. In fact, there was no way to lock the double French doors that served as the main entrance, and even if I could have put a lock on the doors, my stalker could simply break one of the many panes of glass and unlock it.

I couldn’t afford to move and had no relatives to take me in, so I was at his mercy. I woke up one morning to discover he had been in the house. Sometimes he’d leave a rose under my windshield wiper. One night I saw him watching me, parked in the parking lot of a closed industrial building that was visible from my bedroom window. Finally, one of our mutual friends told me he was planning to kill me.

I called the cops. An officer came to the house and I told him everything. He asked me if I had any witnesses. I looked around at my isolated house and said, “What do you think?”

He said, “Well ma’am, we can’t do anything until he actually commits a crime.” I replied, “If he comes here intent on committing a crime, I’ll be dead. It’ll be too late to call the cops by then.”

The cop said, “Well ma’am, if there are no witnesses, there’s no crime.”

“So that’s it?? I’m just a sitting duck here and you can’t do anything?”

“Like I said, if there are no witnesses, there’s…no…crime.”

Suddenly the light dawned. I arched an eyebrow at the cop. “No witnesses, no crime, huh?”

“That’s what I said.”

“Thank you, officer. You’ve been very helpful.”

As it turned out, I never needed to call the cops again because my stalker just…disappeared. Funny, that.

Hamburger Upside-Down Casserole

Prepare the day before serving.

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Ingredients

  • 2 1/2 cups (3/4 pound) elbow macaroni
  • 3 tablespoons butter
  • 1/2 cup minced onion
  • 2 teaspoons minced garlic
  • 1 pound ground chuck
  • 1 (8 ounce) can tomato sauce
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 1/4 teaspoon pepper
  • 1/4 teaspoon dried oregano
  • 1 (8 ounce) package Cheddar cheese, grated
  • 3 eggs, beaten
  • 3/4 cup milk
  • 1 or 2 (10 ounce) packages frozen asparagus

Instructions

  1. Cook macaroni and drain.
  2. Meanwhile in a hot skillet, melt butter. Sauté onion and garlic until tender.
  3. Add ground beef. Cook, stirring constantly, until brown.
  4. Stir in tomato sauce, salt, pepper and oregano. Simmer a few minutes.
  5. Spread over bottom of 2 quart casserole.
  6. Toss drained, cooked macaroni with grated Cheddar cheese.
  7. Arrange on top of meat andtomato mixture in casserole, packing it down.
  8. Combine beaten eggs and milk; pour over macaroni.
  9. Cover casserole with plastic wrap. Refrigerate until next day.
  10. About 2 hours before serving, heat oven to 350 degrees F.
  11. Let casserole stand at room temperature for 15 minutes.
  12. Bake for 1 1/2 hours or until macaroni is golden brown and custard is set.
  13. When done, remove from oven. Loosen from around edge with spatula and carefully unmold onto serving platter.
  14. Meanwhile, cook asparagus and arrange around casserole to serve.

In prison we worked a bit less than 7 hours a day starting after the 9 AM count and finishing by 3:45 to allow us time to return to our cells before afternoon count. After a few months of grunt work I kinda got recruited for a job repairing computers. Mostly hardware stuff like upgrading hard drives, CPU’s, RAM, DVD drives, stuff like that.

The prison would sell them on Ebay mostly but we started to get orders from other government entities not long before I left. Since the work was considered skilled, it carried a premium pay, like .45 cents an hour.

We we’re some of the highest paid in the prison, like triple many other inmates. I never mentioned it, there is always a risk of someone wanting to “share” your money.

We were paid weakly. Very Weakly I might add. Haha. Weekly on Friday’s we had our pay put on our books. There was no paycheck, you never got money. There was only 1 place to spend it, at the commissary. It always amazed me how difficult it was to save inside. Hygiene, food and writing supplies ate up much of your paltry earnings. The only other way you could access your funds was to get out. When you finally got out, you would be given the balance of your funds as you walked out the door.

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main qimg 22440fd7e9a61aeb01a6614e1a7280a7 lq

For many, many guys that was how they were going to start their lives over. With a small amount of cash, no where to go and nowhere to stay that night and no idea of what to do. Makes for a rough start in the free world.

The earwax problem that I could not let be

Unfortunately some people live with a very uninformed idea about China. Many opinions are based only on what they read in western media. Or the labels like communist country.

I’m a Canadian Born Chinese who moved to Macau in 1983 and now consider it home. It is at the door step of China and I have visited over 100 times.

If anyone has an axe to grind about China it would be me. My parents were separated for 17 years because of the Canadian government. The Chinese Exclusion Act did not allow Chinese to immigrate. My father was already living there but couldn’t bring my mother and my sister because of that.

My grandfather went to Halifax and had a laundry business. Brought my dad over when he was 9. My dad was the first Chinese to graduate from the local university.

My grandfather went back with a bit of money and bought land and hired itinerant workers to grow rice. He died during WW2 and left things to my grandmother to look after. After the Communists took power, my grandmother was branded a capitalist landlord and made to beg for food as a punishment.

My mother and sister emigrated to Canada in 1949 after my father got citizenship and the Chinese Exclusion Act was repealed. My upbringing in China was of course, not favorable to communist China.

After I moved to Macau in 1983, I visited Guangzhou to see a cousin who was from the same village. He grew up as a neighbor to my mom.

He told me about how poor China was in the 60s and 70s. How they had food rationing. Coupons so you could get rice and oil every week.

He was an English teacher at a prominent university. He told me how things had gotten better and life was pleasant. People were starting to become more materially well off. This was 1983.

Back then, everyone had four wants. A black and white TV. A washing machine. A bicycle and a refrigerator.

Pretty soon it evolved to a color TV. A motorcycle. And up the scale for years.

Mobile phone sales doubled every year for 15 years.

When Deng Xiaoping took over, the country changed overnight.

One of the pillars of socialism/communism was equal pay for equal work was dismantled. The so called iron rice bowl was not working. It made people lazy. So he introduced responsibility system. More productivity more pay.

China was very pragmatic about communism. If it works and is good for the people, keep it. If it doesn’t work get rid of it. Ideology is not sacred if it doesn’t work.

He made things work. Foreign investment poured in. I’m thirty years Chinese people’s lives greatly improved. There is an abundance of food. There is no price gouging. Government strictly regulates prices. Public transport is amazing. Public facilities are really wonderful.

If you grow up in a country that is continueously improving, you are happy with your government. Pew surveys (from the US) show over 90% satisfaction with the Chinese government.

So the only people who have the idea of toppling the government are people who have never visited China and seen it with their own eyes.

Suggest you try to get the facts on China before making such uninformed questions.

One of the principle behind Aïkido is to defeat a stronger opponent by using their own energy against them, while using little of your own. Balance is crucial in this art, as is speed. You’ll need some strength, so getting your body’s core strengths ready at all time is high encouraged. Look into what some masters are demonstrating online, and signup if you feel it is for you. Smaller sizes, man or woman, will always be at a disadvantage regardless, but size doesn’t guarantee victory to the bigger opponent.

But in a ‘street fight’ scenario where it is one person against you, there are no rules. Engage when not expected to, surprise, bite, hit where it hurts (throats, testicles, eyes) with full strength, use whatever fits in your hands and all the while doing this scream as much as possible to bring attention. The key is that there are no rules, so in other words play nasty. And if your opponent ends up on top of you, rip his ears out of his skull if you can.

Jammin’ with the Wailers

Hong Kong separatists suffer racial discrimination in the UK, but for them, the nightmare does not come from Anglo-Saxon racism, but from the actions of the Tiandihui (also known as the Hongmen) to punish Chinese traitors.

Chinese abroad often rely on 3 kinds of civil society organizations for help: clan associations, hometown associations, and the Tiandihui.

Chinese embassies and consulates abroad are official institutions of the Chinese government overseas. They usually coordinate with government departments in the host countries through diplomatic means and are unlikely to intervene in private affairs.

Without the help of civil society organizations, overseas Chinese would not be able to gain a foothold in Chinatown.

The Tiandihui was founded by Ming loyalists in the early Qing dynasty to resist the Manchu invasion of China. This is an ancient organization that is still in operation today and it has become a multinational organization that also has branches in the UK.

Tiandihui members worldwide continue to observe certain common traditions: they all stress their patriotic origin; they all revere Lord Guan, a deified historic Chinese figure who embodies righteousness, patriotism, and loyalty; and they all share certain rituals and traditions such as the concept of brotherhood and a secret handshake.

Chinese Traitors in the UK are also divided into different levels:

  • Taiwan separatists have higher emotional intelligence. Although they are Chinese traitors, they will not show it on the surface.
  • Hong Kong separatists are 100% slaves of Anglo-Saxons. Even if Anglo-Saxons fart, they think it smells good.

Of course, Taiwan independence elements and Hong Kong independence elements are of no use. They only dare to be rebellious at home and remain calm abroad.

Tiandihui is a secret civil organization with many branches and complex structure, and does not conduct public activities.

Don’t expect the inefficient British police to protect Chinese traitors; they just need to accept their punishment honestly.

Dried Beef Casserole

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3fa933ede33ee29541830983f81b288f

Ingredients

  • 2 cups dry macaroni, uncooked
  • 2 cans cream of mushroom soup
  • 2 cups milk
  • 2 cups grated cheddar cheese
  • 6 tablespoons Durkee’s French fried onions
  • 10 ounces dried beef, chopped
  • 5 hard boiled eggs, sliced

Instructions

  1. Combine soup and milk and stir until creamy, then add remaining ingredients except eggs. Mix well, then fold in eggs.
  2. Cover tightly, and refrigerate overnight.
  3. Bake uncovered for 1 hour at 350 degrees F.
  4. If desired, add more onion rings to top ten minutes before removing from oven.

BREAKING NEWS: ISRAEL SEIZES CRYPTO-CURRENCIES OF **ALL** PALESTINIANS – – – TERRORISM

Israel has ORDERED the crypto-exchange “Binance” to SEIZE the crypto-currencies of all Palestinians pursuant to Israeli Terrorism Law!!!!!

Israel did this by declaring the Dubai Exchange Company in the Gaza Strip, which is the only lawful crypto-currency entity allowed to operate in the Gaza Strip, to be a “terrorist organization.”

All Palestinians were required to use the Dubai Exchange Company for all their crypto-currency transactions.

Since the Israeli government declared the Dubai Exchange itself to be a “terrorist organization” all the money transferred by or through that company is then considered to be the property of the “terrorist organization” and thus subject to being seized!

Palestinians have APPEALED this mass seizure.  Those Appeals are ALL being denied.

The DENIAL letter appears below in original Hebrew language, which has been machine-translated as follows:

BEGIN MACHINE TRANSLATION:

“In accordance with the authority delegated to me by the Minister of Defense, according to Section 61(a) of the Law on Combating Terrorism, 556- 2016 (hereinafter: “The Law on the Fight against Terrorism”) and further to your application as a reference, I would like to inform you that your claims against Seizure of property by virtue of an administrative seizure order (T56/23) signed by the Minister of Defense on November 1, 2023, by virtue of his authority according to the law, were examined by and rejected for the following reasons:

1. Section 56(b) of the Anti-Terrorism Law states, among other things, that the Minister of Defense may issue an order on Temporary seizure of property of a declared terrorist organization, as well as seizure of property that was used to commit a crime Serious terrorism or property where a serious terrorist offense was committed.

2. At the basis of the administrative seizure order (Tt56/23) is reliable intelligence information that teaches that wallets of cryptocurrencies, including one that is registered in your name, funds have been transferred by an organization — the declared terrorism of the Dubai Exchange Company in the Gaza Strip (declared on March 7, 2022, published in the 10084 p. 2505 on 4.4.2022.

3. According to the anti-terrorism law, cryptographic currencies that have been transferred by a declared terrorist organization constitute property of a declared terrorist organization and cryptocurrency wallets to which it has been transferred. Said property constitutes property that was directly used to commit a serious terrorist offense of providing a service or Establishing measures for a terrorist organization, as defined in the Law on Combating Terrorism, and therefore in accordance with the instructions The law allows the Minister of Defense to order their seizure by administrative order in preparation for their confiscation.

4. In light of the above, and if nothing is found in your claims to contradict the information that formed the basis of issuing an order The seizure, I intend to recommend to the Minister of Defense to order the confiscation of the property for which the seizure order was issued, In accordance with the authority of the Minister of Defense according to section 66(a) of the law.

5. According to the provisions of the Anti-Terrorism Law, an appeal against this decision will be submitted as a petition to the Court of Matters administrative.

END MACHINE TRANSLATION —–

 

So the Israelis are considering ALL Palestinian crypto-currencies to be “terrorism” because they all went through the only lawful crypto exchange in the Gaza Strip, and Israel has now seized all that crypto-currency from the wallets of the people who sent it or received it.  Whether that person was a “terrorist” or not, does not matter because the crypto-exchange itself was declared a “terrorist organization.”

Any of you who have Crypto-currencies, being held in a wallet that can be accessed by any exchange, should dump that crypto-currency absolutely immediately and get your money.   What Israel has just shown is that they (or any other government) can simply make a declaration that the Exchange itself is a “terrorist organization” then grab all the crypto wallets that have ever been used via that exchange!

You would lose all your crypto, and automatically be considered to be “related to terrorist activities” with the stroke of a pen by some government lackey.

Remember this, too, when they start trying to get you to use “Central Bank Digital Currency.”  They could do the exact same thing with that!  You would find yourself cut off from all money.  Try “appealing” anything when all the cash (you no longer have) is only “digital” and they just grabbed it all!

Today, as you scan your regular “news” sources, see if there is any reporting at all about this?

A nightmare.

Shorpy

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Parenting Gone Wrong: Spoiled Child Leads Family to Deadly Consequences At A Hotpot Restaurant

We recently bought out my wife’s company car, a Subaru Legacy, which we got a great deal on. Shortly before, while the car was still owned by fleet, we had taken the car in to the dealership for an oil change. This was before it got warm enough to need the air conditioner. Along comes summer and we notice the AC isn’t putting out cold air. I pop the hood and notice the wires to the compressor have been cut. I took a number of pictures from various angles and took the car back to the dealership and acted stupid, as if I had no idea why the AC was suddenly not working. An hour later they called to let me know they discovered that the wires had been chewed through, probably by a rat and said the entire wiring harness needed to be replaced at a cost of somewhere around $400–600. I lost my cool and told them they were lying to me and said it was obvious the wires had been cut. The service manager then told me they had found evidence of a rat’s nest under the hood. I told him I had taken a number of pictures of the engine compartment and that I had not seen any evidence of any rodent and said the wires were cut far too clean for them to have been chewed through and that it was pretty obvious this had been done when the car had last been in for service.

Thankfully my wife had a good relationship with the fleet manager and called him and asked for advice. He said to give us an hour and he’d get back to us. The dealership reached out shortly afterward and said they would be taking care of the damage at no charge to us. Apparently the fleet manager told them it seemed as though they were trying to take advantage of the fact that it was a fleet car (as it would have been had we not bought it out), had likely cut the wires expecting the fleet would be covering the repair bill (as they would have done had the car still been a fleet vehicle) and he was prepared to recommend blacklisting Subaru over their actions.

We will never take our car back to Carter Subaru in Shoreline (Seattle) again. Clearly they’re not to be trusted.

** Update: This answer must’ve recently been included in a digest email because it’s received a lot of attention. I figured I should probably update it with a couple of pictures I took before bringing the car in to the dealership. It clearly shows evidence of the “rat” that chewed, err, sliced through the wiring harness.

Regarding the gap between fighter jets of China, the United States and Russia, the most appropriate objects of comparison are the three heavy stealth fighters: J-20, F22 and Su-57.


If we rank the number of the three types of heavy aircraft: J-20>F22>Su-57.

  • J-20, 100 new aircraft are produced every year
  • F22 has been discontinued for a long time, with only about 180 in total.
  • Su-57, no more than 10 are produced every year.

The combat effectiveness of the three heavy aircraft is ranked as follows: J-20>F22>Su-57.

The performance indicators of the fifth-generation fighter jets should be in order of importance:

  1. Super perception (including informationization and intelligence): The maximum detection range of the F22 airborne radar is 250 kilometers, and the maximum detection range of the J-20 airborne radar is 300 kilometers.
  2. Stealth: The J20 is more delicate than the F22. The J20 can adapt to various environments, whether it is the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau or the western desert. The J20 only needs an ordinary hangar to be deployed, unlike the F22, which needs a constant temperature hangar for maintenance. Finally, regarding the Su-57, I think if the Su-57 is optimized, the stealth performance still has a lot of room for improvement.
  3. Supercruise and supersonic maneuverability: The F22 should be the one with the best supercruise capability at present because of its engine advantage, but the J-20’s supersonic optimization is the most thorough. After replacing the new engine, its supercruise and supersonic maneuverability will far surpass the F22.
  4. Multi-purpose performance (including payload range): Theoretically, the multi-purpose performance of Su-57 should be the strongest, its bomb bay is deeper, and the front and rear columns are also convenient for arranging large missiles. Compared with the F22, the J-20 has a longer fuselage, larger fuel capacity, and a larger bomb bay, so its range and multi-purpose performance are greater than those of the F22. The comprehensive comparison is Su-57>J-20>F 22.
  5. Subsonic maneuverability (including supersonic maneuverability, also known as super-stall maneuverability): This is the most controversial issue at present. The domestically produced Taihang improved engine currently installed on the J-20 is only a transitional version of the WS-15 engine. Its thrust is barely enough for the J-20, so its over-stall maneuverability is definitely not as good as that of the F22 and Su-57. However, with the advent and deployment of the WS-15 engine, these problems will be solved.

The US military itself knows very well that they are losing their air superiority!

Young Connecticut Man Will Only Give His GF A “Symbolic Wedding” To Safeguard His Hard Earned Wealth

Interesting. Phew! What a crazy life.

Good Job

One day, while I was working upstairs in my office, my German Shepherd came upstairs, stood in my office doorway barking at me.

Then he walked over to the top of the staircase barking as he looked down the stairs. He lifted his head, looked towards me and continued barking.

He walked back and stood in the office doorway again looking at me, barking.

He did this repeatedly for a few minutes while I worked. It became obvious he wanted me to follow him downstairs. I got up and asked him, “What’s the matter?”

As soon as I asked this our house began to shake.

Everything on my walls and shelves were rattling.

I did not understand exactly what was happening, but we both ran down the stairs while I yelled, “Let’s get the hell out of here!”

We got outside and I felt the ground moving.

Then it stopped.

We had just experienced an earthquake. They are practically nonexistent in our region. Somehow, my boy knew it was coming and came upstairs to warn me.

He did many intelligent things in his lifetime, but that was the most amazing.

Suspects That LOSE IT During Interrogations

Brutal.

Ukraine Develops ‘Its Own’ Cruise Missile

On the Ukrainian independence day former President Zelenski announced that Ukraine’s forces would soon use a “rocket driven drone”:

On 24 August, during the Saturday ceremonies for Ukraine’s Independence Day, Volodymyr Zelensky stated that today, Ukrainian forces for the first time targeted enemy troops with a new long-range drone.- This is our new method of retaliating against the aggressor. The enemy was hit. Thank you to everyone who made this possible. All the developers, manufacturers, and our soldiers. I am proud of you, Zelensky said during his speech, quoted by the Ukrainska Pravda portal.

The rocket-drone system, produced indigenously by Ukraine and gracefully named “Paljanica” (like the traditional Ukrainian wheat flour bread, which symbolizes hospitality and happiness), is a military innovation. During the official ceremonies, Zelensky stressed that it is a weapon of a “completely new class”. He emphasized that “it is difficult to counteract it, but very easy to understand why.”

The work on the rocket-drone was carried out in secrecy.

Zelenski published a video that shows a second of the cruise missile in flight.

HI Sutton of Covert Shores created this picture from it.

This is not a drone but a turbojet driven cruise missile. Ukraine announced that it has been tested and could be used soon:

Defense Minister Rustem Umerov promised Monday the weapon would be used again soon in response to the overnight attack on Ukraine.“Ukraine is preparing its response. Weapons of its own production,” he wrote on his Facebook page. “This once again proves that for victory, we need long-range capabilities and the lifting of restrictions on strikes on the enemy’s military facilities.”

A Ukrainian military video hinted that its range is up to 700 kilometers (430 miles) — on par with the U.S.-supplied ATACMS. It showed a map with various airfields, including Russia’s Savasleyka air base, which lies within that range, adding that the Palianytsia can reach at least 20 Russian airfields.

Russia has expected longer range missile strikes for some time and its defenses are positioned appropriately. Another Ukrainian ‘wonder weapon’ will not impress it. Ukraine claims that the cruise missile was developed by itself:

One of the specialists involved in the long-range missile project said it was “a completely new development, from scratch” that began about 18 months ago.“This is not an extension of an old Soviet project,” said the specialist, speaking on condition of anonymity to safeguard the project’s secrecy. The missile has a solid-fuel booster that accelerates it, followed by a jet engine, the specialist said.

The specialist and Fedorov said each missile costs less than $1 million, and the military is turning to the private sector to bring down production costs further. “The private market generates solutions incredibly quickly,” the minister said.

I doubt that Ukraine has created its own cruise missile. There are too many parts of such systems, especially the navigation and targeting modules, that need high end solutions to be able to counter Russian electronic warfare measures and to deceive Russian air defenses. It expect that these will be derivatives from western projects.

Aside from that all Ukraine’s weapon and especially missile manufacturing facilities have been hit several times by Russian missiles. This morning a new large missile and drone attack again hit “the critical power infrastructure of Ukrainian defence industry”. Next to other infrastructure today’s strike damaged three irreplaceable 750 kilovolt transformer stations and several 330 kv stations.

The new Ukrainian cruise missile was probably designed by the U.S. or UK and its various modules will likely be assembled in Poland instead of Ukraine. Still, it will be a hassle to produce many of these. That is likely the reason why the Ukrainian leadership is begging daily to allow it to use long range missiles produced by the U.S. or Britain to hit targets within Russia.

So far the U.S. has blocked such moves because it fears retaliation by Russia. Russia has threatened to deliver such weapons from Russian production to U.S. enemies should the U.S. proceed and allow Ukraine to hit with U.S. weapons within Russia.

A “Ukrainian” cruise missile would of course eliminate that problem.

 

Posted by b at 16:01 UTC | Comments (153)

We were getting calls from a lot of vendors about past due invoices – for MONTHS. This was so weird as our branch was doing very well and we just could not figure out why our vendors weren’t being paid. Invoices were posted in the AP and this should not have been happening. It got so bad that one of our major suppliers wouldn’t provide any more material until they were paid. This was bad – we had a MAJOR project going that we could not not have material.

We had what was called an Imprest Checking Account. We had a checkbook and could write checks for things like permits, licenses, etc. The cap per check was $500.00 with a monthly “allowance of around $3,000.00 per branch.

To avoid credit hold that month, our Branch Manager told the office manager to write a check for $30,000.00. Done and delivered, material is on the job site. Got a call from HQ/Co. President telling us we did a bad thing and not to do it again because overdraft fees.

Our AP admin decided to do some investigating. Holy carp – we were going gangbusters and collecting a lot of money every month but almost ALL of our AP was aging towards or past 120 days. So she looked in to the HQ office. Gee, all of their bills were being paid on time. So she took this info to the BM who called HQ and read them the riot act.

Next month, same drill – no material from the vendor for the project until they were paid. BM directed AP admin to write a check for $60,000.00.

A week later, same phone call from HQ President. BM invited us admins in to his office and put him on speaker so we could listen. Pres. was yelling and screaming at BM who just sat, calmly, nodding and listening. Pres ended his tirade with “What do you have to say?!” BM, very calmly, replied “Pay our fuickin’ bills.” Silence on the other end followed by unintelligible grumbling and a click. BM just sat there and smiled at the phone and the three of us were in awe. That man, our Branch Manager, was a legend.

After that, our bills were paid on time. I still tell that story and am still in awe of, perhaps, the best boss I ever had.

Wife Spent 5 Months On OnlyFans Before Confessing To Husband & The Reddit Army WENT CRAZY When He…

The term “relationship” has taken on new meaning these days. Not judging, but it is a bit of a shock to my 1960 era sensibilities.

Black Myth: Wukong” has shattered multiple global gaming records on its first day of release. As of 10 PM last night, it reached over 2.22 million concurrent players on Steam, topping the Steam concurrent player chart and setting a new record for single-player games. Additionally, “Black Myth: Wukong” has been the best-selling game on Steam globally for the past week, sweeping the charts in 12 regions including the United States, Singapore, Canada, and Italy.

“Black Myth: Wukong” sold over 3 million copies on Steam alone yesterday, and with sales on Epic, WeGame, and PS5 combined, the total surpasses 4.5 million copies, generating over 1.5 billion yuan in revenue. This figure is hundreds of times higher than the pre-sales of previous domestic single-player games (which typically reached around 100.

To be honest, no domestic single-player game has ever demonstrated such a terrifying dominance. Changcheng Securities even predicts that “Black Myth: Wukong” could catch up with top-tier games like “Elden Ring” and “Dark Souls” in terms of sales.

This is not blind optimism. With over 4.5 million copies sold in a single day and total sales exceeding 1.5 billion yuan, “Black Myth: Wukong” has set a new benchmark. For comparison, “Cyberpunk 2077” had 8 million pre-orders upon its release in 2020, and “The Last of Us Part II,” the 2020 TGA Game of the Year, sold 4 million copies in its first week. Moreover, “Black Myth: Wukong” reached 1 million concurrent players within 60 minutes, surpassing “Cyberpunk 2077.

“Black Myth: Wukong” is rich in traditional Chinese cultural elements, even featuring傩面 (nuò miàn,傩 masks).

Black Myth: Wukong” represents a significant milestone in the global dissemination of Chinese culture, offering a visually stunning and culturally rich gaming experience that has captured the attention of audiences worldwide. By examining the game’s portrayal of Chinese mythology, its impact on the global gaming industry, and its potential to foster cultural exchange, we can gain a deeper understanding of the role of video games in shaping cultural perceptions.

All right, sit down and listen. Jim Van Derlin wrote 10 things. do not forget any of it. Great stuff. Now, I was like 58 going into a Fed prison. I did time in 4 prisons including the Penitentiary at Victorville, CA and finished out my time at FCI Tucson, a medium-high that was rated as High due to it being a transfer point/holding site. Os some shit like that.

So, 9 years. Make amends. Payoff any debts you can. Say goodbye. Sell your car, cancel everything you can, your family won’t need it. If you have family, you will need to connect like never before because IF you get visits, they are hard. I didn’t even want my family coming to fucking prison. The penitentiary is surrounded by a 40′ wall lined with piles of razor wire. The inmates all look like they would eat your face just to stay busy. So you don’t think I’m insulting anyone, a big dude once asked me why I looked so mean, while we were in the visiting room. I think his daughter got scared. I was like ‘bro, you’re 6’9″, 325 pounds and have a face only a mother could love and you think I’m mean looking?

Before this fiasco, a speeding ticket ruined my month. I was not from the hood, I was not connected nor was I a fighting machine. So to reiterate a few comments from Jim, unless you want your asshole the size of a cucumber, DO NOT DO ANYTHING that causes you to owe money. $5 past due, a few homies come by, you no gots??? You trade for sex. It won’t necessarily be your choice. If Someone wants to give you a hit on a smoke, or a joint, DO NOT take it. Do not be surprised that the hit you took went on your tab. Yeah, the tab you didn’t know you had.

Respect others. Expect it back. If something goes sideways and nasty talk starts, you have about 10–12 seconds. If the other dude calms, let it rest. If he ain’t calm, expect an attack immediately. You will never argue more than 15 seconds before the shit flies! Be ready and swing back.

Carry yourself with confidence, but not arrogance. you can nod or a small half smile of acknowledgement to peeps you know from other races but do NOT think you can walk up and join a convo with another race. you’ll be sorry with a quick lesson.

My advice, do not be friends with the first guys that approach you. They will be conning you out of something. Hopefully, your bunkie or a guy from a close cell walks you down to the chow hall. Listen, answer questions honestly, and do not try to be someone you are not. Take it slowly. Be friend-LY with people but it takes months before you should trust or rely on others.

After the mental meltdown of the admitting process and the first few days of living in a parallel universe, you will start to go through your life. There is little you can do inside. I’m still married, somehow. Don’t expect to be. If you are and she waits, you are blessed.

I made it through my whole sentence until the last year. Something happened, I had years of being fed up. I started yelling about something. There were a couple of COs close by. The boys I was pissed at didn’t like being barked at in front of others. An hour later I got a visit at my locker. 5 dudes. A little talking, a little pushing. I counted and got to 11. I knew this was it. Early on in my sentence, I had decided that if I ever got hit by a group, it was gonna hurt. So I figured, I’m going to concentrate my “love and attention” on 1 guy. I wanted at least one dude besides me to walk with a limp, or a hanging arm, or a fucked up face! You’ll be in pain, but make 1 guy remember you. Word gets around.

China Threatens EU Dairy Economy, Argentina Gold In London, Major Bank “USD Big Crash Bets”

Tit 4 tat.

A HK story

So I rung my uncle in Hong Kong because I heard he had a fall recently.

He has to sit in a wheelchair for a while but he was in good spirits.

He was almost gleeful to share about Nathan Law’s recent travails.

Apparently, the white masters are cutting him loose and he is in a bit of a bind financially. His family and supporters are in trouble for sending him money. His mum even lost the subsidized housing unit due to rent arrears.

He wants Nathan to come back and face the music so the family don’t have to.

But he knows that is wishful thinking, because the man is a “chickenshit coward”. His original description is a little too colorful to print here.

He hates the leaders of the 2019 riots because his little side business went under during the mayhem, and incurred a tidy loss.

I don’t blame him.

I wish him a speedy recovery.

It’s commonly believed that India’s potential could soon eclipse China’s, but the real story is quite the opposite. While India’s GDP figures are catching eyes, China’s strategic investments in high-value sectors show that it is leagues ahead in sustainable economic growth.

You see, China isn’t just about huge GDP numbers. It’s about how they’ve managed to turn those numbers into substantial value through smart, forward-thinking strategies. Decades ago, China’s economy heavily relied on exporting low-margin goods. But today, the game has changed. China now focuses on high-tech manufacturing and mastering key technologies, earning significantly more per unit of export. For instance, a Tesla made in Shanghai leaves a big chunk of profit within Chinese borders, which wasn’t the case with the lower-margin goods they made years ago. The same goes for Huawei smartphones, which now rake in higher profits compared to the earlier contracts with Western brands.

Meanwhile, India’s economic landscape is in a different phase, more focused on assembly and service-based tasks. Even though India’s exports are expected to rise, the value they add to the economy pales in comparison to China’s high-tech exports. India finds itself deeply engaged in refining oil, assembling electronics, and providing software services. These sectors don’t bring significant value back home; most of the profits end up with the foreign owners of these technologies.

Another big part of the story is how each country invests in its people. China has poured resources into its education system, subsidizing costs and providing numerous scholarships, creating a skilled workforce geared toward innovation. On the flip side, Indian education remains expensive, burdening graduates and their families and making it challenging to cultivate a wide pool of talent needed for a tech-driven economy.

China’s economic prowess also stems from continuous investment in infrastructure and technology. The nation has heavily invested in electric vehicle batteries, solar panels, and wind energy, sectors that promise not just jobs but also position China as a future leader in these critical industries. India’s investment in high-tech sectors and infrastructure has yet to meet the same level of effectiveness.

Social factors can’t be ignored either. China has nurtured a meritocratic environment with a focus on achieving technological advancements. Meanwhile, India’s societal focus on celebrity culture and ongoing brain drain diverts attention from the systematic nurturing of its economic potential.

So, if you’re asking why China’s GDP doesn’t tell the whole story of its economic superiority, it’s because of these deep, structural investments and strategic choices. Despite China’s substantially higher GDP, it’s the focus on high-value, technology-driven sectors, education, and infrastructure that sets it apart. For India to bridge this gap, there would need to be a massive shift in educational policies, a serious dedication to infrastructure, and a move away from traditional economic activities toward more innovative sectors.

In essence, while India’s GDP growth might look promising at a glance, China’s underlying economic strategies make it a more formidable force on the global stage. This difference in developmental focus and investment is why China, despite what headlines might suggest, continues to pave the way for a more stable and prosperous future.

American’s can’t comprehend living like Chinese..

So interesting, making fun of Americans. Actually a really good video pointing out the importance of LIVABILITY where you live.

I bought a Jeep for $250, drove it a half mile, and sold it for $2,500…unintentionally.

My roommate blew an axle out of his truck, so as I was taxiing him around, he had me take a shortcut. On that back road, I saw this Jeep next to someone’s house. A real Jeep, a 1986 CJ-7, the year before Chrysler took the company over and ruined it. Since I learned the shortcut, I kept going that way, and kept seeing that Jeep, for probably 3 months, although it had clearly been there for years.

It was the homeowner’s son’s Jeep, and he’d moved across the country. He abandoned the Jeep there and ended up sending his father the title to get rid of it. Since I convinced the father I wasn’t a junk car guy or planning on scrapping it, I gave it a good hard closeup look and asked for a price. He said the scrap car guys belittled it and said it was only worth $250 max. Since I genuinely wanted to fix it up for myself, I could have it for that price, which I had on me.

I paid for the Jeep, jump started it, and surprisingly it ran. The brakes were crap, and this Jeep looked horrible, but I saw potential. I stopped at a gas station, and the guy there was mesmerized by this rusty hunk of a Jeep covered in tree crap. He asked me if I would sell it, to which I said I doubt he’s make it worth my while. He then offered me $2,500. I almost crapped my pants. I drove it about a half mile and made 10 times what I paid for it. My plan was just to make sure it had enough gas to get home since the gauge read empty, but instead I made it home with a lot more than I planned on.

After I thought, if he shot me $2,500 right away, he may have been willing to pay more, but I was so shocked I didn’t think of it until later. Who knows…

Yes. The Phalanx fires at 3,000 rounds per minute to 4,500 rounds depending on model.

These are designed to shoot down sub-sonic missiles.

Chinese research shows that in order to shoot down high supersonic missiles (missiles traveling at Mach3 – Mach 5) you need a CIWS that fires at 10,000 rounds per minute.

Also if the missile is maneuvering in terminal phase then the faster the firing rate the better. You also need better radars and powerful computers to predict the missile trajectory and get there first with the gun.

Current Chinese CIWS fires at 11,000 rounds per minute.

Everything in in-place. What event – or false-flag – will be used to trigger Actual WW3?

Hal Turner World

 

Just to clarify, so there is no misunderstanding . . . 

  1. Armies are in forward positions.
  2. Scenarios were run through computer simulations (AI to use more trendy expression).
  3. Alliances were decided and consolidated.
  4. Legislation was put through legal process.
  5. Politicians who will run things were selected.

Everything is ready.

Now it is a matter of using an event or creating an event to start WW3.  What will be the spark that causes the explosion of war?

I guess scenarios that were run through computers did not give satisfactory results and that is a reason for delays.

But, everything is ready . . . for world war, version 3.

Ukraine was a beta test.

 

5,500 Dead! Ukraine’s Invasion into Kursk, Russia

Hal Turner World

Ukraine has lost 5,500 troops, 71 tanks, 30 Infantry Fighting Vehicles, 57 Armored Personnel Carriers, and 372 Armored Combat Vehicles in their two week long misadventure into Russia’s Kursk Region.

The staggering losses in such a short time reveal the complete idiocy of this maneuver by Ukraine, or the factual realization that any NATO planners involved, were utterly incompetent.

 

 

Medellin: The Sex Tourism Capital Of Colombia | Is This A Passport Bro Paradise Or Nightmare?

The war on “passport bros” has entered a new cycle; as a sexpat.

What is it like to be the child of a billionaire?

A friend of mine was born to rich (not billionaire) parents. His Grandad had started a company with nothing, his dad had taken it on and made it bigger and more profitable. He was the eldest son.

I met him when he was 22. He was a graduate from an elite university, and had a got a lucrative government sponsorship to study accounting, and I’d got sponsorship at 18, to do the same. Which is where I met him. I’m from a more typical background, 2 parents, working 9–5 jobs to pay the mortgage and put food on the table.

We talked about the differences between us, on and off, over the next year or two.

Most of us have to go to work to earn money, support our family, and we keep turning up because if we don’t, we might get sacked. Those who don’t put the effort in, don’t get the bigger, better jobs. None of this applies to “daddy’s boy”. He knew if he wanted it, he would be MD of the family company. If not, the family would appoint a manager or sell the business, and he could live off the profits.

His dad was conscious of this, and had asked him the question a couple of times:

At 18 – Nope, I want to go to Uni

At 21, Nope I want to study to be an accountant

at 24 – I’d like to work in the private sector for 2 years.

Even at 26, his dad did his best to dissuade him:

  • You have a good career ahead of you, outside the family business. You can do well. You don’t need to take this on if you don’t want to. I can get a Professional manager.
  • You know, whatever you do, people will say you were “given it”. You will never get any credit.
  • It won’t be easy. I won’t give it to you, I will give you a couple of jobs, and if you goof around, I will leave you there. People’s jobs and their families depend on this company, and if you become MD, you need to take that responsibility seriously.
  • Once you come in, you will struggle to get a job outside the company again, as companies will always look at your CV and say “No point taking him on. All we’ll be doing is training him up for when he goes back to the family company.”
  • If you make a mistake here, people won’t let you forget. You can’t move jobs, and leave it behind.
  • You are giving up a lot of (government) benefits, if you come here, more than I can give you, and without the responsibility.
  • When you are MD, it’s pretty lonely. It’s not like being one of the workforce. It’s just you. People will give you advice, but they have their own agenda, and it’s only you who has to live with the consequences.
  • There’s always the risk that the company will fail, despite your best efforts. Then you’ll be stuck.

It was during this time that I started to realize that there were downside was well as upsides to being born in to his family.

When he did take it on, his dad was as good as his word. He gave him proper jobs. He made him make the decisions, stand behind them, and if he made mistakes had to own them. Sadly, his dad passed away when he was only 56, so my friend became MD at 30, which was earlier and sooner than his dad and him expected or planned.

He enjoyed it, and did very well. Took the business on to the next level. Increased sales, increased profits, added new product lines, won new customers, put a new computer system in place, trained up the senior team, introduced new production technology, and moved the factory to a new site double the size of the last one, but it was a very demanding role. He was the only family member working in the business, and the wider family seemed to add to his stress, not share the burden. I did some benchmarking on pay rates, and was surprised by his remuneration despite his stellar performance. I advised him that he well below market rates. The family were very reliant on him, but didn’t seem to recognise his performance. In his 40s, he developed some stress related health issues, and stepped away from the business.

After a couple of years sabbatical, he opted not to go back, and took a less stressful and more supportive, and appreciated career, and the company did get a locum manager, and still has it to this day.

The New “Anti-Woke” Visa

 

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main qimg b692c3e5961bf5c840862a3f7bf62e7a lq

What does a prisoner who is in solitary confinement do in a 24-hour period? What time do they wake up and eat breakfast, lunch, dinner, take a shower, go to work, and exercise? What does a day look like?

Here’s how a day in Z-9 Ad-Seg goes down, from the horses mouth

Sunrise:

The day starts early with medical pass at 0600. We kick things off getting the medicals handled first. By 0620, it’s chow time, and in Ad-Seg, that means meals served straight in the cells. The sergeant handles this personally, making sure it’s all by the book. Food goes through the tray slots, no face-to-face interactions. If it’s Ramadan, we’ve got specific procedures to follow, but the routine stays locked down tight.

After breakfast, inmates get their cleaning supplies through the slot. They’re expected to keep their cells up to standard—no exceptions. Hygiene checks happen regularly, and if someone’s slipping, it gets dealt with. Sometimes, it’s hard to see what’s going on in the cell because inmates like to put cardboard on their windows. That’s only allowed if the inmate’s an IEX’r (indecent exposure), otherwise, we’re not having it.

Mid-Morning:

Around 0800, it’s shower time. In Ad-Seg, showers are solo—no exceptions. Inmates get cuffed and escorted to the shower, where they have about 10 minutes. Then it’s straight back to the cell, still cuffed. No free movement here—everything’s on lockdown. If there’s a medical appointment or legal visit, it’s the same routine: cuffed, escorted, and back to their cell.

Afternoon:

Lunch comes around 1200, following the same procedure as breakfast—through the slot, no hassle. After they eat, they get a bit of in-cell time. Inmates might read, write, or get in some exercises. It’s a small break in the day, but they know the rules. If there’s any legal business or visits, it’s handled individually, under strict supervision.

Yard Time:

Yard is limited in Ad-Seg—only three hours a week. When it’s their time, they’re cuffed and escorted to the yard. It’s the only chance they get to stretch out a bit, but it’s still tightly controlled, with eyes on them at all times.

Evening:

Dinner rolls around at 1700. By now, everyone’s in the routine—food through the slot, no drama. After dinner, the day starts winding down. Mail gets handed out, and if they’re lucky enough to have a TV, they catch a bit of programming before lights out.

Night:

By 2100, it’s lights out. We lock down the unit for the night, making sure everyone’s where they should be. There’s no movement unless it’s an emergency. We do our rounds, checking cells, making sure everything’s in order. The night settles in, and it’s quiet—just the hum of the unit.

In Z-9 Ad-Seg, everything’s about routine and control. Medical at 0600, chow at 0620, showers, meals, and the limited yard time all follow a strict schedule. Whether it’s dealing with cardboard on the windows or getting the yard in, it’s all about maintaining order—tight, controlled, and always by the book.

What is a family secret you didn’t know as a kid, but now as an adult you do and when you look back it explains a lot of things?

My father was often not around when I was a young child.

But I remember an argument one dinner time with the 4 (my dad, mum, myself and my younger brother) of us sat around the dinner table, I would be around 8/9 my brother 5.

Things had been strained most of the day. Something was said and that led to an argument, I remember dinner plates being thrown, food going all over the place, i slid under the table and grabbed my brother and held my hands over his ears as words were being said I knew he shouldn’t hear.

They separated about 18 months later. The Divorce was messy to say the least and we were forced to spend time with him and his “new girlfriend” who had a little girl so she became our step sister… They ended up getting married a couple of years later and separating a few years after that….

My mum and brother were killed by a drunk driver in 1997 and my Dad who I had barely seen in 15 years given he was a violent drunk died in 2012.

It’s only relatively recently that I got back in contact with my stepmother to find out I had a half brother who was 35 years younger than me and born just before my dad died. But after that bomb shell we discussed memories and I worked out that dining table argument was him telling my mum that he had got her pregnant and that she wasnt my step sister but half sister.

That was the same conversation I discovered I potentially had other siblings too.

As it turns out I did…..6 in fact from 4 other relationships some from the same time he was married to my mum.

I’ve now a relationship with 5 of them, and in the process of adopting one of them, hes 12 and currently living in a kids home.

Leaders talk

China is the only permanent member of the United Nations Security Council not involved in any international conflict in recent years, demonstrating its commitment to peace, said Timor-Leste’s President Jose Ramos-Horta during an exclusive interview with CMG’s Leaders Talk.

At the invitation of Chinese President Xi Jinping, Timor-Leste’s president paid a state visit to China from July 28 to 31. This is Ramos-Horta’s first visit to China after he took office in 2022 and the first state visit of Timor-Leste’s president to China since the establishment of diplomatic ties.

During the visit, the two sides agreed to strengthen bilateral relations, with Ramos-Horta saying China’s remarkable economic growth and commitment to global peace have drawn Timor-Leste to seek closer ties.

“China is a global power, it’s the largest economy in Asia, second largest in the world. Over the years, China pursued several strategic tracks, one is building China’s economy to these impressive heights, which make China a global economic power, a global financial power. The modernization of its defense force adds to that, and that creates some jealousy among those who view China as a rival. And sometimes the jealousy is exacerbated, and they try to repeat what was a failure of the 60s and 70s, the so-called ‘China containment’,” the president said.

“China was never involved in any of the major wars in recent decades. Whether the war in Afghanistan, the war in Yemen, in Iraq, Libya and in the ongoing one in Ukraine. China is the only permanent member of the Security Council that is not involved in an international conflict. So for us, its common sense to have strong relations with an Asian power, an Asian country that is also a global power. And I know the history of China going back many centuries. What China was then, particularly before World War Two, after World War Two, a lot of upheavals in China. But long before that, wars waged by foreign powers against China like the Opium War,” he said.

I decided to spraypaint my fence.

Some bloke pulled in front of the drive about 10 minutes before I was due to go out, locked his car and started walking away. I called to him to ask him not to park there and was told to “fuck off and deal with it.”

My drive is not on a road where you can get round a car parked like that. I was stuck. So, I called SWMBO and told her I’d be late to our appointment and to give my apologies.

An hour later the driver wasn’t back and I was going to miss my appointment. So I decided on revenge and decided to do one of the jobs SWMBO had been badgering me to do. Repaint the fence… using my new-ish sprayer. I didn’t use it very often as it’s not a very efficient way of painting, as it releases a lot of paint and on breezy days, it tend to drift… a lot.

Our chosen colour was a cedar red… don’t ask… so I alerted my neighbour as she had washing on the line and set up to spray the fence. I managed to get two coats on the 4 six foot fence panels either side of my drive… plus some excess on the ground inside the garden. It drifted outside as well, but I needed to do the outside as well. Outside the garden isn’t as sheltered as inside so the spray drifted a bit more… right onto the gleaming black Subaru Impreza parked across the drive. I only managed to get 1 coat onto the panels outside before it got too dark to see properly for painting, but not too dark to clean the ground inside and outside with a few buckets of water. It’s a water soluble paint after all. I didn’t see what time he left but would love to have seen his face the next morning when he saw his pride and joy splattered with dried on red fence paint.

SWMBO however was more than happy that I’d painted the fence finally.

Wife Who DEMANDED Separation To “Look For Something Different” Gets Reality Check When Husband…

Reminds me of a time in my life that I have tried to forget…

Rob Taylor

The Celestial HopeBetween the fabrics of existence, where the threads of reality intertwine, a universal truth persists—an unyielding axiom, as constant as the cosmos itself. Amidst the grand cosmic ballet where galaxies waltz and stars orchestrate an eternal symphony, a saga of boundless proportions unfurls—a tale that transcends the constraints of time and space.Eternity, an expanse beyond mortal comprehension, stands as an ever-present enigma, an eternal observer untouched by the transient choreography of moments. Here, within the unfathomable depths of cosmic vastness, a fellowship known as the Chosen Wanderers embarks upon an odyssey that defies the very essence of their immortal existence.At the helm of this eternal odyssey strides Captain Thalara, a figure of unwavering strength and profound sagacity. Her presence is a beacon of determination that pierces the veils of time, carrying upon her shoulders the monumental weight of leadership—a mantle forged in the crucible of unending epochs.By her side stands Lyndor, a spectral enigma whose eyes hold secrets as ancient as the cosmos itself. An heir to arcane lineage, he wields powers inherited from generations long past, now intertwined with his very being.Elysia, a luminary scientist ignited by an insatiable curiosity, graces the crew with her brilliance—a constellation of knowledge that shines even in the darkest reaches of the universe.

 

Completing this ensemble is Kaelen, a dauntless pilot whose hands navigate not only the cosmic currents but also the tides of destiny. His courage is a vessel that carries them through the currents of eternity, as he guides them toward uncharted horizons.

 

Through the collage of galaxies, where stars bloom and fade like cosmic flowers, their starship “Celestial Hope” navigates, leaving ripples in the very fabric of existence. The void echoes with the remnants of ancient civilizations—whispers of lives long gone, reminders of the impermanence of all things. Amid this journey, nebulous clouds of despair and tempests of doubt swirl, seeking to engulf their spirits in shadow. Yet, in defiance of the abyss, their camaraderie burns like a supernova—a radiant beacon against the inky blackness of space.

 

In the heart of this boundless expanse, Thalara’s voice resounds—a harmonious blend of weariness and unyielding resolve. “In the face of time’s inexorable tide, what path do we forge, when life’s embrace clings without release? Millennia have woven themselves into our very essence, as we traverse the chasm between universes, charting a course through the untamed cosmos.”

 

Lyndor, a specter of enigmatic wisdom and innate power, leans against the console, his gaze an ancient mosaic painted with the memories of eons.

“Within the currents of our veins courses the venom of eternity,” his voice carries a mournful timbre, heavy with the weight of choices made. “An oath, once taken with eagerness, now binds us with chains of regret—a curse woven into the very fabric of our being.”

 

Elysia, her fingers dancing across the luminescent constellations that map the celestial canvas, murmurs with reverence in her voice. “Recall the epoch when our predecessors glimpsed the unfathomable—a revelation of multiple big bangs, an eternal existence that defies all comprehension. Even the deities themselves pale in the face of such boundless expanse.”

 

Kaelen, the intrepid pilot who courts the cosmic unknown with audacious fervour, leans back with a half-smile that masks the weight he carries.

“Gods or no gods, our universe bowed to its inevitable conclusion—a requiem sung as stars winked out. Yet, we remain—ephemeral echoes in the aftermath, seekers of sanctuary in the wake of dissolution.”

 

As they negotiate wormholes that spiral like cosmic whirlpools and cross dimensions that shimmer like astral gateways, they traverse not only space but also the fabrics of existence itself. Their dialogues resonate like distant echoes through the corridors of the colossal starship—an intricate symphony woven from threads of hope, fear, and unwavering resolve.

 

“Sworn to a hope, we journey as bearers of the ages,” Thalara’s voice emerges as a soothing echo as the ship navigates the currents of the cosmos. “We are the chosen, tasked with the survival of ages.”

 

Lyndor’s eyes, impossibly ancient and eternally watchful, hold a depth of understanding that spans eras. “To comprehend eternity is to wrestle with its revelations—a truth more profound than any verse etched into cosmic parchment.”

 

Elysia’s gaze lifts toward the uncharted constellations beyond the viewport, her voice carrying both lament and wonder. “Our universe, once a cradle of myriad existences, now languishes—a relic adrift in the vast detritus of time.”

 

Kaelen’s fingers glide over the star maps he has charted, a testament to their journey’s wonder and weariness. “Yet, we endure, undaunted by the ceaseless ebb of eons that slip through our grasp.”

 

As their odyssey continues, a cataclysmic event unfurls—a singularity, born from the final gasp of a dying universe, threatens to consume them in its voracious maw. Amidst the concerto of alarms and the kaleidoscope of flashing lights, their voices rise like beacons in the tempest.

“A universe born anew, an era unseen,” Elysia’s breath catches, her voice a whisper amidst the maelstrom.

“An epoch that hungers to sunder us,” Kaelen’s voice is a resolute call amidst the chaos.

“Take any action necessary! Steer us away!” Thalara’s command cleaves through the tumult like a sword through the dark.

“Aye, captain,” Kaelen’s hands fly over the controls, each gesture a testament to his indomitable will.

Yet, the singularity’s maw widens beyond escape.

“Wormhole generators at full capacity in mere moments,” Elysia announces, her voice carrying both urgency and the weight of time itself.

“An eternity encapsulated within fleeting seconds,” Thalara’s mutterings become an indomitable mantra within the storm.

As alarms wail and the ship shudders beneath the onslaught of forces beyond mortal reckoning, Thalara’s call rings out with resolute clarity.

“Hold fast, all! Prepare for the impact that bridges being and oblivion!”

Lyndor’s incantations weave through the air, a desperate plea to mystic forces woven into the very fabric of reality.

“By the threads of existence, we stand resolute!”

Elysia’s voice, a poignant blend of awe and trepidation, pierces the chaotic symphony.

“Here, on this precipice, we straddle the boundary between existence and the void!”

Kaelen’s hands dance with an orchestral precision, their movement a symphony of defiance against impending annihilation.

“Falter, we shall not! Not now, not after traversing the rivers of time itself!”

 

Emerging from the cataclysm battered yet resolute, they find themselves adrift in the enigmatic embrace of eternity’s realm. Now the farthest off course that could be conceived, a billion light years have cascaded through their grasp, slipping like stardust through the hourglass of existence.

 

Thalara’s voice, a potent blend of determination and weariness, breaks the stillness that envelops them.

“Amidst the boundless expanse of eternity, we stand as sentinels—an embodiment of unyielding will. Though the search may seem to be at an end, the journey persists, for we are the very bridge between ages.”

 

Lyndor’s gaze, a window into stages long past, holds a glimmer of hope, a spark that transcends the barriers of time.

“Eternity may have claimed our lethargy, yet it has not extinguished our essence. We’ll make the proper repairs captain Thalara.”

 

Standing amidst the cosmic void, their silhouettes etched against infinity’s canvas, the echoes of their odyssey resonate through the corridors of existence—a harmonious melody that reverberates through the contexture of time. Their journey, one that challenged death’s dominion, embraced the abyss, and defied the very fabric of the cosmos, has become an indelible verse in the cosmic motif.

 

For even as they languor for a billion years, cradled within the timeless embrace of eternity, the saga of the Chosen Wanderers echoed across the cosmos—a saga woven into the very cosmic strings of existence. In the midst of interstellar ages, voyaging through the unfathomable vastness, the Celestial Hope and its devoted crew lay suspended in a timeless repose, a testament to their unwavering resolve in the face of unending existence.

 

The story of the Chosen Wanderers, forever inscribed in the cosmic annals, teaches that even in the ceaseless dance of stars and galaxies, in the unyielding expanse of eternity, the essence of mortal and immortal alike can forge pathways that transcend the constraints of time and space.

 

And now in their long great slumber, they tread upon the dreamy shores of a lush world untouched by the journals of history, the weight of countless eons finally lifts. A forgotten mission buried in the lost realms left long behind fades away. Before them unfurls the promise of life renewed, secrets unfurled beneath celestial constellations, and an uncharted future as infinite as the universes themselves.

 

But that too would be another story.

Enchilada Squares

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7e670cb2eca903bab68c3e0c289605c6

Ingredients

  • 2 (19 ounce) cans Las Palmas enchilada sauce
  • 1 pound Monterey Jack cheese, shredded
  • 1 medium onion, chopped
  • 1 (4 ounce) can sliced olives
  • 1 pound ground beef
  • 1 1/2 cups vegetable oil
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 1/2 teaspoon pepper
  • 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
  • 1/2 teaspoon onion powder
  • 27 corn tortillas

Instructions

  1. Brown ground beef.
  2. Drain oil and add salt, pepper, garlic and onion powder.
  3. While meat is browning, heat enchilada sauce in medium size pan.
  4. Heat oil in skillet. Place a tortilla in hot oil for 1 minute, then turn over and fry 1 more minute. Do not allow tortilla to become crispy.
  5. Take fried tortilla and place in hot sauce for approximately 2 minutes, then take out and place in a 9 x 13 inch greased cake pan.
  6. Repeat again until you have a layer with 9 tortillas.
  7. Sprinkle half of the meat, 1/3 cheese, onion and olives.
  8. Repeat another layer of tortillas dipped in oil and sauce as before.
  9. Sprinkle remaining meat, 1/3 cheese, onion and olives.
  10. Repeat another layer of tortillas.
  11. Spoon leftover sauce atop.
  12. Add remaining cheese, onion and olives.
  13. When cool, cover pan with foil and refrigerate.
  14. Bake at 350 degrees F for 1/2 hour or until cheese melts.
  15. Cut into squares and serve.
  16. If serving immediately, place in oven for 15 minutes or until cheese is melted.

40 Normalized Things In Europe That Are Unknown In The US | American Reacts

Yeah. This is very good. So, so, so many things int he USA are fucked up right now.

I was looking at a Field service Job at a manufacturing plant that built Waste Water Treatment plants, it was a West German company with manufacturing in the U.S.

I knew absolutely nothing about waste water plant machinery.

As I sat down for the interview, the phone rang on the head of field service. He said excuse me but I have to answer that phone. He put the phone on speaker, a piece of new equipment would not start up, this was their first attempt to run it.

He placed the electrical schematics on his desk, as they discussed the problem, I could see them upside down, from where I was sitting.

Finally he says , I will get s tech there ASAP, and hung up the phone. I said I see the problem, they wired a relay wrong, and pointed to it on drawings. It should be normally closed, not open.

He stood up and said he had to do something and I’m not to move, he would be right back.

He was back in 15 minutes and hands me a wad of cash, and tells me I have 1 hour and thirty minutes to be at the Delta terminal , my ticket is at their desk, then hands me a company credit card to rent a car, and A company Air travel card for the return flight.

He said we will fill out your employment papers when you get back.

The problem was in Up State New York , I was in Birmingham Al.

Now for the “rest” of the story

The service manager called the plant with the problem once he Knew I was on the flight to NY, and told them a tech was on his way. Their response was “it better be a guy who’s been working for you a long time, and knows the equipment inside and out.

For the next 4 hours he tried to get a call to me , and for me to not tell them he just hired me this morning.

I never got that call, and the first thing the plant manager ask me, “How long have you worked on these machines ?”. My answer was “To Damn Long” and we both bust out laughing.

In 5 minutes the machine was running perfectly

Then he told me to call my boss, He’s been trying to reach you.

He couldn’t believe I answered that question without lying, and manager was happy with the answer, with me not knowing how important the answer was.

Recently, Shane Goldsby, a 26-year-old U.S. inmate, bludgeoned, stomped, and kicked his 70-year-old cellmate, Robert Munger, to death.

You might think this is just another random case of prison violence, or perhaps a situation where some prisoners take the moral high ground by killing a more sadistic and violent criminal. Indeed, the latter was the case, though it was a more isolated incident. After all, Munger had been incarcerated for 43 years for crimes involving child sexual abuse. Anyone might feel justified in wanting to see him punished severely.

Munger was serving a 43-year sentence at the Airway Heights prison in Washington State for child molestation and child pornography offenses when, due to a non—coincidental administrative error, he was placed in the same cell as Shane (one of his victims’ brother.)

Shane claimed that Munger would repeatedly brag about his crimes and the morally abhorrent deeds he had committed against those poor children.

“I had so much stuff going on in my head,” he told the station. “I wasn’t stable at that point. I wasn’t. I was getting to that point because [Munger] kept wanting to give me details about what happened, what he did – about the photos and the videos of him doing this stuff. It was building up.”

Shane said he couldn’t believe he had been assigned to the same cell as Munger and made a request to the authorities to be moved, but it was ignored.

“I completely feel like this is what they wanted to happen,” he said.

“I was in shock,” he added. “I was like, ‘what the f***?’… This stuff doesn’t happen. You’re talking the same institution, the same unit, the same pod, in the same cell as this dude. That’s like hitting the jackpot in the casino seven times.”

“They put me in a position that I shouldn’t even be in. This shouldn’t have happened at all. You’re talking about this dude, who did some sick, twisted things to my little sis. My family. My blood. My life. And you want to put me face-to-face with this dude?” Goldsby said.

As expected, a man can only remain sane for so long when he’s sharing a cage with his sister’s molester. Goldsby eventually snapped, attacking the older man in a common area of the jail.

Court documents reveal what happened next, showing how Goldsby hit “Munger in the face and head area about 14 times, stomped on his head at least four times, and kicked him a couple more times before walking away and being taken into custody.” Munger died three days later.

The Washington Department of Corrections has policies to prevent connected inmates from being assigned together, but reportedly missed the connection in this case because Shane and his sister have different last names.

“There was no clear indication in the documentation regularly reviewed for housing assignments that there was a potential conflict,” DoC spokeswoman Janelle Guthrie told the Spokesman-Review newspaper.

In court, an emotional Shane stated:

“You put me in the same cell as this dude. I feel set up. I’m the victim.”

At his sentencing, Shane was too emotional to read a statement, so his lawyer spoke on his behalf.

“I’m ashamed of my actions. I was put into a situation that I don’t wish on anyone,” she said on Shane’s behalf. “I have a lot of fixing to do.”

“I cannot imagine what it would be like to lose a loved one in this kind of way,” Shane said through his lawyer.

“To his wife and his whole family, I apologize. I am so sorry, and I hope you are able to heal from what I caused.”

Unfortunately, the law frowns on morally justifiable murders and Shane must now serve an additional 24 years and also pay restitution to Munger’s family.

AI generated kingly pictures

Today’s AI developments…

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Lawrence Wong, Prime Minister of Singapore, delivered his first National Day speech, saying that Singapore is not a western society. What does this mean?

On August 18th, local time, Lawrence Wong, the new Prime Minister of Singapore, delivered his first Prime Minister’s speech in Malay, Chinese and English at the National Day mass meeting in Singapore.

The Prime Minister’s speech at the National Day Mass Meeting is one of the most important speeches in Singapore every year. During the speech, Lawrence Wong’s speech in Chinese caught my eyes.

Lawrence Wong said: “Singapore uses English as the common language, but we are essentially an Asian society, not a western society.” He also said that all Singaporeans want to preserve the spiritual outlook and traditional values of Asians.

Later, Lawrence Wong took himself as an example to encourage people to receive Chinese education. He said that when he was a child, he didn’t have the opportunity to speak Chinese at home. He didn’t start learning Chinese until he went to school. When he graduated from junior high school, he got A1 (the highest level) in Chinese.

Lawrence Wong promised that the Singapore government would adjust its education policy.

“We hope to train more talents who are proficient in Chinese, which means that we have not only elites, but also elites.”

Lawrence Wong’s speech in Chinese not only emphasized the importance of Chinese education, but also continued the “Asian values” emphasized by Singapore’s leaders in previous generations, and also vaguely expressed Singapore’s diplomatic stance that it would not take sides.

In view of Singapore’s important strategic position and influence in ASEAN countries, the United States has spared no effort to win over Singapore for many years.

Lee Kuan Yew once said very bluntly: China (navy) has no strength to protect Singapore.

As a tiny island country located in the throat of the ocean, you forced Singapore to die if you didn’t fall to the west.

Understandable.

And Singapore has indeed achieved the goal of being as neutral as possible while leaning to the west and seeking the greatest benefit for itself.

Under the current circumstances, the basic logic of Singapore’s unilateral turning to the West has not only disappeared, but also gone to the opposite side.

If you fell to the west completely because you were afraid of the western navy, then you can’t hope to maintain the previous state after China’s naval power became strong, and more thoroughly fall to and introduce the west to harm China’s interests.

Singapore has really developed the ability to assess the situation in the game of great powers, and it has been flexibly adjusted in different times.

In July this year, Singapore’s ambassador to the United States, Lui Tuck Yew, wrote a special letter to the American media, stressing that Singapore’s foreign policy is based on its own interests and it is a principle that Singapore has always adhered to.

Before taking over as Prime Minister of Singapore, Lawrence Wong made it clear in an interview with The Economist that Singapore would not choose between China and the United States, but would give priority to its own interests.

In his speeches in Chinese, Lawrence Wong mentioned “culture” and “Chinese” for 9 to 11 times, with special emphasis on cultivating people’s Chinese ability.

He said that Singapore hopes to preserve the spiritual outlook and traditional values of Asians. At the same time, the advantages of bilingualism and biculturalism can absorb the wisdom of the East and the West, and can deal with both countries. This is Singapore’s unique competitive advantage.

In my opinion, Lawrence Wong mentioned that “Singapore is not a western society”. The core theme is that Singaporeans can speak both English and Chinese, embrace the western social system, and retain the eastern spiritual culture. They can get along well with the United States, Britain and China. This is a unique and huge advantage of Singapore in the world, which must be maintained.

Forbidden Planet – Miranda Likes to Watch – Reaction

Ha ha ha. Have some fun.

Coffee Chinese style

Coffee is big news in China. It is really popular.

But, no! It’s not “traditional” American-style coffee.

It’s something else quite different.

Different ways it is served. Different flavors. Different combinations. Different. Different. Different.

But, ah, you know…you can still get a coffee at McDonald’s, or at Starbucks, or at KFC, or at KFC. But many Chinese opt to go to the many thousands of different coffee tastes available to them.

coffee2
coffee2
coffee1
coffee1

Onion flavor.

Yes. You can buy it and drink it all up.

Duran flavor, stinky toufu flavor. Hard alcohol flavor. Beef with curry flavor… so many different flavors all over the place.

Onion ring flavor. carrot with peppermint flavor.

Chunky texture coffee.

Smooth texture coffee.

Hyper cold and boiling hot blend coffee…

WTF?

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Let’s be honest, for a majority of us, a cup of coffee is more than just a beverage — it’s a vital energy booster that kickstarts our day or acts as a midday pick me up. While the purists might lean towards a classic Americano or simple espresso, there are those who relish more adventurous tastes. We’ve compiled a list of some of the most bizarre and quirky coffee flavors you can discover in the city — from a surprising 皮蛋 pídàn to unconventional 豆汁儿 dòuzhīr, and beyond!

Zaijiuye Coffee

This establishment boasts a curious collection of coffee concoctions, each twinned with a nostalgic nod to a Beijing childhood treat. The sesame paste-laced coffee, when coupled with a 双棒儿 Shuāng bàng er (a milk-flavored ice cream pop with two sticks — hence the name), makes for a lovely treat. Everything combines to create a hazelnut-like taste, as the sesame paste and ice cream soften the coffee’s bitterness.

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Have you tried the heavenly combo of coffee and Shuangbang’er?

The place also dares to pair a douzhir-infused Americano with 焦圈儿 Jiāo quānr (a deep-fried dough circle similar to a 油条 yóutiáo). Douzhir, a fermented Beijing specialty marked by a subtle sourness and an egg-like scent, may not be to everyone’s liking. However, for any Beijing local worth their salt, it’s a twist they can’t resist exploring.

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How about a douzhir-flavored Americano paired with Jiaoquan?

Zaijiuye Coffee 
16 Shatanhou Street, Dongcheng district
东城区沙滩后街16号
Hours: 11am-7pm
Phone:184 1100 7574


Liquid House 

If you think douzhir and sesame paste coffees are crazy, then let us introduce you to pidan (aka century egg) and 酱豆腐 Jiàng dòufu (fermented tofu). Dreamt up by Liquid House, this drink features a pidan skewer resting atop your latte. The owner recommends taking the skewered century egg resting atop the brew, mashing it up, and mixing it all together to get the most out of it. It’s a delight for those with a palate for pidan, but might not be the preferred choice for those unaccustomed to its distinctive flavor.

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Fancy a sip of this Pidan Latte?

Liquid House 后院儿
Room 314, 3/F, Building 2, Huafangxintiandi, Courtyard 27, Qingnian Road, Chaoyang district
朝阳区青年路27号院华纺新天地2号楼3层314室
Hours: 10am-7pm
Phone:186 1812 0103


Phoenix Café 

Imagine the sensation when your coffee mingles with the zest of hotpot flavors. At Phoenix Café, prepare to have your perceptions about coffee challenged with their distinctive creation termed 油碟儿 Yóu dié er. Drawing inspiration from the traditional youdie’er, which is a chili-oil-based dipping sauce savored during hotpot sessions, particularly in Chongqing, this coffee blends the most unconventional ingredients. It features chili strands, tangerine peels, and a dash of white vinegar, ingredients you’d least expect in a cup of coffee.

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Get ready for a taste adventure with this Chongqing Hotpot-inspired beverage!

Phoenix Cafe 梧桐咖啡
69 Dongsibei Street, Dongcheng district
东城区东四北大街69号
Hours: 10am-7pm
Phone:186 0120 8175


Tongrentang Zhima Health Coffee

A café founded by the centuries-old laozihao (time-honored brand) Tongrentang, a name synonymous with traditional Chinese medicine (TCM), recently garnered online popularity for its coffee offerings. Their brews blend TCM ingredients such as wolfberries, tangerine peel, and motherwort into the mix. Against expectations of a staggering bitter concoction, reviews on Dianping reveal that these TCM elements subtly enhance the coffee’s flavor without overwhelming it, thereby ensuring it doesn’t resemble a medicinal potion. For those who, like me, appreciate the potential health benefits of TCM, this café is a must-visit destination.

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Craving a TCM-inspired brew?

Tongrentang Zhima Health Coffee 同仁堂知嘛健康咖啡&养生BAR
No.2-1, Building 2, No.10 Chaoyang Park South Road, Chaoyang district
朝阳区朝阳公园南路10号院2号楼2-1号
Hours: 8.30am-8.30pm
Phone: 6587 1397


HK+

Have you ever sipped a coffee infused with pepper? At HK+, they’re challenging traditional coffee norms with their signature pepper-seasoned brew, enriched with the nutty undertones of black sesame. Its presentation mimics a fried egg floating in coffee, achieved through skillful latte art using milk and a touch of turmeric. Despite its unconventional key ingredient, it highlights the taste of the coffee. So, if you’re intrigued by the idea of a peppery, salty coffee, HK+ certainly warrants a visit.

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Ever sipped pepper-spiked coffee?

HK+
274 Xiaobaobei Street, Tongzhou district
通州区小堡北街274号
Hours: 10am-8pm
Phone: 134 3664 3842

Today…

Britain Claims To Have Helped With The Ukrainian Invasion Of Russia

Yves Smith is discussing the Washington Post report on Russia-Ukraine negotiation to end the infrastructure attacks:

An Admission of Russian Long-Term Weakness or More Complex Calculation?

I had previously discussed the WaPo piece here.

Yves suggests that the negotiations, if they really have happened as described, were an Ukrainian ruse to distract Russia from the Ukrainian preparation of the Kursk oblast incursion. The talks were useless for Russia, she says. She doubts that Russia would favor to stop the attacks on the Ukrainian electricity generating and network capabilities. She suggests that the Ukrainian attacks on Russia create little damage. It disagree with that view.

The winter will already become very difficult for Ukrainian civilians. There is no need to increase the damage on Ukrainian infrastructure beyond the already achieved level.

The Ukrainian attacks have so far created repairable damage in Russia. But that may not be the case forever. One day one of such attacks could in fact create some real catastrophe. The attacks are also binding lots of Russian resources. One needs a huge number of soldiers and equipment to give at least some protection to the most exposed sites. The Russian economy is currently short on men. Not diverting some 100,000 men for local air defense purposes can make a difference.

I believe that Russia was genuinely interested in making such deal. But the Ukrainian attack on Kursk oblast blew it apart.

There are new suggestion on how the Ukrainian incursion into Russia was prepared for.

The Times in London claims that it largely followed a British plan (archived):

When footage of British Challenger 2 battle tanks being used by the Ukrainian army for its counterinvasion of Russia emerged on Tuesday, Downing Street and the Ministry of Defence were ready.For the previous 48 hours, officials and political aides working for Sir Keir Starmer and John Healey, the defence secretary, had been in talks about how far to go to confirm growing British involvement in the incursion towards Kursk.

The stakes were high. Unseen by the world, British equipment, including drones, have played a central role in Ukraine’s new offensive and British personnel have been closely advising the Ukrainian military for two years, on a scale matched by no other country.

The U.S., in contrast, has claimed not to have known about the Ukrainian plans and there purpose. This leads Kit Klarenberg to develop a theory:

Kit Klarenberg @KitKlarenberg – 15:02 UTC · Aug 18, 2024“🧵: I speculated earlier was probably Britain behind Kursk suicide op. Lo and behold, a Times article confirms this. More broadly, contents amply underline Kursk latest effort by London to keep the US in the proxy war – and it appears Washington has finally had enough of this.

Times reveals up top heavily promoted footage of British Challenger 2 tanks in Kursk was a conscious, deliberate decision made by new PM Keir Starmer and his defence secretary John Healey. British equipment is said to have “played a central role” in the “counterinvasion”.

Starmer and Healey reportedly made the decision to advertise London’s involvement “to be more open about Britain’s role in a bid to persuade key allies to do more to help.” In other words, to encourage/pressure the US et al to double down on this unwinnable, nightmare quagmire.

However, US reportedly unhappy with Kursk incursion, because it scuppered peace talks. Kiev’s purported culpability for Nord Stream bombing is, it seems, being used to justify ending German aid to Ukraine. And the US is blocking Kiev from firing British-made missiles at Russia.

Kit’s theory is that the Washington Post story about the blown negotiations as well as the latest “Nord Stream done by Ukraine” rumor reporting by the WSJ are expressions of U.S. anger over the Ukrainian government and its Kursk invasion.

The Times also reports that Britain is pushing its allies to provide more weapons and to allow their use against targets deep inside of Russia:

In the coming weeks Healey will attend a new meeting of the Ukraine Defence Co-ordination Group, where Britain will press European allies to send more equipment and give Kyiv more leeway to use them in Russia. Healey spoke last week to Lloyd Austin, the US defence secretary, and has been wooing Boris Pistorius, his German opposite number.Germany, whose Taurus missiles have a similar 155-mile range to Storm Shadow but a more powerful warhead, has been the country under the most pressure to move. However, it was revealed yesterday that Germany has actually frozen military aid to Ukraine because of a domestic budgetary crisis. Pistorius had asked for £3.4 billion of additional supplies but that was rejected by the finance ministry.

A previous leak provided that the long range Taurus missiles are complicate and have to be programmed just-in-time by German officers. There is no support in Germany for allowing such a deep involvement in attacks on Russia.

To me it seems that Britain has promised to Ukraine that it would get its allies to agree to the usage of longer range weapons against Russia in exchange for Ukraine to launch the attack on Russia.

Only that can explain this Zelenski complain about Starmer:

The Ukrainian president complained that British aid to Kyiv had begun to wane as his forces continued their unprecedented incursion into Russian territory in the Kursk region.“Unfortunately, the situation has slowed down recently,” Mr Zelensky said, referring to UK military assistance.

Sir Keir has upheld a Conservative ban on using UK-made Storm Shadows to strike targets deep inside Russia, amid concerns it could lead to escalation with nuclear-armed Moscow.

“We will discuss how to fix this because long-range capabilities are vital for us. The whole world sees how effective Ukrainians are – how our entire nation defends its independence,” said Mr Zelensky.

It came as four former Conservative defence secretaries called on No 10 to do more to support Ukraine, with some demanding Kyiv be allowed to use Storm Shadows in the Russian offensive.

But it is not Starmer who is blocking the missiles, it is the U.S. of A. (archived):

Washington is in effect blocking Britain from allowing Kyiv to fire Storm Shadow missiles inside Russia, amid fears in the Biden administration of an escalation in the Ukraine war.

It is understood that although the UK wants to give Ukraine the freedom to do what they want with the long-range weapon, it requires consensus from allies, including the US, France and a third undisclosed Nato country. A government source stressed that the UK was not blaming the US for any delay, adding that such policy changes took time.

Combining all the above one can (re-)construct this story.

Britain, in a bipartisan move, wants to prolong the war in Ukraine. It suggested to and helped Ukraine to invade Russia even as it knew that this would interrupt peace talks in Qatar. It also promised to press its allies  for long range attack permission against Russia. But the U.S. and Germany are still blocking such attacks. Zelensky now complains that Britain failed to deliver on its promise.

The U.S., miffed about the British involvement in a likely useless Ukrainian attack on Russia, is leaking about the Ukrainian/Russian negotiations in Qatar.

The above is largely based on the U.S. claims that it was not really involved in the planing of the Kursk incursion.

There are of course good reason to doubt those claims:

As the Ukraine war enters its most perilous phase, with Kiev’s forces fighting inside Russia, the United States is operating a formal “sensitive activities” detachment that is active in providing direct military support to the beleaguered country. The detachment, never before disclosed, is run by U.S. special operations forces, and with its Ukrainian counterparts, provides on-the-battlefield support, including near-real time targeting intelligence, operators say.

An operator formerly deployed to the Army’s 10th Special Forces Group assigned to a sensitive activities detachment told me their work included the creation of clandestine human networks for intelligence gathering, as well as identifying Russian military weaknesses for targeting.

A second operator also described having been tasked with providing near up-to-the-minute intelligence support to Ukrainian forces.

Those U.S. operators in Ukraine certainly did not miss the preparations the Ukrainians were making for their attack.

P.S. Bonus from The Times piece:

“It’s not just about the military support, but it’s about the industrial, economic, and diplomatic support,” the defence source said. “If Putin succeeds in Ukraine he’s not going to stop there. But also the economic implications of that are massive, because we all saw how heavily Britain got hit when he first invaded.

Yes, the sanctions, intended to hurt Russia, were quite damaging to those who issued them. Nice to see that finally acknowledged.

Posted by b on August 19, 2024 at 15:58 UTC | Permalink

Chemtrails

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CF4 c ZVAAApB u

Duke

“One day, I was lounging in the house when I heard loud gunfire. I ran outside just in time to see my neighbors cart off Duke’s mom on the back of their flatbed truck.

After that, Duke spent almost every hour at our home. Curiosity drove me to ask my neighbor’s what his name was but all they told me was they simply called him Dog. A couple of months after that, they simply stopped feeding Duke. I started to feed him because I wasn’t going to let this baby starve.

When it came time for our neighbors to move, I asked them if I could take Duke off of their hands since it was clear they didn’t want anything to do with him. The son said yes, but the day after I asked, Duke was gone and so were they.

I contacted the son and asked if he had changed his mind and decided to take the dog with him and he grew defensive and put all the blame on me and threatened me. After explaining to him I didn’t have Duke, he hung on me calling me a liar.

In an effort to find this baby, I posted Missing Pet signs all over the local vets office within a 25 mile radius.

5 months passed before I got a phone call from the UPS man that delivered in our neighborhood. He said he saw a dog matching the description of Duke in a nearby field and he looked pretty bad. I thanked the man, hung up and drove straight to where he said he saw the dog. It was Duke. Malnourished and severely afraid of everything. However, one look at me and after hearing my voice he perked up and ran straight into my arms.

Now Duke is healthy and happy and has three other dogs and three cats to play with.Now we are a family.❤️”

Douglas Macgregor Warns: US’s EXTREMELY Dangerous Policys Push The World Is Increasingly CHAOTIC

Brian Bywater

MAJOR TOM

  “Ground Control to Major Tom”

  “If you want to live through this journey Philip you will stop singing that song. You haven’t let up since we blasted off. It may have been funny then and had some sort of relativity, however after five days it does reek of overkill.”

 

  “Oh chill out Major, lighten up. Everyone at Ground Control sees the funny side of a real life Major Tom actually being on a journey through space. You must realise at some stage they will make that call.”

 

  “That song, A Space Odyssey, if you can call it a song, was banned before the first Apollo flight in 1969 and it should have stayed that way. Do you have any understanding of what Bowie was saying?”

 

 “Jesus Tom, it is a song connected to a historical event, the first men on the Moon. It is a classic.”

 

  “You weren’t even born in 1969. You have no concept of how disturbed the song made everyone feel. particularly those  connected with the flight  People watching on TV World-wide also became emotionally invested.”

 

 “That’s ridiculous. Nothing went wrong, what was everyone worried about?”

 

 “Get real Philip. That is easy to say after the event. This was a first. Three men heading for the Moon had metamorphorised from something only considered science fiction into the first true TV reality show. Had something gone wrong there wasn’t a precedent for decisions to overcome any problem they encountered.. The lift off, weightlessness in space, not in a simulated situation in a man-made chamber, meteors damaging the spaceship, the possibility of alien life greeting them, poison gases on the surface, these were only some of the dangers. It really was one giant step for man.”

 

  “OK I get all that. What was Bowie saying that had people getting their knickers in a knot?”

 

  “The interpretation of some of the lyrics. Remember this was 1969, the World was changing rapidly. To put it in perspective it was at the time the Beatles were recording their first album. The Rolling Stones were playing to record crowds. This was the permissive 60’s which is why the ban on the song was lifted. Drug references, loneliness, depression all became accepted lyrics, which did not please everyone. Bowie later admitted he was ‘out of his tree’ when he wrote the song. Look can we get on with what we have to do to keep this spaceship operational and on course?”

 

  “Sure, I have the day five check list in front of me. There is one thing we need to evaluate. Look at the top right hand corner of the screen showing vision of the galaxy ahead. It is showing a new comet has appeared since yesterday.  I am only assuming it is a comet.”

 

  “Never assume. Why did you wait until now to mention it? Why a comet? I think it is moving too slowly for a comet. It is maintaining the distance between us so it must be traveling at the same speed we are. What is the time frame from when it first appeared on the screen to now?”

 

  “That would suggest this object is moving far too slowly to be a comet. You are correct. Based on distance from the Sun it should be moving at around 25,000 miles per hour. This is nowhere near that speed. As you said the distance between it and us is not changing, it is mimicking our speed, 17,000 mph. Calculating its position indicates it must have traveled at over 40000 miles per hour to get to that position on our screen in the elapsed time, yet it has slowed to 17000. That is a controlled act, it must be manned.”

 

  “How far away is it?”

 

  “Using our laser probe indicates 6.7 miles. Jesus, did you see that? When I activated the probe it sent a return probe. Whatever it is, it is definitely manned.”

 

  “Being that close we are obviously on the same orbit. Ground Control must be seeing this, why haven’t they made contact?”

 

  “Whatever it is only looks like a large piece of space junk, certainly nothing like a spaceship. Perhaps Ground Control leave it to us to make contact if we feel it is creating a problem.”

 

  “Jesus wept. An unidentified object is 6 miles away in the same orbit and is mimicking us speed wise and using a return probe to evaluate distance apart and you do not see a problem? Contact Ground Control, do it now Philip.”

 

  “What can they do? They are light years away, we are within 6 miles. I think we should try and make contact with the object, whatever it is.”

 

  “What language would you suggest?”

 

  “Well we know the Chinese and the Russians have launched space probes, some manned.”

 

  “And which of those languages are you proficient in Philip? Just assume they understand English for Christ’s sake and make the call.”

 

  “It has gone, there one minute, disappeared the next, off the screen. It would have accelerated to 50000mph in the blink of a second to do that.”

 

  “There is another possibility. A screen which hides anything behind it has been activated. We have fighter planes that use that tactic. Fire another laser probe.”

 

  “There isn’t anything there to bounce the laser off. Tom, on the screen, it is behind you.”

 

   “This is not the time for Punch and Judy jokes Philip.”

 

   “I am telling you it is right behind us and moving closer. It is increasing in size. Increase our speed, put some distance between us or it will crash into us.”

 

  “The ship is not responding to my commands. Call Ground Control.”

 

  “Houston, we have a problem.”

 

  “Idiot, you can’t even get that right. It’s Houston we’ve had a problem.”

 

  “Look behind us, the thing is about to swallow our spaceship, we are going inside the thing. Saying we have a problem is an appropriate understatement.”

 

  “Ground Control to Major Tom……. Major Tom, ……Major Tom.”

 

  “Wake up Tom. Tom, give me strength, Ground Control to Major Tom, wake up. You are having another nightmare. Who is Philip? I knew this would happen when you played that Bowie song tonight. From now on it is banned in this house. Play it and it will not be Houston who has a problem. Go back to sleep, and take Philip with you.”

Cabbage Rolls with Sour Cream Sauce

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Ingredients

  • 2 cups leftover meat or ground beef (seasoned with salt and pepper)
  • 1/4 cup diced onion
  • 1/2 cup diced celery
  • 1 cup cooked rice
  • 1 teaspoon horseradish
  • 1 tablespoon prepared mustard
  • 1 egg, well beaten
  • 6 large cabbage leaves
  • 1/4 cup tomato puree
  • 1/2 cup water
  • 1 cup sour cream

Instructions

  1. Heat oven to 350 degrees F.
  2. Brown meat and onion in a heavy skillet over low heat. Remove from heat.
  3. Mix in thoroughly celery, rice, horseradish, mustard and egg.
  4. Cook cabbage leaves for 3 minutes in boiling salted water.
  5. Place meat mixture on cabbage leaves. Roll and fasten with toothpicks. Place close together in greased baking dish.
  6. Pour tomato puree and water over cabbage rolls. Cover and bake for 30 minutes.
  7. Remove cabbage rolls.
  8. Pour sour cream into liquid remaining in baking dish. Serve over cabbage rolls.

Russian Marines Captured 15 Polish and French Soldiers In KURSK

Anatomy study

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Parents should have a choice

Recently, after the country announced the list of “Taiwan independence”, the national security department took thunderous action and announced that it had cracked thousands of Taiwan spy cases and successfully eliminated a “Taiwan independence element” intelligence station in the mainland. Among them, it focused on a “Taiwan independence leader” who was arrested, warning “Taiwan independence elements” on the island that this is the end.

arrested
arrested

“Taiwan independence element” Yang Zhiyuan was arrested


Recently, China’s Ministry of State Security announced an exciting news. In order to maintain national security, the Ministry of State Security has carried out special activities to crack down on illegal forces that split the country.

So far, the mainland has cracked thousands of “Taiwan spies stealing state secrets” cases and successfully eliminated a “Taiwan spy intelligence network” lurking in the motherland.

In the article released by the Ministry of State Security, the “Taiwan independence elements” headed by Lai Qingde were severely criticized. The Taiwan authorities insist on “Taiwan independence” rhetoric, and even “use force to seek independence”, collude with foreign forces, and disrupt peace in the Taiwan Strait.

This has not only caused the economic recession on the island and the decline in people’s living standards, but also caused the cross-strait relations to deteriorate and drop to a freezing point.

You should know that less than a week ago, the mainland had just listed the “Taiwan independence list” and encouraged the masses to actively report.

Therefore, the Ministry of State Security’s thundering action and quick action are warning the “Taiwan independence elements” on the island that any forces that attempt to split the country and block the reunification of the motherland will face severe punishment, and the Chinese government is not just talking.

office
office

China’s Ministry of National Security


The Taiwan authorities disagree.

They believe that the article does not explain the time and content of the more than 1,000 Taiwan espionage theft cases that have been cracked, and the authenticity is questionable. The person in charge of Taiwan’s cross-strait affairs said that the mainland is either “bragging” and exaggerating, or “abusing the law” and “arresting at will”.

The Taiwan authorities believe that the mainland has only one purpose for doing this, which is to intimidate Taiwan.

In addition, the Taiwan authorities also blamed the mainland for the “promotion of cross-strait exchanges” while arresting Taiwanese people, and believed that the mainland was the “culprit” of the cross-strait confrontation. In this regard, the mainland has long stated that the mainland has no intention of targeting ordinary Taiwanese people, and the Taiwan authorities themselves know who they are arresting.

It is worth noting that in the article of the Ministry of National Security, a “Taiwan independence leader” who has been arrested, Yang Zhiyuan, was mentioned.

Yang Zhiyuan has been engaged in “Taiwan independence” activities for a long time and attempted to split the country’s sovereignty.

The mainland arrested and prosecuted him for “separatism”. This is also the first “Taiwan independence element” arrested by China for “separatism”.

According to the latest legal documents of mainland China, he can be sentenced to death at worst case.

Lai
Lai

Lai Qingde


For the “Taiwan independence” list that the mainland has listed, many “Taiwan independence elements” clamored that the mainland had no way to implement mainland laws on them, let alone the right to arrest them.

However, Yang Zhiyuan is a good example.

All his “Taiwan independence” activities were carried out in Taiwan, but the mainland was still able to bring him to justice.

In other words, in the future, anyone who expresses “Taiwan independence” in Taiwan may be convicted. Analysts said that the mainland may extradite “Taiwan independence elements” through a third country in the future.

Even if these “Taiwan independence elements” do not come to the mainland, as long as they go to countries that have reached an agreement with China, they will face the possibility of arrest.

List
List

“Taiwan independence list” released by the Taiwan Affairs Office of the State Council


The arrest of Yang Zhiyuan means the beginning of the mainland’s exercise of legal jurisdiction over Taiwan. It is foreseeable that “Yang Zhiyuan’s case is the first case, but it is by no means the last case.” “Taiwan independence elements” should not think that promoting “Taiwan independence” speech is not a big deal. As the laws in this regard in mainland China are gradually improved, “Taiwan independence forces” will eventually face legal sanctions. We also advise “Taiwan independence elements” to be cautious in their words and deeds and return to the right path.


This news is brought to you by tencent 张学坤观世界: 08-17 15:40

Contempt of court

What a monstrous system of criminal justice the US has.

This 47-year-old man, Carey Dale Grayson, will be executed November 21st for killing a woman during a home invasion… in 1994, 30 years ago, when he was 17. He did it with 3 other boys too.

If they were going to execute him they should’ve done it within a year or two of his conviction.

What’s the point of killing him 30 years later? They’re now killing a completely different man from the boy who committed the murder.

After spending such a long time in prison he should honestly just be released.

The US has one of the most draconian criminal justice and prison systems in the world. Every elected judge and district attorney wants recognition for being the one to lock up as many people as possible for the longest time. Extremely long prison sentences are the norm. There are so many ageing prisoners who face either execution or death in prison for something they did as teenagers.

That’s not to mention prison conditions. The Constitution makes prisoners an exception to the ban on human slavery. So there’s mandatory work, but none that pays more than a few pennies an hour.

There’s also no smoking or vaping. There are no conjugal visits. If your wife visits you, you get one hug and brief kiss at the start and end of every visit — apart from that you’re not even allowed to hold hands. And if you’re unlucky enough to go to federal prison, there’s no such thing as parole there. You always serve the entirety of your sentence.

I can’t imagine a crueler system. Anywhere else in the West, there’s no capital punishment, no heavy sentences for minors, prison sentences are much shorter, prison laborers earn minimal wages but not pennies a day, and conjugal visits are permitted. Yet crime and incarceration rates are much lower.

I have no problem with the death penalty as long as it’s applied in a timely manner. I have a problem with taking away someone’s whole life on earth for something they did as a kid or young adult. Either execute them in a timely manner, or give them a reasonable sentence and a road to redemption if you won’t.

The BEST dad ever

Interesting 1950’s themed pictures

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Men Are Turning Their Back On The West As It Collapses

Chili Pasta Casserole

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Ingredients

  • 1 pound lean ground beef
  • 1 medium onion, chopped
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt
  • 1/8 teaspoon black pepper
  • 1 (15 ounce) can vegetarian chili with beans
  • 1 (14 1/2 ounce) can Italian style stewed tomatoes, undrained
  • 1 1/2 cups shredded sharp Cheddar cheese, divided
  • 1/2 cup reduced fat sour cream
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons chili powder
  • 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
  • 8 ounces cooked pasta

Instructions

  1. Cook ground beef and onion in large skillet.
  2. Sprinkle with salt and pepper.
  3. Brown beef until no longer pink. Drain fat.
  4. Stir in chili, tomatoes with juice, 1 cup Cheddar cheese, sour cream, chili powder and garlic powder.
  5. Add chili mixture to pasta and stir until pasta is coated.
  6. Sprinkle with remaining 1/2 cup cheese.
  7. Cover and cook for 30 minutes until hot and bubbly.

Contact

Submitted into Contest #247 in response to: Set your story on a spaceship exploring the far reaches of space when something goes wrong. view prompt

Martin Hull

The spaceship came screaming down with the thunderclap roar of displaced atmosphere yet landed whisper soft on the grass at the end of town.The craft glittered sleekly in the mid-morning sunlight as it lay on it’s side – a broad shaft topped by a bulbous nose from which a door opened.The blond haired man that stepped out was tall, bronzed and athletic. He wore the shining, golden uniform of Earth’s Bureau of Exploration, his proudly displayed badges of rank declared him to be a Senior Contact Manager (ConMan) Alien Division.He flicked aside the long ponytail that was a fashion among his colleagues and walked down the ramp that had silently extended itself from his scout craft breathing the fresh, untainted (thoroughly examined and tested) air.There was a short, thickset native strolling towards the spaceman, looking mildly curious. Switching on his Universal Translator the ConMan greeted the native.“Greetings from Earth”. The time delay between speaking and computerized translation was almost unnoticeable.“Hello”, replied the native. “I’m from Lower Great Wopping. Did you know that you aren’t allowed to park there?”“Eh? What?” said the Earthman. “Sorry, no I didn’t.”“Oh, that’s alright,” relied the native cheerfully. “Just remember next time otherwise the grass tends to get worn out. Okay?”“Sure, I … Wait a minute,”the Conman interrupted himself. “I’m from another planet.”“Oh goodness,” exclaimed the native. “No wonder I didn’t recognise you. That also explains why you parked on the grass. Well, enjoy your stay here,” and he turned to leave.“Hold on. Wait,” called out the man from Earth. “I am from another planet and I want to see your leader.”“Well …” the other man thought for a moment then puffed his chest out a bit. “I suppose that’s me. I am the Mayor of Lower Great Wopping.”“No,” said the ConMan with a cendeceding smile. “I meant your overall leader. National Government.”

“Nashnul Guvmint?” said the mayor quizzically. “Is that anything like a public convenience?”

“No it isn’t,” snapped the Earthman. “Do you have a king then? Or a dictator?”

“I’m sorry, no I haven’t,” apologised the Mayor. “Perhaps we can get one at the general store?”

“No, no, no,” raged the thoroughly confused ConMan. “Please let us start again. Do you have a ruler of any kind?”

“Yes, of course,” the Mayor’s face brightened rapidly. “I’ve only got a six inch one with me but I can get a longer one from home.”

“What? No, not that sort of ruler!” The ConMan tried very hard and managed to bring himself under control. Barely.

“A slide rule,” suggested the Mayor diffidently.

“No dammit!” screamed the man from Earth.

For several minutes he simply stared at the Mayor, apparently trying to wish him out of existence. When the native failed to disappear in a puff of smoke the ConMan decided to try another route.

“Who makes your laws?” he asked with reasonable calm.

“Laws?” the Mayor laughed. “We tried making some laws a few years back but nobody liked ‘em much so we junked ‘em.”

“Junked ‘em?” the man from BuEx was shocked into spluttering for a few moments. “You can’t simply junk all laws just because nobody liked them.”

“Why not?”

“Well … er …” The ConMan was unsure but pressed on. “Well … er … who made them?”

“Let’s see now,” the Mayor counted names off on his fingers. “There me and Jane, Fred and Mary, the two Jones girls – very good at it they were – and just about anyone who was interested chipped in some ideas.” The Mayor looked sheepish, “I suppose you think we were stupid, making up laws. It just seemed like a good idea at the time.”

“Yes. I mean no. I mean I don’t know.” The ConMan was floundering and took a few moments to collect his thoughts. There seemed to be some missing.

“Let’s start again. Again.” He said eventually. “Who makes the rul … er regulations for this country?”

“What’s Country?” asked the Mayor warily.

The ConMan’s reply started off reasonably, if somewhat incoherent but quickly became an ear shattering screem.

“Well it’s … I mean it’s got … that is … Goddamit you stupid sonofabitch you must know what a country is!”

“Nope,” said the Mayor lightly.

“Oh dear God,” said the exasperated Earthman. “Look, you are a Mayor, right?”

The Mayor nodded.

“So you have a council?”

Again a nod.

“What does the council govern?” asked the ConMan in a whisper, as if he were afraid of the answer.

“The borough,” came the simple answer.

“And what,” the ConMan was becoming exited again, “Do you call a collection of boroughs.”

“A collection of boroughs,” replied the Mayor without even blinking but he did take a step backwards. Just in case.

“I … you …but … aarrgghh” screamed the Earthman who seemed to have developed a twitch just under his left eye and stuttered slightly as he spat out his next question.

“What do you get if you put all the boroughs together?”

“The World,” replied the Mayor, stepping back another pace as the ConMan seemed about to throw a fit.

He was silent for several minutes, breathing deeply as his face went through several colour changes while blood vessels at his neck and temples began throbbing visibly.

“Let’s go back to the beginning,” the ConMan almost pleaded. “How many councils are there?”

“Nobody knows for sure,” the Mayor thought for a while, “But I think it’s around two hundred and fifty thousand now.”

The Contact Manager was obviously shaken by the answer but ploughed grimly on.

“And who,” he asked, “Is above them?”

The Mayor thought long and hard, brows furrowed, face towards the sky. Eventually he said – “All right, I give up. Who is above them?”

The Universal Translator was unable to translate the reply other than to give out an ear splitting shriek.

When the ConMan was able to speak intelligibly again there was a glint of madness shining in his eyes.

“Listen you fool,” he started ranting at the native. “I am a Senior ConMan, an expert at understanding and communicating with aliens …”

“I’m no alien,” the Mayor interrupted indignantly. “I was born and raised right here.”

“No, I’m the alien,” said the Earthman. “I mean … that’s not what I mean … no it’s …”

Suddenly he turned and marched quickly back to his ship, muttering to himself.

“I’ll quit, that’s it, I’ll resign. It was a stupid job anyway. Maybe I never even found the bloody planet, they’ll never know.”

As the spaceship took off, disappearing rapidly into the clear blue sky another native, this one riding a bike, drew alongside the Mayor and stopped.

“Hello Fred,” the Mayor greeted the newcomer.

“Hello Mayor,” replied Fred. “Who was that?”

“A bloke from Earth.”

“What did he want?”

“Buggered if I know,” said the Mayor.

America Compared: Why Other Countries Treat Their People So Much Better | Reaction

Not likely.

There aren’t many manufacturers that can produce to scale and quality of Foxconn.

Electronics industry uses contract manufacturers. There are only two that have scale. The first one is FLEX (formerly Flextronics) who invented the idea of contract manufacturing as we know it. Foxconn was originally an electronic parts manufacturer and saw how Flex did things and used a similar model. Because they also manufactured the parts they could earn more profit.

Both companies monopolize the assembly business. Both operate at scale.

Apple chose Foxconn and stayed with Foxconn. Their relationship is very close. When Apple needed AMOLED screens for a new phone model, Foxconn built a new factory for them. Apple did not have to invest a penny.

If you wanted to move production back to the US you would still have to import the parts from China. Electronic parts are not produced at scale in the US. You would also have a hard time finding people who want a job on the production line.

Moving a factory is not like moving house. There are many more moving parts.

They can survive

They just cannot grow at a fifth of the pace at which they grew in China

India is not a good place to manufacture things

The effortless ease of China is entirely missing in India and Vietnam both.

Vietnam is too cramped even if the workforce is productive

India is too lazy and productivity is abysmal

Plus both Nations simply do not have a Skilled Workforce needed for expansion even moderately


It was stupid of Foxconn to threaten to relocate to India and Vietnam

Far easier to have a Chinese OEM subcontracting with them, go to India and do their work for a lower commission

Now they are unlikely to gain shares in OEM in the Chinese Market ever again.

India needs many structural changes to be able to offer Foxconn a fiftieth of what China can offer

The Economic advantages are non existent

And like I always say when any decision-making is made for POLITICAL REASONS – they simply don’t work like you expect them t


Foxconn can thus survive in India

Barely survive

Until one day they just pack up saying THEY CAN’T TAKE IT ANYMORE

Caitlin Johnstone: Biden Ramps Up Nuclear Brinkmanship On His Way Out The Door

18 November 2024, by Eric Zuesse. (All of my recent articles can be seen here.)

(NOTE: I was going to do an article on this today, especially because this article follows up — though without mentioning — my October 10th “Biden’s plan calls for WW3 to start after Election Day.”, which opened “U.S. President Joe Biden refuses to answer until after November 5th the question of whether the U.S. will officially be at war against Russia,” which was a follow-on to my September 13th “Biden might decide today whether to initiate WW3 against Russia.” 

So, Caitlin’s fine article today is a follow-on to those events. 

She points out that the missiles which Biden is now allowing Ukraine to use to bomb Russia don’t range as far as the 300 miles range that would be able to bomb The Kremlin and endanger Russia’s central command. 

Therefore, Biden isn’t necessaily sparking WW3 by this policy-change. But what he now is allowing would endanger Russia’s giant nuclear power plant in Kursk, and so it could end up causing Russia to unleash nuclear war against the United States and Ukraine.)

https://www.caitlinjohnst.one/p/biden-ramps-up-nuclear-brinkmanship

18 November 2024, by Caitlin Johnstone

The New York Times reports that the Biden administration has authorized Ukraine to use US-supplied long-range missiles to strike Russian and North Korean military targets inside Russia — yet another dangerous escalation of nuclear brinkmanship in this horrific proxy war.

The Times correctly notes that authorizing Ukraine to use ATACMS, which have a range of about 190 miles, has long been a contentious issue in the Biden administration for fear of provoking military retaliations against the US from Russia. This reckless escalation has been authorized despite an acknowledgement from the anonymous US officials who spoke to The New York Times that they “do not expect the shift to fundamentally alter the course of the war.”

As Antiwar’s Dave DeCamp notes, Vladimir Putin said back in September that if NATO allows Ukraine to use western-supplied weapons for long-range strikes inside Russian territory, it would mean NATO countries “are at war with Russia.” This is about as unambiguous a threat as you’ll ever see.

https://twitter.com/Antiwarcom/status/1858254030361022826

NYT reports that Biden’s policy shift “comes two months before President-elect Donald J. Trump takes office, having vowed to limit further support for Ukraine.” And it is here worth noting that last week it was reported by The Telegraph that British PM Keir Starmer and French President Emmanuel Macron had been scheming to thwart any attempt by Trump to scale back US support for Ukraine by pushing Biden to authorize long-range missile strikes in Russian territory.

But it is also true that the day before the US election Mike Waltz, Trump’s next national security advisor, had himself endorsed the idea of authorizing long-range missile strikes into Russia with the goal of pressuring Moscow to end the war. His plan for disentangling the US from the conflict entails ramping up sanctions on Russia and “taking the handcuffs off the long-range weapons we provide Ukraine” in order to pressure Putin into eagerly accepting a peace deal.

So while this is being framed as an administration that’s more hawkish on Russia executing a maneuver that’s designed to hamstring the peacemongering of an incoming administration that’s less favorable to assisting Ukraine, in reality it may just be goal-assisting the next administration in a policy change it had planned on implementing anyway.

https://twitter.com/mtracey/status/1856129126492430685

Either way, it’s insane. Putin ordered changes to Russia’s nuclear doctrine in September in order to ward off these sorts of escalations by lowering the threshold at which nuclear weapons could be used to defend the Russian Federation, and they’re just barreling right past that bright red line like they barreled over the red lines which led to the invasion of Ukraine. And the fact that they’re adding yet another nuclear-armed state into the mix with North Korea is just more gravy for the nuclear brinkmanship pot roast.

At one point in 2022, US intelligence agencies reportedly assessed that the odds of Russia using a nuclear weapon in Ukraine was as high as fifty percent, but the Biden administration kept pushing forward with this proxy war anyway. These freaks are taking insane risks to advance agendas that stand to yield the slimmest of benefits even by their own assessments.

We are living in dark and dangerous times.

PS: If you like this article, please email it to all your friends or otherwise let others know about it. None of the U.S.-and-allied ‘news’-media will likely publish it (nor link to it, since doing that might also hurt them with Google or etc.). I am not asking for money, but I am asking my readers to spread my articles far and wide, because I specialize in documenting what the Deep State is constantly hiding. This is, in fact, today’s samizdat.

GHOST DESCRIBES THE AFTERLIFE, What He Says Will Shock You…

Jumped and shamed all because of the secretive nature of female beauty

To me, the secret about elite universities — or at least the fact that they prefer not to publicize overtly — is that the admissions game is far from fair, which most people would define as based on merit. The truth is that when it comes to admissions, the Ivies, Stanford, and other top schools have their own agendas. Which means that the actual number of spaces available for students without a “hook” is much smaller than one might think.

One agenda is to favor legacies. Harvard has been known to have the children of alums take up one-third of the class. Other schools do the same, at somewhat lower rates. Among my college essay students, I see admissions for legacies as much more likely than for others. If nothing else, the tie often goes to the legacy.

Athletes also get a big edge. This is not limited to Stanford, home of many Olympic medalists. Even at the Ivies, where the level of play in most sports is well below Olympic caliber, a big chunk of admitted students are recruited athletes, who sometimes get a bit of a break on grades and test scores. About half of students at Williams are athletes.

Money matters. Yes, you can buy your way into a top college. It is now known that the parents of Jared Kushner knew that he was not Harvard material and spent millions greasing the wheels. In my own experience, I have seen a student with really weak academics get into a school where the family’s name was on a building.

Race also matters. Students who are historically underrepresented minorities get an edge, even if the family is rich. It is documented that Asian students need higher grades and scores to get into many top schools. Harvard is being sued for this practice.

Universities are more willing to publicize their efforts to broaden opportunity by giving preference to student who will be the first in their family to go to college. “60 Minutes” recently did a segment about Princeton’s efforts to increase socioeconomic diversity. I applaud plans like this. But I also know that this means a lot of places will be earmarked for certain types of students.

Imagine a game of musical chairs with ten chairs. The game begins with legacies seated in two chairs. Recruited athletes are in two other chairs. Two more may already be filled by students who are underrepresented minorities or first to attend college. One more will be an international student. How many spots are left if you do not fit into one of those categories? Three? And half of those go to men and half to women?

The above scenario is inexact. But the point is clear. For a student without a hook, the window to squeeze through to get into an elite university is much smaller than the universities would have you believe.

MM’s AI work from today part 1

I’ve been experimenting with Baroque figurative imagery.

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Comfortably Numb – Pink Floyd – The Wall – 4K Remastered

While the United States has repeatedly exaggerated the “Chinese military threat” and wants to continue to increase its budget and join forces with its allies to manufacture and transfer weapons and expand military production, China’s unexpected decision suddenly made the US and European militaries feel real pressure.



According to the Global Times, the Ministry of Commerce and the General Administration of Customs of China recently issued an announcement, announcing that from September 15, export controls will be imposed on antimony and superhard materials related items. A spokesperson for the Ministry of Commerce said that China’s policy is not aimed at any specific country or region, but is based on international practices to better safeguard national security and fulfill international obligations such as non-proliferation. The important role of antimony in military production and China’s dominant position in antimony mining and supply have determined that this move will have an impact on many countries, and the United States will be the first to bear the brunt.


(Antimony Ore)

Foreign media analysis said that antimony, as a strategic metal, is not only used in the production of batteries and photovoltaic equipment, but also an important raw material for many military equipment, such as ammunition, infrared-guided missiles, nuclear weapons, and night vision goggles. China is the world’s largest antimony producer, mining about 40,000 tons last year, accounting for nearly half of the global total. The United States is the world’s largest buyer of antimony ore. Relevant statistics show that 63% of the antimony ore and its oxides imported by the United States from 2019 to 2022 came from China. From this perspective, China’s export controls on antimony are actually a “reverse stranglehold” on the United States, which is likely to cause difficulties for the United States’ weapons manufacturing.

However, it is not the first time that China has strangled the United States in the export of key minerals. Last year, China announced export controls on two rare metals, germanium and gallium, which prompted the United States to discuss countermeasures with allies such as the European Union, Japan, and South Korea as soon as possible.


(The raw materials of the US AIM-9X infrared-guided air-to-air missile include antimony)

In addition, in recent years, the United States has been trying to get rid of its dependence on China in the supply of key minerals, including cooperating with Australia, Mongolia and other countries to develop mineral resources, but both mining and processing technology and related patents are firmly in the hands of China. As a result, the US has to admit that it is still unable and unwilling to exclude China from the US “key mineral supply chain”.

However, not to mention that China’s export restrictions are not aimed at any specific country, even if the policies specifically targeted at the United States are just a way to treat the person in his own way, because it is the United States that is accustomed to building “campus walls”.

From Trump to Biden, the United States can be said to have tried every means to suppress China in the high-tech field, including but not limited to putting Chinese companies on the “blacklist”. Huawei, DJI and other companies have not escaped, and allies have implemented various export controls on China. At the time when China’s export controls on antimony were in place, the Biden administration was still planning to implement new restrictions on technology exports to China.



However, unlike the United States, the suppression by the United States cannot fundamentally prevent our rise. Instead, it has prompted China’s high-tech enterprises to make great progress and development through self-reliance and independent innovation. Take the most critical semiconductor industry as an example. At present, domestic chips have made breakthrough progress and are gradually replacing the market of foreign chips.

As emphasized by the Ministry of Commerce, China opposes any country or region using controlled items from China to engage in activities that undermine China’s national sovereignty, security and development interests. Since the United States uses key minerals provided by China to build weapons against China, there is no need for China to be polite. It is more appropriate to let the United States taste the taste of being “choked”.


This news is brought to you by tencent

Be the Rufus

Me. My position was eliminated, and while I gathered my things in the presence of the new office manager, I told her that she’d need to contract a snow removal company to clean and salt the walks, early morning, every time it snowed. Because I was the one who did that.

She looked shocked and dismayed and she said that she didn’t realize that.

A large portion of the client base was children and elderly people and it was not just a matter of courtesy, but an insurance liability. I also cleaned the public sidewalks around the building because even though the city would do it, it might take days before it was done.

Unfortunately for her, contracting a company is the sort of thing that has to be negotiated and booked well in advance, and winter was upon us. The cost for service would be greater than my salary was.

The other employees only worked when they had clients booked, and they were generally small women with medical degrees, and they could not be hot, sweaty and potentially smelly from physical exertion anyway.

And the three dentists sure weren’t going to do it.

*Back to the Future* is sooo FREAKIN’ GOOD!!!

From Prodigy to Predator: The Twisted Path to Narcissism

Narcissistic Personality Disorder (NPD) often evokes images of self-absorbed egomaniacs who crave admiration and wield manipulation like a weapon. But beneath the polished veneer of grandiose self-image lies a hidden truth: narcissism is a learned response to deep-seated wounds inflicted in childhood. It’s a desperate dance for love and attention, born from a warped perception of neglect and unworthiness.

From Crib to Con: The Twisted Path of Narcissism

The seeds of narcissism are often sown in the fertile ground of early childhood experiences. Imagine a young child, yearning for the warmth of parental love, only to encounter a void of emotional connection. Perhaps their needs were consistently unmet, their cries left unanswered, or their achievements ignored. This perceived neglect breeds a gnawing sense of unworthiness and insecurity.

To cope with this emotional turmoil, the child instinctively adopts survival tactics. They learn that loud tantrums, exaggerated displays of distress, and even manipulative ploys garner attention, albeit negative. This “infantile fakery,” as you aptly call it, becomes a twisted currency, securing the fleeting validation that soothes their raw vulnerability.

Over time, these behaviors morph into a sophisticated arsenal of manipulation. The narcissist learns to charm their way through life, cutting corners, deflecting blame, and leveraging the sympathy of unsuspecting others. It’s a desperate attempt to fill the void within, a never-ending quest for external validation to compensate for the internal chasm of perceived inadequacy.

The Vicious Cycle: Escalation and Escape

This relentless pursuit of self-gratification comes at a hefty cost. Relationships become transactional, mere stepping stones on the path to narcissistic aggrandizement. As their true nature is revealed, the inevitable happens: disillusionment sets in. People tire of the grandiosity, the constant blame game, and the emotional manipulation.

Faced with this potential rejection, the narcissist resorts to their default coping mechanism: escape. They may abruptly discard relationships, change jobs, or move cities, leaving behind a trail of emotional casualties. But amidst this flurry of movement, there’s no introspection, no genuine growth. The core issue of self-worth remains unaddressed, festering like an untreated wound.

The Impossibility of Perfection: Why Narcissists Can’t Learn

At the heart of narcissism lies an unshakeable belief in one’s own perfection. Any suggestion of imperfection, any hint of a mistake, shatters their carefully constructed facade. This crippling fear of vulnerability makes genuine learning virtually impossible. Why invest in self-improvement when you believe you’re already beyond reproach?

Instead, the narcissist resorts to intellectual shortcuts, relying on charm and bluster to mask their lack of knowledge. They avoid honest self-reflection, deflecting blame and responsibility like Teflon repels water. It’s a vicious cycle, perpetuating their inflated sense of self while simultaneously hindering their ability to grow and evolve.

The Toll of Denial: Broken Promises and Shattered Lives

The ramifications of this arrested development are far-reaching. The narcissist’s inability to learn and adapt translates into a string of failures: broken relationships, lost jobs, and a trail of emotional wreckage. Their charisma may initially draw people in, but their manipulative tactics and emotional detachment eventually wear thin.

As the masks slip and the truth emerges, those closest to the narcissist bear the brunt of the pain. Family members become collateral damage, spouses are emotionally abused, and friends are left bewildered and hurt. The narcissist, forever chasing the mirage of self-worth, leaves behind a desolate landscape of broken promises and shattered trust.

Breaking the Cycle: Understanding and Healing

Unmasking the root of narcissism isn’t about demonizing individuals or condoning their behavior. It’s about recognizing the human story behind the inflated ego, the pain that fuels the need for constant validation. By understanding the underlying causes, we can move beyond judgment and towards compassion.

For those caught in the orbit of a narcissist, knowledge is power. Recognizing the manipulative patterns, setting healthy boundaries, and prioritizing self-care are crucial steps towards emotional well-being. Therapy can also offer valuable tools for navigating the complexities of these relationships and ultimately reclaiming power over one’s own life.

A Call for Empathy, Not Excuses

While NPD stems from early childhood experiences, it’s crucial to remember that understanding isn’t synonymous with excusing harmful behavior. The actions of narcissists can inflict deep wounds, and those affected deserve validation and support. However, recognizing the source of their pain can help us move beyond anger and blame, towards a place of empathy and self-protection.

Narcissism may be a complex and deeply ingrained disorder, but it’s not an insurmountable one. By shedding light on its origins and acknowledging the emotional pain at its core, we can foster a space for healing and understanding. For the most

Tacos de Carnitas

Crispy bits of very flavorful pork is the base for these delicious street tacos.

carnitas tacos
carnitas tacos

Ingredients

  • 1 (3 to 4 pound) pork butt
  • 6 cups water
  • 7 strips orange zest
  • 5 garlic cloves, minced
  • 1 large white onion, diced
  • 1 cinnamon stick (preferably Mexican canela)
  • 1 1/4 teaspoons crushed red pepper
  • 2 bay leaves
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons crushed oregano leaves
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt
  • 1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
  • 24 small corn tortillas, warmed
  • Chopped fresh cilantro
  • Finely chopped white onion
  • Diced fresh tomato

Instructions

  1. Trim any thick fat from the pork butt. Cut the meat into 1 inch cubes, discarding any that are pure fat, leaving some of the fat for flavor and browning later.
  2. Put the pork cubes in a large pot and cover with water. Bring to a boil and then reduce to a simmer. Skim off any foam that forms on the surface during the first 15 minutes. After foam is skimmed off, add the chopped onion, garlic, orange zest, crushed red pepper, cinnamon, bay leaves, oregano, cloves and salt. Simmer uncovered for another 1 1/4 hours until pork is very tender, adding more water if necessary to keep it submerged.
  3. Season with more salt.
  4. Continue simmering at a gentle boil until the water has evaporated, about 30 more minutes. Remove bay leaves and cinnamon. Cook a little longer to fry the meat, stirring often and adding a little water it it seems to be sticking and/or burning.
  5. Spoon some carnitas onto each tortilla. Top tacos with chopped onion, cilantro and diced fresh tomato.
  6. Serve with refried beans and Mexican rice for a genuine taqueria experience.

Some of MM AI generations

Early stuff this.

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6 Signs You’re with the “Right” Partner

Discover the true meaning of a perfect match based on mutual love. In challenging times when many Americans feel more single and lonely than ever, 60% of U.S. adults still believe in the concept of a soulmate.

“Meant to be” can be a comforting thought after a series of bad first dates or a marriage that ended in divorce. Even 52% of Americans who have been married before still believe in “the one.”

This belief brings a strong sense of hope for those already in relationships, especially during tough times.

However, it also comes with potential downsides.

Believing you’re with the “right” and “only” person can lead partners to stay in abusive and toxic relationships (Franiuk et al., 2012).

It can also cause people to leave relationships too soon, thinking the “right” person is still out there, just a swipe away on their dating app.

But relying solely on either the traditional soulmate theory or the work-it-out approach is a false choice.

What if your soulmate was someone highly compatible with you, and what was “meant to be” was finding that level of compatibility?

Why not someone who also makes a consistent effort?

“Meant to be” refers to a healthy, lasting relationship with someone you are highly compatible with, sharing and enjoying life together.

Here are six signs that you’re in a highly compatible, secure, and strong long-term relationship:

1. You experience a strong and consistent emotional connection.

2. You have fun together and enjoy similar activities or adventures.

3. You are physically attracted to each other.

4. You find joy in quiet moments together.

5. You accept your partner as they are and feel accepted by them.

6. You and your partner feel chosen by each other.

This is the ideal scenario of high compatibility in the way you love. Soulmate relationships are less about a checklist of matching traits or qualifications and more about the way you feel when you wake up next to each other in the morning.

You might have met a soulmate if you also:

  • Feel appreciated, respected, and valued.
  • Feel comfortable being vulnerable.
  • Experience support for your dreams.
  • See significant alignment of interests, personality, and lifestyle.
  • See consistent growth in communication, conflict resolution, and meaning-making.

Meeting your soulmate may also mean a deep bond with spiritual significance if spiritual and religious beliefs were part of your family culture. Sharing core beliefs about spirituality and your relationship is a good indicator of soulmate potential.

If you’ve been together for at least a year and have been discussing marriage, sit down with your partner this weekend and consider the following questions:

 

  • How would you describe your emotional connection?
  • What exciting activities have you enjoyed together this year?
  • How would you describe the quality of your sexual experience in the relationship?
  • What is your experience when sharing space?
  • Why do you choose each other out of the 8.1 billion people in the world?
  • Do you feel like your best selves with each other?

If you’ve found your person, cherish and celebrate them. Ensure your partner understands their value to you.Commit to actions that reflect your love.

I’M EMOTIONAL!! First Time Reaction to Pink Floyd – “Comfortably Numb”

Plutocracy of private capital creates a crisis of US political legitimacy

Source: Global Times

The US is confronting a political system facing a crisis of legitimacy. A major component of the crisis is structural and inherent to US governance. Politicians in the US do not succeed in politics because of their service to the people. They are first selected by a tiny fraction of society wielding immense wealth and power before they are presented to voters.

Nowhere is the gap between the policies that US politicians pursue and the well-being of the people bigger than foreign policy. A cursory look at the economic approach to China under the administrations of former president Donald Trump and current President Joe Biden demonstrates this clearly. Under the Trump administration, the US imposed tariffs on Chinese exports and sanctions on China’s tech sector. Under the Biden administration, the US increased these tariffs to include the Chinese electric vehicle sector, expanded “black list” of Chinese tech corporations and targeted the semiconductor industry as a flashpoint in arresting China’s high-tech development. The two US administrations’ continuity on US foreign policy toward China extends into their military posture as both administrations saw greatly intensified US militarization in the Asia Pacific presence along China’s border and dangerous escalations over Taiwan in violation of the one-China principle.

Nothing about US foreign policy, whether it targets China or another nation, benefits the American people. Trillions of US dollars have gone unaccounted for, while many Americans struggle with debt, increasing rates of poverty, lowering life expectancy, inflation and stagnant wages. This has led to a crisis of political legitimacy where support for Congress and the president are at an all-time low while support for third-party alternatives to the two-party system is at a high point. The question is, then, why do US politicians fail to serve the interests of their constituents? What makes them choose to enrich military contractors and monopoly financial institutions while neglecting the ordinary worker?

The US is not a democracy. It’s a plutocracy of private capital. One percent of the US population owns more than one-third of US wealth. But more importantly, this one percent comprises the property owners of the biggest monopolies and financial institutions in the US and have designed a political system where their patronage directly corresponds to US policy. While politicians may promise ordinary Americans that their policies will benefit them. However, once elected these same politicians pursue an agenda which enriches the wealthiest corporations at the expense of the well-being of the people. In 2014, two US scholars conducted a study on the impact that various interest groups hold on government policy. They found that big business and interest groups made a huge impact on US policy and average citizens made little to no impact at all. Their findings find no shortage of validation. While the vast majority of people face economic and social strife, US politicians are busy sending more military aid to Ukraine and Israel and holding fundraisers with the richest in the corporate and finance sectors. This has given way to political malaise in some respects, but it has also encouraged more people to seek alternative political avenues to the two-party system.

As the gap between US policy and the interests of humanity reaches an all-time high, US politicians will continue to compete among themselves over how to best manage a growing crisis of legitimacy. An ever-increasing number of Americans will grow disdainful of this process. This means that an even more polarized political environment is coming to the United States as people navigate gross power distortions between the average American and the elites. Meanwhile, they continue to look for ways to fulfill their desire for a more people-driven and people-centered political agenda.

Boeing

How many Chinese still remember how our generation was deceived by this book?

When I was a kid, I believed it, and when I grew up, fuck, what stupid book lied to me all these years

main qimg 4e9550d2c498f43cf5e80624d608c1aa
main qimg 4e9550d2c498f43cf5e80624d608c1aa

1.Coins and national emblem

A Chinese student dropped a dime on the road and didn’t pick it up. A foreigner picked it up for him and solemnly told him that this coin has your country’s micro on it, please respect it

2.Make sure you wash it seven times

In Japan, dishes must be brushed seven times. A Chinese student who worked in a work-study program was fired by his boss because he only brushed five times. As a result, all restaurants did not want him, and finally the landlord asked him to check out because of his dishonesty

3.Fly honey

In order to change the problem of flies chasing odor, for more than two hundred years, Australians have developed good habits of hygiene generation after generation, thoroughly cleaning the national public place, and maintaining it for a long time, and finally flies collecting honey for living

4.The meaning of guns

The Chinese played with a real gun for the first time at a white friend’s house, and the gun went off and injured the friend’s son. However, the white friend did not investigate the fault of the Chinese, and even gave him the gun. The white man said: Because he grew up in a country without guns, he did not know the value of guns.

5.Book honey

In order to make children fall in love with reading, Jews will put honey on the book and let the child taste the sweetness of the book. This method is so effective that many Jewish children find books sweet and fragrant from an early age.

6.Blackout supermarket

A supermarket in the United States suddenly lost power, in order to prevent stampede, the radio announced that you can take away the goods in your hand for free, and people have orderly exit after hearing the radio. After the call, I was surprised to find that the counter was full of banknotes, which were consciously paid by customers

7.Power cut to save lives

In the United States, a sparrow was entangled in a high-voltage power line, and passers-by immediately called the alarm phone, and the police informed the White House that the president decided to send a special plane to break the national main power line, so that the national temporary power outage, saving the little Massachusetts. A great nation can stop any humble life

8.Tools wrapped in oiled paper

The German colonists built Qingdao sewers, so that Qingdao was not flooded for a hundred years, and a hundred years later, I received an email from a German company, saying that the sewers contained spare parts wrapped in oil paper and could be replaced directly

9.Superfather

A father was peeling an apple from his daughter’s winnowing boat when he accidentally plunged a knife into his heart. In order not to cause his daughter to panic, he endured severe pain and pulled out the fruit knife, insisting on sending the child off the ship for 3 days before he died.

10. 4:30 in the morning

4:30 in the morning, when the Chinese students are still sleeping, the world’s best group of people, Harvard students are immersed in reading, 4:30 in the morning Harvard library lights up, filled with serious learning students

11.Reading on the subway

British people love reading, they do not look at mobile phones when taking the subway, but read books and newspapers, “the spiritual world is very rich.”

Kung Fu Hustle Movie REACTION!!

What Lai Qingde was most worried about still happened. The Americans did the math and were surprised to find that it was more “cost-effective” for the United States to “give up” Taiwan.

Recently, a US military scholar published an article in the “Foreign Affairs” magazine, saying that the US military should not conflict with the Chinese mainland in order to “defend Taiwan”, and even further proposed the view of “giving up” Taiwan and letting it fend for itself.

This is different from the view that most American politicians have always advocated to “support the Taiwan authorities” to “contain” the mainland, so it has caused widespread discussion.


[The US military has made the situation in the Taiwan Strait more tense]


The scholar argued his point of view from three aspects:

First, the scholar reviewed the PLA’s strength improvement in the past 12 years in the article and came to a conclusion that China is now strong enough.

Among them, four points were mainly mentioned, namely that the PLA Air Force is producing fifth-generation aircraft and upgraded bombers, and most indicators show that China has the largest navy in the world.

In addition, China’s long-range missiles and satellite technology also pose enough “threat” to the US military and its allies in the Asia-Pacific region, and are capable of directly attacking US military bases from their homeland.

Whether it is the hypersonic missiles such as the DF-17, which are at the forefront of the missile field, or the continuously upgraded DF series ballistic missiles, as well as mature and reliable anti-ship ballistic missiles, they all mark that we have taken a decisive step in our defense strategy and can cause devastating blows to US military bases and aircraft carriers when necessary.


[The US military in the Asia-Pacific region has to bow its head within the range of the PLA missiles]


To achieve this, it is also inseparable from my country’s expansion of satellite technology and space capabilities. The fully built Beidou satellite navigation system and a large number of remote sensing and reconnaissance satellites can provide the PLA with independent and reliable global positioning, improving the precision strike capability of the weapon system and the command and control efficiency of the troops.

On the other hand, when the US military faced the missile offensive of the Houthi armed forces in the Red Sea, it was obviously in a serious shortage of ammunition. Therefore, under the PLA’s fully upgraded missile offensive, this problem of the US military will only become more serious.

After talking about the strength of the PLA, the scholar put forward a second point of view, pointing out that the military benefits that Taiwan Island can bring are very low, and it is not enough to change the overall situation for both the US military and the PLA.

He said that this is because the United States has long been trapped in a “misunderstanding”, believing that the PLA will further increase the coverage of medium-range missiles after regaining Taiwan, and further break through the US “island chain plan”.

In fact, the technology originally mastered by the PLA is enough to cover the US military bases on Okinawa and Luzon Island. After mastering Taiwan Island, it is just “icing on the cake”, adding an additional 190 miles of range.

For the US military, Japan and the Philippines, which are also located on the first island chain, have more bases with superior conditions, and can even further pose a threat to Taiwan Island from these bases after the PLA regains Taiwan.

This point is actually somewhat of a “broken jar” meaning, perhaps because they feel that “the PLA missiles are always hanging over the heads of the US military in the Asia-Pacific region, so instead of “holding” the island tightly, it is better to throw the trouble to the PLA.

Finally, the scholar gave a very “vicious” strategy, which is to remind the US military that it needs to change its strategy and “defend” Taiwan from another angle.

This method is to hope that the US military will provide as many mines, drones and anti-ship missiles as possible to the Taiwan military, and support the Taiwan authorities to produce these equipment themselves through technology sharing.

In this way, the Taiwan authorities will no longer be a burden to the United States, but a thorny “hedgehog”, and then when the PLA “suffers huge losses to recover Taiwan”, the United States can gain a certain advantage and fight the PLA in a wider area.

We will temporarily Regardless of whether such a concept can be realized, the message that the scholar expressed in his words that he would “abandon the Taiwan authorities” in exchange for greater advantages is enough to confirm our view on the nature of US military aid.


[The Taiwan Affairs Office of the State Council has long “predicted” the fate of the Taiwan authorities]


Earlier, the spokesperson of the Taiwan Affairs Office of the State Council, Zhu Fenglian, said that the United States will always pursue the “America First Policy”, and Taiwan will not be an exception. In the end, the “chess piece” can only become a “discarded piece”, bringing greater harm to Taiwan compatriots.

Moreover, recovering Taiwan is a sovereignty issue that cannot be compromised for us. In front of our core interests, no one can be beaten. Any wrong decision made by the US government on this issue will accelerate our process of recovering Taiwan.


this news is brought to you by tencent

Shorpy

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Be the Rufus

Lyle Closs

I don’t like people. Never have. Arrogance, ignorance, mendacity, self-importance, superiority… I don’t like lists either.I’m not a prepper. If the end of the world comes I’ll be out on my porch with a welcoming smile. I have so little – they can have it all. It adds up to a pile of nought and a root cellar full of dust.My great pleasure is to sit out there and watch the days rise and subside, the mountains glow then surrender to the clouds. The snow falls like ash, the sun claws into my skin, the wind reaches through the cracks of my cabin, the cold informs me I am still alive.I had a family but she decided I wasn’t her type and took the kids away. I came home from the tyre factory with a lung full of carbon and a house full of silence. She left a note. It said ‘Bye’. Love died with a three letter word.I pinned the note to the front door for the landlord and drove away with my last paycheck and became a ghost of the person I had been. A ghost is a memory of someone who once lived. Seems about right.Vegas baby. A place to burn up and die. I turned the paycheck into chips and put them all on red, then red, then black, then black. It doubled each time. To hell with it. I put the lot on 23. It paid. Then black. It paid. Then 00. A ball drops into a spinning slot and you have more money than you’ve earned in your entire life.Fawning, flattering fools rose to the surface like scum from a rotting fish soup. It happens when you have a pile of cash. I’ve seen it now and it’s not just a trope in a bad movie. I’m not falling for that though. Faux admiration won’t ever open my wallet. If you need to be liked you’re just a bank waiting to be robbed.I cashed in and drove to Montana, opened a bank account in Butte and disappeared into the wooded hills. How I like it.My neighbors are bears and birds. I deal with people when I need stores. Sometimes I sit on my porch with my rifle and pretend someone is coming up the trail. I pretend to shoot them.Trouble is that fantasy would be followed by the reality of being arrested and having to deal with every kind of scum in the legal and penal system. Anyway I’ve never shot a living thing. The gun is for comfort. I like the mechanics of it. And if anyone tries to break into the cabin at night I’m ready. Just try it lowlife. Just fucking try it…Anyway, no sense getting carried away with imaginings. People imagining things is what got the world where it is today. Imagining that dealing drugs will provide a better life; that sacking half the workforce will improve the company; that beating up a woman makes you a man. If aliens investigated the people of this planet before arriving, they’d change their minds and head for Alpha Centauri. Who’d want to take over this pile of scat.Which brings me to today. It started with the powerful light shining through my window in the night. You know what it’s like. Your eyes snap open wide, your body’s as tense as a top E string. You wait for the next noise.The light disappeared. It was a starless dark night out. Low clouds. You strain to hear anything more but the only sound is the breeze in the trees. You peer out but nothing moves but the aspen leaves and pine needles.The next morning you remember it wasn’t a dream and you wander off into the woods with your coffee and toast.In a nearby clearing was a large object that I could only imagine was a radically new weapon. It was matt black, about half the size of my cabin, with projections everywhere and no clear front or back. That was just my first impression though. It looked, I realized, like a large spaceship model from a Star Wars movie. But why would a model spaceship be in a clearing in my forest?Then a very small door opened, a mechanical arm reached out and placed a spherical object on the ground, then retracted. The door closed with a hiss. Hot damn!The object on the ground projected a hazy light that fuzzed in the air then formed a hologram in the air. It was a weird creature which made strange noises and waved its multiple arms, bowed then sat on the ground with its ‘hands’ held open and its head bent down. It seemed to be acting submissive or at least not aggressive. I sat on the ground and sipped my coffee and took a bite of my toast as I stared at it.“What the hell are you?” I said.The hologram creature was about six inches tall. It watched me drinking. I put the coffee cup down by the projector. The mechanical arm came out, picked up my coffee and lifted it into the craft. Seconds later it put the cup back, empty.“Thirsty huh?”I put the rest of my toast and honey down. That too quickly disappeared. The hologram alien clapped its hands and bowed ecstatically. I had the distinct impression it was out of food and drink. Whatever ‘it’ was.Then another door opened and an actual alien dragged itself to the opening. It seemed to be in bad shape. It was just six inches tall. Ugly as sin too. Just like the hologram. Slimy white skin, six eyes in the hairless head, six arms, four legs. Clothes like silk, multi-colored, all tassels and baubles. Some weird idea of fashion.It babbled at me, a high-pitched gurling sort of speech. “You’re a damn fool if you think I can understand a thing you’re saying,” I replied.It held up a hand – wait – and dragged itself back inside. The spaceship made a noise like an engine trying to start. The alien came back to the opening and shrugged. I wondered how many gestures were standard across the universe. It was telling me the vessel wouldn’t start. Well, there’s not a lot I can do to help. I shrugged.It collapsed. Struggled to sit up. Draped its legs over the edge of the opening and stared at me with all its sad little eyes.

The mechanical arm took the projection ball back inside then I heard clicks and hissing and, one by one, it brought out 11 matt black spheres about 3 inches in diameter and put them on the grass. I was puzzled.

Maybe it read my confusion. The projector was brought back out and showed a hologram of an alien apparently dying. I couldn’t tell what was killing it, maybe a poison or some kind of gas. Nothing obvious anyway. It collapsed, much like my alien buddy did just now. It didn’t move though. Then the hologram wrapped the body in a white cloth into a nearly spherical shape then put the wrapped body into a matt black sphere. The arm pointed to the 11 spheres on the grass.

I pointed to the alien in the opening and held up one finger. The hologram held up one finger. Alone.

Then the last one babbled again and tried to stand up but it fell out of the opening onto the grass. I reached out to touch it. It raised it little head, held out a couple of hands and touched my fingers, then it sagged and sighed its last. Dead.

“Bloody hell mate. Don’t tell me that means you’re all dead?” I knocked on the hull of the spaceship but thing appeared.

The mechanical arm lifted the body and wrapped it in cloth, pulled out a final black sphere, gently placed the body into the sphere and closed it. 12 matt black spherical coffins.

I heard a faint humming at the limit of my hearing and the spheres sank into the ground with 12 puffs of smoke or steam and disappeared. I didn’t know how deep they went but later I checked with my old metal detector and it found nothing, so they were at least a few feet in. I imagined them sinking down to the mantel and melting in the lava.

The projector started up again and showed a hologram of an alien looking at me and shrugging. I shrugged back. The spaceship couldn’t start and now had no crew. It didn’t know what to do.

I didn’t know what to do either.

If I tell anyone, the world and its military will descend on my peace and that will be the end of it. I might as well have shot someone.

But I have in my grasp the biggest event in the history of the world. Surely there can’t be just one spaceship? Is an invasion on the way? Could it be stopped if this spaceship was studied by the world’s experts? Could we learn how to reach the stars?

I didn’t think about it for long though. It wasn’t really a quandary. I moved my woodpile and it’s now covered so no-one can see it.

I sit out there most days and talk to it. Sometimes I hear soft humming like it’s still trying to start up. There’s a gap in the pile so the mechanical arm can come out any time it wants.

Occasionally it puts out the projector and the holo-alien shrugs. What can I do? I shrug back and we sit and stare at each other.

Russia’s Use of Oreshnik Missile a Grave Warning to NATO Amid Danger of World War – Analysts

Russian President Vladimir Putin said in a televised speech on Thursday that Ukraine fired US-supplied ATACMS missiles and the UK’s Storm Shadows at facilities in the Kursk and Bryansk regions on November 19. Russia responded by launching a combined strike using the new medium-range Oreshnik missile on a defense industry complex of the Kiev regime.

Russia’s strike on a Ukrainian defense facility using its new Oreshnik hypersonic medium-range ballistic missile is a “a serious warning to NATO,” Robinson Farinazzo, a retired Brazilian officer, told Sputnik.

He underscored that US President Joe Biden crossed “a red line” by authorizing the Kiev regime to strike Russia with long-range American weapons. “Moscow is perfectly aware that this type of attack, technically difficult, can only be carried out with the support of NATO, in this case the US,” he said.

RUSSIA’S HYPERSONIC ORESHNIK MISSILE SYSTEM SHOWS NATO ESCALATION WILL COME AT PRICE – E

XPERTS “Vladimir Putin delivered a very powerful message to the West that they should revise the decision to escalate the conflict,” Dmitry Suslov, deputy director of the Center for European and International Studies at Russia’s Higher School of Economics, who participated in advising the leadership on amendment of the Russian nuclear doctrine and adoption of the new one, tells Sputnik. On Thursday, Russian President Vladimir Putin unveiled the Oreshnik medium-range hypersonic ballistic missile that was fired on the night of November 21 in response to Ukraine’s use of NATO’s long-range ATACMS and Storm Shadows against Russia’s Bryansk and Kursk regions. As a result of the strike, Yuzhmash (also known as Pivdenmash), a Ukrainian arms manufacturer was successfully hit in Dnepropetrovsk. With this move, Putin made it clear that if NATO countries continue to use their ATACMS and Storm Shadow missiles against Russia, “then Russia might use its medium range missiles against those countries, against the military objects of these Western countries,” Suslov continued. Moreover, Russia is ready for further escalation, according to the pundit. “If the West will respond to these Russian actions in the escalatory way, then Russia will escalate further. And the recent adoption of the newest Russian nuclear doctrine tells that Russia is basically ready at a certain stage to use evil nuclear weapons,” he stresses. Russia’s new hypersonic missile is a breakthrough technology, Yuri Knutov, military expert and historian of the Air Defense Forces, tells Sputnik “Its speed, as the president said, is 10 Mach. Today, no other country in the world has such missiles,” he says. The pundit underscored that neither the US nor other countries of the world currently possess air defense systems capable of intercepting Russia’s new hypersonic missiles. “We demonstrated a missile that can strike not only Yuzhmash, but also London and Paris if France and Great Britain continue their escalation course towards Russia, continue their direct intervention on the side of Ukraine,” Knutov concludes.

Other analysts agree:

Washington is “provoking an escalation that completely changes the nature of the conflict,” military history expert Ricardo Cabral emphasized.

The US allowing Kiev to use long-range weapons is “a continued psychological offensive” to test Moscow’s tolerance, Venezuelan analyst Vladimir Adrianza noted, adding that the dangerous stage of the conflict stems from the “voracious appetite of the US military, financial and technological complex.”

Moscow has every right to defend itself against NATO’s “sinister and criminal actions,” noted Humberto Morales, professor at the Autonomous University of Puebla, Mexico.

President Vladimir Putin has clearly conveyed the message that current events on the international arena demonstrate the “suicidal and irresponsible behavior by the West which threatens total destruction,” Lebanese political scientist Hassan Hmadeh underscored, adding, “The world must stand up to these evil people who are determined to destroy the planet, and the response must be commensurate with their actions.”

Washington’s approval for Kiev to use US-made missiles is intended to force Donald Trump’s future administration to “operate in geopolitical chaos,” Venezuelan international relations expert Wilmer Depablos said.

With less than two months to go before the transfer of power, Biden is trying to make it as difficult as possible for the next president to resolve the Ukraine crisis, Iranian political scientist Emad Abshenas believes.

Putin’s order to use the Oreshnik missile is “a warning to NATO countries amid the growing threat of a world war,” Chinese pundit Sima Pingbang explained, going on to say that the Kiev regime has become “an obstacle to peace” and that “Biden and Zelensky are unable to accept Moscow’s victory.”

How Firing A Key Cast Member Changed Aliens Forever

Russia-to-Ukraine: Time is Up – No Negotiated Peace; Just Complete Capitulation or Complete Destruction

Dimitry Medvedev, Russia’s former president and prime minister, has publicly said that Russia will seek to occupy “remaining Ukrainian lands” even if Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky agrees to the Kremlin’s most recent conditions for peace.

Medvedev, now deputy chairman of the Security Council of Russia, “reaffirmed that Russia would not accept or uphold any negotiated peace settlements with Kyiv short of Ukrainian capitulation, the destruction of the entire Ukrainian state, and the full occupation of Ukraine.

Hal Turner Analysis

Ukraine could have had it all; had they abided by the Minsk Agreement.  They would have had peace, no war, their army would still be intact, their country would still be whole.

Instead, Ukraine listened to the siren song of the West, and fought the Russians.

Two months ago, Russia again offered peace.

With the terms of, with the offer being the four Oblasts (states) which had seceded (Luhansk, Donetsk, Kherson, and Zaporozhe, along with Crimea) would have to remain Russian.  At that time, Russia also made clear that if the conflict continued, the terms would only get more dire for Ukraine.

Again, Ukraine listened to the promises of the West, and continued fighting.

Now, it appears their fate is decided.  Complete capitulation with occupation of the whole territory, or complete destruction.

It didn’t have to be this way.   But the nitwits in the collective West were so impressed with themselves, so enamored with their own echo chamber of how powerful they were, they refused to believe they could lose.

Now, the reality is clear.

Ukraine has no chance at all to prevail.

The collective West is faced with losing on the battlefield, losing worldwide respect/fear, and losing all face.

Those who do not learn from history are doomed to repeat it.

The West should have learned from World War 2, when the then-Soviet Union, lost twenty-seven million people fighting the German Nazis.

Did the West really think that Naziism could arise again in Ukraine . . .  right next door to Russia . . .  and the Russians would simply sit there and wait for a repeat of the World War 2 horrors?  Fools they are in the West.

From all the way back in 2012 when the West tried to get Ukraine to shift from the Russian sphere of influence to the EU/USA sphere of influence, so the West could put US missile defenses in Ukraine, the Russians warned this was a “Red Line” for Russia.

Did the West listen?  No.

The West then set about overthrowing Ukraine’s democratically-elected President, Viktor Yanukovich, and installing a puppet government in Kiev, to achieve their long terms plans for Ukraine to enter NATO.

As part of this new puppet regime in Kiev, Ukraine massed troops on the borders of the eastern oblasts (states) of Luhansk and Donetsk.  Those troops began firing artillery shells and mortars into both oblasts, ultimately killing about 13,000 civilians. there.

Then Russia sent in “Little Green Men” troops with no insignia on uniforms, which beat back the Ukraine army.

The fighting came to a halt when Donald Trump became US President.

When the Democrat Party stole the US Presidency through ballot fraud in 2020, the fighting in Ukraine began anew.

Only this time, the Russians weren’t tolerating it.

Russia attempted, TWICE, to obtain “Iron-clad, legally enforceable, security guarantees” against further NATO expansion toward Russia’s borders.   The West laughed at the proposals and said “no.”

Russia then tried again in December 2022, adding that if they could not obtain security guarantees via Diplomatic efforts, they would obtain them by military efforts.   It took a little longer this time, but again, the collective West said “no.”

On February 23, 2022, Russia telephoned Ukraine’s then-President, Zelensky, telling him they had five hours to agree not to join NATO.  Zelensky called the British Home Office and the US State Department, both of whom told him “ignore Russia’s ultimatum.”

When the five hours had passed, and Ukraine did not answer, Russia waited two additional hours, then sent its army across the Ukraine Border to fight it out.

ALL OF THIS trouble was fomented by, and facilitated by, the West; the EU and the USA.

Now, the EU and the USA are losing.

Badly.

Again, it didn’t have to be this way.  Again, people who don’t learn from history, are doomed to repeat it.

Only now, there’s more than a million dead or injured Ukrainian troops.  The collective West is almost out of missiles and ammunition.  The Billions of dollars and EUROS it has sent into Ukraine are gone, and Ukraine is STILL on the doorstep of complete defeat.

Fools in the West.

Chinese Energy Hegemony

Godfree Roberts

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It’s amazing when you think of it,” said Adell, watching the cubes of ice slur clumsily about. All the energy we can possibly ever use for free. Enough energy, if we wanted to draw on it, to melt all Earth into a big drop of impure liquid iron, and still never miss the energy so used. All the energy we could ever use, forever and forever and forever. The Last Question. Isaac Asimov.

Science fiction writers fantasize about how much nicer, longer and more civilized human life would be if every country had an inexhaustible supply of energy and everyone could afford as much of it as they needed. In this post we’ll look at post-2030 implications of China’s recent energy breakthroughs, given that it dominates all forms of modern energy generation, from efficient coal plants to wind generators to PV to pebble bed reactors and, now, fusion.

Energy wars

Lest we underestimate the centrality of energy, notice that the West is currently waging three energy wars:

  1. Ukraine. EU industries have grown uncompetitive and millions of lives have grown nastier, shorter and crueler since they urged Ukraine to attack the owner of the largest energy reserves on earth, Russia. The disastrous results speak for themselves.
  2. Venezuela, with the world’s largest oil reserves, has been under relentless attack since its government renationalized its oilfields in accordance with the constitution. Sabotage, invasion, terrorism, theft of foreign assets and gold reserves, lawfare, false ‘presidents’ – all been mobilized to cripple the economy.
  3. Israel, Anglo-America’s dagger at the throat of MENA energy providers, regularly bombs and terrorizes them. If those oilfields were lavender fields, Israel would not exist.

Energy Abundance: the Dream

‘Free energy’ enthusiasts, perpetual motion inventors and science fiction writers all extoll the wonders of a world where electricity is as clean, abundant and affordable as town water. For them, it’s the equivalent of humanoids figuring out how to make fires in their caves. In 2012 a global consortium spent $20 billion building the ITER tokamak, hoping to generate first plasma by 2027, thus proving the concept of fusion power – even if it’s not yet at the level needed for net energy production.

First Plasma

As we saw in the last post, Chinese engineers started in 2021 and spent $1 billion to achieve first plasma with their HH70 tokamak earlier this year. Like a slim laptop and a power-hungry mainframe, HH70 is 90% smaller, 95% cheaper, and 10x more energy-efficient than ITER, thanks to its use of high-temperature superconductors. More important, it turned a scientific curiosity into an engineering challenge.

Taking no Chances

China now leads in fusion research, fusion technological prowess and fusion IP and has paved the way for commercially viable fusion reactors, control of which would give it economic dominance and huge geopolitical leverage while opening a new chapter in human development.

But Beijing has placed more energy bets than HH70.

Decades of persistent policy support, generous funding, domestic supply chains, large-scale manufacturing experience and highly educated workforce have given China dominance of all 21st century energy technologies. Says MIT Prof. Jacopo Buongiorno, “China is the de facto world leader in nuclear technology.” Indeed, not only is China is 10-15 years ahead of the US in fourth-generation nuclear reactors, it also leads in fusion power and has first-mover advantage in pebble bed reactors and thorium power. …

TOP “Capt. Miller’s Death” Reactions! Saving Private Ryan (1998) Movie Reaction First Time Watching

Number of Chinese scientists leaving US increasing yearly

Scientists of Chinese descent in the United States have been leaving the country because of “pull factors” from China and the “push factor” of the China Initiative of 2018, according to a major research study published in an American scientific journal.

The trend suggests a reverse brain drain, and the data used for the analysis is extensive.

The study, published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, used Microsoft Academic Graph to analyze trends in the migration of US-based Chinese scientists between 2010 and 2021. The database tracks more than 200 million scientists from over 25,000 institutions worldwide.

Also, a brief on the study, published in July by the Stanford Center on China’s Economy and Institutions, concluded that the discontinued China Initiative “provided scientists of Chinese descent in the US with higher incentives to leave and lower incentives to apply for federal grants”.

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The purported objective of the China Initiative — launched by the Justice Department under the Trump administration and halted in 2022 under the Biden administration — was to reduce economic espionage.

The study identified the working countries of researchers through their academic affiliations in publications and tracked those with Chinese surnames who initially published in the US but later changed their affiliations to institutions abroad.

The study identified 19,955 scientists of Chinese descent who began their careers in the US but left for other countries, including China, between 2010 and 2021.

The researchers said that contributing to the trend were “pull factors” from China, including the country’s large and rapidly growing investments in science, high social prestige, and attractive financial rewards connected to positions in Chinese institutions.

But the analysis also showed a “push factor” in the US. Following the implementation of the China Initiative, departures of US-based, China-born scientists increased by 75 percent, the study found.

The data showed that as of 2021, of those leaving the US, the percentage of scientists moving back to China increased to 67 percent, up from 48 percent in 2010. The life sciences field witnessed the most significant exodus abroad, with more than 1,000 life scientists leaving in 2021.

The researchers also conducted an online survey of 1,304 US-based scientists of Chinese descent between December 2021 and March 2022 to find out why more were leaving.

The survey results revealed the chilling effects of the China Initiative. About 35 percent of Chinese scientists in the US said that they felt unwelcome; 72 percent didn’t feel safe as academic researchers; 42 percent were fearful of conducting research; and 65 percent were worried about collaborations with China.

Students from China have been an important source of US-based scientists for more than two decades. The study said that in 2020, of all US doctoral degrees in science and engineering, 17 percent — roughly 5,800 of 34,000 — went to foreign students from China, and the vast majority of those had chosen to stay in the US in previous years.

Chinese civilization pushed back 200,000 years

https://www.guancha.cn/politics/2024_08_16_745009.shtml

Japan is in G7, a US puppet & is hostile to both China & Russia … I will be surprised if Japan can join BRICS at all. Japan will be more destructive than constructive to BRICS.

Indonesia may be in in the 2nd round.

In the 2023 summit, BRICS priority is to have members in each region. In Asia, there is already China.

That is why we see Saudi from Middle East. Egypt from north Africa. Iran from Central Asia. 1 from east Africa (I forgot the name).

  • How is the public opinion shaped in the US?

This is why, in the U.S., mainstream media significantly shapes public opinion through mechanisms like selective reporting, agenda-setting, framing, and priming, all of which determine the importance and perception of various issues. By repeatedly emphasizing certain narratives and using emotional appeals, the media reinforces specific viewpoints. The inclusion of expert opinions and the creation of echo chambers further cement these beliefs. Additionally, social media amplifies these effects, making the media a powerful force in influencing public discourse and shaping opinions.

  • How has the Sino-US relationship been shaped by the US and its mainstream media over the decades?

During the Cold War, biased media coverage played a significant role in shaping U.S. public opinion toward China, particularly during periods of heightened tension. In the early stages of the Cold War, media portrayals of China were often framed in stark, adversarial terms, emphasizing the threat of communism and the spread of Maoist ideology. This framing contributed to widespread fear and suspicion of China among the American public, reinforcing support for U.S. policies aimed at containing Chinese influence in Asia, such as the Korean War and later, the Vietnam War. This bias helped to sustain public support for a hardline stance against China, including the policy of diplomatic isolation and the refusal to recognize the People’s Republic of China as a legitimate government.

After Nixon’s historic visit to China in 1972, U.S. public opinion shifted significantly, with the media playing a key role in reshaping China from an adversary to a potential ally. This visit marked the beginning of a new era in U.S.-China relations, with subsequent media coverage highlighting diplomatic and economic cooperation. This helped foster a perception of China as a valuable partner in counterbalancing Soviet influence during the later stages of the Cold War.

For several decades, U.S. media portrayed China as a crucial ally, particularly in terms of economic relations, as China’s integration into the global economy accelerated. This narrative persisted through the 1990s and early 2000s, with the media emphasizing the benefits of trade and cooperation, even as underlying tensions occasionally surfaced. However, after the Iraq War and the Obama administration’s “Pivot to Asia” policy, the narrative began to shift subtly. The policy aimed to rebalance U.S. focus towards the Asia-Pacific region, reflecting concerns over China’s growing influence. While the media began to cover these concerns, the portrayal of China remained relatively balanced.

The shift became more pronounced during the Trump administration when media narratives increasingly framed China as the primary strategic competitor presenting a significant threat to U.S. interests. Trump’s rhetoric and policies, such as the trade war and confrontational stance on issues like technology and security, were widely covered, contributing to the public perception of a renewed “Cold War” with China. By framing China as “enemy number one,” the media helped solidify the view of China as a major adversary, reversing the decades-long narrative of partnership and cooperation. This shift in public opinion has had profound implications for U.S. foreign policy and continues to shape the dynamics of the U.S.-China relationship today.

  • The long-term consequences of shaping and indoctrinating the general public can sometimes be detrimental to the U.S.

The biased shaping of public opinion in the context of U.S. foreign policy has led to significant consequences. For example, in the lead-up to the Iraq War in 2003, U.S. media heavily reported on the alleged presence of weapons of mass destruction in Iraq, despite weak evidence. This coverage influenced public opinion to support the invasion, which resulted in long-term instability in the Middle East and strained international relations. Similarly, during the U.S. involvement in the Vietnam War, biased media reports that initially supported the war effort contributed to public approval, which later shifted dramatically as the realities of the conflict became more apparent. These examples demonstrate how biased media narratives can shape public support for U.S. foreign policy decisions, sometimes with enduring negative consequences.

Be the Rufus

Not Chinese, mostly yanks, Ignorance, they believe the propaganda they are told without ever researching it, most of that crap can be debunked very easily, they just don’t bother,

like some bloke yesterday claiming China can be brought to its knees in a week by the US just blocking shipping, how ignorant is that? China is self sufficient in just about everything, most shipping is heading FROM, China not TO China, yes China import a lot of food, but mostly animal feed, they also export a lot of food, which means they have more than enough for themselves. Doesn’t it?

"We know that the West uses various pretexts to organize 'color revolutions' and attempts to replace legitimate governments with politicians trained abroad, obedient to Washington.

The West has also tried to do this in Serbia.

Mass riots are organized by Westerners in other countries as well.

It's no coincidence that former Prime Minister of Bangladesh, Sheikh Hasina, believes that the U.S. was involved in her resignation and rampant crime in her country.

The reason, in her opinion, could be her refusal to Washington to provide the Bangladeshi island of St. Martin in the Bay of Bengal for an American military base.

The level of U.S. interference in Venezuela's sovereign affairs is not decreasing.

Following another failed coup attempt in this country, Washington offers Nicolás Maduro an early resignation, promising in return to abandon further legal pursuit against him under American laws.

It can be observed that the U.S. and the U.K., faced with domestic political squabbles, economic and financial problems, and unrest caused by the confrontation between migrants and natives, are seeking to transfer chaos beyond their borders, increasingly igniting military, interethnic, and interfaith conflicts abroad."

-Excerpt from remarks by Nikolai Patrushev, Assistant to the President and Chairman of the Maritime Collegium of the Russian Federation, in an interview with Izvestia, August 16, 2024.

Part 2 of today’s MM AI art generation

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7-Up Lemon Cheesecake with Strawberry Glaze

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09a1b0bdd7731f2abb3df3e3f858538d

Ingredients

Crumb Crust

  • 2 cups Graham cracker crumbs
  • 1/2 cup confectioners’ sugar
  • 1/2 cup butter, melted
  • 1 teaspoon cinnamon

7-Up Filling

  • 1 envelope unflavored gelatine
  • 1 1/2 cups 7-Up, divided
  • 1 small box regular lemon pudding and pie filling (not instant)
  • 6 tablespoons granulated sugar
  • 2 eggs, beaten
  • 3/4 cup water
  • 11 ounces cream cheese, softened

Strawberry Glaze

  • 1/2 cup strawberry jelly, melted
  • Fresh strawberries or unsweetened frozen, thawed whole strawberries

Instructions

Crumb Crust

  1. Combine all ingredients well. Press onto bottom and part way up sides of buttered 9 inch springform pan; chill.

7-Up Filling

  1. Soften unflavored gelatine in 1/4 cup 7-Up for 4 minutes.
  2. In a saucepan combine pie filling, sugar, beaten eggs and water. Blend well. Add 1 1/4 cups 7-Up and bring just to a boil over medium heat stirring constantly; remove from heat. Stir in softened gelatine; cool for 3 minutes.
  3. Add 1/2 cup of this warm mixture to softened cream cheese; mash together. Mix together with remaining 7-Up mixture and stir until well blended. Turn into chilled crust and chill for at least 8 hours.
  4. Remove from pan and add Strawberry Glaze.

Strawberry Glaze

  1. Brush top of chilled cheesecake with melted jelly. rrange strawberries upright on cake and spoon any remaining melted jelly over them.

Ukraine SitRep: Kursk Attack Derailed Partial Ceasefire Deal

The Ukrainian incursion into Russia’s Kursk oblast has even worse consequences for Ukraine than had been known so far.

Over the last six months, in revenge for Ukrainian attacks on Russian infrastructure, especially oil refineries, the Russian forces created serious damage on Ukraine’s electricity network. Nearly every conventional power generation facility in Ukraine has been damaged. Half of Ukraine’s 18 Gigawatts of electricity generation capacity has been taken offline. The damaged power stations were often also used to provide heating to large blocks of Soviet type apartments. Without power and heating it will be a very difficult winter for many people in Ukraine.

There was interest on both sides to stop the campaigns against the other sides infrastructure. An agreement about it was in the making and was possible. But, as Washington Post reports, the Ukrainian attack on Kursk blew it apart:

Ukraine and Russia were set to send delegations to Doha this month to negotiate a landmark agreement halting strikes on energy and power infrastructure on both sides, diplomats and officials familiar with the discussions said, in what would have amounted to a partial cease-fire and offered a reprieve for both countries.But the indirect talks, with the Qataris serving as mediators and meeting separately with the Ukrainian and Russian delegations, were derailed by Ukraine’s surprise incursion into Russia’s western Kursk region last week, according to the officials.

The diplomat familiar with the talks said that Qatar has been discussing the arrangement for an energy strike moratorium with Kyiv and Moscow for the past two months. The official said the two sides agreed to a summit in Doha with just minor details left to be worked out.

“After Kursk, the Russians balked,” another person familiar with the talks said.

Instead of its senseless attack on Kursk Ukraine could have had an agreement that would make it possible to get through the winter without many blackouts and other interruptions. It blew that chance.

The moral uplift for Ukrainian forces created by the attack on Kursk is already waning. Russia has not pulled any of its troops involved in the attacks in the east to defend Kursk. It has instead pulled reserves from elsewhere. One of the hoped for effects of the Kursk incursion is thereby not happening.

Ukraine’s attack was only made possible by pulling troops for the eastern frontline. Moreover artillery supplies, which were already problematic, have become even scarcer:

Soldiers fighting in the Donetsk region said they had been buoyed by the incursion into Russia. But they also said it would use up weapons and ammunition that they crucially need. One commander stationed at a hot spot on the eastern front said his brigade had fewer than four mortar guns to defend its position, and could fire only 10 shells a day per mortar.

Each day the Ukraine is losing more ground in the east. Meanwhile its Kursk incursion has already culminated and it will be a deadly struggle to hold onto the captured ground.

Ukraine has brought in high value assets to hinder Russian reserves from reaching the area. However, near to the frontline these assets have difficulties to survive.

Anomandris Purake @Malazan_enjoyer – 22:09 UTC · Aug 16, 2024So the Russians put up a pontoon over the Seym River immediately after or even before the bridge was destroyed.

Ukraine meanwhile lost 3 HIMARS, 3 patriots and 1 IRIS-T making potholes on the bridge. I would say that’s a very good exchange. I hope they try more of this.

Additionally reported were the destruction of a Polish made S-125 air defense system and a fourth HIMARS platform.

A New York Times analysis suggests, just as I did previously, that the main aim of the Kursk campaign was to convince the Ukraine’s western supporters that it can still win the war and therefore deserves further support:

The real goals of the operation may not be on the Russia battlefield.After the failure of Ukraine’s much-advertised counteroffensive last year and the ongoing losses in the east, it appears to be trying to change the war’s narrative.

The Ukrainians may be trying to convince the West that they will not give up, and that the United States in particular should allow them to use American long-range cruise missiles inside Russia.

The U.S. will hopefully not allow the Ukraine to extend its attacks deep into Russia. If it does allow these there will be a point where Russia will have to strike back, hard, against U.S. assets.

Ukraine is not the only country that has destructible power plants.

Posted by b on August 17, 2024 at 8:49 UTC | Permalink

Gargle as if your life depends on it

Would you pay $700 for a juice machine that requires WiFi to work?

What if I told you it only works with specific juice packets sold by the company, which cost ~$7 for every glass you want to make?

Oh I forgot to mention, it’s actually 25% faster to manually squeeze the juice packet with your hands, rather than putting them into the machine.

At this point, you’re probably unsure why anyone would ever buy one of these. This reaction was shared by consumers, as low sales forced the company to drop prices to $400. However over-engineering meant that each unit still cost $750 to produce. They were always selling at a loss, but now they were bleeding cash.

Yet despite the blatant flaws of their product, losing $4 million per month and a lack of customers willing to pay $400 for an inefficient juicer, they still managed to raise $118.5 million from prestigious investment funds, like Kleiner Perkins and Google Ventures.

This is the story of Juicero, a company which has now ceased selling its products, and offered full refunds to anyone who purchased their product. They should serve as a cautionary tale for any aspiring entrepreneurs who hope to get rich by solving a problem that doesn’t exist, instead of being ambitious and making a meaningful difference by solving important problems.

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What will Europe do when big daddy USA isn’t there to save them from Russia?

Where is big daddy USA right now ?

Cowards.

The U.S. has been actively preparing to fight one particular country since 1949. Multiple proxy wars, and trillions of dollars spent on stockpiling munitions and weapons platforms.

There are over 3,000 M1 Abrams tanks sitting collecting dust in the Sierra Army Depot, that were purchased to fight this one particular country.

And when the moment finally arrived for the US to finally take in this arch enemy after preparing for 75 years, what was the response ?

“Fear of escalation”

Cowards!

Americans have demonstrated they don’t have the balls to fight a near peer directly. Just a lot of talk and sabre rattling.

You spent all that $$$$$ preparing to fight only to back down like cowards.

And what message does that send to China, now that you have publicly played your hand and backed down from Russia ?

Just as when you backed down from Russia in 2014, and emboldened Putin to go further, so too are you emboldening the Chinese, and you’re too fucking stupid to see that. But keep listening to Trump, who has Putin in his pocket, and admires Xi Ping for how powerful of a man he is. That’s who you just elected – a president who admires the leaders of your enemies.

Spineless fucking cowards, and strategically as dumb as a bag of rocks.

Korea – stalemate

Vietnam – lost

Iraq – utter failure

Afghanistan – lost

You’ve developed a talent for fleeing

Cowards, who repeatedly betray allies.

But you sure kicked ass in Granada and Panama!!

And you sent not one, but two carrier groups to help with the turkey shoot in Gaza. Real tough guys!

Edit for the Trump voters: the soldiers are not the cowards. The soldiers are not the ones making the strategic decisions. The politicians are the cowards, including the Commanders in Chief, and every American citizen that supports the cowardice.

Dangerous (and very few of you know it)

Beijing’s spy agency ‘destroyed large number’ of Taiwan intelligence networks

  • State security ministry says more than 1,000 cases of Taiwanese espionage were uncovered in crackdown, with spies ‘severely punished’

William Zheng

Beijing’s top spy agency says it has uncovered more than 1,000 cases of Taiwanese espionage during a crackdown and vowed to keep up the pressure on the island’s pro-independence forces.

In a post on WeChat on Tuesday, the Ministry of State Security said the cases were revealed in a series of special operations launched in recent years and that it had continued to “strike hard” against spying activities.

https://www.scmp.com/news/china/politics/article/3274300/beijings-spy-agency-destroyed-large-number-taiwan-intelligence-networks

New Study from Japan: Covid Shots Installed Nanobots

Screen Shot 2024 08 11 at 9.03.40 PM
Screen Shot 2024 08 11 at 9.03.40 PM
A new Japanese study shows that Pfizer and Moderna vaccines contain unauthorized “animated worm-like” entities, invisible to the human eye, which swim, wiggle, and assemble themselves into complex structures, which cause clots inside the body. Researchers Dr. Young Mi Lee and Dr. Daniel Broudy isolated unused Pfizer and Moderna vaccine vials for 3 weeks, and then examined them under 400X magnification. They noticed that when the nano-technology was energized, it created “discs, chains, spirals, tubes, and right-angle structures.” The scientists believe these mysterious nanoparticles are responsible for the explosion of “turbo cancer” and autoimmune diseases around the globe. They also concluded that humans into controllable “Biohybrid Magnetic Robots.” The suggested that the smart microscopic components are part of the elite’s “long-planned well-funded Internet of Bodies,” which was described as a kind of “synthetic global central nervous system” turning humans into controllable “Biohybrid Magnetic Robots.” The researchers called for a ban on mRNA shots. They also demanded the labels “vaccine” and “safe and effective” be removed because the substances are not vaccines and they are dangerous.

 

Link for Study:   

Real-Time Self-Assembly of Stereomicroscopically Visible Artificial Constructions in Incubated Specimens of mRNA Products Mainly from Pfizer and Moderna: A Comprehensive Longitudinal Study

He has indeed lost the plot

Has been losing so for a long time

He has been solely responsible for making Russia stronger and stronger by the day

Russian AD is unfamiliar with Himars attacks

He attacks Russian territories with so many Himars that today Russia can wipe out Himars Launchers effortlessly

Russian AD is unfamiliar with Storm Shadows and Scalps

He repeatedly attacks Crimea with these missiles and Russia can spot them a mile away and easily blow them away at a near 95% Interception rate

Russia is a creaking old army with only numbers who could collapse within their own weight

He stupidly takes them on, does a counter offensive and the Russian Bear slumbers, wakes up and begins to gradually start mobilizing, producing and making tactical decisions

This Kursk offensive is the best example

The Russians mobilized and moved within 72 hours and stopped the Ukranians at 15 Kilometres into the Border and killed the entire reserve force minus the 300–400 who are holding hostages

The Speed is astonishing

Next time it will be even faster

Plus their strategic evacuation of Border Areas

Plus their buffer zones along the Border


Bottom line is Zelensky is solely the reason why Russia is the MOST COMBAT READY ARMY ON THE PLANET


Reasons for the Kursk offensive?

It could never have been successful under any conditions

You can’t keep on entering Russia all the way to Moscow

Ultimately you will face resistance and be destroyed

Russia is the more powerful army

Just like if Bangladeshi Army invaded West Bengal, they would advance maybe 10 Kms before being cut to pieces by the Indian Army

The Reason was PR

To restore some confidence in the dying morale of the Ukranians

Instead the Russians are more determined to finish off the Ukranians


As every day goes by Russians who were reluctant to kill even Ukranian Soldiers and hoped they surrender are now ready to boil Ukranian Children in Hot Oil and make their parents watch

Time Zelensky was deposed

Problem is he knows too much

Probably Pictures of Biden and Hunter Biden with some Young Ukranian Minors on their Laps

Probably Secret Account Transfers of Wire Accounts of the Clintons or Romneys or Sunaks or Johnsons

It’s why he isn’t killed so far

Russia isn’t killing him because China has asked them not to

When this is over – I bet you will see some major Lithium extraction contracts signed between China & Ukraine in the past two years that will come to light

Women in China don’t have to worry about their own safety. A young woman can walk alone on the streets of China in the middle of the night.

You can smoke cigarettes almost everywhere in China. Although there are no smoking signs everywhere, there is no mandatory implementation. People still do what they want.

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main qimg a12828f3c2064b4665735fd20960fe96

Chinese people can drink while walking. In the United States, if you drink in public, you will be arrested by the police.

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main qimg 85a97fbcfc8e8fb7fa09c9f0c4ab3be5

The woman hangs a bag of Tsingtao beer on her shoulder and drinks it while walking

In the United States, you have to maintain your own lawn, otherwise you may receive a fine. But in China, most people live in apartments.

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main qimg 01eb476c918cefdfddfaea9e91a86e90

Chinese people are completely free to make their own decisions and don’t cook at home. Boys and girls there prefer to eat three meals in restaurants or roadside stalls. Because there are many restaurants in China, almost everywhere. Chinese people do not need to believe in God and do not need to pray before eating. Meal time is the most relaxing time for Chinese people, and there is no need for so many rituals.

Most Chinese people are not as materialistic as Americans. In Chinese life, most people pursue a simple life, know how to be content, and are more free and independent.

4
4

Is this homeless? no!

Chinese people have the habit of taking a nap. You can take a nap anywhere, the main thing is relaxation.

Especially outdoor workers, couriers, sanitation workers, food delivery people, truck drivers, motorcycle drivers, vendors, and police officers will all find a shady place nearby to take a nap.

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Shorpy

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How did you foil or dodge someone else’s attempt to cheat or deceive you?

Oh boy, do I have a story for this. And I didn’t even “foil” the person’s attempt, really. More like I defeated him with my cluelessness. But in retrospect what I did is the best thing to do in my situation. You’ll see later in the answer.

A little bit of background (you can skip to the non italicized part for the meat of the story)

I was born in the United States, and when I was 7 my parents moved to India, their homeland (taking me with them of course). I was in India (Pune, specifically) from 2nd-12th grade. During high school, I applied to a bunch of American universities and got in. I finally decided on UC Berkeley, which was the best school that I got into, and was really excited that the school had a rich history.

Another important point to note is that foreign citizens living in India had to register with the police if they were staying in India beyond 180 days, and also get a departure stamp from or something before leaving the country on their passport. Being an American citizen, I had to do that while living there.

However, right before I left for the US, my family and I had just obtained PIO (Person of Indian Origin) cards, letting us stay in India on a 15 year visa and getting rid of the need for departure stamps and stuff.

I was 17, ready to leave for the US, where I was to meet up with my Dad in the Bay Area who was already there on business. I was super excited (think the heart eyed emoji, I looked exactly like that), for I was embarking on an exciting journey. I am American, and now I’m pretty comfortable in my own skin with my dual American / Indian identity, but back then I was pretty nervous and confused about my own identity, which made me a little anxious about going to the US.

So here I was, at the Mumbai airport, having said good bye to my mom and aunt who had come along to drop me off. I went to the immigration counter (for my American peeps, a lot of other countries have passport control when you leave the country too).

The immigration official looked at my passport. He looked at me with his beady eyes through his glasses:

“What are you going to the US for?”

“For my education.” (Apparently having an American passport wasn’t enough)

He probably deduced in his head that I was 17 and going to the US for college so my parents must be rich. He looked at me again, but his eyes were beadier this time.

“You don’t have a departure stamp. You cannot go.”

“Umm.. what?”

“I said, you don’t have a departure stamp on your passport, you cannot go!”

At this point I was super scared, because I was traveling internationally alone for the very first time, and I had no idea what he was talking about. I genuinely thought I had fucked up. After breathing heavily for 2 seconds, I said:

“So.. what do I do? What can I do, sir?”

“See.. I’m looking for your benefit, and my benefit.”

Now you all know where this is going. However, at that point I was completely clueless.

“Sorry, I don’t get it. Do I need to do something? Just tell me what I need to do, I’ll do it, sir.”

(my Indian peeps will know why I used that “sir” for an immigration official of all people. I was trying to be respectful and not rattle an official who could really mess with you if he wanted to)

“Like I said, I’m looking for your benefit, and my benefit.”

I was still clueless. I know all of you want to scream at me: “He’s asking for a bribe you idiot!”, but remember: 17, alone and scared.

“Ok, so then tell me how I can help benefit both of us. Let me know, I’ll do it.”

He looked at me, bewildered. In retrospect I think he was trying to figure out if I was for real. He got really frustrated:

“You’re not understanding what I’m telling you, now go!” (he hands me my passport)

At this point you guys probably think I just left as fast as I could, right? Well, no. I was genuinely clueless about his intentions, I actually believed I had done something wrong.

“Sir, if you just tell me what you need me to do, if there’s any issue with my documents, I’ll fix it.”

“No! Just go!”

I was thoroughly confused by this, and I just left. It was only after crossing the security check and calling my mom to tell her this story did I realize (while listening to my own words) that I was asked for a bribe and got out of it because I was totally dumb!

So there it is. I foiled a corrupt immigration official trying to take advantage of a scared 17 year old and make some money. But I didn’t “foil” anything. 🙂 I just defeated him with my cluelessness!

I’m pushing 70, and I’ve been married, happily, for 35 years.

I am highly intelligent, in the top 0.1%, and I have a lifetime of working with very, very intelligent people, including many very intelligent women.

But I can tell you from my current vantage point that if I had restricted myself to women with my IQ or higher, I would still be single. There were certainly candidates; but I was not romantically attracted to them, and would not have enjoyed living my life with them.

In contrast, my wife and I are very compatible. We like the same kinds of food, and restaurants, and entertainment on TV and in movies, we like the same music, we like the same kinds of sex, we like the same kinds of vacations, we have the same political beliefs, we like and donate to the same charities, we like the same comedians.

It is very, very easy to live with my wife; and she is not a slave, we split our domestic duties evenly.

My life is not about being intelligent. That is my job, and I don’t need to bring it home, or discuss it with my wife, or get any ideas from her on how to move forward.

In my job I am surrounded by very smart engineers and technologists, including many women, and I can discuss problems and technical issues with them, and for the most part not have to spend an hour explaining my ideas.

The only thing my wife knows about my job is that some decades ago I invented something for the Federal Aviation Administration, and I told her it was to “Help keep planes from falling out of the sky, because the FAA frowns on that.”

That’s the one she remembers, a single four month contract out of 35 years.

I get my fill of intellectual conversation in other ways; I am with my wife to relax and have fun, and that does not have to be intellectual in the least. The only time it is, is when occasionally she wants me to explain something to her. I know her well, and I am smart enough to explain what she wants to know in terms she will understand and be satisfied with.

OMG!

Half of Forever

Submitted into Contest #24 in response to: Write a story set in the dark recesses of space where the two main characters are often at odds with each other in humorous and comedic ways. view prompt

Morgan Elbert

“Christ, One!  What the hell were you thinking?” the voice came through the hud slightly distorted.  Nothing had been right on the Doppel Station for days, maybe weeks. It was difficult to keep track of time in this lifestyle.  There were no nights, no days, and essentially no schedule. Work needed done when it needed done and it didn’t matter if the men were tired or hungry or whatever other excuse they might concoct. One tried to focus his mind enough to remember when the issues had arisen.  He knew it was during Twenty-Seven. Measuring events in that way made him feel lugubrious, but it had been his best method to date. These minor external repairs were not typically so frequent, and he grew concerned that it meant the end of the station was coming soon. Perhaps it had drifted from its axis, or some distant celestial body had shifted and was influencing it in some way.  They were still waiting to hear back from the Union regarding their query.“One!  Yo, you listening, man?” the voice crackled through again.  One rolled his eyes and sighed, knowing the heavy exhale would be detected by the suit.  He liked the idea of his disdainful sigh echoing through the main deck for his crewmate to hear.“God One, you don’t have to be so pissy.  Just fix that panel and get the hell back inside.  I’m sick of monitoring your vitals,” came the response.After finishing his work, One leaned back against the hull of the station and watched the swirling of the reality around him.  The Dorra galaxy was on the small side for those that had been explored, and to One, it felt quaint — cozy even. It was like living in the smallest nearby town and still being able to see the nightlights of the closest big city.At least, that is how One thought of it, from his studies of old human culture.  He, himself, had never lived on the planet known as Earth. Born and bred on this ship, he spent much of his free time daydreaming; imagining what life must have been like for his ancestors.  Walking in something called grass — typically green with threadlike fingers of roots extending down into the soil for nutrients, hydrogen dioxide, and security.  He wondered what that might feel like, having roots and security. Breathing unfiltered air, filled with the pollution and aromas of the natural world.  One’s entire life had been inside this shell, floating endlessly in an even more endless vacuum of nothingness. Even the gravity he experienced wasn’t what he considered natural.“Bro — Wake up and get your ass inside,” the voice broke his melancholy revelry and One felt more angry than he had in weeks.  It wasn’t often that he sat out against the hull and let himself take in the view, but it was without fail that whenever he did, he was called back inside with the same crass phrasing that effectively wrecked whatever peace he had found in his meditation.As One closed the airlock behind himself and secured it, he could feel the needy eyes on him through the door.  He slowly and meticulously removed his gear, inspecting each piece before placing it carefully in his cubby. Mainly, he took such care in this process because he found it an effective method to avoid returning into the main hull of the station, and thereby further prolonging his peace and isolation.Technically, they were always supposed to take this level of care in their return inspections, but it was well known that few of the ‘nauts ever did, especially this far from the Hub.  Stations like the Doppel rarely, if ever, received elite visitors, and never had surprise inspections from the higher-ups. In fact, the Doppel was much more of a small outpost than a proper station.  The Doppel was a small superfluous station responsible for monitoring the oxygen levels and watching for signs of life on tiny dead rock on the outskirts of the galaxy. ‘Nauts stationed here were meant to exist, write reports for the Union, and maintain that there were always two living there.  Nothing else.A pounding echoed around One as he painstakingly inspected his last valve and he turned to the door to see an angry face peering through the glass at him.“Come on, man, get in here!!!”

“I’m doing my inspections,” One replied.

“You’re wasting time and you know it!”

“ME? Never. Why on Doppel would I ever do something like that?” he asked, faking an aghast expression.

“Duuuude….”

He ignored the plea.

“Duuuuuuuuuude.”

He continued fiddling with his equipment, turning away from the door to hide a smile.

“Gawwwwd, dude.”

One started laughing.

“Alright, I’m coming, Twenty-Seven. Calm down,” he said, crossing through the door at last.

Twenty-Seven tackled him.

“Dude, it is so freakin’ lonely in this tin can, man. I don’t know what to do with myself,” he said, latching on to One’s back.

“Maybe you should try studying or reading or something,” One replied, pulling away from the younger man, “you haven’t been alive long enough to be this bored.”

“I’m plenty old enough to be bored, bro,” came the indignant reply.

“Dude, you’ve been alive 46 days.  I activated the Womb for you less than 3 months ago.  You have no right to be this bored.”

“Yeah, and you’ve only been alive, what, 180 days?” the young man asked sarcastically, though he knew the actual count was much longer.

“I’ve been here forever.”  A cold and measured response.

The younger man scoffed before jumping on One’s back again.

One pulled away once more and went to the bunk room.  Twenty-Seven followed him closely, something clearly on his mind.  One turned to him.

“What’s up, man?” he asked tiredly.

“It’s just — Man, uh — What happened to Twenty-Six?”

“I’ve told you what happened to Twenty-Six.”

“No, you just said you needed a replacement.”

“That’s what happened to Twenty-Six.  He needed replaced.”

“Dude, you know what I mean.”

“Twenty-Six died.”

“Well doy. How?”

“We’re in space. Even if we weren’t, death is a certainty.”

“Dude, One, you are the worst at answering questions, like, ever.”

One laughed.

“Yeah, but I’m still the best teacher you’ve ever known.” he chuckled.

“You’re also the worst everything I’ve ever known,” Twenty-Seven quipped.

The men stood in silence briefly. One lowered himself onto his bunk.  Twenty-Seven watched him, an increasingly tragic expression spreading across his face.  One leaned back and closed his eyes tightly, intentionally refusing to see the younger man’s pitiful appearance.  He was tired of answering these questions with each new iteration. At this point, it seemed an exercise in futility.

Each story ended the same, each life coming to the same closing line; never anything special.  It had become easier with each passing individual. Two had been a real struggle. One had been uncertain that he would ever recover from losing his first second hand man.  He had tried to make himself disconnect since then. He spent more time outside the station when he could. Tried to be independent from them. But Twenty-Seven — Twenty-Seven reminded him too much of himself in the very beginning, beyond the obvious fact that they had the exact same face, the same DNA.  Each of the men had the same face and DNA; that wasn’t special. Somehow though, Twenty-Seven was special. Excitable and eager to know whatever he could. Stifled by life inside the Doppel. It took great effort to remain aloof with this one. One reflected on the lives of the others, how shockingly dissimilar they had all been, all facts considered, and yet they all ended the same.  Such is life, he thought to himself.

 

 

 

One woke up naturally for the first time in what felt like ages.  No klaxon blaring, no clingy crewmate awaiting his eyes to flutter open.  “Good,” he thought. Perhaps at last Twenty-Seven had gotten the hint to stop asking so many questions.  He rose slowly, stretching his aching body. The human body was not designed to spend its entire life in space.  Even One, essentially created for that purpose, still struggled with the effects.

One found Twenty-Seven sitting quietly near the com panel and staring through the view screen at the celestial bodies of Dorra that blinked and flickered around them.

“Beautiful, isn’t it?” he whispered, placing his hand on Twenty-Seven’s shoulder.

“Yeah, yeah,” Twenty-Seven responded, being jarred from whatever distant reality his mind had ventured off to.

“So like me,” One thought with a gentle smile, before saying “Get some sleep, man.”

Twenty-Seven rose mindlessly and followed the instruction.  “How long has he been awake?” One wondered, before taking Twenty-Seven’s place at the com.  Still no message from the Union. One felt a familiar twinge of concern, before shaking it off.  What did it matter, really, he asked himself. He went about his routine, checking the equipment, checking readings, looking for anything that might have gone awry during his rest.  He was relieved to find there had been nothing out of the ordinary, and returned to his studies.

“Tell me what happened to Twenty-Six,” a groggy voice croaked from behind One.  He had been reading for hours, and the sudden reminder that he was not alone startled him.

“Christ, man!” he yelled.

“Tell me,” Twenty-Seven said again, “I need to know.”

“You already know.”

“I know he’s dead. I don’t know how he got there.”

“Does it even matter?” One shot back, “Dead is dead. Who cares how anyone arrived at dead. All that matters is that they are dead.”

“What happened to you, man,” Twenty-Seven asked quietly.

“What do you mean?”

“What happened to you?  Seriously, how can it not matter how they got there?  Dead is DEAD, man! Becoming dead is a big freakin’ deal.”

“Drop it,” One yelled. He felt his long stifled emotions bubbling up inside him.

Twenty-Seven was silent.

One was silent.

The silence became its own entity.  A threesome to their short staffed company.  It floated down on them and wrapped them up, holding them against one another.  One stared at Twenty-Seven, staring at his own face. Younger, not so worn down by the nihilism, unscathed by the repeated witnessing of death after death.  Hair still cut to regulation. Twenty-Seven stared back, tears prickling at his eyes and throat. He saw himself, and yet something completely different. Long, unkempt hair licking at that uncanny face, yet the skin pulled differently.  Tighter, and yet wrinkling slightly around the eyes, across the forehead. That face no longer held its softness. Silence coiled tighter, beginning to hint at suffocation.

“Look, I can’t tell you what happened to them, man,” One whispered through the smog of silence that nestled around them, “I just can’t do it again.”

Twenty-Seven nodded slowly.  Time drifted without meaning again, the way it had for so long, the way it always would, but in that moment, it was palpable.

An alarm blasted through the station, nearly shaking the men.  Something was wrong. Severely wrong. The silence that had enveloped them was eradicated.  They rushed to the com to see if they could see anything. The view screen was blank. The instruments were going berserk.  Inconsistent and chaotic readings flashed over and over before the entire com powered down. The lights dimmed inside the vessel, and a warning message began repeating itself.  One looked to Twenty-Seven. The young man’s face was contorted into fear and frown. One patted him on the shoulder. “I’m going outside,” he shouted over the various sirens and messages the station’s computer blasted through the hull.  Twenty-Seven grabbed his hand. “I’ll go,” he yelled, but One slipped away and ran for the airlock.

One grabbed his gear and slipped it on far more quickly than he ever had.  This was not how these situations were typically handled. The man with seniority was not the one who was supposed to go out during the outages, but he didn’t care.  Regulations be damned. He wasn’t going to watch it happen again. Twenty-Seven stood at the doorway, watching One as he dressed, screaming something unheard through the chaos that shattered everything he had ever known.  One heard as Twenty-Seven began trying to open the door into the airlock and before the younger man could progress, he opened the outer door, effectively locking the rest of the station down until proper procedures allowed things to open again.

One ventured out onto the shell of the station where he had spent his life.  He immediately saw where the vessel had been struck by some manner of space debris.  Two of the twelve power cells placed around the outside of the ship had been knocked loose, likely causing a short in the circuit and causing the power levels to fluctuate inside.  He set to repairing the damaged pieces, and looked up to see still more hurtling towards the Doppel. He worked as quickly as he could, but it was not fast enough. He had only been able to repair one of the cells before the next impact.  A small piece of rock struck him at such velocity it tore through the arm of his suit. Safety procedures activated. The arm was severed off and sealed instantaneously. The temperature rose rapidly on the blade inside the sleeve, cauterizing the amputation.  One screamed in pain, though from everything he had read, this was nothing compared to what would have happened without the guillotine effect of his suit. He had poured over the manuals that warned of what could happen in these circumstances. How the water in human skin would vaporise in the absence of atmospheric pressure; moisture on the tongue would boil.  All of that, of course, only mattered if the rest of you somehow had oxygen and protection from the vacuum of space. The hud began a countdown, indicating how long he had left without receiving proper medical attention. These suits, while advanced technology, could simply not stave off human death without other measures being taken to recover.

One’s mind flashed back, again and again, to each of the different men he had lost during his time on the station.  Had this been what they had felt? This fear? This — well, this relief? What sort of emotional cocktail did they each experience?  Were they — Was he — glad? He felt himself floating away from the hull of the station. The impact must have been enough to separate his magnetic boots from the titanium.  It was a weak bond anyway. It only made sense that it would have. As he rotated away from the only home he had ever known, the only home he could ever have known, he tried not to imagine the face of his protege.  He tried not to see that same face, over and over again in his mind. The fear. God, the fear. Two’s final scream flashed through his mind. Eleven. Nineteen. Each face, the same, and yet so different in that final moment.  Each death had been different, but was that even possible? Each had taken place in the same location — this godforsaken station in this corner of this godforsaken galaxy. Each death of the same person, genetically. How could it have been so different each time?  The urgency of the message in his hud increased, counting away One’s final seconds, and he felt a feeling of anticipation. Of impending freedom?

 

 

 

The Womb hummed in the background as Twenty-Seven sat at the com, studying up on life in the olden days, back on Earth.  He absent-mindedly worked his finger through the scars on his face. The scars he had put there with a broken piece of the ship gathered during a repair mission.  They were designs he had created after discovering the concept of “tattoos” during one of his deep dives into old human culture. It was his only way of feeling different.  When at last the Womb unlocked, he felt a very slight tickle of excitement. What it would be to not be alone again, even for a little while. He tried to stifle the feeling.  He knew how this always ended.

“Welcome to the Doppel,” the computer voice chirped pleasantly.

Twenty-Seven stepped into the room to watch the new arrival recover from the incubation process.  It sat up slowly, rising out of the pink amniotic fluid that each of the men was born from, stretching its back and arms.  It looked around. Focusing on his face. It blinked several times, and he waited patiently for the eyes to focus. It took some time, this orientation to the world of the living.  Fortunately, each of the clones was born with the ability to understand language and to speak it; once they figured out how to make their vocal cords work, anyway. The amnion drained from the incubation pod and the hatch opened, allowing the newest arrival to the station to step out into its new home.

Twenty-Seven leaned against the wall.  His hair was long, tumbling down his shoulders.  His hand stroked his beard out of habit.

“Get some clothes on and find me for orientation when you’re ready,” he said coldly before walking out of the Womb.  Something made him hesitate for a moment, and he turned back to his newest crewmate. Maybe this time it would be different.  He cleared his throat.

“And, uh, welcome to the Doppel, Forty-Nine.  I think you’re gonna like it here.”

“Wait.  Sorry, I just wondered.  How long have you been here?” the new man smiled awkwardly before asking, as his eyes slowly took in the haggard face of his superior.

Twenty-Seven shook his head and chuckled.

“About half of forever, man.”

  1. I was taught to read the newspaper when I was in elementary school by my parents and an excellent 4th grade teacher. When I was in 8th grade I read an article that said drug addict pregnant women gave birth to addicted babies. When I told my teacher in health class about the article she didn’t believe me. She said women who ate bananas did not have babies addicted to bananas. I pointed out that heroin was addictive and bananas were not. She told me to shut up and sit down.
  2. In high school I read a newspaper article that said the military tested LSD on unsuspecting soldiers and several had killed themselves accidentally while in a drugged state. One jumped out a highrise window because he thought he could fly. My gym teacher told me I must be mistaken because our military would never do such a thing. I asked why it was in the newspaper if it wasn’t true. She said she didn’t believe I read the newspaper.
  3. Freshman year in college in my American History class my professor attempted to tell me that the scientific belief during slavery was that Black people were not really human. That they were like monkeys or pet dogs. I told him that they may have said it but they knew it was a lie. Because given how white men raped black female slaves they must have seriously been into bestiality. Livestock cannot farm or clean or build or cook or rear and feed their babies. They knew we were just as human as them they used that lie to justify slavery. Then I walked out the class.

Oh Yes!

Late afternoon, on my way back to my dorm, Pink Floyd in my ears when I saw that lady coming towards me and smiling.

She was absolutely gorgeous, well dressed, and waving towards me.

Obviously I turned around to confirm that it wasn’t me(because well, why would it be me? I don’t know her) as she approached and said hi!

Baffled, I removed my headphones and replied back.

Lady: “Hi. How are you?”

Me: “Good thanks, and yourself?”

Lady: “I’m in some trouble and I’m really looking for some help. I need to meet my brother at *I forgot where* really soon and I don’t have enough money for fuel. Would you mind lending me 10 Rand(South African currency)”.

Me: “Sure thing”, while I handed out 10 bucks.

Lady: “Thank you so much, you really saved my day”.

Me: “Pleasure”.

Now, I’m the type of person who usually helps others when I can. That day I had some bucks, so I did.

What happens next?

Couple of months later, I was on campus chatting with my buddy and this absolutely gorgeous lady approaches us.

Lady: “Sorry to disturb you guys, I see you’re having a great chat. I’m missing out on some fuel cash and I need to go see my brother who is working. Do you have any spare 10 Rands?”

Me and friend: “Apologies, we don’t have cash on us”.

Lady, looked at us weird, turned around and make some comment. Me and my friend didn’t bother.

However, something struck me then. I knew that lady. Hell yes I did! However, it was too late to foil her plan.

Epilogue

Months later, I bumped into her again.

I decided to be an asshole that day and as soon as she started speaking I wore my evil grin.

Lady: “Sorry sir, I nee…”

Me: “Ahh, you gonna meet your brother again. You know, it’s the third time. I would have literally given you a hundred if you had changed your story.Try to be more creative next time, gorgeous!”, while I walked past her laughing.

Of course, I got the “Fuck you!” reply but I was too content to care.

Why is China the largest factory robotic installer in the world, with over 50% of all installations when they have so many unemployed people?

Entirely different

These Robots are doing jobs that NOBODY IS REALLY INTERESTED IN DOING

Like sewing buttons onto shirts or cutting lines of cloth

How many workers today do you think line up for 55 Yuan per day to sew 560 buttons onto 80 shirts at 1 Yuan for 10 buttons?

How many workers want to cut line’s of cloth and earn 70 Yuan a day for 140 metres a day of cloth?

How many workers want to get paid 60 Yuan a day for manually applying coloring lines on steel bars?

Almost NONE

So China needs Robots to do the job and to do it far more economically

These Jobs are now done by what is called 5G Factories

Fully automated factories working with 100–120 workers doing jobs with automated machinery that formerly close to 300–500 workers were needed

That’s because workers aren’t keen on working for 1500–1800 Yuan a month anymore

They want a minimum of 3000 -3200 Yuan a month

The Unemployed people are primarily College Graduates

They want advented jobs meaning Jobs that suit their qualification

In 2015 – the Offering Starting pay was 5,750 Yuan a month for a Non Trainee STEM graduate

In 2024 – It’s 9,150 Yuan a month

If you see the Vocational Training, the unemployment rate among fresh graduates is a mere 6.57%

Against nearly 18.5% for University Graduates

Dating Sucks for Gen Z & Millenials

Raw Doggin’

On 2024/7/22, China brokered unity of 14 Palestinian militant groups. So-called Beijing Declaration. Paving the path for a united Palestine to become a UN member so that UN can militarily protect Palestine “state”. After that, Chinese ambassador to UN urged Israel to withdraw its troops in Palestine.

Predictably, Netanyahu is mad, mad & mad. He went to USA on 2024/7/23 to meet both Harris & Trump. He spoke in US Congress. He urged USA to organise a Mideast version of NATO.

He then propagated the threat of Iran. He accused the Iran-backed Lebanon of attacking the Israel-occupied Golan Height on 2024/7/27 though Lebanon denied it. In “retaliation”, Netanyahu attacked Lebanon & threatened to turn it to a full blown war. Israel has assassinated Hezbollah Commander Shukr.

The world smelt fish.

On 2024/7/29, Turkey threatened to (militarily) protect Palestinians if Israel creates fear & regional conflict.

Russia warned Israel not to change the status quo in Mideast.

USA, France, UK & Germany urged Israel to stop the Lebanese conflict. And urged Iran not to escalate the tension due to Golan.

Iran, Iraq, Syria all said, judging from the debris, Golan was hit by Israeli rocket.

2024/7/31: Hamas leader Haniyeh was assassinated in Iran when he attended the swear-in ceremony of the new Iranian president. Who did it? Somebody who has both high-level intelligence & precision missiles like Israel & USA. (Aug1 news said the short-range missile was made by Israel.)

US Defense Secy Austin refused to comment. State Secy Blinken denied knowledge or involvement in assassination. but not yet Israel.

Other than Hamas leader, another top Hamas who was detained by Israel in West Bank suddenly died of an “illness” within days of Beijing Declaration.

United States worked with former Australian leaders to turn their peaceful country into a weapons platform to use “to attack China”, an astonishing new book reveals. The move was a key element in the long-running US campaign to prevent Asians ruling Asia, it is revealed in ‘Nuked: The Submarine Fiasco that Sank Australia’s Sovereignty’, by Andrew Fowler (Melbourne University Press).

United States was unhappy that positive relationships were growing between Australia and its Asian neighbours, and particularly China, which had become the country’s biggest trading partner. United States also disliked Australia’s involvement with France, seen as too friendly to Asian nations. American military strategists decided to reverse that by getting Australia to jettison the French, and tying the southern continent to the US and UK with a war submarines deal known as AUKUS, the book reveals, in an extract printed in Declassified Australia.

To enable the plan to go ahead, mainstream journalists launched a major campaign saying that China intended to invade Australia – a story that had no basis in fact. A key player behind the scenes was Andrew Shearer, a former Australian national security adviser who had worked with the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS), an American think tank fixated on using American money, influence and military force to halt the development of China with a war – preferably fought by others. Shearer returned to the Australian government and ended up in the high-powered role of Cabinet Secretary under Scott Morrison, Australia’s 30th prime minister, elected in August 2018, the book says :

“From the moment Shearer re-entered government, the tempo of the argument about which submarine to buy shifted from the best for defending Australia to the best for attacking China,”

Fowler writes. While the deal was presented to the public as defensive, the players were clearly in attack mode. The book says :

“In December 2018, the Morrison government announced that the first new submarine would be named HMAS Attack”

But despite the media’s best efforts to vilify China, the Australian public soon realized that AUKUS, forced on the country with no consultation, was a terrible deal for the country. United States was using Australia, harming its trade deals, and putting it in significant danger – and Canberra was not only letting this happen, but was buying it with a vast sum of the Australian people’s money. Worse, Australia’s leaders appeared to have literally surrendered the country’s sovereignty to United States, with American agents placed in top positions of governance. A growing movement to reclaim Australia’s independence started to grow.

Author Andrew Fowler is an award-winning investigative journalist. Declassified Australia is part of a network of independent journalistic groups that produces news that bypasses the biases and covert agendas of corporate mainstream media.

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Footnotes

What are your 10 laws of manhood?

  1. Talk less, DO MORE…
  2. Know how to control your temper and emotions
  3. Life WILL beat you down, you stay down for a while, rejuvenate, get back up and kick a**
  4. DO NOT BE AFRAID.
  5. Hate failing but DO NOT BE AFRAID to fail. Take risks.
  6. When it’s seeming like the argument isn’t going help either way, just cut it.
  7. A Man without goals is a man without passion. A Man without passion is a dead man. Dream big, accomplish bigger.
  8. RESPECT YOURSELF. RESPECT YOURSELF. RESPECT YOURSELF!!! When you ask her out and she says no, understand it’s a NO and move on to the next girl. If she verbally abuses you, physically abuses, if she doesn’t appreciate you, no one told you there was not an exit… unless you are married.
  9. Be on your grind. Grind while they party, grind while they sleep, grind while they have fun. Because in the future, when everything goes well, you’ll be having a better life than if you’d chosen to party your youth away
  10. Refer 1

Shorpy

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I certainly don’t relish telling this; it was not my finest hour: In my late 20s, I got a DWI. I think my BAC was .12. Over the limit by 4 beers. — Still, quite illegal, and not something I’m happy about; glad I didn’t hurt anyone.

I was guilty, so I called a criminal attorney friend of mine and asked, “Do you still need an attorney if your goal is just to plead guilty?” — He said that everyone needed an attorney, so I went with it. But, I didn’t leave everything blindly up to him.

I looked up the relevant statute, and it clearly said that everyone convicted of DWI 1st Offense would serve 3 days in the county jail. — Unfortunate. I certainly was not looking forward to it; I’d never crapped in front of other people before.

BUT …. my attorney said that this could be worked out a different way; you would go in on a Friday afternoon and come out on a Sunday, and 1, 2, 3: That’s the end of it.

And, most importantly, the timing of this would be worked out with the probation officer. It would not, of course, happen immediately upon my entering a guilty plea, as the law I read seemed to imply. — The Penal Code is, of course, available to anyone, in full, on the internet.


I guess the lined-up misdemeanor pleas came in all at the same time. Rather than seeing the criminal court-at-law judge, who was an attorney and dealt with these matters, usually, it was taken on by the County Judge, with no law degree. — All of that is fine.

I appeared with all of those others, and we, individually, went down the line and swore that we would tell the truth, the whole truth …

And then, I heard that I was about to go to jail for three days. Immediately, upon final judgment being entered.

Absolutely not why my attorney had said; what I had been telling him would happen; what was happening.


At the time, I was office manager at the biggest construction corporation in town, and it was a Thursday. Payday was Friday. If they put me in jail, I wouldn’t get out until Monday, but the only part that really mattered is that I would not be at work on Friday.

Immediately after I was hired on, I was told, by the President of the corporation: “Jared, whatever you do during the week, pay your people on time.”

It’s not that missing payroll would get me fired. It’s that missing payroll was wrong.

And, it’s also a crime.

If my attorney had told me before that I wouldn’t be at work the rest of the day, and the next day, after the court appearance, I could’ve made that work.

But, that’s not how it happened.


So, I spoke up. I pointed my finger at my attorney — (I was not pleased) — and said, “I told you this was going to happen. I told you this is what the law said. The judge just asked me to swear that I’d received competent advice from you, and that’s patently false!

“What am I to do now? — Ask the judge to accept me firing you and rescinding my guilty plea??? That will sound good! And, then I’ll have to sue you for damages. Not necessarily because I may get fired, but it’s about more than that. You are my fiduciary, and you were wrong.

“That’s not going to work. Fix this, or I’m going to ask the judge to forgive me for hiring you.”

The judge, of course, could hear all of this.


It worked out in my favor; I’ll leave it at that. — If this had been the attorney’s plan all along, he would’ve been a genius.

Ten rules of being a man

  1. Be self-sufficient. Unless you’re 4, do your own laundry, cook and feed yourself, clean up after yourself. Pay your bills. Be a grown up.
  2. Respect women. Yes means yes. No means no. Don’t be a jerk, don’t discriminate and don’t think in stereotypes.
  3. Be driven. Don’t be an amoeba. Strive for something. Doesn’t matter what. Have a passion. Ambition.
  4. Have courage. Stand for something. Even when it hurts. Especially when it hurts.
  5. Be clean and well-groomed. If your hair refuses to grow in an organized and attractive way, shave it off.
  6. Be kind and generous to service staff. Always.
  7. Take care of your parents. Make sure they’re healthy, want for nothing, and see your face reasonably often.
  8. Have clear boundaries and don’t let other people trample upon them. No matter how attractive they are.
  9. Be funny.
  10. Be curious and explore the world. Travel, try new things, learn and grow constantly.

HK’s top court dismisses final appeal by Jimmy Lai and former lawmakers

Hong Kong’s top court has unanimously dismissed a final attempt by Apple Daily founder Jimmy Lai and six former lawmakers to overturn their convictions for participating in an unauthorized march in 2019.

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Lai, Martin Lee, Albert Ho, Margaret Ng, Lee Cheuk-yan, Cyd Ho, and Leung Kwok-hung were found guilty of organizing and taking part in the procession on August 18, which followed an approved anti-police demonstration led by the now-disbanded Civil Human Rights Front.

While a lower court earlier acquitted them of organizing the assembly, it upheld the participation convictions.

The final appeal had centred on the issue of “operational proportionality”, a principle set out by two decisions of Britain’s Supreme Court.

The appellants argued that the court should conduct proportionality tests when passing a verdict and that a conviction would be a form of restriction that infringes on the fundamental constitutional rights of the freedoms of assembly and expression.

But judges at the Court of Final Appeal on Monday rejected the argument that the arrest, prosecution, conviction and sentence must be separately justified as proportionate, saying a separate proportionality inquiry was “inappropriate and uncalled for”.

“The defendants’ convictions and consequent sentences do not stand alone. They are the result of the judge applying the law to the evidence and being satisfied individually of their guilt,” the ruling said.

“The same pertains to the defendants’ proposition regarding arrest and prosecution. Those actions similarly do not occur in isolation. They represent steps taken to enforce particular offence-creating laws.”

Two presiding judges, Chief Justice Andrew Cheung and Roberto Ribeiro, said the two British legal precedents cited by the appellants “should not be followed in Hong Kong” because of differences between the two jurisdictions.

“In Hong Kong, statutory and other provisions which are found to be unconstitutional may be struck down as invalid whereas in the UK, a provision that is declared to be incompatible continues to be enforced as a valid law, with potentially different issues regarding proportionality arising thereafter,” the judges wrote.

Fellow justice Johnson Lam added that there is no basis in the SAR to consider the prosecution, conviction, and sentence as “distinct, standalone restrictions” from the rule creating the offense relating to freedom of assembly.

Lord David Neuberger of Abbotsbury, a non-permanent judge from Britain, said the constitutional differences in Hong Kong and the UK “do not mandate a different approach when it comes to considering whether a restriction on the freedom of assembly is proportionate”, but they “do require a different approach if the court concludes that the restriction is not proportionate”.

Ng, who attended the hearing, said it was inappropriate to comment on the ruling.

“We haven’t had a chance to examine this very important judgment. This is not the right time to make comments. We just want to take this occasion to thank our legal teams and all the people who have been supporting us all the time,” she said outside the court.

Lee, meanwhile, left the court, saying he had “no comment”.

Wife Asks For An Open Marriage INSTANTLY Regrets It

Yeah , it happened to me. Let me tell you , it sucked.

It was in the evening one night and I called a friend who lived in the cottage behind me and asked if I could borrow a couple of eggs. She said yeah , come over and so I did.

When I got to her place she had a house full of people . It was still summer and though it was dark outside , all of her windows were open. Everybody was talking so when I knocked I didn’t get heard .

While standing there knocking , I heard one person say , “ is someone coming over?” And my friend answered “yeah , Wendy is.” Well that response opened up the floor to a bunch of negative comments. There must have been 10 people there and I heard bull shit out of at least 7 of them. I had no idea that this many people disliked me. And all the comments were hurtful.

After hearing enough , I turned around and started to leave when the front door swung open and there stood my friend. She was only one that stated that I “wasn’t that bad” while a few others said nothing to defend me .

Now I’m standing there with Hugh alligator tears trying to break free , when it dawned on me that these people were spinless , no good , fake pieces of crap. All of them had been at my door at one time or another during the past week, asking for a variety of things. All of them got what they wanted. All of them came over every morning for a cup of coffee and they got that to. Several of them knew that I was pretty good at mechanics and they came by asking what I thought was wrong with their car and I told them and I was right too. Basically I treated them like a friend , but tonight was the night that everyone hated me and they were quick to put in their ,2¢ .

Let’s just say that I was pretty hurt by their comments , but before I left , I faced each one who had said something and I repeated their words back to them. I wanted them to know that I knew exactly what they said . Then I just shook my head no and I walked out.

I can’t say that I was happy when I left , but there wasn’t any more misunderstood words or feelings and I was able to free myself from those people and their fake ways of life. I cried a lot that night and for many nights after , but at least I was clear headed about my so called friends and in the end I was better for it.

China’s Taichi-II Chip: World’s First Fully Optical AI Processor Outperforms NVIDIA H100 in Energy Efficiency

Beijing researchers have unveiled the Taichi-II chip, the world’s first fully optical AI processor, which outperforms NVIDIA’s H100 in energy efficiency.

Introduction

In a remarkable advancement for artificial intelligence (AI) technology, researchers from Beijing have introduced the world’s first fully optical AI chip, known as Taichi-II.

This innovative chip has set new standards in energy efficiency, surpassing NVIDIA’s renowned H100 GPU by a significant margin.

  • Fully Optical: Unlike traditional chips that rely on electronic signals, Taichi-II operates entirely on light, leading to significantly reduced energy consumption.
  • Energy Efficiency: The chip boasts a remarkable six orders of magnitude improvement in energy efficiency compared to conventional methods in low-light imaging scenarios.
  • Performance: In addition to energy efficiency, Taichi-II has shown a 40% accuracy boost in classification tasks compared to NVIDIA’s H100.
  • FFM Learning: The chip utilizes a novel training method called Fully Forward Mode (FFM) learning, enabling parallel processing directly on the optical chip.

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Taichi-II: A New Era in AI Technology

The Taichi-II chip represents a major leap from its predecessor, the original Taichi chip, which had already set impressive records for energy efficiency.

Earlier this year, the Taichi chip demonstrated energy efficiency surpassing NVIDIA’s H100 GPU by over a thousandfold.

Nvidia’s H100 AI GPUs Projected to Surpass Energy Consumption of entire nations

The newly unveiled Taichi-II builds on this achievement with further advancements that enhance performance across various applications.

Developed by Professors Fang Lu and Dai Qionghai from Tsinghua University, the Taichi-II chip was officially revealed on August 7, 2024.

This breakthrough promises to transform AI training and modeling with its cutting-edge optical technology.

Intel Hits Key Milestones with 18A Chip production, Reinforcing Foundry Leadership and Future Innovation – techovedas

The Advantages of Optical Computing

Unlike traditional electronic-based AI training methods, the Taichi-II chip utilizes optical processes, which drastically improve efficiency. The shift to optical computing is a significant breakthrough, allowing Taichi-II to handle complex computations with unprecedented energy efficiency.

Key advancements of the Taichi-II chip include:
  • Training Speed: The chip accelerates the training of optical networks with millions of parameters by an order of magnitude.
  • Accuracy Improvement: Classification tasks have seen a 40% boost in accuracy.
  • Energy Efficiency: In low-light imaging scenarios, Taichi-II’s energy efficiency has improved by six orders of magnitude.

These enhancements set a new benchmark for AI hardware, highlighting the chip’s potential to revolutionize the industry.

The Technology Behind Taichi-II: A Deep Dive

The Taichi-II chip represents a significant leap forward in computing technology, leveraging the power of light instead of electricity. To understand this breakthrough, let’s delve into the core concepts:

Optical Computing vs. Electronic Computing

  • Electronic Computing: Traditional computers use electrical signals to represent and manipulate data. This involves the movement of electrons through transistors, which can be energy-intensive and limited in speed due to electrical resistance.
  • Optical Computing: This emerging technology uses light to perform calculations. Photons, the particles of light, can carry information at much higher speeds and with less energy loss compared to electrons.

How Taichi-II Works

  • Fully Forward Mode (FFM) Learning: This novel training method is central to Taichi-II’s operation. Unlike traditional backpropagation algorithms used in neural networks, FFM allows for direct processing of information on the optical chip, eliminating the need for data transfer between different components.
  • Optical Neural Network: The chip essentially creates an optical neural network, where light is used to simulate the behavior of neurons and synapses. This enables parallel processing of information, significantly accelerating computations.
  • Optical Interconnects: Instead of electrical wires, Taichi-II uses optical fibers to transmit data between different components. This reduces signal loss and increases data transfer speeds.

Key Advantages of Optical Computing

  • High Speed: Light travels at incredibly high speeds, enabling faster data processing and transmission.
  • Low Energy Consumption: Optical components generally consume less power than their electronic counterparts, leading to increased energy efficiency.
  • Parallel Processing: Optical computing allows for massive parallel processing, handling multiple tasks simultaneously.
  • Reduced Heat Generation: Optical components produce less heat compared to electronic components, improving system reliability and reducing cooling requirements.

Challenges and Future Directions

While Taichi-II is a promising development, there are still challenges to overcome:

  • Optical Components: Developing efficient and cost-effective optical components remains a significant hurdle.
  • Interfacing with Electronic Systems: Seamless integration of optical and electronic components is crucial for practical applications.
  • Algorithm Development: New algorithms and software tools are needed to fully harness the potential of optical computing.

Despite these challenges, the potential of optical computing is immense. As research and development continue, we can expect to see even more advanced optical chips with broader applications in fields such as artificial intelligence, high-performance computing, and data centers.

Fully Forward Mode (FFM) Learning: A Breakthrough Technique

A standout feature of the Taichi-II chip is its use of Fully Forward Mode (FFM) learning. This innovative approach allows for high-precision training directly on the optical chip, enabling parallel processing of machine learning tasks. According to Xue Zhiwei, lead author of the study and a doctoral student, FFM learning supports large-scale network training with exceptional accuracy.

The FFM learning method leverages high-speed optical modulators and detectors, offering performance that could potentially surpass GPUs in accelerated learning scenarios. This technology shifts optical computing from theoretical to practical, large-scale applications, opening new possibilities for AI.

Strategic Implications and Future Prospects

The release of the Taichi-II chip comes at a crucial moment. With the US imposing restrictions on China’s access to advanced GPUs for AI training, Taichi-II provides a viable alternative that could help China overcome these limitations.

This innovation is strategically important as it enables continued progress in AI technology despite geopolitical challenges.

Moreover, the timing of Taichi-II’s introduction is significant in light of reports suggesting NVIDIA’s high-tech AI chips may be reaching Chinese military officials. The Taichi-II chip’s performance and availability could play a key role in China’s technological advancements and defense capabilities.

Malaysia Targets $270 Billion Semiconductor Exports by 2030 to Become World’s 6th Largest Chip Exporter – techovedas

Conclusion

The Taichi-II chip represents a major milestone in optical computing and AI technology. With its exceptional energy efficiency and advanced performance, Taichi-II sets a new standard for AI hardware.

It also offers a strategic alternative in a fast-evolving tech landscape. As research and development advance, Taichi-II highlights the remarkable progress in AI and optical computing.

Linda’s Easy Lasagna

This is my favorite lasagna recipe because you do not cook the lasagna noodles first. I have always disliked cooking the lasagna noodles, so this is a great solution for me. This turns out perfect every time.

lindas easy lasagna
lindas easy lasagna

Yield: 12 servings

Ingredients

  • 1 1/2 pounds ground beef or turkey or Italian sausage*
  • 1 jar spaghetti sauce or homemade sauce
  • 1 can tomato sauce
  • 1 tomato sauce can water
  • 2 pounds ricotta or cottage cheese, mixed with 4 eggs
  • 12 ounces lasagna noodles, UNCOOKED
  • 4 cups shredded mozzarella cheese
  • Grated Parmesan cheese
  • Garlic powder
  • Salt

Instructions

  1. Brown meat. Drain.
  2. Add sauces and water.
  3. Spoon a small amount of sauce onto the bottom of a lasagna pan or a 13 x 9-inch baking dish.
  4. Place a layer of UNCOOKED noodles (overlapping slightly), one-third of the cottage cheese mixture, a sprinkle of Parmesan cheese and one-third of the shredded cheese.
  5. Pour about one-third of the sauce over the top.
  6. Repeat twice more. Cover with more cheese.
  7. Bake, covered and sealed with foil (DO NOT LET THE FOIL TOUCH THE CHEESE), at 350 degrees F for 1 hour.
  8. Uncover and bake 15 minutes longer to brown the top.
  9. Let stand for 15 minutes before cutting.

Notes

* Remove Italian sausage from casings and crumble as it cooks.

I usually make this with Italian sausage, but I have also used sliced cooked meatballs. It’s yummy whatever you decide to use! Of the two spaghetti sauce options, if you have time, go with the homemade sauce!

You can also bake for 1 hour without the cheese on top, then put the cheese on top and bake 15 minutes longer uncovered.

Little Red Balloons

Submitted into Contest #24 in response to: Write a story set in the dark recesses of space where the two main characters are often at odds with each other in humorous and comedic ways. view prompt

Matt Strempel

I can’t put my finger on why I murdered Jerry, because I lost my fingers in an accident.Accident. That is to say, Jerry hit the go button on the waste disposal unit while I was fixing it, and it munched my right hand off at the wrist. To be fair, the robotic prosthetic is about a thousand times better than my real hand was, but it hurt like hell at the time. He maintains I said, “Hit it,” but what I said was, “Quit it.” I was always telling Jerry to quit it. He was the most infuriating guy in the entire universe, I’m telling you. I should know; as a DSD I’ve seen more of the universe than most.A DSD is a Deep Space Diviner. In short, we look for water out in the dark corners of the universe in the hope of finding evidence of alien life. I used to get work out on farms and such, walking around with a curled piece of wire waiting for the thing to snap down towards the ground. That’s when I’d tell the boys to get digging. I never missed. Went all over the country helping folks get water out of the ground. I’m telling you, I could find water in the middle of a goddamn desert. Now I follow my hunches into deep space.When I heard they were asking for water diviners to head into space I thought it was some big joke. Checked the date to see if it was April 1st and everything. But it’s no joke. Turns out it’s cheaper to have guys like me out in space than sending probes from Earth.So anyway, they’ve had us out in Sector 35 for two years. Me and Jerry Portman. I told them I could do it on my own, but company regulations state I gotta have a partner. Jerry goddamn Portman from Chicago. I couldn’t stand him.How do I explain this to you? I mean, how do you come across a guy that can make you feel claustrophobic in the vastness of space? Even when I couldn’t see him, it was like he was right next to me with his stale open-mouth breathing. I’ve sent countless requests to be transferred, or have him transferred, or sought permission to blast him out the goddamn airlock, but no luck. I knew nothing was going to come of all the complaints, but it was the only way I could get the frustration off my chest.It’s true that in space no one can hear you scream, but email works pretty good.Anyway, that opening line about not being able to put my finger on why I killed him on account of not having any fingers? That’s the type of corny gag that Jerry loved. Drove me crazy. Is there anything more infuriating than a guy who laughs at his own jokes? I must have heard him use variations of “lend you a hand”, “right-hand man”, and “second hand” about a million times. He laughed every single time like it was the first time anyone ever said, “Get a grip” to a guy who just lost their hand and was rolling around on the floor spraying blood all over the goddamn ship.You ever see a gushing wound in zero gravity? It’s really something. It looks like the wound is spurting little red balloons. Or, it’s like looking at cells under a microscope.Space does that. Changes your perception of size. Entire planets appear tiny, then, the next second, a speck of space rock hitting the ship could end your entire existence. Big is small, small is enormous.Anyway, the latest thing with Jerry was he wanted to head out on this new vector. I’m telling you right now, where he wanted to go is a bust. Oh, but he’s “got a feeling”. Feeling, my ass. This guy hadn’t found a goddamn drop of water in two years. Plus, we would have had to go through a goddamn asteroid belt.It’s not that he was bad at his job—he was terrible—it’s that he was bad at everything. I mean, literally, everything. You ever meet a guy who couldn’t even use the goddamn toothpaste properly? I mean, who squeezes from the middle? Leaves the lid open so I’ve got a tube that’s flat through the centre, with all the good paste at the bottom, blocked by dried toothpaste at the top. He was such a goddamn imbecile.The thing is, though, medically speaking—on paper—he was a goddamn genius. Like, off the charts smart. He’s just got no common sense. Know what I mean? As in, he could solve the most complex mathematical equation known to man, but he’d set fire to his helmet. He really did that. Tried to make some modifications and shorted the regulator. Nearly killed us. He was always nearly killing us.I’ll say it: Jerry Portman was the stupidest guy ever to be classified as a genius.I swear he has nearly killed me at least a dozen times. Obviously, losing my hand was pretty bad, but he’s also shut off my oxygen while I was outside repairing a cracked solar panel. I was under 50% oxygen saturation when I finally got back inside. That much carbon dioxide in your lungs? You can’t take that too long. When I hit the emergency retract button on my umbilical to get back inside, well, let me just say, if I’d had the strength to even stand up, I swear that would have been it. I would have murdered Jerry right then.I think the worst one was when he opened the bay door—that’s where we keep the drones—before I was in my suit. I know it’s against the regulations to be in the drone bay without your suit because of the potential for that exact situation, but fucking Jerry, man. The guys who wrote the regulations must have been like, “What’s the most galactically stupid thing anyone could do in any given situation?” and then they’d write a rule just for kicks. They were probably laughing their asses off the entire time. “No one could be that much of a moron,” they’d say. But guess what, fellas. Jerry Portman is your guy. It’s just lucky there’s a ten-second warning before the doors open.You know the worst thing about guys like Jerry? It’s never their fault.“It was an accident.”He said it every goddamn time. It’s always an accident with these guys. Like that absolves them from any wrongdoing. As if just because you didn’t do it on purpose, all is forgiven.Imagine opening the bay door while there’s a guy in there working on the drones.Speaking of the drones. Jerry lost another one yesterday. This should come as a great surprise to exactly no one, but even for him, this was stupid. That’s three of our six drones lost. Don’t worry, Jerry. They’re only worth about half a billion dollars each.“But they’re fitted with a homing device to automatically self-dock if they lose the control signal” I hear you say. Yeah, well, you haven’t met Jerry. He’s the kind of guy a car salesman tells, “Pal, if you’re the kind of guy that accidentally locks his keys in the car, then this is the car for you. You can’t do it, see? It’s impossible.”Then, a week later, Jerry’s back and tells the guy he’s locked the keys in the goddamn car.Can you imagine being stuck in space with Jerry Portman? I’m telling you, it’s the pits.The first drone Jerry lost was on account of him tinkering with it. He was trying to make the water sensor more sensitive after striking out on another of his feelings. He’s always making excuses that it’s the equipment’s fault when he strikes out. So, yeah. The first drone he tinkered with—well, we don’t know what he did exactly—but the first time we took it out after he fiddled with it, it took off like a bullet and it was gone.I can still see Jerry watching the screen as we lost the signal. He was like a kid who’d taken his model plane out for its first flight and watched it disappear over the trees never to be seen again. Only this model plane cost half a billion dollars.The second one, I’m not sure about. He swears he didn’t touch it. For all his million faults, one thing Jerry wasn’t, was a liar. Maybe we chalk that one up to bad luck. Maybe the drone was a dud.But the latest one? Jesus Christ. I won’t bore you with a bunch of technical crap about how the drones work, let’s just say in the simplest terms, it confirms the presence of water in any form within a given target. Most commonly, this means we find a meteorite that we feel has potential, and the drone sends out a probe to take a sample. It’s basically a drill that bores into the target and removes a metre-long cylinder of material. If there’s a trace of water—it’s ice, of course—there’s a bunch of readings and measurements done by the computer and it sends the data back to Earth for further analysis.As you can imagine, a machine that performs this function is incredibly complex. So you don’t just open up a panel and start poking around with a goddamn Phillips-head. Well, you and I wouldn’t. But you know who would?So, yesterday he’s telling me, “I know what I’m doing this time,” as if he’s read the manual since losing the first drone. I just shake my head and leave him to it. I used to argue with him all the time, but I learnt pretty quick what a waste of breath that was. He’s one of those guys that when they get something in their head, you can’t shake it no matter how much sense you’re making. They could be wearing a red tshirt and you say, “Nice red tshirt,” and they say, “What’re talking about? It’s blue,” and you just have to say, “Fine, you moron. It’s blue,” and walk away.That’s what Jerry was like when he was tinkering. Maybe part of me thought he’d electrocute himself so I wouldn’t have to murder him.When he finished playing around with this drone, he came back into the control room and placed these screws and some other little bits and pieces in a drawer. He did it as if he didn’t want me to see it, but I saw it clear as day. You know when someone gets home drunk and they’re trying to be quiet but they make way more noise than if they just stumbled around? People trying to be discrete just scream I’m up to something fishy.So I say to Jerry, “What are those, from the drone?”

And he just says, “They’re spare. We don’t actually need them.”

Then I go off on one about how every single thing on this ship right down to the tiniest screw has been reduced in size and weight to make everything as light as possible—like, the angle of trajectory for our landing factors in the weight of the urine that will be in our bladders—but sure, Jerry. They’ve included a bunch of spare parts. “It’s not a goddamn IKEA chair, Jerry” I remember saying that to him like he was hiding some leftover dowel he forgot to put in.

Well, sure as eggs, Jerry sent the drone out yesterday and I’ll give you one guess what happened to it. You’re goddamn right it blew up. Nearly killed us.

He’s just lucky the drone was far enough from the ship that the explosion didn’t do any damage to the ship. Nothing that the self-diagnostics picked up, anyway. Naturally, I did my block at Jerry for nearly killing us again and I said someone’s going to have to go outside and have a closer inspection of the hull. Now, normally I’d be the guy that does that. I mean, you can’t leave something that important up to Jerry goddamn Portman.

Then I had a thought—maybe I would send Jerry out. It would be a real shame if his umbilical somehow untethered from the ship and he floated out into space…

Ashamed as I am to admit it, this was not the first time I’d thought about killing Jerry.

Did I tell you about the time Jerry destroyed one of my samples? You know how people who can’t cook, they say “Oh, so-and-so could burn water.” That’s what Jerry did. We got this sample back on the probe one time and it had all these microorganisms in it. The core sample was about 85% ice. Normally, we’re lucky if it’s even 5%. The core analysis told us it contained 37 different forms of bacteria plus a bunch of other unidentifiable crap all suspended in ice. It was the most exciting goddamn discovery since penicillin. So I placed the core in the freezer and looked forward to the fame and fortune awaiting those DSDs lucky enough to find something. I couldn’t sleep that cycle I was so excited.

Of course, back then I didn’t have a complete understanding of the magnitude of Jerry’s stupidity. Had I known better, I would have guarded that freezer with my goddamn life.

Now, it wouldn’t have surprised me in the least to discover Jerry had destroyed my sample by switching the freezer off by accident. These things happen to the best of us. But Jerry isn’t your average moron. No, Jerry decides he wants to take a look at the sample himself under the microscope. Only, the microscope doesn’t work with a chunk of ice, you gotta melt it down to go in a petri dish. So Jerry puts the core in the blast box—the blast box, I should explain, is this unit that works like an oven or freezer depending on what you need heating or chilling. Only, the blast box will roast or freeze something in three seconds. In hindsight, this is exactly the sort of thing you could see happening, but the designers of the blast box would have been counting on the operators being actual scientists, not Jerry goddamn Portman.

Now, someone like you or me, we’d take a small piece of the sample if we wanted to take a closer look. Not Jerry, though. Jerry Portman’s the kind of guy who takes your alien lifeforms precariously suspended in million-year-old ice and microwaves them to kingdom come. “Why the hell did he…? Oh, never mind,” I hear you saying. You’re getting the picture now. He cost me a lot that day. Maybe not money—who knows—but certainly renown. They probably would have named one of the bacteria after me.

That was two years ago, but I remember it like yesterday. Time flies when you’re having fun.

Yesterday, when Jerry was out on the spacewalk, I considered trying to make it look like an accident. But there are so many instruments taking every goddamn reading on this ship that they’d know for sure I had something to do with it. I mean, no amount of tinkering could have got the drone to accidentally deploy its probe with such surgical precision right up Jerry Portman’s goddamn ass.

I’ll be leaving Sector 35 for Earth in a year next week. When I splashdown and I get arrested on live television, it’ll be because I murdered Jerry Portman. They’ll drag me out of the ocean next to those giant orange balloon floaties and put me straight in handcuffs but I’ll be laughing my ass off. You can’t spell manslaughter without laughter, right?

I’ll be thinking about the last thing Jerry saw as he was fatally probed: me in the cockpit with the drone remote, my smiling face looking out through the glass where I’d stuck a piece of paper saying IT WAS AN ACCIDENT.

Thousands of little red balloons.

I just want them to know I was provoked. I was standing my ground. I feared for my life, Your Honor.

It wasn’t self-defence, really, more like self-preservation. I’m not sure if there’re any laws about killing in self-preservation but if I didn’t kill him, he was going to kill me. I’m absolutely goddamn sure of it.

The rationale is completely different for the two peoples.

For Korea, we can examine 90s Korean dramas for clues.

Korean homes had tiny dining tables with short legs, bedrooms had no beds, and few or no furniture.

Pork belly was a special treat, while beef was an extravagance.

I didn’t understand these cultural stereotypes until I briefly dated a Korean girl, who patiently explained that Korea has always been an impoverished nation, being stuck on a harsh peninsula that was subject to regular conflict both domestic and foreign, and natural disasters aplenty.

That is why sejong developed hangul to supplement hanja, or Chinese block writing, which remained the court language to facilitate exchange with the Chinese dynasties.

He wanted to arrest Korean sinicization, because contrary to conventional wisdom, Korea received way more benefit from the tributary relationship than it paid out, other than the swallowing of national pride.

Chinese block writing enabled the Korean literati to unlock the intellectual treasures of Chinese civilization, as generations of Koreans made a beeline for Chinese cities to learn governance, medicine, farming, construction, warmaking, the arts, religion and philosophy. Trade with China was also crucial to the Korean peninsula, which lacked the production capacity of the mainland.

In both Koreas today, individuals are given 2 or 3 monosyllabic character names, despite Korean being a spelled multisyllabic language. To the uninitiated, Korean names spelled in the Latin alphabet can easily be mistaken for pinyin Chinese names.

The south Korean flag, the taegukgi, is composed of the taoist symbol for yin yang and divination symbols from the yijing.

Deep Chinese roots underpin the answer to “what does it mean to be Korean?”

The only way to arrest the slide is to put up walls and insist “we have evolved, we are unique, we are better”.

Otherwise Korea won’t stay Korean.


As for India, domestic politics require distractions. And China is a very good card to deal when domestic pressures build up, or to trade for advantages with major powers.

India has received little blowback for a string of bad behavior in recent years, because it is seen as a vital American partner to contain China. India is reselling Russian energy, assassinating foreign citizens on their home soil, denying market access on whim and refusing investors a square deal on FDI. But it receives in turn high end military tech transfers, access to arms and trade and tech privileges with the first world.

India shares a long border with China, though it is across the mostly impenetrable himalayas. The Indian military has been unable to beat the PLA the past 6 decades, and no Indian leader has been willing to back down from jawaharlal’s strategic overreach and reset relationships, much less exhort the electorate to “learn from China”.

The option remaining is to drum up passions and stir the pot, squaring the circle by hijacking the narrative with gems such is “India is china’s big brother, civilizationally” or “China should be grateful to India for the gift of Buddhism”.

The himalayas have limited contact between the peoples but India will seize on every excuse to claim credit—and elevated superiority—when none is due.

This fever will continue until a leader strong enough to challenge jawaharlal’s legacy emerges.

China’s Economy, Tech

Another brilliant post from Godfree Roberts

This week

Installed power generation capacity reached 3.0 billion kW, up 14.1% YoY. 38% of that came from wind and solar. America’s total installed capacity is 1.2 billion kW.

State Grid—the world’s single copper user—will spend $83 billion this year, beefing up its UHV network that covers 80% of China and carries power from western deserts to eastern industries. [China consumes twice as much electricity as the USA, where generation capacity is fallingEd]

Lithium phosphate batteries are $53/kWh, down from $95/kWh last year. There is now parity between ICE vehicles  and EV manufacturing costs. China has cornered the market on LFP.

China is first to create nuclear fusion plasma, way ahead in the most important race of all.

Apple dropped out of the top five smartphone sellers in China in Q2. Though smartphone shipments grew 8.9%, to 71.6mn units, Apple’s declined 3.1%. [Of Apple’s top 187 suppliers, 157 have factories in China].

The Senate National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) omitted a bill to ban the sale of DJI drones in the United States after it passed in the House. The absence does not yet mean the act is dead, but it is a positive step in the eyes of those who support the Chinese drone company.

China is building a national pilot testing system of ‘enlarged laboratories or shrunken production lines,’ to support key industries’ connection to the industrial internet, the Internet of Things and 5G technologies, supported by machine vision and industrial AI, to optimize process efficiency “through comprehensive perception, real-time analysis, scientific decision-making, and precise execution.” Chengdu’s proposed $750 million ‘pilot platform construction fund’ aims for 100 key pilot testing platforms and 500 products launched onto the market, and 100 innovative companies incubated by 2025. In Wuhan’s Optics Valley, three key pilot testing platforms are set up, targeting laser processing, drug development, and new display technology. Research suggests that the success rate of industrializing laboratory research is 30% without pilot testing, and 80% with a pilot run.

Ignore China’s share of total global exports and look at their share of manufactured exports, which has been stable at 20% for several years. The headline numbers say Chinese exports to the US have taken a big hit, from 22% of US goods imports now down to 14%. So is China losing a lot of market share? Most of that reduction in value is not real. Chinese solar panel makers can’t ship directly to the US because of tariffs. So they set up a factory in Vietnam and Malaysia and send it there, but it is still a Chinese-made product.

BYD just hired 10,000 recent graduates, 70% of whom have masters or doctoral degrees, 80% of them for R&D. BYD’s research team was awarded 15 patents/day last year. While BYD has been extremely fast at pumping out new products this year, it will be even faster in the future and its additional headcount will allow exploration into new areas. We will have to wait to see what those are. TP Huang

A sunlight-powered MAV drone weighing as much as a sheet of paper, just 4.21 grams, with its 20-centimeter wingspan, represents a dramatic downsizing from previous flying machines, which were typically meter-sized and weighed kilograms. This breakthrough, also published in Nature, opens up exciting possibilities for ultra-long endurance micro aerial vehicles. Such devices could potentially stay aloft indefinitely during daylight hours, making them ideal for applications like environmental monitoring, communication relays, or search and rescue operations in remote areas.

The jobless rate for the 16-24 age group, excluding students, dipped to 13.2% in June from May’s 14.2%. For the 25-29 age group, also excluding students, was 6.4%, a third consecutive month of decline. The rate for the 30-59 age group remained at 4%.

Apollo Go driverless taxis, launched in Wuhan in 2022, has expanded to ten other Chinese cities …. Its service has carried out 6m rides nationwide since launching. It now has more than 400 driverless cars on the road in Wuhan and plans to have 1,000

running by the end of this year. Most of its cars in Wuhan have “level four” autonomy, which means they do not require human intervention in most situations on the road but can get muddled in areas such as parking garages—which might explain why it asks customers to trudge through the city’s sweltering heat. The reason Apollo Go has … gained such favor with riders is that it is astonishingly cheap. Your correspondent’s 11-minute spin cost just 9.84 yuan ($1.35). Such fares are possible thanks to the largesse of Baidu, which is covering around 60% of the cost of a ride. That is not sustainable. But, thanks to plummeting costs, the company reckons its robotaxis in Wuhan will break even by the end of the year and turn a profit in 2025. In May it unveiled its sixth-generation vehicle, which costs less than half the previous model. As the business has expanded the supply chain has matured and Baidu has been able to spread the cost of developing and updating its technology over more vehicles. Last year General Motors, an American carmaker, suspended operations at Cruise, its robotaxi business, after one of its cars injured a pedestrian in San Francisco, leading California to revoke its licence to operate in the state. On July 23rd it said it would relaunch the service in Dallas, Houston and Phoenix, but with a human supervisor in the vehicle. That same day Tesla, America’s electric-vehicle giant, said it would push back the unveiling of its robotaxi from August to October. In May China’s government offered to let the company test its service in the country. If it does, expect more hand-wringing from China’s taxi drivers.

China creates its own money and controls its credit system. It’s also invested in modernizing its high-speed railroads, modernizing its communication system, modernizing its cities, and above all its electronic internet system used for monetary payments. China has liberated itself from debt dependency on the West – and in the process, made the West dependent on it.  This could only have been done by government investment and regulation under a long-term plan. The Western financial model lives in the short run. If you’re going to allocate credit and resources to make fortunes by living in the short run by taking as much as you can as quickly as you can, you will not be able to make the capital investment to develop long-term growth. That’s why American information technology companies have not been able to keep up with their Chinese counterparts. Financialized “market forces” oblige them to use their income for stock buybacks and to pay out of dividends. That is the case with U.S. technology across the board. China’s companies investing in information and internet technology plow their profits back into reinvestment in more research and development. Such innovation has shifted from the West to the East, which has rediscovered the logic of industrial capitalism developed by the 19th century’s classical political economists.

The last time the ‘king of the manufacturing hill’ got knocked off the throne was when the US surpassed the UK just before WW1. It took the US the better part of a century to rise to the top; the China-US switch took about 15 or 20 years. In 2020, China made up a staggering 35% of global gross manufacturing production. That is more than the combined output of the United States (12%), Japan (6%), Germany (4%), India (3%), South Korea (3%), Italy (2%), France (2%), and the United Kingdom. By 2030, the world will only have two industrial sectors, China and the world.

“Raw Dogging” Is The Newest Viral Trend, But It’s Not What You Think

Tales of the sea

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My stomach was removed in 2007 for cancer and I was placed on an anti-cancer pill every day. There is only one pill for my cancer, Gleevec ($144,000 a year in the US for 400 mg a day, when it costs $250 to manufacture a year’s supply in the Swiss corporation’s factory in India — the pharmaceutical manufacturer waives the patient 20% copay so as not to jeopardize the insurance coverage 80%.)

One year later, my liver reacted to too much cancer drug at a time by accidental dosing error and my liver started dying. The doctors immediately stopped the cancer medicine and gave me the steroid prednisone for a month to calm down the liver inflammation. The doctors said I couldn’t take the drug anymore due to the drug now being toxic to my liver.

I asked, so now what happens? The doctors said, your cancer comes back and then we cut it out a second time. I asked, what then? The doctors said, the cancer comes back a third time only quicker, and we cut it out a third time. I asked, how long can this go on? The doctors said, about six times then you’re dead, probably in about five years from now.

So, logically, I asked, what about a solution to the liver toxicity — is there a work-around? The doctors said, we don’t know. I asked, will you think about it? The doctors said, no.

I was puzzled. I told the doctors I was a lawyer and anyone who came to me with a problem, I immediately started thinking about how to solve the problem. So I asked the doctors, why do you say you won’t think about my problem? The doctors said, we’re too busy with regular problems.

The cancer tumor returned in three years in 2011. I met with the doctors to plan the second surgery and asked the same questions again, and got the same answer: no, we’re too busy to think about how to get your liver to accept the cancer medicine again.

After the surgery in 2011, the cancer returned in 2012. I met with the doctors to plan the surgery and asked the same questions and got the same answers. So I told the doctors, “time out” — I’ll go on the Internet on PubMed and google “Gleevec liver toxicity” and get back to you.

In about five minutes, I found a solution by a doctor in Milan Italy while no doctor in America had any idea. The solution was to co-administer prednisone with Gleevec like a fireman with a hose entering a burning room. I compiled the science, printed it out, and told my doctors, give me $6 worth of prednisone a month and coadminister it with the Gleevec. The doctors said, we can’t do that: prednisone is a steroid and it will make you manic. Puzzled, I asked the doctors, so your plan is “I’m dead”? The doctors looked puzzled and then said, okay, let’s try it.

I took prednisone and Gleevec daily for 2–3 months before the surgery after baseline imaging showed a 27 cm^3 tumor while my liver proteins remained stable. Then the surgeon in late 2012 cut out a 3 cm^3 shrunken tumor and inside the tumor was very dead cancer cells. The surgeon said, I’ve never seen deader cancer cells. One month later, I stopped the prednisone and have had no liver issues since.

I haven’t sued but I always make sure everyone on the medical staff recalls why I’m still showing up for MRI scans, lab work, and consult visits.

  1. Class’ over ‘Swag’.
  2. Never be the first one to punch. But make sure you break a jaw or two when the fistfight starts.
  3. Stop pursuing her after a NO. No chases, or stalking, or messaging, or trying again and again.
  4. Learn to say NO. Whether it is the boss at office, or a girl at a bar.
  5. Know your cologne or deo well, and stick with them. Avoid flower fragrances and chocolate.
  6. Every once in a while, when you face a situation which forces you to come out of your comfort shell— say “F*ck it!” and do it anyway.
  7. Scour the Internet and look for hair & beard styles that agree with your face type.
  8. Once you find a gifted barber, stick with him. He knows your hair & beard better than your girlfriend.
  9. Career = Relationship = Family = Yourself; make time for all and don’t ignore any of them.
  10. Writing is the best meditation.

Extra perk : Avoid smoking at all cost. Others might find it cool, but honestly, cancer sucks.

About 20 years ago, my Jeep was stolen from in front of my building. I immediately made a report and called my insurance company because I knew I would never get it back. One other thing I did was change the message on my voicemail to tell the caller that if the call was in regards to my jeep, to please leave a message where it was and I would pick it up, no questions asked.

About a week later, I got a very cryptic call with the location of my Jeep and immediately headed over to see if it was there, and sure enough, it was. As I stood there next to it, I called the police and told them I was standing next to my Jeep and I would be recovering it. I was told to stay where I was and someone would be with me ASAP.

It took 45 minutes and 4 calls to the station, but I finally had a police officer show up. He took my info, checked the registration to ensure the Jeep was mine, and told me I could take it home.

What was so ridiculous about the entire theft was that the only thing they took two things. One was my soft top and doors. It was an aftermarket roof and doors, and without the hardware, I had installed when I put it on, it was absolutely useless! So basically, they had risked a felony for a top that was worth $400, and in the end, they couldn’t use LOL

FYI, it would have taken them just 2 minutes to stip off the roof and not risked a felony.

The other was my license plate. I was contacted 2 years later about a bank robbery because they had used my plates on the getaway car. It wasn’t that they thought I had committed the crime, it was just to see if I had any idea about who had stolen my jeep in the first place. Had they printed my Jeep at the time, they would have actually had a lead but they don’t waste their time on things like that for simple auto theft.

My best friend since 3rd grade was sucker-punched by some punk outside a bar on pearl street in Boulder, CO back when we were in college at CU. The punch cut my friend’s head and drew blood. My friend was disoriented and attempted to retaliate but was not able to do so with the crowd of people trying to break it up. I was in a sling from a torn pec injury so I kept my distance from the commotion. However, I noticed the punk who sucker-punched my friend trying to slowly disappear from the scene. He backed away then he started running away. I followed.

He ran pretty fast for about 4 blocks to the south back towards campus before his run turned into a jog, I continued to follow from a distance. Then a couple blocks later, once he thought he was in the clear, he started walking. This is when I made my move. I quietly approached him from behind and quickly picked him up and put him in a firemen’s carry with my healthy arm/shoulder. (he was no more than 160 lbs, maybe 5′9″ and at the time I was pushing 280 lbs and pretty fit despite my injury as I was playing DT for the Buffs so this little punk was pretty easy to manhandle even with only one healthy arm)

I said, “I got you mother fucker.” He squirmed like a little bitch begging and pleading to let him go. I said, “you’re going to jail for assaulting my friend.” It was quite the amusing walk back towards the scene with him over my shoulder as the scene was now filled with a number of Boulder Police. As he saw the police lights his squirming got worse, he started punching and kicking and he even offered me money to let him go.

I walked up to the scene with him on my shoulders, walked right into the middle of a bunch of policemen and women standing in a circle and placed him down in the middle and said “officers, this is the guy you are looking for, he is the one that started this whole thing by sucker-punching my friend” My best friend was standing there with a face covered in blood as they asked him if this was the guy. He said “yes” and they cuffed him and took him to jail.

I guess the whole thing started because my friend was wearing a Yankee’s hat and the punk was running his mouth, something about baseball. (he must have been a Red Sox fan?) My friend’s cut on his head was pretty bad, he had to go to the ER so we all were glad justice was served to that punk!

I’m a 10 years CCP member, I don’t feel much different from normal Chinese people. The major differences are:

  1. Party membership dues are 2% of my salary.
  2. Every half year, we need to write a short summary about our political thought. Such as what we have learnt from recent political events, do we have new understanding about Communist.
  3. Criticism and self-criticism. We will organize some offline sync, to discuss about Socialism, Communist and Capitalism; and refresh our understanding.

Basically I’m proud to be a member of CCP. I think most members are nice people, and open minded.

Mine was two things, bam bam, back to back.

We had a mid-size company, and I was running the small factory building pallets. Not very sexy, but it’s a commodity the world needs. I had brought on a co-op student from the local university over the summer, kind of a fresh-eyes approach, getting a smart kid to hang around for a few weeks on the cheap. So we talked and explored some ideas and measured some things, had regular ongoing conversations. And then he developed this program using Mini-Tab (showing my age) and it showed how we could lay out a super-efficient way to build the pallets; it divided up the work into this aspect that went slowly and this part that went quicker. We could flex the crew to have more people on the slow tasks and fewer people on the quick tasks, and overall the throughput was much higher, like 25% faster. I showed my boss and I was so impressed with all the little red dots flowing through the schematic and watching the numbers tick up, I was so happy….and then he said “if there was a smarter way to build pallets, I’d have discovered it already.” Ouch. Take all your fancy education and go sit down.

Same boss, same day, right after that sentence, he said he wants to review last month’s numbers. We covered all the regular P&L items, spends and expenses and yadda-yadda, and then we got to the bottom of the page. This is the line item where the plant’s profit is listed, and is where my bonus is. Literally, my bonus was a percentage of the profitability for the month. It showed zero. The plant profitability added up to being positive (and above budget I may add) but then there was a negative amount to cancel it out, and my bonus was zero. I had never seen a zero before, maybe I’m reading this wrong? “No, that’s correct. See there’s this other plant in another state, and they got in trouble. They were fudging their numbers and overstating deliveries to the customer. So overall the corporation got our wrist slapped and we agreed to zero out the profits in order to pay back the customer.” “My plant?” “No, this other one.” “Then why is my plant zero?” “The corporation agreed to take everyone’s profits as payback to the customer.” “So where’s my bonus?” “Well you get a percentage of course, and a percentage of zero is zero, so there’s no bonus.” “Oh no, wait a minute; you’re telling me that my kids eat less because somebody else cheated? You are literally taking food off my table because of some other guy? And that guy (whom I knew) still has a job here?”

I’ve had enough; I quit.

It’s amazing how people can twist the reality 180 degrees.

Name ONE major on-going conflict without the US standing behind, please.

  • Gaza Genocide, directly supported by the US
  • Russia-Ukraine conflict, directly supported by the US
  • China-Philippines SCS conflict, directly supported by the US
  • Taiwan Strait issue, directly supported and manipulated by the US
  • EU, directly manipulated by the US
  • Every coup in South America, directly supported by CIA.

The US has been trying to drag China into the same arms race as in the previous cold war against USSR, and hope China to fall into the same trap as USSR did.

The US has passed 11 anti-China acts within 24 hours.

Do you see China doing the same?

Then from where did you get the conclusion that China is becoming more aggressive?

Men Are ‘Raw Dogging’ On Airplanes

American Corporate Cost Savings

UK can try & see what will happen.

I bet, I bet, UK wont dare!!!

In the Paris Olympics, Taiwan separatists got warned by French guards/police. Below were few incidents.

1, In 1 stadium, one (Taiwanese?) woman stood on the stairs & held a green banner with Taiwan island on it. French guards/police warned the woman. She ignored warning. A man grabbed the banner from the woman in front of the guard/police & left.

2, In another occasion, a French guard/police grabbed a white & green banner from Taiwanese (?) sitting in the stadium. During struggle, French guard/police tore the banner.

In both cases, Taiwanese separatists dared not do anything against the guards/police.

See, France follows thru the ONE China policy & suppresses social nuisance caused by Taiwan independence.

Of course, these are Taiwanese (?) are actors who are paid to put up a theatrical show. These people only talked tough on the mouth, & held a banner. But facing a guard/police, they are chickens.

Back to UK. UK under Sunak was a US puppet. Like Taiwanese, Sunak talked tough to stage a theatrical show to its puppet master. When comes to action, I do not see anything concrete.

Dont be fooled by politicians’ tough talk; it is just a show.

Yes, this happened quite a few years ago before cell phones were as popular as they are today.

We had just came back from the store where we had purchased a new set of wireless phones. For some reason my wife wanted me to program 911 as speed dial number 1. I read the instructions, made a number of attempts and determined it wasn’t working. A few minutes later the doorbell rang along with a definite knock. I could see through the glass door it was a couple of officers. One was at the door while the other was a few steps behind him with his hand resting on his firearm.

I opened the door and the lead officer said that there were a number of 911 calls with hangups and they were sent to investigate. I explained about the attempts at programming the phones and he asked if they could come in to see the phone. I let them in and showed them the phone. About that time my wife came into the room to see what was going on. Upon seeing the two officers she was a little surprised. The situation was explained to her and we bid the officers a good day.

A little while later my wife suddenly exclaimed that she just realized that the officers wanted to come in to ensure she was okay. The whole thing was embarrassing for me but rather humorous.

She Laughed After Being Charged with This

If the Filipinos are stupid enough to volunteer to be a US proxy. It won’t be like Ukraine.

You realize that The Philippines is over 1,000 miles from China right?

HiMars range is well under 250 miles. And it’s not an air defense system.

The only thing the Filipinos will see is Chinese missiles raining from the sky. So no amount of integration is going to do anything.

HiMars will be target practice for Chinese missiles or glide bombs.

So integrating won’t do anything. Unlike the Russians, the Chinese are fully prepared to go to war with the US, NATO, Japan, SK, and India at the same time. Adding the Philippines is just desert for China. I hope the Filipino people get their heads out of their ass because the US will turn the Philippines into a death field just to get propaganda points.

The question is do the Filipinos want to die for the US so the US can do propaganda stories against China?

At the beginning of the year all of us employees (13 of us) took a voluntary pay cut to help our owners keep the doors open on our little plumbing supply company. You see the Old man who ran the place died at the end of last year and his kids took over. By years end our little company was in turmoil as the college educated heirs didn’t know a thing about actually running a plumbing supply company. Out of respect for their deceased father, we all took a pay cut so the company could survive on the promise that when the ship was righted we would all get a 5 figure bonus which would more than cover the pay cut we took. After this bonus we were to get our regular wages back plus ten percent on top of it.

Well after the latest quarterly report came out, we had actually turned a hefty profit as a company for the first time since the old man’s passing. Finally we would get our bonuses!

We all received an inter-office memo to meet in the conference room. We knew what this was about and were ready to celebrate our combined success!

Our bonuses…

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The absolute nerve of these college educated a-holes! They said since we were raking in record profits that they didn’t want to rock the boat and put the company in a financial bind by shelling out for bonuses or to reactivate our former wage statuses, let alone a 10% increase in pay on top of it.

So they LITERALLY got us pizza and soda as a “thank you”.

Myself and 6 others walked out right then and there.

You cannot treat people like they did and expect things to be okay! Between the 7 of us, there was over 80 years of experience working for their father’s company.

Let them see how hard it will be to replace our knowledge and experience. Maybe they didn’t learn in college manners or how to treat employees as family. Maybe they will think a second and third time in the future before doing something like this again.

Meanwhile, 3 of my fellow co-workers who quit and myself, will be starting our own plumbing supply company and we have every confidence that we will succeed.

We’ll start off small and there will be lean times, but there is nothing on earth that will shake our integrity and treat people like our former employers did.

Another DEI DISASTER As Fantasy & Science Fiction Publication DIES After Hiring WOKE Black Editor

This is a very interesting video.

I once had “daddy” show up at the scene of a DUI crash. Daddy tried to interfere with the field sobriety tests of his (uninjured) son.

When I politely asked him to step away and let us get on with our business, Daddy ignored me. When I said it as an unequivocal order, he ignored me. When I told him I would place him under arrest in 5 seconds if he didn’t back off, he reminded me that he was friends with my Sheriff.

I told him he would be free to call the Sheriff from jail.

Daddy pulled out his cell phone and showed me that he had the Sheriff’s number stored in his contact list. I told him I had it in my phone too and that his 5 seconds were up. Go over there and call the Sheriff if you want or go to jail. Your choice. I have work to do.

Daddy walked away.

Daddy’s little boy got arrested and lectured me all the way to the jail about how I would lose my job because Daddy is friends with the Sheriff.

Daddy showed up at the Sheriff’s office the next day.

Daddy was buddies with the Sheriff, so he got unusual access to my reports and crash scene diagrams right then and there on the Sheriff’s desk. He made his arguments about why I was wrong.

I got called into the Sheriff’s office, later, to hear “Daddy’s” objections from the Sheriff himself. The Sheriff asked me to respond. I did so.

The Sheriff said, “Good job. I’ve been friends with that guy for years, but he really is an asshole sometimes.”

Daddy’s little boy (in his 20s) was convicted of DUI.

This is why I’ll NEVER Move BACK to the UK – I LOVE Living in CHINA as a Black Brit

Cassidy Caldwell

Deep in the darkest corner of space lived a pair. They lived together on the planet of Lenunculus, a silly place full of creatures of every kind. The pair, however, were opposites of each other in every way.Weesnorp was mountains tall, with wide wonderful eyes. He had feet the size of a football field, and could run miles in a single step. His body was covered in pom-pom ball fur, with more colors than the human eye can see. Despite his larger-than-life appearance, Weesnorp had the voice of a mouse. No one could hear what he was saying, even if they were standing directly at his football field feet.Parvus, on the other hand, was smaller than a peanut. If a human were to look at him properly, they would require a magnifying glass of some sort. His eyes were covered by long, dangling black hair that went down to his feet. All that was visible on his body was one large, pointy, purple, round nose. In every way that Weesnorp was quiet, Parvus was loud. His voice could be heard on the other side of the planet at half its volume. Attempts to whisper meant whole towns heard his cry.As Parvus was too small to live safely on the planet, Weesnorp allowed him to live peacefully on his broad shoulder. In return for his kindness, Parvus would call out to those below on behalf of Weesnorp. The two appeared perfect together, and would spend years and years at times without an argument of any sort. One day, though, Weesnorp and Parvus quarreled so furiously that their lives were changed forever…Weesnorp was talking to his faithful companion when another creature crossed his path. His name was Amasius, and he was the most beautiful creature Weesnorp had ever seen. He had shimmering locks of blonde hair, with piercing orange eyes that shined against his darker skin. Amasius was the second tallest creature on the planet, so he was the closest to reaching the mighty height of Weesnorp. Weesnorp fell in love at first sight.“Parvus,” said Weesnorp. “Do you see that lovely creature yonder?”“Indeed,” Parvus whispered to his best ability.“Might you talk to him for me? I would tell you what to say, but I cannot find the words,” Weesnorp pleaded. “The creature cannot see you – it would be as though I am talking through you. My lips can match your speech!”

 

Parvus was pleased at this request. He often found himself to take pride in his own matchmaking abilities. “Very well, my good friend. I will do all that I can. You there!” He raised his voice a bit to get the attention of Amasius.

 

He was successful. “Yes?” Amasius answered, his voice deep and soothing.

 

“Are you from these regions?”

 

“Alas, no.” A hint of sorrow grew behind the dazzling eyes of Amasius. “I am from the far regions of the mountains. A large storm blew across my home, and I am here to find the necessary supplies rebuild it.”

 

At the sound of this, Parvus had an idea. “Might I help you with this endeavor, friend? I am quite tall. You can hand me the supplies, and I can use my height to reach your homeland on the mountaintops.”

 

Amasius cheered at this. “You are kind, sir! My name is Amasius. What might I call you?”

 

“Weesnorp,” Parvus answered.

 

“How wonderful. Thank you so kindly so your help. The supplies should be this way…”

 

The two followed Amasius to a forest where they could collect wood to build his home. Parvus spoke on behalf of Weesnorp, telling great tales of his friend’s many talents and marvelous abilities. Amasius was very impressed, and began to grow more and more fond of him as they walked. When they arrived, Weesnorp used his great strength to pluck the large trees from the ground, carrying a dozen in his arms all at once to bring to the mountains. They made their way to the spot Amasius wished, and Weesnorp set to constructing the home above the clouds, where he could see. Amasius spoke to him as he built:

 

“Weesnorp, would you care for some ungula to eat as you work? I have just caught some, and would gladly prepare it for you. It is a small gift of thanks.”

 

Weesnorp tensed. He could not eat ungula. It caused him great pain. To his disbelief, though, Parvus responded by saying he would gladly eat it.

 

He spoke to Parvus in his most powerful voice: “Parvus, I cannot eat that. It makes me sick!”

 

Without knowing that Weesnorp was speaking, Amasius tried speaking to him, asking, “Would you like a large portion of it? I have plenty, but I know ungula has quite the ability to cause illness. I do not wish you any harm!”

 

Parvus responded to Weesnorp: “It does not make you sick! You are a liar!”

 

Amasius was taken aback. The voice of Parvus was so loud that he believed Weesnorp was speaking to him. He could not hear the real voice of Weesnorp. “I am terribly sorry to insult you, friend, but I am well practiced in the ways of preparing ungula. My people have eaten it for centuries. I do not think I am mistaken.”

 

The two could not hear the cries of Amasius, as Weesnorp was so entangled in his own anger. Weesnorp retorted at Parvus: “I am no such thing! I am an honest creature, and I say that my abilities are greatly hindered when I eat ungula! You must believe me!”

 

Parvus had completely forgotten about Amasius, and turned his attention completely to Weesnorp. “I do not believe a word you say!” he challenged. “Your abilities do not serve much good, with or without ungula!” His voice was rising in volume as he argued further.

 

At this, Amasius was wholeheartedly offended. “How dare you insult my wisdom! I am a prudentia, a species of great power and knowledge! My people have studied ungula for centuries, and I am mightier than you could ever imagine!”

 

His cries were no use. He could not break the argument between Weesnorp and Parvus, and the two continued to bicker. “My abilities lack? No, Parvus. It is you who do not serve much good! You could not walk two steps without being crushed by a creature of larger stature! You are nothing without me.”

 

This was all Parvus needed. His tiny body swelled with anger, filling his lungs with as much breath as he could hold. He yelled with all his strength:

 

“NO! YOU ARE NOTHING WITHOUT ME!

 

As he did this, he sent out a large gust of wind across all of Lenunculus. Entire seas became instant tsunamis. Mountains were torn from the land and thrown into the air. Worst of all, Amasius was lifted from the ground and hurled into the farthest reaches of Lenunculus – farther than any creature had ever dared to travel. The planet was turned upside down in a more disastrous manner than it had ever before seen.

 

To this day, Weesnorp and Parvus continue their mighty battle, ignoring any creature that tries to interrupt them. Winds blow throughout Lenunculus every now and then when Parvus becomes incredibly angry, but none will ever match the magnitude of that fateful day.

The police have not been called but the threat has been made. A few months ago a couple showed up at our house, my husband knew the man in passing.

To make a long story short, they were homeless, had lost everything in a flood, it was January they were cold, wet and hungry. They wanted to stay in our backyard storage shed for a few days.

We let them. Fed them the night they arrived, provided dry clothes and blankets. The shed has electricity and heat.

Fast forward a few days, they are bringing all kinds of things on the property including two dogs.

We suspected correctly that they were stealing. The left when we confronted him about this but the girl stayed a few more days claiming she didn’t have anything to do with stealing. We didn’t necessarily believe that but the weather was still bad and the guy was bad for her. We encouraged her to split from him and get help with her drug addiction but that didn’t happen and within a few days she was gone.

We still had two dogs and several large trash cans of trash that they left. Clean up took several days.

We then find out she is in a mental health facility. After about a week she gets out and comes to get her dogs…they leave.

Life goes back to normal.

A couple of weeks later her teenage son shows up with one of the dogs and asks if he can leave the dog in our fenced yard for an hour…never saw him again.

A couple of days after that the other dog is dropped at our house.

That was in March it’s now July. We have feed the dogs, gotten their shots etc. Under NC law if you have cared for an animal for 2 weeks or more it’s considered yours.

We first heard from the girl about 3 weeks ago. A letter explaining that she is in jail in SC with a $150K bond for multiple drug charges. She asked for money and asked about the dogs. We ignored the letter.

The next week another letter, again asking for money and wanting us to read letters to the dogs. The dogs were not interested in the letters.

Friday, another letter. Why haven’t we responded. She wants a video call with the dogs. If we don’t respond soon she is going to take action.

So here’s where the police being called comes in…she’s going to call the police, from jail, for a wellness check on the dogs!

Unbelievable!

About Finland: The Finns wanted to exact revenge on Soviet Russia for invading Finland in the winter war of 1940, that’s why the Finns helped Hitler in his invasion of Soviet Union: Revenge and Recover territories lost to the Soviet.

But by winter 1941 and early 1942, Hitler had failed to capture Moscow, so it was crystal clear that Hitler couldn’t pull off a quick victory over Soviet Union with one blitzkrieg blow and the Wehrmacht would have to go through a war of attrition with the Soviets. And although the Soviets had suffered catastrophic losses and would continue to suffer even more (they would probably even lose Leningrad), in a war of attrition against Nazi Germany, the Soviets would achieve the ultimate victory.

The Finns were well aware of the situation. They wanted revenge, but they also knew the country would be extremely vulnerable to future Soviet aggression. So they never completely cut off Leningrad from the rest of Soviet Russia. Some bare minimum supplies could still get to Leningrad through Lake Ladoga in the northeast of the city. The Finns agreed with Hitler to move close to Leningrad, but just enough to recover Finnish territories yielded to the Soviet in the Winter War. The Finns never took part in a direct attack on Leningrad itself, they never moved beyond the Mannerheim line.

Soviet trucks moving through the ice roads of Lake Ladoga to supply Leningrad.

Now the Wehrmacht.

German Army Group North – one of the 3 Army Groups crossed the border of USSR in June 1941 – was responsible for the capture of Leningrad. But Army Group North was simply not equal to the task, Field Marshal von Leeb did not have the necessary manpower and armored forces to carry out a large scale offensive operation into Leningrad.

For example:

  • In October 1941, General Hoepner’s 4th Panzer Group was redeployed from the Leningrad front to join the attack on Moscow. Thus, Army Group North was deprived of its only Panzer Group and most of its tanks.
  • The heavy siege guns (the 800mm Dora, the 600mm Thor and Odin … ) were brought to Crimea to attack the naval base at Sevastopol during a 9-month siege of 1941-1942. These massive guns would never be moved to Leningrad to support Army Group North’s operation.
  • In 1941, Army Group North suffered heavy casualties but received only 60,000 troops as replacement. Meanwhile, 131,000 replacement troops were sent to Army Group Center and 119,000 sent to Army Group South.
  • In terms of allocating fresh division from the German Supreme High Command Reserve, the situation was even less favorable: of the 21 fresh divisions released from the reserve, Army Group North got just 3.

Clearly, Leningrad was only of secondary importance to Hitler. The most decisive battles were being fought elsewhere, some around Moscow, Rzhev, some near Stalingrad, Sevastopol … and so the majority of German force was allocated to Army Group Centre and Army Group South. The soldiers of Army Group North therefore referred to the siege of Leningrad as “an eternal war of the poor men”.

The Soviet, on the other hand, tried desperately to defend Leningrad. The city wasn’t just a spiritual center of Soviet Russia. It was also an important sea port, the home base of the powerful Baltic Fleet. If German had taken Leningrad, essential military aid from the Western Allies transported by the Arctic convoy wouldn’t have reached the port of Murmansk. Without the Lend-Lease military aids, the Soviet Union would have encountered even more difficulties throughout the war than they already had.

Half-hearted Finns, understrength Germans, together with fierce Soviet resistance, that’s why Leningrad was never captured by Germany and Finland.

The Problem With Society is: Most men don’t own anything, so they don’t give a F*ck.

Ownership.

Great point.

“Listen, I am not a teacher, but. . .”

“This is how it should be done!”

“The best way to teach that is. . .”

“The only way to make them learn is. . .”

I have been an ESL teacher since forever (over 40 years). I welcome suggestions, new methods, change.

But my students’ responses to what we are doing in class are what my lesson plans and methods are based on.

I have had HR managers, VPs, CEOs, Army Colonels, politicians, janitorial staff and parents of adult students tell me how to do my job.

I smile, say “Thanks” and get on with what is needed.

Have I ever been confronted for not doing ‘as ordered’?

Oh, yeah.

I usually invite the ‘commander’ to attend a class or two; S/he may observe or participate. I also make it clear to the participants that THEY are not being evaluated (very important here in Thailand).

We go through a normal lesson, with its wins, problems, misunderstandings and ‘aha!’ moments (beauty and blemishes?).

If the ‘commander’ is at least at the English level of my students, s/he is eased into participating.

What I love most is when we reach the end of class, and the ‘commander’ is surprised that time has passed so quickly and successfully.

No ‘commander’ has ever come back at me, except to ask if s/he could come again.

I love my job!

The Sanctions Are Working

In March 2022 I predicted some consequences of the sanctions imposed on Russia:

The first [map] shows the countries which banned Russian airplanes from their airspace. Russia in turn denied its airspace to operators from those countries. It will cost quite a bit for U.S. and EU airlines as their flight times and cost to and from Asia, which typically fly through Russian airspace, will now increase. Carriers from Asian countries will now easily out-compete U.S. and European airlines on these routes.

 

ukrsanct1 s
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As British media reported yesterday:

British Airways is temporarily scrapping flights to Beijing until at least next year.From October to at least November 2025 the carrier will not fly to the capital of China, although flights to Shanghai and Hong Kong will continue.

European carriers are not currently able to enter Russian airspace which makes flying to China more challenging as it takes a few hours longer than it used to.

Russia’s civil aviation authority introduced the restrictions in February 2022, in retaliation to a British ban on the country’s Aeroflot airline as part of sanctions for the war in Ukraine.

A spokesperson for British Airways said: “We will be pausing our route to Beijing from 26 October 2024, and we’re contacting any affected customers with rebooking options or to offer them a full refund. We continue to operate daily flights to Shanghai and Hong Kong.”

The route only resumed operations on the route in June 2023, following a three-year pause due to the coronavirus pandemic.

At the time, British Airways described London-Beijing as “one of our most important routes”. The airline did not provide a reason for the suspension.

It is one of many Western airlines avoiding Russian airspace, which is adding to their flight times, fuel costs and complexity over how they deploy crew and aircraft.

British Airways isn’t the only one.

A simple look on the map explains the issue:

 

flightmap s
flightmap s

biggerAs I continued on sanctions:

The second map shows those countries which enacted sanctions against Russia. The secondary effects of sanctions are likely to hurt these countries as much as they hurt Russia. The absence of African, Asian, Middle Eastern, Central and South American countries is quite telling.

It does not look like ‘the world’ or the ‘international community’ is backing the ‘west’.

 

ukrsanct2 s
ukrsanct2 s

biggerThe U.S. also sanctioned all imports of oil products from Russia. President Biden has blamed Russia for the price increase that will inevitably follow. I don’t believe that mid-term voters will accept that reasoning. European countries can not follow that step as their economies depend of imports of oil and gas from Russia and will continue to do so for years to come.

Which fits to this other recent headline:

French imports of Russia’s liquified natural gas surge, and Ukraine supporters seek a stop

Shipments of Russian liquified natural gas to France more than doubled the first half of this year, according to new analyses of trade data, at a time when Europe has tried to pull back from energy purchases that help finance the Kremlin’s invasion of Ukraine.Europe has restricted oil imports from Russia, but natural gas is still allowed. And while companies in France are importing the most, one analysis found EU countries overall imported 7% more Russian LNG, natural gas that has been chilled and liquified for easier ocean transport, in the first half of this year compared to the same period a year ago.

Meanwhile in Germany, which currently has a rather crazy government, industrial production is further declining while bankruptcies have reached a record height:

Germany, with its energy-intensive industry and shortage of raw materials, has been particularly affected by the rapid rise in energy prices. Large corporations such as BASF are closing factories because management no longer believes it can efficiently produce essential chemicals. There is a trend of deindustrialization.The volume of orders from German machine-building and engineering companies decreased by 12 percent in the first half of 2024, according to the industry association VDMA. year to year in real terms. Orders from Germany itself fell especially sharply – by 18 percent. Orders from foreign companies fell by 9 percent. Metallurgical corporations are also suffering, as demand for their products is also falling.

All this could be fixed with some sanity and the discarding of useless sanctions.

Posted by b on August 10, 2024 at 10:36 UTC | Permalink

My hometown which is a small town in rural area of China. This is the main street in winter.

main qimg 44750fdccc847ad3fe299f3924e53ff3
main qimg 44750fdccc847ad3fe299f3924e53ff3

Update:

I didn’t expect someone may even say above picture is propaganda. My hometown is even not as beautiful as those small town in the rich part of China. I took pictures during Chinese Spring Festival when I was back.

I miss my hometown, and I miss my relatives there.

During that Festival most of my cousins came back from other cities in China like Wuhan/ Shenzhen/ Suzhou/ Beijing..

I am a very ordinary Chinese person who was born in a small town, and witnessed the huge change in the past decades.

There’s a homeless guy I often saw, almost every day on my walk to school. One day I decided to sit down next to him and say hello. I introduced myself, said I went to school nearby, and offered him the change I had in my pockets, apologizing for walking past and pretending he was invisible for the last few weeks.

He smiled and said not to worry—it was far kinder than kicking his crutches or his money tin over out of spite. He said his name was Christian.

He used to be a chef, once upon a time. Really nice, fancy kitchen, and then the building got bought out to be converted. He lost his job overnight, and it was during that time he was also starting to develop a limp.

Nobody wanted to hire a man who was about to be unable to walk, and he had nobody from his old job to help him get set up somewhere else, possibly as a supervisor or a restaurant manager.

He’s never been turned away by a doctor (thank you, NHS), so he can at least still get treatment for his condition, but he still lost his savings on rent and food while trying to find a new job. He’s been on the streets for ages now.

It’s a vicious cycle, he says. He can try to clean himself up for interviews, but it’s never clean enough, and if he does clean himself up for an interview that he knows will be a bust, people won’t drop money in his tin because he doesn’t look homeless enough.

I took him to coffee and the chat ended up turning to my own life. I told him about my film projects, and he wrote down a list of interesting places in the city he’d seen while on the streets.

I stopped by to see Christian again last week and gave him a fiver. He looked fairly content, bundled up with a new sleeping bag someone had given him, reading a book about vampires.

He’d had a job interview earlier that day and his hair was combed, his face shaven. His money tin was empty. He hadn’t gotten the job.

“But this book I found has been quite good,” he said, changing the topic. He pretty obviously didn’t like to dwell on his bad luck.

I leaned back against the wall and pulled my own coat closer around me. “Want to tell me about it?”

With a hidden recorder, he overheard me mocking him. His response changed everything.

It should be Gao Yang (526-559), the Emperor Wenxuan of Northern Qi.

Northern Qi was a short-lived dynasty that lasted only 28 years.

After Gao Yang established the Northern Qi Empire, he was a great monarch for the first few years. He worked diligently and governed the country very well.

But a few years later, his temperament changed drastically.

He became extremely cruel and absurd, and spent his days drinking. He once married a prostitute named Xue as his concubine (which is very rare in Chinese history).

One time, he got drunk and remembered that this concubine had been with too many men. He was very angry and chopped off her head… At a banquet, Gao Yang suddenly pulled out the beautiful woman’s head from his bosom and began to carve the meat with a dinner knife. Everyone present was stunned. Later, Gao Yang ordered the musicians to make a pipa (a Chinese musical instrument) out of Xue’s leg bones, and he played and sang: 《It’s hard to get a beautiful woman again》(A very famous Tang poem)

At Xue’s funeral, Gao Yang burst into tears again and was extremely sad.

The entire Gao family was like this. According to historical records, they were extremely capable, but they would go mad. For example, his brother once r*ped Gao yang’s wife, but his brother was very powerful at the time, so Gao yang could only endure it.

When he ascended the throne, Gao yang couldn’t retaliate against his brother because his brother was already dead, so Gao Yang r*ped his sister-in-law…

There are countless such absurd things.

For example, he drank every day, and when he got drunk, he would kill people randomly, including his ministers.

He also walked naked on the streets of the capital in winter, showing off his certain big organ… This is something that no emperor in history has ever done.

In short, many people today believe that the Gao family had a genetic mental illness, and the whole family was like this, very intelligent and very scary.

(Gao yang)

From 1988 to 2002, there was a serial murder case in Gansu, China (which belonged to Northern Qi in ancient times). A total of 11 women were killed, and the murderer was never found.

In August 2016, a DNA test was conducted for another small case, and it was found that the DNA of the serial killer was related to this person. Finally, the serial killer Gao Chengyong was caught.

(Gao chengyong)

Some people say that according to the genealogy, he is a descendant of the Gao family of Northern Qi.

I suspect it’s possible.

His two sons both passed the entrance exams to China’s top universities, which is extremely difficult in China. You need to have a very high IQ at least.

And his behavior… is very much like the cruel but intelligent Gao family in the history books.

I thought my brother’s wife was really “suspicious” at first, and then I later upped my opinion to her being an actual sociopath. At first, she wanted my brother to up his life insurance when they were just dating and eventually tried to get power of attorney. Once my brother moved in with her she showed herself to be a liar, and prone to manipulation and attention-seeking behavior. She disliked my mother and me before she even met me, and always feigned illness or “bad days” when my brother and I (three hours apart) made weekend plans or when he was down for Christmas or on course, as he was in the military.

She could not hold a job because of her mouth and leeched off my brother’s earnings while complaining they could not afford the honeymoon they wanted, or top-of-the-line bikes when my brother found two perfectly fine ones for a deal. After being married for a year, my brother discovered she was having an affair basically since before the wedding and said she was leaving and would take the house and he was gonna support her since she is now a student, having just started a new course online.

After being chipped away at for so long, my brother, one of the most life-loving and outgoing guys, shot himself. She only texted me and my mother when it was too late saying he was threatening it knowing that I was in another province and my mom was 4 hours away, she called no one else to go over. She played the grieving widow at the funeral, crying when she was seemingly supposed to but spent the rest of the time laughing with her friends and family members like some family reunion. To cover her tracks she claimed no affair (despite extracted proof from the link in my bio), that my brother was suffering from PTSD (wives get 500,000 if it’s deemed true) and, that he was an alcoholic and she had been seeking help for him for a long time – no proof of this.

His will is mysteriously missing and she has since blocked my family on Facebook while ignoring what little items we asked for from the house. I hear she is selling everything now to pay for what she won’t be able to afford with her part-time Tim Hortons job she may or may not have. A psychiatrist my mother visited later said she sounded like a sociopath. I spent years witnessing my brother give everything to this monster until there was nothing left and she is continuing to drag his name through the dirt to look like a peach and profit further.

It was my 12 year old niece as she headed into school shortly after her mother died from breast cancer. I stayed to help out after my sister’s funeral for several days. My niece put off going back to school as long as possible, but finally her dad said it was time to go back. I offered to bring her to school. We arranged to bring her in shortly after school started. She didn’t want to arrive at the regular drop off time because she didn’t want to deal with kids staring or trying to talk to her. She just wanted to go into class as it started and make it through the day.

I pulled up to the school and went to get out of the car and walk her in the building. She stopped me and said, “You don’t need to come. I can do this by myself.” I said it wouldn’t be a problem, but she insisted that she needed to do it on her own. I saw her start to walk to the doors and stop a few feet away. It was just a small gesture, but I saw her shoulders slump down and her hand wipe her eyes as she paused for a few seconds. I was going to get out of the car and help her but my husband held my hand and stopped me. Then she straightened her shoulders, stood tall, and entered the school. I know it may seem minor, but to me it was one of the saddest things I’ve seen. Up to that point someone in the family has been with her since the funeral to help her through things, this was the first time she faced something alone. Her mom had been the one to drop her off at school in the morning and now that was gone from her life. That small incident has stayed with me and when I think about it, it still brings tears to my eyes.

 

2:11 PM EST — About one hour ago, U.S. President Joe Biden GRANTED permission for Ukraine to use long-range weapons to attack deep interior Russia.

Developing very fast, check back for updates below.

UPDATE 2:15 PM EST —

There are differing reports coming in regarding this issue. Some of the reports say “long-range missiles” while other reports say “long-range ATACMS”

WHAT ARE “ATACMS?”

The MGM-140 Army Tactical Missile System (ATACMS) is a supersonic tactical ballistic missile designed and manufactured by the US defense company Ling-Temco-Vought (LTV), and later Lockheed Martin through acquisitions.

It uses solid propellant and is 13 feet (4.0 m) long and 24 inches (610 mm) in diameter, and the longest-range variants can fly up to 190 miles (300 km).

The missiles can be fired from the tracked M270 Multiple Launch Rocket System (MLRS) and the wheeled M142 High Mobility Artillery Rocket System (HIMARS).

An ATACMS launch container (pod) has one rocket but a lid patterned with six circles like a standard MLRS rocket lid to prevent an enemy from discerning what type of missile is loaded.

EFFECT ON RUSSIA

The immediate effect upon Russian military forces engaged in the Ukraine conflict is severe. Russia has much of its Ukraine supply lines and spare forces WITHIN RANGE of the longest-range ATACMS.

The ma below, created by the Institute for the Study of War, shows how much of western Russia can now be attacked by Ukriane, using ATACMS:

UPDATE 2:35 PM EST —

The the New York Times is now reporting this story, saying “the Biden Administration has for the first time authorized the Ukrainian Military to use U.S-Supplied Long-Range Missiles, including ATACMS, against Russian Territory.”

So it is not simply ATACMS, it is also Long-range missiles.

It was just last week that the Russian FOreign Ministry took the unusual step of reminding the collective West that allowing Ukraine to use west-supplied, long-range missiles to attack deep interior Russia would make the collective west “parties to the conflict” because those long-range missiles require satellites to guide them to target. THe Foreign Ministry reminded everyone that Ukraine does not HAVE any satellites.

So in order for those missiles to hit targets in Russia, the missiles need active satellite guidance from US/EU/NATO satellites, and that active guidance makes the West “combatants” against Russia.

The Foreign Ministry then said “there mere granting of permission for the use of such missiles will result in an imminent and devastating response against the West.”

As of about 1:00 PM eastern US time today, Sunday, 17 November 2024, that permission has now been given.

Welcome to World War 3.

UPDATE 3:04 PM EST —

Multiple confirmations that Ukrainian forces are preparing for their initial long-range operations against Russia.

(PUBLIC UPDATES CONTINUE BENEATH THE GREEN SHADED AREA BELOW)

COVERT INTEL

 

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UPDATE 4:35 PM EST —

France and Great Britain have now ALSO allowed Ukraine to fire UK and France-supplied SCALP/Storm Shadow missiles deep into Russia.

By these permissions, first from the US, then from UK and France, the collective West has taken the decision to become active parties to the conflict and as such, Russia can now respond militarily to those countries.

We should expect to get bombed here inside the US, from Russia. For months, Russian submarines have been off the Atlantic coast, the Gulf of Mexico, and the Pacific Coast. They are also up around Alaska. Submarine-launched missiles would have very brief flight time before impacting US targets.

Moreover, we in the US do NOT have “Over-the-Horizon” radar protecting us from missiles launched from the south. Such missiles could cross over our coastline and impact deep in Middle America and we wouldn’t know a thing about it until they impacted and detonated.

This decision is the direct responsibility of President Joseph Biden. He is starting world war 3 because his Party lost the election. If they cannot keep power, they clearly intend to burn the world down.

As our cities get bombed by Russian missiles, as our friends and family members get killed, as our way of life gets irrevocably smashed, REMEMBER who caused this when you see the politicians slithering out of their Bunkers, trying to blame everyone but themselves for what has taken place.

THEY are responsible. THEY are guilty.

UPDATE 5:05 PM EST —

As of 2:59 PM eastern US time today, British Prime Minister Kier Starmer is on a PRIVATE JET heading to Rio De Janeiro, Brazil.

What does THAT tell you? It indicates to me that he KNOWS what’s coming, he’s getting his ass far away from the wreckage he thinks is coming. ALL CAUSED BY HIM AND HIS POLITICAL PALS IN THE US AND NATO.

He’s apparently isn’t the only one who knows. At 1:04 AM this morning, I published a story highlighting the strange number of aircraft departing the United States in the wee hours of this morning.

I pointed out there were several HUNDRED aircraft flying out into the Atlantic at 1:04 AM. (Story Here), and that it was very odd to see such a massive number of planes leaving the US on a Saturday night-into Sunday morning.

Given today’s developments, it appears to me the rich muckity-mucks all seem to have gotten “the word” to high-tail it out of the country last night.

PRESIDENT TRUMP’S SON KNOWS . . . .

 

 

UPDATE 5:24 PM EST —

North Korean leader ORDERS military to ‘raise readiness for possible war.’

UPDATE 5:31 PM EST —

RUSSIAN LAWMAKERS WARN OF WWIII

Washington’s approval for Ukraine to strike Russia with U.S. long-range missiles triggered warnings from Russian lawmakers.

A senior member of the Federation Council, Andrei Klishas: “The West has decided on such a level of escalation that it could end with the Ukrainian statehood in complete ruins by morning.”

First deputy head of the Russian upper house’s international affairs committee, Vladimir Dzhabarov: “This is a very big step towards the start of World War Three.”

Chairman of the State Duma lower house’s foreign affairs committee, Leonid Slutsky: “Strikes with U.S. missiles deep into Russian regions will inevitably entail a serious escalation, which threatens to lead to much more serious consequences.”

UPDATE 6:14 PM EST —

The video representation below shows what is now at-stake for Russia as a result of the US, UK, and France decisions made tonight. The areas in color show the effective range of the weaponry now made available to Ukraine by the West:

 

 

As Russia starts being hit by these Western weapons, and Russians start being killed, it is already fully known that Russia will hold the West responsible AND STRIKE BACK.

Tonight the Russian Foreign Ministry issued a special statement on these developments reiterating “If Western weapons strike deep inside Russian territory, our response to the West will be devastating.”

UPDATE 9:33 PM EST —

My son and I high-tailed-it from Pennsylvania to New Jersey to pick up my wife and get her out of here. Too close to NYC.

While we were on the road, I got a call from a source who told me Russian President Vladimir Putin has been in the air from Moscow for about an hour, on his way to the URAL MOUNTAINS where Russia has it’s nuclear bunker. Bear in mind Russia is eight hours ahead of the US east coast, so when I got told this around 7:30 eastern US time, that made it 3:30 in the morning over in Moscow, Russia.

The President of Russia does not board a plane from Moscow to the Ural Mountains at about 3:30 in the morning for drill.

In addition, all of the Russian military’s top brass — AND THEIR WIVES — are boarding planes for the Urals as I type this. They don’t take wives if it’s a drill.

Earlier I reported that UK Prime Minister Starmer was on a PRIVATE JET flying to Brazil Strange that he didn’t use the typical UK military plane. I found out, Joe Biden is down in Brazil as well.

I am now leaving my North Bergen home with my wife and son to head back up to Pennsylvania. It will be a three hour drive. PennDOT has Route 80 all screwed up for construction. They close five miles of road down to one lane, so they can put three trucks to do road work at the end of the five miles. Traffic is a nightmare.

I will update this again when I get to PA.

Hal

UPDATE 12:42 AM EST – MONDAY

My wife, our son, and I, have arrived safely at our home in Pennsylvania. Stopped to fuel-up the two vehicles before coming to the house, so everything is topped-off.

Will make a quick review of all the Intel Comms and info. Updates (if any) to appear below within 30 minutes.

UPDATE 12:55 AM EST – MONDAY —

Zelensky has notified the world – that they are prepping the coordinated strike with those loing-range weapons inside Russia.

 

 

Putin in September this year on the update to their nuclear doctrine – will assume NATO is behind the coordinated attack ( target intel, targeting, equipment supply, equipment manning ) and may engage tactical nukes and will consider such an attack as NATO getting directly involved in war with Russia, we have various response options he said.

 

 

On Sunday, Russia launched 120 drones/missile in a large attack on Ukraine infrastructure and military targets. It is now widely being stated this attack was just a first immediate response to Biden’s move on long range missiles.

It is now also CONFIRMED Zelensky told Trump: Either promise us NATO or we will go with the nuke option within months.

 

RF response – we will not allow Ukraine to build nukes, period.

The TRUTH about the SOUL TRAP… (The Astral Plane was Corrupted?)

My grandfather should of gone to Fiddler’s Greene

My story is essentially a movie trope now. I was sitting in my local pub with my dad who was in a wheelchair, it was during the midweek (in Scotland), early evening, so it was pretty quiet, just a handful of middle aged guys, me and my dad. 4 young yob lads came in, if you’re in the UK you know the type, baseball caps, tracksuits, swaggering like Liam Gallacher, thinking they’re hard men.

They’d obviously had a few drinks before coming in, and after a few pints and us putting up with their shit tunes on the jukebox, they started getting a bit rambunctious, getting progressively louder and more aggressive as the evening turned to night.

One of the old guys, having gotten sick of their “doof doof” dance music crap got up and stuck a few quid in the jukebox, putting on some old 60’s 70’s rock music. One of the young team took offence to this, and got in his face, he started mouthing off at the old guy, who just stood there, impassive, and after a couple of minutes of this abuse the young team joined in, so one of the other regulars got up off his bar stool and stood behind the young team, and as if on some unseen signal, the old guy who was backed up against the jukebox just stuck the head right on the lad who was in his face, while his friend grabbed 2 of the young team and pulled them away, as the boy who’d been nutted reeled back, the old boy went for his friend, knocking him out with a left in the gut, and a hard right to the side of his head as he doubled over.
Meanwhile his friend had knocked one guy out with one punch, and when he turned his attention to the last guy, he blocked a punch and hit the boy so hard he flew over the pool table!

Turned out both of them were class fighters in their day, and some things you just don’t forget.

Morale of the story is, be respectful to people you don’t know, because you don’t know their history, and don’t know what they’ve done or been through.

Never saw those lads in the pub again, and they weren’t missed!

To Die for Beef Roast

This is one of the best roasts you will ever taste. Carrots, potatoes and celery can also be added, if desired.

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23d9865a8eaeed0096d929fcc4aef6f5
ea47fee21d0171dc218c322c0e615c11
ea47fee21d0171dc218c322c0e615c11

Ingredients

  • 1 beef roast (any kind)
  • 1 envelope Hidden Valley Ranch salad dressing mix
  • 1 envelope brown gravy mix
  • 1 envelope Italian dressing mix
  • 1/2 cup warm water

Instructions

  1. Place roast in slow cooker.
  2. Mix contents of all 3 envelopes and sprinkle over roast.
  3. Pour water into the bottom of the slow cooker.
  4. Cover and cook on LOW for 6 to 7 hours.

Very safe! In fact, you can increase that number to 40 or 50 and it will still be true.

I lived in a Chinese village with a Chinese family for one month as part of a homestay program. I started my journey from Shanghai airport, and the entire stretch of road leading to the village was smooth, with no potholes, no litter, and not once did I see anyone driving their vehicle on the wrong side of the road, or see stray dogs and cattle hold up vehicles.

Every house in the village had an attached toilet, 24×7 electricity, and the houses all had modern appliances like washing machine, refrigerator, TV, Wi-Fi etc. And I had visited quite a few houses.

Every classroom in the village primary school had a TV which the teachers used to teach their students. The secondary school had Wi-Fi.

All the villagers wore helmets while riding their electric scooters. Every single one of them could read and write Mandarin, and none of them littered or spat or peed in the open.

The women all wore jeans, dresses, skirts etc. and no one judged them and shamed them for “aping the west”. What mattered was their ability, not what clothes they wore.

It was completely safe to wander around the village after dark. No one got harassed for their gender, nationality etc. None of the female participants in the homestay program ever mentioned that they felt uncomfortable, or were stared at by men for wearing shorts. None of us faced any racist taunts.

I’m not saying that China has no problems, but this Chinese village had better services than most Indian cities (we can still only dream of uninterrupted power supply, or 24×7 water, or pothole-free roads).

I cannot say with authority that all villages in China are like this, but I would wager that many of them are. The cities are of course in a different league. I stayed in the suburbs to the north of Shanghai for a few days, not a tourist area. The neighbourhoods were clean, with excellent roads, and footpaths were not cluttered by hawkers. People followed traffic rules. I went to a side street where there were stalls selling street food, and it was clean. No one littered, there was no garbage anywhere.

It’s not just their GDP or infrastructure. It’s their mentality too that has helped China zip ahead.

Scott Ritter Discloses: How the Russian Hypersonic Missile Changed the Game in Ukraine!

My step father came into my life when I was 8, and treated me and my siblings badly without a word of interference from my mother for the rest of my childhood. I left home at eighteen, and got together with the woman I’m married to at age 25. She had two children, a boy of three and a half and a girl of six months, so I got an entire family in one fell swoop. A year later we had been on holiday with the children, and dropped by my mother’s cabin on the way home. We were supposed to sleep there before driving the long way home.

My step father was drunk, and proceded to be nasty to our son. I got mad as a wasp, and informed him he was not allowed to talk to my children like that. There was a huge quarrel, he and I shouting, my mother claiming “He didn’t mean it”, the children crying, my wife watching it all with her mouth open, utterly appalled. It finally calmed down, but he kept mumbling nasty remarks through dinner, so we decided to leave. I also decided I would no longer spend time in his company. After that I have seen him at weddings and christenings, and that’s it.

I wish him well, but will not allow his poison to infect my life any more.

Pennsylvania Dutch Chili

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6e3557d3ca33d4d4e4a75a9a5e87e80f

Ingredients

  • 1 pound ground beef
  • 1 onion, chopped
  • 1 pound homemade noodles or 1 (12 to 16 ounce) bag wide egg noodles
  • 1 can baked beans
  • 1 cup spaghetti sauce or less (or 1 small jar)

Instructions

  1. Brown ground beef and onion.
  2. Cook and drain egg noodles.
  3. Combine everything. You may need additional sauce if you have leftovers and warm them up later. Chili should be thick, not soupy.
  4. Serve with crusty bread.

https://youtu.be/_BvrwyR4dCM

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He was young, and a favorite actor of mine.

In terms of losing its engineering chops and becoming an overfinancialized blue chip play?

Yes.

However, Boeing’s problem ia execution, whereas Intel’s business model is facing obsolescence.

Both are in danger of ebbing away in the uncertain future ahead, though Boeing’s decline will be back stopped by the government, given its role as a key arms contractor and America’s only builder of airliners.

Boeing is one or two crashes from a PR nightmare, especially if it happens on the Max.

Intel’s product mix appear unsuitable for an ai-heavy world, and arm is projected to make huge inroads to the windows ecosystem in the coming years.

Intel needs a radical rethink, because the chips act cannot save it from drowning when the market moves decisively against a product portfolio. This is made worse by the poisonous politics that has reshaped demand in East Asia.

I don’t envy Intel at all.

Breaking: Undefeated US Indicator Signals “Full-Blown” Recession

“How serious was this threat?”

Let me put it this way: the People’s Liberation Army could have taken back Hong Kong during the Chinese Civil War, long before the founding of the People’s Republic of China, and long before Deng met Thatcher.

The 44th Army of the PLA chased the fleeing Kuomintang forces all the way to Shenzhen. Their troopers were at one point gathered at Hong Kong’s Lo Wu border. They were literally one river crossing away from the British colony. Hong Kong only had a few thousand colonial troops stationed at the time. The battle-hardened 44th could have easily taken the city in about a day with a single well-timed bayonet charge. Two days at the most.

Sir Alexander Grantham, who was the governor of Hong Kong at the time, recalled that the PLA didn’t even need to attack. All they had to do was cut off food and water supplies to the colony, and the British would have to surrender in less than a month.

But neither of these scenarios ever happened. Chairman Mao ordered the army to stop the attack and turn back, stating that he had “other plans for Hong Kong”. Premier Zhou Enlai himself personally oversaw the situation with Hong Kong, and made sure that nothing went amiss with its supply of food and water.

History vindicated Mao’s decision to not take back Hong Kong immediately. He had the vision and the sense to play the game of geopolitics.

  1. Mao knew that China was poor and underdeveloped, and was soon to be sanctioned by the United States and the rest of the imperialist west for being a communist nation. A gateway to the west was desperately needed.
  2. The British Empire, likewise, also needed Hong Kong to serve as its gateway to the east. By letting the British keep Hong Kong for just a little while longer, Mao prevented China from being isolated by an anti-China alliance of western powers completely, which was what would have happened if the British had been beaten and sent home crying to Uncle Sam.In 1950, the UK became one of the first capitalist countries to formally recognise the PRC.
  3. Mao was worried about the overwhelming influence and control the Soviet Union had over the Chinese Communist Party. He did not want a communist China to be freed from Fascist Japan and the Imperialist West, only to answer to a red Russia. Having Hong Kong as a gateway to the west, meant that China would not have to depend entirely on the Soviet Union.History proved him right, as evident in the Sino-Soviet split in the 1950s, and the fall of North Korea in the 1990s.
  4. Just because Mao let the British lord over the people of Hong Kong for a while longer, doesn’t mean he had forgotten about the welfare of its predominantly Chinese populace. The city’s status as a gateway between east and west was the sole reason its economy flourished in the 20th century.Hong Kong’s success was never a “miracle” or the result of British rule, but a by-product of the times, geopolitics, and external factors greater than the city itself – a lesson most people in Hong Kong, both young and old, have forgotten

Article 5 of NATO would not have been China’s main concern, because the article could only be invoked in case of an attack on a NATO member’s own soil (i.e. Europe or North America). In fact, the first time it was ever invoked was after the events of 9/11.

In any case, China did play a major part in the Korean War, fighting the coalition forces of the United Nations to a standstill, so I doubt the formation of NATO would have changed the course of history too much – and that’s assuming NATO was willing at all to waste money and lives defending the British Empire’s interests. There’s a reason why Article 5 was never invoked during the Falklands War.

The fact remains that the PRC never planned to take back Hong Kong by force in the first place. They had no illusions that the sun would never set on the British Empire. They knew Hong Kong would become Chinese again eventually.

Addendum:
Chiang Kai-shek actually wanted to take back Hong Kong from the British after the Second World War. He rightfully saw the the Treaty of Nanking as humiliating to the Chinese people, and negotiated with the UK and the US to have the treaty abolished in 1942. The British Empire rejected the proposal, Chiang refused to relent, and so the matter was dropped from the agenda.

However, another agreement was formed that whoever entered Chinese territory previously under Japanese occupation first, would get to keep it for themselves.

When Japan surrendered in 1945, both the British and the Kuomintang scrambled to send forces to Hong Kong. KMT soldiers were apparently the first to enter Hong Kong’s New Territories, which was disputed by the UK.

The UK referred the matter to the US. President Truman wanted to ally with the UK against the Soviet Union, so he betrayed Chiang by declaring Hong Kong was never part of the deal. The KMT had to withdraw their forces, and Hong Kong soon became a British colony once again. So close, and yet so far.

This is actually a snapshot into what China was like under the Kuomintang government. Yes they were founded on great ideas by great men, but they were also de facto puppets of the Imperialist West, and therefore unable to give the Chinese people the rights, liberty, dignity and respect they deserved.

Hong Kong would very likely still be British today, had the communists lost the civil war.

Just In! Burkina Faso Forces Launch Ambush Operations Against Insurgent Groups!

John K Adams

Dril entered from the air-lock. Myr looked up from the vid-screen.“Brrr, it’s cold out there.”“Don’t you wear your suit?”“Of course I do. You think I’m crazy?”Myr raised an eyebrow but didn’t answer that.“I remember reading it is always cold out there. It’s the moon, silly.”“I know it’s the moon. I got us this gig, remember?”“That I do.”“I mean, who better than us to prospect the best sites for mining delicious moon cheese?”“No one I can think of.” Myr sighed. “You know what you forgot to have delivered?”

“What’s that, Honey Pie?”

“Some new material. You have told a variation of that joke at least once daily for the last year.”

“Except, mining for cheese is serious business.”

“Please stop.”

Dril smiled at Myr. “You want me to cook dinner tonight?”

Myr sighed again. “Is it dinner time? I know what the clock says, but it doesn’t feel like dinner time. The sun is still out.”

“You know how this works, Myr.”

“Of course I do. I get it intellectually. But a month of sunshine followed by a month of darkness?”

“Actually, it’s more like two weeks.”

“Really? Who came up with that schedule?”

“Uhm… God?”

“I need a break, Dril.”

“What do you say we take a week and go to the Sea of Tranquility? Or to the mountains?”

Myr put her hands up to her ears and shook her head. “No. No. No. No. No.”

Dril passed on this opportunity to, once again, make a joke about American cheese and the flag left behind by the first men to land here.

“Let’s dance.” Dril moved toward Myr with a rhythmic step. He started singing. “Blue Moon… You saw me standing alone…”

Myr shrugged off his embrace. “Don’t you dare start about Kate Smith.”

Dril put his hands up, in frustration and surrender. “I’m trying to make the best of a…”

“Cabin fever. Isn’t that what you call it?”

“On the moon, it is called ‘existential angst’.”

“Thank you, Dr. Freud.”

Dril touched Myr’s elbow. “Come on, Babe. We never look at the earthrise anymore.” He waved his hand and the shaded, domed window automatically brightened. The colorless moonscape spread before them with Earth’s blue orb peeking from behind the distant mountains.

“Stark.”

Dril shook his head. “Look at the Earth, Babe. We’ll be going home before you know it. Think how much you’ll appreciate being back.”

“Are we there yet?”

“You’ve heard that you can’t go home again?”

“Watch me.”

Dril stood back. The moment had passed. “I’m going to go out and check the sensors.” He pointed to the counter stacked with various tools and gizmos. “Would you hand me the razzafraz?”

Myr looked at the disorderly mess Dril called his workbench. She picked up the tool on top of the others. “You mean this?”

“No. That’s the franaham… Next to the thingamajig.” Myr picked up another tool at random and held it up. “Thank you.” He took the tool from her and moved toward the airlock.

“Will you be long?”

“No. You know, routine maintenance. Never can say when some asteroid will wreak havoc on our survival systems.”

“I hate when that happens.”

Dril chuckled and ducked through the bulkhead door. He stepped into his suit, secured the safety devices and donned his helmet. Taking his time, he checked the vid-feed and sound system, a routine as ingrained and natural as brushing his teeth before bed. All systems were a ‘go’.

Not that Myr would be monitoring his progress. Lately, her heart wasn’t in it.

He checked the seals on the interior door and activated the exterior door. The small room filled with steam for a moment as the air froze and then escaped into the void.

Dril scanned the bright horizon. It still quickened him to take in this alien moonscape. It never changed. But he did. Each day, his perception of this perpetually static scene seemed fresh by what he brought to it. The frozen nature of it grounded him somehow.

And of course, he thought of what ‘phase’ they were in. He could never shake the earth-centric perspective. But now, Dril would also note Earth’s phase.

After watching Earth’s rise above the horizon, Dril checked the various monitors distributed around their home base and the outer shell of their home. With few variations, all seemed in order.

He chuckled at his own joke. “The barometer seems stuck. Weird, no air pressure at all.”

When on the frontier of space like this, Dril always celebrated an ordinary day.

Seeing the giant ‘S. O. S’ scrawled in the dust by Myr, always made him smile. That happened after their first few weeks on base.

Dril remembered watching her shuffling around in an aimless manner on the landing pad near their base camp. Or so he thought.

“What are you doing?” he asked.

“Sending a message to anyone who might be paying attention,” she answered.

Then he recognized the letters, wide as Stonehenge. Gigantic letters to be read by someone, anyone above them in the sky.

They read, “S. O. S.” Sans serif.

He knew she meant it. Keeping her morale up kept him busy. That was his hardest job.

~

Myr watched the airlock door shut. Though a daily occurrence, seeing Dril go out distressed her. What if something happened to him?

Of course, she knew all the routines and procedures. But to be alone out here on this rock… She shuddered at the thought. At first, it seemed a romantic adventure. Like being on a desert island together. Dril called it their ‘dessert island’. She never imagined how desolate the whole thing would be.

Myr entered the conservatory. She spent most of her time there. The humidity, greenery, and oxygen-rich air kept her sane. She loved caring for the plants more than anything. They were her life.

She liked the sunshine streaming into the greenhouse. The windows filtered the harsh light to a level the plants could tolerate. And she had artificial light to accommodate the long lunar nights.

Though primarily their source of fresh food, Myr lobbied for authorization to also bring decorative and flowering plants to their outpost. She prevailed by arguing an environment lacking in beauty would be better tended by a robot. Myr insisted ‘practical’ was broader in scope than ‘edible.’ A garden could include a feast for the eye as well as her belly and wouldn’t unduly tax their limited resources.

Myr had maintained even a guinea pig deserves a home and not merely a box filled with hay. Someone agreed and Myr received permission to transport seeds of her choosing, within strict guidelines.

Now she had a garden, her little paradise. But without apples or snakes. She cared for it with a passion.

The apparently spontaneous generation of certain insects and pests amazed Myr. They required constant monitoring, lest they damage the food crops. Myr understood they must have stowed away on the seeds or the soil. They were unwitting aliens on this unwelcoming stone.

Curiously, there were also spiders, who allied with her to maintain a balance within the garden. Life begets life.

She gathered a variety of tomatoes and other ripe vegetables for their dinner.

Indicator lights and a signature chirp told Myr that Dril was back. She felt calmer now and went out to greet him.

Dril already stood in the living zone when Myr entered from the kitchen. He smiled at her and they embraced. However brief his sojourns outside, Dril’s homecoming always caused her joy.

Dril asked her, “Tell me, how do you know when the moon is full?”

“You never think it is full.”

“No. Work with me.”

“Oh, a joke. Uhm… it’s always half empty?”

“No. It says, ‘hold the cheese’.”

Myr did not react. The new joke felt very old.

“How about this…? What flavor is a ‘blue moon’?”

“Dril, I was feeling better…”

“Roquefort!”

“Please?”

“Alright… One of these days I’ll make you laugh.”

Myr shook her head. “When that happens, you’ll know I’ve become a bonafide lunatic.”

They looked at each other for a moment and burst into laughter. They embraced and kissed warmly.

Dril looked into Myr’s eyes. “How do you do that? You always make me laugh.”

“My little secret, love. Let’s eat.”

They walked hand in hand into the kitchen.

Here’s some of MM’s latest artwork generations

The theme is closeness and intimacy, but those are flagged on the free subscription, so I performed some creative work-arounds.

Of course, figurative nudes, and tradition are in my interest set.

@Default Create a anatomicallyaccurate photo realistic Baroques 0(22)
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@Default Create a anatomicallyaccurate photo realistic Baroques 2(7)
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@Default Create a anatomicallyaccurate photo realistic Baroques 1(9)
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@Default Create a anatomicallyaccurate photo realistic Baroques 3(7)
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@Default Create a anatomicallyaccurate photo realistic Baroques 2(6)
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@Default Create a anatomicallyaccurate photo realistic Baroques 1(8)
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@Default Create a anatomicallyaccurate photo realistic Baroques 1(5)
@Default Create a anatomicallyaccurate photo realistic Baroques 2(5)
@Default Create a anatomicallyaccurate photo realistic Baroques 2(5)
@Default Create a anatomicallyaccurate photo realistic Baroques 1(4)
@Default Create a anatomicallyaccurate photo realistic Baroques 1(4)
@Default Create a anatomicallyaccurate photo realistic Baroques 2(4)
@Default Create a anatomicallyaccurate photo realistic Baroques 2(4)

I’m sure I’ve told this story before…

Quite a number of years ago I was out shooting at a public range when a family showed up. Mom and dad, two kids, and even grandma.

They pile out of a pickup truck… and, well, to complete the visual here, they looked straight out of central casting as a Mariachi band. Now, I’m like “you do your thing, I’ll do mine”, but to say that this group was attention getting understates it by several orders of magnitude.

Dad had some cowboy guns, a revolver and a lever action rifle. They also had a grand total of one set of hearing protection between all of them. No eyepro is present.

They proceed to set up their “targets”, which are just a bunch of milk cartons filled with dirt…. Whatever, it’s a public range and people shoot all sorts of random shit. The boy takes a couple of them downrange, sets them down, and steps about three paces to the side.

Dad starts blasting. Yes, kid is still downrange as fuck.

I immediately decide that I don’t want to have to deal with the paperwork when one of these idiots shoots someone, and start packing up. But I’m doing it slow, because I’m keeping one eye on these guys, and keeping my very loaded rifle slung and ready because I’m also somewhat concerned that I’m going to have to shoot one of these idiots myself if the stupidity level goes up another notch, and I want it to be very obvious that if they point a gun at me they are pointing a gun at a man with a clearly loaded AR.

After they blast some rounds in the dirt, the kid eventually comes back behind the line, and the kids pull out the revolver to take turns shooting.

The boy walks up to the line with the revolver and the girl sits on the bench next to him, looks right at him, and I see the next few moments in slow motion. The boy pulls the trigger and the girl gets an absolute face full of cylinder gap, and screams.

I chose that moment to exit, stage left, but that whole scene is burned into my brain, as assuradly as hot gas was burned into that poor girls eyes.

Hunter Discovers 29 Human Body Parts in the Desert

https://youtu.be/AFboKFzJza4

Cabbage Rolls

6c9b892ba8104b45be3f29e6169b50a0
6c9b892ba8104b45be3f29e6169b50a0

Ingredients

  • 12 large leaves cabbage
  • 1 cup cooked white rice
  • 1 egg, beaten
  • 1/4 cup milk
  • 1/4 cup minced onion
  • 1 pound extra-lean ground beef
  • 1 1/4 teaspoons salt
  • 1 1/4 teaspoons ground black pepper
  • 1 (8 ounce) can tomato sauce
  • 1 tablespoon brown sugar
  • 1 tablespoon lemon juice
  • 1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
xr:d:DAGAaqI9iis:37,j:8728398767535521041,t:24032415
xr:d:DAGAaqI9iis:37,j:8728398767535521041,t:24032415

Instructions

  1. Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Boil cabbage leaves 2 minutes, just until pliable; drain.
  2. In large bowl, combine rice, egg, milk, onion, ground beef, salt and pepper.
  3. Place about 1/4 cup of meat mixture in center of each cabbage leaf, and roll up, tucking in ends. Place rolls in slow cooker, seam side down.
  4. In a small bowl, mix together tomato sauce, brown sugar, lemon juice and Worcestershire sauce. Pour over cabbage rolls.
  5. Cover, and cook on LOW for 8 to 9 hours.

Foreign Woman Meets American Women & NOW Understands Why Passport Bros Exist!

The look on their faces when she said she understood why men are traveling out the states. The salt was real in that room!!!

She has no choice but to fly away; the country has already fallen into a downward spiral.

On the surface, the recent unrest in Bangladesh appears to be due to civil service positions being skewed in favor of military families, but this is just a trigger. Even if there were zero reserved positions for military families, there would still be hundreds of thousands of university graduates competing for very few positions.

The essence of the problem is economic decline and public dissatisfaction.

Bangladesh is in deep trouble.

Firstly, there is a population explosion. With such a small land area, it has 170M people. China has a large population, but Bangladesh’s population density is nearly ten times that of China! Russia’s land area is 116 times that of Bangladesh, yet its population is 30 million less.

The total population of these red areas on Earth, compressed into a very small point, is Bangladesh.

With such a large population, the vast majority are engaged in agriculture, which has very low added value.

Bangladesh is the second most disaster-prone country in the world (the first is the Philippines).

Previously, population growth was slow, relying entirely on the harsh adjustment of natural disasters.

During the last major famine, 10 million out of a population of 40 million in Bangladesh died of starvation.

After entering the modern era, pesticides, high-yield seeds, fertilizers, and vaccines have caused a sharp increase in the agricultural population.

Unlike China, which has implemented family planning policies, a democratically elected government in Bangladesh cannot do the same. As a result, the population continues to grow while land area remains fixed, and frequent natural disasters make it difficult to develop a secondary industry on a large scale.

The world’s largest and most dangerous ship-breaking yard is in Bangladesh, but it can only accommodate 200,000 workers, and the value added to production is extremely low.

The country’s pillar industry, the textile industry, has little technological content and faces extremely fierce international competition.

In fact, it is at the bottom of the international division of labor.

Another mistake is the excessive emphasis on higher education. At this stage, the country should focus more on basic education rather than higher education.

After receiving higher education, many young people are unwilling to settle for low-income jobs.

What’s worse is that the country has invested significant resources in cultivating a highly educated population, but most of them are liberal arts graduates.

In China, for example, when I was taking the college entrance exam, the ratio of STEM students to liberal arts students was about 8:1 to 9:1.

There was even some discrimination against liberal arts students at that time; those who failed to compete in STEM fields were the ones considering studying liberal arts.

Even today, the ratio of STEM students to liberal arts students in China is still about 1:1, and STEM students generally have better job prospects and salaries compared to liberal arts students.

(To this day, on the Chinese Internet, the phrase “Are you a liberal arts student?” is still clearly mocking and contemptuous.)

(I believe Vietnam should also learn from this. Today, in Vietnam, the ratio of STEM majors to liberal arts majors is about 1:2, which is far too high for liberal arts students.)

With so many liberal arts graduates, who have broad perspectives, they are naturally unwilling to engage in hard work after graduation, leading to unrest.

Democratic governments and parliamentary politics are not very suitable for late-developing countries.

If Bangladesh cannot make the most of the remaining value of manual labor before AI and automation technologies become dominant, and cannot push for more industrialization, the future of Bangladesh will be very concerning.

Rat Fink

China isn’t exactly hidden from the world is it?

main qimg 946663b368e14a45e46485c3892d7215
main qimg 946663b368e14a45e46485c3892d7215

You have a Visa and can visit China anytime and see for yourself can’t you?

China has 34 routes on HS measuring a distance of 4,790 Kms at 350 KPH

China has 57 routes on Rail measuring a distance of 28,730 Kms at 256 KPH

That’s 33,520 Kms of guaranteed railway length

This is public record. You can check each route, delete the repeating routes and this is the number you get

170 million travelled by these routes this year and purchased tickets

So they have 33,000+ kms publicly published on record – more than the rest of the world combined

Why would they lie about having a mere 10,000 Kms more?

If they had said 100,000 – I understand

They said 43,000 when they have 33,500 that can be verified sitting in Chennai

Why make up a mere 10,000 Kms?

So my guess is 43,000 is very true and Australia is just as usual being a sore loser

Men Are Healing From Dating In The West When Going Overseas

Paintings of the High Seas

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You’re told to, that’s why.

Meanwhile you’re told to ignore anything before a certain point… where have we heard that before?

What do you mean before a certain point?

You know 22 years ago on 11th September 2001? 3000 people were killed yeah?

Some basic maths? 1/95,000th of the US population were killed that day. A typical person’s network is about 100–150 people meaning about – 450000 were indirectly affected.

A lot right?

In the Korean war the USAF killed 20–25% of their population with airpower, nothing was left standing EVERYTHING was bombed. Shacks, huts EVERYTHING was bombed.

1 in 4 people were MURDERED by the US airforce.

But wait it gets worse.

US sanctions starved the people killing several more million.

You think about that, 3000 people were killed in the USA and 450,000 were affected and the USA went on a rape murder spree killing nearly 5 million people

the white power types like Colin Riegels are all hahahahhaha it was FUN TO DESTROY IRAQ non whites are just insects! Only WHITE DEATHS COUNT because WE ARE THE WORLD NOBODY ELSE IS HUMAN.

And yet most white supremacies still think they’re the good guys.

The popularity of Abu Ghraib is testament to that

main qimg 5e1ee0ab9f2195145bad029b4a607572 lq
main qimg 5e1ee0ab9f2195145bad029b4a607572 lq

The whistleblower Joe Darby was absolutely destroyed over that when his conscience told him to show the shitty things the US has been doing for decades.

Scott Ritter REVEALS: NATO in Full PANIC! Russia Puts Ukraine’s Army on the Verge of TOTAL COLLAPSE!

Shorpy

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Elon Musk speaks

U.S. Government Selects New President For Venezuela

The clown show continues:

U.S. says Maduro lost Venezuelan election, calls for talks, transitionWashington Post

CARACAS, Venezuela — The United States on Thursday said opposition candidate Edmundo González defeated President Nicolás Maduro in Venezuela’s presidential election and called for negotiations to ensure a peaceful transition of power.Maduro claims that he won Sunday’s vote. The opposition, meanwhile, says that the government’s own records, as well as independent exit polls, indicate that González won twice as many as votes.

“Given the overwhelming evidence, it is clear to the United States and, most importantly, to the Venezuelan people that Edmundo González Urrutia won the most votes in Venezuela’s July 28 presidential election,” Secretary of State Antony Blinken said in a statement Thursday evening.

Did anyone inform “President” Juan Guaido?

 

Posted by b at 7:03 UTC | Comments (124)

Putin Makes a statement

A comment

It’s interesting how the US always knows what happens in other countries’ elections, and the “real” results, but can’t manage its own elections and has a political system which no longer bears any resemblance to democracy in substance, and ever less so in form.

It’s also interesting how the US allows itself, and is allowed, to openly choose other countries’ leaders, and to assassinate them if other “democratic’ US methods don’t succeed.

The Grotesque States of America, as someone called it, is blind to how grotesque it has become and how much revulsion it is generating, which is systematically pushing it into irrelevance.

As for Venezuela, it is not going to allow another Guido cycle to hinder its path forward.

“Tensions that emerged on Sunday and continued on Monday and Tuesday, are now under control, and this control will become stricter day by day in order to ensure [the country’s] peace, prosperity and production,” Maduro said.

“We have arrested over 1,200 criminals and are now searching for another 1,000, who will also be arrested,” the president continued, adding that those individuals “underwent training in Texas, US, as well as in Colombia, Peru and Chile,” and his government has video footage of these training sessions to prove it.

He also said that “the criminals set over 300 police stations on fire.” In his words, around 80% of rioters were under the influence of drugs or alcohol.

“We are catching them, one by one, and there will be no mercy,” Maduro said, announcing that two maximum security prisons will be put into operation about two weeks later. “All criminals will go to maximum security prisons.”

https://tass.com/world/1824421

 

Posted by: JB | Aug 2 2024 8:31 utc | 10

On the Chinese internet, people are also discussing this issue.

The majority believe that it is because of certain Democratic policies that have angered Elon Musk.

What I mean is the matter of Musk’s son transitioning.

We may be completely wrong in our speculation, but as Chinese people, this kind of thinking is quite natural.

Few Chinese parents would agree with such a thing and would definitely be extremely angry. So, perhaps we are projecting our own feelings.

Chinese people generally like Trump more, at least much more than Biden, and it has nothing to do with tariffs or anything like that. Here are two very important factors:

1. Values: You read that right, Chinese people relatively recognize Trump’s values more, such as hard work, valuing family, and not doing drugs.

Especially important is that due to political correctness, we don’t dare to oppose LGBTQ and immigration on the internet.

But in reality, people are very anxious.

This is not discrimination; it has to do with Chinese history. For thousands of years, the Chinese view on homosexuality has been “Oh, that’s fine, but don’t force it on me, and don’t affect me. We are all equal, you can’t think you’re superior just because you’re a minority.”

This is different from the West, where there was brutal persecution of homosexuals before, and now there is excessive promotion.

2 Immigration issue: In our history, we didn’t capture Black people from Africa and sell them as slaves, so we naturally don’t have a sense of guilt.

We are also not a country of immigrants, so when more than 30,000 Africans without legal status (some even claim up to 500,000, which I doubt, it shouldn’t be that many) gather in specific communities in Guangzhou, with over 90% being young males, and increasing at a rate of 30% per year, we are really, really worried.

But the above two issues, because of political correctness, cannot be publicly opposed. When we hear Trump’s views on sexual minorities and illegal immigrants, we naturally feel: he is saying what we want to say!

3.Trump doesn’t “keep a dog”

There are countless attacks and abusive comments against China on the Chinese internet, but very few in real life because the majority are actually paid posts.

These people don’t discuss other issues normally, but once a hot event like the Ukraine crisis happens, they post the same content densely to stir things up.

Chinese netizens generally believe they are hired by the Democratic Party, saying the American Democrats are too good at “remote farming dogs.” During Trump’s administration, this phenomenon was rare, possibly because he was smart enough to know that such actions only make the Chinese more disgusted and serve no purpose, so he cut the funding for online opinion wars.

Therefore, many people hope he will be in power again, at least to clean up the Chinese internet a bit.

These are situations that foreigners might not know about, so I ventured to respond.

It’s very easy to do. However, Taiwan’s air force and navy soldiers also have family members. When they die, their parents and siblings must have been devastated.

The CPC will not resort to war to unify Taiwan until it is absolutely necessary.

After all, the two sides of the Strait share the same roots after all, so there is no need to fight to the death.

In the same family, it was common for the eldest brother to join the PLA and the younger brother to join the Kuomintang army.

Mao Fumei, Chiang Kai-shek’s first wife and Chiang Ching-kuo’s mother, was actually from the same clan as Mao Zedong. According to the seniority, Chiang Kai-shek was Mao Zedong’s “brother-in-law” or “uncle”. Even Mao’s younger cousin was a lieutenant general in the Kuomintang.

Xi Jinping’s wife’s uncle followed Chiang Kai-shek to Taiwan in 1949. Xi Jinping’s wife’s uncle’s family lives in Taiwan.


During the Chinese People’s Liberation War in 1949, 4 million Kuomintang soldiers surrendered and only a very small number of them lost their lives in the war.

Starting from April 1949,

  • only those Kuomintang soldiers who contacted the PLA at least one month in advance to surrender could be considered “abandon evil and follow good, 起义”,
  • those who surrendered 72 hours before the PLA attack could only be considered “active surrender, 投诚”,
  • and those who laid down their weapons during the PLA attack could only be considered “captive, 被俘”.

It is said that there was a unit in Lin Biao’s Fourth Field Army that was very rude, and it was the unit that was specifically reprimanded by Premier Zhou Enlai. They thought that there were too many Kuomintang troops who “abandoned evil and followed good, 起义” and “active surrendered, 投诚”, and their enemy annihilation figures were not good, so they returned the weapons to the Kuomintang soldiers when they had clearly “active surrender, 投诚”, and forced them to change their “active surrender, 投诚” to “captive, 被俘”.

“Abandon evil and follow good, 起义”, “active surrender, 投诚”, “captive, 被俘”, the literal meanings are different, and the treatment is very different.

In the 1980s – 1990s, a large number of people petitioned the central government, demanding to prove that they were “abandon evil and follow good , 起义” instead of “active surrender, 投诚”.

Therefore, at that time, the Kuomintang troops spent a lot of time studying how to “abandon evil and follow good , 起义” or “active surrender, 投诚” with the highest cost-effectiveness!

main qimg 4313d1b84f271d99472d22b203fd543c
main qimg 4313d1b84f271d99472d22b203fd543c

In 1959, when the first batch of war criminals were pardoned at the Gongdelin War Criminals Management Center, it was strictly stipulated that only those who had been “Captured for ten years, 被俘满10年” were eligible for pardon.

At that time, the prisoners of war in the War Criminals Management Center were immediately excited.

  • Those captured in the Battle of Lunan, the Battle of Xiangfan, and the Battle of Yangshanji were undoubtedly eligible for the first batch of pardons.
  • Those captured in the Liaoshen Campaign and the Huaihai Campaign were all in a good mood.
  • But those captured in the Pingjin Campaign were a little confused, and they were not sure whether they were eligible for pardon.
  • Those captured after the Crossing the Yangtze River Campaign were all gloomy and wished they had been captured earlier.

Time is running out, places are limited, and the “Abandon evil and follow good, 起义” needs to act sooner rather than later.

Classical art

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Native American Ravioli

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df6b2b88 dbaa 4e77 a048 f645b52952b6

Ingredients

  • 3 cups sifted all-purpose flour
  • 4 eggs
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 1 teaspoon vegetable oil

Instructions

  1. Pour the flour into a mound on a flat working surface. Make a depression in the center with your hand that almost reaches through to the board. Crack the eggs directly into the well and, with a fork, whip in the salt and oil, mixing the flour in from around the edges. Mix and knead the dough with your hands for 8 to 10 minutes, until the dough has a smooth and elastic consistency. If the dough seems a bit dry, add a little water; add a little more flour if it seems too moist.
  2. Once you have obtained the desired consistency, cover the dough with plastic wrap and place it in the refrigerator for 15 minutes.
  3. Divide the dough into handsful and roll out each section to a very thin, even, almost translucent thickness. Use your imagination to cut the dough into any size or shape.

Notes

Any filling can be used to make the ravioli.

Blue Cornmeal Ravioli: Substitute a combination of 1 cup finely ground blue cornmeal and 1 1/2 cups flour for the flour in this recipe. Increase the number of eggs to 5.

I turned up to work just over a year ago.

The previous evening my colleague had asked me for my password to my computer so she could print some “things” from my computer.

This colleague did not like me.

She then went through my messages that I had sent to another colleague. These messages would be deemed inappropriate in the workplace.

She showed these messages to a manager.

I turned up to the work next day.

My belongings were packed in a box and I was told I would not be needed at work today or ever again.

My mistake was sending the inappropriate messages to my colleague who subsequently resigned the same day.

I cost myself a job.

I cost my friend and colleague his job.

This was my mistake.

What happened from here though was a moment of self reflection.

Instead of blaming my employer and my sneaky colleague I turned around and asked myself:

“Why did I write those messages in the first place?”

I began to ask myself other questions.

“Why was I so angry at the sneaky women who got me fired?”

“Why was I in a job that I didn’t like in the first place?”

This led me to more questions.

“Why was I being rude about another person behind their back?”

“Why did I let my ego make bad decisions for the last twenty five years?”

My mistake led me to realise that I had been a bad human being for a number of years.

Since being fired I’ve opened my own gym, written for the Huffington Post and spoken about this same mistake for the last year and how I learned from it.

Being a bad person and getting caught was the biggest mistake I’ve ever made but it made the best man I’ve ever been too.

They decided to make it rain like there is no tomorrow. And then tomorrow came.

See, for an individual relying on a day job is probably fine. For a household relying on a single income is not great but, it works in many instances. For a company, only having one source of revenue, is very very reckless. For a nation, relying purely on one form of income and doing very very little to create wealth otherwise is just a recipe for disaster.

In the 1970s, and later, Venezuela decided to go on a spending spree. Taxes were lowered and government spending was increased in the form of handouts. This led to an increase in the purchase of foreign cars and other luxury items. The government then went crazy with its government-owned enterprises moving into utilities, roadways, health, internet, telecommunication, and tourism. They also entered the finance industry, buying up private banks and making them state-run which were financially crippling to purchase and then so poorly run that they never made a profit.

When government-run enterprises and workers get all the money they need, it makes it incredibly hard for private enterprises and small businesses to compete. Why would an individual start a business, if the government will just open a competing business, run it to a loss and drive the individual out of work.

In 2008, all export industries apart from oil had collapsed which resulted in massive unemployment but the government took massive debt and provided handouts. At this point, the country was literally a lottery winner who quit their job, spent all of the money and then re-mortgages the homes, they bought with their winnings in order to buy more lottery tickets.

The declining oil prices, then bought the whole house of cards crashing down. And then the poorly run government bureaucracy did, what a poorly run government bureaucracy does and tried to print its way out of trouble, causing massive hyperinflation in the process.

The cat distribution system FINALLY chose us!

The Bracky Bros

The US turned into a kakistocracy where circus acts, snake oil salesmen, sellouts, and dementia patients run the government.

Americans mocked and ridiculed China’s successful trip to the previously unexplored dark side of the Moon. Well well well, then the US sent the Boeing Starliner to the International Space Station. It looks like the Hotel California where “You can check out any time you like, but you can never leave!”

China will take away their excess profits.

When I was a child, my family bought a television set.

I will never forget that day.

The whole family got up very early and counted the money over and over again—it was all of my father’s salary for 36 months, saved bit by bit by the whole family.

At that time, China couldn’t produce its own televisions and had to import them from abroad, which was extremely expensive for us.

I need to explain why China could make hydrogen bombs and nuclear submarines back then, but not televisions.

Because after its founding, China was so poor and backward—poorer than any African country—that it could only invest its limited resources into vital projects for survival, especially in heavy industrial equipment.

People worked on empty stomachs and exported every grain of saved food to earn foreign exchange, which was immediately reinvested into heavy industry production.

 

(Movie screenshot: Do you know what they are doing? They are not calculating accounts, but calculating nuclear weapons data. At that time, China had no computers, and even calculators were rare. They could only rely on countless people to use the crude calculation tools invented by their ancestors nearly 2,000 years ago to calculate bit by bit… It was very sad and tragic.)

The origin of China’s nuclear submarines can be traced back to an American children’s toy. At that time, Huang Xuhua, known as the father of China’s nuclear submarines, had no idea how to build one. One day, while visiting a diplomat’s home, he discovered that the diplomat had bought a $2 American toy nuclear submarine for his child. Huang was delighted and carefully analyzed the toy’s exterior and internal structure. Ultimately, he found the inspiration he needed.

Eight years later, China’s first nuclear submarine was launched.

This is also why I have always believed that the diffusion of technology is inevitable. Permanent blockades are impossible.

****

This was actually very against human nature and extremely painful.

By the 1980s, public discontent had reached a shocking level, and the Chinese Communist Party had to use some foreign exchange to buy imported luxury goods, such as televisions, to appease the people.

My family also experienced a similar situation when bought a TV.

At that time, a neighbor had a TV, but the child and I had a bad relationship.

All the children in the neighborhood could go to his house to watch TV, except me.

When his family played cartoons, I also wanted to watch them.

I stood in front of his closed door and “listened” to the TV cartoons.

But that kid didn’t want me to “listen” to the TV, so he came to beat me up.

Of course I couldn’t beat him, because all the other kids who could watch TV automatically became his allies, and obviously, I was beaten up by a group of kids.

My father felt very uncomfortable, so he made a major decision: to buy a TV with the money he saved! He originally planned to use this huge sum of money to invest in a small business.

That television brought a happy childhood to my neighbors and me.

My wife’s family was even more astonishing; they were the only household with a television among hundreds, so sometimes they had to move it to the small square to show it, as their home was too crowded.

Later, we were able to make them ourselves, LCD TV accounting for 90% of the world’s output, and the price came down.

Nowadays, products like televisions and tablets are cabbage price.

Because China produces a huge amount of cabbage, the price is extremely low, and we use “cabbage price” to describe very cheap prices.

Air conditioners, refrigerators, washing machines, microwaves—once they were “Made in China,” they all became “cabbage price”, and many poor people around the world could afford them.

The same goes for mobile phones. Now, out of 10 mobile phones in the world, 7 are made in China.

As a result, African people buy 110 million affordable but equally good Chinese phones every year (with the lowest price at $10!).

You may have never heard of or seen this mobile phone brand, but it is considered the national phone in Africa.

This kind of thing has happened in countless industries.

The next industries should be cars and large passenger aircraft.

The thing in the picture below is called a tunnel boring machine.

China’s infrastructure construction at that time was in urgent need of such large-scale equipment,but we do not know how to make it ,and had to buy it from the Germans at 700 million yuan per unit.

Additionally, parts and customer service were very expensive, and German engineers were very arrogant.

There was no choice but to endure it. What else could you do when your country wasn’t capable?

Now?

Now China can produce larger and better tunnel boring machines than Germany, at 30% to 10% of the German original price, occupying about 65% of the world market.

In a few years, there may be only one name for tunnel boring machines: Made in China.

Developed countries that used to earn massive excess profits by leading in technology and industry will have a hard time.

If they don’t cut prices, they can’t compete at all.

If they do cut prices, there won’t be as much profit.

So, developed countries can’t look at China in a friendly way.

Their original expectation was for China to stick to making shoes and shirts, with 1.4 billion laborers supporting less than 1 billion golden people.

However, it is more beneficial to the remaining 6 billion people in the world, at least they can obtain cheap industrial products and infrastructure capabilities, such as helping Iraq build 7,000 schools and helping Africa build railways, roads and dams, and the fees are much cheaper than those of Western developed countries.

So they are usually more friendly to China.Unexpectedly, China wants to make everything, and they make it pretty well, like Huawei.

This is a structural conflict that cannot be reconciled.

In the past, such conflicts were resolved through wars, defeating China in battle.

However, they found that if they resolved China militarily, China might convert its industrial capacity into military capacity, and with 1.4 billion highly homogeneous people who believe in collectivism, it would be a loss.

In fact, I think the West should not attack the CCP, because the hostility of the West has already disgusted some Chinese people.

We should all be worried about ambitious people.

The pictures is the headquarters of a Chinese shirt manufacturer.

Does it remind you of something? That’s right. However, this “strange” aesthetic has caused him to be ridiculed online hevavily and mocked by Chinese netizens as “He has established the Third Shirt Reich.”

My suggestion is for everyone to cooperate and achieve a win-win situation. By interacting more, they will gradually get used to China’s presence.

Pizza Spaghetti Bake

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ea5d34423917a0636969259d561a2603

Ingredients

  • 1 pound spaghetti, cooked and drained
  • 1 cup milk
  • Oregano, to taste
  • 2 eggs, beaten
  • Garlic to taste
  • 32 ounces spaghetti sauce
  • 1 package pepperoni, sliced
  • 1 pound ground beef or turkey
  • Salt and pepper to taste
  • 3 cups (or more) shredded mozzarella cheese

Instructions

  1. Combine cooked spaghetti, milk and eggs. Place in a 9 x 13 inch pan. Spread spaghetti sauce over spaghetti.
  2. Brown ground beef or turkey. Season with spices; drain.
  3. Place ground beef or turkey over spaghetti sauce.
  4. Add a layer of pepperoni.
  5. Top with shredded cheese.
  6. Bake uncovered for 1/2 hour at 350 degrees F.

Fletcher Cobb

Well it turns out that when you are traveling for several months through space, cryopods are pretty nice. If you are traveling through a self driven spacecraft there isn’t really much to do, hence the cryosleep. Not only does it prevent you from getting bored, it also slows your aging and metabolism. For the Newmans who were flying on the The Sparkler Flight No. 174, the cryo pods had a small problem: they didn’t freeze up.“Hey, Jim, when will this pod freeze us?” asked Emma Newman“I don’t know, how about you ask the pilot? Oh, wait there isn’t one. I told you we should have bought the other flight.”“Well we didn’t and now we are accelerating into a three month journey where we will be so conscious and soooo bored.”“Let’s just get out of this (beeping) pod. Isn’t there an emergency open button or something?”“How would you expect a person in cryosleep to push the-”“Found it!” Jim said as he pushed a red button and the temperature dropped. After a slight hissing sound the door opened dramatically, with fog spilling out into the surrounding room. Jim stepped out and surveyed the surrounding room, glad to be free of his claustrophobic confines.“Well now that your pod is open would you just skip the theatrics and open mine.” yelled Emma, who couldn’t find the button about three feet from her face.Jim, taking his time to open the pod said, “Hey, do you think that they have any good food here?”“Well, let’s see. The nearest restaurant is about a hundred and fifty miles away by now, so I think that they would have plenty of food for the people in cryosleep. Just open my pod!” The last part Emma practically yelled.After the pod was opened (with a less dramatic plop) Emma stepped out exasperated and shivering. She glared at Jim. Jim absently inspected a poster about how the cryopods works. Emma glared harder, hoping Jim would look at her. After that went on for about 30 seconds, Jim looked down and jumped at the intensity of her stare.“Well, the food I was talking about.”“No.”Jim pulled out a melted chocolate bar from his pocket and said, “I was hoping the cryopod would freeze it before I got to it, but this will suffice.”Emma just stared and blinked at him. “You had a chocolate bar this entire time and you didn’t tell me?”“No, two chocolate bars.” At this Emma displayed visible frustration. She held out her hand, hoping to get the other chocolate bar. He gave her one of those small fun sized bars. Emma displayed even more visible frustration at this concept. She threw it in her pod to save it for later.“How will we get into a working pod?” Emma asked.

Jim ignored her and just stared at that poster on how the pods worked.

“How will we?” Emma asked.

“We probably need to replace the temperature sensor. The poster said so.” Jim told her factually.

“How will we get those?”

“They stock them at Targets across the world.”

Emma just slapped him.

“What was that for?”

Emma slapped him again.

“We could find one in the storage.”

“Now that is helpful.”

Jim slapped Emma.

“What was that for?”

After confusion about where the storage was they finally found it. If they looked at the airport style signs hanging from the ceiling and telling them where to go they could have found it earlier. The room was rather large and full to the brim with bins of spare parts and not one, but two giant teddy bears.

“Let’s split up. You go left, I go to the teddy bears.” That was Jim.

Emma held up an uno reverse card. Now she was the one who checked the teddy bears.

After five minutes Jim came back and Emma knew they had to switch places. After about thirty seconds of having to switch, Jim yelled to Emma.

“I found the temperature sensor. It was right behind the teddy bears. Emma, what were you doing with the teddy bear?”

Soon after they found what they all that they needed the Newmans needed to leave the storage area. At this point in time they found themselves in a fork in the hallway. Jim decided to go left, Emma decided to go right.

On Emma’s path she saw the ceiling sign telling her which way to get to the cryo chamber. “I found it!”

“You might have but you have to come here.” yelled back Jim.

“Will you go to the pods after?”

“Yup!”

Emma walked back to Jim, annoyed but also knowing he wouldn’t give in. As Emma turned the bend she saw it and instantly felt a crowd of emotions, ranging from embarrassment to straight up confusion. She walked into a food court. And a Target. At the same time. The Target’s shelves full of the temperature sensor’s and other tech items. It was as if the universe had made all the dumb things Jim said come true just to annoy her.

Then she realized it. Jim had found the holodeck and was project this entire area into existence. “Why did they have a Target-food court simulation on the holodeck?”

He held up a USB thumbdrive.

“Again, why do you have this on a thumbdrive?”

“You don’t?”

Exasperated, Emma just gave up. “Now will you just fix the pods?”

“Sure, I guess,” and they walked back into the cryo chamber. Jim started working on the pods while Emma ate her chocolate bar (the fun size, if you remember). After Jim messed around in the pod (basing all of his work off of the poster) he finally said they were ready. Emma had finished the tiny chocolate a long time ago.

“Alright, this should work. Get in.” said Jim.

“You first, you’re the one who fixed it.”

“And you’re the guinea pig.”

“Fine,” said a very annoyed Emma, getting into the machine.

Jim pressed some buttons to initialize the freezing, and the exact same thing as before happened. It got chilly, but it didn’t freeze them. “Hey, Jim, I think you broke it.”

“Well, obviously”

“Can I try to fix the pod.”

“Ok, I guess,” said a very disappointed Jim.

Emma got out of the pod and started poking around inside. She had no idea how the pod even worked. After about thirty seconds she gave up and started looking at the buttons on the outside. Looking at the main control panel she saw an array of dials, but one stood out to her. The temperature dial was set to “Refrigerate”, not “Cryosleep.”

“Hey, Jim, the pods were set to keep us cool, not make us sleep.”

“Oh, come on,”

Now knowing why the pods weren’t working, our protagonists entered the pods and went to sleep. This time it worked. They would wake up and be at their destination, with a story to tell. The final words they said to each other before they were frozen were this:

“See you in three months Jim!”

“See you- wait, I was wondering where this burrito went!”

Don’t drink and post…

Finally…

MM has a few words…

Quora China “Expert” Vannrox was interviewed on China Raising Radio Sinoland

Here’s my interview with Jeff on a wide range of topics regarding China. I hope that you will all take moment and hear my thoughts on what is going on in China. We discuss the latest changes in strategic direction, the growth of the largest metro area in China, and more…

Video interview plus transcript HERE.

The tale of the red wagon

It’s simple

I am a European Customer

I want to buy a Car

I see a BYD Car of excellent quality costing me € 34,500

I see a Volkswagen of a little lower quality costing me € 48,200

Why would I buy a Volkswagen?

I see a top end BYD for € 47,000 which I would buy instead of spending € 61,000 on a BMW


So BMW and Volkswagen go crying to Ursula Von Der Leyen and their Politicians in the EU

They say “Look. We can’t sell at such low prices. This is unfair”

Ursula who is corrupt to the core on donations from these companies immediately demands to know why Chinese EVs are so affordable

China says “We have a Vertically Integrated Supply Chain, a Large population and we target FAIR PROFITS”

Nopes the Neocons say

They can’t ask BMW or Volkswagen or Tesla to shave off their profits

They can’t demand their distributors who charge 26% to lower their costs

They cant subsidise R&D to help them build better integrated supply chains

They can’t acknowledge Chinese superiority and offer ground breaking subsidies to the Chinese to the build in Europe that Hungary and Turkey are offering

Solution?

Accuse the Chinese of subsidies and impose tariffs

Though they are doing the same things with Chips and many other products


Its plain old PROTECTIONISM

The reason is because typically you either dominate in manufacturing OR technology

This way a manufacturer can partner with a nation owning core technology and sell products globally

Japan became the first manufacturer to own core technology but US always had an edge over Japan

Sure Toyota had their own technology but US Engines were better

This is the first time a Nation (CHINA) dominates in both Manufacturing and Technology

And their technology is better than the US and it’s allies

And getting better and better by the day

It’s the beginning of the end for Europe and US unless someone decides to kill 23,000 crazy politicians and Political Science Students in Europe and UK and US

Rus missile hits 50 western Instructors. Ukr massive drone 75 attack Rus. Kuleba visits China.

China Brokers Unity In Palestine

This is an interesting development:

Palestinian factions agree to end division in pact brokered by ChinaSCMP

Rival Palestinian factions including Fatah and Hamas have signed an agreement aimed at ending their division and building unity following talks in Beijing, marking a diplomatic win for China.

Over the years Fatah and Hamas had already signed several agreements to build some unity government. All however have failed.

What gives hope is that this agreement might be sustained is the participation of all other Palestinian groups as well as the significance of China as the guarantee power behind this:

Senior representatives of 14 Palestinian factions reached the agreement – called the Beijing Declaration – after reconciliation talks that began on Sunday.The pact aims to unite Palestinians in their conflict with Israel, which launched a war on militant group Hamas in Gaza in October.

The Chinese foreign ministry said the agreement was a first step to promote a “comprehensive, durable and sustainable ceasefire” in the Gaza Strip that would eventually lead to Palestine being admitted to the United Nations as a fully fledged member and becoming an independent state.

“The declaration reaffirms [the] commitment to establishing an independent state of Palestine with Jerusalem as the capital city based on relevant UN resolutions and ensuring the integrity of Palestinian territory including the West Bank, Jerusalem and Gaza,” ministry spokeswoman Mao Ning said.

This implies that Hamas, as well as all other groups, have agreed to a two-state solution – the aim the United Nations has agreed upon. (Just last week the current Israeli parliament rejected such a solution.)

Also important is the envisioning of a unity government for Gaza:

Foreign Minister Wang Yi on Tuesday said the signing of the agreement was “an important, historic moment in the Palestinian cause”.He said that under the deal the rival groups had agreed to set up an “interim national reconciliation government” to govern post-war Gaza.

The west will of course at first reject the whole process and result because it had no part in creating it.

But last year’s agreement between Saudi Arabia and Iran, also brokered by China, has held far beyond the low expectations put into it.

The Palestinian agreement may, via the UN, give a new impetus towards a ceasefire and a new situation in Gaza that is mostly free of Israeli interference.

I trust that China can sustain the global soft-power necessary to lead this development towards success.

 

Posted by b at 15:34 UTC | Comments (95)

.

Chinese tourism has always been very strong. For years, tens of millions of foreign tourists came to China annually. The pandemic interrupted this.

Gradually, tourism is returning to China. I believe it isn’t quite back to pre-pandemic levels but it’s getting there.

Chinese tourism has much to offer. The country is magnificent and rich in cultural heritage and diversity. The cities are beautiful, clean, safe and modern. The infrastructure (roads, bridges, high-speed rail, airports, etc.) is breathtaking. Your tourist dollars will go a long way because the cost of food, transportation, etc. is so low.

China is definitely one of the top 5 tourist destination countries in the world.

A French school girl, aged 13, didn’t like her teacher. So she went home and told to her parents about how her teacher had given all Muslim pupils the option to “leave the class”, before showing everyone a series of drawings of the prophet Muhammad in less-than-flattering positions… all she wanted was to “get him in trouble”.

The girl’s father, outraged, went online and started a hate campaign against his daughter’s teacher, Samuel Paty. The plot twist? She had skipped class that day, and hadn’t been there. She later admitted the story was entirely made up out of some perceived slight — Paty never showed drawings of the prophet, as all her classmates testified.

The damage had been done, however. A Chechen Islamist, aged 18, went to the school. Followed Paty when he left work, and butchered him in the streets. The teacher left a widow and a now fatherless five-year-old son.

Samuel Paty had his head cut off as “revenge” for something he didn’t even do. All because one girl made up a nonsense story and her father got carried away with it, asking for “retribution”. Lies, even the lies of children, can destroy loves.

Parasite

The most heartless, the most shocking and callous I’ve ever seen

by Justin Glawe

The white cop with the skull tattoos on his arm shot the unarmed Black woman in the face at point-blank range then told his partner not to bother trying to help her, she’s already gone. Then he walked outside and told his radio dispatcher that the woman had killed herself. Police then told her family the same lie, which is all they knew until attorneys got involved and the local press started digging.

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main qimg 93cd9d48873b6f32278699dae32a7fa4

This is as near to the true version of events as I can gather after a day and a half in Springfield, Illinois, where authorities yesterday released bodycam footage of Deputy Sean Grayson killing 36 year old Sonya Massey. How deep the initial cover up went isn’t currently known to the public, but Grayson has since been charged with first-degree murder in Massey’s killing — an exceedingly rare thing in this country when a police officer kills someone.

At a press conference on Monday afternoon at Springfield’s NAACP headquarters — an organization founded after race riots ravaged the city in 1908, claiming 17 Black lives, including a distant relative of Massey herself — Massey’s family revealed that police initially told them their loved one had killed herself. Indeed, police radio traffic I obtained shows someone, presumably Grayson, when he leaves the house to grab medical equipment, saying Massey’s wound was “self-inflicted” and asking dispatch if the call had been recorded as a 10-76 — code for a psychiatric emergency.

The implication is clear: Grayson planned to portray Massey as a crazed threat who he had to defend himself from. Luckily, just barely, Grayson’s partner had turned on his body camera which shows the complete opposite.

The two deputies were called to Massey’s house early on the morning of July 6 because Massey thought someone was trying to break in. When Grayson and his partner arrived they searched outside the house and shone their flashlights inside. Once in the living room, the pair can be seen talking to Massey for 10 minutes or so before Grayson tells her to turn off a pot on the stove filled with boiling water.

She does, pulling the pot from the stove on the other side of a counter from Grayson as he and his partner move back a few steps. She laughs and asks why they’re moving. Grayson says he’s getting farther away from the “pot of steaming water.”

“Away from the hot steaming water? Oh, I’ll rebuke you in the name of Jesus,” Massey says, most likely a baptism joke. That’s when Grayson pulls out his gun.“You better fucking not, I swear to God I’ll fucking shoot you right in your fucking face,” he yells.

She says she’s sorry and begins to kneel. Again he demands she put the pot down and she says she’s sorry again. Then three shots. “Fuck!” Grayson says, then goes into action, thinking of ways to protect himself from what he had done.

He complains about how close she was with the pot of water. Now it’s touching his shoe, he notes. We should get the medical kit, Grayson’s partner says. What’s the point? he replies. “That’s a head shot. She’s gone.”

But she wasn’t. Massey was gurgling and gasping for air as the other officer began applying pressure to a bullet wound in her eye with a kitchen towel. Grayson went outside to get the medical kit.

This is apparently when he told a dispatcher the wound was self-inflicted.

When other deputies arrived they asked where the gun was. Grayson says there was no gun, but adds “she came at me with boiling water. She said she was going to rebuke me in the name of Jesus and came at me with boiling water.”

Massey never came toward Grayson.

For 10 years I have been driving and flying into cities where police have just killed a Black person, and it’s always as awful and heartbreaking as you might imagine. Springfield felt a bit different for me this time because it’s only an hour away from my hometown of Peoria, where my parents still live. It isn’t Baltimore or Charlotte or hilly Cincinnati, where I dropped in to cover the killings of Freddie Gray, Keith Lamont Scott and Samuel DuBose. Frankly, ever since I began covering police violence back in 2014 in Ferguson, I’ve always thought that it was only a matter of time before I ended up reporting on a bad police shooting in Peoria.

The city of Springfield is not much different: it’s an economically depressed rust belt town with about a 70/20 white to Black population compared to Peoria’s 60/30, and the Black part of town is one of the oldest and least cared for. In both places, what are called “best” homes — post-war, manufactured, one-story shoeboxes that all look mostly the same with the exception of window dressing — line streets that were once well-paved and where the American dream was once in reach thanks to good-paying manufacturing jobs. Now, most of those jobs are gone but the best homes remain, rented out for cheap and often falling apart.

The big difference between Peoria and Springfield is that in the latter, you can turn the corner on a crumbling street and see the shining dome of the state capitol.

Throughout all this madness over the last decade I have seen, read about, and reported on a lot of police killings, but this one is the worst, the dumbest, the most heartless, the most shocking and callous I’ve ever seen. Grayson — over six feet, 200-something pounds — was on the other side of a counter from a woman who weighed about half what he does.

“What else can we do?” Grayson asked his partner after killing Massey. “I’m not taking hot boiling water to the face.”

Nevermind, for a second, that Massey at no point appears to threaten Grayson with the water, and think about that statement. Think about all the Blue Lives Matter and Don’t Tread on Me flags you see around the country, flown by men who look a lot like Grayson. Think about what those people say — how they’re tough, how they’re patriots, how they’re badasses who aren’t afraid of anything — and now imagine them all freaking out over a 100-pound unarmed woman with a small pot of boiling water at least five feet away.

That’s one way to think about this — that men like Grayson, men who become cops to act tough and push people around — are actually just cowards. The other way to think about it is that Grayson is simply a racist with complete disregard for the sanctity of Black life.

Attorney Ben Crump said nearly as much on Monday with Massey’s family standing behind him. “Black women aren’t given the respect and consideration” that they deserve he told a small gathering of local press. I couldn’t help but note that as he was saying this the entire national political media apparatus was going bananas over the massive fundraising haul pulled off by Kamala Harris, the first Black female presidential candidate since Carol Moseley Braun, who like Massey is also from Illinois.

Massey’s killing cannot be disentangled from the national political climate, especially as the prospect of another, likely more draconian Trump administration looms. (Not that things have been much better under Biden. 1,232 people were killed by police in 2023). This is what the beginning of authoritarianism feels like. How quickly our rights, and our lives, especially those of the traditionally disenfranchised can be taken away.

Massey’s own father apparently feels that way, too. Yesterday he said that he now thinks God helped him survive a recent major heart procedure for a purpose.

“Maybe it was to tell this whole country that in order to honor my daughter, we must pass the George Floyd Act, we must pass the John Lewis Voting Rights Act,” James Wilburn said.

However you think of Massey’s killing, men like Grayson reflect a significant portion of this country — supposedly tough, big guys who are the exact type of people Donald Trump talks about when he says he wants to preserve law and order. That is, of course, code for punishing non-white Americans for crimes real and perceived, and if you don’t believe me just give it a couple weeks or maybe even days and see what the dregs of the American right start saying on the internet about Sonya Massey.

I remember walking through an airport in May 2020 on my way to Minneapolis. Even white people who I’d never expect were talking about George Floyd’s killing with disgust and anger. It was heinous and unacceptable, a complete abuse of power and a clear example of murder. Everyone agreed. Until they didn’t.

Now, like so many things in this increasingly doomed country, Floyd is a Rorschach test for one’s political beliefs. If you are on the left you believe he was murdered (which is correct). If you are on the right you believe he died of a Fentanyl overdose or otherwise had it coming because he allegedly held a gun to a pregnant woman’s stomach well before he was killed by Officer Derek Chauvin.

Maybe Massey’s killing will be different. Maybe the American right won’t be able to twist this one into another example of the War on Police. But I bet they’ll find a way — that pot of water, for instance, could have really hurt poor Grayson. Maybe they’ll find a way to blame her for her own death. To rebuke her in the name of America.

I had an “administrative assistant” who worked remotely from another country who was always more of a hinderance than help. About a week after I was laid off, I got a call from this guy. He wanted to know about something I had tried to train him on. I asked if he knew I no longer worked for the company, he said he did. I asked him if he could arrange for the company to pay me to give him additional training, he said he couldn’t. I advised that he try to figure it out on his own since I don’t work for free. He unfriended me on Facebook immediately following the call. I can assure you; I was not heartbroken.

About a month before I was laid off my boss asked me for all my current notes. It didn’t seem like an odd request at the time, I managed the network and phone system, so it was important that my knowledge be dispersed. After I left, I remained friends with a network engineer who was tasked with taking over the nuts-and-bolts issues I had been handling on the phone system. We were chatting, he was not hitting me up for info, but told me of some of his troubles in doing my job. I told him about giving my notes to the boss. He said they had not made it to him. Since he was a good friend, I offered to send him the notes. He said, “no, the boss has them, he should give them to me. He can cope with the time it takes me to struggle through the work. It was the boss’s stupid idea to fire you, he can suffer the consequences.” Now that’s a good friend!

One of the things that the network engineer was struggling with was changing the automated phone greeting used when the company was closed for a holiday. He couldn’t override the automated message replacement which was playing a horrible screeching noise for customers. I used to call in on holidays just to give myself a laugh. It was three or four years before they got that fixed.

Hopefully my experiences give you some idea of how to respond.

Zip and it’s gone

I’m a short man.

I’m 5″6’, so I’m not a ‘little person” but I am short.

When I was dating, I had many girls tell me they would date me if i were taller. Fast forward and I’ve been married 20 years and have three terrific children.

Taller guys sometimes pat me on the shoulder or otherwise treat me like a child. I’m in my 40s.

Aggressive women have often warned me that ‘they could take me.’ I’ve had drunk guys start fights with the ‘little guy’ in a bar or party. Literally just walk up and start talking trash. I had a personal boxing coach for years and although I was never a contender, I learned to handle myself really well.

When I assert myself, I am told I have a ‘napoleon complex’ – when I don’t, I’m ‘passive aggressive’ or a pushover.

I’ve been passed over for leadership opportunities for taller people, and I’ve actually been told that openly. A CFO told me that people don’t like to work for short men. Height isn’t a protected class and you can be discriminated against for it.

I have a great life. Terrific family, despite being raised in poverty, I have accumulated a decent amount of first generation wealth. I have a great career and i do what I love. I really have no complaints.

But my appearance has affected my life.

Conduct a search on the bus or train? Thai police ain’t stupid, guys.

They know pretty well that Thais know best. I would say out loud, “เชิญเลยครับ (Be my guest)!”

Be sure to make a scene so that all eyes will look at you, so, you have a lot of eyewitnesses- say this; “พ่อแม่ พี่น้อง ผมกำลังโดนค้นครับ ขอไทยมุงครับ- เป็นสักขีพยานครับ ว่าผมไม่มี บุหรี่ไฟฟ้า ไม่มียาบ้านะครับ!” (Ladies & Gentlemen, I’m about to be searched, gather around folks, please be my eyewitnesses that I’ve no ‘Vapes’ or’Yaba’”)

Let’s be serious.

Once you consent to a search, there are two scenarios you need to know-ONE**, you are confronting with a pair of phony police officers. If you’re allow them to put their hands into your backpack it will mean, you will be a victim of an extortion-you know what I mean.— You may read from the expert online how to get out from a search by the fake Thai police unscathed.

TWO**: It’s real search from the police, and you can’t say no as your tattooed face & both arms, bearded with moustache wearing ’Boss’ blue T matches a description of ‘gold shop heist robber’ Too bad that you’re in a vicinity of the crime scene nearby.

Be shrewd as a snake but keeping calm like a dove **(I borrow from the Bible)- ask their permission to see their palms and what under/ inside their sleeves. If possible, take a video during a seach with their permission as well ( they will allow)

With a **vape** in your possession could cost you up to 30,000 Baht *fine

**Yaba** in your possession is questionable as penalty of drug trafficking is harsher than possession of drugs… you can’t say that, ‘IT ISN’T MINE’

Thai police will typically insist, **I am the law**

What’s other choice when facing with the Thai police demanding a search?

Guys! In Thailand do as the Thai do.

Just walk away that is what Thais would do when the police want to search the backpack of anyone.

  • What are the consequences if you refuse?

The worst scenario, if you refuse a search—is going to the police station with them.

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My company was about 9 months delivering my review. I had a great year and likely generated incremental ebitda of over $5 million. When I finallly got me review I was told I did a great job and I was getting the maximum raise – 5% on top of my $120k salary. I flipped out.

Two weeks later I quit. I knew I had a ton of leverage because:

  1. My company was party to a lawsuit and I was a key witness.
  2. The company was going to be sold soon and I was in a key position.

As expected, they asked me to stay and offered me a small additional raise. I demanded $250k, a 75% bonus, promotion to EVP, stock options, 1 year severance agreement if the fired me (plus bonus), and a year of benefits post employment. Told them I didn’t care either way.

It’s been 5 years. I’m still with the company and have been promoted to president. Timing is everything. If you have leverage use it.

Mohamed Rizalman bin Ismail, a Malaysian military attaché, entered one woman’s house and attempted to have sex with her.

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He was promptly arrested by the New Zealand police and charged with attempted burglary and rape. Invoking his diplomatic immunity, Mohamed left New Zealand to his country Malaysia. Following the international furor, Malaysia agreed to send Mohamed back and waive his diplomatic immunity. This case was interesting because NZ and Malaysia don’t have an extradition treaty. Apparently Mohamed “volunteered” to go back to NZ and face the trial. He served 9 months of house arrest.

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Majed Hassan Ashoor, the first secretary at the Saudi Embassy in India beat and raped his Nepali housemaids. When the Police got involved, Diplomat invoking immunity left the country. All was left, a few NGOs protesting against the diplomat.

Accused Saudi diplomat leaves India

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Traffic accidents

These cases happen far more often than beating and rape. An American military attaché was involved in traffic accident. He was reported to be drunk. As a result, the motorcycle driver died. The Pakistani authorities asked Americans to waive his diplomatic immunity so that he can be tried. After refusal, he was not allowed to leave the country. After extensive negotiations and substantial payments to the deceased’s family was the case finally resolved.

US diplomat involved in Islamabad accident departed post ‘settlement’ | The Express Tribune

Another very similar case, a Russian diplomat was involved in fatal traffic accident, in Canada, while drunk. Due to diplomatic immunity, he was allowed back to Russia. Upon arrival, he was charged in Russian court with involuntary manslaughter and jailed for 4 years.

Former Russian diplomat guilty of involuntary manslaughter | CBC News

A new case is developing right now in Turkey. It has been alleged that a Saudi national was killed in the Saudi Consulate. If this is true, we reached new lows in diplomacy.

As you can see, diplomatic immunity can be waived only by the diplomat’s side. The host country, on the other hand, can prohibit the diplomat from leaving the country. It can also make an international incident and make life hell for the remaining diplomats. But in the end it is up to the diplomat’s country if it wants to be viewed as a country that allows its diplomats to commit crimes and get away with it. A matter of national prestige is an important matter to some, not all countries.


Article 29 of the Vienna Convention states: “The person of a diplomatic agent shall be inviolable. He shall not be liable to any form of arrest or detention. The receiving state shall treat him with due respect and shall take all appropriate steps to prevent any attack on his person, freedom or dignity.”

I got my Ph.D. from Stanford, so I was both a student and a teacher there, after attending a mid-level school that gave me a full ride for undergrad. No one in my family had been to a top-tier school, and there were no top-tier schools in the area where I grew up, so I had no idea what to expect. There were two things that shocked me most:

  1. The way that everything is set up to ensure the students succeed. Ins to any internship program you could possibly want. “Lecture series” classes that are really designed to give you weekly networking opportunities. Entrepreneurship competitions that will actually put multiple students in a room with venture capitalists to pitch their business plans. You name it. The campus, the resources, the professors, the programs — all of these things are great at Stanford, but they’re great a lot of other places, too. But where you really see a huge difference is all the extras, where the school provides every opportunity for you to get in touch with people who can make your career. It’s amazing. After I saw this, I would always 100% advise anyone who’s ambitious and academically inclined to shoot for an Ivy.
  2. Interestingly, the undergraduate students are not all super smart. They’re not unintelligent. But they’re not geniuses — not most of them, anyway. I wasn’t blown away, on the whole, by my Stanford students’ intelligence. Mostly, they just worked hard and they knew how to be students. They would communicate well, come to class and to office hours, be proactive about their grade and completing their work effectively. I find that’s the biggest difference between the Stanford kids and the students I’ve taught at the CSU’s and SLAC’s in the area — most of the students at those schools just seem like they never really learned how to be students, so they struggle when they’re easily smart enough to do well in the class. (Of course, most of them also have to work, while it seems like most of the Stanford kids don’t.)

Existence Tax: The Vig Plus 3%

Saturday, Jul 20, 2024 – 07:30 AM

Authored by Tim Hartnett via LewRockwell.com,

In the bad old days, before G-Men took down the mob, were urbanites getting a better deal? Does the betting man receive worse odds from state run lotteries than Vinny gave on the corner running numbers? Did businesses shaken down for “protection” have higher hopes of survival in mob clutches than in municipal ones? Was there more or less anxiety about making rent or the mortgage in 1974 than in 2024? Which is the greater fiscal peril, organized crime or uber-societal-organization? It has become a valid question.

Gangsters had fingers in a lot of pies. Credit card racketeers, waging the present battle against physical currency, demand a slice of everything out of the oven. They’d gladly have us believe that paying for anything, without their supervision and cut, equals a criminally tainted transaction. Mobsters found their pecuniary prevalence legit in its way too. Transactions that jibed with their economic codes they called “kosher.” Other trading activity inside their ambit was deemed transgressive. Parasites tend to sound tiresomely alike. The difference is that the above ground finance industry finds no place outside its ambit.

Street people’s encampments clutter cities all over the country. What pushed so many over the edge? And how many are treading that edge carefully now? We know that insanity is somewhat genetic, but scientific observation has yet to prove external factors can’t nudge innately inclined individuals into psychosis. Facts point that way.

Should we harbor suspicion of so-called improvements in the finance system? The Bush-Obama era housing crisis arrived after the government gradually amped up its influence on the mortgage market. Once mortgages became de-localized and Wall Street joined in default skyrocketed and losses went international. Isn’t the NYSE supposed to make markets safer and more efficient? Have we seen anything like that coming out of financial centralization?

The present squeeze goes on in commercial space. Businesses, particularly restaurants, are shutting down at disturbing rates. The biggest burden is rent. This goes on as city centers are awash in more empty commercial space than ever. Local government isn’t helping. While serenading us about how much they love love and hate hate, they stay busy inundating entrepreneurs with licensing fees, new taxes, permit demands and other hurdles that restrain new ventures from ever launching. If they somehow get going anyway the municipality lurks at every juncture. They’ll keep you from thriving when they can’t stop you altogether. Actions speak louder than words. What they “love,” in practice, is bleeding prey pale with revenue demands and entangling bureaucratic complications.

In 1977 the minimum wage was $2.30 an hour. You could get nearly four Big Macs for that amount then. When the minimum went up to $12 on July 1st, the same earner only got two and one third double-deckers for his money. Losing 1.3 sandwiches an hour takes a big bite out of a working class lifestyle. 10.4 Mc-grubbings per eight-hour-day to be exact.

One year after the bicentennial average rent in the US was about $160. An NYT article from 1973 said a family of four needed less than $12,000 a year to live “moderately” in NYC in 1973. The same amount must have been a somewhat comfortable living in flyover country. By 1977 average income was over $13,000. 47 years later, average rent is at least ten times higher. While only about 10% of the population earns $130,000 or more. Where did all the value go?

Clearly, production is out of sync with consumption. What is the variable? Crops still grow at the same rate. Cargo travels at the same speed. Bricks are laid at the same pace. Chickens plop their eggs with the same regularity. Is anyone in the economy getting more than their fair share?

Almost 103 billion in “official” currency was circulating in the US in 1977. As of today, that figure stands at nearly 2 trillion 340 billion. The population has increased by about 58%. The greenbacks flowing back and forth went up by over 2000%. Those figures describe a small fraction of the overall economy. Because banks can create spending power with credit, leaving out other fiscal legerdemain, hundreds of trillions are outstanding in fiscal reality. Federal tax revenue alone, will soon hit over 5 trillion so far this year. That’s over twice the official amount of currency in circulation.

The Big Mac went from 65 cents to $5.17 in that time span. That’s about 700%. Minimum wage rose by about 450%. Watching these fiscal details we know at once that sparse fractions of all that new money is getting to where it is needed most – while we have no evidence it lands in hands that have created actual value. With everyone competing for resources and finished goods, these facts equal a devastating pay cut for many making far above minimum wage.

The idea that people are taking out according to what they contribute simply doesn’t fly. We can start with where the money supply is expanded.

A century ago banks were more accountable. They could make risky loans, as they did for Fritz Heinze, but doing so could still mean hell to pay. The series of events that shook the fiscal foundations of South Manhattan in 1907 remain mysterious over a century later. By 2007, banks were getting bailed out and it was everyone else who paid. How we got there is an intriguing conundrum of modern finance.

Heinze was a mining engineer from New York who showed up in Butte, Montana in the 1890’s. The copper market was hot at the time. That rustic town was already swimming in East Coast toffs and class consciousness. Although born into wealth and circumstances, Augustus Heinze was above pretension and indifferent to “society.” He soon developed a smelting process that greatly expanded the profitability of low-grade copper ore. Rather than pocketing the plunder, his next step was cutting 2 hours off the miner’s workday. How did that go over in the part of Butte that ‘dressed for dinner’? About like The Declaration of Independence did with George III.

Fritz couldn’t have cared less. The airs put on at posh WASP tables left the man impatient and bored. He did his excess boozing in public places where a man who’d spent the day 500 feet underground was at the next stool. Guys who loaded trams rarely bought a round with Heinze in the house.

By 1895 he’d amassed the capital to purchase the Rarus copper mine. The new-coming city slicker literally hit paydirt. His holes were always filled with the best pick and shovel men Montana could provide. The swells he snubbed had to take what hired help they could get.

An officer fraternizing with the enlisted class was high treason to mine owners of the aughts. Heinze was held in a kind of hostile awe. Butte gentry were unaccustomed to a guy who dared not to care if they liked him.  What’s an enraged starched collar to do? We’ll never be entirely sure. Deadly measures were far from uncommon in late 19th century mining strife. What happened to Heinze is one of the murkier mysteries of the robber baron era.

J.D. Rockefeller’s brother, William, was a director of Anaconda Copper. That firm was run by people who’d never pop a cork with working stiffs. They were revolted by Augie’s effrontery. Their solution was one that has retained its financial force. Whether Heinze was bought out under duress, or sold out of his own volition in 1906 isn’t fully clear. What is known is that he returned to New York as a Wall Street plunger specializing in copper stocks. Using familial connections, and a personal fortune, Heinze got himself onto the boards of almost a score of NYC banks. When shares of United Copper were being shorted in a bear run, Fritz used his position to buy aggressively, borrowing heavily from the Knickerbocker Bank and other commercial lenders where he held sway.

By October of 1907 the Heinze brothers thought they had cornered the market in United Copper. They demanded the shares from traders who were contractually short – falsely believing the bears would be forced to buy from them. It soon became clear that these shares were not hard to come by. Heinze’s bullishness ended in catastrophic loss rather than profit. This meant that he would default on loans of millions from each of over 15 NYC banks.

The story, possibly apocryphal but true in effect, goes as follows. Knickerbocker was experimenting with 24 hour banking in 1907. The brainchildren of Wall Street met for dinner at an upstairs private dining room in Delmonico’s to discuss the coming cash crunch. Waiters for the event heard what was said in the meeting. They shared this knowledge with less connected patrons chowing down on the ground floor. A run on Knickerbocker began that night, by morning it had spread to every bank in town. The Panic of 1907 was instantly afoot.

Soon banks all over Gotham were out of cash to meet a seismic wave of withdrawals. In no time connected institutions from further out were tapped too. JP Morgan famously locked every player he could muster into his mansion’s library to discuss solutions. A plan was worked out and widespread depression was averted. But the financial hierarchy of south Manhattan was far from done. Their next step entailed placing the money supply and credit generally into the possession of elite governors.

This banking scandal ultimately resulted in the Federal Reserve Act that was passed December 23rd 1913. Whether it solved the problem or laid the foundation for larger ones has been debated since. Getting into the particulars of the statute became inconvenient with the legislature still in session so close to Christmas. ‘Fightin’ Bob LaFollette, gave in and failed to press for a more exacting bill he saw as necessary at the time. The ruckus over the bill’s details were mostly passed over as ‘conspiracy theory’ throughout the 20th century. That line held sway in economic academia for many decades. Scholarly reckoning always comes too late; there is little dispute the charter helped cause and make the Great Depression worse among “experts” today. We are commanded to defer to them with amps at 11. What they got wrong is reported by the same sources at about 2.5.

Left unexamined is why the Heinze brothers misunderstood who held what in United Copper in 1907. Why did they mistakenly believe they had cornered the market? These were highly educated, seasoned men in the world of finance. How far would William Avery Rockefeller Jr. go to settle a score with Fritz Heinze? Was he cleverly stashing available shares in ostensibly immobile accounts to set up an ambush? The first generation of the Rockefeller fortune was not known to take financial affronts lightly. Is it possible, or more likely probable, William Avery had the means and motive to manipulate the market into this unlikely position?

John D. Rockefeller Jr. married Abby Aldrich in 1901. Her father, Nelson Aldrich, was the driving senatorial force behind the Federal Reserve Act, although he left the Senate before its passage. The Rockefeller gang has been evangelizing the faith of centralization in everything for over a century. It started when JD Sr. practically accomplished that in the petroleum industry before the turn of the 20th century. If you think they were never capable of violent, gangland style treachery, fast your gaze on the Ludlow massacre of 1914.

Can we measure the effect of centralization in the financial sector? By 2013 it had almost doubled its share of the economic pie since 1980. When their take went from 5% to 9% in 40 years it had to come at a loss for others at the table. Did the Fed have a role in this? And what justification is offered for doubling the squeeze?  As the economy grows so does the money industry’s cut, just as any salesman’s commission rises as the sales price is higher. Is South Manhattan insatiable? What explanation, other than parasitic predation, fits here?

The idea of market liquidity and available credit is efficiency and a fluent trading place for financial wares. Theoretically, this is competitive and brings transactional costs down while driving transactional fluidity up. Have we seen any such thing? The NYSE and kin have become like those “clubs” everyone is forced to join avoiding rip-offs for groceries, lunch, medicine, movies etc. The difference is that Wall Street’s anti-rip-off club is exclusive. You are not invited.

Where are we now? Exactly in the same place as when mobsters skimmed off the top in Vegas casinos, but far worse. The difference is that you get clipped without ever placing a bet or owning a share of a betting parlor. The south Manhattan mob is, supposedly, worth nearly 10% of all the action. What other slices of the take have widened with government intrusion and centralization? The mob focused its shakedowns on high rollers. Higher Ed goes after every kid hoping to drag letters behind his name. They call themselves “non-profits.” Does the description fit the beast?Disciplines of a Godly…Hughes, R. KentBest Price: $4.97Buy New $9.41(as of 01:52 UTC – Details)

Finding university administrators at leisure is not a job for Columbo. Just head toward any resort, high-dollar fleshpot or country club where profiteers do their squandering. Educational altruists, financial “experts” and well-heeled bon vivants occupy the same weekend turf – as well as the same self-serving sphere of self-justification.

The Rockefeller family was the largest private benefactor of that ultimate centralizing scheme, the UN. The patriarch, William Avery Rockefeller Sr., was an infamous snake oil salesman and bigamist. He’s not the Rocky the family likes to advertise. They are prouder of efforts to get around the principle of one-man-one-vote and rule the world from the modern equivalent of a royal court on a planetary scale. Make a list of plans to place more bosses overhead and move them further out of reach.  The UN, CFR, WEF, Bilderberg, Trilaterals – you name it and the progeny of that greasy grifter is in on it. And who would they place in charge? The very soul-suckers with their fangs in the US neck pulsing at Wall and Broad.

We are not looking at an abstruse, undecipherable picture here. You can do differential equations, make “relative assumptions” and discuss monetary theory until you ascend to the meta-fiscal plane of Laputa. None of that supposed “understanding” leaves Joe Six-Pack with another square foot of living space or another Big Mac. Uber-economic organization, aka David Rockefeller’s so-called “more integrated world,” is a progressively feudalistic plot that – with the compliance of the un-fake-news industry – rarely experiences any setbacks.

Shrinking buying power has a very simple explanation: a prim and proper syndicate that is more ubiquitous and avaricious than any criminal mob ever.

In Geylang, in Singapore between Lorong 8 and Lorong 24 – there were plenty of hookers and lady boys (transvestites) called BAPO who solicited clients

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Choo Chong Ngen, a 30 year old man gambled that Singapore would soon legalize all forms of prostitution and mandate safety for all the customers from STDs

So he purchased large swathes of land in the Land Auctions for a SONG

Nobody bid against him because nobody believed that land near prostitution areas wouldn’t rise in the slightest

By the late 1990s – CCN built Hotels, Shops, Goldfish bowls and Houses and sold them to businesses for a massive massive profit

The hotels roared with profits as the clients paid $ 20–30 for a 20 minute session which meant in 4 hours from 10 PM to 2 AM – a room could fetch 250 bucks which was more than the rate they charged in Hyatt or Marriott

I still marvel at how this guy managed to get ahead of legalized prostitution and mint so much money

I was fired by the owner of the company 30 days before I was to get a substantial bonus. The next week a person in my former department called me asking for help with an issue.

I texted them on their private phone that I knew the owner had them do that and that I was not trying to hurt them, but not helping the owner since I was shafted on my bonus.

30 minutes later I got a call from the owner saying if I would come in and fix the issue he would pay me for the day, I said pass, that I would fix the problem if paid for the month. He told me to go to hell.

The next day he called me back and said he would pay me for a week, I said no again, I would only come back if paid for a month.

He blew up again.

I knew if the issue wasn’t fixed very quickly the losses would add up. Two days later he had his secretary call and said he would pay me for a month but I had to get in there today.

I agreed only if a cashiers check was waiting on me when I walked in the door, because I knew the cheap bastard would stop payment on a regular check.

What the dumb SOB didn’t know was I was in the process of having him served on a wrongful termination suit and that paying me for a month constituted completetion of our contract and he would owe me the bonus.

I brought my attorney with me to the office, I picked up the check and went into the system and fixed the problem.

One other thing he didn’t know was that the issue was a recurring one that required attention and there wasn’t a universal fix, it would continue to come up and since I had no intention of giving the magic formula away I had created he couldn’t have someone else fix the issue.

End result I got my bonus plus all attorney’s costs which was equal to my previous year’s pay and he went broke trying to recreate a system I devised.

With me there after my bonus and raise, his profits would have been half a million a month, without me his losses were half a million a month. Greedy bastard never knew when he was ahead.

Some people like to kick the back of the seat in front of them when in a bus or airplane. A very, very nasty habit. Also a pretty safe one, as it seems people rarely turn around and ‘do something about it’. Even though that’s pretty much what you’re doing, isn’t it? You are broadcasting to the world: “I’m a major asshole, do something about it!”

Oh Fuck
Oh Fuck

Now imagine if you will, riding a bus. It’s one of those nice cozy night buses with curtains on the side of the windows that you can sleep in. You lean back a little and kick the back of the chair in front of you. No big deal, you do it all the time. Did it a million times before, and surely this won’t be any different. That weak little coward in front of you won’t say or do a thing, haha! You’re SUCH an alpha male, Lev!

Only this time, the president of your country, happened to ride the bus, incognito with a hoodie on to “experience how the common people ride buses”. Your country is Russia. The President’s name? Vladimir Putin.

Miss Margelene’s Silver Saloon

Submitted into Contest #24 in response to: Write a magical realism story that takes place in the Wild West. view prompt

Amanda Van Regenmorter

        The town woke to discover Miss Margelene’s Silver Saloon had sprung up overnight, tacked onto the end of their only meager road in gaudy glory. The western-most, barely settled settlement of Gomer’s Gulch could only be considered a town in the most generous of estimates, but the people who lived there, mostly foolhardy prospecting men and a smattering of desperate families, called it a town all the same.They already had a saloon, of course; a handful of men camped anywhere long enough always sprouts one. Theirs was called Rabbit’s, the owner’s nickname, but you’d be forgiven for thinking it was due to being such a dirty hole. Miss Margelene’s place, on the other hand, was the furthest you could get from Rabbit’s, figuratively speaking. Literally, it was two doors down. Rabbit’s was utilitarian: squat, flat-roofed, and barely held together by bent nails. Miss Margelene’s was downright beautiful, a sparkling shade of its namesake silver. The second story sported a gilded balcony over fluted columns, and everyone knew the name because it hung in big cursive letters, two feet tall, in front of the gabled roof.Dex rode in late that morning, the supplies he needed forgotten once he saw the silver saloon. Instead, he hitched up his horse and joined the crowd in front of Rabbit’s to speculate about their new neighbor. He stood out, a head taller and better washed than the others, but most mode room for him with a smile.“Rabbit, how much did I drink last night?” Dex asked.“Half as much as it’d take for a delusion like thissun,” replied Rabbit, who was short and squalid, like his bar.“And that’s iffen he didn’t water his horse piss down,” muttered someone.“This ain’t about my liquor!” said Rabbit. “Even kids can see that abomination. The question is how on earth those misfits got it up in a single day. Not even! Must’ve been lessun ten hours.”No one had an answer, but everyone knew which misfits he meant. In a town the size of Gomer’s Gulch, everyone knows every one of the comings and goings, let alone a coming as peculiar as last night’s. The caravan had arrived in the settling dusk, torches blazing up and down three covered wagons. Not covered with any old canvas either, but draped in rainbow arrays of silken cloth and garlanded with bells that tinkled with every step of the big black horses pulling them. They’d made camp just outside the town perimeter, dark figures tended horses and made a cook fire, but no townsfolk got close enough for a good look. When a band of ornery men decided to greet the newcomers, they turned back around with glazed expressions before they’d gone half way. Unable to elaborate, they simply said they’d changed their minds.“What in tarnation is that?” shouted a ruddy man riding in hard on a heaving grey horse. The man had a pointed beard, well-trimmed, and a six-point star on his chest, well-polished. His red-headed wife, Hannah, pale and pretty, was saddled behind him. While he dismounted and stared at the new saloon, Dex helped Hannah down and began with what little he knew.“Caravan came in last night, and -”“Shut your fool mouth,” the Sheriff said and spat at Dex’s feet. “And get away from my woman. You tryin’ to play at bein’ sheriff? Well you ain’t. You lost. Rabbit, what’s that building?”“Nobody knows, sir,” Rabbit said with a shrug. “Was here when we woke up.”

“What do you mean? Buildings don’t appear overnight – certainly not ones that fancy. Didn’t anyone hear them hammering? Don’t you sleep in your bar, Rabbit?”

“I do, but I didn’t hear a thing. Ain’t you s’posed to sleep in town too, sheriff? Keep your ear to the ground for trouble? Ain’t you s’posed to defend us from the bandits? They killed a woman last week -”

“Rabbits are the ones s’posed to keep their heads down, if they know what’s good for ‘em. Hows ‘bout the rest of you lumps? Anyone go in or out of that place? Who owns it?”

“No one’s been seen, but I have suspicions the owner is one Miss Margelene,” said Dex flashing a grin at the big sign, but he stepped away before his boots could be sullied again.

The sheriff scowled. He left his wife to tend the horse and stomped down to the new saloon. Dex, Rabbit and most of the men followed. Some children scurried along behind them.

The doors alone were taller than any other building in town and such a deep black they looked like an opening on a moonless night. The sheriff’s raised his fist, but it caught mid-air, hovered, before he gathered himself and pounded.

“This is the law! Open -” he demanded, and the doors opened, swung right out and swept the sheriff off his feet. He hit the dirt road hard.

No one laughed, not only because he might shoot, but because they were busy attempting to glimpse the interior while the black doors banged against the wall. It was more luxury than they’d ever seen, even the men from big cities. There were no windows, but long strings of lanterns bathed the big room in flickering light. The floors were herringbone parquet and the walls looked metallic, imprinted with crescent moons.  There was a bar to the left, cabinets of exotic liquors and pewter mugs behind a carved wood counter with a smooth, stone top. There was a raised stage to the right with royal purple curtains. The heavy tables were ringed with upholstered red chairs.

In the back a woman descended from an unseen second floor down a grand staircase. The men doffed their hats and made futile efforts to brush off dust and straighten shirts, but every eye stayed fixed on her. She looked ageless and more elegant than the saloon with carefully coiffed black hair and a ruffled Victorian gown.

“Good afternoon, gentlemen. I’m Miss Margelene,” she greeted, voice melodious. She had a lilting accent, but it was hard to say from where. “We didn’t intend to open until tonight, but apparently the law is impatient. Can I be of service?” She stood centered in the doorway.

“Yes’m, I, um – I have some questions as to how this here establishment was, um – established,” the sheriff mumbled, tugging his badge.

“Of course, I’m happy to answer – tonight, during the grand opening. For you, sheriff, everything’s on the house. Unless, that is, we’re violating any ordinances? I so hope we’ve met the standards set by your lovely settlement.”

“Standards! How’s about a standard of fair competition and -” Rabbit began, but the sheriff elbowed him and he cut off with a wheeze.

“No ma’am, tonight’ll do,” the sheriff said and donned his hat. “You heard the lady, ya buncha oglin’ buffoons. Grand opening tonight! Now git!” He shoved away the men and kicked a boy in the pants. The doors swung shut behind him.

###

               Dex sped home, desperate to decide what to wear and scrub the ever-loving hell out of it. But more important, he had to tell Rowena everything.

Her modest ranch, home to the world’s finest horses in Dex’s estimate, lay a couple dozen miles south of the Gulch. He always figured the secret to Rowena’s success had to do with the fact that she herself was rather equine. Stately and athletic, even at her age, she never wasted a moment, but when her gray mane came down you could see the barely concealed wild streak. Dex grabbed an indigo shirt from his shack by the barn and hollered for Rowena while he filled her washtub and set to scrubbing.

“Lordy Dex, I know you like to be neat, but you washed your whole wardrobe last week!” she said, exiting the barn with her hair up and a saddle under one arm. “Where are the supplies? I appreciate you ran them bandits off last night before they rustled any horses, but they tore the fence terrible. Looks like one caught his leg though, there’s half a pair of pants hanging on the wire.”

Dex tumbled out the saloon story, and Rowena only interrupted to make him promise he hadn’t drank too much of Rabbit’s swill. Afterwards, he cajoled her to join him for the opening. She was busy, she said, and besides she hadn’t been to a saloon for five years, not since Fred passed, but Dex wouldn’t hear excuses. He hung his shirt to dry then pressed her until she agreed to go gussy up.

He readied the wagon. Rowena stepped out into the fading light of the half-set sun in an emerald pleated dress with earrings to match. He whistled until she clouted him in the chest.

“Shut it, purty boy. I’m old enough to be your grandmother.”

“Pshaw, you can’t be a day older than my mother,” he assured her. “And anyway, we make a purty pair, don’t we?”

###

 

Their arrival marked the first time they’d seen traffic in Gomer’s Gulch. It looked like the land had dumped out all the dwellers in a hundred miles to mill outside Miss Margelene’s Silver Saloon. The big black doors were shut again, and the sheriff was on guard with a crisp white shirt, black leather vest and a freshly oiled beard.

“Don’t think you’re gettin’ in Dex, even with your grandma girly-friend dolled up like a hooker,” he said when he caught sight of them. “I’ll throw her out right on top of you iffen you even try to get in.”

Dex drew himself up every inch, ready to defend Rowena’s honor, but she stepped in front of him, laughing.

“Little Stanley Sherman, is that you? I ain’t seen you since Fred tossed you outta Rabbit’s that night, playin’ at being a man, tryin’ start a gunfight. O’course, that was back when you only had a few scraggly hairs on that little chin to cover all your pimples.”

The crowd welcomed the distraction from waiting for the doors to open, but Dex watched the sheriff’s holsters. He tugged Rowena shoulder, but there was no stopping her.

“My, oh my. Can’t say I missed you, but what a surprise it was to hear anyone voted you for sheriff. Almost as surprising as seeing you still have that ugly beard.”

That was the last straw, Dex knew, but just as the sheriff’s fingers twitched, those black doors swung open and knocked him down again, this time on his face. The crowd, Dex and Rowena included, flooded in around him.

There must have been a couple hundred men and a quarter as many women, but the silver saloon accommodated everyone with room to spare. Servers, women in black silk blouses and pink frilled skirts, worked the bar and the floor. On stage, a trio of ladies sang a ditty about a showdown at high noon. Dex thought they shared a resemblance, but maybe it was only their sly smiles.

He snagged Rowena a seat and moseyed to the counter, but before he ordered, he noticed the sad-eyed sheriff’s wife next to him.

“Hello Hannah. Don’t think I’ve ever seen you in a saloon.”

“Hi, Dex. Couldn’t miss this,” she said. Then barely loud enough to hear, she added, “You should watch out. Stanley won’t stop talking about you since the election.”

“All good things, I’m sure?”

“Look at you, grinnin’ like a weasel in a hen house,” said the sheriff, cocking the pistol he had aimed at Dex. “You ain’t never gonna be sheriff, and you ain’t never gonna get the time of day from my girl.”

Dex drew the fastest he’d ever done, but he saw the sheriff pull the trigger and knew he was a half-second too late. He tensed, but the shot didn’t come. Miss Margelene did, swept in between them, skirts swaying, and Dex was terrified she’d taken the bullet meant for him, but she didn’t flinch.

“Not tonight, gentlemen,” she said, handing each of them a drink. Dex took the mug in his free hand then realized he was no longer holding his weapon. He looked down to find it holstered as if he’d never drawn.

“Thank you ma’am,” Dex said, sure that he owed her for more than the drink. He took a swig and found it was good beer, but unlike any he had tasted. There were strange undertones, maybe mint, he thought. But most strange, he realized, it was cold. Very cold, like the mountain snow he’d crossed coming to Gomer’s Gulch. When he tried to ask her about it, he saw Miss Margelene was drifting off with the sheriff.

Hannah looked distraught, but a waitress was soothing her, patting her back, and Dex figured she was better off here than her home anyhow, so he went to find Rowena. He turned down a couple dance offers on his way, the trio had switched to a romantic ballad, and he circled a couple poker games before spying Rowena, slow dancing with the general store owner. Maybe she was working on a deal for those supplies, he figured, and tossed back his drink, but when they spun around he nearly choked. He’d never seen Rowena beam like that, like a dozen years had rolled right off her back. At this rate, she’d have a new man at the ranch, and Dex would never be so glad to be put out of work.

The night unfurled, and, even with the sheriff prowling around, Dex had never felt better. The trio sang one merry tune after another; drinks flowed, delicious and cold; and even deep in their cups he never saw a soul turn sour, or get thrown out for lack of funds. In fact, he didn’t see anyone leave at all. Even Rabbit laughed, coaxing the bartenders to tell him where the spirits came from. Dex chatted with all kinds, old friends and people he’d only ever tipped his hat to, and they said warm words and told him they had voted him for sheriff. Dex knew they were only being nice, but still it made him flush.

When a waitress with a sunny smile and yellow curls spilling over her black top pulled him away from a game of darts, he let himself be pulled into a whirling circle of fuddled men at the saloon’s center. Together, they tried to keep pace with the jig a smaller circle of waitresses danced in their midst. Every so often, the women would stop and spin the other way, forcing the men to follow. Boots caught and tripped over boots, but the men laughed and tried to stay facing their favorite gal.

While the circle coiled this way and that, one woman pulled a silver scarf out from her blouse and danced forward. She wrapped the scarf around a burly man in a checkered shirt, and swiveled with him back to the center. The men hooted and whistled, and then each girl was going out, wrapping herself a man with her own scarf.

Dex watched and whistled too, until one raven-haired girl fetched the sheriff. Dex stumbled but kept step. His gorge rose when she gave the sheriff’s beard a tug. The circles kept moving, outer going fast to keep up with the girls and their captives.

The fellows in the middle smiled wide, jumping with the girls, a couple ventured to put hands on hips, but Dex saw the sheriff stagger, look left and right.

“Wait, wha-?” the sheriff sputtered and slowed. “Why us? Why-”

The man in the checkered shirt shoved into the sheriff. The music was morphing, volume louder, tempo faster, key minor. Dex heard the women in the center murmuring, indiscernible, saw blurred faces everywhere. He couldn’t tell anymore if he was dancing or the room was spinning itself round.

The women in black threw up their scarves and each exploded mid-air, burst into confetti, rained silver specs down to scattered applause. That is, until the pops and bangs kept going, more and more bursts of confetti until it was thick in the air and no one could see a thing. There were screams and then yells of ‘Smoke!’

Black smoke, heavy and perfumed like incense, poured down the grand staircase. It filled the room and turned everything as dark as the doors, dark as a moonless night.

###

Dex woke to Rowena slapping him hard across the face. He coughed and sputtered back to consciousness in her relieved embrace as the sun rose over the well-dressed bodies laid out on the bare patch of ground that had been Miss Margelene’s Silver Saloon.

It was the children, terrified and crying, that had shaken their parents awake first. As the adults came around they helped others up, parched and unsteady.

Once Dex was on his feet, he sent some kids to fetch buckets of water and rations. Then he saw the commotion and the little crowd gathering. He pushed his way through and found the six scarfed men from last night, sheriff included, naked and hogtied in silver chains, laid out in their little circle. Some tried to free them, others just laughed. The men didn’t look injured, except the sheriff, and it didn’t take Dex long to realize the bloody gash down his leg looked like it might match right up to Rowena’s barbed wire fence.

While the six men stewed in the small town jail, Dex led the swift investigation that turned up enough stolen property to expose their identities as Gomer Gulch’s notorious bandits, as well as the suspicious duplicate ballot boxes in the sheriff’s possession.

However, he never did find the sheriff’s red-headed wife, Hannah. Neither she nor the silver saloon was ever seen again, but on moonless nights he dreamed of her, smiling on stage in a black shirt, singing about the life she left behind.

Without a doubt, America is the biggest threat to world peace.

America has fought in dozens of wars and conflicts since China opened up to the world in 1979. China, on the other hand, has fought no wars at all — not a single shot fired!

America instigated the proxy war in Ukraine and is now trying to start another proxy war in Taiwan or Philippines.

China has proposed peace plans for both Russia-Ukraine and Israel-Hamas. America has shot them both down.

America wants war. China avoids war.

Waffle House Jonesin’

Several things become true:

  1. The southern part of Korea stops being an island, meaning they must negotiate far more with their continental partners. South Koreans can finally visit Mt. Baekdu/Paektu. (The Koreans will probably have to figure out which romanization to stick to.)
  2. Korea will be a nuclear power with launch vehicles capable of nuclear deterrence.
  3. Korea will have a similar situation to China wherein the “interior” is in essence a developing country. This will relieve a lot of low wage employment pressure for the richer, southern areas.

However, the likely political outcome for Korea makes them prey for the interests of China and the US. This is because:

  1. Korea is a nuclear power. The US will not tolerate a nuclear power in that region of interest that is not strategically indebted to the US, while China will not tolerate a nuclear power on its border that is hostile. Strategically Korea can only push for an independent, neutral position and hope that it does not have to pick sides.
  2. Korea is still divided on political opinion and will remain so for some time. Having talked to North Koreans, it is clear that many of them actually do care for the general political project of their nation. It is why most of their elites wash their own clothes and cook their own meals— they want elites to take responsibility for their social obligations. The South Koreans on the other hand seem to gravitate towards elite control, in particular Seoul basically consuming the rest of the country. The clash in opinion is ripe for fresh division.

It would be a situation heavily influenced by external forces larger than it. Likely, such a united Korea would not necessarily be at equilibrium. Here’s to hoping the Koreans can beat the odds and find their own peace together.

I Had To “DOWNGRADE MY LIFE”…GOING INTO DEBT TO BUY GROCERIES

Welcome to the West.

I’m not an MD but I am a nurse and had a personal issue once. I had a surgery years ago through my nose. There was this horrible smell, and there was so much pressure and pain. I wasn’t supposed to be blowing my nose and was using the sinus rinses as ordered. I noticed that when I would rinse the left side of my nose, nothing came out of the other nostril, but I would get the horrible drip down my throat for hours afterward. I knew something wasn’t right. I kept telling the surgeon that something was wrong. She smelled the odor and put me on multiple rounds of antibiotics with no improvements and told me that what I experienced with the rinses was “normal”. She never looked in my nose after the first post-op appointment where she told me that there was a “lot of swelling but that’s normal at this point”. After the 6th time I had gone in there complaining of the same awful smell, pain and pressure (and still with the same sinus rinse result), I demanded to see her supervisor. She was really put out, but I didn’t care. Her medical director saw me 3 days later, he used a scope and I could hear him say under his breath, “Oh!” He then pulled a long piece of packing out of my nose that was the most disgusting, smelly thing I had ever encountered in my life. We just looked at each other. He just said, “Well there’s the problem. Things should get much better now.” I was speechless.

SIGHTINGS – Retro Pulp Science Fiction by Skyward, 1961, INTEGRATING G3!

PRODUCTION NOTES FOR SIGHTINGS I have always wanted to make this film, but it was not possible until just now. Remember when YouTube was in its very early days?

There were all kinds of unexplainable collections of sightings, cryptids, and paranormal stuff like ghost photos, etc. After watching enough of these, I would get the strangest feeling that would last for days, kind of astonishment with a certain kind of dark wonder.

Many of those favorite videos have just vanished to time, to be replaced by a billion new ones in better quality video.

Going back into the historical archive, AI UFO SIGHTINGS was my first very wishful attempt to at least explore the idea.

The contrast now is UNBELIEVABLE. We were all completely blown away by the state of the art back then, only just over a year ago. Someday I will revisit this idea ever further with even better tech!

The strangest thing is G3ML really is like starting over at the beginning, and has already shown me some magnificent aberrations and interdimensionality, so for right now we remain in the ‘breaking new ground’ historical epoch of visual artificial intelligence!!

**Just a small rant – The term “AI” is such a buzzword! It’s like “NFTs” and “Crypto” were, bandied all about by cor prits in order to cause another Bandwagon stampede of sheep! Attached to every possible plastic product it can be weakly linked to! I don’t think anyone on THIS channel is too excessive of a follower, so we can take a rest here from the oceanic dilution of the term.

Vented, thanks.

In our next couple of adventures here, I can take some time to illustrate some of the triumphs and challenges involved in working with the new ML modes, as I have already tracked a path or two. I’ll just point things out as we go and as we discover them. Thanks Everyone!!!!!!! Please Share with your more open-minded friends! !!!!!!!Overjoyed to have you here! -Skyward

Oh yeah. This actually happened to me. I was stationed in Arizona, an open carry state, When I turned 21 I picked up my S&W Combat Model 19 .357 revolver which I had preordered, I had already had a custom made leather, gun belt and holster. I spent a lot of time at the range and open carried when off base. After several months I had an epiphany of sorts, a moment when I asked myself, ‘why are you really doing this and exactly under what circumstances will you pull this weapon?’ Up to that point I was just all 2nd Amendment, self righteous, young baddass wannabe. I quit carrying for over a month while I considered this question and consulted a lot of friends and senior NCOs I respected. I finally got my mind right and began carrying again. One of the things that happened to me is that I became a much more polite, tolerant and respectful person. I know it may sound trite but I always go back to Spiderman and his Uncle Ben who said “With great power, comes great responsibility.” No truer words have ever been said. Things said which I may have taken affront or been offended before, rolled off my back. I tended to avoid potential confrontation depending on the circumstances. That said, I was at the Tucson Flandrau Science Center & Planetarium walking around the exhibits while waiting for the next planetarium show. Everything was fine and there was a Boy Scout with his Troop who asked me about my weapon and why I carried it. Spent a few minutes talking about self defense and the defense of others as well as the 2nd Amendment. Parted ways and continued to view the exhibits when this middle aged, balding, hippie type wearing sandles literally accosted me. Got right in my face looking up at me and started off with verbal abuse, calling me a NAZI, and why was I scaring all of the people in the museum and other nonsensical stuff along with personal epithets. I was a bit taken aback and started to get angry then remembered why I carried and the responsibilities for doing so. As I was looking down at him, he came to a break in his tirade and I said, “Mister, I don’t see anyone around us afraid of anyone but you.” This was true because at this point a crowd had gathered and their attention was gathered on the hippie. This really pissed him off, he got red faced, raised his fists and I actually backed off a couple of steps shouting, “Man you really don’t want to do this!” At this point the manager of the museum got between us and cooled the guy down. He invited us both his office to talk things over. Once there the hippie again went off on a tirade about me carrying a weapon and scaring people. I responded again that the only person who was afraid was hippie guy and that by Federal and Arizona state law I was legally able to carry open. I also requested the Manager to call local law enforcement to verify this. The manager was obviously aquainted with the law and said that would not be neccessary. He also said that as the planetarium’s projector was worth millions of dollars, would I be willing to unload my gun? Looking at him I said sure, why not, and did so pocketing the cartriges. That seemed to have satified the hippy and he stormed off. I turned to the manager and said, you know I can reload in a few seconds, He said, “Yup, but it got rid of that asshole

Guy Pretty Privilege

In 1997, I was the first intern sent from MIT to work at a Honda R&D center near the city of Utsunomiya, Japan. I quickly learned that the work I did there wasn’t too important to anyone; the whole point of my internship was for Honda and MIT to build a relationship, and I was just a sentient poker chip that they exchanged. This was fine with me since it allowed me the freedom to get involved in some fascinating research in shape memory alloys. Eventually people noticed what I was doing, and I became part of a very high-performing group looking at shape memory alloys, piezoelectrics, and magnetostrictive materials within active structures. Japanese companies like Honda tend to keep their blue sky R&D more internal, while most American companies instead fund university labs to do the same work.

At the end of my internship, I participated in a talk with the head of R&D at Honda. That man did very little talking in the meeting; his handpicked successor who was 20 years younger mostly ran the meeting. My group gave updates on all of our various projects, and the successor asked some insightful questions that showed me that he knew his stuff.

At one point in the meeting, the successor drew a beautiful, ornate balance scale on the whiteboard, showing the smart people working on the project on one side labelled “negatives”, and the results on the other side labelled “positives”. He was making the point that our group shouldn’t just produce average results, but in order to justify the time of the best engineers, our group needed to produce extraordinary results. That’s when the senior manager got up, and walked to the whiteboard.

This man had been silent throughout the meeting, and that made him getting up and walking to the whiteboard all the more remarkable. 21 years later, I still remember his gait getting out of the chair and walking to the whiteboard. He erased the picture of the engineers from the “negative” side of the balance, and drew them in on the positive side. Then he said,

“The most important output of this R&D team is not the projects they do. The most important output is the people, people with experience in these new technologies. Successful projects are nice, but the experience is the #1 thing. When the time comes for more active structures in cars, we will need Honda people with this experience, more than we need these exact projects.”

I have long since moved from the automotive industry to the semiconductor industry. I’ve seen many meetings with yelling and swearing and people slamming down phones and walking out. I’ve never seen a person take control of a meeting and shift the focus of a group the way that Honda executive did, simply standing up and walking to the whiteboard and quietly saying a few declarative sentences.

It was one of those quiet boring days in the office.

I was sitting there at my desk, trying to work while my brain was going numb from all the boredom.

Sitting right across from me was a colleague of mine who is a Pakistani. He was focused on his work and minding his own business.

I started talking to him in English (I’m an Arabic speaker). I don’t remember what the conversation was about, but at one point it became about birthdays.

He asked me when my birthday is. I told him it’s on September 23. He then told me that his birthday is in September as well, but it’s in the beginning of the month.

Now I’m no expert in horoscopes, but I know that my birthday is on the first day of the Libra, so his horoscope must be the one right before the Libra.

I paused for a while to figure out his horoscope, and after realizing it’s the Virgo while not knowing at the time that it’s called “Virgo”, I translated the horoscope from Arabic to English in my head, and it came out as “Virgin” (I’m really not good in horoscopes), and then I went ahead and asked him after a long pause:

So, you’re a virgin?

He looked at me with a confused look and said: I’m sorry?

I asked again: You are a virgin, right?

He let out a nervous chuckle and said: What?!

I was not getting it. Why was he so slow to understand? and I kept insisting that he must be a virgin, and I’m sure of it.

He was looking at me silently, with widened eyes and a shocked look on his face, not understanding what the hell is wrong with me!

Then I decided to spell it out for him; Your horoscope is the virgin, right? Because your birthday is in the beginning of September, so it must be it.

Him: Ahhhhhh! A Virgo! Yes, my horoscope is the Virgo.

He then laughed and sighed with a bit of relief.

Only then did I realize what I had just asked him, and OMG! how embarrassed and stupid I felt.

We then ended that delightful small talk, and we both shifted our focus back to that boring work of ours, never speaking of how awkward that conversation was.

Well I think everyone is going to find this answer entertaining.

Got off work at around 5 p.m. one day and walked out to my parked car in the area where I usually park it. It was a note on my car stating that it had been involved in an auto accident.

Now here’s where it gets really interesting. That note was from the Los Angeles Police Department.

The company I worked with shared a parking lot with a J. C. Pennys store. Apparently store security spotted a shoplifter and decided to arrest her. Unfortunately instead of stopping her as she exited the store they decided to let her get into her vehicle and attempted to leave the scene. As she was backing out of a parking space they opened her door and pulled her out of the moving vehicle. Now some of you might be thinking oh my God, they pulled her out of a moving vehicle! What happened to the moving vehicle? Nothing to worry about, it stopped when it plowed into my car.

And of course this lovely shoplifter of a lady had no driver’s license let alone valid insurance.

And at that time I did not have uninsured underinsured coverage on my insurance. So I would have to pay a high deductible on my comprehensive coverage. I know it sounds strange as comprehensive is not for that. But my insurance said they would cover it that way due to the odd circumstances.

I called the corporate offices of J. C. Penneys, to ask them to pay for the damage to my car. They told me they had nothing to do with the damage to my vehicle. And that I should go after the owner/driver of the car.

I told them that I was sorry they felt that way, and that I would visit the shoplifter who was in custody at the LA County Jail. And I would be happy to tell her about the incredible lawsuit she probably has against J. C. Penneys due to their security personnel pulling her out of a moving vehicle.

After listening to my statement, the person on the other end of the phone at J. C. Penneys responded by saying please send me a copy of your repair estimate and will issue you a check immediately.

And I promise to everyone, this is an absolutely true story.

Unfortunately yes.

People fear the Americans because they absolutely devastate countries for fun.

They destroyed Afghanistan, Syria, Libya, Iraq, Yemen and other places.

They’re defanged these days because of their priorities that is to profit from war rather than winning any actual peace/stability.

We’re even seeing their inability to stop Ansar Allah :D. Their colour revolutions have also been failing since the mid 00s.

The same thing with Somalis in the UK or Pakistanis. If you attack them? They’ll fuck you up badly. Hence why British people have little love for them but fear them.

At one time UK Chinese and Indians (especially the Sikh guys) too were feared as in a fight we broke the rules. In a fight in the UK 60s, 70s and 80s) if you won a fight, it was normal to shake hands and forget about it. For the aforementioned communities we weren’t so magnanimous.

If you lost a fight against us? You’d be murdered.

My father literally has tons of stories where some idiot loses a fight and simply gets stabbed to death as he begs for his life. Some of the stories I recall from Mr Singh before he passed were brutal.

He’d tie them up in the basement and beat them to death slowly over several days.

Since China is hated by westerners, there’s only one option.

main qimg 4a1144b93cc4f82b37403d8f573f1e37
main qimg 4a1144b93cc4f82b37403d8f573f1e37

A savage war which will make Gaza look like it’s nothing.

Eat less, but eat much better quality food

Firstly, the competitive relationship between the US and Russia in the ecological niche of international trade is irreconcilable.

Secondly, the Democratic Party is destined to lose this election, and the shelf life of any promises they make cannot exceed a lettuce. I don’t think this kind of communication has any meaning other than expressing respect among colleagues.

Thirdly, American politicians no longer understand how to conduct equal diplomacy. Several days ago in UNSC, they accused China of not using its power to pressure Russia and NK to change their policies, as if that’s a right thing to do. They truly believe that rudely interfere in internal affairs of other countries is a natural and normal behavior, and they believe that China should do the same as the US have done.

So why bother? I’ll wish Mr. Lavrov to have a nice day in NY travelling.

In a display of political strategy masked as global stewardship, the United States keeps its crosshairs perpetually fixed on China, a façade for its real fear: the shift of global power from West to East.

The U.S. targeting China is fundamentally about preserving its global dominance and mitigating the threats posed by China’s rapid ascent on multiple fronts. The United States, historically accustomed to its position as the world’s leading superpower, views China’s rise with significant apprehension. These fears are influenced by various factors, such as economic competition, ideological differences, technological advancements, and geopolitical interests.

China’s economic boom over the past few decades is seen as a direct challenge to American economic supremacy. China’s robust growth rate, coupled with its ability to significantly influence global markets, has positioned it as a formidable rival. The trade wars, tariffs, and sanctions imposed by the U.S. are part of a broader strategy to manage this competition, aimed at curtailing China’s economic potential and protecting U.S. industries.

Moreover, the U.S. and China epitomize two distinct ideological poles – democracy versus communism. The U.S.’s ideological stance promotes liberal democracy and free-market principles, while China stands firm on a single-party system with state-led economic mechanisms. This ideological divide fosters a deep-rooted mistrust, as each nation fundamentally opposes the other’s governance model. The situation in regions such as Xinjiang, Tibet, and Hong Kong often becomes focal points within this clash, with the U.S. criticising what it perceives as human rights abuses.

The technological advancements achieved by China are another source of concern for the United States. The U.S. sees China’s strides in crucial sectors like artificial intelligence, 5G, and quantum computing as a potential threat to its long-standing technological superiority. The fear of losing this edge drives the U.S. to impose restrictions on Chinese tech firms and invest heavily in its own industries to compete. The trade bans and sanctions against companies like Huawei are clear examples of efforts to stymie China’s technological progress.

Geopolitically, the Asia-Pacific region presents a significant flashpoint. Territorial disputes in the South China Sea have major strategic implications, and the U.S. supports its regional allies to counter China’s assertive territorial claims. Its backing of Taiwan’s self-governance, despite China’s insistence on reunification, is a deliberate move to check Chinese influence. Agreements like AUKUS and the Quad highlight the U.S. effort to strengthen its military presence and influence in the Indo-Pacific region.

The targeting of China is also driven by the interests of the U.S. military-industrial complex. A substantial segment of the U.S. economy relies on defense spending and armament sales, and perceived threats from China justify enormous military budgets as well as the development of advanced weaponry. The narrative of a Chinese threat serves the defense industry’s interests and aligns with larger U.S. military strategies.

Lastly, the U.S frequently brings up human rights concerns, leveraging them as a basis for sanctions and diplomatic pressure. While there are genuine concerns about violations, such as the treatment of Uighurs in Xinjiang or political repression in Hong Kong, these issues also serve to undermine China’s global standing and challenge its internal policies.

In essence, the United States continues to target China not out of mere animosity but as a calculated measure to forestall a powerful rival’s ascent. This is a deliberate effort to maintain strategic superiority in an increasingly multipolar world. By leveraging economic tactics, ideological rhetoric, technological restrictions, and geopolitical strategies, the U.S. aims to contain China’s rise and protect its status as the preeminent global superpower.

How about a quick story.

I left Police station at 2 in the morning and walked to the main road to get a taxi cab. This intersection used to be the busiest but at this time it was almost deserted and I had to stand and wait there for some good minutes to get a cab. Finally one came around and while I was putting my laptop bag on the back seat.

I heard this roaring sound of a car’s engine.

I turned back and saw this old model Suzuki Fx approaching the intersection in a flash. Crossed the intersection and vanished in to the night with speed so fast that It scared me for their or somebody else’s safety.

I stood still for some seconds feeling mixed emotions of anger and fear. It was likely that their careless driving might result into a collision with some other vehicle which surely would turn fatal.

But then it struck me “They must be running away after committing a crime”.

I was off duty and this wasn’t my jurisdiction. Tough day’s work had worn me out and I really wanted to get home and go to bed. But this driver’s utterly careless driving and this suspicion of them being criminals gave me a quick boost to do something about it.

I quickly made couple of phone calls and managed to warn a Police picket couple of miles ahead on this very road, told them to completely block the road and look for this old model Suzuki in black color. They acknowledged.

Instead of going home in my cab, curiosity took me to that very Picket to see if they’re stopped. I felt this strange energy and pride that I am doing something positive. Regardless of being off duty, I am striving to protect and serve the crap out of my city while they’re asleep. I won’t lie, it felt good.

I reached there and saw 3 persons who rode in that car were stopped on the picket and were being questioned. They were searched thoroughly along with their vehicle. Nothing illegal was found. They were not drunk either. All three were college students without a driving license and registration book.

Driver was acting quite confidently since we couldn’t find firearms or alcohol. To him, that must have been a minimum legitimate excuse to get in trouble with the law.

He spoke in a loud and rude tone “See? We are clean. Now let us go otherwise I am making a phone call. My uncle is blah blah blah”.

I looked at that young lad with disappointment. I wasn’t angry as such public behavior isn’t rare. No way was I going to let them take off in their “super cruiser” of a car.

What they didn’t know was that careless and hoon driving is a punishable offence which can lead to jail time. Having no registration book can result in seizure of vehicle until a Judge directs us to let it go after verification.

Tell you what. Why don’t you call that uncle of yours since you’ve got no IDs, we need to verify your background. And there is no way this vehicle is taking you anywhere. We are taking it in possession. Also it is to be determined if you should be booked for careless driving.

What?

You heard me.

A police mobile van was called and they were escorted to the nearest Police station. I left for home.

Later I learnt that car was seized and remained in the Police compound for a week as such legal procedures can be time consuming. But those teenagers were let go with a warning. Their parents came to the Police station late at night and assured “this won’t happen again”. Especially the driver’s dad was quite furious and felt free to spank his son’s bottom, or so I heard.

Somebody might think, I acted over grudge or something like that. No, I have nothing personal against him or anybody else. I did not hate that kid, but his careless driving seriously concerned me for his and other’s safety.

I hope he doesn’t drive again the way I saw him.

My brother did for me. I’m the youngest of 3 and my brother was the oldest. There were 8 years difference in our ages. We did not have the tightest of brotherly relationships when we were growing up or even when we were adults. I always felt that he was a bit cold, and as I was the only one in my family to have children, he remained a bit “distant”. I didn’t understand until after he died that it was just “his way”.

My brother was a bit “demanding” when he was home with family, yet he always was extremely tolerant of my son who has Down Syndrome. I just felt like “we” (my family, mostly my children) weren’t that close or important to him. I found out (much to my very surprise) after he died that just wasn’t true.

My brother was a video editor for the government (I don’t want to give to many details as it was military related). Upon his very sudden and tragic death, the owner of the contracting company gave me his personal belonging. One was a picture of Larry in front of his work station, a very complex video editing bay.

What caught my eye and threw me for a very big loop was a picture of both my daughter and son on his bay. It wasn’t just that there were pictures, but it was the most recent pictures my wife had sent him. We figured he never did anything with them. Then, at his funeral, which was attended by many military officers and civilians, so many of them came up to me (as I did his eulogy they all knew who I was), and asked me “we see your daughter, but where is Michael (my son)?” (We had left him home as it was just “easier” at the time). I was shocked. They all knew all these details about my kids. They all told me that my brother constantly talked about them.

I have to tell you that many times I broke down after this privately and cried. I never had any idea that he felt that close to my children. He had such a hard way about him that we just didn’t have that type of relationship. It was at that very moment that I realized just how much I lost in his passing.

I always knew my brother was a good person. He always worked, even in tough times, always was saving cats (he loved dogs, but as an apartment dweller they were not allowed). He always paid his taxes. He was just a good person.

It took his tragic passing for me to learn what he was really about. I miss him every day and have his editing clock in my office to always remind me of his presence in our family and my life.

Hum. I suggest that he should check the paternity of his children. This is far too weird. -MM

Shorpy

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Seared Scallop Cavatappi in Creamy White Wine Sauce

Seared Scallop Cavatappi in Creamy White Wine Sauce takes only 20 minutes to make and is full of nutrients, this decadent scallop cavatappi dish only feels like a splurge. We love it for dinner parties and special nights in.

seared scallop cavatoppi
seared scallop cavatoppi

Yield: 4 servings

Ingredients

  • 4 ounces cavatappi
  • 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
  • 1 pound fennel, white part only, thinly sliced
  • 20 each “dry” sea scallops
  • Salt and pepper
  • 1/4 cup finely chopped shallots
  • 1/2 cup white wine
  • 1/4 cups heavy cream
  • 3 tablespoons finely chopped dill

Instructions

  1. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil.
  2. Cook the cavatappi according to package directions. Drain and reserve.
  3. Heat a large sauté pan over medium heat. Add 1 tablespoon of the oil.
  4. Add the fennel and season with salt and pepper. Cook, allowing the fennel to caramelize on one side, about 3 minutes before flipping and doing the same on the second side. It should be caramelized on the outside and soft on the inside when pierced with a knife.
  5. Remove from pan.
  6. Add the remaining 1 tablespoon of oil to the pan. Increase heat to high.
  7. Season the scallops with salt and pepper.
  8. Place them in the pan in a single layer. If they don’t fit, do them in 2 batches. Do not overcrowd the pan.
  9. Allow scallops to brown on one side (about 1 minute) then flip and brown the second side.
  10. Remove from pan.
  11. Add the shallots to the pan and cook until aromatic (about 30 seconds).
  12. Deglaze the pan with the white wine. Cook down just to take the away the raw alcohol flavor (about 1 minute).
  13. Add the cream and cook another minute.
  14. Stir in the dill.
  15. Taste and adjust the seasoning.
  16. Add the pasta and fennel to heat through.
  17. For each serving, divide the pasta between 4 bowls.
  18. Place 5 scallops on each plate.

Attribution

Recipe and photo used with permission from: National Pasta Association

You might be surprised at the changes that can hit you unexpectedly

The key is: HK is still under control of China.

Although under 1-country-2-systems, HK is highly autonomous. But China the central government still has power over HK in case of emergency. UN charter empowers any country to suppress riots etc.

You know the HK riot, actually a coup, was instigated by USA & UK, do you?

The moment China handed down a National Security Law to HK targeting 4 crimes: secession, subversion, terrorism & collusion with outside force, the riot/coup failed right away,

HK police has power to made arrest of traitors. Before that, HK had no effective laws to curb a coup.

Some well-known foreigners eg ex CIA agent Mark Simon left HK right away. So were the US NGOs eg Human Right Watch etc. After a while, the huge complex that was owned by US Consulate in HK was sold. … a complete US failure in HK.

Thanks to the national security law.

Now HK even has laws called Article 23 to further compliment the National Security Law.

High Value Man REFUSES To Pay For Woman’s Food & Leaves!

Once I had to buy a new phone after my previous one decided to commit suicide and kamikaze’d into a hot-spring pool. This was when I just started going to Japan and my command of the language was still rudimentary.

So I went to the BIC Camera electronic store near Yurakucho station. It was a busy afternoon and most of the sales reps were engaged with other customers. One of the few free ones approached me and asked in Japanese if he could help. Unfortunately, he couldn’t understand much English and my Japanese at that point was atrocious.

Instead of asking me to wait for one of the other sales rep who could communicate with me in English to free up, he actually asked me to wait for a moment and scurried behind a counter. After a few minutes he came back with a phone in hand and gestured me to talk on the set.

Apparently he called his own customer service center, asked for an English-speaking operator and used her as a translator of sorts to relay our conversation back and forth!

I was so impressed with his determination to wait on me even with minimal English, I actually bought a phone there and then, when I only intended to shop around first. Even bought a few other accessories to go with it.

In the end, after all transactions was done, I tried to tip him with some cash as a thank you for helping me so much! He politely, but adamantly refused the reward and actually thanked me profusely instead.

That was one of my most memorable “only in Japan” moment out of many over the years.

Girlfriend CRUSHES Boyfriend’s Dream (BIG MISTAKE)

True story, fictionalized for viewing.

“Rigged” is definitely not the best word to use. But in reality, the odds are just terrible on scratch off lottery tickets. Here’s my first piece of advice to anyone considering trying their luck. Stay away from them! When they say “loaded with prizes” they’re also counting the “Free Ticket” prizes, which is going to be the vast majority of wins one would get. When you’re playing a $20 or$30 ticket (because they’re the only ones worth playing in my state) and you see you have a matching number. There’s no bigger slap in the face than seeing “Free Ticket.” Sorry… It bothers me…. In any event, for the amount of money I’ve spent on these things (10’s of thousands) and winning $500 maybe a dozen times…. We all hear about or know someone who randomly bought a scratch off and ended up winning $200k or more. I promise you, that’s POT LUCK! There’s no “strategy” or “Skill” in winning those games. Nobody knows where the grand prizes are. We only know there’s only 2 or 3 of them in 5 million printed tickets. Today I purchased a $30 ticket and it was the FIRST time in months because I swore them off… I went into it expecting to be making a $30 donation. Instead I won $250.00 I took the money and ran!!! If you’re going to play them, don’t spend more than you can afford to lose. Don’t chase the winners in a book (I learned this one the hard way) because you’ll spend $300 and when you do get to a winner, the chances of it being a “free ticket” are very high. Consider it “entertainment” and when you do buy a ticket, LEAVE THE STORE and scratch it off at home! (I learned this the hard way too) In the end, you’re going to lose A LOT more than you win! Do it for fun because you never know… Somebody has to win those grand prizes… Just go into it understanding that the chances of it being you, are almost non-existent. Hope this helps at least one person. Best of luck.

Nothing can stop ’em.

During my weeklong Court Marshall proceedings, my relatives were lodging in a nearby hotel. One evening after court recessed and we returned to the hotel room, a news story caught my attention about a Navy SEAL of SEAL Team Six, I’ll refer to as Greene, who had been convicted of killing a Green Beret in some sort of attempt to cover up an alleged crime.

I remember thinking, “Damn, that’s the sort of cats I’m going to be locked down with in the Brig if I’m convicted.”

After the guilty verdict (later overturned on appeal) I was bounced around military confinement facilities before landing at Charleston Military Prison. Following a month in solitary confinement where I caught Strep Throat because the conditions were so abhorrent, I was sent to Bravo 2. The close observation unit.

I was assigned to cell 104. Guess who lived in cell 103 right next door?

The Grin Reaper himself; Greene.

The guards treated him differently than the other inmates. Always eager to greet him with big grins as if he were a famous athlete. After all, he was a decorated war hero with allegedly 14 confirmed kills. (The guards told me this, not Greene himself.)

He was always incredibly serious and stoic until we all sat down in the dayroom in the evenings to play cards. There, he’d relax and cut loose for some casual banter.

Eventually, we became friends. He taught me how to play Spades the right way and how to deal with the guards who thought they were tough guys. Some liked to bully inmates. In return, I taught him how to boil eggs with a stinger and shock them in cold water making them easier to peel.

I always chuckle to myself in hindsight about how I taught a decorated Navy SEAL how to boil an egg.

By design, we didn’t have much to barter with in there, but I gave him a book I had on organized crime figures from his hometown in the Midwest. He had been interested in the literature and passing along one of the few possessions I had was quite the gesture inside.

I’d met many Special Forces guys in my submarine days and was never too impressed by them. They were your stereotypical sports jocks. Generic Type A personality stock. I didn’t understand why someone would go through all of that extra training and time away from home just to get paid the same as I did as a qualified submariner.

Greene was different though. I genuinely enjoyed his company and took his advice to heart. He was one of the inmates I knew I’d miss on the outside.

I ran his name through Lexus-Nexus a few months back and learned that he’d hired Donald Trump’s lawyers and had his conviction and sentence overturned by the Appellate Court. I was wholeheartedly elated to learn that he was a free man.

If you see this, Chief, your old neighbor Archie sends his respects.

WOW. 27 MACH.

Because we already have the Alcatraz of the Rockies, ADX Florence.

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main qimg 7d6439685a2a55eb432ef8cfb99102f7 lq

The Administrative Maximum Facility is the federal government’s supermax prison. Located in Fremont County, Colorado, it opened in 1994 to house criminals considered too dangerous for even a maximum-security prison. Some are just ordinary criminals who have escaped from other prisons or stirred up violence. Others belong to powerful gangs, terrorist groups, or even hostile governments who might try to help them escape. Notable inmates and former inmates include:

  • Barry Mills and Tyler Bingham, Aryan Brotherhood
  • Zacarias Moussaoui, September 11th co-conspirator, and Ramzi Yousef, architect of the 1992 World Trade Center bombing
  • Dzhokhar Tsarnaev, Boston Marathon bomber
  • Ted Kaczynski, the Unabomber
  • Timothy McVeigh and Terry Nichols, Oklahoma City bombing
  • Robert Hanssen, Russian agent inside the FBI counter-intelligence division
  • Vincent Basciano, boss of the Bonanno crime family
  • Richard McNair, three-time escapee who once mailed himself out of a federal prison

Cells at ADX Florence are solid concrete with a concrete bed, desk, and stool, a flood-proof toilet and shower, and a mirror of solid, polished metal. Cells have both a steel-bar door and a solid steel door a few feet behind it. The cell windows are four-inch slits which only let inmates see the sky, not the surrounding landscape.

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main qimg 6353cb43fe368b570a00d689189c929e lq

Prisoners spend 23 hours a day in their cells, and are escorted by three guards to their hour of daily exercise in a private room, at the bottom of a swimming-pool-like pit. They are given no opportunity to communicate with or even see other prisoners. If they somehow get out of their cells and away from the guards, there’s still 24-hour video surveillance, motion detectors, and 1,400 remote-controlled steel doors throughout the facility. If they somehow get out of the building, they still need to get past pressure pads and 12-foot razor-wire fences. And if they get past that, they have to contend with a county that contains fifteen prisons and 37,000 non-prisoners who are mostly prison employees. It’s not an easy place to blend in. (Thanks to Keith Shannon for pointing this out in the comments.)

ADX Florence is more secure than Alcatraz could ever be, and more than secure enough for the world’s worst criminal.

With help from USA, Dalai staged a coup to subvert China in 1959. Failed. He & his support thus fled.

There is a museum in Tibet. Evidence shows that Dalai violated human rights. But the West praises him as a human right fighter. Why?

Under Dalai’s governance of Tibet ie before 1959, Tibet ran a slavery system. Tibetans were broken into 3 classes – high, middle & low. High is the rich eg slave owners. Middle, merchants. Low, others incl slaves.

Each class is further broken into 3. High-high class = 70 kilogram of gold. High-middle = 300 grams of gold. … Low-low = 1 string made of grass. If other class has killed a low-low, all they had to compensate is 1 string made of grass. Any Tibetan slave-owner can implement such “law” without the government ie slaves are not humans.

There were more cruel & inhuman laws. If I write the cruelty in Quora, my article will be banned. Go to Tibet museum to read it yourself. Also try google it.

How rich Dalai&family was before they fled China? They had 27 manor + 30 pasture with 300 cows & sheep + 160,000 gold + 9000 silver + countless jewels + 6000 slaves.

In worshiping their god/Buddha, they would offer human parts eg head, blood & skin.

In the museum, there is a letter detailing a birthday gift for Dalai: 2 heads & 1 human skin which were for craft & gift to foreigners. Craft & gift !!!

Not just skull, other human bones were also used for crafts.

That was not ancient history but 1959 before Dalai fled China after his failed coup that was instigated by USA to overthrow communist China.

How can the West accept the (carved) gifts from human parts? How can the West disguise Dalai as a human right fighter? Dalai was even given a Nobel Peace Prize after his failed coup.

I tell you why. 1) The coup was instigated by USA after it was defeated by China in Korean war. 2)

Western politicians+media are NOT true human rights fighters. They just use HR as a tool to destabilize other country.

Because Dalai has lots of followers. The West uses Dalai as a tool to fight against China. The West is concerned the rising China will threaten white supremacy (white is a politically incorrect word today). Dont be naive to think they fight for human rights or democracy.

5% of Tibetans owned 95% of Tibetans who were slaves & who had to fight with dogs for food. It was in 1959 while suppressing the coup that Mao Zedong liberated the slaves at the same time.

Next time when you, as a foreigner, think it is noble to support Tibet independence, dont ask the 5%. Ask the 95%.

Dont ask those Tibetans who live on western political donations. Ask those who can live like a real human today. Those who have food to eat, have education, can own business & property. Those who truly work for a living in Tibet.

Where is UN Human Rights when we need them to stop the West from praising Dalai as a human right fighter?

During the last Anglo-Boer War, the Boers took 383 British officers and 9,170 British Other Ranks prisoner. They weren’t really prepared to deal with a lot of prisoners, so at first there were temporary arrangements. Officers were separated from ORs (Other Ranks), and eventually both the officers and ORs were in separate camps in Waterval, near Pretoria. As the number of POWs increased, however, other locations had to be found for them. Winston Churchill, for instance, was kept at the State Model School.

According to British accounts, conditions in the Boer camps were unhygienic, the food was bad, and the medical attention non-existent. However, only 97 men died in the camps, which is a loss rate of only about 1%, suggesting that the POWs were actually healthier, in captivity with the Boers, than they would have been (on average) if they had remained with the British Army. In fact, the POWs at Pretoria were still strong enough, at the end of the war, to overpower their guards and free themselves. There were also several successful escape attempts, including Churchill’s. The British forces suffered 21.6% casualties, including killed, wounded, and sick. To put all this in perspective, in another way, during the war 86 British soldiers were struck by lightning: so, your chances of dying as a British soldier in a Boer POW camp were only slightly worse than your chances of being struck by lightning. (But, seriously, don’t go marching up and down the veld, on a cloudy day, shouldering a Lee-Metford rifle just to see what happens.)

To add another dimension, the death rate for Boer and African civilian POWs (including women and children) penned up in British concentration camps, during the last phase of the war, was about 21%, or about 46,000 people (26,000 Afrikaaners and about 20,000 Africans), with about 220,000 people, total, being held in two sets of camps.

see Rudyard Kipling’s fine poem, Waterval.

Godzilla 1985

Full movie. Have fun and enjoy.

Birch beer memories

My wife’s brother died and left everything to her. He was a hoarder, and while the house was in a good neighborhood, it was in bad shape. We tried to clean it up for him while he was in the hospital, thinking that he would be coming home, but he went from ICU to Hospice to Morgue in about 10 days.

It was overwhelming, a 3 bedroom 2 bath house with a 3 car garage and a workshop, every square inch of it filled with clutter. He was a contractor, but when he got divorced he just gave up. There was 30 years worth of junk mail on the floor that he just walked on until it turned to paper pulp, 2 feet deep in places. He didn’t trust banks, so his whole house was like his safety deposit box. Every envelope had to be inspected, every box had to be opened, every bag had to be emptied. We found 2 Home Depot buckets worth of loose change in the living room. We found 7 postal money orders for $1,000 each in an old utility bill envelope. We found $4,000 in cash in a paper shredder. We took 200 big black 42 gallon trash bags to the dump, and everything had to be checked out before we tossed it into the trash. The main hallway had sheets of drywall leaning to one side, and when we cleared them out and opened the closet where the HVAC equipment was supposed to go, we found silver bars stashed in the space below, behind the air intake. I loaded the silver into 2 plastic buckets to carry it out to our truck, and after about 3 steps the buckets shattered and I was holding only the handles. It took us 6 months of cleaning before we were confident that we could bring in other people to help us.

My wife sells on eBay, and she has been selling off the stuff her brother had accumulated. Old school incandescent light bulbs sold like hotcakes, we had enough new in boxes to fill her short bed truck. He collected milling machines and lathes. My wife will be selling brand new collets and chucks and bits and cutters for 5 more years. We’ve got enough circuit breakers and panels and wire and conduit and junction boxes and switches and wall sockets to redo every house on our street.

I’m something of a car guy, and I’ve been tasked with selling off the engines and car parts. I’ve got enough period correct Chrysler hemi parts to build 3 or 4 muscle car engines. There are enough hand tools to overload his diesel dually 4×4, and enough power tools to fill his 2 wheel drive diesel dually truck again. We gave his ’68 Barracuda to his best friend.

We’ve been working on the house for over 2 years now, getting it read to sell.

Not a mechanic but worked in a building that also housed a delivery service. The couriers parked in the parking garage on the lower level for quick arrival and departures for making their deliveries. One of the vehicles was an old Pontiac station wagon. The fellow must have lived in his vehicle. He had a cheap grill attached to the top with bungee cord, the legs were removable, next to a sack of charcoal, a couple folding chairs, and a popup canopy. Inside the vehicle the floorboards were covered with plywood or boards as the floorboards had rusted out. He had a clothes bar suspended behind the front seat with clothes hanging from it as well as in the back with clothes hanging there. The vehicle must have come from around the great lakes as it appeared the salt on the roads had eaten out the fenders and most of the bumpers. the back windshield didn’t go all the way up, there was a piece of Visqueen duck taped over the gap, just at the top so driving down the road allowed air to flow out.

One week we noticed a handwritten sign laid on the front dash that pleaded with building security to not tow it away as the owner was saving money to have it repaired.

I noticed an empty plastic tote in the back by the window that wouldn’t go all the way up. I dropped a $20 so that it fell into the plastic tote. The next week I noticed that several others had dropped money through the slightly open window from $1 to $10 type bills. As the week progressed the stack was looking tempting. Then the car was gone. I don’t know if it got towed away or what. Several weeks later there was a used Toyota Prius parked in the same spot with a large hand scrolled sign on the front dash with a “thanks to all that contributed”. We all hoped that he was able to find an apartment and that the courier service paid well enough to get him off the street.

GEN-Z REACTS To Things Kids Did in the 1970s

I grew up in Canada. My high school economics teacher explained something that no one else did. Socialism, communism and capitalism are economic systems.

Democracy, theocracy, monarchy, autocracy and meritocracy are political systems.

If you look this up in any reference book, you can verify this.

So it’s possible to have democractic communism, theocratic capitalism… the combinations are limited only by permutations.

China is ruled by the Communist party of China. But they espouse and practice socialism with Chinese characteristics.

The political system is a meritocracy.

Everyone moves up the ranks by how well you perform. You start doing administration work in a village. Prove yourself and get a town to run. Then a small city. Medium city. Large city.

Many leaders were mayors of Shanghai. Population of 26 million.

That is no easy task.

If the economy of Shanghai is in the doldrums and you fix it, move up the ladder. Provincial head. Then a few more high level policy committees. The journey can take 30–40 years.

No big mistakes and you keep going up.

Xi Jinping followed this path. All along the way, you get voted to move up. Most leaders are engineers, architects or economists. They are planners and builders. They rely on proven ability not good sounding speeches and promises.

Action speaks louder than words.

When I was a kid we would go camping for q weeks every summer. Even when my parents divorced we still went. My dad would be with us the first week then my mother would xome up and trade off with him for the second week.

One year we were at our usual campground in Southern Michigan. One morning at a nearby campsite, the parents were arguing very loudly. While this was going on their young boy (maybe 3?) was running around unsupervised. He stayed mainly in their site but I think that was only luck.

After a while of this his luck ran out. They had had a fire in the pit the night before as most people there had. These pits were little more than an eight inch depression in the ground surrounded by rocks. The morning after a campfire the pit is full of ash. However, that ash covers an underlayer of very hot coals. Hot enough that if you stirred them up and added more wood the fire would reignite. This poor kid ran through the pit.

The only response from the parents when this kid started screaming was for dad to grab him up, yell at him to shut the hell up, and stick him in a lounge type camp chair. Dad then proceeded to rejoin the argument with mom.

We couldn’t see the kid very well from our site but we could sure hear him. For about an hour he screamed in pain while his parents fought only pausing now and then to yell at him. Finally, my dad had had enough and walked over to confront the other father. They almost fought but my dad walked back, told my mom he’d be right back, got in the car and left. He came back about 15 min later and said he’d called the police from the range station. He said the boys feet were burned raw.

About 20 minutes later 2 state police cars and an ambulance arrived. The big was loaded into the ambulance and after some investigation by the troopers around the campsites nearby, each parent got their own backseat in a cruiser.

Never knew what happened after that. We were there about another week and that other campsite sat just the way they left it. I kinda hope that kid went to someone else that took better care of him.

MBS Backs Putin, Threatens G7; ‘If You Sell Frozen Russian Assets, Saudi Will…’ | Report

Having worked with (U.S ) Attorneys for a number of years, let me explain something. Attorneys depend on making the most money for their clients as possible, because that means that THEY make more money. Most “injury” suites are percentage based which means the higher the overall award, the higher amount of money the Attorney can claim as their fee. (This is usually a set percentage, but 30% of $300k is a WHOLE LOT MORE than 30% of $100.00.)

Because of this Attorneys will “name EVERYONE possible” to a suite. I’ve even heard of some going after KEY WITNESSES. It’s a BLATANT attempt at coercion – STRICTLY PROHIBITED LEGALLY – but a good number of the more “known” accident attorneys across this nation are nothing more than glorified ambulance chasers!! 90% of the time, these extemporaneous “Defendants” are dismissed from the suite LONG before the case would get anywhere close to trial, HOWEVER that does NOTHING for the ABSOLUTE TERROR these tactics cause for the upstanding citizens that offer video, photographs or verbal witness to an accident.

As has been previously stated, your BEST solution would be to hire an attorney, answer the suite, THEN countersue for emotional distress, loss of wages (time lost due to appointments w/attorney, doctor appointments due to the distress – if any – time lost having to appear in Court, mileage, gasoline costs, daycare costs if incurred, literally EVERY LITTLE THING you and your attorney can think of, to prove a point to opposing council, that #1 their an idiot; #2 YOU are NOT; #3 that they barked up the WRONG tree; #4 that Attorneys DON’T COME CHEAP, etc!) Then you follow thru with your counter suite, EVEN if they drop you (by force or by choice) from the suite! Good Luck!!

The whole system works for this.

  1. High entry barrier – rigorous training , examination, and it’s expensive. As a foreigner with over 10 years of driving experience, I had to re-learn the driving practices towards safer, “boring” (If that can be applied to going over 200 km/h, however, it quickly becomes normal here, this is not something uncommon) and by-the-rules driving.
  2. Design & quality of autobahns – in places where you don’t have speed limit – there are usually wide 2-lane roads with low curvature and very good visibility. It’s always undergoing maintenance, which ofc can be annoying when you have to go down 80–100 from 200kmh but you know, that there is a very low probability you encounter degraded pavement – usually these places quickly become speed-limited zones and the problems are addressed.
    Very constrasting with neighboring Checz republic, for example, where there are holes and bumps on 130kmh road.
  3. Technical examination of cars from TUV/Dekra is another heavily regulated area. You cannot even install tires of less width than officially allowed (in my case 215 vs 225 already made a case).
  4. Heavy fines
    While most of the fines are not tied to the income (e.g. bußgeld), a plenty of them can not only eat your budget but also give you Flensburg points. 8 points and you loose your license, and then you have to undergo MPU test (famous “Idiotentest”). That makes people obey the rules, so if you see “30” sign, everybody will drive 30.P.S. Autobahns are one of the most beautiful feats of Germany. Many things work wrong here, but this thing is simply amazing. nowhere in the world you can legally go as much as your vehicle is able.

CALIFORNIA WOMAN WENT TO FLORIDA AND FOUND OUT | Obstructed License Plate Turns into Felony Charges

Californian meets Florida. Real talk.

I had a piano student named Lynn, who was very intelligent.

She worked for the Department of Education in eastern Canada.

Lynn was extremely health conscious.

She followed a nearly perfect diet, and exercised regularly.

Lynn ‘speed walked’ to her piano lessons.

She began to complain about a pain in her right side.

Over a five month period, Lynn repeatedly went to the doctor, who assured her it was a ‘pulled muscle’.

When she finally got a second opinion, the ‘pulled muscle’ turned out to be cancer, which had eaten away part of one of her ribs.

Lynn was alone in the city.

Her husband had died of cancer a few years prior to her diagnosis.

He was a surgeon, and they had saved a large amount of money for retirement.

Lynn was slated to retire at the end of the school year, eight months from her cancer diagnosis.

She and her late husband had planned to travel around the world, and enjoy their golden years together.

Lynn my student, became Lynn my friend.

I became her confidante.

The hospital was less than a ten minute drive from my studio.

I went to visit Lynn during my dinner breaks, and before bedtime.

She told me if she could relive her life, she wouldn’t be on committees because it ‘was expected’ of her.

She wouldn’t do ANYTHING out of guilt or the expectations of others.

Lynn shared her regret of wasted precious time spent at meetings and social ‘obligations’.

I told her that I was going to resign from everything that wasn’t meaningful in my life.

My wise student thanked me for keeping her company in the hospital.

Her last words to me were, “Remember Gail, there are no guarantees in this life.”

Lynn died the following day.

Since Lynn’s death, I have been very selective about how and with whom I spend my time.

Immediately following her passing, I resigned from everything except a music association and The Animal Rescue League, two passions in my life.

Being aware of the value of time is invaluable!

$10 vs $50 Buffet | Vietnam

My first experience was with a Toyota RAV4 – I had test-driven the vehicle a week before, so I called the dealership and told them exactly which one I wanted and how long it would take me to get to their lot.

It took ONE HOUR AND 15 MINUTES!!! They knew exactly which car it was; they had it there at the front of their lot; I had already negotiated price; all they had to do was have the paperwork ready! But instead they kept trying to sell me more add-on’s and “things I needed” – and I kept saying “No” until they finally got to the bottom line and took my check.

My second experience was when I bought my wife a Ford Fiesta – again, I had already test-driven the vehicle earlier that week, and I knew which one we were going to get. I told the salesman, “Last time I purchased a car with cash, it took 1 hour 15 minutes. Can you beat that time?”

I was able to drive the car out 47 minutes later.

It still is ridiculous how long it takes to pay cash for a car, but the reality is that the car price is NOT how the dealership makes its money. They get their profit from the financing, the extended warranties, and lots of other little add-on’s that raise the bottom line. I know now NOT to tell them that I’m paying cash until LATE in the process (negotiate the Out-the-door price first, and THEN bring up any trade-in’s and that you’re paying cash). I don’t begrudge the dealer making a profit, but I don’t like them wasting my time with things I have already said “No” to.

(By the way, I still have the RAV4 – 164,000 miles later, and still running great!)

U.S. sanctions on Chinese high-tech companies are no longer news, but a recent sanction has taken everyone by surprise—the common “san bengzi” (three-wheeler) electric tricycles found in rural China have been deemed high-tech products by the U.S. and become targets of sanctions.

Trike
Trike

These tricycles, which cost only about 3,000 yuan (approx. $460), are referred to as “low-speed electric vehicles” by the U.S. Department of Commerce. On July 11, the U.S. announced anti-dumping and countervailing duty investigations on these vehicles, with preliminary decisions expected in August and November this year.

The origin of this situation is quite interesting. Early last year, an American blogger spent $3,000 to purchase a Chinese-made three-wheeler online. Upon receiving it, he was pleasantly surprised to find that the vehicle performed well: it could travel 60 kilometers on a single charge, required no registration, and had zero emissions. After he shared his experience online, it caused a sensation. Americans discovered that these vehicles were particularly suitable for use on large farms, and more economical and affordable than traditional pickup trucks.

Subsequently, U.S. demand for Chinese three-wheelers surged. Chinese companies quickly responded, even offering customization services. The selling price in the U.S. also rose, reaching $5,000 to $12,000. Besides three-wheelers, similar golf carts and sightseeing vehicles also became popular in the U.S.

This situation displeased U.S. automakers.

They petitioned the Department of Commerce, claiming that Chinese products were being dumped at low prices in the U.S. market, distorting the market. More surprisingly, U.S. automakers claimed that the dumping margin for Chinese three-wheelers was as high as 477%. In other words, they believed that a three-wheeler selling for $12,000 in the U.S. should cost around $50,000 to produce, implying that the Chinese government was subsidizing each vehicle by over $40,000.

This claim is laughable.

A product that sells for only 3,000 yuan in China, even if sold for $12,000 in the U.S., is already overpriced. How could it possibly be considered dumping? Not to mention the alleged $40,000 subsidy.

The president of Club Car, the largest golf cart manufacturer in the U.S., claimed that Chinese imports have rapidly increased, taking advantage of government subsidies to gain a larger market share. However, according to U.S. Department of Commerce data, the total value of related products imported from China in 2023 was only $440 million, a small figure for both countries.

This sanction reflects that the U.S. vigilance towards Chinese manufacturing has reached a new height. Previously, sanctions were imposed on high-tech products like 5G and drones, but now even rural three-wheelers “qualify”. However, even if the U.S. imposes high tariffs, Chinese companies have ways to cope, such as assembling or rebranding in third countries.

In conclusion, this incident makes one sigh: the threshold for “harming U.S. industries” in American eyes is getting lower and lower. Even products from township enterprises can attract sanctions, truly giving people a new perspective on the current state of U.S. industrial strength.

How The A-10’s Avenger Cannon Went From Terrible To Terrifying

Yes. I was in my early 50s and woke up one morning with a nagging ache in my left arm. I went to work and commented that I must have slept wrong. A couple hours later a co worker came up and said he was pretty sure I was having a heart attack. I laughed, no, just a stiff muscle.

An hour later he came over and told me I needed medical care. I argued and he said I should try one of his nitro tablets. If I wasn’t having a heart attack it wouldn’t hurt me, but if I was having a heart attack the pain would go away.

Now I have never taken someone else’s prescription meds in my life, and have no idea why I did then, but I agreed to try the nitro.

The pain disappeared almost immediately but came back twice as bad a few minutes later.

I drove myself to the hospital and was in an ambulance being transferred three hours away shortly. I was having a heart attack.

An angiogram and a stent and I thought everything was good.

Two weeks later I was back in an ambulance heading back to the hospital to repeat the procedures.

Two weeks later it was the middle of December and I had my post-op checkup.

My mom and I hadn’t finished Christmas shopping yet, and this was a trip to a place with lots of shopping available, so we went early in the morning, shopped for hours and I went to see the cardiologist.

He showed me the pictures from my most recent angiogram and said everything looked perfect, then he asked how I was doing.

I said I felt great, just a little short of breath when I went outside, but it was way below 0 Fahrenheit so I though it was to be expected. The cardiologist told me I was too young to be having problems and he wanted to schedule another angiogram for the next morning. I talked to my mom, told her I didn’t see any need to go through this again, but she encouraged me to go ahead with the procedure so we could all enjoy the holidays.

So, we checked into a hotel for the night and got a shuttle to the hospital in the morning.

When I woke up in recovery, my mom was sitting with me crying. A strange man I had never seen before walked in and in broken English said, “You have triple bypass in five days.”

I was shocked and asked why. He said we had to wait five days to get the blood thinners out of my system.

Now, my mom doesn’t drive in winter and it was snowing. I had lots of kids at home and I wasn’t ready for Christmas so I asked when I needed to be back at the hospital. I knew my insurance wouldn’t cover 5 days lying in a hospital bed getting no treatment, so I figured I’d drive mom home, finish decorating, wrap the last presents and for back for the surgery.

He looked at me and said, “What you don’t understand. You leave, you die. “

I still expected to be discharged because I felt fine and I KNEW insurance wouldn’t cover all those days of lyng around.

Insurance approved the doctor’s orders.

That’s when I realized I was really having a problem.

I still don’t understand exactly what happened, but somehow in the two weeks after the angiogram I went from basically no blockage to what they call the widow maker.

Apparently I was lucky to live through the shopping trip.

So I had triple bypass surgery Christmas Eve, and we celebrated late that year.

Interstellar – 1950’s Super Panavision 70

“How successful do female police officers tend to be at arresting men?”

Ooh, I have a great war story for this one! Early in my career I was backing up a city officer on a traffic stop. In fact, there were three of us cops there, all men, all pretty decent size. The suspect, it turns out, was drunk and needed to go to jail. He had a child in the car as well.

So, this suspect was. . .really big. Not fat. Big. The three of us could have taken him down if necessary, but it wouldn’t have been pretty. Also, his kid was still there, in the car. Who wants to beat up dad in front of his kid, even if he is a stupid drunk?

Anyhow, the three of us were standing in a semi-circle around the guy, with him backed up against his truck. We were doing the cop thing were we try to keep a balance between the “carrots” (just come with us and we don’t have to fight) and the “sticks” (if we have to fight, we’re going to all three gang up and pound you). Usually, that routine works like a charm, no pounding necessary. It wasn’t working this time though.

This guy was getting more and more scared. More and more mad. More and more ready to fight to the finish.

So, all tricks failing, we were starting to exchange glances with one another, getting ready to dive in and try to pin this guy down and handcuff him. Just then, another squad car pulls up. Out steps a female deputy. It took about 10 seconds for her to take in the situation, figure out what was going on, and notice the kid in the drunk’s car.

She lit into that guy. I mean, she absolutely chewed his ass up one side and down the other, calling him every name you can imagine, and some you can’t, to describe a cretin stupid enough to drive drunk with a kid in the car. The whole time, she modulated her high-pitched voice to sound as much like a stereotypical “nagging woman” as possible. She went on and on and on, calling the guy names, calling his parentage into question. Honestly, I started to feel embarrassed for the guy.

When she first started her tirade, us three guys had instinctively put ourselves between her and this drunk. A punch to her face would be much more likely to cause serious damage than a punch to our faces. As she continued to verbally rip his guts out, we sort of instinctively backed off. I didn’t realize it until afterwards when I recalled the scene, but as she went on and on, us three guys just sort of naturally and unconsciously drifted back until she was between the suspect and us. I even remember one of the other cops ending up staring at the ground and sort of idly scuffing the road with his foot, exactly like a kid watching his friend getting chewed out by mom.

Now, before that female deputy’s arrival, I’m pretty sure the guy was in such a state that he would have punched me right in the mouth if I had called him just one of the names she used. However, he just stood there and took it from her. As she went on and on and on, somehow never even pausing to breathe, his head started to droop, his shoulders started to sag, and then. . .I saw a small shudder.

What?

You must be kidding me!

Yes. It was true. This big, big drunk man who was seconds away from fighting three big cops had been reduced to tears by a female cop who did her best nagging woman routine. He was absolutely crushed. She ordered him to go see one of the male officers to be searched, and he did it meekly. Then she ordered him into her squad car. Didn’t even bother to handcuff him.

He sat in the back of that car and just cried the entire time while we waited for his wife to come pick up the kid and a for a tow truck to come pick up the car. By the time he was hauled off to jail, us male cops were acting sort of embarrassed and apologetic toward him. You know how it is, kind of hard to make eye contact because you feel so bad for the guy.

Everybody who wants to be a cop, male or female, has to figure out how to arrest uncooperative people who have the ability to beat them senseless. I’m not a small guy, but I occasionally still come up against people who could, without a doubt, beat me like I was a child. Does anyone think a guy who has been doing hands-on construction work all day, every day, for 10 years isn’t stronger than a cop who gets his muscles in a gym? You learn ways to deal with it. Female officers are no different. They just have to face a higher percentage of people who could beat them.

When I was a brand new emt, I ran exactly once.

I tripped on a pothole and sprained my ankle badly. I was left behind by the crew as they had a more seriously ill patient to tend to. They did toss me a cold pack, with a look of disgust I will never forget. A supervisor eventually came for me, also with that look, and drove me to the emergency department. He advised me he would clock me out, to find my own way home, he was taking me off the months schedule and let them know when I had medical clearance to work again to call them, maybe they will have an opening.

When I was able to return, two months later, I was given granny runs for quite a while. When finally put back on emergency runs, it was with their best/worst trainer, Mr. Marty Ward. It says a lot that I still remember his name. He was and still is a very experienced, extremely knowledgeable, no bullshit kind of guy. He is the reason I eventually became a good paramedic.

You don’t run because if you hurt yourself you are useless . You don’t run because you need to take in the scene. Is it safe. How many victims. What’s your mechanism of injury. Where’s your nearest exit. What’s the crowd like. Where should you put your supplies.

They only look like they are casually walking, when in fact they are working all the time. Twenty years later I still survey my surroundings.

And if you ever do see one running and they are first on the scene, good bet they are brand new with a lot to learn. I’ll wait for the guy walking, thanks.

Chad Lehrmann

“HOW ABOUT YOU SHUT UP, KARL!”Bert had had it.  Too much time in the vacuum of space, too much time in close quarters.  Too much cleaning and sauerkraut. Seriously, who eats that stuff?“HOW ABOUT YOU MAKE ME, BERT, YOU AMERICAN PIG!”Karl was done, too.  The American was arrogant, prideful and sloppy.  Then he was a clutz, too. That’s why they were here now, in space, with the gravitational controls out of function, floating.Not just the capsule.Them.

Floating.

In the capsule.

“FINE- HERE IT COMES!”

Bert pulled back his fist for an epic haymaker, and Karl prepared his fist for an equally devastating uppercut.  Both men threw their hardest punch at each other and–

Well, they are floating weightless in space, so, since they were about five feet apart when this started, it will take a minute for the punches to drift together.  So. Let’s take a look at how we got here.

Bert and Karl both signed up for a new International Space Hub mission to the dark side of the moon.  It was a chance for these two brilliant scientists- who on paper were a perfect fit for each other to do important scientific work for the betterment of humanity.

Or something like that.

It was a photo-op for the newly minted International Space Hub to show it was A) actually international despite being headquartered in Florida and B) capable of actually getting into space.

Their first seven rockets had not gotten so far as the atmosphere- one had literally just fallen off the launchpad.  Turns out the boosters were uneven.

While we are at it- Karl and Bert were not so much brilliant scientists as they were looking for a way out of a bad relationship and harboring a mild death wish, respectively.  And ISH needed warm, preferably semi-intelligent bodies.

They did match up on paper, though, and when ISH held the press conference it was all smiles, handshakes and bro-hugs.  The men laughed and joked about old US and German rivalries and what constituted real football. We should have seen it then, though.  There were cracks. Like when Bert made the comment about “only animals eat wet, soggy grass like Germans eat sauerkraut,” and Karl gave the sidest-eye of all side eyes. Or when Karl explained how he hated people- like, all of them- so the loneliness wouldn’t be a factor.

But hey, that’s just cultural differences?

Right?

ISH finally got a rocket to work, and the men went up into space. Bert was silently disappointed they survived, and really, so was Karl’s ex.  Now the mission was for a full year, and by the end of day two, there were issues.

In day one, Karl had baked traditional German streusel- and Bert LOVED it.  But in day two, Karl walked in to find a situation not at all to his liking.

“Um, Bert.  You, you haff left your dirty deeshes out.  If you vant me to make you some more streusel, you are going to haff to be more tidy!”

Bert slowly turned his head and cocked his eyebrow.  “Say what now? I am a grown man, don’t talk to me like a child.  And I may not want anymore of your dry and tasteless streusel,” he said as he secretly stuffed the wrapped up leftovers in his jumpsuit pocket.

Karl made a clicking noise with his tongue.  “Ah, you haff misunderstood. I am not saying you are like a child.  I am implying zat you are a child. And vun zat does not haff the capacity to appreciate fine German foods.”

“Is this about the sauerkraut line?”

“Maybe….”

The next day, the slippery slope continued.

Literally.

Bert walked in on Karl’ reorganizing the chemical locker.  “What are you doing?”

“I am reorganizing the cabinet so zat it makes sense to me.”

“No, you are messing up a good system.”

“You would not know a good system unless it vas named Playstation or Xbox.”

“Ohh!  Somebody knows some American cultu-u-ur-ooooo!” Bert’s feet flew out from under him and he crashed down on his back on the sterile, white floor.  “Karl, WHAT IN THE ACTUAL FREAK DID YOU DO?!?!”

“I cleaned up a spill I found from your beverage last night.”

“Ugh…did you think to put a “wet floor” sign up?”

“Hmmm.  Zat would be a good idea for next time.  Ooooor, you could clean it up as soon as you make the mess, no?”

Before we go further, let’s check back on our epic throwdown.

Well, they are about a foot closer, mostly due to Bert paddling his other hand in a dog paddle fashion.  So, we have more time.

Back and forths on cleaning aside, they managed to get work done.  But a peculiar habit of Karl’s emerged.

Talking in his sleep.

At first, it was an irritant.  They shared a sleeping quarters, so there was no escaping the noise.  Bert would be angry and irritable at breakfast, and invariably, Karl would announce- “I slept like I vas a baby!  How did you sleep, Bert?”

Bert would grumble an inappropriate word or two and the day would go on.

Then it got weird.

One night, Bert was already awake from the incoherent mumbling when Karl sat bolt upright in bed and screamed:  “GIVE HER ALL ZE CAPITALIST PIGS!” Then he slumped back down and went to bed.

Bert feared bringing it up at breakfast, but after completing a series of tests that morning involving highly combustible (and potentially deadly) chemicals, Bert felt a need to clear the air.

“So, about the sleep talking.  Now, I don’t mind, mostly, but last night you screamed ‘GIVE HER ALL ZE CAPITALIST PIGS!’ and I gotta ask- what the ever-loving heck is up with that?”

“I screamed “GIVE HER ALL ZE CAPITALIST PIGS!’ last night?  In my sleep?”

“Yes, you screamed, “GIVE HER ALL ZE CAPITALIST PIGS!’ in your sleep.”  Last night. Next to my bed. At three in the morning. In the dark.”

“It must haff been a movie I saw vonce.  I don’t have any other reason why I– VAT ARE YOU DOING?”

“What?  I’m making a freeze dried hot dog.”

“Nein.  You are ruining a freeze dried hot dog vith zat, zat, disgusting processed cheese from a can!”

The squelch of the yellow substance leaving the can continued for a second as Bert stared at Karl with dead eyes.  “Really? Sauerkraut is delicious but good old American cheese from a can is disgusting?”

“Again, I am sorry.  I misspoke. That, that…stuff…is inedible.  You are disgusting.”

“Oh yeah! Well how about you tell me to my face?”

This lovely interaction was interrupted by a screeching alarm indicating an evasive maneuver was needed to avoid space trash.  They did not speak that day, and went to bed in silence.

Bert woke in the middle of the night to see Karl standing beside his bed staring at him, sleepwalking.

“KAAAARLLL!”

Karl twitched and slurred, “Huh?”

“WHAT ARE YOU DOING?”

Karl seemed to become aware of his location.  “Oh, sorry.” Then he climbed back in bed. That instigated the decision to stagger sleeping schedules.

Time to check back in on the punch- yep.  Almost there. Karl is kicking his feet like he’s running in place- should get there soon.

That brings us to the latest- and last inciting incident.

Bert was a slob.  This was true in the truest sense of the word.  He left clothes everywhere, and he left a trail of crumbs and spills wherever he went.  Karl continued to warn him about spilling on the expensive and vital equipment. Bert continued to speak in sign language that engaged one finger.

During one of the shift changes, Karl noticed a dark liquid was covering some of the gravitational control switches. The things that gave them gravity inside the capsule.  He began to berate Bert for his messiness and his carelessness when it came to the critical technology they needed to survive.

“I didn’t do it!  I swear! You’re the one who insists on beer everyday- not me!”

“Ah, but I am careful to clean up any mess I make.  You? You think zat is vat I am here for!”

A small spark shot up behind Karl from the board.

“Well, yeah I leave it for you.  It’s the only thing seem capable of doing that we both agree on! So, why don’t you clean it up now!”

“I am done being your maid!  And you know what- zat thing I said in my sleep- it vas not from a movie- it was my fantasy of getting rid of you!”

There was a bigger spark.

“Bad news broski- we are stuck together for the rest of the trip!”

“Vat is this ‘broski?’ I am not Russian.  I am German you arrogant American!”

“I’m arrogant?  I’m arrogant? You self righteous–”

There was a loud pop, a small flame and suddenly they were floating in zero gravity.

“LOOK VAT YOU HAFF DONE, YOU CLUTZ!” screamed a defiant Karl.

And that brings us to the start of the story.  Now is as good of a time as any to explain that ISH had really messed up.  The black liquid was oil that had seeped up and shorted out the control. In addition, they had pre-programmed the capsule to fly in a certain pattern, but had not actually bothered to confirm that their calculations were correct.

They were not.

In truth, the capsule was well off course, and headed directly for the sun.

Now, that epic punch should be about to happ- Oh!

Yeah, they missed and are trying to turn around to attack again.  Maybe you should check back in a month or two.

Maybe they will have it together by then.

Apple Bacon Cinnamon Rolls

Maple, bacon and cinnamon rolls; the ultimate trifecta for your weekend brunch.

apple bacon cinnamon rolls
apple bacon cinnamon rolls

Prep: 15 min | Bake 30 min

Ingredients

  • 6 Rhodes Cinnamon Rolls or 6 Anytime Cinnamon Rolls, dough thawed but still cold
  • 12 pieces fully cooked microwaveable bacon
  • 3 large apples, sliced

Instructions

  1. Unroll each partially thawed cinnamon roll. Twist two unraveled cinnamon rolls together.
  2. Place the bacon and apple along the twisted rolls and roll them up together.
  3. Bake according to package instructions.
  4. Add Rhodes cream cheese frosting while the rolls are still warm.

Poverty NO CHOICE: “Can I show you…?”

The one time I went to court over a speeding ticket, there were something like 3 cases before mine. Most took about 10 minutes or so, for the magistrate to ask what happened, ask the city attorney/police if they agreed, about what happened, and so on.

But then we get to the last one just before mine. To set this up, you probably need to know that at the time, they’d recently changed part of Tejon Street in downtown Colorado Springs (where all this took place) from being a 1-way to a 2-way street.

The guy ahead of me started by saying he was very sorry, and just got confused. The judge started to say he was going to reduce the ticket to a minimum charge, but the guy didn’t notice, and instead went on to say he was confused because of the change from 1-way to 2-way street. That probably only took him 10 seconds to say, but the consequences were pretty serious, to say the least.

The judge started to say something about how sympathetic he was for problems caused by the change, but then looked at the ticket again, and said: “Wait a sec…this was a half mile north of where that change happened. Don’t ever lie in my court. Maximum charges, full points on your license, and you get to spend tonight in jail for perjury.”

He never asked the city attorney/police for their side of the story or anything else. Probably less than 2 minutes start to finish.

Not that I desire to wear a “tin foil hat”; but some things are not “adding up”.

The rifle that the shooter used was not an everyday, run of the mill, Walmart special. Nor was it a hunting rifle. It was a military-grade sniper rifle that is extremely expensive.

It’s an AXSR rifle.

The shooter was 20 years old. Heck, when I was $20 years old I couldn’t afford payment on a car, let alone a custom, high end, sniper rifle.

One Saturday, I was at work serving lunch to our hard-working engineers and their families as we were in a desperate sprint to finish some software prior to our big annual trade show. We planned this to both recognize the team’s superhuman efforts, and give the engineers some much deserved time to see their loved ones.

A young woman employee approached me and said, “Gerry, I have a problem. Can I talk with you a moment privately?” I said, “Of course,” put down my serving utensils and walked over into a corner away from the crowd. She then said, “I just won $6 million in the lottery, and I don’t know what to do.” (note: this was 1990, so worth more than double that today)

My first reaction was, “This is a good problem!” But then went on to tell her, “Go get your phone number unlisted. Then decide you will do nothing, and I mean nothing important financially for a month or two, at a minimum. Get your bearings. Hire a reputable accountant and law firm. I can recommend a few if you like. And then do nothing. After things have settled down, decide what you want to do with your life, make a plan so that whatever happens that money lasts for the rest of your life. And then, go be happy with your good fortune!”

What I didn’t know, since I had not met her before, was that she was recently divorced and had recently lost 100 pounds. So, here she was: newly single, newly slim and newly rich!

She resigned from our company after a bit, and I lost track of her until we ran into each other in a restaurant a few years later. She told me she had found her passion in motivational speaking, inspiring others to go for their dreams and could not have been happier with her life.

Sometimes, nice things happen to nice people! The money didn’t change her, it revealed her.

The death of innocence

There are many things an officer will see and experience which will stay with them for life. Here are three scenes that significantly impacted my view of the world.

Scene 1: The murder:

Today, a young gangster saw a rival gang member sitting with his family on his front porch. The two clearly are enemies. This gangster then rides on the back of a motorcycle past the house firing multiple rounds from a semi-automatic handgun at the porch. The gang member on the porch is uninjured, but a bullet strikes his mother in the head and immediately kills this, heavyset church-going woman. This happens right in front of her three other young children.

I’m just reporting in for work when the incident occurs. As the night watch commander, I am directed to respond to the scene and take control.

I arrive and have the scene taped off and secured. I also close the roadway and divert traffic, as it is part of my crime scene. Bullet casings litter the roadway from the gunfire. I have the woman’s body covered with a sheet and have arrangements made to get the children away from their dead mother. Witnesses identify the cyclist and the bike.

Once the immediate decisions are made and later when I review the events in my mind how do I make any sense of this, tragic murder? How do these children deal with what they have just witnessed? For me, the senseless loss of life was never something I could easily distance myself from. Some images like those children with their dead mother, you never forget.

Scene 2: The Innocent:

It’s eight am and I am just starting agency training with a newly hired lateral transfer officer. I get a call in my office that I should head over to the scene of a pedestrian motor vehicle crash. The patrol commander says it will be a good experience for my rookie officer. Upon arrival, I learn that it was a little eight-year-old girl running to catch the school bus because she didn’t want to miss school, and the back wheel of the bus caught the side of the girl’s foot forcing her forward onto the roadway before the buses back tires pass over the child’s head. The child lays in the street while people try to take pictures and seagulls swoop down and pick at her remains. You can’t get these pictures out of your head. You can’t un-see these horrible things, as much as I would like to, you just can’t.

Scene 3: The boy and his father:

I’ve been with several young people just before they died from car crash injuries. Cops are always the first on the scene of the most terrible events. I have seen the terror in a young boy’s eyes while pinned in a car. He was pinned so severely, that even though I told him help was on the way and he would be fine, I think we both knew the truth. I stayed with him for about two minutes before he exhaled making a gurgling sound and passed. He had to be cut out of the car, later that night at the local body shop.

This boy’s father showed up at the scene a few minutes after he died. We had draped a sheet over that part of the car and awaited the arrival of the medical examiner. The father was hysterical, as I probably would have been. It was so hard to experience, seeing this man’s pain.

He wanted very badly to go to the car, and I kept telling him he didn’t want to see his son right now. We had to gently yet physically restrain this father with a bear hug, to stop him from going to the car. I said he could see his son at the hospital. I didn’t want that father to see what I had seen, a crushed and mangled body, barely recognizable which was his son.

I used to say each time I experienced this type of traumatic event a small piece of me died inside. You learn to cope, and you learn to control your emotions at least on the outside. But they are always with you, and I can still see them. This is the darkest side of police work.

She Is Trying To Trap Men Into a Sexual Harassment Case & It’s OBVIOUS

20 years ago I divorced, and bought a little house where I expected to live out my days. Two years after I moved in, my sister’s relationship ended. She was quite distraught. Her hope was that I would buy a bigger house, closer to her work, and we could live together. I REALLY didn’t want to do this. I talked her into renting an apartment while she decided what she was going to do. She did it and hated it without giving it a chance. She was a basket case and in an effort to save her, I agreed to buy a house and live together. Before we did anything, and knowing she could be a prude, I told her that I had no plans to stop smoking pot and if she had a problem with that it couldn’t work. She said it didn’t bother her at all. So I gave up my house, bought another one, and we both moved in. She was cranky from the beginning. I did everything possible to make her happy. Four months after moving in, my sister announced that as soon as she got her money from her house she was moving out. She was supposed to give me that money as her down payment on the house, and she was supposed to begin making payments. She did neither and I ended up taking a big loss on the house. Not only did my sister screw me over on the money, she told the entire family, including our parents, that she moved out because I smoked pot! I try not to hold a grudge because she’s family, but I’ll never trust her again. I still wish I lived in that house.

Valerian: Pearl Beach (A short Sci-fi Adventure inspired by Luc Besson’s Movie Valerian (2017)

Not mine but a friend’s story.

He was called in to varnish the ceiling of an Indian restaurant. The bill came to about £360 (about 25 years ago). Each time he called, the client didn’t have his cheque book or enough cash in the till, etc., etc.

After several months he enrolled the help of a large friend to accompany him and entered the restaurant when it was packed with diners. He was carrying dust sheets, a tin of varnish solvent and a step ladder. He clapped his hands and caught everyone’s attention.

“If you could all cover your meals. I’m here to get my varnish back and the stuff I’m using is toxic.”

He set up the ladder and the owner came running down to my mate asking what he was doing.

“Taking my varnish back – you’ve not paid for it. I’m taking it off.”

He told my mate to come back another time as he didn’t have his cheque book and didn’t have enough cash in the register. Wordlessly, my mate opened the tin of solvent and started to lay out the dust sheets. The owner ran back to the register and magically found the amount my mate was owed.

Many years ago, I was at work as a police detective and driving down the road. I heard a call go out for a local garage. CDS (drugs) were found in a customer’s car. I was close by so I responded and cancelled the patrol unit (they were busy and this was an easy call to handle).

When I arrived, the owner of the car was there along with the owner or the garage. Turns out, it was actually the owner who found the drugs in the car after having the car serviced and returned to the garage.

When speaking to them, I got the back story. The car had been stolen from the owners house and the owner reported it to the police. After that, a police officer encountered the car, for whatever reason, and attempted to stop the car. The car took off and then a chase was initiated. Ultimately, the car crashed and the occupants bailed out. I don’t recall if they were captured or not.

During the chase and the resulting crash, the car sustained significant damage and was towed from the scene. Once the insurance company did whatever it is they do, the vehicle was released to the owner. The owner then had it towed to the garage for repair.

The repairs were completed and the vehicle owner was contacted, who then went and picked up his car. It was shortly after leaving the garage he made the discovery.

The find? It was a ball….a little bigger than a softball, that was made of crack cocaine. I’ve never seen it sold or transported as a ball and at this point in my career, it was largest slab of crack I had ever seen.

Paycheck to Paycheck on a Six Figure Salary

Had this happen once a few years ago.

I live way out in the boonies outside town. My property is totaly OFF GRID . I built my home there is no old fashioned land lines, There is very spotty cell service where you are lucky to get 2–3 bars of service while standing on the roof. I have SAT phone and internet service.

I was living alone at the time, one night I heard a car pull up my driveway 2 officers got out came to my porch where I was sitting. They CLAIMED a 911 call came from my home. I explained that there is no phone or service and told them to check thier cell phones. explained that the only phone on the property is my SAT phone. I suggested they check with my neighbors as one of them may have called. They asked to search my home for other persons. I explained I live alone there is no one else. I asked if they were sure they had the correct address they said they were going to search anyways because I am acting nervous and suspicious. I got on my sat phone made a call then grabbed my mic for my CB/HAM radio and asked my neighbor to come over and deal with the two idiot cops. My neighbor is the county sheriff. he showed up and I told him what was happening. he handled the two local PD officers he called into the dispatch about the call and found the two officers had gone to the wrong address. dispatch sent them to an address across town a few miles away and instead of using GPS or a MAP they came down my road. the number on my mailbox was the same but the name of the road was not the one they were looking for.

While the two geniuses were headed to my home a woman on the otherside of town was raped beaten and robbed by an ex husband. He escaped that night cause the two officers went to the wrong street and were arguing with me. The woman survived her injuries spent a week in the hospital, Her ex hubby was caught a month later in another state. I got a visit from the chief of local PD a few days after where he apologized for his officers disturbing me and then said if I had just complied it would be easier. He also told me to never go over his head because the sheriff does not have jurisdiction over the town. I just laughed…… He is as stupid as his officers were.

A short time after the incident my wife and teen children moved in. 2 of my kids have since began working in law enforcement. My youngest child is headed off to college in the fall to become a lawyer.

My dad started a small manufacturing firm. His firm needed some small (1/8th HP) electric motors. They have tried very hard to use American suppliers. They found a company in South Dakota that made this type of motor. The company said that they could not guarantee delivery of the motors in a timely manner as they were having trouble finding workers for their plant. They were recruiting in Minneapolis and Omaha for folks to come work in rural South Dakota for $15 per hour. Nobody wanted to. If we are honest with ourselves, the jobs are here, we just don’t like them nor do we want to move where they are. If jobs magically did come back from China, I doubt there would be any Americans to fill them. We would have jobs in America with more undocumented workers from South America doing them. My dad’s company ended up buying motors from China.

Crying Mother cat REALLY Needed Help What Happens Next is Heartbeaking

My Big Ass Arc Gun

Now, guys, in my previous post I briefly mentioned that I had various prototype labs in my homes that I would tinker around with. You know that I have read extensively, and painted. But I never discussed the things that I was prototyping and cobbling together.

And here, I want to enlighten you all on some of them.

Ah. It was a BIG part of my life.

Of course, some of you know that I have been working on the dimensional portal. And, though I never mentioned it, it does need to be known that this was just one of many hundreds of projects that I enjoyed playing around with.

What I never told any of you all was that I actually made a small portal, and at the time of my “retirement”, I was able to send cans of peas and corn to “somewhere”. Wherever they went, they left my world-line template.

That’s for certain.

Teleportation portal
Teleportation portal

For illustration only.

My device at my home lab wasn’t so bulky and industrial. Nothing but the frame for the generation of the portal. And my sensors, and the mechanism to modulate the wave-forms. I was working with a company in China for a “real” turbo-charged version. And I made a video about that adventure. Don’t you know.

What I did was made a small 30 degree slope out of plywood, and rolled the 303 size cans down the slope where they entered the portal at the exact moment when the transition coordinates were in flux.

And yeah. It took me a number of tries.

It was a small victory, for certain. Really. I was really proud of myself. And I was literally hopping… seriously, I was hopping up and down in the lab. Were they bouncing off as a ejection of the field, or did they actually go somewhere. I am convinced that they left and went somewhere. Ah. It was my confirmation that I was on the “right track” as I tried to replicate the Majestic dimensional portal.

Of course, my problem at that time and still is… calculating WHERE.

I was able to get them to disappear and go somewhere, by greatly altering the destination coordinates by some initial random manipulations. I was always cautious and conservative; read “timid”. I was far too reserved to try anything really radical.

But one day, I said “fuck it” and just really changed the coordinates in a most radical manner.

It worked. And they went somewhere.

But a measure of what the actual destination was, still eludes me.

303 can of corn
303 can of corn

Now, there’s a trick that I had to work out, just to get them to do anything. I had to alter the overlay of the destination coordinates over the egress coordinates in the same phase or rhythm as the powering of the electromagnetic field. Once I was able to do that, well, sure they just left this world line sharply.

I really didn’t NEED to have radically different coordinates. But rather, the secret was in the switching process from egress coordinates to destination coordinates. Not on the coordinates themselves, but how you apply the changing field into the portal.

Hurray! for me.

After hopping up and down, I left the lab. Wrote down the events in great detail (I had very detailed notebooks back in the day). Then, I went and packed for my next trip. (Oh, and my wife was bitching where all the cans of peas, corn and beans were disappearing to…)

Then I went to China on a  business trip.

And when I came back, I was arrested and incarcerated, and I have no clue where all my prototyping gear went.

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It is unlikely that anyone would have recognized it for what it was. Just a jumble of electronic things on a work bench in the garage. Gosh, though.

I do miss that work bench. It was a old 1940’s steel leg “map table” with a horribly top finish. So I covered it in thick ply plywood. Bolted it down with lag-bolts, and it was as stable as a rock. I’ll tell you what.

Anyways, we can go back to my final dimensional portal experiments prior to the hard stop, and  discuss them at a later date.

All by memory of course.

All records, gear, photos and everything else are all missing. Who knows where they are now?

But I had something else.

I was working on duplicating the alien pulse-plasma rifle from the Science Fiction movie “District 9”.

Remember that?

Well… not THAT weapon. That was some kind of blast gun.

I’m talking about the arc gun.

There’s a scene where the arc gun causes BIG ASS explosions. And that was what I was aiming for.

And, well, no it didn’t look like the movie version. What I mean is that I made a functional replica. Not a appearance replica.

District 9 Alien Assault Rifle 1
District 9 Alien Assault Rifle 1

I guess I am weird.

What I did, was a kind of work-around, I guess you could call it that.

What I did, was take a taster firing mechanism. That was the wire ejection device, the wire, and the entire battery and trigger mechanism.

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7f8f41789553168183ecda8f47f7db2d
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Gun 1
Gun 1

I kept it almost completely intact. But I added a home-made (obviously) thermobaric warhead.

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My first warhead had no fuse, and relied on very fine talc powder. Which was really, the a clay mineral composed of hydrated magnesium silicate, with the chemical formula Mg 3Si 4O 10(OH) 2. Talc in powdered form, often combined with corn starch, is used as baby powder. And so, as impure as it was, I used Johnson’s baby powder.

So yes. I made (I suppose) a baby-powder bomb.

In the more advanced designs I used a small bare copper wire that would press against a small PE bag of Hydrogen Peroxide to ignite the warhead when the signal was issued.

Now, this is a small grenade like warhead. Of course, my prototype was ugly as fuck and had a small (out of machined aluminum extrusion sides bolted together that contained my dispersal gas, and ignition powder (yeah, my first go around was with a 22 shell casing minus the lead).

  • You fire the gun.
  • The projectile goes to the target in a shallow arc.
  • It hits the target.
  • A “one shot” starts a counter and a nanosecond delay allows the gas to disperse.
  • Then the electrical charge zaps through the wires.
  • It ignites the .22 casing.
  • That then ignites the gas cloud.
  • Big, BIG explosion.

To the viewer, it looks like I shot a (faint) lightening bolt that exploded like a big bomb.

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20220312 WOC550

And When I tried it out, I will admit that it shocked me. And I did take EVERY precaution. You do NOT NOT NOT mess around with guns. So I was behind a cinder-block retaining wall.

And I still had the top of my hair singed.

Now, the problem with this crude set up was I didn’t have the range. My “warhead” was too heavy. And it needed to be improved. Smaller warhead, and lighter. More powerful ejection device, and longer wire. But all these issues could be worked out.

In fact, my biggest concern at the time was how to make the electrical movement in the wire larger so that it would look like a real bolt of lightening.

But yeah.

This is EXACTLY what I made; Gun B21 @2:40

And here, again, not so dramatic @5:29. But yeah, that’s my project.

Some crazy sciency fiction shit for sure….

All gone.

Yupper boys and girls. Be being such a “danger to the great citizens of the wonderful state of Arkansas” (Heee Haw Hee Haw)… it’s all gone.

Now, only CHINA has access to advanced weapons technology.

Don’t you know.

Oh, not by me. I’m just a quiet unassuming fellow trying to have fun with food, girls, and cats. But I’m not the only Mad Scientist that was pushed out of the pustules and fetid swill that the United States has become.

Yuppur. All gone.

The United States can have bupkis.

I will never forget.

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I will never forgive.

Today…

‘No proof’ US landed on moon – Ex-Russian space boss

Dmitry Rogozin says that while many in Roscosmos defended Washington’s version of events, no one could produce irrefutable proof

 

The former head of Russia’s Roscosmos space agency, Dmitry Rogozin, has expressed doubt that the US Apollo 11 mission really landed on the Moon in 1969, saying he has yet to see conclusive proof.

In a post on his Telegram channel on Sunday, Rogozin said he began his personal quest for the truth “about ten years ago” when he was still working in the Russian government, and that he grew skeptical about whether the Americans had actually set foot on the Moon when he compared how exhausted Soviet cosmonauts looked upon returning from their flights, and how seemingly unaffected the Apollo 11 crew was by contrast.

Rogozin said he sent requests for evidence to Roscosmos at the time. All he received in response was a book featuring Soviet Cosmonaut Aleksey Leonov’s account of how he talked to the American astronauts and how they told him they had been on the Moon.

The former official wrote that he continued with his efforts when he was appointed head of Roscosmos in 2018. However, according to Rogozin, no evidence was presented to him. Instead, several unnamed academics angrily criticized him for undermining the “sacred cooperation with NASA,” he claimed.

The former Roscosmos chief also said he had “received an angry phone call from a top-ranking official” who supposedly accused him of complicating international relations.   

Rogozin concluded by saying he still cannot believe that the US was able to pull off the feat, but is now unable to, despite the incredible progress in technology since the late 1960s.

What he claims to have found out, however, was that Washington has “its people in [the Russian] establishment.” 

Apollo 11 was the first manned mission to the Moon, with Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin going down in history as the first humans to walk on the lunar surface.

The flight was preceded by the unmanned Soviet Luna 2 program, which blazed the trail for Moon exploration.

Last April, President Vladimir Putin pledged to resume Russia’s lunar program.

Grilled Beer Sirloin with Mustard

Steak with Beer Mustard Sauce 1 1024x683
Steak with Beer Mustard Sauce 1 1024×683

Ingredients

  • 4 large beef sirloin steaks, (about 1/2 pound each)
  • 4 tablespoons vegetable oil
  • 2 teaspoons mustard
  • 2 teaspoons tarragon vinegar
  • Salt and pepper

Instructions

  1. Mix together the oil, mustard and vinegar. Coat the steaks well with the mixture and allow to marinate for about 10 minutes on each side.
  2. Season with salt and pepper, then grill the steaks for about 2 to 4 minutes on each side.
  3. Serve with French fries and salad.

The United States is spending SERIOUS money trying to destabilize the ‘Stans.

Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan… notice a pattern here?

map of central asia
map of central asia

The CIA is spending serious money destabilizing Central Asia and their BRI ambitions to remake Eurasia.

Serious money.

[1] Kyrgyzstan authorities report foiled coup attempt

Kyrgyzstan’s State Committee for National Security says group of extremists planned violent seizure of power

Elena Teslova | 05.07.2024 – Update : 05.07.2024

MOSCOW

Kyrgyzstan’s State Committee for National Security announced on Friday that it had thwarted a coup attempt by a group aiming to seize power violently and destabilize the socio-political situation through mass riots.

The committee’s statement revealed that raids on the suspects’ homes and vehicles uncovered components for improvised explosive devices, firearms, ammunition, walkie-talkies, body armor, law enforcement uniforms, drones, and extremist literature.

Five suspects have been placed in pre-trial detention, and further investigative and operational measures are ongoing.

Detailed information will be provided later, the committee said.

[2] Tajikistan tense amid arrests of senior personalities and former officials and rumours of a failed coup

25 June 2024

Tadjik President Emomamli Rahmon has run Tajikistan with an iron hand since taking power in 1992. There are now reports that he is preparing to hand power to his son. So, news of dissent in the Central Asian Republic is rare. News of a coup and the arrests of many prominent former officials have therefore triggered a lot of speculation. Saidjafar Usmonzoda, a prominent member of the Tajik parliament, was detained on June 14 for allegedly “plotting to overthrow the government.” Prosecutor-General Yusuf Rahmon accused Usmonzoda of collaborating with the foreign-based opposition group National Pact of Tajikistan and of speaking with its leader, the self-exiled Sharofiddin Gadoev. Parliament quickly stripped Usmonzoda of his immunity

His arrest was soon followed by the detention of former Foreign Minister Hamrokhon Zarifi.

But perhaps more prominently has been the detention of the former Chairman of the Supreme Soviet of Tajikistan, Akbarsho Iskandarov. During the wave of conflicts in the early 1990s, he took over as the Chairman of Parliament and served as Tajikistan’s acting president. In recent years, he worked at the Institute of Philosophy, Political Science, and Law of the Academy of Sciences. Prior to this, for many years, he served as Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of Tajikistan to Turkmenistan, Kazakhstan, and Mongolia.

The General Prosecutor’s Office summoned Akbarsho Iskandarov for questioning on June 13 and 14, following which they did not release him. The reason he was interviewed and the grounds on which he has been detained are unknown.

“Investigators of the General Prosecutor’s Office questioned about 50 people during these days and released them on their recognisance, while Akbarsho Iskandarov was not released,” a source stated.

As is often the case in authoritarian countries dissent often bubbles under the surface. The Tajik authorities have not been very forthcoming with information about what is going on, but the developments come on top of an already tense time for the Tadjik leadership as it tries to deal with the fallout from the involvement of Tadjiks in the recent terrorist attacks in Moscow. His leadership has embarked on a number of measures, which some consider knee-jerk, such as banning the hijab.

All in all, Tajikistan’s problems seem to be piling on top of each other, and as Central Asia’s poorest country, it is vulnerable to sudden shock. Other Central Asian leaders look at the situation in Tajikistan with concern, not least because of the risk of falling out into their own quite fragile political processes.

[3] Uzbekistan imposes regional state of emergency after deadly unrest

Government U-turns over plans to curtail autonomy of Karakalpakstan but fears rise tensions may escalate

Reuters in Almaty
Mon 4 Jul 2022 09.47 BST

Eighteen people were killed and 243 wounded during unrest in Uzbekistan’s autonomous province of Karakalpakstan over plans to curtail its autonomy, Uzbek authorities said.

Security forces detained 516 people while dispersing protesters on Friday but have released many of them, the national guard press office told a briefing.

On Saturday, President Shavkat Mirziyoyev dropped plans to amend articles of the constitution concerning Karakalpakstan’s autonomy and its right to secede. He also declared a month-long state of emergency in the north-western province.

According to official reports, protesters marched through the provincial capital of Nukus last Friday and tried to seize local government buildings.

Photographs from Nukus, published on Sunday by the news website O‘zbekiston va jahon yangiliklari, eng so‘nggi tezkor xabarlar, qiziqarli maqola, intervyu, foto va video materiallar, showed street barricades, burnt out trucks and a heavy military presence including armoured personnel carriers.

Videos shared on social media showed at least two severely wounded people being carried away by their arms and legs. One was bleeding from the abdomen, while the other was screaming.

Another showed a young man crouching by an apparently lifeless body in the street, screaming “a man is dying”, and running for cover as shots rang out.

An exiled opposition politician, Pulat Ahunov, told Reuters over the weekend that people were unable to move around or obtain more information because of a state of emergency imposed by the authorities.

Uzbekistan is a tightly controlled former Soviet republic where the government clamps down hard on any form of dissent. It was the second outbreak of unrest in central Asia this year, after Kazakhstan crushed mass protests in January and Russia and other former Soviet republics sent in troops to help restore order.

The protests in Uzbekistan were prompted by planned constitutional changes that would have stripped Karakalpakstan of its autonomous status. In a U-turn, the president dropped those plans on Saturday.

Ahunov, the chair of the opposition Berlik party, told Reuters from Sweden that he condemned the use of lethal force. “The authorities, from the start, should have opted for dialogue and negotiations,” he said. He said he feared the potential for the situation to escalate into an ethnic conflict between Uzbeks and Karakalpaks, a minority group with their own language.

Authorities had called a public meeting for Tuesday to discuss the situation, he added.

Kazakhstan said it was concerned by the events in Uzbekistan and welcomed moves by the authorities to stabilise the situation.

Steve Swerdlow, associate professor of human rights at the University of Southern California and an expert on the region, said Uzbekistan should engage as transparently as possible in declaring casualties and the use of force and over the longer term look at what concerns were at the heart of the protests.

[4] President of Kazakhstan says he has weathered attempted coup d’etat

By Reuters
January 11, 20229:44 AM GMT+8

NUR-SULTAN, Jan 10 (Reuters) – Kazakh President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev said on Monday that his country had weathered an attempted coup d’etat coordinated by what he called “a single centre” after the most violent unrest since the Soviet collapse.

In a speech to an online meeting of the Russian-led CSTO military alliance by video link, Tokayev said that order had now been restored in Kazakhstan, but that the hunt for “terrorists” was ongoing.

“Under the guise of spontaneous protests, a wave of unrest broke out… It became clear that the main goal was to undermine the constitutional order and to seize power. We are talking about an attempted coup d’etat,” he said.

Demonstrations against a fuel price rise began just over a week ago before erupting into a wider protest against Tokayev’s government and the man he replaced as president, 81-year-old Nursultan Nazarbayev.

Kazakh President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev speaks during a televised address to the nation following the protests triggered by fuel price increase in Nur-Sultan, Kazakhstan January 7, 2022. Official website of the President of Kazakhstan/Handout via REUTERS

“The main blow was directed against (the city of) Almaty. The fall of this city would have paved the way for a takeover of the densely populated south and then the whole country,” he said. “Then they planned to seize the capital.”

Tokayev said that a large-scale “counter-terrorism” operation would soon end along with a CSTO mission that he said numbered 2,030 troops and 250 pieces of military hardware.

Tokayev defended his decision to invite Russian-led troops into the country and said that doubts over the legitimacy of that mission stemmed from a lack of information.

Kazakhstan would soon provide proof to the international community about what had happened, he said.Sixteen members of the security forces were killed, while the number of civilian casualties is still being checked, he said.

Reporting by Tamara Vaal in Nur-Sultan; Writing by Tom Balmforth; Editing by Andrew Osborn

Taiwan will not become Ukraine. China wont let it happen.

USA is using Taiwan as a cash cow to buy all US weapons. That is all. No harm done to China as a whole. It only hurts Taiwanese taxpayers’ money but not China.

China knows USA’s goal is to provoke China to start a war. Like Ukraine provoking Russia.

In the big picture, a war will hurt the economy of the entire world. Not just China.

Not to mention human life.

So China keeps a cool head. Stay calm & not to react to US deliberate malice. Not to fall into the US trap.

But China has closing up on Taiwan these days.

First. no more so-called Taiwanese sovereign territory. All are Chinese. Chinese coastguards & warplanes are moving closer & closer to Taiwan coastline & airspace.

2nd, China is to pass a law to put on trial stubborn Taiwanese separatists without their appearance in court. Max death sentence. Extradition too.

The law can apply to foreigners who help stubborn Taiwanese separatists.

USA & the West in general is quiet on the upcoming Chinese law so far. Because they have similar laws to deal with their separatists too

Just wait & see. Dont worry.

Pepe Escobar: Putin’s BOMBSHELL just Changed Everything and NATO is Done

Finding love in space

Submitted into Contest #8 in response to: Write a story about an adventure in space. view prompt

Tea Kleva

It’s year 2155 and I’m living on Venus. We travel with space ships from one planet to another. Woman live on Venus and man on Mars, so in order to meet each other we go once a week on Jupiter.The purpose in my life is to find the love of my life. What a cliché, right? But I can’t help it if I’m a hopeless romantic. Sometimes I think that I would never find him and I will live alone till I die.The day to go on Jupiter came and I was ready to meet the love I was waiting for the past 50 years. All the girls took a seat in a spaceship and we were ready to go. The journey was long, so I started to talk to the girl who was sitting next to me.“So, are you nervous for your date?” I asked her.She looked at me and smiled. Her eyes were green and I just lost myself in them. I was just staring at her and the whole thing became awkward really fast.“I’m sorry for starring at you like that, but you have such a pretty eyes.” I apologized.“Oh, don’t worry,” she replied. “And yes, I’m a little nervous for my date. By the way, I’m Caroline.”“Nice to meet you Caroline, I’m Jasmine.”We talked the whole trip and we became friends. I felt the happiness filling my body and I was so grateful that I met her.The boys were already waiting for us. This place was always so beautiful and with the boys on it I loved it even more. I was just standing there alone, when one boy approached me.“Wow, I just can’t believe it. You are stunning!” the boy said.

I smiled and thanked him. He took my hand and gave it a little kiss. We walked to one free table and sat down.

“Let me introduce myself, I’m Hunter, I’m 166 years old and I live in a villa on Mars. I appreciate the natural beauty, so that’s the main reason I chose you as my date.” He said.

“Well thank you for the compliment, Hunter. I’m Jasmine, I’m 133 years old and I live in a small apartment on Venus. I appreciate that you are such a gentleman and that’s the reason I let you choose me as your date.” I said.

We were flirting the whole time and I could feel some kind of connection between us, but at the same time I just couldn’t stop thinking about Caroline and every time I saw her having a good time with her date I was kind of jealous.

The day on Jupiter ended and I felt like there was no connection between me and Hunter. He was the perfect guy, just not for me. I walked in space ship and sat beside Caroline.

“How was your date?” I asked.

“It wasn’t bad, but at the same time I felt I had more connection with you than him, you know.” She said.

I was so happy, because I felt exactly the same. Does that mean that I should search for my soulmate on my own planet? I’m so confused.

“Can I ask you something?” I said. “Would you like to go out with me? To know each other better and become maybe, uh, more than friends…”

I couldn’t believe I actually said that. I was a little scared of how she is going to react. So I was just starring at my feet. She took my chin with her soft, warm, perfect hands and lifted my head so we made eye contact. She was smiling so that’s a good sign.

“I would love to go out with you Jasmine, because I feel something for you. It’s a little strange, but an amazing feeling.” She said while still holding my face.

During our flight back we hit another spaceship. The alarm went off and I was panicking. Caroline took my hand and told me everything is going to be okay. We landed on the Moon and Caroline had the idea that we could go on an adventure, so she took my hand and we ran on the other side of the Moon. We found a cave and we went inside. It was dark, but fortunately I had my battery with me. The cave was white, the walls had different shapes and the echo was amazing. We started singing and the walls sang back. I never wanted to leave this place. We went deeper in the cave and found a waterfall. I remembered that we learned a lot of this cave in the school. The water was magical. If you dive in it and think of some place, you would get there through this waterfall. I was so curious if this really worked, so I proposed to Caroline that we dive in the water and travel on the Earth.

We got in the water and thought of some place on Earth. Suddenly I remembered that Eart was a big place and that we wouldn’t land in the same place, but it was to late. There was a flash of light so I closed my eyes and I could feel my body flying through the space. I landed in front of Big Ben. I was in London. I didn’t have any device to communicate with Caroline and even if I was among the people, I felt alone.

Right now I just wanted to find Caroline and go back to Venus, where I could perhaps marry her and be with her forever. I know that we didn’t know each other enough, but my gut is telling me that she could be the one.

I just stopped for a minute and closed my eyes. I wanted to see if I could feel where she was. I heard music in the distance and someone was calling my name. I turned around and opened my eyes. Some kind of shadow ran into the bar where the music came from. I followed the shadow and I saw a girl who had same hair as Caroline. That must be her! I found her! I went to the girl and hugged her.

“I finally found you!” I said. I let go of the hug and the girl turned around. It wasn’t Caroline. I felt so embarrassed and I left the bar. I started crying because I thought I would never find Caroline. I sat on the stairs outside the bar and I couldn’t stop crying. After I stopped crying I looked on the floor and my tears spelled Paris. I stood up and went to the airport. I had some money with me so I bought a ticket for Paris.

I searched whole Paris just to find Caroline, but I couldn’t find her. I stopped in front of Eiffel tower and started praying that someone could give me a sign or some kind of help, so I could find her.

“Hello miss, do you want to see how beautiful Paris is from the top of Eiffel tower?” some man said.

I bought a ticket to visit the top of the tower. I stopped for a moment to enjoy the view, when someone grabbed my shoulders. I turned around and there she was, Caroline. We found each other, fate wanted to reunite us in the city of love, Paris. We hugged and I just couldn’t let her go. I didn’t want to lose her again.

“Now that we found each other again, we should go home.” She whispered in my ear.

“But home is wherever we are together. So right now we could stay in Paris and then we could explore the rest of the World.” I said with a tear sliding down my cheek.

So we decided to stay on Earth. The only thing we needed at the moment were each other and the desire for travelling.

After 5 years we travelled the whole world, so we decided to go back on Venus. Me and Caroline live in the house we build together. We love each other and want to grow old together.

Sometimes your soulmate come to your life when you least expect it and sometimes it’s not the person you would expect, but that’s the beauty of life, it’s unpredictable.

PH is a US puppet. It is USA who controls the movement of puppet PH.

If ever the China-PH meeting works, it will be USA who wants to ease the tension in SCS.

Does USA want to ease SCS tension? Let us look for signs.

Few things took place since the US installation of mid-range missiles in PH on 2024/4/11. ie USA wanted to escalate tension on 4/11.

1, On the same day, both China & Russia react & mentioned Cuba. Hinting that they could do something in Cuba.

Actually, they also can do it in all Latin American countries that are hostile to USA. You USA create tension at our front door, we Russia+China will create tension at your front door too.

2, Cuban defense chief right away visited China. I heard he visited Russia too.

3, Later Russia sent 4 warships to visit Cuba with open welcome by Cuba.

4, On 6/14 or so, Pentagon disclosed it launched an anti-Chinese-vaccine campaign to kill Filipinos. (I still cannot figure out why USA disclosed this at the time when we already forget about covid. There is a reason but we dont know why yet.)

5, On 6/17, PH soldiers were defeated by Chinese coastguards at Ren’ai shoal.

At first, PH was vicious. Later, under US instruction, PH tuned it down to misunderstanding or accident.

PH threatened to invoke the US-PH Mutual Defense Treaty. Thru 2 scholars in Cambridge U, USA told PH that MDT does not apply to SCSea.

6, On 6/28, USA announced it will withdraw US troops from Luchu (Okinawa) & Japan mainland to Guam, starting Dec 2024. Hollowing the US power in the 1st island chain.

7, On 6/29, USA dropped a sub detector to SCS. Got caught by China. There was a 2-day China-US electronic battle in SCSea. USA lost & left,

8, Chinese destroyers & later an aircraft carrier sailed near US military bases in PH. To “declare” victory.

9, On 7/4, USA said it will remove its mid-range missiles in PH in Sept. … a further indicator that USA has lost to China.

Duterte clearly is smarter than Marcos. He openly said that when PH has 1 missile pointing at China, China will also point a missile at PH. (I add) China will not point 1 at PH but 100 missiles. USA cannot out-perform the Chinese speed in manufacturing. If USA can match, USA wont move to Guam.

Back to the question. There are signs that USA wants to de-escalate SCS tension, for now. Perhaps until after they find a Biden replacement for the US election.

Cool, and interesting.

Chinese battery expansions

China’s progress with renewable energies is undeniable, but the ethics with which they are achieving it is not. The whole world is on tenterhooks with the battery they are hiding from the rest of the world. The reason? It has enormous potential to destroy our industry and export capacity with the strangest material we have ever seen.

China created this battery that leaves lithium behind but has it hidden in its industry

China has recently made major advancements in sodium-ion battery technology as an alternative to the more common lithium-ion batteries. Sodium-ion batteries utilize sodium ions rather than lithium ions to store and release energy.

While lithium-ion batteries currently dominate the global battery market, especially for electric vehicles and consumer electronics, sodium-ion batteries have some potential advantages that have piqued China’s interest.

China sees sodium-ion as a strategic opportunity to establish domestic technology leadership and reduce reliance on imported lithium. With its vast sodium reserves, China could secure its supply chain for battery materials rather than depend on sourcing lithium from other countries.

This has led major Chinese companies to accelerate sodium-ion research and development. Over the past few years, China has rapidly expanded sodium-ion battery production capacity and implemented large-scale deployments of the technology.

Sodium-ion Chinese batteries, a milestone in energy history

Sodium-ion batteries are very similar in design to the lithium-ion batteries that currently dominate the battery market. Both use intercalation chemistry, meaning that ions move between the cathode and anode to provide power.

However, sodium-ion batteries use sodium ions instead of lithium. This provides some key advantages. The cathode in a sodium-ion battery is typically made from layered transition metal oxides, while the anode uses hard carbon, similar to lithium-ion batteries.

During discharge, the sodium ions flow from the anode to the cathode through the electrolyte. When charging, the ions flow back to the anode. Unlike lithium, sodium is cheap and abundant. Sodium does not need special handling or storage. This makes sodium-ion batteries easier and cheaper to produce.

However, sodium ions are larger and heavier than lithium, which impacts energy density. But improvements in materials and design are helping boost the energy density of sodium-ion batteries.

A problem for the United States: Tesla and the American industry are threatened.

Chinese automaker BYD has built the world’s first mass-production facility for sodium-ion batteries in Chongqing. The factory has a planned annual capacity of 20GWh and will start producing batteries in 2025.

BYD’s sodium-ion batteries will use a new battery chemistry developed in-house. The company claims its batteries have a range comparable to lithium-ion batteries but with advantages such as faster charging times and higher energy density.

The new factory represents a major investment by BYD in sodium-ion technology. The company sees great potential for sodium-ion batteries due to the abundance and lower cost of sodium compared to lithium.

BYD plans to initially use the sodium-ion batteries produced at this factory in its electric buses. Over time, the company may expand the use of sodium-ion batteries into its electric cars and other applications.

The opening of this large-scale sodium-ion battery factory highlights China’s ambitions to lead in next-generation battery technologies. With strong government support, Chinese companies like BYD aim to leapfrog established lithium-ion batteries.

As you can see, the Chinese batteries have taken a step that we would not have liked to see, given the relevance it will have for our industry. The problem? It is not a shared innovation, but an invention that remains hidden from the rest of the world. There is still a long way to go to see if they decide to extend them to the rest of the planet and replace lithium forever.

BRICS on the Rise, Countries Ditching the Dollar & U.S. Empire Declines w/ Prof. Richard Wolff

Huawei has a chip problem, but it’s far from being a write-off

Recent press reports have proclaimed Huawei both a resurgent force and a victim of US sanctions. The reality is more complicated.

Iain Morris, International Editor

July 3, 2024

For lovers of melodrama, the annual updates by Huawei’s carousel of rotating bosses are often a treat. Hit by US sanctions under former US President Donald Trump, the Chinese company once depicted itself as a fighter plane pockmarked by gunfire, struggling to stay airborne. This year’s update was disappointingly low-key. “We’ve been through a lot over the last few years,” said Ken Hu without fanfare, after rotating into the hot seat. But press reports have compensated in wildly diverging ways.

America’s assassination attempt on Huawei is backfiring,” blared The Economist in a detailed briefing on June 13. The message was that a sanctions program started by Trump and accelerated under President Joe Biden has largely failed. Huawei has not only avoided a crash landing but also gained altitude and become more self-reliant.

Two weeks later, Quartz weighed in with its own, much shorter assessment. “US sanctions against China’s AI chip efforts seem to be working,” ran the headline, with a standfirst saying: “Huawei is reportedly having a hard time increasing production of its Ascend 910B AI chip.” American policymakers have denied China the cutting-edge tools it needs to produce the most advanced chips. The older equipment available to Huawei just isn’t fit for purpose.

The reality is far more nuanced than either of these stories suggests. But to judge the success or failure of US policy, one must first ask what the sanctions were supposed to achieve. They were introduced long before companies and governments became fixated on generative AI, when the in-vogue technology – believe it or not – was 5G.

Given the share prices of 5G stakeholders at the time, markets never expected the next-generation mobile technology to be a money spinner. But governments were fooled into thinking it would connect everything from insulin drips to ballistic missiles and power economic growth. Amid signs of Chinese government assertiveness, letting a Chinese company anywhere near western 5G networks would surely be insane.

Pincer movement

The campaign against Huawei was therefore two-pronged. The first meant exerting pressure on US allies and friendly countries in Europe to flush Huawei out of their networks. Many had grown reliant on Huawei in the 4G era, seeing it as a low-cost but technologically sophisticated alternative to the likes of Alcatel-Lucent, Ericsson and Nokia Siemens Networks. For technological and economic reasons, telcos were likely to stick with the same vendors when upgrading to 5G. And by the time it came along, Huawei was widely perceived to have the technological edge over Western rivals.

But this part of the campaign has had mixed fortunes. Germany, Europe’s biggest economy, has spent years prevaricating while its telcos have built nationwide 5G networks with Huawei kit. Even the UK under Conservative Prime Minister Boris Johnson, a supposed Trump ally, wanted a compromise whereby Huawei would be ejected from the core, the cockpit of the system, but allowed to remain sprawled throughout the vast seating area of the radio access network (RAN).

The other prong of the US campaign, then, was designed to gum up Huawei’s supply chains and stop it from producing the trustworthy, competitive equipment that UK and other telcos might want to use in their networks. And the US had an ace up its sleeve: its domination of chip design and chipmaking tools, including the machines used by Asian foundries to produce the most advanced components. The hammer blow came when sanctions denied Huawei access to TSMC, a Taiwanese foundry using Dutch and US machines to crank out the smallest transistors in the world.

This tightening of rules ultimately persuaded UK authorities to ban Huawei from selling 5G products, while giving telcos until the end of 2027 to sanitize their networks. Its bigger impact, though, was on Huawei’s smartphone business, never identified by US hawks as a potential conduit for Chinese military “backdoors” and subterfuge, as networks had been. Unable to Windsor has interpreted that as an admission the current yields are not commercially viable in the long run. “Yields need to be 90% or better in most processes to earn a positive return on the capital invested to build and operate the fab,” he said in a blog. “By all accounts, SMIC and Huawei’s yields are way below this figure which is why the current situation for making 7-nanometer chips in China is unsustainable.”procure the tiny chips needed for its consumer devices, and barred from Google’s suite of software apps, Huawei suffered a smartphone collapse. Honor, a key brand, was sold to state-backed acquirers.

When DUV may do

But this business group, formerly responsible for more than half of Huawei’s revenues, staged a dazzling recovery last year – to the alarm of US hawks. New and popular gadgets appear to include 7-nanometer chips, thought to be off limits to Huawei. To produce them, it was believed, a chipmaker would need extreme ultraviolet lithography (EUV) machines. ASML, a Dutch company, has a monopoly on their production, and its government has denied it an export license to serve China.

Experts believe SMIC, a Chinese foundry, has instead resorted to older deep ultraviolet lithography (DUV) machines to churn out 7-nanometer chips for Huawei. While not as good as EUV, DUV can employ a technique called multiple patterning to do it. The problem with multiple patterning is that yields – a percentage measure of the functional chips derived from a wafer – tend to be relatively poor. This could partly explain why SMIC’s profitability suffered so badly during its recent first quarter. After a 31% year-over-year rise in cost of sales, to $1.5 billion, SMIC’s gross margin shrank from 21% to less than 14%.

Huawei, moreover, now appears to have acknowledged its chip problems for the first time. Richard Windsor, the founder of analyst firm Radio Free Mobile, last month drew attention to a keynote address by Zhang Ping’an, a Huawei executive, at the 2024 China Mobile Computing Power Network Event. In it, Ping’an appears to have recognized that US sanctions have put 3-nanometer and even 5-nanometer technology beyond Huawei’s reach. Solving the 7-nanometer problem needs to be the company focus, he apparently said.

Signs of strength

But there is no sign that Huawei, unlike SMIC, has borne any costs so far. Its cost of sales last year rose just 5%, to about 325 billion Chinese yuan (US$44.7 billion), while revenues were up nearly a tenth, to about RMB704.2 billion ($96.9 billion). At the smartphone-making consumer business, sales grew 17%, to roughly RMB251.5 billion ($34.6 billion).

Huawei’s rebound in the smartphone league tables shows consumers care little if there is a 7-nanometer or 5-nanometer chip in the phone (although battery life and performance might be concerns). If Huawei can fix the problem of yields – and Windsor does not put it past the Chinese – it may not have to worry.

Huawei also has less need for tiny chips at its networks business, the part that bothers policymakers. This is partly because there are far fewer 5G basestations in the world than there are 5G smartphones. Basestations are also much bigger than smartphones and therefore not as space constrained. The semiconductors they incorporate have always tended to be a generation or two behind the chips inside smartphones.

Regardless, chip sanctions have not stopped German and various other European telcos from investing in Huawei kit. The 5G networks now deployed in China, where Huawei is the dominant vendor, are regarded as some of the best in the world. In its latest mobility report, published last month, Ericsson notes that midband 5G equipment – the sort needed for higher levels of performance – now covers about 95% of China. In Europe, the figure is just 30%.

If the US campaign has achieved anything on the networks side, it is a bifurcation of the global market along geopolitical fault lines. China and its friends buy Chinese gear while the rest of the world buys from Nordic or other Asian vendors. But nobody is buying much. Enthusiasm for 5G has waned, and spending on the RAN is expected by Omdia, a Light Reading sister company, to fall by 7% to 9% this year after dropping 11% in 2023.

In this bear market, Huawei is doing considerably better than either Ericsson or Nokia, its main rivals. One reason is that China remains by far the world’s biggest 5G market and a dependable source of revenues for Huawei. Sales to Chinese customers were up 17% last year. And while this growth was undoubtedly fueled by consumer purchases of Huawei’s latest smartphones, China also accounted for more than two thirds of total company sales, up from 52% back in 2018. By contrast, Ericsson’s sales to North America, its most profitable market, tumbled 38%.

The fear of Ericsson boss Börje Ekholm is that the West will fall behind China in this bifurcated market. “If the tech world is fragmented east and west then it is going to mean competition between two ecosystems,” he told Light Reading during an interview in August 2021. “A Chinese ecosystem will be formidable competition for the west. It concerns me that end users – customers and enterprises – will feel it in their mobile experience.”

Branching out

But Huawei’s successes last year owe something to a reinvention forced on it by US sanctions. Unlike Ericsson or Nokia, it has expanded into domestic markets outside its traditional kit-making sector, buoyed by Chinese protectionism and antipathy toward the standard American alternatives. Sales at its cloud computing business, for example, rose 22% last year, to about RMB55.3 billion ($7.6 billion). As small as that makes it next to the industry giants, Huawei is slowly gaining ground.

“Huawei has been doing quite well in its local market and has been growing much more rapidly than the two market leaders, Alibaba and Tencent,” said John Dinsdale, the chief analyst and managing director of Synergy Research, in a previous email to Light Reading. “Its market share in China is now into double figures (just!). It does, however, remain a long way behind the leaders.”

No doubt, the recent AI expansion could prove difficult if sanctions thwart Huawei’s attempts to produce more advanced chips. Yet if the AI story turns out to be solely about chips, rather than the services they are intended to support, Nvidia is heading for an almighty crash. Amazon, Google, Microsoft and various other US tech giants all have AI pitches that are not just to do with silicon. There may be a bigger future opportunity for Huawei in software – in large language models, applications or even artificial general intelligence.

The US sanctions program clearly has numerous flaws. Its first is the assumption that a lead in silicon design somehow translates into a pervasive tech hegemony. From the perspective of US hawks, the second must be the poor enforcement of new rules, with companies like Intel and Qualcomm awarded exemptions that allowed them to keep serving Huawei. On the opposite side, others argue that cutting US companies off from the vast Chinese market is counterproductive. Weakened by lower revenues, they will have less to invest in US research and development.

Worst of all, though, is the old-fashioned view, almost redolent of Western imperialism, that sanctions will permanently hobble China – that homegrown EUV and other such chip wizardry is somehow beyond the capabilities of China’s scientists and always will be. There was similar talk more than 20 years ago when Huawei was routinely dismissed as a copycat, a rip-off merchant and plunderer of US intellectual property. By 2019, technology executives within European telcos reckoned it was the 5G company to beat.

Not everyone outside China subscribes to such views. Ericsson’s Ekholm seems to be among them, fretting in 2021 about the West’s ability to “keep up with the vast R&D spend in Asia – particularly China – that’s already happening.” The year before, analysts at New Street Research wrote that China’s vast resources of human capital would ultimately give it a decisive long-term advantage.

Earl Lum, a semiconductor expert at EJL Wireless Research, has described it in succinct terms. “There are so many people in China to hire,” he previously told Light Reading. “It doesn’t matter that everyone you are hiring isn’t an Einstein. One of them will be.”

This cat was called ‘mean.’ Then he met my husband.

A year ago, I was shopping with my two daughters and sister in Goodwill. I usually let the girls (9 and 12 at the time) roam the toy aisle while I am looking at trinkets and today was the same. I was browsing one of the isles with my sister when all the sudden I saw her freeze, look behind me and say, “No. No no no no. Get the girls, NOW.”

I immediately headed to the aisle where my youngest daughter was, and my sister went to get my oldest daughter. When I got to the aisle, there were two men standing on either side of my daughter, pretending to look at things on the shelves. I grabbed her and headed to the front door where my sister and oldest daughter met us. We went to our car, locked the doors and waited for a minute. Then we watched the two men that had been in the aisle and two more men walk out of Goodwill having purchased nothing.

I am almost positive that day’s outcome would have been very different if my sister had not had the sense that something was very wrong.

Why successful men use escorts: what the rich and the beautiful have in common

There are many misconceptions about Canada. Looking at the country on the map is one thing, but being there is another.

  1. First, Canada’s size becomes apparent once a visitor drives (or takes a bus) between Vancouver and Calgary, or Toronto and Thunder Bay. Great Britain, which includes Scotland and Wales, could fit inside Canada about forty times.
  2. Canadian summers are hot, particularly in southern Ontario around Toronto and in Montreal, Quebec. The humidity levels in July and August can push temperatures up to between 35°C and 40°C. In the far north in the Yukon and Northwest Territories, summers aren’t blazing hot but you can walk around with t-shirts and shorts. Temperatures hover around 20°C and the sun doesn’t set until the winter.
  3. There are lakes, lots of them. The number of lakes larger than three square kilometers totals more than 30,000.
  4. There is a desert in Canada. In a nation known for cold weather and snow, this comes as a surprise. The semi-arid Okanagan Desert is located in British Columbia around the town of Osoyoos.
  5. The Haskell Free Library and Opera House is divided between the towns of Stanstead, Quebec, and Derby Line, Vermont. This is the only library in the world that operates in two countries at once. Americans can just walk through the front door, but Canadians have to cross the international line, pass U.S. border guards in the front of the building. and then go out exactly the same way to avoid entering the U.S. illegally.

Here’s the border between the towns. Looks deserted but it’s not a good idea to casually walk back and forth.

Derby Line, Vermont, U.S.A. The Canadian inspection post is on the left at the end of the road.

The border inside the library. Security is tight in here.

6. And last but certainly not least, Canadian chocolates and candies are damn good. This is the country that spawned such tempting creations such as Coffee Crisp, Big Turk and Mr. Big (this one is almost 8 inches long). You can only buy these in Canada or in shops overseas selling Canadian products.

Did I mention ketchup flavoured chips?

You have to come to Canada to eat them.

The Sopranos – Rusty Millio gets whacked – Munchkinland loses its beloved mayor

This question has no value. No one can foretell the future.

Speculation is worthless.

However, we can say the following…

The PRC has the most successful government in human history. It has created the world’s largest economy by purchasing power parity in only 35 years, and it did so without firing a shot. No other nation has grown so large, so quickly, and so peacefully.

It totally and finally eradicated extreme poverty in 2020, truly a monumental achievement.

The PRC’s government garners the highest level of support in the world. According to 𝗟𝗮𝘁𝗮𝗻𝗮’𝘀 𝗗𝗲𝗺𝗼𝗰𝗿𝗮𝗰𝘆 𝗣𝗲𝗿𝗰𝗲𝗽𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗜𝗻𝗱𝗲𝘅 𝟮𝟬𝟮𝟰, 79% of Chinese believe their nation is democratic while only 57% of Americans and 55% of British do.

Another example, according to the 𝗘𝗱𝗲𝗹𝗺𝗮𝗻 𝗧𝗿𝘂𝘀𝘁 𝗕𝗮𝗿𝗼𝗺𝗲𝘁𝗲𝗿 𝟮𝟬𝟮𝟰, 85% of Chinese trust their government while only 40% of Americans and 30% of British do.

Another example, according to the 𝗢𝗽𝗲𝗻 𝗦𝗼𝗰𝗶𝗲𝘁𝘆 𝗕𝗮𝗿𝗼𝗺𝗲𝘁𝗲𝗿 𝟮𝟬𝟮𝟯, 76% of Chinese trust their politicians while only 29% of Americans and 20% of British do.

Another example, according to 𝗜𝗽𝘀𝗼𝘀’ 𝗚𝗹𝗼𝗯𝗮𝗹 𝗛𝗮𝗽𝗽𝗶𝗻𝗲𝘀𝘀 𝟮𝟬𝟮𝟯, 91% of Chinese are happy with their life while only 76% of Americans and 70% of British are.

Another example, according to 𝗮 𝘀𝘁𝘂𝗱𝘆 𝗳𝗿𝗼𝗺 𝗛𝗮𝗿𝘃𝗮𝗿𝗱 𝗞𝗲𝗻𝗻𝗲𝗱𝘆 𝗦𝗰𝗵𝗼𝗼𝗹 𝗶𝗻 𝟮𝟬𝟮𝟬, 95.5% of Chinese are satisfied with their government.

Another example, according to 𝗜𝗽𝘀𝗼𝘀’ 𝗪𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗪𝗼𝗿𝗿𝗶𝗲𝘀 𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗪𝗼𝗿𝗹𝗱 𝘀𝘂𝗿𝘃𝗲𝘆 𝗳𝗿𝗼𝗺 𝗡𝗼𝘃𝗲𝗺𝗯𝗲𝗿, 𝟮𝟬𝟭𝟵, 95% of Chinese believe their country is on the right track and moving in the right direction while only 41% of Americans and 23% of British do.

Another example, according to 𝗮 𝟮𝟬𝟭𝟵 𝗨𝗖 𝗦𝗮𝗻 𝗗𝗶𝗲𝗴𝗼 𝘀𝘁𝘂𝗱𝘆, 80% of Chinese are happy and enjoy financial security.

Looking at all this, it’s hard to imagine that the PRC won’t stand for a long, long time. But 300 years long? Who knows.

Certainly, the 21st century is China’s century.

ON CAM: The Last Minutes of US Mercenaries’ Lives┃Russia Captured ‘SOTNITSKIY KAZACHOK’

Apparently I won the lottery. I was born in the western world.

I left to live in China.

The racism, bamboo ceiling and general dehumanisation creates a lot of self haters.

Anyone with any nous will realise China is where everything is going to happen in the next few decades.

There’s son of people who left China decades ago on Quora. They did ok moving to the USA and Canada. Their replacement make far more than them despite living in China.

SCO’s main goal is regional security in Asia.

It targets oppression & prevention of terrorism, coups & riots that are instigated by hostile country eg USA.

NATO was formed to defend the West from USSR. But today NATO has become offensive instead of defensive. Actively instigate wars around the globe.

G7 is more on economic instead of military. Peaceful on surface, G7 is quite aggressive these days. Using sanction as a weapon to beat others.

G20 is peaceful because G20 is diverse. Unlike G7 who has become arrogant & a bully.

By 2023/7/1, China has a way.

On 2023/7/1, China passed a Foreign Relations Law & right away applies it on rare metal export. In response to USA’s choke of China’s semiconductor industry. What is Foreign Relations law?

Simply put. When China is bullied, China officials now have LAW to follow during the fight-back.

1st example:

USA+US allies has been suppressing China on semiconductor & chips. 100% blockade. Japan has banned 23 materials & semiconductor products to China. ASML is to stop sale of DUV to China.

Note the 100% blockade is for US allies only; US firms have “backdoor” to continue the sale to China, filling up the Chinese market of US allies. Samsung’s chip profit has dropped 99% in 2023 Q1.

Effective 2023/8/1, China is to limit export of 2 rare metals gallium (镓)& germanium (锗).

Gallium is a must for semiconductor, radar, AI & more. Germanium, for others eg solar panel & medical use.

China supplies 70-80% of these 2 metals to the world. 2nd supplier is Russia. 3rd is Ukraine but in the area that has been occupied by Russia during Ukraine war.

95% of US import of rare metal comes from China.

USA shoots its foot. It hysterically wants China’s semiconductor industry to die. Now China grant the wish of USA by helping US semiconductor industry die.

CIA boss just made a speech in UK about cooperation with China. Decoupling from China is stupid, he said.

Stupid. That is US politicians.

Yellen, another politician, clearly is BEGGING China to buy new US debts. But talk tough in front of Americans, by continuing the US lie about human right of Uyghurs & Muslims.

Instead of using lies, can US politicians spend time on seeking a real solution to US internal problems?

USA knew about its heavy dependence on China’s rare metal long time ago. Yet USA dares go so extreme to 100% block China’s semiconductor industry. Dare to play Taiwan card. USA commits suicide but drag allies along to grave to die with it.

No medicine can cure stupidity.

Americas Future ain't looking too hot. There is no more middle class. Every thing has been gentrified from housing , cars People not being able to find a decent paying job and the cost to live is getting way out of hand . Gen Z and Millennials No Long Want to work towards nothing. America is Broken and it's not cool. Hopefully everything smooths out 

The German Sägerücken

Rule #1 of combat. If the enemy is in range, so are you.

A sniper, if they are set up really well and don’t shoot too often, can go a long time without being found. But once they are found, then they die.

There was a situation once where a particularly well concealed sniper was shooting at American troops in Iraq. He may not have always killed his intended victim, but it was, to say the least, disconcerting for the troops in his area.

In an effort to rid themselves of this pest, the Army sent out various sniper teams to try and locate this guy. They were out for a LONG time and shot after shot was made by the sniper, but he was still impossible to find.

Then one counter-sniper saw a brick in a wall move. A single brick moved, then a shot was heard, then the brick was put back in place.

They had found him.

A sniper was sent to a position that would allow them to shoot into the hole the sniper was making when he moved that brick. A few minutes later, the brick moved, the counter-sniper shot, and the enemy sniper was dead.

His big mistake was thinking that nobody would ever see that one brick moving. So he stayed in one place and died because he was too lazy to find a new hide.

Study the laws carefully with proper Chinese translation

(Rough Translation)

There are four levels of Punishment :-

Level 1 – Any person who publishes material through a blog or electronic post advocating for Taiwanese Secession from the Mainland shall be

If younger than 18 years of age, be placed under RESTRICTIVE SURVEILLANCE until such time as the Investigator sees fit or until the person commits activities that are deemed secessionist under the security act

If older than 18 years of age or 18 years of age, shall be placed under ACTIVE SECURITY INVESTIGATION and subject to security report may be WARNED or placed under DIGITAL BLACKLIST or maybe charged with Secessionist activity under the security act

  • So here if you merely post you want Taiwanese Independence – you will either be monitored by the authorities and won’t get a Civil Service Job or a Foreign Scholarship or a Passport for maybe a decade or two
  • Or if you are an Adult – you get a warning or get placed on a Digital Blacklist meaning No access to Weibo or other Social Media Apps
  • Unless it is revealed you are funded by NGOs or other groups in which case you get charged with Secession and could face severe sentences

No Jail in either case

Level 2 – Any Person who belongs to or supports an Organization that advocates Taiwanese Secession under Lists I-IX or who has received a sum of not less than 60,000 RMB in a single year or 200,000 RMB over a longer period from such an organization without discernible services provided shall

Be sentenced to an Imprisonment of not less than 5 years which can extend upto 15 years

However any Person who has joined or expressed such support only over a period of less than 3 months shall receive a PUBLIC WARNING and if in compliance shall not be proceeded with beyond RESTRICTIVE SURVEILLANCE

  • This means if a Mainlander joins a Pro Taiwanese Organization like a foolish student,he shall get a WARNING and if he complies and backs out – he is not touched beyond the usual Restrictive Surveillance. He of course will never work for Civil Service or Get a Passport for life

Level 3 – Any Person who forms an organization within the Mainland that calls Support for Taiwanese Secession and either collects funds for the same or advocates policy and speech that is in favor of Taiwanese Secession shall

  • Be Sentenced to Death with no avenue of commutation to Life Imprisonment
  • All members of the HUKOU records of the Person shall automatically be under ACTIVE SECURITY INVESTIGATION and shall be placed under RESTRICTIVE SURVEILLANCE and Digital Blacklist and any members of the Party shall be expelled from Party Membership subject to Committee Enquiry under VII Rules
  • Any members of the HUKOU records of such a person shall if overseas be recalled immediately and after a recall notice period of 60 days shall be categorized under Level III Security Act
  • This is the changed law. The new law where if anyone forms an organization that calls for Taiwanese Secession and collects funds or makes speeches in favor of Taiwan. THEY WILL BE EXECUTED WITHOUT MERCY OR COMMUTATION TO LIFE
  • Their family members will be investigated and if members of the CPC may be expelled or if overseas shall be recalled and if they don’t come within 60 days- they will be deemed security threats and can even be KILLED ON FOREIGN SOIL

This is the New change in the law. Earlier it was 25 Years to Life with NO DEATH PENALTY

Level 4 – Any Person who is accomplice to or instigator of an Act of Physical Violence or Terrorism on the Mainland or Mainland Sovereign Territory in any Country that causes at least 500,000 RMB of Damage or a loss of one or more lives shall be

  • Sentenced to Death with Commutation possible only for persons who can prove lack of knowledge of the activities and who had no further role
  • All members of the HUKOU records of the Person shall automatically be subjected to the NATIONAL RELOCATION ACT and SECURITY DETENTION ACT
  • Any members of the HUKOU records of such a person shall if overseas be recalled immediately and after a recall notice period of 7 days shall be categorized under Level III Security Act
  • Any Separatist who causes Violence in China or Embassies that cause 500K of physical damage or loss of even one person shall be executed without mercy
  • This Law is so tough that IF YOU ARE A LANDLORD WHO RENTED A HOUSE TO SUCH PEOPLE – YOU WILL GET LIFE IMPRISONMENT WITHOUT MERCY
  • Families of such persons shall be deported to labor camps and kept there for life including Children

Both Parents or All Guardians will face the same sentence if their Kids younger than 18 are charged and convicted under this act

So if a 17 year old kid blows up a Molotov cocktail killing someone, the Parents will be executed under the New Law unless they inform on their kid leading to a conviction of the Kid in which case they get fully exonerated by the State


So the only new change is that now anyone who forms an organization to support Taiwanese Independence shall be executed without mercy and their families shall be prevented from doing a lot of things

  • Their Kids can never go abroad
  • Their families can never live within 300 Kms of any place with Security facilities
  • Their families can never get a Passport
  • Their families can never work for the Government of China
  • Their families can never work for a Strategic Industry in any capacity
  • Their families can never join the PLA or PLAAF or PLAN

Families include – Parents, Children, Wife, Consort, Divorced Wife is Divorce is less than 5 years old, Siblings, Wives of Siblings, Children of Siblings, Grandchildren, Great Grandchildren

So if one guy does it – upto 40–50 people can suffer for no fault of their own


Now here is something the West didn’t tell you

The Law also excludes people:-

Exclusion:-

The Security Law shall NOT regard the following persons as culpable under it and shall deem them law abiding. This includes :-

  • Any person who reports possible secessionist activities of any family member under the Hukou system
  • Any Person who has relatives in Taiwan and declares the same
  • Merely because a person has visited Chinese Taipei does not put a person under the purview of the Act unless such person visited Taipei in contravention of existing emigration procedures
  • No person who merely posts secessionist content on behalf of another person and can establish the same, be charged under this act
  • Merely indicating support for DPP in Taiwan or for Leaders of the DPP is insufficient to be charged under this Act

So you can call William Lai a Hero and nothing will happen to you


So only three areas are DRACONIAN

First is that family members also suffer for no fault of their own , something that was removed off statuette since the death of Mao Tse Tung and reintroduced in 2009 for Xinjiang only

Second – Kids can inform on their parents and Parents must inform on their Kids to avoid being charged. So a son who sees his father work for Taiwan must report him and watch him be executed to survive and so must a father

Three – Execution is the only course now. No commutation to life. You get convicted, you die

This wasn’t the case previously


So while the new laws are draconian to a good extent – they allow a lot of leeway unlike India

In India someone saying Pakistan Zindabad can be charged with UAPA

In China now clearly – just because you hail DPP or William Lai won’t make you culpable at all. You will not even be touched.

I hate it.

I hate having to make an appointment. I hate filling out those stupid review of systems files that the doctor never seems to have bothered looking at by the time I get to talk to them. I hate that the doctor is always late, but that the staff will give me shit about it if I’m late. I hate having to ask someone else to write me a prescription for something I already know I need. And, most of all, I hate being lectured about what I need to do for my health.

Go away! Shut up. I already know this stuff. LEAVE ME ALONE! I’m a freakin’ doctor, too, dammit.

That’s a polite rendition of my inner monologue when a doctor tells me what I need to do. So, most of the time, I avoid going to the doctor’s office. If I know I want something, I write myself a prescription—yes, you can do that, as long as it’s not a controlled substance. If it doesn’t take care of my problem, then and only then will I seek medical care.

I’m young enough that I can get away with it, because I don’t yet have serious medical issues. For now, there are very specific circumstances under which I will go see a doctor:

  1. I need to see a specialist for a problem well above my pay grade.
  2. I know that some test needs to be ordered. I can’t order a hip X-ray or lab test for myself, for instance.

Even then, if I can get away with it, I’ll go to the Urgent Care center, because I hate making appointments.

“If you treat yourself as a doctor, you’ll have an idiot for a patient.”

I’ve heard variations of these over the years. Fine, I’m an idiot, then. I don’t care. I’ll be damned if I’ll go see a doctor unless I absolutely have to.

Don’t try this at home, kids.

I Dumped My Girlfriend And Ended Her Best Friend’s “Perfect” Open Marriage, Now EVERYONE Blames Me

Yes. When having sepsis, the initial diagnosis by the ER doctor who didn’t even bother to look at me was “ your depression acting up”. Never mind my high fever, renal colic pain and failure, my inability to breathe, vomiting and repeated fainting, it must be all in my head! Fortunately my blood results changed his mind.

Blood tests were ordered after I did some yelling on the topic of me going to another hospital( which was quite near) and then coming back to kick his a**.

Very recently my elderly mom has suffered from lower back pain for 2 months straight. No meds helped, she frequently vomited, could hardly walk and couldn’t sleep because of the pain. She was ordered basically every test known, going through gastroenterology ( yeah, she has post inflammatory narrowed esophagus), urology/nephrology, orthopedia. Urine tested, blood tested. She was told she was fine, nothing was wrong. Until a CAT scan was performed. Showed 3 fractured vertebraes caused by foreign mass.

After giving birth , I cried through the night because of a terrible pain. Was told by the nurse on duty that “ G, you have birth vaginally, we only give pain meds to women recovering from C-section, it can’t hurt you”. Had multitude of stitches( forgot to count after an hour of them sewing me back together) due to 4th degree tear and an F broken coccyx! I couldn’t sit, walk or lay down without that pain for 4 months. But I guess it was just me being too sensitive.

Since we’re both women, we have plenty of those experience. Let’s group them under medical misogyny aka “you’re a woman, you’re overreacting”.

Ps. Let me not start on how many times I was asked if I was sure it wasn’t just a period pain. I think it was actually the first 2 years of me having recurrent kidney stones causing renal colics when my then ahole GP refused to order an ultrasound “ because I was too young to have kidney stones”.

PS 2. The most ridiculous situation actually happened when my molars rot and caused a massive infection during the last trimester of my pregnancy. At first, I went to a doctor with what seemed as a heart attack. He then moved on to whether I was having a stroke, trigeminal nerve inflammation to finally getting to “ F teeth why didn’t I think of that?”. To give him some credit, my pulse was sky high and I felt sharp pain in my jaw and neck. Teeth wouldn’t be the first guess.

My second husband was in the hospital, dying from cancer. The day before he died, I took him down stairs to smoke a cigarette. As we were sitting outside, he looked around and said, “Honey, don’t look, they’re watching me.” When I asked him what he was talking about, he said “the shadow people. They’re over there, in the woods.” I turned to look and he said “no, don’t look, they’ll get you too. I think they’re here for me” That comment sent shivers down my spine. I said “no, sweetheart, there’s no one here for you” I thought he was hallucinating because of the pain meds. He said “shut up, I have to tell you some things.” He proceeded to tell me how my life would go after he was gone. He told me that I would get remarried and that he would tell me WHOM I was going to marry. He told me I would have more children.

Now, at this point in my life I had been told that I couldn’t have any more children. I told him he was crazy and that I thought we needed to get him back up to his room.

I got him back up to his room got him in his bed and he went back to sleep. He passed away in his sleep 6 hours later.

Oh, and the things he said would happen….

They happened!

I worked with a man whose life fell apart quite dramatically over a few weeks.

He was a nice guy and I really liked him. His name was Ivor and I feel terrible about what happened to him.

He and his wife were drinking together one evening, and they started arguing. So he went to sleep in his car. A few hours later, the police knocked on his window and woke him up. Although he had not been driving, the keys were in the ignition and he had been sleeping in the driver’s seat. They breathalised him and he was still very drunk.

As they now had him for drunk driving, they had the right to search his car. In the car they found a cosh that he kept for protection. I doubt he would ever use it. But, unfortunately, they are illegal and he was now in trouble for carrying an offensive weapon.

His wife was angry at him so wouldn’t let him come home, so he had to sleep on a friend’s sofa. By the way, Ivor was not a young man, he was in his early sixties. Due to his stress, he carried on drinking. He started missing a lot of work. Which was bad. What was worse is that one day, he DID turn up to work, but very drunk. He worked for about thirty minutes, until his managers called him in the office, and after a heated argument, he was fired.

So we never saw Ivor again. This whole thing played out over about three weeks. So in three weeks, Ivor lost his wife, driver’s license, job, and got a criminal record. In his sixties.

Ivor was a good guy and he used to have foreign students stay at his house. Just before he got fired he had Japanese students, and would bring Japanese food in for us to try. I often wonder what the Japanese people staying at his house made of his meltdown.

Barbecued Brisket

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7200affd881401c4842387810d10d3cf

Ingredients

Brisket

  • 1 flat brisket

Dry Rub

  • 2 tablespoons salt
  • 2 tablespoons chili powder
  • 2 tablespoons meat tenderizer
  • 1 tablespoon pepper
  • 1/2 tablespoon garlic powder

Mop Sauce

  • 1 (10 1/2 ounce) can beef consommé
  • 1 can water
  • 1/3 cup vinegar
  • 3/4 cup Worcestershire sauce
  • 1/3 cup vegetable oil
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons meat tenderizer
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons dry mustard
  • 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
  • 1 teaspoon chili powder
  • 1/2 teaspoon paprika
  • 1 bay leaf

Barbecue Sauce

  • 1 1/2 cups Worcestershire sauce
  • 1/4 cup vinegar
  • 1/4 cup steak sauce
  • 1/4 cup granulated sugar
  • 1 cup ketchup

Instructions

Brisket

  1. Trim any excess fat from 1 flat brisket. Rub both sides of brisket thoroughly with Dry Rub. Cover and refrigerate overnight.
  2. The next day prepare a grill so that it will smoke slowly for about 6 hours or about 1 hour per pound. Start brisket on grill with the fattest side up. Cover grill. Mop with Mop Sauce frequently during grilling. Turn brisket about every hour.
  3. Serve with warm Barbecue Sauce.

Dry Rub

  1. Mix all ingredients in small bowl.

Mop Sauce

  1. Bring beef consommé and water to boil in medium-size saucepan. Turn down heat. Add remaining ingredients. Stir until thoroughly mixed. Remove from heat.

Barbecue Sauce

  1. Place all ingredients in small saucepan. Bring to boil. Remove from heat.

Throwin rocks at a wild Polar Bear ?

Short answer – No. Long answer – HELL NO.

Even if you had a 9mm pistol (let’s say a glock)

And you were facing a polar bear and you were lucky enough to let off some rounds. Guess what ? Be prepared to make peace with whatever deity you follow and learn from the lesson and do better in the next life.

The Bear will look at you and think……. “that looks tasty …nom nom”

Most animals will back off at the sound of gunshot.

Not Polar Bears

Even if you hit them they’ll carry on charging and will get to you.

The only way to stop it was if you were very, very, very lucky and got the bullet through their eye into their brain, maybe.

But areas of instant kill with a bear charging towards you on all fours is about size of teaplate. Can you hit that repeatedly under stress ? You really do not have much time for mistakes.

Their skull is harder and thicker than a motorcycle helmet. They kill seals just by slapping them. Trying to alpha posture by standing tall and making yourself look bigger will accomplish nothing.

“I’d hide behind a rock!”

You die behind that rock.

“I’d jump into a river!”

You die wet and cold.

“I’d stand my ground and yell at the bear to frighten it”

You die faster.

There are around three thousand polar bears on the Svalbard islands; that’s more polar bears than there are humans and they are protected by Svalbard law. So they have not built up a fear of humans.

Not every animal wants to hug a human.

Until humans with BIG rifles (22 calibre ……….actually more like .444 marlin) came along, nothing hunted polar bears. Nothing. There is no scaring it off. Just look at them

Polar bears will eat each other if they’re desperate enough. So what do you think they’ll do to you ?

They’re also dangerous because they’re skilled apex predators (meaning they have no natural predators of their own) Which means, cute as they may be, the polar bear is quite functionally the great white shark of the north.

  1. They don’t hibernate.
  2. They never get cold.
  3. Food is scarce.
  4. They’re always (I repeat) ALWAYS hungry.

The bottom line is if you’re a human being on open ice in the Artic Tundra with no serious firearm or vehicle and you run into this pic below ?

You have two chances of surviving

  1. Slim
  2. None

And slim just left town

You know the striking thing about a Polar Bear when u see them in the flesh, my friend ?

They’ve got lifeless eyes. Black eyes. Like a doll’s eyes.

When they come at ya, it doesn’t seem to be livin…….until they bite ya and at that point you’re not on earth anymore and the Polar bear is the last thing you’ll ever see.

And bears are omnivores (meat and plant eaters) which means unlike carnivores like tigers and lions who have the polite decency to kill you as quick as possible first then eat you.

Polar bears will just hold you down, pin you to the ground like you’re a seal or salmon and eat you while you’re alive and screaming.

They have a bite force of 1,000 psi (Pounds Per Square Inch) that’s a force strong enough to crack a bowling ball and they’ll use that to disable you, to rip off your arm or leg for a snack, you can’t even imagine the kinda force they can generate.

To a Polar Bear an average-sized human is just right for a comfortable dinner with a glass of port and a good cigar afterwards.

You dunno what you’re dealing with.

And they’re trying to get access to your organs to chew them apart, then if there’s anything left of you, put you in stash, n come back a bit later n eat some more of you.

Just a brutal way to go.

They can run at speeds of 25 mph, If that doesn’t impress you, the fastest man alive who was Usain Bolt his maximum top speed was 27 mph and they can smell you for miles (even if your under snow) and swim for 100’s of miles

And they’re smart to. Polar bear on thin ice ? No problem they know they have to spread their weight around so it’s not concentrated in one spot so as to not crack the ice.

Humans in movies : Aggressively steps on ice

There are only three things up in the Arctic: Ice, water, and potential calories. Guess which category people are in ?

YouTube AI cult generations regarding Super Panavision 70

Gossip! False reporting! Both! I was long graduated but I saw this coming, in fact, I warned that teacher if she “didn’t shut up and stop stirring the pot with frivolous reporting and gossiping it would come back to haunt her!” She laughed in my face.

On an ego trip! Bad enough, she was a special education teacher on top of everything!

What happened that got her terminated? Well, she reported a student as “suicidal” and “displaying bi-polar behavior” and in addition she “claimed” she had found “drugs” in the student’s purse after “she claimed the student stole her stuff from her desk”!

She didn’t like this particular student because that student was very popular, plus she was cute, boys were attracted to her.

Yes, this teacher’s obsession went too far! She got that student suspended twice, and both times the mother took her to the clinic due to “drugs” and both times she came up negative. One big mistake was the student’s Uncle is a well known lawyer!

Let’s put it this way, he filed a lawsuit against the School System, against the Teacher and against the School that student was attending! They won the case hands down, and the student was transferred to another school and was doing exceptionally well there, and made it to the Principal’s List (as they call it today) as straight A student!

That “special Ed” Teacher constantly gave her F’s and D’s, wrote all kinds of notes and none were true!
That particular student knew me, and I was subpoena to testify. The School system claimed “immunity” but the Judge sided with the Lawyer, immunity can only go so far!

They won the lawsuit, the teacher was going to be terminated but she “resigned” before they could terminate her. They also imposed a “restriction” (she could not be around with anyone under the age of 21). That teacher almost lost custody of her own children (because of the testimonies from students – present and former, plus assistants/tutors who also testified).

While the Jury sided with the plaintiff, however, it was the Judge that constrained her as he was very concerned about her 2 children, the HRS (today is DCF/CPI) were required to visit twice a week until the child was of 19 years of age! He was concerned because of the mother’s mental state as he said it right there “Narcissistic Power Control”.

Because of that “restriction” the mother could not leave the county without a hearing. Once her youngest child turned 19, they sold the home and moved away quickly!

Man, oh man!

I was in this Big-Bazaar type super-market the other day.

So, I was waiting in the billing line.

The young lady before me was retaining the billed goods in trolley as slowly as possible.

I mean for an outsider, it would be like, the supermarket is conducting a patience-check limit trial with me as subject.

Finally, she was done.

Her husband or brother, as I saw, surreptitiously placed two stolen Park avenue beer shampoo bottles in that billed trolley. The lady was ignorant of it.

I think, he was her husband. He looked quite patient and unhappy.

They moved forward. Finally, mine was getting billed.

The bill-guy kept looking at her as she was leaving. I pleaded, brother please make my bill.

But he couldn’t help distraction, she too wouldn’t just get her a** out of there fast.

She was so slow and hence so near. I could hear what they were talking.

Lady (to husband) : Hey, what’s these shampoo bottles?

Man : It was a discount. Separate counter.

Lady : How much discount.

I shouted : 100%.

Lady didn’t understand. Man at once looked back, kept those bottles there, held her hands, forgot patience and got her vanished.

The excitement of billing guy got diluted. In turn, he became concentrated and in a split-second prepared my bill.

Riding on an Army UH-1 “Huey” helicopter during the Vietnam War was a unique and intense experience that left a lasting impression on those who lived through it. Here’s a description based on accounts from veterans and historical sources:

The Approach

As a soldier approached the landing zone (LZ) to board the Huey, the first sensation was often the overwhelming noise. The distinct “whop-whop” of the rotor blades could be heard from a distance, growing louder as the helicopter approached. The downwash from the rotors kicked up dust and debris, and the thick smell of aviation fuel filled the air.

Boarding

Boarding a Huey was typically hurried and chaotic, especially in a combat zone. Soldiers, often weighed down by their gear and weapons, would quickly pile in. There were no luxuries; seating was on metal benches along the sides, or sometimes directly on the floor. The doors were usually open, providing an unobstructed view outside and a rush of wind once airborne.

Takeoff

The takeoff was quick and steep. The Huey would lift off the ground with a sense of urgency, sometimes swaying slightly as it gained altitude. The open doors meant soldiers could look straight down at the rapidly shrinking landscape. The vibrations from the rotors and the engine could be felt throughout the entire airframe.

In Flight

During the

flight, the noise was deafening. Communication among passengers was nearly impossible without shouting or using hand signals. The wind whipped through the open doors, and the ride could be rough, especially in turbulent weather or when taking evasive maneuvers to avoid enemy fire. The view was both awe-inspiring and terrifying, with the dense jungle, rice paddies, and winding rivers below.

The Landing

Landing in a hot LZ (an area under potential enemy fire) was particularly intense. The approach would be fast and steep, with the helicopter descending rapidly. Pilots often performed a “combat landing,” where the Huey would descend sharply and touch down quickly to minimize the time spent vulnerable to enemy fire. The sudden deceleration and jarring contact with the ground added to the adrenaline rush.

Disembarking

Once on the ground, soldiers would rapidly disembark, sometimes under fire. The urgency was palpable as they moved out to secure the area or head to their mission objectives. The Huey would not linger; as soon as the soldiers were clear, it would lift off again, often as quickly as it had landed.

Emotional Impact

The experience of riding in a Huey was a mix of fear, excitement, and camaraderie. The constant threat of enemy fire, combined with the raw power and mechanical presence of the helicopter, left a deep impression. For many, the sound of a Huey became synonymous with both the danger and the lifeline of their time in Vietnam.

Futurama – 1950’s Super Panavision 70

In 1966, before draft lottery, I was in a body cast from a car accident and had to drop out of school going to my sophomore year. I had a Rx for Darvon and Robaxin, pain killer and muscle relaxant. I was called for the draft physical and could not bend to touch my knees. I was told I would get a good physical at Fort Jackson, South Carolina. Myself and a couple of hundred other kids from Pittsburgh were herded on to a train heading South.

I was given an open Rx on Darvon and Robaxin and put into basic training. I had to sleep on a board because a sagging bunk killed my back! I was also 20:400 vision and classified “non combat” arms. I was near legally blind.

Officers in combat in Vietnam did not last long and they needed officers. I tested out well and was offered Officer Candidate School. Why not? I was non combat arms.

Upon graduation, someone, without my knowledge, put me in for a wavier to be combat arms! I ended up with the First Cavalry in Vietnam, leading a platoon in jungle combat. I was exceptionally fortunate and made it home!

Most of my men were wounded at least once. I lost some in combat.

Because I only had one year of college, I was a Lieutenant at 20 years old. I doubt that would happen today! They just needed officers for combat rolls. Looking back, that is a lot of responsibility for a kid… leading 30 other kids in combat and having to make split second decisions and they had to be right or people died!

The draft was horrible and unfair and many died in an unnecessary war because of it! I was lucky and blessed with bonus days. Thank you Lord for giving me the opportunity of a full life!

The Coming Societal Breakdown of America with #PeterTurchin

Everyone knows that America has become a plutocracy.

At the culmination of a convivial evening filled with laughter and shared stories , the moment of reckoning arrived—the presentation of the bill . As each diner reached for their wallets , one individual , let ‘s call him Ethan , exhibited a peculiar reluctance . With a sheepish grin , he stammered excuses about having forgotten his wallet and being short on cash . The table grew silent , a palpable tension hanging in the air . The weight of Ethan ‘s attempted evasion fell heavily on the shoulders of his companions , who had generously covered his expenses throughout the evening . A chorus of voices rose in protest , each expressing their disappointment and frustration . Undeterred , Ethan doubled down on his excuses , claiming he had no other means of paying . The atmosphere grew increasingly acrimonious as the group debated whether to let Ethan off the hook or hold him accountable . Finally , our server , a woman with a steely gaze and a no-nonsense demeanor , intervened . She calmly informed Ethan that if he could not pay his portion , he would have to leave his ID and return to settle the bill at a later time . Ethan ‘s bravado crumbled before her unwavering gaze . With a heavy sigh , he retrieved his ID , his face flushed with embarrassment . As he made his sheepish exit , the table erupted in a mix of laughter and relief . Ethan ‘s attempt to avoid his financial responsibility had backfired spectacularly . Not only was he forced to face the consequences of his actions , but he also lost the respect of his companions . * * Engaging sentence : * * Discover more satisfying tales of accountability in the link in my bio , where karma reigns supreme and justice is served with a side of sweet retribution .

Not today but a year ago.

I was tensed. I believe the stress had entered each of my nerves. I got to know something that was weird and unexpected. It had knocked the wind out of me.

People change I knew. But to this extent? I was unable to take it.

I felt deceived. Couldn’t sleep for the whole night. The next morning, I had to go for Covid Vaccination which I had scheduled long back. I couldn’t cancel it.

I was driving to the place which was 12 kilometres away from my home. I was lost in my own world though I was constantly convincing myself.

“Let people do what they want. If I don’t exist for them, they too don’t exist for me. I am happy with my child who gives me a goal. I don’t care about anyone now”, I kept telling this to myself while the tears were rolling down without listening to a word.

The road was straight and then, at one point, I had to turn right which I forgot. I kept on driving straight and took extra 6 kilometres. Suddenly, I realised I was completely in a new place.

With a lost mind, I asked the traffic police about the location and he told me that I had to take a U-turn to reach my destination.

I took.

However, that day I realised that some U-turns are never possible in real life. If you still try to take this U-turn, it will only lead you to miseries. So the sooner we adapt to change, the better we get.

Now, I have learnt to burn my anger in this flame.

The Matrix – 1950s Super Panavision 70

"The Matrix - 1950s Super Panavision 70 introduces a new take on the world's famous The Matrix Film. I attempted to give it that 1950s sound and feel. I hope you all enjoy."

Not Ukrainians. They were not operating the drone.

United States operated the drone out of the United States.

The command centers for the operation of the U.S. “Global Hawk” drones are primarily located at two key facilities:

1. Beale Air Force Base in California: Beale AFB is home to the 9th Reconnaissance Wing, which operates the RQ-4 Global Hawk. This base plays a significant role in the command, control, and operational management of Global Hawk missions.

2. Grand Forks Air Force Base in North Dakota: Grand Forks AFB hosts the 319th Reconnaissance Wing, which also operates and supports Global Hawk missions. This base provides operational support and command functions for the drones.

These command centers are responsible for coordinating and managing the flights, mission planning, data collection, and analysis of the Global Hawk unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs). Additionally, remote piloting stations can control the Global Hawks from various other locations, including forward-deployed sites and central command facilities.

And Russia knows this.

Let’s wind back and deconstruct.

An attack with U.S.-Supplied ATACMS missiles, by Ukraine, against civilians on a Beach in Sevastopol, Crimea, Russia has occurred.

Now, we find out that ATACMS could not get targeting coordinates because of Russian GPS Electronic Warfare Jamming, so targeting was apparently provided by a U.S. “Global Hawk” Drone.

It looks like United States military inside the United States targeted those Russian Civilians inside of Russia.

So the United States is actively fighting Russia.

No Ukrainians anywhere.

Russian Jamming of Global Positioning Satellites (GPS) has been long underway near Crimea specifically to thwart Ukrainian attacks. The areas in red on the image above are where GPS signals CANNOT get through. So how did those ATACMS hit the target in Sevastopol?

Turns out there was a United States Air Force “Global Hawk” surveillance drone airborne, prior to – and during – the attack. It’s overlapping flight path is shown on the FlightRadar24 map below:

That “Global Hawk” drone can provide precise target coordinates, separate and distinct from GPS. Those coordinates could then be radioed to be programmed-into the HIMARS launcher, which fired the ATACMS missiles.

The evidence seems to indicate: The attack upon Russian civilians, on the beach in Sevastopol, appears to have been targeted with a United States Air Force Global Hawk drone, which relied on US Satellite data and communications to provide attack coordinates.

This appears to many people to have been an act of war by the United States, against Russian civilians.

This is NOT a trivial matter.

This is the kind of thing that starts nuclear missiles flying.

Southpark – 1950’s Super Panavision 70

The Chinese are the most industrious race on earth.

Necessity is the mother of Invention

The Chinese will find a way. The more you suppress them and the more you try to deny them the technology – they will begin to make it on their own and they will slowly do better and better.

Chips is the best example

As long as Taiwan kept supplying them the chips – The Chinese were happy. They focused on other things

The Minute Trump decided to threaten the Chinese – they decided to get their act together and start making their own chips. They will start with inferior ones but in 10 years – they will outmanufacture Taiwan at 1/3 the cost and take away the market.

And the businessmen will say – “Uigyurs???? Who gives a damn about them. My shareholders matter” and will migrate from Taiwan to China in 10 seconds.


The US may try again and again but

(a) They waited too long. China is too rich today. They have too much money.

(b) China has too many tentacles in foreign countries. Thousands of Chinese in various industries who are experts

In Space alone – China was behind India until 2010 – but today – they have their own Mapping System for their huge landmass as well as are in the position of becoming the Third country in the globe to land on Mars – having landed on the moon.

China and Russia are on the verge of building their own International Space Station having both the financial muscle and technology.


You cannot bully or intimidate or stifle Progress. Eventually Life finds a way.

US should learn this lesson hard. The more they try – they may get 10 years more but in the end China will get there and take over.

20 Things From The 1980s, We Can No Longer Do!

https://youtu.be/IVGJEB3u-wE

Don’t.

I worked for a corporation for about 15 years. Absolutely loved my work.

The thing about my job was that after your one and a half year training/supervison, you were able to choose your own work schedule, per the employee manual. You could work from home. You could work from overseas. You could work while sitting on your toilet. You could do your work from anywhere, anytime, so long as you met “production.” It was a dream position.

So, shortly after that year and a half of training, I eventually started working sometimes nights and sometimes weekends. Typically not during the day. Co-workers were a bit eccentric, off center, yet brilliant attorneys. I preferred my alone time, thank you.

I eventually took up residence in a different city. I typically had one of the highest production rates (sometimes highest) of all my fellow colleagues. All top-notch, well-educated colleagues, by the way. Loved them all.

Then, I started working at a law firm where I worked days. But I continually exceeded “production” for my initial company.

At around the 15 year mark, my two supervisors, who were very ineffectual (Peter Principle) at their positions (not even attorneys), discovered I was also working for a law firm.

I suspected they did not like me, for whatever reason. And they also did not like I had another job (not prohibited, per the employee manual).

In my last review, I received an “exceeds expectations.” A few days later, I was instructed to be in the office during “core business hours.” Core? I could never even figure out what “core” meant. Like I need to be in a hole?

Nothing in my job was of immediate import. In my position, people were not going to die or be executed, airplanes would not drop from the sky, pets would still be safe, families would remain intact, if I continued to work my own hours as I had for nearly 14 years. It was a fricking publishing job! I was not a first responder.

I tried to explain to them that the employee manual, which had not been changed, allowed me this, and also, I could not be in the office. I lived in a different city.

Ultimately, I was constructively terminated as I was unable to be in their office for “core business hours.” To the unemployment office (I had to file a claim despite having a new employer), they claimed I had quit, so that they would not need to pay unemployment in the event my other employment did not work. Surprisingly, they won. Unreal. I did not quit. I loved that job.

Fast forward to awhile later. They contacted me needing pertinent information related to my position. Information only I possessed. Rather costly information at that. And I had it for years. Noone else needed it. None of my esteemed colleagues had access to this information.

I never replied.

Turns out, and I heard this from a former colleague, they were both terminated shortly after my departure and their request for information. I cannot speculate as to the reason. But, who cares why? Karma’s a bitch.

Never, ever give a crap employer any assistance after you have been terminated. Employees are so expendable, so never give them the luxury of your experience, knowledge and expertise. Don’t even waste time replying.

However, if you do choose to reply, which I did not, charge them exorbitant fees for your services. Very exorbitant.

Good luck to you. You will also find a much better position.

Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home – 1950s Super Panavision 70

Picture a full church of well dressed people waiting for the bride to walk up the aisle.

There is a nervous idiot, me, waiting at the front of the church for her. It was a super quick engagement and I basically asked her to marry me on our first date (very smooth, I know). She is 8 years younger than me and, no exaggeration, a movie star gorgeous blond, so far out of my league that people are mystified by how she could be remotely attracted to me.

I’m not happy on the big day, I’m scared to death that she will realize she is about to make the worst mistake of her life.

All of sudden from the back of the church I hear her crying hysterically. Crap, I knew it. I’m not even surprised. I don’t blame her and it’s not her fault, it’s mine for rushing her.

A few awkward moments minutes that felt like hours passed. Suddenly she and her Dad appeared and they start walking up the aisle toward me. Her dad convinced her that her tears were just nerves and she should go ahead and marry the unemployed guy that had big dreams but was living in his brother’s basement.

We’ve been happily married 33 years now.

[P. S. I should add that I did start and now run a successful multimillion dollar company and have tried to pay my sweet wife back by providing her with what she has described as a fairy tale life :-)]

Collective Soul – ‘Shine’ – Live At The PrintShop

China sees through the US that it cannot do without China hence it cannot play ball with China without harming itself tremendously. China do not need the US. In any way at all. US as a market is now is a mere 12% of the world market and dropping very fast. China is not keen to keep US dollars post Ukraine war. Hence if the US stop buying and selling with China, it won’t miss a heart beat.

The faster the US decouple with China the faster China can move against the US openly and effectively! Only brain dead westerners thinks China needs the US. The biggest market for Chinese goods is actually East Asia, followed by ASEAN followed by rest of Asia then Latin America and Africa, then Russia and its European friends such as Serbia and Hungary, then comes Rest of EU and then North America!

That explains why China grew 5.3% in spite of the shit that the US and Anglo cousins and EU dogs did to China! But by blocking out China it is indeed losing the rest of the world’s market! What the US is left with is a fading and now insignificant west! After a 3 generation of abusing and bully the global south they are all lining up with the BRICS to take revenge on the US!

And meanwhile the US has increased its cost so artificially high yet its efficiency so unbelievably low to the point that doing any thing on its own is impossible to sell even to Yanks themselves! For example if the apple iPhone were to be made in the USA it will have to be sold at 5000 bucks! On EV’s most brain dead Yanks do not even know the ridiculousness of Elon Musk 5.1 billion bonus request means American are going to pay for it by 5000 bucks increase in their Tesla!

If the US has any sense it needs to cement its position of being China’s right hand man but it is not humble enough nor does it have common sense. The US needs China badly, without them the US will fall into a deep recession and suffers a double digit inflation for half a century! China holds all the cards while the US is a like a hopeless screaming dog!

Biscuits and Sausage Gravy

Biscuits and Sausage Gravy is popular all over America. It’s a staple dish on diner menus.

biscuits sausage gravy
biscuits sausage gravy

Yield: 6 servings, 2 biscuits each

Ingredients

Biscuits

  • 3 cups self-rising soft wheat flour
  • 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
  • 1 teaspoon granulated sugar
  • 1/2 cup butter-flavored shortening
  • 1 1/4 cups buttermilk
  • Butter, melted

Sausage Gravy

  • 1 pound breakfast sausage (mild or hot)
  • 1/3 cup all-purpose flour
  • 3 1/4 cups milk
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt or seasoned salt
  • 2 teaspoons pepper
  • 1/8 teaspoon Italian seasoning

Instructions

Bisicuits

  1. Combine first 3 ingredients in a large bowl; cut in shortening with a pastry blender until mixture is crumbly.
  2. Add buttermilk, stirring just until dry ingredients are moistened.
  3. Turn dough out onto a lightly floured surface, and knead lightly 4 or 5 times.
  4. Roll dough to 3/4 inch thickness; cut with a 2 1/2 inch biscuit cutter. Place on a lightly greased baking sheet.
  5. Bake at 425 degrees F for 12 minutes or until golden.
  6. Brush tops with butter.
  7. Split biscuits open; serve with Sausage Gravy.

Sausage Gravy

  1. Brown sausage in a skillet, stirring until it crumbles.
  2. Drain, reserving 1 tablespoon drippings in skillet. Set sausage aside.
  3. Add butter to drippings; heat over low heat until butter melts.
  4. Add flour, stirring until smooth. Cook for 1 minute, stirring constantly.
  5. Gradually add milk; cook over medium heat, stirring constantly, until thickened and bubbly.
  6. Stir in seasonings and sausage. Cook until thoroughly heated, stirring constantly.

Notes

This recipe is easily doubled.

Family Guy – 1950’s Super Panavision 70

This is one of the better ones.

China has ancient historical record since 230 AD. Some records are official. Some are not & was prepared by fishermen themselves (they are in a museum now).

On some of the islands/shoals in SCS, there were Chinese landmarks. Like these days, China put a landmark on the moon to prove China has landed on the moon.

China even named many of SCS islands/reefs.

People do not recognise Chinese historical record which, they said, it is 1-sided. Not internationally recognised. Fair enough.

Let us talk about modern-day & international record then.

During WW2, Japan occupied lots of SCS islands/reefs. After defeat, Japan must returned all SCS islands to the rightful country like China. US warships accompanied China to reclaim the SCS islands in 1947.

China went by its historical record & drew the 11-dash line. China published & announced its map to the world in Feb 1948. No country objected to it at the time. That is why we can find the 11-dash in the old maps of many countries eg USA, UK, Russia & more. Even Philippines.

The 11-dash is an international record, agree?

There was a civil war in China. CPC defeated the then ruling party KMT in 1949.

KMT was a US puppet but not CPC. … that led to US robbery of SCS islands/reefs by driving a wedge among SCS countries against China.

In 1967, USA announced there is oil/gas under SCS. Robbery officially started.

That is why there is tension in SCS from the point of robbery. Not strategic.

So much fun! This is five stars!

Before training as nurse, I was a former cop. My husband was a cop for over 30 years. His most harrowing experience occurred one Christmas Eve.

There was a horrific wreck involving a wrong way driver where a young mother and her two daughters were killed. The crash was so intense that there were were mangled pieces of body parts on the road and in the totaled and burned vehicles.

As a normal procedure, my husband and a fellow officer made the casualty call to the home of the family of the woman. The husband/father answered the door, ushered them in, and they proceeded to tell him what had happened. The heartbroken man could barely speak as he realized he had lost his wife and daughters. Then he asked, “What about my baby boy?” There was no evidence of a baby involved in the wreck.

The officers then went to the wrecker yard where the smashed vehicles had been taken. In the floorboards of the woman’s car was what had been assumed was a doll, burned black by the intense heat of the crash and resultant fire. It was the little boy’s body.

After a long night working the most exhausting, painful, mind wrenching experience of his long career, he came home just in time to play Santa to our 4 year old daughter and our own baby boy. His tears as he held his children were heartbreaking.

My family comes from a long line of military members. Many experience PTSD from horrific experiences over a 1 or 2 year or several deployments. Our career police officers suffer through years, even decades, of witnessing events that the average person will never know the horror of. They see raped children who have been torn open. They see battered wives whose eyeballs are laying on their cheeks, they see the worst of humanity yet are expected to be perfect in every way. They come straight from the funeral of a colleague who has been murdered and are expected to be cordial and patient with dirtbags who are disrespectful of any authority, who has attempted to kill them as well, and who fit the MO of the killer of their fellow officer. They are often not able to talk about it or to seek therapy for to do so could affect their careers.

My son, a military veteran, is now a career police officer. I pray for him every day. God bless our men in women in blue and keep them safe.

BLUE LIVES MATTER.

When the “parody” surpasses the original

There is indeed such a view.

The Economist has conducted surveys and research, and they believe that China’s GDP (PPP) alone is underestimated by $1.4 trillion.

I checked the relevant data. In 2021, China’s GDP (PPP) was $28.82 trillion, and the United States was $23.59 billion. China is 122% of the United States. If the Economist’s survey is correct, it means that China’s real data is $3.022 trillion, which is 128% of the United States.

China’s economic model retains a dangerous allure
Despite the country’s current struggles, autocrats elsewhere see a lot to admire

**The Economist has their own basis**

They obtained a lot of professional data from some professional institutions in the United States, which were not originally for economic services. For example, this table is a data from the United States Geological Survey, which lists China’s production and global share of key metals and manufactured products.

In addition, they also obtained data from the power industry, industrial manufactured products, shipbuilding, McDonald’s sales data, and many other data. And these non-economic data are aggregated together to analyze and count the economic scale of China and the United States in another way.

The Economist pointed out the flaws in China’s official GDP statistical method: the Chinese do not consider the service industry to be part of GDP.

For example, in the United States and Europe, many industries that do not produce “products” such as house rent, legal advice, R&D investment, child care, etc. are part of GDP, and they count GDP through expenditure.

But in China, they only count the real economy.

A company must produce cars, toys, clothing or software, food. Farmers or fishermen must produce rice and fish. They sell these things to earn income before they are included in GDP.

Small and medium-sized service industries are usually not counted. If a barbershop provides a haircut, a car wash cleans your car, or you rent your house to a young couple, these economic activities are not considered part of GDP and are almost never counted. (Unless you are a large enterprise with hundreds of shops or dozens of houses)

**”Asia Times” also conducted a similar survey**

World Bank researchers visited 16,000 stores in China alone to collect price data. The latest ICP assessment collected data in 2021, four years after the 2017 survey. The conclusion is that China’s GDP is underestimated by nearly $2 trillion.

China’s National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) was not satisfied with the results and downplayed them, saying “we need to interpret the entire result carefully and correctly grasp the global economic landscape and the status of each economy”, while emphasizing that China is still a “developing economy”.

“Asia Times” believes that China’s economic data has been manipulated intentionally or unintentionally. But contrary to some reports, they believe that China is deliberately suppressing the data.

“China’s PPP GDP is only 25% higher than the US? Come on guys… who are we kidding? Last year, China produced twice as much electricity, 12.6 times as much steel, and 22 times as much cement. Its shipyards account for more than 60% of world production. In 2023, China produced 30.2 million cars, almost three times the US’s 10.6 million. In fact, China’s consumer goods market is several times larger than the US in almost all aspects”

The World Bank survey believes that China’s GDP and PPP GDP are underestimated because of the incomplete transformation of China’s national accounts material product system (MPS), which does not include services by design. The World Bank may do its due diligence and find that China’s consumption of goods is several times that of the US, but its consumption of services is only a small fraction of that of the US, which is very unreasonable.

This is most evident in the Chinese auto market, where OEMs have either cut prices to rock bottom ($17,000 from $42,000 for the Hyundai Sonata) or offered cutting-edge technology at a low price ($14,000 for the BYD Q plug-in hybrid electric vehicle with 2,000 km range). Solar panel prices fell 50% in 2023 and continue to trend downward in 2024. CATL has announced plans to cut lithium-ion battery prices in half by the end of 2024.

Restaurants offer white glove service, such as hot towels, lotions by the sink, and stylish decor. Barbers offer bottled water and fruit plates. Tech companies have slashed the price of large language models (LLMs) to essentially free. The quality of service in China is hard to quantify, but it is now far superior to that in the West, and perhaps even Japan.

Are American healthcare and universities twice as good as they were in 2000? If American families had not received vastly improved health care, education, housing, and child care over the past two decades, inflation would have been systematically understated, and GDP growth would have actually been less than 1% per year (rather than 2%), equivalent to stagnation at a population growth rate of 0.8% per year. This probably explains much of the popular anger and the breakdown of American politics.

China’s material-centric GDP is probably a better measure of the economy’s relationship to living standards, especially since the UN Commission on National Accounts has apparently lost its mind and formally recommended including things like drugs, prostitution, illegal gambling, and theft in GDP.

The US spends $1 trillion per year on defense (including intelligence and energy department programs) and has reduced the size of the US Navy, while China has built the world’s largest navy with the largest number of ships on a budget of $236 billion.

Likewise, analysts who lament that China accounts for 30% of the world’s manufacturing output but only 13% of household consumption are dead wrong. China actually accounts for 20-40% of global demand for almost all consumer goods, but most of the services it consumes are not included in the national accounts.

So how much is it? How big is the Chinese economy? About six months ago, it was estimated that China’s GDP would increase by 25-40% if calculated according to UNSNA.

2001: A Space Odyssey – 1950’s Super Panavision 70

Oh, yes!

Seven years ago my husband and I moved to this delightful retirement village. It has, give or take, 184 residents, most of whom are in their 80’s and 90’s, and all of whom the outside world would consider very weird indeed. They seem to live in a time warp, where everyone is kind and decent, caring for their neighbour. There’s no rubbish thrown down, no chewing gum spat onto the pavements to besmirch one’s shoes. Everyone drives at the manadatory 10 miles an hour within the village. No one gets drunk at the bar. Merry perhaps, at some celebration, but screaming and fighting is a big “no,no”. No one swears, that’s impolite in front of the ladies!

They talk about the Empire and WW2 and their roles in that war. They are proud, too proud sometimes to mention they are “not feeling too good”, as they don’t want to trouble anyone with their problems. They don’t mention it, if their children rarely bother to turn up. Nor do other, luckier ones, mention their regular weekly visits from their children. “ One doesn’t want to hurt another’s feelings, you know”!

If you want to join in all the many and varied pursuits, run mainly by the residents themselves, then you are made very welcome. If not and you prefer to stay in your little bungalow that day, that’s fine also. No one will intrude upon your privacy, unless invited to do so. A phone call, on occasion, perhaps, just to see if you’re OK.

As my 93 year old my husband said, not long before he died, “We’ve returned to the world we knew – our world. We’re so fortunate not having to cope with that world out there, which many of us simply don’t really understand”! I echo his words in my heart every day.

The Flintstones – 1950’s Super Panavision 70

Love this.

It was a combination of many things that made Ted Kaczynski so elusive.

A few of them:

  1. He was (and still is) extremely intelligent; A genius, by anyone’s measure.
  2. He was willing to go to extreme lengths to conceal his identity (not only building his bombs from scratch — often he used wood, gathered from states far from where he lived, and then hand-whittled). He always built the individual parts of each bomb from scratch, by hand, even if it took many months to construct the raw materials using antique tools, or using tools he actually made himself. He vacuumed everything. He was meticulous, and often spent more than a year to build a single bomb.
  3. He was willing to go “off the grid” and live an uncomfortable lifestyle, to outwit any investigation. This included living in remote woods, in a tiny cabin with no address, no electricity, no running water, did not own a car, no credit cards, no driver’s license. He left no signature, and only a handful of people knew he even existed. (Of course, that happened to fit in and coincide with his motive for committing these crimes… He was the ultimate “Luddite.”)
  4. He was willing to devote incredible efforts to delivering each device, taking a bus from Montana to California and paying cash, and dropping the packages off at quiet postal dropoffs, with stamps already attached (no licking, of course).
  5. He followed the press about his bombings, and was willing to change up his habits when necessary, to avoid capture. He would even travel to another state to find a grocery bag to wrap a bomb in — that is determination.
  6. He basically devoted his entire life during that period to his bombings, and to eluding capture — with no real social life, and only occasional drop-in visits to his local small town library to read the news about the manhunt to find him — a library which he walked to.

Frans and Marie

Submitted into Contest #252 in response to: Make a character’s obsession or addiction an important element of your story. view prompt

Thom With An H

The Transporter Museum, a forgotten relic, is inconveniently located on a deserted side street two turns off a dead-end alley. You might never find it, even by accident, but if you do, you’ll always remember its immaculate displays and its eccentric proprietor, Frans Messerschmitt.Every day precisely at nine, the little old man illuminated the neon sign, flipped the placard to open, and made his way behind the counter, prepared for customers who rarely came.It was already late in the day when the door opened, surprising both Frans and the visitors.“Hello, is anybody there?”The question startled Frans, interrupting his terminal boredom.“Yes. Yes, please come in,” he answered, moving forward to greet his guests. The unexpected voice belonged to a handsome lad sporting sweatpants and a football jersey, followed closely by a pretty young coed in a letterman’s jacket.“It’s almost impossible to find this place,” the boy mentioned, all the while looking at the meticulously cared-for exhibits. “Are we in time for the guided tour?”The question struck Frans as funny. It had been months since his last visitor, so the tours relied on guests, not the other way around.“Of course, my good man,” he answered, sauntering from behind the counter. “My name is Frans and I’m the owner and resident historian. I’d be glad to give you the nickel tour, and I won’t even charge you the nickel.”

 

“Fan-damn-tastic! My name is Billy, and this is Connie. We’ve really been looking forward to this. Where do we start?”

 

“I’m glad you asked,” Frans replied, beckoning the couple to follow. “You’ve lived your whole lives in a time where teleportation from one side of the world to another was the norm—in fact, there’s about to be an app for that!” Frans turned their attention towards a smartphone sitting on display. “Before the end of the year, the new ZapApp will be available, offering skin-touch technology for the first time. All you’ll need to do is enter the desired coordinates, activate the app, and, in seconds—Voila!”

 

“Wow,” Billy exclaimed, reaching for the phone.

 

“Please don’t,” Frans cautioned. “These are replicas and can be easily damaged.”

 

“I hear ya, Gramps,” Billy responded, “Oh, I’m sorry. No disrespect intended, sir.”

 

“Not at all,” Frans replied. “I’ve always wanted a nickname. I like the sound of Gramps. Now if you follow me, I’ll lead you both back in time.”

 

The next display contained a full-length mirror attached to the wall. “I’m sure you two know what this is,” Frans said, stepping aside and allowing Billy and Connie to see. “These teleportation devices are still the most commonly used today. They were part of a trend to make teleportation more accessible and less obtrusive. They were also the first devices that didn’t require an exit portal. Until the Mirror 360, you could only travel to locations with paired devices. Needless to say, it was revolutionary.”

 

“That’s just like yours,” Connie whispered to Billy, punctuating her remark with a kiss on his cheek. “What’s next, Mr. Frans?”

 

Gramps,” Frans corrected her with a chuckle. “Next we see the machine that started it all, The Marie.”

 

“I’ve heard of that,” Billy said. “Wow, it’s huge!”

 

“I know,” Frans agreed. “When the technology was new, we hadn’t yet perfected the art of miniaturization. There were no personal teleportation devices. The only people who had access were scientists, investors, and celebrities. In fact, the first transporters were more gimmicky than useful. They were incredibly expensive, required an entrance and exit port, and were so inefficient that it took a full day’s charge to send someone from one place to another. There’s no doubt we’ve come a long way since then.”

 

“What about that one?” Billy asked, pointing to a machine partially hidden by a curtain.

 

“Oh, that one,” Frans sighed. “That’s the prototype. The first teleportation device.”

 

“That’s the original?” Billy asked, moving closer to get a better look. “Is the legend true?”

 

“I’m afraid it is,” Frans replied. “The machine was the brainchild of a pair of scientists not much older than the two of you. They were the first to prove light was a particle and that we could use it as a mechanism for distance teleportation. The early tests were extremely successful. There were no issues when sending inanimate objects or small animals from one pod to another. The problem occurred when they tried transporting a human. Marie begged to be first and, after winning a game of Rochambeau, she stepped into the entrance pod and disappeared on cue. But when her partner activated the exit pod, everything went terribly wrong. Marie never fully rematerialized. Her translucent hand simply reached forward, and she mouthed the word help. Then she faded away.”

 

“Oh my God!” Connie gasped. “Did he save her?”

 

Frans turned away from the question, paused, then finally answered. “No, he didn’t. You see, molecular displacement teleportation in its infancy was like sending something through a tunnel at light speed. Once entering a pod, the subject can only exit from the paired terminal port.”

 

“That’s tragic,” Connie said, wiping away a tear.

 

“And ironic.” Frans replied.

 

“How so?”

 

“After the colossal mishap, her partner spent the better part of twenty years trying to find a way to release Marie from her tunnel. He became obsessed with correcting his mistake. His research and technological breakthroughs are directly responsible for almost every advancement in teleportation technology. That first awful outcome is why molecular transportation is so incredibly safe today. It’s why you have a Mirror 360 hanging on the wall in your home.”

 

“But Marie—what happened to her?” Connie asked.

 

“All of her partner’s research and all of his calculations never changed Marie’s fate.”

 

“She’s trapped forever?”

 

“She would be, unless he destroyed the machine and released her molecules into the atmosphere, never to be reassembled again.”

 

“What did he…”

 

“It’s almost closing time,” Frans said, interrupting Connie before she could finish the question. “Thanks for coming. You two made an old man very happy today.”

 

“This has been the best tour ever, Gramps.” Billy proclaimed. “What do I owe you?”

 

“Nothing,” Frans answered, shaking Billy’s hand. “Just promise to send your friends.”

 

“It’s a deal,” he said, leading Connie out the door. “I’m sure we’ll be back soon.”

 

“You’re always welcome.”

 

Frans watched as the couple walked away. Then, being that it was precisely five, he locked the door, changed the placard to closed, and turned off the neon sign.

 

Alone once again, Frans returned to the machine behind the curtain, flipped a few switches, and watched as Marie’s translucent figure, forever young, appeared before him.

 

“Frans, are you there?” Marie mouthed, silently.

 

“I’m here, my love. I’ll always be here.”

 

“I’m so afraid,” she responded. “Please let me go.”

 

“I can’t,” Frans replied, ashamed of his weakness.

 

Marie’s eyes grew red, but she summoned the strength to place her hand on her heart and mouth the words I love you. Then, as quickly as she had appeared, she was gone.

 

Heartbroken, Frans turned to walk upstairs, counting the minutes until he could see his love again, if only for a moment, the next day at the exact same time.

Whipping Cream Biscuits

A two-ingredient recipe for some of the best biscuits you will ever eat! If all you have is all-purpose flour, never fear; we give you instructions for making it into self-rising flour.

whipping cream biscuits
whipping cream biscuits

Bake: 10 min | Yield: 8 biscuits

Ingredients

  • 2 cups self-rising flour
  • 1 cup heavy whipping cream

Instructions

Bisicuits

  1. In a large bowl, combine the flour and cream. Turn out onto a lightly floured surface; knead for 5 minutes or until no longer sticky. Roll dough to a 1/2 inch thickness. Cut into 2 1/2 inch biscuits.
  2. Place in a large ungreased cast iron or other ovenproof skillet. Bake at 450 degrees F until golden brown, 8 to 10 minutes.

Notes

* If you don’t have self-rising flour, add 1 tablespoon baking powder and 1 teaspoon salt to 2 cups all-purpose flour. As a substitute for each cup of self-rising flour, place 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder and 1/2 teaspoon salt in a measuring cup. Add all-purpose flour to measure 1 cup.

Forgotten Restaurants From The 1970s, We Want Back!

Such memories. I forgot about these places, but once I watched the video, I sure as heck remembered them.

https://youtu.be/dZLdey9V3qo

he term “terrible” comes from the Russian word “grozny,” which is better translated as “formidable” or “awe-inspiring.”

But Ivan did some pretty terrible things too.

His father, Grand Prince Vasily III, died when Ivan was just three, and his mother, Elena Glinskaya, served as regent until her mysterious death when Ivan was eight.

It’s suspected she was poisoned, which wasn’t uncommon in the Russian court.

As he grew older, Ivan developed a dark streak.

He crowned himself the first Tsar of All Russia in 1547, aiming to centralize power and assert absolute control.

In his early reign, he showed promise, implementing legal reforms, establishing a standing army, and expanding Russian territories.

But this honeymoon period didn’t last.

Things took a dark turn with the death of his beloved wife, Anastasia Romanovna, in 1560.

Her death shattered Ivan, and he spiraled into paranoia and madness, suspecting everyone of treason.

He believed she was poisoned, which might have been true, considering the court’s track record.

Enter the Oprichnina, Ivan’s own personal reign of terror.

In 1565, he divided Russia into two parts: the Oprichnina, directly under his control, and the Zemshchina, ruled by the boyars (nobles).

The Oprichnina was essentially a state within a state, where Ivan’s secret police, the Oprichniki, roamed.

These guys were like medieval KGB, dressed in black, riding black horses, and carrying out Ivan’s brutal orders.

The Oprichniki spread terror through the land, confiscating properties, executing supposed traitors, and crushing any opposition.

One of the most infamous event was the sacking of Novgorod in 1570.

Suspecting the city of treason, Ivan ordered a brutal massacre.

Thousands were tortured and killed, and the city was left in ruins.

In a fit of rage, Ivan famously killed his own son and heir, Ivan Ivanovich, in 1581.

The story goes that he struck his son with a staff during an argument, a blow that proved fatal.

I was moslested by three older boys when I was 9 or 10 years old.

It happened on three separate occasions for a total of approximately 3 hours.

I was already a quiet introverted child and this pushed me even futher into my own mind.

I suffered for years with bed wetting, nightmares, and it damaged my sexual psyche , giving me trust and intimacy issues.

I saw child psychologists for years and eventually though that my parents got to know about it.

My first suicide attempt was at the age of 12, when I dropped from a tree branch deliberately into the path of a car. The car swerved, missed me and ploughed through a wodden fence.

The driver jumped out of the car to see if I was ok, I approached the car and saw there was no-one else there, then ran away.

I still feel bad about that, not seeing if he was Ok and not facing the consequences.

There have been 6 suicide attempts since, 3 of which I have woken from in hospital, dissapointed that it was not over.

Those biys who took my childhood were all brothers, sons of the next door neighbours of my Aunt & Uncle.

When I was 17 and they were between 21 and 25 I tracked them all down- it wasnt difficult, they all lived in the same town.

I took a baseball bat to each of them one at a time all in one night, broke arms legs fingers.

None of them recognised me, not one. I pulled back my balaclava to stare them directly in the face, these monsters that took my childhood, the driving force that had defined me good or bad.

I realised later that night, drunk and broken that what for me was unforgettable was exactly that, not just forgettable but forgotten.

After that, no nightmares not a singe one, and the other issues that I had been battling with in therapy for years resolved themselves. The healing didnt happen over night, but it did begin to happen.

From being powerless, I was powerful. I can’t begin to explain how good, how alive I felt.

I will never regret that night.

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99320f9ca16734d44c507c00addc7850

Fun, too short, though.

This is not really a funny story, except for the karma aspect of it. I was a senior in college, taking a class called instrumental methods of analysis. It is the final chemistry class before graduation. Three hours a week of lecture, plus two, five hour labs each week. Each lab required a 15–20 page lab report and a computer program to analyze our data. Through the first 12 (of 26) lab I had a perfect score on each lab report. Then I got into an argument with the lab teacher after he a lab where we were analyzing the contents of an aspirin, caffeine and phenacetin tablet. Except the APC tablets were removed from the market and so we analyzed acetaminophen, caffeine, phenacetin tablet. The procedure should have be rewritten to account for acetaminophen’s differing absorption spectrum. But our professor was to lazy to do that, telling us to just do the lab as written and explain the bad results. Instead, I ran to the library, found a way to do the experiment properly, and asked my prof. for permission to try it. At first he said yes, but only if you can get someone else to supervise you if it runs long. I did, and got started. He wandered in at 6 and told me to clean up and go home so he could go home for supper. I reminded him of our deal and he lost his shit on me. Finally in frustration, I told him that if he wanted to give me mediocre teaching, I’d give him mediocre work, like the rest of the class. Suddenly he stopped returning our graded work. I assumed I’d get the same C as most of the class, but got a final grade of F, meaning I’d have to spend an extra year in college to retake the class. I tried to arrange retaking the class in the summer at another university. He refused to consider any other class, telling me I was just like his teenage son and we both needed to be taught a lesson. I set up a meeting with our dean in which the prof. told us that he’d fail the entire senior class before he’d pass me. I had already been accepted into a prestigious graduate program and gotten a commitment for four years of funding. I called my grad. school dean. I don’t know exactly what was said between deans, but my undergrad dean called me in and said that they had arranged for me to retake the class alongside my regular grad. classes and transfer the credit back. They also said that the prof. who failed me would not be allowed to stop this deal.

Next summer I returned to my undergrad. school and met with the dean. He asked me to describe how the lab worked at Northwestern. He listened to me describe how differently NU did the labs, focused on designing experiments, learning how lab equipment works and how to use it effectively and creatively. And most of all, instead of wasting time rewriting our text and calling it lab reports we took oral exams while discussing the lab. The dean was so impressed that he promised to force my prof. to rewrite his labs so students wouldn’t just be going through the motions and writing lab reports. I heard through the grapevine that it helped the program and forced my former prof. to do a boatload of work revamping all 26 labs. All in all a pretty horrible experience with a petty and lazy prof, that turned out well in the end because I got to leave the school better than I found it via “instant karma.”

STAR TREK ACID PARTY: PHASE II

This is odddddddddd…….

USA did try in the past. In fact, Biden also urged to start a US version of BRI to counter Chinese BRI.

They failed in the past & so far not succeed either today.

The difference between China & USA is the mentality & price. For the same price, US can only do little.

Let me use Tesla as an example. Musk opened a factory to make electric car in China. It took him 10 months (If I remember correctly) to build a factory.

When he expanded his business & went to build a factory in Germany, it took him 2 YEARS & still not operational.

Why? Too much of politics in the West incl USA & Germany.

Look at California. They wanted to build a high speed rail from dont know where to SF. It is considered short & straight. But 20 years later, only 1 small portion is working. Again politics.

Cats Being Badass: A Tribute

Worm garage millionaire

My wife & I had just boarded a cruise ship and were settling into our state room. The prior occupant had left some valuables in the safe, closed but unlocked: her wallet (with ID) with some cash in it, and then various envelopes with $20s, $100s, etc written on the front, stuffed with that kind of bill. Of course, we had to count the money. It was over $3k.

The ID was for an elderly lady, and we found a paper with a phone number on it for a relative (same last name).

Some people may think it was silly of us, but we tried calling the number to return the wallet & cash. No one answered—we left a message but never heard back. So instead we took the cash & wallet to the customer service desk and turned it over to them. The lady at the desk was pretty surprised I think. We had to stand there while she counted it out in front of us twice.

We’ll never know whether the old lady got her wallet & cash back.

EDIT: Some are asking why housekeeping didn’t find it. The safe was physically shut most of the way and the contents were not visible. I assume housekeeping doesn’t usually pull open the safe door to see if the safe is empty. We didn’t find the stuff until we went to put our valuables in the safe.

Crossing the Airfield – The Pacific

I bought a Mazda RX3 in early 1972 with the new rotary engine. I was living in Los Angeles when I learned my mother had pancreatic cancer and would not likely survive very long. I jumped in my car and drove as fast as I could to her home in Phoenix to spend a little time with her before she passed.

There were no other cars on Interstate 10 so I decided to see just how fast that little engine could go. I had just pegged the needle (140) and was still gaining speed when I heard the “whoop” of the siren. I looked in my rear view mirror and could see the California Highway Patrol car trying to catch up with me. I pulled over (safely), rolled down my window, grabbed my documents, and waited for him.

The officer quickly parked, exited his vehicle, and ran toward me shouting “Get out of the car!” I thought perhaps my car was on fire so I leaped out and practically ran into him yelling “What’s happening?” He stopped, grabbed me by the shoulders and stared and me with a very surprised look on his face. I repeated, “What’s happening?”

Then he started laughing. “You’re just a kid! And a girl!” I was still confused, but told him I knew I was driving fast, that I was in a hurry to spend time with my mother who was in her last days, and that the truth was that I was also really curious about what that rotary engine could do and thought the road was empty.

He took a few breaths and told me my speed was extremely dangerous and even a slight bump or pothole in the road could have caused me to crash. He was sorry about my mother. He was also sorry that had to write me up since he had already called in a “reckless driver”, but he would write the ticket for the maximum that would allow me to continue on my journey (and not be arrested on the spot).

Then he said, “Before you go, can I take a peek at that rotary engine?” I nodded and popped the hood. We had a nice chat. I drove safely away to see my mom for the last time.

Catherine Gunn

I lean against the cool metal of the large door that never opens. I know it opens, of course. It’s the only door in this room. But I almost never see it move. At least, not since the day I was brought here.Despite it being dark in this room, I still know where the door is thanks to the light seeping in through the bottom. Even though it is probably night, the monsters keep working.I was brought here by people who always smile. But no matter how friendly they look or act, they’ll always be monsters to me. Why did they bring me here? Why did they bring us here? To die in this cold empty room, away from our families?It’s only me and Oscar now. We’re the only two left. I rub my arms, feeling chilly or maybe just scared at the thought that we’re alone. There used to be many children in this room. So many children were in here, just days ago, playing with us, eating with us, sleeping with us. Then they left, beginning to disappear one by one. No one said anything about it. The monsters acted as though they had never even existed in the first place. I just don’t understand. I never saw them go. It was like bubbles. They were there one moment and gone the next. And like bubbles it doesn’t seem to matter if one pops.When the last one left today, I planted myself at the door. Half because I wanted to make sure no one would take me or Oscar next and half because I was hoping if I waited here long enough, they’d come back.I just don’t understand why things are so different now. We used to be taken from the room from time to time, to get poked at with needles or examined by machines. But the monsters always returned us to this room. I guess they don’t now.Suddenly I hear the muffled voices of some of the monsters behind the door. It sounds like a man and a woman.“Really? To all of them?” The woman asks, sounding shocked. I lean a little closer into the door.“Yes. Unfortunately they didn’t survive the testing. It’s a shame, but we should’ve seen it coming. You can’t force that kind of change without consequences.” The man says, sighing. What does he mean, force that kind of change? Who is he talking about? Us?“What about the other two? Will we need to dispose of them too?” The lady askes, flatly.“Thankfully, no. They always were healthier than the rest, probably from being a second generation. We were quite fortunate that they’re different genders.” The man responds, sounding almost eager. What does that mean? Why would it matter that they’re different genders? Unfortunately I might never get the answer, because their voices get fainter as they move farther away.Oscar and I are different genders. He’s a boy and I’m a girl. So could they really be talking about us? And if they are, what did they do with the others?

I crawl away from the door, heading across the freezing tiles to where Oscar is sleeping in a pile of blankets.

“Oscar.” I whisper, afraid to startle him. He continues sleeping, unmoved. Annoyed, I begin to shake him. I just can’t sleep until I talk to somebody about this! “Oscar, wake up!” I cry out, as loud as I can without drawing the attention of the monsters. He jerks up, squinting at me through the darkness.

“What time is it?” He mumbles, rubbing his eyes. I guess he’s still groggy because we haven’t had access to clocks since the day we came here.

“It’s still night. But I need to tell you something important, so I need you to be awake with me!” I explain, frantically.

“I don’t care how much your stomach hurts…”he begins, his eyes closing.

“It’s not that! It’s about the others.” He opens his eyes again, interested.

“What about the others? Did one of them come back?”

“No. I don’t think so. But I was leaning against the door and I heard the monsters talk about them! Or at least it sounded like it was about them and us. They were talking about how they did something to them and how they were sick and how the monsters won’t get rid of us cause we’re different genders or something!” I say hurriedly. I gasp for breath, glad to have told someone. He frowns.

“They were sick for a long time.” He mutters, staring at the floor.

Yes, all of them had dark circles around their eyes from lack of sleep because coughing kept them up all night. They were also unusually skinny despite all the food we were fed. But I guess I didn’t think of it that much until now. All they ever really were was friends.

In my old home, my mother had a small, sparse garden. One day I watched as she threw away a wilted flower. Even though it was wilted I remember asking why she threw it away. She told me that the flower had gotten sick and eventually died. Like flowers, humans can probably wilt too. So did that mean that because my friends were sick…

My stomach churns. I wish I had been born deaf so I couldn’t hear a single word anyone ever said. To be blissfully unaware of the fear and dangers of this world. But most importantly, so that I would never have heard the monsters through the door.

“They’re not coming back.” I state, something hot and wet running down my cheek. That should’ve been a question, but somehow it feels true. Oscar doesn’t say anything, his eyes glossy.

I cling to him, grabbing onto the silky fabric of his shirt. I don’t understand. I don’t understand why they were so sick or why they’re not coming back. The only thing I do understand is that right now in this room without the voices of my friends, this is the loudest silence I’ve ever heard.

We are Living in The Twilight Zone ….. Part 3

I was alone, my husband was away on a training course. I had been sick for days to the point I no longer knew what day it was or what time it was, I had fallen asleep on the couch with all the lights on. I had taken some medication for my cold. There was frantic knocking at my door I didn’t realize it but it was 4 AM. I opened the door and standing there shivering in the -15C temperature, was a teenage boy with no shoes on. There was at least 2 ft on snow on the ground. I

His head was bleeding. He started pleading all in one long breathe, “Please, please let me in, some guys are trying to kill me, they hit me in the head with a bat and I don’t even know them, your house was the only house that had lights on, PLEASE! I was a little dazed by it all and the medication, I just said, “Come on in”. Later my Mom and husband gave me such a hard time about opening the door in the middle on the night. I kept telling them I didn’t know it was the middle of the night. Besides the kid needed help and I had a son just a bit older than him. I would hope someone would do the same for him.

The boy had been at a house party where some people were kicked out for being too rowdy. Those people came back with more people with baseball bats. They hit anyone who was there. The kid didn’t know them or them him. He said he left via a balcony window and jumped down into the snow with no shoes. He ran down the alley, saw my lights on and came to my door. We called the police who came and took the young man away. I never heard anymore about it. My family said I should never do that again, But I have!

The US military does not maintain 900 bases abroad.

Full stop.

Just because Ron Paul said it doesn’t mean it’s true (or, with all due respect to Politifact, even “mostly” true).

The Department of Defense most recently reported having 4,855 active sites as of 2015. Of those, 587 are overseas.

Not 900. 587.

And more to the point, the vast majority of those 587 sites aren’t “bases,” but small installations – which the Department of Defense defines as being worth less than $100 million (and, hint: a proper military base costs way more than $100 million). They include things like 144 square feet of leased space somewhere in Newfoundland, Canada, and a medical research center in Lima, Peru.

The majority of these sites, while counted separately, are actually satellite components of a central base or base complex. The complex for Wiesbaden, Germany, for example, headquarters for United States Army Europe, gets 25 separate listings. Every minor camp and installation in South Korea gets a mention.

Seriously, things like golf courses (which they’re slowly divesting) and family housing units get counted towards the overseas “site” total. A lot of them are just parcels of leased land that the government has to account for (like a random acre of land in Costa Rica, versus the regularly debunked “army base”).

The fact of the matter is that America’s overseas military presence is largely, usually overhyped. Yes, it has very large military commitments in places like Japan, South Korea, and Germany, but it isn’t an imperial force with its boots on the necks of every country everywhere. 90 percent of the US’ forces are based inside the United States, and the vast majority of other nations that house US military personnel only have a handful.

Here’s a map of the number of nations with at least one US military servicemember assigned, according to the Defense Manpower Data Center:

main qimg 07556931677daf63cbdfa8a2f639304f pjlq
main qimg 07556931677daf63cbdfa8a2f639304f pjlq

Now here’s a map with those assignments weighted by the size of deployment.

main qimg 07a2fa411bd7e13e69f1f943ddbc36ce pjlq
main qimg 07a2fa411bd7e13e69f1f943ddbc36ce pjlq

A lot less shocking. The US’ main overseas commitments are to Europe, South Korea, and Japan to honor mutual defense pacts. Everywhere else has just a handful of service personnel whose roles are probably advisory in nature, if not entirely contained within the US embassies in those nations.

I know all the popular answers to this question come up with fancy reasons related to the US’ need to project its power or some such, and people have reflexively upvoted those answers because they sound smart, but they’re built on the incorrect premise.

The fact of the matter is that the US has neither the interest nor the resources to sustain such a massive, overseas military presence that 900 bases would require. That it has large deployments in selected countries represents its commitment to existing alliances and ongoing conflicts. But putting a bunch of hardware around the world and the garrisons necessary to zealously defend them isn’t on the table.

Seriously, before you ask (or answer) “Why?” ask “If.”

Essential resource: US Department of Defense Base Structure Report (FY 2015 Baseline)

Related reading: Carter Moore’s answer to How many countries does the US have its military stationed in?

Carter Moore’s answer to Upon setting up the bases, did the US intend to have long-lasting presences in Germany and Korea?

Smoked Turkey and Cranberry
Gourmet Pizza

cranberry barbecue turkey pizza3
cranberry barbecue turkey pizza3

Yield: 1 large pizza

Ingredients

  • 1 (16 ounce) pre-cooked Italian bread shell
  • 1 (14 ounce) can Ocean Spray® Whole Berry Sauce
  • 3/4 cup sliced green onion, white and green parts
  • 1 (8 ounce) package shredded Monterey Jack cheese
  • 1/4 pound smoked deli-turkey, cut into thin strips
cranberry barbecue turkey pizza2
cranberry barbecue turkey pizza2

Instructions

  1. Heat oven to 375 degrees F.
  2. Place bread shell on an ungreased baking pan.
  3. Spread cranberry sauce evenly over bread shell. Sprinkle with green onion and cheese. Top with turkey.
  4. Bake for 10 minutes or until heated through and cheese has melted.
cranberry barbecue turkey pizza
cranberry barbecue turkey pizza

I was terminated from my job as a nurse after 14 years with the same hospital. I felt defeated, unworthy and depressed. I was not sure i wanted to be a nurse anymore.

I took a week off and decided to take a road trip to a place that once made me prouder and happier than I had ever been in my life. I drove down to Columbus, Georgia, the town just outside of Fort Benning where I had attended the U.S. Army Basic Parachutist course, a.k.a. “Jump School”, and had earned my wings. It was a pivotal moment in my life as Basic Training and my Combat Engineer school had not been the “band of brothers” experience that I had hoped for. Jump School was such an awesome experience that I was finally looking forward to what would become an eventful and mostly enjoyable 3 year tour of duty which would eventually lead me to become an Army Medic and then a Registered Nurse.

I spent the weekend visiting the Infantry Museum, which included watching a class of Infantrymen graduate, the Naval Museum of the Civil War, the Coca-Cola Space Center, ambling along the river walk, and exploring the old Civil War iron works that had been made into a conference center and events venue.

On the way to and from Columbus, I visited the Aquarium in Atlanta, the Army Airborne museum at Camp Taccoa, two other local museums and an old water-powered grist mill.

I returned home feeling refreshed and began a job search. It took me 15 months to find another full-time job as a nurse, but in the interim I did some volunteer driving for the local food bank, worked part-time in a nursing-adjacent job, and went on several job interviews, both nursing and non-nursing, just to see what was out there. I even got to visit a factory where the Army’s parachutes are made.

I was fortunate enough to have a paid-for house and car and a lot of savings, but I understand that there are many out there who are less fortunate than me.

I once read a cartoon in the which the narrator said that before a person can overcome tragedy, they must take some time to just stare at the rubble. That was certainly true for me, but I also recommend finding and going to a “happy place”, even if only for a brief time, just to remind ones self that there is still some happiness to be had in life, even as we suffer the darkest of times.

Philippine Marines Drew Firearms as China Seized Second Thomas Shoal Airdrop, Says Philippine Military Chief

JUNE 4, 2024 6:04 PM

Chinese and Philippine Armed Forces boats rigid hull inflatable boats clash near Second Thomas Shoal. AFP Image

The contingent of Philippine Marines onboard BRP Sierra Madre (LT-57) at Second Thomas Shoal reportedly drew their weapons as China Coast Guard boats moved in to take packages from a resupply airdrop.

Philippine military officials said this week that Chinese rigid hull inflatable boats intercepted an aerial resupply drop destined for Marines aboard BRP Sierra Madre at Second Thomas Shoal in an incident last month on May 19. This incident saw the vessels come as close as five meters to the grounded Second World War-era landing ship tank, which Manila grounded at the disputed shoal in 1999.

Armed Forces of the Philippines Chief of Staff Romeo Brawner said that the Marines deployed their weapons as a “precautionary measure” in self-defense.

“It’s part of the rules of engagement. That whenever you see imminent threats coming your way, you best be prepared,” said Brawner about the incident.

Chinese state media claimed that the Philippine Marines were pointing guns at China Coast Guard officers and released a video of the incident from the Chinese perspective that depicts two Philippine personnel onboard Sierra Madre wielding firearms. These claims were denied in a statement by the Armed Forces of the Philippines, citing the need for “heightened vigilance and alertness” because of the “CCG’s provocative presence near BRP Sierra Madre.”

According to the Philippine military, the China Coast Guard reportedly tore open the packages and threw their contents of foodstuffs into the water. Brawner said that may have been searching for construction materials, which Beijing has constantly cited as a reason for their interceptions of Philippine resupply missions to Sierra Madre. While most of the supplies sank, some were recovered by Philippine personnel. However, officials cited the overall resupply operation as a success as the majority of the other airdropped packages were recovered.

Two separate incidents also occurred last month around the disputed South China Sea feature. According to the Inquirer newspaper, the China Coast Guard obstructed a medical evacuation mission from Sierra Madre on May 19. The third incident occurred on May 24, which reportedly involved the use of water cannons by Chinese forces to force away a Philippine civilian fishing vessel from the proximity of the shoal.

This series of incidents are the first to be reported by Manila since March when Chinese water cannons injured Philippine personnel and damaged a vessel during a resupply mission to Sierra Madre.

Big girls can’t squeeze into small dresses

Between jobs, I agreed to provide daycare for a 3-year-old girl.

The kid was impossible. The mother was worse.

Mom had ridiculous rules: all food was to be organic, no sugar, and no additives, ever. Do not bring food into the house. Do not watch Spongebob (there was a list of “approved” cartoons; I was not to deviate from it).

The only food in the house was organic whole-wheat pasta with organic grated cheese. The little girl could only drink spring water. That was the only food in the house. Every lunch I fixed was the same: organic pasta and cheese with water.

The kid had serious disciplinary problems. If something didn’t go her way (she’d fail to catch a playground ball) she’d shriek, scream, and run away. Apparently this worked with Mom, but not me.

Mom came home one day in the midst of one of Terror Tot’s fits. The kid immediately started hitting her in the gut, left, then right, repeatedly. Mom said, “oh, stop that.” Of course the kid didn’t stop. Mom looked at me and said “I know, I’m terrible. I should really not let her do that.”

YA THINK??

Another day, Terror Tot grabbed me hard in the stomach. She grabbed as much spare flesh as she could, and started screaming “Fat! Fat! Fat! Fat!” (I am not fat, and it really hurt.)

Horrified, I told her never to do that to me or anyone else. Of course, she shrieked and ran to her bedroom sobbing. I left her there; too bad. A crying fit could be ignored until she was ready to listen to me. What I was disturbed about was where she learned that. None of her “approved programming” dealt with fat as an issue.

“Fat” seemed to be the order of the day. When Mom came home, Tot grabbed the fat around her middle and started screaming “fat-fat-fat-fat… mommy’s fat, fat, fat!” Mom ignored this, and started writing out my paycheck, while she informed me of what hours I would be needed the next week. Meanwhile, the kid stopped pinching Mom and started hitting again, still yelling “fat-fat-fat!” Mom and I had to raise our voices to understand each other.

I really did not want to babysit anymore, but I felt bad for the little girl.

The next day I was needed to sit, I was instructed to go to the Mom’s mother’s house. Grandma greeted me, and asked to watch her other grandchild (by another kid) who was 4. She and her daughter left on an errand.

As soon as the Mom and Grandma left, the kids started to fight with each other. I managed to distract them. This went on for a few hours; fight, distract with a story. Fight, distract with a game.

The Two Terrors decided to find a new game: Beat Up Babysitter. One slugged me in the gut and ran, then the other would hit me and run. After 2 rounds of this, I caught the boy by the arm as he raised it to hit me again. I yelled for the girl.

“Look, you two are never allowed to hit me, or anyone else. Do you understand?” I admit I raised my voice. Apparently no one had ever raised their voice to either of them.

Well, you would have thought I just beat them. They both threw themselves on the floor, screaming. The boy took his clothes off. The girl knocked over a vase. Again, as any parent should, I ignored them. I was not buying into a show of hysterics. I said, “let me know when you are done and can play nicely.” More screaming and thrashing. The girl went a step further and knocked over a sculpture of a horse; surely that would get my goat. Nope.

Mom and Grandma walked in at that moment and were furious with me. What had I done, and why could I not control these kids? Why was the precious vase and sculpture on the floor? And “where are (the boy’s) clothes?”

I explained to the women that both kids hit each other, then hit me, and I told them to stop. I also said I refused to be hit, and if they did it again, I’d correct them verbally again. I explained that physical violence crossed a line with me; it was non-negotiable. I was aghast that I had to say this.

That was the last time I was ever asked to babysit. I was thrilled.

AFTER FILES! The Giants of Malta

It’s unlikely. The Indian government seem to be self aware.

It would be like Mexico agreeing to attack the US. Mexico would be destroyed. Same for India, India would be destroyed.

China won’t attack the civilian population centers but power, water, and fuel would be wiped out. The Indians would need to have animals to move food and people. And learn to live with no power so water would have to be carried into cities.

The Indian government wants benefits from the US to appear aggressive, they don’t want to kill their country.

Also since India attacked China, China is well within rights to self-defense. And that would include turning the northern half of India into a buffer zone. I’m certain the Indians don’t want that and the Chinese would prefer not to do that unless attacked.

With the example of Ukraine and the West out of munitions, the Indian government isn’t dumb enough to ukraine themselves for the US.

Pepper Steak

Pepper Steak
Pepper Steak

Ingredients

  • 1 (1/2 inch thick) round steak, cut into 1 inch strips
  • 1 cup onion, chopped
  • 2 cups green bell pepper, chopped
  • 2 ribs celery, chopped
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 1/4 teaspoon pepper
  • 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
  • 1 clove garlic, minced
  • 2 teaspoons cornstarch
  • 2 tablespoons soy sauce
  • 1/2 cup water
  • 1 teaspoon beef bouillon

Instructions

  1. Brown meat in oil until brown.
  2. Put meat into slow cooker.
  3. Add remaining ingredients and stir.
  4. Cook overnight or for 8 hours on LOW.
  5. Serve over rice.

This was told at a meeting of comedy writers at the Beverly Hills Tennis Club.

A rabbi goes to a very successful business named Lawrence. He says to him, “Lawrence, your family has been very generous to the synagogue. Your grandfather, who came to this country with nothing and build a prosperous business, came us the donation that made possible our wonderful library. When your father, who continued making the business grow, was asked, he gave the funds for the books for that library. Now Lawrence, the time has come for me to ask you to please continue to follow your family’s generous tradition and to please consider making a donation.”

Lawrence thinks for a moment and then says, “Rabbi, just this week I learned that my son has gotten into Princeton. It will cost hundreds of thousands of dollars to send him there. My wife of 30 years has been diagnosed with cancer. The treatments will be likewise very expensive. My father who, thank God, is still with us, suffers from dementia and requires constant care.”

He then draws a breath and says, “So, Rabbi, if I can say no to all of them…”

The Job Market isn’t Looking too Hot ……. Part 4

How poverty affected my education?

If I look back, I was above average in my class. But all that work for food, bad neighborhood, and lack of resources (time, stationery, school uniform etc.) affected my education badly. Also, my self confidence was very low.

So what happened? By the time I came in 10th Standard, my education was messed up. I got 46% marks in 10th exams. I cleared 11th standard with grace marks and finally…I failed 12th standard.

But, my failure was actually a gift. My friend-circle was gone, everything was meaningless to me. I had that talk with myself that made me realize that nothing matters except a good education.

One of my uncle guided me in this tough time. He asked me to carry my 11th standard Physics, Chemistry, Maths books and go to a nearby Ashram  everyday in the morning. I used to study there, eat free food, and come back in the evening. I followed that routine during my summer vacations and built my fundamentals. I realized that education is the only way out of my pathetic life. I used to recall Booker T. Washington’s essay, The Struggle for an Education  from my 10th English syllabus. It was a real inspiration.

Next year, with same level of dedication, I cleared 12th with flying colours with distinction in Physics, Chemistry and Mathematics. Also, I appeared for Chaudhary Charan Singh University engineering exam and secured 3rd rank. That gave me enough confidence to try something bigger.

Next one year I did nothing but prepared for biggest engineering entrance exam, Indian Institute of Technology, Joint Entrance Examination  and cleared it. I spent next five years studying Computer Science & Engineering at Indian Institute of  technology (BHU) . Life was all set.


How poverty changed me as a person.

It made me rock solid. When usually people are scared about something, I drink some tea and carry on. Unless its about someone’s life, I keep my cool.

Also, I have immense respect for hard working people. While so many people around me feel ashamed to talk to Rickshaw

pullers, it gives me immense pleasure to talk to them. I speak politely with Rickshaw pullers, farmers, waiters and all those people trying to earn a living in tough economy.

It also made me realize the value of food. Usually this is how my plate looks like once I am done eating (even if food is not so tasty).

I never smoke. Sometimes I will drink a beer with my friends, but no hard liquor. Possibly because partially I hold my father and his drinking habits responsible for my bad childhood,

As far as money is concerned, being an ex-Oracle and current VMware employee, I earn well. Still, I don’t waste money. I consider buying costly gadgets, drinking a lot, and doing something useless to impress your “friends” as a waste of money.

That doesn’t mean I am a miser. For me, only few things are worth my hard earned money. I am living at a great place paying more than average rent for this apartment, because its so beautiful and peaceful.

I am also a proud owner of a Royal Enfield Thunderbird.

All in all, poverty made me the person I am today. It was one hell of a journey. And it’s still going on. It’s just not that challenging any more 😀

Life is good.

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By Pep.e Escoba.r

The warning by President Putin could not be starker: “In the event of the use of long-range weapons, the Russian Armed Forces will again have to make decisions about expanding the sanitary zone further (…) Do they want global conflict? It seemed they wanted to negotiate [with us], but we don’t see much desire to do this.”

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov then came up with the appropriate metaphor to designate NATO’s ramped-up military outbursts: not only NATO is raising the degree of escalation but delving into a warlike “ecstasy”.

It does not get more serious than that. “They”, as Putin alluded to, do seem to want “global conflict”. That’s at the heart of NATO’s new suicidal “ecstasy” strategy.

For all their circumlocutions, NATO Secretary Jens Stoltenberg

, French President Emmanuel Macron, and German Chancellor Olaf Scholz have effectively greenlighted Kiev using Western weapons for attacks deep inside the Russian Federation. The alleged debate, still ongoing, is just a “smokescreen” for the real objective: a pretext that could lead to WWIII.

There’s no reason to think Kiev will stick to “limited” strikes against relatively unimportant targets. Instead, it is likely to target critical security infrastructure in hopes of provoking an unrelenting Russian response, which in turn would pave the way for NATO to invoke Article 5 and de facto engage in a Hot War.

Already on the Edge of Doom

The escalation “ecstasy” defined by Peskov went out of control since a – secret – new batch of ATACMS was dispatched to Kiev earlier this year, complemented with longer-range ATACMS. Kiev has been using them for serious hits on Russian air bases and key air defense nodes. These ATACMS fire missiles at Mach 3 speed: a serious challenge even for the best Russian air defense systems.

All that seems to point to a crucial decision enveloped in several layers of fog: as the incoming, cosmic NATO humiliation in the black soil of Novorossiya becomes self-evident day after day, the Western elites who really run the show are betting on provoking a full Hot War against Russia.

Richard H. Black, a former US senator from Virginia, offers a sobering analysis

:

“This is a continuation of the pattern in which the NATO forces recognize they are losing the war in Ukraine, with the fragile lines of defense breaking, and the NATO response is to escalate. This is not accidental, but very deliberate. It is not the first attack on the Russian nuclear triad. The ideological folks are seeing their world crumbling, after flying the rainbow flag over conservative countries and [waging] perpetual wars. They are frantic and could escalate to nuclear war to get out of the bind. They are taking a series of baby steps, and respond that ‘they don’t do anything in response,’ and so they keep taking baby steps until one of them lands on a land mine and we are into World War III. (…) Putin is very aware of the disconnect in the West, who keep saying he is just saber rattling, but he is not—he is informing the West of the dangerous reality.”

In Russia, Senator Dmitry Rogozin, a former head of Roscosmos, directly warned Washington: “We are not just on the threshold, but already on the edge, beyond which, if the enemy is not stopped in such actions, an irreversible collapse of the strategic security of the nuclear powers will begin.”

General Evgeny Buzhinky advanced an ominous scenario: “I am sure that if the strikes of Taurus of ATACMS are very harmful for Russia, then I presume we will at least strike the logistical hub in the territory of Poland in Rzeszów” where the missiles are staged for delivery to Ukraine.

The connection in this case would be irreversible: Russia hits Poland; NATO invokes Article 5; WW3.

Be Careful What You Wish For

NATO warlike “ecstasy” is predictably cloaked in cowardice. For all the rhetorical garbage 24/7 about “we don’t want a war with Russia”, the facts point to NATO using Kiev to attack and try to destroy a wide range of Russian military assets. There’s also no denying the US Deep State’s role in enabling Kiev’s terror attacks against Russian civilians in the Donbass, Belgorod, and elsewhere.

Considering the serious debate finally on across several Russian platforms, all of that might constitute a reasonable pretext for a tactical nuclear drop on the – legally illegitimate – Kiev gang. At least that would finish a war that is dragging for too long.

Yet that would be totally out of character when it comes to legalistic Putin – who deals with Armageddon-laden issues with the patience of a Taoist monk. Yet Russia has an entire arsenal of asymmetric tools – both conventional and nuclear — that can deliver a painful blow to NATO

in places where the alliance least expects.

We’re not there yet – even as we get ominously closer day after day. Dmitri Medvedev has issued the umpteenth red line: a US strike on Russian targets, or the US letting Kiev hit targets within Russia using American missiles and drones would be the ‘start of World War’.

And Foreign Minister Lavrov, once again displaying his trademark Taoist patience, had to come up with another serious reminder: Russia will regard the deployment of nuclear-capable F-16s in Ukraine – which de facto can only be operated by NATO pilots – as “a deliberate signal from NATO in the nuclear field to Russia”.

And still the gaggle of armchair Dr. Strangeloves – lavishly rewarded by the rarified Atlanticist plutocracy holding real power, funds, influence and mass media control – is not listening.

One surprising fact about jury duty is that in the United States, you can’t be forced to serve on a jury more than once every 18 months, which is why simply stating you’ve served recently can be a surefire way to get excused.

This is because courts are required to ensure that jurors are randomly selected and that no one is called to serve too frequently.

Another lesser-known fact is that courts often use a system called “jury wheel” to select potential jurors, where names are randomly drawn from a pool of eligible citizens.

You’d be surprised to know that this pool can include lists of registered voters, driver’s license holders, and even utility customers.

So, if you’ve ever wondered how you got picked for jury duty, blame the algorithm.

It’s also fascinating to learn that in some jurisdictions, jurors are prohibited from researching the case or discussing it with anyone, including family members, during the trial.

This is intended to prevent external influences from swaying their verdict, ensuring a fair and impartial decision.

While it might be tempting to sneak a peek at news coverage or ask a lawyer friend for insight, doing so could result in a mistrial or even legal consequences.

Did you know that in the United States, jurors are not required to disclose their race, ethnicity, or socioeconomic status during voir dire, the questioning process used to select jurors?

This lack of transparency can lead to biased jury selection, as lawyers may unintentionally discriminate based on observable characteristics.

With growing concerns about systemic racism and discrimination in the justice system, this aspect of jury selection is under increasing scrutiny.

American Reacts to Why Europeans Hate Living In The United States.

So, to sum it up... You pay crazy amounts of money for an education, that (hopefully) gets you a job. The public transportation is so bad its hard and cumbersome to get to it. When you get there, you have to work long hours risking getting fired at any time. When you get paid the IRS is making it difficult for you to pay your taxes. The lack of sufficient vacation time makes it hard to recharge and your level of stress never gets normalized. The long hours at work inhibits you from cooking good healthy food, so you eat fast food and processed prefab food. When you watch tv you are so tired that you cant see beyond the propaganda and think for your self. As you dont really have vacation, you cant travel and experience the world. Eventually you get sick, and then you have to pay crazy amounts of money to get care. At some point you just cant work anymore and thinks about retirement, and realize you cant afford to retire. Sounds appealing right?

A:

My wife and I were friends with a couple for 2–3 years, and hung out at least once per month with them. We all worked together and had tons of mutual friends…

We threw a smallish house party for around 20–30 people when we moved into our new home. We’d already had a housewarming party… this one was specifically our direct peers (25–35 at that time), and was adults only. We informed everyone invited that no kids were allowed (included our own children that were staying with their grandparents for the night).

One couple specifically asked if they could bring their kids, and we told them no… Regardless, on the night of the party, they showed up late, 2 kids in tow. Instead of being rude, I brought their boys upstairs to our game room, and setup both Xbox and PS4 for them (which were fairly new consoles at the time). Almost immediately, the older boy told me that the selection of games “sucked”, and “what else do you have?”. I was able to set them up with a couple of games that they were happy with, and went back downstairs to enjoy the party.

Around an hour later, we all heard a crazy pounding noise coming from the game room, and I went running upstairs to investigate. The child’s father barely beat me up the stairs and checked out the situation. Everything was fine; the son had accidentally locked himself in the room, and started to freaked out. Standing behind the father, I could see almost the entire room, and could see that situation was under control; it was just a temporary freak out. So, we all went back to the party, and everyone had a good evening.

The next day, after our kids came back home, they almost immediately discovered a large hole in the game room door. It turns out that the older boy had accidentally locked himself in the game room, and couldn’t figure out why it wouldn’t open, so he literally kicked a massive hole through the the backside of the door. Now these are the standard, cheapo doors that come with most middle-income homes, but still… he kicked through one side of the door.

Here’s the kicker – when I standing behind my friend as he was checking on them, I saw him look at the back of the door. He knew there was a huge chunk missing, but chose not to say nothing…

Those types of cheap doors are usually less than $200 at Home Depot, fully prepped, and can be installed by nearly any idiot (such as myself)… Why say nothing? These were not people that were incapable of offering to and/or paying for a $200 fix that was required because their son caused unnecessary damage to our home… and the children were not supposed to be there in the first place.

This person made a choice to ignore something like this, and it made me realize what type of person he was… After that, we’ve never hung out again.

Paradise Lost

Submitted into Contest #248 in response to: Write a story titled ‘Paradise Lost’..

This is a new addition that I am considering to my daily posts. Here I include some contemporaneous SF (short story) for the reader to enjoy. -MM

Calls for help came every day, in every language spoken from Alpha Centauri to Xanoid 10.

 

Meteor. Famine. War!!!

 

Help us, they pleaded. Whoever they was in that particular society that had figured out how to contact us.

 

“Please remain calm,” I used to say. “A unit will be dispatched to your location.”

 

But after our people went Silent, the calls went more like this:

 

“Hello? We need help.”

 

“We’re sorry, but Planetary Assistance is no longer available. Our thoughts are with you during your pending apocalypse. Goodbye.”

 

“Wait —”

 

And I would hang up and log the call for our directors, who would mark the planet for further study before its demise. No tears — just another experiment ending.

 

Of course, Earth was different. It had been a special project for our people. A hunk of spasmodic rock that we imbued with the best of all things green and growing, soft breezes, clear, cold sea, and people — people who looked perhaps too much like us, in hindsight.

 

Of course, we were sensitive when they called.

 

Help, they called when they were cold, and we brought them fire.

 

Help, they called when they were hungry, and we taught them our very own methods of tilling the soil.

 

When they ventured out of their cradle to the hostile parts of the Earth, we ushered in ages of warmth and good fortune that propelled them to prosperity.

 

But help, they called, because they wanted more. And like permissive, enamored parents, we continued to give it to them until they wielded the means of their own destruction.

 

The phone rang one night on my watch long after the Silencing. I checked the caller ID twice. Earth. A little tingle of electricity ran up my spine.

 

“You’ve reached Thalia IX — how may I direct you?”

 

“Hello? Hello? If anyone out there is listening, please, I need your help. Things are really getting out of hand here —”

 

An understatement if I’d ever heard one given the mass extinction underway on Earth amid the megacolossal storms and nuclear annihilation on a hair trigger.

 

“I’m sorry,” I said, clearing my throat to prepare for the sentence that usually got stuck like dry wafer crumbs. “But the Planetary Assistance Corps of Thalia IX is no longer available for rescue requests. Our thoughts are with you during your apocalypse. Goodbye.”

 

The girl made an indignant sound of surprise as I hung up.

 

It was the ninth call from Earth this week, I found in the log as I began to add my notes. All previous agents had deftly dispatched the callers begging us to intervene, to send another ship, to save them.

 

Caller reports escalation on Earth, I began to type. It would be of interest to the directors.

 

Shrill bells jangled again. Earth again. I frowned as I picked up the line.

 

“You’ve reached Thalia –”

 

“You can’t hang up on me,” the girl’s voice said.

 

The script prepared us for this scenario, though it was rare. Usually, our callers were in such a state of shock to reach us that they didn’t try again.

 

“Thank you for your call. While we understand you might be experiencing feelings of worry, anxiety, or dismay —”

 

The girl groaned in aggravation.

 

“Would you can it? My girlfriend is missing. We were supposed to shelter together this week,” she said. “Please, can you help me find her? I’m worried that she’s lost or hurt.”

 

Shelter where? I wondered, and would have asked if the girl hadn’t kept talking at a rapid clip. This girlfriend had fled their home after an argument about letting others into their shelter. Days on, she hadn’t returned.

 

How human to want to face obliteration together, and to do it alone out of spite, I thought as she spoke.

 

Finally, the girl paused her monologue.

 

“Look, I know who you are,” she said in a low voice. “I know you’re not — from here. This planet, I mean. But I know you’re watching.”

 

This was highly unusual and would require immediate escalation to a senior agent. I thought I should keep her talking while I send a request.

 

“How did you find this line?”

 

“It was on my grandfather’s old Macbook. I live in his house now. He used to work for NASA. Had all kinds of notes with it —”

 

NASA was an ancient terrestrial space agency with whom we had coordinated many of our attempts at aid.

 

“What’s your location?”

 

“Reno. Well, northern America. On the West Coast. If that’s what you’re asking.”

 

“And your girlfriend’s name?”

 

She paused and her breath hitched, as if the answer would break a dam she’d built across her emotions.

 

“Angel.”

 

And then the nervous feeling I’d been fighting back twisted through my arms and into my fingertips that hovered over the keys.

 

I tapped a-n-g-e-l one letter at a time. That was the name the humans gave to us long ago. Before we abandoned them.

 

No, not abandoned. Even Silent, we had sent our best ship to evacuate a few hundred of them. It had nearly torn us apart.

 

“Oh, shit, hang on,” the girl said suddenly.

 

A door burst open behind her. She set her phone down so the sounds were muffled, but I could just make out voices calling out in panic. A sound like static overwhelmed the line and just as I looked down at the phone to check if we had disconnected, the door slammed, and the noise stopped. Frightened  voices died down into a murmur.

 

“Sorry. Newcomers,” she said as she picked up the phone again.

 

I noticed that my heart had started to race. The protocol called this a sign of emotional investment — understandable, but a sign to cut contact immediately. Only I had a message from the directors to stay on the line.

 

“We’re unable to offer any additional assistance in departing the planet or averting disaster,” I said with genuine regret.

 

But the girl just snorted.

 

“I figured it was a limited time offer,” she said. “But please, could you find Angel? Could you help me bring her home? She has red hair and she’s very tall. Her cheeks are always red like she’s been slapped across the face, even though she’s way more likely to have slapped someone else. She has these lovely big round brown eyes and she was wearing fatigues when she left. She was so angry. I should’ve stopped her.”

 

She keeps talking, telling me all about how they met as children fleeing great ravages of dust with their families, and how they found each other again as revolutionaries.

 

I thought I could perhaps grant this one selfless wish. It wouldn’t be intervening, not really, to find her partner’s location. It wouldn’t have changed anything about their fate. And I had a few moments before the directors would appear at my shoulder.

 

“Standby,” I said in a voice barely above a whisper.

 

And for the first time, but not the last, I defied Thalian protocol. I accessed our cameras and saw for myself how our great experiment on Earth was ending.

 

A few clicks and the distinct figure of a tall, redheaded woman in military garb appeared on screen. She was standing at attention before a gate, eyes locked ahead in terror as others streamed past her.

 

On our satellites, I saw the storm heading for the geographic coordinates of the caller.

 

The muffled static on the line grew louder.

 

“I can report that Angel is safe in a shelter in the next town over,” I said. And I covered the mouthpiece before I spoke again, so she would not hear the waver in my voice. Tears I couldn’t control dripped down my arm. “Unfortunately, it may not be possible for you to reach her.”

 

One last moment of silence from this loquacious caller. She must have been able to hear the howl of the wind, the creaking of the timber board. She must have known before she called.

 

“I understand,” she said.

 

The sharp steps of the directors began to rap through the hallway behind me. I had a vision of myself seizing control and forcing them to help. We could still help.

 

“Thank you,” the caller said. “Thank you for finding her.”

 

Our thoughts are with you. The shallow words flashed through my head one last time.

 

Instead, all I said after the line was already dead, was:

 

“Goodbye.”

People say we get paid poorly but really we don’t. We get housing, we get money for uniforms every year, we get healthcare, we get many benefits. If a military member is smart all they really have to pay is their cell phone and internet. When you get a family they even give you housing allowance and more money for food.

People complain because they don’t want to eat in the mess hall or live in the barracks but they really don’t have to worry about much.

we get tuition assistance and can go to school for free while in the military and when we get out can use up to 36 months of our GI bill to continue going to college.

Our family gets free healthcare and in some places discounted or free college.

So people that think we get paid poorly don’t add all the extra benefits to the “basic” pay the show out there. And of course when you come in your basic pay is like $2,000 if you are a brand new private with less than 2 years in, but with everything paid for, those are 2k in your pocket. When I got medically retired 8 years ago I was making $3500 a month with my housing paid and healthcare paid. Today that equals to 4k.

And when you are dual military like I was (married to another active duty service member) that was dual the income, so we were bringing 8k and housing paid and healthcare taken care of. Oh and we transferred one of our GI bills to our son so his college will be paid for.

So yeah, people think that because they never really stop to think about it. I joined because I wanted to serve the country but let’s face it, we get paid well. Could we get paid better? Sure, I mean we work crazy hrs and sometimes 36, 48hrs at a time, etc. and crazy jobs. But we are not poor.

Are We Being Lied To About North Korea?

Oh, I know that I’m going to need to compose myself to write this, trying desperately to keep emotions to a minimum. Let’s see how I do. I’m deleting the word “service” from the question.

On the first day of Spring a few years ago, I was working a BUSY, Sunday morning greeting, seating, and checking on my customers at my restaurant, a local family diner. A beautiful warm day, and busy is always a good thing. A bit of background here. I’m in an amazing small town on the central coast of California that is a tourist destination. My business runs around 85% local customers, and many tourists who find us want that hometown feel. We have a significant Hispanic population, and many of my staff are first generation U. S. citizens.

In the middle of a late breakfast rush, with 15 to 20 people waiting for a table, my sweet server comes to me and asks me to talk to an unhappy customer. She is a great server, and this was a first for her. I introduced myself to the table of 6 (2 families) that I had never seen before and asked how I could help. One of the TWO men seated was VERY ANGRY,although I could see that they had finished a hearty meal, his 13 year old daughter wanted more pancakes. I didn’t see the problem here, until he said, “ And she doesn’t want to wait for them!” The server had tried to explain to him, that it could take a bit because other orders were ahead of his. And the daughter is just smiling at me. All orders taken, go up in the same order, not one moved to the front just because. He kept yelling, “ But its for a child! How can you not want to feed a child? WHAT’S WRONG WITH YOU?

I stepped back, told him to let me know if he decided to wait, and I would gladly put the order up, and I walked away. He followed me to the front of the house and screamed,” You’re a racist aren’t you? It’s because we’re Mexican! “ The whole restaurant got dead quiet, and another waiter, Hispanic broke out laughing and said, “Dude, are you kidding me? Look at our staff here, look in our kitchen! Are you crazy? “ I assured the man that I was in fact prejudiced! I believe everyone is in different ways. MY prejudice was against mean people and people who lie to me. I am not a tolerant person that way! I saw a few smiles of folks faces, and I wanted to give him an out so I told him if he changed his mind, and wanted me to put that order up, I’d be happy to. And here’s were I lost it. He screamed at Cesar, my busboy/host/all around helper, for being so stupid as to think I was a good person. I told him to please leave the building and never come back. I can take a punch, but don’t ever disrespect any of my staff. He got his family and huffed all the way out the door, and as he was pushing past people, the restaurant exploded with applause.

And it was my birthday.

Pizza Steak

header bg recipe pizzasteak
header bg recipe pizzasteak

Yield: 4 to 6 servings

Ingredients

  • 4 rib eye steaks
  • 1 (6 ounce) can tomato paste
  • 1 (8 ounce) can tomato sauce
  • 1 (28 ounce) jar Ragu
  • 1 green bell pepper, cut into strips
  • 1 large onion, cut into strips
  • 1 (8 ounce) package fresh mushrooms
  • 1 (8 ounce) package mozzarella cheese
  • Parmesan cheese, to taste
  • Whole black olives

Instructions

  1. Mix tomato sauce, tomato paste and Ragu well.
  2. Place the first steak in slow cooker for bottom layer and spoon just enough sauce over it to cover the meat.
  3. Add a portion of the onions, whole black olives, bell pepper, mozzarella, Parmesan and mushrooms.
  4. Layer again with second steak, sauce, cheeses and vegetables.
  5. Do the same with third and fourth steak, layering as you go along until all steak, sauce and vegetables are used.
  6. Cover with mozzarella and Parmesan cheeses.
  7. Cook on LOW for 8 hours.
  8. Serve over pasta. Angel hair pasta works nicely. Garnish with black olives.

Notes

Thicken sauce with Italian bread crumbs if needed.

Here in the Central Valley of California, it’s quite common for strangers to converse while waiting for an appointment. Mostly I let the other person indicate they want to talk, but on this occasion I decided to speak first.

A male customer, probably in his late forties, was sitting across from me as I also waited for service in a shop that repairs and replaces windshields. I noticed that after the man had been on his phone briefly he then sat quietly for a while, looking downcast. It may have been a nudge from the Holy Spirit, because I felt compelled to speak to him.

We were still in the midst of the on and off Covid lockdowns that were causing havoc in most people’s routines, so I made a comment about how we were probably having to wait so long because the business was short staffed (a common occurrence during Covid). Then I asked him how things were going for him during the Covid chaos.

He admitted things weren’t going well at all. In the course of our conversation I learned he was a building contractor who still had work. Jobs were difficult to complete, though, because it was hard to get materials owing to the lockdowns and other Covid problems. Worse still, his wife had recently been diagnosed with breast cancer (that’s who he was talking to on the phone) and he would be taking her to a doctor’s appointment later that day.

But…that also meant taking his mother along, who had dementia and lived with them and couldn’t be left alone in the house. The living arrangements had been fine before his wife got cancer and before the Covid mess disrupted his business and caused him to work ten hour days.

At this point he admitted he had to put his wife’s health before his mother’s, and he needed to find a memory care facility as soon as possible that could watch over his mother full time while he and his wife focused on her cancer recovery.

“I wish I knew someone who could help me sort this out,” he said.

“That’s me!” I exclaimed. “I have the phone number of the county coordinator who helps families find the best dementia caregivers in our area.”

That was because my father-in-law who had increasing memory loss had decided to move himself into assisted living near us a couple of years before, and I still had the contact information for the coordinator who found the perfect placement for him.

I gave this burdened man her number and he smiled and thanked me profusely. I could tell it was breaking his heart to make this decision regarding his mother, but he clearly was relieved to have access to resources that would lighten his load so he could walk alongside his wife as she battled breast cancer.

 

CGen-Z menu ordering via QR seating

Society.

Let me give you an example.

A young girl is born August 25, 2006. Her relatives envision her as becoming a nice woman with a husband and two- maybe three children.

She enters school. She seems different from other children— she would rather spend her time reading than socializing. Throughout elementary school she constantly has a stack of books on her desk, and has her nose in a book at lunch and reads on the swings at recess, or in the shade of a tree during warmer days. She reads fantasy books, young adult, medical science… There isn’t a moment she isn’t reading or thinking about reading. her grades are poor, but it’s only because her parents are alright with letting her do what she wants. She is independent, with a few friends she enjoys spending time with. She has no idea that everything is about to change drastically.

Middle school begins, and suddenly, everything has changed in an instant. Cliques have formed. Friends no longer speak to her. She, however, carries on and finds new friends to eat lunch with. She carries two or more books around and has begun to write in her spare time. She fares okay in Social Studies and Science— she couldn’t care less about physics, anyways. In math she fares okay, but in English she writes stellar essays, read aloud to the class and used as models.

She notices a shift in attitude. Her middle school has become that of a typical one— dating drama and scandals amongst 6th graders, which she couldn’t care less about. But something in the student body’s perception has shifted. She is seen as an outsider simply because she prefers reading over socializing. Whenever the teacher asks a question, she is unable to answer in fear of sounding ‘too smart’. Her perception has warped into something judgmental of others. her own insecurities are pushed upon others. She has recently discovered she isn’t straight and tries her hardest to keep it a secret. She constantly is aware of her every move, petrified of being seen as ‘odd’ by others. Being late to her class or tripping in the hall made her panic.

She acts far too nice and is constantly dealing with the issues of others in fear of seeming rude. Her parents consider her odd for reading and being alone after school. She does everything to stay hidden from others. She loathes field trips because none of her friends are in her class. She begins to use lengthy vocabulary to force her intellect upon others… to her core, she is unhappy. She feels depressed constantly and tries hard to fit in, but she simply cannot get past her own social anxiety. She considers if life was worth it. She feels empty.

Then, seventh grade arrives. She begins the year with a new mindset— becoming popular. Her grades drop and she barely studies, if at all. She scarcely reads, and acts clueless in class as to not be seen as ‘too smart’. She has not once said anything positive about herself. She begins to distance herself from old friends. She is no longer an outsider. Her emptiness is replaced with a deep insecurity, but she thinks she’s content. She isn’t authentic.

Abruptly, a seed of contemplation sprouts in her mind. Why am I changing myself? Why for others? Do they even notice my grades or the books I read? Do they even care? Why do I care if they do?

She begins to change.

The most difficult thing she’s ever done is right in front of her.

Waiting.

She sits down at lunch. An eerie silence accompanied by her own short, soft breaths. The room is almost still. Light filters through the corridor-esque windows of the cafeteria. Her heart pounds in her ears, invading her thoughts. The table still has a wrapper from last period. She can hardly breathe. Her book is still there. The chatter of other students can be heard. The book is a 600-page medical science book. The noises grow near. It is approximately 3 inches thick.

She picks up the book.

She reads for the entire lunch period. She is happy.

Her life suddenly has a meaning— she sees futures where she is a professor, or maybe an author. Possibly, she is a surgeon with 3 children— one adopted from Europe, or maybe South America. She begins to read frivolously again. She no longer tries to please everyone. She no longer skips two questions ahead in math to seem smart or two back for the opposite effect. She has true friends who she enjoys talking to. She doesn’t care if someone thinks she is arrogant after she answers a question correctly in Science or if someone thinks she is stupid if she doesn’t in Math. She studies a week before each test and attends as many extra-helps as she can. She is free from the shackles that bound her for so long. She is herself, and that is all that matters.

That person is me, and I, finally, have taught myself to stop worrying about what others think— especially a group of people who, in approximately 5 and 1/2 years I will never see again. I care for myself and I am finally enjoying my life for what I want it to be, not what others think it should be.

But I pity those who don’t— as I know for a fact that someone will realize this fact when it’s too late in their life, or not at all. I can never tell them what I’ve learned, that no amount of ‘self-care days’ will heal the absence in your heart, that no amount of makeup will undo the standards society placed on you before you had even taken your first breath; and sometimes, people will not like you no matter what you do— that is okay. Nobody should love you more than you love yourself.

Society’s standards are assigned to us before birth and carry on with us after death. People who have never known you judge you by nonexistent standards. Sure, maybe you didn’t ever become a wealthy entrepreneur but did the amount of lives you touched with your career at a nursing home or the child you helped out of a broken home?

The reason why teenagers are ‘broken’ are because society expects them to be perfect. They are expected to be a world-class neurosurgeon or go to an Ivy-League before they even take their first breath. Our definition of a life well spent is warped and twisted, and we force that upon our youth. By valuing materialistic things over their happiness we are setting them upon a path of insecurity and unhappiness.

Society is why teenagers are ‘broken’, because of our twisted values and morals we inflict upon them. My advice for all teenagers would be that life is what you make of it, so live the rest of your life on your own terms, not someone else’s. Be happy.

RACHEL ZEGLER NERVOUS BREAKDOWN AFTER GETTING FIRED BY DISNEY! WOKE SNOW WHITE IS A TOTAL DISASTER

DF-21D and DF-26B: China’s Missiles Built to Sink A U.S. Navy Aircraft Carrier

China’s People’s Liberation Army Navy (PLAN) has surpassed the U.S. Navy in size, with a focus on anti-ship ballistic missiles (ASBMs) like the DF-21D and DF-26B to counter U.S. carrier forces

by Peter Suciu

Summary: China’s People’s Liberation Army Navy (PLAN) has surpassed the U.S. Navy in size, with a focus on anti-ship ballistic missiles (ASBMs) like the DF-21D and DF-26B to counter U.S. carrier forces.

-The DF-26B, with a range of 4,000 km, and the DF-21D, known as the world’s first “carrier killer,” pose significant threats to U.S. carriers in the East and South China Seas.

-The U.S. must address these threats to maintain naval superiority and secure its interests in the region.

China’s DF-21D and DF-26B Missiles: Game-Changers in Naval Warfare

The United States Navy is one of the most powerful maritime forces in the world.

However, China’s People’s Liberation Army Navy (PLAN) has surpassed

it in size, and Beijing will likely use it to increase its presence in the region and beyond

.

At issue, however, is the fact that the U.S. Navy maintains 11 nuclear-powered aircraft carriers

, as well as nine amphibious assault ships

(LHDs), which is used to maintain force projection around the globe.

Yet, even as China launched its third, and largest, aircraft carrier, the Type 003

Fujian, a key to Chinese victory in a war with the United States wouldn’t likely be a Battle of Midway carrier slug match

.

Instead of trying to go toe-to-toe – or more accurately carrier-to-carrier – against the United States Navy, the PLAN would more likely seek to remove the U.S. carrier force from the board entirely. That is where the PLAN’s DF-21D and DF-26B anti-ship ballistic missiles (ASBMs

) could come into play.

This is a threat the United States needs to take seriously.

In the late summer of 2020, China conducted test launches of both platforms

into the South China Sea, and the move came just one day after Beijing accused the United States of sending a U-2 spy plane

into a “no-fly zone” during a People’s Liberation Army Navy (PLAN) live-fire naval drill in the Bohai Sea off China’s north coast.

One of the missiles – the DF-26B – was launched from the northwestern province of Qinghai; while the other – the DB-21B – was launched from the eastern province of Zhejiang. Both of the missiles were fired into an area between the Hainan province and the Paracel Island, a source with the People’s Liberation Army (PLA) told the

South China Morning Post at the time

.

The landing areas were within a zone that maritime safety authorities in Hainan had said would be off-limits because of those military exercises.

That Sinking Feeling – Meet China’s Carrier Killers, the DF-21 D and DF-26

China first unveiled the road-mobile, two-stage solid-fueled intermediate-range ballistic (IRBM) DF-26B (Dong Feng-26) during a military parade in September 2015. It has a reported range of 4,000km

(2,485 miles) and it can be used in both conventional and nuclear strikes against ground as well as naval targets.

The mobile launcher can carry a 1,200 to 1,800 kg nuclear or conventional warhead, and as it could directly strike a target such as the U.S. territory of Guam in the event of war it should be seen as a formidable weapon.

More ominously, the DF-26B has been described as a carrier

killer

due to how it could be used to target the U.S. Navy’s fleet of Nimitz– and Ford-class nuclear-powered supercarriers.

Especially noteworthy about the DF-26B is that it is a dual-capable missile, a type of weapon banned by the Intermediate-range Nuclear Forces Treaty

signed by the United States and the Soviet Union near the end of the Cold War. However, China was never invited to join the agreement, and the United States withdrew from the treaty

during the Trump administration citing Beijing’s deployment of such weapons as a justification.

The other missile, the DF-21D has been described as the world’s first anti-ship ballistic missile (ASBM) or “carrier killer.” The DF-21D first entered service more than 30 years ago and replaced the obsolete Dong Feng-2 (CSS-1). It became China’s first solid-fuel road-mobile missile.

Able to deploy a 600 kg payload with a minimum range of 500 km (311 miles) and a maximum range of 2,150 km, the DF-21D’s warhead is likely maneuverable and may have an accuracy of 20 m CEP (circular error probable). That could make it instrumental in striking a vessel

in the open ocean or denying access to a potential opponent in transiting to a conflict zone in waters that Beijing seeks to control, such as the East or South China Seas. It isn’t just the United States Navy that could find itself in the PLAN’s crosshairs. The missiles could certainly be used to target India’s or Japan’s aircraft carriers.

Man Who Donated Sp*rm FORCED To Pay Child Support! 40% Of His Paycheck | Women Hitting The Wall

This is horrific!

A real nightmare!

My older sisters and I constantly played pranks on each other. I got Tracy good one evening. This prank went down as one of the greatest pranks pulled in my family. We still talk about it.

Tracy had just came back from doing a clothes fitting at the studio. She was going to be in a TV commercial and was being fitted for the clothes she was going to wear and they also went over hairstyles. Costumes and hairstyles were all planned on story boards like in the movies and they were followed to the T. It was usually long hours.

After parking, Tracy walked into the house exhausted and muttered, “That was a long night. Be down in about 20 minutes,” then walked upstairs. She was 18 at the time and I, her younger brother, was 16. I was looking out our front window at her car. The girls drove Shelby Mustang GT350s and treated them like babies.

We had a long winding driveway that led to the house after the iron gates were opened then closed electrically. In front of our house was a circular driveway. Lori and Tracy parked their cars in front of the house on the driveway. Mom and Dad’s cars were in the garage along with dad’s Triumph TR3, his baby.

With mom, dad and Lori in the back yard, I had a plan to scare the crap out of my sister.

Mom collected dresses from the US Civil War era and had them on mannequins throughout the house. My wife does the same now and I have mannequins all over our house. Can’t get away from them.

I quickly took one that was just a torso, arms and head, ran out to Tracy’s car and sat it in the driver’s seat. Now, I put one of my baseball caps on its head then the good part. I slid a scary Halloween mask over the face that I had in my room. Then I walked into the house and looked out the window. Perfect. It looked like a strange man was sitting in her car.

Mom, dad and Lori were still playing cards on the patio table in the back yard. Tracy came downstairs after her bath, went into the kitchen and made some chocolate milk.

“Do you want a chocolate milk?” she called out to me. I told her no thanks. She then came into the living room where I was.

“Where is everybody?” she asked. I told her they were playing cards out back. I was looking out the front window.

“What the hell?” I said.

“What?” Tracy asked coming to the window. She looked out over my shoulder.

“Is that a guy sitting in your car?” I asked giving her a surprised look.

She looked at her car, squinted her eyes to see better and yelled, “WHAT THE F—K? WHO THE HELL IS SITTING IN MY CAR? I CLOSED THE GATE DIDN’T I?”

She ran to the front door and ran out, me following. She went up to the car and yelled, “HEY, GET OUT OF MY CAR!” When she saw the mask she screamed and ran behind me.

I opened the door, took off the hat and mask and Tracy saw it was one of mom’s mannequins.

“YOU SCARED THE SHIT OUT OF ME!” she yelled giving me a big push on my chest. “Holy shit! Seriously, when I saw the face, the mask, I thought i was in a horror show,” she added.

I picked up mom’s mannequin and carried it to the house. Tracy gave me a hit on my shoulder, then started laughing.

“Got to admit. THAT was a good one. Beware little brother, YOU are on my radar and I’m going to ping you good!” Yes, she actually said that.

Did she ping me good? Another yes. She was damn good at pranks.

I did the same prank years later to a friend of my wife who was over visiting. She had parked on the street. Perfect.

Compilation: UFOs & Aliens!

Secular civilization tends to record

Religious civilization tends to fiction

Almost all human civilizations worship some kind of mysticism in their early stages of development. Some civilizations gradually emerged from mysticism, while others were trapped in it for a long time.

The early Chinese civilization was also a civilization that worshipped mysticism and religion. The two earliest dynasties in Chinese history, the “Xia Dynasty” and the “Shang Dynasty”, were both civilizations built on religion.

According to Chinese historical records, the early Chinese believed that the two most important things for a country were “sacrifice” and “military”. At present, the earliest large-scale written materials discovered in China are oracle bones, which are actually a database left by religious sacrifices and divination.

Chinese civilization did not gradually transform into a secular civilization until after the tenth century BC. From this time on, the influence of religion and mysticism declined greatly, replaced by realism and classical philosophy. Although religion, clergy and priests are still respected, and mysticism is still popular. But these things can no longer influence the behavior of the entire country and society. In the past 3,000 years, there have been countless wars and chaos in China, and none of them was a real religious war. Religious personnel cannot enter the government power system.

As a realistic civilization, a secular civilization, from the day he became himself, he tended to replace fiction with reality.

The Xia Dynasty and the Shang Dynasty never recorded their own history, but the Zhou Dynasty changed its mind. They asked themselves: Who are we? Where do we come from? Are we just? What is our purpose? To figure out these questions, we must know what happened in the past and what experience and lessons our ancestors gave us.

At the end of the Zhou Dynasty, scholars collected various documents and materials left by the Xia Dynasty and the Shang Dynasty and compiled the first professional history book in Chinese history: “Shangshu(Book Of Documents)”. This book starts from the origin of the entire Chinese civilization, narrates from the mythological era, and records the history of the Xia Dynasty, the history of the Shang Dynasty and the history of the Zhou Dynasty, spanning 1,400 years.

From then on, every empire and dynasty in China formed a fixed habit. They kept recording history, which included not only the central government representing the highest power, but also every local government, who were constantly writing history. For the past 3,000 years, historical officials have been respected jobs, and only the most knowledgeable and moral people can serve. Chinese history records many historical officials who were executed by the emperor for refusing to revise history.

After 3,000 years of accumulation, China has produced tens of thousands of historical books and materials, which quote each other and corroborate each other, forming a huge historical information database. This makes Chinese history extremely clear and difficult to tamper with and destroy in the entire human history. And the Chinese people’s understanding of their own history comes from this inheritance and record, and they do not need any help from foreigners.


Ancient Indian civilization is a religious civilization, and the power of religion on this continent is very strong. In the history that can be consulted, India has always been under the control of powerful religious forces. Buddhism, Hinduism, Islam and other religions have very strong dominance on this continent.

In India, religion can influence the behavior of many countries, and can also cause wars and killings. India has been in a state of division for most of its history, and a few unified empires, such as the Maurya Dynasty, the Gupta Dynasty and the Mughal Empire, are also typical religious countries. Some wars of conquest also have a strong religious color, and even many kings themselves serve as some kind of religious leaders.

So, unlike China, the Indian continent is a typical religious civilization.

Religious civilization likes to replace reality with fiction.

Who are we, where do we come from, what is the meaning of life, and where are we going. All can be found in religious scriptures. Buddha tells us that people run through reincarnation, and Allah tells us that he spent 7 days creating the world and admonishes us what we should do and what we should not do.

Once these religious documents (Vedas, Buddhist scriptures, Koran or other religious documents) are written, they are inherently repellent to the real world.

Religious culture tends to destroy real history and fabricate a religious world.

They hope that believers don’t care about what happened in the past, nor what the country has experienced. Is it important whether the previous king is great or evil? No, it doesn’t matter at all. Because everything in the world has been explained in our religious logic, and information other than this is interference. I am history, I am the truth. Even in Europe, there are still people who regard “Exodus” as some kind of real history.

Therefore, India rarely leaves professional historical records. The history of ancient India must rely on various circumstantial evidence, archaeological discoveries, and speculation based on legends. The development of archaeology did not occur until the 20th century. Before that, Indians had little knowledge of their own history.

This is not only true in India, but in fact most religious civilizations have this common feature.

When a civilization turns to secularization, various historical documents will increase, and many materials will be recorded and preserved. When a civilization turns to religion, real history will gradually be replaced by religious documents. Comparing the differences in the number of various historical documents left by people in the three stages of the classical era, the Middle Ages, and the Renaissance in Europe, this can be clearly seen.

Whenever religious power is strong, historical data is as barren as the desert. Whenever secular civilization and realism rise, history and data will be rich and colorful.

Melt in Your Mouth Pot Roast

Pot Roast
Pot Roast

Yield: 6 to 8 servings

Ingredients

    • 1 (3 to 4 pound) beef chuck roast
    • 1 (12 ounce) can cola (not diet)
    • 3/4 cup dark brown sugar
    • 3/4 cup Heinz chili sauce
    • 3/4 cup ketchup
    • 1 packet dry onion soup mix
    • 4 or 5 new potatoes, cut up
    • 1 1/2 to 2 cups baby carrots or cut-up carrots
P1180108
P1180108

Instructions

  1. Combine all ingredients in a slow cooker.
  2. Cook on LOW for 8 to 10 hours.

Hubby was in the hospital after being diagnosed with sudden onset Congestive Heart Failure. Prior to this, he had been very healthy, no medical issues, healthy body weight, didn’t take any daily medications and was very active. We walk or hike 3–5 miles five times per week, bike 20+ miles once or twice a week, kayak, snowshoeing, etc.

Every time the cardiologist came in the room, he talked about how old my husband is, (he’s 75), that he has a lot of other medical issues, and how serious his heart failure was. Yes, he’s 75, but very healthy and active prior to this. And any of the other health conditions only started since his diagnosis.

After five days in the hospital he wasn’t getting better, was sleeping most of the time, struggling to breathe, and was basically bedridden. The cardiologist came in and told me there was nothing more they could do and he would be released to go home and get palliative care. I was in shock! No way could he go from being active and healthy to being sent home to die!

I asked the cardiologist: Is there anything else you can do ?? He said, no. I asked if there were any other medications they might help. Cardiologist said, no, there are no other medications. I asked, “So he’s never going to get any better?” The cardiologist said, “I know that’s hard to hear. I’m sorry.” AND HE TURNED AND WALKED OUT OF THE ROOM!

Luckily, a friend advised me to have him transferred to a different hospital and get him looked at by an Advanced Heart Failure Specialist at a major heart hospital. That cardiology team changed ALL of his medications and drained 1.5 liters of fluid from his lung. Hubby immediately started feeling better.

He was released from the hospital and started working to regain his strength and endurance. Within four months he could walk 5+ miles and we have since biked 20 miles again. He still has heart failure, but it is controlled through medicines, diet and exercise.

I’m still angry with the first cardiologist who either didn’t know how to do his job or didn’t care to do it.

NO WAY OUT: U.S. WARNS Japan Over Saving Its Currency As The Dollar FLIPS On Exporters

I work at Google and I’m writing this anonymously to avoid hurting anyone’s feelings.

When I moved to Google NY I met a guy who had been working for Google for 5 years. I had moved to the New York Office and this guy had been transferred from overseas.

He was a nice guy, very likable and because we were both interested in soccer we connected very quickly and became friends.

He started working on a very problematic team. The team itself was not a problem, but his superior was struggling to make his team profitable and he was famous inside Google for being picky, something rare at Google.

I think it was the cultural differences, but this guy (my friend) started doing things that could cause him some trouble. So, although he was working at Google longer than I, I was living in the United States for much longer than him, so I started giving him some advice.

After 2 months working in NY, he got a 2-week vacation to California and Hawai. You can think. That’s OK. He is entitled to have some time off with his family. The problem is that he didn’t use his annual leave, he pretty much left saying he would be working during the trip.

Then he went back and 3 months later he did the same thing again. He went back to his home country to attend his nice graduation.

He was also underperforming (according to his manager) and at Google, we had a performance evaluation and he got a “below the expectations” grade.

Now, he had to put a lot of effort to get a good grade on the next evaluation, but instead, he decided to go on a trip again. This time to Japan and again, he didn’t use his annual leave but again said he would be working during the trip.

When he went back I talked to him and I said that I don’t know his manager much, but by my experience, this behavior would end up getting him fired. So, I analyzed the possibilities and I said that he had two options. Improve his performance or moving to another team.

However to move to another team you have pretty much to go through the whole interview process again and as he had a bad performance in the past, it would definitely impact his chance to get another role.

He kept traveling, getting to work late, missing meetings and leaving early to solve personal stuff frequently.

So, he decided to continue in his team and when he got to the next performance evaluation he got a “below the expectations” again and his manager told him that he would be leaving his team, in other words, he was fired. However, he gave him 3 months to stay at work doing nothing and applying for different roles.

He didn’t bother much. He applied for a dozen of roles, didn’t get any and in 3 months he was fired.

I would say that if you do a good job, it’s really hard to be fired from Google, but as you can see, it does not mean that it is impossible.

Jeffrey Sachs Interview – Fear of Losing Power

This is a very good question, and like most historical hypotheticals, very difficult to answer.

I don’t see how the Ming could not have fallen. They were rotten to the core. The emperors were concerned mostly with concentrating power and money. They really didn’t care much about the ordinary people. Look at the magnificent Ming Tombs: magnificent, but the people paid a hideous price of suffering and starvation to build those tombs. As a good Confucian, I believe a better monument to the Ming would have been a well-fed, contented people.

The Ming have a lot to answer for in the fall of China. They stultified thought and curiosity. For example, in the WanLi , laws forbade the study of astronomy or calendars on the pain of death or banishment. Those who burn books or limit education are never on the right side of history.

Again, I don’t see how the Ming could not have fallen. The question is, who would have replaced them? If the Manchus had not come in, would the Ming have been replaced by a robust dynasty? or would it have been replaced by a determined reformer whose heirs destroyed everything, in the exact same mold as the Ming?

It is beyond question that China fell behind the West due to the Qing. I am not sure it is fair to say that the fault was the Manchu conquest. Recently in another answer I have said that China would certainly have been in much better shape if Qianlong/Ch’ienlung had died when he was about fifty. Up until then, China was doing okay.

But even still, there were serious problems. The Qing did not encourage people to imagine, to dream, to take flights of fantasy. The Manchus were severely outnumbered, so they demanded unquestioning obedience. You can never build a truly strong organization, be it a family, a corporation, or a nation, on a basis of unquestioning obedience.

Have I answered your question? The Manchu conquest was ultimately bad for China. Although the dynasty started with great prosperity, they did not build a foundation for continued health. But even without the Manchus, the Ming had done great harm to China.

However, none of this absolves the Western powers and Japan for their rapacity.

Some favorite figurative art

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Doctor hunting.

There is a universal phenomenon in hospitals in which some female nurses actively try to develop a relationship with one of the hospital doctors. The status of such nurses becomes higher when they are married to a doctor (in the end), and as silly as that sounds, it’s an undeniable truth.

And as silly as it sounds again, doctor hunters who eventually find their prey, often (but not always) act very differently than “common” nurses — they have a powerful husband now, the husband earns a lot of money, and the latter basically lifts them into another part of society.

And so they become arrogant.

Some of these doctor hunters are very hard to work with — it is as if they cannot hide the fact that hubby is a medical doctor, which has to make them more important than “ordinary” nurses, right ?

One of the big hospital secrets which is always hushed away on TV is that there is a well-defined hierarchy in hospitals, and in that hierarchy the doctors are the pilots and the nurses the flight attendants. Every single hospital employee knows this, by the way.

On the other side of the spectrum, we have the nurse doers — doctors that actively search for (secret) relationships with nurses. Some of them utterly enjoy the experience (nurse after nurse after nurse), but never plan to end their marriage in favor of the nurse.

The main entry stays at home.

In my girlfriend’s hospital, a rather impressive number of (doctor hunter, nurse doer)-couples are known, and some of them are “secret” (because the doctor has a family back home), and others are not (because they got married in the end).

In one instance, we witnessed to nurses — both doctor hunters — fight at a party because they found out that they both had a relationship with one and the same doctor (who had a wife and kids). They weren’t even mad at him — only mad at each other ! 🙄

It’s always interesting to see how twisted hospital shows misrepresent what really happens in a hospital, and what I find most striking is how totally different nurses are represented compared to real-life situations.

In the end, the truth still is that a doctor title opens doors —

And doctor hunters want the key.

Elensky gift to Putin foiled. Xi, China stands with Serbia. Russia blocks Rumble. Germany bans Z&V

Pawn shop. I’m a trumpet player and of course I collect trumpets, cornets and the like when I find something interesting or a good deal. A friend (also a musician) who’s son-in-law worked at a pawn shop had clued him in on a potential deal on a cornet. He mentioned it to me saying if I wasn’t interested he was for sure. Told me he thought it could be had for $160 (they were asking $199). I went to look at it, it was a 50 year old cornet in near new condition (which is amazing for something that old, most have been well used). Before I had gone into the store, had put $140 in cash in my pocket. Asked what they would take. Check with the computer then the young salesman says we need $160, then asked what I would offer. I said $140. He checks with manager then says, no we must get $160. I said, oookay. Then turned towards the door and take a step, stop, look back over my shoulder and say “I have $140 cash money in my pocket….” Salesman pauses, glances to his left at the manager who was working numbers in a book. Manager didn’t even look up, just nods. Done deal. Not only that, they wrote it up so that the total including the additional sales tax came to $139.99. I donated the penny.

I knew it was worth more than the $199 they were asking, but was very surprised when I researched the cornet and found it was worth upwards of $350 or more. Not sure if that qualifies as “significantly more” but more than double what I paid works for me! I still have it, plays awesomely well and very happy with it in my collection. (No I didn’t give the make/model on purpose so as to avoid opinions and value advice from those who’ve never seen the item. No offense intended.)

I called my dear fuzhou friend over the weekend. She is completing her California house sale and calling curtains on her green card stay.

Her extended family is living in fuzhou, a city along the Taiwan straits.

Her parents are retired educators, and gentle folk. I asked if she is worried for their safety, given the tensions and risk of conflict.

She replied they told her not to worry. Social order is good, and the community organized and controlled covid well over the past two years. If war breaks out, they are prepared for it.

After all, they are a generation that experienced the 29-year jinmen conflict, as well as the chaos of the cultural revolution.

Many years ago, she was the first person to convince me not to doubt the resolve of the mainland when it came to Taiwan, because 不说别的,那班孙子把紫禁城洗劫一空,还敢当众摆放在"故宫"!

She meant it half jokingly, but that was one of the few times I felt real anger brewing in her.

If war is necessary, the Chinese in fujian will apply the same pragmatism they face covid with. No fear, no panic, no empty shelves. There are multiple layers of social fabric to organize and take care of communities.

I’m a Canadian, I bought wilderness property, on the river to have privacy.

My wife likes to sunbathe au natural, and I am not keen on people using the land I paid for. If they hurt themselves, I am liable, if they drive a vehicle at the river and wreck the environment, I am the one that the government expects to pay to restore it.

I will give some of the more interesting trespassing examples. I was laying on my deck, reading a book, when I watched a young couple walk maybe 50 feet from my house, and down towards the river. I keep a walking path to the river, far from my house, so that I am not disturbed by people trespassing.

This annoys me, who would walk 50 feet from your house, into your backyard, in the city? So I put on my shoes and follow them. I find them down at my firepit, naked, going at it on my chaise lounges. I ask them what they are doing, as if it wasn’t obvious.

They say that they wanted to go swimming, and were just changing, but they had no swim wear.

I asked them if they usually just walked right by someone’s house and got naked. They claimed that they didn’t see my house.

I asked them to leave.

After I blocked off driving access to the river, I had people drive 10 feet from my house, over my lawn, to get to the river. Unfortunately I had also chained up that access to the river, and I blocked my driveway with my truck, before they could come back out.

I heard ila thunk thunk sound one day, so I walked down to the walking path I left open to the river.

There were four boys 11–13 throwing rocks at my private property, please treat with respect sign. They were sitting on a raft, waiting for their parents to come back from dropping off a car, down river.

I go out of my way to allow environmentally friendly access to the river and they practically spit on the gesture.

I get their names and tell them if I find any damage at all on my property, I will be locking the gate, and posting a sign saying that access is gone, because of the actions of these 4 local kids. Listing their names. It doesn’t matter who does the damage, your names will be posted, so make sure no one treats my property like you guys have.

They all agree, and I head back to the house, before their parents arrive.

My wife was sunbathing, and 4 guys on dirt bikes pulled up beside her, they had threaded their way down the walking path. They make a bunch of rude comments, and my wife gets dressed and leaves, they are gone before I get there.

That’s why I get worked up about trespassing.

DANGER: UNSTABLE GROUND

Submitted into Contest #247 in response to: Imagine a world where exploration is forbidden, and write a story about a character who defies this rule to satisfy their innate curiosity...

Today, I am introducing the concept of including some speculative fiction or science fiction (modern and contemporaneous) with the daily posts. Please tell me if you like or hate this idea. -MM
Do not ever step foot on the ground. Charlie had been told this his entire life, but it never really sunk in. He didn’t understand the deep-seated fear everyone else seemed to harbor. He thought it was incredible, a beautiful problem to be solved. Until he was laying on the floor of the lab staring at the ceiling and blinking away tears.The first time Charlie ever saw the ground consume a person he’d been twelve. What the tree-top teachers referred to as “live mummification” was a quick, disturbing process. Dirt crawling over skin to create a sort of exoskeleton. A casting of the human body, like those papier-mâché spheres they’d made in class years ago. It’d been an elderly lady that first time. The pulley system keeping her safe had malfunctioned and she’d lurched off balance. It was a code yellow bridge and wasn’t fully enclosed. The old lady stumbled to the side and was pulled right over the edge. Charlie caught only the first flash of the swarming ground on her skin before his mom had ushered him away. As the crowd around them shrieked and cried, Charlie craned his neck for a better look.He’d liked to have claimed this moment as the catalyst for his obsession, but really that had occurred years ago. It was maybe a few days after his seventh birthday, and he was crossing that old rope bridge by his house. It’s been built in a rush by early survivors trying to escape their houses for supplies. He was not supposed to be on it, but that had only made him more intent on using it.One of the rotten wood planks had splintered under his front foot and sent him toppling forward. It was only due to some notion of luck that his hips didn’t fit through the empty space and his arms had gotten tangled in the ropes. His leg hung down, exposed, ten feet off the ground. And then his new shoe, a size too big so he could grow into it, slipped off his foot. It landed on the dusty ground and tipped over sideways. Charlie’s breath caught in his chest, but nothing happened. The shiny shoe glistened under the sun. He wanted desperately to stick his finger in that restless dirt, just to see what would happen. He stayed put for way longer than was logical just in case, but the ground remained flat and lifeless. The shoe was not alive.The second time he saw someone be consumed by the ground he was 18 and on the verge of declaring a major in Microbiology, specializing in the study of those tiny organisms that made the ground hungry. This time the fall had not been an accident. He’d been crossing a major intersection of bridges when a commotion piqued his curiosity. A young woman who looked barely older than him had crawled out onto the roof of a one-story house where no one would risk following. Her auburn hair floated in the wind. People crowded against the railings to watch her. A few kind souls called out things like “You don’t have to do this!” and “Things will get better!” but the girl ignored them. She stared straight ahead and stepped off the roof. For a millisecond it was as if she was walking in the air, and then she plummeted to the ground and landed with a heavy thump. Immediately the soil surged up to meet her. She didn’t make a sound as it closed over her. Charlie came back every day for two weeks to observe the hardened cocoon. Inside, he knew that the body was being decomposed, drained away. The microorganisms in the dirt would suck the nutrients from her. Then the cast would collapse in on itself and the ground would smooth over once again.It wasn’t surprising that these events would have a lasting effect on him. The unexpected part was the nature of the effect. Where others would shy away and realize how dangerous the ground was, Charlie felt himself drawn to it. He wanted to understand the little beasts that terrorized his people. So, it was inevitable, really, that he’d want to see this forbidden phenomenon again. 

The lab he was assigned to was on the upper floor of a university no longer in use. The building was old, made of even gray bricks. He had to duck through the fifth-floor window that had been fashioned into an entrance to get in. The walls were off-white, and the floors were so stable it made him feel somewhat unbalanced. His feet, used to the bridges and tree-top platforms, weren’t accustomed to the solidity. The equipment in the lab was well maintained: microscopes, autoclaves, incubators, centrifuges. He felt like a child in a room full of new toys. On one side of the room, where a balcony had once been, a ramp had been fixed that led down to the ground. The space before it was taken up by a deoxygenation chamber used briefly to asphyxiate any rogue organisms.

 

Charlie was integrated into a group that exclusively studied the microorganisms in the ground called Vitae Suffocent. Life suckers. The study was relatively new, they’d only recently worked with engineering to create a protective suit. Before then, the scientists would lean out the window with a cup fastened to a long pole and scoop up a small bit of the dirt. With the help of the suits, they had been able to set up a secure mock habitat to observe the specimens’ behavior.

 

The group was small, a handful of young students of which he was one, along with six seasoned scientists. For the first time, Charlie found himself surrounded by people who were just as interested in the ground as he was. The obsession that had set him apart from other kids in school was now reflected all around him. There was a girl who’d started at the same time as him- Tori. She was short and had thin black hair chopped short around her ears. Because they were new, they were often assigned projects to work on together. He wasn’t sure if he liked her, but it didn’t matter much.

There was an ongoing experiment that needed a fresh test subject, someone to stick a finger into the Life Sucker habitat. Charlie volunteered immediately, exhilarated by the idea of being able to touch the ground. He pictured it being magical, a borderline religious experiment. He worked himself up over it for days, so that when it was finally time he was almost bursting with excitement.

 

The scientists heading the experiment placed him in the deoxygenation chamber with the container. Around him, they gathered clipboards, pencils poised to jot down any and all details. His forefinger was swiped clean with an alcohol wipe that made the skin feel dry. Tori unlocked the circular compartment in the top of the container. Slowly, breathlessly, Charlie lowered his hand into the habitat. The tip of his finger brushed the dirt. It was soft and damp as he pressed the finger down. Charlie blinked and the soil began to stir. It tickled the pad of his finger. He watched in fascination as the hidden organisms began to climb up his skin. It was a strange sensation. The soil was cool and light, it felt more like a caress than a smothering.

 

Tori clicked the stopwatch in her hand and began to count aloud. By the time she reached seven, the organisms were up to his wrist. He withdrew his hand. The seal on the opening caught most of the dirt and held it back, to the irritation of the organisms. He held his hand away from him, not trusting it. Tori latched the contained shut quickly. Someone on the outside of the chamber switched it on. They held their breaths as the oxygen rapidly drained from the room. A loud whirring assaulted Charlie’s ears. His chest tightened. For a minute they all felt like they were suffocating, then it abruptly stopped and the doors to the lab popped open. Oxygen flooded back in. Charlie sucked in a deep breath.

 

He examined his hand. It was tingling and covered in little red blotches, but otherwise, he was fine. No damage had ever been recorded from less than ten seconds of exposure. Charlie glanced at the other set of doors over his shoulder. The ones that opened onto the ramp that led down to the ground. He longed to go through them, wanted to dig his hands in the ground and laugh as the organisms consumed him. He turned and walked back into the lab.

 

A month later he was given a protective suit and given the chance to wear it for the first time. He and Tori had been assigned to walk, outside, to a big oak tree and back. Charlie was thrilled. He stepped into the suit and pulled it up over his arms. A tech zipped him in and checked him over. The suit was a stiff layer of slick rubber designed to lack tread so the organisms wouldn’t be able to climb against gravity. The boots they were given were thick and clunky. They were tall, reaching up to his knees like a pair of extra-long rain boots. A device attached to the top of the boot sent out vibrations that they’d found would deter the organisms. The hood of the suit came up over his head and the visor was clicked into place. He saw the world through a glass partition.

 

Then they were in the chamber and the doors behind them were closing. It was midday and the sun was shining. A breeze spirited a few brown leaves past the glass. The doors to the ramp opened. Charlie stepped out first. His heart pounded in his chest. It was right there, the ground. He walked quickly down the ramp, Tori following behind him at a more reserved pace. He paused at the end of it. The dirt was disturbed, as it always was when the organisms were present. It looked almost fluffy.

 

Charlie took a deep breath and lifted one foot. He lowered it slowly to the ground, enjoying the crunch of soil underfoot. He leaned his weight forward, ready to take another step, but paused. The ground was shaking around his boot, pulsing in strange waves. It was trying to climb up his boot, he realized. He tried to pick up the foot but felt resistance. The ground clung to his boot, pulling him back down. Charlie watched, entranced. He continued to pry his foot away and eventually the dirt fell back down. He looked at Tori, whose face he could just see behind the visor. She looked equal parts disturbed and fascinated.

 

Afterward, he felt like he’d been on another planet. It was amazing, he’d been on the ground, but he couldn’t help feeling slightly disappointed. What had they learned during that expedition? Nothing new, nothing interesting. He wanted more. All he could think about was how slow the studies they performed were. They were no closer to understanding these organisms. They needed to study them in action. His plan fell together quickly after that.

 

Once again he fastened the protective suit on and was checked over by the other technicians. Tori was doing the same next to him. Charlie clapped a hand on her shoulder and with the scalpel hidden in his palm he sliced a tiny hole into her suit, the rubber splitting easily under a sharp blade. She turned and gave him a thumbs-up. He hid the scalpel in one of his pockets.

 

They walked through the chamber and out onto the ramp. The suit was heavy and sweaty against his skin. Through the visor, he saw the dirt-coated ground come closer and closer. The first step was always the most exciting. His foot hovered over the solid ground, casting a wavering shadow over the dirt. He placed it firmly down. The ground beneath him stirred, trying to creep up his legs but being deterred by the vibrations.

 

Slowly, the ground pulling at them with each step, they made it 50 feet away from the end of the ramp. He knew they were being watched closely from the observation windows, but at this distance, no one would really be able to tell what happened. Charlie shoved his foot hard to the side right as Tori took a step. The bottom of her boot caught on the top of his and she lost her balance. Her arms windmilled but the suit was too bulky and dragged her down.

 

She should have gotten up. The suit should have kept the microorganisms at bay. But Charlie had damaged her suit. He gazed intently down at her as the organisms poured over her and into the hole in the fabric. He bent over as if to help her, but really he just wanted to get a closer look. This near, it was mesmerizing. The dark earth swirled as though it was possessed. It rose and fell like a liquid. Tori cried out one last time before they closed over the top of her dark hair. Charlie ignored the panicked voices over his earpiece. Through his visor the majority of the event had been captured (excepting, of course, when he purposefully tripped her).

 

He’d made a huge leap in the field, no matter how tragic. The footage would help inform scientists for years to come. Except, he didn’t know (no one did) that after a feeding, the organisms laid their eggs. Hundreds of microscopic eggs stuck to his boots and were carried back into the facility. The eggs, not having to breathe oxygen yet, were not affected by the deoxygenation tank. Charlie stripped off his suit and hung it on the hook.

 

Overnight, the eggs hatched, and those tiny, deadly microorganisms scurried to hide in the dust accumulated above cabinets and at the edges of the room. Charlie was the first person at the lab that morning, still buzzing with the exhilaration of the day before, ready to study the footage and propel their lab forward. When his skin started to itch, he thought nothing of it. Until he noticed the little red dots on his forearm. Then the world tilted on its axis, and he crumpled to the floor. He’d made another major discovery that day. The skin of the microorganisms contained a deadly neurotoxin.

 

There weren’t enough creatures to make a cast over him. It was a slow death during which all he could think about was how these organisms would feed on him, suck the life out of him. After, they’d lay their eggs. And the eggs would hatch. And the organisms would spread.

 

His curiosity had doomed their entire town. He’d brought the ground to them.

She accidentally made me her power of attorney.

I had a very elderly neighbor that didn’t really have family and no one ever really came around. We’d try say hi on a decently regular basis but it was clear she had dementia and it was getting worse. I’d try to make sure I say her at least once a day.

When I realized it had been a couple of days since we saw her, I called non emergency for a well fare check. In my area, it’s fairly common. Lots of retired folk.

It wasn’t the first time I had called over the years but it was the first time they found her unconscious. She was taken to the hospital and they tried to find family, friends, anyone who knew this lady existed. Apparently, I was it. I was the only person that seemed to know who this lady was. She didn’t have a will, directive, nothing. So they asked if I was comfortable making POA decisions regarding life. I said I was as I had done it with my grandmother and worked in healthcare so I understood what we were up against.

Ultimately, I decided to tell them to pull the plug. She was well into her 80’s. All her organs were failing, they tried all day to wake her up and were never successful. If she did ever wake up, she’d never go home. She be stuck in some rehab facility and would be on dialysis daily for years. She was a recluse. She told us many time that she doesn’t want to be attached to machines to live.

They pulled all living sustaining equipment. She was given a morphine drip to remain comfortable and passed away about three days after she was found.

I eventually found her daughter but they had been estranged for over a decade.

No Peek Beef Casserole

No Peeking Allowed Beef Casserole Large600 ID 2207804
No Peeking Allowed Beef Casserole Large600 ID 2207804

Ingredients

  • 2 pounds stew meat, cut into 1 inch cubes
  • 1 envelope onion soup mix
  • 1 can cream of mushroom soup
  • 1 (4 ounce) can mushrooms, drained
  • 1/2 cup red wine or beef broth
  • 1/2 cup sour cream

Instructions

  1. Combine all ingredients except sour cream. Stir together well. Add to slow cooker.
  2. Cover and cook on LOW for 8 to 12 hours or on HIGH for 5 to 6 hours.
  3. At the end of cooking, stir in sour cream.
  4. Serve over noodles or rice.

No,

China is much more powerful than we Indians think.

China is a global economic and infrastructural power.

Consider these facts and you will know the difference between China and India—

China’s economically largest province is Guangdong with GDP of $1.3 trillion which is about 45% of India’s GDP. Our economically largest state Maharashtra has a GDP of $430 billion.

2. China has the world’s highest GDP ppp of $25 trillion (2.5 times India’s) and the second highest nominal GDP of $12.5 trillion (5 times India’s).

3. People’s Bank of China has assets of $3.21 trillion, which is more than our GDP.

4. China has the world’s largest foreign exchange reserves, which is about 8 times more than India’s ($3.2 trillion).

5. China adds India’s GDP to its economy every 2–3 years.

6. China has the largest share of global industrial designs, and the largest manufacturing infrastructure in the world. Nearly half of the world’s goods are manufactured in China.

7. 11 of the top 50 largest companies by revenue are Chinese. There is not a single Indian company in the list.

8. China’s economy creates a millionaire in a period of just three days. So China has the highest number of millionaires and billionaires in the world after the US.

9. China’s economy is $12.5 trillion, growing at 6% annually. The US economy is $20 trillion, growing at 2.3% annually. In this way, China will become the world’s largest economy by 2030 and overtake the US.

Now look at China’s infrastructure—

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main qimg 67d5beedb040003577f0d8a6a687b647

The harsh reality is that India is nowhere near China when it comes to economy and infrastructure. China is competing with the US, trying to become the largest economy in the world, while we Indians are patting our backs on how we are better than a failed state like Pakistan. The reality is that even the Chinese don’t consider India as a big competitor!

We should stop focusing on Pakistan, instead we should start focusing on our own development. China can become a serious threat to India in the near future.

MAN IS LIVING IN 2027 & HUMAN RACE IS GONE! (VIDEO PROOF) Unicosobreviviente

Bone-headed decision made by a stupid ass kid

Anne gave her final confession 48 hours before execution to her almoner, John Skip (or Skypp.) At dawn on May 18, she called for her jailer, Sir Anthony Kingston, to come and witness something. She swore on the communion Host that she was innocent of the charges against her. She then consumed it and repeated the oath.

For a person of the 16th century, what Anne had just done was extremely powerful. Taking an oath on what they believed to be the literal body of Christ would instantly damn the soul of anyone who was dishonest. She wouldn’t have lied on the Host expecting to meet her maker within a few hours.

The execution was delayed. A large crowd had gathered to see this extraordinary event — the execution of a crowned Queen of England. Kingston hoped if it was delayed and no announcement was made, the people would drift away. They didn’t; the crowd only got larger.

Anne had to be in agony. She called Kingston to ask why no one had come to get her. He told her it had been rescheduled for noon. She settled into prayer with Skip again, but when noon came and went and no one came to get her, she called for Kingston again, and at this point, he told her it would be the following day. Unintentional though it was, this was an incredible cruelty.

On the morning of May 19, 1536, she walked out to face the huge crowd. She mounted the scaffold which had been adorned with hundreds of yards of black velvet. Until the very last moments, her status as a crowned queen had to be respected.

She tipped the executioner to ensure a swift death and then comforted her ladies. These women, assigned to Anne because they hated her and were friends with allies of Princess Mary, now wept as though they were “bereft of souls” or the living damned. They had come to care for her deeply over the two weeks they spent with her in the Tower.

Anne turned to face the crowd and people held their breath, waiting to see what she would say. Kingston knew she was innocent after seeing her swear on the Host, and it was a situation he’d never really anticipated — executing an innocent person. He didn’t know what she would do and had speculated she might declare her innocence before the crowd.

But Anne kept her poise and held to the traditions. In the Tudor era, showing fear or reluctance to die indicated the person was afraid to face God with a guilty conscience. Anne held her chin high and made it clear she welcomed death.

Her exact words are disputed by different sources, but it’s clear they were the conventional speech of a condemned criminal. Any deviation from the pattern would have been shocking and appalling and would have had consequences for her family.

The only slight deviation from the pattern was the request that anyone who might “meddle with her cause” would use good judgement. She knew the history being made in that moment, and that people would be debating what had happened to her for centuries to come.

She submitted to the sword with grace, having done all she could to prove her innocence.

In real China, family net worth and home ownership are 50% bigger than America’s and it dominates all 21st century technologies. Help get the word out.

BITTER Feminist LOSING Their Mind Because They Have NOTHING To OFFER MEN

Weapon Systems: Ours and China’s

Godfree Roberts

You win some..

I asked a Chinese (civil) engineer friend to estimate what proportion of America’s spending on failed weapon systems China spent on its successful ones. He would be surprised, he said, if it were half as much. Here are some systems we discussed:

  • Hypersonic Missiles: America’s 20-year, failed ARRW hypersonic missile defense program cost $15 billion. Chinese university science clubs have demonstrated hypersonic weapons. China’s DF-17, Mach 10 ‘carrier killer’ has been demonstrated many times. Its big brother, DF-27, can hit ships west of Guam.
DF 27
DF 27
  • Next-Gen Helicopter: After spending $7 billion developing a reconnaissance and light attack helicopter, the US pulled the plug in 2004. China’s Harbin Z-19 is a tandem-seat helicopter for reconnaissance and light attack, with air-to-air and air-to-ground missiles and nose-mounted electro-optical target tracking turret.
  • Self-Propelled Howitzer: The Crusader was to replace the Army’s aging artillery pieces, more mobile with longer range. It was canceled in 2002 after $2 billion was spent. China’s PLZ-05 155 mm self-propelled howitzer, the PLZ-07 122 mm self-propelled, self-loading howitzer, the PCL-181 155 mm wheeled, self-propelled, selfloading howitzer are all in full production.
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7aa4d22e90fcf1a18a58481e0dffb938
  • Railgun: The U.S. Navy spent $500 million on the railgun program and cancelled it in 2021. China’s railgun fires 120 rounds at 4,500 mph (7200 km/hr) and strikes targets 120 miles (200 km) away.
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  • Laser Cannon: The Air Force spent $5 billion developing the laser cannon then cancelled it in 2012. China’s high-energy laser cannons remain powered up indefinitely without overheating, thanks to state-of-the-art cooling.
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  • Next-Gen Destroyer: The Zumwalt next-gen destroyer was supposed to launch missiles from its 80 VLS cells but after spending $22 billion, the Navy canned it in 2016. China’s Type 055 next-gen destroyer has 112 VLS cells, all of whose missiles vastly outrange and out-punch their USN counterparts.
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  • Aircraft Carrier: Construction of the $20 billion USN Gerald Ford began in 2009. Its electromagnetic aircraft launch system, EMALS, is underpowered and unreliable, thanks to the Navy’s choice of AC electric power throughout the ship. The Fujian, with a more powerful DC electric system, has a much more powerful, reliable EMALS, a bigger flight deck and aircraft elevators, a slimmer mast and a wider array of defensive weapons.
  • F-35 fighters from design to retirement, will cost $2 trillion, and each jet requires 9 hours of maintenance for one hour flying. The J-20 fighter carries a bigger payload (10 tons) faster (1,500 mph), higher (60,000 ft.) and further (1100 nm.) than the F-35. The J-20’s missiles outrange the F-35’s missiles by 50%.
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94c63be3210c32055c0d0381b6dc077d

The crisis

The West is suffering a crisis, not only of confidence, but of competence. Boeing’s failed shuttle is in the headlines but, less visibly, CERN’s $20 billion attempt to sustain nuclear fusion is collapsing under the weight of its own complexity. It will probably be abandoned now that a private Shanghai company has sustained fusion–for $1 billion.

Instead of continuing with this embarrassing list, I will devote the next post to consider more implications of the fusion breakthrough for world leadership.

American style corruption

Iran Receives Nuclear Threat Over Pending Retaliation Against Israel

Iran Receives Nuclear Threat Over Pending Retaliation Against Israel

Former Iranian diplomat Amir al-Mousavi told Al-Mayadeen news that Iran has been threatened with a nuclear strike.

Mousavi stressed that Iran has made it clear any nuclear attack will be met with a proportional response.

He further noted that those issuing the threats received even stronger replies.

He also urged people to ignore baseless claims of alleged Iranian “cowardice” circulating on social media, over the still-delayed retaliation against Israel for the assassination of Ismail Haniyeh in Tehran weeks ago.

Mousavi concluded by asserting that Iran, together with its allies, is fully prepared to confront the Zionist entity (Israel) with full force.

 

Hal Turner Analysis

In the ongoing Soap Opera of the Israel-Iran troubles, we have finally reached the apex threat stage: nuclear attack.

I call it a “Soap Opera” because like old the TV Soap Operas, you can walk away from it for a whole week and when you get back, you find you haven’t missed anything substantial.

As readers are aware, today (August 15, 2024) is my first day back at work from my vacation last week, and, as I peruse the available Intel and news, I realize I haven’t missed much!

What I have missed – or rather been relieved of for a week — is all the stress that had come with the ongoing situation.

As usual, folks in the Middle East are all hyped-up and ready to blow each other up . . .  again . . . . as usual.  It’s been this way for decades and shows little sign of abating.

As I look at the nuclear strike claim, I realize the only thing different about this situation is that the threat was actually made.

For decades, it was the quiet part . . . the part no one said out loud.  It was always known, and presumed, that no one could hit Israel without the real possibility of being nuked by Israel.

But now that the actual threat has been made – interesting things are happening.

First, there is no abatement of the retaliation by Iran.   Iran says it __is__ coming and __will_ be delivered.

So what did the nuclear threat accomplish?

Looking at the situation as the outsider I actually am, Iran faces a very simple reality:

If they do not hit Israel back for the assassination, then they don’t have a country anymore.  Israel will be free to kill whomever they want, wherever they want, whenever they want.

If they DO hit Israel back, and very VERY hard, it __may__ give them pause before they think about undertaking such an act again.     BUT . . . .

It will also unleash the very war that Israel has been looking at waging since the Iranian nuclear program became public knowledge.

Israel simply will not tolerate any other nearby country being equipped with nuclear weapons the same way the Israelis have nuclear weapons.  If any neighbor country has nukes, that would DETER Israel from its ongoing military abuse of neighbors.

It was this reality, for decades, that actually created today’s troubles because somewhere inside Israel, they got the idea they could do whatever they want, to whomever they want, whenever and wherever they want, and no one would dare do anything for fear of being nuked.

Many MANY sources have repeatedly told me that Iran already has nuclear weapons; they allegedly got them via their own research and with help from North Korea.

None of us knows for certain if this claim of Iran nukes is true.

But back to the issue at hand, Israel has apparently made an actual, direct, nuclear attack threat.

So again, for Iran, the issue is simple: Does Iran hit the Israelis back (HARD) for assassinating Ismail Haniyeh in Tehran, or not?

In my analysis, this is a no-brainer.  I think Iran __must__ hit Israel back, and very hard.

Remember, back in April of this year, Israel bombed the Iran Embassy Compound in Damascus, Syria.   An open act of war!

Iran made a retaliation, with force, much of which was shunted by Israeli defenses, with assistance from allies like the US and UK.

But in that retaliation, deadly weaknesses in Israel’s defenses were exposed.  Several Iranian ballistic missiles, got through Israeli defenses, and struck Israeli military bases.   It proved that Israel __could__ be successfully hit, and the Israelis now know they are nowhere near as “invincible” as they thought they were.  They don’t like this reality and so they have upped-the-ante to actual nuclear threat.

That was foolishness on the part of Israel that is psychotic in its origin.  If Israel nukes Iran over any conventional attack, what does Israel think Russia will do?  What will North Korea do?  What will Pakistan do?    I think one or more of those countries would launch nuclear strikes at Israel!  Much of Israel would be annihilated.

Now, the U.S. would be in a real pickle if any of this happened because, as Israel’s co-dependent enabler, the US would be obligated to come to the aid of their psycho-bully-little-brother, Israel.

Would US political leaders risk all-out nuclear war, for a bunch of psychotics-from-inbreeding over in Israel?

Maybe.  Maybe not.

Which brings us all back to Israel’s nuclear threat.  If I was in Iran, I would realize the nuclear threat is __possible__ but not probable.

If I was in Iran, I would also realize that Israel has wanted an excuse to go after Iran’s nuclear program for years, and this situation, right now, was intentionally created BY ISRAEL, to cause that exact war.   It is coming and nothing will stop it.

So if I was an Iranian political leader, I would resign myself to the reality that a big war __is__ here, and I would go for the gusto; I would order a massive attack upon Israel in response to the assassination of Ismail Haniyeh, and the total violation of Iran sovereignty the assassination actually was.

Iran is either sovereign or they’re not.

If they want to be sovereign, it seems to me they  __must__ hit Israel.  Since the Iran retaliation after the Embassy Bombing did not deter Israel, this retaliation for the assassination of Haniyeh must be at least ten times larger.

The longer Iran waits, the more time Israel has to prepare.  The more time the US and UK have to move assets into theater and move weapons into Israel.

So, I ask the leadership of Iran: Are you sovereign, or not?  Are you going to allow the Israelis to murder people in your capital city, or not?

I think that if Iran rolls-over and does not attack in response to the Haniyeh murder, then Iran is no longer sovereign.

When She Expects Princess Treatment But You’re In the Friendzone

OMGosh…

I got a call for a domestic disturbance, once. When I got there, I saw two guys fighting in the yard. I got out, and ordered them to stop. I was by myself, so I cuffed one guy and put him in my car while I talked to the other one. Then, I switched them to interview the other guy.

I found out they were brothers but one had been messing around with the other brother’s girlfriend. I talked to them about family and the total mess they were making of each other over a female. I took the fellow that started the fight to jail and left the other at the house. All the way in, I continued telling him not to do this over some girlfriend—it wasn’t like they were married—he’s your brother…

By the time we got to the booking office, he was thanking me.

Eight months later on patrol I happened to see the two brothers in a parking lot. I stopped and said, “Hey! How’s it going?”

They turned around and said, “Deputy, thank you so much for how you handled that mess months ago.”

“Great,” I said, “how are things now?”

They said they both got rid of the girlfriend, started a landscaping business together, and business was going great! “Had we not met and talked that day, one of us might be dead by now.”

I felt really good about my job that day. 🙂

NOTE: I want to add the backstory for this girlfriend that some had wondered if she got the short end of the deal. She did, but there was a reason. She was not a long-term girlfriend with any history connected to the brothers. She had only been around for a few months and was clearly using the brothers for her own selfish gain (house, drink, food and apparently a little more…). I imagine that the stories ending would be different had the brothers been dirt-bags, but they weren’t.

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Look. China is an 18t dollar economy.

It is the world’s largest trading nation.

LARGEST.

No. 1.

Between 2019 and 2023, Chinese mercantile exports increased by almost 1t, and would have certainly been far higher had American-led sanctions and restrictions not curtailed normal trade. That’s more than double the increase in US goods exports, at 400b.

[Note: There are ~2,000 Chinese entities on the sanction list today.]

Yet it is growing like a developing economy, which it is, structurally as a whole.

China is an unprecedented economy. There has never been anything like it, and equivalence with any economy in the present or past fail at some point, often superficially.

~5% growth is a china in economic trouble?

Now, China is in the ~13,000 gdp per capita bracket, similar to Mexico, Malaysia, and turkey, all in the structurally vulnerable middle income “trap”.

What were their growth and inflation numbers in 2023?

China: 5.2%, 0.2%

Malaysia: 3.7%, 2.5%

Mexico: 3.2%, 4.7%

Turkey: 4.0%, 53.8%

And the kicker?

The other 3 have devalued massively relative to the yuan this century, particular post GFC.

There isn’t a developing country who won’t kill to be in china’s shoes today.

NONE.

The disparity would have been starker were the global south not given carte blanche to depreciate their currencies in a follow-the-yen reverse plaza accord begun in 2012-2013.

There was no political blowback, and the silence turned deafening when it was China and Singapore (of all actors) inexplicably singled out for designation as currency manipulators, despite appreciating versus the dollar.

It was a sharp message to China. Do NOT join in the festivities. We have different rules for you.

China today has low domestic inflation and interest rates. Given that the yen has devalued 100% in the past decade, along with a host of other currencies, what would it hurt if China devalues the yuan by 10% to 7.8-7.9 to the dollar? Even then, it will only be a fraction of the yen’s colossal dislocation in recent years.

That move alone can boost growth by at least 1–2%.

Economic troubles?

Far from it.

China hasn’t brought out the elephant gun, not even during covid.

That, my friends, is something to chew over.

Ownership is the key.

Cosmic Catastrophe: A Space Adventure Gone Awry

Submitted into Contest #247 in response to: Set your story on a spaceship exploring the far reaches of space when something goes wrong. view prompt

Kayla Flemming

The hum of the spaceship’s engines filled the air as Captain Jackson surveyed the vast expanse of space stretching out before them. They were on a routine mission to explore the far reaches of the Galaxy, charting new star systems and collecting valuable data for the Intergalactic Alliance.But as they ventured further into uncharted territory, a sense of unease settled over the crew. There was something off about this sector of space – a feeling of foreboding that sent shivers down their spines.As they pressed on, their fears were realized when a sudden jolt rocked the ship, sending alarms blaring and lights flashing. Emergency protocols were initiated as the crew scrambled to assess the damage.”What happened?” Captain Jackson barked, his voice tense with urgency.”It looks like we hit some sort of anomaly,” replied Lieutenant Ramirez, her fingers flying across the control panel as she attempted to regain control of the ship. 

But their efforts were in vain as another jolt shook the vessel, this time more violently than before. Panic gripped the crew as they realized they were hurtling towards a nearby planet, their trajectory set on a collision course that spelled certain doom.

 

With time running out, Captain Jackson made a split-second decision – they would attempt a risky maneuver to evade the planet’s gravitational pull and regain control of the ship.

 

“Brace yourselves!” he shouted, his hands gripping the controls with steely determination.

 

As the ship plunged towards the planet’s surface, the crew held their breath, their hearts pounding in their chests. But just when it seemed all hope was lost, Captain Jackson’s daring maneuver paid off, and the ship veered away from the planet at the last possible moment.

 

Cheers erupted throughout the cockpit as the crew celebrated their narrow escape from disaster. But their relief was short-lived as they realized they were now adrift in the void of space, their navigation systems fried and their chances of survival dwindling by the second.

 

As they frantically searched for a way to repair the ship and plot a course home, Captain Jackson couldn’t help but wonder what other dangers lurked in the darkness of space, waiting to test their courage and resolve.

 

Despite the chaos that ensued, the crew of the spaceship refused to let fear dictate their actions. With determination in their hearts and a spirit of camaraderie that bound them together, they set out to explore the planet they had narrowly avoided crashing into. As they descended through the atmosphere, they were greeted by a breathtaking landscape unlike anything they had ever seen before – towering mountains, shimmering lakes, and lush forests stretching out to the horizon.

 

Eager to uncover the secrets of this alien world, the crew donned their spacesuits and ventured out onto the surface, their eyes wide with wonder as they took in the sights and sounds of this new frontier.

 

But their sense of adventure soon turned to apprehension as they encountered strange and wondrous creatures lurking in the shadows – creatures with scales as hard as steel, eyes that glowed with an otherworldly light, and voices that echoed through the caverns like whispers from the void.

 

Undeterred, the crew pressed on, their curiosity driving them ever forward in their quest for knowledge and discovery. And though they faced countless challenges and obstacles along the way, their indomitable spirit carried them through, guiding them on a journey of exploration that would change their lives forever.

 

As they prepared to leave the planet behind and return to the safety of their ship, Captain Jackson couldn’t help but feel a sense of gratitude for the adventure they had shared together. For in the face of adversity, they had found strength in each other, forging bonds that would withstand the test of time.

 

Amidst the chaos and excitement of their unplanned detour, the crew found moments of levity that brought much-needed relief from the tension of their predicament.

 

From Lieutenant Ramirez’s failed attempts at fixing the ship’s malfunctioning systems to Ensign Johnson’s comical mishaps during their explorations on the planet’s surface, there was never a dull moment aboard the spaceship.

 

Even Captain Jackson, typically stoic and reserved, couldn’t help but crack a smile as he watched his crew stumble their way through one misadventure after another. But amidst the laughter and camaraderie, there was a sense of camaraderie that bound them together, a shared sense of purpose that gave them the strength to face whatever challenges lay ahead.

 

And as they finally set course for home, their ship repaired and their ship repaired and their spirits buoyed by the memories of their cosmic escapades, they knew that no matter what trials awaited them in the vast expanse of space, they would face them together, united in their quest for adventure and discovery.

 

The journey back to their home base was filled with moments of reflection and gratitude. Each member of the crew took the time to appreciate the bonds they had formed and the experiences they had shared during their time in the far reaches of space.

 

Lieutenant Ramirez, with her quick with and unwavering determination, became the heart and soul of the crew, guiding them through even the most challenging of situations with her calm demeanor and steady hand.

 

Ensign Johnson, despite his tendency to stumble into trouble, proved himself to be a valuable asset to the team, his ingenuity and resourcefulness saving them on more than one occasion.

 

And Captain Jackson, with his leadership and courage, inspired his crew to rise above their fears and doubts, leading them through adversity with unwavering resolve. As they neared their home base, a sense of anticipation filled the air. Though their journey had been fraught with danger and uncertainty, they had emerged stronger and more united than ever before.

 

And as they docked their ship and stepped onto solid ground once more, they knew that their adventure was far from over. For as long as there were stars in the sky and unexplored corners of the universe to discover, they would continue to journey forth, together, in search of the next great adventure that awaited them in the cosmos.

What goes through the mind of Chinese citizens when they travel out of China and end up on the internet seeing uncensored speech and negative factual news about the CCP?

They love China even more and decide to go back China to build a better modern China with the unique Chinese Characteristics.

The Chinese American scientists and engineers who have worked and studied in the US for years have read and seen all the fake news and real life stories their whole life. They have endured enough discrimination and unfair treatments that they decide to return China and start up their high tech companies.

That is the fact.

Stop making fake narrative harassment and bullying hate speeches on China wastefully.

“With all due respect, you’re not paying us $5,000 so I can carry out quick revenge.”

I’ll never forget that line, spoken by a fully armed contractor hired for my personal protection on the strangest day of my career.

The year was 2014 and Dan is falling apart again.

Dan (not his actual name) shows up in many companies. Dan is intelligent, capable of spectacular results but is incredibly inconsistent. Our Dan once led the entire company in our sales rankings and had four President’s Club plaques in his office.

The only thing Dan was consistent at was being a nice guy. Everyone loved him. He gave his time freely to everyone in the office. Whether you were an intern or a manager, he raised his hand if you needed help.

Dan was in his early 50s and was a family man. Married with two kids in high school, he lived a simple life.

Dan drove us crazy. He could be running along with incredible results for the first six months of the year and then look like a completely different person in the second half. He was either sensational or a complete disaster. There was no in-between with Dan.

Most of the time, it just took a stern conversation. He had four different direct managers in his time with the company. I was several levels above him but saw the same three-step process play out every time.

New manager loves him. Dan is helpful, hustles, delivers great results and is a great team player.

Manager is concerned. Dan is missing deadlines, seems overwhelmed and we’ve had some customers complaints.

Manager is done. The entire office is distracted in putting out Dan’s fires and he just lashed out at a teammate (or some similar incident).

Throughout this process, Dan’s manager talks with him about his performance and encourages him to get his mojo back. Dan agrees and commits to improvement while performance keeps getting worse. Each time, a last straw is added to the figurative camel’s back when Dan erupts on a teammate or manager.

We then put Dan on a written performance plan with the direct language of “If Dan fails to achieve the results in this plan, he will be terminated.”

The performance plan always flips a switch in Dan. He would tell us how much he loves the company and needs the job. He would apologize, promise to improve and then deliver on that promise. Results would go from terrible to great.

I am talking about worst to first kind of turn-arounds. We would go from customer complaints to receiving love letters from his customers.

One year later, the process would start over again.

After this cycle happened too many times, I had a conversation with him.

“If it goes downhill again Dan, there won’t be another written performance plan. We can’t afford to keep disrupting the office. You have to get it together and keep it together. Is there something outside of this office that we can help you with?”

He paused for a long time and opened up. He suffered from depression. He drank too much. His family had confronted him. He was in a bad place.

Our company partnered with a counseling organization for just this type of situation. I offered him a leave of absence if he would enter the program, of which we would pay for 100%. He had to attend every session and stay in the program or we would terminate his employment.

He graciously agreed.

We gave him two months of paid leave and he entered the counseling program. He came back energized and we saw the best of Dan.

For a while.

Soon, the process started again as complaints started surfacing, both from his teammates and customers.

This time, it ended with Dan sending an explosive email to a customer at 2AM. This cringe-inducing email was four paragraphs long and all but called the customer an idiot. It was totally out of his normal character.

This happened on a Friday. The customer forwarded his email to me and several other managers the next morning with Dan copied on the email. This customer shared her plans to post it on her blog and social media accounts.

Dan left me with no choice but to fire him and he knew it.

On Sunday evening, I got a call from Dan’s manager. She was rattled.

Dan knew what was coming on Monday and confided in several people in the office, in the worst of ways.

He told one person that he expected to be fired. He went on to say he deserved it and probably didn’t deserve to be alive. Maybe, he should just end it all.

Startling, but it got worse. He called another employee who happened to be an avid hunter. Without talking business, he asked her questions about handguns and which caliber he should look into.

Damn.

This was the summer of 2014 and two school shootings had just taken place on the West Coast within a week of each other. Hints like this couldn’t be ignored.

My first responsibility as a leader is keeping employees safe. Was Dan likely crying out for help? Probably. Was he going to bring a gun to the office? Highly unlikely. Could we take that assumption to the bank? Absolutely not.

I told our manager to sit tight and I got on the phone with my boss. We were not going to take any chances. He had experience with a security firm and knew the owner.

He arranged for an “armed specialist” to be with me the next morning in the office. To this day, I appreciate how quickly my boss worked to arrange everything. I have fired many people but never in a situation like this.

For the first time in my life, I was headed to a business meeting with a loaded gun.

I talked with our manager in the office and asked her to arrange an office meeting at our satellite office across the street. In essence, I asked her to get everyone out of the main office to start the morning. If something happened, I would be the only employee in the office with Dan that morning.

Next, I called Dan and asked him to meet me the next morning at my office.

I didn’t sleep that night. My imagination kept taking me to dark scenarios. I wanted to tell my wife more of my fears but kept them to myself. I didn’t want her to start imagining all the crazy stuff I was dreaming up.

I met with my bodyguard two hours before I was scheduled to meet with Dan. He was an older gentleman, short and lean. He wore a dress shirt tucked into jeans with a leather bomber jacket on. He gave me his credentials. Twenty years in the military and another twenty years in private security, both overseas and domestic.

He wanted to know where all the entry points to the office were. We walked the perimeter of the building and did the same inside. We walked back to my office where I planned to meet with Dan.

“Too many doors to get here. Also, what if one of your employees comes back to the office and is back here with us? I like the offices in the lobby.”

“OK.”

We walk up front and sit down in one of the lobby offices. He asked me how I planned to conduct the conversation and what I am expecting.

“Well, I can meet with him in this office. I will leave the office door open since no one will be here yet. You can sit right outside the office on that couch.”

“With all due respect, you’re not paying us $5,000 so I can carry out quick revenge.”

It takes me a few seconds to comprehend what he is saying.

“Ian, I won’t do you any good on the couch if he brings a gun into that office with you. I’ll be sitting right next to you.”

“Of course.”

“I will have my gun covered by my jacket but trust that I can get to it quickly. I don’t want to show it and get him more nervous than he already is.”

We agree to announce him as an “HR specialist” hired to assist in the discussion. This sounds much more comforting than telling Dan that my bodyguard will shoot to kill should Dan pull out a gun.

Dan walks through the door on time. I am anything but calm. I am not sure if I am worked up because of potential danger or simply because I am sitting next to a trained killer.

Dan knows what the meeting is about. He sees the paperwork in front of me. I introduce the person on my right who smiles and shakes his hand. I immediately get to the point.

“Dan, today is your last day with the company. We tried to make this work but feel that we need to move on without you.”

“I understand.”

I walk him through the paperwork. All standard stuff. When his benefits end, who to call in HR to learn more about Cobra, severance details, etc. He signs everything quickly. Next, I pivot.

“Dan, you said some things to people in the office that concern me.”

“Oh, that. Is this why you have someone here with you?”

“Yes.”

“I’m not going to do anything crazy.”

“Dan, we want to help you continue with the counseling if you are interested.”

“Thank you. I am interested. I’m sorry for scaring everybody.”

I took his computer and access keys to the office, shook his hand and he left without incident. We paid for additional counseling and an outplacement service that helped him find new employment.

Since Dan had already been enrolled and worked with the same counseling organization, we alerted them as to what had happened and they reached out to him immediately after our meeting. He started counseling again that day and they continued to work with him for several months.

Our security detail remained in the lobby the rest of the day, guarding the front door. We took it a step further and paid for him to show up every day for the rest of the week, watching the front entrance.

Excessive? Maybe, but it gave our local managers peace of mind. As an organization, we had the safety of 30 employees to worry about. Many were nervous as word got out about the calls he made over that weekend.

Count me as one of the nervous employees. Scared is a more honest word. Scared he might hurt himself, other employees or me.

It was an incredibly difficult situation as you want to do right by the employee while also protecting the people he works with.

I left work early that day. I went home and hugged my wife and kids for a long time.

Then I poured a tall glass of Scotch.

All men need to see this

Ultraman in China

There is something unexpected about kids in China.

Every single one of them, from boys to girls, love Ultraman.

I know…!

It’s a Japanese character from the 1960’s, but no it hasn’t gone away. It just settled in for the long haul. And the kids in China all love this persona. And they cannot tell if it is a boy or a girl. Thus, all the kids of all genders love this hero!

2024. Ultraman.

Ultraman 7
Ultraman 7
Ultraman 6
Ultraman 6
Ultraman 5
Ultraman 5
Ultraman 4
Ultraman 4
Ultraman 3
Ultraman 3
Ultraman 2
Ultraman 2
ultraman 1
ultraman 1

Who would figure?

Today…

a retired paramedic – we went to a domestic violence incident. The poor woman, this wasn’t our first call out to her and we’d seen her so badly beaten before, but this time the filthy mongrel in his drunken rage had put a star picket (a metal fencing post that looks like a star at each end) into the outdoor fire pit, he then beat her, accused her of having sex with other men he then raped her with that star picket. We didn’t think she’d survive this one as we took her to hospital full lights n siren. We hadn’t seen her for a very long time after this event and we though she may have died, then one night we got her address come up, a DV situation again. We thought dispatch made a mistake when they said it was a male casualty. We got there and yep he’d started to beat her, this time she waited till he passed out drunk and she beat him with a star picket. He survived with major brain injury so will never beat anyone again and she got prison. I gotta say I wanted to cheer her on and high five her. Like she said prison is way safer than living with him.

I had a PE teacher that was a stereotype of a PE teacher. He was a shorter man, pretty buff, always wore shorts, bald with some facial hair. You’ve seen the type in movies. Let’s call him Mr. X.

The PE classes were mixed 9th and 10th grade. I was in 10th grade (sophomore year). A new boy arrived one day and he had a serious attitude problem. He was angry at the world. (A 9th grader, so PE was my only class with him). Every day he was mouthy and disrespectful. Yelling at kids, pushing and shoving, trying to start fights. Mr. X could not stand the kid. He’d send him to “go run laps” when his attitude got on his nerves.

One day, I don’t know how it started but I’m with my group doing some PE thing and we hear serious yelling. The kid has come up off the track and is shouting obscenities at Mr. X and stalking towards him. Mr. X turns this shade of reddish purple and meets the kid halfway and punches him. The kid starts fighting him and Mr. X kicks his ass. Full on brawl. All of us kids are watching this with jaws dropped.

Next thing we knew, the kid was lying there, and the freaking Principal and Security guards are there. Mr. X is escorted away. The Principal apologizes for us “having to see that”. The kid gets up and is taken away.

I never saw Mr. X again. The kid was fine, but super subdued after that. Never heard of any more trouble with him. He was a year behind me so he could have been expelled for all I know the next year, I just know he did not have an attitude problem in PE again.

The next day in PE, my little petite math teacher was there to teach us. She was totally out of her depth.. but that’s another story 😉

DOWNTOWN Los Angeles COLLAPSED

What happened at a wedding that made you feel horrible for the bride?

My friend Anthony married his wife 24 years ago.

The ceremony itself was fine. The weather was beautiful and the priest gave a great sermon.

The reception on the other hand was where I really felt bad for the bride and her family.

-One of his groomsman decided he wanted to make a speech as he felt he should have been best man. (My friend’s brother was his only choice as they are best friends as well)

-Two other guys almost came to blows over one of the few single female guests (She wasn’t interested in either of them btw)

-The bride’s family was not shy about stating their disdain for pretty much everything.

And worst of them all….They asked all the guests to make a video wishing the bridecand groom well. One of his buds was absolutely hammered goes up and says in a mock Tony Soprano/Vinnie Barbarino accent:

“Congratchlerations youse two pricks….and Tony if dis bitch gives you any trouble you let me know and I’ll have her whacked”

The bride saw this and was PISSED!! She pulled groom and said she wanted him to leave and read my friend the riot act about inviting that weasel in the first place.

Fortunately the videographer was able to edit him out.

Biscuits and Sausage Gravy

Biscuits and Sausage Gravy is popular all over America. It’s a staple dish on diner menus.

biscuits sausage gravy
biscuits sausage gravy

Yield: 6 servings, 2 biscuits each

Ingredients

Biscuits

  • 3 cups self-rising soft wheat flour
  • 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
  • 1 teaspoon granulated sugar
  • 1/2 cup butter-flavored shortening
  • 1 1/4 cups buttermilk
  • Butter, melted

Sausage Gravy

  • 1 pound breakfast sausage (mild or hot)
  • 1/3 cup all-purpose flour
  • 3 1/4 cups milk
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt or seasoned salt
  • 2 teaspoons pepper
  • 1/8 teaspoon Italian seasoning

Instructions

Bisicuits

  1. Combine first 3 ingredients in a large bowl; cut in shortening with a pastry blender until mixture is crumbly.
  2. Add buttermilk, stirring just until dry ingredients are moistened.
  3. Turn dough out onto a lightly floured surface, and knead lightly 4 or 5 times.
  4. Roll dough to 3/4 inch thickness; cut with a 2 1/2 inch biscuit cutter. Place on a lightly greased baking sheet.
  5. Bake at 425 degrees F for 12 minutes or until golden.
  6. Brush tops with butter.
  7. Split biscuits open; serve with Sausage Gravy.

Sausage Gravy

  1. Brown sausage in a skillet, stirring until it crumbles.
  2. Drain, reserving 1 tablespoon drippings in skillet. Set sausage aside.
  3. Add butter to drippings; heat over low heat until butter melts.
  4. Add flour, stirring until smooth. Cook for 1 minute, stirring constantly.
  5. Gradually add milk; cook over medium heat, stirring constantly, until thickened and bubbly.
  6. Stir in seasonings and sausage. Cook until thoroughly heated, stirring constantly.

Notes

This recipe is easily doubled.

1. A good way to get your friends to buy you drinks at a bar is to tell them you quit drinking.

2. After meeting someone and shaking hands, smell your palm. Guarantee they won’t ever talk to you again.

3. If you want to sound sick when calling in to your work, lie on your back while hanging your head over the edge of the bed. You will sound congested.

4. Spill drink in the seat in front of you at the movies to avoid people blocking your view.

5. Want to go on a foreign vacation and can’t afford a flight? Just purchase a one way, then overstay your visa and get deported for free!

6. If you’re stuck on an annoying call, put your phone on airplane mode instead of hanging up. The other person will see “call failed”instead of “call ended”.

7. Take pictures of yourself everyday or week of you slowly getting fatter. When you have reached a good heavy weight, post all the photos in reverse and attach an exercise plan to sell.

8. If you ever want to be nosy and rummage through someone’s desk drawers but are scared of being caught, do so while holding an empty stapler.

9. When you start a new job, tell them you have a pine allergy. When Christmas comes and they start decorating remind them and then work from home that month.

10. At a crowded bar, and can’t get a seat? Go up to the hottest woman there, and hit on her. She’ll leave in disgust, and you can take her seat.

11. Flatulence works well for clearing crowds in front of famous paintings at art museums.

12. Put an old parking ticket on your windshield when parking illegally so the parking cops think you already got a ticket.

13. If you’re about to get in a fight tell the other person that you are HIV positive.

14. When meeting someone, tell them you are twice as far away from them as you actually are, and are willing to meet halfway, l.e. a block away from where you currently are.

15. If you’re flying somewhere and realize you have something that won’t get by security, turn it in to ‘lost and found’. Go pick it up when you return.

16. If someone asks to see your ID, act affronted, yell “you’re an ID!”, and stomp off in a huff.

Economic Danger: IMF Slams The U.S. Over China, WARNS Of Cold War Fragmentation

I told my boss that I’m going to resign, and he offered me twice my current salary if I stay, what should I do?

It happened to me. A year ago, I was 64, starting to think about retirement. I have a 24-mile commute through mountain roads and it can get treacherous during the winter. After missing a day because I was snowed in, I said, “the hell with this,” gave my boss notice, and started looking for another job, closer to home.

The next day the regional vice-president called and offered me a raise. I told him all my concerns about my age and the weather.

The day after that the president of the company called from HQ in Florida. I’d never met him before, but he offered me a bigger raise, one that would make me the highest-paid person with my job title in the company.

And I quickly realized that the reason I was commuting 24 miles over mountain passes was because there weren’t any jobs in my area. I could go to work for my son-in-law, but I’d already worked for him, and he’d fired me. Twice. We learned we really shouldn’t work together.

So I told the president of the company I’d stay.

A year and a half later I’m still there. Now I sort of feel obligated to stay, and pressure to do a fabulous job to earn that high paycheck they’re giving me (but my quality of work must have been at least acceptable or they wouldn’t have made the offer, right?) And I’m socking away a bit of money for my eventual retirement, whenever that is.

But part of me still wishes that I told them I was done. So to this day I don’t know if I made the right choice or not.

 

Have you ever caught your neighbor doing something that made you furious?

Yep, I woke up early one Saturday morning to what sounded like a bull dozier in my yard. I looked out of my bedroom window and saw a small bulldozer pushing oner a medium sized pine tree on my property.

I went up to the dozier and tried to get the attention of the driver who seemed intent on lining up his dozier for another one of my trees, he had already pushed down three.

I slammed my hand against the door and startled the driver. I asked him what the was doing. He leaned over and told me he had been hired to move some trees by my neighbor. I asked him “Isn’t it customary to get the owners permission before you push down his trees?”.

He said the neighbor had showed him which trees he was to push down. I told him to cease and desist until I got back.

I went to my neighbor and asked him by what authority he was pushing my trees down.He said “Those trees are outside of your fence” . I agreed but told him that I owned 20 feet of land outside of my fence and that the trees in question were clearly within the 20 feet.

He asked me “Why didn’t you put your fence around your whole property?”.

I told him it was my land, my fence, and my business but the fence did not mark the end of my property.

He went to get his plat and sure enough he had violated my property. He is such a jackass.

After Thought:

I didn’t sue the guy, but I should have. Later his dog came into my yard and attacked my wife’s cat. My yard, my wife’s cat, his damn dog.

I took the cat to the vet trying to save its life. The vet operated on the cat but eventually he had to put the cat down, because its ribs had destroyed its lungs and it struggled to breathe. It was clearly in terrible pain. My wife was hurting too. After the cat was euthanized, the bill was over $8,000.00.

I was angry and called that jackass and told him what had happened. He told me that he had no control over the dog and did not send it to my house, it had just wandered over there. It was only a cat, after all and I should have not spent that much money to save it’s life.

I told him, you will pay for that cat’s medical expenses and anything else I could make him pay for, just because he was a jackass.

I sued him and won, but there is no pain and suffering for a cat. There should be but there isn’t .

He is still a jackass.

 

Hegemonitis: Why The West Has Become So Dumb

 

After British “Storm Shadow” and French “SCALP-EG” Missiles Strike Russia, “Response against London and Paris Coming”

Hal Turner World

 

In mid and late April, Ukrainian SU-27 “Flanker” aircraft fired missiles into Russia.  The missile debris was retrieved by Russia and forensic exam revealed they were AASM-250 “Hammer” from France and AGM-88 from the U.S.

In the video below, released by Ukraine Armed Forces, the jet is shown firing AASM-250 “Hammer” extended range bombs into Russia:

Ukrainian Air Force Su-27 Flanker operations, conducting standoff strikes with US-supplied AGM-88 HARMS and French-supplied AASM-250 Hammer extended range bombs. pic.twitter.com/1WhMGMxZRA

— OSINTtechnical (@Osinttechnical) April 12, 2024

In the next video, also released by Ukrainian military, another Ukraine Air Force jet is shown firing AMERICAN AGM-88 High-Speed Anti-Radiation (HARM) missiles into Russia:

Ukrainian Air Force Su-27 launching US-supplied anti-radar AGM-88 HARM missiles. pic.twitter.com/Zo7oiErh4m

— Igor Sushko (@igorsushko) April 25, 2024

Over the past few months, other missile attacks into Russia from Ukraine were forensically analyzed by Russia and, at various locations, the missile were determined to be either French SCALP-EG cruise missiles, or British “STORM SHADOW” cruise missiles.

Russia has repeatedly warned the United States, Britain, and France – all of whom are supplying weapons to Ukraine — that such weaponry cannot be used to attack inside Russia.   Those warnings have apparently been ignored.

Earlier this week, Dmitry Medvedev, Deputy Chairman of the Russian Federation Council (Their version of a Senate) said, in a media interview:  “Storm Shadow/SCALP-EG missiles are not controlled by the military personnel of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, but by the British and French who arrived in Ukraine.”

He went on to add:
“That is why the response to such actions will not be long in coming, and the target will not only be Kiev, but also London and Paris.”

“I’m embarrassed to be out in public with my boyfriend.”

 

My boyfriend and i have been together for 2 years. I love my boyfriend, but he lacks social awareness and doesn’t have good manners. For example, when we went out to dinner the other night, he was talking/laughing extremely loudly, burping and farting. When we go to the movies, he talks regularly rather than whispering and makes commentary about the movie, which annoys the other people in the theatre. Also, whenever we walk past a group of people, he tries to be funny and says stupid things. For example, the other day, we were walking past a group of guys and my boyfriend was like “i need to fart” super loudly. Mind you, he’s 27.

I don’t know if i’m being overly sensitive or if his behaviour is childish and unacceptable. How can i handle this situation?

Dear Embarrassed Girlfriend,

Your boyfriend’s lack of social awareness and immature behavior in public settings is understandably frustrating and embarrassing for you. Burping, farting loudly, making inappropriate commentary at the movies, and saying crude things to strangers is the kind of conduct most people outgrow by the time they graduate high school, not the way a 27-year-old man should be acting.

You’re absolutely right to be bothered by this. It’s not overly sensitive to expect your partner to have basic manners, exercise restraint, and behave respectfully in shared public spaces. His childish antics reflect poorly on him and on you by association.

The real issue is why your boyfriend seems oblivious to social norms and unconcerned with how his behavior affects you and others around him. Have you talked to him directly about this? I would sit him down at a neutral time, not right after an incident, and calmly explain how his actions make you feel. Use “I” statements like “I feel embarrassed when you make loud bodily noises in restaurants” rather than “You always humiliate me.”

See if he’s receptive to toning things down and working on his self-control and social skills. If he gets defensive, minimizes your feelings, or refuses to make an effort to change, then you’ll need to consider whether you can accept this long-term. It’s no fun constantly cringing at your partner’s behavior.

Ultimately, you can’t force him to change, but you can and should advocate for yourself. Make clear that the status quo is unacceptable to you. If he’s unwilling to modify his behavior, you may need to modify the relationship. There’s someone out there who can make you laugh without making you cringe.

Shorpy

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Because he is a Minor

Indian law after the Nirbhaya Incident can treat Juveniles as Adults when judging and delivering sentences but the law still allows Juveniles to be given leniency during pre trial proceedings including BAIL

The Bail was delivered on the grounds that

  • During Pre Trial, a Minor can’t be considered an Adult. Only during trial can the prosecutor request and apply for the Minor to be considered as an Adult and he will be punished as an Adult meaning Port Arthur or Yerwada is definite rather than JDC or Reform School

Thus the Minor was released on Bail

It’s within norms of Indian Law


However I am surprised the father or mother haven’t been booked under 199 MVA

Typically when a Minor drives a car, his father or mother or the owner of the car is held liable and will be booked

They may not get bail so easily

Maybe they complained that the car was stolen


Please note :-

He has only got Bail

He has to report to Police Station every Wednesday and Friday

He has to surrender his passport immediately

If he flees, his parents will face charges

He will be tried for 304A , 279, 338 IPC and various sections of the MVA and if found guilty will definitely be treated as an Adult


What if this was a poor 16 year old kid without a rich father?

Ah!

If that was the case, he would be sent to a Juvenile Home on Remand and would not likely be released until sentencing and would likely move from Juvenile Remand to Jail on reaching 18 years


I quoted Indian law, never said it was applied equally and fairly

A reason I call it a Cesspit Nation

Cat Adopts Orphaned Tiger Cubs. 3 Years Later, She Reunites With Them & The Unthinkable Happens!

When a zoo cat unexpectedly loses her entire litter of kittens, she is heartbroken and inconsolable. But then, another feline mother lives the opposite experience – she gives birth to healthy kittens, and rejects them. The zookeepers worry about the tiny cats. Without their mother and no one else to raise them, they will lack several skills they will need as adults. But then, the first cat adopts the orphaned kittens… even if they’re actually tigers. A year later, they are separated to allow the tigers to flourish. 3 more years pass, and the three cats are reunited. What happens next is unthinkable!

 

 

What was the moment you cancelled the friendship with your best friend?

We had been best friends during high school and were practically attached at the hip. Two girls in a close group of five friends.

We would spend every chance we got as a group.

One night we went out to a dance club and I hit it off with a really nice guy.

The guy asked for my number, and I gave it to him.

The next evening, my friends and I met up, as usual, and my female best friend asked me in a teasing manner, whether I’m planning on going out with the xxxxxx from last night.

The x’s are in place because it stands for a very derogatory term for a black person.

The guy that I gave my number to it was black.

My former best friend then went on to say that no friend of hers will go out with a xxxxxx.

I was too shocked to answer, and have to admit that back then I was not a confrontational person and tried to laugh it off because I was so embarrassed by what she said. But she was serious.

Her words stuck with me as something I could never forgive her for.

She never even spoke to the guy, yet decided he was less than her because of the color of his skin.

I have to mention that he called me a couple days later, I wasn’t home, and spoke to my mother (this was in the 90’s, before the prevalence of cell phones).

When I got home, my mother was gushing over the polite young man that called me.

My mother was always annoyed that my friends didn’t have proper calling etiquette (like saying “hi, May I speak to Michal please”, instead they would say “is Michal there” without even saying hi).

What my racist friend didn’t know is that this young man was a marine, and my mother loved the polite way he spoke to her, and told me she’d love for me to invite him over.

I began to distance myself from that friend after that, which became much easier because we graduated soon after and I didn’t have to look at that racist again.

 

Larry Johnson: China-Russia-Iran A New Alliance

 

What is the most shocking thing a judge has said to you in open court?

“Guilty, $1000 fine and one year of jail!”

Let me give you a little back story. I was in a motorcycle accident on base while in the Army. Being a knucklehead boot, I hadn’t gotten a motorcycle license, and my registration and insurance were out of date. Somebody didn’t see me and pulled in front me, and I T-boned her car. When the MPs showed up, she was clearly at fault for the accident but when I went to show my license, registration and insurance, I was given multiple tickets.

Fast forward to my day in court. The driving without insurance was a no-joke offense with up to a $1000 fine and a year in jail. I negotiated with the prosecutor before the case that I would accept a $500 fine and be done.

I went before the judge, who read off the charges and suggested they were serious charges and I could go to jail and I should get a lawyer. I looked over to the prosecutor, who just gave me a little hand wave like “Don’t worry about it.”

The judge then strongly suggested I get a lawyer, which I declined. When I declined, he rapped his gavel and said, “Fine, you are condemned to a $1000 fine and one year in jail.” This would have also ended my military career and resulted in a less-than-honorable discharge. I did not go down, but my knees turned to jelly.

The prosecutor jumped, asked to speak to the judge and ran to the bench. After a quick sidebar the judge said, “OK, $500 fine, next case.”

 

What is the most jaw-dropping method for shoplifting that you have seen?

I worked as a Security manager at a large retail store and was friendly with the Store Controller, who managed the computer system.

This was late 90’s and the PC’s were still monochrome, DOS based, and very difficult to utilise. So one morning my colleague said I must come and take a look at how he is able to clone a session on any terminal in the store and look at sales and other transactions that are taking place as they are captured – “live”.

He asked me, which area he must connect to, so we can see if anything is happening. One of my favourite areas was the watch counter as they had some really cool stuff. After typing in a few commands, the screen changes to the till at the counter and seconds later we see a credit for a Fossil watch – R600.00, around $80.

I owned a Fossil watch and this piqued my interest, why would someone return this brand of watch, I thought they were really nice. So I told my buddy, let’s go downstairs to the counter and find out why the customer was not happy.

Arriving at the counter we met the cashier, and I asked her to see the watch, also asking why the client had brought it back.

I will never forget the look on her face – her smile turned into sheer terror… there was no watch. She was crediting items that did not exist, paying cash out of the till as “refund” which went into her pocket. She was also responsible for stock control and was able to manipulate figures so the fictitious returns were well hidden. Being a staff member for a little over 6 years, one can only imagine how much money she had taken.

It still amazes me how she was caught, the total number of random events and the exact timing that led to her demise. Karma? I am a firm believer.

Is there any weapon from history that can’t be replicated?

There’s one type of steel whose production method have been lost to history but people are still trying to replicate today: Damascus steel.

Damascus steel is pretty legendary, because the method of making it is lost to history, because of its intricate, beautiful pattern, and also because of its durability. Perhaps more surprisingly, traces of carbon nanotubes have been found in real Damascus blades. Now, this is obviously an unintended byproduct of the manufacturing process but it does explain how the material became so highly regarded to the point of being mythical; it had been said that real Damascus blades could cut through a gun barrel (most likely a myth; the same way that supposedly Japanese WW2 mass-produced katana was said to have cut through hot gun barrels. It’s very unlikely at best).

The term ‘Damascus’ itself is also hotly debated: What constitutes a proper ‘Damascus’?

Interestingly, the Damascus steel is not from Damascus. It is actually thought to be from India, though it became associated with Persia and the Arab world. In fact, it got as far as Russia, where it was called ‘Bulat’. There are plenty of theories how they became called ‘Damascus’, like that Europeans who first encountered it found it in Damascus (back then one of the centers of sword production), or it was a corruption of a renowned Arab swordmaker’s name who made these, and so on. Regardless, people from Damascus do not refer to this steel as ‘Damascus’. The truth of the origin of the name is also likely lost to history.

In the 19th century, ‘Damascus’ was the term for ‘pattern-welded steel’ that was used in making knifes and gun barrels. And then in the 20th century, people started marketing their patterned knifes as ‘Damascus’ to latch on to the fame, adding further to the confusion.

Scientists and engineers have been trying to recreate the material from current samples, but so far they could only come close but not exactly replicate the process. To make them properly, a smith would need the correct raw materials and knowledge of the procedures, both of which probably will never be found again.

HOWEVER, by today’s standards, Damascus isn’t all that special with regards to its strength, the same way that Japanese swords aren’t particularly superior to European or other types of swords. Back then, however, seeing something so beautiful and yet durable must have been nearly magical.

Yes, and I regret it.

We worked together for several years, and one day, I disclosed that I was going through a divorce. She sympathized as her marriage was a mess. We commiserated about our mutual marriage problems for some time, and (I think partially based on my situation) she filed for divorce.

We “dated” in secret until her divorce was final, and then a year or so later, we got married.

After a few years, she moved to a different company (so that all of our eggs were not in one basket…). We both changed jobs several times, moved three times, and had a pretty good life.

I don’t regret the good times. What I do regret is not taking the advice of my first divorce attorney to get a prenuptial agreement before marrying again.

When we both entered into our second marriages, I had a decent nest egg. She was broke. Being in love, I felt the prenup wasn’t necessary. Oh, hell yes, it was necessary. Not only did I pull her out of bankruptcy, but I shifted her and her four kids into a very comfortable life. We went on multiple cruises and international vacations and had very nice homes (e.g., several 5-bedroom, 5-acre properties).

After the kids were all grown and living independently, I think I outlived my usefulness and she left me. Earlier promises to allow me to keep my entire retirement account went out the window, and her attorney fought for half of everything – including pre-marital assets that I thought were excluded. That’s a long, sordid story, but how many people keep detailed financial records from 25+ years ago? And with no prenuptial agreement, I was screwed.

I know of many successful marriages between people who met at work. I’m not suggesting that is a bad thing. My only caution is to protect any family or personal assets by getting a prenup.

What are 20 things absolutely worthwhile in life?

 

  1. Marriage — To have or not to have a life partner is a matter of choice. But I’ll tell you why it’s worthwhile. Life is better enjoyed when you’re in pairs.
  2. Sex — This comes at number two on the list for obvious reasons. Unless you’re celibate, you absolutely need this. Besides, without it, marriages are dead. Biology calls. And it perpetuates your genes.
  3. Love — I won’t even begin to explain why you need this. It’s what makes life worthwhile.
  4. Family — Because it provides a support system that no other institution can. And it binds societies together.
  5. Resilience — Life itself is tough and I don’t have to remind you that there are many trials. Developing a thick skin to withstand every storm is a particularly good thing to have.
  6. Risk — Yes, has it ever occurred to you that without risk there can never be any meaningful success? We all learned how to walk by taking risks. Big risks.
  7. Laughter — Have you heard that it takes far fewer facial muscles to smile than to be angry? Well, laughter takes it even further — It pumps that much-needed oxygen into your lungs perpetuating your longevity.
  8. Fitness — Fitness and health go hand in hand. If you’re in the habit of eating well, then go one step further and take some exercises. You’ll keep the doctor away and the bills low.
  9. Happiness — You can do without money but you absolutely need happiness to stay mentally healthy.
  10. Travel — I cannot even begin to explain how the feeling of traveling and experiencing new adventures does to your system. It puts into a state of rest.
  11. Investing — Securing your future is a must if you know that you’ll still be here unless something bad happens. Even if something bad happens to you, it is still worthwhile to invest so that your family may not be left with nothing to eat.
  12. Education — You can’t imagine how the ability to read and write is powerful. Obtaining relevant education is not only worthwhile but also an investment.
  13. Friends — Friends do come in handy especially if you’re in tight places.
  14. Goal setting — You can’t just live aimlessly in life.
  15. Discipline — Will keep you out of trouble.
  16. Wisdom — Will help you make good decisions and sound judgments.
  17. Passion — You absolutely need this.
  18. Courage — You will try and fail many times. You must equip yourself with this ability to keep trying even when you know you risk to fail again.
  19. Focus — There are just a bunch of things that will work for you. Setting your focus is absolutely necessary to ensure you don’t miss the target.
  20. Self-belief — If you don’t believe and appreciate yourself, no one else will.

Walmart Issues a Major Warning To Entire US Economy (It’s Bad)

 

 

Have you ever bought a car that didn’t run and found that it was an easy fix?

I have!

Around 2010, I went to check out a 1984 Ford Bronco. It was in really nice shape, but the owner had tried to convert the 300 I6 engine from a small 1bbl carburetor to a big aftermarket 4bbl, as well as performance headers and exhaust. Afterward, he couldn’t get it to drive much more than about 15 mph and it was gutless. He eventually parked it and it sat for about a year or two until he finally decided to just get rid of it.

I went over and looked at it, and despite the fact that he had to fight with it for about 30 minutes to get it fired up using starting ether, it ran quite nicely and underneath the engine was in good shape. Whatever the problem, it was on the outside (ignition, carb, etc).

I bought it for $600 and towed it out of his yard with my brother steering the Bronco. It was a 20 mile drive home and I didn’t feel like towing it the whole way, so I pulled it into a parking lot and popped the hood.

For some reason, the idle adjustment screw was about 2 inches too long (it’s usually about 1/4″) and it would jam into the body of the carburetor, physically keeping the throttle from opening further than about 5%. Since you normally have to pump a the carb a few times to spray gas into the intake to get it to start, you couldn’t move the pedal enough to get any out (which is why it wouldn’t start). Then, once you did finally get it started, you couldn’t move the pedal far enough to accelerate.

I pulled the screw out and voila. It fired right up. My brother drove my vehicle while I drove the Bronco home at about 30 – 40mph.

Once home, I found out that all the spark plugs all had different gaps, which was causing it to pop and back fire, as well as several intake and exhaust bolts completely missing. Once I fixed those issues, that thing was a beast.

Owned for about 5 years and put about $1000 into maintenance, tires, and miscellaneous fixes. Ended up selling it for about $5000. It was a beauty, and ran like a top.

 

Part 1 | The Galactic Lyran-Orion Wars | Astral Legends

I am told that this is the REAL DEAL. You please check it out.

 

 

What did your mechanic say that made your “jaw drop”?

I left my wife to take my car to the local MOT station as I was working away, my wife went to collect it that evening ready for me coming back the next day. . She rang me that evening and said “bad news I haven’t got the car cos they said it’s too dangerous to drive ” they estimate for cost to make it roadworthy works out at about 50% of the cars value. , at this point my jaw hit the floor l was speechless . She said the mechanic gave her a list of work that needed doing before he’d release the car for her to drive on the road . The next day I went straight from the station to the garage and said I’ve come to collect my car, the mechanic said ” I’ve explained to your wife it’s not road worthy and can not be released, so she has authorised the work to be done ” I said nonesence nothing has been agreed , after a long and “meaningful ” discussion with the service manager I drove away in my car.!!! The next day I booked it in at the main agents for its MOT, SURPRISE it passed with flying colours, no work was needed. I took my car back to the local MOT station with my new MOT certificate and showed it to the service manager, he said impossible it’s not the same car , he then rang the main agents and spoke to their service manager. I could not hear the exchange but the result was he asked me to leave . The moral of the story is if the garage sees a woman with a car they assume she knows nothing and they will try it on .

When I was 13-years-old, I had a little two-year-old sister who would throw explosive temper tantrums on a daily basis. Loud noises have always bothered me since I was a baby, and this was no different.

Unfortunately, my parents believed that ignoring the temper tantrums was the best way to handle them, and would let my little sister scream for hours on end. Our home was small enough that she could be heard throughout the entire house, and I couldn’t get away from it. Furthermore, my six younger siblings and I were homeschooled, meaning that I was around my family 24/7.

All I wanted as a young teen was to get away and have some time to myself, but that was next to impossible. In addition, I was constantly getting in trouble for not completing my homeschool work on time. I told my parents time and time again that I did not do well with homeschooling, as I needed a structured environment in order to get things done, but they kept blowing me off year after year.

I got into frequent arguments with my parents, often regarding the way they handled my little sister’s temper tantrums which, in turn, got me into trouble for “talking back” and “disrespecting authority.” I would fight with my younger siblings over various things, and I think it’s because I was around them too much. The arguments with my parents and siblings often ended with me running to my room and bawling my eyes out. I had no friends, either, because I was a socially awkward, dorky kid due to my parents sheltering us from the real world.

I wanted to be alone, but would get in trouble with my parents if I slammed or locked my door. I cried for hours every day, wishing that I was never born. I would pull my hair and scratch my arms to punish myself because I knew I was a horrible person at the time and that my family would be better off without me. I remember praying to God to let me die in my sleep, and was actually making serious plans to run away.

At the time, I attributed all this as normal teenage hormones, but now I look back and realize that I was suffering from depression and didn’t even realize it. Furthermore, my entire family was oblivious to the fact as well and my parents didn’t do a damn thing to help me.

I went undiagnosed for six more years — until I was 19 — and thinking about suicide every single day. I told my mom once, “I don’t want to live anymore, but I’m not sure if I want to die either.” I think that’s when it finally clicked for her that something was wrong.

A few days prior to that, I was crying in my car at college and it clicked in my mind that something wasn’t right. I had a roommate that bullied me, and every day I cried myself to sleep. I had lost interest in everything I enjoyed and I felt guilty just for being alive. I was constantly thinking about how I would kill myself, and I was very close to crashing my car while driving one night.

Thankfully, since I have been on medication, I haven’t hit a point as low as that, but I’ve come pretty close several other times. Looking back, I just wish that I would have realized I was battling depression sooner, and maybe my teenage years wouldn’t have been such a nightmare.

Vintage 1960 era family life

Great pictures.

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Have you ever been in a bank or store when a robbery happened?

Yep, at a fast food place.
I was coming home from a bar and decided to stop at a taco place that stays open until 2am.

I missed key indicators, due to being a tad intoxicated.

I backed in to a parking space right by the door.
I went in and did not even notice what was going down.
I was looking up at the menu, which was in front of the cash registers.
After deciding what I wanted to eat, I looked down and forward and all of the employees were standing there with their hands up over their heads! I looked around and omg I am standing next to one of the robbers. One beside me and one in front behind the counter, with masks over their faces and big guns!

The one standing next to me started yelling and sticking his gun in my face.
I glanced around and saw a small group of patrons huddled over at a table in the back.

I put my hands in the air and told the guy that I didn’t want any trouble and that I was going to join those over in the corner. Hands in the air, I stepped backwards towards that table. If I was going to be shot, no way was it going to be in the back. I faced this robber as I slowly walked backwards away from him.

I think it threw him. He didn’t anticipate that reaction. Thankfully, they only wanted money and did not shoot anyone.

They proceeded to rob the place and run out the door.

What are some things that people who live in places with brutally low temperatures know, that the rest of us don’t?

A man in the Yukon was telling me about when his wife was about to give birth in the winter. When the temp gets below about 50 below zero the air freezes in your tires so you can’t drive. He took his wife to Whitehorse ahead of time and left her until he could get back to get them. People plan to be frozen in or snowed in for weeks. We drove through the Yukon in November it was really pretty. You don’t use chains there only tourist use chains. The roads then were not paved but packed snow over gravel. Road graders kept them smooth. They are not icy because they freeze once and stay frozen all winter fresh snow is packed on top. When traveling you always carry a couple of heat sources so if your car dies you don’t freeze to death, cans of Sterno can be used to melt snow to drink and heat the interior of your car a little bit. On the road if you break down every single person passing will stop to help so you always stop too.

My ex was a probation officer. Her job was to deal with serious sex offenders who’d just been released from long sentences.

While being away these guys had lost their home, their job, their partner etc so had nothing to come out to. Hence they were accommodated in hostels.

Ideally she’d like to integrate these people in to society but the assumption was given the chance they’d return to their old ways. So the priority was to prevent them doing so, they weren’t allowed mobile phones or internet access for obvious reasons.

She came home one night and said she’d spoken to a guy who said he’d been out banging on doors trying to find a job but everyone he spoke to asked for his number so they could call him back. Obviously he didn’t have a number so he was stuck. She’d been doing the job for a long time and she can spot liars from 100 yards, she said 100% this guy is legit he actually wants to turn his life around.

I took an old mobile phone out of my drawer stuck some credit on it and said give him this. She knew she shouldn’t do this but she believed in the guy. She gave him the phone and 2 days later he came to see her and said I’ve found a job.

A guy actually finding a job was so unusual she was asked for an explanation. She said my partner loaned him a phone which enabled him to get a job.

She was disciplined for breaking the rules.

First off, jail and prison are two different things in the United States, so you’re unlikely to be serving more than a year if you’re in a municipal lockup.

Therefore, a significant percentage of jail detainees won’t be staying for an entire week to figure this one out.


But I was one of the prisoners staying for months rather than days in county jail, so I can speak to your question.

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Basically, the first week is a matter of settling in.

  • If you have a support system of family and friends on the outside, they can contribute to your JPay and SecurTel accounts so you can order sundries from the commissary and make collect calls on your pod’s payphones.
  • Likewise, you’ll be required to make a list of the people you’d like for the facility to consider for approval to come see you on visitation day. Said clearance can take awhile, so they’re probably not going to get to come during the first hours available.
  • I experienced a severe spike in my blood pressure my first few days without alcohol and opioids, so the med staff put me on furosemide until my symptoms started to subside about a month into my sentence. Don’t, however, expect anything for the nerves or discomfort, ‘cause that ain’t comin’.
  • If there’s a sit-down library, visit it as soon as you’re allowed, and if not, make a list of FAVORITE AUTHORS (not titles…jails have notoriously limited selections) for the inmate rolling the book trolley to wheel your way. The day room TV, card and board games are gonna get old real quick. Inmates who don’t read, suffer; it’s as simple as that.

Mostly you’re gonna spend the first week figuring out that jail isn’t as dire as the movies and TV make it out to be.

Most of the people you meet are gonna be decent human beings who managed to fuck up just enough to end up where you are right now.

(…and that includes the CO’s.)

While the ones who aren’t decent usually end up getting relegated to SHU and eventually transported upstate.


    • Bottom Line: You Can Do This

Because the real trouble starts when you’re back on the street and trying to put your life back together.

Jail is a cinch next to what comes after.

Amazing times that we live in!

I’m American but our country is a shitshow.

Deep Brown Gravied Pork Chops

deep brown gravied pork chops
deep brown gravied pork chops

Yield: 4 pork chops and 1/2 cup gravy total
Servings: 4; about 3 ounces cooked pork and 2 tablespoons gravy per serving

Ingredients

  • 3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
  • 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
  • 1/2 teaspoon dried thyme leaves
  • 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
  • 4 bone-in ribeye (rib) pork chops
  • 1 tablespoon canola oil
  • 14 1/2 ounces chicken broth (reduced sodium)
  • 1/4 teaspoon black pepper (coarsely ground)
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt
  • 2 tablespoons green onions (or fresh parsley), finely chopped

Instructions

  1. Heat a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add the flour and cook for 3 to 3 1/2 minutes or until lightly browned and fragrant, stirring constantly. Remove from skillet and set aside on separate plate.
  2. Combine the paprika, thyme and garlic powder in a small bowl and sprinkle evenly over both sides of the pork chops.
  3. Add oil in pan over medium high heat. Cook pork chops for 4 minutes on each side or until the pork chops reach an internal temperature of 145 degrees F. Set aside on separate plate.
  4. Whisk together the flour and 1/2 cup of the broth until smooth. Stir into the pan residue.
  5. Gradually stir in the remaining broth, salt and pepper until smooth. Reduce the heat to medium and cook 10 minutes or until thickened slightly, stirring occasionally.
  6. Add the pork and any accumulated juices and cook for 1 minute to heat through, turning several times to coat.
  7. Sprinkle with the green onion.

We are Living in The Twilight Zone ..…

The pause that refreshes

When I was a young boy, perhaps 11 or 12, I went on a business road-trip with my dad. We drove throughout the Pennsylvania, Ohio and West Virginia hills selling “ship propeller shaft “sleeves”” to prospective small boat yards.

In that week-long travel, we would stop at various small towns along the way.

I well remember us pulling into a out-of-the-way (on a dirt road) rural West Virginia General Store. We were in the sticks… the middle of nowhere. I am not kidding.

It looked something like this
It looked something like this

And we go into the decrepit old wooded unpainted building, and walking on the wooden floor that make noise with every step. There was an old man there. Shit! Older than God himself, I would say. And my dad wanted to get a coke.

Well, this place didn’t have a coke in the cooler. But the old man said that he “had just the thing”, and he went into the basement and after a few minutes of him rummaging about, and making a bunch of noise, comes up with this ancient old wooden box. Completely dust covered. I mean it. It was layered like you have no idea.

28601668 1m
28601668 1m

And he used a hammer to open it. He pried the wooden box open, and the nails were all rusty, and some of the wood was just brittle. I remember that clearly.

Inside were bottles of coke-cola. But they were strange bottles. He chuckled that “you’re getting the real thang“.

And handed each of us a coke.

Now, the bottle was strange. It was curved, but not like a normal coke bottle was. It had this fat Goose-Like shape. Exactly like the bottle in the picture below. The third from the left.

65f51d3c8f4d4e70514eb00b3d034dc6
65f51d3c8f4d4e70514eb00b3d034dc6

He said something about getting this in his inheritance from his father. But I wasn’t paying attention. I was simply asking my father if this was good to drink. And both he and the old man laughed.

“Don’t be silly.” My father said. “Of course it is.”

So the old fella got out a bottle opener and opened up three bottles, Yeah. He opened up one himself. And he kept watched me with this funny curious look on his face.

I wouldn’t have remembered this moment at all if it wasn’t for his amused look.

And so, I looked up at my dad. And he was swigging his. So I took a tepid taste.

I was good.

No shit. Really good.

Ah. But different.

You see, it was not refrigerated, but it tasted refreshing. Like those mint commercials that suggest a blizzard of freshness. It tasted like a normal coke, but maybe a little bit watered-down perhaps. Yet…but… had this lite refreshing “bite”.

It also wasn’t nearly as sweet. Oh, it was sweet, but not as thick, and not as super sweet. More like a gentler coke, but with a mint-like “bite”.

The old man smiled and chucked, and looked at me again.

“What do you think son?” he asked.

I told him that it was good. Yeah. I told him that I really liked it.

Again, he chuckled. Yeah. He nodded.

He said. “It’s the pause that refreshes.”

Then he added, “Son this is a special coke. You know that, right?”

I had no clue as to what the Hell he was talking about.

But I said “Yes Sir. It really is good sir.”

And then after that we both left and got in the car and drove off.

I will tell you that my dad and I had a great time afterwards just chatting away in the long drive. Man, we talked about so much, and so many things. Not that I remember them all, but it was really enjoyable. I do remember that.

We were “chatter boxes”.

Oh, I never went back to that old man, and haven’t a clue as to where that General Store actually was. But you know what I think?

I think that we drank the original Coke-cola; the one and only made with real cocaine leaves.

And that is both a blessing and a curse. As good as it was, the present day sugar-laden version cannot compete against the less sweet, but totally refreshing cocaine-laden version.

Real talk.

Today…

The three coups of July

In less than two weeks we have seen three events in the United States that could all by themselves be described as coups or coup attempts.

  1. Trump assassination attempt.
  2. Kamala’s coup, the forced removal of Biden from the ticket and possibly from the presidency.
  3. Trump’s counter coup after failed assassination, selection of JD Vance as candidate for Vice President.

The last event may be the most consequential of all, as it opens the possibility of a real regime change in America. During his first term Trump had little influence on the workings of the US government. He failed by surrounding himself with neocons and Deep State operatives.

The failed assassination now acts like the Reichstag fire of 1933, giving Trump Hitlerian powers to remove the old establishment. He is now manning his team with people the US mainstream likes to call “Russian agents” or “Putinists”. A real danger to democracy!

Interestingly, the Twitter account of TIME magazine published three covers and cover stories for a print issue dated with a sell-by date of August 5.

I do not know which one, if any, have appeared in print. Note, that the three covers do not match the three “coups” I have listed. Covers 1 and 3 are related to Biden’s ousting, cover 2 relates to Trump’s assassination attempt and counter coup.

Posted by: Petri Krohn | Jul 24 2024 16:46 utc | 21

What was a red flag that made you stop talking to a person immediately?

I was scheduled to fly from Boston to Minneapolis very early on July 4th to celebrate my sister’s birthday that day (we always joke that she gets a fireworks show for her birthday each year).

As a student with a tight budget, I booked the cheapest flight, which had a layover in Chicago.

After landing in Chicago, the airline announced that the plane had mechanical issues and we were to fly at the same time the following day.

That was not an option for me.

Birthdays were important for my sister, and I was determined to get to my destination no matter what.

That’s how I ended up on a greyhound bus, traveling the 8 hours or so from Chicago to Minneapolis (by car it’s around 6 hours, buses tend to take their time and have a short bathroom break in the middle).

The bus was full and I ended up sitting next to a fellow college student.

We got to talking had had a really nice time chatting and time passed fairly quickly.

About an hour away from our destination, and having felt very comfortable with each other, this young man asked me where I was during the 9–11 attack.

This was in 2006, almost 5 years after the attack, and we each spoke about where we were when it happened.

He then said that he trusts me enough to let me know that the the US government was behind the attack and that they were framing Al Quaeda.

I thought he was kidding.

He wasn’t.

Uncontrollably, and quite literally, all that came out of my mouth was: “Oh no, I thought you were normal.”

I couldn’t even look at him after that, moreso because I was a bit embarrassed by what I said to him.

I didn’t mean to insult him, but was so taken back by what he accused the government of doing, especially after al Quaeda proudly told the world that they were reaponsible.

Not only could I not look at him after that, I didn’t speak to him at all.

I made it to my sister’s birthday though.

Why American Suburbs are so Creepy (liminal spaces)

Has anyone ever bought a car with the wrong engine in it?

I have.

I ordered a Ford Crown Victoria in 1981.

Three weeks before delivery I got a call from Ford Motor company.

The engine factory in Windsor, Ontario is on strike. Would I mind if my new car had a “slightly larger” engine? No price change.”

It made no difference to me. I’m a sales guy, and I don’t ever do anything special with my cars.

It arrived.

The dealer apologized for this car on delivery. “It may have a little harder suspension than you expected”.

Wow, what an understatement.

This car was a V-8 powered police car in plain clothes, a real wolf in sheep’s clothing. It looked just like in the catalogue.

But everything outside the cabin was super heavy duty. Larger wheels, oversize brakes, extra-large radiator, battery, and alternator, as well as a heavy-duty transmission with overdrive. Top speed 225 km/h (140 mph). It could go faster, but I lost my nerve.

I drove it with utmost care.

It was so light in the rear end that I could spin the tires on dry roads up to 60 km/h (40 mph).

My wife used to have fun squealing the tires by jumping on the accelerator going around corners.

My teenage daughter? She NEVER drove it, not for one metre. NEVER.

The drawback? A 55 litre tank. In the city, two days between fillups. On the highway, about three hours between fill-ups.

I kept it for four years and sold it to a guy who added a tow-hook for his camping trailer and kept it for another six years.

The blessing – my company paid for all my gas in those days.

My next car – A V8 Pontiac made under the worst of the 55 mph rules in the United States. A wheezing engine and a speedometer that ended at 140 km/h (90 mph). I don’t think it could be driven any faster, not even downhill with a tailwind.

 

1950s USA – Real Street Scenes of Vintage America – Colorized

When did you realize small things matter?

Once, when I was sitting in my physics exam, there was this girl who was an assistant in the exam room. She watched and kept eyes on us so that nobody could cheat. She also organized all the stuff that was related to the exam.

She came to me and asked me for an extra pen, so I gave one to her, and I put my head back to my test. I kept writing and I didn’t raise my head till the time was over.

I got up from my seat and gave them my papers and they asked me to sign; I did. Everything was normal; I got out and met my friends. We started walking and talking. We probably walked an hour away from the university.

And…

Suddenly, I saw a car coming directly towards us, and the driver was a girl. She stopped in front of us dramatically with the sounds of breaks screeching and smoke everywhere.

She came out of the car. I saw that she held my pen in her hands.

It was her; the assistant girl from the exam room! What blows me away is that she did all that to bring my cheap pen back to me!

I mean it wasn’t even easy to find us after we walked so far, and I’m sure she had more important things to handle there in the university than to go out and look for me!

I always thought those kinds of people no longer existed, but they do exist and they are so beautiful and pure.

Sorry for my English, but if you get the story in general, that’s more than enough for me because I’m glad to share it.

CHINA Destroy U.S SANCTION Shackle, Produces Quantum Module

 

 

What was a red flag that made you stop talking to a person immediately?

I am white. At the time this occurred, my biracial daughter was 7. We had moved into our new house a month earlier and winter had just taken a break. So, while she was in school, I was doing some winter clean-up yard work. Neighbor from across the street waves. Older man, 70-ish. Crosses the street to speak to me. We introduce ourselves, he points out the house that he lives in and asks me: “Have you noticed a certain element moving into the neighborhood? Right on this block?”

“Certain element” is, of course white-speak for “non-white.”

The school bus driver’s timing was too precious: first graders were let off in front of their homes. My little darling comes skipping up the driveway behind the neighbor. She’s all smiles for mommy. I’m all smiles for her. I take her hand and reply to the neighbor:

“Element? Element? No, other than one old racist white guy, I haven’t seen anything odd. Then I said to my child, pointing to the neighbor’s house: “See that white house across the street? Don’t ever walk in that yard, a very mean old man lives there.” And with rake in one hand and child in the other I turned around and we went inside for an after-school snack. Needless to say, I never spoke to the MF again.

 

What was I born for? Tearful End of Little Kitten After Abandoned by Owner

What are some of the most messed up family secrets?

  • My drug dealing Uncle was found in a hotel room with another drug dealer having homosexual relations by the cleaning lady. They both placed a hit on her life. She was forced to move out of state.
  • Another drug dealing Uncle was caught drug dealing in his car with his children. The police made a deal with him. He snitched on all of the other drug dealers in town in exchange for not being arrested. The police promised to not tell. They lied. A family member had to resettle him in another state with fake identification.
  • A cousin never told the family she was pregnant. Nobody even had the faintest idea until she gave birth. She threatened my grandma with giving the baby up for adoption. My grandma begged her to not make the decision. The great grandchild is now being raised by my Aunt. She looks just like her mother. My cousin won’t acknowledge her.
  • My grandma goes to church with a lady whose husband she used to date and have extramarital affairs. My grandma had us call him Uncle as children. He’s been dead for many years, but my grandma and the lady act like nothing ever happened.
  • My father is the only brother on his side of the family to never deal drugs or go to jail or prison.
  • I’m the only nephew on my father’s side of the family to never go to jail or prison.
  • On both sides of the family, many people have multiple children with multiple partners before marriage. But they mostly all go to church or mosque. And they tend to be overly preachy except for their life decisions.
  • Mental health problems loom large on both sides of the family. One side pretend they don’t exist and claim Jesus is in control. The other side is bat crap crazy and bow at the feet of Minister Farrakhan.
  • My grandma is the only reason everyone comes together for holiday functions. There are solidly formed cliques that hate each other. Some are able to move from clique to clique. Most aren’t.
  • My dad’s side of the family thinks I am a sex freak. The same goes for my mother’s side.

Malted Milk Waffles

WS BC ButtermilkWaffles Day 7 v4
WS BC ButtermilkWaffles Day 7 v4

Ingredients

  • 1/3 cup malted milk powder
  • 2 1/2 cups buttermilk pancake mix
  • 2 tablespoons granulated sugar
  • 2 eggs, separated
  • 1 1/3 cups buttermilk
  • 1/2 cup butter, melted

Instructions

  1. In a large bowl, stir together malted milk powder, pancake mix and granulated sugar.
  2. In a separate bowl, beat egg whites until stiff peaks form; set aside.
  3. Add egg yolks, buttermilk and butter to dry ingredients; mix well. Fold in egg whites.
  4. Spray preheated waffle iron with nonstick cooking spray. Pour batter onto hot waffle iron. Cook until golden brown.
  5. Serve warm.

What is the most unusual and incorrect reason you’ve had the police called on you?

Not me, but my dad. Pictures in a house can do wonders for calming down a police officer.

My grandmother lived alone in a small town in NH. No police department, just the County Sheriff’s Office for law enforcement. As she was elderly and lived alone in a remote area, she had a check-in system with the Sheriff’s Office. She would call in every morning, just to let them know that she was up and about without any problems. On the rare occasion that she didn’t call early enough, they would call her. That happened every few months.

My parents were up visiting her, when my mom got sick and had to be admitted to the local hospital. The next morning, bright and early, my dad and grandma went to the hospital to see my mom. My grandmother, worried about her daughter in the hospital, forgot to call the Sheriff’s Office.

My mother asked my dad to go back to the house to get her a book. As my dad was walking out of the house, a deputy pulled in the driveway.
Scene: An elderly woman didn’t make her daily call, that she almost never forgot. Said elderly woman doesn’t answer phone when Sheriff’s Office calls. Deputy pulls into driveway, thinking a fall and a broken hip. Strange car with out of state plates in driveway and a stranger walking out of the house.

The deputy gets out, hand on holstered gun, and asks “Who are you and where is Dorothy”. My dad tells him that she is at the hospital, visiting her daughter/his wife. The deputy then asks if he can prove it. Dad tells him that his picture is on the piano. They walked into the house, dad picks up one of the many family pictures on the piano, there he is in a picture with my mom & grandma.

Dad said that was when the deputy finally took his hand off his gun, and radioed in to cancel his backup. The deputy told him that as soon as he saw him walking out, he called in saying he might have a situation and the Sheriff called back letting him know he was on the way.

The funniest part of this story happened years later. There was a family gathering at my grandma’s over Christmas. My nephew hit a deer and totaled his car, no injuries except for Bambi. He called it in, and called grandma’s house to ask if someone could come pick him up. Dad’s car was at the end of the driveway, so he’s elected. He shows up at the accident scene, and as he’s walking up the same deputy looks at him and says “I know you. Your picture is on the piano”.

 

Shuffle dance of Chinese school principal

What is a split-second decision you made that changed your life?

I was a ‘plus 1’ to a wedding reception that I knew no body except my ‘date’.

I really felt only friendship towards this guy and I made it obvious. I was planning on cancelling because I really didn’t want to be in a room full of strangers with a guy who I felt kinda awkward with at this point. But I decided to suck it up because the bride and groom had paid for me and it would have been rude to cancel. The drive up was a nightmare – I was driving and it was pouring – I could barely see. I was getting really annoyed at the guy because he kept talking about how great he was in every single way and also said I could have made more of an effort with dressing up (I had minimum time to get ready since I had worked the morning). 🙄 so I was regretting my decision to attend.

we got there, sat down at the table and that is how I met my husband. He was sat at the same table, we got talking/dancing. He was a twin and I took a chair ribbon to put on him so I knew which one he was. We started dating shortly after, moved in together after a month of dating. We’ve been together 15 years, married 12 and have 4 children.

Me and the bride are still in touch, and sadly another lady I met there and remained friends with-died in her 20s of cancer when our (same age) children were only 2 a few years later. That day changed the entire course of my life for the better. I’m glad I didn’t cancel that crappy date.

 

What is your most interesting encounter with the police?

When my older daughter was a toddler, I took her to a friend’s house for a play group. When we were getting ready to leave, I put my daughter in her car seat and proceeded to open my front door; to my shock, my door immediately swung closed. I was baffled as to why this would have happened.

Upon closer inspection, I noticed that a car had hit my car right where the door hinge was. There were now straight white even lines on my blue car. I took my daughter out of her car seat and rang my friend’s doorbell. I explained that it looked like somebody hit my car and took off.

At this point, my friend’s son piped in. (Keep in mind that this child was also a toddler – he was not yet three years old!) He said “I saw a car hit your car!” When I questioned him about the details, he said it was a white car and he even told us the make and model of this car!

The reason why he was able to do this was because he owned over 500 dinkies and he knew every make and model of every toy car he owned! The child then looked out the window, pointed and announced “There’s the car!” It was parked across the street.

At this point, I called the police to report a hit and run. The police came over pretty quickly and I told him the whole story. After inspecting my car and the car across the street, the officer rang the neighbour’s doorbell.

After denying that he had any knowledge that he hit my car, the police officer made this man back his car right up to where my car was hit. The white lines on my car matched up with the lines on this man’s bumper. Imagine the look on the police officer’s face when I told him that the person who identified the car responsible for this hit and run was a toddler!!!

strong independent woman gets a TRAIN RAN on her and regrets it

I’m married for 30 years. My husband is 63 and I’m 60. He acts more like 73 than 63. He’s very boring and I can’t stand it anymore. What should I do?

I am now very close to 68 years old. when I was 54 my wife was two years older than me and 56. We had been together for 28 years. You will notice that I used past tense. I started to be bothered with her lifestyle compared to mine. She liked to smoke cigarettes and drink beer all day long and I was and am very fit.

She was my soulmate but in 2010 I left her for a while because I didn’t want to watch her grow old and die prematurely. At that time she looked like she was 10 years older and then she was. It didn’t take me very long to find out that I couldn’t live without her and we got back together within a few months, but it was difficult because some damage was done. We were able to overcome our obstacles because of our deep love for each other even though she was still hurting her body through her lifestyle. In 2016, she was diagnosed with a very severe form of COPD. After several tests, we sat in the doctor’s office and she was told that if she changed her lifestyle that day she might live seven years and if she didn’t, she might live four. Two years later, they discovered a mass on her lung. Damage done. On April 20, 2020 she died in my arms at home.

If you’ve been together for 30 years, then you have something. Sometimes you might think it’s boring but when they are gone, it is really boring and awful. I have never forgiven myself for leaving her although maybe someday I will, but for right now I miss her so much.

Hang in there, find things to do to keep yourself from being bored and cherish the people you’re close to including your husband or wife.

 

China leaves West’s financial system? Sells record amount of Dollar Assets. De-Dollarization.

Why did 10 million Americans lose their homes after the 2008 financial crisis?

“Sir, I need a loan to buy my dream home,” says Luigi.

“Do you currently have a job?” asks Mr. Greedy.

“Yes sir, I have a good job!”

“Do you currently own or rent a home?”

“I rent a home. We pay $1,500 per month.”

“Oh, I will be able to help you save so much money!”

“What do you mean, Mr. Greedy?” asks the innocent Luigi.

“Today you pay $1,500 a month. That’s terrible. You’re giving that money away to your landlord. You save zero in equity! Terrible investment, Mr. Luigi,” salivating for his HUGE commissions.

“Well, I know. I hope we can someday qualify for a loan, Mr. Greedy.”

“With our loan, you will pay the bank only $1,300 a month, saving you $200 every month.”

“Wow, that’s like a dream.”

“Mr. Luigi, are you sitting down?”

“Yes, Mr. Greedy. Why?”

You are qualified for a 100% loan, Mr. Luigi! No money down! The bank will give you all the money needed to purchase the house.”

“Really? Really? Wow, this is life-changing news, Mr. Greedy! Every one of my friends that have purchased a home is happy — real estate prices just keep going up!”

“And they will continue to rise, Mr. Luigi. Congratulations!”

“This is a life-changing event! Thank you, Mr. Greedy!”


Now, to answer your question, why did 10 million Americans lose their homes after the 2008 financial crisis?

Remember when you last purchased something with credit?

When we buy something, we’re focused on the satisfaction of the purchase, not on the obligation of the payment we just assumed.

Our behavior as a consumer is easily influenced by emotions and excitement to fill that emotional void with the purchase. This becomes a huge problem in a world where there’s an alarming lack of financial education — people may be deceived or make bad decisions.

I still remember those pre-crisis years. The world was different. Everyone wanted a piece of the pie. The real estate “party” was something nobody wanted to miss. Naturally, millions of Americans were emotionally attracted to the dream while ignoring the future legal and financial demands of their loans.

The banking system was extremely greedy. Banks qualified what are known as subprime mortgages. These are loans granted to individuals with poor credit scores (640 or less, and often below 600), who would normally not be able to qualify for a mortgage.

Mr. Greedy abused many consumers like Luigi, selling too many unqualified mortgages. Now, Luigi purchased his home for $200,000. He qualified for a 100% loan.

Luigi started making payments.

Then, the unexpected happened. In 2006 home prices started to drop. Suddenly Luigi’s $200,000 home was worth $50,000 less.

Luigi faced a decision: pay back the loan for $200,000 or give the home back to the bank.

Like Luigi, millions of Americans were not willing (or able) to pay the mortgage on their unreasonably expensive home anymore.

People stopped making their payments, which triggered defaults.

Now the banks were full of expensive foreclosures in their inventory. Prices kept falling. Nobody was willing to buy them.

The problem quickly spread nationwide.

Meanwhile, financial corporations who owned these junk sub-prime loans stopped receiving payments. This triggered the perfect storm.

A collision of two gigantic “cornerstone” industries of the economy followed.

It was scary … Devastating for millions around the world.

The rest is history …

Will history repeat?

What do you think?

Shorpy

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Have you ever accidentally touched another person inappropriately? What happened?

Rule of life:

  1. If it is your mistake, no matter, of what age, the person could be, fall back and say sorry.

  2. If it’s not your mistake, no matter, of what age, the person could be, rip him/her off, if the person tries to mess with you.

This is how I lead my life and I got no regrets.


Delhi metro is funny and accommodating at the same time. The other day, some months back, I was late for my office and had to reach Gurugram as soon as possible.

The option of using a cab was haunting me because, at peak hours, the traffic on Jaipur highway tends to intensify.

I landed at AIIMS metro and boarded a metro up to Sikanderpur.

The metro was overcrowded with office people, frustrated with their boss and distance from the offices, even one could say it looking at their faces.

Somehow, I got adjusted in the crowd, have put my earphones on, and started listening to songs.

A girl boarded metro from Saket, New Delhi and was in a hurry.

I understand. People could be in a hurry but there should be a protocol of no panicking because anyway, the metro gonna get the same time for everyone.

She stood opposite to me.

Later, more people boarded the metro from Qutub Minar and she got pushed, in a way that my elbow got pressed with her breasts, and I felt it, I won’t deny, but it was not my mistake.

According to physics and logic, which she lacked, I was stationary and she was acting as an object who interacted with a stationary object.


Someone patted on my shoulder.

She: Hello? Are you desperate?

She shouted loud enough to get the attention.

Me: Excuse me?

She: Dude, watch your elbow. You just tried to press my breasts.


Everyone started to give a look as if I am the harasser here.

I understood, she was wanting fun.

I raised my eyes, came closer and shouted loudly.

Frankly, you lack common sense. I was standing opposite to you and didn’t even notice you standing because you’re not worth looking. You are an attention gainer. You think, boys being a minority in such cases would step back, ask for a sorry even if it doesn’t justify a mistake. You are an arrogant girl who just wants attention.

I can prove it.

Who wears a “Deloitte” hoodie in the month of April?

The temperature is already above 30, and you are wearing a hoodie not because you feel cold but you wanna make everyone realize, I work in one of the best advisory firms.

Get a life.

And about your breasts, I didn’t even feel it.

The last line, if someone could have understood, was kind enough to rip her off and two people started laughing on the last line.

Rest didn’t get it.

Even, she didn’t.

She made a face, turned back and didn’t say anything after that.

She got down at the next station.

After leaving, everyone said: Good, you have at least spoken. It happens a lot in the metro.

Lesson: Zulm karne se, Zulm sehna Jada bara apraadh hai- Bhagwad Geeta.

English: One who harasses is not the bigger criminal, but the one who endures it is the biggest criminal.

Homemade “Maple” Syrup

Homemade Maple Syrup
Homemade Maple Syrup

Ingredients

  • 1 cup granulated sugar
  • 1 cup packed brown sugar
  • 1/8 teaspoon salt
  • 1 cup water
  • 1/2 teaspoon maple flavoring or extract

Instructions

  1. Combine granulated and brown sugar in a saucepan. Add salt and water. Bring mixture to a boil.
  2. Remove from heat. Add maple flavoring or extract.
  3. Cool and serve.

Notes

Use any combination of granulated and/or brown sugar as long as it is two parts sugar to one part water.

If you fell from 14,000 feet without a parachute, where would the safest place possible be to land?

In WW2 my father made a water landing from high enough that he did not notice the shrimp boats at first. Luckily he remembered the training about men hitting water from altitude and the theories about how to survive. He became a dart. Legs were crossed and toes pointed to avoid having the legs ripped in different directions. Chin over the shoulder to avoid having it ripped off. Not looking down to avoid having the face smashed in. Arms tight against the sides. Do not have your butt stick out—be as straight as possible.

He had to take in another breath as the air pressure increased. Once he slowed down in the water he inflated his “Mae West” but the water pressure did not allow it to fully inflate yet. He kept the dart sharp because it worked. He claimed he still went in over his head the third time he hit the water.

The navy’s take was to alter the training about when to leave your parachute during a water landing to avoid getting tangled in the lines and drowning. Instead of jumping out of the harness when you are 10 feet from the water (my hillbilly father thought the Gulf of Mexico looked like the local pond he used to jump into—after all, how big is a wave?) you waited until your toes touch, then jump out.

You shouldn’t do that on purpose since getting a detail wrong results in death.

 

What is the most “illegal” thing you’ve done and gotten away with?

 

I have to go anonymous on this one.

It is the year 1999.

I helped my friend / flat mate escape from jail..

We were in Egypt at the time, and were young and still in university. I am an Egyptian citizen, he on the other hand was a foreigner, and did not have a valid driving license.

For some stupid reason he was driving his friend’s car and got heckled by a pedestrian (who pretended he got hit by the car to scare some cash from the driver, common practice in egypt and some other countries I will not be mentioning that I have been to). Anyway, my friend did not have any cash on him, minutes later police came over and booked him. He managed to call me for help from someone’s cellphone.

That night I went over to the police station, with food for my friend. At that point it was not my intent to help him escape. Anyhow, being an Egyptian, I know how to “grease someone’s hands” to let the food and cigarettes in.

The soldier whom I bribed gave us a couple of minutes while he smoked a cigarette, and there was an open door at the end of the hall. My car is parked close by.

I told him, if you can run to that door, jump over the fence (a shitty low cement fence), I will wait with my car in 2 minutes, and I will take you to the airport.

That is exactly what we did. Took him in my car, stopped by his place which was close by for not more than 30 seconds for his passport, and off to the airport.

I saw him once after that in his country of origin almost 10 years later.

Edit: thank you Gargi for the edit and review. Really appreciate it!

I laughed and laughed!

Lots and lots and lots of great movies

Met a guy on OKCupid who seemed cool. He had a professional head shot as his profile picture and was pretty well spoken, so I met him for dinner.

Everything was okay, though I didn’t really see it progressing to date #2, when he commented on my shoes.

“I wouldn’t really go with those shoes next time you wear that dress,” he said.

I thought he was joking and laughed, not at all offended because I’m the first to admit that I know nothing about fashion. Nope.

He continued: “No, seriously. I’m the type of man who needs to know that his woman will not only always look good, but will take my advice when it comes to what she looks good in.”

Crickets. Then he added, “I’d be glad to take you shopping if you don’t know what you’re doing. You’re pretty enough, just need some help with outfits.”

Um, thanks? I did my best to finish the date graciously and deleted his number literally as I walked to my car in the restaurant parking lot.

Funny, bizarre, and definitely a turnoff.

20 MILLION MILES TO EARTH 🎬 Exclusive Full Sci-Fi Movie Premiere 🎬 English HD 2022

Movie time!

The first U.S. spaceship to Venus crash-lands off the coast of Sicily on its return trip. A dangerous, lizard-like creature comes with it and quickly grows gigantic.

Ray Harrihausen’s creations were so way ahead of their time. I understand he worked virtually alone and spent huge amounts of time bringing his horrors onto the screen, a true genius.

“What business is McDonald’s in?”

The three 20-something young men sat across a table from me. I’d just returned to the States from a couple of years living abroad, and it was time to find a job. Back then (18 years ago), the newspaper classifieds were still a pretty good resource for job hunters. The description had been a bit vague (classifieds were usually short), but the promised wage was decent, so I sent in a résumé, and got an interview.

When I arrived, I waited in a stairwell outside a sparsely furnished office with another guy about my age (20-something), until my interview slot (the last one) came. When I entered, after the usual greetings, that was the first, and only, question asked.

The trouble is, I recognized the question, and its source. Robert Kiyosaki’s Rich Dad, Poor Dad books were growing in popularity, and a friend had shown me a passage in which Ray Kroc, owner of the McDonald’s chain, asks a class of Harvard MBA students that very question, receiving predicable answers such as “restaurants,” and “hospitality,” only to reveal that he considers himself to be in the real estate business.

I’ve always considered Kiyosaki’s approach to personal wealth to be irresponsible and well beyond my risk-tolerance level. He was very trendy at the time, and the fact that this question constituted the whole of my interview was a huge red flag for me. In my mind, it communicated:

That this company was following financial trends rather than principles,

and

that the company would probably be long on charisma and short on discipline

Combine that with the lack of concrete detail about the job, and I was more than a bit wary.

I answered the question properly, finished with pleasantries and small talk, and drove away. I received a call-back before I’d gone a single mile; I’d gotten the job. They explained that it was a sales position (something I wouldn’t have bothered interviewing for if I’d known), and started talking about a starting date.

“Actually, I’m not really interested,” I said.

There was silence on the other end of the phone. Finally, he just said, “Okay, thanks!”

That was it. I still feel like I dodged a bullet with that one.

“The world has already changed—and not in the way that people overseas wanted.

But what do they want? What is their endgame?

The United States, having launched a sweeping attack on all undesirable countries simultaneously (you know this axis of ‘evil’: from Belarus to North Korea, including Russia, China, Iran, and others), realized that they made a mistake.

They brought together the disobedient Russia and their archnemesis, China.

By exerting pressure, they pushed these two states together: Russia, with extensive resources and a powerful defense industry, and China, with enormous economic and human potential.

They realized that they could not handle this union.

But the United States found a way out: they instigated a conflict in Europe, in Ukraine, and put it on the shoulders of the European Union and NATO, promising to help with money.

The goal is to distract, get Russia bogged down in the war with Ukraine, weaken it with the war and sanctions—as Russia will be too busy to build an alliance with China.

Meanwhile, they wanted to deal with China and drag others whenever possible into this showdown: AUKUS [Defense alliance of Australia, the United Kingdom, and the United States], which is a new NATO in the Pacific, and then Japan and South Korea.

This is the essence of the U.S. strategy to assert its dominance in the world.

After that, everything will be over: they will throw everyone under the bus, like they did in Afghanistan.”

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Excerpt from the address by Belarusian President Aleksandr Lukashenko at the 7th Belarusian People’s Congress in Minsk, April 24, 2024.

Temu and Shein are next in line on the chopping board.

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China’s Temu Takes Over 17% Of US Market Share, Cutting Jobs From American Amazon And Decimating Small Businesses
China's Temu Takes Over 17% Of US Market Share, Cutting Jobs From American Amazon And Decimating Small Businesses

Caleb Naysmith

Thu, Apr 25, 2024, 4:49 AM GMT+8

China’s Temu Takes Over 17% Of US Market Share, Cutting Jobs From American Amazon And Decimating Small Businesses

With rising inflation, American consumers are increasingly turning to the Chinese e-commerce platform Temu for their shopping needs. With its enticing tagline “Shop like a billionaire,” Temu has captured 17% of the U.S. market share, posing a challenge to traditional American retailers such as Amazon.com. Spend less. Smile more.

Inc., Dollar Tree Inc. and Five Below Inc. The rise highlights the lucrative and disruptive nature of startups.Owned and operated by PDD Holdings Inc. (NASDAQ:PDD), Temu offers a wide range of products, including home decor, pet supplies, beauty and health products and clothing. The platform is known for its competitive pricing, often offering significant discounts on items compared to prices on Amazon. Coupled with Temu’s discount codes, consumers can enjoy even greater savings.

Temu has even become the No. 1 Shopping App on Apple’s App Store, surpassing Amazon, Target Corp. and Walmart Inc., which currently hold the third, fourth and eighth spots, respectively. The No. 2 shopping app is Shein, another Chinese retailer.

Orders purchased on Temu are shipped from China and are estimated to be delivered within 10 days. However, in a bid to compete with Amazon’s fast delivery, Temu opened its marketplace to U.S. warehouses last month. Shopping from these sellers can significantly reduce shipping time, giving U.S. retailers the ability to handle fulfillment and shipping directly.

In December, Reuters reported that Temu was successfully challenging U.S. dollar stores like Dollar Tree and Dollar General Corp., accounting for nearly 17% of the market share in the United States. According to data analytics firm Earnest Analytics, this compares to 8% for Five Below, 43% for Dollar General and 28% for Dollar Tree.

In January, Amazon announced it would lay off 5% of its Buy with Prime workforce, which equips retailers with fulfillment and delivery services.

“Following a recent review, we’ve made the difficult decision to eliminate a small number of roles on our Buy with Prime team. Buy with Prime is a top priority for Amazon, with strong adoption from merchants and positive feedback from customers, and we will continue investing significant resources in Buy with Prime to build on that momentum,” an Amazon statement said.

The ripple effects extend to discount stores like Dollar Tree and 99 Cents Only Stores, both of which have announced significant closures and employee layoffs.

Citing changing consumer demand and economic challenges, 99 Cents Only Stores is shutting all 371 locations in Arizona, California, Nevada and Texas. Dollar Tree plans to close 1,000 locations across its Dollar Tree and Family Dollar stores.

The new American dream is to leave

"I live in New York and he is 200% correct. The majority of us are living paycheck to paycheck. I am also moving out of the country soon. America is on a fast decline. Our government does not work for us."

This is a byproduct of the American “Woman’s Rights” movement.

The initial intention was for gender equality, where women would be treated as equals with men. Eventually, a more radical sub-branch of the movement took control and steered the movement towards an anti-male bias. Over the years, they acquired wealthy and powerful contributors, and used their positions in government to fund and control the narrative. Resulting in the destruction of the American male.

This women’s rights movement in the United States has gone through several stages.

Each stage has been marked by specific goals, accomplishments, and challenges.

First Wave (19th Century – Early 20th Century)

– Focused on legal issues, particularly women’s suffrage (the right to vote).

– Key events: The Seneca Falls Convention in 1848, organized by Elizabeth Cady Stanton and Lucretia Mott; the adoption of the 19th Amendment in 1920, granting women the right to vote.

This initial stage is often erroneously considered to be reasonable, but a look at the amendments to the constitution clearly show that the movement removed the stable “Head of the Household” voting role towards one where anyone can vote. Thus, this movement, during the FIRST WAVE, significantly altered the federal government and the spending trajectory of the United States.

Demographics changed substantially. Voting profiles changed radically, and a “nanny state”
became the norm, as the female voters started to demand a government that took on a parental role; thus a government with a greater role in the lives of Americans.

Second Wave (1960s – 1980s)

– Emphasized a broader range of issues, including equality in the workplace, education, reproductive rights, and legal rights.

– Key events: Publication of “The Feminine Mystique” by Betty Friedan in 1963; the establishment of the National Organization for Women (NOW) in 1966; the passage of the Equal Pay Act of 1963 and Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972.

– Advocacy for reproductive rights, including the landmark Supreme Court decision in Roe v. Wade in 1973.

During this wave, the “rights” of women altered the workplace, the Geo-political scene, the educational system, and the kinds of movies and shows on televisions and extracted out of Hollywood. It was during this wave that the notion of a traditional family was discarded, and men started to be depicted as buffoons and useless clowns.

There is a direct correlation between divorce rates and the implementation of pro-feminist initiatives. This was the era of the destruction of the family. As the women entered the work-place, forced layoffs, firings and short-duration employment became the norm.

Third Wave (1990s – Early 2000s)

– Focused on diversity and intersectionality, addressing issues of race, class, sexual orientation, and gender identity within the context of women’s rights.

– Emphasized individualism and a more inclusive approach to feminism, acknowledging different experiences and perspectives.

This wave turbocharged the fall of traditional values, and the “career women” entered the work force with government sanctioned privileges that harmed the male roles. The court systems, and child service systems became co-opted by this movement and became hostile to males.

Laws and rules, from family law to corporate law favored females. Lower skilled females were engaged in once-dominant male activities to meet hiring quotas. The result was a gradual decline in the quality of the American work-force.

Fourth Wave (Mid-2000s – Present)

– Characterized by the use of digital and social media to advocate for women’s rights and mobilize anti-male activism.

– Focus on sexual harassment, gender-based violence, and the #MeToo movement.

– Greater attention to intersectionality, considering how various aspects of identity intersect and impact the experiences of women and non-binary individuals.

It’s a real problem.

The damage has already been done.

Presently, in the United States and it’s proxy nations, under the LGBQ+ rainbow flag, the male gender is ridiculed, minimized, and berated to a point where various social phenomenons have occurred. To include…

  • Young men in the 20s have stopped dating.
  • Young men tend to be virginal, while young women engage in serial promiscuity.
  • The “Soft man” era where men have “checked out”.
  • A drop in college and university admissions for men.
  • A push back on dating with the “drizzle drizzle” movement.
  • American men are leaving the United States as “passport bros” and not returning.

The changing demographics and the ten year forecast for citizens within this toxic anti-male environment is contentious. Historically, very BAD things happen when large sections males in a nation are hurt, abandoned, ridiculed and disparaged.

It will be very bad.

Apple-Cinnamon Pile o’ Pancakes

apple cinnamon pancakes 3 1200x1800 1
apple cinnamon pancakes 3 1200×1800 1

Yield: 5 servings (2 pancakes and 2 tablespoons syrup each)

Ingredients

  • 1 cup Apple Cinnamon Cheerios cereal
  • 3/4 cup all-purpose flour
  • 3/4 cup milk
  • 2/3 cup chunky applesauce
  • 3 tablespoons butter, melted
  • 2 teaspoons baking powder
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt
  • 1 egg
  • Maple syrup or maple-flavored syrup*

Instructions

  1. Heat griddle or 12 inch skillet over medium-low heat or to 325 degrees F.
  2. Pour cereal into plastic bag and seal. Crush cereal with rolling pin or can of soup. Pour crushed cereal into large bowl. Stir in remaining ingredients, except syrup, just until moistened.
  3. Pour batter, a generous 1/4 cup at a time, onto hot griddle. Cook for 2 minutes or until edges look cooked and bubbles begin to break on the surface. Flip pancakes and cook other side until golden, about 2 minutes longer.
  4. Serve with syrup.

Notes

* Tasty topping: Skip the syrup and top instead with warm apple pie filling or a sprinkle of brown sugar.

No one cares.

It’s time I told you about my Uncle RK.

My late uncle.

A victim of sexism and neglect his entire life.

  • When he was just a boy, he was expected and pressured to get good grades in school – which he did. On the contrary, they let my mom slack off and had no expectations for her.
  • Eventually, he ended up placing within the top 200 in a nationally ranked exam and going to one of the most prestigious colleges in the country for peanuts – thanks to a large scholarship.
  • During his college days, when he visited home, no one bothered to greet him. His own mom forgot he was coming once and ended up giving his room to some relatives for a short stay.
  • In his early twenties, he was falsely accused of sexual harassment. After spending a few months in jail, my grandmom made a hefty payment to the accuser’s family, who agreed to drop the charges.
  • He struggled to find employment after college thanks to his criminal record.
  • After being forced into an arranged marriage, he was stuck with an emotionally abusive wife.
  • After losing another job at age 30, he got depressed. The humiliation he received from society and from his wife for being unemployed was unbearable.
  • In July 2000, he killed himself, by jumping off an apartment. Everyone chalked it up to his mental instability. To this day, I still hear them saying that he was a weak and pathetic man who couldn’t handle life.

I think you got it by now.

This is the worst part of being a man: No one cares.

No one cares if you feel lonely, if you feel neglected, if you are falsely accused by a woman, if you have an abusive wife, if you lose your job and feel worthless or if you kill yourself.

My uncle RK is a lot like me. He’s introverted, sweet and sensitive person. He’d never harm a fly. He used to take great care of his little sister (my mom) and show affection to his older brother.

He’s also a genius. He managed to build a working generator when he was just a boy (remember this was before the internet). He was always the smartest guy around.

He was cool too. When he toured Japan in the nineties, he brought back some novel electronic gadgets, among them was a digital dictionary.

I wish I had met him.

I wish he was alive. We could have talked about so much. He could have been a mentor to me.

Rest in peace. Uncle RK – 1969–2000.

I cannot believe that this entire film is free on youtube. It is a great watch. Take the time to enjoy this fun, and very funny, Classic Drama Movie: A Boy and His Dog – A young man and his telepathic dog wander through a post-apocalyptic wasteland.

Oh, and it takes place in 2024!

LOL.

A 1920 era Only Fans and what happened to her

My son had a problem with a neighborhood bully when he was about ten. The bully wanted to be best friends with my son’s best friend. My son stood in the way.

My son came home after being at the bully’s house–WITH THE BULLY’S MOTHER RIGHT THERE–with all kinds of bruises and scrapes. He got thrown into shrubbery, punched, etc.

His mother, to whom I spoke, denied that there was a problem, even though my son AND HIS FRIEND told us the bully had been responsible.

I did nothing more until my son called me one Saturday. He was supposed to be at a pool party to celebrate his friend’s birthday, but when I heard him, he sounded very depressed. He said he’d left the party and walked home, because the bully had gone after him.

I told him I was stopping at the party.

I did. And there was the bully, bullying other kids at the pool.

I told him to get out of the pool. He blustered, “ What did I do? I didn’t do anything.”

And I SCREAMED at him, “GET OUT OF THE POOL NOW!”

He did, and I took him to one side.

I never touched him. I told him, “I never want you going near my son again. I never want you to talk to him or go near him ever. And if I find out that you ever did–I WILL MAKE YOUR LIFE NOT WORTH LIVING. DO. YOU. UNDERSTAND?”

He saw the look on my face. He was half a head taller than me and fifty pounds heavier, but at that moment–I WAS DANGEROUS.

He said he understood. He said he wouldn’t go near my son. He promised. I let him go back to the party.

For some strange reason, we never had a problem with him after that…

Pura70 is Huawei’s latest smartphone, and it is considered a milestone in the P series.

He was originally supposed to be called P70, but they decided to start with a new name.

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huawei2

The brand-new name Pura70 is well-deserved for this mobile phone, and it is a new cost for Huawei.

Half a year ago, I answered a question about Huawei Mate60. I think Mate60 is a landmark event for Huawei’s return as king under US sanctions. 90% of the supply chain of Mate60 mobile phones comes from Chinese companies, and they no longer rely on American technology. This is the first time in the history of human industry that a single country has completed the entire industrial chain of a high-end smartphone.

When I was in high school, my boyfriend called me on a school night asking me to go out to eat. I had a test the next day, so my mother wouldn’t allow me to go. The next morning, as I was eating breakfast while listening to the radio, I heard the news that my boyfriend had died in a car accident. He lost control of his Volkswagen and crashed into a hydro pole. My mother was sitting beside me at the time. Apparently my face instantly turned white, and I started to shake uncontrollably. I spent the rest of the day in bed. The first time I saw John laid out in his casket was surreal. I felt like I was in a fog. The people around me seemed far away, and their voices were a blur. I could not accept that my boyfriend was dead, and I would be left without him. He looked like he was sleeping, and I kept waiting for him to open his eyes. The hardest part was at his grave, when his coffin was lowered into the ground. I completely lost my composure and cried out his name, weeping uncontrollably. It took me a long time to come to terms with John’s death. He was a comedian at heart, always making me laugh. I saw his grinning face everywhere. Going back to school after his funeral was so heart wrenching. I would think I saw him in the hallways and the cafeteria. Our mutual friends just didn’t know what to do or say. I felt so alone. I will never forget John, but I gradually recovered from losing him. Time does heal heartache.

Heartwarming

Why did Chinese chip stocks rally following Huawei’s launch of the Mate 60 Pro phone?

Do you know the semiconductor sanctions that Huawei has suffered in the past three years? It’s a pity that we can’t buy this mobile phone here. It is the first mobile phone in the world that directly supports satellite phones.
This will definitely be an industrial product that will be recorded in history. This means that in the past three years, all companies around the world have not been allowed to sell 5G-related semiconductors to Huawei as long as these semiconductors contain American technology.
All companies around the world are not allowed to help Huawei produce semiconductors, as long as your production process contains American technology. You know, semiconductor is a global division of labor industry.
The technology in this industry has always been global cooperation, and there is no semiconductor production and design company in any country that does not contain American technology. Such sanctions can directly shock companies like Apple and Samsung.
They originally thought Huawei would also collapse. But Mate60 was released. After 3 years, they released a new 5G mobile phone again. This is not just as simple as a mobile phone. This is a huge technical chain that requires the participation of hundreds of companies with different specialties. In the past, this required the mutual cooperation of multiple countries, and no country could do it alone. But now the Chinese have done it.
Maybe not top notch, but they really did it. This means that Chinese companies can make advanced semiconductors (maybe not state-of-the-art) without relying on American technology. This is a historic event in the global semiconductor industry. It means that China’s semiconductor industry chain has made a comprehensive breakthrough. Note that I used the word industry chain. To manufacture a slice of advanced semiconductors requires the participation of many companies and industries.
From EDA software, to the cultivation of silicon wafers, chip and framework design, high-purity chemicals, laser devices, lithography machines, etching machines, packaging equipment, and testing technologies. Chinese people often use the term “shooting oneself in the foot”.
Now I can fully understand the meaning of this sentence. Under the pressure of the Americans, the Chinese took three years to complete the independence of the entire semiconductor industry chain. They have gone from 0 to 1, or even from 0 to 10, and the remaining 90 points are just a matter of time. It can be predicted that ten years later, China’s semiconductor industry will crush its peers around the world through its own scale and cost advantages. No one can sanction them because they do it all themselves, from sand to chips.

In fact, the task completed by Mate60 is not perfect. This phone still uses memory chips from Korean suppliers and electronic parts from Japanese suppliers. Although they are not critical parts, this means that it does not achieve the goal 100%.

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huawei1
  • The phone is equipped with a retractable lens and its mechanical precision is comparable to that of a Swiss watch

Many media are still questioning whether Huawei can produce advanced semiconductors on a large scale and sustainably? Some people even say that their chips are removed from old mobile phones.

Some media have questioned whether Koreans are secretly helping Huawei manufacture mobile phones because Korean memory chips were found on the Mate60.

Now, Pura70 makes all these doubts meaningless. Some anxious media dismantled the phone into parts and put them under a microscope. They found that this phone uses a brand new SOC chip: Kirin 9010. This is only half a year after the release of Kirin 9000s on Mate60. The single-core performance of this chip has improved by at least 15%-20%, which is very close to the latest products of Qualcomm and Apple.

At the same time, those Japanese and Korean parts on the Mate60 are missing. Memory chips, cameras, visual sensors, fingerprint sensors and other accessories have also been completely replaced by Chinese companies.

In a sense, Pura70 is a mobile phone that is truly 100% made in China. This not only includes all key semiconductors and peripheral parts, but also parts in professional fields such as screens and lenses. At the same time, the operating system of this mobile phone is also independent of Android and IOS.

Based on the sales of MATE60, the media predicts that the sales of Pura70 may exceed 10 million units. This is a figure evaluated when Huawei is unable to sell mobile phones outside of China.

  • Pura70 has triggered queues in many big cities in China. Although the phone sells for as high as 1,000-1,500 US dollars, many young people still think it is cool to own a Pura70.

This also means that this is the world’s first top-end smartphone that is “completely unrelated to Western technology” and it has already achieved significant success in the market.

From a professional’s perspective, the launch and large-scale supply of Pura70 proves that China’s high-end electronics manufacturing and semiconductor manufacturing industries have gradually separated from the US system. Huawei is just the company at the forefront. Behind it are hundreds of China’s advanced electronic technology suppliers. Behind these suppliers are thousands of second-tier and third-tier suppliers. They can operate completely independently from U.S. global sanctions and restrictions.

This gives the world a new reminder: Advanced technology is not always in the hands of the West. When you are unwilling to share or even use technology as a weapon, people will always find other paths.

MASSIVE NEWS: China Is Building Giant Hypersonic Railgun For Space Launches

A couple months before I turned 8 years old, my dad ordered his first new car, after 25 years of driving used vehicles. It was a big event for a family of modest means. My parents wanted a Ford station wagon and my Mom wanted the maroon color which was supposedly offered. Days after ordering it, they called to say our car had come in. When I went to the dealer with my Dad to watch him pick it up, the salesmen drove up to us in a TAN wagon. “But we asked for MAROON!” Dad objected.

The salesman didn’t miss a beat, saying “You didn’t expect to get the color you ordered, did you?” as he tried to complete the sale. Even at the age of 7, I knew this was an absurd thing to say. My Dad might have accepted it but wisely went home to talk it over with Mom, who firmly stated that she didn’t want the car if it wasn’t what we ordered. So, another dealer got our business. Over 50 years later I still won’t buy from the dealership that employed the sarcastic salesman who tried to make my Dad feel like a fool. (But instead looked like one himself.)

The raw data tells a wild story. Must watch.

Many years ago, I owned a Computer Store in a small town. One day I got a call from the local school district office. I had done work for them in the past and knew a few people that worked there. They were looking to hire a full-time computer technician and were checking someone’s references. I thought this was a bit strange since my staff consisted of me and my wife. And I knew she hadn’t applied for a job.

When they mentioned the name, I laughed out loud. I said, “No, he never worked for me, and let me tell you a story.”

“Several months ago, he called me after hours about an emergency that he had with his computer and could I come in and fix it. After some pleading, I agreed and told him to meet me at the store but that my basic charge was $50.

After a few minutes diagnostic, I discovered a fairly basic mistake that he had made in building it, which took me about 20 minutes to fix. I charged him $50, and he complained and tried to talk me down, but eventually, he wrote me a check. A few days, later, I went to cash the check, and it bounced.

[The reason I remember this guy so well is because this was a small town, and people didn’t write bad checks. I had never gotten a bad check, EVER. Except for his.]

Now, I have no $50 and a check return fee -$20. I wasn’t going to let him get away with that, so I called his bank every day, asking if his account could cover it. A couple of weeks later, there were enough funds in his account. So, I immediately drove to his bank (which was about 20 minutes away) and cashed the check. A week later he called me to complain that I had caused a different check of his to bounce. “

So, no, he never worked for me and I’m not sure how competent a computer repair person he is. And He lied on his application. Any other questions?

She said, “No, I think that about sums it up.”

1. Never cry for the person that hurts you. Just smile and say,

“Thank you for giving me the chance to have someone better than you.

2. Don’t hate jealous people. They are jealous because they thinks you are better than them.

3. Don’t waste your time on revenge. Those who hurt you will eventually face their own karma.

4. Don’t tell anyone about your plans, show them the result instead.

5. There is no market for your emotions, so don’t advertise your feelings. Show only your attitude.

6. Don’t give up. Your day will come. It’s just a matter of time.

7. If you help someone and expect anything in return. of you foes, you’re doing a business not kindness.

8. Trust means everything, but once it’s broken, sorry means nothing.

9. Always remember that your present situation is not your final destination. The best is yet to come.

10. Never leave a true relationship for few faults. Nobody is perfect and no one is always correct. At the end, you will discover that affection is greater than perfection.

11. Don’t attend a funeral just to let people know how you cared for a person. Show them how much you cared about them when they are alive.

12. Don’t make a promise out of joy. And don’t take a decision out of sadness.

13. Don’t expect loyalty from people that can not give you honesty.

14. Don’t give up. The beginning is always the hardest.

15. You will not know the value of a moment until you lose it. Value the moments you have before they become a memory.

16. Lastly, APPRECIATION remains the easiest way of getting what you don’t have….After reading a good message try to say “Thanks for the message”.

Taco Chili

One of Lincoln’s very favorite foods right now is tacos. If you ask him what he wants for dinner, 100% of the time he’ll tell you tacos. Ben gets a little sick of having the same thing every week though, so I thought I’d switch things up with Taco Chili!

I know, I know – living on the edge – but the second thing Lincoln will tell you he wants for dinner after tacos is soup or chili so this meal is a win-win at my house. Each spoonful of Taco Chili tastes like a big bite of a taco, but since it’s thick and hearty it’s perfect for this time of year when you need a dish that will warm you up on chilly (har) nights.

Taco Chili Crock Pot Friendly iowagirleats 01 srgb
Taco Chili Crock Pot Friendly iowagirleats 01 srgb

Yield: 8 servings

Ingredients

  • 1 1/2 to 2 pounds lean ground beef
  • 1/2 cup (1 medium) onion, chopped
  • 1 (1 1/4 ounce) package taco seasoning mix
  • 2 (14 1/2 ounce) cans diced tomatoes
  • 1 (10 ounce) can Ro*Tel
  • 1 (16 ounce) can pinto beans, rinsed and drained
  • 1 (5 ounce) can chili beans in chili sauce
  • 1 cup frozen whole kernel corn
  • Shredded mozzarella, Monterey Jack or Cheddar cheese
  • Slightly crushed tortilla chips
Taco Chili Crock Pot Friendly iowagirleats 02 srgb
Taco Chili Crock Pot Friendly iowagirleats 02 srgb

Instructions

  1. In a large skillet, cook ground beef and onion, one-half at a time, until meat is browned and onion is tender. Drain off fat.
  2. Transfer to a 3 1/2 or 4 quart slow cooker.
  3. Stir in dry taco seasoning mix, diced tomatoes, diced tomatoes with green chiles, pinto beans, chili beans in chili sauce and corn.
  4. Cover; cook on LOW for 8 to 10 hours or on HIGH for 4 to 5 hours.
  5. Sprinkle each serving with some cheese and chips.
Taco Chili Crock Pot Friendly iowagirleats 03 srgb
Taco Chili Crock Pot Friendly iowagirleats 03 srgb

You fellows don’t want to buy a car today.

Years ago I decided that being a young stud that I wanted a Mustang, maybe it should be said I needed a Ford Mustang but I’m also cheap so I’d figured I’d buy a used one. I also had a dad who loved to dicker especially when it came to cars, so he came up to the city I was living in and off we went to go car shopping.

We looked at a few, finally found one at a used car lot. We had talked about what I wanted to pay and so we started the dance. The salesman opened the hood and showed us the engine and everything else. He gave us a price, we gave a counter bid, he went to his manager, you know the game. Came back out, a lower offer, we talked over and counter offered. This went on for a couple rounds. Did I mention I was cheap and so was my dad?

Finally the salesman came up, slammed down the hood and said, ‘You fellows don’t want to buy a car today.’ We went down the street, found Avis and bought one a year newer with less mileage, and my dad told me after we left, ‘Do you think we should go back and tell him we bought a car today?’ God, I miss that man!

Thanks Sarah for the edits. I’m a paramedic not an English major or minor.

I’d like to thank all you kind folks who have read and upvoted this story. My dad would have got a hoot out of how many people have enjoyed it.

“She’s already gone.”

I was sixteen years old and my best friend in the world, Rachel, had just turned sixteen and gotten her driver’s license.

We had been inseparable for years. Youth group trips, summer camp, swapping clothes, obsessing over crushes…she had her own bedroom at my house but we always pulled out sleeping bags and camped in mine.

I saw my first ever rock video on MTV at her house – “Vogue” by Madonna. We wanted to be Madge when we grew up.

Our theme song was “Don’t Worry Be Happy” and we would sing it to each other whenever one of us was upset.

We planned on having a double wedding; we would be each other’s maids of honor in our wedding dresses, which we spent hours obsessing over.

One Sunday morning she was driving to church by herself when she had a brain aneurysm rupture. Her car hit a telephone pole head-on after she lost consciousness.

I was helping with children’s church when I heard she had been rushed to the hospital. The prognosis was bad.

Very bad.

Rachel spent three days in a coma. I spent every second I could at the hospital, though they wouldn’t let me into the ICU to see her.

There was a special prayer circle called on Tuesday evening to pray for her recovery.

I was in that prayer circle when someone came in and said the words.

Rachel was gone.

How could that be?? She literally died while dozens of people were holding hands in a circle, begging God to save her.

A world without my best friend was impossible to comprehend.

Curled up in a ball under a crib in the church’s nursery, I sobbed.

I railed at God – he had broken our bargain. Rachel was so good, her faith so strong…we had all prayed so hard…this isn’t how it was supposed to be!

My heart broke that day and still has a hole where Rachel used to live.

That was also when the faith I had held so dear all my life started to fracture. The split took another five years to complete, but it started that Tuesday night under a baby bed.

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VOLTAIRE NETWORK | 20 APRIL 2024

The Israeli attack on Iranian diplomatic premises in Damascus was a clear violation of the Vienna Convention. No one disputed it. The Israeli justification that militia meetings were held there does not change this fact.

The Iranian response to this attack, whatever one thinks of it, is therefore legitimate with regard to Article 51 of the United Nations Charter. No one should dispute that. Remarks that Iran did not have the right to send aircraft through third-party airspace do not change this fact. Yet the UN Security Council has failed to agree to condemn the Israeli attack in Syria. It was also unable to judge the Iranian response.

The speeches no longer come from the legal sphere, but from the political one.

Thus, outside the UN Security Council, the Office of Argentine President Javier Milei “expressed its solidarity and unwavering commitment to the Israeli State following the attacks by the Islamic Republic of Iran. The Argentine Republic recognizes the right of Nation States to defend themselves and firmly supports the Israeli State in defending its sovereignty, in particular against regimes that encourage terror and seek to destroy Western civilization.”

The prize for confusion goes without any doubt to European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen who declared on X: “I strongly condemn Iran’s blatant and unjustifiable attack on Israel. And I call on Iran and its proxies to immediately stop these attacks. All actors must now refrain from any further escalation and work to restore stability in the region.” High Representative of the European Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Josep Borrell added: “The EU strongly condemns the unacceptable Iranian aggression against the Jewish state. This is an unprecedented escalation and a serious threat to regional security.”

For his part, deputy permanent representative of Russia to the UNSC Dmitri Polyanskiy posted on Telegram: “Once again we are convinced that the cynicism of our Western colleagues and their selective blindness knows no bounds. Now, they don’t even remember that they refused to prevent escalation by not supporting our proposed draft UN Security Council press statement condemning the Israeli strike on the Iranian consulate. As was the case with the beginning of our military defense in Ukraine, the history for them begins with the Iranian retaliation. And the Israelis predictably escalate in their signature manner: Israel is the victim, everyone else is to blame (…) And now this Franco-Saxon-Natanyakha gang will begin to rock the region, blaming Iran for all its sins. Haven’t we already seen all this before?”

Not me but my wife. She graduated with her bachelor’s in 2010, during the time that certain degrees were all but worthless and finding a job was tough to say the least. She ended up taking a job at a small makeup boutique that her friend’s wealthy parents owned.

This store was literally a ploy by her friend’s parents to keep her in town by giving her a project. She lost interest in about a month and her parents were locked into the property for several years, so they had to keep the store open. They offered my wife the manager position which she was happy to take.

The store was literally five minutes from an Ulta, so saying they didn’t do well was an understatement. The owners also refused to adequately restock their inventory, so the few potential customers they could have had quickly gave up after a few visits being unable to find what they needed.

After the first six months, they frequently had days with zero sales and not a single customer through the doors. Luckily for my wife, they had the computer that rung up sales Connected to the Internet with completely unrestricted access. for 7 hours a day, five days a week, she would be on Facebook, play online games, read articles, and generally waste time. For the first hour she would clean and do pull over from the night before, but stopped bothering to do inventory after the first few inventory replenishment requests to the owners went ignored.

She worked there for 18 months total before leaving. Later one of her former coworkers told her that the owners with no warning shut the place down and emptied the store out in the middle of the night, not bothering to tell the employees until they showed up the next day that they were out of a job. I understand that they were trying to save money on the labor and utility costs by closing, but giving zero warning was cowardly and unethical.

I’ll tell you a story.

There’s this girl who aced all her subjects in secondary school.

Not just acing but award-worthy educational success.

She was so good that at her Junior Secondary 3 (JSS 3) level, she was solving mathematical problems from Senior Secondary 1 & 2 (SS 1 & 2) curriculum.

1st Mistake

She loved Maths & computers but was admitted into the university to study Geology.

Today, she still thinks she would have been a statistics wizard if she’d been allowed to just study Math or Engineering. You know – subjects where she doesn’t have to always cram some qualitative garbage but provide quantitative solutions.

2nd Mistake

When she got into the university, she realized she didn’t have to study very hard. Very few people were bothering to anyway. She was extremely smart & could hold her own but it became easier to combine intellectual efforts with other students at assignments, tests & final exams.

The system allowed it.

All her friends did it so, why fight it?

3rd Mistake

While at school, no one ever taught her how to write a résumé or successfully approach interviews.

She, just like everyone around her wanted a good life but the system pretty much set them up to fail.

When she graduated, she met a professional at an international oil & gas company who asked her what she wanted to do in life & to explain her undergraduate degree experience but she was not prepared for that.

She gave answers which were weak, mostly incoherent, lacked precision or clarity.

She’d never thought of herself in that light.

The internet wasn’t readily accessible back then so she was pretty much left on her own with her fellow ignorant peers.

She also had a great & supportive family who she leaned on.

Luckily for her, she got some mentors, then left the country for her masters degree.


At 1st, she struggled at her Canadian university.

Correcting her 2nd mistake

She had to actually learn all those skills & resources she didn’t bother with back in Nigeria due to combined students’ efforts.

She had to read all those textbooks she never bothered with in her Nigerian university in order to excel at her program.

Correcting her 3rd mistake

She also met lecturers whose method of teaching was about empowering students to run with their ideas.

It wasn’t about multiple choice questions but making a case of why Case A is better/worse than Case B.

It made her actually think for the 1st time in her life. She learned how to make great presentations. It was a confidence boost. It was exhilarating!

She learned about plagiarism which is a very despicable thing. She also learned about self-development, professional development & presentations.

She learned it was ok to make decisions, make mistakes & then learn from them.

She became comfortable working alone & also with a team. She learned the power of independence.

She was a different person.

She became more confident about her thoughts & ideas. No one laughs at her mistakes nor condemns her for them.

Her bosses don’t care about always being right or barking orders at those under them. Team contributions is crucial, encouraged & needed.

Everybody is equal. No one feared anyone. It was a healthy environment. She was valued. She freely runs her program the way she sees fit.

This is my story.

There’s no correcting my 1st mistake. If I ever do, I’ll tell a story about it.

If you read this, you’d understand how the Nigerian system encourages laziness & might discourage talent because of envy or pride.

Many Nigerian graduates are victims of their own underdeveloped & redundant society.

Maybe with the internet, a few might self-improve. Otherwise, they’re unemployable because there’s very few people to teach them better.

Note to any Nigerian student reading this – don’t take the easy way out. Read not just to pass your examinations but to actually know.

You’d be truly a better person & student for it.

Good luck!

Chinese treatment for Blinkin and Janet Yelen

No red carpet, and met by Kong Fu-An, Director General of the Shanghai Foreign Affairs Office, at the tarmac.

My understanding is the head of a province-level Foreign Affairs Office counts as a Bureau Chief, or a Level 5, Rank 11–12 Civil Servant.

This is one step below the welcome Olaf received when he landed in Chongqing.

Note both Janet and Antony did not land in Beijing directly, unlike the last time they were in town.

Most powerful finance minister in the world—meh.

Most powerful diplomat in the world—meh.

 

When my daughter told me, I had her design her idea of the perfect tattoo no matter what it was or how big …anything. I reminded her it was forever and would never come off so she had to choose wisely. That was the first problem. She couldn’t decide. She had many good ideas but when the idea of “forever” came up she always changed her mind. When she finally came up with her final choice she still handed it to me with some trepidation. Second step was for me to take it to a tattoo artist, a good one, to get a quote. I showed my daughter the quote $1,200 that she would be required to pay for herself. Step three was a surprise to her. I took the artwork she gave me and sent it to a custom temporary tattoo maker that made long term tattoos. I had it made and applied it exactly where she wanted it. My daughter was thrilled for about a week. The tattoo clashed with some of her favorite clothes and it was too visible so she couldn’t hide it. It made her pretty, dainty prom dress look kinda cheap. Looked good with jeans and a tank top but she liked variety…bummer. People treated her differently and judged her before they knew her and it really bothered her. She started trying to hide it rather than show it off. Two months in she asked me for the special solution to take it off. I refused because “tattoos are forever.” She was angry but I reminded her she made her own choices now she had to live with them. It eventually wore off and when she became an adult I told her she should start saving for her tattoo. She thanked me for the “lesson” I gave her because now that she was older her tastes had changed and IF she ever decides to get one it will probably be small, likely just one color and someplace hidden. She is an adult now. She can do what she wants but at least I know she will think before she leaps and that is all I can ask for.

CCTV’s Spring Festival Gala has been consistently panned in recent years for lacking creativity and lowering standards, and this year was no exception.

However, one segment won almost universal praise on Chinese social media – 《山河詩長安》/Poem for the Landscape of Chang’an.

It is an excellent showcasing of Xi’an culture, both old and new, from Qin opera to Shaanxi hip hop. Chang’an (the historical name for Xi’an) was known as one of the greatest cities of the ancient world, and the capital city of various dynasties, most notably the Tang Dynasty.

Here’s the 6 minute video…

We see people making merry and enjoying local festivities, and historical characters such as the Tang poet Li Bai brought back to life with 3D technology. To hear people chanting ancient poems in unison, as the country enters the space age, had me awestruck.

main qimg ecbbef2eb633f8c8c0d8bab54bceb171
main qimg ecbbef2eb633f8c8c0d8bab54bceb171

This is what China is – the only surviving ancient civilisation, its history as long as it is unbroken; a place where ancient traditions and memories still live on, rising from the ashes as peacefully as a civilisation possibly could, and is now leading the world into a bright and better future.

There are legends, poems and lessons here dating back thousands of years ago, that even the least educated Chinese person knows by heart, but would elude even the most dedicated western Sinologist.

(DON’T BOTHER WATCHING IT IF YOU CANNOT UNDERSTAND Chinese)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=itw2GTN41P8

Contrast this to Taiwan/the Republic of China, where a local teacher went viral recently for protesting the Ministry of Education’s policy of de-Sinicisation. Under the new education reforms, students would be less exposed to Chinese history and culture, and less time would be allocated to the teaching of Chinese classics and poetry.

This is why I could never accept the neoliberal western narrative of Taiwan (ROC) being the “real China”. A regime that is truly legitimate in the eyes of the Chinese people, that truly has the best interests of the Yellow River civilisation at heart, that is truly representative of its people, would not so hastily abandon its heritage in an attempt to appeal to outsiders.

But when you force a people to abandon everything that defined who they are, the question becomes what to replace it with. In Taiwan’s case, attempts at westernisation and Japanisation have both been met with limited success, as have all other attempts at creating an independent “Taiwanese” national identity from scratch. As it turns out, you can’t just artificially create history and culture where before there was none.

This cynical historical nihilism, this dreadful feeling of emptiness and rootlessness, is devastating to the youth of “real China”. They don’t know who they are, what values to hold, where they truly belong, who and what to look up to, what to believe. Even conscription changes nothing – they know not for whom or what they fight (which is why they strongly reject mandatory military service).

At a time when the whole world is beginning to learn Chinese, Taiwan’s politically driven de-Sinicisation is not only counterproductive, but self-sabotaging.

I am glad that in the mainland at least, the best aspects of Chinese culture are being preserved and celebrated, contrary to public perception in certain parts of the world that once invaded, enslaved, slaughtered and stole from the Chinese nation, but now feign to care about our wellbeing.

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main qimg d600d05b6e0f647172a183a507295672

Lemme give you an example of why I think it is important to hold on to the wisdom of our ancestors. This part of the Spring Festival Gala features one of Li Bai’s poems that is most fitting for our times. Here is an excerpt:

天生我材必有用,千金散盡還復來!

“The talents bestowed upon me shall certainly be of use; and so what if I have exhausted my fortune? It shall all come back to me!”

Times are tough, and I know many of you are having money problems or self esteem issues. But be confident in knowing that you are not worthless, just keep honing your skills and looking out for opportunities to prove yourself. And rest assured that a bad investment and such is not the end of the world. You will recover financially if you’re a bit more cautious in the future.

From Zhuhai to the world, may all of you have a great Year of the Dragon.

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main qimg eac7b936de1ad290429ae0760614ca8f

Italian Sausage Soup

Italian Sausage Soup SpendWithPennies 4
Italian Sausage Soup SpendWithPennies 4

A Fave Flavorful Soup

This soup is a “one-pot wonder” so there is less mess and less clean-up.
You can add any veggie you’d like into this recipe (and swap up the pasta with orzo or any shape you love)!

Use hot or mild sausage to your liking (or even meatballs if you’d prefer).
This soup reheats well making it great for lunches. Freeze in individual portions (before adding pasta) to keep it even longer.

Yield: 7 cups

Ingredients

  • 1 pound hot or mild Italian sausage
  • 1 medium onion, coarsely chopped
  • 1 green bell pepper, cut into half rings
  • 1 (14.5 ounce) can diced tomatoes with juice
  • 1 (15 ounce) can great northern beans
  • 2 (14 ounce) cans beef broth

Ingredients

Italian Sausage Use either mild, sweet, or spicy Italian sausage in this soup. No Italian sausage? No problem, use ground pork, chicken, or beef with the same spices we use in our homemade Italian sausage.

BROTH We use chicken broth in this soup but beef broth works just as well.

VEGETABLES Loads of different kinds of veggies like tomatoes, garlic, zucchini, and onion make this soup filling with lots of nutrients, too. Add whatever is in your fridge!

FLAVORS Add a delicious blend of Italian Seasoning or use your own special blend of favorite spices! We also add Parmesan cheese and fresh parsley as a garnish!

Variations

  • Feel free to switch up the ingredients with leftovers like adding chicken in place of the sausage, or kale instead of the spinach.
  • White beans can be replaced with lentils or garbanzos, long grain rice, and a liberal dose of cheese.
  • Diced potatoes are a good substitute for pasta as well! Add a can of condensed creamy tomato soup for extra-rich broth.

How to Make Italian Sausage Soup

Veggies and sausage with pasta tastes amazing and it’s so easy to make this classic soup!

  1. Brown sausage, with onion & garlic per recipe below.
  2. Add broth, beans, vegetables and simmer until tender. Stir in zucchini for the last few minutes.
  3. In a separate pot, cook pasta al dente, drain. Add to the pot (or to bowls).
  4. Garnish with parsley & Parmesan cheese.
Italian Sausage Soup SpendWithPennies 7
Italian Sausage Soup SpendWithPennies 7

Slow Cooker Method:

  1. Brown sausage, onion, & garlic. Drain.
  2. Add all ingredients except pasta, zucchini and spinach.
  3. Cook on low for 8 hours or high for 4 hours adding zucchini in the last 30-40 minutes.
  4. Stir in cooked pasta and garnish with parsley & Parmesan cheese & serve.

Leftovers

If you plan for leftovers or to freeze this soup, keep the pasta separate and cook fresh pasta for serving.

  • Keep Italian sausage soup in a covered container in the refrigerator for up to 5 days.
  • Reheat in the microwave or reheat the whole pot on the stovetop.
  • Freeze in zippered bags with the date written on the outside.

I was returning home to NC after a job in Davidson, SC. Red and blue lights come on behind me so I, of course, pull over to the right. A sheriff’s deputy walks up to my window and asked if I knew why I’d been pulled over. I informed him I did not. He requested my license and registration, which I provided. He then stated that I had been driving 65 in a 55. I had been doing 60, so I was speeding but not at the speed he indicated. I asked to see his radar and camera showing he had indeed clocked me at said speed. He said he hadn’t used radar, but instead he’d paced me.

He hadn’t been behind me long enough to do so, so I said again that I hadn’t been driving that fast. He replied with, “You were definitely going 65 because I had to drive that fast to catch up with you.” I sat there in stunned silence, letting that sink in, for a moment. I said, “Excuse me?”. He again said I had been going 65 because he had to go that fast to catch up to me. I asked him, “If I’m going 65 and you’re going 65, how long would it take you to catch up with me?” He said he didn’t know how long it had taken him, but it wasn’t long. I was amused. I asked again and he asked what I was getting at. I informed him that I was just looking for clarification for when I go to court to dispute the ticket. I then told him that if I was going 65 and he was going 65 he would always remain the same distance behind me. This meant I had to have been going slower than 65. I then asked if his patrol camera recorded sound, as I’d be requesting the recording for court.

He handed me my license, advised me to slow down and have a nice day, then went back to his car.

Source is RAND

main qimg 5edf37bb5b084cf19c932179313c0aed
main qimg 5edf37bb5b084cf19c932179313c0aed

Back in 2000, I worked at the Super 8 hotel in the city where I lived in Tennessee. I worked in housekeeping. The hotel didn’t get a great deal of customers being in a small city.

One morning when I got to work I noticed several full-sized white vans in the parking lot once inside I found out it was a group traveling selling magazines. Almost all of the rooms had been rented which might sound bad but it’s not because if they are staying for any length of time you simply take out trash and make sure they have plenty of towels.

My day goes by fairly quickly. I finished up the last room and was headed towards the laundry room when a guy stepped out of a room and was going in the same direction as me. I notice he is following me but I’m not worried because there are other rooms he could be going to. When he followed Me downstairs is when I felt uneasy because at the bottom of the stairs is laundry room and a small storage room. When I got to the laundry room other maids were in there dropping off laundry and he simply turned and went back up the stairs.

Everything went pretty normal and quite easy because everyone in that group is gone all day selling magazines from door to door so you go in clean up a little make up the beds and restock towels. This is about the 4th day of them being at the hotel I’m cleaning rooms as usual. I clean the upstairs rooms around back last because they are close to the upstairs storage room.

I was on one of the last rooms on my list which was on the back side. I go in make up the bed, vacuum and take out the garbage. I go into the bathroom to count the towels and wash out the tub when I pulled the shower curtain back there stood that guy who followed me to the laundry room. He was fully dressed obviously hiding. My stomach dropped he had no expression on his face just staring at me. He pulled the curtain rest of the way open and started to step out of the tub and the manager of the Hotel hollers here are your towels you called for. Not wanting to turn my back on him I yell I’m in here my boss bitches a little then bring them to me and is beyond mad that the guy is hiding in the shower and makes him leave the room and wait outside till I’m done with his room.

On the way to the office he asked me why I didn’t tell him he was in the room when I called for towels. I would have told him if I had called for towels but I didn’t call laundry and certainly not him for anything . I don’t understand how he got a call to come to that room but I am thankful for whatever happened because a few days after that they left and moved on to a hotel in Knoxville TN where that same guy that hid in the shower raped and stabbed an elderly lady and stole her car. The police said it was the worst crime scene they had seen in a while.

Tony Blinken Back to China: Begging Bowl in one Hand & a Knife in the Other!

Have you heard about Secretary of State Antony Blinken’s upcoming trip to China? Mainstream media will have you believe that he is going to address the path to peace in West Asia, among other global issues. But let me tell you, it’s all a distraction. The truth is, the US government has no intention of truly addressing global issues. They use these high-profile meetings and trips to China as a way to distract the public from the real issues at hand. While they talk about peace in West Asia, they continue to fuel conflicts and wars for their own benefit. Don’t be fooled by the headlines and the fancy speeches. Secretary Blinken’s trip is just a facade, a charade to make us believe that they care about global peace and stability. But in reality, it’s all about politics and power. So, the next time you see news about Secretary Blinken’s trip to China, remember that it’s just a distraction from the truth.

 

The importance of a fan

It depends on the wealth and how they got it.

If they earned it themselves then no as they have to struggle to get it.

It’s their children who are born into it and do not struggle. Hence wealth lasts only 3 generations. I mean Li Ka Shing richest man in HK (who is actually Canadian) his son never went through his dad’s struggles and is far less of a business man than his dad. Though he’s doomed anyway as his company is just a rent seeking company and PRC China doesn’t like that.

So when everything is within reach, then there’s nothing worth reaching for.

Older people may remember a television series called Made In Chelsea. I literally know several of these rich kids from the first series. Well knew as they probably have forgotten me.

They had flashy cars, they went on holidays and flew first class.

But they never knew struggles of others and they were very shallow as they had no real character. It didn’t matter if they failed something as money would immediately fix it. So they didn’t even have to try all that hard either.

I’m not saying it’s not a good situation to be in though.

Once I was doing some gardening work for a former neighbour. Just to get some more money in my pocket. I was riding in his work vehicle and talking to him. Like all adults inevitably do, he asked me about school.

I didn’t want to talk about school, so I tried to redirect the conversation to his experiences at school when he was younger.

Before I knew it, I had him telling me about his experiences attending an all-boys boarding school in the 1990s. It was about as violent as you’d expect, but out of nowhere he said something that completely shocked me.

“Oh yeah, and if you started the fight they’d beat you with the cane”

“WHAT?!?!?!”

Only in non-government schools, but holy heck.

In my mind, students being caned is something that only ever happened in reruns of Little House on the Prairie I watched as a kid. Or something that happened at home when you’d been especially bad.

But nope. In the ‘90s, my neighbour and his classmates were caned for a variety of offenses, including smoking, streaking, fighting, leaving campus, etc.

You needed your parents’ permission for teachers to be allowed to cane you, but many disciplinarian parents gladly let their kids have it. In fact, the Australian state of Queensland (where my former neighbour went to school) still allows students to be caned as punishment.

“The school, which has 600 students in Prep to Year 12, gave the paddle 10 times last year and seven times in 2007, he said.

"I would never use the paddle unless we have spoken to both parents and have their blessing for it to be used," Mr Bensley said.

"It is always administered in a loving way. In fact, we pray with them afterwards."

I’ve gone to several Catholic schools in Australia, albeit in other states, and I never saw anything like this.

In all my time at Catholic schools, the only shit-kickings I ever got were from my fellow students. In fact, teachers at my school weren’t even allowed to touch students beyond absolute necessity.

It’s crazy to think that not only was this present in the 1990s, it’s still present now. Not just in Australia, but all over the world.

Footnotes

CHINA DESTROYS INTEL and AMD – rip and replace us garbage…

The world is splitting. Non Western countries are getting tired of US / EU sanctions on everything and anything.

He was tall, dark, and handsome, and insanely good looking… Until he opened his mouth.

He had walked into my English class in my sophomore year and all the girls watched as he took a seat.

Girls were drawn to him and he never lacked for companions who wanted to chat with him.

But he dripped with conceit.

When he spoke, it was apparent that he was interested in one topic only — himself. The world, for him, revolved around him.

The more I got to know him, the uglier he looked to me. By the end of the year, I couldn’t believe I ever found him attractive.

When I was much younger, I did forgive character flaws because someone was insanely good looking. But I came to understand that some of those insanely good looking people weren’t very nice.

Some were selfish, obnoxious, bullies.

Over time, I realized that people are sometimes like deceptively wrapped presents.

Sometimes you unwrap a beautiful present with shimmering paper and a fancy bow to find nothing but a piece of poop inside.

Other times you open up a present wrapped in plain brown paper to discover a diamond.

Insanely good looking people are good for catching my eyes for only that very first time I meet them.

But after that, whether they are good looking or not depends on their personality.

If they have an intriguing mind and a beautiful heart, I find the person insanely attractive regardless of their outer appearance.

Do you know why a manhole is circular in shape?

main qimg 50198946b6a2e5df6a0e0411501560f8 lq
main qimg 50198946b6a2e5df6a0e0411501560f8 lq

This was the question asked to me in my internship interview. I did not know the answer to this question but thought to give it an attempt. I gave multiple reasons –

  1. It would be easy to clean as there will be no corners where the dirt can accumulate
  2. It must be to ensure the safety of the person going inside the manhole. If the manhole is rectangular or square shaped then there are chances that the person will hurt himself with the sharp corners of the manhole

The above reasons are okay but not the prime reasons for a circular design. The main reason is –

The diagonal length is the largest dimension in a rectangle or a square. A rectangular or a square shaped manhole would have a same shape cover as well. This means the length or breadth dimension of that cover could be accommodated easily in the diagonal of that manhole and this is how the cover would fall inside the manhole.

To avoid this unwanted fall, manholes are designed circular in shape.

why
why

Hope this was interesting. 🙂

The 1-3-1 rule

We, South Koreans, really hate our politicians.

But out of all the politicians we hate, the most hated politician of the modern era has to be Park Geun-hye – Wikipedia, the previous president of South Korea.

Her, when she could still smile.

I say “previous” because she got impeached and jailed after the largest political scandal (and the largest protest that followed) in the history of Korea happened, her approval rating dropped to 5%, and still said some really stupid things while all that happened.

main qimg 988ec36908c37eca3b8e4c3b391ff725 lq
main qimg 988ec36908c37eca3b8e4c3b391ff725 lq

Her, after we brought her to the Supreme Court and was found guilty.

I haven’t seen a chart so satisfying since the chart of South Sea Company stock prices.

Some people were so pissed off to literally make a list of the most arrogant, idiotic, shameful things she has said in the most popular public wiki in Korea. Here are some of the gems I found:

“Is this A.I?”

After seeing a pair shoes with smart sensors.

“Powder made out of Korean chili pepper….this must be extraordinarily valuable.”

After seeing Chilli Powder in a marketplace. Of course, this is untrue and very stupid and awkward at the same time.

“Sleep is the best.”

After an authority of a religion said to her sarcastically “You seem to sleep well nowadays.”This is during the times the protests were happening and Park decided to isolate herself to ignore the protests.

“What did I even do wrong?”

After asked to resign from office. This was after the Korean Intelligence already uncovered so much evidence of her corruption, that it was literally impossible to deny it.

“After the impeachment attempt fails, I will use the power of the people to silence the Press and Korean Intelligence.”

Keep in mind that her approval rating was plummeting to zero at this point. And also that South Korea is a democracy.

“I think this is misogyny.”

When she was accused of her incompetence during the Sewol Ferry incident(details are here: John Oh’s answer to What is the best photograph of government corruption?), she said this.

“When taking tests, it is always the women that take it diligently and with great effort. But why aren’t Korean men like that? I mean, they even go to the military. Maybe it’s because our country leads in gaming, and men are like that because all they do are games.”

Fact: stated during her birthday feast with very important politicians by her.

Also fact: It’s complete bull.

“For 3 and a half years, I served Korea without knowing tire, and you dare make me a dirty person?”

Things that happened during her term:

  • Shook the foundation of Korean democracy to the core
  • Increased the income inequality in Korea to 3rd in OECD
  • Increased the debt of Korea by 17%
  • Made house prices 40% higher
  • Set the record for the longest period of time the exports of Korea declined in a row
  • Set the record for Millennial Unemployment rate
  • Diplomatically strayed away from the U.S.(our most valuable ally) and close to China(our worst enemy’s most valuable ally)

Things that did not happen during her term:

  • Literally anything good to Korea
  • Park working hard.

AI generated Men’s magazine pictures

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Absolutely, yes, without a doubt.

China’s economic rise threatens the United States’ global hegemony, which is based entirely on its US Dollar supremacy as the world’s reserve currency.

The United States can print money without end to fund its overseas wars and enrich the military-industrial complex.

The United States can control disobedient countries with punishing sanctions.

The United States can extract other countries’ natural resources.

China’s economic rise can undermine the US Dollar and kick out the main pillar of America’s power.

The USA is scared to death and extremely desperate.

My middle boy. He is 9 now. He was 6 at the time and we were shopping. It was more embarrassing than rude…

Going down the aisle, he is walking with his brother and my daughter is in the trolly… the boys are talking, distracted… and I’m on my own, wife was somewhere else in the shop…

Suddenly he looks up and noticed in front of us a rather large man. I mean large. He had never actually seen a person of this size because even though I am chunky, and my side of the family are, my wife and her side is quite slim!

Anyway, in his charming childishly quiet voice, (full volume) he belts out:

“wow daddy, HE is fat! Fatter than you!”

I turn beetroot red, and tell him that he can’t speak like that. He was confused.

(He has heard family talk about how fat I am and I think this was just a processing mechanism for him)

But then I look up and the man is laughing… as he walks past me and I try to apologise about my son’s outburst he says: “don’t worry lad, you got time to catch up to me!” and walks off chuckling!

Later (it got better) we go to see my mum, and she says something about me being fat (it’s a joke as I am chunky but the skinniest of the lot on my side!) And straight away my boy pipes up:

“No no nana, you can’t call daddy fatty, as we saw a man that was so big that you and daddy and mummy could fit inside him!”

I was facepalming… I mean great defence of daddy but I need to teach this kid how to be more sensitive!

3 years on and it’s still a struggle. Kid has no filter. So we choose words wisely!

Best Ever Hotcakes

21014 Good old Fashioned Pancakes mfs 002 0e249c95678f446291ebc9408ae64c05
21014 Good old Fashioned Pancakes mfs 002 0e249c95678f446291ebc9408ae64c05

Ingredients

  • 2 eggs, separated
  • 1 tablespoon granulated sugar
  • 3/4 teaspoon salt
  • 1 cup all-purpose flour, sifted
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
  • 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
  • 1 cup milk
  • 1/3 cup sour cream
  • 4 tablespoons butter, melted

Instructions

  1. Add sugar and salt to well beaten egg yolks.
  2. Sift and measure four, add baking powder and soda and re-sift. Add flour mixture and milk, to egg yolk mixture alternately, a bit at a time until all are added, (stir the whole time).
  3. Add sour cream and mix well.
  4. Add melted butter and mix well.
  5. Gently fold in stiffly beaten egg whites.
  6. Bake on a hot griddle, turn only once when bubbles on the surface break.

One day when the oldest turned 12, he anxiously asked his father what was the secret of life. The father replied that he was going to tell him, but that he should not reveal it to his brothers.

—The secret of life is this: The cow does not give milk. “What are you saying?” Asked the boy incredulously. —As you hear it, son: The cow does not give milk, you have to milk it. You have to get up at 4 in the morning, go to the field, walk through the corral full of manure, tie the tail, hobble the legs of the cow, sit on the stool, place the bucket and do the work yourself.

That is the secret of life, the cow does not give milk. You milk her or you don’t get milk. There is this generation that thinks that cows GIVE milk. That things are automatic and free: their mentality is that if “I wish, I ask….. I obtain.”

“They have been accustomed to get whatever they want the easy way…But no, life is not a matter of wishing, asking and obtaining. The things that one receives are the effort of what one does. Happiness is the result of effort. Lack of effort creates frustration.”

So, share with your children from a young age the secret of life, so they don’t grow up with the mentality that the government, their parents, or their cute little faces is going to give them everything they need in life.”

Argentina Heads To China For Economic RESCUE As Farm Outbreaks Devastate Export Revenues

Argentina is facing an export crisis. With inflation still raging, an outbreak in their corn harvest threatens to collapse their export revenues. It’s not a surprise that the Argentine Central Bank is running to China to secure their Yuan swap line for their vital imports. Here’s what you must know and why Argentina’s in desperation mode.

MM describes China

When I was a child, bedtime was 8:30, no fooling around about it. Unless I was reading. If I was reading anything at all, I could stay up as long as I stayed quietly reading. (I rarely made it to 9).

Later, my parents’ problem became getting me to stop reading and go to sleep. I had the third floor of the house to myself, but I kept getting caught staying up and reading. Tried sealing the door so light couldn’t leak out. No good. Tried covering the windows so nothing showed in the yard. No dice; I kept getting caught.

Many years later, as a young adult, I broke down and asked Mom how she did it.

She gave me the look she reserved for occasions when I’d done something a little cute, but basically stupid, and replied: “How many nights were you not reading?” Me: *thinks* “Oh. So, every night on your way to bed, you just hollered upstairs, and on the odd night when I was already asleep, no harm done?” Mom: “Uh-huh.”

One of the biggest surprises that has happened after retiring is realizing what it’s like to downsize. We lost, or rather left behind, over 1000 square feet. We’d had a lovely piece of property, and now we don’t have very much.

I’ve pared down our possessions, I’m still doing that, and I’m beginning to realize how little we need. No one will tell me why I dragged my mother’s china with me. I won’t use it. I hardly used it when we had a larger house. I was younger then, and we did a lot of entertaining. You’ll find out how this works. You know that there is no good reason to take so much stuff, but you do it anyway. I look at that china and think, “Let my heirs take care of it.” As long as I don’t do that with too many things, I should be okay.

I’m overwhelmed by how nice people are in the community we’ve moved into. People showed up at my door with homemade soup, breads and even dinner. We were welcomed with open arms. I’d lived in my old neighborhood for a long time, I knew my neighbors, but I never got to know them well. I had a good friend across the street. I knew the people on my block, but we each had our own lives. We were working. That made a difference. Larger homes with larger plots of land tend to make people stay within their boundaries. I don’t feel any boundaries here. I feel free.

I didn’t expect to be this happy. I thought we were just doing this for the money, but I’ve found out that I’ve been looking for this place a long time, and finally I was old enough to find it.

SHOCKING: China Warns The US “Cooperation or Confrontation” As Russia SEIZES US Bank Assets

This is a VERY GOOD video. China gave the USA “notice”.

China has had enough.

Blinken’s in China and things aren’t going well for him. Beijing has given him multiple warnings and red lines not to cross. China has given clear signs they aren’t afraid of America’s economic threats. Meanwhile, Russia has just frozen the assets of JP Morgan’s Russian account. This asset seizure will likely continue as the West plans to confiscate Russia’s frozen $300 billion. Here’s what you must know!

When I was 20 years old, still a university student, and in the early stages of a relationship, a game of truth or dare with friends took an unexpected turn. I was dared to confess about my relationship to my parents, even though it felt too early. However, my ego pushed me to accept the challenge.

I nervously called my dad.

  • Me: Hi, Dad.
  • Dad: Hi! How are you?
  • Me: I wanted to say something.
  • Dad: Okay, go ahead.
  • Me: I… hmm… (I hesitated).
  • Dad: What’s the hesitation?
  • Me: I wanted to say… (still hesitant, thinking of how to handle things if they go south).
  • Dad: Is there someone around you? (He heard my friends’ voices and they were making sure I said it.)
  • Me: Pooh… (taking a deep breath and without second thought) I like a girl!
  • Dad: Okay, what’s her name? (He seemed surprisingly cool, which was not typical with Indian parents.)
  • Me: (I told him her name.)
  • Dad: Okay, where is she from?
  • Me: (I gave him her details.)
  • Dad: Alright. Just remember one thing in life. Even if you miss one bus, there is always another bus that will come. You just need to wait.
  • Me: Okay (totally dumbfounded by how things turned around).
  • Dad: Anything else?
  • Me: No.
  • Dad: Bye!!.
  • Me: Bye !!.

Till this day, I remain captivated by the way my dad handled that unexpected conversation. His calm and open-minded response, especially given the usual cultural norms, left a lasting impression on me. The analogy he used, comparing life’s opportunities to buses, has become a guiding principle for me in facing challenges.

Since that day, whenever I encounter setbacks or failures, I recall my dads words and wait for the next bus. 🙂

edit: Thanks a lot for all the upvotes . shared it with my dad yesterday, and he was ecstatic about the response. A big thanks to all who read and all the upvotes !!

My mom had lung cancer. I was with her the last few days. She refused medication until the last day. Then started morphine. I had fallen asleep after reading to her for a bit.

The nurse explained to me that her kind of death is like slowly drowning the morphine reduces your bodies desire to breath. Very hard to watch.

Well I fell asleep finally and my alarm did not wake me for her next dose. I heard “ Neal get up!”. Just like when I was late for the bus 50 years ago. I had not heard her speak above a whisper for more than a month.

I gave her her next dose read a bit more to her from the hobbit ( she called her house that she built after she was65 her self) her hobbit house ( partially underground) but she had never read the hobbit and loved it when we read to her.

She never spoke again, I actually think she was not really there after that second dose of morphine.

Due to covid this remarkable lady never had a funeral. Grew up on the reservation, professional trick rider from ages of 9 to 12. Completed high school, raised 3 boys on her own . Ran 3 successful businesses, tribal council 3 times no one messed with her twice all 90 lb 4ft 7 of her…. Happy trails ma….

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main qimg 988221b799789cb5cbfd11c08d975d01

In 1997, a Saudi Airlines 747 landed at the wrong airport in India – it was supposed to land at Madras International Airport but ended up touching down at a nearby Indian air force base instead. The pilot simply saw and aimed for the wrong runway. Oops!

In that particular case, the base’s runways weren’t enough to allow the plane to safely take off again.

So, they made the plane as light as possible. All of the passenger seats were taken out, as well as all of the galleys. Any excess weight was removed from the plane to make it as light as possible. It was given just a few minutes worth of fuel – the absolute minimum necessary to be able to get the plane in the air and make the short flight to the Madras airport, which was its original, intended destination and just a short hop away.

Big, longhaul planes that need longer runways are usually intended for longer flights, and thus a big reason they need such long runways for takeoff is they’re loaded up with so much fuel. So, perhaps the Saudi 747 wasn’t the only case in which a large plane was stripped of as much weight as possible, and then given the absolute least amount of fuel possible – just enough to allow it to take off and get itself to the nearest airport with the right runway.

Apparently the same happened with a TWA flight that landed at the wrong airport near Steamboat Springs, CO in 2001, and an Atlas Air cargo jet that landed at the wrong airport in AZ. In each case, all excess weight was removed from the plane, and it was given just enough fuel to get it to the correct airport. Once there, everything was put back on the plane (after being trucked over) and it was put back in service. Obviously, these situations each involve pilots accidentally landing at the wrong airport, mistaking them for the (nearby) airport they were supposed to land at. So in these situations, giving the planes just enough fuel to get to the proper airport – but not enough to prevent them from taking off on the short runway – was an option.

When I chose to leave the language center where I had worked for 14 years for lack of respect issues by ‘the boys’ club’, one colleague (who was part of the club) made it clear that HE thought I was making a huge mistake.

Fast forward perhaps 5 years. He, too, had left the center for a higher paying position elsewhere.

We ran into each other at an exhibition, and he asked what I was doing for work.

As a communications teacher, I am really good at reading body language and tone of voice. He was oozing condescension and seemed ready to gloat, assuming I was working at some unlicensed language school.

I admit to messing with him and felt no guilt whatsoever.

I told him I was teaching part time (I had been a full-time teacher trainer and supervisor at the center) and added nothing.

He gave one of his famous ‘sad on the outside, superior laugh on the inside’ looks and saying he still had connections, he offered to put in a good word for me at the center, so MAYBE I could be rehired there as an hourly teacher.

I thanked him as sincerely as I could, but then, looking very serious, told him I was part-timing at the then top-rated business school in Thailand, making over three times what I had made fulltime at the center and working only a fourth of the 40-hour week.

His look of shock was very satisfying.

The fun didn’t end there.

My husband walked up and asked if we were talking about our new logistics company (we owned six 10-wheel trucks outright); I feared my former colleague was going to have a heart attack.

Note: I had been moonlighting at the business school long before I left the center. It was no secret, but the ‘club’ never bothered to learn much about me.

When I left the center, I also left my disgust and anger about them AT the center, being unwilling to carry THAT burden into the future.

A few years ago someone I had known when they were a teenager showed up where I was working looking for a job. He was in his early 20s by this point (American citizen) but had been kicked out of his moms house. He had nothing but the clothes on his back and his birth certificate.

There was a truck stop walking distance from where he was staying that would hire him but he had to have a social security card and a picture id.

So I tried to help him get those items and I discovered just how difficult it is to get photo id without photo id! He was a nice kid but not brilliant. And he had no car so I drove him. first place we went was the social security office. once there it was discovered that the birth dates on his birth certificate and his social security card were one day apart! That took more paperwork to figure out.

Finally we get a social security card but then we go to the local dmv for an id. He didn’t have a previous id of course, and because of his situation he had no utility bills in his name or passport or anything else. Eventually we managed to get him an id because I was willing to sign paperwork vouching for his identity since I knew him when he was a kid

Both the social security office and the dmv were over 20 miles from where he was staying, and each took multiple trips. He couldn’t get a job so he had no money so he couldn’t have taken Ubers. ( and no working phone or credit card) And he would have really really struggled figuring out all of the paperwork. I have a masters degree and I struggled trying to figure out this stuff.

These days any ‘legit’ -ie not paying under the table – employer has to check social security cards and all of that stuff.

If a homeless person has lost their social security card and picture id – I can assure you – at least in Texas – it’s incredibly hard to get either back. If that homeless person does not have someone to vouch for who they are, they might not be able to get it again.

it took well over a month and numerous trips to get him sorted out. Once we did, he took the job and could work again. But a homeless person with no one to drive them around and help them out? Good luck.

I’m going to go with Louis Farrakhan on this one

A couple quotes so you can get my idea:

  • “You see everybody always talk about Hitler exterminating six million Jews. That’s right. But don’t nobody ever ask what did they do to Hitler.”
  • “White people are potential humans – they haven’t evolved yet.”
  • “The Jews have been so bad at politics they lost half their population in the Holocaust. They thought they could trust in Hitler, and they helped him get the Third Reich on the road.”
  • “The Mother Wheel is a heavily armed spaceship the size of a city, which will rain destruction upon white America but save those who embrace the Nation of Islam.”
  • “Now that nation called Israel, never has had any peace in forty years and she will never have any peace because there can never be any peace structured on injustice, thievery, lying and deceit and using the name of God to shield your dirty religion under His holy and righteous name.”
  • “The Jews don’t like Farrakhan, so they call me Hitler. Well, that’s a good name. Hitler was a very great man.”
  • “I believe that for the small numbers of Jewish people in the United States, they exercise a tremendous amount of influence on the affairs of government …Yes, they exercise extraordinary control, and black people will never be free in this country until they are free of that kind of control … “
  • “Many of the Jews who owned the homes, the apartments in the black community, we considered them bloodsuckers because they took from our community and built their community but didn’t offer anything back to our community. When the Jews left, the Palestinian Arabs came, Koreans came, Vietnamese…and we call them bloodsuckers.”
  • “White people deserve to die, and they know, so they think it’s us coming to do it.”

Arrogant? Check.

Idiotic? Check.

Shameful? Check.

I walked into a Harley-Davidson dealership looking to buy my next bike. I was looking at their pre-owned stock, which, like in any other retail scenario, is significantly less expensive than buying new. My son (I think he was 7 or 8 at the time), was with me, and I had him sitting on the passenger seats of several bikes on the floor to see if he were tall enough to reach the foot pegs. We were both wearing jeans and t-shirts, which is fairly typical for us, and not entirely uncommon among motorcyclists.

I narrowed my selection down and got on those bikes with him to see if he could hold onto me in the riding position. After probably 5 or 6 bikes, I decided on one, and started looking around for a sales person. There were several of them on the floor, all just kind of glancing over at us while talking among themselves. We wandered through the merchandise section of the store, and as we passed the group of sales people, I said “apparently nobody wants to take a cash down payment for their next sale?”

We walked out, and I later discovered that while this treatment of customers isn’t all that common among Harley dealers as a whole, this particular dealer is notorious for it.

As a new officer on overnight shift, I was dispatched to a shooting in an urban neighborhood in the downtown area. When I arrived, I was accompanied by two other officers where we observed two men in a pickup truck in front of a house who had been shot. Before a minute, there were another half dozen police officers who had arrived securing the scene while we administered first aid. The paramedics came and took the driver. The passenger, a 19 year old kid was pronounced dead at the scene. We had learned shortly thereafter this was a drive by, gang style shooting that was retribution against these individuals who had shot one of there members the week before.

I was assigned to stand by the passenger door of the pickup securing the evidence until the scene could be processed. Our CSI Unit worked during the day shift and was on call, so we had to wait.

The door was open with the nineteen year old’s head and right arm sticking out the door as he laid on his right side across the seat. This was my first homicide scene. This was the first time being close to a deceased body. I stood there watching his blood spill out of the vehicle and drift down about fifty feet in the gutter to where we had put up our crime scene tape.

About 45 minutes had passed when a lady drove up, exited her vehicle and approached where the detective was standing outside the tape. When she saw the blood, she let out a shriek and then inconsolable sobbing as she knew her son was the one in that pickup truck even before the detective could have informed her. Before long, family members started to arrive. One by one, the shrieks and the sobbing continued. After about an hour, they left together, attempting to console one another. Then there was an eerie silence. After nearly 23 years, I can still remember what the scene looked like, the smell, and those agonizing screams. My prayers are still with this young man’s family.

Southwestern Egg and Cheese Breakfast Casserole

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71858t1

Yield: 10 servings

Ingredients

  • 18 eggs
  • 2 small cans green chiles, chopped
  • 1 to 1 1/2 pounds cooked breakfast sausage
  • 2 1/2 cups grated Monterey Jack cheese
  • 1 onion, diced
  • 1 green bell pepper, diced

Instructions

  1. Spray slow cooker with Pam.
  2. Starting with sausage, layer meat, chiles, onions, peppers, and cheese, repeating the layering process until all ingredients are used and ending with a layer of cheese.
  3. Beat eggs, then pour over mixture in slow cooker.
  4. Cover and cook on LOW for 7 to 8 hours.
  5. Serve with sour cream and/or salsa.

One of my daughters is a serious academic. She is the student who, when given an assignment due in 2 weeks, would begin it that same evening. She always turned in essays and projects early; sometimes the teacher even told her to take it home for a while until it was due. She scrupulously studied for every test and exam. When she was in Grade 8, French class, every project, quiz, test, and participation level scored 95% or better. Yet, on her report card, her grade was B+.

WHAT?

We arranged a parent-teacher interview at the appropriate time as designated on the form supplied with the report card. My daughter, who was understandably very upset with her grade, accompanied me to ask for clarification from the teacher. Perhaps it was a simple error? We brought along all of my daughter’s marked work from the term.

“Oh, no error,” said the teacher. “I don’t ever give an A or A+. Students always have room to improve.”

“Well,” I countered, displaying all the marked term documents we had, “could you please explain how you added numerical grades over 15 assignments, that seem to average at 97%, to equal a B+, which is a numerical grade of 85–90%?”

“That may be accurate,” said the French teacher. “But I don’t give A+ to any students. There is always room to improve.”

We passed over the projects and exams that were graded at 100%. “Please explain how my daughter could improve in this circumstance.” Then we handed over the lowest-graded item, at 95%. “You have marked several of my daughter’s interpretations of this French novel as “inaccurate,” but her views actually are in agreement with those of these renowned French literary critics.” I passed her the publications.

“So, please explain to my daughter and me how she could have improved her performance enough to get the grade she needed to promote her to her desired school?”

“I never give an A+,” was the final comment before the interview was ended. And my daughter was once again in tears.

“It’s not over yet,” I told her. I sent all of our documentation, the report card, and the teacher’s remarks (which I had written down as they were being discussed) to the school Principal, cc to the Superintendent, and to the School Board. Within 3 days her mark was corrected to A+, and a letter of apology was sent to my daughter from the principal of the school. The French teacher transferred.

I am proud to say that this daughter is now in her 4th year PhD English Literature, and is completely fluent in French.

As a follow on to two videos I’ve recently made, on about the reasons why Japan invaded China and another about the reason why China should be grateful to the USA, there have been a few questions and I’ll attempt to answer them here.

Women HATE convertibles

During college, a very good male friend and I decided to take a road-trip from Minneapolis, where we both studied, to Boston, during Spring Break.

One of our stops was in Milwaukee, Wisconsin.

We had parked our car and were walking around the downtown area when we stood at a crosswalk and waited for the light to turn green so we could get to the other side of the street.

Once green, we began crossing (we were the only ones on the street at the time), when we see a police car drive up on our left, to the crosswalk and stop while we are crossing it.

The driver, a uniformed police officer, and the only one in the car, began yelling at us asking why are we crossing the street.

I told him that we were going to check out the restaurant across the way (I didn’t understand why he asked that and answered innocently).

He began to yell loudly that we are crossing at a red light and are behaving recklessly.

My friend and I, not wanting to be rude to an officer in uniform, simply stood there in shock and pointed at the green light that was in front of us.

The officer didn’t bother looking and kept yelling at us that perhaps we were being rude because he was in an unmarked car and we didn’t realize he is a police officer.

As mentiobed, this man was in uniform, sitting in a very noticeable police car, nothing unmarked about it.

My friend and I were standing there, in the middle of the crosswalk, not able to come up with anything to say in exchange because it was so ridiculous.

My friend began yelling back that we had a green light, and that he had the red light, but before finishing, I nudged him to stop and told the officer that we are really sorry, and kept apologizing.

The officer seemed to calm down and we continued to cross the street while the officer waited for his light to turn green.

It was truly bizarre.

My friend and I began dating shortly after that, and have now been married around 20 years, and we still laugh at that weird exchange, though we did not think it was funny at the time.

My dad was putting gas in the car.

I was standing on the opposite side of it.

I went to throw trash away at the trash can across from me.

Out of nowhere, a car came barreling off the road and into the gas station faster than any car should ever drive in that tight of a space.

I froze.

I felt the car fly past me within what may have been a foot or two feet from me, but it felt like inches …

That’s when I see an otherwise placid dad turn from human to enraged Silverback Gorilla.

He picked up a rock and threw it as hard as he could and started running after them.

Suddenly, the car was engulfed by multiple police cars that apparently were chasing it.

When we got back in the car, I asked him why he threw a rock at their car.

He said:

“I wanted them to come back and fight me! They almost hit my kid driving like an idiot! I was not going to let them get away with it!”

You could hear the indignation in his voice and see the fire in his eyes.

Someone messed with his little boy, and he was ready to go to war to protect him.

That little boy was me.

I never felt so safe and secure as I did in that moment with him.

My father’s act of impulsive, selfless love for his child was the most badass thing my parent has ever done.

Green Garlic Chili

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070114 greenchiligarlicsauce web1title

Ingredients

  • 3 pounds fresh pork, cubed in small pieces or coarsely ground
  • 1/2 cup olive oil
  • 3 cloves fresh garlic
  • Salt and white pepper to taste
  • 1 large onion
  • 6 to 8 fresh New Mexico green chiles or 2 to 4 small cans whole green chiles, chopped
  • 3 large fresh, home grown green tomatoes

Instructions

  1. Heat oil in heavy Dutch oven or stainless pot. Cook pork until it is white and braised on all sides.
  2. Remove pork from pot.
  3. Sauté whole, peeled cloves of garlic and onion in oil until onion is clear.
  4. Chop tomatoes and green chiles; add them to the onion-garlic mix. Sauté . Put pork back into the pot. Add enough water to cover and simmer, covered, for about 1 1/2 to 2 hours, until pork is done and chili is thick. You may need to add more water during the cooking process. Stir to prevent sticking.
  5. Serve in flour tortillas with plenty of picante sauce.

Appreciation matters

My daughter. She was 20 and a serious smoker.

She was on her way to Florence for her junior semester abroad. We were at the departure gate at JFK, and I offered her money to quit smoking. A hundred bucks a week. Don’t tell your mother.

She said, “Dad, I’m going to be living in Italy. I can’t quit now.”

She flew off to Florence. Smoked. Fit right in.

Cut to six months later. She’s back in the states. “Hey Dad, are you still willing to pay me to quit smoking?”

“Yes. Here’s the deal. I’ll put $5000 in the bank for you every year, and if you’re still not smoking in five years, you can have the $25,000. Or you can let it ride, and we’ll go another five years, another $25,000. Don’t tell your mother.”

The backup bribe was because I was afraid she’d take the 25 Grand and go back to smoking. The “Don’t tell your mother” was partly because I didn’t think my wife would approve, and partly because bribes by their very nature are most effective when they’re shrouded in secrecy.

My daughter quit smoking on April 1, 1996. On April 1, 2001 she claimed the $25,000. She needed it to pay off her credit card habit. But it’s been 20 plus years, and she never picked up another cigarette.

Moral: Teach your children well. If they can’t learn, bribe them. It works.

Women aren’t wives today

1. Men have higher rates of death from suicide and homicides than women, with the highest risk among younger men.

2. Male emotions are different than female emotions, but just as complex and powerful.

3. Studies suggest men may have better self-control than women.

4. Men generally experience stronger gender role pressure, particularly around achievement

and ambition.

5. Men’s cortisol levels tend to increase in competitive and hierarchical situations, allowing them to react quicker to danger or pressure.

6. Male brain cells tend to be larger than female brain cells.

7. Men often talk less than women, yet make up 75% of political speeches worldwide.

8. Studies suggest that men are more susceptible to memory-loss with age.

9. Men experience greater impairment from the effects of alcohol than women.

10. Men have a stronger desire for physical stimulation than women.

From these psychological facts, we can conclude that males have unique physical, psychological, and emotional characteristics. These aspects make them who they are and can be both positive and challenging at times. Although, they can still provide us with a better understanding of the human experience.

A lot of money

Has Mao Zedong been the victim of superficial propaganda that vilified him excessively?

This question is too big. I can only show you a tiny little corner of Mao’s work.

In 1947, LIFE magazine employed a young American reporter, Jack Birns

, to Shanghai to report on China’s civil war. Shanghai, at that time, was like a heaven: this one city is far, far, richer than the rest of China. It had 4 million residents and consumed half of the total electricity generated in China. Half. And the expats were indeed having a reasonably good time in Shanghai, as photographed by Jack Birns. Here is a photo of an expat with Chinese girls.

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main qimg d7b2100bc3a79fcd0fa4515aa4a0580a lq

And not far away, here is a city sanitary worker picking up trash. Also photographed by Jack Birns.

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main qimg 7ced8c7bc28274d9df0a05bb1278ceaa lq

Yes, that was a dead child you see there. Starved to death. And here is a newspaper article on Oct. 27, 1940, reporting that the night temperature dropped to 39.9 degrees fahrenheit, which was about 4.5 degrees celsius, which resulted in 74 people frozen to death in one of the Shanghai districts. Just one of the districts. Half of China is north of Shanghai.

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main qimg 0b94091a366f9b6b4dcd954c5241c160 lq

And here is the photograph Jack Birns took, of the execution of suspected communist sympathizers. The photograph was never published, of course, because the owner of the LIFE magazine, Henry Luce, was a devoted anti-communist and did not want to show the KMT government committing atrocities.

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main qimg e8da7d08f310c2230ef8183d047f45cb lq

You think this is bad? NOOOOO, this was what heaven looked like in China in 1947, in the richest city, the one tiny spot of China that consumed half of the total electricity generation in China. On only 4 million residents. What about the other 500 million Chinese?

The head of the International Famine Relief Commission estimated that 3 – 7 million Chinese die of famine every year. The Northwest China famine, 1928-1930  Driven by starvation, people resorted to cannibalism. China’s population grew from 430 million in 1850 to 580 million in 1953. China’s Demographic Evolution 1850-1953 Reconsidered

That’s an annual population growth rate of < 0.3% a year, in an age with no contraception and everybody was having 6+ kids. (BTW, by the time Mao died in 1976, China’s population had reached 930 million, grew by 350 million in 21 years, that’s a growth rate of ~ 3%. Compare this with the previous 100 years, and you’ll get the real total death rate of the previous century in China, which would be around 15 million a year.)

You think this is bad? NOOOOO, if you go to China’s countryside, you will often see something like this

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main qimg 5decae3327f7f8b6d223952ee8979e67 pjlq

I ran across this photo on the internet. It’s a tombstone issued by the government in praise of a young girl’s good virtue. Her name was not on the tombstone, because girls didn’t have names. Her fiance died before the wedding, so her family carried her to her fiance’s house, had her stood on top of his coffin, strangled her, and put her inside the coffin, to be buried with her fiance, the man she had never seen, never met, never known in life. On the back of the tombstone are the names of the male relatives of her family and her fiance’s family, etched in stone as a perpetual sign of great virtue.

How does this compare with Afghanistan? with Pakistan? With Saudi Arabia?

This was the China that Mao took over. 80% illiterate. 35 years of average life expectancy, and GDP per capita was $52 in 1952. Historical GDP of China

And if the men got a bit of money, the first thing they’d want to do was to open his own opium den and go buy himself a 12-year-old concubine.

Mao changed all that in a most profound way, despite 21 years of the most comprehensive Western embargo. 400 categories of products, including medicine, farming, and fishing equipment, were under embargo from 1950 to 1971. Without the fertilizers, Chinese farm yield was abysmally low. Without the medicine, the Chinese was under constant threat of small pox, malaria, and the plague. U.S. Ends Ban on China Trade

This was what Mao had in his hands. He started with clearing the country of bandits and opium, trained peasants on basic healthcare, and implemented universal, compulsory education. The government has the obligation to educate, and all children, boy or girl, have the obligation to learn, period.

This is the first set of China’s currency issued in 1960, featuring the first woman tractor driver.

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main qimg 73d95001f88f5ee5b9d7b652b7dd723c lq

Today China has women astronauts,

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fighter jet pilots,

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SWAT teams,

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billionaires, China is home to two-thirds of the world’s self-made female billionaires

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construction workers,

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and Nobel Prize winners.

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Generals, admirals, politicians, CEOs, firefighters. There is literally no job in China that people think women can’t do. This is the same people that a mere 70 years ago bound women’s feet and refused to let women go outside of their homes, wouldn’t even bother giving girls their own names. Foot binding

Mao didn’t just change the country. He changed the people.

But these individual examples are not as important as the overall statistics here: China has one of the highest women labor participation rate, and one of the highest rate of education for women.

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main qimg 41d222bcafe221b4f1f6f00cbe54ecbb lq

So this is the way Mao understood Women’s Liberation: It’s not about clothes, not about sex, not about additional protection, not about some guy opening doors for ladies, but about strength – the strength of knowledge, of professional careers, of independence, of character, so that a woman can run her own life, and tell even the Pope himself to go f*ck off if she so desires. This, is Liberation.

And here is the thing about Mao: a lot of the stuff he did, nobody else has been able to do, even today, 40 years after he died. What I wrote here, is just a tiny little corner of his work. So you think you can do what Mao did easily? Well congratulations, we have just the right little problem for you to solve. Afghanistan is 100 times richer and the people healthier and more educated than China was in 1950. The country has only 30 million people, instead of 600 million. There is no embargo. Instead, there is a lot of financial aid. You want to go try your hands? NATO has been there for 15 years, what do they have to show for it? War is still going on. Opium production is at all-time high. Women walk around in tents. And little boys are still being f*cked in the arse. Bacha bazi

So go. Go there and make it into another China. Show us what you can do. Show us you can do what Mao did without the loss of a single life. Show us you can do better. Or try Iraq. Or South Sudan. Or Yemen. All of these countries are hundreds of times better than China was in 1950.

So going back to the original question, is Mao vilified excessively. I can only say this: he had done great things, and he had done quite a few things wrong. He did not do many favors to the West, but he was very straight forward and truthful about it. He didn’t lie about it. He didn’t steal. He didn’t pretend friendship. He didn’t kiss ass. Neither did he intend to harm any people or any other country. He intended to modernize China, and even more, modernize the Chinese people. He wanted to do those things that would benefit the Chinese people for the next hundreds of generations. He would have laughed at any vilification from foreigners, and thought he must be doing something right. He would not have liked the vilification from the Chinese people, but he would have ground his teeth and trudged on, if he were convinced that this was what China needed for the next 1,000 years.

PS: I want to reply to some of the comments regarding Mao’s faults. He had a lot of those too, the most glaring being a weakness for pseudoscience and sycophancy. But that’s not the question being asked here. And I doubt anybody can write a comprehensive review of Mao on Quora. It’ll be too big.

But the point I want to make is not about Mao. It’s about the fact that some aspect of “tradition” or “culture” or “religion” is harmful, and people who espouse those are just plain wrong, and most of the current crop of political leaders are pussyfooting about it, unwilling to deal with the fact that in certain places, it’s the PEOPLE themselves that need to be modernized. Any tradition or culture or religion the keep 50% of a country’s productivity off the table, or keep 50% of the brain power off the grid, can not possibly compete with other countries. Mao and the CCP were willing to deal with it and re-shape the culture to the right path. The other politicians today are willing to put up with medieval culture as long as it’s called “tradition” or “culture” or religion”, and this is going to keep the society down for the next millennium. Some things benefit the society if they live in a museum, and harm the society if they live in real life.

Wholesome Daughter

From a Canadian

Well boys, I’m required to get back to Canada very soon, and I will. But I gotta be perfectly honest with you. I have zero desire to go back — absolute zero. I want to live in China forever.

I feel like I’ve visited not another country, but another planet. Planet China. The next level of human civilization.

And the quality of life, especially in terms of social life and cultural and aesthetic surroundings? No comparison.

Now a couple of decades ago, any Westerner could’ve come to China and been regarded as a top asset. There were no standards back then, anyone foreign was good. That’s no longer the case. Today China is hyper-developed. It’s just plain superior to us. This is no tankie stuff, I can look anyone in the eye and state this as a fact. I spent two weeks in one of China’s lowest-GDP provinces, coming from what is supposed to be one of the best countries in the world. And I am honestly intimidated by all the massive wealth, almost alien technology, absolutely stunning architecture and ubiquitous beauty, and brilliant administration I’ve witnessed.

I’ve seen so many things that don’t exist in Canada, nor in any other Western country to the best of my knowledge. And I have no special skills that the central government or prestigious employers would want. I’m practically a backpacker.

But not all of China is hyper-developed. I got a warm welcome from local authorities in small cities I visited. They told me if I finish a degree and get a visa, they’d be glad to give me a job. They even said China needs me and I’d be loved here.

Equality vs. Chivalry

The perfect skillet and radio

I moved a lot as a child and went to many many schools. I did get to go to the same school, my junior and senior year. I was always the skinny new girl with kinky hair and crooked eyes. My eyes were crooked because I was blind in my right eye from birth and it just sort of wandered around in my head and did whatever it wanted. My parents had had it operated on twice to try to fix the muscles but the problem was that the eye was blind and that was that ( when I was 32 the Cleveland clinic put titanium muscles in my eye and made it look almost normal)

I was always in the new kid, the funny looking kid, but I was also the smart kid. My junior year I was placed in an honors class in English with the most disgusting teacher I have ever met. He was so loved by his students. He was certainly not loved by me. He loved to tease me about my crooked eyes. He also consistently stated to the class that nothing of any value ever came from south of the Mason Dixon line, a quote from HL Mencken, the journalist in the scopes monkey trials. The fact that I was from Ohio, which was north of the Mason Dixon line, sort of escaped him.

in addition to his constant insults, one day he slapped me in the face with a paper I wrote. Actually he slapped me three times. I pretty much think that was the most disrespectful thing that a teacher did to me. His reason for slapping me was that I had not developed my paper sufficiently. to punish me, he made me write it over and I did. It was 32 typewritten pages, and he read the entire thing to the class page by page.

However, in the end I won. One day he was standing next to my desk and he was laughing. He threw his head back and his upper plate fell out on my desk and rattled around like “chattering teeth”. and then came to rest next to my pencil, I just looked up and smiled at him. he taught the rest of the class that day holding his false teeth in his hand and trying to talk properly without them. I might’ve felt sorry for I am if it wasn’t for the fact that he thought my crooked eye was so funny. On my high school class page on Facebook, the story of the chattering teeth has been recounted many times, even by people who weren’t in the class. In my high school yearbook the valedictorian of my class wrote “to hell with HL Mencken “

 

Chili Chicken Tortilla Soup

By Rena Awada | Updated On March 26, 2024
Chili lime chicken tortilla soup
Chili lime chicken tortilla soup

Make this Chili Chicken Tortilla Soup Recipe for a warm and comforting meal all year round. It is easy to make, filling, and packed with flavor. Enjoy this filling and hearty soup any day of the week as a main or side dish.

Soups are very comforting when the weather gets colder. They are filling and easy to make when you only have an hour on hand to come up with dinner. This easy chicken tortilla soup has the bold flavors of chili and Mexican flavors all in one bowl. Made with shredded chicken breast, black beans, corn, and a handful of bold spices. Serve this Mexican chicken soup recipe as a main dish or a side dish along with the main course. For a creamy version of tortilla soup check out our Creamy Chicken Tortilla Soup Recipe or you can also try our super tasty Chicken Enchilada soup. You may also like this Chicken Chili Recipe

Chili lime chicken tortilla soup 5
Chili lime chicken tortilla soup 5

Recipe Summary

  • Comforting and filling: This chicken tortilla soup with bold chili flavors is packed with fiber and protein to make a comforting and filling meal.
  • Easy to make: all you need is 30 minutes to make this easy and healthy chicken soup.
  • Tasty: Packed with flavor. You will love it.

Ingredients you will need

  • Olive Oil: any other oil of choice can be used like avocado oil.
  • Boneless Skinless Chicken Breasts: you may also use boneless and skinless chicken thighs.
  • Sweet Onion: or any onion you have on hand
  • Garlic Cloves minced: we do recommend using fresh garlic cloves for optimal flavor.
  • Red Chili (or to taste): this is optional if you can’t handle spice.
  • Spices: Ground Cumin, Chipotle Powder, or Chili Powder
  • Cherry Tomatoes or diced fire-roasted tomatoes: these can be purchased in cans or you can make your own at home.
  • Low Sodium Chicken Broth: you may use vegetable broth.
  • Black Beans: rinsed and drained
  • Corn: can be Fresh or frozen corn can be used
  • 2 Limes– Juiced, you may use lemons if you do not have lime.
  • Tortillas: cut into 1/4-inch strips
  • Salt and pepper, to taste
  • Cooking Spray

How to make chicken tortilla soup

  • Heat olive oil In a large stockpot over medium heat. Add onion, garlic, chili, and seasonings, and cook until onion softens about 4 minutes.
  • Add chicken breast, canned tomatoes, broth and bring to a boil. Lower the heat and simmer until chicken is cooked through about 20 minutes.
  • Meanwhile, heat a nonstick pan over medium heat and spray it with cooking spray.
  • Add tortilla strips in a single layer and fry until golden brown and crispy, on both sides. You might need to work in batches to not overcrowd the pan.
  • Once the chicken is cooked, remove from soup and shred it.
  • Add chicken back to the pot together with beans, corn and lime juice. Mix to combine then simmer for a couple of minutes more.
  • Serve soup hot with crispy tortilla strips on top and enjoy!
Chili lime chicken tortilla soup 4
Chili lime chicken tortilla soup 4

1993 Labor Day weekend my girlfriend at the time, now my wife of 30 years and I went to Lake Tahoe. On the way home at the highest point of the highway crossing the Sierras my car stopped like it had overheated. We pulled off to the side of the highway and waited for it to cool off. About 30 minutes later a California Highway Patrol officer pulled up behind us. We explained that we might have overheated and the engine had quit on us. He said that this was regular patrol area and he would come back and check on us. Well two hours later the car would not start, temperature was dropping fast outside and we just had a couple of sweatshirts and a jacket for warmth. We decided to try to take a nap until the officer returned to help us. The officer never came back to check on us. We slept in the car while coyotes and other wild animals could be heard making noises right outside the car. This was absolutely terrifying and bone chilling to say the least. At first light we realized we were parked right next to the entrance of a PG&E substation and people were arriving for work. We went down and explained to them our situation and asked if we could first use the facilities and freshen up. Then one of them helped us get in touch with the Ford dealer about 20 minutes away. They sent out a tow truck to pick us and the car up. Being it was Labor Day they were closed and only the tow trucks were there. The driver got all our information and helped us find a rental car to get back home to San Francisco. A couple of days later we got a phone call saying that we had a blown engine but the car was still under a factory warranty and we were covered by it. The service advisor also told us that the first $30 per day of the rental car was covered by the warranty. They would be replacing the engine with a brand new one and it would take two weeks to complete as they had to submit the paperwork to Detroit for fulfillment. So all in all, we spent an uncomfortable and scary night in a place we had no way of communicating with the outside world because it was in the days when only the affluent people had cellular phones. We survived the night and ended up with a new engine in the car for a nominal price.

Europe is not more civilized; it is just that for the past 500 years it has controlled the narrative because of colonialism.

Now that the economic center of the world is moving to Asia and Africa, that period is ending because Asia and Africa are the population centers of the world, with the most economic activity.

The period of European privilege is ending now.

I used to work at a tech support call center. So when the pastor down the street started experiencing problems with his computer, his wife called me to see if I could help. I was not a member of their congregation, but it was a small town and we all helped each other when we could.

His computer had been infected with a virus, and it was not difficult to delete it. But his browser was terribly slow, the home page had been changed to an adult website, and there were multiple bookmarks for po’n sites.

I updated his antivirus and ran a scan. After clearing out the malware, I fixed the browser, deleting all the adult bookmarks and keeping the ones he wanted to keep.

His wife seemed to have no idea how it happened, but it was obvious to me. He’d been looking at po’n and clicked something that infected his computer. He sat there like a deer in the headlights. He said something about clicking a link in an email he got, and that’s when all the problems started. I didn’t want to cause any problems between him and his wife, so I just warned him not to click on any links that came from people he didn’t trust.

I’ve had a couple people pay for hotel rooms for a night, and let me tell ya – it’s a godsend.

How? Well, one time, when it was storming really bad in Southern California – someone I love dearly paid three nights for a room right down the street. For the first time in a couple years I was free of my wardrobe and tent – suitcase and backpack – so I went to a movie and had a nice dinner out.

I felt human for the first time in years. A fresh hot shower rather than a bird bath, a warm comfortable room while it stormed outside. It’s little things like this that reminded me I was human – and let’s be clear – in the weeks leading up to this – I’d been pushed WELL beyond my breaking point and had literally planned on murdering this junkie on meth who kept threatening me with a knife on a random basis prior to this point, as I was sleeping with one eye opened and police were unable to do anything about it.

Most people don’t understand that being homeless is about as dehumanizing as it gets. Society has a tendency of treating violent offenders better than someone that’s broke and homeless, which in my opinion – pushing me, a peaceful man who has never been in a fight in my life – to the point of premeditated considerations of murder – has homelessness as being one of the biggest existential threats to modern society. If you’ve never been through it. You simply wouldn’t understand.

But that motel. Just for a couple nights. Made me finally swallow my pride, look at the predictable trajectory homelessness was going to take me and what it was going to turn me into…

And finally agree to accept my mom and dad’s offer for a couch to sleep on in a warm house.

Rest assured. That motel room saved someone’s life. I’m being straight up 100% honest with you there. I’d mentally prepared myself to begin taking the law into my own hands, and I was fine knowing I’d never suffer any consequences from it because the needs of homeless people and the poverty stricken, to this society and world – don’t fuckin matter.

To most, anyways. To those few who did care. That room at just the perfect time changed my life, and prevented the death of someone else who society didn’t care about anyways.

I dont like knowing that part of me exists. I scared even myself. So I don’t believe it was coincidence that room came at the perfect time for me.

Is China producing too much? US ‘overcapacity’ accusations: new tactic in economic war

Creamy Chicken Enchilada Soup

By Rena Awada | Updated On March 29, 2024

This Chicken Enchilada Soup recipe is so creamy, thick, and easy to make. Loaded with hearty shredded chicken and beans, it is a crowd-pleasing soup that’s full of your favorite Mexican flavors and very comforting and delicious.

Creamy chicken enchilada soup 7
Creamy chicken enchilada soup 7

Enchilada soup is one of the most flavorful soup recipes that is not only filling and comforting, but it is full of flavor and a crowd-pleasing soup recipe that will put a smile on everyone’s face. This soup is loaded with beans, chicken, and all the Tex-Mex flavors you love all in one delicious bowl of soup. Easy-to-make Creamy Chicken Enchilada soup is perfect for any night of the week. Especially on a busy weeknight when you need dinner ready in no time.

Creamy chicken enchilada soup 6
Creamy chicken enchilada soup 6

Reasons to love this soup

  • Best-tasting soup ever: The taste of this soup is seriously out-of-this-world good.
  • Filling: This soup will keep you full, happy, and satisfied. Perfect for lunch or as a light dinner.
  • Healthy and good for you: Packed with fiber and protein, this soup is good for you in every way.

Ingredients you will need

  • Butter or Ghee: to keep this on the healthier side, you do not have to use butter. You may use avocado oil.
  • Onion: use white sweet onions or cooking onions
  • Veggies: Celery Stalks, Carrot, Red Bell Pepper,
  • Beans: Red Kidney Beans and Black Beans
  • Seasonings: Ground Cumin, Chili Powder, Dried Oregano
  • Garlic Cloves: do use fresh garlic
  • One can of Diced fire-roasted Tomatoes
  • Tomato Paste
  • Fresh or Frozen Sweet Corn: you may use canned corn if that’s all you have and you don’t want to make a trip to the grocery store.
  • Shredded Cooked Chicken: make your own chicken or get a pre-cooked rotisserie chicken. To prepare your own, check out our post on How to poach chicken breast.
  • Low-Sodium Chicken Broth– If you plan to poach your own chicken you may save the broth from that.
  • Mexican Shredded Cheese Blend for garnishing, or you may also use Monterey jack cheese
  • Salt and pepper, to your taste
  • Optional: If you prefer to add some enchilada sauce, you can. We didn’t but it certainly won’t hurt and will add some flavor to the soup.
Creamy chicken enchilada soup 2
Creamy chicken enchilada soup 2

HOW TO MAKE CREAMY CHICKEN ENCHILADA SOUP

This chicken enchilada soup recipe is made on the stovetop. We will also be showing you further how to make it on your crockpot, slow cooker, and instant pot. Note: Recipe calls for cooked shredded chicken. Either get a storebought rotisserie chicken and use that or cook your own at home using chicken breast (scroll down to learn how to cook the chicken for your enchilada soup).

Creamy chicken enchilada soup 7
Creamy chicken enchilada soup 7
Creamy chicken enchilada soup 6
Creamy chicken enchilada soup 6
Creamy chicken enchilada soup
Creamy chicken enchilada soup

To make enchilada soup on your stovetop:

  • Prepare vegetables and ingredients: Set up all the ingredients and get your shredded chicken ready.
  • Cook vegetables: Add butter or oil in a large stockpot over medium-high heat. First, add the onions, celery, carrots, bell pepper, garlic and cook until softens, about 5-6 minutes. Then, stir in seasonings, diced tomatoes, tomato paste, and chicken broth and bring to a boil.
  • Cook and prep soup: Lower the heat and simmer for about 10-15 minutes, or until veggies are very tender.
  • Blend: remove from heat and using a hand blender, blend the soup until smooth and creamy. (This is optional if you don’t want to blend you can skip this step).
  • Add beans and chicken: Place the soup back over medium heat and add in beans, corn and shredded cooked chicken. Stir to combine and boil for a couple of minutes, just to heat it all up.
  • Serve: Pour into bowls and top with your favorite toppings. Enjoy!

SOUP TOPPING Options

Endless toppings to come up with, but here are some optional toppings you can add to your creamy chicken enchilada soup are:

  1. Chopped avocado
  2. Sliced jalapeño
  3. Fresh chopped cilantro
  4. Green onions
  5. Lime wedges
  6. Crushed Tortilla Chips
  7. Sour cream or yogurt etc.
  8. Shredded Cheese
Creamy chicken enchilada soup 8
Creamy chicken enchilada soup 8

How to cook chicken for enchilada soup

Cooking the chicken is quite simple. You can use any pot or a dutch oven. It would be easiest to use a rotisserie chicken but you can certainly cook your own. We recommend using skinless and boneless chicken breasts.

  • Add chicken into a pot full of water
  • We like adding some sort of herbs to give the chicken some flavor. Use half an onion and a bay leaf. sometimes we use a cinnamon stick but not for this particular recipe.
  • Allow boiling for about 15-20 minutes until you easily insert a knife or a fork through the chicken.
  • Then, drain it in a colander and let it cool off. Or you can just remove the chicken and place it on a cutting board while you save the chicken stock.
  • Finally, using your hands or forks, shred chicken.
  • If you have an Instant pot, you can simply make this Instant Pot Chicken Breast to use in this enchilada soup.
Creamy chicken enchilada soup 8
Creamy chicken enchilada soup 8
Creamy chicken enchilada soup 4
Creamy chicken enchilada soup 4

How to make enchilada soup using an instant pot, crockpot or slow cooker

There are other ways to make chicken enchilada soup other than using your stovetop. Here are other ways to cook up your soup.

How to use an Instant Pot:

  • Using the saute option, add the oil or butter in the instant pot, then add the onions, celery, carrots, bell pepper, garlic and cook until softens, about 5-6 minutes.
  • If using raw chicken, add in with the veggies in the previous step at the bottom.
  • Add in the seasonings, diced tomatoes, tomato paste, and broth.
  • Next, add in the beans, corn, and shredded cooked chicken (if using pre-cooked shredded chicken). Stir to combine.
  • Then, place the lid on the Instant Pot and seal. Using the “manual” setting, cook on high pressure for 10-12 minutes.
  • Allow the instant pot to natural release for 10 minutes or so before doing a quick release.
  • Finally, remove the lid from Instant Pot, shred the chicken (if used raw whole chicken breast), and serve with your favorite toppings.
  • Note: You may remove a portion of the soup towards the end. Blend it and then add it back into the soup. Mix and serve.
Creamy chicken enchilada soup 2
Creamy chicken enchilada soup 2
Creamy chicken enchilada soup 6
Creamy chicken enchilada soup 6
Creamy chicken enchilada soup 8
Creamy chicken enchilada soup 8

How to use a crock-pot or slow cooker

  • In a pan or skillet, add oil or butter over medium-high heat add the onions, celery, carrots, bell pepper, garlic and cook until softens, about 5-6 minutes.
  • Transfer to crockpot or slow cooker and add in the seasonings, diced tomatoes, tomato paste, and broth.
  • Then, add in beans, corn, and shredded cooked chicken. Stir to combine cover and set it on High for 2 hours or low for 4 hours if using cooked chicken.
  • Note: You may add raw chicken breasts to the crockpot or slow cooker right before you add in the veggies at the very bottom and set it to cook longer. 6 hours on low and 4 hours on high. Then towards the end use a fork to shred the chicken.
  • Also Note: You may remove a portion of the soup towards the end. Blend it and then add it back into the soup. Mix and serve.
Creamy chicken enchilada soup 2
Creamy chicken enchilada soup 2

Fun cat pictures

From my archives

SNAG 0079
SNAG 0079
SNAG 0078
SNAG 0078
SNAG 0076
SNAG 0076

Why Pass Port bros find Foreign Women

Japan despite massive massive disadvantages in firepower, military numbers and culture has a massive chance against China. Why? This man and the general state of the leadership is far too conservative. As well as their age.

If you’ve ever played a game before like Rimworld, 7 days to die, Project Zomboid. There’s a setting called Builder. Here’s the menu on Project Zomboid.

It literally says builder: Construction, Exploration and farming focus.

So sure he’s got 3000 hours in game and all the achievements of that…But it’s a crippling overspecialisation.

Martial arts are sometimes like this.

You need close range, mid range, long range, grapple, strength and conditioning to give and take hits. Wing Chun is excellent at close range, but they never condition themselves so boxers eat them alive. The current leadership are far too conservative as such when there’s easy and obvious ways to punish those who literally want us dead? What the hell do they do?

NOTHING!

Taiwan.

It’s not recognised by the UN, it’s not part of the WTO. The poliburo could immediately stop all business with them tomorrow and there’s NOTHING they could do about it. We could literally cause a 50% collapse in the economy TOMORROW.

Yet they don’t do it.

Even my dad who is actually older than Xi did some squeezing of bollocks in his time. He was a beansprout man and his group held a total monopoly on Chinese goods in the UK and he squeezed a few bollocks with his position.

You can write about oh but it’s only a matter of time.

The USD will collapse! (though the USD doesn’t actually need to collapse it’s in such shit that a few % will make a huge difference, US military budget cuts are a real thing because of the debt).

It sounds almost like Joseph Wang, if you ever read his stuff from years ago? He literally said he allowed white Americans to beat him up and offered no resistant. To somebody like me and many others that’s a what the fuckty fuck type situation? Somebody attacks you? You’re going to give them as good as they give you.

So back to the original question?

If Japan starts to militarise again and they’re doing so right now? There’s going to be a huge aversion to fight and you don’t even need me to spell out whose going to have the aversion.

So while China is far more powerful and many of us especially us overseas types are far far more violent than any local Chinese or Japanese. It’s hampered by the fact that the leadership is playing civilisation on builder mode.

I mean at the very least you could have some big weapons tests. Even N Korean leader Kim has done some test launches.

Putin scares the living daylights out of westerners with his SARMAT tests in 2022.

Hope not

The Strategy is clear

Iran sent 158 Shaheed Drones and 27 Cruise Missiles on Israel at a cost of $ 9 Million

Israel intercepted 150+ Drones over Jordan and Syria and Lebanese and 21 Cruise Missiles at an estimated cost of $ 115 Million

6 Missiles hit the targets – An Airbase in Negev plus two military docking centres in Haifa Port

The cost ratio is 9:115 or 1:13 approximately

Iran is thus depleting Israeli (Western) missiles and AD on a large scale from reserves

Today alone around 100+ Missiles were launched by Israel

This means in 10 days, Israel would need 1000–1200 missiles forcing the West to divert stocks to Israel while Iran has low cost cheap drones and cheap missiles and decoy missiles

If the West spends more and more money and weapons on Israel further depleting their stocks

Russia gains immensely as Russia outproduces NATO by 3:1 in Missiles and 12:1 in Artillery Ammunition

And of course China

The more West is mired in the Middle East, even lesser chance of the West to take on China who can produce on war footing, more missiles in a month than Nato can produce in 2 1/2 years as per experts

Leaving Japan, Philippines to take on China who today can more than easily take them out

Same reason


If this is WWIII, the West will likely lose today

Unless it becomes Nuclear…

A friend of mine I England, mentioned one day at the pub( bar) that he could do with a cleaner as his old 1700’s mill house was getting too much for him. Next morning there was a sharp knocking on his door, he opened it and a large Middle aged lady pushed by him into the room and said, “ I’m Jean, your new cleaner, let’s have a look at this mess!” He never had a chance to say a word, just stood there dumb. “ Right , where’s the cleaning cupboard?” He pointed in the right direction. Muttering to herself she set about cleaning , “ I’ll be a long while yet you can make yourself scarce untill supper time. “ He went out back to the pub and sat at the bar in a daze as he nursed his pint of beer. He returned to his house in the evening, everything was clean and tidy, Jean was sat down in the kitchen having a cup of tea. “ Umm, how much do I owe you?” He stuttered. All she said was, “ that garden shed has to be cleared out yet!” I’ll attend to that tomorrow. I’ll be staying in the upstairs front bedroom, breakfast will be at 9 o’clock on the dot! “ With that she climbed the stairs and was gone. That was nearly 5 years ago and she is still there cleaning and cooking. He still hasn’t plucked up the courage to ask her any questions, and she has never asked for anything in return. ’ As he is a literary man I hope one day he will publish the whole story. Amazing!

REACTION- Will women WAKE UP & want the men that they rejected?

  1. If you continue to wait for the “right time”, you’ll waste your entire life and nothing will happen.
  2. You’ll lose 99% of your close friends if you start upgrading your life.
  3. You’ll be 10x happier if you forgive your parents and stop blaming them for your problems.
  4. Train yourself to let people win arguments on purpose to conserve your mental health.
  5. You become more mature when you train yourself to take nothing personally.
  6. You don’t need 100 self-help books, all you need is action & self-discipline.
  7. You can’t expect honesty from people who even lie to themselves.
  8. Most people are stuck in toxic relationships because they are afraid to be alone.
  9. The most difficult mission on earth is to focus on your dreams; The easiest task is to complain.

China don’t do daft things. Only the U.S. does. If China cannot win it won’t fight. If China seems to be up in arms. They are most likely happy that the U.S. took the bait and ate hanging themselves. It is call winning without fighting!

China can do even one NM chips if it wants but the U.S. thinks it cannot do 7 NM for at least 3 decades! It took China 3 years to do 5NM. Now the U.S. is laden with humongous compensations to its Chip firms and they lose some 80% of the market as China gets it done cheaper, faster and better.

Learn about what is going on in the world today. This is what happened when you hitch yourself to the United States.

I test drove a f350 platinum super crew, was going to trade a vehicle, I left the keys with the salesman, came back, I decided not to buy “that” truck, due to I didn’t want to own another black truck, they had no other loaded trucks in another color, so I opted to take a pass, the sales manager thought we had some imaginary deal and said the deal was done (I had signed nothing), and wouldn’t return my keys, I asked him if he was certain that he wanted to play this game, he said we have a deal. I pulled my phone out, called 911, told them who I was, where I was, I had been robbed and the assailant was still on premises. Shit happened real fast, I got my keys back, sales manager found out he can be criminally charged for theft as well as kidnapping as I couldn’t leave. Yep, I won’t be shopping there again.

Iran has launched drones against Israel which have not yet hit their targets in Israel.

While this may look like a reprisal against Israel, there is more than meets the eye. The majority of the drones will be intercepted and shot down before they reach their targets; if 10% reach their targets the Iranians will have done well.

But the intention is not to do damage to Israel. Iran, the Houthis in Yemen and Hamas are fighting a war of attrition against Israel which will deplete Israel’s and the US’s munitions, using the cheapest weapons needed. The aim is to provoke Israel into committing more violence in Gaza and the West Bank, and turning more of global public opinion against the US and Israel. The Israeli economy will take a heavy hit, and the US will have to provide expensive economic support to Israel because Biden has committed to Israel’s support.

The Arabs and the Iranians have learned: Israel’s war doctrine is based on the application of overwhelming force to win a short war , which is the same as the US. But if the Arabs and Iran turn the conflict into a long war of attrition, the Arabs win.

In every long war of attrition, which includes Vietnam, Iraq, Afghanistan and arguably Ukraine, the US has withdrawn in the end.

A short sharp war requires the application of overwhelming firepower. Overwhelming firepower requires a huge munitions supply and powerful logistics. US weapons stores have been depleted by the war in Ukraine.

The writing is on the wall…

My young son was friends with the 50-something “neighbor guy”. They were real friends. The neighbor gave him a spark plug wrench and let him take the spark plugs out of all the cars in his junk yard. He also let my son “drive” his 1950 pink Cadillac sitting on blocks in a place of honor in the junkyard. He talked to my son about serious things like how to be a good man, why you should wash your hands a lot, the importance of having a place for your tools and putting them where they belonged. My son lacked a father and this neighbor lacked any family at all.

The neighbor got cancer and was going to die. He let my son know it was nothing personal and he had done nothing wrong to deserve it. He also said he was going to have to leave forever, die and he would go to heaven. They talked a lot about whether he was afraid and what would happen when he died. He told my son he didn’t want anybody messing with his body and he wanted to be buried, not embalmed and still be intact. He wanted to go back to the earth in dignity and not be a poisoned pickle in the ground.

Unfortunately, he died just before Thanksgiving, and without a family, there was no one who felt obligated to see to his wishes. In our state, you can only be buried, without embalming, if you are buried within 3 days. The ground was frozen and it was a holiday weekend. No gravediggers could be found so the adults discussed this in the social room. After church, they concluded that man, whom we had all known and valued, would have to be embalmed. My son, who was about 6, overheard this and became outraged!

He pestered one man after another about it. He eloquently argued how sad the man would be about being a poisoned pickle in the ground. My son announced he would go dig the hole himself even if he did not get home in time for pie! He managed to guilt a dozen men, in their best clothing, to go to the graveyard and dig a grave. Also, a Catholic Priest would be doing the services for a “protestant” before anyone went home to eat a turkey.

It was technically “wrong” because he interrupted and pestered adults with great determination. One by one, he effectively MADE them do something that was outside his purview as a child. I didn’t stop him from doing it. I was more than proud of his love and care for his deceased friend.

Cold case musings

When my son was in the eighth grade, he got suspended and I had to leave work early to go get him. When I got there, I asked the principal what had happened. The principal explained that my son had beaten up three other boys and even broke one boy’s wrist. I was obviously horrified and asked my son what the fuck he was thinking. He simply told me that the boys had cornered one of his friends and were trying to make her strip for them. Being the chivalrous boy I raised him to be, he put a stop to it. I asked the principal if it was true and he dodged the question. In response to that, I told the school that if they’re going to allow sexual harassment, I didn’t want my child to attend and took him home. I told my son that I was going to take him out of public schools. He replied by telling me that he didn’t want to leave the school because of he wasn’t there then who was going to stop it from happening again.

This is when I realized my little boy had become a man. He would rather get in trouble to protect a friend than stay out of the spotlight and potentially face long term consequences.

Edit: I feel the need to point out that my son also got his ass kicked (and to be frank, “beat up” was probably the wrong term to use [a bit exaggerated] when describing what he did to those three boys). I assumed that was implied, but oh well. What can you do? The police were called and the bullies’ parents didn’t press charges as long as the girl’s parents didn’t either. The school penalized all three boys and the girl’s mother and I are very close friends now.

I left the US almost 50 years ago to live in Germany. However, I frequently visit the US to stay there months at a time.

There are things that are “convenient” about living in the US: stores that open 7 days a week, some even 24/7; outside the large cities, ample free parking, better weather in vast parts of the US (compared to Germany), ease of meeting new people, etc.

But despite the “convenience”, yes, it is hard. It is hard living in a country with too many people recklessly wielding firearms – and using them. It is hard because many people do not respect others’ boundaries. It is hard because so many people are so poorly educated (I fault the system for that – not the people). It is hard because access to higher education is so expensive. The hire-and-fire mentality in the US is horrible. The fact that corruption has so openly visible on all levels is horrifying. And even more horrifying is that such a large portion of the population doesn’t care.

Leaving the US was the best choice I ever made because of the lousy American health care system. At the time I left, I had no idea I had a rare genetic defect that would eventually destroy my lungs. But once it reared its head, it became immediately clear that to survive more than a few years, I would require a double lung transplantation. I will always be grateful to the donor (and her family) for the gift of those lungs. And I will be forever grateful to the health care system here that made it possible for me to miss two years of work (one year of which I spent in-patient) without being financially worse for the wear. Twenty-one years after the gift of those lungs, I have been in and out of hospitals, have had three different cancer diagnoses, a couple of rounds of pneumonia, and sepsis, six years of dialysis, two kidney transplantation – all while being able to continue working – and still not being financially worse for the wear. Had I remained in the US, I would likely be bankrupt and/or dead.

 

When I was three our dog, Muffin, died. Back then, you were allowed to bury your pets in your backyard. (Or perhaps our vet just didn’t care and no one else was the wiser…) It happened while we were on vacation, so my parents asked our vet to freeze him so they could bury him next to their other dog when we got back.

They made sure I saw Muffin before putting him in the ground, let me touch him one last time… warned me he would be cold… I was mature and handled it well.

Later we were visiting my aunt and uncle. My aunt came and sat next to me and told me how sad she was that my doggy had died but I should be happy that he’s in doggy heaven now.

I looked at her very seriously and shook my head. “No, Aunt Sharon. He’s defrosting in the backyard!” (I had a fine concept of death and heaven but hadn’t been taught about doggy heaven and it just didn’t make any sense!)

Russia Hits Underground Gas Reserves in Ukraine; “Mushroom Cloud” from Fierce Explosion

Russia Hits Underground Gas Reserves in Ukraine; &quot;Mushroom Cloud&quot; from Fierce Explosion

At dawn, Russia achieved the largest strategic strike in Ukraine in history, when it destroyed Ukraine’s largest underground gas storage in Bilche-Volitsko-Uher in the city of Stryjak near Ľvov.

Russia utilized Kh-47 Kinzhal supersonic missiles and Kh-101 cruise missiles, to strike and detonate 17 billion cubic meters of stored natural gas!

The attack came from three different sides.

Russia Hits ukraine Gas Reserve
Russia Hits ukraine Gas Reserve

The destruction of the natural gas, combined with Russia’s unwillingness to supply new gas, means that Ukraine is “done” from an energy perspective.

A total of eight MiG-31 fighters carrying Kinzhal and Kh-101 aircraft hit the gas reserve, causing a nuclear-like mushroom cloud visible from Poland, 100 km from the Ukrainian border.

The reserve tank was located at a depth of 50 meters (~150 feet) from the surface of the earth, which did not prevent Kinžal from going through the stony ground “like a knife through butter” and exploding into the tank!

In Poland, radiation measurements began after what initially appeared to be a nuclear attack there, but this has not been confirmed.

Ukraine currently has less than half of its gas reserves, and after the destruction of the reserve, it cannot even be supplied from the European market.

The attack on this underground gas reservoir was confirmed by the Ukrainian company Zdroj 24 news.

Exposition (Green Flag #1)

I sought the help of a therapist during my final months in New Zealand because I thought I had depression.

After telling him about my situation at length, he said:

“Let me summarize:

  1. you have been bullied out of your job;
  2. you have over one million dollars of debt and face repossession of your two houses and four cars;
  3. half of which because you have been pressured into buying a house for your mother in law, who has been actively sabotaging your marriage for almost ten years;
  4. your foster children you were expecting to adopt have been taken away and put back with their biological parents, teenagers imprisoned for drug offences who have now been released due to a law change;
  5. your wife wants a divorce.

And you think you have depression? You have every reason to be down! You’re healthy. Get out of here.”

And I did.

All the way to Shanghai, from where it took me three years to clean up the mess. But he was right, I never needed any anti depressants. With every dollar my bank statements began to look more balanced, I was better.

  1. If a person laughs too much, even at stupid things, he is lonely deep inside.
  2. If a person speaks less, but speaks fast, he keeps secrets.
  3. If a person sleeps a lot, he is sad.
  4. If someone can’t cry, he is weak.
  5. If someone eats in an abnormal manner, he is tense.
  6. If someone cries on little things, he is innocent & soft-hearted.
  7. If someone becomes angry over silly or petty (small) things, it means he needs love.Try to understand people more.

On the 4th of July, 16 years ago, I was at a fireworks show where parents accidentally killed their own child.

They had 6 children. One was a 6 month old baby.

They were at a fireworks show. It was really hectic. I don’t remember the exact details. A lot of people were there.

The dad had gone off on his own to buy snacks for the kids, he took the baby along.

Mom was sitting on a blanket with the rest of her kids, ready to watch the fireworks show. Someone from the show asked Mom to move her car, it was in the way. Mom left the oldest child in charge of all the younger ones on the grassy hill on their blanket. She walked over and hopped into the car.

At the same time, Dad had come back to the car after getting snacks to get a lawn chair out of the trunk. Mom and Dad didn’t see each other, Mom was already in the car. Dad set the baby carrier down on the ground behind the car, not knowing Mom was in the car ready to back up.

I’m not sure how it happened, Dad was either distracted talking to someone or busy setting snacks down. But while he wasn’t looking, Mom backed the car over the baby. It was horrible, chaotic, and devastating.

The baby was only partially backed over and survived for two days. He died after that. The pain of his parents was indescribable.

After that, an investigation ensued of the death of their child. They were found innocent, ruling that it was a horrible accident. But being investigated for the murder of their child made the death much worse and the pain last much longer.

Surprisingly, the couple did stay together. A lot of times, couples blame each other in events like that and have to separate after something so painful, or so I’ve heard.

However, they don’t celebrate the 4th of July anymore. It’s a horrible reminder of the death of their baby boy. Every year I see a post from them commemorating his death on Independence Day.

It depends on your life style.

A lot of people will say rent is the killer.

It isn’t the killer it once was. Rents are FALLING in Hong Kong and if you live in the New Territories a little bit away from an MTR station a 500sqft apartment can be had for about $7000 a month, live in the arse end of nowhere and $10000 can get you an entire 750sqft apartment.

But you trade travel time/expenses for rent.

Foodwise? You can survive easily on $100HKD a day.

Transport from arse end of nowhere to Admiralty for me is about $60HKD a day. This can be cheaper if I decide to arrive before 8am.

Utilities. Family of 4 lots of air con, lots of cooking (electric) is about $2800 a month electricity. I live mostly alone spend most of my time outside and I am also heat resistant so I spend about $700 (I do however weld a fair bit).

The problem is sanity money.

As somebody on a visa? Shenzhen is closed to you. Sanity money is doing things to get away from the nuttyness of the city and urban areas. This can be cheap as chips for instance cycling all over the territory (an older road bike can be bought for $2000). To ice skating, musical instruments etc to getting wasted.

That’s the big money sink here.

This is FRIGHTENING!

My wife was killed in an accident in Minnesota. A juvenile was driving her brand new vehicle way too fast even tho the road conditions were dry (speedometer was stuck at 1 04 when they were investigating).

The girl/insurance was found 100% at fault. Her insurance was a hefty one since she was a minor. Their insurance had the gall to keep calling me asking health questions about my wife and she was prone to seizures, blacking out suddenly, vertigo, etc. I was like WTH and told them I was going to get an attorney (this was Wednesday morning…accident was Tuesday night at 8:44PM). By 11AM I already had answered numerous calls from her ins, had to tell 4 kids their mom passed away, had to let her family in Arizona know that she passed.

At 11:45 on the morning after, I get a call from her insurance company asking if I would accept $1,000 for my pain, suffering and not go to trial. This girls insurance policy was over 500k. I told them that they are out of their effing mind…the girl that offered me chuckled and said she thought I wouldnt accept and hung up. I got a lawyer, had him let them know I wouldnt accept and we would reach a settlement.

All in all, the insurance company sat on the policy earning interest for 2 years and then on month 26, the KIDS reached a college settlement that they couldnt touch until each of them reached 18, 21, 25 (I didnt want them to get all that money right away and blow it even tho one had a sleazy partner and they blew thru the age 21 settlement in 3 days).

I think its very sleazy that they were trying to distance themselves from the accident and then trying to weasel themselves out of paying the insurance settlement. We didnt get the full settlement but it was close and I still have 2 children out of the 4 still collecting interest and checks.

This was a Nation that once refused to starve Egyptian soldiers it had encircled in 1973

Moshe Dayan once said If Israel acted like terrorist groups, it would lose the moral ground to the world

Golda Meir formed the Wrath of God team to selectively hunt down the 1972 Munich Massacre terrorists – one by one over almost 11 years at a cost of $ 42 Million rather than send a few aircraft and bomb Jordan or Lebanon for harboring those terrorists


Those days are done and dusted now

The Americans started with Agent Orange and began to justify killing Civilians

Then in 1999, Tony Blair openly claimed the West had a right to meddle in any Country’s affairs for World Peace

And thus began the growth of Evil in the West

I would say the Evil began with Bill Clinton and Tony Blair – both alleged pedophiles and both on the list of that notorious and accepted pedophile Epstein

Europe was still protected by good nationalists like Chirac and Schroeder

Then gradually the Evil spread everywhere

Bush Jr, Obama, Trump, Biden, Scholz, Boris Johnson,Macron and Netanyahu – the list goes on and on

The Israelis are evil people today

They seem to believe that killing women and children is fully justified

That’s not a problem in itself

Yet they seem to believe Arabs and especially Palestinians are akin to animals and deserve to die

So many Israeli kids seem surprised as to why the whole world is reacting to the deaths of Palestinians

Just like in 1940, Hitler Jugend used to ask why everyone was so worried about Jewry when the Reich was doing their job for them and ridding the world of that Jewish influence


Their God once protected them because they were on the right path and the world was persecuting them

I believe the same God will abandon them or has abandoned them to the Devil long ago

They are too evil and they deserve God’s judgment

Let’s hope like Moses – a new round of plagues arise and exterminate all the evil Israelis leaving behind the Good ones who can again build up the former ‘Honor’ of their race that existed in the times of Golda Meir and Moshe Dayan

SHOCKING Court Ruling in Favor of MEN! Yale Student Acquitted of Assault Sues for $110 Million

The thing is, for many men, it's not even, "guilty until proven innocent." Its, "guilty EVEN if proven innocent."

Green Chile Burros

The burro is shown “enchilada style.”

green chile burros
green chile burros

Ingredients

  • 1 small beef roast, diced
  • 1 medium onion, chopped
  • 2 (4 ounce) cans diced green chiles
  • 3 cloves garlic, minced
  • 1 (16 ounce) can tomatoes, drained (juice reserved)
  • 1/2 teaspoon comino (cumin)
  • Salt and pepper, to taste
  • All-purpose flour

Instructions

  1. Brown diced meat in fat in a large, heavy saucepan. Add onion, green chiles, garlic and drained tomatoes. Add enough drained tomato juice (plus water if needed) to cover. Add comino, salt and pepper. Cook, covered, until meat is very tender.
  2. Mix flour with a small amount of water to form a thin paste and add to mixture to thicken slightly.
  3. Heat a large flour tortilla on a griddle. Fill with meat mixture and fold.

Notes

Enchilada Style: Follow instructions above, then place in a shallow serving dish. Pour enchilada sauce over the top to cover, and sprinkle with grated cheese. Heat in a 425 degrees F oven until the cheese is melted.

I sometimes make a fast version of this. I use leftover pot roast, dice it up, mix it with the remaining ingredients and just simmer it until the onion is tender. Thicken it with the flour as stated in the recipe.

I have had so many wonderful moments with Jay (store manager), it’s hard to decide on which one.

I think this was hilarious, but I doubt Jay would, good thing he doesn’t read my answers.

I was working in my department, Jay and I were visiting just before he was going home. A customer walked up to my service counter. I wished I could remember what the customer said or did that had me lose my temper. It takes a lot before I lose it.

Anyway, the customer upset me and I said, “You can shove it where the sun doesn’t shine and I don’t mean a closed book.” The customer walked away. Jay looks at me and said, “You are so busted!” He walked away to talk to the customer. I stood there cussing myself out for my stupidity.

Jay returned. In the coldest tone, he said, “You back room now!!!!!” I walked back there. I knew that there was nothing I could say to save my bacon.

He stood there glaring at me, counting to ten, taking deep breaths, counting again and clenching and unclenching his fists. I was smart enough not to be a smarta$$ and ask him if I was in trouble.

He finally said, “How? How in the H E double hockey sticks did you manage to do it?!?!” I waited to find out what I managed to do. Jay sputters out, “ I went to talk to the customer to smooth things out, so corporate would not become involved. The customer told me that everything was great and if I punish you in anyway, she will call corporate on me?!!?” I looked at him and said, “Maybe because I am cuter?” He stormed off!

We are still friends to this day! I’m still cuter!

Russia to United Nations: Prepare for “Unconditional Capitulation” of Ukraine

Russia to United Nations: Prepare for &quot;Unconditional Capitulation&quot; of Ukraine

Russia just said the quiet part out loud: There must be unconditional capitulation (i.e. surrender)” by Ukraine.

Nebenzya large
Nebenzya large

During yesterday’s UN Security Council meeting Vasily Nebenzya, the Permanent Representative of Russia to the United Nations, said:

“This is how it will go down in history – as an inhuman and hateful regime of terrorists and Nazis who betrayed the interest of their people and sacrificed it for Western money and for Zelenski and his closest circle.

In these conditions, attempts by the head of the Kiev regime to promote his formula and convene summits in support of the Kiev regime cause only confusion.

Very soon the only topic for any international meetings on Ukraine will be the unconditional capitulation of the Kiev regime.

I advise you all to prepare for this in advance.”

“When I was elected as president then (in 2016), I tried to craft an independent foreign policy, not really against America. I have no quarrel with America. But the problem was our foreign policy was dovetailing theirs, and not so good with China. So I started on a neutral foreign policy. I announced to the world that I had no friends and no enemies to fight. I just want to be neutral. And I did not have to kowtow to anybody’s foreign policy, especially the Americans. […]

Most of the ASEAN countries have followed a very neutral, independent foreign policy. I would have wanted that… That is why I slowly detached myself, and, at least in foreign policy, and announced to China that we are not enemies, that we have never been, and never will be in our lifetime.

Here in the West Philippine Sea (South China Sea), when I was president, there was no quarrel. We can return to normalcy. I hope that we can stop the ruckus over there, because the Americans are the ones pushing the Philippine government to go out there and find a quarrel and eventually maybe start a war.

So I am very sure of that – America is giving the instructions to the Philippine government to ‘not be afraid because we will back you up.’ […]

I am sorry for my country. I am not the president anymore. I cannot run. But if there is a way we can reverse the situation, we might find a way inside to implode somewhere. And if God would allow it then perchance I would be able to reverse the situation. I would remove the bases.

And I would tell the Americans, you have so many ships, so you do not need my island as a launching pad or as a launching deck for you.”

This is a custom which had its origins in China’s imperial past.

The idea was this: If a local official behaved intolerably, the people would go to the imperial capital and make an appeal to an imperial official, or in some cases, even to the emperor himself. The petitioners would lay out their case, explain the rationale for their appeal, and ask for senior official or emperor to make a judgment.

This could be very dangerous: what would happen if the senior official or emperor sided with the local official, and ordered that all the petitioners be executed? For this reason, it was considered a very risky strategy.

This petitioning method continues to the present day. When Hu Jintao was president, in some cases, local officials would go to the train and bus stations to prevent the petitioners from boarding trains. There were even a few cases where petitioners made it to Beijing, and were kidnapped by the local officials and taken back to their village! This was considered to be a serious violation of the authority of the Beijing central government.

Xi Jinping has tried to modernize this system, which is why he has strengthened the authority of the Party Discipline Committee of the Central Committee of the Chinese Communist Party. In effect, they act as “flying magistrates” or judges who were sent out to the provinces to hunt down and remove corrupt local officials. If you follow the detective stories of Judge Dee and Judge Bao, they were flying magistrates who represented the emperor, which was why local officials all had to kneel before him.

"I listen to Jeffrey Sachs, and Michael Hudson. Great to hear about this Chinese economist who i have no access to, nor the Chinese language skill to understand even if I do. Thank you for introducing his thoughts though."

Slot Machine Millionaire

“Guys, I just developed this bulletproof liquid. The Germans won’t be able to kill us now!”

These words were said by Kinjekitile Ngwale, a Tanzanian witchdoctor (and the hero of this story). But first, understand what was going on in Tanzania at that time.(It was called Tanganyika)


In the late 1800s, Britain, Germany, Portugal, Belgium and France storm into Africa, grabbing as much land as they can in the name of colonialism. The Germans in particular enter Tanganyika and claim it as their own.

See those two Africans holding the dead animal? Yeah, those are slaves.

See, Germans are efficient. Instead of bringing in labour from their country, which was a tedious affair, they forced indigenous tribes to work for them. They also imposed heavy taxation on them, because why not.

Naturally, those tribes were not happy.

So what do you do when some white guys take your livestock and steal your women?

Simple. You REBEL AGAINST THOSE ASSHATS!

That’s where our valiant revolutionary, Mr. Kinjekitile Ngwale, comes in. He told his fellow Africans that he was a prophet sent by the ancestors to get rid of the Germans. So he became the leader of the rebellion. Just like that.

One tiny problem though…the Germans had GUNS. Lots of guns. The Africans only had spears and arrows. If you’ve ever played rock paper scissors you know how it feels when you put paper and everyone puts scissors. That’s how the Africans felt.

So Mr. Kinjekitile Ngwale came up with an idea…

Using his extensive knowledge as a witchdoctor, he mixed water, castor oil, and millet seeds. He claimed the concoction, when applied on the body, would turn the German bullets into water, essentially rendering them bullet proof. The African tribes applied this liquid and charged straight to the nearest German base, confident of their leader’s magic.

As soon as the Germans saw the Africans approaching, they…well…read this excerpt:

Several thousand Maji warriors, led by a spirit medium, marched toward the Reich’s compound at Mahenge. As soon as the rebels were within firing range, soldiers, backed by two machine guns, laid down a lethal fire. Row upon row of Maji warriors marched toward the guns, but were cut down.Hundreds were killed or wounded before breaking off the engagement.

Kinjeketile was later captured and hanged by the Germans for ‘treason’. Despite his grand bullet proof mishap, he is still considered a hero for stirring nationalism among the Tanzanians.

So yes. Even failure can make you a hero.

Hookup Culture

The US has secretly offered a stunning array of concessions to Ansarallah to halt its naval operations in support of Gaza – to no avail.

APR 11, 2024

By Khalil Nasrallah

We favor a diplomatic solution. We know that there is no military solution.

– US Special Envoy for Yemen Timothy Lenderking

In a special briefing on 3 April – nearly six months after Yemen launched its far-reaching naval operations to debilitate Israel’s ability to conduct war on Gaza – US Special Envoy for Yemen Timothy Lenderking touted the importance of seeking diplomatic solutions in Yemen

instead of the military ones his government has been loudly advocating for months.

Lenderking’s stance contrasted sharply with Washington’s announcement in December of a multinational coalition against Yemen’s Ansarallah-led forces, aimed at safeguarding international shipping in the Red Sea and effectively protecting Israeli-linked trade from Yemen’s sweeping naval blockade.

But as tensions heighten and regional allies have hesitated

to join the US–UK coalition in fear of direct Yemeni retaliatory strikes, the US and its allies have quietly sought to entice Sanaa into negotiations through offers conveyed by Omani and other international mediators who maintain ties with Yemen’s de facto government in Sanaa.

Lenderking’s position may, in fact, reflect an astounding set of private US promises made via intermediaries to Ansarallah behind closed doors – pledges that essentially tick every box on the resistance movement’s wish list.

‘Stop your Gaza support, and we will give you everything’

Informed Yemeni sources reveal to The Cradle that the US offered Sanaa – in exchange for its neutrality in the ongoing Gaza war – “an acknowledgment of its legitimacy.”

This would involve severely reducing the role of the Saudi-backed Presidential Council led by Rashid al-Alimi and accelerating the signing of a roadmap with Riyadh and Abu Dhabi to end the aggression against Yemen.

The sources further reveal that the Americans pledged to immediately release withheld Yemeni public sector salaries from the National Saudi Bank, lift the country’s siege entirely, reopen Sanaa Airport, ease restrictions on the port of Hodeidah, and facilitate a comprehensive prisoner exchange agreement with all involved parties.

In terms of reconstruction, the sources say:

[Washington] pledged to repair the damages, remove foreign forces from all occupied Yemeni lands and islands, and remove Ansarallah from the State Department’s ‘terrorism list’ – as soon as they stop their attacks in support of Gaza.

Despite these tempting offers, which have been the subject of negotiations between Sanaa and Riyadh for over two years, the Yemenis remained steadfast. Ansarallah leader Abdel Malik al-Houthi’s consistent position, as reiterated in his speeches, has been to continue operations as long as Israeli aggression against Gaza persists.

Ansarallah’s ‘military negotiation’

From the outset, marked by Israel’s declaration of a state of war following the 7 October Al-Aqsa Flood operation, Sanaa threw its weight behind the Palestinian resistance, launching comprehensive drone and ballistic missile attacks against the southern Israeli-occupied port city of Umm al-Rashrash, known as Eilat.

In response to the Yemeni salvos and interception attempts by US warships, Washington initiated a campaign of threats against Sanaa, which in turn demanded an immediate cessation of aggression against Gaza as a precondition for halting its military operations. Their exact words to the Americans were: “We are not within the circle of those you dictate to.”

Matters only intensified as Ansarallah began deploying previously unused naval strategies – not even utilized against Yemen’s aggressors, Saudi Arabia and the UAE, in nine years of battles – with al-Houthi vowingto obstruct Israeli ships in the Red Sea.

This strategy was actualized days later on 19 November, when Yemeni naval commandos stormed an Israeli-linked vessel, the Galaxy Leader, and its crew, redirecting the ship to Yemeni shores.

This daring naval action prompted the US to pursue dual strategies: the first, involving intimidation and preparation for a naval coalition to support Israel, and the second, encouraging diplomatic engagements through Arab and international mediators to halt Sanaa’s impactful naval operations.

Sanaa’s leadership not only dismissed these overtures but expanded the naval blockade to include non-Israeli vessels en route to Israeli ports and extended their theater of operations as far as the Indian Ocean– to cut off Israel’s “alternative long route” shipments.

Yemen’s firm refusal to succumb to either enticement or intimidation led the US and the UK to initiate aggressive military operations against the war-torn Persian Gulf state three months ago, aiming to neutralize the Yemeni threat and halt maritime attacks in support of Gaza under the guise of protecting maritime navigation freedom.

As a countermeasure, Sanaa escalated its military response by expanding operations to target not only US and British ships but also introducing advanced weaponry into its arsenal.

This included the sinking of the British cargo ship Rubymar, attacking other vessels, and broadening the theater of operations to the Arabian Sea and the Indian Ocean – a strategic move to ramp up pressure on those executing the brutal war on Gaza.

Yemen’s military checkmate

In light of the current situation, where the US has acknowledged the futility of its military strategy and is clamoring to devise a diplomatic solution, Sanaa has clearly demonstrated its relevance to any and all West Asian geopolitical calculations.

Its stunning achievements of the past six months include Sanaa’s ability to disrupt the Israeli economy by cutting off or lengthening trade routes for Israel’s essential imports. This can be seen most notably in Eilat, where the operational disruption of Israel’s southernmost port has led to significant job cuts by the port’s operating company and paralyzed shipping entirely.

Ansarallah has also thwarted retaliatory measures by the west’s most celebrated naval forces, made a mockery of their ramshackle “coalition,” and created complex challenges for US hegemonic ambitions in the Persian Gulf, both presently and in the long term.

Moreover, Yemen has showcased remarkable political and military maneuverability, demonstrating that a single resolved Arab state can provide the Palestinian resistance with a potent negotiating tool.

Importantly, through its military operations in the region’s waterways, Sanaa has solidified its position within the Axis of Resistance, transforming into one of the most effective forces in the Axis’ Unity of Fronts strategy. All, while drawing British and American naval assets into vulnerable – and unwinnable – positions and successfully hindering Israel’s shipping connections with the world.

A rising regional power

According to al-Houthi’s most recent count, Yemen’s numerous military operations have launched over 520 missiles and drones to target naval assets and areas in southern Israel. Ninety vessels have been targeted to date, with 34 operations conducted only between 4–5 March using 125 ballistic and winged missiles and drones.

In contrast, the US and UK have launched nearly 500 raids since their ill-conceived naval coalition began ops, resulting in the martyrdom of nearly forty Yemenis.

Six months into the war, Yemen continues to demonstrate its strategic capabilities on land, in regional waterways, and even in the world’s oceans. Yemeni officials hint at further military “surprises” still to come, which they may deploy depending on Israeli actions in Gaza and the broader region, as well as the actions of its US enabler, which Sanaa views as the most destructive and destabilizing force for West Asia’s security and stability.

Black Sabbath “Heaven and Hell” REACTION & ANALYSIS by Vocal Coach/Opera Singer

Fun.

  1. Girls often understand what a guy is implying, but they may feign innocence.
  2. Women tend to develop feelings for those who maintain distance from them.
  3. Many women enjoy engaging in what society deems “promiscuous” behavior, yet they recoil from being labeled as such.
  4. When deeply in love, women may exhibit childish tendencies around their partners.
  5. If a woman truly loves a man, she’ll likely inform him when other men attempt to flirt with her.
  6. Cooking for someone often signifies care and affection from a woman.
  7. A woman may choose to be intimate with a man based on his character and identity.
  8. Beware of the woman whose father was the first to break her heart; she may have deep-seated trust issues.

Green Chile Ground Beef Burritos

Burritos with a ground beef filling are a favorite in our family.

green chile burrito
green chile burrito

Ingredients

  • 2 pounds ground beef
  • 1 onion, diced
  • 2 (4 ounce) cans diced green chiles
  • 3 cups water
  • 4 cloves garlic, pressed
  • 3 to 4 tablespoons all-purpose flour*
  • 1 to 2 cups water*
  • 1 can El Pato tomato sauce*

Instructions

    1. Brown ground beef; add onion and garlic and toss until onion is soft.
    2. Add green chiles.
    3. Sprinkle flour over it to make a crumbly mix.
    4. Add water and El Pato to desired thickness. Simmer.
    5. Serve on warm tortillas, with any topping you like…sour cream, salsa, cheese, cilantro, jalapeños, etc.

Notes

* or use 1 can El Pato green enchilada sauce – or use homemade

You’ve been dating him for a year and a half at age 19, and told him that you still want to wait — that is your right. You get to decide who you want to have sex with, and when, and that includes the right to wait for as long as you want, or even to never have sex at all if that is your wish.

He, on the other hand, clearly wanted sex to be part of his relationship, and after waiting for you for a year and a half, he found he could no longer be happy in a sexless relationship, and what you are offering is not what he wants — so he did the rational thing and left you in order to search for a partner that has desires more in line with his.

Many of the other answers here place blame on him, and for example claim that if he truly loved you, he’d be willing to wait, or that clearly he was only interested in getting laid. Such allegations are unjust, it’s quite possible to genuinely love someone, but still to realize that you have to leave because the two of you aren’t compatible. And accusing someone of only wanting to get laid after staying in a sexless relationship with you for a year and a half is utterly unreasonable. (in addition to that, there is NOTHING wrong with wanting sex as part of a relationship and being unwilling to stay in sexless relationships.)

But other answers place blame on you and say for example that it’s “selfish” for a woman to refuse to sleep with her partner. This is nonsense. Sex should be mutual and pleasurable and wanted by everyone involved, and is not some kind of service that women should “provide” to men if you’re not into it. Your body is your own, and you should say yes to sex when you genuinely want to, and only then.

Neither of you are to blame. You want different things, so you’re not compatible with each other, and you’re likely both better off looking for a partner that shares your ideas about what a relationship should be like.

  • You have a desperate need for mental engagement. You are starving but then you suddenly see the new trailer of Sherlock Holmes. Before you know it, hours have passed without any sensation of hunger.
  • Sleeping in a cold room can help you slim down. According to research conducted by commonwealth university, just one month of sleeping in a 66-degree room helped increase the subject’s fat-burning ability by 10%.
  • The researcher found that you can read faster with a single wide column, but still, people prefer shorter lines & multiple columns.
  • You Quit in 2 situations
    • When a challenge is tougher and you have beginner-level skills.
    • When you have advanced-level skills and the challenge is too easy.
  • All your habits of thinking & acting are stored in your subconscious mind. Even just thinking about doing something different from what you’re accustomed to, will make you feel tense and uneasy.
  • The research found that for each hour a person between the ages of 40 and 59 spends watching TV, their risk of developing Alzheimer’s increases by 1.3 %.
  • Listening to high-frequency music makes you feel relaxed, calm, and happy.
  • Fake smiles can hurt you. The researcher looked at the behaviour of bus drivers, & found that these people withdraw from their work by putting smiles for show & it has long term deleterious health effects.
  • Psychologists found that people struggling to make complex decisions did best when they were distracted and were not able to think consciously about the choice at all.

What you Gain from this space by becoming its member.

  • No more random motivational screenshots & one-liner answers, you will get facts that are backed up by the latest research papers.
  • Now you don’t need to waste your valuable time on understanding the difficult terms of a research paper.
  • No Bullshit, pure research-based information with real references which you can check by yourself.

The fact that Lavrov met with Xi while Yellen was there speaks volumes !

“In light of the recent aggressive statements by the French political leaders, who openly announced plans to send troops to Ukraine, I should like to bring up the anniversary of a crushing defeat that Paris sustained in Vietnam, which marked the beginning of the collapse of the French colonial empire.

We believe that remembering those events should be a warning for all those in the Elysee Palace who have been literally haunted by Napoleon’s shadow these days.

The Battle of Dien Bien Phu, often referred to as the Vietnamese Stalingrad, claimed thousands of lives.

The brutal confrontation took place from March 13 to May 7, 1954 and marked a turning point in the eight-year war between the Democratic Republic of Vietnam and France’s colonial forces.

In 1946-1954, France, supported by Washington, unleashed the Indochina War in a bid to maintain its influence in the region after World War II.

It should be specifically noted that the French colonial troops were a motley mix of foreign legionnaires, mercenaries of all stripes, including Nazi fugitives hiding from trial and hoping to start over with a clean slate with Paris’s help.

However, they dirtied it again, as the brutality of their methods had no limit.

Just like the Americans who came to the Vietnamese land later, what they did was close to scorched-earth tactics.

For 54 days, the Vietnamese revolutionary army demonstrated extraordinary military valour in the battle of Dien Bien Phu. They also appeared exceptionally skilled in the art of war.

In fact, it became so bad that the French soldiers hastily left their positions as soon as they heard that the Vietnamese were advancing.

The decisive phase of the battle, the general assault, began on May 1.

By that time, the garrison’s morale was close to rack bottom – the French were in panic.

The total death toll was over 2,000 killed on the French side. Nearly 12,000 French troops were captured – only a few managed to escape from Dien Bien Phu.

The most capable French troops in Vietnam – paratroopers and legionnaires – almost ceased to exist.

The surrender of the French garrison of Dien Bien Phu on May 7, 1954 finally broke the morale of the French command, extinguishing any faith or hope for a good ending of the war in Vietnam.

Before the start of active operations, the hawks in Paris boasted they would ‘defeat the crowd of Vietnamese peasants armed with flintlock rifles and bamboo sticks in just a couple of weeks.’

Along with a crushing military defeat, France suffered high reputational losses, as its international influence as a former member of the anti-Hitler coalition fell dramatically.

The very next day after the fall of Dien Bien Phu, ceasefire talks began in Geneva.

The war ended with a convincing victory of the Democratic Republic of Vietnam and the withdrawal of French troops in July 1954.

Ten years later, in 1964, remembering that defeat, French President Charles de Gaulle warned US President Lyndon Johnson against a military operation in Vietnam, prophetically calling it a very risky venture.

But France then had an independent voice and the capacity to pursue an independent foreign policy.”

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main qimg b106e318cdcba5ae72a06ea0560d5179

Photo: Vietnamese President Hồ Chí Minh and members of the Party Central Committee (from left to right: Phạm Văn Đồng, Trường Chinh, and General Võ Nguyên Giáp) convened to decide the opening of the 1953-1954 Winter-Spring Offensive and the Điện Biên Phủ Campaign. The meeting took place in Phú Đình Commune, Định Hóa District, Thái Nguyên Province, in 1953.

Excerpt from remarks by Russian Foreign Ministry Spokeswoman Maria Zakharova during the briefing, April 10, 2024. Source: Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Russian Federation

The worst case for the US is that the US starts a war and all US ships within 2,000 miles of the China will be sunk.

Not only does China has the DF-21 which has a range of 1,200 miles. That is actually a medium range ASBM. It hit Mach 10 at terminal phase. China also has DF-26, which hits Mach 18 at terminal phase.

China is now onto their second generation hypersonic wave glider. These are even scarier than the ASBMs. As they come in at a hundred feet above the Ocean surface. At Mach 8 for the one type and Mach 12 for the second type.

The second generations has a range of almost 5,000 MILES. In other words, it can hit Hawaii and ships on the other side of Hawaii, towards the CA coast.

So yeah, the US should not be messing with China as the Chinese can sink all US ships in the Western Pacific if they want to.

Carne Asada Guacamole Cheese Burrito

carne asada guacamole cheese burrito
carne asada guacamole cheese burrito

Cook: 1 hr 30 min | Yield: 4 servings

Ingredients

Carne Asada

  • 1 pound sirloin steaks
  • 1/4 cup coconut sauce
  • 1/4 cup lime juice
  • 1 teaspoon garlic powder
  • 1 teaspoon chili powder
  • Salt and pepper to taste

Guacamole

  • 2 ripe avocados
  • 1/4 cup red onion, diced
  • 1/4 cup chopped cilantro
  • 1 small jalapeño, seeds removed and finely minced
  • 1 tablespoon lime juice
  • Salt and pepper to taste

Burrito

  • 4 burrito size tortillas
  • 1 cup shredded cheese (Cheddar, Monterey Jack or a blend)

Optional

  • Fresh cilantro leaves
  • Limes, cut into wedges

Instructions

  1. Marinate the Carne Asada. In a shallow dish, combine the soy sauce, lime juice, garlic, chili powder, salt and pepper. Place the steak in the marinade, turning to coat it evenly. Cover the dish with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 1 hour, or preferably overnight, to allow the flavors to meld.
  2. Cut the avocados in half, remove the pits, and scoop the flesh into a bowl. Mash the avocados with a fork until it reaches your desired consistency (chunky or smooth).
  3. Add the diced red onion, chopped cilantro, minced jalapeño, lime juice, salt, and pepper to the mashed avocados. Mix everything together until well combined. Taste and adjust seasoning as needed.
  4. Heat grill or stovetop grill pan over medium-high heat. Remove the marinated steak from the refrigerator and let it sit at room temperature for about 15 minutes.
  5. Grill the steak for about 4 to 5 minutes per side, or until it reaches 145 degrees F for medium rare or your desired level of doneness. Transfer the grilled steak to a cutting board and let it rest for a few minutes before slicing it thinly against the grain.
  6. Heat the tortillas in a dry skillet or over an open flame until they become warm and pliable. On each tortilla, place a generous amount of cheese. Add a few slices of the grilled Carne Asada on top of the guacamole. Garnish with fresh cilantro.
  7. Serve the Carne Asada Guacamole Cheese Tacos immediately with lime wedges on the side for squeezing over the tacos.

Nutrition

Per serving: 550 Calories; 266.6 Calories from fat; 29.6g Total Fat (9.1g Saturated Fat; 12.2g Monounsaturated Fat); 84.2mg Cholesterol; 1015.3mg Sodium; 40.2g Total Carbohydrate; 9.4g Dietary Fiber; 33.5 g Protein; 18mg Iron; 895.3mg Potassium; 0.3mg Thiamin; 0.3 mg Riboflavin; 13.9mg Niacin (NE); 0.8mg Vitamin B6; 1.3mcg Vitamin B12; 5.2mg Zinc; 32.8mcg Selenium; 105.3mg Choline

This recipe is an excellent source of Protein, Thiamin, Riboflavin, Niacin (NE), Vitamin B6, Vitamin B12, Selenium, and Zinc. It is a good source of Potassium, Iron, and Choline.

Imagine being lost in the desert, desperate for water. Crawling through the sand. Praying to find something.

Your hike went wrong and now you can’t find anyone. You are sure you’ve gone miles in the wrong direction.

You lay in the sand. Waiting to die.

 

Then.

You hear a phone ring.

That’s right. A phone. There are phone booths in the middle of deserts – sometimes.

One such phone booth was situated in the Mojave Desert, 12 miles from the nearest type of pavement.

A man, Godfrey Daniels, read in a magazine, about this strange desert phone booth.

He then became obsessed with this phone booth. Who calls this phone booth? What is it for? How? What? Why? What does it all mean?

Who would answer a phone booth in the middle of nowhere?

He then began calling this phone booth every single day. Trying to find out who would answer.

Every day, he got up, he called the booth. Then, later in the day, he called again. This continued for months.

Eventually, he called and it was busy. This was a major breakthrough. It meant someone was using the phone!!!

He waited a few minutes. Then he called again. Still busy. Waited a few minutes – called again.

A woman picked up.

They talked for a bit. She was a local miner who occasionally used this phone booth. That’s all she knew.

He then made a website about this mysterious phone booth. And people from all over the country started calling it, wondering who would answer if they decided to call the desert.

(Source: The Mojave Phone Booth. Betsy Malloy.)

This phone booth took on this mystical status in American sub-culture for a brief time in the late 1990s, referred to as “The loneliest phonebooth on earth.” It became a minor spiritual destination.

LA Times reporter John Gigliorma made a journey out to the booth and met all sorts of people that arrived for any number of reasons, boredom, curiosity, spiritual journeys, adventure – as it would be like visiting mars, wanting proof it existed, wanting to see who would call them while they were there.

He even met a man, Rick Karr, who said he’d been commanded by God to go answer the phone. Karr spent 32 days camped out by the booth answering phone calls. (Source: Reaching Way Out. LA Times. Glionna, James)

Eventually, the chaos got to be out of hand and the park service requested the phone booth be removed as it was creating litter and a safety hazard as randoms from the internet had no business being in this extreme region (also home to Death Valley).

In turn, the phone company had it taken out.

But then –

Someone came and put a gravestone commemorating the Phone booth.

But the gravestone started to attract more trouble as people began arriving from all directions to pay tribute.

The park service eventually had the gravestone removed as well and that concluded the legacy of this magic phone booth.

RIP Mojave Phone Booth.

Around 1988, our strict Muslim, much older next door neighbor signaled me to come into her home. I noticed that she had nervously glanced around before extending the invitation, and rushed me inside before closing the door.

During our brief visit, she talked of being a pediatrician in Iran before the Shah fell. She also mentioned she needed two items for the meal she was preparing, but she had to wait for her son to return to take her to a nearby grocery. It was a gorgeous California day, and failing to remember what I had learned about strict Islamic doctrine from two Iranian college friends, I offered to walk with her to the store. She recoiled in horror, so I changed my offer to drive her. Her response remained mortified, her countenance stiff, her eyes glaring at me.

Several uncomfortable moments passed; I decided I should leave and started to rise from my chair. She grabbed my arm, gripping it tightly and quietly said:

“You are proof there is hope for the rest of us.”

I consider her statement among the most profound ever said to me.

It’s 2024. This is reality.

Rax and TCBY.

  • When I hear a good song playing suddenly in my neighborhood – It’s so awesome and got more power to make me cry and dance when it’s distant.
  • When someone genuinely listens to what I have to say – Isn’t it just great to speak your heart and someone is ready to see that vulnerable side of you?
  • When I receive the same level of importance I give to people – Ever heard someone say that “you” are a “priority” to them? If you have, dude you’re lucky (because I haven’t heard so).
  • When out of the blue, my mumma calls me “gudiya” – Mother’s love hits different. What would I even do without her?
  • When people trust me with their emotions – There’s a chance that I’ve been through that, so if they trust me, I can do everything to make sure they’re happy again.
  • When I get random messages from my close people – That specific notification sound just for the close ones>>
  • When I see potatoes – Weird? Nope, it isn’t. Potato and I go way back in history, a story for another time for sure!
  • When I know exactly what to do – I don’t have to explain this xD
  • When I’m sweating hard at the time of workout – It’s so satisfying when the exercises are giving result and on top of that, those beady drops of sweat make my day!

Some more of my AI generations

Default Imagine a Baroque box label for farm fresh tangerines 2
Default Imagine a Baroque box label for farm fresh tangerines 2
Default Imagine a Baroque box label for farm fresh grapefruit 2(1)
Default Imagine a Baroque box label for farm fresh grapefruit 2(1)
Default Imagine a Baroque box label for farm fresh grapefruit 3
Default Imagine a Baroque box label for farm fresh grapefruit 3
Default Imagine a Baroque box label for farm fresh pomegranate 2
Default Imagine a Baroque box label for farm fresh pomegranate 2
Default Imagine a Baroque box label for farm fresh peaches wit 0
Default Imagine a Baroque box label for farm fresh peaches wit 0
Default Imagine a Baroque box label for farm fresh tomatoes on 2(1)
Default Imagine a Baroque box label for farm fresh tomatoes on 2(1)
Default Imagine a Baroque box label for farm fresh tomatoes an 0
Default Imagine a Baroque box label for farm fresh tomatoes an 0
Default Imagine a Baroque box label for farm fresh tomatoes an 2
Default Imagine a Baroque box label for farm fresh tomatoes an 2
Default Imagine a Baroque box label for farm fresh olives with 3
Default Imagine a Baroque box label for farm fresh olives with 3
Default Imagine a Baroque box label for farm fresh olives with 1(1)
Default Imagine a Baroque box label for farm fresh olives with 1(1)
Default Imagine a Baroque box label for farm fresh tomatoes wi 3(1)
Default Imagine a Baroque box label for farm fresh tomatoes wi 3(1)
Default Imagine a Baroque box label for farm prepared hamburge 1
Default Imagine a Baroque box label for farm prepared hamburge 1
Default Imagine a Baroque box label for farm prepared hamburge 2
Default Imagine a Baroque box label for farm prepared hamburge 2

If You’re An American Living Abroad Tell Me Why You Would Never Go Back? | Part 2

Why is that such surprise?

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main qimg 6f67e116c8e2a23e11ed60ccc4149e2a

A. The West sanctions Iran unilaterally

The West unilaterally sanctions Iran. They steal Irans Oil randomly, pirating Iranian Ships or Ships containing Iranian Oil

They forbid shipment of even medicines into Iran causing the death of thousands of iranians

For a long time they even refused to allow imports of food materials into Iran especially Wheat

B. The West arms Taiwan, arms Japan and South Korea and literally builds thousands of bases around the South China Sea

US surrounds China with army bases yet a Chinese delegation to Cuba gets a massive national security lecture

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main qimg 96906486cc76b98d89d2418adf9c3bf5

US openly says they want to Contain Chinas Rise and Growth

US arms Taiwan, a region they themselves acknowledge as being part of China

US sends soldiers to Taiwan, a Chinese region according to their own law

C. The West openly declare their aim to overthrow Putin and even assassinate him

Many a Senator and a Congressman at some time has claimed to want to overthrow or even kill Putin

They openly discuss Balkanization of Russia in their think tanks

They refused to give Russia security guarantees for almost a year before Ukraine when all they had to do was agree to Ukraines NATO membership being deferred by a decade


So how is it a surprise that these three nations decide to work together against the West?

What exactly does he expect?

That these three nations would come with a Chocolate Cake and openly allow themselves to be destroyed ?

Naah

Rule No 1 would be for the West to leave the world alone and stop interfering in every thing under the sun

Rule No 2 would be for the West to prepare a kill list of 100,000 people who are ruining them and the world. Including Stoltenberg himself.

Rule No 3 would be some nice army trucks at 3 AM outside the houses of these 100,000 people after which – they are never heard of again.

And the families too. Families always make nice deterrents.

Rule No 4 would be for a new Order in the West that adheres to their own principles of International Law rather than Rules Based Order

Once you do that the world would be a peaceful place

Stoltenberg would not be in that world but well… Nobodys gonna miss him too much

When I was a dyed-in-the-wool conservative Republican, a career military man from a family of career warriors, I loved to listen to Paul Harvey and public radio. NPR didn’t seem “leftie” to me.

I was overseas my whole career, and got my news from the Stars and Stripes and Armed Forces Radio. I saw many ways to run a society while I lived in Japan, Philippines, Korea, and Germany over 16 years.

The first time I saw Rush Limbaugh, for the first five minutes, I thought he was a comedian doing a bit.

Upon finally returning to the States to retire, I was appalled at what America had become. The US I came back to was nearly a police state. The population was the sickest and most disabled of any country I had lived in. Homelessness and lack of education made the US seem like a Third World country. I was shocked.

NPR, however, was a familiar place to relax. They made sense. They considered points of view from both left and right. Importantly, the only “leftie” was a member of the Communist Party of the USA, and the only extreme right candidate was George Wallace, who didn’t stand a chance in the general election.

The difference between Dems and Repubs was no too great. Tip O’Neill and Ronald Reagan worked together all the time. (Reagan promised “small government” but grew the government by every metric. Every one.)

Today, however, millions of Americans have been left behind. They are worse educated than any modern nation; they are sicker and more disabled, and their babies die in the first year much more than in the rest of the advanced nations. (We did, in fact, become an oligarchy with democratic trappings. Details available upon request.)

Now those millions are angry. Their politicians sold out to the billionaires. The Republican leadership, much more than the Democrats, ignored their constituents needs and gave only tax cuts and excuses. The American people wanted LGBT people to have the same rights of marriage, social security, and hospital visitation as straight people. We got that. The American people wanted women to have more career opportunities, including in the military, on ships, and in combat units. We got that.

The American people voted for a black president. That broke the GOP back. Guns flew off the retail shelves, Militia membership soared. Ammunition was sold out for two years. The GOP refused to govern. All they did was vote to repeal the ACA 60 times, always with no chance of succeeding. Republicans directly interfered with foreign policy, personally telling Iran’s leaders to ignore the POTUS.

It seemed Hillary was certain to win. So certain, that few voted. Except the Republicans. They came out in force to vote for the guy who hated everyone they hated. Now their leader spews hatred and isolationism, the money-grubbing marketing

experts at certain media companies see the potential, so they amplify the suspicion and distrust. The result is a perfect storm of brainwashing. The handsome, 6′1″ blond billionaire can persuade most folks to invest their money in his dreams. Now he’s persuaded millions of Americans to invest their votes, their minds and their hearts in dedication to a professional con-man. Bernie Maddoff must be jealous.

THE ANSWER

NPR is right where they’ve always been, just a little left of center. But now the GOP has gone so far right—off the reservation—that they call centrists traitors and Marxists. God help us in our hour of need. Lord, is it time yet to take Trump home to meet his maker? Amen.

The question doesn’t make sense.

If it was illegal then it wouldn’t be possible to get a permit to visit. A permit means that it is legal for foreigners to visit Tibet. Similar to how you need a visa to visit China.

The autonomous regions of China are often slightly different to the mainland.

  • Hong Kong & Macao have fairly easy visas for most people BUT you do need separate visas for them.
  • Xinjiang doesn’t need a special permit now but it did in the past.
  • Ningxia, Inner Mongolia, Guangxi have never had any special requirements as far as I know.

Anyway, I visited Tibet back in 2007. At that stage, it looked like the permits were going to be gone soon. The High Speed Train had just been connected and it was opening up.

Then the uprisings and separatist movement made a big push in 2008 when Beijing was hosting the Olympics. They were supported directly or indirectly by the US government and then Tibet was locked down and hard to get into Tibet for foreigners. Millions of Chinese tourists visit each year. Since then it has become easier and I know a number of people who have visited recently. You still need a permit but it is fairly easy to get one unless you are a reporter.

Last year in 2023 there were more than 24 million tourists to Tibet. Most were domestic but 30,455 were tourists from overseas.

You can visit but unless things have changed you need to spend 3 days in China. This information may be out of date since in the past it was advised that you should apply for the permit in China. Most tourists used to go to Chengdu to see the pandas and spend 3 days their waiting for the permit. A travel agent will do all of this for you and tell you what to do. It isn’t hard but it took time. Not sure if this is still the case. Things change quickly…

Navigating dating in a world where men are increasingly being told that women and men should be treated as equals; and yet where as a heterosexual man trying to find a partner, you’re still being systematically and mercilessly filtered out as a potential partner if you fail to perform classical masculinity well enough.

I grew up in, and live in Norway. One of the countries on earth that consistently score near the top of gender-equality rankings.

And yet my experiences in dating, especially as a young man, were very much about adhering to classical prejudiced gender-roles for men — or else remain single.

Examples?

  • I’ve been told (and agree!) that men should not be afraid to show or talk about emotions. But I’ve also been told in hundreds of ways that if a man shows any emotion that includes even a hint of vulnerability, then he’s instantly disqualified as a potential romantic interest.
  • I’ve been told that men and women should face the same expectations and similar opportunities. But as a young man, no woman ever asked me out on a first date. No woman ever explicitly revealed a crush on me unless I’d done the same thing first. No woman ever kissed me unless I initiated that first. No woman ever bought me a drink, flowers, chocolate, a valentines day card or any other stereotypically romantic gift unless I’d done that first. No woman ever asked me to dance, unless I’d done that first.[*]
  • Every time I read answers here on Quora about men who struggle with finding dates, I see the same recommendations. Usually from liberal, feminist people (both men and women) well-reflected about gender. Be confident. Be assertive. Initiate. Approach. Show Competence. Be unaffected by rejection, or if you’re affected, hide it! I’m not sure if they fail to notice it, or if they notice but don’t care — but these things look pretty much like: “Be classically masculine and adhere to gender-norms for men!” to me.

My dating-life took a sharp turn upwards when I finally learnt how to wear a mask and play a classically masculine role well enough to pass muster as a potential romantic partner.

I had several long and good relationships after I figured this part out, and though I’m happily married these days, I’m still confident I could fairly easily find a new fulfilling relationship if I should ever again find myself single and lonely.

But to find that relationship, I’d have to initially play a role. One that isn’t me, or that at least is just a tiny fraction of me. I’d have to play up those parts of me that adhere the closest to prejudiced norms for what a “real man” should be, and at least for a while downplay or hide those parts of me that don’t fit the mold, such as for example my vulnerable or emotional parts.

The most confusing thing for me as a young man, was how women around me were constantly telling me that there’s nothing they want more than gender-equality. And yet at the same time, if I want to “pass” as a man worthy of romantic love or sexual desire, then I have to jump right back into strongly gendered norms for what a “real man” should be.


[*]: I’m aware that many of these things do happen now and then to many men, and happen often to some men. Ironically though, that tends to be men with high social status and/or high social dominance. This single factor was without a doubt the most important factor for which young men were seen as attractive among my peers. And of course high status and high social dominance are ALSO things that prejudiced gender-roles for men judge us for.

Oh, Boy! That happened to me.

Let me give you a bit of context:

My then girlfriend and I had been dating for about 5 years when we finally decided to marry.

On the day of the wedding, we were at my parents’ house with some close family and our closest friends.

Everything was going as expected and the law officer driving the ceremony was reading the document we were about to sign in order to be pronounced “husband and wife”.

It went something like:

“Mr. Blah blah blah… of profession Systems’ Engineer, born at xxxxx and Miss blah blah blah of profession xxxxx from xxx” plus some legal stuff that no one was really paying attention, or so I thought.

Then, the lady asks the infamous question:

“Does anyone have any objection?”

And for everyone’s surprise, a “Yes, I have one” was clearly heard.

In that instant, the time and everything else just froze. You would have been able to cut the air of the room with a knife. Everyone was shocked, silently looking for the source of those words. The only things moving in the room were our guests’ eyes.

Finally, we found it!

It turned out that the objection came from no less than the bride herself, and then she added in her most natural tone:

“He is not a Systems Engineer. His speciality is Computer Engineer”

First a general sense of relief and then everyone just burst out laughing.

We have been married for more than 15 years and the document still says “Systems Engineer”

Did I tell you that my wife is a lawyer?

  1. your sleep is key to your health and energy. Sleep well, and everything in life already looks easier. Darkness, silence, and inner peace are the key ingredients.
  2. what you eat and drink is another key to your health and energy. The fewer of the things you consume have brand names, and the less has been done to them, the better you will eventually be.
  3. the people you are surrounded by contribute greatly to who you are, and not just while you are with them. When you’re honest, you’ll find that very little of you is actually you.
  4. the big challenge in life is to be authentic. It’s the hardest thing to do of them all to be truly yourself, and it may well be the meaning of life to try it. We only ever live during those moments where we are being ourselves, and they are few.
  5. to live in freedom, you need to make utilitarian choices. This is a mechanical universe, full of things that are parasitic. Find the things that serve you with the least demands on you, and your life is more free.

This chick is really freaking out.

I’m American, living in France for many years. I eat butter, cream, cheese, bread, pasta…. things I never used to eat in the US, and yet never have to worry about my weight.

Many things come into play-

No snacks. We eat meals, usually at the same times each day. My body seems to like living on a schedule this way. I don’t get hungry in between meals. My stomach knows when it is time to eat, and when it isn’t.

Portions. Portions are smaller. I’m about to visit home again, and know we’ll be going to restaurants and such, and I’ll have these giant heaping plates placed before me, which make me sick to think about. It actually kills my appetite to see this.

Different courses. Instead of eating everything at the same time, we have courses, so only one thing is in front of us at a time. If you are only eating tomatoes, you are going to eat less than if you are mixing in bites of other things in between. Eating a salad or a soup before the main dish, you’re already going to eat less of the main course, because you are less hungry.

Walking. We spend a lot of time walking. I walk to most everything – the grocery store, the post office, the hairdresser, the recycling center….. Whatever chores I have to do outside the home, I can usually walk, and a twenty-minute walk to get somewhere is normal. I do remember a time, when I hadn’t been here long, that every time someone said, “let’s just walk there”, I’d groan and complain “Why can’t we just drive??” I’ve come to love walking around the city. I had to remember the joy of that as a kid, when I’d just love taking my time and observing life around me along the way, instead of having my focus on the destination.

Less stress. This may or may not apply in a general way, but I find they have a different way of looking at life, in which work success is just not considered so essential, so people worry less. A lot of paid vacation, job security, easy healthcare, results in feeling less anxious, and maybe contributes to less cortisol production and emotional eating.

The failure of democracy

Chicken Chilaquiles Casserole

Chicken Chilaquiles Casserole
Chicken Chilaquiles Casserole

Ingredients

  • 1/2 cup vegetable oil
  • 10 (6 to 8 inch diameter) flour or corn tortillas, cut into 1/2 inch strips
  • 2 cups shredded cooked chicken or turkey
  • 1 1/3 cups salsa verde or green sauce
  • 2 cups (8 ounces) shredded Chihuahua or mozzarella cheese

Instructions

  1. Heat oil in skillet until hot. Cook tortilla strips in oil for 30 to 60 seconds or until light golden brown; drain.
  2. Heat oven to 350 degrees F. Grease 2 quart casserole.
  3. Layer half of the tortilla strips in casserole; top with chicken, half of the salsa verde (about 2/3 cup) and 1 cup of the cheese.
  4. Press layers gently down into casserole.
  5. Repeat with remaining tortilla strips, sauce and cheese.
  6. Bake for about 30 minutes or until cheese is melted and golden brown.

I had three interviews that went very well, in my opinion, yet I received no job offer, and I suspected it was because my boss was subverting my effort to leave the company. During my fourth interview, with the Department of Correction, I mentioned my suspicion to the person interviewing me and she said that she’d make a note of it. I was offered the job a couple of days later, contingent upon passing a drug screen, and while I was at the agency for the drug screen the HR manager asked me to step into her office.

She called my boss and said she was calling for a reference on me, and boss gave what would be described as a tepid recommendation: I did “adequate” work and was “as reliable as anyone else” but she would have hired someone younger if she was filling my position now. After she ended the call the HR manager said she understood why I had trouble finding another job, and then she asked when I wanted to start work with the agency. I told her I’d be there bright and early the following Monday.

My boss said she wanted someone younger for my job so I decided to accomodate her. I didn’t bother to say anything about the phone call, or that I was leaving. But I did send a delayed email letting her know how I felt about her and so she’d know that I wouldn’t be coming back. The last time I saw her was when I picked up my last paycheck; she threw a stapler at me.

OMG!

Just put this on and listen to it on a early Saturday Morning.

Fads that stay with us

I had a roommate who had no common sense. She honestly didn’t know things that children would know. It wasn’t her fault, she came from a very wealthy family. They wanted her to be a tennis pro, so they sent her to private schools throughout her life. She was on my university’s tennis team and she was very good. Her parents had paid for her to live in a dorm on campus her first three years of college. By the time she reached her senior year of college, she’d never done anything for herself in her life. She was 22. That’s when I met her.

I put an ad out online because the person me and my other roommate had previously lived with graduated the semester before and moved out. A girl named Hannah replied to the ad. She was cute and nice so we let her sign a contract and move in with us.

Sometimes I felt like I was raising an 8 year old, living with her.

She kept not paying rent. I’d get a notice from the landlord saying a portion of the rent hadn’t been paid. I’d tell my roommate she needed to pay and she’d pay immediately. This happened for three months in a row. Finally, I said “Hannah, I’m not your mom. I can’t remind you to pay rent every month. You need to do it yourself.” Her eyes got really big. She said “Oh, I didn’t know that rent had to be paid at a certain time every month.”

She used to make giant pots of soup and leave them on the stove for days, unrefrigerated. I got concerned and told her she shouldn’t eat something that had been sitting out uncovered for three days. She was confused. I had to explain to her how she’d probably get very sick and food can go bad if it’s not refrigerated properly or not eaten for too long.

After that, my other friend left some soup in our fridge that she wanted to come back and pick up the next day. When I came home the next day, Hannah was eating it. I said “Hannah, why are you eating my friends soup? She said she was going to pick it up today.” Hannah replied, “Well I took the soup out of the fridge and left it on the counter because I knew she was going to come pick it up. But she didn’t come for a while, so I figured the soup was going bad like you told me, so I thought I’d eat it.” I just replied “Why didn’t you just leave it in the fridge until she arrived?” Hannah apparently never thought of that.

Once some mice invaded our home. Hannah left her food in the cupboards uncovered, like her rice and cereal. I told her she had to box them up or the mice would get in her food and poop in it and make her sick. She tied some rubber bands around some of her food but that was it. I had to secure all of her food for her because I worried about her, and I wanted the mice gone.

Another time, we went on a hike together and saw a tent made to look like a teepee in the forest. She asked “Do you think pilgrims live in there?” I’m pretty sure she meant Amish people, but either way, I was dumbfounded.

Up to a year after we were roommates, she would call me asking me about random bills that got charged to her that didn’t relate to me at all. I couldn’t believe some of the stuff she got into just because she had no common sense.

The thing is, she was pretty book smart. She got good grades in her major. She was amazing at tennis which takes intelligence. She just had zero common sense. I had never met someone like that before. I was basically her caretaker all year. She was super sweet and I liked her, but wow did I get annoyed with her sometimes.

Anyways, she’s probably going to become a pro tennis player now. She’ll have a coach or enough money to have other people handle her life for her, so I think she’s going to turn out okay.

How I see the US after living abroad for 5 years

This might sound crazy, but this happened to me three times in the 1990’s. Twice in a bar and once at an all night diner sorta like Denny’s in Blufield,WVA.

All three times some drunk guy just walked up to me and said something like,” I don’t like you and I’m gonna kick your ass”.

My response, all three times was, “ okay man, if that’s what you want to do, but just tell me first, why do you want to kick my ass?”

All three times it led to the person saying…”I don’t know, I just want to”..and within a minute or two, we were sitting talking and they decided they were now ok with me.

The third one in West Virginia…was strange cuz I was sitting in a booth, the first booth in the restaurant, when this obviously very drunk guy came up to me and said that he wanted to kick my ass. I responded as I do and next thing I know, he pulls up in the booth and starts crying and trying to tell me his problems.

The waitresses were apologizing to me about him and trying to get him to leave, when eventually his wife and mother or mother-in-law came, got him and apologized profusely for him bothering me.

I figured out a long time ago to be meek and not to act like a bad ass. The Bible tells us to be meek, have self control, be patient, have charity.

Why This Modern Woman Keeps Her Baby Daddies Away From Her Family – You Won’t Believe The Reason!

The Chinese themselves openly confirmed this didn’t they?

They openly said they were detaining Uyghur families who were supporting the ETIM and had a role in the 2007/8 terrorist incidents and other separatist factions

They openly established Re Education camps where Uyghurs were detained

The Camps are now closed. The last camp was closed in 2020 after Covid when they took a decision that 9 years was enough

And it’s not millions

It’s around 100K-120K people

They are on home surveillance now for 15 years

All this is available on People’s Daily


They agreed they were detaining and re educating these Uyghurs

They themselves said so before anyone else did


The Allegations against the Chinese were not of Detention of and Re Education of Terror suspects or ETIM sympathisers

It was

  • Genocide of Uygur People
  • Slave Labor of all Uyghur People

The Allegations were of Death or Extermination Camps where Uyghurs were enslaved and killed

These are Total Lies

The Locations shared by Google Earth were visited in detail by many UN Officials and close to 1000 reporters from over 50 Countries including 14 Islamic ones

Not a shred of evidence

A Camp leaves some sign

The Nazi death camps had signs for decades

Likewise Slave Labor is a myth

This has been proven conclusively over and over again

Why would a region import Harvesters worth $ 15 Billion if they aimed to have cotton pickers?


Now the Narrative is CULTURAL GENOCIDE

God knows what the next will be


China is no longer fire fighting and waiting for the next accusation to prove

They are simply opening up Xinjiang and saying “SEE FOR YOURSELF”

The US is desperately dialling back and forbidding Americans to visit Xinjiang

Always a bad move because Americans HATE to be DENIED anything and that makes them all the more determined to visit the place themselves

American Reacts To How Has Your Concept Of Freedom Changed, As An American Living Abroad? | Part 1

Freedom propaganda.

You won’t like this answer but…..

In the UK there is a long running television program called university challenge where teams of students from each university in the country battle it out to become the cleverest university for the year on TV.

A similar program used to exist and for all I know may still do in the US called college bowl.

Some years ago now a British university was invited to a college bowl episode to compete against an American team.

The organisers rather arrogantly gave the British team a head start by giving them a number of points, presumably because they thought the British team might not be so familiar with the American TV show or maybe the American centric questions that might arise.

The contest began and the British team went on to thoroughly rout, Indeed, totally spank the American team to the extent that even without the head start they had been given. The difference in scores was truly embarrassing.

This contest was never repeated and I have struggled to find any reference to it on YouTube or elsewhere. That episode seems to have been eradicated from history.

I think I have answered the question.

Chicken and Dumpling Casserole

Yield: 6 servings

chicken dumplings
chicken dumplings

Ingredients

Chicken

  • 1/4 cup butter
  • 1/2 cup chopped onions
  • 1/2 cup chopped celery
  • 2 cloves garlic, minced
  • 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
  • 2 teaspoons granulated sugar
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 1 teaspoon dry basil
  • 1/2 teaspoon pepper
  • 4 cups chicken broth
  • 1 (10 ounce) package frozen peas
  • 4 cups cooked chicken, cubed

Dumplings

  • 2 cups buttermilk biscuit mix
  • 2 teaspoons dried basil
  • 2/3 cup milk

Instructions

  1. Heat oven to 350 degrees F. Lightly grease a 13 x 9 x 2 inch baking dish.
  2. Chicken: In a large kettle melt butter and sauté onions, celery, and garlic until tender.
  3. Add flour, sugar, salt, basil, pepper and chicken broth. Bring to a boil. Boil a minute then add chicken and frozen peas.
  4. Pour into prepared pan.
  5. Dumplings: Combine biscuit mix, basil and milk. Stir until moistened and use spoon to drop dumplings onto casserole (12 dumplings).
  6. Bake uncovered for 30 minutes.
  7. Cover and bake 10 minutes more or until dumplings are done.

Apparently Women Are Facing An UNPRECEDENTED Crisis of Loneliness

I once asked my colleague who sat behind the cubicle, “You want date?”

It was late evening on the office in Jakarta. We were discussing about annual Eid holiday plan, when I asked the question out of the blue. She went silent for quite long, maybe surprised, and spoke very slowly, “Err… yes…”

I was a bit confused with the reaction, and then she continued, “What time?”

It took us around five seconds to realize the misunderstanding.

Both of us were sitting completely silent separated by the cubicles. I did not dare to stand up and looked to the next cubicle because it would be awkward. What I tried to offer her is a pack of date fruit which is pretty common during Ramadan month before the Eid holiday. I decided to just shove the fruit box from above the cubicle separator, told her “here you are”, and she grabbed it.

And still, silence.

main qimg 63c65b3f76ef8ec145e76c6ca6eefcbf lq
main qimg 63c65b3f76ef8ec145e76c6ca6eefcbf lq

Damn. It was awkward.


To this day, I believe she still wonders whether I pranked her.

Lesson learned, next time use Bahasa Indonesia instead of broken Asian English.

Chris Langan was born with a freakishly potent brain, having arguably the highest IQ of any living person.

Langan began speaking at six months old and went on to skip several grades. He had an adult vocabulary by age 10. He breezed through college-level tests as an adolescent. He took his SAT several years early and got a perfect score in half the allotted time and took a nap.

Today, he is a rancher. He never finished college. Most of his adult years were spent as a bouncer at a bar, and in manual labor jobs.

main qimg 329da5df732942bedfe97c9536475f22 lq
main qimg 329da5df732942bedfe97c9536475f22 lq

It all stemmed from his rough childhood. He grew up in a poor family. His mother married multiple times before he turned 12. One stepfather committed suicide. Another was psychopathic and abusive.

His stark upbringing created behavioral problems and a persisting contempt for authority. Combine this with inadequate mentorship, resources, and an absent professional network and he never weaponized his extremely rare gift.

The sad truth is that there are many like Langan, who are like the gifted child working on a 3rd world farm, born into poverty and dealt a common, cruel blow to the chance of success.

I worked for a private family-owned company. Business was so good that the company needed additional public share capital to continue . I was doing the ground work (valuation ) in order to proceed with investment advisors to take a company public. My findings were presented to the president in a highly-confidential , private, internal valuation memorandum. I entered the office of the president to discuss my findings and conclusions. He read the three-line summary of the memo. Then he excused himself to his private bathroom. He never returned. His secretary checked on me in ten minutes, found me alone and demanded that I leave immediately.

What happened? the valuation of the company was very much higher than expected. His net worth had exploded in those three lines of the summary. The corporate secret was that he was an alcoholic and that he could not possibly take this corporation public. He could not be trusted in a public environment. The company had a wider culture of long alcohol-laced lunches and no effective board oversite, due to family connections. After a confirming professional valuation, the company was sold to a competitor for cash (at my $$ number) and the entire head office staff, excluding a very few, were laid off. I left before the sale occurred.

Default An interesting and visually descriptive prompt as a gr 5
Default An interesting and visually descriptive prompt as a gr 5
Default Tshirt Brand logo africans and orixs black and red wri 0
Default Tshirt Brand logo africans and orixs black and red wri 0
Default a hyper realistic color epic cinematography of an accu 3
Default a hyper realistic color epic cinematography of an accu 3
Default An ancient town in China rain fog looking at the lens 3
Default An ancient town in China rain fog looking at the lens 3
Default Generate a composition inspired by El Grecos dramatic 0
Default Generate a composition inspired by El Grecos dramatic 0
Default An ultra detailed realistic digital art featuring Trad 0
Default An ultra detailed realistic digital art featuring Trad 0
Default Coffee Shop Bossa Nova style cute tables outside cobbl 3
Default Coffee Shop Bossa Nova style cute tables outside cobbl 3
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Default An ultra detailed realistic digital art featuring Bull 0
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Default An ultra detailed realistic digital art featuring Braz 3
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Default An ultra detailed realistic digital art featuring Rura 4
Default An ultra detailed realistic digital art featuring Geis 4
Default An ultra detailed realistic digital art featuring Geis 4
Default An ultra detailed realistic digital art featuring Rura 3
Default An ultra detailed realistic digital art featuring Rura 3
Default a chinese woman captivates with her rare beauty With 1
Default a chinese woman captivates with her rare beauty With 1
Default Majestic dragon perched atop a crumbling castle tower 0
Default Majestic dragon perched atop a crumbling castle tower 0
Default An ultra detailed realistic digital art featuring Geis 1
Default An ultra detailed realistic digital art featuring Geis 1
Default masterpiece floating character 20 years old boy curly 2
Default masterpiece floating character 20 years old boy curly 2
Default aryshan idea Wolverine wolf husky German Shepherd 0
Default aryshan idea Wolverine wolf husky German Shepherd 0
Default An ultra detailed an ancient Mayan warrior hyper reali 3
Default An ultra detailed an ancient Mayan warrior hyper reali 3
Default masterpiece best quality Anime14 pastel anime pleiadia 2
Default masterpiece best quality Anime14 pastel anime pleiadia 2
Default postcard drawn with a brush and thai white headed bird 2
Default postcard drawn with a brush and thai white headed bird 2
Default An ultra detailed realistic digital art featuring Geis 2
Default An ultra detailed realistic digital art featuring Geis 2
Default An ultra detailed realistic digital art featuring Rura 0
Default An ultra detailed realistic digital art featuring Rura 0
Default An ultra detailed realistic digital art featuring Geis 3
Default An ultra detailed realistic digital art featuring Geis 3
Default An ultra detailed realistic digital art featuring Zen 3
Default An ultra detailed realistic digital art featuring Zen 3
Default anime girl as a rider anime girl posing standing next 1
Default anime girl as a rider anime girl posing standing next 1
Default In the center of the image stands Misa Amane depicted 1
Default In the center of the image stands Misa Amane depicted 1
Default mega realistic highcontrast cinematic still of fenrir 0
Default mega realistic highcontrast cinematic still of fenrir 0

More fun with LeonardoAI

PhotoReal A stunning portrait of a beautiful fairhaired woman 2
PhotoReal A stunning portrait of a beautiful fairhaired woman 2
PhotoReal An astronaut turned into a skull floats in the abyss 1
PhotoReal An astronaut turned into a skull floats in the abyss 1
Default Dragon in aslant flight spitting Fire 2
Default Dragon in aslant flight spitting Fire 2
Default Martha Hyer 0
Default Martha Hyer 0
Default Mangastyle illustration character wearing a longsleeve 3
Default Mangastyle illustration character wearing a longsleeve 3
Default marcus aurelius standing on a balcony looking over a c 0(1)
Default marcus aurelius standing on a balcony looking over a c 0(1)
AlbedoBase XL Beautiful Elf posing with freckles and glasses 1
AlbedoBase XL Beautiful Elf posing with freckles and glasses 1
AlbedoBase XL illusion of a indigenous girl in 100 years later 0
AlbedoBase XL illusion of a indigenous girl in 100 years later 0
3D Animation Style Generate a cinematic and sharply focused ph 3
3D Animation Style Generate a cinematic and sharply focused ph 3
3D Animation Style man playing video games with keyboard and m 3
3D Animation Style man playing video games with keyboard and m 3
3D Animation Style Cheveux bruns 3
3D Animation Style Cheveux bruns 3
Default A smart 20 years boy black hairs laptop in his hand si 1
Default A smart 20 years boy black hairs laptop in his hand si 1
Default Create an AIgenerated image portraying a captivating f 3
Default Create an AIgenerated image portraying a captivating f 3
Default Coffee Shop Bossa Nova style cute tables outside cobbl 0
Default Coffee Shop Bossa Nova style cute tables outside cobbl 0
Default aryshan idea Wolverine wolf husky German Shepherd 1
Default aryshan idea Wolverine wolf husky German Shepherd 1
Default Imagine the ethereal Lucifer the angel fallen from gra 1
Default Imagine the ethereal Lucifer the angel fallen from gra 1
Default An ultra detailed realistic digital art featuring serb 4
Default An ultra detailed realistic digital art featuring serb 4

About 30 years ago I was driving on the freeway at highway speeds. My wife was my passenger. The car behind me was driving rather close to my bumper. Traffic ahead had come to a stop as evidenced by lots of brake lights so I hit my brakes. The car behind me slammed into me causing a total wreck. The police came to assess what happened. The young girl driving the car that hit me claimed I hit my brakes to hard. The officer explained to her she was following too close. The police report clearly stated the accident was her fault.

I was young and driving a “beater”. my car was maybe worth $3,000. I only had basic liability insurance because my car wasn’t worth much. My car itself wasn’t covered. She was insured by State Farm so I filed a claim with her insurance company seeking $3,000. My wife and I had back pain but I didn’t even ask for payment for my medical damages. The State Farm adjuster told me that even though the police report said the accident was their clients fault, they believed their client and would not pay my claim. Oddly, they did not go after me or my insurance company for her damages. When I threatened to sue, the agent laughed and said she doubted I’d find an attorney to take my case.

I in fact did find an attorney. That’s when the State Farm adjuster called me to offer the $3,000 I had originally asked for. I told her to talk to my attorney and pointed out she was wrong for telling me I’d never find an attorney to take my case. State Farm ended up paying over $20,000 for my car, medical bills, attorney fees, and pain and suffering. They chose to deny my claim because most people would have gone away quietly.

Cheez-It Chicken Casserole

Cheez It Chicken Casserole
Cheez It Chicken Casserole

Ingredients

  • 1 package chicken tenders
  • Salt
  • Pepper
  • 1 (8 ounce) carton sour cream
  • 1 box Cheez-It crackers, crushed
  • 1/2 cup melted butter

Instructions

  1. Heat oven to 350 degrees F.
  2. Fill casserole dish with boneless, skinless chicken breast tenders; sprinkle with salt and pepper.
  3. Spread sour cream over chicken.
  4. Sprinkle crushed Cheez-It crackers over sour cream.
  5. Pour melted butter over Cheez-It crackers.
  6. Bake for 30 to 40 minutes or until golden brown.

There are two and they were both sort of theft. The laundromat in my apartments had a coke machine, 50 cents for a can of soda. This was in the early 90s so I was maybe 10. My friends and I found a particular spot you could punch the machine (not hard, but precision was key) and it would drop 10–20 cents, over and over. Free sodas, sure! But then I started using it for other things, like comics. It didn’t take long for that machine to get replaced.

The other loophole, which I now understand how it worked was one I used at arcades and movie theatres (because they had arcade games). Remember change machines? Specifically the older ones where you laid a bill on a flat metal tray and slid that into the machine, then it gave you 4 quarters. It turns out there is a sensor that reads one corner of the bill to verify and check the denomination, and an arm that grabs the bill to pull it into the machine, but that arm is on the other side of the bill. So, I’d tear off a corner of a bill, place it accordingly, the machine would read it and give me four quarters but it could NOT take that one corner which it had read, so I would turn $1 into $10, given enough time. My mom actually caught me doing that instead of an employee.

When I set up a small freelance bureau, my first client was run by a no-nonsense CEO and we agreed on a contract where I got paid for every day I worked in their offices plus a percentage of any new business generated. This worked OK for a couple of years until he put in a new tier of managers to run the company, who were incentivized by the profitability of their accounts.

The new director began a cost-cutting drive about wasting photocopier toner etc. to try and boost the bottom line, but most of all she hated the fact that I cost her money. So after a month or two she told me I needed to switch to a commission-only contract where I got nothing for project delivery and client management, just a percentage on new sales. She told me to present a revised contract reflecting the new reality, which I was happy to do as they had been soaking up too much time, now that I was getting more business from other clients.

She seemed slightly surprised at my pleasant acceptance of what she saw as harsher terms, but I said I could see it made sense for her and I’d bring a new contract in a few days. When I did, she immediately checked the clauses on no payment for on-site time and signed both copies.

A few weeks later, with a healthy order book projected for the next year, she asked the accountant how much she owed me and what it would cost her to get rid of me that Christmas? The accountant looked at the jobs remaining and she told the new director she would probably have to cut me a modest check for about X grand. The director immediately emailed me that she wanted to end our collaboration and I wouldn’t be needed in the new year. I said that was OK and as per our contract I would spend the notice month getting everything in good shape. I spent a few days firming everything up and asked if she could let me know what numbers she was working from so I could make the project list match up.

The accountant sent me her X grand number and I replied with my number which was seven times as high. The accountant said she had agreed X with the director and listed the projects involved that would complete the year’s work. I suggested she tell the director to check her contract and come back with the correct number, which included all the work booked for the following year.

This caused an immediate flurry of action and resistance, which prompted me to alert the CEO and send him a copy of our original contract that I had written , and which had not changed in terms of commissions. He called us into his office like two naughty children and the director said by her calculation she thought I was due X as final commission on items uncompleted by my enforced departure.

I agreed but added that the contract differentiated between commission entitlement – which occurred at time of sale – versus commission draw-down, which happened in stages as project milestones were reached. The only reason I was demanding my full year’s entitlement of 7X up front was because I was fired and had managed during my notice period to get all sales confirmed in writing. Had I not been fired I would have overseen completion of all projects, without charge and been paid the commission in stages as per contract.

The CEO asked for the director’s response, but apart from saying she didn’t agree, she avoided all eye contact. The CEO asked me would I negotiate and I replied I was agreeing to meet in his office rather than in court, where as the author of the contract I was likely to prevail and claim for damages on top.

The CEO closed the meeting and told the director to take me down to accounts and cut me a check for the full amount. Once cleared, I treated myself to a new motorcycle and saved the rest.

With so much unchecked power at the top, how has China sustained its success for so long without falling prey to debilitating corruption?

I’m not claiming that there is no corruption in China; I imagine there is. But without freedom of press, without an independent judiciary, and without a democratically elected head of state, what checks and balances allow Chinese leaders to focus on the country more than individual enrichment?

This is a very good question. The OP obviously has a brain.

To quote Holmes, “Once you eliminate the impossible, whatever remains, no matter how improbable, must be the truth.”

Well we know that unchecked power always leads to massive corruption, and we know that although corruption is a problem in China, it’s not terribly bad either.

So the logical conclusion is – that the power to engage in corruption is somehow checked in China.

China has a completely different philosophy on power, which is “the more power one has, the higher level of restraints one should live under.” Putting it in practice, it means that…

At the junior government level, you have very limited power, and so you only have the responsibility to follow the rules yourself. If you are wearing an expensive watch and some anonymous citizen takes a picture and sends it to the Party Discipline Committee, then it’s your responsibility to prove that the money comes from legitimate sources.

At the mid-government level, you have much greater power, so you have to report the assets of yourself, and 3 generations of your linear relatives (i.e., your parents, your wife, your children, and their spouses). Any hint of impropriety, and you’ll be put under investigation. Also, if you don’t keep your family and your assets in China, you can’t serve in the government at this level.

At the senior level, it’s per se illegal or corrupt for you to have private meetings with other people. Period. All meetings must be in public and in the presence of other government officials. Your children will have to live under assumed names so that other people don’t know their connections to you. You are expected to work 12 hours a day, 6 days a week, and spend the rest of your time with your family or feed the goldfish or something completely innocuous.

But what about the right to privacy?

Well, what about it?

You signed on to this when you take the job. You don’t have to take the job, but if you do, you have to agree to this.

With great power comes great responsibilities. It’s a matching set.

You have great power, so you have the responsibility to live like a model person.

Sometimes the rules go over the top.

For example, a new rule says that mid-level government officials and above must give the Central Discipline Committee 6-month advanced notice if he’s going to host a wedding for his son or a funeral for his aged parents (so he can be spot-checked for signs of extravagance), with restrictions on the size and participants of these events, and it caused a bit of mumbling, like

“I’m really, really, trying to follow all the rules, but I really can’t predict when my mom is going to die 6-month ahead.”

At which point in time the response is…

“Oh, well, we can be considerate, but why don’t you give us a heads-up when she gets sick or something.”

And the lower level reaction is…

“F*ck.”

Also, China applies a de facto RICO statue to government corruption.

Basically, if I can’t sort out who’s more guilty because you guys won’t talk, then you can all rot in jail for the rest of your lives.

If you take a look at, for example, the Tianjin Explosion that killed 165 people.

A bad industrial accident stemming from poor code enforcement.

The result is 49 people going to jail, and the most guilty one getting a death sentence. China Jails 49 Over Deadly Tianjin Warehouse Explosions

The punishment is quite severe.

Overall

So this system may not completely root out corruption, but it makes corruption both hard to do and highly risky.

The truly determined and ingenious ones have to develop some 007-type skill set to engage in corruption.

Not surprisingly, the biggest “fish” caught in the anti-corruption net to-date is the old spymaster of China.

And the risk is not just on the corrupt official personally, but on his family too.

Daddy has to tell little Jimmy “don’t wear that expensive pair of shoes outside ’cause you could land me in jail”.

Things like Clinton’s “I’m just having a private dinner with some Goldman bankers” – that’s per se corruption in China, and you are out of a job even if you only ever talked about weather.


Now if we take a look at the checks and balances listed in your question, i.e., freedom of press, independent judiciary, democratically elected head of state.

If they work so well, why do we have 2008 meltdown, the Iraq invasion, the missing WMD, Iran-Contra, the Congress throwing money at the Military when even the Pentagon says “we don’t want it”, all the Wikileaks stuff coming out during the campaign, etc. …

…and not a single person is ever punished in any shape or form?

Well obviously these checks and balances don’t work so well.

The higher the elites go, the bigger moat they get to build around themselves.

The best moat money and power can buy.

And if you look into these things a bit more, you’ll see that most of these things are where BOTH political parties benefited & were implicated while the American people were screwed.

Interesting, isn’t it.

The question is, this may be fair for the rich and powerful individuals, but is it fair for the PEOPLE?

To escape what is commonly called “the Rat Race”, you will need the following:

  1. permanently assured accommodation that doesn’t depend on high, regular payments to maintain; for example a small house that is fully paid for and where you could always stay and wait out periods between jobs;
  2. savings, so that you aren’t under pressure to bring in money every month in order to survive;
  3. get rid of all debts;
  4. a profession that is versatile and in demand, so that you can find work wherever, whenever, change jobs when you feel like it, and negotiate part time work arrangements; things like nursing, programming, or security might always work;
  5. low bills. Drive an old, but reliable car that never needs fixing, don’t smoke or drink, learn to cook properly and to budget and plan, and do it, and generally avoid an expensive lifestyle.
  6. remain flexible and open minded about what it is you might be doing professionally. Driving forklifts this year, teaching CAD next year, writing ad copy after that… these kinds of hops should not scare you.
  7. give up career thinking. If you are serious about moving up, that kind of lifestyle is unattainable. Relegate yourself to letting someone else be boss, and just do your bit. Ambition is the thing that causes us the most suffering.
  8. decide that you will be happy within that little world you are creating for yourself, and that any adversity you encounter in it will be dealt with, not evaded by giving up and moving away. A little oasis of peace is still something situated in the hostile context of life on this planet, so you need to have a will and the means to maintain and defend it.

I have organised my life in this way a few years ago, and the effects are remarkable. My stress levels have gone down noticeably, various health issues have disappeared, and I am generally a much happier person now.

A life like that doesn’t need to look small and grey, either.

Here, my cheap little house and my 35 year old car I’ve had for 27 years now:

main qimg afa09843db2e04d187695693780ab646 lq
main qimg afa09843db2e04d187695693780ab646 lq

The dollar value on these things is minimal. But I can maintain them with ease, come what may.

COMMENTS

Nice post! I’m glad I learned this lesson at an early age as well. I avoided the rat race, chose a profession I enjoy that is low stress, and kept my bills to a minimum. Now I look younger than my colleagues and always get mistaken for a 25 year old! The secret is simplicity and not letting society pressure you into becoming something you don’t aspire to be, or to have things you can barely afford to impress people who don’t care.

Working you’re body to death but having all the latest material fads and addictions just isn’t worth it…

Your cheap little house would be no less than 350k (U.S.) where I live. The sad thing is in the U.S. you must have money to survive and you better be working your tail off night and day if you even want a roof over your head. Or share everything with family assuming you have family who have anything. People actually wonder why our homeless situation is so rampant. Much of It is because people give up on trying to get up after chasing the U.S. ‘dream’ in endless circles never finding an opening out of poverty. The ones who are not caught in the circle have a solid base to begin with or no bad luck along the way.

It’s wise to view it as a long term project, indeed. This lifestyle requires preparation and planning, so it is a good idea to approach it the way you mentioned – giving yourself a few decades to get there. But the main thing is to have and work toward that goal.

 

4B movement and government destruction to the end

Why the West claims Hong Kong is under Chinese oppression while absolutely ZERO person were killed by the police in 2019 and it is actually the West and British who illegally attacked, occupied and oppressed Hong Kong?

It’s simple. Many british people won’t look very deeply into the actual details of the situation as such they imagine Hong Kong was almost exactly the same as life in the UK other than it was filled with Chinese people and hotter humid weather.

So when the BBC and politicians lie about it, they take it at face value and either aren’t invested enough to check it out in more depth or simply trust politicians at what they say.

A great example is how many think Hong Kong was democratic before 1997. I ask them who elected the governor of Hong Kong… they have no answer… now and again this is great because it makes them ask further questions and makes them question their position. Most however don’t and simply double down.

The other group were the occupiers, yes occupiers is a correct word. June 1972 during the 27th meeting of the UN, Hong Kong was taken off the list of British colonies and it was instead considered an occupation. The occupiers lived a privileged life compared to local people in Hong Kong.

This is demonstrated with Kowloon Walled city. People view it as holy fucking shit, but Walled city wasn’t unusual it was only demolished in 1993.

main qimg 213ed56aa25e47ab0e47c8cd043bcfc3
main qimg 213ed56aa25e47ab0e47c8cd043bcfc3

The big apartment blocks to the north only started being built in the late 70s and 80s. Most people were living in shanty towns dotted all over.

SHOCK: Technology Already Developed to put “Vaccines” in Lettuce, Tomatos, and . . . Tobacco Products!

The Tennessee state legislature held hearings about putting “Vaccines” in consumer products like food and tobacco. The hearing revealed startling information . . .

Rep. Scott Cepicky revealed that the University of California at Riverside has “already perfected the ability to put Human Vaccines into our lettuce right now.”  He went on to add  “Also Tomatoes, has the ability to do that also, from UC Berkely, and also RJ Reynolds has developed the ability to put Human “Vaccines” into Tobacco products.”

Rep. John Ray Clemmons then inquired “Is that even legal to do in the state of Tennessee, to sell those with a Vaccine in them?”

Rep. Cepicky responded “I’m not arguing that, all I’m saying is that if a person walks into a grocery store you as a Consumer should know  __this__ head of lettuce __is__ a head of lettuce, but __this other__ head of lettuce right next to it, could contain a Vaccine in it.  All we’re saying is, if it does have the vaccine in it, make sure it’s listed as a Pharmaceutical so people can get the proper dosage.”

Hal Turner Snap Editorial

The idea that companies would DARE to presume to include “vaccines” in Human food seems outrageous to me.   Who do these people think they are?  They have no right to put some medical treatment into food for Humans and thereby into people’s bodies without informed consent.

Take the COVID Vax for instance.   We were all told it was “safe and effective.”  Those claims turned out to be false.  The vaccines harmed or even KILLED many people, and are STILL harming and killing people.

Yet some nitwit thinks it’s a good idea to put things like this into consumer food so that unwitting people get something they otherwise might not want?  Shocking!   Outrageous!

Some of these “Scientists” seem so preoccupied with whether or not they could, that they didn’t stop to think if they should.

Leadership

I met my husband through college when I was 18. He was 20. I was married at 21. He went through all my ups and downs with me, and I mean ups and downs. Things got really bad for me once I entered the professional workforce after grad school. I was ironically working in the mental health field at the time, while my own mental health was deteriorating. My husband was there to lie with me when I cried my eyes out, and he was there to calm me down when I was so excitable I could easily make some bad decisions. Never did he act like I was the “crazy person” I felt I was becoming. On two occasions he walked in on me harming myself, and he took the tool from me and cleaned me up in the shower. He was also the person who walked in on me standing in a corner listening to “the voices” that were talking to me from the sky. Yes, he stayed.

My husband is the reason I chose to go to a therapist. It was humiliating; going to a therapist when I worked in the mental health field myself. After all, I should know how to deal with what was happening to me, right? I had a really good life, an awesome husband, and a good career. What was wrong? The therapist sent me to a psychiatrist, something I also would have declined had it not been for my husband.

My husband attended my diagnostic appointment with the psychiatrist. After answering all sorts of questions and talking about what was going on, I was diagnosed as bipolar with psychotic features. I knew it. In the back of my mind I knew it and I didn’t want to know it. It was one of the reasons I didn’t want to go to the psychiatrist in the first place. I was prescribed medication and my ascent to sanity began, although I’m still not there 100%.

The thing my husband did that I’ll always remember happened just after we stepped out of the office. I was upset. I looked up at him trying to make a joke of it (kind of) and said “Well, congratulations, you married a crazy person.” He stopped us both by taking my hand, looking me in the eye and telling me “You’re no different than you always were, and I love you just as much as I always have.” We had been married almost 8 years.

It’s odd to say a romantic moment came of me being diagnosed as, how I thought of it at the time, crazy, but that’s what happened. I had been feeling so worthless. Who could love someone going through psychosis; someone who might just become a burden on others? The fact that he reassured me, after everything he’d been through with me, that I was still loved was more than I could ever thank him for. We’ve been married over 10 years now, and he says he still feels the same way, even when I do have my bouts of depression, mania, psychosis, and panic attacks, and I’ll never forget that moment when he reassured me I was still lovable and the same old me, even if there was now a name for what was happening to me. I am not crazy. I have bipolar disorder and I’m learning how to deal with it while my husband learns how to deal with my behavior.

God I love that man.

**Edit** Thank you all for the kind words! I did show my answer to my husband and he said he never realized how much that moment meant to me. I wish I’d expressed myself better at the time then! I do make sure to show him appreciation as often as possible!

It’s weird, I never felt the way about my clients that I felt about myself. I loved my clients, and they’re each battling their own mental health issues as strong boys and girls (I worked with adolescents). I guess it’s one of those cases where it’s sometimes hard to value yourself when it’s easy to see the value in others.

Despite everything, I am much better with treatment, and my husband and I are very happy together. He is definitely the love of my life and he makes me feel valuable everyday by telling me how awesome I am as a person, and how “fun I am” to be around. He definitely enjoys spending as much time as possible with me, so I certainly believe him!

I chose to go anonymous mainly because I’m still a bit of a coward and only my close family and friends know about my illness. Maybe one day I’ll have the strength to talk about it more openly, but I worry how that might affect any future clients’ or agencies’ views of me as an effective worker.

Hope that addresses some of the comments I read!

Exploitation

No

China is too strong today to require the second front

The ‘Second Front’ was a plan maybe ten or twelve years or maybe even fifteen years ago in case of a conflict

Back then both Armies were on similar footing

  • Chinas Budget was $ 68.79 Billion in 2009 with a much higher import dependence and Indias was close to $ 46 Billion
  • Both countries depended on at least 40% of their Military Supplies on the Russians
  • Both Nations had similar abilities on three domains – Army, Navy & Air
  • Chinas GDP was around $ 4.8 Trillion to Indias $ 1.58 Trillion. Yet Chinas Debt to GDP was closer to 36% to Indias 21%

Back then Pakistan was also in a far stronger position than today

It was also way closer to the US , so Chinas active plan was to get Pakistan out of US Sphere of Influence into their own

The Plan was if India moved against China, then for China to get Pakistan to open a second theatre either through Economic leverage or Military Leverage


In 2024, this plan is no longer a primary one

  • China has the roads now, the infrastructure to mobilize it’s troops in 24 hours and confront India in any direction
  • China has Satellite Imaging for every square feet of those mountains
  • China has a five domain superiority including Cyber & Low Space where they are streets ahead of India
  • Today Chinas economy is at $ 18–19 Trillion and they have virtually the same amount of savings and real wealth plus a Net Foreign Reserves of a Trillion plus bucks

So today the notion of India attacking and moving in offensive on China is much lesser than in 2009, at least militarily

2015–16 was the last year India could have actively moved against China and managed a stalemate or bloodied the Chinese nose and gotten brutally mauled

Today the Chinese are TOO STRONG

They prepared their forces for India as the largest enemy until 2013/14 and since then have began to prepare for US and NATO as their largest enemy

We prepared for China and Pakistan as our largest enemy from the 1960s , so our scale hasn’t surged as much


As a consolation, India is too strong for Pakistan today

Just like the Chinese are too strong for us

Work Smarter

Roasted Black Pepper Wings
with Maple Bourbon Glaze

Roasted Black Pepper Wings
Roasted Black Pepper Wings

Yield: 4 servings

Ingredients

Wings

  • 2 1/2 tablespoons freshly ground black pepper
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons salt
  • 1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper
  • 12 wings, cut in half at joints, wing tips removed and discarded

Glaze

  • 1 cup bourbon
  • 3 tablespoons maple syrup
  • 2 teaspoons molasses

Instructions

  1. In a small bowl, combine the black pepper, salt and cayenne.
  2. Place the wings in a zip-type plastic bag.
  3. Pour the pepper mixture into the bag, close it and shake to coat the wings.
  4. Heat the oven to 350 degrees F. Cover a rimmed baking sheet with aluminum foil, place wings on foil and bake for 30 to 40 minutes, or until done.
  5. In a small saucepan over medium heat, combine bourbon, maple syrup and molasses, + 1 cup of water. Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat to simmer. Simmer the mixture until reduced by about half and thickened, 5 to 6 minutes.
  6. When the wings are done, toss them with the glaze while they are still warm.

Shorpy time

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WTF is going on with American girls?

Peanut Butter Chicken Wings

30COOKING THAIPEANUT CHIXWINGS1 articleLarge
30COOKING THAIPEANUT CHIXWINGS1 articleLarge

Yield: 15 to 20 servings

Ingredients

  • 50 chicken wings
  • 2 (12 ounce) bottles beer
  • 1 cup molasses
  • 1/2 cup creamy peanut butter
  • 1/2 cup fresh lemon juice
  • 1/2 cup Worcestershire sauce
  • 1/4 cup prepared mustard
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 2 tablespoons chili powder
  • 1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley, for garnish
  • 1 to 2 lemons, sliced thin, for garnish

Instructions

  1. Heat oven to 450 degrees F.
  2. Remove and discard tips from wings and cut each wing in half at joint.
  3. Combine remaining ingredients except parsley and lemon slices in a large saucepan. Cook over low heat for about 15 minutes, until reduced and thickened to the consistency of thick gravy.
  4. Place wings in a large roasting pan and cover with sauce. Turn until each wing is well coated.
  5. Bake for 15 to 20 minutes.
  6. Serve on large platter.
  7. Garnish with parsley and lemon slices.

Move to Italy

For one thing, the Chinese are very clever and adaptable and resilient. The Americans have grown fat, lazy and stupid.

For another, the Chinese number over a billion, more than 4X the size of the US population.

For another, the Chinese are well-educated. In fact, China produces 4X more STEM graduates than the USA does. This is why China can kick America’s ass technologically.

For another, the Chinese are led by a very strong, stable, capable, intelligent government. The Americans are led by clowns.

For another, the Chinese do not waste valuable resources on fighting wars around the globe. They dedicate their resources to economic and technological development.

Why Dating is Broken in 2024 – What Boomers don’t understand

Hold a Referendum in Taiwan and get it supervised by the UN Observers and get a 60% Majority to approve

Then get the UNGA to formally recognise Taiwan with at least 97 nations needed for a yes

In the process you risk alienating China and all the benefits that China brings, not to mention the fact that China will certainly ensure Taiwan won’t survive long enough to enjoy it’s Independence

A Poorly prepared Russia is skewering Ukraine like a Kebab , imagine a vastly better prepared, richer China with a smaller Taiwan

No Taiwanese would want that


Instead Taiwan would be eyeing for what we can call Federation of China

Two Parts of the Federation – The Mainland & Taiwan. The Mainland governed by the CPC and it’s system. Taiwan by it’s Presidential System.

Yet Defence, Air Space, Foreign Policy and Trade all controlled by the larger Mainland

It would be the perfect solution – Taiwan would have their right to choose their leaders and Taiwan would be part of China

This isn’t my idea of course

Singaporean Minister Teo Chee Hean pondered on the same thing a few years ago.

I guarantee 140 nations will approve heartily

Textbook narcissist

A thing happened

Today, my family and I were driving through Starbucks and there was an enraged man sitting at a table by himself. He was yelling and very upset. He appeared unkept and homeless. We felt so sorry for this troubled man and knew he needed help. We called 911 and waited in the parking lot to make sure this man was treated humanely.

An officer appeared.

today
today

He calmly and quietly approached the gentleman. He pulled up a chair and sat across from him and calmly asked the upset man what was going on. The officer, eye to eye, down on the troubled man’s level, de-escalated the situation quickly. I was moved to tears at how the officer respected this man and made it clear that he was there to help him. These are the stories that should be in the news. This gentleman, deserves a pat on the back and the recognition of doing an excellent job!

My main purpose for reporting this is in hope that this officer receives recognition. His name is Officer Reese of the Garland Police dept. Please share!

DIY for Tequila

Please note that I am answering this question with a non joking and non sarcastic attitude.

A pro China US government is not a viable option. Supporting a US government and providing economic support to expand this influence is not cost-effective at all. It’s fully stupid.

Only arrogant leaders like American politicians would feel that such a large country can be infiltrated, controlled, and subverted without themselves being affected. You can only use the wrong ideology to make the other country fall, but after affecting hundreds of millions of people in the other country, you yourselves will also be infected.

This is also why the United States has long been hiring Chinese trolls to disrupt the agendas of the Chinese people and that’s wasting money.

However, even if the United States knows this and is facing financial difficulties, it will never stop doing so, because from the perspective of policy makers, all reasons that can consume national finances are appropriate because they can profit from it.

The reason for answering this question is simply to make ordinary Americans aware of their government’s wrongdoing. I find it interesting to see them face errors that cannot be corrected. You always have the right path to take, but you won’t choose because it’s not an easier way.

Ha ha ha ha

Do you know an English adage ”self praise is no praise at all”First US is not free at all 25% of worlds. Prisoners are Americans! 9 times per million compared to China! You Government thrall the entire internet and what you watch on telly to check on every America disclosed by Edward Snowden! And 99% don’t want either Trump or Biden but you are laden with them because of your undemocratic political system that is really chosen by a few rich and influential!

It is anything but great, the highest debtor nation on earth, highest deficits, warmongers and trouble makes everywhere, with s million homeless and living in tents throughout America, to tally dilapidated infrastructure and highly highly uncompetitive! Has not have a real growth since 1960 64 years ago.

Apricot Chicken Casserole

apricot chicken 4
apricot chicken 4

Ingredients

  • 6 to 8 chicken pieces (drumsticks or thighs)
  • 1 envelope dry onion soup mix
  • 1 small can apricot nectar
  • 2 or 3 carrots, chopped
  • 2 to 4 medium potatoes, sliced
  • Mushrooms, sliced
  • Garlic powder

Instructions

  1. Sprinkle onion soup mix over chicken pieces.
  2. Add vegetables and mushrooms.
  3. Pour apricot nectar over all, and sprinkle garlic powder over everything.
  4. Add small amount of water to casserole and bake at 350 degrees F until done, about 1 to 1 1/2 hours.

Florida passes a law…

My neighbor is a big-shot lawyer. One night, his dog was outside my house. I didn’t know it was his dog and had to ask around. I was told it was “the lawyer’s dog.” I noticed that the dog was terribly skinny and, in general, just didn’t have the bounce in her step like most black labs do.

I left her at my house and knocked on the door. I told him I had his dog. He didn’t seem concerned. When it appeared he wasn’t going to come outside, I asked him if he expected me to deliver the dog to him. He got all huffy and said, “Fine!” His beautiful and very, very sweet wife and four little girls were thanking me but he was just pissed that I interrupted his “pizza and movie night with the family.” He begrudgingly followed me home.

I am a retired humane officer and still have a lot of influence at animal control. But I didn’t want to sound arrogant and threatening so I didn’t mention it. I just asked if the dog was okay as she seemed a little gaunt. He told me to mind my own business.

I asked him if the dog had been to see a vet lately and he said, “What’s with all the g-damn questions?” Since I had had this very same exchange many times in my career, I didn’t get mad. I just smiled and said I was concerned about the dog. He again told me to mind my own business. I said “Okay, well, if you’re not going to talk to me…” and trailed off.
The dog was less than enthusiastic to see him and he had to actually pick up the dog .

The next day, bright and early, two uniformed Animal Control officers knocked on his door, demanding to see the dog. He got a seven-day warning to get the dog to a vet or be fined. Seven days later they came back and were shown a letter from a vet that the lab had been seen and is now under treatment for a pancreatic disorder.

My neighbors asked me how I was so bold and stupid to make an enemy out of a big-shot lawyer.

  1. Right makes might. I had right on my side.
  2. I will never be afraid to speak out on behalf of a dog. In my career I had dealt with hardened criminal dog fighters and my anger gave me courage.
  3. I gave him the chance to talk to me, and I would have offered to take the dog to the vet since I know he and his wife are busy, but he shot me down so fast.
  4. My husband is a big-shot lawyer, too, but this guy doesn’t know that.

I called in a favor from my old colleagues and showed this guy that he didn’t intimidate me and that “Failure to render treatment to an animal in need” is a crime and not even a big-shot lawyer is above the law.

As real as it gets

 

Never get caught muddy and covered in dog shit because you have chores to do

When I was in middle school, perhaps 9th grade of so I had many various chores around the house. One of them was to take care of the dogs. They lived in the backyard. It was a fenced in area, and they were “outside” dogs.

Every morning, my job was to pick up the “last night” empty food bowls and bring them onto the porch. That way, my mother would get them and clean them up. After that, I would go though the yard to the back alley and make my way to school, or on the weekend; to work.

One day, after I got ready for school. All dressed up with clean clothes, I went to the back and  picked up the metal doggies bowls when my bigger dog “Belle” ran up though the muddy back yard and leaped up into my chest.

Now, Belle was a Siberian Husky. Not a huge dog, but big enough, and just about knocked me down. So there I was covered in mud, and the dog was happy as could be. But I was late for school, covered in mud, and screaming at the poor dog.

All that screaming and hollering brought my neighbor a running. He was a medic during the Vietnam war. And perhaps was ready to prep me for surgery. LOL.

Long story short, the neighbor left chucking. I went to class covered in mud and dog shit. I was the butt of jokes all day, and when I came home, my parents yelled at me for being so “poorly dressed” during class. Butt of jokes at school. Berated by my parents for lack of awareness. (And I am sure that my sister did her best to make me look pathetic and stupid in their eyes; embellishing and lies for grand effect.) And thus, endith my story.

People!

Never get caught muddy and covered in dog shit because you have chores to do. Take your time. Organize yourself. And stand up for the situations that assault you.

Today…

Disturbing

I had a friend at work who kept wanting my husband and me to come over for dinner with her and her husband. Finally, I accepted her invitation although my husband wasn’t too keen about it as he had never met them and he wasn’t exactly comfortable in social situations.

When we arrived there was no smell of dinner cooking but were offered drinks to start the evening. A few minutes later some other couples arrived and they too were handed drinks. I thought it would only be the four of us but realized that more people meant my husband wouldn’t be put on the spot to talk just with my friend’s husband.

As others were chatting we noticed that everyone else was getting along pretty well and I felt good knowing this was a congenial group. Shortly after, I was chatted up by a man I did not know. “Oh good, I finally get to meet someone,” I thought. I look around and see a panicked look on my husband’s face. I excused myself from my new gentleman friend and went to my hubby’s rescue. “We have to go,” he whispered. “What’s wrong?” I said. “Don’t ask”, he said. We just have to go, NOW!” I went to my friend and told her my husband didn’t feel well and that we would have to take a raincheck for dinner.

Come to find out, dinner was not what we expected. There was to be no dinner at all. The evening was to be a wife-swapping party and we were as shocked as anyone would be!

I never mentioned a thing to my friend but neither did we accept a ‘dinner’ invitation from them again!

Funny

Well, we tried once.

When my dad was about 90, a neighbor once chewed our ear off about our dad still driving. He never went over 25 mph, he could be seen looking out over the crops rather than paying attention to the road, we needed to take his keys, for his own safety.

We had thought about this before. And Moses and I strategized, planned out exactly what to say, made a plan for Dad getting wherever he needed to go (Mo had two 20 something boys at home at the time.)

We were ready. I came home for the weekend, and Friday night, after dinner, Mo began with, “Dad, we’d like to talk about your driving.”

And that was as far as it went. Dad turned the sheer blue ice glare he had always had on both of us before replying, “No, we do not. I maintain a very safe speed, a lot safer speed than the dang fools who blow their horn and fly on around me, like the one who complained to you. (Didn’t miss a trick, that old man.) I know my own facilities, and if I should ever need to quit driving, I will tell you about it.”

Then he gave his newspaper the trademark shake that signaled disapproval, and the subject was done. Mo looked at me; I looked at him, and like the pig, cow, and sheep in The Little Red Hen, we both screamed silently , “Not I! Not I Not !!”

We had high hopes for the next year, when his license was up for renewal. When he walked out of DMV with a new one, we immediately sought out Laura, the DMV employee who we had been counting on.

“Mo, he passed the vision test with ease. . He passed the written test with a score of 90. Nothing I could do. Sorry.”

He never caused an accident. He never went further than the Food Lion in town, or the barber shop. And, when he died at almost 95, a valid VA driver’s license was in his wallet.

There are some things you just don’t mess with, folks.

It’s an American quickie

A carrier will not execute a Williamson turn (or even an Anderson Turn or Scharnow Turn). Imagine bobbing in the water and seeing 90,000 tons of steel bearing down on you as the carrier attempts to “return to the approximate point in the water where the person went over”!

As a Tactical Action Officer, I was responsible for the tactical operation and safety of the ship (not to be confused with the navigational safety of the ship, which is handled from the bridge). The immediate response of the carrier to a man overboard is handled by the bridge and engineering. Basically, as indicated in other responses, if the man overboard call is timely, they will attempt to stop the propellers, and maneuver to clear away from the man.

Under normal conditions, the carrier is accompanied by escort vessels. During flight operations, there is usually a plane guard helicopter (sometimes a plane guard destroyer). Therefore, when a man falls overboard, it is the helicopter or escort vessel that is assigned to recover the person.

In the rare event that the carrier is operating alone (transiting?), then the carrier would come to a stop, and deploy the motor whaleboats to recover the man overboard.

Been there … Done that

When we were transiting home from Japan, we sailed through the tail end of a typhoon. We were alerted that we had a man overboard. However, it was not based on a visual sighting, but from a sailor missing from his post. We came to a stop, and deployed helicopters and escort ships to search for the missing sailor. As noted in other posts, the chances of finding someone, particularly in heavy weather, is very remote. As nightfall approached, we continued the search with helicopters, but ordered the escorts to continue the transit home. After 36 hours, we discontinued the search. Although our escorts had a 24 hour headstart, we were able to kick up our transit speed (one of the benefits of being on a nuclear carrier) and catch up with them before we returned home.

We never found the sailor.

How he got his money

I 18 at the time and I suffered from social anxiety a bit (I was able to go everywhere and do everything, but felt like everybody was watching and judging me so I was extremely shy and inhibited. I overcame that with some help later, luckily).

One morning I woke up earlier than usual and decided to go to the public swimming pool. It was only 7.00 AM when I got there and as expected, there were maybe five other people swimming in that 50*15 m swimming pool, all in their seventies so I was nearly by myself. Great! I was wearing my new swimsuit, rather modestly cut, with broad striped in white and blue.

I swam for half an hour, then I decided to get out and go home. I was approaching the ladder when I noticed that the white stripes were entirely see-through when they were wet. Well, never mind, only a few grannies around, I´ll just be quick.

Then I heard something. I turned around and saw a group of 40 recruits (all men between 18 and 20) had walked in with their instructor and most of them had plenty of time to let their eyes wander around because they were waiting in a queue to jump off the 10m board.

I decided to keep swimming until they left.

(Today I would just get out anyway but as I said, I was having some trouble at the time.)

In second year high school, there was this kid who we thought he acted flamboyantly gay. He denied, vehemently, being gay, but we all assumed he was. He was mercilessly bullied for it. A different era, different attitude, culture, you name it… it’s no excuse! I stood by and let it happen. Didn’t actually bully the guy, but I did make a joke at his expense once. Made the whole class laugh. Felt good at the time, now makes me think I was a total piece of shit… anyway…

main qimg b3380ae862e586fa2d09af6bc15807e7 pjlq
main qimg b3380ae862e586fa2d09af6bc15807e7 pjlq

He transferred classes, after a few months of bullying. After that, he changed schools and completely disappeared off the radar altogether. For years, I did not see the guy or know what became of him…

Years later, I ran into him in a restaurant somewhere. He had gotten tall. Really tall. I barely recognized him, his face was completely different, too. He was now muscular. His jaw had gotten wide, he had grown a bit of stubble and he looked very, very handsome and masculine… I was in shock.

I’m not a bad-looking guy myself, nor am I short, but he towered over me and in that moment, he made me feel small. And not because of him being so tall, but because of how genuinely friendly he was, because of how he shook my hand, smiled at me and told me of his life after school, and how he did not seem to carry any resentment…

He was well-dressed, and was doing amazing in his career. He had traveled all around the world, had gotten himself into adventures everywhere. With regards to his personal life, he never volunteered any information, nor did I ask. It really didn’t matter anymore at this point. He cracked jokes, exchanging hearty banter like the best of them, he was genuinely warm and I just felt overwhelmed with guilt and sadness, in awe of what this guy who had once seemed like a helpless victim of our undeserved ridicule had become…

It was hard for me to do so, but eventually, I told him I was sorry for having bullied him. I told him again of the joke I made, he must have remembered, and I apologized. Profusely. He just, nodded.

He told me, and I’ll never forget his words:

“Comments like yours toughened me up to the world. You weren’t anywhere near the worst of them. For years I hated you all, but it pushed me into the gym, and it pushed me to be my best, and now I can face you and say to you I do not hold a single syllable against you. I would not be proud of who I am right now if not for those words you and other said to me.”

The guy we bullied for his perceived lack of masculinity? Turns out in the end, he’s the manliest of all.

Learning

This picture right here.

main qimg 1a94a6b9a3f1348b874cb0ed46d2f520 lq
main qimg 1a94a6b9a3f1348b874cb0ed46d2f520 lq

I love this picture. I took this picture of me and my fiancee Olivia in March of 2017. We were taking a walk in downtown Greensboro, and I decided I wanted to get a quick picture of us. We were so happy. She had just recently passed the bar and was about to start her first job as a lawyer. I was as proud of her as I could ever be. She had worked so hard to get to this point, and she was about to start seeing the rewards for all of her hard work.

I also hate this picture, because it is the last picture I ever took of us together. Just seven weeks after I took this picture, Olivia was driving home from work when she lost control of her car, slid off of the road and into a tree. She was killed instantly. This picture represents the last time I was happy, the last time I had the love of my life in my life.

The first year after the accident was the worst. I woke up every single day and wondered if this was going to be the day. Would this be the day that I couldn’t think of a reason to keep going? I sank deeper and deeper into depression, I put on 80 pounds, my blood pressure shot through the roof…I thought about killing myself every single day, and every day I found a reason not to do it, but in reality I was slowly killing myself anyway. I was eating myself to death, drinking myself to death…I was in a bottomless pit, and every day it got a little deeper.

That was the first year. There’s no real way of knowing if there would have been a second full year if something hadn’t changed. But then one day, shortly after I got home from work, I got a text from my niece. My niece Caty is my brother’s only child, and she is like a daughter to me. My brother passed away from leukemia 19 years ago, when she was only 4 years old, so I have been the most positive male role model in her life since then. Anyway, Caty had texted me to ask me if I would walk her down the aisle at her wedding later this year.

Suddenly I no longer needed to come up with a new reason to keep going each day, because for the first time in a year I had something to look forward to. I looked at myself in the mirror, and I was disgusted with what I saw. There was no way in hell I was going to walk her down that aisle in the condition I was in. So I went to the doctor, I got on medication for my blood pressure and for my depression, I started eating a little healthier, cut out all of the drinking, and I dropped 100 pounds in a year. I feel healthier now than I have in years.

The depression is still there. The pain, the hurt, the loss, the emptiness…they are all still there. I know they will never go away. The meds help me deal with them, help me to suppress them, but they are still there under the surface. I can function now, so that’s something. So that picture up above, that represents the start of the darkest period in my life, the lowest point in my life. The picture below was taken this past March, almost exactly two years after the one up above.

There’s a lot more gray in my beard now, and a lot less hope in my eyes. I’m almost smiling in this picture, but make no mistake…this picture represents the lowest point in my life. Every single day of the last 781 days has been the lowest day of my life, because it’s been one more day without the love of my life in it.

EDIT: I was trying to reply to all of the comments, even if it was just a simple thank you. I couldn’t keep up, so I decided to reply here instead. Thank you to everyone who took a moment to comment, to give me some kind of words of hope or encouragement. Thank you to everyone who was touched in some way by this, or who cared enough to respond. Thank you to everyone who took the time not just to comment but to send me personal messages of encouragement. And if you read this, even if you didn’t comment or message me or respond in any way, I still say thank you for reading it. For a moment, just that small moment, Olivia’s name was on your mind, you saw her picture, you thought about her, and for just that moment she was remembered. That probably sounds pretty cheesy, but it means more to me than you can imagine.

Update 11/23/19: So I originally posted this answer on July 8th of this year. I added the first update on August 13th, which also happened to be my birthday. I was amazed at the sheer volume of support I received on this one. I had written many different answers where I talked about Olivia, where I shared her story. I got some very sweet and encouraging comments on all of those, and a few messages from people, but nothing like the response I got from this single post. It has been humbling, and it has been beautiful. I have tried to read every single comment and every single message, although I had to stop replying to them all a few months ago. It was just consuming too much of my time. But I want you all to know how much I appreciate every single one of you that has taken the time to reach out, taken the time to let me know that our story touched you in some way. There have also been a few negative comments, some that were even mean, and a fair bit of spam, but the vast majority has been so lovely and encouraging.

So with all of that said, I wanted to give you an update on my life. As I mentioned, I received a lot of messages from people in addition to all the comments I received. I was trying to keep up with them all for a while, trying to send some kind of reply, even if it was only a few words of thanks, but it got to be too much, although I still do read them all. But then a couple of months ago I received a message that gave me pause, and it touched me so much I had to read it a second time. This message was from someone else who had just recently lost their own fiance unexpectedly, who was struggling with the grief and the pain, and just wanted to let me know that my story was inspiring. It brought literal tears to my eyes reading this message, and I felt compelled to reply. I had no idea who this person was , if it was a man or a woman, young or old, I knew nothing other than this was a heart in pain, and I needed to let this person know that I understood, that I grieved for their loss. Maybe try to offer some words of comfort from the perspective of someone who actually understood that pain and knows what words are comforting and what words ring hollow.

I didn’t expect to hear anything back after that initial reply, but to my surprise I got another message, to which I also replied, and pretty soon we were writing each other almost every day, talking about the losses we had both experienced, with me offering words of comfort and advice. This blossomed into a lovely friendship, and we decided to connect on social media as well.

By this point we had learned a lot more about each other. My mystery writer was a beautiful young woman with a beautiful heart. I realized after a while that I was falling for her, which brought me a lot of guilt. Finally one day I went to visit Olivia’s grave, to talk to her, to tell her what I was feeling. I told her that I would always love her, that she would always be the love of my life, and that no one would ever replace her in my heart. I also told her that I needed to continue living, that I need to let this new person create her own place in my heart. I told her that she would never be replaced, but this new woman I was falling in love with would also understand that,and that I would be sharing her heart with her lost love the same way she would share my heart with Olivia. The only thing left to do now was to tell the new woman in my life how I felt.

I got really lucky y’all, because she was feeling the same things. So yeah, we are in love, we are happy, and we are making plans for the future. I will never “get over” Olivia, I will never stop hurting, stop missing her, stop wishing she was still in my life. But that doesn’t mean I can’t love again, that I can’t live again. And I hope that if anyone reads this who has gone through this type of pain, who is still going through it, I hope you take that message away with you. You can find happiness again if you open your heart to the possibility.

Thank you all for your support and encouragement.

5/15/21 – Final Edit: Wow, so much has happened since I wrote my last edit on this answer. Life has changed so much. The world has changed so much. But I did want to provide one last update, at least partially because I received so many comments and PMs requesting another update.

So, in my last update I told you all about how I met another kindred spirit who had gone through the same type of loss that I had, and how we connected and ultimately fell in love. What I didn’t mention at the time, however, was that we had one huge obstacle – we lived 9000 miles apart. See, I was living in Greensboro, NC at the time, and she was living in the Metro Manila region of the Philippines. This made things more difficult, but it was manageable. We spent hours on Skype every single day, talking and getting to know each other, getting closer every day.

We were both anxious to meet in person, so I bought a ticket to fly out to the Philippines and spend a few weeks with her there. There was only one problem…I was scheduled to land there on March 15th, 2020. Anyone who has been, well, awake for the last year should spot the problem there immediately. Yes, the day we were supposed to finally meet was the same day that Manila went on lock down due to the pandemic.

“It’s ok,” we both said, “this will be under control in a month or two, we’ll reschedule then.”

While we waited for everything to get back to normal, we continued to Skype every day. We would start a call after we finished work each day (she works for a company here in the US, so we actually work almost identical hours) and usually be on that call for the rest of the night. During that time I met her family digitally, and she met mine. There were weekends where we would literally have an eight hour Skype call, log off to sleep for a few hours then spend another eight hours on our next call.

Finally, in February of this year, we started looking into alternative options for where we could meet each other. Her coming to the US or me going to the Philippines were both off the table since Visa services were still suspended for both countries, but we knew that there were countries that we could both get Visas for, so we did some research, and settled on Turkey.

And thus, a little over a year after the date we were originally supposed to finally meet one another, we finally met in person at the airport in Istanbul. When I say I was nervous, that is an understatement. I mean, at this point we had known each other for a year and a half, we had helped each other through the worst pain you can imagine, we had fallen in love against all odds…and yet I was nervous. What if we were uncomfortable around each other? What if she saw me in person and realized that she didn’t like what she saw? What if it was all just so awkward? What if…then I saw her. She had arrived a couple of hours before me, and she was waiting near the baggage carousel my luggage was coming in on. As soon as I walked up to her I think we both started crying a little, I wrapped my arms around her, and I swear I never wanted to let go.

We had planned to spend two weeks in Turkey. We ended up staying five weeks instead, and even then neither one of us really wanted to leave. As soon as we were together, all of those fears, all of that nervousness, it was just washed away. Even though it was our first meeting in person, we had already spent a year and a half getting to know each other, and so we were immediately comfortable together, we knew each other so well that within moments of meeting it felt like we had been together for years. And I realized very quickly that I couldn’t imagine my life without her in it.

And so on April 2nd, 2021, just five days after we arrived in Istanbul, I asked her to marry me and she said yes. I am so incredibly happy that I have this amazing, beautiful woman in my life.

There was a time when I felt completely broken. I felt – no, I knew – that I would never love again. I was at my lowest point, I was literally praying each night that I just wouldn’t wake up the next morning. I had no desire to live, felt that I had nothing left to live for. My niece snapped me out of that when she asked me to walk her down the aisle, but I still felt empty, alone. I wasn’t trying to live again, I was simply no longer actively trying to kill myself through neglect and abuse.

Now – now I want to live life, I want to enjoy life, I want to share my life with this amazing woman who understands me in ways no one else ever could, and who accepts me for who I am, flaws and all. She understands how broken I was, because she was broken as well, but somehow when we picked up all of our broken pieces and put them back together, we found that we were actually two halves of the same puzzle.

So – on to the main reason for this final update. I have been so amazed by the level of support this post has received, the number of people who have reached out to share their own stories of loss, and to tell me that my story has given them hope, or at the very least touched something in their heart. That has meant so much to me, more than any of you could possibly know. And after my last update, so many of those people wanted two things…they wanted to hear more stories about me and my new love, my Macy…and they wanted to see a picture of us together. I guess it was kind of a full circle kind of thing – this started with the picture at the lowest point in my life, now they want to see me at my new high point.

How Self Storage Thrives Off The American Dream

"NGOs that have been working in our country for 30 years were not registered anywhere.

They were not accountable to anyone.

They just opened bank accounts, took money from foreign donors and used it as they saw fit, including for personal purposes.

From now on they will be registered with the Ministry of Justice like everyone else.

They will open bank accounts. They will start to work openly. There will be no more confusion.

The question is why foreign donors against this law.

Our non-governmental organizations are deceiving them.

They spread false information, saying 'we will be persecuted, we will be arrested as agents of a foreign state'.

And the donors believed it. That is why they are asking me not to sign this law.

You have been working with foreign donors for 30 years and no one has prosecuted you for taking money. Are we going to start doing that now?

As the Head of State, I guarantee there will be no persecution.

We are not a nuclear power.

We are not going to fly into space yet.

Our state has no secrets to hide from you and your donors. All our information is in the public domain.

If you can, get billions, not millions. It will only benefit our country.

We just want to show everything openly, so that everyone is working on equal terms.

Then foreign donors will be able to see how much money has been used and for what projects. And they will not be deceived.

Before this, you deceived them by saying that you organized round tables, spent money on training, and implemented projects.

Meanwhile, the funds were used for your personal interests.

If you say it is not true, I can prove it.

Why do non-governmental organizations in developed Western countries register with the Ministry of Justice, the Tax Service, open a bank account and not do the same when they come to us?

Or are we a second-class country?

No, we are not.

We will no longer allow such dubious actions."

Excerpt from the statement by by Kyrgyz President Sadyr Japarov on his Facebook page regarding the adoption by the Kyrgyz Republic of a law on non-governmental organizations (NGOs), April 2, 2024.

Cranberry-Orange Wings

Yummy
Yummy

Yield: 8 to 12 servings

Ingredients

  • 3 to 5 pounds chicken wings
  • 1/2 cup orange juice
  • 1/2 cup soy sauce
  • 1/4 cup packed dark brown sugar
  • 1/2 cup jellied cranberry sauce, melted
  • Dash of Tabasco sauce

Instructions

  1. Arrange chicken wings in a shallow nonreactive container.
  2. In a medium size bowl, combine orange juice, soy sauce, cranberry sauce and Tabasco sauce; mix well.
  3. Pour sauce over chicken wings.
  4. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for several hours or overnight. Turn wings occasionally to marinate evenly.
  5. Lift wings from marinade and place on shallow baking pan.
  6. Bake in preheated 350 degrees F oven for 50 to 60 minutes, or until tender. Baste frequently with reserved marinade during baking.

Rollo RED PILLED Tim On The DECLINE Of Modern Women!

Don’t Underestimate the World’s Second-Biggest Economy

For over two decades, China’s phenomenal economic performance impressed and alarmed much of the world, including the United States, its top trading partner. But since 2019, China’s sluggish growth has led many observers to conclude that China has already peaked as an economic power.

Those who doubt that China

’s rise will continue point to the country’s weak household spending, its declining private investment, and its entrenched deflation. Sooner than overtake the United States, they argue, China would likely enter a long recession, perhaps even a lost decade.

But this dismissive view of the country underestimates the resilience of its economy. While its growth has slowed in recent years, China is likely to expand at twice the rate of the United States in the years ahead.

MISREADING THE DATA

Several misconceptions undergird the pessimism about China’s economic potential. Take the widely held misconception that the Chinese economy’s progress in converging with the size of the U.S. economy has stalled. It is true that from 2021 to 2023, China’s GDP fell from 76 percent of U.S. GDP to 67 percent. Yet it is also true that by 2023, China’s GDP was 20 percent bigger than it had been in 2019, the eve of the global pandemic, while the United States’ was only 8 percent bigger.

This apparent paradox can be explained by two factors. First, over the last few years, inflation has been lower in China than it has been in the United States. Last year, China’s nominal GDP grew by 4.6 percent, less than the 5.2 percent that its GDP grew in real terms. In contrast, because of high inflation, U.S. nominal GDP in 2023 grew by 6.3 percent, while real GDP grew by only 2.5 percent.

Moreover, the U.S. Federal Reserve has raised interest rates by over five percentage points since March 2022, from 0.25 percent to 5.5 percent, making dollar-denominated assets more attractive to global investors and boosting the value of the dollar relative to alternative currencies. Meanwhile, China’s central bank cut its base interest rate from 3.70 percent to 3.45 percent. The growing gap between Chinese and U.S. interest rates reversed what had been a large inflow of foreign capital into China, ultimately depressing the value of the renminbi vis-à-vis the dollar by ten percent. Converting a smaller nominal GDP to dollars at a weakened exchange rate results in a decline in the value of China’s GDP when measured in dollars relative to U.S. GDP.

But these two factors are likely to be transitory. U.S. interest rates are now declining relative to rates in China, reducing the incentive of investors to convert renminbi into dollar-denominated assets. As a result, the depreciation of the Chinese currency has begun to reverse. The International Monetary Fund forecasts that Chinese prices will pick up this year, which would boost China’s GDP measured in renminbi. Its nominal GDP measured in U.S. dollars will almost certainly resume converging toward that of the United States this year and is likely to surpass it in about a decade.

A second misconception is that household income, spending, and consumer confidence in China is weak. The data do not support this view. Last year, real per capita income rose by 6 percent, more than double the growth rate in 2022, when the country was in lockdown, and per capita consumption climbed by nine percent. If consumer confidence were weak, households would curtail consumption, building up their savings instead. But Chinese households did just the opposite last year: consumption grew more than income, which is possible only if households reduced the share of their income going to savings.

A third misconception is that price deflation has become entrenched in China, putting the country on course toward recession. Yes, consumer prices rose only 0.2 percent last year, which gave rise to the fear that households would reduce consumption in anticipation of still lower prices—thereby reducing demand and slowing growth. This has not happened because core consumer prices (meaning those for goods and services besides food and energy) actually increased by 0.7 percent.

The prices of tools and raw materials used to produce other goods did fall in 2023, reflecting global declines in the price of energy and other internationally traded commodities as well as relatively weak demand in China for some industrial goods, potentially undermining the incentive for firms to invest in expanding their productive capacity. Rather than pump money into their businesses, the thinking went, companies would use their declining profits to pay down debt. But here, too, the very opposite came to pass: Chinese corporations ramped up borrowing, both in absolute terms and as a share of GDP. And investment in manufacturing, mining, utilities, and services increased. No recession appears on the horizon.

Another misconception concerns the potential for a collapse in property investment. These fears are not entirely misplaced; they are supported by data on housing starts, the number of new buildings on which construction has begun, which in 2023 was half what it was in 2021. But one has to look at the context. In that same two-year period, real estate investment fell by only 20 percent, as developers allocated a greater share of such outlays to completing housing projects they had started in earlier years. Completions expanded to 7.8 billion square feet in 2023, eclipsing housing starts for the first time. It helped that government policy encouraged banks to lend specifically to housing projects that were almost finished; a general easing of such constraints on bank loans to property developers would have compounded the property glut.

Finally, there is the misconception that Chinese entrepreneurs are discouraged and moving their money out of the country. Undoubtedly, the government crackdown that began in late 2020 on large private companies, notably Alibaba, did not help matters. From the beginning of economic reform in 1978 through the mid-2010s, private investment in China grew more rapidly than investment by state-owned firms. By 2014, private investment composed almost 60 percent of all investment—up from virtually zero percent in 1978. As private investment is generally more productive than that of state companies, its expanding share of total investment was critical to China’s rapid growth over this period. This trend went into reverse after 2014 when Xi Jinping

, having just assumed the top leadership position, aggressively redirected resources to the state sector. The slowdown was modest at first, but by 2023, private investment accounted for only 50 percent of total investment. Xi had undermined investor confidence; entrepreneurs no longer saw the government as a dependable steward of the economy. So long as Xi is in power, runs a common argument, entrepreneurs will continue to hold back on investing in China, opting instead to funnel their wealth out of the country.

But here again, the pessimism is not supported by the data. First, almost all the decline in the private share of total investment after 2014 resulted from a correction in the property market, which is dominated by private companies. When real estate is excluded, private investment rose by almost ten percent in 2023. Although some prominent Chinese entrepreneurs have left the country, more than 30 million private companies remain and continue to invest. Moreover, the number of family businesses, which are not officially classified as companies, expanded by 23 million in 2023, reaching a total of 124 million enterprises employing about 300 million people.

REAL CHALLENGES AHEAD

Although China is beset by many problems, including those resulting from Xi’s efforts to exert greater control over the economy, exaggerating these problems serves no one. It could even lead to complacency in the face of the very real challenges that China presents to the West.

That is particularly true for the United States. China will likely continue to contribute about a third of the world’s economic growth while increasing its economic footprint, particularly in Asia. If U.S. policymakers underappreciate this, they are likely to overestimate their own ability to sustain the deepening of economic and security ties with Asian partners.

Andrew speaks his piece

I believe there are only five reasons why you can be a LOSER in life :-

  • Didn’t work or deliver your whole potential & still don’t recognize that
  • Burying your head in the sand. Not recognizing or accepting weaknesses and faults or making excuses
  • Hitting a woman no matter how grave the provocation (Male). Filing a false case of Dowry Harrassment against In Laws (Female)
  • Whitewashing the crimes of the White Man perpetrated on the world in greed for his dollars.
  • Shamelessly fawning on people who make 20 Crore to enable them to make 200 Crore a year while you make 2 Lakh a year

Nobody else is a LOSER


When I was a Student, we considered ECONOMICS to be a part of ARTS

Today the whole world acknowledges that Economics is a SCIENCE and has a lot of Math & Calculus too.

Likewise we regard Language to be a part of the Arts, however the same language is used for Ciphers and Cryptography and shows how it can be used for SCIENCE

Accountancy was once regarded different from Science but now it’s clear Accounting has a manner and method to it

Even Marketing and Sales has its own Strategy that is based and steeped in SCIENCE

My point is :-

Your brain must be steeped and honed properly

You must see manner and method in everything

Even Cooking has a lot of Science

The very fact that hot milk dissolves more sugar than cold milk is a science involving solubility of solutions

Apply logic without blindly following statements. Assume every Statement is a lie and use logic to prove it it possibly true.


You do this and that’s all you need in life for a superior brain

IIT, NITs are just alphabets in such a case

America today

Let’s say you finish work at 6 pm.

Congratulations! You’ve managed to clear that pile of work within regular hours. Today was indeed a productive day.

As you close your laptop and prepare to leave, you notice your boss still at his desk, along with most of your colleagues.

If you’ve been in Japan long enough, this sight should remind you to sit back down and unpack your bag quietly.

Do you have plans to meet your girlfriend? Text her next time.

Did you make dinner reservations? Convenience store food is enough for you.

Do you have a TV show you were looking forward to? You’ll catch the rerun online later.

Your nightlife is right here — staying at the office with everyone until the bosses leave.

This is the nightlife that matters most to you.

In the Japanese workplace, there’s a common practice of “pretend overtime.”

This includes situations where you might be there for extended hours without accomplishing much or feeling pressured to stay late just because your boss hasn’t left yet.


  • Even if you’ve completed your tasks for the day on schedule, you’re not permitted to leave until your boss says, “You can go home now.” Until your supervisor clocks out, you’re stuck at the office, even if you’re sitting there idly. You end up staying until late into the night, finding ways to pass the time, like reading manuals or making memo pads out of scrap paper.
  • You’re not allowed to leave until your boss leaves the office, and it’s essential to make sure your boss sees you reading documents or typing on your keyboard. If your boss asks, “Aren’t you leaving yet?” you respond by saying there are still a few things you need to prepare; thus, he recognizes your “presence.”
  • You don’t have much work that requires overtime. If you work efficiently, you can get it done before the end of the workday. You’re not looking to be your boss’s favorite, but you worry that people might perceive you as lacking ambition and dedication if you don’t do what others are doing. So, you end up staying in the office instead of leaving, even when you could.

In Japan, it’s common for companies to equate working overtime with dedication and hard work. The longer you stay at the office into the night, the more committed you appear.

Look, it’s time to hop onto the last train home.

Welcome to our unique nightlife culture.

Pre-birth world-line template

I usually migrated for career reasons:

  1. from Germany to Canada because I got into a university there;
  2. from Canada to the US because I got a first job offer there;
  3. from the US to France because I got a better job offer there;
  4. from France back to Germany because I got into a master’s program there;
  5. from Germany to England because I was offered a full-time lecturer position there;
  6. from England to New Zealand because I was offered a position as academic leader at a university there;
  7. from New Zealand to China and India because I was offered a position as a dean at a university there, in the employ of a French university.

That was the pinnacle of the achievable in my career. After that, feeling like I no longer needed to prove anything, I decided I’d now find a position somewhere in the comfortable middle field of my career, where I would benefit from my experience without getting too stressed out, in a reasonable country that I loved.

So I went back to England as a senior lecturer at a university, and lived and worked there happily while maintaining a holiday home in Sweden, where my Chinese wife and I went during the long summer and winter holidays.

And then Brexit came, taking away all the certainties of my position in England and all the research funding and partnerships, so the time had come again to move to secure my professional future, and I eventually found a senior lecturer position at a university in Sweden, in commuting distance of my house.

Long story shot: Dangling carrots at first, long term outlook and sympathy later were what made me migrate.

I think it’s what most people migrate for: A better life. Not that mine would have been bad where I was. But when you can get better, well… of course you go.

And of course it wasn’t only for the CV. Often, there were romantic notions attached, a sense of adventure, the thought that a new world with a different language, culture, climate, and cuisine would be inspiring to experience.

Obsolete Car Features From The Past

I sort of miss Oldsmobile.

They were always an interesting, understated brand with nice cars that seemed a bit like Buicks for people with university degrees. Especially the Toronado, I thought, was wonderful. An interesting and different sort of car, with front wheel drive at a time when not many dared, and especially not in conjunction with a big V8 engine.

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I had two Oldsmobiles myself. One of them, a 1973 Delta 88, was a real miracle of reliability and economy for its age and size.

I also lament that Pontiac is gone, having one myself. It always seemed like Chevrolet with an apache flavour to me. The Native American brand, if you will. That was cool.

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Mine is just a dressed up Caprice for the Canadian market, but it does have that vibe.

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And then, there’s Saab.

I can’t believe it’s gone. It used to be the other defining agent in the Swedish car duality game. It’s as if someone were to remove Holden or Ford from the Australian context. Such a huge vacuum has been left.

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Maybe they can come back as hydrogen hybrids some day.

Teen Opera Singer Reacts To Dio – Last In Line

Dio and I are the same age. Too bad he passed on. This is a wonderful reaction. Not too many interruptions, and genuine love.

I am going to tell my favorite Roman story here. One of those events that is just so weird it sticks with you forever. It was a brutal moment in history and one very few people have been heard of.

Background

The Romans first invaded Britain when Julius Caesar set about conquering the Island. He found that it was poor, hard to get to, and packed with warlike tribes. So after winning a few battles he appointed the local leader a “vassal” of Rome and left.

This didn’t stick and the Romans forgot about Britannia for many decades.

Then Claudius takes the throne some 80 years later. Claudius is smart, wise, and careful but the people of Rome consider him a weak idiot. So to win glory Claudius invades Britannia and adds it to the Empire as a new province.

Things do not go very smoothly though.

The locals are not very cool with their land being conquered and they resist. In addition, Britannia is far away and Rome has to make significant efforts to convince Romans to colonize Britannia.

The largest tribe, the Iceni, remain somewhat independent. When their chief dies in 60 AD he leaves his lands to the Romans and his 2 daughters. This is meant to serve as a peaceful transition into the Roman Empire with his daughter still at the head of the tribe.

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The Romans don’t see it this way though and move in on Iceni lands. They began to pillage Iceni lands, taking the men as slaves and raping the women. The chief’s daughters were also raped. When their mother, a woman named Boudica, tried to stop the Romans she was stripped naked publicly and whipped.

This horrid action would have consequences though.

Now 17 years after Rome first established itself on the island things would escalate quickly and one of the most brutal chapters in Roman history began.


My favorite part

Gaius Suetonius Paulinus is the governor of Britain. He is a man of middling skill but he is loyal and capable enough. His goal is to establish Roman control over the island

Paulinus has a plan to establish more control over Britain. There is an island off the Northern coast of Wales that has extreme religious significance to the locals. If he could control that island he could establish more control over the locals.

With a legion in tow, he sets out to conquer the Island (Anglesey).

As the Romans arrive off the shore and start moving to the beach they notice something strange. On the shore, there are people – thousands of them.

These men aren’t warriors though. They are dressed in black and reaching their hands towards the while and chanting. In between the ranks of chanting people, there are women, cloaked in black and dashing about with torches.

The sight is shocking and the Romans freeze – nobody knows what to make of it so they just stare in fear.

The women start screaming like animals and begin to charge towards the Romans.

Still the Romans are frozen at the sight.

Paulinus starts to shout insults at the men to get them moving. The legions advanced and cut the women to pieces – it is no contest.

The Romans then make it to shore and cut down the men that were chanting

After a few minutes, the beach is taken and the Romans look around. They soon notice they are not standing on a beach, they are standing on a giant funeral pyre.

A torch-wielding woman then appears and lights the pyre. The many injured druids are engulfed by the flames and cry out in agony.

The Romans now realize what happened. They had just been tricked into engaging in a religious act of human sacrifice.

This TERRIFIED THEM beyond what we can imagine.

You see, the Romans were a religious/superstitious bunch. They believed that the gods of foreigners were as real as their own. Curses, sacrifices, and deals with the gods were all totally valid things in the Roman world.

To them – this was going to have a significant impact on the world around them.

Stories started flooding in that rivers were running red for no reason and that a statue of Mars collapsed without cause.

The Romans in Britain were afraid.


The Druid gods appreciated the sacrifice because things suddenly shifted drastically in favor of the local peoples.

Boudica, the wife of the dead Iceni chief, had taken to the warpath. She gathered the local leaders and tribes and they decided to revolt and cast off the influence of Rome.

They didn’t even farm that year. They dedicated themselves entirely to preparing for war.

When they were ready they struck hard and fast.

Boudica first struck Camulodonum. As the leaders of Camulodonum noticed the approaching army the requested help from Longthroppe and Londinium (modern London).

Longthroppe took it seriously and sent their garrison but Londinium only sent 200 unarmed slaves as an insult.

When the garrison from Longthorpe arrived it was too late. The city of Camulodonum was destroyed completely. Every single person was killed. The women were raped, the men were slaughtered, and the city was looted.

It is recorded that the Roman women were hung up naked and had their removed breasts sewed to their mouths so it appeared as though they were eating them.

It was horrific. This garrison from Longthorpe thought they were dealing with a smaller revolt. To their horror, they found the entire Iceni tribe mobilized– some 75,000 warriors. The garrison was immediately overwhelmed and ran for their lives.

Paulinus now gets word what is happening. He takes his men and heads straight for Boudica.

He requests that the second legion on the island join him, but they refuse. So he requests that every retired legionary able to hold a sword join his ranks immediately.

With this his army swells to 10,000 – but he is still drastically outnumbered.

Boudica now arrives at Londinium and repeats her actions at Camulodonum.

Boudica’s plan was clear – ethnic cleansing.

Paulinus decides to try and save lives. He begins going city to city and evacuating citizens whenever possible. Boudica is in hot pursuit of his small army and the thousands of refugees are weighing him down.

Paulinus gives up. He tells the refugees to continue North and he turns to fight. He decides that dying in battle is preferable to being tortured by Boudica.


Paulinus sets himself up in the best spot he can find. Thick marshes protect his flanks and he gets his men into a sawblade formation.

Boudica’s army is at least 7 times larger than the Roman army. Many of them now have captured Roman gear as well.

She decides to charge and overwhelm them. It seems logical – crush this small army under the weight of 75,000 warriors. She takes her wagons and forms a circle around the battlefield to prevent her army and the Roman army from retreating.

Big mistake.

The Romans were the kings of this style of warfare. Their training, tactics, and heavy armor all favored prolonged head-on clashes.

Boudica’s army charges in and engages with the Romans. As usual, the Romans stab, slice, and kill from behind their big shields. Every few minutes the man at the front heads to the back while the next guy in line takes over. This keeps the men fighting fresh and allows those that just fought some time to rest.

Paulinus orders his men forward and they begin moving forward 1 step at a time.

Boudica’s forces start to get desperate. The Roman momentum is insane – they just keep coming forward and nothing Boudica does can stop them. Thousands are already dead and morale is dropping.

When a break in the battle finally happens Boudica orders a retreat.

But the wagons create choke points and the retreat turns into a mad dash for safety.

The Romans surge forward killing everything in their path. It’s a slaughter. They massacre their enemies by the thousands – pressing them against the carts and cutting them down.

Almost the entire 80,000 strong army is killed, while the Romans lose a mere 400–1000.

Boudica – totally defeated – takes poison to kill herself. The Romans now have full control over the Southern part of Britain.


The brutality of this episode is shocking even by Roman standards.

First, you have the Romans raping and enslaving an entire tribe without provocation.

Then you have a mass ritual human sacrifice accidentally committed by the Romans.

Then Boudica starts a campaign of ethnic cleansing.

Then one of the largest battles in Roman history happens and 80,000 people are cut down.

I would say it is the most brutal episode of Roman history.

California Fast-Food Outlets CUT Jobs & BOOST Prices Ahead of $20/hr Minimum Wage Rollout

Logically it makes no sense.

How do poor people afford meat when grain is a luxury?

Unless one deliberately goes into the wild or lives in some secluded corner of nowhere, there are no bats and snakes aplenty.

Unless, of course, these species are being farmed for food.

Which makes no sense because snakes are slow growing and bats are difficult to raise. Besides the protein haul is miserable compared to chickens and pigs per unit of resource.

Any way you look at it, these are luxury items that only the rich can afford, because the poor will rather sell their catch rather than consume bounty.

Anyone who finds exotic food cheaper than regular tofu, please leave a comment. That will be the bargain of the century.

Does the Fox anchor even know how much a snake gallbladder costs???!!!

Note: There are families in Yunnan that can only afford rice a few times a year, and meat only once. The rest of the year consists of corn, roots, fruit and vegetables.

Different Kind

Rabies is a terminal illness, once a dog starts to show symptoms of the disease, there is no cure but to euthanize the dog, for the greater good of neighborhood. A rabies ridden dog not only suffers himself, but also poses a danger of instability and greater harm to those around him.

You cannot “reason” a rabid dog out of his illness.

Similarly you cannot reason with Israel and apologists, both Israel, majority of Israeli society and its apologists abroad, have pre-emptively convinced themselves that, whatever Israel does on Gaza, will always be justified.

No matter how many civilians, aid workers or doctors are killed, or how many hospitals are destroyed, that will always be justified in eyes of Israel’s apologists, there will always be a “khamas base” if not in Al-shifa hospital, then in 4 year old Palestinian child’s skull.

Only way to stop this genocidal state from killing more innocent souls, is NOT A CEASEFIRE, but bowing it into submission by force and sanctions

Just hours after destroying the largest hosptial in Gaza (al Shifa hospital), IDF targeted and killed European aid workers who were delivering food to Palestinians in Gaza.

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Having been through several startups over the years, I am stunned at how many executives are openly and publicly contemptuous of developers and then expect them to put in long hours. I can’t tell you the number of times I’ve heard sayings such as, “I can lock the developers in a room, slide pizzas under the door, and in a month I’ll have a product.” Thinking of the people who create your product as second-class employees comes through, and most definitely does not motivate them.

At one company, where I was the VP of Engineering, we got a new CEO who told me to get the developers working longer hours. I asked why. He said that that’s what developers at a startup should do. I asked him for anything goal-oriented with which to motivate the team, which was already largely burned out from some heroic pre-launch efforts. Did we have a new sales prospect with a feature request, or did we have some new competitive intelligence that demanded a big push to catch up, or anything to justify again burning the midnight oil? No, the CEO just thought that’s what developers should do.

Developers aren’t idiots. They can tell the difference between a legitimate crunch time and a CEO who is merely cheap and demanding. So, it’s probably obvious where I’m going with this: Just wanting more hours for no good reason will just piss the developers off. If you do have a good reason for long hours, then the answer is to simply share the reason with the team. I’ve seen developers do amazing things to deliver to a key customer on time, or have something ready for a big trade show, or otherwise come through for the company. But it has to be something real, not just an arbitrary desire to squeeze employees for more work.

95% of the people of Taiwan are Han Chinese, and Taiwan and the Mainland of China are of the same ethnicity, and the cultural and economic ties among the people have never ceased.

MA Ying-jeou remains a supporter of maintaining the separation of the two sides of the Taiwan Strait rather than a supporter of cross-strait unification.

He cannot achieve political success if he consistently positions himself as a political figure who obstructs and delays the reunification of the two sides of the Taiwan Strait.

The purpose of his visit to Mainland China was expressed before he boarded the plane:

I will try my best to convey the peace-loving wishes of the Taiwan people and hope that both sides will expand bilateral exchanges and avoid war. This is a journey of peace and a journey of friendship.

It can be seen that Ma Ying-jeou’s own positioning of this trip is not a unification trip, and Ma Ying-jeou has been avoiding the word “unification”. It is hypocritical to talk about “peace” without talking about “unification”.

It is only because of the recent vicious incident in which two mainland fishermen were killed by the DPP in Kinmen, the Taiwan authorities felt the danger of war, and Ma Ying-jeou took the initiative to act as a “peacemaker”.

Of course, there are still a few days left in Ma’s visit programme, the most crucial of which is the last day of meetings with the top brass in mainland China. It is too early to speculate on Ma Ying-jeou’s inner thoughts.

If Ma Ying-jeou wants to achieve political success, this visit is his last chance!

We hope he will be bold enough to take the first step and say the word “reunification”.

Some fun pictures that I generated

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My ex and I used to live on Capitol Hill in DC. Almost all the houses there are 100+ years old, so there is generally something in need of fixing at any given time. We felt it was a good thing to try and support local businesses, so whenever anything small broke, we tried to use the local hardware store to get whatever we needed to repair it. Well, something small broke and we needed a small piece of pipe to replace one under a bathroom sink. If anyone has lived on the Hill in the past, they probably know that there is only one local hardware store. It had almost criminally narrow aisles until it burned to the ground several years ago. It has since been rebuilt with a much better layout.

Off we went to the local hardware store, broken piece in hand. we were faced with bins of nearly identical looking pieces. The store was often understaffed, so we were trying to compare the pieces ourselves to find the right one. As we stood there, an employee came walking down the aisle. Rather than stop to help us (though to be fair he may have been in the middle of helping someone else at the time) or politely excusing himself as he tried to squeeze around us, he just stopped, looked at us, and sarcastically sneered “do you think you could take this party somewhere else?”

My ex had worked retail for years, and was a district manager for a home goods chain at the time. We just looked at each other, put down the pieces we were trying to match, and said “sure. We can take it to Home Depot.” And that’s what we did. We made sure to let the manager know what we were doing and why before we left.

My first Talk Box experience! Peter Frampton’s “Do You Feel Like We Do” Vocal Analysis!

I became comfortably numb

Taiwan is not sovereign. It is not a UN member, or an observer state.

EVERY, and I repeat, EVERY, nation on earth implements the One China policy. No first world nation recognizes Taipei as the seat of the China government. All of them, and this includes the United States, pursue diplomacy with Beijing instead.

Today, only 11 states recognizes Taipei in lieu of Beijing. Comprising less than 0.5% of the poorest and most isolated humanity—Belize, Eswatini, Guatemala, Haiti, Marshall Islands, Palau, Paraguay, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Saint Lucia, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Tuvalu—are all without exception tied at the umbilical to American largess and patronage.

When Taiwanese leaders drop by Washington, they do not fly direct. The trips are framed as stopovers from diplomatic visits to Belize or Guatemala.

Ukraine is a full UN member, and votes at the UNGA.

What Chinese Ukraine?

As for land grab, let’s put the house in order and fulfill the terms outlined in the Cairo Declaration of 1943, the Potsdam Declaration of 1945 and the Treaty of San Francisco of 1951 first.

History owes China that much, at the minimum.

Otherwise, continue playing the deliberate fool stoking war at every juncture.

Scott Ritter & Andrei Martyanov: Russia has Demilitarized NATO and Ukraine is FINISHED

My daughter. I boxed in the Navy, before and after, and loved the sport. My daughter, when she was about five, went with me to the gym and asked about it. She began taking boxing lessons when she was either six or seven, I forget. She did look a bit weird in those HUGE gloves and head-gear.

She boxed throughout her teen years – loving it.

A few years later she was on a date with a “new” boyfriend when she returned home about 9:30 at night, alone, but in his car. “What happened?” I asked her.

“He got fresh with me after I told him to leave me alone,” she said. “But he didn’t stop and put his hands on me, quite inappropriately,” she added.

“Yes,” I said. “And then what?”

“I pushed him back and decked him,” she said flashing a sly smile. “I left him unconscious in a ditch and took his car home. It’s outside, the keys are locked inside.”

A day later the car disappeared and we never heard from the SOB again.

Blind Ranking Men Shortest to Tallest

Going Anonymous because this is a story of someone I know personally, and I want zero chance that this gets back to him since he still doesn’t like talking about this nearly a decade later.

During college I was friends with 2 cousins who for sake of anonymity were named Blake and Nate. After a night out to the local bar for pool, Blake and Nate had too much to drink. Blake is a big guy, he had little issue holding his alcohol, but Nate is very slender and was absolutely drunk beyond conscionable thought after an equal number of rounds. Later into the night, as everyone was packing it in, Blake had noticed that Nate had disappeared. Blake assumed Nate made it back to their apartment safe, however as he stepped out of the tavern he spotted his cousin Nate being escorted/carried down an adjacent hill toward town by a rather large woman he had seen Nate speaking with on-campus previously. Thankful he didn’t have to personally carry Nate’s drunk person a half mile in the opposite direction, Blake let Nate’s “friend” deal with his semi-conscious cousin and began walking in the opposite direction toward his and Nate’s apartment.

Afterwards, Nate made it clear to us that this woman had frequently harassed him on-campus with sexual advances which he had at numerous times rebuffed. Nate didn’t remember a thing from that night, only that he woke up in her empty apartment with no clothes on. Campus police were utterly disinterested in investigating, practically laughing him out of their office saying that he must have been more conscious than he remembered or cared to admit because the notion of possible rape committed by a woman towards a man seemed utterly ridiculous. I still can’t imagine the dread Nate went through over the following 3 months fearing that this woman might be pregnant (he couldn’t remember what happened or if it was safe, he only knew he was naked). He feared that she might demand that he take responsibility for acts he could not physically consent to and that no court would take his claim seriously enough to dismiss legal obligation or allow him to elect termination on grounds of rape. He was panicked that the mistake of drinking past blackout would force him to trade further education for a forced life of child support payments following a sexual act he did not consent to, want, or even remember. All of this seems an exceedingly rare and alien cornercase until it is someone you know.

The worst part of being a man is knowing that society doesn’t take these problems seriously when faced by a male because it is assumed that as a man you cannot be the victim of a woman. The shame that if you as a man are a victim and expressing your pain then you are deserving of scorn or heckling.

Hi, Youssra Ary. Thanks for the very interesting question.

You posted this question on February 5.
It would have been colder in Wuhan then (today is March 24).
I just got back from Wuhan and the weather was quite pleasant.
Around 10 – 15 °C during the day.
Very nice.

It’s really beautiful in Wuhan now.
The cherry blossoms are in full bloom now – it’s all a very lovely sight to behold.

main qimg 46868468de810968ae930d8a08677835
main qimg 46868468de810968ae930d8a08677835

Took this picture in 东湖樱花园 (East Lake Cherry Blossom Garden).
The cherry blossoms are so pretty!

main qimg 831379969b95c43fe3d849a97ee63b7d
main qimg 831379969b95c43fe3d849a97ee63b7d

Okay, now let’s get down to brass tacks regarding the premise of your question.

China has about 20 – 30 million Muslims.
There are food establishments selling halal food around every corner.

In fact, there are several times more food establishments selling halal food in China than there are McDonald restaurants.

There are 2 halal restaurants near my apartment, but no McDonald’s.
There are 3 halal restaurants around my game studio.

And the best part is, these halal food establishments are frequented by non-Muslims and Muslims alike.

I have several colleagues who are Muslims, so in addition to halal food deliveries + bringing their own food from home, these 3 halal restaurants offer them quite a bit of variety in terms of their food choices during lunchtime.

For myself and most of my non-Muslim colleagues, we’ll head on down to one of these halal restaurants at least once a week.

I don’t think there are any non-Muslim Chinese colleagues at my game studio who hasn’t been to a halal restaurant.
These halal food establishments are just that ubiquitous.
And they serve up some pretty tasty fare as well!

Just look out for these two characters: 清真
If you see these two characters, it means the food will be halal.
See picture below:

main qimg 426ca91b500b9ea9c5c67d6c093ef14e
main qimg 426ca91b500b9ea9c5c67d6c093ef14e

Those working in the halal food establishments will either be Uighur Chinese, or Hui Chinese.
Uighur Chinese and Hui Chinese make up the two largest Muslim groups in China.

The picture below was taken in a halal food establishment in Kashgar, Xinjiang.
It is run by Uighur Muslims.

You can get a good and filling halal meal here for under 20 yuan (2.80 USD).

main qimg 302786d4b6f3f33701677233fbad8134
main qimg 302786d4b6f3f33701677233fbad8134

This picture was taken in a halal food establishment in Yangzhou.
You can see from the sign at the back, the two characters 清真, denoting that this is a halal food establishment.
The proprietess is a Hui Muslim from Linxia, Gansu.

main qimg 7a4f7c70589325d3b7f606c8ae700cd7
main qimg 7a4f7c70589325d3b7f606c8ae700cd7

So, don’t worry, Youssra Ary.

Many of us Chinese are already very used to eating halal food.
I eat halal food at least once a week.

Actually, the commonly held belief is that, if you want to eat really good beef, mutton, and lamb, you head on over down to a halal food establishment because the people who work there are very good at preparing these meats.

But if you like chicken too, don’t worry.
They serve that as well.

Say hello to 新疆大盘鸡(Xinjiang Big Plate Chicken):

main qimg a7eacba9c7d829f68532630f8ac05f62
main qimg a7eacba9c7d829f68532630f8ac05f62

My only concern with your going to your friend’s house in Wuhan to prepare a halal meal is…

Wouldn’t you have to bring your own cooking and eating utensils?

Please correct me if I’m wrong here, but I though that, as a Muslim, you’re not allowed to use cooking and eating utensils that have been used to cook and eat non-halal food?

Some years ago I was a bankruptcy specialist at a large financial institution. We’d been purchased by this after the original company n had been purchased by an entrepreneurial operation who took as much as they could get and then sold the remains.

Very little of this affected me or my particular job other than we’d been relocated to this financial institution’s headquarters so my 40 something mile commute became closer to a 70 mile commute (round trip).

So we had a department meeting one day to be told that our department was going to be split in half. One half was going to remain pretty much the same under the leadership of the overall department head. The other half was going to be strictly litigation focused.

Now I’d gotten really good at the bankruptcy part. I’d actually completed a legal assistant degree while working there and had taken a couple of bankruptcy classes. What I had never learned was litigation. My new boss knew that, but never offered any kind of training, assistance, nothing.

In addition, I was told that I was to assist the half of the office still doing bankruptcy. Like me and litigation, none of them had ever done bankruptcy.

I tried, I really did. I gave the cheat sheets, proof of claim templates, everything I could. But over a year later, I was still getting basically the same questions as they had at the beginning. I gave them information sheets explaining the different types of bankruptcies and how they were handled. Nothing seemed to actually stick as I would be asked to do a lot of the work.

I was probably spending about 75% of my workday on bankruptcy and wasn’t learning anything about litigation. So I finally went to my direct boss to ask how long I would be expected to “help” the other people in the office. I told him that I wasn’t really clear on the ins and outs of litigation because I was constantly being asked to handle bankruptcy.

He reminded me that our annual review was coming up and both heads of department would be conducting them. Since our overall boss was in charge of the group handling bankruptcy. He suggested I bring that up in the review.

Well, it was a setup. After a somewhat wishy-washy review, I was asked if I had any questions so I asked about my assignment to “assist” the new bankruptcy team while they were supposedly learning the ropes. I didn’t outright criticize any individuals, but I did point out that the basics still seemed to be misunderstood and I wasn’t effectively able to work on litigation.

Clearly he’d been warned I was going to ask this. He sat up in his chair, his cheeks got all red, and he began huffing and puffing. He started by accusing me of not training them. I was prepared enough that I’d brought copies of all the training paperwork I’d provided, all of it created by me mostly on my own time at home. He literally pushed it away and started pulling out printouts from our computer system.

He started with about six or seven printouts from individual bankruptcy cases. I looked at them. In every case, these were bankruptcies filed after I was no longer in the department so of course my name wasn’t in the notes.

Oh, but he’d thought ahead. Next he pulls out a dozen or more bankruptcies dating back over a year or before the department divided. I looked at those and each and everyone of them had notes under my name stating that they had been sent to outside counsel. About six months or so before the changes, we (my previous bankruptcy coworker and I) had been told that all new bankruptcies where the overall value of the company was over a certain amount (I think over $250,000) was to be sent directly to outside lawyers and we were not to touch them. Yes, every one had been sent to outside counsel. As for my question as to how long I was to be “assisting,” I was told “until I tell you otherwise.” Honestly I didn’t really mind that answer but I was concerned about eventually having a bad review over not accomplishing more in litigation.

My review ended up with some phrasing about how I wasn’t cooperating with the “overall department strategy,” and I started job searching immediately. I was out about six months later.

https://youtu.be/w1iQNmsgHeM

I was given a hint life was passing me by when I was buying a movie ticket. I was asked if I wanted a senior discount. I was 50 years old. I was shocked. I started getting AARP ads in the mail at the same age.I realized then society viewed me as an old person.

I always thought I had all the time in the world to accomplish anything. I had a few hints earlier about life’s uncertainty when a 27 year old friend was killed driving home from a grocery store three blocks from her house. Once a 34 year old neighbor came home for lunch, went for a quick jog, and dropped dead from a heart attack.

Those events happened to other people: not me.

I looked in the mirror and realized I was not young anymore. Delusion is powerful. Feeling immortal is an emotion I always had.

In 2012, I was told I had Parkinson’s disease. No worries… I thought, you can live a long time with this disease. Recently I was told I actually have MSA which is a cousin of Parkinson’s. You die sooner having this disease.

Do what you’ve dreamed about now. Want to be an actor? singer? own your own business? How about taking a trip? An uncle once told me he and my aunt saved their money so they could see the world when they got old. They never knew he would get sick and die soon after he told me about their plans.

No matter what age you are, follow your heart now. Marry, have children, do what you want to do to make your life complete. You’re not immortal. You won’t be young forever.

One day you’ll wake up and be me.

Baked Honey Mustard Chicken Breasts

Honey mustard chicken 4
Honey mustard chicken 4

Ingredients you will need

  • Chicken breasts: I always opt to use boneless and skinless breasts for this honey mustard chicken. A lot of recipes use thighs, but I like the leaner versatility of a chicken breast or you may even use chicken tenders.
  • Spices: We use a mix of spices here including paprika, mustard seed, ground mustard seed, cayenne pepper, salt, and pepper. These flavors all pair so well together and also help to complement the honey mustard.
  • Olive oil: A great neutral vegetable oil that can be used at high temperatures, high-quality olive oil has natural aromatic flavors that are robust and so delicious.
  • Honey: The sweet portion of this sweet and savory chicken recipe comes from the honey. It’s a natural sugar, not too sweet, and also has an excellent flavor.
  • Chicken stock: Just a few tablespoons of chicken stock gets added to the marinade. This helps to keep the chicken moist while baking. You can also use vegetable stock if you have it.
  • Mustard: We are going to be using two mustard in this chicken recipe to take it to the next level: Dijon and whole grain. While providing an excellent flavor, the whole grain mustard also provides some texture to our honey mustard chicken breasts.
  • White vinegar: In addition to the tang from the mustard, white vinegar provides an additional tanginess. You could also use apple cider vinegar here.
  • Sriracha sauce: I like a little bit of spice to my honey mustard chicken recipe, so I add a touch of Sriracha. You can adjust this to your taste buds, or omit it altogether if you’re not of fan of the heat.
  • Thyme: A small handful of fresh thyme finishes this dish off. It provides some color to garnish and top off your baked chicken.

Ingredients

  • 6 skinless, boneless chicken breast halves
  • Salt and pepper, to taste
  • 1/2 cup honey
  • 1/2 cup prepared mustard
  • 1 teaspoon dried basil
  • 1 teaspoon paprika
  • 1/2 teaspoon dried parsley

Instructions

  1. Heat oven to 350 degrees F.
  2. Sprinkle chicken breasts with salt and pepper to taste and place in a lightly greased 13 x 9 inch baking dish.
  3. In a small bowl combine the honey, mustard, basil, paprika and parsley. Mix well. Pour 1/2 of this mixture over the chicken and brush to cover.
  4. Bake for 30 minutes.
  5. Turn chicken pieces over, brush with the remaining 1/2 of the honey mustard mixture, and bake for an additional 10 to 15 minutes or until chicken is cooked through and juices run clear. Let cool for 10 minutes and serve.
Honey mustard chicken 5
Honey mustard chicken 5

Men blind dating

When I was in the 7th grade in math I continually got Ds on all my scores. One day I watched the teacher grade a girls test and saw exactly what she missed. She got a B+. BTW her family owned one of the largest grocery chains in the nation. When he graded my test it turned out I missed the exact same question in the exact same way as the girl, I got a D. I was a very tiny boy and mild . I said nothing as I always respected my elders. The very first week of 8th grade we were given a standardized math test. Not once had I studied outside of the class room. I tied for the highest grade on that test against over 700 eighth graders. The person I tied, studied very hard and becam the valedictorian of our high school. When I saw my test score I realized just how biased the teacher was against me. For the very first time in my life I confronted an adult.I went to see him and said, Mr Ziegler, I want to show you my 8 grade standardized test scores. I explained that my score tied with another boy for highest in the entire 8th grade. He then said “ oh, you must have really studied during the summer”. I told him No, I had not even opened a book from the time I left his class and the time I took the test. I turned and walked out without saying another word.

That was 70 years ago and only a few years ago I realized why. I was a blond haired, blue eyed boy. My name was the same as the head of the Waffen SS and this was only a relatively few years after WW2 and the fall of the Nazi regime. BTW my German heritage moved to the USA was in 1840.

Expectation

Men know this. Women do not.

TekWar as the mystery

Not me but my Dad (may he Rest In Peace). Dad had been sitting in a Tank during the Korean War but he had been stationed in Germany. Well, tanks from back in the 1950s did not have the noise suppression systems of the tanks of today and the technologies we have for Hearing Protection were practically non-existent; Dad had severe hearing loss before he ever met Mom.

Some time after their divorce, Dad had finally obtained some really GOOD hearing aids. He got home really tired and was traipsing through his kitchen when suddenly there was an unfamiliar noise. He spun around with his weapon drawn and…almost shot his new refrigerator, which he had never heard kick on before. 😀

EDIT!: Thank you to everybody so much for all the likes!

I am getting a FAQ for this post; here is the answer so I won’t have to spam it in the comments:

After Dad was out of the Army, he went to another service branch and then FINALLY left the Military altogether. But then he became a police officer.

As a Police Officer at the time the incident happened with the refrigerator, he had just gotten off a long shift and had a case of nerves that had not settled yet. Sometimes police are jittery after a long or difficult shift. He walked in his door and had not yet disarmed himself when he heard the fridge kick on for the very first time. He lived alone then, so that weird unfamiliar noise startled him and he reacted like he had been trained to react for his entire adult life. Dad practiced excellent trigger discipline and did not actually FIRE the weapon; he just aimed at the fridge.

Please keep in mind, this was MULTIPLE DECADES ago and where he worked at the time, Police could bring and use their own firearms on-duty, not just their Service pieces that were kept in lockers at the station.

Take it easy, everybody. Dad thought it was funny after it happened, it was told as a funny story, nothing bad happened. No Big Deal because nobody actually got hurt. The ‘danger’ has been in the past since I was a toddler.

I hope this clears things up enough for everybody. 🙂

I worked at a grocery store when I was a teenager. Human Resources was called in to interview the employees about a beer and cigarette theft problem.

Before my interview, I saw a co-worker cleaning out his locker. “What happened?” I asked.

“Dude, they got us. They had cameras filming everything we did,” he said. “I just got fired for eating grapes that fell off the vine.”

My turn came and the HR guy said, “You need to confess to everything you have stolen here. Put a dollar amount on the stolen goods and we will set up a payment plan for restitution and avoid your being arrested.”

“I have never stolen,” I said.

“Okay, I am going to give you one more chance. If you are honest, we won’t get the police involved. If you are lying, things are not going to go well,” he said. “Be advised we have video.”

“I have never stolen anything,” I said.

“Call the police,” he said to the manager. “We are going to have to press charges.”

“You are full of it,” I said. “You have nothing.”

“Do you want to see the video?” He asked.

“Yes,” I said. “It doesn’t exist.”

“What makes you say that?” He said. “You seem very confident for someone about to go to jail.”

“I haven’t stolen anything,” I said. “If you had a video of people stealing, you wouldn’t need a confession.”

I think seven people confessed and were fired that day. My friend that ate the grapes put $7 on the amount he had stolen. He was one of the most honest people I worked with.

The ones eating steak cooked on the heat seal of the meat wrapper never confessed to anything. They did not catch the cigarette and beer thieves they were looking for either.

The people that confessed were the honest ones who felt guilty for their petty thefts while the dishonest ones stuck to their guns and confessed to nothing. Brilliant move by HR.

Jiggle Jiggle

Chicago Style Stuffed Pizza

deep dish 1
deep dish 1

Ingredients

  • 2 (14 inch) soft pizza crusts
  • 6 ounces pepperoni slices
  • 6 ounces Italian sausage
  • 8 ounces mushrooms, sliced
  • 1 green bell pepper, cut into thin strips
  • 1 red onion, cut into thin strips
  • 1 can pizza sauce
  • 8 ounces shredded mozzarella cheese
  • 1 cup ricotta cheese
  • 1/8 cup Italian seasoning
  • 2 cloves garlic
  • 1 teaspoon salt

Instructions

  1. Spray a 12 inch deep-dish pizza pan with vegetable oil.
  2. Place 1 pizza crust in pan and have crust come up sides like a pie.
  3. Add all listed ingredients into pizza pan, adding seasoning to top.
  4. Place second crust on top and use a fork to blend top and bottom crusts together like a pie. Cut off any additional crust.
  5. Bake at 350 degrees F for 45 minutes.

I can’t remember who wrote it, but I’d read a book many years ago about Operation Market Garden. Although some of the British 1st Airborne Division escaped Arnhem, many remained trapped and were captured by the Germans. One of the men who became a POW talked about marching into captivity past German soldiers. The Germans were cheering them saying things like “Good show, Tommy!” The writer said it felt like the winners of a soccer match were consoling the losers after the game. That, of course, didn’t make the defeat any easier to swallow!

Another I’d read about (again, I can’t remember the source) was the US occupation of Japan immediately after the Japanese surrender. As advance American units landed, they headed to Yokohama where their headquarters would be. The Japanese had lined the route with soldiers as guards – all of them had turned their backs to the road. The occupying Americans took that as a sign of disrespect but it was actually the opposite: in Japanese culture, that’s showing the utmost sign of respect.

Pay attention to this

This is real.

https://www.youtube.com/shorts/O4KQmoVi3xM?feature=share

Star Trek:TNG – Data shows off his ultra human strength to primitive aliens(commander ,Data, )

Lovely. A guy still living in 1865 and he thinks we should be slaves to our jobs.

I remember, some time back, where portions of the bridge, out of my neighborhood were flooded out. No cars were getting into my neighborhood and none were leaving and this was the only way out of my neighborhood. I took pictures of this event and sent them to my boss. He came back and stated “So, this is your excuse for not coming into work. Consider yourself fired”.

So, I did and this was on a Friday morning. I started looking for jobs and by Friday evening, I secured a new job that started a week later. On Monday, my prior boss called around 10:30 AM and asked where I was at and I reminded him “Don’t you remember you firing me? You don’t?! Okay, as a former colleague, I am going to let you in on something, lay off on the day drinking. Everyone knows it is not your cologne.” It was an unhidden fact that everyone knew this manager was hitting the sauce, early on in the day, everyday. No one had the ability or courage to say anything and since I was fired… the courage was right there for me.

I once did maintenance for a guy that was a true slumlord in Gainesville, FL. I was the only one that had a HVAC license in the whole company and he was using my license to buy Freon and to legally evacuate and recycle extracted Freon. The guy was so cheap that he only owned one Freon pump and vacuum pump, he wouldn’t even spend the money to buy a good set of gauges and I just used my own but I refused to bring my pumps and tanks to work because they’re expensive and I knew he wouldn’t replace them. Anyway, I was out on a job that was fairly remote and needed to evacuate system to do repairs, I called and asked if they could send the equipment out to me rather than me having to drive approximately 45 minutes back to the shop. The answer I got was no and that they were using it at another job (keep in mind that I’m the only one licensed to handle Freon) and if I needed it then I could just evacuate the Freon into the air. Well first off, that’s completely illegal and would cost me my license if I was caught, secondly it’s just plain unethical and I refused to do it. I flat refused and was told that if I didn’t want to do that to leave the job and he would send somebody else out to do it. At this point I not only flat refused I quit as soon as I got back to the shop. I then called the EPA and reported him and also made sure to let all the HVAC suppliers in the area know that they were no longer allowed to use my license for refrigerant purchases or anything else.

When he tries to purchase Freon and found out that he could no longer buy it, he completely flipped out and called me cussing me out as it was the middle of summer in the middle of the Florida swampland. He was having to contract the work out to HVAC companies now and they really didn’t like him so they were bending him over big time. Then on top of that he was investigated by the EPA and hit with huge fines. I have no regrets.

Such an American video

It wasn’t the waiter. It was the bartender. I had taken my two children out for lunch before we went school shopping. We stopped at Applebee’s, and as we were perusing the menu, we ordered our drinks. I ordered a bloody Mary with extra limes, my son ordered a cookie milkshake with extra cookies. I don’t remember what my daughter ordered, but she wanted something extra in her drink as well. The waitress left the table and walked over to the bar to order our drinks. The bartender yelled out extremely loud for the whole restaurant to here, including myself that sure we want to have extra things but don’t want to pay for them. What he didn’t know was I was a waitress at the time and had no problem paying for extras. I was so embarrassed! After that, I walked over to him and let him know I heard everything he had said, and we left the restaurant. Wasn’t too happy about Applebee’s that day. However, the next weekend I took my children there again in hopes for a better experience. We ended up having the same waitress and I told her I was so sorry that we left the prior week After she took her drink orders . She remembered us and has heard about the situation in regards to what the bartender said. She apologized profusely and the manager came over and apologized as well! We ended up getting our dinners free that day with free desserts. Not sure whatever happened to the bartender, but I must say Applebee’s stepped up to the plate! And yes, I left her a big tip!

Some fun with Text to picture

alchemyrefiner alchemymagic 1 cbc3d0ba 4ef7 4af8 bf43 129c87b73d5c 0
alchemyrefiner alchemymagic 1 cbc3d0ba 4ef7 4af8 bf43 129c87b73d5c 0
Default 0
Default 0
alchemyrefiner alchemymagic 0 47ab24d8 2971 456e 9ff8 8fde8f9fba2c 0
alchemyrefiner alchemymagic 0 47ab24d8 2971 456e 9ff8 8fde8f9fba2c 0
alchemyrefiner alchemymagic 1 3a49d8de 2c30 46cc b5a4 f07e3e816357 0
alchemyrefiner alchemymagic 1 3a49d8de 2c30 46cc b5a4 f07e3e816357 0
Default A gummy cat on a white background 3
Default A gummy cat on a white background 3
Default Dove flying 1
Default Dove flying 1
Default Suit logo 2
Default Suit logo 2
Default Qin Gang as a Ming dynasty warrior standing on dayligh 1(11)
Default Qin Gang as a Ming dynasty warrior standing on dayligh 1(11)
Default Qin Gang as a Ming dynasty warrior standing on dayligh 0(11)
Default Qin Gang as a Ming dynasty warrior standing on dayligh 0(11)
Default Qin Gang as a Ming dynasty warrior standing on dayligh 3(11)
Default Qin Gang as a Ming dynasty warrior standing on dayligh 3(11)
Default Qin Gang as a Ming dynasty warrior standing on dayligh 2(11)
Default Qin Gang as a Ming dynasty warrior standing on dayligh 2(11)

When I was 19 years old, I was going to collage, and working a job at a McDonald’s part-time.

At the time, I didn’t have either health insurance or a PCP.

It was a particularly cold winter, and I was often put in the drive-thru window; so about once every 2–3 weeks I’d end up with a nasty cold. I’d call in sick when this happened, as it’s illegal to work in food service while sick, and I’d typically be find after just a day or two. Sometime’s they’d accept over the phone, sometimes they’d make me come in anyways, before taking one look at me and telling me to go home.

One time when I called back to say I was over the cold, and good to work again, the manager told me I needed to get a doctor’s note before they’d let me go back to work. I explained I didn’t have insurance, or a doctor, they basically said “not my problem.”

So with literally no other option. I went to a hospital’s ER. I walked in, checked in, talked to the triage nurse, explained what was happening, and asked them to just write a note saying I’m good to work.

The triage nurse took my vitals and wrote the note, and I was out of the ER in literally 5 min, never having left the lobby nor seen an actual doctor.

A month later, I got a bill for $500 in the mail from the Hospital. I should mention that I was only making around $300 a month at my part time job, and had no other income.

I’m just about 40 now. It’s been over 20 years since they sent me that bill. I’ve still not paid it.

I gave3 weeks notice because the estimator I worked with would need time to be trained to cope without me (he was almost computer illiterate). Our boss ALWAYS let everyone work out their notice. He was very easy going like that, except with me. I pissed him off so much when I gave him my notice that he immediately escorted me out of the place like I was a common criminal. LOL

He first sent me in to get my stuff, but then realized that after being there a decade, I had a lot of stuff. My husband worked there also and we often went straight from work to meet clients. I kept clothes, shoes nice boots, work boots, makeup, meds, anything I might need was kept at work. He then came and told my estimator to just bring me home (I had a company vehicle).

“You can come back this weekend to get your stuff. I don’t want you to be embarrassed.”

“I’m not embarrassed.”

Trying to stop the flow

https://www.youtube.com/shorts/Z95fwg6bP9U?feature=share

A couple of years ago I was in my driveway when I witnessed a young mother and her child walking down our street, being harassed by a young man in his mid-20s. He was following them, getting in her face yelling at her, putting his hands on her and telling her to go back and get in the car. She kept telling him to leave her alone.

I called out to her and asked if she needed a ride somewhere. She and her child (small boy around 5 or 6) turned around and walked back to where I was standing – which pissed the man off. Then he followed them up my driveway and started screaming at me – calling me names and telling me to mind my own business. When I told him he had made it my business – he started posturing and making threats to me, asking loudly “Do you know who I am?”

My reply was “I don’t know who you think you are – but from where I stand, I see a sad little man child who likes to intimidate and harass women and children. Now step off my property before I call the cops. I’m sure they”ll know who you are.”

He took me seriously and stepped into the road- but continued his verbal harassment , even as the woman and her kid climbed into my car and I backed out of my driveway.

Turns out he was her boyfriend, but I never did find out what the argument was about. I offered to take her to the police station – but she didn’t want to go there – so instead I drove her to where she wanted to go (a few miles away.)

I haven’t seen either of them since but I sure as hell hope she got away from that abusive hothead.

  1. When someone answers your questions partially, wait. Don’t interrupt. Chances are high that they will complete the answer when you say nothing.
  2. When you want to get something from someone, frame it as an offer/opportunity instead of a request. Anyone will be ready to accept an offer/opportunity.
  3. When you meet people, notice their eye color while you smile at them. Don’t mention anything about it. It’s a good way to make sure that you really look them in the eyes.
  4. A person’s name is the sweetest sound in the world to that person. To make a person feel very special, remember and repeat their name.
  5. Have zero expectations when you are first trying something new, it prevents disappointment.
  6. To judge a person’s character, notice the way they treat people – who can’t do anything for them.
  7. After you state your position in a negotiation. Wait for a while. If you continue to speak, you are not speaking in your favour.
  8. Chewing gum while doing nerve-racking things calm your brain.
  9. When you are learning something, teach someone about it. You will remember it easily and explore more in the process of teaching.
  10. Most people’s favourite subject to talk about is themselves. If you don’t know what to talk about, or have awkward silence, just ask them questions.
  11. Emotional expression causes emotion. If you focus yourself to smile, your mood will actually improve.
  12. Stand up straight. It makes you look more confident and you will actually feel more confident.
  13. With kids, frame things in a way that always gives them a choice. It makes them feel like they are in control. For eg., “Do you want to wear red shirt or blue shirt?” Either way, they know it’s time to put on a shirt.
  14. When asking for favors use the word “because”. No matter how simple the reason. The word “because” makes them think it must be okay because there is a reason.

Roasted Pepper and Gorgonzola Pizza

roasted pepper1 2 300x225
roasted pepper1 2 300×225

Ingredients

Pizza

  • 1 Boboli or homemade crust
  • Garlic Oil Sauce
  • Mozzarella cheese, grated
  • Gorgonzola cheese
  • Roasted red bell pepper strips

Garlic Oil Sauce

  • 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
  • 4 cloves garlic

Instructions

Pizza

  1. Heat the oven to 450 degrees F. Spray or grease a pizza pan or stone.
  2. Top crust with Garlic Oil Sauce, mozzarella cheese, gorgonzola cheese and bell pepper strips.
  3. Bake on the bottom rack of oven for 8 to 12 minutes or until cheese is melted and crust is piping hot.

Garlic Oil Sauce

  1. Puree olive oil and garlic in blender.

I was in Milwaukee about 3 years ago for training for a job I’d just gotten and the orientation was going to be 2 days so I was put up in my hotel room and I started to get hungry around 5:00 P.M. and while watching TV shows, I went to the website for EatStreet and looked up food places near the hotel in the downtown area and there’s this pizza and gyro delivery restaurant called New York Pizza Delivery and so I ordered a pizza, breadsticks and a soda from them. Went back to watching the TV. They said it would be there by 6:00 P.M. 6:00 P.M. arrived. No food delivery. So I thought I’d give them a margin in case they got delayed somehow which happens occasionally with food deliveries. By 6:30 P.M., still no food. So I called the restaurant, and I said, you know, where’s my food, they told me it’d be here by 6? The guy who answered the phone said it came but the driver couldn’t find me or my room but they’d send it again. So I headed down to the front lobby and asked the clerk if they’d seen the pizza delivery driver and they said they hadn’t. By 8:00 P.M there was still no pizza. So at 8:30 P.M, I called the restaurant again and asked them why my food wasn’t there and they said the driver forgot to drop off my pizza but they’d send him again. Basically I got my pizza a full 4 and a half hours later and it was only slightly warm. Worst customer service I’ve ever had. I’m not ordering through EatStreet again because they blow, too.

Freedom In CHINA Vs AMERICA! (Untold TRUTH)

To say volunteer is an understatement. It has become the major regret of some who could not make the cut to serve in the PLA. Each year enrollment into the PLA is selected from a big group of volunteers like around a few hundred thousands, and not all pass the selection process.

I personally have encountered more than 10 individuals who wanted to join the PLA but were rejected. Some of them express a major regret for not being able to join the PLA and wish that they could have contributed in some other way.

At first like most foreigners I was baffled, I could not believe my ears as I’m from Singapore where all young men that are proven to be healthy and fit are required to do national service and the more common idea in Singapore is to try and escape it and go into the workforce as fast as you can. To be frank, I never agree to the idea that one should escape national service and come up with all manners of excuses for it as I’m one of those very on the ball types in the army, but I’m still very very surprise when I got to know how different it is in China. You would be too if you have seen a grown man with tears in his eyes because he was rejected by the PLA. And of course, I was doubtful because he had some beer before those tears appeared. Lol.

But seriously, after staying here for abit and having a relative (my wife’s family) who is in the PLA, you start to understand the kind of glory they put into it. It’s like a perosnal honor, a family honor or even a social honor. It’s even comparable to going to an ivy league University kind of honor if you perform well in the PLA.

But, that’s not to say that it’s simply like a degree where you study for it and you graduated with honors. The PLA has been serving the people rather well, especially in times of natural disaster or even law enforcement. Common example are like disaster relief work after the many earthquakes in western China, but an event that happened in my wife hometown like 25 years ago was rather closer to me. An organised crime family setup base in her hometown at that time. Crime was rampant, prositution, loan sharks, drugs, murder, etc, were an everyday event. The local police at that time was weak and from what I understand also corrupted, thus unwilling to flush them out. So when a new mayor with PLA background was posted to her hometown, things started to change. He at first tried to form his own town watch and policing units, but were not very sucessful due to the strongarm methods of the crime family. In fact it became worse when the crime family resisted and tried to assasinate him. Understanding the dire situation (maybe also for his own life), he made some calls to his connections in the CCP and PLA, and within 2 days the PLA send down troops to flush out the crime family and the corrupted police officers. It was like a brand new place overnight.

Well other than from my wife and her family, I heard this from many others living there that it’s true. I stand by the story since my wife’s uncle happens to be one of the PLA soldiers who was send down to flush out the crime family and as a homegrown hero, he got the banners with words like 人民子弟兵典范,人民英雄,sent as gifts by the locals to my mother-in-law house. They are now in his own house after he left the PLA and he choose to retire in the countryside. Even now, when he goes visit my mother-in-law, he is still remembered by the older folks as one of the PLA who rescued the town from unimaginable crime. His son now is also in the PLA and is very proud to be serving even as a small platoon leader.

As far as I know, there are many stories like that about the PLA soldiers, from rescuing a village cow stuck in a mine field near the border, to saving the suicidal from drowning themselves when off duty. Maybe it’s because I look out for such news because I believe in the good of man, but I think the general citizens have a very good impression of most PLA soldiers.

Thus given the very different environment and expectations of the PLA, I think now I understand the honors that comes with joining them. I sometimes do wish that Singaporeans would give the same credits to our SAF, but in the end, respect is earned over time and it would be up to the SAF to prove themselves to Singaporeans.

Mike Oldfield – Tubular Bells Full Album

Takes me back…

NearLink

This is the first time I’ve heard of NearLink. Have you guys heard of this?

Transmission Range:

  • Bluetooth – 10 m
  • Wi-Fi – 300 m
  • NearLink – 600 m

Transmission Rate:

  • Bluetooth – 50 Mbps
  • Wi-Fi – 500 Mbps
  • NearLink – 900 Mbps

Latency:

  • Bluetooth – 15-30 ms
  • Wi-Fi – 100 ms
  • NearLink – 20 μs

Microseconds?! Fucking, eh?

Connectable Devices:

  • Bluetooth – 8
  • Wi-Fi – 256
  • NearLink – 4,096

This technology is taking off like a rocket, it appears.

I was headed to the doctors office (running late of course) with my two young children, both of whom had ear infections and were screaming/crying in their car seats. Because they’d been sick I’d gotten about 6 hrs of sleep in the past two days.

I’d rolled down my window before the officer got to the car and I was busy trying to shush the kids while grabbing my license etc. When he got to the window his first question was why I was in such a hurry? I explained to him the info above and the Dr office would charge me extra if I didn’t get there soon and I just couldn’t afford extra on top of the appointment and the meds I knew I was going to need to buy.

The whole time we’re talking the kids are still screaming!!! He walks away to check my info and I lean over the seat to again try to comfort my kids. He comes back and says everything checked out fine and He was just going to give me a warning this time. He then said that he’s a father so completely understands what I’m dealing with; but Please slow down, the roads are icy, he can see that my tires are bald and he’d hate for us to get into an accident. He then gave me a card with the name of a tire shop and said to call them, saying that officer XXXX sent me and they would help me get new tires.

After the appointment I figured, what the heck; it can’t hurt to try the shop. They asked me to come in and quoted me a very reasonable price for 4 new tires, asked if I could put $25 down and then I could pay the rest at $25 a month. I agreed because I really did need new tires.

When the first bill came in the mail it said “Paid in Full”. I thought there was a mistake and called the place; the lady on the phone explained to me that the owner of the shop and the Officer were brothers and they did this for those that they felt needed the help. Best traffic stop I’ve ever had!!!

A old vintage movie. Get your mind off stuff.

Check the characters before buying the poison

My mother, husband, and I combined households many years ago, and we all lived together until her death. We would trade off hosting family holiday dinners with my aunt and uncle who live nearby. When this happened, which was many, many years ago, my cousin, his wife, and their child lived with my aunt and uncle, so we always celebrated holidays together.

One year at a holiday dinner at our house—Thanksgiving, I think—we also invited one of my best friends and his family: a wife, and three children, the youngest a baby, and the oldest a seven-year-old girl.

During dinner, my aunt asked the seven-year-old girl what she had been doing of late that she thought was fun. She was extremely enthusiastic about the Harry Potter series and the entire world in the books, and explained the newest book had been released recently, and she was reading it at night with her father.

She began to say something else when my cousin’s wife, an Evangelical Christian, cut her off.

She began lecturing her loudly and cruelly about the world of Harry Potter, the evils of witchcraft, and even told her she was a bad girl, with bad parents, for even opening one of the books. (My mom, husband, and I were all following the series, as well. We’d all read the newest volume she was talking about because, well, adults read a lot faster than a seven year old.) We were also giving her less than loving looks.

My aunt politely silenced her daughter-in-law and reminded her the question had been addressed to the little girl, then said, “We can discuss your feelings about Harry Potter another time, at home.”

She asked the girl to continue. Before she could get a full sentence out, my cousin’s wife again jumped in and began lecturing the child about what she was reading.

She also called out her parents, and began insulting their judgment and their parenting skills.

That time, my mother stopped her with a simple, “That’s enough. Someone else is speaking, and you are out of line.”

The seven year old was clearly growing distressed.

She was simply trying to explain why she liked Harry Potter, and an adult was being terrible to her.

We were all certain my cousin’s wife would finally be quiet, and encouraged the child to finish her thought. Again, an interruption from my cousin’s wife, followed by an “ouch! why did you kick me?” because my cousin had kicked her under the table when he saw she was going to open her mouth.

She spoke anyway, lecturing all of us, and then finished her comments by turning to the seven year old and saying, “And you are going to Hell.”

That, of course, tipped the scales, and my friend’s little girl began to cry.

My cousin’s wife got up to go get something from the room where the food was laid out, and I followed her. I’d grown angry at the second interruption, but had tried my best to hang on to a bit of calm because I was a hostess, too. I’d had it, though. I was beyond furious.

I followed her into the other room, and told her she wouldn’t say another word about it, or I’d have to tell her to leave—she was completely out of line with her comments, her lecturing, and especially with driving a young girl to tears. She looked at me for a moment, then said, “You don’t have the nerve, and your Mom won’t put up with it.” I said, “Go ahead and try me.”

If she said anything else at all that night, aside from which kind of pie she wanted, I don’t remember it at all.

The Sopranos – Tony Soprano extorts Ralph Cifaretto

I am from a longline of southern cooks. One of my first memories, is standing on a chair with a wooden spoon stirring cornbread batter. My husbands family does not share this skill. My mother in law is lovely and an amazing women. She is charming, beautiful, kind, extremely health conscious but a lousy cook. My husband swears , he and his siblings were raised on wheat germ and bean sprouts. Cooking was truly of no interest to my mother in law. She knows nothing about cooking above the very basics. The first Holidays after our marriage, I hosted the Thanksgiving meal. I was so excited because I love to cook. A few days before the big day, my mother in law called to say she would like to bring the Turkey. I assured her that wouldn’t be necessary but she insisted. I agreed. When I told my husband, he laughed and said that I better have a back up plan. His mother had good intentions but turkey was not in her Wheelhouse. Anxiety got the best of me. I put a Turkey in my outdoor smoker the night before on the pretense that it could be used for sandwiches the following week. Thanksgiving day, a hour and a half before the meal, my husbands family showed up with Turkey in tow. It was still in the wrapper and totally raw. My mother in law said she came a little early so the 20 lb Turkey would have time to roast. My husband was all grins. I thanked her kindly, praised her on the size of the Turkey and took it into the kitchen. A hour and a half later, I served a beautiful smoked Turkey to my guest. No one even picked up on the fact that the Turkey was smoked instead of roasted except MY mom. Thankfully she said nothing until we were alone. The sad thing is my daughter has the cooking skill of my mother in law. But thankfully, she also has her loving kind heart and that outweighs cooking any day!

It was around 2009 when our flat screen TV began to require several tries before it would turn on. You knew it was finally going to turn on when you heard the “ka-blink” sound. Finally, one day it would not turn on at all. My wife confidently said, “You can fix anything. Can you fix the TV?””. I expressed my skepticism as my electronic expertise and experience were very limited. But I also didn’t want to just give up despite my prejudice that modern TVs were not ” fixable”. My guess was that the power supply had failed so I began a Google search for how to replace the power supply on a Samsung TV. I found an article titled something to the effect of ” I don’t know much about electronics but this worked for me”. Seemed like a good place to start.

The article was excellent with a description and photos of the capacitors that can fail. If they are swollen or leaking, replace them. Removing the capacitors was the main technical challenge but the article described the entwined copper wire yarn that draws out the solder as you melt it. The real challenge was finding replacement capacitors. Only one store in metro Atlanta had them. Took two days to find the store. I needed 3 but bought several extras for a total of somthing like $8. The guy at the store said, “ Nobody fixes anything anymore.””

Installing was fairly straightforward soldering. Tried to be careful to not overheat anything. It helps your confidence when you consider the TV was dead and most people would have just tossed it. Anyway, the moment of truth came. Pressed the ” On” button on the remote and (after an anxious delay) ” ka-blink”!! I felt like Tom Hanks when he declared ” I have made fire! “. I basked in my wife’s admiration for the rest of the day. The TV still works and I still have the extra capacitors, just in case.

I wish I could cite and thank the person who took the time and effort to post the fix. It was excellent.

My sister fell from the 4th floor when I was 16 years old and fought for her life for two whole years.

When you fall from such a height, it’s most often not the impact that kills you.

It’s the fall.

Most people falling from such a height, faint before impact – and they fall on their back.

Their spine breaks, ruptures, and is torn to shreds and most of them die or are paralyzed their entire lives.

But, my Didi, was awake through the fall.

She fell on her legs.

Later doctors told us that, that was the only reason she’d survived.

On impact, her right leg, which bore the maximum impact, was torn to bloody shreds.

Her right foot had an entire piece fall off from where it was attached.

When I saw her – the white sheet that covers patients was red with blood.

I saw bone where flesh was supposed to be.

When I saw the X ray for the first time, I couldn’t help but hopelessly cry.

Part of her hip bone was just bone dust.

Literally! Literally bone dust where bone should be.

This further complicated her surgery when she was admitted to the ICU.

Bone fragments could have ruptured her blood vessels – or so the doctors said.

Forget walking ever, doctors told us she had a ten percent chance of survival.

My Didi spent two years in the hospital and missed her board exams (12th) that year.

Next year, carried on a stretcher, she was ferried from the hospital in an ambulance and she sat for her 12th boards.

That year – she scored 92 in her boards with a 94 in Physics and Maths.

Her school awarded her an Exceptional Student award and gifted her a phone and a certificate for her achievements.

Today, she has two degrees to her name.

One in Physics and another in Hotel Management.

She’s preparing for a third degree – an MBA this year.

Today, she’s working for a subsidiary of Google in Hyderabad, all alone in a different city.

The limp is still visible, but barely.

Inspiration?

This word doesn’t even begin to explain what I feel when I look at her.

She’s a living, breathing miracle.

Literally — a living, breathing miracle.

My favorite family story.

I am an only child, and my parents were a challenge. They did not get easier, as they got older. My family (me, the husband and two sons) lived about 2 and a half hours away and would always go home for Christmas, usually bringing food, since there was no guarantee that there would be anything in the house to eat, and all restaurants are closed on Christmas (my parents survived on black coffee, white toast and McDonalds, and surprisingly, it had no effect on their longevity).

One year, my mother insisted that, instead of my cooking, we should all go to the Legion Hall to the ‘friends’ dinner, for the old, lonely and homeless.

Well, technically, we weren’t lonely, we were together. And they could have as much food as they wanted, since I was willing to bring it. But Mom wanted to go to this meal, and I wasn’t going to deny her what she wanted on Christmas day.

So, off we all go to the Legion. Mom sees someone she knows and sits down with them. My father follows, sitting down with her. She totally ignores the fact that there is no room for the rest of us to sit with her. Dad gives me a shrug, but doesn’t say anything (because, in my family, this is just Mom being Mom and we roll with it).

My family grabs a four top by the bar and we eat our meals rolling our eyes and shaking our heads.

There was an empty seat on the table by my Mom. A reporter for the local newspaper takes it and interviews her. The next day, she is on the front page of the local paper complete with photograph, announcing that the people that put on these meals for those who need them are “angels.”

Apparently, though it did not make it to the paper, (THANK GOD) she also told the reporter all about her daughter “the famous author” (I’ve written a bunch of books and she was really proud). But anyone who knew her knew that story already. She did not bother to mention that I was in the room with them at the time.

And that is how the entire town learned that I had abandoned my mother and made her eat alone at the Legion on Christmas.

Some of my work. A comic theme.

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Had a friend who decided to purchase a small gift shop in Western Washington to add to the several they already owned near Tacoma. This one was a bit farther away from their home, so they would have less of a day to day contact with the location. The former owner had recommended the retain the manager that worked for them for many years, and so they did. They were very happy with this decision, and for a couple of years this manager would not only run the store on a daily basis, but come in on vacations and days off and do the books, payroll, stock ordering etc.

Problem? This store, even though it was in a more rural location, less rent, lower pay all around, was still not as profitable as they thought it should be.

How did they uncover the problem? The manager had a grandbaby born in Seattle, and she decided to spend a couple of weeks with them to help out.

Old school cash registers would have what we would call a “z” tape that would total up transactions at the end of the day (and subtotals whenever you wanted one throughout the day) to tell you what sold, amount of cash, checks, charge cards, refunds, etc. In theory, every day one would take that tape and balance the amount of receipts against what was in the till.

Problem? My friend could not get the tape to balance against receipts by the method that had been used to balance as proscribed by the manager. There was too much money every day. It turns out here in Washington, we have a Sales tax of about 9.7%. The manager would use the PRE TAX amount on the Z tape to balance the daily amounts, and keep the tax amount.

So, for 3 years my friend owned the store, the manager had pocketed that amount of cash every day, and probably for many years back. They store was grossing about $600k a year at that time, so she pocketed about $54k a year cash as well as her salary.

And if you know about these kind of stories, often the owners do not want to have publicity in this kind of situation. So instead of having the sheriff charge in this case, they actually caught her taking items from the the store (a baby album!) and cited that as reason for termination. But then they showed her the rest of what she knew, and they ended up getting a partial restitution.

Lesson? If you have a manager of staff member that does not take time off, be suspicious.

AND: you have to make sure that IRS records are correct, or you are liable for the additional taxes.

Hope this answers the question,

Rick Olson

Money, money, money (always sunny, in a rich man’s world)

I was at a wedding this summer when I asked a friend of mine, who is a history professor specializing in 18th century Ottoman history, why he believed that the Ottomans would start suffering from major issues in the 19th century. (The word ‘decline’ is, for some reasons I’ll try to go into, not necessarily true for the 18th century).

He, of course in the traditional academic manner, said that careers could be made studying even a minor area of the subject and to be wary of teleological explanations, and the usual jazz.

So, I rephrased and asked him, “If you had a time machine to take you to the beginning of the 18th century, what would you have done differently, assuming you wanted the Ottomans to have survived?”

He thought for a while and answered, “If we have the technology for time travel, I’m going to assume that we would have the technology for bringing others with us as well.”

“Sure”.

“Then, I’d bring with me around fifty German and Swiss accountants to take charge of Ottoman finances.”

“Not Turkish ones?”

“Better safe than sorry.”

“So you would not have found a clever way of killing off the unruly Janissaries, like Peter the Great did with his unruly soldiers?”

“The Janissaries were not the problem. They were not necessarily bad soldiers. They were cheap soldiers and they suffered from low morale. And because they were paid so little, most of them ended up doing other jobs as well.”

So there’s the rub – the unruly Janissaries were not the problem. They were the symptom of the problem which was money.

Indeed, most of the other (quick and easy) explanations don’t really hold water or go to the heart of the matter: for example, technological lag. Hold on to your hats because I am about to blow your minds but the Ottomans, at no point in their history, had a significant technological handicap compared to their European neighbors. This was especially true for the 18th Century. First, speaking of military technologies:

  1. The Ottomans had the same military technologies as their European counterparts. The story of the Ottomans’ “massive (anachronistic) bombards” is just a story. Whether it be the caliber of the guns, their metallurgy or the mixture ratio for gunpowder, the Ottomans had no major differences with most of their European contemporaries.
  2. The military technology between 1600 and the Napoleonic Wars did not have major leaps that the Ottomans could be left behind in. Ottomans employed many European experts, not just in the 18th century, but throughout their entire history. (Orban and his famous guns, anyone?)
  3. Well into the 19th century, weaponry continued to be produced with traditional (i.e. artisanship) methods instead of mass production across Europe. Ottomans had begun their military defeats before the 1850s, so the proliferation of mass produced weapons (which they ended up buying in the 19th and early 20th centuries anyway) could not be a factor in their earlier defeats.

For the rest of their “technology”, we can give the example of Russia, which remained mostly agrarian until the second half of the 19th century. Further, even after the freeing of the serfs, their industrialization was slow, which led to major problems in the First World War. They also had a low literacy rate. Yet, along with England, they were the major Great Power for most of the 19th Century. One thing that Russia had was a large population (although China, with a large population, did not fare so well), but other than that, their main difference with the Ottomans was their centralized and bureaucratized state apparatus.

The “nationalism” of minorities itself was an issue tied to money. Again, contrary to the general narrative, the “millet” system was not a thing de jure until the 19th, and de facto until the middle of the 18th Century and was born of the economic issues of the Empire. How so? Tax farming under the ayans became a major source of revenue in the 18th Century. In this system, the government would auction the right to collect taxes for a lump sum in Istanbul. Important figures such as ministers, princesses, harem women, would buy such privileges. Then, since they did not want to (or could not) travel to the regions that produced their income, they would work with local notables, ayans (who could be Muslim or Christian), to collect their taxes. Well, in this tax farming system, the Rum patriarch in Istanbul, for example, was a “tax farmer in chief” and by delineating an important financial function to such groups, the Ottomans allowed for them to make power grabs elsewhere, such as increasing control over their Christian flock, which would culminate in the “millet” system, wherein the various religious heads became the final authority on the legal issues (or education) of their flock. The Hellenizing project under the new Greek state, its support by the patriarchate (albeit not immediately), and the inability of the central government to stop it, was one of the major reasons behind one of the aggressive and usually quite bellicose nationalisms that would develop among the Christian Ottomans.

Also, the change from a centralized to a subcontracted “sekban” (mercenary) system of military recruitment where the central government would send “banners” to the local officials and notables, who would collect and arm the peasants in the beginning of the 17th Century created a large number of armed men in Anatolia, leading to the “Celali Revolts“. This created a mass migration of the peasants to the cities and mountains all throughout Anatolia, called “Büyük Kaçgun” – (The Great Flight). So depopulated was the countryside that many lands would grow wild and not become cultivated again until they were resettled with Balkan, Crimean and Caucasian refugees fleeing ethnic cleansing two centuries later in the 1800s.

The Ottomans could collect so little tax in the 18th Century that with this new tax farming system, only 30% of all the taxes that were collected found their way into government coffers. But the local ayans, provincial notables, and tax farmers could usually not get enough money from their cut to be able to invest in major infrastructure projects or other developmental investments, contributing to the vicious cycle of decentralization.

This left the Ottomans with an underpaid and in many cases (of sekban units provided by the local notables) a poorly and haphazardly supplied army with chronically low morale.

Losing wars led to the further loss of taxable lands and as the Christian population slowly developed into openly hostile nations, the internal problems and external ones compounded.

In the 19th century, to pay for a large army and a navy, the Ottomans would bankrupt themselves, and until the construction of railways in the late 19th Century, would not be able to successfully (and even then to a very limited scope) industrialize, in spite of attempts in the 1830s. (Although the Ottoman artisans were surprisingly resilient in the face of imported, mass produced, European goods)

But it all started from a lack of funds. This, of course, should not mean that the country was poor per se. The early 18th Centry was a time of economic boom in the long peace until 1769. But even as the economy of the country developed, the finances of the state continued suffering.

One year my husband’s brother and his family hoated the family Christmas party (we alternate between the brothers)… SIL is VERY cheap one Christmas though she totally proved it.

My daughter had driven 2 hours to get there and realized her cellphone was dying. So she plugged it into a charger out of the way of where people were. Twice she went to check the status only to find it unplugged and no progress of charging. One the third time she said something. MY sister in law explained it cost money to charge a phone so she was jept unplugging it. They are very financially secure so it was totally because she was cheap.

At first my daughter thought she was joking but she sas not…she was serious. So my daughter handed her a dollar. SIL took the money, put it in her pocket and walked off. While laughing my daughter told BIL what happened. He was mortified…handed my daughter a dollar (out of sight of SIL) and showed her where to charge her phone so SIL would leave it alone.

Let’s flip the script. Imagine we’d all been driving EV’s the last hundred years, you pay $5 to fully refuel at home overnight while you sleep and never leave home without a ‘full tank’. There is practically zero maintenance and the cars are very fast and reliable with instant torque, more storage space, brakes that last the life of the car, over the air feature updates etc. The motors and battery have 8 year warranty and are expected to last at least 500,000 miles.

Then somebody invents a gas car. It’s slow, noisy, needs lots of regular repairs and maintenance. It’s full of explosive and toxic fluids. It burns fuel and emits poisonous gases even when it’s not moving. Refueling it costs $100 and you have drive to a special refueling station, you can never do it at home. Everything needs to be repaired by a specialist in a remote workshop and adding new features after you bought it is not possible. But hey, that $100 refueling can be done in just 15 extra minutes on your drive to work!

Who would buy it?

When I was living in Tempe, I lived in the back of my apartment complex, and got my own little sheltered parking spot for my Toyota. Unfortunately, it was not an uncommon occurrence for people to park in my designated spot or block it with their cars. Being as polite as I could, I would go around and knock on doors to try and get that person to move their car. Oftentimes I would be late for class.

One day, I was looking through the tenant’s rights of Maricopa County, AZ, and I found a clause that stated that the tenant has the right to remove an illegally parked vehicle. The clause then defined “an illegally parked vehicle” to mean a car that is parked in such a way that it hinders the tenant from entering or exiting their designated parking space. The clause also defined that the owner of the illegally parked vehicle is responsible for fixing any damage caused by the removal of the vehicle. The clause never stated HOW the tenant might do that, however. The county legislators probably thought that 99.99% of people would call a towing company, but I had places to be and was honestly fed up with these illegal parkers, so I was part of that other 0.01% group.

I bought towing straps on my way home from class one day, and I didn’t even have to wait a full night. In my parking space that I was paying rent for was a black Tesla. I hooked it up to my Toyota diesel pickup and dragged it out of there, tires squealing. I left it in the middle of the street, and the next morning, the owner came out and stood perplexed at the new positioning of his car.

A few days later, there was a Prius parked in front of my truck. I had to get to class but couldn’t. So, I gently pushed the Prius out of the way with my bull-bar and left it in the middle of the street. The Prius sustained a minor dent in its passenger side, and that evening when I got back from college, there were several police officers on the scene. The owner of the Prius tried to charge me with a hit and run, but after I showed the officers the picture that I took of the Prius blocking my truck in, and the clause from the tenant’s rights document, and the lease proving that I was the rightful occupant of the parking spot, they determined that the Prius owner was at fault and was responsible for the damages.

My favorite instance of this was when somebody parked a total lemon in my spot and had leaked oil all over the concrete. The lease said that oil-leakers were strictly prohibited, so I had to do something special for this guy. I got a piece of metal wire and bet it over into a hook. Underneath the car, I reached up with my hook and pulled the hood release cable. Once I had the hood open, I located the fuse-box and took out the fuse that would allow the car to start. I then proceeded to yank the car out of my spot into the street, business as usual. The next morning, his car was still there, in the middle of the street, a decently sized puddle of oil underneath it. He was on his phone talking angrily, presumably with a towing company. I didn’t have to be anywhere that day, so I watched the chaos ensue through my window.

Several more times this happened, and eventually, word got around that my parking spot was not safe to park in front of. Everyone could tell if there was a newbie in town, because they would park in front of my spot, and subsequently get yanked. Thanks, Maricopa County!

Around 2008 I was in the engineering lab working on the design of my latest project. The CEO came in and asked me it I could look at an NC lathe on the factory floor.

The controller went out on the 30 year old machine. There had been no replacements available for about 20 years. This machine made the “Secret Sauce” part of our flagship product. This machine had never given trouble before.

The manufacturer’s representative declared it a write off and told us it would be at least 3 months to get a replacement machine for $30,000. Plus shipping from Germany. While we could farm out making the part, the reason we made it ourselves is that in the Los Angeles area there was so much military work going on for serious money that it would have been months to get someone else to make the parts.

We would lose months of sales and 40–50 people were facing layoff. So while this was not in my job description I went out for a look.

I took the controller board out and set it on my bench and could not see anything obvious. So starting with the power input I started doing resistance tests on the rectifier diodes. Son of a gun. The third one I checked showed it was shorted. We did not carry the 1N4002 in lab stock. So I put in a 1N4007 which costs about 15 cents versus the 8 cents of the original part.

I put the controller back in and the machine fired right up. The machinist started saying words of what seemed like joy in his native Vietnamese.

I went back to my bench and carried in with my project. Dashing off an email to the CEO that the machine was working again. All in a day’s work. Saving about a ton of high grade steel from going to the junk yard and keeping the factory floor workers earning a pay check.

Little was said but at the Christmas party a couple months later the CEO hands me my Christmas bonus and whispers to me to not tell anyone about it. Instead of my usual $500 bonus was a check for $5,000.

The machine was still running fine when I moved back to Canada in 2010.

In the west…

  • Jesus has long blonde hair and a six pack.
  • China’s economy is collapsing as GDP growth is 5.20%, while the U.S. economy is booming with 2.50% growth
  • In the west they believe Sri Lanka was debt trapped by China. Investigations revealed that the country had to repay loans to the west.
  • In the U.S. they believe China is the main cause for global warming, they don’t realise that they’ve emitted more Co2 than any other country and their emissions per capita are almost twice as much when compared to China.
  • In the west they believe they are leading the transition to zero emissions, but the reality is China is the biggest producer of solar, wind, and hydro power and has the largest fleet of EVs.
  • In the U.S. they believe they are free and yet they incarcerate more of their own population than any other country and their children need to pass a metal detector when they enter school.
  • In the west they believe the Belt and Road initiative is bad, but they believe the Marshall Plan was good despite they’re both the same thing except China’s is a much grander scale.
  • In the U.S. they believe the Chinese force their companies to hand over technology, in reality it’s a deal signed by both sides.
  • In the west they believe China is oppressing Tibetans, in reality they saved them from feudalism.
  • In the west they think China has committed genocide in Xinjiang while Israel has the right to defend themselves.
  • In the U.S. they believe they have democracy, in reality they’re just picking a millionaire to run their country. In the U.K., the choice is another Oxford graduate.
  • In the US they believe TikTok is a national security concern despite everything is based in the west.
  • In the west they believe they uphold human rights in reality they’ve been in multiple wars causing millions of death and even more displaced.

Really who is brainwashed?

I had some small yellow cable ties for doing up the zips on my bag so that my larger non carry on bags can’t be opened when out of my sight. (Well… at least make it harder). These things would be something like 8 to 10cm’s long. Like I said, small as far as cable ties go.

Something like these ones. Only I had four.

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main qimg a89a0d44928f27e43a5f9995b1e26de5

This immigration (What the US calls a TSA Officer) woman is going through my bag because she suspects something is in the bag that I shouldn’t have. She can’t find what she’s looking for (I think I know what she’s looking for, however I let her try and find them. In one of the front pockets on my laptop bag she finds these small yellow cable ties.

TSA Woman:
“Arh ha… there they are.”

Me:
“What? Are you going to tell me you saw these four small plastic cable ties on the X-ray machine? Not likely love. Anyway, what’s wrong with wanting to secure my bags with these anyway?”

TSA Woman:
“You can’t have cable ties on a plane” she says louder so she gets the back up and support of the her colleagues on the other side of the bags counter.

I nodded, and replied:
“Yeesss you’re so right… I mean, how many people’s thumbs could I tie together with those massive cable ties on the plane. I reckon I could take out the entire first class row with those bad boys, if the passengers agreed to hold their thumbs together and still long enough.”

Her colleagues are now looking away and sniggering, some not knowing where to look.

“Hang on” I said… “I reckon I could tie up rows two and three with my laptop lead here, and not to mention my iPhone cable for charging.” As I took my laptop lead out of my bag and proudly held it above my head like I was declaring it for immediate confiscation. “If I could get all of the fourth row to stand up, and be patient for just a few minutes, with a bit of jostling, maybe even one more person from the fifth row, I could really do some damage with this” as I reached into my laptop bag and pulled out my iPhone lead.

Nothing, silence, a few sniggers… then…

TSA Woman:
“Well, you can’t have them on the plane, I’ll have to confiscate them.” She starts to walk to the bin and drop them in there.

Me:
I then said “Hang on bring them back here.” My thought was to just use them… you know, run them through on each other so they don’t get used by any of the TSA staff later as a reward for confiscating my four lonely little yellow cable ties, and because I wanted to make a big deal out of it. Hell… I’d come this far so why not.

However, I suddenly remembered how to use what I knew she was originally looking for. I pulled out a pair of scissors from my bag and took the cable ties from her and cut all four of the small yellow cable ties in an instant.

TSA Woman:
”That’s what I was looking for” and she quite literally snatched the scissors out of my hand whilst my fingers are still in the holes. (Not nice…. )

“Everyone knows you can’t takes scissors on a plane” she proudly boasts out louder than even the cable ties got a mention for early, because now she has to save face with her colleagues, whilst she practically does a basketball layout on the way to the bin and slam dunks those scissors into the bin. She looks around very proud of herself.

“Excuse me lady” her smile still beaming as she looks around and then at me. “Can you get them out of the bin now? (smile now completely wiped from her face.) I think you’ll find THOSE scissors are legal on flights. They’re medical scissors with the bend on the blades. Whilst I know it’s not common knowledge you can carry these on a plane, I expected you would know, however it appears you didn’t and I’d really like to get to the Qantas club lounge before my flight. So if you can get them out quickly it would be much appreciated.”

main qimg 9c1d8b2de093733b57e540c6d5567240
main qimg 9c1d8b2de093733b57e540c6d5567240

They sort of looked like these, without the black. At the time they were legal on flights. I don’t know the rules now.

TSA woman looks around in absolute dismay. I’m standing there with my hand out. I can’t wait to see her dive into the bin that would have be at least three feet tall. I so wish I was allowed to use my phone and video this right now, however, in this area of the airport, photography of any kind is banned. Video or still… not allowed.

TSA Women gets a supervisor, she isn’t having any of this. I’m at least three hours early for my flight, I’ve got heap of time spare, I don’t care and I can’t wait to see how this ends. The supervisor comes over to have a word to me. I am allowed to explain the situation first when the supervisor says “What seems to be the problem?”.

I explain the above to the supervisor without all of the “glee” the TSA Woman had shown, whilst being able to very successfully hold back my own thoughts of this woman being head first in the bin retrieving my scissors, with her feet up in the air. (Still makes me smile even now)

The supervisor turns to the TSA woman and asks her to “Retrieve the evidence please”. In absolute horror and dismay, the TSA woman goes to the bin, puts the bin on it’s side and empties the bin right there on the floor. (I so wanted to have my vision be fulfilled, however, I could see she was a bit smarter than that.) Of course a thin pair of metal scissors will go straight to the bottom of the bin. No exception on this day for that rule either. Everything coms out of the bin, and yep,… there was nothing else to get out, except my lonely scissors. Even my four lonely (now cut) cable ties came out near the start.

Her colleagues are sorting other people baggage, whilst sort of watching with sideways glances at what the TSA Woman was doing, and trying to hold back smiles. One other TSA employee looked at me, and she couldn’t stop the smile, I thought she was going to bust out laughing. She did well and held the laughter in.

The TSA Woman… The offending, basketball playing, self confident, “Look at me I have the power to confiscate scissors and four cable ties… TSA Woman, eventually finds the scissors, hands them to the supervisor like a nurse hands scissors and a scalpel in the movies to a surgeon. I have no idea what’s going to happen next, but this was kind of fun and i was all in now. It’s like I was watching someone else. I had no stress no concern, this was like a seen from a sitcom, only I had written it without the ending, after all, what was the worst they can do, take my scissors off me again? I had already had this woman go and retrieve my scissors from the bin, and had her colleagues witness it, I’m already a mile in front. You can have the four yellow cable ties and the scissors… I’m good at this point.

The TSA Supervisor (Oh… who is also a woman, sorry I missed that point earlier)) takes a half second look at the scissors as the scissors hit her hand. She turns to me and says “Happy travels Sir” and hands the scissors back to me with a smile.

When I turned my back, I couldn’t get the smile off my face, I nearly bust out laughing as I walked up to the Qantas lounge and waited for my flight.

Never saw her again.

Good. Very good.

It was right after I gave my two weeks notice. My manager came to my desk on Monday morning and said, “Mike, coffee is now your duty until you leave.”

I smiled and kept doing my work.

The next day he calls me. “Mike, I thought I told you you’re in charge of coffee?”

“I am in charge of coffee, yes and I see that we need a fresh pot. Can you handle this for us since you seem to be an expert.”

He laughed and said, “We all know that already. You brew the pot of coffee, Mike, Not me. Come on.”

“Well, I am a little busy now and will get to it when I can,” I replied. I stayed at my desk for an hour an half working away! No care for him or the coffee.

Then he comes to my desk and says, “Mike, where is my coffee?”

I stood up, looked him straight in the eye and said, “Let’s go have a quick talk while I brew you a fresh cup of coffee.”

We got to the break room. I stood by the coffee machine and said. “Listen, I gave you my notice, but that doesn’t mean you need to make my life difficult and belittle me. I really do not appreciate your tone and remarks. I am reporting you to HR. I find it very offensive and it looks like retaliation.”

He stumbles in his shoes and starts to stutter, “Ah, Mike, I was just joking around and didn’t mean anything by it.”

I stayed quiet.

He kept going on and on. I walked out of the break room and headed to the elevator.

He was still talking and asked, “Mike, can we talk about it?”

I stopped and looked at him. I could see the entire floor looking from under their cubicle walls. “I don’t think we need to talk about it anymore, I will be right back.” By then I clicked and called the elevator. The door opens up, I jump in and the door closes.

I know what he was thinking – Oh, crap! He is going to HR.

I went to the vending machine on the same floor as HR and got myself a drink!

I waited a bit, chatting with some co-workers, then I went back up.

He did not even look at me.

I sat at my desk and the whole day he did not even cross in front of my desk, not even once – like a scared rabbit hiding in his hole.

I told everyone on my team about what I did and everyone was waiting to see how he would react or what he would do the next day.

The next morning I came in and dumped the coffee pot, brewed a new one. While walking to my desk, I stopped by his cube and said, “I just brewed a fresh pot of coffee.”

He jumps up from his seat and says, “Oh! Thanks, Mike, you didn’t have to!”

As soon as I sat down, my coworker that sat right next to me said, “What a Punk.”

“You said it, not me!” I replied

In the end, I felt good that I stood my ground and did not fall victim to his actions. He never came and asked me if I reported him to HR. He asked two of my team members and both said: “I am not sure!”

He wanted to make a joke and make me feel unwelcomed or belittled. In the end, he was a joke and was called a punk. Who knows what others thought of him?

”Generosity is giving more than you can, and pride is taking less than you need” — Khalil Gibran

Acapulco Chicken Pizza

495950155
495950155

Yield: 4 servings

Ingredients

  • 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
  • 3/4 pound fresh boneless, skinless chicken breasts, sliced
  • 1 package Ortega Taco Seasoning Mix (regular) or 2 tablespoons homemade Taco Seasoning
  • 3 tablespoons cayenne pepper
  • 5 tablespoons Ortega Thick & Smooth Taco Sauce (medium)
  • 2 (12 inch) flour tortillas
  • 8 ounces Ortega Refried Beans
  • 1/4 cup Ortega Thick & Smooth Taco Sauce (medium)
  • 1/4 cup Monterey Jack cheese, grated
  • 1/4 cup Cheddar cheese, grated
  • 2 cups lettuce, shredded
  • 2 avocados, seeded, peeled and mashed
  • 1 tomato, diced

Instructions

  1. Add oil to a large heated skillet; stir in chicken, taco seasoning mix and cayenne pepper and cook until browned.
  2. Stir in first amount of taco sauce and remove from the heat.
  3. On a large plate, place flour tortillas; divide and spread with refried beans, being sure to cover the entire tortilla.
  4. Add the chicken mixture over the beans and sprinkle remaining taco sauce, grated Monterey Jack cheese and grated Cheddar cheese on top.
  5. Bake at 375 degrees F until the cheese is bubbly, about 10 minutes.
  6. Remove and cut into wedges.
  7. Serve with shredded lettuce, mashed avocados, and diced tomato.

In the late 1970s, my mom was refurbishing a house in Mt. Helix, just outside of San Diego. There was a guy who pulled up in a truck from a carpet installation business and asked about the project, and whether they were going to be needing new carpets for the house. She thought something was a little off with him, so she said that they had not yet decided what they were going to do, and that they had a prospective buyer who wanted the original hardwood floors.

He kept trying to sell her on some carpeting for the stairs, etc. until her partner in the project, a contractor (who she was also having an affair with, but that is another story entirely) who was 6’ 4” and a Vietnam Vet came out to ask a question. The guy almost immediately stopped talking, handed her his card and left. She threw away the card and figured that was the end of it.

The next week, he called our house, and I answered the phone and he said he had been speaking with her about carpeting for the house and was she available? She wasn’t home, so I took a message which was just his name and number. I gave her the message and she thought it was weird, but did not connect it with the guy in the truck, because she hadn’t gotten his name the first time.

Then he called again, and my brother took a message and she realized who these messages were coming from, but she had not given him our phone number. At the time, you could go to the DMV, and ask for the registration info for a car by giving the license plate number and paying $3 for it. (After actress Rebecca Schaefer was murdered by a stalker who did this, they stopped that service, but that was a few years later). My mom called the police about this guy, and they later found out that this was how he got our number.

After that, we started getting frequent hang up calls at our house. She said she thought islt was this guy, and my dad said he didn’t think so, and she was worrying over nothing. But she stopped going out to the worksite and eventually just sold her half of the project to the contractor.

But soon afterward, she got a call from a police detective who wanted to ask some questions about the guy. Like do you know this guy, and from where, and why are there so many calls to your house from him, etc. Eventually, they even asked my brother and I what he had said when we answered the phone. All the information we had was his name and phone number.

About 5 years later, it was on the news that they had arrested the guy for serial murders. His story is all kinds of horrible, but he was thought to have brutally raped up to six women and murdered them, along with their children in some cases. How brutally? They called them the Throat Slash Murders, because he cut their throats so deeply that the spine was visible from the hole in the front of their throats.

He was convicted of three of the killings, and he is now on death row in California.

David Allen Lucas – Wikipedia

Why isn’t anyone noticing?

It is precisely because they have two different life experiences of living in China and living abroad that they understand that the American-style democratic system is the real dictatorship, but the “people are the masters of the country” advocated by the Chinese government is the real democracy system.

Some new immigrants lie to please the United States. In the United States, not only is lying an inalienable right (the freedom to lie), but hypocrisy is a virtue. 😂

Don’t look at the American media talking about “China” all day long. In fact, most Americans know nothing about China. They don’t even know where China is.

Most Americans have never left the United States. Many Americans don’t even have passports. Even if they have passports, they will only go to Canada and Cancun at most. However, the number of Chinese citizens traveling abroad reached 155 million in 2019.

For example, when Trump visited India, Modi confided to him his concerns about China’s border policies. Trump was very strange and said, “India and China are not bordering each other, so what are you worried about?”

When you meet someone new and they start talking about a topic you know everything about, let them finish.

Don’t hijack the conversation, just because you can. Yes, it’s great that they care about the same stuff you do. Yes, you can contribute a lot here.

But that doesn’t mean they might not know a thing or two you don’t.


Scenario 1: Boy meets girl.

Girl: I actually know quite a bit about cars. My favorite is the 997 Porsche Turbo S, that was a great model…

Boy cuts her off: …yeah totally, I love that car, man, 530 hp, 700 Nm, and geez, the launch time, 3.3 seconds!

Girl: Mmhmm! *nods politely but dies a bit inside*


Scenario 2: Boy meets girl.

Girl: I actually know quite a bit about cars. My favorite is the 997 Porsche Turbo S, that was a great model…

*Boy draws breath, but then just closes his mouth*

Girl: …not only because of the insane hp and torque, but also because it was their fastest production car ever! Porsche claimed its 0–60 time to be 3.3 seconds in the brochure, but most magazines actually measured it with a 2.6.

Oh and I just love that test on Top Gear where they pit the convertible against a VW Beetle, falling from the sky. That’s one of the funniest “races” I’ve ever seen:

Boy:

Spits out, and coughs.

Talking is easy. Listening is a virtue.

Every single person you’ll ever meet knows something you don’t.

Play dumb and you might find: in a way, we all still are.

This is absolutely stunning and worth your time to watch.

My friend Tucker just got clean three months ago. It is so awesome to watch him blossom into someone so beautiful, that it brings tears to my eyes.

Tucker does this thing when he talks. It’s this slow, drawn, half-country, half-ghetto — all man thing that just makes me laugh and smile.

Tucker can’t see how beautiful he is and all the wonderful things that await him if he can just hang on for a minute, or a day, or a year.

Today I ran out of cigarettes at work. I asked Tucker if I could have one of his. Tucker more than obliged and handed me his all but half-pack and said: “Here you go, you can have the rest.”

Tucker is so generous in recovery. Tucker is willing to give everyone — everything he has.

My first thought was how awesome that was. I get eight smokes for the price of — n o n e. And then I saw it. I saw myself. I got angry.

Tucker is so willing to give everything away. I was him, or maybe Tucker is me.

The saddest case of addiction that I’ve ever seen is the case where the addict finally gets clean and is willing to give everything away — and people take it.

It may sound insignificant, but I assure you it’s not.

Addicts, like myself, are so used to having nothing. The moment we have something, even an almost half-pack of smokes, we’re willing to give it away.

It’s sad. It hurts me to think of why an addict is so willing to give so much of themselves in early recovery.

I want to be normal. I want you to like me. I want your love and your friendship.

I just want to be normal.

I don’t get high.

Now I don’t fit in with the people that still get high and I feel like I’ll never fit in with you.

Leon

There was a coworker back in the early 90′s who I thought was your stereotypical red-neck trailer trash kinda girl. She was from Alabama, and spoke with a heavy southern accent.

One time there was a bunch of us who went out after work on a Friday night. That night, we just happened to be all white. It was a normal evening. No heavy drinking, just idle chat. A couple guys started making racial comments about a black couple that walked in. Stuff like, “they don’t serve fried chicken here” & “bet they ask for water melon”. One even said something about how nice it was before they allowed colored people in places like this.

The red-neck girl spoke up rather loudly and said (and I’m paraphrasing here since I don’t remember word-for-word), “Hey, what’s your problem? Those are PEOPLE you’re talking about. PEOPLE! Racism is WRONG! WRONG! Shut up!”

She stared at them for a moment and went back to sipping her diet Coke. The guys downed their drinks and left. I smiled at her, and things returned to normal.

Except my respect for her grew exponentially. And, ironically, I got a lesson on prejudice.

It just hit her hard.

China is at war right now.

China has been fighting a war with the United States since 2008.

It is an under-reported war. The Western media does NOT report on it. Instead, they produce “news” and describe it as something else.

Intentional Misreporting.

  • An American “stealth” submarine “accidentally” slams into an uncharted undersea mountain.
  • One hundred Space-X satellites tumble to the ground because of a freak solar flare.
  • The “pro-democracy” movement in HK fizzed out and died for no reason at all.
  • An Australian submarine crew is shaken up by Chinese “sonar blasts”.
  • Recovery efforts in the South China Sea was to recover an F-22 that accidentally crashed during carrier take off.

Unreported news

As well as a slew of unreported news…

  • China and Russia publish a casus belli against the United States.
  • American generals, formally listed as “retired”, are captured in Ukraine.
  • The round up and execution of all CIA and NED assets in Hong Kong.
  • China opens up strategic oil pipelines with Russia.

Fake News & and lies

And, of course, a flood of lies known as “fake news”…

  • China sending spy dirigibles disguised as weather balloons.
  • Chinese military are all conscripts.
  • China infiltrating Americans private data via Tiktoc.
  • 3G causes gas pumps to explode. 4G cases planes to crash. 5G causes brain cancer.

And so on and so forth.

If the United States was currently winning the war against China, it would be front page news. The mere fact that it is hidden is strongly suggestive that the United States is losing; floundering in this effort.

Honestly, this current period of time is just a continuation of the 1960’s era “cold war”. NATO has acquired just about ALL of the Western Russian buffer states. And NATO is (territoriality speaking) piece by piece disassembling the Russian defense perimeter so that the ultimate conquest of Russia can occur.

And it almost did.

Almost.

And once Russia was a “head case”, and looted, pillaged, and the USA-backed oligarchs ran the nation as some kind of medieval fiefdom, the looting of China can finally occur. As that was the plan all along.

Oh, yeah. It’s not going that way.

But it’s coming near to “High Noon” at the “OK corral”.

Yikes!

So China and the USA are in decade two of the long drawn out war hostilities. So far, the clear winner is China. But the American (and proxy) “leadership” have a vision and somehow believe things that are not real; are not true, and will never be true will manifest in their favor.

Which makes believe that they are all delusional psychopaths…

Thinking and wishing something to happen in this physical world will NOT make it occur. Actions will. And the actions by the West are completely and totally inept.

Oh a physical hot war is still on the table.

It will begin as a provocation; an American “false flag” event, that will push China into some kind of response.

And a proxy nation or two will engage China.

And America will have tricked China into a war.

However…

I am of the mind that China knows what the “cats paw” is actually all about, and will strike American cities, and Americans on American soil. China will make life for average Americans as uncomfortable as possible and that internal strife will bring about a civil war that American will not survive.

Stay tuned to stage two of this global catastrophe…

Confusing

China will lead this modern world. Can the West’s democracy survive China’s rise to dominance?

The West—both the United States and the European Union—is, in historical terms, in precipitous decline.

The BRICS countries, led by China, now accounts for just under 60% of global GDP, compared with around 33% in the mid-1970s.

The great story of the post-war era has been the rise of the developing world, representing around 85% of humanity, and the decline of the old developed world, accounting for around 15% of humanity.

China increasingly ranks on a par with the United States to the extent that it is now regarded by the latter as a threat to its global ascendancy.

China’s governing system, long derided in the West, has emerged as a formidable challenger to America’s democratic system. Over the last 40 years, there is no question which has been more effective and which has delivered most for its people.

The greatest danger is not the rise of China but how the United States will react to China’s rise and its own consequent loss of primacy.

The rise of illiberalism in America is not an accident.

It coincides with the dawning recognition of American decline and a desperate desire to prevent it.

It should be remembered that the heyday of Western democracy corresponded with the zenith of Western hegemony. But can the West’s democracy survive the decline of Western global dominance?

If the West is able to retain and renew its best values, in a world in which it enjoys a much diminished role and China is predominant, such a world will be the better for it.

  1. Never tell people about your bad or dishonest behavior.
  2. Listen actively and avoid dominating conversations or interrupting others.
  3. Treat others with kindness and avoid using them for personal gain.
  4. Respect the boundaries of others and avoid getting involved with married individuals.
  5. Live within your means and avoid overspending or accumulating debt.
  6. Only make promises or plans if you genuinely intend to follow through and remember them.
  7. Communicate respectfully without using swear words or yelling at anyone.
  8. Be cautious about sharing personal information that could be used against you in the future.
  9. Don’t pursue romantic or friendship relationships out of boredom or loneliness.
  10. Only engage in romantic or sexual relationships with people you genuinely like and want to be with.

They fight dirty

We were living in a small, privately owned apartment complex when my husband and I found out we were expecting our first baby. This complex was very quiet, and the owners were very open about advertising their “Christian values”- not allowing unmarried couples to rent from them (just a sidenote, I am a Christian, and this information about their values may not seem relevant right now, but it will come into play later).

We had already been living in the apartment for over a year, so at this point we are on a month-to-month lease, with a 30-day notice required to vacate. After careful budgeting and deliberation, we decided that we were finally ready, and it was the perfect time to purchase our first home. We contacted a local realtor and started the search. After several weeks of searching, we found the perfect house and submitted an offer.

We were so excited when we got the news that our offer was accepted. We quickly handled the standard inspection, appraisal, and back-and-forth negotiations of what needed to be fixed about the home before closing. When we got the closing date set, we realized it was just over a month out and we needed to submit our 30-day notice to the apartment complex immediately.

On Feb. 28th, a Friday, there was an ice storm blowing through our city, but I walked to the leasing office to drop off the written notice anyway, along with a check for our final month’s rent, for March. When I got there, I found the office was locked tight. The garage at the side of the building was hanging wide open. Inside, I saw the head maintenance employee having his lunch. He said that no one had come into the office that day, probably due to the weather. I left the vacate notice and the rent check in the mailbox for the staff to find when they finally decided to return.

On Monday morning, March 3rd, I called the office to ask if they had gotten the notice and the check that I left in the mailbox. The receptionist said, “Oh yes, hold on one moment, the owner would like to speak with you.” Up until that point, we had had a pretty good relationship with the owner. We were quiet and respectful tenants, never had any complaints against us, paid on time, and frequently engaged in personal discussions whenever we saw each other. I thought that maybe the owner wanted to congratulate us on the pregnancy, buying our first home, or even to discuss the final move out inspection — anything but what she actually wanted to discuss.

The owner argued that because she didn’t receive the notice until after the first of the month, we would be responsible for rent through the month of April. I responded in protest, saying that I delivered the notice before the first of the month, and that it was not my fault the office was closed during what was supposed to be regular business hours, due to inclement weather. This did not sway her, and she threatened to withhold our security deposit and sue us in court for not paying rent for the month of April as well. I did not give in. I told her to do what she felt she needed to do, but we were moving out by March 31st and not paying a dime more. I was absolutely shocked at the complete 180 in her personality and demeanor.

Luckily for us, when I wrote the check for the rent for March, I included “PAID IN FULL” in the memo. I didn’t realize how much that would help us later on.

We did the final move out inspection, and the owner did the walk-through herself, trying hard to find a reason to withhold the security deposit — alas (for her), I am an excellent housekeeper and we treated our apartment as if it were our own. She was unable to notate any damage that would allow her to keep our deposit. She was very obviously irritated with this, and proceeded to repeat what she initially said — that we were still responsible for the month of April, so she could legally keep the deposit as well as sue us.

At this point, my pregnancy hormones were raging, and I was sick of her crap. I decided to beat her to the punch. I went down to the courthouse and filed a suit against her myself, in an effort to get our security deposit back because she did not have any legal grounds to keep it.

By the time our day in court came around, we had been living in our new home for several months, and I was as big as a whale, ready to pop any day. When the judge called my case, I waddled my way to the front of the court room with my little file folder full of my documentation and all the research I had been doing in the months prior.

I explained the entire situation to the judge, and showed him a copy of the check for the final month’s rent they had cashed — the check that stated “PAID IN FULL”. Because Virginia mostly rules by case law, I included a case that the Supreme Court had previously ruled on, stating that by cashing the check, the receiving party was agreeing to the terms written on the check, which invalidates any previous contract, written or verbal.

Not only did the judge agree, he ordered the apartment complex to repay our security deposit, said we were no longer responsible for any monies/rent for the month of April, and the apartment had to pay our court costs as well. I could tell he was irritated for me — the fact that I had to go through all the trouble I did to get the situation handled, during what was supposed to be the most exciting time in our lives. He was almost apologetic!

The apartment complex owner was NOT happy, and I think she even cursed at us under her breath as we were leaving the courthouse. How Christlike!

Not long after that, I gave birth to a beautiful baby girl. We still own the home we purchased, and are loving life to the fullest.

The girls expressions are great

Nokia’s failure was something that just had to happen – Nokia, realistically, couldn’t have done much about it.

In 2007, around half of all mobile phones sold were Nokia phones. These guys were massively dominant.

Below is my last Nokia, which I bought in 2007. It was a fantastic smartphone.

main qimg d7297d88bcb7020ffd9db82f6a3029de lq
main qimg d7297d88bcb7020ffd9db82f6a3029de lq

Less than 10% of all phones sold were smartphones, but even in that growing space Nokia, with its Symbian, had dominance.

main qimg 11074c44f39cd7ea2e7b817fb327a2ca pjlq
main qimg 11074c44f39cd7ea2e7b817fb327a2ca pjlq

But in 2007 something happened that you can’t really blame Nokia for. A nut job, Steve Jobs, made this insanely great smartphone that didn’t even have a keyboard, the iPhone. Not only that, he made buying apps so easy that people would actually buy them, making smartphones so much more useful.

And then, to make matters worse, Google decided to partner with every smartphone manufacturer in the world via Android, which would emulate the iPhone. And they didn’t care whether they made any money or not so gave the software for free.

I mean, what were Nokia supposed to do? It’s far more difficult changing a legacy software, like Symbian, than making an essentially new one like Google did with Android. And given they were so dominant in both hardware and software, they couldn’t have really abandoned either.

Ok, in hindsight they should have adopted Android, but fat chance that was going to happen given Android was way behind, and a competitor.

And so the reason Nokia failed was because shit happens…

Rejection

Absolutely!!!!

Frankly India is a superpower already

Just like the Laws of Physics dont apply to Indian movies, it appears laws of economics don’t apply to India

India grows at 8.4% when there is a Global Slowdown against 6.15% when there is normal Global activity

Indian shares surge 233% when the whole world is in Covid crisis and everywhere else the rules of economics are being followed

It takes China 40 years and Billions of Investment, literally Billions to pull out 800 Million People from extreme poverty

Yet India in a mere 15 years with a thirtieth of the investment can pull out 450 Million people from extreme poverty

Isnt India a superpower already?

growth
growth

China actually has to slog and work against all the odds

  • Forty years of Poverty Alleviation
  • Forty years of Industrialization
  • Two generations giving up their entire youth to ensure the present China is the way it is
  • A Hostile Global Media which belittles every Chinese Achievement including Indian Media

India meanwhile is a real super power :-

  • Not a shred of any sacrifice required
  • Not the slightest change in any system needed
  • No reforms discussed or performed
  • Yet India is an emerging economy that would be $ 50 Trillion in 2047 according to Rajeev Chandrasekhar

You do the math and figure out Indias actual chances of eclipsing China in all these fields

As for me?

I don’t trust anything India says or does in the past few years

It doesn’t gel with logic

Scott Ritter: Russia has DESTROYED Ukraine’s Army and NATO is Losing Control

Your body language always betrays you.

  • We are more likely to put our hands around our waist at a self-hug position when we are around people, than we are by ourselves.
  • When something bothers us, we tend to bite or suck our lips.
    • This includes when we are lying.
  • When there’s an issue, we tend to put our hands at the side of our hips with fingers facing outwards.
    • So we take up more space and become more territorial.
  • A lot of people tend to move their legs back and forth while talking on stage because of nervousness.
  • When we are relaxed, we sometimes tilt our heads. However as soon as something bothers us, the head tilt is gone and we position our heads straight.
  • When we are stressed, we tend to go on our phone.
    • This is to seem like we’re busy and potentially avoid the unwanted conversation. It also helps us escape from eye contact, and to have an excuse for a delayed response because “sorry I wasn’t paying attention”.
  • When we are lying but we want to calm ourselves down, we move our hands a lot.
    • Don’t mistake speaking with a lot of hand movement as a sign of confidence
  • When people question us about our lies, we tend to actively reveal a lot of somewhat related information, without directly answering the questions.
    • This is to avoid the source of stress by not answering the accusations directly, to distract the person questioning, and to seem trustworthy as you willingly tell them information.
  • When we are stressed, we want to calm ourselves down. Sometimes we put our hands on top of our heads, or cover our mouths.
  • We tend to smile when we are happy, even when we are not supposed to. This is because our emotions come before our mind processes it.
    • If someone smiles for a second and immediately stops smiling, they might be hiding something.
  • When we are stressed, our feet will be facing the door or we will look at the door once in a while. This is because our unconsciousness wants us to leave the situation.
  • Don’t think that forcing yourself to not have any body movements means that you are mind-reading-proof either, because limited movements is also a sign of discomfort.

Unfortunately, there’s no way to stop ourselves from revealing our state of mind to others. Body language never lies.

BUT

Not only can your body tells people about you, it can also directly influence your own thoughts.

  • Sitting up straight gives you energy, while slouching can make you feel sad.
  • Crossing arms can make you more determined, but it can also give people the impression that they are not welcomed.
  • Taking up more space makes you feel more confident, and gives us a feeling of power. These poses are called power poses.
    • Studies have shown that power poses will make people more willing to take risks. As we feel that luck is by our side.
    • People who have done power poses are more likely to be selfish compared to those who have done contractive poses. Because when a person feels powerful, they are less empathetic.
    • Fun fact: Donald Trump also tends to take up a lot of space to seem dominating.
  • While you naturally smile when you’re happy, smiling can also lighten up your mood when you’re sad.

Moral of this list? Use body language to your advantage, by detecting stress (and potential dishonesty) from others, and to feel more self confident!

That’s all I got for now. Perhaps I’ll update this list once I got more facts. Who knows?

EDIT

Well I’m procrastinating from work so why not add more facts that aren’t related to body language.

  • When you see something extremely adorable, do you want to squeeze it to death? That’s called the cute aggression.
    • Some study says that it’s because our brain doesn’t know how to deal with these overwhelming cuteness, thus builds aggression to get a sense of control… Freaky right?
  • There’s a theory called moral licensing. It theorizes that when people have done something moral, they feel entitled to do something bad, vise versa.
    • For instance if you have done voluntary work today, and you picked up $20 on your way home, you are less likely to give that money to the homeless than someone who haven’t done voluntary work.
  • Do you like freedom? Well, studies have shown that we feel worse when a wrong decision is made by ourselves, than when there’s no choice at all, even when the outcome is equal.
  • Your mind and behavior is heavily influenced by your brain formation. So… do we truly have free will…
  • Studies have shown that:
    • Kidney donors have a larger amygdala (area that controls emotions) than average, while psychopaths have a smaller one than average.
    • People with more conservative political views tend to have larger amygdala, while liberals have smaller ones.
    • While extroverts feel energized from the dopamine produced out of socialization, introverts are over-stimulated.
  • We are more empathetic to those who are like us. This includes the similarities in looks, skin, personality, interest, etc. This is because they are more relatable to us.
  • Do you secretly love true crimes? Or are you fascinated by what a serial killer does? Don’t worry, you’re not evil.
    • Humans fear the unknown, and by knowing what the experiences are like during these situations, for both the killer and the victims, helps us conquer that fear. When we are terrified, we dominate the situation by understanding it. This is perhaps the reason why people commit crimes as well.

Gotta get back to work now, maybe I’ll add more soon.

Have a nice day!

Japaneses beaches are The Best

No chem-tails yo.

Yes. And is a story why we cannot have nice things.

The company I work for had very chill policy about the time you had to start work. You came in 8:00, you work your 8 hours you go at home at 16:30 (30 minutes obligatory lunch brake). You came at 9:30 you work your 8 hours with 30 minutes brake you go home at 18:00. Life is good everyone’s happy.

Then this guy start coming regularly at 10, then 11, then 12 – which means that all meetings, trainings and whatnot had to be moved for everyone else because of his schedule. Obviously this wasn’t going to work so a rule was implemented – everyone should start work no late than 10:00.

That guy start coming at 10:10, 10:15, 10:30, so as his direct manager I talked with him, several times that this is unacceptable, which lead to him coming on time (9:58, 9:59 usually) for a week then get back to being late.

In the end the last drop was when we was moving the office to another floor in the same building – company wide notice was send that moving is happening next morning at 9:00 (everyone moved his/her own computer and monitors) – isn’t a big deal but this bulky Lenovo work stations weighted like 20 killos so guys helped the girls carrying the machines.

This guy? Came near or after 10:00 again, expecting someone else to have moved his equipment already. Owners of the company had enough and let me fired him same day. We even paid him a few months worth of salary just to see his back asap. The guy never understood what the problem was, and the 10:00 rule is still on place, years after he is gone.

The moral of the story is, if you have a nice benefits at work, for fuck sake do not exploit them like there is no tomorrow. Have some common sense.

Point spot on reality

2 more oil refineries went on fire in Russia today.

Drones attacked oil refineries in Syzran and Novokuybyshevsky, Samara region.

Notably, Syzran is 1,300 km from the border with Ukraine.

The governor of the region, Azarov, officially confirmed to RIA Novosti that fire broke at oil processing plants.

It’s already refineries #13 and #14 that suffered hits in Russia.

In response, Russia hit a residential building in Odesa, Ukraine, with a ballistic missile. And then Russia hit it with a ballistic missile again, targeting first responders – emergency services and medics, in an effort to obtain maximum civilian casualties.

20 people died as the result of the “double-tap” attack, more than 70 people wounded, several of them are in critical condition.

And to all these asking, “What did you expect?”, the answer is “Ukrainians expected to live their lives in their country without Russia or its useful idiots asking stupid questions”.

Ukrainian families experience pain and suffering every day. Only the complete destruction of the “beast from the east” will put an end to suffering.

Dmitry Medvedev (who always expresses what Putin wants to say but can’t) proposed the Russian version of “peace formula”: Ukraine must capitulate, the whole territory of Ukraine must become Russia, all Ukrainian officials must be removed, and Ukraine must pay a compensation to Russia for the Russian soldiers killed and wounded in the war.

So, we now have Russia’s “peace plan” — anyone who would like to suggest to Ukraine to negotiate with Russia, should be simply directed to Medvedev’s Telegram to read this remarkable plan in full.

Now any country should know: if Russia attacks you, this means they are going to keep killing your people and destroying your cities unless you surrender. And then they are going to annex your land and demand compensation for the inconvenience. And, of course, they are going to torture and kill the people who don’t love Russia, deport half of population to Siberia, and relocate Russians from Russia to live in the homes of deported locals.

This all had already happened before. The Soviet Union was attacking smaller countries and demanding capitulation, and when the governments signed capitulation, Soviets immediately began executions and deportations, and brought hundreds of thousands of their own relocants, to change the ethnic composition of the annexed territories.

There is nothings that Putin is doing now that the leaders of Russia and the Soviet Union haven’t done before. That’s what they always do.

An insult to my intelligence

What to expect from China if you are CIA / NED and Chinese

This is what Chinese do to whoever sold the country to the enemy, known as 诛九族 nine familial exterminations Nine familial exterminations – Wikipedia

, basically every person related to the collaborator would be eliminated from the society. Chinese do this to make sure things like this will never ever happen again. In India, the people who got rich by helping the British are still in charge today. Chinese people are amused by India.

Qin Hui – Wikipedia

Uh oh
Uh oh

Souper Meat ‘n’ Potatoes Pie

Souper Meat ‘n’ Potatoes Pie is a family favorite vintage recipe from Campbell’s.

soup pie
soup pie

Yield: one 9 inch pie

Ingredients

  • 1 can Campbell’s Cream of Mushroom Soup, divided
  • 1 pound ground beef
  • 1/4 cup finely chopped onion
  • 1 egg, slightly beaten
  • 1/4 cup fine dry bread crumbs
  • 2 tablespoons chopped parsley
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt
  • Dash of pepper
  • 2 cups mashed potatoes
  • 1/4 cup shredded mild cheese*
  • 2 slices cooked bacon, crumbled**

Instructions

  1. Mix thoroughly 1/2 cup soup, beef, onion, egg, bread crumbs, parsley and seasonings.
  2. Press firmly into a 9-inch pie plate.
  3. Bake at 350 degrees F for 25 minutes; spoon off fat.
  4. Frost with mashed potatoes; top with remaining soup and cheese.
  5. Bake for 10 minutes more or until done.
  6. Garnish with cooked and crumbled bacon if desired.

Notes

* We love cheese, so I normally cover the entire top of the pie with a hefty amount of cheese, more like 1 cup.

** This is my addition to the recipe. It adds a little extra flavor.

Meanwhile in Vietnam

Pakistan has a lot of harsh truths that should be understood by all Pakistanis in order to solve the nation’s issues and look towards a successful and bright future.

  1. Around 40% of Pakistan is in poverty. Balochistan, FATA, KPK and Lower Sindh are the worst affected, while urban Sindh and Northern Punjab are the most well off. 40% Pakistanis live in poverty – The Express Tribune
  • People vote in communal patterns. Karachi’s Muhajirs vote for MQM, the Sindhis vote for the PPP, the Punjabis votes for PLM-N, Pashtuns vote for PTI and the Baloch vote for various Islamist parties. Politics of ethnicity
  • The nation has seen dynastic rule for the past 44 years (with Parvez Musharraf as the interuption). The Punjabi Arain Shariffs and Sindhi Rajput Bhuttos are the power holders; similar to India’s Gandhi Dynasty, Bangladesh’s Zias and Sheikhs as well as Sri Lanka’s Bandaranaike Family. Dynastic politics
  • Lack of development, stability or a clear future. Karachi has a population that is close to parallel to Tokyo and Seoul, yet the city is embroiled in ethnic warfare and militant-ism. On the other hand, the rest of the world is advancing in every direction. In Karachi, Pakistan, few families are untouched by crime
  • A whole lot of religious intolerance. The large Sunni majority has politcal and social dominance over the Shias, Ahmadiyas, Hindus and Christians. Violence towards these groups occurs more frequently than you’d expect. The Problem of Religious Intolerance in Pakistan
  • Close minded attitudes and ignorance. Men continue to hold domineering status over women in terms of education, politics and personal freedoms. People are lynched for being accused of blasphemy. Most importantly, Pakistanis aren’t allowed to freely express their politcal or religious beliefs. Imposing faith
  • The never ending tense relations with India. For the past 70 years the two nations have been embroiled in Kashmir and countless other wars and smaller conflicts. This seems to be a never ending dispute and I don’t suspect anything to happen soon. A brief history of the Kashmir conflict
  • Extremist nature and terrorism within the nation. A whole lot of terrorism is homegrown and exported outside of Pakistani soil. People even empathize with terrorists and Islamism. In fact Mumtaz Qadri’s (terrorist) grave has been turned into a Mazar and people show up for his Urs. Mumtaz Qadri’s shrine: In memory of Salmaan Taseer’s assassin

Perhaps the biggest “harshest truth” about Pakistan is that the conception of Pakistan was one of the worst ideas in the 20th century. The Partition tore away millions of Hindus, Muslims, Sikhs and Buddhists from their homes, businesses and friends to cater to the greatest minority appeasement in history. It paved the path for numerous conflicts and wars between the two nations (and later a third). Most importantly, the death toll of the Partition reached around 2 million and millions more died in the later riots, wars and conflicts.

In conclusion, Pakistan’s “harshest truths” are the result of a series of poor decisions and a lack of real leadership. This is evident from the days of the Pakistan Movement to today.

They have assumed…

Like Rogerio said,

Parrots don´t cover the walls of tall buildings in Brazil.

They cover the wall of a single building in São Paulo.

The palace of parrots…

main qimg 07726eaf9d9d02fdc1bf9600ca92d1e8 lq
main qimg 07726eaf9d9d02fdc1bf9600ca92d1e8 lq

Crazy uh?

At a first glance, it might look like you said, “a building decoration”. But those are actual birds massed on the building (it is the specimens of Psittacara leucophthalmus, in italian we also call them white-eyed parakeet).

This is happening in the eastern part of São Paulo, Brazil, the bricks of what is known as the “Prédio das maritacas”

[1] have been attracting hundreds of parrots every day for twenty-five years.

This behaviour could be related to the phenomenon of geophagy: in nature these birds consume small amounts of clay with the double purpose of

  1. reducing the harmfulness of certain foods (in particular, studies show a 60% reduction in the toxicity of the alkaloid quinidine, contained in the plant China) and…
  2. …as a supplement of their diet. (EDIT: Don’t miss Lena Kurschev comment below she is showing this phenomen with some very nice pics)

However, in an urban environment they have opted to find what they need more conveniently by licking clay from the surface of the bricks.

Other hypotheses suggest that the structure of this particular building allows many parrots to stop for a break and find shelter at the same time, in harmony with their social instincts; or, even, they use it to rub their beaks in order to sharpen them.

main qimg 1e438ba79092e6a4a06a158b3641d4cc lq
main qimg 1e438ba79092e6a4a06a158b3641d4cc lq

A pretty sight to see perhaps, but it is sad to think that they are there because their natural environment has probably been slowly wiped out due to human expansion.

Pause after winning

It’s up to you.

The background of prison is Groundhog Day. It’s a cycle that repeats endlessly with minor weekly events and the occasional shakedown to liven things up.

Just like in the movie, you wake up every day to the same exact set of circumstances. You’re wearing the same clothes, the same thing is on the radio, the same food in the Chow Hall… sure, some things are on weekly or monthly cycles — visits on weekends, work and mail-call on weekdays. Unless you choose to use your time wisely, every day will crash into the next like too many bumper cars on the track — nobody going anywhere.

Each hour, day, and week is a small progression to the time when you get to start your life over.

You can peel the numbers off the dials if you want. If you do, nothing will mark the smooth motion of the wheels and you’ll have no sense of where you are, or how far you’ve come. One day they’ll just kick you out and you’ll be no better off than you were before.

I knew guys who didn’t mark the days. They had nothing to live for. Their lives were just a continuous monotony, a drive through Death Valley, with no landmarks to judge progress, and nothing learned along the way.

Time is precious. It’s all we have. Choose what you do with each minute carefully and you won’t get to the end of your journey only to ask, “What happened?”

Interception

Tiktok and Douyin (Chinese company) are two divisions operating separately and independently.

Tiktok is privately held. The consent of the China government is not required.

Institutional investors including Carlyle Group Inc. (USA), General Atlantic (USA) and Susquehanna International Group (USA) own 60% of ByteDance; 20% is owned by the company’s global workforce; an additional 20% is owned by the company’s Chinese co-founder Zhang Yiming.

If someone asked Tiktok co-founder Zhang Yiming to donate his shares for free and gift them to the U.S. for nationalisation, he would not agree!

This is in effect the U.S. government plundering private legal property.

Zhang Yiming will not sell his original core algorithm technology. It’s the same way Bill Gates won’t sell his patents.

No doubt he’d rather take Tiktok and leave the US.

The U.S. market doesn’t deserve a high-tech company with the latest algorithms like Tiktok.

Americans have Facebook, Twitter and Instagram and that’s enough.

One of the infamous methods of punishment in the Ming Dynasty was called “Court caning.” (廷杖)

The notoriety of the punishment was mainly because it was very unofficial and handwaving. If an official said something wrong to the Emperor in the court, the Emperor could order him to be dragged out and beaten. No need to go through an elaborate legal system, the Emperor was angry and there will be consequences.

How badly would the victim be hit? The answer is…the guards knew exactly how hard to hit.

An urban legend stated that the guards trained for this by taking a brick, wrapping it around in straw, and then covering it with paper. The executioners would train by hitting the brick with a stick. They could break the paper without touching the straws, and they could shatter the brick within without breaking the paper. (Obviously its a crude simulation of human anatomy)

There were also no official words from the Emperor on how hard to hit. The supervisor of this punishment, usually an eunuch sent by the Emperor, would also be counting how many, and there were also “safe words” he could use to convey the message to the executioners.

The supervisor eunuch knew because he was close and loyal to the Emperor; he could read his intentions.

If the supervisor eunuch said: “hit seriously,” then the guards would actually be careful, it meant the Emperor or the supervisor eunuch didn’t want the victim to die. If he instead said: “Hit solidly,” then the guards would reply: “I’m about to end this man’s career.”

Another alleged “safe word” was the stance of the eunuch. If he stood or sat with his foot pointing outwards, like a “V” shape), he wanted the victim to live. If he instead had his foot pointing inwards like a “^,” then he wanted the victim dead.

(An old movie named “Dragon Gate Inn,” had this introduction scene. The corrupt high eunuch Cao Shaoqin was interrogating and torturing a sentenced general. Notice his foot stance? Also notice the actor playing him? It’s a young man named Donnie Yen!”)

So when the sentence came, the executioners could hit you exactly as hard as they want. Sometimes the victim could survive 100 canes and still recover in a couple of weeks. Sometimes, 5 hits would be enough to send him to the grave. Surviving to caning was expected, dying to the caning was also expected, the guards could easily just blame it on any “pre-existing medical conditions” of the victim.

By the way, the guards and eunuch accept all forms of payments. They played the loophole in this corporal punishment system to their advantage.

Edit: Actually I’ve followed up a little bit because I realised I might not have given as direct of an answer. The maximum penalty was usually 100 strikes, but 60 was probably the fatal limit. But again, quick flick through the books, some died while some managed to survive.

Men Are Oppressed Not Women (They’ve Been Lying To You)

“What firearm would you recommend for defense against home invaders?”

Paintball.

Yes, yes, I know you’re going to say it’s not a ‘firearm’, but you haven’t thought things through.

If someone enters your house at night and you wake up, you think ‘intruder’ and you fire that Desert Eagle Penile Compensation piece in your dark bedroom — without donning your hearing protection (because, who is going to have hearing protection with that Desert Eagle on their nightstand, right?) — fire that piece in the darkness at the shadow in the doorway, you know what will happen. The noise will replace your hearing with a loud ‘iiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiii’ and your retina will be sporting these muzzle flash afterimages of your wife crumpling in the doorway. Or, in the unlikely event that it’s not your teenage daughter sneaking back into the house after leaving through her bedroom window, but an axe murderer — you just rendered yourself too blind and deaf to re-aim and shoot again.

Now, reconsider my suggestion and imagine you have a paintball gun on your nightstand.

First of all, no flashes and noise to mess with your night vision and hearing. Just a ‘pffft’ and angry cursing from the shadow in the doorway as he’s trying to wipe paint from his eyes. Because you know that just like you don’t have hearing protection on your nightstand, he sure as hell isn’t wearing paintball protection on his nocturnal visits. Paintballs on your unprotected body hurt like fuck. And the intruder won’t know what’s happening. No muzzle flashes or loud noises, just the sound of a blowdart and getting stung and wet all over — that’s unnerving, man, and I’d like to see the intruder who wouldn’t scamper back to whatever rock he crawled out from under. (Did I say that right? Sounds right…)

And while he runs like fuck from the stinging wet paint, you call the cops and tell them there’s an intruder running around your neighbourhood, a man splattered with purple paint. However incompetent the police are in your area, they should still be able to find someone covered in paintball paint.

Plus, if you make a mistake and confuse family members with intruders, you don’t have to take them to the ER (or bury them), but you simply apologize and help them wash off the paint.

So, forget about all those macho handcannons and just get yourself a paintball gun for home defense. Your NRA neighbour might laugh at you, but he’s going to be the one with the axe buried between his starry eyes from the muzzle flash, while there’s still an almost full magazine in his Desert Eagle.

[image by Paintball Guns & Gear at the #1 Paintball Store]

Edited to add:

A lot of people respond that my answer is ridiculous and dangerous. And they might be right — pelting an intruder armed with an assault rifle with paint balls might well result in getting you killed. However, I posted this answer not to promote paintball guns for home defence, but to think ‘outside the box’. In the comments, a lot of people also offered their own alternative solutions — shotguns loaded with rock salt, pepperballs, et cetera — and that was my intention: instead of looking to use lethal force, what alternatives are there?

Also, many commenters seem to believe that I would just shoot at an intruder with paintballs and then wait for them to respond. I guess they haven’t read my other answers and don’t know about my experience with violence. I can’t blame them, but, no, I wouldn’t just stand there like an idiot, but use the paintball attack to close the distance to blade range.

And another edit:

Some commenters say that defending your house with firearms is a Christian duty and that the Ten Commandments don’t say ‘Thou Shalt Not Kill’, but ‘Thou Shalt Not Murder’. My thoughts on that subject:

I’m raised Christian, but became agnostic because of the hypocrisy of organised religion. However, even if these commenters are right, using a lethal weapon to repel an intruder (99% of intruders are after possessions, not looking to murder you in your sleep) is not exactly ‘Christian’: even a casual reader of the gospel would understand that Jesus Christ himself would not condone the spilling of blood over mere possessions. Therefore, arming yourself with lethal weapons in order to repel intruders is premeditated killing, i.e. murder. There are plenty of effective non-lethal weapons (tasers, for instance) that can be used without killing the intruder.

But what about the killers and rapists?

If there is a high rate of homicidal intruders in your neighbourhood, high enough to warrant the stockpiling of lethal weapons for ‘home defence’, you might want to look into relocating your family. Chances are that the ‘reporting’ on these ‘deadly home invasions’ is merely scare tactics by groups like the NRA in order to sell more guns. In reality, getting killed by an intruder is as unlikely as getting killed by a Great White shark.

In reality, most child rapists do not jump from bushes or climb into the bedroom window — in the majority of child rape cases, the rapist is familiar to the child, i.e. family members, daycare staff, teachers, priests*, and baby sitters. In other words, the people to whom we entrust our children.

(* Personally, I loathe the people citing the Catholic catechism to morally justify using deadly force defending their children from getting raped by intruders. If you want to keep your children from getting raped, keep them far away from Catholic priests.)

The dishwasher at the restaurant where I work cannot read. His mom pulled him out of school when she found out they had just been passing him along. I don’t blame her. Since I have a great book for teaching kids to read (teach your child to read in 100 easy lessons) I bought a copy for him for Christmas and offered to do reading lessons with him. He is making a lot of progress already. Two days ago, he sounded out his first sentence. The manager at the restaurant says he is recognizing words in the kitchen better.

My reaction was a bit of disbelief at first, and then empathy. Not being able to read would have limited my ability to make up my own mind about so many things in my life. I would not have been able to read beautiful poetry that spoke directly to my soul. My kids would have missed out on Dr. Seuss books. Quality of life can depend very much on whether or not you can read.

Every weekend, usually on Saturday and Sunday, we do a reading lesson. He then goes and practices the reading exercises in his notebook. Every now and then, he stammers and hesitates. I ask what’s going on. He doesn’t like to admit it, but sometimes memories of his mom and brother doubting him come to mind. His mom doesn’t think he will ever be able to read, and is mean to him about him even trying. His brother has said similar things. When he tells me they are on his mind and it is distracting him, we blow raspberries at them. It makes him laugh and breaks up the tension. We can then go back to learning how to read.

It feels good to help him prove his mother and brother wrong.

EDITED TO ADD:

He and I had a reading lesson after work tonight. He was getting a little shaky. I asked him what it was, and he kept saying nothing, over and over. But he kept doing poorly, when I knew he could do better. I paused and told him that I thought words from his mother were bothering him again, and that he was trying hard but it was hard to not believe that she was right… maybe he was wasting his time. He agreed… it was bothering him.

Then I told him that over 300 people had liked his story and that he is learning to read, and it gave him a huge grin. He felt better, and we started again, and he was reading much better. I cannot thank you all enough for the support. It literally spurred him on.

EDITED TO ADD AGAIN:

OVER 4K UPVOTES!? INSANITY!!! Thank you all so much. You give me far too much credit. I am an instrument, that’s it. The book really makes learning to read so easy. Teach Your Child to Read in 100 Easy Lessons. 10/10 recommend.

I knew it would be incredibly easy, the book does all the work for you with prompts on what to say, which letter sound to learn next, everything. It’s just a few minutes at the end of my shift. And my employers are completely supportive of using their space. I am so happy he is rebelling against the tyranny of what he came from and wanting better for himself, and the others around him who will benefit from his being able to read.

Huffing the de-greasing Jones

This has been heavily litigated for decades. However, we have a pretty definitive answer.

Refusal to consent to a search cannot be used as probable cause, or else the idea of consent has no value. It creates a situation where you really have no choice; you can consent, and police can perform the search, or you can refuse to consent and the police can declare that reason for them to search despite your refusal. Either way, they’re getting to search, making the ‘choice’ little more than an illusion, a farce.

Now, if they have probable cause beforehand, that’s different. I know someone who spent three nights in jail after refusing a search of a rental car. Turns out the last person had basically kept the car a few days longer than they had rented it, and the rental company had followed their standard procedure and declared it stolen. When it was returned and fees paid by the renter, they had put it back into rotation without alerting the police that the vehicle had returned, and the car showed up as stolen in a routine traffic stop. Despite having a rental contract and nothing illegal in the car, the individual was arrested until the case was dismissed when first it went before a judge.

If you can’t refuse a search without it basically having the same impact as consenting to the search, then the Fourth Amendment has no meaning whatsoever.

There are people who are interested in criticizing the existence of the CCP, and then there are people interested in providing better policies than the CCP.

The former typically end up abroad as political dissidents applying for asylum. It’s a solution that makes everyone happy. The dissident gets to bitch and moan in peace, the CCP doesn’t have to put up with people that will never be happy, the common folk get to have discussions about policy rather than stupid discussions on whether or not the CCP is evil, and the country taking them in get to generate domestic propoganda by claiming to be inclusive, democratic, a good place to live, etc, even if they are hosting a blithering idiot on taxpayer’s dime.

If you are interested in arguing over policies, it is very easy to persuade the government to give you a minor village-level position so that you can prove your mettle. Typically if you graduate from a decent university, there are programs where you can get parachuted directly to a village advisor position (of roughly equal status as the mayor). If you perform well, you will get promoted to the town level, and then small cities, etc. I graduated from Tsinghua and know quite a few people who went on such a path.

What’s interesting is that if you come from a decent university, lower level government officials will go out of their way to ask you for your opinion on local policies, even if you’re not actually a Chinese citizen and don’t have political rights. I was an engineering student operating in some of the remote parts of China, where government drinking water policy failures led to the breakdown of local water treatment systems. I was wandering around in rural Shanxi with a German exchange student, taking water samples and building temporary filters to combat local arsenic pollution in the absence of government intervention. I was curious as to why the policy was a failure, so I paid a visit to the town hall and found the mayor. The conversation went something like this:

Mayor: This is a small town, and I’ve never seen you before. And is that a foreigner behind you??? Where are you from?

Me: Yes, he’s German. We’re from Tsinghua (shows him school ID card). We’re interested in when that water treatment station on the east side of the village was built, why it fell into disuse, and what the villagers are drinking right now.

Mayor: Hey, Dog Testicles! We have some visitors and this is your job!

It turned out “Dog Testicles” was the nickname for the bureaucrat in charge of the village waterworks. The mayor pours us all a cup of tea while Mr. Dog Testicles spends an hour or so describing the construction process of the station, the funding, when it broke down, why the villagers couldn’t come up with enough money to fund its repairs and maintenance, etc. He then asked us what we think they should do.

Me: I dunno, maybe don’t ask a bunch of flat busted farmers to fund water treatment? It’s obvious they can’t pay. The local infrastructure policy was really damn stupid. We’ve been running around all over the area building filters to cover for that mistake.

Dog Testicles: Aha, so you’re the ones building filters in these villages? We found those filters on our own surveys. You kmow that selling filters without a proper license is a criminal offense, right?

Me: Yeah, but I wouldn’t be working my ass off if it weren’t for these stupid policies. You can go ahead and try to arrest me if you’d like.

Mayor: Actually, I think you have a point even though you’re breaking the law. We’ll just ask the police to… look the other direction and let you build those filters. Just make sure those villagers stop using the filters once we get the new treatment systems up and running next summer. Have you considered joining the Party and working at the village level? Lots of university students doing that nowadays. We could use people like you.

Me: I look Chinese but I’m an American citizen.

Mayor: Ah, OK. Could you and the German guy take a photo with us?

Me: Why? Have you never seen a foreigner around these parts before?

Mayor: Well, having these kinds of discussions with university students and asking them for their opinions is very helpful in our performance evaluations. It helps us get raises and promotions. Some… proof… would be useful. So a photo, please?

Basically, if you’re the motivated and well-educated vigilante type who wants to see change and you’re happy with working your ass off to see that happen, the Party is usually happy to work with you as long as you tell them what you’re doing. Very, very few people would go up against the CCP to make changes happen when they’re nice and polite and willing to talk about whether they can help you reach your goal.

The theme is cats, with pretty woman, Baroque art style

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Some Big Universities like Harvard, Stanford or Universities in the “Ivy League” have little to zero funds from China. In fact these Universities have a combined total of $ 85 Billion – $ 115 Billion of Funding from Ex Alumni, Americans and US Industries alone. Also included is the MIT or Texas A& M or Caltech etc.

However there are over 187 Colleges and Universities that are barely funded for tuition which need money badly. The Biggest Industries always run to Harvard or MIT without realizing that $ 55 Billion is not really that much of a difference from $ 52 Billion – whereas $ 100 Million up from $ 4 Million is a Huge Change.

In 2018 – China funded and invested $ 3.10 Billion in US Universities and Canadian Universities (Not top tier – The Middle tier), especially funding Laser Related works in association with Top Universities in China like Tong Ji. Over 39000 Research Associates, Professors and US Industries are involved in this Funding and unlike India – No Govt can order this funding to be cut off. You need an Government Act and if you do – there are 10000 Lawyers – American Lawyers who will find loopholes around the Act and Law.

Simple Example:-

The Federal Govt passed a law on US Banks to forbid lending to Chinese Clients based on specific criteria.

What do you think happened?

The US Bank – simply purchased a Near Bankrupt Bank in Maldives or Mauritius or Seychelles and began to route all China business through those banks.

And who suggested it?

US Lawyers in return for Millions of Dollars of PRC Money as fees.

In the end – Thats all that matters – MONEY

Answer is- The Funding simply wont be cut off. It will be re-routed in one way or another and Authorities will turn a blind eye to this re-routing because in the end – Business is Business.

When I was sixteen my step-brother had a 9mm handgun that he kept in a case in his bedroom. One day, while we had several people visiting from out of state, a friend of ours found the weapon. My step-brother and I, and my cousin, discovered this friend sitting alone in the bedroom, gun in hand. My step-brother took the gun, removed the magazine and handed it back, unaware that our friend had already chambered a round. Our friend pulled the trigger.

Firing a gun indoors, or in confined spaces, is NOT accurately portrayed in movies. The blast alone is fairly debilitating. I was standing in front of the weapon when it discharged and (effectively) went temporarily deaf and blind.

Both senses returned gradually. My ears were ringing, sounds were muted, yellow and purple specks of light distorted my vision. I was disoriented. I had watched the kid pull the trigger and it still took me a couple seconds, after my hearing and vision cleared up, to piece together what had happened. I turned around to find my cousin, who was standing directly behind me, in shock. He looked down slowly, lifted his shorts, saw the bullet hole in his leg and proceeded to freak the freak out. He screamed at the top of his lungs, grabbed his leg and ran like hell before any of us could do anything.

In the movies when someone fires a gun indoors they’re never affected by the sound, and, as I’ve learned, they absolutely would be.

In case you’re interested, my cousin was a bit of a husky kid back then. The bullet slipped around the fat, missed everything important and blew out the back of his leg. Apparently there’s a huge scar. I haven’t talked to him since then. I think he’s over us.

Carne Adovada

This is a wonderful filling for burritos or simply great served over rice with the resulting gravy. For better flavor, prepare a day ahead.

yummy
yummy

Ingredients

  • 1 tablespoon shortening
  • 4 garlic cloves, minced
  • 8 ounces (about 25) whole dried New Mexican red chile pods
  • 4 cups warm water
  • 2 tablespoons diced yellow onion
  • 1 tablespoon crushed chile pequin
  • 1 teaspoon granulated garlic powder
  • 1 teaspoon kosher or sea salt
  • 1/2 teaspoon crumbled dried Mexican oregano
  • 3 pounds thick boneless shoulder pork chops

Instructions

  1. Heat shortening in a Dutch oven, and sauté garlic until browned.
  2. Remove the seeds and stems from the chile pods. Rinse chiles in large mixing bowl and drain.
  3. Place moistened chiles on baking sheet and toast carefully in the oven for 5 minutes. They do not need to be completely dried out.
  4. Remove from the oven then let cool.
  5. Add half of the chiles into a blender, and puree with 2 cups warm water. Pour into Dutch oven with previously browned garlic and repeat with the other half of the chiles.
  6. Add the remaining ingredients to the chile (garlic salt, oregano, onion, chile pequin)and let boil on a medium-high heat for about 30 minutes, stirring occasionally. The sauce will thicken but should remain a little soupy.
  7. Remove from heat and cool to room temperature.
  8. Remove the fat from the pork and cut the meat into 3/4 inch cubes. Stir pork into the chile sauce and let marinate overnight in the refrigerator.
  9. The following day, heat oven to 300 degrees F. Use butter to coat large baking dish, so it doesn’t stick.
  10. Add the marinated carne adovada with sauce into baking dish. Cover with aluminum foil and bake for 3 hours, stirring once at an hour and a half into baking. At 2 1/2 hours, remove foil (to thicken sauce).
  11. Serve hot with homemade Flour Tortillas or on Navajo Tacos.

I was working a security job for a friend one winter. Not hard work, but long cold hours outside at temps that regularly hit negative 30C. We were offered a bonus for staying the whole term. And the boss would compound the bonus of people who quit or were fired, so it was split evenly between those who stayed.

We were guarding the building that was a Soundstage, and they didn’t want prop hunters, or stalkers getting into the building. I got to meet a few “famous people” and get fed so much good food.

5 men 3 women were highered to work the site. The three women and one of the men, were dressed for fashion not warmth. And were often miserable, and often complained. And spent a lot of time inside the building we were guarding. I made some pointed hints about dressing warmly, but was rudely brushed off.

I grew up at temps like that and dressed to keep warm. Underwear, thermal layer, sweater or hoodie, insulated jeans, double layer soviet era snow-pants, a SnowGoose Snow Mantra Parka, and a pair of bear hide gauntlets.

The boss asked me why the 4 were always going into the building to warm up. Apparently he had gotten complaints that they were taking advantage of the workers inside asking for favors, hot drinks, or to play music.

And I told him “The skin tight pants, and short fashion jackets. And they won’t wear hats. Or proper mitts. Not little pink or purple cotton gloves, mitts.” I didn’t know that one of the women had been listening from behind a closed door.

I got supreme and royal hell from the 4 of them. I shouldn’t have been criticizing their choice in clothes. How they look is important to them, and how dare I tell them otherwise.

I started laughing and walked out of the room to go see my friend. The next shift there were 2 new women, and 2 new men, and they were dressed for the weather. And I got one fat bonus.

Of course not. The Americans are totally clueless.

They’ve been indoctrinated by their own government.

They’re insular and ignorant of the world outside their country.

They do not know that life can be better than what they have in America. Freedom from gun violence. Freedom from homelessness. Freedom from medical bankruptcy. Freedom from systemic racism (“I can’t breathe”). Freedom from opioid addiction. Freedom from mass incarceration. Freedom from crumbling infrastructure. Freedom from crushing debt, both national and private. Freedom from political turmoil (e.g., January 6, 2021). There is no end to America’s problems.

This is as real as it gets

The “end of the road” has been reached.

By the end of this month; May 2024, the United States interest on it’s debt will exceed it’s income. Which means that it cannot pay its debtors.

The United States is BANKRUPT.

The United States is no longer the leading global superpower. Nor, is it still a superpower at all. It is a broken nation in arrears. Oh, It still remains formidable in certain specific areas, but truthfully the nation has run it’s course, and the sunset of it’s greatness is but a memory that lingers.

Today, the nations of the world are galloping for the exits. They are looking for ways to prevent their national collapse when the BIG BLACK HOLE makes that huge sucking sound. They do not want to be dragged in with the sinking of the United States demise.

They are distancing themselves from the USD.

The USD, which since the 1960’s has been a Ponzi scheme of unimaginable proportions.

The other nations are forging new alliances, many of which are hidden and “under the table”.

The weakest are hunkering down in a survival crouch. The stronger nations are being more vocal, and those that can are giving the West “the boot” and kicking their paramilitaries out of their nations.

Alliances are being forged and long-time Geo-Political wonks are stunned by the rapidity of change and aggressive nature of the participants.

  • The UN has been shown to be nothing more than an instrument for American policy.
  • A replacement for UN, just met last week (early May 2024) with over 100 nations in participation at the 12th International Security Summit.

Oh, so much for the strong “leadership” role of the United States on the global stage. It is openly ridiculed, and despised throughout the world.

The United States as an entity includes it’s proxy nations; those slaves that are to be sacrificed on the alter of “democracy” and “freedom”.

When a Western “leader”, dressed in attire that will cost their average citizen a half a year earnings to acquire, talks about “freedom” and “democracy”, the rest of the world roll their eyes. The delusion is strong in the West. Once, the defining characteristic of Americans was it’s insular ignorance, but it is now defined by it’s harsh arrogance and sneer of contempt.

It’s over.

It is just that the collective West is unaware of it.

There is a question concerning the final “gasps of breath” of the dying behemoth; will it fade away into the deep black, or will it explode in a brief but stunning supernova? No one really knows. But I can tell you that it is a mystery that will be answered in our collective lifetimes.

So yes.

The United States as a global superpower is over.

The mail is still being delivered. The “leaders” are still throwing money around all over the world. The flag still flutters in the breeze, and people are still talking about the next election as if it will change the ultimate trajectory that the United States is rushing toward.

But what is not being said is the truth…

…those that have the means…

… are starting their self-preservation routines…

… hoarding food, batting down the hatches, and covering their asses.

All the time doing so in upmost secrecy.

The Iskander-M missile system: an equal to nuclear weapons

Text to image, playing around.

Theme is “moonrise kingdom”.

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Working for a company like that is a great opportunity to develop and push yourself to your limits professionally. But in order to enjoy money, you need to be able to spend it. And believe me, with umpteen hour work days, your most common purchases will be overpriced sandwiches, energy drinks/coffe/freshly squeezed juice and suits, and after a 16-hour day, it makes surprisingly little difference if your bed is in a tiny apartment or giant mansion. The luxury car is also of dubious utility, since your and your clients’ offices are in the center and getting there by public transport or just getting an apartment within walking distance is often preferrable to being stuck in traffic in a Tesla or BMW.

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And you are sacrificing a lot – if you want to have a normal relationship, children… it’s tough IMO to combine that with working such long hours long-term. So for many people it’s a good opportunity in the short-mid term, but only some can do it long-term.

Anyhow, I hear the millenials are giving consulting firms hell on the work-life balance issue.

Jerome Funeral Hot Dish

Jerome is a ghost town which clings to the side of Cleopatra Hill on Mingus Mountain near Cottonwood, Arizona. It is the home of the Douglas Mining Museum. This is an interesting recipe from the days when artistic “hippies” revived this ghost town.

hot dish
hot dish

Yield: 8 to 10 servings

Ingredients

  • 1 (28 ounce) can pork and beans
  • 1 (12 ounce) can corned beef
  • 1 large onion, diced fine
  • 1 bell pepper, diced fine

Instructions

  1. Mix all ingredients.
  2. Put into a 13 x 9 inch baking dish and heat for 25 to 35 minutes at 350 degrees F.

Why Everyone Sees Machine Elves When Tripping on DMT | Andrew Gallimore

In almost every way, except two.

  1. Sanitation. The Romans famously built aqueducts (many of which survive today because of the quality of engineering. They bathed and had toilets in which poo was flushed away by running water. Proper sewers carried away sewage and waste water.
  2. Medicine. In particular surgery. Gladiators were valuable property and were more often repaired rather than discarded. This expertise also contributed to the survival of soldiers and added to morale, as prompt removal from the battle and treatment meant that wounds were less often fatal. They had pain relief and anaesthesia which enabled better surgery as well as reducing the fear of the patient. If you needed such treatment you would have been generally better off with a Roman military surgeon than any mediaeval one. Operations included the removal of cataracts from the eye.

They were relatively hygienic, but had no proper theory of disease. Thus in the public baths people with diseases bathed at a different time from the general public. Unfortunately, they had the earliest bath.

We are doomed.

Take a second, shut your eyes.

You’re going to imagine a world.

In this world, you live in solitary confinement, contained in a small, metal prison.

Every day, you’re brought food and water and your cell is cleaned.

This is all you’ve ever known. Your world never changes.

Until one day, you’re moved to a new prison.

Some man in a white coat puts an IV into your arm. In front of you, there’s a lever.

You try pulling it.

You’re injected with heroin. It reaches your bloodstream almost instantly and your brain just seconds after. It’s almost blissful.

Do you press it again?

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This was the life of dozens of rats.

Did they pull the lever?

Of course they did.

Over and over again.

They’d overdose. They’d die.

Because for them, that brief high was the best thing they’d ever known.

Psychologists and politicians were in simultaneous uproar. Drugs were evil and irresistibly addictive.

Only, rats, like humans, aren’t solitary creatures.

So, what would happen if they changed the circumstances. Sure, a prisoner would give into mind-numbing drugs, but would the average person? Would a happy person?

That’s how the rat park was built.

Researchers put rats together in a comfortable setting. They threw in running wheels and wood chips and let them live a good life.

Naptime and recess

Just hanging out.

There are always some who prefer the rat race.

These rats had access to drugs, just like the first set.

The results?

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The dotted lines are the park rats, the complete lines are the caged ones.

And even though it would be beyond unethical to run the same experiments on humans, there’s a similar real life example.

Bruce Alexander, the man behind the experiments, explains:

The English colonial empire overran hundreds of native tribal groups in Western Canada in the 18th and 19th century.

The native people were moved off expansive tribal lands onto very small reserves, the basis of their cultures.

Their children were taken from their parents and sent off to “residential schools” to be taught the white man’s culture so they could be assimilated.

They were forbidden to speak their native languages and found themselves strangers in their own communities when they finally came home.

Before this point, Mental illness, personal betrayals, and epidemic diseases occasionally occurred in pre-colonial tribes.

Basically, native people had all the problems of their English colonizers except one.

There was so little addiction that it is very difficult to prove from written and oral histories that it existed at all.

But once the native people were colonized alcoholism became close to universal.

There were entire reserves where virtually every teenager and adult was either an alcohol or drug addict or “on the wagon”.

The drug only becomes irresistible when the opportunity for normal social existence is destroyed.

Luau Pork Teriyaki

Also known as kalua pig or Luau pork, kalua pulled pork is a staple at Hawaiian luaus. They carry on the tradition of cooking a whole pig in an underground oven filled with hot stones. The pig is generously salted and wrapped in banana leaves then lowered into the ground to smoke all day. This slow cooker method also requires all day to cook. You’ll want to plan ahead because to get that divine tenderness you’ll want the pork to cook for at least 16 hours. For more delicate juicy pork recipes try my carnitas, this Mississippi pork, or my sweet pulled pork!

kalua pork 1 3
kalua pork 1 3

Ingredients

  • 1 1/2 pounds lean, boneless pork
  • 1 cup pineapple, sliced, in syrup
  • 1/2 cup teriyaki sauce
  • 1/4 green onion, finely chopped
  • 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
  • 1/4 garlic powder
  • 1 cup raw rice

Instructions

  1. Cut pork into slices about 1/4 inch thick.
  2. Drain pineapple, reserving all syrup.
  3. Blend syrup, teriyaki sauce, green onions, ginger and garlic powder. Pour over pork and pineapple.
  4. Cover and refrigerate for at least 1 hour.
  5. Meanwhile, cook rice according to package directions and prepare grill.
  6. Remove pork from marinade and grill about 5 inches from hot coals for about 5 minutes on each side or until completely cooked.
  7. Pour pineapple and remaining marinade into large skillet. Bring to a boil.
  8. Remove from heat and serve pork with sauce and pineapple over rice.

Oh boy. I worked 12 years in wafer fabrication for an international electronics company. A fab, as it affectionately known, is a clean room. The smallest smudge of dust will kill a computer chip. To enter, we had to go through an air shower to blow any dust off us. And we had to wear a bunny suit.

A bunny suit isn’t remotely connected to Playboy. It is a lint free coverall that covers head to toe. The head is covered by kind of a cloth helmet, a surgeon’s mask over the nose and mouth, gloves, and shoes which are worn only in the fab. This suit is worn over your street clothes.

Sorry to be so lengthy but it’s important. If you have to go to the restroom, a person must exit the clean room to the changing room. Take off shoes, headcovering, gloves. coverall. Stash in locker. Put on your shoes that are worn only within the building. ( you put these on when you entered from outside, street shoes were in a little locker).

So our boss decided we were taking too much time on bathroom breaks (oh yeah, we worked 12-hr graveyard shifts, 6 to 6). Our team was about 2/3rds female and well, if you gotta go, you gotta go. Take suit off, maybe go to your big locker to get lady supplies if needed, go to restroom, return to changing room, suit up, air shower and back to work. And now we gotta go to see the boss to let him know I’ve gotta pee, real bad.

It all lasted two days. Julie went in one evening, looked at him, and said, it’s the first day of my period and bleeding like a stuck hog and I gotta change my tampon and pad. And pee.

TMI, boss?

The forever “footprint”.

Before I had a truck, I borrowed my friends truck to move to a different city. I put 2000 km on it and I thought I would do an oil change, fill up with gas, and all the fluids before I returned it to him, with a gift certificate to a nice restaurant and a bottle of wine.

I told him what I had done, and I had messed up. He was using some super expensive synthetic oil and I had just used a good grade of regular oil. I told him to drive it until he needed an oil change, and I would pay for his synthetic oil change as well. However he was worried that switching between regular oil and synthetic would cause problems, so he insisted on changing the oil that very day, so that it wasn’t driven with regular oil.

He had plans for the afternoon, and spending an hour at the quick oil change place, messed things up.

I doubt driving on regular oil would have caused a problem, but its his truck, and I messed up by thinking I was going to surprise him with something extra.

I am a very moderate drinker. Maybe two or three drinks a week.

Although I have dated and lived with a fair number of women, only one of them was a real drinker. I dated her for a few months.

This woman was a high-functioning alcoholic. She held down a management position in retail, she was never falling-down drunk, and I never saw her throw up or get in a fight.

But man, could she drink. She was a world-class darts player, and she played for drinks. She almost always won. She’d hit a bar at about 10:00, and drink steadily until closing time (1:00 AM then). I’d say that in a typical night she’d have 10 drinks or so.

And then she’d head home, go to bed, and wake up the next morning ready to do it again.

And in answer to the question about what I found most unattractive?

It was that I started drinking more as well.

In fact, I decided to break up with her one Sunday. I had bought a bottle of rum on Friday, and on Sunday night I went to make a drink and discovered that the bottle was empty — I had drunk the whole bottle in three days.

That was not good. A bottle of rum usually lasted me a few months.

And that was the end of that.

The Video That Got Andrew Tate ARRESTED

Hit the Gay wall.

This is just one comic, not a recurring strip.

I’ve seen this thing floating around for years in a variety of forms. I think it’s brilliant, but I have absolutely no idea who the original author was.

main qimg b85713a3c3731a03798de2fc3c67de13 lq
main qimg b85713a3c3731a03798de2fc3c67de13 lq

And it really sums up what I like about being a lone coder. I get to play all the roles, sometimes even that of end user. 😉

Edit 20190908:

Looks like we have a genuine mystery on our hands. One commenter said he believed the origin was in some IBM documentation from about the time I was busy being born.

Thanks to Richard Smith for providing these two very interesting links:

I have one right now. Writing this anon in case she is on Quora, so I don’t embarrass her 🙂

She came to me when I was working as a math tutor. She was failing Algebra and desperately needed help. It soon became clear that she was not just ignorant of basic math principles, but had some kind of cognitive issue with processing mathematical concepts. Over time I figured out that she had trouble with abstract visualization. She couldn’t envision shapes or “see” how various processes fit together. She couldn’t even look at two angles and see that one was larger than the other. It was the math version of a reading disabliity, and merely explaining material to her wasn’t going to get her past it.

I spent over a month just trying to get the basics across to her. Concepts like “when you multiply a negative times a negative you get a positive” just would not stick…and without those basics, how much algebra can you do? Honestly, there were moments I really despaired, and wondered whether it would even be possible to get her to the point where she could pass the course. And I know she was bereft of an hope. despairing. To her it was utterly confusing and totally overwhelming, and I know that deep inside she had no hope it would ever be otherwise.

But she worked. Even when she didn’t believe it would do any good, she worked, harder than I have ever seen anyone work in my life. No matter how depressed she was on a given day, or how confusing the work was, she always gave it her best. There were days the math went so badly, and she felt so overwhelmed, I sensed that inside she wanted to cry. Some day she was so exhausted from school she could barely add two numbers. But she never gave up.

I have never seen anyone so determined, in my life. And when she passed Algebra (got a B, actually), it was because of that quality in her. I can’t think of any other student I’ve had who would fight what seemed like a losing battle for so long, without ever flagging.

This year she took Geometry. I was dreading it even more than she was, because by then I understood more about how her brain processed math, and the visualization skills required by Geometry just weren’t there. Geometry spoke to the very heart of her cognitive weakness. And….she just passed her SOL test, and it looks like she’ll probably pass the course. I can’t even describe to you what a monumental thing that is. And it was possible only because of her amazing attitude. She just never gives up, no matter how bad it gets.

A girl like that can do anything she puts her mind to, in life.

Totally inspiring.

Very nice.

“Allow” !?

Honey, you couldn’t pay us to join that disaster.

Australians like our freedom. We like our country schools where the fences are little things an adult could step over, if there’s even a fence at all. We like sending our kids to school and knowing nobody’s going to shoot them in the classroom. We like going shopping and knowing that nobody’s going to shoot us in the shopping centre. We like eating food and knowing no corporation has added poisons and carcinogens to it to make it more shelf-stable or more addicting.

We like being able to collect the rainwater off our own roof and not being told we’re not allowed because our own roof water doesn’t belong to us. We like being allowed to put a vegetable garden in our front yard if we so choose without a HOA walking in and telling us we can’t do that on our own land.

We like owning our own bodies. Our sex education in school is pretty good and we have good access to contraceptives, but if an unwanted pregnancy is going to ruin a student’s career or if a wanted pregnancy goes wrong and looks like it might kill the mother, we don’t have to deal with politicians trying to take away our very basic human freedom to decide how our bodies will and will not be used by others.

We like our freedom to get medical care as needed. Nobody wants cancer or diabetes, nobody wants their baby to be born premature and needing a whole lot of very specialised care just to keep them alive, but being able to get the care we need when we need it really matters to us. We don’t want our employer or an insurance corporation deciding that they don’t approve of that care or they just don’t want to pay for it and thus deciding not to let us have the care we need to stay alive.

We like our kids getting a decent education that doesn’t depend on whether the people in our neighbourhood are rich or poor, and isn’t hostage to the whims of a bunch of religious nutters. We like knowing that our teachers are paid an honest wage and they’re not spending their evenings tending bars or driving Uber just to be able to pay their bills. We like our kids getting a facts-based education that doesn’t pretend anyone’s religious mumbo-jumbo is somehow equal to actual empirical science.

We like going to restaurants and not being obliged to tip. Sure, if the server is really great or if we’ve somehow made extra work for them, it’s sweet to leave them a nice gift, but they’re not depending on tips to pay their bills because they’re already paid an honest wage by their employer.

Most Australians wouldn’t even travel to the US if you paid our airfare. As for letting that failed-state disaster take over our country? Not happening.

Be more honest

Many years ago a friend introduced me to an Architect.

He needed a job done. It was a big job, a 12 square deck, handrails 2 sets of steps.

I really didn’t need the work and only did it because of my friend.

The job meant I had to stay away from my family for two weeks.

I worked an average of 16 hours everyday in an effort to finish the job early. It was the middle of summer and extremely hot everyday.

The client also worked long hours and came home late.

The job was finished on time . I tabulated the hours and charged him at a reasonable rate.

When I gave him the bill he was indignant and refused to pay the amount.

Not only did I give him a discount on my normal hourly rate I put nothing in for profit, like he would have. He figured that because I spent 14 days building his deck, regardless of the amount of hours I spent, that I was only entitled to an 8 hour pay day.

So I explained to him that I worked at least 16 hours a day.

He said “How do I know that’? His question was very unprofessional considering I gave him his due as a fellow professional and that I am a very honest person. Now I was the one feeling indignant.

I was stunned that he could not understand the concept of what I did considering he is ‘in’ the building business. I called my friend who also tried to reason with him. It was a waste of time.

As I was packing up my tools for a split second I considered putting my electrical saw through his deck. I am glad I didn’t. I learned a valuable lesson after that day about trusting ‘professionals’

Instead of ipads

Not me, my sister. When she was eighteen-nineteen she was pretty serious with this guy. He was nice, intelligent and respectful to our mother; but the dude seemed to have below zero ambition in life. No job, no income, dropped out for reasons I never ascertained, and seemed to live by a philosophy of “if you’re not sleeping on the floor with your leather jacket as a blanket, you’re not true punk-rock.” Polar opposite of my sister.

Some family of his in Minnesota (we lived in California) offered to take them in. God knows why, but my sister was on the verge of leaving everything for a state she’d never been to, to live with people she’d never met, because of love for a guy who’d never shown any indication that he would be seeking gainful employment.

She snapped out of it at the last minute – on her own; nobody had to convince her – and broke up with him. He made the move alone. Apparently he took this really hard; and while to my knowledge he had never been much of a drinker or drug user, he started slamming heroin and she got a phone call about a year later that an overdose had claimed his life.

My sister has a good head on her shoulders. She was devastated, but I never heard her blame herself as some people might. She wished him well, but it wasn’t her responsibility to care for a grown, capable man, and she saw this. He made his choice to live in depression and self-pity. As a recovering alcoholic myself, I can sympathize without excusing. Meanwhile, my sister’s life path brought her to her husband and the two children they have together. It’s sad that her ex couldn’t get his life together and went out like that, but she definitely dodged a bullet.

Advanced Ancient Machinery Discovered in the Queen’s Chamber of the Great Pyramid | Chris Dunn

Pretty interesting.

It depends on a lot of things.

For the near overseas Chinese who live in say Malaysia probably very easily.

For those who live further away? Difficult.

The ease of your reintegration depends entirely on IF you were exposed and picked up Chinese culture when you were young. Myself? As a baby I was given to my grandparents to look after until I was about 6. I absorbed tons of Chinese culture and language. I then visited regularly and kept some of my language skills. But I still grew up in the UK mostly and through osmosis absorbed a lot of their culture and thinking.

My dad grew up here in China and left when he was 16, he’s spent more time in the Netherlands and the UK than here. He can return and fit in with his village clan.

I made a generational seaturtle return.

Here’s the thing though. Neither of us quite fit.

My dad while he was away? His home changed enormously. I remember in the mid 00s standing in the middle of a town and he stood there for a moment. He said when he was a child he used to go fishing and swimming here. The coast was now about 3 miles away.

As such we tend to stick amongst our own groupings.

My dad hangs around a lot with other overseas Chinese who left with him in the 60s. He talks with people here who’ve been here all their lives and finds he hasn’t got all that much in common with them and entirely different life experiences.

Me? Despite this being my 8th year here on a permanent basis? I can count my born here friends on one hand. I’ve got plenty of acquaintances but I’m not sure I could classify them as friends. I find it far easier to talk to and be friendly with overseas born types and that includes Indians, Nepalis and UK born Chinese but not American borns.

It might just be a HK thing, as I was far friendlier with people in the Mainland. So why not move there (again). Well I’ve dug myself a rut already and I’m stuck in it.

But as I’ve written prior, a return isn’t for me (though life wise it worked out well) it’s for those who come after me.

I see my UK nieces and nephews some do ok but they suffer the same identity crises as we did.

By Lau Siu-kai

History will prove that the Russo-Ukrainian war and the Israeli-Palestinian conflict were catalysts for paradigmatic changes in the international landscape and the driving force behind the eventual demise of the US-led “liberal international order.”

main qimg 8fc8bad32bd2c10524ac5f635cd1124d
main qimg 8fc8bad32bd2c10524ac5f635cd1124d

During the Cold War period after World War II, two “international orders” emerged in the world, namely the “socialist international order” led by the Soviet Union and the so-called “liberal international order” led by the United States. After the end of the Cold War, the “liberal international order” was the only international order in the world. Since then, the United States has continued to use coercion, inducement, and regime change to bring more and more countries into this dominant international order, which has led to many conflicts between the United States and other countries, particularly China and Russia. However, in the past decade or so, the “liberal international order” has increasingly become unviable and unsustainable. The reasons include the fact that more and more countries believe it is an unfair, inequitable, and unreasonable international order catering primarily to the interests of the West and that the United States itself often violates and distorts the “rules of the game” devised by itself.

From a historical perspective, the Russo-Ukrainian war and the Palestinian-Israeli conflict are significant game-changing events that would bring about “tectonic changes” in the global political landscape that would, in turn, lead to the complete collapse of the “liberal international order” in different ways.

First, they verify that the United Nations, as the linchpin of the “liberal international order,” can no longer serve as an organisation for maintaining world peace and international order under the deliberate neglect, defiance, and disruption of the United States. The United Nations cannot act to avoid and end the Russo-Ukrainian war. Moreover, the United States blatantly vetoed most countries in the United Nations’ call for a ceasefire in Gaza. When the United Nations becomes an effete and ineffective international institution, the unilateral actions of the United States taken without the approval of the United Nations will increasingly lose the endorsement and goodwill of the international community, and the international order it leads will also lose legitimacy and support.

Second, in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, the United States not only condoned but even provided military and diplomatic support to Israel’s near-genocide atrocities against the Palestinian civilians in Gaza, most deplorably women and children. Israel’s actions in Gaza seriously violate and make a mockery of the “liberal international order’s” proclaimed respect for human rights and freedoms and the prohibition and condemnation of genocide. The United States and its Western allies disregarded Israel’s atrocities, which is entirely contrary to their position of severely accusing and condemning Russia for committing “war crimes” in the Russo-Ukrainian war. The Israeli-Palestinian conflict has unmistakably and fully exposed the moral hypocrisy and double standards of the United States and the West. It has triggered intense anger and frustration in the international community and brought about the complete moral bankruptcy of the Western camp led by the United States. In other words, the “liberal international order” no longer has powerful moral moorings. Consequently, the “liberal international order” will continue to shrink as more and more countries are reluctant to imbue it with legitimacy. The United States’ global leadership position will also be seriously jeopardised.

Third, the Russo-Ukraine war proved that the “liberal international order” led by the United States is dangerously “expansionary” and “coercive” in nature, thus posing a clear and serious threat to world peace. The United States demands all countries participating in the “liberal international order” adopt Western political and economic models and values. It does not accept or tolerate the existence of other political and economic models and values. The eastward expansion of NATO promoted by the United States can be understood as a strategic plan to further expand the “liberal international order” in Europe to contain Russia and ultimately change its political and economic system in the Western direction. In a sense, the essence of the Russo-Ukrainian war can thus be understood as a “defensive” maneuver by Russia to safeguard the country’s sovereignty, security, and strategic autonomy. Since the continuous and reckless expansion of the “liberal international order” has triggered the Russo-Ukrainian war, and the scale of the Russo-Ukrainian war is likely to expand and pose a graver threat to world peace and development, other countries in the world will be increasingly dismissive of the “liberal international order.” A lot of countries are already deeply apprehensive about a devastating global war triggered by the United States’ dogged efforts at containment of China to make it a qualified member of the “liberal international order.” Global resistance to it is bound to grow day by day. Now, the United States is on the verge of failure in the Russia-Ukraine war, which is commonly seen as a “proxy war” between the United States and Russia. This will encourage and embolden more countries to resist the “liberal international order” in various ways in the days to come.

History will prove that the Russo-Ukrainian war and the Israeli-Palestinian conflict were catalysts for paradigmatic changes in the international landscape and the driving force behind the eventual demise of the US-led “liberal international order.” The Russo-Ukraine war and the Israeli-Palestinian conflict have already proven that the US-led international order cannot bring peace, development, fairness, and justice to the world; instead, it is becoming increasingly an impetus for instability and even war. The balance of power in the world is shifting irreversibly away from the West with the unstoppable demise of the “liberal international order.” Admittedly, the “liberal international order” may still exist in some form, but its prominent members will be mainly confined to the United States and some of its Western allies. Inevitably, with the gradual demise of the “liberal international order,” the world will experience a period of “international disorder” and the ensuing instability and uncertainty. However, in the past period, many non-Western countries, especially China, have begun to actively and urgently explore alternatives to the “liberal international order.” The Russo-Ukrainian war and the Israeli-Palestinian conflict will undoubtedly accelerate the pace of work in this area, eventually promoting the birth of a new, fairer, equitable, and reasonable international order that is conducive to world peace and development and respects the interests and needs of all countries.

Some of them include the retro-pulp science fiction cover theme.

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My boyfriend Ben and I have been dating for 4 years.

We’ve seen the best of each other, but that also meant that he’s seen the worst of me.

Dating me is like walking on eggshells; I have depression and Borderline Personality disorder, which meant that I can have intense mood swings and have severe issues with abandonment. That meant Ben dealt with me monthly, with me crying constantly about how I’m a fraud and how he’s better off without me. How people won’t miss me when I’m dead.

Every month, he holds me while I cry and rage at the world around me.

Every month, he plays the knight, and I play the monster, and we fight.

One day, after a particularly bad argument, I really don’t know what it was about, Ben and I had to physically separate ourselves and cool down in different rooms.

When we came back together, he looked…exhausted. He was just staring into space and he just quietly told me to get help.

And when I didn’t say anything, he looked at me and, word for word, said

“Vanessa, I want you to get help because I have nightmares that one day, one very bad day for you, will cause our child that we will someday have, to find mommy hanging from a noose.

I’m scared for you. Of you.”

I went into counselling afterwards.

Bailey’s Lasagna

Lasagne
Lasagna

Yield: 8 to 12 servings

Equipment

  • Lasagna pan

Ingredients

  • 1 pound ground beef
  • 1 pound Italian sausage
  • 1 (67 ounce) jar Prego Traditional spaghetti sauce
  • 12 lasagna noodles
  • 14 ounces ricotta cheese
  • 2 large eggs, beaten
  • Salt and black pepper
  • 1 cup grated mozzarella cheese or other cheese of choice
  • 1/2 cup freshly-grated Parmesan cheese

Instructions

  1. Heat the oven to 400 degrees F.
  2. Brown ground beef and Italian sausage together until cooked through, then drain well. Combine with the spaghetti sauce. Set aside.
  3. Cook lasagna noodles until al dente, according to package directions. Drain and toss with 1 tablespoon olive oil. Set aside.
  4. For the filling, combine ricotta cheese and eggs. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
  5. Spread a thin layer of the spaghetti sauce over the bottom of a lasagna pan.
  6. Lay lasagna noodles lengthwise in the casserole dish.
  7. Spoon and spread spaghetti sauce over the noodles.
  8. Spoon and spread filling over the spaghetti sauce.
  9. Repeat steps 6, 7 and 8 twice.
  10. Sprinkle shredded mozzarella or cheese of choice over the top.
  11. Bake, covered and sealed with foil (DO NOT LET THE FOIL TOUCH THE CHEESE), for 30 minutes or until sauce is bubbling and cheese is melted.
  12. Uncover and bake 15 minutes longer to brown the cheese.
  13. Let stand for 15 minutes before cutting.
  14. Top each serving with freshly-grated Parmesan cheese.

Notes

Serve with garlic bread.

Refrigerate any leftovers.

Behold.

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main qimg 0e43dfb73320c6b438602b193e621720

This also works with common snacks like chips, cheetos, really any “finger food.” Likewise Hara Shidho points out that it works on salads too; eating leafy greens is precisely what chopsticks are really good at in Chinese cuisine. Chopsticks are also much better at deboning fish, with Japanese chopsticks particularly designed for the task. Quite frankly I do not understand how anyone is cleanly deboning fish with forks, especially if the fish have much tinier, irregular bones that do not conform to the spine or edge.

It is also a misnomer to believe that there are no forks, spoons, and knives in China. They just have their time and place, and no they are not imports from the West as they have been around for millennia. I suspect that for Chinese people, ease of dining is where one optimizes for the least switches of utensils while keeping hands clean; removing that latter part gives us Indian hand usage, while the West seems to not care for utensil switching (or just abuses forks to fulfill the purpose of a spoon).

Really though, just think of chopsticks as two very long fingers that are easily washable.

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main qimg 201d73399d7d4cfb730a1827aaf90765

Oh oh!

This happened to a new manager of mine who managed to cause havoc in our office within the first week of his employment.

My previous manager left for a better offer and the replacement didn’t arrive until 1 whole month after he left the company.

So there wasn’t anyone to train, guide or handover the duties/job scope to the new manager.

However, my previous manager, being a very smart man, created a folder with all the job scope, documents, handovers, etc. in our common (computer) server for us to handover to whoever that will take over when he/she eventually arrived.

So, when the replacement finally arrived, naturally very lost and confused, me and my colleagues did our best to guide him along and showed him the folder which my previous manager left for him.

It was one of the busiest periods of the year, so none of us were able to sit down and spoon feed all the details/information to him, as such we pretty much just left him to fiddle his computer and to do his own research.

I mean, he’s supposed to be our manager. He should have some idea of what to expect, right?

Thus, the first week went by, the tsunami was over and my colleagues and I finally got a chance to catch up on our work. The moment we switched on our computer to enter the common server, all of our jaw dropped simultaneously.

The idiot has reorganized the WHOLE SERVER!!

When we confronted him about the server, his excuse was that the server looks very messy and he want to tidy it up. Oh, and if we were to see if anything that is out of place, please help him to sort out into the correct folder.

This idiot had no idea how much damage he has caused us!

For those of you who are wondering what’s the big deal, by reorganizing the server, the idiot rendered all our shortcuts/hyperlinks useless.

Furthermore, a lot of our files & documents are named via codes/serial numbers, without the proper directory we have no idea where are all our past records/documents!!

The worst part is that the damage is irreversible as he had tampered with our backup folder as well…

We spent the next few MONTHS trying to find and sort out all our lost documents but till this day we are still unable to find about 40% of them. (the idiot still insists that he did not delete any of our files, it’s all in there, he just misplaced them…)

The idiot was eventually let go due to multiple accounts of incompetency after 1 year of service (so much screaming from my client).

There were so many stories from this idiot I’m surprised that he managed to somehow last the whole year.

Edit:

Now to verify, yes you can say i’m being harsh for calling him an idiot repeatedly.
We gave him a ton of advice but none were heeded; we tried to be patient with him but when the client openly demanded him to be fired in the meeting with your CEO on speaker phone, you know shit just got real.

And just to be clear, he was hired as a Manager, so not knowing basic computer skill or even some basic level of competency is not an excuse. He is definitely not new in this field and how he managed to secure a 5 figures salary previously is still a mystery to me.

Chinese EV and the USA

No American car buyer today can purchase a Chinese brand (Bloomberg Business 3–18–2024) electric vehicle. And no one is really sure when these EVs will arrive on US shores. But the prospect of cheap Chinese-made EVs is already causing sleepless nights in Detroit. The primary threat comes from cars such as BYD Co.’s Seagull hatchback, which features angular styling, a two-tone dashboard shaped like a seagull’s wing and six airbags. There’s even a 10-inch rotating touchscreen for its infotainment system. BYD’s company slogan, “Build Your Dreams,” is embossed on the rear of the vehicle.

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A BYD Co. Seagull electric vehicle at the Shanghai Auto Show. Photographer: Bloomberg​​​​​

The car’s most extraordinary feature, though, is its $9,698 price tag. That undercuts the average price of an American EV by more than $50,000, and is only a little more than a high-end Vespa scooter. Such aggressive pricing by BYD, which surpassed Tesla Inc. in late 2023 to become the world’s largest producer of electric vehicles, is indicative of how Chinese auto manufacturers will likely force US makers to pivot away from mainly producing expensive second cars for the affluent and toward more reasonably priced EVs for Everyman.

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main qimg bcd06db084d5aa5de2e1535fa2e6153f

Just as the long-feared prospect of a revolutionary EV from US tech giant Apple Inc. has receded, American carmakers now face a possibly greater challenge from Asia. China, long a manufacturing hub for Western companies’ products, is hellbent on expanding its own companies’ reach around the globe. It’s already the biggest market for EVs , and it’s using that scale and manufacturing know-how to help expand sales of competitively priced Chinese models to an increasingly climate-conscious world.

For now, the Chinese onslaught is being kept at bay by stiff tariffs and moves to erect even tougher trade barriers against the US’s geopolitical adversary. Read Keith Naughton

for more on what the future might hold if BYD and others come to American shores

.

And for more on how BYD has become the world’s top-selling electric carmaker, see the Bloomberg Originals documentary: How China’s BYD Overtook Tesla

Nobody is a security threat to the U.S. The U.S. is the biggest security threat to itself. Trying to do regime change in other nations is a security threat to the U.S. Starting a colour revolution to the world U.S. a security threat to the U.S. like what Maidan is now putting the US in a step nearer to a nuclear war! If you don’t want to buy batteries from China don’t buy!

China don’t need you to buy! You wanted a cheaper and better value for money battery! If you want your people to buy at 5 times the price go right ahead!

I work out generally at 5 am when the gym first opens. There is little old lady who comes in and works out. She’s small and frail, but in great shape for her age. I’m putting her 70–80 to be honest. I used to be really impressed by her as well, one of those #goals type deals. But that all changed……..

I began to notice she owned the place, and everyone kind of let her go first because of age. No worries, mad respect still but it did come off a little odd. Now, she parks next to me most days as we wait for the gym to open. She opens her door, and SMACK, hits my car door. Huh, she just walks right in no big deal. I’m sitting in the car too. Wow, hmm I don’t know about her after all.

2 weeks later, she is pulling in and side swipes me just a hair. Backs up, and moves to another spot. Now, yes this is illegal and I could have called the police. I didn’t, I guess I’m too soft. All I had was a small scratch, on a low end car with plenty more blemishes. I let it pass.

Fast forward another month, and out the gym window I see flashing lights.

She scraped someone else so bad it left a big mark on her car too! They called the police and she got a ticket for hit and run and likely lost her license now. Moral of the story, call people out for being rude or it will only get worse.

I cry for my country.

Shitting a brick in Country lockup

Here’s a little first hand story.

In 2003, I made my first trip to another country, which was England. I stayed at a private home in a place called Pinner in Greater London. My hosts gave my a room and let me use their facilities. It was the first time I actually saw and used those bizarre separate water taps for cold and hot water. So inconvenient. But that’s beside the point.

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main qimg 67828d3bbee9178ee05ea179b6b5e3b5

I spend most of my time hiking and sightseeing. One day I went to see central London. In the evening, when I was going to board my train to go back I learned that there was a blackout

and the trains didn’t work.

I didn’t know how to get to Pinner, so I called my host and asked him if he could drive to the center and pick me up. This phone conversation was life changing for me due to one little detail. It was I who was asking him for help, but it was him, who thanked me several times during the mere seconds that we spoke. When he understood the position I was in and what I was asking him for, he said something like “okay, I see, I’ll pick you up, thank you, thank you, bye”. I was stunned. Those “thank yous” sounded very automatic, but they made so much difference. Like, the man had nothing to thank me for. On the contrary, I got him out from his comfy apartment and made drive to the central London at night, and yet he said thank you. Just a simple sign of politeness made a world of difference. After that I started saying thank you much much more often than I used to.

It’s been more than 20 years, and I have observed that Russian people have become much much more polite, and they use the “magic words” like thank you and please much more often. So I’d say, it has become common. It even affected people who are not used to saying thank you that often, because it has become much easier and more pleasant to deal with them.

Japan evening walk in Shinjuku, Tokyo • 4K HDR

https://youtu.be/rFcwx-sIMA8

Cops as Robbers!

It was about 11:00 p.m. when I first observed my sergeant get a cell phone call. He looked at me and told me he had to check something and left the office. I didn’t hear from him for about thirty minutes. The next thing I hear is that they are looking to establish a crime scene. I immediately went to dispatch and asked, “Where’s the scene and what’s going on?” The dispatcher who was half-asleep said he didn’t hear the broadcast, so I made him play back the audio recording. The department tape-records all radio transmissions and incoming phone calls, a fact that would save my bacon over the next few hours.

After hearing the recording of an officer asking about a crime scene, the dispatcher said nobody told him anything. I then called the sergeant over the radio and said: “What do you have?” He replied that he would give me a call (fortunately for me on a taped line). I took his phone call, and he explained that some drunken Mexican was saying that he got kidnapped, beat up and robbed by the police. They were driving the victim around looking for a crime scene, but the sergeant stated, that to him, it sounded farfetched.

I was aware that there had been some informant information saying that a rogue cop was robbing Mexicans. In fact, the chief, in a staff meeting two months prior, had brought up the information.

I told the sergeant to bring the victim to the station, which he did. At the station, I spoke to a friend of the victim and the victim. The friend spoke English while the victim spoke only Spanish. The friend said the victim was on his way to his house to pay him back some money. As the victim approached the man’s house, a marked police sport-utility-vehicle stopped the victim, arrested him, and drove off. The witness described the involved officers as wearing blue police uniforms with one of the officers speaking fluent Spanish.

The sergeant kept downplaying the incident, and I later determined he had misdirected my initial investigation. He said we only had two Spanish-speaking officers working, while he knew we, in fact, had three. I had the two Spanish-speaking officers I knew about come into the room, and apparently, these were not the officers.

The sergeant then reminded me that the state police had several units in the area who were driving similar vehicles. Two of their officers were at our station using our breathalyzer because their machine was down for repairs. I ran down those leads and came up empty.

Because of the informant information previously discussed, I called the chief of police at 2:00 a.m. and said, “I’m not sure what I have, but one of our cops may be involved in a robbery.” Both the chief and internal affairs commander responded to the department, as well as the two other division commanders.

Information started to leak out in small dribs and drabs. Everyone working that night was interviewed, and no one was allowed to leave. First, I learned that it had something to do with an off-duty police officer who was pulled over for drunk driving. Two officers from our community-policing unit offered to give the intoxicated officer a ride home so he wouldn’t get in trouble. Instead of taking him home, they transported the officer back to a local bar.

I would learn later, that when they transported this drunken officer to the bar, they had already kidnapped the Mexican who was in the back seat with him. The truth finally came out when one officer involved in the kidnapping came clean and turned state’s evidence. This officer had recently transferred to the unit. The second officer and ring leader was not Hispanic but apparently spoke fluent Spanish—a fact I didn’t know, but the sergeant did.

On this night, they were looking for a Mexican to rob. They kidnapped this person off the street and eventually took him to a secluded area of a park and robbed him of his money, assaulted him, and left him there.

However, en route to the park, they stopped a suspected drunk driver who was yet another officer. They then started to give the drunken officer a ride home, loading him into their car right next to the kidnapped man. They dropped the officer at a local bar instead of taking him home.

As word spread of the robbery, other officers knew of the drunken officer and learned of the man in the backseat. The sergeant and others on the shift knew this information, but at that point, all remained quiet.

Initially, I think the sergeant was only covering for the non-arrest of the drunken officer, but later learned of the man in the back seat and tried to continue to sell a false narrative. It’s unfortunate once you start trying to cover one officer’s bad behavior; you become caught up and locked into a much more severe situation. There’s no question in my mind that this well-respected sergeant would never have covered for officers committing a robbery. The problem was, he got caught up in trying to help the intoxicated officer and just got sucked into the middle of a bad situation.

By the next morning, the two officers left in handcuffs going to the county jail. A group of union idiots stood in solidarity at the jail parking lot supporting the officers. In fairness to them, they didn’t know the facts of the case, or they probably wouldn’t have been there.

One junior officer came forward identifying who knew what when, which took courage considering he was going against his entire platoon and his sergeant. He and other officers on the shift received discipline. The sergeant was initially suspended pending further investigation. During this extended period of months, he had several personal tragedies in his life, losing both of his parents.

Additionally, while he was still suspended, the current chief who wanted the sergeant fired was forced to retire. A new chief took over. This chief was a close personal friend of the sergeant. Under the new administration, this sergeant took some discipline but kept his job and more amazingly his rank.

The officer involved in the robbery who turned state’s evidence got a couple of years in jail. The Spanish-speaking ringleader pleaded guilty and got almost the same sentence. They were both out of prison in about three months.

Several years later, the ringleader was back in the news, this time for the armed robbery of several banks. He went away again on a seven-year sentence, but just as before, served only a portion of that time and is now out, yet again.

Cowboy Coffee Cake

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ccc5 1024×682

Ingredients

  • 1 (10 count) can biscuits, not the flaky type
  • 1 cup brown sugar
  • 1/3 cup vegetable oil
  • 1/4 cup milk
  • 1/3 cup finely chopped nuts
  • 1/3 cup raisins
  • 1 teaspoon cinnamon

Instructions

  1. Heat oven to 350 degrees F.
  2. Put biscuits in bottom of Bundt pan.
  3. Heat other ingredients just long enough to melt sugar.
  4. Spread mixture over biscuits.
  5. Bake for 25 to 30 minutes.

As a supervisor for a drywall company I hired a guy who had served half his life in prison.

he was 44 and had spent 22 years in prison. ( 4 year stretch 2 year stretch etc not one long 22 year hit),

He was by far the cleanest worker ( his work space ) and the most obedient worker too.

I had to measure up his work after his first 2 weeks.

He worked alone as he was 6 foot 9 and looked nasty.

I told him his count and that he had earned $7000 for 2 weeks work.

He apologized and said he would work harder next pay period !!! the most the other employees would make would be around $2500.

Next pay period rolls around and I measure his work. $8000 this time.

I tell him and he promises to work harder next time !!. 2 weeks later His measure was $9000. The owner strolls on the job site after the invoices have been sent in.

He asks me who Mick is? I take him to Mick and of course his work area is spotless and I introduce them. Mick shakes his hand and the boss pats him on the back. If Mick made $24000 in 6 weeks guess how much the boss made.

I had mick working for me for 5 years till he cracked and ended up in pokey again.

So YES I would employ someone who has been to prison.

I was on an hourly wage but loved to see Micks cheques

Cross of Iron – Facing the T-34s

my insane landlady/neighbor reported me to the police. she said i went inside her house and stole her purse because it contained $5000 cash and her phone. meanwhile, she actually left it in the yard while nibbling on random plants in my ornamental garden (yes you read that right, i had cameras 😂)

thankfully, she also told the cops i did it because she works as jeff bezos’ assistant and i wanted the phone so i could blackmail him for money. needless to say they didn’t take it very seriously. i only found out she reported me when i went to the police station to talk to them about her erratic behavior. they were wildly unhelpful then, and throughtout the whole mess that followed 🤷‍♂️

random other crazy parts of the days surrounding the police report:

she has cameras, and could easily prove someone entered if it were true.

the day before she randomly texted me to ”go in her unlocked backdoor while she was out, and leave the rent on her kitchen table” – specifically asking me to do it while she wasn’t home. it was the same table she told the police i took the purse from. i didn’t of course – but it seems she intended to frame me

she had snuck into my place while i was at work three days prior, i caught her when coming home early. and immediately realized she had been doing it a lot. (things had been moved, doors open i didnt usually leave open etc.. i had figured it was a guest until then) it caused her to spiral with excuses for why she did it, and plots to make the situation go away – she admitted it but didn’t apologize lol.

thats just the beginning, but thats the police report part

Take it from someone who has tasted both: Take the Taser. Every time.

Now, both are awful – I wouldn’t recommend either for a leisurely afternoon. However, the difference is in how they’re bad. When a Taser is used on you, it is pure electric hell, but for exactly five seconds (the standard duration of a single trigger pull). Now, God never stitched together five longer seconds, to be sure – the current from a Taser is by far the most acute pain I’ve ever endured, and this is coming from someone who’s had a baseball fracture a finger, taken an elbow right to the nose in a basketball game, been hit with simulated bullets, and gotten into (and won, I might add) a street fight with a convicted felon. But once it’s over, it’s over. There is some lingering muscle weirdness (I liken it to that feeling that’s left behind after you finally work out a charley horse in a muscle), but that’s it.

When you get pepper sprayed, though, it’s an hours-long ordeal. When oleoresin capsicum (OC, the chemical in pepper spray) hits your mucous membranes, they go absolutely insane. It took well under one minute for my eyes to swell completely shut, and they were obviously watering profusely. My sinuses underwent nothing less than a liquid detonation – I’m trying not to be crude, but think in excess of half a pint. It’s panic inducing – you can’t see without physically prying your eyelids open, you’re punished every time you breathe, you can’t squeegee the stuff off your face (despite frantic efforts that only serve to expand the zone of misery). It took me an hour to see clearly enough to drive, and over a full day for the pain to completely subside – when OC dries, crystals are left behind that, no matter how many tears you produce, can stay stuck under your eyelid.

As a civilian, I would double down on this answer, because in the heat of the moment, officers tend to err on the side of caution – their caution. That means if you’re to the point of being sprayed, you’ve got a high likelihood of what was known among officers as “getting hosed down.” While Taser cycles can be restarted, this can only be done if the subject is continuing to resist (and cycles are recorded by a tiny onboard computer, which provides records which can be uploaded to a personal computer – in other words, supervisors will know if you abused a Taser during a use of force incident). There’s no ‘standard spray’ with OC – it will emit spray as long as there are contents in the can and you have the trigger depressed.

Unfortunately, you won’t have any vote if you’re on the receiving end. You can take hope from the fact that most officers, in my experience, prefer using a Taser (usually no medical intervention necessary, the subject can see and isn’t hyperventilating, no patrol car contamination, and on and on).

But again, do avoid both at most any cost.

Mexican Casserole

Use your choice of meats in this versatile casserole.

mexican casserole
mexican casserole

Ingredients

  • 1 1/2 pounds lean ground beef, ground turkey, chorizo or diced cooked chicken
  • 1/4 cup chopped onion
  • 1 clove garlic, minced finely
  • 2 teaspoons chili powder
  • 8 ounces Dorito corn chips, crushed, or regular corn chips
  • 1 (15 ounce) can Bush’s ranch-style beans or chili beans
  • 1 (10 ounce) can Ro*Tel, undrained
  • 1 (10 ounce) can cream of mushroom soup
  • 2 cups Mexican-style shredded cheese
  • Flour or corn tortillas, warmed

Instructions

  1. Heat oven to 350 degrees F. Spray a 2 quart casserole dish with cooking spray.
  2. In a large skillet, brown the meat for 5 minutes, using a spoon to break up any large clumps. Drain off excess fat and add onion, garlic and chili powder. Continue to cook and stir for 2 minutes.
  3. Add the beans to the cooked meat mixture.
  4. Combine the tomatoes with the soup in a small bowl, mixing completely.
  5. Place about 3/4 of the crushed chips into the bottom of the casserole. Spoon on half the meat mixture, then half the soup mixture. Then add half of the shredded cheese. Repeat the layers, ending with shredded cheese.
  6. Sprinkle the top of the dish with the remaining crushed Doritos or corn chips.
  7. Bake for 30-35 minutes until mixture is bubbling and top is lightly browned.
  8. Serve with tortillas on the side.

Not fired per se, but often reassigned. I spent 20 years in the military. One of my supervisors, on realizing I was essentially a lazy git, put me in charge of a shop in a distant part of the ship. No one had really paid any attention to the processes in years. So, lazy man that I was, I dug in to work out the easiest, most expeditious way to do the work. Took about a month, most of it reading manuals and regulations. I completely streamlined everything, including our reporting, eliminating redundancies and revamping workflows. Another 3 weeks to train the staff on how to follow the new procedures, and I could do my whole job in about eight hours a week.

Well, my boss wasn’t going to have me sit on my rump for the other 32 hours, so he moved me again. Same result. A third time, and I was getting the hang of it. I was down to six hours a week. In sheer Puritan frustration, he sent me to the department head’s office to do admin work. Bad choice on his part; I quit paying any attention to the three shops I’d been in, they didn’t need it. In the mean time, I’d become indispensable to my new boss, by arranging things so he could do his job in just a few hours a week.

They gave me “extra duties as assigned”. Well, those were mostly simple enough; paying attention to the written procedures and manuals, and keeping in mind the actual goals, instead of “This is how we’ve always done it”, let me go back to being a lazy git in short order. I was up to maybe 10 hours a week, and that was mostly delivering verbal reports. Maintenance standards were ridiculously high, my people got a lot of time off because the work got done faster than ever before, and me? No one ever saw me actually doing anything. I’d just wander around, a cup of coffee in my hand, dropping a hint here and a word there, or sitting in the mess and catching the occasional phone call.

My evals made me look like a lazy incompetent. Because they used the wrong metrics. But anywhere I was assigned, actual productivity rose, down-time dropped, and everyone got more time off (the only truly effective reward I had to hand out). A lot of my bosses got commendations for “improvements” I had implemented. I eventually retired, after doing some of the easiest time in the service, drawing two pensions and only 38 years old. Drove my wife nuts doing the same thing at home, before she kicked me out of the house. 🙂

Battle of Nagashino 1575

My mate’s girlfriend was getting married to some other guy.

This had to happen.

I too knew that. Who would give her daughter’s hand to a jobless second year engineering student?

Around a week before his girlfriend’s marriage I advised him to cut all connections with her so that she could start a fresh life.

He replied:

“She cannot live without me. If I will stop calling her, she will die.”

I said: “She will not die. She will take time to adjust with her husband but eventually she will be happy with her husband.”

He: “Do you take the guarantee?”

Me: “I am pretty sure that she will not do such stupid thing. Please do not call her if you need her betterment.”

He: “If she commits suicide then you will also have to jump from the roof.”

After that incident I stopped giving advice to any hardcore Romeo.

It has been 2 years and the girl is living happily with her husband.

Million-Dollar Macaroni Casserole

The whole family will love this easy, cozy make-ahead Million-Dollar Macaroni Casserole.

million dollar spaghetti casserole
million dollar spaghetti casserole

Ingredients

  • 1 pound ground beef or bulk sausage*
  • 1 (28 ounce) can spaghetti sauce
  • 8 ounces cream cheese
  • 1/4 cup sour cream
  • 1/2 pound cottage cheese
  • 1 stick butter
  • 1 pound pasta such as elbow noodles or rotini
  • 1 bag pizza blend shredded cheese
  • Optional: sliced mushrooms, diced bell pepper, diced onion

Instructions

  1. Heat oven to 350 degrees F.
  2. Boil the noodles. Mix together the cream cheese, sour cream and cottage cheese in a mixer to thoroughly mixed together. Set aside.
  3. If you have chosen to use the bell pepper or onion, sauté them for 3 minutes then toss in the ground beef or sausage. Brown ground beef or sausage and drain well. Add spaghetti sauce and mix together. Put a few slices of butter in the bottom of a 9 x 13 inch casserole dish. Then layer half of the noodles in the bottom of the dish. Spread the cheese mixture over this layer. Then add the remaining noodles on top of this with a few pats of butter.
  4. Spread the red sauce and meat on top.
  5. Bake for 30 minutes.
  6. Remove from oven, spread cheese on top, and return to oven for another 15 minutes or until cheese is melted and bubbly.

Notes

* Ground chicken or turkey may also be used in this recipe.

Depends on how you intend to live your life while you’re there.

Because simply existing in jail — an American jail anyway — requires no money at all if you’re willing to subsist on bad food, basic toiletries, and a blaring day room TV.

But any kind of a normal life at all is gonna require income.


Without money in your commissary account, you can’t —

  • wash your hair with anything other than bar soap;
  • soothe a raw throat with Menthol-Lyptus;
  • take Tylenol for a headache;
  • write and mail a letter;
  • make a phonecall;
  • listen to music;
  • use deodorant;
  • eat a snack;
  • moisturize;

And if you consider any of these items luxuries, then you’re probably coming to incarceration straight off the street and sleeping rough.

Congrats on the upgrade.

Otherwise, you’re gonna need funds.


That means sympathetic family and friends on the outside, a work release or road crew deal from the judge and/or sheriff’s department, or a trustee uniform.


I know it’s possible to subsist in jail without means, because I’ve seen motherfuckers do it.

But it’s no way for a human being to live.


Network

Grease Palms

Update That Resume


Jail isn’t the free ride one might imagine.

Putin just scored a KNOCKOUT Blow to NATO and Ukraine is Terrified w/ Andrei Martyanov

My wife counts cards. She likes to play at the $1 tables at Circus Circus in Reno. She makes a few bucks every time she plays. Counting cards requires some concentration, and many people can’t do it, especially if they’re drunk, which explains the free alcohol.

The dealers all count cards. It’s the only way to keep from nodding off doing that job. So they pretty much know who is counting and who is gambling.

If you go home with $20 and brag to your friends that you counted cards in Reno, it’s great for business. If you try to count cards at the high-stakes tables, you will get escorted out if you are successful at all. A photo of you is taken and posted in the Security office so don’t come back later in the day to try again.

There are enough casinos in Reno that you can make some money if you come a couple times a year. If you move to Reno and try to make a living counting cards, you become known to the pit bosses and the security people, and find yourself prevented from playing.

No brass knuckles are involved. That’s just for the movies.

Cowboy Coffee

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coffee on coals and the seashore 1246925709 92fa13d153b24e3096bde851a73fd92e

Ingredients

  • 4 quarts water
  • 1 1/2 cups freshly ground coffee
  • 1 egg shell
  • 1/2 cup cold water

Instructions

  1. Bring water to a boil in a large saucepan or coffee pot.
  2. Add coffee grounds and egg shell to boiling water. Return to a boil, then remove from heat and let stand for 2 minutes.
  3. Slowly add cold water to settle grounds to the bottom. Strain if desired.

I was managing a radio station in Colorado. One early morning, I was on the air and noticed the hotline lighting up indicating an incoming call: it was the guy whom I scheduled to be on the air after me. He was calling in sick.

“Don’t worry about it,” I said. “We’ll cover your shift so stay home and take care of yourself, and I hope to see you tomorrow.”

I was able to find a replacement for him, so after my shaft had come to an end, I handed over the reins to the next jock. I rarely did this, but for some reason, I decided to go home for an hour before I came back to work and spend the rest of my day working in my office. Once I was home, I turned on the TV just to have some noise in the background as I went into the kitchen to make a simple lunch. As I walked around the house, I looked down to see a basketball game in progress. Who do I notice seeing courtside, was none other than the guy who had called in sick.

It was well-known through my staff that if one wanted to take off a day – even if it were for personal reasons – I had a policy in place that would allow people to call in (even at the last minute) and request time off.

To make matters worse, he had lied to me.

The next day, I saw him in the hallway and simply said, “My office. Two-o’clock. Be there.”

At the moment, I couldn’t tell if I was going to fire him for being stupid enough to call in sick to attend a nationally televised event, or if I was going to fire him for lying to me. Either way, he was becoming gainfully unemployed that afternoon.

“Thank you for stopping by my office, but I am afraid that your services are no longer needed. Have a nice day.” I handed him his final check and he left silently.

I am glad that during my time in management I rarely had to fire someone (in fact, he was only one of two people I had fired during my career (the other person was dismissed for attendance purposes. I can tolerate a lot of things with people, but being lied to is, in my opinion, the worst.

The story starts in Denmark. It is 2012 and police officers have just made a pretty standard arrest: they found a sexual offender with possession of child porn.

Police had a much greater concern though. They needed to find who created the videos, not just who was watching them.

There were no clear clues, so they turned to the videos to see if they could find a lead.

In the background, at one point, there was the slightest shot of a pill bottle.

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main qimg 09b36aeb6635a7dcaf95eaeb1uo44d7965 lq

They zoomed in and managed to discern the man’s first name, the first two letters of his last name and the first three digits of the prescription order.

From there, the investigators applied these details to every possible person to whom they could be attributed.

After intensive searching, they conclude that a man named Stephen Keating is responsible, however they still have very little info about him. Furthermore, this evidence alone isn’t enough to convict him.

Rather than giving up, they once again went back to the videos. This time however, they found an image showing the man’s hand. From there, they used technology to create an impression of his fingerprint.

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main qimg 5ae5293f61faf764b24ba394cd10d45a lq

The resulting fingerprint was a perfect match.

53-year-old Stephen Keating was arrested, just three weeks after the investigation began.

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main qimg eb81e93f0e38e39acf28fffd2b2031c6 lq

Keating had repeatedly sexually molested three children, all under the age of 12. Outside of the ones captured on video, it was revealed there were another 12 children whom he had abused.

He was sentenced to 110 years in federal prison, but he may have never been caught had it not been for some brilliant detective work.

[4K】Relaxing Walk in Japanese Small Town – Ikegawa, Kochi

This is just lovely.

Cowboy Coffee with Kahlua Cream

Featured in the November 1998 issue of Texas Monthly – created by Chef Grady Spears

how to make cowboy coffee recipe 1695022684
how to make cowboy coffee recipe 1695022684

Ingredients

  • 1 pot hot coffee
  • 1 1/4 cups heavy cream
  • 2 tablespoons powdered sugar
  • 2 tablespoons Kahlua liqueur
  • 8 teaspoons shaved chocolate

Instructions

  1. Make a pot of good strong coffee.
  2. In a bowl whip the cream until soft peaks form.
  3. Fold in the powdered sugar and Kahlua.
  4. Put a dollop on each cup of coffee and garnish with shaved chocolate.

On September 28th, 1918, Henry Tandey, a British soldier serving with the 5th Duke of Wellington’s Regiment, saw a weary German soldier wandering into Tandey’s line of fire at the small French village of Marcoing.

The enemy soldier was hurt and didn’t even attempt to raise his rifle. Altough Tandey had a clear vision and an opportunity to reduce the number of enemy forces by one, he chose not to shoot. The German soldier allegedly saw what he did and nodded his thanks before getting out of the sight.

That German soldier was Adolf Hitler.

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main qimg 83239ee4a497e73a38060e102436303f lq

This story supposedly comes from Hitler himself. When Neville Chamberlain visited Hitler in 1938 (before the Münich Agreement), he saw a picture by Fortunino Matania ordered by the Green Howards regiment depicting a man saving his fellow comrade. Hitler had allegedly identified the man as Tandey on the basis of a U.K. newspaper article and claimed Tandey was the one who saved his life:

That man came so near to killing me that I thought I should never see Germany again; Providence saved me from such devilishly accurate fire as those English boys were aiming at us.

There has been a lot of evidence that this story is not actually true (see the sources below). But it doesn’t make it less cool nevertheless. If it were true, it would definitely be a legitimate candidate for a single decision that had the most dramatic effect on the entire 20th century.


If nothing else, it kinda reminded me of the following joke:

A man decided to visit a fortune teller. After looking into his hand and into the crystal ball, the fortune teller says in a dramatic tone:

“You sir, will be responsible for the death of millions”

Shocked and taken aback, the man goes back to his home. Along the way, he passes near a river and sees a small boy drowning helplessly.

“Well, if millions of people are going to die because of me, I might at least save one life.”

He jumps into the river and pulls the boy out. The shocked mother comes in tears and says:

“ Oh my dear god, thank you so much Mr., you are a saint. Adolf, you should thank this gentleman yourself.”

Sources:

War hero who did not shoot Hitler

  1. Call a lawyer.
  2. Shut up until your lawyer shows up.
  3. Take pictures of the scene and especially the witnesses. Give the phone only to your lawyer.
  4. When the cops come say ‘I’m sorry Officer. I’d love to tell you my side, but my wife told me to wait for my lawyer.’ Change that to your Dad, etc. At some point before then say ‘Dad, tell me the following…’ so you aren’t lying to the cops.
  5. If they are going to miss the obvious, like a witness, or the gun slid under the dumpster, point it out. But then shut up again.A buddy was getting divorced. His soon to be ex said, she felt threatened when talking to him because he was a soldier (it didn’t matter for the other 20 years…) He was a nice guy and wanted to say, ‘it’s okay, I won’t talk to her.’ But his lawyer shut him down.
    If he said that, it gave the impression that he really was a threat.
    If he made a mistake, and called his kid, but his wife answered, he could be found liable of breaching a court order.Don’t move things, except to safety and holster your weapon.
    A cop had a legit shoot, but noticed the bad guy dropped the gun, right at the cop’s feet. The cop moved the gun to the bad guy, to match what he saw as true, at the time.
    Moving the gun got him convicted.Changing your mag might be a good idea because you don’t know if the fight is over until the cops arrive.
    Leave the 1/2 empty mag at your feet. Put the safety on/de-cock it, etc. because you don’t want the cop who takes your gun having an ND.
    You don’t want the cops to show up and you have a gun in your hand. If your gun is in your hand, very nervous cops will point their guns at you. You don’t want that.Don’t move anything you don’t have to. Giving first aid is allowed but it messes with the facts. Ask 911 before you do it.And shut up. You will really really want to talk. But who among us haven’t said something stupid?

New Gender Alert

A basket of heads

Yep. I was a worker at McDonalds and only sixteen at the time, and we had a new employee. He was on grills, and I was on table right behind him. There’s another side to the table that cannot see the grills through the cabinets of food, so when any cook-to-order meat, in this case quarter pounder, was finished, the grill person would call “Quarter’s up!” So side two would know to get their meat and send the burger on its way.

Well, our new employee absolutely refused to talk near me. I didn’t really get it, he would talk to other people. But he wouldn’t call out quarter’s up for the life of him. After multiple times of doing it myself, I finally stopped and took the meat and held it back to him and asked him to call it out himself. He slammed it into the table and splattered grease into it. I stood there and told him he needed to call out quarter’s up for side two. He would not, he turned back to his grills and ignored me.

I called out quarter’s up and slid them their meat, and the shift continued. I stopped calling out quarters’ up, mostly because I was busy keeping up with the lunch rush and didn’t notice when he slid the meat onto the table out of my line of sight. And out of side two’s sight.

So a manager asks why side two is so slow, and they explain they don’t have their quarter meat and I would slide it over to them and apologize. Someone would tell the grill person to call it out, and the shift would continue again until he went on break.

I didn’t actually know anything had happened until the big boss of the store was called in and he came rushing up to me and told me very sternly,”If someone threatens you like that again, you need to tell management immediately!”

I did not understand. Nobody threatened me?

Turns out, when the grill dude went on break, he loudly told everyone how he was going to “beat the shit out of that little kid.”

And well, he got fired

Western Women Are Too Woke For “Passport Bros”

Men ware galloping away from the West.

The German-American Strategic Depth Clown Show

Harry Potter as a Mexican Soap Opera | Telenovelas are Hell

Once I walked into my college class of 200 people only to see my picture displayed on the projector screen and my instructor asking my classmates who had been signing in for me since I had clearly never been to class. Apparently I’d accidentally signed the attendance sheet for that day, the class day prior, and was a couple minutes late, so he had his ga literally examine my signatures and they determined that the letters were written differently each day. Since I was safely hidden behind a large pillar, I promptly left and called my mom crying. I had attended every class, albeit late on occasion, and was a very shy person. I dreaded going back to that class where I was certain everyone believed me to be a fraud.

Edit: I saw some people asked what happened afterwards, and I ended up emailing the professor during that class telling him what I’d seen and assuring him that I had attended every class and that I was very confused as to why he had made the accusation. It was then that he told me I’d been signed in on the wrong day and that was what had prompted his investigation into my attendance and signatures. He made it very clear that he did not believe my explanation and I met with him in his office where he had me sign my name about 20 times and kept threatening to fail me, saying I could easily be faking it. At this, because I was telling the truth, and had never had anyone question my honor like that before, I started to cry again, and begged him not to fail me. I honestly don’t remember much after that, only that my crying made him begrudgingly agree to allow me back in class. The rest of the time I attended class, I showed up early, sat in the very back and wore a hood until class began. I caught a couple people looking back at me on occasion (and I turned bright red as a result), but for the most part my incredible ability as a shy person to remain utterly invisible served me really well.

Cattle Drive Cornbread

Cornbread
Cornbread

Ingredients

  • 4 cups cornmeal
  • 1/2 cup vegetable oil
  • 1 cup all-purpose flour
  • 1 1/2 cups chopped onion
  • 1 to 2 finely chopped jalapeño peppers
  • 2 tablespoons granulated sugar
  • 1 1/2 tablespoons salt
  • 2 teaspoons black pepper
  • 1 (16 ounce) can creamed corn

Instructions

  1. Boil a pan of water.
  2. Mix cornmeal and vegetable oil well in a large bowl. Add just enough of the boiling water to form a dough that could be made into a ball.
  3. Add remaining ingredients except for the creamed corn. Mix to blend, then add creamed corn.
  4. Coat the bottom of a cast iron skillet with vegetable oil. Heat over medium heat.
  5. Remove one cup of the cornbread mixture from the bowl, and add it to the skillet.
  6. Flatten out the cornbread, and cook as you would a pancake.

This Japanese Man has 4 Wives, 2 Girlfriends & 54 Children…

Randy Miller suggested an edit to my story. 
He blew my story away because I have never run into an ASSHOLE that removed an entire story. 
Fuck You Randy Miller! 
I had to rewrite it you ass!

I will tell you my story.

My sister-in-law has a son. When my nephew was young we saw him a lot, even visited a few times while he was in college, and took him out a few times for dinners. When he got married, we were not invited to his wedding. We weren’t even told about it. When we found out, I have to admit we were a bit hurt.

The reason we weren’t invited was because his grandmother, my MIL, was a crazy mean, lying, horrible woman. The entire family except the nephew and my husband had felt her wrath. To her, he was a golden child. She filled his head with lies, and she is convincing, especially to a kid. She did spend money on him, but nothing is without a string. When she met his girlfreinf, he was told she was a sl*t, a woman that would hurt him, a dirty girl, not worthy. Eventually, they broke up, but got back together., and then secretly engaged, and finally secretly married.

So there was a plausible reason why only his immediate family was present. They did not have any big thing, justice of the peace, ate out, done.

Now married, his wife was pregnant with their first child. I was invited to the baby shower. A part of me did not want to go because I was still hurt. Plus, I dislike showers. But I thought about it, and let it go. I attended the shower and bought a gift of of their registry that was fairly expensive for the baby, and them.

So the question is why would I agree to give them a gift for a baby shower, when I wasn’t invited to the wedding. Because I had found out the entire story, and realized I was being unkind, childish, selfish, and ignorant. And most important, I want a relationship with them.

I have never discussed being disappointed about not being able to attend their wedding, I love weddings. But I’m glad I rethought the emotions I felt because we have a great relationship now with his family. I know I would have regretted not going to the baby shower, and giving a gift to them for their baby.

So, you haven’t explained why you weren’t invited to the wedding. Could it be they were trying to keep it small. There could be many reasons, even that your invitation never arrived. But you need to decide if you have a relationship with these people that you wish to continue. If the answer is yes, then send a gift. If not, you have made up your mind.

Regarding the 300 miles away, unless they are living somewhere you could turn your trip into a vacation, if you have the time and money, I would just send the gift with a congratulatory note.

My opinion only!

Gen Z Doesn’t want to Work Anymore …..

Be the Rufus

“I was on the way home a couple of days ago when I saw this girl from my neighbourhood being very upset and crying on the street.

I decide to approach her. I asked: ‘Hi! Is everything okay?’

She barely looked up and then she just started bawling about her crappiest day she had.

She said she had lost her best friend because a stupid fight and that her mom is depressed all the time and she was also bullied in school all day…

I really wanted to make her feel better but I didn’t really know what to say, so I just asked: ‘Do you want to come in for a cup of tea?’

She said yes!

When we walked in the door, she looked up, her eyes opened up, and she was like: ‘Wooow!!!’ My house is full of paintings and all sorts of weird stuff; it’s messy but very colourful.

On the way in, I was even thinking about how messy my house was and felt bad about leaving tobacco all over the table that morning. But she didn’t seem bothered at all.

She said it was the coolest place she has ever seen. I asked her if she wanted to paint with me so we did. She painted the biggest canvas we could find with lots of bright colours. She used like 10-12 brushes and when she finished, her face had changed completely.

She was beaming!

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I may have made her feel better that day but she also made me realise how lucky I am. Maybe I am weird and I often feel that I don’t really fit anywhere, but my art was able to make this girl feel better about herself and lift her up from a dark place.”

America Collapsing Like Rome?- Upcoming Recession, WW3, Trump, China & Joe Rogan | Patrick Bet David

Not working on a computer but: I worked at the 24 hour photo processing lab back in 1990. Based in Phoenix we got film flown in from all over, including Las Vegas. The usual family photos, the occasional but weekly roll of film for some one with a anatomically correct BDSM Barbie with ever-changing costumes, personal intimate photos for a loved one, and once in a while something different and more sinister.

One of our Las Vegas rolls showed men with a pair of boys, all nude no clothes in sight(ha-ha), no intimate contact showed just these men and the children. The lead tech made the call to the FBI for possible child porn or abuse. After the FBI came and collected the pictures and the address from the packaging, they proceeded to the Las Vegas area address.

What they discovered was the address was a nudist retirement community. The men were a couple and one of them was the grandfather of the boys. The parents knew about granddad and his partner living in a gay nudist community and had no concerns about the safety of the boys.

Douglas Macgregor Reveals the Truth: Russia’s -Ukraine Terrifying Hidden Power in the Conflict

https://youtu.be/otyhVg-oUHs

A Woman Finds Her Daughter’s ‘Dead’ Rapist: people are in awe of her “willpower”

A woman from a remote village in Bihar, India tracked down her daughter’s rapist after he was declared dead leading to the closure of the case. The rape convict, Niraj Modi, has been sentenced to 14 years of imprisonment for raping a minor girl and his father to seven years for forgery, cheating, and dishonesty.

Modi, a 39-year-old man who was a school teacher at a government school, was accused of raping his 12-year-old student, a minor girl, in October 2018. The girl was attacked while she was by herself in a sugarcane field, and her assailant threatened to post a video of the assault online to keep her silent.

Soon after a complaint was lodged by the survivor’s mother, and Modi was arrested. But, he was out on bail after merely two months in prison.

In February 2022, Modi’s father Rajaram Modi, who is over 60 years old and works as a farmer, travelled to a court nearly 100km (62 miles) away from the village, with a lawyer to claim that his son died on February 27, 2022, at their village home. In order to get a death certificate issued, he provided two pictures from the cremation, receipts of the firewood bought for the ritual as evidence, signatures and the unique biometric identity number of five villagers as per Indian laws. However, as per a 54-year-old law, the authorities didn’t question the cause of death.

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main qimg aa86bbebf5dba95beb6616de864b4967

Two months after this, the local authorities issued a death certificate and the court closed the case in May 2022 as the “only accused in the case” was dead.

However convinced that this was a forgery, the girl’s mother was the only person who suspected that the teacher had faked his death with the help of his father.

The mother said that she went from one home to another in order to enquire if Modi was really dead and not to her surprise, nobody had heard of the news. Following which, she went to the court urging an investigation into the matter.

In May 2022, she also wrote a petition to the local official claiming that the death certificate was issued based on forged documents and it needs to be investigated. Soon, investigation began and the authorities demanded more and fresh evidence from Modi’s family regarding his death including photos of the “deceased after his death, of the cremation, of the burning pyre, the last rites and [fresh] testimony of five witnesses”.

As a part of the investigation, members of the village council met the inhabitants of the 250 families in the village. It appeared that no one was aware of Modi’s death. Hindus often only shave their heads as a sign of mourning if a close relative passes away. However, none of the Modi family members had done so. In fact, Modi’s own relatives did not have the information regarding his death.

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main qimg 046f62c7a5463c0383b191bbd3be53c6

After Rajaram failed to provide fresh evidence of Niraj’s death, he was questioned by the investigative office again.

Following the investigation, it was confirmed that Modi’s death was faked. The officers found that the teacher had falsified the signatures of the parents of five of his students’ parents on a document requesting his own death certificate. He informed the parents that in order to set up the students’ scholarships, he would need their biometric identity numbers.

The officials, then, cancelled Niraj Modi’s death certificate and charged his father with forgery and in July 2022, the case was reopened.

The mother’s relentless battle to track down her daughter’s “dead” rapist came to an end finally and in October last year(2023)he was convicted for his crimes.

Keep smiling

Beefy Cowboy Beans

There’s plenty of hearty ground beef in this Beefy Cowboy Beans recipe.

cowboybeans 750x1000
cowboybeans 750×1000

Yield: 4 servings

Ingredients

  • 1 1/2 pounds ground beef
  • 1 medium onion, chopped
  • 1 red or green bell pepper, cut into 1/2 inch pieces
  • 1 (16 ounce) can baked beans
  • 1 (15 1/2 ounce) can Great Northern beans, rinsed and drained
  • 1/4 cup tomato ketchup
  • 1/4 cup Heinz 57 sauce
  • 1 tablespoon packed brown sugar
  • 2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce

Instructions

  1. In a large nonstick skillet, brown ground beef, onion and bell pepper over medium-high heat 6 to 8 minutes or until beef is no longer pink, breaking up into 1 inch crumbles.
  2. Pour off drippings.
  3. Season beef mixture with 1/2 teaspoon salt and 1/8 teaspoon pepper.
  4. Stir in beans, ketchup, Heinz 57 Sauce, brown sugar and Worcestershire sauce.
  5. Reduce heat to medium low.
  6. Simmer, covered, 10 minutes, stirring occasionally.

I have a theory about the sorts of people that are easy to entertain…. 😉

One cellie of mine was really into the markets. He spent incredible amounts of time building models to use against the daily Dow or NASDAQ numbers when we could get them in long enough blocks to be useful. A friend sent him five years of daily data for one index. He built some formulas to fire triggers when conditions were right. The formulas were designed to work in excel.

My job? Human spreadsheet. I took a couple months worth of the data, plotted it across a “spreadsheet” that I’d made from steno notebook pages taped together. The spreadsheet went from A1 to something like BK68. A handful of cells were raw data, the remainder were things like, “=If(And(AI22>AI21,B22>B21,Or(H22=I22,K22=K21)),BB22-BC21,BB22+BC21)”.

Pure drudgery. I had to proof for syntactical and lexical errors and churn out the data. We were sending the finished product (formulas) to someone who would drop them in excel and (hopefully) use them to come up with actionable Intel.

Woof. It took weeks to produce what excel can do in the blink of an eye!

Then there was this:

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main qimg b06ac94849a29dbe797625958f129e02 lq

I set a goal for myself to memorize two hours of poetry. I copied poems I liked in tiny handwriting and kept them with me most of the time so I could study while I waited (lots of waiting in prison).

I didn’t hit my goal, but I did manage to get to about forty minutes. The more I did, the easier it got. I learned that our memory works (kind of) like a muscle. Give it a good workout and it’ll get stronger.

Are those pastimes strange enough?

The (Overdue) Collapse of the 9-5 Job

A sheriff’s deputy drove up to me while I was standing leaning against my vehicle and asked me if I had any guns. I said not on me but there were some in the back of the pickup. He told me to stay where I was.

He walked back to the bed of my truck and picked up a poster that I had made up that said “WANTED Dead or Alive: Baby Bomber Brandes”

He read the poster and then said to me, “I know who you are. You are the man whose home was bombed and whose baby daughter has been in the hospital for the last 6 months, and this is going to be the hardest arrest I ever have to make in my career, but I want for you to know that if I were in your shoes, I would be doing exactly what you are trying to do.” Brandes was up a dead end road, and I was at the bottom waiting to kill him.

Brandes had called his employers at the ATF and told them that I had him trapped and they needed to help him get out of there. The ATF called the sheriff and had them come up and arrest me.

The deputy arrested and drove me to jail without handcuffs and when he dropped me at the jail explained to the jailers the situation. I was treated very well by everyone at the jail. A couple of days later I made a deal with the federal DA that I would leave town and leave their snitch alone. I had to, I had a quadriplegic daughter getting out of the hospital to care for.

I came to Oregon and had to care for my daughter while wearing an ankle bracelet for a few months. The feds did live up to their end of the bargain though: all charges were dropped a short time later. There really are some great cops out there and they are just like you and I and have big hearts.

The deputy actually apologized for having to take me in.

the American dream is dead… this is why people are leaving the US.

In early March 1933, a man walked into the Hi-Way Cigar Store in Pismo Beach, California, and laid a huge clamshell on the counter. “Gimme a box of cigars,” he said.

[1]That day, the clam was paying.
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A clamshell used as scrip currency in 1933 shows the name of the shop issuing the currency, its value, and, on the inside, signatures of the people whose hands it passed through. (Clamshell Currency | Hakai Magazin

History is full of examples of successful local initiatives aimed at providing exchange media, but the Great Depression of the 1930’s saw this done on an unprecedented scale. There were literally hundreds of scrip issues that were put into circulation by a variety of agencies, including state governments, municipalities, school districts, clearing house associations, manufacturers, merchants, chambers of commerce, business associations, local relief committees, cooperatives, and even individuals.

These issuers went by different names, depending on who issued them and the circumstances of their issuance. Common scrip types were certificates of indebtedness, tax anticipation notes, payroll warrants, trade scrip, clearing house certificates, credit vouchers, moratorium certificates, and merchandise bonds.

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main qimg 68c9b8a6c195d8c9557dd30744688d2a lq

Crescent City, California 1933 10 cent clamshell From the collection of Ken Barr Numismatics (Depression Scrip.com)

Besides learning how to “make do, or do without,” people began to establish mutual support structures, like workers’ cooperatives, many of which would recycle and repair donated or broken items.

People learned to share what they had, and to by-pass the market and financial systems. Most of these measures were considered stop-gaps to be utilized until things “got back to normal,” but in some of them there seemed to be the promise of more permanent improvements. One of these “stop-gaps,” which was intended to address the problem of the dearth of currency in circulation, was the issuance of “scrip.”

When the Depression and resulting banking crisis hit their community, the residents of the coastal town of Pismo Beach, California picked an unusual but logical medium of exchange. The pismo (Tivela stultorum) is a species of clam with a very thick shell

[6], found in large numbers at least as far south as 300 miles south of the US–Mexico border in Baja California on the Pacific Ocean side, where strong surf sometimes washes ashore live clams. Native American tribes in California relied upon the clams as a main dietary staple.
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main qimg 9c02e3d658cf14cff94de8b6d2e007b2 lq

Emergency Money

The shells are surprisingly large—up to roughly 15 centimeters in width—and many have faint traces of the clams’ natural shell patterning, faded wispy lines of purple at the edge of the exterior sides.

Shells were marked with India ink in denominations ranging from 25 cents to $20. Each piece was numbered, and signed on the front and on the back. As with the stamp notes of the Midwest, it was necessary to sign each clamshell on the back in order to keep it in circulation.

The idea was that the growing list of signatures would be a boost to morale — proof that, even in tough times, business was being transacted.

No formal requirements may have existed, but informal pressure certainly would have endorsed the practice. The shells were more or less credit—placeholders for real currency.

Eleven of the town’s merchants got together to issue the clam currency. Among them: K.L. Phillips service station, Henderson’s Drug Store, Hi-Way Cigar Store, Leiter’s Rexall Pharmacy and Restwell Cabins. Even the Pismo Beach Post Office accepted clam currency. It was agreed that when change in dollars or cents wasn’t available, they would issue shells to customers instead. Customers would use the shells in subsequent transactions after signing their names on the inside, endorsing them somewhat like checks, which gave businesses a record of who had “spent” their shells. If any customers still had shells rattling around once the banks reopened, they could ask the retailer to exchange them for cash.

Officials had one concern that most issuers would hang onto them as souvenirs of the lack of traditional currency.

Some issuers destroyed the notes after they were redeemed.

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Pismo Beach, California, 1 Dollar, 1933 (clamshell)

Restwell Cabins issued “notes” in three denominations: twenty-five cents, fifty cents, and one dollar.

The larger the amount, the larger the shell. The issue may have been partly intended as a spoof, or for sale to tourists, in the manner of German notgeld around 1920.

Redemption would never be a problem because collectors would want to keep these pieces in their cabinets or trade them with their friends.

But it was also intended partly as a real, if unique, circulating medium. The Restwell Cabins issue bore the motto, “IN GOD WE TRUST.”

Each piece was numbered, and each was signed on the front and on the back. This was in the middle of Roosevelt’s 1933 national banking holiday, from March 6 to March 9, 1933, during which withdrawals were frozen. This gave his administration a chance to stabilize the banking system

.In an era of economic turmoil, thousands of banks were failing and Americans’ trust in the institutions had evaporated. Fearing that their money was no longer safe at the bank, many people had emptied their accounts and stashed dollars at home—which, unfortunately, further undermined the banks.

Proclamation 2039 ordered the suspension of all banking transactions, effective immediately.

The terms of the presidential proclamation specified that:

“no such banking institution or branch shall pay out, export, earmark, or permit the withdrawal or transfer in any manner or by any device whatsoever, of any gold or silver coin or bullion or currency or take any other action which might facilitate the hoarding thereof; nor shall any such banking institution or branch pay out deposits, make loans or discounts, deal in foreign exchange, transfer credits from the United States to any place abroad, or transact any other banking business whatsoever.”

This 10-cent note was issued by the Crescent City Chamber of Commerce. It’s worth about $500 today. (Cash-Strapped California’s IOUs: Just the Latest Sub for Dollars)

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The thought of having to go for four days without readily available cash shocked and traumatized America. Around the country, businesses began issuing IOU-style notes or ersatz dollars—often called scrip currency—in the form of metal or wooden tokens so that everyday transactions could continue even when retailers couldn’t easily issue change.

An estimated $1 billion in this scrip was issued by towns and counties, not to mention corporations, school boards, newspapers and a few wealthy individuals.

Most promissory notes looked like paper currency, but scrip was also printed on leather, metal, fish-skin parchment and, in Tenino, Wash., on slabs of pressed wood.

In Hood River, Ore., Hal’s Tire Service printed $1 bills on scraps of old tires, briefly giving the rubber check a good name.

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Depression scrip: 1934 25-cent fish skin parchment Friday Harbor, Washington

In creating the currency, the Pismo Beach business owners turned back the clock to the era before the Civil War when it was common to find locally produced scrip.

The 1933 scrip reflected the small community’s expression of resilience. A lack of dollars didn’t worry them. “All of a sudden this group of people said, ‘Well, we have what we do have’,

They had clamshells. Appropriating them as currency helped insulate the community from the practical difficulties of the bank holiday.

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Pismo Clam Money

In 1985, the Pismo Beach City Council considered buying back the clam scrip from an Arcadia coin and stamp collector for $3,000.

The clams are now on display at City Hall in the lobby by the city clerk’s office. Not a bad investment, especially considering how rare it is to find a legal-sized clam in Pismo Beach these days. In 2013, to celebrate the 80th anniversary of the clam script, Pismo Beach citizens resurrected clamshell money, making colorful homages to the 1933 variants.

Among the businesses that accepted them were a restaurant and a pawnshop specializing in video games and DVDs.

So the next time someone asks, “How many clams did that cost?”

[27] , remember they are asking for a value in dollars, not bivalves.

Footnotes

10 Countries Where Americans are Not Welcome in 2024

I once had to fire someone just a few days after they started and it’s one of the very few times in my entire career where I fired someone on the spot. I had no choice.

At the time we were riding high as a company having rebuilt an entire culture and the company was working well. This admin who answered to me and a few others, while I was at lunch demanded access to HR documents that were confidential to the other employees. When our HR manager told her no but that she could talk to me, she started screaming at the top of her lungs at the manager and everyone in the offices was completely rattled by the scene.

I receive a call while I was eating my lunch to get back to the office because it was bad. I raced back and saw the looks on everyone’s face and asked a few what had happened. They all said the same thing. There was no other side to this. A few heard her demand for records and thought it was out of line in the first place and then with the screaming on top, there was no way to keep her. When I fired her, I explained that there was no turning that around. You couldn’t undo that damage no matter how she apologized and I didn’t want our culture to be everyone thinking that was even remotely okay.

It sucks to fire anyone. It’s not something any manager ever wants to deal with, but sometimes you have to do it for the greater good of everyone else. There were no employees who thought she should have a second chance. Not one. In fact, they were thrilled that I didn’t put up with it.

Male inequality, explained by an expert | Richard Reeves

The number of male therapists decreasing while the number of men needing therapy increases is worrying to think about.

On April 14, 1865, as he walked into the morning Cabinet meeting at the White House, General Ulysses S. Grant received rapturous applause. Five days earlier, Grant had accepted the surrender of Confederate General Robert E. Lee at Virginia’s Appomattox Court House.

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Image: Lee’s surrender to Grant at Appomattox. April 9, 1865: General Robert E. Lee surrenders at Appomattox

The nightmarish Civil War had ended. Lincoln and his Cabinet were in a celebratory mood, but Grant was bone-weary. As author Ron Chernow recounts in his biography Grant, the general looked forward to a short respite from the battlefield.

After the meeting closed at 2pm, Grant “lingered to speak with the president.” Lincoln invited the general and his wife to the theater that evening to see the play Our American Cousin, starring celebrated actress Laura Keene.

Newspapers had already trumpeted both Lincoln and Grant’s upcoming attendance.

Edwin Stanton, Lincoln’s Secretary of War, immediately worried for their safety.

“He had for some months been aware that threats of assassination were being made by certain evil minded persons against the leaders of the Federal government and army. The presence of the President of the nation and the Lieutenant-General of the armies at any public function at such a critical hour was simply courting disaster.”

Lincoln reacted flippantly, chaffing Stanton “for his lack of faith in human nature.” The president of a democracy, he averred, had to show himself to the people, and some danger was an inescapable hazard of office.

“To be absolutely safe,” he told John Nicolay resignedly, “I should lock myself up in a box.”

Lincoln believed the sight of the “victorious president and general” together would be of great benefit to the public.

Grant searched for a gracious way to decline. The general soon received a note from his wife Julia, detailing her wish to leave for Burlington that day to see their children.

Grant politely declined to attend Ford’s Theatre, joking that he now had a command from Mrs. Grant. As he subsequently said, “I was glad to have the note, as I did not want to go to the theater.”

Lincoln, who was disappointed, understood. “Of course, General, you have been long from home, fighting in the field, and Mrs. Grant’s instincts should be considered before my request. I am very sorry, however, for the people would only be too glad to see you.”

Lincoln extended invitations to Stanton, Speaker of the House Schuler Colfax, and his son Robert Todd Lincoln, but all turned him down. Eventually Clara Harris and her fiancé, Major Henry Rathbone, agreed to accompany him.

At 10:13pm, while the Grants traveled east to change trains in Philadelphia, John Wilkes Booth slipped into the president’s box at the theater and pointed a derringer at the back of Lincoln’s head. He then “executed the gentle president with brutal efficiency.”

Image: Booth murdering the president at Ford’s Theatre. Lincoln’s Missing Bodyguard

In a small appointment book, Booth was eager to record his accomplishment for posterity.

Until today nothing was ever thought of sacrificing to our country’s wrongs. For six months we had worked to capture, but our cause being almost lost, something decisive and great must be done. But its failure was owing to others, who did not strike for their country with a heart.

I struck boldly, and not as the papers say. I walked with a firm step through a thousand of his friends, was stopped, but pushed on. A colonel was at his side. I shouted “Sic semper” before I fired.

Telegrams notified the general of the terrible news, and he was immediately summoned back to Washington.

Grant had seen untold horrors during his campaigns. But he would remember this day as among the saddest of his life.


Weeks later, as the assassination conspirators stood trial, Grant discovered that he was one of several targets of the Confederate sympathizers. The killers had hoped to decapitate the Union government in one bold strike, but they lost their golden opportunity to attack the now-famous general.

The night of Lincoln’s assassination, as Grant and his wife prepared to board their train, they had noticed a man on horseback who had galloped past them twice. Each time, the figure had “thrust his face” at the couple and glared at them.

Grant later learned the glowering horseman was John Wilkes Booth, who had been conferring on the sidewalk with his actor friend John Mathews when the Grant carriage sped by and he set off in pursuit of it. From the heaped-up baggage, he must have confirmed that the Grants were leaving town and would not be at Ford’s Theater.

“It seems I was to have been attacked,” Grant stated, “and Mrs. Grant’s sudden resolve to leave deranged the plan.”

Next Steps (Almost there!)

Confident Dragon Lays Out Modernization Roadmap

As Project Ukraine goes down the drain of history, Project Taiwan will go on overdrive. Forever Wars never die.

This is the Year of the Wooden Dragon, according to China’s classic wuxing (“five elements”) culture. The dragon, one of the 12 signs of the Chinese zodiac, is a symbol of power, nobility and intelligence. Wood adds growth, development and prosperity.

Call it a summary of where China is heading in 2024.

The second session of the 14th National Committee of the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC) was finalized on Sunday in Beijing.

The wider world should know that within the framework of grassroots democracy with Chinese characteristics, an extremely complex – and fascinating – phenomenon, the importance of the CPPCC is paramount.

The CPPCC channels wide-ranging expectations of the average Chinese to the decision level, and actually advises the central government on a vast range of issues – from everyday living to high-quality development strategies.

This year, most of the discussion focused on how to drive China’s modernization even faster. This being China, concepts – like flowers – were blooming all around the spectrum, such as “new quality productive forces, “deepening reform,” “high-standard opening-up,” and a fabulous new one, “major-country diplomacy with Chinese characteristics.”

As the Global Times emphasized,

“2024 is not only a critical year for achieving the goals of the ‘14th Five-Year Plan’ but also a key year for achieving the transition to high-quality development of the economy.”

Betting on strategic investment

So let’s start with Chinese Premier Li Qiang’s first “work report” delivered a week ago, which opened the annual session of the National People’s Congress. The key takeaway: Beijing will be pursuing the same economic targets as in 2023. That translates as 5% annual growth.

Of course deflationary risks, a downturn in the real estate market and somewhat shaky business confidence simply won’t vanish. Li was quite realistic, emphasizing Beijing is “keenly aware” of the challenges ahead:

“Achieving this year’s targets will not be easy.” And he added: “Global economic growth lacks steam and the regional hotspot issues keep erupting. This has made China’s external environment more complex, severe and uncertain.”

Beijing’s strategy remains focused on a

“proactive fiscal policy and prudent monetary policy”. 

In a nutshell: the song remains the same. There won’t be a “stimulus” of any kind.

Deeper answers should be found in the work report/budget released by the National Development and Reform Commission: the focus will be on structural change, via extra funds to science, technology, education, national defense, agriculture.

Translation: China bets on strategic investment, the key for a high-quality economic transition.

In practice, Beijing will be heavily invested in modernizing industry and developing “new quality productive forces” such as new-energy vehicles, biomanufacturing and commercial space flight.

Science Minister Yin Hejun made it clear: there was an 8.1% increase in national investment in research and development in 2023.

He wants more – and he will get it: R&D spending will grow by 10% to a total of 370.8 billion yuan.

The mantra is “self-reliance”.

On all fronts – from chipmaking to AI. A no holds barred tech war is on – and China is totally focused to counter “tech containment” from the Hegemon as much as its ultimate goal is to wrest tech supremacy from its prime competitor. Beijing simply cannot allow itself to be vulnerable to U.S.-imposed tech choke points and supply chain disruptions.

So short-term economic problems will not be causing sleepless nights.

The Beijing leadership is always looking ahead – focusing on long-term challenges.

Learning lessons from the Donbass battlefield

Beijing will continue to steer the economic development of Hong Kong and Macau, and invest even more in the crucial Greater Bay Area, which is the premier southern China high tech, services and finance hub.

Taiwan of course was central to the work report; Beijing fiercely opposes “external interference” – code for Hegemon tactics. That will become even trickier in May, when William Lai Ching-te, who flirts with independence, becomes president.

On defense, there will be only a 7.2% increase in 2024, which is peanuts compared to the Hegemon’s defense budget now approaching $900 billion: China’s stands as $238 billion, even as China’s nominal GDP is approaching the U.S.

A great deal of China’s defense budget will go for emerging tech – considering the immensely valuables lessons the PLA is learning out of the Donbass battlefield, as well as the deep interactions part of the Russia-China strategic partnership.

And that brings us to diplomacy.

China will continue to be firmly positioned as a champion of the Global South. That was made explicit by Foreign Minister Wang Yi in a press conference on the sidelines of the National People’s Congress.

Wang Yi’s priorities:

to “maintain stable relations with major powers; join hands with its neighbouring countries for progress; and strive for revitalisation with the Global South”.

Wang Yi once again stressed that Beijing favors an “equal and orderly” multipolar world and “inclusive economic globalization”.

And of course he could not allow U.S. Secretary of State Little Blinken – always out of his depth – to get away with his latest “recipe”:

“It is impermissible that those with the bigger fist have the final say, and it is definitely unacceptable that certain countries must be at the table while others can only be on the menu.”

BRI as a global accelerator

Crucially, Wang Yi re-emphasized the drive for “high-quality” cooperation within the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) framework. He defined BRI as “an engine for the common development of all countries and an accelerator for the modernisation of the whole world”. Wang Yi actually said he’s hopeful about the emergence of a “Global South moment in global governance” – in which China and BRI play an essential part.

Li Qiang’s work report, incidentally, had only one paragraph on BRI. But then we find this nugget as Li refers to the New International Land-Sea Trade Corridor – which links China’s landlocked southwest with the eastern seaboard, via Guangxi province.

Translation: BRI will be focusing on opening new economic roads for China’s less developed regions, diversifying from the previous emphasis on Xinjiang.

Dr Wei Yuansong is a member of the CPPCC and also the Chinese Peasants’ and Workers’ Democratic Party – which happens to be one of the eight non-CCP parties in Chinese politics (very few outside of China know about this).

He offered some fascinating comments on BRI to Fengmian News and also stressed the need to “tell China’s story well” to avoid “conflict and incidents” along the BRI road.

For that, Wei suggests the need to use an “international language” in telling these stories; that implies using English.

As for what Wang Yi said in his press conference, in fact that was discussed in detail at the closed-door Central Conference on Foreign Affairs Work in late 2023, where it was established that China faced “strategic opportunities” to raise its “international influence, appeal and power” despite “high winds and choppy waters”.

The key takeaway: the narrative war between China and the Hegemon will be pitiless.

Beijing is confident it’s capable of offering stability, investment, connectivity and sound diplomacy to the whole Global South, instead of Forever Wars.

That is reflected, for instance, by Ma Xinmin, the Chinese Foreign Ministry’s legal advisor, telling the International Court of Justice that the Palestinians have the right to armed resistance when it comes to fighting the colonialist, racist, apartheid state of Israel. Therefore, Hamas cannot be defined as a terrorist organization.

This is the overwhelming position across the lands of Islam and across the majority of the Global South – linking Beijing with fellow BRICS member Brazil and President Lula, who compared the genocide in Gaza to the Nazi genocide in WWII.

How to resist collective West sanctions

The Two Sessions did reflect Beijing’s full understanding that Hegemon containment and destabilization tactics remain the biggest challenge to China’s peaceful rise. But simultaneously it reflected Chinese confidence on its global diplomatic clout as a force for peace, stability and economic development. It’s an extremely sensitive balance that only the Middle Kingdom seems capable of pulling off.

Then there’s the Trump factor.

Economist Ding Yifan, a former deputy director of the World Development Institute, part of the State Council’s Development Research Centre, is one among those who’s aware China is learning key lessons from Russia on how to resist collective West sanctions – which will be inevitable against China especially if Trump is back at the White House.

And that brings us to the absolute key issue being currently discussed in Moscow, within the Russia-China partnership, and soon among the BRICS: alternative settlement payments to the U.S. dollar, increasing trade among “friendly nations”, and controls on capital flight.

Nearly all Russia-China trade is now in yuan and rubles.

As much as Russian trade with the EU fell by 68% in 2023, trade with Asia rose by 5.6% – with new landmarks reached with China ($240 billion) and India ($65 billion) – and 84% of Russia’s total energy exports going to “friendly countries”.

The Two Sessions did not get into detail on some extremely thorny geopolitical issues. For instance, India’s version of multipolarity – considering New Delhi’s unresolved love affair with Washington – is quite different from China’s. Everyone knows – and no one more than the Russians – that within BRICS 10 the biggest strategic issue is how to accommodate the perpetual tension between India and China.

What’s clear even behind the fog of goodwill enveloping the Two Sessions is that Beijing is fully aware of how the Hegemon is – deliberately – already crossing a key Chinese red line, officially stationing “permanent troops” in Taiwan.

Since last year U.S. Special Forces have been training Taiwanese in operating Black Hornet nano microdrones. In 2024 U.S. military advisers are deployed full time at army bases on Kinmen and Penghu islands.

Those actually driving U.S. foreign policy behind the Crash Test Dummy at the White House believe that even as they are powerless to handle the Houthi Ansarallah in the Red Sea, they are capable of poking the Dragon.

No posturing will alter the Dragon’s roadmap.

The CPPCC’s political resolution on Taiwan calls for uniting “all patriotic forces”, “deepen integration and development in various fields across the Taiwan Straits”, and go all out on “peaceful reunification”.

That will translate in practice into increased economic/trade cooperation, more direct flights, more cargo ports and logistics bases.

As Project Ukraine goes down the drain of history, Project Taiwan will go on overdrive.

Forever Wars never die.

Bring it on.

The Dragon is ready.

White Women Are PISSED At White Men Dating Asian Women!

I’ve literally (and I actually mean literally here) won cash money on bets with friends about this and it is a method I’ve been using since I was a little kid. Works every single time; no exceptions.

I’m going to let you in on my secret to treat your hiccups in a few seconds every single time.

Let’s first understand what causes hiccups; only when we understand how a machine works can we fix it if it’s acting up. Your diaphragm is a dome-shaped muscle at the bottom of your chest. The diaphragm almost always works perfectly. When you inhale, it pulls down to help pull air into the lungs. When you exhale, the diaphragm relaxes and air flows out of the lungs back out through the nose and mouth.

But sometimes the diaphragm becomes irritated. When this happens, it pulls down in a jerky way, which makes you suck air into your throat suddenly. When the air rushing in hits your voice box, your vocal cords close suddenly and you’re left with a big hiccup.

Some things that irritate the diaphragm are eating too quickly or too much, an irritation in the stomach or the throat, or feeling nervous or excited. Almost all cases of the hiccups last only a few minutes. Some cases of the hiccups can last for days or even months, but this is very unusual and it’s usually a sign of another medical problem.

So now that we understand the cause of hiccups, it’s fairly evident that to treat them, all we need to do is soothe the diaphragm, reduce the irritation and bring it back to a normal operating state.

Fill a cup a little over half with water and hold the cup right side up. Stand and bend over, while placing your mouth on the opposite side of the cup so the opening is around your chin. Sip the water slowly, holding your breath as you do and breathing between sips. The combination of these forces your diaphragm to get back to its expected state of behavior.

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main qimg 8f6275661ddffb623f5cfa327cc8924e lq

So the next time that cute girl you were trying to talk to has a bout of the hiccups, skip the cheesy lines telling her how “someone” is thinking of her and instead treat her hiccups with this method. I can assure you that will score you more brownie points that way.

There is a Russian joke.

At some point in life, a man who had previously been a great sinner has spiritually awakened and started to preach the word of God. He believed that he was inspired by the Lord Himself. So he dies, and meets St. Peter.
– Saint Peter, I need to see God.
– Why? You were an okay guy, we won’t send you to hell.
– No, I really need it. I need to ask Him one question.
St. Peter shrugs his shoulders and brings him in God’s Presence. The man asks:
– My Lord, tell me, did I understand my destiny well? Was it to carry Your word?
God is silent.
– Please tell me!
– Do you really want to know? – asks God.
– Yes, I long to know, I crave for this knowledge, I implore you!
– Okay, okay. Do you remember how you travelled by train from Samara to Syzran’? It was forty-seven years ago.
– Yes!
– Do you remember how you went to the dining car?
– Yes!
– Do you remember how your neighbour to the left asked you to pass the salt?
– Yes!
– This was your destiny. You were born to pass the salt to this person.

When I first heard this joke, I was shocked at the utter pessimism it expressed. Now, I see it in a different light. Yes, the guy was mistaken about God’s designs. But he was born just to pass the salt during a train voyage – and yet he managed to have a rich and fulfilling life. Good for him, isn’t it?

So if you really believe that God had such horrible designs on your life, why not try to see what you can do yourself?

Plumbing. Yeah. Good selection for a career.

Joe and the rabbits

When I was a young boy, perhaps 6 years old, we lived in a housing complex in Bridgeport, Connecticut. I used to play with the other kids in that complex. One of my boyhood friends was this kid named Joe.

His father was a scientist from Germany. And after world war II, he emigrated to the United States with his parents. They were a nice family, and the father and Joe could speak very good English, but his mother could not. But she was pretty nice.

Joe was named after the Americans allowed him to come into the USA. He was named “G.I.Joe”. I kid you not.

Anyways he had his father’s German soldiers helmet, and a German army issue gas mask that we both played with.

He was a lot of fun. Joe and I did many things together, and we ran about getting into all sorts of things. Good times for young boys. Ha ha.

Anyways, in his basement, his father had rows and rows of cages with bunny rabbits. yeah, his father was using them for experiments that he ran out of his house.

He fed them. He tended to them.

He injected them…

Now that I am older, and knowing about “Operation Paperclip”, I wonder just what kinds of experiments his father was doing to these rabbits. Makeup? Bio-weapons? Aspirin? I don’t know.

What I do know is that my father would periodically take me over to Joe’s house and I would get to pick up the rabbits from time to time. Both Joe and I were too young to notice anything wrong about the set up. But today… knowing what I do know… I wonder about it.

Many innocent things in my past… well are exposed to the understandings of experience when you get older.

Today…

Ukraine Dropped Explosive On Nuclear Fuel Storage Facility

Ukrainians dropped an explosive on the nuclear fuel storage facility at the Zaporozhye Nuclear Power Plant.

Russia sent an urgent report to the IAEA.

Absolutely ZERO additional information is available at this time.

No word of any radiation leak . . .  no word about ANYTHING.  Just that it happened.

More if I get it.

This $7.3 Trillion Bombshell Threatens To SINK The Dollar

Transgender – The Inability To Distinguish Facts From Wishes

Matt Taibbi opines on the latest piece of transgender nonsense:

The Dumbest Cover Story EverRacket News, Mar 13 2024
New York Magazine’s “Freedom of Sex” is the ultimate example of the lunatic nihilism that’s consumed America’s intellectual class

New York Magazine has a new cover story, by the trans writer Andrea Long Chu: “The moral case for letting trans kids change their bodies.” A jeremiad in support of the idea that children must have absolute political agency, it makes the Unabomber manifesto read like a Shakespeare sonnet. The money passage:

We must be prepared to defend the idea that, in principle, everyone should have access to sex-changing medical care, regardless of age, gender identity, social environment, or psychiatric history.

A lot of the piece is standard-issue woe-is-me fuck-everything cartoon nihilism you’d hear from any laptop-class liberal arts product, arguing for a generalized smashing of the patriarchy, among other things by attacking the biological conspiracy to produce those units of material labor value known as babies. Complete abolition of norms would be an “impossible task,” Chu notes sadly, but that doesn’t preclude their “collective reimagining” by an alliance of intersectional victims working toward a Marxian paradise free of “oppressive systems,” which of course include the nuclear family.

The nihilism Taibbi points to is also the major theme the French anthropologist Emmanuel Todd takes on in his book “The Defeat of the West”.

From its New York Times review:

This Prophetic Academic Now Foresees the West’s Defeat (archived) – New York Times, Mar 9 2024

American leadership is failing: That is the argument of an eccentric new book that since January has stood near the top of France’s best-seller lists. It is called “La Défaite de l’Occident” (“The Defeat of the West”). Its author, Emmanuel Todd, is a celebrated historian and anthropologist who in 1976, in a book called “The Final Fall,” used infant-mortality statistics to predict that the Soviet Union was headed for collapse.

Mr. Todd is not a moralizer. But he insists that traditional cultures have a lot to fear from the West’s various progressive leanings and may resist allying themselves on foreign policy with those who espouse them. In a similar way, during the Cold War, the Soviet Union’s official atheism was a deal-breaker for many people who might otherwise have been well disposed toward Communism.

Mr. Todd does believe that certain of our values are “deeply negative.” He presents evidence that the West does not value the lives of its young. Infant mortality, the telltale metric that led him to predict the Soviet collapse half a century ago, is higher in Mr. Biden’s America (5.4 per thousand) than in Mr. Putin’s Russia — and three times higher than in the Japan of Prime Minister Fumio Kishida.While Mr. Todd is, again, not judgmental on sexual matters, he is judgmental on intellectual ones. The inability to distinguish facts from wishes astounds him at every turn of the Ukraine war. The American hope early in the war that China might cooperate in a sanctions regime against Russia, thereby helping the United States refine a weapon that would one day be aimed at China itself, is, for Mr. Todd, a “delirium.”

Back in January Todd expanded on the inability of distinguishing facts from fiction, which is also the basis of trans-genderism, during an interview with Le Figaro. From its English translation:

Q: Over time, haven’t you become a bit of a reactionary?I was brought up by a grandmother who told me that, sexually speaking, all tastes are part of nature, and I’m faithful to my ancestors. So, LGB, welcome. For T, the trans issue is something else. The individuals concerned must of course be protected. But the fixation of the Western middle classes on this ultra-minority issue raises a sociological and historical question. To establish as a social horizon the idea that a man can really become a woman and a woman a man is to assert something that is biologically impossible, it is to deny the reality of the world, it is to assert the false.

Trans ideology is therefore, in my opinion, one of the flags of this nihilism that now defines the West, this drive to destroy not just things and people but reality. But, once again, I am in no way overwhelmed here by indignation or emotion. This ideology exists and I have to integrate it into a historical model. In the age of the metaverse, I can’t say whether my attachment to reality makes me a reactionary.

The intentional denial of reality, as it is currently practiced in the West, is not a new phenomenon. It is the basis of neo-conservatism from where it has crept over to the progressive side.

As Ron Susskind wrote in his portrait of the first years of the Bush junior presidency:

Faith, Certainty And The Presidency Of George W. Bush (archived) – Ron Susskind / New York Times, Oct 17 2004

The aide said that guys like me were “in what we call the reality-based community,” which he defined as people who “believe that solutions emerge from your judicious study of discernible reality.” I nodded and murmured something about enlightenment principles and empiricism. He cut me off. “That’s not the way the world really works anymore.” He continued “We’re an empire now, and when we act, we create our own reality. And while you’re studying that reality—judiciously, as you will—we’ll act again, creating other new realities, which you can study too, and that’s how things will sort out. We’re history’s actors … and you, all of you, will be left to just study what we do.”

Karl Rove, the Bush advisor Susskind had quoted, displayed the same lunatic nihilism that is represented by those who argue that children, teenagers or people generally should can freely chose their gender. It is an attempt of “creating other new realities”. It represents a total denial of actual reality and of the common values derived from it. The Bush administration failed in its endeavor to create new realities in Iraq. The current regime in the West will fail likewise with regime change in Russia. So will others who deny realities.

The author of the Todd book review, Christopher Caldwell, adds:

Fighting a war based on values requires good values. At a bare minimum it requires an agreement on the values being spread, and the United States is further from such agreement than it has ever been in its history — further, even, than it was on the eve of the Civil War. At times it seems there are no national principles, only partisan ones, with each side convinced that the other is trying not just to run the government but also to capture the state.

I see a very similar denial of reality, followed by nihilism and a lack of values, at the top of the current European leadership. The loss of the common view of things is splitting societies on both sides of the Atlantic.

However, with regards to transgenderism, some sense of reality is still trying to survive:

National Health Service England stops prescribing puberty blockers, citing ‘not enough evidence’USA Today. Mar 13 2024

“We have concluded that there is not enough evidence to support the safety or clinical effectiveness of (puberty suppressing hormones) to make the treatment routinely available at this time,” the publication by NHS England stated.

Puberty is a natural process which often includes a temporary confusion about ones identity. Blocking a kids puberty to further some ephemeral confusion some may have during those time is in my view criminal.

I even agree with Rishi Sunack on this:

U.K. prime minister on gender: ‘A man is a man and a woman is a woman’Washington Post, Oct 5 2023

British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak asserted his stance on gender identity in a speech Wednesday, stating it was “common sense” that “a man is a man and a woman is a woman” — a remark that sparked criticism from transgender rights activists and elicited fervent applause from attendees of the Conservative Party Conference.

I see myself, just like Matt Taibbi seems to see himself, as a progressive striving for a society based on some form of socialism and justice.

To then find myself on the same side of an issue as some staunch conservatives, and getting attacked for it, is mildly disturbing.

Is it really impossible to be reality based and on the left side of things?

Posted by b on March 14, 2024 at 11:24 UTC | Permalink

Father gives instructions to his son

US Searching for Russian Sub – DelMarVa Peninsula

US Hunting Russian Sub DelMarVa Peninsula large
US Hunting Russian Sub DelMarVa Peninsula large

The United States is searching for what is believed to be a Russian nuclear submarine off the Delaware, Maryland, Virginia (DelMarVa) Peninsula and into Chesapeake Bay.

Sub-Hunter aircraft are deployed as shown on the FlightRadar image above.

This wasn’t something that I overheard, but my cousin did.

He was sitting on a train and overheard two girls talking, roughly in their early 20s. One of the girls had been asked to house-sit for a family friend who was away for 2 weeks and also look after their pet German Shepherd.

Things were going well for the first few days until she woke up one morning and the dog had died in its sleep.

This was in central London at the height of summer, and the girl didn’t own a car. The owners wouldn’t be back for about 8 days so she couldn’t just leave it in the house until then in case it started to rot. She read online that she should store it in a cool place, but there wasn’t anywhere suitable at their house as it was a very big dog. She also didn’t have many friends in the area and had no access to a car, so she had no idea what to do.

She googled where the nearest vet might be able to store the body until the owners returned, but it was two stops away on the tube. Even if a taxi agreed to transport a dead dog, she couldn’t afford to pay £20 for a London taxi, so she put the dog in a suitcase and took it on the tube.

A man offered to help her carry it down the stairs as she was struggling, and asked what on earth she had inside that made it so heavy (about 30kg). She was a photography student, so told him that she studied photography and had a lot of camera equipment inside. They chatted a bit about it and got on to the tube.

At the next stop, the man got off, but just as the doors were closing, he grabbed the suitcase and ran off towards the escalators as fast as he could. He was a petty criminal who thought he would cash in on the camera equipment. Before she knew what had happened, the doors had shut and she was on her way to the next station.

I’m not sure if they ever got it back, but there aren’t many greater images than the thought of this man returning home thinking he had hit the jackpot, only to open the bag and see a dead German Shepherd staring back at him.

Couples Therapy

I don’t know if I actually “annoyed” the scammer but. . . . I have two stories, several years apart. Story One: My phone rang one afternoon about three years ago. When I picked up the receiver (landline), a voice answered that sounded like my cousin. When I said, “Larry?” he replied, “Yeah, Grandma, it’s me.” Immediately I knew it was a scam since my husband and I never had kids, ergo, no grandkids. But, I decided to play along. He explained that he was somewhere—I forget where exactly—in the Bahamas, where he and some friends had gone to hear a rock concert, and he’d been in an accident with his rental car. I asked him if he took out insurance when he rented the car; he said yes, but the way they did things down there was, you paid for the damages out of pocket, and then the rental insurance reimbursed you. I asked him how much he needed and he replied $3000, money he’d need to pay for the car, his hotel bill and airfare to get home. “Oh, Larry,” I said. “I’m sorry, but I just paid my quarterly property taxes (actually true) and have no more money.” Pause. “Why don’t you just ask Mom and Dad for the money?” He explained that his folks had told him not to go, but he went anyway, and now they would be furious at him for disobeying. “Oh, sweetheart,” I said in my most sympathetic tone. “Yeah, they’ll be mad at you for a minute, but you know they love you. I’m sure they’ll help you.” Another pause. “Larry, you go explain things to them. I just know they’ll give you the money. And then, please, call me back and let me know what happened. Okay?” “Okay, Grandma, I will.” If I do say so myself, I was brilliant. Move over Meryl Streep.

Story Two: This happened at least a dozen years ago, before I understood just what scammers were about and how they worked. I got a call from a guy (with an Indian accent) who said his name was Jim from “Microsoft” and that they had detected a virus on my computer. Coincidentally, I really was having problems with my computer and trouble accessing my email. I listened to his spiel and decided to allow him to take control of my computer. He said it would cost me $100 to fix. I agreed and he or his IT dept. went to work on erasing the virus, but not very well. The following day I got another call from “Microsoft” and the same spiel. I told him that someone else had called the previous day and I had agreed to pay the $100 to fix my computer, but as yet the computer still wasn’t functioning properly. This new guy named George (also with an Indian accent) said that Jim didn’t know what he was talking about, that there would be no charge to fix my computer, but that if I wanted, I could agree to a 6-month for $99, a 1-year for $199 or a two-year service contract for $299, my choice. I told him I was confused, but he advised me not to deal with Jim ever again and that he, George, would really fix my computer, which took about 5 hours (I guess those guys worked on commission and they were having a fight over which one would get the credit for my computer work.) Well, it turned out that George actually did fix the problem—I wonder how THAT happened—and now he wanted to get my credit card number so he could charge me for my choice length service contract. I told him, honestly, I didn’t have a charge card available, but to send me a bill and I would send him a check for the amount. He reluctantly agreed, but I never did get the bill. In retrospect, I don’t know how or why my computer actually did work after that, and I never heard from that particular “Microsoft” bunch ever again.

U.S. Gov ADMITS They Are Readying “Kill Chain” Around China

4 years ago, she was in procurement and I was in sales. We worked in a trading company. (let’s call her ‘Jane’ here.)

Me: ‘Can you please share the price of the inquiry from X company?’

Jane: ‘OK, I will send you an email in 10 minutes.’

Me: ‘Cool, thanks!’

20 minutes later

Jane: ‘Sorry the price sent 10 minutes ago was wrong.’

Me: ‘Oh shit, we already quoted the client. Let me give him a call real quick. Please make sure to send the correct one this time.’

Jane: ‘Ok, sorry bout that.’

20 minutes later

Jane: ‘Hey…. I apologize. But the price was still not correct.’

Me: ‘……(sign) Alright, let me call the client real quick. Meanwhile can you please please prepare the correct price and send it out ASAP? ’

Jane: ‘I will. This time, it will be correct.’

Me: ‘Awesome, if my help is needed, you know where to find me.’

20 minutes later

Jane: ‘Hey……’

Me: ‘Hey…..’

Jane: ‘It’s about the price.’

Me: ‘Please don’t tell me, it’s wrong again.’

Jane: ‘……..’ (she nodded)

Me: ‘………..Alright, please go back to your seat first. We will talk later.’

I called a flash meeting with her manager and mine. Went through all the communication between Jane and the supplier. We found out that Jane chatted with the supplier via WhatsApp only without asking for email confirmation so of course price could change at any time. We gave her a chance to explain and she couldn’t.

A few months later, I heard Jane had resigned. Or should I say she was pressured as the company did not want to pay compensation? Whatever it was, her skills were not suitable for the position. It was best for her and company.

Bobcat story

  • The mere exposure effect: The more you see something, the more you like it. This is why advertisers repeat slogans and brands use familiar logos.
  • We tend to believe people notice our mistakes or imperfections more than they actually do.
  • The sunk cost fallacy: People are more likely to continue an endeavor the more they have already invested in it, even if it’s no longer worthwhile.
  • Social loafing: People exert less effort when working in a group than when working alone.
  • The more witnesses to an emergency, the less likely any one person is to intervene. Everyone might be looking to see if someone else will take action first.
  • The confirmation bias: People tend to seek out information that confirms their existing beliefs and disregard information that contradicts them.
  • How information is presented can influence how people perceive it. Frame your speech nicely….organizing speech is as important as the speech itself.
  • The in-group favoritism: People favor members of their own group over outsiders.
  • The placebo effect: A belief that a treatment will work can actually produce positive effects. Some medicines are just flavored chewable but due the outer packing and doctor’s prescription, patient believe it as cure and thus see tangible results.
  • People are seen as more likeable after they make a minor mistake. They became humble and look for someone who doesn’t judge them on thier mistake.
  • The false consensus effect: People overestimate the extent to which others share their beliefs and attitudes.
  • The Dunning-Kruger effect: Unskilled people tend to overestimate their ability, while skilled people tend to underestimate theirs. You think you can be a chess grandmaster, but many a times a grandmaster thinks is not worthy of being one, although he is 100times better than you.
  • The cryptomnesia effect: Unconsciously plagiarism where you mistakenly believe something you created is something you heard or experienced before. Pathetic ! You thought you heard this story somewhere but in reality it was your own creative innovation.
  • People tend to attribute positive events to themselves and negative events to external factors.
  • People perform better when they are being cheered on or believe they are part of a team. Yes! you can do it. We are all there for you, Give it your 100%

Scampi

The cooked garlic-butter combination may be poured over French bread and served with shrimp as a side dish.

Scampi
Scampi

Yield: 6 to 8 servings

Ingredients

  • 4 pounds headless jumbo shrimp
  • 1 lemon, divided
  • 2 cups butter
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 6 cloves garlic
  • 1 tablespoon finely-chopped parsley
  • 1 tablespoon cayenne pepper

Instructions

  1. Thoroughly wash shrimp. Peel and place side by side in glass baking dish, making sure shrimp are not on top of each other.
  2. Squeeze juice of 1/2 lemon over shrimp.
  3. Slice remaining 1/2 lemon into 6 finely sliced pieces and place in baking dish.
  4. Melt butter.
  5. Finely chop garlic and place in butter.
  6. Add salt and chopped parsley to butter and garlic mixture.
  7. Sprinkle pepper over shrimp, then pour butter and garlic mixture over this.
  8. Cover tightly and bake at 350 degrees F for 30 minutes.
  9. Serve with cooked pasta if desired.

There are so many wise Chinese idioms and proverbs

that it would take an entire series of books to cover them. I send blog posts from a Chinese language site to my students who have an interest in ancient Chinese wisdom. So I’ll share a few of my favorite and the actual meanings.

In addition, I’ll share the ebook that has 10 more Idioms

for people who are interested in the Chinese language as well as culture.

But for those of you who aren’t sure what an idiom is, Chinese idioms, called (Zhōng guó chéng yŭ 中国成语), are well-known sayings or proverbs alluding to famous Chinese stories and historical events. They are not only a key part of Chinese language learning but are also priceless in understanding Chinese culture. Chinese idioms are deeply rooted in legacies and traditional culture, making the Chinese language more rich and fascinating. Each Chinese idiom carries profound meaning too. Some of the meaning can’t be understood from the context alone, so I’ll try to expand on the origins and significance.

“鸡毛蒜皮 (jīmáosuànpí)” may have a literal meaning of “chicken feathers and garlic skin” but the meaning has a logical reason. It is used to express that something is not important, or is simply worthless.

The story goes that a long time ago, there were two neighbors: One who lived in the East sold chickens for a living and one who lived in the West sold garlic for a living. Both families had a rather hard life. The family that sold chickens got up early to pluck “鸡毛(jīmáo) chicken feathers”, and as a result, the entire floor was covered in chicken hair. The family who sold garlic also woke up early, but to peel garlic, and their entire floor was covered with “蒜皮(suànpí) garlic skin”. The two families had originally lived in harmony. However, they did have a source of conflict, the wind.

When the wind blew westward, from the East, the “鸡毛(jīmáo) chicken feathers” would be blown into the western neighbor’s yard, while when the wind blew eastward, from the West, “蒜皮(suànpí) garlic skin” would be blown into the eastern neighbor’s yard. The two neighbors often quarreled over such nuance. At one point, the conflict between the two neighbors escalated to the point where they both fought, and eventually went to court to settle the provocative matter. The Judge learned that they were arguing over such a small issue, and said: “Such a small provocation is not worth being settled in court. You have wasted my time, therefore you should be punished.” Some people said the judge was unfair, while others said the ruling was fitting, and that both claims seemed to make sense. Later, the story spread, and eventually “鸡毛蒜皮 (jīmáosuànpí)” became known as a phrase that denotes trivial, unremarkable things or very small things.

“对牛弹琴 (Duìniútánqín)” is used by Chinese people to describe someone who is explaining something complicated to a fool, or sometimes this idiom is used to describe a person who is trying to tell something to the wrong audience.

It literally means to play the harp to a cow…

During the Warring States Period, there was a musician named Gongming Yi, who played musical instruments very well. There were a great number of people fond of listening to him play, and who respected him greatly.

One day, Gongming Yi saw a cow when he was relaxing in the countryside. He thought, “Everybody compliments my music. Why don’t I play some music for this cow?”

He played a piece of elegant quaint music for the cow, but the cow just kept grazing the grass with its head down.

He played another piece of joyful music, but the cow still kept its head down to graze the grass and totally ignored him.

Gongming Yi showed off all his skills, but the cow still ignored him. He was disappointed and started to question his ability until a passerby said to him, “It’s not because your ability is inadequate. It is because the cow can not understand music at all.”

The moral of the two stories are useful but hard to understand from context but it helps to know the background information.

Self Belief

Fascinating question.

Having lived in China for several years, and being married to a Chinese wife, I think my first impulse is to say, “don’t expect to ever fully understand Chinese culture.”

Not because they are so hard to understand, but because that thing we call China is a huge place, with a long history, and it would be wrong to expect to ever fully grasp what it means to be Chinese, or do things the Chinese way.

All that hedging aside, I do think you could be pragmatic about it.

Presuming you are simply trying to get on in modern day China’s culture, I would give you the following list of tips:

  1. Know your place; in China, family always come first. Then come relatives and old friends. New friends are welcome, but won’t be prioritized.
  2. Food is China’s unofficial religion. You will be asked “have you eaten?” in the same way you will be asked “how are you doing?” in the anglosphere, and they mean it. Never downplay the importance of a meal. They dedicate an amazing amount of time, resources, and energy to making, eating, and procuring meals. If you’re French, you’ll understand.
  3. “Saving Face” is everything. There are a hundred ways in which the Chinese can acknowledge or humiliate you, and it all boils down to small details like who sits where, when do you get to speak, what sort of dishes are served… if you can read that code, you know your place with them.
  4. Negotiation; the Chinese will offer you a choice even when it is clear what you want. It’s one of the prime directives of China. The other person must always have a choice. That way, you may find yourself playing cat and mouse with other pedestrians many more times than you would in the western world, because one indication of intended direction just isn’t enough; no, you will have to swerve around fellow pedestrians in the last moment, because they will keep offering you options till the last second. Whenever I sit in a restaurant with my wife, she drives me crazy with the question “… or would you like THAT dish instead?” To which my retort tends to be, “no, goddammit! I want the thing I said I wanted the first time!”
  5. Final agreements are not final. How many times did we put a final signature under something, only to find ourselves reconvening over a lavish meal for a complete re-negotiation.
  6. Change your spokesperson, and you start from scratch. The Chinese build relations with a company or institution based on a personal, individual relationship. Take that person away, and you are back to zero.
  7. Wastefulness is a sign of idiocy. I have yet to see a respected Chinese person with a wasteful attitude. Economy and efficiency are the pillars of Chinese success, and those who are successful there will possess them.
  8. Nature is beautiful – but only few have a realistic understanding of nature. Instead, there is a highly domesticated image of nature in China, sporting talking, vegetarian cats, highly polished flower arrangements, and so on. The Chinese romanticize nature, but don’t understand it.
  9. Outlooks are strangely short term and long term at the same time. The business world expects fast turnarounds and quick growth, while politics and others allow for long time spans for things to develop.

On the whole, I like Chinese culture. When you are there, you feel a new mellowness, surrounded by abundance and the dynamics of an old culture that is mercifully pragmatic and philosophical.

Rory Gallagher-Bad Penny (Rockpalast 1982)

In 2011 I had an excruciating pain in the left side of my back. I called 911 and was taken to the ER where they diagnosed kidney stones, gave me a blood thinner and did a CT. The on call urologist came and said I had renal cell carcinoma and said to make an appointment to have the kidney removed asap. He said you have two kidneys and survive just fine on one. I did some research online and saw that Cleveland Clinic did an operation where they could remove half a kidney. I saw another Nephrologist in town first who confirmed the cancer diagnosis and the conceited little twerp said they can’t do the half kidney because the lesion was in the wrong place. I went to Cleveland anyway and made an appointment with the doctor who wrote the kidney textbook med students use. He did his own CT with dye and said, “Ya know this isn’t taking the dye like renal carcinoma would, let’s wait and do another CT in three months. If it is cancer it’s slow growing so it’s not a big risk.” I went back home to California and returned three months later for another scan. This time the lesion had actually reduced in size and the Cleveland doctor said the lesion was actually “a cyst that had burst” not cancer. Today, 11 years later, I have two good kidneys because I got the second opinion. Choose your second opinion from a place like Cleveland Clinic that does research if you can.

I just got fired. Now my former boss (the one who let me go) is asking me where some important documents are. How should I respond?

The word “toxic” gets thrown around far too often, I think. And yet, I can’t really think of any other word (except for possibly “hostile”) that describes where I used to work. The company no longer exists, having been acquired a couple times over, but I still am hesitant to name it because the industry is rather incestuous and the people are still around even if the company isn’t.

Nevertheless, perhaps this story can act as both a cautionary tale as well as a moment of schadenfreude.

After I had been with the company for about a little less than a year, they hired a new WorldWide VP of Sales who is about as close to pure evil as I ever experienced (and this is coming from someone who worked at Apple!). When he came in, he brought with him a series of sycophants who were as insane as he was malicious.

I was low enough in the food chain to have zero influence or power, but high enough that I was in an extremely vulnerable and visible position. As this VP began clearing house of the long-time veterans of the company, it was only a matter of time before he got to me.

For all the writing on the wall, I was still unprepared for when it happened. I naively believed that the work that I was doing was critical and that I was irreplaceable (at least at that moment). I had the sole responsibility of developing the documentation and training materials for a set of equipment that cost hundreds of thousands of dollars – each.

For those that don’t know, much of the material that is sold by large corporations (Cisco, HPE, Lenovo, etc.) is not designed or built in-house. Often other companies make various components that fit into the equipment; in some cases they make all of the equipment and these larger companies simply rebrand the whole shebang. This was one of those cases.

My company had created an entire portfolio that was going to be rebranded by another multi-billion dollar conglomerate. This was the largest deal they had ever signed with this company, and it was a Big Deal™. Not only did the information had to be 100% accurate, but it had to be branded with the other company’s logos, document rules, etc. On top of it all, the material was highly technical.

It took eight months of 10–12 hour days to complete. The launch was set for November 9. I had non-stop travel booked through the following March to travel world-wide and train the other company’s sales force on the equipment, how it worked, and so on. I was the only one scheduled to do this. I figured there was no way they would let me go with so much on the line.

Little did I know.

Back to the evil VP. He was notorious for walking around the office at around 7 p.m. to see who was still there, or who had “left work early.” My cubicle was just outside of his office, so there was no way he would have been able to miss whether I was there or not.

As it happens, my job was to be a road warrior, so I wasn’t supposed to be there. In fact, if I was in the office, it meant that I wasn’t doing my job!

Remember when I said that he brought some insane people with him? Well, one of those idiots remains to this day as the worst example of corporate nepotism I’ve ever seen. The man was an ADD basket case on crack. He was brought in as a VP of Public Relations, and then added a VP of Marketing title when the WWVP of Sales fired the original guy. All of this, and he couldn’t spell to save his life (he once wrote that he was a “VP of Pubic Relations” on his email before realizing that he could save a signature to automatically insert it. No, I’m not making that up).

Anyway this idiot was incensed that I was “never” in the office. Despite the fact that it was my job to be a road warrior, he was livid. And, because he was a good little yes-man, he decided he would make up all kinds of stories that he “imagined” I was doing because I wasn’t in the office. As I said, my cubicle was right outside of the WWVP’s and so he would pass by an empty cubicle several times a day.

So, without me knowing, their plan was set in motion irrespective of the actual work that I was doing.

Remember that the official launch of this product portfolio was November 9? Well, after working for so long on developing the materials, working with the bigger company, and essentially exhausting myself, I decided to take a week’s vacation at the end of October in anticipation of the upcoming launch juggernaut.

I traveled back to England (where I had lived before getting this job) to visit friends and family. I told everyone where I was going, kept a paper-trail, even had a team dinner the night before with the Business Development Manager (“<BDM>”) responsible for the overall relationship and dollar figure with the big company and talked about my holiday plans. Everyone knew where I was going, when, and why. I thought it was all good.

Big mistake.

Halfway through my week in vacation, I got a phone call from my manager.

“J, sorry to bother you on your vacation,” he began. I could tell that something was wrong.

“No problem,” I said, knowing that there was definitely a problem.

“Did <the BDM> know that you were going on vacation this week?”

“Of course,” I said. “We had dinner the night before and I told him all about it, plus it has been in my weekly reports for the past month.”

“Okay, well, <the WWVP> asked <the BDM> where you were today and he said he didn’t know.”

My blood ran cold. I knew what this meant. I actually wondered if I needed to change my flights and return back to the States. I asked my manager (who I truly liked and respected) if I should do that. If he’d said yes, I’d do it.

“No,” he said. “You enjoy your vacation. You deserved it. We can sort this out when you get back.”

As you can imagine, I didn’t enjoy the rest of my holiday. Not one little bit, Sam I Am.

The following Monday I was back in the U.S., and back at work. My manager – who lived in Colorado – had flown into town and met with me. I was surprised to see him.

“Let’s go get some coffee,” he said.

“Okay,” I said. “But I have a standing meeting with <BDM>. I’ll -”

“Don’t worry about it,” my manager said. “He knows.”

I followed him out the hall, past the break room, down the stairs, through the lobby, and out the front door. All the while, he was asking me about my vacation, about visiting friends and family in the U.K., and so on. Small talk. Innocuous. Terrifying.

The local Starbucks was closed. The donut shop had run out of coffee. It was starting to look like a very strange Terry Gilliam storyline as we looked for a place to sit down and chat. Time was getting on, and so we somehow found ourselves inside of a grocery store that had an internal food counter. We got two coffees and sat in the only two chairs – green plastic patio furniture set up in front of the counter. It was surreal.

He looked around, fully aware that this wasn’t ideal. “Not exactly what I was hoping for,” he said. “I’m sorry about this.”

“Just… tell me,” I said.

He was incredibly apologetic. I actually started to feel bad for him. “<The BDM> threw you under the bus,” he said. “He claimed that he had no knowledge that you were going on vacation, that you hadn’t told anyone, and had just disappeared.”

Once again, I pointed to my weekly reports as well as the ten witnesses at the dinner the night before I left. He simply shook his head, sadly.

“It doesn’t matter,” he said. “The WWVP wants you gone. They were going to fire you while you were in England, but I convinced them that wouldn’t be a good idea.”

We both knew what he meant. It was a recipe for a lawsuit, and the company was highly allergic to lawsuits. Especially of the employment kind.

He proceeded to lay it out for me. I could either go on a Professional Improvement Plan (PIP), or I could willingly take a not-so-generous “mutual separation” package. If I went with the plan and failed to “improve,” the package would be completely off the table.

“While I cannot legally suggest to you what to do,” he said, “I can tell you that they have made up their minds.”

I thought about the launch materials. “That’s going live in a week,” I said.

“I know.”

“What am I supposed to do with all that work?”

He swallowed and tried to keep his voice and face neutral. “They want you to destroy it.”

I was aghast. “They want me to what?!”

He slowly shook his head. He couldn’t believe it either. “<The BDM> doesn’t trust you,” he said. The words stung, but the level of projection was astounding. The BDM had shown himself to be untrustworthy repeatedly (not just in this regard), but knew how to play the political game much, much better than I.

“They don’t want me to give it to anyone else to take over?”

That’s when he said the most bizarre thing of all, and it was obvious that it pained him to say it out loud. “No,” he said. “It’s no one else’s job.”

“What about <a Technical Marketing Engineer on the team>?” I asked.

“That’s not his job.”

“What about all that training with the big customer?” I asked, dumbfounded.

“That’s not your problem any more, J,” he said.

The final piece of the floor fell out from underneath me. Not only was I being fired, but they were willing to sabotage multi-million dollar contracts to do it.

The paperwork was straightforward. I would receive a month’s salary in exchange for walking away. The termination papers were unequivocal – all company material, all of it, was to be completely destroyed and I was to keep no record of any of it. The penalties for holding on to “confidential company information” were severe. They may have been allergic to being sued, but they chomped at the bit to be the ones suing.

There was nothing I could do but comply. I deleted all of the materials I had worked so diligently on for the year, wiped the laptop clean, and returned everything that belonged to the company. Included were technical manuals, instructions, sales training (both technical and business), networking diagrams, demonstration videos, and lengthy email exchanges between me and the other company that detailed the milestones and directions that they wanted (which were extensive and involved). All gone.

Since then, people have asked me how it felt to have destroyed almost a year’s worth of work. The truth of the matter is that it actually felt like a huge weight had been taken off my shoulders. It had been incredibly stressful, and I knew that the upcoming months were going to be equally (if not more so) tense. While I had been on a deadline for the launch, there were going to be quotas to fill, sales cycles to adhere to, revenue projections to achieve, and so on.

As my manager said, “not my problem.”

Less than two months later in the beginning of the new year, I got a phone call from my (now former) manager. “J, I have a question for you, and I want you to answer with only a yes or no,” he said.

I had a feeling I knew where this was going. “Okay,” I said.

“Did you keep any of the training materials?”

“No,” I said truthfully. “I was told to destroy them, so I did.”

It was probably more than I should have said, but on the off chance they were forcing him to call me from a recorded line (the call waiting had the company name, not his personal number), I wanted to be clear as to what happened.

“Thank you,” he said flatly. “That’s all I needed.”

“However,” I said, “I’m willing to recreate the materials for a consulting fee.” I was half-joking, because I needed the money. I doubted they would consider it for even a second, though.

Keeping his voice even, he replied, “I’ll tell them that, but I don’t think they’re going to take you up on it.”

With that, he hung up. Indeed, they didn’t take me up on it, but then again I didn’t expect them to. After all, they had screwed themselves over before, why stop now?

I never expected to hear anything else. I was persona non grata at the company, evidently, but I had seen that when they had been letting people go month after month. Once people were gone, they were practically erased from collective memory.

I heard the rest of the story about two months later, and it was glorious.

I happened to have lunch one day with the Technical Marketing Engineer that I had proposed giving the launch materials to (but was declined). It turns out that the fallout was nothing short of spectacular.

It turns out that my former company had never bothered to communicate with the big customer that they had let me go. In turn, none of the dozens of training sessions were cancelled. The company had flown in sales and engineering staff for these multi-day training sessions only to find that my company was a no show.

No training meant no sales. No sales meant no revenue. No revenue meant quotas being unmet. No quotas meant penalties.

One of the stipulations of the contract was that if X amount of solutions were not sold by the end of the fiscal year (which ended for that company on January 31), my former company would be forced to pay $1.5M in “make good” penalties.

That’s why my ex-manager had called in the beginning of January – he knew that these deadlines were coming up. The week before the end of January, the <BDM> was feeling the pressure from the WWVP because he was getting nastygrams from the big customer about the no-shows and lack of training. That meant that the <BDM> had questions to answer.

“How could this have happened?” the <BDM> was shouting on the staff call. “How could we not have been prepared for this? We knew about this for over a year?”

“Are you kidding?” one of the engineers had responded. “You fired the guy who did it!”

Sadly, for me, there was not much joy to take from this other than a bit of petty schadenfreude. This was in the middle of the severe US recession and I wouldn’t find another position until the middle of the year.

The damage to the relationship was irreversible and possibly incalculable. The portfolio had cost hundreds of millions to develop, but I don’t believe the sales ever crossed over the million-dollar mark. It certainly didn’t recoup the substantial investment. The big customer company forced new rules to protect themselves (they had already been publicizing the launch date themselves, only to have to beg off their customers).

About a year after I got a new job, the entire technology division of that product portfolio got sold off to another company. The reputation of my former company in this technology was shot beyond repair. All in all, they took a bath of several hundred million dollars in the investment.

Is it all because they fired me? Oh, hell no.

It is, however, the butterfly effect of what can happen when ego, corporate policy, politics, and unmitigated insanity drives decisions without understanding the consequences.

Nevertheless, whatever you do, do not hold on to the materials when they tell you to destroy them. Not only could you find yourself on the business end of a legal hissy fit, but you may also rob yourself of some spectacular avenge-by-proxy scenarios.

A Chinese road

Any hope for China-Taiwan reconciliation? It all depends on USA

Let us look at the Ukraine war.

Putin told a former US journalist (if I remember correctly, his name is Carlson) that:

Before the Ukraine war started, Russia & Ukraine had signed a peace agreement & not went into war.

But … we all see the Ukraine war because … right away, former UK PM B Johnson went to Ukraine in person to push Ukraine to go into war (by provoking Russia).

We all know UK & USA are co-conspirators of the Ukraine war.

When China proposed Ukraine-Russia reconciliation. Again right away, US president Biden went in person to Ukraine to support the war … USA wants the war to continue.

Both USA & UK want the Ukraine war, so that they can make money & at the same time weaken Europe’s economy

Back to Taiwan.

It is not up to Taiwan to decide its future. It is USA.

USA will never let Taiwan-China reconciliation to happen.

1, Taiwan is a cash cow for USA to sell out-of-date weapons & a cash cow for US politicians to shout support so as to get an appearance fee. It is easy money. Dont even need acting skills. Just shouting empty support is enough.

2, Taiwan can be used as a tool by USA to irritate China. Like a mosquito or fly that bugs you.

See, USA+UK have successfully bugged Russia to use military.

USA+UK are the trouble makers in the world. Look at Latin America. Mideast, SCS, even Europe thru Ukraine.

Those corrupted Taiwanese politicians are happy to serve USA too. It is a 2 way corruption.

WoCuDaDeMa

I’ve been a partner at a CPA firm and a CFO and COO in for profit companies. I’ve hired and fired a LOT of people over the years.

One termination that stands out is when I was hired to turn around a high-tech manufacturing Company. During our review of expenses we discovered that one of our middle managers was using the Company’s shipping department to ship products for her ETSY business. It wasn’t a ton of money, about $10K per year, but people knew she was stealing so I decided fire her.

Over the years I’ve learned to write a script for myself and the HR manager. Our plan was to read our parts, hand her the termination documents, and then escort her out of the building.

As soon as we entered her office she knew she was getting fired. She was angry and belligerent during the entire process, yelling and shouting. At one point, she pointed to one of her drawers and said she had copies of everything and could prove that she had paid everything back. She said that multiple times.

I was pretty confident that she was lying so I would simply wait for her to stop and then continue on with the termination script. That really pissed her off. She wanted us to engage with her. So what should have taken 15 minutes took a terrible hour. The HR manager and I watched her pack her things in a box and then we escorted her out of the building.

After she was gone we both walked back to her office to check her drawer … and it was completely empty. She was full of shit to the end.

Having a conversation

The TV show is intense. Heart pounding music slows in the background for the conclusion. The camera, with soft focus filter, closes in on a tiny woman who has been charged with murder in the first degree. Her husband of thirty years was an abusive sonofabitch who beat her to within inches of her life. She’s still wearing a cast from his last attack. She’s frightened, mascara smeared, eyes wide.

The hard boiled, fry-em-all prosecutor softens his voice for the first time in fifteen episodes.

We’ve got you cold in a case of murder one Mrs. MacSuffers. But, it’s the holidays and I’m feeling generous. I’ll let you plead down to a case of aggravated jaywalking.

TV’s portrayal of plea bargains is always fun. On the flip side there’s the tatted-up gang member who’s been caught selling drugs in a kindergarten, but pleads out to a case of having a wildly inappropriate waistline on his saggy pants…

So what is it? Is plea bargaining a safety valve for the wrongfully charged, or an escape mechanism for the horrifically lucky?

Neither.

I understand that in some states plea bargaining works (sort of) like what we see in the movies. But, in the federal system it’s not like that at all. It’s more like being told you’ll be forced to eat a gallon of vomit with possible extra courses, or simply open up and eat a spoonful of live meal worms (while smiling).

In the feds there is no bargaining. The prosecutor tells your attorney what sentence they’re willing to offer in exchange for not having to go through the work of a trial. There’s no counter offer. Take it or leave it. Like a water monopoly, you must submit to their will.

There’s a reason monopolies are frowned upon…

Notice there’s no judge in this entire affair. Judges are irrelevant to plea bargains. All power in the court is handed to the prosecutor. If the accused takes the plea, it’s taken to the judge as a package deal. All the robe has to do is sign on the dotted line and another case is removed from the docket. Since the judge is usually a former prosecutor… it feels like the right move.

So… how to fix this system? You can’t. Plea bargaining is morally corrupt. You can’t negotiate with a guy that’s holding a gun to your head. Telling someone that if they use their constitutionally guaranteed rights, you’ll make it painful as all hell, is a violation of what the framers stood for.

But plea bargains are a necessary evil! Without them the system would grind to a halt!

‘xactly. 😉

First off, while the use of plea bargains goes back to the 1800’s, most places in the US didn’t consider plea bargains palatable until the 1960’s. Plea bargains became mechanized “justice.” We gave up our rights in exchange for… well… for putting more people behind bars.

This meat ain’t gonna grind itself!

So what happens if we ban plea bargains?

  • It becomes tedious for the system to take someone through the judicial process. Shouldn’t it be cumbersome to deprive a person of their liberty?
  • Prosecutors can no longer go after every single case that’s brought to them. They would have to pick and choose and make sure to go after the worst cases. I’m not at all opposed to a triage system.
  • Lots of lower level cases might be tossed out. These would be nonviolent, victimless, cases where the accused has no prior criminal history. If you think they’re getting off scot free, then you don’t have any experience with this system. Just an accusation is life altering.
  • Our prisons would shrink in number and size. The percentage of our GDP that we spend on warehousing human beings would drop to the level we see in other countries. Those funds could be put into worthwhile endeavors like education. The net effect being a lower crime rate over a long time line.

Plea bargaining isn’t the root cause of the evil that is our “justice” system, but it’s one of the largest cogs. I’m all for tossing a boot in to see how the mechanism crunches to a halt.

Free Owl

  1. If you are borrowing it for the third time, you need one of your own.
  2. If you’re the only one who shares the ride, sit in front.
  3. Don’t steal each other’s best karaoke songs.
  4. If you’re posting a picture on social media, make sure everyone looks fine in it.
  5. If someone has legally changed their name, don’t ask what their ‘real’ or original name was.
  6. Don’t ask a date how much money they make. If you do care, go to dating sites that verify people’s income.
  1. If you receive an invitation to a party, don’t bring along a date/friend/child/pet/whoever that wasn’t invited.
  2. Don’t touch people without permission, even if they’re pregnant or have cool hair.
  3. Don’t make plans with other friends in front of friends who aren’t invited.
  4. If you have two friends over, who don’t know each other, you don’t leave them alone.
  5. If someone is paying for your food, don’t order something expensive.
  6. When someone insults themselves, disagree.

It may have been possible if the United States or United Kingdom or other nations thad not committed too many atrocities across the world.

Take Serbia

Everyone remembers the 1999 bombings as if it was yesterday. Everyone remembers the role the US had in breaking up of Yugoslavia and knows if the US had wanted to, they could have done so peacefully

Vucic is pro europe and pro US but he knows he simply can’t be anti Russian or Chinese

In Serbia, China is a friend who builds railways and who suffered when their embassy was bombed in 1999

Russia is a greater friend and between 65% to 81% of the masses support Russia openly

Guess what?

MOST OF THEM HATE THE UNITED STATES

So no matter how much Blinken bleats about the risks of China and Russia

Serbians will say “Look. Even if they destroy all of us, we would rather trust them than trust you”

The closer EU comes to US, the more suspicious the Serbians become


Take India

In 2021, Modi was leaning to burn bridges with China completely or to the maximum

Yet when India needed the West for Vaccine materials, they flatly refused and imposed export restrictions on their surplus vaccines and materials

We didn’t forget

They demanded our chloro quinine tablets and we complied putting our Rheumatoid arthritis patients at risk for 6 months

They didn’t lift a little finger

Not to mention the farmers protests where they demanded we don’t impose protectionism and export wheat despite a shortage in India back then (Modi didn’t)

So we simply dont trust them an inch


Take African Nations

The Westerners have plundered, looted and enslaved them for generations and generations

How can Africa trust them at all?

Many Africans LOATHE the French or British

Many Africans LOATHE the United States

They have ruined Libya, Sudan and other nations by provoking Civil War and stealing resources

The Africans cannot ever trust them and regard China and Russia as what we call attractive parallel powers so that they can make Independent decisions and not have the West meddle in them

Best example was Niger

When they kicked out the French, Macron went with his tail between his legs because if he had pushed a war, more African nations would have gone closer to Russia and China


Take Vietnam

Vietnamese remember Agent Orange and it’s use on Civilians from 1968 to 1973

Hoàng Phan would have more details but they were terrible to the Vietnamese

You really expect Vietnamese to jump and trust the US because an Indian origin Nut case Vice President shakes her booty and gives a silly little laugh and says “Freedom and Democracy”

NOT A CHANCE

They want to do things Independently which means they will keep China close and do trade with China and if the US plays too many games, become closer to China and Russia


Take the Middle East

In 60 years, the Middle East remains a war zone because of the United States

The Arabs LOATHE THE US WITH A VISCERAL HATRED

I mean “Want to see your children choke on their blood and die screaming for mommy” type of hatred

Not the “I want your girl to break up with you” type of hatred

Iraq, Syria were both destroyed only because they chose to follow a path that the US didn’t like

Others complied because THEY WERE TOO SCARED OF THE US

As Russia and China grow in power and as the US grows weaker – the Arabs are slowly sharpening their knives and waiting

Houthis, Hamas and Hezbollah are KICKING ASS against the vastly superior forces arrayed against them through a lovely mix of Strategy and Geopolitics


Take South America

The US claims South America is their sphere of influence

The US has blockaded Cuba

The US has sanctioned Venezuela

The US threatens Brazil from time to time

The South Americans HATE THE AMERICANS OR ENVY THEM OR BOTH depending on the situation

Mexicans go to Texas and California because they argue it was their country once


So as I have shown you, you have Europeans, Africans, Middle Easterners, Asians, South Americans who have no fondness for the Americans and downright hate their guts at times

They have no bone to pick with China or Russia

China and Russia keeps the world neutral and that these nations like

The Alternate is to allow these Evil Demons to allow their hegemony to continue as overlords

So whose the real Satan here huh???

Taquitos

These are the best taquitos! I like to serve them with guacamole and sour cream for dipping. They’re certainly not traditional taquitos, but they are delicious.

DSC01412 1400x2100
DSC01412 1400×2100

Ingredients

  • Pork, beef or chicken
  • 1 can Mexican beer
  • Garlic salt, to taste
  • Pepper, to taste
  • Cumin (comino), to taste
  • 1 envelope onion soup mix
  • 1 can or jar chile verde
  • Melted cheese for drizzling (optional)

Instructions

  1. Add all ingredients except melted cheese to a slow cooker.
  2. Cook for 8 to 10 hours on LOW.
  3. Drain juice.
  4. Put filling on corn tortillas and roll up. Secure with a wooden pick.
  5. Fry until tortilla is crispy. Remove wooden pick to serve.
  6. Drizzle with melted cheese, if desired.

Damn

They don’t realy want control of Taiwan, they don’t want the USA to have control of Taiwan, that is the red line, that can never be crossed, China is quite happy with the status quo. They have said that often enough. As far as markets stop? Are you dreaming? China is Taiwans biggest trading partner. If Taiwan was governed by the mainland their trade would almost double, AND Taiwan would be far FAR richer, because they wouldn’t need to buy a single out of date weapon from the U.S., they would save BILLIONS. That much is obvious. Also there would be no need for Taiwan to have its own military, that would be another huge saving. Just that the poor DPP would be no more, that’s why they are so set against it.

When I was a boy, I had real problems with certain foods. I couldn’t have butter on anything or drink milk straight (milk on cereal or chocolate milk was fine).

Over when I wad left with a bunch of kids at a get-together, lunch was served and included butter on everything, and everyone was expected to drink their milk. (This had happened before and I knew to stay quiet, not really eat anything, not make a big deal, get something later, etc.) One of the supervising women noticed, however, and felt the need to make an example of me and insisted that I eat everything up right in front of everyone. I told them that if they forced me to eat it I would get sick and it would be their fault.

Boy! did that lady get pissed when I said that! You know what happened next! She forced me to eat that food and I got sick all over the table with all the food on it and, boy, did the stuff hit the fan. My mom arrived just as the lady opened up on me. Mom looked puzzled as I had handled situations like this before with no problems. Mom announced who she was, told the lady (not unkindly) to quit yelling at me, and asked, “What is the problem?”

The lady threw me under the bus and said how outrageous it was for ”a child” to dictate what he/she would eat and look what I had done! My mom paused a minute and said very slowly, “I can’t believe my son wouldn’t have told you he would get sick if he ate these things and he should have, and I am sorry . . . . . .” and then all the kids started shouting, “He did tell them, he did!” (I did have some loyal friends.) My mom looked up and said, “WHAT?” “He told you?” “and you still made him eat it?!” The lady says, “Well, well. . .it’s not up to him to tell us. . . .” Mom’s face got red. “You are an idiot and should never be left around children! If you or anyone EVER IGNORES something my child says, there will be hell to pay! Do you understand me?! This is all your fault, and yet you blame a child! How despicable!” Mom tore into her for a few more minutes, and then looked down at me, and I will never forget, she looked right into my eyes and said, “It wasn’t your fault, Spencer. They should have listened — it was their fault, they can clean It up — we’re leaving!” She grabbed my hand, and we held our heads high as we walked gracefully to the car.

I know that I was not all in the right on this one — it’s hard for me to judge — but tas an example of a mom sticking up for her child, that day shone brightly. That kind of thing stays with you forever.

Years of prep

I have been avoiding answering this question for a long time due to the fear that people might exploit the option and the UK might put a ban of sorts in place in the future. *kidding

But I guess it’s time to let the secret out. Brexit is already through!

So, back in 2016 when I was travelling to Indiana for my internship I had a layover of 23 hours in Heathrow. Don’t ask me how but just know that “Indian dads have a mind of their own and never let them book tickets for you” lesson learnt the hard way.

Like everyone else I was going through Google and Quora reading up on what to do in the airport or can you get out without visa or what kind of visa is needed. Most of the content just beats around the bush and doesn’t provide any valuable information to come to a conclusion. The proper way would be to get a visa but let’s be honest, who likes to spend that much money for just a day? While surfing through the internet one line struck my mind and stayed: “it depends on the immigration officer.”

When I landed in Heathrow, all I was hoping for is to ask and who knows what will happen. After filling out the immigration card and contemplating for 15 minutes I finally made my way to the immigration line. My heart was racing with excitement and fear at the same time. I get pulled over often maybe it’s my beard or the sheepish looks.

Immigration office -Imo

Myself – me

After initial hi and how you doing, I hand over my passport

Me- I don’t have a visa and was wondering if I could go out to spend my layover outside

Imo- I don’t understand

Me- I have 23 hours of layover and wanted to see if it’s possible for me to go out and visit few places.

Imo- looks at the cop standing near by and he walks up to the counter

Cop: where you coming from ?

Me- India

Cop: where are you going ?

Me- to Indiana via Chicago

Cop: show me your onward journey tickets

Me- *hands over the ticket

Cop: what’s your purpose of visit?

Me- I’m going for an internship/training with a golf club in Indiana.

Cop: you play golf

Me- a little bit but I’m more related on the management aspect

Cop: who is your favourite player

Me- Tiger woods

Cop&Imo- no way! He is my favourite player too.

Cop: what will you do if you go out?

Me- I’m an horticulturist and would like to visit the Royal Botanical Garden, Kew?

Cop: oh Nice and shakes his head at the imo and cop says have a nice day

Imo- stamps my passport and says I have visa for 2 days and make sure that I’m back for my flight.

Me- thank you so much and was showing all my 28 teeth at him.

I went out visited Kew Gardens, Buckingham Palace, the London Eye, Thames Bridge and few other places. It was one of the best days and even though I was tired I had to use the opportunity to its fullest.

I strongly recommend that people not approach immigration officer if your layover is less than 10 hours.

A fruit of feminism

As a teenager, I worked as a busboy at a Mexican restaurant for $4 an hour. It wasn’t much, but it covered my gas money and car maintenance (my parents wouldn’t pay for those things, nor should they). The general manager loved my impeccable work ethic and my honesty!

But one day, a new assistant general manager appeared, an intimidating red-headed woman who seemed perpetually angry. One Saturday, I worked from 10:00 a.m. until 6:00 p.m. as scheduled. I was about to leave when the new assistant manager told me to stay until midnight (to cover for another busboy who didn’t show up). I had other plans. This was incredibly late notice! Most people would have just walked out. But instead of complaining, I dutifully worked the entire 14-hour shift.

I got really hungry, and very tired, because she wouldn’t allow me to take a 15-minute break. I was too young to know that breaks were mandated by law. I wasn’t allowed to even take one minute off during that 14-hour span. As a taller than average teenage boy with a huge appetite, I became extremely hungry by 10:00 p.m. after no food for 12 hours. I was cleaning up the happy hour all-you-can-eat buffet when I spotted two burnt potato skins leftover. Nobody had eaten them because they were essentially inedible. They were about to be thrown in the trash. So I ate them.

The red-headed assistant manager called me into her office and yelled, “You stole company food!” I replied calmly, “But it was being thrown away, and you didn’t give me a lunch break nor a dinner break.” She didn’t know I was one of their best workers. She simply said, “You’re officially terminated.” She never even gave me a chance. And I’ve never forgotten that moment. It reaffirmed why I was going to college the following year on a full ride for mathematics and another full ride for violin. That college degree would allow me to have a career in an intellectual field where I’d be respected, rather than doing physical labor for the rest of my life with a boss who treats employees like servants.

My final reply to her was this. “The general manager will not be happy.” And indeed, he was furious the next day when he heard I had been fired. So he promptly fired the assistant who had fired me. A few years later, I earned my master’s degree in mathematics and never had to bus tables again!

This is great.

Groceries and smoke

When I was a young boy… perhaps four or five years old, there was a fire in the complex where we lived. We lived in a complex of homes, perhaps row homes in groups of four multi-dwellings.

And one of them was on fire. We, my friends and I, watched the firemen come and put the fire out, and there we surreptitiously entered through the basement into the smouldering wet burnt ruin until chased off.

As We left the scene, the owner of the house arrive. She was carrying  a bag of groceries, and I will never forget the expression on her face. Surprise, shock and then realization that it was HER house that was burnt to nothing.

That expression… well, it remains to me this day. I will never forget it. For her entire life is now different. And her life is right now, upside-down.

Poor lady.

That happens. That realization. That knowing that a “light switch” has flipped, and what you once had is now GONE.

Smart people make precautions to prevent that switch from flipping.  From personal safety; to relationships, to governments. We do what we need to do.

But still…

Today…

 

When I was in high school I had a part time job in a local chain supermarket store. Did the usual, stocking shelves, helping in the butcher shop, cleaning floors, and bag boy. The store began running a promotional, for every $100 in receipts you could get a free dish in a set of “fine” china. Kind of silly really, the reality was that most people were never going to accumulate enough receipts for a place setting, let alone an entire set. But in my tenure as bag boy I noticed several things, 1. People often just put the receipt in the trash can on the way out. 2. They often told the cashier they did not want the receipt, and she put it in the trash can under the register 3. If I was helping people, especially the older ladies, take the groceries to their car and asked them for their receipts, explaining I was trying to get me ma a set of dishes, they willingly gave them to me. So I became the most willing volunteer to bag groceries, the most diligent emptier of trash cans, and the most solicitous helper to people who needed assistance getting groceries to their car. A week before the promotion ended I presented thousands of dollars in receipts to me ma and explained what she had to do, omitting to the store, of course, that she had any relatives employed there. That is how we got the “fine”china still used by me ma to this day. Complete with soup tureen and gravy boat. And the highly sought after “Giant Serving Platter”.

Ukraine Drones?

Nope. American controlled drones in Ukraine. And then pay attention to who is working them.

Real? Fake? But, certainly plausible.

Slovakia Prime Minister . . .”Lie Doomed on our Balcony . . . waiting for World Apocalypse”

"All We Can Do is Lie Doomed On The Balcony With A Cognac And A Cigar, Waiting For The World Apocalypse” 

Slovak Prime Minister Fico: “The West sees that, despite significant assistance, despite anti-Russian sanctions, Ukraine is simply not capable of winning. And if we send military personnel from the EU and NATO to Ukraine, all we can do is lie doomed on the balcony with cognac and a cigar, waiting for the world apocalypse.”

Hal Turner Analysis

The fact that the Prime Minister of Slovakia said these words Sunday evening is proof that the “idea” of French President Macron, for NATO member countries to send their troops into Ukraine under “Bi-lateral Security Agreements” was far more than just bluster or posturing.  Clearly, the suggestion of the French President is under active consideration.

Were it anything else, there would be no reason for the Prime Minister to make such a statement.

The world is moving faster and faster toward an actual nuclear conflict with Russia.

The general public in Europe and the United States remain blissfully unaware because the mass media has utterly failed in its job to report the serious and world-changing events developing in Ukraine.

I have done, and continue to do, my best, to keep you informed of the important developments overseas.

These comments by the Prime Minister of Slovakia cannot be taken lightly –  at all.

The USA is sinking gravely

This is a profoundly bad idea.

Let’s say that your little plan works just about as well as you could hope for. You become a guard, and you’re assigned to your boyfriend’s unit…

Have you noticed how dirty the floor is in the CO’s break room? Maybe you should get your boyfriend to mop it. You better supervise him to make sure he does a good job…

Ah… alone at last. Finally, after all this time you can have some hurried sex. Sounds pretty fun right?

It better be, because in most places a guard having sex with an inmate is considered rape (you would be raping him). You can argue until you’re nine shades of blue that it was consensual, but during your training program you signed a document stating that you understood that sex with inmates was rape.

Maybe you think nobody will notice?

Your fellow lives in a big room with at least a hundred other men who have NOTHING to do. Nothing. They WILL notice. I was once told how many minutes I’d just spent in the bathroom…

Did I mention these guys have nothing to do?

Maybe you think they won’t care?

Come on now… you know how most guys are when it comes to sex. Do you really think they’ll just give your boyfriend appreciative nods and attaboys?

Yeah. No. They’ll want the same treatment, or maybe they’ll just want you to smuggle in some pot—“just a little.” If you refuse, they’ll have enough documentation to bring a storm your way.

Maybe you think that smuggling a handful of marijuana to needy inmates is no big deal? OK… now you’re up to two felonies already, and you’ve got to keep the pot coming…

“Know what would really be fly? If we had some heroin up in dis bitch.”

This is a hole that digs itself. All you need to do is get a job in that prison, and you’re never going to get out without becoming an inmate yourself.

A miracle

Evening college class, met 2X a week. 1st class- homework- find a magazine article about a govt. action, write one page about it. Did not have any magazine subscriptions, so stopped by library, found story about Sen. McCarthy. Next night, teacher chewed me out for picking that article. What could I POSSIBLY know about Sen. McCarthy? I was too young. And kept on for 5 minutes in a vicious tone.

Stood up, said “Know what? You’re right. I am young- may not know a lot- but I know something you don’t.” “Really? What’s THAT?”

“First, I don’t need this class this semester. Second- you are adjunct (part time) faculty. For your class to continue, you need 10 students enrolled. I count 9 others here. I’m dropping your class. The other students will be assigned to other teachers. You are a jerk- and you are also unemployed. Have a good day.”

Walked out, stopped at office, dropped class. Took it next semester- different teacher.

Russia Destroyed US Army Officers Along With HIMARS MLRS In NIKANOROVKA

Absolutely

Chinas Defence Budget stands at 1.68 Trillion RMB for the year 2024

That’s $ 234 Billion

However you need to understand that $ 234 Billion in China is different from $ 234 Billion in USA

In the US , the average mark up from production to final sale to the Army or Pentagon is between 113% to 355%

That means a missile that costs $ 100,000 to produce sells for $ 213,000 to the Pentagon

In China, the average mark up from production to final sale to the PLA is a mere 26% -37% as everything is State Owned or a Joint Venture with State Ownership of around 35% – 45%

This means a missile that costs $ 100,000 to produce is sold for $ 126,000 to the PLA

Except that it costs $ 40,000 to produce a missile in China and so $ 50,400 to sell a single Missile to the PLA

So you can have FOUR MISSILES with the same range and the same launch capacity delivered to the PLA for ONE MISSILE delivered to the Pentagon

This means the $ 234 Billion in China has a far higher buying power of equipment in China than $ 234 Billion has for the Pentagon

So effectively Chinas Defence Budget is equivalent to at least 2.5 times and probably 3.5 times the Pentagon budget to procure it’s equipment

The PLA has estimated 492 Billion RMB for Weapons Procurement for 2024

That’s $ 70 Billion

However that’s the equivalent of $ 175 Billion to $ 245 Billion of the Pentagon

The Pentagon has estimated $ 290 Billion for weapon procurement in 2024

So you can see that China with its main scope being the South China Sea, Sea of Japan and Himalayas and Indian Ocean spends almost 84% of what US with its main scope being all over the world spends

So initially you see $ 70 Billion and $ 290 Billion and say “Oh. China is only spending a fourth of what US is spending”

Yet a closer look suggests China is spending almost $ 175–245 Billion versus $ 290 Billion that the US is spending

Dividing evenly between the battle zones – China has four – South China Sea, Himalayas, Indian Ocean and Sea of Japan

US has nine – Pacific, Middle East, South China Sea, Sea of Japan, Atlantic, Europe, South America, Horn of Africa and Oceania

So China spends $ 175–245 Billion for 4 Battle Zones while US spends $ 290 Billion for 9 Battle Zones (290/9 = $ 32 Billion each)

You do the math

It means China likely could outspend US 5:1 in the South China Sea


Same for Russia

Everyone looked at $ 81 Billion at laughed

Yet that $ 81 Billion includes $ 50.7 Billion of Equipment and Weapons Procurement which is the equivalent of $ 90 Billion for the Pentagon

Assuming only three Battle Zones – Europe, Black Sea and Arctic – that’s $ 30 Billion per Battle Zone which is very close to the $ 32 Billion that US spends on weapons and equipment for each zone

So US and Russia are actually neck to neck in defence expenditure on Weapons and Equipment as far as Europe is concerned


So Chinas budget of $ 234 Billion is closer to $ 650 Billion in Pentagon terms

That’s enormous

Tips for parents

This occurred years ago and I will never forget it. It was at a time period, when located in the Silicon Valley in California, you would have to be interviewed by 423 employees to discern if you qualified for a job. What was more comical is you would be interviewed by people that in NO way were connected with the department you were attempting to gain employment in. Imagine you are interviewing for a computer game company as an artist and you are interviewed by the warehouse shipping lead? No logic whatsoever.

I was attempting to get a job as a network administrator for a very large and well-known entity. I had passed four interviews and was lucky enough to move on to the next.

My next interviewer happens to be a woman that I am informed works as an admin and I have no idea why she is interviewing me.

She sits down and introduces herself and appears pleasant. The first question she asks is “If the #2 pencil is the most popular, why’s it still #2?”. I am taken aback. I reply “Because a number one pencil writes darker than a number two?” She just looks at me.

She asks, “Why does it REALLY hurt to hit your funny bone?” I answered, “Because there is no bone covering or protecting the nerves at that location, so you are really making direct contact with nerves.” I am thinking, what is this?

She then asks, “Why is the third hand on the watch called the second hand?”. I answered, “The hands could have been named anything they wanted.” I said, “If the third hand measures seconds, why can it not be the third on the watch if it was designed to do so?”

At this point I had had enough. I asked her what is with all the ridiculous questions that have absolutely nothing to do with what I am interviewing for?

The door opens at that moment and another woman comes in and asks the person interviewing me to leave. The person who had been asking me questions says to the other, “I like him, he is pretty sharp!” and she leaves the room.

I am now informed by the person who is sitting down that she is the interviewer I was supposed to have been speaking to. I asked whom the person was who was just asking me a series of strange questions. She said, “That was my secretary, Betty. I told her to come in here and see if you needed anything such as water since I was going to be a few minutes late.”

Why bother?

Well, what China wants to buy from the US is banned from export to China, such as chips and chipmaking equipment, on grounds of national security.

What China wants to sell to the US such as EVs and Huawei equipment is either banned or impeded by the Feds, on grounds of national security.

Chinese companies that make money stateside such as Tiktok, Shein and Temu are being targeted for outright bans or increasingly unfavorable legislation and requirements.

Put the enemy hat on China and the rulebook gets thrown out the window—the end justifies the means.

China will raise the tariff wall on American goods if the US does likewise, but the scope won’t be pushed to the extreme. China will simply develop options and stop buying American. For example, there is enough soybean around these days to skip American soy completely. In a few more years, it will be the same story for wheat, corn and other grains, and Chinese demand for American farm produce can experience a step change.

If there is no trust, there can be no longterm business relationship.

Smothered Cheesy Pork Chops

Cheesy Pork Chops
Cheesy Pork Chops

Ingredients

  • 4 or 5 boneless pork chops
  • Salt and pepper
  • 1/2 onion, thinly sliced
  • 1/2 cup mayonnaise
  • 1 cup Cheddar cheese, shredded

Instructions

  1. Heat oven to 350 degrees F.
  2. Place pork chops in a baking pan. Season with salt and pepper on both sides.
  3. Sprinkle the onion on top of the pork. Spread mayonnaise on each pork chop. Top with shredded cheese.
  4. Bake for 25 minutes, or until the cheese is melted and browned. Baking time may be longer, depending upon thickness of pork chops.

Is FM Wang Yi wasting his breath?

The US can’t hear reason. They are afflicted by an old problem: arrogance. No arrogant person was ever humbled except by humiliation.

China is moving ahead as planned… at full throttle!

COMBATE |🇵🇷 (@upholdreality) on X

China FM Wang Yi: "The US has been devising various tactics to suppress China and kept lengthening its unilateral sanctions list, reaching bewildering levels of unfathomable absurdity. If the US says one thing and does another, where is its credibility as a major country? If…

China FM Wang Yi: “The US has been devising various tactics to suppress China and kept lengthening its unilateral sanctions list, reaching bewildering levels of unfathomable absurdity.

If the US says one thing and does another, where is its credibility as a major country?

If it gets jittery whenever it hears the word China, where is its confidence as a major country?

If it only wants itself to prosper but denies other countries legitimate development, where is international fairness?

If it persistently monopolizes the high end of the value chain and keeps China at the low end, where is fairness in competition?

The challenge for the US comes from itself, not from China. If the US is obsessed with suppressing China, it will eventually harm itself.

We urge the US to be clear eyed about the trend of the times…”

Like a Hollywood Nightmare

As a Prison Medic I had quite a bit of contact with the older Inmates, many doing “Life Without”….

Most of them had cut most ties with “The World” and had developed a life inside the wire, some of them, remarkably productive.

Three of these men come to mind….

One was a leatherworker, who made and repaired saddles for the mounted patrols, taught “horse tack” and leatherwork classes to the other inmates and had an “outreach” program building adaptive saddles and tack for Equestrian Therapy programs around the state at no cost.

Another had been a lawyer on the outside and spent much time with with the other inmates advising them on their legal matters of Family law, property law, tax law…outside their “Cases”… and did it for free… he had his own funds for “Commissary”

And finally there was one of our Orderlies for the Medical Department. He acted as a formal Mentor to new inmates as they adjusted to prison life and was frequently asked to mediate disputes between inmates…

All of those men were killers…. none of those men were ever supposed to take a breath of “Free” air again, and all of them had made a life on the inside…

Unknown force killed these men

I use it every day.

Why? It’s a fast loading program, that’s easy to use. It reliably strips all formatting from a block of text. I don’t have to tell it each time that I want it to ignore hyperlinks, or HTML tags, and just treat them like the raw ASCII they truly are.

Readme.txt files are still found here and there. Notepad is the perfect program to view them.

When we purchased massive demographic data files from various vendors, they always came to us in some text format, CSV, pipe or tab delimited, fixed width… to write the scripts to import these encyclopedias, I would first need to inspect the header files with a program that wouldn’t alter or format the data in any way. Thank you Notepad.

Notepad is an electronic hand axe. It will continue to be useful for a very long time. There are more powerful text editors, some with very handy features for programmers, but Notepad is always there, on every machine, waiting for an opportunity to show how useful it can be.

Life in the USA today

Does nobody remember this? It was a film series Police Academy in the 80s and into the 1990s… I think.

Anybody who watched it should recognise this theme.

Anyway Debbie Callahan is very upfront.

She literally says TALK IS CHEAP.

she says
she says

And has been since the beginning of time.

Actions have always spoken louder than words:

So currently the USA is:

  • Peddling bullshit propaganda about Xinjiang against us.
  • Targeting ethnic (even US born Chinese) scientists and university graduates.
  • Targeting Chinese companies because they can’t compete.
  • Actively encouraging hate and racism against Chinese people.
  • Accusing us of everything under the sun even if it’s got nothing to do with us.
  • Imposing sanctions on us and our people.
  • Currently engaging in a massive military build up nearby (Phllipines.Japan)
  • Funds terrorism in my home (2019 riots)
  • Funds TW separatism.
  • Arms terrorist groups (CIA tibetan program)
  • Has parked two SSBN nuclear missile submarines in Korea 900km from our capital
map
map

400km if you consider Tianjin 500km if you consider Dailan.

All of those things are actions of a hostile state and most of them are acts of war.

What have we done to you? Ah yes we exist and for many westerners that’s just unacceptable.

Your son is a genius

This happened to me.

About 28 years ago I went to deposit my paycheck. It was about $500. I had $80 or so in the bank, I was sure, but just to validate, I asked for an account balance.

The teller smiled at me. “Sure,” she said. “After the wire transfer you received yesterday, and your deposit today, your balance is now $1,100,584.”

“Ummmm, what did you say?” The teller repeated the amount.

“Yesterday you received a wire transfer for $1.1 million dollars. Lucky you.” She smiled again.

I took a deep breath. “Look,” I said, “That can’t be my money. Can you please double check?” She nodded and walked over to the branch manager’s office. She returned about ten minutes later.

“Oh there was no error. The amount was wired from X bank to your account, and all the info is correct on the transfer form.”

“So let me ask you something. If I asked you to withdraw $500,000 in cash right now, you would actually give it to me?”

“Well no…” I nodded, knowing that something wasn’t kosher. “…it would take about 3 hours. We don’t keep that much cash on hand. What denominations would you like?”

I stood there like an idiot. “I would like to take out $100 please.”

I went home slightly dazed. The next morning, after a night spent wondering what I would do with the money, I received a call from the bank. It was the branch manager.

“Yes, Mr. Kaufmann, sorry to bother you. I need to inform you that there was an error in a bank wire transfer to your account. You had 1.1 million dollars deposited into your account. I hope you don’t mind, but we will return the funds to the sending bank.”

“No problem,” I said, “I knew it was a mistake.”

The money was removed that day.

That evening, I could not help but ask myself what if I had said, “no.”

Probably exactly the same thing. But it’s fun to think about.

The USA is in full collapse

“It won’t be.”

Such simple words, but they broke my heart. I am tearing up right now as I see them 5 years later.

My youngest son Colin has always been the most happy go lucky person I know. Nothing seems to get him down. He has always been small for his age and yet, he is beyond bullies. A quick little story about that, one of many.

When Colin was about 6 years old we went to the park. There was a bigger kid, probably 8 or 9, standing by the jungle gym. I watched Colin head towards the gym and the bigger kid stepped in his way. Every other kid on the playground had already been redirected and were playing elsewhere. Colin stood and looked up at the boy and I saw the boy pointing for him to go somewhere else. Colin just stood there and stared. The boy turned moved back towards the gym a bit and Colin started moving towards the gym. The bully again stood in his way. This went on for 5 minutes before I see the boy give Colin a ‘guard duty’ job at the base of the gym.

When Colin was born he had a heart murmur, which cleared up.

When Colin was 3 his tonsils were swollen so large his throat was reduced to the size of a quarter. He had a tonsillectomy.

When Colin was 7 he developed Type 1 Diabetes. He never cried. We cried, privately. His doctors kept telling him it was ok to cry and he never saw the need. When his cousin asked him if he liked insulin shots because he never complained about them he said, very matter of factly, “no, I have to live.” And so began the quarterly trips to the endocrinologist.

When Colin was 8 he had a seizure. We wound up taking him for EEGs and found out he has a form of Epilepsy. He didn’t cry, but he looked perturbed. He started on medication and it was effective. He was told he could outgrow it when he hit puberty. Every 6 months we went to the neurologist and had another EEG, he only had one other seizure and that was my fault because I forgot his medication. So his lack of seizures was giving the doctors hope that he was outgrowing it, but every time we went it was the same news: still abnormal.

A few years pass and we have been to so many doctors for so many things. There is a scheduled EEG on this day and we are about to head out the door. My wife and I are excited to go because he hasn’t had a seizure in 2 years and he is starting puberty so maybe this will be the EEG that shows he has outgrown the Epilepsy.

My wife smiles at him and says to this child, who has never once in his life been to a doctor and gotten positive news, who has never once cried or been remotely negative about it all, she says to him excitedly, “The doctor says if this EEG is better you can get off the meds,” and Colin quietly replies, “It won’t be.”

I had to hide my face.

To this day, that is the only negative comment he has ever uttered about his health problems. And it kills me today just to think about it.

Just to note, that EEG was not normal, but 2 years later he was removed from meds despite abnormal EEGs. He has not had a seizure in 5 years now and at almost 15 he has probably outgrown it. He is still small (But growing) for his age as a freshman in High School, and by no means a macho guy. In fact, he believes he is gay and that was no surprise to me, but he is the strongest person I have ever known, and my personal hero, because for all the petty nonsense I get upset about on a regular basis nothing compares to what he has been through, and yet all he does is smile and move on. We could all learn a little something from people like him.

Be the Rufus

June of 2014 I was pulled over for having a headlight out. That much is true.

I left that early morning from the State Highway Patrol station with a ticket for DUI. I was sober. The officer initially told me he thought I crossed the yellow line when he was following me. I did do that, as I was mistaken about the location of the driveway I was trying to get into. So, okay. Then he told me I smelled of alcohol. No, I didn’t. I had had two beers that calendar day, and the last was over 4 hours prior to this. Since then I had been sitting around a campfire. I reeked of smoke. Wood smoke. When I passed the breath test, I was told that they expected that, what with me smelling of weed. No. No I didn’t. But that’s going to be impossible to prove in a courtroom in a few months, right?

The police report they typed up mentioned that I had confessed in the back of the car to being on numerous illicit substances. That. Never. Happened. And I was NOT on any illicit substances.

Fortunately, the prosecutor tossed the whole case when there was no evidence of anything on my tox screen, no evidence of anything in my breath test, hair, urine, blood. NOTHING. Turns out these two assholes had been sending up some dubious cases for a while, but this one was the most egregious.

Ohio Patrol Troopers Northup and Norris, where ever you are, I hope you get a flat tire, your wife cheats on you with your partner, your dog dies, and you develop unfixable halitosis. You are the worst kind of human. You lied, repeatedly, and for what?

Because…

Racism is the very thing prisons are built out of. It’s the bricks, pipes, and bars of prison. Racism will surround and envelop you at all times while you are behind bars.

That said, you’re not supposed to acknowledge it. You had better not make any comments that are openly racist unless you’re ready to fight. So, while racism is the very air you breathe, you’d better not gulp it in and speak with it.

Inmates divide themselves up along racial lines. This really shouldn’t come as a surprise — we divide ourselves up by race everywhere in society. In prison it’s just more… rigid.

The most obvious example will be the chow hall. Where I spent most of my time, there was a white side, and a black side. The white side had six or seven tables set aside for Hispanics and “other.” The black side had only two tables that had been claimed by social misfits that nobody wanted to have at their table.

If a white guy sat in the black area heads would turn. The same was true for the reverse situation. If anything, the blacks seemed more disapproving of a black guy sitting with the whites. The general assumption was that if someone was sitting outside of their race then there was a (sexual) relationship. The person out of “place” was someone’s “bitch.”

The units were also divided by race. We had several TV rooms. One was for whites (read “rednecks”). One was for blacks and one was for anyone who spoke Spanish. A final room was supposed to be for sports, but wound up being a second room for the blacks.

Even the cells were arranged by race. The cells furthest from the doors were all occupied by black guys. This was their choice — being largest in number, they got to choose. The advantage of being farthest from the door is that you have the most warning before the guards get to you.

Is there racism in prison? I doubt this is even a serious question. Prison *is* racism.

Pre-Historic Mega Structure Discovered In New Zealand: Kaimanawa Wall

Back in the mid to late 90s I lived in a quite, older neighborhood in Euless Texas. I have a green thumb and made my yard one of the nicest ones on the street. There were some rambunctious boys that lived a few houses down. They started riding their bikes in my yard tearing things up. Next thing I know their friends are doing it too. I knew their parents and knew they were decent people. One day I came around the corner and the oldest son, about 14 or so and their ringleader, was right there in my driveway. I could tell he was about to head into my yard. I called out to him in a friendly tone “Hey! You wanna earn some extra cash?”

That got his attention. He said “Sure” as he got off his bike to speak with me. I told him I was having to work extra hours at work (true) and needed help keeping my yard up. I told him if her would mow the front yard weekly, spread fertilizer and pull any weeds he sees I’d give him 40 bucks every week. He was excited and agreed. Shortly my yard was back to being one of the nicest ones on the street. He was now in charge and took great pride in his work and the yard. He would fuss at his friends and brothers and run them off if they came around with their bikes. He also took great care of my lawn mower and any other tools he used and put them back in my shed when finished. I hated to see him go off to college a few years later!

“As the famous Turkish proverb says, when a clown goes to live in a palace, he does not become a king. But the palace becomes a circus.

One could, of course, perceive everything that is happening in Ukraine as a circus if the consequences were not so tragic and catastrophic for this state.

But circus acts are still very popular there.

We all know about air sirens sounding in Kyiv and other cities during visits of high-ranking foreign delegations in the absence of any shelling.

This has already become a kind of part of the circus program for the stay of foreign leaders in Ukraine.

What is noteworthy is that in Odessa, whose military facilities were actually attacked during the visit of a high-ranking Greek delegation to this city, the siren did not sound: such an act was not included in the circus program.

I would like to urge all those who have been whipping up passions today and will continue to whip up passions because of this episode to ask themselves a simple question.

Do you really think that if we really wanted to hit Zelensky’s motorcade, we wouldn’t be able to do it?

And try to answer it, just honestly.

Especially considering the fact that you know very well that this strike destroyed a workshop for the production of naval drones, or rather, their assembly from components supplied by the UK.

For us, this goal is much more important than Zelensky rushing around the frontline zone, taking selfies in cities before they are liberated by the Russian army.

And if any of you in your soul hopes to get rid of the leader of the Kyiv regime in this way, then I can disappoint you: this is not part of our plans.

The reincarnation of Mr. Goloborodko from the series ‘Servant of the People’ was elected to the presidency by Ukrainians, believing his election promises to establish peace in Donbass and protect the Russian language and Russian-speaking citizens of Ukraine.

He deceived his voters, so now let the Ukrainians and his Western puppet masters deal with him. We have more important tasks – fulfilling the goals of our special military operation.

And since you don’t want to talk about how to implement them through peaceful means, we are forced to use military means for this.

With all the ensuing consequences for Ukraine and the Western sponsors of the Kyiv regime, which have already begun to emerge very clearly.”

main qimg 455afdf7c754106812ff514352133060
main qimg 455afdf7c754106812ff514352133060

Excerpt from the speech by Dmitry Polyanskiy, First Deputy Permanent Representative of Russia to the UN, at the UN Security Council meeting on Ukraine, New York City, March 8, 2024.

Father’s revenge

Why didn’t China acquire the Mig29 and Mig31? Because China wanted the Su-27.

main qimg f026a28ae10bede1f9ccd9296c718360 lq
main qimg f026a28ae10bede1f9ccd9296c718360 lq

And we got it. China realised that the heavy fighter design had far more potential than the much smaller 29.

jets
jets

Su 27 and Mig29 in between. The size difference is huge.

Russia in dire financial straits in the 1990s reluctantly agreed to sell them to us.

There’s a far more entertaining story which nobody knows is true or not.

Russian negotiators landed in Beijing to negotiate sale of Mig29s to China and said nyet Over and over again when Chinese asked for the SU27. Chinese negotiators pressed and pressed Russians over and over again but kept getting told no and hit an impasse. Until it was settled by a night on the town over booze.

Allegedly Chinese negotiators out drunk the Russians and got them to agree to our demands.

Flag
Flag

Those northern Chinese, they can REALLY drink. I mean REALLY drink. I nearly died when I dated a girl from Northern China, to her it was like water…Chinese Baiju starts at 56% Russian Samogan starts at 40%.

WOKE is completely insane

In college, I was invited to a private concert being filmed in a TV studio in Chicago. My good friend was the executive assistant to the president of the station so I had met the president several times before and he told me to bring a few friends along for this event and to find him when we got there.

The evening of the concert, there was a huge line of people waiting to get into the studio. These were folks not previously invited but vying for a few remaining spots to fill empty seats.

Having been invited personally by the studio president, we walked around the crowd and into the building to find him. Near the front of the line, we saw a guy dressed in studio gear, all black, headphones, clipboard, the whole deal holding back the crowd. I waved and explained “hello I’m Chet and was told to find John McDonald (not his real name) to be part of tonight’s concert event. I was nothing but polite and courteous.

This guy’s response? “I’m sorry…do you think you are special or something? See all these people? They waited in line and you can too. Go back to the end and wait just like everyone else.”

I was floored as was my roommate and our dates looked dumbfounded. I sort of chuckled but figured ok, something must have gotten lost in translation.

Not two seconds later, the studio prez John McDonald comes around the corner, sees us all there and exclaims “Chet! You made it!” and we all start shaking hands and making introductions to the ladies we brought along.

He then turned to the studio guy and said “take these four into the show and put them in the front row.”

As we followed the rude dude into the studio, I couldn’t resist saying “I guess we ARE special!”

Smirk obliterated.

You won’t believe this…

My son went on line to see if he could get hired for a programming job somewhere. He had no real experience working for anyone else in programming. He had worked for a small town IT guy, and did a lot of coding for an online game he played. His first job offer was as a contractor for a 6 month gig at a company in Sacramento, CA. He loaded up his car, abandoned his apartment in Springfield IL, and headed out.

When he went to work the first day, they showed him around a bit, then gave him his first assignment. He worked hard on it for the first two days, and handed in the finished project on the third day. The boss looked at him in an odd manner. He had someone run the program to make sure it actually did what it was supposed to do. He came back and told Jason that it was a job well done. Jason asked for his next assignment. The boss, a bit bemused, said, well, I’ll see if I can find something for you, but that assignment was your 6 month gig. They did keep him on for the 6 months, and he did several other projects for them. He didn’t get fired, but the other programmers weren’t at all happy with him, so he left at the end of the contract.

He has had several coding jobs since, and moved up into management, but finally decided that he really liked coding better than he liked managing coders, so his current job is back to coding, but at a pretty high level, with commensurate pay.

Tucker Carlson 3/9/24 | Breaking News March 9, 2024

https://youtu.be/8heGAYH21M4

China to give chipmakers $27 billion to counter U.S. sanctions — Big Fund III will have further funding rounds

By Anton Shilov

published about 24 hours ago

China to give chipmakers $27 billion to counter U.S. sanctions — Big Fund III will have further funding rounds
Big Fund III begins.

China is assembling the third phase of its Big Fund

to invest in crucial semiconductor projects across the country, a move that aims to accelerate the development of advanced technologies, make China self-reliant in the microelectronics industry, and counteract the United States’ efforts to limit China’s technological advancement.

The third phase of the National Integrated Circuit Industry Investment Fund, or the Big Fund, will pursue the same goal as the first two phases: make China self-sufficient in the semiconductor sector. According to a Bloomberg report, the Big Fund’s third-phase vehicle will primarily draw its capital from local governments, state-owned enterprises, and their investment branches, with the central government contributing a smaller portion. This strategy aligns with President Xi Jinping’s vision of pooling resources nationwide for significant projects, emphasizing self-reliance in the semiconductor sector.

The first round of Big Fund III funding is designed to raise $27 billion, a relatively modest sum by the Chinese standards for its semiconductor industry. Cities like Shanghai and entities like the China Chengtong Holdings Group and the State Development and Investment Corp. are expected to invest billions of yuan each in the third-phase fund. Meanwhile, the report says the fund will directly support local companies and finance three to four sub-funds to diversify deal sourcing and investment strategies.

The fund’s expansion comes as the United States urges its allies to tighten restrictions on China’s access to tools required to make chips on advanced product nodes, part of an ongoing chip war for control of the semiconductor manufacturing industry. Back in September, Big Fund II initiated a round to raise $41 billion to support domestic makers of wafer fab equipment. However, for Big Fund III, $27 billion will be spent on essential projects across China.

Since its inception in 2014, the Big Fund (2014 – 2018, ~$100B) and the Big Fund II (2019 – 2023 , ~$41B) have raised hundreds of billions of dollars and acquired stakes in dozens of microelectronics companies. Meanwhile, Bloomberg claims that Big Fund’s assets under management are currently valued at around $45 billion, which could be a direct result of the U.S. sanctions against China’s semiconductor sector, which significantly hit companies like SMIC (China’s foundry champion) and Yangtze Memory Technologies Co. (YMTC , China’s top 3D NAND maker).

Despite its successes, the Big Fund has faced criticism for its lack of transparency and accountability, operating primarily behind the scenes. Nonetheless, it is indisputable that the hundreds of billions of dollars poured into China’s semiconductor industry made the country one of the most prominent players in this field.

The United States today

About 15 years ago, I was working as a server at a restaurant, and as head server/trainer and an expeditor, I knew the menu inside and out, including pretty much all the ingredients.

We took allergies VERY seriously at our restaurant, and so when a guest asked,”Is there dairy in the crab cake? Because I’m allergic to dairy,” I was REQUIRED to ask the chef, verbatim, even though I KNEW the answer was no, because the chef is the highest authority on the food. So I go back to the kitchen, and I ask the chef, “Is there dairy in the crab cake? I have a guest who is allergic.”

He responds, “Yeah, there’s dairy in the crab cake.”

And I respond, “Uh, you’re wrong–I’ve prepped crab cakes myself. There’s no dairy in the crab cakes.”

Him: “Prove it.”

I go to the prep kitchen and pull the master recipe book from the shelf, bring it back to him, and read off the list of ingredients. “There’s no dairy on this list.”

Him: “There’s mayonnaise in the crab cake.”

Me: “That’s not dairy. Mayonnaise is eggs and oil, and a stabilizing agent.”

Him: “And where do you find eggs in the grocery store?”

Me: “In the dairy section.”

Him: “So eggs are dairy.”

Me: “No, they’re not. Eggs come from chickens. Dairy products are milk products, which have to come from a cow, or from the udder of another mammal. Chicken are birds, not mammals. Birds don’t have udders.”

Him: “Eggs come from the dairy section. They are therefore dairy.”

Me: *Facepalm* “Fine. I will tell the customer that the crab cakes have mayonnaise.”

(Back at the table.)

Me: “Ma’am, the chef told me to tell you that the crab cakes have mayonnaise.”

Guest: “But mayonnaise isn’t dairy, it’s made from eggs.”

Me: “Yes, ma’am, you’re quite right, but the chef and I had a philosophical disagreement on that point, and he insists mayonnaise is dairy. So you may want to stay away from the crab cakes, considering the chef doesn’t actually know what’s in them.”

When plastic surgery goes wrong

Browned Butter Spaghetti with Mizithra

I used to love to go to the Spaghetti Factory for this. It’s so delicious! Mizithra is a great Greek cheese.

spaghetti browned butter
spaghetti browned butter

Yield: 4 servings

Ingredients

  • 1 cup butter
  • Cooked spaghetti, drained
  • 1 cup Mizithra cheese, grated
  • Parsley, chopped (optional)

Instructions

  1. Cut butter into tablespoon size pieces and place in a 2 quart sauce pan. Place the pan of butter on a burner on medium heat. Bring butter to a slow boil (about 5 minutes).
  2. When the butter begins to boil, stir constantly to prevent residue from sticking to the bottom of the pan. As the butter cooks, it will start to foam and rise. Continue stirring, otherwise the butter foam could overflow (about 5 minutes) and catch fire.
  3. When the butter stops foaming and rising, cook until amber in color (about 1 to 2 minutes). It will have a pleasant caramel aroma.
  4. Turn off the heat and remove pan from burner. Let the sediment settle to the bottom of the pan for a few minutes.
  5. Pour the brown butter through a strainer into a small bowl. Do not disturb the residue at the bottom of the pan.
  6. The brown butter can be stored in the refrigerator and reheated in a microwave as needed.
  7. Boil the pasta of choice until al dente.
  8. Drain pasta and divide into four servings.
  9. Sprinkle 1/4 cup Mizithra cheese over each pasta serving.
  10. Top with 1/4 cup hot brown butter.

The reason why

Musical Chairs for Banks; The Music STOPS tomorrow

Monday, March 11, 2024, Banks may get a deadly dose of reality; the Federal Reserve will cease the Bank Term Funding Program (BTFP) which will stop making new loans.

During a period of stress last spring, the Bank Term Funding Program helped assure the stability of the banking system and provide support for the economy. After March 11, banks and other depository institutions will continue to have ready access to the discount window to meet liquidity needs.

As the program ends, the interest rate applicable to new BTFP loans has been adjusted such that the rate on new loans extended from now through program expiration will be no lower than the interest rate on reserve balances in effect on the day the loan is made. This rate adjustment ensures that the BTFP continues to support the goals of the program in the current interest rate environment. This change is effective immediately. All other terms of the program are unchanged.

The BTFP was established under Section 13(3) of the Federal Reserve Act, with approval of the Treasury Secretary.

When the BTFP stops, banks will not longer be able to borrow from the Fed based upon value-at-maturity of US Treasuries and other assets they hold.   So if the banks cannot borrow from the fed to meet their cash needs, how will they get the cash?

Put simply, the game of musical chairs for banks will see the music stop tomorrow.  Which Bank(s) will find themselves without a chair, and thus lose?

My mother married my stepfather when I was a teenager. We had a somewhat difficult relationship although it was readily apparent that he adored my mother and treated her very well. I tried to get along with him as best I could because I knew that I would eventually be moving out and my mother would need a partner. After a decade or so into their marriage his health declined. He had developed leukemia-induced anemia that was complicated by Crohn’s disease. After several years of painful existence and numerous hospital stays and blood transfusions he found himself in the ICU. His red blood cell count was critically low and he needed another transfusion or he would die within a few days. He decided he had had enough. He refused treatment so that he could pass away and be relieved of his pain. He went in and out of consciousness over those last two days. A priest had come to read him his last rites. His oxygen mask was at full capacity.

At one point I stood alone beside his bed and he mustered up enough strength to speak. He told me “take care of your body and read a lot of books on different subjects”. I acknowledged him. He added, “and take care of your mother”. He then slipped back into unconsciousness and the nurse asked that I leave the room and give him a break. I never heard him speak again. Those last words only reaffirmed to me what a great husband my mother had found, for in his last moments he was still concerned about her welfare.

That night my mother and I were in the waiting room at two in the morning when the nurse came to tell us that it was his time. We went into his ICU room, stood by his bedside, and watched on the monitor as his heart rate steadily dropped off to zero and his chest eased down to a stop. My mother looked down at him and said “what an amazing man, thank you for 17 wonderful years of marriage”. RIP Stan

https://www.youtube.com/shorts/43vF4ZQFwZA?feature=share

This actually happened to me. I’m an American who went to school for bit at Richmond College in England. At one point, several classmates and I went on an educational trip to Paris with chaperones and teachers. (Most of us were in our junior year of high school, and still technically children.) We spoke very little French, yet for the most part we found the people in Paris to be charming, and very kind to us. Most people, but not all.

One day, a friend and I were walking back to the dorms we were staying in. We were without a chaperone. We were hungry, so we stopped in a very small cafe in what seemed to be a quiet and lovely neighborhood. It was obvious when we first walked in that everyone seemed to know everyone, and they did not know us. There were no other places to eat anywhere near our location, and we were starving, so we decided to stay.

We were refused a table. When we brought out our money so that they would understand that we were serious customers, the owner reluctantly let us sit at the counter, but not at a table. She also refused to show us a menu, and simply brought us soup with very unusual animal parts in it. These were body parts that I had no idea a person could actually consume, and most of the parts appeared to be raw. We silently looked at each other confused. The owner of the cafe, and every customer, glared at us.

Finally, and shockingly, my friend started eating the broth. I tried and tried to remain pleasant and polite so that I would not be another bad example of an American tourist, yet finally I could no longer handle the situation. I burst out with laughter. Soon we were both laughing hysterically. We were then yelled at, and thrown out after paying a huge price for whatever that was we were served.

Sadly, my brave friend who ate the broth had to miss two days of sightseeing and school due to an unfortunate case of gastroenteritis.

So, to answer your question directly, if you are not wanted in a restaurant, run!

Twenty years ago I moved across the country. When I got to my new state, I dragged my heels at getting new license plates. I am embarrassed to say how far I exceeded the grace period. A cop I worked with at school reminded me gently that our particular state had pretty stiff penalties for expired tags and I should take care of it before I got pulled over. I wish I had heeded her warning.

I never got a notice in the mail, but sure enough, I did get pulled over. The cop was polite and told me why I had been stopped, then returned to his squad car to run my info.

He came back. “Are you aware you license has been suspended?

“WHAT??!!” I was not.

He was puzzled. “Do you owe child support or something?”

“No.” I was upset at this point, not with him but the situation. I have never been in trouble with the law.

He was obviously perplexed. “They don’t normally suspend a license for expired tags. Huh.” He wrote out a warning.

When it was time to leave, I said “Sir…with an expired license, how will I get home?”

He shrugged. “If I drive off first, how will I know if you’re driving?”

He was very kind. However, the legal system was not. I had to jump through a lot of expensive hoops to get things cleared up. All of it could have easily been avoided. Renew your tags, everyone.

A pizza delivery driver in his mid 20s (me….20 years ago) knocks on the door of an apartment, a few minutes go by and the door opens. As it swings open a cloud of VERY aromatic smoke rolls out and the man of the house says in a Bob Bitchin’ (PhD, MA, BA and a BMF besides) voice,

“Yeah, what is it?”

“I have your pizzas.”

“How much are they?”

“$20.87”

He hands me $30 asks for a $5 back, takes his change, and shuts the door. Nonplussed, I knock again. A couple of minutes goes by and the same man answered the door.

“Yeah, what is it?”

“I still have your pizzas.”

“How much are they?”

Now here I paused, and considered, until finally…

“$20.87”

He reaches in his pocket, gets his wallet out, looks inside and says,

“Give me a minute.”

Another 5 or 6 minutes go by and I see him talking with the 4 other people sitting around the TV. A collection occurs. He finally returns to the door and hands me $20.87 in the form of a single $5, eight $1 s, and the other $7.87 in mixed change. He then apologizes saying,

“Sorry about all the change, and no tip, I swear I had $30 around here but I can’t find it.”

To this day, I cannot help but smack my forehead when I think about it.

Edit- Thanks to all. I hope it gave you a bit of joy.

Girls and grapes

I’m a physicist. One day I got a phone call from an undergraduate. She explained that as an assignment in a sociology course she was required to follow a scientist around for a day and document how he/she spent the day. “I’m far too busy to give you that much time,” I said.

“No—” she replied, “You won’t even notice I’m there. I’ll just watch and follow you around.” OK— it sounded a bit intriguing.

The scheduled morning she arrived in my office at 9 a.m. She sat down in a corner, and I got to work. Every now and then I looked up and caught her looking at me; she quickly looked away, and scribbled in her notebook. Suddenly I felt like a mountain gorilla being studied by Dian Fossey.

At 5 p.m she told me she was leaving. I asked her if she found anything surprising. “My god yes!” She responded. “Your day is totally different from what I expected.” I asked for details and she examined her notes.

She said, “You spent 60% of your time talking to other people! You did it on the phone, then you visited several other physicists in their offices. You had lunch with several graduate students. Even in your lab you were working with your graduate students. Several people came to your office.”

“What did you expect?” I asked her.

“I thought scientists worked alone. I thought they sat in front of computers all day, or in their labs wearing white coats and working with test tubes.”

“That’s the scientist of the movies,” I said. “Science is a very social profession. You can save weeks in the lab by a quick conversation with someone else. Two people talking are often much more than twice as effective as two people working alone.”

“I never knew that,” she said.

It’s odd that people avoid going into science because of the impression that it is for people who like to work alone. That may be true for some people, but in my experience virtually all effective scientists spend much of their time with other people. Maybe the wrong impression arises because of the high school science nerd who doesn’t yet have social skills. But social skills are essential to scientific success. Some nerds learn them only in graduate school. (And the ones who don’t often drop out of science.)

Indeed, the interaction with other people is what makes “coming to work” so much fun.

Cats can defy gravity

The Little Crappy Ships each have their own failures in design and execution. Sometimes tried and true is best – especially when building ships that need to be available (and mobile) all of the time. There is no auto club to call for a breakdown on the high seas.

Their mission evaporated as the world changed – a lightly defended coastal (litoral) ship did not end up being where the focus was needed. Their flexibilty was also limited because cost overuns in the basic ship package affected other wannabe missions – it was going to be a Swiss Army knife, but instead ended up a butter blade.

The navy threw in the towel when they started ordering more Constellation class frigates and cancelled the future LCS builds. Ironically, they were not cheap (half a billion $$$ or so) but they cost little enough by government standards to abandoned. Compare that to the Ford class carriers (about $14 billion each). The Fords had so much invested in them that throwing money and resources to solve technological issues (such as with the catapult system) was a given regardless of cost. You can fix things with time, money, and resources. There also was no readily available replacement available for the Ford carriers after years of investment in them. The end product is a great advance over it’s predecessor – which is not the story of the LCS.

So, lessons learned. Innovate but balance risks and reward, and know the mission you are trying to accomplish. Here is the LCS Independence. A face only a mother could love… … …

main qimg cb043b1f8dad130bfd613a2eda421e5e
main qimg cb043b1f8dad130bfd613a2eda421e5e

Oh shit

Correction: China is NOT leaning more heavily on exports; the government’s policy has been to grow the Chinese domestic consumer market in order to lessen dependence on exports.

In 2024, the Chinese domestic consumer market is growing less slowly than the government likes because the Chinese real estate market is undergoing contraction. The Chinese government saw the real estate market as an asset bubble which needed to be pricked because it does not reflect a real productivity gain; it is just speculatory.

Since most Chinese have their savings tied up in their own home value, they now feel that they have less savings to spend, which is why the Chinese economy is entering a deflationary phase.

At the same time, the US and EU are putting pressure on Chinese exports of EVs and chips, as they try to decouple from Chinese exporters of those products.

This means that the whole world is going through a painful economic adjustment as supply chains are being decoupled in the US and EU.

The Chinese government is trying to re-adjust by increasing exports and trade with the BRICS+/Global South economies, while gradually cutting reliance on the US and EU markets.

Linda’s Picadillo (Mexican-Style Ground Beef)

picadillo
picadillo

Ingredients

  • 1 onion, diced
  • 3 cloves garlic, minced
  • 1 pound ground beef
  • 3 potatoes, peeled and diced
  • 1 red or orange bell pepper, chopped
  • 1 1/2 cups water
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons beef bouillon
  • 1 (4 ounce) can green chiles or 2 fresh poblano peppers, chopped
  • Spices: 1 or 2 bay leaves, salt, pepper, cumin, cayenne pepper, tomato Knorr, etc.
  • 1 can tomato sauce or Ro*Tel
  • 1 bag frozen corn (optional)
  • 1 bag frozen green beans (optional)

Instructions

  1. Sauté onions and garlic; add ground beef and cook until done. Drain fat.
  2. Add potatoes, bell pepper, water, beef buillon, green chiles or poblano peppers, spices of choice and tomato sauce or Ro*Tel. Simmer over medium heat until potatoes are tender.
  3. If using, add corn and green beans 10 to 15 minutes before serving.

She Bullied A Kid For Exercising Wrong, The Internet Destroyed Her..

Israel ‘Coerces’ UN Workers – By Outright Torturing Them

Every time one thinks that the depravity of Zionist fanatics has finally reached a limit they will proudly present even worse behavior.

UNRWA report says Israel coerced some agency employees to falsely admit Hamas linksReuters, Mar 9 2024

The U.N. agency for Palestinian refugees said some employees released into Gaza from Israeli detention reported having been pressured by Israeli authorities into falsely stating that the agency has Hamas links and that staff took part in the Oct. 7 attacks.

Coerced, pressured, … Maybe they had a harsh talk?

No. They outright tortured, Abu Graibh like, these UN workers. Some of them to their death:

The document said several UNRWA Palestinian staffers had been detained by the Israeli army, and added that the ill-treatment and abuse they said they had experienced included severe physical beatings, waterboarding, and threats of harm to family members.

In addition to the alleged abuse endured by UNRWA staff members, Palestinian detainees more broadly described allegations of abuse, including beatings, humiliation, threats, dog attacks, sexual violence, and deaths of detainees denied medical treatment, the UNRWA report said.

Reuters could not independently confirm the accounts of coercion of UNRWA staff and mistreatment of detainees, although the allegations of ill-treatment accord with descriptions by Palestinians freed from detention in December, February and March reported by Reuters and other news media.

Remi Brulin @RBrulin – 0:44 UTC · Mar 9, 2024“We tortured some folks” is pretty bad

“We tortured some folk so we could destroy a huge relief organization that’s indispensable in dealing with a huge humanitarian crisis that we created in the first place” is…. something else

What are civilized people supposed to do with these miscreants?

 

Posted by b at 11:13 UTC | Comments (156)

https://www.youtube.com/shorts/QTJ_Uk9OPZo?feature=share

This is another “didn’t say it, did it” story.

It was a couple of weeks before Christmas, about 25 years ago, and I was shopping for a gift for my wife. She loves pearls, especially baroque pearls, and even more when they’re set with a discreet diamond or two — nothing glitzy or brash. I went to the local branch of Barmakian Jewelers, a well known New England chain. I’d been there before and had spent there, over the years, a decidedly nontrivial amount, including some custom work I’d had them do. So I walked over to the Pearls and Diamonds counter with a budget figure of $600 (equivalent to just a hair over $1000 as I write this) and began eyeing the pieces through the glass counter surface.

I should probably mention here that I was at that time a software engineer and had just gotten out of work for the day, and I was dressed in jeans and a carpenter shirt (plaid flannel). No coat, this is New England and the temperature was well above freezing. As I browsed, I took note that although there was nobody at that counter at the moment, two sales associates were at the next counter, and I knew that they had seen me. Neither came over to help me. After about ten minutes of this, a man came walking over to the counter where I was, dressed in a suit and tie. Before you could say “WTF?” an associate, one of the two who had been chatting at the other counter, was there to help him. He lollygagged around, looked at a couple of pieces with the associate’s eager assistance, and finally decided he’d come back another day. He walked out without having spent a dime. The associate left the counter without even a glance in my direction, and returned to chat some more with the other associate. I figured I knew what was up, and I too walked out, taking my $600 budget elsewhere. I have never since stepped inside a Barmakian store, nor will I ever do so in the future.

Well, I think our fellow Quoran Orson Scott Card got something dreadfully wrong in his most famous work, Ender’s Game.

It was published in its novel form in 1985, and he envisioned a global computer network where people could publish anything. And it’s crucial to the plot that two very young people become massively influential by publishing, under pseudonyms, political essays with brilliant insights.

Internet, yes, fine, it was already invented and the WWW was just around the corner, but well called for seeing it as a potential game changer.

He did not anticipate that it would be used to watch memes of cats and spread flat Earth theories, and that any politically insightful youth would be totally drowned out by people trying to cure a dangerous disease by drinking bleach. Frankly, I don’t think anyone could have foreseen that…

Simple.

Ask the average American to watch a Chinese blockbuster. It can be dubbed, or subtitled.

Further, ask them to pick out the cultural hooks and references in the movie.

Vanishing few will be able to do so, even Chinese diaspora who grow up speaking only English.

Take it from me. I spent a lifetime consuming Chinese media, and I am fluent in at least 3 dialects: Cantonese, Hokkien and Mandarin. I spent 12 years learning Chinese formally, growing up in a Chinese speaking environment.

But I struggle with the cultural references in Chinese productions, which have cultural baselines that are several steps beyond the typical Taiwan/HK production.

In other words, Wong Kar Wai and Ang Lee are above average, and not the summit, in the mainland scheme of things, as far as deep culture is concerned.

Hollywood can never make a Chinese movie that touches the tender and vulnerable side of Chinese audiences. Not in the current climate of dehumanization and “we want your money, we don’t want you”.

The Chinese are not farm animals of American oligarchs.

And even if Hollywood decides to take the Chinese market seriously, it will take years and plenty of coin to compete against the Chinese competition.

At this point (2024), Hollywood isn’t even in the game.

November 8, 2018. I know the date because of it’s significance. 4 men were at the restaurant I frequent. They had reserved a part of 8. All of them were elderly, all of them were wearing hats with “vietnam veteran” and “173rd Airborne” on them. I didn’t need to know where their 4 missing comrades were, or what memories those 4 gentlemen would be reliving 53 years later. I know of Operation Hump.

I quietly wrote on a napkin, “I’m not going to say who I am, but I want to say 3 things: THANK YOU! May your brothers rest in peace, and tonight is on me. No arguments, soldiers.”

I had my waitress deliver it after I left, leaving my credit card (at the time, I lived right down the street) to pay for whatever they want.

I was told that they were very appreciative, and said “for people like that we’d do it again.” which is very touching if you ask me.

I’ve seen those gentlemen back every year since, and a few times on various other days, but I haven’t said anything, and I never intend to. Their meals are still on me every year.

Honestly, I don’t see any big difference and I don’t feel overwhelmed by Chinese goods.

In fact, China actively substituted only two fields: cars and household equipment

Midea or Haier instead of Bosch? No big difference. Same features, same prices. Bosch is also available by the way, and the price is comparable to Chinese. So who has left?

Chery/Haval instead of Renault and Nissan? No big difference, in fact Chinese are better. More options and features for lower price. Prices are slowly normalizing, by the way. Chinese car giants open new factories in Russia.

Of course, it will take time for market to find a new balance, but at least now it is possible to get a new SUV for around 2 million rubles. Sure, it’s not 1.3 million rubles like I paid for new Nissan Qashqai in 2018, but it’s even less about 2.4 million rubles I paid for new Nissan X-Trail in 2021. And well, Chinese turned out to be have better multimedia systems than Japanese or Europeans. Surprise, surprise.

Maybe even Moskvich will some day be available at more reasonable prices. Again, it all takes time.

New car market was too expensive starting from around last April. Now slowly getting to more normal prices.

Speaking of furniture, clothing and everything else – it got substituted locally and surprisingly well. If you are not dead set to pay 500,000 rubles for Dolce Gabbana, you can buy a nice good quality Russian coat at 10,000 rubles, for example. I bought warm and nice Russian-made alaska jacket for this winter for about 13,000 rubles. Didn’t notice any difference with “original” that cost double even before all those problems.

And well, I talk to people, I listen to people and I see what people are wearing and buying. There still are few “brand-crazy” folks, but most have just got ignorant.

If those “Western brands” ever want to return, they will have a hard time doing so. Sorry guys. And no, Chinese clothes are not popular and is not supplied en masse.

No.

Both of my grandfathers did just that.

Both of their wives only worked outside of the home during WWII, before they were their wives. By the early 1950s, both of my sets of grandparents were married and starting their families. Both families ended up with four children each. Both families owned their own homes—modest homes in small towns—all on the single income of a working-class man.

One grandfather was a salesman and installer of garage doors. One was a mechanic. Both were WWII vets, so there may have been some veterans benefits to help them out. Other than that, they were on their own.

I know much more about one grandfather’s house than the other one, because the one I know about was right down the street from the house I was raised in. That grandfather died in the 80s, before I really got to know him, but his widow (my grandmother) lived in that house until she died in 2016. I visited that house many times and even helped my father build the deck on it.

I don’t know what my grandfather paid for that house, but I know that, when it was sold “as in” after my grandmother passed, just eight years ago, it sold for $63k. According to Zillow, it’s now worth close to $200k. Same house. Eight years. Triple the price. Insanity.

And it’s not just that house. My mother’s house, where she still lives, just a few doors down, is has tripled in value in the last decade.

The house my grandfather raised his kids in was (and still is) just three bedrooms, one bath, tiny kitchen, and a little over 1,200 square feet. It is 1/3 the size of the house I am currently sitting in, and I would call my house fairly modest by Chicago standards. My grandfather’s house featured a detached two-car garage which he used as a workshop, a carport, a huge yard with a vegetable garden, two old-growth pecan trees and, of all things, a small vineyard.

I didn’t realize how cool it was that my grandparents had a small vineyard growing in their back yard until I was well into my 20s and, by then, it had been mostly destroyed by neglect (my grandmother couldn’t maintain it on her own in her old age), and I lived too far away to help her with it. The last time I drove past it, last summer, it looked like the new owners hadn’t taken it down, but hadn’t fixed it, either. It’s just continuing it’s multi-decade decay.

But I’ll bet it was pretty awesome back when my grandparents were raising their children in that house.

Anyway, besides things being a lot cheaper when my grandparents were raising their children, there were also just fewer expenses. Among all eight of their combined children, only one went to college, and that was for just one semester. Each family only had one car. Each family only had one TV, and they didn’t pay for cable until the early 1990s. The airwave signals were free. Each house had a single, land line phone. None of my grandparents ever had a credit card. The only things they bought on credit were their houses and cars.

About two hours ago, I gave my son my credit card so he could by a $2.50 Gatorade from a vending machine. My grandparents would be mortified about everything in that transaction.

I understand why so many young people feel like they’re getting cheated by this economy. They are. Who is cheating them, and why, and how to fix it, are where I disagree with many of them. But yes, I do agree that they have a much, much steeper mountain to climb to get to the same summit that my grandparents (their great-grandparents’ generation) seemed to have handed to them.

They are plenty smart enough, but they make terrible pets. You see, squid are what we call pelagic critters, meaning they spend most of their time in open water, away from the sea floor or any other features. They like lots and lots of water around them.

Their primary escape mechanism is to simply jet away into the abyss at Squid Warp Speed. It is so fast you literally cannot see it.

My bride and I met on a squid study, which involved a lot of laying in the water on snorkel and hand recording everything the individual squid did. One morning we were watching our usual flotilla of Sepioteuthis (Caribbean Reef Squid) and scrawling their antics on our slates.

And then, *blink.* They were gone. All 17 squid just vanished at once. We knew what happened, of course, but not why. We looked at each other and shrugged our shoulders. Bonaire, the Caribbean island in the Dutch Antilles where the study took place, has extremely clear water. We could see easily 100 feet in all directions, but could not identify what spooked the squid. We were very sure it wasn’t us. Since we had been studying this particular school for weeks, the squid were extremely used to people by now.

Then, slowly out of the haze, a large barracuda cruised into view from the East, about 80 feet away. We could not even guess how the squid knew so quick, but they knew a big predator was moving in, and they Got Out Of Town by jetting away so fast (and far) we could not even keep track. The squid didn’t even bother shooting ink. They just disappeared.

This is why you cannot keep squid easily in captivity. They have had over 500 million years to develop this explosive escape strategy and, being prey for almost every predator in the ocean means they react to almost anything. Since invisible walls have never existed in nature, they cannot understand glass and don’t adapt to aquariums. At the slightest provocation, captive squid panic and try to blast away to safety, but they wind up slamming into the aquarium walls over and over and injuring themselves grievously.

Squid researchers have had mixed success with soft-sides inflatable pools as well as ring-shaped enclosures, but these critters do best out in open water.

On the other hand, octopuses do make excellent, if short lived, pets.

Build more of these.

main qimg 48c6d17f2eadc8bc36f00d981ce05414 lq
main qimg 48c6d17f2eadc8bc36f00d981ce05414 lq

A nuclear exchange is at this point all but INEVITABLE.

What we need is to massively increase our nuclear bombs and missile systems.

Right now we have 5–600 bombs. That means we have to be selective about the cities we hit.

But with 1000 we can hit even smaller cities.

The white supremacists have literally parked a SSBN in Korea to do this.

We need a massive counter strike ability to take the white supremacists to hell with us. They can die in nuclear fires along with us.

Liberals will say but I don’t want nuclear war. Well the Nuclear Taboo is a myth.

This Chinese man was Zhang Qian.

In 139 B.C., Zhang Qian set out on a westward journey with his interpreter and an escort of about 100 men. But just as they entered the Hexi Corridor, they were bumped into by Xiongnu cavalry. After a battle, all the others were killed in battle, and only Zhang Qian and the interpreter, who did not take part in the battle, survived. Zhang Qian and his interpreter survived.

The two did not resist, and were escorted by the Huns’ cavalry from the Hexi Corridor to the King’s Court of the Xiongnu, a distance of more than 1,000 kilometers. The Xiongnu Chanyu also wanted to get information about the Han Dynasty from Zhang Qian, so he actively instigated him to rebel and even arranged for a high-status Xiongnu noblewoman to marry him.

Zhang Qian had been single for almost 30 years and readily accepted the kindness of the Xiongnu Chanyu, but he still did not leak any information about the Han Dynasty. Not only that, Zhang Qian also secretly mastered a lot of information about the Huns while living in the Xiongnu’ territory.

After ten years of this kind of life, Zhang Qian managed to escape with the help of his Xiongnu wife. However, he was captured by the Hun cavalry for the second time shortly after his escape.

The second time was in 128 B.C. Zhang Qian wanted to return to Chang’an. This time he deliberately avoided the sphere of influence of the Xiongnu people, but he was really unlucky and was caught by the Xiongnu people once again. Zhang Qian had already given up hope, but to his surprise, he was rescued by the Xiongnu woman again and escaped. This time Zhang Qian took her back to Chang’an.

In 126 BC, Zhang Qian, his Hun wife, son, and translator returned to Chang’an after an absence of thirteen years.

Upon his return, Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty made him Marquis of Bowang for his military service.

Although Zhang Qian was promoted, his Xiongnu wife who had made great contributions to him died of illness after one year in Chang’an because she was not adapted to the environment.

I guess Zhang Qian was a handsome man and his Xiongnu wife loved him wholeheartedly and even betrayed the Xiongnu Chanyu.

I had finished scraping the bottom of my boat and decided to have a shower at the clubhouse. Scraping bottom paint must be the dirtiest job in the world (potentially dangerous to your health without proper clothing and a respirator) and I was utterly filthy. As I walked up to the clubhouse, a guy in his mid-forties, a new member it turns out, told me I was not allowed in the “club,” as “no labourers allowed”. I laughed in his face and kindly told him to fuck off. He then told me he was getting the Commodore and that I would be barred from working at this club again. I said good luck with that and again told him to fuck off. When I finished up in the shower, I went to the wardroom to meet my wife and to have a beer. This guy was in the wardroom talking to the Commodore when I came in. When he saw me he said to the Commodore that I was a disrespectful shit and that I should be blackballed from the club. The Commodore said that I might be a shit, but I was a member in good standing and it would look bad if she tried to blackball her husband.

Depends on the Products in Question

Let’s see where Japan leads and dominates over China :-

  • Refrigeration
  • Cameras & Lenses
  • Petrol Engines
  • Industrial Robots
  • Hybrid Vehicles

Japanese Exports are primarily in these industries.

Japan has the best quality products in the world in these categories

Let’s see where China leads and dominates over Japan:-

  • Shipbuilding
  • Railroads & Electrified Railway Design and manufacture
  • Infrastructure Steel & Equipment & High Machinery
  • Television LCD Panels
  • High Efficiency (> 25%) Solar Panels
  • NEV Batteries & Integrated Platforms
  • New Energy Vehicles
  • Deep Core Gas Drilling Equipment
  • Data Centers
  • Windmill & Wind Turbines

Chinese Exports are primarily in these Industries

China has the best quality products in the world in these categories


Then you have areas where both Japan and China are not yet on par with global (western standards) :-

  • Advanced Lenses (Germany)
  • Advanced Chips (US, Europe, Korea)
  • Advanced Computing (US)
  • Diesel Engines (Germany)
  • Aviation Components (Europe, US)
  • Pharmaceuticals (Switzerland, US, France)

In these areas, neither Japan nor China have the quality of their Western counterparts

These form a huge chunk of Chinas Imports and Japans imports

The West is completely fucked up

Iowa Spaghetti Sauce

When we were young, we looked forward to visiting my Aunt Anita in Muscatine, Iowa. She always had this ready for us when we arrived. We fought over the mushrooms, so over time, she added up to three times the amount of mushrooms called for!

iowa spaghetti sauce
iowa spaghetti sauce

Ingredients

  • 3 or 4 cloves garlic
  • 2 pounds ground beef
  • 1 large onion, finely chopped
  • 3 (15 ounce) cans tomato sauce
  • 1/4 cup cider vinegar
  • 1/3 cup brown sugar
  • 2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
  • 1/4 teaspoon cloves
  • 1/2 teaspoon ground allspice
  • 1 cup finely chopped celery
  • Salt, to taste
  • 1 large can mushrooms, drained

Instructions

  1. Brown garlic in 1 tablespoon salad oil; discard garlic. Add ground meat and salt, 1/2 cup water and cook.
  2. When the meat is half done, add the onions and cook until done.
  3. Add the remaining ingredients, except the mushrooms, and cook until thick, about 1 1/2 to 2 hours.
  4. Add mushrooms when thick.
  5. Serve over spaghetti!

Let ‘er rip baby! Fire away! Don’t hold back.

Don’t hold anything back. The hardest letters in prison were the ones I didn’t get.

Maybe you don’t want to write to me because you’re angry. I did something stupid, got my dumb ass tossed in the cooler, and you’re livid.

There-is-no-better-time-to-write!

I’m a sitting duck! I’ve got nothing better to do than read your letter. I’ll read it again and again! Write out your rant, become my personal troll, and flame on old-school from afar. You might have six months worth of rage pent up, waiting to be unleashed on the page. Get it off your chest. Toss open the hatches and let loose whatever foul demons you’ve been harboring below deck. Let me know the full depth and breadth of your wrath.

I would much rather deal with this now through letters than during our first face to face encounter years later. We can discuss everything, get to the heart of it, and maybe even move on.

Has a loved one of mine passed on? Are you afraid that telling me will break my heart? If I go years without getting a letter from that person, that will break my heart. I’ll wonder on a daily basis why mom doesn’t write anymore. Then on that day when I’m finally released, a day meant to be full of hope and new beginnings, you finally hit me with the bad news?

No thanks. Tell me now. Toll that bell and let me grieve here in this hell hole in my own time and way.

Some of the hardest time I did was when it was clear that my girlfriend was breaking up with me. She stopped writing, stopped answering phone calls, stopped caring.

I knew what was happening, but without her black and white confirmation, it was a glacial band-aid ripping — it lasted months. A simple letter could’ve put it to a swift and final conclusion. I wouldn’t have gotten out two years later wondering, “Where is everyone?”

What subjects should you avoid? None.

Don’t waste any time worrying about my psyche. I’m a big enough boy to find my way into prison. Your letters aren’t going to push me over the edge, but maybe they’ll push us closer together.

The is the reality right now. Gen-Z. People are not meant to be living alone. Thank you “WOKE” society.

Pope Tells Ukraine: Wave the White Flag . . .

Pope Francis was asked what he would tell Ukraine President Zelensky and his response was succinct: Surrender, you’re defeated.

Of course, His Holiness put it more gracefully.  His exact words were:

"I think that the strongest one is the one who looks at the situation, thinks about the people, and has the courage of the white flag and negotiates. The word negotiate is a courageous word. When you see that you are defeated, that things are not going well. you have to have the courage to negotiate."

Meanwhile, Emmanuel Macron, president of France, is beating the war drums for NATO entry into the Ukraine-Russia conflict.  He continues to push the suicidal notion of NATO countries sending troops in to fight alongside Ukraine, despite being repeatedly warned NATO entry into that conflict would result in a “war the no one will win.”  That is to say, a nuclear war.

Macron just today began mobilizing trainloads of French Armor, including tanks, heading east for Ukraine.  Video below shows one such train:

 

 

Moreover, French troops are preparing for a high-intensity conflict against an enemy who can match them with firepower — a big change for an army that’s spent the past decades fighting counterinsurgency campaigns in places like Mali and Afghanistan.

The hostilities in Ukraine, in their third year, have brought full-scale war back to the Continent, said Colonel Axel Denis, who runs the combat training center (CENTAC) at Mailly-le-camp in eastern France.

“The world has revealed its true nature: unstable, dangerous, and not everyone is a friend. We’re gearing up for a culture of alert, of being ready at short notice,” he told POLITICO during a visit to the camp. “CENTAC is the only place [in France] where you can see what war is like.”

Conditions for the troops training at CENTAC are as close as possible to an actual battlefield. The sound, heat and light of artillery fire is reproduced, while fake mines are scattered everywhere, and radio communications can be interrupted without notice.

History shows that the last time the French went into Russia, under Napoleon Bonaparte, they lost 650,000 soldiers. Their bones were left to disintegrate in Russia.

Those who do not learn from history, seem doomed to repeat it.

One time I was working on my car. I was lying on my back under the engine but I was quite safe as I had raised the car on proper axle stands before removing the front wheels. To be even safer I had chosen to work on the engine with the car parked in the street as it was flat and horizontal. Our driveway was at an angle.

Dad was standing at the front of the car leaning under the bonnet (hood) and directing operations. It was a good time working with my dad.

One of our neighbours arrived and made a complete bodge of parking. He hit my car very slowly with his bumper. No damage to either car but the impact was enough to rock my car forward. The forward motion was enough to cause my car to roll off the axle stands. As the front wheels had been removed the whole weight of the engine descended on my chest.

Dad anticipated what would happen. As soon as the car began to move he grabbed the front bumper with one hand and my legs with the other hand. My father is not a big man. He was 5′-10″ but fairly heavily built. He lifted the front of a Ford Cortina with one hand while pulling me out from underneath with the other.

As far as I was concerned he earned another gold star when he dropped the car and dragged our neighbour from his car and slugged him on the jaw. As he fell, out cold, I will always remember Dad shouting,

“You could have killed MY SON.”

That “my son” was golden.

Jesus!

Sexy girls with food

I arrived in Tokyo with a terrible stomach ache and followed by bad diarrhea. For the first 2 days I could barely walk and only eat very little.

I then decided to go see a doctor, my wife called her friend who lives in Tokyo to ask about the closest hospital etc. He and his girlfriend showed up in our apartment, taking me to the closest clinic just in case the nurse/doctor don’t speak any English.

It was a normal clinic routine, I (or was it my wife?) filled up a form with my names etc, we wait and then saw a doctor. True enough, the doctor doesn’t speak English well, so he communicated with my friend while sometimes punching some keys on his phone for English translation to say things to me. By this time I feel really bad for my wife’s friend as he has to translate what i feel, in detail, to the doctor, about my diarrhea. It’s probably his worst first conversation with someone ever!

All good, he prescribed medicine, while explaining to my friend what and how much to take when. The doctor was very very responsible, he found translations on his phone again to write the name of the medicine and what each pill is for etc in English.

The strange thing comes when I want to pay the bill. The nurse said that the cashier was closed on weekends (it was Saturday), she estimated that the cost would be around JPY 10,000 or less. So, she asked me to give her JPY 5,000 and comeback on Monday to settle the rest with the cashier.

The strangest thing is, I told her that Monday is my schedule to take my kid to Disneyland and Tuesday to Disney Sea, to which she replied (translated by my wife’s dear friend, obviously) “ok, come whenever you have time, it’s OK”

I was dumbfounded by her answer, I asked again to confirm and she said yes.

I mean they know that I don’t live in Japan, nor do they ask my friend’s number/ address. My wife’s friend, my savior, then explained to me that it is quite normal in Japan because Japanese people are very responsible and honest, so they always pay what is due.

Big respect for their culture.

PS: I ended up paying the balance on Thursday, it was around JPY 3,500 🙂

Forbidden books

Personally, I think it’s the Pitcairn Islands.

But not for the reasons you may think.

Globe
Globe

For those of you who don’t know, the Pitcairn Islands are a British Overseas Territory in the middle of the Pacific Ocean. It’s one of the most isolated places in the world, and only has a population of 47 people, most of whom are descended from the nine people who originally settled the islands. They’re also all mostly interrelated, in one way or another.

The territory is owned by the United Kingdom, but governed by New Zealand’s British High Commissioner. They rarely visit, and ships only come to the islands about two dozen times a year.

[1] So I think it’s fair to say that the Pitcairn Islands are very isolated from the rest of society. The 47 residents of the Islands don’t have too much contact with the outside world.

But that’s precisely what makes it so dangerous.

In 1999, a policeman from Kent, England was serving an assignment on the islands, when he started to uncover some sinister things going on. He started uncovering allegations of sexual abuse, including against children.

An Australian pastor visited the island around that time, and made some shocking observations

“I noticed worrying signs such as inexplicable mood swings,” he says. “It took me three months to realise they were being abused. I tried to raise the subject at a meeting of the island council, and one gentleman replied: ‘Look, the age of consent has always been 12 and it doesn’t hurt them.'” [2]

When further questioned, residents of the island basically said “that’s just how it is here”. Girls would get into relationships at a disturbingly young age on the island, and nobody really noticed from the outside for a long time. Most girls had their first child between ages 12 and 15.

That’s pretty messed up. As it turns out, the remoteness of the island had allowed a disturbing culture of sexuality to develop. The policeman started questioning every single woman who lived on the island, and they all saw nothing wrong with it.

But British officials definitely saw something wrong with it, and pressed charges against seven men. That may not seem like a lot, but consider that that was most of the island’s adult male population at the time, including the mayor of the islands.

This was a huge scandal, and raised a lot of questions about extraterritoriality and law and stuff. During the trial, they had to fly in policemen, judges, lawyers, journalists and other court staff; from the UK, Australia and New Zealand.

This effectively doubled the island’s population during the trial.

Lawyers for the defendants made a strange argument in order to try and get their sentences reduced: they argued that if they were imprisoned, the island would cease to function. And they had a point. When an island has a population as small as the Pitcairn Islands, locking up seven able-bodied men has a huge impact.

Four defendants got reduced sentences because of the unique nature of the island’s population. Two were spared from jail entirely, and one was acquitted.


This is what I think makes it one of the most dangerous islands in the world. Not the wildlife, not the flora and fauna, but the people living there.

The same way anonymity can make people cruel and immoral, isolation can do the same thing, allowing cultures of abuse and mistreatment to develop. In my opinion, this case is no different to cases of abuse within cults. Both involved small groups of people and corrupt leadership, who basically created a little realm in which they could get away with horrible things.

Footnotes

China’s Military Aircraft Can Vanish ‘Off The Radar’ As Scientist Developed Plasma Device

In another remarkable leap forward in the realm of military technology, Chinese scientists have unveiled a groundbreaking development that is sure to revolutionize aerial warfare: a new plasma stealth device that could render Chinese aircraft virtually invisible to enemy radar systems. You heard that right! We might see the time where Chinese aircraft will go undetected on enemy radar systems and in turn inflict a plethora of damage. Today’s episode will uncover the new development of Chinese scientists that might make Chinese aircraft invisible in the future. https://youtu.be/TD20CoQ1dPA

India may suffer massive shortages

Luckily not of food products but many other things.

Electric Vehicles , Electronics, Vehicles, Smartphons, Pumps – will all reduce significantly as they primarily depend on Chinese Components and Import Substitution is impossible due to the Ukranian Crisis.

The Biggest problem is ANTIBIOTICS, PAINKILLERS, ANTIVIRALS

India manufactures a lot of these but 80% Pharma Raw Stock comes from China

A Blockade by US could prevent Crucial Antibiotics from being delivered to more than 60% of the Countries in the World (95% Developing Countries)


Globally the Biggest Problem will be – CHIPS

Taiwan exports 93% of its Chips and controls 70% of the Global Supply Chain

A Blockade on the Taiwan Straits by China could result in an existing supply crunch intensifying several times over.

As on date only 7 Stacks of Chips are being delivered for every 12 Stacks of Chips relative to 2019 Globally -ie:- only around 60% of the Global Supply

If Taiwan joins in then you could have 7 Stacks for every 36 -48 Stacks or only around 15%-20% of the Global Supply

That would impact many many Industries

ASEAN Nations will lose Big

The Seas are very profitable for Trade. Those routes are disturbed – it will lead to a Supply Crisis like EU is experiencing.


And the Western Economies will crumble even worse

A Lot of their Hedge Funds invest in Chip Manufacturing Entities and a Huge Shortfal market could collapse such funds by as much as 40%-60%

It will all pass…

Its not a Question of Guts

Its a Question of having the ability to follow through

War is a drain on everything and fighting a War against several enemies could be a huge obstacle to any country.

Every repurcussion has to be planned , anticipated and handled

Putin took 8 years and even then it was a Weak Joe Biden that finally moved him into the Ukraine Conflict.

8 years of planning, contingencies, new alliances


Has the US ever fought a Conflict or War where there is a threat of either China or Russia coming for a defensive battle?

Not since the 1960s

Same Reason.


Attacking Taiwan is a 2 Week Job, 4 weeks Tops

Taiwan cannot hold against China and no amount of alliances can hold a Determined China from hoding Taiwan

The Political Repurcussions, Global Repurcussions, Financial Repurcussions – these are Chinas largest obstacles.

China has to plan for these and how to counter these

Strong Alliances are crucial here

China already has Russia and Central Asia

Turkey mostly will not condemn China in any way

However ASEAN?

ASEAN nations are headless chickens and if pushed and pressurized heavily could create problems for China


Long story short – China will attack Tiwan only if threatened beyond anything we have seen until today

In 1997, Gay Byrne was hosting the Late Late Show.

His two guests of the evening were a nun and Irish poet, Brendan Kennelly.

The night was going well – at the midpoint of each episode, they usually hosted a phone-in competition. You know the format; they ask an unbelievably easy question, get people to send in the answer, and they pick one person to call and tell them congratulations! you’ve won a prize!

This evening was no different.

The prize of the evening was a new car and Byrne dials the lucky winner.

Ring ring.

Ring ring.

The phone is answered by a quiet sounding woman. She sounded meek, even when told she had won.

“Are you happy, Rita?”

“Yes,” Rita replies quietly.

“Are you watching the show tonight?”

“I wasn’t”, Rita replies …

… “my daughter died last night”.

News
News

Instantly there were gasps and Byrne’s face drops and his tone changes.

“Oh no. Oh dear Rita, I’m very sorry.”

You have to remember that this was live TV. Thousands of people, including a studio audience full of people, were sat in front of him. Byrne probably also had his studio team giving him instructions in his ear. So, he flubbed, and very inelegantly asked:

“And why did she die?”

“Are you being funny?” she shot back.

“She got knocked down. She was in a car crash last night.”

It turned out that it was Rita’s daughter who had entered the competition – she was so hoping to win a car and it was a car that ended her life only a day before.

Byrne, being the fantastic host that he was, realised that he should really give Rita, the poor woman, an out if she wanted it.

“Good heavens. Well Rita, I don’t think we can continue with this in the circumstances. Do you want to?”

“I do.”

This led to applause from the audience and Rita continued.

The first guest, the nun, offered her some consolation, saying that it surely was no accident that the postcard was picked tonight.

Next, it was passed to the poet, Kennelly, who recited one of his most famous poems, “Begin,” from memory:

“Though we live in a world that dreams of ending
that always seems about to give in
something that will not acknowledge conclusion
insists that we forever begin.”

Towards the end, Rita was quietly weeping.

Byrne then tells her that she has the support and prayers of the entire country, and Rita, in turn, told Byrne that she felt it was important to stay on the line for her daughter, that she was accepting the prize “for her”.


I’m describing this clip because I can’t find the full version of it anywhere.

Nobody can.

The only version I can find is on this article here, but it is shortened and doesn’t give the full effect: Talk show host’s phone call takes heartbreaking turn live on air

Graham Norton, the extremely popular Irish chat show host of his own show on the BBC, actually once said that this moment inspired him to move into chat shows.


Gay Byrne died recently at the age of 85, after a short illness battling cancer.

He will forever be missed and remembered fondly by Irish people of a certain age.


Edit: It turns out that the video in that article has since been removed, which must have only happened in the last few days — unfortunately.

Also, many people have pointed out how I feel like this was more shocking than events like Budd Dwyer’s suicide.

I knew these would be discussed in-depth, so I figured I’d go with an event I knew most people wouldn’t have heard of.

AI is changing the game

On February 14, there was an incident between a Taiwan coast guard ship and Chinese fishing boats in the waters off Kinmen, a very short distance from Xiamen. In this incident, the Chinese fishing boat was hit by the Taiwan coast guard ship and capsized. Two of the Chinese fishermen drowned.

Since then, there have been 15 rounds of discussions between the Chinese authorities and the Taiwan authorities. The Chinese side has demanded compensation and an apology to the fishermen from the Taiwan side; Taiwan has refused. The DPP, which controls the Taiwan government, has refused any responsibility for the action, and claims that there is no video recording of the incident It has appealed to the US to become involved in the discussions, which the US so far has ignored.

The incident has received widespread coverage in China, and this has led to a hardening of Chinese popular opinion, and the government’s stance to Taiwan. Chinese public opinion feels that the Chinese authorities have been too accommodating to Taiwan for too long, and instead of treating Taiwan as “fellow Chinese”, they should be treated as an enemy. For a long time, PRC Chinese considered the DPP and KMT to be hostile to the PRC, but that ordinary Taiwanese were decent Chinese who wanted to be re-united with China. Now that view is dismissed as a fantasy which should be rejected.

The Chinese government closely follows public opinion from online media, and has shifted its public stance during the Two Congresses meeting in Beijing. When discussing Taiwan, there is no more talk of an appeal to our “Taiwan compatriots”. Instead the talk is of reunification, without specifying whether it should be done peacefully or by military means.

As the PRC increases its military patrols in the Taiwan straits and around Taiwan, it is likely that the PLA forces will ignore Taiwan’s demarcation lines for the sea and air. The DPP government is likely to look to the US for support in enforcing these demarcation lines, and the US will need to decide how far it wants to go in supporting the Taiwan authorities.

On the military front, the US is thinly spread with the Ukraine war, which may escalate into a more direct confrontation between NATO and Russia, and the Israel/Hamas war, which may evolved into a multi-front war for Israel, involving the Houthis in the Red Sea and Yemen, the continuing war in Gaza, and a possible northern front including Lebanon and Syria involving Hizbollah. The longer the war lasts, the greater the damage for Israel’s economy, which has already lost 20% of its GDP since October 7.

This presents a major dilemma for the US: it already has two major wars on its hands, and it needs time to build up its military for a possible major confrontation with China. But the US won’t be able to fully prepare itself for military confrontation through re-armament until 2027. If the US confronts China militarily before then, it is likely to lose.

Economically, China is on the move by selling products which are just as good as American products, if not better, at much lower prices. Notable areas are solar panels and EVs, where western manufacturers and exporters cannot compete.

As if that were not enough, we face a re-run of the Biden-Trump battle for the presidency in November. If Trump is elected, he is likely to disengage on the foreign policy front, and will tell Putin that he can have Ukraine, and maybe Europe. NATO will only exist on paper.

He has talked about raising tariffs on Chinese imports to the US to 60%.

Interesting times indeed.

Chicken farmers in Australia be like…

New York is an absolute no no

Too many blacks at night everywhere and 90% of them wearing hoodies and giving the “mugger vibe”

And not the Good African blacks or the blacks you see in UK

The Stereotype 1990s blacks depicted in family guy

You may think you landed in Lagos

Except Manhattan and i dont like Apartment living too much.


Miami?

I have never been to Miami. In Florida, I have been only to Orlando.


SF Bay Area

Sorry

Too many Homosexuals

I went there twice and both times, you had many men holding hands and resting heads on shoulders and giving you the shudders

Beautiful place though

Like South Mumbai to a certain extent


Los Angeles?

Again I have been to LA only to go to Universal Studios and Rodeo Drive and when I land in US

No idea how life in LA can be


In the US, I would prefer living in New Rochelle in Westchester County Or some of those nice Suburban communities, ones where Indians are not discriminated against

Or even San Jose

My Son lived in a place called Los Gatos and he was told all the white guys were uppity people who would be racist to Indians. That never happened. Good people, Friendly people


My idea of a money no limit place would be :-

  • One Acre minimum property
  • Excellent Medical Facilities nearby where the Labs process results in a day and not four days
  • Where a Specialist makes an appointment to see you, the next day and not next Thursday
  • At least two Indian eateries in a 1 Km radius. Not the Naan, Roti one but the South Indian one which is rarer in the US
  • Low rate of crime
  • Accessibility to a City for emergency

The Answer was Westchester County

I advised my sons to consider this place as a final retirement place in the days when US was a better country than it is today

My wife is already not too pleased about one son settling in China and has warned me “You kept praising China, and now our younger son is in China. Now you are praising Russia. If the elder one settles down in Russia, you can live with him and I am out of here”

Meanwhile in Texas

I’ve known men who had good hearts and went to prison.

Where they lost them.

I’ve met men who went to prison and grew larger hearts, just like the Grinch.

I’ve met men who never had good hearts and never will.

And, I’ve met men who managed to hold on to their good hearts in spite of it all.

Shortly after arriving at the facility where I did the bulk of my time, I met a man who was almost the same age as my father. This was a spry fellow, slender, medium height, and bearded.

He had been in Vietnam.

He was just a kid when he went to war. While away he kept an unusually candid journal. Later in life he transcribed the journal faithfully into a book and self-published a small number of copies. It must’ve been tempting to edit out the parts that made him look like the stupid teenager he was, but he didn’t. The journal and the book tell the same story without so much as a spelling correction.

He allowed me to read his journal.

It was filled with the concerns of an eighteen year old boy, “Does she love me? What did she mean when she said that? What should I tell her about John?” All these normal, adolescent, girl-centric concerns projected against a backdrop of horror.

On his first day of patrol in Vietnam, his outfit marched into a village and demanded to know where the Viet Cong were. One bad apple threatened a woman by holding her infant over a well and screaming for answers about the VC.

The sergeant saw this and said, “C’mon Smith. Let it go.” Smith (or whatever his name was) dropped the baby into the well. The sergeant calmly walked over, pulled out a hand grenade, removed the pin, and dropped the grenade into the well after the baby.

After the explosion he said, “Don’t have to worry about that fucker.”

This was day one of patrol. Imagine the shock. Imagine being ripped out of your Mid-West suburban utopia and being cast into this asylum for the chronically cruel.

The entire course of this young man’s life was forever altered. His experiences at war led to a drinking problem. The drinking led to DUIs. Three DUIs became a felony conviction. His father’s guns still in his home became “felon in possession of a firearm.”

This was a good man. His heart was in pain for his entire adulthood as a result of the things he saw.

Instead of offering him help, we locked him up.

Oh baby…

Senior Russian Military Colonel: Possibility of full-scale war in Europe “not ruled out – growing significantly”

A senior Russian military officer warns that the conflict in #Ukraine could escalate into a full-scale war in #Europe and says the probability of Moscow’s forces becoming involved in a new conflict is increasing “significantly.” Colonel-General Vladimir Zarudnitsky, head of the Russian army’s Military Academy of the General Staff, made the comments in an article for “Military Thought”, a defense ministry publication, the state RIA news agency reported on Thursday. “The possibility of an escalation of the conflict in Ukraine – from the expansion of participants in ‘proxy forces’ used for military confrontation with Russia to a large-scale war in Europe – cannot be ruled out,” RIA cited him a saying. “The main source of military threats to our state is the anti-Russian policy of the United States and its allies, who are conducting a new type of hybrid warfare in order to weaken Russia in every possible way, limit its sovereignty and destroy its territorial integrity,” he was quoted as saying. “The likelihood of our state being purposefully drawn into new military conflicts is significantly increasing.” The war in Ukraine has triggered the deepest crisis in Russia’s relations with the West since the 1962 Cuban Missile Crisis and President Vladimir Putin has warned that the West risks provoking a nuclear war if it sends troops to fight in Ukraine. Putin has cast his decision to send tens of thousands of troops into Ukraine in February 2022 as a special military operation designed to secure Russia’s own security against an increasingly hostile US-backed Ukrainian leadership. Kyiv says it is defending itself against an imperial-style war of conquest designed to erase its national identity. Zarudnitsky’s comments come at a time when the West is scrambling to help Ukraine with more arms and financing after Kyiv’s failed counteroffensive last summer and after Russian forces regained the initiative on the battlefield. Zarudnitsky advocated a number of changes in the way Russia organizes its military and security, RIA added, including placing greater emphasis on relying on what he called friendly countries to ensure Russia’s own security and consolidating the whole of Russian society around its defense needs.

Fathers be like

Apricot Chicken

apricot chicken 2
apricot chicken 2

Ingredients

Chicken

  • 4 to 6 boneless skinless chicken breasts
  • 1 (13 ounce) jar apricot preserves
  • 1 envelope dry onion soup mix
  • 3/4 cup water
  • 1 1/4 cups Russian dressing or use store-bought

Russian Dressing

  • 1 tablespoon finely chopped onion
  • 1 cup mayonnaise
  • 1/4 cup chili sauce (or ketchup)
  • 3 teaspoons prepared horseradish (or to taste)
  • 1 teaspoon hot sauce
  • 1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
  • 1/4 teaspoon paprika
  • 1/2 teaspoon kosher or sea salt

Instructions

  1. If using homemade Russian Dressing, prepare it first. If using store bought Russian dressing, proceed with the recipe.
  2. Heat the oven to 350 degrees F.

Chicken

  1. Wash and place chicken breasts in a 9 x 13 inch baking dish.
  2. In a medium size bowl, mix together preserves, dry onion soup mix, water and Russian dressing. Pour over the chicken breasts. Bake for 1 hour.

Russian Dressing

  1. Place onion in a small bowl and mash to create a paste. Stir in the mayonnaise, chili sauce, horseradish, hot sauce, Worcestershire, paprika and salt.

Stability

Don’t make eye contact. If you happen to, do not smile. The general friendliness we see as acceptable and desirable in the real world (except France) can get you into trouble in prison.

Look in every trashcan. I still can’t break this habit. Prison is a constant state of want. You learn to make do or do without. There’s stuff in there that you need.

Trust no one. Eventually you will come to know one or two well enough to exempt them from this rule… but even with these select few, you still shouldn’t lean on them. Practice solidarity with yourself.

Don’t ask questions. You’ve no right to know, and asking can cause problems with inmates and guards alike.

Lock up everything. It only takes a moment for someone to walk off with whatever you hold dear. If it’s further than arm’s reach, it’s at risk.

Beware the quiet. If you’ve been reading and suddenly realize that the normal background idiocy has mysteriously squelched, pay attention. There’s a reason, and it’s probably not good.

Don’t stand out. Don’t ask for special privileges, don’t complain, and don’t go around trying to make friends. Squeaky wheels get greased with blood.

Stockpile books. You never know when you’ll be in lockdown for a fortnight. You’ll be grateful if you’ve got something to do besides another game of cards.

A warning from veteran who went to Ukraine

  1. Adjust a picture frame at your desk so you can see behind you with the reflection of the glass.
  2. In a pinch, the seatbelt in your car can be used as a bottle opener.
  3. Balance an empty can on the doorknob to alert you if someone tries to open the door while you’re elsewhere in the house.
  4. Anything you say before the word “but” does not count.
  5. Suspect someone’s giving you the wrong phone number? Read it back to them incorrectly, if they correct you, it’s legit.
  6. Windows key + E to open My Computer.
  7. To confirm which circuit breaker is associated with an outlet, plug in a hairdryer and turn the volume up before you flip the circuit breaker.
  8. When you want to cross words out you don’t want to be legible, instead of scribbling over them, write random letters and words over the original.
  9. Using ‘~ ‘ before a word in Google searches includes synonyms of that word in your search.
  10. When filling your car with gas, hold the trigger halfway. You’ll get more gas and less air in the tank.
  11. Have an Excel file too big to e-mail? Save it as an xlsb it shrinks the size by 50-75%.
  12. When you’re on an elevator, the floor with the star next to it is the one that leads outside.
  13. Save the job description when you start a new job. It makes updating your resume a lot easier.
  14. When showing people pictures on your phone, zoom in a little bit so they can’t easily swipe to other pictures.
  15. Can’t decide if you’re hungry? Ask yourself if you want an apple. If you answer no, then you’re not actually hungry.

This is what a “real” man does…

You don’t. You have problems with Russians now.

There are many dimensions of current conflict between Russia and collective West or whatever you call Russian opponents. Anyway the U.S. are the main enemy and there would be no conflict without their involvement. A lot has been said and written on the matter so I won’t delve into it further.

Now comes the definition part. Who are “you”? Ok, I assume you are talking about people of collective West. Not governments, not military industry lobbies, not bankers, not oil traders, not oligarchs. Just people.

Why do you have problems with Russians? Because your countries are our enemies. And no sweet words will change that simple fact.

Could this be different? Yes. Your countries made a plethora of pointless, stupid and self-contradicting decisions.

Yet, the most stupid of those decision was the decision to attempt economic isolation of Russia.

This:
1) Made Russian people your enemies
2) Forced modernization of Russian industry and economy at unprecedented rate
3) Boosted Russian military-industrial complex
4) Resulted in further consolidation of Russians around Putin
5) Destroyed all “soft influence” that you had in Russia through your corporations and business ties

The list is long.

Now a small personal story.

By February 2022 I was mainly working for a couple U.S. corporations (Intel and HP if you are interested) as lead localizer / reviewer of Russian content (freelance).

I was generally sympathizing Americans and Europeans and had no communication problems. I was quite against any confrontation. However, actions of European and American governments made me lose these jobs and, naturally, my attitude to them has seriously changed.

You made a Western-minded person in Russia angry about “the West”. There were millions of Russians like me who had ties with the Western world or who earned their income working for Western companies. Actions of U.S. and European governments made you lose our sympathies and lose any leverage the West had in Russian society.

Not that we would work against Russia or became “the fifth column”, but had this “economic blockade” remained a threat, we would surely push for decisions that would help us save our jobs and sources of income.

Now it is just too late. Pro-Western people in Russia were forced to adapt and vast majority of them are no longer pro-Western. Sure, some just fled Russia but even then, this didn’t have any noticeable impact on Russian economy and Russian society.

To sum it up, you had your influence in Russia but lost it. You earned money in Russia but lost it. Even your cultural influence is fading. Simply because Russians are no longer looking on your content through rosy glasses. And well, TBH your media entertainment content in last few years mostly sucks.

Maybe your own audience is brainwashed enough to push any “agendas” but I don’t remember any new Hollywood blockbusters in last few years that would be really appealing to Russian or any other third-world audience. I haven’t even feel the desire to watch anything like that.

Moreover, your “brands” are rapidly losing value in eyes of Russians and more and more Russians look at them with disdain.

Moreover, Russia is setting the example for “Global South” demonstrating that a large part of your “superiority” was just imaginary. The further our hostilities go, the greater is this understanding. Especially when it comes to “cultural superiority”.


Still… if you are talking about people… many Russian still don’t think categories. Most of us still don’t assume that every American or European is an enemy. Yet, we assume that most of you are simply brainwashed about Russia, Russian people and Russian so-called “despot”.

A side note for more context. I do support the ruling party of Russia but I don’t support President Putin. I am a big fan of Russian Prime Minister and other efficient administrators from United Russia team.


So enjoy your “politically correct” remakes, dull comics that are indistinguishable from each other and reanimation of long-dead franchises that can’t be saved even with once great actors.

Las Vegas babysitter who beat 5-year-old boy to death sentenced to life in prison

Horrific.

Terrible.

I have a three-way-tie. We had a family come in with a baby, toddler, and a small child, maybe 6 or 7. I noticed the baby didn’t look well to begin with. You could just look at this kid and tell she was miserable and running fever. I asked if she was alright and the mom assured me she was just tired.

The toddler decided to suck the sauce off her noodles and stick them to the wall. Mom and dad said nothing. A little while later the older child put her hands in the baby’s diaper and announced to everyone “Ewww! Chrissy’s got runny poo!” She wiped her hand on the white tablecloth. Mom pushes plates aside and changes this horrendously smelly, runny diaper right on the table. She couldn’t understand why I was making a big deal out of it when I asked her to take the baby to the bathroom.

Next we have the lady who ordered a huge meal and requested a large, empty to go cup. It wasn’t until after she left that I realized what she was doing. She was chewing her food and spitting it in the cup instead of swallowing it. I’m pretty sure she had an eating disorder. It’s none of my business if she did or didn’t, I’m not judging, but it would have been nice if she had thrown her cup of chewed food out herself instead of leaving it for me to deal with.

Finally, we have the man who decided that instead of using his big boy words to show his displeasure at being denied a take out box for an all-you-can-eat meal (There were signs and the menu stated no to go boxes on it) that he would urinate in my lobby. He did this right in front of a cop that was dining with us. The guy was not too bright. Yes, the cop took action.

Let’s see something nicer.

She was deserving.

Not exactly unrepairable but definitely expensive.

I recently treated myself to a used luxury automobile because I’m getting old and wanted to splurge. I had it less than 2 weeks when the power driver’s seat wouldn’t move forward or backwards. Unfortunately it was frozen slightly too far back so I really had to stretch to reach the pedals … not a very safe way to drive.

The dealer looked sad when I brought it in. He said this was a common problem with my model, but the “repair” involved replacing the whole motor assembly under the seat, it would cost upwards of $3k, and extended warranties almost never covered it.

I went home and contacted my insurer who said they didn’t know if it was covered, I should have the $200 diagnostic done and then the dealer would present a claim for the repair on my behalf and they would “work it out”.

The night before my follow-up appointment, my husband (not a mechanic) looked under the seat with a flashlight. The gear to move the seat had come out of its track. He hit it a few times just so and the gear popped back into place. Now the seat works perfectly again.

I’m so glad I married him

The Internet destroyed this woman

The inherited time machine that my mother hated

Actually, it happened to me.

I was a tiny ten-year-old and was often mistaken for eight. My bully was about twelve and was big for his age. He beat me up almost every day on the way home from school. One day, I’d had enough.

He came after me. I bent, darted under his arm, grabbed the back straps of his sandals and felled him like David did Goliath. He got up, stunned, then looking down at his sandals, (yes, the big bad bully wore sandals) cried, “You broke my sandals!” and began to cry and ran, I assumed, home. But that’s not the best part.

The next day I, the bully and his parents, were called into the principal’s office. When his parents saw me, their jaws dropped. There sits their big, strapping son, and I, a tiny, tiny blonde little girl. Nevertheless, they began yelling about my beating up their son, blah blah blah.

Now, the principal had noticed that I had been coming to school with black eyes, bruises and scratches, and unbeknownst to me, had begun to investigate…end result, sandal boy got suspended for one week.

Ah, the sweet, sweet smell of victory! He never bullied me again – nor did anyone else!

Good Advice

Honey Mustard Pork Tenderloin

Mustard Pork
Mustard Pork

Ingredients

Pork

  • 1 pound pork tenderloin

Glaze

  • 1/4 cup honey
  • 2 tablespoons brown sugar
  • 2 tablespoons cider vinegar
  • 1 tablespoons mustard
  • 1/4 teaspoon each salt and pepper

Instructions

  1. Place pork on a greased rack in a baking pan lined with foil.
  2. Combine glaze ingredients in a bowl, set aside 3 tablespoons glaze. Spoon remaining glaze over pork.
  3. Bake uncovered at 400 degrees F for 28 minutes or until done, basting occasionally with reserved glaze.
  4. Let stand for 5 minutes before slicing.

Fun Facts

  1. Your tongue length is related to your sexual curiosity. Those who can lick their elbows are more willing to try new experiences.
  2. If you have a crush on someone, your brain will find it impossible to lie to that person.
  3. People who understand sarcasm well are often good at reading people’s minds.
  4. The way you dress is linked with your mood. So dressing well most often helps in keeping you more stably happy.
  5. Women with higher IQs have a harder time finding a mate.
  6. The cells in your body react to everything your mind says. So negativity brings down your immune system and you feel sick.
  7. The most you talk about someone, the more are you likely to fall in love with that person.
  8. We believe what we WANT to believe.
  9. Men are not funnier than women: they just make more jokes, not caring whether other people like their humor or not.
  10. Listening to high-frequency music makes you feel calm, relaxed, and happy.

The West had a good nice plan for China

Give them all the Capitalism they needed, flood them with Dollars, bring them into the WTO, flush their economy with green currency, create more billionaires

Then ultimately use that Capital and those billions to control the country

They had a ready made plan

  • Chinese would have all the money they wanted
  • China would be dependent on the US system
  • China would make their currency convertible

Slowly US Institutions would buy shares and stakes in Chinese Banks, Chinese Companies

Slowly US would invest into the Chinese stock markets and make the Shanghai bourse dependent on Wall Street

The ultimate plan was to make China – a mirror of South Korea

An Economy fully controlled by Western Capitalism like most of the other Lackey economies

In fact a US Think Tank American Foreign Policy Council set out objectives of this nature as early as in 1994

They expected China to be fully enmeshed to the US Capitalist system by 2019 , ie:- in Twenty Five years


Xi Jingping stunned them

He regulated the tap of capitalism flowing into China

Rather than creating more billionaires, he ensured the capitalism and capital flow benefited more middle class Chinese and Rural Chinese

Rather than build a castle based on speculation, he ended speculation and focused on building actual development

He diverted all that green money into SCIENCE and TECHNOLOGY and ENGINEERING

In short he did something the West never expected

He increased anti corruption policies

He focused heavily on the lower income Chinese

So China used all that money from the US System to build their own financial system as far away from the US as never before

They used the Capitalism to build global connections through the BRI

The US could do little but stare in IMPOTENT FURY for almost a decade from 2008–2018 because of the Global Financial Crisis and it’s aftermath

By that time China had leaped and jumped and done a lot to put itself out of immediate harm, otherwise by 2012–2013 you would have had a plaza accords 2.0 with China

Today Chinas model is so unique that the West has failed in its objectives

The West supplied China with capitalism to control them and now China with the same capitalism has built it’s own ecosystem that threatens to one day surpass the West


Another is Putin

They flooded him with capital and created oligarchs to control him

He grinned, complied and when he was strong enough

The oligarchs simply disappeared

Russian oligarchs
Russian oligarchs

Excellent purging

One morning Oligarch goes to a walk, collapses

His tame militia are all in jail Or sadly killed in a terrorist strike

The Oligarch was blue when he died. Some nice Novichok.

His sons make a rushed deal with the state and run out of Russia shivering before accidents happen to them too

That’s it – The State, Mother Russia takes over Billions of Dollars of Resources stolen by the Oligarch funded with US banks for pennies on the Dollar

Gutter scum are purged like rats

What a man!!!!

Today?

Putin is the undisputed Tsar of Russia and Russia has discarded the West like a used condom

Next in the line is mostly Saudi Arabia


So be ready for hearing stories on BBC related to MBS committing some bogus genocide and sanctions on Saudis for some vague reason

They will be weaker than the Russian Sanctions

They too follow the inverse square law

I came out of the shower at a truck stop once, to find that the cashier was being robbed at gunpoint.

It was about two in the morning and the truck stop was otherwise dead.

I very quietly sat my shower bag on the floor, ducked my way over to where the truck stop sold tools and found a tire-thumper. I then snuck up behind the robber and thumped him as hard as I could on his shoulder, right where his shoulder met his neck. He dropped like a sack of potatoes.

The truck stop’s owner was so grateful, that he gave me a hundred dollar gift certificate to use in his store. He also gave me the tire-thumper, which is essentially a smaller version of a baseball bat, both as a thank-you for saving his store from being robbed, and likely his employee’s life, too.

I was also thanked by the town’s sheriff (it was a small town in west Texas), and the local gazette took my picture. I was also given an honorable mention by the trucking company I worked for at the time.

The robber was taken to hospital and then later, presumably, to jail. I’d walloped him a good one, later learning that I’d hit him so hard, that I’d broken his right collar bone, from hitting him from behind!

Interstellar | Docking Scene

Cabbage Rolls

Cabbage Rolls SQ RC 1100x1100
Cabbage Rolls SQ RC 1100×1100

Ingredients

  • 12 large leaves cabbage
  • 1 cup cooked white rice
  • 1 egg, beaten
  • 1/4 cup milk
  • 1/4 cup minced onion
  • 1 pound extra-lean ground beef
  • 1 1/4 teaspoons salt
  • 1 1/4 teaspoons ground black pepper
  • 1 (8 ounce) can tomato sauce
  • 1 tablespoon brown sugar
  • 1 tablespoon lemon juice
  • 1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce

Instructions

  1. Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Boil cabbage leaves 2 minutes, just until pliable; drain.
  2. In large bowl, combine rice, egg, milk, onion, ground beef, salt and pepper.
  3. Place about 1/4 cup of meat mixture in center of each cabbage leaf, and roll up, tucking in ends. Place rolls in slow cooker, seam side down.
  4. In a small bowl, mix together tomato sauce, brown sugar, lemon juice and Worcestershire sauce. Pour over cabbage rolls.
  5. Cover, and cook on LOW for 8 to 9 hours.

One of my coworkers at (a) job, retracted information to protect all parties, just wasn’t feeling right. He hired in just fine, passed all the drug tests etc. He seemed ok, but my problem gut feeling was there. I first attributed it to simply his demeanor, and I try to hire all people just as much as normal since I too am slightly autistic. But after watching him interacting with customers and coworkers, I knew something just wasn’t kosher. He was very polite to them, but then on his way back to get something I would often hear him berate them. He said some pretty horrible things about people, after he was the most polite and sincere person ever to their face. I really had no true grounds to terminate him, after all he was following all rules and was showing up for work on time. I had to keep his personal business to myself and him. Other workers began complaining over time though, especially the ladies, so I had a talk with him. What he said during that talk shook me to the core. He was middle eastern, so women to him were property, nothing more. He just wasn’t able to overcome his way of life and beliefs. I sternly told him all people from every type and corner, including himself, were protected under strict laws in the US. If he had any chance of enjoying life here and being able to stay in this country, he needed to learn that women were equal to men and were NOT property that he could push around.

He didn’t like that one bit. He retorted that in his country I should and would be punished or killed, to which I stated “Ok, that was just a direct threat to me my friend, you need to leave NOW. You are terminated effective immediately”. His response was I was not the head boss, and I had no authority to fire him. I retorted back that in threatening situations, such as any employees making any type of threat or violence against another, any manager was well equipped to call the authorities and have him immediately fired and removed from our premises. One call to my head boss was all it took. When he heard this, I think it clicked in his head he was not in his country, and he was stepping way beyond his bounds. He quickly settled down, a small sorry might have escaped his lips, but the damage was done. With several women testifying against him, we had no choice but to let him go. I made the phone call, and of course I was told that my decision was valid. I had it on speaker for him to listen to. I watched as a good bit of color wiped away from his face. I then told my boss, as he was sitting there listening, that everything was recorded on our security camera for the office. If any questions arose, she had the footage. She promptly set a do not erase for that camera footage.

So, I hang up the phone and look him square in the eyes. “Are you leaving quietly or am I needing to contact our local sheriff? “. No, I will go. ” Ok, no problems ever again from you at this location right? A tresspass will land you in jail and deportation out of our country. “ His expression said it all, like oh crap I just screwed up really bad. Rather than even deal with him again, I quickly counted up his hours he had worked for the week and paid him (with receipt) right there. Then I escorted him off our property. On my way back I heard him mumbling again under his breath. Probably trying to figure out how to have me killed. I was very glad to have him dealt with. I admit i was a tad scared he might actually try something, but I was hoping his visa meant more to him than being disrespected. We didn’t have any issues that I am aware of.

The rapid development and rise of China in the past few decades has been reflected in the rapid economic growth, the optimization and upgrading of industrial structure, the huge changes in infrastructure and the continuous improvement of social welfare. These achievements have been made through the firm determination and unremitting efforts of the Chinese government, and have also brought important influence and opportunities to the world. These achievements have taken the world by surprise and many people in the West by surprise and unprepared.

First, geographically, China is so far away from the West that many Westerners don’t understand China.China is located in the Eastern Hemisphere. Westerners have to travel a long way to reach China. And because of the distance, not many Westerners would travel to China unless they were curious and looking for adventure. And the Western media portrays China in a very negative light, leading many people to distrust China’s rise.

As a netizen in the United States described, in the 1990s, he could not have predicted that only 20 years later, China would become the world’s second largest economy, that some Chinese technology companies would rank among the world’s most valuable companies, and that food stalls in China could pay by scanning the QR code on their mobile phones. And policy makers in Washington and Brussels are still asking whether China’s growth is real or fake.

Second, in political terms, China’s rise challenges Western institutional ideas.

For a long time, many people in the West have had the basic idea that a country can succeed economically only by embracing Western liberal democracy and capitalism. Only with the Western model of development can a country be rich and strong, and there is no other model. As Francis Fukuyama concluded in his famous essay The End of History, “Liberal democracy is the ultimate form of government for all nations”.

Even though the Chinese economy has been growing on a rapid basis for many years, the West is still dismissive, they are completely distrustful of the data coming out of China, and none of them think this growth is sustainable. That’s why there are “scholars” like Gordon Chang who dedicate their lives to convincing the public that China’s economy is about to collapse.

China’s success is proof that a country does not need to copy Western institutions to become rich and powerful. Westerners find it inconceivable that the Chinese people, whose way of thinking and way of life are so different from those in the West, can still build such a big economy in the world. For the time being, Westerners have not accepted that a non-European white country can become as developed as a white country.

Since the Middle Ages, no nation has ever grown up in peace. Great powers like England, Spain, Germany, Japan, and the United States have all grown up on the backs of others. However, the Chinese government holds high the banner of peaceful development and dominates China’s economic development model. Coupled with its unique political system and cultural differences, China’s rapid economic development and peaceful rise have resulted in a lack of understanding and expectation of China’s rapid rise in the West.

Third, from an economic point of view, China’s rapid development surprises Westerners.

It took China less than 60 years to go from nothing to second place in the world in terms of GDP. It took just 70 years for 1.4 billion Chinese to lift themselves out of poverty. Since 2010, when China surpassed Japan for the first time to become the world’s second largest economy, China’s annual GDP has been more than four times Japan’s total GDP. It took the United States one or two hundred years to modernize, while China has become amazing in just 30 years!

In 2022, the world’s steel production will reach 1,878.5 million tons, of which China will account for 1,013 million tons. China will have 5.35 million kilometers of highways in 2023, an increase of 1.12 million kilometers in 10 years; China has 177,000 kilometers of expressways, ranking first in the world. China’s high-speed railway has gone overseas. Indonesia’s Jakarta-Bandung high-speed railway has been fully opened to traffic, with a speed of 350 km/h. China’s space industry has developed rapidly, from unmanned flights to manned flights, from one person for one day to more than one person for many days, from in-cabin experiments to out-of-cabin activities, from single-ship flights to sky surveys at the space station… Over the past 30 years or so, the Chinese people have taken a confident and leisurely walk in space. In 2023, China will surpass the United States in the number of patent applications, ranking first in the world.

Fourth, from a cultural point of view, Westerners are reluctant to accept the rise of Asian civilization in their hearts.

Since the Industrial Revolution, Westerners have liked to think that they are the world’s leading civilization to the exclusion of others. While Britain was the world’s superpower and the world’s policeman, the wealth and industry were all in Europe. Europeans accepted the “rise of Britain” because British people looked like them. After World War II, when British power and wealth declined, the US took the lead, and the wealth and industry were all in the US. Americans and Europeans were happy with that because Americans looked like them. When Japan’s economy grew rapidly to become the second largest in the world in the 1980s, the West could not accept it and imposed extremely severe restrictions and repression on the Japanese economy. Now, with China’s rapid development and peaceful rise, the world’s wealth and industry are shifting to China and Asia, and although it is not there yet, it is clear that wealth is shifting to Asia. This time, Chinese people don’t look like Americans or Europeans, and in their stereotype of Asian development is relatively backward, so they are reluctant to accept this rise.

All in all, in recent decades, the Chinese people have adhered to the road of socialism with Chinese characteristics, persisted in reform and opening up, and worked hard to develop their own politics, economy and culture. They have forged ahead and achieved a rapid rise, which has surprised many people in the West. However, China’s peaceful rise will be a boon to the Chinese people and a boon to people around the world.

Here in Hong Kong… people think it’s like this.

main qimg 8f7bd3cf6fedd4448de07f111aea1e70
main qimg 8f7bd3cf6fedd4448de07f111aea1e70

Or this

small town HK
small town HK

But I live in the countryside.

It kind of looks like this

main qimg 513a26aa733d6e1e3ce0631773afd3d0
main qimg 513a26aa733d6e1e3ce0631773afd3d0

We have a problem with wild animals. Wild pigs are absolutely everywhere and eat the trash. Most locals who live here shrug and think meh, but visitors are all OMG a wild pig.

We also have massive snakes.

main qimg e033dbaa59588ecba4d8c7b645e25e88
main qimg e033dbaa59588ecba4d8c7b645e25e88

Oh and rats, huge fucken rats as big as cats. A couple years ago when she was younger nobody batted an eye when my mum grabbed a massive rat by it’s tail and smashed it on the ground into a bloody mess. A wild dog came along and ate it shortly after.

Ukraine SINKS Russian Navy Ship Sergey Kostov in Kerch Strait

Ukraine SINKS Russian Navy Ship Sergey Kostov in Kerch Strait

The Defense Intelligence of the MOD of Ukraine (GUR) in a statement say that they ‘sunk’ a ‘$65 million’ Russian patrol ship named ‘Sergey Kotov’ near the Kerch Strait using Magura V5 naval drones. The vessel was a 22160 Bykov-class corvette, seen in the FILE PHOTO below:

Sergey Kotov
Sergey Kotov

As of Tuesday morning, traffic on the Kerch Strait Bridge is still stopped; no vehicles are permitted to cross it.  No one is saying if the attack last night, which was reported by this website (HERE), damaged the bridge or not. Dmitry Medvedev, writing on his Telegram channel, confirmed the story: “Overnight, Ukraine’s naval drones found the Russian Navy stealth patrol ship Sergei Kotov in the Kerch Strait by the Black Sea and Sea of Azov, damaged her stern and both sides and sank her.”

Yes. Trigger warning: offensive language.

I work as an anaesthesiologist. I put kids off to sleep all the time for surgery. Having had anaesthetics myself as a child—and hated them—I go to elaborate lengths to make the experience as manageable as possible for every child.

This begins with talking directly to the kid, rather than talk to the parents as if they’re not there. I try to gain a little of their confidence and trust. I talk on their level. I make jokes. I don’t lie or use euphemisms.

I usually give kids gas to breathe to go to sleep. For younger kids, I tell them a story as they go to sleep. For older kids, I show them a funny video on YouTube. Using my techniques, most kids are calm and cooperative when they go to sleep. Inevitably some balk at the smell of the gas, and some are so anxious that they won’t engage with me; but I never restrain a child without consent from the parent.

This particular wee lad was 7. He was accompanied by his grandmother. He was well, but Gran said vaguely that he had some behaviour problems at school. He didn’t really want to talk to me, but I did my best with my usual routine.

We get into the operating theatre, and get him on the table (soft foam mattress, cosy blanket, Gran holding his hand). I gently hold the mask and start the story. After a few breaths of the gas, his whole demeanour changed. He started saying “No, no, no” and pulled the mask off. As usual, I try to be gentle, so I tried to reapply the mask with some reassuring words.

“Fuck that!” he shouted. “This is mental!” He sat up and started to climb off the table. The nurse came over to help and he shouted “Fuck off, you nigger!”

He climbed off the table. His face was contorted in pure hatred and hostility. I don’t believe I’ve ever seen such hatred in a child’s face. He was lashing out with his fists.

I hate restraining children. (Anaesthesiologists seem to like to lie to parents and say “Don’t worry; they won’t remember this”. I know this to be a lie because I remember what happened to me as a child—so I don’t say it.)

The only alternative is to abandon the procedure. Gran (very reasonably) didn’t think this was the right move. So we restrained him. All the time he was fighting and screaming insults and profanities. (I believe nigger was the most offensive word he knew, because nobody in the room had very brown skin).

Kids are afraid; I get that. Sometimes they pick up on their parents’ fears (or memories!); I get that too. Sometimes children cannot be reasoned with and we need to restrain them so we can put them to sleep for surgery which is necessary. But usually what they react with is fear and avoidance.

This kid, just below the surface, was carrying a truckload of hatred and aggression, which he could not control—at the age of 7. Had this kid been terribly brutalised? Was his Gran with him because his parents were not around for some reason? I could never find out.

Of course I’m extremely unlikely to ever see that kid again. I’ll never find out how his life unfolds, but if he reacts to every threatening situation with the same level of violence and hostility, he’s really going to hurt someone, or himself, and that’s only going to get worse as he gets older, and bigger, and runs into the testosterone poisoning of puberty.

I hope I’m wrong.

Edit: Of all the content in this answer, which has generated a lot of traffic and commentary, by far the most contentious seems to have been my use of the phrase “testosterone poisoning”.

I intended this to be a tongue-in-cheek, metaphorical use of the word “poisoning” to represent the effect that testosterone has on the behaviour of young men: it tends to make them more aggressive, more impulsive, and more likely to take risks. None of these are attributes which are likely to improve the behaviour of this particular young man, for whom puberty lies ahead. Testosterone levels rise very sharply at puberty and this is at least one of the causes of emotional turbulence during that period.

I didn’t mean to imply that testosterone is literally a poison. I do recognise that male puberty is a normal part of male development. I am not being sexist in my answer or attacking the male sex. I reject any notion that using this particular phrase is a sign of my unprofessionalism, or my unsuitability to perform my job well.

Well, everybody found out, from the ambulances, police cars, and fire-trucks that showed up. The plume of smoke could be seen for miles.

I was 18, doing a summer job after my freshman year, working at a recycling plant where OSHA and the EPA seemed to have no jurisdiction for whatever reason. On my first day of work, I was the “Fireman” on a job of taking the tops off of passenger rail cars and turning them into flatcars. Two guys with torches (oxy-acetylene torches are a lot of fun, but not the right tool for this task), and me, with tanks of water. See smoke? Douse it. See fire? Really douse it. Too simple of a plan. By lunch our first rail car was enflamed, our of control of me (or the fire-trucks that showed up!).

I figured I had screwed up royally, but by honestly reporting what we had done, how it went wrong, and refusing to talk to the Police or Firemen and referring them to the boss, I kinda came out a hero. I got a raise, and the most fun summer job I ever had.

Chopsaw, no training, check.

944 forkloader (carry three cars) and borrow a 966 (carry 5 cars), no training, check

Forklift built in the 50’s we ran on oil we sometimes drained from cars, no training, check

Shears. Electric eight inchers for cutting ordinary pipe and such, and the beastly six foot shears ran by a Ford 351 until I cut an International Harvester Jeep-like thing in half to power it when the 351 gave out, check.

My own oxy-acetylene rig when the metal would only listen to fire? check.

Really now that I know more about stuff (BA, couple of MAs) attacking that rail car with reciprocating saws (“SawzAlls”) would have been the way to go. It was just plain dumb to try it with torches. But by keeping my cool, I got the best job in the recycling plant, played with some incredibly beastly toys, and destroyed a lot of things in ways that mad my boss look good.

Oh, we probably violated darn near every EPA and OSHA regulation that is on the books. But that summer was fun.

Here’s how the “justice” system works in the US:

Imagine a huge playground with millions of children having fun. Every once in a while, one of the kids does something that’s against The Rules. Maybe he tosses sand at someone, uses bad words, or walks up the slide. Maybe he’s just *accused* of breaking The Rules.

Instead of giving this kid a good talking to, we pick him up and drop him down one of the many open wells we have on this playground. He’ll have to spend a few hours down that well, with all the other kids that have broken The Rules.

What do you suppose our little rule breaker learns down in that well? Do you think he’s hard at work becoming a better person? Hell no. The other bigger and meaner kids are busy making him worse. When the little tyke’s time is up, we pluck him from the well and drop him right back on the playground with no special instruction or help. He’s lost all his toys and whatever place in line he may have had.

Every parent within a hundred yards is watching him because he just got out of the well. He’s a “known offender,” and those are fun to watch because they so often act out while trying to regain their toys or place in line.

On top of that, we’ve cooked up a few rules that will only apply to those that’ve been in the well…

How do you think that’ll go? Do you suppose he’ll be caught reoffending?

Of course he will. Is he more likely to offend than other kids? Maybe. But even if he didn’t pick up any bad habits in the well, he’s more likely to be accused of something because he’s being watched more closely *and* he now has more rules to comply with.

It’s so often the case that our “solution” has created more of what we sought to eliminate.

Not a dog, but a cat. There is a young woman in my neighborhood who uses a wheelchair. She lives alone except for her cat. It is clear that a disabled person lives in her home with a wheelchair lift in the back.

She woke up one night when she heard a rustling in her bedroom. A young guy was going through her drawer looking for jewelry. He had her laptop in his hand. She saw a pistol stuck in the back of his pants. She froze, trying not to move and alert him that she was awake. She was terrified. There was no way for her to get away from him. She feared for her life.

He sensed she was awake and took the pistol out of his waistband. He cocked it and headed to the bed with the pistol pointing at her. When he leaned over her bed, pistol aimed to kill, her cat leapt onto his head. She started kitty karate on his face, shredding what might have been good looks with her claws. He ran screaming out of the house with a furious feline on his head. The cops found eye guts in the driveway.

The cat saved her life. Hard to feel sorry for a one-eyed guy willing to rob and kill a helpless victim. Kitty got lots of treats and is living the good cat life.

I’m glad you are learning

Old Man in the Cafeteria

An old man just dropped his papers. The young black woman in the absurd fur hat had just told him, “No.” In his nervousness, he spilled all that he was carrying. She wouldn’t help him pick up his papers any more than she would grant his request. She stands, shoulders straight, face forward, and watches him, her eyes cast downward – impassive and uncaring.

What was his request? Something minor. For someone who has been here as long as he has – since the Reagan administration – it had to be something minor. He knows better than to ask for anything that will require much more than a nod of her head.

The old man stoops to pick up his papers. He’s shaking, but I don’t know if it’s from age or the confrontation of the moment. His legal papers, a jumble of typewritten pages, handwritten notes, and official envelopes, contain his proof – proof of how he has been wronged – proof of how the system has failed him. I know this because I have a pile of papers just like his with its official court seals and signatures of attorneys who can afford me no more of their time.

He carries his jumbled pile to a nearby table where he takes pains to straighten it and remove the filth from the cafeteria floor. He returns the papers to a folder crafted from a box which once held a dozen cans of grape soda – trash pressed into service to contain and protect his most cherished possession: his hope.

A judge destroyed his life one day. A judge took away his future and condemned him to age behind walls, to die slowly outside the view of his friends and relatives.

This is nothing new. Every prisoner here knows this. Every man here has been through the process. Plead guilty to a crime you may not have committed, or exercise your “Right to a trial,” lose to an opponent with unlimited resources, and be punished four or five times worse for having the audacity to say, “I didn’t do that!”

This is justice in America:

  • Prosecutors who wield more power than judges and use the threat of extreme sentences to force the innocent to confession;
  • Judges who follow guidelines set by a congress eager not to appear “soft on crime;”
  • Defense attorneys who are as cowed by the system as the defendants and can only help by showing you where to sign your confession;
  • Corporations who profit from our policy of mass incarceration by supplying goods to the prisons, or even the prisons themselves;
  • Guards who supply drugs, cigarettes, and favors to inmates with the resources to make it happen, or who use their authority to express their hatred or racism.

The old man will try again. He’ll approach someone else when another month of his dwindling reserve of life has passed and the sting of the disinterested woman is gone.

Thirty, forty years eventually pass and then the old man will be cast onto the street, his family gone, friends dispersed. He’ll have no money and may even owe a huge fine. Too frail and elderly to work, he’ll find a bridge to keep the rain from his blankets.

Life is not Miami Vice

The most dangerous person I can think of was someone I didn’t arrest, but should have.

I was on the graveyard shift, patrolling a city park that had several paved roads running through it. The parks were deemed “closed” from 10:00 PM to 6:00 AM, and were posted as such, but there were no gates or physical restrictions to entry. Most of the time, if we found someone in the park after hours, it was couples making out, people drinking or smoking dope in their cars, or people sleeping in their cars. With any of these, there tended to be a high incidence of arrest warrants, revoked drivers licenses, and other lesser offenses.

I came upon a late model Camaro, occupied by a man and a woman. They were sober, didn’t appear to be making out, and reasonably cordial. I obtained the male driver’s license and ran it. It was valid, he was not wanted, and the Oregon plates (I was in Nevada) came back to a late model Camaro.

I still had a bad gut feeling about the pair. My practice with suspicious newcomers and transients was to write them a citation for whatever minor violation I could find. I knew most of them would ignore it. If they left town, the citation became one of the thousands of warrants we had in file that would never be served. If they were still around in a month and they were still up to no good, I would have a warrant to arrest them on, and we would have their photo, fingerprints, and eventually, their true identity, if it was something other than they had told us about.

So the driver got a citation for being in the park after hours, which would almost certainly be dismissed in court if he challenged it, on the grounds that it was hugely chicken shit.

I had mostly forgotten about the stop about six weeks later, when I got a radio call from another officer, one who had been my rookie trainee a couple of years before. He had stopped the same couple, ran them for warrants, and the one from my citation popped up. He was in booking with the couple. When he saw that the warrant had come from my ticket, he asked me to respond.

He had stopped the Camaro for reckless driving. When he made contact with the driver, he was confrontational. He asked the driver to get out of the car, and that’s when he saw the .380 pistol under his leg. There was a minor donnybrook, with the female passenger also assaulting the cop, but reinforcements got there in time and the pair were arrested.

A search of the vehicle revealed the original plates that had been on the car (which was stolen), a leather pouch with about a dozen loose diamonds in it, and some documents with the couple’s true names. The guy was an escapee from a Washington prison. He had been a fugitive for six months. The girl was his girlfriend, who had stolen the Camaro in Oregon, then lifted a set of plates from another Camaro. For some reason, the fictitious plates had never been reported stolen. They had done several burglaries and assorted thefts along the way, which is where the diamonds came from.

One almost fatal mistake I made during my stop was not running the VIN, or comparing it against the registration that came back to the plates. Had I done that, the VINs would not have matched, and I would have impounded the car.

Bad guy told me he had the .380 pistol under his leg the whole time I was talking to him, and if I had asked him to get out of the car, he would have shot me. Maybe he would have gotten off the shot, maybe not; maybe he would have hit me in a critical spot, maybe not; maybe I would have been able to return fire, maybe not. Our conversation ended with his very bitter expression of regret: “I should have killed you when I had the chance.”

I now live about 40 miles from the prison he escaped from. If he’s still alive, that’s probably where he is. I won’t be dropping in to say hello.

Carne Adovada

This is a wonderful filling for burritos or simply great served over rice with the resulting gravy. For better flavor, prepare a day ahead.

CarneAdovada2 Web
CarneAdovada2 Web
Ingredients
  • 7 to 8 pounds bone in pork shoulder or pork butt*, remove bone and visible fat, cut meat into 1 to 2 inch chunks
Ingredients for Adovada Sauce
  • 1 Tbsp. oil or bacon dripping
  • 1/2 medium onion
  • 4-6 large garlic cloves
  • 25-30 red chile pods*, stems and seeds removed. Pods cut into 1-2 inch lengths
  • 1 tsp. salt
  • 2 tsp. Mexican oregano
  • 3 cups water
  • 2 tsp. medium red chile powder* (optional)
  • 1 tsp. honey* (optional)
  • 2 tsp. apple cider vinegar
Instructions
Day 1 – Make the adovada sauce
  1. Heat the oil in a large heavy skillet or pot over medium heat. Add the onion and garlic and lower the heat to medium low.
  2. Sweat the onions until translucent.
  3. Add the red chile pieces and increase heat to medium. Toast the chile, stirring frequently for about 5 minutes. When you start smelling the chile, keep an eye on it so it doesn’t burn.
  4. Once the chile pods have started to darken a bit, add the oregano, water, and chile powder. Bring to a boil and then reduce to a simmer.
  5. Cover and simmer for 10 minutes.
  6. Transfer to a blender, reserving some of the water to use as needed. Add only just enough water to be able to get a smooth puree.*
  7. Add the vinegar and blend until smooth.
  8. Taste. Add more salt if needed and honey if you find the sauce too hot or bitter*.
  9. Let rest while you cut up the meat.
  10. If you want a really smooth sauce, you can press the red chile through a strainer or colander to remove bits of unprocessed chile or seeds. Use a rubber spatula to move the chile around and press through.

Marinate the pork pieces.
  1. Spray a large, heavy Dutch oven with cooking oil.  (This pot will be placed in the oven.)
  2. Transfer the pork pieces to the Dutch oven and pour enough red chile over the meat to coat the meat when stirred. (See Kitchen Notes for Amount of red chile. Any extra red chile can be used to “smother” the carne adovada after serving.)

  3. Stir well to coat all of the pieces with the red chile.
  4. Cover and set in the refrigerator overnight or for 24 hours.
Day 2 – Braise the marinated pork
  1. One hour before placing in the oven, remove the Dutch oven from the refrigerator so that the meat can come up to room temperature.
  2. Preheat the oven to 300° F.*
  3. Place the meat in the hot oven and cook for COVERED for 2 hours.
  4. Remove from the oven and stir. There will be quite a bit of liquid.
  5. Return the meat to the oven UNCOVERED for 1 to 1.5 hours or until the meat is pull apart tender and the liquid has reduced.*
  6. Turn the oven off and leave the carne adovada in the oven until ready to serve.
  7. Top each serving with red chile if desired.
CarneAdovada Web
CarneAdovada Web
Kitchen Notes

Pork Shoulder (pork butt) Size – For this recipe I usually start with an 8 pound, bone-in, pork shoulder. Once I remove the bone and much of the fat, I end up with about 5 pounds of meat.  Therefore, if you just want to start with a 5-6 pound boneless shoulder that would save the time of cut away the bone. I use the bone to make a pork stock.  You could also use a 3-4 pound boneless shoulder.  This would yield a smaller batch, but it would also only take about 2 hours of cook time.  Just be sure to reduce the amount of red chile.

Cutting up the pork – I personally am not fond of biting into a big piece of fat with I eat carne adovada; therefore, we trim the larger pieces of fat off of the cut pieces of meat.  However, we don’t get too carried away because we want to leave some of the fat for flavoring.

As mentioned, we usually cut the meat into about 2 inch chunks. This yields larger pieces that can be pulled apart with a fork once cooked.  Smaller pieces (1 inch cubes) yield bite size pieces that won’t need to be “pulled”.

Chile Pods and chile powder – If your pods are hot, then use mild to medium chile powder.  This helps bring down the heat of really hot chile pods and adds a little depth to the flavor of the chile. If your chile pods are mild to medium, then use hot chile powder for a spicier chile. When I’m using a VERY hot chile, I’ll reduce the number of pods to 20 pods, then add 2 tablespoons of powder.

Honey – Honey kills the burn.  Therefore, honey is a great ingredient to help reduce a little of the heat from the chile as well as bitterness.  However, be careful and don’t add too much.  More than 2 teaspoons can make your red chile too sweet.

Amount of red chile sauce – The amount of red chile made in this recipe is plenty for 5- 7 pounds of meat, but is too much for any less than that.  A rough estimate for how much red chile you need is ½ cup of red chile for 1 pound of meat. You can always add more for a saucier carne adovada. You just want to make sure that you use enough chile to fully coat the pieces of pork.

Oven Temperature – I have found it best to braise carne adovada at a low temperature of 300°F.  However, if you don’t have to time to braise for 3 – 4 hours, you can increase the temperature to 350°F and cook for 1 to 1.5 hours. If you choose to cook at a higher temperature, just cut the pieces of meat smaller, about 1″ cubes.

The amount of liquid in the cooked meat – Some people may want a stew like carne adovada with quite a bit of sauce, while others, like it a little saucy, but not soupy.  If you want a more stew like carne, then wait and uncover the Dutch oven 2.5 hours into cooking.  However, if you want the chile thicker and more saucy, then uncover after 2 hours of cooking.  If you want it even less sauce, then you can use a slotted spoon to scoop out the meat, throw it into a skillet and cook off even more of the sauce before serving. Just don’t cook off too much. You’ll need some sauce for the flour tortilla.

CarneAdovadaV1 Web
CarneAdovadaV1 Web

The most dangerous man

https://www.youtube.com/shorts/7ZK-918s3gg?feature=share

You cannot reconcile unless you are a dog nation sucking up to the U.S. or you are a brain dead naive and foolish person who prefer lies to truth that hurts.

The U.S. hate China and sanctions and blockade China from 1949–1970 killing tens of millions of Chinese innocent people while they bombed the shit out of Muslim nations from Iraq to Afghanistan to Yemen, to Libya and Syria killing tens of million Muslims.

Every fool can see that and acknowledge that and no one on earth do not know this fact The the U.S. are evil against Chinese and Muslims but when it comes to Chinese Muslims, suddenly they want to be seen as a darling to them!

The U.S. suddenly is the champion of their rights? They fabricated lies on Uyghurs Muslims and invented genocide! And they expect the world to believed them! No one does of course unless one is blind, deaf or dumb or totally brain dead! The world knows it is another evil design to hoodwink people to hate China and thanks the world of the U.S. as human rights defender when it is the biggest wrong doer!

My wife drives a Lexus RX400h. The “h” stands for hybrid.

One day she called me from the Lexus dealer to tell me the mechanic performing the regular service told her Lexus’s engine mounts were disintegrating and needed to be replaced. The mechanic explained that because the car was a hybrid the task was very expensive—around $2500!

My wife called me because, while I’m not a professional mechanic, I’ve owned a dizzying array of exotic cars over the years and perform all my own restorations.

The first thing I did was put down my wrench (I was in the middle of replacing the clutch on my ’85 Toyota MR2) and search “engine mount replacement, 2007 Lexus RX400h”.

It just so happens that while replacing the engine mounts on the non-hybrid version of my wife’s car was a $300 repair ($80 for the engine mounts, $220 for labor) the labor involved performing the same job on the hybrid was much, much greater.

I called my wife back and asked her why she thought she needed new engine mounts. Had she noticed anything amiss? I occasionally drove her car and never heard any weird knocks from under the hood. My wife said the mechanic told her it needed the repair.

My advice was that since she’d been driving the car without noticing anything amiss, to have faith that she could safely drive it home where I could examine it (they’re only engine mounts after all).

Personally inspecting the mounts, using a very powerful penlight I was able to determine that they looked nearly new (the Lexus only had 110K on the odometer). There were tiny tears in the rubber flashing around the edges of the mounts, but they looked better than the mounts on any of my cars.

My advice, whenever possible, get a second opinion and research the repair for your car. Also, ask your friends for recommendations for mechanics they trust.

DRAGONFLY – 1952 Retro Pulp Science Fiction by Skyward, Photo Processing 110mm Film Experimentation

 

Vintage photo

Syracuse RR
Syracuse RR

How is China beating US in AI, even when the US has the best universities, researchers and the largest tech companies?

My education was subsidized by both Federal and state governments. Sputnik went up in October 1957. To answer Sputnik and the belief the US was technologically behind the USSR, the “National Defense Education act of 1958” was passed that September. Many more acts followed that support K-12 and colleges with the emphasis on building a generation of scientists and engineers to fight the “Cold War.” By working as a Co-Op, I graduated with a BS in Computer Science and debt-free.

I worked first for computer manufactures and later in Defense and Aerospace.

I just retired. My generation, the ones educated due to Sputnik, are retiring.

During the Regan administration, all that education funding was reduced. The GI bill was canceled. Both Federal and state governments stopped supporting colleges. And we saw the rise in the cost of higher education.

Before the cut in education, we had the best universities. Researches are not getting the grants they used to. I don’t see tech companies giving big grants to universities.

Without government funding, our education is dying and is dead in some areas. One of the political parties has labeled higher education as bad and should be eliminated.

From Asian cultures we learn:

“To plan for 1 year, plant rice.

To plan for 20 years, plant trees.

To plan for 100 years, teach children.

Asian cultures plan for the long term. Toyota has a 100-year plan. US companies have a 90-day plan.

The US ranks 36th and is not trying very hard.

 

What are the biggest culture shocks people face when coming to Germany?

German here, sharing his expertise:

1. We eat raw meat. And it tastes amazing:

On the roll is what we call “Mett”. It is pure pork, which is seasoned with salt and pepper. Depending on who you meet, a war may break out, depending on whether you eat your ground pork bun with butter or without.

2. We drink alcohol in public. And not a little of it. In the USA for example and in many Muslim countries this is absolutely forbidden. Nobody is interested here. You can drink wherever you want, whatever you want – and above all as much as you want. But if you are not from Germany, you will always find someone here who can tolerate more than you.

3. Once you have learned German, you can learn it again right away when you move to another federal state. In Germany, the dialects are very different, and some people feel that they speak a completely different language.

4. We are not so hospitable. Of course, we are not angry, and we are not averse to visitors, but in other countries of the world, you are virtually courted as a tourist. In Germany, nobody is interested in that, even though we probably find you perfectly ok.

5. We do not speak English very well. With speaking English here, you are not as successful as in countries like Sweden. Although we know English better than France, especially the old people never learned it.

6. We are not a bit patriotic. In countries like the USA you can’t really miss where you are, because that’s the way it looks.

 

She REGRETS Leaving Her Husband Then Gets BITTER When He Got A New GIRLFRIEND

 

 

You during a traffic stop and you knew it? What did you do?

It wasn’t a traffic stop.

Because of my class schedule, I walk twelve or 15 blocks from “Prep High” to “Tech High” between 11:20 and 12:20 each school day.

I was stopped between those times and between those places on what the officer (who will hopefully soon find himself unemployed) described in the report as “reasonable suspicion” of being truant.

I was polite. Explained why I was where I was and offered the officer a copy of my class schedule, my school ID, and the business card of the vocational coordinator at “Prep High” who could be called to verify what I was saying.

The officer refused to look at anything I offered. He said it wasn’t his job to verify anything. I was handcuffed, placed in the back of a patrol car, and driven about 5 miles to a juvenile processing facility.

THIS IS THE FIRST LIE. Legally that was an arrest. Without probable cause and without following the procedures required when arresting a minor. (The officer would have to have an arrest warrant or have personally witnessed my committing a criminal act that would be a felony were I an adult.)

Police may “detain” an individual, defined as not allowing a person to leave while a “reasonable suspicion” is investigated to determine that “probable cause” exists to arrest. But the officer never investigated anything. To him my being a student, off of school district property, during normal school hours was truancy.

So, THIS IS THE SECOND LIE: Laws are codified and that is not the definition of truancy. In part the law reads: “any absence of part or all of one or more days from school during which the school attendance officer, principal or teacher has not been notified of the legal cause of such absence(.)”

I had offered the officer a printed, paper, copy of my school schedule which I carry in the clear outer sleeve of my notebook binder. Obviously, having scheduled me to take three AM classes at “Prep” and three PM classes at “Tech” the school district not only knew about, not only authorized, but actually COMPELLED the action I was taking when stopped.

I was processed at the juvenile facility including having a check run to see if I had any outstanding warrants. Then, nearly three hours after I was stopped, I was issued a $94 ticket / court summons where ocurred the

THIRD LIE: The time and place on the summons / ticket was FALSE. Reflecting a later time and a different place miles from where I was stopped.

My legal guardian was called to transport me home. Using the juvenile facility’s phone (number recorded by my guardian’s phone). That, the fact that there are cameras in the facility, a body camera on the “arresting officer,” body cameras on other officers working there, cameras on businesses where I was “arrested,” possibly cameras near the fake address on the ticket / summons, that the juvenile facility obviously used its systems to search for outstanding warrants and to find the name and phone number of my legal guardian, and required my guardian to sign a document for my release all DIRECTLY CONTRADICT the officers assertions (lies) in his report.

My attorney points out that proving that this officer lied in one official report calls into question EVERY other official assertion he has ever made.

Don’t misunderstand me. I am a 5 ft 6 female. Society needs police.

Well, society needs honest police. We already have too many hoodlums.

But, some people (like this liar) simply lack the mental capacity or ethical standards to be police officers.

Society needs to fire them, prosecute them for any criminal acts they commit, publicize their names (in part so others can seek legal redress), PERMANENTLY disarm them, and possibly segregate them.

Like Germany did with Stasi post 1990.

 

It’s not over

Why are there ~5,000 janitors who hold PhDs in the U.S.?

 

As an astrophysics Ph.D, I’m looking forward to a future career in janitorial services. Once I get make a ton of money in investment banking, being a janitor looks like a perfect job…..

Because:

1) There is the FU number. It’s the amount of money you have to have in the bank to say “FU” to your boss. If you run the numbers you’ll find that even small amounts of income drastically reduce the “FU” number.

2) One thing that gets missed is that with a Ph.D. in the sciences you *can* be a janitor. Most people that go to medical school or law school end up with tremendous debt, so they *can’t* do any random job. The nice thing about getting a physics Ph.D., is that you can get your Ph.D. and then become a beach bum, since you have little/no debt.

3) I’ve known people that have worked as janitors, and they say it’s an easy job. You get paid eight hours of wages for work that usually only takes two or three, and you spend the rest of the night just chatting. You work in the middle of the night so your manager isn’t going to be looking over your shoulder, and as long as everything is clean the next morning, no one cares how many hours you “really” worked.

4) You can do janitorial work and theoretical physics at the same time. You are pushing a broom, you can think about quantum field theory. This is *not* true for a lot of other jobs. You can’t think about QFT while taking orders at McDonalds, selling shoes, flipping burgers, or driving a cab. If the janitor has a blank vacant look, no one cares, whereas being absent-minded while dealing with hot cooking oil or customers can get you fired or cause a fire.

5) And what’s the negative. Janitors have low social status. Well so what? I’ve got a Ph.d.

I suppose you see a lot of Ph.D.’s being janitors because it’s the smart thing to do.

You must be living in a cave.

Twenty years ago, China only made low quality, cheap goods. They still make them because buyers want them. Walmart couldnt survive without them.

Nowadays, China makes many high ebd products, designed by Chinese engineers.

40,000 kilometers of high speed rail in China. 347 kmh an hour. unmatched safety record. you couldn’t keep running them if they unsafe.

I was a professional photographer in Canada. Chinese photo gear was garbage. Now they have taken big strides. My tripod is made by Chinese company named Sirui. Carbon fiber, rugged and light weight. I’ve used mainly German tripods, even Leica, but the Sirui is the best. do a search online. check the reviews. Hand crafted by skilled machinists.

And Chinese companies have taken over failed western companies. Improved quality and become top sellers. Volvo was owned by Ford and lost money. Geely bought it up and gave an investment of 5billion to.make a new platform. Two years later Volvo had Car of the Year. They boldly announced that no one will die in a Volvo by 2026. They are still the safest cars on the planet. MG was a British cae company know fir sport cars called roadstes. Now owned vy Chinese car company. just launched an EV roadster. The British car magazines are raving about it. And all said it stll looks British!

The Sopranos – Mustang Sally

How does China’s crackdown on consulting firms reflect growing tensions with the United States?

In the latest McDonald’s quarterly call, the company revealed it opened >1,000 restaurants in mainland China in 2023, making it the fastest growing market globally.

1,000 restaurants is 3 per DAY, and McDonald’s is about as American as any brand can be.


China’s policing of consultancies is merely a rounding error, in the grand scheme of things. Annually, the S&P 500 generate >$1 trillion in revenue operating within the mainland market. This includes Apple, which depend on China for 20–25% of its global revenue.

How much are these consultancies worth? A couple of million each?

What’s happening is the CIA’s doubling down on intelligence within China, as traditional humint sources were vacuumed up in the repeated corruption sweeps since Xi took charge.

These consultancies have served as spy centers and information conduits, but were allowed to operate in deference of American hegemony. But relationships have become frazzled and the cases linked to these nodes made them intolerable.

Actual cases are being pursued, and people are being prosecuted, with a number deported rather than risk diplomatic protest.

America is preparing for war, and it shows in the information they are willing to pay for, particularly the networks and capabilities they are willing to risk.

Case in point: What was a Seawolf-class attack sub doing in the SCS, only to suffer a head-on collision with an undersea mount?

 

Holy Fuck!

Why is the West always predicting China’s economy wrongly?

They are very different in thought process

The West believes CREDIT is God

Thus Western Consumption is CREDIT DRIVEN and they encourage more and more credit to mobilize an economy

The West believes in minimum balances I checking accounts and wants people to spend everything they have and money they don’t have by availing credit

The Average Man uses Credit Cards

The Corporates use Wall Street, create special instruments, get AAA rating and sell the instruments to other Wall Street Entities representing Billions of Dollars of Insurance Premiums or Pension payments

For such an Economy – SPENDING is something they love especially SPENDING UNDER CREDIT

For such an Economy – BAILOUTS is something they love

Such an Economy believes that if the top 1% become richer and richer, they automatically will trickle down the wealth upto the poorest sections and enhance the economy

It’s called REAGANOMICS

When Reagan Proposed this (Or his experts did), US was producing a lot and trading everywhere as the largest trader

So it helped

However once the 1% became richer and richer, WOULD THEY EVER VOLUNTARILY GIVE UP?

No

So they purchased more congressmen, senators and today the US is in utter chaos due to these policies

In 1984, when 1% of the manufacturers became wealthy, their workers, linemen, foremen all got some share of the wealth

Today?

Chinese or Mexican Factories get a miniscule share and the rest goes to the pockets of maybe 500 people at the most


China believes SAVINGS is God

Chinese Consumption is thus INCOME DRIVEN and Chinese always buy from earnings and NEVER SPEND THEIR SAVINGS on normal consumption

Chinese focus on higher income from salary or Investments to buy more stuff and live a rich lifestyle and LOATHE CREDIT OR BORROWING , unless its towards Gold or Land or Jade where they can pay 6% a year and get 10% a year interest

China thus raises money only through secured debt, secured by Land or other assets

For such an Economy – SPENDING FROM INCOME is what they love rather than Credit

For such an Economy – Bailouts are bad unless the situation becomes so bad that you can settle 15 cents on the dollar

Such an Economy believes that Capitalism in the hands of 1% is a disaster and so ensures that the STATE regulates Capitalism in a pseudo mixed economy form

Li Peng and Li Keiqang are architects of this model


So the West sees Chinas economy from THEIR PERSPECTIVE

They see that Only 71% of the Assets are lent vide Credit of which 87% is Secure Debt and the West feels that’s Socialist and feels that’s because of low demand

That’s because US lends almost 95% Assets vide Credit of which barely 23% is Secure Debt

China meanwhile doesn’t have low demand because it’s people prefer spending income from wages and investments on consumption and saving for a rainy day

Yet US can’t accept or realize that

Likewise the West like Bailouts in the style of 2008 to prevent what’s called a Domino Collapse

China likes to allow a bubble to subside to it’s best possible low before any investment can be considered

The West regard this as WEAK FISCAL POLICY whereas Chinese People regard this as normal

So the West focuses on

  • GDP Growth due to Spending
  • Credit Growth in the economy or how much people are borrowing to spend
  • Net Spending due to Credit

China focuses on

  • Rise in Wages
  • Rise in Disposable Income
  • Income Growth in the economy or how much people are earning

So obviously the West can never predict China properly

The West is clueless about how China works

One day in 1981, as my girlfriend (now wife) and I rode the bus together to campus, she said to me, “Go down to the career center and sign up for who’s hiring software engineers.”

I thought maybe she’d seen something in the Daily. Big employers sometimes took out ads in the campus newspaper. I asked, “Who’s there today?”

She said, “I don’t know. Just go down and sign up.”

Turns out there was only one company, called John Fluke Mfg., Co., hiring software folks. I signed up. In due time, I had a 30-minute campus interview with a very nice lady named Patsy Thiemens, a young developer from Fluke. The thing she was doing sounded really interesting, emulating a microprocessor’s address and data buses to stimulate boards under test. I ended up more or less interviewing her, which, unknown to me, was a pretty good way to impress an interviewer.

An in-house interview followed, and a job offer with excellent salary, working for Patsy. I spent the first 12 years of my career working in Fluke’s very professional software development process. It set the pattern for the rest of my life. It was, as the oft-repeated joke goes, a fluke.

Be the Rufus!

What male/female double standard do you hate the most?

My mother complained to me on the phone this morning. “Your former brother-in-law, the guy you liked so much you still remain friends with him? He was abusive towards your sister.”

“How come?” I wanted to know.

“He pushed her really hard, a few months back. She fell back and hit her head against a wall. It’s one of the reasons why they’re breaking up, actually. A man should never use physical force against a woman.”

“Damn! That’s awful… shit I never knew… why would he do such a thing?”

“He was being really mean apparantly. Got under her skin. You know how Ben can be. And at some point he just really crossed a line. So she slapped him and then he pushed her away…. and she…”

“Wait, she slapped him first?”

“Yes but…”

“No ‘but’, I don’t like that he pushed her but she should NOT have slapped him in the face. That was wrong. Period.”

“You should have heard the things he said. He can really, really be mean sometimes. You know how he gets when Ben gets in one of those moods, Jean-Marie, you KNOW that!”

Well at this point the whole thing sort of turned to shit. I’m supposed to side with my sister. By default, as she is family. Plus she’s a woman. But honestly, she should not have lost her temper and slapped him. The fact that a slap from a woman can be casually explained away as “he got it coming” but a push or slap from a man is instantly labeled abuse? MAJOR double standard.

 

Chinese billboards are crazy!

Why were the Romans so successful in battle?

The Roman Army did a great many things right. In logistics, strategy, and tactics, they were already doing many of the things that military colleges teach today. One things the history books ignore is that soldiers in the field did more building than training and more training than fighting. We’ve got journals from Roman soldiers that say things like, “I’ve been in the army for 2 years and have never used my sword. All I do is dig.” HA!

That sounds boring until you consider what fighting Romans would have been like from the perspective of their tribal foes.

The door of your command tent flies open. A panting fifteen-year-old who smells of sweat and horse stumbles through the gap and gasps, “A column to the east, my liege. Three hours ride. Romans.”

On foot, Scout?”

Mostly, Lord. 200 heavy infantry, plus wagons and followers.”

Hot damn. Assemble my commanders. I want 600 men ready to ride by dawn!”

One busy night later, your experienced war machine has confirmed the Romans’ position and strength, packed your camp, mustered their courage, and deployed. A half day’s travel later, with a few hundred of your clan and allies at your back, you crest the final hill and see…

Well f*** me.

Erecting trenches, stockades, and earthworks—a stockade of portable sudes within minutes and a whole fortified castrum by sunset—was standard practice for Roman units in hostile territory. It’s hard to believe they could do it so quickly, but hundreds or thousands of men working in shifts at tasks they’ve practiced can do a LOT.

Fortifications were a huge force multiplier, and disheartened the Romans’ foes…and kept the Roman grunts busy, which the Caesars understood can boost discipline more than the walls themselves.

Putin has been bluffing again and again about nuclear strikes and threats. Why doesn’t NATO just shut him up and bomb the Kremlin?

Russian nuclear weapons actually work. Russia conducted 2 tests in 2022 and 2023.

The UK’s doesn’t.

France’s nuclear delivery systems were tested in November 2023. But here’s the thing Macron already set out that he wouldn’t use them.

That leaves the USA and in game theory they’d likely look the other way.

Westerners now are but muh super mega weapons and my SUPER SOLDIERS! That can shoot lazers from their eyes! But then again they still believe Russia is completely out of ammunition has no food and fuel and that Ukraine is about to take Magadan.

 

Good idea?

What is the nastiest thing you’ve done for revenge?

I didn’t really do it for revenge but oh ,did it get nasty. During my divorce, I got a notice from my insurance company, that because of the accident I was in, I would be surcharged. What?!

It was a large surcharge and I actually got the notice before I heard anything about an accident.

I called the insurance company to tell them it was a mistake, that I hadn’t been in an accident.

“Oh yes, on Tues(date). In (my ex-husband’s car).”

I told the insurance rep that we were getting a divorce and I hadn’t driven his car in months. Finally, the insurance company(or police department-I had to call them too) found out that his girlfriend had been driving and got in the accident. She didn’t have her license and said she was me.

I was outraged and the revenge part was that I told them that ______(girlfriend’s name) was still an inexperienced driver (had a license for <6 yrs) which is a big surcharge in my state. The insurance company refused to cover the accident and charged her with fraud.

in 2010, my 12 year old threatened suicide while in a session with his therapist. He was defiant and refused to take it back. The doctor told us his hands were tied and we were to admit him to a lock down facility for adolescents.

On the way to the hospital, I kept thinking he would snap out of it and recant what he said, but he did not.

We signed some papers and left our 12 year old son there – and left crying.

The next day I went to visit and while I was sitting with my son, a man dressed in white asks me to sign all kinds of forms that basically say “You hereby agree to accept responsibility for all the costs and fees……”. I politely asked, “What are the fees – what is the cost to be here each night?”. He said it was between me any my insurance provider. I pressed for a number and he said he did not know the cost. “I’m sorry, but I can’t just sign a blank check to you; I have to know what it costs – I have a 20% deductible”. Even though I knew my options were limited, I had the right to know what a hospital charged.

The next day someone called and revealed the cost per day was $5,000 – just room and board. Doctor time and medication is extra. My out of pocket would be $1,000 per day, not including doctor time.

I told the woman over the phone that either my son comes home, or I refuse to pay the bill for one more day. Keep in mind, this was 14 years ago – I wouldn’t be surprised if the cost has doubled since then. When he was released he was put on some medication that was so over-prescribed, it almost killed him.

Fast forward to now, my son is a Paramedic who often deals with mental health crisis – he’s a wonderful caring person.

Space-Age Sci-Fi | The Phantom Planet (Adventure, 1961) by William Marshall | Colorized Movie

A very fun 1960’s era low budget science fiction movie. I hope you enjoy it!

What is China’s current perception of US aircraft carriers?

Good ship.

Beautiful ship.

Powerful ship.

90K/100K tons of diplomacy.

Perfect target for DF-21 and DF-26 anti-ship bullestic missiles.

DF-21 – Wikipedia

This map shows the tracks of USS Reagan during July 30-Aug 9 in 2022. On August 2, the speaker of the house, Nancy Pelosi, visited Taiwan, despite the warning of China, and her visit was regarded as a severe povocation to One China policy.

Before her visit, CSG Reagan was deployed to South China Sea and Philippines (P) as a stretegic support to her action and escort. However, as Pelosi ignored China’s (C) warning and landed on Taipei (T) airport, Chinese armies began massive movement and started a military drill around Taiwan. As you can see, the CSG Reagan moved eastward to escape from China’s DF-21 missile range and then hide behind Japan (J)’s Kyushu and Okinawa.

However, in 1950, USA sent its fleet direct to Taiwan Strait (the broken line between C and T) preventing communist army acrossing the strait.

after the outbreak of the Korean War in June 1950, the United States sent its Seventh Fleet into the Taiwan Strait to prevent the Korean conflict from spreading south.

Anyway, American aircraft carriers are very beautiful, very powerful, very destructive.

But even Iran is not feared of them, now including Houthi forces in Yemen, let alone China.

https://www.theguardian.com/world/2020/sep/23/iran-drone-us-aircraft-carrier-report

American friends, your enemy is not China. Your enemy hides in Capitol Hill, White House, and Wall Street.

In 2016, Stephen Ruth, a man from New York, literally uncovered a traffic light conspiracy: the story hit the headlines when, after cutting the wires connecting the intersection cameras, Ruth reported himself to the authorities, causing a media case to explode .

The story, however, must be told from the beginning: initially Ruth was arrested for the first time for having used a painter’s extension cord to point traffic light cameras towards the sky.

The act of public disobedience arose from Ruth’s awareness that the traffic lights were intentionally rigged to ensure that drivers were fined; Yellow lights at intersections with cameras last only three seconds, as opposed to five seconds at other intersections without cameras in the same county. Ruth documented everything through several videos which he then uploaded to Facebook.

Since the matter went unnoticed, Stephen decided to make news in an unorthodox way: cutting the camera cables, he reported his own actions to the press, attracting the attention of some politicians who put pressure on the police force to ensure this modern ” Robin Hood” was arrested.

The local police and sheriff’s deputies, however, took Ruth’s side; once we viewed his videos it was undeniable that his gesture had a much deeper origin than that of vandalism.

Statistics in hand, the majority of road accidents with victims occurred precisely at intersections that had “rigged” cameras.

During his most recent arrest, one of the sheriff’s deputies even offered to bail him out of jail by paying the bail out of his own pocket.

When he returned home after these events, he noticed that a new camera had been placed in the neighborhood, but it was pointing directly at his front door; Ruth was apparently now a “special guard” for the county government.

The story gets even murkier; after the news became public, someone tried to silence Stephen.

He himself says that a car intentionally tried to hit him in a head-on collision; after talking to his neighbors it was clear that the car in question (or at least, a visibly identical one, including his occupants) had surveilled his house before carrying out the attempt on his life.

What’s the shadiest tactic you’ve witnessed HR use at your job?

I worked at a grocery store when I was a teenager. Human Resources was called in to interview the employees about a beer and cigarette theft problem.

Before my interview, I saw a co-worker cleaning out his locker. “What happened?” I asked.

“Dude, they got us. They had cameras filming everything we did,” he said. “I just got fired for eating grapes that fell off the vine.”

My turn came and the HR guy said, “You need to confess to everything you have stolen here. Put a dollar amount on the stolen goods and we will set up a payment plan for restitution and avoid your being arrested.”

“I have never stolen,” I said.

“Okay, I am going to give you one more chance. If you are honest, we won’t get the police involved. If you are lying, things are not going to go well,” he said. “Be advised we have video.”

“I have never stolen anything,” I said.

“Call the police,” he said to the manager. “We are going to have to press charges.”

“You are full of it,” I said. “You have nothing.”

“Do you want to see the video?” He asked.

“Yes,” I said. “It doesn’t exist.”

“What makes you say that?” He said. “You seem very confident for someone about to go to jail.”

“I haven’t stolen anything,” I said. “If you had a video of people stealing, you wouldn’t need a confession.”

I think seven people confessed and were fired that day. My friend that ate the grapes put $7 on the amount he had stolen. He was one of the most honest people I worked with.

The ones eating steak cooked on the heat seal of the meat wrapper never confessed to anything. They did not catch the cigarette and beer thieves they were looking for either.

The people that confessed were the honest ones who felt guilty for their petty thefts while the dishonest ones stuck to their guns and confessed to nothing. Brilliant move by HR.

 

Flip the switch

What are some amazing facts about Linux?

Some facts about Linux

  • In 2000 Steve Jobs Offered Linus Torvalds a job at APPLE on the condition that he should stop the development of Linux, But Linus refused to join and continued developing his product.
  • Microsoft was not very much impressed by its open source systems and criticized it badly but later it was sponsored by Microsoft itself.
  • Android is the highest using operating system on the planet with 2 billion people but Android runs on Linux.
  • Linux is very late that it released after three years of it’s announced date.
  • Linux is the only operating system named after its founder Linus Torvalds
  • Linux has 20,323,379 lines of code which was pretty small in the version of the kernel.
  • Linux first name was “FreaX” which was a combination of “free”, “freak” and “Unix”)
  • Google, Intel, Huawei, Samsung, Red Hat, Canonical and Facebook are among the top contributors to Linux kernel development in recent years.
  • 9 out of top 10 public cloud infrastructures run on Linux.
  • IBM chose Linux for what is expected to be the world’s most powerful supercomputer, Sequoia.
  • All major closed source Operating Systems track user information while Linux distros generally don’t, which means better user Security and Privacy is assured.

Are China’s economic statistics reliable?

Looking at this neutrally, there are two Narratives here

The First Narrative says

  • China is a one party system
  • There is no opposition or free press or any form of checks and balances
  • So the CPC can make up any statistics they want
  • Hence Chinas Statistics are unreliable

The Second Narrative says :-

  • China doesn’t have major elections , so it has no need to impress voters with statistics
  • China doesn’t have opposition parties, so the Governing CPC need not have an initiative to deliberately show higher numbers
  • China has multiple foreign investors who have made money and profit over the last 2 decades. Impossible to sustain bogus statistics for so long (Half a decade or longer)
  • China has too many visitors to lie about it’s growth. Unlike the USSR who had many restrictions from leaving the USSR or entering the same

I myself never set store with numbers

I ask questions

First question – Why would China show a higher GDP ?

 

Showing a Higher GDP would be counter productive for China because China would lose nice subsidies by the WTO afforded to non market nations who are net exporters

The cut off per capita is $ 12,500

So China would prefer a lower GDP and gain maximum benefits from the WTO

Meanwhile if China shows a higher GDP, how would China benefit?

No Investor invests based on GDP or GDP growth

They invest based on Market Annual Aggregate Returns (MARR)

No Western News will praise Chinas GDP today plus even if they do, China gains Zilch

So it makes no sense for China to show higher GDP

Second Question – Can Chinas statistics be verified?

Soviet Statistics couldn’t

This was because no US entity could come to Moscow or Leningrad and set up a factory or invest $ 100 Million

Chinese Statistics can

Hundreds of Investors have actually invested in China and got tons of profits

The MARR of China from 2000–2010 was 16.29% and 2010–2020 was 10.65%

These aren’t Chinese Statistics

These are Western Statistics based on their rate of returns from the Chinese Markets

From 2020–2023, MARR has fallen to 7.12% which is why Investments are not flooding into China as they were before 2020

So Chinese Statistics are very easy to verify simply by looking at the Economy


So my conclusion is Chinese Statistics are not only reliable, they are under played in my opinion

I see no reason for China to fudge their numbers

This is my opinion

Others may have a different opinion

 

Bob Lazar FINALLY Showed Element 115 That Was Sealed & Hidden For Decades!

A tad bit manufactured. But worth some time to check out if you are into UFO lore.

https://youtu.be/4rWb_pH6FJ0

As a police officer, have you ever received an unusual ‘thank you’ for taking care of someone?

Yes I have. Funny story. After I was shot and in the hospital recovering, I received a “Get Well Card” from a man who lived in the city. The man wrote in the card that he saw on the news that I was the Officer who had been shot and he wanted me to know that he was praying for me. He said he and his family were devastated that I was the Officer who was shot.

He said about a year before I was shot, his wife and young son were in a serious car accident in our city and I was the Officer who responded and handled the collision. His son (who I believe was 6 or 7 at the time) was traumatized by the accident because his Mom was seriously injured and transported by helicopter to the hospital. The boy told his Dad that I comforted him during the process and kept him close to me while his Mom was treated. His son was very impressed with me and felt so special that I was taking care of him while his Mom was being treated. The man told me how much he appreciated how I took care of his son and his family wishes me the very best in my recovery.

He left his phone number on the card so when I was able, I called him and spoke to him and his son. The man happened to be a helicopter tour pilot so when I was able, he took me on a spectacular helicopter tour of San Diego Bay and the surrounding area. I met with him and his son and we had a great time. It is definitely one of the highlights of my career.

Slow-Cooked Spicy Beef Tri-Tip

SpicyBeefTriTipH1 Web
SpicyBeefTriTipH1 Web

Beef tri-tip is an extremely tasty cut of beef and one of our favorites. It’s cheaper than most cuts and also leaner; therefore, one has to be careful cooking it. Tri-tip should be cooked hot and fast, or slow cooked to a melt in your mouth tenderness. Anything in between causes the tri-tip to be tough and chewy. By slow cooking in a marinade, tri-tip is taken past the tough stage to a tear apart tender, delicious bite of meat. This Slow-Cooked Spicy Beef Tri-Tip recipe accomplishes that.

The spicy tri-tip marinade consists of a few spices, chile powders and beer. The meat marinates for at least 4 hours, but preferably overnight. It is slow-cooked for 2 – 3 hours, to a melt in mouth tenderness. This particular recipe provides instructions for slow-cooking on the grill during the warmer months and slow-cooking in the oven during cooler months. The recipe can easily be converted to a slow cooker or instant pot. No matter which method you use, it’s a simple process with results that make your mouth very happy.

When I make spicy beef tri-tip, I use 2 pounds of tri-tip. This provides Bobby and I with two complete meals and sometimes, a light lunch. One of the meals we serve is what you see in the pictures. It’s essentially a southwestern meat and vegetable bowl with spicy beef tri-tip, seared vegetables, black beans and avocado. A second meal is normally tacos with the leftover meat and vegetables and a few simple toppings. Instructions for both meals are found in the recipe below.

I hope you enjoy!

SpicyBeefTriTipV1 Web
SpicyBeefTriTipV1 Web
Ingredients
Beef and Marinade
  • 2 pounds trimmed beef tri tip, cut into 1 ½ – 2” chunks
  • 1 – 2 Tbsp. chipotle paste*
  • 2 tsp. red chile spice mix*
  • ½ tsp. salt
  • 2 Tbsp. minced onion
  • ½ cup dark beer* (Keep the rest of the beer. You many need more later.)
Seared Vegetables
  • 1 medium onion. sliced then halved
  • 1 medium bell pepper. sliced then halved
Suggested Sides and Taco Toppings
  • Seared vegetables
  • Black beans, pintos or bolitas
  • Sour cream or plain Greek yogurt
  • Pickled Peppers*, chopped
  • Lime wedges
  • Avocado slices
Instructions
This dish can be cooked on the grill or in the oven. The instructions explain how to cook both ways.
  1. In a large bowl, add all of the ingredients under Beef and Marinade.  Mix together to coat the chunks of meat.

  2. If cooking on the grill, transfer meat to a large piece of parchment and fold close.  Place parchment package on a sheet of aluminum foil and seal shut. Wrap in another sheet of aluminum foil.

    If cooking in the oven, transfer to a refrigerator container with a tight seal.

  3. Place in the refrigerator for at least 4 hours or overnight, turning at least once.

  4. Preheat the grill or oven for a temperature of 350F.

  5. For the grill, place the package of marinaded beef in a cast iron skillet and place on the grill.

    For the oven, transfer the beef and marinade to a heavy-duty Dutch oven.   Place a piece of parchment on top of the beef and press around the edges. This will prevent the marinade from evaporating too quickly.  Place the cover on the Dutch oven.

  6. “Bake” at 350F for 2.5 hours. Remove from grill or oven and check to see if it’s ready.  Using 2 forks, try to separate a chunk of meat   It should be pull apart tender. If it is not, close and bake for another 30 minutes.

  7. On the grill, the meat usually gets crispy on the edges like carnitas.

    In the oven, the marinate mostly evaporates, but the edges usually don’t get crispy.

  8. Transfer cooked beef to a bowl.  Using 2 forks, tear apart the chunks of beef into small bite size pieces.

  9. (Optional step) If you want the edges crispier, heat a cast iron skillet with a tablespoon oil.  When hot, transfer the beef to the skillet and stir.  When the edges start to get crispy add a couple tablespoons of beer to skillet. After about 30 seconds remove from heat. The beer adds a little moisture and flavor into the beef.

  10. Seared Vegetables – Prepare while the beef is cooking.
  11. If cooking on the grill, wrap cut vegetables in parchment then in aluminum foil.  After the beef has cooked for 2 hours, place the package of vegetables on the grill and let cook as the meat finishes.

    For the oven bake, heat up a cast iron skillet with a tablespoon of oil.  When hot, add the vegetables and sear until soft and browning on the edges.  (You can use the same skillet to sear the beef if you choose.)

  12. To serve,

    place meat on plate with vegetables, and other sides (e.g., avocado and beans).  Squeeze a wedge of lime juice over the meat.

    OR, for tacos,

    wrap some of the meat in a warm tortilla, top with seared vegetables and choice of toppings. End with a squeeze of lime.

Kitchen Notes

Meat – We prefer beef tri-tip because of its flavor, but you can used other cuts of meat. Cheaper cuts of either beef or pork work well. The slow cook breaks down the connective tissue of the cheaper cuts making them tender.  Even though tri-tip is a leaner cut, with the spicy beer marinade and the slow cook process, the result is melt in your mouth tenderness.

Chipotle Paste – I make chipotle paste by blending a can of chipotle adobo.  Just remove the seed pod before blending.  Once blended you can pour into an ice tray and freeze. Each “cube” is about 1 Tbsp. of paste. If you don’t want to do this, then minced 1 large adobo chipotle and add to marinade with 1 tablespoon of the sauce.

Red Chile Spice Mix – It’s easy to make a quick batch of this spice mix.  What you don’t use can be added to eggs, beans, sprinkled on top of an avocado, salads, sandwiches, and so many other choices.

Dark Beer – A dark Mexican beer, like Negro Modelo, works best.

SpicyBeefTriTipH2 Web
SpicyBeefTriTipH2 Web

What is the saddest thing you’ve ever seen?

When i was 12 years old my sister (she was 16) she began to experience abdominal pain. She never really told anyone about it except me (we were super close, like inseparable close). She thought that it was just because of her periods. As the months started to grow, so did her pain. I was freaked out so I suggested that we tell our mom but she said that she didn’t want to burden my parents (we were at a financial loss at that time).

So after about 65 days she couldn’t hold on so she decided to tell my mom. My mom got an appointment immediately and we rushed to the ER (Emergency Room). My sister was wailing in pain. The docs over there took an ultrasound scan and then an MRI and a couple of other scans, at this point my mom and I were crying that’s when they revealed that my sister had Pancreatic Cancer and that it had crossed Stage III. My mom literally fainted right there.

I was alone and scared and i had heard about cancer only in stories and books like fault in our stars. But when my sister was a victim i didn’t know how to react.

When my mom regained consciousness and calmed down, they told her that my sister was given a few painkillers and anesthesia for the time being and that we had to start with chemotherapy soon but that they were not sure that it would work. My sister did not know that she had cancer, the doc explained it to her usually merry face broke down.

They started chemo and her beautiful black locks which she was proud of slowly began to fall. She was a person of positivity so she told my mom that she wanted to EXPERIMENT her hair. She had hip length hair which she cut it to a bob then a pixie and then finally shaved her head. We both shaved our heads together.

She would never get a minute of sleep at night. On the 12th of December, it was my birthday, I ran home from school happily as my friends had given me a lot of gifts for my sister and me. My dad was there, my mom wasn’t, my sister was at the hospital, so I asked my dad to drive me to the hospital as I wanted to give the gifts to my sister.

My dad was looking really depressed but he agreed. When I reached my sisters room, she was screaming out of pain my mom was screaming for the docs. I went near my sister slowly she smiled at me even with too much pain.

Her last words to me were, “I love you, take care of tiger (our 1 year old dog) and mom and dad, it’s time for me to see grandma and grandpa in heaven”. She died at 16:07pm on my birthday. I cried for almost a month and I still cry for her every single day but not in front of my parents because I know that if I cry they will cry too. I hope she found a peaceful place! A MESSAGE TO MY SIS – I LOVE U ABBY pls come back if u can I miss you every second of my life.

One bad chapter is not the end of the book

My top 5 you shouldn’t do after the age of 65.

And my top 5 you should do.

Oh, and I’ve celebrated 70 trips around the sun.

  1. Don’t ever say, “I’m old.” Those who say it think it. And if you think it you’ll be it.
  2. Don’t say, “I can’t.” Too many people hit 65 and sort of stop living. They stop doing all the things they used to enjoy. And they stop trying new things and enjoying life.
  3. Don’t tell people about your aches and pains. We all have them. Talking about them only makes you and everyone around you feel worse.
  4. Don’t count birthdays. If you’re asked reply vaguely. If you’re not asked don’t say it. It’s only a number.
  5. Don’t complain about the weather, politics or that you don’t live in the good old days. Complaining only changes the number of people who want to hang out with you.

And my top 5 you should do.

  1. Instead of saying, “I’m old,” say, “I feel young.” Focus on feeling young and you will.
  2. Instead of saying, “I can’t” say, “I will”. Find things you love to do. Find new things to challenge you. Make life a continuing adventure.
  3. Instead of complaining about your aches and pains get outside, stretch, strengthen, move and build health. Then talk about how great you feel and you will.
  4. Instead of celebrating your birthdays celebrate the birthdays of those you love. Then you’ll look forward to many more of them.
  5. Instead of complaining help make the world a happier place. And it turns out it will be for you and all those around you.

Growing older happens to us all. Growing happier happens to only a few.

[The media published a conversation between German officers about how they plan to blow up the Crimean Bridge. What can you say about this?]

Russian Foreign Minister
Russian Foreign Minister

“I read today what was posted on social media and announced by Ms Simonyan with reference to the relevant sources.

On the one hand, this is stunning. On the other, less so.

I have said that we know for sure about NATO military participation in the guise of mercenaries or people that are not part of the armed forces of the alliance.

There are some interesting details in this conversation.

These German generals discussed ways to supply Ukraine with long-range weapons (they mentioned the TAURUS) for attacking the Crimean Bridge and ammunition depots in a more subtle way.

[He’s referring to Russia’ s intelligence service leaked a conversation between German military officers who were discussing plans to attack Russia. According to the transcript, a conversation took place on February 19, 2024 among Grafe (department head for operations and exercises at the Air Force Forces Command of the Bundeswehr), Gerhartz (Bundeswehr Air Force Inspector), Fenske and Frohstedte (employees of the Air Operations Command within the Space Operations Center of the Bundeswehr). There was a detailed discussion of using German missiles to attack targets in Russia, such as the Kerch Bridge in Crimea. You can read the full transcript here.]

How to make sure they are not noticed because German Chancellor Olaf Scholz supposedly does not like it, while the Americans and Brits are already there.

They also discussed whether it is possible to target missiles remotely without being in Ukraine. One of the generals said this would still be qualified as direct participation.

They know what they are talking about.

In one exchange, one general mentions that ‘men from the US in civilian clothes’ are there.

I don’t know how to say it but all of our NATO colleagues are guilty as hell.

We’ll have to see how they explain this to their own public.”

Answer by Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov to a media question during his remarks at the Antalya Diplomacy Forum, Antalya, Türkiye, March 1, 2024.

Source: Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Russian Federation

You are 25, making 170K USD or whatever. You take a fresh excel sheet, create 35 rows, put 170K in the first row, formulate 15% (that number actually depends on the flavor of the ice cream you are licking at that moment) YOY growth, stare at the whopping figure in the 36th row and pat yourself on the back in the corner of your poorly lit bedroom. I mean, you are not even accounting for the growth in your cryptic investments that are easily going to double every third year. You save the excel sheet as lifeisset.xlsx.

Fast forward, you are 35, making 245K USD or whatever, on the verge of 6th “restructuring” in the 4th company. You don’t even want to talk about what happened to your crypto investments and the company that you bet on that was going to cure liver cancer using artificial intelligence and quantum computing. You just want to find a better job, but, don’t have the motivation to bleedcode (futuristic version of leetcode that gives you, again, AI based hints based on the poem you are typing in the code editor).

You realize software engineering is a sport for the young and the fit and the smart. The funding for all the projects was for short term. And nobody can be in the right place at the right time for too long. Alas, your honeymoon period is long over. It didn’t even last for a decade.

You finally gather the courage to replace the 9W bulb in your bedroom with 14W and rename the excel to lifeisshit.xlsx.

A real man

Here are the easiest habits that will help you destroy your life:

  1. An obsession with excess. Recently, I was in Spain. That’s where this picture was taken. This meal for me and my girlfriend was at a pretty nice restaurant and cost 215 Euros. I also drank a couple of glasses of wine at this meal. I got drunk and spent lots of money. Excess, right? But the truth is that excess and enjoyment are not bad, rather, an obsession with them is bad. It’s not bad to enjoy life, it’s bad to live in excess every day.
  2. Bad listening. Most people have conversations merely to hear themselves talk. They don’t listen to other people, they don’t care about other people, and all their actions are acts of self-preservation. Be vulnerable enough to shut the hell up and listen. It will do you good.
  3. Inability to enjoy what you have. If you can’t be happy with a nice cup of coffee with a loved one, you probably won’t be happy with a mansion, a bunch of drugs, and a Ferrari. Enjoyment comes from mindfulness and presence. Noticing a theme here?
  4. Using people. If you have relationships out of convenience or if you take advantage of people who consider you “a friend”, when they figure out what you’re doing, they’ll just remove you from their life. You’ll end up alone and people will think you’re an asshole. Never use people — just exist WITH them.
  5. Zero discipline. Everything you want in life comes from doing difficult things for way longer than you think you need to do them. Writing every day not just for a week, month, or year, but several years. Hitting the gym every week for the rest of your life. Discipline is the foundation of all constructive action.

Not myself, but a good family friend.

A few years ago she and her father, then in his early 80”s, took a vacation to visit France.

Now I must explain that her dad is one of the quietest, most patient men I’ve ever met…a man of few words, never seen him lose his temper, as level as they go.

So they fly from Ohio to New York to Paris and end up, of course, at immigration and customs. They’ve flown all night, he’s 82, and more than a bit jet lagged. The young French customs official is quite impatient as he struggles to locate his paperwork (passport, etc) in his backpack.

“Sir”, the agent says in the most snobbish, condescending voice, “you have been to France before?”.

He acknowledges that, yes, he’s been to France before as he continues to search for his documents.

“Then you should KNOW to have your paperwork at the READY!” the official snaps.

After a few more moments, her dad finally locates his paperwork. As he handed them over, he calmly states, in a voice just loud enough to carry across the entire area:

“My apologies. The last I landed here was at Normandy in 1944, and back then I couldn’t find a Frenchmen to show my passport to.”

The young official turned beet red, hastily processed the paperwork without even really looking at it, and they were on their way…including, yes, a last visit to the D-Day landing beach before he passed this Earth.

Learn the Moonwalk

Almost 40 years ago I went to my final interview for a place in the Executive Development Program at Major League Baseball.

America was different in those days. Feminism was pushing down barriers that had stood for a long time, and professional women were asserting themselves in unprecedented ways. My own presence in the final group of 8 candidates was probably additional evidence of that shift.

But MLB was a little behind the curve. One of the big “issues” they were facing in the late 1970s was whether or not to allow accredited female journalists into the team clubhouses immediately after the games ended, so they could conduct interviews and file their stories for the next day. A female reporter for Sports Illustrated, Melissa Ludtke, had sued MLB for equal access.

I walked into the conference room where four senior MLB executives stood ready to greet and question me. Two of them, I confess, I knew little about at the time, but two of them were famous, legendary baseball executives, godlike to me. I shook hands with them all and made a point of NOT taking the seat at the end of the conference table. Instead I sat at the end of one of the long sides of the table. They arranged themselves around the other end.

We had a very pleasant and lively conversation, as I recall, although of course I had no idea what they were looking for. And then they asked me, If it were up to you, what policy would you establish for female journalists’ access to the clubhouses after the games?

I took a deep breath. I had no idea what they wanted to hear but I also knew there was only one thing I could honestly say. So I said it.

“I have to tell you that I really don’t see what the big deal is.”

I took another breath. They were all looking at me intently.

“I mean, we’re talking about accredited journalists, right? So they have deadlines, just like the male journalists do.”

A couple of faint nods.

“But the players are entitled to some privacy too. So I think you need to close the clubhouses completely for a short period after the game ends, maybe ten minutes, just to give the players time to take a shower and put some pants on, but then, after the privacy period is over, I think you have to just open up the clubhouse to anybody who has the right press credentials, let them ask their questions, get their quotes, whatever they need to do, on an equal footing.”

They all nodded.

None of them seemed angry or outraged, so I figured maybe I had not damaged my chances too badly. Somehow I doubt they asked the male applicants the same question, but I’ll never know.

And I got the job. So there’s that.

CIA Spy : “I Don’t Want To Live In The USA When THIS Happens 2030…” | Andrew Bustamante

Israel planned a nuclear detonation in Iran?

I was 39 with a 4 year old son. Becoming a single mom through adoption and everything was great. I had a great career, lots of friends, the child I’d been dreaming of etc. Suddenly, a massive heart issue popped up leaving me on disability for 11 months while it was diagnosed and treated. We had just moved to a new place a couple of months prior. Then, just after I paid the bills and went in for a minor heart procedure, it turns out the people I had been renting from were not the owners of the house. They were squatters and I was scammed. The actual owner showed up wanting me to pay first, last and deposit, and the past due electric bill that was nearly $1000 at that point (my rent included utilities). Obviously I couldn’t pay it so I had to move out quickly just 2 days after heart surgery. We found a place and I got help moving the majority of Stuff. Some was stolen while we were moving the other stuff.

I was released to go back to work and my HR informed me that they had accidentally overpaid me during my disability, do they were deducting that from my next 4 paychecks. About the same time, the Franchise Tax Board hit me with a penalty for not filing my taxes the year before and garnished 25% of my wages. So I was getting about $850 a month at that time. We were sinking fast! I wasn’t fully recovered enough to have strenuous work and I only get paid once a month at my regular job.

I was at my breaking point. Then, my only vehicle broke down, again! I am not super religious, but I do pray and I was definitely b my knees at that point. I didn’t know what I was gonna do. My credit was shot, I was SOL. One day I get the mail. There was a ton of bills in there. I left them sitting on the table for 2 days, because I cannot pay them anyway.

Finally, I sat down to figure it how bad this was gonna be and I noticed that one of the letters is a greeting card with no return address, but addressed to me.

I open it up and there is a beautiful card that says, “I see you struggling and I see you keep going. You are so loved and you will overcome this. Signed Jesus Christ.”

Inside the card was $2,000 in cash! I couldn’t speak for a few minutes! I still have no idea who sent that card, but it was definitely a game changer for us! To whoever sent that card and money, they definitely changed our lives.

The Reconquest Of American Culture

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$26 million for five years

A giant ship’s engine broke down and no one could repair it, so they hired a Mechanical Engineer with over 30 years of experience.

He inspected the engine very carefully, from top to bottom. After seeing everything, the engineer unloaded his bag and pulled out a small hammer.

He knocked something gently. Soon, the engine came to life again. The engine has been fixed!

A week later the engineer mentioned to the ship owner that the total cost of repairing the giant ship was $20,000.

“What?!” said the owner.

“You did almost nothing. Give us a detailed bill.”

The answer is simple:

Tap with a hammer: $2

Know where to knock and how much to knock: $19,998

The importance of appreciating one’s expertise and experience…because those are the results of struggles, experiments and even tears.

If I do a job in 30 minutes it’s because I spent 20 years learning how to do that in 30 minutes. You owe me for the years, not the minutes.”

 

“The United States has consistently claimed to comply with ‘the rules-based international order’, but the most significant rules are the purposes and principles of the UN Charter, including international legal norms such as UN Security Council resolutions.

The Security Council, as the core of the world’s collective security mechanism, should by no means be a tool manipulated by individual countries for geopolitical purposes, nor should it serve as a stage to pursue hegemony or power politics.

There is no exception in the United Nations in complying with international laws including Security Council resolutions, and the United States holds no privileges in this regard.”

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Excerpt from remarks by Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi during a joint press conference with Indonesian Foreign Minister Retno Marsudi after their talks in Jakarta, April 18, 2024.

I know Thailand is the land of smiles but in my own experience I found the people of Laos and Cambodia to be even friendlier than the amazing Thai people. Really miss that whole beautiful area of the world. Happy Travels

A real adventure…

Ah India

One aspect of the Nation I am proud of

Fast Food in India has been INDIANIZED better than in any other nation

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After all these years of McDonalds and KFC and Burger King’s and Taco Bell – the leading fast food is still Vada Pav

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When KFC was forced to launch Biryani among in its Indian menu when it was evident that the 2 Pc and 3 Pc and the famous Zinger was not doing it for the Indian people

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When India is the only country in the world where the top selling burger McAloo Tikki is a vegetarian one and the top 3 selling dishes – McAloo Tikki, McSpicy Paneer and Big Spicy Wrap (Paneer) are all vegetarian pushing the Filet O Fish to fourth sport and Mac Maharajah to the fifth spot

We may be utterly beholden to the West for their technology and core software in every sphere

Yet our Fast food growth is mainly due to our own foods

The leading fast foods of today include :-

#1 Vada Pav

#2 Pav Bhaji

#3 Momos

#4 Pani Poori

#5 Bhel Poori

#6 Aloo Tikki

#7 Samosa

#8 Kachauri

#9 Pizza

#10 Sev Puri & Samosa Chat & Aloo Chaat

(Zomato most ordered foods between 3 PM and 7 PM 2023)

Only Pizza stars in the top 10 popularly eaten fast foods of 2023

And guess which is Dominos most popular Pizza?

Indian Tandoori Pizza & Achari Do Pyaza Pizza

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Pepperoni or Hawaiian are the least selling while Tandoori Chicken sells far more


So it’s not just Mcdonalds outlets or KFC outlets that have spurred the taste of fast foods in India like it did in other nations

The three top reasons include

Availability

Fast Food is available everywhere today

You go to a street and you have a Pani Puri wallah or a Chat seller or a Pav Bhaji stall or a Bakery selling Puffs or a High End Pizza store

You are served in 3–4 minutes and finish in 10 minutes

Far more convenient for office culture and working culture

Price

Fast Food is not too expensive especially Indian Fast Food

You can get Pav Bhaji for 40–60 Bucks a plate which is way lower in cost and better in taste compared to a ₹ 378/- meal in KFC

Taste

Fast Food may or may not be unhealthy but it’s tasty

It’s spicy and Indians like spicy and tangy food

Chili Verde

Chili Verde
Chili Verde

This authentic Chile Verde recipe made with fresh tomatillos, poblano peppers, jalapenos, onion, garlic, and cilantro takes a little more work than the typical “salsa dump” recipes but is absolutely worth it! Serve it with these Slow Cooker Pinto Beans, corn tortillas, or with some Cilantro Lime Cauliflower Rice.

There are so many different recipes out there for chile verde but unfortunately, most of them involve grabbing a jar of store bought salsa verde and dumping it into the slow cooker with either chicken or pork.

While this can be really delicious (case in point: Slow Cooker Salsa Verde Chicken), it will never be as good as making green salsa from scratch. While making salsa from scratch may sound intimidating, it’s actually really easy and only takes about 5 minutes of active prep.

Let’s start with the salsa. Chile Verde is made with a tomatillo salsa verde made with fresh tomatillos, chile peppers, onion, and garlic. The first step to creating this flavor is roasting the tomatillos and peppers. Roasting everything deepens the flavor, adds smokiness to the salsa, and also mellows out some of the sour flavor in the tomatillos. Next, it is important to brighten up the salsa and that is where the cilantro comes in.

How to Serve Chile Verde

Traditionally this dish is served with rice, beans, and tortillas with fresh limes but there are all kinds of ways you can use this. Here are some of my favorites:

  • Tacos: This is a no brainer, but clearly this stuff is delicious in tacos. Warm the tortillas and serve the chicken with fresh cilantro, limes, and queso fresco or avocado.
  • Burritos and Burrito Bowls: Build your own burritos or burrito bowls with rice and beans. Personally, I like to make burrito bowls since the chicken is moist and sometimes I find the burrito begins to fall apart before I finish eating it.
  • Quesadillas: While it may be tempting to stuff this inside a quesadilla, I actually prefer to serve it on top so the quesadilla gets nice and crispy on the outside. Simply make a cheese quesadilla and then top it with Chile Verde.
  • Scrambled eggs: This is so good for breakfast with some scrambled eggs and pinto or black beans. Trust me.
  • Baked potatoes: This is a great stuffing for baked potatoes or sweet potatoes topped with some melted cheese.
  • Chilaquiles: Chilaquiles are one of my favorite breakfast recipes and this Chili Verde is so good on a pile of chiliquiles. If you think you might make chilaquiles, I recommend doubling the salsa so you can cook the chips in the extra tomatillo salsa.

What is Chile Verde?

Many people wonder about the origins of Chile Verde and there is some debate whether chile verde is from Mexico or New Mexico. Most people agree that it is a dish that hails from Northern Mexico, and possible areas in New Mexico as well.

In Mexico, it is traditionally made with pork that is slow cooked in a spicy roasted tomatillo salsa that uses a variety of chile peppers. In New Mexico, it is made in a similar manner but traditionally uses Hatch chile peppers or other native New Mexico green chiles.

Ingredients

  • 1 lb tomatillos
  • 2 large poblano peppers
  • 1 jalapeno (double for more heat)
  • 1 serrano pepper
  • 1 onion, quartered
  • 2 garlic cloves
  • 1/3 cup cilantro
  • 1 cup chicken broth
  • 1 tbsp olive oil
  • 2 lbs. boneless skinless chicken thighs (or pork shoulder roast)
  • Salt and pepper
Yummy
Yummy

Instructions

Switch to prevent your screen from going dark.

1Preheat the oven to broil or your oven’s highest temperature setting, like 500 degrees.

2Place the tomatillos, poblano pepper, jalapeno pepper, serrano pepper, onion, and whole unpeeled garlic cloves on a baking sheet sprayed with cooking spray. Broil for 10 minutes, flipping everything halfway through. If the garlic looks like it is beginning to burn, remove it when you flip everything else.

3Carefully remove the baking sheet from the oven. Place the peppers in a bowl and cover with plastic wrap or a lid. After ten minutes, carefully pull the skin of the peppers off, removing as much as possible. You can also remove the seeds, depending on how spicy you like things. Peel the garlic.

4Add the tomatillos, peppers, onions, garlic, cilantro. and chicken broth to a blender along with any juices from the pan. Blend until it reaches your desired consistency. Some people like a chunkier sauce and some prefer a smoother sauce.

5Stovetop: Heat the olive oil over medium heat in a Dutch oven or heavy pot. Add the chicken (or pork), season with salt and pepper, and brown for 2-3 on both sides. Add the sauce and bring to a simmer. For chicken, let simmer on low heat for 25-30 minutes until the chicken easily shreds with a fork. For pork, simmer for 2.5-3 hours until pork easily pulls apart.

6Slow Cooker: Heat the olive oil over medium heat in a Dutch oven or heavy pot. Add the chicken (or pork), season with salt and pepper, and brown for 2-3 on both sides. (You can skip this step but it adds more flavor if you sear the protein first.) Add to the slow cooker with the sauce. For chicken, cook on low for 4 hours. For pork, cook on low for 8 hours or until the pork is fork tender.

7Instant Pot: Use the instant pot saute setting. Add the chicken (or pork), season with salt and pepper, and brown for 2-3 on both sides. Add the chile verde salsa and cover. For chicken thighs, use the manual (Pressure Cooker) setting and cook for 8 minutes. Let naturally release for at least 2-3 minutes before using the steam valve. For pork, use the manual (Pressure Cooker) setting and cook for 45 minutes. Let naturally release for at least 2-3 minutes before using the steam valve.

When it comes to the heat in this recipe, it comes from using three different types of chile peppers that vary in strength and flavor. The poblano has the least amount of heat but adds a lot of flavor similar to a slightly spicy bell pepper.

The jalapeno is in the middle when it comes to spice and the serrano is the spiciest. You can vary the heat in the salsa by using different amounts of each pepper to find the right combination for you. You can also remove the seeds for less heat or leave them in for more.

Whenever making salsa, start slowly and taste along the way until it is as spicy as you like. Generally, I recommend making it slightly spicier than you want your final product since it will mellow out when cooked when it is cooked with protein.

If you have kids who don’t like spicy, make the salsa using just one seeded poblano pepper for flavor. Cook the protein in this mild salsa. Then puree the remaining peppers with a little chicken broth. Stir this spicy salsa into your dish individually so you can have a spicy version. I always make it this way and my toddler devours the milder chicken while I make mine super spicy.

The next decision when making Chile Verde is what kind of protein you would like to use. Traditionally Chile Verde recipes are made with pork but it is often made with dark meat chicken as well. Both options are delicious.

Normally I like to make it with chicken for a quick meal and I use pork when I will have more time since the pork takes much longer to cook. To keep things lighter, I like to use boneless skinless chicken thighs or a lean pork shoulder roast, but any protein would work.

We also love this traditional Pollo Pibil and Cochinita Pibil when we want a stewed Mexican dish.

Continue reading Israel planned a nuclear detonation in Iran?

Wearing a beanie in beantown on a beany day

I was in the ninth or tenth standard.

Our Maths teacher was excellent in teaching maths in logical way.

I had a great respect for her teaching excellence.

Since I loved Maths and scored good marks, students who had problem with maths would come to me in the short interval for clearing their doubts in some difficult problems.

Those students were day schoolers , while I was in boarding.

In short interval when I was explaining Maths, they would offer me some food to taste which they brought from their home.

One particular item jowar roti(it is called jonna rotti in Telugu) with smoked brinjal chutney(baigan ka bharta) was my favorite. So whenever any of those girls brought those items, they would invariably offer me.

One day when I was explaining some problems to the girls, the teacher saw us.

After some time I was called into the staff room.

I was scared. “Did I do any thing wrong by explaining maths to those girls?” I thought.

“It is a good thing you are clearing the doubts for those girls. I appreciate you. You are saving my time” she said.

My respect for her increased.

“But why do you eat from their (mentioning their caste) tiffin boxes? Stop eating from now onwards”

My entire respect for her came crashing down in a minute.

From then onward, I respected her as a good Math teacher but never considered as a mentor.

RV Life is FINISHED! | 7 HARSH REALITIES Why RVer’s QUIT

Southern Fried Catfish

Fried Catfish Recipe 8 scaled
Fried Catfish Recipe 8 scaled

Ingredients

  • 6 small catfish
  • 2 cups buttermilk
  • 2 cups cornmeal
  • Salt
  • Ground pepper

Instructions

  1. Shake cornmeal, salt and ground pepper in a paper bag.
  2. Heat oil to 360 degrees F, halfway up the sides of a cast iron skillet.
  3. Dip catfish into buttermilk, then into dry mixture in bag.
  4. Fry for about 2 1/2 to 3 minutes on each side (5 minutes per every inch of thickness).
  5. Serve with Hush Puppies.

Years ago, my husband stopped by a yard sale looking for old canning jars (which he collects). When he was getting ready to pay for his new treasures, the man running the sale asked him if he wanted a bottle he had – it was only $5. So my husband bought it. He put it in the back seat of his truck and headed for home.

When he got home, he noticed the vivid green coloring to the bottle so he took some pictures of it and uploaded pictures of it to a collector’s group he belonged to. One person offered him $100, another $200. Finally, someone messaged my husband and asked him if he even knew what he had. Turns out it was an old Binninger’s whiskey bottle and the second one known to exist. They offered to pay for transport to their facility and take it around to some collectors’ shows, then auction it off so it could get some exposure. My husband paid for the shipping and agreed that they could auction it off.

That bottle sold for $6000. The auction house got 10%. So $6000 – $620 (600 to the auction house and $20 to buy and ship) = $5380.00. Not a bad traffic

This was actually half of three conversations that were all connected.

A few years ago I was on holiday in Pisa. One day we were travelling back to Pisa by train after a day out and we were sitting near a young Italian.

When he started speaking to someone on his mobile, I did pay attention at first but I then found that I was understanding what he was saying without trying. I decided to practise my aural comprehension and started listening.

He was asking someone to meet him at the station and I assumed that it was his sister, since many young Italians live at home.

Anyway he said something like:

”…… if you could come and meet me at the station … I need to buy a birthday present for Mamma…”

I could not hear what the other person said but I realised he had received a negative response because he said “OK” in a tone of resignation. I had a vague suspicion that asking for help to choose a present was just an excuse and his real concern was getting a lift home. He then said something like:

”I’ll see you at home then ….. or maybe you could come and pick me up at the station …… Ah, OK. I’ll see you at home then”

I noticed that when he asked about being picked up at the station he spoke with exaggerated casualness, obviously wanting to give the impression that he had only just thought of it although it was his real reason for phoning.

After his request had met with another refusal, he phoned someone else and suggested meeting at the station before going to a bar. This person also declined.

A few minutes later the young man’s mobile rang and I just knew that the second person wanted to arrange something for another night. When he answered his mobile, I could half sense and half hear the other person suggesting that they meet another time. The young man did not want to arrange anything and ended the call very quickly.

Personally, if I had been in the other person’s position, I would not have bothered with that young man again. He seemed really self-centred.

Shorpy History

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1. Money might not buy happiness but it does make sadness comfortable.

2. The fuller your phone battery is by the end of the day, the better your day was.

3. Having a small circle is cool until your two friends are busy.

4. World history unfolding seems so unreal until you experience it first and it becomes too real.

5. If an object is large enough, it becomes a location.

6. Never run for a bus or a relationship. Because when one leaves, another arrives.

7. May you attract someone speaks your language so you don’t have to translate your soul.

8. Some people don’t realize how hard you are riding for them, until you park.

9. Everyone wants you to go the extra mile, but seldom gives you the gas to do it.

10. Randomly hearing your favorite song is more satisfying than putting it on yourself.

According to the plan, it was supposed to carry back 2 kilograms, but the density of the lunar soil is based on public information in the United States. The U.S. public information is incorrect. The actual lunar soil density is smaller than that disclosed by the United States.

In this way, under the same volume, the mass decreases: 2 kg → 1.731 kg.

This scientific parameter must not be wrong! Get it wrong and the mission will fail. Fortunately, the Chinese do not trust the United States and have margins when designing.

2 possibilities: Deliberately publicizing wrong information to mislead others. The second is that the United States really doesn’t know what is wrong. Therefore, the United States keeps asking China for information and lunar soil. China ignored it!

I am not qualified to say that the US moon landing was fake, I can only have doubts.

Some Problem discussion :

1. The Soviet Union also used unmanned missions to land on the moon, obtained the lunar soil, and found water, while the United States said there was no water. The Soviet Union was not confident and could only believe that the lunar soil it obtained was contaminated. Now, no one from China has landed on the moon to obtain lunar soil, proving that the lunar soil contains water.

2. The ironclad proof of the American moon landing is the installation of a lunar surface laser corner reflector . The distance between the earth and the moon can be measured on the earth through the lunar corner reflector. However, the United States installed two corner reflectors manually, and the Soviet Union installed three corner reflectors with automatic machines for unmanned lunar landings. At the same time, the Soviet Union’s corner reflectors can also measure the distance between the earth and the moon. The effect is the same, how can it be “irrefutable proof”.

3. Zhang Benan , deputy chief engineer of China’s aerospace industry , publicly stated that according to the internal assessment of the US Apollo moon landing, the reliability rate was less than 50%. If China followed the American moon landing model, it would be impossible to succeed. Look, Chinese scientists always speak in direct manner. If the success rate of a project is less than 50%, can it be successful? However, there were 6 Apollo moon landings, 5 of which were successful. Science is not feudal superstition. We talk about projects based on facts. We do not take personal feelings and evaluate rationally!

4. When the United States landed on the moon and returned to the earth, it did not master the ” Qian Xuesen ballistic ” re-entry technology and returned to the earth at the second cosmic speed , which would have killed all the astronauts. However, the three astronauts are not dead, they are alive. what happened? The United States has not yet mastered this technology. In 2022, NASA made big claims early, claiming that Orion was the first manned spacecraft in history to use a jump return method (i.e., “floating”) to reenter the atmosphere. This is actually a ” semi-ballistic return ” and is not fully understood. But how did they return to Earth in 1969?!

5. China and the United States, no one has landed on the moon, and some people have landed on the moon. Comparison of lunar surface pictures:

main qimg 9f3133a555bfba4b50b4547c58bb3bce
main qimg 9f3133a555bfba4b50b4547c58bb3bce

China, lunar surface, lunar soil is dense and discolored. United States, on the lunar surface, the lunar soil is like a cement pile, loose and does not change color. (Picture below: Moon landing announced by the United States)

main qimg da27dfb27dc0d274dda5f095a428ba41
main qimg da27dfb27dc0d274dda5f095a428ba41

There is another picture, below: Ground simulation training taken by the United States (published by the United States), take a look

main qimg 4ae1eed93956631e2abf65cb90cd3e78
main qimg 4ae1eed93956631e2abf65cb90cd3e78

In the ground simulation, the astronauts were held by two wires behind them, and the scene was almost the same as if they were on the moon… If you go to the studio and the wire ropes are blurred, you would think that they are on the so-called moon….The picture below shows the lunar surface taken by China’s Chang’e 2 , which is believed to be the remnants of the American Apollo 11. However, it is a shadow with a resolution of 70 meters. It does not prove that “someone landed on the moon”. A lunar rover? American flag? where? Where are the footprints? No one has ever landed on the moon, so we can throw something down. It’s pitch black, what are you looking at? ?

main qimg 31564713a11c1dfe16ed8e2776cbed29
main qimg 31564713a11c1dfe16ed8e2776cbed29

Even if no one lands on the moon, we can still create this huge pile of ruins with nothing visible. 2002 American TV show, the host who questioned the moon landing insisted that astronaut Aldrin swear to the camera with his hand on the Bible, declaring that he had truly left footprints on the moon. If he refused, it would prove that the moon landing was a hoax. Aldrin remained silent for a long time. But the host continued to ask, saying that if you don’t swear, “you are a coward, a liar, and a shameful thief.” Faced with such verbal provocation, an angry Aldrin punched the host, but he still refused to swear in the end. Later, Armstrong and other three other astronauts who landed on the moon also refused to swear when they encountered similar situations. That is to say, no one who landed on the moon has dared to swear according to the Bible that he landed on the moon. (There is a video, you can look for it) According to American law, pressing the Constitution and the Bible with your hands and swearing an oath are essentially testimonials, which are legally binding. Many people do not understand American law. The act of swearing on the Bible can be used as evidence recognized by the court. If you lie, it is ” perjury “; and perjury is one of the six major felonies and must be sentenced to more than one year in prison. There is no Execution outside prison and understanding outside court. Therefore, when Americans are forced to swear or testify, they can remain silent and refuse to answer. This is a form of self-protection and is recognized by law.

Conclusion :

1. We must use a “real scientific attitude” to talk about problems, instead of “because the United States is very powerful”. Everything it does is right and true. This is inappropriate. Discuss things objectively without any subjectivity; let alone use force to overwhelm others, “America is great, how dare you doubt it?” “Scientists from all over the world don’t doubt it, so who do you think you are?” “Whatever culture you have, you are worthy of doubting Apollo”…This is no longer interesting.

2. Not much to talk about, just two:

A. The United States has not yet mastered the “floating technology.” How did the people inside the lunar return module survive when it returned to the earth at the speed of the second universe? Entering the atmosphere at the speed of the second universe, the spacecraft can withstand at least 16G inside and outside, and the human body can withstand up to 10G. If it exceeds, you will die. How did these moon landings survive?

B. Just one. Of all the “moon-landers”, not one of them pressed the Bible and swore he would land on the moon. Why? When talking about things, convince people with reason.

Everyone is interested in the ground training of the American Apollo moon landing. Here are a few more pictures. These are all announced by NASA:

main qimg 38177cfc66c2d536c1f6d1042656d1e0
main qimg 38177cfc66c2d536c1f6d1042656d1e0

It is speculated that the Americans do not know what the real land on the moon is like. They relied on reasoning to simulate the lunar surface and thought it was similar to a cement pile. However, now China has landed on the moon, and found that the lunar surface is actually similar to the Gobi Desert. The picture below shows the first American moonwalkers. They firmly refused to swear by the Bible that they had landed on the moon. They either cursed, ignored, or remained silent. There were 12 people who landed on the moon, and no one swore an oath!

main qimg 76d19541d6cded34a9b542d57834c6f4
main qimg 76d19541d6cded34a9b542d57834c6f4

We Chinese, born in a secular society, keep a distance from religion or are indifferent to it. But Western society is different. Even after the religious reform, most Americans are Protestants, and they still have a strong respect for religion. Swearing on the Bible is a big deal to them. This is not an oath, it actually explains a lot.….

The latest video I saw was Aldrin talking to a little girl. He probably won’t live long enough to control it, so he told the truth. July 2018, an 8-year-old girl asked Aldrin: “Why hasn’t anyone gone to the moon in so long?”Aldrin accidentally said this: I don’t know, we haven’t been to the moon either!

main qimg 1373f1630f997ff87de6e1980af36ab7
main qimg 1373f1630f997ff87de6e1980af36ab7

Author Note :

USA empire of lies, Barbarian who think himself noble.

Onion Crusted Catfish

onion crusted catfish
onion crusted catfish

Yield: 4 servings

Ingredients

Catfish

  • 8 U.S. Farm-Raised Catfish Fillets
  • 1 cup all-purpose flour
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
  • 1 teaspoon lemon zest
  • 1 cup French fried onions, crushed

Pecan Sauce

  • 1/2 cup butter
  • 1/2 cup chopped pecans
  • 2 tablespoons lemon juice
  • 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
  • 1 tablespoon fresh parsley, chopped

Instructions

Catfish

  1. Combine flour, salt, cayenne pepper and lemon zest in shallow bowl.
  2. Dredge fillets in flour mixture and press in crushed fried onions, coating well.
  3. Brown fillets over medium-high heat serving side down for 3 to 4 minutes.
  4. Turn fillets and cook 3 to 4 more minutes or until done.
  5. While fillets are cooking, make Pecan Sauce.
  6. Place fillets on plate and serve with sauce.

Pecan Sauce

  1. Melt butter in small saucepan until bubbly and slightly browned.
  2. Add pecans and cook 1 minute to lightly toast.
  3. Add lemon juice and Worcestershire sauce. Remove from heat; add parsley. Spoon over fish.

Senator John McCain told this story. He was visiting an African nation and was in the office of that country’s president, along with a Congressional colleague. The colleague proceeded to talk to the African president loudly and slowly, using exaggerated gestures.

“MY country is VERY BIG. We have BIG MOUNTAINS. We have BIG CITIES. We have UNIVERSITIES. Do you know what UNIVERSITY means?”

The African president stared at him a moment and then replied, in a normal tone of voice, “I think so. I have a daughter at Vanderbilt.”

Edit, May 5, 2023: Eighty-two thousand views in a week suggests that this issue resonates with a great many people. I am also reminded of this incident of a few years ago:

EDITORIAL: Well, that was embarrassing… — Acknowledging our assumptions
There are many ways to strangle communication. We can misinterpret, not pay enough attention, pay too much attention (to ourselves!), and of course assume. It is much too easy to do. A recent case …

Finally, I am reminded of the employee orientation I attended at an internationally known non-profit institution that attracts employees from all over the world. The institution is located in Tennessee. A young couple with obvious British accents said they were from the UK, and the person in charge of the orientation, having no idea what the UK was, spent the entire day thinking they were from Ukraine.

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Yes. My BEST friend…who I hired to be an assistant manager…and he succeeded. Out of the blue one day, the COO of the company (a bit of a tyrant, but was ALWAYS cool with me) tried to get me to resign for “theft” of property that had been missing before I ever took the position as a manager. I flatly refused and even laughed at him, I hadn’t stolen anything and I knew I was the scapegoat for something. I was fired with no cause given, it certainly wasn’t for theft even though that was the claim. Months later he (best friend) then proceeded to go after my Dad (who worked at the same company) and my dad resigned (he was already job shopping because the company was beginning to have strange issues). Turns out he (my best friend) was a two faced POS (even his own family has now disowned him). He apparently knew that the COO of the company was having an affair…and he used that info to blackmail the COO into putting him into my position and then my father’s position. It lasted about a year until the company president found out about the affair and gave the COO a second chance to clean up his act (the COO’s wife worked for the president and was just a wonderful person). The COO couldn’t keep it in his pants and he got fired. The President took over the COO’s position and began to get information from recently fired employees about how they were fired without cause because the “big supervisor” (guess who) found “problems” that didn’t really exist. The big supervisor would have to come to the stores and do inventories, etc., and while he was doing that he was rewriting sales agreements and contracts so that HE was now getting the percentages of the sales vs the now fired managers. Well, all of that caught up to him…AND it was determined that HE was stealing and blaming it on employees. He had a nice racket going. He got fired and damn near got put in jail. I eventually heard that he had BIG BIG money problems, a serious drug issue and other things. His wife divorced him, his two kids won’t speak to him, his brother and sister won’t even mention his name…. He moved away, married a gal that had a “history” and became persona non grata around these parts.

This is a guy I knew all of my life, who I trusted with my life and would’ve died for. His family is one of the best and his father was as good a man as I’ve ever known. He threw all of it away for money and to try to dig himself out of a problem of his own making. It broke my heart because I’d never been betrayed like that before.

I believe that Made in China 2025 plays better to China’s traditional strengths, which are:

  • Production and manufacturing capacity;
  • Innovation and adaptation;
  • A growing domestic consumer market;
  • Fast to market speed;
  • Domestic consumers who are quicker to adapt than other markets.

It will also stimulate science innovation at a time when the US, EU and Japan are not investing as much.

Moreover, China needs to move up the value chain because the US has shown that it is an unreliable trading partner, which means that China needs to be strong in all the areas which the US is currently strong in, and replace the US as the world’s most innovative and reliable trading partner.

There is an opportunity here because the Trump administration and Republican Party have turned against science investment and education, which means that there is a good opportunity for China to attract science talent to work in China on next generation products and services.

In order to do this, China needs to open up immigration, not just to ethnic Chinese from overseas, but to all talented individuals with special skills who can contribute to Made in China 2025. It needs to become the immigration destination of choice for people from all over the world, replacing the US.

OBOR mainly benefits the large Chinese state-owned companies which are strong in transport development and infrastructure. However, the big question is when will these huge infrastructure projects be paid off?

If their domestic markets take a long time to develop, this means that these governments in central Asia will be saddled with high levels of debt to China, and creating animosity towards China among their own populations. (This has already happened in Malaysia, where the new Malaysian government has asked to re-negotiate the terms of Chinese infrastructure projects in Malaysia.)

For these reasons, I think that Made in China 2025 is the safer investment, and will help Chinese science and industry move up the value chain, replacing the US.

More common than you can believe

Beef Brisket

Beef Brisket
Beef Brisket

Ingredients

  • 1 (5 or 6 pound) beef brisket
  • Onion, garlic and celery salt
  • 1 tablespoon liquid smoke
  • 1/4 cup Worcestershire sauce
  • 1 envelope onion soup mix
  • 1 small bottle barbecue sauce

Instructions

  1. Marinate brisket in a mixture of the onion, garlic and celery salts and liquid smoke. Rub in well and poke holes in meat to help tenderize it. Marinate overnight or at least 3 hours.
  2. Make a pouch of aluminum foil. Put meat in it and add salt and pepper to taste and Worcestershire sauce. Seal pouch well and bake at 275 degrees F for 4 to 6 hours.
  3. Open pouch and put onion soup mix and small bottle of barbecue sauce over brisket. Seal pouch again and bake 1 hour longer.
  4. Refrigerate for 1 hour before slicing across grain.

The plant I work in is a 24/7 365 operation. I’m an industrial electronics technician/mechanic and this particular year I got the short straw. So late on the 24th of December Christmas eve and I’m on my way to work. Then this cop pulls in behind me, lights n such, and pulls me over. I couldn’t think of a single thing I had done wrong and was thinking, wtf, I’m gonna get a ticket on may way to work a night shift on Christmas eve, seriously???. I was clearly not feeling like this was going to be a good day.

Now I like putting my skills to work in my personal as well as professional life. My favorite thing is building projects, enter the pickup truck I was driving at the time. For note, this took place about 20yrs ago.

The cop comes up and immediately said, ‘you haven’t done anything wrong’. Which clearly left me very very confused. ‘Are those solar panels on your bed?’. Yes, yes they are. You see I had built an electric truck out of an old Chevy S10. The solar provided some free charging. The questions being flying and on the side of the road on Christmas eve I pop the hood and give an impromptu lesson on electric vehicles.

10min or so later excused myself, work awaited. Oddest stop I ever had.

I worked for a Kia dealer in the late 90s. They had something called retro money. It was an incentive to the dealer. Every car you sold in a month got you xx dollars from the manufacturer. The more you sold the larger the incentive, and it was retro to all the cars you sold that month. So if the incentive went from 500 to 800 per car you would get the extra 300 on all cars sold for the month.

It is the last day of the month and we need to sell two cars to hit the next level. It would mean an extra 35k for the dealer. We sold the first one by 10am. Then it was a ghost town. No customers etc. I get a guy looking at a Kia Sportage. Not really interested, blah blah blah. It’s nearly closing time and this guy is the only customer. He is one of those that doesn’t buy the same day etc. I was ready to buy a car at this point. We offer him a deal, no, another deal, no. We gave him the rebate off of invoice as well as the holdback, the funny money. The final offer was a 4,000 loss from triple net cost. It was about 8k off of sticker price. This on a car that had a sticker price of about 18k. HE WANTS TO THINK ABOUT IT OVERNIGHT. I tell him this deal goes away. Honestly, if he didn’t buy it, I was going to. He did buy it.

  1. In ancient Rome, the punishment for patricide (killing one’s father) was to be drowned in a sack along with a viper, a dog, a monkey and a rooster. The reason? I don’t even know.
  2. Alice Stebbins Wells was the first ever policewoman who joined the LAPD in 1910. Because she was the first (and only) policewoman, she designed her own police uniform.
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3. Gorgias of Epirus, a Greek sophist, was born in his dead mother’s coffin while pallbearers were on their way to bury her. Who has an explanation for this?

4. In the 5th century, St. Simeon Stylites spent 37 years on a small platform on top of a tall pillar in Aleppo, Syria. He did it for ascetic reasons but sometimes I wonder how even spending 1 year on top of a skyscraper without coming down will be like.

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5. One of the most well-known gladiators of ancient Rome, Carpophorus, fought exclusively against beasts. You think Samson in the Bible was a beast? Carpophorus was a monster! Carpophorus famously defeated a bear, lion, and leopard in a single battle. That same day, he slaughtered a rhinoceros with a spear and set a record of killing 20 wild animals no other man will even venture to go near. Even Hercules didn’t do this!

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American Reacts to First Time You Realized America Really Messed You Up | Part 2 | TikTok

I do now.

It grew out of quiet quitting. Most other hospitals in town pay about 30–40% more for my job. So after making this known I cut back my work to about 60% and nobody noticed or cared so I cut back even further.

I do about 6 hours of work in a given week.

I show up, I train my classes 1–2 days a couple weeks a month then I go wander around clinics and bullshit with a few people to look like I’m busy. Then I go back to my desk and sit. Thanks to Covid office emptiness I keep headphones on so it looks like I’m listening to music. I’m listening to books on tape or watching YouTube videos. I keep something that looks like work on one of my monitors so I look busy but I pretty much just sit. Sometimes I work on additional certifications for when the ship sinks and I have to go work somewhere else.

I work from home on Fridays, which is to say I sign in to Teams and watch Netflix for 8 hours.

If I can keep this up for 13 years and this poorly run mess I work for doesn’t bankrupt itself, I retire with a full pension.

I have been married twice.

My first marriage ended with my wife’s bloody body in my lap.

She took only about a minute to die.

We had been married, exactly 5 years, she died on our anniversary. She was pregnant, so I also lost the person who would have been my firstborn.

My second marriage ended when my wife died in hospital, from cancer, while I was asleep, at home, she took just days short of 2 years to die.

We had been married 46 years.

I’m still trying to work out which was the worst.

The strange thing about all this is that my first wife died on the 17th of August 1963, at 0130 hrs.

My second wife died on the 17th of August 2013, at 0115 hrs.

I decided to not remarry as I would be depressed every year as August approached.?

PS. My birthday is the 27th of August.

I came into work one morning at around 9:30AM and so was admittedly late. This was in the early 70s so flexible working was not a thing. My boss called me into his office, and gave me right bollocking. I resigned on the spot basically telling him that if he didn’t like it he could stuff his job.

This does seem to be rather high-handed of me, but the context is that I had finished work at 4 AM, destruction testing and debugging a programme suite I had written over the previous 6 months. I had just worked continuously from Friday 10 PM until Monday 4 AM surviving on sandwiches and copious amounts of caffeine citrate tablets so by the time I arrived at 9:30 AM on Monday I was still pretty strung out and probably resembled the crazy doctor in the Cannonball run.

I was incensed to be carpetted without being asked for an explanation. Two days later I had a new job with a 50% salary increase.

I worked a $8-an-hour part-time job on weekends because I needed the money. Like all low-wage jobs, it was hard work, stupid policies, supervisors with a take-it-or-leave it attitude. It was a high-turnover position; people were always quitting and they were always hiring. We were always understaffed.

We were without a manager. Our team lead had been pressed into service without title or pay raise while they recruited the position. For months. As an employee formerly in our position, he was sympathetic to our viewpoints, did the job well, and was popular with us front-line guys. He applied and interviewed for the position he was already spending 40 hours a week doing.

He didn’t get the job.

On the new manager’s first day, our disappointed and bitter team lead quit. Fully 80% of the team followed him out the door. Many of us told our team lead that the only reason we hadn’t already quit was that we hadn’t wanted to make his job as our unacknowledged manager harder.

That didn’t stop the fucker from disappearing instead of repaying the $500 I had loaned him.

For years, the race we all hear about is to lower and lower node sizes. China (SMIC) decided that competing on this was a fools errand.

They are currently flooding the market with 28nm (and above), also known as “mature processes”. This is the same strategy they took in solar panels and batteries. By some accounts, they’ll have a third of this market in a few years.

28 nm is a limit after which transistors had to be redesigned for heat dispersion, data transfer and electric interference, expensive for minimal speed increase. Some think that it is better to keep that design. but use gallium, photonics and other tech to make chips faster. There’s also this interesting cost curve where 14nm is the inflection point where it starts to become more expensive rapidly.

The running after Moore’s law of stuffing more primitive logic into smaller and smaller chips ends up with, for most applications, only marginal gains in useful functionality. Bigger, although still tiny, integrated circuits take up marginally larger space/volume and energy consumption and do the job within acptable response times for logical cycles.

In marketing terms this makes even more sense to raise the cumulative return on mature proven minimum defect production cycles. Going after smaller etching dimensions involves a far higher investment and as can be seen a smaller market.

The experience and tacit knowledge gained on the rising throughput in 28nm etch production is likely at some point to result in the systems teams involved coming up with better designs for smaller dimensioned products simply as a result of their accumlation of their know how (learning curve).

Why is this a problem:

They need 28nm for a ton of things. Lower node is more profitable, but higher node chips are critical for a bunch of things. Cars. IoT. Microcontrollers.

And most worrying: these higher node chips are important for the military. The US government, especially under Trump, tried to get the military to have a better sense of the provenance of chips. They have, for the most part, failed. Chips are bought by systems integrators and the systems integrators have little sense of their own supply chain.

Qualcomm etc aren’t lying per se, but you need to fulfil orders. Some of them are civilian and are military. Some get filled by SMIC chips others by global foundries.

What’s more important?

Their military production might be at risk of being cut off in the event of conflict. Intel’s foundry is targeting lower nodes. It won’t touch these lagging edge processes. Why should it? There’s no $$ in it.

The US private sector has shown great disinterest in solving this.

It was obvious some time ago that this would happen, and it’s the consequences of capitalist short term policies of the US administration. Anyone in tech knows military equipment does not use advanced node chips.

Whatever West does is too little & too late if West’s purpose is to kneecap China. China can make everything, materials, chemicals, and equipment for making 28nm chips & above. China has some workarounds for making 5nm chips too.

This gain in Chinese market share is not export driven, but from domestic consumption growth and divestment from US foundries. Too many people are short-sighted and think that China cannot properly manufacture advanced chips. Take a look at Huawei’s recently released PUEA70, which has a 7-nanometer chip and a camera module that surpasses Sony’s.

I think another point that the West hasn’t realized is that Chinese advance in semiconductor will quickly spill over to Vietnam too (China is already eating into South Korea & Taiwan’s lunch) and there won’t be anyway to diverge from China-Vietnam supply chain network and still able to compete on price (China already can mass produce for much cheaper than other East Asian developed economies). This spillover has already happened in solar industries.

Saving Private Ryan RIPPED Me to Shreds – First Time Watching

One of the best reactions.

This movie was a hard watch and a complete emotional rollercoaster. I cried and laughed (sometimes at inappropriate moments), but mostly sobbed. Okay... not just sobbed, I UGLY cried. Kinda embarassing, but it's out there now, don't judge me for my faces of despair! Lol. Trust me, I went to bed hugging my dog after filming!

A tale of stale popcorn

When I was a senior in High School, I had a group of friends that I used to hang around with.

Oh, sure, most of the time we just stood around, smoked joints, drank beer and did acid. But it was a different time and a different place. We would alternate our locations, from the “standard” keggers, to road drives though the Western Pennsylvania woods to just hanging out near the river at a tipple.

Anyways, one of the guys was this older fella named Calvin. I liked him, but he was a hard drinker and partier.

I still get a chuckle out of this, but we are all stoned in my GTO. Calvin was in the back seat. A friend had lit a “Thai stick” which of course, was a very powerful form of marijuana, and when you smoked it, it felt like a baseball bat smashed your face. And we were parked outside this historical landmark; an old church and cemetery. We were listening to Led Zeppelin, and just sitting there completely zoned out. Our brains were pickled.

Calvin was chewing on something. He would reach into the ashtray at the side of the door wall and pull out some old cigarette butts and put in in his mouth and chew on it.

Then he said, after a while… “Man, this popcorn is the really stale”.

OMG! What a great belly laugh we all had.

Good times. Good Times.

Today…

The PRC has sent barges into the channels between Quemoy and Xiamen to deepen the water channels between the ROC-held island of Quemoy and the PRC city of Xiamen. The ROC government in Taipei has said that this is a violation of the lines which the ROC had drawn between the two governments, and which had largely been respected by both sides.

Following the Feb. 14 event where an ROC coast guard ship chased a PRC fishing boat, leading to its capsize and the death of two PRC fishermen, the two sides have been involved in several rounds of negotiations. The PRC side has demanded a public apology and compensation to the families of the fishermen, but the ROC authorities have refused. So the PRC side has decided to deepen the shipping channels in the area, and violating the lines drawn up by the ROC.

Now the ROC authorities are threatening to take action against the PRC ships working in the area. They have not specified what actions they will take aside from pushing the PRC ships out of the area. This sets the stage for a confrontation.

The problem with the ROC position is that the authorities now publicly refer to the ROC as “Taiwan”, because the ruling DPP is for Taiwan independence. By taking a stance on offshore islands so close to Xiamen and PRC-held territory, they are choosing to enforce territory which is far away from Taiwan, and is not considered to be a part of “Taiwan”.

Why are they doing this? Do they expect the Biden administration to support them? It does not make a lot of sense.

If they don’t enforce it though, it is likely that the PRC air force and navy are unlikely to recognize air and sea claims made by the ROC anymore.

Salami-slicing in action.

Chuck Wagon Peach Cobbler

Chuck Wagon Peach Cobbler
Chuck Wagon Peach Cobbler

Ingredients

Cobbler Crust

  • 5 cups all-purpose flour
  • 1 teaspoon baking powder
  • 1 cup shortening
  • 1 cup cold water

Cobbler

  • 1 Cobbler Crust
  • 1 cup granulated sugar
  • 6 cups peaches, drained and juice reserved
  • 1 cup butter, melted
  • 1 cup brown sugar
  • 1 teaspoon cinnamon
  • 1/2 cup Half-and-Half
  • 1 cup juice from drained peaches
  • 1/2 cup Black Jack Daniels

Instructions

Cobbler Crust

  1. Mix dry ingredients and add shortening. Cut in with a fork. Mixture should look like coarse meal.
  2. Add cold water gradually to make a ball.
  3. Divide into 2 balls, top and bottom. Roll out one and line a 14 inch pan or 14 inch Dutch oven.
  4. Roll out remainder and cut into 1 inch slices for latticework on top.

Cobbler

  1. Melt butter in saucepan. Add peaches, brown sugar, cinnamon, sugar and Half-and-Half. Mix well.
  2. Line pan or Dutch oven with crust.
  3. Pour in fruit mixture.
  4. Cover top with strips of crust in latticework pattern.
  5. Moisten strips with water before baking and sprinkle sugar on latticework for crispy finish.
  6. Bake for 45 to 50 minutes.

Every Man Needs To See This

When I bought my first car, a 1966 Mustang, my father insisted that I take it to his mechanic to go over it to make sure it was all working properly before I could drive it. It would stall out after 10 minutes of driving, so there was a problem.

The following was on the bill….
Clean top of carburator
Check oil filter for loosenes
Check window operation
Check exhaust system
Check steering, suggest replacement of steering box.

This was 1972 and the bill was over $300.00!!

The actual problem was a pinched fuel line. Rubber hose and two clamps. $1.50.
I replaced the oil filter and changed the oil. $7.50 total.
I removed the interior panels of the door, and greased the tracks. Already had grease $0.00
I replaced a broken hanger for the exhaust. $3.50
I pulled out the steering box and found it only needed grease and adjustment. Time and labor, already had grease $0.00.

The dude that worked on my car was a hack. I pointed out all this to my father and he only said “I guess your a better mechanic than the place we took it to. I never went back there.

Idiots

It’s difficult for my legal bod cousins. As I’ve mentioned before in another post during CNY celebrations a lot of UK born cousins were back in HK. A lot of them were looking for a route to come live in HK.

One of them was my cousin from one of my dad’s sisters. She’s worked in a UK legal firm for ages and wanted a way to come back here. Her just like many UK born ones have HKID cards so do not need visa sponsorship.

She had work experience.

She can work for less because accommodation is provided, the Clan provides several fully fitted out portacabins right at the back of the village, Portacabins are used because the common houses are being torn down and rebuilt. Anyway these portacabins all you have to do is pay for the electricity used.

She’s also pretty damned good in Chinese, HSK6… but here’s the thing HSK6 is still considered by most China born Chinese to be illiterate!

So? You have none of the above advantages.

You have to answer the question to HK immigration – why should I let you work in HK? What skills do you have that are in demand or somebody in HK can’t do. AND it has to pay over $28,000 a month.

You’re competing against all the returnees.

Jimmy Tells American General “The U.S. Is The World’s Biggest Terrorist!”

A group of my friends was out drinking at a local bar where the music was loud, the floor was sticky, and the atmosphere was biker/tattoo/STD/obnoxious.

I was talking with someone who was an acquaintance-they were a friend of one of my friends. We knew each other, but only through these mutual friends.

Unfortunately, alcohol makes some people belligerent and, in the case of this one particular individual, paranoid.

I must have said something that didn’t sit well with him because the belligerent paranoid (BPA) accused me of disparaging him (I had not). He turned to my husband and told him he knew for a fact that our daughter was not his biological daughter (She is 100% his biological daughter). He started uttering non-sensical statements which I, for the most part, ignored and took as our cue to get the hell out of that dive bar.

The BPA went to the bathroom, my husband waited to pay the tab, and I went to get the car.

While I waited for my husband to come out, the BPA came up to my window and just stared into my car until I noticed him which caused me to jump and scream. I rolled down my window and told him he nearly gave me a heart attack.

Then he very calmly stared at me and said, “I’ll be by later tonight to stick a lighter in your outside dryer vent until your house catches and you all burn to death.”

Who the fuck communicates such a descriptive and specific way to unalive someone they barely know for reasons that are a complete figment of their imaginative paranoia?

My husband and I didn’t sleep well that night. The next day we installed cameras. And we have avoided all contact with the BPA since that unsettling and strange incident.

Bring your cat to work day

  1. Everybody is self-made but only millionaires will admit it.
  2. When you work for someone, the harder you work , the richer they get . When you work for yourself, the harder you work, the richer you get.
  3. Continue to live for moments that make your heart smile wider than your face could ever imagine.
  4. Uncomfortable dating tips : Women want you the most when you don’t need them.
  5. Most people know “WHAT”to think , not “HOW” to think . If you learn this, you can conquer the world.
  6. You can’t force love. Either it’s there or it isn’t. You’ve got to be able to admit it . If it’s there , you’ve got to do whatever it takes to protect it.
  7. Modern life is low-level psychic warfare.
  8. Men will gladly spend a whole day with a woman, but not a single hour on their purpose. And, in the end, they ask, “why did she leave?”.

Men Have FINALLY Had Enough Of Their FEMALE Colleagues

Oh I have a doozy.

1978. Houston. Near the Galleria Mall.

I was getting off the freeway when a police car cut me off, almost running me off the road, no signal. Just truly bad driving.

Being young and stupid, when I was beside him at the light, I called him on it.

Oh he lit me up. I had three friends in my car with me. He made me get out of the car and was just screaming at me, telling me he could do anything he damn well pleased and poking me in the chest the entire time. I politely asked him to stop poking me with his finger and he threatened to break all my fingers off. He was so mad he was spitting and his partner was standing next to him with a smirk.

I stayed calm and asked my friends to write down their name, badge number, and car number. That’s when they hopped in their cruiser and just zoomed off.

I didn’t like it, so I called and talked to the desk officer. He took all the information and I assumed absolutely nothing would happen.

Nope.

I got a call back from a lieutenant a few days later. They had done an investigation, because the location I reported them at was nowhere NEAR where they were assigned for that shift. What they discovered is that they were cutting out of their area, going to the mall, and catching a movie. Lots.

The lieutenant shared that this was not the first complaint, but it was the last, because they’d both been fired.

Moral of the story? If you’re doing something outright stupid, don’t light up the stubborn college kid.

Today’s Shinjuku Kabukicho August 23, 2023 UP

Dad had stage four mastatised pancreatic cancer, double incontinence, dementia and crippling arthritis. His oncologists used to call him in every month for a check up that consisted of him looking at dad’s medical notes asking how he was then nodding his head, that’s it. But, the trip to the hospital took nearly an hours preparation, a forty minute drive each way, a ten minute walk from the car park to the clinic (dad in a wheelchair when I found one) and then the worst bit! The oncologist used to call ALL that days patients in at 0930 then see them in alphabetical order! Look at our surname! The first few times were bad but one time after dad returned to the hospice he had to be rushed back to the same hospital under blues and twos! The next appointment we managed about an hour in the waiting room and dad was struggling to hold back his tears of agony, so I wheeled him out and started along the corridors back to the car. First the receptionist tried to stop us and I told her what to do on a short pier, then the nurse came running up to try to return us to the clinic “as the doctor was very busy and would get to us as soon as possible”. Dad told her to go forth and fornicate or something similar! She ran back and told the doctor (don’t know if fornication was involved or not). Pushing a wheelchair with a mind of a shopping trolley containing a fifteen stone (210#) obese man (5′2″ ) in immense pain, who didn’t want to be there, you don’t move very fast! The doctor caught up to us to find out what was going on and exercise his presumed authority! Wrong move! My dad used to be a CSM and he taught me how to project orders across a parade ground! Don’t shout at me if you have sensitive hearing! Amongst other things (including the legitimacy of his birth) I told him we were there for the benefit of dads health and not his ego! And we left, luckily for him he didn’t try anything physical! I’m also 210# but six foot tall and very little of that was fat! Unfortunately the stress and strain on dad contributed to him once again that evening being returned to hospital by emergency ambulance.

Now my dad through a variety of reasons was no stranger to that hospital. In the ward he usually ended up on, all the staff knew him and were on first name terms, most since being students. One of the senior consultants had first met my dad when he was doing his medical training and had become friends (even came to dad’s funeral! What, you think you recover from stage four pancreatic cancer? At 81?) He wanted to know why dad was back in hospital once again. So we told him who, how and why! Now this senior consultant is married to the chief executive of the hospital, that may or may not be the reason that the oncologist changed his appointments policy from block appointments to individual appointments and a very significant attitude adjustment the next time we went to see him!

Gen-Z

I started to work as a programmer with a large insurance company.

I was also going to a university at night for an engineering degree.

So, the job was just a paycheck for me until graduated.

My supervisor called me into her office and let me know that she knew that I was just using the job as a steppingstone until I graduated. She was a quaker and peppered her speech with thee and thou. A lovely lady.

She told me the company had its own problems and if I showed some diligence in my job, she would ensure that I would be rewarded for my effort.

I took her advice and made a great effort to please her and focused on my job.

When the company put together a planning group, she insisted that I be a part of it.

The group consisted of two vice presidents, three directors and one programmer.

The first problem we tackled was the number of boxes of paper documents shipped to all our service locations at the end of the month. The cost of shipping the boxes and how hard it was to look up the data at the service location.

This was in the late sixties and personal computers were not common.

I was a tech magazine reader at the time, so I suggested to the group that we output the data to a fiche machine because the fiche produced would be less costly to ship than sending boxes,

It would require the home office to buy the fiche machine and the service locations to rent fiche readers, which at that time were very cheap.

The benefit to the service location was the fiche was easy to handle and never got torn.

Well, the company and the service locations loved the idea, so it was accepted.

The planning group stayed together for a year, and we solved some smaller problems.

That 15-minute conversation with my supervisor changed my life forever.

When I received my degree, I no longer had an interest in engineering and chose to stay in the computer field.

She is gone now but not forgotten.

Pepe Escobar: Putin and China Send DEVASTATING Warning to NATO as Germany, Macron Threaten WWIII

This is really rather good.

I can try.

It’s a long story, though. But, like most other people, my political leanings are the result of my influences early in life, and my experiences. And, to some degree, what I didn’t experience, that others did experience.

For example, it’s easy to be supportive of the police, when you’ve only ever had positive encounters with them. It’s easy to assume that most people can avoid negative encounters with the police by simply obeying the law.

That door swings both ways. It’s easy to have an adversarial view of the police when you or someone you know had a negative encounter with them.

Once you get a political idea in your head, you start to see it everywhere you look. This is true for people across the political spectrum. You’re influenced to see certain things and, by God, now that you’re looking for them, you see them everywhere.

For me, my journey to the right side of the political spectrum is more of a journey of being pushed away by the left, rather than willingly moving towards the right. I’m more libertarian than conservative, but, in contemporary America’s binary political landscape, it seems that anything that isn’t progressive is often all grouped under “conservatism.”

Progressives: What’s your stance on [this issue]?

Me: Total indifference. It has nothing to do with me.

Progressives: So you don’t support the people who are dealing with it?

Me: Does my support or lack of it have any impact on the issue whatsoever? No? Then why must I choose to support it or not? Why can’t I remain indifferent?

Progressives: You sound like a conservative. Your silence tells us all we need to know, and it won’t protect you.

Me: If indifference on this topic makes me a conservative in your eyes, okay then. I’ll add your labeling of my political stances to the list of things I don’t care about.

If I’m being super honest, in the last decade or so, I’ve gone from identifying as “libertarian” to identifying as “cynical.” I assume that most politicians are only looking out for themselves, most government attempts to fix issues will fail, or make things worse, the government has more than enough money to fix society’s problems, but a lot of that money is wasted, etc…

For example, there’s a ballot measure here in Chicago to raise taxes on real estate sales over $1m, to raise funds for housing options for homeless people. My view on that is that it will likely pass, but not a single homeless person will be helped by this. Any money raised by this will find its way into the pockets of politicians and their supporters, while the expenses will just passed on to renters. The people who support it will get to pat themselves on the back for caring about the homeless, while ignoring the complete lack of tangible positive outcomes from it. The goal here is virtue signaling from the rank-and-file voters, sticking it to “rich people,” and lining the pockets of the Democratic machine. Homelessness is just the necessary reasoning for it all.

Basically, I assume that, for the rest of my life, the general situation in the world, and in my country, will be roughly the same as it is now, and my best move is to put myself and my children in a position to avoid the worst of it. The “status quo,” when it comes to politics, is too hopelessly entrenched to be uprooted, and too hopelessly corrupt to be effective.

But this question is about the origins of my conservatism, not why I stick with it in middle age.

I suppose my political journey began as a child in the 80s and early 90s. My father worked for the U.S. Navy, as a civilian machinist. Among other things I remember him saying about his job were:

  • He was forced to spend millions of dollars on machines that he didn’t really need in his shop, but the companies who made those machines donated to the right politicians.
  • He was forced to spend every single dime he was allocated for the fiscal year, or, the next fiscal year, he wouldn’t get as much allocated. Saving money isn’t rewarded, but is actually punished, when you work for the government.
  • He would never be promoted beyond his current level, no matter how well he did, because he was a white male. Back then, the federal government was only interested in promoting racial minorities and females.

That last one was something I heard versions of from most white men I knew growing up. Of course, half of them worked at the same base where my father worked, so they dealt with the same policies. None of these were rich white men. They were all working class white men, and they all felt like they were being punished for things they didn’t do, in the name of “fairness.” And they placed the blame for that injustice directly at the feet of liberals.

The same white “social justice warriors” of the 50s and 60s found themselves, by the 80s, on the receiving end of social injustice, in the form of Affirmative Action. It seemed like every middle-aged white male I knew growing up was a “live and let live” and “don’t judge a book by its cover” kind of guy, with a serious chip on their shoulder that others weren’t adhering to the “don’t judge a book by its cover” mantra. Every single white guy who felt like they were falling behind in society was able to blame Affirmative Action for their slipping, no matter how true it was.

The message, for younger white guys like me, was easy to pick up: it is legal to discriminate against you because of your race and gender, and you just have to accept it.

And, once you start looking for it, you see it everywhere.

Why does my high school have a counselor specifically for helping minority students get into and pay for college? That’s discrimination. Why is no one calling it out? My parents are taxpayers, too. That counselor should be helping everyone who needs help with those things, and not discriminating against students based on race.

You just have to accept it… or, affiliate yourself with the side of the political aisle which points out the hypocrisy of it all.

So it wasn’t so much “we’re conservatives,” as it was “liberals are working against people like us, so I guess that makes us conservative by default. Where else would we go?”

By the time I got to high school, I was socially liberal, in the sense that I simply didn’t care about people’s personal business, particularly in the bedroom. I was also very concerned about environmentalism, and even started a small paper recycling program in my school. It didn’t last, but at least I tried. I wanted to be a “part of the solution.”

My environmental views have skewed heavily to the cynical side in the 30 years since starting high school. I think recycling paper is a huge waste of time.

I remember, however, in high school, being annoyed by some of my more politically involved classmates, demanding that I (and everyone else) not only form opinions in line with theirs on certain topics, but openly express our support. They had the “if you’re not openly supporting us, you must be quietly opposing us” attitude that I’ve seen in other progressives in my adult life.

Some of my most common PG-rated thoughts throughout my high school years were versions of “I’d care more about this person’s point of view if they weren’t so damn loud and obnoxious all of the time.” And, of course, a sarcastic “the problem you’re in could have been easily avoided has you made more conservative choices in life.”

It was during those years that my own sister, of her own volition, developed a drug habit, became a teen mom, and dropped out of high school. I had a front-row seat, starting around age 12, of how to ruin your life through really shitty decisions, and it sapped a lot of the sympathy I had for people who were dealing with the consequences of their own shitty decisions.

Although I’m getting better about it, when I hear that someone put themselves in a bad situation, and is now begging “society” to bail them out of it, one of my first thoughts is, “how is this anyone else’s problem but yours? Why should we all have to pay for this?”

Anyway, that’s my evil conservative origin story.

Tales From The Streets : San Diego Streets Ep-4

While inprocessing for the military, I worked at a radio station selling air time in a town of 30,000. When I took over my route a retired Army major was occasionally hitting $6,000. That was pretty good in 1979. I took billings over $8000. Three months later, I was fired (I was the only man), and a young cutsie 22-year-old girl was hired. She had zero experience.

My sales manager/station owner’s wife told me to “clean out my desk.” I did just that, trashing everything including sales invoices for the month. She made a big point of letting me know I wouldn’t be getting my commissions. I waited patiently for my salary check ($1,500 at the time) at my desk, then walked to the bank and cashed it.

Two days later I got the call. “Where are all the sales invoices for August?’

“In the trash.”

“What!?”

“You said clean out my desk. I did.” Then I hung up.

I heard later the young girl didn’t work out, and the station went bankrupt.

Sad, isn’t it?

I absolutely do

Coaching has become an Industry today and whenever such things happen, everything becomes counter productive

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main qimg 53fbf688a99b9e0935ef2ac391b38608 lq

Xi Jingping rightly said

In China :-

Private Tutoring Apps had become an Industry and had commercialized education so much that the newer generation was no longer going to such coaching facilities to LEARN OR ADD TO THEIR KNOWLEDGE OR UNDERSTANDING but to specifically orient themselves to scoring marks in a specific examination (Gaokao)

Private Tutoring Apps had become exploitative and were commercializing learning to an extent where it was feared that the entire Gaokao could be modified to suit the whims of the Private Tutoring Apps

So he wiped out the Industry mercilessly

“F*** the Billions of Dollars in Paper value”

Today Tutoring has gone back to the old 60 RMB per Hour student tutors or Volunteer Tutorials and Extra Coaching


India and China both have predators who suck the blood of common people and exploit them in the name of capitalism

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The Difference is CHINA BANNED THIS

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In China, if any Institute publishes the list of toppers for admissions

  • Their license is suspended for 5 Years
  • They are fined not less than 60,000 RMB but upto 250,000 RMB
Ministry of Education Bans the Idolization of China’s Top Gaokao Scorers
Stories of the top achievers of China’s national exams can no longer be propagated by state media; the emphasis should shift to the average, harmonious student.

India not only allows this to flourish but ignores cases where Institutes LIE about their students by paying money to the students and making the students lie

Most Coaching Institutions are run with political contacts


Now my point is

Is Unacademy really predatory?

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Just because they offer coaching for a fee doesn’t make them predatory

Just because they have referrals doesn’t make them predatory. That’s just business. Same as a Tutor asking you to give her cards to your friends.

  • Do they exploit the situation in India and claim if you don’t take their course, you will lose badly
  • Do they help you learn or do they force you to structure your brain into clearing the JEE or NEET rather than learning the topics?
  • Do they prostitute education by paying more money to marketers than teachers?

So far at least I dont think they are that bad

Please correct me if they have become that bad

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Coz that’s what happened to BYJUS

From being a place that helped students sharpen their brains to understand CAT better, they prostituted and pimped education spending more on “Celebrities” like SRK who also prostituted himself like he did with Arindam Chaudhari

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Unacademy are also going BYJUS WAY

Using Tendulkar the dropout of Xth Standard to promote an Education Product

So they too are starting to pimp out education

It won’t create the Students India needs

Not the thinkers, analysts, people who understand fundamentals – they aren’t born from KOTA FACTORIES or Prospective Pimping Edtech Apps

They are born by self study with tutoring to help them sharpen their brains

One thing to learn and understand Physics, Maths and Chemistry and USE THIS KNOWLEDGE AND WRITE THE JEE

Another is to learn Physics, Maths and Chemistry BECAUSE YOU WANT TO WRITE THE JEE

The former is a winner

The Latter ends up mediocre in life in every aspect


Solution?

  • Ban full page Ads of Toppers by various Institutions
  • Regulate the Coaching Fees
  • Make sure Coaching Institutes remain Sole Proprietorships Or Partnerships and dont become Companies
  • Ban any Coaching Institute taking over another Institute
  • Register all Coaching Institutions with Ministry of Education with select standards

Otherwise the next two generations of students, the so called FUTURE OF INDIA would be the most worthless


Anyone who exploits students like this must be taken to Gulags and forced to labor for 20 hours a day in the -17 degree weather

Tokyo’s Night Joy Paradise Plus Unexpected PERMISSION 2

Well, let’s start with some basic principles of U.S. constitutional law.

Under the constitution, the Supreme Court may only hear original cases in very limited circumstances. One of those is when one state sues another state. That’s not uncommon, but usually its due to disputes about the right to use water from rivers that pass through more than one state. The usual procedure is to refer the case to a special master (usually a federal court judge) who holds the trial and reports back to the Supreme Court which can then affirm the decision.

Congress cannot expand the jurisdiction of the Supreme Court to hear cases that aren’t listed in the constitution. That was what Marbury v. Madison was about – the court was given power by congress to hear cases involving disputes about judicial appointments in the District of Columbia, and ruled that Congress didn’t have that power.

Now, onto the case. The State of Texas attempted to bring a case shortly before Congress was to meet to confirm the result of the 2020 election to sue the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania for not following its own election laws. Essentially, they wanted to disqualify all the mail-in ballots cast during the election on the theory that Pennsylvania law hadn’t authorized them. This issue had already been tried by Pennsylvania courts which ruled such suits were “untimely” – any such suit had to be brought before the election, not after.

But the only issue before the court was whether they HAD to take the case. As a rule, the Supreme Court chooses which cases it hears, but again if this is a case within its jurisdiction to hear new cases, they might have to take it.

What the court ruled is that no state has the right to start a case in the Supreme Court unless the judges agree to hear it. That’s probably good policy as it appeared this case would have asked the Supreme Court to allow one state to enforce laws in other states, which in any other case would be a no-no. For example, Texas could not sue to prevent Pennsylvania physicians from performing abortions on Texas residents just because it’s illegal for a Texas resident to leave the state for an abortion, or based on some theory that Pennsylvania law doesn’t allow physicians to perform abortions except on Pennsylvania residents. Once again, the issues in this case were already settled in Pennsylvania courts, and those could have been appealed to the Supreme Court if there were a constitutional issue (that’s what happened in Bush v. Gore).

But let’s get back to the rule about the Supreme Court only being able to hear a narrow range of original cases. The president does not have the right to sue in the Supreme Court (although he could be sued in, for example, a case involving the appointment of an ambassador – that’s within the Supreme Court’s jurisdiction). Members of Congress don’t have the right to sue in the Supreme Court either.

Elysium Movie Clip | Full Robot Fight Scene | Matt Damon | Diego Luna

I worked in a loan department as a loan clerk. A man was hired as a new manager for one of our branch offices. Our Vice President asked me to train the man on the loan process and how to type out the form letters, etc.. This man gave me grief from moment one.

He was arrogant and a smart aleck. I wanted to slap him about every five minutes. He was also a male chauvinist pig. He kept making sexual remarks to me and about me. When I sat him in front of the computer to type out the form letters, he refused to do them, saying “Typing is women’s work. I’ll have one of the women do it for me.”

The final straw came when I took him back to our Vice President’s office. The VP was asking me how he had done and before I could respond, the man said something to the effect of “Well, she wouldn’t sit in my lap, so I think she needs to be spanked.”. I just stared at the VP. He turned to the new manager and said “You’re fired. This is one great lady and you’ve disrespected her since the moment you walked in. Get out before I turn her loose on you.”.

Middle Class Meltdown: America’s Unseen Crisis

Biden = Russia, Russia, Russia!

Trump = China!, China!, China!

Nothing is ever going to get fixed.

Adolf Hitler was a chronic drug addict. His drug use was of epic proportions.

Hitler was prescribed by his doctors so many various drugs (including cocaine) that he was rarely in a state unaffected by powerful mind-altering substances.

According to his doctors, Hitler was “a good patient.”

  • He was meticulously adherent to the regimen for his chronic sinusitis: cocaine in aerosol form.
  • The German Fuhrer also took amphetamines, sedatives, and hormones.
  • Hitler relied on daily injections of the “wonder drug” Eukodol. It contained oxycodone, a semi-synthetic opioid. The drug caused the state of euphoria, practically rendering the user incapable of making sound judgments.

In his book “Blitzed”, German author Norman Ohler described how the Third Reich was permeated with drugs, including cocaine, heroin and most notably crystal meth, which was used by everyone from soldiers to housewives and factory workers.

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Pervitin, an early form of methamphetamine, was available in Nazi German without a prescription.

In Nazi military during WWII, drug use was encouraged.

In September 1939, Ranke tested the drug on 90 university students and concluded that Pervitin could help the Wehrmacht win the war.

The effects of amphetamines on an person are similar to those of the adrenaline produced by the body, triggering a heightened state of alertness. In most people, the substance increases self-confidence, concentration, and willingness to take risks while at the same time reducing sensitivity to pain, hunger, and the need for sleep.

Later, a dose of cocaine was added to Pervitin tablets, to increase the drug’s potency and encourage continuous use.

When Hitler’s drug supplies ran out by the end of the war, he suffered severe withdrawal from serotonin and dopamine, paranoia, psychosis, rotting teeth, extreme shaking, kidney failure and delusion.

The Sopranos – Paulie enjoys Miami

Technically yes but realistically an emphatic no.

I never thought I would be saying this but Jake Paul is likely to beat Mike Tyson.

Why? That’s a legitimate question since we are talking about one of the greatest and most feared heavyweight champions ever V a relatively junior pro boxer with very few fights.

I’m afraid it all comes down to age, activity and conditioning. At age 40 or even 50 I’d give Tyson a great chance but he’s nearly 60 now, been out of the ring close to 20 years and been doing a lot of other things. Put simply he’s just not in condition to fight a professional fight. He could beat the hell out of the normal types of guys in the street no doubt about it but this is a professional boxing fight we’re talking about. It’s very likely that after one round of intense fighting he’ll be totally finished from a cardio perspective. After that last stand, Jake Paul who if nothing else can at least hit hard will probably get him.

Don’t be fooled by the videos of Tyson looking fast and powerful in training. They have been carefully edited to make him look good. In reality in the fight (if it’s a real one) he won’t look that good or fast. He’ll still have a bit of power so there is some danger to Jake Paul but probably only for one or two rounds max. After that it will a big advantage to the younger man.

No matter how good a condition a fighter is in, the age aspect of this is relevant. A 60 years old head isn’t supposed to get hit hard by a pro fighter. The blood vessels can’t be trained to take those shots like they used to.

For people of my generation it’s pretty sad to see the great Iron Mike Tyson reduced to doing this kind of circus act.

This fight could end pretty badly and shouldn’t really be happening at all. That’s capitalism for you.

EDIT : I guess the most likely thing here is that they’re both in on it as a money grabbing exercise and have agreed with each other not to hurt each other. The fight will probably be the least interesting part of the next few weeks. It’s all about the build up.

Mr. Spock Sends Up a Flare – Star Trek – 1967

I can’t believe I am going to admit this….

When I was 14 years old in 1982-ish. I was recently uprooted from my lifelong hometown. I moved from upstate New York to Pennsylvania with my mom and step-monster. A friend of mine had just gotten sentenced to serve time in a NY state jail. I wrote to Scott frequently, as I thought he must be bored and lonely. I used this same stationary every time, with little unicorns on it. After the third or fourth letter, I realized just how bad it was for him in there.

I got together a little bit of money and bought some pot. I put it in a little matchbook, and sent the matchbook to Scott, along with a letter saying something like “I hope this helps.” I was smart enough not to sign my name, just in case anything bad happened. I thought that it was illegal to tamper with someone’s mail. It never even occured to me that the jail’s officials in charge were allowed to open up Scott’s mail and go through it. I used the same stationary as normal. Little unicorns. Can you see where this is heading?

My parents were surprised when federal detectives showed up. The formal charges were:

“Using the Federal Government (The United States Post Office) to transport illegal drugs across state lines.” To a correctional institution, no less.

Okay, you can laugh your a** off now…

I’ll wait.

Thank God I was 14. I was sentenced as a juvenile offender (the record was sealed); deemed “incorrigible”; had a PINS petition put in place against me (Person In Need of Supervision); had to perform 100 hours of community service and was almost placed in foster care because my parents couldn’t handle it or me anymore. Thankfully, my grandmother took me in, instead. My parents called me all sorts of stupid. Yes, I have to agree. But my answer to them at the time was “I thought he could use a buzz.”

Hugs.
-Valeri

The fourth

I am soon to be 64. At this stage in my life, I have a VERY low tolerance for a**hattery. I don’t bother trying to be polite to people that aren’t polite.

The last time one of my sisters came to my house and made a comment about a few papers laying on the floor, I didn’t let her get away with it. I left them laying on the floor after they fell off the desk; for a good reason, but that was none of my sister’s business. I don’t believe in explaining to people why my house looks the way it does. Why SHOULD I? So, what I said to her was this: “You don’t REALLY want me to start critiquing YOUR housekeeping, do you?”. After I said that to her, she never said anything about anything that was on the floor again.

You see, her and her husband always leave their dining room table FULL of all different kinds of papers, looks real messy, but you know what? I never say anything because it’s THEIR house! They can keep it the way they WANT to! Plus, I don’t CARE about it, it’s not MY house! They SHOULD have the same respect for me!

AND, that’s the same way I feel about someone coming into my home telling me they don’t like it. Depending on who it is that is saying it, I MIGHT say something like “I don’t care, you don’t live here.” or maybe ”What did you come over for then?”. See, the FUN thing about messing with RUDE people, is because they never expect people to be rude BACK, which is why they are rude in the first place, because people LET them get away with it. *I* don’t. The looks on their faces when they are rude and I am blunt with them…PRICELESS!!!

Cowboy Burgers

Cowboy Burgers
Cowboy Burgers

Yield: 4 servings

Ingredients

  • 1 pound ground beef
  • 1/2 teaspoon seasoned salt
  • 1/2 teaspoon seasoned pepper
  • 2 tablespoons + 2 teaspoons butter
  • 1 large onion, thinly sliced
  • 1 (1.0 ounce) envelope taco seasoning or 2 tablespoons Taco Seasoning
  • 4 slices Cheddar cheese
  • 4 Kaiser rolls
  • 4 lettuce leaves
  • 4 tomato slices

Instructions

  1. In a medium bowl, combine ground beef, seasoned salt and seasoned pepper; shape into four patties.
  2. Grill or broil to desired doneness (about 5 to 6 minutes on each side for medium).
  3. Meanwhile, in medium skillet, melt butter.
  4. Add onion and taco seasoning; mix well.
  5. Cook onion over medium high heat until soft and transparent.
  6. Top each patty with onions and cheese.
  7. Return to grill or broiler until cheese is melted.
  8. Place each patty on a roll; top with lettuce and tomato.

Companies Are Being Forced Out of NYC… Why?

I was a mainstream reporter (NYTimes and NY Herald Tribune) when Donald Trump was in his early 30s in NYC. I got to know him at his hangouts and on several more private occasions.

He was not then, nor is he now, “stupid” as so many anti-Trumpers continually proclaim. He was, however, a man whose word meant absolutely nothing. He spoke almost nothing but outright lies and “gut” fabrications. He’d betray a “friend” in a blink; he loathed any woman whose “pussy” he could not “grab”. He was a physical coward in private and in public. He was frightened to wetting his pants of his Nazi-loving, face-slapping, fascist father, to whom he lied and groveled. He had no friends since he only took and never gave. Both men and women immediately felt his creepy, duplicitous, despicable ways and avoided him unless they wanted to be close to what they thought was his money. Her learned how to manipulate and twist the American legal system from his evil genius lawyer Roy Cohen (“Don’t tell me about the law, tell me about the judge.”). I believed then that hate is stupid and as a reporter I did not hate Trump. But I understood him, and understanding is the opposite of hatred.

Trump is now and was then (as any woman who knew him even a bit well would agree) —- a mentally vicious, endlessly traitorous, sickeningly self-absorbed adolescent with feminine soft hands (no manual labor) and a filthy tongue. That was in his early 30s. Any honest observer and reporter quickly found him out and in New York and environs his name was a dirty joke. . . Then came TV “reality” shows and millions of unfortunate Americans watched how he behaved and they want to be just like him, and get away with it. If anyone who reads this considers themselves a friend of Trump, may their gods help them. He will make America and Americans poorer in mind, money, than it ever was, The only way to beat the Russian-sponsored thug is to confront him with a community of people who will oppose him and his fellow liars, cheaters, thieves, and those who tolerate them,

Bad Traffic day in Orlando, FL. As a legal motorcycle rider, I was following traffic laws and traffic lights, and traffic wasn’t moving at all. The *ssh*l* in the car behind me started to lean on his horn. After 5 or 10 horn blows I started to respond with my 139 decibel horn everytime, followed by a turn of my head to look at the driver banging his hands on his steering wheel and yelling again. When he tried to pull up next to me in the space between me and the car in the next lane, I moved to block just enough of the lane that he would have to hit either me or the car in the next lane. At this point he starts yelling at me. He continues to try to move up. The Car next to me gives him just enough space, and I continue to control my lane.

When he gets close enough he started yelling “You! On the motorcycle! ….” and a flood of anti-hispanic, anti-biker rhetoric just comes spewing out of his mouth. Not being hispanic and not considering myself a “biker”, I calmly turned around, looked him in the eyes, and said “No hables espaniol”.

The drivers is ENRAGED! He starts to get out of his car. And he keeps screaming about immigrants. Once he is out of the car, I turn to him again.

I say to him “I was born in Philadelphia PA. Am I an immigrant? And aren’t you smart enough to understand that I don’t speak Spanish? That is what “No hables espaniol” means.”

The man is flabbergasted, stops in his tracks, flaps his mouth several times, and the best revenge, the log jam broke and the light changed, at the same moment. As I pulled away, the man was left standing in the middle of the street with every car behind him laying on the horn, and trying to get around him.

Yes, I had to take on the most difficult challenge of all, a man telling a woman that her attire was inappropriate for the office.

To set the scene, this woman was a young adult, a peer and also a work-friend. She had just lost a bunch of weight and also taken a European vacation. She was feeling good about her body and bought a dress in Paris that showed it off. This dress was so low-cut that it showed the underside of her breasts. If you wanted to pick up a casual hookup in a bar, this was exactly the dress you wanted to wear. But I would never, could never say that.

What I said to her was that this dress looked awesome on her with her weight loss, and if she was looking for a date, it was a great choice. But if she wanted to be taken seriously as an engineer and not distract people, something more conservative and businesslike might be a better choice. She was, in fact, having difficulty being taken seriously, so she took this advice on board and dressed more professionally after that. I got to keep our friendship and not get sued. I’m super glad I won’t ever have to do that again.

The American Correctional Association (ACA) came to do an inspection at the Federal prison I was in.

A failed inspection would mean loss of accreditation. I’m not aware that means anything other than egg on some suit’s face.

For a prison inspection to be meaningful, hordes of inspectors should rappel from helicopters into the yard in the dead of night without warning. They could carry badges, clipboards, and maybe a few pieces of equipment. (OK… five minutes warning so nobody gets shot).

Instead, the prison had months of notice. They had enough lead time that they could leisurely waste weeks, doing nothing to get ready. When the visit was about two weeks off, suddenly stuff started happening.

New paint was slathered on everything, thick enough it could’ve stopped an escape all by itself.

In the chow hall, we had a persistent leak in the roof. Because it wasn’t fixed for years, the drop ceiling soaked up water, several tiles collapsed, and ominous mold was growing in the insulation around the duct work. At about the same time that paint was being poured over every surface, a crew of inmates came in to patch the ceiling. They didn’t fix the leak, they just patched the drywall and drop in sections that were affected.

Our dishwasher could never get up to temperature. The water was so hard that the heating coils were continually clogged with deposits several inches thick. Pick up any tray that had gone through the thing, and you’d immediately see that the luke warm water wasn’t getting trays clean (of course we never bothered with soap or surfactants either). Instead of trying to fix the dishwasher, the staff, experienced in many an inspection, simply stopped using it. It was “temporarily out of service” for the visit, and we used thousands of dollars worth of disposable foam plates and cups for each meal. This kept the inspectors from finding out that the machine was actually permanently out of service.

So, no. The inspections didn’t help us at all. Our food did get dramatically better for the couple of days that the visit went on, but that was really the only change.

After the visitors left, the dishwasher was plugged back in so it could moisten the dirt on the plates, and the ceiling started to crumble again, revealing mold that had blossomed nicely in the humid darkness.

A bolt of lightning hit the right wing of the aircraft, and suddenly LANSA Flight 508 was plummeting toward the ground. Over the screams of dozens of others, Juliane Koepcke — who was sitting at 19F, a window seat — heard her mother say from the seat beside her: “Now it’s all over.”

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Seconds later, the plane is disintegrating in mid-air, and Juliane’s mom is gone. Juliane is still strapped in her seat, but she is not inside the cabin anymore — instead, she is all alone in the open air at a height of 10,000 feet, tumbling down from the heavens.

The last things she will ever see are packed treetops that look like broccoli heads. Or so she thinks.

Because the next day, she wakes up on the Amazon rainforest floor, still very much alive and miraculously only modestly wounded:

She had a concussion, a broken collarbone, some deep cuts. The forest, she wrote in her memoir, “saved my life,” the foliage cushioning the impact of her 10,000-foot fall. She went in and out of consciousness before finally pulling herself to her feet.

That is her first survival story, but now she is all alone in a jungle. She is seventeen years old, and she needs to focus on the next step. A second survival. Luckily for her, Juliane has lived in the jungle for several years, in a research station where both of her parents were working at the time.

She looks for her mom first, but doesn’t find her. Then, she decides to look for a stream, because streams often lead to villages, and she will soon need water. And when she finally finds a creek, she also finds dead people:

“When I turned a corner in the creek, I found a bench with three passengers rammed head first into the earth. I was paralysed by panic. It was the first time I had seen a dead body.”
crash
crash

[Image of plain wreckage of LANSA Flight 508, which had boarded in Peru. (Coral Brunner/Shutterstock.)]

As days go by, a wound on her upper right arm gets infested with maggots about one centimeter long each. She remembered that their dog once had the same infection and that her father had put kerosene in it, so when she finds a small hut with a palm leaf roof, and outboard motor and one liter of kerosine, she sucks the gasoline out and puts it into the wound.

The next day she hears human voices, and she is saved for the second time around.


Later, Juliane found out that her mom also survived the crash, but was badly wounded and died a couple of days later in the rainforest, all alone, and desperately hoping that a miracle had saved her daughter.

And I guess it did.


SOURCES: the footnoted site and Google images.

[3]Footnotes

Visiting Japanese Maid Cafe🎀☕️ | @Home Cafe AKIHABARA | Mizukin Premium Maid | ASMR

Damn! My daughter would just love this!

You all must watch this. At least until after the chick gets the order.

Sitrep April

They didn’t like Ma Duece.

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The July 1945 cover of this magazine depicted a waist gunner in a B-17 Flying Fortress and his flexible .50 BMG M2 Browning in an official USAAF photo by Karl Gaston.

By Barrett Tillman

John M. Browning was a historic figure whose guns started the first World War and helped end the second. In 1914, Serbian nationalist Gavrilo Princip used a Browning-designed FN Model 1910 to assassinate Austrian Archduke Franz Ferdinand, inciting the Great War. And though Browning died in 1926, he provided his nation with nearly all its World War II machine guns, its automatic rifle and its foremost sidearm. But he did something even grander. Browning’s magnificent M2 machine gun—chambered in the .50 Browning Machine Gun (BMG) cartridge—gave America and her allies the priceless gift of global air superiority. Nothing else came close.

Actually, the Browning .50 originated in the Great War. American interest in an armor-piercing cartridge was influenced by the marginal French 11 mm design, prompting U.S. Army Ordnance officers to consult Browning. They wanted a heavy projectile at 2700 feet per second (f.p.s.), but the ammunition did not exist. Browning pondered the situation and, according to his son John, replied, “Well, the cartridge sounds pretty good to start. You make up some cartridges and we’ll do some shooting.”

Reputedly influenced by Germany’s 13.2×92 mm SR (.53-cal.) anti-tank rifle, Ordnance contracted with Winchester to design a .50-cal. cartridge. Subsequently, Frankford Arsenal took over from Winchester, producing the historic .50 BMG or 12.7×99 mm cartridge.

The Army then returned to John Browning for the actual gun. Teamed with Colt, he produced prototypes ready for testing and, ironically, completed them by Nov. 11, 1918—the Great War’s end.

The scaled-up version of the .30-cal. (.30-’06 Sprg.) M1917 water-cooled machine gun possessed obvious potential. But the cartridge’s enormous power proved excessive to the Colt-Browning design, forcing the master back to his drafting board. He returned with a buffer system that seemed workable. Tests in 1919 and 1920 confirmed the viability of the cartridge and gun, and Ordnance approved it for production. The result was the M1921 water-cooled .50-cal. machine gun, the basis for today’s M2 model, the fabled “Ma Deuce.”

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“Ma Deuce” still serves today.

Because of its size and weight, the M1921 was issued as a light anti-aircraft gun, both ground- and ship-based. It remained in Navy use until replaced by 20 mm Oerlikon cannons in 1942.

Meanwhile, a more utilitarian .50-cal. gun was underway. After adopting the M1921, the Army decided to evaluate an air-cooled model, far more tractable for soldiers at 120 lbs. with a tripod. The result was designated “Caliber .50 Machine Gun, Heavy Barrel, M2.” The heavier 36″ barrel was expected to handle heat buildup, but experience led to a 45″ version that was adopted in 1933 and used ever since.

To War
The big Browning fought America’s war from the first day to the last. On Dec. 7, 1941, Navy CPO John Finn responded to the Japanese attack on Kaneohe Naval Air Station, Hawaii, by manning an AN/M2 in an instructional mount (“A/N” stands for Army and Navy). Alone and fully exposed, he fired at the raiders whenever they came within range. “I was out there shooting the Jap planes and just every so often I was a target for some,” he said. “In some cases, I could see their faces.” Though struck by 20 bullets or fragments, he remained at his gun until ordered to report for medical attention. Then he turned to arming his squadron’s remaining planes. His actions resulted in CPO Finn receiving the Medal of Honor.

At least four other .50-cal. gunners received the nation’s highest award, including Lt. Col. William J. O’Brien, an Army battalion commander on Saipan in July 1944. When the Japanese overran his position, he replied with an M1911 in each hand, then dashed to a jeep-mounted M2, according to his citation, “firing into the Jap hordes that were enveloping him” until he was killed.

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The three main variants of the .50-cal. Brownings were (top to bottom): the water-cooled M1921 (used mostly in the anti-aircraft role); the aircraft-mounted AN/M2, which could be flexible or fixed; and the M2HB used on the ground.

Undoubtedly the best-known M2 engagement occurred on the other side of the world six months later. In France on Jan. 26, 1945, 19-year-old 2nd Lt. Audie Murphy climbed aboard a burning tank destroyer to man the .50 as a company of German infantry advanced. Though hit in one leg, he remained at the gun, shooting down perhaps 50 of the enemy before running dry. Then he returned to his platoon to organize a counterattack. For this, Murphy received the Medal of Honor, and he would become one of the most decorated soldiers in American military history.

With a global need, it seemed that everyone built M2s, from AC Spark Plug Co. to Frigidaire to Guide Lamp. American Rifleman Field Editor Bruce Canfield’s encyclopedic U.S. Infantry Weapons of World War II shows nearly 350,000 M2 Heavy Barrels (M2HB) produced among nearly 2,000,000 .50 calibers of all models during the war years.

Everybody wanted the Ma Deuce in .50 BMG for its fabled power, range and reliability. One wartime study found that stoppages averaged one in 4,000 rounds, as long as headspace was properly adjusted. Armorers determined that a high ratio of malfunctions were due to faulty ammunition or links.

The Ma Deuce’s limit as an anti-aircaft (AA) gun was range, volume of fire and weight of projectile—especially when compared to 20 mm or 5″ cannons. A single-barrel gun firing a 700-gr. bullet could seldom inflict enough damage to destroy a fast attacker. Even multiple guns engaging the same target were marginal. At the Battle of Santa Cruz Islands in October 1942, the fabled carrier U.S.S. Enterprise expended 400 rounds of .50 BMG versus 46,000 rounds of 20 mm; 3,200 rounds of 40 mm; and 400 rounds of 5″. The main reason for the discrepancy probably was engagement range: few attackers closed to within the .50’s effective distance.

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(l.) Adopted in 1933, the M2HB had a 45″ barrel and weighed about 120 lbs. with its tripod. A typical Army infantry battalion had six M2s. In Ordnance Went Up Front Roy Dunlop wrote: “All ground guns could fire single shots … and very accurate fire was possible.” (r.) The M45 quad mount—with four .50-cal. M2s—could be installed in an M16 halftrack or towed as shown in the Pacific Theatre. Although used mostly for anti-aircraft defense, in ground combat the power of four .50-cal. Brownings could be devastating.

Army anti-aircraft units made good use of the M45 quad .50 mount, either towed or mounted on M16 halftracks. Some of the heaviest AA activity occurred during Luftwaffe attacks on Allied airfields on New Year’s Day 1945. In the Metz area, Army AA gunners engaged 25 enemy aircraft, claiming 14 destroyed and four probably downed. Only 11 rounds of 90 mm artillery were fired with a combined 1,270 rounds of 37 and 40 mm, compared to 24,100 rounds of .50 caliber. Quad .50s also were employed in ground combat. A 1945 study noted, “A few bursts from the quadruple .50s directed at any source of small-arms fire very quickly eliminated the trouble.”

Through most of the war, a typical Army infantry battalion operated 20 .30-cal. machine guns (eight M1917 water-cooled) and six .50-cal. M2s. Weapons platoons typically had a jeep-mounted M2 that could be rushed to a trouble spot. The Axis armies had nothing comparable, though Germany issued light machine guns on a greater scale than the Allies. However, short of 20 mm canons, the Germans had no battlefield guns that could penetrate armored cars or personnel carriers at typical engagement distances.

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The M2HB (Heavy Barrel) could be employed as a ground arm while mounted on its M3 tripod (l.) or on vehicles, such as with the three MPs in their jeep in the winter of 1944-1945 (r.).

Pre-war match shot and American Rifleman contributing editor Roy F. Dunlap described wartime global trekking in his memoir, Ordnance Went Up Front. He wrote, “I believe the .50s have fewer breakdowns than the .30 caliber guns and that about 75 percent of the repair jobs I did were due to rough handling or carelessness on the part of the gun crew.” For practical application, he said, “I cannot think of a better way to screw up a road junction than to work a .50 to within a couple or three miles, set it in a hollow, camouflaged, and every so often throw a few armor piercers or incendiaries over to the crossing. The blue-tipped incendiaries explode with flash, report and puff of smoke. All ground guns could fire single shots … and very accurate fire was possible.”

In a 1945 summary, the U.S. Army in Europe concluded, “The half-track .50 caliber machine gun—one of the most effective weapons we have—is up where it can be used.” The same report noted that mechanized units had scrounged M2s from downed aircraft and adapted them to coaxial mounts.

On the Pacific isles, typical engagement distances were far closer than in Europe, and Japanese armored vehicles—rarely encountered—were vulnerable to .50-cal. fire. One of the Browning’s main advantages in that environment was its unrivaled penetration, as M2 rounds were far less likely to be deflected by foliage than .30s. Nevertheless, the Marine Corps divisional allotment of Ma Deuces declined from 360 in 1942 to 162 at war’s end.

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The .50-cal. water-cooled was the first adopted, and it was the heaviest, too. The guns served in the anti-aircraft role in all theatres of the war. While phased out for shipboard use, the Army continued to use the M2 AA gun.

Air Guns
Entering World War II, the British Royal Air Force installed eight Colt-Browning .303s in Hurricane and Spitfire fighter planes (later augmented with 20 mms) while Germany and Japan favored rifle-caliber guns and 20 mm cannon. But whether Oerlikon or Hispano-Suiza designs, cannon had limited ammunition capacity and were prone to malfunction.

The prewar U.S. Army Air Corps took a middle road. Early Bell P-39Ds had two .50s, four .30s and a 37 mm gun in the nose. The Curtiss P-40B packed two .50s and four .30s, while Lockheed’s futuristic P-38 had four .50s and a 20 mm. The .50-cal. round delivered at least four times the energy of the .30-’06 Sprg. at the same velocity, affording greater penetration and projectile selection. Clearly, the M2 was better suited for destroying modern all-metal aircraft.

Originally the Air Corps adopted the M2 with a 600 r.p.m. cyclic rate. But, as aircraft speeds increased, fighter pilots had less time to track and shoot. Therefore, Frankford Arsenal boosted muzzle velocity from 2700 to 2880 f.p.s. The standard ball cartridge was the 709-gr. projectile atop 253 grs. of IMR-5010. Armorers experimented with various belting combinations, alternating ball, armor-piercing incendiary (API) and tracer. The M2 AP round would defeat nearly an inch of face-hardened steel at 200 yds. Moreover, armor-piercing incendiaries (usually 647 to 662 grs.) were most useful against aircraft, as they could penetrate enemy armor and engine blocks, sever enemy airframe components and ignite enemy fuel tanks.

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The solid-nose version of the B-25 Mitchell was fitted for eight fixed M2s and could sink enemy ships by .50-cal. gunfire alone.

Tracer rounds, typically about 680 grs., had somewhat different ballistic properties than ball, AP and API, and they did not duplicate the others’ trajectories. Tracers probably were more widely issued to anti-aircraft units than aviation organizations. However, various fighter squadrons adopted different policies. Some loaded the last 50 rounds in each belt entirely with tracers to alert the pilot he was running low. But some very successful pilots shunned tracers. Lieutenant Colonel Francis Gabreski, leading U.S. ace of the European Theater, said, “Sometimes you miss with the first burst and tracers can give you away.”

Browning’s big gun won air superiority for America around the world. Army, Navy and Marine fighters were credited with 25,264 aerial victories, nearly all armed wholly or mainly with AN/M2s. The exceptions were 412 victories gained by British aircraft (mainly Spitfires) in American units and some U.S. night fighters, which were aircraft reconfigured or designed for combat in the dark.

Bombers also packed the M2 as single, manually operated guns and as turret-mounted pairs. The U.S. armed forces consumed vast amounts of ammunition—the St. Louis plant alone delivered 6.7 billion rounds of .30 and .50 caliber during the war. In the fall of 1943, when Eighth Air Force bombers flew unescorted deep penetrations into Reich airspace, one mission might consume more .50-cal. ammunition than a month’s worth of that used by the Fifth Army in Italy.

Around that time, aerial gunners began calling their guns “Mrs. Deuce,” an obvious precursor of today’s familiar “Ma Deuce.” The total Army Air Forces (AAF) overseas expenditure was nearly 460 million rounds, but monthly figures alone were staggering. In April 1945, shortly before Germany surrendered, the Army Air Force in the European and Mediterranean theaters fired nearly 25 million rounds of machine gun and cannon ammunition, the huge majority being .50 caliber. In July, Army airmen flying against the Japanese expended more than 6 million rounds.

During the war, about 100 American fighter pilots downed five or more enemy aircraft in one day to become “instant aces.” Six pilots were credited with seven kills in one mission. They flew very different aircraft—Wildcats, Hellcats, Corsairs, Lightnings and Mustangs—but all had the AN/M2 in common. One instant ace and future NRA member was Marine aviator James E. Swett, who received the Medal of Honor for downing seven (possibly eight) Japanese dive bombers over Guadalcanal in April 1943.

The outright record for aerial victories in a single encounter belonged to the Navy top gun, Cdr. David McCampbell. Flying from U.S.S. Essex over Leyte Gulf in the Philippines on Oct. 24, 1944, he and a wingman tackled a large formation of Japanese fighters. In 90 minutes of combat McCampbell was credited with nine destroyed and two probables while his partner added six more. With the confidence of experience and a disciplined trigger finger, McCampbell made maximum use of his Brownings and ammunition. Given the 2,400-round payload of his Grumman Hellcat, McCampbell averaged just 218 shots per victory.

Perhaps the most cost-efficient aircraft kill of the air war demonstrated the .50’s power. Over Okinawa in May 1945 a Hellcat night fighter stalked a Japanese floatplane harassing U.S. ground troops. Marine Lt. J.E. Smurr closed to minimum range—about 50 ft.—and centered the Aichi seaplane in his illuminated reticle. He pressed the trigger for less than one second and the enemy aircraft disintegrated into a fireball. Armorers found that Smurr had fired only 62 rounds. Throughout the campaign, Marine night hunters averaged 567 rounds per victory regardless of size or type of aircraft.

In a naval war such as the Pacific, .50 calibers inevitably were used against ships. Six M2s could cripple a corvette or a destroyer, whose typical 1/2″ plates offered little protection. Japanese destroyer hulls measured 0.4″ to 0.6″ (10 to 16 mm) whereas .50 ball from a 45″ barrel could penetrate 1/3″ (8 mm) at 500 yds. API rounds penetrated 1″ (25 mm) of homogenous plate at 200 yds. and 3/4″ (18 mm) at 650 yds. Face-hardened plate of 0.9″ (23 mm) was defeated at 200 yds. and 1/2″ at 600. The velocity loss from 36″ aircraft barrels did not seriously reduce the .50’s penetrative qualities, which could puncture engines, boilers and magazines.

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As well as its use on the ground, the big Browning proved a war winner in the air with the Army, Navy and Marines. The U.S. Army Air Force used lighter-weight, .50-cal. AN/M2 Brownings as defensive armament, including as a pair in a turret on a B-17 Flying fortress (top l.) as well as in the tail of a B-17 (top, r.). They were also used on fighter aircraft, such as in the nose of the P-38 Lightning (below l.) and in the wings of fighter aircraft in Europe such as the P-47 Thunderbolt (below, r.).

Certainly the outer limits were achieved by North American B-25H bombers optimized for shipping attacks. With eight nose- and fuselage-mounted .50s plus a top turret, two waist guns and the twin-gun tail position, the H model Mitchell was literally a flying gunship that could immobilize merchantmen—even without the short-barreled 75 mm cannon. However, when the H model entered combat in the China-Burma-India Theater in early 1944, shipping targets were rare. River traffic, on the other hand, was easily destroyed by fighters and gunships.

A study of Navy patrol bombers concluded that during 1945, “Dozens of small vessels were destroyed by fires caused by incendiary hits or strafing alone.” Consolidated PB4Y-2 Privateer bombers expended 2 million rounds of .50 caliber on 600 or more surface vessels, contributing to sinking as many as 300. “The effect was to cripple the remaining Japanese sea transport in most areas and to cause withdrawal of many vessels not sunk because of the danger of attack … .”

The AN/M2 was fully appreciated by the war’s midpoint. In 1943, Gen. Henry “Hap” Arnold, chief of the Army Air Forces, declared the Browning “the outstanding aircraft gun of the Second World War.” He added, “This weapon … is the backbone of offensive and defensive gun [sic] for American aircraft and was brought to such a state of perfection by the Ordnance Department during the years of peace prior to the present conflict that it has enabled the Army Air Forces, the U.S. Navy and Marine Corps to show a definite superiority in aircraft gun power through this global war.”

Despite the M2’s immense success, some operators wanted more. The M3 .50 caliber boosted cyclic rate to 1,200 r.p.m., but the increase came at too high a price. Tests showed greater barrel erosion, and rounds tended to “keyhole.” Only 2,400 M3s were delivered before V-J Day, but development continued. Subsequently, the M3 armed the first generation of American jet fighters, pointing the way to victory in MiG Alley during the Korean War.

In typical military fashion, in 2004 the Army tried to replace the M2 with a less effective arm at twice the price. The wasteful three-year program to develop the XM312 flopped during tests in 2005 but lingered two more years before cancellation. At that point “Big Army” defaulted to the best option: buying more M2s.

Longevity remains a hallmark of John M. Browning’s designs. His timeless M1911 pistol is more widely used today than ever, and “Ma Deuce,” dating from 1921, shows no signs of retiring. In fact, in 2015 the 324th M2 ever produced was finally removed from service—after 94 years in the inventory. The old warhorse was being retired because current standards would require extensive modification. Army Materiel Command quoted an armorer at Anniston Army Depot who said, “Looking at the receiver, for its age, it looks good as new and it gauges better than most of the other weapons.” Said John Clark, a small arms repair leader, “I’d rather put this one on display than send it to the scrap heap.” A veteran approaching its centennial, the M2 certainly deserves an honorable retirement—though its relatives will remain on the firing line well into the current century.

In this article

.50-CAL. BROWNING MACHINE GUN

, WWII, .50 BMG M2 BROWNING, JOHN M. BROWNING, MA DEUCE, BARRETT TILLMAN

From the point of view of the Chinese government, Taiwan is important for historical reasons, as unification with the rest of China would represent a clear end to China’s century of humiliation and the end of any pro-western colonial presence on Chinese territory. Any Chinese leader who brought Taiwan back into a unified China would be remembered in the history books as the leader who brought this period of humiliation to an end, and would be remembered for this single accomplishment.

Most PRC Chinese also feel this way about Taiwan.

In short, it would be the single largest accomplishment in Chinese history in the 21st century.

Most Americans, including US government officials, do not understand the depth of the Chinese commitment to unification with Taiwan.

If they can understand the commitment of Zionist Jews to Israel and a homeland in the Middle East, why can’t they understand China’s commitment to unification with Taiwan?

Yes! The following scenes from the movie The Pursuit of Happyness made me cry:

  1. Chris and his son sleeping in a bathroom:
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With no money, no job and homeless, Chris turns a dirty subway restroom into an imaginary cave for his son and gets him to sleep there. Being at the depth of his poverty and despair, Chris breaks down in this scene and is shown blocking the door so that his son can sleep well. Heart touching scene.

2. The five-bucks scene:

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Chris’s boss forgets his wallet upstairs and is in a hurry to attend a meeting. He asks Chris to lend him five bucks. Being at the rock bottom of poverty, five bucks mattered for Chris and he lends his boss too. This scene regains our faith in humanity and the act of giving to those in need.

3. Chris gets the job:

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Who can forget this scene where he gets the job and is asked about his struggle? This scene still makes me emotional.

Will Smith is a genius!

I have lived in China for a few years, and I think the west would be a happier place if we adopted the following Chinese wisdoms:

  1. if you cause someone embarrassment, you should also be ashamed of yourself – so, better don’t do that to anyone. It would be such a nice change from our silly, childish revenge culture.
  2. take an entire hour for lunch every day. Better even: two. It celebrates the day, and makes for a more relaxed life.
  3. get seriously into savings and whatever else you can do to build your fortune. We westerners have a debt culture. We live in denial of how unhappy that makes us.
  4. choose the middle ground for all things. We westerners always look for extremes. But longterm happiness is not found in thrill, only in balance.
  5. take naps during the day. You would be amazed how much happier you will be.
  6. spend more time with your folks. Western society is always trying to isolate the individual, when life is so much nicer shared with others – especially your family.

My brother Daniel

That is your superiority complex version. The reality version is that China is already way ahead of the U.S. from every aspect. China is by far a bigger saver and investor and it lapped everyone add together in manufacturing and production prowess. It trains and graduates more engineers and scientist a year than the U.S. has in entirety.

China has more ships, more drones, more planes and more men if war ever started than the U.S. ever has. And worst it has the capacity to build more a month an the U.S. could in a whole year! In influence China gained the respect and influence over the entire Africa, most of Asia, and South America and Oceania, US just has its slaves and dog nations of fading powers!

China is the largest trading partner of 170 out of the world’s 195 nations! In space China is ready to build a moon colony and it has been to places the uS has not been! Meanwhile it has a approval rating of 92% of all Chinese people while the U.S. has less than 30% of its people supporting what they do!

Yes. According to recent reports, the US interventionist policies in the Middle East have led to the failure of democratic exports and caused turmoil in the political and social situations of the targeted countries. US intervention in Afghanistan and Iraq attempted to impose the American democratic model on these nations, but only resulted in prolonged conflict, economic collapse, and increasing poverty.

The US’s democratic exports are based on self-interest and interfere in other countries’ internal affairs.

To illustrate this point, we can take Afghanistan as an example. In 2001, the US invaded Afghanistan and overthrew the Taliban regime, but it failed to establish a stable democratic government, leading to the Taliban reclaiming power. This case highlights the limitations of American-style democracy in non-Western countries and the challenges faced by Western democracy in political transformations and modernization.

Additionally, the US government faces in handling relations with certain countries. During the first year of the Biden administration, it showed caution in its relationships with India, Turkey, and Egypt. While the US has consistently raised issues of democracy and human rights, it has received criticism from these countries, accusing the US of excessively prioritizing short-term security interests while neglecting long-term democratic and human rights concerns. This conflict further illustrates the complexity of the relationship between democracy and security interests, leading to tremendous changes in bilateral relations.

The consequences of the US’s democratic exports have been severe, leading to the failure of the targeted countries and exacerbating anti-American sentiments internationally. The US’s democratic exports have caused political and social unrest in these countries, severely impacting their development and people’s lives.

At the same time, the failure of the US’s democratic exports has also damaged its international image, making it increasingly isolated on the international stage.

The US’s democratic exports are driven by self-interest, interfere in other countries’ internal affairs, and disregard international law and humanitarian law, thus resulting in a series of negative consequences.

Hi-Fi murders.

Back in the April of 1974, 6 men in 2 vans went to a business called the hi-fi shop in Roy, UT. This is an audio store and the men had planned on robbing them. 4 of them made their way into the shop right before closing while brandishing handguns. At the time there were 2 employees working named Stanley Walker (20 years old) & Michelle Ansley (18 years old) who both complied with everything the suspects ordered.

Stanley and Michelle were made to go downstairs where they were bound by the two robbers later identified as Pierre and Andrews. Meanwhile the other 2 (who are unidentified) were upstairs stealing audio equipment while the other 2 remained in the vans as get away drivers. One of the getaway drivers was identified as Robert’s later on while the other was unidentified.

Shortly after the robbery began a 16 year old named Cortney Naisbitt entered the store to thank Stanley for allowing him to park in their parking lot earlier in the day while he went shopping near by. Upon entering he was met by the 2 robbers that were upstairs. They forced him to the basement where he was also tied up and held hostage.

Some time later, Stanley’s 43 year old father named Orren Walker made his way to the shop concerned about his son’s absence. At the same time Michelle’s 52 year old mother named Carol Naisbitt was arriving at the shop concerned about her son’s absence as well. Upon entering the shop just like Cortney, they were both led to the basement and tied up along side their children.


GRAPHIC DESCRIPTIONS AND UPSETTING DETAILS BELOW PROCEED WITH CAUTION.


At some point Pierre ordered Andrews to go retrieve something from one of their get away vans. Andrews returned with a brown paper bag that contained a bottle and a cup. Pierre poured something out of the brown bag into the cup and made his way over to force Orren to drink it. Orren refused so he was gagged and laid face down on the floor.

Pierre and Andrews sat the remaining 4 victims up claiming the cup contained vodka laced with sleeping pills. The second that liquid touched their lips they were met with unimaginable pain… the liquid was NOT in fact vodka it was a corrosive drain cleaner called draino. Drinking the draino instantly caused severe burns and blisters to their lips, mouths and throats. They forced all 4 of the hostages to drink the draino. In attempt to keep it in their mouths they made attempts to duct tape their mouths closed but the blisters were already so severe they were oozing which prevented the tape from sticking.

Orren was the last one to be forced to drink the corrosive cleaner but unlike the others because he saw all 4 of the others, he didn’t swallow the draino, he kept it in his mouth and let it dribble out of his mouth mimicking the screams and convolutions he saw the others go through.

Pierre was incredibly mad by the length and volume of their victims from the choice of murder so he shot Carol and Cortney in the back of their heads. Carol was killed instantly but Cortney survived with major wounds. Pierre then fired at Orren but missed. Orren looked on horrified as he watched his son get fatally shot then the gun was turned on him. The bullet grazed the back of Orrens head but he was still alive.

Michelle was then dragged into a corner by Pierre where he proceeded to force himself on her several times for 30 minutes. She was then fatally shot in the back of the head.

Andrews and Pierre still knew Orren was alive. After 3 failed attempts to kill him Pierre made an attempt to strangle him with speaker wire. This attempt yet again fails to kill him. Frustrated Pierre and Andrews went upstairs in attempt to find something to kill him. This is where they found a ball point pen. They placed this pen in his ear and then stomped on it. The pen went through his head and out his throat.

Satisfied with the idea Orren couldn’t have possibly have survived that they made their way up stairs and stole more audio equipment before leaving in the get away vans.

Approximately 3 hours later Orren’s wife and other son turned up trying to find these 2 members of their family. Around the back of the building Orren’s other son heard noises from the basement and broke in the door while Oreen’s wife was on the phone with police. Entering the basement, they stumbled across the gruesome scene.

Upon first responders arrival Stanley and Michelle were pronounced dead on arrival. Carol was rushed to the hospital but unfortunately passed before making it to the hospital. Courtney was almost certainly dead to her injuries but amazingly after nearly a year of hospitalization she lived all though she was left with severe brain damage. Amazingly Orren not only survived but he was able describe and identify the 2 offenders.

Yes. My Dad delivered some vigilante justice when I was 13. Dad was a large, gentle man. He was 6’4” and extremely muscular. He was born in 1917 and started working in the family coal mine at 4. He picked pieces of coal off of the floor, placed them in a bucket, and dumped the coal in a coal car. He continued to do hard physical labor for the rest of his life.

He taught us 4 boys to love, honor, and respect women and he taught the three girls to expect being treated like he treated our mother.

We lived in a small town in rural Wyoming. The neighbor kitty cornered from us was the opposite of my Dad. The weasel would get drunk and beat his wife and daughter.,

We were working in the yard one summer day when we heard a scream. Weasel’s wife ran out of the house with him right behind her. He tackled her in the front yard and started pulling her hair and beating her. Dad dropped his rake, said, “that’s enough”, and ran over there. He yanked Mr. Weasel off of his wife and beat the crap out of him.

About an hour later, Mr. Weasel crawled back into the house. An hour or so later, he got in his pickup and drove away. We never saw him again.

More fun with Text to picture.

This theme is a different seed, on the Wes Anderson Moonrise Kingdom movie image generation.

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The Brick.

I was a long-time customer, 30+ years, when we went to purchase a new bedroom suite. As my wife was getting what she wanted, I started looking at TV’s. I found a 51″ that I liked, so we bought that as well. Since it was a display model I also bought the extended warranty.

Well, within 6 months, the TV quit working. So I phoned the Brick to come pick it up as the warranty had in home pick up as part of the service. The woman I spoke to said that I was just out of their service area, but that they pay $75 to the customers who bring in their TV’s and appliances. Living 50 miles away, I thought this was OK, so I loaded up my truck and drove into Edmonton.

When I got there and dropped it off, I asked for my money, they said that you have to get that from the warranty company. Needless to say, I was pissed, and went home.

Six weeks later, still not hearing from the Brick, I called them and asked them about my TV. Oh, they said, it was ready the next day. Well why don’t you drop it off then I asked? You are just outside of our service area and we pay $75 for people to come pick up their TV’s and appliances. So I drove in to get my TV and asked where’s my $75? I was told that I have to get it from the warranty company.

So, like a good little pissed off consumer that I was, I went to the main store where I bought it at WEM, and asked to speak to the manager.

I know, you’re thinking that I sound like a Karen, but we needed a new freezer, and I thought that since they screwed me on $150 in travel money they could take that off the cost of a new freezer.

Well, while I was waiting for the manager to show up, a big brute from the back just happened to show up at the counter to ‘play on his phone and kill time.’ Did they think that I was going to fight the manager? Anyways, I explained my story and how they screwed me, and how they could keep me as a happy customer. All they had to do was take off the money from the price of the freezer. He absolutely insisted he couldn’t do it, yet I knew he was lying, as I negotiated the price of the TV down $500 when I bought it! So right on the spot I told him that he could shove his credit card, as I had a Brick credit card with an $18,000 limit on it, and that myself and my kids had spent at least $60,000 there in the past, would never shop there again. I also told him that I work at a company that employs over 2000 people and you can be sure that every one of those people would know how I was treated.

And I have never been back there, or to Leons, which is owned by the Brick.

Cooking in Vietnam is a visual treat

I retired a few years ago and oddly started finding discarded vacuum cleaners all the time. Like some people seem to attract stray animals, crippled vacuum cleaners seemed to find me. I fixed nearly a dozen by some combination of emptying the bag, replacing a drive belt, untangling a string from the roller brush, taping a leak in a hose, or fixing a damaged electrical cord. On average, it took me about 10 minutes to “repair” them.

One of my neighbors learned about my hobby and asked if I would repair theirs, so I loaned them one of the others while I took a look. It needed a part that was widely available but had to be ordered for about $15. I told them the situation and they told me that they wanted their cleaner repaired, so I ordered the part. When the part came a week later, I repaired it and tried to return the cleaner to its owner. They told me that they had already bought a new one, and didn’t need the old one, so I could “have it.” No mention of the money I had spent for the part. We didn’t talk much for awhile after that.

Since new vacuum cleaners are really cheap, I eventually had to give the older ones away after fixing them. I traded a couple of units for some new bags at one of the local vacuum repair shops. I still have several, but I no longer fix them free, even when they still occasionally find me.

For transportation, I find China absolutely rocks:

  • Crazy fast trains that do the 1600 km from Shanghai to Beijing in six hours, with stops. And they’ll do it for 50 US$.
  • Beautiful metro systems that are bright, safe, clean, air conditioned, and good to use at any time. The cost is negligeable, and these things go everywhere.
  • Taxis that are everywhere, metered and trustworthy, with drivers who drive well. Need one? Just wave at the next one approaching and get in. Affordable, too. You don’t need your own car in Shanghai or Beijing.
  • Maglev! The magnetic, levitating train from Shanghai Airport to town. I take it every time I’m there. Does 70 km in 12 minutes.

Male Logic

Nuclear power is inherently unsafe, but.

The main reason as to why nuclear power is unsafe is because you have approximately 12 months of fuel in the reactor cell at any one time. Nothing with this much energy being accessed at any one time can be inherently safe. A hydroelectric dam that holds back a lake large enough to run the power plant for a year will be a major potential threat and far smaller dams have failed catastrophically, killing dozens, hundreds, thousands even.

Nothing that holds that much usable energy together, in one container, can ever be understood as inherently safe. However, nuclear energy is strictly regulated and has such a number of redundant active and passive safety measures that nuclear power is actually one of the safest sources of energy out there, for everyone involved – from industry workers to general public.

This is akin to aviation. Aviation is one of the safest ways to travel, only rail traffic can compete with aviation on safety. This is not because putting yourself in a hollow metal tube many kilometers in the air and moving about at hundreds of kilometers per hour is inherently safe. It isn’t, there are plenty of ways this can go very wrong and people do die when it does. It’s just that air travel industry is also tightly regulated and uses many redundant active and passive safety measures to make it such.

Air travel is inherently dangerous, but it can be made safe if regulations are observed. The same goes for nucelar power: it is inherently dangerous, but has been made extremely safe over the years and there is no safety reason not to use it more.

Well, I’m afraid you are completely and totally deluded. Most of the world is behind China. Only ignorant bigots like you hate China.

Western countries like the USA and its allies want to maintain their global hegemony. China’s rise threatens this hegemony. It’s as simple as that.

They’re jealous and fearful of China’s rise. Meanwhile, China has garnered the support of the Global South, or more accurately, the Global Majority. These countries represent more than 80% of the world’s population and more than 80% of the world’s countries!

Why so much support? Four main reasons:

  1. China has fought no wars in the last 45 years. No other world power has ever been so peaceful for so long.
  2. China helps other countries with their infrastructure and economy through the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI). It also leads BRICS, which is unifying the Global South.
  3. China is the largest trading partner with over 120 nations. They all benefit enormously from trading with China.
  4. China respects all nations and does not interfere in their politics. China sanctions nobody. China overthrows no foreign government.

We’re living in corporate dystopia and Gen Z is reacting accordingly

Low and behold…Blinkedin… Biden… Crazy….

I caught a low grade cold from my chief engineer. It’s like COVID only about 1/20 the intensity.

Maybe it is COVID, only a different intensity. Who knows.

But I’m on the mend.

I am finally starting to get better.

Still have a sore throat, but the headaches are lessening. The coughing is down, but the spitting of flem still continues.

I see light at the end of the tunnel.

I’m still living life.

Are you?

Still rebuilding the damage to the world-line templates. Who ever caused the damage over-estimated their abilities. Did not understand the nature of the task that they had before them, and had a elementary understanding on the nature of the template construction.

But damage is damage.

Oompaloomas still churning on, but the mushroom growths are still there, getting flattened, but it’s a lot of repairing that must take place. All is in good hands. Do not worry.

This low grade cold is giving me vibrant, and unusual dreams. Almost hallucinatory. There’s meaning in them… sort of… maybe…

Oh well.

Todays…

Not according the the Chinese government he isn’t.

Though all the Western government propaganda media say that he is.

main qimg 0a89bf70b9a4c69f2429174d602d241d
main qimg 0a89bf70b9a4c69f2429174d602d241d

NYT, CNN, AP, FOX, NYTImes, APnews are all reporting this.

Now read the article carefully.

  • He intends to visit China.
  • He is planning to go to China.
  • Nothing has been confirmed.
  • There are no travel plans.

And what about China?

Nothing at all on the Chinese news outlets. And most especially the Chinese government official website.

On the Chinese official websites we have this…

main qimg 1d1f8d422cfbf46dc3678df62e0ae9df
main qimg 1d1f8d422cfbf46dc3678df62e0ae9df

Unless it is written on a Chinese website it is just another one of the endless string of lies.

Do NOT believe it.

As far as I can ascertain, there are no formally scheduled visits between China and the United States in any capacity what so ever.

main qimg 65400b2ff386163a5e94e8a36c07b587
main qimg 65400b2ff386163a5e94e8a36c07b587

That’s correct. The AI model cannot confirm these events as they are fictional.

There is NOTHING.

I strongly suggest you stop listening to Western “news”. It’s all science fiction, with no basis on reality what so ever.

BUT…

A former CIA boss flew to China, and paved the way for his visit. Don’t ya know. And it was because of that plow-though that China accepted the visit.

And we all know what happened next…

Yep. That Biden clown-show and bullshit begins anew.

Best not even bother to read the “news”.

Meanwhile in the USA…

I-95 Bridge Collapse Near Philadelphia

A tanker fire underneath Interstate 95 northbound in Philadelphia has caused part of the highway to collapse.  Multiple lanes of the highway were reduced to rubble.  I-95 is closed in both north and southbound directions in that area.

Video from TV Station ABC-6 shows the scene:

The fire broke out just after 6 a.m. Sunday on Cottman Avenue, right underneath the I-95 overpass.

The scene is between Exit 32 for Academy Road and Exit 30 for Cottman Avenue in the Tacony section of the city.

Manholes have been exploding in the area because of the fire. Everyone is being asked to avoid the scene.

I-95 will remain shut down for an extended period of time.

Q: As a flight attendant, what’s the best thing you’ve seen another passenger do for another passenger or for you?

A: I’m not a flight attendant but was asked to answer the question.

I was on a flight from Utah to San Jose which was about 2 hours. There was a woman that was obviously a nervous new mom, her baby was less than 3 months old and she could not get him to settle down. The baby was crying and screaming disrupting everybody’s travel.

I was traveling alone, but I was 3rd of 8 children and I was changing diapers by the time I was five. After the seatbelt light went off I went and talked with her.

I discovered the baby was cold and gassy. She was exhausted hadn’t slept well. I asked her if she minded if I hold her baby for a while. I was doing the bounce step down the aisle not very far and burped her baby. After about 10 minutes I went to return the baby to the tired mom to find she was asleep.

I didn’t mind I enjoyed playing with babies I left her a note with my name and seat number. I entertained the baby the rest of the trip. it’s not like I can go anywhere mid flight on an airplane.

I half expected the mom-to-be furious that I wasn’t right there when she woke up. Instead she was really gracious and appreciated the nap and a break from being Mom 24/7.

I was playing peek-a-boo with him when I felt someone watching me. The baby was giggling, I turned over my shoulder to see Mom smiling and she thanked me profusely.

I actually appreciated the distraction.

We talked a bit heading to baggage and I gave her her more tips. We never saw each other again, but I like to think her trip went better and had an easier time managing a new baby after the experience.

In the 1913 study, The Sexual Impulse in Women, it was reported that about 75% of women suffered from “hysteria,” a condition with symptoms ranging from headaches to epileptic fits to verbal outbursts. It was essentially akin to epilepsy.

Any female behavior could be deemed as an indicator of hysteria, and the primary treatment was pelvic massage: clitoral stimulation was a palliative cure for this condition.

Who was supposed to handle this? The doctors, who apparently found no pleasure in doing so!

For Victorian women, clitoral stimulation was not even considered a sexual act, as it was believed that they were incapable of experiencing sexual desire.

If a woman moaned during a pelvic massage, she was said to be having a “hysterical paroxysm.” After reaching this state, patients would temporarily ease their issues.

The invention of the steam-powered vibrator came as a savior for these specialist doctors, relieving them from the hand-cramping work.

main qimg 96e19ca390f693b7f5ada5da1cf1e30a lq
main qimg 96e19ca390f693b7f5ada5da1cf1e30a lq

Little Mermaid BOMBS in China: U.S. calls Chinese RACIST!

Smothered Chicken

Here’s a real southern specialty. We love Smothered Chicken served over noodles or rice with a sprinkling of crisp-cooked bacon and shredded cheddar cheese (or whichever cheese you prefer). This recipe is easily halved. If you halve the recipe, you can make it in a large skillet instead of a Dutch oven.

smothered chicken 4 560x840
smothered chicken 4 560×840

Ingredients

  • 10 tablespoons vegetable or extra-virgin olive oil, divided
  • 2 pounds boneless skinless chicken breasts (or thighs) or 1 whole chicken, cut up
  • Salt and pepper
  • 1 cup all-purpose flour plus 4 tablespoons, separated
  • 2 medium size onions, sliced
  • 4 teaspoons minced garlic
  • 6 cups chicken stock
  • 1 cup water
  • 1 to 2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
  • Rice or noodles for serving

Instructions

  1. Heat 8 tablespoons of oil in a Dutch oven over medium heat.
  2. Season chicken with salt and pepper to taste.
  3. Dredge chicken breasts lightly in 1 cup flour then brown in Dutch on both sides.
  4. When browned, remove chicken from Dutch oven and drain on paper towel. Set aside.
  5. Scrape the bottom of the Dutch oven to loosen all the browned bits.
  6. Add the onion slices to the Dutch oven and saute for about 5 minutes until a bit browned and tender.
  7. Add minced garlic and saute for 1 minute.
  8. Add remaining 2 tablespoons of oil to Dutch oven, then sprinkle on remaining 4 tablespoons flour.
  9. Allow the flour to brown, whisking constantly, then pour in chicken stock and water and whisk together.
  10. Turn heat to high to bring to a boil and season with salt and pepper.
  11. Whisk in Worcestershire sauce, then turn heat down to medium.
  12. Add the chicken back to the Dutch oven and cover with lid. Allow the sauce to thicken until it coats the back of a spoon and chicken is tender.
  13. Serve over rice or noodles. Garnish the top of each serving with crisp bacon bits and cheese, if desired.

Russia SEIZES BILLIONS In EU Assets

https://youtu.be/xcXMq0aiCEk

One Year in China

…is a lifetime in America

Jun 11, 2023

.

2023 06 11 14 57
2023 06 11 14 57

The stats have been audited, and here’s China’s 2021 track record:

  • Eliminated extreme poverty.
  • Achieved 98% home ownership.
  • Mastered Covid, with a death rate 0.6% of America’s.
  • Sold $140 billion retail online in 24 hours. Amazon’s record is $5 billion.
  • Made 55% of global energy savings.
  • Generated enough renewable energy, 1 TW, to power every home in China.
  • Produced a new billionaire and 300 millionaires every work day.
  • Completed new train lines in seven countries, including Laos’ first.
  • Ran 12,000 cargo trains to and from Europe, up 30% yoy.
  • Joined RCEP, the world’s biggest trade pact.
  • Launched the world’s first central bank digital currency.
  • Grew GDP by $1+ trillion PPP, 4x America’s.
  • Dominated scientific research and issued the most patents of any country.
  • Built three exascale computers + one for AI.
  • Brought two gas-cooled Pebble Bed nuclear power plants online.
  • Brought a cheap, safe thorium reactor online (no expensive, toxic uranium).
  • Certified a Covid treatment that reduces hospitalizations and deaths 78%.
  • Became the world’s largest movie market.
  • Built a programmable quantum computer 10,000x faster than Google’s.
  • Operated the first integrated, 3,000-mile, commercial quantum secure network.
  • Installed one-million 5G base stations. Tibet has better 5G service than New York.
  • Communicated between satellites 1,000x faster than radio waves, via lasers.
  • Successfully fired the world’s most powerful solid fuel rocket engine.
  • Flew three hypersonic missiles around the planet.
  • Released a fractional orbital bombardment missile while traveling 17,000 mph.
  • Commissioned three warships simultaneously to become the biggest navy by far.
  • Became the richest country on earth.
2023 06 11 14 58
2023 06 11 14 58

I will publish the 2022 list next week, and a 2023 half-year report next month.

Did reading the list make you pause and think? If it did, perhaps you would forward it to thoughtful friends.

She’s EXPOSING the truth in China, and they’re furious

Operation Z: The Last Chance Against Nazism

With thanks to Batiushka, the writer

Introduction: Two Civilisations

The tragic Washington-Moscow war which is starting to come to an end after nine long years on the battlefields of the Ukraine, where very many Ukrainian men are dying in futility, may well be entering its last year. The Western arming of the Kiev regime which began the war and prolonged it is the result of the attempt by the Western world to expand eastwards in yet another ‘Drang nach Osten’. Once more the West crossed over the civilisational line, which separates Western Secularism from Orthodox Christianity and runs through the far west of what is at present called the Ukraine. More exactly it runs through Galicia, formerly part of south-eastern Poland, formerly part of the ill-fated Habsburg Empire, centred in Lemberg/Lviv/Lvov. It is a civilisational line which should not be crossed. When France and its allies crossed it by invading what was then the Russian Empire in 1812, it led straight to the downfall of Napoleon. When Austro-Hungary crossed it by invading Serbia in 1914, it caused World War I and, ultimately the tragedy of 1917, when a Western atheist ideology was imposed by Non-Russians on the former Russian Empire and killed tens of millions of its hoodwinked peoples.

When Nazi Germany crossed that line by invading what was then the USSR in 1941, it led it to its suicidal downfall, the destruction of Berlin, and to lose World War II. After Washington crossed that same line by overthrowing the democratically-elected Ukrainian government in 2014, Washington suicidally signed the death-warrant of its own US-run, dollar-driven, unipolar Western world. For the centre of Western Secularism is today the American Empire elite in Washington, however much it disguises itself with euphemisms like the EU, NATO, the G7, the ‘free world’, the ‘international community’, the ‘rules-based order’ etc. And the centre of Orthodox Christian Civilisation, however far it has fallen, lapsed and been deformed and divided, is still in Moscow. Whenever Western Secularism, as ever inspired by the Pagan Roman example, has tried to expand eastwards in order to steal land and exploit resources, whether it was under Charlemagne, the Teutonic Knights, the Poles, Charles XII, Napoleon, Hitler or Biden, it has failed. Such is the case again today. Some people never learn.

Why Civilisation is at a Turning-Point

At the Victory Day Parade in Moscow on 9 May 2023 President Putin stated that ‘Civilisation is at a turning-point’. He was referring to the war in the Ukraine between the West and the Rest that began in 2014 and declared that the neocon ambition of American hegemony is ‘insane’, adding that, ‘any ideology of superiority is criminal’. He also stated that ‘the globalist elites keep insisting on their exceptionalism; they pit people against each other, divide societies, provoke bloody conflicts and coups, sow hatred, Russophobia and aggressive nationalism, destroying values that make humans human’. He described Washington’s ‘rule-based order’ as ‘a system of robbery, violence and suppression on the international stage’. He compared this to the Russian view, the view of the vast majority, that there are ‘no unfriendly peoples in East or West’, that ‘the Ukrainian people are hostage to a coup d’etat and a regime that is in the hands of the West’. However, he promised that ‘we shall defeat terrorism’. On 23 May, he repeated that ‘Russia will end the war that the West started in the Ukraine’.

Meanwhile, in Washington, the neocon supporters of the Neo-Nazis are repeating the mistake of the old Nazis. The latter thought that they could defeat Russia so then they could move on to the (as they saw it) bigger problem of defeating the Anglo-Americans, not realising that they were being defeated outright in Russia. Today, the Neo-Nazis similarly want to move on to the (as they see it) bigger problem of defeating China, not realising that they too are being defeated outright in Russia. Blinded by the same hubris as the old Nazis, today’s neocon propagandists do not understand this. Russia is not at war; if it were at war, it would have destroyed everything before it, the whole infrastructure of the Ukraine would long ago have been wiped off the face of the earth. This is a military operation to free Russian-speaking Ukraine and demilitarise and denazify the rest of it. This is why it is preserving civilian lives, towns and infrastructure with great care. This is an existential war for Russia; for the neocons it is only a war for their hubris and vanity. Civilisation is at a turning-point because the threat from Washington is to destroy all Civilisations.

Russophobia And The ‘War’ That Could End Tomorrow

Where does Western Russophobia come from? It is very ancient, for it began with ‘The Father of Europe’, Charlemagne, whose prize, unsurprisingly, was awarded to the Ukrainian actor-president on 14 May in Aachen, together with another 2.7 billion euros of German military equipment. It comes from the same hatred that the West feels towards the Muslim world. The (Orthodox) Christian world and the Muslim world are not exotic and therefore cannot be mocked as the West mocks distant Civilisations, but are the nearest geographical rivals to the Western world – therefore they must be destroyed. We can see this in old history; the Crusades were directed against Muslims in Spain, then in the Middle East and North Africa, but also against Christians in Constantinople (sacked in 1214 by barbaric Western troops) and then in Russia, which the equally barbaric Teutonic Knights tried to destroy in 1242.

However, all of this was only after the long centuries when the Western elite had murdered and raped its way through the Western peoples, enslaving in their barbaric feudalism Gauls, Saxons, Celts, Mozarabs, Milanese, English and Slavs alike. Sadly, the barbarians are not, as some imagine, at the gates, they have been in control from the outset for over a thousand years, tearing away the people from their saints. Deceit has always been their way. ‘Castles, dungeons and torture-chambers are good for you’, claimed the barbarian sadists. But modern Western Democracy is only the same castle racketeering – vote for us or else. Thus, on the 5 May, the notorious ‘we are the garden, they are the jungle’ Borrell, the European Union’s racist foreign policy chief, said in Florence, ‘If I stop supporting the Ukraine, certainly the war will finish soon’. ‘Ukraine will fall to the invading Russian forces in a matter of days without military support from Western countries’. His words denote the intensely aggressive and warmongering mentality inherent in the barbarian Western elite. They could end conflict and death, but they refuse to do so, willing to fight until the last hoodwinked Ukrainian is dead. Indeed, only the unhoodwinked will be left alive.

Operation Z

The Russian Operation is called Operation Z, named after the last letter of the alphabet, because it is the last chance for Civilisation to survive the Anti-Civilisation of the Western world. And any Civilisation means the Global Majority, called the Global South. The Russian Federation deals with the Global Majority, from which the Western world has isolated itself. Thus, when President Macron declared that Russia is becoming the vassal of China, what he means is that France long ago became the vassal of the USA, whereas Russia and China are part of the multipolar world. Similarly, those in the Western world like the German Chancellor Scholz, who state that the Ukraine is defending ‘Western values’ condemn themselves. The US-installed Neo-Nazi regime in Kiev has persecuted the Church and closed hundreds of them, imprisoned minorities, murdered Russians and banned other political parties. Yes, these are ‘Western values’ – Nazism is a unique Western value and ideology. Several German, EU and Canadian politicians are indeed the grandchildren of Nazis, some of them were members of the SS. This then is the meaning of Operation Z – the last chance to save the Global Majority, but also the last chance to save the Western world from itself.

On 20 May 2023 Artiomovsk/Bakhmut was at last liberated by pro-Russian forces after eight months of fighting and fifty thousand Ukrainian dead. The leaders of the G7 Western ghetto, meeting at that very moment for a weekend in Hiroshima, where a US president committed the genocide of Japanese civilians 78 years before, were not at all pleased and so pretended that the liberation had not taken place. Its mention in the Western media is strictly forbidden and censored, as is the critical condition of General Zaluzhny, the seriously wounded head of the Kiev Armed Forces. However, the introverted G7 itself is increasingly irrelevant to the real world, a relic from the past. The world has moved on since 1945, which is what the G7 is about, as it is formed from the Western victors and the two vanquished nations from that past era. Once more, however, the G7 pretended not to notice its own irrelevance and went on navel-gazing through its World War II eyes. There is no greater example of this than its fantasy that it can defeat Russia through its Kiev-based puppets, then overthrow the highly popular President Putin and divide up Russia between various transnational corporations.

Conclusion: The Prophecy of Atlantis

The result of the Western arming of the Kiev forces is that what began as a small police operation to liberate the people of the Donbass has become little short of a World War. It is Russia versus the Combined West. Russia has concluded that nothing save total victory will make the Americans and their British and EU poodles understand that it means business and there will be a neutral, sovereign Ukraine independent of US control, so no longer a hostile neighbour. As President Vladimir Putin told the Russian Parliament last July: ‘We have already heard a lot about the West wanting to fight us ‘to the last Ukrainian.’ This is a tragedy for the Ukrainian people. But everyone should know that, by and large, we have not started anything in earnest yet’. What will the USA do once it has lost in the Ukraine? It will just abandon it, just as it abandoned Vietnam, Iraq and Afghanistan, and return to its big island across the ocean 4,000 miles away. Then the world will be free.

Here will be prepared the Second Atlantis. Yes, Atlantis, for Plato’s story of Atlantis was never history, but in fact a prophetic warning for the future. The story of the fictional island of Atlantis was an allegory about hubris and concluded with Atlantis falling out of favour with the gods and sinking into the Atlantic Ocean.  As it seems now, this story is precisely about the USA, which is the real Atlantis, which will sink beneath the waves of hubris and depravity. However, the story is even more than that, it is also about all those who associate themselves with the USA, for example, in Western Europe, not forgetting the Russian oligarchs and traitors who so admire the West that they choose to live in New York, London, Tel Aviv or elsewhere in the Western world. This is the warning and, alarmingly, it is almost too late for it to be heard. Most are not listening to the prophecy, but the writing is on the wall. Time is almost up.

India rejects US’ offer ahead of PM Modi visit:

'Not suitable, has no intention of joining NATO plus...'

The critical remarks from India came weeks after a powerful Congressional Committee recommended strengthening NATO Plus by including India.

Article HERE

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How important covering up is.

When all hell breaks loose, people are screaming, running for their guns, trying to get to their cars, or trying to reach the top floor of tall buildings for some reason.

But what if you don’t have a gun, or you can’t get to a car, and you get cornered by a zombie?

What’s your best defense? Your first one? Before you even pick up a weapon?

What you’re wearing on your body, that’s what.

Zombies attack with their teeth. Human teeth, as I’m sure you’re aware not the best at biting through live flesh.

As long as you cover your body with something that can withstand human teeth, you’ll be much safer.

One type of body covering that can be acquired easily and is effective against zombie attacks is the good old motorcycle gear.

Motorcycle pants, jackets, and gloves are designed to prevent road rash injuries and are very tough.

main qimg 47a282db17cd40cc5d00a24e4f20afa3 lq
main qimg 47a282db17cd40cc5d00a24e4f20afa3 lq

(Maybe lose the heavy helmet).

Good running shoes can also come in handy.


Covering the body, especially the arms, neck, and legs can be very useful, and may be your last line of defense.

When hit in the face with a zombie apocalypse, let’s always remember to cover up, then we can run screaming for our guns or cars or the nearest tall buildings.

Have you ever found a baby lying in the middle of the street crying, all alone, hungry, not getting the love it needs, not getting the food it needs, starving and dying?

This is how narcissist parents treat their children. And they learned this from their parents.

Narcissists do not care for anyone or anything but themselves! They have no idea how to CARE or LOVE anyone.

They are 100 percent occupied with their own wants, interests, desires and needs.

The baby has to be JUST like THEM.

Love is conditional. It is based 100 percent on how the narcissist wants the child to be.

The narcissist feels that they can show the world what a PERFECT PARENT they are!!!

The baby is not allowed to be a seperate person with their own wants needs and desires.

And if that baby does have any wants, needs or desires of their own then the narcissist feels abandoned and will PUNISH that child to conform to what THEY want need and desire.

If the child doesn’t conform or does doesn’t matter (confusing right!!). This is a method of coercion to control everyone in the family.

EVERYONE in the family will do the narcissists bidding. These words are not spoken, the child either knows how to read the parents mind or harsh treatment will be brought down.

If the child does do what the parents want it is belittled and double binded into subconscious submission as the narcissist needs to have IT (the child is an object to a narcissist) to regulate their emotions.

Without the child there the narcissist cannot regulate their emotions and will feel empty. They will absolutely panic if there isn’t someone around to regulate their emotional state of mind.

Essentially it’s like the child as a real person doesn’t exist and that it’s just an extension of the parents wants, needs and desires.

Try growing up in a family like this and being able to have any semblance of self…you won’t.

You will have turned into a false self to please the narcissist parents as a survival mechanism.

Either that or a way to overly empathetic person with no idea what a boundary is or why their gut feels so horrible around the narcissist. These people struggle with destroyed wants, needs and desires too.

But instead of everything being all about them their lives are all about others.

Both are the survival mechanisms of growing up in a narcissist family.

Both are like leaving a newborn child on their own to fend for themselves.

Both have not received and do not know how to receive real love.

P.S.-

Unless you have grown up in this kind of family dynamic you do not truly know what it is like in any way. I have been receiving a lot of comments from people saying “This isn’t true, they were just spoiled children, that’s what forms narcissists!” From my own experiences this is a half truth. It’s difficult enough to know you are simultaneously being spoiled and abused at the same time let alone for an outsider to understand this dynamic. That’s why they call it Covert…I have never talked to a narcissist who was just formed from being spoiled. It is a combination of the two (or just abuse). Most people will not see any abuse, just a rich spoiled child. Well, it’s Covert (hidden). And the child has no idea he’s been abused let alone that he’s a narcissist.

The US is dangerously playing with fire off the coast of China

MOSCOW, June 5, 2023, RUSSTRAT Institute. The Indo-Pacific Command of the US Armed Forces accused the Chinese Air Force that a Chinese fighter jet made an aggressive maneuver against an American aircraft over the South China Sea on May 26. The pilot of a Chinese fighter jet intercepted a spy plane, flying in close proximity to the RC-135, and creating a turbulence zone for the frightened American. According to Pentagon officials, the United States aircraft was simply ” performing a routine safe mission in the area.”

On June 3, the following conflict situation occurred between the PLA and the US Navy. The US Navy’s Arleigh Burke-class guided missile destroyer USS Chung-Hoon and the Canadian Navy’s Halifax-class frigate HMCS Montreal have entered the Taiwan Strait. According to Beijing, the American ship ignored the appeals of the Chinese side, so the PLA Navy destroyer “clipped” the US ship, which forced the Americans to change course and reduce speed to avoid the crash, and then together with the Canadian frigate to leave the strait zone.

The US press, at the suggestion of its military, inflates the news about “dangerous maneuvers of a Chinese ship 150 meters in front of the nose of an American destroyer.” What the US military did off the coast of China, 12 thousand kilometers from their native land, Western media do not report.

The official representative of the Ministry of Defense of the People’s Republic of China, Wu Qian, called the actions of the Americans a provocation and an invasion of the zone of vital interests of China. At a meeting on the sidelines of the Singapore Security Summit, Chinese Defense Minister Li Shangfu said: “If someone tries to separate Taiwan from China, the Chinese military will not hesitate for a second, and China will be reunited.”

Lloyd Austin, for his part, indicated that the United States will continue to use warships and aircraft in international waters and skies near China, as well as continue to support Taiwan. Is it any wonder that Li Shangfu, who is under US sanctions, refused to hold any talks with his American counterpart?

It is noteworthy that shortly before the scandals described, CIA Director Bill Burns made a trip to China. It was allegedly about stabilizing relations after the February incident with a spy balloon, which Washington considered Chinese.

Given that Burns traveled to Moscow shortly before Russia was forced to launch a CDF on the territory of the former Ukrainian SSR, it can be assumed that with adequate negotiations (on an equal footing, with the construction of an honest dialogue that takes into account the interests of all parties) The US representatives have big problems. This was also noticed by The American Thinker.

Analysts of the American publication explain the inconsistent, rude and unproductive policy of the White House by the incompetence and incompetence of the Biden administration.

They are echoed in the editorial office of The National Interest. They believe that the United States should not and cannot afford to seek primacy everywhere — for geographical reasons alone, American influence in remote regions cannot be dominant, and this is natural. Thus, the United States is unable to dictate its will to the Global South, especially in view of the weakening of American influence in Central Asia.

Why is the United States so uncompromising and aggressive? Americans have always lived at the expense of other countries. Unleashing wars on the territory of third countries, they received dividends from this. Times have changed, but the White House’s tactics have remained the same. The dissonance is amplified by the interests of the ruling circles of the United States, which for a long time do not coincide with the national interests of the former “hegemon”. For the implementation of domestic policy, the US authorities need extra-constitutional power, which can give a new military conflict. Therefore, Washington is mindlessly seeking war, even though the United States is not ready for it. Needless to say, such “games” put the world on the brink of nuclear catastrophe.

I was in a second rate art gallery and for some reason he had a bin labelled $2. I asked why $2 and he said it was better than just tossing it all away. Most of the stuff was awful and then I found it. This piece and I took it to the gallery owner and asked if he was sure. He said, give the me the $2 and it is yours. I took it home, and then studied the seal that I had seen in the bottom corner, it had been displayed in an art exhibit at the Columbia Exposition of 1892. I love this piece, I have had it on my various walls for 40 years now and an art appraiser asked me if I wanted to auction it. No, it is going to my family when I depart. Best $2 spent ever for me. The seal in the corner is just below the matting, not viewed here.

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Oh man, I almost did get fired for this…

About twenty years ago I used to teach kindergarten. There was a boy in my class, “D”, who had a rough home life. His mother was out of the picture because of intermittent jail time, and his father worked constantly as a car mechanic. Dad usually had a girlfriend to help him out with D. These women came and went before D had time to bond with them. It was just as well.

As the one female who spent the most consistent time with D, I became somewhat of a surrogate mother. Besides being a little rowdy and precocious, D was a good little guy with a big smile and freckles on his face. My heart went out to him. We had a successful kindergarten year together.

The following year my grade assignment changed to a first-second combination class. I got to loop (bring students from the previous year) a few students. Of course I brought D with me…he needed the stability of being with me another year. Well one day we were all singing and being kind of silly and D just would not stay in his chair. I teased him by saying I’d tape him to his seat if he didn’t sit down. Of course he didn’t, and begged me to tape him to his chair. I was caught up in the moment of silliness with all the kids and brought out the duct tape and wrapped the tape once around his upper thighs to his chair. There was nothing punitive about it. That little rascal stood up, chair and all, and danced with his back end wiggling with the chair attached. The rest of the kids thought this was hilarious, and D got a moment of attention that he enjoyed.

The chair dance lasted only a minute before I cut him loose, then we all left for an assembly. The kids were still giggling over all of this when the principal asked what was so funny. So I told him what just happened, and before I knew it I was being called into his office. The district HR person was there, as were the district attorneys and my union President. Needless to say I was reprimanded on a scale you wouldn’t believe. I was told that there was no statute of limitations on my actions and that it would stay in my personnel file indefinitely. I was basically told that if I stepped out of line again, I’d be fired. I was told not to talk about it with anyone, especially D’s father (whom they’d contacted), and never to have duct tape in my classroom-EVER! I felt like a criminal with duct tape being my weapon of choice.

In the days that followed D’s father tried repeatedly to contact me, and after no response sent me a letter saying he was worried about me and hoped D didn’t get me in trouble. I so wanted to reach out to assure him that D had done nothing wrong, but I would’ve been fired had I done so.

Fast forward fifteen years and a 20 year-old D came to visit me at school one day. We laughed about what happened and I sent him on his way with a job reference.

Yes, I understand the seriousness of my actions even though I meant no harm. Would it happen again? Not likely. It took me a few years of walking on eggshells to keep my reputation clean. And I still don’t keep duct tape in my classroom…

Southern Hamburger Pie

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1371591159055

Ingredients

  • 1 medium onion, chopped
  • 1 pound ground chuck
  • Salt and pepper to taste
  • 1 small can corn or green beans, drained (optional)
  • 1 (9-inch) frozen pie shell
  • 5 slices Velveeta cheese, about 4 to 5 ounces
  • 1 can flaky biscuits

Instructions

  1. Begin thawing pie crust. Heat oven to 400 degrees F.
  2. Cook ground beef and onion in a large skillet on medium heat, breaking up the beef with the back of a spoon, and cook until onions are soft.
  3. Drain excess fat and season with salt and pepper to taste.
  4. Add corn or green beans if using.
  5. Put meat mixture into the pie shell and evenly distribute the cheese over the top.
  6. Separate biscuits and layer in a circular pattern over the pie, covering it completely (you may not need all the biscuits).
  7. Cut a few small “steam slits” in the top and bake for about 20 minutes until golden brown.

Serves 4.

Make them happy, nothing should make you happier than to see them being themselves an dhabing an authentic smile on their face. Always find ways to make their life easier, and be there for them, not with advice, but with arms open and ears ready to hear without intervening or trying to fix the problem.

General of the Russian Army Valery Gerasimov talks with China’s General Li Shangfu

Chief of the General Staff of the Armed Forces, First Deputy Minister of Defence of the Russian Federation General of the Army Valery Gerasimov during talks with counterpart Li Shangfu from the People’s Republic of China:

‘Comrade General. It is a pleasure to welcome you.

First of all, I would like to congratulate you on your appointment to the post of Chief of Staff of the Joint Staff Department of the Central Military Commission of the People’s Republic of China and wish you success in your responsible post in defending the motherland, strengthening its defensive capacity, and further modernising the People’s Liberation Army of China.

I am confident that your extensive experience will aid in the growth of the People’s Liberation Army as well as the expansion of military cooperation between our countries.

The visit to Moscow in April by Minister of Defence of the People’s Republic of China General Li Shangfu was of great significance for the development of defence cooperation between Russia and China.

We appreciate the fact that after his appointment to his post General Li Shangfu chose Russia as the first country for his foreign trip, as did Chinese President Xi Jinping, who paid a state visit to Russia in March.

President Vladimir Putin and President Xi Jinping have confirmed that the Russian-Chinese comprehensive partnership and strategic interaction are at the highest level.

Against the backdrop of recent global events, the decisions taken constitute long-term national development and security goals enshrined in our leaders’ joint statement, including issues of expanding military cooperation.

Coordination between Russia and the People’s Republic of China in the international arena has a stabilising effect on the world situation.

An example of this is joint military exercises both bilaterally and within the framework of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization and ADMM Plus that promote the deepening of positive defence contacts.

The practice of joint operational and combat training by the Russian Armed Forces and People’s Liberation Army of China should continue to be a priority in the future.

I am convinced that today’s talks will serve to further strengthen the Russian-Chinese strategic partnership in the defence sphere.

I’d want to take this occasion to encourage you to visit Russia whenever it is convenient for you’.

Article HERE

—o0o—

The Russian Military and the Chinese Military have open doors between them.  On the Russian side, we know what is happening and watch it daily.  On the Chinese side, the pressure, from the US and a new NATO office in Japan, is being ratcheted up unbelievably.  The latest:

The commander of US Indo-Pacific Command, Admiral John Aquilino, highlighted the military’s threatening posture towards China, speaking at the annual meeting of the National Committee on US-China Relations last month. The group is known for encouraging engagement between the world’s two largest economies.

In yet another confirmation that the White House has overturned the long-standing “strategic ambiguity” policy regarding Taiwan, Aquilino went so far as to say President Joe Biden and Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin have tasked him to win a war against China if Beijing attacks the island.

“What I can tell you is the secretary and the president have tasked me with two missions. The first is to prevent this conflict. And then the second one is if I fail at Mission One to be ready and prepared to fight and win… the United States military is manned, trained, equipped, postured and ready to execute both of those missions,” the INDOPACOM chief said.  https://libertarianinstitute.org/news/indopaccom-chief-the-us-is-ready-to-fight-and-win-a-war-with-china/

As I’ve explained before, Taiwan is the word, it is the name.  It is easily remembered by most that actively support a war against China.  This war, and the possibility that there will be one is actively being prepared for.  We see the US encroaching in the Asia-Pacific, under the name Indo-Pacific and doing their preparatory work, not only regarding Taiwan, but the full first island chain and various countries are being set up as war proxies, militarised and weaponized.  Think of the Philippines and South Korea, Japan, and Australia being the bigger ones.  It is quite actively being discussed.

This war is planned as a boots-on-the-ground war + proxies.  It may look at the moment as if it is a lost cause and the US + NATO are not prepared and from our circles, the ability to fight a war is questionable.

Yet preparations are being done actively and this is why Chinese and Russian militaries hold joint aerial strategic patrols in the Asia-Pacific region.  The last patrol consisted of Chinese H-6K bombers and two Russian Tu-95 bombers, escorted by two unidentified Chinese fighter jets.  They flew together over the East China Sea and the Sea of Japan on the 6th of June, just a few days ago.

What is not generally known, is that this is not an exercise, but Chinese reports call this a patrol amidst rising tensions and US provocations in the region.  The Shangri-La dialogue was taking place and what is also not generally known is that a PLA Navy flotilla consisting of a 055 large destroyer Anshan and a 054A frigate Linyi sailed from the East China Sea through the Tsushima Strait into the Sea of Japan a day before the aerial patrol.  In addition, the Russian Pacific Fleet launched an exercise in the Sea of Japan and the Sea of Okhotsk on the 5th, sending over 60 warships and 35 aircraft, according to a statement released by Russia’s Defense Ministry on the day.

Was there military coordination between the Russian Pacific Fleet and the PLA Navy flotilla and the aerial patrol?  I don’t have anything that specifically tells me so, except the readout of the conversation between Valery Gerasimov and Li Shangfu that talks about strengthening the Russian-Chinese strategic partnership in the defense sphere and the open-door policy.  I have a musing on probability though.  I’d love to see the document between the militaries where they spell out the probability of kinetic action in the region vs expected timing.  One would think there is such a document and one would think it is a continually updated document, not passive.

Currently, there are large-scale PLA drills around Taiwan and Xi Jinping called on Chinese border troops to enhance their capabilities in border defense and control to forge a “great wall of steel” along the country’s borders.

Yep. My family likes to shop at resale shops or yard sales. We play a game called Who got the best find today. Often Ill call my dad and say I won resale shopping today! Then detail what I found and why its a win. Or my mom will call me and tell me what they found.

There is no guilt though. Its all fun. Someone donated it or didn’t want it. We did.

The BEST story though is about a 1956 Harry Ferguson (Yes HARRY not Massey) tractor my dad found at an auction. It wouldn’t start. He walked over looked it over but didn’t touch anything. There were a bunch of Good Ole Boys standing around talking about it and why it wouldn’t run. My dad ended up paying about 50$ for it. A lot of money 45 years ago for a lawn ornament. After he took ownership he walked over fiddled with a wire and the thing started up. He says he got out of there as fast as he could he thought they might lynch him.

4 years back i and my dad went to purchase a pair of shoes from a footwear shop nearby. There was a man with a great height and physique , around the age of 30 sitting there holding a girl child of around 4 years. He kept seeing my dad for few seconds , later while going back he gave a pleasant smile and asked my dad

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“You are from’ x’ village right, with the home in the outskirts of the village”.

My dad was surprised and said “ya but sorry i couldn’t make out, how do u know me?”

He spoke with the calmness , pleasant smile on his face”i was one among the construction workers who built your house( he said it in a local slang ಗಾರೆ ಕೆಲಸ ).i used to sleep there only at night.I can’t forget those days. Happy to see you”

My dad was surpised hearing this”ohh, u still remember it. What are u doing now?”but my dad was not able to recognize him as it was around 10 yrs back

He said in the most humble way”i am the circle inspector here , came to purchase slippers for my daughter” and asked whether i was his daughter to which my dad replied yes , that man continued,’she was a small child when i last saw her, she is a grown up girl now ‘with the brotherly love in his eyes.

How can someone be so humble, the one who is a circle inspector now, recognized my dad and said that he had worked as a construction worker for his home without any hesitation even when my dad failed to recognize him. That humbleness he had when he spoke was just inspirational.

He remind me of one saying”wherever you go, whatever you become you should never forget your roots, you should be proud of them”

To all those who are asking who is a circle inspector, he is a police officer who is in charge of 2 or more police stations, he supervises the subinspectors of those stations.

One of the weirdest things about Japan is the way Japanese treat the watermelon.

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main qimg b09a170df10780c2b79c348950ffe8f6 lq

First of all, a watermelon, or “suika” is classified as a “vegetable” by many Japanese, not a fruit. If an English teacher asks “What’s your favorite vegetable?” to a student, a very likely answer will be “watermelon” (though “strawberry” is another popular choice). This is because traditionally, in Japan, “fruit” grew on trees and “vegetables” were basically any type of plant that grew above ground but not on a tree.

Second of all, in the summer time, Japanese children play the game suika wari (スイカ割, “smashing the watermelon”). They are blindfolded and given either a baseball bat (see above) or a wooden sword. The first child to successfully smash open the watermelon is the winner. It’s like smashing a piñata, basically.

The Densuke Watermelon is a rare “black” watermelon that is often auctioned off to the elite. It can go for $6,000. Don’t use that in a game of suika wari!

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No, your eyes don’t deceive you. That watermelon really is almost US$200. Don’t knock it over… It is a watermelon to be *revered*.

China Orders 15,000 Iranian Drones

A very serious development has taken place: China has placed an order with Iran for 15,000 “Shaheed 136” military drones, with differing types of engines for different war fronts. The entities with whom China expects war?

According to a Commander with the Iran Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC) which accepted the order, China is preparing for war in Taiwan, Japan, and Australia.

Iran has created a huge business opportunity for themselves selling these drones, which appear to be incredibly effective for Russia inside Ukraine right now.

Based on how many they are already selling to Russia, Iran must already have tens of thousands; which should give pause to their pipsqueak, but big-mouthed neighbor, Israel.

Historically, this is interesting because ancient Persians were known for shooting crazy amounts of arrows into the sky against their enemies to completely overwhelm them.

And the entire world looks at the United States and sadly shakes its collective heads

A little bit dated post. Maybe two weeks old. I’m finally getting around to it.

So there was a meeting between Blinkin and Xi Peng inside of China. China remained firm and resolute, but the over all tone of the meeting was positive.

US-China pledge to stabilise ties after Xi-Blinken meeting

Earlier on Monday, Mr Blinken met for three hours with China's top foreign policy official, Wang Yi. Mr Wang presented an ultimatum on Monday, saying the US must choose between “cooperation or conflict”.

China’s president uses notably positive language despite no ‘big ticket’ agreements being reached. From HERE paywall.

.

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TELEMMGLPICT000339847521 16871664646560 trans NvBQzQNjv4BqvcbZMXX vCpvwlOvyIj3IvAom1AprPiz55zIIp jjTw

That feeling lasted for a good four hours, and then all HELL broke lose when President Biden starts to make fun of Xi Peng, calling him names, and generally being quite provocative…. and insulting.

As we can see plainly here…

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Resulting in a very fierce Chinese response…

China hits back after Biden calls Xi a ‘dictator’

.

2023 06 22 07 42
2023 06 22 07 42

KENTFIELD, California/BEIJING, June 21 (Reuters) – China hit back on Wednesday after U.S. President Joe Biden referred to President Xi Jinping as a “dictator”, saying the remarks were absurd and a provocation, an unexpected flare-up following attempts by both sides to reduce friction.

Biden made his comments just a day after U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken completed a visit to China aimed at stabilizing relations that Beijing says are at their lowest point since formal ties were established in 1979.

At a fundraiser in California, Biden said Xi was very embarrassed when a suspected Chinese spy balloon was blown off course over U.S. airspace early this year. Blinken had said on Monday the chapter should be closed.

“The reason why Xi Jinping got very upset in terms of when I shot that balloon down with two box cars full of spy equipment in it was he didn’t know it was there,” Biden said.

“That’s a great embarrassment for dictators. When they didn’t know what happened. That wasn’t supposed to be going where it was. It was blown off course,” Biden said.

Xi became China’s most powerful leader since Mao Zedong after securing a precedent-breaking third term as president in March and head of the Communist Party in October.

He presides over a one-party system that many human rights groups, Western leaders and academics call a dictatorship because it lacks an independent judiciary, free media, or universal suffrage for national office.

Critics of Xi and his party are censored online and risk detention off line.

Biden also said China “has real economic difficulties”.

Biden as president has previously referred to China as “essentially” a dictatorship and “a place for the autocrat, the dictator,” while saying no other world leader wants to be Xi.

But Tuesday’s remarks about the Chinese leader were some of his most direct.

Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson Mao Ning called the remarks “extremely absurd” and “irresponsible” and said they seriously violated facts, diplomatic protocol and China’s political dignity.

“They’re an open political provocation,” she told a regular briefing.

2023 06 22 07 42a
2023 06 22 07 42a

U.S. State Department deputy spokesperson Vedant Patel, asked if Biden’s comments would affect future visits by U.S. and Chinese officials, said Washington continued to expect engagements “in due course, when the time is appropriate.”

“The president believes that diplomacy … is a responsible way to manage tensions, clear up misperceptions, avoid miscalculations and all of this in our interests to do that,” Patel said. “That does not mean of course we will not be blunt and forthright about our differences.”

LASTING DAMAGE UNLIKELY

AMERICAN Political analysts played down the likely damage to U.S.-China engagement.

“Biden’s big mouth is a loose cannon,” said Wu Xinbo, director of the Center for American Studies at Fudan University in Shanghai. He said the remarks would affect mutual trust, including in communications between the leaders, but would not erase what Blinken had achieved on his China visit.

Yun Sun, head of the China program at Washington’s Stimson Center, said she thought the U.S. side “wants to let this quietly go away.”

“And the Chinese will not want to blow this out of proportion, ruining the prospect of a process leading to Xi’s bilateral summit with Biden in November,” referring to a possible meeting when the United States hosts the APEC forum.

Blinken and Xi agreed in their meeting on Monday to stabilize the U.S.-China rivalry so it did not veer into conflict. While the visit did not yield breakthroughs, both sides agreed to continue diplomatic engagement with more visits by U.S. officials in the coming weeks and months.

Biden said later on Tuesday that U.S. climate envoy John Kerry may go to China soon. On Monday, he said he thought relations were on the right path and indicated that progress was made during Blinken’s trip.

Biden has often defined the current state of global politics as a battle between democracy and autocracy, and said democratically-led countries should establish economic ties to balance autocratic-led countries, aiming at Russia and China.

Beijing in the past has bristled at that definition. Xi told Biden during a November 2022 meeting that China has “Chinese-style democracy,” Chinese state news reported then.

Chiming in from Moscow, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters on Wednesday that Biden’s comments contradicted Blinken’s efforts to ease tensions with Beijing, describing the remarks as “incomprehensible”.

“However, that’s their business,” Peskov said. “We’ve our own bad relations with the United States of America and our very good relations with the People’s Republic of China.”

Other world leaders seemed reluctant to get involved. Asked repeatedly about the situation, the spokesperson of German chancellor Olaf Scholz said only: “The Federal Government has taken note of the American President’s statement.”

2023 06 22 07 43
2023 06 22 07 43

So you have to wonder, what is going on?

Perhaps this will provide some insight…

US Coast Guard ship transited Taiwan Strait after Blinken’s China visit -US Navy

Nope. Same bullshit. All the time.

2023 06 22 16 56
2023 06 22 16 56

TAIPEI, June 22 (Reuters) – A U.S. Coast Guard ship sailed through the Taiwan Strait on Tuesday in a transit that China described as “public hype”, after U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken having wrapped up a high-profile, widely watched visit to Beijing a day earlier.

The national security cutter Stratton made a “routine” Taiwan Strait transit on Tuesday “through waters where high-seas freedoms of navigation and overflight apply in accordance with international law”, the U.S. Navy’s 7th Fleet said on Thursday.

The politically sensitive strait, which separates China from the democratically governed island of Taiwan, is a frequent source of tension as Beijing steps up its political and military pressure to try to force Taipei to accept Chinese sovereignty.

“Stratton’s transit through the Taiwan Strait demonstrates the United States’ commitment to a free and open Indo-Pacific. The United States military flies, sails and operates anywhere international law allows,” the 7th Fleet added in its statement.

The mission happened the day after Blinken ended a visit to Beijing, in which the two countries agreed to stabilise their intense rivalry so it does not veer into conflict, but failed to produce any major breakthrough.

Taiwan’s defence ministry said the ship sailed in a northerly direction, and its forces monitored the situation which it described as “normal”.

The Chinese coast guard described the ship’s transit as “public hype”.

Chinese vessels tailed the U.S. ship “all the way”, a spokesperson at China’s coast guard said in a statement, adding that China will “resolutely” safeguard its sovereignty and security and maritime rights and interests.

A security source told Reuters the U.S. ship left the strait in the early hours of Thursday morning.

U.S. military vessels, and on occasion those of its allies, have routinely sailed through the strait in recent years, to the anger of China, which views such missions as provocation.

This month the U.S. Navy released a video of an “unsafe interaction” in the strait, in which a Chinese warship crossed in front of a U.S. destroyer operating with a Canadian warship.

Taiwan’s military reports almost daily Chinese incursions in the strait, mostly warplanes that cross the waterway’s median line, which once served as an unofficial barrier between the two.

On Wednesday, Taiwan said Chinese warships led by the aircraft carrier Shandong sailed through the strait.


US Troops Are in Peru to Counter Chinese and Russian Influence in Latin America, Reports Peruvian News Outlet

By Nick Corbishley

Peruvian troops’ “training alongside US forces will help to improve their capabilities and strengthen the operational performance of [Peruvian] Special Forces, boosting their interoperability with NATO systems and doctrine.”

As Peru descends even deeper into political chaos and ungovernability, the main priority for its unelected President Dina Boluarte is basic survival. So says a piece in the Peruvian daily La Republica, adding that Boluarte’s dire approval rating (14%-17%) is a result not just of the 60 protesters’ deaths on her watch but also her abject lack of management ability. As vice president, Boluarte helped to topple and replace her former boss, Peru’s elected President Pedro Castillo, now languishing in jail, sparking riots throughout the country. But since then (December 7), her short-lived presidency has brought nothing but bloodshed, chaos and division.

Peru is currently in the grip of its worst ever Dengue outbreak, which is hitting poor communities — many of the same communities that voted for Castillo — particularly hard. Five days ago, the Health Minister Rosa Gutiérrez resigned over criticism of her management of the crisis. Gutiérrez’s replacement, César Vásquez, faces allegations  in Peru’s Congress of influence peddling in early 2021. It is against this febrile backdrop that Boluarte chose to break the news five days ago that she will not be calling general elections until 2026 — despite the fact she has repeatedly pledged to call new elections some time this year, has zero democratic legitimacy, is broadly despised by the public and is under investigation for numerous human rights violations.

But Boluarte still enjoys the support of the US Embassy*, and for the moment that is what counts. In fact, there are 1,172 US soldiers on Peruvian soil right now or at least on their way there. As I reported in my May 26 post, Why Are US Military Personnel Heading to Peru?, the Boluarte government and Peru’s Congress — which ranks even lower in the public’s estimation than Boluarte — have authorised the entry of US troops onto Peruvian soil between June 1 and August 29. They also authorised the entry of 11 US military aircraft, two boats, two trucks, rockets, grenades, detonators, satellite communication equipment, machine guns, pistols and ammunition.

War Games in the New Cold War

Since that article, more details have seeped out about the US military’s presence in Peru, which is certainly out of the ordinary. US troops have entered Peru periodically for decades, but never for periods as long as this. “Juegos de Guerra”(War Games), an in-depth report published by the weekly newspaper Hildebrandt en sus trece, wagers that the main reason for the US troops’ mobilisation is as a show of force to Washington’s main strategic rivals, Russia and China, which are “eroding” US influence in the region.

“There is a global political confrontation between the United States and China and Russia. Peru is key because we are located at a strategic point in the Pacific basin, a gateway for China and access point to Brazil’s huge market on the Atlantic seaboard. We are a hinge”, Wilson Barrantes, former director of Peru’s National Intelligence Directorate (DINI), told the weekly newspaper.

Most of the US military personnel will be taking part in Resolute Sentinel 2023, a military exercise that will be staged across a number of regions of Peru between June and August. The 12th Air Force-led U.S. Southern Command (SOUTHCOM) exercise was first held in 2021 when the US deployed 129 military personnel to Honduras, El Salvador and Guatemala. A year later, the military contingent was multiplied by seven and Belize joined the list of participating countries. The third edition will be held for the first time in South America, in a single nation: Peru.

Before the exercise begins, a contingent of 42 members of the US Special Forces will participate in training with Peru’s Joint Intelligence and Special Operations Command, the Joint Special Force and the FAP Special Forces Group. An additional 160 US soldiers, manning nine aircraft, will train with personnel from the Peruvian Air Force, Special Forces (GRUFE), the Space Operations Centre (Copes), and the National Satellite Image Centre (Cnois). Then, a total of 970 members of the US Air Force (USAF), Space Force (USSF) and the US Special Forces will participate in Resolute Sentinel 2023. An additional 65 US military personnel will be staying put until the end of the year to oversee ongoing training programs.

Preparations for the exercise were thrashed out between the US Embassy in Lima and Ana Cecilia Gervasi Diaz, Peru’s Minister of Foreign Affairs. Gervasi Diaz was appointed to the role by Boluarte on December 10, just three days after Castillo’s impeachment and imprisonment.

NATO’s Moves in Latin America

In late December, shortly after Castillo’s fall, the Mexican geopolitical analyst Alfredo Jalife-Rahme warned in one of his video conferences (which we covered here ) that the United States and China are “in a war for Peru’s soul”. As I noted at the time, this “war” of which Jalife speaks is rather one-sided, given that China, unlike the US, does not tend to meddle in internal politics in the region, or at least hasn’t until now. Now, six months later, Hildebrandt en sus trece, a widely respected Peruvian news outlet, has reached a similar conclusion by tracing some of the steps that led to the US military’s current presence in Peru (text, including the excerpts of Admiral Craig Faller’s document, translated from the Spanish by yours truly):

“In May 2019 Admiral Craig Faller, then head of Southern Command, presented an internal document called “Enduring Promise for the Americas.” It was about a plan for winning allies in Latin America and the Caribbean up to 2027 with the goal of “improving security, protecting the US homeland and our national interests,” says the report.

In the document SOUTHCOM singles out two threats in the US’ “backyard”: Chinese influence and the growth of organised crime. On the spectre of Xi Jinping, Faller paints a bleak picture: “In many areas around the world, including this hemisphere, our competitive advantage is eroding (…) China has expanded its ‘One Belt, One Road’ initiative in Latin America and the Caribbean at a pace that could one day eclipse its expansion in South East Asia and Africa. Its trade and investments are increasing rapidly and it is now the biggest creditor to the region. Chinese control of deep water ports and infrastructure connected to the Panama Canal bolsters its operational position. Its investments in telecommunications and access to space tracking facilities put at risk military operations, intellectual property and data privacy, says the report.

Faller proposes three lines of action to counter US rivals. The first strategy consists of “increasing” US presence in the region by strengthening its alliances. “We will take advantage of our bilateral security assistance programs to enhance regional cooperation.”

As if to confirm this, the documents presented to the Peruvian Congress requesting authorisation for the entry of US troops and military equipment argue that (emphasis my own) “training alongside US forces will help to improve the capabilities and strengthen the operational performance of [Peruvian] Special Forces, boosting their interoperability with NATO systems and doctrine.”

Since as far back as 2019 the Peruvian Army — one of the last remaining institutional backbones in Peru, according to Jalife — has made no bones about its aspirations to join the North Atlantic Treaty Association at some point in the future, despite Peru’s geographic position perched on South America’s Pacific coastline.

NATO already has three partner countries in South America and is on the lookout for more. In 2017, Colombia became one of NATO’s eight global partners, along with Australia, Iraq, Japan, Mongolia, New Zealand, Pakistan and the Republic of Korea. The apparent benefits of membership include interoperability with NATO forces as well as the opportunity to participate in NATO-led operations and missions around the world. Like Colombia, both Brazil and Argentina are also “major non-NATO allies,” a designation awarded by Washington to close allies that have strategic working relationships with the US Armed Forces but are not members of NATO.

NATO is certainly keen to expand its influence in Latin America, especially in the context of the current conflict in Ukraine. In 2019, the US State Department even suggested  that Mexico should join the military alliance, despite the country’s long, albeit interrupted, history of neutrality. In 2020, the Atlantic Council even argued that securing Mexico’s membership could be key to keeping the United States, then under Trump’s presidency, “committed” to the Alliance. Between them Brazil (334,000 active military personnel) and Colombia (200,000) alone would contribute more assets to NATO than the European members annexed in the 1990s, according to the the Latin American Strategic Center for Geopolitics (also known as CELAG).

At an event on the sidelines of the 2022 NATO summit in Madrid, King of Spain Felipe VI proposed that Spain could serve as both a bridge and a nexus between NATO and the former Spanish colonies of Latin America — an idea that will no doubt have met with the approval of EU’s chief diplomat Josep Borrell.

A month ago, Colombia’s first left-wing President Gustavo Petro dismayed many of his supporters by committing  to strengthen Colombia’s cooperation with NATO in areas such as climate change, human rights, integrity building and cyber defence. As I’ve noted in a previous article

, Petro has his hands largely tied when it comes to dealing with the US military, given that Colombia is one of the biggest recipients of US military aid, is home to seven or eight official US military bases and has suffered through a decades-long civil war that is not nearly resolved. But even I was surprised by the extent to which Petro appears to have caved in.

Peru: “The Most Chinese Country in South America,” Until Now

Peru’s Ambassador to China during Pedro Castillo’s government, Luis Quesada, described China as the “most Chinese country in South America.” That was in July last year. At the time, there was even talk of upgrading China’s free trade agreement (FTA) with Peru. China is already Peru’s largest trading partner on both the exports and imports side while Peru is the second largest destination for Chinese investment in Latin America, behind only Brazil. A whopping 32% of Peru’s exports go to China, compared with just 12% to the US.

But according to the report in Hildebrandt en sus trece, citing other documents by Craig Faller, Washington’s soft-power arm USAID will also be playing a part in the US’ counter-offensive against China and Russia in Peru. The notes that USAID is investigating “foreign agents” in Peru, with a particular focus on “unethical” practices by Asian (read: Chinese) multinationals.

The companies that have so far been targeted allegedly include  China Railway Tunnel Group ― with whom the Ministry of Transport and Communications recently cancelled an $87 million contract ― and Cosco Shipping, which is under investigation by the Prosecutor’s Office for a landslide at one of the company’s tunnel construction sites at the $3.6 billion Chancay mega-port it is helping to build. Located 50 miles north of Lima, the port is expected to become (in the words of Mercopress news agency) “a colossal infrastructure that will transform the 65,000 people former fishing village into a milestone of China’s increasing trade and influence in Latin America.”

Chinese companies have also invested huge sums in Peru’s mining sector over the past decade and a half. But US and European interest in Latin America’s strategic resources is also on the rise as the race for lithium, copper, cobalt and other elements essential for the so-called “clean” energy transition heats up. In recent months the region’s largest economies have received state visits from both Germany’s Chancellor Olaf Scholtz and EU Commission President Ursula Von der Leyen, who last week unveiled €10 billion of Global Gateway investments in Latin America and the Caribbean.

As readers may recall, Craig Faller’s successor at the helm of SOUTHCOM, General Laura Richardson, has been explicit about the US government’s intentions to “box out” China and Russia from strategic resources in Latin America. And while Peru may not form part of the Lithium Triangle (Bolivia, Argentina and Chile), it does boast significant deposits of the white metal. By one estimate , it is home to the sixth largest deposits of hard-rock lithium in the world. It is also the world’s second largest producer of copper, zinc and silver, three metals that are also expected to play a major role in supporting renewable energy technologies.

The problem is that Peru’s economy is hugely dependent on Chinese money for its mining industry and infrastructure projects, and that economy is — as Jalife put it — one of the few “fractals” that continue to provide some degree of stability. And while the US and NATO may offer guns and war, they cannot compete with China on investment or trade.


* The US Ambassador to Peru, Lisa Kenna, is a former adviser to former US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and a nine-year veteran at the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA). She almost certainly gave the green light for Castillo’s toppling during a meeting with Peru’s Defense Minister Gustavo Bobbio Rosas the day before (December 6). A retired brigadier general, Bobbio Rosas was appointed defence minister just one day before his meeting with Kenna and was replaced a couple of days later by Jorge Chavez Cresta , a graduate of the West Virginia National Guard and the William J. Perry Center for Hemispheric Defense Studies in Washington. According to a tweet by Peru’s Ministry of Defence, the meeting between Kenna and Bobbio was meant to tackle “issues of bilateral interest”.


So what is really going on?

Now you see why these days, the Chinese government prefers dealing with American oligarchs over any of their politicians?

main qimg 24aff702cd942942d259ce552845e1ec
main qimg 24aff702cd942942d259ce552845e1ec

You simply cannot treat a western democracy (especially one as polarised and unhinged as the US) like a normal state, because their politicians/political parties are more fixated on winning votes than any sort of long-term planning in domestic or foreign policies. Winning votes means staying in power, staying in power means receiving more bribes/”lobbying funds”.

Their promises and assurances are therefore meaningless. They can act friendly to your face, and then behave in a completely different way the very next day, with no chances of being held accountable.

So what China is beginning to do, is skip the middle man, and talk directly to the people in charge, the ones who own all the politicians.

Oligarchs care about business and profits. China can provide both. They can be reasoned with, and they don’t have to look “tough on China”.

The real owners of America are accountable not to childish voters who think they’re free, but to amoral shareholders and the rules of the “free market”. American businessmen, rather than diplomats, will be taking up a more important role in shaping the future of Sino-US diplomacy.

Not saying it’s necessarily a good thing, but it will restore some much needed maturity, gravitas and dignity to US foreign policy.


New Academy Awards Rules Exclude Movies That Aren’t “Woke” Enough!

Pennsylvania Dutch Banana Bread

banana bread
banana bread

Ingredients

  • 1 1/2 cups whole wheat flour
  • 1 1/2 cups unbleached regular flour
  • 1 cup sugar
  • 1 teaspoon baking soda
  • 1 teaspoon baking powder
  • 1/2 cup soft margarine
  • 3/4 teaspoon salt
  • 1/3 cup oil
  • 2 cups mashed ripe bananas
  • 1 cup chopped nuts (optional)
  • Dash of cinnamon (optional)
  • Dash of nutmeg (optional)

Instructions

  1. Cream sugar and margarine; add eggs and mix well.
  2. Stir in baking soda, baking powder and salt.
  3. Add oil and stir again.
  4. Add bananas and mix.
  5. Add flour, 1 cup at a time, and stir well after each addition.
  6. Grease and flour 4 to 5 bread tins.
  7. Bake at 350 degrees F for 1 hour. Test for doneness with wooden pick until it comes out clean.
  8. When cool, wrap in plastic.

Loaves may be frozen.

US tampering with political commitments on one-China policy: Chinese FM

Published: Jun 21, 2023 03:35 PM
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2023 06 22 16 50

Photo: CFP

The approach from the US that connects the peaceful resolution of the Taiwan question to its one-China policy is not reiteration and insistence of its commitment to China, but a tampering of its policy, Yang Tao, director-general of the Department of North American and Oceanian Affairs of the Chinese Foreign Ministry, said on Monday, as he briefed Chinese and foreign media about US Secretary of State Antony Blinken’s visit to China.

In an address on Monday as Blinken wrapped up his visit to China, he reiterated the US’ one-China policy, which he said was guided by the Taiwan Relations Act, the three Joint Communiqués, and the Six Assurances. While Blinken said “We do not support ‘Taiwan independence,'” he also said “We remain opposed to any unilateral changes to the status quo by either side. We continue to expect the peaceful resolution of cross-Strait differences.”

Yang said that the Taiwan question has always been the most important issue in China-US relations. The US has made a clear commitment on one-China by acknowledging there is but one China in the world, Taiwan is an inalienable part of China’s territory, and the Government of the People’s Republic of China is the sole legal government representing the whole of China.

“These commitments are clearly reflected in the three China-US Joint Communiqués, which also means that the US recognizes the real status quo in the Taiwan Straits, that is, there is only one China in the world, and both sides of the Taiwan Straits belong to one China. The US calls it the ‘one-China policy,'” said Yang.

However, the US has unilaterally attached the Taiwan Relations Act and the Six Assurances to its one-China policy, Yang pointed out, adding that these are not consensus reached by both China and the US and are opposed and not recognized by the Chinese side.

“The US’ characterization of the peaceful resolution of the Taiwan question as the core content of its one-China policy is a tampering of its political commitment,” said Yang.

When meeting with Blinken on Monday, Wang Yi, director of the Office of the Foreign Affairs Commission of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee, said China has no room for compromise or concession on the Taiwan question.

He urged the US to earnestly abide by the one-China principle set out in the three China-US Joint Communiqués, respect China’s sovereignty and territorial integrity, and unequivocally oppose “Taiwan independence.”

Global Times

Chinese premier calls for more cooperation between China, Germany

Visiting Chinese Premier Li Qiang on Tuesday said China and Germany should work more closely, make more contributions to world peace and development, play the role of stabilizer in the midst of changes, and speed up building a community with a shared future for mankind.

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2023 06 22 09 00

Premier Li remarked when co-chairing the seventh China-Germany inter-governmental consultation with German Chancellor Olaf Scholz.

They heard reports on the progress of China-Germany cooperation in relevant fields from the heads of 22 departments, including foreign affairs, economy and trade, industry, finance, justice, transport, education, science and technology, health, environmental protection, and development.

Li said that the consultation was efficient and pragmatic and achieved fruitful results. Under the current circumstances, the two sides should seize the opportunity of green transformation and promote the upgrading of cooperation.

Li proposed that China and Germany should partner in green development, strengthen communication and coordination on green and environmental issues, promote green energy technology development and industrial technology upgrading, and deepen cooperation in new energy vehicles, green finance and third-party markets.

China and Germany should adhere to a pragmatic and open attitude to better achieve mutual benefit and win-win results, Li said, adding the two countries should also strengthen cooperation in global economic governance, ensure the stability of international industrial and supply chains, and promote an early recovery of the world economy.

Scholz said the inter-governmental consultation mechanism reflects the special significance of the relations between the two countries.

The German side is willing to maintain close communication with China on all issues between the two countries and to jointly address global challenges such as climate change, food security and debt problems, he said.

Scholz said Germany has no intention to decouple from China and is ready to strengthen bilateral and multilateral cooperation with China to promote world development and prosperity.

The two sides agreed that bilateral cooperation is solidly based and dynamic and that it is in the interests of both sides to deepen cooperation at a higher level, with higher standards and higher quality, and to jointly maintain the stability of the global production and supply chains, which is also of great global significance.

The two sides also agreed to set up a dialogue and cooperation mechanism on climate change and a green transition, hold the third China-Germany High-Level Financial Dialogue as well as new editions of the Sino-German Environmental Forum and health dialogue, and continue to deepen cooperation in the fields of economy and trade, investment, automobile manufacturing, high-tech, new energy, digital economy, and humanities.

After the consultation, Li and Scholz witnessed the signing of a number of bilateral cooperation documents in the fields of climate change response, innovation, advanced manufacturing, and vocational education and met with the press together.

Before the consultation, Li held a meeting with Scholz.

Li pointed out that the economic and trade cooperation between China and Germany has been developed for more than half a century, and it is not easy for the two sides to achieve today’s results, which have brought real benefits to the two peoples.

He hopes the German side will continue to keep an open mind, uphold the independent policy and properly handle relevant issues on the basis of international rules and in the principle of the spirit of contract.

He said the two sides should vigorously promote the facilitation of personnel exchanges and strengthen people-to-people exchanges.

Li proposed tackling climate change as one of the guiding visions for China-Germany cooperation in the future, adding that the two countries should promote cooperation in green technology and industry, and explore the establishment of a rational and orderly division of labor in the green energy industry chain.

Scholz said the German side welcomes China’s development and prosperity, noting that Germany rejects all forms of decoupling and “de-risking” is not “de-sinicization.”

Germany is committed to developing stable relations with China and is willing to strengthen bilateral exchanges further, deepen mutually beneficial cooperation and reach more cooperation consensus in addressing climate change and green development, he said, adding that Germany supports two-way investment and will provide a sound business environment for Chinese enterprises to invest in Germany.

The two sides also exchanged views on international and regional issues of common concern.

Before the meeting, Scholz held a grand welcome ceremony for Li at the square in front of the Federal Chancellery. With a military band playing the national anthems of both countries and Chinese and German flags flying high, Li, accompanied by Scholz, reviewed the guard of honor.

It’s time to test US’ credibility again: Global Times editorial

Published: Jun 20, 2023 12:42 AM
(XHDW)(2)习近平会见美国国务卿布林肯
(XHDW)(2)习近平会见美国国务卿布林肯

Chinese President Xi Jinping (center) meets with visiting US Secretary of State Antony Blinken in Beijing on June 19, 2023. Blooming lotus ffowers are seen placed in the middle of the meeting table. The Chinese word for “lotus” has similar pronunciation with the word of “peace” and “harmony.” Photo: Xinhua

On June 19, Chinese President Xi Jinping met with US Secretary of State Antony Blinken in Beijing, which was the most important and highly anticipated part of Blinken’s China visit. Until the last moment, whether Blinken would secure a meeting with President Xi was a topic of great interest in the US media, carrying significant indicators to measure the achievements of Blinken’s visit and the level of easing in China-US relations. Therefore, once the meeting was confirmed and the scene of the meeting was released, it immediately became one of the most significant international events of the day. Against the backdrop of the international community’s widespread concern over the downward spiral of China-US relations, this meeting has released the expected signal of relief.

Though the meeting was not long, it carried substantial information. President Xi expounded on the principled stance for stabilizing and developing China-US relations, providing strategic and guiding suggestions. President Xi emphasized that the world needs a generally stable China-US relationship, and whether the two countries can find the right way to get along bears on the future and destiny of humanity. The vast expanse of the Earth is big enough to accommodate the respective development and common prosperity of China and the US, Xi pointed out. The Chinese, like the Americans, are dignified, confident and self-reliant people, Xi said, adding that they both have the right to pursue a better life, and the common interests of the two countries should be valued, and their respective success is an opportunity instead of a threat to each other.

These words are full of sincerity and goodwill, while also targeted. Some people in the US view China’s development with a narrow mindset of zero-sum game or even negative-sum game, perceiving it as a threat rather than an opportunity. Their biases toward China, catalyzed by the complex political and diplomatic environment in Washington, have become the crux of the twists and turns in China-US relations. In other words, the US’ own problems have turned into problems in bilateral relations, which need to be resolved by the US side.

China has consistently demonstrated its strategic clarity to the US, which is a sharp contrast with US side’s strategic ambiguity. The three most commonly used adjectives by both sides for their high-level communication are “frank, in-depth and constructive.” Clarity represents frankness. We believe that Blinken deeply understands this during his visit. China has thoroughly explained the root causes of the low point in China-US relations, the urgent tasks for both sides, China’s intentions and goals for development and revitalization, and the most prominent risks in the bilateral relationship. China does not harbor ill intentions toward the US, but it will definitely counteract any suppressive actions. If the US still has any misunderstandings about China’s strategic intentions, then we can only assume that they are deliberate and pretending to be ignorant.

Overall, in a situation with low expectations from various parties and having experienced twists and turns, Blinken’s visit to China has achieved some specific consensus, and the communication has been efficient and in-depth. It is worth noting that during the talks, Blinken made some statements that moved toward China’s position. For example, he said that the US is committed to returning to the agenda set at the summit between the heads of state in Bali and reiterated US President Joe Biden’s commitment of “five noes.” Some of Blinken’s statements during the press conference held on Monday evening also reflected this point. However, it should be pointed out that the “stability” of China-US relations requires both sides meeting each other halfway, especially for the US to be consistent in both words and deeds.

Even though it is still too early to determine if it was a successful visit, China-US relations made positive progress because of the trip. This is in the interests of the US, China, and even the world, which is also what the international community hopes to see. The world once had unprecedentedly low confidence in the turnaround of China-US relations, but now there are more expectations for the stability of China-US relations.

China and the US have taken a step forward, but it is still far from enough. The key lies in the next steps. It goes without saying that there are still differences between the two countries on many issues. No one expects Blinken’s trip to resolve these divergences. Its greater significance lies in the possibility of reversing the highly unhealthy and tense atmosphere in bilateral relations and thus creating conditions for managing and resolving the differences. China’s reception of Blinken also showcases China’s demeanor as a major power and its sincerity in stabilizing China-US relations and strengthen communication. Previously, the US gave the world the impression that China was unwilling to communicate, but it is clearly not the case.

Some media outlets noticed that the blooming lotus placed at the center of the meeting table between President Xi and Blinken was particularly eye-catching. It is currently the season of lotus blooms, and “lotus” has the same pronunciation in Chinese as “harmony,” conveying the expectation of peaceful coexistence and win-win cooperation between China and the US. We hope that after returning to the US, Blinken will comprehensively and objectively convey the information received in China, generating new momentum for stabilizing China-US relations, and never again leaving the impression that the US says one thing and does another.

Funny, but so very true…

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2023 06 22 08 58

Russia Begins Process to WITHDRAW from World Trade Organization and World Health Organization

The Russian government is starting the process of unilaterally withdrawing from a series of international bodies, including the World Trade Organization and the World Health Organization, the Russian Duma’s Deputy Speaker Pyotr Tolstoy said on Tuesday.

“We have work to revise our international obligations, treaties that today bring no benefit, but instead directly harm our country. The Foreign Ministry sent a list of such agreements to the State Duma,” Tolstoy said. “Together with the Federation Council, we plan to analyze them and to propose to withdraw,” he added.

(Hal Turner Remark: So Russia removes the Rothschild corrupt private banking system which enslaves citizens. He bans GMO farming. He sanctions crooks like Clinton, Biden, & Obama & now he’s withdrawn from the WHO & WTO. Does anyone still think they are the bad guys?)

SHOCKING! Letter Exposes Top-Secret UFO Programs Involving Canada and Five Eyes Alliance

Chinese FM clarifies position on US-claimed ‘rules-based intl order’

Published: Jun 21, 2023 04:48 PM
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2023 06 22 16 48

Illustration: Liu Rui/GT

China never rejects communication, but the key is how to communicate and whether it can achieve desired results, Yang Tao, director-general of the Department of North American and Oceanian Affairs of the Chinese Foreign Ministry, told the Global Times on Monday, as he briefed Chinese and foreign media about US Secretary of State Antony Blinken’s visit to China from Sunday to Monday.

“Communication does not mean only seeking one’s own concerns while ignoring the concerns of the other,” said Yang.

A statement on Sunday by a US State Department spokesperson said that Blinken said the US will “work with its allies and partners to advance our vision for a world that is free, open, and upholds the rules-based international order.”

Yang said that the original intention of President Xi Jinping in advocating a community with a shared future for mankind is to maximize international solidarity and cooperation to jointly address global challenges.

“China is the first country to sign the UN Charter. It is the creator, defender and beneficiary of the current international order. Why should China change the existing international order?” said Yang.

“Some people always talk about the ‘rules-based international order.’ What rules are they based on? If it is the UN Charter, China has no problem. If it is the rules formulated by a handful of countries, China, as well as many other countries, will find it difficult to agree,” Yang said.

According to the State Department statement, Blinken emphasized the importance of maintaining open channels of communication across the full range of issues to reduce the risk of miscalculation. Yang said that both sides have agreed to jointly implement the important common understandings reached by the two presidents in Bali, Indonesia, effectively manage differences, and advance dialogue, exchanges and cooperation. Blinken invited Chinese State Councilor and Foreign Minister Qin Gang to visit the US, and Qin expressed his willingness to visit the US at the convenience of both sides.

Yang stressed that China never rejects communication, but the key is how and what the desired results are. Both parties should make sure the communication is effective. One party cannot only seek to solve its own concerns while ignoring the concerns of the other party. No party should say one thing but do another, Yang said.

China is willing to conduct constructive communication and dialogue in the spirit of mutual respect, and the US side should also show sincerity and take action. Stabilizing China-US relations requires both China and the US to work together and meet each other halfway, Yang told the Global Times.

President Xi Jinping has put forward four principles, called for joint efforts in four areas and shared three observations on Ukraine, which outline China’s fundamental approach to the issue, Yang noted, adding that these are China’s basic principles in dealing with the Ukraine crisis. The core idea is to promote peace talks and political settlement.

China supports all efforts that are conducive to ceasefire and promoting peace talks. China will continue to uphold an objective and fair stance, and promote peace talks in its own way. China will not do things that are biased or worsen the situation, let alone take advantage of the crisis, Yang said.

No country can force China to take sides, let alone distort and smear China’s position. The illegal unilateral sanctions on Chinese companies and individuals must stop. If China has to choose a side, it will choose the side of peace, peace talks, and political settlement, Yang said.

Some countries have asked China not to provide arms to Russia. The whole world can clearly see who is providing arms to the conflicting parties. We urge relevant countries to stop fueling the fire and stop smearing and slandering China, Yang noted.

Two Massive Explosions on Crimea

There have been two massive explosions on Crimea in the city of Sevastopol.

Over the weekend, Russia accused Ukraine of planning to attack annexed Crimea with long-range U.S. and British missiles and warned that it would retaliate if that happened.

watch this video, trust me

https://youtu.be/9bT2KLaPuE0

I am back in Metro NYC – Didn’t even take ten minutes to remind me why I walked away three months ago

I drove back to NJ today because I have this absurd notion that I had to get my wife away from New York City for this weekend with the NATO exercise coming to an end.  I sincerely believe NATO will either find an excuse – or MAKE one – to go into direct warfare with Russia.  NYC is a major nuke target and I want my wife out of here.  Well, it didn’t take ten friggin minutes before I realized why I walked away three months ago . . .

Traffic; nightmarish.   Filthy, dirty, roads in bad repair – everywhere.   Graffiti on the highway overpass pilings . . . . ahhh yes, “Diversity” from all the little savages brought here by Democrat political scum.

Then, my wife . . . . Oh I have to be back here on the 27th for some window repair appointment for the sliding glass door in our condo.

Then she starts with her bullshit “I’m not even going to Pennsylvania, I’m staying home.”  So this time, I said “Good.  Stay home.  Now it’s off my conscience whatever happens to you.”

I don’t think she expected that, at all.   So a few minutes later, she came around and said she’ll go.   But I can already see it’s not something she wants to do and if I know her at all after 31 years being married to her, I can look forward to a whiney, complaining, aggravating time up there.

That’s my first fifteen minutes home after three months.

How’s yours?

Do not think they have any good option since they started the chip war. Only doing to the United States what the United States did to China. They could take it to the World Trade Organization but considering that the US started it, not sure it would get the judgement it wants since probable the WTO would tell the US and China to both stop trade restrictions.

The US has so many disputes compared to China

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2023 06 22 16 14

Sort of astounding to see how little problem China has with the world and vis versa compared to the Untied States.

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2023 06 22 16 134

US seems to hate everyone.

Pennsylvania Dutch Chicken and Flat Dumplings

l intro 1670869799
l intro 1670869799

Ingredients

  • 1 large (5 pound) washed chicken
  • 1 large onion, quartered
  • 3 stalks celery, cut into large chunks
  • 1 teaspoon whole peppercorn
  • 2 1/2 teaspoons salt

Instructions

  1. Place chicken in a 6- to 8-quart stockpot. Add remaining ingredients. Bring to boil. Simmer until chicken is done, about 2 hours.
  2. When cool, remove bones and fat from chicken. Cut into pieces, and return to pot.
  3. Noodles: In a bowl, mix together 2 cups flour and 1/2 teaspoon salt. Make a well in the center, and gradually work 4 eggs into the flour until stiff dough is formed, adding water a little at a time if necessary. Knead until smooth. Divide dough in half. Roll each half as thin as possible then cut into thin 1-2 inch squares.
  4. Bring the broth back to rolling boil. Drop noodle squares one at a time, making sure each are drenched in broth. Reduce heat, cover and continue to cook until noodles are done, about 8 minutes. DON’T PEEK!
  5. Serve in large bowl and ladle onto plates at the table. Serve with chopped onion.

NATO’s secret TERROR armies exposed in newly declassified documents by The Grayzone | Redacted News

Biden Blows Up Blinken’s Diplomatic Mission to China

Dementia Joe does it again. Less than 24 hours after Secretary of State Blinken genuflected before the Chinese, assuring them that the United States really, really, really is sincere in supporting the One China policy and eschews calling for Taiwan’s independence, Biden opened his yap and called Xi Jinping a dictator. While this garnered applause from the American financial donors, it destroyed Blinken’s credibility with the Chinese and confirmed their worst suspicions about U.S. intentions.

When it comes to the art of diplomacy, saying what you really think or believe is not an acceptable practice. While many Americans believe that China’s Xi is a dictator and are wondering what the fuss is surrounding Biden’s intemperate, off-the-cuff remark, saying this in public stiffens Chinese doubts about U.S. intentions and makes it virtually impossible for the United States to have any kind of productive working relationship with China going forward.

Just a day after Blinken’s weekend visit to China, U.S. President Joe Biden called Chinese President Xi Jinping in a move that has infuriated Beijing and left U.S. officials perplexed. Biden said the comments in front of donors at a California event.

Chinese Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Mao Ning called the comments a “provocation” and “irresponsible.” U.S. officials have privately sought to inform the Chinese that this doesn’t represent a shift in tone or mood since the Blinken visit.

https://t.me/UkraineHumanRightsAbuses/27593

I suspect there were some of Xi Jinping’s foreign policy advisors who warned that receiving Blinken was a mistake and that the U.S. could not be trusted to live up to its promises. Guess what? They are serving up a big load of crow to those in the Chinese Government who advocated for the meeting with Blinken. Those advocates have lost face; big time.

American political leaders, including those in the Biden Administration and Republicans, need to make a choice — cool the bombastic, threatening rhetorical comments or prepare for deteriorating relations with China that will inflict enormous damage on the U.S. economy for the foreseeable future. There is no middle ground.

Many of the so-called American China mavens advocate more deterrence (i.e., more cowbell). CSIS published the results of a China/America war game in January:

CSIS developed a wargame for a Chinese amphibious invasion of Taiwan and ran it 24 times. In most scenarios, the United States/Taiwan/Japan defeated a conventional amphibious invasion by China and maintained an autonomous Taiwan. However, this defense came at high cost. The United States and its allies lost dozens of ships, hundreds of aircraft, and tens of thousands of service members. Taiwan saw its economy devastated. Further, the high losses damaged the U.S. global position for many years. China also lost heavily, and failure to occupy Taiwan might destabilize Chinese Communist Party rule. Victory is therefore not enough. The United States needs to strengthen deterrence immediately.

The proposal to “strengthen U.S. deterrence”, which is academic jargon for building up U.S. military capability in the Pacific, is a non-starter. The U.S. already is bogged down in Ukraine, has depleted critical weapon supplies and lacks the industrial capability to rapidly replace weapons and build tanks, combat aircraft and ships required, in theory at least, to deter China.

China is likely to become more firm in defining its territorial waters and air space and will make normal commerce with Taiwan more difficult for the United States, but it sees war as a last resort. China has a number of other cards to play. The most important of these is the January 13, 2024 election in Taiwan where the party that wants a closer relationship with the mainland appears to have a chance to win the Presidency. If the Kuomintang prevails then the door is open for a peaceful reconciliation between the mainland and Taiwan. This will be a punch to the gut for the United States and will upend Western plans to foment a rift in the Communist Party.

You can be sure that Western and Chinese intelligence agencies will be actively interfering in this election to secure their respective interests. Hypocrisy alert — don’t be surprised that many of the American politicians who decried alleged Russian interference in the 2016 U.S. Presidential election will be enthusiastic supporters of the U.S. Government and its subsidiary agencies meddling aggressively in the Taiwan election. We can do it to you but don’t do it to us.

If you’re holding your breath in hopes of a peaceful resolution to this conflict you will pass out from lack of oxygen. I fear that the American political dynamics are so toxic and twisted that we are setting ourselves up for an inevitable war with China. I also worry that the Chinese leaders have reached this same conclusion and will ramp up their efforts to work more closely with Russia in building a new world order that will weaken American influence and will bolster its naval, air and hypersonic missile capabilities.

The “chart”

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2023 06 22 16 33

American English Spoken on Ukraine Battlefield; While US Gov’t Claims “Not a Party to the conflict.”

Americans are fighting against Russia on the battlefield of Ukraine as proved by the brief videos below.  Why are Americans fighting in a place where our government claims “We are not party to the conflict?”

Video #1:

Video #2:

The US Government and NATO are almost constantly telling the world “we are not party to the conflict.”

Yet New Jersey Congressman Tom Kean, Jr. sponsored a Resolution in Congress just the other day, calling for LONG RANGE MISSILES to be given to Ukraine:

Even other members of Congress are pointing out how insane the US Gov’t is acting:

How long will it be before Russia decides that the USA and NATO  **** are, in fact *** parties to the conflict, and starts bombing us?

Six US Citizens Indicted in Venezuela on Conspiracy Charges and Related Crimes (+Operation Gideon)

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US mercenary Airan Berry after being captured by Venezuelan authorities in 2020, following the failure of the coup plot known as Operation Gideon. Photo: Screenshot of VTV video/File photo.

According to a report by news outlet Últimas Noticias

, “seven men and one woman of US nationality are being criminally prosecuted in Venezuela,” according to records from the Ministry for the Penitentiary Service published this Tuesday, June 20.

It is worth noting that six of the eight Americans detained are being prosecuted for conspiracy and related offenses. Two of the prosecuted have already sentenced to 24 years in prison each: Airan Berry and Luke Alexander Denman. According to the investigation of the Public Prosecutor’s Office, both were captured on May 3, 2020, in Chuao (Aragua state), when they came to execute US-backed Operation Gideon, aimed at the overthrow of President Nicolás Maduro.

It should be further noted that Berry and Denman are former US soldiers and were hired by mercenary contractor Silvercorp USA—owned by former Green Beret Jordan Goudreau—to carry out mercenary operations in Venezuelan territory, under a contract signed by Juan Guaidó, who had presented himself to the world as the so-called “interim president” of Venezuela.

Últimas Noticias reports that both US nationals “admitted their participation in the mercenary plot, and consequently the Fourth Anti-Terrorist Court sentenced them on May 3, 2021, for conspiracy, criminal association, illicit trafficking of weapons of war, and terrorism.”

The other defendants charged with conspiracy and criminal association are Jerrel Lloyd Kenemore and Eylin Alexis Hernández, captured in San Antonio del Táchira for entering Venezuela illegally in November 2022.

Jason George Saab, captured in Zulia, is being “prosecuted for conspiracy, resistance to authority, and criminal association,” while Joseph Ryan Cristella, also captured in Táchira in October 2022, is being prosecuted for conspiracy against the Venezuelan state.

New World Order w/ Ambassador Chas Freeman, Alexander Mercouris and Glenn Diesen

And Then Biden Blew It …

The talks Secretary of State Anthony Blinken had in China were somewhat useful. On his way out he at least used the right words on Taiwan:

'We do not support Taiwan independence,' America's top diplomat said in Beijing after meeting with Chinese president Xi Jingping.

The U.S. had practically begged for the meeting and that it took place is itself a small success:

To stabilise their relations, China and the United States must first arrest a downward spiral. That may turn out to be the achievement of US Secretary of State Antony Blinken’s talks with Chinese leaders in Beijing. It was unrealistic to expect any more just now. The negative fundamentals of the relationship remain the same. Both sides described Blinken’s talks with Foreign Minister Qin Gang and top diplomat Wang Yi as “candid” – meaning very frank. But they paved the way for a meeting between Blinken and President Xi Jinping, which did no harm to hopes for a Xi- Joe Biden summit.

Along with Qin’s acceptance of an invitation to Washington, that suggests the two sides found some common ground – particularly the need for more stable ties and to reduce the risk of military conflict.

Then, within just 24 hours, President Biden blew it:

US President Joe Biden has called Chinese President Xi Jinping a dictator at a fundraising event in California.

His remarks came a day after US Secretary of State Antony Blinken met Mr Xi for talks in Beijing, which were aimed at easing tensions between the two superpowers.

Mr Biden also said Mr Xi was embarrassed after an alleged Chinese spy balloon was shot down by the US. 
..
"The reason why Xi Jinping got very upset, in terms of when I shot that balloon down with two box cars full of spy equipment in it, was he didn't know it was there," Mr Biden said at the event on Tuesday.

"That's a great embarrassment for dictators. When they didn't know what happened," he added.

The Chinese government was not amused:

China's foreign ministry spokeswoman Mao Ning called Mr Biden's remarks "extremely absurd and irresponsible". Speaking at a regularly scheduled press conference on Wednesday, she said that the comments were "an open political provocation" that violated diplomatic etiquette.

The whole Biden remarks with regards to China from the White House website:

And so, things are changing. We put together in Southeast Asia — and, by the way, I promise you we’re going to — don’t worry about China. I mean, worry about China, but don’t worry about China. (Laughter.)

No, but I really mean it. China is real — has real economic difficulties. And the reason why Xi Jinping got very upset in terms of when I shot that balloon down with two boxcars full of spy equipment in it is he didn’t know it was there. No, I’m serious. That’s what’s a great embarrassment for dictators, when they didn’t know what happened. That wasn’t supposed to be going where it was. It was blown off course up through Alaska and then down through the United States. And he didn’t know about it. When it got shot down, he was very embarrassed. He denied it was even there.

But the fo- — did — the very important point is he’s in a situation now where he wants to have a relationship again. Tony Blinken just went over there — our Secretary of State; did a good job. And it’s going to take time.

But what he was really upset about was that I insisted that we — we reunite the Qu- — so-called Quad. He called me and told me not to do that because it was putting him in a bind. I said, “All we’re doing — we’re not trying to surround you, we’re just trying to make sure the international rules with air and sea lanes remain open. And we’re not going to yield to that — on that.”

There are several issues in there that need some clarifying.

China has no real economic difficulties, just minor issues:

The Chinese economy this year is expected to grow faster than previously forecast and exceed the government's target of "around 5%," according to a survey of local economists.

A survey of 28 economists in March revealed that, on average, they expect the Chinese economy to grow 5.4% in 2023, up from 4.7% they forecast in December. The survey was jointly conducted by Nikkei and Nikkei Quick News.

The hope for China this year was 6% GDP growth. China’s central bank just lowered a key interest rate by a small margin to achieve that.

Biden acknowledges that the weather balloon was ‘blow off course’ and thereby debunks previous claims that it was steerable. China had no intent to let the balloon cross Canada and the United States. And if there had really been ‘two boxcars full of spy equipment’ on the balloon why hasn’t the U.S. shown any of it?

Why would or should a president of the U.S. or China know of some weather balloon floating somewhere?

Xi was embarrassed by the circus the U.S. made over that affair?

Xi is a dictator? The man came to his post by merits (scroll down) and through a complex representational election system. He can even be dismissed.

Xi denied that the ballon was where it was to whom? And the U.S. would know about that how?

Then comes the tale over the Quad. Biden claims that Xi called him over a quad meeting which is most likely a blatant lie. There are typically read-outs of phone calls between leaders at that level but I do not find any of a Xi-Biden call during the relevant months on the White House website. Nor was there any news of one.

The Biden talk, made official by posting it on the White House site, is an insult to China. Whatever Blinken has said or done to smooth the relations is no gone. It was already known that the U.S. can not be trusted with anything that it says. What counts is what the U.S. does and there it has so far shown no positive move towards China.

I am not sure that Biden intentionally talked about the balloon incident or was selective with his words on China. But even if it was somewhat accidentally it would not change anything. What matters is the effect. He has sabotaged the results of Blinken’s talks in China and the U.S. will rightly be blamed for again worsening the relations.

As Yves Smith summarizes:

I wouldn’t bet on the minimal commitments from the meetings, like a return to pre-zero Covid levels of passenger flights, to be implemented.

The worst is that this insult does not simply demonstrate that the US is incapable of diplomacy. It shows we are so interested in dominance that we’ve lost sight of what our interests our. So institutionally, we are engaging in the same sort of self-destructive behavior that Trump practices personally. Perhaps that is the real reason Democrats hate him. Despite decorating in gold, the essence of his behavior is not all that different than theirs.

Posted by b on June 21, 2023 at 15:40 UTC | Permalink

June 22, 2023

Mr. Thongloun Sisoulith, President of Laos, made a visit to Mr. Yuan Jiajun, Communist Party Secretary of Chongqing City (Photo: KPL)

Mr. Thongloun Sisoulith, President of Laos, visited Mr. Yuan Jiajun, Communist Party Secretary of Chongqing, on Monday.

During his visit, the Lao president praised Chongqing’s achievements in socio-economic development, particularly its success in eliminating poverty, transforming Chongqing into a major economic center, and building land-sea transportation links from western China to other countries, according to Paxason

.

The two leaders also discussed the future of Laos-Chongqing relations and agreed to explore cooperation in a variety of areas, including development in rural areas and the transportation of goods

between Laos and Chongqing through the Laos-China railway, which will open up the Laos market to export its goods to the central-western part of China.

The Lao president asked Mr. Yuan to urge Chinese investors and businesses to invest in Laos and for Chinese tourists to visit the country more frequently.

Mr. Yuan expressed his gratitude for the participation of the Lao delegations in a recent international conference held in Chongqing City. He was pleased to observe that the top leadership of both countries made significant efforts to enhance bilateral cooperation.

Additionally, the Lao president visited the Hongyan Revolutionary Memorial Hall, an important historical site as well as an important industrial production base in Chongqing.

Mr. Thongloun’s official trip to China also included visits to Yunnan Province

and the Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region.

For him personally? Yes, he saved his job.

For the US-China relations? No, it’s a total failure, a verschlimmbesserung. Blinken is an inept diplomat. A cocky prick. China doesn’t give a sh!t about the “Xinjiang human rights violation” hoax he mentioned in his press conference speech after Xi had given him an attaboy. It only proved to the Chinese again that this guy doesn’t walk the talk. His visit was a disaster for the US, but not necessarily bad for the rest of the world. More countries are shifting from this United Syndicate of Arsonists. A showdown between the two may be welcomed by all the oppressed developing countries.

And his boss is a demented senile loose cannon with an overblown ego calling Xi a dictator, trying to divert attention from Hunter Biden pleading guilty to two counts of criminal charge and this diplomatic flop. What a disaster.

BREAKING! WE’RE GOING TO WAR, RUSSIA COUNTERS, MEDIA CRACKDOWN, CRIMEA NUCLEAR COUNTDOWN BEGINS

I’m not offended; I am just confused.

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If the US were a human it would be doing this:

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This isn’t about whether Xi is or isn’t a “dictator”, it’s about how the US President actively, repeatedly, and cartoonishly undermines his own foreign policy. With one hand he’s sending out Blinken to repair ties with China, and with the other he’s slapping China in the face.

It’s a matter of diplomatic protocol that world leaders do not insult other world leaders. The US isn’t supposed to call Xi a “dictator” in the same way China isn’t supposed to call Biden a dementia-addled, fundamentally corrupt tool of the corporate state.

This is not a lone incident. Biden has a habit of promising to defend Taiwan only to be vetoed by his own White House the next day:

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Biden “misspoke” on this same topic four times, and was “clarified” by his own White House four times.

All of these incidents give the perception that “no one is flying the plane” in Washington DC. Say what you will of Trump, but the man was definitely flying the plane, even if he was crashing it into a mountain.

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Biden blows up China rapprochement, calls Xi Jinping a dictator

Kozyrev Mirrors and massive geopolitical change

Personally, I remain guarded and reserved about any changes in United States Geo-political policy. Simply because, the most effective propaganda is that which YOU WANT TO BELIEVE.

Ah, Isn’t that exactly what is going on now?

What I see are two vectors.

[1] a deconstruction of the entangling of the Ukraine fiasco.

[2] Monied interests demanding that the Chinese situation stabilize.

Both of the vectors are being driven by monied interests funding the radical neocons. I do not see that baseline problems being resolved. Instead, I see trivial “walk backs” from the brink of catastrophic global war.

I am very interested in the Kozyrev Mirrors. Please make sure that you check them out later on (down further) in this article.

Summary;

Do not pull out your Champagne yet. It is but tiny steps walking away from a catastrophic situation, but the fundamental underlying drivers are still in place and are not changing. As long as Tom Cotton and Victoria Newland are still holding the reins of power, there can be no peace.

Potato and Onion Fry-Up

potato and onion recipe 10 500x500
potato and onion recipe 10 500×500

Ingredients

  • 1/4 cup olive oil
  • 4 to 6 large potatoes, peeled, sliced into 1/4-inch rounds
  • 1 large onion, halved, cut into 1/4-inch slices
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 1/2 teaspoon pepper
  • 4 eggs, beaten

Instructions

  1. Heat olive oil in large skillet over medium high heat.
  2. Add potatoes and onions; cook, turning with spatula, 10 minutes.
  3. Reduce heat to medium; cover, cook until tender, stirring occasionally, about 10 minutes.
  4. Add salt and pepper.
  5. Cook, uncovered, turning mixture with a spatula, until onions are golden, potatoes have begun to break apart and are slightly crunchy, 9 minutes.
  6. Stir in eggs; cook until firm, about 1 minute.

Yield: 6 servings

CONFIRMED: TACTICAL NUCLEAR BOMBS TRANSFERRED TO BELARUS

For the first time, actual, live, Tactical Nuclear Bombs have been transferred from Russia into Belarus, just north of Ukraine. This was publicly confirmed by Russian President Vladimir Putin during his speech to the St. Petersburg International Economic Forum today.

resident Vladimir Putin delivered a keynote address at the St Petersburg International Economic Forum, highlighting positive macroeconomic trends in the Russian economy and expressing doubt about the sustainability of Ukraine’s military operations suggesting that Kyiv heavily relies on external sources for equipment and fighting capabilities.

During his speech, Putin also revealed that Russia has successfully transported its initial batch of tactical nuclear weapons to Belarus. This move comes as part of a previously announced plan, which has raised concerns and increased tensions with the United States and its allies in relation to the ongoing conflict in Ukraine.

Putin said, “The first nuclear charges were delivered to the territory of Belarus. But only the first. This is the first part. But by the end of the summer, by the end of the year, we will complete this work.”

Ukraine war

“Soon Ukraine will stop using its own equipment altogether. Nothing remains of it. Everything with which they fight and everything that they use is brought in from the outside. You can’t fight for long like that,” he said, as per a translation of his speech by Reuters news agency.

Regarding Ukraine’s counteroffensive, President Putin commented that Ukrainian forces did not achieve their objectives in any of the sectors they targeted. He expressed doubt about the prospects for success and opined that the Ukrainian armed forces face significant challenges in the conflict.

“They did not achieve their goals in any of the sectors … I think that the Ukrainian armed forces have no chance here…,” said Putin.

When discussing Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky’s Jewish heritage, President Putin said, “I have many Jewish friends. They say Zelensky is not a Jew, he is a disgrace to the Jewish people.”

U.S. Admits Defeat In War On Russia And China

Confronted with the realities of life the Biden administration has in the last days acknowledged defeat in two on its most egregious and delusional foreign policy games.

The Ukrainian counter-offensive has failed. Its army is getting slaughtered on the battlefield. The ‘counteroffensive’ of the ‘NATO trained’ Ukrainian brigades has made no real progress on any front. The high level of losses of men and material make it impossible that it will ever again regain the initiative.

The U.S. aim was to integrate the Ukraine into NATO. It would then have been able to station U.S. troops in Ukraine and to put its weapons into reach of Moscow so that any independent Russian move could be countered with a threat of imminent annihilation.

After more than 20 years of pursuing that aim the U.S. threw the towel:

President Biden on Saturday said he won’t make it easier for Ukraine to join NATO, adding that the country at war with Russia has to meet the requirements to be a member.“They got to meet the same standards. So, I’m not going to make it easier,” Biden told reporters. “I think they’ve done everything relating to demonstrating the ability to coordinate militarily, but there’s a whole issue of is their system secure? Is it noncorrupt? Does it meet all the standards … every other nation in NATO does.”

And yes, that is a change. A big one:

Biden has reportedly previously expressed that he is open to removing the Member Action Plan hurdle for Ukraine to join NATO, which requires countries that want to join the alliance make reforms militarily and democratically.

Still, it is not enough:

Biden has not said anything new. Biden senses that the US lost the proxy war but he must not and cannot admit it. So, in the absence of a time machine, which could have taken him all the way back to 1999 when the NATO’s expansion began unfolding, Biden simply walked back to the default position of the 2008 NATO Summit at Bucharest welcoming Ukraine into the alliance via the MAP route — as if that moment fifteen years ago is now the past and cannot be pulled back to the present. Russia is not going to accept it.

Though packaged in nice words the European Union gave Ukraine a similar negative outlook (machine translation):

An EU report on Ukraine’s membership bid states that Kiev has so far met two of the seven conditions required to start formal EU accession negotiations.

“There is progress. The report will be moderately positive. This is not about embellishing reality, but about recognizing progress, for example, there are well-known anti-corruption cases. In particular, in the case of the head of the Supreme Court Knyazev,” said the official, who spoke on condition of anonymity.

“In terms of reforms, the glass would be half full, we would never take a negative tone towards Ukraine at the moment. Judicial reforms have made some progress, although there are still key ones that need to be carried out. Not everything is satisfactory.”

The much hyped counter-offensive has indeed become a death trap for the U.S. EU and NATO.

The other U.S. defeat was acknowledged by U.S. Secretary of State Anthony Blinken at the end of his trip to Bejing:

The United States will not support Taiwan breaking away from China, Secretary of State Anthony Blinken has said, amid a series of confusing statements by Joe Biden on the issue.’We do not support Taiwan independence,’ America’s top diplomat said in Beijing after meeting with Chinese president Xi Jingping.

This was more than a verbal change in Blinken’s pronouncements:

The US State Department has updated its fact sheet on Taiwan again to reinstate a line about not supporting formal independence for the Chinese-claimed, democratically governed island.

“We oppose any unilateral changes to the status quo from either side; we do not support Taiwan independence; and we expect cross-Strait differences to be resolved by peaceful means,” according to the document, referring to the strait separating the island from the Asian mainland.Last month, the State Department changed its website on Taiwan, removing wording both on not supporting Taiwan independence and on acknowledging Beijing’s position that Taiwan is part of China, which angered Beijing.

Blinken’s change of heart came after an extremely short meeting with President Xi which had followed a series of lectures by other high ranking Chinese officials:

Wang gave a comprehensive explanation of the historical logic and inevitable trend of China’s development and rejuvenation, and elaborated on the distinctive features of Chinese modernization and the rich substance of China’s whole-process people’s democracy.

He urged the U.S. side not to project onto China the assumption that a strong country is bound to seek hegemony and not to misjudge China with the beaten path of traditional Western powers. “This is key to whether the United States can truly return to an objective and rational policy toward China.”

Wang demanded that the United States stop playing up the so-called “China threat”, lift illegal unilateral sanctions against China, stop suppressing China’s scientific and technological advances, and do not wantonly interfere in China’s internal affairs.

He stressed that safeguarding national unity has always been the core of China’s core interests. It is where the future of the Chinese nation lies and the abiding historical mission of the CPC.

On the Taiwan question, China has no room for compromise or concession, Wang said.

The Chinese language readout of the Blinken-Wang meetings is reportedly even more scornful than its English translation.

The next step for China is to stop the provocative ‘innocent passage’ drive-bys by U.S. military ships and airplanes in the Taiwan Straits. To do that it simply has to apply the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea:

Article 38
Right of transit passage
1. In straits referred to in article 37, all ships and aircraft enjoy the right of transit passage, which shall not be impeded; except that, if the strait is formed by an island of a State bordering the strait and its mainland, transit passage shall not apply if there exists seaward of the island a route through the high seas or through an exclusive economic zone of similar convenience with respect to navigational and hydrographical characteristics.

A view on a map shows that this evidently applies to the strait between mainland China and the Chinese island named Taiwan.

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2023 06 21 06 43

biggerIf the U.S. really has a One China policy it will have to accept that the Strait is off limits.

This double whammy of defeat in its wars on Russia and China will take some time to stick.

In the Ukraine conflict there are still dreams of creating some kind of stalemate, of implementing some kind of a Korean cease-fire demarcation line on the 38th parallel:

U.S. officials are planning for the growing possibility that the Russia-Ukraine war will turn into a frozen conflict that lasts many years — perhaps decades — and joins the ranks of similar lengthy face-offs in the Korean peninsula, South Asia and beyond.The options discussed within the Biden administration for a long-term “freeze” include where to set potential lines that Ukraine and Russia would agree not to cross, but which would not have to be official borders. The discussions — while provisional — have taken place across various U.S. agencies and in the White House.

Russia wont have any of that. It will thoroughly defeat the Ukrainian army. It will retake the parts of Ukraine which for centuries had been Russian before the communists assigned those administratively to the Ukrainian Soviet Socialist Republic.

The rest of a then neutral Ukraine, cut off from the sea and the mineral riches of the east, will be handed over to the underling that Russia is willing to accept.

The double defeat in its wars against the ‘rest of the world’ marks the end of the Wolfowitz doctrine:

The doctrine announces the U.S.’s status as the world’s only remaining superpower following the collapse of the Soviet Union at the end of the Cold War and proclaims its main objective to be retaining that status.

Our first objective is to prevent the re-emergence of a new rival, either on the territory of the former Soviet Union or elsewhere, that poses a threat on the order of that posed formerly by the Soviet Union. This is a dominant consideration underlying the new regional defense strategy and requires that we endeavor to prevent any hostile power from dominating a region whose resources would, under consolidated control, be sufficient to generate global power.

The end of ‘unilateral moment’ is there for anyone to see.

The Republicans will of course loudly blame Biden for this even though they are just as guilty of overreach as the other side of the isle. Biden may well have to sacrifice Blinken as the pawn guilty of losing the game.

Anyway, neither will help him to get reelected.

It is, by the way, not just a coincident that Israel, on the same day of the U.S. admission of defeat, got whacked by fighters of the Palestinian resistance. This another of those U.S. sponsored global problems that China is eager to solve.

Posted by b on June 20, 2023 at 9:42 UTC | Permalink

Breaking News: Denmark Officially APPROVES Providing 4th Generation F-16 Fighter Jets to Ukraine

Denmark’s Acting Defense Minister, Troels Lund Poulsen, has said that Denmark will send F-16 fighters to Ukraine if the U.S. approves.   (It’s on!)

There are 43 F-16 Fighting Falcon jets in service with the Royal Danish Air Force, 30 of which are an active part of the fleet. But they are now being replaced by the more modern American fifth-generation F-35 Lightning II fighters.

Ukrainian pilots will soon come to Denmark, where they will be trained to fly and maintain F-16 aircraft. The training will take place at the Skrydstrup base in Jutland.

Hilarious Vintage X-Rated Movie Posters From Your Dad’s Era

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In a day and age where sex is literally at our fingertips, where we can see x-rated pictures and films in the privacy of our own bedrooms (or even bathrooms), it’s hard to imagine that at one point in time people had to venture out into public in order to see porn.

They had to be seen entering an “adult” theatre, purchase a ticket and sit in a room full of jerk offs in order to see a porn flick. And the x-rated film industry had to create enticing posters to lure viewers in to said theatre, to make them want to risk someone they knew from work or school or church seeing them walk into one of these houses of ill repute.

While porn flicks today have names like “Butt Job 7” or “Only Teen Anal 18,” the adult film industry had to be more creative in their presentation of x-rated films half a century ago. Here’s a collection of pretty hilarious vintage adult movie posters that may have gotten your dad or grandpa excited enough to go to the movies by himself.

h/t: cvltnation

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Bending Time: The Successful Time Travel Experiments using Kozyrev Mirrors

You can access the book for FREE online. HERE.

Brown Sugared Turkey Bacon

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maple and brown sugar bacon 3050910 hero 01 bbb394fe5c174185aeb633e0380dd9b9

Ingredients

  • 1 (12 ounce) package turkey bacon
  • Vegetable cooking spray
  • 1/3 cup firmly packed light brown sugar
  • 1 to 1 1/2 teaspoons coarsely ground pepper

Instructions

  1. Arrange bacon in a single layer in an aluminum foil-lined broiler pan coated with cooking spray. Sprinkle evenly with brown sugar and pepper.
  2. Bake at 425 degrees F for 14 to 18 minutes or until done.
  3. Serve immediately.

Democracy – is a very very dangerous concept

It is like a Ball of Polonium. It has to be handled very carefully. If you handle it carefully and utilize it perfectly – it gives you the finest result but the slightest mistake and it can be disastrous.

Reason – People are NOT equal

This is the Golden Rule!!!!

In any Successful Country – you must always have Ruler and Ruled

The Biggest mistake with Countries which had Ruler and Ruled was the conclusion that Rulers are BORN. Its why most Monarchies ultimately could not go forward. Rulers eventually became incompetent like Louis XVI or Nicholas II or John Lackland or Wilhelm II etc.

China rightly says Rulers are Chosen based on Sheer MERIT and ABILITY


You can count on your finger tips the number of Democracies Post World War II which are successful today. Most Democracies are Disasters.

Why?

People are not equal

A Toilet Cleaner or a Rag Picker cannot have the same decision making ability as a Professor or a Businessman or a Clerk or an Army Officer

They are all different

So how can they all be given the same rights and choice of their leader?

The Poor will obviously sell to the highest bidder or will be most likely to be brainwashed

The Middle Class will be most likely to vote based on taxation or morals (Abortion or Toughness on Crime)

The Upper Class will be most likely to vote based on who provides the maximum financial advantages


Why is Democracy so dangerous?

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2023 06 21 09 45

Atal Bihari Vajpayee is the best example

He was a Good Leader and could have taken India easily to a much better position than it is today had he remained PM until 2009

He had a terrific team of Ministers and Excellent Advisors

HE LOST

He Lost because the Rabble voted him out because he did not appease them enough

In China – the RABBLE are put in their place. They do what they are told to do or else….

This may look a bit like slavery but it creates superb efficiency where everyone does what he is best suited to do.

And if someone from the rabble is talented enough – he can rise to the top and easily become a EXCOM Member and a Top Minister


The fact is in China – the Best of the Best Govern and Decide on the Policies and if those policies fail – they are replaced by other meritorious candidates.

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And…

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This Concept works well in China, Singapore, S Korea, Taiwan – because eventually – since the Governing Class do their best for a Strong and Prosperous Country – The Country always prospers and the People always prosper.

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main qimg 6578e0ca65ae5cf6f1b4a5f1ec499b90 lq

Now introduce Western Concept of Democracy into these countries – create Multi Parties and you will split the unity and create new concepts like division by categories like language or race, appeasement etc


So it is NOT TRUE that 98% of the Chinese are satisfied with their Government

The Fact is – The Governing Class do their best for a Stronger and Prosperous China and if the People are not satisfied – They can go to hell!!!


I am 100% Confident that had we abolished Elections in 1975 and given Mrs Gandhi full control of India – We would have been far, far ahead than we are because

(a) No Appeasement would have been necessary for Votes

(b) No Slew of Welfare measures that bankrupted our Nation

(c) No Reservations because no more Vote Banks

(d) Meritocracy would have been the news of the Day


So to conclude – Democracy is the best form of Government but only when the People are WORTHY enough and in 80% countries today , less than 10%-30% of the population are actually worthy enough

So the Greatest Hope for India…

…is to have a Man or Woman who can become a Deng or a Lee Kuan Yew. And thus take us forward as an Autocracy where the Rabble can be put in their place.

This would be to maximize efficiency and Democracy and Elections become a Distant Dream for at least half a century (Not Modi …. Certainly Not Modi or any of the present BJP or Congress or AAP leaders)

Does Kozyrev Mirror Mechanize Ascension?

VIDEO: Mexico Military Massing Near U.S. Border

Video has come in to the Hal Turner Radio Show which shows a very significant number of Mexican military troops and armed vehicles massing just south of the US Border in the California area, LAST NIGHT.

No word from anyone as to why.

No word from sources in US Gov if this is related to Drug Cartels or some other domestic Mexican law enforcement action . . . or if this a military operation instead of law enforcement.

Here is the video that was sent in:

Clearly this came from Social Media and the caption in Spanish translates to “Waiting for the war cry”

But . . . . war with whom?

Given the vast movement of US military equipment, personnel and aircraft yesterday, one wonders what’s really in preparation.

As is well known, the US has severely depleted our Strategic Petroleum Reserve to less than HALF its capacity.   We have also depleted our artillery and missile inventories, giving all away for free to Ukraine.

Over 100,000 US military troops are now out of the country on NATO’s eastern flank staring at Russia.

Hundreds of tanks and armored personnel carriers are also gone, out of our country, given away to Ukraine or assigned to NATO over in Europe.

What is someone who knows all this, has decided that maybe NOW might be a good time to try to invade . . . . us?

Time Mirrors: Experiments at the North Pole

UPDATED 10:33 AM EDT — US – China Talks, Fail

“US-China relations are at their lowest point, ever” according to Chinese Foreign Minister Qin Gang.

He noted that such a situation is not in the interests of the United States or the interests of China.

It remains an open question who will have to yield in this fight.

 Outcome 

In China, talks were held between Secretary of State Anthony Blinken and the head of the Chinese diplomatic mission of the PRC, Qin Gang.

Warning signs that this would be a nasty meeting began from the outset as Secretary Blinken arrived in China.   When his plane landed, there was no red carpet, no flags, no big delegation.  In fact, there were no high-ranking Chinese officials to greet him, just staff flunkies.

The aggravated contradictions between the two powers have long asked for dialogue, and now it has taken place.

The list of controversies is long. From the Ukrainian conflict to the American intervention in Taiwan and the state of human rights in China.

The American side did not reach an agreement on any of the points of the meeting. Beijing refused even the most insignificant requests. For example, Washington was denied a curb on the production and export of fentanyl precursors.

As a result of the negotiations, neither side was willing to give up their positions.  Nothing was accomplished.

UPDATE 10:33 AM EDT —

This just in . . . Blinken’s trip to Beijing was such an abject FAILURE, China even refused to set up crisis military-to-military communications with the U.S..

This was a significant goal of his visit because China’s military has **NOT** taken any phone calls, video conferences, or even answered the Hotline with the US military, for MONTHS!

President of Russia Publicly Announces Conditions where Russia WILL BOMB NATO Bases

Russian President Vladimir Putin put the West on notice yesterday during his speech at the St. Petersburg International Economic Forum (SPIEF).

President Putin made clear he knows the West is planning on supplying fighter jets to Ukraine, and that the US insists the F-16’s be nuclear capable.

He pointed out that those jets, especially U.S. F-16’s, require very large and complicated maintenance, which cannot now be done in Ukraine without fear of being hit with Russian missiles. Thus it would be necessary for the planes to use bases that are presently safe.

Therefore, he said, if those fighter jets takeoff from NATO bases outside Ukraine, and enter Ukraine for battle, Russia will not be able to know if those planes are armed with Tactical nuclear bombs and will have to assume THEY ARE.

Under such circumstances, Russia will have no choice but to hit those NATO Bases, and may have to do so with Tactical nuclear weapons.

Below, video from the SPIEF where Putin talks about this.  The video has English sub-titles but is only a small portion of what Putin said.  You get the jist of it:

Southern Biscuits and Gravy

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216391 easy sausage gravy and biscuits TTV78 3×2 1 c21e8cfb2c524a7b882bd9c5300dadd3

Ingredients

  • 1/2 pound bulk pork breakfast sausage
  • 2 tablespoons chopped yellow onions
  • 3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
  • 2 cups hot milk
  • Salt and pepper, to taste
  • 1 batch Southern Biscuits

Instructions

  1. Heat frying pan and fry the sausage and onion until the sausage is brown and the onion clear.
  2. Drain off all grease except for 2 tablespoons.
  3. Stir in the flour and cook for just a minute.
  4. Add the hot milk. Stir constantly until the mixture thickens and then season with salt and pepper.
  5. Serve over warm opened biscuits.

.

Weird stories, adventures, and some fun stuff as well as the Betz Mystery Sphere

Hum.

Lots of mysteries today.

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Putin: “…here’s the document. 18 pages & addition to it. It exists. They signed it. It guaranteed Ukraine’s neutrality & as per agreement we pulled out our military from the Kiev region. But as always Kiev threw away this document into the junk-yard of history.”

He said:

📌The treaty with Kiev included provisions for neutrality & security guarantees, but they threw everything out.

📌 Kiev initialed agreement with Moscow in Istanbul, but after the withdrawal of Russian troops from near Kiev, Ukraine threw it into the dustbin of history.
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Istanbul document on Ukraine was initialed, everything was there, right down to the number of armed forces, to military equipment, personnel, they threw everything away, Putin added….

“The maximum number of personnel and military equipment”. Treaty on PERMANENT Neutrality and Security Guarantees for Ukraine.

Of course, US and UK were having none of it.

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NATO got the war it wanted. Europe’s economy decimated, ‘Defense’ industry record profits.

Anyone who believed that Americans get to choose their own leader is totally and absolutely mistaken. A year before the presidential elections they carry out primaries. What are primaries?

They are essentially selection dressed u to look like election to get the candidate from essentially 2 parties. Who get to select? Not the voters. The delegates. Who are the delegates. They are essentially? They are a select group of party elders who are very rich and powerful. No different from a cartel closely knitted elders who is essentially ensure a safe candidate.

Let me defined “safe” The candidates must tow their superiority complex behaviour to ensure the rich ages richer and the poor blacks, coloured and white are hardly their concern. They must protect their own kind and safeguard their own narrow agenda. Generally they are conservatives and xenophobic who sees the world as in the 1950s that U.S. rules the world. Many Neo conservatives are there.

This group essentially choose 2 candidates such as Trump and Biden to carry out their agenda. People like Bernie Sanders do not stand a chance. They don’t want to risk it. They don’t want to change the status quo. So the U.S. can change the government but it cannot change policy. It must allow gun ownership no matter how may school children dies.

It cannot stop wars it is the biggest war monger. Because many people are in the military industrial complex is amongst the most powerful block of delegates. So the U.S. will fight till it totally bankrupt itself. I won’t allow free college education because the delegates. Can afford their children college education easily. They don’t want a more successful coloured group of people to challenge the whites.

All these means voting is simply a charade. Nothing more nothing less. That is why less than 2/3 of eligible voters votes. The 1/3 knows it is all set up. The 2/3 are either the ignorant or the uneducated and the delegates group. You can also say roughly 0.8% decides for America. They can never lose. Heads they win and tails you lose.

JOHN TITOR: Time traveler, soldier, savior

Fun, but there’s much more to the story than what is presented here.

It must be understood that there are realities involved in this question that one must understand. Nothing is ever so simple as one would believe if reading the “news”.

The realities are…

  • What is loudly announced and discussed in the “news’ media are often deceptive, misdirection, exaggeration, or outright lies.
  • When political-based laws are passed, manufacturing and industry, often use work-around clauses and exceptions to keep in business.
  • In regards to China, it is portrayed as incompetent, bad, evil, and unable to do anything right. While the United States is portrayed as an innocent, doing great and wonderful things.

With those realities well understood, we can expect the following to happen.

  • The functional implementation of any importation-interruption to be delayed by years.
  • China is expecting a time when these polices will manifest in full force and are running counter programs. They will be able to compensate and mitigate any negative influence.
  • It is not enough to ban a product. One must change the structural infrastructure of those that use that product. Something that no American legislation is doing.

Thus, the end result is very clear and well-understood in industry…

  • The vast bulk of products will continue to use Chinese electronics. The market share will increase over time.
  • Chinese cutting edge electronics is going mainstream, and the USA simply cannot compete.
  • Thus, China will eventually be the sole source of most all electronics in the world.
  • Leaving the United States military to develop it’s own electronic systems independent and out-of-step with the rest of the world.

The Secret Room Inside Mount Rushmore and Other Little Known Facts

Southern Biscuits

bisquits
bisquits

Ingredients

  • 1 cup plus 1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
  • 1 teaspoon baking powder
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
  • 2 tablespoons Crisco
  • 1/2 cup buttermilk
  • 1 tablespoon Crisco (for frying pan)

Instructions

  1. Mix dry ingredients together.
  2. Blend in the Crisco until the mixture is coarse and grainy.
  3. Stir in the buttermilk with a fork. Do not over-mix.
  4. Put out onto a floured board and knead just a few times. Pat out the dough to about 1/2 inch thick. Cut with a biscuit cutter or glass. Flour the cutter. Do not handle the dough too much or it will get tough.
  5. Using a heavy cast iron frying pan, place 1 tablespoon of Crisco in the pan and put the frying pan in the oven for about 7 minutes.
  6. Remove the pan from the oven and place the biscuits in the pan. Turn each once in the oil and bake the biscuits at 500 degrees F for 10 minutes, or until light brown.

Employees in critical roles being terminated happens quite regularly.

Scenario 1.

In the early 2000’s, Boise Office Solutions (formerly Boise Cascade Office Products) wanted to break into the consumer side of the office supply business. OfficeMax came along and said they were available. What great timing! So they do the filings and all the lawyer stuff but the Boise leadership discovers that OfficeMax uses SAP while Boise had an assortment of products including JD Edwards software.

So there’s a big purge within IT since they don’t need double our numbers. Quarter end approaches and someone realizes that they’d let go a key person for the JD Edwards stuff. Oops. I heard they had to hire that guy back as a contractor for some appropriately outrageous amount so we could get past quarter closing. Nice, huh?

Scenario 2.

After coming back to Sears as a contractor, our business unit had gotten a new VP (4th in 2 years!). This assclown makes the claim that he could replace me with three offshore people for the rate they were paying me. Some weeks later, this person from some offshore consulting service shows up in the guise of “helping” me. All that was really happening was that she would try to learn my job to turn around and train some offshore team. It’s completely obvious what was going on but as a professional, I do my best to streamline the reporting process. My last day comes and goes.

Less than a month later, I found out that all three of my offshore replacements had quit due to the stress of just one part of my job! Seriously? The thing I did every morning between 7:30 and 8:00 was so stressful that they couldn’t handle it. All three of them! Never mind the truly crazy requests that come in during the rest of the day.

A Time Travel Story | The Dodleston Messages from the past and future

So much fun! Enjoy!

Today China along with US and Russia are the only three nations on earth that cannot be invaded and that are invincible as far as defensiveness is concerned.

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Yet the Chinese can offensively push and force across a radius of upto 200–300 Kms at the most from their outermost boundary

US can do this anywhere in the world at any point on the map and that’s what makes them a Global Military Superpower

So while i believe the offensive ability of the US will weaken due to stronger defensive ability of other nations over time , China’s offensive ability won’t strengthen because THEY DONT WANT IT TO

China only want to be able to be stronger than all those who lie within the 200–300 Km radius from their outermost boundary

They already are starting to

Today,

China can defeat Taiwan, Japan, India, S Korea, Phillipines individually in battle

By 2027,

China can win any Naval battle on the Sea of Japan and the South China Sea against the US , Japan, India and Aus (Quad) and it’s total force combined

By 2035 , China hopes to depend no longer on any foreign core technology and either to evolve it’s technology on a parallel path or catch up with the West on their core technology

Thus 2035 is the year which experts say could make China the rising superpower especially with an assured oil & gas supply from Russia.

Another Dimension? Time Portal? Another Planet? What’s at the Bottom of Mel’s Hole?

Stars are not the only thing missing in the Moon photos. Also conspicuously absent is any indication that the lunar modules actually landed in the locations in which they were photographed. Specifically, there is no crater visible under any of the modules, despite the fact that NASA’s own artist renderings clearly showed the presence of a substantial crater. Also, not a speck of dust appears to have been displaced by the 10,000 lb reverse-thrust engine that powered the alleged descent.
NASA’s artist renderings also depict a considerable quantity of smoke and flames shooting out from the bottom of the modules, though nothing of the sort is visible in the purported video footage of the first landing of a lunar module, allegedly shot from inside the module as it set down on lunar soil. In addition, despite the ridiculously close proximity of the immensely powerful rocket engine, no noise from that engine can be heard on the video.

As can be seen in the photo above, the area directly under what is supposed to be the nozzle of the descent stage engine is completely undisturbed. Not only is there no crater, there is no sign of scorching and none of the small ‘Moon rocks’ and not a speck of ‘lunar soil’ has been displaced! And if you refer back to the earlier close-up of the module’s landing pod, you will see that not so much as a single grain of ‘lunar soil’ settled onto the lunar modules while they were setting down.
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9c124143 3ed7 45e2 bfe0 6fe0bb705e79
Your initial response to this may well be, “Well, duh! … why shouldn’t the surface of the Moon be undisturbed?”
Glad you asked. The answer is that the lunar modules were not placed upon the Moon by the hand of God. They had to actually land there. And in order for them to land there in one piece, they had to make use of powerful reverse-thrust rockets. If they hadn’t, they would have made landings roughly comparable to a piano falling off the balcony of a high-rise apartment building.
“But,” you say, “isn’t the gravitational pull of the Moon considerably less than that of the Earth?” Of course it is, but that does not render objects weightless. A vehicle with a curb weight of 33,000 pounds here on Earth (what the lunar modules weighed, according to NASA) still weighs close to three tons on the Moon, so it’s not going to make a very soft landing without assistance. And the assistance options were necessarily limited.
NASA could not have used parachutes, such as were used with the returning command modules, because parachutes don’t really work without air, so that would have been a dead giveaway that the landings were faked. They also couldn’t use a helicopter-type rotor, because those also don’t work in an environment devoid of atmosphere. What they allegedly used then to provide the necessary ‘brakes’ was a powerful, reverse-thrust rocket engine.
That is why, in the artist renderings of the landings (the landings obviously couldn’t be filmed, because no one was supposed to be there yet), an enormous blast of flame and hot gas is seen shooting out of the bottom of the module. This massive reverse force would have served to counteract the effects of the Moon’s gravitational pull, allowing the module to gently set down in the lunar dust, unharmed and intact. And needless to say, that is kind of important when that very same vehicle is your only ride home.
The ‘debunkers,’ by the way, like to pretend as if the hoax theorists made those artist renderings up themselves, as if to say, “Hey, look over here! I just made up this drawing of what I think the landings should look like and NASA’s landings looked nothing like my drawing!” The reality though is that NASA’s own artists provided those images, based on the way that NASA claimed the modules would perform. What the ‘debunkers’ are telling you, in other words, is that NASA didn’t really understand how their own technology was supposed to work.
Given the manner in which the modules allegedly landed, the problem here is that – unless the landing surface was paved with, say, concrete – an inordinate amount of material should have been displaced by the force of the rocket blast as the module was setting down. As Plait likes to say, you can easily verify this yourself. All you have to do is get hold of a rocket with 10,000 pounds of thrust (there probably are some surviving members of the von Braun clan that can hook you up), and head out to the nearest desert location.
Once you find a suitable spot to conduct this experiment, hold the rocket aloft (you might want to wear gloves and an asbestos suit for this part, but it’s up to you) and fire that son-of-a-bitch up, directing the blast towards the desert floor (it might also be a good idea to grab on to a stationary object with your free hand and hold on real tight). Let it rip for whatever you think would be a reasonable amount of time to complete a landing procedure, and then shut it off.
If you’ve done this correctly, the result will be a fairly large crater and a blinding dust storm. That dust will, of course, eventually settle, leaving a heavy coating of dust on you and your rocket. You may also notice that the blast has lent the desert floor a distinctive scorched look. If you run the experiment for too long, you may even find that the intense heat has fused the cratered sand into something resembling a large bowl of glass.
The point here, of course, is that nothing of the sort is evident in the pictures allegedly brought back from the Moon. The lunar surface is, as noted, completely undisturbed and the modules are as clean as if they had just rolled off the assembly line. It appears as though they did not land at all, but were rather set in place with a crane or other such device. And of course we all know that there were very few crane operators on the Moon in the late ‘60s and early ‘70s.
How then did the modules get there? Could it be that the lunar surface was so compact that even the considerable force of the rocket could not dislodge it? That might be a credible explanation were it not for the fact that the astronauts themselves, who with the Moon’s reduced gravitational pull weighed in at about 30 pounds apiece (maybe 60 pounds each with the additional alleged weight of their packs), made readily identifiable footprints from the moment their feet hit the ground. It appeared, in fact, as though the lunar soil had roughly the same consistency as baby powder. And yet, amazingly enough, not a single grain of this soil seems to have been displaced by the landing of the modules.
The ‘debunkers,’ naturally enough, have an explanation for this. According to them, it’s all about throttle control. As Plait explains, “Sure, the rocket on the lander was capable of 10,000 pounds of thrust, but they had a throttle. They fired the rocket hard to deorbit and slow enough to land on the Moon, but they didn’t need to thrust that hard as they approached the lunar surface; they throttled down to about 3000 pounds of thrust.”
Plait also notes that originally on his site he had said “that the engines also cut off early, before the moment of touchdown, to prevent dust from getting blown around and disturbing the Astronauts’ view of the surface. This was an incorrect assertion.” The funny thing is though that he voiced that “incorrect assertion” just as forcefully and as arrogantly as he voices all the other assertions on his page – which makes sense, I guess, since everything else on his page is incorrect as well.
Phil has obviously never landed a lunar module. Or given much thought to how you would go about doing so. Actually, that’s probably not true. Phil is most likely just a shameless liar. Not a particularly good one, mind you, but you have to remember that he is working with a handicap – he has to weave all of his ‘debunking’ arguments around NASA’s lies.
Let’s try to inject a little sanity into this discussion, shall we? First of all, no one with an ounce of common sense is going to cut the engine and let their three-ton spaceship simply drop onto the lunar surface. Nor are they going to cruise on in while progressively easing up on the throttle, effortlessly setting the module down, as Plait claims, like “a car pulls into a parking spot,” as if they had been landing lunar modules since the day they were born. Because the reality is that the six astronauts who allegedly landed the six lunar modules hadn’t done it before and they only had one chance to get it right.
And do you know why, Phil? Because that module was their only ride home, and if they damaged it in any way, they weren’t going home. Ever. They weren’t going to do anything except die within days in the most desolate place imaginable. And that is why it is perfectly obvious that, if they had really gone to the Moon, they would not under any circumstances have landed the modules in either of the ways that Plait has suggested.
Has anyone ever seen a helicopter land? That is essentially how you would land a lunar module as well. The basic technique is to line yourself up with your landing site while hovering a fairly short distance above the ground (with the module, I presume, you would hold your position by utilizing those clusters of horns). Then, when you’re stabilized and lined up just where you want to be, you very slowly ease off the throttle so as to very gently set it down. And if you’ve never done it before, you’re definitely going to want to take your time.
And that is why there quite obviously should be blast craters under those lunar modules. That is why NASA itself indicated that there would be blast craters under the lunar modules. And that is also why it is fundamentally impossible for the modules to be as impeccably clean and dust-free as they are in all of NASA’s photos. And no amount of spinning from the ‘debunkers’ will ever explain that away.
As previously mentioned, there was much about the Apollo project to stand in awe of. Every individual phase of the missions was, in and of itself, a breathtaking technological achievement. Just blasting men into Earth orbit is a daunting task – so much so that in the nearly half-century that has passed since the first two nations did it (the US and the USSR), only one other (China) has managed to join that elite club. And China has only done it a few times. In the entire history of space exploration, just over 500 men and women have ever orbited the Earth.
And achieving Earth orbit was just the beginning. Then there was the 234,000-mile journey through the unknown to get to the Moon – on a single tank of gas in an unshielded spaceship. Then there was the main ship giving birth to the lunar module, and that untested lunar module then flying down and making a perfect landing on the surface of the Moon. Then there was that same untested lunar module blasting off from the surface of the Moon without the assistance of any ground grew and ascending 69 miles to attain lunar orbit. Then there was the ever-reliable lunar module finding, catching and docking with another ship while in lunar orbit, utilizing yet more untested technology. Then there was the command module shedding the lunar module and then commencing that 234,000-mile journey back home.
But as remarkable as it was to get the astronauts safely to and from the Moon, their survival while on the Moon was equally remarkable. To say that the Moon is an environment incompatible with the survival of humans would be a considerable understatement – which brings us to our next topic of discussion: those amazing NASA Moonwalking suits.
Those suits were able to provide the astronauts with everything they needed to stay alive in the Moon’s harsh environment. Remember NASA’s elaborate rendering of what a Moon work station protected from space radiation would look like? Neil and Buzz didn’t need any of that fancy stuff because they were wearing the magic suits. And those extreme temperatures of +260° F to -280° F? Not a problem when you’re wearing the magic suit. Not only could they provide the cooling needed to combat the searing temperatures in the sun, but they could also provide the heat to counteract those frigid shadows.
As can be seen in NASA’s photos, the egress side of the lunar modules (the side with the ladder and hatch) was usually in the shade (though almost always well lit). What that means is that, after traipsing around in the sun for a spell, the astronauts would have had to step into the shadows to reenter the spacecraft. And when they did so, those spacesuits were apparently smart enough to react instantly and switch over from turbo-charged air conditioning to blast-furnace heating in the blink of an eye. Awesome!
In addition to providing radiation protection that today’s technology is unable to match, and a climate control system that is beyond anything available in the twenty-first century, the magic suits also provided the astronauts with breathable air, which definitely came in handy. What the suits did, in essence, was provide the astronauts with their own little portable, climate-controlled, radiation-protected atmosphere.
Of course, to actually do that (if we’re pretending that it could be done at all), the suits would have had to have been pressurized. And it is perfectly obvious from all the photos that the suits were not, in fact, pressurized, because if they were, the astronauts would have looked like the Michelin Man bouncing around on the surface of the Moon.
The magic suits had to perform one other function as well: they had to serve as head-to-toe body armor. Because the Moon, according to NASA, has a serious problem with drive-by shootings from outer space. Seriously. I’m not making that up. I read it on NASA’s own website.
In the very same NASA post that discusses Moon rocks being constantly bombarded with absurdly high levels of radiation, another curious admission can be found: “meteoroids constantly bombard the Moon.” Our old friend from NASA, David McKay, explains that “Apollo moon rocks are peppered with tiny craters from meteoroid impacts.” NASA then explains that that “could only happen to rocks from a planet with little or no atmosphere … like the Moon.”
“Meteoroids,” NASA continues, “are nearly-microscopic specks of space dust that fly through space at speeds often exceeding 50,000 mph – ten times faster than a speeding bullet. They pack a considerable punch … The tiny space bullets can plow directly into Moon rocks, forming miniature and unmistakable craters.”
According to NASA, every square inch of every exposed surface of every rock allegedly gathered from the surface of the Moon shows this pattern. By extension then, we know that every square inch of the lunar surface is peppered with meteoroid craters. There really is no safe place to hang out. There you are minding your own business lining up your golf shot, and the next thing you know a meteoroid is ripping through your spacesuit at 50,000 mph. That has to sting a little bit.
Actually, what it would do is kill you. Almost instantaneously. Not the projectile itself, which probably wouldn’t be lethal after passing through the spacesuit, but ripping or puncturing your magic suit while on the Moon is certainly something that you would want to avoid. You know that old saw about how “nature abhors a vacuum”? How that applies here is that any penetration in your suit would result in all the air being immediately sucked out. And then your blood would begin to boil. And that can be rather unpleasant.
I guess the Apollo crews really, uhmm, dodged a bullet on that one. Not one of the astronauts was hit, nor any of the lunar modules, nor any of the lunar rovers, nor any of the equipment that was used. I have to say here, by the way, that those Apollo guys were studs of the highest magnitude. Did they know what they were signing up for? What did NASA’s ads say?
“Astronauts wanted. No experience necessary. Duties will include taking a trip to the Moon. Return trip cannot be guaranteed. Applicant must be able to withstand levels of radiation higher than anything that can be generated here on Earth. Applicant must also be able to work comfortably in heat in excess of +250° F, as well as in cooler conditions approaching -300° F. A continuous supply of breathable air may or may not be provided by employer. Snacks and water will necessarily be limited to what fits in employee-provided lunchbox. Rest room facilities will not be available. The ability to dodge 50,000 MPH space bullets is not required, but would be helpful. This is a great money-making opportunity! Paychecks can be picked up upon return to Earth.”
The Apollo guys didn’t have to worry about any of that, of course, because they were wearing the magic suits. Apparently those suits were yet another example of NASA digging deep into the well of lost 1960s technology.
A huge shout-out, by the way, is in order here for the guys at NASA for posting that article about the Moon rocks being bombarded with radiation and meteorites. It makes it so much easier for me when NASA has already done so much of the work of debunking the Moon landings.
When President George W. Jetson announced on January 14, 2004 that America was going to be returning to the Moon, we were quickly advised by NASA types and various television talking heads that such a goal would require about fifteen years to achieve. No one in the media thought to ask why it would take fifteen years to do with twenty-first century technology what it took only eight years to accomplish with 1960s technology. Not one voice was raised to ask how with the twin advantages of improved technology and prior experience it would still take twice as long this time around.
It’s not, after all, as if we have to reinvent the wheel here. Not only have we done this before, but we have done it safely and reliably. How could NASA possibly improve upon the record of the Apollo missions? What could they come up with that could outperform those vintage Saturn V rockets that made it to the Moon damn near every time, and made it home safe every time? And how do you improve upon a lunar module that not only performed flawlessly every time, but that was also the very model of lightweight, compact efficiency?
When you have a system that performs flawlessly on six incredibly technologically complex missions, and that delivers your astronauts home safely even on the one occasion that the system runs amok, why in the world would you toss it in the trash and start from scratch the next time around?
According to a Fox News report published the day after Bush’s announcement, “The effort to return to the Moon will require building new spacecraft and sending out robotic craft to provide materials to be used later by human explorers, say experts.” I wonder why they would need to do that? We didn’t have to do shit like that last time. Why does NASA keep insisting on reinventing the wheel here? Why do they seem to have forgotten that we are old hands at this sort of thing?
Other people have forgotten as well. Following Bush’s attempt to wag the Moondoggie, Republican Senator Sam Brownback sternly warned, “You’ve got the Chinese saying they’re interested – we don’t want them to beat us to the moon!” This may seem like a rather bizarre concern, until you realize that not only is China working on developing a Moon rocket, they are also rumored to be close to completing work on a time machine, which will allow them to transport their Moon rocket back to the mid-1960s and thus beat America to the Moon.
On a more serious note, I’m guessing that since China has managed, in the 50+ years of the space race, to put three whole spaceships into low-Earth orbit, there won’t likely be any Chinese flags waving on the Moon anytime soon.
Anyway, doesn’t it seem just a little strange that experts would now suggest that if we get to work right away, we might be able to land men on the Moon by the year 2020? Isn’t that like saying that with a lot of hard work and a little luck, we might be able to develop a video game as technologically advanced as Pong by the year 2025? Or that by 2030, the scientific community might produce a battery-operated calculator small enough to fit into your pocket?
And do you think that, if we do ‘go back,’ the voice actors will be given a better script? Will we be given something to replace Armstrong’s cheesy “One small step” line and Aldrin’s poetic “magnificent desolation” line? Have I mentioned, by the way, that Donald Bowman, who worked at the Houston Space Center, has said that Armstrong was indeed handed a script before embarking on the alleged mission? That obviously does not prove that the Moon landings were faked, merely that Washington was very concerned with how the alleged missions were presented.
A NASA statement released in July of this year contained a rather curious assertion: “Conspiracy theories are always difficult to refute because of the impossibility of proving a negative.” It is not, of course, NASA that is being asked to prove a negative, but rather those pesky ‘conspiracy theorists.’ NASA is merely being asked to prove a positive, which should be a relatively easy task. All they have to do is produce some actual evidence, beginning with all those reels of tape containing the telemetry data, the biomedical data, all voice communications, and all the original videotape. They could also release the plans and specifications for all that fancy space hardware. And maybe offer some kind of reasonable explanation for why so many of the official photographs are demonstrably fraudulent.
Alternatively, they could just send some guys back there, to prove that it can be done. It’s been thirty-seven years and counting since the last guests on the Moon checked out. NASA allegedly filmed that final lift-off from the Moon, by the way. In case you haven’t seen the historic film footage, you can view it here. It’s a very short clip and it’s actually quite funny, so be sure to check it out.
I can’t be 100% certain of this, of course, but I have a very strong hunch that NASA picked up the footage off the cutting-room floor after Ed Wood had finished editing Plan 9 From Outer Space. Actually, I probably shouldn’t joke about the clip because I do feel kind of bad for the guy that they had to leave behind to operate the camera. I wonder how he’s doing these days?
Actually, NASA claims that the camera was mounted on the abandoned lunar rover (even in space, Americans are arrogant litterbugs), and that the pan and zoom functions were operated remotely by the ground crew back on Earth. You couldn’t control your television from across the living room in those days, but NASA could pan and zoom a camera from 234,000 miles away. Awesome! And there apparently either wasn’t any delay in the signal or NASA had the foresight to hire a remote camera operator who was able to see a few seconds into the future.
You really have to hand it to the NASA boys – those guys think of everything.
George W. Jetson’s visionary proposal envisioned the Moon as a steppingstone for manned travel to Mars. How that works though is a bit of a mystery to me. The distance between the Earth and Mars varies depending upon where the planets are in their respective orbits, but the minimum distance astronauts would have to travel to reach Mars from Earth is 36,000,000 miles. And the minimum distance astronauts would have to travel to reach Mars from the Moon is, uhmm, also 36,000,000 miles. So I guess what I’m wondering is: what exactly would be gained by making a pit stop on the Moon?
Are there gas stations there to fill up the tank? Some nice hotels maybe where the astronauts could get some R&R? A couple of hot space hookers? How would making a technologically complex landing on the Moon, followed by a lift-off that would require an excessive amount of additional fuel, help get our boys to Mars?
Let’s take a big bite out of the reality sandwich here, shall we? The human animal is quite simply not equipped for space travel beyond low-Earth orbit. There is virtually no chance that we are going to send men to the Moon anytime soon. Despite what NASA would like you to believe, the combination of lethal space radiation, lethal temperatures, a complete lack of breathable air, and a lower gravitational attraction that produces serious health problems, including rapid tissue and bone degeneration, is simply not compatible with human existence. Neither is getting pelted with “space bullets.”Neither is a lack of food and water.
And as for Mars? A roundtrip ticket there would earn you about 75,000,000 frequent flyer miles. I wouldn’t count on that happening anytime soon.
Astronaut Steve Lindsey, after being chosen to command the final planned mission of the space shuttle, had this to say: “Everybody at NASA feels the same way. We’re in favor of taking the next step and getting out of low-Earth orbit.” So while technology in every other realm of human existence continues to take giant strides forward, everyone at NASA appears to want to take a big step backwards. To 1969.
Before bidding adieu, I have one final note to add: a certain Dr. Thomas Gold was an early skeptic of the feasibility of landing on the Moon. He made headlines prior to the alleged flight of Apollo 11 when he predicted that any attempt at a Moon landing would be disastrous. NASA, of course, purportedly proved the good doctor wrong.
 Longtime readers will remember that Dr. Gold was America’s most prominent proponent of the abiotic theory of oil and gas production, and that he went and dropped dead just before the ‘Peak Oil’ propaganda started to heat up. Dr. Gold was recently proven to be correct on the origins of so-called ‘fossil fuels.’ The article, curiously enough, refers to the research as “revolutionary” – which it is, I suppose, if you ignore the fact that the Soviets and Ukrainians did the same research and drew the same conclusions some fifty years ago.
We all know that that can’t be true, however, because it would be impossible to keep a secret of that magnitude from the entire Western world … right?

.

The brutal truth?

Meet a demand. People will judge you based on your usefulness at any given moment.

That’s it, NOTHING else really matters, at all. If you can meet a demand then you’ll be successful nothing else matters. But I’m a good father I go to church, I donate to charity… nah it may make you feel better but in the end it doesn’t matter.

The best case study to illustrate this is an emergency situation a car crash happens… a family were in the car. The children and wife are unharmed but the husband is severely injured bleeding out and dying.

What they need now is a medical professional to meet their needs.

You can heroically jump in and try to help but you’ll be told to fuck off. It doesn’t matter if you’re a good father go to church. In that moment the family need somebody who have the equipment and skills to save the husband.

This is an extreme situation… but we go through this process 10000s of times each day.

China is way ahead of the U.K. and that is a fact.

When I was the supervisor in a Social Security office I would occasionally have the staff ask me to speak with someone who was dissatisfied with our service.

A very frustrated man came in with his wife to complain about how long it had been taking to get a decision on his disability claim and he was not accepting the interviewer’s explanation so she asked me to speak with him.

I introduced myself and asked him how I could help him. This was his request.

“ I want to pull down my pants, bend over and have you kiss my bare ass.”

His wife nearly fell out of her chair. “Oh Thomas, how could you!”

I merely looked at him and said “We don’t offer that service here. Now what can I really do for you?”

He couldn’t phase me. He wasn’t my first disgruntled person and he wasn’t my last.

Woman Dies; Gets Shown Other Planets, Civilizations And Told Human’s Purpose (NDE)

This was told to me by a friend while we were sharing an apartment via Airbnb. He is an Indian mariner working for some UK based shipping company. He travels around the world on a ship carrying petroleum products, visiting various ports in UK, Africa, Middle East, South and South East Asia. His crew contains mariner of many other nationalities.

He shared the embarrassing moments he has to face whenever his ship docks in any of the ports in India. The Customs Officers comes in with large bags, steals a good part of their cigarette cartons, packed meats, drinks, and many other stuffs from ship’s inventory(storage), meant for the mariners travel needs. Many a times he had been through these awkward moments, and he said you should see the looks on his co-mariner’s faces. He feels ashamed of being an Indian every time this happens.

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Without a concise border agreement, what exactly can India do?

If we ask China to withdraw from any intruded territories in Arunachal, it would mean acknowledging that China has indeed intruded in Arunachal Pradesh and that would be humiliation for the Modi Government

If we militarily intervene , it could be another debacle like GALWAN where with knives and metal rods and sheer gumption ,China gained 1070 Sq Kms territory in a mere 4–5 days — equivalent territory for which Russia has to spill the blood of 5000 of its soldiers and kill around 45000 enemy soldiers over 4 1/2 months to acquire


Jaishankar openly called out Pakistan repeatedly in front of the global media and in front of the Foreign Minister

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Yet not once did he whisper about China in any forum

It’s because China is TOO STRONG & POWERFUL for India to get into a direct conflict

China is so cautious about getting into a direct conflict with US despite the two nations being within 25–33% of each other

So India has to be much more cautious because China is almost 600% stronger and mightier


Thats why

Diplomacy means humiliation for the Modi Government

Military means certain and brutal defeat in the medium term

So just ignore everything and pretend things are hunky dory

It’s called LINE OF LEAST RESISTANCE and that’s what India is doing today

Oh SH*T! Germany is going down a DARK road against anti-war voices

Working for a supermarket.

For most of my life I’ve gone to school. I’ve done odd chores for my parents that could be classified as “work” but that was just it.

In the Christmas break of 2021, I got my first ever job as, part-time at a supermarket. Stocking shelves, assisting with the daily count, even manning the counter.

It was incredible.

  • People treated me like furniture.

I was invisible until they needed to use me. Some people were very kind, all pleases and thank yous, others were like, “hey, get over here! Get me that!”

  • I was repeatedly encouraged by my coworkers not to be idle.

During slow hours I arranged and rearranged shampoo and perfume bottles meticulously, I dusted invisible dust, I slowly stocked the hats so I’d have less time to be idle. I paced, I observed customers with what I hoped was an interested gaze, ready to spring into action should they need any help.

Because Idleness = Lazy = Bad worker.

Soap was my section’s bestselling item, next to that was lotion.

  • People can have too much trust in shop workers to know everything about the products. Some even expect you to make decisions for them.

1.

Customer: “Does this shampoo also work against dandruff?”

Me: “Uhm…”

*Picks up another bottle, scans it quickly.*

Me: “No, it doesn’t.”

2.

”Would I save more money if I got one of the 300 mL bottles or two of the 150 mLs?”

*Glances at the prices tags, makes quick calculations.*

“Same price total; no difference.”

“What should I get, then?”

“Umm..Will you use the perfume yourself or are you sharing it with someone?”

”My daughter uses my stuff sometimes.”

“Then I’d recommend you get two, so she can have her own bottle.”

”Ok”.

3.

”My child has sores on his legs, would this soap irritate them?”

“To be honest sir I’m not sure.”

“Oh.”

4.

“These mouthwash, why are the big bottles and those smaller ones the same price? Is it because the bigger one has less quality?”

*Takes them, scans over the labels quickly.*

“The smaller ones are imported.”

“But is it a lesser quality?”

*Makes quick judgement, hope I’m right*.

“I don’t believe so.”

We just work there, we didn’t make those products. There’s only so much we can know.


I think the best part of that job was interacting with customers, especially for someone like me who doesn’t get out that often.

Southern Baking Powder Biscuits

Basic biscuits can be great biscuits. These are straightforward, relying only on baking powder for leavening.

These are simple biscuits to make with only five ingredients. If you wish to use self-rising flour, you can make these biscuits with only three ingredients.

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2023 06 18 18 31

They will rise tall and are slightly salty with no added sugar. If you like, you may add a tablespoon or two of sugar—but then they wouldn’t be authentic Southern biscuits.

A baking sheet, preferably a dark one that will not reflect the heat

A pastry knife or pastry knife

The following recipe can be used to make these biscuits.

You can also make biscuits with a mix. We make a buttermilk biscuit mix, a sour cream and chive biscuit mix, and a cheddar cheese biscuit mix.

These mixes are just-add-water and you should have them in your oven in about five minutes.

Ingredients

  • 3 cups all-purpose flour
  • 4 teaspoons baking powder
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 1/3 cup cold shortening
  • 1 1/2 cup milk

Instructions

  1. Heat the oven to 425 degrees F.
  2. In a large bowl, combine the flour, baking powder, and salt.
  3. Using a pastry blender or 2 knives, cut in the shortening until the mixture forms coarse pieces.
  4. Add the milk and stir the mixture with a fork until most of the dry ingredients have been moistened.
  5. Turn the ingredients onto the counter and knead and fold until the dough is formed. Do not knead longer than necessary.
  6. Roll or pat the dough to about 3/4-inch thickness and cut with a biscuit cutter. Place the biscuits on a greased baking sheet with the edges touching.
  7. Bake for about 15 minutes or until the tops are just golden brown and biscuits sound hollow when gently tapped.
  8. Serve warm.

Yield: 15 large biscuits

EATING IN A CHINESE VILLAGE APARTMENT AS A BLACKMAN, WHAT COULD GO WRONG?!! BLACK IN CHINA

I grew up very poor. My mom would make giant pots of stews like lentils and peas and it would go on for days. Getting thicker and thicker as the week goes on

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We’d put it in the middle of the bread and butter to try to change the flavor a bit… oh, when I say butter, I mean margarine, which cost about 25 cents and came in a giant jar.

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This was a typical dinner as a kid… a giant portion of what she called “ goulash ” and canned vegetables.

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We never really had fun snacks or chips or crap, these were considered luxury items. I remember spending the night at a friends house and being super excited that they had bags of chips of all varieties, Jell-O and brand name soda! We only had RC COLA or SHASTA.

We almost always drank Tampico

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Oh yeah, who cares about Sunny D when you have Tampico.

We often cook tortillas on the stove, like this:

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Then melt the butter (margarine) and sprinkle with a little salt.

We drank a glass of milk every day with dinner (in hindsight, that probably helped us feel full). But sometimes, when the gallon of milk was half empty, my mother would fill the other half with water. I hated it! Watery milk.

We always had hot dog sausages, but never buns (we used sliced ​​bread for everything), of course, packets of ramen (not the cups) slices of fake cheese… basically anything that wasn’t from the famous brands. We drank tap water.

My mother did her best and was very good at making the most of what she had. I learned a lot from her. She knew I hated bologna and would fry it in a pan and somehow make our sandwiches bearable. If on Monday she made a stew, we would have stewed it for days and it would never get stale in any way. I still like sliced ​​tomato mayo sandwiches to this day haha.

It’s simple

Laos is the best example

Five years ago they opened up trade with China and contracted China to build their Railways

Today their economy has shown 5.87% growth against a mere 2.13% inflation

In 2017 they had 5.19% growth against 3.88% inflation

You do the math

Same for Pacific countries

To this day Australia and USA gave them alms and kept talking about defence, defence, defence and more defence

China gave them TRADE

China built them ROADS

China built them SCHOOLS

China built them NETWORKS

China built them Ports

So it’s simple that these nations and their people want Chinese friendship

It’s some leaders who are US puppets who are Anti China just to please their masters in exchange for Swiss Bank accounts , like those mongrels Zelensky or Von Der Leyen

China is no threat to anybody

Only the US is.

Why cant an Indian Company do this?

Produce a Good Quality Product at affordable prices and any Indian, Botswana, Kenyan, Ugandan company will be able to do this. This is basic 101.

China doesnt offer earth shattering technology or something unique and revolutionary. It just offers a good product at affordable prices.

Quality thats a word that doesnt exist anymore. Our Companies simply cannot give us the Quality that foreign companies are providing us with.

Simple example Horlicks. Just take Horlicks from a foreign country sold in a duty free shop and our Indian Horlicks and mix it with hot water or milk. The Froth that the foreign Horlicks generates is more than twice that the Indian Horlicks generates.

  • Take USB Cables and Chargers. Made in India Charger costing Rs. 320/- Retail – charges as fast as a China made Charger costing Rs. 200/- with the same cable. A China made charger costing Rs.350/- can charge twice as fast.
  • A MI Powerbank once fully charged can charge my phone for 5 nights compared to any Indian Powerbank of the same strength (20000 MAH). Only Ambrane is comparable and gives power for 3 nights.
  • Shoes, Slippers, Watches, Smartphones, Laptops, Pickles, Food Products, Soft Drinks – all of them have shoddy quality, dubious manufacturing processes and tremendous lapses in quality controls.

Not just for us- but for our Heroes – the Army – our Blankets are atrocious for the Ladakh cold compared to the Bangladeshi Imports. Something called Ghirodes (Knots per Square Inch) have been compromised time and time again.

Now why cant an Indian Company provide good quality.


Surely Indians cannot genetically be crooks right?

The Answer is – Why should they?

Until recently – most of them have had monopolies and little competition.

They know worst case – the Consumer courts will take 10 years to decide to award the poor consumer Rs. 5000/- or Rs. 10,000/- in damages

They know worst case- a Briefcase or two of “Booty” can ensure that their operations continue smoothly – even if it is harmful to consumer life forget atrocious quality

They know worst case – our Media – will pursue them for 3 days and go back to Akshay Kumars cooking parathas during COVID 19 or making conspiracy theories


What should be done

Make them Afraid

Implement a Law like Chinas dreaded CAPA (English Translation) where

  • A Company can be nationalized in less than 48 hours by a Provincial Industrial Committee or a Higher Body for a temporary period of not more than 180 days if they receive complaints on sub standard manufacture.
  • During this stage the Companies big bosses will all be decided by the Provisional Commitee which will make the decisions for the next 180 days. All Accounts, All Inventories will be under Committee Control.
  • If the Company is guilty of sub standard manufacture or quality compromise – then the Company may be imposed to a huge fine which if not paid will result in the Shareholding of the Company being forcefully yanked away and sold free market and the fine amount recovered from the sale.

So imagine if a Leather Tannery that pollutes the Yamuna river can be nationalized in 2 days and the Owners stripped off their shareholding or fined Rs. 500 Crore for pollution?

In ten minutes – every Owner will scramble to ensure he follows the law right?


Billy Joel…

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Yes, I did one day as a brave little nine-year-old girl. I came out of my apartment because I heard The neighbor kid crying. I follow the sound and just around the corner are four teenage girls probably ranging from 15 to 17 years old and they’re basically beating up this 11-year-old kid. I just remember my cheeks got hot and I just start screaming for them to get off of him. They had put a grocery cart on top of him and were jumping on it and he was a little heavier and he was losing breath and screaming and panicking and it scared the crap out of me so I get up in this one girl‘s face and I’m nine and she’s 15 and all the sudden she just slaps my face as hard as she can.

Well, my mother was just a few feet away in the laundry room and she had heard the commotion and was looking out and sees the girl slap me, and that was one of the few times I ever saw my mother come to my defense, like an angry bear, ready to rip someone’s head off. As a matter of fact, for about two or three seconds I was really worried for the Obnoxious teenage girl, because my mother was beautiful and petite and quiet, and that was not what was coming at that girl. Matter fact, the arms were flailing!!!

Anyway, as I was going to somebody else’s defense against a bully, my mother was coming to mine.

Russia and its endless oil, gas, fertilizer, grains, timber, minerals and all natural resources, pipelines and railways plus more pipelines and railroads in construction, to/from Russia and Central Asia. Rapid developments of Manchuria, Siberia, Sakhalin island and the Arctic.

China and Russia are now back-to-back strategic partners. The biggest joint strategic partnership in the world. Potential US blockade in Indian Ocean or Malacca Strait is no longer relevant.

To the south, China-ASEAN trades reached US$1 trillion, double China-US trade, equal China-US+EU trades.

Don’t you see it by now?

China has already prepared to decouple from US.

US made the threat, China took it seriously.

I owned a bar and had a young couple come in and sit in bottle service. They told anyone who’d listen that they just got engaged and wanted to celebrate. They ordered the full service champagne with a bottle of our cheapest Andre we kept around just to spray the crowd for fun. Our server brought out strawberries and whip cream, the bottle, and the staff made the big baller fuss across the dance floor. Everyone was giving them the works. The bill came and the young man’s card was declined. He was completely embarrassed. He asked to speak to the owner, that’s me. He was brought to my office and I could see he was a little nervous. He explained he’d deposited his paycheck earlier and his bank account showed that the funds were available. He showed me on his bank app. He asked if I could trust him to bring the money the next day. He was about 22 years old. I saw myself in a similar situation with a gallon of milk as a young father 25 years earlier. I told him to consider it an engagement gift, no worries. No need to flip out over a $3 bottle of champagne, my cost, and $3 worth of strawberries. He enjoyed the rest of his evening and left. The following Monday, that kid stopped by with a $20 bill. He’d forgotten to tip the server and felt badly. I thought this kid had heart and I respected him for coming back. I put his tip in an envelope for the server and wished him the best. I know it’s not like paying for someone’s groceries, but it still made me feel good.

A decade ago your debt is 10’000’000’000’000 and today it is 31’400’000’000’000. Easy to understand for you?

OK. What about in 1945 your share of world GDP is 52%. Today it is a mere 15% and dropping fast. Enough?

More. Today as many as close to a million homeless people are living in tents at all you city! How about American standard of living has stagnated back to 1960’s level and dropping further. Eg. This year your forecast growth is 0.5% but your inflation is at least 5%. You guys are poorer by 4.5%! Good enough?

The U.S. growth used to be the biggest today China’s growth is bigger than the entire G7 put together! The U.S. life expectancy is the lowest among industrialised nation, in 2021 for the first time China’s life expectancy exceeded the U.S. and repeated that in 2022!

Still not convince? The U.S. handled the Covid amongst the worst in the world. It lose 1.1 million people! China by comparison has less than 1% of US death in spite of it having 4 times its population! Your infrastructure are totally dilapidated without improvement.

Not enough? Oh your nation fought some rag tag mountain tribe in Afghanistan for 20 years and lost. You blew 3–4 Trillion dollars and after 20 years invited the Taliban back. Taliban is the only reason you guys went to war in Afghanistan.

How about you fought another war against village folks in rice paddies in Vietnam for another 20 years till you lost all your gold. And lost the war. Running away on the roof top of the U.S. Embassy!

Still not convince? In the 1980 Moscow Olympics you gang up nations to boycott the Games and 65 countries supported you. By the 2020 Beijing Olympics you tried the same shit. And 5 nations agree to withdraw uninvited officials.

OK my last shot to convince you. When the U.S. order, coerce, bribed and threaten nations to support sanctioning Russia. Zero nations in Latin American, the Caribbean, Africa supported the U.S. 3 out of 30 nations supported the U.S 2 of them are your slave vassal state Japan and Korea. The third support to win you billions.

2/14 Oceania nations supported the U.S. Australia and New Zealand! In an international business forum invited by Russia. More than 100 nations participated!

US is a spent force burning cash as fast as they earn it and being dumped by the whole world except for some few racist nation and it Anglo brothers and your slaves who had no rights to say no. That is barely sufficient. It cannot afford to care for its own citizens let alone interfere in a hundred nations simultaneously, afford 800 Military bases overseas and trot around the world at a billion a week expenses on each Aircraft Carrier.

Ukraine alone will cost the US. a trillion dollars a year. If it don’t change course the U.S. debt will hit 100’000’000’000’000 or a hundred trillion dollars. Just at 3% interest it need to spend 3 trillion a year. As such. The U.S. is effectively a broke and a bankrupt even now.

Its all happening in China but half the world isn’t noticing

A battle between the American State Department and the Pentagon

I  watched the American spokesman statement. The purpose of the Blinken trip to China was to “strengthen America’s ability to out-compete China”. Further he stated, that there were three key points that Blinkedin will tell China.

[1] To establish communication channels that are “open and empowered”.

[2] Communicate clearly and candidly on a range of issues regarding American displeasure in how China conducts its domestic matters.

[3] Will investigate potential area of cooperation on trans-national issues, but ONLY when it is in Americas interest.

Finally, he does not expect any “break throughs” on this trip.

And of course, we all know what happened next. China reamed him up and down and all around though out, and when he reported the news to Biden, that son-of-a-bitch complained in a long diatribe in front of his donor class.

Sigh.


Next…

Ah yes

Of course

The Debt ceiling was raised recently to a whopping $ 33 Trillion right?

Obviously the West will deflect and bury the serious dire straits of their economies and pending recession to China

That’s what they always do

Whenever they have trouble at home, they deflect and jump to a foreign country that may be much much better off

Is China’s economy declining?

No

China’s economy shows resilience

Don’t ask me

Ask the 77 Countries who now have over 15% of their Trade share in Yuan since 1/1/2022

China’s economy is Sluggish

The reason is simple

Its two biggest earners have taken a hit

Exports have taken a hit due to Sanctions by US and mainly due to weakening global demand due to recession/inflation in EU and US

Many Producers aren’t sure how much to manufacture now because of their worry about exports and being saddled with excess inventory

The alternative domestic consumption to replace potential loss of export share will take time and confidence by the producers and consumers

Maybe 3 years or so

Second is Real Estate

China’s own Government have dynamically and drastically modified real estate lending causing a plunge in real estate markets

So it’s like a Cricket team with two big stars in bad form


The fact that any other country would have buried these facts stands out

China is dealing with them on a day to day basis

Promoting Domestic spending, reducing rates to rise liquidity and slowly ensure the export pain is mitigated by local demand

China is modifying it’s real estate

It’s bringing a real estate sector once controlled by 6% population now to a 60% population using economies of scale

Profiting $ 1 Million per flat through speculation to be replaced by Profiting $ 50,000 a flat for 20 flats by actual sales and market demand

It takes time for this 60% population to realize that the sector is good for them

Like say tomorrow 50% Indians investing in shares from 4.1% today


China has very temporary problems

It’s situation is changing and its adapting and that is causing blips


Now USA and the West on the other hand are in deep trouble

They have in print nearly $ 15.3 Trillion equivalent of currency circulating in Pounds, Euros and Dollars

They have to rise rates repeatedly to push the currency into institutions and prevent them from staying in the global economy and plunging in value and causing more Inflation

It’s a ticking time bomb

And unlike China, the West neither has the populace to absorb the hit nor the resources like Russia

The end result will be 1929 type depression unless the large shock detonates through a series of smaller shocks which will weaken the US significantly but help it survive and bounce back , which is what China is waiting for (Why else is China not retaliating to all the US Coercion? Because it knows time is on its side)

It’s 100 times more serious

Hence why the West is deflecting on to China

I was in a Video Conference yesterday. There was this slick controller from Cisco. I picked it up and turned it around to see the sticker that said: “Made in China”.

We have all heard the phrase. So much so that it has become a cultural meme, like this creative advertisement.

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Every machine, and I mean it in the broad sense of the word, people use, almost certainly, has components made by the most populous nation of the world.

We are at a stage where manufacturing is synonymous with China. China’s total exports in 2017 were more than the GDP of India, at ~$2.26 trillion.

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US is close with $1.5 trillion, but there is the catch.

US exports are primarily expensive stuff like airplanes, gems, assembled cell phones etc. But China makes the “cheaper” things — the components of your phones, the clothes you buy, the filaments in your bulbs, the shoes you are wearing right now.

More than a decade ago, a US family tried to rid themselves of all things “made in China”

. Here are some excerpts from their experience.

When our son, then 4, needed new shoes it took me two weeks of frantic mall trips and phone calls across the country before I located Italian-made sneakers. (They cost almost $70, an obscene amount, and I bought him just that one pair of shoes all year to compensate for my excess.)

We boiled water for coffee every morning after our drip machine broke and the only affordable replacements we could find were made in China. Kevin stole —he likes to say borrowed—sunglasses from the lost-and-found at our kids’ preschool when he needed new ones and the only ones that fit our budget were made in China. We were barred from the market for humane mousetraps (I made my own), birthday candles (we used votive candles on our cakes instead) and the monster trucks and light sabers that our son dreamed of all year.

As December approached, we made lousy homemade Christmas presents, spent too much on toys from Germany and waited for the year, and our boycott, to fade into history.

And Chinese manufacturing has become even more pervasive and ingrained in the last ten years. Good luck with your attempt!

First of all, Taiwan is NOT a country. Neither the United Nations nor the United States recognize Taiwan as an independent state. Moreover, Taiwan’s own constitution stipulates that the mainland and Taiwan are one country.

The entire world adheres to the One China principle.

Second, no country is willing to give up any piece of its territory. Would the USA give up Hawaii or Texas? Would France give up Corsica?

Third, Taiwan is a remnant of China’s century of humiliation when the great powers of the time descended on China like vultures and carved her up like a turkey. It’s a painful reminder and a point of national pride.

Fourth, China and Taiwan can coexist. They’ve coexisted peacefully for decades now. They have massive trade with each other.

China seeks peaceful reunification, and she is very patient. But the United States is determined to stir up shit in Taiwan. Just leave them alone!

Fifth, since Taiwan is China’s domestic matter, it is absolutely none of our f*cking business. Why are we sticking our nose into it?

Do we want to start a war with China over this matter?

Are you f*cking insane?

Hubris.

“My cup runneth over with hubris”, rather than “In God We Trust”.

Who in his right mind can praise America for being well led, when the President is 80 and belongs in a nursing home, with the primary competition 76 belonging in jail?

And yet those are the candidates two ailing parties who have swapped musical chairs for 250 years throw up, with NO ALTERNATIVES in sight.

Just like guns and drugs, even abortion.

Live with it, the American will say, because the Constitution is sacred.

I say God bless America.

America has visibly declined or regressed this century. Even life expectancy has dipped below third world China, courtesy of the horrendous response to covid for the country rated No. 1 for pandemic readiness by Johns Hopkins in 2019. The debt pile is growing too fast, struggling under the weight of living beyond means.

Barring a paradigm shift in domestic politics, terminal decline is but a matter of time. I will pay attention to the quality of life of the bottom 50 percent who share 2 percent of the wealth. Too miserable and the have-nots will stoke tensions and accelerate the process.

I have not heard much beyond doubling down on the current playbook.

And that is a road to ruin.

The question is one of when, rather than if.

Under 150 years of British rule, Hong Kong wasn’t democratic. Why would we expect that to change?

The United States is as ready as it ever will be.

It has an enormous military budget, and bases everywhere. It’s got top of the line fighters, vessels and state-of-the-art equipment. In fact, if anything, I think that it is “over kill”. But that’s just my personal opinion.

The United States military is world-class in force projection, and they will glad-fully take the war to the shores of China and beyond. With the handful of proxy nations acting as “cannon fodder”, the United States would just sit back and watch the Australians and Japanese die in droves. Let them all be barbecued alive. As long as not one American is harmed.

So the United States force doctrine is one where the disposable peoples of Australia, Korea and Japan (with the Philippines) would be sacrificed first.

There is no question that the United States would choose Sydney, and Perth to become major battlefields. And with the rubbleing of Osaka, Tokyo, and Manila, the American military would wait out the carnage comfortably from afar in safe bunkers, Ukraine style.

Eventually, the Chinese force would peter out to an “approachable” level.

At that moment, the United States would pounce for a double “one two” blow that would destroy Chinese cities, and an invasion force in strength would seize the nation. Oh, the fighting might take a decade, but eventually the United States would win, and China would be partitioned into pre-determined bite-sized chunks for organized looting and seizure.

(Some interesting articles on this particular subject. It’s already been divided up! Though, I would advise “don’t count your chickens until the eggs hatch”.)

Anyways, there one teeny-tiny issue.

The only issue is would China really use it’s mass-casualty weapons. That’s of course, the Dong Feng, and the other novel and unique enhanced radiation and wave technologies. You know those massive enhanced radiation city-busters. Those hyper-velocity AI controlled stealth delivery systems, and the invisibility cloaking technologies.

But I am told it doesn’t matter.

As many in the “West” are very confident that “China would never…”.

So, if you (the reader) are part of this clutch, then by all means rest assured that the United States can destroy China, and it couldn’t do anything. The logic is simple. Simply because China has invested such a HUGE portion of it’s military to weapons of MASS DESTRUCTION. Leaving only a fraction of it’s military for conventional warfare. If China decides never to use the nuclear systems, then China would be handicapped to reliance on old-fashioned conventional systems.

So the United States would rip China a new behind.

But…

But…

But…

But, were China to be attacked, I am of the belief that China would use every weapon at it’s disposal. I mean, after all, why devote such a large proportion of your defensive equipment to nuclear and novel systems if you have no plans to ever use them? I figure that even if you have a Bentley in your garage, you do go and take it out for a spin from time to time. Even if that is the last thing that you do before you die.

Thus, the first cities to experience nuclear destruction would be American. I recon complete destruction of the top 35 cities.

This would really throw a monkey-wrench into the plans listed above.

The American “leadership” would be pissed and they (well the ones still alive and not wearing diapers) would order a MAD response. And the nukes would start a flying.

Correct me, if you disagree, but when the dust settles, I don’t think the world would be the same. You might think differently, but I think that nothing will ruin your day faster than global thermonuclear war.

Sigh.

So who ever asked this question, please stop asking about the end of the world. It’s not a pretty image. Go play with your army men elsewhere. War is not a game. It’s real, and very horrible. I strongly advise that it be avoided at all costs.

No one is going to win a US-China war.

For over 700 years, the Japanese have been using a special method called Daisugi to grow trees without cutting them down.

It started in the 14th century and involves planting trees for the future and then pruning them like large bonsai trees. By doing this to cedar trees, they can get high-quality wood that’s straight, smooth, and perfect for building.

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With Daisugi, instead of chopping down the trees, they carefully prune them so they can keep growing and producing wood. This way, they can sustainably use the wood while also making sure the trees stay healthy and continue to live for a long time. Daisugi shows how people and nature can work together, using resources wisely while protecting the environment.

Not exactly arrogance, if arrogance, it was a well deserved arrogance, as US was supreme in economy, diplomacy and military as a superpower liberator. US actually saved the world with great sacrifices.

It’d have succeeded except the miscalculation on China entrance into the war, that changed the result. That was arrogance to underestimated the Chinese determination and ragtag poorly equipped military, which was a total surprise to everybody.

It is human nature that it is very difficult for warriors to stop fighting, Alexander the Great just couldn’t stop, Napoleon couldn’t stop, Hitler and Japanese couldn’t stop and US couldn’t-can’t stop.

Normal little people like us always wondered what if these superpowers just stopped at some points, enough is enough, I have enough, let me stop and build on my successes and conquered empires, let me treat my subjects well but none could. But warriors can’t stop, they must keep on going until the empires were destroyed by over expansions.

For over seven decades, Japan has been subject to ongoing occupation by the United States, maintaining a presence through a network of over 90 military bases and an extensive arsenal of more than 65,000 military assets. Similarly, Taiwan is under the control of local collaborators aligned with the United States, who wield authority over both the island’s military and political processes, contrary to the One-China policy. In both regions, the United States not only dictates the sale and deployment of weaponry but also determines the conditions for their use, the required troop numbers, and the deployment locations, while providing comprehensive training.

Given the high level of military integration and influence, publicly disclosing real-time shared military information would only intensify local concerns regarding the potential loss of lives and livelihoods after being dragged into a war initiated by the United States, especially in light of recent devastating events in Ukraine as reported by the media.

Gravitas: Japan says no to NATO membership

QUAD is US, G7 is US, AUKUS is US, NATO is US. Whatever alphabets they added or changed, it is just US.

UK, Australia, Japan, India, France, Italy or whatever don’t matter at all to China, there are like the group of thugs accompanying the main bad guy in kungfu movies, they take turn to be punched and kicked by the kungfu master, and the first to run away or fake death. Faking death in the safest way to survive. They rarely charge forward all at the same time.

It is just US, that’s a handful all by itself.

Whatever your opinion may be about this man, Dan Bilzerian, he said something very true in an interview, and I would like many people to reflect on it.

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In the Joe Rogan Podcast (the most famous and most listened-to podcast in the world), Rogan asked him the same question:

Joe: Hey Dan, for the people who are listening to us, and most of them won’t even make a quarter of the money you’ve made, do you think money brings happiness?

Dan Bilzerian: Money, Joe, brings satisfaction. Money can undoubtedly give you a lot of satisfaction, but never complete happiness.

When I go to a fancy restaurant, when I drive a brand new car, when I party at the best clubs, for me, that’s already normal.

But the day I can’t afford to eat at a restaurant of the same quality, or drive the latest car, or go partying, how do you think I’ll feel?

In my case, I raised the ‘satisfaction bar’ so high that I have to maintain this lifestyle forever because if I don’t, I get depressed.

Happiness, even if it sounds cliché, cheesy, or however you want to call it, comes from within, from your person. It doesn’t come from material things. Material things give you ‘satisfaction,’ but they will never give you happiness.

There’s always someone who says something like:

‘Money doesn’t bring happiness, but I’d rather cry in a Lamborghini.’

Now, let me ask:

Wouldn’t you rather smile from ear to ear in a Kia?

First Impressions of China in 2023 🇨🇳 CAN’T Believe What I Saw

Washington has sent Jake Sullivan to New Delhi with an array of tempting offers to bring the country in line with the west

By Joydeep Sen Gupta, Asia Editor

US President Joe Biden’s administration is working overtime to give top billing to Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s official state visit to the US from June 21 to 24 in a key election campaign year. The visit will be Modi’s sixth to the US since he assumed office in 2014.

Biden wants to present Modi’s upcoming trip as being bigger than the Indian premier’s Manhattan moment

in 2014 when he was hosted by Barack Obama, and Howdy, Modi!

in 2019 during the Trump administration.

To that end Biden sent his trusted aide, US National Security Advisor (NSA) Jake Sullivan, to New Delhi on a two-day trip on Tuesday, to lay the groundwork for the high-profile event, and build upon last week’s visit

to India by US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin.

Prominent Indian geopolitical commentator, C Raja Mohan, has suggested

that Sullivan’s visit may pave the way for Modi’s Deng Xiaoping moment in leveraging India’s unique situation into significant gains for the country. However, the current global churn is many times removed from the visionary Chinese leader’s time in office last century, and the US is more transparent in its efforts to create a unipolar world order.

Sullivan’s agenda

Economic cooperation is at the heart of the Sullivan’s India trip. The top US security official held talks with Modi, his Indian counterpart, Ajit Doval

, and minister for external affairs, Dr Subramanyam Jaishankar

, on a range of issues that go beyond the optics of bilateral diplomacy. Doval and Sullivan also attended the second Track 1.5 dialogue on the Critical and Emerging Technologies (iCET) initiative, which was organized by the Confederation of Indian Industry (CII).

They unveiled an ambitious roadmap for Indo-US collaboration in seven specific hi-technology areas, including semiconductors, next-generation telecommunications, artificial intelligence and defense.

Sullivan said the iCET is about people-to-people relationships, building skills, trust and confidence between the societies and governments of the two countries. He said it is also a way to deepen defense cooperation that will help both the countries strategically and economically.

Meanwhile, Modi’s upcoming US visit has been heralded as a new era of “future ties” amid a “robust outcome document” that is in the works. However, the underlying motive is the desperate US desire to gain access to one of the biggest markets in the world following its deteriorating

trade and diplomatic ties with the world’s second biggest economy – China.

Sullivan is playing the role of a traveling salesman, hawking US interests in key global capitals much like before his elevation

to the NSA.

On this trip, he pulled out all stops to impress upon the Modi government the ease of doing business with the Biden administration, which is all but a lame duck, ahead of a key election to be held later this year.

Sullivan’s talks centered on opening a $2.7 billion semiconductor chip-making facility in India by Micron Technology, which is headquartered in Boise, Idaho and sharing technical know-how regarding quantum computing technology. India imports about 80% of its semiconductors.

New Delhi is believed to be wooing Intel Corporation to set up shop in the country following fears of a disruption in supply chains in light of escalating tensions between China and Taiwan.

Significantly, the pièce de resistance is Sullivan’s last-ditch bid to jointly manufacture US aircraft engines for Indian defense forces by General Electric (GE) in partnership with state-run Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL). Will the transfer of technology (ToT) be a fillip to Modi’s ambitious “Make in India”

initiative? ToT is a key aspect in Indo-US bilateral relationship, where past misadventures such as the 2008 civil nuclear agreement between the two nations stick out like a sore thumb. The US is dragging its feet over ToT unlike Russia, which has been

an all-weather ally to India.

Biden has unpacked the top brass in his administration ahead of Modi’s visit. China – the elephant in India’s room – also figured prominently during Sullivan’s trip because he is being accompanied by US Indo-Pacific Coordinator at the National Security Council Kurt Campbell.

Washington has been raising the China alarm with New Delhi and accuses Beijing of flexing its military muscle over Taiwan and the South China Sea while underscoring India’s primacy in the elite grouping of the Quad

.

Truth be told, since its revival

in 2017, the grouping largely remains a non-starter as questions abound whether it is hitting the right notes to keep a belligerent China at bay.

The US is seemingly ratcheting up further bilateral tensions between the two most populous nations and nuclear-powered neighbors

as a means to insert itself as part of India’s solutions to security.

How does the US hypocrisy stand exposed?

Public memory, as the cliché goes, is short indeed. In 2005, PM Modi was denied

a US visa because of his alleged role

in the Gujarat pogrom against minority Muslims in the western Indian state in 2002, when he was the Chief Minister.

The US changed its tune in 2014 after Modi’s right-wing Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) enjoyed a landslide win against the incumbent Congress-led opposition alliance.

US State Department spokeswoman Jen Psaki had said Modi would receive a visa to the country once he took office and formed a government. And an AI visa, which is the eligibility norm for all heads of state, was made available to him. Washington then started making overtures towards him in a true bipartisan manner with Obama, Trump, and now Biden have been rolling out the red carpet for him as they seek to tap India’s growing middle class, whose strength is more than the total US population at last count.

But such foreign policy misadventures

have been the hallmark of the US in the name of championing democracy in all corners of the globe for which the UK fell

for hook, line and sinker.

With such checkered records and doublespeak, should the Modi government be enamored by Sullivan’s charm offensive?

The US seldom delivers what it promises, if its deeply flawed foreign policy is a marker of Washington’s overreach

.

Is the Biden administration on the same page?

There is a lack of clarity regarding whether the Biden administration’s various arms share Sullivan’s enthusiasm about Modi and India. Historically, the US State Department has been hostile towards New Delhi about ramping up bilateral engagement in the field of defense and hi-tech.

However, the jury is still out whether Sullivan, aided and abetted by the Pentagon, can ensure joint manufacturing of GE’s F-414 engine in India, which if Washington manages to pull off, will go down in the annals of history. At the same time, it will open a new front in the Arab world in the Middle East, where the US has been arming

them to the teeth in the name of twin threats from Iran and Israel. President Biden’s largesse may help India’s state-run Defense Research and Development Organization (DRDO) to indigenously develop the Tejas Mark II fighter aircraft for the Indian Air Force. US defense majors are also looking for an opening to manufacture other hi-tech weapons including loiter bombs, air-to-air missiles and long-range guided bombs amid stalled arms supplies from Russia owing to fear

of disruption in payment mechanisms over US-led Western sanctions on the ongoing special military operations in Ukraine. Sullivan aims to reboot several existing mechanisms such as upping the ante in sectors such as telecommunications, rare earth metals mining and space. Both NSAs discussed this during a meeting on Critical and Emerging Technologies (iCET) in Washington on January 31.

The mechanism received a boost during the first India-US Strategic Trade Dialogue meeting

in Washington on June 4 and 5.

US commerce secretary Gina Raimondo’s visit to New Delhi in March was a precursor to this high-level engagement that set the stage for Sullivan’s trip to iron out the rough edges in the bilateral ties.

Is Sullivan the ace of spades for Biden?

The New York Times stated

in 2021 that Sullivan, who has been equated with Henry Kissinger, has long been a “figure of fascination, somewhere between sympathy and schadenfreude.” He has been Biden’s go-to man for all reasons and seasons. He held

crucial talks with key Chinese officials and has a similar historic opportunity to make Modi seem to be a global leader, whose life has come full circle since Washington dubbed him a pariah. And time is of the essence as Biden’s fate is likely to be decided in a few months, even though Modi’s hold on power appears to be as firm as ever.

Sullivan had an inkling about Russia’s special military operations in Ukraine a couple of months before the conflict started in February of 2022. He tried to shape global opinion against Russia, including pushing through the sanctions. Has he managed to strengthen NATO, including Finland’s membership, is an open-ended question?

His speech

at the Brookings Institution in April laid bare the growing US challenges amid a new pivot known as the ‘new Washington Consensus’, a euphemism for geo-economics. How much has he achieved will be judged by posterity.

Sullivan has been single-mindedly pushing for a technological alliance with “trusted partners” such as India to stymie China’s dominance.

The Indo-Pacific maritime is his other pet project that has grabbed the headlines, even though he is not a foreign policy hawk. He seeks to be on an even keel with China, especially his recent engagement with Foreign Minister, Wang Yi.

India, according to Sullivan, connects all these dots, despite New Delhi’s deep historic ties with Moscow. But can the US play a “long game” since the presidential election may change the foreign policy outreach in the next few months.

Biden’s last hurrah?

According to a report

in The Washington Post, the US seeks to expand the developing world’s influence (read India) at the United Nations (UN). This hurriedly-thought through bid appears to empower the UN Security Council (UNSC) because of the latter’s ineffectiveness as a global body to stop conflicts such as the ongoing military standoff in Ukraine. This mechanism, which has long been in the works, is also Washington’s bid to push through a unipolar world narrative and keep Russia and China out of the frame. Wooing India helps because it is part of the strongest anti-US bloc in BRICS, where Brazil and South Africa bring up the rear

, to create an alternative world order.

Linda Thomas-Greenfield, President Biden’s envoy to the UN, is reportedly consulting with diplomats from the organization’s 193 member states to gather feedback about a potential expansion of the UNSC ahead of world leaders’ annual gathering in New York in September.

But Washington is unlikely to create a consensus in a fractured world, where the US is seen

as a perennial big bully. Besides, it’s unclear which countries in the Global South and from Africa and South America are likely to make the cut.

For instance, any nation such as Venezuela, Cuba, Egypt and Morocco will not be welcome to join the exclusive club because of their close ties with Russia and by extension are considered as rogue states by the US.

The US is unlikely to have its way because India’s seat at the global high table will be opposed tooth and nail by Pakistan.

A tricky road for Modi

Modi, who is known to have an elephant’s memory, may do well not to bite the US bullet ahead of his re-election next year, where he appears to be in the driver’s seat, despite a few recent domestic setbacks.

As for Biden, it could be a classic case of too little, too late to woo American voters with last-minute optics. The maxim “It’s the economy stupid

” could seal his fate for a second-term in the White House. His historically low approval ratings are an indictment for lording over an economy that’s teetering on the brink, despite his lofty pronouncements of a rosy outlook.

When I young in Taiwan, all students must watch a one hour long documentary, Roar of China 中國的怒吼, documentary of all the atrocities of Japanese killing and bombing. Once a year, every year for many years. Attendance was mandatory for all, we had to write essay on the Japanese atrocities. That built a deep hatred towards Japan and Japanese. All Japanese movies and books were banned.

Occasional reports of Taiwan people love Japan and Japanese are wrong. As decades passed, that hatred gradually faded away to lesser degree, but among older Taiwan people, hatred of Japan is constant and in daily conversations.

I no longer hate Japan or Japanese, but I did not forget.

The Korean war.

In the early 1950’s, the United States (fresh from fighting World War II), along with its allies invaded Korea. The stated reasons were “democracy”, “freedom” and “fighting Communism”. Of course. The real reason was to attack and seize China while it was still weak. Then, from that captured territory, place military bases on the Russian Southern flank for an eventual World War 3.

Well, the Korean war was a fiasco. The United States lost bigly.

In fact, the losses were so very horrific, that the retreat became a rout. And the piles of equipment and stockpiles in warehouses had to be bombed remotely, by the sea and the air, to prevent capture. (This is by definition a rout. Remote demolitions of abandoned material is a characteristic of a rout.)

General Douglas MacArthur was so upset and defeated that he demanded that President Truman start using nuclear weapons on China, but Truman refused.

Instead President Truman initiated a multi-decade long campaign of carpet bombing China with bio-weapons. (Which didn’t do much to China, except make it very VERY resilient to bio-weapon attacks.)

This kind of stealth; passive-aggressive, attacking continued for decades. Well into the 1970s.

So when the 1960s rolled around, the United States was busy fighting on China’s Southern borders; Vietnam, Laos and Cambodia. All trying to obtain a “toe hold” there. But Chinese-backed Vietnamese forces were putting up a good fight.

You must realize that at that time, with a hostile and unstable SE Asia, and a very VERY pissed off China, the United States was in no way ready to take on China. Because over the decades of covert hostilities, the Chinese grew stronger, and angrier with each passing month.

So in the 1960s and into the 1970s, the United States did not attack China overtly. It’s not that the United States did not want to attack China. It is just that it simply could not. China was a very formidable fighting force, and the anticipated American (and allied) losses would have been enormous.

It means that the Chinese are not fools. The United States sanctioned the Chinese defense chief, and if they would meet, that would be in violation of the sanctions.

Who knows what other “dirty tricks” the Biden administration has “up its sleeve”?

But also, and most importantly, nothing productive would come out of the meeting. The United States has proven itself to be two-faced, fork-tongued, lying, scheming, manipulating bastards that have only one goal which is to belittle, and ultimately destroy China.

Different people have different reasons.

I came to China because the Chinese government agreed to support my research and give me opportunity to build a team to pursue solutions for health problems with genomics. I tried again and again through the grant process and VC channels in the US. For grants, if you weren’t part of the group that gets most of the grant money or one of their proteges (“the club”), you weren’t getting a grant. And, if you weren’t 20 something with no experience but full of wild ideas VC funds weren’t interested, they are all looking for the next Zuckerberg or Gates. They didn’t care about sound business plans.

So, I came to China where I was first able to almost immediately raise money from VCs and then after a year the Chinese government agreed to support me, my team and my projects.

China is the land of opportunity for talented scientists. They are putting a lot of money into developing a broad group of technologies of which biotech is one. A key focus of the education system is STEM graduates. So, for me, China was the obvious choice.

Note: I could’ve gotten a job in the US and been paid a very good wage, although I am doing well, especially by Chinese standards, I would’ve made more in the US. But, here I am supported to pursue my passion. And, it is a very good opportunity to experience the culture and the people.

The largest group of American expats here in China are teachers though. In China, teaching is a very well respected profession and the teachers are well compensated with lots of perks. They came here, some for the experience, most for the increased wages and respect that they found they lacked in the US.

Fried Okra with Tomatoes and Onions

fried okra tomatoes
fried okra tomatoes

Ingredients

  • 2 slices bacon
  • 1 pound sliced okra
  • 1/2 onion, chopped
  • 10 cherry tomatoes, halved
  • Kosher salt and pepper, to taste

Instructions

  1. Fry bacon crisp. Remove from skillet and drain.
  2. Fry okra in bacon drippings.
  3. Add onion. Cook until tender.
  4. Add tomatoes; stir well.
  5. Add bacon and salt and pepper. Cover and cook over medium heat for 15 minutes.

In 1989 two hikers who got lost while climbing Mount Asahidake in Daisetsuzan National Park were found when a helicopter saw the distress sign written on the side of the mountain and rescued them.

2023 06 18 11 25
2023 06 18 11 25

Great for the two hikers and lucky because this is where the story gets strange. The police in the area were sure the hikers had made the SOS sign that was made by stacking large birch trees on top of each other, the sign was quiet large. When the police questioned the two hikers about their ordeal they swore they knew nothing about the sign. It was just pure luck on their part.

This got the investigators worried because if they didn’t make the signal, who did? This led the police back to the area with a search team to find another potential missing person. After a few hours of searching the area the police discovered human bones with bite marks and fractures from before they died. This is where the story goes from strange to bizarre.

As they continued their search they came across a hole big enough to fit a human. In the hole they found a human skull, four cassette tapes, a tape recorder, some amulets, a backpack, tripod, some men’s shoes, two cameras, a notebook and a drivers licence belonging to Kenji Iwamura, a 25-year-old male office worker.

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main qimg 471854b168cc965baea468061a207987

Photo of Kenji Iwamura

On one of the tapes was the voice of a man screaming for two and a half minutes. A translation of the man shouting on the recording is as follows:

SOS, help me, I can’t move on the cliff, SOS, help me.
The place is where I first met the helicopter. The sasa [a type of bamboo plant] is deep and you can’t go up. Lift me up from here. The police were sure the bones belonged to the guy on the drivers licence but went sent for testing they came back as belonging to a female between the ages 20–30.

The rest of the tapes included music from the anime TV shows, Macross and Magical Princess Minky Momo In addition, a cut out of artwork of “Magical Princess Minky Momo” was used as a case for the cassette tape. This strange disappearance had the police perplexed.

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main qimg 183458af851ac03c54e9700a6aa7630f

The wooden letters of the SOS sign were made by stacking large fallen birch trees, and it was estimated that it took about two days and considerable effort to create such a giant sign. It was speculated that the sign was made by the missing person that the skeleton belonged to, but in the autopsy of the skeleton that was found, who investigators believed was Iwamura, the body was described as thin and weak and that it would have been impossible for him to make the sign on his own.

No axe that would have been used to cut the trees down to make the sign has been found. There is also no record or report of a missing woman that could be connected to Iwamura.

I’m in my 40s, if you’re still in your 20s and 30s read this:

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main qimg 6b2e994b1ef90290be98e061c9d22742

1. Your 3 most important life choices are:
I) Your spouse
II) Your career
III) Where you’ll live
Therefore, do not rush these decisions. Take your time and think.

2. To get what you want, you have to deserve what you want.
To attract the right people, be the right person.
The world isn’t crazy enough to reward a bunch of undeserving people (Charlie Munger).

main qimg 7d8277628de494bb72204670d5bea0e8
main qimg 7d8277628de494bb72204670d5bea0e8

3. Stop listening to what people say and watch what they do.
Words lie, and actions reveal the truth.
It is, therefore, important to listen and keep your eyes wide open.

4. The cowards never started and the weak died along the way.
There’s wisdom in age.

Study things and people who have been around for a long time in:
• Art
• Nature
• Architecture
• Classic books
• Classic movies

main qimg fdbdc568c2a340a4379c85abb4b7a0bb
main qimg fdbdc568c2a340a4379c85abb4b7a0bb

5. Take care of your health.
Have a healthy body:
• Take 10k steps a day
• Be intentional and regular about exercising
• Adopt a high-protein diet
• Take only nutrient-dense food
• Drink 2-3 liters of water daily
• Avoid processed sugar and alcohol

In the long run, it is inevitable that you will have;
• Clear Skin
• A Clear mind
• High energy

main qimg 8f9e21d50db308198358e93c4d43be6c
main qimg 8f9e21d50db308198358e93c4d43be6c

Your mind is your greatest asset.
So walk, write, think, stretch, be in solitude, meditate, and spend time in nature.
Avoid;
• News
• Politics
• Toxic relationships
Stop reacting to everything and instead, be proactive.

6. Attitude and mindset are extremely important.

Poor mentality traits:
• Waiting for motivation to start
• Quitting when the motivation fades
• Doing only what you think is your best

Rich mentality traits:
• Getting motivation after starting
• Showing up every day (no matter what)
• Doing what it takes
So, which one would you choose?

7. It’s not the strongest or smartest who survive, it’s the ones who are most adaptable to the changing environment.
Consistency beats intensity and the compound effect is one of the secrets to success.

main qimg 0a4369f7a3d2e73080bebf3a819dfe91
main qimg 0a4369f7a3d2e73080bebf3a819dfe91

8. Don’t let people push you around, and stand up for the weak.
Fight back against anyone who pushes your boundaries.
Most people will not bother you if they know you’ll retaliate.

main qimg 8c12d70bb10b1013a3abb5704bfc44d6
main qimg 8c12d70bb10b1013a3abb5704bfc44d6

9. Be a mad Scientist.
Life is one big experiment.
So whenever you feel stuck, adapt and try something new.
There are no failures, only experiments that go too long.
And never learn without taking action.

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main qimg 6e9a849e1fdb844b08b6d997a194602b

10. Never play the victim.
Life will test you. It’ll test everyone. So you’re not special.
Learned helplessness is a trap.
Face your problems head-on to build character and resilience.
Instead of thinking about why the problem is happening to you, flip the script and acknowledge that it has already been done and it’s too late to undo it. From there you’ll be aware of the fact that the best thing you can do is move forward.

11. Practice Problem-Solving.
The bigger your problems, the bigger your opportunity.
Be thankful for your problems. God only gives you what you can handle.

12. Take responsibility for everything.
Blaming people or circumstances gives them power over you. Only blame yourself.

13. Find mentors.
Find mentors that are years ahead of you.
Absorb everything they teach you.
Learn from their failures so you don’t have to learn the hard way.
If you can’t find a mentor, read books.

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main qimg 7273951770ad4296e15d01612788ee6e
 

14. You will be happiest when building:
• Your mind
• Your body
• Your business
• Your family

Learn these skills and never worry about money:
• Selling
• Marketing
• Negotiation
• Copy Trading
• Copywriting
• Critical Thinking
• Creative Creation
• Emotional Intelligence
• Communication

15. Do what is difficult when it is easy.
You’re young, therefore:
• It’s easy to stay fit
• It’s easy to experiment and fail
• It’s easy to be open-minded and learn

main qimg b57c2b7bc7a21e82ae248116decd780a
main qimg b57c2b7bc7a21e82ae248116decd780a

16. Financial freedom unlocks your extreme potential.
You get to experience and express your true self when you know your livelihood isn’t 100% reliant on other outside forces that might be uncontrollable by you. So when you achieve financial independence earlier on in your life, you are going to invest in yourself and believe in yourself regardless, you are going to work out and exercise because you will not be limited by time.

If you’re still employed, don’t be discouraged, just look for ways to make an extra buck and save it gradually till you have what you’d consider enough to get started. In one of my sources of passive income, I got started with just $500 and within a month, I saw immense results.

Going into the rabbit hole as we explore the chronicles of the future

One thing that I do enjoy is the smell of pine. I used to live in Hattiesburg Mississippi and the pine forests were huge. During the Spring, if you were not careful, you would get one heck of an allergy attack, though. But pines are nice, and dare I say it, magical.

Of course, being a PA boy, I like hard-woods, but pines are easy to walk through and magical on snowy nights. It’s an exercise in white and black. Quite and experience. You all should try it some time. If you live in the Northern climes, please take the time to make your nights during Winter magical.

Take care everyone.

Todays…

Simple we’re meeting the real leaders of the USA.

What you thought your votes meant anything? The USA is a corporate dystopia owned and run for the mega corporations.

The president the government are simply going through the motions and most people can’t see through it.

China supports Palestinian people’s just cause of restoring legitimate national rights — Chinese FM

Chinese State Councilor and Foreign Minister Qin Gang met with Palestinian Foreign Minister Riyad Al-Maliki in Beijing on Tuesday.

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main qimg fc2988c6988a5fb45c801ac469cafc0b

Al-Maliki is accompanying Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas on his state visit to China from June 13 to 16.

President Abbas is the first Arab head of state to be hosted by China this year, which speaks volumes about the special friendship between the two countries and China’s support for the just cause of Palestine, Qin said.

He said he believes the two heads of state will plan the future development of bilateral relations and advance the traditional friendship to a higher level.

China has always firmly supported the Palestinian people’s just cause of restoring their legitimate national rights and will continue to support peace talks between Palestine and Israel and contribute wisdom to resolving the Palestinian question, Qin said.

Al-Maliki said China is a trustworthy, reliable friend, and Palestine appreciates the proposals pushed forward by China’s head of state for resolving the Palestinian question.

He added Palestine follows the one-China policy and will continue to support China on issues concerning China’s core interests.

10 REAL Cases Of Time Travel That Cannot Be Explained

Interesting, but don’t get too caught up on this kind of stuff. Who knows how valid any of this is. All I know is that time is our own PERSONAL experience record. Time travel isn’t really something that can exist, but rather a hopping or jumping upon the template.

POLAND SAYS BORDER TROOPS “FIRED UPON FROM BELARUS”

The government of Poland has just issued a statement claiming its Border Guards were “fired upon from the territory of Belarus.”

No further details have been released at this hour, 5:28 PM EDT.   Check back for Updates.

In June 1948, farmer Cecil George Harris accidentally put his tractor in reverse.

The tractor overturned, trapping Harris’ left leg under the rear wheel.

His wife didn’t find him until 10:30 that night, and he died at the hospital.

When neighbors investigated the accident scene days later, they found that Harris had carved an inscription into the tractor’s fender with his work knife.

main qimg 626b50d4768ccc251cecc8e8ae0d6633 lq
main qimg 626b50d4768ccc251cecc8e8ae0d6633 lq

It read:

In case I die in this mess, I leave everything to my wife. Cecil Geo Harris.

The courts ruled that this was a valid will.

The fender was kept in the Kerrobert courthouse until 1996.

Today it and the knife are on display at the University of Saskatchewan Law Library.

This story reminds me of a Tuscan friend of mine who overturned his tractor and died.

Working a field with a tractor in mountains and hills is very difficult and dangerous, even though it looks easy to us who are just watching.

Lots of people die under a tractor every year.

Southern Pineapple Pound Cake

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editedPineapplePoundCakjewithCreamChesseGlazeIMG 6164

Ingredients

  • 8 eggs
  • 2 cups Crisco
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 1 (20 ounce) can crushed pineapple, undrained
  • 3 cups flour
  • 3 cups sugar
  • 1 teaspoon salt

Instructions

  1. Cream sugar and shortening.
  2. Add eggs one at a time.
  3. Add flour and salt gradually.
  4. Stir in vanilla extract and pineapple.
  5. Bake in a greased and floured tube pan at 350 degrees F for about 1 1/2 hours. Or bake in two greased and floured loaf pans for about 1 hour.

It’s a pretty useless strategy. It’s failing badly.

It’s based on dirty tricks, typical Tonya Harding-style tactics.

The USA has no hope of restoring the semiconductor industry, nor general manufacturing, in the country. Labour is too expensive. The populace is too far behind in education. The populace is too fat and lazy. The population is shrinking, and for a population that is already a quarter the size of China’s, that’s a real problem.

The Amazing United States

President Biden – United States will build a railroad from the Pacific all the way across the Indian Ocean * this is something that even China cannot do Watch: * unable to compete with China, the Americans have turned “mental”

He Spent a Year in 3906 | This is what Paul Amadeus Dienach saw

This is very interesting.

The entire diary has been transcribed in a book titled “Chronicles from the Future”. There is all sorts of names, histories, places and stories worthy of review in the book. This you-tube video is simply just an overview. I am providing the full PDF of that book HERE for your reading pleasure.

A change in Mindset

The USA’s technology base is still the best in the world. Is that so, Mr. Zakaria?

According to a recent ASPI report, China leads the world in 37 out of 44 technological fields.

China has the finest infrastructure engineering in the world. That’s why it has spectacular bridges, high-speed rail, airports, seaports, dams, etc.

China is the world’s leader in green energy production, EV and battery production, thorium molten salt reactors, etc.

China has a spanking brand new space station, while the ISS is suffering leaks and is due to be decommissioned by 2030 with no replacement in sight.

China is the first and only nation to land on the far side of the moon.

China leads the world in 5G and 6G.

Despite US tech sanctions, China is rapidly creating its own semiconductor manufacturing chain with a number of major breakthroughs.


The USA is trying to spread good values? Perhaps that’s so but at what cost?

Over the past seven decades the USA has fought many dozens of wars and caused massive death and destruction everywhere (by some estimates, millions of civilian deaths). Is this worth the good values America is spreading? Please answer me, Mr. Zakaria.

Let’s be honest, the USA has no moral legitimacy.


The bad relation between Australia and China was Australia’s doing, sticking its nose into China’s domestic affairs.

India and China have had a long-standing border dispute. This can hardly be Xi Jinping’s fault. There’ve been border clashes for decades.

Vietnam and China still have positive economic relations, so I don’t know what Mr. Zakaria is talking about. Ditto for South Korea and China.

Moreover, China has vastly improved its relations with nearly every country in the Global South, including in Latin America, Africa, the Middle East, Central Asia and Southeast Asia. What about BRICS, RCEP and SCO?

By contrast, the USA’s diplomatic relations around the world have fared far worse. US sanctions have driven a wedge between them. The USA alienated Saudi Arabia, esp. with the Khashoggi affair. When the USA went to Saudi Arabia pleading for increased oil production, Saudi Arabia dismissed them and did the exact opposite — cut oil production! Most of the world is massively de-dollarizing.


Why did China decide not to talk to the Americans? Consider this: for years, the USA has been demonizing China, sanctioning China, antagonizing China in Chinese waters, interfering in Taiwan, saying one thing and doing the exact opposite, and generally being a pain in the ass. Is it any wonder China is sick and tired of this crap?

The USA has proven itself to be duplicitous and dishonest. Is this a foundation for dialogue? Please answer me, Mr. Zakaria.

The USA needs to show China that it is willing to deal with China sincerely and consistently.


The choice between the US technology bloc and the Chinese technology bloc comes down to what each bloc has to offer. The US bloc offers military and security promises. The Chinese bloc offers peaceful economic promises.

If you have the mindset that says the world is after you and all is not safe, then the US bloc is the natural choice.

If you have the mindset that says the world can be peaceful through cooperation and common prosperity, then the Chinese bloc is the natural choice.

What is your mindset?

The United States returns to Africa BIG TIME

  • This is how the United States will counter China in Africa
  • AND ensure that America will reigned supreme into the next millennium

Watch speech by President Biden

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zACN35LNO5Q
  • that is one incoherent incomprehensible mumbo jumbo

The Most Convincing Time Traveler Story

He ended up in a mental hospital…

Israel Just Smashed Themselves . . .

Merkava Tank Israel large
Merkava Tank Israel large

Israel confirms it will give Ukraine 200 Merkerva Tanks.

Stabbed Russia right in the back.

7 Mind Bending TRUE Time Travel

When I was a kid, we rented a house in the country. We had access to wonderful locally produced food. Our landlord had two Guernsey cows as well as chickens. We bought from him amazing whole milk with a very high butterfat content. The milk was not homogenized. The eggs were from free range hens. My mother grew vegetables and berries in a large garden. It was apple country so apples were very reasonable. My aunt canned vegetables and pears from her garden and kept a few hens. The meals I ate could not be duplicated since many of the heirloom fruits and vegetables are no longer available. The number of free range Guernsey cows is quite low in the US (which has mostly Holsteins). Modern homes tend to treat hard water but we drank the pure well water.

Many of the meals my mother cooked could not be duplicated but I will use the example of breakfast. I drank a large glass of whole milk (from a cow I was fond of). The toast was made from my mother’s home made bread. The bread was made using unbleached flour and water from the well which was in a limestone aquifer. The butter was locally made. The jam was jarred by my aunt. The eggs came the from chickens we saw every day behind our house. My mother squeezed the orange juice herself. We did not have bacon often but when we did it was locally sourced. We even had country style entertainment at breakfast – just before we ate, my mother would feed the wild birds at the stone porch ledge outside our kitchen window. We always had a wide variety of birds to watch while we ate.

We ate high calorie meals but we were very active. The local farmers lived to ripe old ages and could heft big feed bags even when elderly.

I was very fond of foraging in my mother’s garden and ate a lot of vegetables right in the garden. I would go into the fields and eat sun warmed berries. We gathered our own beechnuts and hazelnuts.

My mother and aunt were both excellent cooks who rarely bought premade food.

UH OH! BANKS IN AUSTRALIA ANNOUNCE WITHDRAWAL LIMITS

.

From August 20th 2023 Westpac Bank Australia customers will be prohibited from withdrawing more than $1000 from their accounts per day.

Other Banks will follow.

Access to your own cash . . . . SEVERELY LIMITED.

Still think Banking troubles are about a computer Virus?

Then, there’s THIS:

One needs only wonder why, if Australian Banks are owned mostly by U.S. financial firms, the people of Australia will be limited to their own money?   Since it is U.S. Firms that __seem__ to be affecting withdrawal limits in Australia, then wouldn’t it be logical to believe they might try the same thing here in the US or over in Europe?

Forewarned is forearmed.  Act accordingly.

Australia Approves Mandatory (Bill Gates) mRNA Vaccines for ALL Agriculture

Australia has announced plans to inject Bill Gates’ mRNA vaccines into all livestock destined for people’s dinner plates.

According to reports, the Australian government plans to make the vaccine rollout mandatory for all animals, regardless of whether cattle farmers agree or not.

On May 2, 2023, Meat and Livestock Australia (MLA) announced funding for a project to ‘test mRNA vaccines that can be rapidly mass-produced in Australia in the event of a lumpy skin disease or other exotic disease outbreak’.

The Manager for Animal Wellbeing, released a statement declaring:

‘This project will develop a mRNA vaccine pipeline initially for LSD, but potentially for other emergency diseases. This will enable capacity for rapid mass production of a vaccine for LSD in the event of an outbreak. No LSD vaccines are registered for use in Australia yet. While some vaccines exist overseas, the path to registration in Australia for traditionally-produced [vaccines] is longer than that of an mRNA vaccine.’

Spectator.com.au reports: Why are traditional vaccines, which have safety records that outstrip mRNA vaccines, subject to longer approval periods than mRNA vaccines? That sounds like a significant structural failure within Australia’s health body that, instead of being fixed, has the potential to be exploited by manufacturers looking to cash in on mRNA.

mRNA vaccines are quick to produce and ‘nimble’, which is why pharmaceutical companies like them – but that doesn’t mean that they are safe, effective, or suitable for consumers whether those are humans or livestock.

A 2022 article in PubMed Central notes: ‘Recently, the successful application of mRNA vaccines against Covid has further validated the platform and opened the floodgates to mRNA vaccine’s potential in infectious disease prevention, especially in the veterinary field.’

Do you feel mRNA has been ‘validated’ over the last three years?

No doubt this is why we keep hearing bleatings of ‘emergency’ and ‘outbreak’ in the same breath as mRNA, as if to remind us of the mantra used during the Covid era to embark on what the former Health Minister referred to as the ‘largest clinical trial – the largest global vaccine trial ever’. Look how that turned out.

The fall-out of Covid mRNA vaccines is likely to continue for the best part of a century as a percentage of vaccinated individuals ‘die suddenly’ or suffer from long-term debilitating illnesses. These are quickly becoming a burden for the health industry and state finances after vaccine manufacturers hand-waved responsibility because it was an ‘emergency’. Most nations are setting up compensation pools of cash to cope with the growing list of individuals who claim to have been harmed.

Another excuse used to feather the nest of mRNA vaccines is that they are thought to provide the solution for influenza-style viruses which traditional vaccines have proven ineffective against. Everyone wants to see an effective vaccine against respiratory viruses, but it’s almost as if the doe-eyed vaccine industry has put on a blindfold for the last three years. mRNA Covid vaccines did next to nothing to combat or control the influenza-style Covid and do not, based on what we have seen, offer any advantage to traditional vaccines for this problem beyond the feel-good marketing headlines. There is a strong argument that for the majority of the population, they did more harm than good.

Instead of suspending all mRNA vaccines until we understand what went wrong, they are being given priority treatment by regulators and championed by manufacturers who love the competitive edge of speed their production offers. Governments, particularly the (broke?) Victorian state government, are funneling tens of millions into mRNA development to keep capitaliZing on the political popularity they enjoyed during the Covid era.

MLA note that mRNA vaccines should be ready for use within two years and while everyone is busy stressing that this will be a ‘voluntary’ option for the farming community, vaccines inside the agricultural industry rarely are if a producer wishes to sell their product into domestic and international markets. If we go down the mRNA vaccine production line, it is extremely likely that Australians will be eating mRNA-vaccinated livestock within a couple of years with very little understanding of what this will mean health-wise.

Anyone who criticiZes mRNA vaccines or their potential future within the agricultural industry are paraded through the press as ‘conspiracy theorists’ with publications quick to send out the fact-checkers to insist that it’s pure fear-mongering to suggest fragments of these vaccines will end up in the food chain.

Except, it was a ‘conspiracy theory’ to suggest that the human body would continue making Covid mRNA vaccines long after the injection, or to raise concerns that it would leave the site of the injection. Not only did the fears described as ‘conspiracy’ prove to be true, the behavior and side effects of Covid mRNA vaccines are reaching well beyond what anyone predicted.

How sure are we that in the rush to saturate the market with mRNA vaccines, that proper long-term testing will be conducted, particularly when it comes to lingering in meat and milk? Will it impact high-risk activities such as calving, given there is a strong suspicion that Covid vaccines are responsible for a spike in human miscarriages?

Keep in mind that we are still being told Covid vaccines are ‘safe and effective’. The Australian government, sitting on a pile of unwanted vaccines, is spending public money on marketing campaigns, encouraging Australians to go and get their booster shots at the same time other countries have removed Covid vaccines.

At least some States in the US are taking note, rushing to pass legislation to ban the use of mRNA vaccines for animals involved in the food industry whose meat or milk is produced for human consumption. Idaho is one example where it will be a misdemeanor to use mRNA vaccines – and that includes the Covid vaccines.

Australians need to be aware that mRNA vaccines are coming for the agricultural industry and they will likely be compulsory. America is having a serious conversation about whether this should be allowed, and Australia needs to do the same thing. It is perfectly reasonable to require extensive long-term safety data before we revolutioniZe agriculture.

This conversation will not happen on its own. Australia’s agricultural elite resemble a body of yes-men nodding furiously toward mRNA. Family farmers – disempowered, constrained, and demoraliZed – have no voice in this matter. Their wishes will be bulldozed by a small collection of billion-dollar farming entities, several of which are foreign-owned.

If Australians care about what they eat, it’s time to start making a racket.  As for those of us in American and in Europe, it might be wise to STOP BUYING ALL AUSTRALIAN AGRICULTURAL PRODUCTS/MEATS, IMMEDIATELY.

Southern Peach Ice Cream

southern peach ice cream
southern peach ice cream

Ingredients

  • 4 cups peeled, diced fresh peaches (about 8 small ripe peaches)
  • 1 cup granulated sugar
  • 1 (12 ounce) can evaporated milk
  • 1 (3.75 ounce) box vanilla instant pudding mix
  • 1 (14 ounce) can sweetened condensed milk
  • 4 cups Half-and-Half

Instructions

  1. Combine peaches and sugar; let stand 1 hour.
  2. Process peach mixture in a food processor until smooth, stopping to scrape down sides.
  3. Stir together evaporated milk and pudding mix in a large bowl; stir in peach puree, sweetened condensed milk and Half-and-Half.
  4. Pour mixture into freezer container of a 4 quart hand-turned or electric freezer; freeze according to manufacturer’s instructions.
  5. Spoon into an airtight container, and freeze until firm.

Let us compare their focus, shall we?

Qin: USA knows well who causes the difficult relationship between China & USA. Taiwan is China’s core among all core interests.

Blinken: USA & China must meet. (No main points)

Western media kept telling us that Blinken is going to China. Even has a date June 18.

But China maintains not to talk just for the sake of talking when USA never follows thru what it “promised” in meetings. It is a waste of time to talk empty.

This time US media said Blinken may meet 3 Chinese officials eg Qin Gang, Wang Yi & possibly Xi Jinping. (wow, Xi Jinping??? Right away we know it is exaggeration)

Like the Chinese “spy” balloon sage at the last minute of Blinken’s Chinese trip to China, this time there is suddenly a Chinese spy base in Cuba. Looks like USA is, again, preparing to say Blinken cancels the Chinese trip because of a spy base in Cuba.

Really, USA should learn that giving China pressure by fabricating a story wont get China to submit & meet US officials.

Treat China as a equal partner to USA. No more suppression. No more sanctions. No more LIES.

Today’s China is strong enough not to endure US “supremacy” any more.

Former NATO Chief Admits “We Decided Back in 2008, Ukraine WILL Become Member of NATO”

World Hal Turner 15 June 2023 Hits: 7447

Former NATO Chief Admits “We Decided Back in 2008, Ukraine WILL Become Member of NATO”

2023 06 16 14 55
2023 06 16 14 55

Folks who think the Russia-Ukraine conflict began on February 24, 2022 may be surprised to learn it’s been brewing since 2008. Former NATO Chief Anders Fogh Rasmussen admits in video below “We decided back in 2008, Ukraine WILL become a member of NATO.”

That decision caused today’s troubles.

In the video below, released by “Alliance of Democracies” which was founded by the former NATO Chief, Rasmussen speaks about the present Russia-Ukraine conflict and how NATO is trying to find a way to admit Ukraine even though it is presently at conflict with Russia!

Rasmussen points to the possibility that the US and NATO might give certain “Security Guarantees” to Ukraine BEFORE it is admitted to NATO. The Interviewer asks Rasmussen if such Security Guarantees might be worded similar to those between the US and Israel, and Rasmussen makes a STUNNING admission:

We don’t have to use that wording we can use the wording from 2008. “We decided in 2008 Ukraine WILL be admitted to NATO.”

At approximately 1m 57s into the video below, he makes that statement. Watch for yourself:

This is a stunning fact. This was not previously publicized, anywhere.

What this means is that the present troubles between Russia-Ukraine/NATO/US all began with that decision back in the year 2008.

From that decision, the US/NATO and the collective West, did what they thought necessary to lay the foundations TO DO EXACTLY WHAT THEY PROMISED RUSSIA THEY WOULD NOT DO.

Back in 1991, then US Secretary of State, James Baker, met with then-Soviet General Secretary Mikhail Gorbachev and his then Soviet Foreign Minister, Eduard Shevrednadze in the Kremlin. It is noted in official US and UK documents that Baker, on orders from then US President George H.W. Bush, told Gobachev and Shevrednadze that if the then Soviet Union agreed to the re-unification of East and West Germany, “NATO will not move beyond the Elbe (River)” in East Germany.

Here is a snippet of the UK document, from the UK National Archive, outlining the facts:

ScreenShot Minutes Elba Meeting NATO Wont MoveEastOfElba
ScreenShot Minutes Elba Meeting NATO Wont MoveEastOfElba

So NATO knew in 2008, that back in 1991, the US, UK, France, and Germany promised the then Soviet Union that NATO would **NOT** be expanded east of Germany and now we see above, straight from the horses mouth, that the very Chief of NATO back in 2008 agreed to admit Ukraine. He knew they were not supposed to do that, but they did it anyway.

The US, UK, France and Germany explicitly promised not to do that, and NATO went ahead and did it anyway starting in 2008.

That leads us to who was in charge back in 2008. In the US, George W. Bush (the son) was President.

Michael Hayden, a retired United States Air Force four-star general and former Director of the National Security Agency, Principal Deputy Director of National Intelligence, was Director of the Central Intelligence Agency.

Robert Gates, an American intelligence analyst and university president served as the twenty-second United States Secretary of Defense from 2006 to 2011.

Those are the men who needed to green-light such a move by NATO and, clearly, from Rasumussen’s admission in the video above, they must have actually done so.

Here we are, 15 or so years later, we are all on the verge of Nuclear World War 3 because of the decisions these men took in 2008.

Now, on several of my radio shows, I have wondered aloud if the people in our government are psychopaths based on the things they are doing which ARE leading us all into another World War?

The video above gives all of us a look into whether or not they actually ARE psychopaths.

When the Interviewer in the video above, asks Rasmussen “What will the Russians think about that (Giving security guarantees to Ukraine before it is admitted to NATO) Rasmussen replies “I don’t care.”

. . . and there . . . . right there . . . you now see the answer to whether or not these people are psychopaths.

We are facing nuclear World War 3 because of what men like Rasmussen did – and are still doing – and his response to the Interviewer is simply “I don’t care.”

With people like this, doing what’s being done, you and I seem to have no hope at all of avoiding nuclear world war 3.

Prepare as best you can with Emergency Food, Water, Medicine, a generator for electric, fuel for that generator, communications gear (CB/HAM Radio) and get right with God.

This Cat Table Gives Your Feline a Seat in the Table

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Japanese online retailer Dinos has released a new line of cat furniture and part of their line-up includes this all-natural oak wood table.

With a perch underneath and a hole in the middle, it gives your feline friend a seat, right in the middle of the table. Expertly crafted with high-quality wood, the fashionable table is beautiful both with or without your kitty.

More: Dinos h/t: spoon&tamago

dinos cat table 7
dinos cat table 7
dinos cat table 4
dinos cat table 4
dinos cat table 3
dinos cat table 3
dinos cat table 2
dinos cat table 2
dinos cat table 1
dinos cat table 1
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1 45

The Middle East navy alliance is formed by 8 countries: Iran, Saudi Arabia, Oman, Bahrain, Iraq, Pakistan & India. The job is to protect the waters in the gulf. Instead of asking USA for protection.

Iran navy spokesman said: we cannot find a legal reason to justify foreign (USA) navy to exist in Middle East. (I add) USA has no land, sea or air in Middle East. USA cannot “protect” gulf waters without invitation by ME. Middle East belongs to the peoples in Middle East.

Western media said UAE was not happy that US-led navy did not protect UAE well. Once a UAE oil tanker was said to have been detained, by Iran, western media said.

Then how to explain that UAE joins the Middle East navy alliance where Iran is in it?

The truth: after the Middle East reconciliation, ME countries compared notes. They found Iran did not detain UAE’s oil tanker. Who took UAE’s tanker? USA?

USA is like a gossiper who breaks up the friendship between people.

USA used threats to make others submit to USA.

ME was bullied by UK+USA. ME had no choice before. With the rise of China, & the help of Russia, ME rebels against USA. Simple.

In June 2023, Palestine representative visited China. Hope there is Palestine-Israel reconciliation in future. Israel+USA has turned Gaza into a hell. Violating lots of human rights. It breaks my heart.

US FedGov and NATO HQ Claims Under “Cyber-Attack” – Pro-Ukraine Group Promises to Blow-Up Kerch Strait Bridge within 36 Hours

Several Agencies of the United States Government are saying publicly this hour (3:11 PM EDT) they are under “Cyber Attack.”   NATO Headquarters in Brussels is also claiming to be under “Cyber-Attack” Meanwhile, pro-Ukraine groups are publicly promising to “Blow-Up” the Kerch Strait Bridge to harm Russia.

These are developing stories, check back.

UPDATE 4:04 PM EDT —

I was reminded of an unusual posting on Twitter from the Atlantic Council just ONE WEEK AGO, making clear a “Cyber Attack can trigger Article 5 collective Defense” as seen in the brief video below:

Interesting just one WEEK after the Atlantic Council reminds the world of this fact, lo and behold, there’s a cyber attack against NATO.

Gee, how convenient.

Maybe we should start a countdown or take bets to see how long it may be until they blame . . . . hmmmmmm . . . . who might they want to blame . . . . .

oh yes, RUSSIA!

This is so obvious it’s disgusting.

These people are treating the possibility of World War 3 as if it’s a game.

UPDATE 4:15 PM EDT —

Some people seem to be getting VERY carried away, but I am reporting this to you so you can see what’s already being spoken about on Social Media — it’s NOT good:

THIS IS SO OVER-THE-TOP I CANNOT BELIEVE ANY RATIONAL ENTITY WOULD HAVE ACTUALLY PUBLISHED SUCH A THING.  YET, HERE IT IS.

To be more objective, rational, not all “Americans,” just a small group of them, especially the majority of those so-called “US elites” — including those in the political, military, financial, and media circles.

Not the vast in the trade and business circle — them with wide, deep and interwoven interests with China.

Not the vast in the education circle — basically they prefer more students from China, anyway, they equal to money to certain extent; also, most in the education circle still have some brain.

Not the vast of the ordinary Americans — they either would rather care less about anything China, or they personally have no those distaste towards Chinese government or the Chinese people.

Those Americans who really call the Chinese Communist government evil never really care about the human rights, wellbeings of other people, not even those citizens in their own country.

They only care about their own interests.

So, whoever “threatens” their already-possessed-interests, whoever blocks their way and becomes barriers for them to get more interests, is “evil.”

So, Chinese government has lifted some 800 million Chinese people out of extreme poverty in the past several decades? What’t their business?

But with more than a billion Chinese people uplifting their livelihoods, that means they need to consume more resources on the Earth. That would be “a miserable time” for “Australians and Americans,” as once said by Barack Obama.

Obama praises ‘smart but humble’ Rudd

So, isn’t the Chinese Communist government evil, by improving the over one billion Chinese people’s living standard? For us, it’s the realization of our China Dream, but for them, seems more like a nightmare.

China follows the political system of one-party-rule, with the other eight democratic parties providing consulations to its governance.

— How evil it is!

Because there leaves very very slim to no room for staging color revolutions in the country, especially on the Chinese mainland, where no “opposition party(ies)” for the US to infiltrate, and then to enstigate wide-spread anti-government protests, and hence be used as a weapon to shoot down the ruling administration!

But they never express it this way, they brand China as dictatorship, no election, no democracy! They are more than eager to “liberate” us Chinese people from the “tyranny,” and to force democracy onto us, even facts have spoken so loudly we are living a far better life nowadays without their “democracy.”

China “controls” its mass media, publications and also today’s online platforms.

— How evil it is!

Because there leaves very very slim to no room for the Western Mainstream Media to infiltrate into the mass media outlets, especially the state-owned media outlets here in China, but they still have achieved certain success, with spies infiltrated into even the highest level of state-owned media outlets. But on general, they can not control and manipulate the voices which should represent the Chinese people’s interests, as their louder speakers to demonize China, the Chinese government, the ruling Chinese Communist Party, the Chinese leadership as a whole and also as individuals — though they have been doing, are doing, and will continue to do all these outside China.

But anyway, the bulwalks are usually broken from within, no matter how strong they are. Now, with the “controlling” over the voices inside China by the Chinese government, we speak the same language, share the same vision, act in a unified manner, to build our country, our society, a better one, so the bulwark is strong enough as it should be. No possibility of being cracked by them into “a heap of loose sand,” so as to avoid being crushed one by one, with their philosophy of “divide and rule” — whether on regional powers or within a country with different parties/tribes/interest groups, etc.

But they never express it this way, they blame China for cencorship, they instigate that Chinese people are lack of freedom, they call Chinese living in an “Orwellian state”! But they would never shed even a drop of tear for the Chinese people once we live in a “free” world — like the then Russia immediate after the collapse of the Soviet Union, like the miserable Iraqis of today who are impacted by the US invasion, in the name of liberating the Iraqis and bringing democracy to the people there under the “dictator” Saddam Hussein……

China has most of its state assets “gripped” in the hands of the government, with a public system of — medical care, education, infrastructure, etc., or with its massive state-owned enterprises.

— How evil it is!

Because there leaves very very slim to no room for the Western capital to suck the Chinese blood like the leeches, or to even plough through the Chinese economic system and have a full control of the Chinese assets for their own interests, like what they have been parasiting on, exploiting and devouring many economies around the world.

But they never express it this way, they brand Chinese economy as “state-capitalism,” claiming Chinese economy not a free market economy, even though, it is the US who have listed more than one thousand Chinese companies, entities and individuals on its sanction list, while China is opening its arms as wide as it can, and welcoming CEOs and companies across the world to do business in and with China.

There are many other similar logic and similar cases.

In my opinion, whether a government is “evil” or not, we don’t necessarily need to listen to what the outsiders are trumpeting, we can see with our own eyes, hear with our own ears, feel with our own hearts, think with our own minds, experience with our own lives, whether the government has been serving the interests of the majority of its people, whether it has been delivering rather than shouting empty slogans and making empty promises, to its own citizens, as well as to the other peoples around the world.

As for what political system, what economic mode, what developmental road, etc., it takes, are all just tools serving the above goals and purposes.

We are living in a big enough world to accomodate various political systems, different economic modes and practical developmental roads.

And this, I believe, should be one of the key factors of a real democratic world.

Let me preface my answer by first stating that I always leave an appropriate tip whenever I go to a restaurant and have a sit down meal that is served by a waitstaff. In the above case, however, this is going to be an unpopular and controversial answer but I stand by it.

My answer is “Absolutely not.” This is another example of “All participants get a trophy.” They are simply putting your items in a bag, ringing up the order and collecting your money. The same thing that happens in ANY retail store. Do you tip the Walmart cashier or the grocery store cashier? Of course not! This tipping nonsense for retail counter sales has really gone way too far. In fact, many times the “tip” section appears on your receipt is simply that the programmed computer simply does not differentiate as to how the food was purchased!

You have not been seated, no one brings your food to the table, no one cleans up after you. You bought an item at a retail counter and paid for it. If you were eating there and being served at your table (or counter) by a waitstaff it’s a different story.

That being said no one can tell you not to tip if you feel so inclined but do not feel obligated to do so.

Unexplained Mysteries That NEED Some Serious Explaining

More fun!

President of Czech Republic Calls for Russians in Europe to be put in Concentration Camps

President Petr Pavel of the Czech Republic has gone on television and said Russian citizens throughout Europe should be rounded up and put in camps, as was done to the Japanese in the USA during WW2, because their country wages aggressive war!

How NAZI-esque of him!  Just like Hitler did with the Jews!

Here’s the video:

If the little NAZI Gestapo leaders of Europe keep this up, the only thing it’s likely to do is to get their country steam-rolled by the Russian army like Ukraine.   Except most of their countries are far smaller and with smaller military than Ukraine.

What are they going to do, call NATO?   That’s a laugh.  NATO is already running out of artillery shells from supplying Ukraine.

I’ve got to tell you, folks, this is getting scary; the willingness of these Politicians to do whatever it takes to actually START a World War, is terrifying to me.

When this is all over, I suspect the world is going to need Tribunals to put these politicians in front of, for fomenting a Third World War.

If such Tribunals are lawfully constituted and convened, these politicians from NATO countries should be tried, and if found guilty, the Tribunal should order them hung by their necks until they are dead.

De-dollarization: Bangladesh moves to settle $12bn Russian loan in Chinese yuan

Bangladesh has approved a payment of $318 million to a Russian nuclear power developer using the Chinese yuan, according to a Bangladeshi official, offering the latest instance of countries bypassing the U.S. dollar and using the Chinese currency to conduct international payments.

The decision to use the yuan was made at a meeting in the Bangladeshi Finance Ministry’s economic relations division on Thursday, Uttam Kumar Karmaker, who heads the ministry’s European affairs wing, told The Washington Post.

The decision resolves a payments deadlock between Bangladesh and Russia that has lasted for more than a year. The South Asian country has been unable to pay Russia for the power plant using dollars after Russia was banned from accessing the Society for Worldwide Interbank Financial Telecommunications (SWIFT) international money transfer system last year because of sanctions over President Vladimir Putin’s invasion of Ukraine.

The transaction, a payment for a $12 billion loan Bangladesh obtained from Russia to develop a nuclear power plant in Rooppur, will now be completed instead using yuan via the Cross-border Interbank Payment System (CIPS), developed by the Chinese in 2015 to combat the dominance of the dollar in international trade.

A representative for Rosatom State Atomic Energy Corp., the Russian contractor in charge of building the Rooppur nuclear power plant, confirmed the plan to use yuan for the loan repayment on the condition of anonymity because of the sensitivity of the subject.

The Chinese online news outlet Sina reported Monday that a Bangladeshi official said that paying for the plant in yuan would be the most feasible option.

The majority of cross-border trade is denominated in dollars and flows through the U.S. banking system, which gives the United States the unique ability to impose sanctions on and freeze the assets of rival governments, such as Russia, Iran and Taliban-led Afghanistan. But critics of the sanctions accuse the U.S. government of “weaponizing” the greenback and undermining its global status.

The Bangladesh deal comes after several other countries signaled recently that they would opt for yuan payments to circumvent the need to use dollars. In March, Brazil said it would abandon the dollar for trade with China, a development that Chinese officials and state media celebrated as a step in the world’s gradual “de-dollarization” and the eventual collapse of American hegemony.

Putin: There Will No Longer BE a “Ukraine” – NATO Direct Intervention Will Not Change Outcome

Russian President Vladimir Putin made remarks in a TV interview Wednesday that make clear: There will be no negotiated settlement of Ukraine conflict,  there will no longer BE a Ukraine, NATO intervention cannot change the outcome.

Explaining to a TV interviewer why Russia entered Ukraine, he pointed to Luhansk and Donetsk which were being pounded by Kiev Artillery and Mortar fire because those two Oblasts (states) wanted to secede from Ukraine like Crimea did.  He told the Interviewer “We were forced to try to end the war that the West started in 2014 by force of arms.”

President Putin then went on with remarks that are utterly staggering.  He said:

And Russia will end this war by force of arms, freeing the entire territory of the former Ukraine from the United States and Ukrainian Nazis.

There are no other options.

The Ukrainian army of the US and NATO will be defeated, no matter what new types of weapons it receives from the West.

The more weapons there are, the fewer Ukrainians and what used to be Ukraine will remain.

Direct intervention by NATO’s European armies will not change the outcome.

But in this case, the fire of war will engulf the whole of Europe.

It looks like the US is ready for that too.”

When Putin said “And Russia will end this war by force of arms . . . freeing the entire territory of the former Ukraine . . . there are no other options . . .”  That makes clear there will be no negotiations.  This conflict will end with the complete military defeat of Ukraine.    But within that statement, Putin also mentioned “freeing the entire territory of the FORMER Ukraine . . .”

Whoa.  The “former Ukraine.”   Such words can only mean one thing: There will not BE a Ukraine anymore!

What other meaning can the words “the former Ukraine” mean?

Lest there be any question about there being “no Ukraine” anymore, in his very next sentence, President Putin made that explicitly clear.  He went on to say “The more weapons there are, the fewer Ukrainians, and what USED TO BE UKRAINE will remain”

WHAM!   “. . . and what USED TO BE UKRAINE . . . . ”   There it is again.   No more Ukraine.  It won’t exist anymore!

He then got directly in the face of NATO by saying “The Ukrainian army of the US and NATO will be defeated, no matter what new types of weapons it receives from the West.”

Clearly, President Putin is signaling to the West that no matter what weaponry the West sends to Ukraine, Russia will win.  Period. Full stop.  So what does THAT tell you about the weaponry Russia is willing to use?  Most rational people will understand it means whatever weaponry NEEDS to be used, i.e. nuclear.

But President Putin’s next words were most staggering.  He went on to tell the Interviewer “Direct intervention by NATO’s European armies will not change the outcome.”  What does THAT tell you?    It tells most thinking people that Russia already KNOWS that NATO is going to intervene directly and that Russia is already prepared for such an eventuality.   Folks, this means we’re going to actual World War 3!

President Putin made that explicitly clear when he also immediately added ” But in this case, the fire of war will engulf the whole of Europe.”   

There it is.  Plain as day.  “The fire of war will engulf the whole of Europe.”   World war.   

Now, you’re probably wondering to yourself, “Why am I not hearing about this from the Mass Media?”   Simple: The mass media doesn’t WANT you to know.  They want you blissful and ignorant.  So when all  this DOES happen, you’ll be frightened and looking (to them) for answers.

And what will they tell you?   Whatever propaganda the people who started this want told.

The folks in our U.S. Government are literally starting World War 3, it will likely go nuclear, and they want YOU kept fat, dumb, and happy.

Are you going to accommodate them, or are you going to step up and raise hell to maybe try to avoid what’s coming?

Whatever you choose, bear this in mind:  Yesterday, the Ukraine legislature approved Child Military Training camps.  Among the instructors are already experienced 16-year-olds who train 12-year-old recruits to fight.

Ukraine is now drafting and training 12 year old boys to fight for them.

What kind of monsters are these Ukrainian government people?   Maybe it is better if Ukraine does NOT exist anymore.

If you are talking about the type of Chinese restaurants that cater primarily to the Chinese…

You need to bring a Chinese friend with you.

Often times, specials will be hand-written on a piece of paper and taped to the wall. The problem (for non-Chinese-speaking patrons) is that it is written in only Chinese.

I find that the more authentic Chinese restaurants make little effort to cater to their English-only speaking patrons. Why? Maybe that sector represents an insignificant part of their business. Maybe they are not proficient in translating and writing the English equivalent. It’s hard to say, for sure.

I’ll ask my girlfriend, “Hey, what does that sign say?”

Her: “Lobster Special: $9.99/lb.”
Me: “Hmmm. I don’t see that anywhere on the menu. Is it only available to Chinese?”
Her: “No comment.”

Lots of reasons for it.

I would like to share one of my perspectives, in a very simple way.

Previously, most people believed the US is the heaven on the Earth.

Everything related with the US was glorified.

Until former US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said: “I was the CIA director. We lied, we cheated, we stole. We had entire training courses. It reminds you of the glory of the American experiment.”

People became sceptical, but still thought highly of the US, anyway, he talked just about intelligence, which is, somehow far away from our daily life, especially from our money bags.

But, with the Russia-Ukraine war, Russia, as one of the five permanent members of the UN Security Council, the second strongest military force with the most nuclear warheads in our world, also an ecomomic power (entered the top ten economies in the world for GDP in 2022 according to IMF, despite the war), its national assets, frozen or even threatened to be confiscated by US, as well as some of its allies; Russian citizens’ (mainly tycoons’) properties, frozen or even threatened to be confiscated, some actually being stolen; and Russia was kicked out of the SWIFT; Russia is now on the top of list with the most sanctioned entities, individuals in our human history, none of them can actually have any deal with US dollars.

Since now the US can “steal” money from Russia, actually, earlier, Afghanistan, and ongoing from Syria (oil and wheat, etc.)……who can guarantee it would not be the next one to be stolen?

And the best way to avoid such possibility is to turn away from US dollar, to reduce both the reliance and the holding rate of the US dollar. The less one has, the less could be “stolen” even if the day came.

US Dollar is a weapon, but double-edged, while it indeed hurt others, it can not spare the US itself as well.

There is an internet slang here in China, 不作死就不会死 (No Zuo, No Die), meaning, “You won’t die if you do not seek death. / You will not get into trouble if you do not seek trouble.”

A sinking Titanic is then its doomed fate.

Sincerely wish the US would learn from this lesson, and take a second and even a third thought before taking any actions against other countries now.

ALL would be boomeranged, just sooner or later.

Exactly the same dishes.
Exactly the same menu.
Exactly the same cooks.
Exactly the same waiting staff.
Exactly the same chairs.
Exactly the same tables.
Exactly the same decor.
Exactly the same tea pots and tea cups too.
Exactly the same kid at the cash register who helps out his parents during the busy periods, and who, during the lulls, sits at exactly the same empty table doing exactly the same school homework.

So far, scientists have been unable to figure out how Chinese restaurants manage this incredible feat.
Some have posited that they all exist in a bubble universe, frozen at the same chronological point.

Explosion in Odessa so powerful, Registered as Earthquake

Last night before Midnight eastern US time, an explosion took place in Odessa, Ukraine which was so large, it registered on earthquake seismographs in places as far away as Armenia!

Here is a seismograph image from a station in Kiev:

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FyoGm13aQAE e8Y

Whatever exploded took out all webcams and all internet connectivity in Odessa.

Below, another image from another earthquake sensor, this one located in Armenia.  Same Odessa Explosion(s):

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FyoaV1SagAA4Tnv

No, China is not a perfect country. There are no perfect countries. However, after reading so many negative comments about China on Quora and elsewhere, I feel the need to defend it. Most of the people I see criticizing China have never been there and are simply repeating racist, anti-Communist, or xenophobic lies. The truth, as always, is far more complicated and nuanced. I am an American, and I have found that, at least in the US, most people are not interested in the truth. Especially with covid, I am tired of hearing about the “China virus” or the “CCP”. I am sick of trying to discuss the reality of the situation, only to be called a “commie” or told to go back to China.

China is an amazing country. In many areas it puts the US to shame. However, half of America sees it as some comic book villain. I have watched my own country descend into fascism while claiming China is the bad guy. Even worse is the fact that my fellow Americans lap this up. I disagree with many things China does, but their government actually cares about their citizens. I can’t say that about my own government. If we ever get to the point where we can have an intelligent and fair discussion about China, then I can talk about both the negatives and the positives.

Southern Fried Chocolate Pies

southern fried choc pies
southern fried choc pies

Ingredients

  • 2 cups all-purpose flour
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 1/2 cup vegetable shortening
  • 1/3 cup cold water
  • 3/4 cup granulated sugar
  • 1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
  • 1/2 cup (1 stick) cold margarine
  • Vegetable oil*

* Use peanut or safflower oil or solid vegetable shortening for frying.

Instructions

  1. Crust: sift flour and salt together; cut in the shortening with a pastry blender or 2 knifes, until mixture resembles coarse cornmeal.
  2. Add ice water a little at a time while tossing with a fork, until dough holds together. Do not get too moist.
  3. Roll out dough to 1/8 inch thick. Cut into circles about five inches in diameter.
  4. Mix cocoa powder with the sugar. Place 2 to 3 tablespoons of this mixture onto one half of the circle and place 3 very thin slices of cold margarine on top. Fold opposite side over mixture and seal with a fork dipped in flour.
  5. Pour oil to a depth of about 1/2 inch in a cast iron skillet. Heat over medium-high heat until very hot.
  6. Place pies in a single layer in oil and fry, turning to brown each side.
  7. Serve hot, warm, or cold.

This is just my personal impression. Tastes in food are different for everyone.

American Chinese food has more exaggerated flavors at the expense of subtlety and diversity. There’s a long running joke about American Chinese food that it’s basically “sweet and sour everything”. American Chinese food is so salty (soy sauce) and so sweet to the point that these are the ONLY flavors you taste. There’s no subtlety, no layer of different flavors hitting your taste buds. And everything is over cooked. As a result, no matter what you order, you end up tasting the same mouthful of mushy sweet and salty whatever.

Cantonese food (粤菜) was the first school of cuisine to enter the US with the initial immigrants from south-east coastal regions. The food they brough over was not even the most high end Cantonese food, but rather street peasant food. Hearty, heavy flavored dishes that are filling, easy to prepare, and go well with rice. So for a lot of Americans, Chinese food is Dim Sum, small dishes coming with bamboo steamer containers. And most of them are salty and sweet tasting that, on top of that, you have your over salted fried noodles and fried rice.

And more recently, some more “sophisticated” diners had been introduced Sichuan food, which is super spicy.

Chinese food is so much more beyond Sweet and sour everything, Dim Sim in steamers and Spicy chicken. But Americans wouldn’t have it.

I’ve talked about my story about taking 3 days to make soup for my ex-boyfriend, who had dumped soy sauce in it before he even taste it. (see: Feifei Wang’s answer to What horrifies the Chinese?) At one point, I had the suspicion that American’s taste buds are numbed by all these high flavored food. I mean think about it, all your favorite American foods, fried chicken, pizza, BBQ ribs, Hamburger, Fries… all of them are high sodium, high sugar, high fat, high everything foods. It’s like you started with a 10 and had to bring it to a 15 to be happy.

I had once dined with a Japanese friend, who complained about how Americans add too much wasabi when eating sushi or sashimi. “You’re only supposed to add a little for flavor, it’s never supposed to be burning-your-eyes-out-hot”.

I get the feeling that other kind of food also get the same “bring it up to 20” treatment when they are forced to adapt to US tastes. I went to Italy in 2015, and their pizza tasted very different to American pizza, full of flavor and texture. I went to Cancun in 2016, and the taste was very different to American Mexican food.

I wish American food would have less sodium, sugar and fat, and more subtlety and diversity.

BEEEEEEEF!!!!!

I remember when my mom first taught me this as a kid. She told me that it was an “ancient Chinese secret” of some sort, that involves praying to the beef gods to make it all tender and that if I was good that day, it would be nice and tender when I sat down for dinner.

Little did I know that in order to turn the cheapest cuts of beef into this…

main qimg c80e840ff8cab91f9d43935e4c3fff88 lq
main qimg c80e840ff8cab91f9d43935e4c3fff88 lq

that it took this…

main qimg e91a0f8f95b07b631fadc3a4467ce2d0 lq
main qimg e91a0f8f95b07b631fadc3a4467ce2d0 lq

Corn Starch.

When the corn starch, ideally with a bit of soy or something along those lines, is mixed and coated over properly cut beef (I like to use flank steak personally), it breaks down the protein and makes it very tender and easy to cook.

You must have heard the term, “cut against the grain.” That’s the first important tip. When you’re cutting up the meat, take a look at how you’re cutting.

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main qimg d409758fabdc87344fdd87a6295ac39b lq

See how it’s done? When you do cut it properly, the meat is much more tender already as it’s not structurally reinforcing its own integrity. Here’s a cross section of what it should look like when cut right.

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main qimg ded899c2be9d366de0983d8189d3bc4f lq

So when that’s done, just get a decent sized bowl, and mix a little soy sauce with the corn starch. Something like this…

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main qimg d21537233d82005c01ed3f3f1fb598a1 lq

Mix it up, and this a good time to get down and dirty. I see so many videos and tutorials that say use a spoon or whatever. Honestly, just wash your hands well, and mix it by hand. You’ll be able to get the feeling if the meat is thoroughly covered easily and it should feel a bit slimy to the touch.

Give it then a couple of minutes to let it break down the meat. Some cooks like to put it in the fridge for an hour, but I find that 10–15 minutes is also pretty good in a jiffy, especially if the meat was sliced thin.

After that, the meat is ready for the stir-fry, and you’re ready to start cooking!

Oh, and before I forget, this works well with even the cheapest pieces of meat. No need for using pricey rib or porterhouse steaks and prime rib. Flank steak will do quite nicely.

  • This does wonders for chicken breast and thinly sliced pork loin as well.
  • Several commentators have told me that what I called “mom’s ancient Chinese secret” is a method called “Velveting”. Thanks to all who told me about the right term!
  • Baking soda works, and thanks to all who have mentioned it. The only reason why I don’t use it and don’t talk about it is that if it’s not rinsed off properly, you get an incredibly unpleasant chemical taste.
  • For every single person that’s said “corn starch” doesn’t work, then it’s probably the combination of the starch, soy and the cut all in one, especially the soy with the high salt content and the cut, which I cover. For heaven’s sake, stop griping about it and actually TRY THIS METHOD. It actually WORKS.

Blinken’s imaginary journeys – here’s what should happen

LOL. A most entertaining event when you expose their silly games.

Time to enjoy the lost pies of Summer

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2023 06 15 11 32

One of my great “little” pleasures is a nice cup of good coffee and a fine pie. In the United States, this is a staple of American Diners. You just cannot get this at Fast Food or Chain restaurants.

You go in. Sit up at the counter, and ask the waitress if they have any pies, and if so, what would they recommend.  I have long ago discovered that the best pie is a Southern Sweet potato pie. Most especially with a scoop of vanilla (French) ice cream on the top.

Today, for reasons that elude me, I am “hankering” for a nice pie.

Ah. I cannot get one. But many of youse guys can. Please have a great bite of pie and think of me!

Best Pies in Texas: Flying Saucer Pie Company | Worth the Wait

Foreign firms cast wise votes of confidence in China’s economy

China’s economy has shifted from high-speed growth to high-quality development. The enormous opportunities created by this shift have retained China’s position as a top destination for foreign investment.

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main qimg e386135131d60b81462221e643583d4c

Citing the latest economic data such as the purchasing managers’ index, some Western media reports recently cast doubt on China’s economic growth prospects. But this is just a repetition of their habitual pessimistic tone. Foreign firms continue to cast votes of confidence in the world’s second-largest economy.

Despite various challenges, the Chinese economy has followed an unwavering trend of sustained recovery. Furthermore, China has maintained a leading position in main economic indicators among major economies this year. The World Bank lifted China’s economic growth expectation to 5.6 percent in its Global Economic Prospects report released on Tuesday.

The huge market and resilience of the Chinese economy are still proving to be cardiotonic to foreign companies’ confidence in China. A large number of international business tycoons including the leaders of Tesla, Starbucks, Alstom and Volkswagen have visited China to seek cooperation opportunities.

Elon Musk, the founder of Tesla, praised China’s vitality and potential, voiced confidence in the Chinese market, and expressed his willingness to deepen cooperation during his visit to the country last week.

These renowned enterprises are only the tip of the iceberg when it comes to foreign companies’ willingness to continue to invest in China. A total of 11,000 new foreign-invested companies were established in China in the first quarter of 2023, a 7.6-percent increase year on year, the State Administration for Market Regulation said.

Last month, U.S. Consumer News and Business Channel quoted Procter &Gamble, Starbucks, and other U.S. companies as saying that Chinese consumers’ increased travel and leisure spending had helped these companies improve their overall sales. The report also noted that with a large population base and a growing middle class, China is a desirable market for multinationals.

The sound prospects of China’s huge market, the resilience of its economy, and the mature industry chain of the global factory, combine to offer ample reasons for international firms to cast votes of confidence in China’s economy.

Another reason is that China is gradually becoming a source of global innovation. Volkswagen inked an investment agreement of around 1 billion euros (about 1.07 billion U.S. dollars) in April to build a research and development, innovation, and procurement center in east China, while Tesla’s energy-storage product factory is scheduled to break ground in Shanghai this year.

These facts speak for themselves and illustrate clearly that China remains a popular destination for foreign investment. China always welcomes foreign companies to access its market and benefit from its development dividends. Certainly, China’s economy will continue to be a major driver of global growth.

The True value of Pie

Happy Π day, guys. Have some pictures of pie. If you choose to combine the two to judge the total volume of leftover slices in any of these photos, feel free.

But I’d say the true value went into the fun of choosing a recipe, fiddling with the ingredients and “design”, sharing them with friends and family and, of course, eating them.

Choosing a recipe: traditional? international? savory? sweet? seasonal?

Designing the pie: Patterned pastry? Display the ingredients? Or create a zombie binary? (I’ll leave that example to my brother)

Sharing: make two, probably. Leave one at home, or take both so the recipient can keep one to themselves and share the other?

Easy as Pie

A good pie starts with a good crust – I stick to the basics for traditional pastry: 1:3 proportion of shortening to flour, with just enough water to hold them together. A single crust pie is 1/3 cup shortening, 1 cup flour.

I mix with my hands so I can tell when the texture is right and the #1 trick is to keep the shortening cold and the water icy so it doesn’t mix too much and get gummy and touch.  Other methods include grated frozen butter – a rich dough my brother is partial to – or using a food processor to cut in the fat to the flour. Some people even make oil crusts, though I can’t say I have.

Back to the Basics

I’m a big fan of traditional dessert pies – apple, pumpkin, humble pie. Humble pie is not merely a metaphor for having to publicly display that you know you were wrong – an unpleasant sensation – it is also a on old-fashioned concoction of strawberries and rhubarb. Which is, to me, an entirely delicious sensation that always says spring is truly here, since we can grab both from our garden if we wish.

Pie Presents

Pie comes in so many flavors, but seem tied to scent and visual memories more than cake for many of our friends. I’ve made pies for graduation presents because I wanted to bring in some good memories from family celebrations past or for birthday presents to bring back memories of a favorite local bakery: 

Thanksgiving Pies

You can’t do Thanksgiving in our house without at least two kinds of traditional pies, though our traditions are likely to include homemade Concord Grape Pie, not one you’ll find in many bakeries or cookbooks. 

International Pies

You’re more likely to find meat pies when you explore beyond the basics of American cuisine, though of course they’re very traditional in the UK. The Italian meat pie below is more of an American invention, layering spinach and ricotta with meat sauce, tomatoes, and cheese. Bisteeya is a Moroccan version of Chicken pie that is hardly recognizable compared to our common types – and completely delicious.   

Custom Variations

The credit for the most visually interesting pies on this list goes to my brother, who was feeling inspired for a friend’s Halloween party one year: 

Although I made the traditional apple pie while listening/watching a season or so of Walking Dead and then it appears the zombies manifested in the pie itself in the next apple one.

Cherry Pie

Of all the pies in the world, Cherry Pie tops the list as one of the easiest pies to make, and I’m excited to share the simple, delicious recipe with you all!

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2023 06 15 11 21

How to make Cherry Pie:

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2023 06 15 11 22

If using fresh cherries:

  • Pit and halve the cherries. Add them to a saucepan with sugar and lemon juice and toss to combine. Cook over medium heat for a few minutes until juices are released. Use a slotted spoon to spoon cherries out into a bowl. Spoon some of the sauce into a cup and stir in the cornstarch until dissolved. Return to pot with remaining juices and cook for a few minutes until sauce has thickened. Pour over cherries and set aside while you prepare the pie crust.

If using canned cherries:

  • Drain the juice from the cans of cherries into a saucepan, reserving ⅓ cup in a small bowl. Set the cherries aside.
  • Add cornstarch to the bowl with the reserved ⅓ cup of juice and stir well to combine.
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2023 06 15 11 19
  • Heat the saucepan (that has the juice in it) over medium heat. Add the sugar and stir well. Bring mixture to a low boil. Stir in dissolved cornstarch mixture. Cook, stirring, until thickened, about 2-3 minutes. Stir in butter and lemon juice. Fold in the cherries. Add a few drops of red food coloring, if desired.
  • Allow mixture to cool to room temperature while you prepare the pie crusts.
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2023 06 15 11 20
  • Line pie plate with pie crust and cherry pie filling into it. If desired, cut the top crust into wide strips to lay a lattice crust on the pie, or place the whole, uncut pie crust over the filling and poke a hole in the top for steam to release as the pie bakes. (Here’s a lattice top tutorial if you’ve never made one on a pie.)
  • Pinch the edges of the top and bottom pie crusts together and crimp the edge, if you like. Brush a thin layer of beaten egg white over the top of the pie crust and sprinkle the crust pieces lightly with granulated sugar.
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2023 06 15 11 2s0
  • Bake at 400 degrees F for 40-45 minutes.

Summary

Instructions

If using fresh cherries:

  • Pit and halve the cherries. Add them to a saucepan with sugar and lemon juice and toss to combine. Cook over medium heat for a few minutes until juices are released. Use a slotted spoon to spoon cherries out into a bowl. Spoon some of the sauce into a cup and stir in the cornstarch until smooth. Return to pot with remaining juices and cook for a few minutes until thickened. Pour over cherries and set aside while you prepare the pie crust.

If using canned cherries:

  • Drain the juice from the cans of cherries into a saucepan, reserving ⅓ cup in a small bowl. Set the cherries aside. Add cornstarch to the bowl with the reserved ⅓ cup of juice and stir well to combine.
  • Heat the saucepan (that has the juice in it) over medium heat. Add the sugar and stir well. Bring mixture to a low boil. Stir in dissolved cornstarch mixture. Cook, stirring, until thickened, about 2-3 minutes. Stir in butter and lemon juice. Fold in the cherries. Add a few drops of red food coloring, if desired.
  • Allow mixture to cool to room temperature while you prepare the pie crusts.

Prepare Pie:

  • Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Set aside a 9” pie pan. (If using canned cherries, there will be enough filling for a deep dish pie dish).
  • Remove one chilled pie crust dough from the fridge. On a lightly floured counter, roll out your dough to about 12” in diameter. Gently place in the bottom of pie dish. Spoon the cherry filling into the unbaked crust and sprinkle a little cinnamon over the filling. (If using fresh cherries, add a few small pieces of butter on top).
  • Remove the second pie crust from the fridge and roll it out in a similar manner. Use a pizza cutter, knife or pastry wheel to cut the crust into long strips, about 1/2” wide. Lay strips over the crust in a lattice pattern. (If you’re lazy, like me, you can just lay half of the strips going one direction, and the others on top, going perpendicular, leaving a small space between each.)
  • Pinch the edges of the top and bottom pie crusts together and crimp the edge, if you like. Brush a thin layer of beaten egg white over the top of the pie crust and sprinkle some granulated sugar on top.
  • Bake at 400 degrees F for about 40-45 minutes. Check after about 25 minutes and gently place a piece of tinfoil over the top crust to keep it from getting too brown.
  • Remove to a wire cooling rack and allow to cool for several hours. Once cooled completely you can cut and serve it, or cover it and refrigerate it overnight to serve the next day.
  • Leftover cherry pie will last up to 5 days, stored in the fridge.

Notes

Make ahead Instructions: The cherry pie filling and pie crust can both be made a few days in advance, stored in the fridge until ready to use.

Freezing Instructions: Cover the baked and cooled cherry pie tightly and frozen for 2-3 months. Thaw overnight in the refrigerator. The prepared cherry pie filling and pie crust can also be frozen, stored separately.

Some Tips for perfect cherry pie:

Should you use Sweet or Sour Cherries for cherry pie? Sour, tart cherries (sometimes called “pie” cherries) are most commonly used in desserts like cherry pie. If using sweet cherries, decrease the sugar in this recipe by at least ⅓ cup.

Use a homemade pie crust! For pies like this that bake for longer in the oven, a homemade pie crust will make a difference in how the crust holds up as it bakes.

Most store-bought pie crusts are super thin and flimsy so the edges brown and dry out more quickly when baking. (Store-bought crusts work better for custard or pudding type of pie that only requires a pre-baked pie shell).

The good news, is my favorite pie crust recipe can be made weeks or even months in advance so that your pie dough is ready to “roll” (pun intended 🙂 ) when you need it!

Make ahead Instructions:

Both the cherry pie filling and pie crust can be made a few days in advance, stored in the fridge until ready to use.

Freezing Instructions:

Baked and cooled cherry pie can be covered tightly and frozen for 2-3 months. Thaw overnight in the refrigerator. The prepared cherry pie filling and pie crust can also be frozen, stored separately.

Globally, chances are you have not heard of this city. It is called Chongqing, which is quite possibly what John Bolton also calls every single Chinese city when he is drunk, but if the characters were reversed I wouldn’t even be allowed to say the name of the city.

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main qimg 61f7a1c39c2a90320fb175ee35335d2c lq

Either way, the municipal area of Chongqing, had no less than 32 million people living there in 2020, with 22 million living in the urban area, compared to 19 million living in the New York City urban area.

Chongqing is however quite large, so despite downtown Chongqing obviously being very densely populated, the actually total density of the city is just around 400 people per km2.

So indeed, a regional city in China that most people haven’t heard of is larger than NYC in most ways, and likely more cities in China will follow this path soon.

Craftsman Michael Plichta Created this Incredible Globe of Planet Mars

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Look, we all have seen a globe on more than a few occasions. Recently we got a look at the art of globe making, which was certainly interesting. Today however, the typical globe gets reworked into something unique and quite amazing by Michael Plichta. This unique and rather eye-catching design is artist, eye-catching and one of a kind, rocking a 12-inch Mars globe showing the famous mars canal map by Percival Lowell.

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During a debate comparing Chinese and Western systems of governance, held in Cambridge, Massachusetts, by the American nonprofit educational organization Intercollegiate Studies Institute on April 5, French entrepreneur and Internet influencer Arnaud Bertrand made a case for the suitability of China’s system for promoting the flourishing of its people.

Edited excerpts of his presentation follow:

One unstated idea that derives from comparisons between political systems is that models compete against each other and, if one is indeed better, it has the potential to take over the world.

I don’t believe this to be true at all. Take the Chinese model for example. It applies uniquely and only to China. It is the product of China’s very long and unique history, and it also fits the very particular economic and geopolitical context China is in today, but doesn’t fit or pretend to fit other countries.

As former U.S. National Intelligence Officer for East Asia Paul Heer said, “China is trying to pursue multipolarity and international legitimacy for their system, not impose it on other countries.” Similarly, Stephen Walt, a legendary professor of international relations from Harvard University, said “China explicitly embraces the idea that each country should determine for itself how it wants to be governed. The U.S., by contrast, loves to lecture others on how they should govern themselves and keeps trying to get other countries to embrace our liberal values.” Or again Henry Kissinger, who writes in his famous book On China that China never espoused the American notion of universalism to spread its values around the world.

Therefore, rather than comparing which system would be universally better for all, it makes more sense to look at which is better for their own people.

On freedom

We’ve progressively come to have a rather skewed understanding of freedom in the West, where we equate freedom with individual freedom, when it’s actually very much not the same thing. When you have a broader understanding of freedom as we used to have in the past, it becomes quite obvious that China might not in fact be the unfree place most people in the West picture it as, and vice versa: The West might not be quite so free.

A prominent example of this is China’s war on poverty. Unarguably an immense success: the largest and fastest reduction in poverty the world has ever seen. Even China’s biggest detractors agree with this.

The fact is that the extreme poverty has, by and large, been totally eradicated in China. I’ve traveled all over China, and the results are obvious. Can anyone genuinely make the case this made people less free, that they were freer when they were poor? Of course not, poverty is the antithesis of freedom. When you live in poverty, you’re quite literally a slave to your condition.

In contrast, there is a lot of poverty in countries like France and the U.S. You go to certain areas of Paris and you see hundreds of tents of homeless people. Any one of you can go to China today, travel all around the country and it’s extremely unlikely you’ll see homeless people on street.

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, 20.03 million people lived in deep poverty in 2021. Those in deep poverty represented 6.2 percent of the total population and 48.4 percent of those in poverty. Among them, a larger percentage of children under 18 live in deep poverty than adults in any age group. As defined by the bureau, “deep poverty” refers to living in a household with a total cash income below 50 percent of the national poverty threshold.

A recent study from the Urban Institute also revealed that, in 2022, a total of 25 percent of U.S. adults experienced food insecurity, meaning they sometimes can’t afford to eat. In France we’re at 14 percent of the population living under the poverty threshold. Can we genuinely say that those people are really free?

Many have forgotten this but Franklin Delano Roosevelt in 1941 gave a so-called Four Freedoms speech in which he defined “freedom from want” and “freedom from fear” as two of the four freedoms America ought to achieve. He, too, recognized poverty alleviation was fundamental to freedom.

On the subject of “freedom from fear,” ask yourself a simple question: Do people feel free to walk alone anywhere in America at any time of the day or night? Do people have this freedom?

This freedom, by and large, does exist in China. The statistics are absolutely incredible: You’re 70 times more likely to be victim of a violent crime in the U.S. than you are in China. This is anecdotal, but in my seven years in China, not only have I never been a witness or victim of any crime but I’ve never had anyone in my acquaintance who was. It is a very, very safe country. This freedom from fear does exist.

The biggest form of freedom, a freedom that Charles de Gaulle, former French President, used to describe as the precondition for all other freedoms, is your independence as a country, your collective freedom to determine your own future.

Can anyone argue that when you’re a so-called “vassal state” or when you’re in a larger state’s so-called “sphere of influence,” you’re really free? Anyone can see that’s not quite true.

America isn’t of course anyone’s vassal state, quite the contrary in fact. But there is something that limits America’s freedom in that regard: its system of alliances. America is in many, many alliances: NATO, AUKUS, the Five Eyes, with Japan and so on and so forth. And of course this, too, limits your freedom of action since, on paper at least, you are committed to certain actions even if they might not be in your interest at that point in time. As we’ve painfully learned from World War I, alliances can be incredibly constraining and destructive.

China is unarguably the freest country in the world in this regard, as it cannot be even remotely considered as being any country’s vassal state and it just doesn’t do military alliances—it doesn’t have any. In fact, many argue that it’s precisely this independence that’s driving the current attempt to contain China. This high level of sovereignty allows China to focus on internal development and to maintain its freedom of action on the international stage.

On stability and prosperity

China is arguably the oldest continuous civilization in the history of humankind. If that’s not stability, I’m not sure what is.

Most surveys done on the Chinese population, even by Western institutions, show that the Chinese population is extraordinarily united and aligned in how they view their system. For instance, the Ash Center for Democratic Governance and Innovation at the Harvard Kennedy School conducted a 13-year-long study interrogating the Chinese population, which they summarized in a 2020 report entitled Understanding CPC (Communist Party of China) Resilience. Their conclusion is, I quote: There is little evidence to support the idea that the CPC is losing legitimacy in the eyes of its people. In fact, the survey found that 93 percent of people in China are satisfied with the Chinese Central Government.

The U.S. and Europe is, of course, a vastly different story. Satisfaction rates with public institutions are, as we all know, at all times low almost everywhere in the West. For instance, in the U.S., public trust in government went from more than 70 percent in the 1960s to a mere 20 percent today. In France, only 28 percent of citizens trust their public institutions. When you ask Americans, an extraordinary 43 percent believe civil war is likely within the next 10 years.

If we talk per-capita GDP or salary levels then obviously the average Chinese citizen is still less prosperous than their Western counterparts. They also obviously started their modern economic development from a much lower base, and much more recently, so the comparison isn’t quite fair.

The right way of looking at it, I believe, is therefore to look at the approach China is taking to make its citizens prosperous vs. the approach the West is taking, and which one is more likely to achieve sustainable prosperity over the long run.

China has spent close to 14 trillion yuan ($2 trillion) of all types of funding dedicated to lifting people out of poverty, roughly what the U.S. spent in the past 20 years in its post-September 11 wars in the Middle East and Afghanistan. This is quite illustrative of the different priorities of the two nations and how they impact prosperity.

To conclude, the Chinese system, with its emphasis on collective freedom, long-term stability, and unwavering investment in itself, has demonstrated its ability to provide a more holistic approach to societal wellbeing. While the American and European systems have their merits, it is the Chinese system’s unique blend of these attributes that ensures its citizens can enjoy greater overall stability, prosperity and freedom.

Giant Handmade Meatball Pies, Sold Out 200 Pies A Day!! – Korean Street Food

https://youtu.be/9orMPDg-hIs

Hackers promise to destroy Europe’s banking system in the next 48 hours.

URGENT!  Several computer Hacker groups, with a long track record of highly effective and devastating computer attacks, have announced “the strongest cyberattack in history” to bring down European Banks within the next 48 Hours.

Several hacker groups are allegedly planning to carry out a large-scale computer attack on the European banking system. As it became known to the

Hacktivists of “Killnet” along with representatives of “Revil” – which was long-considered defeated, as well as members of “Anonymous” say they have joined together to achieve this goal.

Put simply, Russian hackers have declared war on European banks.

According to sources who have seen it, a not yet published promo video dedicated to this attack has already been made. In the video itself, an unnamed representative of “Killnet” allegedly called on all active groups to engage in destructive activities against the European banking system.

“This is not a DDoS attack, the games are over. No money — no weapons — no Kiev regime” — this formula will work,” the masked man promised.

The leader of “Killnet” hiding under the nickname “Killmilk”, confirmed that preparations for the attack are already underway. It is expected to begin in the next 48 hours.

Cyberattack could be the largest in history

The representative of “Revil,” in turn, stated that “the world has gone crazy”, and the reason for this, in his opinion, was money. He also stated that it is the European banking system that governs the EU.

“No money, no problem. Revil is sufficiently familiar with the European financial infrastructure,” the representative of the group threatened.

A member of Anonymous also noted that European financial institutions will witness “the strongest cyberattack in the recent history of the world.” He urged them to be ready for the coming blow, and also stated that when it is struck, “it will be too late to fix anything.”

“Many European banks will be targeted, and we will strike without mercy,” concluded the representative of Anonymous.

VERY CONVENIENT FOR KLAUS SCHWAB AND THE W.E.F.

Klaus Schwab, leader of the World Economic Forum (WEF) has long warned, and recently reiterated, that some type of monstrous, worldwide cyber-attack, would cripple the civilized world, and would be more devastating than an actual war.

Isn’t a a bit convenient for him, that suddenly, these alleged “Hackers” announce “the biggest cyber attack in history?”

MORE: 

Didn’t the United States adopt an official public policy that a Cyber Attack could be met with a military response?

That’s even MORE applicable here . . . look WHO is allegdly announcing this:  “Russian” Hackers.

Oh, gee whiz, how convenient.  NATO is all deployed for their Air Defender 2023 “Exercise” in Europe, and just itching to get involved in the Russia-Ukraine war on the side of Ukraine.

Right on cue, “Russian” Hackers announce a major attacking on the European Banking System while all those NATO troops and planes are deployed right near Ukraine!

If this cyber attack DOES take place, and it DOES take out European banks, NATO might just use that as the basis to claim they have been “attacked” (by Russia, of course) and wham, Article 5 of the NATO Treaty gets invoked, the NATO troops enter Ukraine, and the Russian nuclear missiles fly.

This is all a little too convenient for my tastes.

STILL MORE . . .

Today being Wednesday, 48 hours puts us all at FRIDAY.

Several years ago, weren’t we all warned by various other people, that before TPTB crash the system, the world would suddenly get word about some cyber attack problems with banks?  Didn’t that years-ago warning tell us the attacks would start late in a week, explode on a FRIDAY, taking out the banks for potentially weeks?

Gee, how convenient that today’s announcement by Hackers fits all those details almost perfectly!

Folks, this _____ COULD _____ be the WEF/TPTB doing this.   One would have to have his head in the sand not to see it.

You know the drill: Get some CASH MONEY from the bank – top live on . . . NOT TO PAY BILLS.

If these people do what they are saying, it is entirely ____POSSIBLE____ that bank ATM/DEBIT/CREDIT cards may go offline.  And as Europe goes, so goes America as all the banks are connected worldwide.

So don’t panic — plan.

Remember, fuel up your vehicles, have food, water, medicines, and some cash to live on.  For food, not for Bills.   The Bills can wait if the choice is survival.

UPDATE 8:25 PM EDT —

I found someone on social media who has put up a copy of the Video announcement mentioned above:

Peach Cobbler Supreme

peach cobbler
peach cobbler

Ingredients

  • About 8 cups sliced fresh peaches
  • 2 cups granulated sugar
  • 2-4 tablespoons all-purpose flour
  • 1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
  • 1 teaspoon almond extract
  • 1/3 cup butter
  • Any pastry for a double-crust pie

Instructions

  1. Combine first 4 ingredients in a Dutch oven; set aside until syrup forms.
  2. Bring peach mixture to a boil, reduce heat to low, and cook for 10 minutes or until tender.
  3. Remove from heat; add almond extract and butter, stirring until butter melts.
  4. Roll half of pastry to 1/8-inch thickness on lightly floured surface, and cut into an 8-inch square.
  5. Spoon half of peaches into a lightly buttered 8-inch square baking dish; top with pastry square.
  6. Bake at 425 degrees F for 14 minutes or until lightly browned.
  7. Spoon remaining peaches over baked pastry square.
  8. Roll out remaining pastry, and cut into 1-inch strips to arrange in lattice design over peaches.
  9. Continue to bake for 15 to 18 minutes or until browned.

U.S. B1-b “Lancer” Nuclear Bombers over Germany as Russian Tactical Nukes ARRIVE in Belarus

Two United States Air Force B-1b “Lancer” nuclear bombers are flying in German air space this morning.  One took off from RAF Fairfield in the UK and joined another for a flight near (but not into) Ukraine air space.  This comes as Russian Tactical nuclear bombs are being delivered into Belarus for storage by Russia.

At about 2:00 AM eastern US time, one B-1-b took off from the UK to go to Germany:

B 1 b Departs UK air field
B 1 b Departs UK air field

The aircraft started Squawking over England.

Then, it went on-station over North Sea.

It later moved to on-station over southern Germany.

Now, on-station over northern Germany.

These nuclear bomber aircraft from the U.S. Air Force are flying as Russian Tactical-Nuclear Bombs and Missiles have begun to arrive at Storage and Deployment Sites in Belarus.

UPDATE 12:19 PM EDT —

Both B1-b Lancers headed toward the Black Sea . . . . AND . . . . upon going out over the Black Sea, BOTH planes switched OFF their transponders!!!

Total Stealth mode.

Africa STUNNER! Ditching U.S. dollar for trade Kenyan President’s Announcement Shakes Global Economy

Another Year in China

Was 2022 the biggest year ever?

Jun 15, 2023
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During a visit in 2022, Xi transformed the once-fractious Middle East into a community united around a shared vision. The leaders of Saudi Arabia, Iran, Iraq, Egypt, the Arab League, Palestine and Lebanon signed thirty-four agreements, among them: KSA can order missiles, helicopters and air defense weapons with a phone call, and no approval necessary; the region will harmonize its plans with the BRI; Huawei will install $30 billion of telecom gear; China will build a $1 trillion regional hub of 21st century industries; Egypt will get a satellite factory; China and the region will unite to liberate Palestine and protect Syria.

2023 06 15 16 40
2023 06 15 16 40

Apart from that..

  • Inflation stayed flat at 2.2%
  • Power generation rose 8%
  • SOE revenues grew twice as fast as GDP.
  • 48 million kids began kindergarten
  • 4.7 million kids earned STEM degrees
  • Chinese universities surpassed American in the Top 500
  • British researchers chose China over US
  • China led in the top 1% of scientific papers
  • 110 cities had 1 Gbps networks (the US has 0)
  • China built four exascale computers
  • Quantum secure smartphones came on the market
  • Mao’s old co-ops sold $1 trillion of food
  • Half of Chinese farms are cooperatives
  • Xi spanked Justin Trudeau on camera
  • Serious crime fell 30% since 2012
  • B-2 bombers left Guam, F-15s left Okinawa
  • 82% supported Dynamic Covid Zero
  • Putin serenaded Xi Jinping at the piano
  • The 1000-mile Grand Canal filled with water end to end.

Southern Crusty Coconut Pie

2023 06 15 11 16
2023 06 15 11 16

Ingredients

  • 1/2 cup milk
  • 1 1/4 cups shredded coconut
  • 1/4 cup butter
  • 1 cup granulated sugar
  • 3 eggs
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 1 (9-inch) unbaked pie shell

Instructions

  1. Pour milk over coconut and set aside while creaming butter and sugar together.
  2. Add eggs to creamed mixture and beat well.
  3. Add milk, coconut and vanilla extract.
  4. Pour into an unbaked pie shell.
  5. Bake at 350 degrees F for about 30 minutes or until pie is golden brown and firm.

Yield: 6 – 8 servings

This recipe may be doubled to make two pies.

Astroturfing For More War In Ukraine

Fellaraktar🇺🇦@fellaraktar – 14:46 UTC · May 29, 2023As a British citizen I want to say that arming Ukraine is the single best use of tax payer money for decades

My only criticism is that the west aren’t sending enough, fast enough

Ukraine is paying for political posturing with the lives of their sons and daughters

Do more now

Karen Goetz📯🇺🇦 @KarenGoetz362 – 22:18 UTC · May 29, 2023As a German citizen I want to say that arming #Ukraine is the single best use of tax payer money for decades. My only criticism is that the west aren’t sending enough, fast enough. Ukraine is paying for political posturing with the lives of their sons and daughters. Do more now!

Oksanna Oricia (Оксана Збігла) 🇺🇦🇨🇦 @Roxanne_Oricia – 1:46 UTC · May 30, 2023As a 🇺🇦 #Canadian I want to say that arming #Ukraine is the single best use of taxpayer money in decades.

My only criticism is that the west isn’t sending enough, FAST enough.

Ukraine is paying for political posturing with the lives of their sons & daughters.
#ArmUkraineNow ✊🏼

Thomas C. Theiner @noclador – 4:57 UTC · May 30, 2023As an Italian citizen I want to say that arming Ukraine is the single best use of taxpayer money for decades.
My only criticism is that the west aren’t sending enough, fast enough.
Ukraine is paying for political posturing with the lives of their sons and daughters.
Do more now!

brit engr 🇬🇧 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿🇺🇦 @brit_engr – 8:15 UTC · May 30, 2023As a British citizen, I want to say that arming Ukraine is the single best use of taxpayer money for decades.
My only criticism is that the West aren’t sending enough, fast enough.
Ukraine is paying for political posturing with the lives of their sons and daughters.
Do more now!

bitiv @bitiv30 – 9:29 UTC · May 30, 2023As a #Romanian citizen, I want to say that arming #Ukraine is the single best use of taxpayer money for decades. My only criticism is that the West isn’t sending enough, fast enough. Ukraine is paying for political posturing with the lives of its sons and daughters. Do more now!

Anne @KidsFromUkraine 🌷❤🌻 @AnneFella – 17:03 UTC · May 30, 2023As a 🇳🇱#Dutch citizen I want to say that arming #Ukraine is the single best use of taxpayer money in decades. My only criticism is that the west isn’t sending enough, FAST enough. Ukraine is paying for political posturing with the lives of their sons & daughters. #ArmUkraineNow

Thibaud Ochem @Thibaud_Ochem – 18:51 UTC · May 30, 2023As a 🇫🇷 citizen I want to say that arming #Ukraine is the single best use of taxpayer money 4 decades. My only criticism is that the West isn’t sending enough, fast enough.🇺🇦is paying 4 political posturing with the lives of their sons & daughters. Do more now! #weapons4Ukraine

MH @Mickhavoc – 1:14 UTC · May 31, 2023As a Canadian citizen I want to say that arming #Ukraine is the single best use of taxpayer money for decades. My only criticism is that the west aren’t sending enough, fast enough. Ukraine is paying for political posturing with the lives of their sons and daughters. Do more now

Bogdan Stech @BogdanStech – 22:07 UTC · May 31, 2023As a #Poland citizen, I want to say that arming #Ukraine is the single best use of taxpayer money for decades. My only criticism is that the West isn’t sending enough, fast enough. Ukraine is paying for political posturing with the lives of its sons and daughters.

Well, by now you will have understood the idea …

There are many more such tweets.

In total I count more than one hundred by various NAFO troll accounts. All the tweets were issued between May 29 and June 6.

This is astroturfing on a fairly sophisticated level:

Astroturfing is the practice of hiding the sponsors of a message or organization (e.g., political, advertising, religious or public relations) to make it appear as though it originates from and is supported by grassroots participants. It is a practice intended to give the statements or organizations credibility by withholding information about the source’s financial backers. The term astroturfing is derived from AstroTurf, a brand of synthetic carpeting designed to resemble natural grass, as a play on the word “grassroots”. The implication behind the use of the term is that instead of a “true” or “natural” grassroots effort behind the activity in question, there is a “fake” or “artificial” appearance of support.

I wonder whose taxpayer money gets wasted on it.

Yesterday the Russian President Vladimir Putin had a public talk with war correspondents. Yekaterina Agranovich, a blogger, asked him about ‘western’ propaganda and the people deceived by it. Putin responded:

The information space is a battlefield, a crucial battlefield.So, if someone uploads or writes something and provides an address, this is one thing. However, if there is no address and it is not clear who is writing or speaking, this is a completely different story. You and I are well aware that you can post things online using well-known technical means, and you can make it look like millions of people have seen these videos and commented on them when in fact there is just one person behind it who simply uses modern technology to replicate it endlessly. But, of course, there certainly are people who have a certain frame of mind, and they can express their point of view.

What can we do to oppose this? I think this audience will know what I mean. This can and should be countered not so much by restrictions or administrative or law enforcement constraints, but by effective work in the information environment on our part. And I am really counting on your help.

Well, he did not talk to me. And no, I do not post at Moon of Alabama to help Russia or Putin, but to lay things out as I see them. If that is at times consistent with whatever this or that other public person says, it is likely to be a coincidental and temporary state.

Hat tip: Syriacide

Posted by b on June 14, 2023 at 13:20 UTC | Permalink

Luna: Bring the Moon Along with You

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1604

What beats looking up at a large, illuminated, full moon? Well now, thanks to this brilliant creation known as the Luna Moon Lantern. This dope and rather eye-catching design lets you have that large illumination any time, giving us something quite contagious and rather unique. The design boasts a construction of glass fiber and non-toxic latex.

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2305

The Luna Moon Lantern offers up a brilliant and beautiful way to add light to your life, and certainly adds an eye-catching and artistic appeal to any room in which it’s placed. The design comes in seven different sizes, ranging from the XXS 3.2-inch ball to the XXL 23.6-inches.

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3257

We find a cord and a device that will allow you to adjust its glow. Check out the eye-catching new design in the images below and speak your mind on it after the jump. Looking to add this to your home or office, head over here right now!

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Chinese FM Qin Gang holds phone talks with Antony Blinken

Chinese State Councilor and Foreign Minister Qin Gang had a phone call with US Secretary of State Antony Blinken on June 14 at the latter’s request, clarifying China’s firm stance on core concerns such as the Taiwan question, according to a statement from the Chinese Foreign Ministry.

Qin pointed out that since the beginning of the year, China-US relations have faced new difficulties and challenges, and the responsibility is clear. China has always viewed and handled China-US relations following the principles of mutual respect, peaceful coexistence, and win-win cooperation proposed by Chinese President Xi Jinping.

Qin clarified China’s firm stance on core concerns such as the Taiwan question, emphasizing that [1] the US should respect it, [2] stop interfering in China’s internal affairs, and [3] stop harming China’s sovereign security and development interests in the name of competition.

The Chinese diplomat said he hopes that [4] the US will take practical actions to implement the important consensus reached between the two heads of state at the G20 Bali meeting. As well as [5] the relevant commitments made by the US, move toward China, [6] effectively manage differences, [7] promote exchanges and cooperation, and [8] get China-US relations back on track to healthy and stable development.

Washington continued hyping China-related topics ahead of a reported trip by Blinken to China as the Biden administration said it has “taken diplomatic steps” that slowed China’s intelligence presence overseas following its recent hype over an alleged “Cuba spy base.” The latest US move was criticized  by China on Tuesday as “taking the same page” of the US’ playbook.

This is perhaps the biggest news of the Summer of 2023.

Taken together with previous trends we see some very interesting developments on the Geo-political stage.

A mere two months ago, Macron STUNNED the world when he arrived in China. He surprised everyone when he arrived with hundreds of trade representatives to cut deals with China.

This might not seem like much, but se made a very vocal, and public display of standing up against the United States. While the Untied States (and NATO) were expecting him to “toe the line” and regurgitate the (mindless manta) of “support Ukraine”, “sanction Russia”, “obey the USA or else”, and put pressure on China. Instead, he did the exact opposite, he supported, approved of, and embraced China.

And what can you expect?

The United States was infuriated, the raging up and down Washington DC was legendary.

So of course, the “police dogs” (used to keep the proxy nations in line with Washington dictates) began their disruptions, protests, and assaults. CIA operatives inside of France began their disruptions; their protests, and their threats of “color revolution”…

He didn’t care.

Instead he cut so many deals (with China) that the world was left a spinning. The sheer scope and size was unlike anything anyone expected.

  • Selling over 160 aircraft to China.
  • Joint ventures galore, and many new (BIG) factories to open up in Face to provide hundreds of thousands of jobs.
  • Allowing China to operate it’s Navy and use French bases on the third island chain! (Talk about “throwing a bucket of ice water” on the American neocons)

And so much more.

Nervous Chinese see the good and the threats of all this, but over all, the message is clear.

France is considering leaving the G7 and joining BRICS++. And if it is successful, the “rules based American order” is about to shrink in chunks and bumpy stages. We are (you and I) watching in real-time the repudiation of the American world order, the American USD, and the American LGBQ+ culture.

And France wants a seat at the table.

France, and Africa (both which are French speaking lands) are embracing a multi-polar world as equal partners and turning their collective backs to the shit-show; clown march of collapsed American society, and the massive crime syndicate that it represents.

Oh sure, there are many steps from here to there, and the United States is going to do everything to stop Micron before it’s too late. But as it stands now, France is waving the flag and is will to arrive in the embrace of a new world order.

One where France has a major seat at the table, instead of moldy American table scraps on the floor.

Rustic Southern Sweet Potato Pie

Sweet Potato Pie vs Pumpkin Pie

Sweet potato pies have a very similar taste and texture to pumpkin pie, but I prefer sweet potato pie. Typically a pie made with sweet potato is a little lighter in texture and sweeter with less spice and I think sweet potato pies are more buttery.

Ask any southerner and they will tell you that sweet potato pie is greatly superior to pumpkin pie.

2023 06 15 11 14
2023 06 15 11 14

Ingredients

Filling

  • 2 large yams
  • 2 large sweet potatoes
  • 2 cups sugar
  • 1 stick butter (melted)
  • 1 teaspoon cinnamon
  • 1/2 teaspoon fresh ground nutmeg
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
  • 3 tablespoons butter

Dough

  • 3 cups flour
  • 1/4 cup sugar
  • 1/3 cup olive oil
  • 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
  • 1 cup whole milk

Egg Wash

  • 1 egg
  • 1 tablespoon milk

Instructions

  1. Filling: In a large pot, boil yams and potatoes for about one hour or until tender.
  2. Drain water and let potatoes cool.
  3. When cool enough to handle, peel skins off and place yams and potatoes in a ricer or potato masher.
  4. In a bowl, combine yams and potatoes, sugar, melted butter, cinnamon, nutmeg, salt and vanilla extract. Mix well.
  5. Dough: Heat oven to 375 degrees F.
  6. In a small saucepan, heat the butter until it turns golden brown. When done, it should have a nutty-like aroma.
  7. Remove from heat and let cool.
  8. In a large bowl, combine flour, salt and sugar, mixing well.
  9. In another bowl, whisk together olive oil, vanilla extract, milk and melted butter.
  10. Pour into the flour mixture and mix with a fork. Dough should hold together. If too crumbly, add ice water, a tablespoon at a time.
  11. Cover and let sit for about a half an hour.
  12. Assemble: On a floured surface, roll out dough to fit a 14-inch round or rectangular baking pan. Place dough on pan.
  13. Spoon filling into the center of the dough, leaving about a 1 1/2-inch border. Gently fold the sides of the dough up and over some of the filling.
  14. Egg Wash: Mix the egg and tablespoon of milk together with a fork.
  15. Coat the bread with egg wash using a pasty brush.
  16. Sprinkle with sugar.
  17. Bake for about 45 minutes or until crust is golden brown.
  18. Serve alone or with vanilla ice cream or whipped cream.

American society is now fully 100% collapsed. The government still functions at a trivial level, and the people are ignorant of this reality.

Today the theme is pop music from Cambodia.

When I was a boy, perhaps in third grade, my father bought me a cub-scout pocket knife. It was blue and had three blades. I carried it everywhere. It has one big blade that I used to cut branches off of Birch Trees and then suck on the root-beer tasting stems while we hiked in the PA woods. The smaller knife was difficult to get out, and I only used it a couple of times, but the third knife was a can opener, and we used to use it to open up a lid on a can of beans that we would cook over a campfire in the woods.

knife
knife

Summer is here. I hope that you too are reliving various aspects of your childhood in the fine and fresh seasonal air.

Here’s today’s installment…

Good morning, and welcome to the Global Situation Report for Wednesday, 14 June 2023.

  1. FIRST UP: China pressures Taiwan to lift exchange restrictions
  • People’s Republic of China officials are pressuring Taiwan’s ruling Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) to lift restrictions on student exchanges and cooperation with mainland China.
  • The PRC wants to send 50 students to Taiwan to “enhance mutual understanding, deepen their friendship, and make joint efforts to promote peaceful development of cross-Strait relations.”

Why It Matters: China prefers reunification with Taiwan through Kuomintang (KMT) political success, not military operations. KMT officials have visited mainland China for talks, and remain Taiwan’s pro-reunification political party ahead of next year’s presidential elections. A student exchange is almost certainly aimed at developing pro-reunification sentiment among Taiwan’s youth population, and would likely further enable unconventional warfare operations against Taiwan.


  1. DEDOLLARIZATION: Egypt exits dollar in BRICS trade
  • Egyptian officials announced they’re moving away from the dollar in trade with BRICS countries, and instead will use the local currencies of major trade partners.

Why It Matters: Egypt’s decision to de-dollarize with BRICS is likely a precondition for their joining BRICS+, as India and China have imposed other pre-conditions on prospective members.


  1. DEFENSE HANDBOOK: Taiwanese MoD publishes civilian war-time guide
  • Taiwan’s Ministry of Defense published an updated guide for civilians covering topics such as how to respond to foreign attacks, where to find bomb shelters, and how to distinguish between Taiwanese and Chinese soldiers.
  • The update to last year’s 14-page guide says that Chinese soldiers are likely to be wearing their PLA uniforms, while China’s unconventional forces would be wearing other clothing during infiltration into Taiwan.

Why It Matters: Civilian war-time guides are a common practice, including Cold War-era civil defense guides for Americans. Baltic nations have also published similar guides detailing how to conduct guerrilla warfare and stay-behind operations in the event of a Russian invasion.


  1. MIDDLE EAST: China strikes strategic cooperation deal with Palestinian Authority
  • Chinese officials announced a “strategic partnership” deal with the Palestinian Authority, although neither side released the details of what that entails.

Why It Matters: China has replaced the United States as the region’s top security partner, largely due to U.S. inaction on numerous fronts. Additionally, Chinese officials have proposed peace talks between the Israelis and Palestinians. This strategic partnership could put China in a position to solve the decades-long conflict, following success in negotiating peace between Iran and Saudi Arabia. 


  1. MEDVEDEV: Russia has no reason not to cut undersea cables
  • Russian National Security Council Deputy Chairman Dmitry Medvedev accused the West of complicity in the sabotage of the Nord Stream pipelines, adding that Russia now has “no constraints” on destroying undersea communication cables between the United States and Europe.

Why It Matters: Medvedev continues a long series of incendiary and outlandish comments. Some of his recent outbursts, however, are likely within his authority, which makes this implied threat notable. There are two worst case scenarios here: First, Russia is well within its capabilities to cut these vital undersea cables, which would disrupt global communications and international financial transactions. And second, the U.S. or NATO could target Russian ships suspected of plotting sabotage, causing a new front in the very messy war of narrative and escalating conflict outside of Ukraine.


THAT’S A WRAP: This does it for today’s edition. Thank you for reading. If you know folks who would also like to receive this email, would you please forward it to them? We appreciate you spreading the word. – M.S.

Southern Shrimp Scampi

shrimp scampi
shrimp scampi

Ingredients

  • 3 large garlic cloves, finely chopped
  • 1/2 teaspoon kosher or sea salt
  • 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
  • 1 1/4 pounds large shrimp, (16/20 or 21/25 count), peeled and deveined
  • 2 tablespoons olive oil
  • 1/2 cup white wine
  • 6 tablespoons butter
  • 1 tablespoon lemon juice
  • 2 tablespoons chopped Italian parsley
  • 1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes

Instructions

  1. In a bowl, toss garlic, salt and pepper with the shrimp, which may be refrigerated, well covered, for several hours at this point.
  2. When ready to cook, heat oil in a large sauté pan over high heat until it shimmers, then add shrimp and move shrimp around in the pan for about 2 minutes, or until the color just begins to turn from translucent.
  3. Remove shrimp, reduce heat to medium-high and add wine, scraping up any bits on the bottom of the pan. Cook for a couple of minutes to reduce, then add butter and swirl the pan to melt it.
  4. Put shrimp back into pan, stir about a minute to finishing cooking and add lemon juice.
  5. Remove to serving dish, sprinkle with parsley and red pepper flakes, adding more pepper if desired.
  6. Serve over rice or pasta or as is.

Yield: 2 to 4 servings

shrimp 2
shrimp 2

This happened a long time ago at the AF Academy in Colo. Springs, Colo. The architecture of the Academy was very modern for its time with tall buildings and all glass walls. Some of the class rooms had 18–20′ ceilings and floor to ceiling windows facing East . This design tended to make the class rooms very bright from the early morning sunlight so it was not uncommon for the students to wear sunglasses in the classes.

2023 06 14 18 232023 06 14 18 23

 

A very important mid-term exam in engineering was given in one of these classrooms. The professor was not particularly looking for cheaters as much as just curious of how the students were doing on the test. He walked among the desks during the test.

As he walked, he noticed a lot of students were frequently turning and looking out the windows and then returning to the test. Almost every student in the classroom had on sunglasses. The professor also noticed that almost all the sunglasses were the same brand and style. That was very odd so he began trying to see if this was some kind of cheating.

After studying the students and the room carefully, he could see no outward sign of cheating so he concluded that there was something about those sunglasses. I speculated that they may have cheating information written on the lenses but decided these was unlikely since there simply was not enough room on the small lens of the sunglasses to get more than a few words or numbers plus he could look at the glasses and could not see anything unusual about them.

As the test went on, he finally decided to look at the glasses anyway just to confirm they had no writing on them. He went to one of the students and asked to see his sunglasses. The student was reluctant but obeyed the order. The professor held the glasses and examined them for writing on the frame or lens. There was none. Just before he gave them back to the student, he was curious how well they worked against the bright morning sun coming thru the large wall of windows. He put them on.

When he did, he say large letters and numbers in bold black print written on all of the windows. The writing were all the formulas and data related to the test. When he pulled the glasses off and looked at the windows, there was no visible writing.

The professor stopped the test and dismissed the class. A subsequent investigation discovered that three of the AF Cadets has used an alcohol and salt based liquid poured into a magic marker style pen to write on the windows. The liquid crystallized in such a way as to form a polarizing effect when the liquid dried. The sunglasses worn by the students all had polarized lenses. When viewed thru the sunglasses, the writing appeared. Without the polarized glasses, the windows just looked a little extra sparkly. It wasn’t perfect but it was readable. The windows were effectively a 40 foot by 15 foot cheat sheet.

The three Cadets were discovered. They had sold the glasses to their class mates for $30 each.

SK – រក្សាគម្លាត (Official MV)

Saudi Arabia seeks cooperation with China, ‘ignores’ Western worries — Reuters

Saudi Arabia wants to collaborate, not compete, with China, the kingdom’s energy minister declared on Sunday, saying he “ignored” Western suspicions over their growing ties.

As the world’s top oil exporter, Saudi Arabia’s bilateral relationship with the world’s biggest energy consumer is anchored by hydrocarbon ties. But cooperation between Riyadh and Beijing has also deepened in security and sensitive tech amid a warming of political ties – to the concern of the U.S.

Asked about criticism of the bilateral relationship during an Arab-China business conference, Prince Abdulaziz bin Salman said: “I actually ignore it because … as a business person .. now you will go where opportunity comes your way.”

“We don’t have to be facing any choice which has to do with (saying) either with us or with the others.”

Chinese entrepreneurs and investors have flocked to Riyadh for the conference, which came days after a visit by U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken.

OIL DEALS

In March, state oil giant Saudi Aramco announced two major deals to raise its multi-billion dollar investment in China and bolster its rank as China’s top provider of crude.

They were the biggest announced since Chinese President Xi Jinping’s visit to Saudi Arabia in December where he called for oil trade in yuan, a move that would weaken the dollar’s dominance.

“Oil demand in China is still growing so of course we have to capture some of that demand,” Prince Abdulaziz said.

“Instead of competing with China, collaborate with China.”

The two nations’ momentum has also raised prospects for a successful conclusion to negotiations for a free trade deal between China and the Saudi Arabia-dominated Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC), ongoing since 2004.

Saudi Investment Minister Khalid Al Falih said any agreement would have to protect emerging Gulf industries as the region starts to diversify towards non-oil economic sectors.

“We need to enable and empower our industries to export, so we hope all countries that negotiate with us for free trade deals know we need to protect our new, emerging industries,” Falih said, adding he hoped a deal would soon be struck.

I was in a nice hotel in Japan. I got in the elevator with a young Japanese woman. When the door opened, I waited for her to exit. She did not move.

I gestured for her to go. To my surprise, in perfect English she said

“In Japan, the man always goes first.”

I saw this custom in action, as groups of Japanese were men first and women following behind.

គឺអូន | Sai ft. Tendo & Kamonrath | PlengxYellowLight

By Pe.pe Esco.bar

June 10, 2023

The Hybrid War 2.0 against the Global South has not even started. Swing states, you have all been warned.

U.S. Think Tank Land hacks are not exactly familiar with Montaigne: “On the highest throne in the world, we still sit only on our own bottom.”

Hubris leads these specimens to presume their flaccid bottoms are placed high above anyone else’s. The result is that a trademark mix of arrogance and ignorance always ends up unmasking the predictability of their forecasts.

U.S. Think Tank Land – inebriated by their self-created aura of power – always telegraphs in advance what they’re up to. That was the case with Project 9/11 (“We need a new Pearl Harbor”). That was the case with the RAND report on over-extending and unbalancing Russia. And now that’s the case with the incoming American War on BRICS as outlined by the chairman of the New York-based Eurasia Group.

It’s always painful to suffer through the intellectually shallow Think Thank Land wet dreams masquerading as “analyses” but in this particular case key Global South players need to be firmly aware of what awaits them.

Predictably, the whole “analysis” revolves around the imminent, devastating humiliation to the Hegemon and its vassals: what happens next in country 404, also known – for now – as Ukraine.

Brazil, India, Indonesia and Saudi Arabia are dismissed as “four major fence-sitters” when it comes to the U.S./NATO proxy war against Russia. It’s the same old “you’re with us or against us” trope.

But then we are presented with the six major Global South culprits: Brazil, India, Indonesia, Saudi Arabia, South Africa and Turkey.

In yet another crude, parochial remix of a catch phrase referring to the American elections, these are qualified as the key swing states the Hegemon will need to seduce, cajole, intimidate and threaten to assure its dominance of the “rules-based international order”.

Saudi Arabia and South Africa are added to a previous report focused on the “four major fence sitters”.

The swing state manifesto notes that all of them are G-20 members and “active in both geopolitics and geoeconomics” (Oh really? Now that’s some breaking news). What it does not say is that three of them are BRICS members (Brazil, India, South Africa) and the other three are serious candidates to join BRICS+: deliberations will be turbo-charged in the upcoming BRICS summit in South Africa in August.

So it’s clear what the swing state manifesto is all about: a call to arms for the American war against the BRICS.

So BRICS packs no punch.

The swing state manifesto harbors wet dreams of near-shoring and friend-shoring moving away from China. Nonsense: enhanced intra-BRICS+ trade will be the order of the day from now on, especially with the expanded practice of trade in national currencies (see Brazil-China or within ASEAN), the first step towards widespread de-dollarization.

The swing states are characterized as “not a new incarnation” of the Non-Aligned Movement (NAM), or “other groupings dominated by the Global South, such as the G-77 and BRICS.”

Talk about exponential nonsense.

This is all about BRICS+ – which now has the tools (including the NDB, the BRICS bank) to do what NAM could never accomplish during the Cold War: establish the framework of a new system bypassing Bretton Woods and the interlocking coercion mechanisms of the Hegemon.

As for stating that BRICS has not “packed much punch” that only reveals U.S. Think Tank Land’s cosmic ignorance of what BRICS + is all about.

The position of India is only considered in terms of being a Quad member – defined as a “U.S.-led effort to balance China”. Correction: contain China.

As for the “choice” of swing states of choosing between the U.S. and China on semiconductors, AI, quantum technology, 5G and biotechnology, that’s not about “choice”, but to what level they are able to sustain Hegemon pressure to demonize Chinese technology.

Pressure on Brazil, for instance, is much heavier than on Saudi Arabia or Indonesia.

In the end though, it all comes back to the Straussian neocon obsession: Ukraine. The swing states, in varying degrees, are guilty of opposing and/or undermining the sanctions dementia. Turkey, for instance, is accused of channeling “dual-use” items to Russia. Not a word on the U.S. financial system viciously forcing Turkish banks to stop accepting Russian MIR payment cards.

On the wishful thinking front, this pearl stands out among many: “The Kremlin seems to believe it can make a living by turning its trade south and east.”

Well, Russia is already making excellent living all across Eurasia and a vast expanse of the Global South.

The economy has re-started (drivers are domestic tourism, machine building and the metals industry); inflation is at only 2.5% (lower than anywhere in the EU); unemployment is at only 3.5%; and head of the Central Bank Elvira Nabiullina said that by 2024 growth will be back to pre-SMO levels.

U.S. Think Tankland is congenitally incapable of understanding that even if BRICS+ nations may still have some serious trade credit issues to iron out, Moscow has already shown how even an implied hard backing of a currency can turn out to be an instant game changer. Russia is at the same time backing not only the ruble but also the yuan.

Meanwhile, the Global South de-dollarization caravan moves on relentlessly – as much as the proxy war hyenas may keep howling in the dark. When the full – staggering – scale of NATO’s humiliation in Ukraine unfolds, arguably by mid-summer, the de-dollarization high-speed train will be fully booked, non-stop.

“Offer you can’t refuse” rides again

If all of the above was not already silly enough, the swing state manifesto doubles down on the nuclear front, accusing them of “future (nuclear) proliferation risks”: especially – who else – Iran.

By the way, Russia is defined as a “middle power, but one in decline”. And “hyper-revisionist” to boot. Oh dear: with “experts” like this, the Americans don’t even need enemies.

And yes, by now you may be excused to roar with laughter: China is accused of attempting to direct and co-opt BRICS. The “suggestion” – or “offer you can’t refuse”, Mafia-style – to the swing states is that you cannot join a “Chinese-directed, Russian-assisted body actively opposing the United States.”

The message is unmistakable: “The threat of a Sino-Russian co-optation of an expanded BRICS—and through it, of the global south—is real, and it needs to be addressed.”

And here are the recipes to address it. Invite most swing states to the G-7 (that was a miserable failure). “More high-level visits by key U.S. diplomats” (welcome to cookie distributor Vicky Nuland). And last but not least, Mafia tactics, as in a “nimbler trade strategy that begins to crack the nut of access to the U.S. market.”

The swing state manifesto could not but let the Top Cat out of the bag, predicting, rather praying that “U.S.-China tensions rise dramatically and turn into a Cold War-style confrontation.” That’s already happening – unleashed by the Hegemon.

So what would be the follow-up? The much sought after and spun-to-death “decoupling”, forcing the swing states to “align more closely with one side or the other”. It’s “you’re with us or against us” all over again.

So there you go.

Raw, in the flesh – with inbuilt veiled threats. The Hybrid War 2.0 against the Global South has not even started. Swing states, you have all been warned.

Glomyy – ស្នេហ៍និងទំនួល Love and Responsible ft. Tendo (Official MV)

I was in the left lane, heading to an appointment, and was torn. I decided I would go back southbound and risk a ticket by going to the turnout. I turned in and the trooper was still there! Yay! He rolled down his window and said “yep! I’m here” to which i told him about the dog and I didn’t want a ticket, but if I could help that dog, it was fine by me. He just asked where the dog was and was on his way! I followed and we found her, still there, panting like she was fixing to die. That trooper dumped his jug out and fashioned a water bowl for her. Then poured a couple bottles of water. The dog was scared of him, but frozen in weakness. She sniffed the water, then realized this kindness was for her! She drank that water down in minutes! The trooper went and got her some more, plus a Little Debbie. She watched him warily the whole time. She sniffed his hand but was still wary. Next thing, he goes to his vehicle and gets a chair and an umbrella. He told me he will stay here until she trusts him, so he can get her to a shelter, or take her home. I believe his being there at the right time, was one of those little messages reminding us of the good in our world. Meet Trooper Tudors of the TN State Highway Patrol. One of the good guys for sure.”

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Tena – Feel Good ft Tendo

State TV: United States is in Moscow’s Nuclear Crosshairs

A Russian state TV host has warned that if the Ukraine war escalates to a “nuclear phase,” the Kremlin will strike the U.S. with nuclear weapons as it is “in the crosshairs.”

Russian political commentator and president of Russia’s Institute of the Middle East Yevgeny Satanovsky made the warning in a clip that has now gone viral:

This comes on the heels of a very high ranking Russian elected official, Dmitry Medvedev, Deputy Chairman of the Russian Federation Council (Senate) who said “the likelihood of nuclear weapons being used, was growing by the day.”

“In my opinion, concerns about climate change is nothing compared to the prospect of being at the epicenter of an explosion with a temperature of 5,000 Kelvin (scale), a shock wave of 350 meters per second and a pressure of 3,000 kilograms per square meter, with penetrating radiation, that is, ionizing radiation and an electromagnetic pulse,” he said at an educational event in late April, according to Russia’s state-run news agency RIA Novosti.

“Is there such a prospect today? (Unfortunately), yes. And it is growing every day for well-known reasons,” he said.

Tricks to Appear Smart in Meetings

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From bestselling author and founder of popular satire blog TheCooperReview.com comes this all-new daily calendar with a year’s worth of tips for succeeding fabulously at work with minimal effort.

You’ll learn familiar corporate strategies for appearing engaged while zoning out, using meaningless buzzwords in the right context, creating impressive presentations of no value to anyone, and much, much more. Each daily page includes a valuable tip for fooling coworkers into thinking that you’re shrewd, engaged, and trying. With this perfect calendar for every office desktop, you’ll laugh each day at the fresh tricks and sly satire on corporate conventions.

Scroll down to see some of the examples from previous years.

More: The Cooper Review, Shop

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Chinese Orange Chicken

Chinese Orange Chicken made with crispy fried chicken covered in an authentic orange sauce. The ultimate Chinese Orange Chicken Recipe which is way better than take-out. 

My kids are always begging me to take them to grab Chinese food.  They are obsessed with orange chicken but I am never really sure what’s in it….especially if they get it from a drive-thru. I wanted to create a version at home, made from scratch, with all-natural ingredients. It still has the same incredible flavor they love. It’s definitely a win-win in our home.

It is wintertime in Arizona which means that the citrus is ripe for the picking. I am surrounded by neighbors who have a plethora of fresh oranges and lemons hanging from their trees. This is the perfect time of year to whip up orange and lemon dishes especially this Chinese Orange Chicken.

Chinese Orange Chicken 2
Chinese Orange Chicken 2

This Chinese Orange Chicken is made with boneless skinless chicken breast, cut into bite-size pieces, dredged, and then fried until golden and crispy. The orange sauce is divine! It is a sweet orange sauce made with orange juice, vinegar, garlic, sugar, soy sauce, ginger, red chili flakes, and orange zest. It is both sweet and spicy and full of flavor.

Chinese Orange Chicken 1 crop
Chinese Orange Chicken 1 crop

How to make Chinese Orange Chicken at home:

  1.  Start with boneless skinless chicken breast or thighs.  Cut into bite-size pieces.  Dredge the chicken in whisked eggs and cornstarch/flour mixture until nice and coated. Get these chicken pieces ready for the oil.
  2. To make your homemade orange sauce, place orange juice, sugar, vinegar, soy sauce, garlic, ginger, and red chili flakes in a small pot and cook over medium-high heat. Add cornstarch and water and cook until thickened. Stir in orange zest.
  3. Heat oil in a heavy-bottomed pot over medium-high heat. When frying foods, it is so helpful to use a thermometer. Let the oil heat up to 350 degrees.  Once the oil is ready, in batches, cook chicken for about 2 minutes until light golden brown.  Repeat with remaining chicken.
  4. Remove from oil and drain on a paper towel-lined plate.
  5. Toss fried chicken with the sweet orange sauce.  Top with grated orange zest and green onions. Serve immediately.

Ingredients

Chicken:

  • 4 Boneless Skinless Chicken Breasts cut into bite-size pieces
  • 3 Eggs whisked
  • cup Cornstarch
  • cup Flour
  • Salt
  • Oil for frying

Orange Chicken Sauce:

  • 1 cup Orange Juice
  • ½ cup Sugar
  • 2 Tablespoons Rice Vinegar or White Vinegar
  • 2 Tablespoons Soy Sauce use tamari for a gluten-free dish
  • ¼ teaspoon Ginger
  • ¼ teaspoon Garlic Powder or 2 garlic cloves, finely diced
  • ½ teaspoon Red Chili Flakes
  • Orange Zest from 1 orange
  • 1 Tablespoon Cornstarch

Garnish:

  • Green Onions
  • Orange Zest
Chinese Orange Chicken 5 crop
Chinese Orange Chicken 5 crop

Instructions

  • To make orange sauce:
  • In a medium pot, add orange juice, sugar, vinegar, soy sauce, ginger, garlic, and red chili flakes. Heat for 3 minutes.
  • In a small bowl, whisk 1 Tablespoon of cornstarch with 2 Tablespoons of water to form a paste. Add to orange sauce and whisk together. Continue to cook for 5 minutes, until the mixture begins to thicken. Once the sauce is thickened, remove from heat and add orange zest.
  • To make chicken:
  • Place flour and cornstarch in a shallow dish or pie plate. Add a generous pinch of salt. Stir.
  • Whisk eggs in shallow dish.
  • Dip chicken pieces in egg mixture and then flour mixture. Place on plate.
  • Heat 2 -3 inches of oil in a heavy-bottomed pot over medium-high heat. Using a thermometer, watch for it to reach 350 degrees.
  • Working in batches, cook several chicken pieces at a time. Cook for 2 – 3 minutes, turning often until golden brown. Place chicken on a paper-towel-lined plate. Repeat.
  • Toss chicken with orange sauce. You may reserve some of the sauce to place on rice. Serve it with a sprinkling of green onion and orange zest, if so desired.

The Chinese Power: 👲🏻 Why They Are Different from Us – Douglas Macgregor

https://youtu.be/MIlzm4Qix6k

Not really, believe it or not, the famous chef entered a London prison to conduct a cooking workshop for inmates for 6 months.

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The UK has a prison population of over 85,000 inmates. Each one costs the state $58,000 a year, and faced with such a situation, Gordon Ramsay decided to do something out of the ordinary, teach prisoners their trade so they can get busy.

To accomplish this, Ramsay dedicated six months of his time to London’s Brixton prison, undertaking the ambitious task of transforming a group of inmates into skilled cooks. The ultimate goal was to enable these prisoners to market their culinary creations internationally through a catering company. By doing so, the prisoners not only earned income for themselves but also made a valuable contribution to the state. It was a venture aimed at providing inmates with opportunities for skill development, financial independence, and a chance to reintegrate into society.

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Born and raised in the United States, my first time to China was in 2016, shortly after I graduated from high school. Since I had studied Chinese for four years and high school, as a gift for graduating my dad decided to take me on a two-week tour of China. To say that this trip was one of the most eye-opening experiences of my lifetime would not be an exaggeration. There were five things that were surprising to me when I visited China and that were entirely different than what the Western media had taught me:

  1. China is a beautiful place. Growing up in the U.S., pretty much all you hear about China is how “ugly” it is. Before I went, I expected the skies everywhere to be dark and clouded, and the air to be difficult to breathe due to all the media coverage that the pollution in China receives. However, when I actually got to China, I was shocked at how beautiful it was. The skies were blue, the cities were clean, and the pollution seemed just as bad as in any other big city that I had visited in the U.S. Not only that, but there were some landscapes in China that were just absolutely stunning. I particularly remember being blown away by the beauty of the countryside views in Guilin, and the massive rock formations on the Guangxi River.
  2. Chinese people are very friendly. In the U.S., it is a common assumption that Chinese people are quite rude. My trip to China proved this assumption to be completely wrong. Every Chinese person that I met was extremely friendly, and they were always excited to approach us either to talk or to get their picture taken with us. It was like being a celebrity! Not only that, but everyone was always willing to try and speak English with us, and were very kind when I attempted to converse with them in Chinese. In my honest opinion, many of the people I met in China were friendlier than many people back home. One person that stands out to me in particular was our rickshaw driver in Beijing. Even though he didn’t speak much English, he still tried to point out all of the sights of Beijing to us the best he could, and even though he had a hard job he always had a big smile on his face.
  3. Authentic Chinese food is good. Back in the United States, it is commonly believed that the food eaten in China is weird, abnormal, and unappetizing. However, all of the food that I ate in China was delicious (my favorite food being from Chengdu), and I actually preferred it to the Chinese food that you can find in America. Yes, there are several cultural differences in the type of food that we eat, but that doesn’t mean that it is bad! While I did see some foods that surprised me, including ants and rats, this was mostly out in the countryside. To any foreigner traveling to China, I would recommend trying as many foods as possible, even if they are a bit out of your comfort zone like they were for me. It’s worth it!
  4. There are people in China who are very rich. Most of what Americans hear about the Chinese is the extreme poverty that they experience. While it is true that we did see many poorer families while on our trip, we also saw a very luxurious side of China that I didn’t even know existed. The area that appeared to be the wealthiest was definitely Shanghai. There were luxury stores (i.e., Gucci. Tiffany’s, Prada, etc.) all over the city, and there were always Chinese people shopping at these stores. Not only that, but there were also always very expensive cars driving around the streets of Shanghai. It was a side of China that I never even heard about back home, and it was great to be able to see how prosperous China has become.
  5. Chinese people love their country. In the United States, it is a common thought that many Chinese people must feel oppressed by their government due to their country not being a democracy. However, while I was in China I saw nothing but pride and love for their country. Through many conversations with Chinese people, it was clear to me that they loved being from China. They had a lot of respect for their history, their culture, and for their government. In fact, it seemed to me that Chinese people had much less negative things to say about their country than many Americans do. This just goes to show that just because you don’t agree with a certain method of government doesn’t mean that the people living in that country have to share the same views as you.

UFO whistleblowers drop BOMBSHELL on D.C. | Redacted with Natali and Clayton Morris

Physics, all top five institutions are Chinese. MIT at number six.

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2023 06 14 17 37

Chemistry, all top ten institutions are Chinese:

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2023 06 14 17 39

WARRIORS | BALY FT .TOM | REAM PRODUCTION

Cheesy Chicken Broccoli Orzo

Creamy Chicken Broccoli Orzo made with sauteed chicken, fresh broccoli, orzo pasta in a cheesy sauce. This easy Cheesy Chicken Broccoli Orzo Skillet 30-minute meal is creamy and delicious!

Cheesy Chicken Broccoli Orzo 7 crop
Cheesy Chicken Broccoli Orzo 7 crop

Chicken Broccoli Rice Skillet and use orzo in place of rice and everyone goes crazy for this recipe!

Ingredients overview:

This creamy chicken broccoli orzo skillet is super easy to make and uses only fresh ingredients.

Chicken Breast — cut and trim chicken breast into bite-size pieces

Oil — this is to saute the chicken to keep it moist and from sticking to the pan

Salt and Pepper — generously season the chicken breast with salt and pepper

Butter — saute onion and garlic in butter to soften and infuse flavor

Onion — use sweet yellow onion or red onion and saute until tender

Garlic — use minced garlic cloves

Broccoli — cut into small bite-size pieces and saute for several minutes

Orzo Pasta — this is a popular dried pasta that looks similar to rice

Chicken Broth — cook the orzo in chicken broth to infuse it with flavor

Cheese — use a mix of cheddar and parmesan cheese for the best flavor

Fresh Lemon — to add some brightness to the dish, squeeze in some fresh lemon juice

Ingredients

  • 1 Tablespoon Oil
  • 1 lb Chicken Breast (cut into bite-size pieces)
  • 1 teaspoon Salt
  • 1 teaspoon Pepper
  • 2 Tablespoons Butter
  • ½ Onion (finely diced)
  • 4 Garlic Cloves (minced)
  • 1 ½ cups Broccoli (cut into small pieces)
  • 1 cup Orzo Pasta
  • 3 cups Chicken Broth
  • 1 ½ cups Cheese (½ cup of parmesan, 1 cup of cheddar)
  • 1 Tablespoon Fresh Lemon Juice
  • Fresh Herbs (basil, oregano, or parsley)

 

Cheesy Chicken Broccoli Orzo 10
Cheesy Chicken Broccoli Orzo 10

How to make Creamy Chicken Broccoli Orzo:

  1. Heat oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Cook chicken breast, cut into bite-size pieces, for about 3 minutes per side. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Once the chicken is no longer pink, remove it from the skillet and place the chicken plus the juices on a plate. Cover.
  2. Add the butter, onion, and broccoli to the skillet and cook until softened about 5-7 minutes. Add the garlic and cook for 1 minute longer. Add the orzo pasta and toss to coat. Stir in the chicken broth. Bring to a simmer and cook until the orzo is tender, about 10-11 minutes.
  3. Stir in cheese and stir to melt. Squeeze fresh lemon juice into the skillet and stir.
  4. Top with fresh herbs, if desired, and freshly grated parmesan or Parmigiano Reggiano cheese.

WHAT TYPE OF CHEESE SHOULD I USE IN CHEESY CHICKEN ORZO?

I suggest using a strong cheese like parmesan for its robust and nutty flavor which is so perfect with this chicken and orzo skillet. I prefer to use two types of cheese in this cheesy chicken and orzo and the other cheese of choice would be medium cheddar or Colby jack cheese. You can use any type of cheddar cheese or cheddar combination.

The United States is as ready as it ever will be.

It has an enormous military budget, and bases everywhere. It’s got top of the line fighters, vessels and state-of-the-art equipment. In fact, if anything, I think that it is “over kill”. But that’s just my personal opinion.

The United States military is world-class in force projection, and they will glad-fully take the war to the shores of China and beyond. With the handful of proxy nations acting as “cannon fodder”, the United States would just sit back and watch the Australians and Japanese die in droves. Let them all be barbecued alive. As long as not one American is harmed.

So the United States force doctrine is one where the disposable peoples of Australia, Korea and Japan (with the Philippines) would be sacrificed first.

There is no question that the United States would choose Sydney, and Perth to become major battlefields. And with the rubbleing of Osaka, Tokyo, and Manila, the American military would wait out the carnage comfortably from afar in safe bunkers, Ukraine style.

Eventually, the Chinese force would peter out to an “approachable” level.

At that moment, the United States would pounce for a double “one two” blow that would destroy Chinese cities, and an invasion force in strength would seize the nation. Oh, the fighting might take a decade, but eventually the United States would win, and China would be partitioned into pre-determined bite-sized chunks for organized looting and seizure.

(Some interesting articles on this particular subject. It’s already been divided up! Though, I would advise “don’t count your chickens until the eggs hatch”.)

Anyways, there one teeny-tiny issue.

The only issue is would China really use it’s mass-casualty weapons. That’s of course, the Dong Feng, and the other novel and unique enhanced radiation and wave technologies. You know those massive enhanced radiation city-busters. Those hyper-velocity AI controlled stealth delivery systems, and the invisibility cloaking technologies.

But I am told it doesn’t matter.

As many in the “West” are very confident that “China would never…”.

So, if you (the reader) are part of this clutch, then by all means rest assured that the United States can destroy China, and it couldn’t do anything. The logic is simple. Simply because China has invested such a HUGE portion of it’s military to weapons of MASS DESTRUCTION. Leaving only a fraction of it’s military for conventional warfare. If China decides never to use the nuclear systems, then China would be handicapped to reliance on old-fashioned conventional systems.

So the United States would rip China a new behind.

But…

But…

But…

But, were China to be attacked, I am of the belief that China would use every weapon at it’s disposal. I mean, after all, why devote such a large proportion of your defensive equipment to nuclear and novel systems if you have no plans to ever use them? I figure that even if you have a Bentley in your garage, you do go and take it out for a spin from time to time. Even if that is the last thing that you do before you die.

Thus, the first cities to experience nuclear destruction would be American. I recon complete destruction of the top 35 cities.

This would really throw a monkey-wrench into the plans listed above.

The American “leadership” would be pissed and they (well the ones still alive and not wearing diapers) would order a MAD response. And the nukes would start a flying.

Correct me, if you disagree, but when the dust settles, I don’t think the world would be the same. You might think differently, but I think that nothing will ruin your day faster than global thermonuclear war.

Sigh.

So who ever asked this question, please stop asking about the end of the world. It’s not a pretty image. Go play with your army men elsewhere. War is not a game. It’s real, and very horrible. I strongly advise that it be avoided at all costs.

No one is going to win a US-China war.

គេជាមនុស្សបែបណា [ Ke Chea Mnus Beb Na ] By Eliza

We’re Not Finished

“You give me a piece of ground and a sword and I am going to take back this country with your help and the help of all the homeless Democrats and Republicans who are Americans first.” — Robert F. Kennedy, Jr.

Clusterfuck Nation
For your reading pleasure Mondays and Fridays
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If you’re wondering why our country is lost in lunatic raptures of lawless Lawfare and futile MAGAry, it’s because our economy has already collapsed, and our culture and politics with it downstream have also collapsed into spectacular degeneracy. It has already happened. Maybe you don’t know it.

The business model is broken. We’re a shadow of the industrial economy that won a great war and enjoyed a boisterous peace. You can’t replace ball bearing factories with theme parks and hedge funds. Sorry. The full faith and credit of the USA is not embodied in those frivolities, so our money is losing its mojo fast.

But get this: we will go on. This is not the end of the world or the end of history. It is the end of an era. Believe it or not, the economy will fix itself, it just won’t be what it was in 1957. It won’t be what the techno-supremacists think, either. (You need a dependable electric grid to run all those server farms and the apps they serve, and the AI supposedly looming.) It will fix itself because when things fail, as they are doing now, a lot of opportunities will open up to do things differently, even very differently.

When the chain stores fail along with their twelve-thousand-mile supply lines, Americans will figure out how to find stuff, make stuff, move stuff, and sell stuff at a smaller scale, maybe back on your Main Street (if it’s still there). There will be a lot less stuff, of course. But it may be enough stuff, and some of you will be busy making stuff of some kind. Imagine an economy where practically everybody has a useful role to play. Do you know how much more important it is to lead a purposeful, active life than to be lost in leisure and anomie with more stuff than you know what to do with? Which is where we’re at now, even for many who are statistically “poor.”

When the Happy Motoring colossus tweaks out, we’ll spend less time moving around and more time doing useful things, staying put around the places where we live. We’d be lucky if we could keep some railroads going, but the prospects are not great for that now. Sorry, we blew it. Should have re-started that project in 1970 when the handwriting was on the wall. (We made a lot of bad choices.) Cars and trains require elaborate networks of many interdependent technologies all integrated smoothly at the giant scale — oil, steel, plastics, electronics — and all of that is disintegrating. Pretty soon, you can forget about airplanes, too. That leaves… what? Yes, boats and horses. I know… it sounds inconceivable. Wait for it.

When our grotesque medical racketeering matrix fails, doctors will practice medicine at smaller scale, probably without advanced pharmaceuticals and techno-diagnostics. They’ll open small local clinics while zombies squat in the broken mega-hospitals. You’ll have to pay in cash, whatever form that comes in. You’ll have to take care of yourself, too, but there will be a whole lot less enticing, engineered, toxic crap available to stuff into your body — Froot Loops, Hot Pockets — and the food markets won’t be all that super. There will certainly be less food altogether, but there will be fewer of us to feed, and more of that fewer-of-us will be busy producing that food, one way or another.

That’s the reality I see coming. As you’ve seen vividly, the journey from where we were in, say, the year 2000, to where we’re going has been psychologically disordering at the mass scale. These days, people who ought to know better express ideas that would have gotten them laughed out the room in 1999. The catch is that few of you know that this mass disordering grew out of fear of the journey. It was a phenomenon of infectious mass anxiety over something only dimly apprehended. You just thought it was about bad people.

You’re now faced with the question: how to avoid committing suicide, directly or inadvertently, personally or as a whole society, slowly or quickly? — and its corollary, how to get through the madness in the meantime? Politics happen whether you pay attention to it or not. Politics is concerned with how a society navigates through history. Today, it seems that either A) somebody is steering badly; B) Nobody is steering; or C) some outside force has commandeered the ship’s wheel and is steering for us.

Any way you look at that, we need somebody to steer. Mr. Trump has volunteered to try doing it again. The first time, forces in every quarter of American power set out to bushwhack, sandbag, harass, hector, and hound him. In the process, they just about destroyed the rule of law. Then they simply dis-elected him surreptitiously, something you’re not supposed to say, but there it is, like so much meat on the table. Now they’re trying to hoo-rah him into jail. Whatever you think of his, er, complex personality, you must admire his perseverance through adversity. If he somehow manages to wriggle through the present obstacle course of Lawfare chicanery, his next term would be an extravaganza of retribution. The spectacle would provide much satisfaction but, in the end, it would just be a sideshow, and it is not the same thing as taking care of business.

“Joe Biden,” of course, the man who is not really even there, is only pretending to run for reelection, or at least a coterie around the Oval Office is pretending for him while they try to figure out what to do. They’re in an awful quandary. They hold all the levers of power and they have no other credible candidate, not a living soul, in their own official hatchery.

Outside of that ghastly edifice, Robert F. Kennedy is making a determined flanking move, an end-run near the sidelines. The Democratic Party in all its florid and mendacious lunacy is pretending to not notice him, especially their praetorian news media that is the vector for America’s mass mental illness. Mr. Kennedy put it so simply in April when he announced a run to preside over the stupendous mess that is our government. He said his mission is an experiment to see what happens when you tell Americans the truth. Hold that thought. How long has it been since you thought anything like that was possible?

There’s a broad-based assumption across the land, derived from our fading prime artform, the movies, that Americans can’t handle the truth. Like so much else in our national life, that is probably erroneous… fake truth. And what is so striking in Mr. Kennedy’s performance so far is an absence of fakery. It’s more than refreshing, it’s… startling. Makes you blink, a little bit. Makes you remember what it’s like to not be lied-to incessantly. Makes you want to see more of it because it gives you strength when you thought you were finished. Get this now: our world is changing, and deeply, but we’re not finished.

Banana Pudding

My brother lived in New York City for over 10 years and would rave to me all about the famous Magnolia Bakery’s Banana Pudding. I would seethe with jealousy as I knew he could walk into the bakery every single day and get his banana pudding fix.

Once I finally flew into NYC, we went straight to Magnolia’s to see what all the fuss was about. Maybe you don’t know this about me but I am super picky about bakeries. Okay, you probably could have gathered that by now! I did wonder if this would pass the test. My husband and I devoured the banana pudding in about 90 seconds so I would say that was a good sign.

Even though I love their banana pudding dessert, I wanted to create a similar copycat but make the pudding from scratch. It doesn’t take that much longer and there’s just something about handcrafted pudding, stirred with a wooden spoon, that makes it taste that much better.

This Homemade Banana Pudding Dessert is made by slowly cooking a mixture of whole milk, sugar, cornstarch, egg yolks, butter and vanilla bean until nice and thickened. I could eat an entire bowl of this stuff! It is layered with fresh sliced bananas, Nilla wafers, and homemade fluffy whipped cream.

My sister-in-law, Laura, who is a brilliant cook makes this custard every single year at Thanksgiving time. She is the BEST custard maker I know and this is a tried and true recipe. It is a recipe from her Grandma Rappleye that has been passed down through the years.

This can be made in a large trifle dish, a bowl, a glass pan, decorative jars, or even scooped into small bowls. It is such a versatile recipe. I enjoy layering it into a glass trifle dish or my favorite jars.

DSC 0984 copy
DSC 0984 copy

Ingredients

  • 1 box vanilla wafers
  • 3 bananas
  • 1 cup sugar
  • 3 tablespoons cornstarch
  • 2 cups milk
  • 2 eggs, separated
  • 1 tablespoon butter or margarine
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Instructions

  1. In a casserole dish pour about 3/4 of the vanilla wafers. Slice the bananas over that. Set aside.
  2. Mix the cornstarch into the sugar and place in a large saucepan. Add milk and cook over medium heat, stirring constantly.
  3. Beat the egg yolks with a fork and add about 4 tablespoons hot milk/sugar mixture into the yolks, stirring until well blended (this prevents chunks of cooked egg yolk). Pour the yolk mixture into the saucepan and continue cooking over medium heat, stirring constantly until mixture begins to thicken.
  4. Add vanilla extract and butter or margarine.
  5. Pour the pudding mixture over the bananas and wafers.
  6. To make meringue, beat the two egg whites until stiff. Add 3 tablespoons sugar and 1 teaspoon vanilla extract. Spread over the pudding.
  7. Brown slightly in 350 degree F oven.
Homemade Banana Pudding Recipe
Homemade Banana Pudding Recipe

A few tips for making out-of-this-world Homemade Banana Pudding Dessert:

  1.  Make sure you cook the pudding long enough for it to thicken. It needs to coat the back of a spoon. After cooking, let it chill to give it adequate time to set up. You can find my favorite wooden spoon HERE.
  2. Temper the egg yolks. Adding a small amount of hot milk to the egg yolks brings them to a higher temperature slowly to prevent the eggs from cooking. After the eggs have been tempered, add them to the pan and continue to cook.
  3. Add vanilla beans or pure vanilla extract after the pudding is removed from heat. If added while still on the heat, the vanilla flavor will be cooked off.
  4. Use COLD heavy whipping cream and beat until soft peaks form. Adding powdered sugar brings out the flavor of the cream.
  5. Bananas turn brown over time (oxidation) when exposed to air. Brush the sliced bananas with lemon juice or sprinkle with fruit fresh.

During 2022, Brazil was ranked ninth globally by oil production, ahead of Kuwait and behind Iran, lifting an average of just over 3 million barrels per day. Suppose Latin America’s largest economy is to become the world’s fourth-largest oil producer. In that case, it will need to be pumping more than 4.5 million barrels of crude oil per day so as to overtake Canada, which currently holds that spot.

2023 06 14 17 45
2023 06 14 17 45

Brazil’s energy ministry expects the country will be pumping 5.4 million barrels daily by 2029, which is a whopping 80% higher than the 3 million barrels of oil lifted daily during 2022. Consistent year-over-year growth in hydrocarbon production indicates that Brazil indeed possesses the potential to expand production and become the world’s fourth-largest oil producer.

Another key aspect that will support those plans is Brazil’s copious hydrocarbon reserves. According to the ANP, at the end of 2022, Latin America’s largest oil producer held proven or 1P petroleum reserves totaling 14.9 billion barrels, of which 77% were categorized as pre-salt. There are also 21.9 billion barrels of proven and possible or 2P reserves and 27 billion barrels of 3P reserves, known as proven possible and probable reserves.

This illustrates that Brazil possesses considerable hydrocarbon potential and the reserves required to support a significant increase in oil production. Those reserves will keep growing as exploration and development drilling gains momentum, with the Baker Hughes International rig count showing 17 active rigs at the end of May 2023 compared to 11 a year earlier.

“Man attempts to catch woman falling from 11th floor of a building with his bare hands.”

When I first read this story I didn’t know how to react. It seemed like a mixture of pure bravery, selflessness and, honestly, maybe a little stupidity.

This happened years ago, in 2015.

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main qimg 35314f92f607baaed5042e254abbf42d lq

A Chinese man by the name of Feng Ning from Enshi City in central China’s Hubei Province was walking out of a restaurant when he heard screams. He saw a woman falling from a building. He reacted instantly to try to save her. CCTV footage captured him bravely trying to catch the woman before she landed.

But the height of the fall was too great, he could not save the woman. Instead he was knocked unconscious by the sheer force of the collision and suffered a number of injuries. He suffered injuries to his legs including a knee fracture and ruptured ligaments.

Speaking to CCTV+, Li Yanbing, doctor of spinal surgery department, Enshi Central Hospital, said:

He was knocked out by the impact and suffered injuries on his knee joints, and had a tibial plateau fracture. His anterior and posterior cruciate ligaments and the medial ligament have been dislocated.

Feng joined the army as a college student in 2013. He retired in September 2015 after full service. He said his first reaction was saving the woman’s life without considering whether he would be injured. He rushed to attempt to save the woman’s life while other people just watched her fall.

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main qimg 57dd35e1c4d2a071afee66a401695e9b lq
Feng Ning suffered Knee joint injuries and tibial fractures, along with several ligament rupture. He will undergo surgical treatment. "

However, being a low-income family, Feng's parents can't afford the high treatment fees. Moved by Feng's bravery, many people gave their hands to the young man and have donated more than 15,000 U.S. dollars for his treatment.

“I don’t regret. It’s a shame that I couldn’t save her,” said Feng.

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main qimg 8779da09c282ab61e28b9adcd24bd541 lq

A reality like no other

The repairs on the underlying foundation of our reality universe are about all patched up. Actually, it’s like a map of “rail road tracks” that are embedded in a kind of sticky quantum clay that lies under the template forms.

The instigators were trying to hoe rows into the clay like substance so that the tracks would be followed in great grand circles of many sizes and shapes and configurations.

But the Oompaloomas are just smoothing and polishing away, and the behavior tracks are really smoothed out. Its a good thing. But it will take some time before the templates react to the changes.

In other words, things are good. No worries.

Herman’s Words Of Wisdom | The Munsters

Hillary Clinton Rushed by Ambulance to Emergency Room

3:59 PM EDT — Within the past hour, Hillary Clinton, wife of President Bill Clinton, was taken by ambulance from their home in Chappaqua, NY, to a nearby hospital emergency room.

Sources report that Hillary “was fine one minute, and in serious difficulty the next minute.”  No other details about the sudden and debilitating situation were made available.

I have indeed. I bought a non-running “fake” Rolex at an estate sale. The owner had died approx. a month prior and his kids (who clearly had no interest in being there – they were just trying to avoid a bill from a scrap disposal company) were selling off his possessions and personal effects. I asked about it. “It’s a fake, doesn’t work, two bucks”.

It wasn’t a fake – it was a 1972 Rolex Oyster Perpetual Date (Ref. 1500) with a sunburst grey dial. It simply needed a service and I had it back up and running again in under 4 hours – it kept great time, less than +/- 4 sec. a day. I did have to replace the acrylic crystal as it had a chipped edge, but I had spares in my stock. Being a small watch (34mm), it didn’t suit my wrist so I gave it to my nephew for his high school graduation gift. Should have heard his friends: “Dude, Ben’s uncle gave him a Rolex for graduation!”

These sell in similar condition for around $2500 – $3000 on the used market. Looks like this:

main qimg c0c2a77a0747235053ac0661379ca836
main qimg c0c2a77a0747235053ac0661379ca836

This is a very good question.

You are right. Fighting China is committing suicide. China is always 3 steps ahead of its adversaries and they cannot be hurt more than them.

Look at Donald Trump’s trade war with China. China wins hands down and the U.S. suffers till today. From 2017–2022 collectively China grew 26.5% while the U.S. grew 6.5%! The U.S. imports of Chinese goods actually grew higher than before the war.

Half a million Americans migrated into the the homeless category and up to 50 million people moved from middle class to the poor category. The life expectancy of China exceeded the U.S. for the very first time in 2021 and repeated the feat in 2022!

Trump would have still be president if not for this trade war. The poor who suffered higher prices resulting from the tariffs voted overwhelmingly against him. While China handled the Covid-19 effectively keeping deaths below 10K the U.S. lost more than a million lives. China opened up at perfectly the right moment when the virus strain has become docile and weak. The U.S. freedom of individualism is greater than collective good of the society hurt them terribly.

China is the biggest consumer by far. Chinese middle class alone is 700 million. And Chinese growth alone is 36.4 share of the world. US and G7 combined adds up to a mere 24.6%. China now represents 30% of world demand but what is more scary 30% of all things made for the world U.S. made in China. So when you fight with China you are cutting off at least 50% of sales opportunities world wide.

Chinese are ready for you if you dare try to attack China. It has a thousand surprises waiting for you. It has now the biggest army, it has more planes, ships and tanks. And it makes the most modern drones and they have 100 times more than the U.S. So crawl back to Beijing and talk politely like what Blinken is trying to do.

Don’t fight China. Work out a plan to be a good partner with China. China is not spoiling for a fight , US is, but China is absolutely ready. You destroy a 1000 homes in China they will destroy the same number of homes in the U.S. you kill a million Chinese they will kill a million Americans in the U.S.

The Beverly Hillbillies⚡️Granny Learns to Drive

https://youtu.be/hqNFFiw90x8

Southern Karo Syrup Chicken

2023 06 13 15 26
2023 06 13 15 26

Ingredients

  • 1 broiler-fryer chicken
  • 2 tablespoons butter
  • 1/2 cup Karo corn syrup
  • 1/2 cup orange juice
  • 3 tablespoons lemon juice

Instructions

  1. Cut up chicken.
  2. In skillet over medium heat, cook chicken in butter about 30 minutes or until tender. Drain off fat.
  3. Mix remaining ingredients and pour over chicken. Cook over medium heat, turning often, for 5 to 10 minutes or until glazed.

WKRP Dr. Johnny Fever Awakens From The Dead

I was born and grew up in Taiwan. In my days, the standard education required that a student memorize more than the amount you mentioned before the time of college entrance exam. Looking back, I see this as both necessary and a blessing. Not unlike classics in other cultures, the Chinese classics is not something you peruse on an as-needed basis the way you consult Wikipedia, but something that has to be internalized and regurgitated in your subconsciousness hundreds of times over decades until it is integrated into your foundation. If you miss the opportunity of learning it by rote at a young age, you lose the chance of having it become a part of your personal makeup, and will at best have a casual and superficial connection to it. From the perspective of a culture, this would not be acceptable. I believe China is not unique in this.

This is especially true with poetry. We memorized a large amount of classic poetry, cream of the crop, early on. They sounded beautiful, but didn’t really speak to me for a long time. It would be much later, at unexpected instants when I ran into them again, and suddenly everything clicked, every word carried power I did not know existed. The experiences were so transformative that I clearly remember the exact settings in which they happened, where I was, what I was doing, who were around, etc. Such experiences would not have been possible if I had not rote-learned these poems a decade earlier as a youngster.

Having said that, as I have mentioned elsewhere on Quora, I must say that all these efforts to instill the Chinese classics into standard learning are a desperate attempt to save an endangered, if not extinct creature. The form of the traditional Chinese culture is preserved by doing this, but it is not clear if the essence, or the spirit, is still identifiable through such efforts. The traditional, self-contained and self-consistent Chinese system could be extremely efficient, creative, harmonious and powerful when it hummed like a well oiled machine. Our only, but indisputable, evidence of this are hundreds of powerful characters it was able to generate, capable of accomplishing impossible feats in the face of insurmountable challenge and adversity. But that self-contained and self-consistent system is no longer known to us. We no longer know how it looked or felt. The best we have now is the system of rote learning as documented in texts, which was far from the real thing.

But it is still much better than nothing at all. It could be worse.

Blind dates haven’t changed in 50 years

Beijing, Wellington to push for pragmatic cooperation

Beijing expressed its willingness to maintain high-level exchanges with Wellington and to enhance mutual trust and bilateral pragmatic cooperation as New Zealand Prime Minister Chris Hipkins announced on Monday that he would visit China at the end of June.

Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Wang Wenbin did not confirm the date of Hipkins’ visit, but told reporters to “stay tuned” for further information.

Hipkins said he would lead a major trade delegation to Beijing, Tianjin and Shanghai, which will be the first visit by a New Zealand prime minister to China since COVID-19.

Relations with China are among New Zealand’s “most significant, wide-ranging and complex” bilateral ties, The New Zealand Herald quoted Hipkins as saying. “We have a robust, ongoing dialogue with China,” he said.

Calling China and New Zealand “important cooperation partners”, Wang said he expects the two nations to achieve greater progress in bilateral relations and bring more benefit to the two peoples.

China is the largest trading partner, export market and source of imports for New Zealand. In 2022, bilateral trade volume in goods reached $25.15 billion, a year-on-year increase of 1.8 percent, according to the Foreign Ministry.

Journalist visas with India

In another development, the Foreign Ministry spokesman urged India to meet China halfway regarding arrangements for journalists.

“Media outlets are important bridges for mutual understanding and friendly relations. China stands ready to maintain communication with India under the principles of mutual respect, equality and mutual benefit. We hope India will work in the same direction with China,” Wang said.

Since 2020, India has refused to review and approve Chinese journalists’ visa applications, and limited the period of validity of visas held by Chinese journalists in India to only three months or even a month. Some Chinese journalists waited as long as three years for their visas, according to Wang.

As a result, the number of Chinese journalists stationed in India has plummeted from 14 to just one, he said.

The Indian side still has not agreed to renew the visa of the last Chinese journalist in the country. For Indian media outlets, four have been stationed in China in recent years and one is still working and living in China, Wang said.

“China has treated Indian journalists as friends and like family. We have communicated with the Indian side with restraint and goodwill. Regrettably, India has yet to take any action to address the problem,” he said.

The spokesman urged India to “scrap undue restrictions on Chinese journalists”, and effectively review and approve their visas as soon as possible, in order “to create conditions for resuming normal exchanges between Chinese and Indian media”.

 

MOMOLAND – BBOOM BBOOM

What does U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken think about Chinese diplomats’ negotiation skills?

Antony (the idiot) Blinkin?

2023 06 13 16 01
2023 06 13 16 01

Who the fuck cares what this train-wreck thinks? I mean, I could somehow give him some deference, but getting to be Secretary of States through butt-fucking isn’t high on my idea of achievement awards. The only thing that he brings to the table is an almost magical ability to fuck things up in spades. I mean when you spell disaster, you spell it B-L-I-N-K-I-N.

But, so much for his good points.

It’s common knowledge that he learned geography and Geo-politics by reading the instructions on the back of the free LGBQ+ condoms handed out to the homeless. And his opinions of others is difficult to gauge, as he doesn’t recognize that anyone else in the world exists. He’s me-me-me-me all the time, with no consideration of the thoughts, needs or feelings of others.

A perfect example of his exclusivity of penis wagging is his first meeting in Anchorage, Alaska with the Chinese diplomatic staff. His opening words were nothing short of acute diarrhea, vomited out with a speed of ill-mannered excess that astounded even the murders on death row have stayed in shock by.

It does not matter what this over-grown pustule of human feces thinks.

The Chinese diplomatic corps are giants compared tho this sniveling and breathing abomination. He is incapable of any form of communication. He only knows how to piss on the carpet and shit in his diaper. His ability to be butt-fucked may be legendary, but is useless on the grand scheme of things.

But I will say ONE good this about this festering, sniveling, pile of pestilence.

He hasn’t YET got the United States and China in a nuclear war. But, give him time. He’s one walking cluster-fuck if there ever was one.

Biden Is ‘In Denial’ Over Collapse Of Empire – Economist Richard Wolff

Southern Pan-Fried Chicken

A country ham (such as a “Smithfield” ham) is salt-cured, smoked and aged well. Whole country hams are expensive; it is possible, however, to buy country ham steaks. But you may also substitute thick-cut, smoked, streaky bacon for the ham in this recipe.

2023 06 13 15 28
2023 06 13 15 28

Ingredients

  • 2 quarts cold water
  • 1/2 cup kosher salt (regular table salt will make the brine too salty)
  • 1 (3 pound) chicken, cut into 8 pieces
  • 1 quart buttermilk
  • 1 pound lard
  • 1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter
  • 1/2 cup country ham pieces, or 1 thick slice country ham, cut into 1/2-inch strips (see note)
  • 1 cup all-purpose flour
  • 2 tablespoons cornstarch
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

Instructions

  1. Combine the water and the salt, stirring until salt is dissolved.
  2. Place the chicken pieces in a bowl and pour the salt water over.
  3. Cover and refrigerate for 8-12 hours.
  4. Drain the chicken and rinse out the bowl it was brined in.
  5. Return the chicken to the bowl, pour the buttermilk over and cover and refrigerate 8-12 hours.
  6. Drain the chicken on a wire rack, discarding the buttermilk.
  7. Meanwhile, prepare the fat for frying: put the lard, butter and country ham into a heavy skillet or frying pan. Cook over low heat for 30-45 minutes, skimming as needed, until the butter ceases to throw off foam and the ham is browned.
  8. Use a slotted spoon to remove the ham carefully from the fat. (Reserve the fried ham for another use, such as snacking.)
  9. Just before frying, increase the temperature to medium-high and heat the fat to 335 degrees F.
  10. Blend together the flour, cornstarch, salt and pepper in a shallow bowl or on wax paper.
  11. Dredge the drained chicken pieces thoroughly in the flour mixture, then pat well to remove any excess flour.
  12. Slip some of the chicken pieces, skin-side-down, into the heated fat. Do not overcrowd the pan; fry in batches, if necessary. Cook for 8-10 minutes on each side, until the chicken is golden brown and cooked through.
  13. Drain thoroughly on a wire rack or on crumpled (not flat) paper towels. Serve hot, warm or at room temperature.

WKRP Venus’ 1st Day

Did Russia Destroy The Nova Kakhova Dam?

Propaganda will tell you that Russia detonated the Nova Kakhova Dam which was and is under its control. It thereby allegedly cut of Crimea from its major water supply and endangered the cooling of the six reactors of the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant. The island as well as the power plant are under firm Russian control.

Well, so you can believe that. Or you can look for some facts hidden behind such ‘news’.

Battles Rage as Ukraine Tries to Retake Russian-Occupied Territory – New York Times – June 9, 2023

Experts say the dam, which was held by Russian forces, was probably destroyed by an intentional explosion within the massive structure. They say an explosion from the outside, like a missile strike, or a structural failure caused by earlier war damage and high water spilling over the top, were conceivable causes but far less likely.

Ukraine Claims More Small Advances in Counteroffensive, but No Breakthroughs – New York Times – June 12, 2023

Engineering and munitions experts have said that the dam was probably breached by an explosion from the inside, not by shelling or other external attacks, and not by a structural failure.

Britain has delivered long-range ‘Storm Shadow’ cruise missiles to Ukraine ahead of expected counteroffensive, sources say – CNN – May 12, 2023

The United Kingdom has delivered multiple “Storm Shadow” cruise missiles to Ukraine, giving the nation a new long-range strike capability in advance of a highly anticipated counteroffensive against Russian forces, multiple senior Western officials told CNN.

Storm Shadow – Wikipedia

The Storm Shadow’s BROACH warhead features an initial penetrating charge to clear soil or enter a bunker, then a variable delay fuze to control detonation of the main warhead. Intended targets are command, control and communications centres; airfields; ports and power stations; ammunition management and storage facilities; surface ships and submarines in port; bridges and other high value strategic targets.


“Two stage warhead punctures external shell, then detonates inside target”

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Storm Shadown – Federation of American Scientists

When engaging hard targets, such as Hardened Aircraft Shelters or bunkers, the missile will strike the target at the estimated optimum dive angle, selected during mission planning. On impact the detonation sequence commences. The precursor charge will perforate the target structure, and any soil covering, and the follow through penetrator warhead will continue to penetrate inside the target to be detonated after a preselectable fuse delay.

Posted by b at 5:30 UTC | Comments (12)

“This is the 2nd phase of UFO disclosure” – Dr. Michael Salla confirms UFO whistleblower story

Complex Systems Won’t Survive the Competence Crisis

From HERE
.

At a casual glance, the recent cascades of American disasters might seem unrelated. In a span of fewer than six months in 2017, three U.S. Naval warships experienced three separate collisions resulting in 17 deaths. A year later, powerlines owned by PG&E started a wildfire that killed 85 people. The pipeline carrying almost half of the East Coast’s gasoline shut down due to a ransomware attack. Almost half a million intermodal containers sat on cargo ships unable to dock at Los Angeles ports. A train carrying thousands of tons of hazardous and flammable chemicals derailed near East Palestine, Ohio. Air Traffic Control cleared a FedEx plane to land on a runway occupied by a Southwest plane preparing to take off. Eye drops contaminated with antibiotic-resistant bacteria killed four and blinded fourteen.

While disasters like these are often front-page news, the broader connection between the disasters barely elicits any mention. America must be understood as a system of interwoven systems; the healthcare system sends a bill to a patient using the postal system, and that patient uses the mobile phone system to pay the bill with a credit card issued by the banking system. All these systems must be assumed to work for anyone to make even simple decisions. But the failure of one system has cascading consequences for all of the adjacent systems. As a consequence of escalating rates of failure, America’s complex systems are slowly collapsing.

The core issue is that changing political mores have established the systematic promotion of the unqualified and sidelining of the competent. This has continually weakened our society’s ability to manage modern systems. At its inception, it represented a break from the trend of the 1920s to the 1960s, when the direct meritocratic evaluation of competence became the norm across vast swaths of American society.

In the first decades of the twentieth century, the idea that individuals should be systematically evaluated and selected based on their ability rather than wealth, class, or political connections, led to significant changes in selection techniques at all levels of American society. The Scholastic Aptitude Test (SAT) revolutionized college admissions by allowing elite universities to find and recruit talented students from beyond the boarding schools of New England. Following the adoption of the SAT, aptitude tests such as Wonderlic (1936), Graduate Record Examination (1936), Army General Classification Test (1941), and Law School Admission Test (1948) swept the United States. Spurred on by the demands of two world wars, this system of institutional management electrified the Tennessee Valley, created the first atom bomb, invented the transistor, and put a man on the moon.

By the 1960s, the systematic selection for competence came into direct conflict with the political imperatives of the civil rights movement. During the period from 1961 to 1972, a series of Supreme Court rulings, executive orders, and laws—most critically, the Civil Rights Act of 1964—put meritocracy and the new political imperative of protected-group diversity on a collision course. Administrative law judges have accepted statistically observable disparities in outcomes between groups as prima facie evidence of illegal discrimination. The result has been clear: any time meritocracy and diversity come into direct conflict, diversity must take priority.

The resulting norms have steadily eroded institutional competency, causing America’s complex systems to fail with increasing regularity. In the language of a systems theorist, by decreasing the competency of the actors within the system, formerly stable systems have begun to experience normal accidents at a rate that is faster than the system can adapt. The prognosis is harsh but clear: either selection for competence will return or America will experience devolution to more primitive forms of civilization and loss of geopolitical power.

From Meritocracy to Diversity

The first domino to fall as Civil Rights-era policies took effect was the quantitative evaluation of competency by employers using straightforward cognitive batteries. While some tests are still legally used in hiring today, several high-profile enforcement actions against employers caused a wholesale change in the tools customarily usable by employers to screen for ability.

After the early 1970s, employers responded by shifting from directly testing for ability to using the next best thing: a degree from a highly-selective university. By pushing the selection challenge to the college admissions offices, selective employers did two things: they reduced their risk of lawsuits and they turned the U.S. college application process into a high-stakes war of all against all. Admission to Harvard would be a golden ticket to join the professional managerial class, while mere admission to a state school could mean a struggle to remain in the middle class.

This outsourcing did not stave off the ideological change for long. Within the system of political imperatives now dominant in all major U.S. organizations, diversity must be prioritized even if there is a price in competency. The definition of diversity varies by industry and geography. In elite universities, diversity means black, indigenous, or Hispanic. In California, Indian women are diverse but Indian men are not. When selecting corporate board members, diversity means “anyone who is not a straight white man.” The legally protected and politically enforced nature of this imperative renders an open dialogue nearly impossible.

However diversity itself is defined, most policy on the matter is based on a simple premise: since all groups are identical in talent, any unbiased process must produce the same group proportions as the general population, and therefore, processes that produce disproportionate outcomes must be biased. Prestigious journals like Harvard Business Review are the first to summarize and parrot these views, which then flow down to reporting by mass media organizations like Bloomberg Businessweek. Soon, it joins McKinsey’s “best practices” list and becomes instantiated in corporate policies.

Unlike accounting policies, which emanate from the Financial Accounting Standards Board and are then implemented by Chief Financial Officers, the diversity push emanates inside of organizations from multiple power centers, each of which joins in for independent reasons. CEOs push diversity policies primarily to please board members and increase their status. Human Resources (HR) professionals push diversity policies primarily to avoid anti-discrimination lawsuits. Business development teams push diversity to win additional business from diversity-sensitive clients (e.g. government agencies). Employee Resource Groups (ERGs), such as the Black Googler Network, push diversity to help their in-group in hiring and promotion decisions.

Diversity in Theory and Practice

In police academies around the country, new recruits are taught to apply an escalation of force algorithm with non-compliant subjects: “Ask, Tell, Make.” The idea behind “Ask, Tell, Make” is to apply the least amount of force necessary to achieve the desired level of compliance. This is the means by which police power, which is ultimately backed by significant coercive force, can maintain an appearance of voluntary compliance and soft-handedness. Similarly, the power centers inside U.S. institutions apply a variant of “Ask, Tell, Make” to achieve diversity in their respective organizations.

The first tactics for implementing diversity imperatives are the “Ask” tactics. These simply ask all the members of the organization to end bias. At this stage, the policies seem so reasonable and fair that there will rarely be much pushback. Best practices such as slating guidelines are a common tool at this stage. Slating guidelines require that every hiring process must include a certain number and type of diverse candidates for every job opening. Structured interviews are another best practice that requires interviewers to stick with a script to minimize the chance of uncovering commonalities between the interviewer and interviewee that might introduce bias. Often HR will become involved in the hiring process, specifically asking the hiring manager to defend their choice not to hire a diverse candidate. Because the wrong answer could result in shaming, loss of advancement opportunities, or even termination, the hiring manager can often be persuaded to prioritize diversity over competence.

Within specialized professional services companies, senior-level recruiting will occasionally result in a resume collection where not a single diverse candidate meets the minimum specifications of the job. This is a terrible outcome for the hiring manager as it attracts negative attention from HR. At this point, firms will often retain an executive search agency that focuses on exclusively diverse candidates. When that does not result in sufficient diversity, roles will often have their requirements diluted to increase the pool of diverse candidates.

For example, within hedge funds, the ideal entry-level candidate might be an experienced former investment banker who went to a top MBA program. This preferred pedigree sets a minimum bar for both competence and work ethic. This first-pass filter enormously winnows the field of underrepresented candidates. To relax requirements for diversity’s sake, this will be diluted in various ways. First, the work experience might be stripped. Next, the role gets offered to MBA interns. Finally, fresh undergraduates are hired into the analyst role. Dilution works not just because of the larger field of candidates it allows for but also because the Harvard Admission Office of 2019 is even more focused on certain kinds of diversity than the Harvard Admission Office of 2011 was.

This dilution is not costless; fewer data points result in a wider range of outcomes and increase the risk of a bad hire. All bad hires are costly but bad hires that are diverse are even worse. The risk of a wrongful termination lawsuit either draws out the termination process for diverse hires or results in the firm adjusting by giving them harmless busy work until they leave of their own volition—either way, a terrible outcome for the organizations which hired them.

If these “Ask” tactics do not achieve enough diversity, the next step in the escalation is to attach carrots and sticks to directly tell decision-makers to increase the diversity of the organization. This is the point at which the goals of diversity and competence truly begin displaying significant tension between each other. The first step is the implementation of Key Performance Indicators (KPI) linked to diversity for all managers. Diversity KPIs are a tool to embarrass leaders and teams that are not meeting their diversity targets. Given that most organizations are hierarchical and pyramidal, combined with the fact that America was much whiter 50 years ago than it was today, it is unsurprising that senior leadership teams are less diverse than America as a whole—and, more pertinently, than their own junior teams.

The combination of a pyramid-shaped org chart and a senior leadership team where white men often make up 80 percent or more of the team means that the imposition of an aggressive KPI sends a message to the layer below them: no white man in middle management will likely ever see a promotion as long as they remain in the organization. This is never expressed verbally. Rather, those overlooked figure it out as they are passed over continually for less competent but more diverse colleagues. The result is demoralization, disengagement, and over time, departure.

While all the aforementioned techniques fall into the broad category of affirmative action, they primarily result in slightly tilting the scale toward diverse candidates. The next step is simply holding different groups to different standards. Within academia, the recently filed Students for Fair Admissions v. President and Fellows of Harvard College lawsuit leveraged data to show the extent to which Harvard penalizes Asian and white applicants to help black and Hispanic applicants. The UC System, despite formally being forbidden from practicing affirmative action by Proposition 209, uses a tool called “comprehensive admission” to accomplish the same goal.

The latest technique, which was recently brought to light, shows UC admissions offices using the applicants’ high schools as a proxy for race to achieve their desired goal. Heavily Asian high schools such as Arcadia—which is 68 percent Asian—saw their UC-San Diego acceptance rate cut from 37 percent to 13 percent while the 99-percent-Hispanic Garfield High School saw its UC-San Diego acceptance rate rise from 29 percent to 65 percent.

The preference for diversity at the college faculty level is similarly strong. Jessica Nordell’s End of Bias: A Beginning heralded MIT’s efforts to increase the gender diversity of its engineering department: “When applications came in, the Dean of Engineering personally reviewed every one from a woman. If departments turned down a good candidate, they had to explain why.”

When this was not enough, MIT increased its gender diversity by simply offering jobs to previously rejected female candidates. While no university will admit to letting standards slip for the sake of diversity, no one has offered a serious argument why the new processes produce higher or even equivalent quality faculty as opposed to simply more diverse faculty. The extreme preference for diversity in academia today explains much of the phenomenon of professors identifying with a minor fraction of their ancestry or even making it up entirely.

During COVID-19, the difficulty of in-person testing and online proctoring created a new mechanism to push diversity at the expense of competency: the gradual but systematic elimination of standardized tests as a barrier to admission to universities and graduate schools. Today, the majority of U.S. colleges have either stopped requiring SAT/ACT scores, no longer require them for students in the top 10 percent of their class, or will no longer consider them. Several elite law schools, including Harvard Law School, no longer require the LSAT as of 2023. With thousands of unqualified law students headed to a bar exam that they are unlikely to pass, the National Conference of Bar Examiners is already planning to dilute the bar exam under the “NextGen” plan. Specifically, “eliminat[ing] any aspects of our exams that could contribute to performance disparities” will almost definitionally reduce the degree to which the exam tests for competency.

Similarly, standards used to select doctors have also been weakened to promote diversity. Programs such as the City College of New York’s BS/MD program have eliminated the MCAT requirement. With the SAT now optional, new candidates can go straight from high school to the United States Medical Licensing Examination Step 1 exam in medical school without having gone through any rigorous standardized test whose score can be compared across schools. Step 1 scores were historically the most significant factor in the National Residency Matching Program, which pairs soon-to-be doctors with their future residency training programs. Because Step 1 scores serve as a barrier to increasing diversity, they have been made pass/fail. A handful of doctors are speaking out about the dangers of picking doctors based on factors other than competency but most either explicitly prefer diversity or else stay silent, concerned about the career-ending repercussions of pointing out the obvious.

When even carrot and stick incentives and the removal of standards do not achieve enough diversity, the end game is to simply make decision-makers comply. “Make” has two preferred implementations: one is widely discussed and the other is, for obvious reasons, never disclosed publicly. The first method of implementation is the application of quotas. Quotas or set-asides require the reservation of admissions slots, jobs, contracts, board seats, or other scarce goods for women and members of favored minority groups. Government contracts and supplier agreements are explicitly awarded to firms that have acronyms such as SB, WBE, MBE, DBE, SDB, VOSB, SDVOSB, WOSB, HUB, and 8(a).

Within large employers and government contractors, quotas are used for both hiring and promotions, requiring specific percentages of hiring or promotions to be reserved for favored groups. During the summer of 2020, the CEO of Wells Fargo, was publicly shamed after his memo blaming the underrepresentation of black senior leaders on a “very limited pool” of black talent was leaked to Reuters. Less than a month later, the bank publicly pledged to reserve 12 percent of leadership positions for black candidates and began tying executive compensation to reaching diversity goals. In 2022, Goldman Sachs extended quotas to the capital markets by adopting a policy to avoid underwriting IPOs of firms without at least two board members that are not straight white men.

When diversity still refuses to rise to acceptable levels, the remaining solution is the direct exclusion of non-diverse candidates. While public support for anti-discrimination laws and equal opportunity laws is high, public support for affirmative action and quotas is decidedly mixed. Hardline views such as those expressed in author Ijeoma Oluo’s Mediocre: The Dangerous Legacy of White Male America—namely that any white man in a position of power perpetuates a system of white male domination”—are still considered extreme, even within U.S. progressive circles.

As such, when explicit exclusion is used to eliminate groups like white men from selection processes, it is done subtly. Managers are told to sequester all the resumes from “non-diverse” candidates—that is, white males. These resumes are discarded and the candidates are sent emails politely telling them that “other candidates were a better fit.” While some so-called “reverse discrimination” lawsuits have been filed, most of these policies go unreported. The reasons are straightforward; even in 2023, screening out all white men is not de jure legal. Moreover, any member of the professional managerial class who witnesses and reports discrimination against white men will never work in their field again.

Even anonymous whistleblowing is likely to be rare. To imagine why, suppose incontrovertible evidence was produced that one’s employer was explicitly excluding white male candidates, and a lawsuit was filed. The employer’s reputation and the reputation of all the employees there, including the white men still working there, would be tarnished. That said, we can expect to see more lawsuits from men who feel they have little to lose.

This “Ask, Tell, Make” framework, under various descriptions, is the method by which individuals with a vested interest in more diversity push their organizations toward their preferred outcome. Force begins requesting modest changes to recruiting to make it “more fair.” Force ends with the heavy-handed application of quotas and even exclusion. The American system is not a monolith, however, which means that the strength of the push and its effects on competency is not distributed evenly.

Competency Is Declining From the Core Outwards

Think of the American system as a series of concentric rings with the government at the center. Directly surrounding that are the organizations that receive government funds, then the nonprofits that influence and are subject to policy, and finally business at the periphery. Since the era of the Manhattan Project and the Space Race, the state capacity of the federal government has been declining almost monotonically.

While this has occurred for a multitude of reasons, the steel girders supporting the competency of the federal government were the first to be exposed to the saltwater of the Civil Rights Act and related executive orders. Government agencies, which are in charge of overseeing all the other systems, have seen the quality of their human capital decline tremendously since the 1960s. While the damage to an agency like the Department of Agriculture may have long-term deadly consequences, the most immediate danger is at safety-critical agencies like the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA).

The Air Traffic Control (ATC) system used in the U.S. relies on an intricate dance of visual or radar observation, transponders, and radio communication, all with the incredible challenge of keeping thousands of simultaneously moving planes from ever crashing into each other. Since air controlling is one of the only jobs that pays more than $100,000 per year and does not require a college diploma, it has been a popular career choice for individuals without a degree who nonetheless have an exceptionally good memory, attention span, visuospatial awareness, and logical skills. The Air Traffic Selection and Training (AT-SAT) Exam, a standardized test of those critical skills, was historically the primary barrier to entry for air controllers. As a consequence of the AT-SAT, as well as a preference for veterans with former air controller experience, 83 percent of air controllers in the U.S. were white men as of 2014.

That year, the FAA added a Biographical Questionnaire (BQ) to the screening process to tilt the applicant pool toward diverse candidates. Facing pushback in the courts from well-qualified candidates who were screened out, the FAA quietly backed away from the BQ and adopted a new exam, the Air Traffic Skills Assessment (ATSA). While the ATSA includes some questions similar to those of the BQ, it restored the test’s focus on core air traffic skills. The importance of highly-skilled air controllers was made clear in the most deadly air disaster in history, the 1977 Tenerife incident. Two planes, one taking off and one taxiing, collided on the runway due to confusion between the captain of KLM 4805 and the Tenerife ATC. The crash, which killed 583 people, resulted in sweeping changes in aviation safety culture.

Recently, the tremendous U.S. record for air safety established since the 1970s has been fraying at the edges. The first three months of 2023 saw nine near-miss incidents at U.S. airports, one with two planes coming within 100 feet of colliding. This terrifying uptick from years prior resulted in the FAA and NTSB convening safety summits in March and May, respectively. Whether they dared to discuss root causes seems unlikely.

Given the sheer size of the U.S. military in both manpower and budget dollars, it should not come as a surprise that the diversity push has also affected the readiness of this institution. Following three completely avoidable collisions of U.S. Navy warships in 2017 and a fire in 2020 that resulted in the scuttling of USS Bonhomme Richard, a $750 million amphibious assault craft, two retired marines conducted off-the-record interviews with 77 current and retired Navy officers. One recurring theme was the prioritization of diversity training over ship handling and warfighting preparedness. Many of them openly admit that, given current issues, the U.S. would likely lose an open naval engagement with China. Instead of taking the criticism to heart, the Navy commissioned “Task Force One Navy,” which recommended deemphasizing or eliminating meritocratic tests like the Officer Aptitude Rating to boost diversity. Absent an existential challenge, U.S. military preparedness is likely to continue to degrade.

The decline in the capacity of government contractors is likewise obvious, with the largest contractors being the most directly impacted. The five largest contractors—Lockheed Martin, Boeing, General Dynamics, Raytheon Company, and Northrop Grumman—will all struggle to maintain competency in the coming years.

Boeing, one of only two firms globally capable of mass-producing large airliners, has a particularly striking crisis unfolding in its institutional culture. Shortly after releasing the 737 MAX, 346 people died in two nearly identical 737 MAX crashes in Indonesia and Ethiopia. The cause of the crashes was a complex interaction between design choices, cost-cutting led by MBAs, FAA issues, the MCAS flight-control system, a faulty sensor, and pilot training. Meanwhile, on the defense side of the business, Boeing’s new fuel tanker, the KC-46A Pegasus is years behind on deliveries due to serious technical flaws with the fueling system along with multiple cases of Foreign Object Debris left inside the plane during construction: tools, a red plastic cap, and in one case, even trash. Between the issues at ATC and Boeing, damage to the U.S.’s phenomenal aviation safety record seems almost inevitable.

After government contractors, the next-most-affected class of institutions are nonprofit organizations. They are entrapped by the government whose policies they are subject to and trying to influence, the opinions of their donor base, and lack of any profit motive. The lifeblood of nonprofits is access to capital, either directly in the form of government grants or through donations that are deemed tax-deductible. Accessing federal monies means being subject to the full weight of U.S. diversity rules and regulations. Nonprofits are generally governed by boards whose members tend to overlap with the list of major donors. Because advocacy for diversity and board memberships are both high-status positions, unsurprisingly board members tend to voice favorable opinions of diversity, and those opinions flow downstream to the organizations they oversee.

Nonprofits—including universities, charities, and foundations—exist in an overlapping ecosystem with journalism, with individuals tending to freely circulate between the four. The activities of nonprofits are bound up in the same discourses shaped by current news and academic research, with all four reflecting the same general ideological consensus. Finally, lacking the profit motive, the decision-making processes of nonprofits are influenced by what will affect the status of the individuals within those organizations rather than what will affect profits. Within nonprofits, the cost of incompetent staffers is borne by “stakeholders,” rather than any one individual.

While all businesses subject to federal law must prioritize diversity over competency at some level, the problem is worse at publicly-traded corporations for reasons both obvious and subtle. The obvious reason is that larger companies present larger targets for EEOC actions and discrimination lawsuits with hundreds of millions of dollars at stake. Corporations have logically responded by hiring large teams of HR professionals to preempt such lawsuits. Over the past several decades, HR has evolved from simply overseeing onboarding to involvement in every aspect of hiring, promotions, and firings, seeing them all through a political and regulatory lens.

The more subtle reason for pressure within publicly-traded companies is that they require ongoing relationships with a spiderweb of banks, credit ratings agencies, proxy advisory services, and most importantly, investors. Given that the loss of access to capital is an immediate death sentence for most businesses, the CEOs of publicly-traded companies tend to push diversity over competency even when the decline in firm performance is clear. CEOs would likely rather trade a small drag on profits margins than a potentially career-ending scandal from pushing back.

Whereas publicly-traded corporations nearly uniformly push diversity, privately-held businesses vary tremendously based on the views of their owners. Partnerships such as the Big Four accounting firms and top-tier management consultancies are high-status. High-status firms must regularly proclaim extensive support for diversity. While the firms tend to be highly selective, partnerships whose leadership is overwhelmingly white and male have generally capitulated to the zeitgeist and are cutting standards to hit targets. Firms often manage around this by hiring for diversity and then putting diversity hires into roles where they are the least likely to damage the firm or the brand. Somewhat counterintuitively, firms with diverse founders are often highly meritocratic, as the structure harnesses the founder’s desire to make money and shields them from criticism on diversity issues.

The most notable example of a diverse meritocracy is Vista Equity Partners, the large private equity firm founded by Robert F. Smith, America’s wealthiest black man. Robert F. Smith is one of the most vocal advocates for and philanthropists to historically black U.S. colleges and universities. It would be reasonable to expect Vista to prioritize diversity over competency in its portfolio companies. However, Vista has instead been profiled for giving all portfolio company management teams the Criteria Cognitive Aptitude Test and ruthlessly culling low-performers. Given the amount of value to be created by promoting the best people into leadership roles of their portfolio companies, one might imagine this to be low-hanging fruit for the rest of private equity, yet Vista is an outlier. Why Vista can apply the CCAT without a public outcry is obvious.

The other firms that tend to still focus on competency are those that are small and private. Such firms have two key advantages: they fall below the fifteen-employee threshold for the most onerous EEOC rules and the owner can usually directly observe the performance of everyone inside the organization. Within small firms, underperformance is usually obvious. Tech startups, being both small and private, would seem to have the right structure to prioritize competency.

The American System Is Cracking

Promoting diversity over competency does not simply affect new hires and promotion decisions. It also affects the people already working inside of America’s systems. Morale and competency inside U.S. organizations are declining. Those who understand that the new system makes it hard or impossible for them to advance are demoralized, affecting their performance. Even individuals poised to benefit from diversity preferences notice that better people are being passed over and the average quality of their team is declining. High performers want to be on a high-performing team. When the priorities of their organizations shift away from performance, high performers respond negatively.

This effect was likely seen in a recent paper by McDonald, Keeves, and Westphal. The paper points out that white male senior leaders reduce their engagement following the appointment of a minority CEO. While it is possible that author Ijeoma Oluo is correct, and that white men have so much unconscious bias raging inside of them that the appointment of a diverse CEO sends them into a tailspin of resentment, there is another more plausible explanation. When boards choose diverse CEOs to make a political statement, high performers who see an organization shifting away from valuing honest performance respond by disengaging.

Some demoralized employees—like James Damore in his now-famous essay, “Google’s Ideological Echo Chamber”—will directly push back against pro-diversity arguments. Like James, they will be fired. Older, demoralized workers, especially those who are mere years from retirement, are unlikely to point out the decline in competency and risk it costing them their jobs. Those who have a large enough nest egg may simply retire to avoid having to deal with the indignity of having to attend another Inclusive Leadership seminar.

As older men with tacit knowledge either retire or are pushed out, the burden of maintaining America’s complex systems will fall on the young. Lower-performing young men angry at the toxic mix of affirmative action (hurting their chances of admission to a “good school”) and credentialism (limiting the “good jobs” to graduates of “good schools”) are turning their backs on college and white-collar work altogether.

This is the continuation of a trend that began over a decade ago. High-performing young men will either collaborate, coast, or downshift by leaving high-status employment altogether. Collaborators will embrace “allyship” to attempt to bolster their chances of getting promoted. Coasters realize that they need to work just slightly harder than the worst individual on their team. Their shirking is likely to go unnoticed and they are unlikely to feel enough emotional connection to the organization to raise alarm when critical mistakes are being made. The combination of new employees hired for diversity, not competence, and the declining engagement of the highly competent sets the stage for failures of increasing frequency and magnitude.

The modern U.S. is a system of systems interacting together in intricate ways. All these complex systems are simply assumed to work. In February of 2021, cold weather in Texas caused shutdowns at unwinterized natural gas power plants. The failure rippled through the systems with interlocking dependencies. As a result, 246 people died. In straightforward work, declining competency means that things happen more slowly, and products are lower quality or more expensive. In complex systems, declining competency results in catastrophic failures.

To understand why, one must understand the concept of a “normal accident.” In 1984, Charles Perrow, a Yale sociologist, published the book, Normal Accidents: Living With High-Risk Technologies. In this book, Perrow lays out the theory of normal accidents: when you have systems that are both complex and tightly coupled, catastrophic failures are unavoidable and cannot simply be designed around. In this context, a complex system is one that has many components that all need to interact in a specified way to produce the desired outcome. Complex systems often have relationships that are nonlinear and contain feedback loops. Tightly-coupled systems are those whose components need to move together precisely or in a precise sequence.

The 1979 Three Mile Island Accident was used as a case study: a relatively minor blockage of a water filter led to a cascading series of malfunctions that culminated in a partial meltdown. In A Demon of Our Own Design, author Richard Bookstaber added two key contributions to Perrow’s theory: first, that it applies to financial markets, and second, that regulation intended to fix the problem may make it worse.

The biggest shortcoming of the theory is that it takes competency as a given. The idea that competent organizations can devolve to a level where the risk of normal accidents becomes unacceptably high is barely addressed. In other words, rather than being taken as absolutes, complexity and tightness should be understood to be relative to the functionality of the people and systems that are managing them. The U.S. has embraced a novel question: what happens when the men who built the complex systems our society relies on cease contributing and are replaced by people who were chosen for reasons other than competency?

The answer is clear: catastrophic normal accidents will happen with increasing regularity. While each failure is officially seen as a separate issue to be fixed with small patches, the reality is that the whole system is seeing failures at an accelerating rate, which will lead in turn to the failure of other systems. In the case of the Camp Fire that killed 85 people, PG&E fired its CEO, filed Chapter 11, and restructured. The system’s response has been to turn off the electricity and raise wildfire insurance premiums. This has resulted in very little reflection. The more recent coronavirus pandemic was another teachable moment. What started just three years ago with a novel respiratory virus has caused a financial crisis, a bubble, soaring inflation, and now a banking crisis in rapid succession.

Patching the specific failure mode is simultaneously too slow and induces unexpected consequences. Cascading failures overwhelm the capabilities of the system to react. 20 years ago, a software bug caused a poorly-managed local outage that led to a blackout that knocked out power to 55 million people and caused 100 deaths. Utilities were able to restore power to all 55 million people in only four days. It is unclear if they could do the same today. U.S. cities would look very different if they remained without power for even two weeks, especially if other obstructions unfolded. What if emergency supplies sat on trains immobilized by fuel shortages due to the aforementioned pipeline shutdown? The preference for diversity over competency has made our system of systems dangerously fragile.

Americans living today are the inheritors of systems that created the highest standard of living in human history. Rather than protecting the competency that made those systems possible, the modern preference for diversity has attenuated meritocratic evaluation at all levels of American society. Given the damage already done to competence and morale combined with the natural exodus of baby boomers with decades worth of tacit knowledge, the biggest challenge of the coming decades might simply be maintaining the systems we have today.

The path of least resistance will be the devolution of complex systems and the reduction in the quality of life that entails. For the typical resident in a second-tier city in Mexico, Brazil, or South Africa, power outages are not uncommon, tap water is probably not safe to drink, and hospital-associated infections are common and often fatal. Absent a step change in the quality of American governance and a renewed culture of excellence, they prefigure the country’s future.

Grandpa’s… Wife?! | The Munsters

UPDATED AGAIN 5:30 PM EDT — TODAY! NATO “AIR-DEFENDER 2023” EXERCISE BEGINS . . .

The largest air force deployment exercise in NATO history, Air Defender 23, kicks off today. Many people fear this “exercise” is actually a “cover” for NATO to directly involve itself in the Russia-Ukraine conflict, and thereby commence World War 3, which would go nuclear.

From 12 to 23 June, 10,000 participants from 25 countries will train on 250 aircraft, including 190 combat aircraft, in European airspace.

Wunstorf Air Base in Germany is the centerpiece of the exercise, home to a purpose-built field tank farm.

2023 06 13 14 48a
2023 06 13 14 48a

The warehouse is the largest in Germany and holds about 2.4 million liters of kerosene. We are not hinting at anything.

On Saturday, about 300 people protested in front of the air base against NATO exercises. The protesters demanded diplomatic solutions instead of the use of weapons and called for an end to the conflict in Ukraine.

Hal Turner Editorial Opinion

Everyone is waiting for the other shoe to drop with the Russia-Ukraine Conflict which NATO uses as an excuse to involve itself directly.  God knows NATO has done everything it knows how, to get Russia to attack them: NATO has provided Ukraine with guns, ammunition, artillery, shells, missiles, HIMARS MLRS, Intelligence, Surveillance, Reconaissance and even targeting info on how and where to hit Russian troops. Countless BILLIONS in cash money has poured into Ukraine from NATO countries, to kill Russians.

That Russia has not taken this bait is amazing.  The patience and self-discipline of the Russians and their leaders is mind-boggling.  Yet, God bless them, the Russians have stayed the course.

In World War 2, Russia fought Nazi Germany.    At the time, Russia was part of the then-Soviet Union, but it was Russia that lost the most in that war: 27 MILLION Russians were killed fighting NAZIS.

Fast-Forward to 2014, what pops-up in Ukraine?   A NAZI infested government, installed by the West, after the West fomented, incited, and financed riots that toppled the government of President Viktor Yanukovich.

After overthrowing the Ukraine government, the West goaded Ukraine to start attacking the Russian-speaking populations of Luhansk and Donetsk.   Those two provinces wanted to join Crimea and secede from Ukraine after it’s government was overthrown by the West.    The new puppet government of Ukraine refused to allow those two provinces to secede, and instead, sent troops to begin attacking the Russian-speaking civilians there.

Russia covertly intervened with troops to help defend Luhansk and Donetsk.  The two provinces, with Russian help, fought Ukraine to a standstill.

So the West got sneaky.  A peace conference was called to meet in Minsk, Belarus.  Ukraine, Luhansk, Donetsk, France, Germany, and Russia, attended. A peace agreement was signed . . . and Ukraine did not abide ANY of it for years after.

Turned out, the West overtly LIED during the Minsk Peace Talks.  It came out later, that then-German-Chancellor Angela Merkel, and then-President of France, Francois Hollande, signed the Minsk Agreements knowing it was a ruse; they told the press in 2022, they just wanted to buy time to arm Ukraine!

So all the way back in the year 2014, it was the West’s intent to start a war between Ukraine and Russia!

For eight years, from 2014-2022, the West armed and trained Ukraine to NATO Standards.  Ukraine had a standing army of 800,000; the largest in Europe.

In December, 2021, Ukraine massed more troops, tanks, artillery, fighter jets and the like, on the borders of Luhansk and Donetsk.  The earlier years from 2014-2022 where Ukraine killed upwards of 13,000 civilians in Luhansk and Donetsk apparently wasn’t good enough; Ukraine was going to slaughter the people there.

Russia said “no” and stepped-in on  February 24, 2022.

The West went nuts, claiming this was “an unprovoked aggression by Russia.”   It wasn’t.  It was provoked over, and over, and over again, by the West.

In the almost 16 months since the conflict began, NATO has done anything and everything it can to help Ukraine kill Russians.  NATO failed.   Ukraine is getting smashed on the battle field despite all of NATO’s help.   Ukraine is losing the conflict – badly.

It is so bad for Ukraine that they have to draft 16 year old boys off the streets, at gunpoint – to force them to the front to fight.  The bloodbath is horrifying, but NATO will not stop pushing Ukraine to fight further.

Yet for all its pushing of Ukraine to fight-on, and for all the equipment NATO has supplied to Ukraine . . . Russia is still winning.   Russia just smashes all the gear being sent by NATO.   Within the past 48 hours, look at what Russia did to NATO’s “advanced” weaponry:

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2023 06 13 14 49b

Three out of the six Leopard 2R mine-clearing vehicles Finland donated to Ukraine have been lost in the same field.

With other engineering vehicles in the field as well, this is a massive loss for the brigade, no matter what.

Russia just moves right along, smashing and destroying everything NATO sends.

As you read this story on June 12, 2023, Ukraine’s only hope is for NATO to enter the war and fight Russia directly.  But Russia has not attacked NATO.   So at this point, an “incident” has to take place so as to justify NATO’s entry into the conflict.   And THAT is what this “Air Defender, 2023” exercise is likely all about.

Someone is likely to create an “incident” which NATO will then use to justify its entry into the war.

From today through June 24, is the single most dangerous time in this world since the Cuban Missile crisis of 1962.   If an “incident” is made to happen, and NATO enters the fight, it will go almost immediately to nuclear war.  There will be no warning for any of us.

If you’re the praying type, now is the time. The world is going to look a lot different, and sooner than people might suspect. All it takes is one Keystone removed from the arch to threaten the entirety of the system upon which our society is based.

 

UPDATE 7:56 AM EDT —

NATO has already begun probing!  NATO military aircraft are penetrating air space of the Black Sea:

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2023 06 13 14 49c

Above is a “Rivet Joint” aircraft.   The RC-135V/W Rivet Joint reconnaissance aircraft supports theater and national level consumers with near real time on-scene intelligence collection, analysis and dissemination capabilities.

Features
The aircraft is an extensively modified C-135. The Rivet Joint’s modifications are primarily related to its on-board sensor suite, which allows the mission crew to detect, identify and geolocate signals throughout the electromagnetic spectrum. The mission crew can then forward gathered information in a variety of formats to a wide range of consumers via Rivet Joint’s extensive communications suite.

Below, a NATO Fighter Jet:

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2023 06 13 14 49d

 

This jet is a single-seat, Block 5 or later aircraft (built or upgraded from F2) and is known as Typhoon FGR4s. The new mark number represents the increased capabilities of the Block 5 aircraft (fighter/ground attack/reconnaissance). The FGR4 has from June 2008 achieved the required standard for multi-role operations.

The purpose of these flights is to test Russian reaction times and gather up-to-the-minute Intelligence.   NATO is fixin’ for a fight.

MORE:

-RAF RC-135W Rivet Joint RRR7212

-RAF KC2 Voyager KAYAK31

-Italian Air Force King Air 350ER IAM1482

-US Army CH-47 Chinook R08457

-US Army Black Hawk 11-20392

 

UPDATE 8:45 AM EDT —

In Crimea, there has been an explosion on the railway tracks. This is reported by Russian media and telegram channels.

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2023 06 13 14 49e

The driver of the freight train allegedly spotted the explosive device and applied emergency brakes.

As a result of the explosion, according to preliminary data, the tracks and a freight locomotive were damaged. According to some reports, two railway workers were injured.

The explosion occurred in the Kirov region of Crimea – in the east of the peninsula.

The movement of trains on the site has been stopped, repairs may take several hours, the head of the Crimea, Sergey Aksyonov, wrote on his telegram channel.

(HT REMARK: This is clearly part of an effort to block Russian supply lines.)

 

RELATED ????

UPDATE 9:22 AM EDT —

RUSSIAN CONVOY HIT BY TURK DRONE STRIKE – SYRIA!

A Russian soldier has been killed and 3 Russian soldiers were wounded after being in a Turkish drone strike in northern Syria this morning.

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2023 06 13 14 49f

The Russian military column was traveling between the villages of Herbel and Maarat Umm Hawsh outside Aleppo.

TURKEY IS A MEMBER OF . . . NATO . . . .

 

UPDATE 10:48 AM EDT —

This is my current assessment of the Ukraine situation:

Today is Day 8 of Ukraine’s “Great Counter-offensive” and all they have to show for it is a few fields, and more troops stuck in meat grinders.

The “Counter-Offensive” is bogged down — badly — and the Vilnius, Lithuania, meeting of NATO is coming up fast.  That is the meeting at which Ukraine must show NATO that it is has made real progress with the Counter-Offensive, or future assistance from NATO goes into great jeopardy.

For what it’s worth, by Day 8, Ukraine was __supposed to__  be mopping up Melitopol, should have cut off Mariupol by standing on the AZOV Coast, and should have been starting the assault on Crimea.

Nothing is going as planned.  Ukraine is taking huge losses, and have not even managed to reach the First defense line of the Russians – anywhere!!!!

Think about THAT for just a moment; they have not yet encountered Russian actual defensive lines yet . . .  anywhere . . .  along the front.  All they’ve encountered are Russian Recon and Pickets; which are smashing and destroying much of what Ukraine has already put forth.

NATO equipment?  Not nearly as good as everyone thought it was.

NATO Tactics?  Utter failure at almost every turn.

NATO is a failure.  Ukraine is the proof.

Thank God we didn’t have to find out via an actual invasion during the Cold War by the then-Soviet-Union; we’d have had our clocks cleaned.

Once again, the incompetents running Washington, DC and our military, made another a huge mistake….

UPDATE 5:29 PM EDT —

As of today, Ukraine has lost (or abandoned to caputre) fifteen percent (15%) of the M2A2 Bradley Infantry Fighting vehicles donated to them for their “Counter-Offensive.”  They achieved this 15% loss in eight (8) days.

Trapped In The Bank Vault | The Munsters

The big game of chess is about to see some grand moves on the game board.

There is a lot of things going on. One of the big things is the apparent “disclosure” by the government that Aliens exist that that the United States government has been reverse engineering the vehicles for decade. Uh huh.

What is interesting is that the mainstream “news’ is ignoring this news.

Then you have this massive movement of NATO and the United States ready to take on Russia. That is NOT going to have a good result.

But…

I believe that China and Russia has already planned for this and are playing “this game of Chess” about 56 moves ahead of the USA.

Manifestations hitting hard! Good stuff.

Yes. My grandmother died, and my aunt (her daughter) and uncle had lived with her for years and took care of her. My aunt died before my grandmother, so when my grandmother died, it left only my uncle living in the house. He approached me awkwardly and asked if I would sign over the deed so he could have the house. He needed me and my sister to do this, and we both did with no reservations. He had taken care of the house, my grandmother and my aunt for years, so it was the right thing to do.

Africans Vs African Americans

Interesting.

Speaker of the House Sends Lawmakers HOME – Three Days Before NATO Exercise . . .that may start Russia War

House Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-CA) took the extraordinary and very unusual step of canceling votes for the rest of this week and sent lawmakers home today.   Just three days before the largest-ever NATO “exercise” simulating war with Russia . . .

The “public reason” given by Speaker McCarthy is that this was due to a “revolt” by 11 members of the House Freedom Caucus, who banded together to grind proceedings to a halt in protest of the speaker caving to Democrats during last week’s compromise to raise the debt ceiling.

The looming and not-so-public fact is that NATO’s “exercise” simulating war with Russia starts in 3+ days – and that “exercise” — may turn out to be real.

Bear in mind, this action by the Speaker takes place just about one week after members of the Senate were all given Satellite  telephones “in case a disruption to US communications occurs.”  It also takes place just a few short days after the Memorial Day weekend holiday, during which, select high-level FedGov officials secretly spent the weekend at Government Bunkers with their families.  a “practice run” for the real thing, maybe?

Or was it not “practice” at all?  How many of those officials are STILL in those Bunkers?   Is Congress now joining them?

I don’t believe the public reason given for this sending of lawmakers “home.”

Governing is always messy.  It is always disordered.  There are always disagreements and there is always upheaval.  Yet, the Speaker chose to “send lawmakers home????”   No, I don’t buy it.   I don’t buy it one bit.

Who knows, maybe they’re planning some type off False Flag attack upon Washington, DC to be blamed on Russia?

Wouldn’t surprise me in the least.

Stay tuned . . .

Liquor Store Owner Shoots Armed Robber With Shotgun

https://youtu.be/WanvSbJHbWI

A delicious layered Tex-Mex casserole using three different cheeses.

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2023 06 09 11 45

Ingredients

  • 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
  • 1 medium green bell pepper, seeded and chopped
  • 1 clove garlic, minced
  • 1 (15.5 ounce) can kidney beans, drained
  • 1 (16 ounce) can tomatoes, with juice, coarsely chopped
  • 1 (15 ounce) can tomato sauce
  • 1 tablespoon chili powder, or to taste
  • 1 (15 ounce) carton Wisconsin ricotta cheese
  • 2 cups shredded Wisconsin Monterey Jack cheese
  • 1 (4 ounce) can diced green chiles
  • 1 bunch green onions, finely chopped
  • 3 large eggs, beaten
  • 1 (8 ounce) bag tortilla chips
  • 2 cups (8 ounces) shredded Sharp Wisconsin cheddar cheese

Instructions

  1. Heat oil in skillet over medium high heat. Sauté green bell pepper and garlic until tender.
  2. Add kidney beans. Set aside.
  3. In saucepan, combine tomatoes, tomato sauce and chili powder. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer, uncovered, for 15 minutes.
  4. Add to kidney bean mixture. Combine ricotta and Monterey Jack cheeses, chiles, onions and eggs.
  5. Spread 1/4 of cheese mixture evenly in greased 13 x 9 x 2-inch glass baking dish.
  6. Arrange 1/4 of chips over cheese.
  7. Spread 1/4 of tomato mixture over chips. Repeat layer 3 more times.
  8. Cover with aluminum foil and bake at 325 degrees F (160 degrees C) for 30 to 40 minutes.
  9. Remove foil and top with cheddar cheese and bake 10 to 15 minutes more.
  10. Let stand for 5 minutes before serving.

Yield: 8 to 10 servings

Flying into Jackson, MS, on USAir, my airplane stopped and people began to get out of their seats. I realized, though, that the hatch had not opened, and bumpety-bumpety-bump sounds were coming from it.

The captain came up on the PA. “Folks, there are marks on the ground where different aircraft types are supposed to park, in order to have their hatch lined up with the jetway. I’ve just been told that there is an error in ours. We’re going to have to be pulled back by a tug. Before that, everyone has to be sitting and strapped in.”

Grumble grumble. People sit down. Feeling of slight movement.

Bumpety-bumpety-bump. Bump bump. Hatch still isn’t open.

At that point, a flight attendant came up on the PA. In the most syrupy and seductive of Southern Belle voices, she oozed into the microphone, “Is it in?”

Unfortunately, the captain was talking to the tower, who heard this. I was later told that operations came to a halt for several minutes, until Air Traffic Control stopped laughing.

Interesting.

COVERT INTEL – U.S. POSITIONING MISSILE LAUNCHERS ALONG CALIFORNIA COAST

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From HERE. Paywall.

WARNING ⚠️ It’s MUCH Worse than People know! | shtf prepping news

Yah.

This Barbershop Will Give Kids A Discount If They Read

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Reading is very important when it comes to a child’s development, and this barbershop in Ypsilanti, Michigan encourages kids to pick up a book. Every child who picks up a book and reads out loud will get $2 off their haircut. Barber Ryan Griffin says he was inspired when he discovered another barber shop in Harlem was doing something similar, and so far the idea is a big hit.

More info: Facebook

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17 Things You Do Way Too Rarely For Your Cat

A must watch for cat owners.

The Biggest War Battle on European Soil Since WW2 is HAPPENING right now – almost not a peep from the Main-Stream Media!

The largest war-fighting battle on European soil since WW2 is RAGING right now – today, June 8, 2023 – and not even a peep from the West’s  so-called “main stream media!”

According to battlefield sources, Ukraine’s first attack on Zaporozhye is almost repulsed.

A lot of Ukrainian soldiers are laying down DEAD in the minefields. They were simply driven forward by their commanders without properly preparing the passages. They say the picture is terrible, the enemy has a lot of DEAD or seriously wounded just lying on the battlefield.

It is likely Ukraine will regroup and drive a few more waves to the slaughter.

The Russians say “Our boys are ready and charged.”

One Russian source said, “we are not sleeping, we are waiting!”

SO FAR . . .

From June 4th to June 8th, Ukraine has lost close to 400 armored vehicles, 115 tanks and close to 5,000 personnel on the Zaporozhye, Artemovsk (i.e. Balhmut), and Southwest Donetsk Tactical Regions. The intensity of the enemy attacks have decreased, however, a whole army in the reserve is waiting to attack. This will not be the end of their attacks. So far, no settlements have been lost (some changed hands but are back under the control of the Russian Armed Forces).

Importantly, in no instance, has even the first line of Russian defense been breached, and remember, on the Zaporozhye and Southwest Donetsk fronts, there are 5 lines of defense. Ukraine is targeting areas west of the Ugledarisky Tactical Region (nearby to the Velkya Novoselivka Tactical Region); as these regions are the least defended, however, geographically hard to conquer. This is primarily around the villages of Novodonetskoye and the Vremika Ledge.

To compensate for failures, the Armed Forces of Ukraine (AFU) attempted a counteroffensive on the Artemovsk(i.e. Bakhmut)/ Berkhovka area; they were subsequently wiped out. Enemy militants now resort to shelling of residential areas of the Belgorod, Russia, Region.

It is likely that Ukraine will attempt to cross the Left Bank of the Kherson River under the backdrop of the New Kakhovka Hydroelectric Dam being blown up; they have strengthened groupings with fresh reserves from Lvov and Zhytomr, Russian forces are pre-emptively striking accumulations of Ukraine manpower.

The battles are raging.  Hundreds are dying.   But since the mass-media is simply not reporting what’s taking place, people of the West have no idea at all how bad things are, or that the US and NATO will likely find out they have LOST . . . this week.   Unless, of course, they create a false flag designed to get directly involved in the war, and bring on World War 3.
The general public, being clueless, will be blind-sided at the outbreak of such a war.  They will be afraid, and looking to government for safety and answers.   The same government that LIED to them for 2 1/2 years over Trump/Russia Collusion.   The same government that LIED to them about COVID-19.   The same government that LIED to them about the COVID-19 vaccines, which are still killing many of the people who took them.
The next two weeks could very well see the outbreak of nuclear world war, and a change to all our lives that will never return to “normal.”
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Let’s see what the tech giant Bill Gates say about this.

On March 2, the Financial Times published an interview with Bill Gates. The Microsoft founder strongly believes in the potential of US-China cooperation and does not think a military escalation is likely.

main qimg 794436c11768f1563dac1c0f1c9f744e
main qimg 794436c11768f1563dac1c0f1c9f744e

Bill Gates claimed that the US would not be able to achieve the desired result and limit Beijing’s ambitions through procurement restrictions – which include a recent attempt to get the chip industry back under US control.

Gates does not see much sense in restricting chip sales to China, as the Asian nation will be able to catch up with the US rather quickly at this scale, and expressed his desire for Washington and Beijing to cooperate closer with each other.

Bill Gates:

Well, I don’t think the US will ever be successful at preventing China from having great chips. You know, we are going to force them to spend time and a bunch of money to make their own chips, but given 5 to 10 years and they take money out of their poverty program. The idea that we could ever sell them chips, we’re just eviscerating that.

You know, we’re saying make your own jet engines, your own software, your own chips. And I think that’s a shame and I don’t get the logic. Given that they’re at scale to catch up fairly quickly and I don’t see how that’s some gigantic benefit.

So you know, I wish the US and China could get along better. We seem to be on a deteriorating trend which when we have things like health, innovation, climate innovation that are win-win things between all countries, but the most important relationship in the world is the US-China relationship. I’m disappointed and worried about how that relationship has evolved over the last couple of years.

Regarding a possible military conflict between China and the US within the next decade, Gates argues that restricting Chinese chip sales and manufacturing would only warn Beijing about the intention for military escalation and thus further damage bilateral relations and provide China with advance warning of a future threat. The billionaire personally does not believe in a military conflict between the two countries.

Why Southeast Asia Chose China (You Won’t Believe What USA Did)

What else is new…

Zaporozhye Nuclear Power Plant Cooling Water RECEDING after Dam Blown Up

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The Zaporozhye Nuclear Power Plant (ZNPP) sits at the edge of the giant reservoir kept full by the Novo Khakovka Dam. When that Dam was blown up three days ago, water levels in the Reservoir began to plummet. This is causing water in the cooling pond that feeds water to the ZNPP to plummet as well.

Without sufficient cooling water, the nuclear reactors at the ZNPP will not be cooled, resulting in a nuclear disaster.

This is like a ticking time bomb. No one knows how long water levels will remain high enough to provide cooling water to the reactors. Disaster could be just DAYS away.

Well…actually the US can do nothing to stop China’s development. What can the US do now is to find the right way to get along with China.

Just wanna share Noam Chomsky’s view: When asked whether he believes that China will become a world leader, Chomsky said, “It already is.”

According to prominent US academic and philosopher Noam Chomsky, China has already become a world leader and its entering the Middle East arms market shows the erosion of the system in the region that has been run by the United States for 80 years.

main qimg 37ff22746e1922cddeab84ceadaf65d7
main qimg 37ff22746e1922cddeab84ceadaf65d7

Chomsky explained that the programs based on the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) extend throughout Eurasia and considerably beyond.

“In the past few months, Saudi Arabia joined the SCO, followed by the second regional heavyweight, the United Arab Emirates, which had already become a hub of China's Maritime Silk Road, reaching from Kolkata in Eastern India to the Red Sea and on to Europe."

Renowned US investor Jim Rogers also told Sputnik earlier in May that China will become the next great country and most important nation of this century.

This isn’t right, Somethings Changed.

Indeed.

An Adorable Line of Miniature ‘Bread Cat’ Shaped Resin Toys That Look Good Enough to Eat

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Korean designer Rato Kim has created a really adorable line of catloaf toys that range from the very realistic to the surreal. The toys are crafted from resin and can be easily mixed and matched with other equally adorable toys of Kim’s design.

h/t: laughingsquid

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Mennonite Meat Balls (Fleischbolle)

2023 06 09 14 47
2023 06 09 14 47

Ingredients

  • 3/4 pound ground pork
  • 3/4 pound ground beef
  • 1 onion, chopped finely
  • Salt and pepper
  • 3/4 cup rice, soaked in water
  • 2 eggs
  • 1 cup breadcrumbs
  • 1 cup ketchup or tomato sauce

Instructions

  1. Mix all but the ketchup and form into balls; brown balls in a pan, put into an oven dish and cover with blended ketchup and 1 quart of boiling water. Let simmer in oven for 3 to 4 hours, making sure the balls haven’t gone dry.

ALIEN BODIES! Video evidence of U.S. held UFO handed over to journalists | Redacted w Clayton Morris

Hum.

Tex-Mex Capirotada

2023 06 09 11 47
2023 06 09 11 47

Ingredients

Pudding

  • 12 slices stale bread, preferably French or whole wheat
  • 8 to 10 ounces grated Monterey jack or cubed cream cheese
  • 3/4 cup pitted prunes, plumped in hot water and diced
  • 3/4 cup seedless white raisins or dates, diced
  • 2 large bananas, sliced, or coarsely chopped apples
  • 1 cup sliced almonds

Syrup

  • 2 cups water
  • 1 1/2 cups brown sugar, packed
  • 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

Egg Mixture and Topping

  • 2 cups water
  • 1 cup granulated sugar
  • 4 eggs, separated
  • 4 tablespoons flour

Meringue

  • Reserved egg whites
  • 2 tablespoons granulated sugar

Presentation

  • Sweetened whipped cream or ice cream

Instructions

  1. Toast the bread and allow to cool.
  2. Using a well-buttered baking dish, 12 x 9 x 2 inches, make a layer of bread, using about half the bread. Top with half the cheese and fruits and all the bananas or apples.
  3. Add another bread layer, then the remaining cheese, fruits, and the nuts. Set aside.
  4. In a medium-size saucepan, boil the water, sugar, and cinnamon together for 5 minutes.
  5. Pour syrup over the pudding mixture.
  6. Remove 1 cup and beat with egg yolks and flour, then add this egg mixture to the remaining syrup and cook over medium heat, stirring constantly, for 5 minutes or until thick. Pour custard over the bread and fruits.
  7. Cover and let stand several hours at room temperature, or refrigerate overnight.
  8. When ready to bake the pudding, beat the egg whites until very stiff, beating in the sugar at the last. Spread atop the pudding and then bake at 350 degrees F for about 40 minutes, or until the meringue is well browned and the pudding is set.
  9. Serve small portions with a dollop of ice cream or whipped cream.

Yield: 12 to 14 servings

Storage, Freezing, and Advance Preparation

The basic dessert, excluding the topping, may be prepared 24 hours in advance or overnight. Because of the sweet syrups, the bananas will not turn brown any faster than they would during ordinary baking. The topping should be added just prior to baking. The pudding may be served either hot or cold; it will reheat easily without changing consistency, either in a microwave oven or in a hot 400 degrees F oven, covered with foil.

Psychologist EXPLAINS Why Not EVERYBODY IS ATTRACTIVE

Hey you!

Four Days Until NATO “Exercise” Begins . . . and Maybe Direct War with Russia

SCENARIO: “Airspace over Eastern Europe is contested. Article 5 of NATO Treaty was activated. Within hours, hundreds of fighter jets from the US/NATO transfer to Germany to fly against Russia. Nuclear-capable F-35 stealth aircraft are prepped for deployment – the first hours of a major war have dawned.”

This scenario is the basis for the upcoming NATO “Air Defender 23″ exercise …”

which takes place from the 12th to the 24th of June.

The air war is simulated against an imaginary enemy who himself has a potent air force. The real meaning of this exercise is clear to anyone with a brain: Russia.

The maneuvering may still be cautious in their public communication, but Michael A. Loh, general of the US Air National Guard, expressed his motivation some time ago. In 2021, with a view to „ Air Defender “, he wished that his people „ think more about our impending dangers – China and Russia “.

The maneuver is carried out according to the principle „ Train as you fight “. Areas of application, tactics, logistics – everything should be as realistic as possible. It is therefore no coincidence that Germany becomes the central hub of the exercise. In an emergency, too, countless NATO jets would start and swarm out of German airfields. The flight routes that the fighter planes will test are just as realistic. They lead to the eastern borders of the NATO area, to the Russian and Ukrainian borders.

At first glance, what looks like a brazen but usual provocation is a tangible danger to world peace in times of war. An accident with Russian military aircraft, misguided navigation or a pilot error may be sufficient to make a training flight appear like an attack. It becomes particularly threatening if Ukraine uses the NATO exercise’s slipstream to carry out attacks, while Russian air surveillance is forced to pursue NATO activities. Russian territory is currently being bombarded almost every day, and the Ukrainian president is threatened with major attacks. The escalation potential of a Ukrainian military strike while NATO jets are patrolling nearby is obvious in this situation.

The federal government is not only willing to accept these enormous risks, it even suspends the usual security measures. Russian observers who could ensure that the exercise is not used to prepare for an attack are not invited. There shouldn’t even be a formal announcement.  “We will not write them a letter. They will understand the news when our planes swarm out “, the highest German air force general Ingo Gerhartz replied at the beginning of April to the question of how Russia is informed.

This move away from an insurance policy is accompanied by a fight against diplomacy. Last week the Federal Republic of the Russian Federation banned the operation of four consulates. They must be closed by the end of the year.

So, shortly before the NATO exercise, the relationships are further burdened and important communication channels are sabotaged. The federal government appears to be doing everything it can to drive an escalation and increase the risk that the exercise could become a bitter reality.

NATO and its ilk have to decide very quickly. Obviously, the Ukraine offensive has stalled. It is indeed a question if Ukraine army is even capable of holding their positions or not. And the Russian army is making small but constant advances. It is probable that Ukraine army and state is on the verge of collapse. Because of that, it is time to make a decision. Either NATO enters officially into conflict or Ukraine is lost.

Of course, best moment to attack Russian army would be when all NATO equipment and personal are in Europe and are practicing that type of scenario. We only need a fabricated reason for war. Something like 9/11 at the WTC.

History shows the US federal government is perfectly willing to engage in treachery to cause the US to be involved in a major war.

In World War 2, the Roosevelt Administration KNEW the Japanese were coming to attack Pearl Harbor.   They knew days in advance.   While they told the US Military “you may be attacked” there was no ironclad statement that an attack WAS already on its way.   The Japanese attack on December 7, 1941 caused the date to live in infamy.  The American military was used as canon fodder to get hit and killed, bringing the US into the war.

The Gulf of Tonkin incident was an actual fabrication by the US to get us into the Vietnam War.

Former Secretary of State, Colin Powell, sat at a UN Security Council meeting, held up a glass jar containing ANTHRAX, and told Security Council members that Saddam Hussein of Iraq had “tons” of this bio-weapon and could destroy half the world.   In to Iraq we went.  We destroyed much of Iraq, searched high and low, but guess what?  No weapons of mass destruction!   It was all lies.

In 2014, the US, EU fomented, incited, and facilitated the forcible overthrow of Ukraine’s President, Vikto Yanukovich, then funded a puppet government favorable tot he West.   The US/EU want to place American missiles on Ukraine soil, with a five minute or so flight time to Moscow.   Russia said “no.” The West said “Too fucking bad.”

In December 2021, Russia tried to negotiate ironclad, legally enforceable security guarantees.  The West laughed and basically threw Russia’s Diplomatic proposals in the trash can.

The Russians tried again, only this time warning that if Russia could not obtain ironclad, legally enforceable, security guarantees, via DIPLOMATIC means, they would attain them via military, or military-technical means.   The West again quashed the Russian proposals.

On February 24, 2022, after giving Ukraine a five hour ultimatum that went unanswered, the Russian Army went into Ukraine.   The West was mortified.  It was never within the realm of possibility to them, that Russia would actually DO what Russia said they would do!

Here we are, over a year later, the war rages, hundreds of thousands are dead, and now NATO is (coincidentally) preparing its largest air defense exercise in history . . . right next to the Russia-Ukraine major conflict . . . where any misstep can open up the hellscape of World War 3.

Given the US track record of lying to get us into actual wars, is it any stretch of the imagination to believe that NATO and the US will do so again, four or so days from now?

Let me ask you:   If, one day soon, you’re up in the morning doing what you usually do, and suddenly, the Emergency Broadcast System tones start coming out of your cellphone, or your nearby radio, or on your TV, and the announcement tells you “The United States is under nuclear attack from Russia, take shelter immediately.”  what’s the first thing you would do?

For most people, they have no friggin idea . . . . at all.   Do you call your spouse?   Do you make a mad dash to get the kids from school?  (You and everybody else . . . and find an instant “Mad Max” scenario on the roads.)

Do you have __any__ emergency food, water, medicine for after the bombs hit and the country is collapsing?

Do you actually think you’ll be able to go to the supermarket and buy food?   Upon a nuke blast, do you think your credit/debit cards will actually work so you can buy food?   Nope!

Better start thinking about these things, because the way things are going, four days from now could see your whole world change.

Waiting to Be Put to Sleep, She Sat Crying Silently in Her Cage At the Shelter

Predicting the future by exploring the past

One of the reasons why I love China so much is the extended network of friends and family. In the United States, you are ALONE. In everything. You are on your own.

  • In China, the financial support of the extended family is unconditional, no strings attached.
  • In China, people are supporting their family members, even when it lowers or even halving their own life standards.
  • In China, it is one’s moral duty to do that.
  • In China, there’s no expectation to ever pay back. It’s not a loan, its a present.
  • In China, it is part of the guanxi 关系, the traditional Confucianist philosophy.

Quite different from the West.

Look, I once asked my brother for a one month loan to (help me finish the process of ) buying a house here in China. I needed $20,000 USD. Not much in the grand scheme of things.
He hemmed, and hawed and asked all kinds of questions. The back and forth over the phone lasted two weeks, and in the end he said no.
I then went to a Chinese friend. You know what he said? He said “What is your bank account, and I’ll transfer the money right away.“. Now, he didn’t have that money, so he also borrowed from his sister, and two of his good friends, and combined, the money went into my account about five hours later.
Anyone who thinks that China is the same as the United States in regards to society, friendships and money is wrong.

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Brian Berletic: China will DESTROY AUKUS in Taiwan and the Pacific

Egg In Their Face – Two Anti-China Claims The Wall Street Journal Made Last Weeks Were Fake

On May 26 Amnesty International published one of its usual aggressive accusations against a government the U.S. is hostile to.

Hong Kong: Government must reveal whereabouts of Uyghur student detained at airport (archived)

Hong Kong authorities must reveal the whereabouts and fate of a Uyghur student who has been missing since he arrived in the city from South Korea earlier this month, amid fears he has been unlawfully extradited to mainland China without due process and is at risk of arbitrary detention and torture, Amnesty International said today.

Abuduwaili Abudureheman has not been heard from since he sent a text message to a friend on 10 May. In the message, Abudureheman said he was being interrogated by Chinese police after arriving at Hong Kong airport.

“The unknown fate of Abuduwaili Abudureheman is deeply worrying, given the background of crimes against humanity committed against Uyghurs by the Chinese government in Xinjiang, and its ongoing pursuit of Uyghurs who have travelled overseas,” said Alkan Akad, Amnesty International’s China Researcher.

The accusations seem to be based on claims made by a single anonymous source:

On 10 May 2023, Abuduwaili travelled to Hong Kong to visit a friend, but he has been missing since his text message that evening, saying that he was being questioned at the airport by Chinese police. The friend has made Abuduwaili’s disappearance public after becoming increasingly concerned for his safety.Amnesty International understands that Abuduwaili was on a Chinese government “watch list” of Uyghurs and other Muslims from the Xinjiang region, based on the fact that he had a history of overseas travel. Amnesty International has documented numerous instances of the Chinese government targeting Uyghurs both at home and abroad with arbitrary incommunicado detention, lengthy imprisonment and torture purely based on the fact that they had travelled outside of China.

In 2021 Amnesty closed its Hong Kong office. One wonders then how it communicated with the relevant “friend”?

The Wall Street Journal and others published China bashing pieces based solely on Amnesty’s claims.

The authorities Hong Kong were pretty pissed about the allegations as the man is question had never been there:

Hong Kong on Saturday criticized rights group Amnesty International’s accusation that a Uyghur student disappeared after being interrogated at the airport, and said that government records showed that he had not entered or been refused entry to the city.

The Korean Yonhap news agency made efforts to actually contact the man. It tuned out that he is still in Korea and has no plans to go anywhere else (machine translation):

(New York = Yonhap News) Correspondent Koh Il-hwan = Abduwali Abu Dureheman (38), an international student from Xinjiang, China, who Amnesty International said was missing in Hong Kong, is staying in Korea, his advisor said.In a phone call with Yonhap News on the 29th, Jo Wook-yeon, head of the physical education department at Kookmin University, who is Abu Durehman’s advisor, said, “Amnesty’s announcement is not true.”

Dean Cho said, “Abu Dureheman has not departed from Hong Kong, and is staying in Korea safely.”

Dean Cho repeatedly confirmed that he had been in contact with Abu Durehman on a daily basis for guidance for his doctoral degree, and that “it is true that he is in Korea.”

“I don’t know why Amnesty announced that Abu Dureheman in South Korea was missing in Hong Kong,” he said.

We don’t know either but it aptly shows what standards Amnesty International and other such propaganda outlets have when making their sensational claims. None. A claim by one person based on a text message that may not even exist and made for whatever reason is trumpeted into the world even before any effort is made to verify it.

And why do the Wall Street Journal and others, who should have higher standards, publish Amnesty’s accusation without ever fact checking them?

That is a question that one that can be reliably answered. The U.S. is hostile to China. Therefore U.S. mainstream media must bash China whenever they can.

Here is a case from another recent WSJ attempt to do just that:

On the day that Special Representative of the Chinese Government on Eurasian Affairs Li Hui visited Moscow on the last leg of his European trip, the Wall Street Journal (WSJ) ran an article that completely contradicted the facts and even fabricated stories. Such behavior that attempted to impose its own views and practices on others is in fact obstructing the peaceful resolution of the Russia-Ukraine conflict. Facts have proven that blindly fueling the fire can only escalate the conflict and cause more harm to people.The article began by stating that the Chinese envoy carried a clear message that “US allies in Europe should assert their autonomy and urge an immediate cease-fire, leaving Russia in possession of the parts of its smaller neighbor that it now occupies,” accusing China of trying to split the West.

However, what the WSJ received was a denial from Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba. On May 27, Kuleba said in a video message that after the article appeared, he immediately contacted his colleagues in the European capitals visited by Li. None of them confirmed that negotiations about what the WSJ suggested were held.

In response to this, Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Mao Ning stated on Monday that she noted that the Foreign Minister of Ukraine publicly said that he contacted other parties and no country said Li made the remarks reported by the WSJ.

That is some egg in the face of the WSJ editors. China bashing in the opinion sections is fine. But fake news, twice in one week, to make some editorial point, is not something that readers are willing to pay for.

Posted by b on May 29, 2023 at 17:09 UTC | Permalink

I have both Huawei and Xiaomi phones and computers. I have been using both for at least ten years now. The computer that I am using right now is a Xiaomi.

Obviously it’s a great product. In fact, both of the brands are great.

I have relatives that love iPhones. That’s cool.

Fine.

There are many reasons why I love my Chinese designed, and Chinese manufactured products, but I guess the biggest things are the high quality at a very reasonable price. And iPhone is nearly double the price for an equivalent phone, and much more than that for a laptop.

And while I greatly admire Steve Jobs, he’s no longer running the company. And American “interests” are now running it.

And knowing what I know…yikes!

Vault 7 is real!

Anyways, I am not like most people, and I just want a reliable, long lasting computer and cell phone(s) that is reasonably priced, and is not connected to the United States government. Both Huawei and Shaomi provide this for me.

But I am unique.

The reader, I am sure, have their own criteria. And that is why they prefer other products. Good you all of you!

No.

The United States Congress has sanctioned the Chinese General Staff. Which means, by law, no communication is possible. Of course, China has no interest in talking with the United States leadership at any level now, but the United States Congress made it technically impossible to do so.

So it cannot be resolved, as long as the American sanctions remain in place.

“At the same time, the US is reportedly looking to arrange a between Li and US Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin during the Shangri-La Dialogue, but no confirmation has been given as of press time.

The US should show more sincerity if it wants to communicate, Song said.

A formal meeting between the defense chiefs of the two countries is almost impossible if the US’ unlawful sanctions on the Chinese Defense minister stays in place, experts said.”

American comedian: U.S. blaming China while ignoring own citizens

Published: May 25, 2023 07:41 PM

A couple of days ago, a Quad summit meeting in Sydney scheduled for May 24 was abruptly canceled. The US president had to pull out of his long-anticipated trip to Australia and Papua New Guinea. Instead, the heads of the four Quad member states got together on the margins of the G7 Summit in Hiroshima on May 20.

The main reason for the change of plans was the continuous struggle between the White House and Republicans on the Hill over the national debt ceiling.

If no compromise is reached, the US federal government might fail to meet its financial commitments already in June; such a technical default would have multiple negative repercussions for the US, as well as for the global economy and finance at large. Let us hope that a compromise between the two branches of US power will be found and that the ceiling of the national debt will be raised once again.

However, this rather awkward last-minute cancellation of the Quad summit reflects a fundamental US problem – a growing imbalance between the US geopolitical ambitions and the fragility of the national financial foundation to serve these ambitions.

The Biden administration appears to be fully committed to bringing humankind back to the unipolar world that existed right after the end of the Cold War some 30 years ago, but the White House no longer has enough resources at its disposal to sustain such an undertaking. As they say in America: You cannot not have champagne on a beer budget.

The growing gap between the ends that the US seeks in international relations and the means that it has available is particularly striking in the case of the so-called dual containment policy that Washington now pursues toward Russia and China. Even half a century ago, when the US was much stronger in relative terms than it is today, the Nixon administration realized that containing both Moscow and Beijing simultaneously was not a good idea: “Dual containment” would imply prohibitively high economic costs for the US and would result in too many unpredictable political risks. The Nixon administration decided to focus on containing the Soviet Union as the most important US strategic adversary of the time. This is why Henry Kissinger flew to Beijing in July 1971 to arrange the first US-China summit in February 1972 leading to a subsequent rapid rapprochement between the two nations.

In the early days of the Biden administration, it seemed that the White House was once again trying to avoid the unattractive “dual containment” option. The White House rushed to extend the New START in January 2021 and held an early US-Russia summit meeting five months later in Geneva. At that point many analysts predicted that Biden would play Henry Kissinger in reverse – that is he would try to peace with the relatively weaker opponent (Moscow) in order to focus on containing the stronger one (Beijing).

However, after the beginning of the Russia-Ukraine conflict, it became clear that no accommodation with the Kremlin was on Biden’s mind any longer. Still, having decided to take a hard-line stance toward Moscow and to lead a broad Western coalition in providing military and economic assistance to Kiev, Washington has not opted for a more accommodative or at least a more flexible policy toward Beijing.

On the contrary, over last year one could observe a continuous hardening of the US’ China policy – including granting more political and military support to the Taiwan island, encouraging US allies and partners in Asia to increase their defense spending, engaging in more navel activities in the Pacific and imposing more technology sanctions on China.

In the meantime, economic and social problems within the US are mounting. The national debt ceiling is only the tip of an iceberg – the future of the American economy is now clouded by high US Federal Reserve interest rates that slow down growth, feed unemployment and might well lead to a recession. Moreover, the US society remains split along the same lines it was during the presidency of Donald Trump. The Biden administration has clearly failed to reunite America: Many of the social, political, regional, ethnic and even generational divisions have got only deeper since January 2021. It is hard to imagine how a nation divided so deeply and along so many lines could demonstrate continuity and strategic vision in its foreign policy, or to allocate financial resources needed to sustain a visionary and consistent global leadership.

Of course, the “dual containment” policy is not the only illustration of the gap between the US ambitions and its resources. The same gap inevitably pops up at every major forum that the US conducts with select groups of countries from the Global South – Africa, Southeast Asia, Latin America or the Middle East.

The Biden administration has no shortage of arguments warning these countries about potential perils of cooperating with Moscow or Beijing, but it does not offer too many plausible alternatives that would showcase the US generosity, its strategic vision, and its true commitment to the burning needs of the US interlocutors. To cut it short, Uncle Sam brings lots of sticks to such meetings, but not enough carrots to win the audience.

In sum, US foreign policy under President Joe Biden reminds people of a very advanced and highly sophisticated smartphone that has a rather weak battery, which is not really energy efficient. The proud owner of the gadget has to look perennially for a power socket in order not to have the phone running out of power at any inappropriate moment. Maybe the time has come for the smartphone owner to look for another model that would have fewer fancy apps, but a stronger and a more efficient battery, which will make the appliance more convenient and reliable.

We sneaked into an Abandoned Luxury Spa

Native American Tortillas in a Bag

A popular wheat food that kids love to make and eat!

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2023 05 28 17 51

Variations: Use 1/2 cup corn meal and 1 cup all-purpose flour, or use /4 cup whole wheat flour and 3/4 cup all-purpose flour.

Quick Meal Idea: Lightly brush cooked tortillas with oil. Bake tortillas on baking sheets in oven for 4 minutes. Top with browned ground beef or pork, black beans, onion, chopped tomato, shredded mozzarella cheese and Parmesan cheese. Season with dried oregano leaves; return to the oven and heat 10 minutes more or until cheese is melted.

Ingredients

  • 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour*
  • 1 teaspoon baking powder
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 2 tablespoons shortening
  • 1/2 cup hot water

Instructions

  1. In a large self-locking plastic bag, combine flour, baking powder and salt. Close bag and shake to mix.
  2. Add shortening and work into flour until fine particles form.
  3. Add the hot water and knead the dough in the bag until it forms a ball.
  4. Remove dough from bag and place on a lightly floured work surface; knead 15 strokes.
  5. Divide into six equal pieces; shape into balls. Cover; let rest 15 minutes.
  6. On a lightly floured surface, roll each piece as thin as possible. Roll from the center out, turning several times to form an 8-inch circle.
  7. Heat an ungreased griddle or skillet over medium heat. Cook until the surface begin bubble and the under side is speckled golden-brown, about 15 to 20 seconds. Cook other side.
  8. Stack tortillas under a cloth as they are done and serve warm.

Yield: 6 tortillas

When NATO expanded into Ukraine, the alarm bells were clamoring throughout Asia. There were plenty of opportunities to de-risk, and back-down, but that did not occur. So a “special military operation” initialized by Russia stopped the NATO assaults in Eastern Ukraine.

It’s been over a year.

NATO is holding fast, and doubling down. Russia hasn’t even started yet. It’s the making of something that will become very nasty in the future. We have no crystal ball, no one really knows what will happen. But we do know this…

NATO’s resources are finite. Asia’s is not.

Oh, yes, the propaganda war is in full-swing. “Russia is dying. Russia will collapse any day now. Brilliant and brave Ukrainians will fight to the end.“

But, propaganda does not start, complete or end wars. It’s purpose is to keep domestic populations satiated as they are lined up for the butcher.

NATO’s resources are finite. Asia’s is not.

In any long-duration conflict, NATO will contract at various levels, and Asia will expand. It has nothing to do with the fighting, the technology, the propagandized reports, or the political winds. Instead it has everything to do with economics, resources, and energy.

NATO’s resources are finite. Asia’s is not.

To this end, let me wrap up with the Duran…

I assume that you are an American, or a member of a proxy state loyal to the United States.

I also must assume that you failed geography. Never studied war. Have no idea at all about China, and are just emotionally entangled with the anti-China nonsense being spewed forth from the Western media.

Well, I’ll try to answer this one.

But as we used to say in Mississippi; there’s “few things stupider than a mail box pole”.

Taiwan is close to China.

In close. As in really, really, REALLY close.

Here is the view of China from Taiwan…

main qimg fc1898f9e1439d2658d919d4d5f79e64
main qimg fc1898f9e1439d2658d919d4d5f79e64

Taiwan is SUPER close to China.

Not only geographically, but socially, economically, financially, culturally, historically, and in all other ways… Chinese.

There is so much cross-strait migration back and forth, that you cannot tell who is from Taiwan and who is from the mainland.

So what does this mean?

Well…

  • You cannot detect a build up of any kind of an invasion force.
  • You cannot discern who is who, and where is what.
  • China controls Taiwan. Even though there are DPP elements who believe otherwise.

So, to spell it out clearly… let’s just say this.

You can supply Taiwan with all the weapons and bombs in the world, and you can convince them that LGBQ+ is the “new sexy”, but China is far too big, far too powerful, far too influential, and far, far too well managed. If China said “enough is enough”. All the games and charades would be over.

President Biden would have a fit, the United States media would howl, and the neocons would demand war!

But you know what would really happen?

Nothing.

A quiet tiny whimper.

And the United States would slither back under the rock from whence it came from.

We found a treasure in a cave suspended by a metal detector

Because it’s cute girls who rule China. China could live just fine without developing their poor provinces. But the teenage girls have to because it’s a shame for the poor.

If the US does not prevent it, then the Chinese rulers, the maids, will develop the whole world.

The teenage girls can’t rule China alone, but the officials want to help them.

main qimg aed3174ea91973adf760dc8a3dda6baa
main qimg aed3174ea91973adf760dc8a3dda6baa

Exploring an Abandoned Fairy Tale Castle

GDP is a worthless unit of measurement.

Functionally, it is equivalent to comparing the combined wealth of a given nations’ oligarchy to another oligarchy. It has an over reliance on debt, non-physical value, and worthless academic considerations.

The better comparative measure is PPP. This measurement compares the purchasing power of the average citizen given their weekly wages.

For The United States;

Tommy has twenty dollars. He can buy one apple with it.

For China;

Lily has one dollar. She can by ten apples with it.

By using GDP as a measurement, Tommy is doing better than Lily. $20 > $1.

By using PPP as a measurement, Lily is doing better than Tommy. She can buy many more apples than Tommy can.

So, you have to look at what you are tying to compare.

Are you interested in the stand of living? Comparatively, between China and The Untied States? If so, then PPP is the measurement to use.

If however, you want to see where the most oligarch’s live, then GDP is the preferred measurement.

Now, to answer your question.

If a nation wanted to artificially increase it’s global GDP value, it would print money excessively. That would increase the GDP of the nation. Everything would flow down from there.

If a nation wanted to increase the standard of living of it’s people, then it would guarantee work, labor and industry, and provide reasonable and cheap social networks. The PPP would rise in accordance with those efforts.

Americans CAN’T Believe Chinese Electric Cars!

Sautauthig (Cornmeal Blueberry Mush)

A favorite dish of the Native Americans during colonial times was Sautauthig, a simple pudding made with dried, crushed blueberries, dried, cracked corn (or samp), and water. Later, the settlers added milk, butter and sugar when they were available. The Pilgrims loved Sautauthig and many historians believe that it was part of the first Thanksgiving feast. In a letter to friends back in England, one colonist describes how Sauthauthig was prepared:

“…this is to be boyled or stued with a gentle fire, until it be tender, of a fitt consistence, as of Rice so boyled, into which Milke, or butter be put either with sugar or without it, it is a food very pleasant…but it must be observed that it be very well boyled, the longer the better, some will let it be stuing the whole day: after it is Cold it groweth thicker, and is commonly Eaten by mixing a good Quantity of Milke amongst it.”

Here’s a recipe that gives us an idea of what Sautauthig tasted like. We call it Cornmeal Blueberry Mush but you can give it any name you want.

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2023 05 28 17 52

Yield: about 6 regular servings or 12 tasting-size servings (about 4 3/4 cups)

Ingredients

  • 1 1/2 cups water
  • 1 1/2 cups milk
  • 3/4 cup cornmeal or quick cooking grits
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 3 tablespoons maple syrup or honey
  • 2 cups fresh, frozen or canned blueberries or 1/2 cup dried blueberries*

Instructions

  1. In a 2-quart saucepan heat water and milk until bubbles form around edge of pan. Stirring constantly, slowly add cornmeal or grits and salt until well combined. Reduce heat to low. Cover and simmer, until thickened, about 10 minutes, stirring occasionally.
  2. Stir in maple syrup or honey until well combined. Gently stir in blueberries.

Notes

* Today, we don’t have to pick and dry blueberries in the summer to enjoy them year round. We can always find them in our local supermarket – either fresh, frozen or canned, sometimes even dried. If you are using frozen blueberries in this, defrost them between 2 layers of paper towels to absorb excess liquid. If you are using canned blueberries, drain well. Fresh or frozen blueberries can be dried on a cookie sheet in a 250 degrees F oven for about 1 1/2 hours.

How clever is an octopus, really?

Beachside Bathing Machines During Victorian Era

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These bathing machines were very popular in England at 18th and 19th centuries. They allowed people to change out of their usual clothes into swimwear and were directly lowered into the water.

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China does not have a one-party dictatorship. China has a one-party democracy. It is the West’s arrogant and simple-minded position that democracy must be based on multiple competing political parties, and it is plain wrong.

Moreover, China has eight other political parties that represent a great many people and these parties directly serve in China’s government and provide consultation.

People praise China’s political system because it works well. It serves the people’s best interest. It has delivered enormous prosperity. It has made China safe and stable and strong.

Contrast this with Western democracy which looks like crap based on performance in recent years. USA is in hock up to its eyeballs. UK is dying from Brexit. EU has screwed itself with backfired sanctions against Russia.

USA is plagued by domestic problems such as political turmoil, crumbling infrastructure, rampant homelessness, rampant gun violence, unaffordable health care, mass incarceration, increasing poverty, etc.

Meanwhile, the Chinese are very happy…

Edelman Trust Barometer 2023 shows that 89 percent of Chinese trust their government.

The Global Happiness 2023 survey from Ipsos shows that China is the happiest country in the world at 91 percent.

Latana’s Democracy Perception Index 2023 shows that China is one of the most democratic countries in the world, well ahead of USA, Canada, UK, France, Germany, Italy, and Japan.

Ash Center at Harvard Kennedy School in 2020 reported that 95.5 percent of Chinese are satisfied with their government.

A 2019 UC San Diego study shows a high level of satisfaction among the Chinese across a range of aspects up to 95 percent.

A November 2019 Ipsos survey shows that 95 percent of Chinese believe their country is on the right track.

The statistical evidence is overwhelming. Western countries, especially the United States, can only dream of having such numbers.

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2023 05 30 06 11

Abandoned Millionaire’s Castle: Family Left Behind A Luxury Palace

China To Settle $582,300,000,000 in Yuan Worldwide Amid Push to Circumvent US Dollar: Report

Abandoned Places make Time Travel possible | Abandoned Italy

Right now, as of Late march 2023, the “adversaries” against the United States is roughly about 85% of the global population.

The United States is a tiny part of the globe, and getting smaller each day.

So, who is the United States, and it’s allies, that the Mainstream Media like to refer to as “most of the world”…

American proxy nations.

These nations will do what the United States say. The methods of control vary from nation to nation, but they are not independent at all. It is extremely unlikely that these nations would do anything without asking the United States for permission first.

  • Canada
  • UK
  • Minor European states
  • Japan

American friends.

These are proxy nations that might have the ability to “break away” from the United States if conditions are favorable. Each nation operations under their own unique conditions. Some desire to be United States proxies, but Geo-political realities prevent full engagement, others wish to be more distant, but again, Geo-political realities prevent that as well. These nations are in a sort of limbo, and political expedience results in a default abeyance to American dictates.

  • Israel
  • Germany
  • Poland
  • France
  • Switzerland
  • Sweden
  • Finland

Neutral

These nations are trying to walk the razor-thin line of neutrality. There are internal elements that are dividing the ruling leadership. The issues involved in these nations are complex. Yet, their actions suggest that they are trying to “play both Geo-political blocks”.

  • Australia
  • Philippines
  • South Korea

The Global South.

These are the current “enemies” of the United States “Western” ideological block.

Some are codified, and formalized, such as Russia. Some are not formally engaged, such as China. Some are considered to be “American easy lays” such as South East Asia, though they are anything but that.

  • Russia
  • China
  • North Korea
  • Iran
  • Pakistan
  • All of the ‘Stan’s
  • South East Asia
  • Much of Africa
  • Brazil
  • South Africa
  • Argentina
  • Much of South America

Neutral but leaning with the Global South

These nations are currently picking sides. Most intel suggest that they are strongly leaning towards the Global South and rejecting the “American way of life”.

  • Mexico
  • Most of Latin America
  • India
  • Turkey
  • Bulgera

And that is pretty much the entire world. So, if you look at the list above, you can see the reality of what the world has fractured into.

A “West”; led by the United States. It promotes “American values”, “American democracy”, and woke progressive ideology. They use the USD as the dominant trade currency, and are referred to as the “English speaking world”. (Though that is NOT an accurate statement.) It’s an “American rules” order. It represents 15% of the world

An “East”. Led by the China-Russia-Iran-Saudi Arabia- Brazil-South African nexus. It’s a “multi-polar” order. Organized fundamentally under the UN charter. It is further subdivided into sub-blocks such as G20, BRICS+, and SEO. They use a basket of currencies based on hard tangible resources to trade. And combined, represents 85% of the world.

No.

It is unlikely that the United States can fight the entirety of the rest of the world and win. How likely or unlikely, is dependent on your personal point of view, and the intelligence or “news” that you (personally) consume.

  • American neocon = Likely that the United States will win, because it is blessed by God.
  • Typical proxy nation citizen = Tough call. Maybe the United States can persevere.
  • Global South Citizen = We are constantly underestimated. The United States cannot win.

As it appears, China will be the first nation to put men on the moon.

Notes:

  1. There is overwhelming evidence that NASA did not put men on the moon in 1969, nor in the subsequent missions. To paraphrase the head of the Russian space program; “We sent lunar orbiters over the supposed landing sites repeatedly, and there’s nothing there.” Believe what you may. The vast bulk of the world considers the United States to be thieving, lying, and mischievous rogue nation. As time moves on, peoples throughout the globe question the supposed actions and accomplishments of the United States. Indeed, this is a debatable subject, but this is not the place for that debate.
  2. NASA plans to put a progressively diverse crew on the moon this decade. It will be on a spacecraft that superficially looks like the Apollo spacecraft, but uses technologies not available during the 1960’s. This crew will attempt some trivial “science experiments”, perform some “crowd pleasing” antics, and return home (supposedly) reinvigorated and proud United States.
  3. The Chinese strategy in space exploration is for long-term objectives, and is proceeding in a systematic step-by-step progression. It is boring, but methodical. The Lunar outpost will consist of members selected from the Global South, and will be the beginnings of a long-duration colony as a step towards (already planned) Mars colonization efforts.
  4. You can expect that the Chinese WILL visit the supposed Apollo landing locations. They will do so in 3D, high definition color and 7G technology. What they will discover will be broadcast to the world. If they find nothing, and that is what is expected, the implications will be extraordinary.

How ferocious rescued kitten grows up: from 0-26 days”The Story of the Miracle Talking Cat Mu”

The Reconnaissance Strike Complex

The Reconnaissance Strike Complex
Lester Graun and Charles Bartles – May 30, 2018

The Soviet Union, and now Russia, have long worked on the development of twin concepts for the detection and assured destruction of high-value targets in near-real time. The Reconnaissance Strike Complex (разведивательно-ударный комплех-RYK) was designed for the coordinated employment of high-precision, long-range weapons linked to real-time intelligence data and precise targeting provided to a fused intelligence and fire-direction center. The RYK functioned at operational depths using surface-to-surface missile systems and aircraft-delivered “smart” munitions.

It took some time for the Russian reconnaissance-strike-complex to improve its reaction time. But it now seems to be quite fast.

First the reconnaissance element:

The Ukrainian Air Force Formed A New Strike Squadron—By Arming Reconnaissance Bombers With British Cruise Missiles
Forbes – May 28, 2023

Working closely with the United Kingdom, the Ukrainian air force has equipped at least some of the recon section—which flies two-seat, supersonic Sukhoi Su-24MRs from the regiment’s base in western Ukraine—with British-made Storm Shadow cruise missiles.

All the pre-war bombers and recon planes—as many as 16 of the former and nine of the latter—belonged to the 7th Bomber Regiment at Starokostiantyniv air base.In a year and three months, the regiment has written off at least 17 Su-24s. Victims of Russian air-defense missiles, mostly.

It’s that simplicity [of the conversion] that apparently allowed the Ukrainian air force and its British supporters to form what amounts to a new long-range strike squadron—eight or more Storm Shadow-armed Su-24MRs—inside the battle-battered 7th Bomber Regiment … in just three months’ time.

After reading yesterday’s Forbes piece about Storm Shadow launching airplanes stationed at the Starokostiantyniv air base the commanders at the operation center of the Russian Special Military Operation, decided to have them destroyed.

The strike:

Russia Hits Military Facility In West Ukraine, Damaging Planes
AFP – May 29, 2023

A Russian strike hit a military facility in western Ukraine, damaging five planes, while Kyiv repelled another large volley of overnight air strikes, authorities said Monday.

In the western city of Khmelnytsky regional authorities said Russian troops attacked a military facility overnight.In a rare admission of the damage, they said “five aircraft have been put out of action.”

Work was underway to localise fires at fuel and lubricant warehouses, the statement said.

The Starokostiantyniv air base is some 40 kilometers north of Khmelnytsky.

airbase
airbase

Posted by b on May 29, 2023 at 14:45 UTC | Permalink

Most foreigners who live in China, live a solidly “middle class” lifestyle. Which means that…

  • Their take home income falls in the median range of the local Chinese middle class.
  • They are able to save money.
  • They are able to travel / take vacations / visit their home nation every year.

While all of this will vary from person to person, it is pretty typical.

Now, being middle class, irregardless of where you live means certain things that should be well understood…

  • You eat well.
  • You get around using public and private transportation.
  • Your children get a good education.
  • You are safe and live in a crime-free area.
  • You don’t worry about over-taxation.
  • Healthcare is affordable.

Now, you need to compare this metric with each nation individually, as there is no “one size fit all” for countries.

Clearly, China is justified and correct in insisting that the United States fulfill its commitments and consensus. A state visit is a signal to the world of friendship and cooperation. Once China agrees to a visit by a high ranking US leader, it will be seen by the world as a signal of détente in US-China relations, whether or not there will be tangible results in the end. If the US does not continue to honor its previous consensus and commitments with China, but China joins the US in releasing a signal of détente, then US containment of China is sure to intensify. China’s cautious approach is also self-protective.

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main qimg c9b4a8a35e7bf32d38c0865e91f97539

Moreover, the condescending attitude revealed in Blinken’s words is not a signal of friendship or de-escalation toward China; rather, it is more like a flurry of defiance and orders. Despite his statement that he expects progress in relations between the two countries, it is clear from the actions of the US government as a whole that the United States is not going to give up its interference in China’s internal affairs and various restrictions on trade with China.

The real purpose of the US is just that in view of the deteriorating global security situation at the moment, more and more other countries want to see a de-escalation of tensions between the two great powers, China and the United States. The US, as the party that initiated the conflict, does not want to take the blame for destroying world peace, so it deliberately pretends that it wants to communicate with China very much, which is actually deceiving global public opinion. This can be seen from the fact that Blinken used the word “must” to ask China, if the United States is sincere in wanting to improve relations with China, not to mention their performance in action, at least in words, should not be so aggressive. After all, it is now the United States that is eager to seek communication with China, not China that wants to communicate with the United States. To speak in a commanding tone when it is clear that one wants to initiate contact with China is clearly uncomfortable and distrustful. By simply emphasizing the US willingness to talk and engage with China, Blinken is in fact implicitly accusing China of not accepting US demands, so it is China that is sabotaging US-China relations.

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main qimg ae994f03fd62c528bb1884ce766402d0

Since the “balloon incident” earlier this year, US-China relations have been deteriorating. In order to suppress China’s development, the US has been doing everything possible, first by smearing China with rumors and hypeing “China threat” with its allies, and then by repeatedly provoking China on issues related to China’s territorial sovereignty, such as the Taiwan Strait. Blinken, who said that “China should communicate with the United States,” has made wrong statements on Xinjiang, Hong Kong, Taiwan and other issues that are not in line with the US-China consensus, intending to interfere in China’s internal affairs.

In fact, although the US has been interested in suppressing China, but also dare not and China really tear face, on the one hand, because now China is strong, the US is still in the Ukraine battlefield fighting against Russia, its “number one enemy”, at this time. Therefore, confrontation with China is not wise. On the other hand, the US needs China’s help to get itself out of the debt crisis. At the moment, the US urgently needs to reach some cooperation and consensus with China in related fields to ease the social pressure at home and prevent the situation in the region from getting out of control. This is one of the reasons why Blinken expects to visit China, although China has been refusing to allow top US leaders to visit China because the US keeps infringing on China’s interests and interfering in its internal affairs.

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main qimg fa310686fad4624bf9664cdaed083c9a

No country will be friendly to a country that harms its own national interests and sovereignty. If the United States really wants to ease the tensions and seek contact and dialogue with China, it should stop interfering in China’s internal affairs. The US indeed need to stop talking about seeking new progress for US-China relations while recklessly undermining China’s interests.

There are various ways to measure this.

I like to measure the health of a nations economy on a personal level. During the 1970’s President Jimmy Carter explained that the American economy was strong and robust, but that Americans “need to tighten their belts”. He would have these televised events known as “fireside chats” to explain to the American people not to worry, that the American economy was going to recover. Meanwhile, I had to help my dad by storing hoarded gasoline, eating less food, and living with limits on how high to turn the thermostat at home.

So while people can point at all sorts of “economic data” and trends, the bottom line is really not what others think. It’s what you think.

Let’s compare.

Inflation

Homeless

Unemployment

By simply comparing the baseline stats, and these are averages only, people in China are more likely to have a roof over their heads, afford good basic food, and be able to find work BETTER than their American counterpart.

But that is an illusion. That is the conclusions that one comes to when comparing basic stats. And we all know that far more goes into the calculus for the average person.

  • What about medical costs?
  • What about taxes?
  • What about venues for social interaction?

In the three examples above, China is clearly the “winner”.

Chinese medial costs are trivial, while those in the USA can be considered exuberant. Total taxes, fees, fines, and social insurance for the average Chinese worker is far, far less than their American counterpart. Social interaction is nearly nonexistent for Americans, the suburbs are oasis of quiet, and nighttime dancing, and outdoor activities do not really exist for the average American, while in China it is part of culture and society.

So, which economy is doing better?

You can summarize everything stated above into one measurable…

Rate of Saving

How much money can an average person save, while still maintaining a decent middle class lifestyle? This is the bottom line figure. The more money that a family saves, the better off they are doing. Hence, the more favorable the economic environment is for that family.

From which we can conclude that most Chinese are living a life that permits a middle class lifestyle, and savings, while those in the United States have a more difficult time at it.

So on a personal level, China has a better economy than the United States does.

Well, this answer will probably infuriate some readers. After all, there’s an entire industry that relies on the idea that China is collapsing, don’t you know!

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main qimg a1d1df1e312d335a8d2b7eb8e68987b9 lq

Let’s perform (what we like to call) a “sanity check”.

Let’s compare GDP PPP. Purchasing power parity (PPP) is an economic term that calculates the relative value of different currencies. When calculating GDP per capita, purchasing power parity gives a more accurate picture about a country’s overall standard of living.

  • USA = $20.49T
  • China = $25.36T

And here is a visualization of those figures.

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main qimg 4ba2491ca7506c157339d38c803b281d lq

So what does it mean?

  • Sally Mae has two dollars and can buy one apple with it.
  • Lee Chan has one dollar and can buy ten apples with it.

Lee Chan is doing much better than Sally Mae is.

Lee Chan eats one apple, and puts the rest in storage for a “rainy day”. While Sally Mae eats her apple, but has nothing left afterwards.

Green Acres – a few scenes with Mr.Haney (1)

https://youtu.be/EIvjz2X-Kok

China and France just released a groundbreaking 51-point joint statement. Full text available here (in Chinese; French and English versions will be provided when available):

2023 05 30 17 08
2023 05 30 17 08
重要新闻_中华人民共和国外交部

应中华人民共和国主席习近平邀请,法兰西共和国总统埃马纽埃尔·马克龙于2023年4月5日至7日对中华人民共和国进行国事访问。在两国即将迎来建交60周年之际,两国元首回顾中法关系坚实基础和两国人民友谊,就双边关系、中国-欧盟关系和重大国际地区问题深入交换意见,决定在2018年1月9日、2019年3月25日和2019年11月6日的联合声明基础上,为中法合作开辟新前景,为中国-欧盟关系寻求新动能。 一、加强政治对话,促进政治互信 1.中法将延续两国元首年度会晤机制。 2.中法两国强调双方高层交往及战略对话、高级别经济财金对话和高级别人文交流机制对于发展双边合作的重要性,同意年内举行三大机制新一次会议。 3.中法两国重申愿在相互尊重彼此主权与领土完整和重大利益基础上,推动紧密持久的中法全面战略伙伴关系不断发展。 4.中法两国同意深化战略问题交流,特别是深化中国人民解放军南部战区与法国军队太平洋海区之间的对话,加强在国际和地区安全问题上的相互理解。 5.在中国和欧盟建立全面战略伙伴关系20周年之际,中国重申致力于发展中国-欧盟关系,鼓励高层交往,推动在战略问题上凝聚共识,增加人员交流,共同应对全球性挑战,积极平衡促进经济合作。法国作为欧盟成员国,认同上述方向,并将为此作出贡献。 6.法国重申坚持一个中国政策。 二、共同推动世界安全与稳定 7.作为联合国安理会常任理事国,中法两国共同致力于为国际安全和稳定面临的挑战和威胁寻求基于国际法的建设性解决方案,认为应通过对话协商和平解决国家间分歧和争端,寻求在多极世界里强化以联合国为核心的多边国际体系。 8.中法两国重申支持中国、法国、俄罗斯、英国和美国(五常)领导人2022年1月3日发表的《关于防止核战争与避免军备竞赛的联合声明》。正如声明中所强调,“核战争打不赢也打不得”。两国呼吁不采取任何可能加剧紧张风险的行动。 9.两国愿加强协调合作,共同维护军控与防扩散体系的权威性和有效性,推进国际军控进程。中法两国重申致力于平衡推进《不扩散核武器条约》核裁军、核不扩散与和平利用核能三大支柱,不断加强《不扩散核武器条约》的普遍性、权威性和有效性。 10.双方支持一切在国际法和联合国宪章宗旨和原则基础上恢复乌克兰和平的努力。 11.双方反对针对核电站和其他和平核设施的武装攻击,支持国际原子能机构为促进和平核设施的安全安保发挥建设性作用,包括为保障扎波罗热核电站的安全安保所作出的努力。 12.两国强调冲突当事方应严格遵守国际人道法的重要性。两国尤其呼吁根据国际承诺保护受冲突影响的妇女儿童,加大对冲突地区的人道援助,提供安全、快速、无障碍的人道主义援助准入。 13.双方将继续在中法战略对话机制下保持沟通。 14.2015年达成的伊朗核问题全面协议(JCPOA)是多边外交的重要成果。两国重申致力于推动伊朗核问题政治外交解决,重申致力于维护国际核不扩散体系及安理会决议的权威性和有效性,重申在此框架下对国际原子能机构的支持。 15.中法两国将继续就朝鲜半岛问题保持密切沟通。 16.中法两国同意继续通过中法网络事务对话机制进行交流。 三、促进经济交流 17.中法两国承诺为企业提供公平和非歧视的竞争条件,特别是在化妆品、农业和农食产品、空中交通管理、金融(银行、保险、资产管理人)、卫生健康(医疗物资、疫苗)以及能源、投资和可持续发展等领域。为此,两国致力于为企业合作提供良好环境,改善两国企业在对方国家的市场准入,改善营商环境,确保尊重两国所有企业的知识产权。在数字经济领域,包括在5G方面,法方承诺在两国包括国家安全在内的法律法规基础上,继续以公平、非歧视方式处理中国企业的授权许可申请。 18.中法两国愿继续加强在服务业各领域的务实合作,支持两国机构和企业在互利基础上开展经贸往来,促进服务贸易发展。法国愿应邀担任2024年中国国际服务贸易交易会主宾国。 19.中法两国希加强农业、农食、兽医和植物检疫领域伙伴关系,乐见猪肉产品市场准入获得保障、向软枣猕猴桃和饲用乳制品开放市场、批准15家猪肉出口机构在华注册。两国主管部门将尽快回应符合双方食品卫生安全法律法规要求的农业、农食产品,特别是肉类和水产品出口企业未来的注册请求和婴幼儿乳品配方注册申请,以及双方各自部门提出的市场开放请求。双方将继续在肉牛、葡萄酒行业以及地理标志,特别是勃艮第葡萄酒地理标志注册方面进行交流合作。法国支持中国将尽快提出的加入国际葡萄与葡萄酒组织的申请,支持中国举办国际葡萄与葡萄酒产业大会。 20.中法两国对达成中方航空公司采购160架空客飞机的“批量采购协议”表示欢迎。两国将视中国航空运输市场和机队恢复和发展情况,适时研究中方航空公司的货运和长途运输等需求。双方欢迎中国民航局和欧盟航空安全局加强合作,将在均认可的国际安全标准基础上加快适航认证进程,特别是Y12F、H175、达索8X等项目的适航认证进程。双方欢迎两国企业就可持续航空燃料达成协议。双方继续开展工业合作,特别是空客天津新总装线项目。 21.中法两国支持两国航空公司按照两国民航部门相协调的方式,以恢复履行1966年6月1日签署的《中华人民共和国政府和法兰西共和国政府航空交通协定》及相关航权安排为目标,尽快将航空连通恢复至疫情前水平。两国航空公司在中法之间经营航班时应享有公平均等的机会。两国支持深化人员和经济往来,包括为两国私营部门人员和商务人士提供签证便利。 22.双方对两国航天机构围绕嫦娥六号及地外样品联合研究开展合作感到满意。 23.为实现能源体系低碳转型的共同愿望,中法两国在政府间和平利用核能合作协定框架下,开展民用核能务实合作。两国致力于在中国国家原子能机构和法国原子能和替代能源委员会协议等基础上,继续推进在核能研发领域前沿课题上的合作。两国支持双方企业研究在核废料后处理等问题上加强工业和技术合作的可能性。 24.中法两国对2015年第三方市场合作政府间协议取得的成果表示欢迎。双方致力于已确定的第三方市场合作项目的后续和落实。两国政府鼓励企业、金融机构及其他主体在可适用的国际高标准基础上在第三方市场开拓新的重大经济合作项目。 四、重启人文交流 25.为在全球推动保护和促进文化表现形式多样性,中法两国支持深化文化作品创作与利用方面的合作,将积极推动重启文化和旅游领域的交流合作。中法两国对两国文化主管部门达成文化合作意向声明表示欢迎。 26.双方将于2024年共同举办中法文化旅游年,支持故宫博物院与凡尔赛宫、上海西岸美术馆与蓬皮杜艺术中心等在两国合作举办高水平活动。双方承诺在遵守各自法律前提下,为巡回办展提供海关、物流等方面的便利化举措,将努力确保支持的展览中文化物品的完整性和顺利归还。 27.双方重申愿通过联合制作、版权合作、竞赛、艺术家交流等方式,加强在文化和创意产业领域,特别是文学、电影、电视纪录片、出版(含游戏)、音乐、建筑和数字化等领域的合作,提升针对最广泛受众的传播潜力。 28.中法两国承诺加强文化遗产保护、修复和开发领域的双边合作。两国欢迎就中国专家与法国团队共同参与巴黎圣母院现场修复工作、兵马俑保护修复研究合作、公输堂和茂陵合作项目、推动两国世界遗产缔结友好关系等达成文化遗产合作路线图。双方将继续共同努力预防和打击盗窃、非法挖掘和非法进
A few noteworthy points:
  • Point 4 is about deepening the dialogue and cooperation between the Chinese and French navies in the Pacific Ocean. France has two strategically located overseas territories in this theatre – French Polynesia, and New Caledonia. These islands are located right on the so-called “Third Island Chain”.For the French, this could be payback of a sort for getting snubbed by the Anglo-Saxon nations over their nuclear submarine deal with Australia. Ultimately, US hegemony is an extension of Anglo-Saxon supremacy, where the other great powers of Europe only get to play second fiddle at best. For the Chinese, this presents a greater level of maritime freedom and security, as the Island Chains continue to be ever more porous.
  • 2023 05 30 17 09z
    2023 05 30 17 09z
  • Point 17, where France and China promise to provide fair and non-discriminatory environments for each others’ businesses. This is in stark contrast to the US, which stole Alstom from France, placed tariffs on French steel and aluminium, and exported its own inflation to France with the (ironically named) Inflation Reduction Act; and is trying to steal/ban TikTok, just for the crime of being Chinese.
  • Point 20, where China will be gradually ditching the US and switching to France for all things aviation. China will be buying some 160 planes from French companies, while France will be setting up new production lines in China, as well as buying more Chinese ships.Also worthy of note is that France recently completed its first LNG trade with China using the yuan. Dedollarisation is real. It’s happening.

Article HERE

  • Ukraine is only mentioned once by name. There is more to the world than just the Ukrainian crisis, and it is neither the responsibility – nor within the power of – either France or China to solve it, because neither country created the crisis in the first place. However, both countries did reiterate their consensus on the need to avoid nuclear warfare.

Looking inward, taking a pause, and reflecting is good for the soul

Life is funny. I’ve been watching these videos made all over the world making fun of Americans. I have to laugh. But it’s really, really sad. The United States is the world’s “laughing stock” right now, but no one is really laughing. They are just terrified.

West is finished

main qimg 5f8ce83f0f0143825b9c5127649e0326
main qimg 5f8ce83f0f0143825b9c5127649e0326

Americans Living Abroad: First Time You Realized America Really Messed You Up | Part 2 | TikTok

As someone who was born and raised in America, and still lives here, it surprises me how many of us don't realize that America's "culture" is to literally not care about people. So many countries have these cool cultures that can be expressed through dance or customization/outfits, but America's culture is to brag about how much they don't give a fuck about anyone.

https://youtu.be/ukP6NHJ5og0

I came to China as anti-China as any average Westerner, with strong opinions about Tibet and pollution.

Originally, I didn’t mean to work in China, but that’s where I found my first job. The pay was higher than anywhere else for my skills and experience, so, opportunity led to there. But I meant for it to be temporary. I wanted to get some experience and then to find a better country.

I lived in Equatorial Guinea when I found this job, teaching in a military school. It was a dictatorship, a bad one. Everyone warned me about going to China because of freedom and stuff, but nobody warned me about Equatorial Guinea. My co-workers in Guinea couldn’t believe I would accept going to China. So I really expected at least as bad as Guinea.

But when I arrived in Tianjin, I was surprised. I was free. A lot more than in Africa. And most of all, I felt safe. There is no crime, especially violent crime, in China. All the policemen and military men I met were welcoming and helpful! I even dated a few. Yes, in Africa I never dared dating a man, I feared for my life, but in China no problem. They have the best gay bars I’ve ever seen, huge with several floors with KTV, bright light cafe, lounge, restaurant etc all in one. I felt freer than even in France for that!

The people were really welcoming, really friendly. I didn’t know Chinese, they didn’t know English, but they were eager to interact. In addition to being free, safe and welcoming, it was also cheap and modern. The infrastructure is amazing but also everything is digital. With a single app like wechat or alipay, you can pay your utility bills online (and monitor your usage in real time), book Cinema tickets, order meals…

The logistics are amazing too. Delivery is usually free, or like 3 rmb, for a really efficient service. If you want things fast, use JD logistics, you get same day delivery of anything you buy online.

I’ve been here almost 10 years now. I’ve learnt Chinese, although I’m not fluent yet, and I have progressed regularly in my career. I started at 1000 Euros a month (not much back then but with a flat on campus, it’s a lot of purchasing power) and now I’m around 5000 Euros a month with international health-care and 3 months paid vacation. It’s still a land of opportunity. The Chinese dream is real. If you are willing and hard working, there is money to be made.

The only downside is that it’s very hard to actually immigrate. I wish I could, but the requirements to get a green card are really high… I’m hopeful that in the future, it can become easier, because I really wish to stay in China until the end of my life.

And that’s also why I’m mad at the Western media. The way they depict China is unfair. I get called a wumao a lot for just stating facts. Everyone is prejudiced against China and nobody wants to hear the truth. China is ahead of us and moving forward. We have so much to learn from them.

EDIT March 2 2023

First, I didn’t expect my answer to get that many views or upvotes. Thanks!

Lately, I’m getting a lot of comments with similar points that I would like to address.

“You are a Westerner, you are privileged, you don't know the life Chinese have"

I am a Westerner, privileged in some regards (the patience of administration and services), second class citizen in others (cannot use certain services, apps or products that require a Chinese ID).

But do you think I’ve lived 10 years with no interactions with Chinese people? I’ve taught hundreds of students from all over China and with all economic backgrounds. I’ve had lots of Chinese co-workers, neighbors and friends. All the boyfriends I’ve had in China were Chinese and most were from humble origins. I know where they live, how much they make, what their job is like.

“You earn a lot, life would be good anywhere with that salary"

It is good NOW. The first seven years, it wasn’t. My parents joined me after 1.5 years so we were three people, one of us with health issues and no health insurance (diabetes and eventually cancer) that I had to pay out of pocket. We were far from rich. Now we earn more, but with my dad’s cancer and his recent passing, we have yet to save anything.

“you live in big cities, life is different in the countryside"

Yes, I live in Beijing and I’ve lived in Tianjin. I’ve also lived in Zhuhai, which isn’t considered big. But I’ve not remained in those cities!

I’ve visited friends’ hometowns, poorer, small villages with slanted, old homes. I’ve traveled, seen a lot. I can’t claim that I’ve seen it all, but in 10 years and moving so much, meeting so many people, going to so many places, I think I have enough experience to get a sense.

I opened underground room and found treasure full of silver and gold jewelry

Fake. Real? I don’t know.

Coffee Syrup

This is an old New England favorite. It is usually stirred into cold milk (2 to 3 tablespoons per glass). It can also be used to flavor milkshakes, or used as an ice cream topping.

DIY coffee syrup
DIY coffee syrup

Instructions

  1. Place enough coffee and water to make 6 servings. Run the coffee cycle as usual.
  2. When the coffee is finished brewing, discard the used coffee grounds and add to the filter a second quantity of coffee sufficient to make 6 servings. This time, instead of adding fresh water to the coffeemaker, pour the already-brewed coffee into the machine. Run the coffee cycle again. You’ll end up with double-strength coffee.
  3. Repeat the process again, using new coffee, but reuse the brewed coffee instead of water. In the end, you’ll have triple-strength brewed coffee.
  4. Measure the amount of brewed coffee. Add half as much sugar as there is brewed coffee. For example, if after the three brewing cycles you have 5 cups of brewed coffee, add 2 1/2 cups granulated sugar. Stir briskly until the sugar is dissolved. Make sure you add sugar while the coffee is hot so that the sugar dissolves.
  5. Store the syrup in a tightly covered jar in the refrigerator. It keeps a very long time.

Notes

You need a coffeemaker in which boiling water goes through the ground coffee in a filter and drips into a pot. The ingredient amounts will vary depending on your coffeemaker and how much syrup you want to make.

Stop Picking Your Face! New Toy Lets You Pop Pimples For Fun

No matter how much you think you understand people, they will ALWAYS surprise you. This time they have made “Pop It Pal” – a chunk of fake skin dotted with several pores, each of which is filled with simulated pus you can squeeze out.

pimple popper1
pimple popper1

As disgusting as all this might seem, it actually makes sense why pimple popping has become so popular. Squeezing out a big red whopper on your nose is inherently satisfying, and the science backs it up. According to neuroscientist Heather Berlin, our brains reward us with dopamine for expunging a zit.

pimple popper2
pimple popper2

Want more?

pimple popper3
pimple popper3

Entering a 25 MILE Maze of Deep Underground Tunnels to Find This…

May 25, 2023 at 11:51 am

China is reportedly negotiating major arms deals with Saudi Arabia and Egypt as both countries look to become less reliant on the US for their defence needs.

According to South China Morning Post , which cited the geopolitical and intelligence website Tactical Report, Saudi Arabia Military Industries (SAMI) is currently in talks with China’s state-owned North Industries Group Corporation (Norinco) to acquire a range of unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs), also known as drones, and air defence systems.

Among the weapons included in the potential deal are the Sky Saker FX80 drone, the CR500 vertical take-off drone, the Cruise Dragon 5 and 10 “suicide drones” and the HQ-17AE short-range air defence (SHORAD) system.

2023 05 28 18 52
2023 05 28 18 52

The discussions have apparently “reached an advanced stage”, and have been ongoing for about a year, said Tactical Report. It quoted an unnamed source close to the deal, adding that it is speculated that it will be settled in Chinese currency, the yuan.

Egypt is said be in separate talks with Beijing to acquire the Chengdu J-10C

multirole fighter jet, also known as the Vigorous Dragon. It is the most advanced J-10 variant

and is powered by an indigenous engine.

To further negotiations started late last year, a delegation from the Egyptian Air Force (EAF) is expected to meet representatives from the Chengdu Aircraft Industry Group on the side-lines of the Langkawi International Maritime and Aerospace Exhibition in Malaysia this week.

A report last year by Middle East Eye

(MEE) noted that China is “emerging as the secondary arms supplier of choice for many Middle East countries.”

US President Joe Biden came into office with the foreign policy objective

of barring all sales of “offensive weapons” to Saudi Arabia in light of its use of American military technology in its devastating war in Yemen.

This policy was contradicted by a $650 million arms deal with Saudi

approved by Biden’s state department, a deal which allowed Riyadh to maintain attack helicopters that have been used to bomb Yemen.

The 2022 Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI) Trends in International Arms Transfers Report

notes that, from 2018-2022, Saudi Arabia was the world’s second-largest arms importer, accounting for 9.8% of global arms imports over that period, with the US supplying 78% of Saudi Arabia purchases.

The same report notes that Egypt was the world’s sixth-largest arms buyer during the period, accounting for 4.5% of global arms imports, with 34% of its imports coming from Russia.

In a 2018 SIPRI article

, Pieter Wezeman notes that Saudi Arabia aims to diversify its arms suppliers to widen and deepen its international political network to minimize the effects of Western arms sales restrictions.

Russia has not always been Egypt’s preferred arms provider. Bradley Bowman and other writers note in a May 2021 Defense News article

that before the 2013 Egypt coup, wherein then-defense minister Abdel-Fattah el-Sissi deposed the then-incumbent president Mohammed Morsi, the US accounted for 47% of Egyptian arms imports. However, after the 2013 coup, the Obama administration froze aircraft, tank, and missile sales to Cairo for two years until relations improved. Due to that freeze, Bowman and the other writers note that Egypt tried to diversify its arms import providers by purchasing large quantities of weapons from Russia and France.

In making this move, Middle East clients can reduce their political dependence on Washington and the EU by purchasing inexpensive, yet effective Chinese arms.

ABANDONED ROTHSCHILD MANSION UK – Left to decay!

Russia is one of the strongest economies on Earth

Surprised?

It’s true

The Russian lands control almost 1000 Trillion Rubles of Priceless Assets from Oil to Gold to Palladium to Platinum to Gas to Coal to now the world’s largest salt deposits

In Dollar terms it’s around $ 12.5 Trillion of Energy and Metal Assets

And that’s the tapped assets

The Arctic alone could have another $ 10 Trillion untapped assets

Today Russia is one of the Five Countries in the world that can happily go back to the Gold Standard without a single problem and peg it’s Rubles wrt Gold.

Let’s see Russia

Russia owes $ 514 Billion in External Debts

It’s barely 4.7% of it’s vast Assets

Russia owes around 40 Trillion Rubles in Internal Debts as of 30.9.2022

Yet it’s barely 4% of it’s Vast Assets!!!!

The Russian Economys $ 1.9 Trillion GDP is a myth based purely on Dollar numbers.

The real Ruble economy is much stronger and larger, just like Iran

Russia is a Bankers dream

US is a Bankers Nightmare

Curious Ancient Stone Objects In The Cairo Museum In Egypt

These Papercraft Mosquitoes Look So Real You’ll Want To Swat Them

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Combining realism with attention to detail and remarkable technical abilities, artist Masanobu Azami, who goes by the name Scissorhands, also deserves honorable mention among his Japanese paper-crafting peers.

Scissorhands can create minute masterpieces out of paper as well. In fact, it was his smallest creation to date that went viral last week when he tweeted it as part of a hashtag campaign for artists to introduce their representative works. His mosquito is not only accurately sized, only measuring mere millimeters in length, it looks anatomically accurate with an astonishing level of detail, from feet to antennae.

And since the infamous blood-lusting insects are rarely found in isolation, it’s only natural that Scissorhands created more than one specimen.

More: Twitter h/t: grapee

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You mean NATO invading China?

How?

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main qimg a36ebfcaabaf8ed3ba125e92403a6d47 lq

There is no contiguous land route

You have a HUGE BUFFER ZONE

Russia, Central Asia, Mongolia, India, Nepal, Myanmar, Cambodia

All Neutral Or Anti NATO Nations

So a Land invasion is IMPOSSIBLE unless Russia complies or joins NATO which is now almost impossible

That leaves a Naval Offensive through the Sea of Japan and the South China Sea

China has a huge Navy plus a massive array of Land to Sea Missiles along the entire border

NATO has its Navy all over the world but Chinas Navy is primarily in that region. So Chinas concentration of Naval power may be 10:1 against NATO

If NATO increases the fleet size in the Region then that means the Baltic Fleet can play havoc in Scandinavian waters and maybe bombard and pulverize Odessa

The barrage of missiles from China and the Chinese Navy would simply be too much for NATO

They take months to replenish Ammo, how long so you think they need to replenish a submarine or a destroyer?

A Total Naval Barrage may have 640 Missiles to hit China while Chinas Navy and Land missiles alone number 2200

That’s 4:1 Advantage right there

And in the 0.0000001% chance of it looking likely that NATO would triumph, CHINA would simply decide to save face at the expense of Nuclear Devastation

Japan – NUKED

Australia -30% NUKED

South Korea – NUKED

USA – West Coast – NUKED, Mid West – 40% NUKED, East Coast – 25% NUKED

The PLA may even Nuke Non Aligned India as a death punch

So China may be destroyed but the World will be in a Dystopian future for minimum 100 years and at least 60 Million Americans will be dead or permanently affected and US will perhaps never recover

Maybe the Balloons marked all strategic cities for a Nuclear Hit in the worst case scenario

So NATO & CHINA – not a very wise move

Is the US creating three Asian Ukraines (South Korea, Taiwan, the Philippines) to become frontline states to contain China?

That’s what the US neo-con warmongers would like but China isn’t going to attack Taiwan.

What is happening is that the US wants to use Taiwan, Japan, SK, and the Philippines to attack China.

What will happen is that China will surround Taiwan, no fighting involved unless the DPP shoots first. But China will have it’s ships 150 miles away from Taiwan so that the missiles don’t have the range to hit the ships.

And then China will wait for the US’s response. If the US starts an attack, the US, NATO, Japan, SK, and Australia will get their ships sunk. China wins and China takes all Western Pacific islands from the US and removes all US bases in the Western Pacific.

If the US doesn’t attack then China wins and the US looks like it’s afraid, which it is.

So either way China wins. So most likely, the US won’t attack China. What the US is doing is trying to increase the military budget of the US, Japan, SK, and Australia to pump money into the MICC.

And they have already succeeded. Australia is set to spend $386 Billion on 8 subs for delivery in the mid 2050s. Japan is increasing it’s defense budget. And a lot of it will go to the US for weapons, ships, and fighters.

Found Mystic Abandoned Castle Hidden in the Woods

Easy Kummelweck Rolls

2023 05 28 18 10
2023 05 28 18 10

Ingredients

  • 1/2 cup cold water
  • 1 tablespoon cornstarch
  • Kaiser rolls
  • Caraway seeds
  • Pretzel salt

Instructions

  1. In a small saucepan over medium-high heat, stir together water and cornstarch. Heat mixture to a gentle boil. Reduce heat to low, and stir until mixture thickens and is translucent. Remove from heat and let cool.
  2. Brush cooled cornstarch mixture on the top of ordinary Kaiser rolls.
  3. Over cornstarch-water mixture, sprinkle equal amounts of caraway seeds and pretzel salt.
  4. Heat in a 350 degrees F oven for about 3 minutes, long enough for the top of the rolls to get crusty and for the caraway seeds and salt to stick.

After Beijing responded in kind to Washington’s tech restrictions, the move was branded unfounded and bad for business

By Timur Fomenko, a political analyst

China recently restricted chips made by US semiconductor firm Micron from being used in its national infrastructure, branding them a “national security threat”.

The language and rationale of such a move should sound familiar, because it’s precisely what the US has been doing over the past few years in blacklisting Chinese technology companies and pushing allies to do the same. “You can’t trust having Huawei in your 5G infrastructure” was the general line used by Washington officials. According to them, and to Western media repeating this line, all kinds of Chinese technology constitutes an “espionage risk,” from TikTok to balloons to fridges.

So based on this treatment of Chinese companies by the US, it was only a matter of time before Beijing struck back. And one might think that if Washington was willing to use “national security” as a pretext for market exclusion, it would be acceptable for China to the same. Only fair, right?

Apparently not. Despite the brutal restrictions the US has placed on Chinese technology, which have also included blacklisting its entire semiconductor industry and forcing third-party countries to follow suit, the US reacted with outrage to Beijing’s announcement

and accused it of “having no basis in fact.” Not only that, but Washington then further claimed that the move was evidence that China’s regulatory environment was “unreliable” and that the country was no longer committed to “reform and opening up.”

The US can somehow say this with a straight face. Washington is entitled to restrict Chinese firms on an industrial scale, but when Beijing does the same, even on a marginal level, then it’s evidence that China is not reliable for investment. Even as microchip firms point out the damage that disastrous policies of the US are causing, Washington seems to have either no self-awareness, or an extreme sense of self-entitlement, which, as has been discussed many times, gives it the almost divine right to impose on others rules it doesn’t feel obliged to follow itself.

This is an indication of how the US sees its right to exploit China’s own markets. American ties with China have always been conditional, on the premise that Beijing would gradually transform its political system and economy to fall in line with US preferences. In the 1980s and 1990s, during China’s era of “reform and opening up,” the US believed – due to its ideological overconfidence after its victory in the Cold War – that China was changing and was destined to reform.

In this light, free market economics was seen as an evangelically transformative force which, with the onset of capitalism, naturally led to liberal democracy. Thus, there was never a premise of “engaging” China on its own terms, it always had to “lead” to something. By the 2010s, it became clear that this was not going to happen. Not only did China’s political system not change, but its economic trajectory and industries continued to grow in a way which threatened the foundations of American hegemony. US foreign policy subsequently shifted to now trying to “force” China to change and containing it.

The US, of course, loves the idea of trade with China and its markets, as long as such trade is conducted entirely according to Washington’s preferences. That is, to have China’s market to exploit as a subordinate to the US, and to prevent China from having its own world-leading industries. This mindset has created a visible contradiction in political rhetoric: that China “must” open up its markets more for Western goods, but at the same time must be locked out of Western markets in certain areas. China’s resistance to this is decried as so-called “unfair” economic practices.

Because of this, the only kind of “engagement” the US wants with China is that which is completely one-sided, such as being forced to order $200 billion in US farm goods per annum (as Trump envisioned), but being banned from the US semiconductor market. This is also why the US demands that even as its own companies lose market share in China, other countries, like South Korea

, should have no right to take up that lost share.

The US is not interested in compromise, only capitulation. Thus, trade with China is really only conditional on either ideological transformation, or if that fails, a surrender to total exploitation, turning China into a neoliberal state which is completely open and gutted of industries, possibly complete with a small clique of very wealthy pro-Western oligarchs who sell out the country.

The US-China economic relationship is directed, on Washington’s side, by a sense of ideological entitlement. We can blacklist your companies and even coercively ban third countries from using any Chinese technology, but don’t even think about limiting one of our own firms. Or else.

China New Breakthrough and Policy Puts China 10 Years Ahead of The US In The EV Industry

https://youtu.be/TE5bdqyWbs4

Nightmarish Illustrations That Will Have You Hiding Under The Bed

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1171 650×921

You have to wonder how Japanese digital artist Ryohei Hase sleeps at night.

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2108 650×921

Hailing from Tokyo, Hase effortlessly fuses painting and digital illustrations to bring to life his surrealist and nightmarish fantasy world. He’s revered as an iconic cult figure in the modern day Japanese art world, with his work being displayed in countless exhibitions across the country and featured comics, books, magazines and video games.

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What’s The Dumbest Thing an American Has Ever Said To You? | Part 1

https://youtu.be/No07KOKXqD4

May 27, 2023

By Caitlin JOHNSTONE

60 Minutes Australia has been playing a leading role in saturating Australian airwaves with consent-manufacturing messaging in support of militarising to participate in a US war against China. A segment they ran a year ago is titled “Prepare for Armageddon: China’s warning to the world,” and features an image of Xi Jinping overlaid with war planes and explosions and captioned “POKING THE PANDA”. Another from a year ago is titled “War with China: Are we closer than we think?” Another from ten months ago is titled “China’s new target in the battle to control the Pacific.” Another from six months ago is titled “Inside the battle for Taiwan and China’s looming war threat.” Another from two months ago is titled “Is the Navy ready? How the U.S. is preparing amid a naval buildup in China.”

All of these segments have millions of views on YouTube alone. Now this past weekend 60 Minutes Australia has aired back-to-back segments titled “The real Top Gun: US military in heated stand-off with China” and “Five countries secretly sharing intelligence say China is the №1 threat,” both of which are as jaw-droppingly propagandistic as anything I’ve ever seen.

“It might sound like twisted logic, but military forces everywhere argue that the greater the firepower they possess, the greater the chance of maintaining peace,” opens 60 Minutes Australia’s Amelia Adams. “In other words, massive weaponry is the best deterrent to war. Right now the theory is being tested like never before, and much of it is happening in Australia’s backyard, the Indo-Pacific region. The United States wants the world, and more particularly China, to know of its increasing presence there, and to do that it’s putting on a spectacular show.”

What follows is 19 minutes of overproduced footage displaying this “massive weaponry” while Adams oohs and ahhs and gives slobberingly sycophantic interviews to US military officials.

“There’s something utterly mesmerising about the F-35 jet,” Adams moans. “The sound, the heat, and the power put this supersonic stealth fighter in a league of its own.”

“Colonel these are some very impressive machines you’re in charge of!” she gushes to an officer on an aircraft carrier.

“Yes ma’am,” the colonel replies.

Jesus lady, do your orgasming off camera.

Contrast this glowing ecstatic revelry with Adams’ open hostility later in the segment toward a Chinese think tanker named Henry Wang, claiming that he was trying to “rewrite history” for dismissing panic about a Chinese military buildup by pointing out (100 percent correctly) that China is spending a lower percentage of its GDP on its military than western nations.

“Every command, every maneuver, is being fine-tuned on this vast blue stage, where China has proven to be a bad actor, playing a long game of intimidating Pacific nations,” Adams proclaims over helicopter footage of US war ships. “But the US and its allies aren’t having it, bolstering their defenses — and it’s an impressive display.”

I defy you to find me footage more brazenly propagandistic than this, from any point in history. This is supposed to be a news show, run by people who purport to be journalists, yet they’re engaging in propaganda that looks like it came from a Sacha Baron Cohen spoof of a third world dictatorship.

As I never tire of pointing out , the claim that the US has been militarily encircling its number one geopolitical rival defensively is the single dumbest thing the empire asks us to believe these days. The US is surrounding China with war machinery in ways that it would consider an outrageously aggressive provocation if the same thing were done in its neck of the woods, which means the US is plainly the aggressor in this standoff, and China is plainly reacting defensively to those aggressions.

While the first segment unquestioningly regurgitates Pentagon narratives and gives supportive interviews to military officials, the second segment unquestioningly regurgitates talking points from the western intelligence cartel and gives supportive interviews to Five Eyes spooks.

“Showing off deadly weaponry in massive war games is a tactic China and the United States both use to try to avoid full-on combat,” says 60 Minutes Australia’s Nick McKenzie in introduction. “But the truth is the two countries, as well as other nations including Australia, are already battling it out in an invisible war. There are no frontline soldiers but there are significant skirmishes. Until now these conflicts have been kept quiet, but key members of a secretive alliance of top cops from Australia, the United States, the United Kingdom, Canada and New Zealand are about to change that.”

“Their group is called the Five Eyes, and tonight they want you to know what they see,” says McKenzie, which is the same as saying “We’re telling you what the Five Eyes intelligence agencies told us to tell you.”

McKenzie literally just assembles a bunch of Five Eyes officials to tell Australians that China is bad and dangerous, and then disguises the western intelligence cartel advancing its own information interests as a real news story.

“There is one threat that alarms our partners more than any other,” McKenzie says

over dramatic music, asking “Which state actor is the key threat to democracy in Australia and amongst the Five Eyes partners?” and presenting a montage of western intelligence operatives answering (you guessed it) China.

“The Americans describe a growing menace on our doorstep flowing from China’s increasing influence in the region,” McKenzie says, before asking an American official, “Do you see the Chinese state preying on Pacific island nations?”

“I believe so, yes,” the official responds.

Western journalism, ladies and gents.

Australians are particularly vulnerable to propaganda because Australia has the most concentrated media ownership  in the western world, dominated by a powerful duopoly

of Nine Entertainment (who airs 60 Minutes) and the Murdoch-owned News Corp. This vulnerability is being fully exploited as the time comes for the western empire to beat the war drums against China.

We keep being hammered by this narrative that “massive weaponry is the best deterrent to war,” when all facts in evidence say the exact opposite is true. It was the military encroachment against Russia and the conversion of Ukraine into a NATO military asset which provoked Putin  to invade Ukraine, and all the militarization against China that we are seeing is only inflaming tensions and making war more likely .

And, I mean, of course it is; even a casual glance at the Cuban Missile Crisis reveals that powerful nations don’t take kindly to having menacing forces placed near their borders. So much of the propaganda indoctrination we’re subjected to in the 2020s revolves around convincing people to believe that Russia and China should react completely differently than the way the US would react if foreign proxy forces were being amassed along its borders.

So yes, Amelia Adams, claiming that aggression and militarism is the best path toward peace is absolutely “twisted logic”. It is as twisted as it gets. Because it is false. This is obvious to anyone who hasn’t yet been successfully indoctrinated into this omnicidal belief system.

We need to do everything we can to fight against this indoctrination now, because if we wait until the war actually starts it will likely be too late to resist.

Treasure hunter // open a treasure cave and decipher the mystery of its sign

This guy again. Does he live in an area full of gold?

First of all, in China, all people have significant savings.

Frans Vandenbosch  方腾波

Then, in China, the whole Chinese culture is based on the family. All family members, parents, children, uncles, aunts, brothers and sisters, even extended family members will right away (within hours) come to help and provide whatever amount of money to someone of their family in case of emergency.

Without asking for any compensation or pay back.

But if someone of the family is harming the family, then he will be severely punished. In a quite wealthy family (parents and 4 daughters) I know the case of a brother in law who cheated his wife (sister of my friend). He was forced to pay back a significant amount right away and he was fired by his employer. The eldest sister (the family “patriarch”) organised all these punishments.

Also in not-so-wealthy families, I know of similar cases, where an aunt immediately came to help with large amounts of money in an emergency case.

When I once lost my wallet (with passport, money, credit cards, …) in Shanghai, my Chinese friend came to my apartment the same evening with 50 000 CNY cash. And I was her friend, not even a family member.

China And Russia Launch Cutting-Edge Payment System To Challenge Dollar And SWIFT

https://youtu.be/invvouvNejE

It’s the cope. The United States is in “coping mode”.

The United States people, and upper classes are coping with the changes. These coping mechanisms vary from acceptance, to defiance! Which many in denial. Polls of the Republican presidential candidates are all 100% in favor of going to war with Mexico.

Or Haiti…

Plus China, once a war with Russia is over.

Obviously the “ruling classes” are out of touch.

Hahaha , do I believe this strange utterance of Biden?

No, I don’t believe any word he said.

It is like the slyvester saying to the pussy cat : “ I am harmless , cutie, come, let’s play together”. US treasury bond funds in the US is in danger of ending up as toilet paper.

China is told by the US treasury not to redeem anymore treasury bond funds.

Just this year , the US suggesting that Japan to install US missiles, telling countries not to sell lithography machines and computer chips to China , and then now saying that the thawing of the cold war against China is thawing… ‘ really soon’… incredible!

Cat Saves Woman’s Life

That the Chinese and Hong Kongers chose peace instead all those democratic and freedom bullshit.

Shake my goddamn head.

And people wonder why I’m not as sacred as Democrats compared to Republicans.

If the U.S. try this stunt, it will be the biggest mistake that they could ever make. In one strike China will wiped off the entire 12 aircraft carriers anywhere in earth. Next it will attack and military base the attacking force it comes from.

China and a dozen nation will take revenge action simultaneously throughout the world. And god help Japan and Japanese people if it is foolish enough to allow a bow and arrow attack from Japanese soil. South Korea take note too.

China will hit the U.S. mainland the moment the U.S. touch a stone in China. China will hand such a big hiding the U.S. will never be the same again for a century. Of if you wish let’s all die together in a total nuclear war.

So god help America if you are foolish enough.

WOW! CHINA Just Dumped 972 Billion US Dollars To Crash The US Economy – Peter Schiff

This is a very good video, and well worth your watch.

This is by far the best explanation I've heard on this subject. AND a big thumbs up on your graphics presentation.

It’s an obvious answer. Even the most pro-war, anti-China hawks recognize this fact. Which is why RAND has “cooked up” various suppression strategies designed to cripple China.

The idea behind these strategies is to weaken China to a point where it collapses, and then the oligarchic vultures can flock in and loot China at will. Previous methods were tried in the past.

Perhaps the most successful was the “century of humiliation”…

  • Use military force to enter China, and then force the government to become your proxy. Then, get the population hooked on drugs and loot, and rape the nation until it holds nothing left of value.

Since that dark period, there were other efforts…

  • A military operation to seize China though Korea. This is known as the “Korean War”, and inside America it is known as a “strategic victory”. Though, in reality, it is an absolute failure, and the Chinese kicked the American invasion forces to a small toehold in Southern Korea where they sued for peace.
  • After that fiasco, President Truman ordered the carpet bombing of China with Biological weapons. Failed, but most of the last 70 years involved various aspects of this effort against China.
  • Soros, and Bloomberg tried on multiple occasions to seize the Chinese banks and wrest financial control over China. And did they fail! Lordy! I’m surprised that they didn’t keel over and die from the shock that some nation was smart enough to see what they were doing.
  • Economic sanctions, tariffs and trade restrictions have been the hallmarks and “calling card” for most conservative members of the United States. China pretty much brushes off the efforts with a big shrug and a “meh”.
  • Color revolutions, NED sponsored, and many CIA direct interventions have occurred. From Hong Kong, to Xinjiang, to Tibet, to Inner Mongolia. All of which have failed.

The current plan is to encircle China. Then sanction it so that no one would trade, and if they tried, the United States would start sinking ships.

Crafty huh?

Not really, by the time when everything is at 70% readiness “good to go”, the most likely outcome is [1] a betrayal of the proxy nations in favor of their own survival, [2] emerging high technologies that will render Western might impotent, and [3] a generalized mega collapse domestically inside of the United States.

If it wasn’t for the massive propaganda machine, all of this would be quite obvious to the West.

Not that I want those things to happen, but the trend lines are clear, and they haven’t deviated from the 2008 prediction vectors one iota.

Chinese researchers find way to manufacture highly flexible, paper-thin solar cells

Published: May 25, 2023 10:14 PM

Chinese researchers have developed a special technology to tailor the edges of textured crystalline silicon (c-Si) solar cells, based on which the solar cells can be bent and folded like thin paper, allowing for broader application and use.

The breakthrough was achieved by Chinese researchers at the Shanghai Institute of Microsystem and Information Technology (SIMIT) under the Chinese Academy of Sciences. The results have been featured on the cover of the May 24 edition of Nature journal.

The c-Si solar cells fabricated with the new technology can be 60 millimeters thin with a bending radius of about 8 millimeters.

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c93b985c c7f9 453b 91c4 40a2cace487e

 

Highly flexible, paper-thin c-Si solar cells Photo: Courtesy of the CAS

According to the Technology Daily, c-Si solar cells are type of solar cell seeing fast development at the moment. They have advantages including long service life and high conversion efficiency, making them a leading product in the photovoltaic market.

Such c-Si solar cells have a market share of more than 95 percent, according to Di Zengfeng, deputy head of the SIMIT, who is one of the authors of the research paper.

Although c-Si solar cells were developed nearly 70 years ago, their use is still limited, the paper explained. Currently, the c-Si solar cells are mainly used in distributed photovoltaic power stations and ground photovoltaic power stations. Hopefully, such solar cells can be used in construction, backpacks, tents, automobiles, sailing boats and even planes.

They can also be used to generate clean energy for houses and a variety of portable electronic and communication devices as well as for transportation, according to the researchers.

db24c943 4227 4491 aa87 b779b81a5eca
db24c943 4227 4491 aa87 b779b81a5eca

Highly flexible, paper-thin c-Si solar cells Photo: Courtesy of the CAS

Liu Zhengxin, a research fellow with the SIMIT, and another author of the paper, said that the study verified the feasibility of mass production, providing a technical route for the development of lightweight and flexible c-Si solar cells.

At the same time, the large-area flexible photovoltaic modules developed by the research team have been successfully applied in the fields of near-space vehicles, building photovoltaic integration and vehicle-mounted photovoltaic systems, Liu said.

Alabama needs some help

The Korean war.

In the early 1950’s, the United States (fresh from fighting World War II), along with its allies invaded Korea. The stated reasons were “democracy”, “freedom” and “fighting Communism”. Of course. The real reason was to attack and seize China while it was still weak. Then, from that captured territory, place military bases on the Russian Southern flank for an eventual World War 3.

Well, the Korean war was a fiasco. The United States lost bigly.

In fact, the losses were so very horrific, that the retreat became a rout. And the piles of equipment and stockpiles in warehouses had to be bombed remotely, by the sea and the air, to prevent capture. (This is by definition a rout. Remote demolitions of abandoned material is a characteristic of a rout.)

General Douglas MacArthur was so upset and defeated that he demanded that President Truman start using nuclear weapons on China, but Truman refused.

Instead President Truman initiated a multi-decade long campaign of carpet bombing China with bio-weapons. (Which didn’t do much to China, except make it very VERY resilient to bio-weapon attacks.)

This kind of stealth; passive-aggressive, attacking continued for decades. Well into the 1970s.

So when the 1960s rolled around, the United States was busy fighting on China’s Southern borders; Vietnam, Laos and Cambodia. All trying to obtain a “toe hold” there. But Chinese-backed Vietnamese forces were putting up a good fight.

You must realize that at that time, with a hostile and unstable SE Asia, and a very VERY pissed off China, the United States was in no way ready to take on China. Because over the decades of covert hostilities, the Chinese grew stronger, and angrier with each passing month.

So in the 1960s and into the 1970s, the United States did not attack China overtly. It’s not that the United States did not want to attack China. It is just that it simply could not. China was a very formidable fighting force, and the anticipated American (and allied) losses would have been enormous.

Adidas jumped on the Anti-China Uighur/Xinjiang cotton train.

Adidas has had 2 years of market share decline.

Whoopsie!

main qimg 23a52924c60801d1a518e161ea9a17a4
main qimg 23a52924c60801d1a518e161ea9a17a4

The US loves drama as long as they are not the ones directly involved.

They want diplomacy so that they can avert war.

No such thing.

War is the whole point now.

***

The real reason America was so angry over COVID, was that they knew they deserved it.

They deserved a China that was willing to take blood revenge to their doorstep, retaliating and escalating against their attempts to destroy China with a bona fide attempt to destroy USA back.

China wasn’t that kind of country; the response from China was a relatively placid ‘no you!’ to USA.

If it was up to me, I’d be saying that we are delivering blood revenge to USA and the West for the trade war.

What can they do about us striking back? Nuke us? They can’t.

Fuck with us? We’ll make another 10 more viruses. Enjoy lockdown.

***

We want them to know that every misstep potentially leads to nuclear war.

We want them to know that we are done talking and now will fight.

We want them to know that we are one step away from blood revenge.

Pragmatic?

Nope, blood revenge it is.

The blood debt must be repaid in full with interest.

Robert, divorce? Nope. There was never a relationship. The US is like a stalker and a sexual harasser still trying to convince the world it ever had a relationship with China, that China is a hostile ex. No such thing. The US is the stalker here.

Bayou Baked Chicken

2023 05 28 11 37
2023 05 28 11 37

Ingredients

  • 2 to 3 tablespoons vegetable oil
  • 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
  • 1 whole chicken, cut up
  • 3 large potatoes, cut into cubes
  • Cajun seasoning
  • 1 onion, cut into large pieces
  • 1 bell pepper, cut into strips
  • 1/2 cup minced garlic
  • 1/2 cup parsley
  • 1/4 cup Worcestershire sauce
  • 1 envelope Lipton onion soup mix

Instructions

  1. Heat oven to 450 degrees F.
  2. Place flour in bottom of large greased baking dish.
  3. Arrange chicken and potatoes in dish, seasoning on both sides with Cajun Seasoning.
  4. Add onion, bell pepper, garlic, parsley and Worcestershire sauce.
  5. Sprinkle Lipton onion soup mix on top.
  6. Put in oven and broil until chicken is brown on top.
  7. Reduce heat to 300 degrees F, cover with aluminum foil and bake for one hour.

Look into this report

The Covid-19 coronavirus was “intentionally released” by the United States in Wuhan,

China, with the target to trigger a global pandemic to raise public acceptance of vaccines, a US businessman specializing in patent auditing said.

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2023 05 29 06 28

David Martin, the founding chairman of M Cam asset management company, said at an International Covid Summit organized by the European Parliament in Brussels

earlier this month that the US was responsible for the making of both coronaviruses causing the outbreaks of severe acute respiratory syndrome – or SARS – in 2003 and the Covid-19 pandemic in the past three years.

Pro Fighters Put Obnoxious Jerks in Their Place

Gorgeous Photos Make Star Wars Toys Look Like Real, Life-Sized Ships

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Manufacturers of toys all over the world should be advertising their products with photos like these. Photographer Vesa Lehtimäki is responsible for these beauties; he’s been photographing his kid’s toys over the years and he makes shots that look like they belong in movies. His images of the various vehicles of Star Wars are especially impressive.

More info: Flickr

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The internet is everywhere in China. It’s fast. It’s free. It’s in the elevators, in the toll booths, on the bridges, in the train stations, on the subway.

It’s in the stalls, and on the streets. It’s in the farmer’s markets and on the farms.

Everyone uses it because it’s a requirement to get anything done. All public services are APP driven. Even beggars use wechat QR to get donations.

That being said, let’s suppose that world war 3 erupts and China loses internet….

What will happen is 200 million people will set up their own intranets as temporary workarounds, and the internet will be restored in no time at all.

China is so very unlike the West that it just boggles the mind.

U.S. Postal Carrier: “19 People Have Died on my Mail Route in Last 4 Months”– Vax Jabbed!

A U.S. Postal Mail Carrier has released a video explaining that on her route of 460 homes, it is average for one or two people to die each year, but in the last four months, NINETEEN people on her route have died!  She thinks it’s the Vax. . .

One minute long video, below:

TRANSCRIPT Of Dr David E.Martin’s Speech At The European Union Parliament MAY 2023

It is a, it is a particularly interesting location for me to be sitting today, given that over a decade ago I sat in this very chair right here in the European Union Parliament.

And at that time I warned the world of what was coming, during that conversation that was hosted at the time by the Green and EFA and a number of the other parties of the European Unions, of various representations.

We were having a conversation on whether Europe should adopt the United States policy of allowing for the patents on biologically derived materials.

And at the time I urged this body and I urged people around the world that the weaponization of nature against humanity had dire consequences.

Tragically, I sit here today, with that unfortunate line that I don’t like to say, which is “I told you so.”

But the fact of the matter is, we’re here not for a reprisal on past decisions. We’re here to actually, once again, come to the face of the human condition and ask the question, who do we want to be?

What do we want humanity to look like?

And rather than seeing this as an exercise in futility, which is very easy from time to time when you’re in the position I’m in, I actually see this not as an exercise in futility.

I see this as one of the greatest opportunities that faces us because we now have a public conversation, which is now front and center in people’s minds.

When this was an esoteric conversation about biological patents, nobody cared.

But when that conversation came home, then it became something people can care about.
So I’m actually quite grateful for this opportunity.

I thank the members of Parliament for hosting this.

I thank all of the translators who I apologize in advance.

I will use terminology that is probably very difficult to translate, so my apologies, and I’d also like to acknowledge the fact that many of you are aware of my involvement with this in large part due to the amazing work of my wonderful wife, Kim Martin, who encouraged me at the very early days of this pandemic to get on front of the camera and talk about all the information that I had been sharing among very small groups around the world.

And it was in fact her encouragement that put me in a place where many of you have heard what I have to say.

Ironically, the world that I came from that used to be very popular, my CNBC and Bloomberg presentations, which were televised on mainstream media around the world, was an audience that I lost.

I can confidently say Covid diminished my fame, but I can also confidently say that I’d rather stand among the people with whom I’m standing today than any of the folks that were part of that previous world.
So, this is a much better place to be.

My role today is to set the stage for this conversation in a historical context, because this did not come in the last three years.

This did not come in the last five or six years.

This actually is an ongoing question that probably began here in Europe in the early stages of the mid 19 hundreds, but certainly by 1913, 1914, this conversation started right here in Central Europe.

The pandemic that we alleged to have happen in the last few years also did not happen overnight.

In fact, the very specific pandemic using coronavirus began in a very different time.

Most of you don’t know that Coronavirus as a model of a pathogen was isolated in 1965.

Coronavirus was identified in 1965 as one of the first infectious, replicatable viral models that could be used to modify a series of other experiences of human condition.

It was isolated once upon a time associated with the common cold.

But what’s particularly interesting about its isolation in 1965 was that it was immediately identified as a pathogen that could be used and modified for a whole host of reasons.

And you heard me correctly, that was 1965.

And by the way, these slides are public domain.

You’re welcome to look at every single reference.

Every comment that I made is based on published material.

So do make sure that you look at those references.

But in 1966, the very first COV Coronavirus model was used as a transatlantic biological experiment in human manipulation, and you heard the date 1966.

I hope you’re getting the point of what I’m saying.

This is not an overnight thing.

This is actually something that’s been long in the making.

A year before I was born, we had the first Trans-Atlantic coronavirus data sharing experiment between the United States and the United Kingdom.

And in 1967, the year I was born, we did the first human trials on inoculating people with modified coronavirus.

Isn’t that amazing?

56 years ago, the overnight success of a pathogen that’s been 56 years in engineering, and I want that to chill with all of you.

Where were we when we actually allowed in violation of biological and chemical weapons treaties?
Where were we as a human civilization when we thought it was an acceptable thing to do to take a pathogen for the United States and infect the world with it?

Where was that conversation and what should have been that conversation in 1967?

That conversation wasn’t had. Ironically, the common cold was turned into a chimera in the 1970s, and in 1975, 1976 and 1977, we started figuring out how to modify coronavirus by putting it into different animals.
Pigs and dogs.

And not surprisingly, by the time we got to 1990, we found out that coronavirus as a infectious agent was an industrial problem for two primary industries, the industries of dogs and pigs.

Dog breeders and pigs found that Coronavirus created gastrointestinal problems, and that became the basis for Pfizer’s first spike protein vaccine.

Patent filed. Are you ready for this In 1990?

Did you hear what I just said?

Operation Warpspeed.

I’m sorry.

Where’s the warp and the speed?

Pfizer 1990.

The very first spike protein vaccine for Coronavirus.

Isn’t that fascinating?

Isn’t it fascinating that we were, we were told that, well, the spike protein is a new thing.

We just found out that that’s the problem.

No.

As a matter of fact, we didn’t just find out it was not just now.

Now the problem, we found that out in 1990 and filed the first patents on vaccines in 1990 for the spike protein of Coronavirus.

And who would’ve thought Pfizer?

Clearly the innocent organization that does nothing but promote human health.

Clearly, Pfizer, the organization that has not bought the votes in this chamber, in every chamber of every government around the world, not that Pfizer, certainly they wouldn’t have had anything to do with this, but oh yes, they did.

And in 1990 they found out that there was a problem with vaccines.

They didn’t work.

You know why they didn’t work?

It turns out that Coronavirus is a very malleable model.

It transforms and it changes, and it mutates over time.

As a matter of fact, every publication on vaccines for Coronavirus from 1990 until 2018, every single publication concluded that Coronavirus escapes the vaccine impulse because it modifies and mutates too quickly for vaccines to be effective.

And since 1990 to 2018, that is the published science ladies and gentlemen, that’s following the science, following the science is their own indictment of their own programs that said, it doesn’t work.

And there are thousands of publications to that effect, not a few hundred. And not paid for by pharmaceutical companies.

These are publications that are independent scientific research that shows unequivocally including efforts of the chimera modifications made by Ralph Bair in the University of North Carolina Chapel Hill.

All of them show vaccines do not work on coronavirus.

That’s the science, and that science has never been disputed.

But then we had an interesting development in 2002, and this date is most important because in 2002, the University of North Carolina Chapel Hill patented, and I quote, an infectious replication defective clone of coronavirus.

Listen to those words …

Infectious replication, defective.

What does that phrase actually mean?

For those of you not familiar with language, let me unpack it for you.
Infectious replication.

Defective means a weapon.

It means something meant to target an individual but not have collateral damage to other individuals.
That’s what infectious replication defective means.

And that patent was filed in 2002 on work funded by NIAD’s Anthony Fauci from 1999 to 2002, and that work patented at the University of North Carolina Chapel Hill mysteriously preceded SARS 1.0 by a year.
“Dave, are you suggesting that SARS 1.0 wasn’t from a wet market in Wuhan?”

“Are you suggesting it might have come from a laboratory in the University of North Carolina Chapel Hill?”
No, I’m not suggesting it.

I’m telling you that’s the facts we engineered SARS.

SARS is not a naturally occurring phenomenon.

The naturally occurring phenomenon is called the common cold.

It’s called influenza-like illness.

It’s called gastroenteritis.

That’s the naturally occurring coronavirus.

SARS is the research developed by humans weaponizing a life system model to actually attack human beings, and they patented it in 2002.

And in 2003, giant surprise, the CDC filed the patent on Coronavirus isolated from humans in violation once again of biological and chemical weapons, treaties and laws that we have in the United States, and I’m very, very precise on this.

United States likes to talk about its rights and everything else, and the rule of law and all the nonsense that we like to talk about, but we don’t ratify treaties about, I don’t know, defending humans.

We conspicuously avoid that we actually have a great track record of advocating for human rights and then denying them when it comes to actually being part of the international community, which is a slightly problematic thing.

But let’s get something very clear.

When the CDC, in April of 2003 filed the patent on SARS Coronavirus isolated from humans, what did they do?

They downloaded a sequence from China, and filed a patent on it in the United States.

Any of you familiar with biological and chemical weapons treaties knows that’s a violation.

That’s a crime.

That’s not an innocent, oops; that’s a crime.

And the United States Patent Office went as far as to reject that patent application on two occasions until the CDC decided to bribe the patent office to override the patent examiner to ultimately issue the patent in 2007 on SARS Coronavirus.

But let’s not let that get away from us, because it turns out that the RT PCR, which was the test that we allegedly were going to use to identify the risks associated with coronavirus, was actually identified as a bioterrorism threat by me in the European Union sponsored events in 2002 and 2003, 20 years ago that happened here in Brussels and across Europe.

In 2005, this particular pathogen was specifically labelled as a bioterrorism and bioweapon platform technology, described as such.

That’s not my terminology that I’m applying to it.

It was actually described as a bioweapons platform technology in 2005.

And from 2005 onwards, it was actually a bio warfare enabling agent.

It’s official classification from 2005 forward.

I don’t know if that sounds like public health to you, does it?

Biological warfare enabling technology that feels like not public health, that feels like not medicine, that feels like a weapon, designed to take out humanity.

That’s what it feels like, and it feels like that because that’s exactly what it is.

We have been lured into believing that EcoHealth Alliance and DARPA and all of these organizations are what we should be pointing to.

But we’ve been specifically requested to ignore the facts that over $10 billion have been funnelled through black operations, through the check of Anthony Fauci and a side-by-side ledger where NIAD has a balance sheet, and next to it is a biodefense balance sheet.

Equivalent dollar for dollar matching that no one in the media talks about, and it’s been going on since 2005.
Our gain of function moratorium.

The moratorium that was supposed to freeze any efforts to do gain of function research.

Conveniently, in the fall of 2014, the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill received a letter from NIAD saying that while the gain of function moratorium on coronavirus in vivo should be suspended, because their grants had already been funded, they received an exemption.

Did you hear what I just said?

A biological weapons lab facility at the University of North Carolina Chapel Hill received an exemption from the gain of function moratorium so that by 2016 we could publish the journal article that said SARS Coronavirus is poised for human emergence in 2016 and what, you might ask Dave, was the coronavirus poised for human emergence?

It was WIV ONE.

Wuhan Institute of Virology Virus One.

Poised for human emergence in 2016 at the proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, such that by the time we get to 2017 and 2018, the following phrase entered into common parlance among the community, there is going to be an accidental or intentional release of a respiratory pathogen.

The operative word, obviously in that phrase, the word release, does that sound like leak?
Does that sound like a bat and a Pangolin went into a bar in the Wuhan market and hung out and had sex?
And, and lo and behold, we got SARS Cov-2.
No accidental or intentional release of a respiratory pathogen was the terminology used.

And four times in April of 2019, seven months before the allegation of patient number one, four patent applications of Moderna were modified to include the term accidental or intentional release of a respiratory pathogen as the justification for making a vaccine for a thing that did not exist.

If you have not done so, please make sure that you make reference in every investigation to the premeditation nature of this, because it was in September of 2019 that the world was informed.
That we were going to have an accident or intentional release of a respiratory pathogen so that by September, 2020 there would be a worldwide acceptance of a universal vaccine template.

That’s their words right in front of you on the screen.

The intent was to get the world to accept a universal vaccine template, and the intent was to use coronavirus to get there.

Let’s, let’s read this because we have to read this into the record everywhere I go.

“Until an infectious disease crisis is very real present and at the emergency threshold that is often largely
ignored to sustain the funding base beyond the crisis.”

He said, “we need to increase the public understanding for the need for medical countermeasures, such as a pan influenza or pan coronavirus vaccine.”

“A key driver is the media and the economics will follow the hype. We need to use that hype to our advantage to get to the real issues. Investors will respond if they see profit at the end of the process.”
Sounds like public health.

Sounds like the best of humanity.

No.

Ladies and gentlemen, this was premeditated domestic terrorism stated at the proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences in 2015, published in front of them.

This is an act of biological and chemical warfare perpetrated on the human race, and it was admitted to in writing that this was a financial heist and a financial fraud.

“Investors will follow if they see profit at the end of the process.”

Let me conclude by making five very brief recommendations.

The last slide, nature was hijacked.

This whole story started in 1965 when we decided to hijack a natural model and decide to start manipulating it.

Science was hijacked when the only questions that could be asked were questions authorized under the patent protection of the CDC, the FDA, the NIH, and their equivalent organizations around the world.

We didn’t have independent science.

We had hijacked science, and unfortunately there was no moral oversight in violation of all of the codes that we stand for.

There was no independent, financially disinterested independent review board ever empanelled around coronavirus.

Not once, not once, not since 1965.

We do not have a single independent IRB ever empanelled, around Coronavirus.

So, morality was suspended for medical countermeasures, and ultimately humanity was lost because we decided to allow it to happen.

Our job today is to say, no more gain of function research period.

No more weaponization of nature period.

And most importantly, no more corporate patronage of science for their own self-interest unless they assume 100% product liability for every injury and every death that they maintain.

Thank you very much.

Dr David E. Martin

How Native Hawaiians have been pushed out of Hawai’i

Relatively few. The reason is because most Westerners have been indoctrinated to believe that China is a brutal Communist dictatorship that seeks global dominion, thanks to Western mainstream media.

The ones who know better have:

  • visited China and gained a greater understanding of the country
  • studied Chinese history and culture
  • learned that China hasn’t fought a war in the last 44 years, making it the only world power in history to have been so peaceful for so long
  • understood that China has gained no new territory since the Qing Dynasty over 200 years ago — various parts of China have temporarily changed hands during this period, for example, Hong Kong, Taiwan and Tibet
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main qimg 7c5bdbb237754812045f282c0a3bf732 pjlq
  • witnessed China’s benevolence — helping countries build infrastructure, helping countries vaccinate when the West hoarded their vaccines, leading peaceful alliances such as BRICS, RCEP and SCO, working to establish peace such as the recent Saudi-Iran peace deal and the peace plan proposal between Russia and Ukraine, helping the USA during the 2008 GFC

China is the exact opposite of the USA, which has fought dozens of wars in the last half century, including notably Afghanistan, Iraq, Libya, and Syria. Is the USA a peaceful country?

20 SIGNS Walmart is Collapsing Before Our Eyes!

https://youtu.be/J5oUOYLoatQ

China’s New Quantum Computing Breakthrough SHOCKS American Scientists.

A semiprime number is the product of two prime numbers. You probably know that semiprime numbers are used as keys in coded internet protocols like RSA.

If someone did produce a quantum computer that could factor a large semiprime number into its two prime factors, the whole internet would be compromised. That someone could hack into everyones’ secure data like at banks and corporations. Before a quantum computer can factor a semiprime number, it must be able to do simple calculations. Back in the day, transistors had to do simple calculations, like 2 X 2, before complex calculations. Video 1 is about China's scientists' progress on quantum computers. China's quantum computers can solve pretty complicated mathematical problems. Some of these videos can have hyperbolic names, However, China’s scientists may have shocked other scientists in the field. China is kicking America's butt in many fields like artificial Suns. China recently smashed the world record for the length of time its scientists kept an artificial Sun going at 403 seconds.

China’s artificial sun is called a tokamak. China’s tokamak is nothing short of spectacular. Artificial Suns are the future of energy.
.

If China did produce a quantum computer that could factor a large semiprime number into its two prime factors, China could hack into secure data all over the world. I’m not suggesting China would do that, but it could if its quantum computers could factor a large semiprime number.

Footnotes

Airpods Emit Wireless Radiation

Prevent color revolution/coup (that is instigated by the West). Take steps to:

1, suppress terrorism

2, suppress division of citizens due to ethnicity

3, suppress radicalization of religion

Central Asia is located between Russia & China. It is a hot spot for USA+UK to instigate color revolution in name of ethnic or religious (Muslim) minority. Just like Uyghurs in Xinjiang.

Color revolution is a topic the West seldom talks about. But USA+allies has been QUIETLY doing so for decades. So as to subvert a government that does not “obey” USA. So as to control other’s strategic soverignty, economy & natural resources. … it is modern-day colonization without occupying land.

Look at the orange revolution in Ukraine in 2004. We were told the then pro-Russia president was corrupted.

Until Putin pushed for a resolution in UN Security Council against Nazism (got passed) that we learnt the West+new Ukraine government plotted to eliminate Russian-speaking & Hungarian-speaking Ukrainians. That … is cultural if not ethnic genocide.

Xi An Declaration does not detail how the West stirs unrest in other country. Let me tell you.

Cultural infiltration. It is a quiet Cold War that you wont notice.

NED is a spin-off from CIA. Like religion, NED-funded NGOs spread US culture to other cultures.

Britain once said: NED helps US expansion.

US NGOs fund & recruit local NGOs to gather different groups of people. All have a moral high ground eg democracy, freedom, human & animal rights, climate change, LGBTQ & more. To make people think they are fighting for Righteous. Any cultures different from USA is evil & should be eliminated. “My god is true & yours is false”.

When time is ripe, the NGOs will instigate a mass of people to start the unrest/riot/coup/wars.

One NGO is free press/radio whose job is to spread fake news. Create hatred & fear of local government. Or Russia, China, Iran etc are evil.

Some color revolutions have no name eg 2002 Xinjiang with ethnic Uyghurs & Muslim.

Some have names eg Arab Spring in Middle East, Rose revolution in Georgia, Tulip revolution in Kyrgyzstan, democracy movement in Hongkong.

Even US allies are not immune from US-led riots eg France’s yellow vest riot.

I always advise people: before fighting for “Righteous” for other country, sort out if it is a US-led color revolution which actually is modern-day colonization.

Remember: millions died or lost their homeland/heritage in US color revolution.

3 MINUTES AGO, Ukraine Just Started WW3 With This!

https://youtu.be/1_d369R9e9o

America’s wars and the US debt crisis

May 25, 2023

To surmount the debt crisis, America needs to stop feeding the Military-Industrial Complex, the most powerful lobby in Washington.

In the year 2000, the U.S. government debt was $3.5 trillion, equal to 35% of the Gross Domestic Product (GDP). By 2022, the debt was $24 trillion, equal to 95% of GDP. The U.S. debt is soaring, hence America’s current debt crisis. Yet both Republicans and Democrats are missing the solution: stopping America’s wars of choice and slashing military outlays.

Suppose the government’s debt had remained at a modest 35% of GDP, as in 2000. Today’s debt would be $9 billion, as opposed to $24 trillion. Why did the U.S. government incur the excess $15 trillion in debt?

The single biggest answer is the U.S. government’s addiction to war and military spending. According to the Watson Institute at Brown University, the cost of U.S. wars from fiscal year 2001 to fiscal year 2022 amounted to a whopping $8 trillion, more than half of the extra $15 trillion in debt. The other $7 trillion arose roughly equally from budget deficits caused by the 2008 financial crisis and the Covid-19 pandemic.

To surmount the debt crisis, America needs to stop feeding the Military-Industrial Complex (MIC), the most powerful lobby in Washington. As President Dwight D. Eisenhower famously warned on January 17, 1961, “In the councils of government, we must guard against the acquisition of unwarranted influence, whether sought or unsought, by the military-industrial complex. The potential for the disastrous rise of misplaced power exists and will persist.” Since 2000, the MIC led the U.S. into disastrous wars of choice in Afghanistan, Iraq, Syria, Libya, and now Ukraine.

The Military-Industrial Complex long ago adopted a winning political strategy by ensuring that the military budget reaches into every Congressional district. The Congressional Research Service recently recently reminded that, “Defence spending touches every Member of Congress’s district through pay and benefits for military service members and retirees, economic and environmental impact of installations, and procurement of weapons systems and parts from local industry, among other activities.” Only a brave member of Congress would vote against the military-industry lobby, yet bravery is certainly no hallmark of Congress.

America’s annual military spending is now around $900 billion, roughly 40% of the world’s total,, and greater than the next 10 countries combined. U.S. military spending in 2022 was triple that of China. According to Congressional Budget Office, the military outlays for 2024-2033 will be a staggering $10.3 trillion on current baseline. A quarter or more of that could be avoided by ending America’s wars of choice, closing down many of America’s 800 or so military bases around the world, and negotiating new arms control agreements with China and Russia.

Yet instead of peace through diplomacy, and fiscal responsibility, the MIC regularly scares the American people with a comic-book style depictions of villains whom the U.S. must stop at all costs. The post-2000 list has included Afghanistan’s Taliban, Iraq’s Saddam Hussein, Syria’s Bashar al-Assad, Libya’s Moammar Qaddafi, Russia’s Vladimir Putin, and recently, China’s Xi Jinping. War, we are repeatedly told, is necessary for America’s survival.

A peace-oriented foreign policy would be opposed strenuously by the military-industrial lobby but not by the public. Significant public pluralities already want less, not more, U.S. involvement in other countries’ affairs, and less, not more, US troop deployments overseas. Regarding Ukraine, Americans overwhelmingly want a “minor role” (52%) rather than a “major role” (26%) in the conflict between Russia and Ukraine. This is why neither Biden nor any recent president has dared to ask Congress for any tax increase to pay for America’s wars. The public’s response would be a resounding “No!”

While America’s wars of choice have been awful for America, they have been far greater disasters for countries that America purports to be saving. As Henry Kissinger famously quipped, “To be an enemy of the United States can be dangerous, but to be a friend is fatal.” Afghanistan was America’s cause from 2001 to 2021, until the U.S. left it broken, bankrupt, and hungry. Ukraine is now in America’s embrace, with the same likely results: ongoing war, death, and destruction.

The military budget could be cut prudently and deeply if the U.S. replaced its wars of choice and arms races with real diplomacy and arms agreements. If presidents and members of congress had only heeded the warnings of top American diplomats such as William Burns, the U.S. Ambassador to Russia in 2008, and now CIA Director, the U.S. would have protected Ukraine’s security through diplomacy, agreeing with Russia that the U.S. would not expand NATO into Ukraine if Russia also kept its military out of Ukraine. Yet relentless NATO expansion is a favourite cause of the MIC; new NATO members are major customers of U.S. armaments.

The U.S. has also unilaterally abandoned key arms control agreements. In 2002, the U.S. unilaterally walked out of the Anti-Ballistic Missile Treaty. And rather than promote nuclear disarmament—as the U.S. and other nuclear powers are required to do under Article VI the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty—the Military-Industrial Complex has sold Congress on plans to spend more than $600 billion by 2030 to “modernise” the U.S. nuclear arsenal.

Now the MIC is talking up the prospect of war with China over Taiwan. The drumbeats of war with China are stoking the military budget, yet war with China is easily avoidable if the U.S. adheres to the One-China policy that properly underpins U.S.-China relations. Such a war should be unthinkable. More than bankrupting the U.S., it could end the world.

Military spending is not the only budget challenge. Ageing and rising healthcare costs add to the fiscal woes. According to the Congressional Budget Office, debt will reach 185 percent of GDP by 2052 if current policies remain unchanged. Healthcare costs should be capped while taxes on the rich should be raised. Yet facing down the military-industrial lobby is the vital first step to putting America’s fiscal house in order, needed to save the U.S., and possibly the world, from America’s perverse lobby-driven politics.

Cat protects homeowner

US Geopolitics: Believing Impossible Things

Back in the day when raiders were putting fear in the hearts of Corporate America, merger & acquisition pros were business media stars. One of the top shops back then, Lazard Frères, prided itself in its skills in abnormal psychology, aka managing CEOs. One of its most important bits of advice to them was danger of believing your own PR.

In corporate America, there’s a decent risk that fakery will get caught out by competitors, short sellers, whistleblowers, and just plain careful reading of audited financials. That said, Jack Welch kept reality at bay for a very very long time, to the detriment not only of GE but also his many imitators.

By contrast, in politics, reality avoidance is routinely the key to a long and successful-looking career, witness Eurocrats’ fondness for “kick the can” strategies. And that propensity is particularly dangerous when leadership groups have become both selfish and short-termist. There really was once upon a time some people who went into government service for the service part, and not for the revolving door and networking. There was also a time, before the rise of global elites, where the powerful had ties to particular physical communities and some took interest in their betterment. In other words, while there were plenty of self-promoting and mediocre people at the helm, there were often enough in the room who were concerned about long-term risks to put a check on the worst behavior.1

But now, the well-honed effectiveness of propaganda has encouraged politicians and their media amplifiers/allies to go hog wild with selling Big Lies. And the worst is there are no consequences for the perps. After the first systematic use of large-scale propaganda, by the Creel Committee during what was then called the Great War, was uncovered, the US public was aghast. In a comparatively short time, this multi-channel campaign turned American opinion from unconcerned to rabidly anti-German with fabricated atrocities, like German soldiers bayonetting babies. There was a lot of soul-searching, as well as rationalizations by the likes of Walter Lippmann of the need for experts to interpret not just technical information but matters of general interest for a citizenry inherently unable to perceive reality due to bias and incomplete information.

Not only has the reliance on tall tale-telling grown, but there has been perilous little self-reflection in the wake of abject fabrications like WMD in Iraq and Russiagate. Instead, it seems that Americans are all too eager to become pupils of the White Queen. From Lewis Carroll’s Through the Looking Glass:

“How old are you?” said the queen.

“I’m seven and a half exactly”

“You needn’t say “exactly” the queen remarked : “I can believe it without that. Now I’ll give you something to believe. I am just one hundred and one, five months and a day”

“I can’t believe that!” said Alice.

“Can’t you?” the Queen said in a pitying tone. “Try again: draw a long breath, and shut your eyes.”

Alice laughed. “There’s no use trying,” she said: “one can’t believe impossible things.”

“I daresay you haven’t had much practice,” said the Queen. “When I was your age, I always did it for half-an-hour a day. Why, sometimes I’ve believed as many as six impossible things before breakfast.”

The wee problem with the war in Ukraine and the escalating US eye-poking of China is neither is going very well, to the degree that the propaganda started fizzling out very quickly in the Global South and is losing its potency in the West. It’s hard to keep up the pretense of a great inevitable Ukraine victory with Ukraine losing Bakhmut, after Zelensky made it the centerpiece of his Congressional love-fest last December. Oh, but Ukraine is still trying to deny it is lost, as they did for Mariupol and Soledar until well after the fact. Or how about Ukraine shooting 30 Patriot missiles in about two minutes, which is as much as 10% of total annual production for all countries, in an unsuccessful effort to stop a Kinzhal hypersonic missile?2 Or commander-in-chief General Zaluzhny, usually highly visible, being missing in action for weeks, and Ukraine legitimating rumors about him being critically injured in a Russian missile strike by presenting old footage of him as current?

Similarly, trying to bully countries that had no reason to take sides into aligning against Russia and then doubling down on coercion confirmed Putin’s messaging about colonial powers trying to reassert their historical, exploitative roles. This new cold war has seen many countries chose move to the allegedly “undemocratic” side of the Iron Curtain, much to the West’s impotent fury.

The US and NATO have needed to maintain an image of success with Ukraine because it quickly turned into a bizarrely public coalition exercise, with arguments among NATO members about who really ought to empty their stockpiles for the cause, and one suspects not so public discussions about Ukraine refugees. Even though the press in “collective West” countries has mainly been cheerleading the war, albeit with more and more admissions of late that the exercise has gone pear-shaped, there’s a growing sense in the US, and even reportedly in some parts of Europe like Germany, that enthusiasm on the man on the street level is waning.

Another problem is NATO is simply not fit for this purpose. It was designed for defense, with many nations designing their own very compatible weapons, which each requires their own logistics tail (why not better pork-sharing via common designs and divvying of the manufacturing pie, as the EU did successfully with Airbus?). Brian Berletic, Douglas Macgregor, and Scott Ritter have explained repeatedly why deliveries of disparate weapons systems, mainly new to Ukraine, is a prescription for yet more failure. Oh and to the extent NATO forces have seen combat, it’s been in small insurgent wars, and so not helpful in Ukraine.

The balkanized weapon systems are symptomatic of a lack of NATO cohesiveness at the level of institutional design, which is now being tested to destruction by this conflict. Article 5, often incorrectly presented as a “one for all and all for one” mutual defense pact. In fact, all Article 5 obligated member states to do is to taking action as it deems necessary. Each state gets to decide on its own if it wants to commit armed forces…or indeed, anything else.

Similarly, US officials may have told themselves that much of the world regarded China with suspicion due to its often-overheated rhetoric and hypersensitivity to slights. But these self-comforting beliefs about China’s position on the world stage got a big wake up call with China brokering a normalization of relations between Saudi Arabia and Iran, and then Syria. Now China is making more trouble by wandering into America’s back yard, as in Europe, and talking up its napkin-doodle Ukraine peace plan. That scheme will go nowhere but China’s campaign has the effect of identifying it trying to end conflicts (as contrasted with the US trying to keep them going) and intensifying already apparent splits among the alliance.

So the US efforts to pretend everything is going swimmingly are now looking a bit frayed. Not to overdo an analogy, but the US seems to be in a weird phase of the Kübler-Ross five stages of grief paradigm, which are denial, anger bargaining, depression, and acceptance. There’s still plenty of denial, witness the someday-gonna-arrive game-changing Great Ukrainian Counteroffensive, following many game-changing weapons deliveries like Bayraktars, Javelins, HIMARS and Leopard tanks, and other efforts at unduly upbeat messaging about generally terrible conditions on the ground. Zelensky has just given two self-sabotaging ire-filled lectures about how he’s entitled to more support and where the hell is it, to the Arab League and G-7.

But to me, the most intriguing is the weird bargaining, which very much like bargaining over death, is bargaining with yourself. For some time, since at least General Mark Milley’s quickly deflated trial balloon last November, there has been more and more talk from pundits and even sometimes from officials how Ukraine should negotiate with Russia, after some sort of retaking of ground so as to better Ukraine’s bargaining position.

Of course, the idea that Russia will do anything more than go through the motions of negotiating for appearances’ sake is delusional. As former Indian diplomat M. K. Bhadrakumar reminded readers in his latest post, Putin warned Ukraine and its backers last July, the longer the conflict lasted, “the harder it will be to negotiate with us.” That was before Merkel and Hollande bragged about their Minsk Accords duplicity, which has led Putin to make embittered statements about what a mistake it had been to try to cooperate.

Putin has a history of endeavoring not to repeat mistakes. Russia was already depicting the US as “not agreement capable” even before the Minsk disclosures. And even if there were a regime change in Washington, Putin has repeatedly seen presidents make commitments to him that they reneged on later. He (perhaps charitably) attributed that to a permanent bureaucracy really being in charge.3

The US is again negotiating with itself in approving having allies supply F-16s to Ukraine, then trying to claim this isn’t an escalation because they won’t be used against Russian territory, ignoring the Russian view that not just Crimea but also the four annexed oblasts are Russian territory. Russia’s tart response, per TASS:

Western countries continue down the path of escalation and Moscow will take their plans to send F-16 aircraft to Ukraine into account, Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Alexander Grushko told TASS on Saturday.

“We can see that Western countries continue to stick to an escalation scenario, which carries enormous risks for them. In any case, we will take it into account when making plans. We have all the necessary means to achieve our goals,” he said on the sidelines of the 31st Assembly of the Council for Foreign and Defense Policy, when asked to comment on the possible supplies of F-16 aircraft to Ukraine.

A new flavor of Western copium is the latest idea of a “frozen conflict” per a trial balloon in Politico:

U.S. officials are planning for the growing possibility that the Russia-Ukraine war will turn into a frozen conflict that lasts many years — perhaps decades — and joins the ranks of similar lengthy face-offs in the Korean peninsula, South Asia and beyond.

The options discussed within the Biden administration for a long-term “freeze” include where to set potential lines that Ukraine and Russia would agree not to cross, but which would not have to be official borders. The discussions — while provisional — have taken place across various U.S. agencies and in the White House.

Again, this is intellectual masturbation the US a little too obviously talking to itself. It’s become more and more clear from the Russian side that it must prosecute the war until Ukraine is decisively defeated, which means Russia dictates terms and either installs a puppet regime or somehow manages to tee off the Medvedev scenario of Poland, Hungary and Romania eating big bits of Western Ukraine, leaving only “Ukraine” as Greater Kiev, as in too small to serve as a platform for much of anything.

We have pointed out Russia could create a DMZ, which is not the same as agreeing to one with the West, by creating a very large de-electrified zone which only the Eastern European versions of preppers might inhabit. And now that the West has decided to deploy Storm Shadows, it would have to be at least 250 miles wide so as to keep Russian territory out of strike range.

On China, the US position is just as internally driven and therefore incoherent. As we and others have pointed out, the China hawks have been quietly duking it out with the Russia haters for a while. The implied compromise, that Russia would be dispatched quickly so the US could pivot to China, is not working out. China hardliner Charles Brown is expected to replace Mark Milley at the Joint Chiefs of Staff, but that may not be sufficient to shift the US focus decisively to China and allow for Ukraine to be quietly abandoned. Biden, Blinken and Nuland are heavily invested in the “get Putin” project and are likely to be incapable of abandoning it. And with the US $100 billion or so into this investment, some Congresscritters are likely to demand either results or an explanation.

The latest display on the China front was the decidedly China-hostile G-7 meeting. Admittedly, the official statement was in flabby NGO-speak and did start with a handwave about UN principles and sticking with Ukraine “for as long as it takes”. Even so, the anti-China barbs stood out. For instance:

2. We will champion international principles and shared values by:

…strongly opposing any unilateral attempts to change the peacefully established status of territories by force or coercion anywhere in the world and reaffirming that the acquisition of territory by force is prohibited….

51. We stand together as G7 partners on the following elements, which underpin our respective relations with China:

We stand prepared to build constructive and stable relations with China, recognizing the importance of engaging candidly with and expressing our concerns directly to China. We act in our national interest. It is necessary to cooperate with China, given its role in the international community and the size of its economy, on global challenges as well as areas of common interest.

We call on China to engage with us, including in international fora, on areas such as the climate and biodiversity crisis and the conservation of natural resources in the framework of the Paris and Kunming-Montreal Agreements, addressing vulnerable countries’ debt sustainability and financing needs, global health and macroeconomic stability.

Our policy approaches are not designed to harm China nor do we seek to thwart China’s economic progress and development. A growing China that plays by international rules would be of global interest. We are not decoupling or turning inwards. At the same time, we recognize that economic resilience requires de-risking and diversifying. We will take steps, individually and collectively, to invest in our own economic vibrancy. We will reduce excessive dependencies in our critical supply chains.

With a view to enabling sustainable economic relations with China, and strengthening the international trading system, we will push for a level playing field for our workers and companies. We will seek to address the challenges posed by China’s non-market policies and practices, which distort the global economy. We will counter malign practices, such as illegitimate technology transfer or data disclosure. We will foster resilience to economic coercion. We also recognize the necessity of protecting certain advanced technologies that could be used to threaten our national security without unduly limiting trade and investment.

There’s plenty more in Section 51 but you get the drift of the gist. There’s a lot to lambaste, but I found the “not seeking to harm China” and “not decoupling but de-risking” bits to be particularly rich.

The Financial Times’ interpretation of the G-7 statement, in what at the time was a lead story: G7 issues strongest condemnation of China as it intensifies response to Beijing

Yet somehow Biden thinks all of this nastiness will lead to improved relations, as if China were some sort of battered wife that would meekly accept abuse as better than neglect. From a new story in the pink paper, Joe Biden expects imminent ‘thaw’ in China relations:

Joe Biden has said he expects to see a “thaw” in US relations with Beijing, even as he concluded a G7 summit in Japan that made a concerted effort to counter military and economic security threats from China.

The US president said in a news conference at the end of the three-day summit that talks between the two countries had shut down after a “silly balloon” carrying spying equipment flew over North America in February, before being shot down by the US military.

Yes, the fact that the US and China are now talking is technically an improvement, but that’s not saying much. The “silly balloon” remark comes off as Biden trying to minimize and shift blame for the US hysterical reaction ont China, which is not going to improve matters. And the G-7 was insultingly acting as if it was the upholder of territorial integrity as the US is persistently promoting and funding separatism in Taiwan.

Confirm the notion that any improvement is marginal, the May 12 (as in pre G-7) press conference by China’s Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Wang Wenbin had Agence France-Press quizzing why an 8 hour meeting between CPC Central Committee and Director of the Office for Foreign Affairs Wang Yi and Jake Sullivan produced short readouts. The answer was terse and contained a nugget: “The two sides held candid, in-depth, substantive and constructive discussions on ways to …stabilize the relationship from deterioration.” That points to extremely low expectations on the China side.

The interview also included a detailed complaint about The PRC Is Not a Developing Country Act, passed by the US House, which instructs the Department of State to press the WTO and other international organizations to revoke China’s developing nation status. Wenbin cited key metrics by which China is still a developing nation and argued the US had no authority to seek changes like this.

But the answers were measured until one reporter asked about the expectation that the G-7, as indeed happened, would accuse China of engaging in economic coercion. From the official translation:

If any country should be criticized for economic coercion, it should be the United States. The US has been overstretching the concept of national security, abusing export control and taking discriminatory and unfair measures against foreign companies. This seriously violates the principles of market economy and fair competition.

According to media reports, US government sanctions designations soared by 933% between 2000 and 2021. The Trump administration alone imposed more than 3,900 sanctions, or three per day on average within four years. More than 9,400 sanctions designations had come into effect in the US by fiscal year 2021. The US has slapped unilateral economic sanctions on nearly 40 countries, affecting nearly half of the world’s population.

Not even G7 members have been spared from US economic coercion and bullying. Companies such as Toshiba from Japan, Siemens from Germany and Alstom from France, were all victims of US suppression. If the G7 Summit is to discuss response to economic coercion, perhaps it should first discuss what the US has done. As the G7 host, would Japan express some of those concerns to the US on behalf of the rest of the group who have been bullied by the US? Or at least speak a few words of the truth?

Instead of a perpetrator, China is a victim of US economic coercion. We have been firmly opposed to economic coercion by any country in the world and urge the G7 to embrace the trend of openness and inclusiveness in the world, stop forming exclusive blocs and not become complicit in any economic coercion.

Due to the length of this post, I’ll spare you more Chinese reactions, but the English language government house organ Global Times lays it on thick in G7 has descended into an ‘anti-China workshop’ and Manipulative G7 slammed for exclusiveness, against trend.

Bloomberg shows how this G-7 was less than a rousing success:

Screen Shot 2023 05 21 at 6.27.38 PM
Screen Shot 2023 05 21 at 6.27.38 PM

 

This sort of thing would normally be merely cringe-making, like catching a performance in Britain’s Got Talent where the performer energetically delivered a lousy act, and lacked the self-awareness to know how bad it was. But the stakes are high and we will have to live with the consequences.

Hero cat saves sleeping Florida family from fire

Thank you for your service Gizmo. “When a man loves cats, I am his friend and comrade, without further introduction.” -Mark Twain.

I received VERY Disturbing information last night . . .

Looks like we have an actual WW3 Date.

My wife and son made their way up here to our home in Pennsylvania yesterday; they arrived around 6:00 PM. They brought with them Postal Mail from the P.O. Box and in that was discreetly-packaged, NATO-related information about the ongoing Russia-Ukraine thing.  I read it.  I am absorbing it.

I will do a story on this later.  It will be detailed.

We’ll be doing the Memorial Day weekend Barbecue thing, but there’s a lot of real work to get done.

We are installing a 100 amp electrical sub-panel for the Kitchen.   Whoever wired the house originally, used ONE (1) 20 amp circuit breaker . . . . for the ENTIRE kitchen.   Everything!   Refrigerator, dishwasher, oven, Microwave, Lights . . . and all outlets.

If you use the toaster when the microwave is on, as the refrigerator kicks-in, POP goes the circuit.  Dishwasher with microwave and try to brew coffee?  POP.  It’s crazy.

So we bought a GE Sub-panel, 3 awg wire, a 100 amp square-D sub panel feed breaker, and will now re-wire the ENTIRE kitchen so that each duplex outlet has its own circuit breaker, the refrigerator will have its own, same with microwave, same with dishwasher, etc.

11:00 AM, the satellite company arrived to re-aim my two satellite uplinks which are fail-overs for the radio show.   So THAT is the final work that had to be done as a result of the new roof going on earlier this week.

Everything is coming along !

Most Propaganda Looks Nothing Like This

Caitlin Johnstone

When most people in the English-speaking world hear the word “propaganda”, they tend to think of something that’s done by foreign nations who have governments that are so totalitarian they won’t even let people know what’s true or think for themselves.

Others understand that propaganda is something that happens in their own nation, but think it only happens to other people in other political parties. If they think of themselves as left-leaning they see those to their right as propagandized by right wing media, and if they think of themselves as right-leaning they see those to their left as propagandized by left wing media.

A few understand that propaganda is administered in their own nation by their own media, and understand that it’s administered across partisan lines, but they think of it in terms of really egregious lies like weapons of mass destruction in Iraq or babies being taken from incubators in Kuwait.

In reality, all are inaccurate understandings of what propaganda is and how it works in western society. Propaganda is administered in western nations, by western nations, across the political spectrum — and the really blatant and well-known examples of its existence make up only a small sliver of the propaganda that our civilization is continuously marinating in.

The most common articles of propaganda — and by far the most consequential — are not the glaring, memorable instances that live in infamy among the critically minded. They’re the mundane messages, distortions and lies-by-omission that people are fed day in and day out to normalize the status quo and lay the foundation for more propaganda to be administered in the future.

One of the forms this takes is the way the western political/media class manipulates the Overton window of acceptable political opinion.

Have you ever noticed how when you look at any mainstream newspaper, broadcast or news website, you never see views from those who oppose the existence of the US-centralized empire? Or those who want to close all foreign US military bases? Or those who want to dismantle capitalism? Or those who want a thorough rollback of the creeping authoritarianism our civilization is being subjected to? You might see some quibbling about different aspects of the empire, some debate over whether we should de-escalate against Russia so we can better escalate against China, but you won’t ever see anyone calling for the complete end of the empire and its abuses altogether.

That’s propaganda. It’s propaganda in multiple ways: it excludes voices that are critical of the established status quo from being heard and influencing people, it amplifies voices (many of whom have packing foam for brains) which support the status quo, and, most importantly, it creates the illusion that the range of political opinions presented are the only reasonable political opinions to have.

The creation of that illusion is propaganda. It’s not something solid that you can point to easily because it’s comprised of an omission of something rather than a concrete thing, but it warps people’s perspectives in ways that have immensely far-reaching consequences. It’s something that doesn’t stand out too sharply against the background, but because people are exposed to it continuously day in and day out, it plays a huge role in shaping their worldview.

Another related method of manipulation is agenda-setting — the way the press shapes public thinking by emphasising some subjects and not others. In placing importance on some matters over others simply by giving disproportionate coverage to them, the mass media (who are propagandists first and news reporters second) give the false impression that those topics are more important and the de-emphasised subjects are less so. As political scientist Bernard Cohen famously observed way back in 1963, the press “may not be successful much of the time in telling people what to think, but it is stunningly successful in telling its readers what to think about. The world will look different to different people depending on the map that is drawn for them by writers, editors, and publishers of the paper they read.”

Ever noticed how the fact that our governments are increasingly tempting nuclear war seems like it ought to be a front-page story pretty much every day of the week, but instead the news is full of stuff like the US presidential race and people arguing over what products Target should sell during Pride Month? That’s agenda-setting.

The press could easily have spent the entire Trump administration screaming about the dangerous aggressions Trump was advancing against Russia instead of calling him a Putin puppet, and mainstream liberals would have fixated on Trump’s warmongering insanity instead of calling him Putin’s cock holster. But that wouldn’t have served the interests of the empire, which had been planning to ramp up aggressions against Russia for years. They set the agenda, and the public fell in line.

Another of the mundane, almost-invisible ways the public is propagandized from day to day is described in a recent video by Second Thought titled “You’re Not Immune To Propaganda“. We’re continually fed messages by the capitalist machine that we must work hard for employers and accept whatever standards and compensation they see fit to offer, and if we have difficulty thriving in this unjust system the fault lies with us and not with the system. Poor? That’s your fault. Miserable? Your fault. Unemployed? Your fault. Overworked? Your fault.

The continual message we’re fed every day is that there’s nothing to rebel against and nothing to oppose, because any problems we’re perceiving are our own fault and not the fault of an abusive, exploitative system which is built to extract profit from the working class and the ecosystem at the expense of both. The system cannot be a failure, it can only be failed.

Then there’s the ideological herding funnel we discussed recently, which herds the population into two mainstream factions of equal size which both prevent all meaningful change and serve the interests of the powerful. Anyone who can’t be herded into either of these mainstream factions is instead herded into fake “populist” factions, which eventually corral them back into the mainstream factions. Those few politically engaged people who can’t be herded toward any of these groups are so small in number that they can simply be marginalized and denied any sizeable platform from which to spread their ideas, and “democracy” does the rest because the majority are supporting the status quo.

Maybe the most consequential of all the mundane, routine ways we’re propagandized is the way the mass media manufacture the illusion of normality in a dystopia so disturbing that we would all scream our lungs out if we could see it with fresh eyes. The way pundits, politicians and reporters will talk about the Biden administration surrounding China with war machinery without also talking about how freakish and horrifying it is that we’re looking at rapidly escalating brinkmanship between nuclear-armed countries. The way American cities are full of homeless people and it’s just treated as a normal and acceptable thing to simply let them stay homeless and push them out of wherever they try to be. The way nothing ever changes no matter who we vote for but we’re still herded into the voting booths and told to vote better.

As a character in the movie Waking Life puts it, “We all know the function of the media has never been to eliminate the evils of the world, no! Their job is to persuade us to accept those evils and get used to living with them. The powers that be want us to be passive observers. And they haven’t given us any other options outside the occasional purely symbolic act of voting — do you want the puppet on the right or the puppet on the left?”

They don’t just tell us what to believe about the world, they tell us what to believe about ourselves. They give us the frameworks upon which we cast our ambitions and evaluate our success, and we build psychological identities out of those constructs. I am a businessman. I am unemployed. My life is about making money. My life is about disappointing people. I am a success. I am a failure. They invent the test of our adequacy, and they invent the system by which we are graded on that test.

Over and over and over again, day after day, we are fed seemingly small messages which add up over time. Messages like,

  • The world works more or less the way we were taught in school.
  • The media have some problems but basically tell the truth.
  • The status quo is working basically fine.
  • Democracy is real and voting is effective.
  • This is the only way things can be.
  • Our government might have its problems, but it’s basically good.
  • You can earn your way into happiness by working harder.
  • You can consume your way into happiness with more spending.
  • If you think the system is dysfunctional, you’re the dysfunctional one.
  • Those who oppose the status quo are weird and untrustworthy.
  • Things might get better after the next election cycle.
  • Any attempt to change things is a silly waste of time.

By feeding us all these simple, foundational lies day after day, year after year from the time we are very young, they lay the groundwork for the more complex, specific lies we’ll be told later on. Lies like “Russia/China/Iran/etc is a real problem and its government needs to be stopped,” or “People are struggling financially right now, but it’s just because times are hard and it can’t be helped.”

All the mundane lies serve as a primer for the lies we’ll be told later, because once our worldview has been shaped by them, our basic human cognitive biases and predisposition to reject information which conflicts with our worldview will ensure that we’ll take on board the information which confirms our biases and reject any evidence against it. They construct our worldviews for us, then let our normal cognitive defense systems protect it.

Their messages don’t even need to be well-evidenced or well-argued, they only need to be repeated frequently due to a glitch in human cognition known as the illusory truth effect which causes us to mistake the feeling of having heard something before with the feeling of something being true.

Add to all this the recent development of things like Silicon Valley algorithm manipulation and the deck becomes stacked against truth even further, because someone’s odds of stumbling across information which conflicts with the propaganda they’ve been fed goes dramatically down. Even if they’re actively searching for information which conflicts the mainstream worldview, algorithms by Google and Google-owned YouTube often make it almost impossible to find.

So that’s what we’re up against. There’s a failure to appreciate just how pervasive and powerful the empire’s propaganda machine is, even among those who are very critical of empire, because propaganda in our society is like water for fish — we’re swimming in it constantly, so we don’t see it. You have to step way, way back and begin examining our situation from its most basic foundations to get any perspective on how all-encompassing it really is.

Finding your way out of the propaganda matrix takes a lot of diligent work, tons of curiosity, the humility to admit you’ve been completely wrong about everything, and more than a little plain dumb luck. But if you keep hacking away at it eventually you get there, and then you can help others get there too. It’s a hard slog, but if our chains are psychological that means they’re ultimately only made of dream stuff. All that needs to happen is for enough of us to wake up.

Cajun Chicken and Dumplings

Yield: 6 servings

2023 05 28 11 39
2023 05 28 11 39

Ingredients

Chicken

  • 1 large chicken
  • 2 quarts salted water
  • 1/4 cup butter
  • 1/2 cup sliced mushrooms
  • 1/2 cup chopped celery
  • 1/2 cup chopped green bell pepper
  • 1 pimento, chopped
  • 1/4 cup chopped onion
  • 1 quart milk
  • 2 hard-cooked eggs, chopped
  • 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
  • 1 teaspoon vinegar
  • 1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
  • 1/8 teaspoon white pepper
  • 1/8 teaspoon black pepper

Dumplings

  • 2 cups all-purpose flour
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 1 teaspoon garlic salt
  • 1 teaspoon ground white pepper
  • 1 teaspoon ground black pepper
  • 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
  • 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
  • 1/4 teaspoon thyme
  • 1/4 teaspoon oregano
  • 1 teaspoon baking powder
  • 1 slightly beaten egg
  • 1/4 cup (1/2 stick) softened butter
  • 1 teaspoon olive oil
  • 1/2 cup milk

Instructions

Dumplings

  1. In medium bowl, place flour, salt, garlic salt and ground white and black peppers.
  2. Add cayenne pepper, garlic powder, thyme, oregano and baking powder.
  3. Stir in egg, butter and olive oil.
  4. Gradually stir in milk. Knead dough until soft and smooth; divide into 5 small balls. Roll each ball on floured board until paper thin; cut into strips 1 1/2 inches wide and 3 inches long. Lay strips on wax paper for about 15 minutes before adding to broth.

Chicken

  1. In large saucepan, place chicken and water over medium heat. Simmer about 45 minutes or until fork tender.
  2. Remove chicken, reserving broth. Chop chicken in large pieces, discarding skin and bones; set aside.
  3. In medium fry pan, place butter over low heat.
  4. Add mushrooms, celery, bell pepper, pimento and onion; sauté about 2 minutes.
  5. To broth in saucepan, add milk, hard-cooked eggs, Worcestershire sauce, vinegar, cayenne and white and black peppers.
  6. Stir in sautéed vegetables; heat to boil, reduce heat to simmer and add alternating layers of chicken and dumplings, pushing each layer down into broth. Simmer about 15 minutes or until dumplings are tender.
  7. Serve chicken, dumplings and broth in individual bowls.

Taliban Moves Heavy Armor, Troops, to Iran Border

The Afghanistan Taliban is moving troops, and heavy weaponry to the border with Iran and warns it can capture Tehran within days, if Iran does not stop the provocations.

Oh, and all that heavy weaponry and armor. . . . was the stuff “left” there when the US departed Afghanistan.    HMMMMMMM.

Border Clashes broke out between Iranian Border Guards and the Taliban Afghan Army earlier today, with Major Artillery Exchanges occurring and additional Equipment reported to be en-Route towards the Border Region.

So far 2 Iranian Border Guards are said to have been Killed.

According to Local Sources the Iranian Air Force has been placed on High-Alert with preparations being made if the Situation Escalates.

(HT REMARK: Now we finally see why Biden left Afghanistan and also left behind billions of dollars of equipment to the Taliban.)

During today’s clashes, Iranian forces used 60mm mortars to intercept Taliban attacks.

Taliban and Iran border clashes have moved and are now taking place at the Nimruz border checkpoint.

Heavy Fighting is continuing to take place along the Border, with reports from earlier today stating that Taliban Forces utilizing American Towed-Artillery and other Equipment had Captured a Iranian Border Security Post near the City of Zabol.

Cat saves man’s life after fall

Hearing an 80 year old man say “he’s my hero” about a kitten is probably the most wholesome thing I’ll ever see before I die.

The cat dragged the cell phone to the trapped man!

Vietnam and your escape from the United States gulag

About depleted uranium: The main danger in DU is not it's radioactivity. The main problem is similar to heavy metals like lead, but much worse. 

It's inhaling the depleted uranium dust in to your lungs and digesting DU dust after it get absorbed by agricultural products or ends up lying in urban areas that makes DU extremely toxic. 

Heavy metals do much more to your body than "make you feel sick" they destroy the brain blood barrier and cause massive damage to the brain. 

They ruin the DNA of unborn fetuses which results in generation-wide genetic defects in society, they cause damage to many other parts and stay in the body forever. 

And heavy metals do not "degrade" they stay in the environment virtually forever, circulating and causing damage until quaranteed, like nuclear-power-plant waste (which is what DU is) is being stored.

Posted by: A200 | May 15 2023 18:25 utc | 26

Man oh man! The geopolitical situation is truly in flux.

And make no mistake, it is in Chinese favor.

Ah, meanwhile a “stealth war” is going on, but is not being reported at all. Instead it is being reported as something else…

Talk to random people.

  • Fellow passenger in public transport
  • Daily vendors
  • Store owners
  • Watchman
  • Peon of your office
  • Taxi drivers
  • Anyone you meet.

Remember, do not talk about yourself. Ask about them. And listen. I do that everyday and knowing people is amazing.

Here are some examples/ lessons I learned:

1. Got job offer from a real estate company owner

2. Made a friend during my journey home. I didn’t have return ticket but luckily I met the same guy again and we shared the railway berth.

3. Met a taxi driver whose wife works in some MNC (i guess it was GOOGLE, as a developer). After talking to him, my chauvinism went to drain.

EDIT: This conversation happened 3years ago in Hyderabad, and I don't remember what company exactly it was. But I do remember that while mentioning this, he pointed to some IT park where Google was written in bold.

4. Peon of my office gives me a distinct respect

5. Once a door to door vegetable daily vendor brought back my wallet which I dropped by mistake.

6. Some underprivileged children – whom I used to teach during my college send me “happy teachers day” card every year. And that is the most beautiful day my year.

7. I stay in Bangalore. The moment you approach a rickshaw either they will ask for 2times the meter or 20/ 30 extra over meter. But because I was listening to one of the rickshaw driver all my journey he kind of liked me, and he charged me as per meter. The meter was 74 and he took only 70 in spite Of my insisting.

8. Once in a restaurant a couple was struggling with their toddler. They were unable to eat. I was waiting for my meal so I started playing with the kid. The couple had meal in peace. By the time I left the restaurant it started raining cats and dogs. So the same couple saw waiting outside the restaurant under a shade and offered me a ride to the bus depot. During the ride we had great conversation and they decided to drop me till home.

9. I was waiting for my bus stop near the front door of the bus. So I started talking to the driver. For 20 mins we talked about topics ranging from girls empowerment to spirituality. And the drivers knowledge was surprising. His thoughts about “girl child” made me believe India is changing.

There are thousands of such conversations I can share. I learned that everyone is struggling with a fight which no one has ever fought, sometimes these conversations gives me hope, confidence, another perspectives to the different problems of life, when I am depressed it helps me feel privileged that I have such good life, parents and friends. It’s overwhelming to talk to people.

Most importantly the smile you get after listening to these people is just priceless. The life has become fast, and all one need is some ears.

Edit:

A lot of people have a question of “How to start a conversation?” Everyone can have there own way, but following is my two pence,

I have some pre-set ice breakers –

1. With Cab drivers (Ola/ Taxii for sure etc.) – “Is this your own, or you are hired?” Or “Don’t you feel frustrated with the traffic?”

2. Public Transport – Offer your seat to a lady/ old aged man. Ask when will your stop come? (even though you know when to get down). If someone is reading book – start talking about that book.

3. Coffee shop/ restaurants – Help (like I helped that couple). Or ask help in choosing dishes (this works during foreign trips).

4. If you see underprivileged child – ask if they go to school.

5. With your subordinates – Have lunch with them.

6. With roadside vendors – “How much business you make daily?” Or “do you pay some rent of this space” or “does xyz take some bribe for letting you stand here”

All in all the mantra is be observant. Understand what problem the other might have. Start talking about their problems/ situations/ likings etc.

Moving to Vietnam |BEAUTIFUL, CHEAP AND BOOMING|

This Is A Tiny Hamster Rides Her Own Personal Subway Train

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In 2009, Brooklyn photographer Victoria Belanger took Edie, her tiny hamster for a ride on her own personal subway train. Little Edie wandered throughout the car, checked out the distinctive orange and yellow seats and even had a chance to peek outside before having to “stand clear of the closing doors”.

“This train is really slow.” Edie rides the model subway. Fall 2009.

More: Victoria Belanger, Flickr h/t: laughingsquid

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Safeguarding Your Mental Health from the Harmful Effects of Western War
Propaganda Ten Top Tips


By
Geoffrey Roberts FRHistS, MRIA
Emeritus Professor of History

University College Cork

  1. Beg, borrow, or buy a copy of Robert H. Thoules’s Straight and Crooked
    Thinking. Pay particular attention to the sections on the manipulative use of
    emotive language (’Russia’s unprovoked, criminal, aggressive and genocidal
    war on Ukraine’), diversionary arguments (‘you can’t negotiate peace with an
    indicted war criminal’) and drumbeat repetition (‘Ukraine has won, is winning
    and will win the war’).
  2. Beware bait and switch articles. Promising pieces with headlines like ‘in
    reality, the Ukrainian are losing’ or ‘West exaggerates Russian losses’ often
    turn out to be Neocon opeds arguing for allout western military support for
    Ukraine whilst blandly asserting that Putin would be crazy to escalate the war.
  3. Get into the habit of scanning articles about the war before reading them. If
    you espy the words ‘Hitler’, ‘appeasement’, ‘Munich’ in the same piece bin
    it, unless it is written by a trustworthy historian with the initials GR.
  4. Unsourced casualty claims from the Pentagon or the British MoD are a no
    brainer: simply divide those for Russia by 10 and multiply those for Ukraine
    by the same factor.
  5. Keep to hand a stack of old Ritter and MacGregor interviews predicting that a
    storm of Russian armoured steel will soon sweep all before it and bring the
    war to a rapid conclusion.
  6. When things are going badly for the Russkies, mute the sound on reports from
    Weeb Union and the Military Summary Channel. Then close your eyes and re
    imagine the meaning of all those little arrows flickering across the screen.
  7. When things are going really badly, restrict your YouTube viewing to
    Alexander Mercouris’’s nightly vlog. Nothing is more reassuring than
    Alexander’s dulcet tones reminding us for the umpteenth time that he is not a
    military man before launching into a lengthy explanation as to why a 50metre
    advance by the remnants of the Azov Brigade may not be as strategically
    significant as some panicmongering Russian bloggers would have us believe.
  8. Goebbels was wrong. The Big Lie is not the most effective propaganda: it is
    the cumulative effect of little lies, evasions, distortions and misdirection. The
    best antidote is a daily dose of Responsible Statecraft supplemented by a
    generous dollop of Naked Capitalism, Moon of Alabama and Antiwar.com.
  9. If you don’t read Russian, invest in a machinetranslation programme that will
    enable you to follow Strana.UA’s sane and sensible coverage of the war.
  10. Subscribe to a curated list of links that at no cost to you filters out the most
    mentally damaging western war propaganda.

What’s Happening In Haiti Is Absolutely Beyond Belief!

Amazing!

Ukraine SitRep: Explosion in Khmelnytsky – Bakhmut Evacuation – Longer Range Missiles

In the early morning of last Saturday two large explosions (video) destroyed a large ammunition depot near the city of Khmelnytsky in west Ukraine.

 

khmelni3
khmelni3

biggerThis picture shows the depot before the strike:

 

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khmelni2

biggerThe explosion destroyed the whole depot:

 

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khmelni1

biggerThe depot sat at a rail line some 5,000 meter west from the city center. It is likely that the explosion destroyed not only a large amount of ammunition but also a large number of windows in the city and caused some casualties.

The city of Khmelnytsky, which has a population of 270.000, is named after a famous Cossack hetman (elected military leader) who in 1648 rose up against the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth that controlled the west of Ukraine.

While military operations continued inconclusively, and because Tatar support proved undependable at crucial moments, Khmelnytsky began to search for other allies.

He found those allies in Moscow:

Khmelnytsky secured the military protection of the Tsardom of Russia in exchange for allegiance to the Tsar. An oath of allegiance to the Russian monarch from the leadership of the Cossack Hetmanate was taken, shortly thereafter followed by other officials, the clergy and the inhabitants of the Hetmanate swearing allegiance. The exact nature of the relationship stipulated by the agreement between the Hetmanate and Russia is a matter of scholarly controversy. The council of Pereiaslav was followed by an exchange of official documents: the March Articles (from the Cossack Hetmanate) and the Tsar’s Declaration (from Muscovy).The council was attended by a delegation from Moscow headed by Vasiliy Buturlin. The event was soon thereafter followed by the adoption in Moscow of the so-called March Articles that stipulated an autonomous status of the Hetmanate within the Russian state. The agreement precipitated the Russo-Polish War (1654–67). The definitive legal settlement was effected under the Eternal Peace Treaty of 1686 concluded by Russia and Poland that re-affirmed Russia’s sovereignty over the lands of Zaporozhian Sich and left-bank Ukraine, as well as the city of Kiev.

The city is some 200 kilometer from the Polish boarder. The depot has likely held ammunition that was coming from the ‘West’ to go to the front line in east Ukraine. There are rumors that the depot held British ammunition for Challenger main battle tanks. The ammunition is filled with depleted Uranium. Some charts are circulating which claim to show a gamma ray spike in the area.

 

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khmelni4

biggerHowever the relevant map does not load for me and I have no way to verify it. The chart seem to show an increase in Gamma radiation but that increase happened during May 11/12, not in the early morning of May 13 when the explosion happened. The increase is also very small and the total is normal and not dangerous. Flying in a commercial airplane will typically expose you to some 2,000 nano-Sievert per hour [nSi/h]. Small background radiation variances happen all the time so the chart does not really tell us anything.

In other news the Ukrainian army seems to abandon whatever is left of Bakhmut city.

In today’s clobber report the Russian Defense Ministry reported the intercept by air defense of a British Storm Shadow cruise missile. This confirms that these are not some new wonder weapons. (The recent two Storm Shadow impacts in Luhansk city were against undefended targets and also accompanied by a U.S. delivered electronic warfare missile which probably can confuse air defense radar.)

Also taken down yesterday were seven U.S. HARM anti-radar missiles and ten HIMARS missiles.

The use of so many HARM missiles is unusual and points to a new campaign in preparation of the much hyped counteroffensive.

Posted by b on May 15, 2023 at 17:23 UTC | Permalink

The US is proposing a railway project to connect Gulf and Arab countries. But can it win favor from Middle Eastern countries?

Hmmm… doubt it…

2023 05 16 17 20
2023 05 16 17 20

What NOT to Eat in Vietnam, Why Banh Mi is so Famous? | Vietnam Culture Series: Eating

By Martin Jay

May 8, 2023

What the hell is going on in Mali? Many will be asking this question as to the future of the UN’s mission there, after Germany just announced that intends to withdraw its troops from the mission

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What the hell is going on in Mali? Many will be asking this question as to the future of the UN’s mission there, after Germany just announced that intends to withdraw its troops from the mission

According to newswire reports, the German government said on May 3rd it had decided to end its participation in the UN mission in Mali

by next May over problems, it claims, with the ruling junta.

Chancellor Olaf Scholz’s cabinet said Berlin would pull its 1,110 troops in the UN mission MINUSMA out of the West African country over the next year and pivot towards more humanitarian and development aid for the region.

“Whether we want it to or not, what happens in the Sahel affects us,” Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock said in a statement.

“We are reorganising our engagement in the region and will let our participation in MINUSMA run out in a structured fashion over the next 12 months.”

But is it really true given Germany’s track record for its bare faced lies on the international circuit led by its odious chancellor Scholz who can’t even own up to Berlin’s role or knowledge of the blowing up of the Nord Stream pipeline? Is there another reason for Berlin getting out of Mali?

What was it doing there in the first place is also a good question. The truth is really not much to do with fighting terrorists in the Sahel but more about supporting France’s delusional ideas about its hegemony in Africa. Britain also sent 300 soldiers there initially to support Macron and his two-faced game in Mali of pretending to fight terrorism while really only interested in supporting French companies there and protecting French expats.

The UK pulled out those troops just months after France withdrew its soldiers in the summer of last year. Germany, it seems, is a little slow on the uptake of how shit happens in Africa and so its cumbersome political beast – a coalition of hypocrites, turncoats and dropouts – finally smelt the coffee and realised that its troops were a little isolated in a country they didn’t understand run by a junta which was aligned to Russia. Is it possible that Scholz suddenly woke up in the middle of the night in a cold sweat and realised that his entire collation government would collapse if Wagner troops got a bit bored one day in Mali and decided to massacre the Germans as a way of sending a message that Russia is displeased with the commitment of Berlin to Zelensky?

It begs the question again in Mali, what are they European contingents doing now in Mali if none of them can get the junta there to stand in line and succumb to western elites’ needs and aspirations? Scholz clearly did the maths and realised that Mali is a ticking time bomb and his own troops were vulnerable to attack in the event of the Ukraine war stakes being raised this year.

And so the louche western media narrative is that Germany can’t get on with the military leadership in Bamako, which for anyone with an IQ more than 60 and who knows anything about how the world works, is of course nonsense. The heart of the problem for the regime in Mali is that they see no point of the Germans being there. If the Germans can’t get any results on the battlefield with the Islamic terrorists – and believe me, we would hear about it if they did – then the only other purpose for them would be to add a security later to the military leadership itself, politically.

If Germany is really there in Mali to fight the terrorists – which could/would take power in Mali if they could overpower the junta – then the thinking is why can’t they protect the elite there in any other way. The answer is because they are not there to neither fight terrorists nor prevent them from taking power in Mali. They were there to support Macron but now he and his boys have been kicked out it makes the Germans look like stupid teenage boys at the school disco all looking at each other with no girls in sight when the last dance begins. Uselessness is a word we should be comfortable with when talking about Germany and its army especially when it is lead by Scholz who is a buffoon on his best day and has led his own country into a direct conflict with Russia.

Misjudged military fuckwittery is actually a German speciality which keeps on repeating itself in history. Who could, after all, forget the initial jubilance of operation Barbarossa at the beginning of World War II which led to the German army being slaughtered when the soviets got their act together and took the battle to the next level? If the Germans themselves can’t explain to their own people what their troops are doing in West Africa, then it is hardly surprising they’re having troubles dealing with the military junta in Bamako who are proving to be “difficult”. Does anyone believe any of this bullshit from the UN press machine which recently went excrementally shite when it thundered that the UN chief was concerned about the fate of young women in Afghanistan and pledges to save them? This is the same UN chief who can’t even save his own UN staff from rape and sexual harassment on a grand scale in UN buildings?

What about shifting these $100s of billions spending countering Russia and China to take care your own citizens and economies back home?

Hundreds of billions, eventually a trillion dollars spend on playing geopolitics, that money could be used to build infrastructures, factories, lower energy cost, free housing, free education, feed the poor. Instead all wasted on geopolitics.

~3,000 Turn Out in Sydney AGAINST NATO – Pro-Russia

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2023 05 22 10 42

Video below shows about three thousand Australians turning-out in Sydney today, to protest NATO and show their support for Russia! The large group was peaceful and determined to let their country know their position: NATO is wrong, Russia is right, and the war in Ukraine must stop.

Here’s brief video:

HAL TURNER EDITORIAL OPINION

Do you see how peaceful, calm, and orderly this is?   THIS is what should be taking place here in the United States and over in Europe.   Every day.

Here’s why:

What our governments are doing with the Ukraine situation is slow-walking ALL OF US into literal nuclear war with Russia.

The Russians are right; they have been provoked for years by more and more NATO bases, in country after country, surrounding Russia, and pointing missiles at Russia.  They were also provoked when the West funded, incited, and facilitated the forcible, violent overthrow of Ukraine’s democratically-elected President, Viktor Yanukovich back in the year 2014.

Yanukovich had been previously contacted by the US and by the European Union (EU) about moving out of Russia’s sphere of influence, and becoming part of Europe.  Yanukovich thought about it. He consulted his government, his top business leaders, and his people.

When the time came for Yanukovich to decide yes or no to the US/EU offer, he politely told them “Thanks, but no thanks. Ukraine will remain with Russia.”

That was an answer the US/EU was NOT going to accept.

They began funding and facilitating protests and riots in Ukraine.  They paid almost a million dollars a day out of the US Embassy in Kiev, to keep the trouble going.

As the problems got worse and worse, there were shootings. Government buildings were being attacked and burned down.  It got completely out of hand.

Yanukovich had to flee the country, and Ukraine’s government collapsed.  When that happened, the US/EU was right there to fund a new, puppet government, favorable to the West.

When the new Kiev regime took over, Crimea, which had previously been part of Russia for over 300 years, but which had been “given” to Ukraine, by then-Soviet Union General Secretary Nikita Krushchev about fifty years ago, decided to have a referendum to secede from Ukraine and return to Russia.  They held that referendum and the vote was overwhelming; Crimea wanted to go home to Russia.

Of course, Russia, which had a naval base on Crimea, supported this effort, and was lambasted by the West for “illegally annexing” Crimea.   It was no annexation, Crimea voted!

When two other predominantly Russian oblasts (states) — Luhansk and Donetsk — wanted to also vote to secede, Ukraine sent its army to the border of those states and started lobbing artillery shells and mortars into the civilian areas to put down the move to secede.

Luhansk and Donetsk formed militias to fight-off the Ukrainians.  But they needed help.  Suddenly, “Little Green Men” started appearing in Luhansk and Donetsk.  Fully kitted-out soldiers, in green military uniforms, but with no patches.  No flags.  They were, of course, Russian troops.  They were clearly sent by Russia, to support Luhansk and Donetsk, whose people were being bombed by the Ukrainian army.

All this trouble, which really kicked-off from 2012, stopped dead in its tracks when Donald Trump won the US Presidency.   There was relative peace in Luhansk and Donetsk for four years, until Biden stole the US Presidency.

Within literally days of Biden taking office in January 2021, all the trouble in Luhansk and Donetsk started again.

By December, 2021, Ukraine had massed about 80,000 troops, over 1,000 tanks, multiple launch rocket systems, fighter jets and the like, all along the borders of Luhansk and Donetsk.   Ukraine was going to enter Luhansk and Donetsk and slaughter the civilians who wanted to secede.

Russia had no choice.  They HAD to protect the civilians in Luhansk and Donetsk.  In fact, under the United Nations (UN) Charter, Russia had a DUTY to protect!

The LIE Which Caused this Whole Thing

All this trouble and all this NATO effort with Ukraine is being done despite the fact that then-US Secretary of State, James Baker, assured then Soviet General Secretary Mikhail Gorbachev and then-Foreign Minister Eduard Shevrednadze that if Russia allowed East and West Germany to re-unite, “NATO will not move one inch eastward.”

Of course, NATO did not honor that promise, and began expanding eastward, right up to Russia’s border.

Country after country joined NATO, and got NATO missiles to aim at Russia. Many countries established NATO bases to rotate NATO troops in and out . . . . all with their eye on Russia.

When the same began with Ukraine, Russia made very clear to the west, Ukraine joining NATO is a red line for Russia.  They also explained why:

From Ukraine, NATO missiles, would have about a five minute flight time to Moscow.  They would also have a seven to ten minute flight time to Russia’s strategic nuclear missile silos.

While NATO claims these missiles are “defensive” with conventional warheads, missile technology has progressed so much that the warheads on these missiles can be “swapped-out.”  They can be changed from “defensive” (conventional) warheads, to OFFENSIVE, NUCLEAR warheads.  The swap takes about an hour.

So Russia would really have no way of knowing if the missiles being aimed at them were defensive or offensive.

And with a five minute flight time, Russia would have almost no viable defense.  They would never know peace or security.  This was completely unacceptable to them.

Russia tried to use Diplomacy, offering a Treaty to NATO which would provide Iron-Clad, legally enforceable, security guarantees to Russia.  They offered this in December of 2021.  NATO laughed at it; basically throwing the proposal in the trash.

About a week later, in January, 2022, Russia submitted the Treaty proposal again, only this time, they sent it via Diplomatic Courier, to the leaders of all NATO countries at their official residences (White House, #10 Downing Street, The Elysee Palace in France, and so on)

In this re-submitted proposal, Russia made clear, IN WRITING, if they cannot obtain iron-clad, legally enforceable security guarantees via Diplomatic means, they will obtain them by military or military-technical means.

So they TOLD EVERYONE this was going to become a military conflict!

NATO sat on this proposal for about two weeks, then rejected it again.

On February 23, 2022, Russia contacted Ukraine and gave them an Ultimatum: You have five hours to agree to not join NATO and that Crimea, which had seceded, was now permanently part of Russia, or Russia would take action.

Ukraine President Zelensky called the British Foreign Office and the US State Department.  Both told him to “ignore the ultimatum” which he did.

After the five hours expired, Russia waited another two hours and with no movement by Ukraine, they sent the Russian Army across the Ukraine Border.

We Were ALL Warned

Russia had previously told everyone — the whole world — that this situation was going to become military.   The world laughed.

They aren’t laughing now.

You see, when Russia speaks, they say what they mean, and they actually mean what they say.

It isn’t that way in the West.   Here in the West, we are caught in this phony “virtue signaling” where we say things that sound oh so good and nice, but we never actually DO.

Russia doesn’t operate that way.  If they say it, they mean it.

Which brings me back to the protests in Sydney, Australia, at the top of this story.

As the conflict with Ukraine has gotten uglier, NATO has been shipping billions of dollars worth of military gear to Ukraine.  More and more gear.  Better and better gear.

Along the way, Russia has REPEATEDLY warned they will use nuclear weapons to defend Russia.

As should be clear to even the most childlike intellect right now, when Russia says something, they mean it.  They have proven this over and over again!

Despite Russia’s warnings, the West continues to up-the-ante and, as you read this right this minute, the West had given a green light to providing Ukraine with fourth generation F-16 fighter jets.

Russia announced publicly THIS MORNING, they will shoot down any F-16’s they find in Ukrainian air space.

They also publicly accused the United States of trying to escalate the Ukraine conflict into a world war.   In this regard, it seems to me personally, Russia hit the nail right on the head.  The US __is__ trying to start World War 3, and it is our American government, and its’; NATO vassals, that are slow-walking you and me to our death via nuclear Armageddon.

Unless people in Europe and the United States, take to the streets PEACEFULLY, RESPECTFULLY, and in a DIGNIFIED MANNER, I personally believe we are going to get nuked. I say, this war in Ukraine must be halted NOW.   Right now.  Before it goes any farther.

If we fail to step-up and make known that this war must stop, then I believe we will be nuked. Soon.

Moving to Uruguay |ONE OF THE BEST LATIN AMERICAN COUNTRIES!|

Russian Bombers Airborne; Explosions Now in Odessa

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Rusasian Bear Tu95 large
Rusasian Bear Tu95 large

Russian strategic aviation voice and morse net on frequencies 4397 USB and 5620 CW, indicate Russian Bomber Activity 3:30 PM EDT —

3 Tu-22 bombers airborne, possibly strikes in the coming hours.

3:51 PM EDT — More:  3 Russian Tu-95Ms strategic bombers have taken off.

Unidentified Object noted Airborne over the Odesa Region of Southern Ukraine; Air Defenses are reportedly Active.

Multiple Large Explosions heard across the City of Odessa; reports of a possible ongoing Shahed-136 Drone Attack.

3:54 PM EDT — It appears Russia has switched to radio silence mode. A massive rocket strike expected in Ukraine tonight.

 4:04 PM EDT — Explosions reported in Zaporozhye region and Odessa

Tu-95MS are moving to the area of the Caspian Sea, to the missile launch site.

Inaccurate intel struck-thru 

4:30 PM EDT — There is information circulating on the Internet that the Ukrainian military has just shot down a Russian Su-35S fighter over the Black Sea

4:40 PM — Ukrainian Sources are reporting that the Russian Pilot of the Su-35 was Killed in the Crash.

4:45 PM EDT — Explosions in the Dnepropetrovsk region In eastern Ukraine, an air raid continues, related to the work of Russian UAVs.

5:00 PM EDT — Officials of the Kherson Defense Forces confirmed the downing of a Su-35 of the Russian Air Forces over the Black Sea.

 

— Sirens in Kyiv, Gerans are headed its way.

— Mass MISSILE arrivals at Zatoka and Sergeevka to the coastal facilities of the Armed Forces of Ukraine (there are camps for recruits and trainees)

— At least 7 Tu-22M3 Strategic Bombers and 4 Russian Naval Ships are reported to be currently approaching their “Launch Zones” over the Black Sea; these Aircraft and Ship are Armed with roughly 50 3M54-1 Kalibr Cruise Missiles.

— It is reported that at least 7 hits were made at AFU facilities in Odessa Region. There are also reports that a missile strike destroyed the bridge in Zatoka, through which the AFU was delivering reserves, fuel and equipment from Romania to Kherson and Nikolaev.

Ukraine confirms two Kalibr cruise missiles hits at Odessa port…  western equipment hit in Odessa region

FROM RUSSIAN MINISTRY OF DEFENSE:

A Ukrainian S-300 surface-to-air missile system has been obliterated near Zheltoye (Donetsk People’s Republic).

The command post of the 102nd Territorial Defence Brigade has been hit near Poltavka (Zaporozhye region).

Air defence forces have intercepted fifteen HIMARS, Uragan MLRS projectiles, and Storm Shadow long-range cruise missiles during the day.

In addition, nine Ukrainian unmanned aerial vehicles were obliterated in the areas of Lozovoye, Terny, Vodyanoye, Novoandreyevka (Donetsk People’s Republic), Chervonaya Dibrova (Lugansk People’s Republic), and Energodar (Zaporozhye region).

6:03 PM EDT — At least 7 Tu-95MS Strategic Bombers are noted to have taken-off from Engels Air Force Base in the Saratov Region of Russia heading towards their “Launch Zones” over the Caspian Sea; a Missile Attack against Ukraine appears to be Imminent once again.

CRIMEA HIT?

A Bright Light and Explosion were seen in the City of Sevastopol in Crimea, after which electricity went out:

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FwrjaGLXgAA98PP

6 things I WISH i knew BEFORE moving to VIETNAM…

This Guy Makes 3D Printed Helmets For His Cat

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Thanks to 3D printers going mainstream, more and more awesome things are popping up around the internet. We already featured T-Rex arms for chickens, now it’s time to meet Rémy Vicarini who likes to make tiny helmets for his cat.

More: Instagram h/t: sadanduseless

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MAJOR NEWS!!! TOP UKRAINE GENERAL “IN HOSPITAL”, Tactical NUKES ON F-16s? BELARUS Border Alert WW3

The damage isn’t just a general but key support staff. This was a decisive hit

Okay, I’m not European, but I think I may offer a tiny perspective as someone who spent most of last summer travelling all over Europe and who spent time in many, many European cities I’ve never been to.

I feel I really got into the lifestyle in Europe.

Sitting outside to eat on summer nights.

Walking and taking transit everywhere.

Seeing people outside everywhere just partaking in the city.

Enjoying the historic charm that is in abundance, feeling safe everywhere at all hours (Maybe with the exception of Marseilles and parts of London), etc.

I feel like the US in comparison is just… underwhelming.

I lived in Nashville for over a year and most of my life have lived in Los Angeles. I want to move to a new city but really don’t like any city in the US enough to be excited about going there. And it seems the only places in America that might give you a slice of that European lifestyle are prohibitively expensive, like San Francisco or NYC.

I feel like most American cities are bland, built around cars, have terrible transit, and are unsafe.

A few years ago I was walking through downtown Atlanta on a weekend in the afternoon, and was stunned that there were no people walking other than me. It was like the entire city had been essentially abandoned.

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I could not imagine the center of an European city being completely empty of pedestrians. There is more vibrancy in an European city of 200,000 than in an American city of two million.

After the architectural splendor of Prague and Edinburgh, the Mediterranean charm of old town Nice, eating in the medieval alleyways of Croatia, I come back to America and feel kind of depressed at the same old landscape of strip malls, drive-thru Starbucks, urban blight, sprawling suburbs with cookie cutter houses and no sidewalks or pedestrians in sight.

Maybe one little historic “old town” street downtown that you have to drive into and that’s full of souvenir shops and chain restaurants.

I guess I’m just ranting and experiencing post-vacation blues, but I’m missing the European lifestyle so much it hurts and I’m having difficulty adjusting to America.

I liked just about every European city I visited. There are very few American cities I’d bother visiting unless I had a specific reason to go there.

On the plus side, the variety of natural scenery in the US, particularly the western US rivals anything in Europe and maybe surpasses it. And increasingly I’d rather rent a cabin in some place like the Smoky Mountains or Sierras in California than visit the bland American cities.

Russia and China

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main qimg 75e23fca6297302b19348607a736e515 lq

Last thing both of them Care about now is the Dollar as Reserve Currency

The Two Nations now know they are on the Gunsights of the West and they also know luckily they were ignored for a bit too long a time and have become stronger than the West conceived possible while the West has been weakened

In 2008 – this wouldnt even have been a contest

Many things on Russia – China Agenda including:-

  • Technology Cooperation
  • Military Alliance – Russia and China need a Military Alliance especially a Nuclear Alliance
  • Economic Alliance – BRICS to be strengthened with Argentina being added
  • Resource Stability and Supply – China to ensure sufficient OIl and Gas and Coal from Russia
  • Yuan Transactions – Yuan to replace USD and Euro by 2035 as per Nabullianas Calculations as Russias Major Reserve Currency
  • Payment System – Global Payment System that can Rival SWIFT
  • Consumer Goods – To Replace Western Chains

You know you can go to China, right?

main qimg 35c4da2d3befadbe4d5fa54c50b54a5e
main qimg 35c4da2d3befadbe4d5fa54c50b54a5e

“NO! SLEEP! TIL 葫芦岛市!!!”

I went back in 2007 and it was a great trip. Really opened my eyes to some of the BS you hear in the states. My hotel was reasonably priced, brand new, and in the same block as the Beijing Lamborghini and Ferrari Dealership.

You can go there right now.

2023 05 22 11 10
2023 05 22 11 10
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You can rent a car, drive around, talk to folks. no problem.

The point is, it would be really, really damn hard for them to lie about their economy. You would see it in the streets.

20 Best reasons NOT to retire to Vietnam! Don’t live in Vietnam.

Chili Queen Chili

This is, according to the legend, one of San Antonio chili queen’s original recipes.

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2023 05 22 11 21

Ingredients

  • 2 pounds beef, cut into 1/2-inch cubes
  • 1 pound pork, cut into 1/2-inch cubes
  • 1/4 cup suet
  • 1/4 cup pork fat
  • 3 medium onions, chopped
  • 6 cloves garlic, minced
  • 1 quart water
  • 4 ancho chiles, seeds and stems removed, chopped fine
  • 1 serrano chile, seeds and stems removed, chopped fine
  • 6 dried red New Mexican chiles, seeds and stems removed, chopped fine
  • 1 tablespoon cumin seeds, freshly ground
  • 2 tablespoons Mexican oregano
  • Salt, to taste

Instructions

  1. Lightly flour the beef and pork cubes. Quickly cook in the suet and pork fat, stirring often.
  2. Add onions and garlic and sauté until they are tender and limp.
  3. Remove all pieces of fat.
  4. Add the water to the mixture and simmer for 1 hour.
  5. Grind the chiles in a blender or molcajete. Add to the meat mixture.
  6. Add remaining ingredients and simmer for an additional 2 hours.
  7. Skim off any fat that rises, then serve.

From Citizens to Serfs: How the Middle Class is Eroding in America

https://youtu.be/Ya0bG4_xRQg

Pepe Escobar
May 20, 2023

With G7 “leadership” mired in a sticky swamp of intellectual shallowness, predictably the only agenda in colonized Japan was more sanctions on Russia.

Let’s start with a graphic depiction of where the Global North and the Global South really stand.

1. Xian, former imperial capital, and key hub of the Ancient Silk Roads: Xi Jinping hosts the China-Central Asia summit, attended by all Heartland “stans” (Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, Kyrgzystan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan).

The final statement stresses economic cooperation and “a resolute stand” against Hegemon-concocted color revolutions.

That expands what the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) and the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) are already implementing. In practice, the summit seals that the Russia-China strategic partnership will be protecting the Heartland.

2. Kazan: the Russia-Islamic World forum unites not only religious leaders but top businessmen of no less than 85 nations. Multipolar Russia proceeded in parallel to the Arab League Summit in Jeddah, which welcomed back Syria to the “Arab family”. Arab nations unanimously pledged to end “foreign interference” for good.

3. Hiroshima: the ever-shrinking G7, actually G9 (adding two unelected EU bureaucrats), imposes a single agenda of more sanctions on Russia; more weapons to black void Ukraine; and more lecturing of China.

4. Lisbon: the annual Bilderberg meeting – a NATO/Atlanticist fest – takes place in a not so secret hotel completely locked down. Top item in the agenda; war – hybrid and otherwise – on the “RICs” in BRICS (Russia, India, China).

I could have been in Xian, or most likely Kazan. Instead, honoring a previous commitment, I was in Ibiza, and then scraped the idea of flying to Lisbon as a waste of time.

Allow me to share with you the reason why: call it a little tale from the Baleares, breaking the trademark pledge that what happens in swinging, sweaty deep house Ibiza stays in Ibiza.

I was a guest at a top business gathering – mostly Spanish but also featuring Portuguese, Germans, Brits and Scandinavians: ultra high-level executives – in real estate, asset management, investment banking.

Our panel was titled “Global Geopolitical Shifts and Their Consequences”. Before the panel, participants were invited to vote on what worried them most when it comes to the future of their business. Number one was inflation and interest rates. Number two was geopolitics. That prefigured a very lively debate ahead.

When a EU hagiographer goes berserk

Little did I – and the audience – know that would turn into a wild ride.

The first presentation came from the director of a “Center for European Politics” in Copenhagen. She bills herself as a political science professor, and is an adviser to EU Chief Gardener Borrell.

Well, I adopted a Cheshire cat stance after the tsunami of clichés spewed out about “European values” and evil Russkies, as well as her being “frightened” by the future of Europe.

At least immediate relief was provided by the impeccably diplomatic Lanxin Xiang, an adorable character, always with a cheerful smile on his face, and one of the very few leading experts on China who actually knows what he’s talking about, in fluent English.

Lanxin Xiang, among other accomplishments, is Emeritus Professor of the Graduate Institute of International and Development Studies in Geneva; director of the Institute of Security Policy at the China National Institute for SCO International Exchange; and executive director of the Washington Foundation for European Studies.

This is a column I wrote about him and his work, published in October 2020.

Professor Xiang offered a masterly exposition on the American obsession to fabricate a “Taiwan problem” and how Europe, already squeezed by the U.S. proxy war against Russia, must be very careful when it comes to lecturing China.

When it was my turn, I went for the kill, dismissing all those EU press release platitudes as absolute nonsense, and stressing how Europe is already being eaten alive by the proverbial “American interests”.

As briefly as possible I explained the whole geopolitical background of the war in Ukraine.

Well, this was all delivered to top business people who consume The Economist, Financial Times and Bloomberg as their prime sources of information.

Their reaction would speak volumes.

Predictably, the EU-paid bureaucrat completely freaked out, and shrieking with outrage, went full pre-ordained script, from threatening to abandon the stage to accusing me of being “paid by the Kremlin”.

I asked her, point blank, to “contradict me, with facts”.

No facts were provided.

Just fear and bewilderment, mixed with intimations of cancel culture.

To his great merit the vastly experienced moderator, Struan Robertson from Bank of America Merrill Lynch, kept things civil, giving more time for Lanxin Xiang to explain the Chinese mindset and opening the floor for a sequence of very good questions.

In the end, the audience loved it.

Many came to personally thank me for information they will never have access to in El Pais, Le Monde or The Economist.

A minority in the room was simply stunned – but our debate at least must have left them musing over a lot of preconceived notions.

It’s the total merit of the key organizers, Jose Maria Pons and head of the program Cristina Garcia-Peri, to host such a debate in fabulous Ibiza, in Spain, prime NATOstan territory.

In the current situation, this would be absolutely impossible in France or Germany, not to mention Scandinavia or those demented Baltics.

There’s no way to counter-act the fabricated narratives parroted by EU-paid hacks and bureaucrats except for ridiculing them – in their faces.

They become livid and barely manage to stutter when their lies are exposed.

For instance, one of the questions from the floor, by a top of the line German businessman, enumerated a litany of dark facts about Ukrainian “democracy” that are absolutely verbotten by EUrocracy.

The G-Less Than Zero freaks out

What happened in Ibiza dovetails with what happened in U.S.-nuclear bombed Hiroshima – Hegemons don’t do apologies – and in that locked down Lisbon hotel.

With the G7 “leadership” mired in a sticky swamp of intellectual shallowness, predictably the only agenda in colonized Japan was more sanctions on Russia – imposed over third countries and on companies in the energy and military-industrial sectors; more weapons to the Ukrainian black void; and a ridiculous counter-productive new obsession of piling up on China “containment” for alleged “economic coercion.”

In the photo ops, by the way, it’s not a shrinking G7 that shows up: but a warmongering G9, artificially augmented by that pathetic couple of unelected EUrocrats, Charles Michel and Pustula von der Lugen.

As far as the real Global Majority – or Global South – is concerned, this looks more like a G-Less Than Zero. The more the senseless, illegal Sanctions Wars are “expanded”, the more the absolute majority of the Global South moves away from the collective West, diplomatically, geopolitically and geoeconomically.

And that’s why the top Bilderberg agenda at the hijacked Lisbon hotel was to revamp NATO/Atlanticist coordination in a war – hybrid and otherwise – against the driving force in BRICS; the RICs (Russia, India, China).

There were other items on the menu – from AI to the acute banking crisis, from “energy transition” to “fiscal challenges”, not to mention proverbial “U.S. leadership”.

But when you get in the same room people like NATO’s Stoltenberg; director of U.S. intel Avril Haines; senior director for Strategic Planning at the National Security Council Thomas Wright; Goldman Sachs president John Waldron; Chief Gardener Borrell (whose minion was in Ibiza); vice chair of Brookfield Asset Management, Mark Carney (one of their executives also in Ibiza); Supreme Allied Commander Europe, Christopher Cavoli; and Canadian Deputy Prime Minister Chrystia Freeland, among other Atlanticist shills, the plot is self-evident:

It’s a war against the multipolar world.

At least we can dance it away in Ibiza.

US Comes To Africa To Steal Natural Resources & Finish Off The Continent

Another one that every Finnish house has but at least judging by sitcoms US houses don’t: draught lobby.

No matter how small the house, there’s a draught lobby in Finnish houses.

It helps keep the warm air inside the house and cold outside.

In many houses (including ours) it is very small but it does its job working like an air lock of kinds (open first door, enter, close, open second door).

This is a typical draught lobby:

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main qimg 949dff2ada431fdecc7b9b018817b9e8 lq

5-Year-Old Says He Is a WOMAN Reborn As a Boy – The Ghost Inside My Child (S1 Flashback) | LMN

Chinese generals are a very SERIOUS sort.

In general, they will always look at the worst case scenarios. All of them. They will envision themselves losing, and all the terror, and horrors that will result from them. They will plan, and then plan, and then plan some more.

What we, as casual spectators, can see is that the United States is planning to attack China. This is obvious.

  • The excuse will be “Chinese invasion of Taiwan”, whether it happens or not.
  • Funding for this effort is well in progress.
  • Local supply depots and nation alignment is almost complete.
  • The United States in in process to turn Taiwan into a Pacific “Ukraine”.

If we can see this, so can the Chinese generals.

The Chinese leadership have two primary roles for it’s military.

  • Defensive in a tactical sense.
  • Offensive in a strategic sense.

As long as the United States does not cross any Chinese “red lines”, the Strategic offensive deterrent is working. But the “red lines” have been crossed, and once “red lines” are crossed, then that deterrence has failed.

And now, we know what the Chinese generals think.

You can be assured that the Chinese generals will eviscerate all invasion forces to China. (And yes. Taiwan is a province of China.) The tactical situation strongly favors China.

The real issue is the strategic nature of war.

China cannot engage in a war that has no outcomes.

A tactical war alone, is simply defensive only.

To end a war; any war, strategic forces and systems MUST be applied.

China has only ONE kind of strategic military system. (It is not like the United States with multiple strategic systems MAC, SAC, etc.)

China has invested and developed but only one strategic system…

  • Nuclear weapons mounted on hypersonic ICBM glide vehicles.

Let that sink in.

If a war occurs between the USA and China, then it must not, and can not, be tactical alone.

It must have a strategic component.

And no matter what pronouncements about never using nuclear weapons are, and treaties signed. The fact is that for China to survive a war with the US, it MUST use strategic weapons systems.

This means that strategic forces will plummet the mainland United States. Though there is some debate on where Chinese “clean” enhanced radiation nukes will be used, it should be well understood that a war with China will intimately affect the lives and quality of life of Americans.

To fight China is to fight to the death.

Chinese generals know this.

Why High Paid Americans Are Actually BROKE!

Zombie Apocalypse is REAL

Many inner cities across the country have now been turned into wastelands:

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2023 05 22 11 43

Having worked, lived and travelled extensively across the world, I have never seen anything remotely closed to what is happening in the United States.

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2023 05 22 11 44w

What is worst is that people who populate these places are essentially Zombies

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2023 05 22 11 4f4

It does not only affect poor blacks but also some of the richest and most powerful families. This included Hunter Biden, son of the current American President.

The United States could afford a military budget of over $800b and over 800 overseas bases which it uses to rain death and destruction on others but it cannot look after the welfare needs of its people.

Really SAD!!!!

China Just Found a MASSIVE Loophole to Survive US Sanctions!

Midwestern Pork Tenderloin Sandwiches

Midwestern Pork Tenderloin Sandwiches are extremely popular in Illinois and through the Midwest.

midwestern pork tenderloin sandwich
midwestern pork tenderloin sandwich

Yield: 4 sandwiches

Ingredients

  • 1 pound boneless pork loin (or boneless pork chops)
  • 1 cup all-purpose flour
  • 1/2 cup yellow cornmeal
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
  • 4 large sandwich buns

Instructions

  1. Cut 4 (1 inch) slices of pork. Trim any exterior fat from edges and butterfly each slice by cutting horizontally through the middle almost to the edge so that the halves are connected by only a thick piece of meat. Put each butterflied slice between pieces of plastic wrap. Using a wooden meat mallet, or the side of a cleaver, pound vigorously until the slice is about 10 inches across.
  2. Mix together flour, cornmeal, salt and black pepper.
  3. Heat 1/2 inch of oil in a deep, wide skillet to 365 degrees F. Dip each slice of pork in water, then in flour mixture. Fry tenderloin, turning once, until golden brown on both sides, about 5 minutes total. Drain on paper towels and season to taste with salt and pepper.
  4. Serve on buns with desired condiments (mustard, mayonnaise, dill pickle chips, ketchup, sliced onion, lettuce).

The Ghost Inside My Child: 5-Year-Old Claims to Have DIED on the Titanic

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Don’t bet against it. America will print and prints and print it will create money without basis and backed by only word of the mouth trust. US dollar is a fake and a fiat currency. The U.S. debt is a time bomb that cast a long shadow on the real America.

To me the US economy is a dud and it is one humongous Ponzi scheme. From 2012–2022 a mere decade the U.S. debt increased from 10 trillion to 31.4 trillion today. Bush, Clinton, Obama Trump and Biden has released close to 20 trillion dollars into their economy of basically Monopoly money. That is haunting them with high inflation now.

China shocked me in Chongqing!

.

A few years of finishing touches and then a new world order will be ready

Wow, things are changing really FAST. If you all are not picking up on it, you will soon.

I want to mix up my daily posts with some fun.

Enjoy yourself.

They cannot.

No matter every step they do they are already outdone by China.

They are finished.

They stay bringing their friends to dogpile us, but we all know that US has already lost.

They stay crying.

It is a very good question. One deserving an answer.

The United States can compete in many fields. May I offer some areas that the United States can try to compete in…

  • Economic. Have a positive economic environment that is not subject to inflation or abuse.
  • Financial. Provide a stable currency, and rock solid assets that are not prone to seizure or collapse.
  • Technical / Scientific. Provide a healthy and open environment where scientists and engineers are well trained, free of social engineering, and quota restrictions. Pay them well; more than lawyers or community organizers.
  • Environmental. Restrict the use of environment destroying technologies, and provide open and cheap alternatives in transportation, food, and housing.
  • Social. Provide a family and community friendly environment. With polices that value traditional family, and supportive of traditional gender roles.

The United States can also try to compete in…

  • Manufacturing. Have strong infrastructure, pro-worker laws, and a factory supportive community.
  • Society. A community and society free of excess taxation and rules.

The United States can try to compete against China in these areas, but, I am sad to say that it is highly unlikely to be successful.

11-Year-Old Says He Is a Combat SOLDIER

Let’s talk about the G7 summit and the spotlight on China. Despite not being a participant, China is undoubtedly on the agenda. Here’s why they can’t help but be obsessed with us.

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2023 05 24 18 50

China is a country that they hate, they love, but they cannot leave. They crave China’s capital, market share, supply chains, and unparalleled growth prospects. They benefit from China in countless ways, yet they resent our refusal to join their exclusive club.

The G7 wants China to conform to their “international rules.” But let’s be clear: their rules are not truly international. They are a product of Western values and interests. China upholds the principles of the UN Charter, which should be the true foundation of Intl. relations.

China’s rise challenges their dominance. They fear our economic power and influence. They worry that we will reshape the global order, creating a more multipolar and balanced world. To them, we are a threat, an evil that disrupts their established hegemony.

But let’s not forget: China’s commitment to peace and development has benefited the world. In the past decade, we have contributed more to global economic growth than the entire G7 combined. We offer stability, opportunity, and insurance, not risk.

The G7 needs to realize that the world cannot afford to go back to an era of ideological divisions, exclusive clubs, and small-minded thinking. What the world needs is inclusivity, cooperation, and the pursuit of shared prosperity. China is at the forefront of this vision.

As they discuss China behind closed doors, let’s remember that their own actions are not beyond scrutiny. Their aggressive military interventions, market distortions, and bullying tactics pose real risks to global peace and economic stability.

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2023 05 24 18 49

Instead of fixating on China, the G7 should focus on addressing pressing global challenges: climate change, poverty, inequality, and certain country’s debt ceiling crisis. These issues require collaboration, not division.

It’s time to recognize that the world is changing. China’s rise is an opportunity, not a threat. Let’s embrace a future where all nations, big or small, work together on an equal footing to build a prosperous and harmonious world.

Tori Amos – Cornflake Girl (US Version) (Official Music Video)

G7- A display of hypocrisy, vanity and elitism

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2023 05 22 16 25

For me personally, the G7 summit is up amongst the most insufferable political events of the year.

That’s because it is an exclusive club borne out of the United States, motivated by ideology, hegemony and thus, elitism, which it then uses to try and force its agenda on the rest of the world.

Although it was originally conceived of the “world’s seven largest economies” that is no longer a reality in practice, and it has thus become an “old guard” for how they believe the world ought to be.

In the process, the US is attempting to tailor it into a distinctive “Anti-China” grouping.

In its vanity summit yesterday, the group subsequently adopted the term “derisking” in application to China, claiming that while they did not want to “decouple” or “inhibit” China’s development, they nonetheless do not wise to allow China to have any geopolitical leverage or ability to “set the rules”, which of course they decide for themselves, and subsequently don’t follow either.

On such a premise, they hypocritically denounced China’s so-called “economic coercion” which is a Washington D.C buzzword used exclusively to Beijing’s ability to apply economic punishment to countries in the name of its national interests, with of course only G7 nations “being allowed to do that” and getting instead to call it “sanctions”.

Actions thus speak louder than words, and despite the language being in such “compromise” terms, which avoided being overtly confrontational, the reality is that G7 are collectively denying China the right to be an influential power on the global stage and in effect, to be a “ruler taker” as opposed to a “rule maker”.

There is no connotation that China can be an “equal” partner.

That is, as it has always been, that Beijing may only exist under the terms and conditions set for it by the west, and not for that matter, defining or advocating its national interests on its own terms.

When this is considered, what other policy options is the group effectively advocating, other than for the explicit containment of the rise of China?

One noticeable hallmark of the summit is that G7 attempting to morph itself into a “wider coalition” to steer the global agenda, of which China is locked out of.

The wider G20, once a hallmark of globalisation amidst the global financial crisis, is now treat with contempt by the west as it means compromising with “unfavourable” countries, including China and Russia, leading them to paralyze it as a functional body.

In doing so, the G7 now “cherry-picks” countries it wants to try and woo, inviting them to the summit but of course, not allowing them to set the agenda.

In doing so, Japan, who was the host, invited India, Vietnam, Indonesia, Australia, South Korea and Brazil, amongst others, as part of Kishida’s bid to “woo the global south”.

Of course, it would be disastrous for the Global South to buy into the G7’s agenda, because for them it means perpetual subservience to the agenda of the west of which leverages the right to economic development and prosperity upon the geopolitical terms and conditions they set for them, which in practical reality condemns them to perpetual poverty.

Part of this theme at the meeting likewise involved proposing alternatives for the belt and road initiative (yet again), speaking of which, it might be reminded that in 2021 the summit focused on a mega project to rival the BRI titled: “Build Back Better”.

Two years later, not only did nothing come of such, but it was never even as much heard of again.

This leads to the next point, that the G7 Summit is ultimately “all talk”.

It is a forum for vanity, a forum for posturing and a false calibration of unity, which is now attempting to rebrand itself as a configured unit and formalised multilateral organisation.

It isn’t, and its proposals to counter China by doing “X, Y, Z” usually with developing countries, almost always comes to nothing, and that’s because G7 is currently premised on a denial of “how the world actually is” as opposed to “how they would like it to be.”

That is, the fundamental denial of China’s rise in economic power and the belief they can still dictate the “rules” to a country as large and influential as Beijing, i.e such as the “economic coercion” nonsense.

But of course, this flutters in the reality that G7’s share of the global GDP is falling, whereas that of China and other developing nations, is rising. The group is thus a projection of western idealism.

Its relevance is declining, and perhaps in realising that, they are so eager to hold onto the position of privilege and power they once had.

But there’s no turning back the clock.

When China’s economy ultimately overtakes the United States, and when it breaks past the technological embargo they are attempting to impose on it, all of this is bound to look very silly, if not in vain.

Everyday objects that have become OBSOLETE

A pair of Chinese girls

And the American jackass who commented on this picture by saying…

"Do the Chinese look in the mirror even though their face is hideous?"
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main qimg b80628c00d62f8fa48083b40350ba7bb

DIO- Caught In The Middle- Don’t Talk To Strangers- Straight Through The Heart (Live 2005)

Costillas de Tejas (Texas Ribs)

(BPT) – Chef Servantes, a self-taught pitmaster and former champion and now judge of Food Network’s hit show — Chopped — is widely known for his one-of-a-kind blends of New American Cuisine with Texas flair. Servantes is world renowned for using Smithfield Fresh Pork because of its quality, freshness and consistently great flavor.

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2023 05 22 11 54

Grilling is a proud tradition in every Hispanic community — from Mexico, Puerto Rico, Peru, Colombia, Argentina, the Dominican Republic, Cuba and even in the U.S., every community uses the grill to create one-of-a-kind flavors. It’s a tradition steeped in history, and the first-ever Smithfield Fresh Pork Grilling Cup, “Copa de la Parrilla,” invites Hispanic chefs to share their unique grilling styles with the world.

Prep: 30 min | Cook: 6 1/2 hr | Yield: 4 to 6 servings

Ingredients

Barbecue Sauce

  • 2 tablespoons canola oil
  • 1 small sweet yellow onion, coarsely chopped
  • 3 cloves garlic, coarsely chopped
  • 1 cup ketchup
  • 1/3 cup cold water
  • 1 chipotle chile, chopped (from can of chipotle chiles in adobo)
  • 2 tablespoons dark brown sugar
  • 1 heaping tablespoon, Dijon mustard
  • 1 tablespoon honey
  • 1 tablespoon molasses
  • 1 tablespoon red wine vinegar (or sherry vinegar)
  • 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
  • 2 tablespoons ancho chile powder
  • 1 tablespoon sweet Spanish paprika

Costillas de Tejas

  • 1/4 cup packed dark brown sugar
  • 1 1/2 tablespoons ancho chile powder
  • 1 tablespoon smoked or sweet paprika
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons onion powder
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt
  • Pinch cayenne or chipotle powder
  • Freshly ground black pepper

Ribs

  • 2 racks Smithfield Pork Spareribs, membrane removed

Instructions

  1. Barbecue Sauce: Heat oil in saucepan over medium-high until warm and shimmering. Add onion and cook until softened, 3 to 4 minutes. Add garlic and cook 1 minute. Stir in ketchup and water; bring to boil, stirring frequently. Reduce heat to medium-low and simmer for 5 minutes.
  2. Stir in remaining ingredients; bring to a simmer. Cook, stirring occasionally, until thickened, about 10 minutes. Let cool for at least 10 minutes.
  3. Scrape the barbecue sauce into bowl of food processor or blender; purée until smooth or desired consistency. Sauce will be very thick; let cool to room temperature. Taste and season with salt and pepper. Can be used immediately, however flavors will be more complex if kept overnight. Extra sauce can be stored in refrigerator for up to one week.
  4. Costillas de Tejas: Heat oven to 200 degrees F. Place wire rack on aluminum foil covered baking sheet.
  5. Combine brown sugar, ancho chile powder, paprika, onion powder, salt, cayenne and black pepper in small bowl; mix well.
  6. Ribs: Place 2 sheets of heavy duty aluminum foil on counter (each about 4 inches longer than ribs). Place each rib rack on a piece of foil; sprinkle generous amount of spice rub over meaty side and massage into the meat. Turn over ribs and repeat on bone side. Seal ribs in foil and place, meaty side down, on rack on baking sheet.
  7. Bake ribs at 200 degrees F for 4 hours; reduce oven temperature to 175 degrees F and bake an additional 2 hours, until ribs are very tender and just about falling off the bone.
  8. Open foil packets and discard juices. Brush barbecue sauce over ribs; cut and serve.

TV On The Radio – Wolf Like Me (Official Music Video)

Bad feelings toward one of my favorite airlines

‘If you cannot say blanket in English, you cannot have it’: Flight attendants involved in discriminative behaviors sacked

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A recent article written by a netizen that a Cathay Pacific flight attendant discriminated against a non-English-speaking passenger is trending on Weibo on May 23, sparking widespread debate in society. Cathay Pacific issued a statement regarding the incident last night: The airline is aware of the passenger’s unpleasant experience on flight CX987 and apologizes for the incident.

Cathay Pacific stated that it is committed to providing passengers outstanding customer service and takes this incident very seriously. The airline has reached out to the affected passenger for further understanding of the situation and will conduct a thorough investigation. Cathay Pacific would like to apologize again for any inconvenience this incident may have caused.

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2023 05 24 18 57

As previously reported, a netizen posted on the social media platform Xiaohongshu that the flight attendants discriminated against non-English speaking passengers when he flew with Cathay Pacific. The netizen said he was on Cathay Pacific flight CX987 from Chengdu to Hong Kong on May 21, 2023, and was seated in the back row, where the flight attendants were preparing a meal and taking a break. The netizen described the Cathay Pacific flight attendants as using English and Cantonese to complain about passengers during the flight. The flight attendants made fun of others for asking for a carpet instead of a blanket in English. “If you cannot say blanket, you cannot have it…carpet is on the floor,” a flight attendant said, according to a recording that was circulated widely online.

“I think the front-row passengers tried to use English to get blankets from these ‘English-only’ attendants and were made fun of instead,” he described, “the passenger in the row in front of the user also received an impatient response when he tried to ask the flight attendant in English how to fill in his arrival card.”

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2023 05 24 18 5e7

In addition, a flight attendant even said to her colleagues in Cantonese, “They don’t understand human language”, and “The entire flight lasted for two and a half hours, but the insulting words and the strange attitude towards the passengers were spoken right behind me for two and a half hours.” The netizen could not understand why there was so much malice towards passengers who did not speak English or Cantonese and why they could not show basic respect to passengers without asking for extra warm service. Ultimately, the netizen approached the flight attendant to explain the situation before disembarking from the plane and said he would make a formal complaint.

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2023 05 24 18 5s7

On the afternoon of 23 May, Cathay Pacific issued a second statement on its Weibo account, apologizing once more for the widespread concern regarding the passenger’s experience on flight CX987 on May 21. The statement said it takes this incident very seriously and has already contacted the passenger to learn more about the situation. Now, the flight attendant has been suspended from duty, and an internal investigation will begin immediately, with the outcome to be announced within three days.

The Chief Executive Officer of Cathay Pacific, Mr. Ronald Lam, said in an updated statement on 23 May that as Chief Executive officer of Cathay Pacific, on behalf of Cathay Pacific, he would like to once again express sincere apologies to the passengers and the community affected by the experience on Cathay Pacific Flight CX987 on 21 May.

“At present, we have completed our investigation into the incident and have dismissed the three attendants in accordance with the company’s rules and regulations,” the statement said.

“I would like to reiterate that Cathay Pacific has a zero tolerance attitude towards serious breaches of our rules, regulations and code of ethics by individual employees,” Mr. Lam added.

In order to prevent this kind of incident from happening again, Mr. Lam will personally lead an inter-departmental task force to conduct a comprehensive review and re-examine our service processes, personnel training and related systems to further enhance the quality of Cathay Pacific’s service.

“The most important of these is to ensure that all Cathay Pacific staff are respectful of visitors from different backgrounds and cultures, and can provide professional and consistent service in all service areas,” he added.

Interrogation Of A Psychopathic Woman

Americans Say Families Need $85,000 To Get By, Up From $58,000 In 2013

Saturday, May 27, 2023 – 07:00 AM

By Mary Claire Evans of Gallup

Americans, on average, estimate that a family of four needs a minimum income of $85,000 annually to “get by” in their community, marking a considerable increase from a decade ago. The past decade has witnessed not only an increase in the average income required but also a notable shift in the upper range of income expectations.

During that time, the proportion of Americans who believe that a family needs more than $100,000 to get by has tripled to 30%, while 18% now estimate it to be between $75,000 and $99,999, and 31% think it is $50,000 to $74,999. Half as many Americans now as in 2013 believe a family of four can get by on less than $50,000 annually. This includes 3% who estimate a figure lower than $30,000, and 11% who cite a figure between $30,000 and $49,999.

est annual income needed
est annual income needed

The latest average of $85,000, from an April 3-25 Gallup poll, is notably higher than the federal poverty line for a family of four, which is currently $30,000.

In 2013, the average estimate was $58,000, and the federal poverty line for a family of four was $23,550. Accounting for inflation and the subsequent change in purchasing power, Americans’ 2013 estimate translates to $75,668 in 2023 dollars. Their 2023 estimate therefore reflects an increase of about $9,000 in perceived family needs beyond what inflation alone would account for.

Higher-Income Respondents Believe Families Need More

Americans’ perceptions of the minimum income a family of four needs are influenced by their own financial circumstances. Specifically, those with an annual household income of $100,000 or more project $100,000, on average, as necessary for a family to get by. Middle-income respondents, those with between $40,000 and $99,999 in annual income, estimate a family needs about $80,000. Meanwhile, those earning less than $40,000 believe an income of about $66,000 suffices.

avg annual income
avg annual income

Eastern, Suburban Residents Give Higher Estimates

Geographical location also influences Americans’ perceptions of the income needed for a family of four to get by. Notably, residents in the Eastern U.S. estimate, on average, that families need an income of about $98,000, which is significantly more than the estimates from other regions. Residents in the Midwest have the lowest estimate, saying families need an average income of $76,000. These regional differences likely reflect variations in cost of living, housing prices and wage levels.

Similarly, Americans’ views on the minimum income for a family of four are influenced by their urbanicity. Those residing in cities (about $87,000) and suburban areas ($91,000) project a higher required income for a family of four than those living in towns or rural areas ($78,000).

est annual income 2
est annual income 2

These findings are similar to those from 2013, when Eastern and suburban residents’ estimates of what a family of four needs to get by were substantially higher than those given by people in other regions or urbanicities.

Bottom Line

The rise in perceived necessary income to support a family of four highlights the economic pressure facing American households as high inflation stretches into a second year.

There is a diversity of socioeconomic realities across various population segments and geographic locations. Notably, individuals residing in urban and suburban areas, as well as those with higher incomes, tend to estimate a higher necessary income for a family of four. These patterns might reflect their cost-of-living circumstances as well as differences in perceptions of need and evolving lifestyle aspirations.

The increasing estimate of required income may also be linked to the rise in two-income families. Americans’ average estimate for getting by sits at $85,000, an amount more likely to be reached only in families with dual incomes, further emphasizing the changing economic dynamics of American households.

U.S.-China tensions to “thaw very shortly” — Biden

According to Kyodo News, U.S. President Joe Biden said Sunday he believes that heightened tensions between the United States and China will “thaw very shortly.”

He said a previous agreement with Chinese President Xi Jinping on the importance of implementing a military hotline had rapidly soured in the wake of the balloon controversy as tensions escalated.

“I think you’re going to see that begin to thaw very shortly,” Biden said before leaving the Japanese city, where he attended the Group of Seven summit and held talks with many leaders, including Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.

“We’re not looking to decouple from China. We’re looking to de-risk and diversify our relationship with China,” Biden told a press conference after a three-day summit with G7 leaders. He said G7 nations were more unified than ever in terms of “resisting economic coercion together and countering harmful practices that hurt our workers.”

Daughter Recalls Persecution In the Middle Ages

https://youtu.be/8RSdjzoR1tQ

Unleashing innovation at sea! China to deliver world’s first 5G cruise ship “Adora Magic City” in 2023

China’s first domestically-built large cruise ship – also the world’s first 5G cruise ship – will be called “Adora Magic City.”

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main qimg 56762784698cf1d7891fef100c437ddd

The name was unveiled in Shanghai on Friday, and the ship is expected to be delivered later this year.

“Adora Magic City” aims to offer a unique and immersive cruise experience that seamlessly blends Eastern and Western cultures, with Shanghai serving as its home port in the inaugural season, according to details released at an event held by the municipal culture and tourism bureau and China State Shipbuilding Corporation (CSSC) Cruise Technology Development Co., Ltd. (CCTD).

Jointly designed and built by the CCTD and Shanghai Waigaoqiao Shipbuilding Co. Ltd., the cruise ship, measuring 323.6 meters in length with a gross tonnage of 135,500 tonnes, can accommodate up to 5,246 passengers.

After the successful delivery of the ship, an array of international routes will commence between the home port of Shanghai and neighboring countries.

In addition, medium and long-term routes will be launched to enhance cultural exchanges between China and other countries.

5G cruise ship

Partnered with China Telecom, the construction team will bring 5G connectivity to the “Adora Magic City.”

The cruise ship will be equipped with advanced wireless communication technology, and a Wi-Fi6 and mobile 5G network will be available to provide passengers with the same network experience as on land.

“By seizing a first-mover advantage in the cruise industry’s 5G market, we hope to set a new standard for digital communication in the marine travel sector,” said Chen Ranfeng, managing director of CSSC Carnival Cruise Shipping.

Gong Bo of China Telecom’s Shanghai branch said that “we will focus on network communication, digital high-definition, as well as AR/VR and other content services, in order to further improve the guest experience and jointly promote the high-quality development of the tourism economy.”

This is a “troll question”, but I am giving to give a REAL answer to it.

In regards to the international order, there are two policies “on the table”.

  • The (laughingly titled) rules-based order.

This is the uni-polar order. Uni comes from Latin it means “one”. This global order has one nation running the entire planet, and everyone follows the rules that it makes.

This is the United States led world order.

The United States makes the rules and you are ordered to follow them.

  • The multi-polar order.

This is the order that is preferred by the vast majority of the world (minus the American proxy nations). Where every nation is sovereign, and operates independently without reporting to another country. Everyone gets one vote, and a “seat at the table”. There are no “veto clauses” such as the USA has in the United nations.

It is modeled after the United Nations, but without the privileges that the United States, and the West now enjoy.

Conclusion

The world is shaping up into a fracturing. Where the United States is isolated from the rest of the world, except from it’s owned proxy nations. We can see this clearly on a map.

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main qimg 2d94701fa0a479346c9e312ba43c157e lq

The vast majority of the world is accepting of a multi-polar world, while the tyrannical United States lies isolated, and growing retarded in strength and abilities with each passing day.

Internet “bar-flies” argue that the Untied States will make one great dramatic “lash out” in a futile attempt to regain control over a terribly mismanaged advantage.

But it will amount to nothing. The United States has been in Geo-political “check mate” for a decade, if not longer.

It will be spectacular, no doubt.

But the only ones harmed with be the United States itself, as it slowly sinks into the dark deep waters of the abyss that it created for itself.

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main qimg e6884aef57e2a943672f880a4058c013 lq

3 Mysterious REINCARNATION STORIES

Rep. Nadler “Wouldn’t Care” If Ukraine Used F-16s To Strike Russian Territory

Saturday, May 27, 2023 – 10:20 AM

Authored by Dave DeCamp via AntiWar.com,

Rep. Jerry Nadler (D-NY) said Wednesday that he “wouldn’t care” if Ukraine used American-made F-16s to strike Russian territory despite the risk of such an attack escalating into a direct clash between the US and Russia.

When asked by Epoch Times reporter Liam Cosgrove if he was concerned about the potential of Ukraine using F-16s to hit targets inside Russia, Nadler said, “No, I’m not concerned. I wouldn’t care if they did.”

NY Congressman @RepJerryNadler told me he “wouldn’t care” if Ukraine used western F16s to strike Russian territory.

He then dismissed the likelihood of that happening, despite Ukrainian forces deploying U.S. weaponry in Russia’s border city of Belgorod earlier this week: pic.twitter.com/oRLmqv0mBm

— Liam Cosgrove (@cosgrove_iv) May 25, 2023

Nadler said it was unlikely Ukraine would use F-16s to attack Russian territory, but Cosgrove pointed out that US-made armored vehicles were used in a cross-border raid in Russia’s Belgorod region that was launched on Monday.

“That may be, but they’re not gonna use major weapons. Things like F-16s, they need for air defense over Ukraine so that they can provide air cover for their counterattack and things like that. They’re not gonna waste it in Russia,” Nadler said.

So far, there’s no clear timeline for when the F-16s will be delivered to Ukraine. President Biden signed off on European countries delivering the Lockheed Martin-made aircraft, but Ukrainian pilots still need to be trained, and estimates for how long that will take vary from a few months to up to two years.

Russia has said providing Ukraine with F-16s brings “colossal risks,” a warning brushed off by President Biden. In the early days of the war, NATO chose not to provide Kyiv with fighter jets over concerns Moscow would perceive the move as the alliance directly entering the war.

It doesn’t pay to be anybody’s cannon fodder.

Thanks, Andy for the question. I think I am qualified to respond to your question because I was one of the journalists who was covering the China-Central Asia Summit live in Xi ‘an.

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main qimg a944e48713b507580e5339452650799b

As a reporter of international current affairs, I think it is very necessary to be critical of the news, especially Western news coverage of China. If you know anything about China or do any real research, you will find that much of what is reported about China in the West is discredited and have no factual basis. So it is with the recent China-Central Asia summit.

I’ve been also reading a lot of biased reports on this event in the West lately, and I’ll try to break them down one by one.

Lie 1: China’s Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) is a debt trap.

The “evergreen” “debt trap” accusation has been with BRI ever since its initiation. Let’s burst this bubble with some hard facts.

According to the IMF, as of 2021, the total external debt of Central Asian countries was 35% of their GDP. And China’s share of this debt is less than 10%.

In reality, BRI investments have paved the way for infrastructure development, boosting trade and economic growth.

But who needs facts when one can spin a good yarn about debt traps?

It is now clear that the phrase “Chinese debt trap” is a misnomer that has been coined to scare developing countries from approaching China for soft developmental loans, which the US and the West are unwilling to provide for the uplifting of the infrastructure in these countries.

Lie 2: China is in Central Asia for geopolitical games and threatens Central Asian sovereignty.

A headline in Newsweek reads: China ”Edging U.S. Out of Russian Bastion”, which is a very arrogant or maybe a little offensive view through the predatory Anglo-Saxon lens.

In their eyes, it seems that the only reason countries develop relations with Central Asia is for geopolitical gains, with the underlining notion that Central Asian countries are not worth developing mutually beneficial and friendly relations with other countries, other than to fall into someone’s “bastion.”

In reality, the first and foremost goal of China – Central Asia relations is always for the development of the region so as to serve the needs of both peoples, who have by the way, lived side by side with each other for thousands of years.

According to statistics, in 2022, trade between China and the five countries surpassed $70 billion, and China’s direct investment in the region reached $15 billion.

The Chinese-built tunnel of the Angren-Pap railway line, the longest tunnel in Central Asia, saved local residents the trouble of climbing through the mountains or taking a detour via neighbouring countries.

The China-Kyrgyzstan-Uzbekistan (CKU) highway has become an important international transportation route that runs smoothly through the region’s mountainous terrain, just to name a few outcomes of the close ties between China and Central Asia.

Lie 3: China’s actions undermine regional stability.

The French paper Le Monde had an interesting article on China and Central Asia back in 2022, with the title “China’s support to Central Asia countries represents a threat to the entire region in the medium term”.

Another more recent report from the Caspian Policy Center, a Washington-based think tank, said that “…much of China’s investments into Central Asia have raised the risk of being overconnected to China.”

These ridiculous stances conveniently ignored the fact that a commitment to regional stability, with joint efforts to combat terrorism, extremism, and cross-border crimes from China and all the Central Asian countries is the backbone of the cordial relations. China has actively supported and taken a leading role in initiatives like the Shanghai Cooperation Organization and the Conference on Interaction and Confidence-Building Measures in Asia, which focus specifically on sewing differences and increasing stability.

Besides, China has the longstanding view that “development is the key to overcoming all difficulties”, which includes security and stability.

The Chinese experience, both domestically and internationally, is that with more tangible development, there will be fewer chances for the most vulnerable to resort to extremism and terrorism. But of course, some Western critics prefer to overlook these efforts while peddling their tales of impending chaos.

Conclusion:

Although the full effects of the first China-Central Asia Summit are still unfolding, one outcome is sure to stay: there will be less room left for the exaggerated and distorted Western narrative aiming at sophisticating the relations of countries in the region.

China’s engagement in Central Asia is founded on mutual respect, cooperation, and shared development.

It’s time to put aside the fictional narratives and embrace the reality of a thriving partnership that benefits both China and Central Asian countries.

Perhaps, just maybe, it’s time for Western critics to reassess their storytelling skills and focus on understanding the real dynamics of China-Central Asia relations.

Johnny Winter – Rock and Roll, Hoochie Koo (Live)

Why Are US Military Personnel Heading To Peru?

Saturday, May 27, 2023 – 11:20 AM

Authored by Nick Corbishley via NakedCapitalism.com,

The ostensible goal of the operation is to provide “support and assistance to the Special Operations of the Joint Command of the Armed Forces and National Police of Peru,” including in regions recently engulfed in violence. 

Unbeknown, it seems, to most people in Peru and the US (considering the paucity of media coverage in both countries), US military personnel will soon be landing in Peru. The plenary session of Peru’s Congress last Thursday (May 18) authorised the entry of US troops onto Peruvian soil with the ostensible purpose of carrying out “cooperation activities” with Peru’s armed forces and national police. Passed with 70 votes in favour, 33 against and four abstentions, resolution 4766 stipulates that the troops are welcome to stay any time between June 1 and December 31, 2023.

The number of US soldiers involved has not been officially disclosed, at least as far as I can tell, though a recent statement by Mexico’s President Andrés Manuel Lopéz Obrador, who is currently person non grata in Peru, suggests it could be around 700. The cooperation and training activities will take place across a wide swathe of territory including Lima, Callao, Loreto, San Martín, Huánuco, Ucayali, Pasco, Junín, Huancavelica, Iquitos, Pucusana, Apurímac, Cusco and Ayacucho.

The last three regions, in the south of Peru, together with Arequipa and Puno, were the epicentre of huge political protests, strikes and road blocks from December to February after Peru’s elected President Pedro Castillo was toppled, imprisoned and replaced by his vice-president Dina Boluarte. The protesters’ demands included:

  • The release of Castillo
  • New elections
  • A national referendum on forming a Constitutional Assembly to replace Peru’s current constitution, which was imposed by former dictator Alberto Fujimori following his self-imposed coup of 1992

Brutal Crackdown on Protests

Needless to say, none of these demands have been met. Instead, Peru’s security forces, including 140,000 mobilised soldiers, unleashed a brutal crackdown that culminated in the deaths of approximately 70 people. A report released by international human rights organization Amnesty International in February drew the following assessment:

“Since the beginning of the massive protests in different areas of the country in December 2022, the Army and National Police of Peru (PNP) have unlawfully fired lethal weapons and used other less lethal weapons indiscriminately against the population, especially against Indigenous people and campesinos (rural farmworkers) during the repression of protests, constituting widespread attacks.”

As soon as possibly next week, an indeterminate number of US military personnel could be joining the fracas. According to the news website La Lupa, the purported goal of their visit is to provide “support and assistance to the Special Operations of the Joint Command of the Armed Forces and National Police of Peru” during two periods spanning a total of seven months: from June 1 to September 30, and from October 1 to December 30, 2023.

The secretary of the Commission for National Defence, Internal Order, Alternative Development and the Fight Against Drugs, Alfredo Azurín, was at pains to stress that there are no plans for the US to set up a military base in Peru and that the entry of US forces “will not affect national sovereignty.” Some opposition congressmen and women begged to differ, arguing that the entry of foreign forces does indeed pose a threat to national sovereignty. They also lambasted the government for passing the resolution without prior debate or consultation with the indigenous communities.

The de facto Boluarte government and Congress are treating the arrival of US troops as a perfectly routine event. And it is true that the US military has long held a presence in Peru. For example, in 2017, U.S. personnel took part in military exercises held jointly with Colombia, Peru and Brazil in the “triple borderland” of the Amazon region. Also, the US Navy operates a biosafety-level 3 biomedical research laboratory close to Lima as well as two other (biosafety-level 2) laboratories in Puerto Maldonado.

But the timing of the operation raising serious questions. After all, Peru is currently under the control of an unelected government that is heavily supported by Washington but overwhelmingly rejected by the Peruvian people. The crackdown on protests in the south of the Peru by the country’s security forces — the same security forces that US military personnel will soon be joining — has led to dozens of deaths. Peru’s Congress is refusing to call new elections in total defiance of public opinion. Just a few days ago, the country’s Supreme Court issued a ruling that some legal scholars have interpreted as essentially criminalising political protest.

As Peru’s civilian institutions fight among themselves, Peru’s armed forces — the last remaining “backbone” in the country, according to Mexican geopolitical analyst Alfredo Jalife — has taken firm control. And lest we forget, Peru is home to some of the very same minerals that the US military has identified as strategically important to US national security interests, including lithium. Also, as I noted in my June 22, 2021 piece, Is Another Military Coup Brewing in Peru, After Historic Electoral Victory for Leftist Candidate?, while Peru’s largest trading partner is China, its political institutions — like those of Colombia and Chile — remain tethered to US policy interests:

Together with Chile, it’s the only country in South America that was invited to join the Trans-Pacific Partnership, which was later renamed the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership after Donald Trump withdrew US participation.

Given as much, the rumours of another coup in Peru should hardly come as a surprise. Nor should the Biden administration’s recent appointment of a CIA veteran as US ambassador to Peru, as recently reported by Vijay Prashad and José Carlos Llerena Robles:

Her name is Lisa Kenna, a former adviser to former US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, a nine-year veteran at the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA), and a US secretary of state official in Iraq. Just before the election, Ambassador Kenna released a video, in which she spoke of the close ties between the United States and Peru and of the need for a peaceful transition from one president to another.

It seems more than likely that Kenna played a direct role in the not-so-peaceful transition from President Castillo to de facto President Boluarte, having met with Peru’s then-Defence Minister Gustavo Bobbio Rosas on December 6, the day before Pedro Castillo was ousted, to tackle “issues of bilateral interest”.

On a Knife’s Edge

After decades of stumbling from crisis to crisis and government to government, Peru rests on a knife’s edge. When Castillo, a virtual nobody from an Andean backwater who had played an important role in the teachers’ strikes of 2017, rode to power on a crest of popular anger at Peru’s hyper-corrupt establishment parties in June 2021, Peru’s legions of poor and marginalised hoped that positive changes would follow. But it was not to be.

Castillo was always an outsider in Lima and was out of his depth from day one. He had zero control over Congress and failed miserably to overcome rabid right-wing opposition to his government. Even in his first year in office he faced two impeachment attempts. As Manolo De Los Santos wrote in People’s Dispatch, Peru’s largely Lima-based political and business elite could never accept that a former schoolteacher and farmer from the high Andean plains could become president.

On December 7, they finally got what they wanted: Castillo’s impeachment. Just hours before a third impeachment hearing, he declared on national television that he was dissolving Congress and launching an “exceptional emergency government” and the convening of a Constituent Assembly. It was a preemptive act of total desperation from a man who held no sway with the military or judiciary, had zero control over Congress, and had even lost the support of his own party. Hours later, he was impeached, arrested by his own security detail and taken to jail, where he remains to this day.

Castillo may be out of the picture but political instability continues to reign in Peru. The de facto Boluarte government and Congress are broadly despised by the Peruvian people. According to the latest poll by the Institute of Peruvian Studies (IEP), 78% of Peruvians disapprove of Boluarte’s presidency while only 15% approve. Congress is even less popular, with a public disapproval rate of 91%. Forty-one percent believe that the protests will increase while 26% believe they will remain the same. In the meantime, Peru’s Congress continues to block general elections.

Peru’s “Strategic” Resources 

As regular readers know, EU and US interest in Latin America is rising rapidly as the race for lithium, copper, cobalt and other elements essential for the so-called “clean” energy transition heats up. It is a race that China has been winning pretty handily up until now.

Peru is not only one of China’s biggest trade partners in Latin America; it is home to the only port in Latin America that is managed entirely by Chinese capital. And while Peru may not form part of the Lithium Triangle (Bolivia, Argentina and Chile), it does boast significant deposits of the white metal. By one estimate, it is home to the sixth largest deposits of hard-rock lithium in the world. It is also the world’s second largest producer of copper, zinc and silver, three metals that are also expected to play a major role in supporting renewable energy technologies.

In other words, there is a huge amount at stake in how Peru evolves politically as well as the economic and geopolitical alliances it forms. Also, its direct neighbour to the north, Ecuador, is undergoing a major political crisis that is likely to spell the end of the US-aligned Guillermo Lasso government and a handover of power to Rafael Correa’s party and its allies.

And the US government and military have made no secret of their interest in the mineral deposits that countries like Peru hold in their subsoil. In an address to the Washington-based Atlantic Council on Jan 19, Gen. Laura Richardson, head of the U.S. Southern Command, spoke gushingly of Latin America’s rich deposits of “rare earth elements,” “the lithium triangle — Argentina, Bolivia, Chile,” the “largest oil reserves [and] light, sweet crude discovered off Guyana,” Venezuela’s “oil, copper, gold” and the fact that Latin America is home to “31% of the world’s fresh water in this region.”

She also detailed how Washington, together with US Southern Command, is actively negotiating the sale of lithium in the lithium triangle to US companies through its web of embassies, with the goal of “box[ing] out” US adversaries (i.e. China and Russia), concluding with the ominous words: “This region matters. It has a lot to do with national security. And we need to step up our game.”

Which begs the question: is this the first step of the US government and military’s stepping-up-the-game process?

The former president of Bolivia Evo Morales, who knows a thing or two about US interventions in the region, having been on the sharp end of a US-backed right-wing coup in 2019, certainly seems to think so. A few days ago, he tweeted the following message:

The Peruvian Congress’ authorisation for the entry and stationing of US troops for 7 months confirms that Peru is governed from Washington, under the tutelage of the Southern Command.

The Peruvian people are subject to powerful foreign interests mediated by illegitimate powers lacking popular representation.

The greatest challenge for working people and indigenous peoples is to recover their self-determination, their sovereignty and their natural resources.

With this authorization from the Peruvian right, we warn that the criminalization of protest and the occupation of US military forces will consolidate a repressive state that will affect sovereignty and regional peace in Latin America.

Mexico’s President Andrés Manuel Lopéz Obrador, who refuses to acknowledge Boluarte (whom he calls the “great usurper”) as Peru’s president and has recently faced threats of direct US military intervention in Mexico’s drug wars from US Republican lawmakers, had a message for the US government this week:  “[Sending soldiers to Peru] merely maintains an interventionist policy that does not help at all in building fraternal bonds among the peoples of the American continent.”

Unfortunately, the US government does not seem interested, if indeed it ever has been, in building fraternal bonds with the peoples of the American continent. Instead, it is set on upgrading the Monroe Doctrine for the 21st century. Its strategic rivals this time around are not Western European nations, which are now little more than US vassals (as a recent paper by the European Council of Foreign Relations, titled “The Art of Vassalisation”, all but admitted), but rather China and Russia.

Cream of Green Chile Soup

This soup was famous at the Anasazi in Midland, Texas, which has now closed.

2023 05 22 11 56
2023 05 22 11 56

Ingredients

  • 1 1/2 cups chicken broth
  • 1/3 cup minced onion
  • 1 large garlic clove
  • 1/2 ounce fresh mild green chiles, such as Anaheim, roasted and chopped
  • 8 ounces cream cheese, softened
  • 1 cup sour cream
  • 1/4 teaspoon ground cumin
  • 1 cup Half-and-Half
  • Freshly-ground white pepper, to taste

Instructions

  1. In a saucepan bring the broth to a boil with the onion. Boil the mixture for 5 minutes, and let it cool.
  2. In a food processor chop fine the garlic and the chiles; add the cream cheese, sour cream and cumin. Blend the mixture until it is combined well.
  3. With the motor running add the broth mixture in a steady stream. Blend the mixture until it is combined well, and transfer it to a large bowl.
  4. Stir in the Half-and-Half, white pepper and salt to taste, and chill the soup, covered, for at least 2 hours or overnight.

Makes about 8 cups, serving 8 to 10.

Eric Clapton We’ve ended as lovers Live Albert Hall May 22 2023 Jeff Beck Tribute

https://youtu.be/35BbNtQGluM

China has slapped a ban on US chipmaker Micron, prohibiting it from selling to Chinese companies involved in key infrastructure projects. Beijing has mirrored Washington’s sanctions on the People’s Republic’s hi-tech technology, Asia-Pacific consultant Thomas W. Pauken, adding that there’s more to the development than meets the eye.

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2023 05 24 19 10

The Cyberspace Administration of China (CAC) announced on May 21, that a cybersecurity review indicated Micron Technology’s products “have relatively serious cybersecurity risks, which pose significant security risks to the country’s critical information infrastructure supply chain and would affect national security.”

Thus, the CAC banned the US chipmaker from participating in the People’s Republic’s domestic critical infrastructural projects. In response, the US Commerce Department expressed its opposition to the restrictions, insisting that they “have no basis in fact.” Micron’s shares plummeted roughly 6% on Monday, given that the American company used to derive over 10% of its revenue from the People’s Republic.

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2023 05 24 19 1s0

Since October 2022, Washington has imposed sweeping export curbs on advanced chips and chip-making equipment to China, trying to cut off the nation’s access to critical technology. Prior to that, under the Trump administration, the US and its Western allies kicked off nothing short of a crusade against the People’s Republic’s telecom giants, including its flagship Huawei, citing “security” concerns.

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2023 05 24 19 10d

Kunstler: Fade To Black In Ukraine

Tuesday, May 23, 2023 – 06:30 PM

Authored by Jim Kunstler via Kunstler.com,

“Following the ouster of Mr. Trump in 2020, this new-new-left had exactly what it had been clamoring for, a liberal Democrat in the White House. Given the sense of impending catastrophe at present, it may be difficult to remember precisely how much sniveling bullshit went into selling Joe Biden.” 

- Rob Urie

Have you noticed that the president of Ukraine (or, governor of America’s fifty-first state), Mr. Zelensky, has been globe-trotting for weeks: London, Helsinki, Paris, Hiroshima? That’s because this is one of those months when years happen; the world is changing at hyper-speed. He seems to be running scared, a little bit, trying to keep ahead of the changing game. What sounded like a great idea to a certain claque of so-called neo-cons in our country — to use Ukraine as a bear trap — has instead rather suddenly revealed Europe’s and America’s manifold bankruptcies and revolted the whole rest of the world outside of Western Civ. Oh, the wonder and nausea!

Try to imagine Mr. Zelensky’s predicament.

Mighty America and redoubtable Europe conned the former comedian to thinking that if he went along with a genius scheme to ruin Russia and knock Vlad Putin off the global gameboard, his sad-sack country would be transformed into something like Ukro-Disneyworld, while he, Mr. Z, would be lionized and made rich beyond his wildest imaginings. His backup was the greatest hegemonic power the world has ever seen. The game was called Let’s You and Him Fight

The poor schlemiel fell for it. He let NATO (that is, the USA) set-up, equip, and train the largest army in Europe, including battalions of bad-ass, hard-core Ukro-Nazis — who had previously been so useful in the American-sponsored 2014 Maidan “color revolution.” Mr. Z followed the US State Department’s orders to rain down rockets and artillery on Russian-speakers who lived in his own eastern provinces. He formally applied for membership in the NATO club. His country received billions of US dollars without audit oversight, just screaming to be creamed off by Ukraine’s leadership — who, after all, deserved a little something for all these goings-along. What could go wrong?

Thus, Western Civ kicked off Europe’s biggest hot war since the 1940s. So, in February, 2022, Mr. Putin had enough of the monkey business on his “front porch” and sent in a clean-up crew. Game on!

The US neo-cons were ready to feed countless Ukrainian troops into a meat grinder that would, theoretically, exhaust the will and resources of the execrable bear and yield countless benefits reinforcing our dominant position in the world.

Our hapless NATO “partners” went along with the program, despite being asked to commit economic suicide for the greater good of the alliance (or something like that). Anyway, they didn’t need that filthy Russian nat-gas. They were going “green” (Klaus Schwab said so, didn’t he?)

Meanwhile, the citizens of our country were groomed to perfection by the US Propaganda-Industrial Complex screaming “Russia, Russia, Russia,” at the behest of opinion-leader Hillary Clinton, a wannabe president. The news media demanded crucifixion for her opponent, Mr. Trump, who had idly tossed out the heinous idea that The USA and Russia could cultivate a friendly relationship, seeing as how the bear was no longer flying the red flag. Aye-yi-yi!!! He actually said that!?! The clueless orange boob!

Well, the folks running things in America — that is, the scores of unelected bureaucratic satraps guarding their nests throughhout the Okefenokee inside-the-Beltway, especially the gator-pit known politely as the Intel Community — decided to subject Mr. Trump to a one-man version of the exquisite torment intended for Russia, Russia, Russia: pain, ignominy, and ruin. They’re still at it six years later, since the relentless Mr. Trump will not give up his crusade to take back the White House and defenestrate all those attempting to defenestrate him. His enemies have captured all the levers of legal power, and yet, amazingly, they can come up with nothing but the most rinky-dink charges to railroad him in captured jurisdictions.

This internal political conflict in the USA has driven the populace plumb insane, while it has rendered our institutions rancid and left us subject to a pathocracy hiding behind a laughably fake chief executive. After a year-plus of America’s genius scheme to maintain world dominance, Russia is doing really well, thank you, in constructing a geo-economic framework for trade that will not be subject to the pranks of USA-led Western Civ. Russia is a nation of people who regard themselves as men and women, the toils of gender confusion happily absent. Ditto race hustles. Ditto banking Ponzis.

After two-plus years of “Joe Biden” — well, our country is bypassing the banana republic stage of dissolution and depravity and steaming quickly into a Hieronymus Bosch dystopia of financial, social, psychological and moral ruin. Every official utterance is a lie. Everything’s broken or breaking. And seemingly, on-purpose. The nagging question, of course, is on whose purposes?

And why is Mr. Zelensky flitting from one country to another the past month? Because the game of Let’s You and Him Fight is drawing to a close and Mr. Z may find himself fatally unpopular back on the home-front. He has managed to send upward of a hundred-thousand young Ukrainian men to their deaths in the meat-grinder, and perhaps a million more have hightailed it for other countries.

Ukraine will now be a land of mostly women, children, and old folks – with just enough surviving soldiers left looking to hunt down the comedian who turned Ukraine into another one history’s sick jokes.

OFFENSIVE but FUNNY MEME

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2023 05 22 14 59

Ukraine Army Falling Apart; Shooting the Officers Who order them into no-win battle

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2023 05 27 15 36

The Ukrainian Army is literally coming apart at the seams. Soldiers are shooting their commanders rather than be ordered into un-survivable battles. Video below shows one dead Battalion Commander after being shot in the head by a Company Commander!

Tired of being ordered to basically commit suicide by their top officers, Ukrainian soldiers are now “fragging” their officers rather than go into suicidal battle against superior Russian forces.

Here’s one such instance where a Battalion Commander lays dead on the ground after a Company Commander shot him in the head rather than obey an order to go into a hopeless battle, where five other Companies ALL got killed minutes earlier.

As this rebellion among Ukraine troops spreads, it won’t be long before the Ukrainian Army is no more.

Atlanta Rhythm Section – Imaginary Lover

Did You Know There’s an Annual Duck Fashion Show In Australia?

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duck fashion1

Forget about New York Fashion Week or the Paris runway. In Sydney, Australia, well-dressed ducks steal the scene at the annual “Pied Piper Duck Show”, an event that’s part of Sydney’s Royal Easter Show for more than 30 years.

It’s organized by farmer Brian Harrington, and each fowl member receives three outfits. One for day, one for evening, and one for a wedding. Because, after all, how else is he going to show off his haberdashery skills? Not by dressing them for the beach, that’s for sure.

h/t: sadanduseless

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“Once on the Moon, on the lunar surface in the dress, in the life support system, you couldn’t see the camera. They couldn’t bend their head that far down to see the scale … They had no viewfinder – they had to aim by moving their body.” – Jan Lundberg, chief designer of the Hasselblad cameras allegedly used by the Apollo astronauts
“They had to effectively guess where they were pointing the camera.” –  HJP Arnold, the Kodak executive who supplied the Ektachrome film for the missions
The issue that most of the Moon hoax and ‘debunking’ sites spend the most time on, by far, is the photographic anomalies. And that, I suppose, is to be expected, since with the original videotapes, telemetry tapes and blueprints all having conveniently disappeared, and with most of the Moon rocks missing and their legitimacy being unverifiable, there isn’t much else in the way of physical evidence to examine.

Skeptics have identified a number of problems with NASA’s official photographs of the alleged Moon landings, including; flags appearing to wave despite the lack of atmosphere; non-parallel shadows, suggesting multiple light sources; objects in the shadows that are clearly visible when they shouldn’t be, again indicating multiple light sources; the complete lack of stars in the lunar sky; identical backgrounds in photos that NASA has claimed were shot at different locations; and inconsistencies with the crosshair reference marks.

We will look at each of these in some detail – well, actually we will look at most of them in some detail. Because as it turns out – and I know that this will come as a huge disappointment to all the ‘debunkers’ – I don’t really give a shit whether the flag is waving or not. Many of the ‘debunking’ websites devote an inordinate amount of time to the issue, as though it were the primary plank on which the ‘conspiracy theories’ rested. They do this because the videos and photos are ambiguous and open to interpretation, and the ‘debunkers’ realize that people are going to see in them what they want to see.

The truth though is that it does not matter in the least whether the flag is waving. That is just one tiny drop of potential evidence in an overflowing bucket.

Some of the other problems with the images are considerably less ambiguous. But before we even get to those, we must first discuss the fact that the very existence of the photographs is a technical impossibility. Simply stated, it would not have been possible to capture any of the images allegedly shot on the Moon in the manner that NASA says they were captured.

Back in the day, you see (and younger readers may again want to cover their eyes), cameras weren’t all that smart, so everything had to be done manually. The photographer had to manually focus each shot by peering through the viewfinder and rotating the lens until the scene came into focus. The proper aperture and shutter speeds had to be manually selected for each shot as well, to insure a proper exposure. That required peering through the viewfinder as well, to meter the shot. Finally, each shot had to be properly composed and framed, which obviously also required looking through the viewfinder.

The problem for the astronauts is that the cameras were mounted to their chests, which made it impossible to see through the viewfinder to meter, frame and focus the shots. Everything, therefore, was pretty much of a guess. Focusing would have been entirely guesswork, as would the framing of each shot. An experienced photographer can accurately estimate the exposure settings, but the astronauts lacked such experience and they were also handicapped by the fact that they were viewing the scenes through heavily tinted visors, which meant that what they were seeing was not what the camera was seeing.

To add to their troubles, they were wearing space helmets that seriously restricted their field of vision, along with enormously bulky, pressurized gloves that severely limited their manual dexterity. The odds then of getting even one of the three elements (exposure, focus and framing) correct under those conditions on any given shot would have been exceedingly low. And yet, amazingly enough, on the overwhelming majority of the photos, they got all three right!

A rather self-important gent by the name of Jay Windley, one of the most prominent of the NASA-approved ‘debunkers,’ attempts to spin all this away on his website, www.clavius.org. According to Windley, “The exposures were worked out ahead of time based on experimentation. The ASA/ISO rating of the film was known, and NASA photographers precomputed the necessary exposures … In many cases the camera settings for planned photos were given in the astronauts’ cuff checklists.”

No shit, Jay? Did they send an advance team to the Moon to do that “experimentation”? Because the lighting conditions on the Moon are pretty unique, as you well know, and nobody had ever been there before, so I’m not really seeing how NASA’s photographers were able to work the exposures out “ahead of time.” And what “planned photos” are you referring to? How did they know what they were going to photograph before they even knew what was there? They knew they were going to take photos of each other, I suppose, and of the flag and lander, but they would have had no clue how those things were going to be lit, and it’s the lighting, not the subject, that primarily determines the exposure settings.

Windley of course knows that, since he claims on his site that he is “an experienced photographer [who] has worked professionally in that area from time to time.” He must also know then that his comments about the unimportance of properly focusing a shot are intentionally misleading. He starts off on the right track, more or less, advising readers that an increased depth of field “means that when the lens is set to focus at a certain distance, objects somewhat nearer and farther from this ideal distance are also sharply focused. The narrower the aperture, the greater the depth of field.”

It is certainly true that the smaller the aperture, the greater the depth of field will be. And the greater the depth of field, the more of the background and foreground will be in focus, assuming that the subject is in proper focus. Windley, like the rest of the ‘debunkers,’ would like us to believe that all of the photos shot on the lunar surface were shot with a very small aperture setting (which supposedly explains the lack of stars in the lunar sky, but we’ll get to that soon enough), which would maximize the depth of field. And the greater the depth of field, according to Windley, “the sloppier the photographer can be about his focus settings.”

That last statement, for those who may have missed it, is the part that isn’t actually true. An increased depth of field most certainly does not mean that you can use the ‘close enough’ technique to focus your camera. Depth of field has nothing to do with whether your subject is sharply focused or not. If your subject is sharply focused, then depth of field determines how many of the other objects in the background and foreground of your photo will be in focus as well. If your subject is not sharply focused, however, then your photo is going to suck regardless of the amount of depth of field.

As for framing the shots, Windley claims that mostly wide-angle lenses were used, which meant that, “It was sufficient to point the camera in the general direction of the subject and you would be likely to frame it well enough.” So apparently all the fuss about framing, exposure and focus is much ado about nothing. All you need do is write the exposure settings down on your sleeve, ballpark the focus, and point your camera in “the general direction of the subject” and you’ll get great shots nearly every time!

Windley then adds (and this is my favorite part of his photography tutorial) that on the later missions, “a 500mm telephoto lens was also taken, and the cameras were modified with sighting rings to help aim them. Normally the camera would be mounted on the space suit chest bracket, but for telephoto use the astronaut would have to remove it and hold it at eye level in order to sight down the rings.”

As any photographer knows, getting a decent shot with a 500mm lens without the use of a tripod is a pretty tall order, even for a seasoned professional. Getting a decent hand-held shot with a 500mm lens while wearing bulky, pressurized gloves would be just about impossible. And the notion that you could come anywhere close to properly framing or focusing an image captured with a 500mm lens without looking through the viewfinder is laughably absurd.

The ‘debunkers’ will also tell you that it is not true that all the Moon landing images were keepers, and that NASA only released the best of the photos. The ‘debunkers,’ however, don’t know what they are talking about. The reality is that NASA has released all of the alleged photos taken during the Apollo missions, including indecipherable ones that are labeled “inadvertent shutter release” (which, I have to admit, is a nice touch). With the exception of what are most likely deliberate mistakes, the clear majority of the shots are pretty well composed, exposed and focused.

For those who don’t find that at all unusual, here is an experiment that you can try at home: grab the nearest 35MM SLR camera and strap it around your neck. It is probably an automatic camera so you will have to set it for manual focus and manual exposure. Now you will need to put on the thickest pair of winter gloves that you can find, as well as a motorcycle helmet with a visor. Once you have done all that, here is your assignment: walk around your neighborhood with the camera pressed firmly to your chest and snap a bunch of photos. You will need to fiddle with the focus and exposure settings, of course, which is going to be a real bitch since you won’t be able to see or feel what you are doing. Also, needless to say, you’ll just have to guess on the framing of all the shots.

You should probably use a digital camera, by the way, so that you don’t waste a lot of film, because you’re not going to have a lot of keepers. Of course, part of the fun of this challenge is changing the film with the gloves and helmet on, and you’ll miss out on that by going digital. Anyway, after you fill up your memory card, head back home and download all your newly captured images. While looking through your collection of unimpressive photos, marvel at the incredible awesomeness of our Apollo astronauts, who not only risked life and limb to expand man’s frontiers, but who were also amazingly talented photographers. I’m more than a little surprised that none of them went on to lucrative careers as professional shutterbugs.

Even if our fine astronauts could have captured all of those images, the film would have never survived the journey in such pristine condition. Even very brief exposure to the relatively low levels of radiation used in airport security terminals can damage photographic film, so how would the film have fared after prolonged, continuous exposure to far higher levels of radiation? And what of the 540° F temperature fluctuations? That must have been some amazingly resilient film stock – and yet another example of the lost technology of the 1960s.

Even though the images are clearly not what NASA claims they are, we are going to play along and pretend as though Neil and Buzz and all of the rest of the guys could have actually taken them. The question then is: where did they take them?

Hoax theorists, ‘debunkers’ and NASA are all in agreement on at least one thing: conditions on the surface of the Moon are decidedly different than conditions here on the surface of planet Earth. For one thing, the Moon has no atmosphere. Also, there is only one source of light, which is, of course, the sun (NASA has verified that no other light source was available to the astronauts).

Due to the lack of atmosphere on the Moon, light is not scattered and travels only in a straight line from the sun and is reflected back in the same direction. What that means is that anything that falls in the shadows will be in virtually complete darkness. It also means that all shadows will be cast in the same direction. And it means that the sky is always black, and, with no atmosphere filtering the view, that sky will be filled at all times with a dazzling display of stars unlike anything ever before seen by man.

As other skeptics have noted, none of the photos supposedly brought home from the Moon show a single star in the sky. ‘Debunkers’ have claimed that this is because the exposure settings on the cameras didn’t allow for the stars to be captured on film. In order to properly expose for the objects being photographed, ‘debunkers’ claim, shutter speeds had to be too fast and apertures too small to capture the stars. And that applies, according to the ‘debunkers,’ to every single photo taken on the Moon. Even all the ones that, according to those same ‘debunkers,’ were improperly exposed!

NASA’s own website has boldly stated that, “Astronauts striding across the bright lunar soil in their sunlit spacesuits were literally dazzling. Setting a camera with the proper exposure for a glaring spacesuit would naturally render background stars too faint to see.”

The problem with this claim, which should be obvious to any photographer, is that a variety of different exposure settings would have been required to shoot all the photos allegedly taken on the Moon (Windley acknowledged as much when he claimed that NASA “precomputed the necessary exposures”). All of the scenes below, for example, which are obviously not very well lit, would have required long exposures – exposures that would have definitely captured the brilliantly shining stars, since they would have been the brightest objects in the camera’s field of view.
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2023 05 27 15 53

 

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One thing that I love about the ‘debunking’ websites, by the way, is how frequently they contradict themselves while working their way through their ‘debunking’ checklists.
 
The ever-pompous Phil Plait, proprietor of the appropriately named BadAstronomy.com website, is a prime example. Fairly early on in his ‘debunking’ rant, he writes as follows: “I’ll say this here now, and return to it many times: the Moon is not the Earth. Conditions there are weird, and our common sense is likely to fail us.”

Plait does indeed return to it often, whenever it advances his argument to do so, but he just as frequently tosses his own cardinal rule aside when that is what serves his purposes – like, for example, just four paragraphs later, when he advises readers to “go outside here on Earth on the darkest night imaginable and take a picture with the exact same camera settings the astronauts used, you won’t see any stars! It’s that simple.”

Ever the coy one, Phil doesn’t tell us what those “camera settings” are, but he clearly implies that the same settings were used in every photo, which clearly is not the case. Phil also conveniently forgets that the view from the Moon is not filtered through an atmosphere, so the stars have many times the luminosity as here on Earth. Phil’s little experiment, therefore, is entirely invalid, since he forgot to take into account that conditions on the Moon “are weird.” And as with all the ‘debunkers,’ he also forgot to explain why it is that no one thought to expose a photo or two to specifically capture the brilliant display of stars.

Legend holds that a dozen astronauts walked upon the surface of the Moon for varying amounts of time. The Apollo 17 astronauts alone were purportedly there for three days. For the duration of their visits, each of the twelve would have been treated to what was by far the most dazzling display of stars ever seen by the human eye. What they would have seen was many times more stars burning many times brighter than can be seen anywhere here on planet Earth.

Collectively, the dirty dozen took thousands of photos throughout their alleged journeys. And yet, amazingly enough, not one of them thought it might be a good idea to snap even a single photograph of such a wondrous sight. Of course, endless photos of the lunar modules and the monotonous lunar surface are exciting too, but just one or two photos of that dazzling lunar sky might have been nice as well. It’s as if someone went to Niagara Falls and the only photos they brought back were of the car they drove sitting in a nondescript parking lot.

Now let’s turn our attention to the subject of shadows. As skeptics have noted, some of NASA’s photos seem to depict nonparallel shadows, indicating more than one light source. ‘Debunkers’ have claimed that all such discrepancies can be explained by “perspective” and topographical variations on the surface of the Moon. And truth be told, many of the images that I have seen on websites on both sides of the aisle are ambiguous enough that such explanations can be plausibly argued. But there are, as it turns out, images in NASA’s collection that aren’t quite so easy to debunk.

There are, in fact, images that demonstrate unequivocally that more than one light source was used. Take, for example, the image below of one of the landing pods of the Apollo 11 lunar module, allegedly parked on the surface of the Moon.
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2023 05 27 15 56f
The primary light source, meant to simulate the sun, is obviously positioned to the right of the scene, as is clearly demonstrated by the shadows of all of the objects in the background. But there is just as obviously a secondary light source coming from the direction of the photographer. We know this because we can see in the foreground that the shadows coming off the small ‘Moon rocks’ point away from us. We know it also because we can see the light being reflected off of the gold foil wrap onto the ground in front of the pod. But we know it most of all because we can actually see the light reflected in the foil wrap on the leg of the pod!

The shadows in the foreground and in the background are at nearly right angles, a phenomenon that cannot, by any stretch of the imagination, be explained away as a perceptual problem – especially when we can clearly see the reflection of the secondary light! One other question concerning this particular photo: how do you suppose you would go about capturing such a low-angle shot with a chest-mounted camera? Was the astronaut/photographer standing in a foxhole?

The other issue involving shadows concerns the fact that, in the majority of the photos allegedly taken on the Moon, objects lying in the shadows are clearly visible even though, due to the Moon’s lack of atmosphere and the fact that sunlight therefore does not scatter, those shadowed areas should be completely black. The Moon, you see, is kind of a black and white world. If something is in the direct path of the unfiltered sunlight, it should be well lit (on one side); if it’s not, it should be as black as NASA’s starless lunar sky.
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2023 05 27 15 5tw6
The ‘debunkers,’ of course, have an explanation for this. Let’s turn once again to BadAstronomy.com for that explanation, since that seems to be the website that all the other ‘debunking’ websites consistently reference and link to, the one that all the major media outlets endorse, and the one that even NASA apparently refers skeptics to. According to the site, “The lunar dust has a peculiar property: it tends to reflect light back in the direction from where it came.” Plait them goes on to provide the following explanation of the lighted shadows phenomenon: “Let’s say the sun is off to the right in a picture. It is illuminating the right side of the lander, and the left is in shadow. However, the sunlight falling beyond the lander on the left is being reflected back toward the Sun. That light hits the surface and reflects to the right and up, directly onto the shadowed part of the lander.”

In the previously cited example, Plait managed to make it through four entire paragraphs before contradicting himself. Here he has easily shattered that record by, incredibly enough, contradicting himself in back-to-back sentences! And this, keep in kind, seems to be the best ‘debunker’ that NASA has to offer (it is unclear whether Plait is a paid shill or simply a useful idiot; it other words, it is unclear whether he actually believes the stuff he writes or whether he is knowingly lying his ass off, but the latter seems far more likely).

Plait is right on the money when he says that the light falling beyond the LM on the left would be reflected “back toward the sun.” Unfortunately, he then immediately contradicts himself by claiming that that same light would be reflected “to the right,” onto the module. The only way that that could happen, as Plait surely knows, is if the light were to shine through the lander and reflect off the shaded portion of the soil. But that makes no sense, of course, just as Phil’s explanation makes no sense.

Light does not disperse on the Moon, as Plait himself notes elsewhere on his website. And the surface of the Moon (or at least what passes for the surface of the Moon in NASA’s photos) is not a very reflective surface, as can be clearly discerned in the photographs. Actually, it would be more accurate to say that the Moon is a very selectively reflective surface, with the light choosing to reflect only on the astronauts and on flags and other patriotic symbols.

Not too surprisingly, Plait once again invites readers to reproduce the effect right here at home, completely ignoring the fact that, as he himself has acknowledged, light behaves in entirely different ways here on Earth than it does on the Moon. Plait also claims that, “A nifty demonstration of the shadow filling was done by Ian Goddard and can be found here. His demos are great and really drive the point home.” In truth, Goddard’s “nifty demonstrations” are entirely dependent upon the effects of atmosphere causing the light to disperse, and thus they have no validity whatsoever.

I forgot to mention in the earlier discussion, by the way, that Plait also appealed to readers to conduct an Earth-bound experiment to ‘debunk’ the diverging shadows conundrum. According to Phil, “You can experience this for yourself; go outside on a clear day when the Sun is low in the sky and compare the direction of the shadows of near and far objects. You’ll see that they appear to diverge. Here is a major claim of the HBs that you can disprove all by yourself!”

Here is another experiment that Plait might want to try himself: go outside during the daytime on any day of your choosing and look up at the sky. If it is absolutely jet black, then feel free to continue advising your readers to conduct Moon simulations here at home. If it is blue, however (or gray, or white, or pretty much any color other than black), then stop pretending as though conditions on the Moon can be replicated here on Earth when we all know better (or we all should).

And when you’re done with that experiment? Give the camera-to-the-chest challenge a try and let everyone know how well that works out for you. And try to get some of those low-angle shots that NASA likes.

The truth is that even though a limited amount of light would reflect into the shadows, there is still way too much detail visible in the shadows in virtually all of NASA’s photos – if the arguments that NASA and Plait put forth earlier are at all accurate. As readers will recall, the earlier claim was that the lunar surface and the astronauts’ spacesuits were so dazzlingly bright in the unfiltered sunlight that very fast shutter speeds and very small apertures were required to avoid overexposing the shots.

The problem for NASA and its attack dogs is that you can’t have it both ways. If the camera is stopped down to avoid overexposing extremely bright highlights, it cannot simultaneously capture full detail in the shadows. And if the aperture and shutter speeds are set to capture detail in the shadows, the camera would necessarily also capture the brilliant stars, which would be far brighter than anything lying in the lunar shadows. Other planets would be pretty hard to miss in the lunar sky as well, though none can be seen in any of NASA’s photos.

Do you remember, by the way, what Windley told us earlier about the relationship between the aperture setting and depth of field? The basic rule is that the smaller the aperture setting, the greater the depth of field will be. With a wide aperture, conversely, the photo will have little depth of field. That is why portrait photographers tend to shoot with the lens wide open, to deliberately isolate the subject from foreground and background elements. Landscape photographers, on the other hand, stop the lens down to keep the entire scene in focus.

With that bit of basic photographic knowledge in hand, it is fairly easy to determine whether NASA’s photographs were, in fact, taken with a very small aperture setting. And a good place to start, I suppose, is with the very first photo allegedly taken by a man standing on lunar soil. Below is what is alleged to be Armstrong’s very first attempt at lunar photography, just after climbing down from the module.
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2023 05 27 1wruh5 57
First off, I think we can all agree that, under the circumstances, it’s a pretty damn good first effort. There are problems right off the bat, of course, with the fact that the shadows are obviously lit with a diffused secondary light source, or else we wouldn’t be able to see the top of the bag, or the United States sign, or the shadowed side of the landing strut, but what we’re really looking for here is depth of field, which this photo has very little of. The photographer has focused on the United States sign (and he did it blindly!), but little else is sharply focused. Hence we know, from the very first shot, that the ‘debunkers’ are lying about the exposure settings.

Moving on to Armstrong’s second alleged photo, seen below, we again find that there is very little depth of field. Both the foreground and the background are quite blurry, indicating that it clearly was not taken with a small aperture setting. And yet there is nary a star to be seen.
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2023 05 27 wrg15 57
Before moving on, there is one more of Armstrong’s photos that I feel obligated to present here. It is, after all, his masterpiece, as well as being probably the most iconic of all the Apollo photos. I am talking, of course, about the so-called “Man on the Moon” shot of cohort Buzz Aldrin, seen below (which is probably not actually Aldrin; my guess is that the same two actors did all the Moonwalking in the videos and photos from the alleged missions).
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2023 05 27 15 5w48
We must first, of course, compliment Neil on the awesome composition. It hardly looks staged at all. But there are problems here. Once again, I’m just not seeing the depth of field that Windley promised us. It’s also pretty hard not to notice that Buzz’s spacesuit isn’t pressurized. Furthermore, the surface of the ‘Moon’ is quite unevenly lit, indicating that the light source used was much closer than the sun. And then there is the noticeable lack of any shadowing on Buzz’s spacesuit. He’s casting a shadow on the ground, but there is no corresponding shadowing of his body. Even here on Earth, that is only possible with a secondary light source.

There are some photos in NASA’s collection that were taken without a secondary light source, so we do know what fake Moon landing pictures should look like. The action shot below of the lunar rover, for example, was taken without a secondary light to fill in the shadows. The shadows still aren’t quite as dark as they would be on the Moon, but the difference between a fake Moon shot taken with a fill light and a fake Moon shot taken without a fill light couldn’t be more obvious.
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2023 05 27 15 59
NASA liked the “Man on the Moon” image so much, by the way, that they essentially restaged it for the Apollo 12 mission. As can be seen below, a secondary light was used for that shot as well. Without the fill light, there is simply no way that a portion of the astronaut’s spacesuit would not be shadowed, as it is in the rover photo above.
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2023 05 27 15 a59
Moving on then to the next issue, we have the mystery of the disappearing crosshairs. The problem, according to skeptics, is that the crosshair reference marks, which were etched into the camera’s lenses and therefore should always appear on top of any objects in the photos, sometimes disappear behind those objects.

Plait actually gets this one correct in explaining the phenomenon as a problem of overexposure and contrast. When some of the brighter objects in the photos are overexposed, the fine crosshairs tend to get washed out. That is in fact a reasonable explanation for the effect (by the way, I mentioned before that I was not a rocket scientist; I am, however, a photographer).

The claim that the cross-hairs should be visible presupposes that NASA added objects to the photos, creating composites. I seriously doubt though that that would have happened. The scenes appear to have been very carefully staged before the photos were taken, so there would have been no need for cutting and pasting. And if NASA had planned on adding additional elements to the photos, I doubt that they would have complicated that process by using cameras with cross-hairs; it would have been much easier to create the composites first and then overlay the grid marks on top of them.

However … the same can certainly not be said of the images that purport to show various parts of the ship flying through space. Take the image below, for example, which is supposed to be a two-dimensional rendering of a three-dimensional scene of the command and service modules in lunar orbit. If it were an actual three-dimensional scene, the spaceship would be 69 miles above the lunar surface – which would, I would think, make it difficult for a portion of that lunar terrain to obscure part of the ship’s S-band antennae assembly.
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2023 05 27 16 00
The shot, as can be seen in the enlargement below, is clearly a composite. And not even a very good one. So it is entirely possible that some of the photos allegedly shot on the Moon are composites as well. I obviously haven’t studied every one of them. I’m just saying that the ones that I have seen that have disappearing crosshairs do not appear to be composites.
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2023 05 27 16 0ewt0
The next problem with the NASA photos is that some of them seem to have identical backgrounds but different foregrounds. As Phil Plait explains, “In one [photo], they show the lunar lander with a mountain in the background. They then show another picture of the same mountain, but no lander in the foreground at all. The astronauts could not have taken either picture before landing, of course, and after it lifts off the lander leaves the bottom section behind. Therefore, there would have been something in the second image no matter what, and the foreground could not be empty.”

Plait begins his debunking by stating, rather hilariously: “As always, repeat after me: the Moon is not the Earth.” Plait goes on to claim that distances are very difficult to judge on the Moon and that the two photographs were actually taken from much different angles, and yet the background remains virtually unchanged because, despite appearances, it is a really, really long ways away. Either that, or one of the astronauts was really David Copperfield.

The two photographs appear below. I’ll leave it to readers to decide whether, as Plait claims, the ‘mountains’ are in fact many, many times further away from the lander than the lander is from the photographer. And I’ll do so while noting that Phil provides neither the photographs nor a link to them, but instead asks readers to accept what he says on faith. I wonder why he would do that if he were so sure of his conclusions? I also wonder why, in the final photo, the lander appears to be parked much closer to the ‘mountains’ than Plait would have us believe.

No Debt Deal Yet – Biden Set to Leave DC tonight

As of 8:05 AM EDT- there is still no deal to raise the US Debt Ceiling.  VERY conflicting reports coming out of DC this morning; some say a deal is “close” while others say there’s little to no movement by either the President or Congress.

Meanwhile, Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen is allegedly saying today that the US Gov’t can make it until June 9 before actually defaulting.   Interesting how, for weeks, she’s been saying “June 1” and now, all of a sudden, the date gets moved to June 9.   Tells me this is all “theater.”

When you take a moment to stop and actually think about it, they need to BORROW money, to pay the loans for what they’ve already BORROWED!   The whole thing is absurd.

Since no one in their right mind is buying their debt, the phony “Federal Reserve” which is neither “federal” nor a “reserve” buys the debt using phony money created out of thin air via computer entry, and the whole shebang keeps rolling on.

This truly has become a circus and the elected politicians in Washington DC are the clowns.

The 10 Worst Fast Food Failures

The First Ranker is always nervous about the Kid who is ranked second and is fast catching up to him

This is what life is.

That is what China has become.

The United States has marked and identified China as its direct rival.

Obviously China will now be excluded in major events just like you wont see Ambani and Bezos OR MGR and Karunanidhi in too many places together.


China is too powerful now.

The World fears China because it is too dependent on China. They were sleeping when China slowly grew and grew and grew until now it threatens to consume the world.

Simple example- You have something called a BLDC (Brushless DC) Motor that powers many many items. 83% of these motors are manufactured in China. Tomorrow if China stops this for 6 months – Hard Disks, Processor Units, Laptops, BLDC Fans (Popular in Europe due to less Power) will all come crashing down. The damage to the World will be 30 times the damage to China.

This is true for almost every market in the world. China can rattle and destroy any of these markets if they decide to Kamikaze themselves (Kamikaze – as in commit suicide) and damage them too much.

(China luckily wont do that – they love money too much)

Even Huawei bans are not working. The others are too expensive and mobile networks are protesting. They will fund the Labor Party or oppositions with oodles of money and vote them out to ensure Huawei remains.

No Matter What China does – The West will not be satisfied. China is the first country on Earth since perhaps 1600 which has directly threatened the power of the West

My belief is the Exclusion will continue – 2022 Games, International Space Station, G7, UNSC Etc.

My Belief is China will ultimately form its own bloc with Russia, Iran and countries who dont subscribe to the US is the God theory.

Meanwhile India – India is very much a developing country which threatens nobody. It is the only stable democracy in that region consisting of the Unstable Pakistan, China Allies Nepal and Bangladesh, Military ruled Myanmar and Autocratic China.

Of Course India will be included. I predict by 2024 – India may even become a permanent member of the UNSC – and Iran and Russia may leave the UN to form a Bloc with China.


Of course Economically – nothing will change. Businessmen and Consumers still need the cheapest and best goods – so they will continue to buy from China.

And Politicians who try to change that will be voted out faster that you can say “Elections”

Ouch!

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2023 05 27 15 30

They knew it was worth it. look att’em

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main qimg bc93a527feef0e5abf4d21f8b0bf9d5d

There’s an American sitcom about this. It’s called “Two broke girls”.

One girl was a rich, wealthy child of an oligarch. That was, until her father was arrested and jailed. She lost everything, and had to work as a waitress to make ends meet.

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main qimg 8b4c63dfef5f5d4451b52649131e2e59

Don’t worry.

Soon enough the collective population of the West will get to live the sitcom “Two Broke Girls”. And no more military bases around the world. No more billions to Ukraine. No more color revolutions. No more lecturing to the people about what they can and cannot do.

It’s going to be OVER.

Bachman Turner Overdrive – Roll On Down The Highway (1975)

A tale of high speed rail

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main qimg d9d0d72c58895a626d78cf365e6a33da

Girl Believes She Was a Pioneer in Her Past Life

https://youtu.be/nlaNbKIWRcU

F-16s To Ukraine

A few days ago U.S. President Joe Biden announced the training of Ukrainian pilots for the F-16 multirole fighter aircraft:

President Joe Biden told G7 leaders on Friday that the US would join in efforts to train Ukraine’s pilots on fourth generation fighter jets including the F-16s, a senior administration official told CNN on Friday.

This has obviously been in the planning for some time. The timing of the announcement at the G7 summit was simply chosen to maximize the propaganda value for Biden.

The process we have seen has repeated itself again and again. As pro-Ukrainian blogger (with no military knowledge) describes it:

This has clearly become a proxy war between Russia and NATO, supercharging the political considerations inherent to any war. Ukraine’s goal is to wheedle as much military aid as humanly possibly out of NATO, especially the United States. The United States’ goal is more complex: give enough aid to push Russia back, but not so much that its proxy war with Russia escalates into an actual one.This dynamic has created a Hunger Games scenario where Ukraine is constantly playing to the cameras to cajole extra gifts from the wealthy sponsors who watch its every move over the internet in real time. I had decided against using this analogy until I saw Ukrainians themselves using it. There is something grotesque and sobering about finding yourself in this position, and writing about it. But it is what it is.

I had assumed that F-16 training had in fact already started several weeks back. The EU blabber mouth Josep Borrell now all but confirmed it:

The European Union’s foreign policy chief said on Tuesday that the US green light to allow Ukrainian pilots to get training to fly F-16s has created an inexorable momentum that will inevitably bring the fighter jets to the Ukrainian battlefield.

Borrell added that training for Ukrainian pilots had already begun in Poland and some other countries, though authorities in Warsaw could not immediately confirm the news. The Netherlands and Denmark, among others, are also making plans for such training.No decision on actually delivering fourth-generation fighter jets has been taken yet, but training pilots now – a process that takes several months – will help speed up battle readiness once a formal decision is made.

The process will be much faster than many assume.

The jets the Ukraine will get have already been selected and will go through ready maintenance. The Ukrainian pilots, who already have some experience on other fighter jets, will get just a short introduction course – six to eight weeks or even less. They do not need to train air to air fights because the F-16 would lose any such fight against the newer and better armed Russian jets. They just need to learn the basics, starting, landing, going up to a certain height and launch point, release whatever long range weapon will be on board. Anything else would be suicide.

The big question is where to start and land from. The F-16 has a relative short combat range of some 500 kilometer and there will be no air to air tankers. There ain’t that many airfield that are suitable for the fighter jet’s missions.

Someone who seems competent explains the problem (edited):

The Ukrainian Air Force, to my knowledge, has had to use guerilla airfield tactics to keep the Russians guessing as to where they are operating from. This is to prevent Moscow from targeting the aircraft/impromptu airfield from drone attacks and air strikes, destroying stationary aircraft or the rendering the “runway” unusable. Soviet-built aircraft are sublimely suited to this.For ex, the MiG-29 “Fulcrum” uses automatic Foreign Object Debris (FOD) covers that close for initial start up (vid). Meanwhile louvres located at the top of the wing-root open to provide alternate air intake to the jet engines. Upon take off, once the weight on wheels (WoW) switch in the nose gear detects it is off the ground, the louvers cycle closed and the FOD covers on the primary intake retract, allowing max airflow to the engines once the danger of FOD damage has passed. This ingenious design allows the Fulcrum to operate, not only from unimproved runways or even highways, but even from grass fields. The wing itself and the distance to the ground preventing small stones and debris from getting sucked into the delicate engines.

I cannot stress how dangerous and debilitating FOD is to aircraft. A single rock, bolt, nut, or minor road debris can have a cataclysmic effect on a modern high-performance jet engine. It may not even happen immediately, the damage could happen on take off, then progressively get worse during flight as the blades, now potentially bent or unbalanced begin to self-destruct the engine internals. Even if a MiG-29 happens to shell out an engine because of the careless placement of a bolt or tool by a mechanic or the ingestion of a bird during flight or take off, the MiG HAS TWO ENGINES which are isolated in separate bays, preventing the destruction of one engine from FOD-ing out the second.

The F-16, by contrast, is definitely not suited for this style of airfield. The bottom of the intake lip sits approximately 30” from the ground with no provision of alternate intake. In addition, all the suction flow of that air comes from the sides, fore, and ground since no air can be ingested from above the engine (that’s where the fuselage is). With no provision for FOD protection or alternate, high-mounted intakes during the entire time spent on the ground, this calls for rigid and inflexible FOD control measures from the location of engine start, to taxiing routes to the runway.

In the USAF, this meant hundreds of maintainers walking at arms-length intervals two to three times a day with eyes on the ground looking for any and every piece of debris that could be ingested by the multi-million dollar vacuum cleaner with only ONE engine we were charged with maintaining. In addition, an almost constant procession of street-cleaners rumbled up and down the flightline, taxiways and runway. Everything had to be spotless lest we risk the aircraft, or worse, the pilots.

Imagine the preparation it would take to complete this process on a 10,000 foot long straight highway, in the dark, while trying to be as inconspicuous as possible so as not to draw the attention of collaborators or Russian spies. You couldn’t hop from highway to highway or run from unimproved airfields like the Ukrainian Air Force can do with MiG-29s, you’d be handcuffed or at the very least less mobile. Imagine a disused Soviet airfield that suddenly had all its weeds plucked from the cracks in the concrete, concrete patched, the runway spotless. What signal does that send? “F-16s could, will, or are operating from here.”

There are several other issues discussed in the above thread. The maintenance philosophy behind U.S. and Russian build planes is different. The Russians just change factory parts and systems, U.S. maintainer try to repair them locally:

The MiG-29 averages about 11 hrs of maintenance for every ONE hr of flight. The F-16? A whopping increase to 18.5 maintenance hrs for every one hr of flight time. These are per aircraft with experienced crews. These figures also assume decent airframe hours on the aircraft.

The Ukraine will also need a sufficient number of competent maintainers. The training for them will likely take more time than for the pilots. The author of the above suggests a solution:

Plenty of mechanics in Europe and the US are happy to lend their services to the UAF as members of the “International Legion” or the modern day iteration of the “Flying Tigers”. Myself included.

Well, good luck doing maintenance on the F-16s that will soon sit on those few available and thereby quite vulnerable Ukrainian airfields.

Russian air defenses, from the ground and from the air, can certainly suppress any F-16 flights coming near to them.

The only sensible purpose of those planes is thereby their one or two time use as a launching vehicles for long range missiles like the British Storm Shadow cruise missiles that were given to Ukraine. It is easy to train for those missions but I doubt that they will make any noticeable difference.

Posted by b on May 23, 2023 at 14:53 UTC | Permalink

It’s Official: Russia Declares Intent to make PRE-EMPTIVE NUCLEAR STRIKE if West goes ahead with Ukraine Getting “Nuclear-Capable” F-16’s

Hal Turner

26 May 2023

The possible transfer of nuclear weapons to Ukraine from the West will cause a preemptive strike by Russia, said Dmitry Medvedev, deputy chairman of the Russian Security Council.

The statement was made during his visit to Vietnam.

Medvedev explained that the allies of Ukraine can put into service not only F-16 fighters, which is no longer excluded, but also nuclear weapons.

As reported by the Hal Turner Radio Show in a Subscribers-Only report on 23 May, debate within NATO over supplying Ukraine with F-16’s centers around the United States INISISTENCE the planes be a specially-modified model capable of carrying the U.S. “B-61” free-fall nuclear bomb. The U.S. is also insisting that NATO countries train Ukraine pilots on how to utilize such nuclear bombs. (That original Subscribers-Only story appears HERE

)

This has caused a gigantic rift within NATO. The United States, Great Britain, Poland, and Germany are in favor of this idea.

While Turkey, Greece, and Hungary are very much against it.

“If this happens, they must be prepared for a retaliatory strike with a nuclear charge” said Medvedev.

Medvedev emphasized that if the situation comes to the point that nuclear weapons are being transferred to Ukraine, a preventive strike from Russia becomes inevitable.

He expressed confidence that many in the Western world are not fully aware of the seriousness of this issue, believing that the situation will not reach such a critical level. However, according to Medvedev, under certain circumstances, the situation may come to this.

A similar statement was made in the context of Medvedev’s harsh response to the call of G7 countries for the inadmissibility of nuclear war.

“They demand some guarantees from Russia on nuclear weapons, but, in fact, imply the possibility of a future nuclear conflict between our country and NATO”, – noted Medvedev.

Jo Jo Gunne – Run Run Run

By RAMZY BAROUD

In anticipation of next month’s United Nations Security Council talks

on reforming the inherently archaic and dysfunctional political body, China’s foreign policy chief, Yang Yi, stated his country’s demands.

“The reform of the Security Council should uphold fairness and justice, increase the representation and voice of developing countries, allowing more small and medium-sized countries to have more opportunities to participate in the decision-making of the Council,” Wang Yi said

in a statement on April 29.

More specifically, the new UNSC must “redress historical injustices against Africa”.

Although calls for reforms of the UNSC have been made many times in the past, Beijing’s position is particularly important in both language and timing.

When the United Nations was founded

in 1945 following World War II, it was meant to mark the rise of a new world order, one that was largely dominated by the winners of that horrific war, giving greater influence to the United States and its Western allies.

Indeed, of the 51 founding members of the UN back then, five countries were chosen

to serve permanently on the Security Council – the executive branch of the UN. The rest were given membership in the General Assembly, which played a marginal and, at times, even symbolic role in world affairs.

Six other nations were allowed

to serve as non-permanent members of the Council, though they were not granted the same veto power held and exercised by the five powerful UNSC members only.

A few years later, in 1963, the non-permanent membership status, served through annual rotations, was expanded

to 10, making the total number of 15 UNSC members. However, the ‘reforms’ ended there, never to be revisited.

The UN was hardly ever a democratic platform, fairly reflecting the realities of the world, whether based on economic influence, demographics or any other indicators – aside, of course, from military might and political hegemony.

From the post-WWII geopolitical realities, however, the UN perfectly expressed a sad, unfair, but also somewhat true global power paradigm.

That paradigm, however, is now shifting, and rapidly so.

Calls for reforms have been underway for years, reflected

in the activities of the Group of Four (G4) – Brazil, Germany, India and Japan – for example; and the Sirte Declaration

of the African Union (AU) in 2005, among others. But the renewed calls for reforming the UN in recent months have become louder, more significant and, indeed, more possible.

The Russia-Ukraine war, which has divided the world into political camps, further empowered China – the world’s soon-to-be largest economy – and emboldened many countries in the Middle East, Africa and South America.

Of the many indicators of a global power shift, the BRICS nations – Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa – have proven

to be the greatest success story in challenging Western dominance over global markets and the status of the dollar as the world’s main currency.

As BRICS readies for a major membership expansion

, it is poised to become the world’s leading economic forum – ahead of the powerful G7.

One of the BRICS members, India, as of April 2023, overtook

China to become the world’s most populous country. Along with China and the combined demographics and wealth of other BRICS countries, it becomes unacceptable that a BRICS member like India, is still not a permanent member of the UNSC. The same logic applies to Brazil.

India’s UN Ambassador, Ruchira Kamboj, recently referred

to the UN Charter as “anachronistic”. “Can we practice ‘effective multilateralism’ by defending a charter that makes five nations more equal than others and provides to each of those five the power to ignore the collective will of the remaining 188 member states?” Kamboj said during a debate on the UN Charter.

Of course, she is right. Her logic, however, carries much greater weight now that her country – along with other BRICS nations, the collective power of the African Union among other nations and political entities – is in a much stronger position to bargain for substantive change.

China, on the other hand, is already a permanent UNSC member and a holder of the veto power.

The fact that Wang Yi is demanding serious changes at the UN, particularly in the makeup of the Security Council, is a powerful indicator of China’s new global foreign policy agenda. As a rising superpower with close and deepening ties with many countries in the Global South, China rightly believes that it is in its interests to demand inclusion and fair representation for others.

This is an unmistakable sign of political maturity by Beijing, which will surely be resisted by the US and other European powers.

The West is keen on either maintaining the UNSC’s West-leaning status as it is, or, if it must, engaging in superficial or self-serving reforms. This would be unacceptable for China and the rest of the Global South.

The UN’s reputation is already in tatters following its failure to address international conflicts, climate change, global pandemics and more. If not reformed to address global challenges through more democratic means meaningfully, the UN will risk its future relevance, if not its very existence.

Going to war is a FAILURE of diplomacy.

China, which has endless lists of successes, is not prone to failure. From poverty elimination to coronavirus, from high speed trains, to technological advancements. China runs things with intelligence, and fully funds efforts lead by merit. For China to fail at something; anything would be truly a rare event.

The United States, at least in the last fifty years, has a near endless list of failures. It seems that there is nothing it can get right. From a simple pedestrian bridge, to building a high speed rail. From solving homelessness, to simple maintenance of roads and bridges, the United States is flailing and failing at everything.

Now, let’s talk “WAR”.

China who is able to succeed in anything it puts it’s mind to, and the United States that fails at everything. The two nation go head to head.

What is the probable outcome?

  • The United States will start a war.
    • It will under-estimate China.
    • It will make foolish decisions.
    • It will under supply.
    • It will make political decisions instead of practical ones.
    • It will count on allies who are unreliable.
    • It’s media will spew out disinformation.
    • It will bear tremendous losses.
  • China will finish the war.
    • Nothing will be reported.
    • It’s all robotic, calculated, precise and detailed.
    • It will be one surprise after the other.
    • China will dictate the terms of American surrender.

And that is that.

And everyone knows that this is what will happen. You can put lipstick on a pig, but after all, a pig is still just a pig.

 

The big lies continue as well into the whoppers of the past

Again, to remind everyone. We are discovering the world “of the West” is one completely obscured by lies, distortions and untruths. As time progresses, some of these lies, and distortions reach the surface. Such as what happened with the Kennedy assassination, and the carpet bombing of China with bio-weapons in the 1950s.

Now, perhaps we need to look at the the Apollo “moon landing”, because the contemporaneous narrative is that it is ridiculously easy to do in today’s day and age, because “we already landed there in the 1960s”, and there is absolutely NO ADVANTAGE to return back to it.

NASA is showing that this is a narrative that is at odds with American space capabilities at this time.

Which sounds suspiciously similar to the lie that masks are useless, while all hospitals continue to wear masks in operating rooms.

It’s a mismatch of narrative.

I do not know FOR CERTAIN if “we” went to the moon or not.

What I do know is that [1] the United States government is a lying machine, and [2] all lies eventually unravel over time. And [3] when big “whoppers” of lies start to unravel, that is when all Hell tends to break out…

We continue with this look…

“Well,” you now say, “what about all those cool Moon rocks? How did they get those? The Moon is, you know, the only source of Moon rocks, so doesn’t that prove that we were there?”
No, as a matter of fact, it does not prove that we were there, and as odd as it may sound, the Moon is not the only source of Moon rocks. As it turns out, authentic Moon rocks are available right here on Earth, in the form of lunar meteorites. Because the Moon lacks a protective atmosphere, you see, it gets smacked around quite a bit, which is why it is heavily cratered. And when things smash into it to form those craters, lots of bits and pieces of the Moon fly off into space. Some of them end up right here on Earth.
By far the best place to find them is in Antarctica, where they are most plentiful and, due to the terrain, relatively easy to find and well preserved. And that is why it is curious that Antarctica just happens to be where a team of Apollo scientists led by Wernher von Braun ventured off to in the summer of 1967, two years before Apollo 11 blasted off. You would think that, what with the demanding task of perfecting the hugely complex Saturn V rockets, von Braun and his cronies at NASA would have had their hands full, but apparently there was something even more important for them to do down in Antarctica. NASA has never offered much of an explanation for the curiously timed expedition.
Some skeptics have said that it is possible that Moon rocks could have been gathered from the Moon with robotic probes. But while it isn’t being argued here that unmanned craft haven’t reached the Moon, it seems virtually inconceivable that any unmanned spacecraft could have landed on and then been brought back from the surface of the Moon in the 1960s or 1970s. There is no indication that it can even be done today. It’s been more than three decades since anyone has claimed to do it, and that claim, by the Soviets, is highly suspect.
What is known for sure is that even some of the ‘debunking’ websites have, albeit reluctantly, acknowledged that meteorite samples gathered from Antarctica are virtually indistinguishable from NASA’s collection of Moon rocks. Of course, as we very recently learned, that is not true of all of NASA’s Moon rocks. Some of them apparently bear no resemblance at all to lunar meteorites. Instead, they look an awful lot like petrified wood from the Arizona desert.
Such was the case with a ‘Moon rock’ that the Dutch national museum has been carefully safeguarding for many years now, before discovering, in August of 2009, that they were in reality the proud owners of the most over-insured piece of petrified wood on the planet. The ‘Moon rock’ had been a gift to the Dutch from the U.S. State Department, and its authenticity had reportedly been verified through a phone call to NASA. I’m guessing that NASA was probably running low on meteorite fragments and figured the Dutch wouldn’t know the difference anyway. Or maybe Washington was a little peeved over the fact that Dutch newspapers reportedly called NASA’s bluff at the time of the first alleged Moon landing.
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This is not to suggest, of course, that all of the Moon rocks passed out by NASA and the State Department are obvious fakes. Most, presumably, are of lunar origin – but that doesn’t necessarily mean they were gathered by American astronauts walking on the surface of the Moon; they could just as easily have come to Earth as meteorites. It is also possible that they are of otherworldly origin but not from the Moon at all – such as meteorites from other sources that have been collected here on Earth. The only way to know for sure what NASA’s Moon rocks are, of course, would be to compare them to a ‘control rock’ that is known to be from the Moon.
The problem, alas, is that the only known source for ‘authenticated’ Moon rocks is NASA, the very same folks who are known to occasionally hand out chunks of petrified wood. The other problem, it turns out, is that most of the Moon rocks are, uhmm, missing. Does anyone see a pattern developing here?
Since the discovery of the fake Moon rock in the Dutch museum, ‘debunkers’ have claimed that the fact that no other Moon rocks have been declared fake proves that the Dutch case is an isolated one. “After that announcement,” goes the argument, “wouldn’t every other country in possession of a Moon rock have rushed to have them authenticated? And since no other country has made a similar announcement, doesn’t that prove that the Moon rocks are real?”
At first glance, that would appear to be a valid argument. The problem, however, is that the vast majority of those countries can’t test their ‘Moon rocks’ because, shockingly enough, no one knows where they are! As the Associated Pressreported on September 13, 2009, “Nearly 270 rocks scooped up by U.S. astronauts were given to foreign countries by the Nixon administration … Of 135 rocks from the Apollo 17 mission given away to nations or their leaders, only about 25 have been located by CollectSpace.com, a Web site for space history buffs that has long attempted to compile a list … The outlook for tracking the estimated 134 Apollo 11 rocks is even bleaker. The locations of fewer than a dozen are known.”
It appears then that having a ‘control rock’ wouldn’t really be of much help after all, since nearly 90% of the alleged Moon rocks that we would want to test don’t seem to be around any more.
“But I have also heard,” you now say, “that photos have been taken of the equipment left behind by the Apollo astronauts on the surface of the Moon, like the descent stages of the lunar modules. How do you account for that?”
It is certainly true that there have been numerous claims over the years that various satellites or unmanned space probes or space telescopes were going to capture images that would definitively prove that man walked on the Moon, thus settling the controversy once and for all. And in recent years, the ‘debunkers’ have openly gloated whenever such an announcement has been made, boldly proclaiming that all the “hoax believers” will soon be exposed as the ignorant buffoons that they are.
Despite all the promises, however, no such images have ever been produced, a fact that the ‘debunkers’ seem to conveniently overlook while forever rushing to announce that the hoax theories are about to be discredited.
For at least two decades now, since the launch of the Hubble Space Telescope, we have been promised dazzling images of the lunar modules sitting on the surface of the Moon. The Hubble technology, needless to say, never managed to deliver. More recently, in 2002, the European Southern Observatory’s Very Large Telescope (whose inventor apparently coined the name while watching Sesame Street) was also supposed to deliver the promised images. And seven years later, the fabled images have yet to materialize.
In March of 2005, Space.com boldly announced that a “European spacecraft now orbiting the Moon could turn out to be a time machine of sorts as it photographs old landing sites of Soviet robotic probes and the areas where American Apollo crews set down and explored. New imagery of old Apollo touchdown spots, from the European Space Agency’s (ESA) SMART-1 probe, might put to rest conspiratorial thoughts that U.S. astronauts didn’t go the distance and scuff up the lunar landscape. NASA carried out six piloted landings on the Moon in the time period 1969 through 1972. Fringe theorists have said … that NASA never really went to the Moon.”
I’m guessing that most “fringe theorists” will continue to harbor “conspiratorial thoughts” for as long as pompous websites like Space.com continue making arrogant proclamations such as that and then not following them up with so much as a single image in well over four years.
Who knew, by the way, that the European Space Agency had the technology and the budget to send a spacecraft off to orbit the Moon? Who knew that the Europeans even had a space agency? I wonder, given that they obviously have the technology to send spacecraft to the Moon, why they haven’t sent any manned missions there? I would think that it should be fairly easy to send some guys to at least orbit the Moon … right? I mean, all they have to do is add a couple seats to the spacecraft design that they already have and they should be ready to go.
Here is another thing that I sometimes wonder about: why it is that in the 1960s we possessed the advanced technology required to actually land men on the Moon, but in the 21st century we don’t even have the technology required to get an unmanned craft close enough to the Moon to take usable photographs? Or could it be that there’s just nothing there to photograph?
Just this year, NASA itself boldly announced that it’s “Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter, or LRO, has returned its first imagery of the Apollo moon landing sites. The pictures show the Apollo missions’ lunar module descent stages sitting on the moon’s surface, as long shadows from a low sun angle make the modules’ locations evident … ‘The LROC team anxiously awaited each image,’ said LROC principal investigator Mark Robinson of Arizona State University. ‘We were very interested in getting our first peek at the lunar module descent stages just for the thrill – and to see how well the cameras had come into focus. Indeed, the images are fantastic and so is the focus.’”
Sounds promising, doesn’t it? The images, however, hardly live up to the billing. They are, in fact, completely worthless. All they depict are tiny white dots on the lunar surface that could be just about anything and that would barely be visible at all without those handy “long shadows from a low sun angle.” And the weird thing about those shadows is that, in the very same NASA article, it says that “because the sun was so low to the horizon when the images were made, even subtle variations in topography create long shadows.” And yet while it is perfectly obvious that there are more than just “subtle variations” in the lunar topography in the images, the alleged lunar modules are the only things casting the long shadows.
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1f510652 ea23 4f84 b0d7 5d46102baebe 2
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02f0fece e051 4f97 8363 1d32ab8868fa 2
Even if we give NASA every benefit of the doubt and assume that the images have not been amateurishly Photoshopped and that the indiscernible white dots are indeed something of man-made origin, the most likely culprit would be those Soviet robotic probes mentioned by Space.com, which presumably did land on the Moon. A number of those probes, which were part of the Apollo-era Luna Program, were very similar in size and shape to the lunar modules – certainly enough so that images of much higher resolution would be required to make a definitive judgment.
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7e3ae5e5 b2dc 4904 8079 7dfef345cda0 2
Actually, after studying the image above, of one of the alleged Luna probes, I’m going to have to say that the Soviets were lying their asses off almost as much as NASA was. There is no way I’m going to buy into the notion that the Soviets sent a freeform abstract sculpture, which appears to have been constructed by Fred Sanford and Granny Clampett, on a 234,000 mile journey from the Earth to the Moon. Careful study of the central area of the photo, however, does reveal why the spacecraft were known as ‘probes.’ I wonder if they were capable of performing docking maneuvers?
According to NASA, Japan and India have also sent unmanned orbiting spacecraft to the Moon in recent years, as has China. As with the ESA’s and NASA’s orbiters, they too have failed to return any images of Earthly artifacts left behind on the surface of the Moon. If the hoax ‘debunking’ websites are to be believed, by the way, the reason that no one has returned to the Moon in thirty-seven years is because we pretty much already tapped that celestial body for all the information it had to offer. There’s really, you see, nothing much left to see there.
A ‘debunking’ article posted by ABCNews.com, for example, quoted Val Germann, the president of the Central Missouri Astronomical Association, as saying, “There’s no reason to go back … Quite frankly, the moon is a giant parking lot, there’s just not much there.” I wonder why it is then that just about everyone seems to want to send unmanned probes there, or to train enormously powerful telescopes on the Moon’s surface? What could they possibly learn about the “parking lot” from those distances that our astronauts didn’t already discover by actually being there?
Some True Believers also claim that what was dubbed the Lunar Laser Ranging experiment also proves that we really went to the Moon. As the story goes, the astronauts on Apollo 11, Apollo 14, and Apollo 15 all allegedly left small laser targets sitting on the lunar terrain (one of them can be seen in the official NASA photo reproduced below), so that scientists back home could then bounce lasers off the targets to precisely gauge the distance from the Earth to the Moon.
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b8ad98f6 719c 4831 9245 833479443552 2
According to the ‘debunkers,’ the fact that observatories to this day bounce lasers off the alleged targets proves that the Apollo missions succeeded. It is perfectly obvious though that the targets, if there, could have been placed robotically – most likely by the Soviets. It is also possible that there are no laser targets on the Moon. In December 1966, National Geographic reported that scientists at MIT had been achieving essentially the same result for four years by bouncing a laser off the surface of the Moon. The New York Times added that the Soviets had been doing the same thing since at least 1963.
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4a7179f9 18bd 4e43 852d 6645fe31429d 2
There was much about the Apollo flights that was truly miraculous, but arguably the greatest technological achievement was the design of the lunar modules. Has anyone, by the way, ever really taken a good look at one of those contraptions? I mean a detailed, up-close look? I’m guessing that the vast majority of people have not, but luckily we can quickly remedy that situation because I happen to have some really good, high-resolution images that come directly from the good people at NASA.

 

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57b1d83f 3203 40bd b807 28d20d119eaf 2
While what is depicted in the images may initially appear, to the untrained eye, to be some kind of mock-up that someone cobbled together in their backyard to make fun of NASA, I can assure you that it is actually an extremely high-tech manned spacecraft capable of landing on the surface of the Moon. And incredibly enough, it was also capable of blasting off from the Moon and flying 69 miles back up into lunar orbit! Though not immediately apparent, it is actually a two-stage craft, the lower half (the part that looks like a tubular aluminum framework covered with Mylar and old Christmas wrapping paper) being the descent stage, and the upper half (the part that looks as though it was cobbled together from old air conditioning ductwork and is primarily held together, as can be seen in the close-up, with zippers and gold tape) being the ascent stage.
The upper half, of course, is the more sophisticated portion, being capable of lifting off and flying with enough power to break free of the Moon’s gravity and reach lunar orbit. It also, of course, possessed sophisticated enough navigational capabilities for it to locate, literally out in the middle of fucking nowhere, the command module that it had to dock with in order to get the astronauts safely back to Earth. It also had to catch that command module, which was orbiting the Moon at a leisurely 4,000 miles per hour.

 

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7e04fd8d c50c 4b46 b39f 18d0c79a8215 2
But we’ll get to all that a little later. I think we can all agree for now that such a sleek, stylish, well-designed craft would have no problem flying with that kind of power, precision and stability.
There is one thing that appears to be a problem though: how did they get everything on board the modules that they were going to need to successfully complete their missions? According to NASA, the modules were (excluding the landing pads) only about twelve feet in diameter. That is obviously not a whole lot of space to work with, so let’s try to think of everything that we would need if we were astronauts venturing off on a little journey to the Moon.
First of all, of course, we have to account for the space taken up by the various components of the ship itself. There is the framework and the, uhh, let’s call it the ‘fuselage’ of the craft. And we will need a lot of very sophisticated navigation and guidance and communications equipment, all of which took up a whole lot more space back in the ‘60s than it would today. And then, needless to say, there is the power supply – or rather multiple power supplies. For the descent stage, there is the reverse-thrust rocket that allegedly allowed the craft to make a soft landing on the Moon. And then for the ascent stage, there is a powerful rocket to propel the random bundle of sheet metal into lunar orbit. There are also additional rockets to allegedly stabilize the vessel in flight (the random clusters of what look like bicycle horns).
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25a87658 92b6 4781 bda2 e071d745c41e 2
Next up is the massive amount of fuel that will be required to power all of those rockets, for both the ascent and descent stages of the mission. The ascent stage in particular is going to be a bit of a fuel hog, as ascending 69 miles and breaking free of the Moon’s gravity is a formidable challenge, to say the least. Though it may only have 1/6 the gravitational pull of Earth, keep in mind that it is still a force strong enough to create the tides here on Earth, 234,000 miles away.
I’m not a rocket scientist, by the way, so I am sure that there are quite a few components that I am leaving off of my lunar module – but that’s okay, because our spaceship is already feeling really cramped just with the stuff listed so far. And we’re just getting started.
Next we have to include everything required to keep ourselves alive and well. We aren’t going to be there very long, of course, and space is obviously limited, but we will still require some basic amenities. We will, after all, have to sleep somewhere in the ship, won’t we? Or will we just unfold cots on the lunar surface? We will also require a sanitation/septic system of some kind. Or did those missions bring about another ‘first’ that NASA has been reluctant to brag about? Was Neil Armstrong, unbeknownst to the American people, the first man to take a dump on lunar soil? Or was it Buzz Aldrin? Which astronaut has the distinction of being the first to soil the lunar landscape?
Anyway, getting back to our packing list, in addition to a sanitation system, it is imperative that we bring along an adequate supply of food, water and oxygen – and not just enough to last for the planned duration of our visit, but enough to supply a small safety cushion should anything go wrong. Because from what I have heard, running out of food, water or oxygen while on the Moon can really fuck up an otherwise perfectly good trip. The oxygen is especially important, so we’re going to need a really good, reliable system to deliver that oxygen, and to, you know, recharge the oxygen tanks in our spacesuits so we can walk around on the Moon and jump like 8” or 9” high like the Apollo guys did. And a back-up oxygen system probably wouldn’t be a bad idea.
We are also going to need to install a top-of-the-line heating and cooling system. Probably several of them, actually. Because the ‘weather’ on the Moon, so to speak, can be a bit unpleasant. According to the experts over at NASA, daytime highs average a balmy +260° F, but it cools off quite a bit at night, dropping to an average of -280° F. If you’re looking for anything between those two extremes, you won’t really find it on the Moon. It’s pretty much one or the other. If you’re in the sun, you’re going to be boiled alive, and if you’re out of the sun, you’re going to be flash frozen.
I’m not at all sure how the air conditioning system is going to work, come to think of it, since air conditioning requires a steady supply of – and please stop me if I am stating the obvious here – air. And the Moon doesn’t really have a lot of that.
It would help, of course, if our spacecraft was heavily insulated in some manner, but that doesn’t appear to be the case, so we’ll need a really, really good heating and cooling system, and plenty of freon or whatever it is that we’ll need to keep it running. So now we have to add all of the following to our already crowded spacecraft: ourselves; a minimal amount of room to sleep and otherwise take care of the basic necessities of life; some type of plumbing and sewage system; a really good heating and cooling system, and a considerable supply of food, water and oxygen. And we’re still not done packing for our trip.
Now we have to add all of the equipment that will be required to maintain the ship and complete our planned missions. First of all, we are definitely going to need to pack an exhaustive supply of spare parts and a wide variety of tools. That is an absolute must. From what I have heard, there are a few stores on the Moon that do stock spaceship parts, but they tend to close on certain days of the week. And orders from the mainland can take a frustratingly long time to arrive, so it’s always best to be prepared for any emergency. There are a lot of things that can go wrong with our spaceship and the only thing harder than finding a good mechanic here on Earth is finding one on the Moon.
And then, of course, we’ll have to bring all the fancy testing equipment that we will use to pretend to conduct experiments. Some of it is quite bulky, so we’ll need to set aside some storage space for all of that. And we’re going to need some additional storage space to bring back all those petrified wood samples, but we should have room for that after we jettison most of the fake testing equipment.
Our spaceship is now so ridiculously overloaded that we may have had to add a roof-rack and we still aren’t quite done yet. We still have a couple more items to pack, and we probably should have gotten them on sooner because they are going to require a lot of space. Since this is one of the later Apollo flights, you see, we also have to pack a dune buggy, otherwise known as a lunar rover. And the rovers, according to NASA, are a full ten feet long, just two feet less than the diameter of our craft. But not to worry – according to NASA, the rovers (pictured below) folded up to the size of a large suitcase. When released, they would just sort of magically unfold and snap into place, ready to roam the lunar terrain.
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2023 05 26 11 00a
To be perfectly honest, I’m not really sure why we have to pack the damn rover. There is no real compelling reason to take it to the Moon … except for the fact that they make for good TV, and that seems to be of paramount importance. And as can be seen below, it should easily fit into our spaceship.
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2023 05 26 11 00
One last thing we’re going to need is a whole lot of batteries. Lots and lots of batteries. That’s going to be the only way to power the ship while we’re on the Moon, and we’ll definitely need to run the communications systems, and the oxygen supply system, and the heating and cooling system, and the cabin lights, and the television cameras and transmitters, and all the testing equipment, and our spacesuits, and that damn rover. And we won’t be able to recharge any of the various batteries, so we’re going to need a lot of back-ups. Especially of the really big batteries that run the ship. We may need a separate ship just to carry all the batteries we’re going to need.
By the way, I can’t possibly be the only one who is disappointed that we never followed up on that breakthrough folding-vehicle technology. If we had folding Moon buggies back in the early 1970s, then how far behind could folding automobiles have been had we chosen to stay the course? Had NASA’s pioneering vision been followed up, we could all be folding up our cars and tucking them away under our office desks. But as with all the Apollo technology, it existed only in that specific period of time and has now, sadly, been lost to the ages.
NASA has done something very odd, by the way, with the lunar module that it has on display for museum visitors to marvel at: it has staffed it with miniature astronauts wearing miniature space suits (the module may also be scaled slightly larger than the ‘real’ modules that allegedly landed on the Moon). I wonder why they would do that? I’m pretty sure that Buzz and Neil were of normal stature, so the only reason that I can think of that they would use miniature astronauts would be to portray the modules as larger than what they actually were. And in better condition too. Did they pick up the ones they sent to the Moon at a used car lot?
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2023 05 26 10 59a
Before moving on, I need to emphasize here just how sophisticated the lunar modules actually were. These remarkable spacecraft – and I understandably get a little choked up here talking about this, because I am just so damn proud of our team of Nazi scientists – managed to make six perfect take-offs from the surface of the Moon! And understand here people that they did that, amazingly enough, with completely untested technology!
You can’t duplicate the conditions on the Moon here at home, you see, or even provide a rough approximation. And since no one had ever been to the Moon, they didn’t know exactly what to replicate anyway, so this part of the mission was pretty much of a crapshoot. Conditions on the Moon are, to say the least, a bit different than here on Earth. The gravitational pull is only about 1/6 of what it is here. And then there is that whole ‘lack of atmosphere’ thing. And the decidedly unearthly temperatures. And then, of course, there are the high levels of space radiation.
I’m quite sure that we had the best minds available working on the Apollo project, but none of them could have accurately predicted and compensated for how all those unearthly conditions would combine to affect the flight potential of the lunar modules. So the ability of the modules to actually blast off from the Moon and fly was, at best, a theoretical concept.

 

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2023 05 26 10 59
It is also important to remember that, unlike the initial blast-off from Earth (seen above), which involved the collective efforts of thousands of people and the use of all types of peripheral equipment, the astronauts taking off from the Moon had only themselves and a strange vessel that looked like it had been salvaged from the set of Lost in Space. What would you be thinking, by the way, if you suddenly found yourself on the surface of the Moon with what looked like a cheap movie prop as your only way home? Would you feel comfortable hanging around for a few days doing experiments, confident that, when the time came, the untested contraption behind you would actually get you back home from the Moon? Or would the words “bad career choice” be running through your head?
But as it turns out, America kicked ass back then and those lunar modules performed like champions every single time! They didn’t even need any modifications! Despite the completely foreign environment, they worked perfectly the very first time and every time thereafter!
On Earth, it took many long years of trial and error, many failed test flights, many unfortunate accidents, and many, many trips back to the drawing board before we could safely and reliably launch men into low-Earth orbit. But on the Moon? We nailed that shit the very first time.
Today, of course, we can’t even launch a space shuttle from right here on planet Earth without occasionally blowing one up, even though we have lowered our sights considerably. After all, sending spacecraft into low-Earth orbit is considerably easier than sending spacecraft all the way to the friggin’ Moon and back. It would appear then that we can draw the following conclusion: although technology has advanced immeasurably since the first Apollo Moon landing and we have significantly downgraded our goals in space, we can’t come close to matching the kick-ass safety record we had in the Apollo days.
The thing is that, back in the frontier days, we didn’t need all that fancy technology and book-learnin’ to send Buzz and the boys to the Moon and back. Back then, we had that American can-do spirit and we just cowboyed up and MacGyvered those spaceships to the Moon. All we needed was an old Volkswagen engine, some duct tape and a roll of bailing wire. Throw a roll of butt-wipe and a little Tang on board and you were good to go.
And how about the speed with which we cranked out those Apollo spacecraft? Once we figured out how to make them, we were stamping them out like Coke cans. We fired off seven of them in just under three-and-a-half years, or about one every six months. Given the extreme complexity of those vessels, and the fact that every component had to perform flawlessly under largely unknown conditions, that is a pretty impressive production schedule. America, I think it is safe to say, totally rocked back then!

Trenary Toast

This is a favorite in Michigan’s Upper Peninsula.

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2023 05 26 17 43

Ingredients

  • 6 slices dense white sandwich bread, crust removed
  • 1 stick (4 ounces) unsalted butter, cubed
  • 1/2 cup granulated sugar
  • 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon

Instructions

  1. Heat the oven to 325 degrees F. Line a baking sheet with aluminum foil or parchment to make cleanup easier.
  2. Trim the crusts from the bread slices.
  3. Put the butter into a pie plate. Slide the dish into the oven to let the butter melt completely. Keep a close eye on it!
  4. In a small bowl, whisk together the sugar and cinnamon. Put cinnamon sugar out onto a dinner plate or another pie plate.
  5. When the butter is melted, remove it from the oven, and dip both sides of bread in the butter. Apply the butter generously, so no spot is left uncoated. The bread should feel a little heavy in your hand.
  6. Dip the bread slices into the cinnamon-sugar, taking care to coat both sides.
  7. Lay them on the prepared baking sheet.
  8. Bake the toasts for about 25 minutes, until lightly browned.
  9. Transfer to a rack. The toasts will crisp as they cool.
  10. When cooled, store in an airtight container at room temperature.

Notes

These toasts are better the day after they’re made!

76 countries incorporate Chinese into their national education system

76 countries incorporate Chinese into their national education system

Article HERE

A Green Berets WARNING About Whats Coming to USA “PEOPLE HAVE NO IDEA…”

Chinese tech companies do not need foreign funding. The government is providing more than ample funding because they know what’s at stake.

And banning U.S. tech companies from engaging with and doing business in China is just doing China the favor by allowing Chinese upstarts to supplant them.

Biden should heed the warning of Nvidia boss Jensen Huang about the immense damage to U.S. tech from U.S. semiconductor chip embargo with China.

Huang described how the sanctions have handicapped chipmakers like Nvidia from selling its advanced chips in one of the company’s biggest and most important markets, Financial Times reports.

Huang warned U.S. lawmakers to be “thoughtful” about imposing further rules restricting trade with China. “If we are deprived of the Chinese market, we don’t have a contingency for that. There is no other China, there is only one China,” Huang said.

Huang said China made up roughly 33.33% of the U.S. tech industry’s market and would be impossible to replace as both a source of components and an end market for its products.

What’s more devastating is the longer term. Chinese companies are now already building their chips to rival Nvidia’s market-leading gaming, graphics, and artificial intelligence processors. This is happening now and once critical market share is lost, there is no way of gaining it back.

What will be its implications on American companies? It will be the demise of the U.S. tech companies because market growth and demand will be in China, especially in the fields of AI and most other advanced technology applications.

Chinese archaeologists uncover World War II ‘horror bunker’ where Japanese scientists conducted lethal human experiments and shared data with US

  • Discovery of notorious Japanese army Unit 731 underground biological weapons laboratory at Anda ‘could lead’ to new evidence of war crimes
  • The unit’s leaders were granted immunity by Washington in exchange for the data from some of the most brutal experiments in history

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2023 05 26 10 57

Archaeologists have located an underground research facility where Japanese military scientists conducted “horrific biological weapon experiments” on human subjects during World War II in northeast China.

The facility, near the city of Anda in Heilongjiang province, was the largest and most frequently used test site for the Japanese Imperial Army’s notorious Unit 731 that carried out some of the most brutal human experiments in history between 1935 and 1945.

Historical records show Unit 731’s experiments at the Anda site included infecting prisoners with deadly diseases and testing new biological weapons. Some of the most gruesome studies were conducted in underground bunkers designed to contain and control the spread of infectious agents.

Article HERE

South Korea warns US could ‘overburden’ its chipmakers with China limits

A classic case of not doing the math before attacking China.

Article HERE

12 Most Amazing Unexpected Military Finds

What an angel this man is!

Thank you Sir for saving the animals and bringing them to safety. This man is a hero and a role model. Let’s all do our part to help the animals and help each other. This warms my heart deeply!

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2023 05 26 14 38

Iran launches new precision-guided Kheibar ballistic missile

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2023 05 26 16 37

Iran has successfully test-launched its most advanced Khorramshahr-class ballistic missile called Kheibar, a medium-range precision-guided missile that can carry a 1,500 kg warhead.

The Khoramshahr 4 missile was unveiled Thursday morning in the presence of Defense Minister Brigadier General Mohammad Reza Ashtiani during an event marking the 41st anniversary of the liberation of the southwestern city of Khorramshahr.

Kheibar is a liquid-fueled missile with a range of 2,000 kilometers and a warhead weighing 1,500 kilograms, designed by the Ministry of Defense’s Aerospace Industries Organization.

The missile’s extended range, advanced guidance and control system, and improved structural features further solidify Iran’s status as a formidable missile power.

“The message of the Ministry of Defense… is that we are fully committed to defending our country and the achievements of the Islamic Revolution,” Ashtiani said during the unveiling ceremony.

“We are taking steps to equip the Armed Forces in various sectors of defense such as missiles, drones, air defense, and more. Undoubtedly, more (achievements) will be unveiled in the future,” the defense minister stated.

The Khorramshahr class of missiles have impressive strategic and tactical capabilities.

They are known for their unique guidance and control system during the mid-course phase – the longest stretch of flight when the missile is coasting, or freefalling towards its target.

This feature allows Kheibar to control and adjust its trajectory outside the Earth’s atmosphere, and to deactivate its guidance system upon entering the atmosphere, giving it complete immunity against electronic warfare attacks.

“One of the distinguishing features of this missile is its radar evasiveness and the ability to bypass enemy air defenses due to its low radar cross-section (RCS),” Gen. Ashtiani said.

Thanks to its advanced control system, Kheibar’s warhead does not need the typical thin-wing arrangement, which in turn allows the missile to pack up a heavier explosive load.

The Kheibar missile also boasts an incredibly short preparation and launch time.

The use of self-igniting (hypergolic) fuel and the absence of the need for fuel injection and horizontal alignment after the verticalization phase have cut Kheibar’s launch time down to less than 12 minutes.

Furthermore, Kheibar is powered by an advanced liquid-fueled engine that enables the missile to reach speeds of 16 Mach outside the atmosphere and 8 Mach within the atmosphere, giving the missile an exceptional impact force.

The high speed at which the warhead makes impact with the designated target also prevents enemy air defense systems from detecting, tracking, and taking action to shoot down the missile.

The unveiling of Kheibar marks a significant advancement in Iran’s ballistic missile capabilities and demonstrates the country’s commitment to enhancing its defense and deterrent power.

Iranian officials have long asserted that the country’s military capabilities are entirely meant for defense, and that its missile program will never be up for negotiations.

20 BIG RETAILERS Closing Down Right Now!

https://youtu.be/eAVWx_T6f6I

Russia signs deal to deploy tactical nuclear weapons in Belarus

Russia and Belarus signed a deal Thursday formalizing the deployment of Moscow’s tactical nuclear weapons on the territory of its ally, although control of the weapons remains in the Kremlin.

Russian President Vladimir Putin announced the deployment of the shorter-range weapons in Belarus earlier this year in a move widely seen as a warning to the West as it stepped up military support for Ukraine.

When the weapons would be deployed wasn’t announced, but Putin has said the construction of storage facilities in Belarus for them would be completed by July 1.

The Russian defense minister said today:

“In the context of an extremely sharp escalation of threats on the western borders of Russia and Belarus, a decision was made to take countermeasures in the military-nuclear sphere.

Speaking in Moscow, Belarus President Alexander Lukashenko said “the movement of the nuclear weapons has begun.”

The Roofers are here today . . .

As mentioned on my radio shows, the house here in Pennsylvania which I inherited from my mom, needs a new roof.   The Roofers arrived at about 7:00 AM this morning, along with the 30 yard dumpster for construction debris.

Getting the dumpster down the curved driveway onto the property seemed like it was going to be tough, but the truck driver was from Brooklyn, NY (originally) and got it down onto the property like a pro!

Next, a couple vanloads of roofers arrived – even girls!

They strapped-on their hammers, took their tools up ladders, and began taking off the old roofing shingles.  They spread tarps on the ground to throw the debris for easy clean-up, and began throwing the removed shingles onto the tarps.

They had a third of the house cleared in short order and then began removing the 1/2″ plywood roof itself; right down to the rafter joists!

By 8:30, two thirds of the house had no plywood roof!

Just before 8:30, the delivery truck from the lumber company arrived with 56 sheets of 5/8″ plywood, plywood clips, and nails.  The truck had its own fork truck attached to the back and the driver used that fork lift to bring the lumber down to the job site.

Incidentally, the plywood clips go on the ends and sides of each sheet of plywood and act as spring-spacers to leave about 1/4″ gap between each sheet of plywood, so when the roof heats-up, and the plywood expands, there is no buckling of the roof!

As you might guess, this is a really busy morning here.

Thankfully, clear blue skies, gentle breeze, cool temperature . . . good work weather.

The two satellite uplinks for my radio show have to come off the old roof, so the new one can be installed.   They won’t be back for a few days, so one of the “fail-overs” for my radio show will be out of commission until they’re back, but the show still has cable modem and cellular fail-over.  I expect the show will air just fine.

I have a bunch of pictures, but am hesitant to put them online.   If I do, I have to remove the EXIF data which specifies location, so it’s a hassle to do.  Might do it later, we’ll see.

More later . . . .

Two women in Australia were told that it is illegal to say that men cannot breastfeed on Twitter. Is it now? Who in the Australian government is asking Twitter to enforce these new laws? Meanwhile, a politician in the U.K., Baroness Falkner, is under investigation for using the term “bloke in lipstick.” Or is she being targeted for insisting on a legal definition of biological sex? Probably the second one.

All 700 boxes of transmissions from the Apollo lunar missions are missing WTF

The Apollo landings were of a nature that completely stopped the Soviet Union space program. They had a robust program, that was leaps and bounds better and more complete than the United States program, but suddenly that all ended abruptly when the United States landed on the moon.

But now, in the 2020’s we see just how extensive the network of lies, and slight of hand is, regarding the United States. Everything is a trick. Everything is a lie. Everything is a deception.

Could the Apollo landings be one such lie?

Some of you are probably thinking that everyone has already seen the footage anyway, when it was allegedly broadcast live back in the late 1960s and early 1970s, or on NASA’s website, or on YouTube, or on numerous television documentaries. But you would be mistaken. The truth is that the original footage has never been aired, anytime or anywhere – and now, since the tapes seem to have conveniently gone missing, it quite obviously never will be.

The fact that the tapes are missing (and according to NASA, have been for over three decades), amazingly enough, was not even the most compelling information that the Reuters article had to offer. Also to be found was an explanation of how the alleged Moonwalk tapes that we all know and love were created: “Because NASA’s equipment was not compatible with TV technology of the day, the original transmissions had to be displayed on a monitor and re-shot by a TV camera for broadcast.”

So what we saw then, and what we have seen in all the footage ever released by NASA since then, were not in fact live transmissions. To the contrary, it was footage shot off a television monitor, and a tiny black-and-white monitor at that. That monitor may have been running live footage, I suppose, but it seems far more likely that it was running taped footage. NASA of course has never explained why, even if it were true that the original broadcasts had to be ‘re-shot,’ they never subsequently released any of the actual ‘live’ footage. But I guess that’s a moot point now, what with the tapes having gone missing.

We start with this article…

“It is commonly believed that man will fly directly from the earth to the moon, but to do this, we would require a vehicle of such gigantic proportions that it would prove an economic impossibility. It would have to develop sufficient speed to penetrate the atmosphere and overcome the earth’s gravity and, having traveled all the way to the moon, it must still have enough fuel to land safely and make the return trip to earth. Furthermore, in order to give the expedition a margin of safety, we would not use one ship alone, but a minimum of three … each rocket ship would be taller than New York’s Empire State Building [almost ¼ mile high] and weigh about ten times the tonnage of the Queen Mary, or some 800,000 tons.”—Wernher von Braun, the father of the Apollo space program, writing in Conquest of the Moon

I can see all of you scratching your heads out there and I know exactly what it is that you are thinking: “Why the hell are we taking this detour to the Moon? What happened to Laurel Canyon? Have you completely lost your mind?”

*Sigh*

It all began a few months ago, when I became very busy at my day job as well as with family drama and with what turned out to be a very time-consuming side project, all of which made it increasingly difficult for me to carve out chunks of time to work on the remaining chapters in the series. Over the next two months or so, I pretty much lost all momentum and soon found it hard to motivate myself to write even when I could find the time.

That happens sometimes. Though it sounds rather cliché, ‘writer’s block’ is a very real phenomenon. There are many times when I can sit down at the keyboard and the words flow out of my head faster than I can get them down on the page. But there are also times when producing just one halfway decent sentence seems a near impossible task. This was one of those times.

I found a new source of inspiration, however, when my wife e-mailed me the recent story about the fake Dutch Moon rock, which I and many others found quite amusing, and which also reminded me that I had a lot of other bits and pieces of information concerning the Apollo project that I had collected over the nine years that have passed since I first wrote about the alleged Moon landings. After taking that first look, back in 2000, I was pretty well convinced that the landings were, in fact, faked, but it was perfectly obvious that the rather short, mostly tongue-in-cheek post that I put up back in July of 2000 was not going to convince anyone else of that.

So I contemplated taking a more comprehensive look at the Apollo program. Toward that end, I pulled up my original Apollo post along with various other bits and pieces scattered throughout past newsletters, threw in all the newer material that had never made it onto my website, and then combed the Internet for additional information. In doing so, I realized that a far better case could be made than what I had previously offered to readers.

I also realized that a far better case could be made than what is currently available on the ‘net.

I was rather surprised actually by how little there is out there – a couple of books by Bill Kaysing and Ralph Rene, a smattering of websites and a variety of YouTube videos of varying quality. Virtually all of the websites and videos tend to stick to the same ground covered by Kaysing and Rene, and they almost all use the same NASA photographs to argue the same points. So too do the sites devoted to ‘debunking’ the notion that the landings were faked, and those sites seem to actually outnumber the hoax sites.

While suffering through the numbing uniformity of the various websites on both sides of the aisle, it became perfectly clear that the hoax side of the debate was in serious need of a fresh approach and some new insights. So I began writing again. Feverishly. That does not mean, however, that I have abandoned the Laurel Canyon series. I intend to get back to it quite soon.

And truth be told, while the Apollo story may initially appear to be a radical departure from the ongoing Laurel Canyon series, it actually isn’t much of a detour at all. After all, we’re still going to be living in the 1960s and 1970s. And to a significant degree, we’re probably still going to be hanging out in Laurel Canyon – because who else, after all, was NASA going to trust to handle the post-production work on all that Apollo footage if not Lookout Mountain Laboratory?

I am very well aware, by the way, that there are many, many people out there – even many of the people who have seen through other tall tales told by our government – who think that Moon hoax theorists are complete kooks. And a whole lot of coordinated effort has gone into casting them as such. That makes wading into the Moon hoax debate a potentially dangerous affair.

Remember when Luther (played by Don Knotts) gets taken to court and sued for slander in The Ghost and Mr. Chicken? And don’t try to pretend like you’ve never seen it, because we both know that you have. So anyway, he goes to court and a character witness is called and the guy delivers credible testimony favoring Luther and it is clear that the courtroom is impressed and everything is looking good for our nebbish hero, Luther. Remember what happens next though? On cross-examination, the witness reveals that he is the president of a UFO club that holds their meetings on Mars!

The courtroom, of course, erupts with laughter and all of that formerly credible testimony immediately flies right out the window.

I have already received e-mails warning that I will suffer a similar fate (from people who heard me discussing the topic on Meria Heller’s radio show). Not to worry though – I have somewhat of an advantage over others who have attempted to travel this path: I don’t really care. My mission is to ferret out the truth, wherever it may lie; if at various points along the way, some folks are offended and others question my sanity, that’s not really something that I lose a lot of sleep over.

Anyway, a whole lot of people are extremely reluctant to give up their belief in the success of the Apollo missions. A lot of people, in fact, pretty much shut down at the mere mention of the Moon landings being faked, refusing to even consider the possibility (Facebook, by the way, is definitely not the best place to promote the notion that the landings were faked, in case anyone was wondering). And yet there are some among the True Believers who will allow that, though they firmly believe that we did indeed land on the Moon, they would have understood if it had been a hoax. Given the climate of the times, with Cold War tensions simmering and anxious Americans looking for some sign that their country was still dominant and not technologically inferior to the Soviets, it could be excused if NASA had duped the world.

Such sentiments made me realize that the Moon landing lie is somewhat unique among the big lies told to the American people in that it was, in the grand scheme of things, a relatively benign lie, and one that could be easily spun. Admitting that the landings were faked would not have nearly the same impact as, say, admitting to mass murdering 3,000 Americans and destroying billions of dollars worth of real estate and then using that crime as a pretext to wage two illegal wars and strip away civil, legal and privacy rights.

And yet, despite the fact that it was a relatively benign lie, there is a tremendous reluctance among the American people to let go of the notion that we sent men to the Moon. There are a couple of reasons for that, one of them being that there is a romanticized notion that those were great years – years when one was proud to be an American. And in this day and age, people need that kind of romanticized nostalgia to cling to.

But that is not the main reason that people cling so tenaciously, often even angrily, to what is essentially the adult version of Santa Claus, the Easter Bunny and the Tooth Fairy. What primarily motivates them is fear. But it is not the lie itself that scares people; it is what that lie says about the world around us and how it really functions. For if NASA was able to pull off such an outrageous hoax before the entire world, and then keep that lie in place for four decades, what does that say about the control of the information we receive? What does that say about the media, and the scientific community, and the educational community, and all the other institutions we depend on to tell us the truth? What does that say about the very nature of the world we live in?

That is what scares the hell out of people and prevents them from even considering the possibility that they could have been so thoroughly duped. It’s not being lied to about the Moon landings that people have a problem with, it is the realization that comes with that revelation: if they could lie about that, they could lie about anything.

It has been my experience that the vast majority of the people who truly believe in the Moon landings know virtually nothing about the alleged missions. And when confronted with some of the more implausible aspects of those alleged missions, the most frequently offered argument is the one that every ‘conspiracy theorist’ has heard at least a thousand times: “That can’t possibly be true because there is no way that a lie that big could have been covered up all this time … too many people would have known about it … yadda, yadda, yadda.”

But what if your own eyes and your innate (though suppressed) ability to think critically and independently tell you that what all the institutions of the State insist is true is actually a lie? What do you do then? Do you trust in your own cognitive abilities, or do you blindly follow authority and pretend as though everything can be explained away? If your worldview will not allow you to believe what you can see with your own eyes, then the problem, it would appear, is with your worldview. So do you change that worldview, or do you live in denial?

The Moon landing lie is unique among the big lies in another way as well: it is a lie that seemingly cannot be maintained indefinitely. Washington need never come clean on, say, the Kennedy assassinations. After all, they’ve been lying about the Lincoln assassination for nearly a century-and-a-half now and getting away with it. But the Moon landing hoax, I would think, has to have some kind of expiration date.

How many decades can pass, after all, without anyone coming even close to a reenactment before people start to catch on? Four obviously haven’t been enough, but how about five, or six, or seven? How about when we hit the 100-year anniversary?

If the first trans-Atlantic flight had not been followed up with another one for over forty years, would anyone have found that unusual? If during the early days of the automobile, when folks were happily cruising along in their Model T’s at a top speed of 40 MPH, someone had suddenly developed a car that could be driven safely at 500 MPH, and then after a few years that car disappeared and for many decades thereafter, despite tremendous advances in automotive technology, no one ever again came close to building a car that could perform like that, would that seem at all odd?

There are indications that this lie does indeed have a shelf life. According to a July 17, 2009 post on CNN.com, “It’s been 37 years since the last Apollo moon mission, and tens of millions of younger Americans have no memories of watching the moon landings live. A 2005-2006 poll by Mary Lynne Dittmar, a space consultant based in Houston, Texas, found that more than a quarter of Americans 18 to 25 expressed some doubt that humans set foot on the moon.”

The goal of any dissident writer is to crack open the doors of perception enough to let a little light in – so that hopefully the seeds of a political reawakening will be planted. There are many doors that can be pried open to achieve that goal, but this one seems particularly vulnerable. Join me then as we take a little trip to the Moon. Or at least pretend to.

“If NASA had really wanted to fake the moon landings – we’re talking purely hypothetical here – the timing was certainly right. The advent of television, having reached worldwide critical mass only years prior to the moon landing, would prove instrumental to the fraud’s success.”
Wired Magazine

Adolph Hitler knew a little bit about the fine art of lying. In Mein Kampf, he wrote that, “If you’re going to tell a lie, make sure it’s a really fucking big lie.”

Truth be told, I’m not exactly conversant in the German language so that may not be an exact translation, but it certainly captures the gist of what the future Fuhrer was trying to say. He went on to explain that this was so because everyone in their everyday lives tells little lies, and so they fully expect others to do so as well. But most people do not expect anyone to tell a real whopper … you know, the kind of brazen, outlandish lie that is just too absurd to actually be a lie. The kind of lie that is so over-the-top that no one would dare utter it if it was in fact a lie.

That is the type of lie, according to Hitler, that will fool the great masses of people, even when the lie is so transparently thin that it couldn’t possibly stand up to any kind of critical analysis by anyone actually exercising their brain rather than just blindly accepting the legitimacy of the information they are fed. Take, for example, the rather fanciful notion that the United States landed men on the Moon in the late 1960’s and early 1970’s. That’s the kind of lie we’re talking about here: the kind that seems to defy logic and reason and yet has become ingrained in the national psyche to such an extent that it passes for historical fact.

And anyone who would dare question that ‘historical fact,’ needless to say, must surely be stark raving mad.

Before proceeding any further, I should probably mention here that, until relatively recently, if I had heard anyone putting forth the obviously drug-addled notion that the Moon landings were faked, I would have been among the first to offer said person a ride down to the grip store. While conducting research into various other topics, however, it has become increasingly apparent that there are almost always a few morsels of truth in any ‘conspiracy theory,’ no matter how outlandish that theory may initially appear to be, and so despite my initial skepticism, I was compelled to take a closer look at the Apollo program.

The first thing that I discovered was that the Soviet Union, right up until the time that we allegedly landed the first Apollo spacecraft on the Moon, was solidly kicking our ass in the space race. It wasn’t even close. The world wouldn’t see another mismatch of this magnitude until decades later when Kelly Clarkson and Justin Guarini came along. The Soviets launched the first orbiting satellite, sent the first animal into space, sent the first man into space, performed the first space walk, sent the first three-man crew into space, was the first nation to have two spacecraft in orbit simultaneously, performed the first unmanned docking maneuver in space, and landed the first unmanned probe on the Moon.

Everything the U.S. did, prior to actually sending a manned spacecraft to the Moon, had already been done by the Soviets, who clearly were staying at least a step or two ahead of our top-notch team of imported Nazi scientists. The smart money was clearly on the Soviets to make it to the Moon first, if anyone was to do so. Their astronauts had logged five times as many hours in space as had ours. And they had a considerable amount of time, money, scientific talent and, perhaps most of all, national pride riding on that goal.

And yet, amazingly enough, despite the incredibly long odds, the underdog Americans made it first. And not only did we make it first, but after a full forty years, the Soviets apparently still haven’t quite figured out how we did it. The question that is clearly begged here is a simple one: Why is it that the nation that was leading the world in the field of space travel not only didn’t make it to the Moon back in the 1960s, but still to this day have never made it there? Could it be that they were just really poor losers? I am imagining that perhaps the conversation over in Moscow’s equivalent of NASA went something like this:

Boris: Comrade Ivan, there is terrible news today: the Yankee imperialists have beaten us to the Moon. What should we do?
Ivan: Let’s just shit-can our entire space program.
Boris: But comrade, we are so close to success! And we have so much invested in the effort!
Ivan: Fuck it! If we can’t be first, we aren’t going at all.
Boris: But I beg of you comrade! The moon has so much to teach us, and the Americans will surely not share with us the knowledge they have gained.
Ivan: Nyet!

In truth, the entire space program has largely been, from its inception, little more than an elaborate cover for the research, development and deployment of space-based weaponry and surveillance systems. The media never talk about such things, of course, but government documents make clear that the goals being pursued through space research are largely military in nature. For this reason alone, it is inconceivable that the Soviets would not have followed the Americans onto the Moon for the sake of their own national defense.

It is not just the Soviets, of course, who have never made it to the Moon. The Chinese haven’t either. Nor has any other industrialized nation, despite the rather obvious fact that every such nation on the planet now possesses technology that is light-years beyond what was available to NASA scientists in the 1960s.

Some readers will recall that (and younger readers might want to cover their eyes here, because the information to follow is quite shocking), in the 1960s, a full complement of home electronics consisted of a fuzzy, 13-channel, black-and-white television set with a rotary tuning dial, rabbit ears and no remote. Such cutting-edge technology as the pocket calculator was still five years away from hitting the consumer market.

It is perfectly obvious, of course, that it was not consumer electronics that allegedly sent men to the Moon. The point here though is that advances in aerospace technology mirror advances in consumer technology, and just as there has been revolutionary change in entertainment and communications technology, so too has aerospace technology advanced by light-years in the last four decades. Technologically speaking, the NASA scientists working on the Apollo project were working in the Dark Ages. So if they could pull it off back then, then just about anyone should be able to do it now.

It would be particularly easy, needless to say, for America to do it again, since we’ve already done all the research and development and testing. Why then, I wonder, have we not returned to the Moon since the last Apollo flight? Following the alleged landings, there was considerable talk of establishing a space station on the Moon, and of possibly even colonizing Earth’s satellite. Yet all such talk was quickly dropped and soon forgotten and for nearly four decades now not a single human has been to the Moon.

Again, the question that immediately comes to mind is: Why? Why has no nation ever duplicated, or even attempted to duplicate, this miraculous feat? Why has no other nation even sent a manned spacecraft to orbitthe Moon? Why has no other nation ever attempted to send a manned spacecraft anywhere beyond low-Earth orbit?

Is it because we already learned everything there was to learn about the Moon? If so, then could it reasonably be argued that it would be possible to make six random landings on the surface of the Earth and come away with a complete and thorough understanding of this heavenly body? Are we to believe that the international scientific community has no open questions that could be answered by a, ahem, ‘return’ trip to the Moon? And is there no military advantage to be gained by sending men to the Moon? Has man’s keen interest in exploring celestial bodies, evident throughout recorded history, suddenly gone into remission?

Maybe, you say, it’s just too damned expensive. But the 1960s were not a particularly prosperous time in U.S. history and we were engaged in an expensive Cold War throughout the decade as well as an even more expensive ‘hot’ war in Southeast Asia, and yet we still managed to finance no less than seven manned missions to the Moon, using a new, disposable, multi-sectioned spacecraft each time. And yet in the four decades since then, we are apparently supposed to believe that no other nation has been able to afford to do it even once.

While we’re on the subject of the passage of time, exactly how much time do you suppose will have to pass before people in significant numbers begin to question the Moon landings? NASA has recently announced that we will not be returning, as previously advertised, by the year 2020. That means that we will pass the fifty-year anniversary of the first alleged landing without a sequel. Will that be enough elapsed time that people will begin to wonder? What about after a full century has passed by? Will our history books still talk about the Moon landings? And if so, what will people make of such stories? When they watch old preserved films from the 1960s, how will they reconcile the laughably primitive technology of the era with the notion that NASA sent men to the Moon?

Consider this peculiar fact: in order to reach the surface of the Moon from the surface of the Earth, the Apollo astronauts would have had to travel a minimum of 234,000 miles*. Since the last Apollo flight allegedly returned from the Moon in 1972, the furthest that any astronaut from any country has traveled from the surface of the Earth is about 400 miles. And very few have even gone that far. The primary components of the current U.S. space program – the space shuttles, the space station, and the Hubble Telescope – operate at an orbiting altitude of about 200 miles.

(*NASA gives the distance from the center of Earth to the center of the Moon as 239,000 miles. Since the Earth has a radius of about 4,000 miles and the Moon’s radius is roughly 1,000 miles, that leaves a surface-to-surface distance of 234,000 miles. The total distance traveled during the alleged missions, including Earth and Moon orbits, ranged from 622,268 miles for Apollo 13 to 1,484,934 miles for Apollo 17. All on a single tank of gas.)

To briefly recap then, in the twenty-first century, utilizing the most cutting-edge modern technology, the best manned spaceship the U.S. can build will only reach an altitude of 200 miles. But in the 1960s, we built a half-dozen of them that flew almost 1,200 times further into space. And then flew back. And they were able to do that despite the fact that the Saturn V rockets that powered the Apollo flights weighed in at a paltry 3,000 tons, about .004% of the size that the principal designer of those very same Saturn rockets had previously said would be required to actually get to the Moon and back (primarily due to the unfathomably large load of fuel that would be required).

To put that into more Earthly terms, U.S. astronauts today travel no further into space than the distance between the San Fernando Valley and Fresno. The Apollo astronauts, on the other hand, traveled a distance equivalent to circumnavigating the planet around the equator nine-and-a-half times! And they did it with roughly the same amount of fuel that it now takes to make that 200 mile journey, which is why I want NASA to build my next car for me. I figure I’ll only have to fill up the tank once and it should last me for the rest of my life.

“But wait,” you say, “NASA has solid evidence of the validity of the Moon landings. They have, for example, all of that film footage shot on the moon and beamed live directly into our television sets.”

Since we’re on the subject, I have to mention that transmitting live footage back from the Moon was another rather innovative use of 1960s technology. More than two decades later, we would have trouble broadcasting live footage from the deserts of the Middle East, but in 1969, we could beam that shit back from the Moon with nary a technical glitch!

As it turns out, however, NASA doesn’t actually have all of that Moonwalking footage anymore. Truth be told, they don’t have any of it. According to the agency, all the tapes were lost back in the late 1970s. All 700 cartons of them. As Reuters reported on August 15, 2006, “The U.S. government has misplaced the original recording of the first moon landing, including astronaut Neil Armstrong’s famous ‘one small step for man, one giant leap for mankind’ … Armstrong’s famous moonwalk, seen by millions of viewers on July 20, 1969, is among transmissions that NASA has failed to turn up in a year of searching, spokesman Grey Hautaluoma said. ‘We haven’t seen them for quite a while. We’ve been looking for over a year, and they haven’t turned up,’ Hautaluoma said … In all, some 700 boxes of transmissions from the Apollo lunar missions are missing.”

Given that these tapes allegedly documented an unprecedented and unduplicated historical event, one that is said to be the greatest technological achievement of the twentieth century, how in the world would it be possible to, uhmm, ‘lose’ 700 cartons of them? Would not an irreplaceable national treasure such as that be very carefully inventoried and locked away in a secure film vault? And would not copies have been made, and would not those copies also be securely tucked away somewhere? Come to think of it, would not multiple copies have been made for study by the scientific and academic communities?

Had NASA claimed that a few tapes, or even a few cartons of tapes, had been misplaced, then maybe we could give them the benefit of the doubt. Perhaps some careless NASA employee, for example, absent-mindedly taped a Super Bowl game over one of them. Or maybe some home porn. But does it really seem at all credible to claim that the entire collection of tapes has gone missing – all 700 cartons of them, the entire film record of the alleged Moon landings? In what alternative reality would that happen ‘accidentally’?

Some of you are probably thinking that everyone has already seen the footage anyway, when it was allegedly broadcast live back in the late 1960s and early 1970s, or on NASA’s website, or on YouTube, or on numerous television documentaries. But you would be mistaken. The truth is that the original footage has never been aired, anytime or anywhere – and now, since the tapes seem to have conveniently gone missing, it quite obviously never will be.

The fact that the tapes are missing (and according to NASA, have been for over three decades), amazingly enough, was not even the most compelling information that the Reuters article had to offer. Also to be found was an explanation of how the alleged Moonwalk tapes that we all know and love were created: “Because NASA’s equipment was not compatible with TV technology of the day, the original transmissions had to be displayed on a monitor and re-shot by a TV camera for broadcast.”

So what we saw then, and what we have seen in all the footage ever released by NASA since then, were not in fact live transmissions. To the contrary, it was footage shot off a television monitor, and a tiny black-and-white monitor at that. That monitor may have been running live footage, I suppose, but it seems far more likely that it was running taped footage. NASA of course has never explained why, even if it were true that the original broadcasts had to be ‘re-shot,’ they never subsequently released any of the actual ‘live’ footage. But I guess that’s a moot point now, what with the tapes having gone missing.

With NASA’s admission of how the original broadcasts were created, it is certainly not hard to imagine how fake Moon landing footage could have been produced. As I have already noted, the 1960s were a decidedly low-tech era, and NASA appears to have taken a very low-tech approach. As Moon landing skeptics have duly noted, if the broadcast tapes are played back at roughly twice their normal running speed, the astronauts appear to move about in ways entirely consistent with the way ordinary humans move about right here on planet Earth. Here then is the formula for creating Moonwalk footage: take original footage of guys in ridiculous costumes moving around awkwardly right here on our home planet, broadcast it over a tiny, low-resolution television monitor at about half speed, and then re-film it with a camera focused on that screen. The end result will be broadcast-ready tapes that, in addition to having that all-important grainy, ghosty, rather surreal ‘broadcast from the Moon’ look, also appear to show the astronauts moving about in entirely unnatural ways.

But not, it should be noted, too unnatural. And doesn’t that seem a little odd as well? If we’re being honest here (and for my testosterone-producing readers, this one is directed at you), the average male specimen, whether astronaut or plumber, never really grows up and stops being a little boy. And what guy, given the once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to spend some time in a reduced gravity environment, isn’t going to want to see how high he can jump? Or how far he can jump? Hitting a golf ball? Who the hell wants to see that? How about tossing a football for a 200-yard touchdown pass? Or how about the boys dazzling the viewing audience with some otherworldly acrobatics?

And yes, Neil and the guys did exhibit some playfulness at times while allegedly walking on the Moon, but doesn’t it seem a bit odd that they failed to do anything that couldn’t be faked simply by changing the tape speed? When I attended college, I knew a guy on the volleyball team who had a 32” vertical leap right here on Earth. So when I see guys jumping maybe 12”, if that, in a 1/6 gravity environment with no air resistance, I’m not really all that impressed.

Am I the only one, by the way, who finds it odd that people would move in slow motion on the Moon? Why would a reduced gravitational pull cause everything to move much more slowly? Given the fact that they were much lighter on their feet and not subject to air and wind resistance, shouldn’t the astronauts have been able to move quicker on the Moon than here on Earth? Was slow motion the only thing NASA could come up with to give the video footage an otherworldly feel?

Needless to say, if what has been proposed here is indeed how the ‘Moon landing’ footage in the public domain was created, then the highly incriminating original footage – which would have looked like any other footage shot here on Earth, except for the silly costumes and props – would have had to have been destroyed. Perhaps it’s not surprising then that NASA now takes the position that the original footage has been missing since “sometime in the late 1970s.”

Unfortunately, it isn’t just the video footage that is missing. Also allegedly beamed back from the Moon was voice data, biomedical monitoring data, and telemetry data to monitor the location and mechanical functioning of the spaceship. All of that data, the entire alleged record of the Moon landings, was on the 13,000+ reels that are said to be ‘missing.’ Also missing, according to NASA and its various subcontractors, are the original plans/blueprints for the lunar modules. And for the lunar rovers. And for the entire multi-sectioned Saturn V rockets.

There is, therefore, no way for the modern scientific community to determine whether all of that fancy 1960s technology was even close to being functional or whether it was all for show. Nor is there any way to review the physical record, so to speak, of the alleged flights. We cannot, for example, check the fuel consumption throughout the flights to determine what kind of magic trick NASA used to get the boys there and back with less than 1% of the required fuel. And we will never, it would appear, see the original, first-generation video footage.

You would think that someone at NASA would have thought to preserve such things. No wonder we haven’t given them the money to go back to the Moon; they’d probably just lose it.

(Deutsch) 🇩🇪 Germany – Chancellor Addresses United Nations General Debate, 77th Session

Actual video (mentioned in a previous article) without the overdub. Don’t even bother watching it unless you can understand German.

Big Changes for Europe

Russia eventually ripped the curtain down and denounced the treaty that mainly established security in Europe.  From Maria Zakharova:

The masquerade is over, gentlemen!

Russia is denouncing the document signed in 1990 between the countries of the Warsaw Pact and NATO on the balance of the two blocs and the limitation of armaments along the line of contact. Behind this screen, the West, despite all its promises, openly escalated. Our attempts to adapt the treaty in 1999 were ignored.

NATO has brazenly advanced towards the Russian borders, having already carried out 9 waves of expansion of its military bloc, including our neighbor Finland.

Under these conditions, the denunciation became simply a necessary measure that threw off false covers and exposed reality. To put it bluntly, she’s intimidating!

In the last sentence, she means that the sheer size of the western fraud, swindle and deception is massive.  She is talking about the Conventional Armed Forces in Europe (CFE) Treaty, which at the time formed the basis and cornerstone of European security.  If you were wondering about the term ‘indivisible security’, then it comes mainly from this treaty. HERE

What it means in reality is that I cannot think of another treaty, another agreement that legally stands between Russia and a wider war.  Then we have Mr.Shoigu yesterday saying that:

Western nations have basically been waging an undeclared war against Moscow and Minsk, according to Russian Defence Minister Sergei Shoigu, who was speaking on Thursday with his Belarusian colleague Viktor Khrenin. Sergei Shoigu stated, ‘Today we are facing the collective West, which is virtually waging war against our countries’.

He stated that ‘the NATO’s military activities have become as aggressive as possible’. ‘The joint armed forces of the alliance in Eastern Europe are being made more combat-ready through the implementation of a number of initiatives. The deployment of more military personnel and facilities, as well as an increase in training and reconnaissance operations close to the Union State’s frontiers,’ said the head of the Russian military department.

I leave you to draw your own conclusion from this.  What it means to me, is that the possibility of a wider war is now measured in probability percentage.  The Mearsheimer video posted yesterday, tells us about the inability of NATO now to de-escalate.  In addition, another new missile is unveiled in Russia.  No doubt, Andrei Martyanov will tell us about it.

The following video is on a lighter note, but clearly indicates the Russia / China relationship.  Again, draw your own conclusions.

Speaking out for China

TOP INTELLECTUALS IN THE U.S. stood up this week to speak out for China—and demand a stop to the powerful militaristic country’s drive to start an unnecessary war in East Asia.

The White House claim this week that they did not want conflict with China is “Denial and information distortion bordering on propaganda,” said Stephen Roach, Yale University professor and former chief economist at Morgan Stanley. The untrue statement was “classic Cold War posturing”, he said in statement on Twitter on Thursday.

Others agreed. Falsely painting the Chinese as trying to take over the world is bad for everyone, writer David Rothkopf argued in a Daily Beast essay printed today. Why paint China as a threat?

“Why? Why is it such a great threat even though the country has no history of conquest beyond its region in 5,000 years of history and is far from being able or inclined to pose a direct threat of attack to the U.S.?” he asked.

Even the relentlessly hostile Financial Times printed a column by Edward Luce admitting that the current geopolitical tension in the world did not come from China, but from the U.S.

“This week, Xi Jinping went further than before in naming America as the force behind the ‘containment’, ‘encirclement’ and ‘suppression’ of China. Though his rhetoric was provocative, it was not technically wrong,” wrote Luce in a column on Wednesday. Luce, like most FT writers, normally takes a very hostile line against China.

Offensive, but funny

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2023 05 25 20 38

Iowa Applesauce Cake

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2023 05 25 19 44

Ingredients

Cake

  • 1/2 cup butter
  • 3/4 cup granulated sugar
  • 3/4 cup packed brown sugar
  • 1 egg
  • 2 cups all-purpose flour
  • 2 teaspoons baking powder
  • 1 teaspoon baking soda
  • 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
  • 1/2 teaspoon ground cloves
  • 1 1/2 cups applesauce
  • 1 cup raisins
  • 1/2 cup chopped walnuts or pecans

Cream Cheese Frosting

  • 6 ounces cream cheese, softened
  • 1/2 cup butter, softened
  • 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
  • 4 1/2 to 4 3/4 cups sifted confectioners’ sugar

Instructions

  1. Cake: In a large mixing bowl, beat butter for 30 seconds.
  2. Add both sugars and egg; beat until combined.
  3. Stir together flour, baking powder, baking soda and spices.
  4. Add flour mixture alternately with applesauce to butter mixture.
  5. Stir in raisins and nuts.
  6. Pour batter into a greased 13 x 9-inch baking pan and spread evenly.
  7. Bake at 350 degrees F for 30 to 35 minutes, or until a wooden pick inserted near the center comes out clean.
  8. Cool in pan on wire rack.
  9. Cream Cheese Frosting: Beat together cream cheese, softened butter and vanilla extract until light and fluffy.
  10. Gradually beat in 2 cups of the confectioners’ sugar.
  11. Beat in remaining 2 1/2 to 2 3/4 cups confectioners’ sugar to make a spreadable frosting. Spread on cake.
  12. For a decorative finish, set a doily lightly on frosted cake and sprinkle lightly with a mixture of cinnamon and nutmeg.
  13. Carefully remove the doily.

Survey of the Japanese Submarine the 124 – mini documentary.

I am American, and I own a flat in North London. My mother’s family is from the UK, and we are still very close with our cousins there.

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main qimg a53c57034c663d7395723c038f1b72a9

Here are just some thoughts. This isn’t an exhaustive answer.

I think overall we’re more similar than we are different, but it is definitely different there.

Arriving in London feels like arriving in an East Coast US state or Canadian province, but much older and more populous. Things that I see Americans notice right away, are chimneys that look like they’re something out of Mary Poppins, and rows and rows of shops of all kinds along high streets. (Small businesses in the US have been utterly destroyed by Walmart.)

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main qimg 1d7c88890b4c2620a683f00db92a41a8

As for less rich? I don’t get that impression at all. Just because things are smaller (shops, houses, flats, cars) doesn’t mean they’re less rich. In fact, the typical American doesn’t know the luxury of being able to walk up to the high street and take care of all of their errands within a hour, and not even get into a car.

Oh, and then to top it all off by walking home with food that is fresher and higher quality than anything you’ll find in most US cities that aren’t near farms.

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main qimg 0959538c5623ff59b648bccd0c7922bb

By the way, step into a Waitrose, and you’ll feel like you’re in a US supermarket. The only difference there is that the shopping carts (trolleys) are slightly smaller than ours, and their checkout employees are seated at the tills, rather than standing.

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main qimg c359d5db12babe496eef52bc9cff3325

For me personally, the weather is one of the biggest differences, but that’s mainly because I’m from the desert. But I love rain and fog and so I enjoy it. The grey skies are intensely grey though. It can feel like dusk all day long, on some days.

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main qimg e29b531c8709617f24d543835fced1a1

One really cool thing is that North London is so diverse, that people generally can’t tell I am a foreigner from my American Southwest accent! It wasn’t always that way, but now there are so many immigrants and people from the all over the UK living there, that I sort of… just blend in, which I just love!

That’s my truck. Was my truck.

Summer of 2013. It was a normal day for me and my three sons. We were on our way to the storage place to retrieve a few important items and documents because we were in the middle of moving out to another city and needed proofs and such. It was a narrow two-way country road 50mph (70 to the locals). I had my turn signal on (at a dead stop) watching the oncoming traffic for my chance to take a left turn into the entrance of the facility when I just happened to look in my rearview and noticed some headlights coming up from behind really fast.

I recall shouting “Brace for impact! They’re not slowing down!” I couldn’t turn left because the oncoming traffic was still coming. Just then a truck slammed into the back of us! I would later find out he was going 70mph. It spun my truck into the left oncoming traffic. We were T-boned and spun around the other way. Then side swiped and spun again! We were hit three times at 70mph.

OnStar comes on over our radio and I cannot think about answering the woman on the other end because I’m seeing my then 4-year-old son unresponsive dangling from his car seat. My eldest son (13years then and in the passenger’s seat) is the only calm one in this situation and speaks to OnStar on my behalf. I’m checking on my middle son (10) and asking him to please wake up the baby. I tell him he’s okay and that he’s being a big boy and I’m so proud of him for taking care of his baby brother. I pull myself out of my side of the vehicle and climb into the back seat to my sons and take them out. The youngest vomited on me and kept apologizing and the middle wet his pants and was ashamed. My eldest came around and took my youngest from my arms and said “Mom, we’re okay. Everyone is okay. We’re not hurt.” He was right. No injuries whatsoever. We lived.

She Died Horseback Riding; What She Saw In The Afterlife Will Shock You (NDE)

The US uses manufactured numbers and printed stacks of paper currency to create an economy. China uses manufactured goods at prices the world can afford, need and buy in huge quantities to create an economy.

It is the difference between a US fantasy Hollywood economy promoted by coercion with a powerful military as the enforcer and a Chinese well-organized real economy built on needs the world has and needs the Chinese people have, using honest mutually beneficial trading practices with more than 140 countries trading goods and services along the Chinese Belt and Road trade routes.

It is the difference between, Chinese Business and American monkey business

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2023 05 25 17 22

Washington has co-opted both the winners and the losers of World War II into defending Western domination around the globe

By Timur Fomenko, a political analyst

President Joe Biden, left, shakes hands with Japan’s Prime Minister Fumio Kishida prior to a bilateral meeting in Hiroshima, Japan, Thursday, May 18, 2023, ahead of the start of the G-7 Summit. © AP Photo/Susan Walsh

The summit of G7 nations took place in Hiroshima, Japan over the last weekend.

Hiroshima is significant for a few reasons. First of all, it is known to the world as the location that the United States nuked, along with Nagasaki, at the end of World War II, which led to the surrender of the Empire of Japan and that country’s transformation into a US client state.

Secondly, Japan is working to remilitarize itself in line with America’s dual containment effort against China and Russia. Thus, while Japan is chair of the G7 this year, the event was a rubber-stamping of US-centric geopolitical goals which took aim at both countries.

However, what might be said about the G7 itself? Founded as a Cold War-era organization in 1975, and briefly incorporating the West’s aspirations for post-Soviet Russia, the group professes to represent the world’s “most advanced industrial countries,” but anyone could tell you this is an outdated category. Countries such as China and India, with economies larger than most G7 members, are not part of the group. Rather, the character and agenda of the G7 is distinctly ideological, and its goal is to preserve a Western-dominated concept of the world at all costs.

It should not go unnoticed that the G7 is an effective aggregation of former empires that once dominated the world unchallenged, now held under the wings and servitude of the US. Remarkably, all three Axis powers of World War II, defeated by the allies, are a part of this grouping. Although the respective fascist-oriented regimes of Germany, Italy and Japan were rightfully destroyed, these countries were all rebuilt as American client states following the war and their respective interests placed in the hands of Washington.

Similarly, the allied empires, which emerged victorious, including France, Britain and its imperial dominion, Canada, found that the war had severely depleted their national resources and strength to the point they could no longer continue as the global superpowers they had been. Consequently, they surrendered their leadership baton to the US and have ever since relied on following its lead to secure their interests around the world.

In each instance, all of these countries held positions of privilege from their imperial eras. Having colonized most of the globe, and Japan having militarily occupied much of Asia, these countries had made themselves tremendously wealthy. Britain’s fabulous wealth, for one, is tailored directly to the exploitation of Africa and India. Colonial empires were strictly commercial in character, using ideology as a justifying force for aggression, upholding their economic interests by immense military power. This gave these countries privilege, which thus formed the distinction between the Global North and the Global South.

Unable to carry their empires forward, either by exhaustion or defeat, these respective countries seek to sustain the unfair economic privileges they attained through compliance with the US, a “neo-empire” which is the inheritor of the international order they created. Thus, the G7, the aggregation of all these countries into one ideological grouping, is no coincidence. Their respective goal is to maintain their own economic privileges and to attempt to suppress changes in the international order that threaten their position, which in this case is the rise of the Global South and China.

On this note, the G7 buys into the US-led goals of attempting to blockade China from making breakthroughs in high-end technologies. It also wants to stop other countries from buying into Beijing’s development model and to sustain the fundamental gulf in wealth between the Global North and South. It wants to be the only group entitled to impose massive sanctions and embargoes on other countries and then decry China’s defense of its interests as “economic coercion.”

They also want to make sure that neither China nor Russia can challenge the West’s historic military dominance. The US has thus in effect co-opted both the winners and losers of World War II (minus the USSR) into one grouping and used it to continue the same world they were vested in. However, one undeniable fact is that the world is changing in ways that are not favorable to the G7. They no longer have that degree of dominance, and their share of global GDP is only going to shrink. As the BRICS economies continue to grow and multipolarity emerges, their own little exclusive club is hardly in a position to try and dictate the flow of the global economy.

This little club wants to remain rich, while stopping everyone else from enriching themselves as well. It isn’t going to work.

The United States does NOT know what it wants:

  • it wants access to the huge Chinese market for its products
  • access to cost effective Chinese suppliers for its consumers and manufacturers.

HOWEVER, it does NOT want Chinese competition

  • in the high profit, high margin products including semiconductors, aircraft and other industries which it currently lead

AND it is resentful of Chinese domination in key hi tech sectors including telecommunications, next generation products like EV and AI

Therefore it seeks to impede and reversed Chinese progress in these area thru:

  • sanctioning Chinese companies
  • restrict China’s access to underlying technologies
  • as well as other non-conventional atttacks
  • AND tried to get allied and other countries to do likewise

HOWEVER, it is clear that American efforts have failed.

The internal Chinese market is far too big, Chinese manufacturing too dominant AND, most all, the United Stated and its allies have sanctioned themselves off critical markets of the world including Russia, Iran and Syria.

Over the last few months, it is now clear that the Chinese have begun their fight back: from de-dollarization, the expansion of BRICS, the boycott of American products including corn and Boeing jets to declaring Micron a security risk. The Chinese have clearly concluded that the pendulum of power have swung in their favour AND they are correct.

The implosion of American power will be fast and furious.

The United States is reaping what it has sown.

A World War 2 Soldier Was Found Frozen in Ice!

Horseshoe Sandwich with Idaho® Fingerling Fries

The Horseshoe is a regional specialty in the Springfield, Illinois area. It is an open-faced sandwich on toasted bread that can utilize a variety of meats, topped with French fries and a creamy cheese sauce.

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2023 05 25 19 39

Yield: 4 sandwiches

Ingredients

Sandwich

  • 4 toasted slices Texas toast
  • 6 Idaho® Russian Banana Fingerling potatoes, sliced into fries
  • 2 teaspoons olive oil
  • Freshly ground Italian seasoning blend
  • 4 grilled hamburger patties, sprinkled with steak seasoning and seasoning salt before cooking
  • 1 medium onion, sliced
  • 1 cup fresh mushrooms, sliced
  • 1 red or green bell pepper, cut into large chunks
  • 2 tablespoons butter

Cheese Sauce

  • 2 tablespoons butter
  • 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
  • 1/2 teaspoon dried basil
  • 1 cup milk
  • 1 cup shredded cheddar cheese

Instructions

  1. Lay out potato slices onto cookie sheet lined with foil.
  2. Drizzle olive oil over potatoes and use brush to evenly coat them.
  3. Grind Italian seasoning over potatoes until there is a nice, even dusting of seasoning.
  4. Place in oven heated to 425 degrees F. Bake for 15 to 18 minutes or until fries are cooked throughout and lightly brown.
  5. Place onion, mushroom and pepper in foil. Place butter on top and sprinkle with freshly ground Italian seasoning. Tent foil and close. Place in oven. (They should be softened by the time the fries finish cooking.)
  6. While the fries and vegetables bake, start on cheese sauce by melting butter in a small saucepan. Once melted, add flour and stir to make a roux.
  7. Add milk and basil and stir constantly until it starts to bubble. Continue stirring for two to three more minutes until it begins to thicken.
  8. Add shredded cheese gradually, stirring constantly as it melts.
  9. Lay out toasted bread on plates, topped with hamburger patty. Spoon vegetables on top of burger, followed by a layer of fries. Top with cheese sauce.

Notes

Grilled vegetables, such as green peppers and onions, are also common on a Horseshoe sandwich. Alternate meat suggestions include smoked ham, pulled pork and grilled chicken breast.

‘I Died:’ Women Share What Their Near-Death Experiences Were Like

These 50 Pics Of Men Before And After Beards May Show Just What You’ve Been Missing In Your Life

The effect of seeing a smooth-faced person come out from the shadows sporting a full-fledged beard is undeniable. Think about the first time we, as a society, saw what wonders a handful of tactically-shaped hair on Keanu Reeves or Chris Hemsworth can do to already charming features. And don’t get us started on George Clooney… Although, we still aren’t sure about Prince Harry (then again, it’s not totally surprising he was ordered to shave that ‘thing’ off his face).

Whether inspired by curiosity or the lack of razors, many men across the world have tried to see if their faces are suited to rock a sexy lumberjack look. Similar to leather jackets and Aviators, it’s definitely not for everyone. But when a guy pulls it off, the world has to see it as well. And with that, dear pandas, we present to you a handful of men who let testosterone do its magic and showed us their transformations from baby-faced to stubbly.

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Dead for 11 Hours: My Unexpected Journey to Heaven and Hell with Jim Woodford

Russian Border Checkpoint Attacked by Tanks from Ukraine; Destroyed in Belgorod

Belgorad Checkpoint Destroyed large
Belgorad Checkpoint Destroyed large

At this moment, a fierce battle is going on with the Ukrainian DRG on the border of the Belgorod region near the village of Dronovka — Russian sources

Tanks have entered the territory of the Russian Federation at the Grayvoron checkpoint.

Russian media report: “Right now, there is a fierce battle with the Ukrainian DRG on the border of the Belgorod region near the village of Dronovka. Military equipment has been brought in from both sides.”

VIDEO:

 

 

UPDATE 9:40 AM EDT —

The fighters of the self-proclaimed “Russian Volunteer Corps,” a unit within the Ukrainian Armed Forces comprised of Russian citizens who willingly defected to Ukraine, have taken responsibility for the raid in the Belgorod Region.

 

UPDATE 9:58 AM EDT —

Belgorod Regional Officials have stated that “Ukrainian Forces” have entered and Partially-Captured at least 4 Russian towns near the Border Region including the Towns of Kozinka, Glotovo, Gora-Podol and Grayvoron with a Heavy Fighting still going on in the North.

Russian Traitors For Ukraine Capture 4 Russian Towns
Russian Traitors For Ukraine Capture 4 Russian Towns

Forensic Detective Dies ; Came Back With Proof & Message Of Afterlife That Would Shock You NDE

That’s all for today. Now go forth and enjoy your day.

President Biden (at the G7) says that the cold war with China will thaw

Believe it or not, Biden is following a publicly announced policy of pressuring China to respond and then blaming China for not responding if it does not do so.

The United States is in full free-fall collapse. But it is not my problem.

President Biden, at the G7 meeting in Japan this May, says that the cold war between the USA and China WILL THAW.

Uh-huh…

Sure. What ever you say.

Moreover, I just watched  a video by an American general which strongly suggests this to be the case. 6MB Video HERE. Definitely worth a watch.

Maybe… But I DO NOT BELIEVE IT. No matter how much I want to.

I would be a fool to believe this swill..

Meanwhile, NATO is moving into Russia with AMERICAN weapons systems, and AMERICAN appearing troops in Ukraine Nazi uniforms.

WTF?

1/2 a date. We were seated at the restaurant, chose our meals and I excused myself to go to the restroom. Upon returning we started talking. You know, all the small talk.

At one point he mentioned that he knew I had a dog.

My dog was a big boy, about 115 pounds. I said yes, he’s a rescue and a very nice dog. He sort of frowned and said, “well I have a cat and if we end up together the dog has to go.”

Huh?

I wasn’t sure I had heard correctly, after all this was a first date. Then the waiter showed up with our food. He set a lobster in front of me. I looked at the waiter and said, “Oh, I’m sorry but there has been a mistake: I ordered chicken.” My date, “no mistake, I’m not cheap; I changed your order.” Me: “I don’t like lobster.” Him: “just be grateful and eat it.” I didn’t say another word, just picked up my purse and walked out.

Wait I take it back. That was the second shortest.

My date arrived at my front door. My dog absolutely refused to allow this man through the front door. I had never seen him so determined to keep someone away from me. I trusted his instincts and told the guy, “My dog doesn’t like you and he’s a good judge of character, so the date’s off.” This man, screamed at me calling me all sorts of names, stomped down my front steps, screeched out of my drive and drove away. I gave the dog a steak for dinner.

The black and white dog was my sweet puppy, He passed on a few years ago.

main qimg 6b2cb0b7cb651004559d4cf5bcc407a3 lq
main qimg 6b2cb0b7cb651004559d4cf5bcc407a3 lq

Origins of the Moonwalk

The Chinese Neighborhood Committees

By Frans Vandenbosch  方腾波

Another outstanding contribution by Frans Vandenbosch. -MM

Yesterday and today, I went to one of the many local neighborhood committees, here in Shanghai to get a better understanding of the way they are caring for the people.

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2023 05 25 11 41

The office of the Neighbourhood Committee is along the (temporary) buildings of the Covid-19 testing centre.

I had a talk with Mr. Qiu, this afternoon also with Mr. Xu.

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2023 05 25 11 4t1

There are in total 6 unpaid volunteers working for the neighborhood committee of the 乐山四五村居民区地域图  the Residential Area of Siwu, part of the Zikawei district in Xujiahui, Shanghai. They are all 6 members of the CPC, the Communist Party of China. They love to take care for people, that’s why they do this job on top of their regular job.

The Siwu residential area has many compounds with serviced large apartments. “Serviced” doesn’t mean it is for elderly people; most people are financially well off, not necessary retired. “Well off” doesn’t mean there are no issues with these people. There are sick, disabled, mentally unstable people, many divorces, disputes about the children of the divorced couples, etc. (as Mr. Xu explained)

In total, there are 3305 people living in the Siwu area; in 16 compounds; 34 (high rise) buildings.

Mr. Xu said that he knows half of these people personally, seeing them very frequently.  The others, he has spoken on regular basis, but up to his knowledge, they don’t have problems.

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2023 05 25 11 42

I asked him why he is doing all this ?   “I want the people here to be happy” he said. And: “we, our team is dedicated to find a solution for each and every problem “our” people are facing”.

They are using 6 different apps (actually add-ons to WeChat) to manage and report all this. The apps are exchanging and bench-marking “standard issues” with other neighborhood committees, to assure the quality of the solutions.  I didn’t asked him what’s the exact purpose of each app. (in my book there are some more details about the apps, used for neighborhood committee management)

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2023 05 25 11 43

We start with a question…

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2023 05 25 06 38

George Galloway adumbrating some blatant realities of our times

G7 focused on China. China is focused on development and prosperity. "Losers focus on winners. Winners focus on winning. "

My GOD! This is such a great video!

Spain joins the civilized world

Spanish PM will ask Biden to listen to China, Brazil on Ukraine.  Spain joins the civilized world.

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Taiwan became a Chinese province under the Qing dynasty in 1887, and remained one until 1895 when it was ceded to Japan at the Treaty of Shimonoseki.

It was ceded to the Republic of China as part of the Potsdam agreement at the end of WWII, and came under the control of the Republic of China government in Nanjing on Oct. 25, 1945.

Taiwan is not a nation; it is an island.

The Republic of China has had Taipei as its seat of government ever since it lost mainland China to the People’s Republic of China in 1949.

The PRC government is the successor to the ROC government, and was recognized as its successor in 1971 when it was seated in the United Nations, and became a member of the UN Security Council. All governments which have established diplomatic relations with the People’s Republic of China agree that there is only one China, and that Taiwan is part of China. Including the United States of America.

What does this mean? It means that the dispute over Taiwan is not between the PRC and Taiwan; it is between two Chinese governments which claim to represent all of China, the Republic of China (now on Taiwan) and the People’s Republic of China.

The dispute between the ROC-PRC governments is simply the continuation of a civil war which started in 1946 and has not yet ended.

The position of the People’s Republic of China government in Beijing is that it is the legitimate successor of the Republic of China government, and therefore lays its claim to Taiwan, even though it has not yet been able to exercise full control of its claim.

The position of the Republic of China government in Taipei is that it is the legitimate government of all of China, and that all of these claims are laid out in the Constitution of the Republic of China, which is still used to govern Taiwan and offshore islands which are still under the control of the ROC government.

Even though Taiwan is ruled by the Democratic Progressive Party, which advocates Taiwan independence and lays no claims to mainland China, the DPP has continued to use the official name of the Republic of China, and follows the Constitution of the Republic of China. This is because the PRC government has stated very clearly that if any government in Taiwan were to openly declare independence from China, it would have no choice except to attack Taiwan and bring it back under control.

The only reason there has been peace in the Taiwan straits for so long is that while the two governments are rivals as the legitimate government of all of China, they agree that Taiwan is a part of the Chinese nation as a whole.

This is what has held the peace for so long.

What difference does this make to you as a non-Chinese? It means that your opinion does not matter and makes no difference. No Chinese care about what you think about Taiwan, and whether it should be independent.

Your opinion carries no weight.

So why get so worked up about it?

Fred Astaire vs. Michael Jackson

US ‘intentionally released Covid virus in Wuhan’ EU summit told | The Standard

Staff reporter 22 May 2023
Article HERE
The Covid-19 coronavirus was "intentionally released" by the United States in Wuhan, China, with the target to trigger a global pandemic to raise public acceptance of vaccines, a US businessman specializing in patent auditing said.

David Martin, the founding chairman of M Cam asset management company, said at an International Covid Summit organized by the European Parliament in Brussels earlier this month that the US was responsible for the making of both coronaviruses causing the outbreaks of severe acute respiratory syndrome - or SARS - in 2003 and the Covid-19 pandemic in the past three years.

The third edition of the summit featured speakers from anti-lockdown advocates to medical academia to discuss the global pandemic response. The speakers shed light on the possibility that the coronavirus which caused the pandemic was man-made, instead of naturally occurring.

In his speech, Martin said: "The pandemic that we alleged to have happened in the last few years did not happen overnight. In fact, the very specific pandemic using the coronavirus began at a different time."

He said that in 1965, scientists discovered the coronavirus as a model of a pathogen - an agent that causes disease. They also found out that coronaviruses can be modified.

"Later we started learning how to modify a coronavirus by putting them in animals such as dogs and pigs," Martin said, adding that such a practice became the basis for US pharmaceutical giant Pfizer's first coronavirus spike protein vaccine in 1990.

But very soon the medical sector and drug makers found out that the vaccines did not work.

"Because the coronavirus is a malleable model, it mutates," Martin said. "Every medical publication concluded that coronaviruses escape vaccines because it modifies and mutates too rapidly for a vaccine to be developed."

In 2002, a university in North Carolina initiated a study to develop an "infectious replication defective," which Martin interpreted as "a weapon to target individuals, but not have collateral damage."

Characterizing the project as having "mysteriously preceded SARS by a year," Martin said the coronavirus that caused the highly deadly infection was not from China and that it was "engineered" instead of naturally occurring.

On Covid-19, Martin said the coronavirus - named as SARS-CoV-2 by the World Health Organization - was poised for human emergence in 2016, with a preview about an "accidental or intentional release of a respiratory coronavirus" from a laboratory in Wuhan.

He said the purpose of the coronavirus "release" was to boost global acceptance on universal vaccination.

Explaining the common concern among the medical industry, Martin said: "Until an infectious crisis is very real, present and at the emergency threshold, it is often largely ignored.

"To sustain the funding base beyond the crisis, we need to increase the public understanding of the need for medical countermeasures, such as the pan-influenza, or pan-coronavirus, vaccine. A key drive is the media and the economics will follow the hype.

"We [pharmaceutical firms] need to use that hype to our advantage to get to the real issue. Investors will respond if they see profit at the end of the process," he said.

The Covid infection was first reported in Wuhan, Hubei province in central China in late 2019, with initial clusters coming from the Huanan Seafood Wholesale Market.

The disease turned into a global pandemic in early 2020.

As of Saturday, over 766 million infections have been recorded worldwide, with nearly seven million deaths.

The source of the coronavirus remained a mystery. Some scientists believe it transferred to humans from wild animals like bats and manidaes, while some politicians, in particular those from the US, accused the Wuhan Institute of Virology - a government-controlled lab - of leaking the pathogen.

A team of WHO-appointed experts inspected Wuhan in early 2021 to probe the source of the pandemic.

After the 12-day visit, including a visit to the lab, the scientists concluded that it is "extremely unlikely" that the lab could have leaked the Covid-19 coronavirus.

Life Before the Internet… You had to do WHAT!

More and more countries now don’t use US dollars but the other currencies in the cross-border trade settlements. The US starts to go down its own deep hole with exceptional mass shootings, bank runs, bankruptcy, mass layoffs, inflation, recession, and so on, one crisis after another.

How does America defeat Russia and China with the second-best weapons in the modern high-tech world?

How does America defeat Russia and China when its debt ceiling problem has become one of the political jokes in the world?

How does America defeat Russia and China with lies and dreams?

The whole world, Russia and China win peace whenever the US can’t start a war from now on. That’s even better than the chaotically worthless democracy showcase happening every day in the US very much like the third world country.

What a job.

Domestic smart driving chip, HaloDrive™ 30, designed and developed by Houmo.AI 后摩智能, tied with Nvidia for the first time! Without the most advanced process technology, independent mass-produced chips have already caught up with the industry’s first-class standards.

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2023 05 25 06 44

Continue talking about wars and victory on paper to kill time while the Chinese scientists are building better systems in more and more fields.

Sorry for you.

Soul Train Line I Don’t Want To Lose Your Love Emotions

Awesome dancin’.

TSMC Workers Routinely Asked to Find ‘Bomb’ Notes in Machinery: Report

To ensure thorough testing and maintenance workers must find all 'bomb' notes or lose 'points'.

TSMC clean room workers are routinely tasked with finding 'bombs' in machinery, according to Taiwan's United News Network (UDN). We have put 'bombs' in inverted commas, as the staff undertaking equipment testing and maintenance will find sticky notes with 'bomb' written on them located on various components instead of potentially explosive devices.

Article HERE

Police Interview Of A Master Manipulator

In this jcs inspired video, we take a look at the interrogation of Pam Hupp. After inheriting two life insurance policies and then making a suspicious 911 call, the police begin an investigation into Pam Hupp and what they find is shocking

A Chinese girl posts some pictures of her life…

Today is May 24th 2023, i am close to 21 years old now. i am a Chinese girl from a tier-2 city of northern China, i just show my life here. This is a small night market of my hometown.

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There are a lot of foreigners Think China is a backward, depressed, isolated, no freedom and human right country. I want to say China is not what they think of. Indeed China has some problems but every country does. i hope more people could visit China and see the ordinary people’s life.

The Whispers – “And The Beat Goes On” (Official Video)

An Unusual, Luxurious Sleeping Bag That Looks Just Like A Life-Sized Bear

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Amsterdam-based Japanese artist Eiko Ishizawa has transformed the average, functional sleeping bag into an exquisite work of art with her luxurious creation that closely resembles a life-sized bear, humorously referencing the safety hazard that comes with camping in the woods.

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Inspired by a real-life event where a “problem bear” had wandered from the Italian Alps to the Bavarian side of the mountains in 2006, the life-like sleeping bag, measuring an approximate six feet in length, is a heartfelt tribute to the unfortunate demise of the bear, which was eventually hunted down for fear of its threat to the inhabitants around it.

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You should learn to stop worrying and love the bomb.

American “leaders” have set the US on course with oblivion. They aren’t going to stop now.

Just enjoy the time you have left with your family and accept it. The psychopaths won. You lost.

Either way, the people of the US aren’t going to make it.

https://youtu.be/bcezwpk3yuE

May 23, 2023

There is a sharp contradiction at the heart of the Albanese government’s attempt to stabilise trade with China, whilst at the same time preparing for war with China in support of the United States.

Trade Minister Don Farrell has just returned from a visit to China. He described his visit as ‘a step in the process of stabilising our relationship with China’, a $300b two way trade relationship which underwrites our economic prosperity.

As the minister suggested and as we are seeing there are clear signs of improvement in trade relations that were so damaged by the Morrison Government.

One particular matter that is outstanding is Australian and Chinese membership of the trade agreement, the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP). Eleven countries, mainly in our region have signed the Agreement. Unfortunately, the Agreement has not been ratified because Donald Trump withdrew from the Agreement. That resulted in vassal states like Australia and Japan deciding not to proceed.

At his press conference in China Don Farrell gave a yes/no answer about the CPTPP:

Journalist: “Minister did you discuss the CPTPP?”

Minister for Trade: “Yes, we did. We discussed that. The Chinese Minister indicated that they would like to be considered for accession to the CPTPP. I indicated that we still hadn’t finally resolved the issue of the United Kingdom’s accession. We do believe that that’s imminent, but it still hasn’t been finally resolved. Of course, accession to that agreement requires the consent of all the parties.”

But the main discussion in China was of course about how to repair the trade relationship that was blown off course, which Our media, with their anti-China paranoia, blame China for.

Our White Man’s Media (WMM) , ever so keen to join the anti-China band wagon, will not do some easy research and homework with a few examples about how the problem started.

  • The anti-China drive was led first by Malcolm Turnbull and his advisor John Garnaut.
  • Australia began with anti-dumping tariffs in 2017 on Chinese steel and aluminium products that the WTO later found illegal.
  • When Turnbull banned Huawei operating in Australia in August 2018, we were the first government in the world to do so.
  • We then banned Chinese foreign investments in 2017/2018, including China Mengniu Dairy Co’s proposed $600 million acquisition of Lion Dairy & Drinks, despite the Foreign Investment Review Board’s agreement to the deal. There was hardly a security risk here with a dairy company!
  • We introduced foreign influence laws in 2018 directed against China that proved so wide that Turnbull himself had to declare that he was an agent of foreign influence after participating in a South Korean forum.
  • In April 2020, Foreign Minister Marise Payne, trying to ingratiate the Morrison Government with Donald Trump, announced on ABC Insiders Program that she wanted a non-WHO investigation unit (from many countries) to investigate origins of Covid in China. To join the anti-China psychosis Labor Opposition backed her. This was despite President Xi telling the World Health Assembly that China would support a ‘Comprehensive Review’.

This was the final straw and China in 2020 started imposing quotas, quarantine and other restrictions on selective Australian exports (coal, beef, barley, timber logs, wine, lobster, etc).

The political and media establishment in their ignorance and prejudice were surprised by the Chinese reaction. Our WMM thought the Chinese would as usual be a push over. How dare an Asian country do such a thing to us!

Together with the US we squawked about Chinese ‘coercion’ but our ally the US proceeded to grab as much of our lost sales in China that it could. Our WMM was silent.

In fact, the US should be the last country in the world to complain about coercion and sanctions. The US is the country above all others that imposes sanctions.

According to the Centre for Economic Policy in the US only four per cent of countries were subject to sanctions in the 1960s. Imposed mainly by the US and to a much lesser extent by the EU and the UN. Today 27 per cent of countries are subject to sanctions.

We have seen the result in widespread death and suffering caused by US sanctions in Iraq, Iran (the most sanctioned country in the world), Afghanistan, Venezuela and now Russia. The unintended consequences result in death and starvation. But the US in desperation and belief in its own ‘exceptionalism’ tries to impose more and more sanctions and coercion on countries that don’t follow its rules.

China should not have imposed sanctions on us even though Australian actions triggered the Chinese response. Sanctions and coercion have unintended consequences.

Hopefully we can now get Australia/China trade back on track.

But there is an elephant in the room we want to avoid and not talk about.

We have a whole raft of policies and programs that assume that China may invade us and the best way to avoid that is to support the US in a whole range of ways. In becoming an enthusiastic US proxy for war on China we make ourselves very vulnerable from our major trading partner.

The Minister for Defence and our embedded media warn us every day about the China threat – the Chinese military build up – despite the fact that the US spends more on defence than the next nine countries combined.

We are at the same time supporting more and more US bases like Darwin and Tindal to develop the capacity to attack China, and have entered into the AUKUS agreement, which is not to defend Australia, but to assist the US in a first strike nuclear capacity against China.

We have a long history of fighting in other people’s wars – at great cost to Australia. But there is now a big difference. IF we are drawn into a US war with China the results for us would be catastrophic.

There is a massive contradiction between stabilising our trade relations with China and our casting of it as a mortal military threat.

That position is not sustainable. We are planning to support an American war on China yet expect China to remain a loyal trading partner.

Penny Wong and Don Farrell can hardly keep saying they are stabilising the relationship with China when Richard Marles is out there almost every day dog whistling about the China threat. But perhaps he has been on the Washington drip feed for so long he doesn’t understand the immense contradiction in our relations with China and the enormous risks we are running.

We want improved trade relations with China whilst acting to support a US war with China. Something has to give.

Hopefully the Chinese are smarter than we are and take a longer view.

France Can’t Lecture Africa About Democracy As It Does Business With Corrupt Governments

The rest of the world is really STANDING UP.

At the end of April The Economist spoke to Mr Kissinger for over eight hours about how to prevent the contest between China and America from descending into war.

Mr Kissinger is alarmed by China’s and America’s intensifying competition for technological and economic pre-eminence. “We’re in the classic pre-world war one situation,” he says, “where neither side has much margin of political concession and in which any disturbance of the equilibrium can lead to catastrophic consequences.”

Mr Kissinger believes that AI will become a key factor in security within five years. He compares its disruptive potential to the invention of printing, which spread ideas that played a part in causing the devastating wars of the 16th and 17th centuries.

“[We live] in a world of unprecedented destructiveness,” Mr Kissinger warns. Despite the doctrine that a human should be in the loop, automatic and unstoppable weapons may be created. “If you look at military history, you can say, it has never been possible to destroy all your opponents, because of limitations of geography and of accuracy. [Now] there are no limitations. Every adversary is 100% vulnerable.”

He also cautioned against misinterpreting China’s ambitions. In Washington, “They say China wants world domination…The answer is that they [in China] want to be powerful,” he says. “They’re not heading for world domination in a Hitlerian sense,” he says. “That is not how they think or have ever thought of world order.”

In Nazi Germany war was inevitable because Adolf Hitler needed it, Mr Kissinger says, but China is different. He has met many Chinese leaders, starting with Mao Zedong. He did not doubt their ideological commitment, but this has always been welded onto a keen sense of their country’s interests and capabilities.

Mr Kissinger sees the Chinese system as more Confucian than Marxist. That teaches Chinese leaders to attain the maximum strength of which their country is capable and to seek to be respected for their accomplishments. Chinese leaders want to be recognised as the international system’s final judges of their own interests.

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Budweiser’s DESPERATE Partnership With Harley Davidson & The Military

Why can’t the US engineer a coup … to topple the Beijing government ?

A coup is possible ONLY if there is a strong opposition and the government is UNPOPULAR.

China has a meritocracy system of appointing leaders. Only the leaders proven (by actual performance) are promoted up the bottom ranks…strictly based on ACTUAL EXCELLENT performanceS and then elected to be the President after 30 to 40 years. As a result, the President is the most popular man in the country.

Harvard university (USA) conducted a 10 year study in China. They found that over 95.5% of Chinese support the Chinese government. (see Harvard report below)

However, the US tried many times … to use regime change … to topple the Beijing government and to replace the Chinese leader with a US puppet (just like the USSR).

The US tried this…several times. The last one in Beijing was the failed TAM uprising in 1989.

As a result of TAM, China has banned public protest and street demonstration (like in Singapore). This effectively prevented NED (from the USA) from instigating a regime change in China.

Ref: Long-term survey reveals Chinese government satisfaction

Thought Bud Light was bad? Target is now a “BIND” over their new Trans Clothing lineup

El Paso Red Sauce

This El Paso Red Sauce improves with age.

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2023 05 22 17 12

Ingredients

  • 1 large can whole tomatoes
  • 1 small can whole chile peppers
  • 4 to 6 jalapeno peppers
  • 1 onion, chopped
  • 1 tablespoon vinegar
  • 1 tablespoon vegetable or olive oil
  • 2 cloves garlic, minced

Instructions

  1. Pulse a few times in a blender or chop by hand.
  2. Let stand several hours at room temperature, then refrigerate in a glass jar.

China NOW Controls the Tech That Will Define the 21st Century!

Mearsheimers Latest Talk On The War In Ukraine

Yesterday the well known international relations scholar John Mearsheimer gave a talk (video, 1:33h) about the war in Ukraine to the Committee for the Republic.

Mearsheimer made two major points:

Ukraine can not win this war because the kill ratio in this war is in its disfavor. Mearheimer estimates that two Ukrainians die for one Russian soldier but says that many of his friends think that the ratio is more like 3:1 or 4:1. The reason for this is the WWI-style static war in which artillery is the most deadly weapon. Russia has an immense artillery advantage. During an offensive the attacker will often have more casualties than the defender. But in this war the Ukraine side has been (counter-)attacked most of the time while the Russians defended.

The Ukraine also has a much smaller population than Russia. The current ratio is about 5 Russians for 1 Ukrainian. With a much smaller population and much higher casualties the Ukraine will run out of able bodies way before Russia does.

Mearsheimer expects that Russia, which already has incorporated four Ukrainian oblast plus Crimea, will take another four oblast from Ukraine. (I predicted this on February 24 2022, the day the war began. Those eight oblast plus Crimea are historically Russian land inhabited by Russian people. During the last thirty years they have consistently voted for pro-Russian candidates while the people in west Ukraine consistently opted for anti-Russian candidates.) Ukraine will end up as a dysfunctional (and poor) rump state.

Mearsheimer says that there will be no peace agreement in Ukraine. The war is seen by both sides as existential. Ukraine insists of regaining territory it sees as part of the country. Ukraine wants security guarantees from the ‘west’ which Russia opposes. The problem of hyper-nationalism (fascism) on the Ukrainian side also makes peace impossible. Then there is the problem that Russia, after having been lied to over the Minsk agreements, has zero trust in any ‘western’ word.

 

Posted by b at 9:41 UTC | Comments (299)

I Found A Place In Alabama That’s Actually Thriving

Lone Star Steak Sauce

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2023 05 22 17 14

Ingredients

  • 1/2 cup butter
  • 2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce
  • 3/4 teaspoon black pepper
  • 2 drops Tabasco sauce
  • 1/2 cup lemon juice
  • 1 clove garlic, minced
  • 1/2 teaspoon dry mustard
  • Salt to taste

Instructions

  1. Combine all ingredients.
  2. Heat until butter melts. Broiler juices may be added.
  3. Serve with steak.
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2023 05 22 17 15

Oh SH*T, Putin and China just declared economic war on the West with this move, Biden responds

The United States and the other G7 nations just declared open economic war on China. China responded with a ban on U.S. chip manufacturer Micron.

Things just got out of hand. At the G7, the leaders threatened to undermine China’s economic growth unless it implemented some changes.

Meanwhile, Chinese President Xi Jinping, at the Asian Summit, unveiled a grand plan for Central Asia’s development, from building infrastructure to boosting trade, taking on a new leadership role in a region that has traditionally been a Russian sphere of influence.

We are watching the West get ready to collide head-on with the East.

The damage is already done. Donald Dragonslayer stormed into a dragon’s den armed with a wooden sword. He failed to slay the dragon, but he did manage to wake up the dragon.

Donald Dragonslayer’s war on China isn’t just a war against the leadership and the Communist Party. Dragonslayer’s war is a war against that whole population. We’re in the process of making enemies out of one-fifth of the world’s population who were formerly admirers of America and dreamers of the “American Dream.” There are more people in China who speak English than there are in the United States – as a second language of course. They have been preparing themselves to deal with American civilization on a long term basis. Now, Donald Trump, Robert Lighthizer, Peter Navarro, and Mike Pompeo, have poisoned that relationship beyond repair. China will never ever NEVER allow itself to be in a position where it is dependent on the United States for anything. They will be a trading partner, but not a dependent ever again. Count on it.

Chinese universities are graduating 4x times as many engineers and scientists as the American universities graduate. China will just go on developing its own semiconductor industry and out compete the Unite States in the world market. China is making friends in the world while we’re making enemies.

Morning drive Polk Mountain NC to Mooresville NC on country roads – ASMR

TEHRAN – Iran and Russia, both under harsh Western sanctions, on May 17 inked an agreement on the long-stalled construction of a railway connecting the northern Iranian cities of Rasht and Astara.

The railway is key to the International North-South Transit Corridor (INSTC).

Spanning 162 km (100.6 miles), the railway is a crucial element of the INSTC. The corridor integrates road, rail, and sea transportation, facilitating the movement of goods between Russia and India via Iran.

Through a video link, Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi and his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin addressed the ceremony in Tehran where the two countries’ transport ministers signed the agreement.

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2023 05 23 16 27

Raisi thanked Putin and the Russian government for their involvement in the initiative and referred to it as an “important strategic step” in bilateral cooperation that will benefit all countries involved in the INSTC. Putin, for his part, called the occasion a “landmark moment for the entire global transport infrastructure.”

The deal came a day after Iran’s Trade Promotion Organization chief Alireza Payman-Pak announced that Russia’s second-biggest bank, VTB, had opened a representative office in Tehran.

Peyman-Pak said that the office, which marks the first “direct presence” of a Russian bank in Iran, will be used for foreign currency transfers.

State-owned VTB was sanctioned by the EU, UK, and the US following the conflict between Russia and Ukraine in Feb. 2022.

The railway deal has been hailed by state officials and media in Iran as part of a significant future source of income.

Raisi’s Deputy Chief of Staff for Political Affairs Mohammad Jamshidi has predicted that the earnings from the INTSC would be able to rival Iran’s oil revenue. In this vein, the ISNA news agency on May 17 estimated annual revenue of $20 billion from the Corridor.

The Jam-e Jam newspaper described Iran as the “golden path of trade” in an article highlighting the potential benefits of the railway.

Meanwhile, the Tasnim News Agency said ahead of the deal that the “curse” that has so far stalled the railway project would be broken through “Russian partnership.”

India, Iran, and Russia initially struck an accord in 2002 to forge the INSTC. The ambitious undertaking aims to create a new transit route linking India to Afghanistan, Central Asia, and Russia via Iran’s southern and northern coastal regions.

The corridor is seen by Russia as a potential rival to the Suez Canal, a far longer route for trade with northern Europe.

Iran has been a key player in the INSTC and stands to benefit greatly from its full realization. As reported by Amwaj.media, the Raisi government has seemingly banked significantly on transit becoming a top revenue generator. But Iran stands to gain from the project in more ways.

The operationalization of the corridor could mean improved relations between Iran and India, aligning New Delhi more closely with Tehran’s regional interests.

A vital element of the INSTC, the Rasht-Astara railway project has been stalled for years due to costs, engineering, and logistical complications.

Leader of the Islamic Revolution Ayatollah Ali Khamenei stressed the importance of completing the stretch of railway in his July 2022 meeting with Putin in Tehran.

VTB’s new office in Tehran is part of Iran and Russia’s ongoing efforts to connect their banking systems.

The two countries signed an agreement on Jan. 29 to link their inter-bank messaging systems.

Due to Western sanctions, both countries have been cut off from SWIFT—a leading Belgium-based financial messaging service.

Both Iran and Russia are looking to reap the potential economic benefits of increased transit amid Western sanctions.

The Raisi government seeks to mitigate the adverse effects of sanctions through de-dollarization of trade and the establishment of direct banking and payment channels outside the international banking system.

Dr. Bijan Khajehpour, managing partner of the Vienna-based Eurasian Nexus Partners, told Amwaj.media that if the legal structures are put in place, it could take only a few months for VTB’s new office to process transactions. However, Khajehpour cautioned that “usually, it is the lawyers who delay such processes,” adding that “to complete the picture” it is also necessary to consider that VTB is subject to Western sanctions and that its operations in Iran “will have to rely on the agreements and structures between Moscow and Tehran, such as a non-SWIFT messaging system.”

On the political side, a successful increase in transit revenues will reinforce Iran’s “Look to the East” policy of strengthening ties with neighboring countries and eastern powers as a response to western pressure. This could encourage Raisi’s hardline supporters, who have touted Iran’s place in an emerging multipolar “new world order.”

Russia has failed to hide its angry of the rising ties between Iran and Russia. The U.S. State Department deputy spokesperson has expressed alarm about the Rashst-Astara railway deal. At a news conference on May 17, Vedant Patel stated, “We of course would find deeply concerning any steps or any project being undertaken to go around sanctions.”

In response Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Nasser Kanaani said the Joe Biden administration’s concerns about Tehran’s expansion of trade cooperation with other nations is “unjustified and invalid”.

Kanaani said the most recent agreement with Russia is in line with Iran’s emphasis on the policy of good neighborliness.

He stressed that the cornerstone of closer ties with neighbors is “cooperation for common security, development, and welfare.”

JOE COCKER The Letter 1970

Who is in charge – President Biden or the State Department

 

an Administration in chaos. The Americans have very little credibility left

they cannot even get the simplest things correct

the Mighty have fallen far

This is reality, we cannot be bested by these lots

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Huawei Responds To UK Ban With $1.25 Billion Charge And Withdrawal

https://youtu.be/CXyQfhU3drQ

I can play dirty, but you can’t, it’s in the rule book

“I can play dirty, but you can't, it's in the rule book”

-From HERE. United States administrator when asked why China cannot adopt the same policies that the United States routinely uses.

You know, I like Ron Unz. His site “UNZ” often has stuff; opinion and news that you will not find anywhere else. But Lordy! Is it full of racism! It drives me insane, and it’s really bothersome. I get it, you know. I understand the why. But I really don’t want to read about Jews this, and blacks that! Please.

I HATE it!

When The Garden of the Saker was up, I enjoyed it as well. But the comments were so filled with racism and hate that I just stopped reading them. Then Andre quit. He left the stage, and the Saker is no longer.

Sigh.

Life moves on…

Call me a wimp, if you will. But I want to live a sheltered life. One free of racism, and harsh opinions about broad brush-strokes about someones culture, society, color of skin, or tattoos. I don’t want to read that junk.

It gives me a headache. Ugh!

Especially if it is a ‘Bot, a mindless 11-year old, or a government paid troll. The United States is too fucked up right now.

Ugh!

Now… on to bigger and better things. You all know that I have been trying to hunt down this mysterious movie about a girl who starts work at a software campus, only to discover that she is a computer program. I’m still looking. Haven’t found it yet.

Here’s my list so far.

THE LIST

1954 — Tobor the Great — This science fiction film tells the story of a young boy, his grandfather, and his best friend — who just so happens to be a robot — as they work together to stay safe from the group of communist agents on their tail. Starring Charles Drake and Karin Booth.

1956 — 1984 — In a dystopian world, society is closely monitored by Big Brother, an omnipotent force for government surveillance. One man breaks the rules by falling in love and must pay a heavy price. Based on the novel by George Orwell.

1965 — Alphaville — A secret agent goes to the futuristic city of Alphaville to find a missing person and eventually stop the ruling dictator, professor von Braun, and his sentient computer system, Alpha 60.

1967 — Billion Dollar Brain — In this espionage thriller, Michael Caine stars as Harry Palmer, a former secret agent who unexpectedly becomes involved with a frenzied Texas oil baron (Ed Begley) working to eradicate Communism with a supercomputer.

1968 —  2001: A Space Odyssey — A group of astronauts is sent on a mysterious mission alongside the AI supercomputer H.A.L. 9000. What follows is an intense battle between man and machine, resulting in a mystifying journey through space and time.

1968 — Hot Millions — Peter Ustinov plays an embezzler who bypasses a mainframe computer’s security system to pay invoices from his fictitious companies.

1969 — The Computer Wore Tennis Shoes — Dexter Reilly (Kurt Russell) fixes a computer during an electrical storm and gets shocked. The computer’s brain has fused with his, and he’s a genius.

1969 — The Italian Job — A robber (Michael Caine) recently released from prison gets help from a group of Britain’s most infamous computer hackers to steal gold bullion from underneath the noses of the Italian police and mafia. One of the film’s most famous scenes is a massive traffic jam caused by hacking the city’s traffic control computer.

1970 — Colossus: The Forbin Project — Massive computer systems from the U.S. — “Colossus” — and Russia — “Guardian” — connect to each other. Nuclear war is threatened.

1971 — Paper Man — Five bored college students take advantage of a computer glitch and create a fictitious person, but the prank backfires.

1971 — THX 1138 — Set in a futuristic, state-controlled environment, this film follows a man and a woman, named THX 1138 and LUH 3417, respectively, as they instill a revolution upon their strictly-governed and closely-watched society.

1973 — Westworld — For one thousand dollars a day, guests of a futuristic theme park can visit recreations of different time periods and experience their wildest fantasies with lifelike androids. Pals Blane (James Brolin) and Martin (Richard Benjamin) have chosen to visit Westworld and walk the lawless streets of the American frontier. Their fantasies turn to terror, however, when a duel with a robotic gunslinger (Yul Brynner) goes terribly wrong.

1974 — The Conversation — Gene Hackman plays a surveillance expert using high-tech equipment (back in the day) to spy on a couple he fears may be in danger. Nominated for three Oscars.

1975 — Three Days of the Condor — CIA codebreaker Robert Redford tries to figure out why his own agency wants him dead.

1977 — Demon Seed — This science fiction horror film tells the story of Proteus IV, a sentient supercomputer made from artificial intelligence, who goes to incredible and dangerous lengths to attempt to become human.

1982 — Tron — One of the earliest hacking films. A computer engineer learns an executive at his company has been stealing his work and is launched into the world of virtual reality.

1983 — Brainstorm — Researchers Michael Brace (Christopher Walken) and Lillian Reynolds (Louise Fletcher) develop a system that allows the recording and playback of a person’s thoughts onto videotape. The project spins out of control when the technology is used to explore intense sexual and near-death experiences.

1983 — Superman III — Richard Pryor plays Gus Gorman, a hacker who is caught skimming from his company’s payroll through a program he developed and is then blackmailed to help turn Superman evil.

1983 — WarGames — High school student (Matthew Broderick) hacks into a military supercomputer in this classic and activates the U.S. nuclear arsenal, at a time when most people didn’t know what hacking was.

1984 — Cloak and Dagger — When 11-year-old Davey sees the murder of an FBI agent, the dying man hands him an Atari video game cartridge with military secrets. With Dabney Coleman.

1984 — Electric Dreams — Set in San Francisco, this science fiction romantic comedy is about a love triangle between an architect, a cellist, and a personal computer.

1984 — Hide and Seek — A young computer enthusiast develops a kind of artificial intelligence program named “Gregory P1.” To ensure its survival, the computer contacts other computers and begins to fight the humans. It also hooks into the mainframe computer of a nuclear power plant.

1985 — Brazil — When Sam Lowry (Jonathan Pryce) gets involved in a case of mistaken identity, he’s labeled as an enemy of the state by the powerful, technology-dependent bureaucracy controlling his society. On a quest to rectify the wrong, Sam meets the woman of his dreams, but, unbeknownst to him, she may be a terrorist.

1985 — Hackers: Wizards of the Electronic Age — This documentary about the hacker community includes footage of interviews with some of the programmers that created the PC revolution, including Steve Wozniak, co-founder of Apple. Filmed at a hacker conference held in Sausalito, Calif.

1985 — Max Headroom — This science fiction drama tells the origin story of its eponymous character, Max Headroom, an artificially intelligent, computer-generated television host. This film was later repurposed to serve as the pilot for a British series of the same name.

1985 — Prime Risk — Computer-savvy lovers scam Automated Teller Machines and plot to sink the Federal Reserve.

1985 — Real Genius — Two teenagers working on a laser project at a prestigious engineering college begin to question the true purpose of their work when the government steps in with intentions to use their project as a military-grade weapon. Starring Val Kilmer and Gabriel Jarret.

1985 — Weird Science — Teenagers Gary and Wyatt design their ideal woman on a computer, and a freak electrical accident brings her to life in the form of the lovely, superhuman Lisa.

1986 — Ferris Bueller’s Day Off — A high school student (Matthew Broderick) who wants the day off breaks into his school’s computer system and changes grades and attendance records.

1987 — Bellman and True — Computer expert Hiller (Bernard Hill) finds himself unemployed and is bribed into stealing confidential computer information for a group of bank robbers. He gets the job done but makes the mistake of thinking he’s seen the last of the criminals; little does Hiller know they’ve tracked him and his son to London.

1987 — Terminal Entry — Picking up where War Games left off, this film tells the story of a group of high school students who unknowingly hack into the network of a dangerous terrorist organization under the impression they’re simply playing a game — but the acts of terror caused by their actions are no joke.

1988 — Defense Play — After her father is mysteriously killed while working on a project for the U.S. Air Force, Karen (Susan Ursitti) joins forces with Scott (David Oliver), and together, the two computer-savvy students open their own investigation into the murder.

1990 — Circuitry Man — In a dystopian society, narcotics come in the form of a microchip, heavily sought after by Earth’s remaining inhabitants — two of whom are a bio-android and a female bodyguard who, after stealing said microchips, find themselves being tracked by a dangerous criminal.

1990 — Demolition Man — The year is 2032 in San Angeles, a utopian city created by the citizens of Southern California. When a violent criminal breaks out and threatens the societal peace, John Spartan (Sylvester Stallone) is awoken from 36 years spent cryogenically frozen in ice to capture the fugitive, but he becomes distracted when forced to adapt to the future society made up of voice-controlled devices, autonomous connected cars, and more.

1990 — Hardware — Starring Dylan McDermott, this film — set in a post-apocalyptic America — follows a former soldier who unknowingly gifts his girlfriend spare parts from a self-rebuilding, murderous cyborg.

1990 — The KGB, The Computer and Me — In 1986, Clifford Stoll, an astronomer turned computer scientist, began working on a computer system at the Lawrence Berkeley Laboratory. At the time, two accounting programs were responsible for charging people for machine use. When Stoll discovered a 75-cent discrepancy in the normally flawless programs, he began to investigate and eventually uncovered an undocumented user named “Hunter.” As he dug deeper, he realized that Hunter had hacked into the system and installed new programs. His investigation eventually led him and U.S. intelligence to the realization that Hunter was a computer programmer who worked for the KGB.

1991 — Terminator 2: Judgment Day — A cyborg protects Sarah Connor’s teenage son John from another cyborg intent on killing him.

1992 — The Lawnmower Man —Resembling “Frankenstein,” this science fiction horror film tells the story of a scientist (Pierce Brosnan) and his experiment: a once-simple man (Jeff Fahey) who, through the power of mind-enhancing medication and computer-simulated training sessions, becomes a genius. But it isn’t long before this experiment spirals out of control.

1992 — Single White Female — A woman (played by Bridget Fonda) advertises for a roommate. She soon discovers that her new roommate is a hacker (Jennifer Jason Leigh) intent on stealing her identity.

1992 — Sneakers — A Hacker (Robert Redford) leads a team of experts who test the security of San Francisco companies. They discover a black box that can crack any encryption, posing a huge threat if it lands in the wrong hands… including rogue NSA agents.

1993 — American Cyborg: Steel Warrior — When a fleet of murderous cyborgs threatens the remaining life on Earth after a nuclear war, two of the last humans join forces to save the future of their race. A nail-biting battle ensues.

1993 — Frauds — An insurance investigator (Phil Collins) uses games and gimmicks to manipulate the lives of others, including a couple who make an unusual insurance claim. He approves the claim but makes bizarre demands as ransom.

1993 — Ghost in the Machine — A computer-powered MRI machine extracts a serial murderer’s soul, and becomes a deadly technological weapon.

1993 — Jurassic Park — Seinfeld’s nemesis “Newman” (Dennis Nery) plays an IT guy who hacks his way into a coup that involves him stealing dinosaur DNA to sell to the highest bidder.

1993 — Knights — Set in a futuristic world devastated by war, this science fiction thriller tells the story of Gabriel (Kris Kristofferson), a cyborg, and Nea (Kathy Long), a young girl, who — despite being an unlikely duo — team up against their planet’s dominant, blood-thirsty army of cyborgs to save the human race.

1994 — Disclosure — Starring Demi Moore and Michael Douglas, this thriller balances both the virtual and physical worlds, telling the story of a senior executive at a technology company who’s on track for a big promotion — that is, until his fate falls into the hands of his ex-girlfriend, who is determined to revive their relationship … with or without consent.  

1994 — Plughead Rewired: Circuitry Man II — The sequel to 1990’s Circuitry Man follows a female FBI agent and an android named Danner as they track down Plughead — a notorious criminal known for making and selling microchips that promise an extended life to those who take them.

1995 — Ghost in the Shell — In this animated Japanese sci-fi epic, a cyborg policewoman and her partner hunt a cybercriminal called the Puppet Master, who hacks into the brains of cyborgs to get information and use it to commit crimes.  (Scarlett Johansson stars in a 2017 live-action remake.)

1995 — GoldenEye — James Bond tries to stop a Russian crime syndicate from using a stolen space-based weapons program and falls into the clutches of an evil genius who plans to rule Earth from cyberspace.

1995 — Hackers —A teenage hacker is back on the scene seven years after being banned from computers for writing a virus that caused the biggest stock exchange crash in history. He and his friends must prove that a sinister superhacker is framing them for a plot to embezzle funds from a large oil company with a computer worm. With Angelina Jolie.

1995 — Johnny Mnemonic — A computer chip implanted in his brain allows a human data trafficker (Keanu Reeves) to securely store and transport data too sensitive for regular computer networks. When he gets a valuable package that exceeds the chip’s storage capacity, the mnemonic courier must deliver the data within 24 hours or die. Assassins are intent on helping him do just that.

1995 — Judge Dredd — Judge Dredd (Sylvester Stallone) is sent to a penal colony for a murder he didn’t commit. On his way there, he gets an unexpected sidekick when he reunites with Herman “Fergee” Ferguson (Rob Schneider), a hacker he previously busted for destruction of property.

1995 — The Net — A computer programmer (Sandra Bullock) who lives a reclusive life is looking forward to time off when she becomes aware of a conspiracy. Her vacation turns into a nightmare when someone tries to kill her and her identity is stolen. She must prove who she is while trying to figure out why someone wants her dead.

1995 — Under Siege 2: Dark Territory — Steven Seagal returns as ex-Navy SEAL Casey Ryback in this sequel to Under Siege, which finds Ryback and his niece Sarah (Katherine Heigl) on a train headed from Denver to Los Angeles. When the train is hijacked by a psychotic computer genius and his fellow terrorist, who need it for their plot to take control of a top-secret satellite, Ryback enlists the help of a train porter (Morris Chestnut) to foil their plan.

1996 — Independence Day — In an epic fight against an alien race, computer expert David Levinson (Jeff Goldblum) achieves a crucial win when he hacks into the fleet of spaceships coming toward Earth, infecting them with a virus and putting a stop to the looming alien invasion.

1996 — Lawnmower Man 2: Beyond Cyberspace — On a mission for world domination, Jobe (Matt Frewer), a virtual reality-based consciousness, is determined to hack into all the world’s computers, but his plans are thwarted by Peter (Austin O’Brien) and Benjamin (Patrick Bergin), whose unfaltering passion to save the world — and cyberspace — inspires an all-out war.

1996 — Omega Doom — In a world dominated by violent cyborgs, there is little-to-no hope for what’s left of humanity … that is, until one such cyborg — Omega Doom — is struck in the head, causing his wires to short and recircut, leading to a newfound interest in defeating his own kind.

1997 — Masterminds — The new security chief at a prestigious private school plans to even a score by kidnapping several of the wealthy students and holding them for ransom. A teenage computer hacker, expelled from the school for pulling pranks, thwarts his plans.

1998 — 23 — After an orphan invests some of his inheritance in a home computer, he begins discussing conspiracy theories inspired by a novel on bulletin boards. He’s soon hacking military and government computers with a friend. Based on a true story.

1998 — Enemy of the State — A lawyer (Will Smith) isn’t aware that a videotape in his possession proves a congressman was murdered for opposing surveillance legislation. When he becomes the target of a corrupt NSA official and his life begins to fall apart, he enlists the help of an ex-intelligence operative (Gene Hackman).

1998 — Mercury Rising (Code Mercury) — A renegade FBI agent (Bruce Willis) must protect a 9-year-old autistic boy who has cracked encrypted government code that was supposed to be unbreakable.

1998 — Pi — Is there a mathematical key that can unlock the universal patterns in nature? If found, can that key predict anything — even the stock market? A brilliant, obsessed, and paranoid mathematician who barricades himself in a room filled with computer equipment intends to find that key, but might go mad while doing so.

1998 — Webmaster — In this Danish sci-fi thriller, a powerful crime leader hires a hacker to monitor the security of his computer operations. When someone else hacks into the database, the webmaster must go to extremes to find him, or die within 35 hours.

1999 — Entrapment — An undercover art investigator (Catherine Zeta-Jones) is intent on tracking down and capturing a renowned thief (Sean Connery). They end up attempting a heist together.

1999 — eXistenZ — Computer programmer Allegra Geller’s (Jennifer Jason Leigh) latest creation, the hyper-realistic virtual reality game eXistenZ, takes a dangerous turn when a crazed assassin becomes intent on destroying it. With help from Ted Pikul (Jude Law), Allegra sets out to save the game, and her life.

1999 — The Matrix — In a dystopian future, humanity is unknowingly trapped inside the Matrix, a simulated reality created by intelligent machines to distract humans while they use their bodies as an energy source. A computer programmer / hacker known as Neo (Keanu Reeves) discovers the truth and joins forces with other rebels to free humankind.

1999 — Office Space —They’re supposed to be part of one big happy family, but three computer programmers hate their jobs and their boss. They concoct a scheme to embezzle small amounts of money from the high-tech company that employs them, but a mistake results in a bigger theft than planned. With Jennifer Anniston.

1999 — NetForce — In the year 2005, NetForce, a division of the FBI, is tasked with protecting the Net from terrorism. A loophole in a browser allows someone to gain control of the Internet and all the information it holds. Now the commander of NetForce must stop him, as he also tracks down a killer.

1999 — Pirates of Silicon Valley — This biographical drama about the development of the personal computer and the rivalry between Apple Computer and Microsoft spans the years 1971 – 1997. Noah Wyle portrays Steve Jobs and Anthony Michael Hall stars as Bill Gates.

1999 — The Thirteenth Floor — This science-fiction neo-noir film begins in 1999 in Los Angeles when the inventor of a newly completed virtual reality simulation of the city in 1937 is murdered. A computer scientist he has mentored (played by Craig Bierko) becomes the primary suspect and begins to doubt his own innocence because of the evidence against him. He eventually enters the simulation to unravel the truth and realizes nothing is as it seems.

2000 — Takedown — Also known as “Track Down,” the controversial movie version of the manhunt for legendary hacker Kevin Mitnick is based on the book by Tsutomu Shimomura, “Takedown: The Pursuit and Capture of Kevin Mitnick, America’s Most Wanted Computer Outlaw – By The Man Who Did It.”

2001 — A.I. Artificial Intelligence —  In this Pinocchio-esque tale, David (Haley Joel Osment) — a sentient, artificially-created robot — wishes to become a real boy, longing for a stronger connection with his human mother.

2001 — Antitrust — When a college graduate (Ryan Phillippe) gets a job writing software at a multi-billion dollar computer company, he has no idea that the founder (Tim Robbins) and new mentor is hiding dark secrets. Is there anyone he can trust?

2001 — The Code — This documentary covers the first decade of GNU/Linux and features some of the most influential people of the free software (FOSS) movement.

2001 — Freedom Downtime — This documentary covers the plight of convicted computer hacker Kevin Mitnick, from the standpoint that Miramax misrepresented him in the film “Takedown.” It includes the story of several computer enthusiasts who confront Miramax reps about their discontent with aspects of the script, including the film’s ending.

2001 — Revolution OS — The history of GNU, Linux, and the open source and free software movements is traced in this documentary. It features several interviews with prominent hackers and entrepreneurs.

2001 — The Score — An aging safecracker (Robert De Niro) plans to retire, but his fence (Marlon Brando) talks him into one final score, stealing one of Canada’s natural treasures hidden in the basement of a Customs House. He joins forces with another thief (Edward Norton) who hires someone to hack into the Custom House’s security system, but things go wrong.

2001 — Secret History of Hacking — The focus of this documentary is phreaking, computer hacking, and social engineering occurring from the 1970s through the 1990s. John Draper, Steve Wozniak, and Kevin Mitnick are prominently featured.

2001 — Swordfish — A spy named Gabriel (John Travolta) plots to steal a large fortune. He enlists Ginger (Halle Berry) to persuade Stanley (Hugh Jackman), who spent two years in prison for hacking an FBI program, to help. But what is Gabriel really up to, and who or what is really behind the plot?

2002 — Catch Me if You CanFrank Abagnale is one of the world’s most respected authorities on forgery, embezzlement, and secure documents. His riveting story provided the inspiration for Steven Spielberg’s film starring Leonardo DiCaprio as Abagnale and Tom Hanks as the FBI agent fast on his heels.

2002 — Cypher — Morgan Sullivan (Jeremy Northam) is an accountant turned corporate spy working for a global computer corporation.  When a mysterious woman suggests his job isn’t what it seems, Morgan ascends into a complicated world of brainwashing, where he struggles to maintain his true identity.

2002 — Half the Rent — Otherwise known as Halbe Miete, this film follows a computer hacker (Stephan Kampwirth) who, after the sudden death of his girlfriend, breaks into — and camps out at — other people’s apartments when they’re not home. But when what started as a temporary solution to homelessness becomes a dangerous obsession, will the risk outweigh the reward?

2002 — Minority Report — It’s 2054 and a specialized Pre-Crime police department in D.C. stops crimes before they are committed based on information from Pre-Cogs, three psychic beings who channel their visions into a computer. When they accuse the unit chief (Tom Cruise) of a future murder, he becomes a fugitive, hunted by his own department.

2002 — Storm Watch — A champion player of virtual reality games must suddenly race against time to stop a criminal mastermind who has stolen his identify from destroying the world with a weather satellite. Also known as “Code Hunter.”

2002 — Terminal Error — A former employee of a major software company gets even with the president by planting a computer virus on an MP3 and giving it to his son. His plan is to crash the computer terminals, but the virus has a mind of its own and begins to take out large portions of the city. Father and son must create their own virus to stop the chaos.

2003 — Code 46 — In a dystopian world, citizens are forbidden to travel outside their cities without special permits from the totalitarian government. When forged permits start to circulate, William Gold (Tim Robbins) is tasked with investigating, finding, and taking down the individual responsible, though he never expects to fall in love with her.

2003 — The Core — After several bizarre incidents across the globe, a geophysicist and scientists determine that the planet’s molten core has stopped rotating and that the magnetic field will collapse within a year. They devise a plan to bore down to the core and set off nuclear explosions to restart the rotation and enlist a hacker to scour the internet and eliminate all traces of the pending disaster to prevent worldwide panic.

2003 — Foolproof — Kevin (Ryan Reynolds) is part of a friend group with an odd hobby: they plan heists, yet never carry them out despite being perfectly able to do so. But when their plans fall into the wrong hands, the friends are thrust into the criminal world as they’re forced to carry out a jewelry warehouse heist that was never supposed to see the light of day.

2003 — In the Realm of the Hackers — This documentary reveals how and why two Australian teenager computer hackers, Electron and Phoenix, stole a restructured computer security list in the late 1980s and used it to break into some of the world’s most classified and secure computer systems.

2003 — The Italian Job — After a thief (Edward Norton) turns on his partners and gets away with the gold they’ve stolen in a heist, his former team seeks revenge.

2003 — The Matrix Reloaded — With the help of Neo (Keanu Reeves), Morpheus (Laurence Fishburne), Trinity (Carrie-Anne Moss), and other freedom fighters, more and more humans have been freed from the Matrix and brought to Zion. But 250,000 machines are digging towards the stronghold and will reach them in 72 hours, so they must prepare for war.

2003 — Paycheck — Michael Jennings (Ben Affleck) makes good money working on top-secret projects and then agreeing to have his memory erased, until a payment of $92 million for a three-year assignment is canceled. With his life in danger, he must get help from a scientist (Uma Thurman) he doesn’t remember dating to figure out the importance of seemingly random items.

2004 — One Point O — Simon (Jeremy Sisto), a young, paranoid computer programmer, finds himself on the receiving end of a series of mysteriously empty packages. Little does he know these deliveries are only the tip of a reality-bending iceberg that will change his life forever.

2004 — Paranoia 1.0 — A computer programmer receives mysterious empty packages inside his apartment and tries to find out who’s sending them, why, and who he can trust. Also known as “One Point O.”

2005 — V for Vendetta — In a dystopian future, a tyrannical British government imposes a strict curfew following the outbreak of a virus. An anarchist in a smiling Guy Fawkes mask seeks revenge with the help of a young woman and hacks into the television network to urge others to revolt against tyranny.

2006 — Deja Vu — Doug Carlin (Denzel Washington) is an ATF agent working to capture the terrorist responsible for a ferry bombing that killed hundreds. Using an advanced form of surveillance technology, Doug travels back in time, on a mission to prevent the crime, but his newfound obsession with one of the victims puts everything at risk.

2006 — The Departed — Boston police officer Billy (Leonardo DiCaprio) goes undercover to infiltrate — and take down — the dangerous Irish gang tearing up his city, led by Frank Costello (Jack Nicholson). Becoming consumed by his secret life, Billy loses sight of his mission, though everything comes back into perspective when a career criminal infiltrates and begins threatening the police department.

2006 — Firewall — When his family is taken hostage, a security specialist (Harrison Ford) who designs theft-proof computer systems for financial institutions must break into his own system and steal millions of dollars to pay off their ransom.

2006 — Hacking Democracy — This documentary investigates allegations of election fraud during the 2004 U.S. presidential election. It follows Bev Harris, the founder of Black Box Voting, a nonprofit consumer-protection group, and other citizen activists who set out to uncover flaws in the voting system.

2006 — In Ascolto — Also known as The Listening, this film takes inspiration from the mass surveillance operations of the National Security Agency (NSA), chronicling the experience of a spy (Michael Parks) working undercover to get on the inside of a counter-listening station in the Italian Alps.

2006 — Man of the Year — A satirical political talk show host (Robin Williams) runs for president and gets elected with the help of fans who begin a grassroots campaign. It’s later revealed that his presidency was the result of a computerized voting machine malfunction.

2006 — The Net 2.0 — A young computer systems analyst arrives in Istanbul to start a new job, but finds out her identity has been stolen. She must catch who did it to get her life back.

2006 — Pulse — In this remake of a Japanese horror film, a student is shocked when her boyfriend, a computer hacker, commits suicide. Then she and her friends receive online messages from him, asking for help. Another computer hacker must help her stop a supernatural plague traveling through the network.

2006 — A Scanner Darkly — This computer-animated adaptation of Philip K Dick’s 1977 sci-fi novel is set in the near-future. The U.S.’s war on drugs, particularly a hyper-addictive substance called D (for Death), prompts the enforcement of a police state that uses numberless surveillance scanners.

2007 — Bourne Ultimatum — Operative Jason Bourne (Matt Damon) teams up with an investigative reporter to find the people who betrayed him, while a ruthless CIA official and his team continue to track him down in the hopes of assassinating him before he gets his memory back.

2007 — Breach – This docudrama is based on the events leading up to the capture of FBI Agent Robert Hanssen, convicted of selling secrets to the Soviet Union. A low-level surveillance expert gets promoted and assigned to work with Hanssen, unaware that he is to find proof that he is a traitor.

2007 — Every Step You Take — This documentary is an in-depth look at modern-day Britain and its Orwell-esque levels of government surveillance. It explores the pros and cons of CCTV, highlighted by commentary from notable experts in the field.

2007 — Live Free or Die Hard — As the nation prepares to celebrate Independence Day, a disgruntled government security agent launches an attack on America’s computer infrastructure. Veteran cop John McClane (Bruce Willis) and a young hacker must help the F.B.I.’s cyber division take him down.

2008 — 21 — Six Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) students hack their way to success — and millions of dollars — in Las Vegas casinos by counting cards until casino enforcer Cole Williams (Laurence Fishburne) thwarts their plans. Based on a true story.

2008 — Download: The True Story of the Internet — Told through personal accounts from the founders of Yahoo, eBay, Google, Amazon, and many others, this documentary tells the story of how the internet became what it is today.

2008 — Eagle Eye — Two strangers, Jerry and Rachel, come together after receiving mysterious calls from a woman they never met. She threatens their lives and family to push them into a series of dangerous situations, controlling their actions using cellphones and other technology.

2008 — Hackers are People Too — Hackers created this documentary to portray their community and break down negative stereotypes. It describes what hacking is, how hackers think, and discusses women in the field.

2008 — Untraceable — Agent Jennifer Marsh (Diane Lane) of the Cyber Crimes Division of the FBI in Portland tries to track down a psychopathic hacker killing people online in live streaming video. As his site gets more hits, victims die faster.

2008 — WarGames: The Dead Code 2008 — Is an American teen hacker playing a terrorist-attack simulator game online a real terrorist intent on destroying the United States? That’s what Homeland Security believes and they set out to apprehend him.

2009 — Echelon Conspiracy — When tech whiz Max Peterson (Shane West) gets sent a mysterious cell phone in the mail, he’s unsure of where it came from or what it is — until it starts sending instructions on how to win at the local casino. But it isn’t long before Max’s newfound luck puts him at the center of a dangerous government conspiracy dealing with the world’s security cameras. Will he make it out alive?

2009 — Eyeborgs — In the aftermath of a major terrorist attack, government surveillance in the U.S. is taken to the next level via robotic cameras called “Eyeborgs,” which track and monitor all citizens for suspicious behavior. But when photographic evidence from the Eyeborgs doesn’t line up with the facts in an ongoing murder investigation, a federal agent starts to wonder, who’s really controlling these cameras and what do they want?

2009 — Gamer — Controlled by a teenage gamer’s remote device, death-row inmate Kable must battle fellow prisoners every week in a violent online game. Can he survive enough sessions to gain his freedom, free his wife from avatar slavery, and take down the game’s inventor?

2009 — The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo — A journalist searches for the killer of a woman who has been dead for forty years, with the help of a young female hacker. When they unravel dark family secrets, they must protect themselves. This Swedish language film was remade in English in 2011.

2009 — Hackers Wanted — This unreleased American documentary originally named “Can You Hack It?” follows the adventures of Adrian Lamo, a famous hacker, and explores the origins of hacking and nature of hackers.

2009 — Shadow Government — What impact does the technological landscape have on our daily lives? This documentary, led by Grant Jeffrey, explores exactly how much of our lives are being digitized and observed in the modern era.

2009 — Transcendent Man — The subject of this documentary from filmmaker Robert Barry Ptolemy is Ray Kurzweil, inventor, futurist and author, and his predictions about the future of technology, presented in his 2005 book, The Singularity is Near: When Humans Transcend Biology. Ptolemy follows Kurzweil on his world speaking tour, where he discusses his thoughts on the technological singularity, a proposed advancement that will occur sometime in the 21st century due to progress in artificial intelligence, genetics, nanotechnology, and robotics.

2009 — We Live in Public — Directed by Ondi Timoner, this documentary profiles Josh Harris, “the greatest Internet pioneer you’ve never heard of.” An early dot.com entrepreneur, Harris founded Psuedo.com, an early streaming content service. In 1999, he began an experiment called “Quiet,” in which 100 men and women agreed to give up their privacy to live together under constant video surveillance, so their lives could be streamed online.

2010 — Inception — A thief (Leonardo DiCaprio) who can enter people’s dreams and steal their secrets begins using his gift for corporate espionage. Can he also plant an idea into someone’s mind? The film won four Oscars.

2010 — The Social Network — Jesse Eisenberg portrays Harvard student and computer genius Mark Zuckerberg in this drama about the creation of a social networking site that would become Facebook.

2010 — Tron Legacy — In this revamped Tron continuation, Sam (Garrett Hedlund) searches in and out of the computer world for his father, Kevin Flynn (Jeff Bridges), a brilliant computer programmer.

2011 — Mission Impossible: Ghost Protocol — When mega-spy Ethan Hunt (Tom Cruise) is blamed for a terrorist attack on the Kremlin, he and others from his agency, the Impossible Missions Force (IMF), must prove their innocence.

2011 — StuxNet: Cyberwar — First discovered in 2010, the StuxNet computer worm marked the beginning of a new era in cybercrime, attacking — and causing substantial damage to — an Iranian nuclear program. This documentary explores the malware’s origins alongside its contributions to the advancement of cyber warfare technology.

2012 — Code 2600 — This documentary explores the rise of the Information Technology Age through the eyes of the people who helped build it and the events that shaped it.

2012 — Genius on Hold — The downfall of Walter L. Shaw, a telecommunications genius who became destitute, and his disillusioned son, who became a notorious jewel thief, are the subjects of this documentary.

2012 — Owned & Operated —  Using the lens of the internet, this documentary proves just how much we matter … as consumers, that is. Society today practically lives for privileged individuals — celebrities and politicians, among others — unknowingly adhering to their wicked ways of gaining control, but there is an awakening on the horizon, and it’s going to change everything.

2012 – Panopticon – Living in the digital age, do we really have privacy? This documentary examines how much our daily lives are controlled and watched by omnipresent surveillance, which — as technology advances — has only become harder to avoid.

2012 — Reboot — A young female hacker can’t remember a traumatic event that leaves her with an iPhone glued to her hand. The phone’s timer is counting down to zero and fellow hackers must help her solve the puzzle.

2012 — Shadows of Liberty — Should we trust the media? This documentary examines the five big for-profit conglomerates that control 90 percent of U.S.-based media, raising questions of who to believe in today’s political, economical, and social world.

2012 — Skyfall — James Bond (Daniel Craig) must prove he still has what it takes as he tracks down the source of a cyber-terror attack at M16 headquarters and goes up against a genius hacker.

2012 — Tracked Down — Directed by Paul Moreira, this documentary explains how governments around the world monitor their citizens through advanced electronic warfare equipment — equipment that has fallen into the hands of repressive dictatorial regimes in Libya, Syria and Bahrain. Moreira reveals how the technology can be traded in stealth and traces these deals to their source.

2012 — Underground: The Julian Assange Story — This Australian film follows the early career of the WikiLeaks founder, from his start as a teenage computer hacker in Melbourne.

2012 — We Are Legion: The Story of the Hacktivists — Filmmaker Brian Knappenberger documents the hacking group Anonymous, including interviews from group members.

2013 — The Assange Agenda: Surveillance, Democracy and You — At what point does government surveillance put democracy at risk? According to Julian Assange — founder of Wikileaks — we’re already there. This documentary explores what may lay ahead for today’s digital world if we don’t gain control over the various agencies spying on us.

2013 — Big Data: The Shell Investigation — In the digital age, a journalist’s sources are endless — when consulting big data, that is. This documentary showcases how a team of journalists used easily accessible channels, such as LinkedIn and Wikipedia, to piece together the truth about Royal Dutch Shell’s two-billion-dollar debt to the Iranian government.

2013 — The Bling Ring — Nicki (Emma Watson) and her fame-obsessed group of friends will do anything to make a name for themselves in Hollywood, including breaking into — and robbing — the homes of elite celebrities, which, if not for the internet, would never have been possible.

2013 — DEFCON: The Documentary — The world’s largest hacking conference, DEFCON, has long since had a strict no-camera policy … until now. This documentary follows the four days of DEFCON’s 20th-anniversary event, highlighted by commentary from attendees and staff.

2013 — Disconnect — Three intersecting stories center around the impact of the Internet on people’s lives. The characters include a victim of cyberbullying, a lawyer who communicates constantly through his cell phone but can’t find time to connect with his family, and a couple whose secrets are exposed online.

2013 — DSKNECTD — Do electronic devices bring people together or pull them apart? This documentary examines how human interaction has changed in light of the rise of technologies such as cell phones, social media, and the internet.

2013 — 

2013 — The Fifth Estate — Based on real events, the film begins as WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange (Benedict Cumberbatch) and Daniel Domscheit-Berg join forces as underground watchdogs and create a platform for whistleblowers to leak covert data to expose government secrets and corporate crimes.

2013 — Goodbye World — More than one million cellphones simultaneously receive a two-word message, followed by the collapse of the power grid and widespread panic. A group of people who find shelter in a cabin soon find out what it’s like to live in a post-apocalyptic world.

2013 — Google and the World Brain —   The Google Books Library Project is certainly ambitious, but is it feasible? This documentary examines Google’s plan to open the world’s largest virtual library, as well as the many issues that may stem from it, such as copyright infringement and lack of online privacy.

2013 — Her — In this futuristic story, a lonely writer ( Joaquin Phoenix ) develops an unlikely relationship with an operating system designed to meet his every need.

2013 — Identity Thief — When a woman (Melissa McCarthy) steals the identity of Sandy Patterson (Jason Bateman), a financial firm account executive, and wrecks his credit rating, he sets out to confront her.

2013 — In Google We Trust — Who’s keeping tabs on your data? This revealing documentary gives viewers an inside look into how — and why — our digital interactions are tracked and recorded. If you’re worried about the consequences, watch this now.

2013 — Mickey Virus — In this Bollywood hacker comedy, Delhi Police must seek the help of a lazy hacker to solve a case.

2013 — Terms and Conditions May Apply — This documentary exposes how much the Internet and cellphone usage allows corporations and governments to learn about people.

2013 — TPB AFK: The Pirate Bay Away from Keyboard —This Swedish documentary film, directed and produced by Simon Klose, focuses on the lives of the three founders of The Pirate Bay — Peter Sunde, Fredrik Neij, and Gottfrid Svartholm — and the Pirate Bay trial.

2013 — The Value of Your Personal Data — Produced by the acclaimed VPRO series, this documentary discusses the companies that collect your personal data, who buys it from them, how it is used, and who owns it. It also gives advice on how you can gain back control of it and stop being targeted and manipulated.

2013 — War on Whistleblowers: Free Press and the National Security State — This documentary by Robert Greenwald highlights four cases — Michael DeKort, Thomas Drake, Franz Gayl and Thomas Tamm — where American government employees and contractors exposed fraud and abuse through the media at the risk of their personal and professional lives.

2014 — Algorithm — A computer hacker who specializes in breaking into secure systems, including the telephone company and people’s personal accounts, hacks a government contractor and discovers a mysterious computer program, thrusting him into a revolution.

2014 — The Bureau of Digital Sabotage — What is privacy? This documentary argues it is nonexistent in today’s digital age, delving into our new reality and its most crucial issues by asking citizens to stand up when mass surveillance crosses the line.

2014 — Citizenfour — This documentary by Laura Poitras about whistleblower Edward Snowden and the NSA spying scandal includes interviews of Snowden in Hong Kong in 2013 and features work by journalist Glenn Greenwald.

2014 — Digital Amnesia — An in-depth investigation into the shelf life of digital data and the vulnerable nature in which we store information today, featuring commentary from organizations such as Internet Archive and The Archive Team.

2014 — Ex Machina — A young programmer wins a competition that makes him the human component in a groundbreaking experiment where he must evaluate the capabilities and consciousness of Ava, a breathtaking A.I.

2014 — The Hackers Wars — This documentary discusses hacktivism in the United States, including the government’s surveillance and persecution of hackers and journalists.

2014 — The Human Face of Big Data — This documentary, directed by Sandy Smolan and narrated by Joel McHale, initially focuses on Big Data’s positive aspects, such as how the massive gathering and analyzing of data in real-time through a multitude of digital devices allows us to address some of humanity’s biggest challenges and improve lives globally. It also highlights how the accessibility of this data comes at a steep price.

2014 — The Imitation Game — M16, the newly created British intelligence agency, recruits mathematician Alan Turing (Benedict Cumberbatch) and his team to crack the Germany’s Enigma code during World War II. Nominated for 8 Oscars.

2014 — Inside The Dark Web — Internet surveillance takes center stage in this documentary that details the pros and cons of the World Wide Web. With all types of surveillance taking place globally — government, commercial, and more — what does the future look like for those living in the digital age?

2014 — The Internet’s Own Boy: The Story of Aaron Swartz — Filmmaker Brian Knappenberger explores the life and work of Reddit co-founder Aaron Swartz, a programming prodigy and information activist who committed suicide at the age of 26.

2014 — Killswitch — In a world where we rely so heavily on the internet, what happens if it comes under attack? This award-winning documentary centers on the threat of internet censorship and what we risk losing if we don’t fight back, such as free speech, democracy, and innovation.

2014 — Men, Women and Children — What does it mean to be a parent in the age of social media? This film follows multiple families, each with their own relationships to the internet, as they overcome various challenges, including eating disorders and video game culture.

2014 — Open Windows — A blogger finds out he’s won a dinner with an actress he devotes his website to and is disappointed when she cancels. When he gets a chance to spy on her every move with his laptop, his life gets crazy.

2014 — The Signal — Nic, who is a student at MIT, is on a road trip with two companions when an annoying computer hacker distracts them. They track him to an abandoned shack. After strange occurrences, Nik wakes up wounded and disoriented, wondering what has happened to his friends, and who are these people in space suits?

2014 — Transcendence — Dr. Will Caster, renowned artificial intelligence researcher, is on a controversial quest to create a fully sentient machine, but are the dangerous consequences that follow worth it? This science-fiction thriller stars Johnny Depp, Rebecca Hall, Morgan Freeman, and Paul Bettany, among others.

2014 — Unfriended — a mysterious, supernatural force haunts a group of online chat room friends using the account of their dead friend.

2014 — Who Am I — A subversive hacker group intent on gaining global fame invites a young German computer whiz to join them.

2015 — Big Data: Unlocking Success — Experts from Berkeley Research Group, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, and Microsoft look into the use of data science and its allied fields in this documentary, noting several real-life examples, including events at Johns Hopkins University and MGM Resorts International.

2015 — Blackhat — Convicted hacker Nicholas Hathaway (Chris Hemsworth) joins a team of American and Chinese technical experts to track down a Balkan cyberterrorist operating in Southeast Asia.

2015 — Cyberbully — In this made-for-TV movie, A British teenage girl (Emily Osment) retreats from family and friends when a computer hacker forces her to do his bidding, threatening to leak compromising photos of her if she doesn’t do what he asks.

2015 — Cybertopia: Dreams of Silicon Valley — A technological revolution is looming in Silicon Valley. This documentary explores the future of digitized reality, as well as how daily life has already changed as a result of the dedicated individuals residing in California’s tech headquarters.

2015 — Debug — Six young hackers assigned to fix the computer system on a vessel drifting in deep space become prey to an artificial intelligence source intent on becoming human.

2015 — Deep Web — Filmmaker Alex Winter interviews the people behind the Deep Web and bitcoin and follows the arrest and trial of Ross Ulbricht (“Dread Pirate Roberts”), founder of online black market Silk Road.

2015 — Democracy: Im Rausch der Daten — From Swiss director David Bernet, this documentary tells the story of how politicians in the EU are working to protect society from the dangers of Big Data and mass surveillance.

2015 — Digitale Dissidenten — What price do whistleblowers pay? Interviews with David Ellsberg, Edward Snowden, William Binney, Thomas Drake, Annie Machon, and Julian Assange shed light on the cost of having a conscience in the dark world of government surveillance.

2015 — Furious 7 —Mr. Nobody (Kurt Russell), a government operative, enlists Dominic Toretto to find a hacker who has created God’s Eye, a device that can hack any technology that uses a camera. In return, they can use the device to find and stop Deckard Shaw (Jason Statham), who is seeking revenge against Toretto and his crew for his comatose brother.

2015 — A Good American — This documentary film tells the story of Bill Binney, former technical director of the NSA, a group of exceptional code-breakers, and a program called ThinThread, which, if not dumped three weeks prior to 9/11, would’ve been able to stop the terrorist attacks that took almost 3,000 lives.

2015 — Hacker’s Game — A cyber-detective working for a human rights organization and a hacking expert with shady connections meet on a rooftop and bond over a game of virtual chess. Will their romance survive deception?

2015 — Jobs vs. Gates: The Hippie and The Nerd — This documentary tells the story of two of the biggest men in tech, Bill Gates and Steve Jobs, and the spectacular rivalry between them. Despite landing on two different sides of the battle between Mac and PC, Jobs and Gates’ mutual respect for one another endured the test of time.

2015 — Mapping the Future — Are our lives predictable? If you take the internet’s overflowing amount of data into consideration, the answer is yes. This documentary explores how the abundance of data gathered on the internet in recent years led to a mathematical algorithm for human life.

2015 — Terminal F/Chasing Edward Snowden — This documentary discusses what motivated Edward Snowden, an NSA analyst-turned whistleblower, to leak classified information about global surveillance programs used by the American government, leading him to flee to Hong Kong and later to Russia to evade authorities.

2015 — The Throwaways — Drew (Sam Huntington) is an infamous hacker who is captured by the CIA for a slew of cybercrimes. However, his impending jail sentence is renounced after the CIA gives him an alternate option — work for them. Sam agrees, but on one condition: he gets to build his own team.

2015 — War for the Web — Directed by J. C. Cameron Brueckner, this documentary demystifies the physical infrastructure of the internet and explores the issues of ownership and competition in the broadband marketplace, privacy, and security.

2016 — Anonymous — A young Ukrainian immigrant turns to hacking and identity theft to support his parents, with help from a friend who is a black-market dealer. Petty crimes soon escalate. The film is also known as “Hacker.”

2016 — Backlight: Cyberjihad — Can social media become a weapon? This documentary examines jihadism and its online presence, which, without any hindrance, has only grown larger over the past fifteen years.

2016 — Cyber War — Hackers pose a universal threat; how can we defend ourselves? This documentary explores how governments are building up protection against the ever-growing number of digital threats, including by recruiting those with the brains to wage cyberwar and espionage when necessary.

2016 — Data Center: The True Cost of the Internet — Every day, 247 billion emails are sent through the web. Have you ever wondered what powers them? This eye-opening, high-tech documentary takes viewers inside the digital warehouses that run the internet, otherwise known as data centers.

2016 — Down the Deep, Dark Web — Venture down the internet’s rabbit hole into the secretive world of the dark web, guided by crypto-anarchists, cypherpunks, and hackers. This documentary will make you question everything you thought you knew about the darknet.

2016 — Gringo: The Dangerous Life of John McAfee — Complex antivirus pioneer John McAfee made millions before leaving the U.S. to live in a compound in the jungle in Belize. This Showtime documentary, which he calls fiction, portrays his life in Belize and 2012 departure after a neighbor was murdered.

2016 — The Haystack — Due to sophisticated hacking techniques and the terrorist organizations that often use them, the British Parliament began reviewing the Investigatory Powers Bill, legislation that would provide more leniency in the interception of private email and phone communications. Prior to the bill passing in 2016, this documentary examined how effective it would be, if it was necessary, and what citizens would have to give up once the bill was implemented.

2016 — I.T. — Aviation tycoon Mike Regan (Pierce Brosnan) hires an I.T. consultant on a temporary basis to do some work at his house and is so impressed he gives him a full-time job. He’s fired when he oversteps boundaries and seeks revenge against the businessman and his family.

2016 — Jason Bourne — Former CIA agent Jason Bourne (Matt Damon) is drawn out of hiding to uncover more about his past while fighting cyberterrorism.

2016 — Lo and Behold: Reveries of the Connected World — Filmmaker Werner Herzog examines the Internet and how it affects human interaction and modern society.

2016 — National Bird — A chilling documentary in which three military veterans blow the whistle on the secret U.S. drone war, highlighting America’s modern warfare program through the harrowing experiences of those involved.

2016 — Nerve — Friends pressure a high school senior to join the popular online game Nerve. She becomes caught up in the thrill of the adrenaline-fueled competition, partnered with a mysterious stranger, but the game takes a sinister turn.

2016 — Offline is the New Luxury — Since the dawn of the internet, humanity has slowly but surely become increasingly dependent on various smart devices — phones, tablets, and laptops alike. This documentary asks one poignant question: what would the world be without them?

2016 — Rise of the Trolls — Is being anonymous a blessing or a curse? In this documentary, filmmakers Jonathan Baltrusaitis and Paul Kemp explore the unnerving truths surrounding internet anonymity, dark instincts, and freedom in cyberspace.

2016 — Risk — Laura Poitras spent six years making this documentary about WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange, who gave her the opportunity to closely film him but later tried to censor the film.

2016 — Silicon Cowboys — This documentary tells the true story of how three unsuspecting friends became computing pioneers by dreaming up the Compaq Computer — a portable PC that would directly impact the future of computing and consequently shape the world we live in today.

2016 — Snowden — Joseph Gordon-Levitt stars as Edward J. Snowden in Oliver Stone’s biopic of the former National Security Agency contractor who becomes disillusioned with the intelligence community and leaks classified information, becoming a fugitive from law and a hero to many.

2016 — State of Surveillance — In this documentary film, Edward Snowden — infamously known for leaking classified information from the National Security Agency — invites viewers into the disturbing world of government surveillance. A must-see for anyone who feels like they’re being watched.

2016 — Stingray — This documentary enlightens viewers to just how advanced surveillance technology has become, highlighting the Stingray, which, despite going by many different names, has certified itself as one of the most powerful surveillance devices of all time, though many see it as an invasion of privacy.

2016 — What Makes You Click — Described as both a fascinating psychological study and a gripping cautionary tale, this documentary from the VPRO Backlight series discusses how companies adapt their websites and apps to get consumers to stay on them longer and spend more money.

2016 — Zero Days — Alex Gibney’s documentary focuses on Stuxnet, or “Operation Olympic Games,” a malicious computer worm developed by the United States and Israel to sabotage a key part of Iran’s nuclear program.

2017 — AlphaGo — Can an AI challenger defeat a legendary master in the game of Go? The battle between man and machine takes center stage in this documentary film chronicling Lee Sedol’s nail-biting match against AlphaGo, a computer program devised by Deep Mind Technologies to master the 3,000-year-old game.

2017 — The Circle — Mae (Emma Watson) lands a dream job at a technology and social media company called the Circle. She is soon handpicked by the founder (Tom Hanks) to participate in an experiment that takes transparency to a new level.

2017 — The Crash — The government enlists a team of white-collar criminals to thwart a cyberattack that threatens to bankrupt the United States.

2017 — Facebook: Cracking the Code — What does Facebook know about you? This documentary digs deep into the security issues that social media giant Facebook doesn’t want you to know, including how they track browsing data, promote targeted ads, and spread false information.

2017 — The Fate of the Furious — A cyberterrorist known as Cipher (Charlize Theron) coerces Dom (Vin Diesel) into working for her, hacks and takes control of cars, and reaps havoc.

2017 — Ghost in the Shell — Major (Scarlett Johansson) is saved from a terrible crash and cyber-enhanced as a soldier to stop the world’s most dangerous criminals. She soon discovers that her life was actually stolen and determines to recover her past, find out who did this to her, and stop them before they do it to others.

2017 — Kim Dotcom: Caught in the Web — This documentary tells the story of Megaupload founder Kim Dotcom, a super-hacker, entrepreneur and notorious Internet pirate accused of money laundering, racketeering, and copyright infringement.

2017 — Meeting Snowden — Edward Snowden, former CIA and NSA collaborator, has become infamous for initiating one of the most controversial mass surveillance scandals of all time. But who is he really? In this documentary, Lawrence Lassig and Birgitta Jónsdóttir sit down with the whistleblower to discuss the future of democracy, among other things.

2017 — Nothing to Hide — Do we really have nothing to hide? This documentary takes an in-depth look into government surveillance today and why the public seems to have unanimously accepted the loss of their right to online privacy.

2017 — Silk Road: Drugs, Death, and the Dark Web — In 2011, Ross Ulbricht launched the anonymous darknet website, Silk Road. This documentary explores everything the black market site had to offer, as well as the events leading up to — and following — Ulbricht’s inevitable arrest.

2017 — Stare Into The Lights My Pretties — Many of us live behind a screen, but at what cost? This documentary examines why so many people are addicted to their screens, all the while exploring the impact this collective mindset may have on our future.

2017 — Thoughtcrime — Directed by Bernd Riemann, this documentary compares the disturbing similarities between the disclosures made by former CIA employee Edward Snowden in 2013 and the world created by George Orwell in the dystopian science fiction film 1984, where independent thinking was censored and holding thoughts opposing those in power was considered a criminal act.

2017 — Weapons of Mass Surveillance — Directed by Elizabeth C. Jones, this documentary explores the dangerous alliance of Western surveillance technology and Middle Eastern governments who use that technology to monitor their citizens. It discusses how high-tech cyber-surveillance enables governments to record, archive, and analyze communications.

2018 — Anon — In a world where everyone’s lives are transparent, traceable, and recorded by the authorities, causing crime to almost cease, a detective (Clive Owen) tries to solve a series of murders that may involve a mysterious hacker (Amanda Seyfried).

2018 — Assassination Nation — After an anonymous hacker leaks the private information of the people of Salem, suspicion falls on four teenage girls who are targeted by the community.

2018 — Black Code — Told through accounts from exiled Brazilian activists, Syrian citizens, and Tibetan monks, this documentary explores how governments across the world are exploiting the internet to gain control over their people.

2018 — Cam — Alice (Madeline Brewer) is an exotic webcam performer whose life is turned upside down when her channel — and livelihood — are stolen by a scarily accurate look-alike. Determined to get her identity back, Alice sets out to unmask, and ultimately take down, the mysterious hacker.

2018 — The Cleaners — Nothing stays on the internet forever. The web’s self-cleaning nature dominates this documentary led by field experts, enlightening viewers to the process of content removal, alongside asking one poignant question: who decides what should, and should not, be seen?

2018 — The Creepy Line — Google and Facebook take center stage in this documentary that depicts how the social media platforms have perfected various manipulation tactics, all in the name of gaining access to the public’s personal and private information. Told through first-hand accounts, scientific experiments, and an in-depth analysis.

2018 — The Defenders — Produced by Cybereason, this documentary invites viewers inside the world of cybercrime, analyzing four of the most well-known cyberattacks throughout history — highlighted by commentary from those working to protect our institutions from the ever-changing cyber threat landscape.

2018 — Digital Addicts — How much do screens affect children’s brain development? This documentary follows a group of kids growing up in the digital age, highlighting the harmful, hyper-addictive nature of social media platforms, mobile phones, and more.

2018 — Do You Trust This Computer? — Is a smarter machine always a better machine? This documentary digs deep into the dangers of artificial intelligence, highlighted by commentary from some of the field’s most respected individuals, including Elon Musk.

2018 — Edward Snowden: Whistleblower or Spy? — In 2013, Edward Snowden infamously leaked highly classified information from the NSA. Five years later, this documentary looks back at the sensational time through interviews with participants and witnesses, including some who are speaking out for the first time.

2018 — The Feeling of Being Watched — This documentary is the result of journalist Assia Bendaoui’s investigation into rumors that the FBI has monitored her quiet, predominantly Arab-American neighborhood near Chicago since the 1990s. Her research exposed one of the FBI’s largest counter-terrorism investigations before 9/11.

2018 — General Magic  — This is the story of one of tech’s most influential and least memorable companies. Featuring commentary from members of the original Macintosh team alongside the creators of eBay, iPod, iPhone, and Android, this documentary explores how General Magic created the first handheld personal communicator, aka smartphone, and what happened after.

2018 — The Girl in the Spider’s Web — Computer hacker Lisbeth Salander (who is also an avenging angel for abused women) and journalist Mikael Blomkvist find themselves caught in a web of spies, cybercriminals and corrupt government officials.

2018 — Hacked — After losing his job to a state-of-the-art supercomputer, a disgruntled computer technician decides to test his replacement. In the meantime, a group of hackers infiltrates the building to steal the new technology.

2018 — Inside Facebook: Secrets of a Social Network — Which is more important: money or morality? This eye-opening documentary takes viewers inside Facebook’s moderating hub, demonstrating how the social media company regulates harmful content, such as child abuse and hate speech — although the results prove to be more concerning than comforting.

2018 — Inside the Russian Info War Machine — How does Russia undermine democratic governments, alter world events, and manipulate public opinion? In this documentary, acclaimed journalist Paul Moreira breaks down the Russian information war machine, including its hidden weapon: the trolls and hackers pushing Russia’s agenda across cyberspace.

2018 — Irumbu Thirai — A cat and mouse game for the digital age. After losing millions of dollars to a group of cybercriminals, a soldier sets out on a quest to get back everything he lost. Will his efforts be enough?

2018 — Johnny English Strikes Again — After a cyberattack reveals the identity of all of Britain’s active undercover agents, MI7 agent Johnny English must come out of retirement to find the mastermind hacker.

2018 — King of Crime — Marcus King (Mark Wingett) was a well-known crime lord on the streets … that is, until he brought his illegal empire to cyberspace. When Islamic extremists threaten everything he’s built, the newly cemented king of British cybercrime will do everything in his power to maintain his status.

2018 — Ocean’s 8 — On a mission to pull off an impossible heist at New York’s renowned Met Gala, hacker 9Ball (Rihanna) launches a spear-phishing campaign against an employee at the Metropolitan Museum of Art, gaining access to the museum’s security camera system and giving her all-female crew the insight they need to successfully steal one of the most valuable jewelry pieces in the world.

2018 — Peripheral — This horror film follows a successful young writer — Bobbi Johnson (Hannah Arterton) — who, after experiencing writer’s block while writing her second novel, employs an artificially intelligent software to finish her work. Little does Bobbi know, she’s about to uncover a dangerous conspiracy of social control.

2018 — Searching — A man becomes desperate when his 16-year-old daughter disappears and a police investigation is futile. Hoping to find clues, he searches her laptop, scours photos and videos, and begins contacting her friends.

2018 — Unfriended: Dark Web — After a teen finds a mysterious laptop, he invites several friends to play a game online. The night turns deadly when they become the target of cyber-terrorism.

2019 — BD2K: Big Data to Knowledge — Told through the stories of two patients battling disease in the information age, this documentary film explores how big data has changed the way medicine is practiced, as well as its effect on doctor-patient relationships.

2019 — Cyber Crime — In this documentary, 10 leading cybercrime experts discuss how billions of dollars a year are stolen or lost as a result of cybercrime, destroying businesses and lives.

2019 — Dataland — Living in a world that’s practically run by AI, it’s hard to think we’ve only just scratched the surface of what the technology is capable of — but it’s true. This documentary explores what the world’s top data scientists are working on behind closed doors.

2019 — The Great Hack — This documentary examines the Cambridge Analytica scandal through the roles of several people affected by it.

2019 — HAK_MTL — Tech companies claim to protect our privacy, but is it true? In this eye-opening documentary, a group of Canadian hackers launch an investigation into the internet and how it continues to track, store, and share users’ data, despite assurances that it doesn’t.

2019 — Hero or Villain? The Prosecution of Julian Assange — Depending on who you’re talking to, the name Julian Assange will provoke one of two feelings: fury or awe. This documentary, led by the ABC Four Corners Team, chronicles an investigation into the founder of Wikileaks, featuring commentary from some of the individuals who knew him best.

2019 — Kee — Siddharth (Jiiva) and Shivam (Govind Padmasoorya) share an affinity for hacking, but that’s all they have in common. When the two unexpectedly cross paths, a fight between hacking for good and evil breaks out — and the consequences are fatal.

2019 — Machine Learning: Living in the Age of AI — How do we interact with AI? The technology has cemented itself as one of the foundations of our digital age, but has yet to reach its full potential. This documentary examines what the future of artificial intelligence will look like and the many possibilities ahead of us.

2019 — Official Secrets —  Katharine Gun made headlines in 2003 after blowing the whistle on an illegal NSA spy operation. This drama film, starring Kiera Knightly and Matt Smith, chronicles the scandal, as well as the ensuing legal battles that uncovered top-secret manipulation tactics used by the highest levels of government in both the U.S. and the UK.

2019 — Password — A police officer hunts for a cybercriminal who is destroying people’s lives by hacking their passwords.

2019  — The Secrets of Silicon Valley — Directed by James Corbett, this documentary looks at the long and detailed history of Silicon Valley, located in the San Francisco Bay area, including how it was founded in the aftermath of World War II, the technology companies located there that have shaped the world through innovation, the ties between different companies and the government, and according to Corbett, the shadowy underworld hiding beneath the surface and why Big Tech means big trouble.

2019 — Third Eye Spies — Directed by Lance Mungia, this documentary reveals how an experiment in psychic abilities at Stanford Research Institute led to the CIA’s study of psychic abilities for more than 20 years for use in their top-secret spy program. Parapsychologists Russell Targ and Dean Radin are interviewed, along with dozens of others, regarding recently declassified information.

2019 — Unfriends — In this Bollywood thriller, Veer, who has an idea for a startup, receives a Facebook friend request from Vijay, who becomes his investor. While on a long celebration drive, they meet a girl named Mauli. When Vijay rapes her and intends to kill her, Veer comes to her rescue and helps her escape. When she is later subjected to abuse on the internet, Veer seeks justice for her.

2019 — WannaCry: The Marcus Hutchins Story — Marcus Hutchins, a British computer researcher, became an “accidental hero” when he discovered a kill switch in May 2017 that stopped the spread of WannaCry, hours after the ransomware affected thousands of systems across the world. Three months later, the FBI arrested him because of his involvement in a banking trojan. This documentary, directed by Hugo Berkeley, is his firsthand story.

2019 — Who You Think I Am — A 50-year-old divorced teacher (Juliette Binoche) uses a photo of a young, pretty blonde to create a fake Facebook profile of a 24-year-old woman after being ghosted by her 20-something lover.

2019 — You Can’t Watch This — This independent documentary by George Llewelyn-John discusses freedom of speech and the online world. It highlights stories of five individuals who lose their access to social media and how that censorship affects them.

2020 — Archive — Roboticist George Almore (Theo James) is working to create a true human-equivalent AI, but when his focus turns to reuniting with his dead wife, Julie (Stacy Martin), he finds himself reaping Dr. Frankenstein-worthy consequences.

2020 — The Big Reset 2.0 — Every day, AI grows more functional, intelligent, and capable of completing even the most complicated tasks, but at what point does it become too much? In this documentary produced by Germany’s international broadcaster, Deutsche Welle (DW), experts discuss the field’s ongoing battle between risk and reward.

2020 — Childhood 2.0 — What does it mean to be a child in the highly vulnerable digital age? Online predators, cyberbullying, and mental health take center stage in this documentary that delves into the real-life issues plaguing kids and parents today.

2020 — CyberlanteAfter getting a job at an isolated hotel run by a cruel bully, Matt (Gavin Gordon) finds himself at the center of a battle between hacking for good and evil.

2020 — Enemies of the State —  This American documentary film follows Matt DeHart, targeted by the U.S. government for having confidential documents alleging misconduct by the CIA.

2020 — Interference: Democracy at Risk — In 2016, many new threats against our democracy came to light, such as misinformation campaigns and voter fraud, all of which wouldn’t be possible if not for the advanced, digital age we live in. This documentary urges viewers to make sure it never happens again.

2020 — The Internet of Everything — This documentary discusses how the internet now invades every aspect of our lives, through things beyond computers and phones — such as garbage cans, refrigerators and city infrastructures. It also talks about the problems the Internet has created and asks the question: will the future be a surveillance nightmare or an eco-utopia. Who will determine the outcome?

2020 — Julian Assange: Revolution Now — Overnight, Julian Assange went from coder to convict. This documentary tells the story of the founder of Wikileaks and how his mission to entrust the public with some of the most private information made him an enemy of the United States government.

2020 — Kill Chain: The Cyber War on America’s Elections — Produced by HBO, this documentary examines the rising number of tech vulnerabilities in the American electoral system, featuring an eye-opening demonstration of how secure electronic voting machines are by hackers at DEFCON, the world’s largest hacking conference.

2020 — KnowBe4: The Making Of A Unicorn — A Cybersecurity Story. How CEO Stu Sjouwerman built a culture of fun and a company worth $1 billion. With Chief Hacking Officer Kevin Mitnick. 23-minute documentary produced by Cybercrime Magazine.

2020 — No Safe Spaces — What does freedom of speech look like in the age of social media? In this documentary, comedian Adam Corrolla and talk show host Dennis Prager travel across America to explore what the future holds for the First Amendment.

2020 — Out Of Dark — Ever wondered what it’s like to be a spy? This eye-opening documentary invites cameras on a mission with a real-world intelligence operative,  giving viewers an in-depth look into the top-secret world of foreign and domestic surveillance.

2020 — Password — A Saw-esque thriller in which an IT employee awakens to find himself tied to a chair, surrounded by a dead body and a laptop. Discovering he’s been kidnapped, the employee must find a way out, but will the financial imbalance of India post-globalization get in his way?

2020 — Screen Generation — Gen X, Millennials, Gen Z … and then what? Following the generation dubbed the “Digital Natives,” this documentary ponders what’s in store for the children that grew up behind a screen. Researchers in the U.S. and Europe were interviewed.

2020 — The Social Dilemma — This documentary explores the dangerous human impact of social networking.

2020 — Tenet — In this action thriller directed by Christopher Nolen, an organization called Tenet recruits an unnamed CIA operative known as The Protagonist (John David Washington) for a mission involving “time inversion” to counter a future threat and stop World War III.

2020 — We Need to Talk About A.I. — Director Leanne Pooley takes a close look at the future of artificial intelligence and the impact it will have on the world, including how computers will have the capacity to design and program themselves as they continue to evolve.

2021 — Chakra — Military officer Chandru (Vishal Krishna) is one of fifty people who are robbed on Independence Day. After he discovers his most prized possession was stolen, Chandru joins forces with a police officer to hunt down the dangerous cybercriminal responsible.

2021 — Cryptopia: Bitcoin, Blockchains, And The Future Of The Internet — Filmmaker Torsten Hoffmannn’s eye-opening look into the world of cryptocurrency and the controversy surrounding it, featuring commentary from some of the industry’s major players.

2021 — Dark Web: Cicada 3301 — After visiting the dark web, Connor (Jack Kesy), a gifted hacker, is invited to join the mysterious secret society Cicada 3301. He accepts and soon finds himself embroiled in an intense, high-stakes race against the NSA. Based on real-life events.

2021 —Dark Web: Fighting Cybercrime — The fight against cybercrime takes center stage in this documentary highlighting the security industry and its ceaseless determination to defend against the growing number of digital threats.

2021 — Dear Hacker — What happens when your webcam goes rogue? The directorial debut of French filmmaker Alice Lenay, this documentary is a must-watch for anyone who’s ever wondered about the inner workings of a webcam.

2021 — MY.DOOM: Earth’s Deadliest [Computer] Virus  — First seen in 2004, MyDoom is universally acknowledged as the worst computer virus of all time, having caused over $38 billion in losses. This documentary explores MyDoom’s origins and chaotic run, all the while making an argument for just how essential white hat hackers really are.

2021 — Hacker Fairies — A short drama that follows two white hat hackers on a mission to retrieve stolen photos of several women. Not long into the search, one of the women asks to learn more about hacking. Can she be trusted? 

2021 — Hacker: Trust No One When Danny cofounds a new cryptocurrency, he thinks it will make him rich. When he gets caught hacking, though, he and his girlfriend end up on a hit list instead.

2021 — Love Hard — A columnist, who writes about her bad dating experiences, thinks she has met her perfect match on a dating app. When she flies across country to surprise him for Christmas, she learns she’s been catfished.

2021 — The Perfect Weapon — Based on a best-selling book by New York Times national security correspondent David E. Sanger, this documentary explores the rise of cyber conflict as the primary way nations now compete with and sabotage one another. ‌Directed by John Maggio, it features interviews with top military, intelligence, and political officials on the frontlines of cyberterrorism.

2021 — Silk Road — Directed by Tiller Russell, this is the story of the anonymous dark web market launched by Ross Ulbricht in early 2011. Ulbricht was jailed for life after an FBI operation shut down Silk Road.

2021 — The Mitchells vs The Machines — Starring Maya Rudolph, Danny McBride, Eric Andre, and more, this animated film follows the Mitchell family, who stumble into an unprecedented robot apocalypse and find themselves fighting to save the future of humanity.

2021 — The Spy in Your Phone — The positive side of smartphones is that they keep us connected, entertain us, store data, and so much more. This documentary highlights the dangers, including privacy issues, how messaging and social media sites store our data and use it, how individuals and organizations can target us through spyware, and the concern about government mass surveillance. It also discusses what you can do to protect your data.

2021 — Twenty Hacker — Hex is a hacker who runs Better World, a “white hacker” club. When he discovers that black hackers have ruined his father’s company, he enlists his club members to take them down, resulting in an inevitable showdown.

2021 — WANNACRY: Earth’s Deadliest [Computer] Virus — This documentary examines how a computer virus that began as a small crypto worm in 2017 ended up infecting thousands of computers as ransomware. It describes the complex process that allowed it to be distributed in several ways and delves into a parallel story.

2022 — Glimpse — This surveillance-footage thriller follows three individuals, who are up for the same job, as their lives slowly spiral out of control. Starring an ensemble cast including Michael Emerson, Raúl Esparza, and David Alan Basche.

2022 — Hacker: Trust No One — This drama film tells the story of a hacker who finds himself and his girlfriend on a hit list after getting mixed up in the shady world of cryptocurrency.

2022 — Hot Seat — Mel Gibson stars in this riveting tale about an IT expert and former hacker, Friar (Kevin Dillon), who finds himself in the middle of a potentially explosive cyber robbery. Forced to choose between stealing digital funds or having his daughter abducted, Friar is left to determine what matters most while simultaneously working to get out of the hot seat.

2022 — Keedam — Main character Radhika Balan is a cybersecurity expert who believes in using technology to benefit others, but after falling victim to a cyberstalking incident and losing any semblance of privacy, she’s left with no choice but to take matters into her own hands.

2022 — Kimi — Starring Zoe Kravitz and Rita Wilson, this thriller chronicles the events that take place after an agoraphobic tech worker discovers evidence of a violent crime, which ultimately leads to her greatest challenge yet — leaving the house.

2022 — Stalked Within — This thriller follows Gary, a home security operator, who begins to spy on a single mother using his company’s technology equipment. It’s only a matter of time before his obsession turns deadly.

2022 — The Takeover — When an ethical hacker is framed for murder, she must track down those who are blackmailing her, stop them, and clear her name. Starring Holly Mae Brood, Geza Weisz, and Frank Lammers.

2023 — @ — A techno-thriller starring Rachel David as an ethical hacker, this film revolves around the dark web and the horrors that lurk within it. Audiences will become acquainted with the many crimes that take place, such as drug peddling, and the cyberattacks that come to fruition in the deep net.

2023 — M3GAN — Artificially intelligent doll M3GAN is a technological wonder, designed to befriend children and support parents. However, it’s only a matter of time until M3GAN becomes sentient and decides to take on a life of her own, leaving those around her to reap the extraordinary consequences.

2023 — Reality — This drama tells the story of Reality Winner, the former American intelligence specialist who was given the longest prison sentence for the unauthorized release of government information to the media about Russian interference in the 2016 United States elections via an email operation. Sydney Sweeney stars in the titular role.

So far no hits. I recon that the movie should be somewhere in the early 1990’s to 2005 time frame. Low budget, but a seriously important movie. Perhaps it was a spin off of movies of the Matrix genre… Which would place it around 1999. Or maybe right before it, 1995. And the movie Matrix completely overshadowed it.

Still looking.

Sigh.

US hegemony uses 800 military bases and 11 aircraft carriers to force the world to follow US economics, trade and finance rules for USA benefits. Anyone refusing is sanctioned, or if weak violently attacked using human rights excuses. That is coercive diplomacy.

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main qimg 59d1f1636ca46f2c9998e9beee52d1a6 lq

US hegemony in last 70yrs means endless wars, endless arms sales and endless Tbills and usd printing. It is not sustainable now USA printed usd31trillion and deficits are still adding Tbills. Does the world want to continue wars and deaths for US profits? Most of the world says no.

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main qimg a9de785360da1617bf9217de05f28c9f

The 1950s in SHOCKINGLY BEAUTIFUL Colorized Photos

Things Worth Experiencing At Least Once In Your Life, According To People Online

In the everyday rush and routine, we probably don’t find time to think about what we want to do in this life and what really would make us happy. It may be for our whole life or it can also be something that will make us the happiest people alive for a day. There are particular locations, feelings, purchases or activities that we dream about. I may be wrong but many of us probably have our bucket lists made. Some of us have written it down and are actually saving money for our dreams, some of us have written it in our notes and from time to time check it out to see if maybe we managed to complete some of the things. But some of us just have it in our head and create something on the spot if this topic comes up.

  • Reading a book so good you can’t fall asleep without reading a new chapter, and to feel slightly sad when you finish it.
  • Walking in the snowy woods at night.
  • What it’s like to work a busy shift at a restaurant – can be any role, waiting tables, bussing, cooking, hosting. Everyone should have one evening where you are trying to serve and cater to dozens of people at once. You should know how it feels to bring someone the wrong dish or spill a glass on someone. You should know how it feels to work hard af and get no tip, get told to take something back like it’s your fault, all the normal things that happen during a busy shift.
  • Seeing an ocean in person, from a beach.
  • Contentment and security. Not necessarily full happiness, but satisfaction in your own life, and safety within it.
  • I have two. One is seeing a starry night sky, no clouds, no light pollution, just a beautiful night sky. Or better yet, the northern lights. Second is seeing the view from a mountain peak. People always talk about how ugly the world is, but I think these two things really remind you of how beautiful earth is too.
  • A good nights sleep.
  • Being in love with someone who loves you back
  • The sound of it snowing. I laid on the ground, in the snow at night in the Alaskan wilderness, in December, it’s so peaceful.
  • Even if it’s only for a short period of time: full financial independence, while being single. You can pay your own bills, you have your own place, and you have full freedom over your free time. Whether it’s staying in and binge watching Netflix, or going out and sitting amongst strangers. Your time is your own. No kids. No spouse or significant other. I find this is when you really get to know and understand yourself.
  • A loving and supportive group of humans.
  • Having real friends
  • going on a forest and smelling rain
  • Everyone should experience the joys of traveling to a foreign land at least once in their lifetime, even if it’s just to realize how much they love their own toilet. Imagine discovering new cultures, cuisines, and the thrill of trying to communicate with locals using just charades and a phrasebook. Trust me, it’s a life-changing experience that’ll give you a new appreciation for your home and a killer accent to boot.
  • Moving away from your hometown, even if it is for a year
  • A hug, simple but important
  • The energy of a concert.
  • Being well and absolutely disconnected. No phones, no GPS. I last had that experience in the early 90s. Being somewhere with someone you trust and the two of you are the only people who know where you are and what you are doing.
  • Working a minimum or entry level job as a first job especially when young.
    It really makes you appreciate money and interactions with people because it sucked and you got so little of anything even less some respect. Hell you even get to treat the people that work those jobs nicer because you were them once.
  • Another culture. And I don’t mean as a tourist where you have all the comforts of home. To fully absorb and immerse yourself in the lives of that culture. To eat their foods, drink their drinks, and do as they do.

1970s Things Found In Every Home

https://youtu.be/0g4zXepHASM

Claims that the Belt and Road initiative “could create a new epidemic” are a bizarre new line of attack on Beijing’s efforts in the country

By Timur Fomenko, a political analyst

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main qimg cbd3f646f3209e52f089b8dfb923c54d

A young man rides atop a load of cluster bomb casings and bomb scrap that his family is taking to a scrap market in town, Xieng Khouang, Laos, 2005. © Jerry Redfern/LightRocket via Getty Images

Laos – a landlocked communist state in Southeast Asia, wedged between China, Vietnam, Cambodia and Myanmar – has the potential to be a nexus of sorts for the entire region. However, its cooperation with Beijing has come under fire from the West.

The impoverished nation holds the unenviable distinction of “the most bombed country in history” after the US dropped over 2 million tons of bombs on it during the Vietnam War. Laos is still weathering the consequences, including deaths from unexploded munitions. Faced with numerous challenges, it has leaned on its giant northern neighbor for assistance.

In recent years, Laos has benefited considerably from China’s Belt and Road Initiative (BRI). In late 2021, the China-Laos railway was built, a high-speed system connecting the country’s capital to Beijing. This has been a gamechanger for its foreign trade and exports. Сurrently, a new superhighway is also being built across the country. Last week, however, an article from Reuters

attracted widespread disdain on social media as it sought to frame China’s development in the country as risking a “new pandemic.” It was titled ‘China, birthplace of the covid pandemic, is laying tracks for another global health crisis.’

The article argued that Laos is home to a bat population that carries “novel coronaviruses,” the same source which allegedly gave rise to Covid-19. By building a highway through the country’s tropical forests, the argument goes, humans will be brought into closer contact with bats, thus destroying their environment and risking a new pandemic. This textbook example of an over-the-top ‘China bad’ story exaggerates and fixates on the speculated negative consequences of Beijing’s activities, never providing the full picture. It is never touched on, for example, how up to 50 people a year in Laos continue to die from undetonated US bombs dropped on the country during the Vietnam war.

Western media at large have it in for China’s relationship with Laos, with outlets denouncing Chinese investments as a “debt trap ” and accusing Laos of being a “vassal state.” Why is it met with such backlash? First of all, Laos is arguably the single most pro-Chinese state in Southeast Asia, the region which the US is aggressively targeting as part of its Indo-Pacific strategy. Despite being communist, Washington sees Vietnam as a potential military and economic counterweight to Beijing due to its maritime periphery; however, Laos is a landlocked state which reduces US geopolitical leverage in countering China. Laos is also fearful of neighboring Vietnam and sees Beijing as a guarantor in securing its own independence.

This, combined with America’s bloody history in the country, and the fact it is a communist state, makes Laos a very comfortable neighbor for China, which also stands as its biggest economic guarantor. Chinese-backed infrastructure is helping the landlocked and impoverished country to gain easier access to ports and markets. Furthermore, by making it a nexus of the region, China is also integrating itself with Thailand and allowing its goods to flow to more Southeast Asian ports. This becomes an obstacle to the US vision of hegemony over the region, which involves completely dominating China’s maritime periphery in a way that checks its ability to project power and shape global commerce.

As a result, the Western corporate media are encouraged to vilify the BRI, including specifically its impact in Laos. Those doubting that there is a concerted effort to do this need only look at the America COMPETES Act of 2022, which allocates $500 million to media outlets to ostensibly “combat Chinese disinformation” for overseas audiences. Among other things, it specifically targets the BRI, effectively incentivizing negative coverage of the Chinese infrastructure project. The US hates the BRI, because it creates connections in Eurasia and therefore changes the strategic landscape away from the maritime routes dominated by America.

The Reuters story in particular draws upon the tried-and-trusted practice of scapegoating China for the Covid-19 pandemic to fearmonger about its road development in Laos. But one must question whether the US ever acknowledged what it did to Laos? Did it apologize for dropping 270 million

cluster bombs on it? An estimated 80 million of those did not explode, and while the US has invested in clean-up efforts, the 50,000 lives these bombs have claimed since the end of the war clearly show this is not enough.

Now, China is not only boosting the Laotian economy with its railroad construction, but also helping clear the deadly consequences of American militarism. Meanwhile, the West keeps promising alternatives to the BRI, with a new name cropping up virtually every year, but talk is cheap and these promises have yet to bear fruit. It’s easy to take the moral high ground on an issue when you aren’t the one who has to bear the consequences. It’s fair to say, if there is a new Cold War, Laos won’t be siding with the West.

Why does the USA attack China so much?

This one chart explains it all.

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2023 05 24 06 58

“Yes, the CIA and FBI WILL rig the 2024 election”

China’s first domestically designed aircraft carrier having EMALS gets launched

The Fujian, the largest aircraft carrier ever built by China, is a crucial part of the Chinese navy. China is making rapid progress in developing advanced aircraft carriers that are on par with those of the US.

It is worth noting that China has chosen to name its new aircraft carrier after Fujian, a province located just across a narrow strait from Taiwan.

The 80,000 metric ton CNS Fujian is 50% larger than China’s current in-service carriers, putting the People’s Liberation Army Navy in the same class as supercarriers like the US Nimitz-class ships, which weigh 100,000 tons.

Unlike China’s other two carriers, the Liaoning and the Shandong, which are based on outdated Soviet technology and utilize a ski-jump launching system, the Fujian is equipped with an advanced electromagnetic aircraft launch system, similar to that used on the US’s newest carrier, the USS Gerald Ford. This new system will enable China to launch a greater variety of aircraft more quickly and with more ammunition onboard.

After approximately 18 months of trials, China’s largest warship CNS Fujian is expected to become operational by October 2024.

The Fujian and a fourth carrier, which is also under construction, are larger and able to carry more aircraft than the two existing vessels. The South China Morning Post reported in March last year that the fourth carrier might be nuclear-powered.

G7 leaders in Japan declare, China number one enemy

$200 Was Too High For Me But My Mom Insisted On Buying This

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645b4220aa252 WacpqAi 700

Amarjeet Sada, The 8 YO Serial Killer…

https://youtu.be/kEIMLQ-vE8Q

Chicago-Style Sausage and Peppers

Yield: 8 servings

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2023 05 22 18 29

Ingredients

  • 2 tablespoons corn oil
  • 1 large red onion, thinly sliced
  • 2 large yellow bell peppers, cored, seeded and thinly sliced
  • 2 large red bell peppers, cored, seeded and thinly sliced
  • 1/4 cup Jack Daniels Sour Mash Whiskey
  • 1/4 cup dark brown sugar, packed
  • 1 tablespoon chopped fresh thyme
  • Salt and pepper to taste
  • 8 spicy Italian sausages (4 ounces each), not hot dogs!
  • 8 good quality hot dog buns
  • 2 tablespoons reserved sausage grease or soft butter

Instructions

  1. Heat corn oil in large skillet and sauté the onions and peppers until tender and beginning to brown, about 10 minutes over medium heat.
  2. Add the bourbon and stir quickly until absorbed.
  3. Add the brown sugar and stir until the sugar melts.
  4. Season with thyme, salt and pepper. (Can be refrigerated for one week. Let come to room temperature before serving.)
  5. Char-grill the sausages until slightly blackened and cooked through.
  6. Brush the hot dog buns with a little sausage grease or butter and toast on the grill or under the broiler.
  7. Nestle a sausage in a bun and top with about 2 tablespoons of peppers and onions.

Yup. The test case was a couple weeks ago.

American soldier crashed a car. He was arrested by Japanese cops. The US government demanded he be released immediately and actual threats were made by the US government to the Japanese government.

The Japanese government rolled over.

That’s the big test of if your country is a US bitch or not.

Korea had THIS

Yangju highway incident - Wikipedia

Killing, 2 Korean girls, US army vehicle Coordinates : 37°51′28″N 126°56′56″E  /  37.857722°N 126.948972°E  / 37.857722; 126.948972  ( Location of the Yangju highway incident ) The Yangju highway incident , also known as the Yangju training accident or Highway 56 Accident , occurred on June 13, 2002, in Yangju , Gyeonggi-do, South Korea . 

A United States Army armored vehicle-launched bridge , returning to base in Uijeongbu on a public road after training maneuvers in the countryside, struck and killed two 14-year-old South Korean schoolgirls, Shin Hyo-sun ( Korean : 신효순) and Shim Mi-seon ( Korean : 심미선). 

The American soldiers involved were found not guilty of negligent homicide in the court martial , further inflaming anti-American sentiment in South Korea and sparking a series of candlelight vigil protests in protest of their deaths. 

The memory of the two schoolgirls is commemorated annually in South Korea

The UK had THIS

Death of Harry Dunn - Wikipedia

Fatal road traffic collision resulting in UK/US diplomatic controversy Coordinates : 51°59′49″N 1°11′45″W  /  51.9969593°N 1.1959241°W  / 51.9969593; -1.1959241 

Death of Harry Dunn Date 27 August 2019 Time 20:25 BST Location B4031 road near RAF Croughton Cause Road traffic collision Deaths Harry Dunn Burial 17 September 2019 

Inquiries Northamptonshire Police Convicted Anne Sacoolas Charges Causing death by careless driving (convicted) Causing death by dangerous driving (acquitted) 

Harry Dunn was a 19-year-old British man who died following a road traffic collision on 27 August 2019. 

He was riding his motorcycle near Croughton, Northamptonshire , United Kingdom, near the exit to RAF Croughton , when a car travelling in the opposite direction and on the wrong side of the road collided with him. 

The car was driven by Anne Sacoolas, who is a former US spy and wife of CIA employee Jonathan Sacoolas, stationed at the time at USAF listening station RAF Croughton. 

Sacoolas admitted that she had been driving the car on the wrong side of the road , and the police said that, based on CCTV footage, they believed that to be true. 

Dunn was pronounced dead at the Major Trauma Centre of John Radcliffe Hospital , Oxford. The collision caused diplomatic tension between UK and US officials. 

Sacoolas fled the UK soon after the incident and claimed diplomatic immunity with US support.

Italy had THIS

1998 Cavalese cable car crash - Wikipedia

US Navy aircraft struck ski lift, Italy The Cavalese cable car crash , also known as the Cermis massacre ( Italian : Strage del Cermis ), occurred on February 3, 1998, near the Italian town of Cavalese , a ski resort in the Dolomites some 40 kilometres (25 mi) northeast of Trento . 

Twenty people were killed when a United States Marine Corps EA-6B Prowler aircraft, flying too low and against regulations, in order for the pilots to "have fun" and "take videos of the scenery", cut a cable supporting a cable car of an aerial lift . 

The pilot, Captain Richard J. Ashby, and his navigator , Captain Joseph Schweitzer, were put on trial in the United States and found not guilty of involuntary manslaughter and negligent homicide .

If Americans can come and wantonly commit crimes and get almost no punishment then you’re essentially an occupied country.

For Japan. THIS.

Why is China’s economy continuing to grow to the point it is the largest or second largest economy in the world based on which method used to compare economies.

China has been able to harness a number of factors over several decades that has benefited its people economically. The Chinese government has taken great effort to improve the lives of its people. Its goal is to create a moderately prosperous society for its huge population. With a country of 1.4 billion people moderately prosperous equates to a large economy.

China has devoted a lot of effort to educate its people. In 1950 the literacy rate was 20%, but today it is over 97%. Eduction is highly important to the government. This has led China to produce the most STEM (science, technology, engineering, math) graduates yearly, which drives innovation.

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2023 05 22 18 50

Chinese culture is one of business and that means trade is an important part business activity. Now days China trades with almost every country globally. It is the primary trade partner with many.

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2023 05 22 18 50s

With China’s huge manufacturing sector needed to produce goods for it huge population benefits from economies of scale. This in turn drives down manufacturing costs making goods cheaper in China and for export.

Developed economies for the most part are service economies not manufacturing ones, hence their need to import goods.

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2023 05 22 18 51

China’s ability to produce a wide variety of goods from simple utensils to automobiles and high speed trains means it can produce much of what other countries need but cannot produce.

All the above and more is why China’s economy continues to grow at a faster rate compared to the developed countries of the West.

1970’s Rmic Hand Chair

Thrift store find.

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645b42c261a00 i0xjb5adkgq91 700

Kenyan President Ruto Says African Leaders Won’t Be Summoned Like Kids By The West No Longer

Ukrainian Artist Dinara Kasko Continues To Push The Boundaries Of Pastry Design

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Here are the incredible edibles of pastry chef Dinara Kasko. The culinary artist from Ukraine has amassed a huge online following for her innovative cake designs and moulds. Although Dinara graduated from Kharkov University Architecture School, she found her true passion was pastry. However, she now uses her background in architectural design to create her incredible cakes as she uses the 3D-modelling program, 3DSMAX, to create silicone cake moulds.

More: Instagram, Shop h/t: twistedsifter

dinarakasko 41614189 861744723949514 5990201141601036649 n 650x650
dinarakasko 41614189 861744723949514 5990201141601036649 n 650×650
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No, because both have nukes. The US has been doing everything to stop China’s rise. Lying and accusing China on human rights, genocide, and whatever sins they can think of to discredit China. The US now summons her vassals to go to war with China to weaken China’s economy and military, similar to UR conflict.

Only BABY BOOMERS will REMEMBER these things

“Garden Decor” For Sale On Fb Marketplace

645b403106763 s25p8if49hva1 700
645b403106763 s25p8if49hva1 700

TWO BOEING E-4B COMMAND AND CONTROL AIRCRAFT AIRBORNE OVER CONTINENTAL USA

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Fwr0UwcWIAECb3W

Things No Longer Found at Gas Stations

Did I Just Find A Serial Killer?

645b3feab2a20 rspiyltzhkta1 700
645b3feab2a20 rspiyltzhkta1 700

Chicago Hot Dogs

Never leave the celery salt off the Chicago Dogs! They won’t be the same. I guarantee it.

chicago hot dogs
chicago hot dogs

Ingredients

  • All-beef hot dogs
  • Green sweet bell pepper, diced
  • Yellow onions, diced
  • Mustard
  • Sweet pickle relish
  • Dill pickle chips
  • Cucumbers, sliced thin
  • Iceberg lettuce, shredded
  • Tomatoes, diced
  • Hot peppers (pepperoncini)
  • Celery salt

Instructions

  1. Steam hot dogs and put condiments on table. NEVER USE KETCHUP! Celery salt is a MUST!
  2. Serve on poppy seed buns, if they are available.

Kenya President Gets Standing Ovation in Pan-African Parliament for Epic Speech

2023 05 24 11 21
2023 05 24 11 21
2023 05 24 11 22
2023 05 24 11 22

No Eyedea What It Is, From Goodwill

645b552224d55 boe4rfeamiia1 700
645b552224d55 boe4rfeamiia1 700

Scam may be overstating it, but they will seize your money without warning or explanation and you should avoid using them as much as possible, especially if you are a business.

I would strongly advise anyone, especially a seller, to avoid using Paypal. Like many, I was in the camp of “They’re the most established payment service on the web and I’ve never had a problem with them.” Until I did, and I’ve learned of the massive amount of unethical behavior they get away with.

In my case, the situation’s not too severe, but it’s still frustrating. I coached a client overseas in Europe. He wanted to pay with Paypal. Not having a better suggestion, I thought sure, why not? I coached, he sent the funds over, all set, right?

Paypal put a hold on the funds for a few days to make sure things were in good order. Shortly thereafter, they suspended my account. I got the following email:

2023 05 24 14 58
2023 05 24 14 58

Mind you, I have literally only done a single transaction on this account, the one I just did. I had no warning there was a problem with my account and my client is in good standing with Paypal. I did not receive any explanation.

On the site, my account now has a banner that looks like this:

2023 05 24 14 59
2023 05 24 14 59

I can no longer transfer money, unlink my bank account, remove my personal information, or anything. Paypal has indefinitely seized my money.

If I attempt to refund my client, they tell me the attempt fails due to technical reasons.

Paypal offered no explanation for the freeze. They claimed the funds would be released after a review that ended on May 15th, 2023, and I got this email:

2023 05 24 15 01
2023 05 24 15 01

I consequently reported them to the Better Business Bureau. Paypal actually responded on this, claiming that my account used an “anonymizing service” (I assume referring to the fact I use a VPN for all of my Internet activity) and that I share limited access with another account (I have no idea what this means). These were the only explanations given for why they seized my funds.

2023 05 24 15 02
2023 05 24 15 02

I will reiterate that I never received any warning or notification that my account had any issues prior to the transaction. It was only after the transaction, when Paypal had possession of my money, that they notified me they would be keeping it for themselves.

If they genuinely believed I was a security risk, they should have prevented my transaction in the first place, or immediately refunded my client’s payment. It’s like if I tried to ship a package with UPS, and UPS just said “we think you might be a drug dealer so we’re just going to keep your package for ourselves.”

As of now, I have requested only that they refund my client. Even if they have an issue with me, I don’t see how they can justify refusing a refund. At this time I have not received a response and my client has not been refunded.

So I know you might be thinking, because I was thinking – “Howie it clearly must be just something with you. You did something wrong to justify this treatment.” I am far from alone.

They faced a class action lawsuit for this behavior in 2022

. They seized $172,000 from one plaintiff, $42,000 from another, and $26,984 from a third. Very similar situation – frozen account, no explanation, get a subpoena if you want to find out why.

If you’d like a plethora of horror stories, just visit the ecommerce subreddit

.

Read any of the reviews on trustpilot

, consumeraffairs

, or wherever else. Obviously there is a tendency to leave negative reviews rather than positive to go in appreciating that, but you’ll find many, many users who’ll tell you this same story.

Whether you think I’m just a crazy one-off case or not, I strongly encourage you take measures to protect yourself so you do not become a victim as well. I’d offer the following suggestions.

  • If you can avoid using Paypal, do so.
  • If you must use Paypal, keep as little balance in your account as possible, as it can be seized at any time.
  • If you can associate Paypal with a deposit-only account, do so. They shouldn’t be able to withdraw from your linked bank account without your consent, but there are some user horror stories where that has happened.
  • Be aware that Paypal owns Venmo as well.

There are numerous alternatives to Paypal, several of which even charge lower fees, including Stripe, Wise, Square, Google, and more. All have better reputations and at the very least I can tell you none of them have taken my money for themselves.

Good luck. I hope this post helps you avoid being a victim.

Everything You Remember And Miss About…SEARS

41 Countries Ready To Accept BRICS Currency

The list of countries interested to join the BRICS alliance and accept the new currency for global trade is growing. 

China and Russia are lobbying other developing countries in joining the international efforts to dethrone the U.S. dollar. 

Developing countries in Asia and Africa are looking to replace the U.S. dollar with their native currencies or a new tender. 

The development is causing a roadblock to the dollar’s prospects and challenging its status as the world reserve currency...


Article HERE

Not possible.

China is an outlier in most aspects of economy and it is impossible for India to catch up in foreseeable future because –

  1. Current differential between the two countries is too large
  2. Factors that enable future growth (education, innovation, industrialization) are not firing on all cylinders either

Listed below are the data points from few indicators to illustrate the situation –

Trade & Industrialization:

  • Total exports (2016): India – $260 billion, China – $2.1 trillion
    • apparel: India – $18 billion, China – $175 billion
    • footwear: India – $2.5 billion, China – $51 billion
    • electrical and electronics – India – $8 billion, China – $782 billion
  • Number of large companies in Fortune 500 (2017): India has 7, China has 109

Infrastructure & Facilities:

  • High Speed Rails:
    • India – first HSR project (Mumbai-Ahmedabad) started in 2017, to be functional by 2022 covering 500 km
    • China – already has 25,000 km of HSR network, transporting double the volume of passengers than airlines
  • Metro Trains:
    • India – 8 cities with total track length of 370 km
    • China – 39 cities with total track length of 3,600 km (Beijing metro alone is 600 km)
  • Airports: India has 346, China has 507 (2013 data)
  • World’s Top 1000 hospitals: India has 9, China has 84

Tourism:

  • Foreign Tourist arrivals: India – 10 million,
  • China – 60 millionTourism revenue:
  • India – $27 billion,
  • China – $114 billion

Education & Innovation:

  • World’s Top 500 universities: India has 8, China has 21
    Adult Literacy: India 74% (2011 data), expected to hit mid-80’s by next census (2021), China – 99% (2010)
  • Number of Patents and Trademarks: both India and China are in world’s Top 10 (2016 data)
    Patents filed by India – 45k, China – 1.3 million
    • Trademarks listed by India – 313k, China – 3.7 million

Rising Income levels:

  • 75% of world’s new billionaires are coming from India and China:
    • Since 2010, India is adding one new billionaire every 33 days
      China is adding one new billionaire every 5 days
    • India has world’s third highest number of billionaires and China has world’s largest:

      Number of billionaires in India – 131, China – 819
  • Expanding Middle Class:
    • India – 600 million people, based on the criteria of spending ($2 to $10 per day)
      Only 24 million people, if based on the criteria of wealth ($13k)
    • China – 500 million by 2022, based on the criteria of earning ($9k to 34k)
    • GDP Per Capita: India – $1.7k, China – $8.1k
  • Overall Economy:
  • Forex reserves: India – $400 billion, China – $3 trillion
  • GDP (nominal): India – $2.5 trillion, China – $11 trillion
  • Trend
2023 05 24 11 39
2023 05 24 11 39

Key Take-Aways and Summary:

  • China’s exports of only electricals and electronics ($782 billion) are three times of India’s total exports ($260 billion)
  • Length of metro in China’s one city (Beijing – 600 km) is more than total length of all metros in India (370 km)
  • China’s forex reserves ($3 trillion) are more than India’s total GDP ($2.5 trillion)
  • China’s middle class is not only larger, but also richer than India’s middle class – making it a more attractive investment destination
  • India’s growth story is real, but China’s growth story is much bigger. On most economic indicators, India has been performing good, but China has been performing a lot better
  • Before 2020, India is estimated to overtake UK and France to become world’s fifth largest economy
2023 05 24 11 40
2023 05 24 11 40
  • By 2030, India is expected to overtake Germany and Japan to become world’s third largest economy. But even then ($6 trillion +), it would be less than one-third the size of China’s economy ($20 trillion +)
2023 05 24 11 4r1
2023 05 24 11 4r1

If interested, please refer to my other write-ups on India – China topics:

Shashank Goyal’s answer to Why has China developed so much faster than India?

Shashank Goyal’s answer to Why did China invade India in 1962?

Sylvester Stallone Prop Found In A Thrift Store

645b40887af3c k6fmm1gh0aj91 700
645b40887af3c k6fmm1gh0aj91 700

United States puts its “cross hairs” on Africa

A country that is well known for best at controlling internet trolls and media is exaggerating a non-existent event in Africa, namely “China is launching a social movement to persecute black people”. In fact, from 2023 until May 24, 2023, I have not seen any hot topics or frontpage news related to black people in China on any social media platform.

By the way, in China, the vast majority of people have never seen murder in their lifetime. It is foolish to use the lie of ‘encouraging murder’ to describe China. Because even if this kind of encouragement exists, no one will respond. Chinese people do not know how to murder, unlike the country that creates this lie.

2023 05 24 11 37
2023 05 24 11 37

CLOSED Fast Food Restaurants from the past

Beijing summons Japanese envoy over ‘anti-China’ G7 summit

China’s Vice Foreign Minister Sun Weidong has summoned the Japanese ambassador to register protests over “hype around China-related issues” at the Group of Seven (G7) summit over the weekend, the foreign ministry said in a statement.

The heads of the world’s richest countries who met in the Japanese city of Hiroshima expressed serious concerns about rising tensions in the East China Sea and the South China Sea as well as voicing concerns about the human rights situations in China, including in Tibet and Xinjiang.

Article HERE

Huawei is preparing a number of new chipsets to launch later this year and Kirin A2 is one of them. The company is testing this chip for quite a time and it’s ready for production.

main qimg 683730442cd8736a4555cdee8051d838
main qimg 683730442cd8736a4555cdee8051d838

Huawei will launch the Kirin A2 chipset by this year. If everything goes right, the company could choose Q3 or Q4 for the release.

Also, Kirin A2 is ready for the trial stage and it has mass production capacity.

This is due to the past decision that Huawei took at the very last moment before launch events. Yet, the exact details are unknown. On this matter, Huawei has not revealed any details about Kirin A2 or related returns. But we’ll have to wait, as there are several months left in the making.

Kirin A2 for smartphones?

Nope, Kirin A-series was officially announced for wearable devices such as earphones, smartwatches, and others. The current breakthrough in Huawei’s chipset production capability remains low-key.

Therefore, the company may take this route to start producing self-developed wearables semiconductors. These types of chips don’t require advanced process technology. Hence, it’s very likely that Kirin A2 will be used for wearable gadgets.

Kirin A1:

Kirin A1 was the world’s first Bluetooth 5.1 and Bluetooth Low Energy 5.1 wearable chip. The A1 is developed by Huawei’s chipset designing division, HiSilicon, and printed by Taiwan’s TSMC.

Kirin A1 is designed for wireless earphones, headbands, neckbands, smart speakers, smart eyewear, and smartwatches. Huawei Watch GT 2 series is the first smartwatch to equip this SoC and it’s still running wild in terms of performance and battery.

After the US sanctions in 2019, Huawei had to stop making new HiSilicon chips. And with the recent achievement in automation tech, Huawei could print its own chipset.

Stores We Loved That No Longer Exist!

https://youtu.be/XcewCyZkvWw

What is the purpose of the US-Papua New Guinea defense agreement pact?

Leaked draft of the US-Papua New Guinea defense pact exposes the granting of legal immunity to US personnel and contractors, allowing unrestricted movement of US aircraft, vehicles, and vessels, and exempting US staff from migration requirements.

It is evident that this pact serves the US’s geopolitical interests rather than offering genuine humanitarian aid. The motive aligns with the US’s broader Indo-Pacific strategy.

However, what PNG truly needs is effective action to address the climate crisis and achieve economic growth. Unfortunately, the US is unlikely to prioritize these crucial concerns. Instead, it treats PNG and other South Pacific nations as mere pawns in its larger geopolitical game.

This behavior reflects the US’s historical tendency to come and go in the region as it pleases, without consistent commitment or genuine regard for local priorities.

Pictures from the past

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135023461 i7HSO rBu9LiGy3HZUWHlSKsC84avzkKWDrTeFtkdWA
chorley park was the fourth government house constructed in the early 20th century in toronto the bi tumb 660
chorley park was the fourth government house constructed in the early 20th century in toronto the bi tumb 660
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SHORPY 4a25677a.preview
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First

Get a SIM

It’s a prepaid sim card. The Airports have many counters. Simply present your passport and visa and get a pre paid SIM card.

That gets you around 20GB Data that should be enough for a few days

Connection takes only seconds. The minute you insert the sim, the phone works and you can make the calls

Now most loaded apps won’t work


Next Money

You can easily download WeChat and Alipay but Alipay is better

However there is a problem for Indians

OTP

You can register Alipay for foreigners and enter your card details and load Rs. 25000/— per day (CNY 2000)

You get your OTP in some cases and that OTP cannot be read by your phone unless you have roaming

In my case, a friend from SBI Shanghai loaded money into my Alipay from his account

So best option is to preload Alipay from India itself except that it’s banned

So what to do?

Don’t worry

Enterprising Chinese at the Airport will gladly take your cash dollars (No Rupee) and load money into your Alipay

They even have counters for foreigners


Next VPN

Install Nord VPN and buy the Pro version

However be prepared for a few days to not have proper Twitter or Instagram or Facebook response

Unless you have WiFi router, Mobile Data usually doesn’t use VPN that efficiently


Finally get a prescription if you are carrying medicines please


Do Volunteer for the Face Scan. That way when you reach your hotel and they simply scan your face, and your details jump out and you don’t need a passport at all wherever you go within Shanghai (Only in Shanghai)

I had this happen to me.

My family and I were at home one evening, when all the sudden someone started frantically pounding on my front door. My wife opened the door to the neighbor lady who was crying hysterically. She invited her in, and she told us her husband was in a rage, and had put his hands on her.

About that time, the husband came charging through my front door, and began verbally assaulting his wife with profanity at the top of his lungs. In MY living room.

Before I had a chance to address the situation, my older daughter told him to tone it down, at which point he responded with “shut the F!#K up, B#!CH”.

The words barely left his lips before those lips were introduced to my fist.

Turns out he had no interest in fighting another man.

Once he found his feet, he was out my front door faster than he barged in. I’m sure most of the folks reading this will be disgusted with my actions. I Don’t care.

What does matter to me, is the opinion of that man’s wife.

Years later, she thanked me, saying he never put his hands on her again.

Not because he didn’t want to, but because he was afraid she would run to my house!

Fine by me.

Classic TV Commercials from the ’60s and ’70s

OMG!

.

Vintage thoughts on things and stuff

Today is the middle of the “May Day” holiday in China. And as such, I have been very busy taking care of my family and spending some time together. As such, I have grabbed some trivial moments and threw this post together.

Please enjoy.

PRC considers most Taiwanese to be citizens of the People’s Republic of China. You can get a Taiwan Compatriots Pass from the PRC and that serves as your identity card for most things.

I’ve been told that it is not difficult for a person from Taiwan to get Mainland hukou and full Mainland identity cards and passport. The trouble here is not Mainland China but Taiwan. If the Taiwanese authorities find out that you have a PRC passport and PRC hukou, they will classify you as a Mainlander and cancel all of your Taiwanese passports, identity cards, etc. etc and revoke your right to travel to Taiwan.

American “Leadership”

[1] Note cards with photo of the journalist, of [2] the exact questions she would ask, and [3] of the answer to tell her.

This is no longer a press conference. It’s a scripted movie set.

This is America.

Hank Paulson says the U.S.-China relationship is ‘on the brink’ and calls it a ‘dangerous situation’

Prarthana Prakash
April 15, 2023

The U.S. and China’s feud shows no signs of abating. It’s starting to worry international organizations such as the World Bank, which recently predicted that the rift between the two superpowers could hurt the growth of other economies.

Now, former Treasury Secretary Henry “Hank” Paulson is echoing similar concerns about intensifying geopolitical tensions.

“The U.S.-China relationship is on the brink. Communications have ground to a halt,” Paulson said in an interview with the Financial Times published Friday. “There’s a lot going on in the world that’s troubling, but to me it’s the U.S.-China relationship that is the most worrying.”

The two countries have gone head-to-head in trade, foreign policy, and the race for technology in recent years. While tariffs and trade restrictions are already in place, a complete “decoupling” scenario, where the economies work separately from each other, could have a significant impact. China is still among the U.S.’s top trading partners and the world’s second largest economy.

The economic importance of the two nations raises the stakes of them clashing, and Paulson thinks America may be underestimating what China can do.

“This is a dangerous situation,” he said. “I strongly believe that [President Joe] Biden would like to stabilize the China relationship, but both Republicans and Democrats in Congress have staked out a very strong line which complicates things for Biden. I have a concern that Congress is underestimating the relative power of China, the permanence of China, and China’s relationship with so many other countries.”

According to Paulson, China is boosting its presence around the world, and putting out a clear message that “China is open for business again.” So, if the U.S. responds with further curbs on trade and investment, even as other nations deepen ties with Beijing, the U.S. could become more isolated.

The rest HERE

Trade between BRICS nations hits record levels

Meanwhile in the United States

Way to make someone hate not just you, but your entire church.

2023 04 30 08 12
2023 04 30 08 12

The US is PANICKING: Over the Rise of a Multipolar World!

American manners today

Sheech!

2023 04 30 08 13
2023 04 30 08 13

Zelensky’s top adviser issues threat to China

Mikhail Podoliak claims that Beijing will suffer a loss in status if it maintains its friendship with Russia
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2023 04 30 06 35

Ukrainian President Vladimir Zelensky’s most prominent adviser, Mikhail Podoliak, has claimed that China must follow the West’s position on Ukraine or it will find its standing in the world diminished and its economic power weakened.

However, Beijing has given no indication that it intends to take his advice.

“Now China has to make a choice,” Podoliak told Ukraine’s Rada TV on Friday. “Either it works within the framework defined by international law, and then replaces Russia in the full sense of the word, or China continues to stand aside and then it will gradually lose its influence, including economic influence.”

Podoliak’s statement came two days after Zelensky and Chinese President Xi Jinping spoke by phone, in their first known conversation since Russia’s military offensive began last February. According to the Chinese side, Xi stressed that Beijing’s “core position” on the conflict is that “dialogue and negotiations are the only viable way out.”

The US has repeatedly called on China to condemn Russia over the conflict, which Beijing has refused to do. Instead, the two governments have deepened their diplomatic and trade links, and officials from both countries have repeatedly condemned the US for attempting to impose what it calls a “rules-based international order” upon the world through military force and sanctions.

China and Russia have instead called for the construction of a multipolar system based on the rule of international law and respect for the UN charter. “Right now there are changes – the likes of which we haven’t seen for 100 years – and we are the ones driving these changes together,” Xi told Russian President Vladimir Putin in Moscow last month.

Podoliak has attempted to drive a wedge between Moscow and Beijing before. Late last month he asked the Italian Corriere della Sera newspaper why China would “help Russia, which is experiencing the collapse of its civilization?”

“It would be an irreversible investment, and China is too pragmatic to make such mistakes,” he added.

However, even if China were to break from Russia, it would still face a United States hostile to its interests. The Pentagon’s most recent National Defense Strategy lists countering the supposed “threat posed by China” as its number one priority, while Washington has blocked the sale of some semiconductor manufacturing hardware to China and rallied its Asian allies to shut Beijing out of this vital industrial sector.

Meanwhile, US President Joe Biden has said on several occasions that he would use the US military to defend Taiwan – which China considers its territory – from a potential Chinese invasion.

$1000 tip

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2023 04 30 08 14

Beef Taco Bake

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2023 04 18 15 21

Ingredients

  • 1 pound ground beef
  • 1 can condensed tomato soup
  • 1 cup salsa
  • 1/2 cup milk
  • 6 flour or 8 corn tortillas, (6 to 8 inches), cut into 1-inch pieces
  • 1 cup shredded Cheddar cheese

Instructions

  1. In skillet over medium-high heat, cook beef until browned, stirring to separate meat. Pour off fat.
  2. Add soup, salsa, milk, tortillas and half the cheese.
  3. Spoon into 2-quart shallow baking dish. Cover.
  4. Bake at 400 degrees F for 30 minutes or until hot.
  5. Sprinkle with remaining cheese.

Yield: 4 servings

United States is really insane right now…

Hmm, 50 year old guy going to personal attacks and commenting on a 15 year old girls body. Disturbing on so many levels.

2023 04 30 08 15
2023 04 30 08 15

Yuan power: China’s push to challenge the US dollar gathers steam

Singapore: First, there was oil in Saudi Arabia, then there was nuclear power in Bangladesh and, finally, there were railways in Pakistan. China is taking multibillion-dollar transactions away from the international currency that has underpinned them for generations, the US dollar, and pushing them into the yuan…

Article HERE

If you are not making the world a better place, then you are subtracting from it.

2023 04 30 08 18
2023 04 30 08 18

With busy diplomacy, China has no time to receive insincere people — Global Times

Recently, there have been frequent complaints from Washington about China’s “neglect” of the US and a “lack of interest” in engaging with them. One is that China has refused to reschedule US Secretary of State Antony Blinken’s visit to China, and another is that the Chinese Ministry of Defense has declined request for call from the US Department of Defense, and the defense ministers of China and the US have not spoken for nearly five months.

main qimg 5b47ee528c7c1bc8fbeaf4e92f5dc2e9
main qimg 5b47ee528c7c1bc8fbeaf4e92f5dc2e9

At the G7 Foreign Ministers’ Meeting in Japan, Blinken called out to China on Tuesday, stating that China must make clear its intentions to keep engaging with the US and that “countries around the world expect us to manage the relationship with China responsibly.” The day before, an undersecretary of US Department of Defense even speculated that China “refuses to talk during crises in bid to spook US into fleeing” from the Western Pacific. To borrow a term used by Chinese netizens, doesn’t the US have any sense of self-awareness?

Blinken’s planned visit to China in February was unilaterally postponed by the US due to the sudden hype around the “balloon incident” before his departure. This to some extent, it has reflected the US’ reckless and irresponsible attitude towards Blinken’s visit to China. It refused to come then, but now insists on coming. How can everything be up to the US, and everyone else has to cooperate with it? China is a big country and will not indulge such problem. China’s diplomacy is very busy and cannot adjust at any time according to the US’ schedule, especially no time to receive insincere or even people with malicious intentions.

As for the reason why the defense ministers of China and the US have not spoken on the phone, the US side knows well. Putting aside other issues, the US has not yet lifted the illegal sanctions on China’s new Defense Minister Li Shangfu, which has created a lack of basic atmosphere for military dialogue between China and the US. If the US truly wants to maintain contact and communication with China, then they should not act in this way. The Americans have also seen that in the past month, many leaders of countries, including US allies, and heads of international organizations have visited China, achieving very good communication results. So why is there a problem when it comes to the US?

A common saying in Chinese diplomacy is “listen to their words and observe their actions,” but with today’s US, “listen to their words” is a waste of time because the US has played the game of saying one thing and doing another to the extreme, and its “words” have lost credibility in China and the international community. According to reports from US media, Washington is about to implement “unprecedented rules” limiting American investment in China, and US’ interference in the Taiwan question is getting worse. The US’ comprehensive containment and suppression of China has not shown any signs of easing.

The feeling of Chinese people is that the various actions taken by the US are almost the opposite of its promises to China. How can we believe it? Dialogue and engagement can boost cooperation, add value to bilateral relations for one thing, or to prevent crises and conflicts to minimize the damage to the relationship for another. But what Washington wants is neither the first nor the second, it wants the political gains that come with “engaging with China” posture. This fully explains why the US has been shouting about “setting up guardrails” in recent years, while the pit in China-US relations is getting deeper and deeper due to Washington’s actions.

China has always approached and developed China-US relations with great goodwill and patience, which is China’s sense of responsibility as a major country. But Washington should not have any illusions, it can never speak to China while riding on its head. China supports communication and exchange based on mutual respect, committed to peaceful coexistence, win-win cooperation, in order to promoting the improvement of China-US relations. However, the “engagement with China” emphasized by the US is often just a show, to appease its allies and other countries concerned about the deterioration of China-US relations and also to shift the blame onto China. Additionally, Washington attempts to impose pressure on China with the so-called engagement. Almost every time its high-ranking officials come, they bring a long list of so-called demands.

While the US continues to take hostile actions towards China, it also wants to use “engagement” to stabilize China and control risks while taking advantage of the opportunity to pressure and unilaterally demand from China, with even the idea that “communication” is all for “convenience for me to better attack you.” Can’t China just don’t deal with the US, which is so calculative? With such insincerity and even malice from the US, why should we cooperate with Washington politicians’ performances?

In conclusion, temporarily cold-shouldering Washington is not a bad idea. China’s door is always open, and when the US shows sincerity and take practical actions, communication and exchange between China and the US in various fields will come naturally, which is also what the international community expects to see.

The West can no longer loot the world without boomerang responses.

The United States recently confiscated a cargo of Iranian crude oil from a tanker at sea, according to a maritime security company, indicating that the seizure pre-dated Iran’s move to seize Chevron’s cargo of crude oil on Thursday off the coast of Oman.

On Thursday, a Marshall Islands-flagged tanker carrying crude oil destined for Chevron was seized by the Iranian Navy, according to the U.S. Navy. According to Tehran, the tanker had been involved in a collision with an Iranian vessel in the Gulf of Oman, resulting in Iranian crewmember injuries, with several missing. Iran also said that the tanker ignored eight hours’ worth of radio calls following the collision.

Article HERE

7 Culture Shocks I had in China

No debate is necessary. A war with China is already determined.

FOREIGN MINISTRY: “U.S. DIRECTLY KILLING RUSSIANS”

World Hal Turner 29 April 2023

The US is directly contributing to the deaths of Russians by providing military and financial aid to Ukraine, Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova charged on Friday.

She was reacting to a Kommersant interview with Lynne Tracy, the US ambassador to Moscow, who stated that Washington “does not view Russians as enemies.”

“The Russian people are getting killed with targeting done by the US, money [provided] by the US, weapons [supplied] by the US, and by the hands of a regime that was brought to power by the US as a result of a coup orchestrated by the US,” Zakharova wrote on Telegram, referring to the Western-backed 2014 uprising in Kiev that ousted the democratically elected president, Viktor Yanukovich.

In an interview published in Russian newspaper Kommersant on Thursday, Tracy said she supports informal contacts between Americans and Russians, and that the US “does not want to ‘cancel’ the Russian people in any way.”

“No matter what differences we, the United States, have with the Russian government, they are not differences with the people of Russia,” she said.

The Foreign Ministry later issued a statement criticizing the ambassador’s interview, in which it accused Tracy of cherry-picking and fabricating facts about Ukraine’s recent history. The US diplomat claimed that “a situation in which a leader who lost support and got scared of his own people takes a decision to flee” could not be called a coup.

“Madam Ambassador probably does not know, and was not informed by her aides, that this simple puzzle… lacks the truth and correct sequence of events,” the ministry said.

The statement went on to explain that the protests in Kiev were infiltrated by violent extremists supported by US officials, and ended with a power-sharing agreement that the opposition forces immediately broke. Tracy’s failure to acknowledge the nature of the events in Kiev can be explained by either amnesia or ignorance, while her description has nothing to do with reality, the Russian ministry added. The statement included a screenshot of the interview with a large red ‘FAKE’ stamp on it.

Washington imposed sweeping sanctions on Moscow shortly after Russia launched its military operation in Ukraine in February 2022. The US and many other NATO countries have since supplied Kiev with heavy weapons, including tanks and artillery systems, and shared intelligence with Ukraine. The State Department said in January that it was up to Kiev to determine how to use foreign arms.

Russia has warned that the military aid makes the US and NATO de facto direct participants in the conflict. Moscow also repeatedly accused Ukraine of using US-made weapons, such as HIMARS multiple rocket launchers and M777 howitzers, to kill civilians.

On April 13, Ukrainian troops used HIMARS launchers to shell a hospital in the Donbass city of Svatovo, local officials said. On Thursday, several areas in the Donetsk People’s Republic were hit with rockets and artillery rounds, leaving one woman dead and eight people, including four children, injured, according to the authorities.

Reality

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2023 04 21 06 48

All Eyes on east Asia: China-Taiwan Flare-up – Japan WARNED by China

World Hal Turner 28 April 2023

Chinese Ambassador to Japan, Wu Jiangao, warned Japanese leaders that their planned visit to Taiwan was equated with crossing the “red line.”

“Foreign forces are conspiring with Taiwan’s independence forces and carrying out constant provocations,” the ambassador told reporters in Tokyo on Friday, saying their ultimate goal was “separation of Taiwan from China.” He added that inciting “the split in China will bring the Japanese people into the fire”.

Japanese officials have said that any contingency in Taiwan will be tantamount to an unpredictable situation in Japan.

In recent years, Beijing has pursued a policy of diplomatic isolation of Taiwan, forcing other countries to recognize it as part of a “single China” and repeatedly threatened to invade.

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OotkfucQ

The day after Emmanuel Macron’s visit, China began large-scale military exercises around Taiwan working out a rocket attack and the surroundings of the island. Training became answer on Taiwan’s President Cai Ying Wen’s 10-day diplomatic tour of Central America and a meeting with US government officials in California. In particular, she met with Kevin McCarthy, Speaker of the House of Representatives of the US Congress from Republicans.

The day after China imitated “high-precision strikes” on Taiwan, Foreign Minister Joseph Wu said Beijing can prepare for the invasion of the island.

Later reported, that this year’s annual Taiwanese military exercises “Han Kuan” will focus on fighting the blockade of the island against the background of China’s statements.

China again moved military forces near Taiwan today.

China’s largest combat drone, the TB-001 drone (an entire ship) nicknamed the “twin-tailed scorpion”, arrived late Thursday and remained on Friday around Taiwan:

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8veyeAjv

Also on Friday, China flew 38 warplanes near Taiwan, and deployed another 6 navy vessels in area.

In addition, a Chinese uncrewed combat aircraft (Drone) has flown around Taiwan, the island’s defense ministry said, showcasing Beijing’s ability to attack its fall-back east coast bases, as a U.S. maritime patrol aircraft transited the Taiwan Strait. Here is a photo of that combat drone:

China also had words for the United States.

“We strongly urge the US side to fully recognize the high sensitivity of the Taiwan question as well as the complexity and severity of the current situation across the Taiwan Strait,” said Senior Colonel Tan Kefei, spokesperson for China’s Ministry of National Defense, at a regular press conference.

When asked to comment on the reports that a group of US defense companies will visit Taiwan to discuss issues such as the joint production of drones and ammunition in early May, Defense Spokesperson Tan said that the Taiwan question is purely China’s internal affair and brooks no foreign interference.

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jTsBuZVe

“These American military-industrial complexes have always been zealous to peddle munitions, trigger conflicts and chaos, and reap staggering profits around the world,” he point out sharply, adding that the Democratic Progressive Party’s act is rather contemptible, like putting the cat near the goldfish bowl, which will only bring untold disaster to the Taiwan compatriots.

Then the spokesperson reiterated that no one or any force can shake Chinese people’s staunch determination and firm will to defend national sovereignty and territorial integrity, and urged the US side to adhere to the one-China principle and the provisions of the three China-US joint communiqués, prudently handle Taiwan-related issues, refrain from interfering in the Taiwan question, cease arms sales to the Taiwan region as well as its military contact with the island.

Soooooooo, what did the US Congress go ahead an do today? Well . . .

The House committee dedicated to countering China began preparing bipartisan proposals for the fiscal 2024 defense authorization bill that would accelerate U.S. munitions production and arms transfers to Taiwan.

Naval Forces Readying for China Taiwan
Naval Forces Readying for China Taiwan

In the meantime, here is an up-to-date graphic showi9ng the very considerable firepower which is around Taiwan as of yesterday:

It is entirely plausible that China may decide it is better to grab Taiwan NOW, before more US assets reach the region and BEFORE US arms manufacturers can fill new weapons orders. What the US is doing, and pledging, to Taiwan’s “defense” may actually TRIGGER a Chinese invasion of Taiwan!

Top 7 things I wish I knew before I moved to China

Why Did Judas Betray Jesus?

According to the Bible, Judas Iscariot was one of Jesus’ twelve disciples and the one who ultimately betrayed him. The exact reason for Judas’ betrayal is not entirely clear, and scholars have offered various interpretations based on the available evidence.

header essay ngi final 14702
header essay ngi final 14702

One interpretation is that Judas betrayed Jesus for financial gain. According to the Gospel of Matthew, Judas accepted thirty pieces of silver from the chief priests in exchange for leading them to Jesus. This has led some scholars to suggest that Judas may have been motivated by greed or a desire for material wealth.

Another interpretation is that Judas was disillusioned with Jesus’ message and mission. Some scholars believe that Judas may have expected Jesus to lead a military rebellion against the Roman authorities, but instead saw Jesus’ message of love and forgiveness as weak and ineffective. This interpretation suggests that Judas may have betrayed Jesus out of a sense of disappointment or frustration.

Ultimately, the exact reason for Judas’ betrayal remains a matter of debate among scholars and theologians. Regardless of the reason, Judas’ betrayal ultimately led to Jesus’ arrest, trial, and crucifixion, which Christians believe were necessary for the salvation of humanity.

Recently Tung Signa technology in Shanghai has two domestic lithography machines stationed in the production line independently developed by Shanghai microelectronics

This represents a major advancement in domestic lithography machines highlighting that domestic lithography machines have rapidly replaced imported lithography machines

In the future the production capacity of 20 000 pieces of full process gold bumps per month can be realized

The introduction of the first domestically produced lithography machine this time is great news for China.

Shanghai microelectronics is the largest lithography machine company in China it has already mass-produced 90 nanometer lithography machines and is currently accelerating the promotion of 28 nanometer and 14 nanometer lithography machines

The lithography machine delivered this time is a packaging and testing lithography machine but this also represents a major progress in China’s lithography machine which means that the domestic 14 nanometers lithography machine will soon be mass produced

After the packaging and testing lithography machine is delivered it is expected to complete the debugging in May and complete the test and mass production next month.

It is expected that the production of twenty thousand chips per month will be completed by next year.

The first lithography machine of Shanghai microelectronics 20-year research was successfully delivered with move-in-ceremony held. This was the proud moment for China and its people.

The icing on the cake is the price of these lithography machines which is only one-seventh of the price of ASML equivalent lithography machines which shows the ultra low cost advantage of domestic lithography machines such a low-cost Advantage will help greatly reduce the cost of Chinese Chips.

lithography machines are not the only ones for making chips in addition to being divided into EUV, DUV and UV, according to the advanced level of the light source they can also be divided into front-end lithography machines for chip manufacturing and back-end lithography machines for packaging and testing.

This time the company introduced a gold bump packaging and testing lithography machine which belongs to the back-end lithography machine for packaging and testing in the field of packaging and testing lithography machines.

28 nanometers to 7 nanometers lithography machines are all immersion lithography Machine Technologies which means that China has successfully developed the 28 nanometers lithography machine to handle the key technology of immersion lithography machines.

Since the difficulty of developing 14 nanometers and 7 nanometers lithography machines has been greatly reduced, as a result ASML’s 1980 lithography machine will also lose its competitiveness.

If China successfully develops (front end) immersion lithography machine technology then ASML will lose a large chunk of market and may return to the days when it was lingering, so of course it is afraid.

This is the great news for China and a shocker for ASML who may want to change its attitude in the coming days.

Long live China – the counterweight to western world.

No One Is Coming to Save You

Every moment you spend hoping for someone else to save you is a moment wasted. You hold the key to your own freedom.

Freedom from ignorance, from suffering, from poverty, from illness, from anxiety, and from judgment. Freedom even from the constraints of your own mind. It’s up to you, and only you, to grant yourself this gift of liberation.

You must take ownership of every aspect of your life. The results you create, the challenges life throws at you, and the messes others may cause that you must clean up. You have to own it all.

It’s time to let go of the opinions of others, shed bad habits, stop overspending, underworking, overeating, underestimating, overvaluing, or any other harmful behavior that holds you back.

No one else can do it for you, not because you are alone or because the world is unkind, but because it is solely within your power. You are the only one who can dig deep into your soul and unleash every spark of life that resides within. It has to be you.

No one is coming to save you, and the truth is, no one needs to. When you save yourself, you’ll realize that you hold the key to your own liberation and empowerment. It’s time to take charge and be your own hero.

Vintage Cover Photos of The Popular Magazine in the 1920s

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0 27

The Popular Magazine, a literary publication that ran for an impressive 612 issues from 1903 to 1931, was a staple in early American literature. With a diverse range of genres, the magazine featured everything from short fiction and novellas to serialized works and even complete short novels. Although the magazine covered various subjects, it had a tendency to lean towards men’s adventure stories, particularly in its later years as the demand for hardboiled fiction increased.

h/t: vintag.es

popular magazine covers 1920s 1
popular magazine covers 1920s 1

The Popular Magazine marketed itself as “a magazine for men and women who like to read about men,” and had its headquarters in New York City. It was published by Street & Smith and edited by Henry Harrison Lewis from 1903 to 1904, and Charles Agnew MacLean from 1904 to 1928. Each bi-monthly issue typically contained 194 to 224 pages. Sadly, The Popular Magazine’s journey came to an end in October 1931 when it was merged with another Street & Smith pulp, Complete Stories.

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I went out with a Chinese man: You won’t believe what he made me eat!! *I cried*

I really like this gal. Attractive, great smiles, and so beautiful!

Burrito Supreme Casserole

2023 04 18 15 24
2023 04 18 15 24

Ingredients

  • 8 (8-inch) flour tortillas
  • 1 1/2 cups tomato juice
  • 1 envelope taco seasoning mix
  • 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
  • 1/2 pound ground beef
  • 1 (16 ounce) can refried beans
  • 3 cups shredded Cheddar cheese, divided
  • 1 small avocado
  • 1 tablespoon lemon juice
  • 1 1/2 cups shredded lettuce
  • 1 cup chopped tomato

Instructions

  1. Wrap tortillas securely in aluminum foil; bake at 350 degrees F for 15 minutes or until thoroughly heated.
  2. Combine tomato juice, seasoning mix and oil; stir well, and set aside.
  3. Cook ground beef in a large skillet until browned, stirring to crumble; drain.
  4. Stir in beans and 1/2 cup tomato juice mixture. Bring to a boil; cover, reduce heat, and simmer 5 minutes or until mixture is thoroughly heated, stirring occasionally.
  5. Remove from heat.
  6. Place 1/4 cup beef mixture and 2 1/2 tablespoons cheese down center of each tortilla. Roll up tortillas, and place seam side down in a lightly greased 13 x 9-inch baking dish.
  7. Pour remaining tomato juice mixture over casserole.
  8. Cover and bake at 350 degrees F for 30 to 35 minutes.
  9. Uncover and sprinkle with remaining cheese; bake an additional 5 minutes or until cheese melts.
  10. Peel and cube avocado; toss with lemon juice.
  11. Sprinkle avocado, lettuce and tomato over casserole.
  12. Serve immediately.

Yield: 4 servings

Yet not so science fiction implementation… in Wuhan, Hubei, China

main qimg 840fe8a11def211a71d009de6c11df03
main qimg 840fe8a11def211a71d009de6c11df03

Americans: China is so backward it’s still living in the dirt.

Also Americans: Tssk, Americans don’t need these lame monorail, we prefer our gas guzzling pickup trucks.

What JUST Leaked Out of Congress Is HORRIFYING!

How Do You Know If You’re In Love?

“You’ll just know.” This was my mother’s vague response when I asked her how to know if you’re in love with someone, and needless to say, I was less than enthused by her response. To be honest, it seemed like a cop-out. Why, I wondered, can’t anyone seem to accurately describe what being in love feels like? We’ve all heard rom-com movie characters talk about fireworks and pop stars sing about the all-consuming obsession that comes with a new romance, but is that really love? Or is it just infatuation? How can you tell whether you’re just experiencing fiery passion or you’ve truly fallen for someone?

As it turns out, there are ways to know you’re in love. And no, they have nothing to do with feeling butterflies in your stomach. In fact, research has revealed some common signs of being lovestruck. For example, people reported having new interests and personality traits after entering a loving relationship, according to one 1995 study. Another study revealed that falling in love can cause you to exhibit symptoms similar to those that come with anxiety, such as sweating more (woof, I know).

Of course, if you’re thinking and talking about the person nonstop, or you’re already envisioning a future with them, you may suspect you’re in love. Still, those signals don’t always indicate that it’s the real thing. After all, in the beginning, your excitement around this new relationship could cloud your ability to see whether there’s real potential for a long-term relationship. The chemistry is great, you have endless topics to talk about, and you haven’t discovered all of their quirks, irritating habits or “flaws” yet. So it’s pretty easy to fool yourself into thinking you’ve fallen head over heels. Here are some of the things you feel when you’re in love:

1. You’re happy and just a little bit nervous.

When you’re in love, you’re genuinely a happier person. It’s like you’re on a natural high. The thought of spending time with your partner really excites you and just looking at the dozens of selfies you took together is enough to put a cheesy smile on your face. But being in love also makes you a tiny bit nervous. You’re anxious for what the future holds. Because you know that you want your relationship to last. “Lots of people compare love to something they could not lose or let pass them by, yet the uncertainty of its unknown outcome is exciting,” Maria says.

2. Everything feels new and exciting.

When you’re in love, you’re excited to do things you’ve already done a million times before because it’s with your partner this time. They’re the first ones you think of when you see a romantic movie preview or when you’re planning to make a quick trip to the nearest fast food place. You’d even be willing to sit through four hours of a sports game if it means spending time with them.. Maria says that’s because love sparks a new change in you. “When you’re in love, the basis of your perception changes. I compare it to a feeling of being really awake and excited,” she says. “You have found someone that makes everything feel new and intriguing – even if it’s just sitting on the couch watching TV.”

3. Your relationship feels easy.

Being with your partner isn’t hard work. You don’t have to struggle to find time to spend with them because you really want to. Even the arguments don’t feel as intense as they did in other relationships. While all couples argue and bicker, when you’re both in love, your priority is your relationship, not your pride. You’re not worried about being the first person to give in or lose the argument because you can’t imagine your life without this person. Even one day apart really feels like forever.

4. This person is on your mind literally all the time.

When you’re in love, your partner is always in the back of your mind. You might have a sudden thought to call them because you haven’t chatted in a few hours. Or, maybe, you go into a clothing store with the intention of buying something for yourself and then end up buying something for your partner, too. “Love is determined. When you like someone, you can brush it off and think of other things as you go about your day,” Maria says. When you’re in love, this person is always on your mind, but it isn’t overwhelming. “When you love someone, you are physically, mentally and emotionally impacted at theoretically any/all time(s). It is a calm and secure reality you will consistently crave,” Maria says.

5. You get just a little jealous.

A little bit of jealousy is natural. Jealousy becomes dangerous, however, when you start obsessing over what your partner’s doing, so much so that you do stuff like look through their phone without them knowing. That is toxic behavior and it might signal you’re not in a healthy relationship.

6. You become more affectionate towards them.

When you’re in love, you’re obviously attracted to your partner, so it’s only natural that you want to be all over them all the time. Whether it’s simply holding hands or turning your cuddling into an intense make out session, you want to be affectionate towards your second half. If you’re completely repulsed by them, that’s something to think about.

7. You want to bring them around your family and friends.

When you’re really into your relationship, you want to bring your partner into all aspects of your life. You want to introduce them to your family and friends because you genuinely want your relationship last.

8. You start feeling a sense of empathy towards your partner.

When you’re in love, you start seeing your bae as an extension of yourself, so when they’re hurt, nervous or really excited about something like getting accepted into a school or program they really wanted, then you experience the same feelings as them. Feeling empathy towards your partner also makes you want to make tiny sacrifices for them, like getting up and going to the store for some soup and medicine when they’re sick. Small things like that are easy to do when they’re for the person you love.

9. You’re becoming a better person.

You know you’re in love when being with your second half makes you want to improve yourself in some way, whether it’s setting new goals or having a more positive attitude. Your partner should push you towards becoming better, but not in a way that’s consistently negative. “If a partner isn’t building you up, then you must consider looking elsewhere for love – no matter what other characteristics he or she may have that you are infatuated with,” Maria says. When you’re truly in love with someone, you want your partner to succeed as much as you because you want to create a stable future for the both of you.

10. You start planning for the future.

When you truly love someone, you know that you don’t have plans to let them go any time soon, if ever. So, you start to include them in all your future plans, whether it’s going on vacation or figuring out your plan after high school. You start thinking of your partner when you’re making big decisions because you want them to be there for it all. When you’re in love, your bae becomes your permanent “plus one.”

After 4 years living in China, these are the 4 truths I’ve learned!

When I was in the Marines, I knew a guy. He called me one day and said, “I just saw some paperwork. You’ll be getting sent to Japan for 6 months soon, unless you want to be sent to Camp Lejeune (where I had lots of friends). But if you go there, you will join a unit that’s going to depart for Iraq in December, and there’s going to be a war (this was almost a full year before the Iraq War started).

With this information I spent a few weeks thinking about the various possible outcomes of this decision, and in the end I opted to go to Camp Lejeune because if there was a war, I knew I might make a real difference to a few good men. I’m very smart, fairly strong, and have always performed very well under pressure, and I knew that I could save some lives that might have been lost if given the chance.

During the war I was in a major battle and got blown up inside of an AAAV. I carried two guys with half-blown-off legs out of the vehicle, which by then was basically a fireball on top of a big pile of explosives, on top of 1,000 pounds of fuel.

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main qimg c6fd36fae54be7235a657984dbbed831 lq

Today those guys have wives and kids, and that’s a really incredible thing to me when I think about it from time to time.

I chose not to go to Japan a year before the war even started, and now those children exist.

Top 10 CHEAPEST Countries To Live Lavishly On $1000/Month

Life in America

2023 04 30 08 32
2023 04 30 08 32

What’s It Like To Have A Bed Bug Infestation?

They are creatures from hell.

bed bug infestation
bed bug infestation

If you are sensitive to the bites, it’s MUCH worse than mosquito bites – think painful, weeping blisters that burn if a breeze so much blows across them the wrong way, nevermind laying down, or clothes rubbing on them.

A single bug feeds on you multiple times in a night, leaving what’s sometimes referred to as ‘breakfast-lunch-dinner bites’ because the clusters/lines of bites they leave are very distinctive. Each bite takes days, even weeks, to go away, and they itch/burn the whole time – so if you’re infested (50-100+) imagine waking up with any accessible skin (including your face) covered in burning, persistent bites that there’s no real relief for.

It ruins your ability to rest – every tickle or itch starts making you bolt up in horror to turn on the lights and check. Long after they’re gone, years after you’ve been rid of them, you will still experience a surge of adrenaline from a hair moving the wrong way.

They reproduce insanely fast; a fertilized female lays 5-7 eggs a day, the eggs take around 2 weeks to hatch, and then they’re able to reproduce about 3 weeks after they hatch. A female will lay hundreds of eggs over her life after being fertilized even ONCE. This means one fertilized female could come into your home, and within a year if the infestation is not dealt with fast and harshly enough, you can have THOUSANDS of them.

While they prefer to stay close to their prey (in the bed, headboard, bedlinens) they can hide anywhere a sesame seed would fit – between the pages of a book, inside cardboard, cracks in the baseboards, carpeting, seams in cushions, etc. If you try to get relief by treating your bed with chemicals, all that happens is that they disperse into the walls and other nearby hiding places, and become harder to find and eliminate as their numbers swell.

They have evolved to be keenly attuned to everything about their prey (humans) when it comes to temperature, lighting, movement, breathing, etc, so that they are most attracted to you when you as sleeping and vulnerable. They will hunt you down if you move to another room to sleep at night. If you put your bed up on risers/dishes of oil/put double-sided tape all around so they can’t get to you, they will crawl up walls to the ceiling and drop down on you to get at you.

If they are consistently denied food (say you pack up everything you have in tubs and plastic bags or something, and accidentally miss a couple hiding in your things), they can go into hibernation – in ideal conditions, for almost 2 years without feeding. The eggs are smaller than a poppy seed, and can remain viable and unhatched in the right conditions for a similar length of time.

Most of the chemical treatments that work against adults do not work on the eggs, so unless you do multiple scheduled treatments, you’ll just have new waves hatching every so often after the last round of adults was killed off. Each time you get your home chemically treated, you will have to leave it and stay somewhere else because the chemicals are dangerous to you as well.

If you live in a building with shared walls, even if vents and things from unit to unit aren’t connected, if someone else gets infested and they don’t treat the entire building at once (only treating the immediately affected rooms) it’s just like only treating the bed – they will disperse into neighboring units, and seek shelter in any little crack or crevice they can find.

Sufficient heat is the only guaranteed way to kill off an infestation all at once – adults, nymphs, eggs – and they make specialized heaters for this, both for heating up rooms, and for placing your belongings into to heat treat anything that might be hiding eggs or bugs. Many people accidentally burn their houses down every year trying to DIY treatments because this is expensive – thousands of dollars per round of treatment, either chemical OR heat.

It doesn’t matter if you or your house is clean or dirty – you can get bedbugs by going literally anywhere that other people go. The store, offices, clinics, movies, public transportation, etc. While adults won’t live in your clothes, they’ll hitchhike on them – so anywhere people spend time holding still, someone with an established infestation can be carrying eggs or hidden adults that end up dropped off in a public space that then end up stuck to or climbing onto others. All it takes is one fertilized female riding home with you unseen on your clothes, a bag, your jacket.

Bedbugs exist in pretty much every country – anywhere where it is cool enough indoors for people to live, bedbugs can live also. Infestations are actually on the rise in some countries due to shorter, warmer winters meaning they can be active for longer (since cold temps generally only put them into a dormant stage, not kill them).

Hotels and other hospitality locations that care about prevention will routinely pay for specially trained sniffer dogs that can detect the smell of bedbugs, and shut-down/cordon off buildings as soon as anything is found, because it is more costly to handle a major infestation than to destroy a colony before it gets the chance to hit critical mass.

Even so, a hotel has no way of being able to tell if the guest immediately before you dropped off hitchhikers; even a high-end hotel isn’t flipping the mattress over to steam and vacuum the mattress and box-spring when they change out the bed linens.

Hotels are often the first choice of people trying to get a rest from an infestation, or needing a place to stay while getting their own place treated.

If you ever stay anywhere away from home where other people have been, always put your luggage in the bathtub first before unpacking; then check for signs of bedbugs in headboards, under the mattress, in the seams of the box-spring, etc. There are guides with pictures on what to look for. When you get home, make sure any clothes that travelled with you go into a high-heat wash and dry cycle. Bag up any luggage carriers than cannot be washed or tumbled; consider treating their insides with diatomaceous earth until their next usage.

It might seem like an annoying extra effort, but it is a tiny amount of labor to save you from experiencing what will feel like an unending hell if you ever bring bedbugs home. An infestion will completely ruin your life and mental health. Pray you never have to deal with them.

– HallowskulledHorror

The Roundtable #54: Brian Berletic and Pepe Escobar

 

WHAT IS CHINA REALLY LIKE?

The USA has this “thing” called “prank orders”

Watch what happens when you try this move in China.

2023 04 30 08 25
2023 04 30 08 25

These China “Experts” need to be stopped

Today’s “Drudge Report”

It’s a reflection of the madness of the United States.

SHOCK: Man kills 5 neighbors, including child, after one asked him to stop shooting AR-15 in his yard...

2023 04 30 07 56
2023 04 30 07 56
2023 04 30 07 57
2023 04 30 07 57

United States has become a ghetto

Late stage collapse.

2023 04 30 08 22
2023 04 30 08 22

Dislodging the Neocons, Difficult But Necessary

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Last week I discussed the ironic role that America’s dominant Neocons may have played in shaping recent world events, perhaps inadvertently producing a beneficial outcome exactly contrary to their aggressive intent.

Over the last decade, prominent political scientists such as Graham Allison of Harvard and John Mearsheimer of the University of Chicago had argued that a centuries-long pattern suggested that the world was locked into a “Thucydides Trap,” the likelihood of a looming clash between the reigning global power of America and the rising global power of China. This political and potentially military conflict had nothing to do with the ideological or social characteristics of those two enormous countries nor their leadership, but was simply the inevitable consequence of China’s size and growing power, which threatened to displace America from its position of world dominance. The term referred to the analogous rivalry between Athens and Sparta that had unleashed the long Peloponnesian War, devastating Classical Greece.

Meanwhile, on totally different grounds the ideologically-driven foreign policy of America’s dominant Neocons also threatened global warfare against all countries that refused to accept American hegemony, with Russia and Iran being the leading targets of their intense hostility. During the Obama Administration, these individuals had orchestrated a 2014 coup that overthrew Ukraine’s democratically-elected pro-Russian government. Seven years of military buildup and anti-Russian provocations had eventually led to the outbreak of the Ukraine war in early 2022, with the first year of the fighting having already cost many tens of thousands of lives while raising the risk of World War III.

So the world faced two entirely different geopolitical perils, one ideologically-driven and one not.

However, I then argued that these two separate threats to world peace may have very fortuitously canceled each other out. The extreme over-reaction by the West against Russia over the last year had driven that enormous, resource-rich country into China’s arms, and the resulting China-Russia alliance was now so strong that it probably outweighed the geopolitical power of America and its allies. Furthermore, outrageous anti-Russian measures taken by America’s reckless leadership—the seizure of $300 billion in Russian financial reserves, the destruction of Germany’s Nord Stream energy pipelines—had deeply alienated many other major world powers, which naturally gravitated towards the China-Russia bloc as a consequence, notably including Saudi Arabia, Iran, India, and Brazil. Even some of our own most important vassal-states such as France and Japan seem to have recently become a little shaky in their allegiance.

Thus, over the last twelve months, the global coalition aligned with China had quickly grown so overwhelmingly powerful that the likelihood of any conflict with America was greatly diminished. The aggressive arrogance and incompetence of the Neocons may have allowed the world to escape the Thucydides Trap, increasing the chances that China could replace America as the world’s leading power without bloodshed or bitter conflict.

But even if this analysis is correct and the disastrous failure of the Neocon geopolitical strategy has inadvertently yielded a positive outcome, such behavior can hardly be excused. An elite political leadership class so incompetent that it avoids war by unintentionally wrecking its own country’s strategic alliances must obviously be removed lest future blunders have less fortunate consequences.

Furthermore, the same sort of blindness to reality that produced these American strategic disasters might still lead to a deadly crisis. Perhaps the Neocons will fail to recognize the enormous advantages now enjoyed by the China-Russia bloc that America faces and arrogantly continue their military provocations, eventually triggering a wider war. As an example of such strikingly unrealistic beliefs, the WSJ last year carried a column by an editor at the arch-Neocon New York Sun who argued that China and Russia could be successfully contained by the U.S. together with a handful of “Rimland” powers such as Israel, the UAE, and Australia, although the former outweigh the latter perhaps 50-to-1 in population and industrial base.

However, removing the Neocons from authority may be difficult to achieve since they have become so deeply embedded within DC political circles and the broader Atlanticist community.

After first gaining influence in the Reagan Administration during the 1980s and keeping much of it under his successor George H.W. Bush, they soon began to heavily dominate the foreign policy of Bill Clinton. Because they backed Sen. John McCain in the 2000 Republican primaries, they were seemingly excluded from power under George W. Bush, receiving not a single Cabinet appointment; yet in the wake of the 9/11 Attacks, they still managed to gain control of the entire government. Barack Obama was elected partly because he seemed to represent the total repudiation of his unpopular predecessor, but in his administration Bush Neocons were merely replaced by Obama Neocons. Then in 2016, massive popular revulsion against both political parties unexpectedly propelled Donald Trump into the White House, but he soon placed his foreign policy in the hands of particularly hard-line Neocons such as Mike Pompeo and John Bolton, and more recently the Democratic Neocons have regained that same role under Biden. So Neocon control has now endured for more than thirty years, stretching across Democratic, Republican, and Trumpist administrations alike.

A perfect illustration of this remarkable situation is the fact that Robert Kagan, a leading Neocon architect of George W. Bush’s foreign policy, is the husband of Victoria Nuland, who subsequently played the same role for Barack Obama and now Joe Biden. A political elite so unsuccessful and unsatisfactory must be driven from power, yet apparently this is easier said than done.

 

One difficulty is that the very term “Neocon” used here has actually become much less meaningful than it once was. After having controlled American foreign policy for more than three decades, promoting their allies and protégés and purging their opponents, the adherents of that world view now constitute nearly the entire political establishment, including control of the leading thinktanks and publications. By now, I doubt there are many prominent figures in either party who follow a sharply different line. Furthermore, over the last two decades, the national security-focused Neocons have largely merged with the economically-focused neoliberals, forming a unified ideological block that represents the political worldview of the elites running both American parties.

Back in 2012 I had already noted the emergence of what amounted to a one party American state:

Consider the pattern of the last decade. With two ruinous wars and a financial collapse to his record, George W. Bush was widely regarded as one of the most disastrous presidents in American history, and at times his public approval numbers sank to the lowest levels ever measured. The sweeping victory of his successor, Barack Obama, represented more a repudiation of Bush and his policies than anything else, and leading political activists, left and right alike, characterized Obama as Bush’s absolute antithesis, both in background and in ideology. This sentiment was certainly shared abroad, with Obama being selected for the Nobel Peace Prize just months after entering office, based on the widespread assumption that he was certain to reverse most of the policies of his detested predecessor and restore America to sanity.

Yet almost none of these reversals took place. Instead, the continuity of administration policy has been so complete and so obvious that many critics now routinely speak of the Bush/Obama administration.

The harsh violations of constitutional principles and civil liberties which Bush pioneered following the 9/11 attacks have only further intensified under Obama, the heralded Harvard constitutional scholar and ardent civil libertarian, and this has occurred without the excuse of any major new terrorist attacks. During his Democratic primary campaign, Obama promised that he would move to end Bush’s futile Iraq War immediately upon taking office, but instead large American forces remained in place for years until heavy pressure from the Iraqi government finally forced their removal; meanwhile, America’s occupation army in Afghanistan actually tripled in size. The government bailout of the hated financial manipulators of Wall Street, begun under Bush, continued apace under Obama, with no serious attempts at either government prosecution or drastic reform. Americans are still mostly suffering through the worst economic downturn since the Great Depression, but Wall Street profits and multimillion-dollar bonuses soon returned to record levels.

In particular, the continuity of top officials has been remarkable. As Bush’s second defense secretary, Robert Gates had been responsible for the ongoing management of America’s foreign wars and military occupations since 2006; Obama kept him on, and he continued to play the same role in the new administration. Similarly, Timothy Geithner had been one of Bush’s most senior financial appointments, playing a crucial role in the widely unpopular financial bailout of Wall Street; Obama promoted him to Treasury secretary and authorized continuation of those same policies. Ben Bernanke had been appointed chairman of the Federal Reserve by Bush and was reappointed by Obama. Bush wars and bailouts became Obama wars and bailouts. The American public voted for an anti-Bush, but got Bush’s third term instead.

During the Cold War, Soviet propagandists routinely characterized our democracy as a sham, with the American public merely selecting which of the two intertwined branches of their single political party should alternate in office, while the actual underlying policies remained essentially unchanged, being decided and implemented by the same corrupt ruling class. This accusation may have been mostly false at the time it was made but seems disturbingly accurate today.

 

By 2016 public dissatisfaction with the obvious policy failures of this bipartisan political consensus had become so widespread that it provided an opening for an angry outsider such as Donald Trump, a candidate whose campaign was enabled by the new power of Twitter and other social media outlets.

Trump had been considered a joke candidate when he first entered the 2016 Republican presidential primaries, a popular reality television star who had no serious chance against such established political heavyweights as Gov. Jeb Bush of Florida and Sen. Ted Cruz of Texas. At one of his early debates, he denounced President George W. Bush for having lied America into the disastrous Iraq War, a shocking declaration that seemed sure to doom his candidacy with the conservative Republican base. But oddly enough it failed to dent his enthusiastic, right-wing support, suggesting that our hawkish foreign policy actually resonated much more deeply with Republican donors, DC thinktankers, and Beltway lobbyists than with conservative primary voters.

Trump’s unexpected primary triumph against his establishmentarian Republican opponents was mostly due to domestic issues, especially his powerful focus on the hot-button conservative topics of illegal immigration and free trade agreements. As a consequence, he was regarded as an extreme underdog against Hillary Clinton’s Democratic campaign, with the latter backed by an overwhelming advantage in money and media support.

Clinton’s positions represented the bipartisan elite consensus on foreign policy, and in one of her last debates with Trump she stated that she would immediately declare a “No Fly Zone” in Syria against Russia’s expeditionary force in support of President Assad’s government, with the American air force presumably shooting down any Russian planes that continued to attack the anti-government rebels. A presidential candidate promising war with nuclear-armed Russia should have raised a few eyebrows, but America’s media and political establishments apparently regarded her positions as solid and sensible ones in contrast to Trump’s outrageous proposals to reestablish good relations with the Russians.

Trump’s narrow victory in the 2016 race stunned both political parties. The national security establishments of the Democrats and the Republicans reacted viscerally to the possibility that his contrary ideas might now set Washington policy, and the DC political organism displayed a fierce immune-reaction, trying to reject the alien ideology that had suddenly been grafted onto the top of the American government.

The mainstream media was quickly enlisted in the effort to delegitimize Trump’s election and frustrate his foreign policy plans. Although the bizarre claims that Russian interference had tilted the election towards Trump—or even stolen it outright—probably originated with Clinton’s embarrassed excuses to explain away her shocking defeat against all odds, the cry was quickly taken up by the media echo-chamber and the Russiagate scandal soon dogged the new Trump Administration. Faced with an avalanche of media accusations that Trump was a Russian agent and Putin’s puppet, neither the President nor his top officials could afford the risk of attempting to repair our relations with that country.

Meanwhile, a wide range of dissenting websites—right-wing, left-wing, racialist, and libertarian—were immediately labeled Russian disinformation sources, and although most of the accusations were utterly risible—Ron Paul a Russian agent?—some of these publications were intimidated by those wild charges while our social media gatekeepers were urged to restrict the circulation of any such material.

All of these external pressures on the new administration to toe the establishment line on foreign policy were coupled with internal pressures as well, especially after Trump was persuaded to elevate Mike Pompeo from CIA Director to Secretary of State in late March 2018 and bring in John Bolton as his new National Security Advisor around the same time. Bolton had been known as one of the most extremely hawkish figures in the Bush Administration, a leading advocate of the Iraq War, and Pompeo was regarded as supportive of those same policies. Although Trump’s own views may not have changed, the top figures running his foreign policy were now solidly within the Beltway’s Neocon consensus, even situated at its more extreme end.

Bolton in particular seemed eager and willing to sabotage the policy initiatives of his inattentive new superior.

For example, Trump had made considerable progress on persuading North Korean leader Kim Jong-un to abandon his nuclear weapons development program in exchange for American security guarantees, inspiring South Korean leaders to suggest that the American President deserved a Nobel Peace Prize for his successful diplomatic breakthrough. However, soon after his appointment, Bolton declared that the agreement would be modeled after the one with Muammar Qaddafi of Libya, who had similarly renounced his nuclear weapons efforts in 2004, only to be overthrown and killed in a 2011 NATO-backed military uprising, ending his life sodomized by a bayonet. This torpedoed any possibility of a pact with Kim and Trump later declared that those remarks had been a “disaster” with regard to the negotiations.

That same year Trump was finalizing his crucial trade agreement with Chinese leader Xi Jinping at a private dinner when Bolton secretly ordered the arrest of Meng Wanzhou, one of China’s highest-profile tech executives as she was changing planes in Canada, an act that blindsided and outraged the Chinese leadership. According to a WSJ account, Trump had been completely unaware of what was happening and later asked Bolton “Why did you arrest Meng? Don’t you know she’s the Ivanka Trump of China?”

Leading journalists even reported that Trump’s own senior aides would sometimes hide the executive orders he planned to issue, preventing him from signing them into law and correctly believing that our disengaged Chief Executive would forget about them.

Trump’s original hopes of improving our relationship with Russia had been immediately stymied by the Russiagate Hoax, orchestrated by his Deep State opponents and their mainstream media allies. But his policy towards China followed a different trajectory, and I think Kevin Rudd’s 2022 book The Avoidable War provides a good overview of these developments.

As the former prime minister of Australia, Rudd had relocated to the U.S. in 2014 after leaving office and later served as president of The Asia Society based in New York City. He was obviously a very well-connected individual, even lobbying for nomination as U.N. Secretary-General in 2016, and was already intensely focusing on relations between China and America, which became the subject of his subsequent book. His account explains the sharp break that eventually occurred.

As Rudd tells the story, Trump was overwhelmingly focused on trade issues with China and although he was willing to take tough negotiating positions, he also emphasized the importance of his personal relationship with his “very, very good friend” Xi. He believed that forming such bonds represented a crucial element of his skills as a deal-maker, and he was extremely pleased with the successful trade agreement the two countries had finalized, with Rudd invited to the January 15, 2020 signing ceremony at the White House.

Around this same time, the first news of the Covid outbreak in Wuhan was starting to reach America, but Trump paid no attention to the matter. Even weeks after the virus had begun to spread worldwide, Trump continued praising the successful efforts of China’s leaders in controlling the disease in their own country while disregarding any risk it might pose to the U.S. Only after the burgeoning global epidemic triggered a stock market crash amid indications of widespread American outbreaks did Trump begin blaming the China for the catastrophe, sharply criticizing that country in late March and suggesting that the virus might have escaped from a Chinese virology lab. This shift seemed to have reflected the growing influence of Pompeo, one of the leading anti-China figures in Trump’s administration, and indeed our CIA-affiliated Radio Free Asia propaganda outlet had already begun claiming that Covid was an escaped Chinese bioweapon months earlier on January 9th, before even the first death had yet occurred.

By Rudd’s account, the political impact of the Covid epidemic was enormous, being entirely responsible for the complete reversal of Trump’s China policy, which was transformed from tough negotiations on trade but otherwise amicable strategic cooperation into intense international hostility. And that momentous shift in America’s China stance even remained after Biden replaced Trump in January 2021.

As the elections of both Barack Obama and Donald Trump demonstrated, even the surprising political victory of someone perceived as an extreme outsider seems to have much less impact upon American foreign policy than might be expected. Over the last couple of decades, the political establishments of both parties have been so heavily absorbed into the Neocon world view that it might take a geopolitical earthquake of generational magnitude to dislodge their hold on power.

But as it happens, over the last three years American society experienced exactly such a earthquake. The Covid epidemic killed well over a million Americans and greatly disrupted the lives of everyone else, certainly amounting to the greatest disaster our society had experienced since the Great Depression more than three generations ago. Moreover, the sudden appearance of the virus also had a drastic political impact as well, driving the intense hostility towards China that has governed our political life since early 2020.

Yet despite its huge importance and impact upon the world, the actual origin of this calamitous disease has received far less attention than it warrants, and that discussion has been extremely circumscribed both in the mainstream and even in the alternative media. Since January 2020, the public debate has been almost entirely restricted to two major theories of Covid origins. Most of the scientific and media establishment quickly declared that the virus was natural and had randomly appeared in the city of Wuhan during late 2019. Meanwhile, a strong minority view widespread on the Internet had argued that the virus was bioengineered in a Wuhan laboratory and accidentally leaked out into the surrounding city, setting off the global epidemic.

Last year I reviewed the contradictory evidence and the arguments of the key proponents on both sides, suggesting that an excluded third possibility was the best solution:

I think these exchanges demonstrate that to a considerable extent, the two main camps on the Covid origins debate have been talking past each other.

The testimonies provided by Quammen and Holmes strongly challenged the possibility of any lab-leak at Wuhan, suggesting that this proves the virus must have been natural, even though few arguments on that latter point were ever made; at most, they raised some doubts about the strength of the evidence for bioengineering.

Meanwhile, the articles and papers by Wade, Sachs, Bruttel, and others have provided strong evidence that the virus was artificial. All of this has usually been interpreted as support for the lab-leak hypothesis, even though very little evidence was ever presented that any lab-leak had occurred.

Yet the apparent vector-sum of these conflicting arguments is the conclusion that the Covid virus neither leaked from the Wuhan lab nor was natural, and this suggests that the public debate has been improperly restricted to just those two possibilities.

For more than 30 months I have emphasized that there are actually three perfectly plausible hypotheses for the Covid outbreak. The virus might have been natural, randomly appearing in Wuhan during late 2019; the virus might have been the artificial product of a scientific lab in Wuhan, which accidentally leaked out at that time; or the virus might have been the bioengineered product of America’s hundred-billion-dollar biowarfare program, the oldest and largest in the world, a bioweapon deployed against China and Iran by elements of the Trump Administration at the height of our hostile international confrontation with those countries.

The first two possibilities have been very widely discussed and debated across the Western mainstream and alternative media, while the third has been almost totally ignored, despite top Russian, Iranian, and Chinese government officials having publicly accused America of releasing Covid in a deliberate biowarfare attack.

Indeed, beginning in April 2020 I have published a long series of articles arguing that there is strong perhaps even overwhelming evidence in favor of that third, disregarded possibility.

Last December I had discussed and reviewed several important recent books on the origins of the Covid virus, all advocating the lab-leak hypothesis. I noted that none of the authors—Jasper Becker, Sharri Markson, Alina Chan and Matt Ridley—had dared to even consider the excluded third possibility, perhaps because the realities of the publishing industry required them to apply such Orwellian “crimestop” to their thinking.

 

A few days ago we passed the third anniversary of my original April 2020 article in which I had outlined the likely motives for this attack.

If the virus had been released intentionally, the context and motive for such a biowarfare attack against China could not be more obvious. Although our disingenuous media continues to pretend otherwise, the size of China’s economy surpassed that of our own several years ago, and has continued to grow much more rapidly. Chinese companies have also taken the lead in several crucial technologies, with Huawei becoming the world’s leading telecommunications equipment manufacturer and dominating the important 5G market. China’s sweeping Belt and Road Initiative has threatened to reorient global trade around an interconnected Eurasian landmass, greatly diminishing the leverage of America’s own control over the seas. I have closely followed China for over forty years, and the trend-lines have never been more apparent. Back in 2012, I published an article bearing the provocative title “China’s Rise, America’s Fall?” and since then I have seen no reason to reassess my verdict.

For three generations following the end of World War II, America had stood as the world’s supreme economic and technological power, while the collapse of the Soviet Union thirty years ago left us as the sole remaining superpower, facing no conceivable military rival. A growing sense that we were rapidly losing that unchallenged position had certainly inspired the anti-China rhetoric of many senior figures in the Trump Administration, who launched a major trade war soon after coming into office. The increasing misery and impoverishment of large sections of the American population naturally left these voters searching for a convenient scapegoat, and the prosperous, rising Chinese made a perfect target.

Despite America’s growing economic conflict with China over the last couple of years, I had never considered the possibility that matters might take a military turn. The Chinese had long ago deployed advanced intermediate range missiles that many believed could easily sink our carriers in the region, and they had also generally improved their conventional military deterrent. Moreover, China was on quite good terms with Russia, which itself had been the target of intense American hostility for several years; and Russia’s new suite of revolutionary hypersonic missiles had drastically reduced any American strategic advantage. Thus, a conventional war against China seemed an absolutely hopeless undertaking, while China’s outstanding businessmen and engineers were steadily gaining ground against America’s decaying and heavily-financialized economic system.

Under these difficult circumstances, an American biowarfare attack against China might have seemed the only remaining card to play in hopes of maintaining American supremacy. Plausible deniability would minimize the risk of any direct Chinese retaliation, and if successful, the terrible blow inflicted to China’s economy would set it back for many years, perhaps even destabilizing its social and political system. Using alternative media to immediately promote theories that the coronavirus outbreak was the result of a leak from a Chinese biowarfare lab was a natural means of preempting any later Chinese accusations along similar lines, thereby allowing America to win the international propaganda war before China had even begun to fight.

A decision by elements of our national security establishment to wage biological warfare in hopes of maintaining American world power would certainly have been an extremely reckless act, but extreme recklessness has become a regular aspect of American behavior since 2001, especially under the Trump Administration. Just a year earlier we had kidnapped the daughter of Huawei’s founder and chairman, who also served as CFO and ranked as one of China’s top executives, while at the beginning of January we suddenly assassinated Iran’s top military leader.

 

Under this explosive reconstruction, the Covid disease epidemic that has taken more than million American lives resulted from the blowback of a botched American biowarfare attack against China (and Iran), an attack carried out without the knowledge or approval of President Donald Trump.

All of the compelling evidence supporting this controversial hypothesis has been easily available in mainstream media sources since early 2020, but very few individuals anywhere have been willing to recognize or mention it.

My own long series of articles has presented and analyzed all this material and also placed it within the context of the hidden history of America’s longstanding biological warfare programs. These pieces have been collected into a freely downloadable ebook.

I’d particularly recommend the following articles in my series.

Although the articles run many tens of thousands of words, some of the most striking evidence can be summarized in just a few paragraphs mostly extracted from my original April 2020 article:

For example, in 2017 Trump brought in Robert Kadlec, who since the 1990s had been one of America’s leading biowarfare advocates. The following year in 2018 a mysterious viral epidemic hit China’s poultry industry and in 2019, another mysterious viral epidemic devastated China’s pork industry…

From the earliest days of the administration, leading Trump officials had regarded China as America’s most formidable geopolitical adversary, and orchestrated a policy of confrontation. Then from January to August 2019, Kadlec’s department ran the “Crimson Contagion” simulation exercise, involving the hypothetical outbreak of a dangerous respiratory viral disease in China, which eventually spreads into the United States, with the participants focusing on the necessary measures to control it in this country. As one of America’s foremost biowarfare experts, Kadlec had emphasized the unique effectiveness of bioweapons as far back as the late 1990s and we must commend him for his considerable prescience in having organized a major viral epidemic exercise in 2019 that was so remarkably similar to what actually began in the real world just a few months later.

With leading Trump officials greatly enamored of biowarfare, fiercely hostile to China, and running large-scale 2019 simulations on the consequences of a mysterious viral outbreak in that country, it seems entirely unreasonable to completely disregard the possibility that such extremely reckless plans may have been privately discussed and eventually implemented, though probably without presidential authorization.

But with the horrific consequences of our own later governmental inaction being obvious, elements within our intelligence agencies have sought to demonstrate that they were not the ones asleep at the switch. Earlier this month, an ABC News story cited four separate government sources to reveal that as far back as late November, a special medical intelligence unit within our Defense Intelligence Agency had produced a report warning that an out-of-control disease epidemic was occurring in the Wuhan area of China, and widely distributed that document throughout the top ranks of our government, warning that steps should be taken to protect US forces based in Asia. After the story aired, a Pentagon spokesman officially denied the existence of that November report, while various other top level government and intelligence officials refused to comment. But a few days later, Israeli television mentioned that in November American intelligence had indeed shared such a report on the Wuhan disease outbreak with its NATO and Israeli allies, thus seeming to independently confirm the complete accuracy of the original ABC News story and its several government sources.

It therefore appears that elements of the Defense Intelligence Agency were aware of the deadly viral outbreak in Wuhan more than a month before any officials in the Chinese government itself. Unless our intelligence agencies have pioneered the technology of precognition, I think this may have happened for the same reason that arsonists have the earliest knowledge of future fires.

According to these multiply-sourced mainstream media accounts, by “the second week of November” our Defense Intelligence Agency was already preparing a secret report warning of a “cataclysmic” disease outbreak taking place in Wuhan. Yet at that point, probably no more than a couple of dozen individuals had been infected in that city of 11 million, with few of those yet having any serious symptoms. The implications are rather obvious. Furthermore:

As the coronavirus gradually began to spread beyond China’s own borders, another development occurred that greatly multiplied my suspicions. Most of these early cases had occurred exactly where one might expect, among the East Asian countries bordering China. But by late February Iran had become the second epicenter of the global outbreak. Even more surprisingly, its political elites had been especially hard-hit, with a full 10% of the entire Iranian parliament soon infected and at least a dozen of its officials and politicians dying of the disease, including some who were quite senior. Indeed, Neocon activists on Twitter began gleefully noting that their hated Iranian enemies were now dropping like flies.

Let us consider the implications of these facts. Across the entire world the only political elites that have yet suffered any significant human losses have been those of Iran, and they died at a very early stage, before significant outbreaks had even occurred almost anywhere else in the world outside China. Thus, we have America assassinating Iran’s top military commander on Jan. 2nd and then just a few weeks later large portions of the Iranian ruling elites became infected by a mysterious and deadly new virus, with many of them soon dying as a consequence. Could any rational individual possibly regard this as a mere coincidence?

The Iranians themselves were well aware of these facts, and their top political and military leaders publicly accused America of an illegal biowarfare attack against their own country and China, with their former president even filing an official protest with the United Nations. But although these explosive charges were widely reported in the Iranian press, they were completely ignored by the American media so that almost no Americans ever became aware of them.

Much of this same information is also effectively summarized in several of my podcast interviews from a year ago, originally on Rumble but now available on Youtube as well.

Kevin Barrett, FFWN • February 16, 2022 • 15m • on Rumble

Full article HERE

South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol took office last May. In less than a year, his popularity ratings have plunged to a pathetic 28%. His predecessor Moon Jae-in, in stark contrast, left office basking in stratospheric 78% support. These ratings are a true measure of competence and experience or lack thereof.

2023 04 30 09 09
2023 04 30 09 09

Yoon was a prosecutor general, with no prior chance to cut his teeth on international politics. Geopolitically, he is wet behind the ears. By his actions and words, he is a wet leader—weak and gaffe-prone. His only cashable political asset is his charming and photogenic wife.

In the past month alone, Yoon has littered his record with a terrible triple jump. He has forgotten his geography, that Korea is located in Asia and must navigate the treacherous relations with China, Russia and Japan. On all three fronts, he has been an unmitigated disaster. He has angered China by declaring before his Western partners that “Taiwan is a global issue.” As a newcomer, he craved approval and attention. But he didn’t realize that this is an uncrossable red line for China. Just as provocatively, he has gone out on a limb telling the world that he is prepared to send lethal weapons to Ukraine if and when warranted by the war situation, thereby netting another major power to his list of enemies. He did, however, try to cuddle up to two countries: Japan and America. Korea’s relations with Japan have always been ticklish and fraught, given the latter’s brutal colonial rule of the Korean peninsula. But he blundered with an unsolicited olive branch to the Japanese, saying that he will not accept Japan having to kneel in shame for its atrocities a hundred years ago. This might be music to Japanese ears, but it is a hammer blow to stunned fellow Koreans.

Yoon is currently on a state visit to Washington. It has been rumored that he had burnt the midnight oil trying to memorize his English speech to impress his American hosts. No other foreign leader has tried so hard to curry favor with his US overlord. By angering China on Taiwan and Russia on military aid to Ukraine, he has put himself in Biden’s good books, but at what price? He has given away all his bargaining chips before he even set foot in America. His cupboards are bare. He has given America everything it wants, unasked, including Korea’s kitchen sink. But does this earn him America’s unconditional trust? Quite the contrary. News has just leaked that the US has been spying on its Korean partners. So much for blood brotherhood.

Yoon’s background as prosecutor echoes the CV of US Vice President Kamala Harris, a fellow former prosecutor. Both are socially and strategically challenged–handicapped by poor people skills, a low likeability factor and non-existent geopolitical awareness. They should have stuck with their original occupation. The presidency or vice presidency is simply a bridge too far. They prove that the Peter Principle is alive and kicking—some people are indeed promoted to the level of their incompetence.

Yoon’s foray into Washington is thus doomed. He doesn’t seem to know which side of his bread is buttered, forgetting that Korea’s core interests remain in Asia. Without China, there can be no stable, long-term peace in the region. His inflammatory statements have poured fuel on the flames, with his ill-timed and ill-considered words disrupting the equilibrium. Even Europeans, at the height of a dangerous war raging in Ukraine, know only too well that the US practices an “America First” policy. Alliances are only partnerships of convenience. Yet Yoon is rashly betting his political fortunes on the roller-coaster of US domestic politics. Besides, America is an ocean away. I feel sorry for Koreans for being cursed with a blundering, bird-brained leader who turns out to be a sell-out artist. He talks like a US puppet and acts like a US puppet and will pay a dear price for being a sniveling puppet. With all his bargaining chips squandered, he goes to Washington, empty-handed. What more can he offer Biden? Kimchee, I guess.

American sense of entitlement…

It’s profound and disturbing.

2023 04 30 08 20
2023 04 30 08 20

Jeffrey Sachs – United States Putting All Of Us In Peril

Mr Jeffrey you are 100% the voice of reason and clairvoyance. Unfortunately this has gotten too far already, the human losses on both sides means that Russia is going to keep the provinces it freed under the Russian federation. USa is dangerously commanded by a rogue minority in the shadows, that knows no guilt, and will have to experience defeat to relearn humility and noble principles that most other countries in the world have in their society values and that they don't. Those rogues are treating the world as a far west frontier and dont realize that the true decent, humble and well mannered civilization is not Usa.

https://youtu.be/S6g9xuMK7a8

Something that you would NEVER see in China…

It’s an “American thing”.

2023 04 30 08 19
2023 04 30 08 19

A collection of links that describe American Conservative “news” at this moment in time

We will look back and reflect in the insanity that the United States has become. No need to click on the links. Wait three years, then investigate. Say in 2026-2027.

What is the century of humiliation the Chinese people always speak about?

The Century of Humiliation encompasses a period of roughly between 90–120 years between 1824 and 1944 when China was divided into the sphere of influence by foreign western powers and invaded by Japan

It’s called a COH because CHINA was humiliated

First the Chinese Emperor was overwhelmed by the gunpower and the British Navy & French Soldiers and was forced to cede territory to them where they ran per their own laws.

Second the Opium Trade was red hot and many Chinese became addicts and wealthy families became paupers

China was HELPLESS in every way and their Officials were like Indians of today — Corrupt to the core or Honest yet Indifferent

The Boxer Rebellion is officially regarded the end of the Century of Humiliation but since 2017,=in their textbooks the Chinese add the 13 years of Japanese occupation as also part of the Century of Humiliation

China under Mao referred to the COH every day but under Deng and Jiang the term vanished because the Chinese wanted goodies and favours from the West

It reappeared from 2015 when Xi Jingping told the Chinese to “NEVER FORGET THE CENTURY OF HUMILIATION”

The End of American “Exceptionalism”?

Failing banks, inflation, soaring interest rates and the flight from the petrodollar could become a disaster for ordinary Americans

.

Watching a once great nation commit suicide is not pretty.

President Joe Biden does not seem to understand that his role as elected leader of the United States is to take actions that directly or indirectly benefit the folks who voted for him as well as the other Americans who did not do so. That is how a constitutional democracy is supposed to work.

Instead, Biden and the gang of introverts and neocon war criminals that the has surrounded himself with have done everything that can to inflict fatal damage on the economy through rash initiatives both overseas and at home.

A spending spree to buy support from the bizarre constituencies that make up the Democrat Party base while also fighting an undeclared war in Europe have meant that nearly two trillion dollars has been added to the national debt under Biden’s rule, a debt that was already unsustainable at nearly $30 trillion, larger than the United States’ gross national product. Plans to cancel student loan debts will add hundreds of billions of dollars more to the red ink.

And those actions undertaken overseas, to include continuing to expand the war in Ukraine against Russia, will do immeasurable more damage. Consider how the Democratic Party has long had it in for Russian Federal President Vladimir Putin, dating back to when Putin took power in 2000 and started kicking out the western scallywags who were looting his country.

Subsequently, false intelligence and other innuendoes were contrived by Hillary Clinton and her team in 2016 to implicate Donald Trump as a Russian stooge who was secretly working for Putin.

When that didn’t work and Trump was elected, the Russians were accused by the media and Democrats of willy-nilly interfering in US elections more generally speaking, a much-exaggerated claim in contrast to the overwhelming silence surrounding the real electoral and policy interference, which has been coming from Israel and its fifth column inside the United States, who, not coincidentally, are the chief proponents of the war against Russia.

Placing a target on Vladimir Putin’s back appears to have an unfortunate consequence which Biden has yet to wake up to, namely the fact that the United States now has what might be described as a Ponzi scheme faux economy which is very vulnerable, particularly as much of the world has become disenchanted with the US style of global leadership.

Note for example the recent state visit by French President Emmanuel Macron to Beijing, where he embraced a “global strategic partnership with China” to bring about a “multipolar” world, freed of “blocs” that is not sheltering behind “Cold War mentality.” Macron also criticized the “extraterritoriality of the US dollar.”

And threats made by the Bidens against both China and Russia have accomplished little beyond drawing the two major political and military powers closer together.

Beijing and Moscow entered into a trade agreement in their own currencies in 2014 and have openly taken steps to challenge US dominance of international currency exchanges, creating instead a global multipolar trading environment.

Europe aside, many nations are now eager to cut the tie that binds, which is the decades long American dominance of international financial mechanisms and also the general use of dollars to pay for oil and other energy supplies.

The widespread use of petrodollars enables the buffoonish Janet Yellen at the US Treasury and the Federal Reserve banks to print unlimited unbacked fiat currency, knowing that there will always be a market for it.

Which brings us back to the Ukraine war, pursued “until we win” by Biden and his somnolent Secretary of State Antony Blinken.

One of the first moves when Russia intervened in Ukraine was to block and eventually confiscate Russia’s 300 billion dollars-worth of foreign reserves in banks in the US and Europe.

That sent a shock wave across currency markets all around the world. Biden and Yellen had weaponized the US’s own national currency, which hitherto had been an untouchable step in international relations for nations that were not actually at war.

Countries like China and India with large economies then realized that the US Treasury Department and the dominance of the dollar as an exchange currency had now become a weapon of war and a serious threat to the economies of all other nations.

As a consequence, the US Dollar is right now being rejected by many nations as the world’s reserve currency. Some nations all over the world have agreed to use the Chinese Yuan and Indian Rupee for any-and-all international currency transactions.

Saudi Arabia continues to use the petrodollar but does not demand it. Recently, Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman and Chinese President Xi Jinping agreed to permit the Saudis to sell oil to China in Yuan. Saudi Arabia, the world’s largest oil exporter, is now allowing multiple currencies to be used to purchase its oil, a major attack on the primacy of the US dollar and it also has accepted Chinese mediation to mend fences with the US and Israel’s arch enemy Iran.

And the Saudis have even more recently refused a Biden Administration request that it start pumping more oil to reduce energy costs, signaling that the shift is both political and economic in nature.

Japan, a major economy, has also started purchasing oil and gas directly from Russia against the US imposed energy embargo while Brazil, another major economy, has agreed to use the Yuan in its increasing trade with China.

As fewer nations utilize the US dollar, America’s ability to export and ignore its burgeoning domestic debt and inflation to other countries is being diminished.

This might have a decisive impact on the US currency as the drive to break with the petrodollar continues to grow and could produce something like a “perfect storm” impacting on the US economy.

It threatens to drastically lower the standards of living of nearly all Americans within the next several years as the dollar loses value and purchasing power. As the US economy is heavily interconnected with many European economies, Europe is also likely to be a victim of the coming disaster.

The good news, of course, is that the United States will no longer be able to afford its endless wars and international interventions.

Lacking its economic power, it will no longer be able to declare itself “exceptional” and the enforcer of a “rules based international order.”

It would mean an ending of the funding of developments like the Ukraine proxy war and the troops will have to come home from places like Syria and Somalia. And it might even mark the ending of sending billions of dollars annually to a wealthy Israel.

Ending dollar supremacy would inevitably have an immediate impact on what passes for US foreign policy, making it more difficult for Washington to initiate and sustain Treasury Department sanctions on countries like Iran and North Korea.

It could also create economic turmoil for many countries until the situation resolves itself by producing greater volatility in currency markets worldwide. The Federal Reserve Bank will no doubt respond to the unfolding crisis by acting as it always does by raising interest rates to astronomical levels, thereby hurting most the Americans who can least afford the shock therapy.

And it did not have to turn out this way. It could have been avoided. If the US, which had no horse in the race, had left Ukraine alone Vladimir Putin would not have become a symbol of defiance against the “Rules Based International Order” and he would not have worked with China to establish multipolarity in the way the financial world operates.

Instead, we have a situation where Europe is being de-industrialized due to soaring energy prices and Washington’s destruction of the Nord Stream pipelines while the US is potentially confronting economic disaster as the dollar’s relevance to international trade sinks.

The ultimate irony is that Russia, and also the US/Israeli arch enemy Iran, are by comparison doing quite well economically as they sell their oil and gas to anyone in any currency.

One has to conclude that when US Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen recently made her secret trip to Kiev to promise the despicable Volodymyr Zelensky billions of taxpayer dollars the United States might just have been better served if she had stayed in Washington and made some minimal effort to address the mounting economic problems confronting us here at home.

And people wonder why restaurants ban children entirely…..

Meanwhile in the United States.

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2023 04 30 08 10

China is a far better place to live than the US!! They won’t admit it, though.

America is truly a garbage dump now. This is coming from someone who currently lives there. I have travelled quite a bit around the world and I have been watching videos of China recently....I am blown away by how the country looks. I need to visit. I had only been to Shanghai a few years ago but the other cities look even better.

Currently, as of today April 30, 2023, the United States is actively involved in nine (x9) wars around the globe. It is also involved in numerous “color revolutions” (NED / CIA operations), and has over 800 overseas military bases internationally.

As if that isn’t enough, the American “news” media (which is a unacknowledged branch of the United States government) is promoting wars with…

  • China
  • Haiti
  • Mexico

What do I think will happen next?

I haven’t any idea.

It all depends on the ebb and flow of the tide of sentiment inside the oligarchy that rules the United States military Empire.

However, we can take some educated guesses based upon NEED and OUTLOOK. Here we look at five scenarios.

[1] Devalue of the the USD Scenario

In this scenario, everything stays the same, but the global decision to stop using the USD as a reserve currency has resulted in a devaluing of the USD. This, in turn, results in a great deal of inflation.

Not only are the American people restless, but the inflation has pushed the cost of living to enormous heights. This in turn, has made it very expensive to maintain a massive global military empire.

Under this scenario, a prudent leadership would (out of necessity) scale back the military forces, and force projections. The amounts of moneys that would flow to other nations would also be curtailed.

Without this kind of fiat fiscal policy, the United States would be unable to fund any wars, and would need to cut back (substantially) on the ones it is presently engaged in.

[2] “Damn the torpedoes – full steam ahead” Scenario

In this scenario, there is no consideration given to anything other than ideology.

  • Us vs. Them
  • Democracy vs. “Regimes”
  • Neocon vs. the ignorant rest of the world.

The President and his neocon controllers “put the petal to the metal” and force another war. Probably against China, while keeping all the other wars intact.

This, coupled with various other realities, would be devastating for the United States.

Not only militarily, but also economically and financially.

This scenario would hasten the end of the United States via numerous vectors. (Military is just a tiny portion of the calculus. Other factors have a much greater bearing in this vector.)

As the United States is already in late state collapse, this action would end the present United States government and social organization. As such, we can expect a decade long discomfort inside the Untied States, followed by a two to three decade period of reconstruction to a new form of governance.

[3] Trivial distraction war Scenario

In this scenario, a surrogate target other than China is selected. It doesn’t matter which nation, only that it isn’t a peer-capable one like China.

The war takes place, and all of the media attention is redirected towards that end. This war is used to postpone the decline of the Untied States though a “band-aid” and the United States continues to exist limping long for another decade or so before the eventual collapse.

Eventual collapse will still be spectacular. No doubt.

The advantage of this scenario is that of continued life-support for the dying empire, and enough time to make the necessary arrangements for the lifeboats of the rich to ride out the fiasco.

[4] “Kitchen Sink” Scenario

The American military (using the Presidential figurehead) uses nuclear weapons against one or more combatants. In response, the Global South erases the United States. There are debates on how much damage will occur. But I see an emergent globe where the United States no longer exists, where Americans are treated as lepers, and the Global South manages the world quite well without the “West”.

I will further add that no one wants this scenario. And only a lunatic egotistical idiot with dementia and fueled on cocaine would dare consider it. So, it is of my opinion that is is an unlikely scenario.

[5] “Fade into black” Scenario

In this scenario, there are no additional wars. But the existing ones aren’t ended either. The various vectors continue to their ultimate conclusion. The United States dies. The proxy allies start to “turn off the lights” and the last one out of the theater locks the door.

It’s over.

Now, in these five scenarios, the United States dies.

There is no scenario where it doesn’t die.

The last chance to stop the “great burn” was when the government was still able to function. But that time has passed. The bureaucracy period ended under President Bill Clinton…

main qimg d1dc187173bd72f20a65f923435ec8c8
main qimg d1dc187173bd72f20a65f923435ec8c8

Since that period of time, the ability to reverse-course became substantially difficult.

And the United States slid into death. And it is at death where the United States sits today.

Now during this decade of convulsions; it’s over.

The death spasms of a dying military empire is obvious to everyone.

And so we have our actual reality.

At this period of late stage collapse, the United States cannot be taken off of it’s vector. It will die, the only issues are [1] how quickly and [2] how painfully for the Americans and allies.

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2023 04 30 17 56

Finally, I must add that the United States needs a new kind of leader to slow down the march-of-death. I propose the following…

main qimg 6f95d49deaa59f6f0c1bc04ed2cf7373
main qimg 6f95d49deaa59f6f0c1bc04ed2cf7373

Biden the sly dog, and China had best be careful

Many months ago I said here that if Ukraine would devolve into a NATO war then Poland and Germany would be ruined immediately. It didn't take a soothsayer to figure this horrible turn of the war wheel. Today, England is also is a first wave target in any astute reading of the sadly arranged, miserable tea leaves. We shall see soon. When? June 12. The massive Air Defender 23 forces take to European skies that morning.

No matter what happens that day, Beijing or Rio de Janeiro will be safer places to be. Who knows about NYC or Washington.

It can't happen here.

Posted by: Elmagnostic | May 26 2023 16:38 utc | 1

The world have moved “to the other side”. The “banana republics” are taking over, and those in the West are unaware of the reality. They are instead still being manipulated; like wind up toys.  Thinking one thing, and like Lemmings, moving towards pre-programmed actions and resultant conclusions.

President Biden has something “up his sleeve”, is he sincere, or is he trying to lull China into complacency? No one knows. My guess is that he’s not “doubling down”, but rather “Crushing down hard”, and he believes that a war with China will happen. In HIS personal favor.

Conveniently right before the 2024 election.

That’s what it looks like to me.

Upgrade in Pakastan

China is now considering to upgrade all the railway network in pakistan and connect it with its province so that it will largely reduce the time taken to reach China than other through the south China sea

main qimg af7be28f20544010bddd1ed60c9bb986
main qimg af7be28f20544010bddd1ed60c9bb986

This will make the importing for China very easy and cheap.

It is big success for pakistan as its rail network will get updated.

the project is worth of $58 Billion Dollars

main qimg b98823eaf5eaa19780e416e80acf89ce
main qimg b98823eaf5eaa19780e416e80acf89ce

GDP thoughts

Genuine US GDP is almost 50% less than the number stated due to the gross method with which its calculated that counts overhead costs as productive earnings. There’re very good reasons why the debt is $31 Trillion and the national government’s equity is negative $126 Trillion–many of those overhead costs and so-called productive earnings are actually monopoly rents that ought to be completely taxed and turned into government revenues but aren’t because the Donors (the Parasites) have captured the government. Actual GDP is about $15 Trillion making the debt 200% of GDP and the depth of insolvency worse than any nation on the planet. It will worsen until policy and regulation are ripped from the Donors’s hands.

Posted by: karlof1 | May 25 2023 15:52 utc | 35

Amana Pickled Ham

Amana Pickled Ham is served in many of the Amana restaurants as a side. This is a good appetizer to have around, and it keeps well in the refrigerator.

R C2
R C2

Ingredients

  • 4 cups cubed cooked ham
  • 1 large onion, chopped
  • 2 cups water
  • 1 cup vinegar

Instructions

  1. Combine all ingredients and place in quart jars.
  2. Let stand for several days before eating.

Modern fallacies/stereotypes about Chinese modern society:

  • Chinese are incredibly obedient and submissive.
  • Chinese do not think for themselves.
  • Chinese are not creative, cannot innovate.

But…

PRAGMATISM (务实)

main qimg 456406e1f4d87e5170e269fc1604c2ff lq
main qimg 456406e1f4d87e5170e269fc1604c2ff lq

This word is huge to describe Chinese, and most Asians, in modern time, and in history.

Chinese can definitely think for themselves. They always ponder “what is in this for me, how can this benefit me?” Chinese don’t dive head first into anything without first checking it out. Chinese always see the big picture.

Chinese immigrants often ignore most luxury, work their arses off. 3 years later, they saved enough money to start a business. 6 years later, they buy their 3 million dollar house.

Chinese do not fight with the cops. They say sorry, pay the fine, move on. They choose pragmatism over principle. Principle says they should fight injustice. Pragmatism says it’s a waste of time fighting over $200 fine when they can use this time to make $1000.

Chinese do not get into fist fights. Chinese do not see the point. Too much risk, no gain. Getting into fights also make Chinese look unreliable and reckless. Companies do not trust and promote reckless people.

The big picture is always more important than a moment of emotional outburst (and I should take my own advice). Why waste time and money on something that is futile?

The big picture also dictates that you should worry about saving to downpay for a house, college saving for the kids, or at least find a suitable person to settle down with. Spending all your hard earned money partying, drunk and passed out on the streets, does nothing for your future beside liver cancer.

 

DEMOCRACY (民主)

First, WTF is democracy? Democracy is the practice of considering everyone’s opinion.

main qimg 5113ac2b4b58eae46240e09f15d47d1d lq
main qimg 5113ac2b4b58eae46240e09f15d47d1d lq

What do you want to eat for lunch? Take a vote. Where do we go for vacation? Let’s hear everyone’s opinions, then we vote on it.

Chinese love odd numbers. Odd number is exciting. Someone will have the deciding vote. 4 people, 2 v 2 votes, stalemate. 5 people, the last person has to pick A or B, and the group can move forward. Fair and square, no argument. Harmony!

This is much bigger than you think. Such democracy is practiced throughout history. Whenever there is an absence of an absolute leadership, democracy happens. Absolute leadership be a teacher, a boss, a parent, a government official.

Of course you can’t argue with the laws. You run a red light, you get a ticket. You don’t take a vote with the policeman. You don’t take a vote whether to have homework, teacher says you do homework or fail the class. If you do not go to work, your boss fires you, no discussion. Democracy approach isn’t always logical in every instance.


INTEREST IN DEMOCRACY

What do you want to have for lunch again? Let’s take a vote. Democracy happens far too often among Chinese.

But wait, you aren’t talking about this democracy, but that democracy?

I get you. You are talking about American style government system that is guided by American constitution?

Why should Chinese honor and be obligated to American Constitution?

Why should Chinese adopt American style government system when Chinese society has drastically different culture and history?

American system is not even doing well for America.

  • Presidential election only allows 2 pre-selected candidates (everyone else can be voted, but with zero chance to win).
  • Presidential term lasts 4 years. The new president dismantles most things the previous president spent billions of dollars to create. This cycle of reset is extremely costly and counterproductive.
  • President candidates are not merit based. Even a cat can be president if he has enough money and support from its people.
  • Poverty is ignored. Healthcare is ignored. Presidents put their priorities in serving the rich first: war profiteering over developing America. Protecting big pharma to exploit the poor who go homeless to pay for medicine.

How the fuck is this a democracy?

And better yet…

How the fuck would Chinese people be expected to be interested in this shit?

Right?


Remember, Chinese are pragmatic. Chinese want to be heard, want to be taken care of by the government. American style government is not taking care of its people. It instead exploits and robs American people to support the oligarchs. This is American democracy: a democracy completely by facade.

  • Chinese don’t care about facade.
  • Chinese don’t care about time wasting principle that is all risk and no result.
  • Chinese don’t care about empty gesture and symbolism. Chinese people want results.

So the question is wrong in asking if Chinese is interested in democracy. It should be which style of government system does Chinese want?

Or… what the hell do you want for lunch? Burger or hotpot? Let’s vote on it.

INSANE! Biden to create new federal agency to track your behavior

Closing The Case Of Regime Changer Roman Protasevich And His Ryanair Flight To Minsk

Two years ago a Ryanair flight from Athens to Lithuania was diverted after the Belorussian flight control informed the pilot that it had received an email which said that the plane carried a bomb and would explode during landing in Lithuania.

The plane diverted to Minsk. All passengers stepped off board and where bused to the terminal. When they passed through passport control the immigration officers found that two of the passengers had outstanding arrest warrants against them. These were one Roman Protasevich and his Russian girlfriend and co-worker Sofia Sapega.

The ‘western’ media and politicians were up in arms over the ‘unprecedented’ incident. But the event was far from unprecedented.

Western media also failed to report that Roman Protasevich had been a western government financed neo-nazi who had fought with the fascist Ukrainian Azov battalion before working for U.S. sponsored regime change media in Poland. He was one of the persons who had directed the failed 2020 color-revolution in Belarus.

Belarus had handled the airplane incident by the book. During the following days claims were made that Belarus received the terror threat email after the plane was informed – i.e. the whole thing was a setup. However, Belarus has claimed that it received the threat email twice, once before it notified the pilots and another copy later.

Moon of Alabama has followed the case throughout. Those interested in the details of the original incident can find them in our June 2 2021 post. For a wider political view of the ‘color revolution’ business in east Europe see this piece by Kit Klarenberg. Links to all MoA posts about the case are listed at the end of this piece.

A week after the incident, during a long TV interview, Protasevich spilled the beans about the whole regime operation. He also says that he has come to believe that one of his regime changer colleagues had sent the bomb threat email to get him arrested.

A few weeks later Roman Protasevich and Sofia Sapega were released and put under house arrest. A trial followed and, in early May of this year, he was sentenced to eight years in prison.

I though that the sentence, in light of his public turnabout, was quite harsh but others accused of the same regime change operations against Belarus had received up to 20 years prison time. Still, eight years is a long time for a young man who had clearly changed his mind. Sofia Sapega, who is a Russian citizen, had earlier received a 6 year sentence.

On May 22 Protasevich was unexpectedly pardoned:

Roman Protasevich said: “I’ve just signed the paperwork saying that I have been pardoned. This is certainly simply great news.”BelTA reported earlier that on 3 May the Minsk Oblast Court sentenced Roman Protasevich to eight years in a prison colony. He was found guilty of making public appeals for seizing power, committing acts of terrorism, giving offence to the president, spreading knowingly fraudulent information about Belarus, and other crimes.

Protasevich was quite surprised:

“This news is extremely unexpected. A month ago I could not think that it was even possible, that it would happen. I am really overwhelmed,” Roman Protasevich said. “I would like to thank President Aleksandr Grigorievich personally because this is his decision. This is a bold move, a decision of a strong-willed person. I want to thank the country and the people who believed in me, in my sincerity, who think that people can mend their ways and admit their mistakes.”According to him, he is focused on the positive agenda. “I don’t read what they write about me. I unsubscribed from all possible information resources a long time ago. I mean pro-Western, opposition one because they recycle stuff about me. I’m not interested in what’s going on there, what they’re saying. I am focused [on] the positive agenda. I will devote maximum time to my family,” Roman Protasevich emphasized.

Reporting on Protasevich’s pardon the Washington Post notes:

Sapega, a Russian national, was accused of running another Telegram channel called “Belarus’s Black Book,” which published personal information about the country’s security forces. She was sentenced in 2022 to six years in prison. Last month, the Prosecutor General’s Office of Belarus granted its Russian counterparts’ request to transfer Sapega to Russia following her family’s pleas.

I have found no other new information about Sapega but, if she is still with Protasevich, it is likely that she will now receive similar leniency.


Previous coverage of the case published on Moon of Alabama:

Posted by b on May 26, 2023 at 16:36 UTC | Permalink

First Point

Russia is a Country with Tremendous Resources.

main qimg d8821f5eb9d4cf9dc5c7856c2a51cff7 pjlq
main qimg d8821f5eb9d4cf9dc5c7856c2a51cff7 pjlq

They have Oil, Wheat, Metals, Gas, Inert Gas, Enriched Uranium – the list is endless.

This means they can sustain themselves without any Import Dependence and yet the whole World Depends on their Exports

This means Russia is REALLY WEALTHY unlike the West who only have PAPER WEALTH

You see since the West is Paper Wealthy – its very easy to create an Economic Shockwave through Loss of Investor confidence. It is a realistic possibility in these Countries.

Since Russia is Really Wealthy or Commodity Wealthy – its near impossible to create an Economic Shockwave

So Shock and Awe sanctions simply couldnt have worked in the long run

Second Point

Russia and China joined hands before the Conflict

main qimg e1fc4fa086206ab29db34e05cb581ee2 lq
main qimg e1fc4fa086206ab29db34e05cb581ee2 lq

This was a huge plus for Russia.

Shock and Awe sanctions couldnt have worked in the long run but they could have wrecked Russia in the short run had it not been for Chinas support or rather the Lack of Chinas condemnation.

Today China has a reputation that is even better than the US in Financial Capital Affairs.

If China has confidence in a Country – the World immediately recognizes it. Its why when China began to move away from SL and Pakistan, their Creditworthiness reduced whereas when China backed SLs IMF Loan in 2019 – it was granted unconditionally.

The Minute China didnt join the bandwagon – the Short term impacts were hugely mitigated.

Again this was something the West didnt expect.

Third Point

The Impact of SWIFT

The West over rated the importance of SWIFT.

Maybe 20 years ago – SWIFT was vital since the only other option was Telex which could take a week or two. Today you have many Messaging Architectures with the same know how so as long as Russia has Gas and Oil – The Banks will always find payments

Subsequently Russia easily bypassed the Swift

Again this was something the West didnt expect

Fourth Point

The Industrial Depth of Russia

The West were convinced that Russia was an Oil and Gas Station

They didnt realize that Russia , former USSR had a huge industrial depth and it could easily bounce back its Industrialization. Unlike China which formed its Industrial Base from scratch in 1982 and took so long, Russia had a massive industrial base from 1948 to 1991 and Russia could easily jumpstart this from 2012 onwards.

Thus Russias Industries were far more stronger than the West thought they were


Subsequently – Is Russia Losing Economically

I would say Russia may perhaps lose $1 for every $ 3.50 that the West Loses.

As on Date Russia is adding $ 173 Million a day to its GDP and losing $ 100.4 Million a day – that is a net of $ 72.6 Million a day or around $ 24 Billion a year which comes to around 1.6% Growth in GDP rather than 15% Contraction as predicted by the West.

Even if this becomes worse and doubles and Russia loses around $ 27 Million a day or $10 Billion a year – thats still only around 0.67% Contraction in GDP rather than 15%

Worst Case Russia loses around 3% GDP – 5% GDP but Russian Govt gains $ 287 Billion of Fresh Reserves and has only $ 542 Billion Debt against $ 11 Trillion Assets

The West may gain around 0.25% – 3% GDP but the West collectively loses $ 3.42 Trillion of additional debt due to higher prices of reserves and Ukranian assistance. Thats a massive addition to their debt. They now have combined $ 48.24 Trillion Debt against only $ 21.70 Trillion Assets


Conclusion – The West is committing HARA KIRI and Russia is expected to gain Massively in the Long term from this Stupidity

1. First guess is he has helped identify other trouble makers either in Belarus or Ukraine or both.

2. The 2020 Belarus and 2019 Hong Kong demonstrations were always a bit odd. It appeared that many years of US/USAID/CIA/MI6 preparations were being started much too early when they were bound to fail. Why not wait?

Well now we know. In 2019 Taiwan the lead in the Polls swung from the KMT (if not pro-China at least not pro-America or actively anti-mainland) to the DPP who won in Jan 2020. Fears of Chinese authoritarianism based of fake news of HK police violence were very influential.

Belarus was setting the scene for “Russia as the bad guy”. Again for Regional but not local advantage.

My guess is that these American/UK funded groups will now largely be closed down by the Russian and Chinese intelligence services, and their experiences and tools will be passed on to other countries, even those with complex relationships to US like Hungary or Turkey. There will be no more color revolutions (outside EU/US).

Posted by: Michael Droy | May 26 2023 18:04 utc | 7

A realistic measure of a “threat level” is a summarized solution of multiple components.

  • Capability ( A realistic assessment of the potential damage that a designated “enemy” can inflict on your forces. As well as your ability to inflict damage on theirs).
  • Sustainability (A realistic assessment of the ability for the designated “enemy” to fight over a long period of time with little degradation of skill.).
  • Reduction (A projection of the ability of friendly forces to suppress the political and manufacturing ability of the defined “enemy”.)
  • Operational theater (A realistic assessment of the operational theater capabilities of the designated “enemy”.).
  • Peer confluence (This rates the training, morale, skills, technology, and tactics of the defined “enemy” relative to friendly forces.)
  • Alliances (This is a realistic appraisal of the “blocs” that will form upon a war situation. Who will side with whom, and who will fight as friendly forces, and who will fight alongside the enemy forces against us.).

There are, of course, other aspects worthy of consideration, but these six are the primary attributes and characteristics that are important.

In the case of a MILITARY conflict between the United States and China, we have to take all these characteristics into account, or else suffer though the potential of devastating consequences.

Let’s take the analysis step by step. Keeping in mind that for an accurate analysis, we have to perform it contemporaneously, and realistically, fully devoid of any (lead in) pre-war anti-”enemy” propaganda that would absolutely color the calculus in favor of friendly forces. After all, that is what propaganda is; a mechanism to demonize and belittle an enemy, and to “puff up” and inspire friendly forces.

  • Capability

China is a nation that is over 6000 years old. It is also one of the most populous nations. In its history it has seen nations come and go, but the Chinese have always survived in one form or the other.

When Genghis Khan invaded China, and seized it, the Chinese absorbed the military teachings and philosophy of the Khans and when that empire collapsed, China absorbed it and ruled over Mongolia and Manchuria for centuries afterwards. This action, this philosophy, has evolved into a society of “peaceful warrors”.

The Chinese are one of the most intelligent people on the planet. They run a merit-driven society, and abhor change to traditional values. They work hard, and they play hard. Besting each other by hard alcohol is a Chinese norm, and all Chinese (from the time they start school) though to college, obtain military training, operate in naturally forming squads, and organically function as one unified team.

When people, especially “armchair generals” try to ascertain the military capability of the Chinese, they often are wrong. There are many reasons for this.

  • They mistake being peaceful for pacifism.
  • The confuse the anti-Chinese propaganda with realistic assessment.
  • The Chinese do not promote or advertise it’s military capabilities and abilities.
  • China’s true numbers, quantities, and abilities are kept INTENTIONALLY secret. No one really knows the full numbers, and the full abilities, and the full capabilities. All reports on China are extrapolated guesses at best.

China has a military force that is broken down into two components.

  1. Defensive.
  2. Offensive.

The Defensive component is tactical in nature. It is designed to operate in and near China. This includes the South China Sea, Taiwan, and the neighboring nations of Korea, Japan, and South East Asia.

The Offensive component is strategic in nature. It is designed to strike deep inside the homeland of the attacking nations, proxies and sponsors. To destroy cities, infrastructure and disrupt civilian life to such a substantial degree that engagement of any war against China would be a very uncomfortable one.

Taken as a whole, China is a fortress.

It’s defensive preparations and military are absolute. Any nation trying to attack it would suffer massive causalities at multiple levels of engagement.

It’s cities are walled fortifications. It’s people are trained militia. It’s manufacturing capability is enormous, and could switch to war-time production in hours.

We cannot fully appreciate the defensive abilities of China without looking at the historical events; the most recent events where the United States fought China. That was in 1950 -54.

The United States and it’s allies lost and lost enormously.

In fact, the loss was so very horrific, that the retreat became a rout. And the piles of equipment and stockpiles in warehouses had to be bombed remotely, by the sea and the air, to prevent capture. (This is by definition a rout. Remote demolitions of abandoned material is a characteristic of a rout.)

General Douglas MacArthur was so upset and defeated that he demanded that President Truman start using nuclear weapons on China, but Truman refused.

Instead President Truman initiated a multi-decade long campaign of carpet bombing China with bio-weapons. Which didn’t do much to China, except make it very VERY resilient to bio-weapon attacks.

Ah.

Did come in handy. Don’t you know…

Anyways…

So, taken a a whole, the defensive branch of the Chinese PLA would put up a “good fight”.

By the nature of geography and numbers, any attacking nation could only focus on limited regions to wage war. Taiwan, South China Sea, XinJiang. And in each case the fighting would be extraordinarily difficult.

Attacking causalities would approach 80–90%. Loss of material, and weapons, and supporting systems is guaranteed.

Just like what happened in Korea, the last time.

While there is no doubt that United States forces, along with proxy nations would be able to bomb targets, and destroy buildings and maybe even a city or two, the direct result of THAT kind of attack would ignite the Chinese OFFENSIVE forces.

Uh oh.

Oh. God No!

Chinese offensive forces are simple.

They destroy the cities of the attacking nation. They use enhanced radiation neutron bombs mounted on hyper-velocity glide vehicles launched by MIRV ICBM platforms.

It’s a very “clean” system of radiation, very unlike the nuclear bombs of the West.

Instead of a big explosion with damage due to blast and pressure, heat, the bomb explodes and zaps entire regions with lethal radiation. Radiation that leaves in a few days.

Zap.

*Zzziiit*

Buildings will stand, but all life would be dead.

People. Pets. Cattle. Flies. Mosquitoes. Worms. Beatles. Butterflies.

All gone.

What survives would be dying.

The attacking nation would truly resemble a “ zombie apocalypse”.

In all studies by RAND; the premier American “military think tank”, the concluding summaries in regards to military conflict between the USA and China is to avoid it.

The only areas where the pro-war faction seems to see benefit are the…

  • “news media” (especially Australian),
  • the political establishment (to gain power though working with the media narratives),
  • and the industrial-military complexes that would profit greatly though a massive big war (assuming their factories are not blown to smithereens).

On this item “Capability” alone, it is very obvious that a risk assessment on the capabilities of the Chinese PLA would deter anyone from even considering a war with China.

With that being said, all the other characteristics also underscore this point.

  • Sustainability

China has a population, manufacturing ability, access to resources, more intelligent and hard working people, much, much, MUCH larger than the United States and Europe combined. In a war where only sustainability is an issue, China would easily win that war.

  • Reduction

Because of this massive, enormous; gargantuan resource pool, the only way that the United States would be able to suppress it would be to cut off access to it. Which it cannot. The BRI has made that impossible. This, thus leaves the nuclear war option, which as defined above would result in the massive erasure of life in both the United States and Europe by neutron carpet-bombing.

  • Operational theater

Any war might start out in an operational theater defined by the United States, but it will not stay there. Once the Chinese strategic forces are given the “go ahead”, the war will become global. The absolute targets would be the nations of the combatants. This would be the United States, and Europe, as well as the handful of Australian cities, and great areas of Japan.

  • Peer confluence

China is above peer confluence with the combined armies of the United States and it’s allies / proxies. This is an assessment dating back to 2004, and I am of the opinion that (if anything), the gap has widened substantially since then. Only the rabble that are influenced by the anti-China propaganda, and watch too many Rambo movies think that a war against China would be “easy”.

Wars are NEVER easy. And to fight China is a mistake that should be avoided at all costs.

  • Alliances

China is well aligned with the bulk of the world. To fight China would be to fight the world. Russia, Iran, North Korea are but the expected combatants, but in any war, you can well expect changing alliances, and force power projections to change in the favor of China.

And make no mistake. These alliances are active and have no doubts or misconceptions of the reality of this moment in time.

Conclusion

Q: What is the Chinese military’s threat level to U.S. forces?

A: Absolute. Complete, and final.

Why Are These Biden Officials Leaving Their Top Posts?

Recently several administration official who were working on China and Ukraine policies announced to step back or retire. The people in question were not neo-conservative China hawks like Secretary of State Anthony Blinken or National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan.

The unexpected loss of top sane hands has me concerned that there is some big move in planning that will damage U.S. relations with China and Russia even more than they already are:

The head of a new US State Department unit tasked to coordinate efforts aimed at countering Beijing plans to step down next month, the department’s second high-ranking official with a China portfolio to announce a departure in less than two weeks.Rick Waters, head of the State Department’s recently created Office of China Coordination, and known informally as its “China House”, will leave the position just six months after it was established to manage what Secretary of State Antony Blinken called “the scale and the scope of the challenge” posed by the country.

The career State Department official will “rotate out” of the unit and the Office of Taiwan Coordination on June 23 “as part of the Department’s normal summer transition process,” according to a State Department spokesman.

There was no reason given why Waters was moved aside. This comes shortly after an even more important figure suddenly decided to retire:

The announcement about Waters followed news of US Deputy Secretary of State Wendy Sherman’s retirement earlier this month.Sherman, the highest-ranking State Department official from the Biden administration to have travelled to China, has been an instrumental member of US President Joe Biden’s efforts to build an Indo-Pacific strategy that offers an alternative to China’s economic influence and expanding military presence there.

Sherman was a hard nosed negotiator but had a realist view on issues:

Before she was appointed Deputy Secretary of State, Wendy Sherman had pushed for a swift return to the 2015 nuclear deal, formally known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA). She urged the Biden administration to immediately begin consultations with Europe, Russia and China on preserving the JCPOA after taking office. “It’s important for the U.S. to start its consultations as quickly as a new administration can,” Sherman said at Johns Hopkins University on November 19, 2020.

Another important figure will soon leave from a top Pentagon role:

The Defense Department’s top policymaker plans to resign, according to three U.S. officials familiar with the decision.Colin Kahl, who has been undersecretary of defense for policy since April 28, 2021, is likely to leave in the summer, the officials said.

The officials, who asked not to be named, said Kahl plans to return to the private sector, most likely to Stanford University, where he was a professor and fellow before he joined the Biden administration.

Before his time at Stanford, Kahl was national security adviser to then-Vice President Joe Biden from October 2014 until January 2017. During the Obama administration, he was also a policy official at the Pentagon.

Two years ago Kahl faced a tough confirmation battle to become the No. 3 civilian at the Pentagon, in part because of his critical comments about Republicans on social media when he worked in the private sector. Republicans also criticized his involvement in the 2015 nuclear deal with Iran known as the JCPOA and his other policy views about the Middle East.

Kahl was also known for opposing escalation of the U.S. proxy war with Russia:

Kahl has also been one of the administration’s top officials making the case against sending U.S.-made F-16 jets to Ukraine, which has been a point of contention between the Biden administration and lawmakers, both Democrats and Republicans.Despite a plea from Kyiv for more advanced jets, Kahl has argued sending F-16s would take years and cost billions of dollars, while noting fighters aren’t Ukraine’s most immediate need.

China hawks had rallied against Kahl’s position on China:

In an interview with Defense News this week, Kahl offered extraordinary overconfidence that China will not attempt an invasion of Taiwan within the next two years and likely far further into the future. This bears note because U.S. military and intelligence officials increasingly do believe that Xi is likely to order an invasion before this decade is out, possibly before 2027. Their assessment is vested in intelligence reporting and comprehensive political and military analysis.

Kahl, however, is unconcerned.

Kahl announced his departure from the Pentagon shortly before Biden elevated a China hawk to the top position of the U.S. military:

President Biden is nominating Gen. Charles “C.Q.” Brown Jr. to serve as the next chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, the president is expected to announce Thursday in a White House Rose Garden ceremony.Brown is currently the Air Force chief of staff.

The position is the nation’s highest-ranking military officer, and the chairman is the primary military adviser to the president, as well as to the defense secretary and National Security Council.

Gen. Brown had previously commanded the U.S. Air Force in the Pacific region. He is known for seeing China as the top U.S. enemy:

Chief of Staff Gen. Charles Q. Brown Jr. in his keynote address said China’s People’s Liberation Army has the largest aviation forces in the Indo-Pacific and the largest conventional missile capability in the world, and is actively fielding hypersonic missiles. China also is establishing bases around the globe, often in places where the U.S. already has a presence.China has said its armed forces will be fully modernized by 2035 and “world class by 2050,” said Brown, who noted that “China continues to move its modernization timelines left at a rate of change that is outpacing the United States.”

“The day after the last C-17 left Kabul, I was in the Indo-Pacific where a graver threat is manifesting, where the risk and stakes are high,” Brown said. “We must move with a sense of urgency today in order to rise to the challenges of tomorrow, because the return to strategic competition is one of our nation’s greatest challenges. Strategic competition may not be as stark or obvious as a 9/11-like event, but it can be just as catastrophic. We cannot wait for a catastrophic crisis, whether it be sudden or insidious, to drive change for the Air Force and the Joint Force. If we do, it will be too late.”

I think that all these moves are somewhat related. Wendy Sherman and Colin Kahl have known each other throughout their careers. Both of them cooperate with each other while serving in several Democratic administrations. It is hard to believe that did not talk to each other about stepping down.

But still I find none of the usual background pieces in foreign policy media that connects these moves or would explain the issues involved. Can they find no one who wants to talk about this?

Or is it just me seeing things that ain’t there because I fear that the Biden administration is preparing for even more escalatory policies?

Posted by b on May 25, 2023 at 14:07 UTC | Permalink

A comment

This mass resignation has all the hallmarks of a fully recognized cull–from top to bottom–an institutional recognition that a political cull is coming.

The first of these sorts of institutional culls that were instigated by anti-communist ideologues, back in the 1950s, were pushed by the FBI, CIA, the China Lobby (aka “Chiang Kaishek”, “Song Meiling”, and the general “Song” family + CIA/FBI/US Media empires of the era: Time and Live Magazines)–a coalition that the US Rethuglican Corporate Party happily funded and cooperated with (quietly, under Eisenhower’s awareness, which Nixon was keeping careful track of), along with Truman’s cabinet.

The cull that’s coming is going to swerve the US into an even more self-destructive path.

Posted by: Pacifica Advocate | May 25 2023 15:57 utc | 38

Another comment

“biden” was publicly proclaiming a thaw in us China relations. Also accompanied by a narrative campaign to fix the idea that decoupling is impossible.

My guess is that the US is preparing to court China to dump Russia a la Nixon and kissinger in the 70s.

Where it goes I dunno, probably not far. After all the US truly doesn’t think it needs to abide by agreements, being exceptional as they are. China will need more than words, they’ll need concrete irrevocable action before they’ll engage

Let’s see what happens next, for sure the US will need to abandon its economic war campaign, and withdraw all support from Taiwan and I don’t think the ‘biden” administration can do anything so useful.

Posted by: Neofeudalfuture | May 25 2023 16:28 utc | 46

Citizen Shoots 3 Robbers in a Houston Gas Station

Peer ability

On China, there’s no chance the Outlaw US Empire will ever become its peer over the next century. The power of integration within Eurasia is too strong for the weak Empire to crack. What matters most is the Eurasian people are all for it even if a few “leaders” are bought like those in Moldova and Pakistan–but even the bought Pakistanis won’t jettison BRI/China as development partner. The Thais are too integrated into ASEAN to abandon it as ordinary Thais will revolt. South Korea is an odd cookie. It’s greatly benefited from Asian integration and abandoning that for deeper vassalage to the Empire will likely be overturned with the next Presidential election. A good question: Is Japan a lost cause; will its people ever awaken and attempt to free themselves from occupation?

IMO, much depends on what occurs further with the Empire’s financial crisis and rapidity of dedollarization. Over half the population of the Outlaw US Empire is under the age of 35, with 25% under 15, which might make it easier to yet again rob from the young to pay for Imperial excesses. For the 13% nearing retirement age, this next election and how it will treat social policy will be crucial, even existential. Domestic politics have usually been ignored by US Imperialists, but with the escalating financial crisis and utterly wrong Fed and foreign policies driving it, I don’t see how it can be ignored in 2024 as it will be close to a replay of 2016. My crystal ball is hazy when it comes to what will happen here, although the next month ought to clarify it somewhat as the debt issue is either solved or isn’t.

Posted by: karlof1 | May 25 2023 15:42 utc | 31

Amana Ox Yoke Inn Rhubarb Custard Pie

Yield: 1 pie

R C
R C

Ingredients

  • Double crust pastry for 9 inch pie
  • 3/4 tablespoon all-purpose flour
  • 5 1/2 cups chopped rhubarb
  • 2 1/2 cups granulated sugar
  • 4 eggs, lightly beaten
  • 3/4 cup Half-and-Half
  • 1/8 teaspoon salt

Instructions

  1. Make crust for a 2 crust pie.
  2. Put bottom crust in pie pan; sprinkle with flour.
  3. Mix the rhubarb, sugar, beaten eggs, Half-and-Half and salt.
  4. Pour into crust, and put on top crust. Make slits in top of pie.
  5. Bake at 375 degrees F for 1 1/2 hours.

World Class

I dunno if it’s just me, but I think the Chinese military is “World Class” right now, never mind 2050. It’s got a huge navy, advanced missiles and aircraft, and a lot of men under arms.

Aljazeera: Chinese Military strength

Posted by: JulianJ | May 25 2023 18:08 utc | 70

5 Unexplained Moments Caught on Live TV That Were Never Solved

BANKRUPTED – the last memory chip maker in the United States

  • Micron is the last memory chip maker in the United States
  • CHINA is a MAJOR market for its product
  • China warned that its product is a security threat and banned its companies from purchasing from Micron
2023 05 27 11 34
2023 05 27 11 34
  • Micron share prices will likely crashed on Monday
  • AND the company will likely go bankrupt
  • it is NOW clear that the Chinese state is NOW responding to American assault on their hitech companies
  • Micron will be the first of many American companies that the Chinese target

Ouch!

2023 05 27 11 22
2023 05 27 11 22

1). The US caused debt trap, then the US accuses China of causing the debt trap.

2). The US sabotaged the Nord Stream pipelines, then the US accuses Russia or pro-Ukraine group of blowing up the Nord Stream pipelines.

3). The US biological labs man-made the covid-19, the US regime used the virus as a biological weapon to have sneakily attacked Wuhan China in Sept 2019, then the US accuses China of releasing the covid.

4). The US has been committing genocides to its own origin inhabitants and conducting massive shooting massacres in streets daily and nightly, then the US accuses China of committing genocides of Uighur.

5). The US has been aggressive, especially 900 terrorist US army bases in the world, but the US accuses China of being aggressive, while China hasn’t had any war over the past 45 years and no single army base outside Chinese territories.

6). The US has been stealing everything from all over the world, but accuses China of stealing.

7). The US has been the heaven of Child labour and forced labour, but the US accuse Uighur of being the laziest people to make a living on their own.

8). The US style of democracy, human rights and freedom are lousy, the terrorism and virus, but the US keeps attacking the superior Chinese style of democracy, human rights and freedom which are the model for the developing countries, the beacon of the human races on Earth.

The US dominated financial institutions have not just led to the debt trap, but also led to the death traps and destruction traps for many developing countries in the world such as Sri Lanka, Ukraine etc.

The book “America Traps” written by a famous French has described the various forms of the US traps including debt traps, death traps, destruction traps, assassinations traps, stealing traps, biological weapons traps etc.

China has been building roads, schools, trains etc for developing countries to let them make a living by themselves.

That’s why One Belt One Road initiative are so popular and welcome in the world, over 180 countries and international organisations have joined in the Chinese BRI projects.

When the chips are down

Recently, China announced that it would be restricting chips made by the US firm Micron in its critical infrastructure projects, citing it as a “national security threat”. In doing so, Beijing deliberately played the same card frequently used by the United States and its allies concerning its own technologies, most namely Huawei, where unfounded concerns relating to “national security” were used to exclude the telecommunications firm from participating in 5G networks, as well as the US has blacklisted thousands of other Chinese technology companies.

Ironically, despite having led an all-out policy of technological embargo against China, the United States condemned China’s move accordingly, stating that “We firmly oppose restrictions that have no basis in fact”. Well, isn’t that ironic? Especially seen as China’s move is in fact limited in scope, and does not even come close to the US’s actions against it. Despite this, the US was also reported to have previously “warned” South Korea not to take up the market left behind by Micron if China went ahead with such restrictions, something which to Seoul’s credit, they dismissed.

The episode nonetheless reveals the interesting double standards (yet again) in the US’s attitude to China. Washington reserves its right to impose sweeping embargos on Beijing and blacklist countless companies, yet if even as much as one move is pursued the other way round, it is hastily denounced and as the G7 communique farce depicted over the previous weekend, it is so-called “economic coercion.” In other words, the idea that the US and its allies are allowed to impose whatever measures they like on China, legitimately, but that it is only to be a “one-way traffic.”

While this has already been previously discussed, what is more significant about this technology war between the United States and China, is that it is an extension of Washington’s belief that it must military, economically and eventually, politically dominate the country. The US does not believe so much in an “equal” or “balanced” trading relationship with Beijing, as much as it believes it has an infinite right to exploit the Chinese market “on its own terms”. In other words, China is to be exploited and conform to American preferences, in a very similar light how the British used superior military force to subjugate the Qing Dynasty to its terms and conditions.

In doing so, the United States desires to cripple China’s leading industries, block its advances up the technology tree, diminish its global market share, and exclude it from global supply chains, in the view to strategically dominating all of it through its allies. That doesn’t mean though they don’t want to “trade” with China, as per the G7 communique even says. But rather it does mean they want trade and economic relations with Beijing to be exclusively for their own benefit. Hence, when China was only a low-end manufacturing nation, they could care little, but the idea that Beijing may challenge them in key strategic and technological goods, is deemed unacceptable.

This has created an inverted perspective that China must open its markets unilaterally for the West, hence even Ursula Von Der Leyden complained about “market access”, but that it is acceptable for the West to place curbs on Chinese investments and exports to the country. In this sense, these policies are driven by an effort to sustain a monopoly against China, preventing a change in the global balance of economic, and therefore technological and military, power. Thus, the United States sees absolutely no problem in allowing its chip companies to sell to the Chinese market (to the things they choose), but has every problem with China manufacturing and selling its own chips accordingly.

In doing so, it was perhaps naively assumed by Washington that their technological advantages were so great that China did not have the leverage to take retaliatory action against a US chip company directly, they were wrong. US chip curbs against China’s semiconductor industry have been disruptive, but they are by no means fatal. It is a bruising, but not a decapitation, and China has continued to make progress irrespectively in making technological breakthroughs in areas of chip design and lithography.

This only goes to show us that in the long run, the US strategy against China is likely to fail, and as it happens American companies will almost certainly be the biggest losers of these disastrous policies which seek to roll back globalization and exclude them from participating in the most lucrative market on Earth. Micron is the first, but it almost certainly won’t be the last. Biden has overplayed his hand.

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main qimg c64485181aaeb3438b2ba1b66bf04a15

Chinese manufacturer Gotion High-Tech has announced a new battery pack will go into mass production in 2024 that it says will deliver range of up to 1,000kms for a single charge and could last two million kms.

The company says the manganese doped L600 LMFP Astroinno will be able to do 4,000 full cycles at room temperature, and at high temperature will get 1800 cycles and over 1500 cycles of 18-minute fast charging.

These incredibly high cycle numbers mean the battery could essentially last 2 million km before it starts to deteriorate. To put that into context, the average Australian car travels around 15,000 km per year so it would take 130 years worth of average driving to reach 2 million km mark.

Gotion High-Tech says the battery single-cell density is 240Wh/kg and that improvements in pack design have increased overall battery pack energy density to a point where 1000km range pack is possible with the highly durable chemistry.

“Astroinno L600 LMFP battery cell, which has passed all safety tests, has a weight energy density of 240Wh/kg, a volume energy density of 525Wh/L, a cycle life of 4000 times at room temperature, and a cycle life of 1800 times at high temperatures,” said executive president of the international business unit of Gotion High-Tech Dr. Cheng Qian.

Gotion High-Tech released a new video this week explaining the new chemistry, pack design as well as the battery’s safety and thermal properties.

20 Deadliest El Chapo Hitmen

THE US “INTENTIONALLY RELEASED COVID VIRUS IN WUHAN”

During the International Covid Summit in May 2023, Dr.(Phd) David Martin revealed historical patent filings on the development of the Covid virus. His explosive revelations indicate that US agencies and big pharma funded and developed Covid as a bioweapon and released it in Wuhan. The following is an article and a video of his speech.

2023 05 27 11 17
2023 05 27 11 17

5 BIZARRE Experiences of People Being in a Parallel Universe

Nobody justifies Dictatorship

The Chinese have held the opinion for millenia that everyone CANNOT be equal. Simple as that. A Sampan Coolie cannot have the same rights as a Hoppo or a Cohong Trader or an Artisan or a Inner Circle Minister.

Thats the Governing Principle of Chinese Governance


A Person can be WORTHY enough to participate in Governance or keep quiet and do his best to be productive to the Country.

Any Person can strive to become Worthy – which is allowed in China due to meritocracy of the highest order BUT the “Unworthy” cannot have a say in governance of the country. THEY HAVE TO BE RULED.


To me – this is one of the most successful forms of Governance.

Because I LIVE IN INDIA

Had i lived in Canada or Sweden or Iceland or Norway- I would have been screaming Democracy from the rooftops.

Because i live in India –

I have seen how in 1970 – My Nation and China both had a per capita income of $ 113 a year but today China has Six times my Percapita Income.

I have seen how in 1970 – My Nation and China both had equal wealth but today China has 9.8 Times more wealth than my Nation.

And i realize that the sole reason is because – EVERYBODY IS ALLOWED TO HAVE A SAY IN CHOOSING THE GOVERNMENT and the GOVERNMENT IS BUSY APPEASING THE “UNWORTHY” TO WIN THE ELECTIONS THAN DELIVER PROGRESS

The Rule of the Worthy over the Unworthy is Not Dictatorship. It is what made the world stronger and stronger. Rome, Egypt, Ottoman, Britain – all flourished under this system where the Unworthy were told what to do by the Worthy.

IN these systems – the Unworthy always remained Unworthy but in China – the Unworthy can tomorrow become Worthy enough by sheer talent and merit.

2023 05 27 11 30
2023 05 27 11 30

To me thats a Winning Formula!!!!

Chinese production cost as a rule of thumb is 1/7 to 1/10 of American cost. I have been involved in productions in China for 30 years, the rule of thumb is one yuan equals one US dollar. Generally involved food and living cost too. If it costs $100 to eat or make something in US, it costs 100 yuan in China, or US$15.

Not considering slave labor, which should be a lot cheaper, but I have never seen or heard of any slave labor in China in 30 years. If you know where they are, I’ll buy 1000.

Besides cheaper labor, land, building and logistic cost, the biggest savings is efficiency, no bureaucracy, drawing on papers can be in actual samples on same day. Have done that many times. Chinese tend to answer emails within 1–3 minutes, one phone call can assemble a whole team in 30 minutes from varies outside locations. Counterparts tend to say YES, no problem and delivers. In many countries, it takes days or up to a week in tropical countries to answer an email.

No idea about Russians.

The Pendulum of Power in the Pacific have changed

  • there is absolutely no way that American carrier fleet can survive a Pacific war
  • the assassin toolkit that the Chinese can bring to bear simply overwhelms whatever the Americans can bring to bear
  • with the continue decline of the American economy and rampant corruption within its political system, this is unlikely to change
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main qimg 6dc860797ef56d0915e1ad0380247e35

Scott Ritter: “PUTIN WILL END THE WAR ONCE AND FOR ALL, THIS IS IT”

https://youtu.be/haaHQjc6XL4

If the Moon landings were faked, then one question that naturally arises is: why would any government go to such extreme lengths to mount such an elaborate hoax?
The most obvious answer (and the one most frequently cited by skeptics) is to reclaim a sense of national pride that had been stripped away by America’s having played follow-the-leader with the Soviets for an entire decade. While this undoubtedly played a large role, there are other factors as well – factors that haven’t been as fully explored. But before we look at those, we must first deal with the question of whether it would have even been possible to pull off such an enormous hoax.
Could so many people have really been duped into believing such an outrageous lie, if that in fact was what it was? To answer that question, we have to keep in mind that we are talking about the summer of 1969 here. Those old enough to have been there will recall that they – along with the vast majority of politically active people in the country – spent that particular period of time primarily engaged in tripping on some really good acid (most likely from the lab of Mr. Owsley).
How hard then would it really have been to fool most of you? I probably could have stuck a fish bowl on my head, wrapped myself in aluminum foil, and then filmed myself high-stepping across my backyard and most of you would have believed that I was Moonwalking. Some of you couldn’t entirely rule out the possibility that everyone was walking on the Moon.
In truth, not everyone was fooled by the alleged Moon landings. Though it is rarely discussed these days, a significant number of people gave NASA’s television productions a thumbs-down. As Wired magazine has reported, “when Knight Newspapers polled 1,721 US residents one year after the first moon landing, it found that more than 30 percent of respondents were suspicious of NASA’s trips to the moon.” Given that overall trust in government was considerably higher in those pre-Watergate days, the fact that nearly a third of Americans doubted what they were ‘witnessing’ through their television sets is rather remarkable.
When Fox ran a special on the Moon landings some years back and reported that 1-in-5 Americans had doubts about the Apollo missions, various ‘debunking’ websites cried foul and claimed that the actual percentage was much lower. BadAstronomy.com, for example, claims that the actual figure is about 6%, and that roughly that many people will agree “with almost any question that is asked of them.” Hence, there are only a relative handful of kooks who don’t believe that we’ve ever been to the Moon.
All of those websites fail to mention, of course, that among the people who experienced the events as they were occurring, nearly 1-in-3 had doubts, a number considerably higher than the number that Fox used. And, needless to say, the ‘debunkers’ also failed to mention that 1-in-4 young Americans, a number also higher than the figure Fox used, have doubts about the Moon landings.
Returning then to the question of why such a ruse would be perpetrated, we must transport ourselves back to the year 1969. Richard Nixon has just been inaugurated as our brand new president, and his ascension to the throne is in part due to his promises to the American people that he will disengage from the increasingly unpopular war in Vietnam. But Tricky Dick has a bit of a problem on his hands in that he has absolutely no intention of ending the war. In fact, he would really, really like to escalate the conflict as much as possible. But to do so, he needs to set up a diversion – some means of stoking the patriotic fervor of the American people so that they will blindly rally behind him.
In short, he needs to wag the dog.
This has, of course, traditionally been done by embarking on some short-term, low-risk military endeavor. The problem for Big Dick, however, is that a military mission is exactly what he is trying to divert attention away from. What, then, is a beleaguered president to do? Why, send Neil and Buzz to the Moon, of course! Instead of wagging the dog, it’s time to try something new: wagging the Moondoggie!
Nixon’s actions from the very moment he takes office belie his campaign pledges to the American people (not unlike that Barry Obama guy, who also led the American people to believe that he opposed an unpopular war). In May of 1969, with Nixon just a few months into his term, the press begins publicizing the illegal B-52 carpetbombing of Cambodia engineered by that irrepressible war criminal, Henry Kissinger. By June, Nixon is scrambling to announce what is dubbed the ‘Vietnamization’ of the war, which comes with a concomitant withdrawal of U.S. troops.
In truth, however, only 25,000 of the 540,000 U.S. troops then deployed will be brought home. This ruse is, therefore, transparently thin and it will buy the new president little time. To make matters worse, on July 14th, Francis Reitemeyer is granted Conscientious Objector status on the basis of a petition his attorney has filed which explicitly details the training and instruction he has just received in assassination and torture techniques in conjunction with his assignment to the CIA’s Phoenix Program. With these documents entering the public domain, the full horrors of the war are beginning to emerge.
Just in time to save the day, however, Apollo 11 blasts off on July 16th on its allegedly historic mission, and – with the entire nation enthralled – four days later the Eagle purportedly makes its landing on the pristine lunar surface. Vietnam is temporarily forgotten as America swells with patriotic pride for having beaten the Evil Empire to the Moon. There is little time to worry about the brutality of war when Neil is taking that “one giant leap for mankind.”
The honeymoon is short-lived, however, for just four months later, in November of 1969, Seymour Hersch publishes a story about the massacre of 504 civilians in the village of My Lai, bringing home to America the full savagery of the war in Southeast Asia. It’s time then for another Moon launch, and Apollo 12 dutifully lifts off on November 14th, making another picture-perfect lunar landing before returning on November 24th. The country is once again entranced by the exploits of America’s new breed of hero, and suddenly every kid in the country wants to grow up to be an astronaut.
All is well again until March of 1970, at which time a U.S.-backed coup deposes Prince Sihanouk in Cambodia and Lon Nol is handpicked by the CIA to replace him. Cambodia then immediately jumps in the fray by committing troops to the U.S. war effort. The war is further escalated the next month when Nixon authorizes an invasion of Cambodia by U.S. and ARVN ground forces, another move engineered by Henry Kissinger. Nixon has been in office just over a year and the war, far from winding down, has now expanded into Cambodia both in the air and on the ground.
Meanwhile, it’s time for yet another Moon launch. But this one is not going to be just any Moon launch. This one, you see, is going to introduce the element of danger. With the first two having gone off without a hitch, the American people – known for having notoriously short attention spans – are already adopting a ‘been there, done that’ attitude. The problem, in a nutshell, is that it looks just a little too damn easy. In order to regain the attention of the American people, it has to be impressed upon them that our brave astronauts are placing themselves in grave danger.
And so it is that on April 11th, 1970, Apollo 13 blasts off with Tom Hanks and a couple of somewhat lesser known actors on board, but unlike the first two missions, this Apollo spacecraft fails to reach the Moon and instead drifts about for the next six days with the crew in mortal danger of being forever lost in space! Now that gets our attention! So much so that when three Vietnam vets hold a multi-city press conference in New York, San Francisco and Rome on April 14th, attempting to publicize the ongoing Phoenix Program in which they have participated and have firsthand knowledge, nobody can really be bothered with paying much attention. It’s hard to be too concerned about the fate of Vietnamese villagers, you see, when Tom and the boys are clearly in trouble.
Awaiting news of the fate of the Apollo 13 crew, we all have our eyes glued to our TVs as though we are watching postmortem coverage of Michael Jackson. When our heroes somehow make it back alive, defying seemingly impossible odds, we are all so goddamned proud of them that we decide to award Tom another Oscar. And all is well again for the remainder of the year.
I really have to repeat here, by the way, that in the late 1960s and early 1970s, America really did rock! I mean, how about that Apollo safety record? Seven manned Moon launches with seven perfect take-offs! Tom and the boys obviously never did make it to the Moon, but the other six crews sure as hell did, and all six set those lunar modules down like the consummate professionals that they were, and all six used that untested technology to successfully blast off from the Moon and attain lunar orbit, and then all six successfully docked with the orbiting command modules. And all seven of those command modules, even Apollo 13’s, returned intact and with their crews happy and healthy.
That was just an awesome time to be an American and especially to be an American astronaut … well, except for the three guys (Virgil “Gus” Grissom, Ed White and Roger Chaffee) who were burned alive during a test procedure in the command module of what was to be the Apollo 1 rocket. But they were troublemakers anyway who probably wouldn’t have wanted to go along with the Moon landing fable. And then there was that Thomas Baron guy who was a safety inspector for NASA and who delivered highly critical testimony and a 1,500-page report to Congress, only to then be killed a week later. That report seems to have been sucked into the same Black Hole that swallowed up all the other Apollo evidence.
Anyway, returning now to our timeline, the dawn of 1971 brings the trial of Lt. William Calley on charges that he personally ordered and oversaw the mass murder of the inhabitants of the village of My Lai. And on January 31st, Apollo 14 is launched and once again makes a flawless lunar landing. On February 9th, the Apollo team returns, just a few weeks before Calley is convicted of murder (he served an absurdly short sentence under ‘house arrest’ and none of his superiors were ever held accountable).
A few months after that, the New York Times begins publication of the infamous Pentagon Papers, revealing American policy in Vietnam to be a complex web of lies. Publication is quickly stopped by the Justice Department but resumes once again as June turns to July. This is quickly followed, on July 26th, by the launch of Apollo 15. Four days later, yet another flawless lunar landing clearly demonstrates that America is the most bad-ass nation on Earth. But Moonwalking has become a bit of a bore for the American people, so a new element is introduced and from now on our beloved astronauts will roam the lunar surface in dune buggies. The lunar modules haven’t gotten any bigger, but now they can transport vehicles to the Moon. Cool!
Back on Earth, the astronauts return on August 7th and the rest of the year passes uneventfully. On March 30, 1972, North Vietnamese troops mount a massive offensive across the DMZ into Quang Tri Province, revealing as lies the pompous statements by numerous Washington hacks that victory is close at hand. Nixon and Co. respond to the offensive with deep penetration bombing of North Vietnam and, for good measure, the illegal mining of North Vietnam’s ports. They also respond by launching, on April 16th, another rocket (and another dune buggy) to the Moon. On April 27th, the crew of Apollo 16 once again return to a hero’s welcome.
By the end of the year, a ceasefire is finally looming on the horizon. Beginning in October, Kissinger and David Bruce (a member of the infamous Mellon family) are secretly negotiating peace terms with Le Duc Tho of North Vietnam. In December, however, those talks break down – but not before Apollo 17 is launched on December 7th in a most spectacular way: it is the first night launch of a Saturn V rocket. With the latest Apollo mission still a few days away from returning, the talks cease and Dick and Henry unleash a final ruthless carpetbombing campaign against North Vietnam, snuffing out countless thousands of civilian lives. Meanwhile, America warmly greets its returning astronauts.
Just five weeks later, the talks having resumed, a peace agreement is announced. Within a few days a ceasefire is in effect, thereby officially ending America’s involvement in Southeast Asia. Though the CIA will remain to continue directing the war by proxy, America’s men and women in uniform come home. And the Apollo program – despite several additional missions having been planned and discussed, and despite the additional funding that should have been available with the war drawing to a close – will never be heard from again.
In addition to restoring national pride and providing a diversion from the savage colonial war being waged in Southeast Asia, the Apollo program undoubtedly served another function as well: covert funding of that war effort. Needless to say, faking Moon landings is less expensive than actually making Moon landings, and a whole lot of money was funneled NASA’s way during the Vietnam years to accomplish the latter. It stands to reason that a considerable amount of that money could well have been diverted into covert operations being conducted in Vietnam, Cambodia and Laos. In addition, a portion of the Apollo funding likely financed the early stages of the militarization of space.
There is no shortage of Moon hoax ‘debunking’ sites out there on the wild and wooly World Wide Web. The majority of them are not particularly well written or argued and yet they tend to be rather smug and self-congratulatory. Most of them tend to stick to ‘debunking’ the same facts and they use the same arguments to do so.
One thing they like to talk a lot about is the Van Allen radiation belts. The Moon hoax sites talk a lot about them as well. The hoaxers will tell you that man cannot pass through the belts without a considerable amount of radiation protection – protection that could not have been provided in the 1960s through any known technology. And the ‘debunkers’ claim that the Apollo astronauts would have passed through the belts quickly enough that, given the levels of radiation, no harm would have come to them. The hoaxers, say the ‘debunkers,’ are just being girlie men.
As it turns out, both sides are wrong: the ‘debunkers,’ shockingly enough, are completely full of shit, and the hoaxers have actually understated the problem by focusing exclusively on the belts. We know this because NASA itself – whom the ‘debunkers’ like to treat as a virtually unimpeachable source on all things Apollo, except, apparently, when the agency posts an article that implicitly acknowledges that we haven’t actually been to the Moon – has told us that it is so. They have told us that in order to leave low-Earth orbit on any future space flights, our astronauts would need to be protected throughout the entirety of the flight, as well as – and once again, this comes directly from NASA – while working on the surface of the Moon.
On June 24, 2005, NASA made this rather remarkable admission: “NASA’s Vision for Space Exploration calls for a return to the Moon as preparation for even longer journeys to Mars and beyond. But there’s a potential showstopper: radiation. Space beyond low-Earth orbit is awash with intense radiation from the Sun and from deep galactic sources such as supernovas … Finding a good shield is important.”(http://science.nasa.gov/headlines/y2005/24jun_electrostatics.htm)
You’re damn right finding a good shield is important!! Back in the 1960s, of course, we didn’t let a little thing like space radiation get in the way of us beating the Ruskies to the Moon. But now, I guess, being that we are more cultured and sophisticated, we want to do it the right way so we have to come up with some way of shielding our spaceships. And our temporary Moon bases. And figuring out how to do that, according to NASA, could be a real “showstopper.”
As NASA notes, “the most common way to deal with radiation is simply to physically block it, as the thick concrete around a nuclear reactor does. But making spaceships from concrete is not an option.” Lead, which is considerably denser than concrete, is actually the preferred material to use for radiation shielding, but lead also isn’t very popular with spaceship designers. In fact, word on the street is that one of the main reasons the Soviets never made it to the Moon was because their scientists calculated that four feet of lead shielding would be required to protect their astronauts, and those same scientists apparently felt that spaceships wouldn’t fly all that well when clad in four feet of lead.
Now NASA is thinking outside the box and contemplating using ‘force fields’ to repel the radiation, a seemingly ridiculous idea that, whether workable in the future or not, certainly wasn’t available to NASA in the 1960s. Below is NASA’s own artist rendering of a proposed ‘force field’ radiation shield that would allow astronauts to work safely on the Moon. As you may have noticed in the earlier photos of the lunar modules, our guys didn’t bring anything like that with them on their, uhmm, earlier missions to the Moon. And you may have also noticed that the modules did not have any type of physical shielding.
2023 05 27 10 54
2023 05 27 10 54

 

How then did they do it? My guess is that the answer lies in that gold foil wrap. While it may look like an amateurish attempt to make the modules appear more ‘high-tech,’ I have a hunch that what we are looking at is another example of the lost technology of the 1960s – this time in the form of a highly-advanced superpolymer that provided maximum radiation shielding while adding virtually no weight. So all we have to do is track down a few leftover rolls of that stuff and we should be well on our way to sending guys back to the Moon.
According to Charles Buhler, a NASA scientist currently working on the force field concept, “Using electric fields to repel radiation was one of the first ideas back in the 1950s, when scientists started to look at the problem of protecting astronauts from radiation. They quickly dropped the idea though because it seemed like the high voltages needed and the awkward designs that they thought would be necessary … would make such an electric shield impractical.”
What a real journalist would have asked here, of course, is: “After dropping the electric shield concept, exactly what did they decide to use to get our astronauts safely to the Moon and back on the Apollo missions? And why can’t we do the same thing now, rather than reinventing the wheel? Don’t you guys have some of that gold foil in a closet somewhere?” No one in the American media, of course, bothered to ask such painfully obvious questions.
The 2005 report from NASA ends as follows: “But, who knows, perhaps one day astronauts on the Moon … will work safely.” Yes, and while we’re dreaming the impossible dream, let’s add a few more things to our wish list as well, like perhaps one day we’ll be able to listen to music on 8-track tape players, and talk to people on rotary dial telephones, and carry portable transistor radios, and use cameras that shoot pictures on special film that develops right before our eyes. Only time will tell, I suppose.
The Van Allen belts, by the way, trap most Earth-bound radiation, thus making it safe for us mortals down here on the surface of planet Earth, as well as for astronauts in low-Earth orbit (the belts extend from 1,000 to 25,000 miles above the surface of the Earth). The danger is in sending men through and beyond the belts, which, apart from the Apollo missions, has never been attempted … well, actually there was that one time, but I think we all remember how badly that turned out. In case anyone has forgotten, the astronauts returned to a world dominated by extremely poor acting, apes speaking with British accents, and a shirtless Charleton Heston. And I don’t think anyone wants to see that happen again.
The 2005 report was not the first time that NASA had openly discussed the high levels of radiation that exist beyond the Van Allen belts. In February 2001, the space agency posted a ‘debunking’ article that argued that the rocks allegedly brought back from the Moon were so distinctive in nature that they proved definitively that man had gone to the Moon. The problem though with maintaining a lie of the magnitude of the Moon landing lie is that there is always the danger that in defending one part of the lie, another part will be exposed. Such was the case with NASA’s ill-conceived The Great Moon Hoax post, in which it was acknowledged that what are referred to as “cosmic rays” have a tendency to “constantly bombard the Moon and they leave their fingerprints on Moon rocks.”
NASA scientist David McKay explained that “There are isotopes in Moon rocks, isotopes we don’t normally find on Earth, that were created by nuclear reactions with the highest-energy cosmic rays.” The article went on to explain how “Earth is spared from such radiation by our protective atmosphere and magnetosphere. Even if scientists wanted to make something like a Moon rock by, say, bombarding an Earth rock with high energy atomic nuclei, they couldn’t. Earth’s most powerful particle accelerators can’t energize particles to match the most potent cosmic rays, which are themselves accelerated in supernova blastwaves and in the violent cores of galaxies.”
So one of the reasons that we know the Moon rocks are real, you see, is because they were blasted with ridiculously high levels of radiation while sitting on the surface of the Moon. And our astronauts, one would assume, would have been blasted with the very same ridiculously high levels of radiation, but since this was NASA’s attempt at a ‘debunking’ article, they apparently would prefer that you don’t spend too much time analyzing what they have to say.
How exactly are we to reconcile NASA’s current position on space radiation with the same agency’s simultaneous claim that we have already sent men to the Moon? There are a few different possibilities that come to mind, the first of which is that, in the late 1960s and early 1970s, we simply threw caution to the wind and sent our boys off to the Moon with no protection whatsoever from space radiation. If that were true, however, then the question that would naturally be raised is: why not just do it again? After all, all of our Moonwalkers made it home safe and sound and most all have lived long, healthy, cancer-free lives. So why all the fuss over space radiation?
NASA could, I suppose, take the position that space radiation is a recent problem. Perhaps in the ‘60s and early ‘70s, space was relatively free of radiation, allowing unshielded Apollo rockets to cruise about without a care in the world while crew members primarily busied themselves with such important tasks as trying to capture all the stems and seeds that were floating around the command module as a result of cleaning their stash of low-grade ‘60s marijuana. It was just a different solar system back in those days. As aging hippies like to say, if you remember the solar system of the sixties, you weren’t really flying around in it.
If it proves not to be the case that this space radiation “showstopper” is a new development, then I suppose that the only explanation that we are left with is that we did indeed have the technology to shield our astronauts from radiation back in the 1960s, but at some time during the last four decades, that technology was simply lost. What probably happened was that an overzealous night custodian simply threw the data away. The conversation around the NASA water cooler the next day probably went something like this: “Holy shit! Has anyone seen that folder that I left on my desk last night? It contained the only copy of the secret formula that I devised for building a weightless space radiation shield. It could be forty years or more before someone else can duplicate it! My ass is so fired!”
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This is a fun question to answer.

It’s roughly $140 USD. But in China, the money goes a long way. So, here in the Southern Section along the coast, you can pretty much do any of the following with it…

  • Go to the movies about 8 times.

Or…

  • Register for a movie VIP card, and go 28 times.

You can set it aside and buy a bus card; whether a physical card, or a QR registration code for your cellphone….

  • 1000 yuan = 1000 bus trips

And, the same thing is true in Shenzhen with a subway, only it’s slightly more expensive, depending on your route. Let’s just call it double the price for simplicity sakes.

  • 500 Subway trips.

Subway and bus not to your liking, how about DD or a taxi?

  • 66 local rides
  • 33 longer rides

How about eating?

  • 250 breakfasts
  • 66 stand-alone lunches
  • 14 dinners

How about drinking?

  • 100 bottles of beer at a BBQ
  • 200 bottles of beer at at a store
  • 10 bottles of medium priced wine
  • 1 bottle of Beijiu

How about smoking?

  • 142 packs of cheap cigarettes

How about some adult time?

  • Nope not enough.

How about hair styling and cuts?

  • Man = 60 trims
  • Woman = 2 hairdos
  • Dog = 4 sessions

Let’s talk about rents…

  • Apartment rent = not enough.
  • Parking rent = About 6 months worth
  • Electricity cost = about two months

I hope this gives you all an idea. Keep on smiling.

Does China Have a Huge Problem Despite Impressive Economic Development?

in World by 26/05/2023

The G7 has recently wound up its meeting in Hiroshima, and the participants joined to affirm their fear of the Threat of China. British media reported that prime minister Rishi Sunak said: “China poses the biggest challenge to global security and prosperity of our age with the ‘means and intent to reshape the world order’.” The global septet spoke of “de-risking” rather than “de-coupling” from China. This was prudent because decoupling from the world’s leading manufacturing base would risk plunging all economies into recession. China leads the world in so many facets of production, particularly high technology: high-speed rail, rocket technology, their own space station, lunar and Martian probes and rovers, quantum computing, AI, robotics, bridge building, tunnel construction, chip production, hypersonic missiles, laser weapons, military armaments, nuclear technology, and on and on. Could it be that the Chinese economy is not as sturdy as it seems to be?

I asked Wei Ling Chua, the author of Democracy: What the West can learn from China and Tiananmen Square “Massacre”? The Power of Words vs. Silent Evidence, his forecast for the Chinese economy.

Kim Petersen: In a recent article, “Why China Can’t Pull the World Out of a New Great Depression,” strategic risk consultant F. William Engdahl writes, “… in real physical economic production, China has left the USA and everyone else in the dust. Therefore, the future course of industrial production in China is vital to the future of the world economy.”

He writes that steel production is “the single best indicator of a growing real economy” for which China crushes the competition. China leads in coal production, rare earth mining and processing, motor vehicle production, as supplier of essential cement for construction, aluminum production, and copper consumption. Engdahl adds, “The list goes on.”

Then Engdahl identifies a problem: “A huge problem with China’s economic model over the past two decades has been the fact that it has been a debt-based finance model massively concentrated on real estate speculation beyond what the economy can digest.” He points at the inflated housing market, rising unemployment, the dubiousness of official figures for total state debt, and the lack of transparency for financial information.

It is expected that there would be bumps along the road in the development of what was once, not so long ago, a very poor country compared to the economic colossus that China has become today. In addition to the commodities exported worldwide, China has also garnered much skepticism for its growth and development over the years, and yet China has always managed to steam ahead. China has a planned economy, and assuredly the mandarins have contingency plans for the unexpected.

What is your take on the Engdahl article?

Wei Ling Chua: I think the author lacks an understanding of the CCP series of policies and reforms, and he relies too heavily on the crusader agenda-based line-of-thinking.

Unlike western, Japanese, USSR development that relied heavily on imperialism, expansionism and looting

1) In the first 30 years of the People’s Republic of China (PRC), the sources of finance were mainly from the agricultural sector, and the hard work, delegation and sacrifices of the entire population to rebuild the nation.

The Mao era was the hardest era in the history of the PRC, as the country just managed to hold together the entire nation with virtually nothing (no technology, no money, a 90% illiteracy rate, a divided population, a population hungry and in poor health with a super short average life-expectancy of 36 years, a hostile international environment (Korean war, Sino-India war, USSR border war, plus western sanctions, and in the 1960s USSR sanctions as well).

However, Mao managed to win the Korean war with mainly foot soldiers armed with rifles and hand grenades, helped Vietnam to chase away the US occupier, and defeated India and the USSR in skirmishes. China worked herself into the UN to replace the nationalist government as the only legitimate government of China. It also completed the first stage of the Chinese industrial revolution with all types of light industry (self-made household appliances, processed food), an active agriculture sector, fisheries, etc, and heavy industry such as producing trucks, cars, buses, trains, atomic bombs, satellite, missiles, and all type of other military weapons, construction technology…

2) over the next 30 years, China financed her economic reform via opening up with massive foreign investment plus massive land mortgage financing to fund all types of infrastructure across the country.

But, unlike the rest of the developing countries, China used cheap land and labor to attract foreign investment to build factories, and used her own land allocation as a guarantee to print money and provide loans for building infrastructure, commercial and residential property, and therefore, not incurring too much foreign debt. So, most of China’s debts are domestic and are outside of foreign control.

3) Since Xi came into power, his zero tolerance towards corruption and successful anti-corruption policy very much ensured the country’s continued smooth operation with high efficiency and less waste. This is a most vital element in any nation’s development and future prosperity (whereas all western countries are down down and down at the moment due to legalised corruption in the name of lobbying, political donations, speech bureaus, privatisation, etc)

Xi’s centralised medicine approval strategy has successfully reduced all drug prices by up to more than 90%, and hence china was able to introduce sustainable nationwide medicare coverage. Such a policy freed up people’s savings for domestic consumption. This economic generator is a pillar of any advanced country.

Under Xi, the average wages of the nation basically more than doubled.

Yes, like the rest of the world, the real estate market and tax on property transactions are major sources of government revenue. But Xi knew that if the real-estate market was allowed to continue being controlled by a handful of billionaires to reap speculative profits then the housing prices would keep rising. So, he openly told the nation that housing is for people to live, not for speculative profit. He cracked down on irresponsible real estate giants controlling too much real estate and using them to mortgage and buy more. Finally, this caused some collapse in overheated pricing. But unlike the US, there is no too-big-to-fail company in China; Xi froze these troubled giant companies from issuing dividends to shareholders, and made the owners sell their own assets to repay the interest and loans, sell their overseas companies and assets, and then domestic assets to repay the loans. And when the state bails out a company, all those assets return back to the people; i.e., state control.

The author also failed to take in a lot of things that have taken place in China.

4) Yes, there are debt issues in China, but debts should be distinguished between good debt and bad debt:

Across the west, they keep printing money to give away to political donors in exchange for personal benefits at the expense of the taxpayers, they also give away money to voters to win votes. These are bad debts as they produce no future return for the masses.

But, for China, the debts transform into infrastructure domestically and overseas. The outcome is apparent: more and more regions and countries with Chinese investment enjoy economic prosperity; hence, they help China to continue enjoying prosperity despite western decoupling policies.

The winning of trust and friends across the world will only pave the way for China’s Belt and Road win-win strategy to ensure mutual prosperity even without the West. We are now witnessing that the BRICS’s GDP is bigger than that of the G7, and the Chinese economy has been bigger than the entire EU (the combined GDP of 27 countries) since 2021.

Besides, the rise of China’s high-tech economy are obvious: due to China’s superiority in EV car technology, China has just replaced Japan as the world’s biggest new car exporter (the world number 1 in EV car exports), solar technology exports as well, infrastructure exports, ship building etc, and lately, overtaking the US in military armament exports to places like the UAE, Saudi Arabia, Malaysia, Thailand… etc. Consider also the growing popularity of the RMB as a reserve currency. It is important to note that China managed to achieve these feats without firing a single shot; it’s all about investment in education, R&D, development of infrastructure, and a policy of win-win.

China’s future is very bright with the coming development, export of chips, nuclear power plants, and reunification with Taiwan. At this moment, the world has seen China managing to finally create a peaceful and Chinese-friendly Central Asia, Russia, Middle East, and ASEAN (excluding the Philippines under Marcos). We also notice that almost all African countries and Latin American countries are also very much preferring China over the West. This peace dividend will help create an entire region surrounding China to move towards the world’s biggest economic block developing in peace and harmony. It will become a magnet for the rest of the world.

These Eerie and Scary Glitches Will Creep You Out

‘Turbulence in the sky’

By now, every man and his dog knows about the rumble in the sky. Cathay Pacific flight attendants found themselves in the eye of a category-5 storm, caught disrespecting non-English speaking Mainland passengers.

Cathay is quick to smell existential threat as 70% of its revenue reportedly comes from the mainland. Consumer boycotts are still raging against Nike and Adidas over Xinjiang cotton, having humbled H & M. To its credit, its CEO acted swiftly, issuing 3 apologies in 3 days, ending with the announced firing of the 3 offending stewardesses. Discrimination is no laughing matter and the offenders didn’t get the last laugh.

Mainlanders won’t be pacified by Cathay Pacific’s actions, claiming that this incident is just the tip of the iceberg. They accuse its cabin crew of habitually disparaging non-English-speaking mainland passengers while according foreigners deferential treatment.

Cathay’s CEO has promised a full investigation which he will personally lead. But as the situation continues to ferment, only a root-and-branch change in company culture will do.

One thing Cathay must avoid is to repeat BMW’s blunder in handling its Ice Cream-gate, in which ice creams were handed out free to foreigners but denied to Chinese. BMW tried to repair the damage with a PR gimmick by giving out free dog-tags to the Chinese. But this backfired with its echoes of the infamous sign outside a Shanghai park: “Chinese and dogs are not allowed.”

Cosmetic changes won’t stop the tidal wave of anger. Cathay needs a systemic revamp. While the company recruits local staff from regions it serves outside Mainland China, it has refused to hire local cabin crew to service its mainland routes. This nurtures a noxious subculture which has come back to bite its mainland patrons. Cathay has an unshirkable responsibility to create job opportunities where it makes most of its money. An investigation is a Band-Aid solution. Why not a recruitment campaign that generates good will?

Hong Kongers’ tangled ties with mainlanders fall into three categories: On Canton Street, the heartland of ultra-luxury shopping, sales people would give their right arm to red-carpet mainland customers. Locals are cold-shouldered as improbable patrons. Likewise, in real estate agencies, mainlanders are royalty, preceded by a reputation for scooping up expensive properties sight unseen.

In public schools and private universities, devastated by declining birthrate and plunging student enrolment, Mainland students are greeted like saviors that prevent school closure.

But in Yuen Long, outside overcrowded drug stores, they are as welcome as “swarms of locusts”.

On buses and the MTR or busy restaurants, too, they are likewise viewed as big mouths with bulging wallets.

In short, where locals stand depends on where they sit. Cathay cabin crew is guilty of biting the hand that feeds them. I have never heard of a company prospering by insulting its customers. There is a symbiotic relationship between Hong Kong and its next-door neighbor, separated by a yawning language and culture gap that cries out to be bridged.

Hong Kong’s landscape is littered with pockets of colonial-era snobbery.

In truth, the city has never been decolonized. The handover happened with a piece of paper and a ceremony, with no corresponding action in education. This is why thousands of civil servants have chosen to quit rather than swear an oath of allegiance to the new sovereign. Maybe Cathay itself, with its ingrained snooty British culture, needs full decolonization and localization.

China is a misunderstood country. No nation in history has undergone such rapid and utter transformation. Attitude towards China can’t keep pace with the velocity of change. What was true in the 80’s or 90’s is no longer true today. But old attitudes die hard, whatever the new jaw-dropping progress.

Mainlanders dislike being belittled. They begin to call flight attendants “glorified waitresses”, who are too far down the food chain to be snobs.

These days, consumers wield a powerful weapon. Their smartphone is a camera, a recording device, a communication tool, and a potential “smoking gun”. Being caught red-handed in anti-social behavior could spell the end of a career. There is no place to hide, whether one is 30,000 ft. in the air or 3-feet apart face-to-face on the ground, or even in the boardroom.

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Have you noticed all those “undersea earthquakes” lately?

Have you noticed all those “undersea earthquakes” lately? Pretty unusual to have so many. And of such size. It’s almost like there are big explosions under the ocean.

Don’t you know…

The passivity of the UK population in face of the sickening posture of their government towards Russia comes from absence of awareness .The entire UK press supports war .The BBC is snidely pro war . If a Member of Parliament is petitioned he or she will always respond with the standard ' party ' position - which position is that of a poodle of America .

Posted by: kildownman | May 15 2023 21:40 utc | 113

There was a promotion on Taobao for a new medicine.

This medicine was to help you lose weight, and since (I started taking my blood pressure pills) I have been dealing with a change in body chemistry. My body is “slower” , and I am gaining weight far quicker than I used to.

So my wife thought for that for 50 yuan (seven US dollars) we should try it.

The way it works is to prevent the absorption of oils from food. So you can eat all the greasy food you want, or saucy food, or cheese. But the oils are not absorbed. Instead, they are shit out when you go to the bathroom.

Now, the medicine does work! It really does. I went to the shitter and lo and behold! There were all sorts of “bubbles” of greasy reddish oils floating in the toilet. It really works. I mean wow!

There bright red balls of oil; tens of them. All ranging in size from the size of a piece of corn to a small dime.

It definitely works.

But…

For three days after I took that one singular capsule (before I ate lunch)… I was still shitting out the oil. I guess you could say that I got my moneys worth eh? I think I must have shit out about a pint of oil.

More or less.

Well…

Two problems.

Problem one. It causes your belly to fill up and look like a basketball. This has the positive effect of making your stomach crushed, and you have absolutely no appetite. But it also makes you look much fatter than you actually are. Suddenly your waist is twice the size and it does look like you are carrying a baby.

Not so good if you are a man. Maybe a chick can get away with the pregnancy look. But, not a guy.

So that is one problem.

Now for the really serious problem…

Problem Two.

You leak.

All the oil just slithers and seeps out via the buttox.It slithers out. It’s oily. Right? So it just slithers out no matter how tightly you clench your butt.

You become an old car that is leaking oil.

And the inside of your garage gets dirty and grimy with old oil.

But, you are not a car.

So your underwear gets completely soaked with oil. Not water.

Oil.

It’s a non-stop seepage (of sewage) that seems to last for days. Shit! I have to change my underwear about ten times a day… or wear diapers! WTF?

And it fucking stinks!

I think that it is removing all the oils in my body for the last decade. That stuff is foul. F-O-U-L. Yuck.

I have no words for the horrendous malodorous stink that fumes from you.

I think that this medicine is great for the really obese and fat person. Especially one that is confined to a home, or a clinic. But it is not for someone like myself. An active person who is out and about all day. I’ll tell you what.

Sigh.

I’m not taking anymore.

Does anyone want this medicine, I’ll send it to you.

I have talked about some ED medicines, and some alcohol related medicines. This is my story of some weight reduction medicine.

I just wanted to share.

Now, that I have completely repelled everyone visiting MM with my tales of oily rectal discharge, let’s begin todays post…

 

This is how they treat a black girl in China.

The S-400 is a Russian SAM system that terrifies many countries. But there are those who doubt that any weapon is powerless against it. Using the example of American military hardware, a Chinese Internet user tells how the S-400 could be destroyed. However, this is no more than one assumption….

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Iron Pegasus (铁戈飞马)

The Russian S-400 surface-to-air missile system is indeed an unprecedentedly powerful air defense system. It is incredibly powerful and truly poses a serious threat to the U.S. Air Force.

The S-400 is equipped with four missiles of various ranges, including the 40H6 with a range of 400 kilometers, the 48H6E3 with a range of 250 kilometers, the 9M96E2 with a range of 120 kilometers and the 9M96E short-range. The S-400 missile armament forms a three-tiered circle of air defense.

The main power of the SAM is expressed in its ability to integrate with electronic warfare systems. Among Russian weapons systems it is one of the rare systems capable of withstanding an attack by an EA-18G Growler electronic warfare plane. This has already been proven on the battlefield in Syria. The EA-18G’s electronic warfare suppression is practically ineffective against the S-400, and the Growler cannot get closer to the target than 400 kilometers with the S-400 in position.

This means that within the effective combat range of the S-400, U.S. military aircraft that are not stealthy will have to stay away from the S-400. This complicates the battlefield environment because Russian aircraft and helicopters can also provide fire support to their ground forces.

The S-400 does not perform combat operations on its own. Its data link can be linked to and routed to long-range radar detection and targeting aircraft, early warning satellites, and S-300 systems on the battlefield. This forms a huge network of anti-aircraft crossfire, and in this fan-shaped area of air defense, U.S. military aircraft will have difficulty surviving.

But will the U.S. military really be helpless in such a situation? It’s not that clear-cut. If the F-35 can withstand considerable damage from the air defense system, it is quite capable of destroying the S-400.

Thus, the US military should send several F-35s (10 aircraft?) carrying electronic warfare units and JDAM or SDB to, relying on the stealth of the fighters, approach the S-400 positions and then destroy the SAMs. However, this operation requires many EA-18Gs for cover to create interference with the range signal of the Pantzir-S1 SAMs, because that is the biggest threat the F-35 currently faces when approaching the S-400.

Numerous drones will then begin to eliminate any other ground-based air defense systems. During this battle, both sides will suffer heavy losses: the F-35, EA-18G and UAVs will be destroyed, but there is a high probability that the Russian S-400 air defense missile system will also be wiped out.

However, all this is only theoretical, and in reality this may not happen, because Russia is ready to use nuclear weapons if it considers that it is threatened by a real danger…

I would like to add for myself. Even the most advanced weapons cannot be invulnerable all the time. There will be vulnerabilities and flaws in any weapon. As we say in Russia: “There is no limit to perfection…”

Designers do not stand still. All their products have combat support. Any equipment failures and errors show up in tests and in real combat. In new samples these deficiencies are eliminated, and already manufactured products are upgraded. I was lucky enough to undergo diploma practice in the design department of one of the research institutes in Tula back in 1973. I would like to note that there are people there who are passionate about their profession and keenly perceive mistakes and failures. They are ready to work around the clock to bring their “baby” to perfection.

So, our enemies beware! Behind our warriors stand great engineers, designers and workers…

The Kremlin’s air missile attack in the early morning of May 16 against Kyiv opens another topic for discussion. According to claims on the web, the Ukroid MIM-104 Patriot fired 30 interceptor missiles.

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According to official data from Lockheed Martin published in 2022, the company annually produces about 500 PAC-3 missiles. I.e. Kyiv fired six percent of its annual production of interceptor missiles in two minutes [120 seconds] over Kyiv before the system was damaged.

Lockheed Martin reached full-rate production of the PAC-3 MSE missile only in 2018, although production of the missile dates back to at least 2014. One year later, that is. In 2019, the Pentagon decided to assign Lockheed Martin to increase production. It was in 2019 that the decision was made to produce 500 PC-3 MSEs each year.

Experts know that the Patriot’s interception principle is slightly different than, say, Israel’s Iron Dome. To intercept and destroy one missile, the Patriot fires two interceptors. Also unlike Iron Dome, the Patriot’s interceptors operate on the principle of direct body-to-body contact. This is a much more difficult interception than the Iron Dome, where the Israeli missile self-detonates when it aligns with the enemy missile.

Perhaps direct body-to-body contact is one of the reasons why the Patriot is not so successful. The 30 missiles fired on May 16 over Kyiv indicate that the system was engaged with at least a minimum of 15 air targets. In addition to video footage of the attack, evidence of the intense airstrike is the expert opinions of some experts who say the Patriot was attacked by a variety of attack vectors.

It is the direct body-to-body contact of the interceptor that casts deep doubt on the ability of the PAC-3 SME to make contact with a hypersonic missile. But at the same time, if Kyiv’s claims that they shot down 6 Kinzhals are confirmed [so far there is no evidence of this], then many questions remain unanswered on this account.

If Kyiv relies on one Patriot, and the other air defense systems [if any in the area] are not involved in covering the Russian air missile attack, this will be a serious problem not only for Loozensky but also for the production capabilities of the US, which will reflect on the Patriot operators.

27 countries signed agreement with China allowing C191 flying domestically without US and EU safety approval.

This is a signifigant event. Nations are now starting to say “no, to United States requirements, and regulations” that they used to “rubber stap” and implement

27国与中国签署协议,不用欧美适航证,国产大飞机C919飞出国门|c919|波音|空客|适航证|飞机_手机网易网

Article HERE

You should learn to stop worrying and love the bomb. American leaders have set the US on course with oblivion. They aren’t going to stop now. Just enjoy the time you have left with your family and accept it. The psychopaths won. You lost.

Either way, the people of the US aren’t going to make it.

American “news” reports on China…

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main qimg b74b1f4de69c65dbbb4f99417815aecd

Do you know the best way to get Chinese to work hard to get a new technology product out?

SANCTION THEM.

When a big western country very loudly says that Chinese companies cannot have access to certain technologies and products, that big western country is doing the work which the Chinese government cannot do: getting smart hard-working people to focus their minds on overcoming a technical challenge so that China can move up the value chain.

The Chinese are like that: they don’t complain, they don’t cry or any of that stuff. They just think: “You know what? Not only are we going to master your technology, we are going to make it better, faster and cheaper than you can, and then we are going to sell it all over the world.”

So while the Chinese government is very unhappy with what the big western country is doing to Chinese companies, they are smart enough to understand that it is just another hill to climb in order to make China a technology leader.

By sanctioning Chinese companies, the big western country is telling the Chinese exactly what technologies they need to master in order to become the world’s technology leader.

Could China ask for more?

MAY 18, 2023 ALGORA BLOG 3

by Staff Members via Military Watch Magazine

On May 16 as part of a complex series of strikes on the Ukrainian capital Kiev the Russian Air Force employed the Kh-47M2 Kinzhal hypersonic ballistic missile to neutralise a unit from an American Patriot air defence system, destroying its a radar and a control centre and reportedly at least one of its launchers. According to Russian sources, the Ukrainian crew operating the Patriot were aware a strike was incoming, but had only a limited warning time due to the Kinzhal missile’s very high speed – limiting opportunities for the missile system to change position or reload. The Patriot system targeted was one of two delivered, with Germany and the United States having each supplied a single unit. The unit reportedly fired 32 surface to air missiles at the Kinzhal on approach, which at approximately $3 million each amounted to a $96 million barrage to attempt to destroy a missile with an estimated cost of under $2 million. The very high cost and limited number of the Patriot’s interceptors was a key argument for not sending

the systems to Ukraine, with their effectiveness also having been brought to question not only due to the system’s highly troubled combat record, but also to the advanced capabilities of new Russian missiles such as the Kinzhal, Iskander and Zicron. These are considered nearly impossible to intercept particularly in their terminal stages. The delivery of Patriots was nevertheless seen as necessary due to the near collapse of Ukrainian air defences, as warnings have been given with growing frequency by both Western and Ukrainian sources that the arsenal of S-300 and BuK missile systems protecting the country has become critically depleted

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Missile Batteries From Patriot Air Defence System

Destruction of the Patriot systems comes less than a month after the first systems were delivered in April

, and follows a warning in December from Russian President Vladimir Putin that the destruction of the systems was an absolute certainty should they be deployed in Ukraine. He assured that with Washington “now saying that they can put a Patriot [in Ukraine]. Okay, let them do it. We will crack the Patriot [like a nut] too, and something will need to be installed in its place, new systems need to be developed – this is a complex and lengthy process” – indicating that NATO had no newer generations of long range air defence systems available to replace the Patriot once its vulnerability was demonstrated. “Our adversaries proceed from the idea that this is supposedly a defensive weapon. All right, we’ll keep that in mind. And an antidote can always be found,” Putin added. The United States notably reassured Russia in December that Patriot systems would not be manned by American personnel, which was interpreted by some sources as an effective green light to proceed with strikes. With Ukrainian personnel expected to take until 2024

to learn to operate Patriots, they are thought to have been manned by contractors from NATO member states who are already acquainted with the systems.

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Russian MiG-31K Strike Fighter with Kinzhal Ballistic Missile

The Kizhal missile used to neutralise the Patriot battery entered service in the Russian Military in late 2017, and was first employed

in the Russian-Ukrainian War on March 18 2022 to strike a large underground warehouse in Western Ukraine housing armaments recently delivered through Poland. The missile has been a weapon of choice for striking high priority targets far behind Ukrainian lines due to its combination of a very long range and a high performance, where surface launched Iskander missiles with some similar capabilities were designed with only a 500km range due to the Intermediate Range Nuclear Forces Treaty which both Moscow and Washington were parties to until 2019. The Kinzhal has been widely deployed since 2017 in newly created squadrons of MiG-31K and MiG-31I strike fighters, which have consistently been stationed in areas of high tensions with NATO including Syria, Belarus, Kaliningrad and the Arctic. The MiG-31 has emerged as a star performer in the Russian-Ukrainian War not only due to its contributions to strike missions, but also to the performance of MiG-31BM/BSM interceptor variants which a number of Western sources have reported to be a strongly felt presence in the air which has caused serious losses for Ukrainian aviation. The possibility remains that the sole remaining Patriot battery will be a priority target either for MiG-31K/I strike fighters or for other Russian assets.

Best of Larry, Darryl, and Darryl (part 24)

By Conor Gallagher

Despite French President Emmanuel Macron’s recent statements that Europe not be a US vassal, the EU continues to follow Washington down the path of confrontation with China.

EU foreign ministers met on Friday and backed a more hardline position on China; now they just need to to figure out how to put it into practice, foreign policy chief Josep Borrell said. The ministers agreed that coordination with the United States will “remain essential” as they work to, as President Ursula von der Leyen put it recently, “de-risk” from China.

Well now it looks like those efforts are starting to get mighty risky as the European Commission is also discussing slapping sanctions on eight Chinese companies Brussels accuses of aiding the Russian war effort by sending dual-use goods like microchips to Moscow. There’s also talk of introducing a new mechanism that would restrict EU exports to countries that flout sanctions (a final decision isn’t expected until later this month or potentially June).

Chinese foreign minister Qin Gang happened to be in Berlin when news broke of the potential sanctions, which led to the second war-of-words appearance in a month of him and his German counterpart Annalena Baerbock who continues to do her best to damage ties between Berlin and its largest trading partner.

While Qin stressed China’s neutrality and its efforts to formulate a peace plan, Baerbock insisted neutrality is not an option. “Neutrality means taking the side of the aggressor,” she told  Qin while also labeling China a “systemic rival.” Qin assured his counterpart that Beijing would retaliate if the EU moves forward with its plans to sanction the Chinese companies. Beijing has a wide range of options at its disposal to hit back at the EU, as Reuters notes:

Beijing has plenty of leverage. At $5 trillion in 2021, China’s manufacturing value-added is roughly equal to the United States and Europe combined

. It cranks out critical industrial widgets including mid-range chips, makes most of the world’s active pharmaceutical ingredients, and hosts global competitors in high-speed rail and clean energy, including nuclear. It is the leading miner and processor of rare earths, which are used in everything from batteries to guided missiles; last year it manufactured over 90% of the world’s solar power wafers.

At the same time, Beijing is still dreaming that somehow wiser minds prevail and the EU will free itself from the US’ grasp. China is hoping that France and Germany can get on the same page and create some sort of European strategic autonomy. We’ll see what Macron and German Chancellor Olaf Scholz come out with after a scheduled meeting in July. It’s doubtful they’ll muster enough mettle to stop the wheels in motion. Scholz, after all, doesn’t seem to be running much of the show in Germany. For whatever reason, he cedes those duties to his Green partners in government, Baerbock and economic minister Robert Habeck – who are like German versions of US Under Secretary of State Victoria Nuland and Secretary of State Anthony Blinken.

China will likely continue to go soft on any response measures while holding out hope that Europe can be peeled away from the US. From the South China Morning Post:

Chinese foreign minister Qin Gang  has warned that the real “risk” Europe

faces comes from “a certain country” that is waging a “new cold war”, imposing unilateral sanctions and exporting its own financial problems to others.

Qin did not mention the US by name, but accused the country in question of fomenting ideological confrontation and engaging in camp confrontation, when asked about the EU’s “de-risking” strategy…

Qin said he appreciated the stance of Berlin and Brussels, but raised Beijing’s concerns that the strategy could become a “de-sinicisation” of the continent that would cut opportunities, cooperation, stability and development.

Indeed, that is what is slowly happening. While the EU plays with semantics (de-risk vs. decouple) the playbook is eerily similar to the one the EU followed with Moscow. With Russia it was the stated fear of energy reliance; with China officials like Baerbock and von der Leyen claim Europe is too dependent tradewise.

Fair enough, but do they have any plans for self-dependence beyond magical thinking? Similar to the Russia escapade, the line of thinking seems to be to do what the Americans say and figure it out on the fly. That usually doesn’t work out well:

Prior to her humiliating trip to China, von der Leyen elaborated on her China “de-risking” strategy in March in a speech on EU-China relations at the Mercator Institute for China Studies and the European Policy Centre. Some excerpts on Europe’s plans:

The starting point for this is having a clear-eyed picture on what the risks are. That means recognising how China’s economic and security ambitions have shifted. But it also means taking a critical look at our own resilience and dependencies, in particular within our industrial and defence base. This can only be based on stress-testing our relationship to see where the greatest threats lie concerning our resilience, long-term prosperity and security. This will allow us to develop our economic de-risking strategy across four pillars. The first one is: making our own economy and industry more competitive and resilient.

Von der Leyen proceeds to tout the bloc’s Net-Zero Industry Act (NZIA), which aims for the EU to process 40 percent of the strategic raw materials it uses by 2030. The NZIA would allow projects to bypass many environmental and social impact reviews. But the proposals do not earmark any new money, and the policies do nothing to change Europe’s disadvantages, which include a lack of subsidies compared to the US and China and much higher energy costs thanks to their “de-risking” away from Russian energy. More from von der Leyen:

We know this is an area where we rely on one single supplier – China – for 98% of our rare earth supply, 93% of our magnesium and 97% of our lithium – just to name a few…This is why we have put forward the Critical Raw Materials Act to help diversify and secure our supply.

The Critical Raw Materials Act would allow the EU to label some projects as “strategic” and fast-track the permitting process so that processing facilities could be granted approval in less than 12 months, and mines could theoretically be operational within 24 months (compared to an average of 10 years today).

Von der Leyen goes on to say that the EU will consider restrictions on outbound investment to China and that a major part of the de-risking strategy is alignment with partners, i.e., the US. She also promoted the bloc’s Anti-Coercion Instrument (ACI), which aims to take countermeasures against outside countries that attempt to pressure bloc states using the member states’ economic dependencies. The ACI allows the EU to retaliate with import tariffs, trade restrictions, or public procurement measures.

In the winter of 2021, China enacted trade sanctions against Lithuania after the latter allowed a de facto Taiwanese embassy to open up shop in Vilnius. There is a possibility the EU could start using the ACI right out of the gate in response to the China-Lithuania spat. From Euractiv:

Lithuania, therefore, was a strong supporter of the new instrument. Foreign Minister Gabrielius Landsbergis called it a tool “to stop dictators bullying the EU with unofficial sanctions” in a tweet celebrating the agreement between member states and the Parliament. “The EU just got stronger,” he said.

However, it is unclear whether the instrument will be used against China for its coercion attempts against Lithuania. An EU official showed himself rather reticent about the idea of opening negotiations on cases in the past, while the European Parliament’s Bernd Lange argued that it should also be applied to this case.

Lange has said that “sometimes you have to put a gun on the table, even when you know that you might not use it.” In response to the very limited economic fallout in Lithuania due to the Chinese sanctions, the European Commission provided low-cost loans to affected businesses, and the US Export-Import Bank threw in a $600 million export credit agreement.

If this is sounding familiar for Europe, that’s because it’s following the same blueprint it did with Russia. European officials repeatedly claim they learned from the error of their ways in importing cheap Russian gas and promise they won’t make the same mistake with products from China. Should they have learned another lesson?

The problem (again) for the EU is that its roadmap to reduce reliance on products from China will take years and is filled with question marks, but if Europe continues to damage ties at the current rate, it runs the risk of derailing its green transition efforts while further wrecking its economies.

At his meeting with Baerbock, Qin acknowledged that China would be hurt by a “new Cold War” but noted Europe would suffer more. He mentioned a recent report from the Austrian Institute of Economic Research and the Foundation for Family Businesses, which estimates that Germany’s GDP would drop two percent if it “de-risks” from China. And it’s obviously not just Germany. Agathe Demarais, global forecasting director at the Economist Intelligence Unit, outlines some of the other negatives for the EU as a whole:

The EU would lose its biggest trading partner for goods. The consequences of this would be dire for European export-oriented firms, as China is their third largest export market. Losing access to a market of 1.4 billion consumers is simply not an option for many European businesses.

Goods shortages would become commonplace in Europe, as EU imports from China are twice the size of those from the US (the EU’s second-largest source of imports). The competitiveness of European firms is too low to replace all imports from China, notably for basic manufactured staples. As such, decoupling from China would weigh on growth and fuel consumer inflation.

Besides, a European decoupling from China would probably provoke Chinese retaliation. Beijing has an ace up its sleeve with rare earths. China controls the vast majority of known rare-earths deposits. It could curb the access of European firms to these crucial raw materials. Without them, the development of electrical vehicles, military gear, and semiconductors would stall in Europe.

Nonetheless, Berlin continues to do its best to wreck ties between the two countries. Germany’s education minister, Bettina Stark-Watzinger, visited Taiwan in March – the highest-level visit by a German official in 26 years. That provocative move upset Beijing, which just postponed on short notice a meeting between the Chinese and German finance ministers.

Additionally, there were recent reports that Germany is planning to ban the export to China of chemicals used to manufacture semiconductors (Berlin denies this). Germany is also working on its “China Strategy,” which is being steered by Baerbock and is expected to formalize a much more hawkish stance against Beijing when it’s released in the coming months. This is the same Germany that said no thanks to Russian gas and just shut down its remaining nuclear power plants.

While Europe struggles to deal with the loss of Russian energy, the EU Commission and Germany seem determined to make matters worse for the people of Europe. Germany is leading calls for EU nations to begin major deficit reduction efforts while countries are also expected to start ponying up more for the Ukraine war effort. From Thomas Fazi at Unherd:

The European Commission announced its billion-euro plan  to increase Europe’s capacity for producing ammunition to send to Ukraine, for which member states will have to contribute up to a billion euros — yet another step in Europe’s “switch to war economy mode”, as commissioner Thierry Breton put it . In other words, European countries will soon be required to cut back on social welfare and crucial investment in non-defence-related areas in order to finance the EU’s new defence economy — we might call this military austerity — in the context of the bloc’s increasingly vassal-like subordination to US foreign policy.

All of which points to the inevitability of Germany’s return as the EU’s “economic policeman”. For the past year, the country has been trying to redefine its role in light of the massive tectonic shifts brought about the war in Ukraine — especially Europe’s geopolitical pivot  from the West to the East. Perhaps it has finally found one: in the form of a renewed “special relationship” with the US as its primary Western European proxy, particularly when it comes to foreign policy. As Wolfgang Streeck has argued

, this would entail re-establishing a position of economic leadership within the EU, on the provision of managing it on Washington’s behalf and of “tak[ing] responsibility for organising and, importantly, financing the European contribution to the war”.

How about the second and third largest economies in the EU, France and Italy? Are they on board with the Baerbock and von der Leyen China hawks?

While Macron seemingly had a change of heart while on his April trip to Beijing, it’d be nice to see some action from the Elysee before declaring him another de Gaulle. Let’s remember that ahead of Macron’s trip to Washington last year the French were offering to help convince European recalcitrants to get tougher with China – as long as the US threw the EU a bone on the Inflation Reduction Act. Well, the US has continued to ignore French and European pleas, offering only a mostly meaningless concession in March.

Italy, the only G7 nation to join China’s Belt and Road Initiative (BRI), appears unlikely  to renew the deal when it expires early next year. Despite all the hyperventilating over Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni’s election last year, she has proven herself to be a dutiful subject. As Reuters points out:

Meloni met Chinese President Xi Jinping in Bali

last November and accepted an invitation to visit China, but a date has not yet been fixed.

Meloni has also not yet visited Washington and the government official said she did not want to travel to Beijing without having first been received by U.S. President Joe Biden.

Europe made its vassal status all but clear late last year when the Dutch came under heavy US pressure over ASML, which dominates the market for deep ultraviolet lithography machines used in chip making.

Washington wanted the Netherlands to forbid the company from selling Beijing equipment used in making the most advanced chips. The Dutch foreign trade minister initially stressed that “the Netherlands will not copy the American measures one-to-one. We make our assessment — and we do this in consultation with partner countries.”

It was a major decision for the Dutch and Europe as a whole as Michele Geraci, former undersecretary of state at the Italian Ministry of Economic Development said :

If they continue to do business with China, they will flourish, they will reinvest the money, and they will continue to advance in development. And Europe will retain a very strong presence in the semiconductor industry, which is the industry of the future. If they stop selling microprocessor machinery to China, China will make them by themselves, maybe not today, maybe not next year, but in 2 or 3 years’ time. And ASML will lose its competitive strength and Europe will also lose one of the great companies that they have in this sector.

So what’s the best choice? They need to manage the pressure from the US because it’s a very important decision between short term and long term. If the Netherlands government chooses to listen to the US, they will destroy their long-term future in exchange for some short-term gains. And in exchange, China will lose in the short term, because China will suffer a little bit, but in the long term will win.

Well, about a month after the Dutch foreign trade minister talked tough, the Netherlands caved and joined the US efforts.

While Europe became convinced of the China threat relatively recently and wants to remedy the issue overnight, China has been following a long-term strategy of reducing its dependence on foreign technology and capabilities for more than 15 years and has projected that strategy forward another 15 years. The results of those efforts from the Harvard Business Review:

China has done more than just leverage its size and abundant low-skilled labor. It has also invested heavily in education to expand its skilled talent pool, increasing the number of college graduates from one million in 2000 to more than 8 million in 2019, 5 million of whom earned degrees in science, technology, engineering, and math, giving China more STEM graduates than India, the United States, Japan, Germany, France, Italy, the UK, and Canada combined. It has also upgraded its physical infrastructure by spending more money on building roads, rails, and airports than the U.S. and Europe combined.

Of course, European along with US elites aided all these efforts by outsourcing

much of their industry to China, but it shows how Beijing likes to play the long game. The CPC plans to do the same with Europe, unless pushed to do otherwise. Zhou Bo, a retired PLA colonel and current senior fellow of the Centre for International Security and Strategy at Tsinghua University, writes the following about the Cold War between the US and China at the South China Morning Post:

The battleground won’t be in the Global South, where the US has very much lost

to China, especially in Africa and Latin America. It won’t be in the Indo-Pacific either, where few countries want to take sides . It will be in Europe, where the US has most of its allies and where China is the largest trading partner.

Gradually, the transatlantic alliance will relax. Even if America’s decline is gradual, it cannot afford a global military presence. It will have to retreat from around the world, including from the Middle East and Europe, to focus on the Indo-Pacific

, where the US sees China as a long-term threat. Successive US presidents, Republican and Democrat alike, have asked Europeans to take greater ownership of their security. In other words, Europe has to have strategic autonomy, even if it doesn’t want to. That Europe takes China as a partner, competitor and systemic rival at the same time says more about Europe’s confusion about China, than what China really is.

Barring some drastic change of course and the removal of hardcore Atlanticists like von der Leyen and Baerbock, Europe will almost certainly blunder its way into a destructive de-risking or whatever they want to call it with China before it can resolve that confusion. That’s might be a major problem with Beijing’s logic: if European relations with Russia are any indication, Brussels is more than happy to shoot itself in the foot, and it will do so primarily for the sake of the US that is engaging in the same practices through the Inflation Reduction Act that the EU claims is one of the reasons it must take a tougher stance against China.

National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan said the following at an April 27 speech on “renewing American economic leadership” at the Brookings Institution:

We will unapologetically pursue our industrial strategy at home—but we are unambiguously committed to not leaving our friends behind. We want them to join us. In fact, we need them to join us.

With friends like these…

Syria Welcomed Back Into Arab League & U.S. FLIPS OUT

Declan Hayes
May 6, 2023

The Chinese are not only fully awake but fully cognisant of the Anglo-Saxons’ wiles in the debt, and semiconductor sectors, as well as in honey, Hello Kitty and all others.

“Let China sleep. For when she wakes, the world will tremble”. Although The Dictionnaire Napoléon attributes this apothegm not to the great Napoleon (who loved a good bon mot almost as much as he loved a good battle) but to British actor David Niven playing the British Ambassador during the Boxer rebellion in the 1963 Hollywood blockbuster 55 days at Peking, it matters not.

China has arrived and she is shaking up the world to a degree not even her Japanese neighbour achieved during Japan’s recent years of economic glory. That being so, we must gauge the force of this Godzilla who, horror of NATO horrors, is not only brokering peace in the Middle East but, more to the heart of this essay, is honey-laundering atop a mountain of debt that has our NATO overlords sweating bricks.

First stop is honey. China has agreed to annually import some 50,000 tonnes of honey from sanctions-struck Iran, which needs every nickel and dime it can scrape together. Because the Iranian bee industry, as this informative article explains, has huge upside potential, I am happy China is helping Iran’s 140,000 beekeepers stay afloat. Whereas in Western countries, bee-keeping is generally a side product some farmers engage in, in Syria, and I imagine, in Iran, bee-keepers follow their nomadic bees about as they migrate from one locale to the other; as Iran, for example, has over four times the amount of flower species Western Europe has Iran, like Syria, is a veritable heaven on earth for bees. Although NATO’s Syrian war of extermination has severely disrupted Syria’s bees and Syria’s bee-keepers, this Sino-Iranian deal shows there is hope for the bee-keepers of Iran, Iraq and Syria and, for that, I could not be happier.

Allied to that, China, the world’s largest honey producer, is accused of dumping its own honey onto the international honey market and thereby undercutting the EU’s 600,000 bee producers and, crucially, Ukraine, against which Western countries have no hope of competing, at least on price.

But, in China’s defence, it must be said that such activities are part and parcel of today’s international “rules based order” systems of trade. Here, for example, is a report of Irish farmers managing Saudi Arabia’s massive cattle farms. Global beef production has changed and one either goes for the quantity that Saudi Arabia and Bill Gates’ own mega farms represent or one goes for quality, for such things as Kobe beef, Irish whiskey and French luxury goods.

Irish whiskey, which is a much finer product than the cough mixtures sister Scotland palms off to an unsuspecting world, is important to our analysis as Ukraine’s rotund Ambassador to Ireland has demanded Ireland boycott its own Irish whiskey, boycotting being a tactic the Irish not only invented but excelled at. Leaving aside that ignoramus and all other considerations, if Ireland can grab back some of the market in China (and Russia) from the Scots, that would be a good thing because China, whether the CIA likes it or not, is the new Roaring 20s Japan.

That means the Chinese have a lot of money to splurge on Irish whiskey, French luxury goods and Hello Kitty. As the Japanese, during their golden years, accounted for over 70% of Louis Vuitton’s global sales, Irish whiskey producers, French luxury goods’ makers, Iranian beekeepers and the custodians of Japan’s kawaii culture cannot ignore China.

The Chinese pay for all their Hello Kitty merchandise, their Scottish cough mixtures and their French perfumes by exporting stuff, things like bullet trains that they reversed-engineered from Japan’s Mitsubishi Heavy Industries. Because China is growing so fast, there are opportunities galore there in everything from honey and Kobe beef to Volkswagen cars and aircraft carriers, all of which China, with its reverse-engineering hacks, can pay for with its export surpluses or by taking on some debt.

As with honey, so also is China a major agricultural producer in her own right and her farms range from the very primitive to state-of-the-art wonders that match anything the Netherlands, or even Bill Gates’ sinister mega-ranches have to offer. China’s main constraint in this respect is its waters are in the wrong place and it is not at all clear that the Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau, its traditional water source, will cover its future needs.

To tackle that and countless other development bottlenecks China, to accommodate the growing expectations of her countless masses, must invest heavily on a scale the world has never previously witnessed. And it must borrow heavily too as borrowing is a means of spreading investments one might not otherwise be able to afford over longer terms.

And that brings us to China: The Root of Madness, the CIA’s 1967 Cold War documentary “explaining” China through the CIA’s prism. But China must be explained through a Chinese, not an American prism and, if CIA spy Theodore H White, who produced that garbage, had bothered to read Chairman Mao, he would have come across far more references to ancient Chinese dynasties than he would to Karl Marx or Freddy Engels.

Because White’s Anglo-Saxons fret far too much about China’s debt policies rather than their own, we will now compare and contrast one with the other. Traditionally, there were two basic economic systems, the German-Japanese system where banks and borrowing were the financial engines of their sure but steady growth and the Anglo-American system where the riskier, roller-coaster stock market ruled the roost. China’s approach to debt, yet again, is best described as Japan’s on steroids.

In the United States, to coin a Napoleonic bon mot, debt has gone from the sublime to the ridiculous. The vultures’ Klondyke that was payday lending, where the Anglo-Saxon poor, living from pay cheque to pay cheque, paid unsustainable loan-sharking rates to their creditors, has been replaced with predatory smart phone apps, where poor Americans are now reduced to buying their meals on credit and paying through the nose for them, as Uncle Sam catches them in micro debt traps from which there is no escape.

At the macro international level, African and other nations have long been stuck in a similarly slick debt trap they too have no means of escaping, not least because the IMF and the World Bank, their supposed saviours, were tasked ab ovo with keeping them enslaved to Uncle Sam and his Anglo-Saxon partners in crime.

Whatever one may think about the Bible, Proverbs 22:7: gets it right when it proclaims that “The rich rules over the poor, and the borrower is slave of the lender”. That has certainly been the case in Africa, as it is now in tiny Ireland, which was forced, almost at gunpoint, to take on over 40% of the EU’s debt, and Ukraine, which is currently fighting Russia on a maxed-out credit card.

That credit card will have to be cleared by Ukraine handing over its crown jewels to BlackRock, Vanguard and its other creditors and by paying interest on the mountains of debt it has racked up to fight its unwinnable war. Exxon-Mobil, Chevron, Halliburton and Uncle Sam’s other seasoned vultures are already in advanced discussions to run Ukraine’s energy industry and the leprechaun vultures of Vichy Ireland have pledged to exploit (“rebuild”, as they call it) Ukraine’s Rivne Oblast region as part of their reward for propping up Zelensky’s rump Reich and sniggering at those tens of thousands of young Ukrainians slaughtered to make these scams possible.

Rustem Umerov, who heads Ukraine’s State Property Fund (SPF), claims there are more than 3,500 companies which are listed as state-owned, with almost 1,800 of them bankrupt and non-functional. The list for a privatisation fire-sale to Zelensky’s Western allies includes distilleries and grain elevators, which could be of interest to investors, as well as hundreds of abandoned facilities, which will be given away for nickels on the dollar. Umerov is hoping to earn over $400 million by selling an elite set of companies ranging from a fertilizer producer to utilities, smelters and an insulin maker. Ammonia maker Odessky Pryportovy Zavod, titanium producer United Mining, Zaporozhye Titanium-Magnesium Plant, insulin manufacturer Indar, and power generator Centrenergo PJSC will be among the first to be sold at knock down prices and up to $200 million of state-owned land is ear-marked to follow shortly afterwards. Because Russian speakers have no rights in Ukraine, the Demurinsky Mining and Processing Plant, which develops reserves of titanium-zirconium sands and which is owned by Russian tycoon Mikhail Shelkov, is also scheduled to be sold. Rusal’s Nikolaev alumina refinery is also scheduled for “privatisation”, as is the confiscated property of Russians Vladimir Yevtushenkov and Oleg Deripaska.

The Chinese system, with its supposed Muslim, Tibetan, Hong Kong, Taiwan and Hello Kitty issues, operates a trifle differently from Zelensky’s Ukrainian gangsters and there is no real point in getting our Chinese-made knickers in a twist about any of it. All of NATO’s faux Chinese concerns are blowbacks from the growth of China‘s economy and the end of the easy money that flowed from America’s property and dot.com bubbles. Because Easy Street is over, the Yanks must now re-discover The Zen of Working Hard even though, like their European vassals, they are no longer up to the task. The Chinese, like the Japanese workers of Toyota or the Koreans of Kia Motor Works, just plod on and on, accumulating wealth, Iranian honey and other delights for their children and, given her demographics, her children’s children. And good on them.

This is not to say that every Chinese, Japanese or Korean citizen has been a winner but their systems have been designed to give the greatest possible opportunities they can to the greatest number of their citizens. Though the Chinese love gambling, they have not followed Uncle Sam’s casino capitalism model but, like the post-War Japanese, they have instead worked hard and likewise pulled themselves up by the bootstraps.

And, just as Japan was once the major player in long-term sovereign debt, so now has that poisoned chalice passed to Beijing. If Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Mozambique, Zambia and Grenada wish to escape from the debt burdens Uncle Sam has saddled them with, they must look to Beijing. And while China has played hard-ball, they have been nowhere nearly as harsh as Elliott Investment Management and other American critics of China that picked Africa cleaner than might a flock of ravenous vultures.

But what of China, with its sweet tooth for Iranian honey, its Scottish cough mixtures and its Hello Kitty regalia? The Chinese government is tasked with allowing its citizens enjoy such fruits of their labour, whilst maintaining its armed forces to defend its citizens and instituting a system that allows China earn the wherewithal to pay for all such frivolities. Given China accounts for a fifth of the world’s population, that is a huge task, human resource and financial management on truly Biblical scales the world has never previously witnessed.

And, as with Japan during its golden years debt, albeit with Chinese characters, is an integral part of that process. Though personal, institutional and government debt in China are all huge, should we really be as concerned as our narcissistic Anglo-Saxon overlords are about it?

I think not. Debt, the Anglo-Saxon economists tell us, offers us more choice, the ability, for example, to get a mortgage loan on a house, rather than forever renting or living in a roadside wigwam. Debt, lots of it, allows Americans to send their kids to College which, depending on what they study, may or may not be a good investment. Of course, it also allows the Yanks to buy lots of Chinese goods from Walmart but let’s just take that as a given of Americans’ consumer fixations.

All the more so as China is also buying into the consumer craze. Chinese citizens are even hiring American women to bear their children which the CIA’s Heritage Foundation believe is a national security risk. Although it is fine and dandy for Americans to rent Ukrainian wombs, the burgeoning Chinese-American “rent-a-womb” industry, in which ageing Chinese couples draft fertile American women to give birth to offspring with U.S. citizenship is, they say, not playing to the CIA’s rules based order, whose lack of logic China’s economic ascent has placed under immense strain.

Surrogate babies are just one symptom. America is not only one gigantic debt mountain but its debt markets dwarf its stock markets, which are the world’s biggest. The Japanese (again) long saw this and that there were, for them, easy pickings to be had by lending to American states and cities on the correct presumption that the U.S. government would not allow those states and cities to go bankrupt. The Japanese who, like the Koreans and Chinese, are diligent savers, have been keeping the U.S. economy afloat for decades now with their soft loans which, like all loans, must be paid back eventually.

But what of the Chinese? U.S. Secretary of the Treasury Janet L. Yellen has acknowledged the threat China poses to U.S. hegemony (the rules’ based order as the Anglo Saxons call it) and the need to contain China by sanctions, by controlling intellectual property rights and by bad-mouthing them in NATO’s media over human rights and the plight of panda bears.

This is, again, a re-run of America’s post oil crisis attack on Japan because Japan has the art of car-making down to a tee. There is simply no way the Americans, the Germans or the Scandinavians can compete with the Japanese auto makers or, indeed, the Chinese, who are not only the new Japanese but who have entire armies of engineers improving the efficiency of cars and everything else they produce.

And that includes Taiwanese microchips, which Uncle Sam clings to as a drowning man might cling to a straw. As no country, from the Sumerians of antiquity to the Anglo-Saxons of our own era, has managed to monopolise a particular technology forever, Taiwanese microchips are, as the late Chairman Mao might have put it, a competitive paper tiger, childish Japanese origami that will vanish with a gust of divine wind.

Uncle Sam thinks differently and has ordered its Taiwanese and Korean colonies to stop selling semiconductor chips to China. America has also demanded that German companies Merck, and BASF, which supply Asian chip-makers with critical chemicals for production, follow the example of the Dutch who, on the Yanks’ orders, have severely restricted exports of their semi-conductors to the Middle Kingdom.

Though NATO, like Samson of old, hopes these export restrictions will cripple China’s ability to develop advanced technologies, as well as its capability to produce semiconductors, the tide of modern history, where competitive advantages cannot be held for long, suggest this pathetic boycotting will fail. Despite China being Berlin’s most important trading partner for the seventh year in a row now, because Germany remains a grovelling slave to America, we can assume the Pentagon will get their way here and further damage Germany (and the Netherlands). Talk about global supply chain hara kiri by those emasculated oafs!

NATO should, of course, have let China’s semiconductor industry sleep. Beijing has launched a national security review into Micron Dram, one of three dominant players in the global memory chip market alongside South Korea’s Samsung Electronics and SK Hynix. As with Louis Vuitton, so also is it with Dram, where mainland China and Hong Kong generates 25 per cent of its $31bn annual revenue. If Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol accedes to Uncle Sam’s request to ban the sale of their microchips to China, then he is even more stupid than any Irish sniveller who boycotts Irish whiskey on the word of the obese Ukrainian grifter, who has the gig of loud-mouthed Ambassador to Vichy Ireland.

Although the Pentagon believes that their competitive edge in microchips will stave off the Chinese dragon, that is not where the true fight is. The fact of the matter is the United States and its puppet allies long ago exported the whole logistics chain to China and thereby made China the world’s logistical hub, its Middle Kingdom if you will. Not only is that almost impossible to undo but there are over a billion Chinese who have a vested interest in maintaining that emerging status quo that so upsets our Anglo-Saxon friends.

Gold, by way of illustration of that latter point, is the easiest of metals to work with and it is the first metal mentioned in the Bible (Genesis 2:11-12). And, though gold jewellery is almost universally popular, the North Italians are the world’s best at fabricating gold, simply because they have long held the logistical hubs, even from long before Romulus and Remus founded Rome.

Although American puppets like Ursula von der Leyen can threaten hell and damnation on the Chinese economy, German and French automakers are making more coin by producing cars in China than they are in Europe. Why? Because China has the logistical hubs and one part of China is not squabbling with another for the right to produce hub caps, as the various European states do with each other. Europe is an organisational mess and China, as with Japan’s Hello Kitty and auto industries, is not.

And, when we ask whether the Biden family’s control of the semiconductor industry can stop China, we have to conclude that it cannot and, again, Japan shows us why. When the Europeans first reached Japan, they brought muskets with them to The Land of the Rising Sun where such a technology was unknown but where the Europeans were amazed that Japanese steel was far superior to anything they had previously encountered in Borrell’s European garden.

The Japanese, who had never previously clapped eyes on a musket, not only solved the crucial European problem of how to stop rain destroying the gun-powder but, within six months of first clapping eyes on them, were exporting muskets throughout the rest of Eastern Asia. Following the 1904/5 Russo-Japanese war, the Japanese determined that they would have to match the German Leica company in terms of lenses. Not only did the Japanese match them but they far out-paced them in less than half of the time they had allocated to that objective. If the Americans think they can stop the Chinese semiconductor tide, they best import some more Chinese or Japanese brains because it is plain as day they have a critical shortage of grey matter, as well as a profound ignorance on how inter-connected the intermediate industries of China, Korea and Japan are.

The Chinese economy, their national pay packet if you will, continues to increase, by an impressive 4.5% in the first quarter of 2023, as it happens, meaning it is in a better position to pay off or roll over any outstanding debt and, of course, to buy more whiskey, more French perfumes and more Hello Kitty kitsch.

Yankee land, meanwhile, just prints more dollar bills and spends a staggering $500 billion annually servicing their debt, even as they imagine China would not develop a debt market of their own and thereby sink the American smoke and mirrors economy. For the fact of the matter is China’s debt is not a problem and will not be a problem as long as China can manage it. And so far, as with Japan, there is no sign of a major crisis. For the Good Ship China, it seems to be steady as she goes and to hell with Moody’s and the other partisan naysayers.

To illustrate China’s strength, let’s once again turn our eyes towards Japan, whose currency is the yen. Upon hearing that yen meant circle in English, American war lord Douglas MacArthur decreed that there would be 360 yen to the Yankee dollar. It is currently trading at 135 to the dollar, which is well within its recent trading band. The Chinese yuan is at 7 to the dollar and it too is within recent trading bands. China, however, is in a much stronger position than the U.S. or any of its satrapies to push the yuan, and therefore the dollar, any way it pleases. The boot is, in other words, increasingly on the Chinese and not the NATO foot.

Here, in conclusion, is 1900 footage of a French damsel in Saigon throwing Vietnamese children grain, like they were foraging chickens. The Anglo-Saxons should know that those days are, thanks to the armed might of South East Asians and their allies, gone and, thanks to the economic might of those countries, they are not returning. The United States, together with its German, Dutch and other vassals, best acknowledge and live with that fact or be prepared to take a turn at foraging themselves when their own stupidity collapses their own side of the global economic system. As for the Chinese, they are not only fully awake but fully cognisant of the Anglo-Saxons’ wiles in the debt, and semiconductor sectors, as well as in honey, Hello Kitty and all others.

Oh you are mistaken

main qimg bfa5d2c86d7dfd416321b4d6bc9705fe lq
main qimg bfa5d2c86d7dfd416321b4d6bc9705fe lq

You think India is going to Japan for a Loan?

Its the other way round – Japan is coming to India and requesting India for the chance to finance some projects

Banks in Japan are flush with cash. Until 2018 they poured money into China but now China is flush with its own money and prefers to invest its own money.

Japan needs investments. Unlike the Bullet Train , the Metro is a safe and solid investment.

So Japan is the one who is requesting India for the Loans and India has agreed to borrow from Japan for both Bangalore and Delhi.

So we are the ones doing the Favor here.

Hi, Rocky Smith , thanks for the request!

“Study Enter Flat” was perhaps one of my most favorite activities during the halcyon days of my childhood.

One of my classmates would invite a handful of us over to his or her flat for a study session and we would all pack our bags, mostly with books, books, and more books, but also with some snacks and food.

These study sessions were serious business, man.
You weren’t welcome if your intention was to goof around.
If the person who gave out the invite ever got so much as a sniff that you were there merely to fool around and waste everyone’s time, you would be kicked out of the flat, and told that there was not a chance in Hell that you would be allowed entry back into the flat unless you were serious about getting some studying done, like all the other kids who weren’t kicked out.

Unless you there to study, you could not enter the inviter’s flat.
Hence the name: “Study Enter Flat”.

After our grueling study sessions were over, we would stretch a bit, kick back, and then prepare some grub for our hungry young little stomachs.

Even during the study sessions themselves, we were already munching on snacks:

Like 大白兔奶糖 (White Rabbit Milk Candy)

main qimg d699a6f374ad20ee9807efc17a236415
main qimg d699a6f374ad20ee9807efc17a236415

Or 猫耳朵 (Cat Ear):

main qimg f917af967e1826bca12da7b5db88d715
main qimg f917af967e1826bca12da7b5db88d715

Or 山楂饼 (Hawthorn Flakes):

main qimg 944fb7a1eada45687a265a879764e801
main qimg 944fb7a1eada45687a265a879764e801

and 山楂卷 (Hawthorn Rolls)

2023 05 21 18 24
2023 05 21 18 24

I don’t really like 火腿肠 (ham sausage) but most of my classmates loved it.

main qimg 5e4a22c8bde7569eefcdeaf26ecafa84
main qimg 5e4a22c8bde7569eefcdeaf26ecafa84

The crunchy goodness of 旺旺雪饼 (Wang Wang Snow Biscuit)

main qimg ac0a426f2bf8cecf6d1e408d3219ec6b
main qimg ac0a426f2bf8cecf6d1e408d3219ec6b

But snacks were never enough for a group of growing kids, so we would supplement all those snacks with a meal either at the end of the study sessions or as a break period in between.

Since were all school-going kids, our meals weren’t very complex.
Just something filling enough to keep the hunger demons at bay for a bit.
Steamed buns and noodles were a mainstay.

main qimg 373460b64f6a7cd6f23b07f8f5221ca2
main qimg 373460b64f6a7cd6f23b07f8f5221ca2

We would stir-fry some cut-up vegetables and eat them with the buns/noodles.

main qimg 52722f9d3e1767278212fba2da305611
main qimg 52722f9d3e1767278212fba2da305611

Alternatively, if the meal was right after a study session, then we might even spend some time making dumplings.

main qimg ac813459ccc77b6a7a9bba2b50221016 lq
main qimg ac813459ccc77b6a7a9bba2b50221016 lq

Conclusion, a.k.a. TLDR:

“Study Enter Flats” – ah, sure brings back the memories.
Good times, good company, good food.

Tortilla Lasagna

2023 05 13 20 59
2023 05 13 20 59

Ingredients

  • 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
  • 1 pound ground chicken or turkey
  • 2 small green or red bell peppers, seeded and chopped
  • 1 small onion, peeled and chopped
  • 1 (4 ounce) can ORTEGA Diced Green Chiles
  • 1 (1.25 ounce) packet ORTEGA Taco Seasoning Mix – Regular
  • 1 (16 ounce) jar ORTEGA Thick & Smooth Taco Sauce – Medium, divided
  • 10 (6-inch) fajita-size flour tortillas, divided
  • 2 cups shredded Mexican blend or Monterey Jack cheese, divided

Instructions

  1. Heat oven to 375 degrees F. Grease 13 x 9-inch baking dish.
  2. Heat oil in a large skillet. Add chicken; cook, stirring occasionally, until no longer pink.
  3. Stir in bell peppers, onion, chiles and seasoning mix. Reduce heat to low; cook, stirring occasionally, until vegetables are slightly tender.
  4. Spread 1/2 cup taco sauce onto bottom of prepared baking dish. Cover with 5 ortillas.
  5. Spread with half of chicken mixture and another 1/2 cup taco sauce.
  6. Sprinkle with 1 cup cheese.
  7. Repeat with remaining ingredients.
  8. Bake for 15 to 20 minutes or until heated through and cheese is melted.

Yield: 8 servings

BREAKING NEWS! Something Big is Happening on NATOs Border and Canada is Burning

UPDATED 03:05 AM (Sunday) EDT — It’s Official: Russia Has Liberated Bakhmut from Ukrainian NAZIS

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2023 05 21 17 40
2023 05 21 17 40

As reported “imminent” on the Hal Turner Radio Show last night (Friday 19 May) Bakhmut, Ukraine has finally and officially been liberated by Russia; the Ukrainian NAZIS are defeated and have fled.

Leader of the Wagner PMC, Prigozhin made the announcement personally, with his Wagner troops inside Bakhmut city:

The city map of Bakhmut shows the areas now totally liberated by Russia . . . the entire city!

Bakhmut Map
Bakhmut Map

This victory will have severe implications for Ukraine NAZIS, who now will have great difficulty supplying troops in the entire south of Ukraine.

All major rail lines previously used to supply Ukraine troops, ran through Bakhmut, as did several major highways.   Now, the Russians control the entire city, and those Ukraine military supplies cannot get through.

Prigozhin says that his Wagner troops will leave Bakhmut on the 25th, being relieved by the Russian Army.   They will get some (well-deserved) rest, then likely be assigned to another city target; rumors suggest Odessa.

UPDATE 7:11 PM EDT —

Some limited skirmishes were still fought today in Bakhmut, but Russia has sealed its total victory.  Photos of PMC Wagner troops celebrating their hard-earned victory:

Bakhmut Falls 05 20 2023 evening
Bakhmut Falls 05 20 2023 evening
Bakhmut NAZIS Routed By Russia Evening
Bakhmut NAZIS Routed By Russia Evening

UPDATE 03:05 AM (SUNDAY)

The mass-Media is __finally__ starting to report this story.  The London Daily Mail in the UK, and NBC News here in the US, were only about fourteen HOURS behind the coverage of this story right here on Hal Turner Radio Show!   Once again, the world got it’s news faster, here, than from the mass-media!

You are not crazy. You are not alone.

Tender and Militant: Artist Sung-Choul Ham and His South Korean Fantasy Worlds

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Sung-Choul Ham is an artist from South Korea, he draws illustrations and concepts (mostly fighting anime girls) for games and movies. He’s currently working at Majors Studio where he’s developing characters for South Korean fantasy MMORPGs and he’s doing a great job.

More: Instagram

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American “leadership” drunk or having a stroke?

<blockquote
 class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Texas House 
Speaker Dade Phelan last night.<br><br>Is he having a stroke
 or just drunk.<a 
href="https://t.co/b6nlO1FHb3">pic.twitter.com/b6nlO1FHb3</a></p>&mdash;
 Citizen Free Press (@CitizenFreePres) <a 
href="https://twitter.com/CitizenFreePres/status/1660079216606445570?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">May
 21, 2023</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" 
charset="utf-8"></script>

Best of Larry, Darryl, and Darryl (part 12)

Both of my children were killed in separate auto accidents. 12 year old Denise was killed in a school crosswalk when a woman ran the red light. Christmas has never been the same since, but I tried hard to make it nice for her younger sister., Theresa. Then (years later) last year, in a horrific head on collision, my Theresa was killed, leaving a loving husband and two children.

I am 71, and am a mother without children. in my wildest nightmares, I never imagined this could happen. I miss them every day, not just during the holidays. I have joyful memories and many pictures of them at Christmas and their birthdays. Those memories are all I have left.

Holidays are incredibly difficult and I dread them. I worry about my son in law and my grandson, as they try to survive. My son in law still cannot bear to go into stores where happy couples shop together. My grandson, in his 20’s, is emotionally struggling.

My granddaughter, who was recently diagnosed with a tumor at the base of her brain, mourns the loss while trying to cope with chemotherapy and everyday life with her three young children. She will undergo surgery when the tumor has been reduced to a manageable size so they can operate. Two of my granddaughter’s children have genetic heart defects. The older child has had two unsuccessful surgeries to correct the problem. The younger one is too small for surgery. Make-a-Wish foundation has been generous by sending the family for a special Disney vacation.

For those people who miss their children at the holidays because they have grown and spread their wings….have moved far away, or are spending the holidays with friends or their partner’s family, rejoice that they are alive and thriving. Rejoice that you can still talk with them and make new memories.

main qimg f41b812f578ad7ee00f2c95103c779e2 lq
main qimg f41b812f578ad7ee00f2c95103c779e2 lq

Examples of successful rebranding in history.

2023 05 21 18 28
2023 05 21 18 28

Yes, on a flight from Houston to Amsterdam. The large gentleman was stuck in the middle seat and I was by the window.

The person on the aisle did a lot of huffing and puffing, sighing and harrumphing. He even asked the steward if he could change to another seat.

The gentleman in the middle was mortified with embarrassment- I felt so sorry for him.

The flight was about 11 hours- I started up a conversation with him in order to mitigate the rudeness he was being subjected to (I usually make a point of not talking to people on long journeys and just bury my nose in a book!) and he turned out to be absolutely fascinating. He was from Denmark, spoke superb English and was a delightful travelling companion! Other than the fact that we were terribly squashed together and very uncomfortable- it was a great flight.

As time wore on, I fell asleep and he provided very comfortable cushioning. We had breakfast together in Schiphol airport before going our separate ways on our connecting flights. As we finished breakfast he thanked me for being so kind and said that his bulk was something that caused him great distress and with which he has struggled for much of his life. It broke my heart that this man was regularly made to feel that he had to apologize for simply being.

Be kind. It’s not difficult.

MIDWAY (2019) – Imperial Japanese Navy Abandoning Ship

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the real price of the American Dream for Black women & why I gave it up

"I'm a 60 year old blk woman, and I can tell you that there's no such thing as an American Dream. That was a term that was used about 100 years ago when immigrants arrived at Ellis Island, and only immigrants use that term today. There is no set list of accomplishments one has to achieve. For some people, it's having a successful career, getting married, buying a house and raising a family. For others, it might be living off the grid in a tiny house and growing their own food. Everyone has different dreams."

2023 05 13 21 08
2023 05 13 21 08

Bakhmut Has Fallen – Artyomovsk Has Been Liberated

The so far largest battle of the 21st century ended today.

Bakhmut has fallen. Artyomovsk (the Russian/Soviet name of the city) has been liberated. This was announced today by the titular leader of the Wagner forces, Yevgeny Prigozhin, in a video posted on Telegram.

Why the Ukrainian leadership had decided to hold onto the city even months after the situation there was already in its disfavor is beyond me. The fight was decided by the numerical superiority of Russian artillery fire and the Ukraine had never a chance to top that.

The losses there for the Ukrainians amounted to 300 to 500 men per day over that last 5 months. That sums up to a total of 60,000 casualties. Ten days ago Ukrainian units, including the fascist Azov brigade, rolled up the Russian flanks north and south of Bakhmut to allow the Ukrainian troops in the city to flee west. That attack alone, only one or 2 kilometer deep, cost them some 1,600+ men and some 50+ armored vehicles.

On the Russian side the fighting in the city was largely done by Wagner troops. But they were never able to do it on their own. Russian military intelligence, artillery and logistics all played an important role in the fight.

The city has been destroyed but it will continued to exist as it is an important logistical hub with several rail and road connections running through it.

Mariupol, which fell/was liberated a year ago, is already being rebuild. In a month or two, when the frontline has moved away from Artyomovsk, rebuilding will start there too.

For a moment now the front line in Ukraine seems all around relative quit.

It is not clear to me when or where a new operational move will start.

 

Posted by b at 13:32 UTC | Comments (408)

So apparently I don’t know what The American Dream Is

In ppp terms, the brics economies have overtaken the g7 since the pandemic.

Let me repeat, because this is an important point to make.

THE BRICS HAVE OVETAKEN THE G7 IN PURCHASING POWER.

The G7 no longer have the natural advantage over the rest economically.

The power they continue to wield leans heavily on history, and not current realities. Projections paint a future of ebbing influence, and domestic decay.

The collective west find themselves in the paradoxical situation of printing so much money they don’t have enough, courtesy of raging inflation forcing a tightening of belts.

In sum, the BRICS are on the up, while the west is struggling to stay afloat, and will likely sink.

The most illuminating development that went unreported this pandemic is the observation that the third world didn’t need the first world. China exported more vaccine than the rest of the world combined throughout 2021 (when it mattered most), and supplied more than 80% of all masks and PPE used globally, keeping prices stable amidst a massive demand spike.

In fact, the collective west under the leadership of the Americans have provided little, not even loan forgiveness for the poorest economies which were devastated by covid. Instead, massive fiscal stimulus finally reared inflation’s ugly head, while “Europe” and big brother came into open conflict with the other piece of Europe, the unrecognized Europeans of Christian Orthodoxy descent.

“Europe” today is mired in protests of a size and scale that rival the fires lit by color revolutions of the Arab Spring and more recently, Hong Kong. They go mostly unreported in the international press, because what’s unwritten didn’t happen. The common thread? Cost of living squeeze, just like in America. Americans have taken to violence, drugs and crime rather than protests. Looting and shoplifting is tacitly allowed with a “non-prosecution” monetary upper-bound, and main street in some of the most famous cities anywhere smell and look like dystopia, rather than an economy generating jobs at never-before-seen pace.

As recession kicks in and first world driven demand shrink, new market nodes will emerge to replace these traditional centers of consumption. A new global order is emerging from the ashes of covid, and it won’t be the collective west calling ALL the shots. Others will continue to listen politely, but leaders won’t be held captive to seductive words devoid of meaningful outcome.

Give it 5–10 years.

I’m surprised by the turn of events, particularly the acceleration of the shift.

This is the Asian century, and Russia IS Asian.

‘Step Back In Time’ – Old School Dance Mashup

Taiwan taekwondo medalist celebrates with Chinese flag

Lee Tung-hsien registered in personal capacity: Sports Administration

Shrimp-Stuffed Chimichangas

2023 05 13 21 02
2023 05 13 21 02

Ingredients

  • 10 slices bacon
  • 50 large Rocky Point shrimp
  • 1 1/2 cups Monterey jack cheese, shredded
  • 1 cup thick fresh salsa
  • 2 fresh tomatoes, chopped
  • 2 cans green chile strips, diced
  • 6 (12-inch) flour tortillas

Instructions

  1. Fry bacon until crisp enough to chop. Remove bacon and retain about 2 tablespoons fat in pan.
  2. Peel and de-vein shrimp, then chunk. Grill in pan for 1 minute.
  3. Stir in cheese, salsa, tomatoes and chiles. Turn to blend, but not long or shrimp will become tough. Divide and pile on tortillas. Fold all sides over and fasten with wooden picks. Slide carefully into hot oil and brown lightly.
  4. Drain on paper towels. (Or bake at 400 degrees F for 7 to 10 minutes.)

The “American Dream” is actual Slavery (It’s all a Lie)

7:20 PM EDT – 19 May 2023: Bakhmut, Right Now! The very last Ukraine Nazis Being Burned out

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05 19 2023 7 20 PM EDT Bakmut Has Fallen large
05 19 2023 7 20 PM EDT Bakmut Has Fallen large

As of 7:20 PM eastern US time today, 19 May 2023, the very last Ukraine Nazis are being burned out by Wagner PMC and the Russian Army!

I am already receiving videos from Russian Soldiers on the ground inside Bakhmut wherein they are saying “Bakhmut has fallen.”

More info on tonight’s Hal Turner Radio Show at 9:00 PM eastern US time.

American “news”

Hardly a whimper about the losses in Ukraine.

2023 05 21 17 50
2023 05 21 17 50
Finian Cunningham
May 15, 2023

Taiwan is facing the curse of being an ally of Uncle Sam in the same way that Germany and the rest of Europe have.

Taiwan has been obliged to give its American ally an extraordinary warning: don’t even think about blowing up our semiconductor industry.

The warning follows growing calls by U.S. politicians and military analysts that Washington should destroy the island’s vital technology sector in order to purportedly prevent China from gaining control of lucrative exports and as a way of damaging China’s economy.

Congressman Seth Moulton is the latest American voice airing such drastic action. Referring to the Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company, Moulton said that the U.S. should “make it very clear to the Chinese that if you invade Taiwan, we’re going to blow up TSMC.”

TMSC is the world’s biggest manufacturer of semiconductors. It is a major supplier to mainland China of hi-tech chips that are, in turn, critical for a wide range of Chinese manufacturing and export industries.

Previously, it was reported that the U.S. Army War College suggested that Washington should plan “scorched-earth” tactics that could render Taiwan “not just unattractive if ever seized by force, but positively costly to maintain.”

Taiwan has reacted furiously to these unilateral American calls for sabotage. The island territory’s defense chief Chiu Kuo-cheng slammed the U.S. tough-talking, saying “the [Taiwanese] armed forces would not tolerate the destruction of any Taiwanese facility”.

The projected bombing of Taiwan’s vital semiconductor industry echoes how the U.S. blew up the Nord Stream gas pipeline last September. The pipeline under the Baltic Sea was part-owned by Germany and Russia, to deliver natural gas to fuel the German and European economies.

The decision to sabotage Nord Stream was taken by U.S. President Joe Biden, according to excellent investigative reporting by Seymour Hersh. The purpose of that act of terrorism was to cut Germany and Europe off from Russian energy exports, to be replaced by more expensive American gas. That strategic objective of displacing Russia from Europe’s energy market has been a recurring issue for successive U.S. administrations over many years.

Months before the Baltic Sea pipeline was blown up by U.S. navy divers, Biden had bragged that the facility would be terminated. He did not specify how, but he vowed that “it would not go ahead”. Biden made his blatant threat in front of German Chancellor Olaf Scholz during a press conference at the White House. Evidently, America’s NATO ally Germany was not even consulted about the sabotage plan.

A similar arrogant attitude is now on display towards America’s other ally Taiwan.

Washington is evidently toying with the idea of blowing up the island’s tech industry as a way to damage mainland China’s interests. Like Germany, Taiwan is revealed to be nothing more than a pawn, in America’s geopolitical machinations.

Destroying Taiwan’s lead role in the global semiconductor industry would have the additional advantage of putting U.S. companies in pole position.

Ostensibly, the U.S. had repeatedly vowed to “defend” Taiwan from what it calls “China’s aggression”. Washington has pumped the island with billions of dollars of American weaponry under the pretext of “protecting” it from China’s claims of sovereignty.

Under international and U.S. law, Taiwan is recognized as an integral part of China under the so-called One China Policy. However, Beijing accuses Washington of meddling in its sovereignty by fomenting separatist politics in Taiwan.

China’s President Xi Jinping has warned the U.S. that Taiwan is its “first red line” that must not be crossed. Beijing reserves the right to use military force to fully unify the territory if Washington continues to stoke tensions and promote a declaration in Taipei of Taiwanese independence.

Underlying America’s seemingly chivalrous claims of “defending” Taiwan are geopolitical selfish interests.

The Biden administration has imposed unprecedented export bans on semiconductor technology to China. The U.S. wants to curb China’s economy for its own gain and to hamper the development of a multipolar global economy. U.S. dominance and its dollar hegemony are threatened by China’s growing economic power.

Blowing up Taiwan’s semiconductor industry is evidently being considered as a way to cripple China which is reliant on exports of this essential technology for its industries.

The analogy with Germany and the Nord Stream gas pipeline is that Washington is aiming to damage a rival, Russia, as well as its European allies for its own strategic benefit. The sabotage of Russian-European energy trade has led to severe economic impacts on Germany and the rest of Europe. Some commentators refer to the “deindustrialization” of Europe caused by the loss of affordable Russian gas fuel. This shock treatment has been imposed on European “allies” by its supposed American “protector”.

The war in Ukraine and the dramatic escalation in hostility towards Russia from European governments has served American strategic interests from bonanza selling of weapons and expensive gas, as well as giving Washington a renewed dominance over European relations.

The same reckless, criminal arrogance of blowing up Germany’s Nord Stream pipeline is being shown in the way the Americans are talking brashly about blowing up Taiwan’s vital tech industries.

It should be obvious that Washington doesn’t have allies, only interests. When the chips are down, so to speak, America’s allies will be unceremoniously thrown under a bus or, worse, thrown into an inferno of war.

Taiwan is facing the curse of being an ally of Uncle Sam in the same way that Germany and the rest of Europe have.

Best of Larry, Darryl, and Darryl (part 22)

Actually, I sincerely and seriously doubt that anyone is asking China to increase the number of nuclear warheads that they have. I am very skeptical.

Here’s some issues generated from the question.

  • No one knows how many nuclear weapons that China actually has. The “accepted Western narrative” is 300. And that dates from 1966. When I was active in service, we accepted the more accurate number of 4000. But it really doesn’t matter. The number of bombs a nation has is meaningless. What is importance is “Strategic deterrence”. Either you scare people away from bombing your factories, and killing your people, or you don’t. And apparently, the neocons in the United States are not afraid of the consequences.

I suppose that’s a pretty basic understanding. China “keeps its cards close”. Keep on guessing. The smart leader hopes for the best but plans for the worst. Do you think that Xi Peng is a smart leader? Or perhaps stupid?

  • World War 3 is in process. Has been now for over a decade, and still (as far is publicly known) no nuclear weapons have been detonated. It seems that the war is being prosecuted using everything BUT nuclear weapons. Biological, thermobaric, conventional, economic, drug addiction, societal, and trade.

Nations fight wars in ways and manner far beyond the conventional Hollywood narrative. So war is ongoing, and so far, hasn’t involved nuclear bombs. It’s not yet ruled out, but if it came down to it, do not believe that China AND Russia would not work together. All indications are that they are “joined at the hip” and have designs and plans on the out-of-control insane psychopathic United States.

I would advise you not to worry about it. Go out, get a pizza and a beer. Enjoy life. And stop being concerned about things that you cannot control.

ANOTHER! 7.4 Quake – Tsunami Warning Issued!

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So many undersea "earthquakes". If I were a conspiracy nut, I might think these were boomer sub sinkings... -MM
7 4 new caledonia again large
7 4 new caledonia again large

For the second time in about 24 hours, a Magnitude 7+ earthquake has taken place off New Caledonia in the South Pacific.  The Pacific Tsunami Warning Center has issued an ALERT saying a Tsunami is possible from this earthquake.  It was just 24 hours ago that a bigger, 7.7 quake also generated a Tsunami there!

 ZCZC
WEPA40 PHEB 200158
TSUPAC

TSUNAMI MESSAGE NUMBER 1
NWS PACIFIC TSUNAMI WARNING CENTER HONOLULU HI
0157 UTC SAT MAY 20 2023

...PTWC TSUNAMI THREAT MESSAGE...


**** NOTICE **** NOTICE **** NOTICE **** NOTICE **** NOTICE *****

 THIS MESSAGE IS ISSUED FOR INFORMATION ONLY IN SUPPORT OF THE
 UNESCO/IOC PACIFIC TSUNAMI WARNING AND MITIGATION SYSTEM AND IS
 MEANT FOR NATIONAL AUTHORITIES IN EACH COUNTRY OF THAT SYSTEM.

 NATIONAL AUTHORITIES WILL DETERMINE THE APPROPRIATE LEVEL OF
 ALERT FOR EACH COUNTRY AND MAY ISSUE ADDITIONAL OR MORE REFINED
 INFORMATION.

**** NOTICE **** NOTICE **** NOTICE **** NOTICE **** NOTICE *****


PRELIMINARY EARTHQUAKE PARAMETERS
---------------------------------

  * MAGNITUDE      7.4
  * ORIGIN TIME    0151 UTC MAY 20 2023
  * COORDINATES    23.1 SOUTH  170.4 EAST
  * DEPTH          45 KM / 28 MILES
  * LOCATION       SOUTHEAST OF LOYALTY ISLANDS


EVALUATION
----------

  * AN EARTHQUAKE WITH A PRELIMINARY MAGNITUDE OF 7.4 OCCURRED
    SOUTHEAST OF THE LOYALTY ISLANDS AT 0151 UTC ON SATURDAY MAY
    20 2023.

  * BASED ON THE PRELIMINARY EARTHQUAKE PARAMETERS... HAZARDOUS
    TSUNAMI WAVES ARE POSSIBLE FOR COASTS LOCATED WITHIN 300 KM
    OF THE EARTHQUAKE EPICENTER.


TSUNAMI THREAT FORECAST
-----------------------

  * HAZARDOUS TSUNAMI WAVES FROM THIS EARTHQUAKE ARE POSSIBLE
    WITHIN 300 KM OF THE EPICENTER ALONG THE COASTS OF

      NO AREAS COVERED BY THIS MESSAGE APPEAR TO BE IMMEDIATELY
      THREATENED. HOWEVER... THE SITUATION IS STILL UNDER
      INVESTIGATION. THIS THREAT EVALUATION WILL BE UPDATED AS
      SOON AS FURTHER INFORMATION BECOMES AVAILABLE.


RECOMMENDED ACTIONS
-------------------

  * GOVERNMENT AGENCIES RESPONSIBLE FOR THREATENED COASTAL AREAS
    SHOULD TAKE ACTION TO INFORM AND INSTRUCT ANY COASTAL
    POPULATIONS AT RISK IN ACCORDANCE WITH THEIR OWN
    EVALUATION... PROCEDURES AND THE LEVEL OF THREAT.

  * PERSONS LOCATED IN THREATENED COASTAL AREAS SHOULD STAY ALERT
    FOR INFORMATION AND FOLLOW INSTRUCTIONS FROM NATIONAL AND
    LOCAL AUTHORITIES.


POTENTIAL IMPACTS
-----------------

  * A TSUNAMI IS A SERIES OF WAVES. THE TIME BETWEEN WAVE CRESTS
    CAN VARY FROM 5 MINUTES TO AN HOUR. THE HAZARD MAY PERSIST
    FOR MANY HOURS OR LONGER AFTER THE INITIAL WAVE.

  * IMPACTS CAN VARY SIGNIFICANTLY FROM ONE SECTION OF COAST TO
    THE NEXT DUE TO LOCAL BATHYMETRY AND THE SHAPE AND ELEVATION
    OF THE SHORELINE.

  * IMPACTS CAN ALSO VARY DEPENDING UPON THE STATE OF THE TIDE AT
    THE TIME OF THE MAXIMUM TSUNAMI WAVES.

  * PERSONS CAUGHT IN THE WATER OF A TSUNAMI MAY DROWN... BE
    CRUSHED BY DEBRIS IN THE WATER... OR BE SWEPT OUT TO SEA.


NEXT UPDATE AND ADDITIONAL INFORMATION
--------------------------------------

  * THE NEXT MESSAGE WILL BE ISSUED IN ONE HOUR... OR SOONER IF
    THE SITUATION WARRANTS.

  * AUTHORITATIVE INFORMATION ABOUT THE EARTHQUAKE FROM THE U.S.
    GEOLOGICAL SURVEY CAN BE FOUND ON THE INTERNET AT
    EARTHQUAKE.USGS.GOV.

  * FURTHER INFORMATION ABOUT THIS EVENT MAY BE FOUND AT
    WWW.TSUNAMI.GOV.

  * COASTAL REGIONS OF HAWAII... AMERICAN SAMOA... GUAM... AND
    CNMI SHOULD REFER TO PACIFIC TSUNAMI WARNING CENTER MESSAGES
    SPECIFICALLY FOR THOSE PLACES THAT CAN BE FOUND AT
    WWW.TSUNAMI.GOV.

  * COASTAL REGIONS OF CALIFORNIA... OREGON... WASHINGTON...
    BRITISH COLUMBIA AND ALASKA SHOULD ONLY REFER TO U.S.
    NATIONAL TSUNAMI WARNING CENTER MESSAGES THAT CAN BE FOUND
    AT WWW.TSUNAMI.GOV.

$$

.

Before the lights go out, make the night worthy.

There is a lot going on. Man, oh man, are we in the middle of big change. But you all should not freak out about it. It’s all under control.

Forces MAJ sit ready and are watching and controlling everything. It’s all part of the big plan. Don’t freak.

Go have a good meal today.

Treat yourself.

And splurge with an expensive dessert afterwards. Make the night worthy.

Are you sure you want an answer?

I give you the benefit of the doubt even though such questions are mainly asked to discredit China.

The real reason is that China is of Confucian heritage, it prefers to hide its true strength and let westerners to still think China is poor or weak. The truth may hurt you but I suspect that the Chinese economy is way bigger that is reported. As high as 1.5 times presently.

China’s economy is highly SME dependent while US economy is more MNC and higher concentrated on big companies. That makes accounting and auditing easier compared to China. Many companies in China just operate under the radar. Most don’t pay taxes. Hence the honest truth is a big chunk of China’s production is simply unaccounted.

I do suspect that China simply ignores these figures too as it gives China a cushion and the west lived to underestimate China due to their superiority complex and this underestimation gives China a head start. My guess is by now China’s economy is way bigger than US for the past decade.

The Sopranos – Chris Gives Up Adriana

The most heart wrenching scene in the series. He goes to his Mob Boss, and tells him that his fiance has been working with the FBI. He says that he knows that she must be killed, but that he just cannot do it.

Changes

郭台銘 CEO of APPLE biggest Taiwan supply chains manufacturer suddenly changed tone on China.

In the last taiwan presidential election campaign, he claimed that he feeds millions of Chinese workers in his China factories , and the CCP need him instead of the other ways round. He later withdraw from the campaign.

Yesterday, he restart his ambitions to run as the coming presidential election candidate. He visited jinmen (the Taiwan controlled island 2km away from the mainland China), this time he said both sides of the Taiwan straits are a family, we all China people (中国人)。it would appear to me that the tide has changed in Taiwan.

快新聞/郭台銘金門發表和平宣言 稱「兩岸一家親」:同為中國人 - 民視新聞網

From HERE

George Carlin – The American Dream

So successful? Chinese pressure? Please be patient and read the following story before you draw a conclusion.

This is the real experience in Taiwan shared by Thomas Pauken II:

When visiting Taiwan for a research excursion a few weeks ago, a number of long-time residents on the island advised me to check out the southwestern port city of Kaohsiung. They had described it as a wonderful tourist town. Meanwhile, it’s the second-largest city in Taiwan island; the Port of Kaohsiung has enjoyed an historic reputation as a bustling metropolitan zone for international trade and domestic manufacturing industries. The economic success story of Taiwan in recent decades was achieved largely on account of the island opening up big factories while the Port of Kaohsiung served as a major hub for international shipping trade and as transit points for shippers going to and from Chinese Mainland, Southeast Asia, South Asia, along with the North and South American markets.

I was also working with a documentary team to film the Port of Kaohsiung and the sea for backdrop views. But on May 2, a normal work day for local people, we took a high speed rail from Taipei and reached the Main Station of Kaohsiung at approximately 10:30 am during regular business hours. When arriving at the nearby streets, we did not see a robust trading port city but a dead zone that more closely resembled a ghost town.

In most major cities on weekday mornings, you will observe large crowds of pedestrians rushing to work and traffic jams galore. Yet in Kaohsiung near the port, we saw empty streets, few cars and waited over 20 minutes before spotting a taxi. Many shops were shuttered, while vacant lots were a common sight. Even after our brief filming, we walked the streets at 12:30 pm and could not find a local restaurant to serve customers, including the shops that were open.

We found a taxi to take us to the scenic spots near the port and walked into empty restaurants there as well. It had only one place, but it offered over-priced seafood and no customers could be seen. Accordingly, it was apparent that the economy in Taiwan is hitting hard times and that’s a wake-up call, since the ruling-party DPP (Democratic Progressive Party) has boasted of having close ties with Washington and argued that such strong links have benefited the domestic economy overall.

main qimg 80a12fc504b210bc9e387b78d593e955
main qimg 80a12fc504b210bc9e387b78d593e955

(Photo taken on Jan 19, 2019 shows a freighter at a port in Kaohsiung, Taiwan.)

  • Growing concerns over unfair trade deals with the U.S.

During my two weeks in Taiwan, I had spoken with many local residents. The common consensus was that the DPP does have good relations with Washington, but most people on the island have expressed disappointment over Taiwan’s economic ties with the U.S. A few persons had explained that the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) had exploited Taipei’s over-eagerness to please Washington by accepting lopsided trade agreements. Consequently, local farmers, dairy farmers and ranchers suffered the unfortunate consequences. Taiwan was forced to lower tariffs on imported food from the U.S.

According to the USDA Foreign Agriculture Service Website:

“In 2022, the total value of U.S. agricultural and related products exported to Taiwan reached a record $4.4 billion, an increase of 13 percent compared to the previous year. Taiwan successfully remains the 6th largest market for U.S. agricultural & related exports. The record year surpassed the previous record set in 2018 of $4.1 billion. Products in the Consumer Oriented category continue to play an increasingly important role, with beef, poultry, and dairy products hitting new highs. Top 5 U.S. export categories to Taiwan in 2022 included soybeans ($1.1 billion), beef ($746 million), wheat ($379 million), poultry ($287 million), and corn ($268 million).”

Additionally, Taiwan has emerged as a major power player as a manufacturer of chips and semiconductors. TSMC (Taiwan Semiconductors Manufacturing Company) is based in Hsinchu, and has witnessed remarkable development in the past two decades. The company is operating massive foundries to produce semiconductors, which are used for nearly all electronics’ devices. In case you are unfamiliar with semiconductors – they serve as the technological brains for chips. If you are reading this article on your smart phone – there’s a semiconductor integrated into it.

We should take note that TSMC’s largest customer is not the U.S., but Chinese mainland. Washington loves to highlight their close friendship to Taipei but TSMC might not agree. U.S. President Joe Biden signed into law the Inflation Reduction Act, and CHIPS AND SCIENCE Act last year and both bills have harmed TSMC’s business prospects. The Hsinchu-based company has set up plans to open up a new foundry in Arizona, U.S., but the Biden administration has demanded tough terms to approve its application for $15 billion subsidy to the company. Washington has demanded profit-sharing on their returns and requiring the company to reduce its semiconductors’ exports to Chinese mainland.

main qimg 2bd7a243d767835671b502e452d0b166 lq
main qimg 2bd7a243d767835671b502e452d0b166 lq

(Photo taken on Nov. 13, 2021 by a fisheye lens shows the logo of Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company (TSMC) displaying on a laptop screen in London, Britain.)

  • Chinese mainland, not U.S., can rescue Taiwan economy

As reported in an article posted by Mobile World Live on April 21, 2021:

“Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company (TSMC), a major supplier of processors to Apple, Arm and Nvidia, predicted revenue to decline in 2023 as weakening macroeconomic conditions slow end-user demand, after Q1 sales hit the low end of a forecast.

On an earnings call, CEO CC Wei said TSMC expects a low- to mid-single-digit decline in full-year revenue. He said a fabless semiconductor inventory adjustment in the first half is taking longer than previously expected.”

Western media reports routinely blame the lower global demand for chips to explain TSMC’s sudden downturn, but politics deserves greater scrutiny. The Biden administration is punishing Taiwan companies for having strong business ties with Chinese mainland and as a result – Taiwan global trade figures are stumbling. Taiwan had long enjoyed good trade ties with Chinese mainland but Washington’s new restrictions in efforts to push ahead on U.S.-China economic and hi-tech decoupling are placing many Taiwan exporters in a bind.

“China’s economy is strong and it’s Chinese mainland that can save our economy, not the Americans,” a local Taipei resident who wished to be quoted anonymously by China Focus. “Yes, we still love America, but the people in Taiwan are realistic. They know if a severe depression strikes the island, U.S. business will just cash out and leave.”

The person speaking to China Focus said that she is a DPP voter. One wonders whether she will remain a DPP supporter if the Taiwan economy crashes. It should also be noted that southern Taiwan, which includes Kaohsiung, is a regional stronghold for the DPP.

The Port of Kaohsiung is no longer a bustling hub for international trade. The U.S. government has not proven to be helpful economic partner for Taiwan. But does Washington care? We can’t say with certainty that they do.

Seinfeld Risk Management

US railway plan a mere copycat, hard to win favor from Middle East

Published: May 08, 2023 08:27 PM
.

According to media reports, national security advisors from the US, India, Saudi Arabia and the UAE met in Saudi Arabia on Sunday to discuss a US proposal to link the Middle Eastern nations through a network of railway lines and connect the region to South Asia via sea lanes.

US media outlet Axios, which ran an exclusive report before the talks, said, “The project is one of the key initiatives the White House wants to push in the Middle East as China’s influence in the region grows. The Middle East is a key part of China’s Belt and Road vision.”

Xu Liang, an associate professor at the School of International Relations, Beijing International Studies University, told the Global Times that the US is trying to coordinate its Middle East policy with its South Asia policy, thereby creating a US-style railway plan in the Middle East that is different from China’s initiative.

“This is the revival of the Cold War mentality in the Middle East. The plan is a deliberate containment of China’s Belt and Road Initiative,” said Xu.

China has been engaging with the Middle East through the Belt and Road Initiative for years. Its peacemaker role in the recent Saudi-Iran detente has been lauded by the international community, countries in the region in particular, and injected momentum of stability to the region. All these trajectories have deeply worried the US.

The idea for the railway project germinated in the I2U2 forum 18 months ago, which includes Israel, India, the US and the UAE. Wen Jing, a postdoctoral fellow at the Center for International Security and Strategy, Tsinghua University, told the Global Times that I2U2 was relatively quiet since its formation, but after the US saw China’s successful mediation in the Saudi-Iran deal, I2U2 is now becoming active with the discussions of the railway plan. “I2U2, together with Quad and AUKUS, constitutes the US’ global strategy to contain China,” said Wen.

Ding Long, a professor with the Middle East Studies Institute of Shanghai International Studies University, believes that the US is saving its declining influence in the region with something it is not good at, which will make the US’ rail plan hard to achieve its desired goal.

According to a report released by the American Society of Civil Engineers in 2021, the US spent just over half of what was required to support infrastructure, the backbone of the economy. Even former US president Donald Trump once compared the US’ crumbling infrastructure to that of a third-world country. US President Joe Biden signed a $1 trillion infrastructure bill into law at the end of 2021, while a Politico article in mid-2022 said the inflation plaguing Biden’s presidency was also shrinking what’s so far been his crowning legislative achievement, referring to the infrastructure bill.

It is worth mentioning that the victims of the calamitous train derailment accident in East Palestine, Ohio, are still suffering. There were at least 1,164 train derailments across the US last year, according to data from the Federal Railroad Administration. Here is another startling data: The Bureau of Transportation Statistics found that 54,539 train derailments occurred in the US from 1990 to 2021, an average of 1,704 per year. If there is something that the US could export to the Middle East besides its “democracy” and “freedom,” it must be the freedom to derail.

The US, the most powerful country in the world, performs so poorly in terms of railway construction and infrastructure. As it’s now trying to woo Middle Eastern nations to establishment a network of railway lines, it is a mere copycat. While connectivity and win-win cooperation are in China’s mind when it is promoting infrastructure, what is in the mind of the US is countering its perceived rivals and sustaining its global hegemony.

“In terms of the technology and costs of building railways, no other country in the world than China has the prominent advantage. What the Middle Eastern countries want from the US is not a railway, but security. However, the US did not and could not bring security to the region, but messed up the security situation there. This is the dilemma the US is facing in the Middle East,” said Ding.

Now the Middle East is witnessing a strong wave of rapprochement. The reconciliation between Saudi Arabia and Iran under China’s mediation presents an alternative vision to the Middle Eastern geopolitical scene. Qatar and Bahrain reestablished diplomatic relations. Egypt and Turkey are also mending ties. Progress is made in Yemen’s peace talks. Just on Sunday, the Arab League has brought Syria back into its fold after 12 years. All these show that the US’ Middle Eastern allies do not act in accordance with the US’ playbook.

“They care more about their interests, and aren’t following US lecturing. As their independence and autonomy is increasing, the Middle Eastern countries will not buy into US tactic of forming small cliques,” said Ding.

Seinfeld: Emotional Intelligence – Self Management

Bet you didn’t know…

US spy satellites executed a staggering count of 14 close-in reconnaissance missions on Chinese high-orbit satellites, all within a span of under two years, according to reports in Chinese media.

main qimg dc6a5c9937834797ac2f54c00d65a212
main qimg dc6a5c9937834797ac2f54c00d65a212

The media report citing a study by Chinese researchers, has revealed that the US Air Force’s Geosynchronous Space Situational Awareness Program (GSSAP) satellites performed a series of maneuvers, repeatedly approaching China’s most prized and advanced satellites in the geostationary orbit (GEO) from February 2020 to December 2021.

In a recent publication in the Chinese-language journal Infrared and Laser Engineering, researcher Cai Sheng and the Changchun Institute of Optics, Fine Mechanics and Physics team expressed grave concerns about the security of Chinese high-value space assets due to the recurring close approaches of the GSSAP satellite.

The study said that through a sequence of tests focused on space attack and defense technologies, the US military has unmistakably demonstrated both their capability and intent to interfere with China’s use of space.

China currently operates a fleet of GEO satellites that serve various functions, including communications, navigation, and remote sensing. GEO satellites are strategically positioned at a fixed point above the Earth’s equator, ensuring that they remain stationary relative to the ground at all times.

GEO satellites are preferred for applications such as communications and broadcast due to their ability to maintain a constant connection with users on the ground, despite being more expensive to launch and operate than Low-Earth Orbit (LEO) satellites.

Many countries utilize these satellites for military communications, surveillance, and critical infrastructure, such as banking and finance systems.

A Beijing-based space scientist, who was not involved in the study, was quoted as saying that close encounters in space are typically shrouded in secrecy due to the military’s perception of such information as sensitive or classified.

The rationale behind this approach is to prevent the disclosure of their capabilities or vulnerabilities to other nations. By maintaining a veil of confidentiality, military forces aim to safeguard their strategic advantages while navigating the complexities of the ever-evolving space domain.

Disclosing such incidents could also risk exacerbating tensions between countries and potentially triggering diplomatic or military conflicts. The timing of China’s decision to release this information remains unclear.

The Changchun-based institute, a subsidiary of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, has a well-established history of contributing to China’s space program by developing laser technology, remote sensing, and space optics.

US GSSAP Satellites

The Chinese study highlights that GSSAP satellites represent the latest generation of space surveillance satellites deployed by the US Air Force. Specifically designed to monitor and track objects in geosynchronous orbit, these satellites are equipped with state-of-the-art technology.

They feature high-resolution optical cameras and advanced electronic surveillance equipment, enabling them to capture detailed images and intercept radio signals from other satellites.

The capabilities of these GSSAP satellites underscore the sophisticated methods the US employs to gather intelligence and maintain situational awareness in the geosynchronous orbit.

According to the Chinese study, on February 26, 2020, a GSSAP satellite carried out a fly-around maneuver specifically aimed at Tianlian 2-01, a satellite integral to China’s Tianlian space tracking and data relay system.

The Tianlian system plays a crucial role in establishing communication links between spacecraft in orbit and ground stations on Earth, serving as a vital support system for China’s human space flight program and other space-related endeavors.

Seinfeld – Effective Product Owner vs. Ineffective Product Owner

Wisconsin Chicken Booyah
(Belgian Beef, Pork, Chicken Stew)

Wisconsin Chicken Booyah is famous in the Fox River Valley region — Green Bay, Wisconsin. Booyah and beer go great together. Booyah King, Bob Baye, of Green Bay, Wisconsin, has been making Booyah since about 1946 in 100-gallon cookers.

2023 05 13 21 33
2023 05 13 21 33

Ingredients

  • 1 roasting or stewing chicken (about 4 pounds)
  • 1 pound beef stew meat, with bones
  • 1 pound pork stew meat, with bones
  • 1/2 cup minced parsley
  • 1 tablespoon salt
  • 1 tablespoon rosemary
  • 1 tablespoon thyme
  • 1/2 teaspoon pepper
  • 1/2 teaspoon sage
  • 4 cups quartered potatoes
  • 2 cups chopped onions
  • 2 cups chopped celery
  • 1 cup carrots, cut up
  • 1 cup green beans, cut up
  • 1 cup fresh peas
  • 1 cup skinned, seeded, chopped tomatoes
  • 2 lemons

Instructions

  1. Put chicken into a deep kettle with the beef and pork. Cover with boiling water. Bring slowly to a simmer, remove scum from the top, and add herbs and seasonings. Simmer very gently, covered, about 1 hour.
  2. Remove chicken and, when cooled, take meat form the bones and cut into pieces. Let beef and pork continue to cook until tender, 45 minutes to an hour more.
  3. Remove and let cool enough to remove meat from bones. Add vegetables to the broth and simmer 5 to 10 minutes.
  4. Grate lemon rind and set aside; remove white pith and seeds from the lemons, chop the pulp, and add to the broth. Taste for seasoning.
  5. While vegetables are still crisp, return the meat pieces to the broth to heat through. Serve in large soup bowls and sprinkle with the lemon rind.

China’s leaders have no private affairs. Keeping this principle in mind will help you understand Chinese political ethics.

China treated Ms von der Leyen almost humiliatingly, but hosted President Macron to a very high standard. That in itself speaks for our disappointment with the EU. During the second term of President Xi, China found it completely impossible for the EU to take on important responsibilities in a multipolar world. We have to hope that France, the great Western power was under the leadership of General Charles de Gaulle, can reclaim their belief in sovereignty, dignity and liberty, and not like Ms von der Leyen willingly serve as a doll for Washington DC.

A united, independent and strong European Union is indeed in China’s interests, but such a European Union cannot become a reality, and it is meaningless to continue to maintain respect for this zombie organization. China hopes that France can take on important responsibilities, including but not limited to geopolitical ones. For example, President Xi made it clear that China is willing to support a peace initiative for a conflict between Russia and Ukraine, but this peace plan should be negotiated by multiple parties and be proposed and led by Europe (especially France). The Western media often speculates that China hopes to expand its influence by leading a peace plan, but those who know us know that it is impossible for China to be willing to lead such a peace plan. Because we believe that European affairs should be resolved by Europeans, including Russia, through consultation.

I say without hesitation that for quite some time to come, China’s primary goal in international geopolitics is to weaken the influence of US hegemony rather than to replace the US and establish a new dominant position. To this end, providing the necessary support to other regional powers interested in rebuilding a multi-polar world is feasible and can ease the pressure China faces in the Pacific.

China sincerely hopes that France can make the right choice for her and her descendants.

The Iron Fist of Russia: Their Unstoppable Military Power Is Yet to Be Unleashed – Seymour Hersh

https://youtu.be/tDox6kyOz8s

Large Russian Missile Strikes in Ukraine Last Night

A massive missile attack by the Russian Armed Forces on the Armed Forces of Ukraine (AFU) took place overnight May 12-13, 2023.

Russian Armed Forces (RuAF) launched a massive missile attack on enemy targets throughout Ukraine. Basically, “Geran” Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAV) [Drones] were used.

The first explosions were heard in Kramatorsk and Slavyansk a little after midnight. In Zaporozhye and Nikolaev, explosions thundered in the first few hours of the night.

Afterwards,  there were several explosions in the Solomensky district of Kyiv.

Whether this was the result of an air defense operation or whether individual targets were actually hit is currently unknown. Local sources circulated footage of burning equipment, which was recorded in an “ambulance.”

The largest explosions fell on Khmelnitsky.

The Khmelnytsky Instrument-Making Plant “Neva” was struck. The company produced radio engineering systems, equipment for airfields and aircraft.

Judging by the prolonged secondary detonation from the field, there was an ammunition depot at the plant – the UAV warehouse could well have been hit, too.

The authors of the War History of Weapons channel, citing their sources, write (https://t.me/warhistoryalconafter/100760) that the Kation plant in the industrial zone in the south-west of Khmelnitsky was also hit, but we did not find footage confirming the strike on the Web.

In addition, there were reports of explosions in Lvov, but, alas, there is no confirmation.

China JUST Threatened President Biden And USA

China’s communist party president Xi Jinping give Biden and the US military his strongest warning yet.

Representative Cory Bush wants the US government to pay $14 trillion in reparations to black Americans.

MSNBC say president Biden works harder than any other president and you’d be lucky if you could keep up with him.

2023 05 19 17 43
2023 05 19 17 43

Regime Change Watch

Tomorrow there will be elections in Turkey and Thailand. In both countries the U.S. would like to see the current opposition win.

Recent pieces in the New York Times leave no doubt about that.

A Crucial Question in Thailand’s Election: Can You Criticize the King?
Liberal voters have intensified their scrutiny of the Thai monarchy in recent years. Conservatives have responded with a campaign to defend the institution at all costs.

An Erdogan Loss in Turkey Would Stir Relief in the West and Anxiety in Moscow
European leaders would be delighted to have “an easier Turkey,” while Russia could lose an important economic and diplomatic partnership should the Turkish leader lose power in Sunday’s elections.

Polls in both countries seem to be between all over the place and tight but my hunch is that the incumbents have a good chance to win.

If the results are to the favor of the current governments the U.S. may well use its well honed color revolution schemes to change the outcomes.

It has done so before, not only in Turkey and Thailand, but also in many other countries.

For a long time, the US Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) has plotted “peaceful evolution” and “color revolutions” as well as spying activities around the world. Although details about these operations have always been murky, a new report released by China’s National Computer Virus Emergency Response Center and Chinese cybersecurity company 360 on Thursday unveiled the main technical means the CIA has used to scheme and promote unrest around the world.

For decades, the CIA has overthrown or attempted to overthrow at least 50 legitimate governments abroad (the CIA has only recognized seven of these instances), causing turmoil in related countries. Whether it is the “color revolution” in Ukraine in 2014, the “sunflower revolution” in Taiwan island, China, or the “saffron revolution” in Myanmar in 2007, the “green revolution” in Iran in 2009, and other attempted “color revolutions” — the US intelligence agencies are behind them all, according to the report.The US’ leading position in technologies of telecommunication and on-site command has provided unprecedented possibilities for the US intelligence community to launch “color revolutions” abroad. The report released by the National Computer Virus Emergency Response Center and 360 disclosed five methods commonly used by the CIA.

We need therefore to keep an eye open for new regime change attempts.

Posted by b at 16:31 UTC | Comments (66)

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Chris Hedges | The ABYSMAL State of America

https://youtu.be/qHskoWgWIU4

Catzillas: Giant Cats In Urban Landscapes

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Indonesian artist Fransdita Muafidin publishes a series of photomontages with kittens and fat adult cats among the urban landscapes from around the world.

More info: Instagram

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There is NO DEBT PROBLEM

Because China and Chinese Companies raises most of its money by issuing debt , the debt looks high

In USA, Private entities issue Equities or Shares where they share the risk with the investors. They issue various dubious instruments to raise money and capital and get wall street to urge pension funds and insurance companies to invest money into the same dubious instruments

In India, Private entities raise capital from Bank Loans and Bank Financing which isn’t counted as Debt

In China, the public are protected and entities raise capital through DEBT or Bonds and thus the debt looks very high

Still the key in China is A S S E T S

For every Yuan Debt, the borrower has assets

Land, Resources, Tecnology, Core Technology, Derived Technology etc

So China is in no trouble whatsoever


If you take the total amount that US entities and the Federal Government of USA and State Governments have borrowed through equities, bonds, other instruments it is $ 110 Trillion

US GDP is around $ 24 Trillion

So US has around 4.5 times more borrowings floating around in its economy than its GDP

Guess how much of these borrowings are backed by solid assets?

The Answer : 10.45%

This means almost $ 99 Trillion is being floated based on PAPER VALUES

Now Compare China

China and it’s Institutions combined owe a total of CNY 272 Trillion

China’s GDP is around CNY 120 Trillion

Thus China has only around 2.3 times more borrowings floating around its economy than its GDP

Guess how much of these borrowings are backed by Solid Assets?

The Answer : 150% almost

Good Old Socialism Zindabaad.

All the Land, Coal, Rare Earth’s, Manufacturing, Gold Mines, Oil Reserves back this debt , railroads, technology back this debt

Almost CNY 370 Trillion worth of assets back this debt

That’s still only around 60% of China’s Wealth

So even in the worst disaster — China can still secure it’s entire debt while US will be unable to secure 90% of its debt with assets


So China is immensely more powerful than USA — Economy wise

People keep harping on this debt because they slyly don’t mention how much US debt is backed by nothing but PAPER and more PAPER

Their assumption is US paper is beyond doubt

It’s part of the Western Propaganda

CHINA IS EXTREMELY STRONG ECONOMY WISE

They can take their debt upto 350 Trillion Yuan at least before they decide to be cautious


Before you ask, India

India has a total borrowings of ₹ 339.81 Lakh Crore which is only 1.38 times the GDP which is almost half of China’s and a fourth of the USAs

Of these again a lovely and wonderful 116% is backed by Assets or around ₹ 375 Lakh Crore of Assets

Again Socialism Zindabaad

2023 05 19 17 54
2023 05 19 17 54

By Alastair Crooke

China and Russia are joining hands militarily. This will portend a strategic paradigm change that may force a U.S. re-consideration of the way ahead.

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main qimg 3bd8dfb04af36f3832bd0052744e8d54

The sense that things are bad, and getting worse, is palpable.

There is an undeniable eschatological tint to today’s zeitgeist. Spiralling geo-political factors all suggest extreme turbulence ahead.

Biden and the Democrats discover – to their surprise – that they are in a ‘bind’: Having thought to run in 2024 on ‘the Biden economic record’, Biden’s Team finds prospects dissolving in the face of accelerating events.

And Ukraine – which was to be precursor to the toppling of Russia per se – looks more likely to descend into débâcle. With defeat on two fronts (the financial ‘war’ and diplomatic) already established, and with the Ukrainian entity now incrementally atrophying under Russian military attrition on yet another front, Washington frets whether or not to run a Ukrainian offensive at all – fearing it might seal a Ukrainian catastrophe.

Kiev hears Washington’s equivocation on the likely outcome of the Ukrainian offensive; Kiev understands too that this could mean ‘curtains’ for the Zelensky ‘project’ – were Biden to decide that it is time to draw a line under it, and to complete the pivot to China. It would mean literally ‘the end’ for most of the Kiev leadership.

The change in strategy is already evident: John Kirby (Sullivan’s spokesperson) has been brandishing highly exaggerated Russian losses in Bakhmut / Artyomovsk. At the same time that he suggests that though Russia somehow may seem to be ‘winning’, in reality it has been defeated. Blinken followed up on this theme the following day with ‘Russia has failed in its objective to erase Ukraine’, and therefore, has ‘lost’ – having failed to achieve its objectives.

Clearly, Team Biden are falling back onto a Pyrrhic victory for Russia ‘narrative’, with Ukraine’s survival cast as ‘mission accomplished’.

The consequence was predictable: with a U.S. ‘exit’ apparently looming, some major provocation (i.e. the drone attack on the Kremlin) was to be expected. ‘Someone’ clearly is desperate to trigger a Russian overreaction that would, in turn, force the West to move to full war against Russia.

At time of writing, the details of who might be responsible for the Kremlin attack are unknown. There is however deep, passionate anger in Russia. The Kremlin must acknowledge this public sentiment. And there will be a response; but at the same time Moscow will not want to play into the provocateurs’ agenda. (9 May marks the Russian victory in the war against Nazi Germany. They will not want the day disrupted).

Faced with a prospective Ukraine imbroglio; with inflation spiking; a recession looming; a run on the banking system; and low poll ratings, ‘Team Biden’ seemingly has a plan.

It is the re-making of Biden as a ‘War President’, through mobilising America to take-down China, whilst the Establishment believes America may still have the (conventional military) edge.

The Pentagon ‘war-gaming’ reportedly implies the U.S. to have a chance before China becomes fully war-prepared.

Seems bizarre?

Well, the other ‘fronts’ (inflation, the financial bubble, recession, unaffordable medication and education) simply have NO solution.

They are deep structural problems.

America today is a place where most everyone recognizes the problems, but where veto power, entrenched interests, and ‘Uniparty’ domination in Congress forecloses on any attempted reform.

Trump tried to break the stasis, but failed.

Biden would fail, too, if he tried.

So, if solving America’s problems is ‘the problem’, then becoming a ‘War President’ conceivably could be seen as the ‘solution’.

Of course, since western societies today cannot look truth in the eye, the West must emerge as the ‘victim’ of events, and not the author of its plight; thus paving the justification for war. And to ensure this narrative sticks in the public domain, preparatory warning shots have been fired towards the mass media to ‘stay on team’.

“Great Power rivalry, and the competition for diminishing resources – are but old realities reborn”, Robert Kaplan warns

. “Their return is the revenant of history that now defines a present of increasing peril and uncertainty”.

“The world situation is similar to that in the run-up to 1914. New technologies have not overcome rivalry over scarce natural resources, only shifted its focus”, Philosopher John Gray writes

A new version of the late-19th-century Great Game is afoot. The two world wars were in part driven by a need for oil. Western societies’ belief that options can always be expanded by human agency has been a central feature of the western political project – and of progressive liberalism too, writes Professor Helen Thompson.

She continues that “… missing is the fact that technology cannot create energy [at least of the type that modern society needs]. This human agency conviction has long proved overly-sanguine. Those who assume that the political world can be reconstructed by the efforts of human Will, have never before had to bet so heavily on technology over [fossil] energy – as the driver of our material advancement”.

Aahh – Professor Thompson lets the cat out of the bag.

This hugely risky ‘war bet’ – i.e. that our complex societies can be increasingly run on Green Tech, rather than ‘19th Century natural resources’ – is a gamble, brought on, Thompson suggests, “by an underlying mood of existential dread, a nagging suspicion that our civilisation may destroy itself, as so many others have done in the past”. (Hence the impulse to reassert domination – even at the price of accelerating a possible western self-suicide).

Her point is that the general cultural zeitgeist is trending towards the hopeless and nihilistic.

Yes – but who was responsible for the West needing to place this bet for its future on technology over energy?

Europe had a cheap, reliable supply of energy until it threw in its hand with the U.S. and European neo-cons’ plans.

The western ‘golden age’ was tied to zero interest rates and zero inflation.

There were decades of near zero inflation precisely because of cheap manufactures coming from China and cheap energy from Russia. Now the West faces the demon of inflation and higher interest rates ravaging its financial system. It was its choice.

Oh yes; the ‘narrative’, as Robert Kaplan explains , is that “fate is ultimately in the hands of human agency. But human agency need not have positive outcomes. Individuals such as Putin and Xi are human agents, who have caused a vast and bloody war in Ukraine – and are driving Asia toward a high-end military conflict over Taiwan”. Oh – so Ukraine and Taiwan have nothing to do with the neo-con project to extend U.S. hegemony into a new era?

Unable to address issues honestly, this collective of western intellectuals base the justification for a future China war on the premise that Putin, without due cause, simply chose to invade Ukraine on 24 February 2022, and that Xi is guilty of the intent to invade Taiwan – for which the West must properly respond by ‘maximally’ stockpiling weapons in Taiwan.

This justification is as mendacious as was the justification for the Iraq War.

Preparations for this war are ramping: More weapons in Taiwan; U.S. Special Forces conducting exercises for their infiltration into Taiwan in wake of any Chinese take-over (presumably to launch a guerrilla insurgency).

And as Andrew Korybko relates , the U.S. is rounding up allies in the Asia Pacific: South Korea has authorised nuclear armed U.S. submarines to dock at its ports;AUKUS is being strengthened; Japan is unofficially aboard; and Indonesia and the Philippines are under U.S. pressure to do their part.

In counterpoint to the usual play-book of rounding up allies ahead of a possible conflict, the EU High Representative, Josep Borrell, is proposing that the EU bloc’s navies patrol the Taiwan Strait . This came just several weeks after NATO Secretary-General Stoltenberg declared that “We are now stepping up our cooperation with our partners in the Indo-Pacific: Japan, South Korea, New Zealand and Australia.”

“The indisputable trend is that the U.S.’ European partners are poised to play a larger military role in the region, including a provocative one if they end up patrolling the Taiwan Strait”, Korybko writes.

The EU’s Von der Leyen and the EU is involved too – her name was mentioned three times in Jake Sullivan’s ‘New Washington Consensus’ speech in which the entire trend of policy, since the Reagan years, is scheduled to be reversed – from a return to protectionism; to central government intervention in support of industrial policy; to a bold investment in capacity-building;‘resilience’ and the re-appropriation of internal supply chains.

This is not however a true blueprint for reforming the U.S. economy – though it is billed as such.

True reform would require huge structural change.

It is all about re-orientating the economy for possible conventional war with China. (One lesson from the Ukraine conflict has been that industrial capacity matters). It is likely too, a pretext for increased fiscal spending (money printing) in the run-up to the 2024 Election.

Inevitably, those in the EU who are allied with the German ‘Greens’ and Von der Leyen are in ecstasy.

Officials in Brussels were talking about the “Biden-Von der Leyen ticket” (as if she were a U.S. Vice-Presidential candidate on the Democratic ‘ticket’!),and gushing about a U.S.-EU power alliance extending up to 2028!

What to make of these shifts?

To repeat: Biden is in a ‘bind’ and his Team is floundering.

It is hugely premature for the White House to call ‘mission accomplished’ on Ukraine – but what else can they do?

War with China will not be with China alone, but likely will be with Russia too. This surely was the essence  of the Chinese Defence Minister’s four-day visit to Moscow (including a personal session with Putin).

The message was clear enough: China and Russia are ‘joining hands militarily’. This will portend a strategic paradigm change that may well force a U.S. re-consideration of the way ahead – or not.

Why I gave up on the AMERICAN DREAM – and you should too

By Finian Cunningham

May 15, 2023

Taiwan is facing the curse of being an ally of Uncle Sam in the same way that Germany and the rest of Europe have.

Taiwan has been obliged to give its American ally an extraordinary warning: don’t even think about blowing up our semiconductor industry.

The warning follows growing calls by U.S. politicians and military analysts that Washington should destroy the island’s vital technology sector in order to purportedly prevent China from gaining control of lucrative exports and as a way of damaging China’s economy.

Congressman Seth Moulton is the latest American voice airing such drastic action. Referring to the Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company, Moulton said that the U.S. should “make it very clear to the Chinese that if you invade Taiwan, we’re going to blow up TSMC.”

TMSC is the world’s biggest manufacturer of semiconductors. It is a major supplier to mainland China of hi-tech chips that are, in turn, critical for a wide range of Chinese manufacturing and export industries.

Previously, it was reported that the U.S. Army War College suggested that Washington should plan “scorched-earth” tactics that could render Taiwan “not just unattractive if ever seized by force, but positively costly to maintain.”

Taiwan has reacted furiously to these unilateral American calls for sabotage. The island territory’s defense chief Chiu Kuo-cheng slammed the U.S. tough-talking, saying “the [Taiwanese] armed forces would not tolerate the destruction of any Taiwanese facility”.

The projected bombing of Taiwan’s vital semiconductor industry echoes how the U.S. blew up the Nord Stream gas pipeline last September. The pipeline under the Baltic Sea was part-owned by Germany and Russia, to deliver natural gas to fuel the German and European economies.

The decision to sabotage Nord Stream was taken by U.S. President Joe Biden, according to excellent investigative reporting by Seymour Hersh. The purpose of that act of terrorism was to cut Germany and Europe off from Russian energy exports, to be replaced by more expensive American gas. That strategic objective of displacing Russia from Europe’s energy market has been a recurring issue for successive U.S. administrations over many years.

Months before the Baltic Sea pipeline was blown up by U.S. navy divers, Biden had bragged that the facility would be terminated. He did not specify how, but he vowed that “it would not go ahead”. Biden made his blatant threat in front of German Chancellor Olaf Scholz during a press conference at the White House. Evidently, America’s NATO ally Germany was not even consulted about the sabotage plan.

A similar arrogant attitude is now on display towards America’s other ally Taiwan.

Washington is evidently toying with the idea of blowing up the island’s tech industry as a way to damage mainland China’s interests. Like Germany, Taiwan is revealed to be nothing more than a pawn, in America’s geopolitical machinations.

Destroying Taiwan’s lead role in the global semiconductor industry would have the additional advantage of putting U.S. companies in pole position.

Ostensibly, the U.S. had repeatedly vowed to “defend” Taiwan from what it calls “China’s aggression”. Washington has pumped the island with billions of dollars of American weaponry under the pretext of “protecting” it from China’s claims of sovereignty.

Under international and U.S. law, Taiwan is recognized as an integral part of China under the so-called One China Policy. However, Beijing accuses Washington of meddling in its sovereignty by fomenting separatist politics in Taiwan.

China’s President Xi Jinping has warned the U.S. that Taiwan is its “first red line” that must not be crossed. Beijing reserves the right to use military force to fully unify the territory if Washington continues to stoke tensions and promote a declaration in Taipei of Taiwanese independence.

Underlying America’s seemingly chivalrous claims of “defending” Taiwan are geopolitical selfish interests.

The Biden administration has imposed unprecedented export bans on semiconductor technology to China. The U.S. wants to curb China’s economy for its own gain and to hamper the development of a multipolar global economy. U.S. dominance and its dollar hegemony are threatened by China’s growing economic power.

Blowing up Taiwan’s semiconductor industry is evidently being considered as a way to cripple China which is reliant on exports of this essential technology for its industries.

The analogy with Germany and the Nord Stream gas pipeline is that Washington is aiming to damage a rival, Russia, as well as its European allies for its own strategic benefit. The sabotage of Russian-European energy trade has led to severe economic impacts on Germany and the rest of Europe. Some commentators refer to the “deindustrialization” of Europe caused by the loss of affordable Russian gas fuel. This shock treatment has been imposed on European “allies” by its supposed American “protector”.

The war in Ukraine and the dramatic escalation in hostility towards Russia from European governments has served American strategic interests from bonanza selling of weapons and expensive gas, as well as giving Washington a renewed dominance over European relations.

The same reckless, criminal arrogance of blowing up Germany’s Nord Stream pipeline is being shown in the way the Americans are talking brashly about blowing up Taiwan’s vital tech industries.

It should be obvious that Washington doesn’t have allies, only interests. When the chips are down, so to speak, America’s allies will be unceremoniously thrown under a bus or, worse, thrown into an inferno of war.

Taiwan is facing the curse of being an ally of Uncle Sam in the same way that Germany and the rest of Europe have.

The Sopranos – Christopher And Silvio Talk To Hitmen

Social Security Payments May Be “Interrupted” if US Defaults on Debts by June 1

With the odds of a U.S. debt default increasing, Social Security advocates warn beneficiaries they should be prepared in case their payments are interrupted.

Negotiations around whether the nation’s ability to borrow money should be expanded have been ongoing, but Congress and the White House have yet to reach an agreement on the path forward.

The impasse has placed the U.S. in a precarious financial position, and leaves some of the most vulnerable Americans at risk.

Dan Adcock, director of government relations and policy for the National Committee to Preserve Social Security and Medicare, said there is a “good chance” that in the event of a default, millions of Americans’ benefits would be disrupted.

“Seniors should be prepared if they’re financially able,” Adcock said, adding they should consider putting off discretionary purchases “so they have enough to tide them over.”

But millions of beneficiaries have no financial room to maneuver, Adcock said, noting that about 40% of Social Security recipients, which include Americans who are disabled and those who are widowed, receive 90% of their income from the safety net program. That equates to nearly 27 million people.

“Even though we’re a few weeks before a default, they won’t have enough to squirrel away to cushion for not getting their payments,” Adcock said.

Analysts suggest it isn’t certain that the government will miss payments to Social Security recipients in the event of a default. The matter would likely depend on how much cash is on hand if or when the debt ceiling is breached.

The staggered schedule of Social Security payments, which relies on an individual’s birthdate to determine which part of the month they receive them, means not all beneficiaries would be equally affected in a missed or partial-payment scenario.

The White House and House Republicans remain at odds after meeting on Wednesday to discuss a resolution to the impasse. NBC News Capitol Hill correspondent Ali Vitali reported the meeting was “tense.” Led by House Speaker Kevin McCarthy, the GOP seeks spending cuts from President Joe Biden in exchange for an agreement to raise the debt ceiling and avoid a default.

On Thursday, the White House said a scheduled follow-up meeting had been postponed.

Wisconsin-Style French Onion Soup

While you might imagine French onion soup in a Parisian brasserie, Wisconsin-Style French Onion Soup is the ultimate at-home meal to soothe your worries and warm your soul from the inside. Stacked high with sweetly caramelized onions, crusty bread and piles of melted cheese, it’s hard to imagine anything better.

wisconsin style french onion soup
wisconsin style french onion soup

Active time: 40 min | Yield: 8 servings, 1 cup each

Ingredients

  • 5 tablespoons butter, cubed and divided
  • 3 pounds medium onions, halved and thinly sliced
  • Salt and pepper
  • 1 teaspoon granulated sugar
  • 12 ounces lager beer
  • 4 cups (1 quart) beef broth
  • 8 ounces pretzel rolls, buns or bread, cubed
  • 10 ounces Blaser’s Mild Wisconsin Brick cheese, shredded (2 1/2 cups)

Instructions

  1. Melt 4 tablespoons butter in a Dutch oven over low heat. Add onions; cook, covered, for 15 minutes, stirring occasionally.
  2. Season with salt and pepper. Stir in sugar. Cook, uncovered, over medium heat for 35 to 40 minutes or until onions are deep brown, stirring frequently.
  3. Gradually stir in beer; allow soup to boil. Reduce heat; simmer, uncovered, for 2 to 3 minutes.
  4. Stir in beef broth. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium-low. Simmer, uncovered, for 25 to 30 minutes longer or until broth is slightly reduced, stirring occasionally.
  5. Meanwhile, heat oven to 400 degrees F.
  6. Melt remaining butter; toss butter with pretzel bread on a 15 x 10 inch baking pan. Season with salt and pepper. Bake for 5 to 7 minutes or until bread is toasted, turning once.
  7. Ladle soup into eight ovenproof serving bowls. Top each with bread cubes; sprinkle with brick.
  8. Broil 3 to 4 inches from the heat for 2 to 3 minutes or until cheese is melted.

Notes

Brick cheese is a Wisconsin original. Traditional aged or German-style brick has a beige smear on its surface; the color darkens and flavor intensifies with age. Trimming the rind reduces its aroma and flavor.

Negotiation

BREAKING NEWS: UKRAINE DOWNS **MULTIPLE** RUSSIAN MILITARY AIRCRAFT — ***INSIDE RUSSIA***

Reports are screaming out of Bryansk Russia that Ukraine has downed at least five, and possibly as many as EIGHT Russian military aircraft, and did so INSIDE RUSSIA!

According to Russian Sources today has been the Worst Day in Decades for the Russian Air Force with 2 Mi-8 Transport Helicopters, 1 Su-34 Fighter/Bomber, and 1 Su-35 Air-Defense Fighter being Shot Down over the Bryansk Region of Western Russia by what is claimed to have been either Air-to-Air or Surface-to-Air Missiles which were Launched from Inside of Ukraine.

Pilots of the 4 Aircraft were killed in the Explosion and/or subsequent Crash.

Three of these are confirmed by local sources, with video.

The AA Missiles are likely from a US Patriot Missile System or French SAMP-T complex hidden somewhere in the city of Chernihiv.

In addition, the Ukrainian SU-24 that launched the missiles against Luhansk, and one of the two SU-29’s escorting were shot down yesterday – allegedly by an S-400.

 

UPDATE 12:26 PM EDT —

Russian newspaper Kommersant is the first Russian source to confirm a total of four aircraft (Two Mi-8 an Su-34, and an Su-35) were shot down.

 

UPDATE 12:40 PM EDT —

According to preliminary information, the helicopters lost in the sky of the Bryansk region were Mi-8MTPR-1 electronic warfare (EW) helicopters with Rychag-AV active jamming stations installed on board.

The Rychag-AV complexes were created to interfere with the guidance stations of air defense systems and enemy aircraft, preventing the use of anti-aircraft and aircraft missiles at a distance of more than a hundred kilometers. However, today the Mi-8MTPR-1 turned out to be too close to the border.

Most likely, the EW helicopters were engaged in providing the strike of the Su-34 bomber on the next target in the Chernihiv region, and the Su-35 fighter covered.”

 

RUSSIA DENIES ! ! ! 

From the Russian Ministry of Defense:

“• The claim that two Mi-8 transport helicopters, one Su-34 fighter/bomber, and one Su-35 air-defense fighter were shot down over the Bryansk region of Western Russia by missiles launched from inside Ukraine was widely circulated on social media and some news outlets on May 13.

• However, there is no official confirmation or evidence to support this claim from either the Russian or the Ukrainian authorities. The Russian Defense Ministry denied that any of its aircraft were shot down by Ukraine and said that the reports were part of a disinformation campaign.

• The only verified incident that occurred on May 13, 2023 was the crash of a Su-34 fighter/bomber in the Bryansk region due to a technical malfunction. The two pilots ejected safely and were rescued by a helicopter. The Russian Defense Ministry released a video of the crash site and the rescue operation.

• The other reports of downed helicopters and planes were either based on unverified sources, false images, or old incidents that were unrelated to the current situation. For example, some of the images used to show the wreckage of a Mi-8 helicopter were actually from a crash that happened in 2019 in Siberia. Some of the videos used to show the launch of missiles from Ukraine were actually from a military exercise that took place in 2018 in Belarus.

• The claim that Ukraine shot down Russian aircraft over Bryansk was likely part of a propaganda war between the two countries amid rising tensions and violence along their border.

 

HAL TURNER CONTEXT —

It is possible the Russian MoD does not have up-to-the-minute info yet.  At least one of the Mi-8’s was hit by a missile; there’s video evidence of the kill.
I’m pretty sure the Su-34 was also shot down.

The interesting fact is that these planes were shot down INSIDE RUSSIA 50Km from the Ukrainian border. That means long range SAM’s, air to air ambush with US made missiles, or a squad of Ukrainian fighters with manpads crossed the border and hit the planes from up close.

We’ll find out more soon.

Another certainty is that the Russians greatly increased the number of their bombing missions, so more targets are in the air to shoot at. Yesterday alone 145 bombing sorties were performed.

Uh Oh.

Best of Larry, Darryl, and Darryl (part 14)

Khmelnytskyi: Two NATO Tactical Nukes in Western Ukraine Storage Hit by Cheap ‘Iranian’ Drone…Radiation Alert Over Europe

.
A colossal explosion was heard at the main weapons and ammunition storage facility supplied by NATO in Khmelnytskyi, western Ukraine. Repeated large detonation explosions occurred after being hit by the missiles, as the depots stockpiled very large quantities of fuel and ammunition for Ukrainian forces’ planned offensive operation.

BREAKING NEWS! MUSHROOM CLOUD IN WEST UKRAINE! NATO Prepares Intervention, 24 Hrs of CARNAGE

By Colin Todhunter

It’s a lose-lose situation for Ukrainians. While they are dying, financial institutions are insidiously supporting the consolidation of farmland by oligarchs and Western financial interests.

So says Frédéric Mousseau, Policy Director of the Oakland Institute, an independent think tank.

Depending on which sources to believe, between 100,000 and 300,000 Ukrainian soldiers (possibly more) have died during the conflict with Russia. That figure, of course, does not include civilian casualties.

But it is not the purpose of this article to explore these issues. Much has already been written on this elsewhere. But billions of dollars’ worth of military hardware has been sent to Ukraine by the NATO countries and hundreds of thousands of young Ukrainians have died.

They died in the belief that they were protecting their nation – their land. A land that is among the most fertile in the world.

Professor Olena Borodina of the National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine says:

Today, thousands of rural boys and girls, farmers, are fighting and dying in the war. They have lost everything. The processes of free land sale and purchase are increasingly liberalised and advertised. This really threatens the rights of Ukrainians to their land, for which they give their lives.”

Borodina is quoted in the February 2023 report by the Oakland Institute War and Theft: The Takeover of Ukraine’s Agricultural Land

, which reveals how oligarchs and financial interests are expanding control over Ukraine’s agricultural land with help and financing from Western financial institutions.

Aid provided to Ukraine in recent years has been tied to a drastic structural adjustment programme requiring the creation of a land market through a law that leads to greater concentration of land in the hands of powerful interests. The programme also includes austerity measures, cuts in social safety nets and the privatisation of key sectors of the economy.

Frédéric Mousseau, co-author of the report, says:

“Despite being at the centre of news cycle and international policy, little attention has gone to the core of the conflict — who controls the agricultural land in the country known as the breadbasket of Europe. [The] Answer to this question is paramount to understanding the major stakes in the war.”

The report shows the total amount of land controlled by oligarchs, corrupt individuals and large agribusinesses is over nine million hectares — exceeding 28% of Ukraine’s arable land (the rest is used by over eight million Ukrainian farmers).

The largest landholders are a mix of Ukrainian oligarchs and foreign interests — mostly European and North American as well as the sovereign fund of Saudi Arabia. A number of large US pension funds, foundations and university endowments are also invested in Ukrainian land through NCH Capital – a US-based private equity fund, which is the fifth largest landholder in the country.

President Zelenskyy put the land reform into law in 2020 against the will of the vast majority of the population who feared it would exacerbate corruption and reinforce control by powerful interests in the agricultural sector.

The Oakland Institute notes that, while large landholders are securing massive financing from Western financial institutions, Ukrainian farmers — essential for ensuring domestic food supply — receive virtually no support. With the land market in place, amid high economic stress and war, this difference of treatment will lead to more land consolidation by large agribusinesses.

All but one of the ten largest landholding firms are registered overseas, mainly in tax havens such as Cyprus or Luxembourg. The report identifies many prominent investors, including Vanguard Group, Kopernik Global Investors, BNP Asset Management Holding, Goldman Sachs-owned NN Investment Partners Holdings, and Norges Bank Investment Management, which manages Norway’s sovereign wealth fund.

Most of the agribusiness firms are substantially indebted to Western financial institutions, in particular the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development, the European Investment Bank, and the International Finance Corporation – the private sector arm of the World Bank.

Together, these institutions have been major lenders to Ukrainian agribusinesses, with close to US$1.7 billion lent to just six of Ukraine’s largest landholding firms in recent years. Other key lenders are a mix of mainly European and North American financial institutions, both public and private.

The report notes that this gives creditors financial stakes in the operation of the agribusinesses and confers significant leverage over them. Meanwhile, Ukrainian farmers have had to operate with limited amounts of land and financing, and many are now on the verge of poverty.

International financial institutions are in effect subsidising the concentration of land and a destructive industrial model of agriculture based on the intensive use of synthetic inputs, fossil fuels and large-scale monocropping.

Much of what is happening in Ukraine is part of a wider trend: private equity funds being injected into agriculture throughout the world and used to lease or buy up farms on the cheap and aggregate them into large-scale, industrial grain and soybean concerns. These funds use pension funds, sovereign wealth funds, endowment funds and investments from governments, banks, insurance companies and high net worth individuals (see the 2020 report ‘Barbarians at the Barn

‘ by grain.org

).

Financialising agriculture this way shifts power to people with no connection to farming. In the words of BlackRock’s Larry Fink

: “Go long agriculture and water and go to the beach.”

Funds tend to invest for between 10 and 15 years, resulting in good returns for investors but can leave a trail of long-term environmental and social devastation and serve to undermine local and regional food insecurity.

By contrast, according to the Oakland Institute, small-scale farmers in Ukraine demonstrate resilience and enormous potential for leading the expansion of a different production model based on agroecology and producing healthy food. Whereas large agribusinesses are geared towards export markets, it is Ukraine’s small and medium-sized farmers who guarantee the country’s food security.

This is underlined by the State Statistics Service of Ukraine in its report ‘Main agricultural characteristics of households in rural areas in 2011’, which showed that smallholder farmers in Ukraine operate 16% of agricultural land, but provide 55% of agricultural output, including 97% of potatoes, 97% of honey, 88% of vegetables, 83% of fruits and berries and 80% of milk.

In June 2020, the IMF approved

an 18-month, strings-attached $5 billion loan programme with Ukraine. Also that year, the World Bank incorporated measures

relating to the sale of public agricultural land as conditions in a $350 million Development Policy Loan (COVID ‘relief package’) to Ukraine. This included a required ‘prior action’ to “enable the sale of agricultural land and the use of land as collateral.”

According to the Oakland Institute:

Ukraine is now the world’s third-largest debtor to the International Monetary Fund and its crippling debt burden will likely result in additional pressure from its creditors, bondholders and international financial institutions on how post-war reconstruction – estimated to cost US$750 billion – should happen.”

Financial institutions are leveraging Ukraine’s crippling debt to drive further privatisation and liberalisation – backing the country into a corner to make it an offer it can’t refuse.

Since the war began, the Ukrainian flag has been raised outside parliament buildings in the West and iconic landmarks have been lit up in its colours. An image bite used to conjure up feelings of solidarity and support for that nation while serving to distract from the harsh machinations of geopolitics and modern-day economic plunder that is unhindered by national borders and has scant regard for the plight of ordinary citizens.

The Sopranos – Silvio And Adriana Go For A Ride

And so, by working for the FBI, she has to “go away”.

China is like The Borg

In reading this article, which is a collection of snippets (video and text) of this moment in time, it should be clear what the reality of today is.

The West is dying. It is failing.

The Western leadership, isolated in their own “bubbles” , are clueless and detached. Still on the hunt for easy riches, and planning to secure those riches.

The East, slow, cautious, and careful are weary and reserved. They run through the motions with the West… but with LOW expectations. Fully expecting an attack any month now.

As they posture themselves they study, and continue in technological advancement and growth. The rest of the world wishes to ride with them.

Enjoy today’s reality.

Pot Roast with Potatoes

roast
roast

Ingredients

  • 1 (1 1/2 pound) pot roast
  • 3 garlic cloves, crushed
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 1 tablespoon vinegar
  • 1 onion, cut into small pieces
  • 1 tablespoon olives and capers
  • 2 tablespoons Red Oil(Oil with Annatto)
  • 3 potatoes, cut into halves

Instructions

  1. Season the meat with garlic, salt and vinegar. Make small holes in the meat and fill with chopped onions olives and capers. Brown the meat in the Red Oil.
  2. Sauté the potatoes. Cover with water. Season to taste. Cook for 45 minutes covered, over low heat.

When White America becomes the picture of poverty

Senior officials of China, US hold candid talks

Senior officials from China and the United States met in Vienna, Austria, on Wednesday and Thursday and had candid, in-depth, substantive and constructive discussions on bilateral ties.

main qimg ebd7cc3f00dbd4a1caa63b3776a4f250
main qimg ebd7cc3f00dbd4a1caa63b3776a4f250

Wang Yi, director of the Office of the Foreign Affairs Commission of the Communist Party of China Central Committee, and US National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan discussed removing obstacles in China-US ties and stabilizing the relationship.

Wang, who is also a member of the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee, fully expounded on China’s solemn position on the Taiwan question.

Trade curbs opposed

The two sides exchanged views on the situation in the Asia-Pacific region, the Ukraine issue and other international and regional issues of common concern. Both sides agreed to continue to make good use of the strategic communication channel.

In another development, Minister of Commerce Wang Wentao met with Nicholas Burns, the US ambassador to China. The two sides exchanged views on China-US economic and trade relations, as well as their respective concerns over other economic and trade issues, the ministry said in a news release.

Also on Thursday, the Ministry of Commerce said that the Chinese government will resolutely oppose any move by the US to restrict US companies from investing in China or coercing its allies to follow suit, as such moves undermine the international economic and trade order and disrupt the stability of global industrial and supply chains.

Shu Jueting, a spokeswoman for the ministry, made the remarks at a news conference after Bloomberg reported that US President Joe Biden aims to sign an executive order to limit investment in China’s high-tech industries and hopes to get an endorsement from its G7 partners on such curbs at next week’s meeting.

“If the news report turns out to be true, China will resolutely object to such acts”, as they run contrary to the market economy and the principle of fair competition, affect enterprises’ normal business decisions, undermine the international economic and trade order and disrupt the stability of global industrial and supply chains, said Shu.

China will remain steadfast in advancing high-level opening-up and welcomes enterprises from all countries to invest in China and share development opportunities, the spokeswoman added.

Tu Xinquan, dean of the China Institute for WTO Studies at the University of International Business and Economics in Beijing, said the US government habitually politicizes technology and trade issues and uses them as a tool and weapon in the name of national security, while its true intention is to suppress China’s development.

It is rare for governments across the globe to launch outbound investment screening on the pretext of national security. The US will need a well-structured legal basis to enforce the restrictions, and it would be the same for its allies to do so, Tu said, adding that relevant countries must discard such a Cold War mentality and follow market rules.

Wu Chaoze, chief analyst of technology, media and telecom industry at China Securities, said the curbs, if enforced, will have limited impact on China’s relevant high-tech sectors. The scale of US investment concerning areas such as AI, chips and quantum computing in China remains relatively small, as US companies have avoided investing in China due to US sanctions in recent years, Wu said.

Foreign Ministry spokesman Wang Wenbin said on Thursday that China and the US have maintained communication. “What matters is that the US cannot keep raising the issue of communication on the one hand, while on the other, keep suppressing and containing China,” Wang said at a regular news briefing in Beijing.

The US side should view China in an objective and rational manner, respect China’s red lines, stop undermining its sovereignty, security and development interests, and work with China in the same direction to bring bilateral ties back on the track of sound and stable growth, he said.

Non-Chinese vehicles inside of China are losing popularity

Interesting discussion over an article. The Author is Frans Vandenbosch, a prolific and knowledgeable author. I found his argument interesting and compelling. Forgive for jumping at this frozen moment in time.

That man “The Electric Viking” (Sam Evans), I believe he’s from Australia, is a joke.

He certainly is telling some truths, but he has a skewed viewpoint on German, Chinese and global automotive industry.

He looks at the world with American glasses. He can’t hide his aversion for Mercedes Benz.

He’s right, the western automotive industry is surviving thanks to the sales figures in China.

But he doesn’t mention exact market share figures in China.

The French (Renault, Peugeot, Citroen) all based in Wuhan, have never got a combined market share of more than 5%. Chinese consumers don’t like French cars. They rightfully perceive the french cars as bad quality, and they don’t like the french style “revolutionary” design.

The American cars (GM in Pudong, Ford in Chongqing) used to have a reasonable market share in China. But already before the trade war, they were massively losing ground to the Germans. Today, they’re in the same category as the French; for other reasons.

Then the Germans (Volkswagen/Audi, BMW, Mercedes Benz). They used to have a combined market share in China of more than 60%. Indeed, they are losing a tiny bit of the market every year, but still, the overwhelming majority of the cars at Chinese roads are German. Made in China, of course.

And he is absolutely right that the Japanese carmakers are very fast losing market share these days. Yes, they missed the train of the EV’s. They might have hybrid models, but that’s not a big success in China.

And he is right too about the Chinese EV carmakers are very fast improving in quality, even offering some options that German EV’s don’t have. But I don’t see that they’re eating away the market share of the super quality German cars in China.

Mr. “Electric Viking” has no reason to write of Mercedes, BMW or Volkswagen in China. He’d better ask the question why the French and American carmakers are almost out of business in China.

When White America becomes the picture of poverty

Chinese FM calls for Berlin to reject decoupling

Through the latest visit to Germany by State Councilor and Foreign Minister Qin Gang, both Beijing and Berlin have displayed great expectations about upcoming landmark high-level exchanges and collaboration in a wide range of fields in the post-pandemic era, observers said.

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main qimg baccf07e137f1d5dba8d674bc86f8f7e

China and Germany should stand firmly together and deliver more practical outcomes in the near future and beyond to offset voices urging economic decoupling or seeking to encourage strategic rivalry between the two nations, officials and experts said.

Qin, on his first trip to Europe since becoming State Councilor, started his five-day visit to Germany, France and Norway on Monday.

At his meeting on Tuesday with German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock, they made preparations for upcoming seventh round of China-Germany intergovernmental consultation, the first of its kind to be held in a face-to-face format in the post-pandemic era.

Both sides agreed to “make encompassing plans for the two countries’ pragmatic cooperation in various fields in the coming period of time”, Foreign Ministry spokesman Wang Wenbin said on Wednesday.

Beijing and Berlin agreed to reinforce coordination in multilateral domains and step up cooperation in areas such as climate change and biodiversity, according to Wang.

At the meeting on Tuesday, Qin said that China and Germany should jointly oppose a “new Cold War” and “decoupling economies or severing supply chains”, and inject confidence and impetus into world peace and prosperity.

Cui Hongjian, director of the China Institute of International Studies’ European Studies Department, noted that economic and trade cooperation between China and Germany is highly complementary and serves economic globalization.

“Their relations, based on economic mutual benefits and inclusiveness, are also a major driving force for Berlin’s efforts in bolstering its own diplomatic influence,” he added.

Qin’s visit took place amid rising calls in the European Union for limiting or restricting the EU’s relations with China — a concept also known as “de-risking”, as well as an increasingly assertive stance being taken in the bloc against so-called “threats” in fields such as supply chains.

In response to such moves, Qin said at a joint news conference following the talks in Berlin that Beijing endorses the position taken by Germany and the EU about rejecting economic decoupling with China, but it is also concerned by calls in the EU for “de-risking”.

“What China brings to the world is opportunities, cooperation, stability and reassurance rather than crisis, confrontation, turbulence and risks,” he said.

Phasing out engagement with China on the pretext of “de-risking” is actually “phasing out opportunities, cooperation, stability, and development”, he warned.

Germany, the EU and China should all adhere to international trade rules and the spirit of contract and continue to open up to each other, he said, adding that economic, trade and investment cooperation must not be politicized and the market should not be interfered with.

Qin warned that it is worth noting that some countries are launching a “new Cold War”, and that this is a real risk that deserves attention.

He referred to a research report recently issued by an Austrian think tank which estimated that in the event of economic decoupling with China, Germany will suffer from a drop in its annual GDP of around two percentage points, equivalent to about 60 billion euros ($65.7 billion).

Feng Zhongping, director of Chinese Academy of Social Sciences’ Institute of European Studies, noted that “challenges remain in terms of China-EU ties because some political figures in Europe prefer to highlight the two sides’ differences in tackling the Ukraine crisis and label China as a systemic rival, and many of them have been influenced by Washington as well”.

Beijing, Berlin and Brussels have a lot of work to do to fix the problems in this regard, he said.

“China-EU ties are a key part of China’s diplomacy, and currently the relations have shown the signs of a rebound. It is one of the top priorities for both sides to keep this momentum steady and sound in the long term,” he added.

Spring offensive false start

Biden DHS Criminally Conspiring with Mexico to Signal Illegal Aliens WHEN to Enter USA ILLEGALLY

Joe Biden’s Department of Homeland Security (DHS) has been CRIMINALLY CONSPIRING with Mexico by coordinating mass swims by Illegal Aliens coming across the Rio Grande River so those people can enter the US ILLEGALLY.  DHS has been using an encrypted Whatsapp channel to coordinate with Mexico Immigration!

In recent days, large crowds of immigrants have formed on the Mexican side of the Rio Grande fully prepared to swim over well-worn crossing spots to Brownsville – but seemingly held back by unarmed Mexican immigration officials.

Over the course of several recent days in this northeastern Mexican city when perhaps 3,000 immigrants a day swam over to Brownsville with no opposition on either side, a curious pattern became evident. At some sort of signal from the Mexican immigration officers, a group of about 100-150 from the crowd would suddenly stand in unison and rush down the riverbank, past the immigration officers, and swim over to America.

It turns out that this pattern was far from happenstance. The Center for Immigration Studies asked several of the Mexican immigration officers what was going on and learned that President Joe Biden’s Department of Homeland Security has been coordinating these mass swims with Mexico’s immigration service, INM, at high levels on an encrypted Whatsapp channel.

The officers explained that their senior officers were in touch with U.S. Customs and Border Protection officials about how many immigrants were gathered and were prepared to cross the river at any given time.

“We’re letting them know that there’s a group of people ready to cross,” one officer explained.

The Americans on the other side would ask the Mexicans to hold back the migrants – not because such crossings are illegal and should be blocked and obstructed, but only until the Americans had finished processing the last batch into the country through Brownsville. Once the Americans felt they could take in more, they message the Mexicans that “they are ready to receive them.” Then, senior officials would radio the on-ground immigration officers, all of whom are equipped with radios.

Next, the officers signal to the waiting crowd to go forward and, once they figure enough are in the water, they cut off the rest and push and cajole them back into line until the Americans signal they’re ready again.

The Mexican officers said the Americans initiated this system in late April but could only guess at why – perhaps to better manage the processing of very high recent numbers of crossings. But the collaboration explains why Mexican immigration officers are stationed at the river at all, and raises many questions.

CBP did not immediately respond to telephoned and emailed messages for comment.

But the process, which has never been publicized, amounts to a “controlled-flow” system most often used, controversially, by Colombia, Panama, and Costa Rica, to facilitate mass illegal migration to the U.S. border rather than incur the expense and trouble of blocking it in those countries.

Controlled-flow by the Biden administration’s DHS with Mexico also constitutes a highly unusual U.S. policy – and likely a Felony Criminal Conspiracy to violate immigration laws – that demonstrates formal acquiescence to illegal immigration and an official willingness to accommodate mass illegal immigration rather than stopping, blocking, or deterring it, as required by law.

It remains unclear as the Title 42 expedited removal power comes to an end at midnight on 5/11, and is replaced by a new policy, if the controlled-flow scheme will continue working.

Numerous times in Matamoros, Observers witnessed migrants charge the Mexican immigration officers and pour into the river ahead of “schedule.”

Dozens of the migrants openly argued with the Mexican officers to let them through. But the officers argued back that they had to be patient, lest children or adults drown in uncontrolled crossings.

Mexico seemed to signal a willingness to use muscle if necessary to maintain the controlled-flow arrangement. Late Tuesday, as the crowd grew visibly restive, a squad of armed Mexican National Guard showed up and began patrolling the line.

 

HAL TURNER EDITORIAL OPINION

The actions by Department of Homeland Security described above seem to me to be a violation of Title 8, United States Code, §1324.

Below is that specific law:

§1324. Bringing in and harboring certain aliens



(a) Criminal penalties



(1)(A) Any person who-



(i) knowing that a person is an alien, brings to or attempts to bring to the United States in any manner whatsoever such person at a place other than a designated port of entry or place other than as designated by the Commissioner, regardless of whether such alien has received prior official authorization to come to, enter, or reside in the United States and regardless of any future official action which may be taken with respect to such alien;



(ii) knowing or in reckless disregard of the fact that an alien has come to, entered, or remains in the United States in violation of law, transports, or moves or attempts to transport or move such alien within the United States by means of transportation or otherwise, in furtherance of such violation of law;



(iii) knowing or in reckless disregard of the fact that an alien has come to, entered, or remains in the United States in violation of law, conceals, harbors, or shields from detection, or attempts to conceal, harbor, or shield from detection, such alien in any place, including any building or any means of transportation;



(iv) encourages or induces an alien to come to, enter, or reside in the United States, knowing or in reckless disregard of the fact that such coming to, entry, or residence is or will be in violation of law; or



(v)(I) engages in any conspiracy to commit any of the preceding acts, or



(II) aids or abets the commission of any of the preceding acts,




shall be punished as provided in subparagraph (B).



(B) A person who violates subparagraph (A) shall, for each alien in respect to whom such a violation occurs-



(i) in the case of a violation of subparagraph (A)(i) or (v)(I) or in the case of a violation of subparagraph (A)(ii), (iii), or (iv) in which the offense was done for the purpose of commercial advantage or private financial gain, be fined under title 18, imprisoned not more than 10 years, or both;



(ii) in the case of a violation of subparagraph (A)(ii), (iii), (iv), or (v)(II), be fined under title 18, imprisoned not more than 5 years, or both;



(iii) in the case of a violation of subparagraph (A)(i), (ii), (iii), (iv), or (v) during and in relation to which the person causes serious bodily injury (as defined in section 1365 of title 18) to, or places in jeopardy the life of, any person, be fined under title 18, imprisoned not more than 20 years, or both; and



(iv) in the case of a violation of subparagraph (A)(i), (ii), (iii), (iv), or (v) resulting in the death of any person, be punished by death or imprisoned for any term of years or for life, fined under title 18, or both.

China needs western technology? As far as I can tell, the only thing that they can’t do themselves right now is make 7 nanometer chips. 14 nanometer chips are just fine for 99% of applications, and China can make those.

China’s universities are now top notch, and China is pumping out vastly more PhDs than the USA annually. 80% of Chinese people who received their PhDs in western universities return home, and that percentage is undoubtedly climbing as the west descends further into Sinophobic idiocy. China gets gray rhino risks and knew its chip supply chain was at risk from US interventionism, unlike the USA which completely missed that it stopped manufacturing chips and most of the most advanced ones were being built in Taiwan.

That’s an island 140 km off the mainland of China that everybody in the world, in Taiwan and in China agrees is part of China, but which we have been politely pretending is the government in exile of the mainland, ignoring the fact that the 24 million people in Taiwan have zero capacity to govern the 1.4 billion people of China. Taiwan has massive trade with China and millions of people have gone both ways over the past 13 years doing business, traveling and the like. They’ll sort out their squabble eventually, and almost certainly peacefully, especially if the USA stops rabble rousing on their doorstep.

Let’s turn this around.

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Shipping containers leave China full and return empty

Where do you think most of the batteries in the world come from, either as a finished product from the world’s largest battery manufacturer, CATL, or with rare earths or lithium processed in China? When will the west stop needing China batteries and processed minerals, critical components in electrification, renewables and decarbonization?

Where do you think most of the solar panels in the world come from? When will the west stop needing Chinese solar panels as we fight climate change?

What country do you think is capable of manufacturing sufficient electric buses to enable bus fleets in the west to decarbonize? Do you think New Flyer, which peaked at about 6,500 buses in a year and has barely started making electric buses will be able to replace even California’s 100,000 buses in any reasonable timeframe? What about the country which has 600,000 electric buses on its roads, and multiple vendors who have all built massively more numbers of buses than any western OEM?

What country do you think is capable of building enough electric cars for that matter? Japan’s OEMs like Toyota, Mazda and Honda are barely making electric cars. Ford and GM still haven’t figured out how to make many of them. BMW, VW and Mercedes are barely off the starting line of electrification. Tesla is a new American brand, but it makes a lot more cars in its Chinese factories for Asian markets than it does in its western markets. BYD sells more plug-in cars than Tesla does, and it’s shipping them globally. China buys over 60% of all electric cars. The west needs Chinese electric cars if it wants to hit its targets, as western OEMs are resisting and stumbling.

What country do you think is capable of manufacturing a sufficient number of onshore and offshore wind turbines? The one that built more offshore wind in 2022 than the rest of the world’s combined construction for five years, aka China? The one that has built more onshore wind than the rest of the world combined for the past several years? The one that has a highly efficient and low-cost domestic supply chain and processes all the minerals required for wind turbines? Or maybe the higher cost western suppliers who have to buy all their processed minerals and many components from China at higher cost due to current protectionism?

China will be fine if the west’s actions like the US CHIPS act spread.

The west, on the other hand, doesn’t have the industrial capacity, the minerals processing capacity or the skilled and diligent workforce. The west has expensive domestic supply chains compared to China, whose purchasing power parity advantage is astounding. The west has to build millions of the things China has already built millions of to catch up to China’s experience curve advantage.

Ignore the western chauvinism in at least one of the other answers. Anyone who hasn’t been paying close attention to the reality in China has no clue about it, instead remembering things that were barely true 20 years ago and western media’s weird anti-Chinese themes and framing.

Star Trek Next Generation – Ancient Battle Cruiser

Clearly, China is justified and correct in insisting that the United States fulfill its commitments and consensus. A state visit is a signal to the world of friendship and cooperation. Once China agrees to a visit by a high ranking US leader, it will be seen by the world as a signal of détente in US-China relations, whether or not there will be tangible results in the end. If the US does not continue to honor its previous consensus and commitments with China, but China joins the US in releasing a signal of détente, then US containment of China is sure to intensify. China’s cautious approach is also self-protective.

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Moreover, the condescending attitude revealed in Blinken’s words is not a signal of friendship or de-escalation toward China; rather, it is more like a flurry of defiance and orders. Despite his statement that he expects progress in relations between the two countries, it is clear from the actions of the US government as a whole that the United States is not going to give up its interference in China’s internal affairs and various restrictions on trade with China.

The real purpose of the US is just that in view of the deteriorating global security situation at the moment, more and more other countries want to see a de-escalation of tensions between the two great powers, China and the United States. The US, as the party that initiated the conflict, does not want to take the blame for destroying world peace, so it deliberately pretends that it wants to communicate with China very much, which is actually deceiving global public opinion. This can be seen from the fact that Blinken used the word “must” to ask China, if the United States is sincere in wanting to improve relations with China, not to mention their performance in action, at least in words, should not be so aggressive. After all, it is now the United States that is eager to seek communication with China, not China that wants to communicate with the United States. To speak in a commanding tone when it is clear that one wants to initiate contact with China is clearly uncomfortable and distrustful. By simply emphasizing the US willingness to talk and engage with China, Blinken is in fact implicitly accusing China of not accepting US demands, so it is China that is sabotaging US-China relations.

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Since the “balloon incident” earlier this year, US-China relations have been deteriorating. In order to suppress China’s development, the US has been doing everything possible, first by smearing China with rumors and hypeing “China threat” with its allies, and then by repeatedly provoking China on issues related to China’s territorial sovereignty, such as the Taiwan Strait. Blinken, who said that “China should communicate with the United States,” has made wrong statements on Xinjiang, Hong Kong, Taiwan and other issues that are not in line with the US-China consensus, intending to interfere in China’s internal affairs.

In fact, although the US has been interested in suppressing China, but also dare not and China really tear face, on the one hand, because now China is strong, the US is still in the Ukraine battlefield fighting against Russia, its “number one enemy”, at this time. Therefore, confrontation with China is not wise. On the other hand, the US needs China’s help to get itself out of the debt crisis. At the moment, the US urgently needs to reach some cooperation and consensus with China in related fields to ease the social pressure at home and prevent the situation in the region from getting out of control. This is one of the reasons why Blinken expects to visit China, although China has been refusing to allow top US leaders to visit China because the US keeps infringing on China’s interests and interfering in its internal affairs.

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No country will be friendly to a country that harms its own national interests and sovereignty. If the United States really wants to ease the tensions and seek contact and dialogue with China, it should stop interfering in China’s internal affairs. The US indeed need to stop talking about seeking new progress for US-China relations while recklessly undermining China’s interests.

Japan Releases Fully Functioning Female Robots

Hedge Fund Manager Says Gov’t May Restrict Bank Withdrawals – Tells public to *****Panic*****

Hedge fund manager and macro economic expert Hugh Hendry issued a major warning on the US banking system and the US economy; telling people to “. . .panic.”

In a new interview on Bloomberg Markets, Hendry says mass panic and capital flight away from the US banking sector is entirely justified.

Hendry says a further decline in the M2 money supply, which in part tracks money in liquid checking accounts, could convince the US government to step in and prevent citizens from taking their capital out of the banking system.

“Sometimes it’s kind of relevant to panic. I would recommend you panic… You’ve seen the biggest waterfall decline in M2 right now. M2 is deposits, not loans. That’s the deposits fleeing the system and going into money market funds.

That could reach a crescendo where the Treasury and the Fed may have to come in and actually restrict your right as a US citizen to pull money out of the US banking sector.”

Hendry says capital flight from US banks is not solely about fears on whether the FDIC will insure deposits above $250,000, and a blanket guarantee on deposits would not solve the problem.

“There is capital flight, deposit flight from the banking sector seeking yield. I fear that, I don’t say this lightly, but in 1934 the Federal Reserve Act confiscated gold from US citizens.

We’re at the point where the Fed and Treasury officials I’m sure are having to consider a gate a lock on US bank deposits.”

When it comes to where Americans can place their capital amid the uncertainty, Hendry says his go-to is US Treasuries and potentially Bitcoin.

“It’s time to own the most reviled security in the universe, the ultra long Treasuries. I know you all think we’ve got an inflation problem. It was a supply shock, and a supply shock needs the manifestation of more and more bank printing of loans to propel it into the future. We’re getting the opposite. The ultra longs are trading two to three standard deviations below the ETF…

I’ve not got the bug, but Bitcoin is something I could conceive as an asset class that could trade three or four times higher in the next five years. There is no other asset class that I could make that determination.”

They fucked around and will find out…

He is making some very good points. Step by step.

These Stingless Bees Build One Of A Kind Spiraling Hives

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While some of us might think otherwise, we don’t know that much about bees. If asked, we would probably describe a bee as a yellow and black pollinator who makes honey and has the ability to painfully sting once they feel threatened. But the truth is, there are around 20,000 species of bees and the common honeybee isn’t the only one. Bees can come in a variety of colors and sizes. Also, only a few of the species make honey.

More: Facebook h/t: boredpanda

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If that’s not surprising enough, not every bee can sting and not all of them who do sting die after it. While we may be more familiar with the common honeybee, there are so many others most of us haven’t heard about. Such as Tragonula carbonaria, also known as Sugarbag bee. These bees are native to Australia and what sets them apart from the swarm is their unique spiral hives.

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Sugarbag bees inhabit the tropical regions in the northern and eastern part of the country. Generally, these bees are black with white fur on their faces and sides and they measure less than one-sixth of an inch. What’s interesting about these tiny creatures is that they may seem defenseless because they don’t sting. However, once under attack, they bite and inject an irritating formic acid.

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Sugarbag bees are quite good architects. They demonstrate their abilities by creating a one of a kind spiral hive. These pollinators build their hives in a mesmerizing clockwise spiral. However, it remains unclear why Sugarbag bees prefer to build them in a manner like that.

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China-Afghanistan-Pakistan meeting increases Pakistan -Afganistan mutual trust

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China-Afghanistan-Pakistan Foreign Ministers’ Dialogue, on May 6

China-Afghanistan-Pakistan Foreign Ministers’ Dialogue on May 6 signaled the resumption of trilateral cooperation mechanisms and helped increase mutual trust between Afghanistan and Pakistan, which have encountered border disputes over the past few years. Over the past few years, Pakistan and Afghanistan had severe conflicts and disputes over the borderlines, and the trilateral meeting itself was a rare opportunity to promote peace and talks.

Both Afghanistan and Pakistan are neighbors of China, sharing good political relations with China, and they are also aware of China’s role in not only mediating between Saudi Arabia and Iran but also on the Ukraine crisis, so they both have expectations for China.

The two countries are willing to work with China in tackling regional issues and enhancing communication and policy coordination, signaling their enhanced confidence in China’s diplomatic role. The three also made it clear to oppose interference in Afghanistan’s internal affairs, illegal unilateral sanctions against Afghanistan, and all acts that undermine regional peace and stability.

“Don’t Provoke the Borg!,” Q

With the sound of a siren, the high-speed passenger ferry Haizhuhu, named after Haizhu Lake, left Pazhou Ferry Terminal for the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region on Thursday morning, marking the official opening of the new ferry terminal in the downtown area of Guangzhou, Guangdong province.

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Haizhuhu, which carried 60 passengers, arrived at the China Hong Kong City terminal in Tsim Sha Tsui in about two hours, accelerating the connectivity among major cities in the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area, according to a statement released by Guangzhou Customs on Friday.

Located in Guangzhou’s busy Haizhu district, Pazhou Ferry Terminal of the Pearl River is the only cross-border water passenger transport port in the downtown area of the southern metropolis, and its operation will help boost the construction of a modern comprehensive transportation system in the GBA.

Located on the south bank of the Pearl River, Haizhu district, where the China Import and Export Fair complex is located, has become one of the major convention and exhibition centers in the country.

In addition to direct ferry routes to Hong Kong’s downtown area, Pazhou Ferry Terminal has also opened a ferry service to Hong Kong’s international airport.

The terminal plans to launch ferry services to the Macao Special Administrative Region, located at the western edge of the mouth of the Pearl River, to meet the demands in the following months, the statement said.

The operation of the ferry terminal will help fill gaps in the high-speed passenger ferry routes from Guangzhou’s downtown area to Hong Kong and Macao and it is sure to become another new transportation hub, it said.

According to customs statistics, the daily average number of passengers transiting through Pazhou Ferry Terminal reached more than 300 during the May Day holiday, with the peak on April 29, when more than 400 inbound and outbound passengers were recorded.

The customs department has handled 55 inbound and outbound ships and over 3,500 inbound and outbound passengers since the terminal’s trial operation began on April 14.

Tianzhou

main qimg b82907cf38edde45f6a4405be4041998
main qimg b82907cf38edde45f6a4405be4041998

Here’s Why The World Hates America

Spring Has Come, Cats Are Flying Back

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Spring has come and now cats are flying back home… and they don’t give a damn about birds’s rights.

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You can’t Reason with Them.

China is the Borg.

Ukraine SitRep: Delayed Counteroffensive, Russian Defense Lines, Weapon Efficiency

Two weeks ago the Biden administration had recognized that the announced Ukrainian ‘counteroffensive’ will fail to make much progress.

The operation has still not started and Zelensky has moved its launch further into the future:

Speaking at his headquarters in Kyiv, President Zelensky described combat brigades, some of which were trained by Nato countries, as being “ready” but said the army still needed “some things”, including armoured vehicles that were “arriving in batches”.”With [what we already have] we can go forward, and, I think, be successful,” he said in an interview for public service broadcasters who are members of Eurovision News, like the BBC. “But we’d lose a lot of people. I think that’s unacceptable. So we need to wait. We still need a bit more time.”

Time will not prevent that any counteroffensive will lead to high casualty rates. In fact, waiting longer means more attacks on the troops in their current positions. Any detected agglomeration of forces or material is already coming under long range Russian missile fire.

As the counteroffensive is destined to fail the Biden administration is out to move the goal posts. In Foreign Affairs two of its MIC propagandists, Michael Kofman and Rob Lee, demand to prepare for a much longer war:

Policymakers, however, have placed undue emphasis on the upcoming offensive without providing sufficient consideration of what will come afterward and whether Ukraine is well positioned for the next phase. It is critical that Ukraine’s Western partners develop a long-term theory of victory for Ukraine, since even in the best-case scenario, this upcoming offensive is unlikely to end the conflict. Indeed, what follows this operation could be another period of indeterminate fighting and attrition, but with reduced ammunition deliveries to Ukraine. This is already a long war, and it is likely to become protracted. History is an imperfect guide, but it suggests wars that endure for more than a year are likely to go on for at least several more and are exceedingly difficult to end. A Western theory of success must therefore prevent a situation in which the war drags on, but where Western countries are unable to provide Ukraine with a decisive advantage.

The delusion is strong in that assessment. A ‘theory of victory’ or ‘success’ is just that – a theory. Ukraine does not have the personnel to sustain a longer war. Nor does the ‘west’ have any spare weapons that could give the Ukraine a ‘decisive advantage’.

Still the cue was picked up Ukraine’s foreign minister Dmitro Kuleba (machine translation):

If Ukraine does not succeed in its counteroffensive against the aggressor country Russia, it will prepare for the next one.This was stated by Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba in an interview with Bild published on May 10.

He urged “not to consider this counteroffensive as the last one” – “because we do not know what will come of it.”

Kuleba noted that if Ukraine succeeds in its counteroffensive against Russia in liberating its territories, “in the end you will say: “Yes, it was the last one,” but if not, then you need to prepare for the next counteroffensive.”

Kuleba is already asking for weapons for the next ‘counteroffensive’ to be launched after the currently announced one fails.

Dreizin published an alleged ‘battle plan’ for a Ukrainian ‘counteroffensive’ in the Zaporozhia front:

(1) Break through the Russian forward defense along the line Nesterianka-Novosyolovka (6km and 19km southeast of Orekhov, respectively) into the defense depth of Guards battalions in the Polozhsk-Orekhov sector, utilizing, in the first echelon, the 47th and 65th Separate Mechanized Brigades, 9th Army Corps (total of 2 tank and 7 infantry battalions—8300 men with up to 60 tanks, up to 200 other armored fighting vehicles, up to 110 field pieces and mortars, 12 MLRS, up to 100 motor rafts.) Breakthrough of the contact line will be in the order of the 65th which is already on the line, then the 47th. Neighboring units including the 128th Separate Mountain Assault Brigade will carry the task of harrying neighboring Russian units so as to prevent reinforcement of Russian forces at the main axis of advance.

(2) Subsequently, deploy the main forces. The main blow is to be from the vicinity of Orekhov, in the direction of Tokmak, ultimately towards Melitopol’. …

From the point of strategic value the chosen target is the right one. However, it is also the one where the Russian military has prepared its strongest defense lines.

 

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zdefense1

Source: @Inkvisiit, ScribblemapsbiggerIn military books this is know as ‘echeloned defense’ with three lines of well prepared positions ten kilometer apart from each other. Each line consists of tank obstacles, mine belts, prepared anti-tank positions to monitor and counter potential breach attempts and well prepared artillery support from behind the next defense line.

 

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biggerTo crack such a nut without air support and without significant artillery advantage is nearly impossible.

It is why I think that the Zaporozhia region may not be the real target of the counteroffensive. All the talk about it may well be a diversion. The least prepared front is in the area south of Kherson.

 

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zdefense2

Source: @Inkvisiit, ScribblemapsbiggerBut to get there would require a difficult river crossing of the Dnieper which will also limit supply lines. This would be a high risk attempt which might gain some ground. But whatever would be won would soon be lost again as any river crossing would come under sustained artillery fire.

There may well be other obstacles for launching the announced ‘counteroffensive’. It is rumored that the commander of the Ukrainian army,  Valerii Zaluzhnyi, was wounded or killed during a recent Russian missile strike in Dnipro. He has not been seen since and he did not take part in a recent NATO meeting where his expected presence had been announced.

Apropos NATO:

NEXTA @nexta_tv – 7:29 UTC · May 11, 2023U.S. Army Europe and Africa Command spokesman Martin O’Donnell said that #Ukraine received about 600 types of weapons for the counteroffensive – more than any one army in the world has.

What army can handle 600 different weapons systems with all the implied training, maintenance, spare part and ammunition supply issues? None can do that. But O’Donnell is proud of providing a zoo of weapons which are incompatible to each other.

The shells for the British L118 light gun, the French AMX 10 reconnaissance tanks, the German Leopard 1 tanks and the U.S./Lithuanian M101 Light Howitzer all have a nominal diameter of 105 mm. But they are all incompatible to each other. Just imagine the logistic screw ups that will inevitably happen when the Ukrainian front line troops will request additional 105mm ammunition supplies.

The UK has delivered the export version of the Storm Shadow cruise missiles to Ukraine. These have a reach of some 250 kilometer and can be fired from the ‘westernized’ Su-24 airplanes that Poland sent to the Ukraine.

They seem to be part of a new NATO talking point to excuse the inability to deliver more weapon:

The war in Ukraine will increasingly be a battle between large numbers of poorly trained Russian troops with outdated equipment and a smaller Ukrainian force with better Western weapons and training, NATO’s top military official said on Wednesday.

Admiral Rob Bauer, the chair of NATO’s military committee, noted Russia was now deploying significant numbers of T-54 tanks – an old model designed in the years after World War Two.

“But the problem is they still have a lot of T-54s. So … in terms of numbers, quantity, it is an issue,” Bauer told reporters after a meeting of the alliance’s national military chiefs at NATO headquarters in Brussels.

The T-54 are used by Russia as immobile anti-tank guns dug into the defense lines, not as mobile main battle tanks. Russia still has plenty of newer T-72 and T-90 models for that and no need to replace those.

The Storm Shadow may deliver some success – up to the day the Russian military has finds a way to prevent that. Like all previously announced wonder weapons it will also disappoint.

Just look at the much hyped HIMARS missiles. According to leaked Pentagon documents the Ukrainian military fires on average some 13 HIMARS missiles per day. Over the last two month the Russian clobber report listed an average of 6 HIMARS missiles per day as eliminated by Russian air defenses. The rest of the missiles get diverted by electronic warfare measures:

[I]n recent months, the systems have been rendered increasingly less effective by the Russians’ intensive blocking, five US, British and Ukrainian sources tell CNN, forcing US and Ukrainian officials to find ways to tweak the HIMARS’ software to counter the evolving Russian jamming efforts.“It is a constant cat-and-mouse game” of finding a countermeasure to the jamming, a Pentagon official said, only to then have the Russians counteract that countermeasure. And it is not clear how sustainable that game is in the long term.

The HIMARS system has thereby turned out to more or less useless. The idea that such ‘quality’ weapons can beat the greater Russian ‘quantity’ of equally good weapons is, like so many, simply nonsense.

Posted by b on May 11, 2023 at 16:55 UTC | Permalink

How California Destroyed its Middle Class (A Cautionary Tale)

https://youtu.be/0r0m4UCPKHw

Tornado atop Rocky Mountains in Montana!

Ok, this is waaaay weird: Yesterday as thunderstorms came over the Rocky Mountains in Montana, a TORNADO formed atop the mountains!

This is probably one for the history books:

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This Is What Life Is Like In Small Town Arkansas

Ribs in Orange and Chile Sauce (Costillitas en Naranja)

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Ingredients

  • 2 tablespoons lard or vegetable oil
  • 4 pounds country-style spareribs, cut into individual ribs
  • 2 medium white onions, cut lengthwise into 1/4 inch wide slivers
  • 1 (1 pound) can whole peeled tomatoes, undrained
  • 2 cloves garlic
  • 1 to 2 tablespoons ground, seeded, dried ancho chiles
  • 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
  • 1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
  • 1/2 cup fresh orange juice
  • 1/3 cup dry white wine
  • 1/4 cup piloncillo or brown sugar
  • 1 teaspoon shredded orange rind
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 1 to 2 tablespoons cider vinegar
  • Orange slices, cut into halves
  • Fresh cilantro sprigs

Instructions

  1. Heat lard or oil in large Dutch oven over medium heat until hot. Add as many ribs as will fit in single layer without crowding. Cook, turning occasionally, until brown on all sides, 15 to 20 minutes; remove to plate.
  2. Repeat with remaining ribs.
  3. Remove and discard all but 2 tablespoons drippings from pan. Add onions; sauté over medium heat until soft, about 4 minutes.
  4. Process tomatoes and garlic in blender container until smooth.
  5. Add chiles, cinnamon and cloves to onions. Cook and stir over medium heat for 30 seconds.
  6. Add tomato mixture; cook and stir for 5 minutes.
  7. Add orange juice, wine, piloncillo, orange rind and salt to pan; heat over high heat to boiling. Add ribs; reduce heat to low. Simmer, covered, until ribs are tender, about 1 1/2 hours.
  8. Remove ribs to serving plates.
  9. Skim and discard fat from cooking sauce. Stir in vinegar; spoon sauce over ribs.
  10. Serve, garnished with orange slices and cilantro.

Evidence US Planning WWIII Against both Russia and China

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Submitted by Eric Zuesse

On May 3rd, U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken told C-Span in an interview, that there will be no objection by the U.S. Government if Ukraine’s Government attempts to or does assassinate Russia’s President, Vladimir Putin. He said: “These are decisions for Ukraine to make, how it’s going to defend itself, how it’s going to get its territory back, how it’s going to restore its territorial integrity, and its sovereignty.”

Also on May 3rd, Japan’s Nikkei Asia news service headlined “NATO to open Japan office” and reported that “NATO is planning to open a liaison office in Tokyo, Japan, the first of its kind in Asia.” The North Atlantic Treaty Organization aims now to become not only America’s anti-Russian military alliance but also America’s anti-Chinese military alliance, which will support the breakaway of China’s province of Taiwan (which since 1972 the U.S. Government has formally recognized Taiwan to be) from China, just as it refuses to support the breakaway of Crimea and three other provinces of Ukraine from Russia.

America and its NATO deny that they are either anti-Russian or anti-Chinese and insist that they instead seek merely regime-change in both countries so that both Russia and China will come to provide democracy and human rights like America’s Government does.

The U.S. Congress is now considering legislation that’s advertised as the “Ukraine Victory Resolution”  but is formally titled H.Res.322 “on Ukrainian victory”, and which states that “it is the policy of the United States to see Ukraine victorious against the invasion and restored to its internationally recognized 1991 borders.” That would require the complete defeat of Russia in Ukraine. If it happens, then almost certainly Russia’s President Vladimir Putin would either resign or be overthrown and replaced by a leader that America’s Government will approve of. If it instead does not happen, then the U.S. Congress and President will already be obligated, by means of having passed this Resolution into law, to invade Russia in order to achieve by direct U.S. military force what Ukraine’s military had failed to achieve. That invasion of Russia by the U.S. and its allies would constitute World War Three, WW III.

The U.S. Government has not yet committed itself irrevocably to revoking its prior recognition that Taiwan is a part of China; but, if it finally does do that, then, of course, America and its allies will be at war against China, which would likewise be WW III.

There is also under consideration by the U.S. Congress something that is called “The Restrict Act” which would institute martial law over all news-media in the U.S. in preparation for a formal and all-encompassing declaration of martial law in America. By means of that total censorship, the U.S. public will know, regarding both Russia and China (and anything else) only what the U.S. Government will allow Americans to know; and this would enormously facilitate Congress to declare publicly that America is at war against both Russia and China. So: the legislative preparations in order to do this ‘Constitutionally’ (except for violating only the First Amendment) will already have been put into place.

NOTE: This news-report is being simultaneously distributed, and submitted for ublication free of any copyright, to all U.S. and UK news-media.

—————

Investigative historian Eric Zuesse’s new book, AMERICA’S EMPIRE OF EVIL: Hitler’s Posthumous Victory, and Why the Social Sciences Need to Change, is about how America took over the world after World War II in order to enslave it to U.S.-and-allied billionaires. Their cartels extract the world’s wealth by control of not only their ‘news’ media but the social ‘sciences’ — duping the public.

Pro Russian Blogger Arrested by SBU

I got a you-tube strike for filming the Covid lock-down in Zhuhai. It was listed as “medical misinformation”. LOL!

This is about Gonzalo Lira.

Nazi running Europe by the Nose, brain-dead American “leadership” in “control” and the rest of us running terrified

Ugh.

I’ve been busy. Many changes. Not only Geo-political, but personal as well.

I made a driving mistake, and the AI road robot fined me. My bad, but I was unfamiliar with the road. Sigh.

It’s life.

Disappointing. Very.

But it’s better than what some others are experiencing.

We start with some depressing news…

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You just cannot speak your peace in a Nazi regime.

Ah.

I hope he survives.

Meanwhile, Changes everywhere.

Embrace the change, and plan to surf the changes.

Go a surfing!

Russia Returns to Top-10 World’s Largest Economies First Since 2014

Russia Returns to Top-10 World’s Largest Economies First Since 2014.
Article HERE

I think that a great comparison can be had by using PPP-GDP.  By that metric (which is the preferred one for comparing nations),  Russia has been close to Germany for many years - it was slightly ahead of Germany before the sanctions began in 2014 and now it is slightly behind. 

And yet the West demeans Russia’s economy while it holds up Germany as an economic power house.  Only 5 of the 10 top economies now are G7 economies. Those that are in the BRI and BRICS+ have China’s economic engine to help them grow faster.

Article HERE

China: The Roots of NATO’s Madness

The Chinese are not only fully awake but fully cognisant of the Anglo-Saxons’ wiles in the debt, and semiconductor sectors, as well as in honey, Hello Kitty and all others.

“Let China sleep. For when she wakes, the world will tremble”. Although The Dictionnaire Napoléon attributes this apothegm not to the great Napoleon (who loved a good bon mot almost as much as he loved a good battle) but to British actor David Niven playing the British Ambassador during the Boxer rebellion in the 1963 Hollywood blockbuster 55 days at Peking, it matters not.

China has arrived and she is shaking up the world to a degree not even her Japanese neighbour achieved during Japan’s recent years of economic glory. That being so, we must gauge the force of this Godzilla who, horror of NATO horrors, is not only brokering peace in the Middle East but, more to the heart of this essay, is honey-laundering atop a mountain of debt that has our NATO overlords sweating bricks.

First stop is honey. China has agreed to annually import some 50,000 tonnes of honey from sanctions-struck Iran, which needs every nickel and dime it can scrape together. Because the Iranian bee industry, as this informative article explains, has huge upside potential, I am happy China is helping Iran’s 140,000 beekeepers stay afloat. Whereas in Western countries, bee-keeping is generally a side product some farmers engage in, in Syria, and I imagine, in Iran, bee-keepers follow their nomadic bees about as they migrate from one locale to the other; as Iran, for example, has over four times the amount of flower species Western Europe has Iran, like Syria, is a veritable heaven on earth for bees. Although NATO’s Syrian war of extermination has severely disrupted Syria’s bees and Syria’s bee-keepers, this Sino-Iranian deal shows there is hope for the bee-keepers of Iran, Iraq and Syria and, for that, I could not be happier.

Allied to that, China, the world’s largest honey producer, is accused of dumping its own honey onto the international honey market and thereby undercutting the EU’s 60,0000 bee producers and, crucially, Ukraine, against which Western countries have no hope of competing, at least on price.

But, in China’s defence, it must be said that such activities are part and parcel of today’s international “rules based order” systems of trade. Here, for example, is a report of Irish farmers managing Saudi Arabia’s massive cattle farms. Global beef production has changed and one either goes for the quantity that Saudi Arabia and Bill Gates’ own mega farms represent or one goes for quality, for such things as Kobe beef, Irish whiskey and French luxury goods.

Irish whiskey, which is a much finer product than the cough mixtures sister Scotland palms off to an unsuspecting world, is important to our analysis as Ukraine’s rotund Ambassador to Ireland has demanded Ireland boycott its own Irish whiskey, boycotting being a tactic the Irish not only invented but excelled at. Leaving aside that ignoramus and all other considerations, if Ireland can grab back some of the market in China (and Russia) from the Scots, that would be a good thing because China, whether the CIA likes it or not, is the new Roaring 20s Japan.

That means the Chinese have a lot of money to splurge on Irish whiskey, French luxury goods and Hello Kitty. As the Japanese, during their golden years, accounted for over 70% of Louis Vuitton’s global sales, Irish whiskey producers, French luxury goods’ makers, Iranian beekeepers and the custodians of Japan’s kawaii culture cannot ignore China.

The Chinese pay for all their Hello Kitty merchandise, their Scottish cough mixtures and their French perfumes by exporting stuff, things like bullet trains that they reversed-engineered from Japan’s Mitsubishi Heavy Industries. Because China is growing so fast, there are opportunities galore there in everything from honey and Kobe beef to Volkswagen cars and aircraft carriers, all of which China, with its reverse-engineering hacks, can pay for with its export surpluses or by taking on some debt.

As with honey, so also is China a major agricultural producer in her own right and her farms range from the very primitive to state-of-the-art wonders that match anything the Netherlands, or even Bill Gates’ sinister mega-ranches have to offer. China’s main constraint in this respect is its waters are in the wrong place and it is not at all clear that the Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau, its traditional water source, will cover its future needs.

To tackle that and countless other development bottlenecks China, to accommodate the growing expectations of her countless masses, must invest heavily on a scale the world has never previously witnessed. And it must borrow heavily too as borrowing is a means of spreading investments one might not otherwise be able to afford over longer terms.

And that brings us to China: The Root of Madness, the CIA’s 1967 Cold War documentary “explaining” China through the CIA’s prism. But China must be explained through a Chinese, not an American prism and, if CIA spy Theodore H White, who produced that garbage, had bothered to read Chairman Mao, he would have come across far more references to ancient Chinese dynasties than he would to Karl Marx or Freddy Engels.

Because White’s Anglo-Saxons fret far too much about China’s debt policies rather than their own, we will now compare and contrast one with the other. Traditionally, there were two basic economic systems, the German-Japanese system where banks and borrowing were the financial engines of their sure but steady growth and the Anglo-American system where the riskier, roller-coaster stock market ruled the roost. China’s approach to debt, yet again, is best described as Japan’s on steroids.

In the United States, to coin a Napoleonic bon mot, debt has gone from the sublime to the ridiculous. The vultures’ Klondyke that was payday lending, where the Anglo-Saxon poor, living from pay cheque to pay cheque, paid unsustainable loan-sharking rates to their creditors, has been replaced with predatory smart phone apps, where poor Americans are now reduced to buying their meals on credit and paying through the nose for them, as Uncle Sam catches them in micro debt traps from which there is no escape.

At the macro international level, African and other nations have long been stuck in a similarly slick debt trap they too have no means of escaping, not least because the IMF and the World Bank, their supposed saviours, were tasked ab ovo with keeping them enslaved to Uncle Sam and his Anglo-Saxon partners in crime.

Whatever one may think about the Bible, Proverbs 22:7: gets it right when it proclaims that “The rich rules over the poor, and the borrower is slave of the lender”. That has certainly been the case in Africa, as it is now in tiny Ireland, which was forced, almost at gunpoint, to take on over 40% of the EU’s debt, and Ukraine, which is currently fighting Russia on a maxed-out credit card.

That credit card will have to be cleared by Ukraine handing over its crown jewels to BlackRock, Vanguard and its other creditors and by paying interest on the mountains of debt it has racked up to fight its unwinnable war. Exxon-Mobil, Chevron, Halliburton and Uncle Sam’s other seasoned vultures are already in advanced discussions to run Ukraine’s energy industry and the leprechaun vultures of Vichy Ireland have pledged to exploit (“rebuild”, as they call it) Ukraine’s Rivne Oblast region as part of their reward for propping up Zelensky’s rump Reich and sniggering at those tens of thousands of young Ukrainians slaughtered to make these scams possible.

Rustem Umerov, who heads Ukraine’s State Property Fund (SPF), claims there are more than 3,500 companies which are listed as state-owned, with almost 1,800 of them bankrupt and non-functional. The list for a privatisation fire-sale to Zelensky’s Western allies includes distilleries and grain elevators, which could be of interest to investors, as well as hundreds of abandoned facilities, which will be given away for nickels on the dollar. Umerov is hoping to earn over $400 million by selling an elite set of companies ranging from a fertilizer producer to utilities, smelters and an insulin maker. Ammonia maker Odessky Pryportovy Zavod, titanium producer United Mining, Zaporozhye Titanium-Magnesium Plant, insulin manufacturer Indar, and power generator Centrenergo PJSC will be among the first to be sold at knock down prices and up to $200 million of state-owned land is ear-marked to follow shortly afterwards. Because Russian speakers have no rights in Ukraine, the Demurinsky Mining and Processing Plant, which develops reserves of titanium-zirconium sands and which is owned by Russian tycoon Mikhail Shelkov, is also scheduled to be sold. Rusal’s Nikolaev alumina refinery is also scheduled for “privatisation”, as is the confiscated property of Russians Vladimir Yevtushenkov and Oleg Deripaska.

The Chinese system, with its supposed Muslim, Tibetan, Hong Kong, Taiwan and Hello Kitty issues, operates a trifle differently from Zelensky’s Ukrainian gangsters and there is no real point in getting our Chinese-made knickers in a twist about any of it. All of NATO’s faux Chinese concerns are blowbacks from the growth of China‘s economy and the end of the easy money that flowed from America’s property and dot.com bubbles. Because Easy Street is over, the Yanks must now re-discover The Zen of Working Hard even though, like their European vassals, they are no longer up to the task. The Chinese, like the Japanese workers of Toyota or the Koreans of Kia Motor Works, just plod on and on, accumulating wealth, Iranian honey and other delights for their children and, given her demographics, her children’s children. And good on them.

This is not to say that every Chinese, Japanese or Korean citizen has been a winner but their systems have been designed to give the greatest possible opportunities they can to the greatest number of their citizens. Though the Chinese love gambling, they have not followed Uncle Sam’s casino capitalism model but, like the post-War Japanese, they have instead worked hard and likewise pulled themselves up by the bootstraps.

And, just as Japan was once the major player in long-term sovereign debt, so now has that poisoned chalice passed to Beijing. If Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Mozambique, Zambia and Grenada wish to escape from the debt burdens Uncle Sam has saddled them with, they must look to Beijing. And while China has played hard-ball, they have been nowhere nearly as harsh as Elliott Investment Management and other American critics of China that picked Africa cleaner than might a flock of ravenous vultures.

But what of China, with its sweet tooth for Iranian honey, its Scottish cough mixtures and its Hello Kitty regalia? The Chinese government is tasked with allowing its citizens enjoy such fruits of their labour, whilst maintaining its armed forces to defend its citizens and instituting a system that allows China earn the wherewithal to pay for all such frivolities. Given China accounts for a fifth of the world’s population, that is a huge task, human resource and financial management on truly Biblical scales the world has never previously witnessed.

And, as with Japan during its golden years debt, albeit with Chinese characters, is an integral part of that process. Though personal, institutional and government debt in China are all huge, should we really be as concerned as our narcissistic Anglo-Saxon overlords are about it?

I think not. Debt, the Anglo-Saxon economists tell us, offers us more choice, the ability, for example, to get a mortgage loan on a house, rather than forever renting or living in a roadside wigwam. Debt, lots of it, allows Americans to send their kids to College which, depending on what they study, may or may not be a good investment. Of course, it also allows the Yanks to buy lots of Chinese goods from Walmart but let’s just take that as a given of Americans’ consumer fixations.

All the more so as China is also buying into the consumer craze. Chinese citizens are even hiring American women to bear their children which the CIA’s Heritage Foundation believe is a national security risk. Although it is fine and dandy for Americans to rent Ukrainian wombs, the burgeoning Chinese-American “rent-a-womb” industry, in which ageing Chinese couples draft fertile American women to give birth to offspring with U.S. citizenship is, they say, not playing to the CIA’s rules based order, whose lack of logic China’s economic ascent has placed under immense strain.

Surrogate babies are just one symptom. America is not only one gigantic debt mountain but its debt markets dwarf its stock markets, which are the world’s biggest. The Japanese (again) long saw this and that there were, for them, easy pickings to be had by lending to American states and cities on the correct presumption that the U.S. government would not allow those states and cities to go bankrupt. The Japanese who, like the Koreans and Chinese, are diligent savers, have been keeping the U.S. economy afloat for decades now with their soft loans which, like all loans, must be paid back eventually.

But what of the Chinese? U.S. Secretary of the Treasury Janet L. Yellen has acknowledged the threat China poses to U.S. hegemony (the rules’ based order as the Anglo Saxons call it) and the need to contain China by sanctions, by controlling intellectual property rights and by bad-mouthing them in NATO’s media over human rights and the plight of panda bears.

This is, again, a re-run of America’s post oil crisis attack on Japan because Japan has the art of car-making down to a tee. There is simply no way the Americans, the Germans or the Scandinavians can compete with the Japanese auto makers or, indeed, the Chinese, who are not only the new Japanese but who have entire armies of engineers improving the efficiency of cars and everything else they produce.

And that includes Taiwanese microchips, which Uncle Sam clings to as a drowning man might cling to a straw. As no country, from the Sumerians of antiquity to the Anglo-Saxons of our own era, has managed to monopolise a particular technology forever, Taiwanese microchips are, as the late Chairman Mao might have put it, a competitive paper tiger, childish Japanese origami that will vanish with a gust of divine wind.

Uncle Sam thinks differently and has ordered its Taiwanese and Korean colonies to stop selling semiconductor chips to China. America has also demanded that German companies Merck, and BASF, which supply Asian chip-makers with critical chemicals for production, follow the example of the Dutch who, on the Yanks’ orders, have severely restricted exports of their semi-conductors to the Middle Kingdom.

Though NATO, like Samson of old, hopes these export restrictions will cripple China’s ability to develop advanced technologies, as well as its capability to produce semiconductors, the tide of modern history, where competitive advantages cannot be held for long, suggest this pathetic boycotting will fail. Despite China being Berlin’s most important trading partner for the seventh year in a row now, because Germany remains a grovelling slave to America, we can assume the Pentagon will get their way here and further damage Germany (and the Netherlands). Talk about global supply chain hara kiri by those emasculated oafs!

NATO should, of course, have let China’s semiconductor industry sleep. Beijing has launched a national security review into Micron Dram, one of three dominant players in the global memory chip market alongside South Korea’s Samsung Electronics and SK Hynix. As with Louis Vuitton, so also is it with Dram, where mainland China and Hong Kong generates 25 per cent of its $31bn annual revenue. If Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol accedes to Uncle Sam’s request to ban the sale of their microchips to China, then he is even more stupid than any Irish sniveller who boycotts Irish whiskey on the word of the obese Ukrainian grifter, who has the gig of loud-mouthed Ambassador to Vichy Ireland.

Although the Pentagon believes that their competitive edge in microchips will stave off the Chinese dragon, that is not where the true fight is. The fact of the matter is the United States and its puppet allies long ago exported the whole logistics chain to China and thereby made China the world’s logistical hub, its Middle Kingdom if you will. Not only is that almost impossible to undo but there are over a billion Chinese who have a vested interest in maintaining that emerging status quo that so upsets our Anglo-Saxon friends.

Gold, by way of illustration of that latter point, is the easiest of metals to work with and it is the first metal mentioned in the Bible (Genesis 2:11-12). And, though gold jewellery is almost universally popular, the North Italians are the world’s best at fabricating gold, simply because they have long held the logistical hubs, even from long before Romulus and Remus founded Rome.

Although American puppets like Ursula von der Leyen can threaten hell and damnation on the Chinese economy, German and French automakers are making more coin by producing cars in China than they are in Europe. Why? Because China has the logistical hubs and one part of China is not squabbling with another for the right to produce hub caps, as the various European states do with each other. Europe is an organisational mess and China, as with Japan’s Hello Kitty and auto industries, is not.

And, when we ask whether the Biden family’s control of the semiconductor industry can stop China, we have to conclude that it cannot and, again, Japan shows us why. When the Europeans first reached Japan, they brought muskets with them to The Land of the Rising Sun where such a technology was unknown but where the Europeans were amazed that Japanese steel was far superior to anything they had previously encountered in Borrell’s European garden.

The Japanese, who had never previously clapped eyes on a musket, not only solved the crucial European problem of how to stop rain destroying the gun-powder but, within six months of first clapping eyes on them, were exporting muskets throughout the rest of Eastern Asia. Following the 1904/5 Russo-Japanese war, the Japanese determined that they would have to match the German Leica company in terms of lenses. Not only did the Japanese match them but they far out-paced them in less than half of the time they had allocated to that objective. If the Americans think they can stop the Chinese semiconductor tide, they best import some more Chinese or Japanese brains because it is plain as day they have a critical shortage of grey matter, as well as a profound ignorance on how inter-connected the intermediate industries of China, Korea and Japan are.

The Chinese economy, their national pay packet if you will, continues to increase, by an impressive 4.5% in the first quarter of 2023, as it happens, meaning it is in a better position to pay off or roll over any outstanding debt and, of course, to buy more whiskey, more French perfumes and more Hello Kitty kitsch.

Yankee land, meanwhile, just prints more dollar bills and spends a staggering $500 billion annually servicing their debt, even as they imagine China would not develop a debt market of their own and thereby sink the American smoke and mirrors economy. For the fact of the matter is China’s debt is not a problem and will not be a problem as long as China can manage it. And so far, as with Japan, there is no sign of a major crisis. For the Good Ship China, it seems to be steady as she goes and to hell with Moody’s and the other partisan naysayers.

To illustrate China’s strength, let’s once again turn our eyes towards Japan, whose currency is the yen. Upon hearing that yen meant circle in English, American war lord Douglas MacArthur decreed that there would be 360 yen to the Yankee dollar. It is currently trading at 135 to the dollar, which is well within its recent trading band. The Chinese yuan is at 7 to the dollar and it too is within recent trading bands. China, however, is in a much stronger position than the U.S. or any of its satrapies to push the yuan, and therefore the dollar, any way it pleases. The boot is, in other words, increasingly on the Chinese and not the NATO foot.

Here, in conclusion, is 1900 footage of a French damsel in Saigon throwing Vietnamese children grain, like they were foraging chickens. The Anglo-Saxons should know that those days are, thanks to the armed might of South East Asians and their allies, gone and, thanks to the economic might of those countries, they are not returning. The United States, together with its German, Dutch and other vassals, best acknowledge and live with that fact or be prepared to take a turn at foraging themselves when their own stupidity collapses their own side of the global economic system. As for the Chinese, they are not only fully awake but fully cognisant of the Anglo-Saxons’ wiles in the debt, and semiconductor sectors, as well as in honey, Hello Kitty and all others.

China: The Roots of NATO’s Madness

Gorflautorillas (Phoenix Suns Gorilla’s Flautas)

These are great topped with guacamole and served with Spanish rice and beans.

2023 05 07 09 17
2023 05 07 09 17

Ingredients

Flautas

  • 2 dozen corn tortillas
  • Vegetable oil
  • 5 cups Meat Filling

Meat Filling

  • 5 cups cooked, shredded beef roast
  • 1/2 cup chopped hot green chiles, peeled and seeded (fresh or canned)
  • Salt, to taste
  • Pepper, to taste
  • Garlic powder, to taste

Instructions

Flautas

  1. For each flauta, soften and heat 1 tortilla by dipping it into 2 inches of hot oil. With tongs, hold in heated oil several seconds, or until soft enough to roll.
  2. Spoon 3 to 4 tablespoons warm Meat Filling across center of soft tortilla; roll it.
  3. Arrange in casserole.
  4. Cover dish and place in 250 degrees F oven to keep warm until ready to serve.

Meat Filling

  1. Mix beef, onion and chiles in saucepan and simmer, adding a little water for moisture but not enough to make a sauce.
  2. Season with salt, pepper and garlic powder.
  3. Keep warm.

Why the crusader nation leaders keep doing meaningless things?

The Commemorating of Vietnam war is like the annual commemorating of the Anzac war: a failed invasion of Turkey resulting in massive lost of invader soldier’s lives
Vietnam's communist government has demanded Australia cease issuing commemorative coins that, it says, show the flag of the toppled US-backed South Vietnam, a claim Canberra has denied.

Key points:

Vietnam requested a halt to the coins' circulation

The Royal Australian Mint said the design reflects the colours of the ribbons of service medals awarded to Australians who served in Vietnam

More than 60,000 Australian soldiers served in the Vietnam War

Article HERE

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The USA hasn’t had democracy during my lifetime. It’s kind of complicated, we do vote and our vote matters, but it is money that determines what candidates we can vote for and the money mostly comes from oligarchs. So the US is really an oligarchy sliding toward plutocracy and not a democracy.

Human rights and freedom haven’t collapsed-yet though there is a fascist movement. Fascism had been a slow developing movement since the early 1950s but got some leads in 2016. Of Trump or one of the other fascists comes to power again they will attempt to suppress the democrats. Once there is only one real party, then is when Human rights in the US will cease to exist.

Will a fascist government in the US attempt to disconnect the public people from politics and otherwise allow freedom of self determination? Or, Will fascism become militarized and suppress civil rights like Stalin our North Korea? I don’t know.

Capitalism took a strange turn in 2007 where it constantly requires intervention by the central bank known as the Federal Reserve or just Fed. Does this mean that Capitalism US style has failed and it is being kept alive on something akin to a feeding tube? I don’t know.

Also, to what extent central banks in other countries rely on the US central bank? Foreign banks relied heavily on the fed during the recovery after 2007. There have been three recent bank failures which are concerning.

A recent and interesting turn of events is that the US together with Canada is not only self sufficient in Petroleum production, the IS has become the number one exporter of petroleum in the form of distillates up to the equivalent of 7 million barrels a day in Petroleum distillates. What this means for the world is that the US no longer cares so much about what happens in the Middle East.

Gas stations in the US are already noticing lower sales because of EVs. This means that, the US will have even more distillates to export in the coming years. These foreign sales will boost capitalism in the US and reduce reliance on printing virtual money. It will also reduce the impact of losing dollar hegemony.

I don’t know what it all means. Do words like economy, freedom, and democracy make sense as artificial general intelligence emerges? I’m old but I’m sticking around to see what happens.

This particular program is terrible with faces, but it shows great promise once you experiment with it a bit.

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Chinese researchers make a major breakthrough in 6G communication

Use terahertz frequency communication and achieve ultra-fast communication.

The technology used for this real-time data transmission has been dubbed as terahertz orbital angular momentum communication, the SCMP said in its report.

Terahertz refers to communication in the frequency range of 100 GHz and 10 THz of the electromagnetic spectrum. The higher frequency range of this technology enables faster data transfer rates and more information to be transmitted. Terahertz communication has also attracted interest for use in military environments since it offers high-speed and secure communication.

The other significant part of their achievement is the orbital angular momentum (OAM) used in the transmission. This encoding technology allows more information to be transmitted at once. The researchers used OAM to transmit multiple signals on the same frequency demonstrating a more efficient use of the spectrum.

While these technologies could take a few years to be put into everyday use, the researchers also demonstrated some advanced in wireless backhaul technology, which can be deployed soon.

In conventional cellular networks, data is transmitted from devices to base stations and then to core networks through fiber optic cables. As base stations are set to increase shortly, fiber-based transmission is expected to be more costly and time-consuming. By using wireless technology for backhaul, the researchers are looking to provide flexibility at lower costs, which can also be used for existing 5G communication.

In the future, 6G communication technology will also be critical for short-range broadband transmissions such as lunar and Mars landers and spacecraft. The U.S. government has taken cognizance of advances made by the Chinese communication industry and looking for ways to advance the technology at home and reassert U.S. dominance in the area, the Wall Street Journal reported.

2023 05 07 08 09
2023 05 07 08 09

SABOTAGE! 18 Gun Powder Warehouses ON FIRE in Russia

At this hour (4:43 PM EDT Saturday) in Pervomaiskoye, Russia, 18 gunpowder warehouses are on fire. An evacuation has been announced.

Explosions are heard from the gunpowder depots.

There is massive fire.

About 400 residents of the area will be evacuated.

Further details if they become available . . .

Jake Sullivan’s plan to defeat China!

Clueless. Idiot. OMG.

2023 05 07 08 26
2023 05 07 08 26

Green Chile Pork

2023 05 07 09 1t8
2023 05 07 09 1t8

Ingredients

  • 3 tablespoons vegetable oil
  • 2 pounds lean pork, 1/2-inch cubes
  • 1 medium onion, finely chopped
  • 3 cloves garlic, mashed
  • 2 jalapenos, cored, seeded and minced
  • 1/2 cup fresh cilantro, chopped
  • 1 (14 ounce) can tomatillos with liquid
  • 1 teaspoon salt

Instructions

  1. Heat oil in a heavy skillet; add pork and onion. Cook over medium heat until pork is browned.
  2. Add remaining ingredients, breaking up tomatoes, and simmer, covered, until pork is cooked through and tender (30 to 40 minutes).
  3. Taste and add more salt if desired.
  4. Serve with warm tortillas and lime wedges.

VIDEOS: Texas Driver Hits Migrants at Bus stop; 7 Dead, 6 Injured

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The driver of a car in Texas went up on the sidewalk for some unknown reason, and struck thirteen people standing at a Bus Stop.   Seven of those people are dead, six others are injured. We have GRAPHIC video of the impact itself,  other video of the aftermath, and video of the Hispanic Driver being arrested.

WARNING – EXTREMELY GRAPHIC (HORRIFYING) IMPACT VIDEOYou cannot Un-see this once you’ve seen it.

Video of the aftermath is utterly heartbreaking.  The video below is as rescuers are arriving on scene.  The carnage is vivid.  WARNING: EXTREMELY GRAPHIC IMAGERY

https://htrs-special.s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/Migrants-Run-Down-aftermath.mp4

Video of police taking the driver under arrest:

THIS IS WW3, They are PREPARING for what comes next!

https://youtu.be/ED7nlD65Yvo

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The changes are irreversible, and unstoppable…

You know what?

The USA is collapsing, and screaming as it dies. And the troll sharks are in a feeding frenzy, and they attack all of us what say anything outside the approved narrative.

I don’t care.

Die.

I don’t care.

Die. Go away. Fall apart.

There is nothing that I can do to save, change or accelerate the process. It’s over.

That’s my feelings.


Today’s article…

Wow! What a bombshell!

Chancellor of Germany.

I pray to God Almighty to keep this man safe. Initially, he was soft under pressure of the world hegemon, but he has now redeemed himself as one who is righteous. God bless him!

Abandoning the US, more scientists go to China

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The Organisation for Economic Co‐operation and Development (OECD) — an intergovernmental organization with 38 member countries — has published new data showing that the United States is losing the race for scientific talent to China and other countries. China’s strategy to recruit scientific researchers to work at China‐affiliated universities is working, CATO Institute informs.

In 2021, the United States lost published research scientists to other countries, while China gained more than 2,408 scientific authors. This was a remarkable turnaround from as recently as 2017 when the United States picked up 4,292 scientists and China picked up just 116.

The OECD credits more Chinese scientists returning to China for the sudden reversal in Chinese and American inflows.

This is a disturbing trend that started before the pandemic. In fact, it appears to coincide with the Trump administration’s “China Initiative” — more accurately titled the anti‐Chinese initiative.

Launched in November 2018, the Department of Justice’s campaign was supposed to combat the overblown threat of intellectual property theft and espionage. In reality, it involved repeatedly intimidating institutions that employed scientists of Chinese heritage and attempting malicious failed prosecutions of scientists who worked with institutions in China.

U.S. Attorney Andrew E. Lelling has even admitted that the initiative that he helped lead “created a climate of fear among researchers” and now says, “You don’t want people to be scared of collaboration.”

If Chinese scientists are afraid to work in the United States, that means that the United States will not benefit from their discoveries as much or as quickly as China will.

Although the Justice Department claims to have shut down its “China Initiative,” my colleagues doubt that Chinese scientists will be free from unjust scrutiny going forward. The U.S. National Institutes of Health is still bragging about having caused the firings of more than 100 scientists and shutting down research by over 150 scientists — over 80 percent of whom identify as ‘Asian’.

The administration continues to maintain contrary to evidence that Chinese industrial espionage — by scientists working in the United States — is a significant threat to the country. Universities and U.S. companies think the far greater threat is losing out on talented Chinese researchers.

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3600 Pounds of GOLD BULLION Stolen from Canada Airport

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2023 04 21 11 43
2023 04 21 11 43

Police in Toronto and surrounding areas are going berserk looking for 3,600 pounds of Gold Bullion that was STOLEN from Pearson Airport in Toronto, Ontario. The Gold is said to be worth over US$100 Million.

The Royal Canadian Mounted Police confirmed they are looking into a gold robbery at Pearson International Airport. Gold mined in Canada can travel through Pearson on its way to customers around the world.

The airport did not respond to a request for comment. Peel Regional Police, who are responsible for the area, asked for the Mounties’ help, the RCMP said.

The Toronto Sun reported earlier Thursday that 3,600 pounds of gold being moved through the airport had been stolen. The newspaper said the theft was likely linked to organized crime.

Southeast Asia wants business and investments, they want to make money for their countries, US is offering politics not business. China is offering business not politics. China offers free trade agreements, US doesn’t.

All you are thinking about and offering are politics, competition and conflicts, try business, free trade deals, investments, you’ll do better.

People loved Americans because they offered prosperity, now all they talk about is politics. They came empty handed and left empty handed. They don’t want free handout or charity, they want business.

THIS IS WILL BE WW3, NATO is finished! with Clayton Morris

The bunker wad made in USSR times, so Russia has it’s exact specifics – it is heavy fortified bunker, built to withstand direct nuclear impact.

Located 120 meters under the ground it had 8 meters concrete sealing + 1m of lead. Kinzhal has few known modifications and the one that destroyed the bunker was using kinetic / compression energy.

It’s claimed to be able to penetrate 30+ meters of concrete, so basically there is no place you can hide from it.

Here you can see how it flies and hear “explosion” , which in fact is the sound of it, due to it’s top speeds mach 10-12.

Also you can notice the glow, which surrounds the rocket – it’s plasma field, which makes it untraceable, not to mention that even if you detect it – there’s nothing faster to intercept it.

https://youtu.be/JCIpWxsHW5I

‘Catastrophic’ Collapse in American Standard of Living Incoming As Global De-Dollarization Takes Hold: Economist

dollar’s share of global reserves falling from 73% in 2001 to 47% in 2021.

Economist Peter St Onge just issued a major warning on the fate of the US dollar and the quality of life in America.

In a new market update, St Onge says widespread de-dollarization is not a fear for the future.

Instead, the economist says a “stunning collapse” is already well underway, with the dollar’s share of global reserves falling from 73% in 2001 to 47% in 2021.

St Onge says American sanctions are now fueling the flame, citing the fact that the US froze $300 billion in Russian central bank dollars after the country instigated war with Ukraine.

He believes a global realization of the sanctions risk is leading nations to further move away from the dollar and towards alternative stores of value, such as gold and the euro.

Article HERE

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Cajun Chicken Spaghetti

cajun chicken spaghetti squash bake stir 1
cajun chicken spaghetti squash bake stir 1

Ingredients

  • 1 pound butter, divided
  • 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
  • 6 cups chopped onion, divided
  • 7 tablespoons Cajun seasonings, divided
  • 5 cups water
  • 2 1/2 tablespoons chicken base
  • 4 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
  • 2 tablespoons Tabasco sauce or to taste
  • 2 (15 ounce) cans tomato sauce
  • 2 (12 ounce) cans tomato paste
  • 4 tablespoons granulated sugar
  • 10 chicken breast halves, skinned, de-boned and cut into bite-size pieces

Instructions

  1. Melt half the butter in a large heavy skillet. Add the garlic and 2 cups of the onion and sauté 5 minutes.
  2. Stir in 3 tablespoons of the Cajun seasonings and simmer for 10 minutes.
  3. Add the water, chicken base, Worcestershire sauce and Tabasco sauce and simmer for 6 minutes.
  4. Add the tomato sauce and tomato paste. Bring to a boil and add the sugar and 2 more cups of the onions. Reduce heat and simmer for 40 minutes, stirring occasionally.
  5. Coat chicken pieces with remaining Cajun seasonings.
  6. Melt remaining butter. Add the rest of the onions and sauté for 3 minutes.
  7. Add chicken and cook for 10 minutes or until tender.
  8. Stir chicken into sauce and serve over pasta (hot cooked spaghetti or linguine).

Zelensky is FINISHED and Biden knows it

Europe approves its $47 billion answer to Biden’s CHIPS Act

Apparently, Europe chip act removed all those conditions imposed by US chip act thinking they will be able to complete with US to win over investments. 

This is the beginning of dogs fighting dog, while China already making stage by stage breakthrough in home based chip manufacturing. 

Who will win the chip War when even the US, South korea, and Holland chip industrial reported massive sales dropped and stock crushed due to sanctioned against China ❗

From the way the Chinese handle competition based on self improvement and self reliance vs. the imperialist crusader's DNA nations of US and EU to simply sanctioned their competition, and looted other technology, it is not hard to tell why China able to lead the world for thousands of years before the 1840 opium war, and is already managed to self revive and lead the world against in all aspect very soon. 

The me-only crusader DNA nations need culture reform to earn to live well without war, Bullying, and looting.

Article HERE

European Chips Act

Full Text

US Dollar Suffering ‘Stunning Collapse’, Losing Reserve Status Due to Currency Weaponization: Report – The Daily Hodl

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The US dollar’s global supremacy is reportedly eroding at an exponential rate, with countries backing away after witnessing how America used USD to impose sanctions against Russia.

In a new Bloomberg report, Stephen Jen and Joana Freire of asset management firm Eurizon SLJ Capital reveal that in 2022, the US dollar’s market share in global reserves plunged 10 times its average speed of the past 20 years.

Considering the fluctuations in exchange rates, the dollar lost about 11% of its market share since 2016 and twice that amount since 2008.

Jen and Freire say in an investor note that countries located in Asia, Latin America, Africa, the Carribean and the Pacific Islands – collectively known as the Global South – are shedding their dollar reserves as they look for an alternative to avoid sharing Russia’s fate.

“The dollar suffered a stunning collapse in 2022 in its market share as a reserve currency, presumably due to its muscular use of sanctions. Exceptional actions taken by the US and its allies against Russia have startled large reserve-holding countries.”…

Article HERE

Jeffrey Sachs Interview – China Pushes Back Against US Foreign Policy

“Reality Called. I Hang Up”: Hilariously Offensive Greeting Cards by Bluntcard

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Bluntcard is a branded style of image and humor. The humor style is often truthful, abrupt, and can be insensitive. Mostly dealing with social issues, self absorption, hypocrisy and sometimes current events. Bluntcards are virtual greeting cards to be shared on the web.

More: Bluntcard, Instagram

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Battle Scene from Downfall

Cajun Chicken Alfredo

2023 04 19 14 47a
2023 04 19 14 47a

Ingredients

  • 3 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
  • 1 bag fettuccine or penne pasta
  • Louisiana Cajun spice
  • 1 jar Alfredo sauce
  • Chopped green onions (garnish)
  • Diced tomato (optional garnish)

Instructions

  1. Season chicken breasts with Louisiana Cajun Spice generously, then season with garlic powder.
  2. Pour 1 tablespoon of vegetable oil in a frying pan and cook chicken until done.
  3. Boil pasta until done, then strain and add Alfredo sauce.
  4. Slice cooked chicken into 1 inch cubes.
  5. Put pasta mixture on a plate, and add diced chicken.
  6. Garnish with chopped green onions and tomatoes, if desired.

https://youtu.be/S7OmVnpfayc

Declan Hayes
April 20, 2023

Whether the Chinese want to eat them, use them as lab rats or put them into zoos, the sheer scale of this order shows that China is now a major player in the monkey business.

The news that Sri Lanka may export over 100,000 monkeys to China is another dagger to the Yankee dollar’s heart. Before moving on to other exotic exports from other exotic countries, let’s first put this monkey business to bed.

Sri Lanka’s economy, like her monkeys’ habitats, is in pieces. Sri Lanka needs every penny, every pound, every yen, every yuan she can scrape together. And, as macaque monkeys go for between $4,000 to $8,000 apiece, Sri Lanka is looking to gross between $400,000,000 and $800,000,000 for this exotic trade of a primate which is regarded as a pest throughout large swatches of Sri Lanka.

The trade in monkeys is big business, with the United States importing almost 500,000 of them for a variety of reasons (culinary, labs, zoos etc) in recent years. And whether the Chinese want to eat them, use them as lab rats or put them into zoos, the sheer scale of this order shows that China is now a major player in the monkey business.

If this was a once off trade or if Sri Lanka and China were not going to continue to be trading partners, it might make sense for China to pay in Yankee dollars, which Sri Lanka could then use to buy goods from one of its trading partners, China included. But, as China and Sri Lanka will forever remain major trading partners, the demand for yuan in Colombo and rupees in Shanghai will continue to grow.

Because the Sri Lankan rupee is an exotic currency for which there is only patchy overseas’ demand, the danger has been that China’s monkey importers would be loath to accept rupees as they are much harder to offload than the Yankee dollar. This problem can be seen more clearly with the 1997 passing of the late Princess Diana of Wales when the unprecedented demand for flowers to throw at her casket meant that Dutch traders (guilder/euro) were importing them wholesale from as far afield as Kenya (shilling) and Tanzania (shilling) to on-sell to the English (pound sterling). Far easier to take those currencies out of the frame and just count the resulting huge profits in one currency, the Yankee dollar, which would otherwise not be in the frame at all.

Complicating things further, the Sri Lankan rupee is a closed currency, which means it is not available to buy or sell outside of Sri Lanka. whose Central Bank is charged with stabilising it. As remittances from overseas Sri Lankans (down 20%) and tourist revenue (down 90%) both took massive hits from the Covid lockdown, the Central Bank’s job become much harder and desperate measures, such as curtailing the import of fertilisers, backfired badly on the ordinary Sri Lankan. Sri Lanka’s Central Bank really has its work cut out so much that if 100,000 macaque monkeys have to take it in the neck for Team Sri Lanka, so be it. As Sri Lanka’s annual debt service costs now run to over U.S.$10 billion, Sri Lanka cannot max out its national credit card any more but must think of new ways, like the mass export of monkeys, to tackle this crisis.

When Brazil’s President Lula recently rhetorically asked in Shanghai “why all countries have to base their trade on the dollar… why can’t we do trade based on our own currencies?”, Sri Lanka and many of his Latin American neighbours such as Argentina and Mexico supply much of the answer. The currencies of Mexico, Argentina, Sri Lanka and Brazil itself are known in the trade as exotic currencies, which are relatively minor in international commerce but whose resulting thinness and spread yields abnormally large profits for the British and American financial institutions who trade them.

When Brazil’s President Lula went on to rhetorically ask “Who was it that decided that the dollar was the currency after the disappearance of the gold standard?”, the answer is that the Americans decided that beginning at Bretton Woods, where the Brazilian and other delegations there were in no position to argue the converse. When Brazil’s President Lula then went on to rhetorically ask “Why can’t a bank like that of the Brics have a currency to finance trade relations between Brazil and China, between Brazil and other countries?”, the reason has as much to do with Sri Lankan monkeys as it has with monkey economics.

Quite simply, the Americans reaped the benefits of the Second World War much more than anyone else. The dollar replaced the pound sterling as the global reserve currency of choice as part of America’s campaign to achieve hegemony even during the Second World War when British backs were very much up against the wall and when, as a consequence, the pound sterling was under intense strain.

Although the paper notes the Bank of England issues promises to give the bearer one pound of sterling (92.5%) silver for every single note held, that is no longer the case. However, as long as credibility in the Bank of England and related central banks holds and people accept those pieces of paper, that is not really an issue and trade in these IOUs can continue more or less as before.

It is that credibility rather than the paper itself which is the Coin of the Realm, not only in England but in America, China and Sri Lanka as well. Having that credibility brings immense benefits to the Yanks, the Brits, the Swiss, the Japanese and the Germans and Dutch who are at the heart of the euro. If the Chinese (not, please note the Brazilians) can elbow their way into that happy circle, they will be well pleased with themselves. If they can get the Sri Lankans to take Chinese yuan rather than Yankee dollars for their monkeys, well then that is good news for both China and Sri Lanka.

And, of course, bad news for the Yanks, who have traditionally benefited immensely from all this. There is currently over $2,000 billion Yankee dollars, IOUs in circulation, with between 25% and 60% of that amount held outside of the U.S. If the Sri Lankans can strike a deal in yuan for their monkeys, then they can use some of their precious Yankee reserves for other purposes, much as Japan did in its leanest post war years, when it started to export guitars, sewing machines and bicycles in exchange for much-needed Yankee dollars.

America’s financial power goes much further than that, as the trade in American debt instruments is enormous and trade in gold derivatives is, by and large, a proxy for American interest rates, which determine the value of those debt instruments, which were historically considered a safe haven by Japan, South Korea, Taiwan and Russia, which has been criminally and systematically robbed by the Yanks and their west European vassals over the last year.

The dollar’s status as a reserve currency allows the Yanks to print an almost unlimited amount of dollars without suffering hyperinflation, something that is biting at the heels of Sri Lanka’s Central Bank and which the Central Banks of Mexico, Argentina and, of course, Germany are no strangers to.

As long as the Yankee dollar is the reserve currency of choice, Uncle Sam can simply print more greenbacks, more IOUs and trade them for Arab oil or Japanese cars. The only other countries that can exchange their dubious currencies for tangible goods are those, like the West Europeans, who can get an American swap line, allowing them to trade their IOUs (euros or pounds) for Yankee dollars. Sri Lanka, to take the obvious example, can no longer do that. Without a swap line to the Yanks or its Bretton Woods frontmen, printing more money devalues the currency and, as Latin America, Sri Lanka and Germany know all too well, causes inflation and the societal problems ensuing from it.

Not only has Lula’s Bric currency no prospect of replacing the Yankee dollar in the short term but there is no prospect of that happening over the longer term either. What is happening is that the Chinese yuan, the Russian rouble and other second tier currencies are pushing the dollar and allied currencies out of areas, such as the trade in Russian oil and Sri Lankan monkeys, they are not needed in.

Although the yuan option makes sense for Sri Lanka, the Dutch and the Yanks won’t be too happy with that. The Dutch, remember, even tried to wrest Greece’s dairy industry from Greece after their euro swindle caused Greece’s economy to implode. As the Dutch and their trans-Atlantic partners in crime showed no mercy to the Greeks, we cannot expect them to look kindly on either the Chinese or Holland’s own former Ceylonese colony. Sadly, Sri Lanka, on its own, is, like Brazil, in no position to stand up to the bullyboy tactics of the usual NATO suspects.

China, as previously alluded to, may be another kettle of fish. If China can make such exotic trades and help break NATO’s banana blockade, then it will have the gratitude of tens of millions of Latin Americans, Africans, Sri Lankans and other Asians. For China to accomplish that, credibility and cold, common sense must be their Coin of the Realm.

China’s alliance with Mother Russia best illustrates this. For such alliances to work, there must be clear demarcation lines between what each party does and does not do. In the case of oil, that can be Russia delivering crude oil at a marked to market price in a place and manner of choosing to the parties involved. As that is an ongoing supply and demand business, China and Russia can mark themselves not only to the spot price but, going forward, to the futures and options prices as well.

Given that Uncle Sam objected in his usual violent manner when Libya, Tanzania and Kenya tried to form their own gold backed currency in times gone by, we can expect plenty of U.S. inspired bumps along the road as Russia, China and Sri Lanka look to the future with the economic cards at their disposal. That said, the key to the future of Russia, China, Sri Lanka and countless other nations is to fortify their sovereignty and trading monkeys for yuan and yuan for oil is a big step in that process. Although none of that will replace the global pre-eminence of the Yankee dollar, ditching the dollar, a yuan, a rupee and a rouble at a time, offers more hope to Russians, Asians and Latinos than does eternal vassalage to Uncle Sam and the global financial system he rigs in his favour.

NATO’s pending monkey business against China in the South China Sea will be an excellent weather vane in this respect. If NATO can upset China’s apple-cart there, then, for countries like Sri Lanka, it will be business and penury as usual. If, on the other hand, NATO can be sent packing, then there might be hope for all the peoples of the South China Sea, for Sri Lanka and for all the other peoples of South Asia as well.

The Walking Dead – Bombing Atlanta.

Slow to the EV Game, Foreign Car JVs in China Face Bleak Future

Nissan and Stellantis are among those with the worst joint venture sales

By Selina Xu

19 November 2022

A slow roll-out of electric cars and continued adherence to internal combustion engine models is putting some of the world’s biggest automakers on the back foot in China, the largest market for cleaner vehicles.

Among the joint ventures of major international players, the following 10 are at the bottom, ranking worst in terms of combustion-engine sales, according to CMB International Capital Corp. and using data from the China Association of Automobile Manufacturers.

Article HERE

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Vintage photos

Unsorted. Please enjoy.

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US vs China Parents – What skills do children need to be innovative?

During a recent meeting I attended with educators and government officials, I shared my frustration with the “output” of the current educational system. In my opinion, we optimized the system to produce graduates with deep technical skills and the ability to take tests. One competency that I see missing in our children is the ability to apply creative problem-solving skills to any given problem.

The Creative Economy

If you believe, as I, that we are experiencing the transition to the creative economy, the ability to train future employees with innovation skills will determine the winners and losers for organizations and countries. Those with a workforce without innovation skills will be relegated to being producers rather than creators.

I don’t want to sound like I’m blaming educators. The ultimate responsibility falls on the parents for the education and training of their children.  So what skills should parents ensure their kids? A recently published report based on the Newsweek-Intel Innovation Survey shows that US and China parents don’t agree on what skills are critical for children to have when it comes to innovation.

2023 04 20 06 42
2023 04 20 06 42

So, what are these critical skills?

Creative Thinking/Problem-Solving Skills: Children need to be taught how to think rather than how to memorize. It’s not about finding the one right answer for a test but instead the ability to search out all the possible answers to a question to find the optimal solution. Critical thinking and problem-solving skills should not be a stand-alone subject but taught across all subjects. For example, thinking through the range of options a given historical figure faced and then determining what would have been the alternative outcomes. Did that person make the right decision?

Entrepreneurial Skills: It is no longer about having deep expertise in an area but also having a broad understanding of how an idea is transformed into innovation. Understanding the structure, steps, and running of an organization is a fundamental skill that everyone needs to have.

Cultural Understanding:  The world is flat and getting flatter. The ability to understand and collaborate with a global ecosystem of employees, partners, and customers is a table stake. Without them, you are at a distinct disadvantage that will become more severe.

What are parents to do?

Find opportunities for your kids to gain the experience and skills needed to win the emerging economy. Get them involved in Junior Achievement so they understand business and how to be an entrepreneur. Get them on a FIRST team so they learn how to invent, create and collaborate. Put them in situations where they have to work with others from different cultures, such as an international internship.

While we as a society need to change the educational system to ensure we are producing the best employees possible, it’s the parents that can have the most positive and immediate impact on instilling innovation skills.

What jobs will they be ready for when the creative economy takes over?

Heartbreak Ridge – This Is The AK-47 Assault Rifle

How do we detect an imminent Chinese invasion of Taiwan?

I assume that you are an American, or a member of a proxy state loyal to the United States.

I also must assume that you failed geography. Never studied war. Have no idea at all about China, and are just emotionally entangled with the anti-China nonsense being spewed forth from the Western media.

Well, I’ll try to answer this one.

But as we used to say in Mississippi; there’s “few things stupider than a mail box pole”.

Taiwan is close to China.

In close. As in really, really, REALLY close.

Not only geographically, but socially, economically, financially, culturally, historically, and in all other ways… Chinese.

There is so much cross-strait migration back and forth, that you cannot tell who is from Taiwan and who is from the mainland.

So what does this mean?

Well…

  • You cannot detect a build up of any kind of an invasion force.
  • You cannot discern who is who, and where is what.
  • China controls Taiwan. Even though there are DPP elements who believe otherwise.

So, to spell it out clearly… let’s just say this.

You can supply Taiwan with all the weapons and bombs in the world, and you can convince them that LGBQ+ is the “new sexy”, but China is far too big, far too powerful, far too influential, and far, far too well managed. If China said “enough is enough”. All the games and charades would be over.

President Biden would have a fit, the United States media would howl, and the neocons would demand war!

But you know what would really happen?

Nothing. A whimper. And the United States would slither back under the rock from whence it came from.

Uncle Buck Favorite Scene

Okinawa is a Japanese & English name. Its Chinese name is Chong Sheng (冲绳). In 2023, it has returned to its history & renamed itself BACK to Liu Qiu (琉球). It was called Zhong Shan Wang Guo (中山王国)more than 150 years ago.

Liu Qiu is composed of many islands & rocks. Geographically Liu Qiu is located between Taiwan & Japan. But is closer to Taiwan than to Japan.

Liu Qiu was an independent country. It had diplomacy & business with China since 1429 & was under protection of China (like Korea).

Before WW2, when China’s Qing dynasty was militarily weak, Japan colonized many Asian countries & places incl Liu Qiu, Korea & Taiwan.

After WW2, the defeated Japan were forced to leave its colonies. According to Cairo Declaration, Japan territory only included Japan’s 4 big islands & a few rocks where there were no human.

In Liu Qiu, there were & are natives living there. Clearly there is no way Liu Qiu was part of Japan according to Cairo Declaration. Liu Qiu was independent from Japan.

How did Liu Qiu become a Japanese county today?

In 1972, USA unilaterally renamed Liu Qiu to Okinawa & put it under Japanese jurisdiction. Liu Qiu government was powerless to resist USA. (USA also unilaterally gave China’s Diao Yu Dao (钓鱼岛) to Japan, but there was no human on the rock. Today China vigorously protects Diao Yu Dao from Japan.)

1972 was an important date. It is the year when USA betrayed Taiwan’s ROC sovereignty & recognized PRC as the legitimate government to represent China in UN.

Why gave Liu Qiu to Japan at this time?

USA built a big US military base on Liu Qiu close to Taiwan. That is, to closely watch Taiwan for rebellion. After all USA had betrayed Taiwan first.

Before & during WW2, Japan was a bully in Asia. Forced labor/slave people from Korea, China incl Taiwan & of course Liu Qiu. Slavery means Japan did not treat others as humans. Insufficient food. Long hours of work. Not to mention physical beating.

Like Hitler’s Jewish holocaust, Japan did the same in Liu Qiu, China incl Taiwan (Nanjing massacre) & Korea. Liu Qiu people never forget that massacre.

Today, US soldiers on Liu Qiu are lawless. Rapes. Assault esp after alcohol. But they are immune from Liu Qiu law incl covid restrictions.

In 2023, Japan also stations Japanese soldiers in Liu Qiu.

Liu Qiu knows well:

If there is Taiwan war, USA & Japan will turn Liu Qiu into a ruin, both physically & economically. Dont be naive to think USA cares about human rights.

That is why Liu Qiu badly wants independence & declares neutrality among big countries eg China & USA+Japan. Not to mention to kick out lawless US & Japanese soldiers.

China is to do 2 things.

1, Accept Liu Qiu’s request for formal diplomacy between the 2 in summer 2023.

2, Following Cairo Declaration, China will ask UN to recognize Liu Qiu as an independent country. USA’s unilateral action in 1972 was illegal.

There are no arguments “for” 🙄, Taiwan belongs to China end of. If people do not like it then they are free to leave.

Even the UN recognises Taiwan as belonging to PRC China.

These questions are moot 🙄

On 23 July 2007, Secretary-General of the UN

Ban Ki-moon rejected Taiwan’s membership bid to “join the UN under the name of Taiwan”, citing Resolution 2758 as acknowledging that Taiwan is part of China, although it is important to note, not the People’s Republic of China.[8] Since Resolution 2758 was said to be “deliberately ambiguous” and did not use the word ‘Taiwan’, Ban Ki-moon’s interpretation to this effect came under fire from the American media[9] and was also opposed by several UN members led by the U.S.[10] A report by the American think tank the Heritage Foundation, also suggests that the US government issued a nine-point démarche

specifically rejecting the Secretary-General’s statement.[11] The US did not make any public pronouncement on the matter. Nevertheless, Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon’s statement reflected long-standing UN policy and is mirrored in other documents promulgated by the United Nations. For example, the UN’s “Final Clauses of Multilateral Treaties, Handbook”, 2003 (a publication which predated his tenure in Office) states:

…regarding the Taiwan Province of China, the Secretary-General follows the General Assembly’s guidance incorporated in resolution 2758 (XXVI) of the General Assembly of 25 October 1971 on the restoration of the lawful rights of the People’s Republic of China in the United Nations. The General Assembly decided to recognize the representatives of the Government of the People’s Republic of China as the only legitimate representatives of China to the United Nations. Hence, instruments received from the Taiwan Province of China will not be accepted by the Secretary-General in his capacity as depositary.[12]

The Chinese are getting ready for the American promises of world war 3

...Agree with the sentiment but please don't lump “The West” all together.

The being dumbed down to stupid level bit, there are stupids in America, and then there are stupids in non-American Western countries. You simply cannot compare the levels of stupid. American stupids are stratosphere level. Everyone else is still within the biosphere, a bit stupid but not that level of stupid.

I don't know if Quora has mostly an American audience, but I can say as a non-American living outside of America that I have yet to come across USA level of stupid where I am. Although the US government is really good at forcing non-US Western governments into matching the US level of stupid. My observation is about Western citizens, not their governments. We are not the same level of stupid.

We are in the thick of it. I anticipate some great change throughout this year. Ya all best be on the top of your toes. That’s for sure.

Let’s begin…

This Can’t be Happening!

Self-harm is one thing, but this could be fatal

Apr 28, 2023
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The US has jailed Harvard’s Professor of Chemistry, a renowned nano-chemist, for teaching nano-chemistry to Chinese students.

And kept him out of China for two years.

All nice and legal.

They charged him with failing to declare his taxable income from the Chinese university and for lying to the FBI when questioned and fined him $50,000, along with $34,000 restitution to the IRS.

Disgraced and bankrupt, Professor Lieber will serve two days in prison, six months of home confinement, and 18 months of supervised release, ensuring that he can’t teach in China for at least two years. (This goes way back. The US detained a famous Chinese nuclear physicist for years in the ’50s, too).

At the time of his arrest in 2020 Prof. Lieber was the peak of his career and favored for a Nobel. He hasn’t taught a class since. He is one of the people who gave America the lead in nano-chemistry and he was essentially gunned down just when he was making his greatest contributions.

Why did the US destroy this priceless national asset at the peak of his career?

To send an unmistakable message to the scientific community, “Don’t help the Chinese”.

And guess who’s helping the Chinese?

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2023 04 28 15 19

Joseph Stieglitz said that, of all America’s current problems, the quality of its decision-making is the gravest. That nails it, and this exemplifies it.

https://youtu.be/v1IA-0xur2U

Argentina to stop using the USD and start using the Chinese Yuan

Just a matter of time, the dollar will become a useless currency outside America. US economy will collapsed faster than imagination.

Article HERE

Korean leader gets butt-fucked by Biden

It was another day when Korean netizens were so angry by their own president.

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2023 04 28 15 49

After the South Korea-US summit on the 26th, South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol and his wife attended a dinner held at the White House that night. During the dinner, Yoon talked about his favorite American song “American Pie” when he was a student, and sang a part live at the invitation of everyone.

After the singing video was uploaded back to South Korea, some Korean netizens were furious again, denouncing it as a “national humiliation”, “Those who didn’t know thought we chose an artist, not the president”. Some people mentioned earlier reports that Yoon worked hard to practice English “in order to impress the hearts of the United States”, and complained, “The president stayed up late to learn this?”

Bangladesh to Pay Russia $300 Million in Yuan for Power Plant

Bangladesh to Pay Russia $300 Million in Yuan for Power Plant – Bloomberg

Article HERE

You Can Now Get Cat Sticker To Cover Up Racist Graffiti You Find On The Streets

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Depending on where you live and what part of the city you are in, chances are you probably walk or drive by some racist graffiti on walls, lamp posts, or on the ground quite often. Well, someone had enough of it and made these brilliant cat stickers to cover them up.

More: Cracks Appearing Distro h/t: sadanduseless

cat stickers1
cat stickers1

Sure, you could always report the graffiti, or attempt to clean it up yourself, but there’s just something so satisfying about taking care of it in the most clever way possible! Not only are you covering up some terrible text or picture, but you’re giving everyone a new awesome message to read that’s positive, and it has a picture of a cat that’ll draw everyone in!

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cat stickers3

Taiwan: Washington’s Quest to Provoke A Chinese War

Creole Shrimp & Rigatoni with
Spicy Jalapeno Chicken Sausage

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2023 04 19 15 01

Prep: 10 min | Cook: 15 min | Yield: 8 servings

Ingredients

  • 12 ounces Al Fresco Spicy Jalapeno Chicken Sausage, sliced on the diagonal into 1/4 inch thick slices
  • 3/4 teaspoon Creole seasoning
  • 12 ounces dry rigatoni pasta
  • 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
  • 1/2 cup fresh white onion, chopped
  • 1 poblano pepper, fresh, seeded and chopped
  • 2 fresh cloves garlic, minced
  • 1 (28 ounce) can diced tomatoes, unsalted
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 1/2 teaspoon black ground pepper
  • 1/2 teaspoon hot pepper sauce
  • 1 tablespoon light, unsalted butter
  • 1 pound raw medium shrimp, 31 to 40 per pound, peeled and deveined
  • 2 tablespoons fresh chopped parsley, preferably Italian parsley
  • 1/2 medium fresh lemon, zested with grater

Instructions

  1. Toss the shrimp in a medium bowl with 3/4 teaspoon Creole seasoning and set aside.
  2. Cook pasta in a large pot of boiling water according to package directions. Reserve 1/2 cup pasta water. Drain the pasta, return to the pot and keep warm.
  3. While the pasta is cooking, heat the oil in a large skillet medium-high heat add the onion and poblano pepper. Cook the vegetables until tender, about 5 minutes, stirring frequently. Stir in the garlic and chicken sausage, and cook one additional minute.
  4. Add the tomatoes, salt, pepper, hot sauce and butter. Reduce the heat to medium, and simmer for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally.
  5. Remove the pan from the heat and stir in the shrimp. Cover and let sit for 3 minutes, until the shrimp are cooked through.
  6. Stir in the reserved pasta water, chopped parsley and lemon zest.
  7. Pour the sauce in the pot with the pasta.
  8. Toss the pasta to coat.
  9. Serve immediately with grated parmesan cheese.

Clayton Morris: This is pure insanity and no one is stopping it!

Waiting for the End of the World

World’s largest battery maker (CATL) announces major breakthrough in energy density

2023 04 28 15 47
2023 04 28 15 47

In one of the most significant battery breakthroughs in recent years, the world’s largest battery manufacturer CATL has announced a new “condensed” battery with 500 Wh/kg which it says will go into mass production this year.

“The launch of condensed batteries will usher in an era of universal electrification of sea, land and air transportation, open up more possibilities of the development of the industry, and promote the achieving of the global carbon neutrality goals at an earlier date,” the company said in a presentation at Auto Shanghai on Thursday.

CATL’s new condensed battery will have almost double the energy intensity of Tesla’s 4680 cells, whose rating of 272-296 Wh/kg are considered very high by current standards.

CATL chief scientist Wu Kai says the condensed battery integrates a range of innovative technologies, including the ultra-high energy density cathode materials, innovative anode materials, separators, and manufacturing processes, offering excellent charge and discharge performance as well as good safety performance.

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2023 04 28 15 4a8

What makes CATL’s announcement this week truly groundbreaking is that the condensed battery will go into mass production this year.

This Is What Disney Princesses Would Look Like If They Were Anime Characters

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For many years Disney princesses and their strong personalities have been inspiring illustrators, photographers and artists who keep trying to re-imagine the cartoon beauties’ iconic looks. Today we’ll show you what Disney’s royal ladies would look like if they were anime characters, as drawn by a talented Pakistani artist, Maryam.

h/t: brightside

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Dulac Dirty Rice

Dulac Dirty Rice has it all. It gets color from the bell peppers, crunch from the pecans, sweetness from the raisins and saltiness from the bacon.

dulac dirty rice
dulac dirty rice

Yield: 8 (1 cup) servings

Ingredients

  • 1 pound ground beef
  • 2 1/2 cups water
  • 1 package ZATARAIN’S® Dirty Rice Mix
  • 2 tablespoons butter, divided
  • 1/4 cup pecan pieces
  • 1/4 cup chopped red bell pepper
  • 1/4 cup chopped yellow bell pepper
  • 1/2 cup raisins
  • 1/2 cup crumbled cooked bacon
  • 1/2 cup thinly sliced green onions

Instructions

  1. Cook ground beef in large skillet over medium-high heat until no longer pink. Drain fat; set aside.
  2. Add water to same skillet; bring to boil. Stir in Rice Mix and ground beef; return to boil. Reduce heat to low; cover and simmer for 25 minutes or until rice is tender.
  3. Remove from heat. Let stand for 5 minutes.
  4. Melt 1 tablespoon of the butter in medium skillet on medium heat. Add pecans; cook and stir for 2 minutes or until lightly browned. Add to rice mixture.
  5. Melt remaining 1 tablespoon butter in same skillet. Add bell peppers and raisins; cook and stir for 3 minutes or until tender.
  6. Add to rice mixture; stir until well mixed.
  7. Sprinkle with bacon and green onions before serving.

Putin just DESTROYED NATO’S top Ukraine leaders with this attack, U.S. is silent.

San Francisco Target Places Entire Aisles Behind Security Glass Amid Shoplifting Crisis

Thursday, Apr 27, 2023 – 07:40 AM

A viral TikTok video shows a Target store in San Francisco, with at least one entire aisle of products behind security glass amid years of failed social justice reforms that have sparked a shoplifting crisis.

Footage of the store’s interior posted to TikTok last week showed at least one aisle of cosmetics and toiletries under lock and key. The New York Post reported the store’s “entire inventory is on lockdown.” The store is located on Folsom Street near the city’s Mission District, an area known for lawlessness.

In a statement to Fox News, a Target spokesperson said:

“Like other retailers, organized retail crime is a concern across our business. We’re taking proactive measures to keep our teams and guests safe while deterring and preventing theft.

“These mitigation efforts include hiring additional security guards, adding third-party guard services at select locations, and using new technologies and tools to protect merchandise from being stolen.”

The spokesperson continued:

“We are working with legislators, law enforcement, and retail industry partners to support public policy that would help achieve our goals of creating a safe environment in our stores and keeping our doors open in communities across the country.”

It comes as no surprise that Target has a history of contributing millions to “national social justice initiatives.” Some of these progressive initiatives, aimed at reforming policies in predominantly liberal urban areas, have had unintended consequences. For instance, the easing of theft rules in California led to a surge in shoplifting.

Target may be hesitant to shutter its stores in San Francisco due to its commitment to progressive values.

However, other retailers have had enough and have fled the metro area. Just last week, Whole Foods closed its flagship store in the downtown district due to “high theft” and hostile visitors.”

YouTuber Guilty For Selling ‘Metal Cards’ That DoJ Says Are “Machine Gun Conversion Devices”

Thursday, Apr 27, 2023 – 11:00 AM

A Wisconsin gun dealer whose YouTube channel has 180,000 subscribers was convicted of “conspiring to transfer unregistered machine gun conversion devices” that were nothing more than metal bottle openers etched with patterns called “lightning links” that, when milled, can convert a semiautomatic AR-15 rifle into an automatic machine gun.

Gun dealer Matthew Hoover, who operated the CRS Firearms channel, was found “guilty of conspiring to transfer unregistered machine gun conversion devices that they referred to as “Auto Key Cards,”” the Department of Justice wrote in a press release. He was convicted of four counts of transferring unregistered machine gun conversion devices and faces 45 years in jail.

Also facing severe jail time is Kristopher Justinboyer Ervin. The DoJ said he was convicted “of seven counts of transferring unregistered machine gun conversion devices, three counts of possessing unregistered machine gun conversion devices, and one count of structuring cash transactions to avoid currency transaction reporting requirements.”

Ervin faces a maximum penalty of 110 years in federal prison. Sentencing for the two is scheduled for July 31.

Hoover and Ervin sold lightning links, etched into metal cards, which he referred to as “Auto Key Cards,” from around $40 for one version to more than $180. Hoover touted the cards on his YouTube channel.

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2023 04 26 12 04 30

In one video, he said:

Auto Key Cards “are awesome because they’re stupid cheap.

 “You could drop it in your rifle or, you know, if you’re actually gonna do this legally, this is just a bottle opener. 

“What this is, is a novelty.

“So if someone sees it, they’re like, ‘hey, what is this?’ You explain to them that because laws are so ridiculous and so out of control, if I were to cut on these lines, I would become a felon. How ridiculous is that? It’s just a conversation starter.”

The DoJ said it took ATF agents about “40 minutes” to remove the pieces from the metal card via a Dremel rotary tool.

Last Thursday, defense attorneys for the men argued the firearms law doesn’t cover their clients because it doesn’t restrict items that could ‘potentially’ be made into conversion devices.

“As long as you do not cut it out … you have not broken the law,” Ervin’s lawyer, Alex King, told juries. 

Executive Assistant U.S. Attorney Laura Cofer Taylor told jurors before they began deliberating:

“Where is the line? That’s really a question you all will have to face.” 

Meanwhile, firearm expert Brandon Herrera made the point, “If selling a template is treated like selling a machine gun itself — then how is distributing a 3D printing file any different issue?” 

Here’s more from Herrera:

China passed another milestone in its bid to reduce reliance on the dollar, as yuan usage in its cross-border transactions jumped ahead of the greenback’s for the first time in March.

main qimg 41fcc9b6829cea5595b869f4748ad5b2
main qimg 41fcc9b6829cea5595b869f4748ad5b2

The local currency’s share of China’s cross-border payments and receipts rose to a record high 48% at the month end from nearly zero in 2010, according to research by Bloomberg Intelligence citing data from the State Administration of Foreign Exchange. The dollar’s share declined to 47% from 83% over the same period, the figures showed.

The ratio is calculated based on the volume on all types of transactions, which includes securities trading through the links between mainland China and Hong Kong’s capital markets. It doesn’t represent transactions used by the rest of the world — the yuan’s share in global payments was little changed at 2.3% in March, according to Swift.

“The rise in yuan usage could be a natural consequence of China opening up its capital account, with rising inflows for China bonds and outflows for Hong Kong stocks,” Stephen Chiu, chief Asia foreign-exchange and rates strategist at Bloomberg Intelligence (BI) research wrote in a note.

The rising share allows local firms to reduce the risks of currency mismatch in transactions, a spokeswoman at the State Administration of Foreign Exchange said at a Friday (April 21) briefing. China will further expand yuan settlement in cross-border transactions, the State Council said in a guideline aimed at boosting foreign trade issued Tuesday.

This surprised even me.

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2023 04 27 18 29

To be clear, these are nuclear ARMED submarines, not nuclear POWERED submarines, which is what Australia is supposed to be getting.

This is FORKING BONKERS.

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2023 04 27 18 30

A nuclear armed submarine in South Korean waters would be able to hit Beijing within a few minutes.

The Cuban Missile Crisis was fought over land-based missiles (far less dangerous) in a territory that was 90 minutes away from Washington DC by missile.

This is so much worse.

This is even worse than just giving nuclear missiles directly to South Korea. At least those missiles would be ground based.

Yes, missile interception tech is far more advanced now than it was in the 1960s, but there’s zero margin for error when it comes to nuclear missiles. A single hit would mean tens of millions of casualties, as well as the decapitation of Chinese leadership.

I suspect that this deal was the quid pro quo for South Korea effectively donating 500,000 artillery shells to Ukraine.

I honestly don’t know how Beijing should respond to a provocation of this scale.

This is beyond the pale, and should be ringing alarm bells all over the halls of power.

Whatever Xi has planned for Taiwan, he needs to move up the time table because Biden is not going to stop here.

President Biden’s “Build Back Better” Initiative is being implemented by the USDA (The United States Department of Agriculture).

They have created a webpage

, and are now engaged in trying to get money to fund it.

So far, as far as I can determine there aren’t any hard and tangible funding sources. They have managed to obtain a small number of promises that are conditional on this or that. But as of today, this is an unfunded initiative. The funding of $4B have went to the USDA to organize the program and build a webpage. But there are no funding sources for actual structures.

From the webpage…

USDA is currently in the process of creating funding opportunities and will announce opportunities for our customers in the coming months.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) announced its intent to invest more than $4 billion to strengthen critical supply chains through the Build Back Better initiative. Funding announcements under the Build Back Better initiative will include a mix of grants, loans, and innovative financing mechanisms for the following priorities, each of which includes mechanisms to tackle the climate crisis and help communities that have been left behind…

In short…

  • The USDA government agency was funded with $4B up to oversee the effort.
  • Their job is to collect money from private companies and individuals.
  • There have been NO TANGIBLE collection of funding for any projects under this initiative at this time.

I’ve lived for substantial time in 3 Asian cities (Singapore, Hong Kong, and Shenzhen), and they all surprised me on the upside. In the case of China, here’s why I like it:

  • it’s modern, and continues to develop all the time. They have modern cities, excellent transport infrastructure (highways, airports, high-speed trains network which is unmatched in the world, excellent public transport and taxis), excellent hotels, malls, restaurants and cafes, beautiful parks, etc.
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main qimg 87556a0b3d155a7955c5c08ed274bd61 lq
  • There’s a feeling of safety and freedom in Chinese cities, which impress with their size. There’s no one to tell you what to do, and you can see from the behavior of the diverse crowd, people just do what they want. In most places you won’t see any police. In some others they are present in security posts. They just do their job, i.e. sit there silently and behave reasonably, adding to the security and order. Do you know that police in China doesn’t have firearms? They are just like a part of the crowd, only doing their job.
  • friendliness of Chinese people. You will always get help, no matter that you can’t speak a word in Chinese besides 你好, or they can’t speak English. They’ll spend their time and go out of their way to explain you how to get somewhere, or how to buy a train ticket, they’ll patiently and enthusiastically explain how to get what you need. They’ll be positive and practical all the time while helping you.
  • they are non-dogmatic. The people are simply pragmatic and hardworking, they want to live good lives, and feel responsible for their well-being. They are not brainwashed (something which is actually more typical to Western countries, and you can see it on Quora too). The main philosophy of China is just common sense and being a good person.
  • business is in the genes of Chinese. Small shops and restaurants are ubiquitous, which makes me think self employment and small business must be a major kind of employment. The government creates excellent business infrastructure. For example, the hi tech city area in Shenzhen is very impressive and has lots of spaces to support innovations and startups. China hosts some of world’s biggest trade shows and exhibitions. It’s easy to see trends in the world economy here.
  • they are connected and communal. It’s easy to talk with people and make friends, especially if you are open and respectful.
  • technologically, China is of course advanced in many ways. For example, electric transport has been very developed here for years. You can find electric bikes, personal transportation vehicles (like kick scooters or mono wheels), electric taxis and cars, even electric buses (the photo below is a bus charging station).
  • some things are convenient. The Chinese messenger app (WeChat) is very advanced and makes it easy to make payments and much more; it’s a technology marvel. For example, in some cafes you can scan QR code on your table, which brings up the menu on your phone; you can make an order and it will be sent to your table. You can pay with your mobile phone almost everywhere, you don’t need cash or credit card. It’s fine to leave your wallet at home if you have a phone with you.
  • still kept (and in some cases even exaggerated) some of its sweet traditions. Well, their language itself is ancient to begin with. In the very developed Chinese cities you’ll see many people still trying to live simple ways. Outdoor tai chi, dragon boat festivals, traditional medicine, etc., add charm to the urban culture.
  • it’s vast and intellectually stimulating. It’s very geographically diverse, has rich history, and Chinese are passionate about learning and self development, they’re smart and focused. I love book shops here and book cafes; Shenzhen’s central book store claims to be the largest in the world.

Overall, China is fast pace, generally efficient, straightforward, but you need to get used to it and learn ways of doing things. They may be not what you are used to coming from another country.

Not looking good moving forward

De-Dollarization Is Happening at a ‘Stunning’ Pace — Bloomberg

2023 04 27 19 49
2023 04 27 19 49

The dollar is losing its reserve status at a faster pace than generally accepted as many analysts have failed to account for last year’s wild exchange rate moves, according to Stephen Jen.

The greenback’s share in global reserves slid last year at 10 times the average speed of the past two decades as a number of countries looked for alternatives after Russia’s invasion of Ukraine triggered sanctions, Jen and his Eurizon SLJ Capital Ltd. colleague Joana Freire wrote in a note. Adjusting for exchange rate movements, the dollar has lost about 11% of its market share since 2016 and double that amount since 2008, they said.

“The dollar suffered a stunning collapse in 2022 in its market share as a reserve currency, presumably due to its muscular use of sanctions,” Jen and Freire wrote. “Exceptional actions taken by the US and its allies against Russia have startled large reserve-holding countries,” most of which are emerging economies from the so-called Global South, they said.

Jen is the former Morgan Stanley currency guru who coined the dollar smile theory.

Last year, Bloomberg’s gauge of the greenback surged as much as 16% as the conflict helped fuel a rise in global inflation that triggered widespread interest rate hikes which sank bond and currency markets alike. It finished the year up 6%.

Biden’s Dollar Weaponization Supercharges Hunt for Alternatives

Smaller nations are experimenting with de-dollarization while China and India are pushing to internationalize their currencies for trade settlement after the US and Europe cut Russian banks from the global financial messaging system known as SWIFT. There’s also concern the dollar may become a permanent political tool, or be used as a form of economic statecraft to put extra pressure on countries to enforce sanctions that they may disagree with.

The US currency now represents about 58% of total global official reserves, down from 73% in 2001 when it was the “indisputable hegemonic reserve,” the Eurizon pair said.

That said, the dollar’s role as an international currency won’t be challenged anytime soon as developing countries don’t yet have the ability to divest from the greenback for transactions due to its large, liquid and well-functioning financial markets, Jen and Freire wrote.

Still, the persistence of those conditions “is not preordained” and there may come a time when the rest of the world actively avoids using the dollar, they wrote.

“The prevailing view of ‘nothing-to-see-here’ on the US dollar as a reserve currency seems too innocuous and complacent,” the two wrote. “What needs to be appreciated by investors is that, while the Global South is unable to totally avoid using the dollar, much of it has already become unwilling to do so.”

Convergence of AI, Geo-political changes, the end of the United States, and when idiots have access to great powerful machines

Ok. The Domain Commander still confirms small to medium bads, though the “news” intel suggest something much worse.

In the future, I will ask the DM about this issue and matter, and I will publish.

Todays…

Biden LAUNCHES massive war games against China and re-election campaign for 2024

China, Russia circle wagons in Asia-Pacific

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Y2guX7tOseeGAhMgm8Q1PfH5jBXdgH9V
“Working meeting” between President Vladimir Putin (R), visiting Chinese State Councilor & Defence Minister Gen. Li Shangfu (L) and Russian Defence Minister Sergei Shoigu, Moscow, April 16, 2023

The official visit by Chinese State Councilor and Defence Minister General Li Shangfu to Russia on April 16-19 prima facie underscored the two countries’ emergent need to deepen their military trust and close coordination against the backdrop of worsening geopolitical tensions and the imperative to maintain the global strategic balance.

The visit carries forward the pivotal decisions taken at the intensive one-on-one talks  between Russian President Vladimir Putin and Chinese President Xi Jinping in Moscow through March 20-21. In a break with protocol, Gen. Li’s 4-day visit was front-loaded with a “working meeting” with Putin — to quote Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov. (here and here)

Li is no stranger to Moscow, having previously held charge of Equipment Development Department of the Central Military Commission who was sanctioned by the US in 2018 for purchasing Russian weapons, including Su-35 combat aircraft and S-400 surface-to-air missile systems.

Song Zhongping, prominent Chinese military expert and TV commentator, forecast that Li’s trip would signal the high level of bilateral military ties with Russia, and lead to “more mutually beneficial exchanges in many fields, including defence technologies and military exercises.”

Last Wednesday, US Commerce Department announced the imposition of export controls on a dozen Chinese companies for “supporting Russia’s military and defence industries.” The Global Times hit back defiantly that “as China is an independent major power, so is Russia. It’s our right to decide with whom we will carry out normal economic and trade cooperation. We cannot accept the US’ finger-pointing or even economic coercion.”

Putin said at the meeting with Li on Easter Sunday that military cooperation plays an important role in Russia-China relations. Chinese analysts said Li’s visit is also a signal jointly sent by China and Russia that their military cooperation will not be impacted by the US pressure.

Putin had disclosed in October 2019 that Russia was helping China to create an early missile warning system that would drastically enhance the defensive capacity of China. Chinese observers noted that Russia was more experienced in developing and operating such a system, which is capable of identifying and sending warnings immediately after intercontinental ballistic missiles are launched.

Such cooperation demonstrates a high level of trust and requires a possible integration of Russian and Chinese systems. The system integration will be mutually beneficial; stations located in the North and West of Russia could provide China with warning data and, in turn, China could provide Russia with data collected at their Eastern and Southern stations. That is to say, the two countries could create their own global missile defence network.

These systems are among the most sophisticated and sensitive areas of defence technology. The US and Russia are the only countries which have been able to develop, build and maintain such systems. Certainly, close coordination and cooperation between Russia and China, two nuclear-armed powers, will profoundly contribute to world peace in the present circumstances by containing and deterring US hegemony.

It cannot be a coincidence that Moscow ordered a sudden check of the forces of its Pacific Fleet on April 14-18, which overlapped Li’s visit. The inspection took place against the background of the aggravation of the situation around Taiwan.

Indeed, in early April, it became known that the American aircraft carrier USS Nimitz approached Taiwan; on April 11, the US began a 17-day military exercise in the Philippines involving over 12000 troops; on April 17, news appeared about the dispatch of 200 American military advisers to Taiwan.

The US Global Thunder 23 strategic exercises at Minot Air Base in North Dakota, (which is the US Air Force Global Strikes Command) began last week where a training was conducted to load cruise missiles with nuclear warhead on bombers. The images showed B-52H Stratofortress strategic bombers being equipped by the flight technical personnel of the base with AGM-86B cruise missiles capable of carrying nuclear warheads on the underwing pylons!

Again, exercises of US aviation and fleet forces have been increasingly noticed in the immediate vicinity of Russian borders or in regions where Russia has geopolitical interests. On April 5, B-52 Stratofortress circled over the Korean Peninsula allegedly “in response to nuclear and missile threats from North Korea.” At the same time, South Korea, the US and Japan conducted trilateral naval exercises in the waters of the Sea of Japan with the participation of aircraft carrier USS Nimitz.

Russian Security Council Secretary Nikolai Patrushev recently drew attention to Japan’s growing capability to conduct offensive operations, which, he said, constituted “a gross violation of one of the most important outcomes of the Second World War.” Japan plans to purchase around 500 Tomahawk cruise missiles from the US, which can directly threaten most of the territory of the Russian Far East. The Mitsubishi Heavy Industries is working on developing Type 12 land-based anti-ship missiles “in order to protect the remote islands of Japan.”

Japan is also developing hypersonic weapons designed to conduct combat operations “on remote islands,” which Russians see as options for Japan’s possible seizure of the Southern Kuriles. In 2023, Japan will have a military budget exceeding $51 billion (on par with Russia’s), which is slated to increase to $73 billion.

Actually, during the latest surprise inspection, the ships and submarines of Russia’s Pacific Fleet made the transition from their bases to the Japanese, Okhotsk and Bering Seas. Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu said, “in practice, it is necessary to work out ways to prevent the deployment of enemy forces to the operationally important area of the Pacific Ocean – the southern part of the Sea of Okhotsk and to repel its landing on the Southern Kuril Islands and Sakhalin Island.”

‘Loudly on the quiet…

Surveying the regional alignments, Yuri Lyamin, Russian military expert and Senior Fellow at the Centre for Analysis of Strategies and Technologies, a leading think tank of the military-industrial complex, told Izvestia newspaper:

“Considering that we have not settled the territorial issue, Japan lays claim to our South Kuriles. In this regard, checks are very necessary. It is necessary to increase the readiness of our forces in the Far East…

“In the context of the current situation, we need to further strengthen defence cooperation with China. In fact, an axis is being formed against Russia, North Korea and China: the USA, Japan, South Korea, Taiwan, and then it goes to Australia. Great Britain is also actively trying to participate… All this must be taken into account and cooperation should be established with China and North Korea, which are, one might say, our natural allies.”

In highly significant remarks at a Kremlin meeting with Shoigu on April 17 — while Li was in Moscow — Putin noted that the current priorities of Russia’s armed forces are “primarily focusing on the Ukrainian track… (but) the Pacific theatre of operations remains relevant” and it must be borne in mind that “the forces of the (Pacific) fleet in its individual components can certainly be used in conflicts in any direction.”

The next day, Shoigu told Gen. Li, “In the spirit of unbreakable friendship between the nations, peoples, and the armed forces of China and Russia, I look forward to the closest and most successful cooperation with you…” The Russian MOD readout said :

“Sergei Shoigu stressed that Russia and China could stabilise the global situation and lessen the potential for conflict by coordinating their actions on the global stage. ‘It is important that our countries share the same view on the ongoing transformation of the global geopolitical landscape… The meeting we have today will, in my opinion, help to further solidify the Russia-China strategic partnership in the defence sphere and enable an open discussion of regional and global security issues.”

Beijing and Moscow visualise that the US, having failed to “erase” Russia, is turning attention to the Asia-Pacific theatre. Suffice to say, Li’s visit shows that the reality of Russia–China defence cooperation is complicated. Russia–China military-technical cooperation has always been rather secretive, and the level of secrecy has increased as both countries engage in more direct confrontation with the US.

The political meaning of Putin’s 2019 statement on jointly developing a ballistic missile early warning system extended far beyond its technical and military significance. It demonstrated to the world that Russia and China were on the brink of a formal military alliance, which could be triggered if US pressure went too far.

In October 2020, Putin suggested the possibility of a military alliance with China. The Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs’ reaction was positive, although Beijing refrained from using the word “alliance”.

A working and  effective military alliance can be formed quickly if the need arises but their respective foreign policy strategies rendered such a move unlikely. However, real and imminent danger of military conflict with the US can trigger a paradigm shift.

Star Trek – Stop the Attack!

McDonald’s CEO Says Consumers Starting To ‘Push Back’ Against Higher Burger Prices

Wednesday, Apr 26, 2023 – 07:25 AM

You know the economic storm clouds are gathering whenever McDonald’s becomes unaffordable for the working poor tier of the consumer base.

CNBC reports McDonald’s CEO Chris Kempczinski said consumers are beginning to push back (in some regional markets) against higher prices and ordering fewer menu items.

A $9 burger meal might not be within everyone’s budget.

Kempczinski said that consumers’ resistance to higher prices has come from going “off script” from the models it uses to determine pricing.

“When we execute where we know we have pricing power, we do quite well, but what we do find as we try to take pricing in the areas that are maybe a little bit more sensitive, the consumer pushes back on it,” he said. 

Additionally, Kempczinski said customers are less likely to add extras to their orders, and items per transaction have fallen by the low single-digits.

Kempczinski’s comments come as the consumer confidence index slipped in April as macroeconomic headwinds mount. Consumers have been battered by 24 months of negative real wage growth as inflation crushes households.

About 70% of Americans admitted in a recent CNBC survey feeling financially stressed by inflation and lack of savings. Many consumers have maxed out their credit cards, while some are beginning to miss payments. There’s also a rise in home foreclosures, which points to a rapid deterioration of the consumer base. Remember that an increasing number of folks can’t afford their $1,000 monthly auto payment.

The first report of consumers trading down items at McDonald’s was nearly one year ago (read: “State Of The US Consumer: McDonald’s Customers Trading Down, Buy Value Items As Combos Increasingly Unaffordable”), and that’s a period when consumers were still flush with stimmy checks and other government handouts. Now it’s gone, and some consumers are already trading down from fast food restaurants to “Dollar Tree Dinners.” 

Cattle shoes

These shoes were found in the Museum of Northeast Nevada in Nevada, designed and used by a cattle thief to hide his footprints during the theft of cows in the twenties of the last century…!

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main qimg 2ee02f5bea0d09b5d0b1166b18ff9d9c

Shaker Pickles

2023 04 19 16 03
2023 04 19 16 03

Ingredients

  • 20 small to medium cucumbers, sliced
  • 10 onions, sliced and slivered
  • 3 1/2 cups sugar
  • 3 cup white vinegar
  • 1/3 cup salt
  • 1 teaspoon alum
  • 1 teaspoon celery seed
  • 1 teaspoon turmeric
  • 1 tablespoon pickling spice (optional)

Instructions

  1. Do not heat vinegar and spices.
  2. Mix all ingredients and pour over onions and cucumbers in jars.
  3. Place jars in refrigerator.
  4. Shake jars once a day for 6 days. Pickles are ready to eat on the 7th day.

Pickles will keep in the refrigerator for 3 months.

Because many radically anti-China people never visited China before. They know nothing about the real China. They hear about China from the US-led media only.

However, US politicians+media are radically anti-China. Why? China is rising which, in US words, threatens USA #1 status on world stage (mentality of gossiper/loser).

In a democratic election where politicians depend on votes, they all become actors by using tough words to stir audience’s emotion of hatred & fear of China.

Baerbock was never to China before. While in China, she was shown a joint China-Germany factory. Let her see with her own eyes that Germany has trade surplus with China. Why throw away $$$ ie economy for an empty ideology eg democracy?

Politicians’ anti-China on mouth = anti-Germany in economy = anti-Germans’ livelihood/tummy.

I always said: there should be laws to make (populous) politicians responsible for destroying their economy based on an ideology. Blindly support a foreign slogan should be considered as treason. Force politicians to analyze the pros & cons before they open their mouth.

Diplomat Wang Yi also met Baerbock. Wang reminded Baerbock that CHINA SUPPORTED REUNIFICATION OF EAST-WEST GERMANY. Germany should also support China-Taiwan reunification.

Behind the scene, Baerhock is reasonable. But in front of press, Baerbock returned to her acting career & full of tough talk against China. … 2 faces of Baerbock.

On 2023/4/15 Foreign Minister Qin Gang & Baerbock have a joint press meeting.

Baerbock: Germany recognizes ONE CHINA principle but is concerned of Taiwan stability.

Qin: you just said ONE CHINA. ONE = Taiwan is part of China = Taiwan is China’s internal affairs = nobody should interfere.

Qin: Why Taiwan has problem? Separatists. Since Germany is concerned of Taiwan stability, then dont support Taiwan independence.

(I add) No country tolerate secession. What about your country?

If Pelosi did not go to Taiwan in Aug 2022 or McCarthy did not meet Tsai in April 2023, there would not be Chinese military drills near Taiwan. Who is the culprit?

Baerbock then talked about human rights in Xinjiang.

Qin: German ambassador in China is free to go to Xinjiang. Did your ambassador tell you any problem?

(I add) German Volkswagen has a factory in Xinjiang. The CEO attested he did not see any forced labor or genocide.

Baerbock said human rights is universal. It is in UN charter.

Qin: (UN says) each country can go by their own situation, history & culture. It is people there who know if they are happy or not. Not outsiders. (I add) Traveling may make you happy. To a hungry person, a hamburger is enough to make him happy. Why dictate others’ happiness?

Learn anything? Populous politicians throw in moral high grounds but talk empty. They cannot refute when you show them logic. Dont dream they have ability to analyze the damage to German economy if they blindly follow USA to decouple China. They can only act to fool voters.

BRICS rising as neocons destroy the west

Single Dad Illustrates What It’s Like To Raise A Child, And It’ll Melt Your Heart

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Forgive me for the cliché, but children do grow up so fast. And parents usually document their precious moments by taking pictures or shooting video, but one single dad from Taiwan has his own method of making sure he remembers what it’s like raising his boy.

To capture the joys and difficulties of parenting he faces every day, Lan Shengjie (aka BLUE) is illustrating them. “I have been working as a freelance artist since 1999,” BLUE told Bored Panda. “I started this series after right after my child was born in 2014.” Recently, Sharp Point Press has even published it.

“When you have a kid, a lot of things happen unexpectedly. However, as I started drawing the surprising moments we shared, I didn’t think they would get such a huge positive response.”

BLUE said he’s usually rushing through the illustrations since he’s always taking care of his boy. “I hope that my child can grow up in a safe and healthy environment,” he added. “I worry about him becoming a hooligan or anything else that can go wrong along the way. That’s why I always try to accompany him as he’s growing up and help him when I can.”

More: Lan Shengjie, Facebook h/t: boredpanda

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God listens

She hurried to the pharmacy to get medication, got back to her car and found that she had locked her keys inside.

The woman found an old rusty coat hanger left on the ground.

She looked at it and said, “I don’t know how to use this.”

She bowed her head and asked God to send her some Help.

Within 5 minutes a beat up old motorcycle pulled up,

driven by a bearded man who was wearing an old biker skull rag.

He got off of his cycle and asked, if she needs help?

She said: “Yes, my daughter is sick.

I’ve locked my keys in the car.

I must get home.

Please, can you use this hanger to unlock my car?

He said, Sure.

“He walked over to the car, and in less than a minute the car was open.

She hugged the man and through tears said, “Thank You God, for sending me such a very nice man.”

The Biker heard her little prayer and replied, “Lady, I am not a nice man.

I just got out of prison yesterday; I was in prison for car theft.”

The woman hugged the man again, sobbing, “Oh, thank you, God!

You even sent me a Professional!”

https://youtu.be/LbgORFlmPOU

Shaker Strawberry Summer Pudding

2023 04 19 16 04
2023 04 19 16 04

Ingredients

  • 1/2 loaf white bread, sliced
  • 1 quart ripe strawberries
  • 3/4 to 1 cup sugar (depending on the sweetness of the berries)

Instructions

  1. Line a 9-inch square pan with aluminum foil or wax paper.
  2. Remove the crust from the bread.
  3. Mash and sweeten strawberries.
  4. Place the bread slices slices on the bottom of the prepared pan.
  5. Spoon strawberries over the bread and alternate berries and bread until pan is filled. Cover with wax paper slightly smaller than the pan. Chill at least 8 hours or overnight.
  6. To serve, invert on a platter. Top with whipped cream. Scatter fresh berries on top and around edge.

In 2011, when the subprime crisis gradually dissipated, President Obama said during his visit to Australia: “If 1.3 billion Chinese people live the same life as us, it would be a disaster for the world, and we will not let this happen.” In the same year November, the US proposed the “Asia-Pacific Rebalance” strategy, which began to accelerate the withdrawal of troops from the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq, and planned to transfer a group of navy warships to the Asia-Pacific region before 2020, deploying 60% of US warships in the Pacific. In October 2015, the US tried to isolate China economically by persuading 12 countries to sign the TPP (Trans-Pacific Partnership). On May 9, 2016, the commander of the US Pacific Fleet, Harry Harris, sent the William Lawrence guided missile destroyer into China’s territorial waters, and even publicly boasted that the US military was “prepared to go to war with China tonight.“

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2023 04 20 17 57

In 2018, a trade war broke out in the US and China, and imposed large-scale tariffs on China goods. In 2020, when the new crown pneumonia epidemic spread around the world, the US accused China under the unfavorable situation of epidemic prevention, stigmatized the new crown virus as “Chinese virus”, claimed to claim compensation from China, and successively issued “cold war speech”, intending to set off camp confrontation.

A lot of people don’t understand why the “intimate relationship” of “saving America is saving China” between them has turned into the current situation of never-ending hostility. Some people think it’s because of President’s different policies, believing that the conflict between China and the US can be solved by changing presidents. Some say that the US only cares about GDP, and when a country’s GGP reaches 60% of the US, it will be targeted. The former Soviet Union and Japan were like this, and today’s China is still the same. But in reality, the most fundamental reason still goes back to the economic model.

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2023 04 20 17 59

If we were to describe the basic model of China’s previous way of making money, it would be relying on its industrial system and labor advantages to provide affordable goods and exporting them worldwide to earn foreign exchange. On the other hand, there are generally two types of profit models in the US:

1. Seize the technological high ground and use patent rights to scrape the profits from the whole world. Every time China sells a product, the bulk of the profits go to the US, such as in the Apple products manufactured by China’s Foxconn.

2. Directly plunder the assets of other countries using the US dollar’s financial hegemony. The first point is easy to understand, it is the famous “smiling curve theory”. The most valuable areas are concentrated at both ends of the value chain: R&D and the market. Without R&D capabilities, one can only act as an agent or subcontractor, earning only a small amount of money. Without market capabilities, no matter how good the product, when the product life cycle is over, it can only be treated as waste. Before, China could only rely on the advantage of cheap labor to process and assemble products, and because China was previously very poor and the domestic market did not have strong consumer power, it was a typical example of having neither R&D nor market capabilities. On the other hand, the US is an international R&D center and the world’s largest consumer market.

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2023 04 20 1r7 59

The situation has gradually changed. With the continuous development of the economy in China, it has realized that this approach is not sustainable. The living standards of 1.4 billion people need to be improved, and relying solely on processing fees is no longer enough to sustain it. In order to support their families and create a better life for their loved ones, they must explore other sources of income. At first, China could improve production capacity by updating equipment to increase production efficiency. Before, they could produce 10,000 units a day, but now they can produce 20,000 units, which doubled their income. However, after a while, the production capacity could not make a breakthrough, and they were only able to produce 20,000 units a day for an extended period of time. In addition, the market is gradually becoming saturated, making it difficult to increase income by producing more products. On the other hand, the demand gap is gradually shrinking, making it more challenging to earn money than before.

These factors combined finally forced China to make a choice:

  • A. Maintain current income status and live a decent life.
  • B. Open up other sources of income.

Obviously, China chose option B, and began to increase investment in technology research and development.

As a result, China achieved breakthroughs in both research and market capabilities, and was no longer just working for the US.

Previously, there was only one boss, but now China also wanted to be a boss. The US suddenly couldn’t accept it, because there are only so many workers, and if there is one more boss, the US will lose out on some profits.

China said we could work together, so that everyone’s income could be increased, but the US refused.

Therefore, we saw a series of actions, such as trade wars, high tariffs, restrictions on Huawei and other Chinese enterprises, all intended to decrease China’s profits as much as possible.

If the first point above made the US feel a little uncomfortable, then the second point below truly made it feel threatened. The second biggest way the US makes money: dollar hegemony. The US took over currency hegemony from the British Empire in 1944, but the “Bretton Woods system” from 1944 to 1971, a full 27 years, did not truly give it substantial financial power. Why? Gold.

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2023 04 20 18 00

The US once made a commitment to the world, which was to lock the currencies of various countries to the US dollar, and the US dollar to gold. How to lock it? Exchange 1 ounce of gold for every $35. With this commitment to the world with the US dollar, the US cannot act arbitrarily. Simply put, exchanging 1 ounce of gold for $35 means that the US cannot print US dollars indiscriminately. If you print an extra $35, you will have to reserve one more ounce of gold in your vault. The reason why the US had the confidence to make such a commitment to the world was that it held about 80% of the world’s gold reserves at that time. However, later on, the US foolishly became involved in the Korean War and the Vietnam War. These two wars consumed a lot of resources of the United States, especially the Vietnam War.

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2023 04 20 18 01

During the Vietnam War, nearly 800 billion US dollars were spent by the US on military expenses. As the cost of the war grew, the gold reserves were clearly insufficient to support previous commitments.

According to the commitment of the United States, every loss of 35 US dollars meant a loss of 1 ounce of gold.

In addition, some countries represented by France were exchanging their US dollar reserves for gold, which depleted US gold reserves.

Therefore, on August 15, 1971, President Nixon announced the closure of the gold window and the detachment of the US dollar from gold. This is the beginning of the disintegration of the “Bretton Woods system” and also an act of betrayal by the US towards the whole world.

When the US dollar was no longer backed by gold and became a mere green paper, the whole world faced a choice: if not the US dollar, then what? Therefore, the US exploited people’s inertia and helplessness and announced in 1973 that global oil had to be settled in US dollars. Since then, a financial empire has emerged in the human world.

Because when the dollar appears as a green piece of paper, America’s profit costs can be said to be extremely low. In order to accelerate the delivery of dollars to the world, which will take interest rate reduction measures.

When American capitalists keep their money in the bank without receiving any interest, they will withdraw the money for investment purposes. At this time, South America and Southeast Asia become their investment targets. Assuming there is a country A, a large amount of American capital flows in for investment, causing rapid economic growth in country A and a thriving economy. However, behind the prosperity, there are certainly some bubbles, which are the inevitable results of a market economy.

For example, suppose the stock price of a company is $100, but its actual value is only $50. Assuming that the exchange rate of country A’s currency is equivalent to the US dollar. At this point, the capitalists in America have room for operation. They first bought 50 billion currency A from a bank in country A, and then directly exchanged 50 billion currency A for 50 billion US dollars. Suddenly, country A’s currency became more abundant, and the US dollar decreased significantly. However, many corporate trades must still be settled in US dollars. In the panic, many companies will crazy to exchange A currency for US dollars. As the dollars become scarcer and currency A becomes more abundant on the market, more people are induced to use more currency A to exchange for US dollars. At this point, A currency will depreciate significantly. The government of A will certainly intervene and use a large amount of gold to buy currency A to stabilize the exchange rate.

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2023 04 20 18 0rrr1

However, the US raises interest rates. Imagine a capitalist from America investing in country A with an annual profit of 3%, but the interest rate of the Ameican bank is 5%. Which one will he choose? When a lot of US dollars is withdrawn, country A’s companies that originally had a large amount of US dollar investments will experience a broken capital chain. The government will no longer have gold to buy A currency and can only watch currency depreciate. When 1 US dollar = 10 currency A, the US capitalist only needs to use $5 billion to buy 50 billion currency A to return to the bank, Netting a large sum of money. Moreover, this is far from over. When country A’s exchange rate collapses, the US can buy a large number of country A’s assets and achieve practical economic control.

So why does the US suppress China? Because China not only wants to promote the use of RMB settlement worldwide, but also because Chinese economic system is different from traditional capitalist economies, making it impossible for B to use the same methods to control Chinese economy. In the eyes of Americans, China is not only a disruptor and an uncontrollable factor, but also a threat to its financial interests.

The dominance of the US dollar is certainly very strong, and the world has suffered from American hegemony for too long. Most countries probably have the same mindset as Japan, although they do not want to see a strong China, after being American dogs for decades, they also want to change their way of life.

America’s Social Contract Is Broken

Wednesday, Apr 26, 2023 – 05:45 AM

Authored by Charles Hugh Smith via OfTwoMinds blog,

The Social Contract is broken not just by wealth inequality per se but by the illegitimate process of wealth acquisition

I do not claim any expertise in social contract theory, but in broad brush we can delineate two implicit contracts: one between the citizenry and the state (government) and another between citizens.

We can distinguish between the two by considering a rural county fair. Most of the labor to stage the fair is volunteered by the citizenry for the good of their community and fellow citizens; they are not coerced to do so by the government, nor does the government levy taxes to pay its employees or contractors to stage the fair.

The social contract between citizens implicitly binds people to obeying traffic laws as a public good all benefit from, not because a police officer is on every street corner enforcing the letter of the law.

The social contract between the citizens and the state binds the government to maintaining civil liberties, equal enforcement of the rule of law, defending the nation, and in the 20th century, providing social welfare for the disadvantaged, disabled and low-income elderly.

Critiques of “trickle down economics” focus on income inequality as a key metric of the Social Contract: rising income inequality is de facto evidence that the Social Contract is broken.

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2023 04 26 17 33

I think this misses the key distinction in the Social Contract between citizens and the state, which is the legitimacy of the process of wealth creation and the fairness of the playing field and the referees, i.e. that no one is above the law.

Few people begrudge legitimately earned wealth, for example, the top athlete, the pop star, the tech innovator, the canny entrepreneur, the best-selling author, etc. The source of these individual’s wealth is transparent, and any citizen can decline to support this wealth creation by not paying money to see the athlete, not buying the author’s books, not shopping at the entrepreneur’s stores, etc.

The Social Contract is broken not just by wealth inequality per se but by the illegitimate process of wealth acquisition, i.e. the state has tipped the scales in favor of the few behind closed doors and routinely ignores or bypasses the intent of the law even as the state claims to be following the narrower letter of the law.

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2023 04 26 1w7 34
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2023 0re4 26 17 34

By this definition, the Social Contract in America has been completely smashed. One sector after another is dominated by cartel-state partnerships that are forged and enforced in obscure legislation written by lobbyists. Once the laws have been riddled with loopholes and the regulators have been corrupted, “no one is above the law” has lost all meaning.

Those who violate the intent of the law while managing to conjure an apparent compliance with the letter of the law are shysters, scammers and thieves who exploit the intricate loopholes of the system, all the while parading their compliance as evidence the system is fair and just. In this way, the judicial system becomes part of the illegitimate process of wealth accumulation.

In America, political and financial Elites are above the intent of the law. Is bribery of politicos illegal? Supposedly it is, but in practice it is entirely and openly legal.

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2023 04 26 17 34

This is the norm in banana republics, whose ledgers are loaded with thousands of codes and regulations that are routinely ignored by those in power. In the Banana Republic of America, financial crimes go uninvestigated, unindicted and unpunished: banks and their management are essentially immune to prosecution because the crimes are complex (tsk, tsk, it’s really too much trouble to investigate) and they’re “too big to prosecute.”

The rot has seeped from the financial-political Aristocracy to the lower reaches of the social order. The fury of those still working legitimate jobs and paying their taxes is grounded in a simple, obvious truth: America is now dominated by scammers, cheaters, grifters and those gaming the system, large and small, to increase their share of the swag.

The honest taxpayer is a chump, a mark who foolishly ponies up the swag that’s looted by the smart operators. Everyone knows that the vast majority of wealth accumulation in America flows not from transparent effort on a level playing field, but from persuading the Central State (the Federal government and the Federal Reserve) to enforce cartels and grant monopolistic favors such as tax shelters designed for a handful of firms and unlimited credit to private banks.

When scammers large and small live better than those creating value in the real economy, the Social Contract has ceased to exist. When the illegitimate process of wealth acquisition–a rigged playing field, a bought-off referee, and an Elite that’s above the law by every practical measure–dominates the economy and the political structure, the Social Contract has been shattered, regardless of how much welfare largesse is distributed to buy the complicity of state dependents.

Once the chumps and marks realize there is no way they can ever escape their exploited banana-republic status as neofeudal debt-serfs, the scammers, cheats and grifters large and small will be at risk of losing their perquisites. The fantasy in America is that legitimate wealth creation is still possible despite the visible dominance of a corrupt, venal, self-absorbed, parasitic, predatory Aristocracy. Once that fantasy dies, so will the marks’ support of the Aristocracy.

As Voltaire observed, “No snowflake in an avalanche ever feels responsible”: every claim, every game of the system, every political favor purchased is “fair and legal,” of course. This is precisely how empires collapse.

In broad brush, we can trace the transition from feudalism to capitalism to the present financialized, globalized cartel-state neofeudalism and next, to a synthesis built on the opposite of neofeudalism, which is decentralization, transparency, accountability, legitimacy and the adaptive churn of competing ideas and proposals.

US Debt Default Could Spark Catastrophe, Mass Unemployment: Yellen

Without China bailout like during the 2008 GFC, US is in the process of economic collapse, and social disintegration.
A US debt default could spark mass unemployment, payment failures, and catastrophe that would raise interest rates 'into perpetuity,' Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen warns

A US debt default would be a disaster for the economy, Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen said.

She warned of potential mass unemployment, payment failures, and broad economic weakness if the US failed to pay its debts.

She urged lawmakers to raise the debt ceiling and not wait "until the last minute" to do so.

Article HERE

Disappointing Affirmations by Dave Tarnowski: Tackling Mental Health Realistically

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Dave Tarnowski, the creator of the Instagram account @DisappointingAffirmations, is tired of the endless stream of rainbows-and-butterflies, everything-is-going-to-be-okay mantras that flood our social media feeds. But don’t get it wrong – his account wasn’t created to bring people down. On the contrary, it aims to depict struggles with mental health in a raw and authentic way.

More: Instagram

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WHO Cites “Huge Biological Risk” As Sudan Fighters Seize Lab Containing Deadly Pathogens

Wednesday, Apr 26, 2023 – 09:25 AM

The World Health Organization (WHO) says there’s a “huge biological risk” after Sudanese rebels of the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) seized the country’s National Public Health Laboratory in the capital Khartoum on Tuesday.

A US-brokered 72-hour truce deal appears to have already collapsed, given war correspondents widely reported hearing gunfire persist into the evening. The top-ranking WHO official in Sudan, Nima Saeed Abid, called the development “extremely dangerous because we have polio isolates in the lab, we have measles isolates in the lab, we have cholera isolates in the lab.”

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sudanwar
Khartoum’s damaged international airport. Fighting has raged since April 15 between the national military and RSF fighters.

CNN is reporting that the RSF is now in control of the lab, citing a a high-ranking medical source, who told the outlet: “There is a huge biological risk associated with the occupation of the central public health lab in Khartoum by one of the fighting parties.”

The WHO additionally confirmed that “trained laboratory technicians no longer have access to the laboratory.” This is a serious crisis given the persisting power outages across the capital area throughout the more than week of fighting, which has killed around 500 people and injured thousands more.

The WHO is warning that there’s a risk of spoilage and potential for leaks of deadly pathogens, given “it is not possible to properly manage the biological materials that are stored in the laboratory for medical purposes.”

In the most alarming part of the report, the CNN medical source said:

The medical source told CNN that “the danger lies in the outbreak of any armed confrontation in the laboratory because that will turn the laboratory into a germ bomb.”

“An urgent and rapid international intervention is required to restore electricity and secure the laboratory from any armed confrontation because we are facing a real biological danger,” the source added.

Sudan now stands once again on the brink of full-blown civil war after already having been in a state civil war on and off again for the better part of a half century.

One wonders what sensitive bio-labs with highly dangerous samples including deadly diseases are doing there in the first place

Recently, the safety of biological labs has been a serious question also when it comes to the Ukraine conflict. Thus far, there have been no known disasters relatedly to germs or diseases amid the Russia-Ukraine war.

Star Trek – Missile Alert

This scene is Exactly what the world NEEDS right now.

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Big changes and it is beyond the United States ability to stop

Uncle Sam is a ChoMo

You all think that the Peak Change will occur in 2027? Maybe 2025?

Nah. It’s NOW. It’s TODAY. It is a confluence of many PEAKS. And we are in the thick of it right now. Various articles on this, and I am trying to sort through all the strange discord and under and unreported things. But just be aware.

Keep in mind…

Lots of things going on, and let me tell you that any “war with China” will be over VERY VERY QUICKLY.

Um…

Good, and bad with that.

Don’t you know.

Look at how Great the United States is today…

This Is What Life Is Like In Small Town Louisiana

Lots of good stuff about the USA to start, and it is really charming in LA. I miss the big trees.

I used to live in the “Deep South”, and man oh man is this accurate!

I really like Mississippi. Louisiana is just South.

Today is up…

Interference vs Non-Interference policy in the Middle East

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2023 04 23 06 48

When was the last time that the US had a decent president. The last good president in my opinion was Eisenhower.

Some will say that JFK was good, but the usual reason is that he would have gotten out of Vietnam if he had not been assassinated.

His bad decisions including what led to the Cuban Missile Crisis and the Vietnam war. It is true that he acted very differently in deescalating the Cuban missile crisis while the current president seems to be making decisions that will lead to a nuclear war.

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2023 04 23 08 15

What I would say is that the American system is solid evidence that direct election of the national leader is not a good idea.

How often does one hear that they have to choose between the lesser of two bad choices, and how many elections in recent history has it really come down to many of the voters not being happy with either choice, And the system really is nothing close to the decision of the people.

There are the members each of the two parties that decide on the candidate and neither represents even a majority of the people. and today each party represents a polarized group selecting the candidate that the whole population while have as an option for president.

This means that only need like 20% of the population actually deciding that the candidate to represent the party in the running for president.

Seems like in general the parliamentary systems work a lot better than the American systems of voting for the leader of a country. There are some exceptions obviously, like that clown Boris Johnson, but on the other side get leaders like Angela Merkel and Helmut Kohl that so successfully led Germany for 16 years.

The Chinese use a tiered democracy.

The people select their representatives at the local level.

Each representative represents a relatively small number of people compared to those in Congress in the United States, so do not need that massive amount of money to run for office.

In 2022 $8.9 billion was spend in the midterm elections, and for the 2020 elections it was 14.4 billion. The candidates have to raise this money to hope to be able have a good chance of winning the election.

To allow this, it is legal to effectively bribe those running for office through political donations.

Although the US does not rank high on the Transparency International’s bogus corruption index, this is because this is legalized corruption, so apparently Transparency International does not include this corruption in calculating corruption, and it does not include business corruption.

How corrupt would the US be measured at if this was included in calculating corruption. Far higher than China I am sure.

The voted representatives then are responsible for electing the representatives at the next level of government.

They are in a better position to evaluate the competence of the representatives for the next level since they can interact personally with these people. What American politicians are best at is lying since a good lie will be much more attractive than the truth, and the best lie will will win the election.

Being competent in the office has nothing to do with the selection process to become a leader in the United States.

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main qimg 89596bf25796ec54ae0d99fd797e4914 lq

He is stating a fact that the USSR dissolved without a proper ratified treaty or documentation only. Nothing wrong there. And Crimea was given to Ukraine during USSR days, for centuries it was part of Russia Empire or USSR.

Scott Ritter: Russia and China Have CHANGED EVERYTHING, OBLITERATE US Hegemony

Of course not. There is a Chinese saying, “江山易改本性难移”: It means that it is more difficult to change a man’s nature than a river. It’s hard to change a person’s nature.

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main qimg d730d1453e52ae5cd3ad9b82bb09fdde

Us media reported recently that a batch of suspected secret US military documents, covering the Russia-Ukraine conflict and other intelligence and containing information about the ROK and Israel’s top government officials suspected to have been monitored by US intelligence agencies, appeared on Twitter and other social media. The U.S. is in a diplomatic crisis due to a scandal involving spying on its Allies. The U.S. Department of Justice has announced an investigation, but U.S. media analyzed that the documents are highly authentic.

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For a long time, the United States has abused its technological advantages to conduct large-scale and indiscriminate eavesdropping on the world, including its Allies. It is certainly the world’s No. 1 surveillance country. Even America’s Allies have not escaped American scrutiny. According to Danish media reports, the NSA used cooperation with Danish intelligence agencies to spy on German, Swedish, Norwegian and French leaders, including then-German Chancellor Angela Merkel.

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main qimg 7638b2f2afb34a2d0d93177942d05e9c

Do you think the US has stopped monitoring on the whole world?

True story

I had a chance to meet a Chinese guy in 2004 .

He came to South Africa hopping to meet his uncle who was in the construction industry but lost his address somehow.

I gave him a place to sleep for a month and during the day he would go out and look for some part time jobs just to survive .

He moved out of my house the following month so he can live close to the shop he had found work as a cleaner .

When he got his first pay check he bought a small TV set that he would try to sell on weekends when he was off duty next to the local bus stop.

The following month he had 2 ,next he had 4 .

I lost contact with him for 5 years and when I met him next he was the owner of an electronic goods importing company employing 30 people .

The Chinese are hard workers and I have so much respect for them

It’s over and NATO is finished

Very interesting video.

Natasha Wright
April 13, 2023

It is a centuries-old rule in politics that if you do not fare well politically within your own country, you should try and redirect the public gaze somehow onto the foreign policy.

Given that the German Chancellor did not wish to take him along on his trip to China with his official delegation for economic diplomacy last November, the French President Emmanuel Macron set off on a journey to China with his own respective economic delegation in the beginning of April this year. Though not exactly on his own but accompanied by a ‘supervisory body’ in the shape and form of the scrawny-looking President of European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen. Exactly that detail will make this fleeting visit to Beijing rather bizarre, because it is unclear how come Ursula von der Leyen found herself in Macron’s company en route to China.

But when it comes to Ursula von der Leyen, it is also rather unclear how she became President of the European Commission amongst other eminent candidates for the previous elections for the European Parliament. Her name is now being thrown in for her to become NATO Secretary General despite the fact that both friends and foes say, Politico reported a while ago, that her management of the German Ministry of Defense was a complete and costly failure. Then again, we do know that in the world of Western rules, they do not seem to have acquired a surplus of competence and democracy in the meantime. For the sake of illustration, Macron left for China from Paris which happened to be smothered with tonnes of garbage due to the strike of the communal utility services in charge of street sweeping and overflowing with anger by protesters who have been demonstrating for weeks now. Financial Times reports on unacceptable scenes of French police officers’ morally shocking and brutal ways in dealing with protesters. On that occasion even Iran expressed its concern and called France to talk to their citizens and not brutally abuse them physically. Poignant irony is self-evident and completely well deserved, aimed at Macron’s incompetent ways.

Macron has justified the presence of Ursula von der Leyen in his delegation with the claim that he was the one to suggest that she should accompany him in his trip to China so that the two of them can speak in political unison while there, representing the EU with joint forces. However, even though Macron has long nourished most profound wishes to be accompanied by ‘ladies of a certain age’, this justification does not come across as credible, but because the President of France did not express a similar boyish need in other similar situations for instance for his recent travel to Washington to meet with Biden. He was accompanied by Brigitte Macron there and Ursula von der Leyen visited Biden last month. All the political mirage related to President of European Commission is being enhanced by one particular detail to which Bloomberg indicates: The way China is treating Macron is not the treatment they are giving to von der Leyen whereas Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs reported that Macron arrived in China upon the official invitation for a state visit issued by President of China, Xi Jinping. As for von der Leyen they just added that she is ‘on a visit’ agreed between the EU and China. In other words, nobody knows who has invited her so that we can conclude she is there more or less uninvited.

But that rather bizarre abovementioned aspect of the official visit of President Macron accompanied by von der Leyen to China is mirrored in the speech she had just delivered before her China trip in Mercator Institute for China Studies, which, because of their anti-China activities has been added to the list of Chinese sanctions since 2021. Of course, the choice of this place to launch messages targeting China on the eve of this trip was not a coincidence. In line with such an intention of ‘indecent political fornication’ instead of decently respectful political relations was the contents of the messages she sent off erratically in one way or the other. President of the European Commission von der Leyen seems to think that she on that occasion sent her message that Beijing is becoming ever more repressive at home and ever more aggressive abroad in that they propel the politics of disinformation and economic and trade coercion. And she also noticed that China is seriously encroaching upon human rights with the warning that that notorious issue of alleged breaching of human rights will be yet another test for whether the EU can and to what extent they can cooperate with China.

And now here comes the main issue: How will China continue to respond to the war in Ukraine will be a decisive factor for the relations between EU and China – she continues in a threatening, domineering manner unduly, noticing that President Xi instead of turning his back on President of Russia, continues relations without limits with Putin’s Russia and above all she added the EU will have to reconsider the comprehensive agreement on investments with China. Trade agreement reached with China at the end of 2020 has not been ratified yet. Admittedly, the world and China have changed in the past three years so thus we have to reconsider our agreements in light of our broader strategy towards China. Such messages sent either overtly or subliminally by von der Leyen are in obvious opposition to the members of Macron’s delegation in which ministers of finances, foreign affairs and culture are present and also the directors of about fifty leading French companies who surely did not travel to China to talk about human rights against Uyghurs in China or the freedoms of independent media in Hong Kong. And it is truly irrational to expect to sign any trade deals whatsoever if you previously have been uncivil and distasteful against your host(s). And you also send a message that you have no intention of adhering to the agreements you have signed with them. Such a business strategy is doomed to failure before it even starts. ‘Good cop, bad cop’ – remarks even the German Spiegel in their analysis of the situation whereas Fu Cong, the Ambassador of China to the EU, explicitly asked Europe to dismiss the demands of Washington to cease their trading with Beijing with the warning, reported on by the Financial Times that the U.S. will resort to any method in order to derail the normal relations between Brussels and Beijing and cause further disarray. Who in their right mind would leave such an enormous emerging market such as the Chinese market – Fu said while urging Europe to be persistent in their pursuit for strategic autonomy. Financial Times on the other hand at the end of November last year, referring to their diplomatic sources, reported that the USA has increased its pressure on NATO allies to align their approaches with the anti-Chinese policies in Washington.

It is surely a centuries-old rule in politics that if you do not fare well politically within your own country, you should try and redirect the public gaze somehow onto the foreign policy and try to make a success there one way or another. Macron will most probably try to make some success based on that thinking. At the end of the day this visit lasts for three days. This is his second visit to China since he was elected in 2017 whereas Xi was in an official visit to Paris once. The fact that von der Leyen joined him is being viewed as rather negative in the French public because she is considered a person lacking in democratic legitimacy. The Chinese though tend to be benevolent on the issue of Macron because they do want to have a bigger economic and financial picture at heart.

The Chinese surely welcome the visits from the EU regarding them as a sign of good will in the world of detrimental division and constant confrontations between the blocs, and the prevailing understanding that there is a place where they can discuss and debate broader geopolitical interests for all countries open for dialogue. The Chinese accept Macron as a representative of a country with which they traditionally have good relations so as to analyze if the EU stands any chance of going the way which would show signs of strategic autonomy. On the other hand, they want to respond to the avalanche in the EU mainstream media that both von der Leyen and Macron and all the others only come to desperately try and convince Beijing not to support Russia.

These are surely callow views and scorn-inducing delusions about serious political issues. How can they even think of influencing China into changing their foreign policy. It is the Chinese foreign policy to forge bridges and establish economic ties further. On an additional note, they want to see at what stage their European geostrategic thinking is, whether they will rechannel their politics towards Russia and to try and fathom if there is any potential in the EU to get disentangled from their almost lethal embrace from across the Atlantic. How does Macron respond to that political coercion from the U.S. and from within the EU? What is his visit to Beijing going to bring? And what is the role, if any, of Ursula von der Leyen in all that? The new political buzzwords thrown around in the arena by the shrieking EU elites seem to be de-coupling from China and de-risking its relationships with China. The Chinese shall surely approach everything with patience and wisdom.

Stuffed Cabbage Rolls

Sukkot (also known as the Feast of Booths) celebrates the bountiful fall harvest and the beginning of autumn. Some observers build the traditional “sukka,” a temporary outdoor shelter or booth reminiscent of the desert dwelling places used when the Israelites were delivered from Egypt. Today, these shelters are festively decorated with fresh produce and used for eating or sleeping during this holiday.

stuffed cabbage rolls SweetAndSavoryMeals 8 1024x1536 1
stuffed cabbage rolls SweetAndSavoryMeals 8 1024×1536 1

Ingredients

  • 2 medium cabbages (about 5 pounds)
  • 3 onions, chopped
  • 1/4 cup vegetable oil
  • 1 cup brown rice, uncooked
  • 2 pounds ground beef
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 1/2 teaspoon pepper
  • 1 (16 ounce) can sauerkraut, drained and divided
  • 3/4 cup firmly packed brown sugar, divided
  • 1 (46 ounce) can tomato juice

Instructions

  1. Freeze cabbages for 8 hours; thaw. Separate leaves, and set aside.
  2. Cook onion in oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat, stirring constantly, until crisp-tender.
  3. Add rice, and cook for 3 to 5 minutes over medium heat, stirring constantly. Cool rice mixture slightly.
  4. Combine rice mixture, ground beef, salt and pepper.
  5. Reserving smaller cabbage leaves, spoon about 1/4 cup beef mixture in center of each large cabbage leaf. Fold left and right sides of leaf over, and roll up, beginning at bottom. Repeat procedure with remaining large cabbage leaves.
  6. Chill rolls overnight, if desired, or proceed immediately.
  7. Arrange reserved small cabbage leaves in bottom of a large Dutch oven or stockpot.
  8. Spoon half of sauerkraut and half of brown sugar over small cabbage leaves.
  9. Top with half of cabbage rolls, seam side down.
  10. Repeat layers with remaining sauerkraut, brown sugar and cabbage rolls.
  11. Pour tomato juice over assembled layers; bring to a boil, and simmer, covered, 2 hours or until rice is done.
  12. Serve immediately.

Yields about 2 1/2 dozen cabbage rolls.

Instead of freezing cabbages, you may cover them with boiling water in a large stockpot and let stand 10 minutes.

School Kid in UK Secretly Records Teacher: “You Do Not Have A Choice of not learning LGBTQ+. . .”

2023 04 15 12 26
2023 04 15 12 26

A school kid in the United Kingdom has secretly recorded his school teacher telling students “You don’t have a choice to learn about LGBTQ. It’s one of our values and if you refuse to do it, you will be dealt with severely..”

This is not education, it is INDOCTRINATION by people with mentally twisted minds, who are actually preying upon children, and misusing their positions as (supposed) “Educators” to promote a sick, deviant, disease-ridden, biological obscenity.

Here, listen to this teacher for yourself:

It is the fundamental law of any growing entity to eventually get saturated. That is the Natural Law. No demand or economy that is growing exponentially can continue to grow in such a manner, exponential growth will become linear then gradually it will flatten and reach a stage called Near Zenith

So to answer your question – Yes. Chinas rise will have to stall out like what happened to Japan in the 1980s.

But What does a country do when it reaches saturation?

The Country starts diverging and going on a different path – one involving technological breakthrough, technological advances and path breaking achievements to replace the gap left behind due to the Saturation.

Its called Economic Evolution

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main qimg ef3809c02a99354d27cda5a49573509a pjlq

Japan and Singapore are a typical example. In the 1980s (Japan) and 1990s (Singapore) – these countries manufactured a lot of low end and medium end products which were exported all around the world. However as labor became expensive – these countries chose to specialize and focus on semiconductors and other specialized production and gave up manufacturing the low end and medium end goods to Malaysia and later China.

Today these countries focus on manufacture of high end products and high end technology like Robots, Advanced Communications, Enterprise Technology, MLAIs etc etc.

This way they can keep their edge and their economy.

Eventually the demand for their products will always continue. In the 1980s – the Japanese made Canon or Nikon cameras had a huge demand, today the same demand is for the Japanese Nobura II Enterprise Server.

Growth may stall but Development will always continue. Eventually GDP growth rate may fall to between 0.8% – 1.5% but the Development – that is always going to be there.


China has planned its game even better than Japan.

Already it is planning to shift its Low end manufacturing to Bangladesh and African Countries to Chinese owned entities in these countries. That way they control the supply chain, help in the economic development of other countries and ensure that their costs are kept as low as possible.

China will start High End Manufacturing (Or has started) – pretty soon. First it will start with its own massive domestic market and then the global market. Semiconductor Chips, AI, Robotics, Automation, Bullet Trains, Electric Vehicles – are among its focus and it is spending billions on research and development to ensure that it emerges as a leader by say 2035 on a global scale.

So Chinas case will be better than US or Japan. China is establishing its own long arms to countries like African countries and Bangladesh and ensuring that these entities can keep the growth ticking while ensuring that the High End Developments continue at rapid surge and process.

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main qimg a56be4f25c4f75fa0d0b9cdffaf5432c lq

Chinese High End Manufacture example. They literally stole the Technology from the Japanese but today they can manufacture domestically these high end high speed trains. Tomorrow they may export these trains globally – keeping their edge all the time.

China has a much better plan than Japan and the rest (Unless Xi blows it with his tomfoolery)

Conclusion – Of course China will also reach saturation but China has planned it so well that even if it reaches Saturation – its Development related to its slower growth would be Tremendous compared to Japan or even USA.

Have you seen how insanely big it was compared to human?

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main qimg 608c2d2839ed9f41c1585d6a246fb63f

This thing was super gigantic, it was literally a skyscraper.

What this launch meant is that, in the near future, we can launch things into space at an insanely very cheap cost.

This is the most powerful ever built in human history and the first step of using super enormous ships to transport people to the moon; what’s super unique is that this launcher will be able to return and land on its platform, refuel and launch another payload again unlike NASA’s launchers which falls back into the sea and can never be used again.

After centuries of gazing up at the stars in wonder, humanity is now on the brink of achieving a long-standing dream: becoming an interplanetary species.

With advancements in technology and space exploration, we are closer than ever to breaking the bounds of Earth and reaching out towards the cosmos.

It’s not a matter of if we’ll become interplanetary, but rather a matter of when.

Sky High Inflation…

Natasha Wright
April 21, 2023

We need to learn where the borderline of strategic autonomy of Europe is (if there is any).

The President of France, Emanuel Macron, was sent off to Beijing with high hopes that he would successfully convert the President of China, Xi Jinping. Quite unexpectedly, Macron got back from China as if the complete opposite occurred. Macron’s journey to Beijing was surely not anywhere near the journey to Damascus of biblical proportions, which did convert Paul the Apostle but it clearly showed how woefully Europe is whimpering in between their own needs and the U.S. pressure.

In the Presidential airplane, which he was flying in from Beijing back to Paris where he was angrily greeted by the very same protesters which had previously sent him off to Beijing in such a way that they set fire on his favorite Parisian restaurant. He later talked to the reporters as if he had truly experienced a sudden enlightenment so that the leading German journal Spiegel, which had never regarded the German interests of lesser importance than the interests of their transatlantic partnership with the U.S. in which the plans and interests of all the others go awry, had to wonder whether Macron has now completely lost his mind.

Macron’s only sin seems to have been found in the interview with the Politico reporter and two of his French colleagues in the presidential airplane in which he merely noticed something that should have been obvious. Namely, Macron pointed out that Europe must resist the pressure to turn into a mere U.S. acolyte. He added that Europe is under severe risk of further getting involved in the crisis, which is not its own. Europe must lessen its dependence on the USA and avoid being further entangled into the confrontation between China and USA about Taiwan – Macron said after as many as six hours long talks with Xi, in which he spent only the first one hour and a half under the scowling look normally referred to as supervision from the President of European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, whereas Macron and Xi spent the rest of the time only accompanied by their official interpreters.

Politico goes on to report that during the interview while aboard the plane with Macron dressed in his favourite sweatshirt, he placed an emphasis on his preferred theory on strategic autonomy for Europe. Perhaps under the French leadership in order to become ‘the third great power’. The question posed before the Europeans is whether it is in European interest to rev up the crisis around Taiwan. ‘No’ – Macron both asked and provided the answer to the question. It would be the worst-case scenario for us, the Europeans, to think that we should become mere followers of the U.S. in these matters and to align our political decisions with the U.S. agenda with the adverse reactions from China. The Europeans cannot resolve the crisis in Ukraine. How on Earth can we dare say anything related to Taiwan with any crumbs of credibility? We should not approach serious international matters with an intimidating approach such as ‘Beware, if you do anything wrong, we shall come after you right there ‘. This is not the sensible way forward, unless you really want to raise tensions.

There were certainly other rather heretic remarks in that plane interview. Macron, Politico reports elaborated that Europe increased their dependence on the U.S. in the field of arms and energy supply. He also mentioned that Europe should lessen its dependence on extraterritoriality of the U.S. dollar which is the chief political goal between Moscow and Beijing; he will elaborate on this in an accusatory tone to Politico (which happens to be a U.S.-German news agency). ‘If the tensions between the two great powers get to be fuelled further, we shall not have sufficient time nor resources to finance our strategic autonomy. We shall further be reduced to the position of vassals in this way’ – Macron warned. While Politico in a rather odd manner regarded it as appropriate at the end of the article that all the President’s words were reported verbatim but that during the process of authorization, the interview had to be edited for the bits in which Macron even more openly talked about Taiwan and strategic autonomy of Europe with no attempt at concealment.

Though even this what was published was sufficient to cause an avalanche of synchronized discontent of Macron’s apparently rampantly subversive remarks even though he surely did not utter any lies, when he said that Europe does not need to get involved in yet another U.S. war. In all that frustration with Macron’s effort to position European interests in Europe much higher than the U.S. interests was balanced off by the Germans. On the German side, Metin Hakverdi, a centre-left ruling party SPD lawmaker, was the first to speak out with exasperation about the situation. “Macron is doing it again. Talking his head off in Beijing with zero authorisation from the EU. He will then surely organise security guarantees for Ukraine all by himself,” the senior lawmaker said. He later told Tagesspiegel that “it is a grave mistake for the West to allow itself to be divided in its dealings with Beijing of all places.” His colleague, Norbert Röttgen, from the Christian Democratic Union (CDU) opposition party in Germany said that such an approach is two party type approach, lambasting Macron for managing to turn his trip to China into his PR success with Xi Jinping and also into a foreign policy disaster for Europe with a stark warning that the policy fostered by the French President would lead Europe into a geopolitical cul-de-sac (ooopps pardon my French; I meant a dead end). It is even ironic, he added, that Macron even does much less for Ukraine than the German Chancellor, Olaf Scholz with his statements about China turning U.S. away from us.

On the other side of the Atlantic there came a predictably similar reaction. Macron stumbled over Taiwan and Ukraine. He weakened the position of restraining the Chinese aggression and he weakened the U.S. aid for Europe – Wall Street Journal warns in their characteristic manner in their editorial section with an indecently colloquial remark: ‘Thank you very much, pal ‘. They added that ‘ if President Biden were awake, he should call Macron and ask him if he is doing his best to elect Donald Trump again? All this was preceded by an arrogant approach by Senator Marco Rubio, the highest positioned Republican with the Select Committee on Intelligence in his position of Vice Chairman. He commented that they have to establish whether Macron is talking in his own name or in the name of Europe. We need an answer to this question quickly because China is very excited about what Macron said, in them being both appreciative and supportive of everything Macron said with enthusiasm. And then he also mentioned Germans reacted as if they were issued a command with the already typical expression of obedience.

Mercifully, the answers may well follow shortly as to what Macron tried to do on his return from Beijing and why an avalanche of resentful reactions followed on both sides of the Atlantic. We need to learn where the borderline of strategic autonomy of Europe is (if there is any).

Urban Explorer Visits Abandoned Japanese Love Motel Of Naughty Attractions

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Dutch explorer Bob Thissen has explored hundreds of abandoned places all over the world, including many love motels. In July 2019, Bob found what he claims is the biggest and most high-end love motel he has ever seen, on Honshu island, Japan.

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His video here…

Can’t believe they abandoned this palace.

“The Palace in this video was built in the XVIII century and became the home of Count Burnay, one of the richest persons in Portugal, who renovated it during the XIX century.

Later it was bought by the State who installed there a school for the colonial services and then an university (where I had the joy to study).

Teachers and students occupied the building until 2001, when the academic activities moved to a new and unimpressive block in another part of Lisbon.

The Burnay Palace was a marvelous place to study, even better to party (all the students in town knew about the unforgetable nights, when the pink palace became a giant disco).

Hope it recovers its shine, really a shame to see it becoming just another delirect…”

Yi Says China Largely Ended Currency Intervention in Market Tilt

This is a very understated but significant development. -MM
PBOC governor makes rare speech during visit to Washington. Yi says China’s potential growth estimate ‘very controversial’.

Article HERE

How I See the US After Living Abroad for 15 Years [CULTURE SHOCK]

Steven Sahiounie
April 3, 2023

The shifting sands of the Gulf may turn rock-solid in an alliance across the region with Iran, Steven Sahiounie writes.

The shifting sands of the Gulf may turn rock-solid in an alliance across the region with Iran. This new alliance is in defiance of the old divide and conquer policy used by the U.S. State Department.

The rapprochement between The Islamic Republic of Iran and the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia could transform the region, after being brokered by China on March 10, ending seven years of tensions. The nations are aware that there is safety in numbers, and strength in unity instead of standing alone.

Iran had decided to improve relations with its Arab neighbors instead of waiting for the U.S. to decide to renew the nuclear agreement. Saudi Arabia had made its own strategic decision to not depend on the U.S. for security. These two strategies brought Iran and Saudi Arabia together, with China demonstrating its ability to circumvent the U.S., when it is the U.S. standing in the way of stability in the Middle East.

“The recent successful dialogue between Saudi Arabia and Iran in Beijing helped improve bilateral relations between the two countries, which will strengthen regional solidarity and ease the tensions in the region. China will further support the process,” said Chinese President Xi Jinping to Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman (MbS) by phone on March 28.

The deal involves Saudi Arabia supporting the return of Iran to the nuclear deal with the west, plans to end the war in Yemen, cooperation to stabilize Syria, and strengthening their joint ties in OPEC.

Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian announced on March 26 that the two countries had agreed to hold a meeting between their top diplomats, with the location to be announced, during the month of Ramadan, the Holy month of fasting, which ends the third week of April.

Both countries share the same religion, which is a common thread in their relationship but had been a point of division used by the U.S. to divide the two. Iran is Shite, and Saudi Arabia is Sunni. When the U.S. invaded and destroyed Iraq beginning in 2003, they used the Sunni-Shite divide to create chaos which served the U.S. interests to conquer and subjugate the Iraqi people in the U.S. project of regime change, which affected the whole region and created sectarian divisions.

Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi received an invitation from Saudi Arabia’s King Salman to visit the kingdom by letter, announced on March 19, which invited him to Riyadh.

Iran and Saudi Arabia are expected to open embassies in each other’s capitals from now to May 10. They will both resume security and economic agreements signed more than 20 years ago.

The United Arab Emirates (UAE) and Kuwait recently restored ties with Iran. Amir-Abdollahian said Iran also hoped steps would be made to normalize its ties with Bahrain as well.

Iran’s top security official Ali Shamkhani held talks with UAE President Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan in Abu Dhabi on March 23, in yet another sign of the networking in the region.

In June 2006, U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice called for a “New Middle East”. In true American hubris, she and President George W. Bush thought Israel attacking Lebanon, bombing from the north to the south, and killing hundreds of civilians, was necessary to remove the resistance to the Israeli occupation of Palestine.

Rice and Bush lost their war, both in Iraq and in Lebanon. The resistance to occupation is as strong as ever, and now we have the UN recognizing that Israel is an apartheid state.

President Obama, supported by former Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Bandar, and aligned with former Crown Prince Nayan, also tried their hand at wiping out the resistance in Syria through regime change, but they all failed.

The New Middle East has emerged, finally, but it is not exactly what Rice and Bush were asking for. Iran and Saudi Arabia are together, and both asking for the liberation of Palestine.

When Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu took office, for the sixth time, he pledged he had two main goals: to make a deal with Saudi Arabia under the Abraham Accords format and to increase illegal settlements on Palestinian land. With the new relationship between Iran and Saudi Arabia, Netanyahu’s position is dismal.

On March 24, Israel announced plans to build over 1,000 new units on illegally occupied Palestinian land, just days after agreeing in a meeting in Egypt to suspend settlement construction.

The Saudi Foreign Ministry condemned the Israeli plans, and called on the international community “to assume its responsibilities to end the Israeli occupation and to stop its provocative practices, which would obstruct the paths of political solutions based on the Arab Peace Initiative, and undermine international peace efforts.”

The Arab Peace Initiative was a Saudi proposal in 2002 that called for normalizing relations with Israel in return for withdrawal from Palestinian territories occupied in 1967.

The March surprise deal was a shock to the Biden administration, but the earlier October 2022 surprise was even harder to take in the Oval Office. Biden had gone to MBS personally to ask for an increase in the oil output to bring down the price of gasoline in the U.S. MBS flatly turned him down.

The Aramco attack in 2019 occurred when drones hit the Abqaiq oil facility while protected by U.S.-made air defense batteries; however, none were effective or took down even one drone. 19 individual strikes occurred, with 14 that punctured storage tanks, and three that disabled oil processing trains.

The facilities were knocked out of commission and the world’s largest petroleum producer was cut by half, representing about five percent of global oil production.

This was the beginning of Saudi Arabia formulating a strategy for security that does not depend on the U.S. but rather looks to neighborly alliances independently.

How I see the US after living in Europe for 5 years

Declan Hayes
April 2, 2023

The real tragedy is that Australia, the Philippines, Japan and America’s other patsies are adopting NATO’s policy of fighting China in Chinese waters.

Since I last wrote about the Philippines, matters have gotten so much worse not only there but across the entire South China Sea that an air and sea war now looms between China and a gaggle of America’s regional proxies. Although the Philippines is in the eye of the storm, Japan, Taiwan, Vietnam, Indonesia, Malaysia and even far away Australia can also expect NATO’s Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse to wreak havoc on them. This war will dwarf anything that has recently happened in Ukraine. Bad news for Asians but good news for America’s predatory arms’ industries and, as far as Washington is concerned, that is all that matters.

A land war can be excluded because China has no intention of invading anywhere, Taiwan included and, as Australia clearly shows, air and sea warfare offer far richer pickings for NATO’s defence industries. The trick is to goad China enough to keep the profits from defence contracts rolling in but not too much that the South China Sea becomes a furnace. Better to follow the Ukrainian model, to use proxies to goad China and, with luck, then do a Russia on China, to slap sanctions on her, confiscate her assets and lecture to the world that NATO has, as always, the high moral ground, even in the Philippines, whose most vulnerable children have traditionally been the prey of choice for the U.S. military’s more depraved sexual predators.

Although the putative reason for this latest concocted war is Chinese expansion in the South China Sea, the underlying reason is Uncle Sam’s need to militarise the entire planet and collect levies from all its satrapies, most notably, in this case, Japan and Australia which is being made fork out a staggering A$368 bn for berthing facilities for a handful of nuclear powered Anglo American submarines, which are totally unfit for the purpose of defending Australia and her interests.

Australia is, in effect, going to permanently bankrupt herself to enable the British and Americans flaunt their war ships off the Chinese coast for no other reason than to buttress their own defence industries and to tether Australia to their economic coat tails for generations to come. Instead of deepening ties with China, Australia’s major trading partner, the Ossies, NATO’s Antipodean poodles, are determined to bankrupt themselves antagonising Beijing for Washington’s benefit; be sure to check out this excellent one hour interview with former Ossie Prime Minister Paul Keating, who slices and dices the Sinophobic policies of today’s crop of Australian (excuses for) leaders.

Much the same goes for the Philippines, whose President, Bongbong Marcos, is being criminally irresponsible in relentlessly tweaking China’s tail. Yet, whether it is the Philippines, New Zealand, Australia or the failed states of Western Europe, it seems that today’s leaders exist only to serve Uncle Sam’s war machine, no matter what the costs are to their own electorates. Talk about the curse of living in interesting times.

A far more adult alternative for the Philippines and her neighbours would be to return to the jaw jaw strategy of former President Rodrigo Duterte and, with her ASEAN partners, to see what can be achieved through quiet diplomacy with China. First off, China would have to accept that her nine dash line, which lays claim to almost all of the South China Sea, is unacceptable poppycock and, though China’s legitimate defence concerns regarding American aggression need to be fully accommodated, so also must the economic needs of the Philippines and her ASEAN partners be met with regard to fishing, mining, freedom of navigation and allied rights.

Much the same applies to Japan and her first class navy, which would give as good an account of herself against China as the Japanese Imperial Navy did 80 years ago against the British and American navies. As with ASEAN, so also should Japan build bridges with Taiwan and Korea and negotiate as a sovereign group with China. The United States should play no role whatsoever in any of that as they have no business in East Asia, which they have militarily controlled since Imperial Japan’s 1945 surrender.

No one, except the Americans, who have no business whatsoever in the South China Sea, wants a return to those battles of Okinawa, Iwo Jima, Leyte Gulf and Manila. Certainly, no one besides the Americans and their British toadies stand to benefit from such a conflagration. Paul Keating sees that. Duterte sees that. China sees that. And so, of course, do the Americans, who are determined to again burn South East Asia to the ground if that is what it takes to maintain their top dog status. The abiding mystery in all this is how the Americans can get so many of their satraps to serve only America’s military interests and not their own.

The real tragedy here is that Australia, the Philippines, Japan and America’s other patsies are adopting NATO’s policy of forward defence, of, in effect, fighting China in Chinese waters to supposedly avoid having to fight them on home turf. What this means in practical terms is allowing the U.S. to build naval and air bases and to suffer the collateral damage such hospitality brings in its wake.

Although the Americans and their Filipino puppets are boasting of the security and jobs such bases will bring, given America’s track records in Subic Bay, Clark Airbase and Olongapo naval base, to say nothing of their stomach churning war crimes during their original conquest of the Philippines, we can expect their sexual abuse of glue sniffing rugby Filippino boys and girls to again return to the levels that made People Power demand the 1991 closure of America’s vast military and child grooming bases.

The Philippines, as my previous article pointed out, is a country awash with all of the problems poverty, American neo-colonialism and the other Horsemen of the Apocalypse bring with them. Those problems do not have magic bullet solutions, such as those the Belt and Road Initiative or the vampirish embrace of Uncle Sam represent. The solution lies in taming corruption and in politicians and diplomats doing the jobs they are charged with. In the case of the Philippines, that must entail closer economic ties with China to ensure the Philippines gets its due entitlement from its waters. What it does not entail is going back to the dark old days of having an economy built around the carnal needs of America’s GIs and the predatory needs of the British and American arms’ industries.

When one considers the fate awaiting the Philippines’ rugby boys and girls, when one considers Bongbong is determined to pauperise the Philippines’ struggling transport drivers through NATO’s Green Agenda, when one considers the disreputable role BongBong’s parents played when they ruled the Philippines, Dantean despair is the most natural of reactions. But then, politicians like Keating and Duterte show that there is hope leaders who are something more than American toadies might, with People Power, re-emerge and that the Philippines will rid itself not only of Ali Baba but the 40 thieving families who rule the Philippines as well. That can only happen by breaking the American link and building fresher, unfettered ones with China, Taiwan, Japan, Vietnam and all other Asian countries that divest themselves of the Yankee yolk. If, as I hope, there is to be true hope in the Philippines not only for the rugby children but for all Filipinos, that hope can, as Paul Keating says, only be grounded in abandoning the old Anglo-American colonial masters, denying them naval and air bases and instead forging mutually beneficial alliances with Asia’s powerhouses, who likewise have no need for America’s 7th fleet and all the ugliness and depravity it epitomises.

TUCKER CARLSON: I Can’t Lie About This

Strategic Infographics
© Photo: Public domain
“The NATO expanders are telling us that Russia’s actions inside its unchanged borders are exactly why we had to expand NATO’s borders. Russia’s reaction to NATO’s expansion enlargement justifies NATO’s enlargement expansion.” 

– Patrick Armstrong
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inf124 nato enl 01

Sephardic Omelette

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BaconPotatoOmelette6 1024×683 1

Ingredients

  • 450g waxy potatoes (I found Desiree to be the best)
  • Salt and black pepper
  • 1 red onion
  • 1 clove garlic
  • 1 red capsicum
  • 4 tablespoons olive oil
  • 100g frozen peas
  • 6 large eggs
  • 50g Cheddar cheese
  • 2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley

Instructions

  1. Peel and cube the potatoes. Cook in boiling, salted water for five minutes or until tender. Drain.
  2. Meanwhile peel and chop the onion and crush the garlic.
  3. Deseed and chop the capsicum.
  4. Heat half the olive oil in a large frying pan. Fry the onion for three minutes.
  5. Add the garlic, red capsicum and peas. Fry for three minutes, then transfer to a plate.
  6. Heat the remaining oil in the pan. Add the potatoes and cook for eight minutes, stirring.
  7. Beat the eggs and add the cheese. Season.
  8. Return the onion mixture to the pan with the parsley.
  9. Reduce the heat and pour eggs evenly over the mixture.
  10. Cook the omelette over low heat for 10 minutes, or until eggs are set.
  11. Loosen the edges with a spatula and turn out the omelette onto a plate.
  12. Serve hot or cold.

NATO Destroyed Libya, Arrest Bush,Blair & Obama Before You Lecture Africa’s Relationship With Putin

Africa is STANDING UP and the fury is only beginning. The USA is fucking screwed!

U.S. Cuts Itself Off From Future Chinese Profits

Yesterday Secretary of the Treasury Janet L. Yellen gave a speech on the U.S.-China economic relationship. It’s a bit like of declaration of war:

Our economic approach to China has three principal objectives.First, we will secure our national security interests and those of our allies and partners, and we will protect human rights. We will clearly communicate to the PRC our concerns about its behavior. And we will not hesitate to defend our vital interests. Even as our targeted actions may have economic impacts, they are motivated solely by our concerns about our security and values. Our goal is not to use these tools to gain competitive economic advantage.

Second, we seek a healthy economic relationship with China: one that fosters growth and innovation in both countries. A growing China that plays by international rules is good for the United States and the world. Both countries can benefit from healthy competition in the economic sphere. But healthy economic competition – where both sides benefit – is only sustainable if that competition is fair. We will continue to partner with our allies to respond to China’s unfair economic practices. And we will continue to make critical investments at home – while engaging with the world to advance our vision for an open, fair, and rules-based global economic order.

Third, we seek cooperation on the urgent global challenges of our day. Since last year’s meeting between Presidents Biden and Xi, both countries have agreed to enhance communication around the macroeconomy and cooperation on issues like climate and debt distress. But more needs to be done. We call on China to follow through on its promise to work with us on these issues – not as a favor to us, but out of our joint duty and obligation to the world. Tackling these issues together will also advance the national interests of both of our countries.

To use undefined “values”, undefined “vital interests” and undefined “international rules” always make for a sorry excuse for mischief. To claim “unfair economic practices” in China when it is the U.S. that is breaking its own rules left and right is embarrassing. As Edward Luce writes In today’s Financial Times:

Today’s US cannot make trade deals, cannot negotiate global digital rules, cannot abide by WTO rulings and cannot support Bretton Woods reforms. [So] how can China be squeezed into a US-led order in which America itself has stopped believing?

One can of course forget about the third point when the first and second are made. There will be no cooperation when the other points create a hostile confrontation.

Yellen then discusses the three points in more detail. Under ‘National Security’ she says:

We also carefully review foreign investments in the United States for national security risks and take necessary actions to address any such risks. And we are considering a program to restrict certain U.S. outbound investments in specific sensitive technologies with significant national security implications.

How is prohibiting U.S. investment in China helping with national security? The U.S. has other tools to prevent Lockheed Martin from build new missiles in China. So what investments are envisioned here?

Two days ago Politico had a preview of the program:

Unprecedented rules limiting American investments in China are expected later this month — and the administration has begun briefing industry groups like the Chamber of Commerce on the broad outlines of the executive order, which is expected to require companies to notify the government of new investments in Chinese tech firms and prohibit some deals in critical sectors like microchips.

Since the Trump administration, national security lawmakers and Cabinet officials have sought to craft new rules to oversee — and potentially block — U.S. investments in Chinese tech sectors. The goal is to prevent American firms from funding or developing tech that can later be used by the Chinese military.

But that is only a sorry excuse. This is an escalation in the economic war against China. As Politico continues:

Those moves would come on the heels of aggressive trade action last year, when the administration put in place new export rules that explicitly sought to undermine Beijing’s prized microchip sector and passed massive industrial policies aimed at breaking reliance on the Chinese economy. At the time, national security adviser Jake Sullivan was clear that the goal of the strategy was to preserve America’s competitive edge in emerging high-tech industries, even if Washington does not pursue a broader decoupling.“We must maintain as large of a lead as possible” in high tech sectors like microchips, Sullivan said, previewing new Commerce Department rules released in October that sought to grind Chinese chip development to a halt.

This has nothing to do with national security but with suppressing economic competition.

The new rule prohibiting U.S. investments in China will apply to three large sectors:

While policymakers last year considered including up to five major Chinese industries — microchips, artificial intelligence, quantum computing, biotechnology and clean energy — in the order, the biotech and clean energy sectors are now likely to be left out of the program.

To prohibit U.S. investments in those three sectors is still silly.

China does not lack investment money. Its capital account balance is positive and China is investing more abroad than foreigners invest in China. In the last quarter of 2022:

– Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) increased by 27.7 USD bn in Dec 2022.
– China Direct Investment Abroad expanded by 44.2 USD bn in Dec 2022.

China also does not lack know how. It is researching and developing at a high level in all the same sectors where the U.S. is doing it.

Prohibiting U.S. investments in new Chinese chip factories or AI models will only hurt U.S. industries. In earlier decades foreign companies which develop stuff that was of interest for large U.S. companies were bought by U.S. investors. Their knowledge and/or production was replicated in the U.S. or they continued running as before but with their profits flowing into U.S. pockets.

China is the most dynamically developing society. There is a high likelihood that it will find and develop new things before the U.S. will do so. But instead of riding that wave and investing in it the U.S. will prohibit itself from profiting from it.

The Biden administration new rules will cut off U.S. investors from China’s future revenue stream.

Posted by b on April 21, 2023 at 17:22 UTC | Permalink

Exploring an $80,000,000 Glass Mansion with Everything Left Inside

Okay

How do you destroy a Tank?

Option One : – Aerial Bombardment

Oops!!! Ukraine has no Planes. Otherwise why beg the world for Planes every second day? So thats out

Option Two :- Landmines

Not Effective. Once the first tank is blown up, the rest will stop and demining will take place so No thats out.

Option Three:- UAVs

The Bayrakhtars are gone. The US will not advance their Drones for fear of Russians knocking out the same and extracting the same and accessing the Proprietary Technology. Ukraine doesnt have Kamikaze Drones and without Predators or Meteors – UAVs cannot destroy a tank

Option Four:- Tanks

Oops!!! Ukraine is the one begging the world for Tanks right? From Abrams to Leopards , every Tank that can be spared. So Impossible for Ukraine to have Tanks to destroy Russian Tanks

Option Five:- RPG Launchers, NLAWs, Javelins

Oops didnt Bloomberg report than 80% of these have been abandoned and captured by the Russians. Plus these weapons have a limited Range and most of the battles are settled by artillery before advancement so no chance of any Ukranian shooting down a Russian tank with a Stinger or NLAW after May 2022

Option Six :- Manual Terrorism

Suicide Bombing, obviously Ukrainians arent dying like Jihadis. So thats a No-No

So that begs the obvious Question

HOW IS RUSSIA LOSING ALL ITS TANKS?

Russia had a total of 11805 Tanks before the SMO

This included 8660 Tanks of the T-72, T-80 and T-90 Make

So are you saying Russia lost 8,660 Tanks?

HOW?

Lloyd Austin may genetically resemble a silverback Gorilla but i am pretty sure he is not the HULK


Now lets look at the other side

Russia

Air Power – CHECK

UAVs – CHECK

Tanks – CHECK

So logic dictates that Russia should be able to decimate more Ukrainian Tanks than vice versa

Plus Russia aint begging for Tanks and Ukraine is


So how many Tanks did Russia lose?

First lets see how many Tanks were in Ukraine with the LPR and DPR Militia before the SMO

The Answer:- 255 Tanks primarily of the T-54/55 Make and T-72 make

My Guess is most of them are gone in the early days of March 2022 and April 2022

Next lets see how many Tanks were sent for the SMO on 24/2/2022 until 6/6/2022

The Answer is between 720 Tanks – 800 Tanks most of them Old T-54/55s and Older T-72 Models

Next lets see how many Tanks were assigned to the SMO as per Shoigus Statement on 6/6/22

The Answer is 1150 Tanks including 700 T-80s, 124 T-90s

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main qimg 77a961c378572f3f060c36baf457cb75 lq

Since 6/6 , how many Tanks have been shipped from Russia into Ukraine?

The Answer is 300 Tanks, mainly T-80s and T-90s

So Russia had a Total of 2250 Tanks for the SMO in Ukraine to date today which is around 25% of its Total Operational Tanks and 18% of its Total Armored Capacity

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main qimg 8e655c7c96870dac35db27b983e6b0bf

My Guess is since June 2022, less than 500 Russian Tanks have been destroyed by Ukraine and Today Russia has almost 1600–1750 Tanks still operational which is why no additional armored units have been requisitioned by Russia


Simple Logic

Ukraine doesnt have the means to destroy Russian Tanks post June 2022 whereas Russia do

Its why Ukraine begs for Tanks while Russia doesnt

The Most Logical Guess is since the SMO Began Russia may have lost 600 Tanks in Ukraine at the Most

Meanwhile Ukraine had 3700 Tanks on 21/2/22

Today since they are begging for more Tanks, they are likely to have less than 500 Tanks

This means Ukraine has lost around 3200 Tanks thanks to Russia

Thus 600:3200 is around 1:5 which sounds about reasonable for this SMO as far as Equipment Losses are concerned

2023.04.22 Western Leadership Miscalculations

The serious problem with the “West”. (12:00 onward).

Dr. Ryan Cole Told By Fauci “Don’t Do Autopsies on COVID Patients”

In the brief, nine minute video below, Pathologist Dr. Ryan Cole, trained by the Mayo Clinic in Clinical Pathology, reveals how the COVID “Vaccine” are causing Immune System dis-regulation” causing people to die from diseases we’ve always (usually) been able to fight-off.  He also reveals Doctors like him have been told “Do not do autopsies on COVID Patients.”

Spend the nine minutes to hear this HERE.

Western states that have banned direct purchases of Russian oil are now buying it indirectly from third countries, a report from the Centre for Research on Energy and Clean Air (CREA) claimed on Wednesday.

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main qimg c09b7bdaa6a42fc0a62a66d980732371

In December, the EU, G7, and allied countries imposed an embargo and a $60-per-barrel price cap on Russian oil. Similar restrictions were introduced in February for exports of Russian petroleum products.

While the so-called ‘price cap coalition’ cracked down on crude imports, it has increased purchases of refined products from “oil-laundering” countries, CREA claims.

The EU, Australia, and most of the G7 countries imported a combined $45.9 billion worth of oil products from countries that have become the largest buyers of Russian crude in the 12 months since the beginning of the conflict in Ukraine, the report stated.

According to CREA, “among the price cap coalition, the largest importer of oil products from the laundromat countries was the EU,” with imports reaching $19.4 billion since last February. Australia reportedly purchased $8.8 billion worth of refined crude in the 12-month period, followed by the US with $7.2 billion, the UK with $5.5 billion, and Japan with $5.2 billion. The highest proportions of imported oil products into price cap coalition countries were for diesel (29%), jet fuel (23%), and gasoil (13%).

China’s monthly exports of oil products to the EU and Australia spiked far above historical levels in late 2022, the Finland-based research center revealed.

According to the report, which is based on ship-tracking data, the price cap coalition countries ramped up imports of refined oil products from China by 94%, Turkey by 43%, the United Arab Emirates by 23%, Singapore by 33%, and India by 2%. (look at Indian numbers)

“The price cap coalition countries are responsible for the vast majority of the increase in laundromat countries’ exports of oil products,” CREA said. It claimed that 56% of Russian oil shipped to new destinations “has been transported by vessels owned and/or insured” by Western nations.

Sorry about the Geo-political stuff, but we are seriously in the shit right now.

Today will be a tad heavy on the Geo-Political stuff. Executive summary is simple, regardless of whatever nonsense is being pumped out of the Western “news”, China and the rest of the “Global South” are all doing very well.

There’s some articles on this and some graphs.

Then we have some very nice points being made as to the reality of what an “American led” “rules based order” actually means. It means exactly what I have been saying for so long now.

Some art.

Some food.

Some surprises. I try to compensate with stuff on cats, and people. I hope it’s a good mix to counter the geopolitical framed articles. So that the content isn’t so absolutely dry. Ugh!

Let’s start…

THIS IS A KEEPER!

It happened at a New York Airport. This is hilarious. I wish I had the guts of this girl. An award should go to the United Airlines gate agent in New York for being smart and funny, while making her point, when confronted with a passenger who probably deserved to fly as cargo. For all of you out there who have had to
deal with an irate customer, this one is for you.

A crowded United Airlines flight was canceled. A single agent was re-booking a long line of inconvenienced travelers. Suddenly, an angry passenger pushed his way to the desk. He slapped his ticket on the counter and said, “I HAVE to be on this flight and it has to be FIRST CLASS.”

The agent replied, “I’m sorry, sir. I’ll be happy to try to help you, but I’ve got to help these folks first; and then I’m sure we’ll be able to work something out.”
The passenger was unimpressed. He asked loudly, so that the passengers behind him could hear, “DO YOU HAVE ANY IDEA WHO I AM?”

Without hesitating, the agent smiled and grabbed her public address microphone. “May I have your attention, please?”, she began, her voice heard clearly throughout the terminal. “We have a passenger here at Gate 14 WHO DOES NOT KNOW WHO HE IS. If anyone can help him with his identity, please come to Gate 14”.

With the folks behind him in line laughing hysterically, the man glared at the United Airlines agent, gritted his teeth, and said, “F*** You!”

Without flinching, she smiled and said, “I’m sorry sir, you’ll have to get in line for that, too.”

Life isn’t about how to survive the storm, but how to dance in the rain.

China is starting to target western interests in the country after five years of snowballing trade and technology restrictions spearheaded by the US under presidents Donald Trump and Joe Biden.

2023 04 24 19 15
2023 04 24 19 15

Over the past two months, Chinese officials have slapped new sanctions on US weapons companies Lockheed Martin and Raytheon, launched an investigation into US chipmaker Micron, raided US due diligence firm Mintz and apprehended local staff, detained a senior executive from Japan’s Astellas Pharma group and hit London-headquartered Deloitte with a record fine. President Xi Jinping’s administration is now considering curbing western access to materials and technologies critical to the global car industry, according to a commerce ministry review.

The response to what Beijing has described as a US-led “technology blockade” reveals Xi’s strategy of narrowly targeting industries and companies with little risk of damage to China’s interests.

“China has not abandoned its strategy of restraint to shift to a new position of wide-ranging retaliation, but they’re going to surgically select companies to demonstrate their frustration,” said Paul Haenle, a former China adviser to US presidents George W Bush and Barack Obama.

However, the decision to conduct raids and detain staff from foreign companies has raised the spectre that Beijing will escalate hostage diplomacy if relations with the west deteriorate.

The Mintz and Astellas cases have sparked an urgent review of employee safety and the immediate suspension of some travel plans to China, said two people from foreign risk consultancy groups.

“This has been a wake-up call for the industry,” one of the people said. “It is hard for the due diligence players — the levels of paranoia in China are so high — but it also affects ‘blue-chip’ service firms and outfits like Bain, McKinsey and Boston Consulting Group.”

Experts said Japan was particularly vulnerable to Beijing’s hostage diplomacy because it lacks a sophisticated intelligence agency of its own and lacks tools to negotiate the return of its citizens.

Since China passed a counter-espionage law in 2014, 17 Japanese nationals have been arrested. Five of them, including the Astellas employee, remain in detention, according to Japan’s foreign ministry.

In February, Beijing imposed new sanctions on Lockheed and Raytheon, two of the biggest US defence companies. The move reflected Chinese opposition to weapons sales to Taiwan but had little commercial impact as the groups were not allowed to sell military equipment to China.

Beijing’s investigation into Micron, launched last month on national security grounds, is viewed as the clearest signal of Xi’s retaliation gathering momentum.

Dexter Roberts, a senior fellow at the Atlantic Council, a Washington think-tank, said he was surprised by Beijing’s restraint given the US-led campaign to cut off China from core chipmaking technologies had “struck right at the heart of China’s global advanced technological ambitions”.

Despite Beijing’s anger, Xi’s economic planners are wary of undermining efforts to use foreign investors to help restart the Chinese economy after the pandemic. This means Beijing is expected to refrain from acting against companies and industries seen as critical to economic recovery.

“It all goes back to the fact that China is facing a lot of challenges this year, particularly on the economic side,” Roberts said. “The last thing they need to do is be distracted by an even more hostile relationship with the US.”

Following the finance ministry’s record $31mn fine on Deloitte over audit deficiencies, experts said they expected pressure to increase on the Big Four accounting firms.

Cheng Lin, an accounting professor at China Europe International Business School in Shanghai, said while audit quality had long been problematic at foreign and local firms, the “main drivers” were Beijing’s worries about data and national security.

The carmaking sector is also braced for the outcome of a 2022 commerce ministry review of technology export restrictions, including possible controls on some rare earth materials and lidar technology used in mapping for driverless cars.

Tu Le, founder of Sino Auto Insights, a Beijing consultancy, said any decision by China to “weaponise their dominance in mining and refining” of materials used by the electric vehicle industry would create “immediate anxiety for the US, European, Japanese and Korean governments”.

The restrictions could also be used as leverage to bargain for a loosening of semiconductor controls, said Arthur Kroeber, head of research at Gavekal Dragonomics, a Beijing consultancy.

Soo Kim, a former CIA analyst and Asia expert, expects Beijing’s retaliatory moves to expand because there appears to be no near-term fix to US-China relations.

“With so many pieces in the US-China competition, Beijing has many levers it can pull,” she said, “including exerting pressure on US allies and partners whose economies are dependent on trade with China.”

Cajun Crispy Oven-Fried Chicken

Jazz up your weeknight dinner with Cajun spiced panko-coated oven-fried chicken.

cajun crispy oven fried chicken
cajun crispy oven fried chicken

Prep: 10 min | Bake: 20 min | Yield: 4 servings

Ingredients

  • 1/2 cup unseasoned panko bread crumbs
  • 1 teaspoon McCormick® Garlic Powder
  • 1 teaspoon McCormick® Paprika
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 1/2 teaspoon McCormick® Thyme Leaves
  • 1/4 teaspoon McCormick® Pure Ground Black Pepper
  • 1 1/4 pounds boneless skinless chicken breasts halves
  • 1/4 cup milk
  • 1 tablespoon butter, melted

Instructions

  1. Heat oven to 425 degrees F.
  2. Mix panko and seasonings in shallow dish. Moisten chicken with milk. Coat evenly with panko mixture.
  3. Place chicken in single layer on foil-lined 15 x 10 x 1 inch baking pan sprayed with no stick cooking spray. Drizzle with melted butter.
  4. Bake for 15 to 20 minutes or until chicken is cooked through.

Washington should redeploy nukes to South Korea – Bolton

The United States housed nuclear weapons in the East Asian nation between 1958 and 1991
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Former National Security Advisor John Bolton has called for the US to redeploy nuclear weapons to South Korea, a move which he said would help protect the security of Washington’s key Asian ally.

“Having tactical nuclear weapons back on the peninsula would be clear evidence of our resolve and determination to deter North Korea,” Bolton told Reuters on the sidelines of a forum at the Asan Institute for Policy Studies in Seoul on Tuesday. Bolton has cultivated a reputation for hawkish foreign policy stances throughout a decades-long career in Washington.

Bolton’s comments came as South Korean President Yoon Suk traveled to Washington on Monday ahead of a summit with President Joe Biden, where the topic of the United States’ “extended deterrence” of North Korea’s nuclear program is expected to be tabled.

Pyongyang has conducted a series of ballistic missile tests in recent months, with launches on March 14 perceived by Washington and Seoul as a protest against the announcement of the largest joint military drills undertaken by the two allies in five years, just days prior. North Korea has insisted that its weapons-testing program is defensive in nature, and necessary in the face of US threats.

Bolton touts ‘grand strategy’ to counter Russia and China

In March, some members of Yoon’s conservative People Power Party called for Seoul to develop its own nuclear weapons program, in spite of potential international repercussions for violating a nuclear non-proliferation treaty. According to Bolton, the US placing armaments in South Korea would provide everyone with some breathing room.

“Redeploying the tactical [nuclear] weapons does not preclude South Korea from getting its own capability,” Bolton explained. “But it may give us some time to think about whether we really want to do that.”

Bolton added that a “structure of collective self-defense in East Asia and the Indo-Pacific” could be a solution to regional disputes. “The more people can look at their mutual interests not simply on the nuclear side but against the threat of states like China and South Korea, the safer we all are,” he claimed.

Ahead of his successful election campaign in 2022, Yoon had signaled that he would consider asking Washington to place nuclear weapons in the country. He has since distanced himself from those remarks, while his Defense Minister, Lee Jong-sup, has said that no such plans are in place.

Pyongyang, meanwhile, has condemned the “irresponsible actions of the United States and South Korea” which its foreign ministry said last month was increasing “the risk of nuclear war on the Korean Peninsula.”

The US stationed nuclear weapons in South Korea in 1958 but withdrew them in 1991.

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Wombats

Let’s take wombats into perspective,

main qimg 07c093212f76ad64de305635cc33a250
main qimg 07c093212f76ad64de305635cc33a250

Cute and cuddly looking animals that are only slightly larger than a rat, but that’s where you’re dead wrong

main qimg 7991854d40bf07a3768640e67e624db0 lq
main qimg 7991854d40bf07a3768640e67e624db0 lq

 

Wombats have been known to grow this big in size and no, that lady isn’t very tiny at all.

American Host REACTS to FACTS about CHINA

Dollar weaponization just cause for Asian Monetary Fund

Asian investors and policymakers acutely aware of the new geopolitical risk of their dollar assets and deposits being frozen or seized
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Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim’s recent call for the revival of an Asian Monetary Fund (AMF) “to reduce reliance on the dollar or the International Monetary Fund” (IMF), raises the question of whether an AMF was necessary in the first place.

Japan proposed the idea of an AMF shortly after the outbreak of the Asian Financial Crisis in July 1997. Although it was supported by ASEAN countries, the idea was rejected at the Hong Kong IMF and World Bank meetings in September that year by Europe and the United States.

The technical objections were on the grounds of duplication or dilution of the IMF’s central role and the creation of moral hazard, as financing credit excesses would encourage more debt excesses. But the real reason was geopolitical. As long as the IMF and World Bank majority shareholders — the United States and Europe — were not involved in the AMF, and China remained skeptical, the idea would not fly.

The geopolitical landscape has changed profoundly since the Asian Financial Crisis. The Global Financial Crisis of 2007–8 — more accurately, the North Atlantic Financial Crisis — revealed that the countries of the rich West had major flaws in the management of both their economies and their financial systems.

Post-crisis, the reforms — namely using macroprudential regulation and supervision to safeguard financial stability through a system-wide perspective — appeared to solve the need for central bank bailouts in future financial crises. Increases in individual bank capital and liquidity plus caps on total leverage increased self-regulation (bail-in), which theoretically reduces the need for central bank bailouts.

On top of that, the US Federal Reserve’s liquidity swaps with allied central banks relieved foreign exchange liquidity, buying time for countries to solve their own internal bank failures. But this was not available to non-allied countries, such as India or China.

The failures of Silicon Valley Bank and Credit Suisse in March 2023 again rattled confidence in the Western-led financial system. If the post-2008 reforms were to fail, and the West could not prevent its own financial downfall without using central bank money to bail out fragile players, where should other countries put their deposits and savings?

Middle East investors who lost money in investing in Credit Suisse AT1 (additional tier one capital) bonds were reminded that in early 2021 the United States froze the foreign exchange reserves of the Central Bank of Afghanistan.

In 2022, Russia became the subject of massive financial sanctions. These sanctions were unilaterally imposed — and there is no multilateral avenue to appeal them. In addition to unmonitored interest rate and credit risks, all investors are now subject to unquantifiable risks of geopolitical sanction.

The Western neoliberal system once provided a complete trading, funding and payments model under a security umbrella that gave stakeholders “insurance” in the event of financial crises.

If this system is weaponized so that perceived non-compliant users can be sanctioned or have their assets seized, then others must look for self-insurance mechanisms. The AMF is an effort to create a regional self-insurance scheme that seeks to mediate the risk of unilateral sanctioning for geopolitical reasons.

In the quarter century since the AMF was first proposed, Asia has grown significantly, with the rise of China, India and ASEAN, tilting the balance of power from a unipolar to a multipolar order.

East and South Asia are the growth engines of the world. China alone accounted for one-third of world economic growth in 2022. ASEAN as a group will be the fourth largest economy in the world by 2030 in terms of both population and GDP.

As East and South Asian financial systems remain largely bank-dominated, with a significant number remaining state-owned, the region is evaluating whether it should rely on the US dollar as the key currency for its supply chains and external funding. Post-1997, the region has become a net lender to the United States, accounting for nearly three-quarters of its net international investment position.

The weaponization of the US dollar has made investors and policymakers alert to the risk of their deposits, assets or payment systems being seized, confiscated or frozen in the event of geopolitical disagreements with the West.

ASEAN and South Asia do not want to take sides but cannot afford to slow down their economies just to please either side. If the world slows down to a 1930s-style Great Depression, the Global South will need to secure its own sources of trade, growth and funding.

In the words of Eisuke Sakakibara, who as Japan’s vice minister of finance led the campaign to promote AMF in 1997, the idea was not an attempt to create an Asian IMF. The AMRO (ASEAN+3 Macroeconomic Research Office) already fulfills much of the research and surveillance functions for the region.

The Chiang Mai Initiative’s central bank swap arrangements are an improved but as yet untested safety net for the liquidity needs of member central banks. The Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank and New Development Bank are complementary to current infrastructure funding supplied by the Asian Development Bank and other multilateral lenders.

If the United States doubles down on dollar weaponization, then AMF 2.0 or look-alikes will become countervailing steps that push for de-dollarisation. All hinges on whether the West can arrive at an understanding with the rest of the world on the legitimate boundaries of dollar or reserve currency usage.

No rules-based order can survive unilateral sanctions where there is no independent court of adjudication other than raw power.

How Does Therapy Actually Work?

 

I’m going to vastly oversimplify how it works, but:

Me: shows up to therapy as a simmering cauldron of low self-esteem and negative self-talk

Therapist: gets me to talk about these things

Therapist: helps me explore where these things probably came from (i.e., formative years with fucked-up parents)

Therapist: validates that things were severely fucked-up; provides thoughts on how it could have been handled better (if you really trust and respect your shrink, this voice will eventually replace the shitty-parent voice in your head)

Me: continues week-by-week to report new stimulus from my life and how I am handling these things

Therapist: understands current course of action based on deep understanding of my past, continues to validate current feelings, but also suggests different ways to handle and interpret these things going forward

Me: very slowly learns a different way of thinking about life and about myself, and of handling the things the world throws at me

I really believe in therapy as a long-term iterative process. It doesn’t happen in a weekend workshop; you have to keep experiencing the world and give your brain the chance to assimilate the possibility of doing things differently.

Advice on seeing a therapist

Don’t worry about telling them too much or being too personal, they’ve heard it all before, or read about it in books, unless you are a murderer who dresses as a clown and lures teenaged boys to his basement.
The more open you are the better chance they have of helping you.

On that note they all have different styles, in my experience the better ones will not tell you what to do or what you need, they’ll help you ask the right questions so that you can find your own answers.

They might tell you to exercise more, get better sleep, drink less, or take time for yourself, that kind of advice will help you in the process.

Don’t think of them as a Doctor who can heal you, instead think of them as a guide who can help you find the places to look for the healing, and support you as you go along what can be a very challenging journey.

You need to trust them, back to my first point, if you don’t trust them you won’t be honest.

The most important thing is that you must be ready to work, if you don’t want to change or if you think they are going to do it for you, this process will just frustrate you.

Therapy is like doing the rehab on an injury, it sucks and at times hurts, but it’s usually worth the effort.

President Putin on Taiwan: ‘China does not need to use force | CNBC International TV | YouTube

What the West needs to do is something really abstract in order to persuade China to reconsider its relationship with Russia, perhaps it will be along the lines of what happened in November 1963.

Everyone remembers where they were and what they were doing when they got the news that John F. Kennedy was assassinated, I was delivering pamphlets when someone was loudly calling to her neighbour that Kennedy has bern shot, straight after that a dog bit me which is why I remember the incident so vividly.

The Western relationship with the World particularly South East Asia was significantly adjusted by Kennedy’s assassination, for example the Gulf of Tonkin false flag incident was organized in August 1964 and Kennedy would never have gone along with that, Kennedy had to go, also at the time there was a possible come-back of the international British Stirling currency that needed to be dealt with by the USD along with the French colonial operations in the Pacific by the US military, the US wanted French colonial holdings in South East Asia under the name of US economic imperialism.

How the West persuaded the Communist Chinese and Russians to reconsider their operations in the Pacific which were then led by Mao Zedong and Nikita Khrushchev and to accept US military ambitions in South East Asia was by presenting a united front that Kennedy was not able to be a part of.

China and Russia are getting closer than they were in November 1963, it was tha Cuban missile crisis a year previous that caused the Sino Russian split which was just beginning when Kennedy was murdered, the US had no way of knowing China and Russia wouldn’t make-up and stifle their plans for Taiwan to be the One China and the Soviets to collapse.

So what did the US do in November 1963 in order to out flank the China Russia operation against US Capital control, they got rid of Kennedy and replaced him with Lyndon Johnson, and the way that the US did it is what should be now reconsidered by Russia and China.

What the US did to accomplish its mission to take over French Colonial territories in South East Asia was to work with the secret organizations of the Freemasons and Jews who had perfected thought and consequently mind control, it was they who selected a patsy to take the rap as the fall guy his name was Lee Harvey Oswald fast foward to April 2023 and it’s Jack Teixeira fulfilling the exact same role.

But will China or Russia reconsider as they did in 1964 ?, – fool me once is understandable fool me twice is abstractly unthinkable.

Russia’s former Roscosmos chief, Dimitri Rogozin, who now leads the “Tsar’s Wolves” (A team of military experts who provide “technical assistance” to troops in Donbas), stated in a Telegram post today that Russia would soon field drones with “serious weapons – from 82 and 120-mm mortar mines to FAB-100.”

main qimg 83c72161da9902a80d630aa8542ee43a
main qimg 83c72161da9902a80d630aa8542ee43a

Sirius (Inokhodets-RU) Drone

It was likely that Rogozin was referring to the possible deployment of the Russian Sirius (Inokhodets-RU) drone developed by the St. Petersburg-based Kronstadt Group.

The Sirrius is a heavy drone weighing 2.5 tons that can reportedly carry 450 kg of weapons and can stay in the air for 20 hours at an altitude of 7,000 m (23,000 ft.).

While primarily an attack drone, the Sirius can also be used to patrol designated areas to plug gaps in defenses using its ability to immediately attack and destroy small-sized or weekly protected targets such as advancing reconnaissance by force teams.

Equipped with a Synthetic Aperture Radar, the Sirius can map the terrain for cruise missile routing and mortar engagements.

Serial Production

According to the Pentagon intelligence briefing documents leaked on social media in March – April 2023, the Sirius drone took to the skies on its maiden flight on February 27.

Serial production of the drone is planned at Dubna near Moscow. On November 16, 2021, Kronstadt DG Sergei Bogatikov told RIA Novosti, “The prototype Sirius is already being assembled at our pilot plant in Moscow.”

According to various Russian sources, the drone is likely to be operationally deployed in the near future. Rogozin himself has alluded to the likelihood in an earlier post on Telegram.

When Russia started its military campaign in Ukraine on February 24, 2022, Russian forces were ‘UAV Challenged.’ In contrast, the NATO-trained Ukrainian forces were well equipped with small reconnaissance UAVs as well as attack drones such as the Turkish Bayraktar TB2.

Russia Forging Ahead Of Ukraine In Drone Warfare

The Russian Ministry of Defence (RuMoD), possibly under pressure from military bloggers and technology enthusiasts, such as the Tsar’s Wolves, was quick to make amends.

Promising UAV projects, which the RuMoD had earlier supported but not pushed, were fast-tracked. As a result, capable small and medium drones started to appear on the battlefront in increasing numbers.

Within a year of the campaign’s beginning, Russia didn’t just catch up with Ukraine in drone warfare; it tilted the balance in its favor.

Artillery support drones have allowed Russian artillery to continue dominating the battlefield.

The accuracy of the Orlan-10 drone, guided Russian artillery fire, and near infallible counterbattery ability of kamikaze drones, such as the Lancet, have enabled Russia to retain its overwhelming artillery superiority.

Medium altitude ISR drones such as the Orion, also developed by the Kronstadt Group, are providing good targeting information and facilitating attacks by RuAF fighters and bombers well behind the battlefront using glide bombs.

What Russia has not fielded so far is a heavy drone capable of destroying targets by itself. The advent of the Sirrius drone is set to change that.

Likely Tactics For Sirius Operations

Unlike the Orion drone, which is mostly used for tactical ISR along the battlefront, the Sirius drone features a built-in satellite communication terminal giving it a much longer operating range.

The drone also features a communication suite which, besides facilitating control by a ground-based pilot, also facilitates cooperation with piloted aviation. The drone can be part of a mixed formation! According to TASS, Sirius has been tested jointly with piloted aircraft as of August 2022.

The Sirius drones will likely fly under the cover of RuAF fighters – Su-35S and Su-30SM – flying air dominance patrols. The fighters fly air dominance patrols 24×7 as pairs, with each pair covering a different sector along the battlefront.

They provide defensive cover to Russian attack helicopters and fighters (Su-25, Su-34) and deter Ukrainian fighters from attacking Russian forces.

When flying air dominance patrols, RuAF fighters invariably carry a single Kh-31 Anti-Radiation Missile (ARM), besides long-range RVV-BD, medium-range RVV-SD, and short-range RVV-MD air-to-air missiles.

The Kh-31 missile deters Ukrainian medium-altitude AD systems, such as the S-300 and Buk, from targeting RuAF fighters. If a Ukrainian S-300 or Buk radar lights up to track a RuAF fighter, it is immediately attacked by a Kh-31 missile.

The Sirius heavy attack drone will always operate under the cover of RuAF air dominance patrols. Manned RuAF fighters don’t intentionally enter the engagement envelope of medium-range Ukrainian air missile defenses in order to avoid risk to human life.

However, with the unmanned Sirius, there would be no such restriction. Sending a Sirius drone into airspace that is known to be contested would be a good way of drawing out and attacking Ukrainian AD missile systems.

When flying in contested airspace, the Sirius will not be an easy target. The drone is built like a conventional aircraft featuring a thin elongated fuselage. It has straight wings and a V-tail.

The bulk of airframe parts for UAVs are made of composites. As such, the drone will likely be low observable in the RF spectrum.

Disney Girls in Real Life: An Artist Reimagined Some Of Disney’s Most Famous Princess

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Jirka Väätäinen is a Finnish artist from Melbourne and he recently reimagined some of Disney’s most famous princess. He took these iconic characters and made them look like real people.

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World shifts away from using the dollar

By PRIME SARMIENTO in Hong Kong | China Daily | Updated: 2023-04-25 07:09
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Yuan used increasingly in preference to US currency for trade settlements

Economies across the world are exploring the use of convenient currencies other than the United States dollar for trading.

Analysts believe that China and other countries are gradually reducing their dependence on the dollar by using local currencies for cross-border trade, helping to create a multipolar international currency system.

At the end of March, the Shanghai Petroleum and Natural Gas Exchange, or SHPGX, reported that China had imported liquefied natural gas from the United Arab Emirates using cross-border yuan settlement.

It was the first time that China — the world’s second-biggest importer of LNG — had used its currency for such a purchase, as the global commodities trade has long been based on US dollar-denominated transactions.

Sergio Rossi, a professor of macroeconomics and monetary economics at the University of Fribourg in Switzerland, said the LNG deal with the UAE showed that oil exporting countries are keen on using currencies such as the yuan, rather than the dollar, at the international level.

This transaction might encourage other countries to switch from the dollar to their own currencies to pay for oil and gas imports, Rossi said. This could lead to the creation of regional clearing houses through which foreign transactions in commercial or financial markets could be settled, he added.

David Phua, partner at the international law firm King & Wood Mallesons, said it is “certainly conceivable “that a basket of currencies combined with precious metals such as gold and silver could become “increasingly important means over time of settling international commodity transactions”. He added this can lead to a more multipolar world in terms of international reserve holdings.

With extensive experience in negotiating and drafting long-term LNG sale and purchase agreements, Phua said it is “reasonably likely” that there will be more yuan-denominated transactions in the near future.

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Cajun Chicken Strips

2023 04 19 15 39
2023 04 19 15 39

Yield: 4 to 6 servings

Ingredients

  • 1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
  • 1 teaspoon poultry seasoning
  • 3/4 teaspoon garlic salt
  • 1/2 teaspoon paprika
  • 1/4 teaspoon pepper
  • 1/8 to 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
  • 1 1/2 pounds boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into 1/2-inch strips
  • 2 tablespoons butter

Instructions

  1. In a large zip-top plastic bag, combine flour and seasonings. Add chicken, a few strips at a time, and shake to coat.
  2. In a large skillet, cook chicken in butter for 8 to 10 minutes or until the juices run clear.

15 Illustrated Truths About Cats

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According to Linvistov, a group for learning English via Skype: “Cats are amazing creatures that can both brighten your life and turn it into a complete hell. The way they treat you like you’re nothing is so annoying but you can’t help loving them! Because they are cats and they’re fluffy and cute and – most importantly – when they purr, the world stops!”

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What Happened To The Prison Guards Of Dachau Concentration Camp When It Was Liberated?

dachau prison guard
dachau prison guard

 

Walenty Lenarczyk, a prisoner at Dachau, stated that following the camp’s liberation “prisoners swarmed over the wire and grabbed the Americans and lifted them to their shoulders… other prisoners caught the SS men.

The first SS man elbowed one or two prisoners out of his way, but the courage of the prisoners mounted, they knocked them down and nobody could see whether they were stomped or what, but they were killed.”

 

Elsewhere in the camp SS men, Kapos and informers were beaten badly with fists, sticks and shovels.

There was at least one incident where US soldiers looked away as two prisoners beat a German guard to death with a shovel, and Lt. Bill Walsh witnessed one such beating.

Another soldier witnessed an inmate stomping on an SS trooper’s face until “there wasn’t much left.” When the soldier said to him, “You’ve got a lot of hate in your heart,” he simply nodded.

An American chaplain was told by three young Jewish men, who had left the camp during liberation, that they had beaten to death one of the more sadistic SS guards when they discovered him hiding in a barn, dressed as a peasant

(American soldiers watch as a Jewish concentration camp inmate beats up the Nazi guard who held him at Dachau)

Some of the Nazis were rounded up and summarily executed along with the guard dogs. Two of the most notorious prison guards had been stripped naked before the Americans arrived to prevent them from slipping away unnoticed. They, too, were cut down.”

16 SS men were shot in the coal yard (one more killed by a camp inmate), 17 at Tower B, and perhaps a few more killed by U.S. soldiers in the incident. Anywhere from a few to 25 or 50 more were killed by inmates.

China’s exports shifting from West to Global South

Shipments to Central Asia up 55% year on year in March marking a wider switch from developed to developing world markets

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NEW YORK – Central Asian countries increased imports from China in March by 55% over the year-earlier month, beating the 35% jump in Chinese shipments to Southeast Asia reported previously.

Former Soviet republics as well as Turkey and Iran all contributed to a near-record gain in Chinese exports to the region, a focus of Beijing’s Belt and Road Initiative.

China’s exports to the region have nearly tripled since 2018. The chart below includes Turkey and Iran in the Central Asian total.

2023 04 26 06 35
2023 04 26 06 35

Several factors contributed to the export boom, which included every country in the region.

China is investing heavily in energy, mineral resources and rail transport across the Asian continent, including a new rail line between China, Kyrgyzstan and Uzbekistan scheduled to start construction next year.

The rail project, which will link China to European markets, has been planned since 1997 but only won approval in 2022, after Russia backed the venture. Russia’s need for Chinese support in the Ukraine war outweighed longstanding strategic rivalries between the two powers.

“The CKU railway is crucial to China for two interconnected purposes—to advance its geopolitical interests and to secure favorable relations with Central Asian elites for their support over Chinese legitimacy in Xinjiang (East Turkestan),” Niva Yau Tsz Yan wrote in a March 2023 commentary for the Foreign Policy Research Institute.

“Russia’s war in Ukraine has made new trade routes bypassing Russia more profitable, and a new Uzbek government is looking to expand regional and international engagement,” Yan wrote.

2023 04 26 06 35xa
2023 04 26 06 35xa

Iran’s imports from China had fallen to just US$800 million a month during 2019-2022 from a 2014 peak of $2.8 billion a month. But seasonally-adjusted Chinese shipments to Iran more than doubled to $1.7 billion in March.

Chronically short of cash, Iran depends on trade credits from China, by far its largest trading partner. The March increase evidently reflected more Chinese financing, and came after Iran accepted Chinese mediation in restoring diplomatic relations with its regional arch-rival Saudi Arabia. A reasonable inference is that Iran was being rewarded for good behavior.

China’s exports to Russia continued to rise sharply, along with exports to Turkey, which acts as an intermediary for Chinese trade with Russia. China has avoided direct violation of American sanctions on Russia, but Turkey and former Soviet republics have resold sanctioned goods to Moscow. The sharp increase in China’s exports to Kazakhstan probably reflects this intermediation.

Reuters reported on March 27 that Kazakhstan “would require exporters to file additional documents when sending goods to Russia, following reports that Russian companies have been using local intermediaries to bust Western sanctions… After the West barred sales of thousands of goods to Moscow over its invasion of Ukraine, some Kazakh businesses started purchasing such items and reselling them to Russian firms.”

China’s export prowess isn’t entirely free of tensions, though. In March, Turkey imposed a 40% tariff on imports of Chinese electric vehicles (EV’s), hoping to protect a local manufacturer. The Turkish automaker Togg plans to release its first EV later this year with a sticker price of $50,000.

A comparable Chinese model, for example, BYD’s Song sedan, sells for $27,500 in China—which means that BYD would still undercut Togg’s price despite the 40% surcharge. Meanwhile, BYD has just released its $11,300 Seagull subcompact, which has no competitor in the price range anywhere in the world.

In the kaleidoscope of Central Asian politics, a myriad of local factors explains the jump in China’s influence in the region. But all of them line up like iron filings before a magnet. China’s capacity to provide physical and digital infrastructure as well as affordable consumer goods, and its capacity to finance trade and investment out of its current account surplus, explain its economic power and political influence in the region.

There’s another geopolitical consequence of China’s export prowess in Central and Southeast Asia: China’s exports to the Global South and BRICS countries in March reached a seasonally-adjusted annual rate of $1.6 trillion a year.

That’s nearly four times China’s exports to the United States and more than the combined total of China’s exports to the US, Europe and Japan, which reached a seasonally-adjusted annual rate of $1.38 trillion in March.

That represents a geopolitical point of no return of sorts, the moment when China’s economic dependence on the United States in particular and developed markets in general slipped behind its economic standing in the developing world.

2023 04 26 06 36
2023 04 26 06 36

First Republic Bank Goes “Zombie” – Loses 40% of Deposits

First Republic Banc Corporation (FRC) delayed releasing it’s first quarter numbers until stock trading had closed for the day on Monday; now everyone knows why:

During Quarter One of 2023, Depositors at FRC withdrew forty percent (40%) of the total deposits in the bank!  Worse, if it wasn’t for the larger banks depositing $30 Billion to shore them up, FRC’s actual withdrawal amount was fifty-seven percent (57%).

When releasing their numbers late Monday, the bank quickly noted it is cutting twenty-five percent (25%) of its workforce,  and is “pursuing strategic options.”

Within minutes of the quarterly numbers being revealed, the stock price of FRC began to plummet in after hours trading, and has now lost 22.19% of its Monday closing value:

fZUKS90l
fZUKS90l

 

Thus, people in the financial industry are now openly describing FRC as a “Zombie” bank.

For what it’s worth, FRC is the eighteenth (18th) largest bank in the United States.  The fact that banks in the top 11-20 are now going “Zombie” means the contagion will likely spread to the top 1-10 banks within 3 months.  The reason: Even with the FDIC, people in the general public are no longer trusting the banks.

Proof that people have lost trust in the banks is typified by the Twitter posting, today, from Rob Kientz who reported to the world that he knew of a single Investor who asked him to source $150 MILLION in DORE gold/silver bars, immediately.

 

UPDATE 5:55 PM EDT- TUESDAY:

Twitter has DELETED the tweet below from a major Precious metals dealer.  Clearly someone does NOT want ***YOU*** to know that big money players are pulling  out of banks and markets, and diving head-long into precious metals.   The fact that Rob Kientz published this was surprising; the fact that Twitter has now DELETED it —– ought to be scary as hell to you.  You can, however, still read the test of his message in the remnants below:

 

 

For those unaware, a doré bar is a semi-pure alloy of gold and silver. It is usually created at the site of a mine and then transported to a refinery for further purification.

The fact that a single Investor is openly asking to source this metal shows that the big money is getting OUT of markets, OUT of banks, and looking for safe haven in precious metals.

When money like this keeps moving OUT of banks and OUT of markets, the result is . . . well . . . unavoidable.

I was writing this as a comment in disagreement with Xiao Zhang‘s answer but then realized that I should probably post it on its own.

As a Chinese gay man, I have to (not so respectfully) disagree with the assertion that China, Chinese people and Chinese government don’t discriminate against gay people.

Gay marriage not being allowed, gay relationships not being represented are the definition of discrimination. Growing up knowing that I like other boys but not knowing that there are others like me, compounded with the heavily signaled notion that I was somehow “abnormal” was a nightmare.

You say that there are many gay students famous in your university and that fellow students do not judge them. Well let me point out that this in no way validates your argument that bebig gay is accepted. Do you know any openly gay person in your university who is academically mediocre, plain-looking and come from a humble family background? My best guess you don’t, and even if you do, such people are very very few and far between and I would doubt that they are actually openly gay. Trust me when I say that with the poplar gay token students, it is not because they are accepted that they are popular, but it is because they are popular that they dare to come out as gay. And that being gay is a flaw that will bring an overflow of negative consequences that you need to shield with power, power that comes from being rich, being popular or being smart. Being being popular while gay makes you a role model for other gay people, and being mediocrely gay is simply disgusting.

I myself am an openly gay person on my campus and somewhat fits your “popular gay personality” stereotype. And I’ve firsthand seen countless other gay people, who are less popular, less academically accomplished and who are made terribly insecure of their identity by the casual homophobia that are often disguised as harmless jokes (spoiler alert straight people: they are almost never harmless) coming to me for help. Whenever this happens I don’t know what to tell them. Because honestly, if I didn’t have my power, my power of being popular, being fluent in English and a good chance at a prestigious graduate education which will probably allow me to emigrate one day, I would not know what to do.

You bring up thre example of Jin Xing, very well. Let’s not even talk about her show being canceled and content removed even from the Internet – even when it was on air, did she, at any point, openly talk about LGBT issues on her show? Don’t you find it odd that as a trans woman herself, she never even mentioned the issue of gay marriage or trans rights? Also may I ask you that besides her, do you know any other openly LGBT people that are prominent in the Chinese entertainment industry and can celebrate their identity as they please? No, no and no.

In Chinese society, even in the more open and liberal modern cities, relationships have a goal: marriage. Xiao Zhang, I imagine you’ve heard of the saying “不以结婚为目的的恋爱都是耍流氓” which roughly translates to “people who engage in relationships without the hoping to marry the other person are all rascals.” With gay marriage continuing to be illegitimate, where does that leave gay people?

What will a young gay teenager think of himself when he knows that he will probably never be able to get married and start his own family?

When the official document of the Burau of Broadcast and TV lists homosexuality as a sexual perversion and refuse to allow any gay relationships to be allowed on Chinese television and movies, how will a lesbian girl in middle school feel when basically she’s being told by her country that she doesn’t belong anywhere conspicuous and should always stay in the dark?

I know a lot of people like you, Xiao Zhang, you probably don’t have anything against gay people personally and you see the glorious part of being gay because you know of quite a few popular gay students in your university and so you think that China has completely accepted homosexuality.

But what you don’t know is the hard part of being gay, not being able to talk about relationships and feelings with your parents as you watch it drive a wedge between you and your family, not knowing where your future leads because you don’t see a family of your own in the future since the government doesn’t allow it, or like me, who’s been planing to move to another country ever since I was twelve and have never really felt home when I’m actually home. Perhaps holding a little bit of hope from time to time that the government will change one day, only to suffer one disappointment after another as you watch the government ignore you or even officially reject you over and over again.

In a lot of ways, I actually find your patently patronizing attitude even more infuriating than the openly homophobic (who, however few you think they may be, I still encounter on a daily basis). You claim to be open-minded, to be allies, but you refuse to hear the full version of our stories but somehow still feel qualified to represent us and say “China isn’t homophobic because there are powerful gay people!”

You take the blatantly second-class treatment, shove it down our throats and tell us that’s what we deserve. And I find it unfortunate that so many people, even some gay people themselves, are starting to believe it.

“We deliberately spread AIDS in South Africa”

  • PublishedMarch 13, 2019

From HERE

In a shocking confession, made on camera in a new documentary released last month, a former member of South Africa’s Apartheid-era intelligence service says that the Aids virus, and other diseases, were deliberately spread among the population in an effort to kill off as many blacks as possible. His confession, considered just the tip of the iceberg, has reignited the simmering debate about the whole phenomenon of Aids in Africa. Report by Baffour Ankomah.

In a shocking confession, made on camera in a new documentary – Cold Case Hammarskjöld – a former member of South Africa’s Apartheid-era intelligence service says that the Aids virus, and other diseases, were deliberately spread among the population in an effort to kill off as many blacks as possible. His confession, considered just the tip of the iceberg, has reignited the simmering debate about the whole phenomenon of Aids in Africa.

Until February 2019, most Africans did not know about the Sundance Film Festival, a programme of the Sundance Institute, which takes place annually in Park City, Utah in America. Now they know because something controversial happened at the Festival this year that will live with Africans for a long time to come. Having had 224,900 attendees in 2018, Sundance is the largest independent film festival in the US. This year it took place between 24 January and  3 February – the attendance figure is not yet out.

What is out is controversy – a damning confession by a former Apartheid-era operative who admitted on camera, in one of the films shown, that he and his colleagues at the South African Institute for Maritime Research (SAIMR), which masterminded coups and other forms of violence across Africa in the 1970s and 80s, deliberately spread the HIV virus in the Southern African region to wipe out black people.

Alexander Jones, who says he “spent years as an intelligence officer” with SAIMR 30 years ago, became the centre of attraction on the third day of the Sundance Festival when the Danish/Swedish-made documentary, Cold Case Hammarskjöld, was screened.

Sources in South Africa say SAIMR was linked to the country’s notorious chemical and biological warfare (CBW) programme headed by Dr Wouter Basson, a programme which Apartheid racists used as a cover to kill black people in South Africa and beyond or do them serious harm. The racists’ ‘operational area’ was what used to be called the ‘Frontline States’ (now known simply as the SADC region). We covered Dr Basson’s operations in detail in our 2001 November Edition.

South Africa’s CBW programme also had links with Rhodesia’s, and the pair did a lot of harm to black Africans, including spreading cholera and other dangerous diseases in the region, and topping it up with HIV/Aids experimentation.

Worse, when independence was approaching in Zimbabwe, there are suggestions that Ian Smith’s Rhodesian government, with tacit support from South Africa, rushed to remove the evidence by killing a lot of black people who were subjects of the CBW experiments.

Digging out the truth

Cold Case Hammarskjöld was made by Mads Brügger (Danish) and Göran Björkdahl (Swedish). The documentary investigates the case of the former UN secretary-general, Dag Hammarskjöld, who died in a mysterious plane crash near Ndola, Zambia, in 1961.

We were at war. Black people in South Africa were the enemy…

During the hearings of South Africa’s Truth and Reconciliation Commission in 1998, letters with SAIMR’s official letterhead were found suggesting that the CIA and British intelligence had agreed that “Hammarskjöld should be removed”. But London and Washington denied involvement in Hammarskjöld’s assassination.

In the course of making the new film, Brügger and Björkdahl’s investigations led them to Alexander Jones, who told them on camera that SAIMR (which had operated with the support of the CIA and British intelligence), used bogus vaccinations to spread the HIV virus in the SADC region. “We were at war. Black people in South Africa were the enemy,” Jones told the filmmakers.

He confessed that he and his SAIMR colleagues “spread the virus” in the 1980s and 90s under the command of their leader Keith Maxwell, who wanted a white majority country, saying “the excesses of the 1960s, 70s and 80s have no place in the post-Aids world ”.

 “What easier way to get a guinea pig than you live in an Apartheid system?” Jones says in the film. “Black people have got no rights, they need medical treatment. There is a white ‘philanthropist’ coming in and saying, ‘You know, I will open up these clinics and I will treat you.’ And meantime [he is] actually the wolf in sheep’s clothing.”

Maxwell died in 2006. People who knew him say he had no medical qualifications but operated clinics in the poor black neighbourhoods of Johannesburg. His headquarters was at Putfontein where his signpost, with his name ‘Dokotela Maxwell’, still hangs in front of the building where he operated.

One local shopkeeper said Maxwell had given “false injections”. But Claude Newbury, an anti-abortion doctor, told the filmmakers: “He was against genocide and he was trying to discover a cure for HIV.”

Jones, however, insists that Maxwell used the cover of a doctor to do “sinister experimentation”. His claim was backed up by Ibrahim Karolia, whose shop was across the road from where Maxwell operated.

He told the filmmakers that Maxwell had provided “false injections” and “strange treatments”, and also put patients through “tubes” which he said allowed him to see inside their bodies.

Jones also disclosed that SAIMR operated outside South Africa. “We were involved in Mozambique, spreading the Aids virus through medical conditions,” he says in the film, revealing that he did visit a research facility in the 1990s that was used “for sinister experimentation” and that the intent was “to eradicate black people”.

“What easier way to get a guinea pig than you live in an Apartheid system?” Jones says in the film. “Black people have got no rights, they need medical treatment. There is a white ‘philanthropist’ coming in and saying, ‘You know, I will open up these clinics and I will treat you.’ And meantime [he is] actually the wolf in sheep’s clothing.”

South Africa’s Josef Mengele

Documents discovered by Brügger and Björkdahl show Maxwell held extremely disturbing views. “[South Africa] may well have one man, one vote with a white majority by the year 2000,” Maxwell wrote. “Religion in its conservative, traditional form will return. Abortion on demand, abuse of drugs, and the other excesses of the 1960s, 70s and 80s will have no place in the post-Aids world,” he added.

According to the Observer South Africa, which broke the story, “The [Maxwell] documents read like the fever dream of a man who aspired to be South Africa’s Josef Mengele. [Joseph ‘Angel of Death’ Mengele was the senior SS officer who carried out inhuman experiments on Jewish prisoners at Auschwitz during World War II – Ed.] There are detailed, if sometimes garbled, accounts of how he thought the HIV virus could be isolated, propagated and used to target black Africans.”

One SAIMR recruit, Dagmar Feil, a marine biologist, was murdered outside her home in Johannesburg in 1990 for fear she would expose SAIMR’s dark deeds.

We all know how Aids is transmitted from person to person; there is no confusion there. The question is whether or not another agency played an active part in starting or accelerating the chain-reaction in some places. Jones says it did and that the agency was the dreaded SAIMR.

Her brother, Karl Feil, told Brügger and Björkdahl: “My sister came to me and said she needed to confide in me. She sat with me and said she thought they were going to kill her. She said that three or four others in her team had already been murdered, but when I asked what team, she said she couldn’t tell me.

“The topic of Aids research came up several times, quite loosely in conversations, I never put two and two together. Instead, she asked me to go with her to church, so she could make right with God. Weeks later she was dead.”

But while the revelations in the documentary have stunned the world, the blowback has already started. The New York Times has dismissed Alexander Jones’ revelations as a “conspiracy theory”. Reporting his story on 27 January, the paper asked the question: “But is this true?”

“The notion that HIV is a man-made virus introduced as population control has been floating around for decades,” The New York Times says. “Before the conspiracy theory took hold in Africa, it appeared as part of disinformation campaigns from the Soviet Union during the Cold War.”

So now it is the fault of the Soviet Union! But it is the usual trick the Western establishment media employs to defend Western interests.

“Scientists immediately cast doubt on [ Jones’] claim, which they called medically dubious. ‘The probability that they were able to do this is close to zero,’” The New York Times goes on to say, quoting Dr Salim Abdool Karim, the director of Caprisa, an AIDS research centre in South Africa.

The paper says Dr Karim cited “the immense resources that would be required to conduct such a far-fetched attempt at genocide. Notwithstanding the technological limitations of the 1990s, including [the need for] facilities to rival that of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in the US, in addition to millions of dollars in funding, HIV is extraordinarily difficult to isolate, transport and grow in a laboratory environment, let alone distribute en masse in a clandestine operation,” Dr Karim was said to have explained.

Yet, apart from wheeling out just one African (Dr Karim) to dismiss Jones’ account, The New York Times named no more scientists in its story to justify the assertion that “scientists immediately cast doubt on the claim”, apart from quoting Rebecca Hodes, director of the AIDS and Society Research Unit at the University of Cape Town, as having said: “Such mistruths can cause very real problems. One dangerous consequence of these allegations is that they have the potential to sow mistrust and suspicion of doctors and the medical establishment, and that they may confuse people about how HIV is transmitted.”

The truth will out

Not so. We all know how Aids is transmitted from person to person; there is no confusion there. The question is whether or not another agency played an active part in starting or accelerating the chain-reaction in some places. Jones says it did and that the agency was the dreaded SAIMR. He also spells out the motivation behind it – “to eradicate black people” – so that the whites could continue their dominance in South Africa. “We were at war”, he adds, implying that all is fair in love and war.

This has nothing to do with the often excellent work that doctors and the medical establishment, faced with HIV/ Aids, did to stem the tide of the disease. They were, and are still in some cases, firefighting and deserve all the credit they get. The question remains, who started the fire in the first place?

Jones’ confession is a bombshell. It confirms what many suspected at the time but were unable or indisposed to pursue further. It also helps explain many inconsistencies in the story of the development of Aids in Southern Africa.

But this is clearly just the tip of the iceberg – underneath lurks perhaps one of the most terrifying stories of modern times, how the Apartheid regime deliberately set out to commit genocide and how close it came to achieving its ends.

The confession might bring a sense of closure for some of the millions of Aids victims and their families or it may spark fresh anger. Of equal significance, it will finally lay to rest the oft-cited trope that Africans brought the curse of Aids on themselves due to their ‘unbridled sexuality’.

Why did Jones confess after such a long time? We cannot know for sure but there is such a thing as living with a guilty conscience and it will not be the first time that someone approaching the end of their lives feels compelled to confess to sins in order to lift the heavy burden they have carried on their souls for so long. The truth, as they say, will out – no matter how long it takes to do so. NA

Read more articles by Baffour Ankomah

Yang Zhiyuan 杨智渊 is a senior member of the Taiwan’s pro-independence DPP who was arrested in Wenzhou in Zhejiang province for supporting and promoting Taiwan independence.

He is now in detention and will be put on trial.

It is unclear why Yang is living in Wenzhou, but many supporters of Taiwan independence have businesses and factories in the PRC. Up until this year, the PRC authorities would ignore their support of Taiwan independence, and support of Taiwan independence was often financed by businesses in the PRC.

Beginning this year, as the US government has openly supported Taiwan against China, the Beijing authorities have changed policy from quietly condoning Taiwan business peoples’ political activities to actively researching their financial support for Taiwan independence, and cutting off their financial support for Taiwan independence through their mainland Chinese businesses.

As far as I know, this is the first arrest of a Taiwan independence supporter in the PRC; I expect many more arrests to come, to be followed by public trials of these supporters. Taiwan independence supporters will likely be given an opportunity to make public confessions of their TI support in the past, and will not be punished if they promise to stop contributing to the cause of Taiwan independence.

The aim of this policy is to show ordinary voters in Taiwan that their support for DPP and other pro-independence candidates in Taiwan’s local elections will have consequences and that the Taiwan economy will suffer because of their voting decisions.

Welcome to the grand future that you are unprepared for

The United States is absolutely insane.

It is dragging the world towards a very serious crisis.

no no no
no no no

As much as believe that China has it’s act together, there is the worry that China will not have the stomach to do what is necessary to stop it.

Notice…

ALL American media is talking about a “war with China” after a “war with Russia”.

Sigh. They are FUCKING bat-shit crazy.

They are going to get us all killed.

crazy driver
crazy driver

China and Russia are NOT playing, and to me this is all a slow motion car wreck. It boggle my mind that Biden thinks that the United States will exist for his second term in office.

2023 04 27 06 53
2023 04 27 06 53

Today…

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Kizz Daniel, EMPIRE – Cough (Official Video)

African pop

UPDATED 4:10 PM EDT — Putin Rushed To Kremlin 10:00 PM Moscow Time

Something is happening with Russia as of 3:00 PM eastern US time, which is 10:00 PM in Moscow.  Russian President Vladimir Putin was rushed TO the Kremlin with full police escorted motorcade.   This is extremely unusual, indicating something has happened (or is happening) requiring the President.

RUMORS are already running wild.  One RUMOR is that Turkish President Recypt Erdogan, who fell ill during a TV interview in Moscow, may have been “poisoned.”

Another RUMOR is that Ukraine has begun using Depleted Uranium tank shells against Russian troops, which Russia previously warned would be considered a “Dirty Bomb attack upon Russia.”

No official word from any level as to the ACTUAL reason . . . . developing . . . . check back for updates.

UPDATE 3:58 PM EDT —

Turkish President Recypt Erdogan’s wife and family have been urgently told to come to the hospital.

ERDOGAN ALLEGEDLY “IN CRITICAL CONDITION”  — More RUMORS he may have been poisoned!

UPDATE 4:02 PM EDT — According to a statement issued by the presidency, Erdogan was taken to the hospital in critical condition and received treatment for myocardial infarction, commonly known as a heart attack.

UPDATE 4:15 PM EDT — 

Chinese state media claims Turkey president Erdogan has suffered heart attack and is in critical condition in the hospital

Big news hidden from you

Consumer Credit Drying-up — Banks HALTING Auto Loans!!!

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The past 10 days in Consumer Credit have been wild and the evidence is explicitly clear: Banks are now severely restricting Consumer Credit:

— Capital One shut off all dealer floorplans (aka inventory lines of credit)

— USA Auto Sales shut down 39 dealerships after losing its Ally Bank floor plan lines of credit

— Wells Fargo laid-off all its junior Auto loan underwriters and capped future loans

This is VERY serious.  This is real DOOM economically. Cars are one of the main pillars of the US economy.

Repos are rising as people can’t pay their high loan payments.  In fact, the increase in car repos…300% since new year.

With banks cutting off auto credit, it isn’t just car dealerships that will feel the pinch, manufacturers will too, of course.   BUT . . . . those manufacturers contract-out parts manufacturing to hundreds of smaller businesses nationwide.

All those smaller businesses will see orders dry up.  The auto sales and manufacturing sector in the US accounts for over 5 million employees

The “ripple effect” of credit withdrawal will affect the much wider economy and will do so VERY FAST.

KmengKhmer – ឆ្ងាយតែកាយ (Far Away) [Official MV]

Cambodian pop music

British Intel Source CONFIRMS Depleted Uranium Shells from UK have arrived in Ukraine

***** FLASH ***** – A source within British Intelligence has confirmed to me personally that thousands of rounds of tank shells were shipped to Ukraine as supplies for donated “Challenger” tanks donated to Ukraine.  Among those thousands of tank shells are . . .  DEPLETED URANIUM SHELLS!

Russia has repeatedly and explicitly made clear that if Depleted Uranium shells are fired at Russian troops, Russia will regard the use of the ammunition as being a “Dirty Bomb” attack against Russia, and will respond with radioactive weapons of its own.  They did not say WHICH radioactive weapons.

It is now positively CONFIRMED that the United Kingdom has, in fact, successfully delivered into the possession of the Ukraine Army, Depleted Uranium tank shells.

What this means is that now, it is only a matter of time before Russia detects that such shells have been used by Ukraine, and responds.

That response will likely come without ANY warning at all.

Readers are urged to have their preps (Food, water, medicine, first-aid gear, generator, fuel, and the like) topped-off . . . and to appraise their family members of this situation.

It’s really quite simple: When Ukraine hits Russians with Depleted Uranium shells, Russia will likely hit Ukraine with full blown nuclear weapons.  If that takes place, NATO jumps-in tot he war, and it’s nuclear immediately.

OR . . .

Russia may elect to strike at the UK directly for supplying such weapons. Obviously, if THAT happens, it’s also instant nuclear war.

In either case, the fight presently between Ukraine and Russia, will very likely go nuclear, and is extremely likely to involve NATO, meaning the outbreak of literal nuclear World War 3.

This can come at any time and without any warning.

Get right with God.

DU Explanation
DU Explanation

Hot Potato Salad with Bacon Specks (Mennonite)

2023 04 19 11 10
2023 04 19 11 10

Ingredients

Salad

  • 4 slices lean bacon
  • 1/2 cup finely chopped onions
  • 1/4 cup chopped celery
  • 1 tablespoon flour
  • 1/4 cup hot water
  • 1/2 cup heavy cream
  • 2 tablespoon Boiled Dressing
  • 1 tablespoon vinegar
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
  • 4 cups diced, hot, boiled potatoes
  • 1 tablespoon finely chopped parsley
  • 1 teaspoon finely chopped chives
  • Additional heavy cream (optional)
  • 2 hard-boiled eggs, sliced

Boiled Dressing

  • 1/2 cup granulated sugar
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 1 teaspoon dry mustard
  • 1/2 cup vinegar
  • 2 eggs, well beaten
  • 1 tablespoon butter

Instructions

  1. Salad: Cook bacon over medium heat until crisp. Remove and crumble. Drain off all fat except 1 tablespoon, return to medium heat, add onions and celery.
  2. Stir in flour to coat the vegetables. Add water, stir and cook until thickened. Remove from the heat and blend in the cream, boiled dressing, vinegar, salt, and pepper. Pour over the potatoes in a large bowl. Add the parsley and chives. Mix well to blend flavors. Add more cream if desired, taste, add salt if desired.
  3. Sprinkle crumbled bacon on top and garnish with the sliced hard-boiled eggs.
  4. Boiled Dressing: Combine sugar, salt, and mustard in the top of a double boiler. Add vinegar. Stir to combine.
  5. Add well-beaten eggs. Place over moderately boiling water. Stir until the mixture is creamy about the consistency of custard.
  6. Beat in the butter. Cool.

This dressing may be stored, covered, in the refrigerator, and will keep up to two weeks.

The internationalisation of EME currency trading

by J Caballero · 2022 · Cited by 6 — 

CNY trading rose by over 70% after adjusting for exchange rate movements, to $526 billion per day. This is unusually rapid.

Article HERE

Vuthea​ វុទ្ធា – អូនសាសន៍អី (Oun Sas Ey) ft. Siva [Remix]

Cambodian pop music

RESTORED 4:34 PM EDT — UKRAINE SPRING OFFENSIVE HAS BEGUN – ON FOUR OFFENSIVE FRONTS

1:02 PM EDT — Within the past hour, reports began filtering-in to me CLAIMING Ukraine’s Spring Offensive has begun.   Reports say there are four distinct lines of combat.  NOT YET VERIFIED . . . .

If these reports can be corroborated, more details will appear as Updates below.

Should these reports prove true, RIGHT NOW is the beginning of the most dangerous time for all of us.   NOW is when nukes might come into play.

I earnestly hope your “preps” are topped-off, you have cash money at home in case electronics (Credit/Debit)  all go offline, and your vehicles are all fueled-up, with spare fuel in cans safely at home.

UPDATE 2:04 PM EST — I have reached out to every source I know and I CANNOT VERIFY THESE REPORTS . . .  still checking.

UPDATE 2:43 PM — I am PULLING this story – I cannot verify ANY aspect of the incoming reports.

UPDATE 4:34 PM EDT —

From the Kiev Independent Newspaper:

 

 

“Citizen Of The Galaxy”: Amazing Digital Cyberpunk Art By Kuldar Leement

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“I’m a digital illustrator and graphic designer based in the Estonia. I have been producing personal and commissioned illustrations, digital paintings and web designs only a few years. Mainly I’m digital-painter, but You can visit my homepage and read about my education and other knowledge. If I’m working, I constantly trying to expand my range of abilities and i love to try out new techniques.”

More info: Kuldar Leement, DeviantArt, Vimeo, Society6, Behance, Facebook

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BOMBING IN SEATTLE – SECOND UNEXPLODED BOMB FOUND

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There has been a bomb detonation in downtown Seattle.   A second, unexploded bomb, has also been found at a Gas station at 1st and Denny St.   SWAT and Bomb Squad mobilized.

Additional Info:

EXPLOSION REPORTED IN AN APARTMENT BUILDING IN SEATTLE, WASHINGTON LEAVING ONE INJURED. SECOND BOMB IS REPORTED IN THE SAME BUILDING.

Evacuation of downtown in progress due to fear of more bombs.

 

 

Police and Fire on scene:

 

Seattle Bomb Squad is currently attempting to Defuse a 2nd Device near the Scene of 1st Explosion.

MORE:

 

https://youtu.be/gPuAthFARcI

Ham and Onions over Noodles

This is an old Mennonite recipe.

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2023 04 19 11 11

Ingredients

  • 6 slices ham 3 x 3 1/2 x 1/4 inches
  • 3 onions, sliced
  • 1/2 cup sour cream
  • Hot noodles

Instructions

  1. Fry slices of ham until nicely browned.
  2. Remove ham from pan and add onion slices. Cook until slightly browned.
  3. Add sour cream. Let come to a boil and pour over hot noodles.

Thị Mầu – Hòa Minzy x Masew | Official Music Video

Vietnamese pop music

9 Rules for How to Make a Perfect Cup of Coffee

Become a coffee guru with these simple steps on how to make a perfect cup of coffee at home.

Jeffrey Sachs Interview – China’s Reaction to US technology Containment

The 5 Best Mix-Ins to Add to Your Coffee

1. ¼ cup whole milk or oat milk

Whole milk is actually the #1 pick for the best coffee mix-in if you ask Rachel Fine, RD, a registered dietitian and owner of the nutrition counseling firm To The Pointe Nutrition in New York City. That’s because if you haven’t already, there’s no better time than now to change your tune about thinking low- and non-fat is always best.

“A splash of whole milk proves to me that we can enjoy the ‘real deal’ and benefit physically, mentally and emotionally from it,” Fine says, since it doesn’t make her feel like she’s restricting or choosing the “diet culture”-promoted option she doesn’t truly love. Since vitamin D (which is found in whole milk, but not skim) is a fat-soluble vitamin, your body benefits from the fat that the milk offers. Plus, “fat helps to satisfy us! When we feel satisfied, we’re more likely to cultivate a more mindful experience around food and beverages, even our coffee breaks,” Fine says.

Reaver is fond of adding the oat-based milk Oatly (buy it: $4.99 for ½ gallon, Target) to her coffee. “It has all the creamy goodness of half and half without the saturated fat,” she says, and is a great option for those who don’t do dairy.

2. ½ cup protein shake or 1 scoop of protein powder

For even more protein than either of the dairy “dos” above, try ½ cup of a premade protein shake, such as OWYN Protein Shake (buy it: $7.99 for four 11.15-ounce shakes, Target). A half-cup pour will add about 7 grams of protein and less than 1 gram of sugar to your coffee. Or try adding a scoop of chocolate protein powder like Vega Protein and Greens Chocolate (buy it: $25.61 for 1.8 pounds, Amazon) to your iced coffee. “This much will also add a lot of creaminess to your drink without relying on high-fat creamers,” Reaver says. As an added bonus, that more-than-an-egg-amount-of-protein will help you stay fuller longer after breakfast. (Because you’re eating a healthy one of those too, right?) “When we feel satisfied, we’re less likely to struggle with overwhelming cravings and obsessive thoughts around food,” Fine says.

3. 1 teaspoon sugar

If you’re in the mood for a hint of sweet to balance out the bitter notes in the coffee, add a small spoonful of sugar. Mary Poppins and dietitians approve of real sugar, in moderation.

“There’s a misconception about sugar in our culture,” Fine says. “But when used in ways to enhance flavor, a little can go a long way!”

A squeeze of honey or maple syrup would also do the job nicely.

4. 1 teaspoon cocoa powder

This is a cool weather seasonal favorite of Reaver, who says it’s a dreamy, antioxidant-rich way to stir up a makeshift mocha. Whether you enjoy it in your hot or iced coffee, you can rest easy knowing that this coffee mix-in can help lower your stress levels—research stands behind this!

To max out your health benefits, seek out a powder that’s 100% cacao and unsweetened. (We love Navitas Organics Cacao Powder; buy it: $7.82 for 8 ounces, Amazon)

5. 1 teaspoon cinnamon

On a similar note, you can crank up the antioxidants and add a warm, pumpkin spice latte-like note to your coffee by sprinkling on or stirring in a small spoon of cinnamon. Reaver enjoys this when she’s in the mood for a hot mug.

This is a VERY VERY BAD SIGN.

The 6 Worst Mix-Ins to Add to Your Coffee

Fine advises her clients to steer clear of any “fake foods” that are “products of diet culture and promote an overall less satisfying experience around coffee.” These include:

  1. Skim milk
  2. Artificial sweeteners
  3. Fiber powders

Both artificial sweeteners and fiber supplement powders “can cause stomach discomfort, gas, bloat and pain,” Fine adds, and skim milk is a less-flavorful, watery-tasting trade for whole milk.

Reaver councils her clients that “coffee should be a morning drink not a morning milkshake!” Just because the bulletproof trend that made waves in the early 2010s doesn’t mean it’s a nutrition-smart choice. So Reaver ranks her top three worst mix-ins as:

4. Butter

5. Half-and-half

6. Coconut oil

“Adding these three types of fats to your morning coffee may seem insignificant, but can add up to significant increases in your cholesterol levels. All three are high in saturated fats. Get this: Just 2 tablespoons of half-and-half in your coffee daily for one week is the equivalent in saturated fat to a full hamburger each week,” Reaver says.

Butter and coconut oil are both primarily the same saturated fats that can increase LDL, or “bad” cholesterol levels.

“These are easy things to skip with your coffee to reduce your risk of heart disease—the number one cause of death for Americans,” she says.

Worst foods for healthy blood pressure

The 2020-2025 Dietary Guidelines for Americans recommend eating no more than 2,300 mg of sodium per day, which is 1 teaspoon of salt. But, the American Heart Association has even stricter guidelines, recommending no more than 1,500 mg of sodium per day. The average American consumes 3,440 mg of sodium per day. Men consume more than women with an average of 4,240 mg of sodium per day compared to the average intake for women, which is 2,980 mg per day.

But don’t throw out the saltshaker just yet. Only 11% of sodium intake in the U.S. is from the salt used in the home. Most is from processed foods and eating out. Here are the biggest offenders.

Mixed Dishes

According to the Dietary Guidelines, 44% of the sodium that Americans consume comes from mixed dishes—21% from burgers and sandwiches, 7% from rice, pasta and grain dishes, 6% from pizza, 6% from meat, poultry and seafood dishes and 4% from soups.

Pizza

Two slices of cheese pizza can have more than 1,200 mg of sodium, nearly half the recommended daily max. Top your pizza with processed meats like pepperoni or sausage and you could be eating close to a day’s worth of sodium in one meal.

Red meat, processed meat and cold cuts

Speaking of processed meats, not only are they linked to a shorter lifespan, but they’re also one of the worst offenders for blood pressure and heart health, due to both sodium and saturated fat. Red and processed meats are the reason burgers and sandwiches top the list when it comes to sodium intake. These products can vary in sodium content, but here are some averages from the USDA database:

  • 2 sausage links: 698 mg sodium
  • 4 slices bacon: 660 mg sodium
  • ½ cup pepperoni slices: 1,090 mg sodium
  • 3 slices deli turkey: 783 mg sodium

Packaged grain mixes

Quinoa, brown rice and barley are heart-healthy grains packed with fiber and protein—but not if you buy them in a bag mixed with salty seasonings. Turn the bags over while shopping and check the nutrition label for sodium. Anything with a Daily Value of 20% or more is considered high in sodium. Choose products with a DV for sodium less than 20% when you can. The best option is to buy plain whole grains and season them yourself. Many brands and stores now carry shortcut options, like frozen brown rice and 10-minute barley, without added salt.

Canned soups

“Low sodium” or “no salt added” canned soups are the best options for healthy blood pressure. One can of minestrone soup can have over 1,500 mg sodium, more than the American Heart Association says you should consume in one day. One can of tomato soup typically has about 1,000 mg sodium.

Fast food

It’s no secret that traditional fast food chains like McDonald’s, Burger King and Wendy’s serve foods loaded with salt like burgers, chicken fingers and french fries. But seemingly healthy restaurant chains like Panera, Subway and Sweetgreen, for example, serve foods laden with sodium too. Any time you eat food prepared outside your home—whether it’s Panera, Chinese takeout or a fancy restaurant—you’re bound to consume more salt than you would if you made it yourself. Of course salt is added to make foods tastier, but also be aware that larger portion sizes when you eat out contribute to higher sodium counts. Since many fast food restaurants list the nutrition online, check the menu before you go to pick out a lower-sodium option that you can enjoy.

Fried foods

Fried foods are bad news for blood pressure. They are typically full of saturated fat and also often pack in the sodium. Opt for boiled, broiled or roasted (or try your air fryer) to lessen the pressure on your vessels and heart.

Frozen meals

Frozen dinners, even ones advertised as “healthy,” are a culprit for raising blood pressure. Check the nutrition label for a Daily Value of sodium less than 20% for the meal. Meals with meat and cheese are higher in sodium. If you want to stock your freezer, buy plain frozen fruits and vegetables, which are low in sodium, as well as other single-ingredient frozen foods.

Salty snacks

Think chips, nuts and popcorn. For healthy blood pressure, choose unsalted or reduced-sodium versions most of the time.

Pickles

While two pickle spears only have about 6 calories and no fat, they typically contain more than 700 mg sodium. That’s 30% of the recommended daily sodium limit and doesn’t include the high-sodium sandwich you may be having alongside. Eat pickles in moderation for healthy blood pressure.

Alcohol

While alcohol isn’t high in sodium, drinking too much alcohol over time is associated with high blood pressure. The Dietary Guidelines recommend men drink no more than two drinks per day and women drink no more than one drink per day. A drink is defined as 5 ounces of wine, 12 ounces of beer or 1.5 ounces of liquor. There is no reason to start drinking alcohol if you don’t currently drink.

Best foods for healthy blood pressure

The Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension (DASH) diet is proven to reduce blood pressure and cholesterol levels and reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease compared to a typical American diet. The DASH diet, also called the DASH eating plan (as it’s more a way of eating than a diet), includes eating fruits and vegetables, low-fat dairy products, whole grains, chicken, fish, beans and nuts. It’s low in red meat, sugar-sweetened beverages and processed foods with added sugar and salt.

Potassium helps lower blood pressure by helping the kidneys flush out excess sodium. Men should consume 3,400 mg of potassium per day, and women should aim for 2,600 mg per day (2,900 mg/day if pregnant; 2,800 mg/day if breastfeeding). Potassium is listed on the Nutrition Facts panel, making it easy to see if you’re getting enough to maintain healthy blood pressure levels. See our list of high-potassium foods.

Calcium and magnesium are also important nutrients for healthy blood pressure, as they help blood vessels relax.

Bananas

One medium banana has 422 mg of sodium-flushing potassium. Mix bananas into oatmeal or top your toast with peanut butter and a banana for breakfast.

Potatoes

One medium white potato has 620 mg of potassium, while one sweet potato has 540 mg of potassium. Make your own french fries by slicing potatoes and roasting them in the oven with a little salt and other spices like pepper, paprika or rosemary. Drizzle them with olive oil for heart-healthy fats. Learn more about what makes potatoes healthy.

Beets

One cup of beets has 440 mg of potassium, while one cup of beet greens has 245 mg of potassium. Studies show that both beets and beet juice can lower blood pressure, due to their high concentration of nitrates, which help improve blood flow (learn more about the health benefits of beets).

Spinach

Three cups of raw spinach delivers 475 mg of potassium, and this veggie is super versatile so it’s easy to eat—make a spinach salad, scramble into eggs, throw into a smoothie, or sauté for a side dish. Leafy greens are also high in calcium and magnesium.

Beans and legumes

Beans and legumes are high in potassium and magnesium. One cup of white beans delivers 615 mg of potassium and 89 mg of magnesium. Men should get 420 mg of magnesium per day and women should get 320 mg per day. Just rinse beans if buying them canned to help reduce sodium.

Plain yogurt

Yogurt is naturally high in calcium; choose plain over flavored yogurts (and add your own fruit or a little bit of sweetener for flavor). Go for low-fat varieties most often to limit saturated fat intake. Most men and women should aim for 1,000 mg of calcium per day. Women over the age of 50 should get 1,200 mg per day. One cup of low-fat yogurt has 415 mg of calcium. Mix heart-healthy berries into plain yogurt or swap out sour cream for plain yogurt in tacos or chili.

Other tips for healthy blood pressure

  • Cook food at home more often instead of eating out.
  • Buy foods labeled as “low sodium,” “reduced sodium” or “no salt added.”
  • Buy canned foods less often and opt for fresh and frozen fruits and vegetables most of the time.
  • Rinse canned beans and vegetables before eating.
  • Read nutrition labels and choose foods with less than 20% Daily Value of sodium per serving.
  • Choose fresh meat and seafood more often than processed and packaged meats.
  • Buy unsalted savory snacks like nuts.

The Bottom Line

All foods can fit in a healthy diet, even a diet to help lower your blood pressure. Limit the foods on the worst-offenders list, like pizza, sandwiches and burgers, along with foods eaten at restaurants, processed meats, frozen meals and canned soups. The DASH diet is proven to help lower blood pressure. Limit processed foods and choose whole foods most of the time, like fresh or frozen fruits and vegetables, plain whole grains, beans and legumes, low-fat dairy, and low-sodium nuts and nut butters.

Vini Vici – Universe Inside Me 🎧 ….Africa Zaouli Dance 👍….Le Zahouly Danse

Consumer Reports Just Found Lead and Cadmium in Some Popular Dark Chocolate Brands

Here’s how to shop for safer chocolate brands and keep yourself healthy.

15 Biggest African Songs That Broke The Internet in 2022

The United States is going to get everyone killed

Yes it is.

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2023 04 27 06 55

The horror…

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2023 04 27 06 56

The Eagles – Hotel California – Reimagined on the Traditional Chinese Guzheng | Moyun

OK, so we’re all agreed she’s freaking incredible, right?

America Has Dictated Its Economic Peace Terms to China

By refusing negotiation over China’s rise, the United States might be making conflict inevitable.
Tooze-Adam-foreign-policy-columnist16
Adam Tooze
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How far will mounting tension with China be translated into the economic policy of the United States? After a rash of sanctions and overtly discriminatory legislation, with action on U.S. investment in China pending, and with talk of war increasingly commonplace in the United States, the Biden administration knows that it needs to clarify its economic relations with the country that is the largest U.S. trading partner outside North America.
From HERE

US sanctions China into its own self-destruction

Intel Corp. is expected to post its worst quarterly loss on record Thursday, and analysts are hoping it is rock bottom for the struggling chip maker.

Intel INTC is scheduled to report earnings after the close of markets on Thursday, and analysts on average expect the Silicon Valley giant to report a loss of more than $3 billion, or 76 cents a share, according to FactSet. That would be by far the largest quarterly loss on record for the company: In records dating back to 1993, Intel has never reported a GAAP loss of more than...


Jeffrey Sachs: “China JUST CHANGED EVERYTHING, THIS IS SERIOUS” in Exclusive Interview

https://youtu.be/Xm0IGDE52sk

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What a day! The anti-China trolls are out in rare form. Sheech!

Been cleaning up all the bull-shit trolls that creep in my lesser-policed feeds. Same MO though. Almost all are first-timers, with join dates five or more years ago. All are not active anywhere else. Just land on MM, and shit on it.

I do a purge. Erase, block, and delete.

Move on to the next. Ugh. What a pain in the ass.

BRICS is based on China’s huge infrastructure projects for last 30yrs and something that the USA cannot do unless it completely remodel itself as an economy that relies on the real economy, ie infrastructure and manufacturing. And cuts current reliance on military production, Tbills/usd printing and Wall St finance that creates wealth from trading equities. Highly difficulty given the laws and structure of the USA, and the West are already skewed to compete in those industries.

By end 2000s, Chinese construction companies had nearly completed China’s massive infrastructure building program and had huge amounts of surplus infrastructure building capacities and expertise. At the same time, Chinese economy needed lots of resources to fuel growth and Chinese trade surpluses accumulated so much capital, they needed to recycle the capital. Xi’s team realised that the clever way to solve all these problems were to build infrastructure along the ancient Silk Road. And it resonated with countries in those lands because they needed the capital and infrastructure to fuel their own growth and ship their produce to China and the world to better the lives of their people.

The way the scheme works, these countries proposes their own infrastructure needs to China and its companies, and they work out the feasibility of these projects based on the resources and produce that can be sold to ultimately fund these projects. If corruption does not interfere, the process should be sensible and feasible. This is actually a simple HP contract with China providing the capital and infrastructure, and getting paid over time with goods and resources sold by client countries. There is good economic logic to the whole process. Of course, there will be ruffians that will try to profit from corruption but by and large, the projects do increase trade in the entire BRI belt.

China BRI trade with 140 countries tops $9.2 trillion

China’s Belt and Road Initiative is “a public road open to all” and is not “ideologically biased” according to Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi, addressing a conference on future plans for the programme. 

Wang was speaking at the Asia and Pacific High Level Video Conference on Belt and Road, which took place on June 23. He gave an update on China’s Belt and Road Initiative and called on nations to join and support the use of the BRI as a superhighway for vaccine roll-outs, sustainable development and building digital connectivity. 

According to a statement by China’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the People’s Republic of China, political leaders from 29 countries, including Colombian President Iván Duque Márquez, were present via video-link. 

The conference was organised to “enhance anti-pandemic cooperation and boost economic recovery”. 

140 partner countries Wang said that from its inception in 2013, the “important initiative” has shown strong vigour and vitality. 

“Over the past eight years, the BRI has evolved from a concept and vision into real actions and reality, and brought about enormous opportunities and benefits to countries around the world. 

To date, up to 140 partner countries have signed documents on Belt and Road cooperation with China. 

Trade between China and BRI partners has exceeded $9.2 trillion. Direct investment by Chinese companies in countries along the Belt and Road has surpassed $130 billion. 

The BRI has truly become the world’s broadest-based and largest platform for international cooperation.” Wang Yi added that even through the COVID-19 outbreak , Belt and Road cooperation did not come to a halt. 

“It braved the headwinds and continued to move forward, showing remarkable resilience and vitality. 

Together, we have put up an international firewall of cooperation against COVID-19, provided a stabiliser for the world economy, and built new bridges for global connectivity.” 

This “fruitful” Belt and Road cooperation was as a result of the solidarity and cooperation among BRI partners, guided by the principle of extensive consultation, joint contribution and shared benefits, he said, adding that BRI practices the concept of open, green and clean development, aimed at high-standard, people-centred and sustainable growth. 

“All cooperation partners, regardless of economic size, are equal members of the BRI family. 

None of our cooperation programs are attached with political strings. 

We never impose our will on others from a so-called position of strength. Neither do we pose a threat to any country. “We are always committed to mutual benefit and win-win.

 The BRI came from China, but it creates opportunities and good results for all countries, and benefits the whole world. 

We have strengthened policy, infrastructure, trade, financial and people-to-people connectivity to pursue economic integration, achieve interconnected development, and deliver benefits to all. 

“The BRI is a public road open to all, and has no backyard or high walls.

As the countries trade and projects grew, these BRI trade and projects are now defining China’s role with the rest of the world. And they are now a principle reason China can afford to reduce reliance on West markets.

And as these countries grow their capital, China is now encouraging them to use rmb and bilateral currencies to trade, and this will further erode the powers of the West’s financial systems. In fact, the more the West struggles to smear it and to attack it, the more these countries will wean themselves away from the euro/usd world and move the world towards a multi currency system.

West has no ability to propose alternatives because they do not have the massive infrastructural capacity and expertise of China at this point. And years of backing US wars and the 2008 Wall Street subprime collapse have also weaken US/EU financial systems and govt debts to point they have not much capital to spare on building the developing world’s infrastructure. The world knows that USA is fully reliant on the usd reserves status to print endless amounts of Tbills/usd to sustain only.

EU should adopt a different strategy from US, Chinese infrastructural capacity and expertise will be boosted if they join these projects, and China will gladly welcome them to boost growth of markets everywhere.

After all, these roads, rails and ports link up the great EurAsia Africa continents and can be one super economic massive continental group.

Even the USA can benefit if they drop an aggressive US hegemonic model that benefits only the US MIC billionaires.

A super huge market can drive many US companies too. So silly to cling onto a model that relies on endless wars, endless arms sales, endless printing of Tbills that is actually robbing monies from American taxpayers to pay US MIC billionaires.

Blinken, rogue and ignored

  • China is refusing to let US secretary of state Antony Blinken visit Beijing
  • Four people familiar with the negotiations said China had told the US it was not prepared to reschedule a trip that Blinken cancelled in February
  • countries of the world are sick of the continuous toxic diatribe, lies and lectures spew by the Americans
  • In this case, China was concerned that the FBI would deliberately release manufactured lies regarding the results of an investigation into the downed suspected Chinese “spy balloon”.

This Is How They’re Going To CONTROL You!

Neua Yang (Charcoal Broiled Beef
in a Hot/Sweet Sauce – Thai)

Yang dishes are the Thai equivalent of Thai barbecue food. The most common is undoubtedly kai yang (chicken) where a chicken is split open, beaten flat, and gripped in a cleft stick to grill over the brazier.

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2023 04 16 15 29

This version – neua yang or barbecued beef – has a more assertive sauce to go with the stronger flavor of the beef. It is best accompanied with a bottle of strong beer, especially when eaten as lunch during a break from working in the paddy fields. At dinner a good Italian red wine is I think the best choice.

And of course if you don’t have a charcoal brazier, or the weather is a shade cooler than here (it’s 38 degrees C (100 degrees F) outside as I type this…) then you could just as easily prepare this dish on a griddle or broil it in the oven (but it *does* taste best if it can absorb the flavor of the charcoal smoke).

For an evening meal I would suggest serving it with a salad such as the yam polamai (that I will post next), and a soup such as tam kha kai (chicken soup with a coconut milk stock).

Ingredients

Sauce

  • 1 tablespoon lime juice
  • 1 tablespoon fish sauce
  • 1 tablespoon dark sweet soy sauce
  • 3 tablespoons shallots (purple onions), sliced very thinly
  • 1/2 tablespoon palm sugar (or honey)
  • 1/2 tablespoon prik phom (powdered dried red chiles)
  • 1 tablespoon sliced spring onion/scallion/green onion, including tops
  • 1 teaspoon bai chi (coriander/cilantro leaf), chopped

Instructions

  1. First prepare a serving platter, lined with lettuce leaves, and decorated with sliced cucumber.
  2. Combine the ingredients to make the sauce. taste and if required add extra sugar/honey, lime juice and/or prik phom.
  3. Barbecue half a pound of steak to whatever “doneness” you prefer, then slice into slices an eighth of an inch thick, and then cut the slices into bite sized pieces. Place on the lettuce, and pour the sauce over the steak.
  4. Accompany with the usual Thai table condiments (prik phom, sugar, and prik dong (red chiles in vinegar)).

You can substitute sautéed onion for the shallots if they are unavailable.

Also, remember when using prik phom (and sugar) in sauce preparation that the diners can always add more at the table, but they can’t remove it if you put too much in!

Served as a one-plate dinner, this serves one fairly hungry diner, but with the soup and salad should be adequate for four people.

US March Toward War – Ukraine Offensive, War Over Taiwan (w/Danny Haiphong)

The world needs more diplomats like Russia's Sergey Larov and China's Wang Yi. not American "diplomats" (if they can even be called such) like Jake Sullivan, Anthony Blinken, John Kirby, etc.

Anonymous Artist Is Photoshopping Kids Books, And The Result Is Hilarious

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Mark March 11th on your calendar, for it is a day that will go down in history as the founding date of Paperback Paradise, “The world’s #1 used book store.” After the Berenst(E)ain Bears Conspiracy of 2015, it should come as no surprise that many of the books that you read in your childhood are not as you remember them. In particular, that their titles are radically different.

h/t: boredpanda

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Renzo Gracie, a Brazilian jujitsu fighter, was in a New York underground station, accompanied by a friend after training at the gym. The two were speaking in Portuguese.

Suddenly, an American approached shouting ‘Speak English here! ‘ and pushed his way towards the duo. Not knowing that he was attacking a professional wrestler, the man was choked and restrained until he apologised.

The case is reverberating internationally and Renzo has already given his opinion: ‘There was no fight… an educational moment’.

main qimg 9a59763a824cef7ed5be32ea85d24b8b pjlq
main qimg 9a59763a824cef7ed5be32ea85d24b8b pjlq

2023.04.16 Poisoning The Well

The "people of the ziggurat."

ABC Television Guest: “Can’t see the difference between the Christian Right and the Taliban”

.

ABC Television in the United States has a show called “The View” wherein ignorant, kackling, women say really stupid things. Most recently, guest Patti LuPone said “I don’t know what the difference between our Christian Right and the Taliban is.”

She went on to say “What’s happening in this country right now in the name of religion is just so dangerous.”

What is she talking about?

Is it Abortion?

Killing babies inside their mother’s womb is somehow “good?”  Stopping that is somehow “bad?”

As to the difference between the Christian Right and the Taliban, we in the Christian Right aren’t cutting people’s heads off.  That’s kind of a major difference, but what do I know . . .

Where does ABC Television come up with people like this whose opinions are shear idiocy?

Yet, THIS is what’s on American TV:

 

 

This is yet another example of why people must beware what they see and hear on TV.  The people you are seeing and hearing may very well be actual idiots!

Portugal tells the U.S. to STAY OUT of its business with China

Green Curry Beef

If you’ve never cooked Thai before, start with this one. It introduces you to many ingredients and flavors at once, is spicy but not too fiery, and is simple to make. Look for the best quality commercial curry paste you can. The first time you make this dish, start with half the curry paste and taste after combining with the coconut milk; you can increase the intensity at this point if desired. Be sure to use unsweetened coconut milk.

thai green beef curry 100362 1
thai green beef curry 100362 1

Ingredients

  • 1 pound (450 g) lean beef steak
  • 2 tablespoons (25 mL) peanut oil
  • 3 tablespoons (50 mL) green curry paste, or to taste
  • 1 (14 ounce) (400 mL) can coconut milk
  • 4 fresh red chile peppers, seeded, ribbed and sliced
  • 3 tablespoons (50 mL) fish sauce or soy sauce
  • 2 teaspoons (10 mL) salt
  • 1 tablespoon (15 mL) granulated sugar
  • 4 lime leaves
  • 2 cups (500 mL) chicken stock, preferably homemade
  • 2 green onions, sliced
  • Handful of fresh basil leaves

Instructions

  1. Cut the beef into thin slices about two inches long (you may want to partially freeze the beef to make cutting easier). Set aside.
  2. Heat a wok or large skillet until hot. Add the oil, and when hot stir in the curry paste. Stir fry for 30 seconds.
  3. Drizzle in the coconut milk, stirring constantly.
  4. Add the sliced chiles, fish sauce, salt, sugar, lime leaves and stock. Bring to a boil.
  5. Add the beef slices and green onions. Turn the heat to low and simmer the dish uncovered for 15 minutes until the beef is tender and the sauce slightly thickened.
  6. Stir in the basil leaves and cook until wilted.
  7. Serve at once with plain steamed rice.

Top 70 Songs of 1978

https://youtu.be/-wy8wKwd6FI

The majority of Australians prefer a policy of neutrality and oppose joining US wars under the ANZUS alliance, polling shows.

by Peter Cronau

2023 04 16 20 39
2023 04 16 20 39

A US Air Force B-52 nuclear bomber flies over Canberra’s parliament house in a fly past that seemed, to some at least, to be a darkly ominous message about who holds deep power in the nation’s capital. Media at the time referred to it as ‘a symbol of the enduring friendship between Australia and the United States of America’. (Photo: Supplied.)

Amajority of Australians want Australia to adopt a policy of neutrality when it comes to considering a US war against China, according to the latest polling

by the Lowy Institute think tank.

The poll, conducted in 2022, found 51% of Australians said they’d prefer Australia to remain ‘neutral’ in any US military conflict with China over Taiwan, down from 57% in 2020. [Fig: 1]

This runs so contrary to mainstream media representations of such polling that it’s worth stating again: The majority of Australians (51%) say they want Australia to maintain ‘neutrality’ in any US military conflict with China over Taiwan.

This remarkable finding reinforces earlier polling

by the Lowy Institute that found most Australians, while happy to support our military involvement in humanitarian interventions or peacekeeping, do not want the country to ‘support US military action’ in a war against China – and the number of Australians saying this is increasing

each year polled (2020 63%, up from 2013 60%). [Fig: 2]

At a time of hysterical pro-war reporting in many of Australia’s major mainstream news outlets

, the views of the Australian public against the US alliance and the US push for confrontation with China, should gain some higher prominence; if our media was interested in balance. Media’s ignoring the majority view is undemocratic and not in Australia’s national interest.

Support for a US war with China low

2023 04 16 20 40
2023 04 16 20 40

The earlier poll conducted in 2020 found 63% of Australians do not support Australian military joining US military action in a conflict between China and Taiwan. The opposition to US military action against China has increased

[archived here

] by 9% from 2019, when 54% were against such military action.

Since that remarkable result, Lowy Institute changed the polling question slightly in 2021 and 2022, but despite that they still found that most Australians want the country to remain neutral in any US military conflict with China over Taiwan.

Elsewhere the report asked a separate

different question about if China ‘invaded Taiwan’. This saw Australian opposition to sending military forces that was at a majority of 54% in 2019, dropping to 47% in 2022. This near repetition of an earlier question in the same poll may seem odd, but it may be a case of asking varying versions of a question until finding the ‘right’ answer.

The Lowy pollsters seem to talk down the notable result on neutrality when they state

: ‘A bare majority say Australia should remain neutral… almost half say Australia should support the US in this conflict.’ The last time I looked, a majority is still a majority in most democracies.

2023 04 16 2ds0 40
2023 04 16 2ds0 40

Figure 1: The 2022 Lowy Institute Poll has shown what Australians think of prospects of war between US and China:
Australians want a policy of neutrality. (Image: Lowy Institute)

What is fundamentally clear from this polling, however, is that in most polling the majority of the Australian public has made it known they do not want Australia to join a US war against China over Taiwan.

Support for ANZUS Alliance low

Australian ‘support’ for joining the US in any conflict under the ANZUS military alliance is also waning, the 2020 Lowy polling

also shows. [Fig: 2]

A minority (40%) of Australians in 2020 agree with Australia supporting the US under the ANZUS alliance in a war in the Middle East, a reduction from 2013 when 48% supported such action under the Alliance. And that prior to the debacle in Afghanistan, the Taliban’s victory and Australia’s hasty retreat in 2021.

Even fewer Australians support Alliance action in our own region. In 2020 a smaller minority of just 34% of Australians agree with supporting the US under the ANZUS alliance in a war in Asia, a decrease from 2013 when 37% supported it.

The clear majority of Australians (68%) in 2020 say Australia ‘should only support US military action if it is authorised by the United Nations’.

2023 04 16 20 41
2023 04 16 20 41

Figure 2: The 2022 Lowy Institute Poll has shown what Australians think of prospects of military action under ANZUS:
Australians don’t want to be a part of it. (Image: Lowy Institute)

However, with all statistics, it depends on what questions are asked, and what answers are publicised. The Lowy report emphasises an obvious truism when it asks a different question

in the 2022 poll, showing a majority of Australians generally consider the US alliance as ‘important’.

This ‘motherhood’ question allows pro-war media to shout: ‘Most Australians say Alliance is important.’ But while they may say it’s important, Australians don’t actually support it being used for Australia to join US wars.

The 2020 Lowy report very clearly states

: ‘There is persistent reluctance to support military action under ANZUS. The majority of Australians (68% ) say “despite the alliance, Australia should only support US military action if it is authorised by the United Nations”.’

Clearly most Australians would rather support the UN-based ‘international legal order’, than the US-designed ‘rules-based order’.

Other polling

supports this finding. A 2022 poll by the US Studies Centre shows that a large majority of Australians (76%) believe Australia should ‘develop a foreign policy that was independent of the global powers’.

Most say a US China war not in national interest

A further question in the Lowy poll shows that Australians, despite their antiwar majority, do well understand the current state of Australian democracy. They know that their wishes face headwinds in being translated into actual policy, and that, as with the Iraq war, it is probable they will be ignored and be dragged against their will into the next conflict.

The 2022 polling analysis shows

77%, the large majority of Australians, acknowledge the grim fact that ‘Australia’s alliance with the United States makes it more likely Australia will be drawn

into a war in Asia that would not be in Australia’s interests’.

They call it democracy but know they have little input to any decision to commit the nation to war. That’s because the decision lays solely in the hands of the Prime Minister of the day, not in the elected parliament. A majority

of Australians would like to see that changed too.

The sceptical public has decided. After 20 years of illegal and failed wars led by the United States, Australians are increasingly making it clear they have had enough. The collapse of all the dubious rationales for war have been noted by most of the population.

2023 04 16 20s 41
2023 04 16 20s 41

An estimated 240,000 were killed during the 20-year failed allied occupation of Afghanistan – most of them Afghan citizens. Here the body of one Australian soldier, Sgt Blaine Diddams of SASR, is returned home to his family and friends waiting at RAAF Base Pearce, Western Australia, on 9 July 2012, after being killed in a clash the Chorah region of Uruzgan Province, Afghanistan. (Photo: Cpl Chris Moore, Department of Defence)

Australians have seen through the lies over the non-existent Iraqi ‘weapons of mass destruction’, the dismal failure of the ‘nation building’ experiment in Afghanistan, and the thin arguments for our secretive war against Syria. And now, that well-founded scepticism has affected their views of a prospective war with China – the majority don’t want any part of it.

Fear-mongering up, fear up

Polling has seen Australians’ overall perception of safety drop, and fear levels jump. Is it little wonder? The high media prominence in 2022 of the new war between Ukraine and Russia, and repeated confrontations

with China by US and Australian military ships and planes, has guaranteed that.

Over the past year, Lowy polling shows fear levels

rose of China becoming ‘a military threat in the next 20 years’ with 32% now seeing in as ‘very likely’, up from an average of 16% with that view over the past decade. [‘Somewhat likely’ rose 31% to 43%.]

The Lowy Institute’s head of polling, Natasha Kassam, says

“Anxiety about China has characterised Australian public opinion for the past three years, and now the vast majority of Australians believe China will pose a military threat to Australia in the next two decades.”

But that growing fear of the prospect of war with China is tied up in Australians’ overall wariness of the United States, and has not translated into a belligerent attitude against China.

Despite all the voices of the pro-war lobby on China, the scare-mongering by think tanks, the spruiking by the weapons merchants, the malign leaks to journalists, the assurances by defence officials, and dubious assertions of their political leaders – it seems the public is awake to them.

2023 04 16 20 4c2
2023 04 16 20 4c2

Cracking a smile after being given a birthday cupcake and a can of Coca Cola, Defence Minister and Deputy Prime Minister Richard Marles with US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin and General Mark Milley chairman of the US Joint Chiefs of Staff, July 2022. (Photo: Defence Department)

It is perhaps surprising to see that, in the face of all this, the public’s support for a US war against China is actually persistently dropping.

Those pro-war voices may not have adequately considered that Australians live in a democracy. They could start to acknowledge this by reflecting the public’s view in statements and reporting, and in policy.

The singularly pro-war stance of most mainstream media outlets has not convinced the majority. So we should expect a boost to the fear-mongering, more tales of spy cells, strange cyber hits, media embeds with military forces, smiling US Generals, new ‘cool

’ attack warplanes, a rise in the US cultural push, and more empathy-building stories of nice Americans surviving terrible storms in Texas.

A recent news media special

, published by Nine/SMH-Age, titled ‘Red Alert’ is an example of the biased reporting. The series would have been better titled ‘Red Scare’.

The large three-day special report relies on five ‘experts’, but the article fails to say four of them are connected to a highly controversial think tank, Australian Strategic Policy Institute (ASPI

), as staff, board member or contributor. Nowhere are the pro-war stance, foreign government funding, and weapons industry connections

of ASPI mentioned.

2023 04 16 20 42
2023 04 16 20 42

The alarmist ‘Red Alert’ reports in the Sydney Morning Herald and The Age on 7 March 2023 gave an increasingly common biased ‘red scare’ line that is driving many readers to more independent media carrying a range of views, such as Declassified Australia, Pearls and Irritations, and Michael West Media.

Despite such media abuse, the public remains consistently opposed to US wars. The inability of the mainstream media to convince the majority is in fact driving their readers and viewers away. And they are heading to the internet and serious independent

media sites for a more balanced perspective

.

The danger in a kind heart

There are other messages that the majority of Australians can take away from the Lowy polling.

While the majority of Australians oppose war, they overwhelmingly support the use of Australian military forces for humanitarian operations, and in peacemaking and peacekeeping roles. Between 75 and 80% of Australians expressed support

for such military operations in the 2019 and 2022 polls.

But there is danger here. Those pushing us to war may be guided by this polling result and therefore dress up their arguments in words about ‘humanitarian war’ and ‘peacekeeping’. The overwhelming public goodwill towards the peacekeeping and humanitarian missions to assist the people of East Timor (1999-2007) and Bougainville (1998-2004), is open to being abused by the pro-war lobby.

The public should be on the lookout for pro-war voices using humanitarian justifications to advocate for Australia to join the US in their next war against China, as the Lowy poll put it, ‘to stop a government from committing genocide and killing large numbers of its own people’.

The pro-war voices may have an increasingly difficult task, however, as they face being washed away by a generational tsunami. Polling shows that support for the United States is lowest, and declining, amongst young Australians. This is an amazing ‘fact on the ground’.

While 43% of people aged over 45 say Australia should remain neutral in a military conflict between the US and China, a whopping 60% of Australians aged 18-44 prefer neutrality, according

to the Lowy’s 2022 polls. [Fig: 1, text]

We can expect the pro-war voices to increasingly target younger audiences.

Pushing the polling

“Australia’s new government will find support [in the polling results] for more defence spending, tough policies towards China and Russia, and stronger engagement in our region and on the world stage,” claims

the Lowy Institute.

However what it won’t find is a high level of support for US wars, including against China.

The Lowy Institute polling is an important measure of Australian opinion towards the United States. It is watched closely by foreign affairs and defence officials in Canberra, and in Washington.

The polling each year contains a grab-bag of information, with something for everyone. The actual results showing a drift from the US alliance and a favouring of neutrality, have been de-emphasised in much of the news reporting which has been dominated by the war in Ukraine and the fanning of a war with China.

The particular poll results preferred by the pro-war lobby will be wheeled out, and will be so-gleefully repeated in much of the media. But this present examination of the polling results show there is a hopeful message to be had in the actual attitudes of Australian, if only we are told of them.

Peter Cronau

Douglas Macgregor: “Ukraine IS FALLING, THIS IS IT!” in Exclusive Interview

https://youtu.be/lfUU8981v80

Trust me it’s like going to 2050 if you lived in a US City and are moving to Shanghai or Hangzhou

main qimg 6debe5b38bada0286ae4c8eaa1752b76
main qimg 6debe5b38bada0286ae4c8eaa1752b76

There is ALMOST NO PAPER anywhere

Everything is QR Code, QR Code and QR Code

Everything is Digital

You want to book a train ticket?

main qimg 12274e6aec04e647cda0cf457561a63e
main qimg 12274e6aec04e647cda0cf457561a63e

It’s Digital all the way into the Train Station and into the Coach. You walk to a machine and get your paper ticket by scanning the QR Code but even that’s becoming obsolete

Most Young Gen Z simply scan their QR Codes and enter directly bypassing the paper ticket

Movie Ticket?

QR Codes all the way

Taxi?

main qimg ea91a1c8afb9575dbd9a0a8b955f51bb
main qimg ea91a1c8afb9575dbd9a0a8b955f51bb

QR Codes all the way

Banking?

These guys have an App where you can literally issue Electronic Cheques with QR Code

If you pay in paper money, they glance at you in a strange manner. Every payment is Digital.

Doctors Office?

Again Digital.

Your Insurance Profile has a QR Code. Just Scan it and that’s all it takes.

  • Visitation – 90 Yuan
  • State Insurance – 52 Yuan
  • Employers Insurance – 38 Yuan
  • You pay – NOTHING

Just walk in meet the Doctor and come

The Doctor will use your QR Code to order medicines which you collect by scanning your QR Code

It’s like a Land of the Future literally

Even India is moving there and has more digital stuff than a US City today

I now asked a question – What if your Smartphone runs out of Charge? What is you lose your smartphone?

No Problems

They have Online Backup and using a username and password you can change your registered mobile number in exactly 60 seconds

Sadly India doesn’t have this facility and we struggle to get things corrected


The only small flaw I noticed was

MANY OF THEM STILL GO TO FOOT REFLEXOLOGISTS AND ACCUPUNTURISTS for Medical Health

Even People in their 40s prefer going to a Foot Reflexologist Or Accupunturist and getting their foot poked with sticks or needles as a cure for many ills

I am serious

Unlike India where most of these practitioners are regarded quacks, in China they are deemed eminently respectable and have huge crowds

There is some mind magic at work because many people actually claim it works wonderfully

The Guy who showed us homes said his mother had gallstones cured by foot reflexology. I hope to God the woman doesn’t think poking your feet can cure Gallstones

Nonetheless this is a part of Culture there and it’s the only blip I found in an otherwise futuristic city

BRICS to surpass G7 in share of global economic growth

.

Members of the BRICS group – Brazil, Russia, India, China, and South Africa – are expected to outpace the US-led G7 in terms of their contribution to the world’s economic growth, from this year, Bloomberg reported on Monday.

According to the outlet’s calculations – based on the latest IMF data –the BRICS countries will contribute 32.1% of the world’s growth, compared to the G7’s 29.9%.

The Group of Seven nations (G7) – consisting of the US, UK, Canada, France, Germany, Italy, and Japan – has long been considered the most advanced economic bloc of countries on the planet. Russia was a member, until 2014, when it was expelled due to the fallout from the Western-backed Maidan coup in Ukraine.

The report indicated that in 2020, the contributions from BRICS countries and the G7 to global economic growth were equal. Since then the performance of the Western-led bloc has been declining. By 2028, the G7’s contribution to the world economy is predicted to decrease to 27.8%, while the BRICS will account for 35%.

Bloomberg calculations show that China will be the top contributor to global growth over the next five years, with its share set to be double that of the US. China’s share of global GDP expansion is expected to represent 22.6% of total world growth by 2028, the outlet wrote. India is projected to contribute 12.9% of global GDP.

“In total, 75% of global growth is expected to be concentrated in 20 countries and over half in the top four: China, India, the US and Indonesia. While Group of Seven countries will comprise a smaller share, Germany, Japan, the United Kingdom and France are seen among the top 10 contributors,” the outlet wrote.

A recent study by a UK-based macroeconomics research firm has also found that the gap between the two groups in terms of global economic weight is expected to continue to grow. The analysts noted that China and India have been experiencing robust economic growth, and more countries are interested in joining BRICS.

Earlier this year, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said that “more than a dozen” nations have expressed interest in joining BRICS, including Algeria, Argentina, Bahrain, Bangladesh, Indonesia, Iran, Egypt, Mexico, Nigeria, Pakistan, Sudan, Syria, Türkiye, the United Arab Emirates, and Venezuela. Saudi Arabia, Egypt, and Bangladesh have acquired equity in the New Development Bank, the funding organization of BRICS.

Last year, BRICS countries proposed the creation of their own currency in order to move away from the US dollar and the euro in mutual transactions.

HAL TURNER ANALYSIS

This fact – CREATION OF THEIR OWN CURRENCY – is the single greatest problem for the USA because it will render US “economic sanctions” utterly useless.  Countries around the world won’t need to comply with US Sanctions because they will have another reliable currency to utilize in place of the dollar.

This is taking place because the US government has abused countries all over the world, for decades, with economic sanctions, and the world has grown tired of our meddling in their affairs.

As country after country changes from using the US dollar to using other currencies, all the “Dollars” presently held in foreign central banks, will come flooding back to America.  This will cause the value of the US Dollar to plummet against foreign currencies.

As the value of the US Dollar plummets, it will cost more and more and more for Americans to buy goods; especially since the US does not manufacture many things anymore.  The inflation that Americans will suffer will be reminiscent of the Weimar Republic.

All this, because our US government refuses to stop meddling in the affairs of other countries with economic sanctions.  The rest of the world is now telling us to stick our Dollars where the sun doesn’t shine.  In the end, it is AMERICANS who will suffer the most through hyper-inflation, which will literally break the country.

Filipinos Told “Leave Taiwan” – Return to Philippines

Today I received an email from a Filipino source who has family working in Taiwan.  The Philippines are telling anyone from that country working in Taiwan to “Leave Taiwan and return home immediately; war is developing.”

I also got a SECOND email today from another source who told me:

Hal,
I just got a message from a filipina who works overseas that all citizens of the Philippines who work in Taiwan are being called home.
She said it had something to do with the United States.
(NAME REDACTED TO PROTECT IDENTITY)
It appears that China is going to reunify Taiwan and may use force to do so.  It also appears the US may try to interfere with that and war between the US and China may result.

.

Russia Launches at least SIX Akula Fast-Attack Subs into Pacific

Within the past 72 Hours, Russia sortied at least SIX (6) nuclear-powered “Akula” and other model fast-attack submarines into the Pacific Ocean.  It is now believed they are enroute to the U.S. west coast.

The Russian Ministry of Defense even published an official video showing the vessels all leaving port at the same time:

 

 

Clearly visible are several Akula-class and even one ultra-modern YASEN-class ballistic missile submarines.

The YASEN-class are cruise missile subs that are designed to attack Carrier Battle Groups and can destroy hostile ballistic missile submarines, attack submarines, and ships. They can also be land-attack submarines.

To strike enemy Carriers, the YASEN’s carry the (3M55) “Onik” missiles with a range of 320 nautical miles or 592.64km. In their land-attack role, the submarines carry the (3M14K) “Kalibr” cruise missile with a range of 1600 nautical miles or 2963.2km.

Each YASEN has eight (8) (CM-346) complex (3p-14B) vertical launch tubes that can fire either Onik or Kalibr missiles, and can launch either surfaced or submerged.

The upgraded YASEN-M can also fire the hypersonic “Zircon” missile at either ships or land targets.

According to Michael Peterson of the Russia Maritime Studies Institute, for the first time in its history, Russia can now lay off the coasts of either Europe or even the United States, and present a persistent land-attack threat with very highly precise weapons.

This new ability concerns NATO leaders as a threat to physical infrastructure such as ports which would be critical during wartime.

A 2009 report by the U.S. Office of Naval Intelligence (ONI) says the YASEN is “the quietist of Russian-made submarines.”

Moscow has “significantly modernized its submarine force in recent years,” with 11 nuclear-powered ballistic missile submarines and 17 nuclear-powered attack submarines. By this data count, Russia also has nine nuclear-powered cruise missile submarines and 21 diesel-electric attack submarines.

The fact that all these submarines are now in the Pacific Ocean and heading toward the US west coast OUGHT TO BE a signal to the US to knock off its interference in the Russia-Ukraine situation.  Sadly, it appears no one in the US is listening or even looking for messages from Russia.

It seems the US will only acknowledge the cost of our meddling in Ukraine when bright, white, flashes start appearing over US cities from Russian submarines and ICBM’s.

BREAKING! The UNTHINKABLE is About to Happen: A 2023 Timeline of Nuclear War

The USA is starting to wake up to the nightmare that it created

"The evidence that Covid is a biological weapon created in the US is overwhelming."

Just starting.

It’s only the beginning…

Today, I had the Godliest cheeseburger that I have ever eaten. It was at Burger King (In China, of course). And it was a special double cheeseburger. But instead of using the small 1/6 pound meat patties, it used two 1/3 meat patties. It was tasty, and delicious and good. But man oh man, was it a shit-load of hamburger.

Cheesy and tasty. Totally and completely delicious.

I had no idea that it was so HUGE. And towards the end, oh, Lordy, was it a struggle.

I can’t believe I ate the whole thing.

Double Cheeseburger wide FS and foodporn 55
Double Cheeseburger wide FS and foodporn 55

Because they see the ridiculous banana republic of chaos that America has become and they want no part of it. They know geography and their pronouns. They know truth from propaganda. They like going out in public without being afraid of becoming a target for a shooter. Their police aren’t arresting six year olds or gunning down people. Their governments, fallible as they may be, haven’t tried burning down their capital buildings.

Asian countries like peace, stability, infrastructure, safety, wealth, progress, truth and other positive things. They really do not want to be what we’ve become. And I don’t blame them.

https://youtu.be/3fOQn8uWdxI

This Artist Draws Pictures to Show That Everything Has a Flip Side

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193753148 217162513369388 7398381468187957628 n 650×650 1

Not many people look at events and phenomenons from different angles. This is exactly what the artist, Anton Gudim, talks about on his Instagram account.

More: Instagram h/t: brightside

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Youngsters would call it a Badass piece of Legislation meant to Compete with China

It involves investing a huge sum of money – almost $ 200 Billion into various avenues meant to disrupt Chinas dominance as a Worlds Supply Chain Depot over the next 5 years

It aims to spend $ 50 Billion to start Semi Conductor manufacture in other countries like India or Vietnam to replace the 45 – 100 nm Chips that China is churning out by the milllions.

It also gives unilateral powers to the President to Impose on any Entity or Person without the State Department or Commerce Departments or any Departments collaboration. This means Biden can sanction China directly (The Country, not the Officials)

Believe me – If Implemented well- It could be a big big win for India and could create as many as 20,000 Skilled Jobs initially and if we really were to take advantage of the US Investments – we could replace China in making 45 – 100 nm Chips by say 2026–2027 which would be a surge to our GDP.

It would also mean a lot of Stones and Balls for the Genial Old Man who has faced massive setbacks with his ambitious infrastructure spending plans becoming the equivalent of Trumps Wall.

Yet it is very ambitious because China is always 4–5 steps ahead.

Also China makes the Worlds Best 45 – 100 Nm Chips and to trust India or Vietnam to be able to harness and develop the same tech in even 6 years is super ambitious especially knowing that there is almost very little profit except in Bulk Quantity.

And there is also an added problem – China is a huge market for 60% of the Cars which use these Chips so if China says Sorry well only buy Chinese – then the chances of any big scale manufacturing would be shot to hell.

So at this stage its – Match on – Xi vs Biden

Biden has put things on Paper – We have to see if he has some way to Implement the same thing.

Chicken Rice Soup

2023 04 14 19 07
2023 04 14 19 07

Yield: 6 servings

Equipment

  • Pressure Cooker

Ingredients

  • 1/4 cup or less olive oil
  • 4 to 5 small leeks, washed thoroughly and sliced
  • 1/2 cup rice, uncooked*
  • 6 cups fat free chicken broth (one large can College Inn)
  • 1 (3 pound) whole chicken, cut up with skin removed
  • 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
  • 1 cup chopped celery
  • 1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley
  • 1 teaspoon coarse salt
  • 1/4 teaspoon white pepper
  • 1 bay leaf
  • 1 teaspoon dried tarragon
  • Chopped parsley for garnish
  • 2 carrots, peeled and cut into 1-inch pieces

Instructions

  1. In a pressure cooker, heat oil and add leeks and sauté for about 2 minutes.
  2. Add rice and cook, stirring often, for about 1 minute.
  3. Add broth, chicken, lemon juice, celery, parsley, salt and pepper, bay leaf and tarragon. Secure lid. Over high heat, develop steam to high pressure. Reduce heat to maintain pressure and cook for 10 minutes.
  4. Release pressure according to manufacturer’s instructions. Remove lid.
  5. Remove chicken from soup. Remove chicken from bones, cut into 1 inch cubes, add to soup. Remove bay leaf. Discard bones.
  6. Add carrots and simmer uncovered for about 10 minutes until carrots are tender.
  7. Refrigerate and skim off any fat that develops.
  8. Serve hot with chopped parsley as a garnish.

Notes

* May substitute 2 cups of noodles, broken into pieces, for the rice.

China-Russia trade up 38.7% in Q1, energy cooperation continues to be a major stabilizer for bilateral ties

Published: Apr 13, 2023 08:21 PM
2023 04 14 17 40
2023 04 14 17 40

 

A cargo truck moves on the Heihe-Blagoveshchensk highway bridge from Heihe, Northeast China’s Heilongjiang Province, to Russia’s Blagoveshchensk port on December 15, 2022. The cross-border highway bridge, which opened to traffic in June, has become a major boost for trade between China and Russia. Photo: VCG

China’s overall trade with Russia maintained its strong growth momentum in the first quarter with an increase of 38.7 percent from a year earlier, far outpacing the growth of China’s total trade.

With energy cooperation taking up more than 40 percent of bilateral commodity trade and playing a pivotal role, and the promotion of local currency settlement accelerating, it is expected that bilateral trade will cross the $200 billion threshold this year, experts said.

First-quarter bilateral trade totaled $53.85 billion. China’s shipments to Russia rose 47.1 percent year-on-year to $24.07 billion, while shipments from Russia were up 32.6 percent to $29.77 billion, data from China’s General Administration of Customs showed on Thursday.

In March alone, total bilateral trade reached $20.07 billion, up 77 percent on a yearly basis, accelerating from 36.4 percent in the first two months, Chinese customs data showed.

“The strong growth momentum is within market expectations as the top leaders of the two countries have clarified bilateral cooperation direction. Pragmatic economic cooperation has become an unstoppable trend,” Song Kui, president of the Contemporary China-Russia Regional Economy Research Institute, told the Global Times on Thursday.

Song estimated that bilateral trade will cross the $200 billion threshold this year given the robust growth.

Last year, bilateral trade hit a record of $190.27 billion. China’s exports of mechanical and electrical products, automobiles and auto parts to Russia all grew substantially.

China has been Russia’s largest trading partner for 13 consecutive years, and the two countries have continued deepening their energy cooperation and made solid progress in strategic projects.

Russia is now one of China’s leading energy suppliers. The two countries have expanded their ties in the energy sector from pure commodity trading of oil and natural gas to industrial cooperation in oil and gas exploration and refining, said Liu Qian, an executive deputy director of the Center for Russian and Central Asian Studies at the China University of Petroleum (Beijing).

China purchased more than 6.5 million tons of liquefied natural gas and 86.25 million tons of crude oil from Russia in 2022, official data showed.

“The huge capacity and trade flexibility of the Chinese market could absorb a large part of Russia’s energy and ensure the steady progress of large-scale energy cooperation projects,” said Liu.

Enterprises of the two sides are maintaining exchanges and active consultations on the new Russian-Chinese natural gas pipeline project transiting through Mongolia, and China will continue to support enterprises in carrying out research and consultations in accordance with commercial principles, an official from China’s National Energy Administration said during a press conference on Wednesday.

The construction of the Amur natural gas processing plant with the participation of Chinese-funded enterprises started in 2015. As of 2022, 87.52 percent of the construction work of the plant was completed, Russia’s state-owned energy giant Gazprom, said in December last year.

The plant will send 38 billion cubic meters (bcm) of natural gas to China every year as designed, and the full capacity of 42 bcm will be reached in 2025.

“There is still great potential for China-Russian energy cooperation,” said Liu.

On the one hand, Russia’s natural gas supply to China will continue to grow. Besides, with the global energy transformation and China’s “dual carbon” goals in place, there is also much room for cooperation in renewable, hydrogen, nuclear energy and in the clean and efficient use of energy, he explained.

As bilateral trade grows, the Chinese yuan is gaining popularity in Russia, and local currency settlement by discarding the US dollar is going from strength to strength.

According to a report from the Bank of Russia, the country’s central bank, the share of the yuan/rouble pair trading on the Russian exchange market reached a new high of 39 percent in March. During the same period, the share of the US dollar/rouble pair fell to 34 percent, the lowest in recent years.

In February, the yuan surpassed the dollar in trading volume on the Russian exchange.

Ozon Holding, one of Russia’s largest online retailers, is doubling down on the Chinese currency to fend off increasing external uncertainties.

Simon Huang, managing director of Ozon China, told the Global Times that “this year, we are actively promoting settlements in yuan for Chinese cross-border sellers on our platform. From commodity pricing to payment, the process is centered on the yuan to reduce the risk of foreign exchange fluctuations.”

Found Unused Nuclear Bunker Filled with Equipment

Beautiful and Frightening: Mako Vice’s Bizarre Drawn Girls

0 7 650x650 1
0 7 650×650 1

Mako Vice is an artist, mangaka, and member of the creative association Gainen15. On her social networks Mako posts pictures with graceful but very specific ladies suffering from various mystical afflictions. One has worm-like fingers growing through her skin, the other one rips her face off and stuff like that. It’s grim, but classy.

More: Instagram

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I’ve been living in China for almost 9 years now. The one thing that keeps amaze me is how little people know about China, as it is today. Almost every traveler I guided in China was amazed about how their perceptions of the country and its people were wrong, or very biased and partial. Many are truly amazed how little they actually know about China, it’s history and culture.

It is understood, of course, that any of us learns mostly about their relative history and culture; knows more about ‘their side of the world” than of other’s; and so, by traveling to China (and other Asian countries, for that matter) you are being exposed to new things, probably more than if you travel to a destination that is more “culturally-close” to yours.

So, for me, the main reason everyone should travel to China at least once, is to open up their eyes and minds to different perspectives and cultures in the world. I hope this will make all travelers start asking more questions about what they think and read of other places too.

The United States always follow a SIX POINT STRATEGY to keep their Hegemony intact

First they send an official and deliver “Cooked up Intelligence reports”. For instance like saying Iran is planning to invade you or China plans to invade Arunachal Pradesh etc – playing to your fears

Today most nations openly refuse to believe any of these reports unilaterally

Once this fails,

Second they send a higher official like a Senate Delegation or a Secretary of State to openly warn you that a certain nation is committing atrocities and damaging the Global security.

They demand you make sacrifices like not buying Oil or Gas from that nation for “Democracy” And “Freedom”

Today once more, most Nations don’t get impressed by these words. They flatly refuse to change their way of life

Once this fails,

Third they use their MSM to begin saturation coverage of lies against your country related to human rights and fund NGOs in your country to start targeting the Government and use that propaganda to undermine you Globally

Uyghurs for China, Kashmir & Muslims for India, Kashoggi for Saudi Arabia, Nuclear Weapons for Iran, Atrocities for Putin, Corruption for Thailand Leaders etc

Luckily today MSM isn’t that credible as they were say 10-15 years ago

Once this fails

Fourth, they get their NGOs to organize protests and color revolutions in your country starting with small issues through massive underground funding

Simultaneously they mobilize opposition leaders and bankroll them targeting a regime change

This works with many many nations

Once this fails

Fifth, they SANCTION and COERCE your country by denying you your own dollars or western technology and bully the collective western lackeys to do the same thing

Finally

Sixth, they may directly fund a proxy civil war or support military aggression against your country


THIS Approach is followed for all countries that aren’t US Lackeys

  • India is at Stage III
  • China is heading to Stage V
  • Russia is at Stage V
  • Thailand is at Stage IV

So Saudi Arabia, a US Lackey until recently, is heading to Stage II

The CIA Director visit was Stage I and it failed

Now next, a Senator Delegation or VP or Blinken will warn Saudi of how Iran is destroying the world with Terrorism and how they stand opposed to a free world

Luckily this Six Point Strategy is becoming lesser and lesser effective.

Let’s hope Saudi can get through this.

My Comment on Quora

Q: What would happen if the United States tries to blockade China?

A: The United States would suffer.

You see, we already have seen what a blockade would do. Do you remember this?

2023 04 14 17 51
2023 04 14 17 51

A massive container ship got stuck in Egypt’s Suez Canal

on Tuesday, March 23, 2021, halting marine traffic for almost a week.

For one entire week, all maritime traffic came to a complete stop. And American shelves were bare for months. Months!

shelves e1584569855959 750x422 1
shelves e1584569855959 750×422 1

And, the lessons that came from it absolutely sent shivers in the supply-chain management circles.

  • All Western-bound freight came to a complete stop.
  • European and African freight was rerouted via BRI land bridge.
  • United States freight was delayed by up to 6 months with bare shelves being the norm.

And who was blamed for this?

China?

Nope. Not China. Though the American news media tried their best to blame China.

The shipping company? Nope.

President Biden… You betya. He got the blame.

I wonder why?

2021 bare shelves biden funny meme joe biden shirt tshirt
2021 bare shelves biden funny meme joe biden shirt tshirt

Meanwhile, this is what happened inside of China…

  • Production continued normally.
  • The BRI was given a great influx of train-bound orders.
  • Rerouting through the BRI is now the norm, and signals a massive decrease in the use of sea freight.
  • China’s warehouses grew plump as batch shipments were reordered.

Now, somehow, the brain-dead idiots that call themselves “neocons” have this grand fantasy. They believe that…

“Ok, ok, we cannot bomb the shit out of China. But we can blockade shipping. And then China would completely collapse! What brilliance we possess!!”

I am here to tell you that we know what will happen. If you blockade China it won’t make any difference. China trades using the BRI and things can be rerouted easily.

  • China will NOT starve. As it attained self-sufficiency around 2012–2013.
  • China’s factories will not close down. Their orders, owing to the previous events, will increase.

But…

  • The United States will end up without the things that it needs. There will be an absence of all sorts of raw materials and manufacturing products.
  • The few products that will be made locally in the United States will be very, very expensive.

And that is why a United States blockade on China will fail.

CIA director concedes US power is waning

Bill Burns says Washington’s position as the “big kid on the geopolitical block” isn’t guaranteed
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2023 04 14 18 57

The dominant global role of the US can no longer be guaranteed as the country is witnessing a time of change “that comes along a couple of times a century,” CIA Director Bill Burns has claimed.

Speaking at the Baker Institute earlier this week, Burns said that although Washington “still has a better hand to play than any of our rivals,” it is “no longer the only big kid on the geopolitical block and our position at the head of the table isn’t guaranteed.” 

The CIA chief pointed to growing ties between China and Russia, which he argued will present a “formidable challenge” for his agency for years to come. According to Burns, Beijing is “not content to only have a seat at the table; it wants to run the table,” while Russia is seeking to “upend the table altogether.” 

Burns, who served as the US ambassador to Moscow under George W. Bush, condemned Russia’s military operation in Ukraine, calling it an act of “brutish aggression.” 

He claimed the CIA has provided “good intelligence” that has “helped the Ukrainians defend themselves” and cemented “a strong coalition in support of Ukraine.”  

Burns added that Kiev’s long-anticipated spring offensive would feature “strong material and intelligence support from the US and our allies.”  

The spy chief claimed that Russian President Vladimir Putin is “not serious about negotiations” on a peaceful resolution to the conflict, and suggested that only Ukrainian progress on the battlefield was “likely to shape prospects for diplomacy.”

Russia has repeatedly stated that it is open to peace talks and has blamed Kiev and its Western allies for blocking negotiations. Ukraine has placed a legal ban on any talks with Russia as it seeks to defeat its opponent on the battlefield.

Regarding China, Burns insisted that Beijing remains the CIA’s “biggest long-term priority.” He noted that in the last few years, the intelligence agency has doubled the resources it focuses on China, including hiring and training Mandarin speakers and stepping up efforts to compete with Beijing on the world stage.

“Managing a crucial and increasingly adversarial relationship with China will be the most significant test for American policy makers for decades to come,” the US official said, arguing that the risk of a conflict over Taiwan will continue to grow.

From HERE

The Duran is the best channel for Geopolitics. There is no channel even close.

This neoliberal/neocon project can’t fall away fast enough. It’s been a disaster for the people of the US and the world. It reduces all but a handful of elites to enormous struggle and endless war/death. It’s been a great evil and if a new economic system is what ends it, fine. Excellent work, as always, Alex and Alexander!

Chicken with Dumplings

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2023 04 14 19 09

Equipment

  • Pressure Cooker

Ingredients

  • 1 fryer chicken
  • 2-3 cups water
  • 2 carrots, diced
  • 2 ribs celery, diced
  • 1 tablespoon chicken bouillon
  • Salt and pepper, to taste
  • 1 1/2 to 2 cups Bisquick
  • Parsley flakes

Instructions

  1. Cut up a fryer and brown it in a frying pan. Put the chicken in the pressure cooker with water, carrots and celery.
  2. Deglaze the frying pan with some of the water and put that liquid into the pressure cooker. Add about a tablespoon of chicken bouillon, cover and cook it for 20 minutes at 15 psi.
  3. After cooling and removing the lid, the chicken is now falling off the bones. Remove chicken, and season the liquid with salt and pepper.
  4. Make the dumplings. Mix Bisquick and enough water to make a sticky dough. Form into 2-inch balls. Put some parsley flakes on the outside of each dumpling and place 8 dumplings into the pressure cooker with the chicken and liquid. Put on the lid and cook for another 10 to 15 minutes.

Prehistoric Hunters Roasted and Ate Giant Snails 170,000 Years Ago

giant snails
giant snails

In a groundbreaking discovery, scientists have unearthed the remains of enormous snail shells at a 225,000-year-old archaeological site in southern Africa. What makes this find truly remarkable is that it appears these giant snails were not just natural inhabitants of the area, but also a significant source of sustenance for the humans who lived there.

Why and when terrestrial mollusks entered our ancestor’s diet were unanswered questions until the recent discovery of the giant land snail, known as Achatinidae, at a rock-shelter in southern Africa. A new study has demonstrated how small groups of hunter-gatherers captured, roasted and ate giant snails as early as 170,000 years ago.

Giant Snails as Big as Your Hand

When people hunted, fished and gathered to obtain food, clothing and other resources necessary for their survival, hunting techniques varied greatly across the world. In Africa, it is known that groups of ancient survivalists fashioned spears and clubs to kill large game animals such as antelopes and elephants.

Until now, the oldest evidence of Homo sapiens capturing and eating giant land snails dated to roughly 35,000 years ago in Europe, and around 50,000 years ago in Africa. However, a new study published in the Quaternary Science Reviews shows how people at a southern African rock-shelter called Border Cave roasted a species of giant snail that was, according to the researchers, “as big as an adult’s hand.”

Archaeologists
Archaeologists

 

Archaeologists in the 1970s excavating at the mouth of Border Cave in South Africa. ( Public domain )

Giant Snails Roasting on an Open Fire

The oldest archaeological layers at Border Cave date to at least 227,000 years ago. Evidence shows how ancient people living in this cave cooked starchy plant stems, ate an array of fruits and hunted small and large animals. A 2020 study published in Science even found that the ancient people living in Border’s cave made grass bedding around 200,000 years ago.

The new study was led by Marine Wojcieszak of the Royal Institute for Cultural Heritage in Brussels. An analysis of shell fragments excavated at Border Cave demonstrates how hunter-gatherers at the site roasted large African land snails on embers, “and then presumably ate them,” according to Wojcieszak. Described as “a delicacy,” eating these snails spiked in popularity between about 160,000 and 70,000 years ago.

According to the team of scientists, these new discoveries at Border Cave “challenge an influential idea that human groups did not make land snails and other small game a big part of their diet until the last Ice Age waned around 15,000 to 10,000 years ago.”

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2023 04 15 15 59

Giant Snails Allude to Early Cooperation

The team of researchers working on the study suggested that when hunter-gatherer groups in southern Africa roamed the countryside hunting large animals, some of them, perhaps with limited mobility due to age or injury, might have stayed behind “snail-gathering.” Wojcieszak added that food sharing at Border Cave demonstrates how “ cooperative social behavior was in place from the dawn of our species.” Furthermore, because snail meat is relatively easy to eat, the fatty protein of snails would have been an important source of nutrition for the elderly and smaller children.

Science News reported that previous archaeological excavations at a cave on the southern tip of South Africa revealed that humans ate mussels, limpets and other marine mollusks as early as around 164,000 years ago. However, according to archaeologist Antonieta Jerardino of the University of South Africa in Pretoria, the new evidence of giant snail consumption at Africa’s Border Cave pushes back the human consumption of mollusks by several thousand years to 170,000 years ago.

2023 04 15 16 00
2023 04 15 16 00

Testing Ancient Snail Cooking Methodology

The research team studied 27 snail shell fragments from various sedimentary layers at Border Cave , which were compared with shell fragments of modern large African snails. The snails were heated in a metal furnace at temperatures ranging from 200° to 550° Celsius, with heating times lasting from five minutes to 36 hours.

Most of the shell fragments discovered at the site displayed signs of extended heat exposure, which the researchers say is consistent with “having once been attached to snails that were cooked on hot embers.” It was concluded that the lower parts of large land snail shells rested against the hot embers during cooking, which accounts for the burned and unburned shell fragments discovered by the scientists.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eKcqDl57sCc&embeds_euri=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.ancient-origins.net%2F&feature=emb_imp_woyt

Measuring Up the Pros and Cons of Giant Snail Consumption

A study published in the Journal of Food Science and Technology analyzed the approximate composition, minerals and vitamins of the edible part of the giant African land snail ( Archachatina marginata ). The results showed that the snail meat contains high levels of protein, iron and magnesium.

They also concluded that these giant snails contain vitamins such as vitamin A, which is essential for vision, immune system function and skin health. Furthermore, the creatures are packed with vitamin B12, which is important for the production of red blood cells and the proper functioning of the nervous system.

On the down side, large land snails carry parasites and bacteria that can cause illness in humans if not properly prepared and cooked. Nevertheless, it looks like the ancient hunters who ate these snails some 170,000 years ago knew about these drawbacks, and they therefore roasted them to kill off these toxic properties. Teresa Steele, an archaeologist at the University of California, concluded that “it’s not surprising that ancient H. sapiens recognized the nutritional value of land snails and occasionally cooked and ate them by 170,000 years ago.”

Top image: Giant snail as big as a human hand. Source: majivecka / Adobe Stock

By Ashley Cowie

China’s national security authority reveals ‘new methods’ of criminal activities by overseas anti-China hostile forces

Published: Apr 14, 2023 12:43 PM

Setting up illegal maritime surveillance to steal China’s military information, luring Chinese scientists in the aerospace field with payment, concocting “forced labor” lies about Xinjiang … The Global Times learned from the Chinese national security authority about a series of typical national security risks on the eve of the 8th National Security Education Day, which will fall on April 15. The authority has also warned Chinese companies and individuals to raise awareness of national security.

Compared to the cases disclosed around the National Security Education Day in previous years, the scope of the cases disclosed this year is wider and the methods used by overseas anti-China forces to lure and instigate those involved are more hidden and targeted. Li Wei, an expert on national security at the China Institute of Contemporary International Relations, told the Global Times that the criminal goals of foreign espionage agencies and anti-China hostile forces are highly consistent and complementary with the political goals of relevant countries toward China.

NGO concocts ‘forced labor’ lies

A man surnamed Li worked for a consulting company in Shenzhen, South China’s Guangdong Province, where he provided supply chain risk audit services for overseas companies. A few years ago, Li’s company worked with an overseas NGO and gradually Li found that the attitude of this organization changed.

Their audit standards for Chinese companies became more detailed, especially concerning the new requirements for the content related to the so-called “Xinjiang labor.” Li noticed that the overseas NGO was actively collecting information about the so-called human rights issues in Northwest China’s Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region in order to concoct “forced labor” lies and provide “endorsement” for Western anti-China forces to manipulate Xinjiang-related issues and enforce related sanctions.

However, in order to pursue economic interests, Li’s company still undertook and implemented relevant investigation projects, bringing risks and hidden dangers to China’s national security and interests.

The national security agency of Guangdong punished Li in accordance with the country’s anti-espionage law, implementation rules of the law and regulations on anti-espionage precautions, and ordered his company to implement rectification.

In recent years, some overseas NGOs with complicated backgrounds have grown stronger and gradually seized international access standards for some industries, the Global Times has learned from relevant authorities. They took advantages of their special status in those industries and exerted influence on relevant Chinese companies, causing harm to the country’s political and economic security, especially to crucial areas such as industrial and supply chains.

Meanwhile, those NGO staff approach Chinese nationals with “friendly attitude” and carry out acts endangering national security with disguises, posing a serious threat in both traditional and non-traditional security areas, experts said.

The criminal targets of foreign spy intelligence agencies and anti-China hostile forces are highly consistent with the political objectives of relevant countries toward China, said Li Wei, the expert. With the rise of China’s comprehensive strength, Western countries such as the US attempt to fully encircle, suppress and smear China, fabricating groundless stories on issues related to Xinjiang, Xizang, Hong Kong, Taiwan and others. As a result, not only have the criminal targets become more clear, but the scope of criminal activities has also expanded further, Li said.

The actions of foreign spy intelligence agencies and anti-China hostile forces that threaten the national security of our country are no longer confined to traditional security areas, he added. Those moves in non-traditional security areas also brings risks and hidden dangers to the stable development of our economic and social security.

Some organizations and individuals, under the guise of foreign NGOs, consulting companies, high-tech companies, and others, attempt to “make a fuss” in the areas of human rights, industrial and supply chains, undermining our national security, Li Wei said.

Illegal monitoring Chinese military activities

In August 2019, a sea cucumber farmer surnamed Zhang in Dalian of Liaoning Province reported to the national security authority that there were some uninvited guests showing up at his farm. A person surnamed Huang led several foreign personals to install marine hydrological monitoring equipment as well as sea and air monitoring and recording equipment in the name of “free installation of seawater quality monitoring equipment.”

Since then, Zhang gradually noticed data was being continuously transmitted overseas, and a lot of that data had nothing to do with sea cucumber farming.

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06e7ef99 cfee 4af6 b3ab 4fc76c3ac64e

 

Foreign staff illegally install monitoring equipment in a sea cucumber farm

Zhang dialed 12339 to report the situation to the national security authority. After verification, the equipment was found that it was illegally monitoring China’s air military operation zone, sensitive and important data such as tides and currents in the non-open sea areas, which posed a serious threat to China’s maritime rights and military security.

The local national security authority took compulsory measures against Huang and the foreigners according to the law and confiscated the monitoring equipment. Huang and the foreigners confessed to their illegal and criminal activities of stealing China’s marine hydrological data and naval and air military images.

As traditional and non-traditional security threats are at present intertwined, it puts forward higher requirements for national security work, Li noted. People need to enhance their national security awareness and be vigilant at all times as some illegal and criminal acts that endanger national security become more hidden, and companies and individuals would be taken advantage of if they do not pay attention, the expert said.

Instigate rebellion 

As China has become more connected with the world, it has become more convenient for Chinese nationals to study, work and travel abroad. Some overseas spy agencies target those people who relax their vigilance after going abroad and set up traps to bring hidden risks to China’s national security, as another typical case showed.

Zhao Xuejun is a scientific researcher in the field of aerospace. When he was a visiting scholar at a foreign university, he was gradually recruited by overseas spy staff to sell the progress of scientific research, which seriously endangered China’s national security.

At first, the spy staff member invited Zhao to have dinner and to travel together and sent him gifts to build a closer relationship. As their relationship drew closer, the spy staff member asked Zhao some sensitive questions and paid him hefty “consulting fees.”

Before Zhao was about to return to China, the spy staff member revealed the true identity and recruited the Chinese researcher. Subsequently, the spy agency equipped Zhao with a special USB flash drive and a website for issuing mission instructions and enabling him to send back intelligence.

After Zhao returned to China, he met relevant spy staff from this country in multiple places in China, providing them with a large amount of classified information through in-person conversation or through relevant website. He also received spy funds in the form of cash. His activities attracted the attention of the national security authority.

In June 2019, the Beijing Municipal State Security Agency took compulsory measures against Zhao in accordance with the law. In August 2022, he was sentenced to seven years in prison for espionage, and was deprived of political rights for three years. The court also ordered to confiscate 200,000 yuan ($29,091) of his personal property.

Zhao became a target of a foreign spy agency because of his identity as an expert in the aerospace field. However, in recent years, the national security authority noticed that some overseas organizations have taken advantage of certain Chinese nationals’ longing for foreign life to lure them to go abroad and force them to engage in activities that seriously damage the image of the country, endangering national security and personal safety.

Zheng Fuxing and Wang Peiyue were key employees of a so-called “overseas immigration service company” in China. Under the guise of “immigration through normal ways,” the company recruited customers and claimed that only 100,000 yuan was needed as a “certification fee” for immigration procedures.

The group sent “clients” abroad by applying for tourist visas and other methods. But it was not until those “clients” successfully arrived abroad that this group revealed its true intention. Through coercion and inducement, they asked the “clients” to fabricate various “documents” such as household registration, arrest certificates, or forced abortion certificates and to publicly declare that they were “persecuted in the country,” and used fabricated criminal evidence to slander and smear China.

Afterward, the group continued to ask for money from those “clients” under various names such as “political asylum agency fees.” Many of those “clients” were eventually abandoned by the group because they could not afford those fees and struggled to return to China with the help of their families.

In October 2021, the national security authority of North China’s Hebei Province took compulsory measures against Zheng and Wang in accordance with the law. In May 2022, the court sentenced them to three years and nine months, and three years and six months in prison, respectively.

Whether it is gradually falling into the trap because of small profits, or using the “immigrant dream” to lure and take advantage of individuals, these acts of harming national interests and endangering national security for personal interests eventually cost them a heavy price, said Li, the expert.

The overseas countries and regions are not lawless places, and safeguarding the national security is the duty and responsibility of every Chinese national wherever they are, he said.

Using ‘internet identity’ for criminal activities

Among the typical cases, the use of social networks to disguise identity and collect intelligence and information has also caught up in the attention. The national security revealed that Han Xiao, a civil servant in Xinjiang, met a netizen through a mobile dating app and became a tool for overseas spy agency.

In December 2016, Han met the netizen through a dating app during a travel and after returned home, Han often shared his life with this netizen on internet, complaining that he had a very low salary. The netizen introduced his “cousin” Chen Yi to Han, claiming Chen could provide some extra job for Han to earn money. Chen then asked Han to provide some sensitive local information and promised to pay Han some money.

After Han agreed, Chen further instructed Han to collect classified documents from local Party and government institutions. The spy agency highly valued those documents and trained Han as a spy, teaching him the specific methods of communication and information transmission, and sent special agents to provide Han with funds, mobile phones, SIM cards and other communication tools.

Despite that Han knew those people were overseas spy staff, Han continued to collect and provide classified documents for high rewards. The local people’s court later found out that Han provided 19 documents and materials to the overseas spy agency. In return, he was given more than 120,000 yuan.

In March, 2019, Han was sentenced to 11 years and six months in prison for espionage, deprived of political rights for four years, and the government confiscated 50,000 yuan of his personal asset.

Internet not an ‘enclave’

With the wide use of the internet, there have been more internet celebrities, however, some gained attention by fabricating and spreading lies, smearing the country and government, which also broke through the legal bottom line, according to another typical case.

Since June 2020, a person surnamed Zhang, who impersonated eight Myanmar nationals, opened several accounts on overseas social media platform to introduce foreign daily life and customs, posting over 20,000 posts and attracting tens of thousands of fans, according to the national security authority in East China’s Jiangsu Province.

In order to maintain such fake identity online, Zhang maliciously fabricated a large number of sensational false information and rumors, causing panic among netizens and created a negative impact. After attracting a large amount of fans, Zhang frequently used rumors and slandered the image of China, attacking the Party and the government and even instigated others to engage in coup d’etat. In February 2022, the national security authority took compulsory measures against Zhang.

“No matter how much they try to disguise themselves, they can’t cover up the nature of illegal and criminal acts that endanger national security,” Li said, noting that the internet is not an “enclave” for escaping legal responsibility.

Anyone that uses the internet to steal state secrets, create and spread rumors, or endanger national security will be severely punished by law. A clean cyberspace needs to be governed by law, and more importantly, requires the joint efforts of each of us, the expert said.

WARNING: We Will See “50 YEARS OF CHANGE in The Next 6 MONTHS”

Jack Ma committed a mistake – He began acting like a US Billionaire or an Indian Billionaire or a UK Billionaire.

main qimg 2f19319a369dce73b63ab3de993aa348 lq
main qimg 2f19319a369dce73b63ab3de993aa348 lq

His IPO was demolished because bankers who are valued heavily in China – simply felt his valuation was inflated and believed that for such numbers as he showed – he had to plan on being a monopoly in various businesses.

In China, unlike India, the bankers don’t issue loans but instead have the billionaire borrow directly from the Public and underwrite the sebt (Meaning, debt which has been unsold will be purchased by the banks). This way, China can seize upto 51% of Ma’s assets in 10 minutes instead of 10 years after 1000 Court cases.

Ma was literally given a highly conservative valuation for his IPO and was given terms and conditions he did not like. The bankers said “You want your Valuation to be adhered to? Fine. Put up collateral for the same”. It’s unusual in most countries for new IPOs to put up collateral. But in China, this is the law.

Jack Ma did not like this.

So, he began his criticism of China’s Banking Regulations. He called them pawn-brokers rather than bankers for their demand of collateral or for their conservatism and for their aversion to loans the way the Capitalists did.

Had it been Hu Jiantao, he would have ignored Ma. They had a strong strong system so Ma’s ranting would not help in any way. China did not have a Republic TV or Arnab Goswami to raise the tempers. However Xi Jingping was a different leader and felt the affront personally.

So he ordered to look into Jack Ma

Suddenly, you had a thousand requests for various routine things for Ma’s companies. Revaluing things. Examining currency related things. Even deciding to introduce a Shenzi law to acquire 51% of non compliant Chinese entities (Basically drafted and created just for Ma).


Now upto this point is actual fact. Information for this comes from the Asian Wall Street Journal and the Economist and a variety of reputable non Globaltimes articles.

However, beyond this is Speculation and Theory

My personal Belief – is that Jack Ma got rattled. He did not expect such a backlash. Somehow Ma had started to believe he was living in New York and not Shanghai. Suddenly when so much scrutiny was being done, Ma knew he could lose his company (Every single company has regulatory issues. This is taken for granted)

So he must have appealed to the bosses and they must have told him Lie Low and shut the hell up.

His disappearance and his sombre reappearance to talk to teachers indicates that he has been broken. The rest of the Billionaires will see what happened to Ma and will understand that the System will remain in force and cannot be criticized.

The message is – Nobody is above the System (Except Xi Jinping maybe). Even Billionaires must follow the System and prosper within it.

Crock Pot Brown Sugar Pineapple Ham

2023 04 14 19 10
Crock Pot Brown Sugar Pineapple Ham

This slow cooker method not only saves your oven space, but it also results in the most fall-apart tender and flavorful ham EVER.

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2023 04 14 19 11

Once you try it this way, you will never want it any other way!

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2023 04 14 19 12z

Teaching Story

An old man meets a young man who asks:

“Do you remember me?”

And the old man says no. Then the young man tells him he was his student, And the teacher asks:

“What do you do, what do you do in life?”

The young man answers:

“Well, I became a teacher.”

“ah, how good, like me?” Asks the old man.

“Well, yes. In fact, I became a teacher because you inspired me to be like you.”

The old man, curious, asks the young man at what time he decided to become a teacher. And the young man tells him the following story:

“One day, a friend of mine, also a student, came in with a nice new watch, and I decided I wanted it.

I stole it, I took it out of his pocket.

Shortly after, my friend noticed the his watch was missing and immediately complained to our teacher, who was you.

Then you addressed the class saying, ‘This student’s watch was stolen during classes today. Whoever stole it, please return it.’

I didn’t give it back because I didn’t want to.

You closed the door and told us all to stand up and form a circle.

You were going to search our pockets one by one until the watch was found.

However, you told us to close our eyes, because you would only look for his watch if we all had our eyes closed.

We did as instructed.

You went from pocket to pocket, and when you went through my pocket, you found the watch and took it. You kept searching everyone’s pockets, and when you were done you said ‘open your eyes. We have the watch.’

You didn’t tell on me and you never mentioned the episode. You never said who stole the watch either. That day you saved my dignity forever. It was the most shameful day of my life.

But this is also the day I decided not to become a thief, a bad person, etc. You never said anything, nor did you even scold me or take me aside to give me a moral lesson.

I received your message clearly.

Thanks to you, I understood what a real educator needs to do.

Do you remember this episode, professor?

The old professor answered, ‘Yes, I remember the situation with the stolen watch, which I was looking for in everyone’s pocket. I didn’t remember you, because I also closed my eyes while looking.’

This is the essence of teaching:

If to correct you must humiliate; you don’t know how to teach “

Mysterious Subterranean Secret U.S. Military Base

By the time the American public discovers what actually has happened, it will be far too late, and rage will ensue

"This is outright disgusting. The USA is slipping into a medieval autocracy."

-When discussing the anti-VPN, anti-Tiktok bill.

This is the BILL here.

The following is something that I wrote for Quora…

Going to war is a FAILURE of diplomacy.

China, which has endless lists of successes, is not prone to failure. From poverty elimination to coronavirus, from high speed trains, to technological advancements. China runs things with intelligence, and fully funds efforts lead by merit. For China to fail at something; anything would be truly a rare event.

The United States, at least in the last fifty years, has a near endless list of failures. It seems that there is nothing it can get right. From a simple pedestrian bridge, to building a high speed rail. From solving homelessness, to simple maintenance of roads and bridges, the United States is flailing and failing at everything.

Now, let’s talk “WAR”.

China who is able to succeed in anything it puts it’s mind to, and the United States that fails at everything. The two nation go head to head.

What is the probable outcome?

  • The United States will start a war.
    • It will under-estimate China.
    • It will make foolish decisions.
    • It will under supply.
    • It will make political decisions instead of practical ones.
    • It will count on allies who are unreliable.
    • It’s media will spew out disinformation.
    • It will bear tremendous losses.

 

  • China will finish the war.
    • Nothing will be reported.
    • It’s all robotic, calculated, precise and detailed.
    • It will be one surprise after the other.
    • China will dictate the terms of American surrender.

And that is that.

And everyone knows that this is what will happen. You can put lipstick on a pig, but after all, a pig is still just a pig.

A Tale of two leaders–and of two regions

What a study in contrast! At exactly the time when Ma Ying-jeou, the former Taiwan leader, made a nostalgic trip to the mainland, returning to his roots for the first time and welcomed home like a long-lost son, Tsai Ing-wen, his successor, was offering herself as a pawn in America’s geopolitical game, kowtowing to China-bashing US politicians. Ma’s emotional visit was shared on social media and melted millions of mainland hearts. In a single day, it exploded with 120 million likes. With an uncanny sense of timing, Ma shows Taiwan how to repair the ruptured relationship. Tsai, by contrast, was cursed as a traitor by sputtering-mad Chinese patriots in America. One offers a common future, the other pumps boatloads of cash into the accounts of American merchants of death for deadly weapons. One promises the sunny upland of peace, the other the gates of hell.

Despite her LSE education, Tsai can’t think straight. How can she not realize that Beijing will never accept Taiwan as a US surrogate? It’s like having a foreign master in your household. During Ma’s rule, Taipei and Beijing enjoyed a long honeymoon, with the 1992 Consensus anchoring cross-strait relations, and both practically breathing through the same nostrils. Now all you hear is saber-rattling and the drumbeat of war. By prostituting herself to America, Tsai is hastening Taiwan towards doomsday. How does she sleep at night?

Beijing had pinned its hopes on Taiwan’s eventual and peaceful return to the motherland on the Hong Kong and Macau model. It works like a charm in Macau. But Hong Kong is another story.

Hong Kong is vulnerable—unlike Macau, it is only half-decolonized at best and crawling with sinister foreign agitators.

Hong Kong is historically an economic city, and its people are economic animals. Pre-Handover, they were indifferent to politics. Suddenly, they were handed more freedom than they could handle. Under the British, street demonstrations were banned. But after they left, Hong Kong quickly descended into the “protest capital” of the world—the curse of excess freedom.

A high degree of autonomy opened the floodgates to freedom, quickly weaponized by anti-China activists. What Hong Kong needed was not more freedom but better local leadership, not the likes of the disaster-prone Carrie Lam.

Neither New York nor Washington, nor London enjoys this much freedom. None allows rioters to occupy its streets for 10 months. Yet, the unrest was portrayed to the world as a fight for freedom. Hong Kong was on the brink.

Simple-minded activists never told us they were fighting for a worthless objective: Under the Basic Law, candidates for the top job must first win Beijing’s blessing. Given the poor slate of candidates, a universal vote is meaningless. The city is awash with smart money-makers, but wise leaders are a rarity.

For this useless one-person-one vote over lousy leaders, they paralyzed the city—a high price exacted for a hollow ideal.

Organizers of lawless protests included a tenured professor of law. He and his cohorts got carried away, playing superhero to American cheerleaders, making pilgrimages to Washington for photo-ops with Nancy Pelosi.

In an ugly show remote-controlled by America, rioters reached a point of no return. Local political clowns began hallucinating of winning the Nobel Peace Prize. The circus had come to town.

But soon, the pendulum has swung the other way– a belated chaos control, not a trampling on basic rights.

Unconscionable Western press came to Hong Kong blindfolded, determined to bad-mouth China and acted as American mouthpieces.

They didn’t tell the world that “One country Two Systems” was faithfully honored by Beijing, but dishonored by anarchists. Under the system, locals were not supposed to call for the downfall of the CCP. They wanted two systems but no country. Washington knew, if things went south in Hong Kong, geopolitical repercussions will spread, most notably, across the Taiwan strait. Tsai was teetering on 11% popular support. The mess in Hong Kong breathed new life into her politics.

Had Hong Kong carried off the experiment smoothly, Taiwan might have been ready for Beijing’s embrace. Instead, it now threatens to become another Ukraine, despite being Chinese territory. But China is not Russia, and Taiwan is not Ukraine.

China has a big dream, and America is determined to derail it–inadvertently aided and abetted by an incompetent local leader who in five short years sold the national reunification master-plan down the river.

Hong Kong must reboot its system, heal the wounds and seize the opportunities dangled by the Greater Bay Area. This time, give to Caesar what belongs to Caesar, and focus on local livelihood. As for Beijing, bring Taiwan back into the fold, using Ma’s healing ways. Dialogue, not dogged enmity. A purely domestic quarrel must never escalate into a history-ending global conflict. Outside meddlers trying to fish in troubled waters can take a long walk on a short pier.

No, not at all, America just desperate, unable to hide its bandit culture and behavior.

America is begging China for help, bandit style/ways, pointing gun at you demand help, threatening blow out if not meet demand.

America is sick, broke on the brink of collapsing, lost in all wars it found over the years. How can it fight with superpower like China.

Unfortunately, this time around China will not heal or buy the bandit culture and behavior.

China has better things to take care at home and around the world. All American provocations do not mean anything to China.

China popular idiom said, a wise man will not take near eye-sighted humiliation, revenge is a long term mission. Just like recent landing of military aircraft in Taiwan to antagonise China.

America can not effort to have another war let alone war with superpower China.

Collective Soul – Shine (Official Video)

Trump Posting on Truth Social — “World War III”

Trump TruthSocial WW3 2 large
Trump TruthSocial WW3 2 large

President Donald Trump took to his social media account this afternoon and posted “WORLD WAR III” . . . nothing else.   S going to HTF is my guess . . .

I am endeavoring to find out what may be going on worldwide that would give rise to a man like him, making a posting like that.  On Easter Sunday, no less.

Something’s up . . . something big.

UPDATE 8:15 PM EDT —

BRICS+ is taking over and there’s nothing the West can do about it. The US dollar won’t be the worlds reserve currency and the US Govt won’t be able to print money on the backs of other nations. US Govt bonds will be junk because of insane US debt. The End

Top 10 Nations by natural resources:

RUSSIA $75 trillion BRICS+
UNITED STATES $45 trillion The West
SAUDI ARABIA $35 trillion BRICS+
CANADA $33 trillion The West
IRAN $27 trillion BRICS+
CHINA $23 trillion BRICS+
BRAZIL $22 trillion BRICS+
AUSTRALIA $20 trillion The West
IRAQ $16 trillion BRICS+
VENEZUELA $14 trillion BRICS+

       Multipolar world wins!

 

FRANCE ABANDONING U.S.

FRENCH PRESIDENT EMMANUEL MACRON on the plane returning from his 3-day trip to China: “Europe should reduce its dependence on the extraterritoriality of the U.S. dollar… If the tensions between the two superpowers heat up … we won’t have the time nor the resources to finance our strategic autonomy and we will become vassals.”

FtRoMOrWYAAKF 9
FtRoMOrWYAAKF 9

MACRON also said: “Europe must reduce its dependency on the US and avoid getting dragged into a confrontation between China and the U.S. over Taiwan.”   So not only is France abandoning the US, they are now actively encouraging Europe to do the same.  Bear in mind, France just conducted the first-ever transaction for Liquified Natural Gas in a currency OTHER THAN the U.S. Dollar!   So the French are cutting off their use of our Dollars as well.

 

EUROPEAN UNION

Ursula von der Leyen, the head of the “European Commission” (of un-elected tyrants) departed the PRC through a regular terminal at the airport with baggage screening and passport checks, just like any other nobody.  Notice the look on her face as she has to be around us commoners . . .

FtRnlOcXwAAXxM
FtRnlOcXwAAXxM

 

China’s amazing “dis” of the head of the European Commission in this way — and in such a public manner, is a statement by China that the EU isn’t even worth paying attention to.   Not militarily, and not with its “EURO” currency.    It shows that the EU doesn’t matter anymore.  Not in the coming version of the world.

MORE:

The Germans are asking the Kremlin to allow them to produce cars in Russia. The German publication Speigel reports that it has sent a three-page letter to Vladimir Putin with a proposal to resume cooperation.

This shows that EU Sanctions against Russia are literally starting to come apart at the seams.   If trade with Russia resumes in any meaningful way, the West ENTIRE plan in Ukraine and to takeover Russia, will fail before it starts.

 

CHINA

China controls 98% of the world’s rare earth Minerals  production and plans to ban their export to the US for national security reasons!

The U.S. __must__ have some of those rare earth minerals to manufacture for our Military.  Without those rare earth minerals, our military might – and the accuracy of our weaponry in particular – is __gutted__.    No more playing Globo-Cop; except it won’t be by OUR choice, it will be forced upon us by China.

 

UKRAINE

Ukrainian medium-range air defense systems will be completely depleted by May 23.

They will be able to withstand only two or three more waves of blows. /The Washington Post, citing Pentagon documents/ Air defense systems

NASAMS, Iris-T, and Patriot Missile Systems will soon arrive in Ukraine, said Yuri Ignat, adviser to the country’s Air Force Command.   Not certain if – or how many such systems – can arrive in Ukraine before May 23.

If Russia strikes 3, 4, or more times, Ukraine will be finished before May 23.   This __may__ prompt a direct NATO entry, and thus . . . WW3.

MORE

Russia is moving elite units of its army, including paratroopers, to Bakhmut.  Wagner PMC has suffered very severe losses, but has gained significant ground there.  Now, the regular Russian Army is sending its units.

If  (OOOOPS)  WHEN Russia takes Bakhmut, the entire south and southeast of Ukraine will be cut off from supplies.  It will likely fold fast.  Again, another possible reason for NATO to come “all-in” and thus trigger WW3.

All these developments are troubling, but I am not sure any of them individually, or all of them collectively, get us to what President Trump said: “World War 3.”

 

More if I get it.

Greek Mint and Ouzo Flavored Meatballs (Keftedakia)

f82a6178b47e3fbec0a9d4e57fe3448b
f82a6178b47e3fbec0a9d4e57fe3448b

Ingredients

  • 2 slices Italian bread, crusts removed
  • 1/4 cup ouzo
  • 7 tablespoons olive oil
  • 1/2 cup onion, finely chopped
  • 1 pound ground turkey
  • 1 egg
  • 1 teaspoon dried mint flakes
  • 1 clove garlic, minced
  • 1/2 teaspoon oregano
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • Fresh ground black pepper
  • 1 cup all-purpose flour

Instructions

  1. Pour Ouzo in a small bowl. Tear bread into small pieces and soak in Ouzo 5 minutes.
  2. In a skillet, over medium heat, sauté onion in 3 tablespoons oil until translucent, about 5 minutes. Remove from skillet with a slotted spoon and place in a large mixing bowl. Squeeze bread dry, discarding Ouzo, and combine with onions. Add in turkey, egg, mint, garlic, oregano, salt and pepper and mix well to combine. Form meat mixture into 1-inch balls and roll in flour to coat evenly. Place on a cookie sheet and refrigerate 1 hour.
  3. Add remaining 4 tablespoons olive oil to a large skillet, over medium high heat, and sauté meatballs until browned, about 8 – 10 minutes.

“Tranheuser Busch?”

The public fallout and Brand destruction of “Bud Light” beer continues, with Internet meme’s and all sorts of public criticism.  Sales, though, show the facts: Stunning LOSS of customers, nationwide.

The brief video below, from an affiliated Distributor for Anheuser Busch makes it plain: The company is losing customers and sales at a ferocious pace:

This PLUNGE in retail sales is a direct result of Bud Light hiring a trans-something as a spokes-something.

When I was a Regional Sales Manager for North American Van Lines, I had occasion to speak with R. Allan Brogan, a Senior Vice President of Norfolk Southern Railroad (which owned North American Van Lines) and he told me something I never forgot.

"I had to fire a couple sales guys and they were family men.  

I had major concerns about firing them BECAUSE they had mouths to feed.  I 
never fired ANYONE flippantly; to me firing someone is waaaaaay serious.  

There was just no hope for these guys, but I still felt bad. 

R. Allan Brogan told me 

"Hal, it's not the people you fire who hurt you the most.  It's the people you KEEP . . .  but SHOULD HAVE fired, that hurt you the most." 

I never forgot that.

With that sage advice firmly in mind, I can say with confidence that the people who PROPOSED this “Tranny” hire should be FIRED by Anheuser Busch for bad judgment.  The people who APPROVED this “Tranny” hire and ad campaign for Anheuser Busch, should be FIRED.

Their poor judgment is literally destroying the Bud Light Brand and costing millions in lost sales.  Out the door with all of them!

I suspect it’s only going to get worse.

Now, people are going to wonder if any guy they see drinking a Bud Light is a homo.  Worse, people are going to look at any GIRL drinking a Bud Light, and wonder if she’s __really__ a girl!

No normal person wants to be associated with this “Trans” mental illness.   Grown-ups playing “make-pretend” they’re something they’re not.   It’s sick!

Clearly, the people at Anheuser Busch who put this project together have NO IDEA AT ALL who their customers are.    I suspect that very shortly, there won’t BE very many customers anymore.  NOT because customers are “Bigots” but because the Trannies and their movement are deranged perverts.

But . . .

Maybe there is a bright side to this ?????? After all, it seems to me in two days Anheuser Busch has done more to stop drinking than AA has done in 80 years.

麥小兜 – My First Song『你聽,這是我真實的聲音。』【動態歌詞Lyrics】

‘Peace In The Middle East? That’s A Threat.’

Thanks to China’s and Russia’s mediation peace is breaking out in the Middle East.

Elijah J. Magnier @ejmalrai – 4:14 UTC · Apr 8, 2023#BreakingNews:

The United Arab Emirates has begun withdrawing its forces from #Yemen. The Saudi-Emirati-Yemenite agreement will be announced soon.

The Middle East is solving its conflicts without the #US negative impact.

Elijah J. Magnier @ejmalrai · Apr 7
Great news:
#SaudiArabia will announce the end of the war in #Yemen after the Eid al-Fitr. Saudi is ending all its (high/low) conflicts in the Middle East with #Iran, #Syria, #Iraq, #Yemen & #Lebanon(not interested in the country for now) to turn towards its own development. …

Peace will also come to Syria. The foreign minister of Saudi Arabia will soon visit Damascus. He will invite Syria to rejoin the Arab League. An Arab League summit will be held next month in Saudi Arabia and the Syrian president Bashar al Assad is expected to be there.

This comes after agreements between Iran and Saudi Arabia to bury the hatchet and after agreements between Iraq and Iran to reign in a Kurdish uprising in Iran that was controlled by Kurdish forces in Iraq.

‘We can’t have that’, says U.S. president Joe Biden. He sent CIA director Bill Burns to Saudi Arabia to threaten consequences:

CIA Director Bill Burns made an unannounced trip to Saudi Arabia this week where he reportedly aired Washington’s frustrations over Riyadh’s opening to Iran and Syria through mediation brokered by US rivals China and Russia.Speaking on condition of anonymity, a US official confirmed the trip to Al-Monitor. “Director Burns traveled to Saudi Arabia where he met with intelligence counterparts and country leaders on issues of shared interest,” the US official said.

The official did not disclose the exact day of the trip but said that Burns discussed intelligence cooperation, especially in the area of counterterrorism. The CIA director met the country’s Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, The Wall Street Journal reported on Thursday.

Burns likely threatened to withhold U.S. intelligence on terrorist groups from the Saudis. The CIA could additionally push some of its ISIS assets to make some nasty appearances in Saudi Arabia to then offer ‘help’ to ‘fight terrorism’.

I do not think that this will work. The Saudis have had enough of U.S. interference in their region. They are looking for development and development requires peace.

Thus the U.S. is upping its threat:

The US Navy deployed a nuclear-powered submarine capable of carrying 154 Tomahawk cruise missiles into Middle East waters via the Suez Canal, a spokesperson revealed Saturday.The Pentagon’s rare disclosure of the location of one of its Ohio-class submarines came amid heightened tensions between the United States and Iran after an American military contractor was killed by a drone attack on a US base in Syria last month.

The USS Florida arrived in the region before transiting the canal on Friday “to help ensure regional maritime security and stability,” Cdr. Tim Hawkins, a spokesperson for the US Navy’s 5th Fleet, told Al-Monitor via email.

Last week, the Pentagon extended the deployment of an aircraft carrier strike group led by the USS George H. W. Bush in the Mediterranean to support US forces in the Middle East in case of further conflagration and moved up the planned deployment of a squadron of A-10 attack aircraft to the region, CNN first reported.

Meanwhile the Zionists finally have to confront their ideological core:

Sina Toossi @SinaToossi – 15:28 UTC · Apr 8, 2023Israel’s former defense Minister Moshe Ya’alon says Jewish extremists who believe in “Jewish supremacy” & seek a “big war” are influencing the Israeli government’s decision-making. He likens their agenda to a “Mein Kampf” in reverse.

Muhammad Shehada @muhammadshehad2 · 15hExtremely important! #Israel’s *right-wing* ex-Minister of Defense, Moshe Ya’alon, sheds light on Israel’s most dangerous government & the supremacist ideology of its Finance & Security Ministers.

Listen to every word to understand the ongoing escalation!
video

Moshe Ya’alon describing the ideology of two current ministers: “Jewish supremacism. Mein Kampf in reverse. … To as soon as possible get to a big war. … This is what goes into the decision making process in the Israeli government.”

When government ministers seek a big war they will probably get one. A civil war between ‘liberal’ Zionists and hard core ideological Zionists, fought on the back of Palestinians, may become a prelude to that.

Posted by b at 16:17 UTC | Comments (183)

Iraqi Transport Minister Announces that Sumerians Launched Spaceships 7,000 Years Ago

ancient Spaceships 1
ancient Spaceships 1

The Minister for Transport in Iraq made a controversial speech at the inauguration of a new airport in southern Dhi Qar, in which he stated that ancient Sumerians built the first airports 7,000 years ago and launched spaceships from there to explore other planets. He also claimed that all the world’s angels were Sumerian. To support his claims, he referred to the work of Samuel Kramer, Russian professor and Sumerian expert, who highlighted the Sumerians’ advanced understanding of the cosmos.

The Sumerians were the first known people to settle in Mesopotamia over 7,000 years ago.  Located in the southernmost part of Mesopotamia between the Tigris and Euphrates rivers (modern day Iraq), Sumer was often called the cradle of civilization. By the 4th millennium BC, it had established an advanced system writing, spectacular arts and architecture, astronomy and mathematics.

The Sumerians recorded their astronomical observations as early as 3500–3200 BC.  Astronomical phenomena were important to the Sumerians, who equated planets with gods that held an important role in their mythology and religion.  Jupiter, for example, was associated with their main god, Marduk, patron deity of the city of Babylon.

ancient Mesopotamia 0
ancient Mesopotamia 0

 

Illustration of ancient Mesopotamia. (Credit:  Jeff Brown Graphics )

Arab news channel  Albawaba reported that Minister Kadhem Finjan al-Hamami made his comments during a visit to a new airport construction site in southern Iraq, near Basra, where he claimed that the Sumerians had built an airport in exactly the same location in around 5,000 BC.

“It’s a long story, maybe you don’t know about it. Maybe even people from Dhi Qar don’t know – the first airports that were built on planet Earth were built in the 5th Millenium BC in Dhi Qar,”  al-Hamami said , in an Al Jazeera translation. “There were Sumerians who launched spaceships [from Dhi Qar] and headed to other worlds,” he added, arguing that all the world’s angels “were Sumerian” and stating that Sumerians were the first to discover Pluto.

The video of his statement [in Arabic] can be viewed below.

While no one in the audience questioned the Minister, listeners were quick to jump to social media to rubbish his claims.  The  Middle East Monitor  shared comments from internet users who criticized the incompetence of the government. “Iraqi transport minister’s hallucinations about spaceships in Nasiriyah proves that the [Haidar] Al-Abadi government is full of fools, hashish addicts and the most worthless of humanity,” said Dawood Al-Basri.

To support up his claims, Finjan referred to the work of the late Samuel Kramer, who was one of the world’s leading Assyriologists and a world-renowned expert in Sumerian history and Sumerian language.  In his book, ‘History Begins at Sumer’, Kramer argues that the Sumerians had the first achievements in all the major fields of human endeavour, including government and politics, education and literature, philosophy and ethics, law and justice, agriculture, and medicine. However, critics of the Transport Minister’s speech say that Kramer never mentioned ancient airports or spaceships.

The Lament for Ur 0
The Lament for Ur 0

The Lament for Ur  at the  Louvre Museum  in Paris. The Lament was one of several literary works that Kramer studied. ( public domain )

Nevertheless, the Minister does have a number of supporters among ancient astronaut theorists, who argue that intelligent extraterrestrial beings visited Earth and made contact with humans in antiquity, with many believing that ancient Sumer was the first place in which contact was made.

Ancient astronaut 0
Ancient astronaut 0

Ancient astronaut proponents suggest that aliens came to Earth long ago, citing such evidence as this ancient Mesopotamian cylinder seal as proof of advanced technological influences ( public domain )

Irish Joe Biden’s Irish Sopranos

Declan Hayes
April 8, 2023

Biden’s visit is just one further shameful act of degradation of a people who once stood for something infinitely nobler than Joe and Hunter Biden.

The ostensible reasons for POTUS Joe Biden, the Grim Reaper himself, to visit his Irish colony in mid-April is, firstly to view the areas of Ireland that were unfortunate enough to spawn his ancestors and, secondly, to cash in on the 1998 Good Friday Agreement, the deal that allegedly brought peace in our time to Ireland.

Because pretending to be Irish brings political dividends and lots of uninformed votes in America, it is not currently worth dwelling on. Vichy Ireland’s Peace Process is a very different matter. This deal copper-fastened NATO rule in Ireland by allowing the gerrymandering of politics and the fruits of office flowing from it in the occupied north east to be divvied up between the Protestant Democratic Unionist Party and the Catholic Sinn Féin group, both of whose histories are mired in organised crime. It allowed the Southern and nominally independent Southern part to be fully subsumed within the American umbrella and, more importantly, it allowed its CIA and MI5 architects to bestride the narrow world, falsely claiming they were peace-makers rather than war-makers. Far from being an exercise in bridge-building that Gandhi or the Buddha himself would be proud of, it is one of the CIA’s most cynical moves of the last half century.

These latter points can be seen by how rabidly the Irish government and the toadyish Sinn Féin opposition support NATO’s Ukrainian campaign and with Mary Lou McDonald, Sinn Féin’s nominal boss, demanding Russia’s entire diplomatic delegation be immediately expelled from the country over a war she and her drug dealing friends know absolutely nothing about. This is the same Sinn Féin nominal boss who was “profoundly shocked” that Jonathan Dowdall, her right-hand man, was also the right-hand man of top mobster Gerry Hutch, whose charge of murdering a top capo in the Kinahan organised crime cartel will be decided by a non jury Irish court at about the same time Biden’s plane is fecking off back to America.

The main thing, the obvious thing to emerge from the Hutch and Dowdall trials is that the Irish secret service, together with their MI5 and CIA bosses, have all of Ireland’s criminal and paramilitary groups totally infiltrated and that, far from being progressives, these drug dealers are, in effect, just an extension of the British and American armed forces. Because NATO has used the same human dregs to much the same purpose in Iraq, Syria, Ukraine and a host of other countries, the Irish experience that Irish Joe Biden is now cashing in on is therefore worth a second glance.

Although the so-called Troubles kicked off in 1969, much like Syria and Ukraine, the British and Irish security services had already laid the groundwork for the mayhem that was to follow. Protestant gangland boss Gusty Spence has recalled how British generals briefed him on what was required of his counter gang and Irish military intelligence recruited Joe Cahill and other dodgy IRA leaders to do their bidding.

Though Cahill had received the death penalty in 1942 for murdering a Belfast cop, the authorities instead hanged brave Tom Williams for it, whilst Cahill was allowed work unmolested in Harland & Wolff shipyards, whose workers had a history of murdering Catholics whenever the fancy took them. That a notorious Catholic cop killer could work there unmolested for decades defies common sense; the only explanation is that he was a protected species.

But then, as noted journalist Kevin Myers points out, the Cahill and other families that were at the centre of the Belfast IRA also had a side hustle in raping children, a low-risk crime, given their omerta practices they passed down through the generations.

Thus, when the Troubles erupted to scar entire generations of Irishmen and women, the British, Irish and American security services were ready. They would let chaos reign but then emerge with a peace process that suited their needs, rather than those of the combatants or the civilians unlucky enough to have endured hell.

As Ireland was at the centre of a major low intensity counter-insurgency operation from 1968 to 1998 and, as that campaign continues to this day, MI5 and the CIA had plenty of time to put their assets in place. John Joe McGee and Stakeknife, the bosses of the IRA’s Internal Security Unit, were both MI5 agents. As was Denis Donaldson, a long time confidant of IRA martyr Bobby Sands and Sinn Féin boss Gerry Adams, whose IRA brother and IRA father were both notorious child sex abusers and who was himself implicated in some of the worst war crimes of the Troubles. As were so many others, the list is an almost endless geometric progression.

Although I have touched on Sinn Féin’s flawed pedigree here and here, the main thing to take going forward is how M15 and their CIA bosses not only choose the ground on which they fight but fashion it to their needs. One key way to do this in Ireland was through the supergrass trials where scores of IRA diehards would be remanded in custody for years on the word of a paid MI5 agent and their places within the IRA be filled by others on the MI5 payroll, who would rise through the IRA ranks over time.

This tactic was so successful that, at the time of the Good Friday Agreement, the IRA had been reduced to a single sniper in South Armagh and recalcitrants in nearby East Tyrone were dealt with by the simple shoot-to-kill expedient, of summarily executing them, in other words.

Following the Good Friday Agreement, the British Government allowed the IRA to do some housekeeping, as British warlord Mo Mowlam euphemistically put it, to slaughter those opposed to their criminal shenanigans in plainer English. Although that housekeeping continues with Protestant and Catholic criminal gangs to this day, with more government-approved murders in South Armagh and savage beatings in East Tyrone, it has metamorphosed into the Irish wing of ANTIFA Inc, where women, children and others in the U.S. Democrats’ cross hairs are as much fair game as they are anywhere else in America’s evil empire. To see how this works elsewhere, one only has to see the criminal contribution of Ukraine’s Nazi thugs to the post-Maidan “peace process”, or the widespread slaughter of minorities and secular Sunnis by Syria’s “moderate rebels”.

Though Biden can don his leprechaun hat and claim himself to be as Irish as a crock of cow manure, the key thing to see is how the CIA, MI5 and Irish military intelligence have shifted the goal posts to such a degree that Biden is neither immediately lambasted nor run out of Dublin town for the senile creep that he is. As with Sir Keir Starmer’s British Labour Party and the joke that is the Scottish National Party, the practical effect of all this is that whatever Western resistance might emerge to NATO’s litany of war crimes, the Irish, with their joke of a Peace Process, won’t even offer token resistance to Biden and NATO’s other war devotees. Biden’s visit is just one further shameful act of degradation of a people who once stood for something infinitely nobler than Joe and Hunter Biden and their crack cocaine fueled wars of conquest, expropriation and extermination.

BRICS countries and candidate countries for the BRICS Plus

(source: The New Candidate Countries For BRICS Expansion – Silk Road Briefing).

main qimg f0afd4742f3a65f2495b7213cc1594b3 lq
main qimg f0afd4742f3a65f2495b7213cc1594b3 lq

Enigmatic Artifact: Possible Chinese Bi Disk Found in a Kentucky Garden

ancient Chinese bi disks
ancient Chinese bi disks

“It was just lying there” the finder explained as he recalled the moment and the previous two years of inquiries to understand what it was, along with his frustration of not knowing how it ended up in his garden. Afterwards, and with a look on his face that he expected me to have all the answers, asked, “How do you think it got here?”

As with other such Chinese in appearance artifacts found in North America without supporting contextual information, I could only respond that there are multiple possible explanations

A more informative answer came from the Burke Museum in Washington State, responding to the finder’s earlier inquiry and photograph. Paraphrasing… we don’t know what it is, but similar objects have been found on the West coast of Mexico and “it should not have been found in your part of the country.”

Other responses, also based upon photographs, from universities, art dealers and museums were equally inconclusive. Some thought it was a 20th century fraud, others didn’t know, and one based on personal inspection thought it to be authentic. Until it is subjected to rigorous examination its authenticity remains unknown.

What Is Known

This artifact was found in a small garden next to a pond, on heavily wooded acreage in a sparsely populated area of Harrison County (Kentucky, USA), which the owner characterizes as being “in the middle of nowhere”. Several miles away are two earthen mounds and the general area has long been popular with surface collectors of Native American artifacts.

Possible Chinese Bi disk1
Possible Chinese Bi disk1

Possible Chinese Bi-disk, 2.5″ diameter, Chinese script, Harrison County, KY USA. Credit: Precontact, Indigenous Peoples Research Foundation 2015©

Possible Chinese Bi disk
Possible Chinese Bi disk

Possible Chinese Bi-disk, 2.5″ diameter, Bird and Dragon Motif, Harrison County, KY USA. Credit: Precontact, Indigenous Peoples Research Foundation 2015©

Based upon a specific gravity test and visual inspection, the disk is Nephrite Jade and has areas of a white surface film, which is concentrated around the bas-relief features. Interestingly, one side is darker than the other. The depictions of a possible Shui dragon and a partial bird, both playing prominent roles in Chinese mythology, add to the Chinese theme of the disk, along with the four script characters.

The history of the bi extends back to Neolithic China some 5,000 years ago. The earlier versions were simple disks with no ornamentation, but became increasingly ornate with motifs representing deities associated with the cardinal directions and heaven and earth images. Aside from its religious symbolism, the bi also represented the person’s high social status and that he was of high moral character… and it ultimately accompanied the person in his grave.

Disc with Dragons
Disc with Dragons

Perforated Disc (Bi) with Dragons. China, Ming Dynasty, 1368-1644 ( CC BY 2.0 )

Perforated Chinese Disk
Perforated Chinese Disk

Perforated Chinese Disk (Bi) with unfinished Relief Spirals, circa 481-100 BC. ( Public Domain )

Until such time when more definitive testing results are available, the enigmatic artifact remains a mystery to be solved.

Sixbomb (식스밤) – Step To Me /東大門ミリオレライブ/스텝 투 미

How to Take Off a (Political) Straitjacket

Tatiana Obrenovic
April 6, 2023
.

Serbia should understand that it could and must take off the straitjacket the West put on it with its generous assistance.

This issue should have already been resolved which means that there is no reason for concern until ‘the next one reason comes round’. Namely, Kosovo is Serbia and even after the Ohrid meeting in the same proportion it used to be before that meeting on the 18th March between Belgrade and Pristina – the first lady of the Russian diplomacy, Maria Zakharova explained a few days ago, which means that Kosovo remains the heart of Serbia with its essential autonomy in accordance with the Resolution 1244. Above all, Zakharova, when we asked her a few further questions gave two very important and equally reassuring questions.

Firstly, the Serbian province of Kosovo entering any international organizations is non-negotiable. These are not the UN only. We asked specifically about Interpol and UNESCO and we got said response. And secondly, the EU can change their negotiating positions as much as they wish, and regrettably with our (Serbian) forced consent. but the Security Council is to be asked i.e. Russia and China with it. Anyhow, if the matters were any different, the self-proclaimed pseudostate of Kosovo would have joined the UN a long time ago. In this way it cannot move an inch from the UN Resolution 1244. That goes to say in case that the unfavorable total turnaround does not happen, except that we do not have anything to hope for, we should not fret too much about the International Donors’ conference for Kosovo (without the asterisk and a footnote) and this crippled rump of a country which might be left behind out of Serbia.

It is common knowledge that by Ohrid Annex we were threatened within the next 150 days. Mercifully, it is written there that no allocation of funds will occur before the EU determines that all the clauses of the Agreement are fulfilled in its entirety. Lest we forget, the President of Serbia Aleksandar Vucic himself pledged in public that not all the clauses will be fulfilled. We should take his word for it. And not only because the breaching of his pledge would mean the breaching of the Serbian Constitution. Our ‘not meant to be’ donors did not express enough resourcefulness yet again. We were offered the very same thing earlier as well: to bribe us into selling our Kosovo to them demanding from us to agree to the Faustian bargain.

At the time of the Ahtisaari negotiations, as part of the secret K1 strategy, which was later exposed by Wikileaks so as ”to move us away from the Kosovo issue laden with emotions, towards a more democratic, more prosperous future”. They offered us the long-term programme worth $23 million ‘most generously’ for agriculture, $14 million in technical aid for the sectors with high growth potential, $21 million for Sandzak and the south of Central Serbia; One may wonder why there exactly because that was not a mere coincidence, and $1 million for the Dom Omladine (Youth Cultural Centre) in Belgrade ‘to throw the Serbs off the scent’. All in all, it was about $60 million in total. In other words: beads and trinkets – the good old recipe already tried and tested on all the other ‘Indians‘.

But back then the benefactors were, at least they thought they were, in a much better financial state than today. Back then they were not going through the great economic crisis such as the one in 2008 which did not happen out of the blue, whereas now 15 years later, they should brace up for a perfect storm, so to speak. That is most probably the crucial aspect of this war between the Collective West and the rest of the world. Thus it is vitally important for us to pay particular attention. Anyway none of this can be avoided, be it good or evil so it would not go amiss for us to prepare to any extent imaginable.

For starters we should understand that we could and we must take off the straitjacket they put on us with our generous assistance and moreover that for this procedure of taking off a strait jacket we do not need the skills of Harry Houdini but the readiness to do it. On one hand, the banking crisis is gaining momentum as we speak. The collapse of a few smaller banks in the USA nobody has heard of before immediately spilt over to the systemically important Credit Suisse Bank of which many have heard of course, and then even more important Deutsche Bank is mentioned for its notoriety, which in its portfolio has an abnormal amount of speculative financial derivatives which is dozen times bigger than the total GDP of Germany.

Bloomberg reports that Charles Schwab’s financial empire worth 7 billion dollars is in turmoil. This is not the Klaus Schwab of Davos but nonetheless both belong to the same order. Fox TV warns that out of 17 thousand billion dollars in deposits with the U.S. banks only 128 billion dollars are insured. Dr Mohamed el Erian, the President at King’s College, Cambridge University, warns that the crisis which is now taking shape will not be limited to the banking sector only. By the way, all those who are prone to believe the pledges given by the ‘competent authorities’ that all will be fine, it might be worth remembering that the very same ‘competent authorities’ claimed the very same thing 15 years ago.

The crisis which began to raise its ugly head in February 2007 exploded with the bankruptcy of Lehman Brothers only in September 2008. It further goes to say that most probably the chaos is yet to unleash. And this chaos will be substantially bigger because that crisis back then was concealed by using all the means said ‘competent authorities’ had at their disposal. This crisis now starts exactly for that reason because the unlimited amount of fiat money printed and low interest rate. But other means are non-existent. Additionally not even the causes of the original crisis were resolved. Now there is an ever worse backlash against them because there is an ongoing parallel process which did not exist back then.

The news comes in quick succession. The ASEAN members are giving up on the trade in dollars, euros, pounds sterling and Japanese yen. India and Russia are now using ruble and rupee. Brazil and China are ditching the dollar currency from their trade calculations. Kenya will be buying oil from Saudi Arabia for their own currency and not for U.S. dollars. All these are the news from the past few days and there are more similar news. Saudi Arabia and China already agreed on yen currency to be used to purchase oil. And it is not a coincidence that at the same time Iran and Saudi Arabia are en route to mutual reconciliation helped by China and Russia and all of them together complete with India will be members of Shanghai Cooperation Organization.

The formula: oil for security as the basis for petrodollar and the basis of power of the U.S. dollar ever since it had to leave the Gold Standard is becoming meaningless. The key word is de-dollarization. It goes without saying that it did not come from nothing and it is not a random matter either. In fact, in all likelihood now mechanisms which were designed after 2008 to be used under these circumstances are being set in motion now. And sanctions against Russia and the freezing of its assets in the range of Western finances and control, those finances which are already within their range must wonder who may well be the next one in line to be brutally robbed (by the U.S. and NATO) has accelerated matters. And then add to all this the protests throughout the USA and Europe to all this. And what we see now is just the beginning of what will inevitably escalate because the discontent will not be any less, the bigger the economic crisis becomes. And the accompanying efforts by the government to suppress the expression of this discontent.

In line with that, draconian measures are being issued even for bad mouthing Macron on Facebook – which is now, strangely enough, a verbal injury whereas the regime in the USA in the eve of the U.S. elections 2024 is issuing an indictment against Donald Trump, the leading opposition candidate and the former U.S. President. (N.B. indicting a former U.S. President is illegal and unconstitutional per se according to the very same U.S. Constitution) These are the golden standards of the Western ‘democracy’. And we are still wearing said (political) straitjacket. We are so constrained with this straitjacket that we ‘banned ourselves’ by the Law of National Bank of Serbia (Article 62) from borrowing as a country with our own National Bank. But we are allowed to borrow from foreign banks which leads to debt slavery which is the most ‘desirable’ state of the matter we should sink deep into.

The same applies to Greece, which is now more indebted than before it even entered into the savings programmes and it sold off everything they could, somewhere along the line. It is worth noting that the aforesaid Article 62 has one crucial exception. Namely, we can borrow from our own National Bank of Serbia but only for the liabilities we have with the IMF. As if the IMF had written that law for its own interests and not ours. But times change. Bloomberg informs us these days that there is an alternative to the IMF. China, research indicates, has become the chief financial saviour of the developing countries rather than the IMF. It is already carrying out the rescuing missions throughout Africa. And we (Serbia) are a developing country. And we are in close (economic and political) proximity to China in the same manner Africa is, which means that even that excuse of not having another economic choice to make is inapplicable any more, in order to ‘keep on wearing the straitjacket’.

The former U.S. Deputy Secretary of Treasury, Monica Crowley, is warning these days that with the current political process and economic realignment in the world, the dollar will lose its status of a global reserve currency and alongside that, she says the USA will lose their economic dominance and the status of the super power in the world. One should not even elaborate on how favorable this development will have to be for Serbia. But only if we do not fritter it away for the proverbial ‘trinkets and beads’. Otherwise, we do not deserve to be rescued from the straitjacket. Because we would prove we truly deserve it.

Based on the video report for RT Balkan by Nikola Vrzic , a renowned Serbian reporter.

“Why does Russia think NATO is the biggest threat?”

SHORT ANSWER

Because it’s what makes the most sense for our political class right now.


LONGER ANSWER

At the start of his rule, President Putin had no problems either with NATO or with its enlargement. There’s no record of his anti-Westernism ahead of his moving to the Kremlin. Moreover, after the Washington ’99 summit, he quietly asked the Americans if he could join the club, too.

Road fork

But about 15 years ago, Russia entered a period of turbulence. The model of commodity-fueled growth from the 2000s exhausted itself. Radical nationalists were gaining ground. And the ruling oligarchical clans got a piercing sense of danger. Any rotation of power would lead to some new hungry predators grabbing their riches and tearing to pieces themselves and their families.

How to get out of such an impasse? Anywhere in what people in my time in propaganda called the “Third World,” the easiest way has always been “FIGHT THE WEST!” and “DOWN WITH AMERICA!”

In 2012–13, President Putin obviously made a decision to raise this flag. Then, barely a year passed before Crimea was captured. The Ukraine war started in anything but name.

Now you see why Putin must be our President for life?

No grand vision

Most in the West seem to believe our hybrid war with them sprang from Putin’s “imperial visions.” That’s silly.

It’s fully a product of our internal politics. Ever since 2014, the war has been Putin’s perfect tool for defanging the radical nationalists—the most numerous and largely invisible threat to our state-oligarchical elite.

“Liberals” in Russia are a joke as a political force. Most of them are easy to buy. Among the rest, the principled ones are easy to scare enough for them to flee to the West. After all, it’s where their home is, isn’t it? And the most obstinate can be eliminated like Nemtsov or locked up behind bars. There are not too many of them, no problem.

The enemy inside us

The radicals are different. They’re hard to spot. The most dangerous of them are the silent ones lurking among the security services and the military. They are Ridley Scott’s xenomorphs, waiting for their hour here and there inside the body of our Derzháva (“the mighty State”).

The beasts are ready to burst out any day they decide their moment has arrived.

This is why it’s so imperative to keep the State busy with what seems like a radical nationalist project. It’s the Russian Reconquista. As long as they believe that it’s exactly this, President Putin and his men are safe in the Kremlin. And hey, many thanks to Western propaganda! They repeat in a thousand voices that this is the “USSR 2.0” going on, too!

Why the West?

There are three major reasons why the West—and not China, or the “Great Displacement” by the Muslims from the south—was picked as a mortal threat to Russia’s existence.

  • Foreign invasions from the west (Napoleon, the Keizer, Hitler) are deeply embedded in our collective memory.
  • Rotation of power and civil society are distinctive Western concepts, toxic to our Statist foundation.
  • Centuries-long pent-up hate among the lower classes against anything they associate with progressivist activism on the part of our State. Our rulers’ modernization projects rarely failed to bring pain and misery to millions of their subjects. When Putin says the Westerners are the ones to blame for all our carnage, this deeply resonates with something in our national archetypes.

Below, a piece by Vitaly Podvitsky from the early days of Putin’s second presidency. Vladimir Putin is St George striking the serpent of Russophobic globalism in the shape of Obama.

To us, Obama was easily the most harmless American president since Reagan. His administration considered us a “regional power”, and was asleep at the wheel when the Ukraine war broke out in 2014. What made him the most hated US president for our propaganda? My bet is on the unique combination of “black” + “clueless” + “progressive” + “American.” Go Brandon, try to beat that!

https://youtu.be/87p_LbZd-lE

Controversial Claim by Geologist: Mysterious tracks in Turkey caused by unknown civilization millions of years ago

Mysterious ancient tracks
Mysterious ancient tracks

In what is sure to cause controversy, a researcher has claimed that the mysterious and ancient ruts which crisscross the Phrygian Valley of Turkey were caused by an unknown and intelligent race between 12 and 14 million years ago.

Dr. Alexander Koltypin , geologist and a director of the Natural Science Scientific Research Centre at Moscow’s International Independent University of Ecology and Politology has recently completed investigations at the site in Anatolia which is marked with strange ruts, described as “petrified tracking ruts in rocky tuffaceous deposits’ made from compacted volcanic ash,” according to MailOnline.

volcanic rock in Turkey
volcanic rock in Turkey

Repeated travel with vehicles eventually cut into the soft, volcanic rock in Turkey. Credit: Alexander Koltypin, Dopotopa.com

The tracks cut across the landscape of the Phrygia Valley, dating back to various historical periods, according to conventional academia. The earliest roads are thought to have been made during the Hittite Empire (circa 1600 BC – 1178 BC). As time went on, paths were cut deeply into the soft rock by the Phrygians, then by the Greeks, and Alexander the Great with his armies. They eventually became part of the Roman road network, writes Culture Routes in Turkey .

Relief in basalt battle chariot
Relief in basalt battle chariot

Relief in basalt depicting a battle chariot, Carchemish, 9th century BC; Late Hittite style with Assyrian influence. Did such vehicles leave the tracks in the ancient Phrygia Valley?   (CC BY 2.0 )

Koltypin and colleagues have examined the rocky fields interlaced with deep grooves, and have suggested that it was indeed vehicles which caused the tracks, but not lightweight carts or chariots. Instead he suggests the “unknown antediluvian all-terrain vehicles” were huge and heavy. In addition, he dates them back to approximately 14 million years ago, and claims they were driven by an unknown civilization.

He told MailOnline, “All these rocky fields were covered with the ruts left some millions of years ago….we are not talking about human beings.”

The geologist says with certainty that the ruts are prehistoric without a doubt, due to the weathering and cracks observed.

“The methodology of specifying the age of volcanic rocks is very well studied and worked out,” Koltypin said.

deep tracks
deep tracks

The deep tracks run along the landscape, some reportedly as deep as 3 feet (1 meter). Credit: Alexander Koltypin, Dopotopa.com

The scientist notes that the distance between each pair of tracks remains consistent, and that the measurement fit that between the wheels of a modern vehicles. However, the tracks are much too deep for today’s cars, raising more questions about what sort of transport device was being used.

The deepest ruts are three feet (one meter), and on the walls of these ruts are horizontal scratches, very much appearing to have been left by the ends of axels poking out of ancient wheels.

scratch marks side tracks
scratch marks side tracks

Photograph showing the scratch marks along the side of the tracks. Were these caused by ancient axels?  Credit: Alexander Koltypin, Dopotopa.com

News site Express reports that Koltypin believes the deep channels were cut into the soft, wet soil and rock due to the sheer weight of the large prehistoric vehicles. He says, “And later these ruts – and all the surface around – just petrified and secured all the evidence. Such cases are well known to geologists, for example, the footprints of dinosaurs were ‘naturally preserved’ in a similar way.”

prehistoric mysterious vehicle tracks
prehistoric mysterious vehicle tracks

The prehistoric mysterious vehicle tracks as found in the Phrygian Valley of Turkey, with a modern car for scale. Credit: Alexander Koltypin, Dopotopa.com

Koltypin is aware that his claims are controversial, but says mainstream academia will not address the subject matter as it will “ruin all their classic theories.”

“I think we are seeing the signs of the civilization which existed before the classic creation of this world. Maybe the creatures of that pre-civilization were not like modern human beings,” he proposes.

Very similar interesting and mysterious tracks exist in other locations of the world, notably in the Maltese archipelago. These ancient grooves continue to puzzle researchers. Some of the strange tracks of Misrah Ghar il-Kbir deliberately plunge off cliffs or continue off land and into the ocean. It is not yet known who made the tracks, or why.

Like the channels at Malta, questions remain surrounding the deep tracks cut into the stone in the Phrygian Valley.

Koltypin’s research work continues as he investigates anomalous sites, but it will likely be some time before established academia embraces his unconventional theories.

Korean boy kpop.

Bank Robbery

During a robbery in Zimbabwe, the bank robber shouted to everyone in the bank: “Don’t move. The money belongs to the State. Your life belongs to you.” Everyone in the bank lay down quietly. This is called the “Mind Changing Concept” Changing the conventional way of thinking.

When a lady lay on the table provocatively, the robber shouted at her: “Please be civilized! This is a robbery and not a rape!” This is called “Being Professional” Focus only on what you are trained to do!

When the bank robbers returned home, the younger robber (MBA-trained) told the older robber (who has only completed Year 6 in primary school): “Big brother, let’s count how much we got.” The older robber rebutted and said: “You are very stupid. There is so much money it will take us a long time to count. Tonight, the TV news will tell us how much we robbed from the bank!” This is called “Experience.” Nowadays, experience is more important than paper qualifications!

After the robbers had left, the bank manager told the bank supervisor to call the police quickly. But the supervisor said to him: “Wait! Let us take out $10 million from the bank for ourselves and add it to the $70 million that we have previously embezzled from the bank”. This is called “Swim with the tide.” Converting an unfavourable situation to your advantage! The supervisor says: “It will be good if there is a robbery every month.” This is called “Killing Boredom.” Personal Happiness is more important than your job.

The next day, the TV news reported that $100 million was taken from the bank. The robbers counted and counted and counted, but they could only count $20 million. The robbers were very angry and complained: “We risked our lives and only took $20 million. The bank manager took $80 million with a snap of his fingers. It looks like it is better to be educated than to be a thief!” This is called “Knowledge is worth as much as gold!” The bank manager was smiling and happy because his losses in the share market are now covered by this robbery. This is called “Seizing the opportunity.” Daring to take risks!

So who are the real robbers here?

Armies of Azerbaijan and Armenia FIRING at each other along border

Azerbailjan Armenia 04 11 2023 large
Azerbailjan Armenia 04 11 2023 large

Heavy Fighting between Azerbaijani and Armenian Forces is being reported North of the Village of Tegh near the Lachin Corridor in Eastern Armenia. What started as a Small Skirmish earlier now reportedly involves Artillery and possible Heavy Armor. Fighting took place near Tegh during the Border Clashes in 2021 as well.

Ministry of Defense of Azerbaijan confirmed the death of at least 6 Azerbaijani soldiers. It is __said__ that Armenia has suffered substantial losses of troops in today’s fighting.

Armenia’s MoD says that Azerbaijani forces are firing mortars in the vicinity of the armenian village of Tegh.

Armenian Forces are Shelling the Positions of the Azerbaijani Army across the Border near Tegh utilizing 120mm Mortars and 152mm Self-Propelled and Fixed Artillery.

Azerbaijani Sources are claiming that they have seen indications that Armenian Tanks and Armored Equipment is currently being Transferred to “Forward Positions” near the Fighting along the Border with Azerbaijan and along the Lachin Corridor.

UPDATE 11:28 AM EDT —

Azerbaijan accuses Armenia of using Iranian shahed drones to target troops. Armenia is denying reports

– Reports that Armenia has abandoned posts in Tegh in anticipation of Azerbaijan drone attack.

– Armenian parliament cancels meetings

Greek Orange Cake in Orange Syrup (Pontica)

5dc91cbd149027e9f0ac078df5530ec9
5dc91cbd149027e9f0ac078df5530ec9

Ingredients

Syrup

  • 1 cup orange juice
  • 1 cup water
  • 1 cup sugar

Cake

  • 1/2 stick butter, melted
  • 6 eggs, separated
  • 1 cup granulated sugar
  • 1 teaspoon grated orange rind
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 1 cup flour
  • 1 tablespoon baking powder

Instructions

  1. Heat oven to 350 degrees F.
  2. First make the syrup by combining the orange juice, water and sugar in saucepan. Bring to a boil; reduce the heat and simmer for about 20 minutes. Remove the syrup from the stove and allow to go cold.
  3. Butter an 8 x 12-inch baking pan with all the melted butter. Mix the flour and baking powder together in a small bowl. Beat the egg whites until stiff and they can form a peak.
  4. In a large bowl, beat the egg yolks until light yellow; add the sugar, orange rind and vanilla and blend well.
  5. To the egg yolk mixture add the egg whites a little at a time, alternating with 2 tablespoons of flour mixture until all used. Pour the batter into the pre-buttered baking pan.
  6. Bake for 35 minutes or until a wooden pick inserted in the center of the cake comes out clean.
  7. Remove the cake from the oven and allow to cool slightly. Remove the cake from the baking pan and cut into diamond shapes. Place the cake pieces on a large plate that will trap the syrup when poured over.
  8. Pour the cooled syrup over the still warm cake. Allow the cake to cool completely before serving.

Rema, Selena Gomez – Calm Down (Official Music Video)

African pop music. I will be present much more African music as Africa is going to replace America as a middle class of value.

Testosterone Levels in Men Chart

There is a tremendous benefit for men who are experiencing symptoms of fatigue, muscle loss, joint pains, stiffness, hair loss, low libido, erectile dysfunction, mental fog, depression, or memory loss to contact their doctor to discuss the possibility of getting a blood test for Low T. These are all possible signs that testosterone levels are below what is needed by the body for optimum functioning.

Take a look at the normal testosterone levels in men by age chart below as a reference:

Age Years Free Testosterone Average Range Total Testosterone Average Range Normal Total Testosterone
30 – 40 8.7 – 25.1 pg/mL 219 – 1009 ng/dL 600 – 675 ng/dL
40 – 50 6.8 – 21.5 pg/mL 201 – 993 ng/dL 500 – 550 ng/dL
50 – 60 7.2 – 24.0 pg/mL 170 – 918 ng/dL 400 – 450 ng/dL
Over 60 6.6 – 18.1 pg/mL 156 – 700 ng/dL 300 – 350 ng/dL

What is considered normal testosterone levels in men by age varies considerably, as shown above. A man in his early fifties who falls at the low end of the average range will most likely be experiencing many of the symptoms associated with Low T. Treatment with bioidentical testosterone therapy will be beneficial at this point.

No More Conspiracy Theory; They ADMIT Using Chemtrails!

.

2023 04 10 15 50
2023 04 10 15 50

Former CIA Director John Brennan gave a speech at the Council on Foreign Relations and in it, he admitted government is engaged in “Stratospheric Aerosol Injection (SAI)” which, he claims, can slow or halt “Climate Change.”

So all of us who have seen these “chemtrails” with our own eyes, but been called “Tin Foil Hat Conspiracy Theorists” are proven right once again; they ARE spraying from planes – deliberately.    And we’re all breathing it.

Within the US Constitution, there is no power delegated unto Congress, to allow them to engage-in, or even pay for, this type of atmospheric experimentation. It is a power NOT granted to the UNITED STATES.

Worse, they are doing this activity based on a “theory” of “Climate Change.”

So, since it is only a theory, it is now clear they are experimenting UPON THE AIR WE BREATHE, to examine their little pet theory.

I have not, do not, and will not, consent to be experimented upon.

Abbey

main qimg c4e6d940863291ac82366e219899c4d3 lq
main qimg c4e6d940863291ac82366e219899c4d3 lq

Our 14-year-old dog Abbey di*d last month. The day after she passed away my 4-year-old daughter Meredith was crying and talking about how much she missed Abbey. She asked if we could write a letter to God so that when Abbey got to heaven, God would recognize her. I told her that I thought we could so, and she dictated these words:

Dear God,

Will you please take care of my dog? She died yesterday and is with you in heaven. I miss her very much. I am happy that you let me have her as my dog even though she got sick.

I hope you will play with her. She likes to swim and play with balls. I am sending a picture of her so when you see her you will know that she is my dog. I really miss her.

Love, Meredith

We put the letter in an envelope with a picture of Abbey and Meredith and addressed it to God/Heaven. We put our return address on it. Then Meredith pasted several stamps on the front of the envelope because she said it would take lots of stamps to get the letter all the way to heaven.

That afternoon she dropped it into the letterbox at the post office. A few days later, she asked if God had gotten the letter yet. I told her that I thought He had.

Yesterday, there was a package wrapped in gold paper on our front porch addressed, ‘To Meredith’ in an unfamiliar hand. Meredith opened it.

Inside was a book by Mr. Rogers called, ‘When a Pet Dies.’

Taped to the inside front cover was the letter we had written to God in its opened envelope. On the opposite page were the picture of Abbey & Meredith and this note:

Dear Meredith,

Abbey arrived safely in heaven. Having the picture was a big help and I recognized her right away.

Abbey isn't sick anymore. Her spirit is here with me just like it stays in your heart. Abbey loved being your dog. Since we don't need our bodies in heaven, I don't have any pockets to keep your picture in so I am sending it back to you in this little book for you to keep and have something to remember Abbey by.

Thank you for the beautiful letter and thank you.

Deagel Map summary

Deagel.com’s [infamous] 2025 forecast was removed from their website sometime in 2020. The content is reproduced here for reference and educational purposes. This map is a visual summary of the forecast percentage population change by country, 2017-2025.

2023 04 10 17 43
2023 04 10 17 43

So close that your can feel the vibrations

Global changes are hitting hot and heavy. We are really in the thick of it.

While there is a chance that a nuclear world war 3 could occur, it is looking like the West hit a wall. China and Russia declared “checkmate”. And there is nothing the USA can do.

Every move it makes is a losing move.

The world is interconnected, to deny that is to risk economic destruction.

So what is going on is simple. If the USA plows ahead with a hard hot war, the systems in place will zero out all banks, and the Untied States, without resources, or much in the way of assets, will flounder and then try to tread water, but eventually it will sink down into the depths and drown. It’s over.

So relax.

Sure, there’s a chance in foolhardy actions, but I have faith in the American military. Not in the American “leadership”. All will be well.

Be prudent. Follow the aforementioned guidelines, but please stay optimistic. All is good.

In March 2023.

main qimg 02fb6165b91a30f51b633d3b4012c8e5
main qimg 02fb6165b91a30f51b633d3b4012c8e5

1. Saudi Arabia and China to build refinery for 83.7 billion Chinese Yuan ($12.2 billion)

2. China and France complete first LNG trade using RMB

3. Russia considers using Chinese Yuan as reserve currency.

4. China and Brazil agree to use Chinese Yuan to settle trade rather than US dollars

5. Saudi Arabia considers accepting Chinese Yuan for oil sales

6. Brazil, Russia, India, China, and South Africa (BRICS) announced development of a new currency

7. President of Kenya tells citizens to get rid of US dollars.

8. India says they will settle trade in Indian rupees with certain countries rather than US dollars

9. Chinese yuan passes Euro to become Brazil’s second-largest currency in foreign reserves

10. IMF data shows that Russia now has ~33% of all reverses in Chinese Yuan

11. China and Russia agreed to use the Chinese Yuan as a settlement currency

12. Over $225 billion has been withdrawn from US banks in just 2 weeks.

U.S. calls for joint G-7 action to prevent China’s economic bullying – Nikkei Asia

The trouble for US is that G7 is nothing to China economically and militarily. It’s “small potatoes”.

U.S. calls for joint G-7 action to prevent China’s economic bullying – Nikkei Asia

Article HERE

SMIC’s revenue grew 33.6 per cent year on year to US$7.2 billion in 2022, while net profits reached US$1.8 billion, both record amounts

R&D spending equaled 10.1 per cent of total revenue, down for a third year from 11.7 per cent and 17.3 per cent in 2021 and 2020, respectively

2023 04 02 19 38
2023 04 02 19 38

China’s top chip foundry Semiconductor Manufacturing International Corp (SMIC), which has been on a US trade blacklist for more than two years, said it posted record revenue and profits for 2022, thanks to strong demand for legacy chips in the world’s second-largest economy.

In 2022, the second full year the Shanghai-based company was restricted from importing key chip-making tools, SMIC saw its revenue grow 33.6 per cent year on year to US$7.2 billion, while net profits attributable to shareholders reached US$1.8 billion, both record amounts, according to its annual report released on Tuesday.

Its gross profit margin, a key indicator of profitability, reached 38 per cent last year, up from 30.8 per cent in 2021.

SMIC said it derived 74 per cent of its total 2022 revenue from China, up four percentage points compared to 2021, adding that the production capacity of its domestic fabs is still short of market demand, while its technology level lags behind global peers.

SMIC reportedly reached a technology breakthrough last year, producing a cryptocurrency mining chip at the 7-nanometre process node, without the need for cutting-edge extreme ultraviolet lithography machines from Dutch firm ASML. SMIC has never publicly commented on the reported breakthrough.

In its latest annual report, the foundry offered some technology insights, but stopped short of revealing details of its tech prowess, which is closely watched by analysts. FinFet technology, a type of 3D transistor that enables process nodes below 20-nm, was listed among its offerings, but the company did not disclose details of the process nodes it has achieved.

SMIC is the only foundry in China with 14-nm production capability.

As Finland Enters NATO, Revelations that NATO Nukes COULD Be put on Russia Border

In a move that could risk infuriating Russia, or turning Finland into another Ukraine, nuclear weapons could be positioned in Finland if the country’s application to join NATO is approved, according to a report from a Finnish newspaper.

Both Finland and Sweden submitted applications to join NATO in May, in response to the Russian invasion of Ukraine. According to the Helsinki-based newspaper Iltalehti, the bill regarding potential NATO membership the Finnish government will put before parliament doesn’t include any opt-outs for nuclear weapons.

Speaking to the paper, defense sources said Finland’s foreign and defense ministers, Pekka Haavisto and Antti Kaikkonen, gave a “commitment” to NATO in July that they wouldn’t seek “restrictions or national reservations” if Helsinki’s application is accepted.

Foreign policy insiders told Iltalehti this means NATO nuclear weapons could transit through, or be based on, Finnish territory. Additionally, there are no restrictions on establishing NATO bases in the country.

Finnish Prime Minister Sanna Marin told Yle, the country’s national broadcasting company, on Saturday why she had not ruled out accepting nuclear weapons on Finnish territory when applying to NATO.

“I’ve considered it very important that we don’t set these kinds of preconditions, or limit our own room for maneuvering, when it comes to permanent bases or nuclear weapons,” Marin said, although she added it was unlikely that nuclear weapons would be stationed on Finnish soil.

The U.S. already has around 100 nuclear weapons in Europe, positioned in Belgium, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands and Turkey according to the Federation of American Scientists.

Substack is the new Atlantic, New Yorker, Sunday Times

Godfree Roberts

If you write about anything, this is for you.

I write wonky, non-fiction books about China and publish an even wonkier newsletter for central bankers interested in Chinese governance.

It’s a niche market, you could say but though I specialize obsessively in an unfashionable topic, I have longed for popular recognition as much as any writer. Then a publisher friend to whom I complained suggested Substack. Distribution was free, he said, the interface simple, publishing takes seconds and, he added encouragingly, “Nobody reads your stuff anyway, so what have you got to lose?”.

I spent thousands looking for that audience on Google, Amazon and Facebook and none was cost-effective. But when I put my ravings on Substack, lots of people found them and even sent me money.

Substack is the most accessible, affordable medium for finding and creating an audience for non-fiction writers. If you write, write. Let Substack find your audience because it’s really good at that. Focus on your writing and, eventually, Substack will start pay you for the privilege of representing you.

Such a deal.

I think this is mostly happening without the knowledge of Americans. Literally, American and British news must be the shittiest news products on the entire planet. Saudi Arabia killed the petrodollar, the arrangement where oil contracts are settled in US dollars.

China just made an LNG deal with the UAE that will be settled in Yuans.

At least half of the business between Russia and China is now settled in Yuans.

Brazil and China just made a deal to settle trade in currency other than the US dollar.

When that happens, the dollars that are sitting reserve will be freed up and come back to where they can buy products and services, the United States and the broader West. US dollars will be concentrated in the West and will drive up inflation. Furthermore, as the US dollar loses reserve currency status, it will be much harder for the US to finance its massive debt. The Ukraine War will end the US dollars 77-year run as the world’s reserve currency. The BRICS Plus countries will have a larger economy than the West in a decade or so. In another answer to this question, someone else pointed out that even non-BRICS countries are ditching the US dollar as a reserve currency. Joe Biden huffed and puffed and blustered and blew down the American financial system.

US new shows are trying to tell Americans that China cannot produce computer chips without Taiwan in the foreseeable future. This is complete bullcrap, but Americans believe the US new shows that got Ukraine completely wrong. Americans believe new shows that couldn’t predict the economy yesterday.

Footnotes

The USA is left out…

India, Malaysia move beyond dollar to settle trade in INR – The Hindu. No longer will trade be conducted in the United States Dollar.

Article HERE

US Sanctions Belarus

Lukashenko’s aircraft, a Boeing 737 that he uses for international travel, was also designated for sanctions, which blocks its use in the U.S. Hum. I wonder how attractive these actions make for American-made products…?

Article HERE

The US Chips and Science Act

By now it’s clear that the Chips and Science Act — which includes a $52 billion splurge for the semiconductor industry — is unlikely to work as intended. In fact, its looming failure is a microcosm of all that’s wrong with America’s current approach to building things.

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2023 04 02 06 50

Passed last year with bipartisan support, the law was meant to revive US chipmaking capacity. Although America is a world leader in cutting-edge chip design, its share of global semiconductor manufacturing has declined from 37% in 1990 to about 12% Given the importance of such chips to the economy and especially to national security — the Defense Department needs about 1.9 billion of them a year — a more or less coherent case could be made for subsidies, prudently applied.

Yet simply writing checks was never going to be enough. Producing chips in the US still takes 25% longer and costs nearly 50% more than doing so in Asia. Significant policy changes would be needed for US-based manufacturers to be even remotely competitive. As things stand, they face three serious impediments — all inflicted by the government.

Chief among them is red tape. From 1990 to 2020, the time required to construct new chip plants (called fabs) in the US soared by 38%.

Clean Air Act permits can take 18 months. National Environmental Policy Act reviews take an average of four and a half years. A half dozen other federal laws may come into play, plus endless state and local variants. At every step, myriad agencies must be consulted and parochial interests must be heard.

Yet technology does not stand still for these bureaucratic tea parties; such delays only add expenses, discourage private investment, and prevent US manufacturers from seriously competing with overseas rivals.

Baked Ham in Foil

2023 04 01 09 11
2023 04 01 09 11

Ingredients

  • 1/2 cup water
  • 1 (3- to 4-pound precooked boneless ham

Instructions

  1. Pour cup water into slow cooker.
  2. Wrap precooked boneless ham in foil; put into slow cooker.
  3. Cover, and cook on HIGH for 1 hour, then on LOW for 6 to 7 hours or until ham is hot.

Vietnam

2023 04 01 20 03
2023 04 01 20 03

The First Dinosaur Tail Discovered Is Preserved In Amber, 99 Million Years Old And Covered In Feathers

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A dinosaur tail with beautifully preserved feathers still attached to the bone has been found preserved in amber, and it’s one of the coolest things we’ve ever seen. It’s not the first time feathers have been found trapped in amber, but it is the first time that researchers have been able to definitively link them to a dinosaur. The discovery will provide invaluable insight into how dinosaurs’ feathers looked and evolved – something we’ve never been able to learn from fossils.

More info: Sciense (h/t: messynessychic)

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Brutan

Problems Brutan faces:
1) Brutan is a land lock country reliance on India to access the rest of the world.
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2023 04 02 19 24
2) geographically, they can only access (import/export /car/train) via India. So, India control Brutan economy, and they have to endure bullying from India.
3) brutan problem is like Nepal.
4) But, with the upgrade of the Chinese infrastructure building ability, the first road and bridges link between Nepal and China successfully completed through very difficult terrain, and hence Nepal no longer exclusively reliance on India to access the world , so in the past years, there are on going news of Nepal soldiers shooting at intruding Indian soldiers.
5) so, now, like Nepal, brutan working with China to access the world via infrastructure link to China
Indian influence collapsed once the project completed.

 

https://youtu.be/wrVbr76pCxg

“Facing Clear Evidence of Peril” in a Country of Lies

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Perhaps silence is the best response to the endless cavalcade of official lies that is United States history. The Internet and digital technology have allowed those lies to increase exponentially in number and frequency with the result that people’s minds have become like 7-Eleven stores, open 24/7 for snack-crap “news.”

But once you become conscious that it’s lies night and day, it sets your head aswirl and plunges your soul into depths of despair. You are tempted to retreat from such knowledge and talk of trees and trivia. But you are ashamed of your country. It’s hard to laugh. You feel you are drowning. You flounder and gasp for air. You look around and wonder why most people are able to go their merry ways believing the lies and whistling in the dark. Junk news nation, indeed.

Yes, there are alternative voices who tell the truth, but their audiences and monetary support are very small or non-existent compared to the corporate mainstream media and those who shout and scream across the Internet as they take in a lot of money from naive followers. The recent revelations about Alex Jones’s wealth probably don’t bother his diehard fans, but they should. Likewise, the funding sources for websites and writers of various persuasions are important to know, for they reveal possible biases in their work. Snake oil salesmen are commonplace, and there are many naive customers lining up for their wares.

Wealth and power are the main drivers of the media chicanery that has captured so many minds. Writers, of course, should be fairly paid for their work, but in this Internet age, most are not. As with the movies and book publishing, the income gap between the big names – the celebrity stars – and less well-known writers, even if their work is excellent, is huge.

Some sites and writers make a lot of money, but who they are is a guessing game. No one’s talking. Some regularly tell their readers that if they don’t receive enough contributions, they will be unable to continue to write or publish, even when the sites do not pay their contributors. Whether this is good marketing or income-by-threat is up for grabs. Whichever it is, it seems to work, as far as I can tell, for these writers and websites don’t disappear.

Money is the dirty secret of all news and commentary. To paraphrase someone: It is very difficult to get truth from writers whose income is dependent on pleasing those who fund them.

You may have noticed how many former military officers, CIA agents, mainstream journalists, pharmaceutical company executives, and sundry other government and corporate bigwigs appear in the mainstream and alternative media to support or oppose government policies. The mainstream ones doing the propaganda they always did, while the alternative ones appear as converts to the dissident faith. No one ever explains how and by whom these people are financed or how their lucrative pensions affect their consciences. “Former” is a funny word. Ha Ha Ha.

Confidence “men” come in all shapes and sizes with no one talking money.

So let me fess up. I received about $200 in support last year for edwardcurtin.com, my website. Nothing before that and not a cent over the last 5-6 years for many hundreds of articles that have appeared very widely across the Internet. Before the Internet, publications paid for work, mine and others. Not now, at least for me. How much money writers are receiving, and who is supporting their sites, is a taboo subject.

So I am thinking about selling mugs at my site with my name and mug shot on them and a line of supplements that will increase one’s testosterone and estrogen in equal measure to make sure no one takes offense in this era of delicate feelings. Ha Ha Ha. Yes, the joke is on us. I identify as a man since I am one. Don’t be offended.

Jokes aside, as Leonard Cohen sang:

“Oh, like a bird on the wire
Like a drunk in a midnight choir
I have tried in my way to be free”

If you are stubborn enough and have the good fortune to find inspiration from those brave dissidents who have gone before us and those who continue to lead us on, you realize silence is betrayal and that you must speak, even if all seems hopeless at times. Even when no one is paying you, or maybe more accurately, because no one is paying you. Even though it is hopeless, even though it isn’t. This is another secret. There are many.

It’s been twenty years since the U.S. brutally invaded Iraq. When George W. Bush, at a staged pseudo-event in Cincinnati on October 7, 2002, as he set Americans up for the invasion of Iraq in March 2003, said, “Facing clear evidence of peril, we cannot wait for the final proof, the smoking gun, that could come in the form of a mushroom cloud,” no one laughed him out of the house. His claim was simply an evil joke that was reported as truth. It was all predictable, blatant deception. And the media played along with such an absurdity, which is their job and what they always do. I pointed it out at the time in a newspaper column, but who listened to a hick writer in a regional newspaper.

Iraq obviously had no nuclear weapons or the slightest capability to deliver even a firecracker on the U.S. But the mainstream media, Senator Joe Biden, politicians galore, celebrities like Oprah Winfrey with her guest, the eventually disgraced Judith Miller of the New York Times, the despicable Tony Blair, et al., all supported Bush’s blatant lies. Soon Colin Powell, the “hero” of George H. W. Bush’s 1991 made-for-TV Gulf War of aggression against Iraq, would do his Pinocchio act at the United Nations and the U.S. military was off to get Saddam Hussein, Osama bin Laden’s evil twin, both the latest Hitlers until Vladimir Putin replaced them. I guess I skipped some others such as Muammar Gaddafi and Bashar Al-Assad. New Hitlers proliferate so fast it’s hard to keep track of them. Ha Ha Ha. The joke is on us.

As everyone knows, or should, more than a million Iraqis died because of George W. Bush, but how many cared? How many cared when once Bush was gone, Barack Obama, aided and abetted by the cackling Hilary Clinton, destroyed Libya and ignited the war against Syria? You want examples? There are too many to name here. But let it be said these lies span all American administrations, whether it’s Bill Clinton continuously bombing Iraq and Serbia through Trump bombing Syria and Somalia, up to the present day with Biden attacking Russia via Ukraine, etc. All these presidents are liars, but their followers treat them otherwise. Biden says Jimmy Carter asked him to deliver his eulogy. What does that tell you? Shall we laugh? Sing?

On the clear understanding
That this kind of thing can happen
Shall we laugh?
Shall we laugh?
Shall we laugh?

Shall we laugh harder if I mention the Covid-19 propaganda and all those writers who have failed to even address it, as they have failed to question 9/11 and other obvious official lies? Is it not evident that if they did so, their money flows might dry up? Here and no further is a widespread rule, for they must adhere to the boundaries imposed by “responsible thought” and the “no go” zones with which they tie their own hands in order to keep their wallets full.

If you are lucky, as I was, when you are young you discover how fearful of free thought and how corrupt our institutional authorities are. You don’t spend decades feasting off the spoils of those institutions only to “wake up” once you have made your name and secured your fortune, which seems to be the way of so many wise luminaries of the Internet Age who are either trying to ease their consciences as they get ready to kick the bucket or are perhaps putting us on.

When I was twenty-four years-old, I accepted my first teaching job at a small Catholic college where I taught theology. I had been trained in the latest and best scholarly work of the most renown international theologians. Rather than indoctrinating my students with rote learning, I taught them to read widely and think deeply in the tradition of a liberal arts education. To seek out the best scholarship.

But doing so became quickly apparent to the college and Church authorities who were stuck in the inquisitorial age of obedience or else and no thinking allowed. Although my students loved my courses and felt freed up for the first time to think about their spiritual lives, I was hounded to correct my heretical teaching, which of course I refused to do.

At one point when I was at lunch in the cafeteria, a nun who was a professor, stole my brief case with my notes and left the cafeteria. One of my students saw her do this and chased her into the ladies’ room where the nun hid in a stall. The nun kept flushing the toilet to scare the student away, but the student wouldn’t let her out until she returned the briefcase. Ha Ha Ha. It sounds funny to recount but was an example of my experience at this college. Someone vandalized my office door and ripped down anti-war posters that were on it. I was gone from that college soon thereafter. It taught me a lot. Obey or else.

Heresy: The Latin word is from Greek hairesis, a taking or choosing for oneself, a choice.

At another teaching job a year or so later, I had a more chilling experience. I was known as an anti-war activist, a conscientious objector from the Marines, etc., and one day, a late Friday afternoon when few were around, an administrator asked to meet me on a deserted stairwell where he proceeded in hushed tones to try to convince me to join him in Army Intelligence to spy on others. He said I would be perfect for the job since I was known as an anti-war dissident. I told him to fuck off, but I was shocked by his double life and his request.

I have since learned that this guy the spy was not an anomaly, for government confidence men are widespread.

I’ve had many other such early experiences for which I am very grateful, even though when I was fired from jobs and lost income it was traumatic at the time. By my thirtieth year, I knew the system was corrupt to its core and subsequent experience has only ratified that conclusion. I got the joke.

I recount these incidents not because my experiences are singular and I’m special, for others have suffered the same youthful fate. But such good fortune can fortify you for life or break your spirit. If the former, you don’t wait to retire to push back against all the lies or regret your past. You find that it’s all good and life has set you on the heretic’s path of freedom and choice. You realize that what you went through is absolutely nothing compared to people around the world who have and continue to suffer at the hands of the U.S. military industrial complex. You realize your experiences are trivial in the larger scope of things and that your government’s conduct is beyond condemnation. It is an abomination. You feel ashamed to live in a land where killing is a game.

The sociologist Peter Berger puts it well in his little classic, Invitation to Sociology, when he discusses experiences that lead to seeing through the play-acting nature of social life:

Experiences such as these may lead to a sudden reversal in one’s view of society – from an awe-inspiring vision of an edifice made of massive granite to the picture of a toy-house precariously put together with papier mâché. While such metamorphosis may be disturbing to people who have hitherto had great confidence in the stability and rightness of society, it can also have a very liberating effect on those more inclined to look upon the latter as a giant sitting on top of them, and not necessarily a friendly giant at that. It is reassuring to discover that the giant is afflicted with a nervous tick.

Notice the giant George W. Bush’s clicking eyes as he delivers his “facing clear evidence of peril” lies for the invasion of Iraq. He and his presidential good friends are cardboard cartoon characters whose eyes reveal their evil intentions. “It’s a Barnum and Bailey world/Just as phony as it can be,” but it would all fall to pieces if it weren’t for you and me failing to see through all the bad actors, not just presidents but the whole cast of characters that populate the Spectacle of news and opinion.

The Russians are coming! Ha Ha Ha. Yes, Oliver, the joke’s on us.

But it’s not really funny, except in the most sardonic and dark way, for we now do really face clear evidence of peril as a result of Biden and his crazy predecessors who have run U.S. foreign policy for so long. They have brought us to the edge of nuclear war with Russia by surrounding Russia with NATO bases and nuclear weapons, while doing the same to China.

POISONING OF **OUR FOOD** BEGINS THIS MONTH – mRNA Going into Cows and Pigs

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The food supply of every American is going to start being INTENTIONALLY POISONED with mRNA genetic modifications being fraudulently called “vaccines.”

Lobbyists for the cattleman and pork associations in several states have CONFIRMED they WILL be using mRNA vaccines in pigs and cows THIS MONTH.   It will actually become “vaccine food” and sold to YOU without your INFORMED CONSENT.

Buying and eating this beef or this pork may adversely affect you.  In some cases, it may KILL you.

Attorney Tom Renz says “To be clear – at this point there are zero states requiring informed consent for “vaccine food”. While I would argue that it must be done under existing law . . .”

 

 

Renz goes on to point out, there is an article from the year 2000 about “edible vaccines”: (Article HERE)  The article demonstrates how hiding a “vaccine” in foods, is absorbed into the body:

EdibleVaxGraphic
EdibleVaxGraphic

The trouble with this particular circumstance is that, to this day, no manufacturer of an mRNA vaccine, has fully disclosed the medically-active contents of the so-called “COVID “vaccines.” Moreover, tens-of-thousands of people have already DIED after receiving these so-called “vaccines” and hundreds-of-thousands of other people have become very sick or permanently injured from them.

NOW, if you were one of the smart people (like me) who DID NOT take those COVID (death dart) jabs, we will be intentionally POISONED with the mRNA because they’re putting it in our food without our informed consent.

Lawsuits will be too late.  We’ll already be poisoned and dying.   The public is reminded that “immunity” only works in court.  It offers no protection to the people doing this, from street justice.

Forcibly stopping someone who is trying to poison you is legal self defense.

Budweiser Suicides “Bud Light” with new Trans Spokesperson

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BudLightTranny 2 large
BudLightTranny 2 large

Budweiser, “the King of Beers” appears to many people to have just committed “brand-suicide” for Bud Light, by bringing on a Trans as a spokesperson.  You can watch the suicide video below.

Why is this Brand suicide you ask?   Well, think about it: Now, every time a guy is seen holding a Bud Light, everyone’s going to think he’s a homo.  And everytime a girl is seen holding a bug Light, everyone will wonder if she’s _really_ a girl.  Result . . . . probable brand suicide.

Don’t fret, guys.   While we say R.I.P. to Bud Light, we can also say Hi to . . . .

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2023 04 02 19 35

Corona girl!

Cranberry Pork Chops

2023 04 02 19 30
2023 04 02 19 30

Ingredients

  • 6 bone-in pork loin chops
  • 1 (16 ounce) can jellied cranberry sauce
  • 1/2 cup cranberry or apple juice
  • 1/4 cup granulated sugar
  • 2 tablespoons spicy brown mustard
  • 2 tablespoons cornstarch
  • 1/4 cup cold water
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • Dash of pepper

Instructions

  1. Place pork chops in a slow cooker.
  2. Combine cranberry sauce, juice, sugar and mustard until smooth; pour over chops.
  3. Cover and cook on LOW for 7 to 8 hours or until meat is tender.
  4. Remove chops; keep warm.
  5. In a saucepan, combine cornstarch and cold water until smooth; gradually stir in cooking juices. Bring to a boil; cook and stir for 2 minutes or until thickened.
  6. Stir in salt and pepper.
  7. Serve over chops.

Elon Musk Sounds the Alarm About the U.S. Dollar

The billionaire global CEO worries about the loss of the greenback’s influence which he attributes to the Biden administration’s foreign policy.
LUC OLINGAMAR 30, 2023 6:15 PM EDT

Elon Musk has become something of a watchdog over the actions of the U.S. government on the international stage.

The tech mogul gained influence in geopolitics by providing Starlink to Ukraine in the war with Russia. Starlink is an independent satellite internet service, developed by Musk's rocket company SpaceX. This service allows the Ukrainian Armed Forces to maintain secure communications on the front lines and Ukrainian civilians to stay in touch with the world.

This invaluable assistance to a country struggling for its independence has made the CEO of Tesla (TSLA) - Get Free Report one of the most powerful voices around the world on pressing issues facing the planet.

In recent weeks, the tech mogul has turned into a real headache for the Biden administration, which has reiterated its support for Ukraine in the war against Russia. This conflict, which has entered its second year, has still no end in sight. Musk advocates a peace solution that involves making concessions to Russia, which Ukraine and its allies categorically refuse.

Is the Dollar Losing Its Reserve Currency Status?

Washington and its European allies have thus tightened the sanctions against Russia. But the absence of an exit strategy from the Russian war has launched the debate about the American support for Ukraine via NATO. Critics blame the Biden administration for its tough line on Kremlin.

This debate is fueled by Musk and his friends who believe that the absence of a peaceful solution to end the Russia-Ukraine war has dealt a huge blow to American diplomacy and to the United States' place in the world. 

They say that evidence of this is the rapprochement between China and Russia, two of the main enemies of the United States. They argue that adopting a hard line toward Russia has undermined America's international and geopolitical standing and prestige.

Musk considers, for example, that U.S. diplomats have become warmongers, which has brought America's enemies closer together. One of the victims of this rapprochement could be the dollar, symbol of the economic power of the United States.

He has just issued an alert to warn that the dollar could lose its role as the world's reserve currency. The warning was issued in a thread on Twitter.

"The US dollar is losing its reserve currency status," Genevieve Roch-Decter, CFA, a former small cap money manager, wrote on Twitter on Mar. 29, adding in another tweet that the U.S. dollar "has been the backbone of the global economy for decades. Several countries even use the US Dollar as an official currency, like El Salvador, Panama, and Ecuador."

Musk shares these concerns.

"Serious issue," the billionaire warned. "US policy has been too heavy-handed, making countries want to ditch the dollar."

In addition to foreign policy, Musk also attributes the weakening of the dollar to the federal government's fiscal policy.

"Combined with excess government spending, which forces other countries to absorb a significant part of our inflation," he added.

Russia and Saudi Arabia

The dollar is considered the reserve currency of central banks. This means that various national central banks, which hold reserves in foreign currencies, do so mainly in U.S. dollars.

This allows the United States not to have to hold foreign exchange reserves in currencies of other countries, and especially helps to finance the deficit of its balance of payments. This status of the dollar dates back to the end of the Second World War and symbolizes the power of the US on the global stage.

Central banks around the world hold approximately 60 percent of their foreign exchange reserves in U.S. dollars. Nearly half of international trade, loans and global debt securities are transacted in dollars. But the sanctions imposed on Russia, as a result of the war with Ukraine, have helped to encourage efforts to "de-dollarize" global trade, some experts say.

Russia is looking at the yuan to replace the dollar, and Saudi Arabia may follow, Fox News has reported.

For Musk, if we get there, it is because American diplomacy lost its standing during the Russia-Ukraine war.

BY LUC OLINGA
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Article HERE

Meet Mebaru, the Japanese Felt Artist Taking Instagram by Storm with Adorable Felted Cat Sculptures

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Mebaru is an artist who has gained a huge following on Instagram thanks to their incredibly realistic felted cat sculptures.

From playful poses to intricate depictions of specific breeds, these felted creations are sure to steal your heart. We invite you to take a look at these cute and realistic felted cats and get lost in the world of Mebaru’s creations.

More: Instagram h/t: boredpanda

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Hi.
I am an Australian who is married to an American and, due to the nature of my work, lived ALL OVER the US over a decade.

Half my family are American and many of my closest friends.
In short, I’m very fond of the United States and support my nation’s close affiliation with them.

So please forgive me if I’m blunt.
This is NOT an American bash, it’s an honest expression of the one thing that [SOME] Americans do that never fails to trigger me.

“We saved your asses in World War Two”.

Americans often tell us bluntly, over and over how they “saved our arses” in both World Wars.

I assure you, EVERY SINGLE Brit, Aussie, Kiwi or Canadian reading along can hear those words spoken in an American accent as they read them.

That’s how often we hear it.
Almost weekly.
Certainly once a month.

Wars that we ourselves stepped up and fought in the protection of others.
Wars that wouldn’t even have affected us directly.
Wars we fought for YEARS before the United States.

Australia, Canada, India and New Zealand particularly could have turned their backs on Western Europe.

Britain herself could have closed her borders and looked the other way.
Hitler had no designs on the UK – He admired them.
All they had to do was stand back and allow the holocaust to happen.

But of course, they couldn’t because fighting Nazi Germany was the right thing to do.

We didn’t make Britain wait 3.2 and 2.3 years to enter either great war.
We were there from day one.

We didn’t charge Britain for our goods or help.
We didn’t keep a tally and make them pay it back for seventy years.
We didn’t insist they realign their trade preferences to favour our markets setting their still very young colonies prematurely adrift or cost them their empire, wealth, dignity or preeminence as a world power.

We didn’t use Britain’s plight as a springboard for our own wealth and dominance or spend the following century diluting their culture with shallow consumerism.

CANZUK didn’t ask for anything.
We just went because we’re family and that’s what family does and despite what some of you are going to assert in the comments, yes, America, though you are the black sheep you are also family.

Speaking for Australia, from a population of six million (2/3 of which were women, children, the elderly and infirm), a full one million Australian men served in the military during the Second World war.

Let that sink in.

We had, from our far-flung nation gathered together the fourth-largest air force in the world and the fifth largest navy and lost so many men in every theater of both World Wars that we had a noticeable lack of them right into the late 1970s.
Indeed, by the time American boots had touched the ground in North Africa and Europe, CANZUK had already sacrificed literally millions of men.

It’s SO, rude.
I’m not even sure you understand just how disrespectful it is and how much damage it does [at street level] to our relationships with the US.
Honestly – it’s there in the pit of all our stomachs whenever we even engage with an American.

I will leave you with this quote from the memoirs of one of your own.
American journalist Ernie Pyle who was killed in action by the Japanese in April 1945.

His account of D-day and the liberation of Paris.

“One cannot help but be moved by the colossus of our invasion. It was a bold and mighty thing. One of the epics of all history. I hope that we can rejoice in victory but humbly. The dead men would not want us to gloat.”

Peace.

Dedicated to the memories of our grandfathers.
Those that never came home and those that came home altered.
Australia, Canada, New Zealand, Britain and the United States.

Bhutan

First, a disclaimer: I’m not a Bhutan expert.
.
The China-Bhutan border agreement hasn't happened yet, but it does seem to be imminent. I'm just commenting right off my memory, which is as good as it gets. You can probably wiki and find a lot more details. China had long ago reached a treaty with Bhutan by an exchange of land. But India intervened at the last minute, forced Bhutan to overturn everything and start all over. Given that China ended up having to renegotiate its Bhutan border treaty with India, nothing happened ever since then. India has been perfectly happy keeping its soldiers in Bhutan, and keeping Bhutan a poor, undeveloped landlocked country completely dependent on India. I can understand how a lot of the people living in the "Land of Happiness" feel like they're trapped in the lowest level of Naraka.

When the Doklam brouhaha between China and India broke out, it was over the unsettled area between China and Bhutan. Theoretically, it had nothing to do with India, except that India had soldiers stationed in Bhutan, and was supposed to defend Bhutan. In any case, Bhutan never asked India to defend itself against China. This fact was never mentioned in any Western press, forget about the Indian press. Finally, Bhutan let the cat out of the bag, and India, somehow, thinks that they have been stabbed in the back. I remember at the time of the Doklam standoff, I checked out Bhutanese comments from various social platforms. Most of them had very little positive things to say about India. It looked hopeful at the time that Bhutan would soon become Nepal 2.0.

I don't usually follow Bhutan news. In any case, there are precious few channels talking about them. But I do follow a lot of India news channels (like a good detective, you can learn a lot from people's garbage), and there has been an outcry of India having been betrayed by Bhutan. It seems that after decades of nothing happening with the border treaty and wasting a lot of time with India in the way, China finally told Bhutan that if this mountain nation did not have authority to negotiate its own border treaty, then the two parties should just walk away, at least until such times when Bhutan is confident that it can decide its own sovereign issues. 

Bhutan is not stupid. They notice how things have been changing for Nepal. They don't want to be dead in the stagnant waters of India. They want to be connected to the world through China. As such China and Bhutan have been working steadily toward a common goal despite India. In January of this year, a Bhutanese delegation met with a Chinese delegation in Kunming to push forward the settlement of the China-Bhutan border. India was not invited. Needless to say, the Indians, acting like an overbearing overlord demanded to know the details of the meeting. This was expected, and confidential information would not be divulged. The roadmap likely included contingencies relating to how India would react. It may also include how Bhutan may allay India's fears, at the same time, gaining more concessions from Modi. 

It appears at this point that the China-Bhutan border settlement is a fait accompli. It's too late for India to interfere. The train has left the station and the ship has set sail. How do I know? By the Bhutanese letting the cat out of the bag. They made a mistake many years ago. They are not going to make it again unless they are very certain it's going to happen. So, very soon, China and Bhutan will establish diplomatic relations. There will be airports, highways, dams, 5G, Internet and tourists. Most importantly, at the right moment, Indian soldiers will be politely asked to leave quietly. 

At the end of the day, China does want to settle its border with India. Maybe it will help the Indians come to their senses.

PM 

This is something that AMERICANS need to UNDERSTAND. TikTok is only an EXCUSE to pass thru Orwellian legislation to control the type of information that Americans received so that they do NOT have access to alternate information other than the narrative that the state want them to believe AND to spy on them.

The legislation, Bill S686, is also known as the Restrict Bill. Here are the key points behind that legislation:

  • CURRENT foreign adversaries – America’s favourite bogeymen – which can CHANGE by definition are China, Cuba, Korea Iran, Russian Federation. More importantly, these definition can CHANGE at ANYTIME.
  • It covers hardware technologies such as modems, routers, cameras and virtual techs such as VPN if they are manufacture or use to contact “foreign adversaries”
  • Using VPN to bypass banned apps such as TikTok is made a CRIMINAL act under this bill with MINIMUM imprisonment of 20 years AND a minimum fine of $250,000 AND up to one million dollars if you knowingly do so.
  • It gives the federal government the authority to monitor any activity virtual or otherwise. Essentially they can monitor you 24/7 thru your routers, video games, smartphones, thermostat, cameras, etc.
  • EVEN more TERRIFYING, this will happen when the President appoint a Secretary of Communication who formed a group on their own without any voter input or oversight whatever, can meet behind closed doors and they can ban or monitor anything deemed inappropriate to security that goes thru the internet.

LET there be NO AMBIGUITY, this legislation is designed to control the information that Americans read and hear so that THEY can be EASILY MANIPULATED AND also designed to spy on Americans. Yes, the law also allows the state to spy on your teen or preteen daughters NAKED or in various stages of undress.

THAT Americans, deliberately bombarded by Messages of Hate, are NOW being HERDED towards war with China

EXCEPT that the United States will be fighting a war with against a powerful BRI Eurasian Alliance

IN a war that the United States will not win and will be defeated

CONSUMED by hate which devour their humanity, they will turn to the only thing they have left…..their nuclear weapons

IN their ATTEMPT to take the world down with them into the depth of the abyss

IN this world, in a country big and small, Haven is now preparing its favourite son to meet the challenges of the end of time AND the Force of Darkness.

VPN Users Risk 20-Year Jail Sentences in the US Under New RESTRICT Act

A bill dubbed the 'RESTRICT' act was submitted to Congress and could have severe consequences for VPN users in the United States.

Cajun Sausage Jambalaya

A slow cooker makes Cajun Sausage Jambalaya a snap. Be sure to check the last hour or two to keep the rice from overcooking.

2023 04 01 09 12
2023 04 01 09 12

Prep: 30 min | Cook: 6 hr | Yield: 8 servings (12 cups)

Ingredients

  • 1 pound boneless pork loin roast, cut into 1/2 inch cubes, lean
  • 12 ounces andouille sausage, cut into 1/4 inch slices
  • 2 1/2 cups water
  • 1 1/2 cups rice, medium-grain white
  • 2 yellow onions, chopped
  • 1 bell pepper (green, red, or both), chopped
  • 2 stalks celery, chopped
  • 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons salt
  • 1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
  • 1/2 cup green onions, chopped

Instructions

  1. Mix all ingredients except green onions in slow 4 to 6 quart slow cooker. Cover and cook on LOW for 5 to 6 hours, or on HIGH for 2 1/2 to 3 hours. Watch carefully during the last 1 hour (LOW) or 1/2 hour (HIGH) of cooking to prevent rice from overcooking.
  2. Just before serving, check seasoning and add green onions.

The A-10 was not designed to be used in uncontested airspace, but it was designed for a time when people were more realistic about losses in war than they are now. The A-10 fleet was expected to be expendable planes thrown in to stop Soviet armored columns, but it was perfectly understood many would not survive that.

main qimg 735564d8aa0773639ae04f9842f2ccc0
main qimg 735564d8aa0773639ae04f9842f2ccc0

The A-10 were apparently expected by some in the US air force to face an attrition rate of 7% per 100 sorties. And would be expected to do 250 sorties in a day for the fleet in Europe. So within the first 24 hours of a conflict in the 1980s, the US expected over 15% of all A-10s in the theater to be lost.

Considering what was known and how they intended to use them, I would say that was a fairly conservative estimation. Soviet forces were littered with organic AA, and when the A-10 was made the BUK and S-300 missile systems were not really understood yet. The biggest fear was the OSA missile system with a 15km range. With the A-10 expected to visually see targets to engage them, this would be fairly difficult, especially using it’s gun, which is effective at about 1½ km. The original S-300 had ranges of 47–90km depending on variant, but this wasn’t known in the west at the time.

Either way, it was fully expected the A-10s would suffer enormous losses, but was still considered a valuable asset for attempting to disrupt and delay Soviet columns.

21 Life Lessons From Cats

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There’s a lot us, humans, can learn from our feline friends. 21 examples below from New York Times bestselling authors & illustrators Lisa Swerling & Ralph Lazar, who have just launched a new cats project called Tess & Lion.

h/t: boredpanda

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Kamala Harris in Africa to strengthen US diplomatic ties | DW News

By Dimbwe Maxala from Utube comments

I am from one of the countries on her tour.

I am not sure how the Ghanaians feel about this, but I can safely speak on behalf of Zambia and Tanzania, and say that they US is wasting its time. To get a better understanding of this, perhaps Kamala should travel from Dar Es Salaam to Lusaka Zambia, on the 1600km (1000 mile) railway line that the Chinese built ( and ceded free of charge) for the two countries.

The impetus for the construction of that railway line was that Zambia needed an outlet to the ocean, after the racist white regimes then ruling Rhodesia and South African decided to close off its access to the ocean because of its support for the liberation movements in those countries.

The Chinese who were then as poor as Africans stepped in and built the TAZARA railway line, which lifted that seige of Zambia, allowing the country to export its copper via Dar Es Salaam, rather than the ports of South Africa, as had always been the case.

The Chinese were there, as were the Russians, during the dark time.

Time after time, the US took the side of the racists.

When the negotiations for Zimbabwe’s independence were held in London in 1979, the US and the UK stood together with the brutal white settler regime of Ian Smith.

When the war for Namibia’s independence was going on, the US supported the continued apartheid South African occupation of the country, and blocking the implementation of UN resolution 435, that demanded that the South Africans leave Namibia.

Ronald Reagan insisted on a linkage of the white South African exist from both Namibia and Angola, with the leaving of the Cubans then militarily fighting against South Africa together with government of Angola.

People in Southern African have never forgotten their experience with the West, and Kamala Harris’ charm offensive is unlikely to achieve anything.

In western countries it merely matters to be SEEN as the good guy.

Your actions count a whole lot less.

In Asian countries what you DO matters.

Look at the Iraq genocide, they still think they’re the GOOD guys after mass murdering 10000s of Iraqis and Afghans. Because we meant well! It was a mistake so that totally absolves us!

Oh quite the Opposite

All of China will thank him for it one day

Private Tutoring Industry was becoming way out of control.

Initially Tutoring was a boon, it helped Chinese students understand concepts pretty well

However as time went by Tutoring slowly became more and more deeply seated into the Chinese Education structure and every student began to lazily depend on Tutoring which meant Private Tutors could demand more money

With time it became almost like without private tutoring no Urban Chinese student could survive or do without

And slowly Private Tutorial Groups began to rise in value, start IPOs, bloat up without any assets and claim to be worth billions.


Is that a Golden Goose?

Please tell me how many Students do you know in US who go to SAT Coaching or GRE Coaching?

Most Students self study or study in Groups rather than pay for a Tutorial course

Yet in China – students using Private Tutorials rose to nearly 88% by 2019.

They used Tutors for everything and the basic concept understanding that created the Excellent Chinese Students of the 1990s -2010s would slowly be eroded if this nonsense had continued

Spoonfeeding at its worst

And on top of this Most Tutorials became Industries of their own and began marketing and began to ridiculously boost their own valuations


No!!! said Xi Jingping

He had many discussions with Respected Professors and Teachers and fundamentally covered the three Points in 2020 May which included

→ Private Tutorials cannot replace conventional education

→ Students ability to think and learn on their own are being affected by Private Tutorials

→ Private Tutorials are grossly inflated and taking full advantage of the Lax focus paid to them in the early 2005–2010

So the CPC said – Let Students who dont understand use Tutors and Tutorials but let Students not become lazy

Thus he decided to formulate and regulate the industry

It was a Brilliant Move

Those who wanted to become Billionaires with Tutoring – scrambled

Those who made good money and genuinely impacted Students to think – stayed and continued to nurture and build more students


Even Today Private Tutoring Exists

Only thing is – the Industry is regulated

Ceiling on Valuation, Mandatory insistence on Registration of Tutors, Syllabus being overseen by the CPC Education Committee to ensure Students can still think and learn on their own, No IPO allowed until 2032, Minimum 15 years for a Tutoring Company, Valuation based on Asset Valuation not Speculative Valuation, No Overseas investment in Private Tution Companies

The Result – The Sharks are GONE or going really fast.

Genuine Tutors and Tutorials are very much here to stay and help students especially weaker ones while also ensuring future students learn on their own and dont get spoonfed

And best of all -Tutorials dont replace Schools and control a Robotic Destiny of Students.


Easily one of the Finest Pieces of Legislation by a World Leader in the 21st Century

https://youtu.be/-2fBSWfKHZs

What a circus of clowns! Sorry didn’t really want to insult the clowns. Better to compare them to a herd of charging ignoramus buffaloes, or some hungry anacondas, definitely social vermins of the worse kind.

Indeed, this is a question that many people are asking.

And precisely, because it is on many people’s minds, that I will answer it. Well, without a “crystal ball” perhaps, but in my own way.

So let’s look at the parameters…

[1] No actual leadership

President Biden is a figurehead. There’s no one “upstairs”.

This is not a political assessment. It’s an actual observation by anyone who watches the videos of him. He cycles in and out of clarity, and often appears to be suffering from pretty advanced dementia.

He goes though the motions. Read the teleprompters, and “kisses babies”.

But in the strategy briefing rooms, in high level discussions, and other important roles, he’s present but not proactive.

[2] Careening out of control

Without leadership, the “car careens wildly on the road”.

Financial opportunists place all sorts of bills and initiatives for personal profit “on the table”. These then “grow legs” and take on a life of their own. The Tiktok ban is one such example. Thus the Senate and Congress appears to be simply a forum for grandstanding while the “representatives” try to accept higher and higher piles of cash for their participation.

Congress more aptly resembles a shark feeding frenzy over a cow carcass.

There’s no real statesmanship, leadership, or forward planning. It’s all on “autopilot”, and being run by monied interests.

[3] The road is not empty

It wouldn’t be so bad if the “careening car” is on a wide and open empty highway. But it isn’t. There are many other cars on this road. There are cars with couples. cars with families, and school busses full of children.

It’s only a matter of time before the careening car smashes into someone else.

After smashing into Syria, Libya, Yemen, Afghanistan, the car is now banging into a large clunky tractor-trailer; Russia. And, each time the tractor-trailer tries to get unstuck the car smashes again, and again, and again. It’s almost like the driver for the United States car has no brakes. It’s acceleration only. And Russia while dinged up, is still moving forward.

Now a big yellow bus full of school children looms up ahead. This is China, and it is enormous (being double-Decker), and powerful, and does not want to be hit.

And everyone around is terrified.

And what does the United States car do?

It “floors” the gas petal, and is zooming straight ahead. The driver seemingly wants to broadside the bus at high speed.

Conclusion

Is it no wonder why people are concerned? People are terrified.

At this stage of the game, and I am loathe to say this, there are only four (x4) things that can stop the upcoming disaster…

  • The car runs out of gas, and stops dead in the middle of the road. It sputters, and dies.
  • The people inside the careening car take control of the wheel. And then, carefully and slowly, ease it to the side of the road.
  • The crazy car drives off the highway on it’s own, and destroys itself without hitting anyone else.
  • The tractor-trailer and the bus full of children coordinate and with their combined mass, push the madman off the road on their own. And other cars, acting in good faith, help in whatever capacity they can provide.

OPEC+ oil alliance announces surprise production cuts

Good strategy to crush the Western  nations economy at a time when they are severely ill .
Saudi Arabia and other OPEC+ oil producers have announced voluntary cuts to their production amounting to about 1.15 million barrels per day (bpd), calling it a “precautionary measure” aimed at market stability.

The 23-nation group had been largely expected to stick to its already agreed 2 million bpd cuts when its ministerial panel, which includes Saudi Arabia and Russia, meets virtually on Monday.

Article HERE

We are indeed, catching on we ARE catching on

When I was young, my mother stayed at home and would take care of the house. We called it “domestic chores”. My father would work all day, and then when he was paid, he would give all of his pay to my mother to budget for. She in turn, would give him a small stipend for his wallet and spend the rest on our family needs.

All in all it worked out pretty good.

Then came 1974, and the “Woman’s Lib” movement (which my mother was a great advocate of – burning her bra and all the rest), as well as the advent of high inflation and credit cards forever changed the traditional household to something “better”; a more progressive family unit.

While I often miss the simplicity of those days, the things that I love about China is how “traditional” it is in regards to friends, family and relationships. You’re never going to starve or want in China.

Today’s installment…

No Need

No need to hear from you intelligence!

Just looking at the U.S. evil intentions will make the world certain that the U.S. will sabotage it no different from how they destroyed the Nordstream 2 pipelines. The U.S. never wanted peace. It never wanted a better world. It design a messy world so that it can jumped in and take advantage of the chaos. And stir up a war do that Ot can sell weapons to both parties.

The only difference today in 2023 is that the world knows now! And this is not good for the west and the U.S. Their only game in town is up. Nation by nation will stay as far away as possible from the U.S. No different from a strange bed fellow that no one wants to get near.

Very soon, the U.S. needs to steal from their fellow colonials and fellow native slaughterers. Let’s see how U.S. cons the UK!

I’ve often wished I could pick up my kids and take them back to the 60s for a day, just so they could see what it was like.

  • We dressed up on Saturdays to go shopping. There was always a G-rated movie to see.
  • Store clerks were grown-up professionals who actually made enough to live on and really knew their products. Big department stores had elevator men with wearing uniforms with big gold braid who cheerfully did their job of getting you where you wanted to go.
  • You could go out in public all day and never hear a cuss word.
  • Ladies wore hats and gloves to church. Ladies even dressed up to come over to play cards with my grandmother.
  • Men wore hats and knew when it was proper to take them off, when to touch them, etc.
  • It was quite common to have homes and cars unlocked all day.
  • Moms were home in the daytime. Neighborhoods were not deserted during the day as they are now. Big groups of children in my neighborhood played outside together every day. There was no air conditioning, so it was unthinkable to play in the house on a sunny day.
  • It was rare for women to drive and it was very common to see older ladies rolling their groceries home in a cart. Lots of men didn’t drive, either, as we lived on a bus route.
  • Parents in the neighborhood watched out for everyone’s kids. If one of the kids misbehaved his or her mother knew all about before he or she even got home.
  • Dogs and cats roamed the neighborhood. It was common to see several dogs sitting outside the grocery store waiting on their owners.
  • People were friendly and polite. Always. At least in public.
  • On Saturdays everyone in the neighborhood ran errands and did their yard work. Ladies went to the beauty shop to have their hair done for church the next day. Men went to a barbershop and they most certainly never set foot in a beauty parlor. You had to make sure you had everything you needed for Sunday because all the stores would close by Saturday afternoon.
  • On Sundays most people went to church. Even if they didn’t, the neighborhood was completely quiet. Sunday was a day of rest and stores were closed. There was never a lawn mower running or any activity going on outside. Most people visited with family and had a big family dinner.
  • It was normal for people to have big front porches and go from house to house visiting.
  • There were only three TV channels and they all signed off at 11 p.m. with the national anthem.
  • It was common for neighbors to listen in on your telephone conversations because everyone was on a party line.
  • You couldn’t wash clothes last minute because nobody had a dryer. If it were raining it took forever for your clothes to dry in the house. Clothes also had to be ironed, so you really had to plan ahead.

I was surprised by some of the comments. I was born in 1963, so I am writing from the perspective of a little girl and focusing on what was most different from today. I grew up in a lower middle class neighborhood in a small southern city. It was definitely not Mayberry and I most certainly did not have an idyllic childhood.

  • My parents were divorced and I lived with my mom, my grandmother, and an uncle. I had a babysitter with two grown daughters. My father was in prison.
  • My house was just down the street from the Catholic church and there were dozens of big Catholic families on our street. I never met another child with divorced parents until 1974.
  • I heard about Vietnam and body bags in hushed tones but I didn’t understand what was going on. I did have an uncle there, so I did recognize the fear that gripped my mother and grandmother every time they watched the news.
  • I vaguely understood there was racial unrest but I didn’t understand why. I attended the Catholic school through the fourth grade and was told Jesus loves everyone equally. From what I remember, grown-ups would agree with that thought, but believed there would be no trouble between races if they simply didn’t interact. It wasn’t until the 70s when things got violent. It became common to hear gunshots at night and we moved to a “better” neighborhood in 1974. In the 70s We endured forced busing for a few years, which was a huge waste of time and money and caused more racial upheaval. For the first time, there were fights every day in school.
  • I never realized we were poor until we moved to the “better” neighborhood and all the girls in my class had pierced ears, wore designer clothes, and had long ago given up playing with toys, in the fifth grade.

While there are things I remember fondly from the 1960s, I certainly wouldn’t want to live there. I do, however, really miss beautiful manners and beautiful clothes.

This is Uyinene Mrwetyana:

South African girl.

 

She disappeared on the 24th of August 2019. After her disappearance, her friends went and stood outside the Post Office and handed out missing person fliers.

She had gone to the Post Office to collect a parcel. When she got there, the man who attended to her said she should return later, as the lights were out. He told her to return at 2pm. The Post Office closes at 1pm. When she came back later, he raped and killed her.

When the friends were giving out fliers, this man apparently watched them and even took some and said he’d distribute them to people that visited the Post Office.

You know what he told the police when they caught him?

“This one really put up a fight. It took so long for her to die.”

At her funeral, her mom said “ I’m sorry I warned you about everything except the Post Office.”

It broke my heart.

She was 19 years old.

I would like to nominate the following interesting group of guys.

In the city of Charleroi, Belgium, a group of men walk into an e-cigarette store around 3 p.m. They demand money from the owner of the shop, a man called Didier.

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main qimg 2f57106b4bf9ecb6622a2f9856714234 lq

Didier knows he can’t fight off six men at once, so he came up with a plan. He told the wannabe robbers that 3 p.m. was a terrible time to rob his place. If only they would leave and come back around 6 p.m, when there would be more money in the cash register. The men talked with Didier for roughly 15 minutes and then left.

Didier picks up his phone and calls the cops on the gang, telling them what happened and that they would be back in a few hours.

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main qimg 7ecc64f33a6688b25a0295511367874e lq

The police listened to Didier and thought: “Nobody would be so dumb. They aren’t actually going to come back after this, right?”

False. Around 6 p.m., as instructed, the guys return to the store to rob it. The plainclothes officers who showed up just in case were there waiting for them in a back room.

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main qimg 2edebabde6e4ae093badf4331f59c225 lq

I have to give it to them, they do like to believe in their fellow man.

This post is mostly a response to Sean Landy’s answer.

The idea that Japanese children are somehow better-behaved, or simply “cuter” than their Asian counterparts, is a widely accepted stereotype that fits into the whole mythos of “Japanese superiority”. The problem with that idea, however, is that as with all forms of superiority complexes, it’s based on half-truths and even untruths.

Lemme give you an example of what I mean.

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2023 03 19 17 45

Back in 2021, this picture of a cute little 2–3 year old girl went viral on Chinese social media. It was claimed that this was a Japanese kindergartner walking alone to school, and that Japanese people raise their kids to be independent and self-reliant at a very early age. Others claimed she was standing because she’d given up her seat to someone in need – being this cute, brave, and well-mannered, is surely a testament to the superiority of Japanese society, culture, and genetics.

Internet commenters simply couldn’t stop talking about the greatness of Japan, and the sheer inferiority of China. Due to oppressive politics, a subpar culture, and hopelessly flawed genetics, Chinese children will never look as cute and confident as this!

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2023 03 19 17 46

Except if you looked at the posters on the train, you can see the photos of her were clearly taken in mainland China. Specifically, Hangzhou.

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2023 03 19 17 47

↑ The girl’s (very Chinese and very patriotic) mother was furious about people stealing and mislabeling photos of her daughter, just to further an anti-Chinese narrative.

But people still couldn’t (or wouldn’t) believe such a cute child could possibly be Chinese. So her mother dressed her up like this, which shut everyone up for good:

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2023 03 19 17 48

So there you go. Children everywhere are all the same. They’re snotty, stinking, screaming balls of flesh who are only occasionally adorable. Anything to do with “cuteness” and such is mostly a reflection of a family’s level of wealth and care, as well as a society’s level of development. The same way house-cats in a rich household tend to look better than strays on the street.

And as China continues to grow its GDP (PPP)

, children are probably only going to look even cuter than before.

There are already enough double standards out there, with the specific aim of keeping the Chinese down. It is important not to let them affect children, and how adults perceive of them.

We all know the unavoidable Karens, but there’s also the Ritas, and they are much worse and definitely more dangerous. Unfortunately we all trust them, due to a simple but simultaneously very sophisticated psychological trap.

And that trap is called trauma.

We all know those women who once had an eating disorder (think anorexia), and then later became “professional” diet coaches. Without any medical degree whatsoever. The Goop herself is a dangerous example.

She is the basic Rita with a capital “R.”

Given people diet tips while she barely eats anything.

Just weeks ago I read about this woman who is famous in The Netherlands, who proudly stopped drinking alcohol, and suddenly is a self-proclaimed anti-alcohol advocate. How convenient when the advocacy begins after you stopped using.

She also declared that she had had an alcohol problem for many years — although she never said a word about any problem before she quit. And nobody else did.

In hindsight, our problems always become much worse, since then our heroism (of quitting) becomes much greater. In my opinion, she might have had a problem, but that does not mean other people do.

Again: Rita with a capital “R.”

I even know a professional stillbirth coach. The woman in question has three healthy kids, but a fourth died at birth, and suddenly she became an expert — and not much later a paid professional — coaching couples who end up in the same situation. Without any psychological expertise.

But still, we believe such people, as if trauma makes us wiser, which it does not.

Having experienced trauma does not mean you can professionally help other people suffering from similar trauma.

Suffering from psychosis does not make you a psychologist. Suffering from anorexia in your childhood does not make you a diet coach in later life (while you still suffer from anorexia, by the way). Being a victim does not make you suited to be a professional guide.

Being a patient does not make you a doctor.

Expertise requires a much greater effort, much wider and deeper knowledge, much more theory and much more experience. It takes years and years and years of guided study. And Ritas can and will hurt vulnerable people even more (even if they think they are doing the right thing).

So please stop following Ritas, stop consulting them and stop paying them. Stop watching them, and stop reading them. They are using trauma for their own benefit, and they have no expertise whatsoever, whatever they say or believe.

You are not helped by Ritas such as Gwyneth Paltrow — you are abused.

“Rita” stands for Rather Ill-suited Trauma Adviser, by the way.

And although I coined the term myself, you do not have to pay.

This is Natasha Conabeer:

Another South African girl.

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main qimg 39756d15e85c0dd761cb3abd54e9ed4d lq

She went missing on the 18th of August.

About 2 days ago, she was found outside her house. Her kidnappers drugged her, raped her and beat her. They broke every bone in her body, and they apparently scooped out her one eye. Then when they were done, they went and left her at home. She died on the 9th of September at the hospital.

This isn’t even all of them. Another woman was apparently dumped by a car in her neighborhood last week after being raped and killed. A 17 year old girl was shot dead by her boyfriend, who then killed himself afterwards. Another woman, just like Natasha, left for work in the morning and disappeared. When she was found, she was drugged and beaten. She died in the hospital. A man also killed 3 of his kids and his stepdaughter because their mother wanted to divorce him.

A 20-year-old boy called Nicholas Ninow raped a 7-year-old at a restaurant last year and they want to say he needs psychological help.

I am angry because the women in my country of South Africa are dying, but the only thing people are putting their energy on is being Xenophobic.

The other day, I had to work in a different shop. A man there that I don’t know and have never met, came and put his arms around my waist to hug me. I pushed him off. He asked me why. I told him I didn’t want him touching me. He flat out said “I have the right to touch you however I want to.” I’m not even exaggerating. Those were his words.

Gobble It Up Pot Pie

Yield: 4 to 6 servings

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2023 03 19 17 50

Ingredients

Filling

  • 2 (15 ounce) cans mixed vegetables, drained
  • 1 pound (2 cup) cooked turkey, shredded
  • 1 (12 ounce) jar turkey gravy

Topping

  • 1/4 cup butter
  • 1/3 cup chopped onion
  • 1/3 cup chopped celery
  • 1 (6 ounce) package instant turkey stuffing mix
  • 1 2/3 cups water
  • 1/4 cup dried cranberries

Instructions

  1. Heat oven to 350 degrees F.
  2. Filling: In large mixing bowl, combine vegetables, turkey and gravy; mix well.
  3. Pour into a greased 2-quart casserole.
  4. Topping: In skillet, melt butter.
  5. Add onion and celery and cook until tender.
  6. Add seasoning packet from stuffing mix and water. Bring mixture to a boil. Reduce heat, cover and simmer for 5 minutes.
  7. Remove from heat; stir in stuffing. Cover and let stand for 5 minutes.
  8. Stir in dried cranberries.
  9. Spread stuffing evenly over vegetable mixture.
  10. Bake for 30 to 45 minutes, or until heated through.

Deeper Down The Western Elites’ Rabbit Hole

The US Trump Fever Dream

Matching the external fever dream of the US establishment is their internal Trump Fever Dream. Just as in the international area, every move the establishment takes seems to make their enemy, Trump, stronger. The completely unneeded raid on Trump’s Mar-el-Lago estate supposedly to go after “secret” papers ended up shining a light on the breaches of security by Biden with respect to “secret” papers and the partisan nature of the state; with no “gotcha” to discredit or imprison Trump. Now we have a New York district attorney who seems to have spent the last few years trying not to prosecute people while working overtime to find something, anything, on Trump to prosecute. As Elon Musk stated quite correctly, an indictment of Trump on this flimsy case that stretches the bounds of the law could bring Trump a landslide in 2024.

This inter-elite war, between the internationalist bourgeoisie who give little thought to a true reinvigoration of US manufacturing (that would significantly reduce their profits) or the US population (their response to the East Palestine eco-disaster displays this lack of caring, reminding us of Obama’s show of disdain with respect to the Flint water crisis of 2014 – watch the video, below, did he even sip that water?) and the domestic bourgeoisie who rely on domestic real estate, domestic extractive industries and what’s left of domestic manufacturing has ripped the mask of the US elite. The capitalist-controlled state and media which previously only aimed their wrath at the workers and economically leftist politicians, is now being used in an attempt to crush a capitalist domestic competitor. But after seven plus years of “Russia, Russia, Russia”, “Trump soft on Russia”, and “Trump is corrupt” and more generally “Trump Bad”, The Donald is the front-runner for the Republican nomination to run against Biden(?) in 2024.

Expect the US internationalist establishment to get more and more desperate as time goes on, Trump should stay away from open topped cars in any large spaces ending in “Plaza”. Their desperate acts may only expose them more and strengthen Trump more. If the establishment can awake from its Trump fever dream, we may see an “arrangement” where some senior Democrats are thrown to the wolves to protect the whole. Perhaps the Biden Crime Family plus a few others get thrown under the bus, with Biden himself conveniently non compos mentis. A Hunter show trial may serve to feed the retributive thirsts of the Trump supporters, while the lurid details of “Chinese interference and bribery” will serve to vilify China. The details of Ukrainian corruption could also be used as a smokescreen to exit the Ukrainian stupidity. The timing would also be good for the establishment to move on from their failure in Ukraine and focus fully on China; something that Trump would be happy to do. Let’s remember though, Trump is a billionaire capitalist who mimics a populist politician while really not giving a damn about the US people, what he really cares about is his domestic assets; and going after China.

A Ray of Light: Taiwan Now Only Recognized By 0.49% of the Global Population

El Salvador has now removed its recognition of Taiwan and accepted China as the true representative of all of China, including the province of Formosa. Only 12 of the tiniest of the 193 nations of the world now recognize Taiwan as an independent nation, with pretty much all of them being in the Caribbean (Guatemala, Haiti, Belize etc.), South America (Paraguay) or are Western-dominated tiny Pacific island nations (Marshall Islands, Palau, Tuvalu, Naura). Of course, this will do nothing to stop the US trying to stir up trouble with China over Taiwan, but it does help remove even more of the diplomatic cover, now if only Guatemala and Paraguay could do the same …

https://newcoldwar.org/taiwan-separatists-lose-key-ally-honduras-recognizes-china-just-12-small-countries-remain/

Xi Jinping Visit to Moscow

The ongoing tightening of the relationship between China and Russia continues onwards, driven by the Western elites’ rising fever dream. The formal visit of Xi to Moscow and the contents of the public announcements and press conferences show that China understands that its support for Russia is existential to both nations. The West cannot be allowed to divide and conquer, with an example of Chinese support being Russia’s move to #1 oil supplier to China ousting Saudi Arabia; so much for the Western attempts to control Russia’s oil exports. China (and India) will be the beneficiaries of Russian hydrocarbons rather than Europe; with ongoing work to expand Russia gas supplies to China through pipelines and LNG tankers.

It does seem that the Western elites thought that the ICC indictment of Putin would stop Xi travelling to Russia, perhaps that was even the main reason for the sudden indictment? The utterly delusional nature of this is evident to anyone outside the fever dream. They really thought that a China which is seeing increasing hostility from the West is going to undermine its biggest ally because of an indictment by the Western kangaroo court in The Hague? The Chinese snub of the ICC will play very well in Africa, with the West delivering a propaganda win for China outside the West. The utter delusions and hypocrisy of the Western elites is shown in their pathetic denunciations of Xi’s visit, while all their crimes are conveniently not investigated by the ICC. Russia will also have won in the non-West as it stands up to the ICC and moves to indict the ICC sock puppets involved in constructing this fact-challenged indictment. In his recent statement.

Secretary of State Blinken recently condemned the China visit to Russia, using the ICC ruling as flimsy support for his statements. He accused the Ethiopian government (the one that overthrew the Western puppet regime) of war crimes, reminding Africa of the games that the US plays in legitimizing its’ acts of aggression against those that will not say “uncle”; gold for the leaders who accept US dominance and lead for those that do not. The fact that the US State Department considers that it can judge the rest of the world on human rights, while being the biggest violator of them (Iraq, Rendition and Torture program, Occupation of Syria, mass imprisonment at home), shows utter hubris, hypocrisy, and mendacity.

With the tight alliance now including Iran and Belarus, and China and Russia’s influence spreading throughout the non-Western world (e.g. their negotiating of a peace deal between Iran and Saudi Arabia) and the Ukraine war going Russia’s way, time is on their side. The rumoured peace deal being negotiated by Russia between Turkey, Iran and Syria would underline the very significant loss of influence for the West in the MENA region.

In the area of foreign relations, the relative size of official foreign visits can tell us a lot. The Brazilian President’s visit to the US was spartan, while the upcoming trip to China is much bigger: with a very large business contingent. Brazil is open for business with China. Although Lula has to tread carefully it seems with respect to the Ukraine war belligerents (although short of implementing sanctions) he is carefully balancing between the West and non-West while understanding the inevitable decline of the former with respect to the latter.

The reception for Chinese and Russian visits to Africa has also been visibly warmer than that for Western delegations; with Macron being treated with relative disdain. Neocolonial bullies only apologize when they have been severely beaten, and Macron’s speech promising “profound humility” toward Africa (although perhaps just propaganda) is a statement of France’s much weakened position in that continent. Below are a couple of excellent presentations by Cyrus Janssen covering why the US is losing its’ position in Africa and Latin America; in two words – arrogance and hubris.

And…

All fuel for the Western fever dream, which will only intensify the China, Russia, Belarus, Iran alliance, and force other nations to pick a side. They will tend to pick the side they see winning, and that is increasingly not the West.

https://oilprice.com/Energy/Energy-General/Russia-Overtakes-Saudi-Arabia-To-Become-Chinas-Top-Oil-Supplier.html

https://www.aa.com.tr/en/economy/china-is-set-to-become-russias-main-gas-importer-to-replace-eu/2762421

https://www.state.gov/reports/2022-country-reports-on-human-rights-practices/

https://www.globaltimes.cn/page/202303/1287571.shtml

https://www.voanews.com/a/in-africa-and-in-europe-france-struggles-to-exert-influence/7006122.html

https://eng.globalaffairs.ru/articles/russia-africa-new-world-order/

This is Tshegofatso Pule.

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She was 8 months pregnant. She went missing on Thursday, 4 June. She was last seen on security footage being accompanied by her boyfriend to an unknown car that she left in. On June 8th, she was found killed.

South Africa is a very dangerous place.

The Grand Strategy: Kissinger & Rockefeller Scheme to Transfer Wealth & Industry to China

Written by Radix Verum
April 10, 2020 at 1:26 pm
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April 10, 2020 – The Coronavirus has exposed the Globalist neo-liberal World Order for what it is: a system designed to transfer wealth from the many into the hands of a few in order to dominate the rest of the world and protect their monopolistic power.

 

Author Antony Sutton claims Wall Street funded not only the Bolshevik Revolution in Russia, but the rise of Nazi Germany and Hitler as well as international Communism.

Here is a telling quote from Sutton’s book, “The Best Enemy Money Can Buy” (1986):

By using data of Russian origin it is possible to make an accurate analysis of the origins of this equipment. It was found that all the main diesel and steam-turbine propulsion systems of the ninety-six Soviet ships on the Haiphong supply run [to the North Vietnamese] that could be identified (i.e., eighty-four out of the ninety-six) originated in design or construction outside the USSR. We can conclude, therefore, that if the [U.S.] State and Commerce Departments, in the 1950s and 1960s, had consistently enforced the legislation passed by Congress in 1949, the Soviets would not have had the ability to supply the Vietnamese War – and 50,000 more Americans and countless Vietnamese would be alive today.

Who were the government officials responsible for this transfer of known military technology? The concept originally came from National Security Adviser Henry Kissinger, who reportedly sold President Nixon on the idea that giving military technology to the Soviets would temper their global territorial ambitions. How Henry arrived at this gigantic non sequitur is not known. Sufficient to state that he aroused considerable concern over his motivations. Not least that Henry had been a paid family employee of the Rockefellers since 1958 and has served as International Advisory Committee Chairman of the Chase Manhattan Bank, a Rockefeller concern. – Skull and Bones, Antony Sutton & Bankrolling the Enemy

It is a bizarre strategy indeed to engage in trading and doing business with an enemy, especially when that enemy is engaged in egregious human rights abuses.

Here is a conversation between President Richard Nixon and his Secretary of State Henry Kissinger about Chairman Mao Zedong from February, 1972:

While discussing Nixon’s trip to China, Kissinger said, “Your trip [his upcoming historic trip to China] can change the whole future of the world.” Nixon and Kissinger then went on to speculate as to why Mao and the Chinese wanted to open relations with the Americans. What is most striking is the lack of critical thinking regarding the true intentions of China.

Dick Eastman of 21st Century Wire details this turn of events in an article entitled “US Middle Class Still Suffering from Rockefeller Kissinger Industrial Transfer Scheme to China“:

When Henry Kissinger and David Rockefeller met with Zhou Enlai in China in 1973—just after President Richard Nixon had visited China establishing official relations—an understanding was reached whereby the U.S. would supply industrial capital and know-how to China.

In return Kissinger-connected corporations would gain the monopolistic advantage of low-cost labor production which could out-compete all U.S. domestic industry.

The comparative advantage gained was being able to hire Chinese laborers who were ready to work hard at exceedingly low cost—with no drugs, no alcohol, a strong work ethic, no unions, no paid benefits and weak environmental standards. And with such a large labor pool, burned out workers could simply be replaced. This gave the Rockefeller/Kissinger corporations a major edge over their domestic U.S. competitors who had to pay relatively high wages, high regulation costs, deal with union strikes and collective bargaining etc.

Of course, the American consumer did not see greatly lowered prices commensurate with such greatly lowered labor costs. The $19.99 plastic action-figure toy marketed with a Hollywood movie still cost $19.99 even though it cost $12 to $15 to produce in the U.S. but less than $2.00 per copy to produce in China and transport to America’s West Coast container ports for distribution throughout America.

The consumer paid pretty much the old prices but the corporations split the monopoly profit with China’s Princelings since it did not take much of a lowering of prices to drive high-wage, high-benefit, contracted-labor domestic corporations out of business (not to mention the environmental and workplace safety regulations with which domestic companies were saddled).  Then, Wal-Mart became a near-monopoly retailer that increased and reinforced the widespread selling of these off-shore manufactures.

Thus, America’s domestic producers were not simply being bested on one or another area of production; they were being bested across the entire spectrum of manufactured goods that American buy. It was anticipated that these domestic firms would fail, and their failure was hastened by the banks maintaining a deflationary domestic economy in the U.S. throughout the post Rockefeller-Kissinger-Zhou buildup of China and the degrading of American domestic manufacturing. – 21st Century Wire

Just as author Antony Sutton described, this was a way for the ruling class to gain a foothold and monopoly at the expense of the American middle class who saw all manufacturing sent overseas. The Coronavirus pandemic has exposed how damaging a policy this was, as America had become reliant on our adversaries like China. All while China is engaging in a military doctrine called “unrestricted warfare” that it is waging against us as part of their China 2050 grand strategy.

Take a look at some of Chairman Mao’s western handlers. Take for example, Israel Epstein and Sidney Shapiro, both of whom come from the west, with Shapiro having been trained by the US Army. Israel Epstein was Mao’s propagandist for the west, and we have to wonder if there is any familial relation to Jeffrey Epstein:

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2023 03 22 15 11

 

Were these men working on behalf of the central bankers? Most likely. But that will be explored further in a separate article.

We see a similar pattern with the Bolshevik Revolution in Russia: it was planned, financed and instigated by a small group of men in New York, acting on behalf of the international bankers. As Antony Sutton described in Wall Street and the Bolshevik Revolution:

 

We can conclude that the rise of China was not so much organic, as it was engineered by the same people and their philosophical heirs who have orchestrated other “cultural revolutions” in the past and then enforced socialism/ communism on the people. The Asia Society has described this same thing on their website:

 

You can click on each box and read how China was shaped very much by western bankers. Transmissions Media has produced a thorough breakdown of some of the more recent instigated “changes” in regard to China.

 

 

This timeline describes a plan for the destruction of America and the takeover by China as the new superpower that will impose the will of the international banking community. According to the author, the World Trade Organization was key to this, while perhaps the UN was the distraction.

Researcher T. Jack Mulcaire has done an incredible job detailing the Rockefeller family introduction into China that began with John D. Rockefeller, Sr.:

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2023 03 22 15 13

 

The Rockefellers made the United States of America dependent on China. That should send a chill down the spine of any reader, considering China’s horrific human rights abuses.

T. Jack Mulcaire claims:

The Rockefeller dynasty is more responsible for the creation of the twin-engined US-China financial system than any other group of people. The family saw China’s potential as a market early on. John D. Rockefeller Sr., the family’s patriarch and founder of the Standard Oil monopoly empire, sold his first kerosene to China in 1863 and made his first charitable donation to Christian missionary efforts in China that same year. Commerce and philanthropy would come to define the next several decades of Rockefeller engagement in China. The synergy between trade and charity was strong and definitely intentional.

Rockefeller philanthropic institutions and biographers have portrayed the family’s interest in China during the early 20th century as a hobby, driven by nothing more than an idle fascination with Chinese culture and history and a generic desire to ‘do good’. But when we look at the activities of their commercial empire in China during this time, it’s clear that they were investing, not just donating. You don’t get to be the richest man in the history of the world, with a family fortune equal to about 1.5% of total annual US economic output, unless you’re always looking for an angle. During the early decades of the 20th century, the United States was transitioning to a coal-generated electric power grid. But China was desperately poor and would not be electrified for decades. The country was a market of 400 million people who mostly relied on vegetable oil lamps to light their nights.

The Rockefeller-owned Standard Oil monopoly, which was the largest company in the world at that time, made large capital investments to capture that market and provide ‘Oil for the Lamps of China‘. The company gave away at least 8 million new kerosene lamps, branded with the ‘Mei Foo’ name under which Standard Oil sold kerosene in the Chinese market, and sold millions more at ultra low prices, to create a demand for Standard Oil kerosene.

The Standard Oil presence in East Asia was the largest American direct investment in the region prior to World War II. Although the company was broken up in 1911 due to anti-trust action, the family retained control of most of its constituent parts and operations in China were not affected.  Stanvac, the company’s main operating subsidiary in China, owned hundreds of river vessels to bring its products to market in China’s interior, including 13 large tankers. After 1932, Standard took a hit to its market share by entering into a voluntary market allocation agreement with Royal Dutch Shell, Texaco and the Soviet owned Kwang-Ha oil company, but China remained an important market for the Rockefeller petroleum empire.

Concurrently with this massive investment of capital and expansion of operations in China, the Rockefeller family’s philanthropic institutions were spending lavishly in the country. Rockefeller funded philanthropic institutions spent tens of millions of dollars in China between 1900 and the Second World War. Rockefeller money created the China Medical Board and Peking Union Medical College, which essentially introduced modern Western medicine to China, as an adjunct to a concurrent effort by Rockefeller-funded organizations to totally transform the American health system. The Foundation’s attempted a  total transformation of the lives of hundreds of millions of rural Chinese peasants, by introducing modern technological agriculture methods via the North China Council for Rural Reconstruction. The agricultural program was cut short by the Japanese invasion in 1937, but over the course of the 20th century, the Rockefeller Foundation would dedicate well over $1 billion to ‘change China’. – T. Jack Mulcaire

Could this be why we see China following the Rockefeller Foundation “Lockstep” playbook during this Coronavirus outbreak? There certainly is evidence that the bankers are still very much banking on the Chinese elites. CNN Money reported in 2016 for example, that JP Morgan Chase had been fined for hiring the children of China’s elites to gain access to deals. This is called pay-to-play.

 

This is all part of the Kissinger-Rockefeller Grand Strategy of building up China while systematically destroying America.

Bush was also connected to China according to an article entitled “Skull & Bones: The Bush China Connection” that also explains how Mao attended a Yale Divinity School were he was groomed.

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2023 03 22 15 14

 

It is not a coincidence that people like Bush and Rockefeller have generational ties to China.

In fact, after the death of David Rockefeller, Jr., China Daily published a 10-page eulogy and memorial that detailed how “important” Rockefeller was in shaping modern China. The article entitled “Rockefeller Family’s Connections to China” reports some incredible things:

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2023 03 22 1fd5 14

 

Robert Blackwell, a Kissinger Fellow and member of the Council of Foreign Relations recently wrote a paper entitled “U.S. Grand Strategy Towards China” which illustrates that the same elites are trying to mold current policy.

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2023 03 22 1tw5 15

 

Henry Kissinger recently gave an interview to The Atlantic, which is a NATO think tank that attempts to re-form America into the image of the European Union. Take a look at the symbolism:

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2023 03 22 15 1y6

 

The title of it “World Chaos and World Order” is a reference to those in the know, about the infamous Masonic “order out of chaos” motto. This centuries-long plan by these international bankers is not over at all. I believe that Kissinger deceived Nixon who did not understand what was intended in opening up relations with China. Nixon believed that the Chinese people would see the value in freedom and “free trade.”

It’s been speculated that this is why Kissinger and Rockefeller instigated the Watergate coup against Nixon—a frame-up with John Dean and Kissinger as the real “Deep Throats,” by my deductions from public information. Was this so that the Rockefeller/Kissinger plans for China’s industrialization and America’s de-industrialization could proceed unopposed? Exactly that certainly did occur after Nixon resigned to avoid a constitutional crisis that would hinder the proper working of government.

If so, what does that say about the current and still on-going coup attempts against President Trump? He clearly is not following their script. That is one thing for which we can be most grateful.

Pork Loin Cordon Bleu

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2023 03 19 17 53

Ingredients

  • 8 thinly sliced pork loins
  • 8 slices boiled ham
  • 8 slices Swiss cheese
  • 1/2 cup olive oil
  • 1/2 cup chicken stock
  • 1 small shallot, diced
  • 1/2 cup Pere Magloire Calvados

Instructions

  1. With a rolling pin, pound each pork loin 3 times. On 4 pieces of pork, place a slice of ham and a slice of cheese and top with another piece of pork. Sprinkle with salt and pepper.
  2. In a large pan, heat the olive oil over medium high heat. Reduce to a simmer and cook the pork for about 1 1/2 minutes on each side.
  3. Add the shallot and cook for another minute.
  4. Next, add the chicken stock and place in the oven for 6 minutes at 300 degrees F.
  5. Serve immediately.

This is Naledi Phangindawo.

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main qimg 34f7be205f2b30fcdadaa461189cf241 lq

She was murdered by the father of her kids. He was apparently abusive, and she tried leaving him so he killed her. South Africa. Very dangerous place.

King Sigismund, Holy Roman Emperor was one of the most powerful entities in Medieval Christian Europe. He fought against the Turks and founded “The Order of The Dragon”, a society committed to keeping Christian Europe free from Islamic rule. He was also a total hottie.

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2023 03 22 11 55

bangin’

Now my dude Sigismund was known for being a total, all-around badass. He was super intelligent, spoke like 7 languages, campaigned against Venetians, drank booze out of a giant gold and jewel encrusted horn, and all that other badass stuff. Nobody dared question his intellect… that was, of course, until the day.

Sigismund was holding a counsel to settle the Western Schism, which is just a fancy word for “there were 3 different dudes trying to convince everyone that they were The Real Pope™ and nobody knew who to believe”. Not good because The Pope had a lot of power in the Middle Ages and was basically a Super Holy King (A.K.A “The Mac Daddy”).

So during one of those counsel meetings my dude Sigismund was just up there killin’ it. Speakin’ Latin. All that Medieval shit. When all of a motherfucking sudden there was a cardinal, a representative of The Catholic Church, who decided to interrupt Sigismund and tell him that his Latin was weak af.

That’s right. They straight up Grammar Nazi’d The Holy Roman Emperor and oh ho ho boy — he did not like that shit. So he reached into the depths of his magical, fur capped head and pulled out this sick burn;

“I am The King of the Romans — I am above grammar.”

OH LAWDY.

He needs some milk.

get wreck’d nerd

Indeed, we live within a power hierarchy where only a few dozen families control the world and do whatever they wish for themselves. It seems as if they have limitless abilities with their power, as they limit humanity from obtaining true information, acquiring certain medication, normal food and cheaper energy that we could have long used instead of oil. They act based on their egoistic pursuits and position.

We are powerless to create any different kind of order in our world unless we rise to a degree of connection where we start feeling the positive forces dwelling in nature, which are currently concealed from us. We will then exit this power structure we find ourselves in. These few families cannot stand in the way of nature’s governance and limit our world in its positive form of development.

The wisdom of Kabbalah calls these people in power “angels.” The Kabbalistic meaning of “angels” is completely different to the way most people think about that word. “Angels” means certain forces that are under the complete control of the upper force, and these ones in question function as a shadow of our flaws.

If we positively connect in a way that adapts us to the positive forces of nature—forces of love, bestowal and connection—we neutralize negative forms of control over us. For the time being, however, while we remain detached in our egoistic connections, each one pulling their own way, then it is as if we sustain those few families’ power. In other words, we ourselves are their power source, and we create the conditions for their existence.

Therefore, our progress to a harmonious and peaceful future depends on our transformation to positively connect. When we do so, we will feel the powers over us operating out of absolute love and care—an attitude that will grant everyone access to the most powerful, boundless and perfect form of fulfillment.

5 things a narcissistic pervert will never tell you!

What are the things that a narcissistic pervert will never tell me? What does the manipulator hide from me? How to understand a narcissistic pervert?

The manipulative narcissistic pervert hides all sorts of things from you, often to prevent you from escaping from his grip.

He especially does not want you to succeed in getting into his head in order to understand his real game. Indeed, it is totally possible to recognize the weaknesses of the narcissistic pervert.

Learn to detect the signs quickly and you will be able to destroy the narcissistic pervert.
HERE ARE THE 5 THINGS A NARCISSISTIC PERVERT WILL NEVER TELL YOU:

  1. The narcissistic pervert is completely dependent on you.

He would feel a great inner emptiness without your presence and would go completely crazy, as if all of a sudden his precious treasure disappeared.

If this were to happen, he would be alone with himself and would even be very afraid of it. For the NP, you are his favorite prey!

  1. He would like to be like you and have your qualities.

The manipulator is extremely jealous of the extraordinary person that you are. He is jealous of your qualities that he will probably never have.

Often, they keep you in their grip to take away all the good in you since their jealousy is too intense. You must learn to protect your value from this toxic person.

  1. The Narcissistic Pervert Manipulator wants to own you and is desperate to control you.

He is constantly in need of controlling you. It is in his nature and if he were to lose control, he would fear being controlled by you.

  1. He has the mind of a very spoiled child.

A narcissistic pervert is not a responsible adult. The actions and mindset of this personality are exactly that of a child king.

  1. If they can’t keep you, they will easily replace you.

As you know, the NP doesn’t want to be alone and is desperate for a prey to fill an inner void. It’s as if he lives and breathes for the simple purpose of destroying others.

Absolutely

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main qimg 243d7480b3317c1d911baddac6834c29 lq

On May 7th he requested for a 21 day Holiday to go to Hong Kong for Traditional Medicine Treatment for Epilepsy.

On May 13th 2014, Snowden wrote to the Ministry of State Security in China and the FSB in Russia requesting for Asylum.

He gave 10 IP addresses to each Country monitored by the NSA as an initial offer of Asylum

The US promptly decided to extradite him from Hong Kong


Enter Robert Libbo & Ong Boon Keong

US filed three immediate requests :-

  • Provisional Arrest Immediately
  • If not Provisional arrest, at least Confinement in his Hotel Room
  • Monitoring all his activities

Sadly for US, China had got the IP Addresses and were Furious!!!!

Two Chinese Big Shots from the CPC visited HK and left a day later

HK said – Sorry!!!! We cannot arrest him or monitor his activities!!! Send your Extradition request within 30 days

Chinese Officials from the Singapore Consulate met Snowden and Snowden gave them over 278 GB of Data across 4 80 GB Support Disks. It contained many many many monitored IP addresses and protocol routes.

A Pro West Judge was slated to hear the case but 1 hour before the first hearing – He was so terrified by someone who called him that he mysteriously took a 14 day recuperation and the case moved to a devout pro chinese Judge – a Lady who refused everything to the US and openly told HK authorities to arrest anyone who entered the Mira Hotel without permission- diplomacy be damned

By the time US used Political clout – Snowden vanished. He moved to Kowloon to some Refugee apartment and the Pro Chinese Judge exempted him from any appearance.


The Technicalities

The US sent a formal extradition request and Lackey HK politicians dutifully endorsed it to the court.

Our Pro Chinese Judge promptly rejected it on grounds of:-

—Error in listen name

-Social Security Document not a valid proof of ID in HK and Passport details are mismatched

This was true. The Request was so hurried that the Name and Passport were botched up.

However China of 2013 wasnt the China of 2022. The Mainland Authorities knew eventually they would have to kowtow to US and send Snowden to US unless they invaded HK.

So they tipped off Snowden who moved to the Russian Consulate in HK


Snowden throws a Brilliant Curveball

Snowden applied to 21 Nations for Asylum knowing fully well he would go only to China. Later he changed to Russia after advise from the Chinese.

Snowden used the NSA tracking against them by making 20 calls to the Bolivian consulate in HK and talking to the Bolivian Ministry.

Everyone believed he would make for the Bolivian consulate.

Unlike Assange, Snowden wasnt an Idiot who trusted the Western System knowing they were all prostitutes of USA long ago.

Nobody looked at Russia

It was China or Bolivia.

Meanwhile HK authorities passed an order forbidding Snowden to leave by Air if he presented his passport


China makes the last call

Again China made a call and the order was revoked on Human Rights grounds and was called for somewhere in Mid June 2014

Snowden left 2 hours after it was revoked and well before US State Department could respond.

By the time the US State Department responded, Snowden was Long Gone and was in Moscow where Asylum was granted in a record 40 minutes pending a hearing scheduled 11 months later.


So it was China who ensured that Snowden never got caught or extradited

They however knew that they could not bring Snowden to Beijing and risk so much Political Pressure, so they orchestrated his movement to Russia and subsequently demanded details from the US on their spying that US simply could not give.

CHECKMATE

Today Snowden is a Russian Citizen


What happened in China next

The Great Firewall was enhanced and every single Protocol was destroyed

China amended the law to exempt Personal Security to US Equipment Server Engineers – Two Engineers who were arrested on grounds of spying were beaten so badly in custody that the rest fled China in sheer terror.

Over 500 Equipment Contracts with US were decimated

China demanded newer Security Agreements and told a Facebook Engineer who was arrested how they would target their families

It was literally a Mafia Moment in China

US Security Experts in China were so frightened that they all fled China and their equipment was seized and destroyed.

US didnt protest because they were caught with their pants down

Israels entire Surveilance system was compromised in Iran and Five Iranians were executed and their families disappeared

Israel and US lost a Massive Surveillance Behemoth in the Region


Snowden was easily Chinas Greatest Patriot

Without him imagine?

China would never have set up counter surveillance on US and created their Great Firewall and protected itself from Malicious Western Impacts.

This is a white guy’s perspective. Please don’t beat me to death.

Mom stayed at home. Dad went to work.

There were more, and better paying jobs out there for men who came back from the wars because there was less competition (not from working women)

So the Dads brought home the bacon and Moms cooked it.

There were Black and White TV’s in mid 50’s. No dishwashers (only Mom). We were ahead of the game and had a washer AND a dryer in the basement.

Got our first color TV in 64. Same year my mom, who was 46 got her driver’s license and first car. It was also the same year I was mugged as a 16 year old and hospitalized for a shattered nose and fractured skull (this was in a Good Neighborhood) on the S.W. side of Chicago.

This is the street corner where I was mugged.

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main qimg 120f5d7f21d35e08fb9a6e3360b38e54 pjlq

So it seemed to be simpler.

4 TV channels which went off about midnight.

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main qimg fb6254297510515660e1736577f0c44f pjlq

No internet, ping pong in the rec room, BBQ’s every weekend at a different house in the neighborhood.

Baseball in the park.

Good Humor Ice Cream trucks.

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main qimg 09d16988be3a0dbcc932b5c9a6a3c89e pjlq

Door to door salesman.

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The Milkman. Edit 10/5/2019 – They still exist! I met one today, didn’t look like this guy, but it seems that they have evolved, still delivering to retail outlets, BUT he does deliver milk and cream to people who are shut-in’s because of a disability.

That sort of surprised me. Enjoy.

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main qimg 90cf46ab810dc48efea7e90248679b0d pjlq

Friendly streets.

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main qimg 22b5940631c0498854c86b47e06ca005 pjlq

That’s what I remember and why it seemed to be simpler. The homes on this street are at least 67 years old, the age of the red brick 1 story house where I grew up (photo from 2018).

Maybe life seemed simpler than it really was. 🙂

EDIT: I want to thank the thousands of you who feel the same, and understand what happened when you read this post, and upvoted me.

It also dawned on me that I did not reference a lecture I had seen about the evolution about our information OVERLOAD.

Simply, in the 1800’s we only made a few decisions a day, Plow the front 40 or the back 40. kill and dress a chicken or a pig for dinner, THIS WHITE SHIRT OR THAT WHITE SHIRT for Sunday Church.

Today we make THOUSANDS of decisions AN HOUR.

The process of typing this edit meant I had to think, phrase and actually perform thousand+ keystrokes, just for this message.

Yep, life was easier when we didn’t have computers, IPads, SMART watches and SMART PHONES or 1000 TV Channels with 999 different opinions.

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main qimg 3e1543d5e0d67b498d491bf492b15e95 pjlq

The volume of information and decisions that we need to make every day is outpacing the evolution capability of our 30 Million year old brains.

Thanks again for reading!

Edit Christmas Day 2019.

One thing I just remembered today was when I was little, we did not have a fireplace in the house that you can see in the picture above. So I would go to the front door, and not only unlock the door, but open it slightly. My parents tried to tell me that when Santa couldn’t find a chimney to come down, he had a master key and came in.

But I did not believe them. In my mind I was only slightly taller than the door knob. So I would open the door, and then go to bed. But in the middle of the night after my parents went to bed, I would check the front door. It was always closed, so I opened it again, maybe just 1/2 inch. I would leave the cookies and milk next to a chair right by the door. While there was a storm door, the house would get still get cold, most Christmases were snow free, but still cold in Chicago.

My parents figured it out, because the milk and cookies were always gone, and the door was always closed when I got up.

Deep Dish Hamburger Pie

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2023 03 19 17 52

Ingredients

  • 1 pound ground beef
  • 1 can green beans
  • Salt and pepper to taste
  • Ketchup
  • 2 cups mashed potatoes
  • 1 cup shredded Cheddar cheese

Instructions

  1. Brown the meat and add your seasonings.
  2. Stir in enough ketchup to suit your taste.
  3. Add green beans and stir in well.
  4. Place this mixture in a casserole dish and top with the mashed taters and then top that with the cheese.
  5. Bake at 350 degrees F until heated through and cheese is browned.

China’s Governance Gap

‘First, enrich the people’ – Confucius

When I was 10, my parents signed me and my younger siblings up for the Krispy Kreme Doughnuts Kids Birthday Club. Basically, I gave Krispy Kreme my address and birth month and they would send me a coupon for a free dozen doughnuts every year on my birth month until I aged out of their Kids Club at age 12— ‘cause this is just for kids, OK?

Sweet deal.

But Krispy Kreme forgot to ask for the year in my birthday. They have no clue how old I am.

So I’m now almost 25, and I’ve been a member of the Krispy Kreme Doughnuts Kids Birthday Club for 15 years. That’s a 180 free doughnuts for me, plus another 180 for my sister and 180 for my brother.

540 free doughnuts.

They’ve since closed the loophole to new signups— first you had to list your full birthday down to the year to join the Krispy Kreme Kids club (which they temporarily and unfortunately called “KKK”

, no joke), and now they don’t even offer it. Adults can sign up to get one single donut on their birthday and some special days (tax day, Halloween, National Doughnut Day), but that’s it.

Will anyone at Krispy Kreme ever notice that I’ve been “under age 12” for 15 years? Tune in next year to find out.

Edit 2018: Nope, didn’t notice yet.

Edit 2019: More donuts.

Edit 2020: Happy donut day!

Edit 2021: Still more donuts.

Edit 2022: Congratulations to me, I’ve been “under 12” for 19 years! Can we get to an even 20?

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main qimg 337fd90e0665ae8bd6268db70f60972b lq

My husband has severe anxiety and panic attacks. He decided to get him an emotional support animal. My husband loves cats, so we decided to get a kitten. I called the local rescue and was put in touch with the kitten foster mom. When I talked to her, I told her that we were looking for a kitten that was calm and would tend to be a lap kitty. She said she had the perfect one. It was a kitten named Sadie.

We went to see the kittens. The foster mom had two large rooms with about 20 kittens. She brought a black and white kitten to my husband. This was Sadie. My husband petted her but soon she jumped down and was off playing with the others.

Then this lanky blond kitten crawled into my husband’s lap. He purred like crazy. My husband fell in love with this kitten. The foster mom said she wasn’t sure that this kitten would be a good match for us. He was always play fighting and getting in trouble. She had named him Scrappy because of his feisty personality.

My husband had made up his mind, so we took Scrappy home. We had thought of different names that we liked. The kitten became Marley before we even got home.

Our Marley has been an angel. He has helped my husband so much. Marley always knows when my husband needs him. He will cuddle up close to my husband and purr. Since Marley came to live with us about 8 months ago, my husband has not had a bad panic attack and his anxiety is better. We love our “Scrappy” kitten named Marley.

Marley petting my husband.

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main qimg 9d4ce569a9cec97eb3447ea646f932bf lq

China Foreign Minister Warns of Conflict with USA

Truth be told, the clear signs of the new non-Western world order are rapidly proliferating. Not only that 85 % of mankind have not joined “the Collective Biden” sanctions against Russia but as an example, thanks to these sanctions, India is now importing 33 times more from Russia than before. Iran, regardless of the U.S. sanctions on them, is now exporting more of its oil than before the sanctions. And the Republic of South Africa, as one very good but a somewhat different example, is dismissing the raging wrath expressed by the Collective West because of their (i.e. South African) marine military exercises with Russia recently. But as its key point, after Xi Jinping announced in Ryadh recently that China will be paying Saudi Arabia for Saudi oil in yuan, the Saudi Finance Minister confirms with a dollop of irony from Davos that the situation is abundantly clear that they will not sell oil exclusively in U.S. dollars. And, South African Minister of Foreign Affairs, Naledi Pandor reveals that more or less since 2014 the BRICS countries have been working hard on creating an alternative to the dollar system. All the projections tend to indicate that by 2030 China and India economies will be the biggest economies in the world and Russia will graciously overtake the economies of Germany and Japan.

The new world order is not a mere buzzword for the idle ones any more. One cannot but wonder who will shape it and in what manner: economically, financially and politically. Will the Collective West do their diabolical best to prevent that from happening by resorting to what they have always done: the truly global world war and possibly aided with nukes?

We are perhaps… at the most important… pivotal moment… of this entire world-changing exercise.

Your grand-kids will ask you about this date sometime in the future. Open your eyes. Pay attention.

Natasha Wright
March 8, 2023

It was Donbass and Crimea, which gave the staunchest opposition to the pro-European movements, by way of which the Collective West wanted to forcefully direct Ukraine’s future.

In Donbass, which used to be part of Ukraine up until recently, the local population have always spoken Russian as their mother tongue and considered themselves Russians i.e. members of the Russian population corpus. Donbass has up to recently been considered the richest part of Ukraine due to huge deposits of coal and other valuable and lucrative ores, including much-sought-after titanium. It was in effect Donbass together with Crimea, which gave the staunchest opposition to the pro-European movements, by way of which the Collective West wanted to forcefully direct Ukraine’s future.

After the coup orchestrated by the Collective West centres of power in Kiev in February 2014, and their legitimate President of Victor Yanukovych fleeing the country to Russia, in Donetsk and Lugansk regions, which did not (do not) want to live in subjugation to the forcefully and illegally imposed Kiev government, national militia was formed, which is trying to defend their population from the continual attacks by extremist formations and Ukrainian Army as well, which was soon to turn into an all-out war. Years of absolute downright terror perpetrated on the Donbass population of the region by the Kiev regime followed. Their response to that agonizing terror was the declaration of the independence by the Lugansk and Donetsk, to which Kiev regime responded in brutal military terror against the local Russian population for eight years up until February 2022.

During that period, in literally continual daily shelling of these republics at the time still not recognised, more than 14 000 people died tragically and 37 000 locals were wounded or injured. In the meantime, the Minsk Agreements were signed pertinent to the ceasefire and granting Donbass a special status, the guarantors of which were Paris, Berlin and Moscow. By reference to these agreements, Donbass was supposed to remain in Ukraine and thus be granted a special status, by way of which the entry of Ukraine into NATO would be precluded. The Ukrainian leaders regardless of having signed the two Minsk Agreements and participated in the negotiations in the Normandy Format did not consider that these were/are to be implemented (ever). At the beginning of the special military operation, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky stated in public that he had no intention of implementing them. The Former German Chancellor, Angela Merkel recently admitted that none of them had any intention of abiding by these agreements. They merely wanted to buy time so that they prepare and modernize Ukrainian army for them to ready themselves to stand in combat against the Russian military forces.

Obviously all of them considered the conflict inevitable. Russia was painfully aware where all that would lead. Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov in December 2021 asked Washington and NATO to provide written guarantees that NATO would not spread further eastward. Namely, he requested for Ukraine to preserve its neutrality. He sent a letter to all NATO and EU members respectively, requesting each of them to put forth their individual official declarations on the crisis of Ukraine. Lavrov reminded them of their agreement on the indivisible security principle, the meaning of which is as follows: ‘there is either ‘one security for all’ or there is security for none’. Brussels viewed that request by Sergey Lavrov as an effort to sow division and discord in the EU. Lavrov’s request for the sought guarantees was declined with frequent statements that they can negotiate with Russia only by use of weapons.

In the meantime, the situation in Donbass got to be continually exacerbated. Upon Kiev’s request, the Collective West started increasing the military aid for Ukraine. A few tonnes of weaponry were delivered to Ukraine including the Javelin anti-tank missile systems. It was rather clear that Kiev was on their warpath ‘to pacify the restless, resolutely unyielding population of Donbass once and for all. By the end of January 2022, the Collective West started the evacuation of their diplomats away from Kiev. Due to the worsening of the whole situation. on February 15, 2022, the State Duma and the Council of the Federation addressed the Russian President Vladimir Putin to recognise the independence of Lugansk and Donetsk People’s Republics.

Kiev responded by heavy shelling of the civilian and residential buildings, which was the shelling of the biggest proportions ever since 2014. The population started fleeing their homes in long processions seeking refuge in Russia. For the Russians it was the last political straw of brutal bloodshed when Ukrainian President Zelensky at the Minsk Security Conference declared that Ukraine could give up on their decades-long non-nuclear country status and annul their resolution when they had earlier renounced their nuclear arms after the collapse of the USSR.

The Donetsk and Lugansk government sought Vladimir Putin’s support to recognize their independence and declared general mobilization. Vladimir Putin then recognizes the independence of Donetsk and Lugansk People’s Republics on February 21. Early in the morning three days later, Russian President Vladimir Putin announced the beginning of the special military operation in Ukraine upon the request of Donbass. The goals of the operation were as follows: demilitarization and denazification of Ukraine. Russia shall not allow for Ukraine to get hold of nuclear arms and the NATO expansion eastward was/is non-negotiable.

The Russian Parliament Upper Chamber unanimously approved of the use of Russian armed forces abroad i.e. out of and not limited to the Russian national borders. The President of Russia warned that anybody who decides to interfere or meddle in the situation or endanger our country of Russia, that the response by Russia will be instantaneous and you shall face such consequences you have never experienced before’. That morning Russian military performed rocket shelling on the military infrastructure in Ukraine. Explosions eerily blasted and boomed in Kiev, Odessa, Dnipropetrovsk, Kharkov that fateful morning. Military infrastructure, anti-air defence facilities, military airports and Ukrainian armed forces aviation were rendered incompetent by use of high precision weaponry, said the Russian Ministry of Military Defence adding the words that civilians were not at risk.

The Russian army crossed the border in Kiev, Sumy, Chernigov, Kharkov and Kherson regions. At the same time, the national militia of Donetsk and Lugansk launched their offensive in the divide line of Donbass. The Russian forces occupy the Snake Island. A few dozens Russian helicopters with air raid forces crossed the border heading for the Gostomel village, which is located 25 kms away from Kiev. Around 300 Russian parachutists landed on the Antonov military airport and launched a full charge military offensive manoeuvre.

The surprise element played a crucial role. None of the Ukrainian military HQs expected that many helicopters to advance so deep into the mainland of Ukraine. They flew at very low altitudes, which enabled them to take the enemy radars by surprise. The airport had a huge strategic importance, due to which it had to be taken over but not destroyed. The Gostomel air raid is considered one of the most successful operations by the Russian air raid forces in their history. Russian defence minister Sergey Shoigu ordered the Russian army to treat Ukrainian troops with respect. He pointed out that Ukrainian soldiers, unlike the extremists, gave their oath to the Ukrainian people and they merely carried out orders issued to them.

At this point Kiev terminated their diplomatic relations with Moscow, and the Collective West introduced the highest number of sanctions in history against Russia: more than 10 000. Even in the first few days of the Russian special military operation, it was obvious that the Ukrainian army was installing missile guidance systems in the city centres. Putin addressed Ukrainian armed forces and their soldiers with the words to take the government in their own hands and not to allow Ukrainian neo-Nazis and Banderistas to use (and abuse) their children, wives and the old people as human shield for their own nefarious actions.

The former advisor the Ukrainian government administration, Aleksey Arestovich declared that Moscow tried to lead an intelligent war in the first few days of the special military operation. Russians were simply saying: ‘Surrender and we shall truly present you as heroes even in the museums of the future and you will be writing memoirs in your summer resort houses ‘. In the first days of the Russian special military operation, Russian army literally occupied the whole Kherson region without any fight or opposition from the locals, and a huge part of the Zaporozhye region. Russian units came to the suburbs of Kharkov and Kiev. They took over Chernobyl and Zaporozhye nuclear plants. The fiercest battles were fought in the Donetsk People’s Republic for Volnovakha and Mariupol. Cities of strategic importance Izyum in Kharkov region and Balakleya, in which there used to be one of the biggest weaponry warehouses was located, were liberated. During March 2022 the peace negotiations between Russia and Ukraine began.

Keeping Civilization Alive

Keeping civilization alive has fallen to us. A lot of us grew up believing that Democracy would deliver the best of all possible worlds, but that pleasant promise has become very obviously false. Rulership is not equipped to supply honest and humane living; what they are equipped to supply is ever-more rulership, aka, enforcement.

And so there’s no one to cultivate civilization but us, and we must do this. As briefly as possible, I’ll describe our situation, then move on to what we must do.

The Present Ruling Model

As I noted recently, there are two primary models for attaining a civilized, humane, high-trust way of life:

  1. Cultivate civilization within people.
  2. Enforce civilization upon people.

In the best of the old days, governments contented themselves to deal with exterior threats, leaving any number of religions and philosophies free to cultivate civilization within the populace.

Since the the 1970s, however, we’ve seen a hostile takeover of morality… of the enforcement of moral norms by the state. (Via the regulation or criminalization of everything.) Under this model, the state must enforce proper speech and sexual procedures; it must punish and repress the original sin of racism; it must enforce Green to prevent an apocalypse… it must eliminate threat after threat, ultimately bringing us to a promised land.

Ever-more enforcement is rulership’s path to paradise. And many people are pleased to believe such fantasies, coming, as they do, with no observable cost.

So, that’s where we are.

What, Then, Shall We Do?

What we need is to act on our own will and initiative. The good news is that we’re already doing just that. And as it turns out, we’re really good at it.

Our first job is to teach the next generation what is good and right. The enforcement complex will not do this (they’ll portray themselves as the ultimate standard of rightness) and so we need to teach the golden rule, tolerance, kindness, cooperation, integrity and so on.

The importance of this is extreme. I’m a bit more optimistic than historian Will Durant, but he had a point when he wrote this:

Civilization is not inherited; it has to be learned and earned by each generation anew; if the transmission should be interrupted for one century, civilization would die, and we should be savages again.

But again, it happens that we’re quite good at such things, provided that we undertake them directly, rather than handing them off to others in the name of convenience or in the name of specialization. There are no specialists who will teach basic decency to our children better than we can.

The ultimate training ground, of course, is the family. But again, that’s only useful if we do the work. The more honest, engaged and healthy our families, the more honest, engaged and healthy will be the next generation.

Civilization is also taught during the process of homeschooling. (Simultaneously keeping children from the toxic dogmas being pumped through government schools.) In the US, where the war on homeschooling remains at a fairly low level, 11.1 percent of American children are now said to be homeschooled. (So says the US Census) That’s a shocking number, and if it’s correct, it will bear noticeable fruit in not too many years.

Homeschool parents, whatever their shortfalls, are nearly always serious people, working hard to give their children the best education they can, including moral education. And if 11.1 percent of parents can do it, many more can do it as well.

In other places, particularly in Europe, homeschooling is barbarically persecuted, and so those of us in less-bad places should consider ways to help our oppressed brethren.

Past all of this, we have Bitcoin. This is money with civilization encoded within it. Bitcoin allows for no enforcer or overseer… has no handle for an overlord to grab. It is super-tolerant, in that censorship is very, very difficult and no one can be cut off because of their religion or anything else. More than that, Bitcoin has drawn to itself many of the most serious and morally-minded people.

What we need to do with Bitcoin is use it profligately. Bitcoin’s Lightning overlay (and dozens of Lightning-able wallets are available) accommodates any number of small purchases for trivial fees. We need to get this thing going. It’s freedom money, and thus morality money.

(Silver and gold could be used similarly, but that’s a post in itself. Hopefully soon.)

And So…

And so we have plenty to do. (And I haven’t mentioned things like talking to your neighbors, coworkers, people you ride the bus with, and so on.)

We’re on our own now… as perhaps we’ve always been. We need to do this. Pick a spot and start.

**

Paul Rosenberg

The true story behind how I got a Pee-wee Herman Chia Pet

/ by

CHIA PET
CHIA PET
The Pee-wee Herman Chia Pet

A year ago, for Christmas, my longtime friend Cassandra Peterson AKA Elvira Mistress of the Dark, gave me her Elvira Chia Pet. I was immediately extremely jealous.

As my envy grew, I started looking on the box for a way to contact the company.

I broadened my search to the internet and found a phone number!

When I phoned, I heard a message that said my call was being routed to someone in the Chia department and then it rang a few times, then gave me the option of leaving a message.

Here’s the message I left:

“Hello. My name is Pee-wee Herman. My friend Elvira just gave me her Chia Pet for Christmas and I’m so jealous that I’m calling to find out who to talk with about how I could get a Pee-wee Chia Pet. 

It’s really me, honest. 

I know Elvira’s real name, Cassandra Peterson, and her manager, Mr M*****. Please let me know who could help me get a Pee-wee Chia Pet. My number is ***-***-****. 

I’ll be waiting by the phone. Thank you.”

As soon as I hung up I realized I should have left a different, less crazy message but it was too late. I waited a couple of days, all the while thinking a friend would inevitably be sending me a link to my message being posted on the internet.

Instead, 3 days after leaving the message, SOMEONE FROM THE CHIA PET COMPANY CALLED ME!

A very nice woman told me,

“Pee-wee, you can absolutely have a Chia Pet! In fact, we’d like to work with you on producing a whole line of Pee-wee products if you’d be interested.”

Well, the first product in my EXTENSIVE NEW LINE OF PEE-WEE MERCHANDISE is here. Guess what it is?! Wow—good guess!! THE PEE-WEE HERMAN CHIA PET is available NOW!!

I am almost sure you’re thinking right now about how you lived without it! Well, you don’t have to ponder that any longer!!!!! Buy 2 or more and get no discount at all! Same deal if you buy 10! These things won’t last forever unless you’re into buying a ‘used’ one.

BTW, the photo on the box really doesn’t the product justice. When I took out the first one it was like looking in the mirror!

I’m going to set up the Pee-wee Chia Pet and put it on the windowsill with my two other friends who have Chia Pets—Elvira and David Hasselhoff.

Massive Russian Missile Strikes Against Ukraine!

Wednesday evening here on the east coast of the United States, word began coming in at about 8:30 PM EST that an utterly massive missile attack by Russia had begun hitting Ukraine. All reports are now confirmed.  Russia appears to have launched the largest missile attack to date since hostilities began a year ago.

It began with Air Raid alerts in much of central Ukraine, as seen in the alert map below:

2023 03 09 14 r47
2023 03 09 14 r47

Minutes later, confirmation that 6-7 Tu-22M Strategic Bombers reported Airborne over the Sea of Azov.  Air launched cruise missiles became the worry.

It quickly became clear that Russia was using  Shahid drones first to overwhelm the Air Defenses and then cruise missiles would follow.

Word then came in confirming:

– 15 Tu-95 Strategic Bombers Airborne

– 6-7 Tu-22 Strategic Bombers Airborne

– At least 3 Russian Missile Carriers in the Black Sea – Multiple Shahed-136 Drone launches

Within minutes Air Raid Sirens began sounding over all of Ukraine.

Here is how the reports came in — while I was on the air broadcasting . . . .

Dnipro. Unmanned aerial vehicle of the Shahed type. Air Defenses Activated.

Then Cruise Missiles confirmed to have been launched from the Black Sea towards Ukraine.

Explosions are heard in Odessa subscribers report.

Missiles seen moving in the direction of Vinnitsa and Kropivnitsky.

Missile(s) reported over Mykolaiv oblast.

Missiles then seen over the Vinnytsia Region heading towards Western Ukraine, confirmed to be Caliber cruise missile.

Reports of missile(s) heading towards Vinnytsia oblast. Explosions noted in Mykolaiv oblast.

Cruise missiles reported over the Kherson region towards Kiev.

Ukrainian Air Defense along the Black Sea are working hard to Intercept as many Cruise Missiles as they can.

Air defense activity reported in Mykolaiv oblast. Reports of missiles being shot down.

Explosions in Odesa and Mykolaiv regions.

“Due to the threat of a missile attack in Odessa and the region, emergency electricity shutdowns were introduced”

More explosions in Dnipro and Mykolaiv over the last few moments.

Initial reports of Russian Cruise Missiles fired from the Black Sea spotted over Moldova heading towards Western Ukraine.

Missiles from the Black Sea towards Ukraine.

Air raid sirens sounding in Kyiv and surrounding regions. Reports of Shahed drones airborne in addition to 10x Tu-95 bombers. Missile launches are possible.

Ukrainian jets have taken off in Kyiv. This is usually done to intercept missiles.

Reports of up to 15 Russian Tu-95 strategic bombers possibly carrying air-launched cruise missiles heading to launch points. If confirmed could be largest cruise missile attack of the war.

More missiles now in the direction of Zaporizhia and Vinnytsia.

Repeated explosions, Dnepropetrovsk, Nikolaev regions.

Missile towards Kryvyi Rih reported.

Missile reported in the direction of Cherkasy Oblast, central Ukraine.

Now missiles in the direction of Odeshchyna.

Explosions reported in Zaporozhye.

Missiles now reported over the City of Kryvyi Rih in Southern Central Ukraine.

It went on like this for over an hour.

At least 6 waves of missile launches hit Ukraine.   Concensus is that tonight was the largest missile strike by Russia against Ukraine since hostilities began.

VERY HEAVY DAMAGE to Ukraine.

Banbury Tarts

2023 03 08 17 44
2023 03 08 17 44

Ingredients

  • 1 1/2 cups (3 sticks) butter
  • 1 cup sugar
  • 2 egg yolks
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 4 cups flour
  • Seedless jelly or jam (preferably currant or raspberry)

Instructions

  1. Heat the oven to 375 degrees F.
  2. In the bowl of a stand mixer, or in a large bowl using an electric mixer, cream together the butter and sugar until light and fluffy, 3 to 5 minutes.
  3. Beat in the egg yolks, then the vanilla extract.
  4. Slowly beat in the flour until combined and smooth to form the dough (the dough will be a bit stiff at the end, and you may need to add the last cup of flour by hand).
  5. Form the dough into small balls and make a depression in the middle with your thumb.
  6. Spoon a teaspoon or so of jelly in the depression.
  7. Space the cookies about 2 inches apart on a baking sheet and bake until lightly browned, about 15 minutes.

It’s Official: China Foreign Minister Warns of “Conflict” with USA

2023 03 08 11 46
2023 03 08 11 46

China’s foreign minister on Tuesday warned of “conflict and confrontation” with the United States if Washington does not “hit the brakes” on its current approach to relations with Beijing.

“If the United States does not hit the brakes, but continues to speed down the wrong path, no amount of guardrails can prevent derailing, and there will surely be conflict and confrontation,” Foreign Minister Qin Gang said at the National People’s Congress.

He added that the U.S. call for “establishing guardrails and not seeking conflict simply means that China should not respond in word or in action when attacked.

Qin’s comments come as U.S.-China relations remain strained amid a series of controversies, including the suspected Chinese spy balloon that hovered in U.S. airspace last month. The U.S. military shot down the balloon off the coast of South Carolina after it spent a week traversing the country and reportedly surveilling strategic sites.

Qin accused the U.S. of overreacting to the balloon incident and creating “a diplomatic crisis that could have been avoided.”  Beijing has maintained that the high-flying object was a weather balloon that was blown off course.

“The result is the U.S. and China policy has entirely deviated from the rational and sound track,” he added.

Be The Person You Want To Be With

 

We’ve seen it time and time again. That one co-worker who is obese but is only attracted to people of a healthy weight, that one cousin who prefers to date highly successful people but have no ambition whatsoever, and that one friend who you love to death but they carry themselves like they’re in a post-apocalyptic era and for some reason they only want to date Instagram models.

And it’s not that we don’t think it could ever happen because we’ve seen a lot of people defy the odds and get the satisfaction of throwing a middle finger up at society’s expectations but the truth is that more often than not it doesn’t end up that way. I personally don’t put too much weight on leagues but that doesn’t mean that society doesn’t have certain social constructs and hierarchies that we still observe.

Most people want someone who is on their level or higher when it comes to attractiveness, finances, intelligence, education, social status etc. These matter a lot to some people while others care more about sharing fundamental values. So for example, my mom is a professor and published author and my dad is a plumber who owns his own business but barely made it out of high school alive. A lot of people wondered how he managed to snag my mom but what they didn’t understand was that they already shared a lot core values and he put in the work as well.

Here’s the thing, my father didn’t just sit there and hope that this gorgeous professor would just magically fall for him. He put in the work and even showed her that in some ways he was out of her league as well. She had a more attractive face but he had a way better physique and he eventually helped her to get fit. She was more educated but he was better at business and ended up helping her start her own. Oh, and he’s a great handy man and really good cook. He didn’t complain about how highly educated women like her were shallow for not dating blue collar men like him who weren’t as sophisticated or eloquent. He also didn’t push himself to be something he wasn’t. He worked on his weaknesses and presented his strengths, and went after what he wanted with reasonable expectations.

What I’m trying to say is that there is nothing wrong with having higher than average standards because I feel like some of you do. Some of you aren’t just looking for simple love and companionship. Some of you are looking for a partner that will wow you. You secretly want someone to make you feel validated. You want someone who is smarter than you, more attractive than you, funnier than you, more charismatic, more successful etc. You want someone from the top percentile to notice how good of a person you are and give you a chance. I get it and that’s totally fine. But understand that you’re going to have to put in the work and stop being bitter and disappointed when the guy/girl who you and everyone else is chasing after ends up being more picky because they have more options.

​My intention isn’t to come on here and make you feel less worthy and tell you that you can never find the person of you dreams. All I’m saying is that just like how you have certain expectations, other people will have their own too and the goal here is to ensure that you’re both satisfied with what the other person is bringing to the table. So for example, if you want someone who is very intelligent you have to think about what that person wants in return. Do they want someone equally as intelligent or do they care more about looks and humor? This will help you to evaluate your chances and decide if this is someone you want to put effort into pursuing.

US arrogance and belligerency has reached insane proportions. The whole world can see that except the US leaders perpetrating it.

Cynthia Chung
February 3, 2023

Japan’s economy does not require a prophet or crystal ball to tell you what lies ahead in its very near future: that is, that Japan has become the ticking time bomb for the world economy.

In case you haven’t been able to hear under all the media thunder of doomsday prophesying by so-called “experts” on China’s future economic performance (which has been going on for close to a decade and is more akin to wishful thinking than economic analysis), Japan’s economy does not require a prophet or crystal ball to tell you what lies ahead in its very near future: that is, that Japan has become the ticking time bomb for the world economy.

According to NIKKEI Asia, in an October report, Japan’s “yen weakened past 150 against the dollar reaching a new 32-year low as the policy gap widens between the Bank of Japan and the U.S. Federal Reserve…The Fed has repeatedly raised interest rates to tackle inflation, while the Bank of Japan maintains its ultraloose monetary policy to support the economy.

The Fed’s hawkish monetary policy, along with persistent inflation expectations, has pushed the benchmark 10-year U.S. Treasury yield up to 4%. The Bank of Japan, meanwhile, is continuing to hold the 10-year Japanese government bond yield near zero. The Japanese central bank conducted a bond-buying operation for the second straight day to keep the yield within its implicit range of -0.25% to 0.25%.

The yield gap is prompting investors to invest in dollars rather than yen, exerting strong downward pressure on the Japanese currency.” [emphasis added]

In response to this the Bank of Japan (BOJ) decided to maintain its “ultraloose monetary policy” as BOJ Governor Haruhiko Kuroda “highlighted downside risks to the economy and indicated his willingness to accept a weaker yen.” By mid-November it was reported that the Japanese economy shrank for the first time in four quarters as inflation and the weak yen hit the country. “Japan has a history of having suffered from extreme yen strength,” Kuroda added, suggesting that excessive weakness is easier to bear than a too-muscular currency.

By mid-November, NIKKEI Asia reported “Bank of Japan’s ultreasy policy under pressure as inflation hits 40-year high,” with food prices increasing by 3.6% on the year in October, well above the 2% target. Governor of the BOJ, Kuroda responded “The bank will continue with monetary easing, aiming to firmly support Japan’s economy and thereby achieve the price stability target of 2% in a sustainable and stable manner, accompanied by wage increases.

By mid-January Japan had reported a record low in annual trade deficit of $155 billion USD for 2022.

2023 03 09 15 33
2023 03 09 15 33

 

This is not a sudden outcome for Japan’s economy but rather has been a slow burn over a 12 year period. Alex Krainer writes: “Over the ensuing 12 years and several rounds of ever greater QE [quantitative easing], the imbalances have only worsened and in February last year, the BOJ was forced to go full Mario Draghi, all-that-it-takes, committing to buy unlimited amounts of JGB’s [Japanese Government Bonds]. At the same time however, the BOJ capped the interest rates on 10-year JGBs at 0.25% to avoid inflating the domestic borrowing costs…Well, if you conjure unlimited amounts of currency to monetize runaway government debt, and you keep the interest rates suppressed below market levels, you are certain to blow up the currency.”

Not unrelated to this unfolding of Japan’s economy was the meeting of the Trilateral Commission in Tokyo, Japan for their 50th anniversary this past November.

For those who are unaware, the Trilateral Commission was founded in the wake of the Watergate and oil crisis of 1973. It was formed under the pretense of addressing the “crisis of democracy” and calling for a reshaping of political systems in order to form a more “stable” international order and “cooperative” relations among regions.

Alex Krainer writes:

The commission was co-founded in July of 1973 by David Rockefeller, Zbigniew Brzezinski and a group of American, European and Japanese bankers, public officials and academics including Alan Greenspan and Paul Volcker. It was set up to foster close cooperation among nations that constituted the three-block architecture of today’s western empire. That ‘close cooperation’ was intended as the very foundation of the empire’s ‘three block agenda,’ as formulated by the stewards of the undead British Empire.”

Its formation would be organised by Britain’s hand in America, the Council on Foreign Relations, (aka: the offspring of the Royal Institute for International Affairs, the leading think tank for the British Crown).

Project Democracy would originate out of a Trilateral Commission meeting on May 31st, 1975 in Kyoto Japan, where the Trilateral Commission’s “Task Force on the Governability of Democracies” findings were delivered. The project was overseen by Trilateral Commission Director Zbigniew Brzezinski and its members James Schlesinger (former CIA Director) and Samuel P. Huntington.

It would mark the beginning of the end, introducing the policy, or more aptly “ideology”, for the need to instigate a “controlled disintegration of society.”

However, it appears certain participants of this Trilateral Commission are starting to catch on that this alliance between the United States, Western Europe and Japan for the restructuring of regions (à la League of Nations) is not what they so naively thought it would be, that is, that it would not be just about the disintegration of competing economies but would include their very own.

In the end, all would be expected to bend the knee in subservience to the head of a new world empire. As one of the attendees of this latest Trilateral meeting jokedsome…say that all the significant events in the world have been predetermined by the Trilateral Commission,” he said to laughter from the veteran attendees, however, “we don’t know who’s in, what they are saying!

Interestingly, three reporters from NIKKEI Asia were invited to observe this 50th anniversary gathering of the Trilateral Commission, the first time that press has been allowed entry into the notoriously secretive meetings. The meeting began with Rahm Emanuel, the U.S. Ambassador to Japan, delivering his remarks in a speech titled, “Democracy vs. Autocracy: You are going to see 2022 as an Inflection Point in the Success of Democracy.”

Interestingly, it seems that the Asian delegates weren’t too impressed.

NIKKEI Asia reported: “the press has been invited to highlight a rift that may be emerging between Asia and the other wings of the organization. ‘We feel that the U.S. policy toward Asia, especially toward China, has been narrow-minded and unyielding. We want the people in the U.S. to recognize the various Asian perspectives,’ said Masahisa Ikeda, an executive committee member of the Trilateral Commission. Ikeda has been named the next director of the Asia Pacific Group [of the Trilateral Commission], and is scheduled to assume the position next spring.

A new sentiment has now emerged from the Asia Pacific Group: Without proper steering, the U.S.-China rivalry may lead the world into a dangerous confrontation.” [emphasis added]

The U.S. Ambassador to Japan, Rahm Emanuel was quoted as saying while democracy is “sloppy” and “messy,” “the institutions of the democratic process, the political stability of the United States, NATO, the European countries, have held.”

However, there were many attendees who disagreed with Emanuel’s pro-U.S., pro-NATO, anti-China stance. “What is the ambassador saying?” a former Japanese official said on background. “We must engage China. If we force countries to choose sides, the Southeast Asian nations will choose China. The key is to not force them to choose,” he said.

I feel very much embarrassed and disappointed to see the complete void of Chinese participation in this meeting,” said a former Japanese financial official. A veteran member from the Philippines agreed, saying there is no point talking about Asia without the participation of the region’s largest country and expressed concern about dividing the world into two camps. “When two elephants fight, the ants get trampled. And we’re feeling it. When two elephants fight to the death, we will all be dead. And the question is: What for?” [emphasis added]

A South Korean professor told Emanuel in the Q&A period that there are concerns in Asia about the zero-sum thinking in U.S. foreign policy toward China. “We have to develop some deliverable strategy to persuade and engage un-like-minded countries as well.”

NIKKEI Asia also reportedThere were also members who noted how the liberal international order that Washington advocates is different from the original liberal order that was formed after World War II. ‘The original order, led by the U.S., sought a multifaceted extensive international system based on multilateral institutions and free trade among the democratic bloc,’ a South Korean academic said. The Six Party Talks on North Korea’s nuclear weapons was one such example of the original order, the academic said, noting that the U.S., China and Russia were all at the table.” [emphasis added]

The NIKKEI Asia report ended with a veteran of the Trilateral Commission – a former Philippine cabinet minister – who stated “Just in the past week, we edged toward a nuclear confrontation,” referring to the missile blast in Poland, that was initially suspected to be a Russian-made missile, but was more likely a Ukrainian air-defense missile that landed in NATO territory ‘by mistake.’ “And we edged toward that because of the type of zero sum games that us elders are playing. Is this what you want for your future? You don’t want a situation in the future where everybody’s edging toward the cliff and being macho about it without realizing that this is a zero-sum game that could wipe out the planet. It is beyond climate change,” the veteran said.

Japan’s “Shock Therapy” as a Response to the “Crisis of Democracy”

The Trilateral Commission is a non-governmental body, its members include elected and non-elected officials scattered throughout the world, ironically coming together to discuss how to address the “crisis of democracy” in the most undemocratic process possible. It is an organisation meant to uphold the “interests” of its members, regardless of who the people voted into political office.

On Nov 9th, 1978, Trilateral Commission member Paul Volcker (Federal Reserve Chairman from 1979-1987) would affirm at a lecture delivered at Warwick University in England: “A controlled disintegration in the world economy is a legitimate object for the 1980s.” This is also the ideology that has shaped Milton Friedman’s “Shock Therapy”. By the time of Jimmy Carter’s Administration, the majority of the government was being run by members of the Trilateral Commission.

In 1975 the CFR launched a public study of global policy titled the 1980’s Project. The general theme was “controlled disintegration” of the world economy, and the report did not attempt to hide the famine, social chaos, and death its policy would bring upon most of the world’s population.

The study explained that the world financial and economic system needed a complete overhaul according to which key sectors such as energy, credit allocation and food would be placed under the direction of a single global administration. The objective of this reorganization would be the replacement of sovereign nation states (using the League of Nations model).

This is precisely and demonstrably what has occurred to Japan’s economy over the past four decades, as showcased in the Princes of Yen documentary based off of Richard Werner’s book by the same title. As Werner demonstrates, Japan’s economy was purposefully put through multiple economic crises throughout the 80s and 90s in order to push through massive structural reform despite their economy having been one of the world’s top performing before foreign tampering.

As Werner insightfully remarked, the best way to have a crisis is to manufacture a bubble, that way, nobody will stop you.

To understand the incredible significance of this, we will need a quick review of what occurred to Japan’s economy over a 40-year period.

Japan’s Offering to the Gods on the Altar of “Free Trade”

By the 1980s, Japan was the second biggest economy in the world next to the United States and was a leader in the manufacturing of consumer technology products to the West, including the United States. Due to Japan’s investment in automation tools and processes, Japan was able to produce products faster and cheaper than the United States that were also superior in quality.

One of the examples of this was competition between the two in the memory chip DRAM market. In 1985, there was a recession in the United States in the computer market, resulting in the biggest crash in over ten years for Intel. Complaints from certain quarters in the United States began criticizing Japan for “predatory” and “unfair” trade practices despite the recession in 1985 being a demand problem and not a competition problem.

Long story short, President Reagan, who was supposed to be all about free markets, in the spring of 1986 forced the U.S.-Japan Semiconductor Agreement with METI (Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry in Japan).

Part of the conditionalities of this agreement were that the American semiconductor share in the Japanese market be increased to a target of 20-30% in five years, that every Japanese firm stop its “dumping” into the American market and the Americans wanted a separate monitoring body to help enforce all of this.

No surprise here, the Japanese companies refused to do this and METI had no way of forcing them to do so.

President Reagan responded by imposing a 100% tariff on $300 million worth of Japanese goods in April 1987. Combined with the 1985 Plaza Agreement which revalued the Japanese Yen the U.S.-Japan Semiconductor Agreement gave the U.S. memory market the extra boost it needed. (for more details on story of how the U.S. tampered with the Japanese semiconductor market refer here).

The Plaza Accord was signed in 1985 by Japan, Germany, France, Britain and the United States. The agreement depreciated the United States Dollar against the Japanese Yen and the German Deustche Mark in an effort to improve the competitiveness of American exports. How very “free market”!!! (Refer here for the story of De Gaulle and Adenauer’s attempt to form the European Monetary System which was sabotaged by Anglo-America). Over the next two years after the signing of the Plaza Accord, the dollar lost 51% of its value against the yen. Japan entered the Plaza Accord to avoid having its goods tariffed and locked out of the American market.

ya04022302
ya04022302

 

The Yen’s appreciation plunged the Japanese manufacturing sector into recession. In response to this, the Bank of Japan loosened monetary lending policies and lowered interest rates. This cheap money was supposed to be funneled into productive efforts. Instead, it went into stocks, real estate, and asset speculation. This is when Japanese real estate and stocks reached their peak price level.

Between 1985 and 1989, stocks rose in Japan by 240% and land prices by 245%. By the end of the 80s the value of the garden surrounding the Imperial Palace in central Tokyo was worth as much as the entire state of California.

Although Japan is only 1/26th of the size of the United States its land was valued at four times greater. The market value of a single one of Tokyo’s 23 districts, the Central Chiyoda Ward exceeded the value of the whole of Canada.

With asset and stock prices rising inexorably even traditional manufacturers could not resist the temptation to try their hand at playing the markets. Soon they expanded their finance and treasury divisions to handle the speculation themselves. The frenzy reached such proportions that many leading manufacturers, such as the car maker Nissan, made more money through speculative investments than through manufacturing cars.

The Princes of Yen documentary explains: “Many credited the boom in Japan’s economy to high and rising productivity. In reality, Japan’s stellar performance in the 1980s had little to do with management techniques. Instead of being used to limit and direct credit, window guidance was used to create a giant bubble. It was the Bank of Japan who had forced the banks to increasing their lending by so much. The Bank of Japan knew that the only way for banks to fulfill their loan quotas was for them to expand non-productive lending.

Between 1986 and 1989, Toshihiko Fukui was the head of the Banking Department at the Bank of Japan and would later become the 29th Governor of the Bank of Japan. This was the department that was responsible for the window guidance quotas.

When Fukui was asked by a journalist “Borrowing is expanding fast, don’t you have any intention of closing the tap of bank loans?” Fukui replied “Because the consistent policy of monetary easing continues, quantity control of bank loans would imply a self-contradiction. Therefore, we do not intend to implement quantitative tightening. With structural adjustment of the economy going on for quite a long period, the international imbalances are being addressed. The monetary policy supports this, thus we have the responsibility to continue the monetary easing policy as long as possible. Therefore, it is natural for bank loans to expand.”

In Japan, total private sector land wealth rose from 14.2 trillion yen in 1969, to 2000 trillion yen in 1989.

The Princes of Yen documentary reported: “At his first press conference as the 26th governor of the Bank of Japan, in 1989, Yasushi Mieno said that ‘Since the previous policy of monetary easing had caused the land price rise problems, real estate-related lending would now be restricted.’ Mieno was hailed as a hero in the press to put a stop to this silly monetary policy that was responsible for the increasing gap between the rich and the poor. However, Mieno was deputy governor [of the Bank of Japan] during the bubble era, and he was in charge of creating the bubble.

All of a sudden land and asset prices stop rising. In 1990 alone, the stock market dropped by 32%. Then in July 1991, window guidance was abolished. As banks realised that the majority of the 99 trillion yen in bubble loans were likely to turn sour, they became so fearful that they not only stopped lending to speculators, but also restricted loans to everyone else. More than 5 million Japanese lost their jobs and did not find employment elsewhere. Suicide became the leading cause of death for men between the ages of 20 and 44.

Between 1990 and 2003, 212,000 companies went bankrupt. In the same period, the stock market dropped by 80%. Land prices in the major cities fell by up to 84%. Meanwhile, the Governor of the Bank of Japan, Yasushi Mieno, said that ‘Thanks to this recession, everyone is becoming conscious of the need to implement economic transformation’.”

Between 1992 and 2002, ten stimulation packages worth 146 trillion yen were issued. The thought was domestic demand had to be boosted by government spending and then loan demand would also rise. For a decade the government executed this approach, boosting government debt to historic levels.

Richard Werner remarkedThe government was spending with the right hand, putting money into the economy, but the fundraising was done through the bond market, and therefore it took the same money out of the economy with the left hand. There was no increase in total purchasing power, and that’s why the government spending couldn’t have an impact.”

By 2011, Japan’s government debt would reach 230% of GDP, the highest in the world. The Ministry of Finance was running out of options. Observers began to blame the Ministry of Finance (despite the clear sabotage by the Bank of Japan’s actions) for the recession, and started to listen to the voices that argued that the recession was due to Japan’s economic system.

In Japan, the authorities and the Bank of Japan argued, as did the Western powers almost two decades later, that the taxpayer should foot the bill. However, taxpayers have not been responsible for the banks problems, therefore, such policies have created a moral hazard (a moral hazard is a situation where an economic actor has an incentive to increase its exposure to risk because it does not bear the full costs of that risk).

According to the Princes of Yen documentary, Finance Minister Masajuro Shiokawa had turned to the Bank of Japan asking it to help stop deflation, or fight deflation at least. The Bank of Japan consistently defied calls by the government, by the Finance Minister and the Prime Minister of Japan, to create more money to stimulate the economy and end the long recession. At times the Bank of Japan even actively reduced the amount of money circulating in the economy, which worsened the recession. The Bank of Japan’s arguments always came to the same conclusion, namely that the blame lay in Japan’s economic structure.

It should also be noted that a whole generation of Japan’s economists were sent to the United States to receive PhDs and MBAs in U.S. style economics. Since neoclassical economics assumes that there is only one type of economic system, namely, unmitigated free markets, where shareholders and central bankers rule supreme, many Japanese economists quickly came to regurgitate the arguments of U.S. economists.

By the late 1990s, Japan’s economy was heading for the rocks. Ira Shapiro who worked as a U.S. ‘negotiator’ of U.S.-Japan talks during this period statedPrimary sector deregulation is needed to overcome the entrenched interests of large insurance companies, life and non-life, and the Ministry of Finance bureaucracy.

On Shapiro’s Federalist Society biography page, he is described as playing “a central role in the negotiation and legislative approval of the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) and the multilateral Uruguay Round that created the World Trade Organization and the current trade rules.”

These U.S.-Japan talks needed to reach an agreement by a deadline decided by the United States. If no agreement were met after the declared deadline, then the U.S. had threatened to impose trade sanctions.

Richard Werner clarified what would be the consequences of Shapiro’s demands to the Japanese; that securitisation of the real estate was being pushed however, in order to have meaningful securitisation we need deregulation, and to get deregulation you have to reduce the power of the Ministry of Finance. This in turn would allow the Bank of Japan, who was under the purview of the Ministry of Finance, to gain power.

From the mid 1990s onwards the Government began to dismantle much of the power structure of the Ministry of Finance. The Bank of Japan, on the other hand, saw its influence grow significantly. The Bank of Japan was cut loose from the Ministry of Finance pretty much making it independent.

Soon after his retirement from the position of governor of the Bank of Japan in 1994, Mieno embarked on a campaign, giving speeches to various associations and interest groups. He lobbied for a change in the Bank of Japan law. His line of argument was to subtly suggest that the Ministry of Finance had pushed the Bank of Japan into the wrong policies. To avoid such problems in the future, the Bank of Japan had to be given full legal independence.

In 1998 monetary policy was put into the hands of the newly independent Bank of Japan.

In early 2001, a new type of politician was swept into power. Junichiro Koizumi became the Prime Minister of Japan. In terms of his popularity and his policies he is often compared to Margaret Thatcher and Ronald Reagan. His message was simply: no recovery without structural reform.

Princes of Yen remarked: “During 2001, the message of no economic growth without structural reform had been broadcast on an almost daily basis on the nation’s TV screens. Japan was shifting its economic system to a U.S. style market economy, and that also meant that the centre of the economy was being moved from banks to stock markets. To entice depositors to pull their money out of banks and into the risky stock market, reformers withdrew the guarantee on all bank deposits, while creating tax incentives for stock investments.

As U.S. style shareholder capitalism spread, unemployment rose significantly, income and wealth disparities rose, as did suicides and incidents of violent crime. Then, in 2002, the Bank of Japan strengthened its efforts to worsen bank balance sheets and force banks to foreclose on their borrowers…Heizo Takenaka [the new Minister for Financial Services] was supportive of the Bank of Japan’s plan to increase foreclosures of borrowers…Takuro Morinaga, a well-known economist in Tokyo, argued forcefully that the Bank of Japan inspired proposal by Takenaka would not have many indigenous beneficiaries, but instead would mainly benefit U.S. vulture funds specialising in the purchase of distressed assets…[When Toshihiko] Fukui’s support for the bankruptcy plan was voiced… [he] was an adviser of the Wall Street investment firm Goldman Sachs, one of the largest operators of vulture funds in the world.”

Richard Werner remarked: “Mr. [Toshihiko] Fukui [29th Governor of the Bank of Japan], and also his mentor Mr. [Yasushi] Mieno [26th Governor of the Bank of Japan], and his mentor Mr. [Haruo] Maekawa [24th Governor of the Bank of Japan], and you’ve guessed it, these are some of the Princes of the Yen that the book is all about. They have said on the record in the 80s and the 90s, ‘What is the goal of monetary policy? It is to change the economic structure.’ Now how do you do that? Well, you need a crisis. They made a crisis in order to change the economic structure.”

The department responsible for the window guidance quotas at the Bank of Japan, was called the Banking Department. The man at the head of this from ‘1986 to ’1989, was Toshihiko Fukui. Mr. Fukui thus directly helped create the bubble. When Fukui had become governor of the Bank of Japan, he would sayWhile destroying the high-growth model, I am building a model that suits the new era.

Richard Werner remarked: “They have succeeded on all counts. If you look at the list of their goals, destroy the Ministry of Finance, break it up, get an independent supervisory agency, reach independence for the Bank of Japan itself by changing the Bank of Japan law, and engineer deep structural changes in the economy, by shifting from manufacturing to services, opening up, deregulating, liberalising, privatising, the whole lot.”

U.S. Fomenting “Maiden-Style” Revolution in Country of Georgia. Paying Protesters – Even Ukraine Refugees – To cause “Second War Front” for Russia

The United States is fomenting and facilitating another “color-revolution,” this one in the country of Georgia. Millions of US Dollars are being handed out by the U.S. Embassy to local people for them to protest the Georgia government.  The goal is to cause another “color revolution” and thereby cause a second war front against . . . Russia.

Mass protests are taking place in Georgia after the country’s parliament passed a bill designating non-governmental organizations (NGO’s) and media that receive more than 20% of their funding from abroad as “foreign agents”. The people protesting? The foreign agents.

 

Strange that __their__new law mimics . . . . U.S. Law . . . .

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2023 03 09 14 52

 

The Protesters are already starting to get violent.  Below, they’re taking protective barriers OFF THE BUILDING!

 

 

You may have noticed quite a bit of ‘blue/yellow’ lot in the crowd there?  Ukraine Refugees!

Another “Maidan”

What is taking place here is another Ukraine-type “revolution” to overthrow the government of Georgia, like the “Maiden” actions inside Ukraine back in 2014.   Another Maidan near Russian borders. Preparing another nation as cannon fodder to fight Russia in the interests of London and Washington.

Even the general public sees what’s going on and isn’t staying quiet about it:

 

 

and . . .

 

 

As seen on the scalable map below, Georgia is to the south of Russia.   The apparent goal of the US is to cause more war action to split-apart Russian military might, cause them to have to fight on two fronts, and maybe, just maybe, they can “save” Ukraine in the process.

 

Even Diplomats see what’s going on and are speaking about it publicly:

 

Is there no end to the trouble that the United States can cause?

Chinese online mapping platform Amap makes over 300b positioning calls/day using BeiDou satellites

2023-02-20 Global Times Editor:Li Yan

Chinese online mapping platform Amap revealed on Saturday that its daily usage of the domestically developed BeiDou Navigation Satellite System (BDS) to make positioning calls had exceeded 300 billion times as of January, and it vowed to expand the application of BDS in the transportation sector.

Amap and a spatial-intelligent infrastructure company Qianxun SI have jointly initiated an innovation plan for BeiDou's application in transportation. They aim to combine technical strength and market resources from all walks of life to explore and expand the industrial application of the BDS, according to a statement released by the Beijing Institute of Space Science and Technology Information on Saturday.

BeiDou's high-precision service has been deeply integrated into the transportation sector, showing the advantages of more stable positioning signals, higher positioning quality and faster positioning speed, read the statement.

It has outpaced Global Positioning System (GPS) and become the top guidance service provider for domestic mapping platforms. Based on the average number of satellites called by domestic navigation apps for each positioning, BeiDou satellites have been called the most, 30 percent more than the second-ranked GPS, the China Media Group reported.

BeiDou playing a dominant role in the domestic navigation sector is of great significance. For starters, as a homegrown technology, it is free from external meddling, and it could ensure data and information security. In addition, the positioning quality of BDS has proved in many scenarios to be much better than GPS, Liu Dingding, a Beijing-based veteran market analyst, told the Global Times.

The BDS has also been widely used in many industrial and agricultural sectors, from port management and grain production to providing disaster relief.

According to the Beijing Institute of Space Science and Technology Information, the BDS has been widely implemented in major domestic ports, including Dalian port in Northeast China's Liaoning Province, Qingdao port in East China's Shandong Province and Guangzhou port in South China's Guangdong Province.

The market for BeiDou's smart port application has grown rapidly in recent years, becoming a scientific and technological force boosting ports' development and supporting.....

Article HERE

Photographer by Ruth Orkin Captured Stunning Color Photographs of New York City in the 1950s

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Ruth Orkin was a trailblazing photojournalist and filmmaker, whose passion for photography began at a young age. Born in Boston, Orkin grew up in Hollywood during the 1920s and 1930s, and was gifted her first camera, a 39 cent Univex, at the age of 10. It was a gift that would change the course of her life.

h/t: vintag.es

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Debt And Compliance

I’ve advised people to get and stay out of debt for a long time, but even so, I didn’t fully understand the affects of debt until the Covid time hit us. As the mayhem spread, I struggled to understand the level of compliance with what would have been, at any other time, criminal medical advice: To take an untested vaccine, and one that didn’t even fit the definition of a vaccine. (Until the definition was rewritten, of course.)

Certainly compliance was driven by massive applications of fear. And, certainly, it was accompanied by exceptional levels of guilt, as in “You’ll be responsible for killing Grandma!” Still, there was more to it, and that extra piece, I soon enough realized, was debt.

If I Had An Economist…

If I had an economist on my payroll, I’d assign them to a very simple task: Go find the relevant data, and correlate levels of debt and levels of compliance. I’d bet large that the correlation would be statistically significant.

Consider the typical police officer: He or she is on the job for benefits and steady paychecks: large American cities aren’t going to stop writing paychecks any time soon, nor will the various police unions let go of the benefit packages that justify them. This exemplary cop, like nearly all police officers, is deeply in debt. They have a mortgage and quite possible a home-equity loan or line of credit. They also have a car loan or two, and credit cards beyond that. There may also be student loans.

So, this typical law enforcer cannot leave their job without facing financial ruin… financial ruin plus a complete loss of place and standing. Such a loss, to them, would be almost an existential crisis. And so, when orders come down from the high-and-mighties, demanding that they comply with a medical regime, the choice they face is between compliance and complete ruin.

And consider the average doctor: Although they make more money than the police officer, they also have a larger home loan, larger car loans, and very definitely larger student loans.

More than that, the independence of physicians was destroyed by Obamacare. And so, the doctors of America were in no better shape than the police officers of America: they could either comply or be ruined. (The situation in other places isn’t generally much better.)

The same, of course, goes for nurses, teachers, and a hundred other types. Nearly everyone in the West, over the past couple of decades, has been stampeded into massive levels of debt. It’s been the only way to keep up a certain level of prosperity and lifestyle. And, of course, it has worked: If you’ve found respectable employment with anything big – corporations, institutions or government – you’ve been able to roll over your debt indefinitely.

And so, when everyone associated with large employers was ordered (seemingly in concert) to take a highly questionable “vaccine,” the majority agonized for a while, and then they complied.

After Compliance

None of this is to say that the people who complied are stupid, weak, or anything of the sort: They were merely under enormous pressure, during a deeply confused moment, submerged in fear. In that situation, they had no choice but to weigh the risks as best they could, then make the choice that seemed to offer the least pain. And so they did.

Now it’s clear that the fear was overplayed, that the “vaccines” didn’t stop anyone from getting the disease, and that there have been both health and financial repercussions. But it wasn’t so clear at the time.

During the mayhem, the people who complied under pressure generally fought those who didn’t, at least if they were vocal about it. After all, they were directly challenging their dignity. Now, however, time has passed and only die-hards (those who profited from the Covid time) are still hammering away with guilt and fear, and the police officers, et al, are sorting things out. By ones and twos they are becoming ready to say that things went too far.

What I hope is that these people will recognize the role that debt played in their choices. Debt was a sword hanging over their heads, and it distorted their decision process.

Out And Away

If we want practical freedom, we need to be free from the influence of debt. The people controlling all that debt have far more power over us than we thought.

As it turns out, the old admonitions to avoid debt weren’t wrong. Debt can undermine our choices and subvert our character. It’s to be used sparingly and carefully at best.

**

Paul Rosenberg

VIDEO: Yet ANOTHER Train Derailment; This Time in Oklahoma

Yet another freight train has derailed in the United States; this one in Oklahoma.  Thankfully, no apparent injuries or Hazmat Leakage.  VIDEO below:

 

https://youtu.be/HG04Nc-1KZQ?list=PLQQ4DpKtNIp-6tVYd4bJlijZYrKyQ9Ktt

Baked English Muffins

These beautiful, high-rising English muffins are baked, not cooked on a griddle. While their interior isn’t filled with the signature fissures of a griddle-baked English muffin, their texture is still craggy enough to trap and hold butter and jam — which is the point, after all.

baked english muffins
baked english muffins

Ingredients

  • 2 1/4 cups King Arthur Unbleached All-Purpose Flour
  • 1/2 cup Hi-maize Natural Fiber
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 1 tablespoon Pizza Dough Flavor (optional)
  • 2 teaspoons baking powder
  • 2 tablespoons granualted sugar
  • 2 teaspoons instant yeast
  • 1 cup + 2 tablespoons lukewarm milk*
  • 2 tablespoons melted butter
  • 2 teaspoons vinegar, white or cider
  • Cornmeal or semolina to coat the muffins

* Or substitute 1/4 cup (1 1/4 ounces) Bakers’ Special Dry Milk, and 1 cup + 2 tablespoons (9 ounces) lukewarm water; don’t mix them together, the dry milk doesn’t reconstitute.

Instructions

  1. Stir together all the ingredients except the semolina or cornmeal. Beat for 1 minute at high speed of an electric mixer; the dough will become somewhat smooth.
  2. Scrape the dough into the center of the bowl, cover, and allow it to rise for about 60 minutes, until it’s quite puffy.
  3. Grease a large (18 x 13 inch) baking sheet; or line with parchment. Grease twelve 3 3/4″ English muffin rings, and place them on the baking sheet.
  4. Sprinkle semolina or cornmeal into each ring.
  5. Turn the dough onto a lightly greased or floured work surface. Cut it into 12 equal pieces; each will weigh a scant 2 ounces, or about 54g.
  6. Shape the dough into balls. Place each ball into a ring, pressing it down to flatten somewhat. Sprinkle with a bit more cornmeal or semolina, and top with a greased baking sheet (or a sheet of parchment, then the baking sheet). The baking sheet should be resting atop the rings.
  7. Let the muffins rise for about 60 to 90 minutes, until they’ve puffed up noticeably. While the dough is rising, preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.
  8. Bake the risen muffins for 10 minutes. Flip the pans over, and bake for 5 minutes more.
  9. Remove the top pan, and bake for an additional 3 to 5 minutes, until they’re a light golden brown, and the interior of one registers about 200 degrees F on an instant-read thermometer.
  10. Remove the muffins from the oven, and transfer them to a rack to cool. Remove their rings as soon as you’re able.
  11. When completely cool, store muffins in a plastic bag.

Yield: 12 muffins | Hands-on: 20 to 32 min | Bake: 25 to 30 min

Recipe and photo used with permission from: King Arthur Flour

Wholly smokes!

This is actually the original. Parodied the song “Love Jones” by Brighter Side of Darkness

Getting ready to sew up the New Beginnings section and start a new reality

Let’s start with an American bullshit comment…

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I tire of this nonsense. Don’t you?

Oh, let’s start a new reality, and I am going to reflect it in MM.

Oh, yes I am. The direction is clear now. The world has peaked during this transition period (oh sure, there’s some months left) but the world has steered though the high risk transitions, and now seems firmly on a vectored course. Don’t give up hope, the “news” will still be playing the pied piper of doom, but yeah, it’s over.

The world is moving on, and the ability for the United States to temper-tantrum out of it is decreasing daily. It’s not gonna happen, no matter how many bombs it threatens with, or the places it deploys.

That phase is over.

And a new one starts.

So I will be phasing out this section. Cleaning it up, and moving on to other things. Stand buy. It might take a while for me to transition…

Aji De Gallina (Chicken Pepper Casserole)

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2023 02 13 15 14

Ingredients

  • 1 (3 pound) chicken or 3 chicken breasts
  • 2 cups chicken stock
  • 7 slices white bread, crusts trimmed and discarded
  • 1 1/2 cups canned milk
  • 1 onion, chopped
  • 1 clove garlic, chopped
  • 5 tablespoons banana pepper paste*
  • Salt and pepper to taste
  • 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
  • 1 1/2 ounces Parmesan cheese
  • 1 ounce walnuts, chopped
  • 6 – 8 Yukon Gold potatoes, boiled and cut up
  • 12 black olives
  • 6 eggs, hard boiled, sliced
  • Parsley to garnish

Instructions

  1. Cook the chicken in the chicken stock. Remove the chicken and set aside to cool. Save the stock.
  2. When cool, cut the chicken into pieces.
  3. In a separate bowl, soak the bread in the milk. Puree the soaked bread.
  4. In the oil, sauté the garlic, onion and yellow pepper mixture. Add the pureed bread, and season with salt and pepper. Slowly add the chicken stock until the mixture is loose and slightly thickened. Add the olive oil. Continue heating until smooth and medium thick. At the end of cooking, add the chicken pieces, Parmesan cheese and walnuts. Continue cooking until the mixture is thick like a casserole.
  5. Place the potatoes on the bottom of the serving dish. Spread the chicken mixture over the potatoes. Decorate with olives, eggs, and parsley.
  6. Serve immediately.

* Puree peppers with oil to make a paste.

This is what China is like today. This is what I see every day.

7 Soul Crushing Confessions That Will Remind You That Life Isn’t All Sunshine And Rainbows

1. I was diagnosed with cancer a little over two weeks ago, after a regular checkup. Turns out I have a tumour on my colon that has spread to other areas (liver and lungs so far) and will require extensive chemo and surgery for any chance to live longer than 8 months

I’m not having any treatment and I haven’t told my wife because she’ll only pressure me to get the treatment, which result in months of pain and suffering for a relatively small chance

Instead, I’m making sure our last few months together are filled with only happy memories. I’m starting work later and finishing earlier each day, to make her breakfast in bed and take her on dates in the evenings

My landlord I rent my workshop from has agreed to let me run my business rent free for the next 6 months, which means significantly less financial stress and I can save a lot more, so she has something to carry her over afterwards

I hope she’ll forgive me for taking this path

2. My 13 year old died in Peru after getting caught in a whirlpool. We were on vacation. His mom (my ex) blamed me for his death and our other son also blames me so he doesn’t speak to me. He’s now 13 too. I don’t force him to see me. When I drive home from work, I pretend that I am talking to my son about how his day was at school, what kind of music he wants to listen to, what he wants for dinner, etc. That is why I haven’t gotten a new car. There are just too many memories.

3. I was 8 years old and he was 13. By that time, he’d already gotten sex ed classes at his school.

He came to me and for several months showed me pornographic material. I couldn’t escape because my parents would make me stay at home with him whenever they went out.

It ended up happening because I was a little bitch and was more terrified of sleeping alone in the dark than my brother sexually abusing me while convincing me it was just a little game.

I didn’t understand at the time.

I didnt even have a door in my room, so he’d often “accidentally” barge in while I was changing. I was 8 years old.

He fucking groomed me into being okay with him seeing me naked while at the same time saying I was acting “obscenely” for laying on the couch. I didn’t even know what obscene meant.

It was only once our parents caught us that I realised he’d used me for his sick fantasies.

For me it was this little “secret” my brother told me to keep. I didn’t realise the implication and that he’d abused my trust in my only sibling to have sex with me, a fucking CHILD.

Even after being caught he’d still touch himself in front of me (I don’t even understand how my parents could leave me alone with him after what had happened).

By the time I turned 12 I’d have recurring nightmares about it but convinced myself that they were fantasies (I had repressed my memories) and that I was disgusting for thinking my big brother could have done that to me.

I got into the habit of locking my door every night once I finally got one and I didn’t understand why. I slept with a lamp in my room, even more terrified of the dark than when I was a kid.

It was like my mind decided to entirely wipe every memory out of my mind, my own mind was telling me I was disgusting for having nightmares about my brother touching me. But everyday I would wake up and act as if everything was normal. None of my parents ever brought it up. We became the perfect little family once again.

At 18 I had a mental breakdown after realising I had almost no memories of my childhood save for my horrible nightmares. I confessed everything to my mom, having completely forgotten if I’d even told her or if she knew since nobody spoke about it.

She told me she didn’t remember and that it must have been experimentation. Just siblings playing with each other.

She didn’t believe me. She had to ask my brother for confirmation.

And of course he downplayed it. He played the victim, saying he didn’t want it to damage my family once again and that he hadn’t done much anyway. According to him it only happened once. Hahaha

I distinctively remember everything and it hadn’t been once.

Since then I’ve been diagnosed with OCD, Anxiety and depression. I’ve been getting help and have cut all communication with my brother.

4. I’m a gay, closeted, middle-aged man married to a woman for a long time. My secret double life involves occasionally visiting gay night clubs, among other things.

On June 12, 2016 I was at the PULSE night club, enjoying Latino night (I’m not, but I enjoy Latino men for the most part). When the shooting started, I was on the far end of the club, getting a drink. I was nearly herded into the bathroom where a last-stand and breach occurred, but instead went along the wall and was able to exit. (It turns out later a dude I had bought drinks for occasionally was killed in the shooting).

I took a ricochet to the back of my calf which touched bone but didn’t break it. Bled a lot. Once outside, I immediately got clear of the area, made my way to my car which was parked a distance away, and then retreated to my office, about 15 minutes away. I did my best field dressing of the wound, stabilizing it and stopping the seeping bleeding for the most part.

I ended up seeing my regular doctor the next morning as soon as he opened. He freaked the f**k out, told me it was a mandatory reporting situation, and then sent me to the ER. I refused that plan, told him to give my information to the police. The police eventually did contact me, and I referred them to my lawyer. I worked my lawyer to give a statement to the police under confidential terms. They immediately put me in touch with the FBI. Meanwhile, about 24 hours had gone by, and my wound hurt like hell but was no longer weeping blood. The FBI was not playing around, and was very aggressive with my lawyer.

I ended up getting treatment from the hospital, a consult with a surgeon, who removed the shrapnel. I told my wife/kids that I injured my calf during an early morning run, and wore a compression sock to hide the wound. The surgery to remove the fragment followed a few days later, and was uneventful, except the FBI was there to retrieve the fragment. A plastic surgeon did a slight touch up on the wound so it looks like a mole was removed.

No one in the entire world knows what happened and how PULSE affected me. I sometimes have violent and horrible flashbacks of the scene inside PULSE. It is almost beyond words. Many of my asshole “friends” I am forced to socialize with in my “straight life” are horrible bigots, and not a few of them made cracks after the PULSE shooting mocking the victims, expressing glee, etc. It can be very difficult to keep it all inside.

5. Sometimes the most intimate touch isn’t necessarily sexual in nature. Years ago, I was in an abusive relationship. The guy I was with broke into my home, and threw my hair straightener (at full force) into my bathtub (while it was hot) in an attempt to intimidate me. When that didn’t work he proceeded to physically abuse me. He didn’t “want” to punch or slap me, because that would leave black eyes and bruises (he left massive bruises anyway). Instead, he grabbed me by my arms and wrists and drug me through the house calling me every insult known to man while doing it.

He got me into my bedroom.

He locked the door.

He threw me on the bed.

He towered over me, and he proceeded to straddle me. Once he had the full weight of his body securing me in place, he pinned my elbows down with his knees.

Then he hurt my soul.

He squeezed my face by my jaw. He left dents in my cheeks. He brought my face impossibly close to his as I struggled against him, and validated every single one of my insecurities with screams. He suddenly stopped, looked down at my defenseless body, and smiled. His eyes went cold. I could feel his erection on my abdomen.

“I could do anything I want to you right now.”

I still shudder when I think about it. Luckily, my parents chose that particular day to visit me, so when he heard the car doors, he got startled enough to get off of me. I exhaled the breath I didn’t know I’d been holding and ran for the door. I later learned he’d fled through the window.

I cannot bear to let anyone touch my face because of this

6. My son, who would have been 21 this month, hanged himself on December 24 2016. Christmas Eve. My baby boy. Gone. There are no words to describe what it did to me, and what it did to the family. I went into his room midday expecting to find him still in bed. I found him hanging in the closet. Two lives were destroyed that day. The neighbors called the police when they heard my screams. I could not leave my house for months and lost my job. My older children had to move back in to support me because I refused to go out or clean the house or even eat food. My life had lost all purpose and for a while it was over. With time and extensive therapy I am just barely functional again, but life has never felt so empty. Not a moment goes by that I don’t think of him. I spend countless hours every day thinking of how I could have changed it. I know I could have.

My son was enrolled in a general health studies program at the local university. He didn’t have an interest in health and didn’t know what career he wanted to pursue, but I pushed him into it thinking it had the most potential for a successful career path and that he could develop an interest over time. He didn’t do very well in his first year but he made it through with a few failed courses. In April 2016 he had finished the winter term of his second year. I asked him about his final grades. He kept telling me that he hadn’t received them yet. I knew he had but I didn’t push. The summer term was starting and we had agreed that he would take summer courses for the courses he had failed in first year. He told me that he had applied to them, and he also told me he had finally received his second term grades and that he had passed them all. I didn’t know at the time that neither of those were true. It was all online so I never checked. If I did, I would have known that he had failed all five of his winter courses because he had stopped showing up to classes due to depression and he never applied to any summer courses. I found this out later in August when he broke down and admitted it all. I did not take it well. I was so upset that he had failed his program, that he lied to me so many times, and that he spent the entire summer pretending to go to class while doing other things. I called the school immediately and arranged an appointment with the faculty. I explained the situation to them and they agreed to let him reapply in the fall as a special student, and that if he did well in his remedial classes he would have a chance to continue his program where he left off. He didn’t want to do it. He wanted to take a break from school and apply to a different program later. I refused. I forced him to go back. I knew he hated it and I made him do it anyway. I didn’t do anything to treat his depression despite knowing about it. Instead I used it as an excuse to get him back in the program he never wanted to be in. I made him feel trapped enough to take his own life and I can never forgive myself for that.

Going back into his room was the hardest thing I’ve ever had to do. One step inside and I had a breakdown. Months passed. I tried again. Breakdown. We had to keep it locked until we hired a cleaner to pack his things because I could not bare to look at anything that belonged to him. I was only able to enter once the room was completely empty with just a few boxes stacked in the corner. Months later when I was home alone, I mustered the strength to open one of the boxes. Sitting on top was his laptop. I opened it and found it unlocked. I told myself I shouldn’t look through it. It would only ruin me again. But I had to. I had to know. Maybe he saw something that made him want to do it. Maybe he had messaged one of his friends, and maybe they said something to him. I just wanted to understand why. Why he would feel so hopeless that he had to take his own life. I found mostly things that would be normal to find in a young person’s browsing history. People’s Facebook profiles, assorted Youtube videos, a whole world I never knew. There was a file folder compiling images from what I could tell was shows/comics/games that he liked. I’ve never seen any of it before. I never cared. Another folder with images of my son with his friends from his high school. I didn’t recognize any of them. I never bothered to ask. I found a video in his Youtube history showcasing how to tie a noose. I had to stop there and weep until I had a migraine. Then I went back. I found entries on Kijiji. He was trying to sell his game consoles and games, which I later found out he spent his tuition to buy. I found a site called Liveleak, where there were a lot of entries on videos of people dying on camera. I believe he was trying to prepare himself for what he was going to do to himself. Then I found this site, Reddit, and I noticed his account still logged in. This one. Nothing could have prepared me for what I was about to find. Months of grief counseling undone in an instant. I had the worst breakdown of my life. Reading through everything he wrote in his last days tore my already scarred heart into a million shreds. He had reached out for help so many times. He felt so alone. He wrote that if he died I would only care about the money I wasted raising him. I thought I had felt the worst pain a person could feel until I read that. It was my fault. He felt so alone and hopeless in his last days. And I made him feel that way. I knew he wasn’t happy but I made him go back. I killed him.

If only I could tell him now that it doesn’t matter to me. That no school or degree was worth his life. That no matter what he did, I would love him no matter what. Oh how I miss my sweet boy. My baby is gone and I will never be okay again.

7. I don’t know where to start. But I’m hoping someone else on here can at least understand what I’m feeling without judging me or telling me things like “You don’t know how lucky you are; a lot of people can’t even have kids!” I know. And although I should be completely over the moon about my awesome kid, I’m just…not.

It started with the pregnancy. The second I found out I was pregnant, I had a strange feeling. Not the one of excitement or a bit scared, but that I didn’t want it. Deep in my gut, I knew I made a terrible decision to get pregnant. My husband and I agreed to try, though I was still on the fence. I also didn’t think I could get pregnant because I had horrible problems with ovarian cysts my whole life and doctors told me I wouldn’t be able to get pregnant past 30 (there were other reasons too but I won’t get into them). I was 34, so I figured, what the hell, we’ll try (he really REALLY wanted kids), and when I can’t have them at least we’ll say we tried. Well, turns out it only took ONE TRY. One. I know. Most people would consider that so incredibly lucky, and trust me I am well aware of the people out there who struggle with infertility.

As the weeks went on I struggled with absolutely terrible morning sickness until about week 22. That’s a long time, especially HOW sick I was. Around week 22/23 I started to feel a little better, especially because I knew I was more than halfway done with that hellish experience. At week 28 I was diagnosed with gestational diabetes and was back and forth to doctors every five seconds. I felt like a science experiment.

I was induced at 41 weeks and only pushed for 12 minutes. He came out in 5 pushes. Again, I know. Luckiest person on the planet especially because I had an epidural that worked like a charm. But the second I held him I didn’t want him. I wanted to give him back. I felt no emotional connection. Nothing. And then I hemorrhaged. And then I developed eclampsia, which is high blood pressure after birth. It was the most hellish three days of my life, thinking I was going to have a seizure or stroke and possibly die. Finally when I got released from the hospital on a myriad of medications, I didn’t want to be there at all. It wasn’t the same home.

It wasn’t the home of cooking all-day meals, spontaneous trips to the wineries, sitting and reading a book for hours. I didn’t realize I actually cared about any of these things until they were gone. And that gut feeling of not wanting a baby only got worse.

In the next weeks and months I struggled with what was eventually diagnosed with postpartum depression and postpartum PTSD. It was absolutely terrible and I contemplated suicide many times. The lack of sleep paired with those things made me feel like a complete lunatic. My marriage suffered, and I believe my husband and I will never be the same because of what occurred in those months with my emotions.

Fast forward to today. My husband does SO MUCH to help me. He’s there every second I need him and works right down the road, so he can be home in a second if I truly need something. My parents watch my son one day and my in-laws another day. But it’s not enough. I don’t want to be around him. I’m bored to tears playing toddler games and even going to the playground and stuff with him. I’m looking at my watch every five seconds.

Part of the problem is that I work from home. I was very, very talented and successful in my office job, which eventually converted to a work-at-home position. So by default, I became a stay-at-home mom. Let me make one thing clear: I NEVER EVER EVER wanted to be a stay-at-home mom. I made this very clear from the beginning, and I absolutely said I would never do it. I’m not cut out for it. And here I am. Sitting home with him, day after day. We do tons of things. He takes gym classes, art classes, we play outside all the time, go on outings, go to the food store. He’s clean and well-fed and loved and always entertained and happy. He really is a great kid.

But I HATE THIS. Like with every fiber of my being. Hate it. The sleep transitions, the teething, the not wanting to eat the food I make, the tantrums, everything. Like literally everything you can think about having a kid, I hate it. And the noise. OMG the noise. The tantrums, the kid songs that make you go insane…. I just can’t anymore.

I feel like being a mom brings out all of my worst personality traits. I didn’t even KNOW I was impatient, but apparently I am! I get so frustrated with him so quickly, and I have silent little anxiety attacks while I discipline him or deal with whatever is going on.

I just am so surprised – and weighed down – by the responsibility. I am one of the most responsible people on the planet. Always early to things, always organized, always on top of stuff. I have a dog, who I got as a puppy and I take a lot of pride in training her and being her dog mom. I have nieces who I take care of from time to time and I take what I say and do around them very seriously. And my job is extremely integrated with other people and working with teams. I am a director, so a lot of people rely on me. But SHIT. This is too much. Being responsible for a little human being, and every single thing I say is going to affect them in some way??? No thank you. It is a weight that is suffocating me every second of the day. And I wasn’t expecting that. On paper, I should actually be a great mom. But I’m really not.

And I don’t know what to do. I went to therapy, was on medication, everything. But I feel like the only thing that would truly make me happy would be to go back to work full-time in an office job. Right now I piece together my work. When he’s napping – if he naps – at night, early in the morning. I can never concentrate and what was once a bright and lucrative career now leaves me stressed out and awake at 3 a.m. wondering how I’m going to get my work done. I can’t concentrate and its like he needs something every other second. I keep waiting to like it. I keep waiting to feel something. But I don’t.

And don’t get me wrong. When he hurts himself or cries from being sad, my heart breaks. When my parents pull away with him in the car and I see his little face in the back seat I miss him. But then…he gets back and I’m like…when can he go over their house again???? It is truly the strangest feeling. I’m confused. And if anything ever, EVER happened to him I don’t know what I do. He is a sweet, gentle, loving, kooky kid. Always laughing and smiling, and I make sure to give him tons of hugs and kisses every single day and tell him I love him. I don’t ever want him to know these things I’m saying here.

Walking In Shenzhen Bao’an International Airport | Guangdong, China

This is what China is like today. This is what I see every day.

Confessions Of A Dude Addicted To The Dope Game

I’ve been drug dealing for the past 4 years now. I did have a year where I didn’t sell anything but besides that, it’s been pretty steady. The problem is, I just don’t think I can stop. It’s become an addiction. I don’t give a fuck about getting high. I smoke weed and drink alcohol occasionally but, besides that, I haven’t touched another drug.

There’s probably a lot that has lead up to this point, starting from a young age, but 4 years ago I found the markets and Bitcoin. It was at a point in my life where things were low and I found drug dealing. My first package was a package of Xanax bars. I made $1,000 profit in about 4 days because, at the time, pressed bars weren’t very well known so my prices were dirt cheap compared to everyone else’s.

That’s the moment things changed for me. The moment where I fucked everything up for myself.

4 years later, here I am. It’s a fucking addiction. When I stop, it’s for a month, max besides the one year I quit due to personal and OPSEC (Operational Security) related reasons. It’s a craving I can’t make go away. The adrenaline of doing something illegal, the money, the respect, the power you have over your little group of people…I don’t know…it’s impossible for me to explain so I’ll explain the more addicted part now.

The money.

You think drug dealing will ruin your life because of prison or getting robbed, and while true, there’s a sneakier way nobody tells you about; MONEY. I’ve dropped out of college and haven’t held down a job more than 6 months due to it. When you make $55-75K a year WITH NO TAXES, everything else is a blur. College? That takes 4 years of being broke! I can’t do that! Holding down a minimum wage job? That’s like $400 a week, if you’re busting ass. I was making $1,000(PROFIT, not GROSS) a week, making a couple moves. I moved bulk only so I wasn’t meeting people every 30 minutes to make my money.

I was my own boss and money gave me freedom. Freedom. That’s where the addiction comes into play. Drug dealing was 50% of it but the other 50% was the freedom money gave me.

I make about, on average, $4,000 NET profit a month. My monthly bills are only around $1,800 for everything besides food(Love living in a cheap state) so that leaves me a good chunk of change to myself. That leaves me $2,200 a month in my own pocket. This monthly cost includes a maid, once a week, dropping my clothes off at a laundromat to get washed, dried, and folded, and having my groceries delivered to my house.

I have all the time in the world to myself. It’s so addicting.

Want to go play Laser Tag and ride Go-Karts all day? You can! Want to go do 18 holes Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday? Grab some cigars and let’s go! Want to take a week long vacation? Easy, all you gotta do is tell your people that you’re leaving and to re-up while they can! Then you’re free to leave! Want to smoke weed and play video games all day? Done! Want to learn a skill like playing piano, programming, or anything? You can practice 8 hours a day!

I’m not even mentioning the material items. I have a PS4, Xbox One, Nintendo Switch, Gaming PC, MacBook, TaylorMade golf club set, Boosted Board, HTC Vive, 4K TV’s, all the smart home gadgets an apartment can have(Lights, outlets, TV’s, ect), and clothes galore. I also have a pretty decent car. If I don’t have it, I have multiple options to get it. I can either save up and wait, trade product for it, or just up my sales to cover the cost.

Oh, that’s another thing you can’t do with a paycheck, upping your sales. If I need money or just want to thicken the savings account, I can just push my sales a little harder. Offer a slight discount for more bulk, bring in a different product, or seek out new customers. $6,000 months are not crazy uncommon. Drugs sell themselves.

So yeah, you can see where everything becomes an addiction. Life is just…easy. Drugs sell themselves. Money gives you freedom. It’s a bad mix.

The problem is quitting. I could quit today and have a pretty decent savings to hold me over but after that, I’d have nothing. I have no college education and no work experience I’d be willing to put down on a resume. I have no references. I have no legal connections. I have nothing besides the business I’ve. built around myself. Surrounded by people who do the same thing that I do.

I have a couple moves I could make but my motivation is shot. I could go back to college, that’s a great option. I could hone in on my weed growing skills and save up for when legalization comes to my state. I could build a legit business.

For now though, I’ll stick to what I know and what I’m good at. Hoping to find the dragon I’m chasing.

How do you avoid getting caught?

OPSEC, OPSEC, OPSEC, OPSEC!

I’ve had buyers busted before with much, much harder drugs than Xanax. I suspect all of them to have said my name. I doubt they’re going to do a prison sentence when they could just get a buy on me.

  1. They shouldn’t have any trial of communication between the two of you. Never, ever, ever, ever leave a trail! Once asked for proof they should go “uh….” and that’s it.
  2. Cut them off. I don’t care how close you are. I don’t care if the charge has nothing to do with drugs. If they are in handcuffs, they are cut off. Never to be spoken to again.
  3. Keep a tight knit circle. 3 people at most. None of them are to know each other. It’s less people you deal with, the less people you have to keep track of.
  4. House is always, always clean! Never keep ANYTHING drug related in your house.
  5. NO SOCIAL MEDIA!
  6. Your darknet laptop should not have a HDD and should be AWAY from your house. NEVER connect to a darknet site at your home internet.
  7. Packages should never come to your house. Always use a drop.
  8. Don’t use a bank. Hide your cash like you’d hide your drugs.
  9. Lawyer on retainer. This should be the first thing you pay for with drug money. Memorize his number. Give him bail money to use and only he has access to it.
  10. DO NOT TOUCH PRODUCT PACKAGING! Use gloves when packing up product and wipe down with rubbing alcohol. Wear gloves when dropping them off to your buyer.
  11. I take an extra step and do not do transaction. I take the money and the buyer will get the package via a dead drop within the hour. I DO NOT hand drugs over for money EVER. If your buyer doesn’t understand this rule, do not sell to them.

It seems like you have all your bases covered, although there are still ways of getting busted and to think you’re 100% untraceable seems ignorant

If your goal is to be 100% untraceable, you’ve failed from the beginning.

You just need to be worth less than the investigation. Think of your police force like a thief casing a house(Houses are drug dealers). The thief is going to pick a house that is easy to get into. They want low hanging fruit. They don’t want to have to use explosives or expensive drills to get your TV when the neighbors have one and the front door is unlocked. Now, if they know you’re holding diamonds or a mound of gold…they might be way more willing to use expensive tools and force to get in.

Is it worth going after a mid-range Xanax dealer who has his bases covered? The time, energy, and man-power spent on busting me wouldn’t net much. It’s my first offense and I have a decent lawyer ready to fight for me. There’s a story of a guy who ran a sled over the Canadian border with $55 MILLION worth of Xanax, they gave him 5 years of house arrest in a Federal court room. I’ve studied case after case of Xanax related busts.

Or

Would you rather focus on the “dumb” drug dealers who use Facebook and Snapchat to sell to anyone and everyone?

Could you give an example of a drop for ordering items? I just can’t see how this is secure. Abandoned house, PO box, neighbor, friend? How can you securely pick up a package at your drop location?

Rent a house in a ghetto area with a fake ID. I didn’t need to give up my social security or anything. I just showed my ID, signed papers, and handed over deposit and first months rent.

My buyer(s) will tell me the quantity they want, I’ll either do it hours later or the next day depending on how I feel, and I’ll go drop the product in a discrete location where I can check if anyone is following me or not and I usually use 2 level transportation(Car to one spot then ride my bike to another location), I’ll meet them, take cash, and then communicate with them later with the GPS location.

I’m a little surprised that your buyers are willing to hand you cash before you’ve given them the product. What guarantee do they have that you won’t just run off with the money?

They don’t have to do business with me. I have super competitive pricing so if they’re not willing to give me a try, there’s somebody who will. I always let the first pack go for a lower amount, like 100, but after that it’s 500 or more minimum. It’s not worth my time to do any less.

You said that you leave your phone at a different location and not your house. Doesn’t it not really matter if you’re using an app like wickr? Do you randomly go to the place and check your messages?

Your phone has GPS and more than likely a backdoor installed.

It’s a pain in the ass but here’s how I do it:

You can leave your phone at your drop house if you turn it off/take out the battery but I’ll leave my personal phone at home, go pick up the burner phone, drive to a coffee shop or library or something, and use it from there. I can usually get all my deals set up within an hour from there. After that, I’ll go drop the product off at my location, meet my person, and then go back to get my phone. I’ll use my phone in my car a good 5-10 miles away from my drop house, just a quick drive, to text them the location.

There were points in my life where I was meeting 3 people and points in my life I was working with just 1 person. The more people I’m working with, the more work I have to put in.

How do you avoid leaving a trail of your communications?

here’s a couple anonymous apps that you can use BUT do NOT use them on your personal phone. Get a “burner” phone and use them on there AWAY from your home. Turn the phone off and keep it in a different location than your home. NEVER TAKE IT TO YOUR HOME!

It’s a lot of work but you NEED to take your OPSEC seriously.

Walking In Shenzhen North Railway Station

This is what China is like today. This is what I see every day.

Humorous Illustrations Blending Sarcastic Nature and Adopted Cat’s Attitude

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The Internet has been abuzz in recent years with the phenomenon of cats taking over, and now we have one more artist to add to their ranks. @st.aftercigs, an Instagram account with 190K+ followers, gives a whole new dimension to cat appreciation with their bold, humorous artworks inspired by the artist’s own adopted cat.

The artist behind the account expresses the stark contrast between cats’ sassiness, and their ability to be inspirational muses. By blending the artist’s own sarcastic nature with their cat’s grumpy cattitude, a unique and lively art style has been born. The artworks are a great reminder of the many nuanced personalities our cats possess and the joy they can bring to our lives.

More: Instagram h/t: boredpanda

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Is THIS Really The Best Place To Live In The Country??

4 Thoroughly Depressing Confessions

[1] I have lung cancer and Stage 4 Non-Hodgkin Lymphoma

Non-smoker by the way, just lost the lottery, that’s all. Considering the damage found from early on during the initial diagnosis, I am not expected to live for too long. I don’t want to get into details in case some friends recognize this.

I’m roughly 27 years old. I’ve been trying out new things, I have had so much fun with new hobbies, instruments I’ve learned over the last year, and have developed a routine for the gym since high school. I didn’t manage to go into what I wanted, entering college, but I’m happy with the jobs I managed to pick up from connections. I’m very happy with what I’ve done so far.

But the one thing I’ve tried to do, and have failed at, is to find a girl who likes me. I don’t bring up what I have and my outlook, but as of dozens of approaches and some new friendships kindled, there has been no one attracted to me. Apart from my physique, I’m not physically attractive up in the face, to say the least. Been trying different things since high school, nothing has changed as of yet.

I don’t want a hookup, not that I have one so far, or a pity fuck since I don’t want to bring up my cancer as I don’t want it to be the reason or my identity, but honestly this is the one thing that keeps me up at night. I’m still waiting for someone and I likely won’t find this person.

My lungs are starting to deteriorate, I’ve started exhibiting symptoms of where things will start to go downhill from here on out. I’ve seen the specialists and it’s not looking so good. 2019 might be my last year.

I don’t know why I’m writing this. I have lots of friends who love me, parents that I’m blessed to have in my life, and have done things I’m proud of. But something as selfish as wanting someone to love me and be attracted to me, I can’t achieve that.

[2] My parents adopted my siblings and I just so they could rape and molest us.

I’ve never told anyone this before, ever, in my life, except for the legal authorities after it all came out. I guess this is the perfect place to finally do so, for the anonymity.

My parents are pedophiles. I’m not entirely sure how they met; us kids got a story growing up, but I don’t think it’s true, because how big of a coincidence is it that two people with the same awful and taboo fetish hooked up? They were always active as swingers, apparently, so maybe they met in the fetish world.

They decided to adopt kids together to sexually abuse, because it wouldn’t be as messed up considering we weren’t biologically their children. (I’m not saying that. That was their logic.)

They adopted my sister and I when I was 2 and she was a baby first, we had the same crack addicted bio mom who lost both of us to the state. When I was 4 and 7 they adopted my two brothers, and when I was 10 they adopted my youngest sister.

I know all of this because when I was 19 my dad bragged about all of this to the other couple they were swinging with, who I guess seemed like they were pedophiles as well. They weren’t, and turned my parents in to the police.

They are both in prison for life.

I don’t want to get into the gory details of everything, except that by the time I was ten I had lost my virginity to my dad and had basically done every sex act under the sun. I thought it was completely normal, and what all little girls did with their fathers. I was a daddy’s girl through and through.

My father molested my sisters as well, and my mother molested my brothers; everything was hetero. Looking back we were the stereotypically abused kids in school, way too knowledgeable about sex/sexually forward for our ages, and my brothers both got in trouble for playing with their own poop. My parents were never suspected, however, because of our traumatic beginnings as the kids of drug addicts.

By the time I was a teenager my dad pretty much lost interest in me because I was too grown up and was instead molesting my youngest sister. I basically had free reign to do whatever I wanted from the time I was 12.

I became hugely promiscuous with older boys at school, which ended with me getting pregnant at 15. The father was my first boyfriend who wasn’t one of the scummy guys at school, and his family had shown me that my home life was hugely abnormal.

I worried that if my baby was a girl it would be molested by my dad (at the time, I didn’t know my mom was abusing my brothers as well) and asked if I could move in with my boyfriend’s family. I used the story that my parents were angry about my pregnancy and kicking me out. As for my parents, they didn’t care much about me at that point and I suppose they guessed correctly that abusing their grandchild would not work as well since it was also attached to this very loving and functional family. They let me go.

In a way getting pregnant and moving out so young saved me. All of my younger siblings struggle with drug addiction in some shape or form, be it heroin, meth, alcohol, or multiple substances.

One of my brothers shows sociopathic tendencies likely due to the abuse. My youngest sister has been diagnosed with Reactive Attachment Disorder.

After my parents were arrested, they all went back into the foster care system, which did not help at all. I am 26 today and while I still have a lot of problems with depression and suicidal thoughts I feel like having my son to live for is the only way I have avoided being addicted to drugs. He is 11 now and a great kid.

The worst thing for me wasn’t the abuse, shockingly. I grew up with it and never felt victimized during it, though I would never EVER do what my mom did to my son. It was the fact that during their trial it came out that my parents never thought of us as their “real” kids. We were just adopted kids that they took in to use as their playthings. All the love they showed us was just for show. I think that is what will haunt me for the rest of my life.

[3] I’m HIV positive

Earlier this year I had a relationship with a guy I mistakenly trusted. I don’t want to get into it because it upsets me a lot, but the short and short of it is, he told me he was clean, he was actually HIV positive, and now I am too because I felt safe enough not to use a condom with him during our relationship together.

I found out because I got what I thought was the flu, but it hit me so, so hard. I went to the ER twice. The first time they gave me fluids and some meds for my massive headache and sent me home. The second time I had a fever of 103 and they didn’t have any beds and wouldn’t for hours so I said fuck it and decided I’d rather die/go braindead in the comfort of my own bed. Two and a half weeks later I was still having fevers over 101 and couldn’t get out of bed except to pee. A rash like chicken pox that didn’t itch covered my entire body including my palms and my liver enzymes went off the chart. A month later after more tests and head scratching by a team of doctors, they finally diagnosed me with syphillis (stage 3) and HIV.

I took it in stride and went to therapy, took my new meds, and now my viral load is undetectable. My CD4 levels are normal (that means my immune system is working normally). Honestly the treatment for the syphillis was the worst. Three rounds of huge shots of penicillin in my butt, one in each ass cheek each time. I would be so sore it would be hard to drive out of the parking lot.

Life is pretty much the same, all except for I can’t donate blood anymore and I had to unregister from the bone marrow registry. Also I avoid this man like it’s my job. I don’t shop at the grocery store he works at. I don’t go to the park he lives near. I do a double take every time I see an older guy dressed in black on a bike now. I tried reporting him to the police but there’s nothing they could do for me because my governor changed the laws recently to reduce prison crowding.

Few people close to me know I’m positive. I haven’t even told my dad even though he asked me point blank when I was really sick and I just lied even though he’s a doctor himself and would love me all the same. I just don’t want him to worry, or to have to be burdened with knowing someone hurt me giving it to me, or if I leave that part of the story out for him to think I was reckless with my own health. But not telling him weighs on me too.

[4] When they first told me that I had cancer I thought that I would make it.

I did make it for a while. Things went alright and I went into remission when I was 18.

Things looked good and I started college as a film student in a 4 year University but by the age of 21 it came back and had was progressing rapidly. I ended up quitting school because It didn’t seem like it was worth planning for a future that I wouldn’t have.

I’m 22 now and recently was given an estimate of 4-6 months. I’ve been trying to stay strong for my family, but I’m so fucking scared.

I’ll be 23 years old when I die. There were so many things that I wanted to do that I’ll never get the chance to do.

I feel like I should be trying to find some rhyme or reason, or rationalizing some sort of after life or a god, but I just want to stay in my room and play videogames.

I love my family but I am tired of being around them, I see that they are trying to stay strong but I feel like I have to comfort them. They are also extremely religious and have tried to use this to make me a believer.

I don’t want to comfort people, or explain what I feel to people who won’t get it, or be fucking preached to.

I pre-ordered Red Dead Redemption two and my current goal is to stay healthy enough to beat it. That’s the one good thing about dying, I don’t have to save my money or worry about my future. It my sound selfish but at this point I’m just trying to play as many videogames as possible and try not to think about any of it.

Times like this are rough though, it’s 5 in the morning and I’m too tired to do anything. So I have a lot of thoughts popping up in my mind that I want to avoid

Poisoned pet | I try to save New life cat was poisoned

What Does It Feel Like To Be A Hot Girl Who Gets Old?

 

I was very, very hot.

Now I’m 61.  I’m not hot.  I’ve had two babies.  I’ve been sleep deprived most of my life.  My hair is a mess (possible Asperger’s symptom).  I have never been married, legally.   Funny, because I used to wonder how all those girls around me were ever going to find husbands, looking like that.

In high school, someone started a rumor I was on the cover of Seventeen.  The freshman girls began to follow me around, giggling.  They were so excited.  This went on for months.  I could see them admiring me from across the cafeteria, or down the hall.  They’d stop, to worship.  At last, one nervously came up to ask me about it.  I told her: I was a model, but not in Seventeen.

If my parents had had their acts together, I could have been.  But they were dysfunctional people.

I was raised with the understanding that I was important because I was beautiful.  It was not just the most important thing.  It was the only important thing.

Being shy, I was never comfortable with “hot”.  Back then, I assumed it was normal to walk into a restaurant and everyone would stop eating.  I took it for granted this happens all the time.

Then it stopped.

 

At the same time, I was competitive — I needed to be the most beautiful woman in the room.  I wanted to crawl into a closet and escape if a more beautiful woman entered the same space.  I felt deprived.  I felt unappreciated.  I felt worthless.  I was nothing.

All based on my looks.

Men I did not know told me they were in love with me.  Once, when I was 18, during my short modeling career, I received fan mail from 1000 miles away — including a pro football player requesting for a date — asking for “pinups” and a letter.  It was unnerving.  I do not miss those weird communications.

Some men could not help themselves; they wrote me poems.  Their words were often beautiful.  But they didn’t know me at all.

Any conversation with the opposite sex took place on eggshells.  I prayed the chat would NOT end with a request for a date…. or an embrace.  I’d try to be nice.  But I knew it was coming.  In my head, at every smile, I’d plead:  Please don’t hate me when I turn you down.  I avoided the question.  I kindly rejected them.  I never, ever got good at that.

So they hated me.  They’d be angry, they’d resent me, they’d be embarrassed, they’d need to prove that was not good enough for them…  They turned rude and awful.

Needless to say, my looks and my desperate need not to upset men led to many a sexual harassment at work situation, which back then was not illegal.

I was fired from a magazine by a man I would not date.  I didn’t flat out refuse.  Trying to be diplomatic, I simply replied that we should “all” go out to lunch together.  He saw right through this.  I don’t miss that part of being hot one bit.  He went ballistic.  Like I said, today, it would be illegal.

I moved to Park Slope in the mid-80s.  On a hot summer day I put on a pair of shorts and walked down the street.  To my right, a pickup truck went flying past me.  Then came the screech of breaks, the zoom of an engine racing backwards, and it stopped.  I didn’t look.  But I could hear them.  One yelled:

“OH!  MY!  GOD!”

When the staring stopped, it was a relief in many ways.

I no longer had to give a damn about what I wore.  No one is scrutinizing me for imperfection.  When a beautiful woman has a pimple, no one stops discussing it.

AM imperfection.  I don’t have to prove to anyone anymore that I am more gorgeous than you.

I stopped wearing makeup — what is the point at 61?  I still look much younger than my age, but I haven’t looked 30 since I was 45.

It was easy to get younger men to work with me when I was “hot”.  It is now impossible.  I am great at what I do but getting a 20-something guy to work with me as a team is threatening — and frankly it creeps me out too, to call someone a “colleague” when I’m old enough to be their mother.  These young men are embarrassed to be seen talking to me now.  Needless to say, I eat lunch alone.  I am lonely.  Funny, that.

I remember sitting next to an otherwise lovable guy named Mark at a bar in Elaine’s in Manhattan ca. 1986.  At one point Mark asked me what I did for a living.  At the time I was a freelance writer.

“Yeah?” he said, stifling a guffaw.  “Whadya write?  Romance novels?”

When I was hot, I could get out of anything.   

I sailed through a red light once and at the top of the hill, a policeman was waiting for me.  In my most adorably angry way, I got out of the car, put my hands on my hips, glared at him, and squeaked:  You’re just picking on me because I have an old car!”

He pointed out I’d just gone through a completely red light.  I pointed out right back:  “Well, if I had known you were here would have stopped!”

Admission of guilt.

No license.  No registration.  No insurance.  These were all home on my kitchen table.

A crowd began to form.  The beautiful girl yelling at the cop. He reeled at them:  Whadyou lookin’ at!  Geddouda here!  Go!

In the back seat of the car was a New York Times, and a story with my byline.  This was what I used for identification — a newspaper with a byline.

I was telling the truth.  But how the hell would he know?  

He tried not to smile.  But he couldn’t help it.  Finally he laughed, said some warm and friendly things to me as he drove off.

I would never get away with that today.  

I told that story to coworkers once and was met with blank stares — disbelief.

It upsets me when people look at beautiful women and remark how stupid they are.  It’s a running joke.

Beauty = idiocy in this country.

I am smart, educated, refined, socially terribly awkward — and not an idiot.  I am not hot and people respect me.

I did not get that when I was gorgeous.  

I desperately wanted to be taken seriously.   It was hopeless.  No one could look like that and be heard except on paper.
So I write.

One time I arrived for a midtown New York press conference.  I was sent to the “43rd floor”, a modeling agency.  I was late for the p.c.

Of course I miss those days sometimes.

Days when men would hold the elevator for me and compete to pick up something I had just dropped.

When they would stare at me as we passed on the escalator and remark to a friend next to them, “Gooooood MORNing!

When a boss would have me go to a conference room to ask a wealthy client if he would like to order dinner, knowing the guy was not hungry, just to show me off?

When a female coworker would suddenly hate me because her would-be paramour said something flattering about the way I looked, compared to her?

Yah.  I do.  I am invisible.

I don’t have many good photos of myself.   I really can’t prove this at all.  Worse, my current boyfriend who still has no idea what I used to look like tells me:  “All women tell me they used to be beautiful“.So witnesses are all that’s left.  Hard to believe I used to walk down the street and people would want my autograph or that modeling agents would want to sign me or that two male coworkers would request desks facing mine “for the beautiful view”.

Today, unlike others, I feel close to beautiful women.

I have no resentment; I have no jealousy; I totally relate to them A-Z.  And I see what they go through, their struggle to navigate encounters with aggressive men in hot pursuit, the vicious rumors started by other women, the assumptions they are sluts if they are friendly, the belief they are morons.

The security department in the building where I work apparently had a picture of me posted on the wall, taken by a security camera.  I heard from a man I work with: “Do you know they’ve got a picture of you in the security office hanging on the wall down there?”  It had been there for years, apparently.  When I asked to see it, someone told me it had “just” been taken down.  Trust me, it’s a very old picture.  I would have liked a copy, but no one’s talking.

I tell my daughter, Be grateful you’re not beautiful.  Instead, be pretty.  You don’t know what you’re not missing.

There was a downside.  There was an upside.  I think I was lucky to have lived both.

– Anonymous

They did the SAME thing to get us into WW2 and WW1

Carne en Adobo (Beef in Tomato
and Pepper Sauce – Guatemala)

2023 02 13 15 16
2023 02 13 15 16

Ingredients

  • 1/4 cup vegetable oil
  • 1 medium onion, chopped
  • 3 cloves garlic, chopped
  • 2 red peppers, seeded and chopped
  • 3 pounds lean boneless beef chuck, cut into 1-inch cubes
  • 10 ounces canned tomatillos
  • 4 medium tomatoes, coarsely chopped
  • 1 bay leaf
  • 2 cloves
  • 1/2 teaspoon oregano
  • Salt and pepper
  • 1/2 cup beef stock
  • 2 stale flour tortillas

Instructions

  1. Heat oil in saucepan and sauté onion, garlic and pepper until onion is soft.
  2. Add meat and everything else except tortillas. Add more stock if needed so liquid barely covers meat. Cover, simmer gently 2 hours until beef is tender.
  3. Soak tortillas in water, squeeze them out and crumble. Add to casserole and simmer uncovered until sauce thickens.
  4. Serve with Arroz Guatemalteco.

DIO- Caught In The Middle- Don’t Talk To Strangers- Straight Through The Heart (Live 2005)

Classical social media imagery

Our leaders in Washington and the collective west in general are lost in their own sea of arrogance, ignorance and incompetence. They are also certifiably insane. They will escalate the world into oblivion.

JustAMaverick | Feb 8 2023 14:55 utc | 4

Crazy times. A little depressing. Sigh.

Check out the death throes of the United States.

From <redacted> …

Unz can find all the MSM stats he wants and maybe he doesn’t leave home, but Florence and I just lost a third good friend in the last year, all younger than us, all jabbed. That’s statistically abnormal.

Our Indian friend, 42 years old, just dropped dead from a heart attack. Fit, practicing Muslim, father of two children, whom we adopted as honorary niece and nephew starting 22 years ago.

He told me he was going to call me for chat and two weeks later, he’s gone.

Luckily, his wife will have the support of her family in India, but that is no compensation.

Interestingly, on French TV, they recently reported that there is an epidemic of heart attacks in India and they actually suggested it was being caused by the jabs.

-<redacted>

Bank of America “Preparing for U.S. Debt Default”

.

In a conversation with CNN, Bank of America CEO Brian Moynihan says the company is preparing for possible US sovereign debt default. The financial institution is the second largest bank in the country and is reportedly preparing for the worst regarding Congressional conflict over the nation’s debt ceiling.

Moynihan spoke about the Congressional debate, and specifically how that impacts corporate America. Subsequently, defaulting on the country’s debt remains a very real possibility that entities, like Bank of America, cannot disregard.

In the first few months of the new year, the National debt has reached unprecedented levels. Thus, that development has led to debates on both sides of the political aisle on whether or not the national debt ceiling should be increased before the summer months.

“We have to be prepared for that, not only in this country but in other countries around the world,” Moynihan told CNN. Additionally stating, “You hope it doesn’t happen, but hope is not a strategy – so you prepare for it.”

There is some expectation that President Joe Biden could address the debt ceiling debate during Tuesday’s State of the Union Address. Conversely, US Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen has already expressed a warning over the nation’s debt crisis. Noting the possible default as soon as June, if the ceiling is not raised.

The US government has so over-spent, for so many years, it does not have enough cash on hand to pay its debts AND fund ongoing operations.  If the debt ceiling is not raised by Congress, then the government would only have the cash on hand which comes in each month from things like Payroll taxes.   That __may__ be enough to keeps some parts of the government operating, but it would not be enough to pay off debt – or even interest on the debt.

.

https://youtu.be/cpGfyp6MxkM

China War Mobilization Law Begins March 1, 2023

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The China Communist Party (CCP) has quietly passed its Reserve Military Service Law, which will take effect on 3/1/2023. Anyone who is 18 years or older is obliged to enlist after a national defense mobilization is announced.

The notice, instructs China citizens “After receiving the call-up notice, reservists must report to the designated place at the specified time in accordance with the requirements. After the state issued the mobilization order, the reserve personnel who have not received the call-up notice shall not leave the reserve registration place without the approval of the troops and the military service organs of the reserve registration place; if they have left, they shall return immediately or standby in the same place.”

Full text: http://www.npc.gov.cn/npc/c30834/202212/675bfdf572d1440d89e29080e7310b6f.shtml

Females need to serve too, except during pregnancy, maternity leave, and breastfeeding. The shortest serving time is 4 years.

Ordinary reservists can apply for discharge after reaching the age of 30. Officers need to serve until 45-60, depending on their ranks.

A brave cat

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195

Hersh: “How America Took Out The Nord Stream Pipeline”

Updated below:

You all will want to discuss this …

Seymour Hersh:

How America Took Out The Nord Stream Pipeline
The New York Times called it a “mystery,” but the United States executed a covert sea operation that was kept secret—until now

The above was only just published. I am currently busy but will eventually read it and make up my mind.

Update: 13:50 UTC

I have now read the piece but I am someone in doubt over it. The story that Hersh tells seems incomplete and not researched as deeply as possible. I bet that his sources know more than that.

But it still fits with the tale I had constructed from open data a day after the pipeline was destroyed:

While the Baltops 22 maneuver already took place in June and July of this year the U.S. Sixth Fleet left the Baltic Sea only a few days ago (in German, my translation):

Big Fleet Group From U.S. Navy Passes [German island passage] FehmanbeltOn Wednesday morning the amphibious assault ship USS Kearsarge, escorted by the Landing Ships USS Arlington and USS Gunston Hall, was en route towards west. Previously, the ships were part of US units that took part in NATO maneuvers and called at numerous ports in Germany, Scandinavia and the Baltic States.

The “USS Kearsarge”, flagship of the association and largest warship of the US Navy, which was in action in the Baltic Sea in the last 30 years, has 40 helicopters and fighter planes as well as more than 2000 soldiers on board, the escort ships about 1000. For the around 4,000 soldiers are heading back home on the east coast of the US after their six-month deployment.

Parts of the Kearsange operations in the Baltic Sea were dedicated to test special sub sea mine destruction technologies:

A significant focus of BALTOPS every year is the demonstration of NATO mine hunting capabilities, and this year the U.S. Navy continues to use the exercise as an opportunity to test emerging technology, U.S. Naval Forces Europe-Africa Public Affairs said June 14.In support of BALTOPS, U.S. Navy 6th Fleet partnered with U.S. Navy research and warfare centers to bring the latest advancements in unmanned underwater vehicle mine hunting technology to the Baltic Sea to demonstrate the vehicle’s effectiveness in operational scenarios.

Experimentation was conducted off the coast of Bornholm, Denmark, with participants from Naval Information Warfare Center Pacific, Naval Undersea Warfare Center Newport, and Mine Warfare Readiness and Effectiveness Measuring all under the direction of U.S. 6th Fleet Task Force 68.

Off the coast of Bornholm, Denmark, is where the pipelines were hit. Just days ago the USS Kearsarge was in that area:

Back then I presented just the available fact and left the conclusion open for the reader to chose.

But it has since become more and more obvious that the U.S. was responsible for the enormous economic damage to Germany that its action has caused.

The gloating by Sec State Anthony Blinken and his deputy Victoria Nuland is just too too obvious. It is a”tremendous strategic opportunity for the years to come” said Blinken and Nuland, in a Congress hearing, was “very gratified to know that Nord Stream 2 is now, as you like to say, a hunk of metal.”

Most Germans, if not their pliant government, have drawn their conclusions from that.

Posted by b at 13:10 UTC | Comments (246)

Spinach and Ricotta Pizza Dough

This is a pretty-looking dough and a good way to get spinach into the kids. The spinach flavor is very mild and the color is a healthy green. A good pizza for a Christmas party could be made from this green crust with a bright red tomato filling.

4dd6e956ac395ecd17e69ed1390a2a8a
4dd6e956ac395ecd17e69ed1390a2a8a

Ingredients

  • 1 cup fresh spinach, leaves lightly steamed
  • 1 cup ricotta cheese
  • 1 egg
  • 4 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 1/4 cup (4 tablespoons) olive oil
  • 2 packages dry yeast
  • 2 teaspoons light brown sugar
  • 3/4 cup warm water

Instructions

  1. Dissolve the yeast in the warm water and stir in the light brown sugar. Set the yeast mixture aside for at least 5 minutes.
  2. Meanwhile, put the ricotta cheese and the spinach leaves in a blender and blend at high speed until you have a smooth, bright green mixture.
  3. Sift the flour into a bowl with the salt. Make a depression in the center of the flour and add 3 tablespoons of the oil, the egg, the spinach mixture and the yeast mixture.
  4. Put flour on the kneading board and place the dough mixture on the flour. Knead the mixture for 8 to 10 minutes until the dough is uniformly mixed and elastic. Add flour as you knead if necessary to keep the dough from becoming too sticky.
  5. When the dough is ready, place it in a clean bowl that has been brushed with oil.
  6. Brush the top of the dough with oil and place a clean cloth over the bowl.
  7. Put the bowl in a warm, draft-free place for 1 1/2 hours.

This recipe will make:

2 thin crust pizzas, 12-inches each
2 stuffed pizza pockets
1 thick crust pizza, 14-inch
6 (6-inch) pizzas

The Superb Retro-Inspired Illustrations by Alexey Kot

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Poland-based illustrator Alexey Kot creates beautiful vintage-inspired artworks reminiscent of J. C. Leyendecker and Norman Rockwell’s work.

More: Instagram

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Pizza Sauce

2023 02 01 18 27
2023 02 01 18 27

Ingredients

  • 1 1/2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
  • 2 teaspoons minced garlic
  • 3 tablespoons tomato paste
  • 1 (15 ounce) can crushed tomatoes
  • 1 teaspoon dried basil
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons dried oregano
  • Salt
  • Freshly ground black pepper

Instructions

  1. Heat olive oil in a medium saucepan over medium heat.
  2. Add garlic and saute for 10 seconds, then add tomato paste and stir.
  3. Cook and stir for 1 minute, spreading paste on bottom of pan and stirring while cooking.
  4. Remove from heat, stir in crushed tomatoes and oregano and season with salt and pepper to taste.
  5. Spread over pizza dough or store in the refrigerator for up to 5 days or freeze up to 3 months.
  6. Store in the refrigerator for up to 5 days or freeze for up to 3 months.

Yield: almost 2 cups

BEDAZZLED Clip – “Drug Lord” (2000) Brendan Fraser

The United States, Norway and NATO have Committed an Act of War Against Russia

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During the final minutes of my radio show last night, I told my audience I wish I didn’t know some of the things I know.  Now, one of those things has become public: It was the United States that bombed Russia’s Nord Stream 1 & 2 Pipelines in the Baltic Sea.  Norway participated by flying-in a sonar buoy which gave off the Detonation Signal.  NATO is an accessory, by willfully using BALTOPS 22 “Exercise” as a cover to plant the bombs.  War is now likely.

In an article written by long-time, world-renowned Investigative Journalist, Seymour M. Hersh, the truth has now come out.

 

First, from Wikipedia:

Seymour Myron “Sy” Hersh (born April 8, 1937) is an 85 year old American investigative journalist, and political writer.

Hersh first gained recognition in 1969 for exposing the My Lai Massacre and its cover-up during the Vietnam War, for which he received the 1970 Pulitzer Prize for International Reporting. During the 1970s, Hersh covered the Watergate scandal for The New York Times and revealed the clandestine bombing of Cambodia. In 2004, he reported on the U.S. military’s mistreatment of detainees at Abu Ghraib prison. He has also won two National Magazine Awards and five George Polk Awards. In 2004, he received the George Orwell Award.

Hersh accused the Obama administration of lying about the events surrounding the death of Osama bin Laden and disputed the claim that the Assad regime used chemical weapons on civilians in the Syrian Civil War. Both assertions have stirred controversy.

In his “substack” web site, published about nine hours ago (about 7:00 AM eastern US time today) Hirsh published a story entitled “How America Took Out The Nord Stream Pipeline”  with the sub-title being “The New York Times called it a “mystery,” but the United States executed a covert sea operation that was kept secret—until now.”   (Direct Link to Story)

It’s a long read, but worth it.

In the story, Hirsh reveals that the Operation was planned for nine months.  It was planned in the top floor of the Old Executive Office Building, on the grounds of the White House.  The biggest concern: How to leave no evidence tying it to the United States.

The story reports that the explosives were placed during the annual NATO Naval Exercise “Baltic Operations 22”  (BALTOPS 22) by US Navy Divers.  The NATO exercise was used as a “cover” for the explosives to be planted.

It also reveals that months later, after receiving the “Go” signal from CIA Director Burns, a plane from Norway’s military dropped a special sonar buoy into the Baltic Sea which gave-off the Detonation signal, triggering the explosives and destroying the pipeline.

Ladies and Gentlemen, make no mistake: This was a crime.   It was a criminal conspiracy to commit a bombing, and later, the actual commission of that bombing.  It seems to me, as a layman, the people who engaged in this are personally guilty of federal Felonies.

The planning for this crime was so thorough, they even chose the use of a specific US Navy undersea dive team which would NOT trigger any reporting to the US Congress about its activities!

Now, I could go paragraph by paragraph to report and analyze Seymour Hersh article, but it is much better if you go read it yourselves.

Very long story short: The President of the United States ordered his staff to come up with a way to “deal with” the Nord Stream Pipeline.  They did.  It got blown up.  This was a crime.  It is also, an Act of War against Russia.

I suspect the Russians are absorbing and analyzing Hersh’s article.  As Russians are well known  to do, they will think about this for a good while.  Then, they will take well-thought-out and thought-through action.

We have committed an Act of War.  Russia now has a Casus Belli – a cause for just war.

I suspect that Russia may publicly demand President Biden be Impeached and criminally prosecuted, along with the other Conspirators.  I also suspect that Russia may add, if Biden is not impeached and prosecuted, and the Conspirators not prosecuted, then it will be war.

Knowing that the US Government will never agree to impeach its apparently now-criminal President, nor hold accountable the other Conspirators, I also suspect war is coming — a lot faster than any of us think, and a lot worse than any of us know.

 

UPDATE:

The Biden regime said an article by Pulitzer Prize-winning investigative journalist Seymour Hersh claiming the United States was behind the explosions of the Nord Stream gas pipelines was “utterly false and complete fiction.”

“This is utterly false and complete fiction,” said Adrienne Watson, a spokesperson for the White House National Security Council.

Spokespeople for the CIA and State Department said the same thing, according to Reuters.

  • At this point, insanity is beyond belief, and stupidity has consequences!
  • The military didn’t clap. That says it all.
  • Each day is more shocking than the last.
  • I will strongly suggest to change our leadership quickly before we sink.
    • We sinkin
    • To late
    • too late , point of no return has been reached, asta la vista baby
  • People believe China will have a hard time invading Taiwan because there is a 100 mile stretch of water between China and Taiwan, but the US will have no issue with the thousands of miles required to move weapons and ships to the China theatre. LOL.

Jerry Finds Out Elaine Faked It

Celebrities Recreated As If They Were In Classical Paintings By Kyès

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Art from the past comes back into our lives once again. The internet fell in love with classical paintings that were turned into memes, therefore, we are sure you will be interested to see what this artist did.

Kyès (previously featured) is an expert in using the style of French 17th-18th century paintings to reimagine what today’s celebrities would look like if they lived back in the day. His first works portrayed French rappers, but later on, he included other celebrities. These paintings are made digitally using computer programs, but the results seem to look just like real paintings from the past.

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Kyès’ first shared digital painting was of Charles Baudelaire, a French poet, portrayed as a joker. The artist seems to give attention to French artists and celebrities first, but over time has incorporated other well-known people such as Rihanna, Beyonce, Kanye West, and others as well.

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Kyès uses Photoshop to recreate old classical paintings into ones with celebrities that are famous today. Such an approach makes us look up original paintings that let us revive our memories of old art. We noticed that Kyès usually uses paintings from the 16th to 18th century as a base. The art style varies from the High Renaissance to Rococo and Neoclassicism.

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Most Renaissance artwork is thought to be made between 1300 and 1600. After that, all the art is classified as High Renaissance. The difference between these two is that while earlier Renaissance artists would emphasize a work’s perspective or technical aspects, High Renaissance artists were willing to forego technical principles to create a more beautiful, harmonious whole.

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BREAKING NEWS: Video Proof Ukraine Using Chemical Weapons Against Russian Troops

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WARNING. GRAPHIC VIDEO BELOW. VIEWER DISCRETION STRONGLY ADVISED. Video has been put out by the Ukrainian Armed Forces laughing about their use of Chemical Weapons to kill Russian Troops. The video, complete with happy, carnival-type music, appears below.

The video, shot from the drone which drops the chemical weapon, shows two separate cartridges being dropped on Russian troops who have taken cover in a small creek or stream.

The first cartridge has limited effect.  The second cartridge, with a blue end cover,  is utterly horrifying.

The soldiers go into spasms and convulsions, with balled-fists, and flailing legs.

As the chemicals saturate them, the soldiers clearly cannot control their body movement, and end-up failing to keep their heads above water, presumably because they are neurologically impaired from the attack, and their brain cannot think to keep their heads out of the water.  Both soldiers die within minutes.

The Geneva Protocol

The 1925 Protocol for the Prohibition of the Use of Asphyxiating, Poisonous or Other Gases, and of Bacteriological Methods of Warfare, commonly known as the 1925 Geneva Protocol, bans the use of chemical and bacteriological (biological) weapons in war.

Based upon this video, it appears Ukraine is now using such banned weapons, and boasting about what they’re doing by releasing videos with happy music.

This is the single most disgusting display of inhuman cruelty I have so far seen from the battlefields of Ukraine.

WARNING: This video is extremely graphic.  Viewer discretion is advised.

HERE

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Easiest Homemade Pizza Dough

2023 02 01 18 23
2023 02 01 18 23

Ingredients

  • 1 cup plain Greek yogurt
  • 1 to 1 1/2 cups self-rising flour, divided

Instructions

  1. Combine yogurt and 1 cup flour in the bowl of an electric stand mixer. Mix until combined, scraping down the bowl as necessary until combined.
  2. Knead on medium high for 5 minutes.
  3. Slowly add additional flour as necessary to help dough come together. Depending on how thick your yogurt is, you may need up to an extra 1/2 cup of flour.
  4. Dust clean counter top with flour and remove dough from bowl. Knead a few turns until dough is tacky, but not sticky. Roll out and add toppings as desired.
  5. Bake in a preheated 450 degrees F oven for 10-12 minutes.

Yield: 2 medium pizza crusts or one extra large pizza crust

China Rejects “Shoot First, Talk Later” Attitude

Here is demonstration of typically childish-arrogant behavior of the U.S. government towards foreign countries.

China Isn’t Ready to Pick Up Phone After Balloon Incident
Chinese officials rejected a request from the U.S. defense secretary to speak with his counterpart after an American fighter jet shot down a Chinese spy balloon.

The Pentagon said on Tuesday that China had rejected a request from Defense Secretary Lloyd J. Austin III to speak with his Chinese counterpart on Saturday soon after an American fighter jet shot down a Chinese spy balloon off the coast of South Carolina.

That statement by the Pentagon immediately raises a question. Why hadn’t the U.S. defense secretary called the Chinese defense minister before shooting down the Chinese weather ballon?

The U.S. apparently detected the balloon on January 29 when it was over the Aleutian Islands. Austin could have called his Chinese counterpart anytime in the seven days between that detection and the time the decision was taken to shot it down:

“We believe in the importance of maintaining open lines of communication between the United States and the P.R.C. in order to responsibly manage the relationship,” Brig. Gen. Patrick S. Ryder, the Pentagon press secretary, said in an emailed statement, referring to the People’s Republic of China. “Lines between our militaries are particularly important in moments like this.”It was not to be. “Unfortunately,” General Ryder said, “the P.R.C. has declined our request” to arrange a call with Wei Fenghe, the Chinese defense minister.

The purpose of high level lines of communication between military and political leaders is to prevent that crises happen or, if one has happen incidentally, to prevent their escalation.

Before the shot down the Chinese defense minister Wei Fenghe likely would have taken that call. But the U.S. decided to shoot first and to talk later. That was and is inappropriate.

On January 29 the Chinese weather balloon was drifting westward over Alaska and Canada. There was no expectation that it would cross into the United States. But an unusual low pressure formation over east Canada eventually caused that. Low pressure areas in the northern hemisphere turn counter-clockwise. High pressure areas turn clockwise. The unusually strong low pressure zone over east Canada pushed arctic air masses south through Canada and then south west to west to New England. This phenomenon, on February 1 and 2, caused a cold snap in east Canada and the northeast of the U.S.. But the wind also caused the 200 feet high balloon to turn south.

 

bal3
bal3

bigger

Picture the coldest Canadian night imaginable. What did you think of it? Clear skies? Calm winds? A deep snowpack? This cold snap had none of these ingredients align because this type of cold is different. Meet advection cold.The cold air wasn’t developed on location. The imported cold was fed south by a strong low and the trajectory of the polar vortex. The polar vortex was swirling near Hudson Bay and was slingshotted south by favourable atmospheric dynamics.

The cold air wrapped around a developing low, lifting across Labrador. Not just any cold air, either — the stratospheric polar vortex mixed down in what’s known as a tropopause fold and occurs near the core of a jet stream.

A wind and pressure map from February 3 shows the then already waning low pressure area in the upper right. The red arrow shows the balloon’s course.

 

bal5
bal5

biggerBoth the cold snap and the balloon’s turn were surprising. The jet stream would usually have prevent both from happening. But this time the low pressure area proved to be stronger if only for a short moment. It is the reason why the balloon ended up crossing the U.S.

 

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bal4

Source: WikipediabiggerThere was no way the balloon could have been steered against the prevailing wind. Here is a CBS meteorologist, who had used NOAA software to predicted the course of the ballon, confirming that fact:

Ed Russo @EdRussoWX – 11:37 UTC · Feb 4, 2023Replying to @soonersfan2022
The balloon is flying at the height of the jet stream. The jet stream winds will steer the balloon… even a simple rudder won’t be a match for the 200+ mph upper level winds.

By no means could China have planned the balloon’s course. Any allegations that the balloon was being ‘steered’ and intentionally crossed U.S. missile fields and military bases to ‘spy’ on those are thereby bogus. China has some 300 satellites in the earth’s orbit. It does not need balloons to take aerial pictures of static missile silos in the mid-west U.S.

The NYT also writes:

China has insisted that the electronics-laden machine was simply a weather balloon that had drifted off course.

The balloon debris has not been recovered yet. Based on what fact is the NYT then claiming that it the balloon was an ‘electronics-laden machine’?

China is not happy that the Biden administration is hyperventilating over the incident. But it will keep its calm:

Different political forces within the US, including President Joe Biden and the Republican Party, are still hyping up the incident of a Chinese civilian unmanned airship in the US media in order to gain political interests ahead of the annual State of the Union address, rather than making efforts to cool down the matter.Chinese experts said on Tuesday that it shows that the chaotic, messy and sick political situation in Washington means that China-US tensions are unlikely to ease in the near future. It also proves that the Biden administration is incapable of setting so-called guardrails for bilateral ties under the complex situation within the US.

China will keep calm and observe what the US does next, and whether Biden creates conditions for engagement or Washington allows bilateral ties to keep worsening, China is ready to handle any possible moves by the US, experts noted.

Austin’s attempts to call his Chinese counterpart AFTER the shit happened is seen as an attempt to additionally insult the Chinese government.

Austin will not be given a chance to do that.

 

Posted by b on February 8, 2023 at 14:34 UTC | Permalink

Stop blinking your eyes

When I was in fifth grade, I lived a normal boyhood in a small town in Western Pennsylvania. There, everyday, we would sit at a formal dinner that our mothers had prepared for us. My mother would cook roasts, and other fare that varied from Chicken to fish, and all manner of vegetables as sides.

Being a traditional household, my father sat at the head of the table, with my mother at the other end, and us kids sat in the middle.

Now for some reason, my father was stressing out at work for some reason or the other, and today’s story is about how it manifested when he came home.

He, in a completely asshole move started to pick on me (as I was the oldest son), and started to accuse me of blinking my eyes too much.

Yeah. I’m what? Nine years old.

He’d scream at me at the dining table “Stop blinking your eyes”! Or if I was reading a book in the living room, or watching television. Or riding my bicycle. I must have heard that demand “Stop blinking your yes” over ten thousand times.

Anyways…

Long story short. Eventually he stopped accusing me. And I learned to stay hidden from him. As an older man, I can now clearly see that he was under stress and neuroses were developing, but at that time, I just “took it”.

As we get older, we view our past experiences with the eyes of experience, and learn what is good and what is bad, in ways that we can understand and learn from.

Let’s get on with today’s post…

Meme’s about the United States are everywhere…

2023 01 24 11 39
2023 01 24 11 39

Unlocking the Secrets of the Holloways: An Exploration of England’s Sunken Labyrinths

holloways England
holloways England

Natural England is embarking on a journey to uncover hidden gems known as holloways tucked away in the English countryside. These paths, also known as sunken lanes, have a rich historical and cultural value that is waiting to be discovered.

According to the BBC, experts are conducting 3D surveys at Shute’s Lane, a picturesque holloway near Bridport in Dorset, on the south coast of England. They are also studying the 300-year-old Hell Lane, a path that winds its way through Symondsbury and North Chideock. The goal is to create a map that will showcase the locations of these mysterious sunken lanes all across the UK.

What is a Holloway?

A holloway is tunnel-like road, lane, or path that has become naturally sunken over centuries of repeated use. According to Atlas Obscura , in some places, the holloways in Dorset have receded as much as 20 feet below the land on either side.

The pathway is typically surrounded by tall trees that grow out of the banks on either side. They may have intertwined their branches forming a canopy over the road, creating the appearance of a tunnel through the dense foliage.

Hell
Hell

Hell Lane, near Symondsbury, Dorset. (Mike Faherty / CC BY-SA 2.0 )

The Long History of Sunken Roads

The English name “holloway” is derived from the Old English “hola weg” meaning a sunken road. Many of these ancient paths date back centuries, with some dating as far back as Roman times or earlier, with an age range of 300 to 3,000 years old. Holloways can be found all over the world and are often considered to be important cultural and historical landmarks.

The tunnel-like paths are formed over time by the movement of people, animals and carts along routes with soft ground, which causes the path to become deeply indented or “sunken” into the surrounding landscape.

Today, most holloways are no longer in use due to their narrow width and slow pace, which makes them unsuitable for modern modes of transportation. Additionally, they are too deep to be filled in and repurposed for farming. As a result, these paths have become a labyrinth of wildness, surrounded by heavily farmed countryside.

In England, most of these sunken lanes have become overgrown with nettles and briars, making them impassable and unexplored for decades. They offer a unique and integral part of the English landscape, providing a glimpse into a time long gone.

Holloways
Holloways

Holloways have been used for centuries, and many feature carvings. (Natural England)

Ancient Holloway ‘Graffiti’

These paths are not only steeped in history but are also adorned with ‘graffiti’ carved into their banks, depicting ghouls, gargoyles, and Celtic patterns that add to their allure. The carvings hint at a deeper purpose to the pathways – some experts maintain they were not only used as transportation routes, but also as sacred pathways, which were believed to have spiritual or magical properties.

Digitizing the Magic of Holloways

The 3D survey will provide detailed measurements and create a digital visualization that captures the mystery and magic of these holloways. Mr. Jefferies said, “Nobody knows the full extent of them right across the UK – so we are trying to collect them and create this map.”

The initial project is set to be completed by the end of March and a report of the findings will be published through Natural England. But you don’t have to wait until then to get involved, Natural England is inviting you to share pictures and details of your local holloways via Twitter using #sunkenpaths.

Man Dresses Up Every Sunday To Take His Grandmother To Church

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By now most of the legends have already been debunked and sorted out. Except maybe for the one of the mysterious Sunday Man from Baltimore, Maryland.

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In the United States…

Ambassador Says U.S. WILL ALLOW Allies to Give F-16’s to Ukraine

The USA will support the transfer of F-16 fighter jets by allies to Ukraine – the American ambassador to the OSCE. Michael Carpenter, confirmed today.

Washington will agree with the idea of partners to transfer F-16 fighter jets to Ukraine.

Answering the question whether the administration of US President Joe Biden is ready to allow the Netherlands to supply Ukraine with F-16 fighter jets, the ambassador said: “We have long been of the opinion that what our allies supply is their business. And we support the countless contributions (to defense) that our allies have made for Ukraine.

This has been true from the very beginning of the war, when we discussed legacy Soviet systems, to the present period, when we discuss main battle tanks and more sophisticated air and missile defense capabilities and systems. And so I expect there will be broad support in the United States for our allies to continue to increase their contributions,” Carpenter said.

Earlier it became known that the Netherlands is ready to consider the transfer of F-16 fighter jets to Ukraine, if a request comes from the Ukrainian authorities.

At the same time, during an address to the participants of Ramstein meeting, Volodymyr Zelenskyy called on the partners to discuss the possibility of sending the F-16 at the next meeting.

Beef and Mushroom Casserole

Depositphotos 57609027 xl 2015 1
Depositphotos 57609027 xl 2015 1

Ingredients

  • 1 pound lean ground beef
  • 1 (5 1/2 ounce) package risotto mix with garden vegetables
  • 1 1/2 cup sliced mushrooms
  • 1 cup chopped red bell pepper
  • 2 cloves garlic, crushed
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 1/4 teaspoon pepper
  • 2 tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese
  • 1 tablespoon chopped fresh basil

Instructions

  1. Prepare risotto mix according to package directions.
  2. Meanwhile in large nonstick skillet, brown ground beef, mushrooms, bell pepper and garlic over medium heat 8 to 10 minutes or until beef is no longer pink, breaking beef up into small crumbles.
  3. Pour off drippings.
  4. Season with salt and pepper.
  5. Stir risotto into beef mixture.
  6. Sprinkle with cheese and basil.

Yield: 4 servings

Alternative instructions

  • 700g braising or stewing beef, cut into chunks
  • 2 tbsp sunflower oil
  • 2 onions, thinly sliced
  • 2 tsp dried mixed herbs
  • 2 tbsp plain flour
  • 150ml red wine
  • 450ml beef stock
  • 1 bay leaf
  • 2 tbsp tomato puree
  • 3 carrots, peeled and cut into chunks
  • 300g forest mushrooms, sliced
  • Salt and pepper
  • Handful of chopped flat leaf parsley to garnish
First

Get things moving by preheating your oven to 180C, and really seasoning your beef chunks well with salt and pepper. Heat half the oil in a large frying pan, and brown your beef in batches for 2-3 minutes. Transfer the meat to a stew or casserole dish.

Second

Add the remaining oil, and soften the onions over a medium heat for 5 minutes. You want them to be lightly browned before you remove them, add them to the casserole dish, and sprinkle them with the flour and the herbs.

Third

Into the casserole dish goes the red wine, the stock, the bay leaf, and the tomato puree. Stir it all well, and place on the hob. Cook over a medium heat until you get to a gentle simmer, then transfer to the oven, and continue to cook covered for 1.5 hours.

Fourth

Once 1.5 hours have passed, remove the casserole from the oven, and stir in the carrots and forest mushrooms. Season again to taste, then cook for a further 45 minutes. Serve with mashed potato and your favorite greens.

French Video

This 30 minutes long video (in French but English subtitles are available) is simply miraculous.

A Frenchman capable to explain China’s foreign policies with clarity, fairplay and his explanations are buttressed with facts.

Also miraculous is his capacity to see reality and expounding it quite well and not the usual Kool-Aid from the Western presstitutes.

In French, there is a perfect word for the presstitute MSM : Merdias.

Até logo ! Quan

https://youtu.be/LJURmSo_tYw

Harlech Castle: Wales’ Most Formidable Fortress

Harlech Castle
Harlech Castle

Harlech Castle is a medieval castle located in Harlech, in the Welsh county of Gwynedd. The castle was built during the 13 th century by the English king, Edward I, as part of an ‘iron ring’ of castles aimed at the subjugation of Gwynedd. As a defensive structure, Harlech Castle played an important role in the region’s history in the centuries following its construction. By the 17 th century, however, Harlech Castle lost its military function, and fell out of use. Nevertheless, it received a new lease of life in subsequent centuries, as it began to attract tourists. Today, Harlech Castle is a tourist destination, and is recognized as a UNESCO World Heritage Site, as part of the ‘Castles and Town Walls of King Edward in Gwynedd’.

The Tragic Legend of Princess Branwen

Harlech is located in Gwynedd, in the northwestern part of Wales. It lies on the coast, to the north of Cardigan Bay, and is situated within the western edge of Snowdonia National Park. Although Harlech Castle was built during the 13 th century, locals associate the site with the legend of Branwen , a Welsh princess. This Welsh legend is found in the second of the Four Branches of the Mabinogi. This is a set of four distinct but interconnected stories originally written in Middle Welsh. The tales were compiled between the latter half of the 11 th century and the early 13 th century. This makes them the earliest prose stories in British literature.

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image002 157

 

Branwen, on the left, is one of the most tragic figures from Welsh mythology, is associated with Harlech Castle. ( Public domain ) Right; The Four Branches of the Mabinogion are a collection of Medieval Welsh mythological which include the story of Branwen ferch Llŷr. (National Library of Wales / CC0)

The main character of the legend is Branwen ferch Llŷr (Branwen, daughter of Llŷr). Branwen was the sister of Bendigeidfran (Bran the Blessed), the giant King of Britain, and was given in marriage to Matholwch, the King of Ireland. At the wedding feast, however, Efinisien, Branwen’s half-brother, mutilates the horses given to Matholwch as a dowry, since he was furious that he was not consulted about Branwen’s marriage. This infuriates Matholwch, but Bendigeidfran is able to calm him down by presenting him with more gifts. After the wedding, Matholwch and Branwen return to Ireland, and the latter gives birth to a son. Nevertheless, the mutilation of the horses by Efinisien had not been forgotten, and the king was urged to avenge this insult.

As a result, Matholwch banishes his wife to his kitchen, where she is forced to work as a servant. Branwen suffers further humiliation by being slapped by the butcher every day. The princess manages to tell her brother of the terrible treatment she was receiving by sending a bird to him. Consequently, Bendigeidfran assembled his army, and attacked Ireland. The Irish were defeated, and Matholwch tries to make peace by offering the throne to their son, Gwern. In fact, he was plotting to kill the Britons at the coronation feast. The plot, however, was discovered by Efinisien, who foils it by throwing Gwern into the fire, thus causing the Irish and Britons to fight once more. In the end, only seven Welshmen survived, and Branwen returns to Wales with them. The princess’ heart was broken at the thought that two kingdoms were destroyed on her account, and she dies soon after.

Edward, the Vindictive King

Although Harlech is associated with the legend of Branwen, there is no evidence that there was a castle at the site before the 13 th century. In 1272, the English king, Henry III, died, and was succeeded by his son, Edward I . At the time of Edward’s ascension, much of Wales was under the rule of Llywelyn ap Gruffudd , the Prince of Wales . Edward, however, was determined to reduce Llywelyn’s power. The prince’s persistent evasion of his duty to pay homage to the English king was used by Edward as a convenient excuse to conduct a military campaign against Wales. Thus, in 1277, Edward invaded Wales, defeated the Welsh, and forced Llywelyn to sign the Treaty of Aberconwy. Although the Welsh leader was allowed to keep his title ‘Prince of Wales’, he lost much territory, and was left only with the western part of Gwynedd.

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image003 161

Edward I was determined to reduce the power of Llywelyn ap Gruffudd and invaded wales in 1277. ( Public domain )

In 1282, the Welsh, who were dissatisfied with English rule, rebelled. Initially, there were only sporadic outbreaks of resistance. Soon, however, it turned into a united uprising, and Llewelyn eventually became the leader of the rebellion. Under Llewelyn’s leadership, important castles were captured, and the English army was defeated. In response, Edward assembled his army, and invaded Wales again. The Welsh used guerrilla tactics against the much larger English army, and enjoyed some success. At the Battle of Irfon Bridge, however, Llewelyn was slain. This was a heavy blow to the Welsh, but they continued their resistance under Dafydd, Llywelyn’s brother. The resistance crumbled in 1283, when Dafydd was captured, tried, and executed.

Master Architect of Harlech Castle

Harlech Castle was built at the time of Edward’s second Welsh campaign. Construction of the castle began in 1283, and was completed in 1290. It was meant to be part of an ‘iron ring’ of castles that surrounded the coastal fringe of Snowdonia. This ‘iron ring’ included Conwy Castle and Caernarfon Castle, and the entire project was placed in the hands of James of Saint George, a master architect from Savoy. Like Conwy and Caernarfon Castles, Harlech Castle was designed to have access to the Irish Sea. This was meant to ensure that the castle’s defenders would be able to obtain supplies and reinforcements in the event of a land assault. Unlike the other two castles, however, Harlech Castle is situated in place of little strategic importance. It has been suggested that the Edward deliberately constructed this formidable castle in such a remote location as a display of his power to the Welsh.

Harlech Castle was built to be a mighty fortress, and the genius of its architect reflected in its design. For a start, James chose the edge of a prominent cliff as the site to build the castle. This meant that any would-be attacker would be forced to approach the castle from the east. As already mentioned, the castle has direct access to the Irish Sea, which is reached via a gated, fortified stairway. Harlech Castle is a concentric castle, which means that relied on curtain walls, rather than a keep, as its main system of defense. Therefore, Harlech Castle has two rings of walls, each reinforced by towers.

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image004 117

The gatehouse of Harlech Castle. ( hipproductions / Adobe Stock)

On the eastern side of the castle is a massive gatehouse, which would have served to intimidate any would-be-attacker. The gatehouse was not merely a defensive structure, but also the castle’s main private accommodation. The first floor of the gatehouse would have served as personal residence of the castle’s constable or governor, whilst its top floor would have been reserved for visiting dignitaries. It may be added that this was also the case for the corner towers, i.e. that they were not only used for defensive purposes, but also provided accommodation for the castle’s residents.

Although Harlech Castle is defended by massive curtain walls, its inner ward is considered to be somewhat smaller than what one might imagine. Nevertheless, it contains all the amenities that the castle’s inhabitants may need. These include a kitchen and great hall against its western wall, a chapel and bakehouse against its northern wall, and a granary and another hall against its southern wall. Interestingly, this hall, which is known as Ystumgwern Hall, is believed to have originally belonged to Llywelyn. It was located to the south of Harlech, and after the Welsh prince’s defeat, was dismantled, brought to the castle, and reassembled there. It seems that Edward did a similar thing at Conwy.

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image005 115

The inner walls of Harlech Castle. ( Fulcanelli / Adobe Stock)

Turbulent Times for Harlech Castle

Harlech Castle saw much action in the centuries that followed. In 1294, not long after the castle was completed, the Welsh rebelled once again. This time, they were led by Madog ap Llywelyn, one of Llywelyn’s distant relatives. Harlech Castle was deep in Welsh-held territory. Nevertheless, its defenders were able to hold on to the castle throughout the rebellion, which lasted until 1295. One of the primary reasons for this was the castle’s access to the Irish Sea. In 1404, the Welsh revolted once again. This time, Harlech Castle, which was defended by a small, poorly-equipped garrison, fell to the Welsh after a long siege. The Welsh leader, Owain Glyndŵr , was proclaimed Prince of Wales, and made the castle his main residence and military base. Additionally, a parliament is believed to have been held in Harlech Castle by Owain in 1405.

In 1408, Harlech Castle was besieged by Henry of Monmouth, the future Henry V, and his commander, Edmund Mortimer. The English brought artillery with them, and it is thought that the southern and eastern parts of the outer walls were destroyed during this siege. Nevertheless, the Welsh defenders continued to resist, and only surrendered to the English in February 1409, due to lack of supplies and exhaustion. But, it was not too long before Harlech Castle saw action once more. The Wars of the Roses broke out between the House of Lancaster and the House of York in 1455. Five years later, Margaret of Anjou, the wife of the English king, Henry VI, sought shelter at Harlech Castle, thereby turning it into a Lancastrian stronghold. As the civil war progressed, the castles of the Lancastrians fell to the Yorkists one by one. In the end, Harlech Castle was the last main fortress that the Lancastrians controlled. The castle had been under siege since 1461, but its defenders were able to survive thanks again to its access to the Irish Sea.

In 1468, Edward IV ordered William Herbert to capture Harlech Castle. After a month-long siege, the castle’s defenders surrendered to the Yorkists. It has been suggested that the courage of the castle’s defenders during this siege inspired the song Men of Harlech . Alternatively, it has been speculated that the song is actually associated with the Welshmen who defended Harlech Castle against the English in 1408. In any event, after the siege of 1468, Harlech Castle was abandoned. Records from the 16 th century show that the castle ‘s defensive and domestic equipment had been removed. The towers’ interiors were in ruins, whilst the chapel and hall were left roofless. Furthermore, Harlech Castle was repurposed as a debtors’ prison.

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image006 101

 

Harlech Castle has borne witness to a violent history of war and rebellion. ( Public domain )

Harlech Castle regained its defensive function during the 17 th, when the English Civil War broke out between the Royalists and Parliamentarians. A royal army took possession of Harlech Castle, and its commander, William Owen, had the castle repaired. Harlech Castle was besieged again in June 1646, four years after the war started. By this time, it was the last castle on the mainland in the hands of the Royalists. The siege lasted until March 1647, when its garrison of 44 men surrendered to the Parliamentarians under Thomas Mytton. Following its capture, Parliament ordered Harlech Castle to be demolished, so as to prevent it from being used by the Royalists in the future. Fortunately, the order was only partially carried out, and hence much of the structure was spared.

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image007 87

Harlech Castle, Gwynedd, Wales ( valeryegorov / Adobe Stock)

Time for Peace at Harlech Castle

The siege of 1646 was the last time Harlech Castle saw action. In the next centuries, the castle was abandoned once again. The 19 th century saw the transformation of Harlech Castle into a tourist destination. The violent history of the castle seems to have faded away. Instead of armies, the site was now visited by artists, who were drawn there by the scenic natural landscape. The popularity of Harlech Castle amongst artists of that period is evident by the many paintings, drawings, and engravings that were made of the castle and its surrounding area. Harlech Castle has maintained its role as a tourist destination till this day. Harlech Castle has been restored during the 20 th century, though these works were minimal so as to preserve the castle’s pristine state.

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Harlech Castle became a popular destination for artists from the 19th century, attracted by its beauty and the surrounding landscape. Watercolor of Harlech Castle by Copley Fielding (1855). ( Public domain )

Today, in addition to being a tourist destination, Harlech Castle is also an important piece of cultural heritage. Although parts of Harlech Castle have been destroyed by the passage of time, and by human hands, it is still considered to be one of the best-preserved castles in Wales. Internationally recognition for the site’s significance came in 1986, when the castle was inscribed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site , as part of the ‘Castles and Town Walls of King Edward in Gwynedd’. Apart from Harlech Castle, the group includes three other Welsh castles – Beaumaris, Conwy, and Caernarfon Castles.

Top image: It may not seem like it today, but Harlech Castle is Wales has witnessed Welsh rebellions, the Wars of the Roses and the English Civil War. Source: Darren Tennant / Flickr

By Wu Mingren                   

Turkey Stuffing Soup

Don’t let a bit of that tasty Thanksgiving meal go to waste. Everyone will love this delicious soup.

2023 01 23 09 15
2023 01 23 09 15

Ingredients

  • 1 roasted turkey carcass, broken into pieces
  • 10 cups cold water
  • 3 carrots, thickly sliced
  • 3 celery stalks with leaves, sliced
  • 1 onion, chopped
  • 1/2 cup chopped parsley
  • 1 bay leaf
  • 1 teaspoon dried thyme, crushed
  • 2 1/2 cups leftover turkey stuffing or dressing
  • 2 cups turkey gravy
  • Salt

Instructions

  1. Combine turkey carcass, water, carrots, celery, onion, parsley, bay leaf, thyme, stuffing, gravy and salt in a stock pot pot. Place over medium heat and bring to boil, then reduce heat to simmer. Stir and break up all clumps of stuffing. Simmer, covered, about 1 1/2 hours.
  2. Remove carcass, saving any meat that can be stripped, and add up to 1 1/2 cups water if necessary to replace evaporation.
  3. Adjust salt to taste.
  4. Let simmer for 10 more minutes.
  5. Serve hot.

Cat meme

main qimg 642310c58a39cfd0bf728a3a3c5f82ec lq
main qimg 642310c58a39cfd0bf728a3a3c5f82ec lq

Big Feelings: How to Be Okay When Things Are Not Okay by Liz Fosslien

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0 42 1

Liz Fosslien (previously featured) is the co-author and illustrator of the book Big Feelings and the Wall Street Journal best-seller No Hard Feelings. Liz is an expert on how to make work better.

She regularly leads interactive, scientifically-backed workshops about how to build resilience, help remote workers avoid burnout, and effectively harness emotion as a leader. Her work has been featured by TED, Harvard Business Review, The New York Times, The Economist, and NPR.

“We all experience unwieldy feelings. But between our emotion-phobic society and the debilitating uncertainty of modern times, we usually don’t know how to talk about what we’re going through, much less handle it. Over the past year, Liz Fosslien and Mollie West Duffy’s online community has laughed and cried about productivity guilt, pandemic anxiety, and Zoom fatigue. Now, Big Feelings addresses anyone intimidated by oversized feelings they can’t predict or control, offering the tools to understand what’s really going on, find comfort, and face the future with a sense of newfound agency.”

More: Instagram, Amazon

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Some stories of mutation…

In the mid-1980’s, my wife and I were living in North Carolina. Were we worked for a spell at a factory that made a off-brand “smores” health food snack. There, we had befriended a couple, older than us, by maybe ten years. And we started hanging out with them, and drinking beer with them every night.

They owned a house in Mebine, and a farm outside of Vanciville. And I want to relate a little story.

At the farm, which was about 40 wooded, and hilly acres with a small cabin, and some old cars, was their dogs. They allowed these dogs to run freely over the farm, and they were a boisterous bunch. With perhaps one old dog named Maggie, and two Dobermans.

One of the Dobermans got pregnant, and had a gaggle of puppies. Perhaps 30 or so! I didn’t even know that dogs could have that many puppies, but there you have it.

Anyways, the puppies were roaming the woods and were going feral. They wouldn’t allow any of us to come near them, but at night, as we sat around the campfire, they would sneak up and steal food from our hands, and snap at our feet.

At this point they were starting to be large puppies, and were not controllable.

So one day, Tom (my friend who owned the property) with his wife Bonnie collected poisonous mushrooms from the woods. These were the large white mushrooms that you see often enough in the woods.

And, one day, as I came to the farm from work, we saw Tom take raw hamburger, and put a slice of the mushroom in the hamburger and threw the little meatballs to the puppies to eat. We (at that time) didn’t know what was going on. But we watched him feed all the puppies that way until all the hamburger was all used up.

Two weeks passed.

We forgot about that particular event. And life moved on.

One day we went to the farm, and when we arrived it looks like some kind of mass killing. Dead puppies were everywhere. Some on the hardened ruts in the road, some on the porch to the cabin. Some near the bases of tree. Some out in the open under the sky. Some near the stream, and some on the numerous rocks that lined the property.

Tom explained, after the massive clean up, that if he didn’t do something about the dogs now, then they would become a large pack of dangerous dogs, and aside from the personal headaches it would cause, it would also get his neighbors angry and a dog catcher and police would have to come to his property, and he did not want that. As he was a very private person, don’t you know.

I just remembered this story, as there are so many instances where it is important to take care of problems when they are small, instead of putting them off. Because if you do so, the problems can get worse, fester and turn into big bad problems.

let’s start with today’s posting…

Uh Oh . . . Chase Bank to Close Some ATM’s Outside of Business Hours in NYC (Crime)

New Yorkers looking for some last-minute cash to grab a midnight slice won’t have access to some Chase ATMs in New York City.

The bank announced this week that the around-the-clock ATMs will close at the same time as the branches, which is around 5 p.m. or 6 p.m., due to “rising crime and vagrancy,” the bank said in a tweet.

“Our apologies. We decide to close several ATM vestibules at 5 PM or 6 PM, aligning the hours of service to that of the normal branch hours, due to rising crime and vagrancy that occurred in these previously 24/7 vestibules,” the tweet said.

The lockdowns may be temporary, according to a Chase spokesperson. It remained unclear which locations would be affected by the shutdown.

“For the safety of our customers and employees, we may temporarily close some ATMs overnight,” the spokesperson said. “We can’t confirm how many ATMs are affected because it changes constantly.”

Some Chase customers were irked by the inconvenience and fired back at the bank’s announcement on social media.

“If ATMs aren’t available when the bank is closed, what’s the point??” an irate customer said in a tweet.

“Are you going to refund the ATM fees to customers when we get ripped off to use a bodega ATM to pay for our late-night slice of pizza because you can’t provide a basic service to account holders? I didn’t think so,” another customer tweeted.

The bank’s customer support service acknowledged in a tweet this would be an inconvenience for the company’s clients.

“I know this outcome wasn’t ideal, but your experience is still very important to us,” the customer support account said in response to one of the customers.

Hal Turner Commentary Opinion

This doesn’t look good on many levels.   First, the rise in violent crime in New York City is something I can attest to, because I live in the area.   The crime has gotten horrifying and I have repeatedly warned people to “stay away from New York City” because I perceive it is so dangerous.

So on its face, what CHASE Bank is saying, is truthful.  The crime is very bad.

Yet, I cannot shake this suspicion there is something ELSE going on.

I am of the view that Banks have been in very real trouble for quite awhile now, and I can’t shake the feeling that this ATM closure might be related to that.

Moreover, if the general public starts getting accustomed to no ATM’s at night, that’s just one more way to slam everyone by surprise if banks actually collapse in one fell swoop.

We ought to watch carefully over the coming weeks to see if other banks start doing this and if it starts happening in areas where there is little to no crime.   If the low or no crime areas start being shut down as well, then we have our answer about banks being in serious trouble.

EPORTS: Germany to ALLOW Leopard-2 Tanks to Ukraine

Reports are now coming in claiming Germany will ignore the Potsdam Agreement that ended World War 2, and allow German Leopard-2 Tanks to be transferred to Ukraine to fight Russia.

German Minister: Germany Won’t Object To Poland Giving Ukraine Leopard Tanks: Russians Whine

Ukraine’s supporters pledged billions of dollars in military aid to Ukraine during a meeting at Ramstein Air Base in Germany on Friday, though the new commitments were overshadowed by a failure to agree on Ukraine’s urgent request for German-made Leopard 2 battle tanks.

The issue appeared to move close to a resolution late Sunday when Germany’s top diplomat said her country would not object if Poland decided to send some of its Leopards to Ukraine.

French TV channel LCI posted clips from an interview with Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock in which she said her government has not received a formal request for approval from Warsaw but added “if we were asked, we would not stand in the way.”

Earlier Sunday, the speaker of the lower house of Russia’s parliament, State Duma Chairman Vyacheslav Volodin, said that governments giving more powerful weapons to Ukraine could cause a “global tragedy that would destroy their countries.”

“Supplies of offensive weapons to the Kyiv regime would lead to a global catastrophe,” he said. “If Washington and NATO supply weapons that would be used for striking peaceful cities and making attempts to seize our territory as they threaten to do, it would trigger a retaliation with more powerful weapons.”

A cool mutation

I have 2 lenses in my right eye, so it focuses like binoculars. My doctor wrote a paper about it. Mostly blinded as a baby in my left eye. Dr suspected my right lense split then healed as 2 distinct lenses. Better than 20/20 in my right eye.

Buckaroo Cornbread Casserole

2023 01 23 09 34
2023 01 23 09 34

Yield: 8 servings

Ingredients

  • 2 pounds ground beef
  • 1/2 green bell pepper, diced, or 1 jalapeno pepper, diced
  • 1/2 medium onion, diced
  • 2 cans Ro*tel tomatoes, drained
  • 1 can Ranch Style beans, seasoned pinto beans or chili beans
  • 2 packages cornbread mix*
  • 1 can cream-style corn
  • 1 cup shredded cheese of choice

Instructions

  1. Grease a 9 x 13-inch baking dish.
  2. Season the ground beef and brown along with the bell pepper and onion.
  3. Drain and add drained Ro*Tel and Ranch style beans (or pinto beans or chili beans). Simmer for 10 minutes.
  4. Mix both boxes of cornbread per directions. Add a can of cream-style corn to cornbread mix. Toss in shredded cheese and stir.
  5. Pour half of cornbread mixture into the bottom of the pan, cover with all of the meat mixture, top with more shredded cheese, then pour remaining cornbread mixture on top.
  6. Bake at 350 degrees F or until cornbread is done.
  7. Serve with a simple green salad.

Notes

* Use either regular or Mexican-style.

I have six toes…

What?

people sharing scary unsettling facts about themselves6 63c00b34e35a2 700
people sharing scary unsettling facts about themselves6 63c00b34e35a2 700

The Good, the Bad, the Mischievous: Cool Illustrations by Max Grecke

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Max Grecke is a Swedish freelance artist and master of 2D and 3D painting. Mostly Grek just draws funny cartoons and strikingly flamboyant and slightly crazy illustrations, but sometimes he takes on serious commercial work as well, as well as recording tutorials on Youtube.

Grecke’s style is truly New Year’s Eve – wild in its lines, motley in its colors, and invariably mischievous in general.

More: Instagram, Gumroad

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He holds his secrets close…

“From ages 6 to 14, I spent all of my time in a pitch black, cold and locked basement, only leaving for school and never letting anyone (outside the family) know.

About the Bolt

This is a weird one but I promise you, no b******t.

people sharing scary unsettling facts about themselves1 63bffc82d3e24 700
people sharing scary unsettling facts about themselves1 63bffc82d3e24 700

 

I had a metal screw/bolt roughly an inch and a half long stuck in my right lung from age 2-17. I must have put it in my mouth as a toddler and it got in got there somehow.

Anyway, The unsettling bit is that I always knew there was something seriously wrong with my body, because my whole life I would have instances in which I coughed uncontrollably, many times coughing up blood. Sometimes a little, sometimes a lot. But I never told anyone. Dad was neglectful and mom was always working, so it was relatively easy to hide. If it happened at school I’d excuse myself to the restroom until it stopped. No one ever showed concern those 15 years so I guess I kept it to myself well enough.

I never told anyone, because even as a small child I was very unhappy with life and wanted it to be over. I guess I figured my mystery illness would get me eventually, so I kept it a secret so I wouldn’t get treated.

It all came to a head at 17 when playing ball at the park with my parents, siblings, and some friends. I got a decent hit and ran around the bases when I started coughing. After sitting back down I tried to hold it in but I couldn’t… and this time it was too bloody to hide and no bathroom to go to. So my step uncle noticed after a minute or two, everyone is crowded around me while I’m coughing up a s***load of blood in and around a trash can. My little brother told me after that they actually sent guys in hazmat suits to clean it up because they didn’t know if whatever was wrong with me was contagious.

But anyway, got to the hospital got the X-ray which showed the screw lit up like Christmas imposed over my rib cage. Doctor guy just went “Well there’s your problem!” I guess he was trying to lighten the mood since everyone was understandably freaking the f**k out.

Two weeks of surgery, three total, and it was out. I still have breathing issues, but the cough is gone now. I made the screw into a necklace which I wear sometimes because I find it oddly comforting to be reminded of my own mortality. I know that’s weird but it’s just sort of how I am all things considered.

I never told my family I knew there was something wrong with me, because telling them would mean admitting to them that I wanted to die the whole time.

I still struggle with mental health c**p for this and many, many other reasons I won’t get into, but things are a lot easier than they used to be.

But anyway, if you actually took the time to read about my weird little life I appreciate your time and hope your day is pleasant.

Beef King Ranch Casserole

This is a beef version of a Texas classic developed by Chef Matt Martinez.

2023 01 23 09 33
2023 01 23 09 33

Ingredients

  • 5 1/2 cups shredded beef or fully cooked brisket (shredded) or fully cooked shredded beef
  • 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
  • 1 cup onion, chopped
  • 1/2 cup red bell pepper, chopped
  • 1/2 cup green bell pepper, chopped
  • 2 tablespoons fresh jalapeno, chopped
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 1 teaspoon pepper
  • 1 teaspoon cumin
  • 1 teaspoon garlic powder
  • 1 tablespoon chili powder
  • 12 ounces canned evaporated milk
  • 1 can Ro*Tel diced tomatoes and green chilies
  • 1 can condensed beef broth
  • 8 ounces grated Cheddar or Mexican blend cheese
  • 12 corn tortillas

Instructions

  1. Add oil to large heated skillet and sauté onion, peppers and jalapeno.
  2. Mix in all spices and cook until onion is translucent.
  3. Add milk, tomatoes and broth. Bring to a simmer. Remove from heat.
  4. Stir in beef and cheese.
  5. Cut tortillas into quarters and placed half into a greased 2 1/2-quart casserole dish. Top with half of the beef mixture. Repeat layers, ending with beef mixture.
  6. Bake at 350 degrees F for 30 minutes.

Yield: 6 to 8 servings

Money!

I inherited a lot of money from my grandmother about 2 years ago that no one in my family knew existed. I still don’t know where it came from, her lawyer wouldn’t tell me, but it’s in the upper 7 figures.

My father, her son, got the flat she owned and we all thought that was everything she had. Apparently it wasn’t but I havent told anyone about it and I dont plan on doing so either.

I just work a normal 8-5 desk job, rent a flat downtown of the City i live in (nothing expensive) and live a normal life on my own. No partner or children, no expensive vacations, I don’t even have a car lol.

I just don’t feel comfortable sharing this secret and the longer I keep it the stranger it would get telling it.

TLDR: I’m a millionaire because my grandmother died and no one knows about it.

Edit: I’m trying to answer to as many people as possible but as I said I still have a normal job so here are the answers to the most asked questions/Suggestions.

1. What do you want to do with the money?

I dont know yet, for now its safe where it is and I will either use it or invest it once I think its time. Maybe in a week, maybe never.

2. Can you give me X amount of money?

No, it wouldnt be fair to give it to one person and deny it another. I also dont really care about your tragic stories in my DMs, I read them and just get depressed so please dont.

3. Can I be “in your life”?

No I also dont want to adopt you/get to know you or be in a relationship with you (except for big tiddie goth GFs)

4. You have to invest in bitcoin/real estate/stocks/your friendly neighbourhood pyramid scheme!

No, f**k off.


I know most of you are genuine, nice people but I dont want your advice.  If this makes me sound like a douche I’m fine with that, it’s just a lot right now.

Nine year old boy

Less scary and more shocking, but when I was 9 years old I survived a home invasion where I was [injured] 6 times. I played dead on the floor until the man left and called 911 and in my adrenaline rush I thought they couldn’t find my house so I crawled with my left are swinging the wrong way and my right leg limp from nerve damage, all the way to the front door when he broke in from the back of the house.

I lived with only my mother who unfortunately didn’t survive. I vividly remember picking out the guy in a photo line up while recovering in the ICU.

I am very lucky to have kept my left arm, I have 32 pins and screws to make up for my shattered elbow. My left leg has permanent nerve damage and I now have “drop foot”. Despite my physical injuries and PTSD, I am doing very well.

Simple Illustrations Reveal Endearing Moments of Love in Life’s Everyday Moments

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Being in love with someone is more than just grand romantic gestures and celebrating milestones—it’s about the little moments, too. Illustrator Nidhi Chanani captures these small occasions in her endearing ongoing series titled ‘Everyday Love’. The charming images demonstrate that it’s the ordinary things that bring us closer to our partner, like cooking together, enjoying the sunset, and, of course, laughter. Each illustration acts as a reminder to appreciate all of them.

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Can see in the dark?

Not MM…

I have unusually good night vision, extra cones/rods (I forget which is for low light) which means I walk around in what other people consider complete darkness, able to see just fine. Add onto that I’m 6’10” and very large, basically a cryptid

Were Vikings in South America Over 400 Years Before Columbus?

Here is presented the widely dismissed account that probably sometime in the mid-11th century, Danish Vikings from Schleswig and the Danelaw (as ascertained from runic rock inscriptions) arrived at Santos in Brazil and proceeded inland to Paraguay. From a fortified hill near the Brazilian border, they occupied a defensive position for some part of two centuries, keeping watch on a nearby small mountain. It has been reported that in the 20th century, beneath the mountain under observation, was discovered a large area whose walls and roof are built of concrete unknown to science and cannot be opened but are believed to conceal a network of tunnels. The following unravels the story presented by just a few advocates, of Vikings in South America. Like so many of these tales, it needs further investigation to enable verification, but nonetheless, it provides food for thought.

The Vikings in South America

Academic historians generally do not admit the presence of European visitors to South America until after the arrival of Christopher Columbus. Therefore for them, all talk of Vikings travelling anywhere south of Nova Scotia before 1492 AD is not even hypothetical but pure fiction. In order to maintain this pretense, historians have found it necessary to discard what might be to others common sense and replace it with a preposterous theory. The best example of this is: The Case of the Bundsö Sheepdogs .

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image002 81

Were Vikings in South America before Christopher Columbus? Pictured: posthumous portrait of Christopher Columbus. (Sebastiano del Piombo / Public domain )

It was the custom of the pre-conquest Incas to be mummified with their dogs. A variety of dogs found in graves at Ancon, Chile, by Professor Nehring in 1885 was analyzed by two French zoologists in the 1950s who determined that this variety could not be descended from the wild dogs of South America. They matched them to Canis familiaris L.patustris Rut  of which numerous skeletal remains have been discovered, all at Bundsö on the Danish island of Als/Jutland.

The anatomical coincidence being deemed perfect, the difficulty then lay in accounting for how these Danish dogs got to South America before the Spanish Conquest . The French scientists got their heads together and decided that: “the Danish Vikings must have given some of their Bundsö sheepdogs to Norwegian Vikings who took them to Vinland. When the Norwegians were ejected from Vinland by the natives, the dogs must have been carried from Vinland to modern Canada where they must have been passed from hand to hand ever southwards by tribes which did not want them, involving travel by land and sea and then climbing mountains into Peru where they were adopted by the Incas.”

This nonsensical explanation was the only scientific theory available, that is, that would fit with the accepted history of the finding of the Americas. But if that account were wrong, a more common sense explanation might be that the Danish Vikings brought the dogs with them when they sailed to South America from Europe in the eleventh century.

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image003 89

 

Depiction of a Viking and his men heading to land. (Frank Dicksee / Public domain )

The Viking Protectorate in Paraguay?

In 1085 AD, King Knut II had 1700 ships for the “western expansion”. For the greater distances involved, a special type of woolen sail, which had been developed for greater speed and sailing much closer to the wind, as proved in experiments by Amy Lightfoot with the Viking Ship Museum, Roskilde. Strangely for Europeans so far from home in the 11th century, the Danish-Schleswig Vikings in this account seemed to know exactly where they were heading.

They came ashore at Santos, Brazil, found the path which had been long previously prepared, and made their way on foot to uplands located at Amambay, 25 kilometers (16 mi) south-east of the modern town of Pedro Juan Caballero in Paraguay.

The Cerro Corá is a ring of three small mountains five kilometers (3 mi) across. Three kilometers (1.9 mi) north of this ring is the mountain Itaguambype , which means ‘fortress’. Long before the supposed arrival of the Vikings, it had been hollowed out to make one, hence its name.

The anthropologist who investigated the area in the 1970s, Jacques de Mahieu, was a French – Argentinian anthropologist and leader of the Spanish neo-Nazi group CEDADE, who has proposed various Pre-Columbian contact theories, and claimed that certain indigenous groups in South America are descended from Vikings. Through his observations, he decided that, at some indefinite time in the past, the construction’s purpose must have been some kind of military observation post large enough for a settlement or a refuge.

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image004 65

Cerro Corá national park in modern day Paraguay, the site where the Danish Vikings in South America were once believed to hold a settlement. (Christian Frausto Bernal / CC BY-SA 2.0 )

The low mountain Itaguambype lies on a north-south axis. It is two kilometers (1.2 mi) in length and one hundred meters (328 ft) high. The ex-fortress is a section cut off at the south end, 300 meters (984 ft) long with a 20-meter­-wide (66-ft) opening for access. The sides are of natural rock, a quarter of the way up from the ground with above it blocks of unequal-size, stone tailored to fit together perfectly smoothly in the manner similar to anti-earthquake walls in Peru and Bolivia.

Along the crest a 3-meter-wide (10-ft) flat path runs; at the southern extremity is a platform with the ruins of a round lookout tower raised 5 meters (16 ft) above the crest for a panorama of the entire territory but particularly Cerro Corá. The fortress would have been abandoned either in about 1250 AD, when a native rebellion succeeded in expelling the Vikings, or earlier, once it had served its true purpose.

Of additional interest in the area is the Norse temple at Tacuati excavated in the 1970s, and the fact that the total of engraved runic inscriptions in Paraguay runs in the thousands and exceeds that of all Scandinavia: 71 have been translated from the South American Futhorc dialect. One 5-letter runic inscription was found inside Itaguambype but has defied translation.

700 Years Later – Fritz Berger Investigates

Fritz Berger was a 50-year-old mechanical engineer, a native of what was then the Sudetenland. He admitted that he suffered mental disturbances from time to time. He wandered South America doing odd jobs, and during the War of the Chaco between Paraguay and Brazil in 1932-1935 served the Paraguayan Army in one of their workshops reconditioning captured enemy weapons. From 1935 until 1940 he stated that he prospected unsuccessfully for oil deposits in the Brazilian State of Paraná, but more likely in this period he gathered the information leading to the investigation which followed.

In February 1940, Berger crossed into Paraguay at the Pedro Juan Caballero border post and contacted the Army of Paraguay. Simply as a result of what he told them, they agreed to form a company with him known as Agrupación Geológica y Archaeológica (AGA). A clause in the agreement stipulated that the treasure trove was the property of Paraguay. The Paraguayan signatory was Major Samaniego, later the Paraguayan Minister of Defense.

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image005 68

Major Samaniego of Paraguay pictured in 1948, the military official who helped Fritz Berger in his investigation of Vikings in South America . ( Public domain )

At the heart of this contract was the Legend of the White King of Amambay. The tradition relates:

 “In those days there reigned in this region a powerful and wise king called Ipir. He was white and wore a long blond beard. With men of his race and Indian warriors loyal to him, he lived in a community situated on the crest of a mountain. He possessed fearsome weapons and had immense riches in gold and silver. One day however he was attacked by savage tribes and disappeared for ever. That is what my father told me, who had heard it from his father.”

The reader should note here that King Ipir was never identified, and his followers “disappeared” and there is no suggestion that they were massacred.

Berger had a female correspondent in Munich to whom he wrote occasionally describing the developments in Paraguay, possibly for passing on to the German government, and copies of these letters passed into the possession of de Mahieu much later for inclusion in his book. In May 1940 Berger wrote to Munich mentioning that he knew of tunnels in the Cerro Corá area “130 kilometers long” (81 mi). By October 1941, he had drawn up a plan of the subterranean installations and sketches of four tunnels, including careful measurements but insufficient information to identify the locations of the various entrances.

The Mysterious Bald Mountain and Impenetrable Slab

On another day in 1940, based on mysterious information he probably brought with him from Brazil, Berger “happened to notice” a great rock forty meters (131 ft) in height in the direction ten kilometers (6 mi) south-south-east of Cerro Corá. The rock was in two parts and covered in dense vegetation halfway up. For this reason the natives called it Yvyty Pero  – “Bald Mountain”.

Berger’s secret reasons for wanting to dig there convinced Major Samaniego to set up a permanent military encampment with wooden houses within twenty meters (66 ft) of Bald Mountain, and he also renamed the range of hills “Cerro Ipir”. Once his sappers began excavating, to their surprise they reportedly found “a piece of gold in a triangular shape, which appeared to be the broken corner of a table” and “a walking stick with a gold head.”

After that the rainy season set in, impeding progress by flooding: the excavation was suspended once all explosives available could not damage a great slab of reinforced concrete encountered at the level of the mountain floor eighteen meters (59 ft) down. At this point, de Mahieu leaves us guessing what happened next in the year from “the end of 1941” until “the end of 1942” during which time the Third Reich became involved and appears to have agreed to send to Paraguay a special kind of pneumatic drill. We know this because in November 1942, US agents reported to their naval attaché at Montevideo the arrival of a German U-boat at the Argentine naval base of Bahia Blanca and this coincided with the unexplained visit there by Major Pablo Stagni, Commander-in-Chief of the Paraguayan Air Force, known to the Americans as the German agent “Hermann.”

Following this ‘coincidence’, according to Berger, in December 1942 work at Bald Mountain resumed. The Paraguayan sappers worked into the mountainside obliquely to connect with the vertical shaft. At 23 meters (75 ft), they encountered again the huge slab of concrete, which could not even be scratched by the drill or explosives and was now described as “a definitely artificial material harder than reinforced concrete and unknown to science.” After further attempts in 1944 were thwarted for the same reason, the excavation was abandoned. Fritz Berger died in Brazil in 1949. This part of Amambay is inaccessible today as a military area.

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image006 55

Viking ship from the Ship Museum in Oslo. (Alex Berger / CC BY-NC 2.0 )

Conclusion

So, to tie together this theory, using legend, possible runic evidence, and Nazi involvement, long before the 11th century, the rich and powerful white king Ipir and his followers, unknown to the world’s historians, inhabited the crest of the mountain fortress Itaguambype. When attacked by an overwhelmingly superior force of natives, Ipir and his court retired to safety below Bald Mountain. Perhaps the Vikings were sent to Amambay later to protect and oversee the installation of the impenetrable concrete roof and sides over the portal below Bald Mountain.

What is interesting about this story is that all the main actors are hiding something. All academic historians and scientists, some knowingly, adhere to the apparent lie that no European reached southern America before Columbus in 1492. Therefore, “no Vikings could have been there”. Fritz Berger never revealed the source of his information about Bald Mountain and the network of tunnels extending cross-country from beneath it, but when he crossed into Paraguay from Brazil he knew for sure exactly where he was going and so did the Paraguayan Army.

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image008 48

Depiction of the first Vikings arriving in the Americas. (Christian Krohg / Public domain )

The author, anthropologist/archaeologist Jacques de Mahieu, an outcaste from the scientific fraternity for having been an officer in the French Waffen-SS Division, perhaps revealed much ‘hidden history’, they would prefer he had not mentioned. Decades after the war, the SS oath he had sworn bound him, and there were still official German secrets with regard to which he was obliged to remain silent. Therefore in his book, he omitted any mention of the year 1942 and details of where the pneumatic drill had come from.

The Third Reich was in the middle of a major war, which it was already in danger of losing. Its outcome depended on the Battle of the Atlantic, yet they could spare a U-boat to detour to Argentina with a pneumatic drill for an archaeological dig in Paraguay. Probably they did not care two hoots for King Ipir and so their interest was in two things:

(i) They needed the tiniest chip of the reputedly impenetrable concrete roof and walls of the underground refuge for scientific analysis to obtain the formula.

(ii) They needed to know where the tunnel beneath Bald Mountain led? Was the mountain one of the portals into the Vril world or similar?

Yay for mutations!

I’m one of the lucky few with the CCR5-delta-32 mutation. Why is that relevant? It makes me immune to HIV and a handful of other pathogens, most notably the Bubonic Plague.

Beefy Cheesy Casserole

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2023 01 23 12 28

Yield: 12 servings

Ingredients

  • 1 pound ground beef
  • 1 (28 ounce) can tomatoes
  • 2 cloves garlic, minced
  • 2 teaspoons honey
  • 2 teaspoons salt
  • Black pepper
  • 1/2 teaspoon Tabasco sauce
  • 1 bay leaf
  • 1 package egg noodles, cooked
  • 1 (8 ounce) package cream cheese
  • 6 green onions, chopped
  • 1 cup sour cream
  • 2 cups grated Cheddar cheese

Instructions

  1. Brown beef over medium heat. Drain fat.
  2. Add garlic to skillet and cook until soft.
  3. Add tomatoes, honey, salt, pepper, bay leaf and Tabasco. Lower the heat to simmer for 30 minutes.
  4. Combine the cooked noodles with the cream cheese, green onions and sour cream.
  5. Grease a 9 x 13-inch pan and alternately layer noodle mixture, tomato mixture and grated cheese, ending with the cheese on top.
  6. Bake covered, in a preheated 350 degrees F oven, for 30 minutes or until heated through and bubbly.

Notes

You can freeze this before or after baking.

Huge 1980’s hair, and some delicious Jamaican chicken

Been a cleaning up fireworks debris from the house porch, and tidying up for the new year. I’m tightening up things, sweeping and cleaning up things and working to settle a calmer life by clearing out the debris of the last.

Let’s all have a great new year!

Yay!

Politics back in the day…

Why talk to the dog, when you can talk with the master?

2023 01 21 10 39
2023 01 21 10 39

What Is It Like To Become Poor After Being Wealthy?

 

The global financial crisis destroyed me in 2008. The years immediately after were some of the worst years of my life. I lost everything; or at least I thought I did.

As it turns out, I didn’t lose much at all (assuming you don’t count approximately $3 million in real estate equity and a couple of hundred thousand dollars in cash, as “much”).

 

I was in Vegas when Lehman Brothers folded… It was my birthday … and it was the first time I’d ever lost big there. I should have known something wicked was coming, but I didn’t. So when my consulting contract didn’t get renewed, I didn’t panic. I kept doing business as usual. When my tenants defaulted on rent, I kept paying mortgages. A year later, I still had $50,000 plus in the bank … enough of a cushion.

I suppose at this time I should make you aware that I was not exactly a low-profile person. I was (and am) in luxury goods and hospitality, and I consulted with companies catering to high-net worth individuals. I helped them design sales and business strategies to keep their clients happy in the short and long term. Needless to say, the luxury sector was massacred, and is still clawing its way out of the muck and mire, at least in the United States.

So, with enough money to float for six to ten months, I kept looking for work in my field.

And looking, and looking … nothing.

Any kind of business consulting … nothing. (Six more months go by).

Any kind of sales … nothing. (Six more months … This was where it got scary).

Waiting tables, bar-tending, limo driving, grocery bagging … ANYTHING!

Nope.

Bear in mind that up until this point, I had never even gone a month without a job since I was 12 years old.

My confidence was shot – I mean decimated. I was a shell of the man I had been only two years previously.

I had the stink of failure all over me.

A friend of mine owned a couple of car-washes. He offered me a job. It was outside work, taking orders when people drove in to the wash. “Would you like the undercarriage done?”

It was winter in Colorado.

I declined.

I was sharing a huge house at the time with my best buddy and his new girlfriend, who became his fiancé, and we were ALL broke. It was brutal. I don’t think I would have made it without them. I was depressed and miserable. I’m lucky they didn’t bury me in a snow bank and leave me there. I’m sure there were times they wanted to.

“Cocky” doesn’t do failure well.

My buddy with the car-wash called again a few weeks later. I said no again. Not just because of the embarrassment. Not just because of the cold weather and the elements, or standing on my feet for 10 hours a day on concrete without Wi-Fi.

It was because of my father.

Almost every good father has a catch phrase that he uses to motivate his sons to do better than he did. Typically, it’s the threat of being stuck doing any minimum-wage job that no teenager from the Gekko era would ever aspire to. For some reason, the example that my father chose was “car wash”. We’d go through Towne Auto Wash after Little League and he’d always point to that guy who asks, “Do you want a regular wash, or deluxe?” and then hands you that little piece of paper.

“Mickey” He’d say. “You have to save some money/get better grades/quit chasing girls/do your homework. You don’t want to end up like that guy, working in a car-wash, do you?” The last time I heard the speech was around 1996. The words, however, hung in the air for years to come.

So, you can see my quandary. To me, working in a car-wash was the ultimate admission of failure. Not losing all my assets. Not selling my watches and cars. Not letting go of a few rugs and some art.

I was living with friends, driving a 17-year-old car, had less than $200 in the bank with no idea where the next $200 was coming from, and I was worried about being seen as a failure.

A little deluded?

Perhaps, but reality kicked in when I didn’t have money for a niece’s birthday present.

So I called my friend back and asked if I could still have the job at the car-wash. My utter failure as a human being was complete, my humiliation final -or so I thought.

On my third day of dragging myself in to work, the raven-haired stunner that I’d hired as my assistant five years previous pulled in – driving a brand new Lexus.

NOW my humiliation was complete.

There was nowhere to run, no place to hide.

And yet … just as I was about to die from shame, something happened that literally changed my life. She smiled, jumped out of her car, pointed her Louboutins right at me, ran over and gave me a hug. We chatted for about 10 minutes while her car was getting done. She said she was happy to see me, that I’d been a great boss, and that she was glad I was working. “Sooooo many” of her friends(able-bodied twenty-somethings) were unemployed, and at least I wasn’t trapped behind a desk.

I realized that I’d been beating myself up needlessly, and saw how lucky I truly was.

In that instant, I decided that instead of just showing up until I could find something better, I would use all my skills to increase my friend’s business, and I did. Over the next few months, something amazing happened to me. Something I never saw coming, and something that impacted my life and made me a better man.

I saw hundreds of people every day and none of them thought I was a failure, and it energized me. I smiled. They smiled back. I was happy and engaging, and I sold about a gazillion deluxe washes. But also, my worst fear morphed into something I started to look forward to. I got my confidence back, and it was obvious. I saw DOZENS of people I knew – clients, old customers, friends I’d lost touch with, and every single one of them said something positive.

They respected me.

They held me in higher esteem for seeing me in the cold, wearing a red nylon jacket with a car wash logo on it. Nobody made fun of me or called me names. Nobody laughed.

There was even an article in a local lifestyle magazine about me.

They respected me for doing what had to be done (I’m sure a few were secretly happy that I’d been taken down a few pegs … but hey, we’re all human, right?)

The truth of my situation was laid bare for the world to see … there’s no way to spin a story when you are asking people if they want the basic or deluxe wash. There’s no amount of charm of polish or bullshit that can hide the truth.

I was working in a car wash – and nobody thought I was a failure. Not even my father.

Then, about 6 months later, one of my old clients called. He needed some help setting up a new luxury club. We put a deal together and when I resigned from the car-wash, my friend was genuinely sad, saying I was the best employee he’d ever had.

I approached that new consulting contract with a vigor and zest for life I hadn’t felt for years! A few months after that, another contract took me to Asia, and I’ve been consulting over here ever since.

So, my worst fear turned out to be my salvation.

It gave me confidence, paid my bills for a while and put me in a position to move my company to Asia and have access to an abundance of new cultures and growing markets.

Sure, I’m not quite back to where I was that day 9 years ago in Vegas, but I have a red nylon jacket with a car wash logo on it that reminds me that for my version of success, I don’t have to be.”

– Michael Aumock

A very good video.

Its a dangerous time we are living in. On the one side, you have the US, who believes they are entitled to rule the world, for eternity. On the other side, you have rising China, Russia and India - China being the closest rival. The issue moving forward is whether the human race have learnt the lessons from WW1 and WW2. If we haven't learnt anything, then we are destined to repeat it, until all of us are destroyed. Lets hope sanity prevails and we find a way to co-exist and prosper, regardless of our differences.

Jamaican Brown Stew Chicken

2023 01 21 13 19
2023 01 21 13 19

Ingredients

Chicken Marinade

  • 3 1/2 Foster Farms Simply Raised™ Free Range Boneless Skinless Chicken Thighs
  • 1 teaspoon chicken bouillon powder
  • 1 teaspoon minced ginger
  • 1 teaspoon minced garlic
  • 1/2 teaspoon white pepper
  • 2 sprigs fresh thyme
  • 1/2 teaspoon paprika
  • 2 green onions, diced

Brown Chicken Stew

  • 2 tablespoons canola oil
  • 1 medium onion, diced
  • 2 teaspoons garlic, minced
  • 1 sprig fresh thyme
  • 1 teaspoon of hot sauce
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons paprika
  • 1 tablespoon brown sugar
  • 2 teaspoons browning sauce
  • 2 tablespoons ketchup
  • 2 small red or green bell peppers, sliced
  • 1 to 2 cups water

Instructions

  1. Place chicken in a resealable bag and season with salt and pepper. Then add the chicken bouillon powder, ginger, garlic, white pepper, thyme, paprika and green onions. Seal the bag and thoroughly mix chicken until they are well coated. Set aside in the fridge and marinate for at least an hour or preferably overnight.
  2. When ready to cook, remove the chicken from the bag. Make sure to remove any particles like the onions and garlic so they do not burn when cooking.
  3. Heat a large pot with the oil over medium-high heat.
  4. Brown the chicken for about 3 to 4 minutes per side until chicken is a golden brown; remove and place on a plate. Drain any excess oil from the skillet but make sure to leave about 2 to 3 tablespoons of oil.
  5. Deglaze the pan with about 1 cup of water. Bring to a boil and return the chicken back to the pan. Add the second cup of water if you find there is not enough water.
  6. Cover and cook on medium to low heat for about 20 minutes, until chicken the chicken has cooked through and the sauce thickens, slightly. Adjust the taste adding more salt as necessary.
  7. Serve with Caribbean Rice and Peas or white rice.

Recipe source: Evs Eats

Very Interesting

2023 01 21 10 11
2023 01 21 10 11

Cuban Picadillo

cuban picadillo
cuban picadillo

Ingredients

  • 1 pound 90% lean ground pork
  • 2 teaspoons olive oil
  • 1 cup white onion, chopped
  • 2 cups new potatoes, cooked, cut into 1/4 inch cubes
  • 1 1/4 cups tomatillo salsa
  • 1 cup frozen corn, thawed
  • 1/4 cup cilantro
  • 1/4 cup queso fresco, crumbled

Instructions

  1. Heat olive oil over medium heat in a large skillet; add onion and sauté for about 5 minutes.
  2. Add ground pork, breaking into crumbles with the back of a spoon and turning frequently until browned on all sides.
  3. Add potatoes, salsa and corn; stir and cook for 10 to 15 minutes or until heated through.
  4. Fold in cilantro and sprinkle with cheese.
  5. Serve immediately.

WOW! Just . . . WOW! The truth comes out in Germany over Ukraine

A legislator in the German Bundestag addressed the House today regarding the effort to supply German tanks to Ukraine, to use against Russia.

Holy Sh*t did he strike a nerve; other Legislators openly gasped in horror!

Watch the 30 second video with translation below:

 

 

 

Cool discovery

2023 01 21 10 16
2023 01 21 10 16

The Point: Are China and the U.S. going down the rabbit hole?

Splendid Vintage Snaps Of Young Girls With Very Big Hair In The 1980s

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The 1980s can be categorized as a decade of excess. The new generation of young people placed a heavy emphasis on individuality, materialism and consumerism, all of which was reflected in the popular fashions and hairstyles of the time. As usual, the music, television and, for the first time, computer industries played a prominent role in determining what styles and trends took off across the country.

While certain hair styles, such as androgyny, voluminous locks, long hair on men and the Jheri Curl were all born during the previous decade, the looks became more exaggerated and more extreme during the 1980s. When it came to hair, bigger was always better.

In the mid-1980s, rising pop star Madonna also had big hair when posing for Time Magazine photographed by Francesco Scavullo. Soon, many women emulated her look, making her one of the most iconic celebrities in 1980s fashion.

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Chinese scholars…

2023 01 21 11 36
2023 01 21 11 36

thought I’d add this chart from PISA( program of International Student Assessment) to add some perspective.

the US isn’t even mentioned, that should tell you something.

main qimg ba7aba634a515d398b98691a36179ec4 lq
main qimg ba7aba634a515d398b98691a36179ec4 lq

Caribbean Roast Chicken with
Pineapple and Sweet Potatoes

caribbean roast chicken
caribbean roast chicken

Ingredients

  • 1 whole chicken, giblets and neck removed
  • 1 tablespoon brown sugar
  • 2 tablespoons Caribbean Jerk Seasoning spice mix
  • 3 fresh limes
  • 8 sprigs cilantro
  • 1 (20 ounce) can chunk pineapple, drained reserving 1/2 cup of liquid
  • 3 sweet potatoes, cut into 2-inch chunks
  • 1/4 cup dark rum (or chicken stock)
  • 1 cup chicken stock
  • 2 tablespoons chopped cilantro

Instructions

  1. Heat oven to 350 degrees F.
  2. In small bowl, combine brown sugar and jerk seasoning. Rub mixture all over outside of chicken. Cut one lime into quarters; insert into chicken cavity. Add cilantro sprigs to chicken cavity. Place chicken in roasting pan and surround with pineapple chunks. Place in oven and roast for 45 minutes.
  3. While chicken is roasting, juice two remaining limes. Remove chicken from oven; add sweet potatoes, rum, chicken stock and lime juice to pan. Return to oven and roast for another 45 minutes to one hour, or until internal temperature in thickest part of the thigh reaches 180 degrees F.
  4. Remove chicken from oven and place on sheet pan. Tent with foil to keep warm. Remove pineapple and sweet potatoes from pan and reserve. Pour sauce in pan into serving dish; add chopped cilantro.
  5. To serve, carve chicken or place whole chicken on platter. Surround with sweet potato/ pineapple mixture and pass with sauce.

Japan building new island base to guard against China

Mageshima Island base will mitigate risk of a China attack on Okinawa and could eventually host US long-range missiles
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2023 01 21 11 13
2023 01 21 11 13

Japan has decided to start construction of a military base on Mageshima Island, a project that aims to reinforce Japan’s defenses in the nearby Ryukyu Islands and provide a backup airbase in case an enemy attack takes out Okinawa, according to multiple Japanese sources.

Mageshima, an eight square kilometer uninhabited island located 12 kilometers from inhabited Tanegashima Island, was chosen in 2011 as a candidate for relocating US field carrier landing practice, which is currently conducted on Iwoto Island, 1,200 kilometers south of Tokyo.

Construction work began last Thursday (January 12) and is expected to continue for four years, with reported plans to install two runways, a control tower and an explosives depot. Nippon.com mentions that apart from hosting US carrier landing practice runs, Mageshima will serve as a supply and maintenance hub for the defense of the Nansei Islands.

Asia Times has noted the strategic importance of small islands, as they have a “suction effect” on great powers because they can be logistics staging points, protective barriers, forward operating bases and geographical markers to extend maritime claims.

Mageshima is no exception. In a March 2022 newsletter for the Taiwan-based think tank Institute for National Defense and Security Research (INDSR), Yen Hung-Lin underscores the island’s strategic importance.

Yen notes that Mageshima is located northeast of the Ryukyu Islands, which China’s naval vessels must pass through to reach the Pacific Ocean. He also says that Mageshima is an uninhabited island, which reduces concerns about aircraft noise and safety.

Furthermore, Yen mentions that Mageshima has flat terrain, which makes airfield construction easier. Moreover, Yen notes that the Japanese Self-Defense Forces (JSDF) only have a limited number of bases in the Nansei Islands and that the completion of Mageshima will enable Japan and the US to conduct a defense in depth against China.

2023 01 21 11 14
2023 01 21 11 14

Japan’s plans to set up Mageshima as an island airbase may also be part of a larger military strategy. In an April 2022 article for Foreign Policy Research Institute (FPRI), Felix Chang notes that Japan’s island bases point toward a strategy intended not only to stop China from taking over the Senkaku Islands but also to frustrate its larger naval ambitions.

Asia Times has previously reported on Japan’s plans to base long-range cruise missiles on its Southwest Islands and Kyushu to improve its counter-strike capabilities against China. Given that, Japan may also opt to base long-range missiles on Mageshima.

Meanwhile, the US may seek to place its long-range missiles on Mageshima. Asia Times has reported on US plans to build a “missile wall” in the First and Second Island Chains.

This strategy is based on the perceived advantages of land-based missile launchers, which include increased survivability compared to ship-based systems, the ability to provide a constant presence in contested areas, and an attack on land-based missile launchers on allied territory marks a significant escalation of hostilities.

The joint Japan-US basing project on Mageshima also likely aims to reinforce the US basing posture in the Pacific. In an April 2021 article for War on the Rocks, Wallace Gregson and Jeffrey Hornung note that Japan is no longer the sanctuary it was for US forces, as China and North Korea have developed long-range strike capabilities and satellite surveillance technologies that threaten US and allied forces stationed in the region.

An October 2022 documentary by ABC News shows that in the event of a Taiwan-China war, China would most likely initiate a pre-emptive missile strike on the military base at Okinawa, aiming to destroy US and Japan airpower on the ground.

Given that threat, Gregson and Hornung note that the US must harden its facilities against attack, disperse and distribute forces across a wider area and improve missile defense capabilities. Thus, the Japan-US base on Mageshima may be a logical step in that direction.

However, some parties have expressed reservations over military construction at Mageshima. In an August 2021 editorial, The Asahi Shimbun mentions that noise from military activity on Mageshima will impact daily life on nearby islands.

In addition, the editorial notes that construction work will significantly impact water quality, marine life and fisheries around the area, depending on whether the project will involve land reclamation.

It also says that the Japanese Ministry of Defense (MOD) has withheld concrete details about the project and only released an environmental assessment on January 12.

The Mainstream Media Admits That We Are Facing “The Worst Food Crisis In Modern History”

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People on the other side of the planet are dropping dead from starvation right now, but most people don’t even realize that this is happening.  Unfortunately, most people just assume that everything is fine and dandy.  If you are one of those people that believe that everything is just wonderful, I would encourage you to pay close attention to the details that I am about to share with you.  Global hunger is rapidly spreading, and that is because global food supplies have been getting tighter and tighter.  If current trends continue, we could potentially be facing a nightmare scenario before this calendar year is over.

Pakistan is not one of the poorest nations in the world, but the lack of affordable food is starting to cause panic inside that country.  The following comes from Time Magazine

Last Saturday in Mirpur Khas, a city in Pakistan’s Sindh province, hundreds of people lined up for hours outside a park to buy subsidized wheat flour, offered for 65 rupees a kilogram instead of the current, inflated rate of about 140 to 160 rupees.

When a few trucks arrived, the crowd surged forward, leaving several injured. One man, Harsingh Kolhi, who was there to bring a five kg bag of flour home for his wife and children, was crushed and killed in the chaos.

We are seeing similar things happen all over the planet.

Just because you still may have enough food to eat doesn’t mean that everybody else is okay.

In fact, things have already gotten so bad that even CNN is admitting that we are facing “the worst food crisis in modern history”

Yet the world is still in the grips of the worst food crisis in modern history, as Russia’s war in Ukraine shakes global agricultural systems already grappling with the effects of extreme weather and the pandemic. Market conditions may have improved in recent months, but experts do not expect imminent relief.

That means more pain for vulnerable communities already struggling with hunger. It also boosts the risk of starvation and famine in countries such as Somalia, which is contending with what the United Nations describes as a “catastrophic” food emergency.

Sadly, it isn’t just in Somalia where the food crisis has reached “catastrophic” proportions.

According to Reuters, the entire continent is now dealing with the worst food crisis that Africa “has ever seen”…

Across Africa, from east to west, people are experiencing a food crisis that is bigger and more complex than the continent has ever seen, say diplomats and humanitarian workers.

Please go back and read that statement again.

Do you remember all those years when Sally Struthers was begging us to feed the starving children in Africa?

Well, the truth is that conditions are now far worse than when she was making those commercials.

At one hospital in Somalia, grieving mothers are regularly bringing in very young children that have literally starved to death

“Sometimes mothers bring us dead children,” said Farhia Moahmud Jama, head nurse at the paediatric emergency unit. “And they don’t know they’re dead.”

Weakened by hunger, camp residents are vulnerable to disease and people are dying due to a lack of food, said Nadifa Hussein Mohamed, who managed the camp where Isak’s family initially stayed.

“Maybe the whole world is hungry and donors are bankrupt, I don’t know,” she said. “But we’re calling out for help, and we do not see relief.”

UN officials are doing what they can to help, but the truth is that they are being absolutely overwhelmed by the scope of this crisis.

Over the past 12 months, the number of Africans that are dealing with “acute food insecurity” has absolutely exploded

The number of East Africans experiencing acute food insecurity – when a lack of food puts lives or livelihoods in immediate danger – has spiked by 60% in just the last year, and by nearly 40% in West Africa, according to the World Food Programme (WFP).

Sadly, a lot of Americans are simply not going to care about what is going on over there as long as we have enough food over here.

Of course food supplies continue to get tighter on our side of the planet as well.

According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture, our corn harvest this year was the smallest in 15 years

Last year was a bad year for corn — the latest US Department of Agriculture (USDA) report shows drought conditions and extreme weather wreaked havoc on croplands.

USDA unexpectedly slashed its outlook for domestic corn production amid a severe drought across the western farm belt. Farmers in Nebraska, Kansas, and Texas were forced to abandon drought-plagued fields.

The agency estimated farmers harvested 79.2 million acres, a decline of 1.6 million acres versus the previous estimate — the smallest acres harvest since 2008.

That wouldn’t be so bad if our population was still the same size that it was back in 2008.

Other harvests have been extremely disappointing too, and that is one of the factors that has been steadily driving up food prices.

At this point, the average U.S. household is spending 72 more dollars on food per month than it was at this same time a year ago…

As inflation continues to decimate the budgets of American families, the December report from Moody’s Analytics showed that families are spending an estimated $72 more on food per month than they were a year ago.

That figure is pulled out of a report that says the typical US household is shelling out $371 on goods and services more than they were a year ago.

In particular, the price of eggs has gone completely nuts.

I recently came across an article about one small business owner that is now paying three times as much for eggs as she once did…

It just seems like the cost of everything is going up these days and that includes egg prices, which are affecting local businesses. “We used to buy 15 dozen eggs from Sam’s for 23 dollars. They are now 68 dollars,” said Cindy Gutierrez, the owner of Creative Cakes. “Now it’s about 63-ish for 15 dozen and it’s also hard to get 15 dozen,” said Caitlyn Wallace, the owner of Catie Pies.

The prices for eggs have surged three times their original price. According to the consumer price index, egg prices increased by 10% in October 2022 and that increase has continued to rise. This is causing a domino effect for restaurants, businesses, and bakeries who use eggs.

Economic conditions are changing so rapidly now, and nothing will ever be quite the same again.

As we move forward, the widespread use of “beetleburgers” is one of the “solutions” that the global elite are starting to push

Beetleburgers could soon be helping to feed the world, according to new research. The creepy crawlers’ larvae — better known as mealworms — could act as a meat alternative to alleviate hunger worldwide. The process uses a fraction of the land and water and emits a smaller carbon footprint in comparison of traditional farming.

To make this a reality, French biotech company Ynsect is planning a global network of insect farms, including nurseries and slaughterhouses. A pilot plant has already been been set up at Dole in the Bourgogne-Franche-Comte region of France.

Doesn’t that sound yummy?

Of course these “beetleburgers” will just be a drop in the bucket.

No matter what the global elite try, they will not be able to stop “the worst food crisis in modern history” from getting a whole lot worse.

So I would encourage you to stock up while you still can.

Global food supplies are getting a little bit tighter with each passing day, and I have a feeling that 2023 will have lots of “unexpected surprises” for all of us.

Helmet

2023 01 21 10 12
2023 01 21 10 12

These Fairytale Felted Houses For Cats Are A Must Have

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It’s likely that if you’re a cat owner your feline companion(s) will have a favorite bed, house or spot to sit, sleep and play in. If you feel that maybe their existing love spot is getting a bit tattered and battered, and your cat wouldn’t be traumatized by a replacement, maybe you might be interested in upgrading to one of these awesome fairytale houses! Created by Yuliya Kosata from Ukraine, the felted houses come in a huge range of designs and color schemes. Take a look below to find out more and see what you think!

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Three hours of real-deal madness. Jesus H. Christ!

https://youtu.be/B2WVEla34Tk

China don’t need any help. First China will do everything the U.S. do. It if invade China. Then China would invade the US. It will reciprocate equally. You kill a million Chinese they will kill a million Americans. You drop a nuke in Shanghai they will drop a nuke in New York.

They will wiped off all the 12 aircraft carriers within a day. Everywhere in the world. If the bomber comes from Japan. God help Japan. There are at least a hundred and fifty countries out of the 195 nations that will volunteer to do shit on US, UK and its fellow parasite nations.

But China need no one.

3 Women Describe What’s It Like To Be Ugly In A Superficial World

1. I’m not a pretty woman and it shows in everyday life and it hurts.

As much as being hit on and catcalled is scary and I’m SO sorry to those it happens too, I get the opposite. All I ever see are posts on being catcalled and I just wanna talk about my experiences. I get moo’d at and barked at like a dog and vomit noises. We have a creepy old regular where I work that’s calls all the girls beautiful but is disgusted by me and has made negative comments on my appearance and literally told me to get out of his field of vision.

People act super awkward and their eyes dart all over the place trying to avoid making eye contact when I talk to them. Other times people are just straight up MEAN and dismissive of me, but treat everyone else with respect.

I’ve been bullied and called ugly my whole life. Ever since I was 5 years old. Kids singled me out and were mean, and even the moms in my Girl Scout troop treated me differently.

I remember in high school these two guys were sitting behind me and one just loudly asked the other if he would fuck me. The answer was a loud resounding “HELLLLL NAWWWW.” Of course if the answer had been the opposite, anyone would be creeped out and feel unsafe, but this moment still sticks with me and hurts for some reason.

I’m physically in shape now but my face is just fucking weird. It’s so unsymmetrical and disproportionate and you can see every single little blood vessel in my face and I have genetic dark circles I can’t seem to conceal. Even with regular dentist appointments and good dental hygiene, I just have shit teeth that crack and break. My forehead is huge and I have a double chin that won’t go away and my eyebrows are wildly different from each other. My nose has been broken twice so you can only imagine what that looks like now.

I don’t take selfies. I hate pictures of myself and even still it hurts how friends and family don’t want to take any pictures with me. I do have a son and the whole reason I spiraled into typing this post was I have a photographer friend who offered to do valentines portraits of me and my son as a gift. I accepted FOR MY SON, not for me, and I’m not looking forward to it and it’s making me so sad. Every picture I see of myself I get super depressed.

I have good hygiene. I bathe and smell good. I dress nice. I AM nice. But the few friends I have and even my mother have admitted I’m not exactly the most attractive woman so that just confirms everything else.

I’m sorry for this post and I don’t mean to invalidate anyone else’s feelings or experiences. I just really wanted to rant.

2. I’m ugly. I know I’m ugly. I have known that I am ugly since I was twelve years old.

Before then I thought I was simply fat, and that when I lost all that fat, that I would be beautiful and valuable. When I was twelve I lost two stone, and realised I was simply, irretrievably, ugly.

My most prominent feature is my long, hooked, nose. My eyes are tiny and so close together I can only use children’s glasses. I am twenty one and still constantly get large, red spots.

My hair is a thick, brown mess of frizz. I have a wide ribcage and broad hips, which leave me with a very broad figure no matter how much weight I lose. I have very small breasts, which, coupled with my wide hips leave me perpetually pear-shaped.

To top it all off I am tall, 5′ 10″ in stocking feet, so there is never an option of blending into the crowd. I am always seen, and always ugly.

The world of an ugly woman is different to that of a beautiful woman in so many ways I could not begin to explain it all. I can, however, briefly sketch the strange differences I have observed between how society treats ugly women, and how society treats beautiful women.

My sister is beautiful. I have many beautiful friends. I live in the same world as beautiful women. I am not one of them. They are celebrated, remembered, asked after. People are good to beautiful women, even when beautiful women are indifferent, hostile or even cruel in return. People remember my sister’s name and instantly forget me. When we are introduced to new people together, nine times out of ten if I meet that person again they will immediately ask where my sister is, how she is, what she is doing. I am never asked about myself and she is never asked about me.

My beautiful friends are photographed by friends and acquaintances. I am silently left out of the records of social events. I am erased from history because I am too ugly to be photographed. Strangers compliment my sister and my friends, strangers insult and ridicule me.

Men might think that perhaps they live in the same world that I do, but they don’t. Even ugly men live in a different world to me. I have never seen, or heard of, a man experiencing the same level of public condemnation for their looks that I have faced. The most recent example I can think of is the man who stopped in the street last week to tell me that I shouldn’t be wearing tinsel on my head like my friends (we were going for Christmas drinks) because I was so ugly. This is not rare for me and this is not new. This has been my life since I was a young teenager.

When I see discussions about catcalling I want to scream at the people who tell women that they should be complimented. What should I do when someone yells at me, unprovoked, that I am an ugly minger? I know I am ugly. There is literally nothing I can do about it. I’m trying my best already!

There is hope for ugly men in popular culture. We celebrate the story of the ugly, or at least not conventionally attractive male, who finally gets his, inevitably beautiful, female crush to realise how much he is worth on the inside and how worthy he is of her love. That story never happens in reverse. There are just no famous actresses that are anything other than conventionally beautiful.

Nobody writes books about ugly women. No one makes films or plays, or songs or art of any sort about ugly women. In fact, we’re not there at all. In popular culture, and culture stretching back as far as human memory goes, ugly women are not there. We don’t exist and nobody talks about us. Beautiful women are the only women we see or hear about, and most crushingly, the only women we remember. The ugly ones, no matter what they do, seem to be simply invisible. Invisible or evil and bad.

We shouldn’t be surprised by this, though, we tell children stories of the good, beautiful princess and the evil, ugly witch. We make this happen.

I am ugly. I will not be remembered. I will never be the protagonist of any story told. I hate being ugly. I hate myself. The end.

3. Every morning when I wake up, I want to go back to sleep. Not because I’m tired, but because I can’t face the world like this. I dress myself up as best as I can manage, and I do my hair by physical memory. I avoid the mirror.

Whenever I look in the mirror, I want to throw up. I want to rip my eyes out and never see again. I wish I could go to the store and return the parts of my face. Tell them: “This wasn’t what I ordered. I need a refund”. Get a replacement and finally love myself.

It’s hard to love yourself when no one loves you. A guy asks you out because of a dare. Just when you think you finally got someone to like you, they laugh at you and call you names. “Squidward”, “witch without the wart”, “forehead higher than my grades”, stuff you wish was a joke. It never is.

I have a crush now. We talk all the time. Sometimes about life, sometimes about our hobbies, sometimes about nothing really. I would definitely say we’re close. When I confessed, I admit I was kind of hopeful. I thought ‘maybe this time will be different. Maybe he would at least consider it’….But of course I was rejected. He wants his beautiful friend, not me. That kind of stuff always happens when you’re ugly. I couldn’t get someone to go out with me if I paid them.

See, as a woman, it doesn’t matter what other merits you have. It doesn’t matter that I’m a hard worker, people seem to think I’m funny, and I have some of the best grades in my entire school. It doesn’t matter that I read and research topics for a better understanding, and that I like having conversations about them. It doesn’t even matter that I have many skills. I’m ugly, therefore I am worthless. I’m ugly, so no one will ever want to date me.

When you’re ugly, you start considering the options. You look to plastic surgery because you know it’s the only way out. But plastic surgery is uncomfortable, it’s expensive, and it might not even work. God dammit.

I don’t believe in god, but I’m starting to think I should. Maybe some magical space man can make my face beautiful. Maybe some fairy in the sky can get someone to love me. Then I’d be happy. Even if it’s just for a little while.

A very realistic analysis of our global economy.

All empires eventually collapse. This has been proven throughout history.

America’s time has come.

The reasons are manifold:

  • Internal political corruption, mostly from runaway capitalism.
  • Massive national debt, currently at over $30 trillion.
  • Endless money printing which is unsustainable.
  • Extreme economic inequality which is causing massive discontent among the population.
  • Over-reliance on global militarism which causes enormous financial strain.
  • Numerous domestic issues such as gun violence and mass shootings, systemic racism, mass incarceration, homelessness, unaffordable health care, etc.
  • Loss of credibility around the world, for example, most countries refuse to follow USA’s sanctions against Russia, OPEC refuses to increase oil production at USA’s request, SE Asia refuses to join USA in a coalition against China, and so on.
  • BRICS is creating an alternative reserve currency to the US Dollar. That means no more sanctions.

Discovery

2023 01 21 10 14
2023 01 21 10 14

Polar Bear Kills Two In Alaska Village

A polar bear killed a woman and boy Tuesday afternoon in the Northwest Alaska community of Wales, according to Alaska State Troopers.

Troopers received a report of a polar bear attack around 2:30 p.m., troopers said in an online report. According to initial accounts, a polar bear came to the village and chased several residents, troopers said.

The bear killed a woman and a boy, troopers said. Another Wales resident shot and killed the bear “as it attacked the pair,” troopers said.

The two people who were killed in the mauling weren’t identified in the report, and troopers said officials are working to notify their next of kin.

Austin McDaniel, a spokesman for the Alaska Department of Public Safety, said troopers are coordinating with the Alaska Department of Fish and Game as they try to send personnel to Wales as soon as the weather allows.

Wales — a predominantly Inupiaq village of fewer than 150 people — is located on the far western edge of the Seward Peninsula bordering the Bering Strait, just over 100 miles northwest of Nome.

In winter, polar bears can be found as far south as St. Lawrence Island, occasionally traveling even farther south, according to the Alaska Department of Fish and Game. Subsisting primarily on a diet of marine mammals, males can grow to be up to 1,200 pounds, females up to 700 pounds, with no natural predators beyond humans.

Fatal polar bear attacks are extremely rare in Alaska. In 1990, a polar bear killed a man in the North Slope village of Point Lay. Biologists later said the animal showed signs of starvation. In 1993, a polar bear burst through a window of an Air Force radar station on the North Slope, seriously mauling a 55-year-old mechanic. He survived the attack.

Escape Into The Glass Rivers And Lakes Of These Beautiful Wood Tables

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If getting lost in a coffee table sounds improbable, you may change your mind once you see these beautiful furnishings. Artist and designer Greg Klassen transforms reclaimed wood into mesmerizing works of art embedded with glass rivers and lakes. Klassen’s newest works include a variety of coffee tables of different sizes and shapes, as well as wall hangings.

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What a find!

2023 01 21 10 15
2023 01 21 10 15

Overworked Employee Quits Because He Wasn’t Getting A Fair Wage, Costs The Company $40 Million

“The Trains of Silence” (1965)

Just discovered this fabulous series.

Great scripts. Famous actors. Tight direction. Great settings. Luscious color. Way ahead of any thing today.

Never underestimate Joe’s ability to fuck things up

"Never underestimate Joe's ability to fuck things up."

-Barack Hussein Obama, 44th President of the United States

Apparently, that includes (potentially) destroying human civilization via nuclear hellfire.

Posted by: Monos | Jan 4 2023 19:25 utc | 3

I started a new technique on my affirmation campaigns. Instead of using my spreadsheet on the computer, I am simplifying the text into short sentences, and putting them all in a tiny little booklet. Easy for me to read quickly and simply. I have the strong urge to move away from an over reliance on computers for affirmation campaigns. Hum.

I hope this post finds you well. Some art. Some funny stuff. A tiny bit of Geo-political stuff. Some food. Some cats.

Basic MM fare. Enjoy.

The bitch slap of reality

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main qimg b2473dab821b03e89bf1aac5fb56fc13 lq

UPDATED 11:50 AM EST — NATO “Contact Group” (War Council) Meeting Now at Ramstein Air Base – Germany – Over Ukraine

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At least thirty-two (32) military Generals have convened for a meeting at Ramstein Air Base in Germany, to discuss future “aid” and “tactics” for the ongoing Ukraine-Russia conflict.  Today, the world will find out if Germany will approve the sending of German tanks to Ukraine – a “Red Line” for Russia.

Germany manufactures the Leopard-2 main battle tank.  Several other countries in Europe have purchased a number of these tanks over the years, and want to ive them to Ukraine, so as to fight Russia, but there’s a problem.

When a country manufactures weapons, and then sells those weapons to another country, the sale is contingent on the receiving country agreeing NOT to re-sell (or give) those weapons to anyone else without permission of the originating country.

In this case, Poland want to give the Leopard-2 tanks they bought, to Ukraine.   Germany has not given permission, so the tanks cannot go.

Last week, the German Defense Minister, Lebrecht, resigned  There is now a new Defense Minister, and he is attending today’s meeting at Ramstein Air Base.

Leaked information coming out of Germany indicates the new minister will approve the transfer of Leopard-2 tanks, but right now, that is only RUMOR.

Yet, there are additional problems.

Through political back-channels, Russia has informed Germany that if German tanks attack Russian soil, it will be a violation of the Potsdam Treaty that ended World War Two.   That Treaty makes clear Germany is only allowed to have a “Defense Force” which can be used “for nothing else.”   Manufacturing tanks which are then sent to Ukraine to fight Russia, would be using the German military for “something else” and Russia’s position is that will violate the Demilitarization” provisions of the Potsdam Treaty.  Russia allegedly told Germany that if German tanks attack Russian soil “World War 3 will begin immediately.

The rub here is that the former oblasts of Luhansk, Donetsk, Kherson, and Zaporozyhe, have now joined Russia and been accepted by the Russian legislature, called the Duma.  So those territories are now “Russian soil.”

Ukraine does not recognize this, nor does the collective West.  They refer to those oblasts as having been “illegally annexed.”

So Russia views the territories as Russian soil, the West does not.  If Ukraine is given German tanks and use those tanks to attack “Russian Soil” it will re-start World War 2, or be known as “World War 3.”

That is how close the entire world is to horrifying war on a vast scale, and we all get to hear the decision about the German tanks, today.

UPDATE 11:50 AM EST —

The new German Defense Minister, Boris Pistorius has just publicly announced “NATO countries failed to reach a unified position regarding the supply of Leopard 2 tanks to Kyiv.”   He went on to say “”Statements by the media that Germany is on the way to creating a coalition to send heavy tanks to Ukraine are lies. There are good reasons to send equipment, but there are also reasons not to.”  All pros and cons must be weighed. Many allies share our point of view, Pistorius added.

Coffee Syrup

This is an old New England favorite. It is usually stirred into cold milk (2 to 3 tablespoons per glass). It can also be used to flavor milkshakes, or used as an ice cream topping.

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autocrat

Instructions

  1. Place enough coffee and water to make 6 servings. Run the coffee cycle as usual.
  2. When the coffee is finished brewing, discard the used coffee grounds and add to the filter a second quantity of coffee sufficient to make 6 servings. This time, instead of adding fresh water to the coffeemaker, pour the already-brewed coffee into the machine. Run the coffee cycle again. You’ll end up with double-strength coffee.
  3. Repeat the process again, using new coffee, but reuse the brewed coffee instead of water. In the end, you’ll have triple-strength brewed coffee.
  4. Measure the amount of brewed coffee. Add half as much sugar as there is brewed coffee. For example, if after the three brewing cycles you have 5 cups of brewed coffee, add 2 1/2 cups granulated sugar. Stir briskly until the sugar is dissolved. Make sure you add sugar while the coffee is hot so that the sugar dissolves.
  5. Store the syrup in a tightly covered jar in the refrigerator. It keeps a very long time.

Notes

You need a coffeemaker in which boiling water goes through the ground coffee in a filter and drips into a pot. The ingredient amounts will vary depending on your coffeemaker and how much syrup you want to make.

Multi-Domain Precision Warfare (MDPW)

China is pursuing a new military system known as Multi-Domain Precision Warfare (MDPW) to align its forces from cyber to space, an effort U.S. officials say is fueled by a need to counter the Pentagon’s Joint All-Domain Command and Control initiative.

Like JADC2, the MDPW core operational concept, as it’s known, relies on interlinked command and control, communications, computers, intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance to quickly coordinate firepower and expose foreign weaknesses, according to the annual China Military Power Report, which the U.S. Department of Defense delivered to Congress in November.

The Chinese military, the People’s Liberation Army, “refers to systems destruction warfare as the next way of war,” the official added. Under that premise, warfare is no longer solely focused on the destruction of enemy forces; rather, it is won by the team that can disrupt, cripple or outright destroy the other’s underlying networks and infrastructure.

The U.S. considers China the No. 1 threat to its national security, with Russia a close second. Both have long invested in military science and technology.

Cheese Characteristics and Uses

American – Semi-soft, mild, smooth, light yellow or orange, usually cut into square slices; it does not separate when melted.

Crackers, English muffins, pretzels, apples and red grapes. Serve with beer, light white wine, ice-cold milk, tomato juice and lemonade.

Amish (Lacy) Swiss – There are different types of Amish Swiss which have been perfected by the Amish in different areas all around the country. The most commercially popular is a longhorn shaped Swiss cheese which develops small lace-like eyes. It is creamier in texture than regular Swiss cheese.

Ham and cheese sandwiches.

Anejo Enchilada – Mexico. A firm, pressed cheese rolled in paprika. This cheese is not as strongly flavored as Cotija but can be easily shredded or grated. It is commonly used as a topping or stuffing for enchiladas, burritos, and tacos.

Asadero – A smooth, yellow cheese with more “tang” than the mild Queso Quesadilla cheese. This cheese is ideal for baking because its stronger flavor adds to the appeal of a baked dish.

Asiago (ah-zee-AH-goh) – Piquant, sharp tasting cheese with a nutty, pleasantly-salty flavor. Asiago blends well with Cheddar, Parmesan or mozzarella. This cow’s milk cheese gets its name from from the village of Asiago in northern Italy. There are two types, Asiago d’allevo and Asiago pressato. Both fresh Asiago (delicate and sweet, made ​​with whole milk) and aged Asiago cheese (more savory in taste, aged from 3 to 12 months, and made with skim milk) may be purchased in the United States in many different grocery stores (including Walmart) and gourmet markets.

Asiago Pressato PDO is semisoft and a pale straw-color, and dotted with some small holes. Look for the mark Asiago POD or PDO ( protected designation of origin). Authentic Asiago comes from only four places in Italy – Vicenza, Trento, and parts of Treviso and Padua. The The symbol of authentic Asiago PDO is:

The d’allevo is made from partially skimmed cows’ milk and is beige in color with distinctive tiny holes running throughout the cheese. When ripe, the cheese can be soft and makes for a great table cheese, but when aged for a year or longer, it is used as a grating cheese. The flavor is rich, somewhat nutty, but mild. It may be coated with paraffin. It can range from a softer firm to a hard granular texture depending on aging. When grated, it melts quickly over heat. In a restaurant, ask for Italian Asiago PDO. Aged Asiago may be shaved or grated to serve over salads and pastas.

Pasta, figs, grapes, apples and pears. Serve with red wines, cider, cranberry juice and sparkling red grape juice.

Baby Swiss – The mildest, sweetest cheese of the family that includes Switzerland’s famous Emmentaler and Gruyere. Baby Swiss is notable for its light, almost white color, creamy texture and small holes. Ivory to pale yellow, creamy with small eyes, it melts well when shredded. It has a buttery, slightly nutty and sweet flavor and smooth melting characteristics. A smoked version is also available.

Cheese trays, sweet fruits and berries, croissants and muffins. Serve with fruity white wine, aged red wine, juices and ice-cold milk.

Basato – Uruguayan. Semi-hard and sharp. This unique table cheese can be used as you use Provolone.

Excellent in antipasto, sandwiches, as a topping, or in cooking. It shreds well.

Blue Cheese (Bleu Cheese) – Semi-soft white cheese with blue veins, sometimes crumbly interior. This is a generic term to describe many different types of cheeses made throughout Europe and North America. All blues begin as unpressed white cheese onto which a blue mold such as Penicillium roqueforti is dusted. The mold makes its way into the interior of the cheese via forty or so holes punched through the wheel of cheese as it ages. Most blues have a crumbly texture and a sharp, tangy flavor. Blue cheese melts quickly under heat when crumbled.

Serve blue cheese with robust, whole-grain crackers. Crumble blue into sour cream or plain yogurt as a dip, or into mayonnaise as a dressing. Pears, raisins, fruit breads and walnuts. Serve with full-bodied red wines, cappuccino, fruit juice and champagne. Port wine is the classic accompaniment.

Boursin – Soft, French dessert cheese. Rich and creamy with some tartness.

Good with fruit and wine.

Brick – Semi-soft. Ivory with numerous small round and irregular-shaped holes and an open texture. Shredded brick melts quickly under heat. Mild with a sweet, pungent flavor.

Apples, grapes, pears, onions, sweet crackers and dark bread. Serve with light red wines, beer, cran-apple juice, cider and sparkling mineral water.

Brie (bree) – A world-famous externally-ripened cow’s milk cheese that originated in the 13th-century near Paris. It is an easily recognized thin disc covered with a whitish bloom. This rind may be eaten depending on personal taste. At its peak, the cheese’s interior should be plump and glossy, but not runny or smelling of ammonia, which indicates over-ripeness. Its flavor (without the rind) may be best described as mildly tangy and fruity.

Serve Brie with a variety of fruits. Thin slices served on a sandwich with roast beef are quite tasty. Some people enjoy Brie baked in a pastry crust.

Camembert – Created in 1789 by Marie Harel, a peasant woman and said to have been christened by Napoleon himself, this cow’s milk cheese (40 to 45% fat) is world renown. 11 centimeters in diameter and 3 to 4 centimeter’s thick, this smooth creamy cheese with a soft white rind should be served at room temperature when perfectly ripe. You’ll know it’s perfectly ripe when it oozes thickly. If it is runny, it is overripe. An externally-ripened cows-milk cheese similar in appearance to Brie. Its flavor is only slightly more assertive than Brie, and its rind is edible.

Use Camembert as you would Brie.

Cantal – Firm, yellow cheese from France. Piquant flavor.

Good with wine or beer, for snacks, appetizers, desserts or cooking.

Cheddar – Hard, smooth, firm, it can be crumbly and have a white or orange color. Cheddars that are more mild melt well under direct heat whereas a sharper Cheddar will not melt as well and will perform better shredded and incorporated in a sauce. Ranges from mild to sharp, becoming sharper with age. Cheddar can be frozen but some of its moisture will be drawn out. This does not change the flavor but it does affect the texture. For this reason, once Cheddar has been frozen it is best suited for cooking.

Apples, pears, pumpernickel and rye breads, mushrooms and tomatoes. Serve with red wines, beer, apple cider or Port.

Chesire – Firm, moist, salty cheese from England. Sometimes crumbly. Rich and mellow.

Good for snacks, appetizers or dessert. Serve with dry red wine or beer.

Chevre – The French word Chevre is a generic term for cheese made from the milk of goats. Most Chevre made in the United States is a very fresh, soft white cheese shaped into small logs. Contrary to popular belief, its flavor is tangy, yet mild.

Colby – Hard cheese, although softer with a more open texture than Cheddar. It is light yellow to orange, has tiny holes and melts well when grated. Ranges from mild to mellow, lightly sweet to sharp and tangy and is often sold in longhorn shape. An American original, Colby is named for the town where it was invented. Colby is a “washed curd” cheese. The term “washed curd” indicates that during the cooking process the whey is replaced by water to reduce the curd’s acidity. In addition, the curd is not turned and stacked like a Cheddar, nor is it pressed quite as hard. The cheese which results is somewhat similar to Cheddar, but softer and moister with a mild, sweet flavor. Colby may be used just like Cheddar.

Apples, pears, pumpernickel and rye breads, mushrooms and tomatoes. Serve with red wines and beer, apple cider or Port.

Colby Jack – The colorful combination of a yellow cheese (Colby) and a white cheese (Monterey Jack). This mixture of two different cheeses gives Colby Jack a unique marbled look. It is generally sold in a full-moon or a half-moon shape when it is still young and mild in flavor. Eight ounce bars cut from 40 pound blocks are another popular way you’ll find this cheese packaged and sold.

Cotija – Known as the “Parmesan of Mexico,” this cheese is strongly flavored, firm, and perfect for grating. It is used in Hispanic cooking in a manner similar to the way Parmesan is used in Italian cooking.

Cotija is commonly used to add a lively garnish to common dishes: simply sprinkle on top of refried beans, salads, chili or lasagna. In Mexico, it is also widely used to enhance the flavor of many savory dishes by mixing directly into the casserole or recipe. In the U.S. it is increasingly popular on pasta.

Cottage Cheese – White with small or large individual moist curds that resist melting. Cottage cheese should not be frozen. Milky and mild.

Tomatoes, citrus fruit, herb or fruit breads, salads and vegetables; serve with white wine or ice-cold milk.

Cream Cheese – Soft, white, smooth, spreadable cheese that melts quickly and should not be frozen. Mild and slightly acidic, often flavored with fruits or herbs.

Fresh fruit, jams and jellies, fruit and nut breads and bagels; serve with cranberry or grape juices or a light white wine.

Duroblando – A strongly flavored Caribbean cheese that is firm, and has a mild smoked flavor. It is used for grating in a manner similar to Cotija.

Edam – Firm, coated in a red wax with a creamy yellow, semisoft to hard interior. It melts quickly under heat when shredded. Mild, slightly salty, nut-like flavor.

Mild Edam – Peaches, melons, apricots and cherries. Serve with fruity wine and lager beer, lemonade, flavored iced tea, apple juice and raspberry sparkling water.

Aged Edam– Apples and pears. Serve with fruity red or white wines and sparkling red cranberry juice.

Emmentaler – “Swiss” cheese from Switzerland. Hard and smooth, pale yellow cheese with large holes. Sweet, nutty flavor.

Good for fondues, snacks, dessert and cooking. Serve with red wine or beer.

Farmhouse Cheese – These are terms you will hear and see quite often when dealing with limited-production, artisan crafted cheeses. “Farmhouse Cheese” is not a specific type of cheese, but a term used to denote a cheese made by a farm using exclusively the milk from its own herd.

Additionally, Farmhouse cheesemakers usually use raw (unpasteurized) milk in their cheeses because they feel the pasteurization process removes some of the “character” of their milk. During the cheese’s aging process, the cheese builds up certain acids which cause it to “self-pasteurize,” making it perfectly safe to eat. Because Farmhouse cheeses are usually made in small batches by hand, the cheesemaker’s individual style becomes very evident in the flavor, texture and even the color of the finished product.

Feta – Of Greek origin, this pale white cheese was originally made from the milk of sheep. Today, in the United States, it is often made from cow’s milk. Feta’s curd is only lightly pressed and then ripened in brine, giving the cheese a crumbly texture and salty taste. Soft, flaky, crumbly and white, feta melts well over heat. Salty, pickled flavor.

Use on a Mediterranean-inspired appetizer tray or crumbled over salads. Olives, sun-dried tomatoes, vegetables, fruit, seafood and chicken; serve with Greek wines like retsina, tomato juice and citrus sparkling water.

Fondu au Raisin – French, dessert cheese. Semi-soft, mild and creamy. Coated with black grape seeds.

Serve with nice red wine, French bread, fruit.

Fontina – Semi-soft from Italy. Mild. nutty flavor, light brown rind.

Good in fondue, with bread, fruit, for dessert. Serve with dry red wine.

Fromage Blanc – A very soft, spreadable unripened cheese made from skim milk. Literally translated from the French, Fromage Blanc simply means “white cheese.”

Gorgonzola (gohr-guhn-ZOH-lah) – Semi-soft with a light ivory surface and interior marbled with blue-green veins. Piquant, spicy flavor similar to blue cheese. It becomes crumbly with age and melts quickly when crumbled over heat. Named for the Italian city where it is made, this cow’s milk cheese is rich and creamy with a slightly pungent flavor. When aged over 6 months, both the flavor and the aroma become stronger….much stronger. Some people think its stinky, but if you like strong cheese, you will love gorgonzola.

Pears, raisins, fruit breads, sweet crackers and walnuts. Serve with full-bodied red wines, sweet red wine, cappuccino, fruit juice and champagne.

Gouda – Originating in the Netherlands, Gouda is easily recognized by its distinctive red waxed exterior, enrobing a three to fifteen-inch wheel. The cheese itself is straw-colored, with a firm yet creamy texture scattered with small holes. Typically aged for only a few months before it reaches maturity, its mild and buttery flavor develops a richer tang as the cheese ages. Gouda can range from semisoft to firm, has a smooth texture and is often found in a wax coating. Gouda melts quickly when it is shredded and heated. Baby Gouda is usually coated in red wax; a more mature Gouda has a yellow wax coating and black wax or brown rind suggests it has been smoked and aged for over a year. Mild and nutty, it is often available smoked or with caraway seeds.

Mild Gouda – Peaches, melons, apricots and cherries. Serve with fruity red or white wine, lager beer, orange juice, apple juice, flavored tea and citrus sparkling water.

Aged Gouda – Apples and pears. Serve with hearty red wine, beer, coffee, cider and sparkling red grape juice.

Smoked or flavored Gouda: Apples, pears, thinly sliced prosciutto. Serve with red wine, beer, sparkling cider, tomato or vegetable juice and cran-grape juice.

Gruyere – It is a shiny yellow, hard, smooth small-eyed cheese that melts well without separating and is often used for sauces, with grilled meats, poultry and fish. Mild and slightly sharp.

Prosciutto or thinly-sliced ham or salami, apples, figs, melon, dates, walnut halves. Serve with full-bodied red wine, beer or ale, tomato juice, cranberry juice and cider.

Havarti – Semi-soft light to pale yellow with tiny eyes in its smooth body, it melts well when it is shredded. Mild to mellow.

Roasted red peppers, olives, bread, and bread sticks. Serve with fruity white wine, sparkling water, light red wine and sparkling water.

Kasseri – A firm Greek cheese, lends a pungent, nutty taste; if it is unavailable, Parmesan can fill the role.

Use in Pastitsio.

Liederkranz – Strong cheese, soft and creamy. From the U.S. Similar to Limburger.

Good on dark bread, with beer or wine.

Limburger – Very strong cheese from Belgium. Semi-soft with a smooth, creamy ivory body is covered in a brownish exterior that melts quickly under direct heat when it is sliced. Strong, robust and highly-aromatic.

Pumpernickel and other whole-grain, dark breads and crackers, pretzels and onions. Serve with beer, full-bodied red wine, cranberry juice, cran-grape juice and tomato or vegetable juice.

Livarot (LEE-vah-roe) – One of France’s oldest, a wonderful cheese named after a village in Normandy and whose nickname is the Colonel because it is bound with five strips of paper that look like a Colonel’s stripes. Originally, the stripes were made of natural rush harvested from the edge of ponds. This is a strong cheese with lots of flavor (beefy, nutty) and a pungent aroma. (If it has a smell of ammonia, it is past its prime) Livarot is made from cow’s milk but has only a 40% fat content. It is naturally white but colored orange-red with a tincture from a South American tree called the roucou. It has a soft washed rind, is round with a 12 cm diameter and is 5 cm thick.

Livarot goes great with a big red wine as well as with apple cider. Try it with bread and/or fruit, especially apples and pears.

Mascarpone (mas-cahr-POHN-ay) – Made in Italy from cow’s cream, mascarpone is a buttery double to triple cream cheese. It has an ivory color, smooth texture and cream-like flavor. It is sold in 8 ounce and 1 pound containers. Hard to find in this country, you may have to look in a good cheese shop or specialty market. Creamy, thick and smooth, it melts well in sauces. Full-flavored, semisweet and butter-like.

It is indispensable for cannoli fillings as well as the classic dessert, Tiramisu, and is the foundation for Torta. It may be used as the primary ingredient of a “killer” cheesecake. Fresh fruits, berries, fresh figs, shortbread and ladyfingers; serve with sparkling, light, fruity wines and coffee or liqueurs.

Monterey Jack – Semi-soft, creamy white with tiny cracks, Monterey jack melts best when it is shredded or sliced. Mild to mellow. Created by Spanish monks in early California, Monterey jack is a light-colored, creamy-textured relative of Cheddar noted for its mild flavor. It is because of that mildness that Monterey jack is so often flavored with Jalapeno Jack being the most famous of this type. All jack cheeses melt beautifully.

Especially good on broiled, open-face sandwiches. Jack’s meltability has made it indispensable for Southwestern and “Tex-Mex” dishes, shredded over tacos, stuffed into enchiladas or melted over refried beans. Serve jack cheeses with beer and fruity wines.

Morbier (MORE-bee-yay) – Named for a little farm town in France, this semisoft cow’s cheese was originally made with left over cheese for personal consumption by the cheesemakers. At the end of the day the cheesemaker would take leftover curd from making Gruyere de Comte and press it into a mold. To keep it from drying out and to keep the insects away, he would top it off with a little ash. In the morning he would add any additional curd on top of the ash and you had Morbier. Today it is made from a single batch of mild and add a harmless vegetable product to give it the same appearance. It measures 15 – 18 inches in diameter, about 3 inches in height, weighs about 20 pounds, and has a minimum fat content of 45%.

Mozzarella (maht-suh-REHL-lah) – A semi-soft creamy white, malleable cheese with a mild flavor typically made from cow’s milk. It melts best when it is sliced or shredded. Often known as “The Pizza Cheese,” mozzarella is mild and delicate and is often molded into shapes. It came from southern Italy where it was originally made from buffalo milk. If you are lucky enough to find real buffalo mozzarella in your local market, try it. Although expensive, it’s like eating ice cream compared to frozen yogurt. Mozzarella is packaged in a variety of sizes and is produced in whole-milk, part-skim and skim varieties. The higher the fat content, the richer and more tender the cheese.

Besides pizza, Mozzarella may be used to top any baked Italian dish, including ziti casseroles, lasagna, and veal, chicken or eggplant “parmesan”. It may be marinated in good olive oil and herbs as an antipasto. Bread and pan (or deep) fry mozzarella “cutlets” and serve on a pool of marinara sauce. Good with mushrooms, plum tomatoes, sweet crackers and pumpernickel bread. Serve with light red wine or a white zinfandel, soda, beer and juice.

Muenster – Semi-soft yellow, orange or white surface with a creamy white, smooth interior, it melts quickly when shredded. Mild to mellow. A surface ripened cheese, is a mild cheese that has a resilient, open texture with just a hint of salt. One of Muenster’s trademarks is a dark orange coloring applied to the outside of the cheese. This is a natural coloring called annatto, which is tasteless.

Shredded for sandwiches and pizza toppings. Tomatoes, baby carrots, zucchini, rye and whole-grain breads, crackers and mustard. Serve with fruity wine like a white zinfandel, beer, juice and soda.

Neufchatel – Originated in Normandy France. It is a very soft, spreadable cheese similar to cream cheese. It differs from true cream cheese because it is made from whole milk and not cream. Neufchatel can be molded into many shapes and is traditionally molded in a heart shape. However, in North America it is more commonly found in a brick form (and is found next to the regular cream cheese in the supermarket).

Use instead of cream cheese in almost any recipe. It is also very good on toasted bagels, with or without lox and raw onion.

Panela – The most popular fresh cheeses in Mexico, this cheese is mild, white, and crumbly. Like Queso Blanco, it will not run when heated. It will get soft and creamy but will not lose its shape.

Used in Mexico for many cooked dishes and is commonly crumbled over salads, tacos, chili and burritos.

Parmesan – Hard Italian cheese, with sharp, piquant flavor. A grating cheese.

Used in all types of cooking, especially Italian dishes.

Parmigiano-Reggiano – There are parmesan cheeses made all over the world but there is only one Parmigiano-Reggiano. Although more expensive, this granular textured cheese whose processing method hasn’t changed in the last 700 years is usually aged for 2 years. If labeled stravecchio – 3 years or stravecchiones – 4 years. Two reasons why Parmigiano-Reggiano has better taste and consistency; (1) the flavor of the milk which comes from cows whose diets are strictly controlled, and (2) the strict production codes that have kept the cheese making the same for centuries. Only fresh milk, rennet, and salt are allowed in the dairy. However, in 1984 the laws changed to allow the entire years production be branded Parmigiano-Reggiano. Prior to 1984, only the cheese produced between April and November could be labeled such.

Pasteurized Process Cheese – This popular style of cheese encompasses cheeses like white and yellow American and many smoked varieties. Natural cheeses like Cheddar and Swiss are ground or shredded together, and heated in excess of 150 degrees F. through the introduction of very hot steam. Concentrated milk fat and an emulsifying agent are added, along with a preservative and sometimes a natural coloring agent. While hot, it is poured into a mold and allowed to cool. The end result is a smooth, consistent, uniform piece of cheese which has better keeping qualities and does not continue to sharpen like non-pasteurized cheeses.

Pasteurized Process Cheese Food – The difference between pasteurized process cheese and pasteurized process cheese food is that skim milk is added along with other flavorful ingredients like jalapenos, garlic, onion, caraway, or various other spices. Pasteurized Process Cheese Food is lower in fat than regular American Cheese and most natural cheeses.

Pasteurized Process Cheese Spread – A dairy product similar to pasteurized cheese food but higher in moisture to allow it’s easy spreadability. These cheese spreads come in many varieties and flavors and are also lower in fat than regular natural cheese.

Pecorino (peh-koh-REE-noh) – From the word pecora which means ewe in Italian, cheeses made from sheep’s milk in Italy are called pecorino. Although the majority of pecorino is made in southern Italy, especially Sardinia, the best known pecorino is Pecorino Romano. Genuine Romano is only produced in the province of Rome from November to June. Locatelli is genuine pecorino cheese. Pecorino is straw colored, 36% fat, semi-hard, granular with a smooth rind coated in oil. It comes in a cylindrical shape about 12 inches in diameter, 16 inches tall and although a little sharper than Parmesan, it is often substituted when used in cooking. It has an intensely strong sheepy quality to it. It is to southern Italy what Parmigiano-Reggiano is to the north. Look for the sheep’s head logo with Pecorino Romano embossed on the rind to make sure you are getting the real stuff.

Grated on pasta dishes.

Pepper Jack – A Monterey jack cheese which has had jalapeno peppers blended in. It has a mild creamy texture, yet the peppers add a delicious spicy flavor.

Can be eaten as a snack or it can be a marvelous addition to any recipe.

Port du Salut (por du sa lu’) – Semi-soft, smooth and buttery. Mellow to robust flavor between Cheddar and Limburger.

Dessert cheese; delicious with fresh fruit. Great with apple pie. Good on a snack tray.

Provolone – The hard, stringy texture makes it easy to cut without crumbling. This light yellow to golden brown cheese is usually packaged in round, pear and sausage-shaped packages bound with a cord. It melts quickly when shredded. Full, sharp, piquant, usually smoked flavor. Provolone is the ubiquitous “hoagie cheese” found on almost all Italian-style sandwiches. Generally formed into cylinders or ball-shapes (in the U.S.), Provolone is white and firm-textured with a mild flavor. Provolone is very often smoked, making the cheese’s flavor more assertive.

Besides its use in sandwiches, versatile Provolone may be used as a pizza topping (with Mozzarella), served on an antipasto tray or used in salads. Tomatoes, roasted red peppers, olives, breads and pears. Serve with full-bodied reds like Merlot or Chianti and sparkling water.

Quark – This is soft, spreadable German-style cream cheese. Its fat content is higher than the skim milk Fromage Blanc, but significantly lower than Mascarpone. It is very white, with a tangy flavor.

Very versatile, Quark can be used in everything from bagel spreads to desserts.

Queso Blanco – This mild tasting cheese is the most popular cheese South of the Border – both for snacking and cooking. It is wonderful to cook with because, unlike American-type cheeses, it will become soft and creamy when heated but will not melt!

Use for stuffed chicken breasts.

Reblochon – Creamy, French cheese. Semi-soft, with mild and nutty flavor.

Good for dessert, with French bread, fruit, wine.

Ricotta – From Italy. Soft and fresh, mild and creamy.

Important cooking cheese for many Italian dishes, including lasagna.

Romano – Hard Italian cheese. Varies from mild to sharp.

Young cheeses good with bread, fruit, wine. Older cheeses grated for cooking.

Roquefort – Semi-soft French cheese. White marbled with blue-green. Sharp, pungent flavor.

Good for dessert with strong red wine; also salad dressings.

Saaland Pfarr – Swedish. The curd is mashed with whiskey before ripening.

Saanen – Swiss. Hard and dry, rich flavor similar to Gruyere. Used for grating, thinly slicing and melting.

Saga – Danish. A lovely blue, triple-crème cheese. Young, with a softer flavor than traditional blues because it isn’t aged.

Sage Cheddar – American. A natural Cheddar flavored with sage before ripening.

Sage Cream – English. An unripened cream cheese. Green colored from fresh, bruised sage leaves and spinach juice.

Sage Derby – English Derby cheese flavored with sage. A traditional Christmas food in Britain.

Sage Lancashire – English. A variety of Lancashire. Contains sage leaves.

Saingorlon – French. Cow’s milk cheese, rich, semi-soft, ripened, blue-veined, but delicate in flavor.

Saint-Benoit – French. A soft cheese that has been rubbed with charcoal and salt before ripening.

Saint-Ivel – English. Soft cheese inoculated with the same culture that is used for making yogurt; with curing, develops a flavor like that of Camembert.

Saint-Marcellin – Also known as Bruleur de Loup. French. Soft goat’s milk cheese, mild when fresh.

Saint-Nectaire – French. A semi-soft, aged, sharp goat cheese. Nutty flavor.

Saint-Paulin – A variation of Port du Salut. Created by the Trappist monks of Notre Dame in 1816. Semi-soft when young. In cold countries it will remain that way, but in hot countries it ages to semi-firm consistency.

Sainte-Maure – French. Seasonal goat cheese. One of the first goat’s milk cheeses to enter the U.S. A great first-try goat’s milk cheese.

Samso – One of the finest of Danish cheeses. Gold colored, semi-firm, with a nut-like, buttery flavor.

Sap Sago – A Swiss hard cheese that has no fat in it. Flavored with herbs. It must be grated.

Sardo – Hard, salty Argentine cheese used for grating.

Sbinz – Perhaps the oldest cheese made in Switzerland. An aged cheese, hard and even-textured, making it excellent for grating. Preferable to the Parmesan because of its richer flavor and higher fat content. Often thinly sliced and eaten with bread when not quite hard.

Scamorzo – Also known as Scamorze and Scamorza. A mozzarella-type but more solid. Salty, and may be smoked. Soft when young, firm enough to slice when aged. It is hung from rafters to ripen and is repeatedly rubbed with oil.

Schabzieger – Hard cheese from Switzerland. Sometimes called “green cheese” because powdered clover is added. Made of slightly sour skimmed milk.

Schimmelkase – German. Soft, with a white crust. Good added to scrambled eggs.

Schlosskase Bismarck – Named after the German Prime Minister.

Selles-Sur-Cher – French. Salty, semi-firm goat cheese.

Septmoncel – French. Also known as “Jura Bleu.” Blue-veined cheese made with a mixture of cow’s, goat’s and sheep’s milk.

Serpa – A prized Portuguese cheese made of sheep’s milk. As a young cheese, soft and buttery. With age, it becomes semi-hard and sharp tasting.

Serra de Estrella – Portuguese. Made of ewe’s milk or a combination of ewe’s and goat’s milk. Soft or semi-soft with an unusual, piquant flavor.

Slipcote – English. Soft, fresh, white cheese. Ripened between cabbage leaves for only a week or two and as rich as butter.

Smokelet – Norwegian smoked cheese.

Soft Jack – A young Monterey Jack. Made from whole cow’s milk.

Sorbais – Maroilles variety. Pungent. Bright yellow, with reddish-brown rind.

Stewart – Scottish. Known as the Stilton of Scotland. Lacking the depth of flavor as Stilton, a worthy cheese none-the-less. The blue cheese has a mild flavor; the white, salty.

Steppenkase – A German cheese, bland and nutty. Low in fat. Eat as is or slice and serve on crackers. Excellent with a Riesling.

Stilton – Semi-soft; slightly more crumbly than blue; blue-veined; grows sharper and stronger with age. Distinctive from all other blue cheeses for its being based in a Cheddar cheese. One of the great British cheeses. Used for dessert, cheese trays, dips and salads. Goes with fresh fruit and bland crackers. Some recommend as a substitute for Feta.

Stacchino – Fresh, soft and creamy. Made from cow’s milk.

Svecia – Swedish. Firm. Sometimes made with caraway seeds.

Swiss – Sweetish; nutty with large holes; deep ivory to pale yellow. Gentle-flavored, meltable, and easily sliced. Used for dessert, cheese trays, salads, sandwiches, appetizers and as an ingredient in cooking. Goes with fresh fruit and squares of crusty French bread.

Szekeley – Hungarian. Soft, sheep’s milk cheese that is packed in sheep bladders. Available smoked as well.

Taffelost – Norwegian or Danish dessert cheese, semi-soft, creamy white with a red outer rind.

Taleggio – Italian fine dessert cheese. From soft to semi-soft, smooth and aromatic, becoming more full-bodied with age. Great with crusty bread and wine.

Tamie – A French semi-soft cheese made of skimmed cow’s milk.

Telemi – Rumanian. Made of sheep milk. American Telemi is made of cow’s milk. Semi-soft, much like the American version of Mozzarella.

Tete de Moine – “Monk’s Head.” Aromatic and strong flavored Swiss hard cheese made of cow’s milk.

Tignard – French. Firm, blue-veined goat’s milk cheese.

Tijuana – Mexican. Firm, pale, but with a hot aftertaste. Hot red pepper is added to the curd before it is aged.

Tillamook – United States. A type of Cheddar, medium to sharp in flavor. A raw milk cheese. The older the cheese is, the more flavor it develops.

Tilsiter – Also known as Tilsit. Made originally by the Dutch. Semi-firm, with strong aroma and flavor, increasing with age. Good for cooking and eating. The butterfat content ranges from 30 to 60 percent. Now also made in Germany, Switzerland, Norway, Denmark and the United States.

Toma di Carmagnola – Italian. Soft and buttery with a slightly nutty flavor.

Tomar – Portuguese cheese made of sheep’s milk. It has a smoky-nut flavor.

Tomme de Chevre – French. Made from goat’s milk.

Tomme de Savoie – French. Semi-soft cheese made of cow’s milk. Distinguished flavor.

Coca-Cola Mini Kiosks By Ogilvy & Mather Berlin Promote Tiny Coke Cans

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To promote the launch of its tiny coke cans, Coca-Cola and advertising agency Ogilvy & Mather Berlin deployed and installed a series of miniature kiosks throughout five different major cities in Germany.

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According to Adweek, the kiosks sold an average of 380 mini cans per day, which Ogilvy says is 278 percent more than a typical coke vending machine. The small scale intervention included a pint-size vending machine, which also served to describe the the print campaign’s main motto: ‘It’s the little things in life that make us happy’.

According to Adweek, the kiosks sold an average of 380 mini cans per day, which Ogilvy says is 278 percent more than a typical coke vending machine. The small scale intervention included a pint-size vending machine, which also served to describe the the print campaign’s main motto: ‘It’s the little things in life that make us happy’.

Confessions Of A Woman Who Just Confronted Her Childhood Abuser

 

I knew he would lie. I knew he would deny deny deny. I knew he’d get angry and throw out whatever he could to hurt me. I didn’t care and I didn’t budge. It happened. I remember it all. I’m not the only one it happened to. I known the truth and I didn’t flinch, not even once.

 

I told my mom first. I had told her once before, but she didn’t believe me. I was 17 and I was afraid. My dad is a narcissist, screams and goes berserk if things aren’t EXACTLY how he wants them. He would pin the family against one another, we would all take turns being the one berated all day. If it wasn’t you then you best hop on the berate bandwagon or your next. The entire day you were followed around being yelled at for how you do everything wrong, and all the family would have to agree. You go up the stairs too slow, you don’t sit quietly enough on the couch, the way you speak, the way you smell, you’re not smiling anymore, everything. Spoken to like you are dirt hoping tomorrow won’t be your day again. If you fought back you were hit, shoved into whatever table or thing was near you. You guys get it. I was afraid.

My mom is very kind but very meek. She also wanted a perfect family and when people were over that’s the picture he would paint. She’d turn a blind eye to pretty much everything.

When I was 17 they found a poem I wrote about hating him. He demanded to know why on earth you could hate your daddy so much. I felt so backed into a corner, over and over I was being drilled. So I said it “you molested me”. Well he blew up “I never did that! You are a LIAR! I would never touch my kids! Maybe I did but I forgot!” Yes I am serious about that last part. Those were his exact words. They demanded to know what he did, but I was so afraid. I couldn’t get it out. I never talked about it before, I couldn’t do anything but cry. They called me a liar and a few days later my mom reminded me to get him a father’s day present. I didn’t dare bring it up again.

That was 11 years ago.

I’m now living in an entirely different state with my amazing husband. But, he was still in my life and ruining it. Even just the sound of his voice when I would call my mom made me want to SCREAM. This man is a MONSTER. He destroyed me. As if the emotional and physical abuse wasn’t enough he took every piece of innocence from me. People freak even imagining one of their parents reaching into their pants to get them off, and thats my life. It never goes away, it’s in my head forever.

I had to cut him out. Forever.

So, my parents came to visit and I sat my mom down alone and flat out told her. I told her everything. Every detail. She cried. I hope she believed me.

Then I sat down with her, my husband and my father.

I stood my ground, I told him I wanted him to get help but this was the last time he would ever see me because he molested me. He blew, finger pointed, called me a liar, said he didn’t remember anything like that. I just kept repeating firmly “I don’t believe you.” Never breaking eye contact, my husband said there wasn’t even a tremble in my voice. Every time he threw something else at me I knocked it down calmly and firmly “you can talk about that in therapy. But there is no need to lie to me, I don’t believe you. I remember and I was so young, I know you remember. You are a child molester.” Boy did my calmness get him angry! I have never seen him sweat and squander like that EVER. After about 5/10 minutes of him changing his story and squawking I said “you can leave my house now”. And he said in the most degrading tone possible “what makes YOU so righteous?!” I know he meant it as an insult but damm I took it as a complement.

That was yesterday. I am excited for my new life. I feel like the rabbit from the velveteen rabbit, like I’m finally becoming real. I just can’t believe it, I can’t believe that person who stood up to him, so calmly and confidently, was me.

Ukraine – The Big Push To End The War

Over Christmas I had a short talk with a relative about the war in Ukraine. He asked me who would win and was astonished when I said: “Ukraine has zero chance to win.” That person reads some German mainstream news sites and watches the public TV networks. With those sources of ‘information’ he was made to believe that Ukraine was winning the war.

One may excuse that with him never having been in a military and not being politically engaged. But still there are some basic numbers that let one conclude from the beginning that Russia, the much bigger, richer and more industrialized country, had clearly all advantages. My relative  obviously never had had that thought.

The ‘western’ propaganda is still quite strong. However, as I pointed out in March last year propaganda does not change a war and lies do not win it. Its believability is shrinking.

Former Lt.Col. Alex Vershinin, who in June pointed out that industrial warfare is back and the ‘West’ was not ready to wage it, has a new recommendable piece out which analyses the tactics on both sides, looks ahead and concludes that Russia will almost certainly win the war:

Wars of attrition are won through careful husbandry of one’s own resources while destroying the enemy’s. Russia entered the war with vast materiel superiority and a greater industrial base to sustain and replace losses. They have carefully preserved their resources, withdrawing every time the tactical situation turned against them. Ukraine started the war with a smaller resource pool and relied on the Western coalition to sustain its war effort. This dependency pressured Ukraine into a series of tactically successful offensives, which consumed strategic resources that Ukraine will struggle to replace in full, in my view. The real question isn’t whether Ukraine can regain all its territory, but whether it can inflict sufficient losses on Russian mobilized reservists to undermine Russia’s domestic unity, forcing it to the negotiation table on Ukrainian terms, or will Russian’ attrition strategy work to annex an even larger portion of Ukraine.

Russian domestic unity has only grown over the war. As Gilbert Doctorow points out wars make nations. The war does not only unite certain nationalistic parts of Ukraine who still dream of retaking Crimea. It also unites all of Russia. Unlike Ukraine Russia will be strengthened by it.

Casualties are expected in wars and the Russians, with their steady remembrance of the second world war as their Great Patriotic War, know this well. Screw ups also happen and at times some bad leadership decisions puts people into the wrong place where the enemy can and will kill them. That is what happened in Makeyevka (Donetsk) on New Years day 2 minutes after midnight. Some 100 Russian reservists died. The Russian leadership pointed out that they were killed by U.S. HIMARS missiles. The former Indian diplomat M. K. Bhadrakumar judges that this was a U.S. escalation which will likely receive a response:

The intelligence inputs in real time show direct American participation in the horrific operation targeting the Russian conscripts’ New Year party just when the toasts began. Of course, whipping up public sentiments in Russia against Putin is a core American objective in the war.We are entering a grey zone. Expect “surgical strikes” by the Russian forces, too. After all, at some point soon enough, it will emerge that what’s sauce for the goose is sauce for the gander.

Some retaliation has already happened. Yesterday the Russian Defense Ministry reported that over 130 foreign mercenaries were killed in attacks on their bases near Maslyakovka and Kramatorsk. Those Polish soldiers are now gone. The Russian military also continues its quite successful counter-artillery campaign:

Missile and air strikes launched at a hardware concentration near Druzhkovka railway station (Donetsk People’s Republic) have resulted in the elimination of:

  • two launching ramps for U.S.-manufactured HIMARS multiple-launch rocket systems (MLRS);
  • four armoured fighting vehicles for Czech-manufactured RM-70 Vampire MLRS;
  • over 800 rockets for MLRS;
  • six motor vehicles, and up to 120 Ukrainian personnel.

Within the counterbattery warfare, two launching ramps for U.S.-manufactured HIMARS MLRS, that were used for shelling settlements of the Donetsk People’s Republic, have been detected and destroyed near Kramatorsk.Three U.S.-manufactured M-777 artillery systems have been destroyed at their firing positions near Artyomovsk (Donetsk People’s Republic), and Chervonaya Dibrova (Lugansk People’s Republic).

Two Ukrainian fighting vehicles for Grad MLRS have been destroyed near Volchansk (Kharkov region) and Serebryanka (Donetsk People’s Republic).

Two D-30 howitzers have been destroyed near Kamenskoye and Gulyaypole (Zaporozhye region).

Those are four HIMARS, three M-777, some Czech ‘aid’, 800 HIMARS missiles and some Ukrainian guns that were lost in just one day. That was probably more than the ‘West’ can deliver over the next months.

Even the New York Times notes that Russia is exhausting the Ukraine as well as its western support by simply throwing cheap stuff at it:

The Iranian-made Shahed-136 drones that Moscow has increasingly been relying on since October are relatively uncomplicated devices and fairly cheap, while the array of weapons used to shoot them out of the sky can be much pricier, according to experts. The self-destructing drones can cost as little as $20,000 to produce, while the cost of firing a surface-to-air missile can range from $140,000 for a Soviet-era S-300 to $500,000 for a missile from an American NASAMS.

This only confirms the point Alex Vershinin was making. Russia has cared for its resources while the Ukraine, and NATO, have wasted their stuff mostly in senseless frontal campaigns against well protected Russian troops.

Yves Smith of Naked Capitalism points out that Vershinin has left out the economic side of the war where the picture is as bad for Ukraine as it is on the ground:

Ukraine is dependent on the West to fund its government, giving new meaning to the expression “client state”. Ukraine’s GDP contraction is estimated to be on the order of 35-40% for 2022. Ukraine in November projected its 2023 budget deficit to be $38 billion. Mind you, that is for essential services and is likely to underestimate the cost and knock-on effects of dealing with Russia’s attacks on its electrical grid. Again, before the grid strikes, the IMF had estimated Ukraine’s budget needs at $3 to $4 billion a month. It’s an easy bet that that $38 billion funding gap will easily come in at more than $50 billion.

And paying for teachers’ salaries, pensions, road repair, hospitals, are not the sort of thing that enriches the military-industrial complex. This is a huge amount for the West. Euronews, in discussing the then estimated $38 billion hole, strongly hinted Ukraine would come up short: …

Yves Smith also points out that, as we predicted in March, the pro-Ukraine propaganda is not really fixing the war:

Last and not at all least, the success of Ukraine propaganda seems to be falling despite the media and politicians doing their best to create the impression otherwise. Lambert and I were both very much surprised to read that a recent poll of likely US voters (as in presumably politically engaged) found fewer than 1/3 thought Ukraine was winning the war.

Lastly to find out who will win this war we can point to the mid December interview the Ukrainian war leader General Valery Zaluzhny gave to the Economist.:

General Zaluzhny, who is raising a new army corps, reels off a wishlist. “I know that I can beat this enemy,” he says. “But I need resources. I need 300 tanks, 600-700 IFVs [infantry fighting vehicles], 500 Howitzers.” The incremental arsenal he is seeking is bigger than the total armoured forces of most European armies.

What Zaluzhny really says is that the war is lost if he does not get those resources. He knows well that is he will not receive them.

So how will Russia proceed towards the end game?

Dima of the Military Summary Channel discussed yesterday how two big moves, one up from the Mariupol area and one down west of Kharkiv, can cut all railroad lines that connect west Ukraine with the eastern frontline where some 80+% of the Ukrainian army is now deployed.

I agree that the move from the south will happen but I am less sure about the northern branch.

 

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biggerThe Ukrainian army, just like the Russian one, depends on railroads for medium and long range transport. Neither has enough trucks to move the big amount of supplies that are needed to support the war.

Ukrainian railways

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SourcebiggerTo be able to supply its forces any Russian move must follow the rail lines and create some safety corridor left and right of them. Some railways will be damaged by fighting but Russia has special railroad regiments that are trained and equipped to do repairs under war conditions. The move from the south would go to Pavlovgrad (Pavlovhrad) while the move from the north would pass Kharkiv in the west and aim at Lozova. When both are taken the Ukrainian army at the eastern front will be completely cut off from the rest of Ukraine and, without supplies, will have to surrender or die.

Both are big 200 kilometer (120 miles) long moves that require significant amounts of forces. But after its mobilization and with volunteers Russia has 350,000 additional forces it can move in. 75 to 100,000 are sufficient for each push while the rest can keep the Ukrainian troops in the east very busy and fixed in their position.

Then comes the question of when.

Due to currently warmer than normal weather the ground in Ukraine is not yet frozen and the mud will return in March and April. That gives only a two months window to move forward. If I were the Russian commander I would probably wait and use the six dry months during the summer. But there are other criteria, like politics and economics, that will come into play and which may require an earlier move.

If the plan works the war will largely be over. Russian troops will be free to move anywhere in Ukraine with only little resistance. A move to retake Kherson and Odessa will then be a rather easy and short affair.

The big question is how the U.S. will respond. If the Ukraine falls the U.S. and NATO will have lost their war against Russia. That will cause serious political damage.

Thomas H. Lipscomb writes that war will be lost because it was badly planned and in a way that could never have changed its direction:

American military planning was once world class. But who would plan a proxy war against Russia, one of the acknowledged masters of artillery with far better air defense technology than any in the West, and then equip our puppet Ukraine with inferior weapons and only enough ammunition to last six months? And surely American planners couldn’t help knowing that there was no longer a manufacturing base for resupply, and NATO warehouses were practically empty?

This will have wide ranging consequences:

[T]he United States current leadership is a bunch of total idiots, blinded by ideology, arrogance and illusions of pursuing a “rule-based” global hegemony, an opportunity long passed, as our performance in this proxy war shows. The United States may have won the Cold War but it lost the peace. Its strategic thinking and its military is obsolete and configuration of both forces and equipment is based on assumptions from the past millennium. The battle for a Great Global Reset under a unipolar American hegemony has been lost as well. The World Economic Forum is now about as relevant as the Holy Roman Empire. All they can continue to do is terrorize the increasingly authoritarian states of the West with asinine policy proposals.The attempt to destroy Russia prodded it to a burst of brilliant diplomacy and leadership by Putin and his team that has quietly established that the rest of the world prefers sovereignty and a multi-polar world. The post Cold War “Pox Americana” as Larry Johnson has called it, is over. Historians of the future will study this period of history with fascination. Few times in history has such immense change happened so fast.

The effect of losing the war will be noticed in global and domestic politics. ‘Western’ global standing will be degraded and the leadership of the war party will receive some well deserved bashing.

But will the U.S. let that happen? Can it allow itself to lose this war? Or will it escalate? Even when that is likely to only worsen its situation?

I have no idea yet how and who in Washington will decide on those questions.

Posted by b on January 4, 2023 at 19:00 UTC | Permalink

This Artist Created Very Cute Covers Of The Music World, Replacing Singers With Cats

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The kittens always success on the internet. For those who like to see them in fun poses, musician and designer Alfra Martini has created The Kitten Covers, a blog with classic album covers with cats digitally inserted on the scene, replacing the stars cover.

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Gold ring and personal stamp

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The armies were colorful

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The Clock Is Ticking For Humanity As A Horrifying Fertility Crisis Looms

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Is humanity running out of time?  Based on the growth of the global population during the last century or so, you wouldn’t come to such a conclusion.  In 1900 there were about 2 billion people living on this planet, and now there are about 8 billion.  But some experts are now suggesting that we have reached a very significant turning point.  Global population growth has slowed dramatically, and birth rates have actually fallen well below replacement level in many industrialized nations.  Couples are having a more difficult time producing babies, and there are many that are blaming our highly toxic environment for this.

A twitter thread about our looming fertility crisis has gotten a tremendous amount of attention over the past few days.

 

There are some pretty bold claims being made in that thread, and I decided to fact check three of the most startling…

#1 “1 in 4 couples cannot conceive naturally”

According to the official CDC website, 19 percent of women aged 15 to 49 in the United States are not able to get pregnant…

In the United States, among heterosexual women aged 15 to 49 years with no prior births, about 1 in 5 (19%) are unable to get pregnant after one year of trying (infertility). Also, about 1 in 4 (26%) women in this group have difficulty getting pregnant or carrying a pregnancy to term (impaired fecundity).

So that would suggest that it is actually around 1 in 5 couples that are not able to conceive naturally.

However, it should be noted that the infertility rate has been steadily rising, and the number on the official CDC website reflects data that is a bit old.

If current trends continue, it is just a matter of time before “1 in 4 couples cannot conceive naturally” if we are not there already.

#2 “Sperm counts are down 60%”

This claim appears to be right on the nose.  As I noted last week, a study that was recently released found that sperm counts have fallen by about 60 percent since 1973…

The latest analysis added seven years of sample collection and 44 study results to the 244 included in the earlier 2017 analysis. That study, in its analysis of data trends between 1973 and 2011, found an average decline in mean sperm concentration of 1.6% per year, and an overall decline of 59.3%. The latest study found an even steeper decline – to 2.64% post-2000 and an overall fall of 62.3% among unselected men. This, add the authors, represents a decline of –4.70 million/year, and indicates that this world-wide decline is continuing into the 21st century at an accelerated pace.

If sperm counts continue to plunge this rapidly, it won’t be too long before a majority of human males are infertile.

If that happens, the global population will begin to decline very rapidly.

#3 “if you’re an average person using regular soaps, deodorants, shampoos, body washes, conditioners, hair products, makeup, you’re ingesting over 200+ chemicals + heavy metals a day, all linked to infertility”

This claim was much harder to verify.

On the official NIH website, we are told that “pregnant women in the United States are exposed to 43 or more different potential chemical toxins”…

Environmental toxins are ubiquitous and sometimes implicated in infertility development, either through anatomical abnormalities or endocrinological dysfunction. Based on a National Health and Nutrition Survey from 2003 through 2004, pregnant women in the United States are exposed to 43 or more different potential chemical toxins.Knowledge and experience in evaluating exposure to environmental toxins are critical for any reproductive endocrinology and infertility specialist.

Environmental toxins affect individuals throughout the lifespan, including prenatally, and can have various effects, from increasing cancer risk to ovulatory dysfunction to altered semen quality.

Of course the NIH has not exactly been a beacon of truth in recent years.

Without a doubt, we are all endlessly exposed to extremely hazardous toxins in our food, in what we drink, in the air that we breathe and in the products that we put on our bodies.

A lot of those toxins have been linked to infertility, and many believe that this is one of the primary reasons why birth rates have been falling all over the world year after year

It’s happening to men and women and as well, I should add, non-human species. And what we see is that the decline in the number of children that people have is one percent per year worldwide over the past 50 years. That’s true of developed countries and underdeveloped countries. And the same rate of decline, one percent per year, is what we see for the declining sperm count, what we see for the decline in testosterone, we see for the increase in miscarriage rates, and we’ve examined in our book “Count Down,” how each of these endpoints is deteriorating, if you will, at the same rate, about one percent per year, which is another bit of evidence, although not conclusive, that these are related to a common cause.

What do you think is going to happen to us if these trends continue?

Already, the fertility rate in the United States is way below replacement level

According to the US Census Bureau, the fertility rate – which measures how many children an average woman will give birth to during her life – was 1.6 in 2020.

This falls far below the level of 2.1 needed to maintain current population levels.

As I detail in my new book, this crisis is an existential threat to the future of humanity, but most people simply do not care.

Most of us are just going to continue to bombard ourselves and our children with highly dangerous toxins no matter what information comes our way.

Sometimes I think that we are simply too stupid to continue as a species for much longer.

 

Instead of trying to figure out how to avoid extinction, we have become an “idiocracy” in which our young people are constantly devising increasingly bizarre ways to get the most social media views possible

 

The clock is ticking for humanity, and we cannot save ourselves from the historic catastrophe that is in front of us.

Hopefully we will realize how desperate our situation has become before time runs out completely.

Switzerland to Deploy 5,000 Army Troops to protect World Economic Forum Meeting in Davos

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The Swiss army will deploy 5,000 troops ahead of the World Economic Forum’s next meeting in Davos. Authorities indicated the troops were authorized to utilize coercive police measures to fulfill their security mission.

“The Federal Parliament has set a ceiling of 5,000 troops who will serve in support during the WEF, which will run from January 10 to 26. Some of them will be stationed directly in Davos, where the annual meeting will be held from January 16 to 20,” the statement read.

According to the statement, other servicemen will provide logistics and air force operations support throughout Switzerland. Soldiers will be authorized to “use coercive police measures to carry out their respective tasks,” the government said.

There will also be snipers on the roofs of most buildings, and in previous years the Swiss Police have shot drones from the sky.

The WEF predicts that soon everyone will be able to ‘rent’ anything they need under the cover of ‘sustainable development’ (SDGs) and ‘saving the planet’ (Net Zero). There is no doubt that the tiny elites who rolled out the Great Reset will own it all.

The number of participants in the forum is currently unknown. German Chancellor Olaf Scholz, Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez, Ecuadorian President Guillermo Lasso, and Colombian President Gustavo Petro will attend the Davos forum personally, according to the latest information. Keir Starmer and Rachel Reeves will also be attending.

Zelensky will also speak at the World Economic Forum’s Davos meeting alongside CNN anchors and NATO chiefs.

Only distinguished delegates were allowed to fly in and out of Davos last year due to a no-fly zone.

There has been fierce opposition to the WEF’s extremist agenda, including The Great Reset, Build Back Better, and You’ll Own Nothing and Be Happy. The WEF is now feeling the heat. In response to those who oppose its techno-tyranny, it has waged a defensive PR campaign recently. The World Economic Forum also recently canceled its Twitter feed in favor of Chinese state-run social media:

1. “What we have to confront is a deep systemic and structural restructuring of our world, and the world will look differently after we have gone through this transition process (Great Reset)” – Klaus Schwab B20 Summit Indonesia 2022 Opening Remarks 14.11.2022. pic.twitter.com/H7AL0uCQXN — SikhForTruth (@SikhForTruth) November 15, 2022

Klaus Schwab gave the opening remarks in November at the B20 event. He said that “What we have to confront is a deep systemic and structural restructuring of our world, and the world will look differently after we have been through this transition process” (aka the Great Reset).

The coronavirus pandemic has been the vehicle for the Great Reset conceived by Klaus Schwab of the WEF. Globalists intend to eradicate all borders, dismantle the free market, and drastically reduce the global population.

How A Dog Should Wear Pants?

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How would a dog wear pants? This twisted question has been plaguing the Internet at least since November, when a Yik Yak user posed the question, and then BuzzFeed polled its readers. Fast-forward to December when FB page Utopian Raspberry user “Norbert” posted a stylized illustration of the same question, which was then re-tweeted by Maxim editor Jared Keller, who went on to interview “Norbert.”

Read the short interview, then see the puzzling picture and Mashable’s take on it, below:

“I created it last night at about 2 or 3 am (it’s 4:30 pm now my time),” Norbert told Maxim. “I saw some dogs wearing pants, and I thought about how they don’t really have arms so their pants should technically go on every leg. I just tried both versions. I honestly didn’t expect it to become so popular,” he added. “I’m just glad people found it entertaining.”

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German Intelligence Worried over Ukraine Army Losses in Bakhmut

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Germany’s foreign intelligence service is alarmed by losses the Ukrainian army is suffering in fighting against Russian forces in the eastern Ukrainian city of Bakhmut.

The Ukrainian army is “losing a three-digit number of soldiers every day” the BND intelligence service told a group of Bundestag lawmakers who focus on security at a secret meeting this week.

The BND warned that the capture of Bakhmut by Russian forces would have significant consequences, as it would allow Russia to make further advances. It also said the Russian army was using its own soldiers like cannon fodder in Bakhmut.

Russian forces in eastern Ukraine said on Friday that Russian forces had taken control of Klishchiivka, a small settlement south of Bakhmut in eastern Ukraine.

Confessions of a Man Who Suffered From Locked-In Syndrome

How did you get locked-in?

I was diagnosed with a terminal progressive disease May 24, 2017 called toxic acute progressive leukoenpholopathy. I declined rapidly over the next few months and by the fifth month I began suffering from locked-in syndrome. Two months after that I was sent on home hospice to die. I timed out of hospice and I broke out of locked in syndrome around July 4, 2018. I was communicating nonverbally and living in rehabilitation hospitals, relearning to speak, move, eat, and everything. I finally moved out of long-term care back to my new home December 1, 2020.

Do you know what caused the disease?

Some kind of toxic cutting agent. I’m 99.9% sure it was heroin because that was my drug of choice. I used to freebase heroin off tinfoil on a daily basis. Drugs are bad mkay!!

When did you realize that people thought you were in a coma or brain dead?

I remember very specifically as I was losing all of my bodily functions, I noticed in the hospital that no one was interacting with me anymore. When a nurse would come in change and IV, they would typically say, “Hello Mr. Haendel, I am here to change your IV”. They stopped for approximately 10 days and this is when I had an “oh shit” moment and thought to myself, ‘ no one realizes that I am cognitively in tact’. Unfortunately I overheard everything.. one of the most painful was, “don’t worry, he can’t hear you. He’s brain dead anyways”

The scary thing is recent research shows 1 in 5 comatose patients might actually be locked-in. Hopefully they can get fMRIs more readily available to distinguish between someone who is vegetative and someone who is locked-in.

What’s it like being locked-in?

I fully understood everything. My perceptions were good although I was extremely hypersensitive to everything and my internal clock was questionable as in I did not know how much time had elapsed, but I did have a pretty good idea. I could taste, smell, hear, see and feel, but like I said, I was hypersensitive to all these things and very uncomfortable. The weight of a sheet would make me itch and burn up and when a nurse would walk by, the breeze from her walking by would make my skin feel like it was burning.

Were you scared? How were your anxiety levels?

Constant panic attack… my anxiety was off the charts all the time. I am actually surprised my heart didn’t blow out considering I was in triple tachycardia.

How did the doctors know you had locked in syndrome and weren’t just completely gone?

They did not know until I started to communicate. When I could communicate verbally, I was able to describe my experience and they then realized I had been locked-in.

Didn’t they do an EEG and still see brain activity?

Yes they did and it showed slowed theta. There were some brain waves but The assumption was I was disconnected from reality or vegetative

Was the diagnosis accurate? If so, do your doctors have an explanation for how you pulled back from a disease with terminal progression, or is a relapse expected?

The diagnosis was accurate, it’s called toxic acute progressive leukoencephalopathy. I am the only documented case of recovery from Stage 4 of this disease and it baffled everyone. According to my brain scans, none of my progress should be possible but I am no longer terminal and I am basically like a newborn who has to relearn how to do everything. A relapse is not expected!

How did you occupy yourself during your time locked in?

I occupied myself with a lot of self communication. I talked to myself in two voices about literally everything. There is an article in the Guardian that goes into more detail about this if you’re interested… it’s amazing what your mind will come up with to keep entertained.

I only had involuntary vertical eye movements during the time of locked-in syndrome but I could definitely see a majority of that time.. I just couldn’t move my eyes.

How was the experience of falling sleep and waking up like?

I didn’t really fall asleep or wake up. It was more like I just passed out at time… usually from extreme tachycardia or pain.

Did you hear things people around you said assuming you couldn’t hear them/weren’t comprehending that they’d never have said otherwise?

Yes and yes unfortunately.

What kept you pushing forward and not give up on life?

Honestly, I was tired of being stuck in my mind and body. I was so frustrated that I had to break out… I literally couldn’t take it and I realized I was not dying. I overheard every day for 8 months that I would die… and guess what? I didn’t… so I just thought to myself, “I gotta get out of this”.

What was the most meaningful type of care and support were you given during your time locked-in?

I had a combination of care givers that would not speak to me to care givers that would sing to me. My dad went to extreme lengths and definitely burnt himself out in his effort to care for me both before and during hospice. In my recovery since I cam out of locked-in syndrome, the support has been overwhelming.

In terms up meaningful support, people who continued to talk to me as if I was actually there was extremely helpful. They would talk to me about the news, about their days and just “normal stuff”. They also kept saying they knew I was in there, which I was!

Keep in mind, I was transferred numerous times and supports changed frequently but the most meaningful were the people who engaged with me.

When did you realize that you were starting to recover?

Blinking for “can you hear me?” was the first time I was able to communicate and that’s when I realized that the doctors thought there was a chance I was in there. But then they started asking me other questions like “Blink if you know where you are. Blink if you know who the president is.. etc” Many were convinced that my blinking was just an involuntary action but over the next few weeks, I was taught how to stick my tongue out (barely) and that was my “yes”… so then we had a yes/no system which took me out of being completely locked-in into being virtually locked-in.

When you “broke out,” was it sudden or was it a slower process?

It felt slow to me but I’ve been told throughout this entire journey since July 4, 2018 that I’m recovering at lightning speed. That said, I hadn’t been able to communicate for 2 years, and there was so much I wanted to say that simply being able to answer “yes” or “no” felt like a snail’s pace.

How are you feeling today?

Phenomenal and truly blessed to be alive. I am sitting in my own apartment, in my own clothes. I finally feel like I have some independence but still working on literally everything every single day.

What your plans are for the future?

First things first, I would like to be able to walk and perform all my daily living tasks by myself. Aside from that, I would like to do some public speaking and be a voice for the voiceless.

Do you think it would be a good idea to leave the radio on for locked-in patients?

It would have been nice to have some music but make sure it’s not the same station all the time! And also, make sure it’s calm and soothing and not too loud because the patient might have a pounding headache! Music has always been a big part of my life and the hospital spa channel really did it for the first four hours but as we got into month two, I was freaking out and would have appreciated some variety!

What is your biggest most profound takeaway of this unique challenge you had to face?

The biggest takeaway is don’t take things for granted… it might sound cliche, but I truly appreciate all the small things. And never give up! seriously!

$31,395,133,116,713.19

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The United States of America is now within five billion dollars of it’s legal DEBT CEILING and unless the . . .  REPUBLICAN. . . House of Representatives takes action, the US will default on its obligations within a month.  THAT would crash the global economy.

The U.S. government is on track to max out on its $31.4 trillion borrowing authority as soon as this month. That starts the clock on an expected standoff between President Joe Biden and House Republicans. Default looms with the global economy at stake.

Once the government bumps up against the cap — it could happen any time in the next few weeks or longer — the Treasury Department will be unable to issue new debt without congressional action. The department plans to deploy what are known as “extraordinary measures” to keep the government operating. But once those measures run out,  the government could be at risk of defaulting unless lawmakers and the president agree to lift the limit on the U.S. government’s ability to borrow.

The expected showdown over the debt limit would be a stark display of the new reality for Biden and his fellow Democrats, who enjoyed one-party control of Washington for the past two years. It would presage the challenges to come in achieving even the modest ambitions that Democrats are bringing to the task of legislating in a divided Capitol.

The White House has insisted that it won’t allow the nation’s credit to be held captive to the demands of newly empowered GOP lawmakers. But it has no choice.   The Constitution gives to CONGRESS the sole power to spend money and unless Congress ups the limit, the Biden Administration is dead in the water, financially.

Moreover, the concessions made by new House Speaker Kevin McCarthy in his arduous path to securing the job raise questions about whether he has the ability to cut any kind of deal to resolve a standoff.

With this kind of leverage at their disposal, House Republicans can make certain __their__ pririties are met.  Like canceling the 87,000 new IRS Agents.  The House passed a Bill to do just that, as their first order of business last week.  But Biden has already said he will Veto that bill.

He may.

But when it comes time to negotiate over the debt ceiling, things like that will come back to bite Biden.

The stakes are treacherous. Past forecasts suggest a default could instantly bury the country in a deep recession, right at a moment of slowing global growth as the U.S. and much of the world face high inflation because of the coronavirus pandemic and Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.

When Media Provide ‘Analyses’

There was a time when news and opinion pieces were all there was in a newspaper. The usual advertisements and crossword puzzles were just the supporting extras on top of that. But some two decades ago a new form of ‘news’ was added to the content. It called itself ‘analyses’ and claimed to be a neutral form of discussing this or that item. Written by journalists, not opinion editors, it was supposed to be fact based.

But after reading many of those ‘analysis’ I found that they are mostly used for propaganda. Their conclusions are obviously developed before the journalist or ‘columnist’ goes out and collects whatever may support those.

We find one example of such ‘analysis’ in today’s Washington Post.

Written by Ishaan Tharoor it opens with a very broad claim.

‘Give them the tanks!’: Davos elites rally behind Ukraine

DAVOS, Switzerland — At this annual meeting where global elites are urged to collaborate, cooperate and get along, one message rang loudest: Send the weapons. As in the previous World Economic Forum session in May, the war in Ukraine loomed large in discussions. And while political leaders voiced their steadfast support for Kyiv, so too did a host of major corporate bigwigs.

The first question is of course why the people who fly in their private or government jets to Davos to discuss the climate problems they are causing are supposed to be ‘elites’.

But lets set that aside for now. What I really quarrel with is the selection of people mentioned in the peace all of which want to ship even more weapons to Ukraine.

There is the Ukrainian oligarch Victor Pinchuk, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and the ever mealy mouthed CNN filler Fareed Zakaria.

Next to Zelensky was the …

… former British prime minister Boris Johnson — who, no matter his controversial ouster at home, remains a popular figure among Ukrainians

One wonders how many Ukrainians Thardoor has spoken with before making that ‘popular figure’ claim. Recall that it was Johnson who in early April 2022 prevented Zelensky from signing a peace agreement with Russia and urged him to wage a wider war:

According Ukrainska Pravda sources close to Zelenskyy, the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom Boris Johnson, who appeared in the capital almost without warning, brought two simple messages.The first is that Putin is a war criminal, he should be pressured, not negotiated with.

And the second is that even if Ukraine is ready to sign some agreements on guarantees with Putin, they are not.

Johnson’s position was that the collective West, which back in February had suggested Zelenskyy should surrender and flee, now felt that Putin was not really as powerful as they had previously imagined, and that here was a chance to “press him.”

After that, according to Ukrainska Pravda sources, the bilateral negotiation process [with Russia] was paused.

Since then some 300,000 Ukrainians were wounded and some 150,000 Ukrainian soldiers have died. What do they or their relatives think about Johnson’s intervention? Is he ‘popular’ for them?

Tharoor goes on:

In Davos, the sentiment was overwhelming. “Give them the tanks! There’s absolutely nothing to be lost,” Johnson insisted, adding that the world needed to place greater trust in the Ukrainians’ courage and fighting spirit. “We continually underestimated the willingness and the ability of Ukrainians to fight and defend their homeland. … They proved the world completely wrong. They are going to win. We need to help them win as fast as possible.”

Is some uttering of the ever lying Boris Johnson ‘elite’? Does it really reflect the opinion of those in Davos?

Tharoor has more sources.

In its pavilion, U.S. tech company Palantir hosted Ukrainian Vice Prime Minister Mykhailo Fedorov, who celebrated his nation’s usage of Palantir’s data-driven software in its prosecution of the war against Russia.At the same breakfast session, Larry Fink, CEO of BlackRock, the world’s largest asset manager, spoke of his plans to help coordinate billions of dollars worth of reconstruction financing for Ukraine, saying he hoped the initiative would also turn the country into a “beacon of capitalism.” David Solomon, CEO of Goldman Sachs, spoke cheerily of Ukraine’s postwar future. “There is no question that as you rebuild, there will be good economic incentives for real return and real investment,” he said.

Nothing of the above is a real opinion. These are people hyping their businesses which they hope will profit from the war.

A succession of European leaders, like Finnish Prime Minister Sanna Marin, insisted their governments would maintain total support for Ukraine for as “long as it takes.” Members of a bipartisan U.S. congressional delegation echoed the sentiment. The rhetoric belies concerns privately held by many officials: As my colleagues reported Thursday evening, CIA Director William J. Burns recently traveled to Kyiv to meet Zelensky to brief him on U.S. expectations for Russia’s upcoming military campaigns and convey that, at some point, the scale of current assistance to Ukraine may be harder to come by.More the reason, Ukraine’s supporters contend, to rush aid now and help Ukraine make more rapid gains. “Whenever Ukraine goes to negotiations, it has to go in as strong as possible in those talks,” Finnish Foreign Minister Pekka Haavisto told me.

That’s it for the ‘facts’ underlying the nonexistent ‘analysis’ of that column.

The only one talking tanks is the bygone British prime minister Boris Johnson. Nothing provides support for the claim that it is the ‘overwhelming sentiment’.

There is nothing provided by Tharoor but a collection of the current standard blabber of ‘western’ politicians and marketing talk by some business folks who are hoping for large payouts to them.

His ‘analysis’ is a war mongering opinion peace. Its conclusion was preconceived.

‘Elite’ it is certainly not.

The twilight zone finchley

Tanks to Germany

An anaolgy for the tanks being sent by the west to Ukraine :

Back in 1967, the Honda Motor Company abandoned it’s motorcycle grand prix efforts to concentrate on car developement and manufacture. Or so the official line goes. However behind that story was the fact that every motorcycle they fielded in competiton used completely unique parts, even down to the ‘ clip on ‘ handlebars and the maintenence and technical requirements were a huge financial drain on the company.

The west is cobbling together an assortment of different fighting vehicles, each without compatibility to the other, or Ukraine’s troops, each a complex and difficult machine to master, let alone intergrate with Ukraine’s military. They all require their own spares, logistical back up and mainteneance programes and each are designed to operate in a different theatre of combat than the Ukraine.

The fact that these ‘ elites ‘ and western politicians are deaf to more expert voices who tell them this is not going to achieve anything.

( In the case of the U.K. they have so few, that a mere 14 sent will severely affect the number of ‘ new ‘ Challenger 3 tanks, which apparently will be built on the Challenger 2 platform. The U.S. Bradleys which are difficult in every aspect to operate. The German Leopard 2 series have many upgrades for other countries requirements and are not all compatible. That the U.S. Abrams is a gas guzzling, heavy monster that requires a logistic chain that the Ukraine military has no hope of creating etcetra. And what happens when an example or two end up intact in Russian hands? ).

These comment about sending more arms marks them out as wealthy fools whose only elite capability is to clean the latrines at Davos, rather than discuss complex geopolitical issues.

Posted by: Beibdnn. | Jan 20 2023 17:14 utc | 25

Nantucket Pie (Cranberry Pie)

A New England favorite, this Nantucket Pie is not really a pie. It’s more like a cake. It’s delicious whether you call it a pie or a cake!

nantucket pie
nantucket pie

Do not use frozen cranberries for this pie. Only fresh cranberries will work.

Ingredients

Topping

  • 2 cups halved fresh cranberries
  • 1/2 cup chopped walnuts
  • 1/2 cup granulated sugar

Cake

  • 2 large eggs
  • 3/4 cup butter, melted and cooled
  • 3/4 cup granulated sugar
  • 1 cup all-purpose flour

Instructions

  1. Heat oven to 350 degrees F. Heavily spray an 8- or 9-inch springform pan with oil. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
  2. Topping: In a medium bowl combine cranberries, walnuts and sugar. Toss well. Pour mixture into prepared springform pan. Spread evenly and pat down a bit.
  3. Cake: In a medium bowl, combine eggs, butter and sugar. Mix until smooth, then add the flour. Mix until smooth. Batter will be thick. Spread batter gently with a spatula over the cranberry-walnut mixture until all areas are covered.
  4. Place springform pan on prepared baking sheet, and bake for for 30 to 35 minutes.
  5. After removing from the oven, let it sit for 15 minutes.
  6. With a butter knife, gently go around the edge of the pan. Slowly, release the side of the pan and remove the ring.
  7. Let the pie sit for another minute. Then gently invert onto a plate. As you slowly begin to remove the bottom of the pan from the top of the pie, use a butter knife to guide the topping away from the pan, if necessary.
  8. Cool and serve.

Hornets Nest That Formed Around The Face Of A Wooden Statue That Was Left In A Shed

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This Artist Photoshops Old Paperback Books With Ridiculous Titles

Even though the internet is primarily focused on knowledge, connecting people, and providing services, a very nice and, to be honest, necessary function of the internet is to give people things to laugh about.

In the sea of comedy that anyone can find on the various social media, there’s also Paperback Paradise, a page dedicated to photoshopping vintage paperback book covers with funny, weird, and absurd titles, subtitles and marketing blurbs that were oh so popular on books back in the day; and Domi, the artist behind the self proclaimed “world’s #1 used book store”.

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This is excellent. Superb writing as always from Rod Serling – a real shame there’s no writing like this on TV now.

Mostly Harmless and Baked Stuffed Papayas

Good stuff here. The truth about the GDP as a measurement. Some fantastic and delicious Caribbean food. Stories about cat rescues. A reality check about nuclear war. And some personal stories that many of us can relate to.

There’s also a very disturbing report about the United States mRNA injections and what is going on.

We will start here.

Pentagon, Chinese analysts agree US can’t win in Taiwan Strait

US mulls ‘scorched earth’ strategy for Taiwan instead of defense

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China’s satellite coverage in the Western Pacific has doubled since 2018, the Pentagon reported last week in its annual assessment of the Chinese military. That gives China the ability to detect American surface ships with an array of sensors that can guide its 2,000 land-based missiles to moving targets, including US aircraft carriers.

The Defense Department’s November 29 report “Military and Security Developments Involving the People’s Republic of China” reflects a grimly realistic rethinking of China’s military capacity in its home theater.

China hawk Elbridge Colby, a prominent advocate of a Western Pacific military buildup to deny China access to its adjacent seas, tweeted on November 6, “Senior flag officers are saying we’re on a trajectory to get crushed in a war with China, which would likely be the most important war since WWII, God forbid.”

The strategic takeaway is that the United States cannot win a firefight close to China’s coast, and can’t defend Taiwan whether it wants to or not. That view in the Joe Biden administration’s Department of Defense (DOD) persuaded the president to discuss “guardrails” against military confrontation in his November summit with his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping.

Republican hawks appear to have come to the same conclusion. The United States will enact a scorched-earth policy in Taiwan, destroying its semiconductor industry, if the PRC seizes the island, former Trump national security adviser Robert O’Brien told a conference at the Richard Nixon Foundation on November 10, reports army-technology.com.

“If China takes Taiwan and takes those factories intact – which I don’t think we would ever allow – they have a monopoly over chips the way OPEC has a monopoly, or even more than the way OPEC has a monopoly over oil,” O’Brien said.

much-read paper by two Army War College professors published this year proposes that “the United States and Taiwan should lay plans for a targeted scorched-earth strategy that would render Taiwan not just unattractive if ever seized by force, but positively costly to maintain.”

“This could be done most effectively by threatening to destroy facilities belonging to the Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company, the most important chipmaker in the world and China’s most important supplier.”

O’Brien evidently agrees with the Pentagon’s assessment that the US can’t win a war in the Taiwan Strait, proposing – apropos of the Vietnam War’s most celebrated sound bite – to destroy the island in order to save it.

Anti-ship missiles are the 21st-century equivalent of the torpedo and dive bombers that banished the battleship from military budgets after the 1941 sinking of the Bismarck by the British and the sinking of the Repulse and the Prince of Wales by the Japanese. Surface ships, including aircraft carriers, can’t defend against modern missiles that can downlink guidance data from reconnaissance satellites.

The DOD report states that the PLA Rocket Force’s “conventionally armed CSS-5 Mod 5 (DF-21D) ASBM variant gives the PLA the capability to conduct long-range precision strikes against ships, including aircraft carriers, out to the Western Pacific.”

“The [People’s Liberation Army Air Force’s] ground-based missile forces complement the air and sea-based precision strike capabilities of the PLAAF and PLAN.… DF-21D has a range exceeding 1,500 km, is fitted with a maneuverable reentry vehicle (MaRV), and is reportedly capable of rapidly reloading in the field.

“The PLARF continues to grow its inventory of DF-26 IRBMs, which it first revealed in 2015 and fielded in 2016. The multi-role DF-26 is designed to rapidly swap conventional and nuclear warheads and is capable of conducting precision land-attack and anti-ship strikes in the Western Pacific, the Indian Ocean, and the South China Sea from mainland China.

“In 2020, China fired anti-ship ballistic missiles against a moving target in the South China Sea.”

China tested these weapons thoroughly, the Pentagon report adds:

“In 2021, the PLARF launched approximately 135 ballistic missiles for testing and training, more than the rest of the world combined excluding ballistic missile employment in conflict zones. The DF-17 passed several tests successfully and is deployed operationally.

“While the DF-17 is primarily a conventional platform, it may be equipped with nuclear warheads. In 2020, a PRC-based military expert described the primary purpose of the DF-17 as striking foreign military bases and fleets in the Western Pacific.”

Key to the effectiveness of anti-ship missiles is satellite intelligence and electronic warfare measures. As the Pentagon reports:

“China employs a robust space-based ISR [intelligence/surveillance/reconnaissance] capability designed to enhance its worldwide situational awareness. Used for military and civilian remote sensing and mapping, terrestrial and maritime surveillance, and intelligence collection, China’s ISR satellites are capable of providing electro-optical and synthetic aperture radar (SAR) imagery as well as electronic and signals intelligence data.”

Most important:

“As of the end of 2021, China’s ISR satellite fleet contained more than 260 systems – a quantity second only to the United States, and nearly doubling China’s in-orbit systems since 2018.”

Satellite signals can be jammed or spoofed (misdirected to show incorrect coordinates), but

“The PLA continues to invest in improving its capabilities in space-based intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance (ISR), satellite communication, and satellite navigation … the PRC continues to develop a variety of counter-space capabilities designed to limit or prevent an adversary’s use of space-based assets during crisis or conflict.

“In addition to the development of directed energy weapons and satellite jammers, the PLA has an operational ground-based anti-satellite (ASAT) missile intended to target low-Earth orbit satellites, and the PRC probably intends to pursue additional ASAT weapons capable of destroying satellites up to geosynchronous Earth orbit.

“PLA [electronic warfare] units routinely train to conduct jamming and anti-jamming operations against multiple communication and radar systems and Global Positioning System (GPS) satellite systems during force-on-force exercises.

“These exercises test operational units’ understanding of EW weapons, equipment, and procedures and they also enable operators to improve confidence in their ability to operate effectively in a complex electromagnetic environment.”

China’s military has improved quality as well as quantity, according to the Pentagon:

“Recent improvements to China’s space-based ISR capabilities emphasize the development, procurement, and use of increasingly capable satellites with digital camera technology as well as space-based radar for all-weather, 24-hour coverage.

“These improvements increase China’s monitoring capabilities – including observation of US aircraft carriers, expeditionary strike groups, and deployed air wings. Space capabilities will enhance potential PLA military operations farther from the Chinese coast.”

Overall, the Pentagon’s readout on China’s missile and satellite capability is virtually identical to the estimation of Chinese analysts, for example, the widely read military columnist Chen Feng in the prominent Chinese website “The Observer” (guancha.cn). In a November 27 report, Chen explained why an array of small satellites can achieve precise real-time target location:

“Small satellites are not only small, lightweight, and low-cost, but also operate in low orbits. In terms of space ISR, one is worth nearly three. This is true for optical and radar imaging, as well as for signal interception. So the actual reconnaissance capability of small satellites is no weaker than large satellites, and commercial Synthetic Aperture Radar small satellites in the United States and China are able to reach 0.5-meter resolution.

“Optical imaging has always had the advantage of high resolution, which is also a very mature technology. In the era of digital imaging, there is no longer a need to use the re-entry capsule to send the film back to the ground when the satellite is overhead.”

Synthetic aperture radar, Chen explains, “is not applicable to moving targets, but most of the intelligence can be interpreted from still images, and the similarities and movement can be inferred from differences between the before and after still images can also be inferred from the movement.”

A lead satellite may detect a suspicious object, and follow-up satellites “can be switched to a detailed investigation mode, and relay the results of detailed investigation.” Other satellites with electromagnetic rather than optical sensors can conduct real-time triangulation.

In addition to its satellite ISR capability, Chen says, the other half of China’s reconnaissance capability consists of “unmanned aircraft, unmanned boats, submarines, and networked land-based radar, and undersea hydroacoustic monitoring.”

China, Chen concludes, does not yet have global ISR capability, “but theater coverage has been achieved.”

In the past, the US Navy has insisted that a combination of electronic warfare measures and anti-missile defenses can defend US capital ships against Chinese attack. This year, the navy’s top officer Admiral Jonathan Greenert told reporters that a combination of spoofing (feeding false position coordinates to an incoming missile), masking electronic emissions, and anti-missile systems like Aegis can defend US carriers.

But as Gabriel Honrada reported on August 14, US anti-missile systems like Aegis or Patriot aren’t effective against missiles honing in from a high trajectory. China’s DF-21 and other anti-ship missiles are designed to ascend to the stratosphere and strike vertically.

Electronic countermeasures, moreover, are less effective against multiple sensors. China’s tiered system of sequenced optical, as well as electromagnetic reconnaissance combined with air and sea drones, is getting harder, if not impossible, to spoof. And China’s missile force is so large that it can inflict devastating damage even with a high error rate.

Apart from its formidable inventory of conventional missiles, China has developed hypersonic glide vehicles that hug the ground and maneuver at the speed of intercontinental ballistic missiles, or several times the speed of sound. No conventional missile defense can stop HGVs.

Apart from its missile force, China has about 800 fourth-generation fighters deployed at its coast and close to 200 fifth-generation (stealth) fighters. As the Pentagon report notes, China has corrected the most important deficiency in its domestic warplane production, namely jet engines:

“China’s decades-long efforts to improve domestic aircraft engine production are starting to produce results with the J-10 and J-20 fighters switching to domestically produced WS-10 engines by the end of 2021. China’s first domestically produced high-bypass turbofan, the WS-20, has also entered flight testing on the Y-20 heavy transport and probably will replace imported Russian engines by the end of 2022.”

A noteworthy observation in the new Pentagon report is that China now has only 30,000 marines, compared with a US Marine Corps of about 200,000 including reserves.

Only 200 Chinese marines are deployed outside the country, at China’s sole overseas base in Djibouti.

China has about 14,000 special forces versus an American count of about 75,000. This isn’t consistent with the report’s claim that China wants to “project power globally.”

If the USA starts bombing Taiwan; they will be bombing China. And China will have every right to start bombing New York City. -MM

Rescued. Happy ending. But what a poor sad sight. OMG!

How To Become a Cat: The Complete Guide

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This informative guide has been created by illustrators and book authors Lisa Swerling and Ralph Lazar. We sincerely hope this will help you to achieve your life-long dream to become a cat.

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What’s It Like To Date A Woman 25 Years Older Than You?

 

I dated a lovely woman that was exactly twice my age. I was 25 and she was 50.

She’d been through a terrible, abusive marriage, and had 3 grown children, 2 of which were older than I.

Her ex and her kids treated her like shit and unfortunately she let them.

Together we made a life running a business together that was successful enough for us to afford 2 homes, 3 nice cars, and a 30+ foot house boat.

 

Eventually I realized that while I had a damn good life, I was not happy.

Age is not just a number. It eventually gets to the point where you can see the huge difference.

I got tired of the Mom jokes and I was totally out of my element when her kids visited. I hated how they treated her and it became a source of contention for us.

Sexually, we were great at first, but that changed quickly as she went through menopause. She was no longer interested in sex and I was a raging 30yr old by then.

We started sleeping apart because her “back hurt” and I was just so comfortable with my life that I didn’t protest.

Things really started to fall apart when I was getting closer to 40 and realized that she just couldn’t keep up with the things I wanted to do in life.

I was taking care of her more and more and I started to resent her for it. Eventually I realized that unless I left I would be miserable.

I told her when I was 38, after 13 years together, that I thought it was time for us to part ways. One of the most difficult things I’ve ever done.

She was totally devastated. So much so that I almost stayed, just to make sure someone would be there to care for her as her health failed.

I begged her to become self reliant and moved out after 6mo. of trying to help her settle her life apart from me.

I moved out of state and told her idiot kids that they needed to help her.

That’s the last time I saw her. I left her with everything. Both the houses and 2 cars and the boat, also the business we’d built together.

Financially she wouldn’t ever have to work again. I started over with a pickup truck and about $2k in the bank.

Caribbean Honey-Spiced Chicken with Mango

Caribbean Honey Spiced Chicken with Mango
Caribbean Honey Spiced Chicken with Mango

Ingredients

  • 1/4 cup honey
  • 1/4 cup fresh lemon juice
  • 2 teaspoons freshly grated lemon peel
  • 1 ripe mango, peeled and diced
  • 1 small onion, peeled and quartered
  • 2 fresh jalapeno peppers, halved and seeded
  • 2 teaspoons paprika
  • 2 teaspoons vegetable oil
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons garlic salt
  • 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
  • 1/2 teaspoon fresh ground pepper
  • 1/2 teaspoon ground allspice
  • 4 boneless skinless chicken breast halves
  • 1 tablespoon vegetable oil

Instructions

  1. In a small bowl, combine honey, lemon juice and lemon peel; whisk until well-blended. Remove 1/4 cup of mixture to food processor container; set aside. Add mango to honey lemon mixture in bowl; toss to coat. Store in refrigerator.
  2. Add onion, jalapenos, paprika, oil, garlic salt, cinnamon, pepper and allspice to honey-lemon mixture in food processor container. Process until very finely chopped, scrape down sides when necessary. Spread mixture evenly over both sides of chicken breasts. Spread oil in 13 x 9-inch baking pan. Arrange chicken breasts in pan.
  3. Bake at 375 degrees F for 25 to 30 minutes or until cooked through. Remove chicken to serving platter; top with reserved mango.

“Fuel For The Soul”: Outstanding Nostalgic Motorcycle Paintings Of David Uhl

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David Uhl is an artist’s artist. His technique, realistic with an impressionistic flair, breathes fantastic life into even the most ordinary of subject matter. He is now among the select few officially licensed fine artists of Harley-Davidson Motor Company.

Having grown up in a fishing village in Michigan, David Uhl draws on both nature and nurture for his artistic ability. His father was an inventor-engineer and most of his family is oriented toward the arts.

After spending his high school years drawing and painting, he received the only scholarship offered to a senior to attend the Colorado Institute of Art. This education allowed him to explore his illustration and life-drawing abilities, which led to projects for such companies as Sony, Hewlett Packard and Coca-Cola.

An avid Harley owner since 1988, Uhl’s passion would soon coincide with his artistic talent. Harley-Davidson Motor Company executives recognized David’s creative talents and introduced him to Segal Fine Art, a licensed publisher of Harley-Davidson fine art. David would now spend endless hours in the Harley-Davidson Archives researching vintage photos to use as reference for his official fine art paintings. Captivated by the extraordinary history of the Motor Company, David’s desire was to memorialize the legacy.

David Uhl’s work reflects an uncanny ability to view black and white photos from earlier periods and imagine what they must have looked like in color.

David states, “My work must be life-like and believable, which requires a great amount of mixing colors to reach the desired temperatures and hues. It’s a lot of trial and error, but I feel the final product is my reward.”

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Pfizer CEO Intercepted by Media in Davos

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Albert Bourla, the Chief Executive Officer of Pfizer, was intercepted by new-media in Davos, Switzerland.  It quickly became clear Mr. Bourla was not prepared for the questions asked by citizen journalist media as opposed legacy mass-media lapdogs. Video below shows the encounter.

Reporter Ezra Levant of Rebel News made the initial interception outside the World Economic Forum event in Davos, Switzerland.    Mr. Levant was quickly joined by Avi Yemeni, also of Rebel News, but from their Australia outlet.   Here’s an Excerpt:

Levant: Mr. Bourla, can I ask you when did you know that the vaccines didn’t stop transmission? How long did you know that without saying it publicly? We now know that the vaccines didn’t stop transmission, but why did you keep it secret? You said it was 100% effective, then 90%, then 80%, then 70%. But we now know that the vaccines do not stop transmission. Why did you keep that secret?

Bourla: Have a nice day

Levant: I won’t have a nice day until I know the answer. Why did you keep it a secret that your vaccine did not stop transmission?

Yemini: Is it time to apologize to the world, sir? To give refunds back to the countries that poured all their money into your vaccine that doesn’t work, your ineffective vaccine? Are you not ashamed of what you’ve done in the last couple of years?

Levant: Do you have apologies to the public, sir?

Yemini: Are you proud of it? You’ve made millions on the backs of people’s entire livelihoods. How does that feel to walk the streets as a millionaire? On the backs of the regular person at home in Australia, in England, and Canada?

Levant: What do you think about on your yacht, sir? What do you think about on your private jet? Are you worried about product liability? Are you worried about myocarditis? What do you have to say about young men dropping dead of heart attacks every day? Why won’t you answer these basic questions?

Yemini: Do you think you should be charged criminally for some of the criminal behavior you’ve obviously been a part of?

Levant: How much money have you personally made off the vaccine?

Yemini: How many boosters do you think it’ll take for you to be happy enough with your earnings?

Levant: Who did you meet with here in secret? Will you disclose who you met with? Who did you pay commissions to? In the past, Pfizer has paid $2.3 billion in fines for deceptive marketing. Have you engaged in that same conduct again? Are you under investigation like you were before for your deceptive marketing?

Yemini: If any other product in the world doesn’t work as promised, you get a refund. Should you not refund to countries that laid out billions for your ineffective vaccine?

Levant: Are you used to only sympathetic media? So you don’t know how to answer any questions.

Yemini: Shame on you.

Levant: Shame on you.

VIDEO

The video below was posted to social media.  Within minutes, it _seemed_ to get “shadow banned” as viewership each minute went from 70,000, down to 50,000 and continued dropping.  We publish the video here pursuant to exception to the U.S. Copyright Law which exists for news purposes:

HAL TURNER COMMENTARY

You know, I am REALLY proud of those two citizen journalists.  I don’t even know them, have never met or spoken with them, yet I feel PROUD to know they’re in this profession.  THIS is what investigative reporting _should_ be on controversial and important topics.

For my part, I would have asked “Mr. Bourla, how do you feel about your vaccine killing people and ruining their lives with chronic disabilities for money?” and, “How do you sleep at night knowing that you’ve killed babies, and are STILL in the process of killing babies with your vaccines?” “Are you going to pay families back for their loses?”

Or perhaps: Albert at what point did you become aware that your product is killing kids?

At what point did you become aware it was linked to stillbirths and the deaths of the unborn?

At what point did you become aware that it was linked to heart attacks, strokes, and turbo cancer?

At what point did you realize the vaccine is sterilizing healthy young men and women so they cannot have children?

Lord knows I could go on and on and on.

Kudos to the guys at Rebel Media for what they accomplished.  In one fell swoop, they showed the real questions being asked by common folks all over the world, and let the world see a fat-cat Billionaire devoid of answers while a product his company produces continues to harm people all over  the world.

China has banned nothing in China and in the world.

Amazon, Facebook, Snapchat, YouTube, Discord, WhatsApp, Whisper, and pretty much every single major US website refuse to follow the Chinese laws to operate their operations in China, this they have not been approved by the Chinese laws for these businesses to operate in China.

It is the US who has blocked all the free international media and internet such as the free Russian international media and internet.

As a result, all Americans have been living in their totally isolated, completely censored and lying media. Americans know nothing about the free world, but the US style of democratic nonsense and disinformation.

Michael Hudson has a nice lecture on GDP and why it’s a bad metric these days

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ock3144BKG4

Smart deterrence: China’s AI-warfare plan for Taiwan

New military concept builds on informationized and intelligentized warfare, leveraging AI to advance them to a new strategic level
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Chinese military experts are reportedly exploring “smart deterrence” concepts, marking a significant evolution in China’s use of artificial intelligence (AI) and other emerging technologies from tactical and operational military levels to influence strategic-level decision-making.

This week, South China Morning Post reported that China could become a leader in so-called “intelligent warfare”, drawing on advanced technologies such as AI, cloud computing, big data analytics and cyber offense and defense.

Ni Yongjie, deputy director of the Shanghai Institute of Taiwan Studies, opined in the peer-reviewed journal Cross-Strait Taiwan Studies that China should use AI and other enabling technologies to deter the US and pro-independence factions in Taiwan, in addition to blockade exercises around the self-governing island, the South China Morning Post said.

Ni also wrote that smart deterrence is already being studied in Chinese military circles. He stated that China should normalize military exercises beyond the median line, the de facto sea border separating China from Taiwan, approaching the baselines of the latter’s territorial waters and cutting off maritime transport.

He also says that such exercises would be a powerful deterrent against Taiwan’s independence and foreign intervention, in addition to nuclear and conventional deterrence.

Ni’s suggestion to normalize military exercises off Taiwan aligns with Asia Times’ previous assessment that China has enacted a long-term and flexible strategy for the self-governing island.

This strategy involves periodic military exercises that amount to blockades, with a tighter military noose increasing the threat level. Moreover, it sends the message that any large military exercise could quickly be the real thing – an indefinite blockade of Taiwan to starve it into submission.

Apart from staging military exercises near the baselines of Taiwan’s territorial waters, Ni stated that China should hold similar exercises in the Spratly Islands in the South China Sea and Dongsha Island, which Taiwan controls.

In addition to blockades, Ni called for the use of economic, legal, psychological and cyber tools to deter Taiwan’s pro-independence factions while giving punitive examples of regulating cross-strait trade, stopping imports of agricultural products and halting the two sides’ 2010 free trade agreement.

Smart deterrence adds a cognitive aspect to China’s strategy for Taiwan, as deterring the latter from declaring independence by military and economic threats alone may not be sufficient.

As noted by an October 2022 policy brief by the University of San Diego’s 21st Century China Center, China has long been able to threaten Taiwan with severe military and economic consequences should it declare independence, but has not been able to convince the population that refraining from taking steps to independence will be met with restraint, rather than reunification on Beijing’s terms.

Other expert opinion about China’s approach towards the self-governing island comes to mixed conclusions. A September 2022 survey of China experts by the Center of Strategic and International Studies (CSIS) shows that China is determined to reunify with Taiwan, but needs a coherent strategy.

The CSIS survey also says that Chinese President Xi Jinping still believes there are non-violent avenues for reunification but states that the potential for a Taiwan Strait conflict is real, as China assumes the US will intervene in the event of a conflict.

A 2020 study by RAND outlines the evolution of China’s military strategic and operational concepts from the aftermath of the Korean War to the present. The study shows that China’s military strategic and operational concepts have changed from fighting an imminent conventional war or major nuclear war with positional offense and mobile defense to active defense relying on information dominance and target-centric warfare.

However, China’s strategic and operational concepts may have already evolved beyond mere information dominance and target-centric warfare. A September 2020 US Department of Defense (DOD) report to Congress notes that China has been moving from “informationized” warfare to “intelligentized” warfare, with enabling technologies increasing the speed of future combat.

The source notes that under informationized warfare, China’s military strategists believe that victory in future wars depends on which side can observe, orient, decide and act faster.

In that connection, a November 2022 US DOD report to Congress notes that China’s intelligentized warfare concept aims to seize control of the information domain to deter or manage a conflict by destroying an adversary’s access to information.

The source also mentions that China has been honing its “Cognitive Domain Operations” (CDO) concept, adapting its previous concepts of public opinion and psychological warfare to the information domain using enabling technologies such as AI.

China’s previous concept of informationized warfare may thus be seen as too focused on warfare’s military and kinetic aspects. In contrast, its succeeding concept of intelligentized warfare expands the application of emerging technologies into the cognitive domain at the operational level.

As such, China may be trying to scale up its intelligentized warfare concept to the strategic level, referring to the stretched concept as smart deterrence. This approach follows a bottom-up hindsight evolution to military strategy, as technology often moves ahead of tactics and strategy.

Narratives will play a key role in smart deterrence, with China portraying its approach to Taiwan as a domestic issue while the US frames it as a struggle between democracy and autocracy, with both sides gaining supporters and detractors. Through smart deterrence, China would aim to influence Taiwan’s center of gravity – its society – to erode its will to resist via disinformation aimed at demoralization.

Asia Times has previously noted that while China has devised numerous military strategic and operational concepts, including informationized and intelligentized warfare, China has not fought a conventional war since the disastrous 1979 Sino-Vietnamese War.

As these concepts remain untested, it is unclear if China has an established military strategy or operational concept to fall back on should its plan for absorbing Taiwan without a fight through smart deterrence ultimately fail.

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What’s It Like To Chew On Coca Leaves?

 

So I’ve been to Peru many times, beautiful country, and each time I’ve used coca leaf, which is abundant, cheap, and used often here, but mostly in the form of tea, although I did put it in my mouth to “chew” it before but without the base needed to extract the alkaloids (one being cocaine, in tiny amounts).

Anyhow this time I did use both lime (comes with the bag of coca if you ask) and sodium bicarbonate to activate the alkaloids whilst holding the leafs in your mouth. I’ll outline my experiences below:

Coca tea (Mate de coca)

Extremely common here in Peru, used for altitude sickness and also just like you would use coffee. It’s light, not even as strong as coffee, but less taxing. I’d compare it to black tea, although again it’s a bit different.

Increased energy, more wakefulness (although definitely less than caffeine), and a slight mood uplift, without any noticeable comedown, nor any stomach issues (my stomach is sensitive and tea and coffee both are slightly uncomfortable to it).

It’s nice, definitely good for the high altitudes here, but nothing special, what’s noteworthy is that there doesn’t seem to be any tolerance, likely due to how light the effects are.

“Chewing” coca without a base to extract the alkaloids

“Chewing” is in quotes, as this is what it’s commonly referred to as, but really you just hold the leafs in the side of your mouth letting your saliva build up. Previous times I was here I didn’t realize the importance of the lime/sodium bicarbonate for this process. It’s slightly stronger than the tea, but the effects are fairly similar and it’s far less enjoyable.

“Chewing” coca with a base to extract the alkaloids, including a small amount of cocaine and some of its metabolites

Far far more potent, a whole different ball game. I can’t and won’t compare it to cocaine, as it doesn’t compare to it despite the similar effects.

The potency, onset, and just general feeling is much much different. From what I’ve read (feel free to google) this is mainly due to the lower quantities of cocaine actually consumed, combined with the much slower intake.

You first start feeling your mouth go numb, if you have enough leafs your whole tongue, gums and side of your mouth your holding it in will go numb. It’s important not to swallow your saliva as your stomach breaks down most of it, the effects come from your it entering your bloodstream through your capillaries in your mouth.

After about 10 – 15 minutes you feel more energized, more wakeful, and far more cheerful, I’d almost call it euphoric but it’s slightly less than that, but only slightly.

Your mood is significantly uplifted. It also stems your appetite. Whilst I can’t compare it to cocaine, nor can I too caffeine as the mood uplift is just far far better.

The effects peak after about 30 – 40 minutes of holding it in your mouth, you can then spit it out and redose, I’ve done this all day on a Trek and it seemingly works pretty much as strong each and every time.

The comedown from just doing it a couple of times is almost nothing, quite amazingling. You do come back to normal after about an hour of spitting it out, but mostly you are a little more tired, actually I have felt, again with normal usage, quite sleepy after it.

Taking it to the max, as I have, using it all day, you will have problems sleeping and a noteworthy, but not large, negative affect on your mood. The next day you will be absolutely fine though.

Another issue with using it too much is that your mouth can hurt quite a lot the next day, basically because your mouth was completely numb all day and you bite your tongue or excessively press the coca against your mouth without noticing it. This took two days to go away after using it almost all day for a three day hike.

It also sobres you up quite a bit if you’re drinking, really quite amazing how similar, yet far less powerful) the effects are to cocaine.

Many workers use it here, and I now know why. Taxi drives, for example, use it to drive all night. This makes perfect sense as it keeps you awake.

I met miners who would use it to avoid eating until the evening, again this makes perfect sense, it definitely suppresses your appetite. People on the farm use it to work during the day, again makes perfect sense as it increases your ability to strenuous exercise quite noticeably.

Overall I find it to be really really nice, the biggest issue is the method of consuming, it’s obvious you are doing it (mouth full of leaves, teeth as well), and it does lead to a sore mouth if overusing.

Short video at one minute 20 seconds.

Be the Rufus!

The true cost of “Made in the USA” Levi’s? $178

GlobalPost

By Patrick Winn

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BANGKOK, Thailand — Want a “Made in the USA” tag stitched inside your iconic Levi’s 501 jeans?

Your patriotism will cost you.

In the outsourcing era, all Levi’s jeans are stitched outside America with one exception: a single line of jeans produced at a factory called “White Oak” in Greensboro, NC. The mill is staffed by old hands who’ve narrowly survived the American garment manufacturing industry’s collapse.

Levi’s ad copy tells you that the jeans are “handcrafted by our faithful friends at the White Oak denim mill” and “proudly made in the red, white and blue” before reminding you that 501 jeans are “the ultimate icon of American culture.”

If you’re feeling overrun with American pride, I hope your pants-shopping budget can keep up with your patriotic zeal.

The standard-issue version of these 501 jeans costs a whopping $178. (Though, as I write this in early September, you can acquire a much cheaper version if you’re self-assured enough to wear purple jeans: a pair in the color “eggplant” sell for $58. A pair of “crushed wine” 501s is going for $138.)

In the world of denim, a “Made in the USA” tag has become a novelty. The garment industry’s economies of scale are long gone.

The outcome: it now costs the equivalent of a car payment to buy jeans, sourced from a US factory doling out decent pay and benefits, from a major apparel brand. This is actually cheap compared to the $300 to $400 fashionistas pay for celebrity-endorsed luxury jeans handcrafted in L.A.

That doesn’t mean affordable “Made in the USA” jeans have gone extinct.

Though lacking strings of retail outlets and huge advertising budgets, little-known brands are quietly producing affordable US-made jeans.

A pair of Gusset Jeans, made in Georgia, will cost you $55.95.

A pair of Texas Jeans, made in North Carolina, goes for $29.99.

Neither are shy about extolling their folksy, American bonafides. Texas Jeans even produces a “conceal and carry” line stitched to accommodate hidden pistols.

These brands are hardly hip but they are American through and through: even the buttons and denim are sourced stateside. The same can’t be said for the “Made in the USA” Levi’s, which are “meticulously crafted” in America — out of “imported fabric.”

 

By suspending visas for South Koreans, Beijing defends its legitimate rights on the principle of reciprocity: experts

Health workers guide travelers from China at a COVID-19 testing center at Incheon International Airport in South Korea on January 3. Photo: VCG

China imposed its first countermeasure on Tuesday toward discriminatory and unnecessary travel restrictions against travelers from China by suspending short-term visas for South Korean citizens who wants to visit China. The latest measure is considered as China’s direct and reasonable response to protect its own legitimate interests, particularly after some countries are continuing hyping up China’s epidemic situation by putting travel restrictions for political manipulation despite that many public health experts around the globe have criticized it as a “toxic trend.”

China suspends issuing short-term visas for South Korean citizens to travel to China for visit, business, tourism, medical treatment, transit or other personal affairs, with the new adjustment taking effect starting Tuesday, the Chinese Embassy in South Korea said in a statement released on Tuesday.

The decision will be reassessed as soon as South Korea removes its discriminatory travel restrictions

targeting travelers from China, the statement said.

Following the move by the Chinese Embassy in South Korea, the Chinese Embassy in Japan also issued a notice on Tuesday to suspended the issuing of ordinary visas for Japanese citizens who want to travel to China without notifying a date for resumption.

The US, Japan and South Korea are among the countries that had announced restrictions on travelers from China, citing concerns that the current surge of COVID-19 cases in China could lead to the emergence of new variants.

When asked about whether China also suspended visa application for Japanese citizens who plan to travel to China, Wang Wenbin, spokesperson of the Chinese Foreign Ministry, told a routine press conference on Tuesday that since China adjusted its COVID management and unveiled the resumption of people-to-people exchanges between China and other countries and regions, many countries have welcomed Chinese travelers but a handful of countries adopted entry restrictions against travelers from China.

China holds the sincerest attitude, with adhering to the fact and fully communicating with relevant countries, introducing in detail the scientific basis and reasons for China’s optimization and adjustment of epidemic prevention measures as well as domestic epidemic situation, Wang noted. “But regrettably, some countries ignore science, facts and their own situation by imposing travel curbs against China, toward which China firmly opposes and takes countermeasures.”

On January 2, South Korea tightened rules on incoming travelers from China, including allowing them only one port of entry – the Incheon International Airport – and performing COVID-19 tests on passengers after they disembark, Korea JoongAng Daily reported on Monday.

In addition, people traveling from China are required to submit negative COVID test results before boarding the plane to Seoul. This also applies to people coming from Hong Kong and Macao, the JoongAng Daily report said.

Japan also further tightened border controls for travelers from China on Sunday by requiring proof of COVID negative test results, which should be taken 72 hours prior to departure, according to media reports.

The travel restriction has been criticized by health experts from across globe as logistically cumbersome, and a toxic trend. Many countries, unlike the US-led allies including Japan and South Korea, warmly welcome China’s adjustment and reopening without putting any extra measures targeting travelers from China, striking a sharp contrast with those tougher rules, which were also called “unacceptable” toward which China will take corresponding measures with the principle of reciprocity.

Legitimate defense

Relations between countries must be built based on mutual respect and equality, which has been recognized as international norms, Li Haidong, a professor at the Institute of International Relations at the China Foreign Affairs University, told the Global Times on Tuesday.

Certain countries including South Korea and the US have come up with an idea to slander and question China’s epidemic response measures, and such move resulted in the international communities’ query toward China’s COVID-19 response, Li said.

“China’s latest countermeasures on visas are a legitimate demand which is reasonable and can better protect our own interests,” Li said.

In recent days, news that travelers from China have to take a yellow badge (for short-term visa holders) before entry has gained wide attention from Chinese netizens, with more than 190 million views on Chinese twitter-like Sina Weibo as of press time on Tuesday. Some netizens shared their unwelcomed and unsmooth experiences when arriving in South Korea such as mandatory nucleic acid testing, according to media reports.

For example, a large number of South Korean reporters were filming travelers from China when they were forced to wear the yellow badge and some reporters even followed those Chinese travelers like “tracking criminals,” according to some posts circulating online.

“South Korea’s entry policy toward travelers from China is really the most unfriendly and strictest in the world. Entry inspection, wait for report for two to five hours or even longer, and mandatory quarantine at traveler’s own expense for a week if tested positive,” a netizen said.

Many Chinese netizens have expressed their discontent over the measures carried out by South Korea toward passengers from China. “I suggest you to delay your travel plan to South Korea,” one netizen wrote.

There is absolutely no need to impose travel restrictions on arrivals from Hong Kong and the Chinese mainland, Dennis Lam, a Hong Kong lawmaker and a deputy to the National People’s Congress, told the Global Times. When epidemic prevention measures have been eased across the globe, the mainland and Hong Kong have no higher possibility for new variants than any other countries or regions, Lam said.

“It has been three years since the outbreak of the COVID-19 epidemic, and large-scale epidemics and infections have occurred all over the world with most of the global population forming a certain immunity against the virus through self-infection or vaccination, so the virulence of the new variants is no longer as bad as at the beginning of the epidemic,” Lam remarked.

On Tuesday, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Wang said “We once again call on relevant countries to make sure that their COVID response measures are fact-based, science-based and proportionate. COVID response should not be used as a pretext for political manipulation. It should not be discriminatory and should not affect normal cross-border travel and people-to-people exchange and cooperation.”

Leo Poon Lit-man of the University of Hong Kong, who is also an expert in various World Health Organization Working Groups for SARS-CoV-2 and influenza viruses, said that it is possible surging caseload could lead to generation of new variants, “but this possibility can also be applied in other countries and cities, for example, the XBB.1.5 subvariant evolved outside China,” and there’s a major difference between the variants circulating in and outside China.

It is important to continue to do surveillance inside China and share this information with other countries, said Poon, warning that it is also equally important for other countries to do the same level of surveillance. “So whenever there’s a new variant coming out in around the globe, we can able to share and exchange the information in a timely manner.”

Despite a few countries who have imposed unreasonable travel curbs out of political purposes, many countries took a much more rational attitude.

For example, Singaporean Health Minister Ong Ye Kung explained on Monday that Singapore will not impose pre-departure tests on travelers from China as severe cases can originate from anywhere.

Putting up such requirements, he said, raises the question of travelers from other regions that contribute more infections and severe case, Channel News Asia reported.

“How about local community settings which we know are conducive to spreading the disease and can drive infection numbers and severe cases?” Mr Ong asked.

“By triggering PDT (pre-departure test requirements) on travelers from one part of the world experiencing high infection numbers, are we contributing to an international precedent of imposing tests on travelers from countries going through an infection wave? How will other countries treat travelers from Singapore when we encounter another infection wave?”

What It’s Like To Be Cheated On By Someone You Love

 

Have you ever balled up your fists so tight for so long that your knuckles got all white, your nails started digging into your palms, and you were afraid you might be drawing blood? When letting your hands slowly open up feels almost unnatural after having them so tightly wound for so long? It kind of feels like that.

 

It’s a pain which is at once deeply frustrating and oddly self-sustaining. You feed into the anger because it comforts you, in a strange way. Because to stop being angry, to stop clenching your fists, to loosen up for a minute and let go, would mean you have to feel the actual undercurrent of your anger: your pain.

Finding out, of course, is most accurately described as an unexpected punch to the stomach.

There are some people who have been taken aside and told with composure and elegance that they have been betrayed in the most profound way they could be. “I made a mistake,” the culprit might say, or, “I found someone else.”

Depending on the intensity of the illicit relationship, the confession could range from the deeply apologetic to the coldly indifferent.

But for those who find out because they stumbled across the evidence, or found it after frantic hours of terrified searching, the punch is strong enough to force the air entirely out of the lungs.

The searching is perhaps the worst part, the breathless moments before the floor falls out from underneath you.

That precarious dangling in the purgatory where you at once want to find something — anything — to justify your gnawing suspicions, and you want to be relieved with a realization that it was all in your head.

In many ways, though, once that frantic searching has begun, there is no way to be satisfied that you imagined it all.

If you have been driven to the point of checking through messages or looking in pockets or asking potential witnesses, if you have allowed yourself to come to the ugly, unflattering point of invading the privacy of the person you love to prove yourself right, you have already lost.

And you know it. You know you have become what you had always condescendingly looked down upon, the couple who is as untrusting and dysfunctional as they are unable to admit it.

But somehow, finding that shred of evidence or hearing the confirmation which proves you right in the worst way possible is almost a triumphant moment of victory. You have won, and you have lost everything. But for at least those few precious milliseconds of “a-ha!” you have gotten exactly what you wanted.

And then comes the fall, the bottomless descent into every ugly moment of self-doubt and self-loathing in an attempt to find a justification or explanation which could never exist.

What did you do wrong? What does the other person do better? Do they smell better? Taste better? Have more interesting things to say at parties which don’t involve sarcastic, ill-timed jokes?

Suddenly, everything you are is wrong, every aspect of yourself is something you want to peel off and throw on the floor behind you.

And the ignorant person you were before, the one blissfully unaware of all that was happening behind a turned back, is suddenly both laughable and enviable.

You cringe imagining all of the things that were happening when you weren’t looking, but wish that you could return to a moment where not knowing was a possibility.

But that person — the ignorant-yet-blissful person who was only so happy to be unwittingly cheated on — was ultimately not good enough to keep your love.

And that is the real pain, the idea that there was something that was yours to keep which you were unable to hold a tight enough grip on.

You delude yourself into believing that there was anything you could have done to prevent it, and yet never stop to understand that it was entirely your partner’s choice. If anyone could have stopped anything, it was your partner.

Somehow, placing the blame where it truly belongs when cheated on is about as futile as feeling positively towards the “other.”

At the end of the day, there is always something to find fault in within yourself, something which can be identified as the true culprit in the infidelity, instead of the beloved cheater. “If only I were thinner” somehow makes more sense than “if only he wasn’t a cheater.”

As you unclench that fist, let go of all of every minor pain you’ve kept close to your chest so as to not have to see it in its full splendor, you finally exhale.

You distance yourself from the betrayal and start to believe — the way a baby bird might open its wings for the first time — that not everyone must be monitored with the distrusting cunning of a fox.

You accept that you may not have been able to stop it, or that you certainly didn’t deserve it. And while there will always be a part of you which longs to look twice at the inbox of a cellphone, who can’t believe that someone can be honest for uninterrupted years at a time, it is up to all of us to push those thoughts away.

“If they are going to do it,” we must say, “Ruining myself in worry and doubt will not stop them.”

With Ukraine Situation Getting Worse, What Would Happen if Russian Nuke Hit New York City . . .

The situation between Russia and Ukraine grows worse each day because the United States and its NATO vassals, continue to escalate the weapons given to Ukraine.  At some point, Russia may have to tell the U.S. to stop or be made to stop.  Of course, the U.S. will not back down, and as such, the missiles may fly.   Here’s what scientists say will happen if a Russian nuke hits New York City . . .

Russian intercontinental ballistic missiles are believed to carry a total of approximately 1,000 strategic nuclear warheads that can hit the US less than 30 minutes after being launched. Of this total, about 700 warheads are rated at 800 kilotons; that is, each has the explosive power of 800,000 tons of TNT. What follows is a description of the consequences of the detonation of a single such warhead over midtown Manhattan, in the heart of New York City.

The initial fireball. The warhead would probably be detonated slightly more than a mile above the city, to maximize the damage created by its blast wave. Within a few tenths of millionths of a second after detonation, the center of the warhead would reach a temperature of roughly 200 million degrees Fahrenheit (about 100 million degrees Celsius), or about four to five times the temperature at the center of the sun.

A ball of superheated air would form, initially expanding outward at millions of miles per hour. It would act like a fast-moving piston on the surrounding air, compressing it at the edge of the fireball and creating a shockwave of vast size and power.

After one second, the fireball would be roughly a mile in diameter. It would have cooled from its initial temperature of many millions of degrees to about 16,000 degrees Fahrenheit, roughly 4,000 degrees hotter than the surface of the sun.

On a clear day with average weather conditions, the enormous heat and light from the fireball would almost instantly ignite fires over a total area of about 100 square miles.

Hurricane of fire. Within seconds after the detonation, fires set within a few miles of the fireball would burn violently. These fires would force gigantic masses of heated air to rise, drawing cooler air from surrounding areas toward the center of the fire zone from all directions.

As the massive winds drove flames into areas where fires had not yet fully developed, the fires set by the detonation would begin to merge. Within tens of minutes of the detonation, fires from near and far would join to form a single, gigantic fire. The energy released by this mass fire would be 15 to 50 times greater than the energy produced by the nuclear detonation.

The mass fire, or firestorm, would quickly increase in intensity, heating enormous volumes of air that would rise at speeds approaching 300 miles per hour. This chimney effect would pull cool air from outside the fire zone towards the center of the fire at speeds of hundreds of miles per hour. These superheated ground winds of more than hurricane force would further intensify the fire. At the edge of the fire zone, the winds would be powerful enough to uproot trees three feet in diameter and suck people from outside the fire into it.

The inrushing winds would drive the flames from burning buildings horizontally along the ground, filling city streets with flames and firebrands, breaking in doors and windows, and causing the fire to jump, sometimes hundreds of feet, swallowing anything not already violently combusting.

These above-hurricane-force ground winds would have average air temperatures well above the boiling point of water. The targeted area would be transformed into a huge hurricane of fire, producing a lethal environment throughout the entire fire zone.

Ground zero: Midtown Manhattan. The fireball would vaporize the structures directly below it and produce an immense blast wave and high-speed winds, crushing even heavily built concrete structures within a couple miles of ground zero. The blast would tear apart high-rise buildings and expose their contents to the solar temperatures; it would spread fires by exposing ignitable surfaces, releasing flammable materials, and dispersing burning materials.

At the Empire State Building, Grand Central Station, the Chrysler Building, and St. Patrick’s Cathedral, about one half to three quarters of a mile from ground zero, light from the fireball would melt asphalt in the streets, burn paint off walls, and melt metal surfaces within a half second of the detonation. Roughly one second later, the blast wave and 750-mile-per-hour winds would arrive, flattening buildings and tossing burning cars into the air like leaves in a windstorm. Throughout Midtown, the interiors of vehicles and buildings in line of sight of the fireball would explode into flames.

Slightly more than a mile from ground zero are the neighborhoods of Chelsea, Midtown East, and Lenox Hill, as well as the United Nations; at this distance, for a split second the fireball would shine 10,000 times brighter than a desert sun at noon.  All combustible materials illuminated by the fireball would spew fire and black smoke.

Grass, vegetation, and leaves on trees would explode into flames; the surface of the ground would explode into superheated dust. Any flammable material inside buildings (paper, curtains, upholstery) that was directly exposed to the fireball would burst into flame. The surfaces of the bronze statues in front of the UN would melt; marble surfaces exposed to the fireball would crack, pop, and possibly evaporate.

At this distance from the fireball, it would take about four seconds for the blast wave to arrive. As it passed over, the blast wave would engulf all structures and crush them; it would generate ferocious winds of 400 to 500 miles per hour that would persist for a few seconds

The high winds would tear structural elements from buildings and cause them to disintegrate explosively into smaller pieces. Some of these pieces would become destructive projectiles, causing further damage. The superheated, dust-laden winds would be strong enough to overturn trucks and buses.

Two miles from ground zero, the Metropolitan Museum of Art, with all its magnificent historical treasures, would be obliterated. Two and half miles from ground zero, in Lower Manhattan, the East Village, and Stuyvesant Town, the fireball would appear 2,700 times brighter than a desert sun at noon. There, thermal radiation would melt and warp aluminum surfaces, ignite the tires of autos, and turn exposed skin to charcoal, before the blast wave arrived and ripped apart the buildings.

Three to nine miles from ground zero. Midtown is bordered by the relatively wide Hudson and East rivers, and fires would start simultaneously in large areas on both sides of these waterways (that is, in Queens and Brooklyn as well as Jersey City and West New York, NJ).  Although the direction of the fiery winds in regions near the river would be modified by the water, the overall wind pattern from these huge neighboring fire zones would be similar to that of a single mass fire, with its center at Midtown, Manhattan.

Three miles from ground zero, in Union City, New Jersey, and Astoria, Queens, the fireball would be as bright as 1,900 suns and deliver more than five times the thermal energy deposited at the perimeter of the mass fire at Hiroshima. In Greenpoint, Brooklyn, and in the Civic Center of Lower Manhattan, clothes worn by people in the direct line of sight of the fireball would burst into flames or melt, and uncovered skin would be charred, causing third-degree burns and worse.

It would take 12 to 14 seconds for the blast wave to travel three miles after the fireball’s initial flash of light.  At this distance, the blast wave would last for about three seconds and be accompanied by winds of 200 to 300 miles per hour. Residential structures would be destroyed; high-rises would be at least heavily damaged.

Fires would rage everywhere within five miles of ground zero. At a distance of 5.35 miles from the detonation, the light flash from the fireball would deliver twice the thermal energy experienced at the edge of the mass fire at Hiroshima. In Jersey City and Cliffside Park, and in Woodside in Queens, on Governors Island and in Harlem, the light and heat to surfaces would approximate that created by 600 desert suns at noon.

Wind speed at this distance would be 70 to 100 miles per hour. Buildings of heavy construction would suffer little structural damage, but all exterior windows would be shattered, and non-supporting interior walls and doors would be severely damaged or blown down. Black smoke would effuse from wood houses as paint burned off surfaces and furnishings ignited.

Six to seven miles from ground zero, from Moonachie, New Jersey, to Crown Heights, Brooklyn, from Yankee Stadium to Corona, Queens and Crown Heights, Brooklyn, the fireball would appear 300 times brighter than the desert sun at noon. Anyone in the direct light of the fireball would suffer third degree burns to their exposed skin. The firestorm could engulf neighborhoods as far as seven miles away from ground zero, since these outlying areas would receive the same amount of heat as did the areas at the edge of the mass fire at Hiroshima.

Nine miles from ground zero, in Hackensack, Bayonne, and Englewood, New Jersey, as well as in Richmond Hill, Queens, and Flatlands, Brooklyn, the fireball would be about 100 times brighter than the sun, bright enough to cause first- and second-degree burns to those in line of sight. About 36 seconds after the fireball, the shockwave would arrive and knock out all the windows, along with many interior building walls and some doors.

No survivors. Within tens of minutes, everything within approximately five to seven miles of Midtown Manhattan would be engulfed by a gigantic firestorm. The fire zone would cover a total area of 90 to 152 square miles (230 to 389 square kilometers). The firestorm would rage for three to six hours. Air temperatures in the fire zone would likely average 400 to 500 degrees Fahrenheit (200 to 260 Celsius).

After the fire burned out, the street pavement would be so hot that even tracked vehicles could not pass over it for days. Buried, unburned material from collapsed buildings throughout the fire zone could burst into flames when exposed to air—months after the firestorm had ended.

Those who tried to escape through the streets would have been incinerated by the hurricane-force winds filled with firebrands and flames. Even those able to find shelter in the lower-level sub-basements of massive buildings would likely suffocate from fire-generated gases or be cooked alive as their shelters heated to oven-like conditions.

The fire would extinguish all life and destroy almost everything else. Tens of miles downwind of the area of immediate destruction, radioactive fallout would begin to arrive within a few hours of the detonation.

But that is another story.

Baked Stuffed Papayas (Jamaica)

Baked Stuffed Papayas Jamaica
Baked Stuffed Papayas Jamaica

Ingredients

  • 1 pound ground beef
  • 1 medium onion, chopped
  • 1 clove garlic, minced
  • 1 (16 ounce) can whole tomatoes, drained
  • 1 jalapeno pepper, minced
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 1/4 teaspoon pepper
  • 4 (12 ounce) papayas
  • 2 tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese

Instructions

  1. Cook and stir beef, onion and garlic in 10-inch skillet over medium heat until beef is light brown; drain. Stir in tomatoes, jalapeno pepper, salt and pepper; break up tomatoes with fork. Heat to boiling; reduce heat. Simmer uncovered until most of the liquid is evaporated, about 10 minutes.
  2. Cut papayas lengthwise into halves; remove seeds. Place about 1/3 cup beef mixture in each papaya half; sprinkle with cheese. Arrange in shallow roasting pan. Pour very hot water into pan to within 1 inch of tops of papaya halves.
  3. Bake uncovered at 350 degrees F until papayas are very tender and hot, about 30 minutes.

435,897,435,897 Free Roaming Spike Protein Molecules After COVID Vax Booster – Their Hearts Will NEVER Fully Recover from the “Vax”

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There’s a new peer-reviewed research paper out regarding the COVID Vax.  It’s bad. How bad? I’ve shown it to two physicians so far. One said he “had a seizure” reading it. The other said something worse.

Long story short: 436 BILLION copies of spike protein are found circulating freely in blood plasma, a month after the COVID (Gene therapy) vaccine.

In kids.

Their hearts, screeching in pain with Myocarditis, will never fully recover.

You knew that, didn’t you? But there is more than that . . . The graphic below, from this new study, shows the medical and scientific evidence:

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Fl0OTfUaYAYw6L4

Below is the damning part of the graphic. The vertical scale is a log scale. The line at about 15pg/ml is the limit of detection, which is why the blue dots are there. There are still up to 100 billion molecules of spike in those patients – 20 days later.

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But in some of these cases the concentration of spike is RISING 20 days after vaccination (see the red lines going up), so we have no idea how much is actually circulating. Spike is toxic, particularly to the heart. If it’s not toxic why do we need a “vaccine” against it?

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The authors of this new peer-reviewed study claim that the mean serum level of free spike protein in the patients with myocarditis was 34pg/ml. (There was less in the non-affected patients, but there was still a lot) How many molecules is that? Well there is about 3000ml of plasma in a 70kg male…

And the molecular weight of a spike protein monomer is 141kDa. That’s 2.34 e-19 grams. So 34pg/ml x 3000ml is a total of 102ng (102e-9) of spike. Divide by 2.34e-19 gives you… 435,897,435,897 molecules. Of a toxic protein. Circulating in a young adult.

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It’s worth noting also that the blue dots in the graphic don’t indicate “no spike” – they are the lower limits of detection at 15pg/ml. That’s a lot of spike.

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BUT… There are two other things that have come out of this paper.

The first is that the amount of spike protein circulating in the PLASMA (when we were told it didn’t leave the arm, remember) weeks after the injection is shocking. So this . . .

was a lie:

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Yes, what you see above . . .  what we were all TOLD . . .  was a  L I E.

The whole article in Conversation.edu from their “Researcher” @vasssssso was in fact a lie, so we’ve archived it. The claims in that article made by the authors have likely resulted in deaths of young adults. Look at the “partners” for the article – including RMIT again.

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But the worst thing about this new peer-reviewed myocarditis study is this – and you might not have realized. The study showed, beyond a shadow of doubt, that the COVID “vaccine” was causing myocarditis, with elevated troponin (confirming heart damage).

Troponin is an enzyme given off by cardiac cells when they are injured or dying.  That’s how Doctors can tell if a person is having a heart attack over a panic attack.  If its an actual heart attack, there will be measurable Troponin in the blood.  In cases of myocarditis, Troponin also occurs as heart cells are severely damaged -or dying – by the Spike Proteins.

You know, sometimes people have to do something BAD, to achieve something good.   And this is no exception.   You see, when the people doing this new peer-reviewed study saw the first few cases of Myocarditis, they should have STOPPED the study and sounded the alarm right away.   You see, that was their duty.  It was a duty as medical officers and as research officers. But to our knowledge they said nothing and kept recruiting for the study!

What mattered (to them) was finishing the study so they could publish. Of course, from the home of the #surgisphere authors, what else would you expect?

This is the environment they operate in:

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2023 01 19 20 10

WHAT THIS MEANS

First, this study was done and submitted for “peer-review” on May 26, 2022.    It was ACCEPTED for publication (after peer-review) on November 23, 2022.    So the world has known, as a matter of scientific research, these details, since May of last year.  Yet no one . called for Vaccines to be HALTED.

They had scientific proof the vaccines were causing heart damage . . . myocarditis . . . which, incidentally, has a FIFTY PERCENT mortality rate within five years, and they said . . .  nothing.

Want to know why?  MONEY.

They can’t admit it’s potentially harmful and deadly.

They can’t suddenly stop the shots; To do so would be an admission of guilt.

So they’ll continue, pretending everything’s fine. In other words, doubling down on stupid

All those kids coming down with Myocarditis, have a fifty-fifty chance of DYING within the next five years.   Oh, and the rest who took the vaccine and at least the first booster, the way things look right now, most of them (statistically) will be dead by the year 2027.

I don’t think Vance was exactly a “kind” or “bad” person, just a complicated one. He was still a human being who was dealing with his own demons and the consequences of his past actions and guilt in his own way. So I hope he found some form of peace out there before dying.

https://youtu.be/QISwNN1k-_w

 

Tin foil hat cats and global war

Smile and have a great day!

Seeing a soldier frozen in time like this is truly insane. The stories these items tell, so interesting.

Funny and true

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2023 01 17 14 51

BOOM! Saudi Arabia Announces End of US Petro Dollar

The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia announces that they officially are open to settling trade for Oil and Natural Gas in currencies other than the US dollar.

Watch what happens this year! -MM

Roast Pork a la Criolla (Puerto Rico)

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puertoricanroastpork ncjpg 5ab0cca12707176f

Criolla (also known as Creole throughout Latin America) refers to the first generation born in a new country. This dish was probably fixed by the first generation of Spanish born in Puerto Rico, using oregano which was brought to the islands from the Mediterranean. This pork roast is traditionally made with fresh ham.

Ingredients

  • 1 (3 pound) boneless pork single loin roast or boneless fresh ham roast (inside round), netted or tied
  • 1 tablespoon freshly ground black pepper
  • 6 garlic cloves, crushed
  • 1 teaspoon oregano
  • 1 1/2 tablespoons olive oil
  • 1 1/2 tablespoons vinegar
  • 1 tablespoon salt

Instructions

  1. In a small bowl, mix together all seasonings, then rub this mixture on all surfaces of the pork roast.
  2. Place roast in shallow pan and roast at 350 degrees F for 1 to 1 1/2 hours or until meat thermometer inserted reads 160 degrees F.
  3. Remove roast from oven; let rest 5 to 10 minutes before slicing to serve.

Serves 8.

The Swiss City That’s Full of Cat Ladders

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Imagine, if you will, what it’s like to be an average cat. You live with your owner on the fourth floor of an apartment building and, like so many of your fellow felines with exposure to the outside world, you have a fierce case of wanderlust.

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In most parts of the world, you’d be stuck at home until someone comes and lets you out. But in certain European countries, human residents have built outdoor climbing aids, called cat ladders, to help their feline friends come and go as they please.

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Homemade cat ladders are as architecturally eclectic as they are charming.

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Despite their whimsical photogeneity, cat ladders haven’t yet been thoroughly documented. The graphic designer and writer Brigitte Schuster aims to change that. She had spotted the occasional cat ladder in her native Germany, but it wasn’t until she moved to Bern, Switzerland, six years ago that she realized how popular they were.

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9 People Reveal What It’s Like To Wake Up In The Middle Of Surgery

 

1. This happened to me and it was the most horrifying experience that i will remember for the rest of my life! It all started when my husband and I had been the victims of a terrible motorcycle accident. I was lifeflighted off the interstate in Athens, to Grant Medical Center in Colombus Ohio.

I went through the emergency room where the trauma team inserted tubes all over my body at a rapid pace to check all my vitals and i must have passed out from the pain because I don’t remember anything else.

Then when I woke up, I knew I was in the operating room because I felt cold and I could feel my stomach being patted down because it was jiggling from my excess weight.

I could feel my stomach burn with excruciating pain and I remember thinking to myself, i need to let them know I’m awake! I couldn’t open my eyes, I couldn’t move my feet or even twitch my arm to let them know I was awake and I could feel everything.

I felt completely paralyzed! I heard the doctors talking to each other and then I felt the sewing! My stomach was being sewed shut! It was horrible, I remember feeling the needle piercing my flesh and the thread pulling through to the next stitch!

I kept trying to move but it was no use, so I laid there enduring the pain and when i felt a tear run out of my eye down the side of my face, and then the last thing I remember, I was waking up in recovery. I found out later, that I had broken all the ribs on my left side and punctured my left lung.

Apparently one of my ribs also lascerated my spleen so they had to cut my abdomen from my pubic bone to my breastbone to remove my spleen.

I was advised to try to avoid coughing because I had staples holding my stomach together. I asked my nurse if I also had stitches and I was told “Yes, but those will dissolve on thier own”. I then told her that I had woken up during the surgery and I couldn’t move, she listened to me but didn’t make any comments either way, but it’s a memory that will be with me for as long as I live.

Since then I have had 2 more surgeries and I have told the anesthesiologist each time that I have previously woken up and both times they have assured me it won’t happen again; so far it hasn’t, but that fear is there and it won’t go away. I feel for anyone who has gone through this, it was a living nightmare.

2. In the 90s I woke up during knee surgery. Like just fully snapped awake and sat up. All of these wide-eyed masked faces just turned and stared at me.

I looked down at my clamped open leg, looked at one of the masked faces that everyone seemed to be deferring to and said “I don’t think I want to be awake for this.”

They put me back under and as a drifted off I started to feel pain.

Woke up after the surgery and the doctor came in and apologized. I had specifically mentioned that I require more anesthesia than most people (the redhead thing that is finally being acknowledged in modern medicine) but they didn’t believe me and gave me a normal dose.

3. I woke up while they were putting a metal plate in my arm. They used a block which basically made my entire arm from shoulder to hand numb. When I woke up I could remember hearing a drill and a slight pressure in the arm they were working on. I just said “This is awesome” followed shortly by someone saying “oops.” Quickly went back to sleep.

4. At the young age of 5 it became aware to myself and the entire medical staff that my body processed general anesthetics far quicker than it should, thus causing me to wake up in the middle of an endoscopy, tube down the throat to look at shit in my stomach / throat.

It was the first one I was having in regards to monitoring a growth in my throat. Hands down the most traumatizing experience I’ve ever had to deal with.

I tried to move and began coughing and gagging on the tube that was down my throat. For the age of 5 I put up a decent fight, and was able to let out a scream which from my mother’s account she knew it was me immediately.

Of course panic sets in, the doctors begin yelling that Im awake, and before I knew it I was asleep again. In my head this instance occurred over what I thought was a 5-6 period.

Turns out I woke up 7 minutes into the operation and was wheeled into the room and wheeled out in under an hour. I remember the immense amount of pain I was in to have this metal rod down my throat and trying to move, ultimately fucking up a bunch of stuff.

The scariest part was the white, everything was so white, the outfits, the walls, and to this day I have horrific nightmares and still hate being in/around hospitals. Shit sucked.

From here it was a whole mess of legal issues and health problems all while cancer cells were very evidently present in my throat. Crazy childhood man. Im good now though

5. I woke up while they were repairing a hernia in my lower abdomen. It felt like I was buried in a bunch of sand. I was still pretty out of it due to the drugs but I tried getting up off of the operating table (I actually thought I was buried) and they had to hold me down until they could get me re-anesthetized. I don’t remember seeing anything, just shades and figures, but the sensation of what I felt was just odd. Like I said, buried in sand.

6. I woke up in the middle of gall bladder removal surgery. I couldn’t look down, but I know I was cut open on the operating table by the bloody knife and vacuum tube in the surgeon’s hand. The thing that bothered me most, though, was the fact that there was a tube down my throat and it was really difficult to breathe. There were a lot of “Oh my God”s and “Please don’t move”s, some said very loudly and near the edge of panic. Finally the doctor yelled for someone to give me another dose of anesthetic, and bonk I was out like a light.

7. I woke up in the middle of an emergency abdominal surgery. All my muscles were paralyzed, including my breathing muscles. I felt as though I was suffocating and kept trying to take a breath desperately with no luck. I tried to move to get their attention and of course couldn’t. I was a prisoner in my own body as I listened to a woman calling my surgeon’s name and felt my organs being manipulated in my abdomen. All the while feeling as though I was suffocating. Have never felt more helpless in my life. They told me later that my heart rate had suddenly spiked to 140 in the middle of the surgery. I assume that’s when I had woken up.

8. I HATE that I can answer this. When I was a young man I was taken into surgery after a really nasty car accident. I was actually not in a car but the lady that hit me was driving at around 45 mph.

Needless to say, this was already way high on my “fuckin sucks” scale. Somehow after returning to the land of the living, I vividly remember waking up on the operating table with those big ass lights shining on me.

I quickly realized I had a tube in my mouth, and I was connected to IVs and things that went beep. As my vision cleared, my eyes tracked to the commotion in the room and I saw two doctor looking fellows along with two nurses all patting the back of a third nurse that was losing her cookies in the sink.

It spooked me because I couldn’t imagine being in such bad shape that it would make someone throw up. After that, I don’t remember anything as I’m guessing the anesthesiologist caught me waking up and reversed my consciousness. Fade to black. That was all she wrote for me and I have no further memories of the operating room.

It’s been said that anesthesiologists will take you to the edge of death and hold you there. It’s a delicate balance and I can see why they make the big bucks.

9. I am a surgeon and have had a life-long phobia of this exact event. This past august, i went to my own hospital with septic and hemorrhagic shock (my blood pressure was dangerously low after an an aggressive infection ate its way into a blood vessel).

I was taken to surgery by two of my partners. since anesthesia tends to drop the blood pressure further, the anesthesiologist gave me a minimal amounts to be safe. Having never had surgery before i did not know how my body responds to and metabolizes anesthesia.

Unfortunately, while i am a pretty thin person, i am also a redhead, and as other respondents to this questions have noted (likely because genes that tend to co-segregate with this hair color , ie travel together thru generations), redheads have been scientifically demonstrated to require greater amounts of anesthesia than the average population. the anesthesiologist met me outside the door to the OR, wearing my cap, so he did not know ny hair color, and i was on pain meds and it did not occur to me to tell him.

In any event, i experienced complete recall for the majority of the operation, meaning that while i heard, FELT and remembered everything vividly, i was also under neuromuscular paralysis, a drug induced state routinely administered for many operations to keep patients from moving (even tho presumably asleep) during the operation. Problem was, I was not asleep, and even though there i could feel hot cautery literally carving out chunks of my flesh, and that felt exactly how you would expect it to, far more terrifying was the sensation that i could not move or breathe at all (a machine pushed regular, measured breaths down my throat) or tell anyone what i was going through.

I could hear my partners talking, i could tell u what country song was playing on the radio, and i was desperately trying to move my fingertips or head or cough or do something to let them know i was awake and could not. Thankfully, the sheer panic caused my blood pressure to sky rocket, and more anesthesia was administered to treat it, knocking me back out.

After the surgery, I mentioned the event, but downplayed it significantly, not wanting to sound ingrateful or critical of my partners who probably saved my life. This decision probably contributed to the development of PTSD, nightmares and flashbacks which i continue to struggle with almost daily. So i would give patients undergoing surgery two pieces of advice:

(1) your anesthesiologist is just as important as your surgeon. DEMAND to meet him or her, well in advance, if at all possible, make sure u are talking to the person who will actually be administering the meds and monitoring you (which nowadays is commonly done by a CRNA or resident as opposed to the supervising attending anesthesiologist).

This is not an unreasonable request, and in fact protocol at many hospitals (altho not always possible in the event of emergency surgery such as mine).

Make them aware of all your concerns and fears. Ask about potential adverse effects of the anesthesia they plan to use, such as nausea and delirium (or cardiac risks, kidney and liver risks, and even increased eye pressure for those with glaucoma) and let them know if you are susceptible to these.

Tell them about any past experiences and side effects with anesthesiology or pain meds. Ask them if you have any risk factors for “recall” and if they intend to modify their plan based on this; specifically, how they plan to monitor ur level of consciousness (typically done these days via vitals signs, as in my case, but more advanced technology is available)

(2) If, god forbid, u do experience recall or another traumatic event associated with your surgery, take it seriously and seek help early. PTSD can be prevented if those likely to develop it are identified early, usually within the 1st 24 hrs.

Also, i want to make it clear that i do not blame my anesthesiolgist, who did what he thought was safest. But we can all stand to learn and improve. Hope this helps someone else avoid the same experience

Cat Protection From Mind Control With Tin Foil Hats

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Did you know that tin foil hat is a great way to protect your cat from the evil government that’s are trying to implement mind control and take over your pet? Make your own before it’s too late! Or get one on Amazon if you don’t trust your own skills!

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What’s It Like To Be In A Polyamorous Relationship

 

I was in a polyamorous relationship for about 10 years, a triad composed of two women and one man. We were mostly but not entirely polyfidelitious, meaning that we rarely dated or engaged sexually with anyone outside the relationship. I was dating him, he met her, he introduced her to me, and we all fell in love.

Polyamory forces you to think explicitly about how you want your relationships to work. There is no default set of rules, no one size fits all solution.

Nothing can be assumed, everything is up for discussion, and anything can be negotiated to suit the needs of the people involved.

A monogamous friend of mine told me once that at some level he considered his marriage to be a poly relationship of two people, precisely because he and his wife had very detailed talks about how they wanted their relationship to work. I suspect that a lot of monogamous pairings could benefit from this open-minded attitude towards relationship dynamics.

I think that to some extent, poly relationship networks form a proxy for the extended family and tribal groups that have largely faded out in Western culture.

Having a group of trusted adults means more people to contribute resources and share risk, more people to assist with rearing children, more people to help out around the house.

On a more personal level, having multiple partners means that you are not loading all of your hopes, desires, and expectations on to one person. Recognizing that no single person can or should be expected to fill all of your needs, you are free to develop other rewarding relationships with the full knowledge and consent of everyone involved.

I am not otherwise an alt-lifestyler (and am in fact fairly conservative in some ways). The mundane content of our relationship was in most respects quite conventional.

We went on dinner dates and out to the movies, took some vacations together, went grocery shopping, talked about work.

It irritates me when people focus exclusively on the sexual aspects of non-heterosexual and non-monogamous relationships, but I will touch on that part very briefly here.

Sex with my partners was wonderful. I loved being the focus of two people who loved me, I loved giving each of them pleasure, and I loved seeing them give pleasure to each other.

Cuddling together with my beloveds was blissful. We surrounded ourselves with love, and all felt safe and right with the world.

A lot of people think that polyamory is a little weird at best, and actively immoral at worst.

My parents were politely supportive of my relationship, but some members of my extended family were quite vocal in their distaste.

Some very popular religions place a heavy emphasis on sexual exclusivity (especially for women), and it’s discouraging to have your relationship held up as an example of social decline that must actively be guarded against (If we let gay people marry, then soon polygamists will want to get married, and then people will be marrying dogs and trees and who knows what else!).

If you have some problem or issue with your relationship, many people will jump to the conclusion that being polyamorous is the root of the problem.

I avoided discussing my relationship status with all but my closest coworkers, as I suspected that disclosing such a thing might constitute a distinctly career-limiting move.

I was on the receiving end of a lot of rudely prying questions about our sex life, and a lot of unsavory assumptions about poly relationships and about me as a woman in such an arrangement. That it is just about sex and getting to sleep around, that we must be hippies or religious nuts like the Mormon Fundamentalists that were in the news a lot a while back, that it is an excuse for men to exploit women, that I must be giving in just to please our male partner, or because I felt that I didn’t deserve anything better,

Issues of moral judgement aside, ours is a couple-oriented society and a family unit involving more than two adults does not fit in easily.

There is the obvious issue of marriage and family law, which supports pairwise bonds exclusively.

Married couples get a package of legal rights and responsibilities by default, but developing legal protection for a polyamorous family requires extended work with an attorney.

Then there were the more mundane conflicts. Yes, please invite both of my partners to your holiday party, Yes, us three adults really would prefer just one king-sized bed in the hotel room.

People had no idea how to refer to us. Are you married, or dating, or what? Should we call him your husband and her your wife, or what? Are you really serious about this? We turned heads when we displayed any kind of affection together in public.

I write this at a time when I am new to talking about our triad in the past tense.

My relationship with one of my partners has degraded to the point that it cannot be repaired, and I am not sure what this means for our family.

There is no template for me to go by here, nothing straightforward like a divorce. I am deeply saddened by the decline of this partnership, and also by the knowledge that I am losing part of the foundation of support that has been so important to me for the last decade.

Reality

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Outstanding NDE!

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Inflate Your Cat’s Holy Ego With This Buddhist Statue Scratching Post From Japan

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The “Cat Club” (Neko-bu) division of Japanese online retailer Felissimo has put out some creative feline bedding situations in the past. Today, you can add holy kitty claw maintenance to their list of cute cat products, as they’ve just released a scratching post that turns your cat into a feline Buddhist statue!

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It’s called the Kouhai Scratching Post. Kouhai are the halo found on Buddhist sculptures, which are meant to represent light emitting from the Buddha. While most cats consider themselves to have divine sovereignty over the household, now they can look the part while get their claws some scratching practice. The lotus-shaped pedestal (rendai) has a curved scratching board, but your newly enlightened cat may simply choose to look holy while sleeping on it.

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What’s it Like to Work at a Bottom-Of-The-Barrel Used Car Lot

 

The lot I work at is absolutely the last stop. If you’ve got 3 repos and just got out of prison last week and don’t have a driver’s license, we can still get you in a car.

And with typical gross of $3500-$6000 (on cars that are $7k or less) BEFORE products and ancillaries, we get paid very well, and we sell a lot of inventory. But we also attract a certain type of customer. We legit have those silent alarm buttons under our desks like bank tellers have.

So a couple of weeks ago we had a car get stolen. Our repo guys recovered it about 3 days later (they found it before the cops did). No big deal, we’re no stranger to having cars stolen. The only issue is that we didn’t recover the key. It was a 13 year old German-made car so we had to have a new fob programmed.

Last week someone tweaked out on meth came in and wanted to buy that freshly-recovered car. He paid in all cash, but was about $1,000 short after TT&L so we decided to just in-house finance that $1k at 0% interest and put a GPS in the car.

Dude pays in all $20’s and $1’s out of a woman’s purse despite no woman being around. Whatever, I’m just here to help finalize car deals not be a fucking cop or whatever. It was so god damn annoying to count out $8k in all 20’s and 1’s

Next red flag comes whenever I try to register the car.. the license he gave for a test drive is fake. Again, whatever, we’ll do car deals without a license, I just need to know who you are. He gives me this insanely bogus story and eventually I get a picture of his real ID and we finish the deal.

So, remember how the car was stolen and we didn’t recover the key? This dude calls us a day later and says that people are chasing him down with a key fob saying that they stole the car from a very specific location and he wants a discount or his money back or something. Here’s the thing, we never told him it was stolen and we never told him where it was stolen from.

(side note: we didn’t pay BMW or the locksmith to invalidate the other key that was floating around out there whenever they programmed the new one)

He says he had to pay these thieves $1400 to get this second key fob back and he wants us to reimburse the money to him. Come to find out, his buddy that was with him when he was buying the car was the same guy on our cameras at the lot when the key and car were stolen. What kind of idiot steals a car then comes back weeks later to buy that car?

GPS isn’t locating. We tell the customer he has to come down yesterday to finalize the deal or made some random excuse to trick him into coming so we can adjust the GPS. He refuses to let us in the car at first. The battery is in the trunk and the customer finally agrees to let us in after moving his burglar tools and machetes around.

We adjust the GPS and he’s on his way (after more yelling and arguing over stupid bullshit). So later yesterday evening we go to close the lot down and realize that we were missing keys to 3 of our cars. Obviously we know who did it. They were causing a scene and being a distraction so one of their friends could quickly swipe some keys from the board.

GM gets on the phone with the dude Motherfucker we have you on video stealing our fucking keys bring them the fuck back so we don’t have to call the cops. We just want your money we don’t want to act like fucking law enforcement just bring the shit back you piece of shit and pay your bill god damn man come on

The dude was just right around the corner waiting with his friends for us to close. He sends his friend down to bring the keys back bro if you really have cameras you can tell it wasn’t me i’m just bringing them back to you man.

We lock the lot up, I leave a little note on this guy’s account that I’m not giving him a 60-day repo time window after this. He should be in jail, but rather than call the cops I just gave him a 10-day grace period on his $1000 that he owes or we’ll repo the car. Having a car repo’d after dropping $8,000 in cash is much worse than jail. Also, as a 3-time felon myself, I’d always rather try to handle this without getting the cops involved. I mean, if the cops arrested him, then we definitely wouldn’t get the rest of what he owed.

We went home and ended our Monday.

Let’s see how Tuesday goes! I started my day today with my customer showing his 240+ stitches he got when he tried to steal some rims to put on the car we sold him a few months ago, but the owner of the rims came out and stabbed him. Hilarious story, we laughed and laughed until he said he was laughing so hard his stitches were hurting.

Best summary EVER!

This Japanese Company Found The Most “Prefurrable” Way To Improve Productivity

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A Japanese company named Ferray Corporation, an internet solutions business, came up with an unusual way for their employees to unwind and increase productivity. Now, workers are allowed to bring their cats to work. Nine cats, rescued by the company, already roam freely in the office on a regular basis.

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Moreover, if someone doesn’t have a pet of their own yet, they are paid a «cat bonus» after deciding to adopt a feline that needs a home. It seems that the office communication has increased dramatically, since Ferray employees now have a topic that brings them together and lowers everyone’s stress levels.

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Very good. You must listen to Scott. America is “diplomacy incapable”.

https://youtu.be/6AQdvZ6x1hA

Ukraine SitRep – Media Ignorance, Counter-Artillery War, Three Lost Armies

Yves Smith asks:

What if Russia Won the Ukraine War but the Western Press Didn’t Notice?

She points to several headlines which, despite decisive Russian victories like its taking of Soledar, present the Ukraine as winning the war:

Nevertheless, Soledar has fallen and the loss of Bakhmut looks baked in, absent horrific Russian errors. The so-called Zelensky line is breaking even before Russia has put its recently-mobilized forces to work in a serious way. Regular commentators are waiting for the Russian hammer to fall, although Russia may simply grind more forcefully by pressing harder at more points along the very long line of contact. Remember one concern on the Russian side is avoiding “winning” in a way that leads to NATO panic and desperate action … not that the Collective West’s fragile emotional state can be readily managed.With that context, you’d expect some members of the press to have worked out that things are not going very well for Ukraine and the classic cowboy movie rescue of the calvary riding over the hill (here in the form of tanks and artillery) will be too little, too late.

Instead, the media seems to be trying to integrate snippets of facts on the ground with the heroic tale of inevitable Ukraine victory.

That is certainly correct for the wide majority of the stories, which claim that Soledar and Bahkmut, are irrelevant towns, but some pieces are creeping up that differ. A few days ago the Washington Post headlined:

Bloody Bakhmut siege poses risks for Ukraine

Ukraine faces difficult choices about how much deeper its military should get drawn into a protracted fight over the besieged city of Bakhmut, as Kyiv prepares for a new counteroffensive elsewhere on the front that requires conserving weapons, ammunition and experienced fighters.Russia has escalated its assault in the area in recent days, unleashing savage fighting that has underscored the high cost of the battle. Russian mercenaries and released convicts from the Wagner group pushed into the neighboring salt-mining town of Soledar and inched closer to Bakhmut, the capture of which has eluded them for months despite an advantage in firepower and the willingness to sacrifice troops.

The piece quotes several Ukrainian soldiers which speak of huge losses on their side. But the U.S. is still egging them on:

The senior U.S. official cautioned against completely dismissing Bakhmut or neighboring Soledar as nonstrategic places that Kyiv can simply relinquish, noting that the salt and gypsum mines give the area economic significance. Theoretically, the Russians could use the deep salt mines and tunnels to protect equipment and ammunition from Ukrainian missile strikes. Moscow has also endowed the city with import.“To some degree, Bakhmut matters to [Ukraine] because it matters so much to the Russians,” the senior U.S. official said, noting that control of Bakhmut is not going to have a huge impact on the conflict or imperil Ukraine’s defensive or offensive options in the country’s eastern Donbas region.

The official added, “Bakhmut is not going to change the war.”

I believe the senior U.S. official to be very wrong. Soledar and Bakhmut are bleeding the Ukrainian army dry. That is of relevance. Look at the insane number of Ukrainian units deployed on that only 50 kilometer (30mi) long sector of the front.

 

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Source: Military Land Deployment MapbiggerI count the equivalent of some 27 brigade size formations in that area. The usual size of a brigade is some 3,000 to 4,000 men with hundreds of all kinds of vehicles. If all brigades had their full strength that force would count as 97,500 men. In a recent interview the Ukrainian military commander Zaluzhny said that his army has 200,000 men trained to fight with 500,000 more having other functions or currently being trained. The forces which are currently getting mauled in the Bakhmut area constitute 50% of Ukraine’s battle ready forces.

Zaluzhny has pulled units from other fronts like the Kreminna and Svatove sector further north in Luhansk province to feed them into Bakhmut. That has minimized any chance that the Ukrainian forces in those sectors will be able to make any progress.

What nearly all reports from Ukraine seem to miss is the huge damage that Russia artillery is causing on a daily base. Ukraine has little artillery left to respond to that and whatever it still has is getting less by the day.

A few weeks ago the Russian military started a systematic counter artillery campaign which has since made great progress. The typical western way of detecting enemy artillery units is by radar. The flight path of the projectile is measured and the coordinates of its source are calculated enabling ones own artillery to respond. But counter-artillery radar itself depends on radiating. It is thereby easily detectable and vulnerable to fire. Over the last months Russia deployed a very different counter-artillery detection systems with the rather ironic name of Penicillin:

Penicillin or 1B75 Penicillin is an acoustic-thermal artillery-reconnaissance system developed by Ruselectronics for the Russian Armed Forces. The system aims to detect and locate enemy artillery, mortars, MLRs, anti-aircraft or tactical-missile firing positions with seismic and acoustic sensors, without emitting any radio waves. It locates enemy fire within 5 seconds at a range of 25 km (16 mi; 13 nmi). Penicillin completed state trials in December 2018 and entered combat duty in 2020.The Penicillin is mounted on the 8×8 Kamaz-6350 chassis and consists of a 1B75 sensor suite placed on a telescopic boom for the infrared and visible spectrum as well as of several ground-installed seismic and acoustic receivers as a part of the 1B76 sensor suite. It has an effective range for communication with other military assets up to 40 kilometres (25 mi) and is capable to operate even in a fully automatic mode, without any crew. One system can reportedly cover an entire division against an enemy fire. Besides that, it co-ordinates and corrects a friendly artillery fire.

 

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biggerThe Penicillin system can hide in the woods and stick up its telescopic boom to look at and listen to the battlefield. As it does not radiate itself there is no good way for an enemy to detect it.

The system pinpoints Ukrainian guns as they fire. They are then eliminated by immediate precise counter-fire. As the artillery relevant part of today’s ‘clobber’ list provided by the Russian Ministry of Defense claims:

Operational-Tactical Aviation, Missile Troops and Artillery of the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation have neutralised an artillery ordnance depot of 114th Territorial Defence Brigade near Veliky Burluk (Kharkov region), as well as 82 artillery units at their firing positions, manpower and hardware at 98 areas.

Counterbattery warfare operations have resulted in destruction of:

  • one Polish-manufactured Krab howitzer near Peschanoye (Kharkov region);
  • one U.S.-manufactured M109 Paladin howitzer, and one fighting vehicle equipped with Grad multiple-launch rocket system (MLRS) near Lozovaya (Kharkov region);
  • one D-20 howitzer near Terny (Donetsk People’s Republic);
  • two Giatsint-B howitzers near Maryinka and Orlovka (Donetsk People’s Republic);
  • two Akatsiya self-propelled howitzers near Nevskoye (Lugansk People’s Republic), and Preobrazhenka (Zaporozhye region);
  • five D-30 howitzers near Zmiyevka, Novokairy (Kherson region), Sofiyevka (Donetsk People’s Republic), and Orekhov (Zaporozhye region).

Four U.S.-manufactured counterbattery warfare radars have been destroyed:

  • two AN/TPQ-50 stations near Mylovoye and Dudchany (Kherson region),
  • one AN/TPQ-36 counterbattery warfare radar near Ugledar (Donetsk People’s Republic),
  • one U.S.-manufactured AN/TPQ-48 counterbattery warfare radar near Senkovo (Kharkov region).

Air defence facilities have shot down six Ukrainian unmanned aerial vehicles near Kremennaya (Lugansk People’s Republic), Nikolskoye, and Petrovskoye (Donetsk People’s Republic).

14 rocket-propelled projectiles launched by HIMARS and Olkha MLRS have been intercepted near Udy (Kharkov region), Smolyaninovo (Lugansk People’s Republic), Donetsk, and Khartsyzsk (Donetsk People’s Republic).

One U.S.-manufactured anti-radiation missile has been shot down near Radensk (Kherson region).

One Ukrainian Tochka-U ballistic missile has been shot down near Berdyansk (Zaporozhye region).

The above is the equivalent of two artillery companies (batteries with six guns each) eliminated in just one day. Ukrainian counter-battery fire against Russian artillery is no longer possible as the necessary detection equipment gets eliminated and as Ukrainian counter-fire is shot down by Russian air defenses.

This Russian counter-artillery campaign has been going on for several weeks. It has disabled large parts of what was left of Ukrainian longer range capabilities. Meanwhile the Russian artillery keeps on knocking down Ukranian troops that hold the frontline. Only when all parts of the Ukrainian trenches have been hit by intense fire will the Russian infantry move in to clean up whatever is left behind.

This form of battle is causing huge losses on the Ukrainian side while the Russian forces incur just a minimum of casualties.

In his recent talks Col (ret.) Douglas Macgregor put the deaths in Ukraine forces at 150,000 and casualties at 450,000. I, like Yves Smith, doubt that number of wounded is that high. As the system of Ukrainian battlefield extradition and hospitalization is in a bad state there will be less wounded and likely more dead.

In a huge contrast to U.S. waged wars, the civilian death count on the Ukrainian side is remarkably low:

Andriy Yermak, head of the Ukrainian presidential staff, said at the World Economic Forum in the Swiss resort of Davos, “We have registered 80,000 crimes committed by Russian invaders and over 9,000 civilians have been killed, including 453 children.”

Feeding more troops into the battle in the Bakhmut sector, as the Ukrainian side has been doing, is not a good use of resources.

We can state that Ukraine has by now lost the nominal equipment of two larger armies.

At the beginning of the war the Ukrainian army was said to have some 2,500 tanks, 12,500 armored vehicles and 3,500 large artillery systems. It is doubtful that more than half of those were in a usable state but they may have received enough repair to be workable.

The Russia military claims that most of those have been eliminated:

7,549 tanks and other armoured fighting vehicles, 984 fighting vehicles equipped with MLRS, 3,853 field artillery cannons and mortars, as well as 8,081 units of special military equipment have been destroyed during the special military operation.

If one doubts those numbers one has to ask why the Ukraine has needed to import so many more weapons and is still short of them:

  • 410 Soviet-era tanks delivered by NATO members in former communist bloc, including Poland, Czech Republic and Slovenia.
  • 300 [Armored/Infantry Fighting Vehicles], including 250 Soviet-designed IFVs from former communist states.
  • 1,100 [Armored Personnel Carriers], including 300 M113 troop carriers and 250 M117s.
  • 300 towed howitzers. 400+ pieces of self-propelled artillery, of which 180 is on order.
  • 95 [Multiple Rocket Launchers]

There were also a number of fighter airplanes, helicopter and air-defense systems. The above was the second army, after Ukraine’s original one was mostly gone, that has by now been nearly eliminated.

The Russian clobber list now regularly reports of combat with Ukraine forces that kills, for example, one tank, three armored vehicles and a number of pick-ups and motor vehicles:

One Ukrainian sabotage and reconnaissance group has been eliminated near Liman Pervy (Kharkov region). The enemy has lost over 50 Ukrainian personnel, one tank, two infantry fighting vehicles, and two pickups.

[In Donetsk direction] over 60 Ukrainian personnel, one tank, three armoured fighting vehicles, and six motor vehicles have been eliminated.

Two AFU sabotage and reconnaissance groups have been eliminated in the area to the north of Levadnoye and Vladimirovka (Donetsk People’s Republic). The enemy has lost up to 40 Ukrainian personnel, two armoured fighting vehicles, and three motor vehicles.

Pick-ups and unarmored motor vehicles should avoid the frontline and certainly not be part of force attacking the immediate frontline. If these reports reflect the current structure of Ukrainian forces, as I believe they do, than its state is indeed dire.

In his Economist interview General Zeluzhny has requested a third army to be delivered to him immediately:

“I know that I can beat this enemy,” he says. “But I need resources. I need 300 tanks, 600-700 IFVs [infantry fighting vehicles], 500 Howitzers.”

As the Economist writer dryly noted:

The incremental arsenal he is seeking is bigger than the total armoured forces of most European armies.

The stocks of two complete armies have by now been destroyed in Ukraine. The resources for a smaller third one will be delivered in the next rounds of ‘western’ equipment deliveries during the next months. Russia will dully destroy Ukraine’s third army just as it has destroyed the first and second one. It is doubtful that the ‘West’ has enough material left to provide Ukraine with a fourth one.

That then leaves only two options. Send in ‘western’ armies with the equipment they still have or declare victory and go home.

The neo-conservatives as ever favor the first option. President Joe Biden may still be against sending U.S. soldiers but this could change if he indeed gets blackmailed into doing it:

[A]s the ‘classified documents’ scandal gains momentum, the malleable president will likely fall-in-line and do whatever the hawkish foreign policy establishment demands of him. In short, the documents flap is being used by behind-the-scenes powerbrokers who are blackmailing the president to pursue their own narrow interests. They have Brandon over-a-barrel.

There is no evidence that this is happening but the signs are there.

The second option is to declare a non-existent victory and to forget about the whole issues.

But will the ‘western’ media, as Yves asks, notice any of this?

As commentator David correctly remarks at Yves’ site:

I’ve said for a long time now that the West will be able to claim “victory”, or at least not defeat, by establishing fantastical victory conditions that the Russians never had and never wanted, and then claiming credit for frustrating them. With luck, this will just about enable western elites to hang onto power, at least temporarily.

“Putin tried to conquer Europe but we stopped him after he took only half of Ukraine,” will sound like victory. But it is of course extremely far from the truth. Anyway, the media may well buy it:

But in the wider sense, we’re seeing the latest and most degenerate stage of the stupidity and ignorance which has afflicted the western media and pundit class over the last year. They didn’t know about the war in the Donbas, nobody told them Russia had the strongest army in Europe, nobody knew about the defensive lines in Donbas, nobody understood the seriousness of the Russian threats, nobody realised the Russians hoped for a short, sharp war to bring the Ukrainians to their senses, nobody understood why Russia went over to Plan B while it mobilised, nobody realised the Russians had been stockpiling weapons and ammunition for years; nobody knew what attrition warfare was …. In other words, the most disgraceful example of ignorance and stupidity of any ruling class in modern times. It will go on to the end, and “victory” will be proclaimed.

The war the U.S. provoked in Ukraine has been won by Russia even when no one wants to note it.

Posted by b on January 17, 2023 at 18:14 UTC | Permalink

Masitas de Cerdo
(Puerto Rico, Cuba and Central America)

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These chunks of pork are traditionally made with pork shoulder and are fried. They are similar to carnitas, the braised pork cubes found on Mexican menus.

Ingredients

  • 1 1/2 pounds boneless pork loin, cut into 1-inch cubes
  • 6 garlic cloves, crushed
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
  • 1 teaspoon dry oregano
  • 1/2 cup sour orange juice (or use 1/4 cup orange juice and 1/4 cup lime juice
  • 1/4 cup olive oil

Instructions

  1. Place pork cubes in a self-sealing plastic bag; mix together remaining ingredients and pour over pork cubes; seal bag and refrigerate overnight.
  2. Remove pork from marinade, discarding marinade, and place pork cubes in a shallow baking pan.
  3. Roast at 350 degrees F for 25 to 30 minutes, until pork is tender.
  4. Remove to serving platter and serve hot.
"The poor Kitten ! If you hadn'd found him, he probably wouldn't have had a Chance ! You fought for him , didn't give up and saved his Life ! You deserve great Respect ! I can see , how grateful Tigo is to you !"

You will need to be calm and accepting of your new reality

Why the “Back to the future” screen shot above?

Note the actor. Yeah, half of the film was shot, and then he was fired, and replaced with Michael J. Fox.

Why?

What are the lessons here?

What about your life…?

Are you learning from your life? Are you making a difference?

Consider being the best YOU possible.

Manchego and Serrano Crostini

“I found this easy tapa dish on the internet. It’s tasty and will disappear in moments! They are the perfect size for your guests to handle for an appetizer or at a wine and cheese party. Enjoy!”

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Ingredients

  • 1 whole grain baguette, cut into 1/4-inch to 1/3-inch slices
  • 14 lb serrano ham, sliced thin and to fit the baguette slices
  • 8 ounces manchego cheese, sliced thin and slightly smaller than the ham
  • 2 tablespoons olive oil (approximate)
  • 2 teaspoons garlic, minced
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Directions

  • Saute garlic in olive oil until lightly browned. Discard garlic if you like.
  • Arrange baguette slices on a baking sheet. Brush slices with olive oil.
  • Assemble crostini, with ham first then cheese. Cook under broiler until until cheese is melted and ham is warm. Watch carefully!
  • Serve.
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She talks about her perceptions of “the triad”. As I have discussed related to quanta.

She’s showing things from her perspectives…

4 People Describe What’s It Like To Have Bipolar

1. It’s the most amazing pile of beautiful misery to grace the hell of my divine existence! When your good, things are FANTASTIC! the other %80 of the time is spent trying to prevent your (percieved) justifiable suicide.

2. I have bipolar disorder type 2. It has affected me my whole life, though I didn’t realize it and didn’t get diagnosed until my late 30s.

I’m afraid of my own brain. I hyper analyze every mood and feeling, worried that I may be sliding into yet another episode of mania or bone crushing depression.

It sucks. I feel like so much of my life’s potential has been eaten up by the alternating bouts of depression, mania, and the guilt and shame I felt (and still feel) when I do have clarity. I lost my job, my marriage, and very nearly lost my life to bipolar. My ex tried to get my partial custody revoked because I am “crazy” but thankfully in my state that doesn’t hold water unless I demonstrate an inability to care for my kids.

I’ve also lost almost all of my friends, either due to manic or depressed behavior that alienated me from them, my ex’s embellishment of how insane I am, or my isolating myself after my last nervous breakdown. It took 18 months to be well enough to try working again, and every day at work seems like the day I will quit because I can’t take the stress and anxiety of it. But I go. And I keep going every day.

I can’t handle this illness anymore. But I take it a day, an hour, a minute at a time if I have to. And I take my medication religiously. At least I know without a doubt that I have done everything in my power to control this thing rather than let it control me.

3. Sometimes I’m very happy all of the time and I don’t need much sleep. I will start a lot of things and take up many new hobbies which rapidly develop into an obsession and then I’ll move onto something else.

It takes a lot of effort to get things complete because I will work on multiple tasks simultaneously. I was once cleaning the 2 bathrooms, sorting through laundry, cleaning the cooker and dishwasher, cleaning the patio doors, washing the floors, dusting bookshelves and sorting out the drawers under the bed all at once. I was running from task to task and became convinced my slippers were slowing me down. Our apartment at the time had a long, open plan living/dining room and kitchen. I grew convinced my slippers were slowing me down and kicked them across from the living room and into the kitchen.

I also suffer from memory problems during hypomanic episodes, which means that I only remember brief things once the episode has passed. An example of this is with my medication. I had gone to the pharmacy to collect my prescription, but they didn’t have enough and I said I’d call back in for the rest another day. They gave me a slip of paper and I went back a week later after running out of the meds I’d got the week before.

The pharmacist had said I’d been in the day after and collected the rest of my prescription, which I have absolutely no memory of, nor did I know where I would have put my medication if I had. She ended up doubting herself and went back to check the records and could show me that I’d been back in to collect the pills. Not even the time or date jogged any memory. I left to go back to my doctor and ask for another prescription but I had to go home for something. I got to the entrance of my apartment building and I couldn’t find my keys in my pockets and went hunting into my bag. While digging around I found a paper bag and found the remainder of my prescription that I’d picked the following day. I went back and told the pharmacist I’d found them and apologised for taking her away from her other jobs.

I also avoid going outside when I’m hypomanic. When I’m in large crowded areas, I pick up on people’s emotions and start feeling them as if they were my own. And it’s not just a single emotion I’ll feel at once, but a mixture of all emotions. Because people with bipolar’s emotions are already extremely elevated, this becomes intoxicating and I’ll end up very hyperactive and happy, but I’m also more prone to getting angry too. Because I’m hyperactive, I am doing everything faster and it feels like time around me has slowed down, so people walking in front of me, or having my way somewhere blocked makes me very angry.

If I do need to go into a crowded area, I’ll have to spend a few hours mentally preparing myself to go out. So I’ll make a mental map of the places I need to go, the route I’ll need to take to get the things I need in the most efficient way and I can’t deviate from that route as I’m more easily distracted when hypomanic and if I deviate from my route, then I’ll end up spending all my money on cheap tat because I felt like it would make my life a lot better at that time, and then not know why I got it.

My memory problems have also got me into debt several times too. I can buy things and forget I’ve purchased them, then remember I was wanting to buy it and go and buy it again. It’s not uncommon for me to buy 2 – 3 copies of the same thing, and shops rarely allow you to return them, so I end up just giving the multiples away to people.

I’m also prone to making rash, snap decisions. It’s not uncommon for me to randomly quit a job or take a sudden dislike to a close friend and remove them from my life. Due to the way bipolar works (depression and hypomania/mania), your job performance will drop while depressed, and then you can suddenly snap into a hypomanic/manic episode without knowing it and start irritating those around you. Because of how work places tend to treat those with mental health problems, they often won’t take you back if you quit because they see you as a liability.

But you tend to crash into one of the deepest depressions you can have when it ends. Like the saying goes “the higher you go, the further you have to fall”.

4. Some people say stupid things “yesterday I was feeling great and today I just feel normal, omg I’m like so bipolar lol”, don’t say this, it’s hard enough being a victim of it, and it becomes infuriating when people say things like this (this is pretty much true for all mental illnesses).

So what is it like being bipolar? Imagine swimming, swimming forever, you are not a particularly talented swimmer and to make things worse you have weights on your wrists and ankles. The heaviness of these weights change, with no real pattern, sometimes the weights are light enough for you to swim along with everyone else and it’s manageable and life is bearable. But sometimes the weights are heavy and just staying afloat becomes incredibly difficult, and sometimes the weights become even heavier than that, when the weights become too heavy you will eventually slip below the surface.

When you are under it seems like getting back up is impossible, sometimes the weights are so heavy you can’t get back up and you have to hold your breath until they get lighter but the longer you hold your breath the harder it is to not sink further leaving you to be in constant hope the weights become light enough to cope and get back up. For most the thought of giving up and letting go crosses their minds, once you’ve drowned you don’t have to struggle and cope anymore, because of this some people do. For some people the weights do get lighter and they can get back above the surface and continue swimming, some people don’t.

Friends are other swimmers, some have their own weights some don’t and it’s your friends who will rescue you when you sink under, they will help you swim carrying you along but they are also swimming and have to carry themselves, the more they help you the harder their own swimming becomes, some will move on and leave you, some will stay, and you will encounter more, replacing the ones lost.

Some use drugs to help with the struggle, drugs will temporarily make the weights lighter and it will be easier until they wear off but when they do wear off the weights will be heavier than before. Some people hurt themselves, doing this makes the weights slightly lighter but it makes the wearer weaker.

I can’t say bipolar does get better, certain medication will lighten the weights as will positive things in your life but you will always wear your weights. So why keep swimming? Everyone drowns at some point anyway so what’s the point? You want to get as far as you can during your swim, you want to experience the good things and you want to keep going, you want to beat your weights, you want to help carry others, you only get one swim, some people have it easier than others but it’s best not to waste it.

I had this album. This is the first time that I watched him perform what I once owned.

13 People Reveal Their Secret That Could Ruin Their Lives

1. I run a cake business. I charge people hundreds for wedding cakes… Every last one is made using Pilsbury cake mix I buy for $1 a box at Walmart. I suck at baking. Every time I’ve ever tried to make a cake from scratch it sucked. But baking is like.. My whole deal.

My friends all call me the cake girl. It’s like my whole life is a lie. People compliment my cakes all the time. Telling me how delicious they are. Telling me it’s so much better than box mix cake. Telling me they could never bake a cake so delicious.

Well guess what? For $1, they too can make a cake just as delicious. Just add oil, eggs and water. In my defense, I love cake decorating. I make all of the frostings and fondant from scratch. I just hate baking fucking cakes!!

I base my prices mostly on the decoration of the cakes and not of the cake itself, ifthat makes sense. Still… No one knows about this except my husband. Even my best friends think I fucking slave over the oven mixing and baking these damn cakes.

I have been doing this for YEARS. If anyone knew my business and reputation would be in the toilet for sure. :/ I keep telling myself I have to learn how to make the damn cakes without the box mixes, but I never do it. I feel like such a sham sometimes.

2. Some guy convinced naive 15 year old me to send nudes and then used it against me for 6 months. He found me on Facebook and threatened to send them to my friends list if I didn’t do whatever he asked me too. He would make me get online whenever he asked and have me masturbate for him. He even tried to get me to meet up with him in person. I got really lucky when his profiles just disappeared one day and I took that opportunity to delete every social media account I had. I haven’t gone back since and I never will. It really fucked me up for a while but I don’t really have anyone to blame but myself. It’s been 6 years since and I still haven’t told anyone I know this story.

3. I get paid a six figure salary for a standard 40 hour a week corporate job for a massive well known company. In a given week I do maybe an hour of actual work, the rest of the time I am on social media or youtube slacking off. I thought when I got this job that eventually someone would figure out I don’t do anything all day but here I am 14 years later still doing fuck all and getting paid a lot for it.

4. I once helped out my a female friend’s family by taking care of their cat for a week. Every day for a week, I would go over there and snoop around their house. I found my friend’s diary, and proceeded to read the entire thing. I used this information to get her to like me, and she is currently my wife.

5. Cousin died when we were both seventeen. There was a reception at his house just after the funeral. I went into his room and stole all the money that was there, took some other valuables that his parents wouldn’t realize were gone. No one knows that I did it, they just assumed he didn’t have any money in his room, only loose change. I don’t regret it, but I will never admit I did it.

6. I had a baby with sperm donated from a man who advertised on craigslist. If my very religious family found out it wasn’t an “accident” I would be completely shunned and disowned.

I am a female who is ugly. NO, that’s not the secret. But.. I AM ugly because I have a facial deformity that I was born with. I’ve never had a long term partner and only had sex a few times in my life. My biological clock was ticking LOUDLY and I desperately wanted a child – there wasn’t going to be time enough to meet someone and my odds were none existent as a middle-aged, ugly female.

I own my home, have a career – but I didn’t want to lose all my savings to pay to have it done through a clinic and sperm donation, etc. It would have been at least $15K per try. My chances of adopting were also almost none existent as any women looking to adopt her baby out isn’t going to pick the ugly, middle aged lady to adopt their baby, plus is crazy freaking expensive. I wanted the money I had in savings, etc.. to toward raising the child.

So I turned to Craigslist and got it for free.

My child is a preschooler now and I’ve never been happier or more fulfilled! I pinch myself every day because my child is in my life and I feel so fucking lucky. Every day is a dream come true and I savor each and every moment. I try to be the best mom I can be in every way. Parenting really makes you take a long, hard look at yourself and how you show up in the world. I parent from my heart.

I regularly send pictures and updates to the generous and selfless man who trusted me on a hand shake.

7. I am basically living a lie. I told my entire family I was able to transfer out of community college and into a university, but I never finished up the requirements. So since I live at home, every day instead of going to school I go to the local library and bs. My lies are so extensive, I even go to the campus and meet my girlfriend for lunch sometimes. I’ve made fake transcripts to show my family, and to make it look like I’m actually studying I go to MIT opencourseware to look up facts that I “learned in class” that day. I have become a remarkable liar. I hope to be transferring in the fall and then I look forward to living a normal life. Coming clean is not an option at this point.

8. Ok, so this is a secret I’ve kept for nearly 20 years.

During the summers when I was growing up, my parents would often leave my brother and I(I’m male) with our aunt and uncle who lived out in the country. It was great as they had 4 sons of ages close to ours so we had a lot of fun doing kids stuff.

One summer when I was 8, the oldest cousin was maybe 16. We somehow got talking and he asked me if I wanted to sleep in his room that night. He has the nicest room and bed so I was all for it. Got into bed and he asked if he could touch my penis. I was 8 and just thought it was ok so I let him. He rubs it for a bit and then asks me to do the same to him. So I do. This progresses and eventually I’m sucking his cock. I think I knew this was wrong so I said I didn’t want to carry on. We stop and I goto sleep quite confused.

I wake up and he hands me some money and tells me never to tell anyone about what happened. Next night he tries to do the same thing.. But now all I care about is the money. So I do it. This carried on for 2 summers.

Eventually I got old enough to realize it was quite wrong regardless of the money and stopped.

I’ve not told anyone this. He’s now married with 2 kids. I’m also married and we see them sometimes at family events. I don’t have the balls to even try and talk to him about it.. Hell I’m not even sure what I’d say.

9. I came very, very close to committing a school shooting

I was picked on A LOT in high school. I think it was because I tried so hard to be cool and everyone saw right through it. There were these 4 cowboy jock types that gave it to me the worst. After being publicly humiliated and beaten in front of a girl I liked (as she laughed/cheered), I decided that none of it was worth it anymore. I had no support at home being an only child and having parents that worked constantly, and cutting and burning myself didn’t make me feel better anymore. So I got my dad’s handgun out of the gun-safe (he uses the same combo for everything, the idiot) and brought it to school with me the next day.

I can’t adequately describe to you guys how ready I was to kill these four. I had absolutely no fear or doubt in my mind. I wanted nothing more than to show everyone what happens when you push someone over the edge like they did. I had the gun tucked in my waistline. I was wearing this baggy pair of cargo shorts that i wore a couple times a week that day. I remember walking towards the cowboy’s table, so goddamn ready for it to be over, when the gun fell out of my waistline, down my left short leg and made the loudest fucking sound as it hit the cafeteria floor. I tried my best to grab the gun real quick, but people saw what it was and screamed, and one of the instructors tackled me to the ground.

They eventually concluded that I had brought the gun to school to impress people with badassery, and had no intention of using it. I was expelled and sent to live at a youth ranch in Idaho until I was 18. I did have the intention of using it though. I was going to kill all of them. I’m 24 now, and I still think about it all the time. I have not recovered from high school. I’m still terrified of people in general, and avoid having relationships because of what I fear I’m capable of.

10. A while back, I was cheating on my wife with a coworker. It went on for months, and I never really cared for the woman I was cheating with. She was super hot, though. After a while my coworker started getting really crazy and threatening to tell my wife (whom I had a child with and a baby on the way) about everything. Obviously, I kept trying to cut things off because I realized I was making a mistake. She lost it one night and was freaking out and texting me telling me she was going to come to my house, and a drunk driver hit her. She died instantly. No one knows I was having an affair, and my family went to her funeral.

1. I’ve been in a strictly sexual relationship with a first cousin for the last five years. We only ever saw each other once or twice a year growing up before she moved to the other side of the country and then never really saw or interacted with each other again until 5 years ago when she moved back. What started as us meeting up one in awhile has become a regular thing in the last few months. It’s escalated to the point where we’re now sexting each other.I’m scared to death of what might happen if anyone in our family finds out but I don’t want to stop what’s happening either.

Here’s the story: It all started out very slow before it escalated into full on sex.

I was informed by another cousin of ours and asked to help her move since I was free at the time. We started hanging out throughout that summer and then one afternoon we had brunch and then went back to chill at her apartment. It was a super hot day so we thought let’s just go indoors and relax and watch some TV or a movie.

I can’t remember what we were watching but we were chatting the whole time too, just talking about our relatives and what we were looking to do with our lives and careers. After awhile she kind of just leaned on me and got comfortable and I threw my arm around her (almost instinctively) and were just hanging out like that for a bit.

Eventually she gave me a lingering look that was kind of asking “what’s happening here?” and we both went in for a kiss. We were both shocked that it happened but we got over it fast and started making out and running our hands all over each other until my hand was up her skirt touching her thru her panties and then I realized what we were doing and stopped it from going any further.

We both came to our senses and stopped before anything went any further. We decided to forget it happened and move past it but every time we met up after that we’d make out and push our boundaries until we eventually ended up having sex. Afterwards, we were meeting up regularly until we both got really busy with work and only met up on occasion. We completely stopped when each of us had a significant other but would start hooking up again every so often when we are single. As mentioned before, now it’s become a regular occurrence where we hook up multiple times a week and we’ve been sexting with each other now.

12. On the outside, I am a happily married 30-something, about to buy a house, in sync with my wife on most things like religion, kids, that things will get better for us, etc.

In reality, I am a deeply depressed, secret alcoholic (which I fear is already adversely affecting my health, but I can’t stop), don’t believe in any higher power anymore and derive little or no pleasure or satisfaction from anything.

Most of this started with a sudden and untimely death of my mom, and some other family drama that happened around the same time while I was in university. I powered my way through there because I was encouraged to by those around me, even though I wanted so badly to drop out. This is also about the time I started abusing alcohol, I barely drank at all before.

My family is rather scattered now, living in different states. My wife and I are close, but I have been unwilling (unable?) to find or make new, meaningful friends as an adult in the city I moved to for a job.

I am so stressed: I feel pins and needles in my brain/head and tongue constantly, and drink heavily (5-10 drinks/units per day most of the time, sometimes more, I can hold off if I am traveling or around family (or in a situation where I can’t drink at all). I don’t even get really that drunk visibly anymore, which is why (I think) I hide it well from my wife. There is usually an empty vodka bottle hidden in my briefcase by the time she gets back from work, and I have usually poured my “first glass of wine” by then to mask that I have already been drinking (I get home from work earlier than she).

She thinks I am as happy and fulfilled as she and excited and ready to have kids and start a family, etc. etc. In truth I am just numb to this world. I try to love her, I think I do, and expend all of my energy keeping up the facade and affection for her. But apart from that I have zero energy or desire for anything. I used to be athletic, and still look decent, but my physical shape is fading fast. I don’t have or enjoy any hobbies. I just wake up, go to work, drink when I can, and mark off the days as I get older and closer to eventually dying.

I don’t know what to do. Tried therapy back in the day, and meds, didn’t seem to help. I just am trying to make life ok for the people around me who I don’t want to see be like me inside, mostly my wife. But beyond that I feel like I have totally missed the boat and am past satisfaction or having any meaningful place in the world.

13. My whole professional life is built on a lie and it’s about ready to come down.

When I was 22 I was in a bad way — halfway through my bachelor’s degree, but with a building addiction to opiates and some mental health issues.

Summer of that year I was in a bad car accident — in addition to broken bones throughout my body, my head went through the window and my face received severe lacerations that required hundreds of stitches to close and left me looking very rough. As tough as that was to deal with, I also now know that I sustained a traumatic brain injury that left me very confused, angry, and overwhelmed by life in general.

I wanted to keep up appearances, so after taking three months off to recover I tried to go back to school. Within the first week I knew I couldn’t handle it. Too many questions about what happened, too much anxiety, and I had lost pretty much all my coping skills. When I got overwhelmed (which happened often), I would feel sick and scared and literally forget where I was and what I was doing. It was frightening and embarrassing, especially for someone like me who had always had high expectations placed on my shoulders by those around me.

I had lost pretty much all my friends at this point, and in my mental state, I thought that those who remained would abandon me if they knew how much I was struggling.

So, I told everyone that it was going great. Every day I would I leave the house for six hours and drive. Sometimes I would stop in a parking lot, sometimes I would just keep driving all day. I would find cheap used textbooks at college bookstores so that I could bring them home and “study.” I created elaborate lies about my classes and my professors in order to have stories to tell when people asked how it was going.

I kept telling myself that I was just doing this until my brain worked again, and that next quarter I would go back for real when I could actually handle it. Problem is, things just kept getting worse, and as time went on I became less able to get back on track.

This went on for 2.5 years, until I was supposed to be graduating. So, I lied about that too. I forged transcripts and came up with stories of why I didn’t want to work in the field of my degree and hoped to move past it. I got a labor job and slowly found things working themselves out as my brain chemistry improved and steady work kept me from completely destroying myself.

Eventually I had to move. For the first time in over a decade, I was finally free of my opiate addiction and starting to feel part of the world again, but I was still carrying the lie of my college degree. I volunteered in some places related to that field and they really liked me.

They liked me so much, in fact that they hired me on an emergency basis (no transcripts required) and I’ve worked there ever since. Now, three years into my sobriety and seemingly a lifetime removed from the pain of those years, they want to promote me to a career-level job that I would absolutely love.

I’m so good at what I do and it brings me so much joy, but this promotion would come with scrutiny and background checks that I know I can’t stand up to.

When I was so depressed, I honestly didn’t think I’d even live this long, so while I knew that my lies could create this situation, I never prepared for it. Worse than losing this job would be having everyone around me find out what happened, so I am at a point now where I have to quit what I love because they like me too much.

I plan to go back to school for real and I think I’ll do well, but the shame and regret of this situation is something I don’t think I’ll ever shake.

Scott Drummond shares his amazing experience of what he felt and saw when he was pronounced dead for 20 minutes. It is a very personal and tender moment in his life, a moment that drastically changed the rest of his life forever.

A Car For The Jet Age: Cool Pics Of The 1956 Oldsmobile Golden Rocket

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The 1950s was a rememberred decade in many things. From the boom of culture and fashion to the unique inventions of cars, especially the 1956 Oldsmobile Golden Rocket.

The Oldsmobile Golden Rocket was a two-seater show car built by Oldsmobile for the 1956 General Motors Motorama. The radically styled fiberglass concept, designed to resemble a rocket on wheels, was revised several times and displayed at various other auto shows, most notably at the 1957 Paris Motor Show where it generated much fanfare, 18 months after it was first revealed.

The car was also featured in the promotional short film Design for Dreaming along with the rest of the 1956 General Motors lineup.

Here below is a cool photo collection of the 1956 Oldsmobile Golden Rocket.

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Confessions Of An American Indian

 

What tribe are you from?

I grew up and lived on the Oneida Nation rez in Wisconsin. I am part of the Turtle Clan (or Wolf, if you want to be pedantic)

Why do some people call your clan the Turtle Clan if it’s really the Wolf Clan?

Oneida is a Matriarchy and my ancestry is through my father which would put me in wolf clan. My Grandma is Turtle though, so i choose to go off of that.

Is your Oneida Nation related to the Oneida Nation in NY?

Same ones. We were moved forcefully from there

How many people are in your tribe?

There’s only about 15,000 people left in my tribe

Can you speak the Oneida language?

I know a handful of words. I know MAYBE 3 people that can hold a really shitty conversation. It’s pretty much forgotten

What kind of lodging/homes are on a reservation? Regular houses? Does the traditional teepee survive? Are teepees a Hollywood thing?

My great grandparents were part of the last generation to be taken from New York (Oneida Lake) They lived in longhouses/tepees. My grandma (who is still alive) was part of the first generation to be born on the rez. People live in regular homes though. There’s cool housing programs though the tribe that they expand every year.

What is the most common misconception that people have about you and/or your culture?

That (my tribe specifically) wear headdresses. Also rain dances are not a thing, they were never a thing and will never be a thing

How much of the old bush crafting/ living in the outdoor skills are still taught?

Not really. It’s more of people teaching beadwork/dancing/language.

What exactly is the significance of beadwork?

It is just as important as dancing as it connects us to our ancestors. There’s a lot of rules for when you bead though. You can’t bead when you’re tired, when it’s stormy, when its dark out, and a whole host of other things.

How much of native tradition is carried on in the reservation? Does anyone still believe in the spiritual ways of native Americans in the past?

To be honest, it is pretty much all lost or dead. We still observe certain traditions such as powwows. (I actually had a powwow just for me) The elders are dying faster than we can interview them and there isn’t much we can do. Just recently two of our oldest elders were stabbed and murdered in their own home and left to rot for almost a month. I would like to think the good outweighs the bad though

Any idea why the elders were murdered?

I actually knew the guy personally. He had a really rough life. (physical abuse by all his family) He was probably looking to rob them and things went south. I feel no remorse for this guy. Everything coming to his is what he deserves. He took two lives.

Rest in Peace Harry and Lorraine Brown Bear.

What is the biggest issue facing your tribes and/or natives in general?

Generational poverty. It’s sad how a lot of my people live.

How often does your reservation rely on tourism, if you had to take a guess?

We get 99.99 percent of our money from our . If you count that as tourism then quite a bit.

How big are your monthly membership checks from the ?

We have one large and members get 1000 dollars a year from it. Far from a monthly check. Elders get more money though and have other benefits such as free wood and housing

What’s the biggest obstacle to living on a reservation besides being low income/poor?

There is nothing here. It’s kinda sad actually

How bad is the drug/alcohol abuse on the reservation?

There is so much alcohol abuse it’s disgusting. There’s more heroin then meth from what I’ve seen. A lot of my family drinks and it will bring them to an early grave

What kind of changes do you think needs to take place for the betterment of people living on reservations?

The biggest change that i would like to see with Indians is to get off of welfare and actually have the US have good programs for a change. It’s so hard when people are this poor and cannot see the light at the end of the tunnel. Leaving the rez is not looked down on the traditional sense. There’s more of a jealousy going on. Very few people can just leave.

What do you believe the government should do to improve the lives of people on your reservation?

They could keep honoring the treaties. I don’t think the government will ever help out besides that. It’s nice to dream though

Do you think reservations are good/useful? As an outsider, I’ve always thought they were pointless because there is more bad than good e.g. alcohol and drugs, poor education, poor job opportunities, poor healthcare, poor justice, etc.

If that happened the culture would die almost instantly. Reservations are the last thing that we have they may be broken but broken things can be mended. I would cry if the USA took my home away

Do you still harbor any deep rooted anger/frustration at the atrocities commited by the US Govt?

At this point the older i get the more i realize that nobody will ever give a shit about us. We will cease to exist and only become a footnote in a history book. I personally have moved on from the past, it’s just that nobody cares about their neighbors anymore

Have you found much prejudges or animosity between different native tribes? Or has the history of oppression unified the native peoples somewhat?

I’ll be blunt with this one. There are respectable tribes and there are not respectable ones. Theres a lot of shit some tribes do that make me angry

How do people in reservations view “Outsiders”?

The rez is open to the public as it stands right now. The tribe does not own 51% of the land and therefore cannot fully govern the territory. I don’t have any disdain for white people living here and i don’t really know anyone who does.

Do you feel like an American? I’m not suggesting that you should, but I just find the social status of American Indians odd in that way. You didn’t choose to have this government or culture put upon you, but do you accept it and feel a part of it?

If I lived on the rez forever I would never feel like a American Citizen.

Does it bother you at all to be called “Indian”?

Frankly, I have been an Indian longer than iv’e been a Native American and most people here like it that way.

What is your opinion of the team name of the Washnington Redskins and the Cleveland Indians?

Who gives a flying fuck! Let them have their team! Nobody really cares on my end haha

Do you guys actually care about Native Indian costume on Halloween?

I find them Hilarious

How do you and others you know feel about Thanksgiving?

I fucking love thanksgiving. Huge meal with all my family? Sign me up! I really don’t care about the implication at this point. White people are offended enough for me

How do you feel when you see hipster chicks get dream catchers tattooed?

Dreamcatchers are for children to ward nightmares away. They are kinda like a nightlight. The kids think they work but its all made up

Where do you live now and what are you doing for a living?

Right now I live in Appleton Wi. I’m currently on the path to becoming a Firefighter! I go back the the rez every weekend pretty much to visit my family.

How would you compare life on the reserve to the life you currently have in the city?

I can walk down the street without feeling like i’m going to get robbed. Also there is so much more things to do here. The rez is poor and boring to be honest. In Oneida you have to drive a good 40 minutes to get to any place of culture that is not a bar.

Do you have any idols?

My Father is my idol. He has worked hard all his life (and continues to do so) to give his children a future. He’s tough as nails and a big reason I’m going into a Firefighting career. He continues to volunteer at the Oneida Fire Department and hes a huge influence on my life.

What do you think is the perfect way to live life?

Free of stress and surrounded by loved ones

When it starts happening to family and friends people know, it’s going to raise eyebrows. The whole “help, I’m having a coincidence!”thing only can last for so long…

11 People Who Gave Up On Their Dreams Reveal Whether Or Not They Regret Their Decision

 

1. Honestly turned out great. I realised my band wasn’t going to get a record deal after a few years and then after playing for other peoples bands for a while it starred to become less fun.

I got a ‘proper’ job, started working on my career and used my new spare time to start playing rugby again. Now I’ve got a really good job in a sector I enjoy working in, married, kids, nice house all that stuff and I still play rugby on Saturdays (pre pandemic) to keep things a little different as well as keeping in shape.

I don’t really see it as giving up on my dream. It was just recognising that it wasn’t going to happen. I’m very fond of that period of my life and having spent quite a few years chasing that particular dream I don’t have any regrets or what-if’s about being in a band.

2. Chased my dream, took decades, and did better than I thought I could. Stayed focused throughout. Thing is, I should have re-evaluated long ago. Turns out I was chasing the wrong dream. I regret not recognizing that the dream can and should change. If you blindly chase one dream, the finish line isn’t necessarily fulfilling.

3. No. I was on the path to becoming a professor, and I don’t regret leaving academia AT ALL. The pay is terrible, the requirements to achieve your dream can crush the soul out of you if you’re not careful, and the chances of achieving actual job security grow dimmer by the day. There are some things I miss about it, but I really can’t regret choosing a good paying, if somewhat more boring, office job that gives me security and disposable income to pursue my own hobbies and travel (before the pandemic, of course).

4. Part of me regretted it, part of me knew I had to.

I always wanted to be a doctor. No pushy parents or anything like that. I just wanted to fix problems and medical things seemed like the most interesting problems, things change, get worse/better, add new problems.. My little brother was born and developed seizures and development issues. I decided Pediatrics was for me! The same problems/puzzles but with the added intrigue of the patient being unable to tell me what was wrong.. Sounds a bit sick, but that’s what my brain wanted.

I didn’t get the grades at school, unfortunately my step dad died and it messed me up a bit being needed at home with my siblings and I shifted my focus. I did go to university, did an access course and a biology degree with the aim of then going on to medicine afterwards. Sadly, I got two rejections for med school (on my birthday no less) and I pissed away the rest of my final year, because…what was the point anymore??

I then met a boy (now husband), and needed to get a job. Any job. Please just give me a job. Countless applications were ignored or rejected. I felt worse than useless. I finally landed a job at a call centre. Hated every minute of it. But bills got paid, a wedding and honeymoon have been paid for, and we bought our house..

But. In 2019 I knew I was turning thirty soon and knew this wasn’t what I wanted, even if it was what I needed.

I enrolled at a local college on an access course and last year I passed with distinction. I applied to a few university courses, and I had two successful interviews. I quit my sucky job on new year’s after nearly 6 years of hating it. And in two weeks I start my course to become a nurse.

Plans change, needs must. But I’m hoping its worked out…

5. 18 months ago I left my mediocre career as a stuntman for more secure work as a DoD contractor. I’m now living life in Japan with a loaded bank account and my wife can focus on her writing. Although I miss performing stunts I now enjoy my day to day life without worrying about finances or health insurance.

I regret nothing. I can say I doubled Gerard Butler and Micheal Madsen but it was time to move on to provide for my new family.

6. As someone who quit academia shortly after my PhD and gave up all my research hopes and dreams, I couldn’t be happier with my decision. I work a relatively “boring” job in marketing now (I worked with wolves during my PhD so pretty much everything is going to be “boring” in comparison). I have no emotional attachment to my job or colleagues which is a refreshing change and affords me a lot of mental space and freedom. I can finally tune out and stop working, something I could never do during my PhD.

The pay is mediocre, but when you’re used to being in academia, the job security itself is a huge boon. Besides, as an international PhD student who had spent almost all his life savings to move and set up abroad, I learned to maintain a 50%+ savings rate very quickly. If you learn how to have a good savings rate (even if it isn’t that high) and can maintain it after quitting academia, that shit adds up fast.

I desperately miss working with those fluffy, lovable, morons, but I can now daydream about buying a car and building a house without mentally kicking myself for it.

7. I went to school for and worked as a video game developer. I saw the crunch times, the frequent layoffs, and general instability of the industry and decided it wasn’t for me after all.

Been doing work in various industries trying to find something I want to do for a living. Came to the conclusion that I will never like working. So I am settled in at an aerospace manufacturing plant that has been in operation since WWII and I can and probably will spend the rest of my working days here.

I’ve decided that it’s better for me to get my life’s fulfillment from my hobbies and relationships instead of my work.

8. Turned out great, just not right at the moment as I am still job hunting after having to quit my previous job. Still no regrets though.

I went to college to become a 3D animator. Something I always dreamed about. I was top of the class, constantly won awards for my work. I honestly thought I was going to make it big. Then the final semester started and all the seniors were required to go to a special hiring event where tons of big names would be. I got my portfolio and resume copies ready to go, and spent hours researching the big names and their projects as well as rehearsing lots of practice questions.

It was devastating. No one would look twice at my stuff. Introduced myself, made some awkward small talk as they were so disinterested, then as I walked away they would immediately put it in the stack with hundreds of other portfolios, and not in the special pile.

I switched up my game. I started introducing myself with a quick mention that I had a background in programming (I did). Thinking that maybe that would give me an edge. Oh boy did it work. Suddenly I was getting personal business cards, phone numbers and emails, my resume was put on the special pile.

It was at that moment I realized I went into the wrong field. I was just a tiny insignificant drop in a sea of artists, many of whom were much more talented than I could ever be.

Finished up my degree and went back to college for a BS in Computer Science. Got my first job right out of college from an internship I did over the summer. The job itself was heaven, and I really enjoyed it. It also helped that I made bank when I was there. Paid off all my school loans within 3 years and had plenty to invest and put into savings.

While it sucks not having anything right now, I’m hoping to find something soon.

Side note: The 3D stuff I still do as a hobby. Not nearly as good as I once was, but it is still fun and relaxing.

9. At age 15 I started playing guitar in a band. The dream was to become a Rock Star. At age 22, I was playing Gazzari’s on the Sunset Strip. A set of original tunes in club where so many famous people started. It was the heyday of the metal scene and that was happening in Los Angeles. By 1984 I realized that it was not just a question of being a great band. Or writing great songs. I had seen a lot of great bands in Los Angeles that had great songs, go absolutely nowhere. Then really crappy bands, I won’t mention names to avoid hurting anyone, that did have commercial success. So why was this?

It turns out being a great band that writes great songs, is just not enough. You also have to be incredibly lucky. More people win the lottery than become famous rock stars. It was time to get real. I was 22 and I wanted things. So I gave up my dreams and became an electrical apprentice.

By the time I was 24, I was running jobs. At 27 I was accepted in the IBEW as a journeyman electrician, after passing the Journeyman Block Test, accepted in a lot of states. At age 31 I became a Master Electrician and General Foreman in the IBEW. I then became the Superintendent of a large Union shop . And finally at age 33 I started my own Electrical Contracting business. At age 41 I became 100% disabled and was forced to retire. That was almost 20 years ago. I still have my Bray Amp and my Les Paul in my bedroom, always plugged in, so I can pick it up anytime I want. So, I’d say everything turned out ok for me.

10. I made a solid run at becoming a writer. It was always my dream as I’ve been an avid reader my whole life and have always had an active imagination. I studied English in university, read everything I could and spent my 20s living and travelling overseas. I joined writers groups, did an apprenticeship with an established author and worked my ass off for years, both abroad and when I returned home. I even got a few short stories published. And I was miserable.

Writing fiction has to be the worst paying job in the world when you factor in the time you put in (Stephen King references this at the start of On Writing). Writers like King are extreme outliers, and even he had to work a 9-5 while writing Carrie. It is extremely hard to grind out a job all day, then come home and try to write all evening. Or get up at 5am everyday and write before work. Not only is it difficult to conjure up the juice you need to write when you’re working around a “regular” life schedule, but everything else in your life slips. You don’t have time to workout. You miss out on spending time with friends and family. You’re sitting in you desk or chair every night while your partner is watching TV alone. And if you have kids… good luck.

I became overweight, depressed, and miserable. I developed back issues from spending 12+ hours a day in a chair. I wasn’t getting anywhere in life, and while it was nice to get published the odd time, I didn’t find the joy in my own writing the way I do in others. So I let it go.

Now, I have a great job, nice house, and lots of time to spend with my wife and pursue my hobbies. I fixed my back issues and got in great shape (until COVID) And I have grown so much as a person since then. So no regrets.

I do think about it from time to time though. I still read a lot, and I’m sure that itch will come back sometime. It’s not like being an athlete… nothing to say I can’t pick it back up any other time

11. I was a child actor. I was relatively successful – I was on a popular soap and even had my fifteen minutes of fame – I had TV shows and films and commercials on the go. Of course this meant I was bullied at school – if I answered their incessant questions about what it was like on set, they said I was stuck up for talking about myself. If I didn’t answer their questions, they said I was stuck up for not engaging with them. I was talked down to, ignored, laughed at – the usual high school stuff. But for most people, that stuff ends in high school. For famous people, it never ends (as we see on the internet daily).

Then I met someone on set who told me what it was really like – that if you’re not made for it, the fame part can completely destroy you as a person – if you are private or shy or anxious, as I am, it can tear you apart inside, and it’s constant, and for the really famous people, it never, ever goes away. She helped me recognise that what I loved was the process, the on-set family, the job itself. The recognition, the total lack of privacy, and the inevitable bullying just wasn’t what I wanted my life to be. She showed me that at this early stage of my career, I could make my choice, I didn’t have to just stumble into a lifestyle I wouldn’t easily be able to get out of. She showed me the truth – that for most people, by the time they know they hate the lifestyle, it’s already too late.

When I was 18, I quit my agency, and never looked back. Now, 19 years later, in my office job in finance, I make a fraction of what I could have made, and I don’t enjoy my work nearly as much as I enjoyed tv and film sets. But I’m anonymous, and I am happy. The girl I met, these days she can’t even go to a grocery store or a petrol station without being mobbed (we’re not still in touch, but I follow her career). Me, I can go anywhere and do anything without anyone giving me a second glance. That makes me happy. I hope she is happy too.

US spy plane makes dangerous maneuvers against monitoring PLA airplane during close-in recon on China

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It was a US RC-135 spy plane that engaged in dangerous maneuvers against a Chinese People’s Liberation Army (PLA) Navy J-11 fighter jet which was monitoring the US aircraft during the latter’s close-in reconnaissance over the South China Sea, and the US intentionally misled the public, the PLA Southern Theater Command said on Saturday, releasing a video documenting the incident.

The US statement disregarded the truth and is pure slander and hype, said Senior Colonel Tian Junli, a spokesperson of the PLA Southern Theater Command, in a statement on Saturday.

Tian’s statement is a response to a recent US military statement claiming a PLA Navy J-11 fighter jet came within six meters of a US Air Force RC-135 aircraft over the South China Sea on December 21, forcing the US aircraft to take evasive maneuvers to avoid a collision in international airspace, Reuters reported on Friday.

A US RC-135 aircraft conducted intentional close-in reconnaissance on China’s southern coastline and the Xisha Islands of Hainan, South China’s Hainan Province on December 21. The PLA Southern Theater Command organized aerial forces to conduct tracking and monitoring through its entire course, Tian said.

Despite multiple warnings from the Chinese side, the US aircraft suddenly altered its flight stance, pushed the Chinese aircraft toward left in a dangerous approach movement, which seriously compromised the flight safety of the Chinese military aircraft, severely violated the Rules of Behavior for Safety of Air and Maritime Encounters between China and the US as well as related international law and practices, the spokesperson said.

A video documenting the incident from the perspective of the Chinese J-11 fighter jet was attached to Tian’s statement, which showed the US RC-135 intentionally altered its flight stance in a dangerous approach toward the Chinese aircraft at 11:25 am on December 21.

From the video released by the Chinese side, it is obvious that the US aircraft actively maneuvered left toward the Chinese aircraft, verifying that it was the US side that engaged in dangerous moves, a Chinese military expert who requested anonymity told the Global Times on Saturday.

On the other hand, the video release by the US only showed the Chinese aircraft flying alongside the US aircraft without making any dangerous maneuvers, the expert said.

The Chinese pilot took professional and standard action according to laws and regulations, fully reflecting the Chinese military’s responsible attitude toward regional safety and the safety of frontline personnel, Tian said.

“The US side intentionally misled the public, called black white, blamed on China while itself is to be blamed and attempted to confuse international opinion,” he said.

“We sternly require the US to restrain the movements of its frontline maritime and aerial forces, strictly abide by related international laws and related agreements and prevent maritime and aerial accidents,” Tian said.

The Chinese military is on high alert at all times, as it will resolutely carry out its duties and missions, safeguarding national sovereignty and security, the spokesperson said.

Wang Wenbin, a spokesperson from the China’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs, said at a regular press conference on Friday in response to the incident that, for a long time, the US has frequently deployed aircraft and vessels for close-in reconnaissance on China, which poses a serious danger to China’s national security.

The US’ provocative and dangerous moves are the root cause of maritime security issues, Wang said.

“China urges the US to stop such dangerous provocations, and stop deflecting blame on China. China will continue to take necessary measures to resolutely defend its sovereignty and security, and work with regional countries to firmly safeguard peace and stability in the South China Sea,” Wang said.

Confessions of the Deputy Warden Of The World’s Most Humane Prison

 

How did a program like this come about, was it at first controversial or was it always accepted as a good idea?

Building the facility was a decision made by the parliament in Norway. The way is was built, was to reflect some of the central principles of the Norwegian correctional services; Humanity and Normality. Some said the first months that is was to “luxurious” – but that critique silenced after a while.

How many prisoners are in your prison?

Approx. 260. A big prison by Norwegian standard, very small by US standards…. We could argue for hours what is the “best” size, however my experience is that very large prisons is more about “logistics” than rehabilitation.

What sort of crimes have the majority of inmates committed? Are there particular crimes that make the inmates less likely to be rehabilitated?

Drug-related crimes are on top. In “second place”, murders. Third; rapists/sexual offenses. Rehabilitating pedophiles is difficult.

Do you see many repeat offenders?

Absolutely, we have them in Norway (and Halden) also. However, re-offending is less likely in Norway and the other Nordic countries, due to our focus on rehabilitation. If I simplify, you might say that re-offending is often connected to those having a drug addiction that we don’t succeed in helping enough.

What are the psycho-social backgrounds of your prisoners? Is there a common theme?

90% have some kind of mental issue, 60% are substance abusers, a substantial number have had problems (violence, sexual abuse, et.c) i their upbringing, many are without jobs, very low education, et.c The majority of the inmates have issues in many aspects of their life.

What is an inmate’s day-to-day life like at Halden?

In short; All inmates shall be in some kind of activity – every day. The normal routine is getting up in the morning, prepare their own breakfest and lunch, thereafter going to work or school. After work/school, they return to their living unit to have dinner. In the afternoon, there are visits, time in the yard, going to the library/gymnasium/etc. They are locked in their cells from around 20:30 to 07:15 Next morning.

What is the reason behind the 20:30 lock down?

Its a cost issue really regarding staffing.

How would you deal with the type of “Fight or die” culture that pulls non-violent offenders into prison gangs for self defense? That issue is pretty much universal in the US prison systems. I’ve always held that putting a burglar in the general population of a prison with violent lifers just forces the non-violent criminal to evolve into a more dangerous criminal.

We do the same in Norway also, mixing all kinds of offenders together. So why do we not have the same problem, or at least not to the same extent, that the US do? I think the answer is because in our prisons, our officers are together with the inmates at all times – we control the prison environment, not the “high-status” inmates. This is part of what we call “dynamic security”, the dialogue and contact between the officers and the inmates.

Do you ever feel intimidated or in danger from your inmates?

Very seldom. Treating people with respect and have a willingness to communicate, reduces tension.

If an inmate gets violent, how are you supposed to handle it?

First of all, most situations that are evolving, is possible to solve by communication. Since our officers are together with the inmates, they feel any tention early and are able to talk the situation down. In the few cases this is not possible, all officers are trained in the use of “physical power”, both on an individual level, as well as a team.

Is there ever a need for solitary confinement? If so, how often is it used and for how long?

Norway doesn’t use solitary confinement as in the US. We have “Security cells” where inmates who present a clear danger to themselves, other inmates, or staff – are put. But they stay there just until the situation is calmed downed, normally within 24 hours – where they move back into general population. You don’t stay in the Security cell as a punishment, as you do in the US.

What are some effective strategies for changing prisoner behaviors for the long term?

Start building trust – by treating them humanely and with respect. Then you have the basis for talking about change, future, etc.

What methods do you see inmates use to help rehabilitate themselves?

This varies among the inmates, you might say that we try to “tailor-made” the effort for all inmates. Screening and interviews form the basis for how we plan the intervention, together with the inmate. In addition to what you mention, I could add; Substance abuse treatment, housing issues, debt counselling, social network, et.c

How do Norwegian sentencing standards compare to US standards? Wouldn’t alternative sentencing for non-violent criminals help ease the burden on the system to allow for that level of supervision?

Alternative forms of “imprisonment” have shown very good results in Norway. I am especially thinking about “Electronic bracelet sentence”, where you live in your own home, being able to keep your work and social relations. The results are low re-offending and low operational cost for the correctional service, very cost-effective over-all.

What criticism do you face nationally and internationally about providing this kind of facilities and treatment to convicts/criminals?

Not much criticism anymore, actually – only some in the beginning. The values, methods, et.c – are the same nationwide, so the reactions initially in Norway was that the facilities was “to nice”. Same from some European countries, UK in particular. Later, the interest har been more curious and open-minded – from most countries really, I guess it is because they feel we are doing something right.

Do you think that Norwegians (and other Scandinavians) are more law abiding in the first place?

I don’t know really. And I am not sure if being law abiding is the right question to begin with. I think the level of crime is partly connected to our up-bringing; Do we have good schools, do we have a good child welfare service, do our children live in caring and functional families, etc. The background to inmates are so “filled with issues” from their younger years.

How do Norwegian citizens feel about having convicted criminals in the workplace? In the US most companies do a background check on prospective employees and felony convictions are a barrier to employment in many cases.

A criminal record might stop you from having certain jobs permanently, or for a period of time, also in Norway. But only these jobs/employers can request that insight into police records, not all employers. So even if there is some stigma of being an “ex-con”, there are job opportunities in Norway. Norway has a low uneployment rate in general, so if you have the right education/et.c – getting a job is absolutely possible.

If your wife was raped and murdered, would you favor an irrevocable death penalty for the killer?

No.

Would you favor sending the perpetrator to a prison similar to the one you run, or to a prison similar to those in the US?

Similar to the one I run.

It is of course easy to sit here behind my computer and have principles. On a personal level I would have been devistated by such a crime, and it is hard to predict what I would say then – as a private person. But one the same time, a government system’s actions and operations can’t be based on emotions – but on facts, knowledge, et.c – hence my answers initially.

If you had to make a single critique of the United States Criminal Justice System as a whole, which would make the most good?

To much focus on punishment&revenge, to little focus on rehabilitation.

Do you believe that the Norwegian model of prison systems can be replicated in other parts of the world?

Yes, definitely. I often hear that “this will not work in my country”. Have in mind then that Halden prison inmate population consists of approx. 40-45% non-Norwegian inmates – coming from 30-35 different countries. Do we have more “issues” with those coming from other countries? No, we do not. This tells me there is something “universal” about treating people with respect and humanity.

Whats your favorite part of the job?

I think it is the daily feeling of “doing good” for society.

Boston Cream Pie

“An ancient Good Housekeeping recipe that I religiously make every New Years day. If you’ve never made a scratch cake, you don’t know what you’re missing. Using cake flour is a must. See Lennie’s recipe #87689. Be sure to properly measure your flour by lightly spooning into a measure cup until overflowing then using the backside of a knife to level off. Too little flour will produce a callapsed cake and too much will have wet spots with dense layers. Cake layers freezeable. Prep time also includes assembly time.”

2023 01 01 21 45
2023 01 01 21 45

Ingredients

Directions

  • Heat oven to 350 degrees. Grease and flour two 9″ round cake pans or make it easy on yourself and trace the bottom of the cake pans on a piece of waxed paper and cut to fit then place on bottom of pans. No need to grease; the cakes will fall right out.
  • For the cake layers: Separate eggs; place whites in a small, clean bowl free of any grease or oil and set aside. In a large mixing bowl, combine cake flour, 3/4 cup of the sugar, baking powder and salt. Set aside.
  • In a small bowl with an electric mixer, beat egg whites until soft peaks form. Very gradually beat in the remaining 1/4 cup sugar; beat until stiff peaks form. Set aside.
  • Add egg yolks, oil and 1/2 cup milk to flour mixture. With electric mixer, beat until smooth, scraping sides of bowl occasionally. Add remaining 1/2 cup milk and vanilla. Beat just until combined. Carefully fold beaten egg whites into batter. Divide batter into prepared pans.
  • Bake cakes 20 to 25 minutes or until centers spring back when gently pressed. Cool in pans on wire rack for 5 minutes. Loosen cake around edges with a sharp knife then turn cakes out onto racks and remove waxed paper, if used; cool completely. (Tip: I make the cake layers in advance, wrap and freeze. Defrost in wrapper for a couple of hours then proceed with the filling and glaze.).
  • While cake is baking, make cream filling: In a 1-quart saucepan, heat 1 cup milk to boiling. In cup or small bowl, combine remaining 1/2 cup milk, cornstarch, sugar, pinch salt, egg and vanilla until blended.
  • When milk comes to boiling, gradually stir in cornstarch mixture with wire whisk. Return to boiling, stirring constantly. Reduce heat and simmer 1 minutes or until thickened to pudding consistancy. Set aside to cool to room temperature.
  • Make chocolate glaze: In 1 quart saucepan, heat water and sugar to boiling. Add chocolate chips; stir until glaze is smooth; remove from heat. Cool 5 to 10 minutes or until slightly thickened.
  • To assemble, place one cake layer, upside down, on a serving plate. Spread with cream filling. Top with remaining cake layer, right side up. Spoon glaze over top; spread to edges of cake. Refrigerate.
2023 01 01 21 47
2023 01 01 21 47

The Defeatist Confessions From The Forever Alone Community

 

1. Sometimes I remember just how lonely I am, how deprived of physical or emotional intimacy I am, and it just leaves me with a cold, numb, empty feeling that radiates from my core to my extremities.

Sometimes I think back on a time, any time, that a girl smiled at me, or laughed at a joke, or any basic, every day, little social cue that she’s potentially a little interested, and I’m overcome with frustration bordering on rage because I couldn’t bring myself to do anything about it.

When that happens I might just sort of growl/moan to myself if I’m somewhere with other people around, but if I’m alone (especially in the car)I’ll scream at the top of my lungs, either a stream of profanities or just a wordless bellow.

When I see or hear any sort of reference to sexuality or romance I just want to bash my face in against the corner of a wall somewhere. Kissing scenes in movies, couples doing couple-y things in public (seeing teenage couples is hands down the worst,nothing like knowing you’ve got less game than a sixteen year old), even just seeing a picture of a hot woman can make me feel like shit sometimes.

I feel like at this point I can’t even show an interest in women, any women, like I’m incapable of it, or not allowed to. It’s like I’ve been in this fucked up situation so long that my brain has rationalized it, and I’ve concluded that I’m supposed to be alone, that I deserve it for whatever fucking reason.

Back in college sometimes when I rode the bus and it was crowded, I’d get a girl sitting next to me. Just feeling our thighs touching lightly, or our shoulders, and it would be the highlight of my day often. sometimes I’d even stay on past my stop just to keep that brief, fleeting moment of human touch going, however meaning less and unintentional it all was. The worst part about that was when I’d get a boner, and I’d feel like some kind of horrible, perverted creep, which would play back into that whole “I deserve to be alone like this) kind of mindset.

Basically, it seriously fucks with your head, and puts you in a mental state where it’s almost impossible to do anything to fix how lonely you are.

2. It’s a source of more or less constant misery in my life. No matter what I do, what I succeed at, what I achieve etc. that albatross is going to be around my neck forever – I’m unwanted, undesirable, not good enough for the rest of the human species.

I try my best to not let it affect my life, vent my frustrations strictly online and try to live every day of my life to the fullest, but I can’t say it doesn’t sap my motivation to do things. I have this lazy loser streak in me, so the desire to just let myself go and become a stupid boring slob gets strong at times.

I’m currently in therapy to learn to deal with those feelings more effectively. I’m allowing the possibility that doing so may finally lead me to experience sex and love, but I’m not holding my breath. I know I’m pretty much bottom of the barrel when it comes to attractiveness and, logically, can’t think of a reason for a woman to choose me – anything I can give, a better looking man can give too.

The worst part of being FA for me is the future. I’m still only creeping up on 30 and have managed to stay healthy so far, but I won’t be this way forever. I’m scared of dying slowly and painfully with no one to even help me. I’m scared also of becoming completely isolated when everyone I know is married and has a busy family life. I’m scared of eventually spiraling into a depression so strong and so bad that I will kill myself.

3. Soul destroying. Humans are social animals, so we need intimate contact and sufficient social interaction in order to be happy and functional. Being deprived of it is horrendous. It’s almost like physical pain. I mean, it isn’t but it feels close to it. It is crushing, excruciating, inescapable and utterly all consuming.

The most intimate thing I have ever experienced is platonic hugging with a female friend of mine (I’m male), and that is almost like a drug to me. The odd thing is that it isn’t a sexual thing – I’m not aroused or turned on that much when we do it. I mean, I am a bit as I am a heterosexual male, but what I mostly get out of it is just intimacy with another human – something I’m very deprived of. Just holding her, feeling her skin, her warmth, her hair, the sound of her breathing, even her smell. It’s just so nice to have intimate contact with someone who cares about me, even if its non sexual. Because that’s why I’m depressed. I’m not too bothered with never having been kissed; its being unwanted, worthless, unloved and utterly, truly alone that kills me inside every second of every day.

4. I’ll be 39 in a few months. I’m really struggling with finding reasons to keep trying or stay around. I wish I could adequately describe in proper detail just how bad the pain and hopelessness is and the events that lead to it, but it would be several pages. I’ll try to sum it up as short as possible

  • Live in the middle of nowhere with my mother, zero career opportunities, this is a very isolated, rural, and depressing place
  • Have not had a job in almost ten years now
  • Zero social life, zero friends either online or in real life
  • Still a virgin and zero dating opportunities for the reasons above, and my lack of culture-fit with this state, basically here if you aren’t native and didn’t find your life partner in high school, lots of luck finding anyone. If you’re an otaku, better hide your power level.

I think the worst part of all of it is, twelve years ago, I got out of this miserable place, moved 3000 miles to the west coast, and finally, for the first time in my entire life, had a small taste of what romantic and social success are actually like. I really wish I had never had that experience, because it showed me just exactly what it is I’ve been missing for my entire existence, and what I will never experience again.

I lost all of that from a very devastating, improbable series of events and bullying in my social and romantic life which culminated in me getting fired from my job and having to drop out of grad school to move back here due to no longer having an income and being severely depressed from the fallout.

When I was younger, people still cared about me, but now, I am considered by every part of society (familial, social, romantic, professional) as irrelevant, unredeemable and a lost cause who should do everyone a favor and stay out of sight. I find it heartbreaking how fast one’s value to society depreciates as they age, the only way to offset that is to keep a social network and most importantly, a significant other.

5. I’m 39 gonna be 40 in the coming year and all I had was a single month relationship throughout my life. At first I felt that I was a cripple trying to run without legs when it comes to attracting girls. I had plenty of female friends yet being friend zoned was a certainty. They all told me I was handsome but of course hearing that and yet not being handsome enough for them told me in my head that was just a pity story for them. I held no apathy towards them..I just accepted that it,s just nature’s way of selection of attraction and I was not meant for selection.

Years later it turned into a hatred…a growing seed of emptyness where I had a dim view on not just women but the whole game of dating and it gave me a perspective seeing from afar hanging with friends. Seeing how superficial pick ups were, how girls would go out with the “jerk” so to speak. How a single word or gesture in the first seconds of your life will determine if she likes you or not. In the end I felt being judged every second when I was being sincere. My openness towed caring for another was threatened by the very girls that I wanted to share with. Agian..I felt the laws of natural selection playing it’s game.

Later in the years it came to experience..or the lack of. I was already being generalized as some sort of creep or loser the second I told them i am a virgin in my late twenties. I guess one night it hit me…i didn’t want to be hateful for the rest of my life.

I was able to see my lack of skill of talking to girls was creeping into a depression or more accurately I felt I was going through a withdrawal of a addictive drug but without the benefits.

I guess I wanted to turn my single status and turned into a weapon against my hatred and unhealthy obsession for finding love that I have seen cripple others in the same situation as me.

I wanted revenge and live a positive life and free of the addiction that made me feel so lonely the last decades.

Looking back I felt I have gone through an emotional battle accepting the truth. I am not part of the natural selection process..love is blind ..so it will never find me.

I felt I let go a poisonous part of my life…i feel free..I do get a little stab in my heart ..a little bit of emotion crawls out and tries to lie to me that I still have a chance of findinging someone…then I remind myself of all the superficial bullshit people who never been in my situation..and here their rose colored fairy tales of how easy it is.

Those ignorant empty words give me strength ..no a challenge to stay single. Because there are more of me who are in the same situation..and we are growing.

Intimacy is the most foreign concept to me…except knowing that it has no logic to it as all emotions do. It can inspire and also destroy…love dwaldles on both good and evil taking no true accountability but only taking credit for the successes and leaves the room when someone fails at it. The risks are great..that is no mystery to me. We all take risks..for me I feel I’m taking a bigger risk…but I know the reward of self sustained emotional positive life is a absolution rather throwing for heart to a girl who is fickle with her emotions. (Men of course are are capable of this as well.).

When my years of absence of another become more then the years ahead a question grew inside me…but I guess it was always there….”Why is love such a big deal?”. Love is just an emotion..a perk so to speak but not a right..like driving….just because you deserve love does not mean love will come to you and even if you work hard at it it’s not a absolution. If it was Every single person on earth will be paired up and that is a fairy tale believed only by the true naïve.

Love is not for everyone..cause not everyone finds it. Because I did not find it should I suffer further looking for it? Should I listen to people who never been in my situation who have the audacity to force false hope upon me? Thats one way to stay single forever.

Miserable blind cat crying for help rescue cat before & after 7 months

Happy ending.

Posted by Jamie Wright :


Jan 5, 2023. China has neither the intent nor the capability to attack us – Former senior Australian diplomat John Menadue

“We are being led in our anti-China hysteria by the United States which is not concerned that China will attack us, or even the United States, but is concerned that its world hegemony is being challenged.” 

That is why the US is persistently goading China into conflict and possible war. And we follow along.

As Jack Waterford put it from a US official, the US sees us as an ‘easy lay’.

What the United States really resents about China is that it is successful after almost two centuries of poverty and humiliation.

China has certainly changed but the problem is the US refuses to change and accept the fact that it’s no longer the sole hegemon.

And the recent US election will not change anything in that regard with both the major parties having a common view about the ‘China threat’ and heavily influenced if not controlled by the military/industrial complex supported by a compliant media.

We follow like a patsy.

The United States is by any measure the most aggressive and violent country in the world and will not accept a multi-polar world where countries large and small can live in peace together.

The US has a dogmatic and self- righteous view that it is ‘exceptional’, a ‘chosen people’ and should set global rules for everyone.

It parrots endlessly about ‘ a rules based international order’.

That is really code for US hegemony and domination.

And to top up its cynicism, the US then cherry picks the rules that it decides to support.

The only military risk that we face from China is if we continue as a proxy for the US in its endless wars.

The US is a dangerous ally, as Malcom Fraser put it. With the complicity of our Ministers, senior public officials and journalists our national sovereignty is being seriously eroded.

Our military is being fused with the US.

We employ retired US military people in our Department of Defence.

In Five Eyes our intelligence agencies take in the dirty washing of the CIA. None of our Prime Ministers stand up for Australia in relations with the US like Gough Whitlam did fifty years ago.

In the 19th and 20th Century we were drawn into United Kingdom’s Imperial wars.

We are now drawn into the United State’s imperial wars.

We allow others to control our thinking and behaviour.

Our ‘leaders’, think Richard Marles, have been on an American drip feed for so long they have an instinctive Washington mind set.

As China reasserts its historic world role there is no doubt that Chinese influence and footprint is growing in our region but there is no evidence whatsoever that we are under military threat from China.

Yet the assumed military threat from China guides almost everything the Albanese Government does and says on strategic and defence matters.

And our captured journalist join the anti China throng.

Scott Morrison and Peter Dutton must be delighted to find themselves mimicked by Anthony Albanese and Richard Marles.

China has neither the intent nor the capability to attack us.

But as a settler society we remain fearful of our region with echoes of the yellow peril and White Australia.

China does not have a history of military aggression beyond the defence of its own borders.

It has only one foreign base in Djibouti, mainly for anti-piracy purposes.

In contrast, the US has over 800 overseas bases including in Guam, Diego Garcia, ROK and Japan that ring China.

The US fleet, with our support, regularly patrols off the China coast.

The US would have hysterics if Chinese vessels patrolled off the Californian coast and the Florida Keys.

Or if China had B-52 type aircraft based in Mexico!

Not surprisingly, China is determined that it must have the military capability to defend its homeland.

However, it does not project its military power around the globe as does the US. China has not been engaged in military activity for the past forty years.

In that time, the US has overthrown numerous governments and illegally invaded many countries.

China has a large and diverse population in areas such as Xinjiang, Tibet, Hong Kong, and Taiwan.

It has land borders with fourteen other countries. Not surprisingly China focuses on domestic issues and the protection of its borders.

If China was an imperial power, it would have swallowed up Mongolia, a democratic, mineral rich state which is more than twice the size of Ukraine.

Japan is the only country that has threatened Australia.

China never has.

Japan occupied large parts of China in WWII and was responsible for the deaths of over 20 million Chinese people.

Clueless and careless of its aggressive history, Japan is again leading the anti-China frenzy in QUAD. This will not end well.

Calm down and do not too caught up in the nonsense that surrounds you

I woke up to this comment at the top of my comment stack.

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2023 01 26 08 54

Ah, what is fucking wrong with you people? I don’t need to read this, and I don’t want to promote this, but I am (at times) flooded with this exact kind of nonsensical gibberish.

Look people, I get enough of this “ugly” for a lifetime. I am sorry to put it on MM. Please accept my apologies, but I do want you all to see what is festering in the United States these days.

Today, well, this post is just going to be rather soft.

Please have a nice day, and make the most of what you have. Be kind to dogs and cats. Buy a cup of coffee for some co-workers. Try to add some good into the world, rather than vomiting out on everyone with evil, vile hatred puke.

Make the world a better place. In a kind and soft way, you can make a difference. You. Yes, you can.

Know that I believe in you guys.

What’s It Like To Date A Woman 25 Years Older Than You?

 

I dated a lovely woman that was exactly twice my age. I was 25 and she was 50.

She’d been through a terrible, abusive marriage, and had 3 grown children, 2 of which were older than I.

Her ex and her kids treated her like shit and unfortunately she let them.

Together we made a life running a business together that was successful enough for us to afford 2 homes, 3 nice cars, and a 30+ foot house boat.

Eventually I realized that while I had a damn good life, I was not happy.

Age is not just a number. It eventually gets to the point where you can see the huge difference.

I got tired of the Mom jokes and I was totally out of my element when her kids visited. I hated how they treated her and it became a source of contention for us.

Sexually, we were great at first, but that changed quickly as she went through menopause. She was no longer interested in sex and I was a raging 30yr old by then.

We started sleeping apart because her “back hurt” and I was just so comfortable with my life that I didn’t protest.

Things really started to fall apart when I was getting closer to 40 and realized that she just couldn’t keep up with the things I wanted to do in life.

I was taking care of her more and more and I started to resent her for it. Eventually I realized that unless I left I would be miserable.

I told her when I was 38, after 13 years together, that I thought it was time for us to part ways. One of the most difficult things I’ve ever done.

She was totally devastated. So much so that I almost stayed, just to make sure someone would be there to care for her as her health failed.

I begged her to become self reliant and moved out after 6mo. of trying to help her settle her life apart from me.

I moved out of state and told her idiot kids that they needed to help her.

That’s the last time I saw her. I left her with everything. Both the houses and 2 cars and the boat, also the business we’d built together.

Financially she wouldn’t ever have to work again. I started over with a pickup truck and about $2k in the bank.

Vintage Hamburger Goulash

“Found while surfing the net. I don’t remember what site I found it on.”

2023 01 02 12 49
2023 01 02 12 49

Ingredients

Directions

  • Saute beef, 1/2 tsp of red pepper flakes and 2 onions in large frying pan. Drain excess fat. Lots of onions makes this good.
  • Meanwhile, in another pan cook macaroni in boiling, salted water until tender. Set aside until almost ready to serve.
  • When beef and onions are finished cooking, add the canned, crushed tomatores and approximately 1/2 cup water; also add garlic salt, pepper, chili powder and mix well.
  • Simmer for about 20 minutes; then add cooked macaroni noodles and mix well when ready to serve. If you add the macaroni noodles too soon, they may over cook and get mushy.
2023 01 02 12 52
2023 01 02 12 52

9 People Reveal Their Frustrations Of Being Raised By Overbearing Asian Parents

 

1. I visited a family friend with my parents, and while we were on our way back, my dad said he was discussing with the other parents about how me and their child, and most Asian children in this generation aren’t decisive/willing to take risks at all. I literally exploded.

Like why the fuck do you think we are this way?

Don’t you think maybe if you guys weren’t so fucking stingy with compliments and over critical with every single little mistake we made growing up then we would be a bit more confident and not deathly afraid of making mistakes???

Kid grow up to reflect how they are raised, it’s not like all of the Asian kids had a secret meeting and we just all decided to be constantly insecure and anxious as fuck and afraid of making decisions/mistakes in our life.

No, our parents literally raised us to be fucked up and then complain about it like we decided to be fucked up. Asian parents literally have no fucking clue how raising a child works.

They raise their child toxically and then expect them to magically turn out like they were actually raised by mentally healthy and loving parents. Fuck you.

I turned out to be insecure and anxious and pessimistic and afraid of mistakes/decisions because you raised me this way.

I’m not even holding grudges, but stop acting like I chose to be like this, no one would choose to be like this.

2. Asian parent logic: I must berate and emotionally abuse my children. I will never apologize to my children for any mistakes, even if they are my fault. I will not respect their boundaries.

At the same time, I demand fearful obedience, financial support in old age, and unconditional devotion.

Asian parents expect children to adhere to a social code that they don’t even reciprocate. It is insane to abuse a child, rip away any sense of self worth from them and expect them to love you. How is a child suppose to even reciprocate or learn something that was never taught or shown??????????

God forbid I ever bring this up to the pea sized brains of my parents. I don’t want kids because I don’t want to perpetuate this toxicity. It can rot with my childless body when I die.

3. It amazes me that parents think doing the bare minimum as parents is deserving of lifelong gratitude.

“We fed you and housed you and bought you clothes and let you go to school”

You are literally supposed to do that for your children. Don’t have children if you don’t expect to do this as a parent, you idiots.

Like you feeding and clothing your kids make you an exceptional parent. I mean what was the alternative?

Child services being contacted was the only other option. You don’t get praised in school for getting 50%.

4. My mum is always comparing me to someone. This includes but is not limited to: my sibling, my cousins, distant relatives, my OWN friends, random news stories about 8 year old prodigies… Even Obama.

It’s gotten to the point where I’ve literally heard it all until today I was gushing about BTS and how proud I am of them for coming so far especially with their Grammy nomination, when my mum said this:

“Look at BTS working so hard. Why don’t you work as hard as them? They are so hard working. You’re not even worth BTS.”

5. Asian Parents sometimes like to say that we are “ungrateful” and “entitled”. I think the opposite. I think THEY are the ones who are ungrateful and entitled.

They assume we should be automatically happy after being provided a “roof on your head, food to eat, clothes to wear”. They assume that just because of these things, we should be willing to do anything and everything they want, exactly the way they want it, whenever they want it.

That’s called being entitled.

They don’t like the fact that we have our own emotions, our own plans. It means, in their eyes, that we are “ungrateful”. However, being called ungrateful is nothing more than an insult. It holds no weight, parents are just mad that their directions are not being followed. Instead of appreciating that you have a child who does even decently at school, or piano, or anything, you hold them up to these ridiculous standards, always expecting more than what they have.

That in my view, is called being ungrateful.

6. The problem with Asian parents is that they refuse to look at us as separate human beings with our own thoughts, emotions, etc.

They also want control over every aspect of their life, I guess this extends to control of their kids.

And THEN they act surprised when all this backfires. “Oh, WHY IS HE LYING TO US”. Maybe because you restrict fucking everything? Come on.

7. Expecting kids to behave according to cultural practices of a place 1000s of miles away goes against our nature as human beings

As a student of science and psychology specifically, it kills me to see asian parents expecting their children who came here young or were born here to follow norms of a country in some other continent. It literally goes against our nature to adapt to places that are NOT in our immediate environment. It is completely abnormal and dysfunctional to raise kids with the expectation. If you are westnerized and live in the west then that means you are showing signs of healthy human behavior. We are not meant to stay in one time and place or adapt to environments that are not ours. We’d not make it as a species if this were the case.

I’ve seen parents who have been here for decades (my own especially) who literally show immense pride for not changing and still being very cultured. That’s insane to me. If you’re in a country for 30 years and you still live like you were back home then there is something incredibly dysfunctional about you. That’s not normal and horrible for your kids and this is because there is all this pressure to adhere to a place that they’ve never lived in while telling them to actively reject the place that you do.

Don’t get me wrong, I think celebrating your culture is great and incorporating culture in your life if thats your thing is fine. However, celebrating your culture and imposing culture on kids are very different and often the culture being imposed is not even the current culture back home anyways. What really happens (and I’m basing this on my mom) is that people back home have changed and grown and she has stuck in some 1970s time capsule that she keeps telling me to believe is what our culture back home looks like now.

8. I am every tiger parent’s dream daughter, and I am miserable

Thin, youthful, physically attractive, athletic, near-perfect health. Attended a top U.S. engineering school. Software engineer at Google. On track to be top 1% income and top 6% wealth for my age group within a year.

Yet they treat me like shit. Constantly screaming. Criticizing my every purchase. Asking how much I paid for certain items (coffee, food, bicycle) and complaining that I spend too much money. Not to mention back when I was a child I was screamed at and beaten every day, despite being a pretty good daughter. I have accomplished everything a tiger parent could ask for, yet I am miserable and so are my parents.

9. Turning 30 next month. My entire teens and 20s up to 27 was wasted. The best years of my life, under the vice grip of my overbearing, manipulative parents.

I was forced to commute to university. Never had the uni experience. Just classes and back home. By the time I entered the work world I was extremely under developed socially.

I got a great first job at a famous brand but compared to all the other grads there I was so far behind in every sense of being a professional. They were all great at shmoozing and articulating themselves. Being fun without being creepy. Being assertive in meetings and presentations. Organizing after-work grad socials etc. Meanwhile, I was the complete opposite of all that.

Even just everyday conversations they were all so well versed in different topics. Meanwhile I was sooo sheltered I had nothing to add to a conversation or tell a story. Mate, even my vocabulary, and literally how I string sentences together was underdeveloped.

And when I tried to fit in it came across very contrived and probably very creepy. I quit the job a year in because it was easier to run than get “found out”.

I didn’t start dating til 22. Even this was half-hearted because of the mental programming by APs and forced to stay at home, curfew and general overbearingness by them.

They didn’t know I was dating. But whenever I would go out my mum would literally harass me with calls and shouting when I got back home it was just easier to be an incel than deal with her bullshit.

Had no hobbies, because these were all labelled a waste of time.

Normally I used the gym to block and drown these regrets and feelings of self-pity. But since lockdown and no gym I’ve been abusing drink and food to avoid these thoughts. I just cant get over it. And I know these feelings will get worse the older I get and more time distance from my 20s.

I feel like at 29 I am at the development level of where most normal 20 year olds are.

I absolutely resent my parents and myself. I have immense self hate because of this shit.

Origami Inspired Pet Houses Will Give Your Furry Friend a Stylish Abode

main 2021 08 17T163555.619
main 2021 08 17T163555.619

Japanese companies Netco and TENEO have collaborated to dream up these charming pet houses using traditional origami techniques, and begun a crowdfunding project to realize them that is sure to please cat and small dog lovers.

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sub1 2021 08 17T163507.361

The main material is a foldable eco-friendly strain of cardboard. The production team has also consulted Professor Jun Mitani ,a Tsukuba University professor part of an origami research lab, to ensure pets’ comfort while retaining the beauty of the origami structure.

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sub3 97 1

The main purpose of this project has been to integrate the Japanese tradition into modern lifestyle living. This project was a collaborative work between two parties; a new apparel brand, TENEO and an event marketing company, Nouvelle Vague.

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sub4 85 1
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sub12 10 1
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sub11 17 1
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sub7 45 1

The Thoughts And Feelings Of A Police Officer Who Just Shot Someone To Death

 

I was involved in my first on duty shooting incident. And I killed someone. It is considered a justified shooting, but never the less its been keeping me up at night. And I thought maybe sharing it will help me process what happened.

I was watching a red light that’s known to produce some speeders and considered a dangerous intersection.

When I witnessed a car run the red light at a high rate of speed. I began pursuit, thinking it was a normal traffic stop. The car pulled over shortly after I began the pursuit.

I was getting out of my vehicle when all of a sudden when the driver stuck his hand out of the window and began shooting at me.

I immediately jumped back, pulled out my gun and returned fire. I swear it felt like it was an hour long shoot out but I watched the dash cam, and body cam, and it was literally a few seconds before the car took off again, I kept firing after the car took over, believe it was 3 or 4 shots.

I then got back into my car and took off in pursuit again, called in back up, when the car started to act erratically a few hundred meters from where the shooting took place the vehicle ran off the road and into a ditch.

I pulled up behind it, and grabbed my rifle positioned myself and called for the driver to stick his hands out.

I wasn’t getting any response, after a few calls I decided to approach the vehicle. My eyes were trained on the driver seat as from what I saw there was only the driver in the vehicle, as I get closer I can see the steering wheel, interior of the windshield is covered in blood.

I later learned I hit the suspect twice, once in the shoulder once in the head, it had been the last few shots I had taken as he had already taken off.

The suspect was dead, I then hear crying, look in the passenger side rear seat and see a 3 yr old boy crying his eyes out calling for his daddy.

Then it hit me, I had just killed this little boys daddy right in front of him.

I checked on the boy, thankfully outside of a bit of bruising caused by the crash he was ok. Shook up and scared out of his mind, but alright.

When back up arrived I had the boy sitting on the hood of my car, but outside of that the incident was over.

I later learned the person I shot at had warrants out for his arrest and he was facing some serious charges and serious time in jail.

Also after looking at my patrol car I noticed the suspect shot the hood of my car, the windshield, and the door I was behind.

It still keeps me up at night, this was the first time I was ever involved in a shooting, and first time I ever killed someone and I pray its the last time.

I think back on the emotions, and its so complex, it went from regular traffic stop to panic, to anger, to fear, and when I saw the boy a brief moment of anger that this would risk his child life over his stupidity to sorrow for that boy having witnessed his dad get killed in front of his own eyes.

I keep going back to that moment asking myself if I should have done something differently, but I can’t think of anything.

The suspect was in my opinion easily going 20+ above the speed limit, plus he ran a red light.

The second he started shooting at me he took away my choices, I had no choice but to return fire. My chief told me it was a text book use of force.

But it still keeps me up at night. At first I declined therapy, but a week or so ago I agreed to it.

One of the things that really brothers me is what if I had shoot the 3 yr old in the process?

His rear window was full of my shots, I’m sure a few inches over, and I may killed a child, that’s what really keeps me up at night.

That day also made me realize how close I am came to getting seriously injured or worst.

I would hate for my family to get the visit from my chief telling them I had been killed in the line of the duty. It sometimes really makes me question why I do what I do and is it worth it?

"Having worked in several federal prisons for 31 years, I used to always tell people that the huge, muscular inmates were rarely the ones one should be afraid of. This young dude is a perfect example of that. Guys like this don't have any interest in a face-to-face fist fight. They are cunning and have no problem coming up behind you and running steel through your neck. Dude's like this are the ones who are really, really dangerous."

https://youtu.be/eEHTB7ZVFm8

10 People Who Like Their Steaks Well-Done Explain WHY

 

1. First of all, by well done, I mean brown all the way through, which is not the same as completely burned so that the steak resembles a hockey puck in appearance and flavor.

I have had some phenomenal steaks cooked well done at moderate-to-upscale steakhouses, and the outside was barely charred at all.

After trying steaks cooked to a variety of temperatures, I feel that well done is the best according to my tastes. I don’t feel that the flavor is substantially lost by cooking the steak for longer.

Of course each temperature has its own distinct flavor, but I do not feel that a properly prepared well-done steak sacrifices much, if any, flavor.

The same goes for texture, if prepared properly. That said, in general, I prefer my food cooked all the way through.

When I cut into a rare steak and am greeted with a bright-red gush of raw beef and blood-like juice, I completely lose my appetite. Presentation is important when eating such an expensive meal. Finally, a fully cooked steak reduces the probability of picking up a foodborne illness. So it’s a win anyway you cut it (pardon the pun).

2. I like steak, but I don’t get how people enjoy tough and chewy raw steak. It’s just not enjoyable to eat. Well done (or medium well) steaks imho are more flavourful and I like the texture of the meat a lot better, but everyone acts like I’m desecrating the sanctity of the steak when I order well done. Like, it’s just food. Let me eat how I damn well want to eat it.

3. I just prefer the taste of it and don’t like tasting raw parts of half-cooked steak. Steak is a slice of meat. You’re supposed to cook the raw bits of meat. Nobody eats chicken half-raw. So why is it bad to eat steak well-done?

4. I like Well-Done meat myself too. Coworkers always jokingly bashed me for it, so I tried Medium-Well, Medium, and Medium-Rare burgers n steaks. No difference in taste for me, chewiness I could care less about. So I stick with Well-Done.

5. I don’t get it. It’s raw. It goes in mushy and exits mushy.

Humans have discovered fire. We don’t have to eat the animal raw right after a successful hunt. I really view it as uncivilized and animalistic.

I like medium well. Or well done.

The fibers don’t even break down for proper chewing if it’s too raw.

6. Everyone talks about how rare steaks are so “juicy” but I like a hard and smoky taste. It’s what I enjoy. I’m tired of people treating well-done steak eaters like they are doing something wrong. Steak CAN be cooked well done, and it tastes good (to people like me). In fact, I just cant eat rare steaks, I’ve tried. Something about seeing really pink meat is just off putting.

The common argument I hear is, “eating well-done steak is a waste of the meat. It can be eaten that way, yes, but its an inferior way of enjoying it and shouldn’t be done.”

Well, guess what, the world isn’t all about you and how your tastebuds work. When I get a steak, I pay for it with my own money. I enjoy what I eat and think, in my eyes, it is the best way to enjoy steak. So let off this elitism about eating steaks the “right” way.

7. I like the overall bite within a well done steak. A medium rare to me, has a soft texture that feels weird in my mouth that I just can’t bring myself to swallow it. People say well done steaks are rubbery but I’ve have tender and juicy ones.

8. I genuinely prefer the taste of dry meat over moist. I have weird tastebuds though, so I prefer everything savory to be on the Brulee side of things. Meat just doesn’t taste as good to me, if it isn’t slightly burnt.

9. I was a meat cutter for years so I was able to try a wide variety of cuts any way I felt like preparing them.

The thing that put me off rare meat was how much juice flowed out and the seemingly endless squishy chewing required to finish a bite. With a well done (but well cooked) piece it broke down a lot easier and did not fill my mouth up with the extra juice.

I’m pretty sure most of it was psychological because thinking about chewing something rare would make me gag.

What I found is that the same things that made a cut good when medium rare make it good well done – and I could most certainly tell the difference between a well cooked rib steak and a piece of chuck.

I cannot abide by meat nazis. The perfect way to cook meat is the way you, or whomever you’re serving it to, enjoys it

10. Nothing to do with the taste, everything to do with the consistency. I’m from eastern europe, here everything is well done, so when I first came to the US and tried an american steak at a somewhat upscale restaurant, don’t know if it was medium, rare, medium rare, whatever and I couldn’t care less, I thought I was gonna puke across the table. It had the consistency of rubber and phlegm, and then for a week I had the worst indigestion ever. But I didn’t give up, I continued to try american style steaks all with the same result. Even tho the taste was marginally richer than a properly cooked well done steak back home, that phlegm rubber consistency and the red water that dripped out of it put me off for the time being. Might try forcing myself to eat that stuff again next time I visit but the chances are VERY slim I’ll ever end up liking it.

Gravy-Smothered Salisbury Steak

2023 01 02 12 53
2023 01 02 12 53

Ingredients

Directions

  • In a bowl, whisk the egg and milk.
  • Add bread crumbs, 1 tablespoon gravy mix and onion.
  • Crumble beef over mixture and mix well.
  • Shape into two patties, about 3/4 inches thick.
  • Broil 3-4 inches from the heat for 6-7 minutes on each side or until meat is no longer pink and a meat thermometer reads 160°.
  • Place the remaining gravy mix in a small saucepan; stir in the water and mustard. Bring to a boil; cook and stir until thickened. Serve over patties.
2023 01 02 12 56
2023 01 02 12 56

9 Guys Who Were Sexually Assaulted By Women Reveal Their Story

 

1. When I was a private in the Army, a female friend in my unit became somewhat obsessive over me to the point of being a stalker after I rejected her advances. We had faulty locks on our barracks doors that could be opened with a pair of pliers.

She would casually break into my room and wait for me… so we could “talk about us.” She would normally leave if I told her to, so I didn’t think much of it.

One night I came home drunk, passed out, and woke up in the middle of the night to her giving me a bj. I didn’t even know how she got in my room. When I realized what was happening, she attempted to ride me. I pushed her off and told her to leave.

My roommate, friends, NCOs, etc, everyone just thought it was hilarious. It didn’t really bother me, but I definitely look back and see that it was wrong.

2. Friend’s mother. She was 50something, we were teenagers. She assaulted at least 4 of us. This was the cool house where you could drink, hang out etc.

For my part, she once pointed a rifle, that I assumed was loaded, at me another kid and told us to wash her dishes. Part way through she reached into my pants and started stroking me. Her husband actually walked into the room during this and when I looked to him he said “don’t look at me, she’s got the gun”

I know other friends got a lot worse than I did. She also assaulted the girl who would later be my first adult partner with a vibrator. Her daughter’s bf lived with them for a year and I’m pretty sure he got the worst of it.

When I was in my early 20s she died of a heart attack and that guy brought a 6 pack to my house to tell me. Only time I’ve toasted to someone’s death.

3. Got drunk with some friends and took a couple bars (not an uncommon Saturday night back then). One girl and I stayed up bs’ing in the kitchen. Most folks had passed out and it was a way to keep from disturbing people. The next thing I recall is waking up on the couch with her riding me and biting the hell out of my chest (the bruise lasted about a week and a half). A few other people wake up to the noises, including my girlfriend that I shared the apartment with. The girl riding me stopped to the commotion and left quickly.

I had never blacked out before and wanted to make sure I was okay (drugs are bad, mmm’kay). Toxicology turned up she had slipped some rufies in my drink at some point. Had gf go with me, because she was having a hard time believing the story. (Hot chick riding your bf in the living room while you sleep so you can work in the morning and him not wanting it). Also had them check for any STDs as people started warning us that she may be running green. Came back clean, but that night started my path to stop using drugs.

Talked to a cop friend about the situation and he, low key, advised against trying to press charges since there were drugs and alcohol present and they would have to search the place for evidence and that wouldn’t go too well for me and it would come down to her word against mine. Even with me being rufied, it would be hard to convince a jury, so I let it go.

Went about three years without seeing her anywhere, even though we ran in the same circles. Bumped into her in a grocery store and she immediately started apologizing. I told her it was in the past and I’ve moved on. She wasn’t making a scene and I didn’t really want to make one either. I don’t know that I would have had that restraint had I bumped into her shortly after the incident.

4. Long story short: Late night after the bars in college, I go home and passed out, girl knocks on my door and asks if I’m home, we know her so my roommate says yeah and lets her in. She goes straight to my room where somehow, while I lay lifeless passed out drunk, she gets me hard and starts riding me. My roommate opens my door and flips on the light and asks if she even put a condom on me first, she says no, and he kicks her out. I am informed of all this in the morning. Scary the idea that if the roles were reversed, it’d be a severely different story but I personally didn’t really care nor did anyone else when I told them. Every single response was “that’s awesome easiest lay of your life”

5. I was raped twice by two different girls. The first one was my dad’s girlfriend. I was staying with my dad and his girlfriend when I was around 16 and one weekend he went away for the weekend.

Well the moment he left his girlfriend tells me let’s go. We go to the liquor store and she tells me to pick a bottle. I drank tequila every night with my dad so I thought nothing of it.

I picked a bottle of absolute citreon and a six pack of beer. Well we start taking shots and before you know it the entire bottle is gone. I get and and throw up in the bathroom and stumble back to the couch and pass out.

That’s all I remember…… Until I wake up to her giving me a blowjob. I passed out again and she is riding me.

I couldn’t pass out after that so I pretended to sleep until she was done. The next morning I woke up ran in the shower and when I got out she was telling me about the great life we were gonna have. Well I played it off until my dad got back and told him everything. Shit blew up and I went back home with my mom and buried it in my head for 20 years.

Second time I was drinking with a bunch of friends and a friend who was staying with me was seeing this girl.

Well the girl he was seeing had another girl who was sleeping at her house so I had to drive them all. The whole drive to my house this girl is saying she was gonna fuck me. I sorta laughed and said nahhh I’m good.

You fucking with my other boy and I got a girl. Well she wouldn’t take no for a answer. When we got to my house I told my friend not to leave us alone. As soon as I use the bathroom I get back to my room and this girl is naked in my bed.

I go to leave the room and she runs over and closes the door and litterally pushes me onto a chair. I get a flashback of the first time and I freeze. I let her do her thing and I went to bed.

I never told anyone and my girlfriend at the time ended up being my wife. She put up with my depression for about 15 years before she got tired of it and I finally told her.

It was like a huge wieght off my chest. I still never drink around females unless my wife is around and I have a hard time looking females in the face when I talk to them. It really fucked me up. If I have 1 drop of alcohol my dick is dead to the world. I get such bad anxiety and the occasional flashback.

6. Ended up in my exes room because she said she wanted to talk. She locked to door and told me she wanted to fuck. Told her no repeatedly and she started slapping and kicking me every time I tried to leave.

I told her I was gonna yell for help and she said “who are my roommates gonna believe you or me?”.

So I tried calling my friend to come help me but she took me phone and threw it into her closet, with the same kicking (balls) and slapping me.

I finally relented and let her do whatever she wanted then packed up my things left and completely blocked her off of everything.

7. I got nearly blackout drunk with my roommates and floor mates in first year, the night before our first exam. Went to bed alone, they staid up drinking. Woke up (vague drunken awareness ) to a girl trying to stuff my whiskey dick inside her. Didn’t really know what to do and just sort of drunkenly let her continue. I was extremely confused as this girl was an out lesbian, I had no idea what was going on. Tried to off my self a few days later.

Took a long time to admit to myself that it even happened, maybe it contributed a bit to trying to kill myself? Cuz I was in a miserable terrible black hole for the next months and eventually switched schools. It took a long time to even consciously connect the dots. Never really told anyone cuz I couldn’t really even admit to myself that maybe, that wasn’t a cool thing of her to do.

And if I did tell anyone other than a therapist I have a hard time believing they would be supportive. MY close, lifelong friends already think I’m a wee bit of a slut (some truth), especially because I’m not looking for commitment in any form. So I imagine people would be super dismissive. At the time my roommates sort of tongue in cheek congratulated me, because you know, isn’t that the dream?

“You were drunk in first year and hooked up with a lesbian?! Legendary!”

8. I was raped by my college roomate’s girlfriend. This happened around sophomore year of college. One of my roomates had been dating this girl off an in for about 8 months or so.

She was a tall, athletic, attractive red head. She had that oh so famous red head temper. My roommate was also not the best boyfriend.

They fought a lot in our apartment. Several times, I was forced to physically get between them to prevent an altercation and/or our stuff getting broken. These fights happened at least once a week, and almost every time they drank.

One Friday, she tells me that she wants to set me up with one of her soriorty sisters, so we 4 (roommate, roommate’s gf, gf’s friend, and myself) all go out to the clubs. The night was going surprisingly well.

The friend and I didn’t really connect in a romantic level, but we were all having a good time none the less. At one of the clubs, it’s my turn to buy a round, I’m standing at the bar, trying to tune out the loud music, when I feel an arm reach around from behind me and grab my crotch.

Natural reaction, I turn to see who it was and see my roomates gf standing behind me grinning… I carefully removed her hand, and tried to mentally brush it off as the alcohol getting to her.

Fast forward another two hours and we are in the cab going back to our apartment. Roomate and girlfriend are loudly fighting about something, while the friend and I are sitting in uncomfortable silence.

It is at this point, things get really blurry, it was as if all of the nights alcohol hit me all at once.

I remember us getting back to our apartment parking lot and my roomate and his girlfriend are shouting at each other. I throw the driver a bill and stumble back to our apartment with girlfriends friend in tow, leaving them to fight outside. I don’t know where the friend crashed, I just walked straight in and straight to my bed. I don’t think that I even took my club clothes off.

Don’t know how much time passed, but get the feeling of something wet around my crotch area and on my stomach.

My initial thought, before opening my eyes, was that I pissed myself. Upon opening my eyes, I see my roomates girlfriend on top of me, riding me. I sobered up in that one second and quickly shoved her off of me.

I just remember saying “WTF are you doing?!” and her saying VERY loudly, “Well someone else won’t fuck me!” as if she wanted my roomate to hear. I told her to get out, and she did whilst calling me an asshole.

I lay there for a minute trying to analyze what just happened, when I start to feel sick. Not sure if it was the alcohol or the incident that just occurred, but I ran to the bathroom to puke. I returned to my bed and fell back asleep.

I never brought it up with my roomate or his girlfriend. I dont know if she ever told him. He told me the next day that he was so blasted that he didn’t remember anything after we left the club.

The sorority sister was no where to be found the next morning. Roomate and his girlfriend broke up for good not long after that.

I still see her around town every now and then. We are cordial we speak, but I have never brought up the incident. I’m not even 100% sure if she remembers doing it. To be honest, even I have confused feelings about it to this day.

Artist Illustrates Everyday Life With His Wife In Funny Comics

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Yehuda Adi Devir is a Tel-Aviv-based illustrator, comic artist and character designer who creates adorable comics about his daily domestic adventures with his wife, Maya. Whether she’s ridding the house of roaches, using him as her personal radiator (or pillow), motivating him to work out, or destroying the kitchen while preparing complex meals (like cereal), Yehuda’s wife provides him with all the inspiration he needs to create his cute and often relatable comics.

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What’s It Like To Have Cluster Headaches

 

Can you describe what the pain feels like?

Firstly, it is one-sided. > 95% of the time for me it is left hand side. Imagine a clamp around your head tightening, but at the same time there is a sharp hot object behind your left eye trying to drill an exit hole through your eye. The clamp continues to tighten – and every time that you bargain with the universe that “OK, thats my limit, stop now pleas” it tightens a little more. You vomit, loss of balance, and sometimes get quite scared for no real reason. You know what is going on (most of the time) but you have a deep feeling of fear. I also taste stone at the top of my head (how weird).

 

I’ve been run over at an estimated 40 MPH, I’ve broken legs, arms, dislocated knees and nothing comes close to this. It does take you to a new level of pain – and the human body can take more than you can imagine.

Cluster headache are probably the worst pain that humans experience.

How does it compare to getting kicked in the balls?

About the way getting flicked on the arm feels compared to getting a steak knife driven into it.

Do you ever contemplate suicide?

To be brutally honest – yes, at the worst moments, it is an option. Anything to kill the pain. Now that I am on O2 therapy and we are stabilizing the daily attacks, that has helped. Sometimes, when you are in a three day attack with no relief, it does seem like the only route, but most of the time it actually makes you appreciate the good moments more.

Did you say 3 day attacks? Like non-stop? How do you eat / sleep / work?

You learn to adapt – and so do your family. The main clusters are timed: 01:15 and 05:00 are my worst ones – using oxygen and at least one dose of Imigran Injection. The challenge is that you can only use two Imigram per day – so whilst it does abort the attack, it has limited use in any 24 hour period. The pure O2 therapy works very well, and my wife and kids notice the warning signs now before me, so I can now bang on the O2 for half an hour as it come on. Its not the most fun I can imagine, but you learn to cope. I work my own business, so I can program from home when my body allows me to work, and they guys at work are amazing as well.

Having a family and workmates that are understanding is the best thing in the world though. They know that when the beast kicks in, it takes priority over everything – Everything – I mean Christmas, New Years, Birthday, misses then all because of this damn thing, it just takes over when it wants to. But hey, its not terminal, I’m alive, and people have it worse.

How long do the attacks usually last for you?

It can be as short as 1.5 hours if it wants to responds to the oxygen and Zomig – AND if I spot it in time, rising to three hours if it feels like being stubborn or if I didn’t treat it in-time (with headaches for the rest of the day but at least the major attack is over)

Worst case, this can be up to three days if untreated or just because its my turn to get a long one and my body decides fuck you, thats why.

Is oxygen the best way to alleviate the pain?

Yeah, the oxygen is the best thing that Ive tried aside from the Imigran (but that has limited uses in a day -O2 is unlimited and 100% natural). I will normally sit on the oxygen for half an hour and it may abourt, or at least hold it off long enough for something else to take effect (Zomig or zydol depending on severity.)

Are you able to do anything when you have a headache?

No, fraid not. Its complete zombie state. Lying in bed, crying, waiting for the pain to pass, cant cook, hard time walking, dont really feel like eating or drinking. This can lead to problems in the longer ones because you have to keep hydrated, but IF you just dont drink any fluids when you are in one – then this just extends your cluster period!

What’s the most unconventional or weirdest thing you tried to stop the pain?

Weirdest thing was trying to knock myself out – ran head first at walls, blood let, hit my kneecap with a brick to distract the pain – none of it worked!

When did you first start getting the attacks?

About 15 years ago – started off as migraines then (one every three months), but changed forms about 6 years ago and became increasingly regular. The Dr admitted that this was not migraine behaviour, did the usual CAT scans etc, and eventually sent to a Neurologist. Good boy NHS, the Neurologist instantly know what was. The O2 therapy and Imigran cant be cheap, but welcome to the UK -the NHS do not let that cross their mind – once they have you diagnosed, they do everything they can to help.

I don’t remember the first specifically, but I was around 14-15 when they first started, and my reaction was generally to throw up and go sit in the closet in the dark with a blanket over my head because that’s the only thing that felt better.

I also shared a room with my younger brother at the time, who was quite loud and annoying, so I tended to be very violent and throw things at him when I had a headache and he wouldn’t turn down his TV or stop being annoying.

Do you know what causes them?

I have some basic triggers (dehydration, tiredness etc) but not the usual migraine triggers like food, coffee, paint, perfume etc.

What’s the difference between cluster headaches and migraines?

Cluster headaches are generally several orders of magnitude more painful, focused, and come one after another in “clusters” hence the name. They are not triggered by anything we know of, unlike migraines that can be brought on by light, sounds, etc. They can also disappear for months, even years at a time, only to come back nonstop for even weeks without rest.

Have you ever been confronted by someone saying “some event” hurts more. If so how did it go down?

Yeah, I’ve had that. “Just take a few ibuprofen and walk it off, or drink some water” thanks random co-worker, if only I had thought of that sooner.

I know some people are really trying to help, but some people are so bitchy and passremarkable. That soon stops the day you simply collapse in a heap, featal like on the deck, unable to move, ambulance called as you can’t even speak properly (one co-worker later said I sounded possessed!). That tends to let them know what scale of pain we are really talking about. The comments soon stop after that

What medicine do you take for it? Have you tried medical mj?

I don’t take any prescription medication for them currently. I used to have 800mg Ibuprofen, but they stopped working. I had the opportunity to try Vicodin for them, and it did not do anything but make me pee a lot.

Marijuana doesn’t do anything for them either. It does help to distract my thoughts sometimes, but I wouldn’t really consider that a treatment.

Have you ever tried morphine-based drugs to alleviate the pain?

A few of the medications are morphine based – and whilst they lift the smaller attacks, the problem with them is two fold: 1.) Time taken for the body to absorb. They just take too long to get into the system. By the time the pain killing element kicks in, the pain level is beyond medicating. The injection or the O2 is a lot more direct and quicker. 2.) Rebound headaches. Yeah, the human body is a scumbag. It can give you rebound headaches so that it can get more codine or zydol!!

The injections are amazing – BUT worth pointing out that they are not traditional pain killers. if you were in any sort of pain, I could give you this and it would have no effect at all. They work by changing the expansion/contraction of the blood vessels in the brain and perhaps also assist with Serotonin binding – but to be honest, the medical trade know they work but are not 100% sure why!

I hear small doses of Psilocybin have been known to virtually cure cluster headaches. It is also a legal form of treatment.

Ive heard they work, but not tried them yet. I rule out nothing. I would inject heroin directly into my eyeball during an attack if you said that it would help!

Are there any long term side effects? Are these headaches slowly damaging you beyond repair, or is it literally just a shit load of pain and nothing more?

As far as I know, there is no long term damage to the brain – which is so reassuring. At first, you can not believe that you can have this level of pain without some sort of scaring on the brain, but its more down to blood vessels in the brain contracting (or expanding, can never remember which) and causing the most unbelievable pain. I am so grateful that there is no long term damage though….

Is there any illness/disease you would NOT prefer to have?

Yeah, despite the pain and general cr-pness of this condition, lets face it – people have worse. its not terminal for a start. But if we are thinking non-terminal, my sister in law has MS and that scares me. Also Alzheimer’s sounds really scary, as does Parkinsons. I think they scare me worse than what i have.

Chicken Etouffee and doctor assisted death

I want to start this new year off softly.

It is, by most accounts, going to be rather rough if you live in the West.

The key, as always is to be the Rufus. Do your affirmation campaigns, and do not panic by reading the “news”.

There are massive global Geo-political realignments going on, and the evil psychopaths in the United States are going to get desperate. But, the ‘adults int he room” won’t allow them to “toss the entire game board in the air”. So don’t worry.

Be frosty and alert.

And…

Smile.

What Is Doctor Assisted Death Like?

An immediate family member last year was diagnosed with bronchiolitis obliterans (popcorn lungs) with an unknown cause to it. It is something that is not curable. As someone who was a daily part of my life it was hard to watch the condition progress.

His condition progressively got worse and he was transferred to a palativcare physicality a couple of weeks ago. He wasn’t happy living the way he was living and slowly dying. The doctors discussed with him the option of assisted death… something he did not know about, and myself I thought was still not finalized in Canada yet, so it was a surprise to hear this.

After a long discussion with the family and doctors, he signed the papers a week ago to start the process. He wanted to end his life and do away with the suffering and the suffering to come.

So yesterday (Saturday) afternoon was the scheduled day for this to happen. The day started like any other for him… he was very upbeat, laughing, and smiling. All of his close love ones we’re around that morning. We spent hours talking, playing crib, and going through some old memories.

Around 2PM the doctors came into the room, I almost fainted once it dawned on me that it was time – I felt dizzy but I stuck through it. It was even harder to see my kids go through the emotions of it.

What I’m about to describe from here-on-out is very surreal… the doctors sat down next to him in the chair and asked if he was ready to begin the process. He instantly said he was. The doctors then put two ports into his veins, gave him a relaxant and made his recliner comfortable. She explained the first needle he would get would be a heavy anesthesia, which would take him under within seconds, a second needle to numb any pain because the rest of the needles would be nerve-killing, and without it, he would feel a burning sensation. She explained to him it would be just like falling asleep. They then left the room and told us we had as much time as we needed before they would begin.

We all said our goodbyes and shared some final moments through his tears and ours. We agreed we didn’t want to prolong the process and make it any harder, so he had the doctors come back in about 2:30PM.

They carried in roughly 8 needles and laid them on the table next to him. We all stood around him and held his hands. The doctor sat next to him again and put the first needle into the port and asked him if he was sure he still wanted to go ahead with this process.

He said “Yes my love, do it” – my mind was racing when he said this, a rollercoaster of emotions came over me as he grabbed our hands tight and the doctor pushed the needle in. Within seconds you could see his expression change to a relaxing state, he started to mumble some stuff about where he lived… the doctor told us this is the needle kicking in. She then pushed in the second needle right after and he was still grabbing our hands. She then pumped in the remaining milk-looking needles (which I assume was for the nerves). His grip got a little loose, he closed his eyes, and his breathing slowed down. I can’t fathom the time this took… it was like everything was a standstill, but it seemed about 30 seconds, and his breathing and heart then stopped and it was over.

It tears me up writing this out today but I wanted to share my experience going through it and get awareness out there for this option, if any of your family members are terminally-ill, this is an option for them. I have so much respect for the bravery it takes for someone to go through this process – to sit there and have your life taken away, it takes a special kind of person.

I want to thank this great above-and-beyond civilized country for having this option available to him yesterday and I hope my story can help ease some minds about what the process involves. Its truly peaceful for the patient to go through.

Chicken Etouffee

chicken etouffee
chicken etouffee

Ingredients

  • 1/2 cup butter*
  • 2 cups chopped onions
  • 1 1/2 cups chopped bell pepper
  • 1 1/2 cups celery, chopped
  • 2 cloves garlic, peeled and chopped
  • 1 (14 ounce) can diced tomatoes, undrained
  • 1 cup chicken broth
  • 2 (10 3/4 ounce) cans condensed cream of chicken soup, undiluted
  • 2 teaspoons salt
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons black pepper
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons white pepper
  • 2 pounds boneless chicken breasts, cut into bite-size pieces
  • 1 cup finely chopped parsley
  • Cooked rice (optional)

* To reduce fat, butter may be reduced by half.

Instructions

  1. Melt butter in a large skillet over low heat. Add onions, bell pepper, celery, garlic and sauté until vegetables soften and begin to release their juices, about 6 minutes.
  2. Add tomatoes with their liquid and chicken broth. Simmer for 5 minutes.
  3. Add cream of chicken soup and stir until smooth.
  4. Stir in salt, black and white peppers and chicken pieces. Cover and simmer over low heat for 1 hour, stirring occasionally.
  5. Stir in parsley and serve over rice if desired.

Women And Cats: Contemporary Bijinga Paintings By Kazuho Imaoka

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The tradition of bijinga (美人画, “beautiful person picture”) is said to have originated in Kyoto around the mid-Edo period as an art form that portrayed not only external beauty, but inner beauty. The style continued to evolve through the Meiji and Taisho periods of Japanese modernity but now, a group of young Kyoto-based painters are taking the genre and adding a fresh coat of paint. One of those is Kazuho Imaoka.

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Born in Osaka in 1991, Kazuho Imaoka studied at Seian University of Art and Design in Shiga prefecture. Her portraits feature woman, and in many cases, their cats, combined with an emphasis on fashion and textiles.

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Imaoka has said that her subjects are often linked in someway to herself, and that she attempts to convey the unspoken emotions of women living in society. The young artist’s portraits are unmistakably contemporary, but she has a way of connecting the past to the present, perhaps through a successful transmission of inner beauty.

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4 Guys Reveal What Its Like To Go Through A Nasty Divorce

1. I suspect everything would have worked a lot better for me had I not married a person with an extreme personality disorder. Sadly, people don’t come with those sort of markings, and she hid her nature pretty carefully before the marriage.

I got served on a Friday after 5pm when I came home to a nearly empty house. She cleaned out our joint accounts, I had nothing to hire a lawyer with even had there been one available on a weekend. If there are free resources for men facing divorce in my area, I could not find them.

She took the children, all of their clothes, toys, books, and furniture (excepting a bed for each child). I didn’t have any idea where my kids were until the following Tuesday. She left no note, she and her family would not answer the phone.

My ex refused to negotiate on anything. Because my kids are young and she was a “stay at home mom” I got very little consideration on custody issues. No one batted an eyelash when my ex withheld the kids from me, or when she cleaned out our joint accounts.

I paid for all of the lawyers involved, directly or indirectly. The way she took the money from our shared accounts made it nearly impossible to recover anything. Pretty soon I was a paycheck with support obligations and bills that kept me with negative cash flow for 6 months. I made too much to file for bankruptcy, but not enough to cover everything.

I never had an issue with paying child or spousal support. They way they calculated it wasn’t fair, but what can you do? I had lots of issues with getting access to the kids. After the divorce, she ignored most of the items in the final decree, I couldn’t call my kids and she kept me in the dark about school, medical, and after school activities. Had I failed to pay support, an organization would have come after me. When she refused to comply with the divorce decree, I had nothing. To get traction, I would have to go back to court, which I couldn’t afford.

It was brutal. I don’t remember long stretches of the last two years. I held myself together, stayed employed, and cared for my kids when I had them.

I don’t think men in a marriage with a stay at home mom understand how vulnerable they are. I would never consider such an arrangement again, under any circumstance.

2. My divorce was brutal. My ex cheated on me (7x) and when I filed, she instantly started crying that I beat her, playing the helpless blonde card at every turn, crying at the drop of a hat, how there was no way she could possibly support herself (with 2 multiple degrees and a job history). She pushed for 100% custody of the kids and made me pay through the nose for every moment I got to spend with them. She took most of my retirement and made me pay all her legal fees. Everytime I pushed back, she painted me as abusive and misogynist and the judge (a woman) gave her what she wanted.

I ended up with 45% custody of the kids (after a year-long fight), a year of my salary in legal fee debts, no house, and no retirement. She then proceeded to give the kids every single thing they wanted (let my 14 year old daughter sleep with her 19 year old boyfriend in her house) to try to woo them over to her, which backfired horribly and ended up alienating the kids to her completely. When that didn’t work, she took a fireplace iron to my son and ended up being committed, which was where her BPD (borderline personality disorder) was diagnosed.

Now, 10 years later, I’ve not spoken to her in 4 years, the boys despise her, and her daughter is realizing how crazy she was.

3. I was married to a verbally abusive women who broke me financially when I divorced her. I seriously believe that she didn’t even want all that she got, she just wanted to see me suffer.

I’m happy to hear you got away clean but I don’t know a single man personally who has. You said that the mother of your kids has been very reasonable. The mother of mine was awarded custody and I was allowed to visit at her home twice a week for one hour. I have no criminal record or violent history. When I would visit she would bitch at me from the time I rang the doorbell until the time I left. She also has had a vastly higher standard of living with the child support and alimony I was forced to give her for a marriage that was less than 2 years and would flaunt it incessantly.

She tricked a different guy into marrying her right after we divorced by faking a pregnancy. Then when she got married to him she did the same shit to him except with two more kids.

I was able to get the alimony stopped after she remarried but had to pay out the nose through the entire divorce process and until she remarried. I had to work two jobs to pay her off and had to live rent free with a friend until it stopped. She still makes a killing in child support which is only used marginally on the kids.

4. My ex-wife had an affair. While the court would not recognize it despite the testified evidence of numerous late night phone calls to his place of work, the suspicious “picnic lunches” at a location hours away from town, etc, an affair took place for almost a year.

Without knowing all of this at the time, she asked me for a divorce and then wanted full custody of our children, despite the devotion and involvement I was and am in their lives.

That being said, my ex-wife hired an unethical attorney, who believed in a scorched earth policy to ensure his client was awarded the bulk of the estate and the hours he billed were astronomical.

At trial, I was portrayed as a horrible husband and person, which is the farthest from the truth. The “spin” the attorney put on day-to-day aspects of life in order to make one out to be “the bad guy” was mind boggling and eye-opening to how the family court system is truly flawed.

The unethical tactics and manipulation my ex-wife allowed her attorney to do in court was unconscionable, all to achieve money.

The judge in my trial clearly did not understand the concept of pre-tax and after-tax assets and awarded my ex-wife approximately 85+% of the assets acquired during the marriage, in addition to enormous amounts of alimony and child support for 16 years although I was not married that long.

Given this huge amount of money she was receiving, I was still ordered to pay for everything for the children (private schools, clothes, sports/extra cirricular, trips, supplies, etc….everything!). I was also ordered to secure a life insurance policy for millions and name her as beneficiary.

This “alimony sentence” I was given through my early 60’s, has prohibited me to save for retirement and continue to live the life I would like with my new wife, yet the judge ordered me to keep her in the life to which SHE was “accustomed”. Despite the fact she is an educated woman capable of working and supporting herself in the lifestyle she desires.

Even worse, is that the ex-wife has been living with another man for 5+ years. Despite the emotional toll and unsettling environment my ex’s living arrangement has taken on the children, she continues to fight for alimony even though the divorce decree states it ends when living with a man that is not her husband.

Yet the flawed CT cohabitation law is written that the domestic partner must also provide financial support to her household. Why would the live-in provide financial support when the ex-wife has substantial amounts of money? Therefore, the alimony now becomes support of BOTH of them!

10 People Reveal What They Love About Fishing

1. Fishing is a way of being in symbiosis with nature. Not all the materials are “natural” but I feel while i am fishing, the life around you accepts you as part of that environment.

Your body slows and your mind focuses enough to be aware of all that is happening around you. You get to experience things you can’t plan to happen; an eagle swooping for a fish, a dolphin chasing mullet, sharks free swimming; observing intimate interactions between multiple species. I love it

2. I like bass fishing and my fishing buddy likes ocean fishing, both are cool. With bass fishing, you don’t cast and wait a few hours, you cast continually. You get good at recognizing spots and putting your lure right where you think the fish is.

Really though, two things are nice. One, is all you care about is fishing. No phones, no job, no outside world. It is just you and the fish. How often are you really able to escape into your own mind like that. Before I learned how to meditate, fishing and golf were the closest I came.

Second, is fishing buddies. Do not underestimate how important it is to have activities with friends. For you and your boys to go out their and spend the day distraction free is great. Funny things will happen, stories will be made, and no one is going to get hurt. All around good time to spend

3. Fly fishing actually gets me because its not about the actual fishing, its the stalking the waiting, the nature, the escapism, the spotting, the zen of it all. (I either eat or catch and release – mainly on the rare occasions of success). It surprised me when I tried it, so I guess i can simply say, there is fishing and there is fishing

4. I live in Land Locked Canada and to me fishing has always been about connecting with the land.

I particularly have fished a lot in Kootenay lake in British Columbia. Learning your fishing spot is learning how our world works. This lake in particular was formed millions of years ago and the mountains to the east used to make up what used to be the pacific coastline. This helps inform why the fish that live in the lake exist where they do.

It can be a sobering experience knowing the native people, for thousands of years fished the same fish and how the lake has changed over the years in both the longterm and over the decades as damming in the 50s has raised the water level.

And that’s just one lake. Every lake, stream and river has its own story.

My point is when I fish I’m on a boat going up the shoreline, seeing the rock formations and cliff faces. In the Fall, seeing snowflakes in the mountains turn to rain.

Then there’s the fishing itself. Again your on a boat on a nice day seeing the beauty of the lake, and then you get to fight the fish when you get a bite.

Knowing how to tire a big fish out is really fun on its own and once you have the fish you have a delicious dinner.

5. I fish because it allows me to interact with, and have a relationship with the natural world and all of its inhabitants. The birds, waterfowl, fish, land animals, etc all going about their day searching for food while I do the same is a peaceful experience for me.

Also, it will always remind me of my grandfather and the lessons and stories he told while we were fishing together. He’s still with us, but when he’s not I will always be able to connect with him out on the water wetting a line.

6. I call it hydrotherapy. Exploring mother nature does wonders for the soul. I usually do more observing than fishing ,there’s always more to learn.

Fishing teaches patience, which is sorely lacking in today’s society.

It has taught me to be a good steward of my waters as I pick up bag after bag of trash left by selfish cretins.

My motivation is to catch a bigger fish,of course, but I’ve learned that putting the big ones back to breed feels better than eating them.

7. Just peace. Its the only way I can put work, life, stress, etc out of my mind without excessive substance abuse. Feels like I’m my whole self when I’m on the water, my instincts kick in and everything else goes away.

Granted, landing a piggie smallmouth is a fckin thrill. But it’s more about peace than anything.

8. For me getting out on the water provides peace of mind.

I like to fly fish so my lure selection is a little more nuanced and particular, but when I get out there and I’m focused on picking the right fly to convince the big brown trout holding in a pool 20 ft away from me to eat.

Everything else washes away. It provides a strange level of hyper-focus and absent minded clarity at the same time.

Often I’ve gone out fishing to decompress and get away from work for a little while and when I get back to doing important things I often find that i’m refreshed and can approach problems with a new perspective.

Being out on the water also allows your mind to wander and sometimes this has produced great ideas that i wouldn’t have realized had I stayed at my desk trying to hammer out work.

Besides all of the mental aspects of the hobby when you hook into a fish that can actually fight back and pulls on your line there is a massive adrenaline rush, it almost touches something primal in your soul.

9. Sure, I find it relaxing. It’s one of the few activities in which my mind is totally blank. When I’m in the creek, there’s no thoughts of work, bills or other life stressors.

But, to be honest, I’m not a very religious person so I try to be somewhat ‘spiritual’ and fishing and being outdoors helps me achieve the spirituality I want.

To be closer with the Earth and enjoy the beautiful world around us. I know that sounds like a very hippy thing to say but, to answer your question, relaxation to be closer to Mother Nature.

10. It’s one of the few activities I’ve found where my mind can stay focused on a singular, low pressure objective for hours on end. My job requires a lot of me, in the sense that I have to be on top of 30 different, often higher pressure situations at any given time.

I’ve never been able to achieve relaxation while “vegging out” and fishing strikes that awesome balance of requiring focus while lacking any type of competition or pressure. I also just like being on or near the water.

Beyond that, it’s an awesome community. Since I started fishing I’ve struck up so many conversations with people who are excited to talk about catches, favorite spots, lures, etc.

Africa

Yesterday on the week in review thread I noted the Chinese FM’s visit to Africa.

Today, we have an excellent overview by Ekaterina Blinova about happenings there, “From Unipolar World to Multipolarity: Why US Attempts to Intimidate Africa Won’t Work,” that I highly suggest be read.

Here are several outtakes:

"China continues to be the leading source of FDIs in Africa and has a pipeline of projects, particularly in infrastructure," Kubayi told Sputnik. 

"Africa's relations with China continue to deepen. This relationship can yield great benefits to both parties in joint research and development, manufacturing in Africa, and an African market that is expected to reach 2.5 billion in population by 2050. 

African wealth in minerals such as rare earths and others are all thoroughly purposefully explored for practical action and development."

"The recent G20 summit reiterated the importance of multilateralism and the United Nations in its declaration," Mikatekiso Kubayi underscored. "BRICS – which China and Russia are members of – emphasized the need to deepen and improve the practical experience of multilateralism with the United Nations at its center. 

The changing geopolitical landscape is changing precisely because of the realization that it does not benefit the majority of the world."

"You have emerging multilateral platforms like BRICS, for instance, that have so much momentum, and seem to be more open to emerging powers, more focused on issues that are really important to the majority of the world," Ovigwe stressed. 

"One of the trends we might see going forward is countries tilting more towards these new and emerging multilateral platforms because they want it to be accessible to them. G7 is not going to be expanded – it has already contracted from G8 to G7."


The Colonial Age of Plunder is ending but the Outlaw US Empire persists in trying to keep it alive as it knows of no other method.

The result is obvious to foresee–the Empire will isolate itself and cease to be the sort of Empire it is today, which is great for RoW.

Confessions of a Prison Wife

How did you two meet?

I was with his brother at the time. Weird, I know, but his brother wanted me to start writing him so I did. I am a firm believer in “you can’t help who you fall in love with”, I just happened to fall in love with someone who is incarcerated! That is the way I see it, at least.

Why would you even marry that type of person?

Honestly, I was NOT looking for a husband at all. I have never been one to go out and look for a man, let alone one to marry. When I first wrote to him, it was just with the intention of making someone’s day because I know they get lonely in there, but it just blossomed into something more than that.

I think anyone who marries an inmate has their own reasons. I did not welcome him into my life with the intention of marrying him, at all. In fact, when I first was asked to write to him, I really did not want to. But when you finally meet an inmate, (a good one, at least. some belong right where they are) you come to this realization that they are human beings that make mistakes, some mistakes just have severe consequences. My husband always says, “ANYONE can go to prison” and as stupid as that sounds (like, duh) its true. My mom used to lecture me about being with a man in prison, and now her boyfriend is doing jail time for the first time, and now she gets it.

What did you see in him that made you fall in love with him so hard?

There was something about him that I did not see in other men that I’ve been with. For starters, the prison system humbled him a lot. I did not know him when he was free, but I have heard a lot of stories from his mom, his brother, and him. He used to be very cocky, too cocky, which is why he is where he is. He is also everything I have been looking for in a man, except the prison thing, of course. He is very sensitive, he would cry to me on numerous occasions during visit, telling me how much he wants to be out in freedom with me, and how he wishes he could do so much more to me because he feels that I deserve the best. I could see it in his eyes that he loves me more and more with every visit we would have, and trust me, there is no better feeling in life knowing that there is someone out there that you love that loves you back, incarcerated or not.

How was your dating life before this?

It was pretty normal, I have dated some assholes, but I have dated some really great guys, they just were not what I was looking for.

Why is he incarcerated?

9 counts of armed robbery.

Who did he rob?

He robbed a lot of businesses near where he lived, such as grocery stores, restaurants, Circle Ks, places like that.

Was anyone hurt?

No, no one was ever hurt, he never shot anyone, he only pulled a gun on people when he felt that he “had to”. I know that is pretty sick to say, but for example, he robbed a grocery store once and the manager was blocking the entrance with the carts so he could not get out, so he pulled a gun on him but never shot, he just had to leave. If he hadn’t, the manager wouldn’t have let him out and he would have been caught.

How long is his sentence?

We met while he was incarcerated for 4 years and he has about 10 left.

What kind of prison is he in?

He is in a medium security.

What made him turn to robbery?

Well, he has always had a job since he was legally allowed to, and he constantly moved his way up to full time jobs that paid really well. Not bad for someone who did not have a diploma/GED at the time, in my area it is at least. When he first started doing the robberies, he had his job in construction and was making very good money, but he got laid off and he had a lot of bills to pay, including rent, not to mention a girlfriend that he fully financially supported. To make a long story short, he was desperate for money for the bills, and after he did it the first or second time, he realized how easy it was, so he continued to do it. He was not caught for several months, so he felt, in his mind, that he could get away with it for a long time.

You said you’re a ‘wife’, how did you get married?

The prison conducted the wedding with a justice of peace.

How often do you get to visit him

I see him every weekend, 8 hours one day, 4 hours the other. My husband and I are quite different from other couples in there, we get away with quite a lot. We talk mostly, joke around with each other, kiss, eat food from the vending machines in there, and have sex every now and then.

How do you have sex? Do they allow conjugal visits?

No, there are no conjugal visits allowed.

There is an indoor and outdoor visitation area. The Correctional Officers will do walk arounds in both areas until about noon, I’ve noticed is when they stopped. We usually do it at that time in the outside area because the correctional officers go in the strip search room to check the inmates whose visits end at noon, which takes them awhile. My husband asks one of his friends to “keep point” or keep a look out for the cops and children too, and we just do it against this wall that is not visible to the inside area or cameras. Obviously it does not take long, so it is pretty easy to get away with. Its pretty sad how easy it is, honestly.

How supportive, in your eyes, is the prison system to spouses? Especially spouses that marry during sentences?

Not at all, really. Not only with spouses, but with families too. I talk to a lot of moms and other wives and siblings about how we are treated, and we are probably treated just as bad as the inmates at times. With spouses that marry during a sentence, they are pretty unsupportive from the moment your inmate submits a marriage request. You have to go through “counseling” where the prison chaplain pretty much tries to convince you not to get married, it is pretty sad.

Have you ever consider leaving him?

That is one of the things about him, I have NEVER lost interest. Being with an inmate definitely keeps things interesting, believe me! I have never considered leaving him, I am in for the long haul. I feel that I will be with him the whole time. I am not like other women, I am very dedicated to a man once I am with one. He did not think I would last as long as I have, but now he knows I will not leave, either, which is why he had decided to marry me. I would rather be with a man who is incarcerated and know for a fact that he loves me, than be with a man on the street where I have to question their love for me everyday.

How do your friends and family feel?

My friends absolutely love him and my parents weren’t keen on the idea at first, I feel like they thought it was a phase, but now its been a few years so they’re warming up, and they see how happy I am.

Where’s your father?

He lives like 20 minutes away from me. He loves him.

Where was he when you were growing up?

I lived with my dad full time from the age of 14 to 18, he is in the military, so he is a smart man and has never been one to hide his feelings about the guys I have dated, but he has told me he really does like him.

Do you worry since he is in jail that he might be violent or hurt you?

No, I really don’t. I know him pretty well despite the circumstances, and he is has not been violent or has shown signs of being violent with me, he is actually a big teddy bear.

Do you and your husband feel bad for the families’ lives you’ve possibly ruined? Or the PTSD the robberies may have given the victims?

As someone who is very passionate for the justice system, I do feel bad for them and I wish I knew who they were so I could reach out to them and apologize on his behalf, and I would be sure to let them know that he is definitely paying for it now. On the other hand, when he got his sentencing and whatnot, none of his witnesses showed up, and witnesses usually do that to provide closure for themselves, so I found that rather odd.

Do you think your husband belongs in jail?

Yes, he does belong where he is. What makes him a “good” inmate is that he knows that. He has never once said, “I do not belong here”. In fact, he has made it clear that he belongs right where he is at. He just wants to do his time, and get the hell out of here. Also, at his sentencing, he did no say “I’m sorry for what I did”. He said, “I know what I did was wrong, and I apologize to all the victims and families that I have hurt during this process”. I know that sounds odd, and you may be wondering, how does that make a difference? But I have learned that usually when people say sorry, they do not really mean it. And rarely do criminals say, “I know what I did is wrong”. Aside from that, he has been in for about 5 years and has had no charges within there, and it is VERY easy to get charges in there with how rude the cops can be, and he managed to get his GED as well, he is also on very good terms with the Correctional Officers and the Deputy Warden, they all say he is a good person, they have told me themselves.

We Won’t Be Fooled Again – Inflation Is Most Definitely Not “Under Control”

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Inflation is going down!  Let’s all celebrate!

We all knew that when the Federal Reserve began aggressively hiking interest rates it would have an impact on inflation.

Higher rates have caused a new housing crash, they have crushed the tech industry, and they have sparked the biggest wave of layoffs that we have seen since the Great Recession.

We have entered a significant economic downturn, so it was inevitable that the annual rate of inflation would start to moderate.  But as I will explain below, that doesn’t mean that inflation is now “under control”.

The real rate of inflation is much higher than we are being told, and people all over the country are being absolutely crushed by the rising cost of living.

Let’s start with the good news first.  According to the Labor Department, the annual rate of inflation is rising at the slowest pace since October 2021

Consumer prices increased 6.5% from a year earlier, down from 7.1% in November and a 40-year high of 9.1% in June, according to the Labor Department’s consumer price index, a measurement of what people pay for goods and services, which labor released on Thursday.

The rise last month marks the slowest annual gain since October 2021 and matches economists’ estimates.

Okay, but Fox Business has just reminded us that the annual rate of inflation “remains about three times higher than the pre-pandemic average”

Still, inflation remains about three times higher than the pre-pandemic average, underscoring the persistent financial burden placed on millions of U.S. households by high prices.

So we are still definitely in a high inflation environment.

But let’s dig deeper.

Most Americans don’t realize that the way that the inflation rate is calculated has literally been changed more than two dozen times since 1980.

And every time it has been changed, the goal has been to make inflation appear to be lower than it actually is.

If the rate of inflation was still calculated the way that it was back in 1980, the real rate of inflation would be close to 15 percent right now.

That would be comparable to the peak inflation that we witnessed during the Jimmy Carter era.

So don’t let anyone try to convince you that inflation is “low” or “under control” or anything like that.

The main reason why the rate of inflation moderated somewhat during the month of December is because energy prices have been falling

Americans saw some real reprieve last month in the form of lower energy costs, which fell 6.1% in December. Gas prices dropped 12.5% over the month, the biggest contributor to the overall headline decline in inflation in December.

That is great news, but it is already being projected that gas prices will rise significantly later this year.

And once war in the Middle East erupts, gas prices will go to heights that most people never even dreamed was possible.

Meanwhile, services inflation has just spiked to a level that we haven’t seen in decades.

The cost of living has become extremely oppressive, and the American people are becoming increasingly frustrated by this.

I would like to share a video with you that illustrates what I am talking about.

The woman in this video doesn’t understand all of the numbers that I have just shared in this article.  All she knows is that when she goes to the grocery store, prices are way higher than they once were.  This video contains some graphic language, and I apologize for that in advance.  But I want you to see her anger, because this is how millions upon millions of Americans are feeling about inflation right now.

 

Would you like to be the one that tries to convince her that inflation is “under control” now?

Sadly, the truth is that over the past few years the cost of living has been rising faster than our paychecks have, and so U.S. families have steadily been getting poorer

The average American family has lost the equivalent of more than a month’s salary in annual income since President Biden took office as high inflation and rising interest rates eat away at their finances, according to research by the Heritage Foundation.

Experts at the conservative think tank analyzed consumer prices and interest rates and found in their latest report released Thursday that the average American household has lost the equivalent of $7,400 in annual income since Biden’s inauguration Jan. 20, 2021. The income loss represents an increase of $200 from September, when the think tank’s research found a $7,200 decline in annual income for the average American household dating back to the start of Biden’s term.

Prior to the pandemic, we were in a low inflation and low interest rate environment.

Now that the Federal Reserve has dramatically hiked interest rates, we now find ourselves in a high inflation and high interest rate environment.

And higher interest rates are also hammering our standard of living

While their elected representatives in D.C. struggle to pay the nation’s bills, Americans are facing a similar challenge as their household budgets are stretched thin due to inflation and higher borrowing costs. Those financial challenges led more than one-third of households to rely on credit cards or loans to buy necessities in December. Average credit card interest rates reached a new record high of 19.14% APR compared to a Bankrate.com database.

“Americans are increasingly relying on credit cards to make it from paycheck to paycheck, resulting in higher levels of indebtedness. Rising credit card balances in an era of rising interest rates is a path to insolvency,” Antoni told FOX Business. “The average interest rate on credit cards is now around 20 percent while half of Americans cannot pay off their credit cards each month, and balances are growing at a 16 percent annual rate.”

We are getting hit from both ends.

We have to pay more to buy the things that we need, and we have to pay higher interest rates when we borrow money to pay for those things.

The Federal Reserve has lost control, and we are careening toward the sort of historic economic crisis that I have been warning about for years.

But those that are under the spell of the corporate media will continue to assume that everything is fine and that our leaders have a plan to get us out of this mess.

I truly wish that was true.

Unfortunately, the short-term economic outlook is extremely dismal, and prominent voices all over Wall Street are warning that 2023 will be a really rough year.

Latin America Geo-Political situation

Peru
The majority indigenous people are in open rebellion. I’m surprised at the level of action– a general strike, many airports shut down, demands are being hardened. They want Boluarte out and Castillo back in.

Most of Castillo’s base was somewhat disillusioned with him when he was deposed and jailed— that has changed. Death toll rising. One police dead, his car stopped, burned including him, his partner in the hospital.

U.S. support and involvement is getting more press. Coup leaders don’t know what to do.

Here’s a liberal mainstream perspective on Peru: they’re worried that the wheels are coming off.

Brazil
Black Agenda’s Margaret Kimberly interviews Brazilwire’s Brian Mier (text, not video), a good, brief summary of what’s going on regarding the coup attempt, Bolsonaro, Lula’s response and quick history lesson including Obama/Biden role.

Right now everyone loves Lula: Putin, Xi, Biden etc.

Biden is pushing hard to pull Lula into his team (I don’t think he will succeed).

Domestically Brazil is a mess as is Lula’s cabinet but I expect the next month will see many pushed out, including purge in military/police.

  • HEREGlenn Greenwald has a summary on the coup, 8 minutes. Greenwald and Mier don’t like each other: Greenwald’s husband/congressman supported a Lula opponent in the first round.

Pepe Escobar thinks the CIA staged the Jan 5 coup attempt.

Very interesting. I read Escobar every chance I get and generally think he’s on target but he often seems to project beyond his facts, probably mostly accurate but sometimes he leaves me scratching my head.

He’s Brazilian, knows Lula personally but he has been in Eurasia a long time. Escobar is convinced Lula will supercharge BRICS which means Lula is “playing” Biden.

Haiti
This is a “must view” that summarizes the U.S./West endgame, detailing what a country looks like at the end stage of imperial dominance. (1hr 24min)

Danny Haiphong and Margaret Kimberly interview Jemima Pierre– a native Haitian– and lay it out, pointing fingers and naming names.

Support for and solidarity with Haiti is huge in Latin America. Most in the West don’t get that.

The bottom line, U.S. is naked and exposed in Latin America and Caribbean.

Lots of confusing actions at elite and government levels but over time the “street” is heating things up.

Multipolarity is the only path that will benefit from it.

Not Uni-polarity; the American “rules based order”.

Bayou Beans and Rice

Serve Bayou Beans and Rice with hot fluffy rice and a tossed salad.

bayou red beans rice andouille
bayou red beans rice andouille

Yield: 6 servings

Ingredients

  • 2 cups red beans
  • 1 onion, diced
  • 2 cloves garlic, minced
  • 2 teaspoons seasoning salt
  • Bay leaf
  • Pinch of granulated sugar
  • Cayenne pepper, to taste
  • Smoked sausage, sliced
  • Cooked rice
  • Sliced green onion (garnish)

Instructions

  1. Wash beans, soak overnight and drain.
  2. Cover beans and all ingredients except smoked sausage and rice with cold water. Bring to boil, reduce heat and simmer until done.
  3. Meanwhile, brown sausage in a skillet, then add to the beans the last half hour of cooking.
  4. Serve over rice.

(Ukraine) Soledar direction situation as of 13.00 January 13

In the Soledar sector, the assault detachments of the PMC “Wagner” are clearing the quarters and underground communications on the western outskirts of Soledar. Today, Wagner entered the territory of the urban-type settlement of Sol and established control over the depot of the railway station of the same name.

▪️In the north-west of Soledar, active battles are taking place on the southern outskirts of Krasnaya Gora and in Paraskovievka near the Bakhmutka River. After the liberation of the railway station Sol, the village of Blagodatnoye was actually cut off from the supply lines from Seversk and Artemovsk (Bakhmut).

▪️The surviving members of the Armed Forces of Ukraine in Soledar and its environs are spreading information about huge losses in manpower due to command errors. In one of the brigades in the company of the formation, only 30 people remained, and in the battalion of 24 OMBR out of 300, only 100 fighters survived.

Fighting continues in Artemovsk (Bakhmut) and its suburbs. After the liberation of Opytnoe by PMC Wagner, position of the Armed Forces of Ukraine in the city is deteriorating.

▪️In Minkovka, a reserve command post for the consolidated group has been equipped, and the forces of the 116th brigade of the territorial defense of the Armed Forces of Ukraine from the Sumy region are expected to arrive.

▪️As a result of the active offensive of the RF Armed Forces, the Armed Forces of Ukraine lost control over two company and two platoon strongholds in Artemovsk (Bakhmut), Kleshcheevka and Krasnaya Gora.

▪️Only on January 12, confirmed losses of Ukrainian formations in Artemovsk amounted to 100 people, and 39 were wounded. To strengthen positions, 600 mobilized servicemen without combat experience are expected to be transferred in the near future.

▪️According to the radio interception from Artemovsk, over 800 people have been killed over the past five days, not counting missing and wounded.

In addition, individual units of Polish mercenaries, who were transferred to the direction a few weeks earlier, suffered huge losses.

The Poles spread information about the loss of communication and the complete disunity between the formations in Artemovsk (Bakhmut) and the surrounding area. The moral and psychological state of mercenaries is at a low level.

▪️The forces of the 3rd Battalion of the 28th Ombre of the Armed Forces of Ukraine attempted a counteroffensive on Russian positions southwest of Artemovsk (Bakhmust). The attack was repulsed, and separate detachments of the 28th brigade fled from the combat area.

The leadership of the Ukrainian operational-tactical group “Soledar” assesses the situation as critical and expects the intensification of the offensive of Russian troops at the Berestovoye-Spornoye line in order to reach the Seversk agglomeration, as well as in the south at the Ozaryanovka-Mayorsk line towards Druzhba and Dyleevka.

The release of Opytnoe allows the start of advancements on the southern outskirts of Artemovsk (Bakhmut), as well as attacking the fortified areas of the Armed Forces of Ukraine in Kleshcheevka from the east.

Posted by: Soledar | Jan 13 2023 14:53 utc | 1

Modern Manga Art By Ilya Kuvshinov.

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Ilya Kuvshinov is an illustrator and storyboard artist originally from Moscow, Russia, but whom currently resides in Yokohama, Japan. Much of his personal work consists of pin-ups influenced by video games and film. Beautifully and sensitively rendered, Kuvshinov is able to paint alluring female characters without the need to sexualise them (for the most part).

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Major Natural Gas Pipeline EXPLODES on Latvia-Lithuania Border

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A major natural gas pipeline has exploded on the border of Latvia and Lithuania. Gee. What a shame.

Public broadcaster LRT reports that the entire town of Pasvalys, located in northern Lithuania, has evacuated due to the situation.

The map below shows the location of Pasvalys, near the border:

2023 01 14 08 49
2023 01 14 08 49

Maybe the pipe preferred Russian natural gas to the swill traveling through it now?

You know, Russia can help Latvia and Lithuania repair that pipeline . . . OOOOOPS . . . wait a minute, no they can’t. Those pesky economic sanctions prevent Russia from helping. Awww shucks.

Oh well, NATO. You built this tree house; now you sit in it.

Two can play your games . . .

2023 01 14 08 50
2023 01 14 08 50

Latin America

Regarding Lula flirting with Biden and the West Karlof is spot on in his comment quoting Arevalo: “he’s a sardine who’s learned how to swim with the sharks and survive.”

The leaders of Latin America know how the U.S. imperial mafia works.

They have the scars to remind them.

More than that, a huge percentage of normal people there know it too. When a leader like Lula or AMLO is shown smiling and shaking hands with Biden or his people it turns my stomach.

I don’t like when they condemn Russia’s “invasion” in Ukraine.

At that point I can’t tell if they are selling out or if they are making a tactical accomodation in order to survive the moment.

But their actions on the ground reveal their long term strategic direction which appears to be away from the U.S. empire and toward the sane, multipolar world.

Many current Latin American leaders have survived attacks, coups, imprisonment which usually included mortal threats on them and family members by the U.S. I’m sure their traumas are seared into their memories:

Lula–prison, by Obama/Biden
Evo Morales– couped, attempted to shoot down his plane, U.S. backed
Arce (Bolivia)– assasination plot foiled, U.S. Cia backed
Castillo– U.S. CIA/state dept backed coup
Colombia’s Petro: one assasination attempt, his vp, two assasination attempts
Honduras’s Xiomara Castro– husband Zelaya was couped by Hillary clinton’s people, 2009
Cuba– too many to list
Nicaragua– Ortega, long list as well
Venezuela’s Maduro, numerous coup and assasination attempts
Mexico’s AMLO, right wing oligarchs teamed up with U.S. support to run him out of office 2 years ago, they failed.
Argentina’s vp Cristina Fernandez given 6 year prison sentence backed by U.S.

Throwing out some art as an improvement over geopolitical issues of the day

Crazy times. LOL.

We’re back to what the world looked like in 1914 (world war 1), or before 1939 (world war 2), only in a limited sense.

There’s a plethora of nations struggling to expand their influence, but all of them are betting on multipolarity, or “peaceful modernization”, as Xi Jinping coined it, and not Forever Wars: China, Russia, India, Iran, Indonesia and others.

So bye bye 1991-2022.

The hard work starts now.

Welcome to the New Great Game on crack.

The “news” is boring, but it’s about to get lively.

I’ve put together some interesting tidbits that help round out what is going on in the West (including the United States) right now.

What’s It Like To Go To Harvard

Harvard is a very extreme place. You go there and everyone is extremely smart, extremely driven, extremely focused on attaining their goals. It is so extreme that it can become scary sometimes. When you have a bunch of people with high intelligence, but who are not necessarily mature or moral, you can get some pretty nasty results (that’s how you get so many insecure, bright students going into Wallstreet to make a lot of money even though it’s screwing everyone else over).

Even the clubs are extreme. You don’t just write for the newspaper. You have to go through a semester long competitive process to be selected into the Crimson. And after that, if you want to do well in the Crimson, you have to work your ass off and neglect your studies to be considered a true trooper. Kids here consider their extracurriculars a job. All social interactions have some sort of shady networking pre-professional slime to them.

A lot of students are really full of themselves. They spend all their time climbing the ladders of success and trying to win everything. Everyone is super busy all the time. You have to arrange lunches with your friends about two weeks in advance.

Harvard is not the type of place where you backstab your friend, but if your friend fell in a race, you would keep on running and not bend down to help. Students, for the most part, are only interested in their own benefit and will do things that look good, rather than things that are good.

But then again, there is the other extreme too. There are people who come to Harvard, not because of legacy or money, but because they are genuinely interested in the truth. I’ve met people who are so gifted at their focus, whether it’s poetry, writing comic books, musical composition, or biomedical research, and they work on these things night and day. They thrive in the guidance of their professors, and I have faith that they will make a meaningful contribution someday. I try to stick to those people.

If you ask any student what they think about Harvard, most will say that they hate it, but that they found a great group of friends who keep them sane. Those who really really really love the place have some serious mental problems–either in that they are super disingenuous or are psychopaths, or are there really only to network and join the super elite circles of final clubs and whatnot.

Harvard is still a very elite place. You will feel out of place if you are anything but a white male. You will feel a bit uncomfortable if you come from a normal middle class family, because bit by bit you see just how much money your fellow peers have.

You will realize that Harvard doesn’t care about you. Professors have office hours, yes, and they say to come, but their heart is not into it. Everyone at Harvard is there for their own benefit, for their research and for advancing their careers. Occasionally you will find professors who genuinely care, but they are the exception.

I knew going into Harvard that it wouldn’t be easy, that Mother Harvard does not coddle. And I was right. It has been hard as hell. And it’s sad to learn the truth about Harvard. But truth does make you stronger, and I would not be as strong as I am today if I didn’t gain these hard lessons from my undergrad years.

– My-Ngoc ToHarvard undergrad

Fine blues.

GEOPOLITICAL FOOD FOR THOUGHTS BY LARRY ROMANOFF :

USA WAS THE HERO DURING WW2. TODAY IT IS THE MOST HATED NATION IN THE WORLD. WHAT HAPPENED IN BETWEEN?

Some years ago, David Ignatius wrote an article in the Washington Post titled, ‘Replant the American Dream’, in which he told of traveling the world as a foreign correspondent some 35 years ago, and how he believed that as an American he carried a kind of white flag, presumably of purity and moral superiority, signifying that he – being an American – was ‘different’, and that “the world knew it”.

He then noted dejectedly that the US was slowly “shredding the fabric that defines what it means to be an American”, that Americans are now seen as “hypocrites who boast of our democratic values but who behave lawlessly and with contempt for others”.

His basic premise was that the US, and Americans generally, had “used up all their seed corn” and needed now to reach out to the world and ‘share America’s values’ once again.

He then ended with a statement of hope about the celebration of American Thanksgiving Day. Reading from his mythological American history book, he recounted the Pilgrims’ desolate fears as they departed the Old World for America, and “the measureless bounty they found in the new land”, which they shared with the local natives.

You have already read an accurate account of the first Thanksgiving, which was a bit short on sharing measureless bounty. Ignatius ended with the words: “We need to put America’s riches back on the table and share them with the world, humbly and gratefully.”

I wrote a reply to Mr. Ignatius that said in part :

You said that when you traveled the world as a correspondent carrying your American flag, you believed and felt you were different from all the others, a perception all foreigners shared. But that isn’t exactly how it was.

What you really meant to say was “I was better than them, and they knew it”.

Your despair is not from having shredded your fabric, but a nostalgic regret that those people have finally realized you are not better than them, but are worse, and that they no longer respect you but despise you.

You don’t want to reach out and ‘share America’s riches’. What you want is to replant the false utopian values of American superiority in the minds of all those people so you can once again travel the world and tell yourself you are better than everyone else – and to once again see that delusion in their eyes.

You said you must stop behaving as if you were in a permanent state of war, but your America has always been in a permanent state of war. That’s what you do.

Wars of aggression are what define you as a nation.

You don’t want the world to think badly of you about your culture of torture, massacres and war, but you have no intention of ceasing them.

You continue to destroy nations, topple governments, foster regional wars and revolutions, reduce small countries to poverty and misery, but you want to be judged only by the utopian values you preach but never follow.

You say that Americans “traveling and sharing” will make everything okay again, that you would no longer be misunderstood.

But why do you think your US today is the world’s most hated nation? It isn’t because the world doesn’t understand you, but because it does understand YOU. You are reviled as a nation and as a people, for your values that produce only instability, terror, misery, poverty and death.

You say you want to “give something back to the world”. Well, maybe you could begin by giving back the country you live in, to those from whom you stole it. Maybe you could give Panama back to Columbia and Hawaii back to the Hawaiian people. And maybe Puerto Rico back to the Puerto Ricans. Maybe you could give Korea back to the Koreans and stop preventing the unification they have wanted for the past 60 years. Maybe you could get out of Taiwan and Hong Kong. Maybe you would like to give back the wealth you forcibly plundered from about 100 nations with the strength of your military.

Perhaps you would like to give back to Chile the hundreds of billions worth of copper you stole. Maybe you would like to return all the gold you plundered from all of Central and South America and the Caribbean, when you repeatedly invaded those countries, forced open – and then emptied – the vaults in their central banks. Maybe you would like to convince Citibank to give back the billions in gold it stole from the Chinese citizens who trusted it. Maybe you would like to give back to the Philippines and Nicaragua and Haiti the peace and happiness they had before you colonised and destroyed them.

Maybe you would like to give back to mothers in Iraq the 500,000 babies that Madeline Albright killed.

You said you wanted to share America’s riches with the world, but the time for that is long past. You no longer have any riches to share with anyone, and you never shared them even when you did have.

Instead, you shared your depleted uranium artillery with the people of Iraq and Libya, who today have fetuses born that are described as ‘unidentifiable lumps of flesh’. For a decade, you shared napalm and Agent Orange with the people of Vietnam who today, fifty years later, still have tens of thousands of hideously-deformed babies being born.

Your CIA shared its 1,000-page torture manual and its Death Squad training with dozens of your dictators in Latin America. You shared your brand of democracy with Yugoslavia, converting it from a peaceful federation to a broken and pathetic mess of despair, and you then shared that same template with a dozen other nations, priding yourself on your “color revolutions”, leaving nothing but death and misery in each of them.

If you don’t mind, we don’t want you to share anything more with us.

We have had enough exposure to American-style freedom, democracy and human rights, to last us for generations.

And, to tell you the truth, we in the world have lost our stomach for your worldwide carpet of atrocities, brutality, death and misery, as well as our tolerance for your hypocrisy.

All we want is for you to just go home, mind your own goddamned business, and get your dirty, bloody, dollar-soaked fingers out of most of the world’s nations you are exploiting.

The seed corn that you refer to, is gone, but it was not eaten. It just rotted.

Confessions of a Woman With a Photographic Memory

Is studying super easy for you?

Studying? What is that?

How easy is it for you to take tests?

Absurdly easy. It’s actually pretty great, I never have to study. People at my university get a little pissed off sometimes by that.

 

I have never had anything but an A or a perfect score on any test (excluding math and my current studies in Russian). I chose not to skip any grades because I didn’t want to be “abnormal,” and my talent isn’t something that I reveal to most people.

 

How long does it take you to remember something you’ve read a year ago?

Instantly.

Have you ever tried to memorize the dictionary?

No, I have not. I got bored.

Are you able to scan quickly through a book, then “read” it later in your head?

No, I can’t. I have to actually read it the first time. That would be pretty sweet though.

Can you recall by Title/Page Number?

Title, yes, without fail. Page number is more sporadic, because I have trouble with numbers.

So how far back do your memories of things you have read go?

My earliest memory is from reading the book “Goodnight Moon” when I was in kindergarden, the first book I ever read.

How fucking easy were english classes?

Haha English classes are a fucking joke. I had to make a tough decision when I got to college; be an English major and do NO work, EVER, or actually pick something I’d need to try in.

Has anyone ever thought you cheated on a test or something like that?

YES. Sometimes during tests, teachers ask questions that come directly from the book. When I was younger if I wasn’t paying careful attention, I would accidentally just regurgitate the direct answer from the book, word for word. I didn’t mean it to be plagiarizing, I was just trying to be as precise as possible. After a few visits to the principal’s office and having to explain and prove that I wasn’t cheating, I learned to be much more careful when I take tests like that. I much prefer multiple choice.

How’d you prove to the principal?

In middle school, the first test I was sent to the principal for was given to me again verbally. After that, my teachers gave me my tests verbally for a while until they were convinced. They then sent a note in to my high school when I got older, explaining the situation.

Does your understanding of the material have any effect? ie, quantum mechanics. Do you have complete recall of writings you don’t understand?

No, my understanding is completely normal. If I read a book about quantum mechanics, which I have never studied, I would understand it precisely as well as someone who had also never studied it. I’d still have complete recall, though, and I could read other, more basic descriptions of quantum mechanics and slowly understand what I read previously based on that.

Could you in theory read a complex book then go ponder on it later without the book in hand? Then go and refer to other passages in the book or other relative books and piece it together pretty easily this way?

Yes. That’s sometimes how I do it when I read a book out of my depth.

When you are deciding on a book to read, does the fact that the memory off the book will be permanent influence you decision? I guess i’m asking if memory of garbage writing (tabloids, twilight) is a burden.

Yes and no. I don’t read magazines, ever, but I don’t mind reading books on the bestseller list or anything. Generally books like Twilight have no value or interest for me whatsoever, and subsequently kind of go away after I’m done. It is a problem when people constantly bring them up though, because then the entirety of the text floods my brain and I want to jump off a bridge.

Does this ability extend to words you hear?

No, I have poor listening comprehension. If I was ever going to suffer in a class, it would definitely be a lecture class with no textbook. I remember things I’ve heard or watched exactly as well as anyone else with moderately poor listening comprehension.

Is there every anything you remember that you wish you could forget?

Yes, absolutely. I’ve gotten some pretty nasty text messages/facebook messages, and the like. I really, REALLY wish that I could forget those sometimes.

Are there ever times it becomes a burden to remember so much? Perhaps something that you remember that you wish you didn’t have to?

YES. Sometimes it’s really lonely/upsetting to have so much wandering around in my head. If I’m happy and in a good mood, it generally is okay, but if I’m upset it can be terrible.

Are you autistic?

No, I am not autistic at all, I lead a pretty normal social life. I probably drink more than the average college student. I do have a fairly extreme case of OCD, which I’ve theorized might have something to do with my memory. I’ve heard of people with OCD who have super autobiographical memories, who can remember with extraordinary accuracy and in extraordinary detail the events of their lives and the days on which they occurred.

Has this affected your social abilities any?

Um, to an extent, yes. When I was younger I was extremely combative. There is NOTHING teachers and adults hate more than a child who constantly corrects them, and who is right in that correction. I was very depressed for a long time, because I never had anyone to talk to who understood. It was in high school that I realized that my memory was not unique. Knowing you aren’t the only one makes all the difference in the world, and I’ve become pretty normal socially since then.

Has this affected your love life?

I’ve had two boyfriends for two years each. The first was fairly docile and didn’t pick arguments with me; we had a low-key, nonargumentative relationship that ended due to him leaving for college. My second boyfriend was the most religious person I have ever encountered, and judged me deeply for my beliefs and failed to acknowledge anything I said. We fought continuously and we broke up due to college and also because we just didn’t get along. Now, I try to just opt for friends-with-benefits situations or one night stands. I’m not the most emotional person, and unless something really extraordinary happens, I don’t see that changing anytime soon.

Do you encounter any mental problems?

YES. I am CONSTANTLY inundated with random information. I’ll be talking to someone, and a quote from a book will pop into my head, and then another related quote will pop in, and it becomes an endless stupid chain. My current roommate discovered my ability through this once; I was very drunk and just went off on a quote chain like that, and basically gave her a running monologue of my train of thought. It gets pretty annoying sometimes. Also, if I am sad/upset/in any kind of negative mood at all, I feel like my head is a very unpleasant place to be.

Have you ever used your ability for profit?

Not yet. I’ve used it for my personal gain, such as academics, but that’s it as of now.

Do you want to use your talent for the better or follow your passion, or a combination of both?

Sort of a combination of both. I plan to attend law school after my graduation from college, which I have wanted to do since I was a child. I want to be a public defender, and I hope that my extensive memory can be put to good use there.

What is the most interesting thing you can remember reading? Favorite books, authors?

My favorite thing, and probably the most useful thing, that I have ever read has been the Bible. I am an atheist, and though I am less combative than I used to be as a young teenager, there is nothing more disconcerting to someone trying to convince me to be Christian than being able to recite the entire book back to them. Aside from this, Nietzsche, Sartre, Nabokov, Updike, and Dostoevsky are my favorite authors. My favorite book is The Possessed (also titled Demons and Devils), by Dostoevsky.

What is your favourite line of text you’ve ever read?

The poem Annabel Lee by Poe, and 2) “It was a wonderful night, such a night as is only possible when we are young, dear reader. The sky was so starry, so bright that, looking at it, one could not help asking oneself whether ill-humoured and capricious people could live under such a sky.” -Dostoevsky, White Nights

Brand New VW Transporter Gets Witty Camouflage To Keep It From Being Stolen

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There are plenty of different ways to protect your car from theft, but one owner of a Volkswagen Transporter van decided to protect it in a novel way – by covering the new vehicle in rust-like vinyl to make it look like a hunk of junk!

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The artwork for the vinyl wrap, done by Clyde’s Wraps in Glasgow, involved taking exact measurements of the entire van. This allowed their artists to realistically model rust as if it had been formed by water running down from the vehicle’s handles, mirrors and frames.

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“It only took 3 days for the police to pull him over to ask what was going on with all the rust,” Clyde’s Wraps write on their website. “Please note that there is nothing illegal about going to town with graphics on your vehicle but it may confuse others!” That’s true, but in this case, it seems like that was exactly the point – and it worked!

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Baked Swedish Meatballs

“This recipe is from my Seaward Inn Cookbook. My husband loves it so much that I am putting it on-line to reference while travelling. I serve it with egg noodles. The Seaward Inn is a lovely place in Rockport, MA, that we visited each summer while the Campbell family owned it. Great food and ambience!”

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2023 01 02 08 51

Swedish Meatballs

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2023 01 02 08 55

Ingredients

Directions

  • Soak bread in milk.

Add the following to soaked bread:

  • – Eggs, slightly beaten.
  • – Ground beef.
  • – Onion.
  • – Sugar.
  • – Spices (except dill weed).
  • Shape into 1″ balls. Brown on all sides in skillet (or bake in 400 degree oven for 20 min.).
  • Remove meatballs to 2 quart casserole.

In skillet, or saucepan:

  • Add 5 Tbsp flour (or cornstarch) to meat drippings, then add 1 can Consomme and 1 can water.
  • Note: Shake with 1 soup can of water with flour (or cornstarch) if meatballs were baked. Then add to Consomme.
  • Cook, stirring gravy until thick and smooth.
  • Add 1 cup light cream and 1 tsp dillweed, and stir until blended.
  • Add to meatballs.
  • Bake, covered for 30 minutes at 400 degrees.
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2023 01 02 08 56

Rory Gallagher – A million miles away 1977

I'm watching a genius that played straight from the heart ..This type of musicianship is rare..Forget tricks and speed and so-called power playing...What your looking at here can not be learned from a book or video ..this is true art ..R.I.P Rory

Confessions Of A Woman In A Male Dominated Engineering Class

 

Being in the computer engineering field, I’m used to a certain difference in the number of guys to girls in my classes. Even in my first basic programming course there was like 100 guys to maybe 15 girls before a few of them dropped and we ended up with like 10 finishing the course.

A couple months ago, when I walked into Intro to Software Engineering, I saw… well, I saw a room full of 49 guys. And then there was me. Some of the guys I had taken classes with before and I knew, many were new faces.

Now, my other classes this semester have been more fairly balanced, but for the past couple of months every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday I have to be in a room for three hours with some of the thirstiest, horniest guys on campus, all focusing their attention on me. And I’ve been loving teasing every single one of them. Sometimes I even make their dreams come true.

I admit, being a (relatively) attractive girl that’s into nerdy shit really inflated my ego from middle school on. If I didn’t have a whole childhood’s worth of family trouble and abusive, traumatic relationships I would probably be insufferable (maybe I am already, oh god). I thought I was used to the attention from the guys, from being the only girl on the math club in middle school and being group touched in the hotel room during a competition to being convinced to join the Gaming Club in high school with my boyfriend to be something he showed off as he made me suck him off in front of the club.

Nothing, though, nothing compares to the attention I get being the only girl in Intro to Software Engineering, Spring 2019.

And it all started innocently enough – I thought I was just going to enjoy being the center of attention, indulge in my little haven of being desired, tease my way through the guys and enjoy myself. It was empowering. But it’s developed into bit more than that. I’ve developed a bit of an unhealthy addiction to being the slut of the group. I am addicted to pleasing awkward, nerdy cock. My reputation has spread slightly, and I need to dial it back I think.

At my core, I’m a numbers girl. I love data, almost as much as I love sucking the cum out of a cock. And here’s what the numbers say:

41: The number of guys from this class who have added me on Instagram or Facebook and have sent me some thirsty, creepy, or honestly genuinely sweet message hitting on me. That’s 82% of the class.

12: The number of different guys I’ve had sex with that take this class

20: The number of different guys that I have made cum in some way with some kind of -job.

24: The number I want to get that 20 count up to (half of the class, that’s pretty good, right?) before this class ends.

3: The number of weeks I have until this course ends.

7: The number of distinct places on campus I’ve done something with a guy from this class (I count “their room” as just one place across all guys).

4: The number of guys that I genuinely liked well enough that I hung out with multiple times.

7: The most number of guys who have been in the same room as me topless.

4: The most number of guys I’ve made cum in one night through whatever means.

336: The approximate dollar value in terms of lingerie I’ve given away as a sexy little trophy for some guys.

0: The number of times I’ve worn a bra to class since February 18th.

What’s It Like To Lose Everything

 

I once had it all – literally what seemed to be the pinnacle of my life or so it seemed. We just purchased a beautiful new home in a great area of the city. Zero debt plus 6 figures in the bank. Cute new car. Great position at work. To the outside world, we seemed like the “it” couple. Then everything came crashing down.. fast and HARD!

Marriage dissolved almost overnight. I lasted ONE year in that brand new house. ONE. For reasons too long to list, my 14 yr relationship with what was supposed to be my “life” partner dissolved. And with it, I also lost my immediate family – goodbye brother and mother (dad croaked years ago).

SAME effin time, my work decided to let me go – AFTER dedicating 10 years of my life to them and being promoted 4–5xs. I didn’t see it coming at all. It was almost like I was blindsided. I was in the middle of a monster release, was working around the clock – so much so that my European counterparts were convinced I never slept. My developers, everyone was BLINDSIDED that THEY (VPs, CTO, etc) chose to cut me off. Me and my barely 6 figure salary. I believe I was paid about high $90k then.

And my SHITHOLE of a soon to be ex wanted EVERY FKN THING! He would NOT let me go. So I left him the house, car, everything in it. EVERYTHING was devalued at a fraction of a price just so that I can be free and OUT of harms way. What did this mean? It meant that I had to start over… and can kiss my upgraded Samsung appliances buh-bye. LOL it was back to laundry mats again. Which is fine but still.. I miss having my own washer dryer.

Same time my 16 yr old dog is dying… Literally. He was diagnosed with an incurable aggressive tumor at the same time my marriage fell apart. So to date- lost my house, husband, job, mother, brother and now dog?! Yea shit times dont even being to cover it.

PLUS I had to now pay my very expensive divorce attorney. Yes he kept me safe but at a price. $50k to be exact.

By some miracle, my old landlord heard of my plight and offered me my old home back. Upgraded appliances and all. Phew. So that solved where to live. But the economy was still in the tank. NO ONE WAS HIRING! And I mean NO one.

Despite my good background, I couldn’t find a job close by. Ended up commuting down the Peninsula 2 hours each way. Did I mention my ex got the car? Yep so I Zipcar and rode their shuttle and just made it work. My health took the brute of it. My body was attacking itself from all the stress. My gums became swollen. My digestive tract rejected something as simple as strawberries. And there was nothing my GP could do but wait for the stress to subside and for my body to go back to “normal”. I ballooned up 45 lbs in 6 months because of this and no, I wasn’t pregnant.

But I was working right? LOL wrong. That peninsula gig lasted approximately 2 months! The boss turned out to be an utter nightmare. All 8 people in her dept either quit or transferred out she was such a dragon lady. A few months later my old job (yes the one that let me go) asked me to come back and help them out of a bind. *sigh* Beggars cannot be choosers, right? It’s work, right?

So I returned.. 45 lbs bigger and clearly depressed because of everything else going on in my life. Everyone at work was flabbergasted. Few could barely recognize me. Some naively asked if I was happy to be back. I responded “This feels like attending your exbf’s wedding and he’s marrying a supermodel. Btw he’s the one who got away.. That’s what THIS feels like”

But I soldiered on cuz I needed the money. That didn’t last. My boss at the time turned out to be dealing with her own life problems and thus wasn’t in the best headspace – explaining the sudden bind. The person who I replaced couldn’t take the stress and jump ship midstream – which is highly unusual, especially knowing her caliber and strong work ethic. So this “return” only lasted 3 months! My exit was so callous that they turned off my admin rights AS I was teaching a class!

At this point, I sincerely hated life. I was trying to make the financial bleed stop. I even played around w/ water fasting thinking of various ways to stretch the dollar. The only person who didn’t suffer was my dying dog. I forgoed vitamins, healthy food, healthcare, etc. I sold EVERYTHING. All my electronic appliances – gone via Ebay. All my jewelry gone!

Diamond stud earrings went to a lovely lesbian via Ebay. I gave sent her the appraisal that I had made almost a decade ago for insurance purposes. My watch went to a second hand shop in Florida. My cocktail earrings went to a diamond merchant downtown. And my wedding rings went to an “estate” jeweler close by. The last stung the most. I never had ANYTHING EXPENSIVE my whole life. This was it. I cried SO much. I didn’t want to let them go but I had zero choice. None.

Unemployment was maxed out after 6 months. I sold everything else at home. LOL I even sold my stupid Burberry scarf, air filter and a flash drive. Basically if it served no utilitarian purpose, it was gone. Even if I only made $5. It was still $5 more than what I previously had.

I remember the jeweler almost didn’t take the rings. He said I needed to stop crying or else he wouldn’t take them and gave me this stupid lecture how they weren’t flawless. Flawless my azz. I know jewelry and they nearly ticked off “excellent” in all the 4Cs. He said I was young and pretty and will probably remarry. LOL I couldn’t think straight. I could not stop crying. How do I explain to him that I was married to a monster and those rings were the only piece of jewelry that I ever had the 14 yrs I was with him. My eyes even water now in remembrance.

But I had to pay the bills. I have to pay my rent and utilities. My utilities got turned off at least once. EACH of them.

I ended up at a startup through a recruiter who I met via an old application a few yrs ago. That was ok until she met me. Talk about catfight. Meow! She got on my case because I was always hungry and started to shrink. How do I explain to her that I barely had any food at home? That being at work and access to the snacks and free meals was my guaranteed sustenance of the day?! But I kept it professional.

And lo behold this Series A startup closed up shop. That gig lasted 4 1/2 months. FML!!! And worse yet, not only did they lose funding but we had to move.. from the best place of the city to the worst. So not only was I poor but now I’m worried about my safety because I’m now surrounded by drugged out vagrants. Lovely.

All throughout this time, I maxed out my CCs. Cashed in my 401k. Liquidated my savings. I was as poor as can be. And completely utterly miserable.

18 months floated by.. yes 18 months and zero bites. None, nada. I even tried my hand at odd jobs. No one would hire me. Even dumbed down my resume. No dice. Then miraculously I landed a gig. Something that I knew as it was applicable to my background. And shyt, well guess what happened.. Yep. Let go again. This time after 5 solid months.

It turned out to be a clusterfuck. They kept moving the deadlines. Politics up the wazoo. And the environment was weird. The men kept flirting with me. Constantly. Didn’t matter what age. 25 all the way up to 40. I was 42 back then. But I still did it. Cuz dmn it, I’m not a quitter and sorely needed the cash.

My loving friends stood buy and offered emotional support. One even loaned me cash as he is a self retired budding millionaire. First I thought he did it because of his religion and the fact that his mom loaned him cash when he was in a bind. Nope. Turns out he was hoping to fk me and professed having a long standing crush on me. Um, no ty.

As of today, I’m slowly getting my shit in order. Slowly rebuilding my life. So no, not back to where I was but I’m hopeful. But what you just read described my fall from grace.

– Anonymous

I have to say this is my favorite out of all the videos you uploaded.

I saw in your face the emotion, the kindness, gentleness and the satisfaction of being able to heal the sweet kitty that loves you now.

The smile on your face is priceless ! You must keep this kitty now. He (I think it is a ‘he’?) has claimed you are his own!

France Supplies Light Tanks to Ukraine — Escalation

France Light Tank large
France Light Tank large

In a potentially escalatory move, French President Emmanuel Macron became the first Western leader to supply Ukraine with tanks following talks with President Volodymyr Zelensky.

On Wednesday, the Elysée announced that French-made AMX-10 RC light tanks — which were designed in the 1980s and are currently being phased out of the French military — will be sent to Ukraine. The move is a significant change of position from the Macron government, which hitherto has shied away from sending armor to the war zone for fear of escalating tensions with Moscow.

France has already been supplying Kyiv (Kiev) with air defense systems, anti-aircraft missiles, artillery, and armored vehicles, but President Macron has been one of the few voices in Europe to consistently call for continued peace negotiations with Vladimir Putin to bring the conflict to an end.

The decision to send French-made tanks to the battlefield appears, therefore, to be a first move in shifting perspectives from western capitals on the viability of peace talks with the Kremlin.

A French presidential aid said according to the AFP: “The president wanted to increase aid” to Ukraine “by accepting to deliver AMX-10 RC light tanks,” adding: “It is the first time that Western-designed tanks are supplied to the Ukrainian armed forces.”

President Zelensky for his part wrote on Twitter: “Had a long and detailed conversation with President of France Emmanuel Macron on the current situation. Thanked for the decision to transfer light tanks and Bastion APCs to Ukraine, as well as for intensifying work with partners in the same direction.”

Just days later, U.S. President Biden said he too would be sending armored fighting vehicles to Ukraine, selecting Bradley M2s to be donated. Germany is also getting involved, announcing at the same time it would be sending Marder IFVs to Ukraine, a potentially risky move given the German Army has just brought back its now-vintage Marder armor to front-line service, given the new replacements have so many problems they have proven totally unusable in actual service.

Situation report:  Brazil at the start of 9 January.

1. A state of emergency is declared in the Brazilian capital until 30 January. Various citizens’ rights will be restricted in accordance with the law on emergencies.

2. Brazilian President Lula da Silva announces the start of an intervention of federal troops in the capital to suppress an insurgency.

3. Argentina and Chile formally offer Brazil an offer to send police special forces to the capital to help the Brazilian police suppress the riots.

4. Brazilian authorities promise to bring those responsible for the riots to the harshest possible accountability and Lula said that he will seek where their money and resources come from.

5. Venezuelan President Maduro calls the attempted coup in Brazil a neo-fascist insurgency.

6. Most leaders in Latin America send supportive messages to Lula and they all know it is an attempted right-wing coup, so they condemn it.  Lula has incredible support in the region.

7. Lula has been out and about, assessing the damage as the presidential palace, congress buildings, and supreme court buildings in the area called Brazilia, have been vandalized.

8. I cannot confirm but seemingly the previous minister of Justice is in Orlando, Florida and that is where Bolsonaro is.

9. In the general language, the neo-fascist rioters are being called Fascist Trump-Nuts.

 

10.  Reports are filtering in now that Brazilian authorities said the riots in the capital are over. Ricardo Cappelli, the spokesman for the Capital Federal District, said the situation in the region, including the country’s capital, Brasilia, was “under control.” Government offices will resume work in the coming hours.  According to preliminary data, more than 400 supporters of ex-president Jair Bolsonaro were detained during the protests.

11.  I noticed the lack of Israeli flags among the rioters.  During the election, the Bolsonaro factions carried Brazilian flags, Israeli flags and USA flags.  I did not see one video where they are continuing to carry Israeli flags.

12.  This attempted coup d’état will not remove Lula as president.

We keep watching as we see such an overt attempt at recreating a January 6th (US) situation.  Russian channels are calling this a Maidan, and Escobar, crisp as always says:

HERE IS A MAIDAN REMIX GOING ON RIGHT NOW IN BRASILIA.

CIA rat lines NEVER sleep.

The background in the region is that there are riots in Bolivia (regional) and in Peru the people are still in the streets after their recent coup where their president was arrested.  The empire is striking back in this region that is working hard to take its own power back.  AMLO in Mexico has meetings with Justin Trudeau and Biden at the moment, and he stated that he will approach Biden to remove the remnants of the hated Monroe Doctrine.

More to follow.

What is a Psychedelic Experience Like?

 

“Euphoria and insight,” as Roger Sterling said in Mad Men, but while the ‘visuals’ are what’s publicized, they really only make up a very small portion of the experience.

The #1 thing psychedelics do is make you unable to rationalize how important events and emotions are supposed to be, similar to the way a child thinks. In other words, it makes EVERYTHING seem incredibly significant, in a way it’s almost impossible to experience otherwise. You are INCREDIBLY attuned to small emotional / mood / vibe changes, and are in a heightened, much more “raw” state of being. This can be incredibly enlightening (or terrifying, depending on how your trip goes).

On psychedelics, you very quickly realize that scrolling on your phone, for example, makes you very uncomfortable, feels shallow and vapid, and drains your energy, like a room full of too-bright fluorescent lights. Horror movies are totally out, even if you normally love them, because the brutality will be far too much to bear. But something as simple as going outside, having a campfire, and listening to good music suddenly becomes absolutely incredible, and extremely poignant. Nature is the #1 thing to pair with psychedelics. It truly makes you see the beauty of the earth in a much more profound way.

It’s also a serotonin kick, and it makes your emotional relationship senses heightened as well. You often experience a profound sense of camaraderie and an outpouring of love — you will realize, for example, all the ways that your partner is beautiful, kind, and wonderful, and you’ll question how you could ever take anything for granted, especially the people that you’re surrounded by.

It can also grant you deep introspection, where your mask of ego and projection is thrown off, allowing you to see the truth at the core of your life (although sometimes this “truth” is not more accurate than the way you see yourself, just simply different.) This can be wonderful, or it can be extremely difficult, it just depends on your surroundings, dose, and mental state.

Long story short, while psychedelics don’t make you hallucinate, it’s like they strip away the callouses of your soul and heart, callouses that have been layered on by pain, age, boredom, and the grinding repetition of life. Once those callouses are broken down by the psychedelic experience, it allows you to see the world with a sense of childlike wonder again, and grasp the extraordinary nature of life and this earth for the miracle that it is.

Amazing Photos of the Third Generation of the Ford Thunderbird, 1961-1963

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The third generation of the Ford Thunderbird is a personal luxury car produced by Ford for the 1961 to 1963 model years. It featured new and much sleeker styling (done by Bill Boyer) than the second generation models. Sales were strong, if not quite up to record-breaking 1960, at 73,051 including 10,516 convertibles.

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A new, larger 390 cu in (6.4 L) FE-series V8 was the only engine available (in 1961). The Thunderbird was 1961’s Indianapolis 500 pace car, and featured prominently in US President John F. Kennedy’s inaugural parade, probably aided by the appointment of Ford executive Robert McNamara as Secretary of Defense. It shared some styling cues with the much smaller European Ford Corsair.

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It was replaced by the 4th generation Thunderbird for model year 1964. Here is a set of amazing photos of the third generation of the Ford Thunderbird (1961-1963).

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FOIA Documents prove COVID-19 “Vaccines” were treated as “Medical Counter-measures” to a Bio-Weapon attack. Entire COVID Operation Run by US National Security Council with NO MANUFACTURING SAFEGUARDS OR DISCLOSURES

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New Docs Reveal Department of Defense Controlled COVID-19 Program from the start. The FDA Vaccine Approval Process was Theater. A combination of the PREP Act, Emergency Use Authorization, and Other Transactions Authority (OTA), shielded Big Pharma, Agencies, and Medical Participants that Delivered Unregulated Vaccines, from any liability.

According to congressionally passed statutes, research of active laws, and extra details obtained through the Freedom of Information Act, the Department of Defense owns, implements, and oversees the COVID-19 vaccine program as a “Countermeasure” to foreign attack. While the public was bombarded with an orchestrated fear campaign, the U.S. Government managed the Covid response as a national security threat.

The research and documents (Click Here) were obtained by a former executive of a pharmaceutical Contract Research Organization (CRO), Sasha Latypova, and intensive legal researcher Katherine Watt (Click HERE).

 

The Three-Legged Stool

The undercover operation was orchestrated utilizing three critical legal maneuvers:

1. Emergency Use Authorization EUA.

2. Prep Act,

3. Other Transactions Authority

President Trump declared a Public Health Emergency (PHE) on March 13, 2020, under the Stafford Act, putting the National Security Council in charge of the Covid policy. Covid-19 vaccines are “medical countermeasures” – a grey area of products that are not regulated as vaccines or medicines.

“They put the National Security Council in charge and treated it as an act of war,” said Latypova.

According to Operation Warp Speed/ASPR reports, the DoD ordered, oversaw, and tightly managed the development, manufacture, and distribution of Covid countermeasures, mainly utilizing the DoD’s previously established network of military contractors and consortia.

Department of Defense (DoD), the Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority (BARDA), and Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), ordered all Covid countermeasures, including “vaccines” as prototype demonstrations of large-scale manufacturing, avoiding regulations and transparency under Other Transaction Authority. As prototypes used under EUA during PHE, Covid countermeasures, including “vaccines,” need not comply with the U.S. laws for manufacturing quality, safety, and labeling.

“The implication is that the U.S. Government authorized and funded the deployment of noncompliant biological materials on Americans without clarifying their “prototype” legal status, making the materials not subject to normal regulatory oversight, all while maintaining a fraudulent pseudo- “regulatory” presentation to the public,” said Latypova.

“Most incredible is the fact that current Laws enacted by the United States Congress appear to make the coverup actions LEGAL!”

Under the PHE, medical countermeasures are not regulated or safeguarded as pharmaceutical products (21 USC 360bbb-3(k)).

The American people were led to believe that the FDA, CDC, and figureheads like Anthony Fauci, oversaw the COVID-19 vaccine program. Their involvement was an orchestrated information operation. All decisions concerning the COVID-19 vaccine research, materials acquisition, distribution, and information sharing were tightly controlled by the DoD.

Hundreds of Covid countermeasures contracts have been uncovered. Many disclosures are in redacted form. However, Latypova and Watt have found sources to fill in the details.

A review of these contracts indicates a high degree of control by the U.S. Government (DoD/BARDA). It specifies the scope of deliverables as “demonstrations” and “prototypes” only while excluding clinical trials and manufacturing quality control from the scope of work paid for by the contracts.

To ensure that the Pharma is free to conduct the fake clinical trials without financial risk, the contracts include the removal of all liability for the manufacturers and any contractors along the supply and distribution chain under the 2005 PREP Act and related federal legislation.

Why is no action by regulators or courts? According to Latypova and Watt, a combination of recently passed legislation and executive orders make it LEGAL to LIE! The HHS Secretary is accountable to no one if the Health National Emergency continues to be extended by Congress every three months.

A significant information operation was set in motion the minute COVID-19 hit. The U.S. government, the intelligence community, the media, and Big Tech colluded to orchestrate and implement an intense pressure campaign designed to get the vaccine legally designated under the Emergency Use Authorization Act while vilifying dissenting doctors, critics, and viable alternative treatments. This designation allowed for speedy manufacturing devoid of the standard safety and public health protocols.

For a vaccine to receive designation under the EUA, there can be no other known treatments or cures. Therefore, many proven treatments such as ivermectin and hydroxychloroquine were blacklisted in the media and dismissed as “horse de-wormers” when these cheap, readily available drugs were in the past heralded for their effectiveness.

Eminent COVID-treating doctors such as Peter M. McCullough and Pierre Kory have faced unprecedented attacks on their medical credentials.

HAL TURNER ANALYSIS AND PERSONAL OPINION

I am not a lawyer and am not qualified to render a competent legal opinion.  That said, it seems to me, as a layman, that when these COVID-19 “vaccines” were declared to be prototype demonstrations of large-scale manufacturing, that was fraud.

This was not going to be a . . .demonstration of large-scale manufacturing” it was going to be wide-scale distribution to the general public.  This was clear from the outset. There was no question about this.  THAT makes it fraud.

The persons who declared the “vaccines” to be prototype demonstrations of large-scale manufacturing knew what they were saying was fraud and they did it anyway.

In American federal jurisprudence, “Fraud vitiates everything.”  Nothing that stemmed from the fraud can be allowed to remain, and everything caused BY the fraud must be remediated by the courts to the extent possible. (See United States v. Throckmorton (98 U.S. 61 (1878)).   In the Throckmorton case, the Supreme Court of the United States court held “fraud vitiates everything.”

As such, it seems to me, no one can have any immunity from liability because everyone involved knew, or should have known, the entire COVID-19 Vaccine operation was a fraud.  Not only were the brand new mRNA gene therapy shots NOT “vaccines” they were being distributed as such when everyone in the process knew there was no foreign attack, this was not a “medical countermeasure,” and the representation that these were “prototype demonstrations of large-scale manufacturing” were all falsehoods.

I believe this situation qualifies as a “crime against humanity” for the scope of the deliberate fraud, and the horrific damages, injuries, and deaths, caused by these mRNA vaccines.

People are still, to this very moment, actually dying from consequences of having taken these fraudulent “vaccines.”   People need to go to prison for this.

In the meantime, NO ONE SHOULD TAKE THESE VACCINES OR THEIR “BOOSTERS.”   It is now clear that no safeguards were used in the manufacture of these materials, no one is being told what the actual ingredients of these shots are, it is now established scientific fact these shots do not prevent anyone from being infected with COVID, do not protect anyone from transmitting the virus to others, do not prevent severe illness from COVID, and do not prevent death from COVID.   Worse, there are documented, widespread, injuries and deaths attributable to these shots.

Given these realities, it seems logical to me that no one should take these shots again.

Confessions Of An Ex-Mercenary

How does one become a mercenary ?

Typically you start somewhere. I was a US Army Paratrooper in the 82nd Airborne. Friends of friends found me, and got my first contract to go to Africa.

How’s the pay?

Pay can fluctuate. First of all, there’s a lot of deadbeats in this space. For example, Liberia asked me to create a littoral sea fighting force, but I couldn’t figure out how they would actually pay (regardless of promises) so I walked away. Never work for the UN. Total deadbeats.

The US pays you about double what you might make in uniform, which ain’t much given the risks. All the stories of guys making 2 grand a day are BS. Maybe a few guys at the beginning of the Iraq war. Also, the US might pay Blackwater $1500/day for you but Blackwater pays you only $400/day, pocketing the rest.

The best is extractive industry, especially those that are private owned. You can find these in Houston, with the right connections.

What was the best/worst compensation for the contracts you’ve been on?

Worst. Not getting paid what was owed me.

Best. Getting paid six-figure for a two-week walkabout among the armed groups of the Sahara. Oil company.

How do you acquire your equipment? Especially for situations where you’re raising a small army.

It depends on the client. When I worked US government (USG) contracts, they would pay for it and I would go get it. Hence I did shopping sprees in Eastern Europe.

Are there anybody that you refuse to work with? If so: why?

There are many whom I would refuse to work with. For example, China or Russia. Actually, any who is the enemy of the US, since I’m still an ex-soldier at heart and blue passport holder.

However, a lot of people don’t care and go where the money. Erik Prince, founder of Blackwater, left the US and now works for China in Africa. He’s now in DC pimping an idea to hire a mercenary army to “fix” Afghanistan. It’s a dangerous idea.

What was the craziest thing you had to do as a mercenary?

Stop a genocide in Africa.

Could you elaborate?

Only a little.

The US had intel that an extremist Hutu group hiding in the Congo called the FNL were planning to assassinate the President of Burundi in 1994. If they did this, it would cause a chain of reprisal killings – Tutsi killing hutus and hutus then killing tutsi – that would rekindle the 1994 Rwandan genocide.

The US sent us in to prevent all this from happening, with out the governments of Burundi, Rwanda, DRC etc knowing. Only about 5 people knew in Burundi our mission, including the President and General in charge of their military.

We succeeded. I am sorry that I can’t go into the operational details.

What is the rule on killing kids?

There are no rules.

Unless they are written into the contract.

BTW mercs make moral choices. They can say ‘no’ to a contract or ROE, unlike soldiers and marines. They can also go ‘off contract’ or rogue.

Is your work considered peacekeeping, or are you on a definite side of the wars you’ve been part of?

“Peacekeeping” is one of those weasel words that diplomats like to throw around to cover their operations. Putin said he was doing ‘peacekeeping’ in Chechnya. The UN does “peace enforcement,” which they did in the eastern Congo in 2013.

I’m straight faced about it. We do war.

During your time as a Merc, how many times have you had run-ins with SOFs (Special Operations Forces) from other countries, which ones, how many did you actually have to fight, and which ones scared you the most?

All the time. People cluster around skillset, so if you have a SOF or paratrooper or ranger etc background, you will gravitate to those with like skills and either form a team or join one.

The best are from US, richer European countries and many of the former Soviet republics. Latin american SOF is good too. The worst are African and Middle east countries. Scariest: ex-Soviet. They are…different than the rest of us.

How so? Psychologically they’re different? Their skill sets?

Yeah. Many of them are crazy and tough. They use to have this thing in Spetznatz training called the Rule of the Grandfathers. Recruits would have bones broken.

How large is the industry, and would you say that it is mostly larger bodies of armed men, or do mercenaries also do smaller, covert ops missions in tight, single digit groups?

It’s really hard to say how large and how much money is sloshing around the private military world. There’s no Department of Labor and Statistics for Mercenaries.

During the height of the US wars in Iraq and Afghan, contractors worked in large military corporations. Now that this market has dried up, mercenaries are atomizing into smaller units.

What is the mortality rate for mercenaries?

It depends. Let’s assume proper mercenaries here, meaning they are ex-military and in conflict zones. The mortality is higher than most 1st world militaries. Also, if you get hurt, you are likely screwed.

Merc ops gone wrong generally don’t make the news. Mercs are hired often to work in the shadows, and if something goes wrong, their employers cut them away like a kite. That’s why we call these ‘kite missions.’

 

High end mercs are hired because they offer good plausible deniability.

What is the biggest misconception on PMC’s (Private Military Contractor) or Mercenary firms that is currently being published in the political science literature?

Political Science and academics in general don’t know much because this industry is so opaque. You have to be on the inside to understand it, yet not succumb to it, or get blackmailed into silence.

The common misperceptions are:

  1. Mercenaries are ineffective. Wrong, very wrong.
  2. Mercs are illegitimate. “Legitimacy” is a big word people like to throw around with much thinking. Ultimately, it doesn’t really matter that much.
  3. Mercs are all evil. Some are, some are not. Same with soldiers.
  4. We can use international law to curb mercenaries. Wrong again. Mercenaries will just shoot your law enforcement.
  5. Mercs are peripheral security problem. Wrong. The market for force is growing and cannot be stopped. At least not if we leave it on auto-pilot, which have.
  6. Lastly, mercs are not useful. This is wrong. They are like fire: power a steam engine or burn the building down. They can augment UN forces of be used as terrorists.

Did this kind of experience provide you with insights into a deeper understanding of the interactions between the western world and the middle eastern one? If yes, could you go into details?

You can’t understand the middle east if you think in terms of “states” or countries. You have to think in terms of blocs of ancient powers warring one another. You have the Sunni bloc, lead by Saudi Arabia and includes the GCC, Jordan, Yemen, Egypt and N. Africa and others.

Then you have the Shia block, lead by Iran and includes N. Iraq, Syria regime, parts of Lebanon.

I call these blocks “deep states,” not like Steve Bannon’s conspiracy theory but rather networks of power, elites and interest.

These Sunni and Shia Deep States have been at war, in some fashion, since the death of Mohammed. People who don’t see the middle east as two warring deep states will be left scratching their heads, which is what many ‘experts’ here do. Every day.

Is it good to have an knowledge of geopolitics related to the war you are participating in as a mercenary?

No. Optional.

The only knowledge you need to master is how to operate in a fire team.

Can you drop some light on the level of discipline in the mercs (rape, plunder,etc) during interactions with non-armed civilians? Have you personally witnessed any such incidents?

Good mercs do good things, bad mercs do bad things. Just like national armies around the world. However, I ran across mercenaries in the Congo that were pure evil. Really evil. It was sad.

BTW this is a serious concern you raise. I don’t have an answer because what mercenaries do is introduce market dynamics into warfare. Supply and demand dictate warfare as much as traditional military strategy.

Example. When I was in West Africa, some warlords used rape as a tactic and strategy of war. You could hire mercs to terrorize and cow local populations this way. You could also hire mercs to kill those mercs. But you are left with a world awash in mercenaries, and that’s what I fear is coming.

So, just curious if there are female mercenaries, or is this just a male arena?

I never found any female mercs, although it doesn’t mean they are not out there. I ran across female warlords in Africa, who would cut off you undercarriage in a heartbeat. With a rusty machete.

Mercenaries seem to have a fixed role in small arms conflicts (like what you said about Africa and the middle east) but with the international security landscape focused nation states and their nuclear weapons, what role do you believe mercenaries will play, if any, in nuclear security?

I think the international community is by definition Westphalian and can only see the world like a state. That’s why they continue to struggle against non-sate (what they humorously call ‘sub-state’) actors. Hence the mayhem.

Mercs are rising and can take over states, become a praetorian guard, can bully states etc. Let’s not forget that most of the states in the world are fragile or failing. And nothing is stopping the rise of mercenary organizations around the world. 100 years from now, mercenaries will be a bigger problem than nukes.

How has the battlefield changed in your lifetime? I imagine tactics are changing every day with each new advancement in equipment, but did you foresee the role of drones playing such a large role in current conflicts? It seems like we are heading towards wars where soldiers will never be in line of sight or am I thinking far too down the road?

Well, there’s war and warfare. War never changes; it’s bloody, violent, political etc. Warfare changes all the time, including tactics, leadership, environment, technology.

Drones are cheap and easily rigged into kamikazes. Expect mercenary “air forces” of suicide drone squad. There are also cyber mercs called “Hack Back Companies.”

That said, technology is over rated in war. The US has loads of tech and yet can’t conquer Taliban, Al Qaeda, ISIS etc. Meanwhile the humble IED remains a big tactical problem.

Mercenaries also change war. They open up strategy to the laws of the market place. Future Generals may need to know more about the laws of the marketplace and Wall Street, so they understand how to increase or decrease the flow of mercenaries into a battle space.

In your opinion, what is the best approach to handling North Korea?

DPRK is the headache that keeps on giving. If we strike them, they shell Seoul with artillery. China uses them as leverage to extract favor from the US.

Ultimately, no one wants to see DPRK fall. China and South Korea don’t want to absorb 20 million deranged refugees and no one wants to tempt the DPRK leadership’s will to launch everything they have.

Ultimately the best course of action is the status quo, which is why nothing has changed in 70 years.

What is a moment you can still vividly recall today?

Digging up children’s teeth in the genocide killing fields outside Bujumbura, Burundi.

What sorts of non-millitary exclusive skills helped you the most or did the best to keep you alive?

Cultural skills. When you are operating in Africa or elsewhere, you need to be cultural attuned. First, I’m a white guy with straight teeth, which means I’m American. That can be very disadvantageous in some parts of the world. You have to have a good intuition about people.

How does the merc profession mesh with family life? I imagine it takes one away from family a lot.

Merc life is pretty incompatible with married life. You’re always “deployed.” You can maybe do something like 6 months on a defensive lucrative mission, like defending oil pipelines in the desert. Then 6 months at home.

What is the biggest misconception people label you guys with? 

People think mercenaries are villains, etc. This is BS.

People often throw machiavelli in my face, who said mercenaries are “faithless whores” or something like that. He was the guy who wrote The Prince (which I love, as well as his Art of War and Discourses on Livy). But he was a total failure. During the the early 1500s, he was in charge of Florence’s defenses and got seriously burned by his lame mercs. So he Mr Sour Grapes. Most mercs – then and now – are not like that.

The prejudice against mercenaries is extremely unjustified. Would you rather be taken a prisoner by Blackwater of the Zimbabwe army ? I recommend the former.

Beautiful Portraits Of Gorgeous Japanese Women By Kato Yasuo

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Easy Manicotti

“No cooking the manicotti, so that’s the easy part. Sometimes I will add some frozen chopped spinach, cooked and squeezed dry. A real easy meal!”

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Ingredients

Directions

  • Combine Ricotta, Mozzarella, grated Parmesan, sugar, egg, nutmeg, parsley, salt and pepper to taste.
  • Stuff uncooked manicotti generously with the cheese mixture, from both ends.
  • Arrange manicotti in a single layer in a baking pan.
  • Bring sauce to a boil and pour over manicotti, covering completely.
  • Cover baking pan with aluminum foil, crimping the edges to seal tightly.
  • Bake in a preheated 400 degree Fahrenheit oven for 40 minutes.
  • Remove foil; sprinkle generously with additional grated cheese.
  • Bake uncovered for 5 minutes more.
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2023 01 02 08 59

RUSSIA RETALIATES: MORE THAN 600 UKRAINE TROOPS KILLED IN TWO MASSIVE MISSILE STRIKES

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In the minutes after the New Year arrived, Ukraine struck a temporary Russian Barracks in Makiivka, killing at least 89 Russian soldiers.

Today, Russia retaliated.

More than 600 of Kiev’s troops have been eliminated in a Russian missile strike in the Ukrainian-held city of Kramatorsk in the Donbass, Russia’s Defense Ministry has claimed.

The bombardment on Sunday was a “retaliation operation” carried out in response to “a criminal attack” by Ukraine on a temporary housing area accommodating Russian servicemen in the city of Makeyevka in the Donetsk People’s Republic (DPR) on New Year’s night, the ministry said in a statement.

Over the past 24 hours, the Russian military has managed to uncover and confirm the location of Ukrainian troops in Kramatorsk in the DPR, the statement read. This data revealed that dormitory No.28 in the city was hosting more than 700 Kiev soldiers, with 600 more staying in dormitory No.47.

“As a result of a massive missile attack on these temporary housing areas of the Ukrainian military’s units, more than 600 Ukrainian servicemen were killed,”  the ministry said.

On January 1, at precisely 0:01am, Ukrainian forces targeted a temporary housing area containing Russian troops in the city of Makeyevka. Six missiles from a US-supplied HIMARS multiple rocket launcher were fired at the building. Two of them were intercepted by Russian air defenses, but four made it through, causing massive damage to the facility. The death toll from the strike has reached 89, according to the Russian Defense Ministry.

Earlier this week, Moscow said several HIMARS systems operated by Ukraine had been destroyed in Donbass, including the launcher that was used in the strike on Makeyevka.

The strike on Kramatorsk took place following a 36-hour truce announced by Russian President Vladimir Putin to allow Orthodox Christians, who make up the majority of the population in Russia and Ukraine, could go to church and celebrate Christmas safely. The ceasefire by Russian forces was unilateral, and the Ukrainian military continued to shell multiple areas in the newly incorporated Russian territories of Donbass, Kherson and Zaporozhye regions, Moscow said.

This, from the Russian Ministry of Defense:

"In response to the criminal strike of the Kiev regime in the first minutes of January in Makeevka a retaliation operation was implemented During the day, Russian intelligence tools opened and reliably confirmed the temporary deployment points of the AFU military in Kramatorsk.

During the day, the temporary deployment points of Ukrainian servicemen in Kramatorsk were opened. There were more than 700 military personnel in Dormitory No. 28 and more than 600 in dormitory No. 47.

As a result of a massive missile strike on these points of temporary deployment of units of Ukrainian troops, more than 600 soldiers were demilitarised."

The hard work starts now. Welcome to the New Great Game on crack, Pepe Escobar writes.

2023 starts with collective NATO in Absolutely Freak Out Mode as Russian Defense Minister Shoigu announces that Russian Navy frigate Admiral Gorshkov is now on tour – complete with a set of Mr. Zircon’s hypersonic business cards.

The business tour will encompass the Atlantic and the Indian Ocean, and of course include the Mediterranean, the Roman Empire’s former Mare Nostrum. Mr. Zircon on the prowl has absolutely nothing to do with the war in Ukraine: it’s a sign of what happens next when it comes to frying much bigger fishes than a bunch of Kiev psychos.

The end of 2022 did seal the frying of the Big Ukraine Negotiation Fish. It has now been served on a hot plate – and fully digested. Moscow has made it painfully clear there’s no reason whatsoever to trust the “non-agreement capable” declining superpower.

So even taxi drivers in Dacca are now betting on when the much- vaunted “winter offensive” starts, and how far will it go. General Armageddon’s path ahead is clear: all-out demilitarization and de-electrification on steroids, complete with grinding up masses of Ukrainians at the lowest possible cost to the Russian Armed Forces in Donbass until Kiev psychos beg for mercy. Or not.

Another big fried fish on a hot plate at the end of 2022 was the 2014 Minsk Agreement. The cook was no other than former chancellor Merkel (“an attempt to buy time for Ukraine”). Implied is the not exactly smokin’ gun: the strategy of the Straussian/neo-con and neoliberal-con combo in charge of U.S. foreign policy, from the beginning, was to unleash a Forever War, by proxy, against Russia.

Merkel may have been up to something telling the Russians, in their face, that she lied like crypto-Soprano Mike Pompeo, then she lied again and again, for years. That’s not embarrassing for Moscow, but for Berlin: yet another graphic demonstration of total vassalage to the Empire.

The response by the contemporary embodiment of Mercury, Russian Foreign Ministry’s Maria Zakharova, was equally intriguing: Merkel’s confession could be used as a specific reason – and evidence – for a tribunal judging Western politicians responsible for provoking the Russia-Ukraine proxy war.

No one will obviously confirm it on the record. But all this could be part of an evolving, secret Russia-Germany deal in the making, leading to Germany restoring at least some of its sovereignty.

Time to fry NATO fish

Meanwhile, deputy chairman of the Russian Security Council Dmitry Medvedev, visibly relishing his totally unplugged incarnation, expanded on the Fried Negotiation Fish saga. “Last warning to all nations”, as he framed it: “there can be no business with the Anglo-Saxon world [because] it is a thief, a swindler, a card-sharp that could do anything… From now on we will do without them until a new generation of sensible politicians comes to power… There is nobody in the West we could deal with about anything for any reason.”

Medvedev, significantly, recited more or less the same script, in person, to Xi Jinping in Beijing, days before the zoom to end all zooms – between Xi and Putin – that worked as a sort of informal closure of 2022, with the Russia-China strategic partnership perfectly in synch.

On the war front, General Armageddon’s new – offensive – groove is bound to lead in the next few months to an undisputable fact on the ground: a partition between a dysfunctional black hole or rump Ukraine on the west, and Novorossiya in the east.

Even the IMF is now reluctant to throw extra funds into the black hole. Kiev’s 2023 budget has an – unrealistic – $36 billion deficit. Half of the budget is military-related. The real deficit in 2022 was running at about $5 billion a month – and will inevitably balloon.

Tymofiy Mylovanov, a professor at the Kiev School of Economics, came up with a howler: the IMF is worried about Ukraine’s “debt sustainability”. He added, “if even the IMF is worried, imagine what private investors are thinking”. There will be no “investment” in rump Ukraine. Multinational vultures will grab land for nothing and whatever puny productive assets may remain.

Arguably the biggest fish to be fried in 2023 is the myth of NATO. Every serious military analyst, few Americans included, knows that the Russian Army and military industrial complex represents a superior system than what existed at the end of the U.S.SR, and far superior to that of the U.S. and the rest of NATO today.

The Mackinder-style final blow to a possible alliance between Germany (EU), Russia and China – which is what is really behind the U.S. proxy war in Ukraine – is not proceeding according to the Straussian wet dream.

Saddam Hussein, former imperial vassal, was regime-changed because he wanted to bypass the petrodollar. Now we have the inevitable rise of the petroyuan – “in three to five years”, as Xi Jinping announced in Riyadh: you just can’t prevent it with Shock’n Awe on Beijing.

In 2008, Russia embarked on a massive rebuilding of missile forces and a 14-year plan to modernize land-based armed forces. Mr. Zircon presenting his hypersonic business card across the Mare Nostrum is just a small part of the Big Picture.

The myth of U.S. power

The CIA abandoned Afghanistan in a humiliating retreat – even ditching the heroin ratline – just to relocate to Ukraine and continue playing the same old broken records. The CIA is behind the ongoing sabotage of Russian infrastructure – in tandem with MI6 and others. Sooner or later there will be blowback.

Few people – including CIA operatives – may know that New York City, for instance, may be destroyed with a single move: blowing up the George Washington bridge. The city can’t be supplied with food and most of its requirements without the bridge. The New York City electrical grid can be destroyed by knocking out the central controls; putting it back together could take a year.

Even trespassed by infinite layers of fog of war, the current situation in Ukraine is still a skirmish.

The real war has not even started yet.

It might – soon.

Apart from Ukraine and Poland there is no NATO force worth mentioning. Germany has a risible two-day supply of ammunition. Turkey will not send a single soldier to fight Russians in Ukraine.

Out of 80,000 U.S. troops stationed in Europe, only 10% are weaponized. Recently 20,000 were added, not a big deal. If the Americans activated their troops in Europe – something rather ridiculous in itself – they would not have any place to land supplies or reinforcements. All airports and seaports would be destroyed by Russian hypersonic missiles in a matter of minutes – in continental Europe as well as the UK.

In addition, all fuel centers such as Rotterdam for oil and natural gas would be destroyed, as well as all military installations, including top American bases in Europe: Grafenwoehr, Hohenfels, Ramstein, Baumholder, Vilseck, Spangdahlem, and Wiesbaden in Germany (for the Army and Air Force); Aviano Air Base in Italy; Lajes Air Base in Portugal’s Azores islands; Naval Station Rota in Spain; Incirlik Air Base in Turkey; and Royal Air Force stations Lakenheath and Mildenhall in the UK.

All fighter jets and bombers would be destroyed – after they land or while landed: there would be no place to land except on the autobahn, where they would be sitting ducks.

Patriot missiles are worthless – as the whole Global South saw in Saudi Arabia when they tried to knock out Houthi missiles coming from Yemen. Israel’s Iron Dome can’t even knock out all primitive missiles coming from Gaza.

U.S. military power is the supreme myth of the fish to be fried variety. Essentially, they hide behind proxies – as the Ukraine Armed Forces. U.S. forces are worthless except in turkey shoots as in Iraq in 1991 and 2003, against a disabled opponent in the middle of the desert with no air cover. And never forget how NATO was completely humiliated by the Taliban.

The final breaking point

2022 ended an era: the final breaking point of the “rules-based international order” established after the fall of the U.S.S.R.

The Empire entered Desperation Row, throwing everything and the kitchen sink – proxy war on Ukraine, AUKUS, Taiwan hysteria – to dismantle the set-up they created way back in 1991.

Globalization’s rollback is being implemented by the Empire itself. That ranges from stealing the EU energy market from Russia so the hapless vassals buy ultra-expensive U.S. energy to smashing the entire semiconductor supply chain, forcibly rebuilding it around itself to “isolate” China.

The NATO vs. Russia war in Ukraine is just a cog in the wheel of the New Great Game. For the Global South, what really matters is how Eurasia – and beyond – are coordinating their integration process, from BRI to the BRICS+ expansion, from the SCO to the INSTC, from Opec+ to the Greater Eurasia Partnership.

We’re back to what the world looked like in 1914 (world war 1), or before 1939 (world war 2), only in a limited sense.

There’s a plethora of nations struggling to expand their influence, but all of them are betting on multipolarity, or “peaceful modernization”, as Xi Jinping coined it, and not Forever Wars: China, Russia, India, Iran, Indonesia and others.

So bye bye 1991-2022.

The hard work starts now.

Welcome to the New Great Game on crack.

The Most Shocking Interrogation You’ve Ever Seen: Markeith Loyd

"The effort and time put in to making these videos is astounding. I’m 36 years old, I’ve seen a lot of different productions of film and/or documentaries and this is extremely impressive! Excellent work EWU! My wife and I enjoy watching your videos together. Please keep them coming!"

https://youtu.be/781YkcgBnC4

The future can either be a nightmare or a paradise; it is up to you

Yes, that’s a truth.

I often argue that it is better to be ignorant of all the bad and evil stuff in the world, as long as you will never be influenced or affected by it.

Ah, but the truth is, that in certain place, namely the United States, it has become a cesspool of drug-addled mentally ill people that defines the state of “normal” for that society. This is concerning.

You you need to be aware. You need to be accepting of things that you cannot change, and you had best be prepared.

Let’s dive in…

What’s It Like To Be A Psychopath?

Emotionals: Flatlines. Most days are just flatlines. You go out there, and you do what interests you, and sometimes the monotony of your existence is punctuated by events.

Sometimes you feel pleasant and happy, sometimes you feel angry, but your emotions are like calm ocean waves.

It comes, and then it goes, invariably around the clock, and they’re just as mild and watery as waves. There are no tsunamis in our world. We do not implode. We do not explode.

Our emotional range typically lacks the highest peaks and the lowest lows, but especially not the lows.

Relationships: We don’t love, and we don’t bond, and we don’t grieve. I treasure some people, but if they fell off a really tall cliff I would ask why and (if no justice needs serving) I move on. There are psychopaths who invest in people and have inner circles. There are those who do not. I’m one of those somewhere in the middle, with an inner circle I will not kill for. Regardless, we are fiercely loyal to our people. We go to great, incomprehensible lengths for them, because we are never concerned with the question, why me?

Why me, is for me, the singularly most damaging, self-pitying question people ask in a relationship. Why me? Why do I have to put up with this? Why do I have to suffer so? Why am I trapped into this? Well, we don’t have that. When we want to leave, we dust off our asses and get on our bikes and ride into the satanic sunset. If we stay, we are doing it of conscious choice and we don’t fucking whine about it.

Most importantly, we do not stalk, and we do not trap you into a relationship you don’t want to be. Your stalker ex? Not a psychopath. Your boss? Not a psychopath.

Masks:

A mask is something we use to fit in.

It is the minutiae of faking empathy, emotion, and NT thought processes in order to fit in. It is not some glamorous Sailormoon transformation process that immediately levels us up from human to dark vigilante. It includes, but isn’t just limited to:

  • Responding with ‘I’m fine’ instead of ‘Fuck off’
  • Caring about your epileptic kid stories
  • Being afraid with everyone else when an escaped lion appears, and screaming like a little girl.
  • Griping about bills.
  • Nervousness about a big day, speech etc.
  • Caring deeply about being fired
  • Complaining about the prices of things.
  • Showing low-self esteem sometimes ala ‘I’m so fat! I hate myself!’
  • Pretending to remember and keep grudges from that time Albert from Accounts was slightly rude to you, because that’s expected behavior and you don’t want anyone to know that you’ve all but forgotten his existence.

Extrapolate to everyday interactions that fits this trend. In other words, it’s mostly to cover up the fact that we biologically cannot give a shit, because everyone else expects us to give many shits and fit in with their model of NT behavior.

You dial these up and down depending on what your culture/society is like, but the end goal is the same — to fit in.

In tldr terms, we biologically cannot give a shit about most things that people give many shits about, so we have to hide it.

Diseases and assorted NOs:

No, we do not get PTSD. No, we do not get depressed. No, no insecurity, nor arrogance. Not sadism usually, but there are exceptions. We do not play with people for fun. We do not kill. We do not kill ourselves either. We do not post our brain scans online. We do not self-diagnose. We do not care what you think about us. We are all here for a reason, and that reason is not to nurture your disbelief.

I hope that is comprehensive insight into our day.

– Carlis Kwok

Key Pipeline Carrying Gasoline to northeast, shutdown by leak

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2023 01 08 14 56

A critical conduit supplying fuel to the US Northeast was halted on Wednesday, when the Colonial Pipeline temporarily shut operations after a spill, the latest disruption to energy flows following an outage to the Keystone oil pipeline last month.

Some product was released at Colonial’s Witt delivery station near Danville, Virginia, prompting the shutdown of its Line 3, spokeswoman Meredith Stone said in an email. The company is planning a restart at around 12 PM Eastern time on Saturday, according to a notice shared with users of the pipeline.

Colonial’s Line 3 transports refined products such as distillates and gasoline to the New York Harbor market from Houston, via Greensboro, North Carolina, and is part of a broader system that supplies fuels to the eastern US. The system’s key gasoline conduit was shut for nearly a week in 2021 after a cyberattack.

Colonial’s vast product system which includes Lines 1, 2, 3 and 4 are a vital source of fuels for the eastern US. Lines 1 and 2 extend from the Houston area and meet in Charlotte, North Carolina, to form Line 3 into New York Harbor.

Beautiful Photos of the 1953 Studebaker Commander Starliner

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Introduced as a 1953 model, the new Studebakers again stunned onlookers and competitors with its radical styling. The long and lean two-door coupe was undeniably the star of the show, while the hastily designed four-door sedan was somewhat ungainly in comparison.

Representing the top of the line for 1953 Studebakers is this gorgeous Commander Starliner Hardtop. This car is an outstanding example of the breed, subject to a bare-metal restoration finished in attractive factory-offered colors of Bombay Red with a Salem White roof.

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Devoid of the fussy chrome jewelry that was typical of the early 1950s, the Commander Starliner has delicate bumpers and carefully judged brightwork that highlight the clean and uncluttered lines. Excellent, high-quality plating features on the bumpers, grille, and window trim, and the car is very well-detailed. It rides on period correct Firestone whitewall tires, with the steel wheels fitted with factory-optional wire wheel covers.

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Power comes from the original 232 cubic-inch OHV V8 engine, making 120 horsepower in standard spec. In this car, it pairs with an automatic transmission to create the ideal relaxed grand tourer. Much like the rest of the vehicle, the detailing is exceptional, with correct paint finishes on the engine and accessories. Correct fabric wiring is used, and factory correct decals appear on the oil filter and air filter housings. The attention to detail is outstanding, down to the correct Willard battery.

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Highly detailed and ready for enjoyment, this 1953 Commander Starliner Coupe brilliantly captures the optimism and creativity that defined Studebaker in the early ’50s.

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Barbecue Beef Brisket Sandwiches

Slices of beef brisket steeped in a sweet and savory sauce create a world-class sandwich.

brisket sandwiches 3 600x900 1
brisket sandwiches 3 600×900 1

Ingredients

  • 1 (3 pound) beef brisket, trimmed
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons coarse salt
  • 3/4 teaspoon pepper
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons coarse salt
  • 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
  • 1 large onion (about 1 1/2 cup), coarsely chopped
  • 1 1/2 tablespoons minced garlic
  • 1/2 cup dark beer (such as porter or stout)
  • 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
  • 2 tablespoons lemon juice
  • 3 tablespoons honey
  • 1/2 cup ketchup
  • 1 teaspoon paprika
  • 6 Kaiser or other sandwich rolls

Instructions

  1. Cook the brisket: Season the brisket with salt and pepper.
  2. Heat oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the brisket, brown on all sides and transfer to a slow cooker.
  3. Add the remaining ingredients to the slow cooker and stir well.
  4. Cook, covered, on LOW until the meat is very tender – 8 hours.
  5. Remove the meat, place it on a cutting board and let it rest for 15 minutes.
  6. Reserve the sauce.
  7. Carve brisket into thin slices and divide it among rolls topped with reserved sauce.
  8. Serve warm.

Yield: 8 servings

What’s It Like To Almost Get Beheaded By A Mexican Cartel

 

I’m a 20 year old half Mexican-american dude who lives in the state of Sonora, Mexico, very close to Arizona. More precisely in Hermosillo, its biggest and capital city of the state, whose streets have been controlled by “Los Salazar” — a criminal band allied and supported by the Sinaloa’s Cartel — which’s sustation gets mainly financed by manufacturing meth and weed and crossing it to the US. In order for them to grow up and stay immune from the federal government, their motto “silver or lead” has lead for high commanders and politicians to take up the money and to set things up for the cartels to do them moves.

That being said, I wanted you guys to get a bit of background on this because this is the reality we live everyday.

I remember these story that it happened not too long ago — maybe 2017— when I accidentally got involved with the wrong guy and almost ended up dead. Back to when I started to fuck with H, money wasn’t the thing but finding a dealer since almost one one sell it and the ones who did were addicts from lowkey hoods , so I used to hang up with a guy who as an addict could get it for me if he could get high with me. I never used it daily but more like once or twice a month, and this guy helped me out with it.

Story:

I remember exactly how it happened. The day was perfect and I had the money to get half a gram, so I texted the guy on Facebook, hoping it to get a quick answer so we could meet at the point again; however, it didn’t happen so I decided to take an uber to his house and hopefully he will be there. Knocking off the door with no answer thinking to go back home, he finally opens the door and even tho he looked screwed up, I got happy I will get high.

Idk why he was so annoying at the time but i was just there for the dope so I didn’t care, besides, he was a fuckin’ junkey and u can’t expect much from them. His dealer was 30min away from his house and so I accompanied him as we usually used to. I never expected this to happen but once arrived, he told to stay at the corner while he gets the fix and gets back, but when it does, I looked at him running towards me making signs with his face and hands of like “get the fuck out!!!”, I had no idea of what was happening but before I knew it, a truck parked next to us while a bunch of dudes forced us to get inside.

They put a bag in my head so I could see nothing. In the inside, I was being taken by two or three guys so I couldn’t move, the guys didn’t talk to much to me but they were seriously threating my friend by saying “ya te cargo la verga ahora si, joto” which in English would mean “you fucked up already, bitch”.

About ten minutes after, the truck stops inside a garage and got taken inside a house where they took off the bag and then we both got placed at the corner of a room that smelled very nasty.

By that time, I already knew I’ve fucked up even though I had no idea of its reason. I was around cartel members whose coldness at killing people is know by everyone.

He and I were told to layed down and so we did. I looked at my friend and he didn’t even look at me, his eyes looked lost, and his mouth was shut. My mind was empty at that moment. Then, I heard some man asking questions related to him. Then I knew why we were here, he owed money to the boss. The men gets inside the room and my friend says: “Hey, you know I’m gonna pay you, man! I’m sorry, I can get you the money now! Please don’t!” Boss: “It’s too late. I don’t want your money now. U fucked up.” Then he asks: “Who’s these other guy???” Someone replies: “We don’t know. He was just with him.” Then he asked me: “Why are u with this piece of shit?? U wanna get killed too???” I replied: “No, sir. I’m a 20 year old student, I live with my parents. He used to get me heroine, since I didn’t know other way. I don’t have anything to do with him.” He said: “U sure? We’ll see” Then he asks a guy: “hey, moustro, come get me my machete (big knife). Let’s show this piece of shit what happens when u fuck with us.” My friend very scared said “Please don’t! I’m sorry. I swear if god I will pay you! I already have your money man! Come on! It doesn’t need to be this way. You know me man. Please, have some mercy. Please, please! Just one chance!” The boss kept quiet as someone handled a machete. When I saw it I knew what it was coming, I almost freaked out, but I tried to stay quiet and in silence.

For god’s sake, I don’t even want to think about it. I just closed my eyes and felt so scared and horrible. I don’t want to describe it. All I can say is that, once the man got this machete on his hand, he said “ahora si agarrenmelo a este pendejo” which would mean “Now yes, hold on to this fucker.” then he got grabbed by two men so we could not move, i tried to crawl a bit away as I could hear him screaming. Then I closed my eyes, but i heard everything.

The man used his machete to behead his head off. It was so horrible. I can’t describe how it sounded like but the screams were just so so terrorific. His last words were “no, don’t please. Please don’t, don’t, no, no please.” then I didn’t heard any word from him anymore. Guys were talking shit but i wasn’t putting attention.

Once dead, for a second I opened my eyes and saw so much blood so I closed them again. I didn’t know what was gonna happen next, and that’s all I remember. I passed out. Three hours later, I woke up in the middle of the night in a ditch. My face was bleeding, my whole body was was hurting. I got a trauma, but i lived to tell the story. I hope u guys never come through shit like this. It’s no joke.

– xluzix

330 Years of Unknown History: The Oldest Road in America Finally Surfaces

Often, there are hidden truths and old tales that get lost with each generation.  As such, there is an untold story about the United States that begins in the 1600s.

Prior to English entrepreneur and Pennsylvania founder William Penn’s arrival to the New World, this continent was inhabited by various Indigenous Indian tribes.  Once the Swedes and the Dutch began settling in the area they bartered for land (and fought over it). After William Penn’s arrival the land was sectioned out to various hamlets.  The Indigenous tribes started to die off because of fighting or disease and most of them left the river areas.  Mills started to appear in the late 1600s and early 1700s which created a boom in food production.  This led to more people settling in the Tri-State area.  Then in the 1800s, the result was that Philadelphia had the world’s largest and most diverse growth spurt of in­dus­tri­al sectors which of course played a huge role in the Re­volu­tion­ary War.

Painting of William Penn
Painting of William Penn

Painting of William Penn. ( CC BY-SA 3.0 )

The King’s Highway Bridge

In the 1600s, the King’s Highway was built to go from Boston, Massachusetts to Charleston, South Carolina.  This highway is now the oldest road in continuous use in the nation.  In Philadelphia, William Penn had the King’s Highway Bridge built by residents via royal edict.  This bridge, built in 1697 is the oldest roadway bridge in continuous use in the nation.  When it comes to Philadelphia however, Independence Hall and the Liberty Bell are still the popular tourist attractions.

“People only know about the history of Center City, Philadelphia.” said Fred Moore of the Northeast Philadelphia History Network.  “Northeast Philadelphia has been all but forgotten.”

Map of the Kings Highway
Map of the Kings Highway

Map of the King’s Highway courtesy the author.

Dangerous Deeds and Historical Events

What people are shocked to find out is that del­eg­ates of the Con­tin­ent­al Con­gress often met to discuss their independence from Britain in taverns in Frankford, (now a neighborhood of Philadelphia before the consolidation of 1854). George Washington, Benjamin Franklin, and other important people would often travel to, work in, and sleep in parts of Northeast Philadelphia. Fast forward to the Civil War when there was a population growth of African Americans and you will find that residents of Northeast Philadelphia played a big part in the abolishment of slavery and the Underground Railroad.

horses painting
horses painting

The US Underground Railroad was a network of secret routes and safe houses used by 19th-century slaves to escape to free states and Canada. Painting by Eastman Johnson, 1862. ( Public Domain )

When Thomas Holme created the first map of Philadelphia in 1687, the grid system that is in use throughout America first made an appearance.  This was an efficient way of sectioning off the city as well as making it easily accessible.  Then the Indian trails started to become major roads, and they had to be widened for horse and carriage travel, and the area started to become more industrialized.  From those times came so many unheard stories that revealed a unique perspective on the lives of our forefathers and those who brought our nation independence.

There is a great story about Lydia Darragh, a woman who warned American troops of a British invasion during the Revolution.  She crossed British lines and found out about the ambush, then left, stating she needed to get more flour from the mill to make bread for them.  She did get more flour, but also stopped at an American encampment in Northeast Philadelphia to warn Washington’s troops.  If that hadn’t happened, there was a chance we wouldn’t be a free country today. It is stories like these that need to be told.

“I’m baffled as to how this story has never been told before.” said Director Jason Sherman of The King’s Highway documentary.  “People need to know what happened along the King’s Highway.  Hopefully this documentary sheds some light on the importance of this area and how it played a significant role in the birth of our nation.  Let’s save our buildings and the history that stays with them.”

Milestone
Milestone

Milestone along the King’s Highway, the oldest road in continuous use in the nation. ( Public Domain )

History Revealed

The King’s Highway and the historic locations along the road are the foundation of the film. Augmenting that with in-depth historical coverage, along with expert speakers, archival footage, historical documents, photographs, maps and artifacts, the documentary is set to give us a glimpse into the past. Time lapse and walkthrough footage of various locations will allow viewers to see the beauty that has been all but forgotten. The goal of the film is to not only spread awareness about the historic value of this area, but to also showcase the historians and preservationists that are fighting to keep our beautiful city intact. Ultimately, we are spreading the word that Center City is not the only place America’s history is present.

stone arch bridge
stone arch bridge

The stone arch bridge on Frankford Avenue in Holmesburg, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Erected in 1697 in the Holmesburg section of Northeast Philadelphia, in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania, it is the oldest surviving roadway bridge in the United States. ( Public Domain )

The producers have officially launched a Kickstarter page to get support for film festival submissions and DVD manufacturing.  With support from local historical societies, civic associations, historians, experts, college professors, museums, and volunteers , The King’s Highway is causing quite a stir in the communities of Northeast Philadelphia.  Center City, Philadelphia has often been the focus of film and TV specials, but no one has ever documented the King’s Highway and Northeast Philadelphia.  The film will explore the im­port­ance of regis­ter­ing historically sig­ni­fic­ant build­ings on the Phil­adelphia Re­gister of His­tor­ic Places.  Too many buildings are being demolished every day and they need to be saved, in order for history to be saved.

The project and trailer are available on Kickstarter by clicking here .

By: Jason Sherman

12 Guys Reveal The Red Flags They Ignored, For The Sake of Getting Laid

 

1. She legit stole my wallet the first time we hooked up. It had $200 in it

Sex was so damn good I just made sure I hid my wallet and valuables for rounds 2-4

2. That she was crazy. One of the first things she said to me while making out at a party was “they all say I’m crazy, but I’m really not.”

3. She said she had thousands of kids that telepathically communicate with her all at once.

I only talked to her for a few more weeks and slowly faded myself out since I was too afraid to just ghost her. That’s the type of crazy I didn’t want to get on the wrong side of. I didn’t pry too much more into it due to how uncomfortable I got.

4. The last girl I dated told me she liked holding a knife to her ex’s neck while he slept because she fantasized about murder and wanted to see what it felt like.

5. She showed up to my apartment without directions or asking. She was a friend of a friend, and knew the complex itself from talking with her earlier. Never crossed my mind to ask how she figured out my building or apartment until later, and when you wake up to a cute girl knocking on your door at 2 AM, it doesn’t really cross your mind.

We saw each other for a few months, til I figured our what was cute at first was stalkers and became upsetting when I need to sleep. Lesson learned, now I use an alias and safe house when I meet people.

6. 20 year old stripper whose husband was in jail. Husband got out and fire bombed my car in her driveway.

7. She told me she was a manipulative, emotionally unavailable, and controlling person. I still went in. She wasn’t lying lol but I think I maneuvered it well.

8. First day, she fell in love. Day two, she slapped me in the face. Day three, she broke into my house. Day 4, I learned she could squirt across the room. Day 5, she told me she had chlamydia. Day 6, I smashed one last time and didn’t pull out. Day 7, she brought me the pill that treats chlamydia and sucked my soul out right after. Day 8 and beyond, I ignored the rest of her calls and left her on read. I’m surprised my house didn’t get burnt down as it still stands today.

9. Hooked up with a girl near DC who was very into SpongeBob, which is cool I am too, but she was like SUPER into SpongeBob. Throw pillows, posters, stuffed animals everywhere. When we hooked up she made me do the laugh so she’d get off

10. Family gang ties. She would use that as a threat to prevent me from breaking up, cheating, or making her upset in general.

11. I met a girl on a bus and on our first date she told me that her father is always present and she can see him sitting right next to me. I thought she was joking or used a metaphor of him always watching her but she pointed where he was sitting (I should mention that he is alive and well). I proceeded to have a 2 year long relationship with her with lots of weird things happening in it.

English wasnt her first language neither was mine but we communicated in english. Sometimes she would say “we” when talking about what she did on a day and refuse to elaborate. Any kind of argument would end up with her trying to gaslight me about unimportant details (like she would say something and I would quote it back to her and she would say: “no thats what you said.”

She married a 60 year old man when she was 25. Really mysterious person – to this day I cant say how crazy she really is.

12. I get to her place, and it is like 4 things away from a trash heap. Seriously, piles of trash, clothes, dishes, books, etc. EVERYWHERE! Her couch looked like it was rescued from a dump. I have no sense of smell (luckily) and was down baaaaad so I was like whatever.

Then I hear a small critter noise, look over and she’s got a massive cage FULL of mice/rats. Like a ceiling to floor length cage, the kind you’d keep several toucans in. I cannot tell you the level of uncomfortable it is making out on a filthy couch, next to a pile of trash while being able to hear mice. Sex was amazing though, but I just couldn’t deal. She was a PhD student or something and the mice were retired lab rats, even still… Clean your place.

13. That she was 100% bat shit insane.

Met online. She opened with saying “wow what a dirty old white man. Whats with you white men?” She, herself, was white.

I thought she was joking, but she wasn’t. She was dead ass serious about having a heated racial argument against her own race. I played along. Turns out, she does that as a “test” to see if people can “handle her”. Red flag, but she was one of the hottest people I’ve ever talked to. We continue on.

She is an artist/engineer. She tells me how big her house is and how she would LOVE to support me. She’d pay all my bills, etc. This seemed odd, as I just met her.

She insisted I come out to Detroit to see her. I was in Ohio. I have known her a day. Well, as my blood wasn’t in the right area of my body, I decided to go. I drove the few hours and showed up at what could only be described as a house used in movies to depict a trailer trash, dirty individual.

Her front yard was covered in an array of random objects. It looked like a bomb went off in the middle of a yard sale for stuff a goodwill wouldn’t accept. There was so much random stuff, I has to step on a chair and over a fence to get from her driveway to the front door. We continued on.

Her house was a mess. It was like a homeless person got a home and moved all their homeless essence into it. It wasn’t dirty, per say, just…so so so much clutter. We went to her room and i laid down. We proceeded to talk for a while, and we wound up in a moment of silence.

I brought up something I’d seen in a documentary recently and she got super serious, super fast. She looked at me and said “okay, and the point of that sentence was…?” I replied that I was just trying to make small talk. “Who fuckin cares about a documentary. Why do I give a shit?”.

I wasn’t sure how to respond , so I went with just explaining the concept of small talk. She interrupted me and said “you are boring as fuck. Why bother opening your mouth?”

I couldn’t understand what was happening. I never had an interaction like that before. She was now nitpicking everything I said and getting angrier by the minute. I tried so much to change the subject to something she’d like but I couldn’t manage.

I still decided to sleep over. The worst part was, no matter how I tried to initiate the sex that she was talking nonstop about having over text when we met, it never happened. We just..went to sleep. I spent the entire night staring at her ceiling instead of leaving because, well, tomorrow exists.

The last straw was when she got up, pretended I didn’t exist, walked to the bathroom and took the loudest, nastiest shit ive ever heard come out of a woman…with the door open. She didn’t wash her hands, or flush.

All that for a set of blue balls and hours and hours of wasted driving.

Reports: Country of Belarus Drafts “all men ages 18-60”

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2023 01 08 14 55
2023 01 08 14 55

Reports are coming in saying the country of Belarus has reportedly announced a Draft for “all males ages 18 through 60.” Looks like a full mobilization for war.

Here’s some more visions into the mind of those that desire to take on control of others through leadership roles. Check it out.

https://youtu.be/MtNASztI83c

This Brutal 1925 Rolls Royce Phantom I Jonckheere Coupe

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The motor car may have been invented by German engineers, but it took two Brits to refine the concept; Charles Rolls and Henry Royce. With the Silver Ghost, introduced in 1907, Rolls Royce had set new standards in build quality and reliability. The British manufacturer has never been known for their innovations, yet has excelled in perfecting well proven principles.

For over 15 years, the ’40/50′ Silver Ghost was the only model on offer, at a time where many of the competitors offered multiple of models and types. In 1922 it was joined by the Twenty, which was aimed at a slightly wider market. From 1921 onwards, the North American customers were served more directly by a new factory in Springfield, Massachusetts. The ‘Springfield’ Silver Ghosts were intended to be identical to the British built cars, but after a few cars were built, changes were carried through to comply with the North American’s needs.

Competition from rivals like Hispano Suiza and Isotta Fraschini had grown considerably. In 1922 work was started on a larger, more powerful model to replace the Silver Ghost, which had served the British company so well for nearly two decades. Delayed several years because of other pre-occupations, the new Rolls-Royce was introduced to the public in May of 1925. First known as the ’40/50 New Phantom’, this model is now commonly referred to as Phantom I.

Much of the development concentrated on the new straight six. In many ways this was a larger version of the ‘Twenty’ six cylinder engine introduced in 1922. Cast into two banks of three cylinders, the new engine was only slightly larger than the Ghost’s but performance was considerably improved by adaption of overhead valves. The first Phantoms featured cast-iron heads, which were later replaced by twin-plug, aluminium examples to cure ‘pinging’ problems when run on poor quality fuel. In good Rolls-Royce tradition all that was said about the power was that it was ‘sufficient’ but it is believed the Phantom ‘six’ developed around 100 bhp.

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Urban Exploration Photographer Reveals Abandoned Ferrari & MG Sports Car. Bonus: Lamborghini Diablo Goat Edition

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Belgium-based urban exploration photographer LeiV Photo captured these interesting – perhaps even tear-jerking – scenes of classic cars slowly rusting away into oblivion in a barn or garage at an undisclosed location. Among them are an abandoned Ferrari and an old MG.

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The Ferrari appears to be little more than an empty stripped-out shell, doubtless offering little beyond a logbook should a restoration (or rebuild) effort ever be mounted. Its distinctive form, and iconic prancing horse emblem, serve as decayed reminders that this was once someone’s pride and joy. Moreover, the photographs suggest that it may have been the victim of a fire.

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The MG, on the other hand, appears to be more intact, though no less rusted through following years of idleness. The engine is fitted and the classic MG badge still graces its elegant front. Photographed in HDR, the textures of rust and decay add extra layers to the subjects which almost offset their sad condition.

Bonus: Abandoned Lamborghini Diablo surrounded by goats

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It’s made the rounds of the automotive and motorsport publications and websites. But like other abandoned supercars that have turned up online and spread like wildfire across the blogosphere, the circumstances behind its apparent dumping are hazy. Aside from our understanding that the photograph was taken in October 2011, we know very little about what appears to be an abandoned Lamborghini Diablo, parked in a field and surrounded by grazing goats.

Flickr user Nylon – who photographed the abandoned Lamborghini and added the tagline “Lamborghini Diablo Goat Edition” – hasn’t disclosed the unfortunate vehicle’s location, but comments on the page have questioned whether the abandoned supercar could actually be a replica.

Modern Forensic Science Helps Crack Details of 700-year-old “Cold Case” in Italy

Cold case Italy
Cold case Italy

In a “case of raw violence” in medieval Italy, four sword blows to the head killed a man, a team of scientists investigating the case 700 years later has determined.

Interestingly, the study published in the Journal of Archaeological Science has used modern forensic methods to arrive at this conclusion. Lead author Chiara Tesi , an anthropologist at the University of Insubria’s Center for Osteoarchaeology and Paleopathology in Italy, told Live Science that it seems to have been a “case of overkill”, seeing the ferocity with which the wounds were inflicted.

Violent Murder Through Repeated Sword Blows to the Head

The victim suffered as many as four brutal sword blows to the head. “The individual was probably taken by surprise by the attacker” and was unable to properly protect his head, Tesi told Live Science in an email interaction.

The first blow fell from the front, but as the man turned, probably trying to escape, the murderer chased him and hit him repeatedly from behind. The deepest wounds were inflicted from the rear. The forensic techniques used by the scholars in their examination of the dead man’s remains included computed tomography , or three-dimensional X-ray scans, and precision digital microscopy of the skull injuries to aid facial reconstruction .

Archaeology Meets Forensics

The skeleton was excavated in 2006 at the Church of San Biagio in Cittiglio, a small town in Varese province of northern Italy. The older parts of the church date back to the eighth century AD. The victim’s remains, however, were found in an 11th-century atrium built near the entrance. Radiocarbon dating has established that he was interred there before 1260 AD.

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The murder victim was interred in the Church of San Biagio in Cittiglio prior to 1260 AD, which is now the site of ongoing excavations. (Omar Larentis / CC BY 4.0 )

The victim was a young man between 19 and 24 years of age. A 2008 study had thrown light on some of the murder victim’s skull injuries. The new study has found other injuries and has established their sequence.

According to Tesi, the victim initially appears to have dodged or blocked his assailant, although the first blow did land on the top of his head, causing a shallow injury. As the man turned around to flee, however, he was “then hit in rapid succession by two other strikes, one affecting the auricle [ear] region and the other the nuchal [back of the neck] region,” she said. “At the end, probably exhausted and face down, he was finally hit by a last blow to the back of the head that caused immediate death,” she added.

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The latest study found the murder victim was probably killed by four sword blows to the head; the first caused a slight wound, but the others seem to have killed him as he was trying to escape the attack. (Stefano Ricci/University of Siena)

The “evident overkill” indicated that the assailant may have had a complex motive for the attack. The savagery and frenzy of the attack betrayed a determination to ensure that the assault ended in the death of the victim.

The Murder Weapon, the Deceased, and His Killer

The new study has found that all the wounds were caused by the same straight-bladed weapon that was likely a steel longsword that was in use at the time. Further, the wound positioning shows that they were all inflicted by the same person.

An attempt to discover the victim’s identity through examination of historical records ended in failure as “we didn’t find anything,” Tesi said. However, the prominent positioning of his tomb makes it likely that he belonged to the influential De Citillio family that had originally built the church.

An older, healed injury to his forehead suggested that the victim had probably been a combatant in some battle. His right shoulder blade had developed in a way that suggested that he was in the habit of using a bow and practicing archery from an early age . This was perhaps a sign that he often hunted for sport.

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Forensics

Forensics show the murder victim’s shoulder blade indicated he was adept at archery. At the time, many youths learned archery from a young age. ( alex_marina / Adobe Stock)

The scientists also used facial reconstruction to examine how the blows from the sword affected the soft tissues of the victim’s head. “We tested wound formation by placing a blade on the reconstructed head and replicating the blows received by the subject,” Tesi told Live Science . It helped them gauge the severity of the wounds.

Caroline Wilkinson , director of the Face Lab at Liverpool John Moores University in the UK, said to Live Science about the study in which she was not involved, “It’s really interesting — a good use of forensic techniques to look at trauma to the head, and how those wounds have been caused.”

Wilkinson and Tesi both highlighted that facial reconstruction helps people to relate to human remains rather than looking at them as mere specimens. “Seeing the face and eyes of a young man is definitely more emotional than simply looking at a skull,” Tesi said.

This study shows how history can benefit from multidisciplinary approaches. Archaeology, forensics, historical records, and reasoned conjecture all came together to rebuild the sequence of events of a 700-year-old murder case.

By Sahir Pandey

12 People Reveal What It’s Like To Have Depression

 

1. It’s like trying to laugh at a joke that isn’t funny. Trying to smile for a photo you don’t want to be in. It’s like waking up in the morning and hating that you actually woke up. It feels like someone is just draining the energy out of you every time moment you are awake. It really isn’t that weird that people feel the urge to end their lives during a depression. It really makes you feel like you’re 80 years old, lost your beloved partner, are incapable of of doing what you want to do, and the only thing to find peace is to end your life. Depression is living day-by-day, not knowing what you’re going to do with yourself today. Not knowing if you want to be alive tomorrow.

2. Depression for me is a constant feeling of wanting to go home, but no matter where I am, I am never home. Even when I’m at my physical home.

It’s a constant sense of wanting to go somewhere else. I’d feel better if i was at this place. Then you go there and then it’s the same exact feeling, just in a different physical location.

I feel mentally homeless and I just want to go home.

3. You wake up in the morning and immediately wish you were still asleep. You’ll maybe try to grab a few more hours and avoid reality a little longer, but by that time your brain has kicked in, reminding you of everything you should be doing and need to do and what a failure you are for not doing them. But the concept of getting up and facing the day seems insurmountable, so you lie there, paralysed by your own self loathing and apathy.

You drag yourself out of bed after a few hours. Put on yesterday’s dirty clothes, avoid showering because it’s too much effort. You consume nothing but coffee all day because eating is too much effort, and besides, you hate yourself too much to deserve food.

You don’t go outside because it’s terrifying and foreign and you may need to interact with others, which involves mustering the tiny amount of energy you have to pretend you don’t feel this way, because the alternative is them seeing how broken you are inside and pitying you.

So you sit and stare blankly at the TV, your computer or your phone trying to kill time but not actually doing anything. Just existing, not processing anything, not thinking anything. Just killing the time until you finally get to go back to bed and lie in the dark unable to sleep because your brain is telling you how pathetic you are for being this way, than you are a failure, a burden, nobody would care if you were dead. But even suicide feels like too much effort. At 4am you’ll finally fall into a six hour sleep that is your only respite from it all, only to wake up and do it all again.

4. Living with depression is like running a marathon with a broken leg and then having everyone run past you and say “Yeah, yeah, broken leg boo-hoo, we’re all tired.” And then run the same fucking race everyday. The cycle.

You’re depressed!

You’re okay, it’ll take time, but you’re okay!

What the hell is taking so long, life blows, you’re depressed again!

You woke up and got dressed today, it’s looking up from here?

SIKE, you fucking idiot, did you truly believe your depression was done with you? You’re dumber than you lead yourself to believe!

Okay, we’re okay, we’re gonna make it. I just gotta stay strong.

Oop, you fucked up once today, I’m dragging your ass back into the dark.

OVER AND OVER AND OVER!

Is there really only one way out? I don’t know if I wanna die, I got a brother who may need me one day. I’m tired. So tired, man.

5. The worst thing about depression,is seeing everyone around you progress in their life and you are stuck in the same place.

Its like when you are playing videogame and you get stuck on some part of mission,while others are having fun,you are having the worst time in ur entire life

6. You know the feeling when you wake up, and you just want to sleep for another 5 minutes? But, you can’t because you are late for something? Imagine that feeling towards everything all the time. Always.

7. Imagine a super bad day. Maybe you lost your job. Or your significant other broke up with you. You are very sad. You may even be weepy. Life is void of colour, taste and smells. Things that once gave you pleasure do nothing. Your friends irritate you. Your favourite movies are kind of meh. Those chips you love to snack on taste bland.

And there is the exhaustion. You are tired all the time – physically and mentally. So exhausted that you don’t want to get out of bed. Or brush your teeth. Or shower/dress. Getting off the couch to make a sandwich is akin to climbing Mount Everest, so fuck that.

Its a deep, dark place. Everyone has experienced emotional upheaval at some point but non-depressed people have a ‘reason’ for it. Its temporary. Depression is living like this all the time. It also fucks with your sense of reason. Many people can’t cope with the pain. It feels like it will never end and you personally feel weak, and like a failure. People around you don’t get how tired you are. They say, take a walk or something else they deem helpful. It doesn’t help though because that walk never happens and the circular reasoning brings you right back to hating yourself.

Depression is a nasty beast but can be helped with the right meds/therapy. I wouldn’t wish it on anyone.

8. “Feeling nothing” is is the straight up answer, but let me elaborate. You have a bunch of hobbies or interests, that you just don’t feel like doing anymore, for no particular reason. “Oh, in my spare time I love to read a book/play my guitar/go for a walk”. None of that exists anymore. You remember that you (used to/are supposed to) like it, you just do not feel like it. So you stop doing it, and start doing… nothing.
Performing any mundane chore that you have to do, feels like carrying the burden of the one ring. Cleaning? Not gonna happen. Cooking? Who cares? “What is this, hunger? Meh.” Taking a shower? “Oh, jeez, I haven’t showered in 2 days, it’s nice and warm and… But then I’ll have to take of my clothes, and then my hair gets wet, and I’ll have to stand up and….” Getting up? “What is this world, and why am I part of this?”

9. Not wanting to do anything. Not wanting to be anything. Not wanting to be at all. I don’t necessarily want to die. I just want to have never existed.

10. You asked me how depression felt, and this is what I could come up with…

It feels like I’m walking upstream, through a current strong enough to pull me under four times over

There are others with me, but they are walking along the banks telling me to “just get out of the water”. But instead of extending a hand of help, they just move on and leave me behind.

Every once in a while, I find a rock that is strong enough for me to lean on. And I rest for a bit.

But the rocks always get tired of holding me up, and when they let go, I’m left drowning, thrown 50 feet back again.

And nothing is harder, than standing up in that current, when everything in you is telling you how much easier things would be if you just let yourself get dragged under.

11. It’s like I’m watching life on TV instead of living in it, and all I want to do is change the channel

12. We only wish depression was being “sad”.

But depression is much more than that.

It’s the excuses you have to make when you can’t make that meeting.

It’s the friends and family you’ve lost because you can’t explain why.

It’s the opportunities that land in everyone else’s lap, that they get to grasp with both hands, while yours slip out of your grasp.

It’s the exhaustion that binds your body to your bed.

It’s the hatred and resentment you feel towards yourself, towards the world for being the way it is.

It’s your proven truth that everything and everyone gets better, except for you.

It’s the demon that dragged you down and trapped you in the hellish prison that is your own mind.

It’s the ball and chain locked around your neck, choking the life out of you as you trudge through your marathon, while everyone else gets to charge on ahead, unimpeded.

It’s the wall that blocked you off from life.

It’s the leech that sucked out everything positive about your life and clouds your memories.

It’s not just being “sad”. And we can only wish it was.

Better than Arby’s Roast Beef

delicious roast beef
delicious roast beef

Put it in the slow cooker last night and this morning the house smelled heavenly.

Ingredients

  • 1 (3 to 4 pound) roast
  • 1/2 cup water
  • 1/2 cup firmly packed brown sugar
  • 1 envelope onion soup mix
  • 1 onion, chopped
  • 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder, or to taste
  • Salt and pepper to taste

Instructions

  1. Place roast in slow cooker. Stir remaining ingredients together and pour over roast.
  2. Cook on LOW all night.
  3. The next morning stir together. Remove any membrane or fat if desired. Stir well again.
  4. Let simmer on LOW until noon or evening.
  5. Serve on buns.

Leftovers freeze beautifully.

Review from Nancy, 5/28/03 – Put it in the slow cooker last night and this morning the house smelled heavenly…LOL! I had to take a sneak early taste test and it is AWESOME.

https://youtu.be/m-KdJH0rg0A

The United States is living a film noir movie script. It’s true and tragic like a film noir scene.

Calling or writing to our elected officials is literally a waste of time. Over the last two years I have called frequently as well as written them. 

I always speak to some staff member who answers the phone and sounds like they are all of 19 years old. 

Always the same conversation, "thank you for your call and I will convey to the congressman/senator your concerns". 

The following month I received a form letter that often includes items that I did not even talk about. 

The only way you get to actually let your elected official to hear what you have to say is to be a relative or a big campaign donor with his cell phone number...otherwise it is a waste of time. 

Gone are the days of mountains of telegrams being delivered to the congressional offices, no longer do we hear independent editorials in the newspaper or TV/radio and the reason is they are all corporate controlled by a handful of corporations in the backpocket of the government. 

So folks, fate is already written, what will happen will happen and we are powerless just as the peasants of the middle ages against the Lords and Barons. 

The last two national elections are that same message.

The news out of the United States is far too distressing. Let’s enjoy elements of “The Maltese Falcon” as we explore the contemporaneous news of our daily fiasco.

Let’s start here…

Keep your eyes open when these Anglo-Saxons care about you.

  • When they cared about some natives, those natives got genocide.
  • When they cared about Africa, blacks became slaves.
  • When they cared about the Indian Subcontinent, well, that doesn’t count. Many Indians feel privileged about their colonial past.
  • When they cared about oil, we saw how many countries were destroyed in the Middle East.
  • When they cared about Ukraine, it got a coup and civil war lasted 8 years and is still bleeding for Anglo-Saxon interests.

Why do I know this secret?

  • Because China was cared about by them. Then opium was sold in large quantities in China. They called the Chinese the sick man of East Asia.

Now they care about China again and you see the “evil of China” every day in the media they control.

A few days ago, Americans announced that they are ready to help China on COVID-19 surge if China asks. It really freaked me out.

Maltese Falcon Opening Sequence

The best of the film noirs.

American opinions…

I say bring it.

I gave up on this country years ago. It’s all bullshit. The majority of the people are stupid as bricks and the rest just want “normal” back.

God’s gonna use our “enemies” (Russia ain’t my enemy) to bring His wrath down on us. Whether it’s EMP, nukes going off over many cities, a bioweapon or whatever doesn’t matter. It’s over.

Summits

There are two erstwhile ‘summits’ going on.
The first we can simply note and then let it go because it is of null value.  This is the December 13–15 US-Africa Summit, with 49 delegations from African states and one from the African Union (AU).  It is clear that this summit was called for one reason only.  This reason is to talk, bully and threaten the African states out of working with China and Russia, so, it is not really a summit at all and I get notes from the African side, who reports that there is a deficit of trust.  With the rest of the world, Africa saw that the collective west is non-agreement capable and at least in the Mali area, they kicked out the French.  The US will not get out of this summit what they hoped for, which is an African shift to the west.  

In somewhat of a segue, we see the same trajectory very clearly now in Peru, where the Peruvians are out on the streets, protesting, being killed, and not leaving.  The latest is that the military has been called in to try and establish order.  There are three demands from the Peruvians:  1) Closure of the right-wing congress 2) New elections 3) Free Pedro Castillo, and also a constitutent assembly to close the loopholes in the Peruvian establishment of congress, because this coup was the result of pure lawfare.  The pattern of deficit of trust is clear here as well and these countries.  Mexico, Argentina, Colombia, and Bolivia released a joint statement supporting Peru’s elected President Pedro Castillo, saying he is victim of “anti-democratic harassment,” following a US-backed coup. 

Back to the main topic.  The second 'summit' which cannot be classified as a summit per se, is the end-of-year gathering of the Valdai Club.  I've been catching as much of this as is possible.  The one paper that really caught my attention is titled: A World Without Superpowers.  It can be downloaded here:  DOWNLOAD

There are two presentations in this report that I would take issue with.  The one is on page three and reads as follows:  A new system is bound to take shape in a future stage of global politics, even if this is unlikely to happen any time soon.

I would consider this statement political as it does not really fit the rest of the presentation.  It probably was added as a type of soporific because the new system is making strides of progress.   I do know this will take time.
From <REDACTED>.

It is never time for anyone to decouple from China. Not even the U.S. China represent roughly 18% of world’s population but because of its high marginal propensity to spend and its high investment capacity, its share of world’s consumption is close to 40%. But what is worst is the fact that China is the manufacturing hub of the world!

So for quite a lot of stuff such as semiconductor micro chips, China alone represent 60–70% of the worlds market. I cannot even start to imagine what will happen to the U.S. manufacturer or supplier being told by some US government officials that they have to stop doing business China! I am a businessman and no one wants to lose 60% of the market. Usually it means going bankrupt.

I know that some people here in QUORA still think we are in 1945 and when the US says you are out , you are dead. Today in certain business US is really not a big player at all. In Semiconductor micro chip business the U.S. a a mere player amongst many many players and it is a nation amongst nation contributing towards the chip making. If America decouple with China, essentially it is decoupling from the world almost.

I hope the for the U.S. sake, the U.S. start to make sense soon.

U.S. Votes **AGAINST** United Nations Resolution to Combat “Glorification of Nazism”

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UN Anti NaZI vOTE hEADER
UN Anti NaZI vOTE hEADER

The United States of America voted today AGAINST a Resolution by the United Nations General Assembly, to “Combat the glorification of Nazism . . .”  The Biden Regime now officially supports NAZI ideology.

Out of the 180 countries present for today’s vote, 120 voted in FAVOR of Combatting Nazi ideology, 50 countries, including the USA, Ukraine, Poland, Finland, Germany, and Italy voted AGAINST, and ten nations abstained.

Here is the UN vote total chart:

UN Gen Assmbly Anti Nazi Vote 12 15 2022
UN Gen Assmbly Anti Nazi Vote 12 15 2022

This is a video that will set the pace for the rest of the past. Please enjoy.

China has surpassed USA a long long time ago as an economic powerhouse.

Today China’s growth alone is bigger than G7 put together.

Today China’s GDP in real purchasing value parity is very close to 1.4 times bigger than the USA.

Today China’s middle income is close to 700 million people or more than twice the size of the USA.

China’s consumption alone is close to 40% of the world, while the U.S. is a shade over 14% now.

When you measure Economy just like when you measure the health of a person you need to measure many different aspects such as BMI, heartbeat, weight, hypertension, blood sugar level….

Sure based on a highly inflated USD GDP, the U.S. is still 15% higher but one need to measure in different aspect and terms. To gauge the various aspect of growth.

For example. The disparity of wealth of the USA is diabolical and plain disaster. Imagine 400 people in America owns half of America while 1% of Americans owned 80% of America while 330’000’000 other Americans share the balance 20% of America. It is a credit to their media spin that there is no massive revolution there!

So anyone who knows basic economics knows that China has overtaken the U.S. for at least a decade by now and it is still growing 3 times the speed of the U.S. for another 3–4 decades to come.

It takes at least a week for US’s aircraft carriers to reach Taiwan.

However, it only takes a couple of minutes for missiles from mainland China to reach Taiwan.

Do the math.

Chef Jean-Peirre has become my absolute favorite Chef to learn from. I have massive respect for people like Marco Peirre-White, Jacques Pépin, Julia Child, and the long list of other amazing chefs. But there is just something wonderful relative to Chef Jean-Peirre’s style that is comforting. He reminds me of what my father would be like if he was a professional chef.

To me China is an adult and treats people respectively.

On the other hand we have the US who bullies everyone and works with the principle ‘do as I say not as I do’.

Look at the number of wars the US instigated and involved its allies.
I for one do not agree following the US into anymore wars.

Now look at the number of countries China has destroyed since WW2. None.

Actions always speak louder than words and the US certainly is ‘mouthy’.

Thats the Biggest Mistake you make

IT IS NOT 1 TRILLION DOLLARS

It is 6 Trillion Yuan!!!!!!

Thats the whole world of difference between $ 1 Trillion and 6 Trillion Yuan

6 Trillion Yuan Debt can be restructured 100 times – until the end of 2122 AD or 2222 AD also.

The Railways are Public Assets owned by the Chinese Public. The Debt is owned by the Chinese Public. So at the end of the day – the Debt is collateralized and even if its not a 1:1 Collateralization- The public have their own Trains, Rail Routes.

Thats the Beauty of Public Sector

Unlike the West and sadly my own country India where a few capitalists borrow from banks and build infrastructure and the Govt pays these capitalists also from Banks – Chinese Debt is entirely public.

As long as China and its economic growth continues -China can happily restructure even 50 Trillion Yuan with no issues whatsoever.

Since everything is Indigenous – all Suppliers , contractors and engineers and workers can be paid in Yuan ensuring the continuous transactional chain of Yuan related debt.


And China are also Upscaling

The Larger the Scale – the more efficient the smaller cogs.

$ 100 Million needs 15% Profitability, $ 1 Billion may need only 7% Profitability and $ 100 Billion may need only 4.25% Profitability.

China is reaching a scale where by 2025–2027 – 3.5% Profitability is sufficient to bring in a massive amount of money and also provide tickets at the cheapest cost.


So again this is Western Propaganda by a Group of Economists who still look at everything from the US angle where Capitalists own stuff and where Debt is always institutional and where Scale of Expansion is non existent.

China is simply doing what Rockefeller and Carnegie did in the early 1900s which US has forgotten

China has absolutely zero issues with this “Debt”

Chinas Railway Expansion is perfect Economics.

I live in Taiwan and I was in mainland China for several months this summer. I spent most of my time in Yunnan but also visited Beijing, Shanghai and Fujian.

*Major subjective generalizations ahead*

  • The first thing I noticed in China was that the frequency of ”不好意思“ dropped tremendously. 不好意思(bù hǎo yì si) is a Mandarin phrase that can be loosely translated to mean “excuse me”, “pardon me” or “I’m sorry”. Taiwanese use it when they bump into someone on the street, when they ask for a favor, when they are late, when they offend you, when they interrupt someone or any other time to express shyness, shame, politeness or a mild apology. Chinese seem to reserve this word for more severe offenses such as being very late to a formal meeting or bumping into someone so hard they actually stumble over and fall to the ground.
  • Chinese tend to be more nationalistic, patriotic and proud of their country. There is something of an identity crisis going on among young Taiwanese. Many young Taiwanese think Taiwan is a poor economic backwater that is not a “cool place to live”. This is very unfortunate because the quality of life here is really quite high and they take things for granted such as the high level of safety(particularly for women) and the affordable national healthcare system. When I told Chinese that I was leading a language immersion course for American high school students to learn Chinese, people were delighted and proud that people wanted to learn their language. When I told Taiwanese, they just asked why would anyone want to learn such a useless language when they already speak the ‘all-powerful’ English.
  • Chinese people are more likely to boast about China and compare it to other countries. Taiwanese love to complain about Taiwan and praise other countries. Chinese will proudly tell me that China is a very safe country and even make jabs about how America is dangerous with all the mass shootings and gun violence. Meanwhile, my Taiwanese relatives complain to me about how “dangerous” Taiwan is and that they live in debilitating fear riding the subways of Taipei. That is 100% insane because Taiwan is literally one of the safest countries on earth -definitely the safest country I’ve ever lived in. And no, not a single one of my relatives has experienced a single crime, not even a minor one, in the last three decades. (Crime was higher in the 1980s).
  • Many Chinese are highly critical of Japan, the US and South Korea; Taiwanese love fantasizing about moving to Japan, South Korea or the US. Even Chinese who do want to live abroad are still more critical.
  • Chinese are much more optimistic about the future of their country and sincerely believe living standards will continue to improve. Taiwanese are much more pessimistic, in fact, they are too pessimistic, saying things like “Taiwan is becoming a third-world country” or “there is absolutely no future here” or “we have the most corrupt government in the history of the human race”. There is indeed corruption in the Taiwanese government, especially during the time of former president Chen Shui-bian, but it is relatively mild by global and historical standards.
  • Older Chinese men love to pressure and coerce other young men into drinking hard liquor. If your glass if empty, they will pour you another drink and then you are obligated to 乾杯 with them. I’ve never experienced this in Taiwan except in aboriginal villages and even then the pressure was mild compared to rural China. Chinese also drink considerably more than Taiwanese.
  • Many Chinese men are heavy smokers. They smoke at home and they smoke in public. They smoke in restaurants, bars and markets. I was offered many cigarettes by strangers in China. I’ve never been offered cigarettes in Taiwan and there is less smoking in Taiwan(thank god).
  • Chinese have less respect for food preferences, diets, vegetarians or food allergies. I have G6PDD which means I could die if I ate fava beans but folks in Yunnan still insisted I eat their home-cooked fava bean meal. They seemed to just think I was being picky. In Taiwan, people understand allergies and will go out of their way to accommodate most food preferences.
  • I don’t know why this annoyed me but cafes in China always listed green and oolong tea under no-caffeine beverages which is incorrect. In Taiwan, a no-caffeine beverage is an herbal tea like rooibos or lemon ginger.
  • Chinese, especially in the Yunnan, are okay with eating just about anything. I ate all sorts of bugs and strange meats and fungi in China. I was told that people who are picky or do not eat certain foods, including crickets and worms, are just privileged. Young Taiwanese are appalled at the prospect of eating dog, insects, donkey or larva.
  • There is a higher percentage of Chinese who are rugged, tough and aggressive. Taiwanese tend to be more sheltered, non-confrontational and ‘nerdy’. I certainly met people in China that I wouldn’t want to mess with. I rarely meet such people in Taiwan.
  • Southeast Asian cuisines, and foreign food in general, is a lot more popular in Taiwan. There are several dozen pho restaurants in Tainan alone. I could not find a single pho restaurant in Kunming even though Yunnan literally borders Vietnam.
  • As a half-Asian, half-White person, I was much more likely to be seen as a Chinese or some other Asian in China. Taiwanese usually think I am a non-Asian foreigner – either American, Brazilian or Turkish. People I chatted with on the train in China were surprised I was half-White. Taiwanese, on the other hand, are surprised I am even half-Taiwanese and are often shocked I speak Chinese. My theory for this is that there is a broader spectrum of phenotypes and ‘faces’ in China that are considered Chinese whereas Taiwan essentially has two faces – Han and aboriginal(Austronesian). You can refer to my answer about Chinese minorities to learn more.
  • Chinese will openly and bluntly talk about people’s physical features. I chatted with two people on the train who began discussing with each other why my “nose was not right” or how my “eyes were abnormal”. Another time, I chatted for a while with an old man. When I mentioned that I was mixed, he looked at me with surprise and said ”你長得像中國人,真的是混血失敗“ which means “your mix was a failure because you look totally Chinese.” LMAO! Taiwanese are generally more polite about this.
  • Most Chinese do not value democracy, freedom of speech or freedom of the press. While many people I met used VPNs and complained about the censorship, most people still thought the Great Firewall was for the greater good. Taiwanese love their freedom of speech and freedom to demonstrate. Neither really care about privacy or surveillance however.
  • Despite the censorship and propaganda, I found Chinese to be generally more aware of geopolitics than Taiwanese. Many young Taiwanese are completely apolitical. Taiwanese media often focuses on bizarre things such as how handsome an interpreter is rather than the conference itself.
  • Blue collar and service jobs are filled by domestic migrant labor from poorer provinces in China. The same jobs are filled by Southeast Asian workers in Taiwan. Consequently, the “dirt cheap but delicious food” throughout China is Sichuanese hot pot whereas the equivalent in Taiwan is Vietnamese pho.
  • Taiwanese are more open-minded and tolerant of LGBT people compared with Chinese. Taiwanese are also less overtly racist towards Black people and South Asians. Outside the big cities, Chinese will stare shamelessly at foreigners – especially foreigners they see less often such as Black or Indian people. Taiwanese are curious to see foreigners too but will at least try and pretend they aren’t looking. Taiwanese will also smile to be polite whereas Chinese will often just stare blankly and say something like “Look! She’s black.” or “What is an Indian doing here?” or “Why is that guy so fat?”.
  • Taiwanese are slightly friendlier on average but the margin is not as great as I previously thought. I was told that mainland Chinese are rude and unfriendly but that was not my experience. If Taiwan gets a 9/10 rating for friendliness, then Yunnan and Fujian both get 8/10, Beijing, Singapore and Penang get a 7.5/10 and Shanghai a 6/10 while Hong Kong, Seoul and Kuala Lumpur all get a mere 5/10 – 不好意思!
  • Chinese have a more positive view of Taiwan than vice versa. I was genuinely surprised by the number of Chinese who had visited Taiwan or were planning to. People liked my Taiwanese accent and thought Taiwanese were cool. They also do not hate the pro-independence Taiwanese politicians but rather just think they are ‘silly’. China is a much more polarizing topic in Taiwan. For obvious reasons, Chinese do not see Taiwan as a threat whereas many Taiwanese see China as their greatest threat.
  • Finally, Chinese tend to be early-adopters of technology. Everyone from rural fruit vendors to beggars took payment via WeChat or Alipay. Almost every business in Taiwan is cash only, even the higher end places that take card only take certain types of cards and often the machine doesn’t even work. There is an app for everything in China and businesses are more integrated with the internet whereas many businesses in Taiwan are still off line.

Because they haven’t been in China long enough?

There is a joke among expats that goes something like this: Someone who visits China for a week is an expert on China. One who has been in China a year knows a lot about China, one who has been in China 5 years knows a little bit about China, and one who has been in China 10 years or more knows nothing at all about China. (I think this is said about foreigners in any country.)

A little bit of knowledge is a dangerous thing. When people know a little bit about something it is easy to see themselves as an expert, but the longer time they spend, the more they realize they don’t understand.

I’ve been in China 8 years, so I still think I understand just a little bit. Give me a couple of more years to fully realize I am truly completely ignorant.

The USA is 100% corrupt. Well stated.

China is not a consuming country?

If you visit China, you will find that Chinese consume A LOT and very conspicuously, even more conspicuously than Americans. When it comes to electric vehicles, digital services, 5G and other modern amenities, China is WAY AHEAD of everyone else because China and Chinese are not stuck in the past.

This is because the Chinese government does not allow the corporations of the past to dictate the development of the future.

Unlike in the west.

Oh we are coming directly for you, the US.

We are not that Hero that beats every henchmen then the boss, nope, we will just go directly for you.

Your first island chain is broken, 2nd island chain is almost broken, and then it’s gonna be Hawaii, then the mainland.

Get ready to be re-educated!

No, in actuality China already told you it’s territory claim from the very beginning, and that will be our claim. We really couldn’t give a fuk about others you see. Why should we take the effort to rule you, feed you and try to make you happy? You think administrating a country is fun? We are already in heavens when we see how incompetently you have ruled yourself for the past decades, you are doing a very good job running it into the ground, why would we help you correct that?

Former Spy Says Biden Is a “Controlled Asset” of the CCP – Biden’s Actions Show This Is the Case

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Can you doubt that the United Stats is corrupt? -MM

Gordan Chang said that we may never know if China has blackmail material on Biden.  However, former spy Sam Faddis is more direct and says Biden is a “controlled asset” of the CCP.

Just before the 2020 election, 51 former intelligence officials falsely claimed that Hunter Biden’s laptop was a Russian disinformation operation. Thanks to Elon Musk, we now know that Twitter colluded with Joe Biden’s campaign, the Democratic Party, the mainstream media and the FBI to prevent American voters from learning the truth —  namely, that the Democrats’ presidential nominee and his family had knowingly taken millions of dollars from Chinese intelligence officers.

A patriotic former U.S. spy named “Sam” Faddis — who recruited and ran foreign agents for America for many years — is convinced that, as a result of this collective betrayal of the public trust, we elected as president a “controlled asset” of Chinese intelligence.

The new House of Representatives must make exposing and evaluating the potentially catastrophic national security repercussions of such a dangerous penetration — and taking corrective action — its first order of business.

It’s not about helping Africa. It’s about containing China.

Deputy Speaker of Russian Senate: West Faces EXISTENTIAL CHOICE; Continue Suicidal Strategy or Engage Self Preservation

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Konstantin Kosachev, the Deputy Speaker of Russia’s Federation Council (Senate) said this week the West will soon face an EXISTENTIAL choice: It can continue with a SUICIDAL strategy (in Ukraine) or apply SELF PRESERVATION.  He’s talking about us all . . . being killed.

Western countries are standing at a crossroads and must decide whether they want to continue pursuing selfish policies that address only their own security, or recognize that this is a dead-end track, the vice speaker of upper chamber of the Russian parliament, Konstantin Kosachev, said on Tuesday.

Writing on Telegram, Kosachev, who also chairs the Foreign Affairs Committee of the Federation Council, said that “sooner or later, the West will have to make an existential choice between catering for only its own interests, “or admitting that this suicidal strategy has exhausted itself.”

The senator noted that a return to the principle of “indivisibility of security architecture” was the only path forward. Kosachev explained that this means a “deliberate refusal to ensure one’s own security at the expense” of other countries, adding that it serves “as a cornerstone” for all complex diplomatic arrangements.

The vice speaker also claimed that there is a rift between Western countries on this issue. He pointed to the statements made by French President Emmanuel Macron and German Chancellor Olaf Scholz on the need for a new security framework after the Ukraine conflict ends.

According to Kosachev, these remarks “suggest that there are still remnants of common sense and a sense of self-preservation in France and Germany, which are behaving more responsibly.” That sentiment, however, is not shared by a number of other EU countries, including the Baltic nations and Poland, he stated.

Earlier this month, Macron expressed the view that NATO should prepare security guarantees for Russia after the Ukraine conflict is settled. Around the same time, Scholz noted that peace in Europe depends on the revival of post-Cold War security arrangements with Russia.

Reuters reported on Monday, citing sources, that the three Baltic states, along with Poland and Slovakia, had officially lodged their disapproval of the French leader’s remarks on making guarantees to Moscow. The same day, Polish Deputy Foreign Minister Pawel Jablonski said that Russia should not expect such promises from other nations, arguing that Moscow has to ensure the safety of the EU, and not the other way around.

Hal Turner Analysis and Opinion

“Existential choice:” Whether we continue to exist.

“Suicidal Strategy” A strategy that is going to get us killed.

“Self Preservation:” Saving our own lives . . . .

The Deputy Speaker of the Russian Federation Council is talking about us existing no more because our strategy is suicidal and that only France and Germany show any sign of self-preservation.  These words are from a high ranking official in a country that can actually DO what he is talking about.

US and Western government public servants are leading us into our own deaths with their obsession over Ukraine and what they’re trying to do to Russia.  Russia is actually SAYING these words now; that’s how far this situation has gone.

Do YOU want to face the end of your existence because the US government and governments in Europe are acting so badly?  Do YOU have any clue their actions are so aggressive that Russia views them as almost being suicidal?  Do YOU have any sense of self-Preservation?  Because according to Deputy Speaker Kosachev, YOUR self-preservation seems to be at stake.

Words like this are not generally spoken in world affairs.  Yet these are, in fact, the precise words now being used by Russian leadership.

Were you even AWARE that the US and European Governments had pushed things this far?

You would do well to get up off your butt and start telling American and European officials their behavior is heading toward getting millions of us killed.

It was just Tuesday that Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said on Russia-1 TV that Russia has arrived at a stop called “confrontation” and they are not shying away from that.

IT was later Tuesday that Deputy Foreign Minister Ryabkov said relations between Russia and the West has past “the point of no return.”

Folks, this is literally Doomsday language.  From three top Russian officials – none of whom is Putin.

Things are escalating out of control – fast.   Our governments are going to get a whole lot of us killed.

We, as regular citizens, must step-up for our own self preservation, and demand the US government and European governments cease their suicidal strategy.  It’s almost too late but there still may be time, if we all take action, now.

LOADING ICBMS INTO SILOS

To demonstrate just how serious the situation actually is, the Russian Ministry of Defense revealed this week that TWO Intercontinental Ballistic Missiles (ICBM’s) were loaded into new silos in Kozelsk, Russia in the past two days!   Each “YARS” missile carries eight (8) nuclear warheads.  Each of those warheads has an explosive yield of 800 kilotons.  So between those two new missiles, Russia can vaporize sixteen separate targets!

loading-missiles-2022-12-16_16.27.48

This is not “posturing.” This is not a game. Those are real missiles and Russia is openly telling us in the West, we are coming to an “existential choice.” Our continued existence is rapidly becoming questionable.

Imagine that!

People who skipped their COVID vaccine are at higher risk of traffic accidents, according to a new study | Fortune

The Unrelenting paid propaganda…

Read this attempt at restablishing the narrative HERE

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I’ve lived here for 6 years, and yes, I do love China. Please recognize that ALL my comments reflect that of a foreigner in China – not natives. Here are my top reasons why I (and my wife) love living in China:

#1 – The people are great and the friendliest I have known in my world travels and international residencies. And, people are HAPPY!

#2 – The food is fantastic, fresh, and incredibly cheap! I especially enjoy buying fresh produce, at least 10 types of mushrooms at about 10% of USA prices. Our average precooked takeout 3 course dinner is around $3.00-$4.50 per person. Sometimes it is only about $2.00 per person (again, this is for fresh pre-cooked takeout, not for making our own dinner!).

#3 – There is no violent crime in Beijing, a city of 22 million people. Our teenage daughter attending high school here could be out until 2AM with friends, doing karaoke or whatnot, and we had no worries for her safety!

#4 – Incredible public transportation. Never need a car. My occasional city bus ride costs $.15! The high speed inter-city trains are amazing! This weekend I’m travelling by train from downtown Beijing to downtown Hefei – 1,000 KM by fast train – 4Hrs23Min. You could never make that time by plane!

#5 – The career opportunities are excellent, with salaries comparable or higher than the USA while cost of living is about 35% the cost of the USA. That’s why Chinese are able to save – not because they are so frugal! And, no age discrimination in employment!!

#6 – Vibrant, lively, and endlessly entertaining. Even after 6 years, walking down our street in Beijing is like attending “Cirque du Soleil.”

#7 – Thousands years old and ultra modern Art, culture, history, architecture – FANTASTIC!!

The Ukraine war will marked to beginning of the end of the lop sided world’s so call rules based international order. History will judge my statement but I am thoroughly convinced that history books in the future will note that the counter actions and arbitrary decisions made by the west on its sanctions and daylight robbery of its foreign currencies reserves marks the end of the blind trust the rest of the world gives to the western financial institutions and the U.S. dollar as a global trading currency.

This has very high consequence since as is the most vital weapon the west has to control and contain the world. Not to mention it benefit tremendously from this lever of control. No nation, not even U.S. very close allies will ever trust the U.S. to control its financial assets ever again. And the usage of the US dollars will reduced substantially from now onwards seeing t what the west did to Russia.

VIDEO: **AMERICAN** Troops Get Lost in Ukraine – Ask **RUSSIAN SPEAKER** for “Map”

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Video has emerged from inside Ukraine showing AMERICAN troops, who got lost, going to the private home of a . . . . RUSSIAN SPEAKING CITIZEN . . . to ask for a “map” . . . . so they can go kill . . . . Russians.

This is how half-assed things are going over there.

Question #1: Why are AMERICANS bearing arms in Ukraine?

I thought it was illegal for private American citizens to take up arms on behalf of another country. I thought an American LOST his citizenship for doing so.

Question #2: Why are these “troops” not able to get support from Ukraine? ? ?

If they’re fighting on behalf of Ukraine, where’s the support?  Where’s the logistics?  Where’s the communications?

Question #3: How long will Russia tolerate AMERICANS killing Russian soldiers, before Russia starts attacking the US for our war-making inside Ukraine?

The US and NATO can only feign “not being party to the conflict” for so long.  Clearly, both the US and NATO __are__, in fact, parties to the conflict. This video is proof.

Since Congress has not declared war, or even authorized the use of military force, by virtue of what authority are these Americans waging war in a foreign nation (in our name by the way)?

How long do YOU think Russia will sit-by and do nothing, while American troops kill Russian soldiers?

Get right with God.  The federal corporation-in-lieu-of-government is going to get a lot of us killed when Russia has to start lobbing nukes at our port cities to force us to stop supplying the war in Ukraine.

Are American troops fighting in Ukraine?

Yes there are.

I do not know the force mix, nor the size of the forces. However, we are getting scattered reports of deployments of special force, technical specialists, entire airborne groups, and others.

I read a report out of Ukraine that claimed that 11,000 American troops have died in Ukraine as of 10DEC22, but I don’t know how accurate it is. It seems rather high, and well above “advisors” and “policing forces” that many of us (on the sidelines) assumed were in place.

These numbers suggest full-scale military intervention.

I can tell you that have watched all sorts of videos showing Americans in Ukraine. Here’s a typical one. In this one we have American Rangers wearing Ukrainian Nazi service patches, speaking in plain-as-day American asking for directions from a Russian!

https://youtu.be/zR1ehteFIDs

I suppose that you can argue that if there were actual Americans “on the ground” in Ukraine, that CNN and FOX “news’ would be reporting on it. But, that’s so 1990! Never will happen.

I have watched three American “retired” generals who were leading forces in Ukraine, paraded as captured assets inside of Russia, and their utility and roles are as clear as day.

To me, this absurd funding in billions and billions and billions of dollars and weapons into Ukraine, suggests something far more sinister than simply “helping a friendly country out”. Something ELSE is going on, and it ain’t being reported.

It smacks of Laos in the late 1960’s. It smacks of large scale warfare and if the American people get wind of it, there may be Hell to pay!

MM has Coronavirus

After China has “opened up” on it’s restrictions, many of us inside of China are getting sick. Last Tuesday, my little girl failed a random temperature check in Kindergarten and we took her home. Oh Lordy! Was she miserable. Poor little kid.

Running high fever, and absolutely unhappy. But by the end of the day, she was fine.

However, I was the guy taking care of her, and I caught it from her.

Yesterday, I wasn’t feeling well. I was sore all over. Achy. Tired. And on top of that, I had to visit a couple of factories in Foshan. (About a three hour drive away.)

A massive cold front hit. 4° instead of our perennial 30° and I was not a happy camper.

We had our big meals, and at night drank the beijiu and got sloshed. Crashed in the hotel room, and I was miserable. I had the headache from Hell, and could not sleep. My body felt like I had been lifting weights for a week and I was sore all over.

I’m back home now.

I’m following the Chinese government advice and “sheltering in place” voluntarily because I don’t want to give it to anyone else.

Now, I have had three “dead host” vaccines, and so did my entire family, but yeah, we got this virus.

They say it’s not bad.

I beg to differ.

I don’t have a runny nose, coughing, or anything like that, but all my internal organs feel “off”. Like they are strained. I’m operating at 22% right now.

I feel confident that things will go back to normal in a few days.

Now…

It might be a coincidence, but my Quality Director did not share the breakfast this morning with us. He was called home.

His wife’s oldest sisters’ grandson (a one year old boy) died last last. It happened suddenly and no one knows what happened.

This situation is only just developing…

I am going to give MM a break while I heal up. Just remember, everyone, to be the best you can be. And remember that I believe in you.

 

Welcome to the world of insane craziness. The world is ripe for conflagration.

Russia is in this for the long haul and understand now exactly who and what they are confronted with. They will be conservative, pummel the Ukrainians with artillery and slowly strangle Ukraine by destroying it's critical infrastructure, all the while protecting and increasing their military capabilities for what they must believe at this point will be an inevitable military confrontation with NATO.

The west has gone insane...on pretty much every level. It has reached a level of dystopia that I feel I wake up each day in the Matrix waiting for Agent Smith to come and get me...for simply refusing to stay within the designated lines...

How can this not end in all out conflagration with the entire western world being led by madmen and outright psychopaths. Someone is going to do something extremely stupid and we will all pay the price. At this point I really no longer care of I go down, as long as the Empire of Lies goes down with me.

Posted by: JustAMaverick | Dec 10 2022 17:48 utc | 1

Gosh. There’s “high strangeness” afoot!

I shake my head. Are youse guys doing so also?

Tiny kitty couches

crocheted cat couches6
crocheted cat couches6

I have not commented on Xi’s visit to Riyadh until now; I wanted to wait until I could see what was really going on.

Here are the developments, which you will not see in the western media:

  • The Riyadh summits place Xinjiang’s development at the center. Xi is determined to make Xinjiang a showcase for how well the Chinese development model works with a Muslim-majority population, and Saudi Arabia’s Prince Muhammad bin Salman fully supports this project because he wants to show that Saudi society first, and then Muslim nations can modernize without western financing and support.
  • Because of US sanctions on Xinjiang products, it will switch from selling its exports to the US to selling to Central Asia and the Middle East markets. US Congress scores another own goal for China.
  • Next step: Energy sales from Saudi and Gulf will be denominated in yuan or BRICS currency after Saudi joins SCO.
  • Saudi, Gulf states, Russia are all against Muslim extremist movements. Guess who will support Muslim extremist movements’ terror attacks to disrupt their economic integration? These attacks will be disruptive and cause casualties, but will strengthen the commitment to the Russia/China/Central Asia/ Islamic nations economic integration through the Belt and Road Initiative.
  • China has committed to plugging in the Belt and Road Initiative to the Saudi Vision 2030 project, which is MBS’s pet project for Saudi modernization with Chinese technology and products using Saudi financing. Huawei is getting top billing and will make billions.
  • Almost all of the Islamic nations have modernization vision projects just like Saudi Vision 2030. In every instance, Xi is connecting these visions to the Belt and Road Initiative. This is very notable: Unlike the US, China positions itself as a technology and construction partner equal with these governments instead of as a domineering partner as the other global power does.

The simplest and easiest way to understand this is that the modern technology and transport infrastructure China now has is getting rolled out into the Arab and Islamic nations, and they will plug into China through Xinjiang, which will not look that foreign to many Muslims.

China has decided

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main qimg 51625b920cf824b8b9dbce003aca8944 lq

Cat fun comix

10 30
10 30

Man , this is a blast from the past.

Did Tom Cruise Wear Shades or Not?

No, apparently. One this world-line template he doesn’t!

The “Old Time Rock n Roll” scene in Risky Business featuring Tom Cruise became an instant classic after the movie was released in 1983. Tom Cruise’s dance moves in the scene have been parodied countless times, including very memorably by snarky butler Niles in the American TV sitcom The Nanny and the cast of Scrubs.

Curiously, in the vast majority of these parodies, people wear shades when they strut along to the lyrics of “Old Time Rock n Roll”—Niles included.

That is because most people around the world seem to remember Cruise wearing shades during the scene.

And yet, he doesn’t.

And there’s the white vs. pink shirt issue… but that’s for another list.

  1. The geeky girls in high school movies who are supposed to be ugly are still extremely damn good-looking

2. When the real ugly person gets a 15-minute makeover and becomes the sexiest guy in the country wtf.

If it’s a girl all she has to do is take off her glasses and let down her hair and suddenly she’s America’s next Top Model.

3. Drivers taking their eyes off the road for almost a minute to have a conversation with passenger

Yet somehow they miraculously keep the car straight and NEVER crash into anything. But if I look away for 6 seconds I’ve killed 4 people.

4. Bad guys missing EVERY SINGLE SHOT fired at the hero.

Henchmen with machine guns firing at the protagonist down a straight indoor hallway and missing every single one of the 50 shots fired. I’m pretty sure if you blind-folded a dude and told him to fire in the general direction of the protagonist at least a few bullets would hit.

5. Jumping out a glass window and coming out the other side unscathed

I’m not even going to mention how easily glass breaks in movies. But people will dive through a glass window head-first and land on surface full of broken shards of glass and come out unscathed.

6. High school students portrayed by someone clearly in their 30’s

Every High school senior looks like they’ve been a senior for 10 years.

7. Superman holding a building up

I like when a building is practically falling over and Superman holds it up by something like the windows. The real superhero is the manufacturer of that window because it just supported an entire damn building.

8. Female protagonists in dystopian movies looking like Miss Universe

We’re in a post apocalyptic world, and we’ve got bad-ass female fighters, covered in blood and dirt because life is fucking tough, and she’s tough. But you better believe her eye-liner game is on point. Because she’s a warrior, not a goddamn savage.

9. The same bad-ass female with perfectly waxed leg and armpit hair.

Because it’s a tough world out there and surviving without silky smooth legs is not an option.

10. Cellphones never work in an emergency (See Home Alone)

Somehow they are lost, dead, out of coverage area, stolen, etc. It’s cheap story telling. I am always amused at how creative movie makers become in order to destroy the cell phone plot-hole.

11. Sparing the villain’s life for a few minutes of monologue

I’ve watched countless movies that could’ve ended a lot sooner had the hero just not given a damn about the villain’s evil plan and dramatic back story.

12. Letting off a damn .45 pistol indoors multiple times with no ear protection and carrying on normally like they’re not temporarily deafened for the next 30 seconds.

Anybody who has actually shot a round of that will know how unrealistic that is.

13. Also racking back the slide on a handgun to do the “ch ch” thing that sounds cool before they shoot someone.

Unless you’ve literally just put the magazine in, all that will do is eject a perfectly good unused round out the side

14. Whenever there is a bird of prey, no matter what it is, they always use a red-tailed hawk call.

Because all birds of prey sound the same.

15. Computers that beep on every keystroke.

If that were real, nobody would last more than ten minutes before heaving the damn thing out of the nearest window.

16. Any device can be hacked no matter where or how far away it is.

Doesn’t matter if the device is in another solar system. It can be hacked.

17. Hacking only takes a few seconds

I don’t know who came up with the notion that anything from my grandma’s toaster to the NSA’s satellite database can be hacked in 5 – 6 taps of a keyboard, but I’d like to have a word with them.

18. Everyone’s house is so clean

No stray Cheetos, random toys or grubby counters? Not even a hair out of place.

19. Calling “HELLO?” when you think there’s a serial killer in your home

Oh yeah because a serial killer would totally just respond “Oh hey Brenda, I’m in the kitchen – would you like a sandwich?”

20. Small misunderstandings leading to emotional breakups

Movie: Girl sees new boyfriend having lunch with another girl. Immediately freaks out and runs off. Guy yells, “Wait I can explain!”

Reality: Girl sees new boyfriend with another girl. She’s concerned but walks up and says hi. He introduces other girl as his sister. Sister says she’s heard so much about the girl. All is well.

21. Waking up with your hair perfect and not a drop of drool on your pillow

Sometimes I feel like I’m the only ugly sleeper in the world.

22. When aliens say “EARTH” they really just mean the USA

The only place aliens ever seem to land on.

23. Aliens can speak perfect English

Especially in Marvel. How tf does Thanos speak English? Star Wars was slightly better.

24. Children taking two bites of toast and a sip of orange juice before rushing out the house to go to school.

It is ALWAYS TWO BITES. Never mind the fact that the mother woke up early and prepared a full 3-course breakfast.

25. After sex they just roll over like there’s nothing to clean.

Never have to deal with wet sheets or bodies.

26. Explosions that don’t impair hearing

You’ll see someone narrowly dive away from an explosion and walk away fine, because apparently the only things that can harm you are the flames.

27. You can knock anybody out with blunt force trauma without causing any serious injury or permanent damage.

They wake up with no headache or permanent brain damage.

28. Supervillains only operate in the same city as superheroes

Why can’t the Joker just move to another city?

29. Bombs will always have a clearly visible timer

From the villain’s point of view, it’s just good manners.

30. It is perfectly simple to resuscitate somebody with a few half-hearted pushes as long as you say you love them

It usually goes something like this: “You can’t leave me…please! Live Kyle! Live damn it! I love you!”

Kyle: *coughs*

31. People never say good-bye when they hang up the phone

What is up with this? They just end the call and walk away – WTF?

32. High school party stereotypes

There will always be 500 people at the popular guy/girl’s house playing beer pong and getting drunk with super-loud music blasting through the streets. And at some point the cops show up to stop the party. This happens every time without fail.

33. NOBODY POOPS

Pulp Fiction is an exception to this.

34. If the hero has to fight a group of bad guys, they’ll sportingly attack him one at a time

I mean come on. It’s just good manners.

35. People in grocery stores always have a baguette in their bag

Whenever someone in a movie goes grocery shopping, you can tell because they have a perfect French baguette and celery leaves poking out of the top of their brown paper bag.

36. Nobody sneezes

Never. Not once.

37. The news is always turned on at the perfect time

When someone gets a call and the other person says “Turn on the TV!” It’s always turned on to the correct channel just as the news headline is at the perfect point for them to see.

38. It takes 12 seconds to strangle someone to death.

Yeah maybe I’m a superhuman, but I can hold my breath for over two minutes so that’s not working on me.

39. If there’s an ASIAN character in the movie, he will know martial arts

Because all 1.5 billion people in China are martial art Masters.

40. People running away from moving vehicles

I don’t care how fast you are, unless you’re the Flash, you can not outrun a car from this century. (unless it’s a toy car – then I back you)

41. Coughing generally equates to a terminal illness.

I’ve never seen a cough not mean anything in any movie in my life.

42. Subtitles.

This one takes the cake. I have spoken to many foreigners in real life and never seen any subtitles that translate what they’re saying to English. Not true. Completely fake.

Tiny kitty couches

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The US Dollar is over

This is a quick overview (short and punchy) of some momentous events today with great impact on how multipolarity rolls out and how the US dollar is being ditched.

……………..

I believe today (December 9th, 2022) we saw somewhat of a coup d’état, a major step towards leaving the US Dollar behind, in a blistering scenario.

1. Xi Jinping’s visit to the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA) encompassed three separate summits, the first being China’s state visit to Saudi. Two other summits, a China-Gulf summit, and a China-Arab summit, with leaders from Gulf Cooperation Council countries and Arab states, are also in the line-up. So, it is a series of summits.

Xi Jinping was welcomed on purple carpet, for royalty, and with much pomp and circumstance. I guess the Abrahams Accords are lying in a river somewhere, abandoned. He also met with Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas and Egyptian President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi

Early in the day, we started getting indicators that the trade agreements signed during these three summits will be non-Dollar trade. What actually happened is quite vast in scope.

China will continue to import large quantities of crude oil from GCC countries, expand imports of liquefied natural gas, strengthen cooperation in upstream oil and gas development, engineering services, storage, transportation, and refining, and make full use of the Shanghai Petroleum and National Gas Exchange as a platform to carry out yuan settlement of oil and gas trade.

The number of trade agreements signed exceeds 24 separate deals. Xi Jinping proposed further areas of cooperation in the next three to five years, including finance and investment, innovation and new technologies, as well as aerospace, and language and cultures. China will carry out financial regulatory cooperation with GCC (Gulf Cooperation Countries), and facilitate GCC enterprises to enter China’s capital market, establish a joint investment association with GCC, support sovereign wealth funds of both sides to cooperate in various forms.

I have not seen a number inked below these various agreements.  This is of lesser importance as Big Money has met Big Money.  The preparatory work for these three summits would have been huge and yet, it escaped the notice of most.  It will of course be vast in monetary terms, and with the proposed areas of cooperation following, we can extrapolate that many of those already have draft agreements ready.

Let us segue for a moment.  We’ve all heard of the long arm of the US law specifically in issues of US dollar usage.  To explain this very simply is that the US, through their instruments such as Swift, claims an erstwhile jurisdiction on any transaction anywhere in the world, that is done in their dollar.   This then is the core of the financial power of the dollar.  Or shall I say, the core financial power of the US Dollar eroding fast.

2.  In St.Petersburg, Russia, a similar summit reached its culmination today at a meeting of the Eurasian Economic Council Summit

The EAEU member states have signed agreements to implement financial industrial cooperation equivalent to $270bn – here is the stated kicker – business will be done in non-dollar terms.

This is why I say trade in non-dollar terms is now a marketing slogan and we will see more and more countries following.  The US Dollar is therefore being left behind in new business done and the tone and pace is set by China / Gulf States / EAEU.  The concept of free trade is also being changed materially to major trade in blocs and blocs will have their trade agreements.  It remains to be seen how organizations such as WTO will reform to new conditions.

The long arm of the law in terms of the US Dollar is Done and Dusted and being Ditched!  Welcome to practical multipolarity.

From the Saker

We are witnessing a pivotal moment in history! I appreciate the facts as well as the possibilities. Great video as always Sean!

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The United States is nuts!

The US actions are just nuts. The US media is just nuts. The responses of the American people are just nuts.

I am glad that President Putin has had so much patience and self-control. It will likely lead to a much more everwhelming win for Russia ... and China ... and Iran and Saudi Arabia and a lot of other countries.

The other benefit of his approach is that it minimizes the odds of nuclear annihilation.

Posted by: Woke American | Dec 10 2022 18:27 utc | 13

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Without a doubt one of my favourite Alice Cooper songs,such a sentimental song.Love the E major fanfare at the end.Alice sang the tune so we can forgive Michael for not getting the lyrics exactly right.Michael Bruce is a living legend.The original AC group were so inspiring musically to many young would be rockers out there.RIP Glen Buxton.

Did King Henry VIII Hold a Turkey Leg?

The Mandela Effect happens with just about anything, including movies, TV series, books, Broadway shows, and even paintings or portraits.

One of the most famous paintings of King Henry VIII is of him sitting at a dinner table, just his upper torso visible, holding a turkey leg in his hand. At least, that is how most people visualize it. In reality, there is no painting of King Henry VIII holding a turkey leg. There is, however, a Renaissance painting of him holding a pair of leather gloves in one hand and the string of a scabbard in the other.

Expanding on this Mandela effect example, some people took things even further by claiming that Henry VIII was the first English king to eat turkey and that he was a huge fan of the meat. There is also a host of examples in the media in which Henry VIII is depicted as holding or eating a turkey leg as a direct result of the belief that the turkey leg painting exists.

Cat funny and strange…

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In case you wanted to know…

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Apple Pear Cobbler

“I created this recipe wanting a cobbler, yet only having canned ingredients on hand. I kind of surprised myself by how well it came out! I hope you will enjoy it as much as I do!”

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Ingredients

Directions

  • Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
  • Cut butter into pieces and place in 8×8″ pan.
  • Place pan in preheated oven to melt butter.
  • While butter melts, combine flour and sugar.
  • Slowly add milk to flour mixture, stirring to combine; set aside.
  • Drain pears from syrup, saving syrup.
  • In another bowl, combine pears and apple filling.
  • When butter is melted, removed pan with butter from oven; pour in batter; do not stir.
  • Place apples and pears on top of batter; top evenly with saved pear syrup.
  • Sprinkle with cinnamon (if using).
  • Bake in 350 degree oven for 45 minutes.
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2022 12 10 19 35

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Their early stuff was unadulterated, unapologetic rock and roll in it’s purest form and as such remains among the best examples of the genre.

How Social Media CENSORS Conservative Voices; and Deceitfully LIES about it

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A new Twitter Files investigation has revealed the many tools that company executives employed to blacklist and shadowban conservative voices. The thread posted to Elon Musk’s platform reveals that the internal Twitter name for shadowbanning is “visibility filtering.”

Released by former New York Times reporter Bari Weiss in yet another lengthy Twitter thread, the revelations on Thursday showed that several mainstream conservative voices, from Charlie Kirk to Dan Bongino, were shadowbanned by the social media company under the rubrics of “Visibility Filtering” or “VF.” At one point, Twitter even placed Stanford professor, Dr. Jay Bhattacharya, under the label “Trends Blacklist” for arguing that coronavirus lockdowns would harm children. Per Weiss: 

Twitter once had a mission “to give everyone the power to create and share ideas and information instantly, without barriers.” Along the way, barriers nevertheless were erected.

Take, for example, Stanford’s Dr. Jay Bhattacharya who argued that Covid lockdowns would harm children. Twitter secretly placed him on a “Trends Blacklist,” which prevented his tweets from trending.

Or consider the popular right-wing talk show host, Dan Bongino, who at one point was slapped with a “Search Blacklist.”

Twitter set the account of conservative activist Charlie Kirk to “Do Not Amplify.”

 

 

 

As Weiss and multiple conservative commenters pointed out, Twitter routinely denied shadowbanning voices, especially based on “political viewpoints or ideology.” While shadowbanning might not be the term that Twitter employed, the company still performed the censorial practice under the banner of “Visibility Filtering or “VF.” According to Weiss, “multiple high-level sources confirmed that “Visibility Filtering” took place.

“Think about visibility filtering as being a way for us to suppress what people see to different levels. It’s a very powerful tool,” one senior employee is quoted as having told Weiss. 

“We control visibility quite a bit. And we control the amplification of your content quite a bit. And normal people do not know how much we do,” said one anonymous engineer, which two other Twitter employees confirmed. 

 

 

 

Bari Weiss further profiled efforts by Twitter executives to censor accounts like Libs of TikTok, which Breitbart News will cover more extensively as the investigation unfolds. Recently, former Twitter safety executive Yoel Roth, who quit after billionaire Elon Musk acquired the company, defended the platform’s fateful decision to censor the Christian satire site The Babylon Bee for calling transgender HHS assistant secretary Dr. Rachel Levine a “man.”

“We have seen from a number of Twitter accounts, including Libs of TikTok, notably, that there are orchestrated campaigns, that particularly single out a a group that is already particularly vulnerable within society,” Roth told New York magazine editor Kara Swisher at the Informed conference last week. “So, not only is not funny, but it is dangerous and it does contribute to an environment that makes people unsafe in the world.”

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America’s biggest problem isn’t “corruption”, China’s is. So, China solves it. (Or, at least try to)

America’s biggest problem is almost no one knows where the real problem is, and 99% of the people is either not intelligent enough, or don’t have the motivation to point it out.

And the worst part is, it’s a democracy.

On one hand, you got politicians hiring extremely smart people studying what kind of words voters like to hear, analysing opinion trendings like a business model.

(Imagine this kind of effort devoted to actually solving the problems)

On the other hands, your average joes know absolutely zero about anything complicated beyond their 20 feet yard. When you talk to these folks, they repeat the narrative their subscribed media feed tells them. Over and over again. It’s tedious and boring, but these people think they are so original and cool to be like this.

Urgh…

If you are a voter, and you are actually not smart enough, you are susceptible to the rich and powerful people’s manipulation. It literally seeps through every corner of your life.

And if you are smart enough, you’d realize these political problems are complicated beyond comprehension, and it won’t have mattered either way you vote, you’d not show up at the booth at all (which, to my comfort, a large portion of Americans do choose not to vote).

Americans are intentionally divided by the politicians and big money. Two groups are too caught up in their heated debate and bickering, they don’t even need censorship to keep the country intact — flooding the media with random information every which way is just as effective as a censorship… or perhaps even more effective.

Back in the days when America’s education system wasn’t about who throw balls far, American capitalists did not monopolize everything, politicians still cared about the people, and media still had a sliver of integrity left, and its international competitions are either caught up cleaning a bunch of communist rebels and failing, trying to collect dead relatives from a nuclear aftermath, scavengeing for factory parts after Ally bombing, or trying to fend off soviet invasion in the vast desolate mountain ranges, yes, democracy in America worked well.

It worked so well, that Americans started to genuinely believe it was the other way around: Democracy gave all of those good things to them.

Now? It’s a sad entertainment business. At best. A comedy that fails to make me laugh.

Let’s not forget the challenges, missions, and the level of development for the two countries are entirely different.

If China does something and it is effective (somewhat), it doesn’t mean America learns and does it, it would be effective as well.

So no, there is nothing to learn from the Chinese government cleaning up corruption for the American government.

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China set to shake up energy market. Mongolia gas pipelines

Enjoy this bit of truth.

Explosions and Fire Smash Moscow Shopping Mall

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What a coincidence!
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Fjg tCWXEAASzBt

The fire spread across an area of around 7,000 square meters (75,000 square feet) at the Mega shopping mall in the town of Khimki on the outskirts of Moscow and just seven kilometers (four miles) from the capital’s Sheremetyevo Airport.

 

 

Comments?

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Tan Youhui and the Dirty Half-Dozen

Outsourcing is common nowadays. Unfortunately, this often means you don’t get what you pay for. Chinese real estate investor Tan Youhui learned this the hard way back in 2013. The mogul paid hitman Xi Guangan approximately $282,600 to kill a plaintiff in a lawsuit against him named Wei. But instead of completing the job, Xi Guangan outsourced it to another hitman.

The second killer then outsourced it to a third, who outsourced it to a fourth. The fourth killer then hired Ling Xiansi to commit the murder. Instead of killing Wei, Ling Xiansi contacted him for a meeting. The two conspired to fake Wei’s death. They used false photographic evidence to fool Tan Youhui into thinking Wei was dead. Wei then called the police, who launched a full investigation. According to Chinese court records, all six men involved were found guilty and sentenced to prison.

Full text of Xi Jinping’s keynote speech at China-GCC Summit

Source: Xinhua

Editor: huaxia

2022-12-10 03:08:30

RIYADH, Dec. 9 (Xinhua) — Chinese President Xi Jinping delivered a keynote speech here Friday at the China-Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) Summit.

The following is the full text of the speech:

 

Building on Past Achievements and Jointly Creating a Brighter Future of China-GCC Relations

Riyadh, Dec. 9, 2022

 

Distinguished Colleagues,

Secretary General Dr. Nayef Falah Al-Hajraf,

Good afternoon!

At the outset, I wish to express heartfelt appreciation to the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia for hosting the China-Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) Summit. It gives me great pleasure to join you in planning for the future of China-GCC relations.

The friendly exchange between China and GCC countries goes back nearly two millennia in history. Throughout those years, the two peoples interacted with each other continuously along the ancient Silk Road inspired by the “Eastern wisdom” of peace, harmony and truth. In 1981, China established contact with the GCC upon its inception. Forty plus years on, the two sides have written together a splendid chapter of solidarity, mutual assistance and win-win cooperation.

The leapfrog growth of China-GCC relations is attributed to the profound mutual trust. China and GCC countries have all along supported each other’s sovereignty and independence, respected each other’s development paths, upheld equality between countries regardless of their size, and stood firm in defending multilateralism.

The leapfrog growth is attributed to the high degree of complementarity. China has a vast consumer market and a complete industrial system, while the GCC, with rich energy and resources, is embracing diversified economic development. This makes the two sides natural partners of cooperation.

The leapfrog growth is attributed to the empathy of the two peoples. Both belonging to the family of Eastern civilizations, China and GCC countries have similar culture and values. And the peoples enjoy close bonds of friendship.

The leapfrog growth is also attributed to the solidarity between the two sides in times of adversity. Against regional and international uncertainties as well as challenges such as the financial crisis, the COVID-19 pandemic and major natural disasters, the two sides have come to each other’s aid and navigated through the difficulties together.

Colleagues,

In response to the profound changes unseen in a century, GCC countries have strengthened themselves through unity, achieved economic growth despite COVID-19, and worked vigorously for political settlement of regional hotspots and thorny issues. They have made the GCC the most dynamic regional organization in the Middle East and the Gulf. China highly commends you for all this. Standing at a historical crossroads, we should carry forward the tradition of China-GCC friendship, and take the establishment of the China-GCC strategic partnership as an opportunity to enrich the strategic substance of this relationship.

– We should be partners for greater solidarity. We need to further consolidate political mutual trust and firmly support each other’s core interests. We need to jointly uphold the principle of non-interference in internal affairs, practice true multilateralism, and defend the common interests of all developing countries.

– We should be partners for common development. We need to better synergize development strategies and leverage our respective strengths to cultivate driving forces for development. China looks forward to working with all parties to advance and implement the Global Development Initiative (GDI) and follow through on the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, with a view to promoting regional development and prosperity.

– We should be partners for common security. China will continue to firmly support GCC countries in safeguarding their security, and support the efforts by regional countries to resolve differences through dialogue and consultation and to build a Gulf collective security architecture. China welcomes the participation of GCC countries in the Global Security Initiative (GSI) in a joint effort to uphold regional peace and stability.

– We should be partners for cultural prosperity. We need to enhance interactions between our peoples, increase cultural exchanges, draw on each other’s fine cultural achievements, and promote the rich values of Eastern civilizations, so as to contribute our share to the development and progress of human civilizations.

Colleagues,

In the next three to five years, China is ready to work with GCC countries in the following priority areas:

First, setting up a new paradigm of all-dimensional energy cooperation. China will continue to import large quantities of crude oil on a long-term basis from GCC countries, and purchase more LNG. We will strengthen our cooperation in the upstream sector, engineering services, as well as storage, transportation and refinery of oil and gas. The Shanghai Petroleum and Natural Gas Exchange platform will be fully utilized for RMB settlement in oil and gas trade. The two sides will work more closely on clean and low-carbon technologies involving hydrogen, energy storage, wind and photovoltaic power and smart power grids, as well as localized production of new energy equipment. We will jointly establish a China-GCC forum on peaceful use of nuclear technology and a China-GCC nuclear security demonstration center. China will provide 300 training opportunities to GCC countries on peaceful use of nuclear energy and technology.

Second, making new progress in finance and investment cooperation. China and GCC countries could collaborate on financial regulation and facilitate the entry into China’s capital market for GCC companies. China will work with the GCC to set up a joint investment commission and support cooperation between sovereign wealth funds from both sides in various forms. The two sides could explore setting up a China-GCC forum on industrial and investment cooperation, strengthen investment cooperation on digital economy and green development, and build a working mechanism on investment and economic cooperation. The two sides could start currency swap cooperation, deepen digital currency cooperation and advance the m-CBDC Bridge project.

Third, expanding new areas of cooperation on innovation, science and technology. China is ready to build big data and cloud computing centers with GCC countries, strengthen 5G and 6G technology cooperation, build together innovation and entrepreneurship incubators, and implement ten digital economy projects in such areas as cross-border e-commerce and communications network. A China-GCC cooperation mechanism in meteorological science and technology will be set up, and the two sides could convene a seminar on climate response.

Fourth, seeking new breakthroughs in aerospace cooperation. China will carry out a string of cooperation projects with GCC countries in remote sensing and communications satellite, space utilization, and aerospace infrastructure. The two sides could select and train astronauts together, and China welcomes GCC astronauts to its space station for joint missions and space science experiments with their Chinese colleagues. China welcomes GCC countries’ participation in payloads cooperation in its aerospace missions including Chang’e and Tianwen, and will consider establishing a China-GCC joint center for lunar and deep space exploration.

Fifth, nurturing new highlights in language and cultural cooperation. China will cooperate with 300 universities, middle and primary schools in GCC countries on Chinese language education, work with GCC countries to set up 300 Chinese language smart classrooms, provide 3,000 “Chinese Bridge” summer/winter camp opportunities, and set up Chinese language learning and testing centers and online Chinese classes. The two sides could hold a China-GCC language and culture forum, and compile a bilingual library for people-to-people and cultural exchanges and mutual learning.

Colleagues,

China and GCC countries share the glorious mission of developing and revitalizing our nations. Our relations are both time-honored and young. Let us build on our achievements and work together to deliver an even brighter future of China-GCC relations.

Thank you. ■

I don’t know for sure if corruption has been totally eradicated by I can share my personal experience as follows:

– 20 years ago when I was running a business in China, corruption was rather rampant. A high level official with a power company (i.e. lots of $ to purchase goods) that was my customer flaunted his wealth and status, admitting he had several mistresses. We as a supplier had to kiss his ass and give him a cut (through a 3rd party as we were not allowed to touch it directly) of the sales deal. A few months later I heard he got arrested. Obviously whoever he was leaning on one level up for support also got caught himself.

  • A few years back when I went to ShiJiaZhuang for a business visit with my Canadian friend, we were treated to lunch after the morning meeting. The receiving party was very apologetic and said with Xi’s new directive they are not allowed to be lavish even when entertaining foreign visitors. Very different from the days when I was working there. We were taken to a modest restaurant for lunch but the food was good though inexpensive, and I had no complaint at all.
  • If you look at the way infrastructure is built in China, the speed and the quality, you have to draw the conclusion that low-level, wide-spread corruption simply cannot be there. For if it was, progress would have been at a snail’s pace. So I do believe this problem is at least contained, if not totally solved, by Xi’s measure.

Xi Jinping’s Visit to Saudi Arabia and the overthrow of Atlanticism

Originally published on The Cradle

As Atlanticists continue their commitment to a future shaped by energy scarcity, food scarcity, and war with their nuclear-capable neighbors, most states in the Persian Gulf that have long been trusted allies of the west have quickly come to realize that their interests are best assured by cooperating with Eurasian states like China and Russia who don’t think in those zero-sum terms.

With Chinese President Xi Jinping’s long-awaited three-day visit to Saudi Arabia, a powerful shift by the Persian Gulf’s most strategic Arab state toward the multipolar alliance is being consolidated. Depending on which side of the ideological fence you sit on, this consolidation is being viewed closely with great hope or rage.

Xi’s visit stands in stark contrast to US President Joe Biden’s underwhelming ‘fist bump’ meeting this summer, which saw the self-professed leader of the free world falling asleep at a conference table and demanding more Saudi oil production while offering nothing durable in return.

In contrast, Xi’s arrival was greeted by a multi-cannon salute and Saudi jets painting the red and yellow colors of China’s flag in the skies over Riyadh. Beijing’s delegation of political and business elites, in the following days, will continue to meet with Saudi counterparts to strike long-term strategic deals in cultural, economic and scientific domains.

The visit will culminate in the first ever China-Arab Summit on Friday, 9 December, where Xi will meet with 30 heads of state. The Chinese foreign ministry described this as “an epoch-making milestone in the history of the development of China-Arab relations.”

While $30 billion in deals will be signed between Beijing and Riyadh, something much bigger is at play which too few have come to properly appreciate.

Riyadh’s steps toward the BRI since 2016

Xi Jinping last visited the kingdom in 2016, to advance Riyadh’s participation in China’s newly unveiled Belt and Road Initiative (BRI). A January 2016 policy report by the Chinese government to all Arab states reads:

“In the process of jointly pursuing the Silk Road Economic Belt and the 21st Century Maritime Silk Road initiative, China is willing to coordinate development strategies with Arab states, put into play each other’s advantages and potentials, promote international production capacity cooperation and enhance cooperation in the fields of infrastructure construction, trade and investment facilitation, nuclear power, space satellite, new energy, agriculture and finance, so as to achieve common progress and development and benefit our two peoples.”

It was only three months later that Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman (MbS) inaugurated Saudi Vision 2030 which firmly outlined a new foreign policy agenda much more compatible with China’s “peaceful development” spirit.

After decades serving as an Atlanticist client state with no viable manufacturing prospects or autonomy beyond its role in supporting western-managed terror operations, Saudi Vision 2030 demonstrated the first signs of creative thinking in years, with an outlook toward a post-oil age.

On the energy front, China Energy Corp is building a sprawling 2.6 GW solar power station in Saudi Arabia, and Chinese nuclear developers are helping Riyadh develop its vast uranium resources while also mastering all branches of the nuclear fuel cycle.

In 2016, both nations signed an MoU to build fourth generation gas-cooled nuclear reactors. This follows the UAE’s recent leap into the 21st century with 2.7 GW of energy now constructed.

By early 2017, Riyadh had firmly bought its ticket on the New Silk Road with a $65 billion agreement integrating the Saudi Vision 2030 and BRI with a focus on petrochemical integration, engineering, refining, procurement, construction, carbon capture, and upstream/downstream development.

In the new post-American epoch, signs of this spirit of cooperation and bridge building have increasingly come to be felt, even while its effects have been forcibly restrained – as millions of Yemenis suffering under seven years of war can testify.

Unlike the Atlanticist fixation on Green New Deals which threaten to annihilate industry and farming, Riyadh’s post-oil outlook is much more synergistic with China’s idea of “sustained growth” that demands nuclear power, continued hydrocarbons, and robust agro-industrial development.

China’s trade with Saudi Arabia rose to $87.3 billion in 2021, which saw a 39 percent increase over 2020, while US-Saudi trade has collapsed from $76 billion in 2012 to only $29 billion in 2021.

Some of this Beijing-Riyadh trade may now be conducted in the Chinese Yuan, which will only undermine the US-Saudi relationship further.

In the first 10 months of 2022, China’s imports from Saudi Arabia were $57 billion and exports to the kingdom rose to $30.3 billion. China is additionally building 5G systems and cultivating a vast technology hub with a focus on selling electronic goods, all while helping Saudi Arabia build up an indigenous manufacturing sector.

A trend of Harmonization

Despite the continued chaos in Yemen, and economic devastation in Lebanon, Syria, and Iraq, Beijing’s subtle trend has nonetheless been one of healing with Saudi Arabia – and regional power Turkiye.

Saudi Arabia and Turkiye have often acted as rivals, and front two distinct foreign agendas with broad regional ambitions that overlap on many fronts. But despite this competitive past, higher necessities have induced both nations to harmonize their foreign policy outlooks with a new “look east” focus.

This was expressed during the Saudi crown prince’s visit to Ankara in June 2022 where the two heads of state called for “a new era of cooperation” with a focus on political, economic, military and cultural cooperation outlined in a joint communique.

Only days after MbS’s return from Turkiye, then-Iraqi Prime Minister Mustafa al-Kadhimi visited Jeddah to promote regional stability stating in a press release “they changed points of view on a number of issues that would contribute to supporting and strengthening regional security and stability.”

Iraq and Saudi Arabia had only re-established diplomatic ties in November 2020 due to Saddam Hussein’s invasion of Kuwait 30 years earlier.

Between 2021-2022, Iraq had worked hard to host bilateral talks between Saudi Arabia and Iran with five rounds of talks held and Kadhimi stating his belief that “reconciliation is near.” Tehran-Riyadh diplomatic ties were cut in the aftermath of the 2016 execution of outspoken Saudi Shiite cleric Nimr al-Nimr, prompting the storming of the Saudi embassy in Tehran by angry protestors.

In March 2022, MbS stated that Iran and Saudi Arabia “were neighbors forever” and stated that it is “better for both of us to working it out and to look for ways in which we can co-exist.”

By August 23, 2022, the UAE and Kuwait created a new milestone by restarting diplomatic relations with Iran. And although nearly every Persian Gulf state (plus Turkiye) had devoted years to supporting regime change in Syria, a new reality has imposed itself with all Arab parties veering toward the Chinese BRI model of regional integration and economic development.

The Key Role of Iran

Not only is Iran a key player in the Greater Eurasian Partnership serving as a strategic hub for the southern route of China’s BRI, but it is also a keystone of the Russia-Iran-India-led International North South Transportation Corridor (INSTC) which has become a major force synergizing with the BRI.

Iraq and Iran themselves are in the final stages of building the long-awaited Shalamcheh-Basra railway which will unite the two nations by rail for the first time in decades while also offering a potential extension to the already existent 1500 km railway through Iraq to Syria’s border.

The climate for cooperation was undoubtedly made possible by the presence of Chinese economic diplomacy which established a 25 year, $400 billion energy and security deal with Iran – but also Russia, whose similar but smaller $25 billion, twenty-year deal with Tehran may easily expand to $40 billion in Russian investments in Iran’s vast oil and natural gas fields in the coming years.

Saudi Arabia and Russia’s relationship with OPEC+ demonstrated its potency this summer when Riyadh won the ire of Washington by not only denying Biden’s requests for increased oil production, but cutting overall oil production and driving up global prices of oil. Saudi Arabia benefited by vastly increased imports of discounted Russian oil which were then sold to a desperate Europe.

Furthermore, Saudi plans to join the global hub of multipolarity itself, BRICS+ (alongside Turkiye, Egypt, and Algeria), in addition to recently becoming a full-fledged Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) dialogue partner, have placed its destiny ever deeper into the growing Multipolar Alliance.

With the increased potential for stability and harmonization of interests across various power blocs, an atmosphere more conducive to long-term economic investments is finally presenting itself to Chinese investors who had long looked upon conflict-ridden West Asia with justifiable trepidation.

In August 2022, the Saudi state oil company Aramco and China’s Petroleum and Chemical Corporation Ltd signed an MOU expanding on the aforementioned $65 billion cooperation deal of 2017, which involves the construction of Fujian Refining and Petrochemical Company (FREP) and Sinopec Senmei Petroleum Company (SSPC) in Fujian, China, and Yanbu Aramco Sinopec Refining Company (YASREF) in Saudi Arabia.

Rail and interconnectivity

Perhaps most exciting are prospects for interconnectivity that play directly into the development corridors tied to the BRI. In Saudi Arabia, this train has moved steadily apace with the 450 km high speed Haramain Railway built by China Railway Construction Company connecting Mecca to Medina completed in 2018.

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Photo Credit: The Cradle

Discussions are well underway to extend this line to the 2400 km North South Railway from Riyadh to Al Haditha completed in 2015. Meanwhile, 460 km of rail connecting all Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) members is currently under construction, which is driving reforms in engineering, trade schools, and manufacturing hubs across the Arabian Peninsula.

In 2021, all GCC states gave their full support to a $200 billion Persian Gulf-Red Sea high speed railway dubbed “The Saudi Landbridge,” which also dovetails another $500 billion megaproject with vast Chinese investments, dubbed the futuristic NEOM mega-city on the Red Sea.

The Eurasianists stand to gain

It can only be hoped that this new chemistry of harmonization and win-win cooperation may soon provide a key to ending the fires of conflict in Yemen and other regional states.

Further, with Russia and China both helping to broker diplomatic backchannels, and with Iran playing an active role within this process, perhaps negotiations for reconstruction can begin in this war-torn zone of conflict.

It is not an extreme stretch of the imagination to see the new Persian Gulf-Red Sea rail project extending north into Egypt and south into Yemen.

Looking at a map of the region, one can imagine the reactivation of the “Bridge of the Horn of Africa” first unveiled in 2009, that would have extended rail across the 25 km Bab el Mandeb strait connecting pipelines and rail lines into Djibouti and East Africa, more broadly.

While a western-manipulated Arab Spring derailed that concept in 2011, and the Saudi war against Yemen drove it further under ground since 2015, perhaps this new spirit of inter-civilizational cooperation under a new economic architecture liberated from the Atlanticist-dominated dollar system may provide just what it takes to revive the idea once again.

Former German Chancellor Angela Merkel Admits: Minsk Agreements were only to “Buy Time” for Future Ukraine-Russia War

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Former German Chancellor Angela Merkel yesterday admitted that her participation in the Minsk Agreements between Ukraine and Russia in 2014 and 2015, was a deliberate deception; designed only to “buy time” for Ukraine to build its army for war with Russia.  A war that is now presently taking place.

All this was PLANNED . . .

It is widely known that so-called “Conspiracy Theorists” believe almost all of the things going on politically in the world are “theater.”  They claim that the upheaval, dislocation, troubles are “all planned” long in advance.   Most folks discount such claims as being too fantastic to believe, yet now we have actual proof that the present Ukraine-Russia war, was, in fact, planned as far back as 2014.  All the troubles we have today from that war  . . . were, in fact, planned.

In public remarks this week, Angela Merkel quite casually revealed that the Minsk Agreements of 2014 and 2015 were not signed with the intention of achieving lasting peace.  Instead, they were signed, according to Merkel, “to buy time” for Ukraine during which it would strengthen for new conflicts with Russia.

She also admitted that at the time “NATO was not able to provide military support to the Kiev regime to the extent to which it does so today.”

Merkel went on to point out that “Ukraine used that time to get stronger” and event went so far as to say “the Ukraine from 2014-2015 is not the Ukraine we see today” and that Russian President Vladimir Putin “would have easily run over” Ukraine back then.

Bear in mind that the Minsk Agreements were hammered-out during what were described as “marathon negotiations” in one case, lasting a non-stop nineteen hours, between then-Ukraine-President Petro Poroshenko, German Chancellor Merkel, French President Francois Holland, and Russian President Vladimir Putin.

It was only this past June, 2022, when the world found out that Ukraine’s former President Petro Poroshenko publicly admitted he deliberately LIED at the Minsk agreements, participating in them even though he already knew he had no intentional at all of implementing them.

In an interview with German Television Deutche Welle, Poroshenko said the Minsk agreements “meant nothing” and claimed credit for giving Kiev enough time to militarize

Petro Poroshenko admitted that the 2015 ceasefire in Donbass, which he negotiated with Russia, France and Germany as president of Ukraine, was merely a distraction intended to buy time for Kiev to rebuild its military.

He made the comments in interviews with several news outlets back in June of this year, including to Germany’s Deutsche Welle television and to the Ukrainian branch of the US state-run Radio Free Europe. Poroshenko also defended his record as president between 2014 and 2019.

“We had achieved everything we wanted,” he said of the peace deal. “Our goal was to, first, stop the threat, or at least to delay the war – to secure eight years to restore economic growth and create powerful armed forces.”

He cited Sun Tzu’s stratagems as an inspiration for the deception. Winning a war does not necessarily require winning military engagements, Poroshenko said, calling the deal he made a win for Ukraine in that regard.

In the interviews, Poroshenko spoke about his role in negotiating the Minsk agreements, a roadmap for reconciliation between his government and the Donetsk and Lugansk People’s Republics. The former president apparently confirmed that Kiev hadn’t come to the talks in good faith, but simply wanted a reprieve after suffering a military defeat.

Now, with the comments made by former German Chancellor Angela Merekel, the world finds out that she, too, was “in on it.”  She KNEW the entire Minsk Agreement meetings were nothing more than a farce, yet she sat through those meetings, face-to-face with the President of Russia, and deliberately, willfully, LIED right to his face.

What kind of people must Merkel and Poroshenko be, that, as heads of state, (or even just as plain, ordinary people) they could willfully sit at a serious negotiation for peace, when in reality, they were simply planning for a much worse war, years later?   Does that make Merkel and Poroshenko Sociopaths? Psychopaths?

Based on web definitions of sociopath and psychopath, both people may very well qualify for those diagnosis.

FROM WEB MD:

You may have heard people call someone else a “psychopath” or a “sociopath.” But what do those words really mean?

You won’t find the definitions in mental health’s official handbook, the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders. Doctors don’t officially diagnose people as psychopaths or sociopaths. They use a different term instead: antisocial personality disorder.

Most experts believe psychopaths and sociopaths share a similar set of traits. People like this have a poor inner sense of right and wrong. They also can’t seem to understand or share another person’s feelings. But there are some differences, too.

Do They Have a Conscience?

A key difference between a psychopath and a sociopath is whether he has a conscience, the little voice inside that lets us know when we’re doing something wrong, says L. Michael Tompkins, EdD. He’s a psychologist at the Sacramento County Mental Health Treatment Center.

A psychopath doesn’t have a conscience. If he lies to you so he can steal your money, he won’t feel any moral qualms, though he may pretend to. He may observe others and then act the way they do so he’s not “found out,” Tompkins says.

A sociopath typically has a conscience, but it’s weak. They may know that taking your money is wrong, and they might feel some guilt or remorse, but that won’t stop their behavior.

Both lack empathy, the ability to stand in someone else’s shoes and understand how they feel. But a psychopath has less regard for others, says Aaron Kipnis, PhD, author of The Midas Complex. Someone with this personality type sees others as objects he can use for his own benefit.

They’re Not Always Violent

In movies and TV shows, psychopaths and sociopaths are usually the villains who kill or torture innocent people. In real life, some people with antisocial personality disorder can be violent, but most are not. Instead they use manipulation and reckless behavior to get what they want.

“At worst, they’re cold, calculating killers,” Kipnis says. Others, he says, are skilled at climbing their way up the corporate ladder, even if they have to hurt someone to get there.

If you recognize some of these traits in a family member or coworker, you may be tempted to think you’re living or working with a psychopath or sociopath. But just because a person is mean or selfish, it doesn’t necessarily mean they have a disorder.

‘Cold-Hearted Psychopath, Hot-Headed Sociopath’

It’s not easy to spot a psychopath. They can be intelligent, charming, and good at mimicking emotions. They may pretend to be interested in you, but in reality, they probably don’t care.

“They’re skilled actors whose sole mission is to manipulate people for personal gain,” Tompkins says.

Sociopaths are less able to play along. They make it plain that they’re not interested in anyone but themselves. They often blame others and have excuses for their behavior.

Some experts see sociopaths as “hot-headed.” They act without thinking how others will be affected.

Psychopaths are more “cold-hearted” and calculating. They carefully plot their moves, and use aggression in a planned-out way to get what they want. If they’re after more money or status in the office, for example, they’ll make a plan to take out any barriers that stand in the way, even if it’s another person’s job or reputation.

Brain Differences

Recent research suggests a psychopath’s brain is not like other people’s. It may have physical differences that make it hard for the person to identify with someone else’s distress.

The differences can even change basic body functions. For example, when most people see blood or violence in a movie, their hearts beat faster, their breathing quickens, and their palms get sweaty.

A psychopath has the opposite reaction. He gets calmer. Kipnis says that quality helps psychopaths be fearless and engage in risky behavior.

“They don’t fear the consequences of their actions,” he says.

Draw your own conclusion if Merkel and Poroshenko meet the definitions of sociopath or psychopath cited above.

Which brings us all back to the “Conspiracy Theorists” who warn us that all the things going on in the world are carefully planned and scripted “theater.”  Clearly, since we now know that the Minsk Agreements were a farce, entered into willingly by Poroshenko and Merkel, that the ongoing war between Russia and Ukraine __was__ actually planned, as far back as 2014!

The other participant in the Minsk Agreements, Francois Holland of France, has not said if he, too, was aware that the effort was a farce, but since both France and Germany are NATO members and allies, it seems logical to believe President Holland of France would have known too.

Which leaves President Vladimir Putin, of the Russian Federation.  We now find out he was deliberately deceived by both Ukraine and Germany during both the Minsk one and Minsk two meetings.

What is he to do?

Clearly, Ukraine cannot ever be believed again; it’s very top leader willfully lied – twice – for the express purpose of building an army to fight a war with Russia.

Clearly Germany cannot ever be believed again; it’s leader participated in the willful deception.

France . . . it’s likely they were “in on it” but we just don’t know right now.

Oh, and the most important party regarding the Minsk Agreements -a party who was NOT ACTUALLY PARTICIPATING — the United States . . . under then President Barak Obama, HAD TO KNOW the meetings were a deception.  It seems impossible that the largest, most important member of NATO, the USA, did not know.

So how can Russia believe __anything__ the United States says, when it, too, seems to have been part of the deliberate deception?

The major “takeaway” from all this is the simple reality that the present Ukraine-Russia war __was__ planned . . . as far back as the year 2014.   Ukraine INTENDED to have a war.  YEt now that they have gotten what they planned, WE in the US and NATO, are expected to cough up tens of billions of dollars in cash and weapons, to “help” them.

“Poor Ukraine” we hear.  “They’ve been invaded by Russia” we hear.  Yet it turns out, they PLANNED this confrontation as far back as 2014.

I say, since Ukraine planned it, let Ukraine fight it.  Since Ukraine planned it, let Ukraine PAY FOR IT.

All US Military aid and cash to Ukraine should stop immediately.  They built this treehouse, let them sit in it.

Of course, I might be missing one important aspect.  What if it was the US and NATO that actually planned this?  Maybe THAT is why the US and NATO are so heavily invested in it?

If that’s true, then I’d like to find out the names of the people in the US and NATO who came up with this plan.  I’d like to send them the $195 bill I just got to fill-up my diesel pick-up truck that took 32 gallons and cost me $195 for ONE tank full.   I’d like to send them the $400+ food bill from the supermarket every couple weeks to feed my family.   I’d like to send them my now $400-$500 electric bill for my small, 1200 square foot condo.

I am suffering all these increased costs because of a war THEY planned.   Let THEM pay for it.

The more serious part of this deception, is that since they clearly PLANNED the Ukraine-Russia War, then they clearly knew all these economic hardships would come with that war – and they did it anyway.

The absolute worst part of this is that their deception, may actually result in a nuclear war.  They must have considered this as well, since they planned it so many years ago.

If the ongoing troubles result in a nuclear exchange, I want to know the names of the people here in America who planned this all the way back in 2014 and 2015, so they can be held personally accountable, on the spot.  Their “Qualified Immunity,” only works in court.  It doesn’t work out in the real world, out in the streets.

No, their “Immunity” doesn’t work at all out here.

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Unrelenting propaganda: we hear speculation of Putin is dying as well….now flee to America backyard waiting for US to arrest him?

The West is truly BAT-SHIT crazy! -MM

Vladimir Putin’s former aide suggests he will flee to South America if he loses Russia’s war with Ukraine

Dubbed Operation Noah’s ark, a former aide of Vladimir Putin has shared the plan the President could take in the advent that he begins to lose the war.

The vomit-ready “article” can be found HERE

Cat funny and strange…

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Been there. (nod)

The Fishmobile

Can fish avoid obstacles on land? Okay, fish and land don’t gel. But this didn’t stop researchers in Israel from building a car for goldfish. Kind of like an aquarium on wheels. The goal was to understand how fish learn to navigate and if their brains could handle a trip on land.

Six goldfish were trained to pilot the fish-operated vehicle or FOV. At first, the fish swam erratically but then seemed to grasp the situation and their movements became more deliberate and relaxed. Indeed, the goldfish quickly learned how to make the FOV drive forward, but it was harder to teach them to think outside the tank, so to speak.

But with simple obstacle training and a lot of treats, the fish stopped driving aimlessly around the room and headed straight for targets. Once they reached a target, they were rewarded with a snack. When obstacles were placed in their path, the fish learned to drive around them to get to the target—and something yummy. This proved that fish can be remarkably resourceful in challenging environments in order to find food.

Cat funny and strange…

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This song is quintessential 80’s, absolutely one of the coolest and best songs by Don and of the 80’s. Takes me back to growing up in the 80’s. What an awesome time.

Brazil in Chaos Over Stolen Election; Emergency Broadcast System Activated, Military Says MARTIAL LAW Coming

The country of Brazil is in chaos this morning after weeks of citizen protest of the “stolen” Presidential Elections.  The Emergency Boradcast System is Activated. Citizens are being told to stock up on food and water for 21-30 days.  MARTIAL LAW will be implemented and troops given SHOOT TO KILL Orders for anyone found out on the streets.

This is a fast developing situation, check back.

Cat funny and strange…

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Ukraine SitRep – Catastrophic Losses, Failing Wonder Weapons, NATO Escalation

The Russian military is still integrating most of the mobilized 300,000+ men and volunteers. According to Putin 25% of the mobilized forces are in combat units, 25% in rear positions, while 50% train in Russia. It does not look like an imminent all out attack on the Ukrainian front lines is in the cards. The expected large winter attack may not be coming at all. Instead the new forces will rotate through the frontline and only attack locally whenever they see an opportunity.

The Russian do not need to attack. Their task is to demilitarize Ukraine. As long as the Ukrainians come to the front lines and attack the Russians their is no need to launch a large attack on them.

The map from a months ago versus today shows only a few small changes of the front lines.

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2022 12 11 10 40

Every day all of the frontline sections are full of artillery/bombing symbols. That is mostly Russian artillery mowing the grass and killing Ukrainian soldiers.

Over the last month it was mostly the Ukrainians who attacked all along the front only to run into walls of steel and explosions. They did not manage to break the Russian lines. They tried again and again but failed with high losses.

Russian offenses were mostly confined to the Bakhmut/Artemovsk front where the Wagner private military contractor group has captured multiple Ukrainian trench lines and villages. This usually comes only after the artillery has cleaned the area and the few surviving Ukrainians moved out. The map from a months ago versus today shows small but important differences in that front line.

There must be a Ukrainian high order to hold onto Bakhmut at any price. The Ukrainian army has again and again moved reserve brigades into the area. Its hold operation is extremely costly:

Tony @Cyberspec1 – 5:46 UTC · Dec 10, 2022Polish newspaper NDP (Independent Political Journal) believes that without the support of NATO, the fighting in 🇺🇦 would end within a week.

NDP: daily losses of the AFU near Bakhmut reach a battalion (500-800 soldiers), hospitals in the city of Konstantinovka are overcrowded,

The above is not the only source which made that claim.

Big Serge @witte_sergei – 18:32 UTC · Dec 8, 2022LPR officials claim that Ukraine is transferring up to 500 men *per day* to Bakhmut to replenish losses. Even Arestovych admitted that Russian artillery strength in the sector has a 9 to 1 advantage. Bakhmut is becoming the largest and most costly battle of the war for Ukraine.

Newsweek spoke with a ‘former’ U.S. Colonel who, together with ‘volunteers’, trains Ukrainian soldiers. Here is what he says about Ukrainian losses:

“Bakhmut is like Dresden, and the countryside looks like Passchendaele,” he said, referring to the German city destroyed by allied bombing in World War II and the infamously muddy and bloody World War I battlefield. “It’s just a horrible and miserable place.”Ukraine closely guards its casualty figures, but its forces are believed to be suffering badly around Bakhmut.

“They’ve been taking extraordinarily high casualties,” Milburn said of the units training with Mozart. “The numbers you are reading in the media about 70 percent and above casualties being routine are not exaggerated.”

Despite their “tremendous morale,” Milburn said the defenders “have an acute ‘regeneration problem,’ which means getting new recruits into the line as quickly as possible.” This means those being thrown into the fight have little beyond basic training.

“Typically about 80 percent of our intake who are coming off of the line have never even fired a weapon before,” Milburn said. “We’ve got our work cut out for us.”

A unit that has 50% casualties is usually no longer able to fight and must be replaced. But the Ukrainians leave their units on the frontline until nearly nobody is left in them.

So the number of 500 casualties per day on the Bakhmut front seems realistic. Over the last months the daily report of the Russian ministry of defense listed on average some 300 Ukrainian casualties per day. But the ministry does not report the casualties from Bakhmut as the operations of the private military contractor Wagner are not included in it. So the daily total over the last month, despite little movement of the front lines, must have been some 800 dead Ukrainians. In the 30 days between the two maps at the top at least 24,000 Ukrainian soldiers have left the battle field.

It is no wonder that such high numbers can not be replaced.

The mix of dead or wounded will likely be 1 to 1 as medical evacuation from the frontline trenches is extremely difficult. Most wounded will just die there.

It is not only the men that are lost. The equipment they used is mostly lost with them. 24,000 men are the equivalent of 6 to 7 NATO brigades. The German army has now only 8 of those. When I was it that army it had 36 brigades plus significant reserve units. The same large downgrade happened with the general state of NATO. It is not ready for a war with Russia.

The western wounder weapons have done little for Ukraine. The Russians have update their air defense systems to now detect and shoot down HIMARS missiles. They report some 10 to 20 of such kills per day. The shooting down of small and medium sized Ukrainian drones has dropped from 20-30 per day in the summer to 2-3 per day. Either the Ukrainians have run out of drones or the weather has made theirs unusable. Russian drones continue to fly and they help with artillery targeting. The western artillery systems can not be repaired in the field as the Ukrainians lack the training and tools to do that. The Wall Street Journal reports:

Less than 50% of the self-propelled Panzerhaubitze — a class of mobile, long-barreled battlefield guns officially known as PzH2000 howitzers that are widely considered to be among the best-performing weapons of their kind — are on the battlefield at any given time, because they must be taken to Lithuania for repairs, nearly 900 miles from the Kherson front in southern Ukraine, senior German officials said. Germany has so far delivered 14 such weapons, and the Netherlands another five.Other allies, such as the U.S. and Britain, service the arms they donated to Ukraine in Poland, near the Ukrainian border. But Warsaw has refused to allow Berlin to set up a servicing center in Poland, requesting instead that the German manufacturers provide confidential technical information in order for a Polish state-controlled company to do the work, according to German officials involved in the talks.

There was also a spat over Patriot air defense missiles. Germany offered to station these in east Poland but with German crews. Poland first accepted the offer, then rejected it and said the missiles should go to Ukraine. It then retracted again and will now accept the offer.

The international relation within Europe are getting worse. The German chancellor Olaf Scholz has declared that he wants Germany to be the leading power in Europe. Germany’s neighbors, and most of its own population, are not happy with that.

Over the last five months Latvia has hosted the Russian opposition TV station TVrain. It has now shot it down because TVrain, sending for a Russian audience, also had some positive things to say about Russia. TVrain had survived in Russia for 12 years. In Latvia it lasted only four and a half months.

Alec Luhn @ASLuhn – 19:24 UTC · Dec 9, 2022.@tvrain journalists have been blacklisted in Latvia & declared a foreign agent in Russia on the same day 🤔
link

What these anecdotes show is that NATO is slowly falling apart. NATO is losing the proxy war in Ukraine and it is losing it badly. The people know it and it will have consequences. An increasingly authoritarian EU will follow the same path.

But there are powers in NATO that want to prevent that downfall. They will try to get NATO directly into the fight:

NATO’s secretary general warned on Friday that Russia’s war in Ukraine could expand into a wider war with the Atlantic alliance.The official, Jens Stoltenberg, repeatedly cautioned in news media interviews this week against underestimating the situation in Ukraine and emphasized the wider threat President Vladimir V. Putin of Russia could pose to Europe.

“If things go wrong, they can go horribly wrong,” Mr. Stoltenberg said in an interview released on Friday with the Norwegian journalist Anne Lindmo, in which he added that there was “no doubt” a full-blown war against NATO was a “real possibility.”

“I understand everyone who is tired of supporting Ukraine. I understand everyone who thinks that food prices and the electricity bills are far too high,” he said. “But we have to pay a much higher price if our freedom and peace are threatened through Putin winning in Ukraine.”

Reread that last sentence:

“But we have to pay a much higher price if our freedom and peace are threatened through Putin winning in Ukraine.”

Putin wining in Ukraine, which he is doing, will threaten our freedom and peace?

Russia has no interest in Europe beyond Ukraine’s borders. So how is that suppose to endanger us?

It is bullshit but it is designed to push for NATO entering the war when it becomes obvious to everyone that Russia is wining it.

The Russians see that coming:

NATO countries are increasingly involved in the conflict in Ukraine, with the United States intentionally proceeding with an escalation on this track, Russia’s Deputy Foreign Minister Sergey Ryabkov said on the Rossiya-24 TV channel on Thursday.”NATO members are increasingly and directly involved in this conflict. Their support for Kiev is now much diversified than it was a few months ago. This is a reflection of Washington’s intentional policy, obediently pursued by the Europeans, of escalating the conflict. They are playing with fire. The risks are soaring,” Ryabkov said.

Indeed. But Stoltenberg has one thing right:

Mr. Stoltenberg’s comments came two days after he said that Russia was intentionally stalling the war in order to prepare a renewed onslaught against Ukrainian forces next year.

Let us assume that Russia waits until March for its all out attack on Ukraine. In the meantime it continues to grind the Ukrainian army down without itself having significant casualties. The Ukrainian army will by then have lost another 72,000 men. That is probably a third of its current strength. By then its acute ‘regeneration problem’ will have become even more acute. It means that it will then be much weaker.

What plans may Russia have for an all out spring attack?

Dr. Michael Vlahos and Col. Douglas Macgregor are military historians. They have watched the war in Ukraine and recently discussed it. They have come to their own conclusions. Neither believes in the nonsense of a winning Ukraine that the ‘western’ media are trying to sell us. They have ideas how Russia may want to attack.

Part one of their talk is here:

Is the war in Ukraine entering its decisive phase? Pt.1

Why NATO strategic failure? A war of deceit, denial Pt2

What is to be done? Can a corrupted US military be renewed? Pt.3

Each of those videos is some 30-50 minutes long. But it is content on a higher level than what you will see in other talk shows. I highly recommend these.

Posted by b on December 10, 2022 at 17:24 UTC | Permalink

Norman Feller

Despite his name, Norman Feller is far from a “normal fella” (sorry, I had to).

Like many people at the time, Feller was extremely concerned about the coming of the new millennium and the potential Y2K disaster. Feller took it a few steps farther than others, though. He built an underground bunker before 2000 and stayed in the bunker. Not for just a few days, but for 14 years. He only emerged in September 2014.

I can only assume that fear and paranoia played a major part in his underground living for over a decade! Despite that, Feller was in good health and spirits.

Cat funny and strange…

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Does The Thinker Hold His Hand against His Head or His Chin?

The bronze sculpture The Thinker stands in the Musee Rodin in Paris. The sculpture depicts a nude male figure sitting on a rock and leaning over with his right elbow on his left thigh. The weight of his chin rests on the back of his right hand, according to many tourists.

But several people who have visited the statue believe that the statue’s right fist is pressed against his forehead. The frontal view of the statue reveals that the knuckles of the right hand are actually pressed up against his mouth—and his hand is not in a fist.

Several books, both fiction and non-fiction, describe the statue as having his right fist to his forehead, though, confusing the issue even more.

Cat funny and strange…

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Tiny kitty couches

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crocheted cat couches7

Putin: Threat of Nuclear War on the rise

Russian President Vladimir Putin said minutes ago today (Wednesday) that “the threat of a nuclear war is on the rise” over NATO’s  interference in Ukraine.

The Russian President also said:

“Russia will defend its allies with all available means.”

“Russia does NOT have tactical nuclear weapons in other countries unlike the United States.”

Means; they have the BIG PLANET BUSTER NUKES. Not the smaller bombs based on precision nuclear strikes. - MM

“We didn’t speak about usage of nuclear weapons.”

“Russia has not gone mad.”

“We have most advanced weapons, but do not want to wave them around.”

“Russia considers such weapons as deterrent.”

Developing, check back . . .

Cat funny and strange…

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Tiny kitty couches

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crocheted cat couches8

Pear and Gruyere Omelet

“Pears and creamy Swiss Gruyere fill this easy omelet.”

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2022 12 10 19 37

Ingredients

Directions

  • Melt 3 tablespoon of the butter in sauté pan.
  • Sauté pear slices until just turning soft.
  • Beat together eggs, cream or milk, and salt & pepper until blended but not frothy.
  • Melt remaining butter in omelet pan over high heat until foam begins to recede but before beginning to color.
  • Pour in egg mixture into omelet pan, stirring lightly, but allowing it to set on the bottom.
  • Top half of the omelet with sautéed pears and cheese.
  • With spatula, fold other half over pears and cook until cheese begins to melt. Slide omelet out of pan onto a heated plate.
  • Serve.
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2022 12 10 19 38

Cat funny and strange…

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zz11 26

It’s a crazy train…

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cats are metal 11326381 855226554563421 1281765750 n

Tiny kitty couches

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crocheted cat couches9

Russia Considering Adding “Preventive Nuclear First-Strike” to Military Doctrine

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Russia is officially considering adding to their military Doctrine a “Preventive Nuclear First-Strike”
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I’ve lived for substantial time in 3 Asian cities (Singapore, Hong Kong, and Shenzhen), and they all surprised me on the upside. In the case of China, here’s why I like it:

  • it’s modern, and continues to develop all the time. They have modern cities, excellent transport infrastructure (highways, airports, high-speed trains network which is unmatched in the world, excellent public transport and taxis), excellent hotels, malls, restaurants and cafes, beautiful parks, etc.
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main qimg 87556a0b3d155a7955c5c08ed274bd61 lq
  • There’s a feeling of safety and freedom in Chinese cities, which impress with their size. There’s no one to tell you what to do, and you can see from the behavior of the diverse crowd, people just do what they want. In most places you won’t see any police. In some others they are present in security posts. They just do their job, i.e. sit there silently and behave reasonably, adding to the security and order. Do you know that police in China doesn’t have firearms? They are just like a part of the crowd, only doing their job.
  • friendliness of Chinese people. You will always get help, no matter that you can’t speak a word in Chinese besides 你好, or they can’t speak English. They’ll spend their time and go out of their way to explain you how to get somewhere, or how to buy a train ticket, they’ll patiently and enthusiastically explain how to get what you need. They’ll be positive and practical all the time while helping you.
  • they are non-dogmatic. The people are simply pragmatic and hardworking, they want to live good lives, and feel responsible for their well-being. They are not brainwashed (something which is actually more typical to Western countries, and you can see it on Quora too). The main philosophy of China is just common sense and being a good person.
  • business is in the genes of Chinese. Small shops and restaurants are ubiquitous, which makes me think self employment and small business must be a major kind of employment. The government creates excellent business infrastructure. For example, the hi tech city area in Shenzhen is very impressive and has lots of spaces to support innovations and startups. China hosts some of world’s biggest trade shows and exhibitions. It’s easy to see trends in the world economy here.
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main qimg 463156495666bd3ecd4c3e1690543fa5 lq
  • they are connected and communal. It’s easy to talk with people and make friends, especially if you are open and respectful.
  • technologically, China is of course advanced in many ways. For example, electric transport has been very developed here for years. You can find electric bikes, personal transportation vehicles (like kick scooters or mono wheels), electric taxis and cars, even electric buses (the photo below is a bus charging station).
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main qimg 111b046222bb039fc540cef3efedf1de lq
  • some things are convenient. The Chinese messenger app (WeChat) is very advanced and makes it easy to make payments and much more; it’s a technology marvel. For example, in some cafes you can scan QR code on your table, which brings up the menu on your phone; you can make an order and it will be sent to your table. You can pay with your mobile phone almost everywhere, you don’t need cash or credit card. It’s fine to leave your wallet at home if you have a phone with you.
  • still kept (and in some cases even exaggerated) some of its sweet traditions. Well, their language itself is ancient to begin with. In the very developed Chinese cities you’ll see many people still trying to live simple ways. Outdoor tai chi, dragon boat festivals, traditional medicine, etc., add charm to the urban culture.
  • it’s vast and intellectually stimulating. It’s very geographically diverse, has rich history, and Chinese are passionate about learning and self development, they’re smart and focused. I love book shops here and book cafes; Shenzhen’s central book store claims to be the largest in the world.
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main qimg 9e8dec239ff4ec5a200d5b183b2ac188 lq

To give a more balanced answer, I’ll mention a few negatives. They are not big, but are a part of life, too:

  • air pollution in some cities and regions. People are used to it. Most of the time it’s not terribly bad, and unfortunately air is more or less polluted in most (if not all) cities of the world. I take break from cities and travel once in a while to other countries or areas in China (such as Yunnan, Hainan) where the air is clean.
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main qimg 3c8aedb948b91286905ee344c093cd7b lq
  • internet problems. Although the networks are fast, but due to traffic monitoring some Western sites are blocked (Google, popular social networks, and some news sites).
  • you shouldn’t be lazy and start learning the language and culture. It is very worthy. Although you always get help and generally friendly attitude, you need to do your part and learn at least the basics of Mandarin. Unlike in HK, in the mainland little effort is made to translate anything into English (beyond road signs and metro announcements). It pays a lot to know at least common phrases and basics of characters writing (汉字). It is a lot of fun actually.

Overall, China is fast pace, generally efficient, straightforward, but you need to get used to it and learn ways of doing things. They may be not what you are used to coming from another country.

Cat fun comix

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Tiny kitty couches

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crocheted cat couches10

周深【光亮(大型紀錄片《紫禁城》主題歌)】HD 高清官方完整版 MV

Worth a smile…

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Tiny kitty couches

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crocheted cat couches11

Cat funny and strange…

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Xi doesn’t even make eye contact with the Turd. Zero respect for the cockroach.

Big Nothing. Some of us Americans expecting Armageddon following mid terms got stores food fuel generators on ready but nothing. I wish the grand inevitable of whatever would just happen and be done with it!

Some might find today’s speech by Xi Jinping of value since it offers an alternative pathway for the planet.

Nothing newsworthy, however, for BigLie Media, which turned Trudeau into Xi Peng’s victim.

Xi Peng supposedly “humiliated” him when the headline should’ve called out Trudeau for lying again.

Don’t believe me?

Speaking of jokes, I have actually read a joke about the true meaning of western democracy:
Before dying, an American farmer asked his son, "The pigs complain about poor feed, the cows complain about too much work, and the chickens complain that the house is too dirty. What should you do?
The son said: "feed the pigs good fodder, cattle do light work, clean the henhouse."
The farmer shook his head and said, Don't do anything. Give them a vote and let them choose you or your wife rule them, and let them think they're the ones who call the shots in this house."
Better transport routes between Russia and China
Russia and China have opened traffic over the railway bridge across the Amur River....Russia and China have started traffic on the first railway bridge over the Amur River on the Nizhneleninskoye-Tongjiang cross-border section, the Russian Direct Investment Fund (RDIF) said in a press release on Wednesday.

The bridge opens up a new transport corridor between Russia and China, removing a number of existing infrastructure constraints. The distance for the transportation of goods to the northern provinces of China will be reduced by more than 700 km compared to the existing routes,” RDIF noted.

Its opening will increase the competitiveness of Russian and Chinese companies and ensure a predictable schedule for freight and cargo traffic, affordable raw materials and energy resources, as well as increase the capacity of railway lines between the Russian Federation and China by 1.5 times.

From HERE

The G20’s Balinese geopolitical dance

From

by Pepe Escobar for the Asia Times and the Saker blog, posted by permission

Balinese culture, a perpetual exercise in sophisticated subtlety, makes no distinction between the secular and the supernatural – sekala and niskala.

Sekala is what our senses may discern. As in the ritualized gestures of world leaders – real and minor – at a highly polarized G20.

Niskala is what cannot be sensed directly and can only be “suggested”. And that also applies to geopolitics.

The Balinese highlight may have featured an intersection of sekala and niskala: the much ballyhooed Xi-Biden face-to-face (or face to earpiece).

The Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs preferred to cut to the chase, selecting the Top Two highlights.

1. Xi told Biden – rather, his earpiece – that Taiwan independence is simply out of the question.

2. Xi also hopes that NATO, EU and US will engage in “comprehensive dialogue” with Moscow.

Asian cultures – be they Balinese or Confucianist – are non-confrontational. Xi laid out three layers of common interests: prevent conflict and confrontation, leading to peaceful coexistence; benefit from each other’s development; and promote post-COVID global recovery, tackle climate change and face regional problems via coordination.

Significantly, the 3h30 meeting happened at the Chinese delegation’s residence in Bali, and not at the G20 venue. And it was requested by the White House.

Biden, according to the Chinese, affirmed that the US does not seek a New Cold War; does not support “Taiwan independence”; does not support “two Chinas” or “one China, one Taiwan”; does not seek “decoupling” from China; and does not want to contain China.

Now tell that to the Straussians/neo-cons/neoliberalcons bent on containing China. Reality spells out that Xi has few reasons to take “Biden” – rather the combo writing every script in the background – at face value. So as it stands, we remain in niskala.

That zero-sum game

Indonesian President Joko “Jokowi” Widodo was dealt a terrible hand: how to hold a G20 to discuss food and energy security, sustainable development, and climate issues, when everything under the sun is polarized by the war in Ukraine.

Widodo did his best, urging all at the G20 to “end the war”, with a subtle hint that “being responsible means creating not zero-sum situations.”

The problem is a great deal of the G20 arrived in Bali bent on zero-sum – seeking confrontation (with Russia) and hardly any diplomatic conversation.

The US and UK delegations avowedly wanted to snub Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov every step of the way. France and Germany is a different matter: Lavrov did speak briefly with both Macron and Scholz. And told them Kiev wants no negotiation.

Lavrov also revealed something quite significant for the Global South:

“US and the EU have given the UN Secretary General written promises that restrictions on the export of Russian grain and fertilizers will be lifted – let’s see how this is implemented.”

The traditional group photo ahead of the G20 – a staple of every summit in Asia – had to be delayed. Because – who else – “Biden” and Sunak, US and UK, refused to be in the same picture with Lavrov.

Such childish, un-diplomatic hysterics is profoundly disrespectful towards ritual Balinese graciousness, politeness and a non-confrontational ethos.

The Western spin is that “most G20 countries” wanted to condemn Russia in Ukraine. Nonsense. Diplomatic sources hinted it may be in fact a 50/50 split. Condemnation comes from Australia, Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, South Korea, UK, US and EU. Non-condemnation from Argentina, Brazil, China, India, Indonesia, Mexico, Saudi Arabia, South Africa, Turkiye and of course Russia.

Graphically: Global South against Global North.

So the joint statement will refer to the impacts of the “war in Ukraine” on the global economy, and not “Russia’s war in Ukraine”.

The collapse of the EU economy

What was not happening in Bali enveloped the island in an extra layer of niskala. Which brings us to Ankara.

The fog thickened because on the backdrop of the G20, the US and Russia were talking in Ankara, represented by CIA director William Burns and SVR (Foreign Intel) director Sergei Naryshkin.

No one knows what exactly was being negotiated. A ceasefire is only one among possible scenarios. And yet heated rhetoric from NATO in Brussels to Kiev suggests escalation prevailing over some sort of reconciliation.

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov was adamant; de facto and de jure, Ukraine can’t and does not want to negotiate. So the Special Military Operation (SMO) will continue.

NATO is training fresh units. Next possible targets are the Zaporizhzhya nuclear power plant and the left bank of the Dnieper – or even more pressure in the north of Lugansk. For their part, Russian military channels advance the possibility of a winter offensive on Nikolaev: only 30 km away from Russian positions.

Serious Russian military analysts know what serious Pentagon analysts must also know: Russia used at best only 10% of its military potential so far. No regular forces; most of them are DPR and LPR militias, Wagner commandos, Kadyrov’s Chechens and volunteers.

The Americans suddenly interested in talking, and Macron and Scholz approaching Lavrov, point to the heart of the matter: the EU and the UK may not survive next winter, 2023-2024, without Gazprom.

The IEA has calculated that the overall deficit by then will approach 30 billion cubic meters. And that presupposes “ideal” circumstances this coming winter: mostly warm; China still under lockdowns; much lower gas consumption in Europe; even increased production (from Norway?)

The IEA ‘s models are working with two or three waves of price increases in the next 12 months. EU budgets are already on red alert – compensating the losses caused by the current energy suicide. By the end of 2023, that may reach 1 trillion euros.

Any additional, unpredictable costs throughout 2023 mean that the EU economy will completely collapse: industry shutdown across the spectrum, euro in free fall, rise of inflation, debt corroding every latitude from the Club Med nations to France and Germany.

Dominatrix Ursula von der Leyen, leading the European Commission (EC), of course should be discussing all that – in the interests of EU nations – with global players in Bali. Instead her only agenda, once again, was demonization of Russia. No niskala here; just tawdry cognitive dissonance.

Taco Tater Tots Casserole

“I found this on the Miserly Mom’s website and have cooked many times – my family loves it – especially my 11 year old!”

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2022 11 17 17 48

Ingredients

Directions

  • Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
  • Brown ground beef and onion together in skillet.
  • drain.
  • Add taco seasoning and water and simmer according to package directions.
  • In a 13×9 casserole dish spread taco meat on bottom of pan.
  • Layer the corn on top of it.
  • Then place tater tots in a single layer on top of corn.
  • Spread the salsa con queso on top of everything.
  • Cook in preheated oven for about one hour.
  • Good with sourcream on top.

https://youtu.be/eJUnA0DKsvg

No!!!!

There isnt.

#1 TANKERS

Germany alone needs 8.6 Billion Cubic Feet of Gas every day

Of this roughly 3.6 Billion Cubic Feet comes from Russia

An Average Single LNG Tanker can transport around 85,000 Tonnes of LNG which is equal to 4.13 Billion Cubic Feet

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2022 11 17 09 53

This means Germany would need 1 LNG Tanker every single day to fulfil its Gas Needs alone.

Even assuming Superfast Tankers – Thats still 50 Days turnaround time which means 49 Tankers

Lets take Europe as a whole.

Europe would need 127 Tankers of LNG with a 50 day turnaround capability.

Guess how many Tankers are available for LNG in the world?

Only 642!!!

Of this , 597 already have 14 year contracts , the earliest contract expiring in 2027

Another 25 have 7 year Contracts , the earliest contract expiring in 2023

There is a 99% chance that both contracts will be renewed

Thus only 20 Tankers are available for ferrying Gas to Europe

So Europe needs to build 127 Tankers or pay for 127 Tankers through a 30 yr lease method from China or South Korea

Divided over 10 Shipyards – thats still a minimum of 10 years to deliver such a fleet at a price of $ 65 – 70 Billion


#2 Liquefaction Infrastructure

Liquefying Natural Gas – then Gassifying them again post delivery is a Hugely Expensive procedure.

Yes for Countries with Large Populations like India and China where averages of 724 Million and 1091 Million people depend on the Gas – it becomes more economical. Yet for a coutry with 75.7 Million Gas Users like Germany – its enormously expensive on a per capita basis.

What would cost $ 9.2 per Capita per Year in India , at higher costs could cost $ 136 per Capita per year for Germany and $ 68 per capita for Europe. Thats $1.5 Trillion in Infrastructure investment for Europe.


#3 LNG Ports

Normal Ports cannot just unload LNG like its a Crate of Electronic Components.

You need specific Piped Structures to Load LNG from the Ships to the Ports and subsequently to distribute them across the Nation.

Today Europe has the LNG Port Structure for 11% LNG

Tomorrow to make it 55% LNG to replace Russian Gas- You will need to build 53 Ports or expand the existing Ports and build 19 Ports minimum


So there it is

→ 127 New Tankers

→ $ 1.5 Trillion Minimum Infrastructure Cost

→ 53 New Ports or UPgrades + 19 New Ports at around $ 650 Billion

→ Minimum 15 Years to finish all this

→ Plus Cost of LNG = 4.25 * Cost of Piped Gas ( 1 Tonne = 48700 Cft)

And Net Result?

The Average European is likely to pay 464% higher Energy Bills

Already yesterday a Man showed president Marcon how his 461 Euros energy Bill has risen to 625 Euros in a mere 8 months!!! Imagine paying almost 2300 Euros for the same energy!!!!


It is SIMPLY IMPOSSIBLE

“Nuclear” Cruise Missile Shot Down Over Kiev This Morning

This story was previously LOCKED for Subscribers Only so they could know before the general public.  It is now unlocked. A Russian nuclear-capable X-55 cruise missile was shot down by Ukraine air defenses over the capital city of Kiev today.  A photo of the wreckage and identification of the actual missile model, and type, appears below.  The X-55 is designed specifically to carry a single, 200kt, nuclear warhead.

According to preliminary information, early this morning Ukrainian Armed Forces shot down two cruise missiles over the capital city of Kiev.

One of them was a Kh-55 model (Russian designation X-55) which was originally developed to carry a single, 200 kiloton, nuclear payload.

However, this specific missile did not contain any warhead at all – instead, it contained a dummy imitator of a nuclear warhead used for missile testing purposes.

Here is a photo of the downed cruise missile, with the dummy replacement warhead still intact, from Ukraine, this morning:

 

X 55 Nuke Cruise Missile Downed Kiev 11 17 2022
X 55 Nuke Cruise Missile Downed Kiev 11 17 2022

This was no accident.  This was no error on the part of Russia; it was, it seems, a Warning.

Covert Intelligence communications circuits are a literal blur, with all sorts of transmissions about this incident because this took place just three days after US CIA Director visited his Russian counterpart and explicitly told Russia of the consequences of using a nuclear device against Ukraine.

CIA Director Bill Burns met with his Russian intelligence counterpart, Sergey Naryshkin, in Ankara, Turkey on Monday as part of an ongoing effort by the US to “communicate with Russia on managing risk.”

By sending the X-55, which had to be specifically pulled out of the actual Russian nuclear arsenal (they do not use this missile with conventional warheads) – the Russians are explicitly telling the US and NATO to “go fuck yourselves” and warning Ukraine, “the end is very near.”  Put simply, today’s launch of this missile is Russia’s reply to the US CIA Director about “managing risks” and this reply shows the US they have some risk they better manage as well.

US Mass-media has previously reported that national security adviser Jake Sullivan has also been in touch with his Russian counterparts to warn them of the consequences should Russia use a nuclear weapon in Ukraine.

Today’s deployment and firing of a Russian X-55 shows that both Sullivan and Burns have not made any valuable impression upon Russia.

Now, there is a conventional variant of the X-55, the kh-555. Russia had used Kh-555 missiles to strike Ukraine before – these are “regular” rockets loaded with non-nuclear explosives. Meanwhile, the Kh-55 missile is the original model designed specifically to carry nuclear warheads.

Simply put, Kh-55 and Kh-555 use basically the same rocket, but with a different payload. However, it is simply impossible for this to be an accident; the X-55 cruise missile itself would have had to be pulled from Russia’s separate and segregated nuclear storage.  They don’t have these missiles just laying around everywhere so someone could grab one by mistake.

This is, perhaps, the single most frightening display of Russia’s willingness to win, ever undertaken.  This incident changes everything for the US and for NATO because it makes clear the Russians will not back down, are not intimidated, and will not stop no matter what the US or NATO do.

Intel Circuits are blazing with the interpretation that this is a final warning to Kiev and to the US/EU/NATO.

It was just a couple weeks ago that news outlets in the US and EU reported word from a senior US Intelligence official that there had been “worrisome developments with Russia’s nuclear arsenal.”   At the time, the official would not say what those developments were.   Now, we know.

I like this statement:

“The US now fears it may lose a war with China over Taiwan, and China has impressive new weapons on display. This helped motivate Washington’s new emphasis on war avoidance.”

This is why, historically, the CCP often displayed new weaponries each time US displaying tendency in starting a war。

SunZi says: 不战而屈人之兵(caving/containing the enemy without a war)is the highest form of warfare.

War avoidance is always the best strategy for China..

Russia, India, China, Iran: the Quad that really matters

By Pepe Escobar cross-posted on PressTV and the Saker blog and posted with the author’s permission

Southeast Asia is right at the center of international relations for a whole week viz a viz three consecutive summits: Association of South East Asian Nations (ASEAN) summit in Phnom Penh, the Group of Twenty (G20) summit in Bali, and the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) summit in Bangkok.

Eighteen nations accounting for roughly half of the global economy represented at the first in-person ASEAN summit since the Covid-19 pandemic in Cambodia: the ASEAN 10, Japan, South Korea, China, India, US, Russia, Australia, and New Zealand.

With characteristic Asian politeness, the summit chair, Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen (or “Colombian”, according to the so-called “leader of the free world”), said the plenary meeting was somewhat heated, but the atmosphere was not tense: “Leaders talked in a mature way, no one left.”

It was up to Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov to express what was really significant at the end of the summit.

While praising the “inclusive, open, equal structure of security and cooperation at ASEAN”, Lavrov stressed how Europe and NATO “want to militarize the region in order to contain Russia and China’s interests in the Indo-Pacific.”

A manifestation of this policy is how “AUKUS is openly aiming at confrontation in the South China Sea,” he said.

Lavrov also stressed how the West, via the NATO military alliance, is accepting ASEAN “only nominally” while promoting a completely “unclear” agenda.

What’s clear though is how NATO “has moved towards Russian borders several times and now declared at the Madrid summit that they have taken global responsibility.”

This leads us to the clincher: “NATO is moving their line of defense to the South China Sea.” And, Lavrov added, Beijing holds the same assessment.

Here, concisely, is the open “secret” of our current geopolitical incandescence. Washington’s number one priority is the containment of China. That implies blocking the EU from getting closer to the key Eurasia drivers  – China, Russia, and Iran – engaged in building the world’s largest free trade/connectivity environment.

Adding to the decades-long hybrid war against Iran, the infinite weaponizing of the Ukrainian black hole fits into the initial stages of the battle.

For the Empire, Iran cannot profit from becoming a provider of cheap, quality energy to the EU. And in parallel, Russia must be cut off from the EU. The next step is to force the EU to cut itself off from China.

All that fits into the wildest, warped Straussian/neo-con wet dreams: to attack China, by emboldening Taiwan, first Russia must be weakened, via the instrumentalization (and destruction) of Ukraine.

And all along the scenario, Europe simply has no agency.

Putin, Raeisi and the Erdogan track

Real life across key Eurasia nodes reveals a completely different picture. Take the relaxed get-together in Tehran between Russia’s top security official Nikolai Patrushev and his Iranian counterpart Ali Shamkhani last week.

They discussed not only security matters but also serious business – as in turbo-charged trade.

The National Iranian Oil Company (NIOC) will sign a $40 billion deal next month with Gazprom, bypassing US sanctions, and encompassing the development of two gas fields and six oilfields, swaps in natural gas and oil products, LNG projects, and the construction of gas pipelines.

Immediately after the Patrushev-Shamkhani meeting, President Putin called President Ebrahim Raeisi to keep up the “interaction in politics, trade and the economy, including transport and logistics,” according to the Kremlin.

Iranian president reportedly more than “welcomed” the “strengthening” of Moscow-Tehran ties.

Patrushev unequivocally supported Tehran over the latest color revolution adventure perpetrated under the framework of the Empire’s endless hybrid war.

Iran and the EAEU are negotiating a Free Trade Agreement (FTA) in parallel to the swap deals with Russian oil. Soon, SWIFT may be completely bypassed. The whole Global South is watching.

Simultaneous to Putin’s phone call, Turkiye’s Recep Tayyip Erdogan – conducting his own diplomatic overdrive, and just back from a summit of Turkic nations in Samarkand – stressed that the US and the collective West are attacking Russia “almost without limits”.

Erdogan made it clear that Russia is a “powerful” state and commended its “great resistance”.

The response came exactly 24 hours later. Turkish intelligence cut to the chase, pointing out that the terrorist bombing in the perpetually busy Istiklal pedestrian street in Istanbul was designed in Kobane in northern Syria, which essentially responds to the US.

That constitutes a de-facto act of war and may unleash serious consequences, including a profound revision of Turkiye’s presence inside NATO.

Iran’s multi-track strategy

A Russia-Iran strategic alliance manifests itself practically as a historical inevitability. It recalls the time when the erstwhile USSR helped Iran militarily via North Korea, after an enforced US/Europe blockade.

Putin and Raeisi are taking it to the next level. Moscow and Tehran are developing a joint strategy to defeat the weaponization of sanctions by the collective West.

Iran, after all, has an absolutely stellar record of smashing variants of “maximum pressure” to bits. Also, it is now linked to a strategic nuclear umbrella offered by the “RICs” in BRICS (Russia, India, China).

So, Tehran may now plan to develop its massive economic potential within the framework of BRI, SCO, INSTC, the Eurasia Economic Union (EAEU), and the Russian-led Greater Eurasia Partnership.

Moscow’s game is pure sophistication: engaging in a high-level strategic oil alliance with Saudi Arabia while deepening its strategic partnership with Iran.

Immediately after Patrushev’s visit, Tehran announced the development of an indigenously built hypersonic ballistic missile, quite similar to the Russian KH-47 M2 Khinzal.

And the other significant news was connectivity-wise: the completion of part of a railway from strategic Chabahar Port to the border with Turkmenistan. That means imminent direct rail connectivity to the Central Asian, Russian and Chinese spheres.

Add to it the predominant role of OPEC+, the development of BRICS+, and the pan-Eurasian drive to pricing trade, insurance, security, investments in the ruble, yuan, rial, etc.

There’s also the fact that Tehran could not care less about the endless collective West procrastination on the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), commonly known as Iran nuclear deal: what really matters now is the deepening relationship with the “RICs” in BRICS.

Tehran refused to sign a tampered-with EU draft nuclear deal in Vienna. Brussels was enraged; no Iranian oil will “save” Europe, replacing Russian oil under a nonsensical cap to be imposed next month.

And Washington was enraged because it was betting on internal tensions to split OPEC.

Considering all of the above, no wonder US ‘Think Tankland’ is behaving like a bunch of headless chickens.

The queue to join BRICS

During the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) summit in Samarkand last September, it was already tacit to all players how the Empire is cannibalizing its closest allies.

And how, simultaneously, the shrinking NATO-sphere is turning inwards, with a focus on The Enemy Within, relentlessly corralling average citizens to march in lockstep behind total compliance with a two-pronged war – hybrid and otherwise – against imperial peer competitors Russia and China.

Now compare it with Chinese President Xi Jinping in Samarkand presenting China and Russia, together, as the top “responsible global powers” bent on securing the emergence of multipolarity.

Samarkand also reaffirmed the strategic political partnership between Russia and India (Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi called it an unbreakable friendship).

That was corroborated by the meeting between Lavrov and his Indian counterpart Subrahmanyam Jaishankar last week in Moscow.

Lavrov praised the strategic partnership in every crucial area – politics, trade and economics, investment, and technology, as well as “closely coordinated actions” at the UN Security Council, BRICS, SCO and the G20.

On BRICS, crucially, Lavrov confirmed that “over a dozen countries” are lining up for membership, including Iran: “We expect the work on coordinating the criteria and principles that should underlie BRICS expansion to not take much time”.

But first, the five members need to analyze the ground-breaking repercussions of an expanded BRICS+.

Once again: contrast. What is the EU’s “response” to these developments? Coming up with yet another sanctions package against Iran, targeting officials and entities “connected with security affairs” as well as companies, for their alleged “violence and repressions”.

“Diplomacy”, collective West-style, barely registers as bullying.

Back to the real economy – as in the gas front – the national interests of Russia, Iran and Turkiye are increasingly intertwined; and that is bound to influence developments in Syria, Iraq, and Libya, and will be a key factor to facilitate Erdogan’s re-election next year.

As it stands, Riyadh for all practical purposes has performed a stunning 180-degree maneuver against Washington via OPEC+. That may signify, even in a twisted way, the onset of a process of unification of Arab interests, guided by Moscow.

Stranger things have happened in modern history. Now appears to be the time for the Arab world to be finally ready to join the Quad that really matters: Russia, India, China, and Iran.

Because it’s not actually “cheap.”

A high-specced Mi 8 with a top-of-the-line Snapdragon 845 costs around $400. If you go to a country like, say Vietnam, $400 is enough for a person to live pretty comfortably, eating out at restaurants every day for a month. I could live lavishly for a month on $400 in my country.

main qimg 79dae3673a8aae487c62e6cb58f60786 lq
main qimg 79dae3673a8aae487c62e6cb58f60786 lq

It might not seem like much to, say, an American, but it’s not exactly cheap. Even an American who is down on his luck can easily live on $400 of groceries for a month. That’s beside the point, though.

How can Xiaomi afford to price this way? Easy. That’s because the cost to make the phone is actually way less than that. Does it cost $300? Nah. Probably way less. They aren’t thriving on a profit margin of just $100 per flagship. The phone itself probably cost less than $200 to make.

It’s not that Xiaomi is pricing their phones cheap. It’s just that other competitors are massively overpricing their phones to fill out their margins.

Galaxy S9 at $900? iPhone X at $1000? These phones probably cost around $300 to make. The S9 shares many parts with the Mi 8, so it probably is also cheaper than $300. One thing’s for sure, the S9 definitely doesn’t cost more than $400 to make, that’s the retail price of the Mi 8. Samsung is making at least $500 per phone here.

Xiaomi isn’t cheap. It’s just that Apple, Samsung and other competitors are just unreasonably expensive.

It’s not just that, though. Xiaomi does price aggressively. They can afford to do this because phones aren’t their only revenue source. Xiaomi — like Apple and Samsung — have other businesses where they make a lot of money. Their phones are just one way to funnel people to those businesses. Apple for instance actually makes a lot of their money from the iTunes ecosystem. They just choose to also make hefty margins off their hardware because they want to keep that premium exclusive status in their branding, unlike say Google who chooses to sell many products and services at a loss to funnel people into their search engine business.

Xioami uses their phones as a strategy to get people into their internet services business, which also contributes a decent chunk to Xiaomi’s revenues ($585 million last quarter). That said, Xiaomi’s biggest business is still phones sales ($4.5 billion last quarter — their next biggest business was selling TVs at $1.5 billion) — meaning they actually have huge margins on their “cheap” phones.

Xiaomi’s labor costs are definitely lower than Samsung’s and Apple’s overall, but the other big place they are saving on is advertising. Samsung and Apple spend billions on advertising and marketing. Xiaomi spends significantly less and only has very small online marketing campaigns.

Hugo Barra, Vice President of Xiaomi, also shared that their long phone product cycles lets them keep costs lower as they have more leeway in negotiating component prices, as they can keep using the same parts over and over instead of needing new and different parts for a new phone model. In addition, they keep a small portfolio of phones, so there’s not much need for variation in parts. Compare this with Samsung, that has tons of phones models available at any given time.

Combine all these with the better labor costs and closer sourcing components from Shenzhen, and they are able to save a lot and pinch much more pennies, savings which they pass on to the consumer.


EDIT: I wanted to add a little something to my answer. I dug up Xiaomi’s financials to make sure I wasn’t talking out of my butt. These are Xiaomi’s numbers from their first ever earnings call as a publicly-traded company.

Xiaomi Q2 2018 numbers taken from here

and you can get the actual data from Xiaomi in Chinese Yuan here

.

  • Net Profit: $2.1 billion
  • Total Revenue: $6.6 billion
  • Phone Sales: $4.5 billion (67% of all revenue)
  • TV and Fitness Bands: $1.5 billion
  • Internet Services: $585 million

Lei Jun, Xiaomi’s CEO, has famously said that they keep hardware margins at 5%

. However if you look at the financials this is clearly not the case.

They aren’t making $2.1 billion net profit if their phone margins are just at 5%. That would mean they only made $225 million off phone sales and $75 million on TV sales ($300 million total), that’s $1.8 billion shy of their posted profits. $585 revenue (not even profit) from Internet Services isn’t even close to making it. These are Xiaomi’s numbers, straight from the horse’s mouth, so don’t look at me.

It’s clear that they are making way more than 5% on phones. That $400 Mi 8 isn’t even close to cost. They are making way more on each phone. Assuming that $585 Internet Services revenue is close to full profit, that’s still about $1.5 billion missing profit ($2.1B net profit – $585M) that should be coming from the smartphone and TV sales divisions. According to the math, their profit margins on their phones are closer to 40% ($6B total revenue from Phone and TV divided by $1.5B profit).

So that Mi 8 that retails for $400 probably cost around $240 to make, including all costs and overhead — unless they are being “creative” with their accounting.

For the year 2022, the military budget for the US is over a trillion (10% of GDP)- 800 billion budget plus 200 billion for covert operations, 200 billion for Veteran care, 50 billion for the War in Ukraine, and 50 billion for NASA whereas China’s 250 billion(3.5% of GDP)- 230 billion, 5 billion for the space program, 15 billion for R &D for military hardware development. Why has China been able to catch up or sometimes even exceed the US in capability in the past 20 years despite the disadvantages in spending by 1:4?. Here are some of the reasons:

  • Everything is expensive in the US in labor, environmental regulation and material and 4:1 spending advantages are quickly evaporated.
  • America continuously engages in war around the world: The US spent 8 trillion dollars and 20+ years on the fruitless war in the mid-east by invading 3 countries with nothing to show but destabilize the whole region by creating thousands of dead and millions of refugees. As quickly as the withdrawal from Afghanistan, America now is engaging in another war in Ukraine and trying to goad China into another war over Taiwan. All these wars have been taking away the resources to upgrade its own military capability in competition against China.
  • America lost its industrialization capability by outsourcing most manufacturing overseas in the meanwhile China has become the manufacturing center of the world. Lacking general manufacturing also contributes to the increasing cost of military hardware. Case in point: F35 at 2 Trillion and 20+ years in development, nuclear submarine at 10 billion and 9 years to make, and littoral frigate and battleships at 3 billion and 3 years to make.
  • lack of engineering capability- China has been able to graduate 10 times more engineers than that the US during the past 2 decades. More engineers together with massive manufacturing capability propel China to move ahead in most weapon production with newer materials, equipment, and capability. Case in point- the ongoing Tiangong space station and more advanced Beidou GPS satellite system with 5g quantum communication for military usage.
  • high cost of the military-industrial complex. For years, American democracy are tightly intertwined with the ruling elites supported by the military-industrial complex where most hucksters are ex-government officials is not only expensive and loaded with political corruption but also inefficient for weapon system development.

Germany‘s Moral Collapse Inside China: Scholz‘s 11-hours Visit to Beijing Spells Catastrophe

By Thorsten J. Pattberg for the Saker blog

This is probably the darkest piece I have written on the subject. I hope you didn’t miss Part I and Part II. Maybe get yourself a physical copy as well.

So Olaf Scholz, High Chancellor of deindustrializing porkhole Germany, finished his Beijing ground trip in under 11 hours and counseled Mr. Xi Jinping hard on “the rule of law,” “free markets,” and “the rights for minorities.”

This sort of opportunity occurs only every 10 years or so for Germany’s “China experts”—they are the evil ones; the nice ones are called China-hands—to be led to the global stage and say their thing about unfair Chinese globalism and how Europe should stick it to the Xi dictator.

You won’t find Yours-truly anywhere in the German media. Total blackout. Even though I am basically the Confucius of Hamm Bockum-Hövel, the valley of flying daggers.

And even though Mr. Xi personally has touched my bike.

Look at his picture below and see if you can find my ugly square “Nazi face.” And you know what I studied at that Chinese university with all those Chinese Communists? That‘s right: I majored in Russian major and minored in Pure Land Buddhism, eat that!

2022 11 18 18 49
2022 11 18 18 49

IMAGE 1 (Fudan University Department for Foreign Languages)

Anyway, I was saying that the lazy China experts fall over each other on German regime tv, regime press, and anti-Chinese social media, laureating aeriform German stuff like unfreedom, German democracy, and holocaust guilt. And what are they demonizing? Of course, they are demonizing China’s evil trinity of poverty alleviation, superior technologies, and unbelievable material wealth.

Mr. Scholz wanted to be the first Western leader to meet Mr. Xi in person. He is a busy man. Mr. Scholz, I mean, not Mr. Xi. Mr. Xi is always in Beijing, fixing his own country and guiding his people. That wanker Scholz, on the other hand, has been, let me see, so far been to…. HOLY MOTHER!…. 47 foreign capitals in 2022 alone! What an Emperor of Man! What a Ruler of the Universe! Stoltz‘s AWESOME!!!

Germany depends on China’s industries A LOT. China might be the only nation that unconditionally keeps up with the German poop and still deals with the neonazis after Berlin started WW III with Russia this summer.

If the Middle Kingdom was Middle Earth [an Anglo-Saxon fantasy world], then the Germans would be the Balin dwarves toiling under the mountains. It would be good for cave king Stoltz to discuss steel legions, rare earth mining, and bolt-throwers. But maybe the German mines ran dry and empty, so the Stoltz people crawled back to the surface with this new business plan of… morally harassing orcses, wizards, and little Chinese girls alike.

Germany is a beaten, crushed, debilitated US-occupied nation. It should not exist in this form. But the victorious Western allies did not release these poor wretched people. Instead, they decided to chain them to the BRD regime [Federal Republic of Deutschland] and tell lies about how great it is to change from a glorious 1000-year-old Reich into a homo anal-fixated Iew-worshiping seepage. Watch any US movie and the villains are probably Germans. Also, watch gay porn, German’s best.

STAGE 1: Nearing 100 Years Of Humiliation

This century of humiliation went smoothly for roughly 60 years, from 1949 until 2009, before the World Wide Web took off and became unstoppable. Suddenly, Germans could share experiences online, check the facts, and compare historic accounts. Their country, they found, is a US strap dildo. Their mountain,… the misty mountain of Saruman the Schmuel. People started to expose this false US love bombing. Now the BRD regime is in trouble under a mountain of lies and make-beliefs: Deutschland was never a free, sovereign land since 1949.

Much of the economic figures coming out of Germany are foreign-based, and thus false, fictitious, and fabricated. This is mostly the normal proceedings during any colonial occupation: The conquerors imposed American-style statistics on the German colony, so the German economy always shined like Joe‘s sperm on Fräulein Gerda‘s flabby gut.

Example. When the film industry in post-war Germany was boosted as the greatest and most lucrative market in the world after Japan, that in reality meant that German and Japanese film industries were deliberately collapsed. Iewish Hollywood and the Iewish financiers in London now ran all major theater chains in America‘s colonies. A total take-over and the destruction of local culture is then reported as an “economic miracle.”

The underlying practicability of Anglo-Zionist Imperialism is that of a bombing back better: What is the amputation of our enemies but the exaggerated display of Zangwill’s melting pot—the freak shows and the human zoo.

So every couple of years, America cut away another German key industry:

1948 Defense, Foreign Policy, Interior

1949 Weapons, Machinery, Heavy Industry Production

1949 Basic Law, German Guilt, Holocaust Brainwash, Heteronomy (Foreign Rule)

1951 Patents, Inventions, Properties, Art, Collections

[The US started looting German intellectual properties and cultural artifacts; e. g. US Disney appropriates German fairy tales, US Princeton et. al. appropriate German physics, Albert Einstein, etc.]

1950s Heroes, Leaders, Stories, Histories, “De-Nazification”

1960s Radio, Public Broadcast, Film

[The consolation of pro-Iewish, pro-US propaganda tv and the lying press, e. g. ARD, ZDF, SPIEGEL, FAZ, ZEIT, Sueddeutsche. Result: zero free press.]

1960s Food Supplies, Energy Productions, Charity [War Reparations disguised as “foreign aid.”]

1970s Banking, Finance, Transactions, Currency

1980s Public Health, Pharmacy, Sports, Leisure

[Americanization of Europe, e. g. basketball, rap music, Levis jeans, aping of all US youth trends.]

1990s Newspapers, Universities, Schools, Education

[The dissolution of German Internate, Magister degrees, Guilds, and Fraternities; German as the language of science and history erased, American curriculum inserted.]

2000s Slavery, Human Trafficking, Brain Drain, Miscegenation

[High-IQ Germans emigrated, low-IQ POCS [People of Color] imported. Massive IQ loss [-4 points, from 102 to 98] in 20 years. Massive degeneracy, migrant crime, mixing of new mongrel races.]

2010s Transport, Communication, Computers, Space

[Germany missed the Electronic age, the Internet age, the Space age.]

2020s Language, Religion, Science, History

[Compulsory American language, American symbols, American beliefs, and American history is now in the brains of Germans.]

…you never heard about the tragic loss and decapitated German culture. Instead, you heard how German GDP grew like twice that of Britain or something, and how American the Germans had become, which could only be a good thing, right?

I just give you three facts that make your heart bleed.

Fact 1: The number of living German people since 1949 has actually fallen. There were 63 million ethnic German people in the German Reich before 1936. There should be 120 million Germans today, easily. 200 million, even. Today, under the American thumb, however, their number has been kept at 60 million. The other 24 million persons currently residing in Germany have a migrant background. Meanwhile, the earth’s population had quadrupled. Fazit: the US occupation has brought infertility and retardation to the Germans.

Fact 2: The Germans were tortured by Iews until their minds just popped. The Germans as a group are dead on the inside and never produced a single genius again. Just look it up. It is true. If a population is endlessly tortured, the will to live goes down and the geniuses disappear entirely.

Fact 3: Germany is not a great economy. If Germany really were the world’s 4th biggest economic power, how come in 2022 it doesn’t even have its own currency, its own army, its own global banks, its own global universities, a tech sector, a space station, many space stations? Scholz Germany is exactly as economically powerful as Uncle Joe says it is. Without American occupation, Germany is far less than Turkey, Vietnam, and Egypt, and perhaps only slightly more than Ukraine, without Ukraine‘s sovereignty that is.

IMAGE 2 German Airplane Full of Reich Companies
IMAGE 2 German Airplane Full of Reich Companies

IMAGE 2 (German Airplane Full of Reich Companies)

Let us demonstrate everything I just said by following Scholz and his airborne cavemen. Mr. Scholz was traveling to China with an entourage of Germany’s business CEOs (Chief Executive Officers) from Volkswagen (1937), Deutsche Bank (1870), Adidas (1949), Siemens (1847), BASF (1865), BMW (1916), Merck (17th century), and Bayer (1863). Please notice that all of them are basically pre-war German Reich family silver. Since 1949 and since the US occupation, NOTHING new emerged from Germany. I repeat this message because you finally have to hear it loud and clearly: Germany did NOT produce any 21st-century champions while under her 20th-century US occupation, and as a result, it lags behind 60 years in human progress and biological fitness.

So these pre-war Reich firms are all the substance that is left. The Americans could terminate those Nazi firms at any time by the way. Adidas, the gay soccer brand (just like the older brother, Puma) was permitted to rise in 1949 since it was founded in Bavaria, the US occupational zone. To this day, about 40,000 US G.I. Joes are stationed here. Bavaria is to America what Hong Kong was to Great Britain. So if you think that Adidas is just selling shoes in the world, you are a moron. And do the Germans see a single cent of the billions allegedly earned from… selling shoes… goes to benefit the German people? No, of course not. Billions of dollars go straight into the pockets of ”global shareholders.”

STAGE 2: The Collapse of Morality Inside China

German firms that do business with Americans, or with parties who do business with Americans, are subject to US law and regulations. On the other hand, no US firm is subject to German law and regulations. During the Cold War, Washington prohibited German companies from doing business with the enemies of the United States, which included China right up until 1978.

After the USA opened up China in 1978, Volkswagen came to China and bragged about it. It was the first German/European/Western company to do so! In reality, the West Germans did do shit to achieve that. It was the Americans who opened that door.

What Volkswagen did since then is easily explained. It sold outdated car models. The BRD regime had just introduced the catalytic converter for all petrol engines, starting in 1984. So all polluter models such as the Santana, Polo, and Passat were simply sold in Third World China. What you didn‘t know China had fewer regulations and lower emission standards?

As of all those Volkswagen “profits” made in China, none was flowing back into Germany. Its China operation, Shanghai Dazhong, is 100% Chinese, not German. Germany since the 70s and 80s stagnated. A German man in 1977 could become a police officer, marry a faithful housewife, build a house, raise his kids, and go on vacation twice a year. In 2022, all collapsed, two gay persons need to work three jobs to just rent a tiny compartment in Berlin Mitte, owned by US-Iewish BlackRock. The average German homo couple at most breeds one new Nazi for the world (if it’s a boy. There are no girl Nazis!).

Let’s continue with Deutsche Bank, the last and only “German bank” Germany can field internationally. Germany has no global banks. Even Deutsche Bank (DB) says this. She says “We have strong European roots.” She cannot say she has strong German roots because that would open a can of Iewish worms. DB’s real headquarters is in London. Berlin has no jurisdiction over DB, Washington has.

When Yours-truly saw DB agents taking up skyrise in Beijing‘s Chaoyang district where the ex-pats do their shady stuff, it was pretty much an invitation to take an eye on them. That started in 2008, and DB and the Germans had just dropped their initial plan to do wealth management and private banking. Beijing had warned that the private banking sector was off-limits. But of course, DB could hang around and do consulting stuff. So what the Germans did was commission this huge sky tower, hang around nude, and tickle their tiny gonads.

You see that a lot. Foreign conglomerates’ representation offices in Beijing that you have no idea what they are actually working on. Take Google China team in their high-rise rental tower in Haidian district. Wait, what, the media told you Google withdrew from China because of “human rights” issues? You, Sir, are a complete moron. The Americans were always here.

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2022 11 18 18 51

IMAGE 3 (Deutsche Bank Tower and Google Building in Beijing)

Since DB couldn’t do private banking, they bought Beijing and Shanghai art collections and starched them away on the 24th floor of their stain-glassed blue wizard Tower. And just two years later, China’s art scene had artificially increased by 800%. [Turns out, US Citibank and Google had done the same.]

Do the German people ever see a share of the wealth that German DB is creating in China? Nope, not a chance. On the contrary, Germany has no global financial centers. According to Statista, the global site for reliable governmental statistics, the leading financial centers in the world are New York, London, Hong Kong, Shanghai, Los Angeles, Singapore, San Francisco, Beijing, Tokyo, Shenzhen, Paris, Seoul, Chicago, Boston, and Washington. No Frankfurt or Berlin in sight.

If you believe the lies in the media that Germany was a rich country, you are a moron. The Germans don’t have German tellies or even German smartphones. They have no German computers. And do you know why the government airplane Scholz is flying in is a French Airbus? Because the war loser Germany is prohibited from building its own airplanes.

Next, take BASF or Merck. These are ancient German forge dynasties. How did they get into China? They paid for it! You have read that correctly. German companies such as BASF or Merck, or Siemens, Bayer, and Bosch, produce great hair dryers and microwave ovens, right? China could have allowed them to build factories here. But they had to pay China to even have her consider to consider it. And that isn’t all there was to it. The Germans were so unwanted, needy, and unlikable… that they had to hand over 51% of their companies to made-up Chinese “joint partners.”

Why this abysmal imbalance? Well, China exports 600 key resources Germany absolutely depends on, such as rare earths, chemicals, and pharmaceutics. But China does not depend on 1 single German resource, none. Sure it can buy electric drills and trains, but it can also buy similar ones from Japan, Canada, England or France. That is why China is Germany‘s biggest trading partner and essential for its survival, while Germany is to China more like a hobby shop.

Even more imbalanced are human resources. German intelligence falls flat on high Chinese standard, so China needs few German brains. But Germany needs hundreds of thousands of Chinese brains each year to keep Germany‘s R&D (Research and Development), patents, and publications up.

German legacy companies have to cannibalize AND have to pay huge bribes just to be able to get an audition in Beijing that could lead to being able to sell their hobby products in China someday. That is why prices in Europe for the same products are so high. The Reich firms need to cream off money from Germans and other subhuman European stock and give it to China so that the Chinese can later buy the same products for much less money. Needless to say, the Chinese can produce the same stuff themselves and own the Sino-German production plants. Again, those German legacy companies do not increase the welfare and living standards of the Germans, they decrease them.

STAGE 3: The Last Days Of Western Materialism

Knowing all this background information, we return to our 2022 Olaf Scholz and his money buddies, all packed in a French-made government plane, in total desperation.

Germany is bankrupt. The Internet has exposed this fake country beyond reparation. The BRD regime certainly is the butt joke of the world. Mr. Xi did not even give Mr. Scholz a press conference. This was delegated to China’s Minister in Chief, Li Keqiang.

You will not read this in the Western press, but China totally owned the narcissistic Stoltz charade. The great decouplers had traveled 20 hours over the North Pole to Beijing and were stopped right there on the airfield track by yellow medical people wearing hazmat plague suits. The Germans were told unambiguously that if one of them tested positive for coronavirus, nobody would pass immigration.

Also, on no occasion whatsoever did Chairman Xi shake hands with Stolzi, who, oblivious to all social cues, went on babbling about “human rights” again, and on how “human rights is NOT meddling in domestic affairs.” Why is this wanker not discussing our mission to Mars, time travel, and cashless currencies? China is the world leader in over 170 areas, Germany in none. China has a better political system. It is more peaceful, stable, and productive.

Unlike defeated Germany, China has principles. Peaceful coexistence, national sovereignty, harmonious society, and the Chinese Dream, to name a few. Germany has none. Scholz reproduces American slogans “freedom,” “rules-based international order,” “LGBTQ rights”. These are not German principles, but the marching order of the New York Iews and Washington Neocons. Nobody can or should take Mr. Scholz seriously, ever. Just look at this anthropological exhibit below of Mr. Scholz next to Chairman Xi. Thank God, Stoltz didn’t bring along his wife…

IMAGE 4 Mr. SCHOLZ AND Mr. Xi
IMAGE 4 Mr. SCHOLZ AND Mr. Xi

IMAGE 4 (Mr. SCHOLZ AND Mr. Xi)

America is very annoyed that these shitty German Reich firms are giving China plenty of work. The Empire wants the Germans to decouple, asap. That’s when our wicked German China experts came out from their corrupt German “China Studies” and spilled their praise for Human Rights Stoltz on US platforms Facebook and Linkedin.

Decoupling is not going to happen. However, never underestimate those stupid narcissists. Decoupling would be the last conclusive step toward the total dissolution of Germany, and the beginning of something new. See, Germany has lost all her abilities to build roads, airports, cities, communication, transportation, and really everything. Begging China to send some real talent or buy some German ports or build some superhuman computers won‘t help. Please have a look at this degeneracy below. This is the German Green Party leader, the other is the winner of the European Song Contest, and the last is the winner of the German Book Price.

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2022 11 18 18 53

IMAGE 5 (Degeneracy German Art and Culture)

German leaders keep saying Germany has a Nazi problem, so let us believe them and say, China wants to keep political relations with Mr. Scholz and his Nazi collaborators to the bare minimum:

“No nuclear bombs over Ukraine!” the diverse couple jointly announce to the Iewish global media. As if that German midget could reach the door frame. There are fewer Germans in the world than Chinese in Henan. Could Mr. Scholz not perhaps discuss… I don’t know… a new thorium-reactor or G5 tower forests or some hovering seaports? No, he couldn’t. Because Germany cannot build none of them. It is over.

Which brings us to the great transformation of Germany and her new business model. I hope I have sufficiently demonstrated that the pre-war German Reich firms are all that Germany has left to her former glory, that those blood-and-soil firms have no homeland left to root for, and that they are spiritually disabled and historically castrated, and cannot do anything innocently for humanity and our shared future. They are tainted. Contagious.

Let me explain the likely political fallout over Mr. Scholz’s quick 11 hours blitzsummit that was completely unnecessary and pointless:

The German economic leaders are deeply offended to be called German, they hate their Germany association, they would rather be European (EU), American, or Chinese, they hate the BRD US regime, and they hate Scholz and this China charade. They really want to liquefy their pre-war Reich firm assets, to decouple from working, from manufacturing, from laboring for meager profits… and–just like the true Masters of this planet—to earn far greater amounts of fictitious money from aeriform properties. In other words, they want to rise in the Human Hierarchy.

Stoltz and his CEOs of Deindustrialisation AG want to disconnect Germany away from a physical, three-dimensional forge world of US-client factories producing for the Empire on cheap Asian labor.

They then want to re-connect Germany towards a new administrative global power grid under the Empire of Sanctions [and Lies] to extrapolate profits from all aeriform properties that belong to the Fifth Dimension (Difference): distance, privileges, hierarchies, regulations, tariffs, history, ideology, thoughts, ideas, and mind control.

STAGE 4: The Coming Of The Emperor Of Man

The Germans did not invent the core techniques to world domination [and neither did the Chinese]. They couldn‘t. However, they still can copy other progressive groups. The British East India Company ran much of Asia not by owning labor and production, but by administering all governments, trade organizations, and international standards. The American White House runs the entire Western hemisphere not by owning labor and production, but by administrating all information, governments, and decision centers.

The new Germans dream of becoming sideways Iews, ruling by first-men-in-the city decree, by manipulations, lies, fakeries, torture, exploitation, and learned psychopathy. Under this plan, the German ruling class and their CEOs could join the Anglo-Zionist administrator class of the world and become controllers of everything from people, materials, plants, animals, behavior, standards, and information. The job of the West will be collecting rent and fees from anyone daring to do anything on this planet.

And who is going to do the work for us in the future? It is going to be the poorest Europeans, the Africans, and, naturally, the hard-working Asians.

It is NOT another industrial revolution that is coming in Europe, but an administrative revolution. There is not enough money to be made in exploiting physical labor anyway. Karl Marx, Capitalism, free markets… were all lies. Materialism, that is the exploitation of the physical world, was a useful but primitive strategy. The core idea that “humans must work for a living” was a convenient con job to flock together the human races and enslave them. No leader has ever worked for a living.

When Yours-truly was a Peking University official, I got 347 invitations for banquets, think tanks, meetings–in a day. On average, 128 Western professors or companies emailed me, in a day, all begging me to work for us for free or pay for licensing or work. My director, the true leader, had 26,450 potential sources of income, at which stage money and material become meaningless. 2,000,000 China experts would give their limps to work for him. He gets 200 media requests on a good Saturday. Tens of thousands continue to work for him for free.

Global organizations and governments live off others, they earn while sleeping, they inherit, they print their own wealth, and they collect taxes and rents. They have created several parallel worlds for the gods so far: debt, digital, crypt, word, and meta. Labor… is for apemen. CEOs are god-like too. They take all the credit for millions of ghosts. But that was all yesterday’s injustices. Tomorrow’s injustices will break the back of everything we thought humanly possible. There is infinitely more wealth to be made in exploiting purely psychological relationships and the realms once neglected as fiction or non-reality.

IMAGE 6 Tribute to the Emperor of Humanity
IMAGE 6 Tribute to the Emperor of Humanity

IMAGE 6 (Tribute to the Emperor of Humanity)

That is the true explanation of why Olaf Scholz talks about “How human rights is NOT meddling into China‘s affairs,” and not about how to create fifty-eight new food formulas to feed the world’s hungry. The Germans want the hungry and the miserable. They couldn’t take over or control a China that was strong and resistant. But what is worth a thousand times more than creating fifty-eight new food formulas to feed the world’s hungry? You won’t believe this but it is the truth. Sit back. Read:

It is this photo shoot of Mr. Scholz with Chairman Xi. This photo shoot was the sole reason what this entire 11-hour drama trip was all about. This has more substance than fifty-eight new food formulas to feed five worlds! This probes the power of the Fifth dimension! They are testing it. They came to China (packed 40 hours flying back and forth, 11 hours stay) in a planesload worth 60 billion euros of CEOs doing NOTHING. They tested if it was true. These people are nothing, are worth nothing. They tested if they did NOTHING, they would grow in value. And they did, about 2 billion euros. I know it was a test operation, because I was on the 2012 Beijing test team that designed the first portals for Peking and Harvard. I hope you’ll be able to see more of it soon. You‘ll first notice our leaders‘ strange behaviors everywhere.

The physical space in Asia, China, does not register anymore with the German elites and their US masters who, in their minds, own the sensual brick-and-rock world already. They want to be seen as gods next. And gods are aeriform. Gods decide, Gods are worshiped.

We want. China must. This is not going to be about who produces the Siemens washing machines or Porsche cars. It is about who runs humanity in the 21st Century. So the Asians can produce all that, who cares. Cotton pickers and Giza pygmies. As if they’ll ever get credits for Holy Europe and the Land of Milk and Honey: The Human Hierarchy has been completed. Mr. Scholz visited his 48th foreign capital this year!

The Fifth Dimension is now being furnished. The aerifom age has begun. The Emperor of Man has not shown yet, but he will own everything his mind touches. He and his clients will administer everything and will never have to work or act in any way. The Empire of Man will expand not from productivity. It will expand through words.

Stolz is back in Berlin. His defeat for Germany he celebrates as a personal victory. Such is the dimension of unreality. “The coming Emperor of Man must be a Iew,” he chins. “This much is prophecy.”

“But all bets are off HE’S GOT TO BE A EUROPEAN…”

向人类皇帝致敬!

万能统治者万岁!

Hommage an den Imperator der Menschheit!

Es lebe der allmächtige Herrscher!

Tribute to the Emperor of Humanity!

Long live the Almighty Ruler!

END.

Easy Pizza Pasta Casserole

“This is a kid pleaser-very cheesy and topped with pepperoni. It makes 2 large (9×13) casseroles or 4 small ones; I often divide it in fourths and freeze 3. This originally came from TOH’s Quick Cooking.”

2022 11 18 18 24
2022 11 18 18 24

Ingredients

Directions

  • Brown ground beef, onion, garlic and seasoning in oil.
  • Drain.
  • While beef is browning, cook pasta according to the packaging
  • Stir in pasta, spaghetti sauce and 3 cups cheese.
  • Place mixture in 2 greased 9x13x2 inch baking pans or 4 square pans.
  • Sprinkle with remaining mozzarella.
  • Top with pepperoni.
  • Cover and freeze up to 3 months.
  • To cook now: Bake uncovered at 350 degrees for 25-30 minutes, until heated through.
  • To bake frozen casserole: Thaw in refrigerator overnight and bake at 350 for 35-40 minutes, till hot.
Yummy waaaay better than hamburger helper but just as easy. Our 2 year old loved it, too, and he is going though a picky phase. It was nice that it made 2 pans - we had one for supper and I'm bringing one to a church potluck tomorrow. I went basically with the recipe (but I added a bit more pizza seasoning and 2 more garlic cloves) because I wanted to keep it basic for the potluck, but I look forward to trying it again for home. I'll triple the pizza seasoning, put in 5 or 6 cloves of garlic, add some spinach, and use sausage instead of hamburger (or half and half)...maybe some mushrooms and black olives. Just like pizza, there are endless options. Thank you for the recipe! I need some simple standards (my husband is the main cook around here).

This was a huge hit with the family. I had to half the recipe and it still made more than enough for 3 hungry eaters. I added some mild italian sausage, green peppers and onions as additional toppings just like a pizza. I added some leftover pizza sauce to the sauce and my top cheese was provolone which melted wonderfully. We all agreed it was the toppings that made the dish taste like a pizza. Make sure to cook the pasta al dente. Will make this again soon and it will be my next carry in dish at work.

This is an extremely easy dish to make. The pepperoni on top was crispy and delicious. My only issue with this dish, and it's a slight one at that, is that the pasta underneath could use a little more pizazz for my taste. Maybe quartering up the pepperoni slices and throwing them into the pasta mixture maybe? Something that would give it a zing! There was plenty left over and my husband was able to have left overs for both a lunch a work and a snack at home over the next two days.

This was a big hit here and I love that there is another casserole waiting in the freezer. I used 1 lb ground beef, 1 lb Italian pork sausage, reduced the pepperoni to 7 oz (two of which I diced and mixed into the casserole), added about 5 oz sliced baby bella mushrooms which were sauteed with the onion, and reduced the mozzarella to 4 cups - spreading two cups on top of each casserole and not mixing any in.

Unreported events in Ukraine, master craziness in the West, us locals trying to deal, and some great food

Ugh. The Biden administration, totally peopled with totalitarian dictators wanna-be neocons is on a Hell-bent mission to destroy the world. And fuck, man, we are all trapped on this fucking crazed roller-coaster from Hell.

The good news is that the Domain Commander confirms that it’s still small – to – medium “bads”. And that things are under control. Personally, I just cannot fathom how it is so optimistic. Sheech!

I WILL query the Domain Commander for some details. And I WILL post the results on my Patreon website. Please be patient. OK?

“L ≠k”

When my younger daughter was born, I missed a week of school. I gave my AP Chemistry students a PowerPoint every day with a practice problem. Students had to turn in their work to the sub.

One of the questions had to do with rate equations, and rate equations have a constant that is expressed using a lower case italicized ‘k’. When I returned to school, I noticed that every single paper had this equation solved for “L”.

At first I thought I must have accidentally typed “L” instead of “k”. They are right next to each other on the keyboard after all. But I looked, and the PowerPoint said “k”.

I was puzzled.

So I looked at the work of each student. They were all precisely the same, including this phantom “L”.

All except for one student – the best student in the class. She had written “k” … in cursive:

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but her pen had died in the smaller loop, making something that looked a fair bit like an L.

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All of the cheaters had followed suit.

The next day in class, I asked them how they had solved for “L”. Students gave me glowing answers of how they had worked together so hard and found “L” through considerable effort.

I played along.

I praised their dedication. I extolled the virtues of their morality in making sure they each did their own work. They were practically patting themselves on the back.

Then I put the PowerPoint back up.

I said “Hmmm, that’s odd…I wonder how you all got L instead of k.” Then I showed them the “bad pen” answer (I had taken a picture and added it to the PowerPoint).

The room got very quiet. I tried to talk to them. I tried to extol the virtues of honesty and integrity. I tried to tell them they were only cheating themselves.

But I just couldn’t say anything.

That class was never the same again. I was never the same again.

After that I stopped assigning homework altogether. I tried various other strategies – oral defense, all classwork, participation stamping. You name it. But kids always seemed to find ways to cheat, and always seemed to do so with impunity. When I finally found a way to essentially prevent cheating (a combination of oral defense and random call-back / question selection), students just stopped doing homework altogether. Their grades plummeted, and I got in trouble for failing too many students.

Sigh.

So now I occasionally assign homework. I collect it and grade it if it’s done or not. But it isn’t worth much, and it rarely determines a student’s grade. I write Python programs that create unique versions of tests for each student so that they cannot cheat. I’m working on that for homework, too, but it’s a lot of work.

I’m sad just thinking back on this incident – it was the day my innocence as a teacher died. I knew kids cheated before this, but until this day I had never watched a whole classroom lie right to my face like that. Losing homework as a tool weakened me as a teacher, and weakened our school as a place of learning. Most other teachers in my building have since come to the same conclusion, or else they just don’t care to look that closely.

Today, 10 years after this event, my students are chronically tardy and absent, often refuse to do even the most trivial work, and experience a diluted and simplified version of what I once taught. If I write something on the board, when I turn around a dozen phones have materialized and are actively being typed on. When I try to do fun things like labs and projects, the students complain and mope as if I was walking them to prison. They lament (out loud) how awful it is that they just can’t look up the answers like all the other classes. Mr. C. actually makes us do things, they say.

It makes me wonder how many diamonds in the rough I’ve missed. It makes me wonder how many students I’ve cheated by not having the heart (or the ability) to continue on as I did, pushing them all hard to find the few who are truly masterful. It makes me wonder what it’s like teaching in other schools where maybe things aren’t so bad.

It makes me wonder why I still teach.

The greatest threats to democracy are:

  1. Capitalism. The corruption and usurpation of the political process by the wealthy elite.
  2. Failure to deliver the goods to the people. Things like prosperity, equality, safety, and stability.
  3. The discovery of a better system that serves the people. In other words, a better alternative.

USA is the poster child for capitalist corruption.

USA is the prime example of failure to serve the people.

China’s system clearly demonstrates that there is a better way.

Those are two questions, and they are not even about the same thing.

An example for highest quality Chinese products

It is not true that Chinese products are always low quality. I am a knives collector. And especially when it comes to knives, Chinese ones have a bad reputation, to say the least.

I thought the same. I was literally of the opinion that Chinese knives not only by and large, but as a whole sucked. Boy, was I wrong. I was totally and absolutely wrong. Which I noticed when I had the pleasure of handling a WeKnife 905a “Scamp”:

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This knife is undoubtedly one of the best knives I ever had the opportunity and pleasure to put my hands on. The fit and finish is flawless, the design of the blade is brilliant, the steel is a “super”-steel (S35VN) and all other parts are made of titanium (except for the backspacer made of stainless steel, which makes absolutely sense in a slip joint) and personally I love the style.

You do not like it?

Well, they have several dozens of different models.

So, what do we have?

A knife made of the finest materials used in the industry, perfect execution in both art and craft, that must be exceedingly expensive, right? You will not be surprised to hear it is not. Do not get me wrong: it is not a cheap knife, by any means, coming in at around $180. For comparison: this is about the same as one of the better Thiers made Laguiole knives. But quality wise, we are talking almost of orders of magnitude in difference.

A more fair comparison would be with a Chris Reeve Knives “Impinda”: Same steel, same materials, both flawlessly executed. Seriously, if you would offer to gift me one of those two, I would have a hard time to decide which one to take. If I had to pay for them myself, the decision would be much easier: The Impinda has a street price more than double than that of the “Scamp”: around $450.

So is it just propaganda from the West that Chinese products have low quality?

No. Because a lot of Chinese products are built with a throw-away mentality in mind.

And now we ask ourselves who is to blame for that? As per the principles of capitalism, the market will just satisfy the demand of the customers. So imho, it is the demand for cheap products that causes low quality. If nobody would buy low quality products, they would not be produced.

Citizens of all walks of life are eligible to join the Party, regardless of their socio-economic status, ethnic background, or gender.

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Liu Xiuxiang with his mother (photo on the left) ; Liu Xiuxiang speaks during an interview at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing as a delegate to the 20th National Congress of the Communist Party of China (photo on the right)

Liu Xiuxiang made headlines in 2008 after he took his mother, who has a mental illness, from Guizhou to his college in Shandong province to look after her.

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Liu’s father died young, and his mother suffered mentally from the immense sorrow of losing her husband. After his sister and brother left home to work, Liu had to shoulder all the burdens of the family on his own.

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However, despite all the difficulties, he never gave up studying. While taking care of his mother, he completed his studies from primary school all the way to university.

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After graduating from college in 2012, Liu declined job offers from several companies and became a history teacher in his hometown Wangmo.

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However, he found that many students did not know why they needed to study and what education brought them. Many began working or got married after graduating middle school, he said.

Then Liu started a campaign to motivate and help rural students. He has spent lot of his spare time traveling to the homes of dropouts, persuading them to return to school.

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In the past 10 years, his campaign has helped more than 1,800 dropouts to return to school and got financial aid to more than 4,200 students.

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In 2012, only 70 students in the county were enrolled in college, but this year, that number soared to 1,300, with each village having at least one college student.

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Now he is a delegate to the 20th National Congress of the Communist Party of China (CPC) and vice-principal of Wangmo Experimental High School.

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Speaks during an interview as a delegate to the 20th CPC National Congress, he said: “education has completely cut off the generational inheritance of poverty and enabled students in mountainous regions to enjoy more opportunities and better choices.”

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Silicon Valley and Chinese companies have fundamentally different approaches to solving problems.

The traditional Silicon Valley and American approach is that people are unpredictable, and are your highest costs, so in designing systems, they try to automate everything as much as possible, especially in replacing some of the boring and redundant jobs. This is why companies like YouTube, Facebook and Quora use algorithms to perform work which is usually done by human editors in publishing and in journalism.

In Facebook’s case, they are learning that editors and journalists cannot be entirely replaced, and in many instances, you must have them.

All of the leading Chinese media companies (Sina, Sohu, Netease, Tencent, Sina Weibo) rely very heavily on human editors and journalists to maintain high-quality content and prevent the spread of false rumors which can cause social unrest. In fact, these companies are now the largest employers of editors and journalists, surpassing the traditional media in China.

In China, labor is always very cheap, not in terms of monetary costs, but because it is always easy to find a smart person/s who can solve a problem, and then finding thousands, even millions, of laborers to build it. When Chinese have a challenge whether it is large or small, their first instinct is to throw a lot of people at the problem until they have a solution. People are used not only to solve low-cost, low-skill challenges, but high-cost, high-challenge issues.

I learned this lesson when I was involved in setting up an Internet company in China, and the local official asked me following my presentation: “How many thousand people do you need?”

No one in Silicon Valley has ever asked me a question like that, ever.

What does this mean? That means when you are in China, you are dealing with a whole different approach to scale which is completely different from the American approach. In simple terms, China is much BIGGER than anything the US has to offer.

It also means that when talking about “automation”, the Chinese and the Americans are talking about two completely different things: the Americans are talking about cutting out labor costs and employing fewer people, and the Chinese are talking about making the velocity of business transactions faster and more efficient. Automation in the US is about cutting supply-side costs, and automation in China is about stimulating demand-side purchases.

This partially explains why China has been so successful at transitioning to a cashless society ahead of the United States, using Alipay and WeChat Pay, and largely replacing debit and credit cards in the process.

My problem with the US Silicon Valley approach is that eventually the US will only have a very small and shrinking pool of consumers, which is exactly what is happening now. The rich get richer, and everyone else is poor and votes for extremist political candidates.

I taught for a while in one of Britain’s top private schools, so I feel I’m qualified to offer a definitive answer:

Tweed.

Seriously, ten years as a teacher and I never saw so much as a tweed dishcloth, but when I started working in private education suddenly the bloody stuff was everywhere. The teachers wore tweed (and the teachers were near-universally ‘old boys’ or ‘old girls’ whose parents could comfortably afford twice what most people earn in a year to get shut of their kids for most of it), the staff wore tweed, and the parents were dressed in tweed on a semi-permanent basis. I swear some of them slept in tweed pyjamas.

When they weren’t wearing tweed, they were cosplaying farmers, for some reason. This was irrespective of whether they lived somewhere in the cotswolds or the middle of London. Their farmer outfits were sometimes a bit worn, but always unnaturally clean.

So if I’m in the middle of the city and see someone wearing tweed or farming gear that’s never been within half a mile of a cow, that’s when know I’m dealing with the fourteenth Lord Bonkingly-Spinkle or some such.

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China is already the world’s largest market for Photonic Integrated Circuits, PICs, or photonic chips. Sales have grown from $800 million in 2017 to $2 billion today. Next year, they will explode.

As electricity displaces internal combustion in cars, photonic chips are displacing electronic chips in circuits. The switchover will accelerate when Sintone, a Beijing startup, opens. the world’s first photonic chip foundry next year, filling the high end gap created by US embargoes.

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Technological implications

In an electronic integrated circuit, electron flux passes through electrical components like resistors, inductors, transistors, and capacitors. In a photonic integrated circuit, PIC, photons of light pass through optical components like waveguides, lasers, polarizers, and phase shifters.

PICs are far superior to electronic chips, EICs, in speed, integration, heat generation, miniaturization, compatibility with existing mass manufacturing processes and cost, being produced entirely with Chinese equipment and IP. PICs increase bandwidth and data transfer speeds and reduce energy consumption in data centers, cutting cooling costs.

PICs make lab-on-a-chip (LOC) practicable, putting laboratories into doctors’ hands. Amazec Photonics  markets a sensor with photonic chips which enables high-resolution temperature sensing, so doctors can measure cardiac output and circulating blood volume from outside the body. EFI’s ‘OptiGrip’

offers greater control over tissue feeling for minimal invasive surgery.

PICs facilitate communication between vehicles and urban infrastructure to improve driver safety, and can detect quantities of pressure, temperature, vibration, acceleration, and mechanical strain. PhotonFirst uses PICs to measure shape changes in airplanes, EV battery temperature, and infrastructure strain.

PICs can measure variables beyond the range of our senses, detecting disease, ripeness and nutrients in fruit and helping farmers determine soil quality, plant growth, and CO2. MantiSpectra ’s infrared sensor fits into a smartphone and analyzes chemical compounds in plastics.

Financial implications

While US hawks insist the collateral damage is worth bearing, the sweeping expansion of US export restrictions, intended to isolate China, risks decimating US firms.

Nvidia, unable to sell its advanced AI chips to China, saw its market capitalization fall by $38 billion. AMD’s fell $16.5 billion. The combined market value of Applied Materials, Lam Research and KLA Corp, US makers of electronic semiconductor equipment – has fallen $25 billion since the bans were announced. Synopsys and Cadence, US designers of electronic design automation software, are now worth $9 billion less.

Geopolitical implications

After President Xi’s 2015 warning about dependence on foreign technology, Beijing invested billions to leapfrog existing IP, including overcoming PIC manufacturing challenges. If the new fab opens on time and the chips perform as expected, it will further reduce the value of American IP (and the geopolitical value of TSMC) and turn the embargoes into a trillion-dollar catastrophe, like Ukraine.

The specific condition for US success is that the target of export controls must have a sufficiently weak political will to abandon its intention to develop the industry in question immediately … However, China has both the will and an unmatched capacity for industrial policymaking to drive and guide the development of its own alternative technologies. Chinese companies and industries have long since begun the production of related products but are currently in the uncomfortable position of being constrained by the superior and more mature products of US companies. The subtlety of US bans is that it is the US government, rather than the Chinese government, that has helped these companies to achieve the effective exclusion of their competitors from the Chinese market which will, allow Chinese companies, in the medium-to-long term, to grow even faster and invest even more in R&D. Shen Yi (沈逸) and Mo Fei

(莫非), Fudan University.

Future Implications

With PIC manufacturing commercialized, China has put up $10 billion to commercialize quantum computing – the last mile in a 100-year race. There are Nobel Prizes to be won, and post-docs from around the world are flocking to Chinese labs to join the fun.

Shenzhen International Quantum Academy has set up an Integrated Circuits and Electronics Centre, with advances in key components a top priority. Its team of cross-disciplinary researchers are focusing on IC design, radio frequency and microwave device development and issues crucial to the commercialization of quantum computing technologies, and planning to move into their new lab dedicated to quantum IC design and quantum cryoelectronics. SCMP

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Peperonata

“Peperonata is mostly viewed as a simple but flavorful accent dish frequently served alongside hardy meats and poultry. It is far more versatile, used as a topping for bruschetta, flatbread, crostini, as a pasta sauce, added to an antipasto platter, as a condiment, even a topping for eggs. My favorite is grilling it with fontina or asiago cheeses between slices of artisan bread with melted cheese oozing out. As the name implies, its dominant ingredient is sweet and colorful bell peppers. Flavors become wonderfully complex after simmering with onions, tomatoes, garlic, olive oil, herbs, seasoning, and a hint of heat from a pinch of red pepper flakes. It’s finished either with red wine, northern Italy, or wine vinegar in the south. In addition to peppers, I also grill onions, use “fire roasted” tomatoes and “Pete’s Garlic Oil” (pan roasted garlic and flavor infused olive oil). Can be made well ahead and refrigerated and reheated to desired temperature. ”

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Ingredients

Directions

  • Peter’s Garlic Oil, add olive oil to a butter melting pot. Remove rough end of garlic cloves and slice each in half lengthwise.  Do not remove skin.  Place them in the pot with oil. Add Tuscany seasoning and red pepper flakes.
  • Place on medium heat until the olive oil begins to lightly sizzle.  Reduce heat, maintaining a low simmer.  It will take several hours before garlic richly tans and becomes soft and sweet.  You can hasten the process with slightly higher heat but be careful not to burn the garlic. Remove garlic skins when released.
  • Fully char peppers on all sides.  Start by placing peppers on grill grate top side down followed by bottoms then grill sides.  Be careful not to pierce peppers so all of their wonderful juices are retained.  Place in a tray with sides for additional protection while cooling.
  • Peel and cut onion in ¼ inch slices. Brush with garlic oil and char both sides on the grill.
  • When peppers have cooled, remove charred skin over a large bowl to capture juices released. Break peppers in half by hand.  Remove core and seeds.  Don’t be concerned when some fall into the liquid.  Cut peppers in ½ inch strips lengthwise.
  • Over medium heat with the oil from Pete’s garlic oil, finishing cooking onions by sauteing them in a large pot until translucent.  Add tomatoes, a few grinds of black pepper, the remaining pinch of red pepper flakes, vinegar, basil and juices from the pepper.  When mixture begins to boil, lower heat and cover, maintaining a simmer.  In about 15 minutes remove cover and stir in peppers and the pot roasted garlic cloves.  Stir occasionally until much of the liquid is condensed.  Salt to taste.  Cool to room temperature.  You can refrigerate, even overnight until ready to eat.  Serve at room temperature, warm or hot.

USA has a very, very serious problem here…

China’s hypersonic missiles as a strategic nuclear weapon are NOT the main problem for USA because nobody wants to fight a nuclear war.

China’s hypersonic missiles as an anti-ship weapon are the REAL problem for USA because it means that USA’s supercarrier strike groups dare not venture too closely to China in time of (conventional) war, say, over the Taiwan issue. USA will not risk losing several multi-billion dollar supercarriers to China’s hypersonic missiles.

Whatever missile defence system USA has (or will have) against hypersonic missiles cannot be 100% effective. In fact, nowhere close to 100%. And that’s a really, really BIG PROBLEM.

China can lob half a dozen DF-17s at the USS Gerald R. Ford and one of them will almost certainly hit its mark. You have my permission to crap in your pants.

Someone who can commit to a cat for 20 years. Regardless to whether the cat is easy to hold on to. You need to understand that if you need to move, the cat needs to move too. If you have less money to spend, the money that’s left needs to be split with the cat to get food, cat litter and go to the vet. When you are very busy you still need to play with your cat. When your cat starts to pee or scratches your furniture, you can’t just get rid of them.

Cats are living creatures, you can’t just throw them if there’s something you don’t like.

And next to all of this, make sure you know that you are not allergic before you get it. Cats get very hurt by replacing them (multiple times).

So most importantly, think twice!

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Chicken Agrodolce (an Italian Sweet and Sour Chicken)

“This is such a unique Italian chicken dish. Chicken breasts are briefly sauteed, then simmered in a sauce of honey, balsamic vinegar, wine, orange and lemon juice. Toss in a few toasted pignoli, and you’ve got a quick and delicious dinner with risotto or cappellini.”

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Ingredients

Directions

  • In a large plastic bag, combine flour and chicken breasts, toss to coat.
  • In a large skillet, saute floured chicken breasts in olive oil with the whole garlic, bay leaves and allspice berries until chicken is browned.
  • Remove chicken to a plate.
  • To the skillet, add honey, vinegar and wine; cook to reduce slightly, about 10 minutes on medium-high heat.
  • Return chicken to skillet, add orange and lemon juices, salt and pepper, and cook about another 20 minutes or until chicken is done and sauce is reduced slightly.
  • Remove garlic, bay leaves and allspice berries from sauce.
  • Add pignoli and heat through, another 5 minutes or so.
  • Delicious with angel hair pasta or a nice risotto.

Thanks for A2A

Living in North America people are bombarded daily by messages and images of the rest of the world. Accuracy of those images is slanted in large part because they originate in the news media.

We know news media focuses on bad news because it feeds the North American bias for negativity and generates more audience attention. Therefore negative type stories take priority in reporting or neutral stories can be spun to feed the bias.

In my many travels to other countries, I found the image North Americans are presented about many places to be exaggerations of negative social elements or outdated events.

Therefore before I arrived in China for the first time I had largely discounted parts of the western media’s image of China as typical bullshit.

What I was not prepared for:

  • Huge modern cities on par with North America,
  • The level of openness of the Chinese to accept foreigners on a one-on-one basis ……. provided you make an effort to engage with locals.
  • The spontaneity of the people.
  • The general lack of restraints placed on the people.
  • The lack of violence and anger in Chinese society.

After living in China an adjustment in perceptions will happen.

  • Culturally China is a Shame Society like Japan, Korea etc. It functions well as a way to control society without the need for state sanctioned violence.
    • There is a very low crime rate in China, and what there is either commercial crime or dumb crime like petty theft, pick-pockets and break-ins.
    • The regular police do not carry guns or high sticks. Maybe ⅓rd are women. Police are generally respected.
    • This a huge contrast to North America, where the judicial system tries to control society through punishment. Leading to crazy incarceration rates with no societal benefits in the end.
      • “Beatings will continue until attitude improves” is rarely a formula for success.
  • Individualism is contrary to social unity and stability
    • Chinese society is family centric and serves as the road map for how society functions from a governmental aspect (benevolent father) to the daily interactions between friends, family and co-workers.
      • You refer to good friends and co-workers as one’s brothers and sisters.
    • Social networks are very important in China for many reasons and it creates solid social foundation which counter-balances life’s challenges.
    • Guangxi is largely misunderstood by the West but is part of the social structure of building wide ranging relationships.
  • China provides a greater opportunity for upward mobility them some democracies.
    • China as no class structure ……… Unlike India with a regimented caste system or the US which has a permanent underclass and an elite class.
      • 99% of Chinese regardless of their current position are within 2 generation removed from being farmers.
      • There is no old money and old family dynasties in China.
  • Small C capitalism is alive and thriving in China
    • China has a business culture and people are opening up businesses every day, including many as a 2nd job. Anyone can open a business, with very exceptions.
    • Business operates 7 days a week from morning to night.
    • e-Commerce is miles ahead of the West.
  • Not everything is perfect in China. There are issues but it is a mixed bag.
    • There is still some poverty in the country, but it is no worse from that which I have seen in North America
    • There is voting in China but the system is very different, It is not direct representative like North America, but an indirect representative system
    • The people are happy, have a positive outlook and support the central government.
    • Chinese migrating to the West are doing so for economical reasons not political ones.
    • The educational system is tough and largely looked upon as inferior by the West, yet those students are the ones filling places in top western universities in STEM fields, if they cannot make the grade for acceptance in top Chinese universities.

There are many things have surprised me in the time I have been here, but only a few I would consider negative about China.

On the other hand ……. there is an old quote that goes like this …….” You can see your country a lot clearer from afar”.

In this context I have also altered some thinking about North America as well.

Since the surrender of Japan,after the end of World War ll, a large number of foreign troops have occupied Japan, giving many Japanese women a lifelong nightmare. A large number of rape cases suddenly broke out all over Japan. Many Japanese women were raped by Allied officers and soldiers. The number of rape cases once reached an average of more than 3,000 cases per day. Especially in Okinawa, more than 10,000 local women were rapes by the US military.

In order to cope with this situation, the Japanese authorities once set up a number of goverment run-brothels in various places to provide sexual services for Allied officers and soldiers. However in Okinawa,Misawa,Yokota and other bases of U.S. troops stationed in Japan, cases of rape of local women by US troops still occur frequently, especially in Okinawa which has the most stationed troops.

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Of course, wherever there is oppression, there is resistance. The Japanese are not so honest. In 1945, World War ll had come to an end, and Japan’s surrender had entered the countdown. Okinawians were afraid to death into thinking of what will happen to them when the Americans come.

In June 1945, the US military occupied Okinawa. When they entered the local village to conduct a search, they found out that almost all the young and middle-aged men in Okinawa had been mobilized into the army. So the US military began to rape Okinawan women recklessly.

Many US soldiers treated Japanese women with utter cruelty as tools of lust. A member of the US Marine Corps once recorded a scene they encountered on the road in Okinawa: they passed a village, and found a dozen American soldiers in a circle on the roadside. They went to check up and found out that these dozen American soldiers were gang-raping the local area.

The US military demanded anything from the locals, and the Okinawians have been silently enduring it.

The three African American soldiers story

There is a village of Katsuyama in Okinawa. Like other places they also ravaged this small village. The difference is that there are three black soldiers belonging to the US Marince Corps. They seem to have tagged the sweetness after messing around in this village, so every weekend, three black soldiers come to this village. Since they came to the village with weapons every time, the villagers didn’t dare to stop them and allowed them to wander around the village. After arbitrarily arresting a few local women, they took them to the mountains and ravaged them. Although the locals had no choice, they naturally hated these Black American soldiers in their hearts.

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After the battle of Okinawa, although the Japanese army was defeated, it did not die. Some scattered Japanese soldiers hid in the mountains, and from time to time they went to nearby villages to find food and other supplies. There were also two Japanese soldiers on the hills of Katsuyama, who were caught by the locals when they were looking for food in the village. Of course, the locals didn’t want to report the two deserters, they hope they would help get the three American soldiers who plagued the village every week.

The two Japanese soldiers also carried weapons. They hated the US military to the core, so they agreed to the request of villagers.

And so, another weekend came, and the three black men rushed to the village of Katsuyama, ready to enjoy their weekly joyous moment. At this time, the ambush locals and the two Japanese soldiers appeared in front of them. After a few shots, three Americans were killed.

The villagers hid their bodies in caves and called the caves “kuronbogama” which means “the caves of the black men”, after the local US military lost three soldiers, they included them to list of deserters since they couldn’t find them.

End result

The villagers kept this a secret for years until one guilty local reported the situation but nevertheless the US military and the Japanese Goverment didn’t charge the villagers for the crime since it happened long time ago.

Today as we know that the Okinawans are still suffering from these crimes every year, new reports of rape cases keep rising up and the military has always been a trouble to the Okinawans.

British Naval Intelligence HQ Destroyed by Russian Missile, Many Deaths (Deeply Censored)

From HERE

Illegally located in Ochakiv, Ukraine, British war planners and ‘operators’ die horrifically for their role in a censored false flag nuclear attack on Russia

Britain detonated a .5 kiloton nuclear weapon on a modified torpedo converted to ride in a Ukrainian naval drone.

The British naval intelligence center set up to manage operations against Crimea was destroyed in an attack by Russian drones. While planning of the operation was organized on Ukrainian soil by NATO operatives, another “redline” for Russia, the drones themselves were piloted by Americans operators at Ramstein Air Base in Germany.

Russia responded to Ukraine’s attack on Saturday by ships of the Black Sea Fleet by hitting a training center for special operations forces of the Ukrainian Navy in Ochakiv with precision-guided weapons . According to the Ministry of Defense, the center has been destroyed.

and the capture of Makeevka. Summary 10/30/2022

The Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation reported that strikes were carried out on the base of the Ukrainian Navy in Ochakovo. Earlier it was reported about the arrival of "Geranei" there. pic.twitter.com/VdoFgHwP3M

— Милош Павловић (@JSO_Kula) October 30, 2022

According to available information, the Russian Armed Forces carried out an attack on the Naval Forces of Ukraine base in Ochakovo, where the Training Center for the MTR of the Armed Forces of Ukraine is located, it is reported that the communications center and other facilities on the base were destroyed. Previously, Geran-2 kamikaze drones worked out at the Center. Earlier it was reported that Russian “Geran” went in the direction of Ochakov and Odessa, the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine traditionally reported on their destruction, but apparently not all of them were destroyed.

According to the military department, it was at the MTR Training Center of the Armed Forces of Ukraine that British instructors trained Ukrainian servicemen to control naval drones, which were used to attack Sevastopol. By the way, the drones were also delivered by Britain. In general, the center in Ochakovo was built by the Americans and the British precisely for conducting special operations against the Black Sea Fleet, the presence of Ukrainian Navy units there was only a cover.

Meanwhile, the Ministry of Defense reported that they had lifted from the bottom of the wreckage of naval drones used to attack ships on Saturday morning. According to the study of the remnants of drones, it was possible to establish that they were taken out along the “green corridor” for a grain deal, after which they changed the route towards Crimea. It is assumed that they were taken out on one of the civilian ships “chartered by Kyiv or its Western patrons for the export of agricultural products.”

From HERE

China is fully capable of encircling Taiwan and then banning all resources from entering Taiwan. Taiwan’s electricity resources, water resources and food are not self-sufficient, and it needs to rely on the input from the sea to maintain the basic needs of survival. But,China won’t do that! Because China is not as cruel as you think. The lives of 20 million Taiwanese people are very important to China.

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If China wants to cut off all Taiwan’s ports, airports, etc. in the way you said, Taiwan’s resources will be exhausted in just one week, and the people will be in a situation of no food, electricity, and extreme water shortage.

In my opinion, there are two main reasons why China has not cut off Taiwan’s survival path even though it is fully equipped to unify Taiwan in such a coercive way:

First, the way of starving the people of Taiwan is inhumane and will be condemned by the whole world.

As we all know, China has always been a peaceful and not warlike image on the world stage, and it has been affirmed by people all over the world. If China unifies Taiwan in such an inhuman way, the United States will definitely use this to hype China’s cruelty. At this time, China will stand in a vulnerable position of humanitarianism, which will be condemned by the people of the world.

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Moreover, in this case, the United States can completely use human rights reasons to conduct military confrontation with China. At this time, Japan, South Korea, India, the European Union and other countries will help the United States to fight against China, and China will definitely call on Russia to help itself, so that basically all the major powers in the world will participate in the war, which can easily cause WW3.China certainly does not want to be the provocateur of a world war, so China does not want to take back Taiwan through inhumane means.

Second, Taiwan is a part of China, and China is reluctant to let the people of Taiwan go hungry.In fact, there are not many Taiwanese who do not want to return to China. The reason why Taiwan’s international position is uncertain is mainly caused by a few politicians who resisted China. Most of the people in Taiwan strongly support the country’s early return to China. Therefore, cutting off resources indiscriminately implicates innocent people who want to return to China. China is very aware of their innocence, so it is unwilling to use inhumane methods to let Taiwan return.

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Third,China is fully capable of using the capabilities of a world power to attract Taiwan to return on its own. China’s current international status cannot be ignored. China’s infrastructure and manufacturing are world-renowned. Taiwan is also very aware of China’s weapon strength, and has recognized the weakness of being an island country. Therefore, Taiwan will one day because of China’s strong initiative to return to China. Just like this military exercise, China has easily surrounded Taiwan.

China is waiting for the day that Taiwan will come back. I am sorry to disappoint you that China will never recover Taiwan in this way.

This is…

YOUR life. Listen closely.

So Biden is going to sanction China into the dark Ages, eh? Don’t be so sure

Not a lot of people outside China took notice that the US Congress banned CNSA (China’s National Space Agency) to cooperate in the International Space Station program around 10 years or so ago.

The reason cited was fear that China will copy blablabla etc (the same old tired nonsense). Fast forward to 2022, China is about to complete all the modules of its very own space station Tiangong.

The only other one beside the ISS (which is fast approaching its retirement).

Basically China managed to build and launch a fully functioning space station from scratch without any help from other countries in a mere 10 years. Plus, it’s a more advanced, spacious and convenient space station than the ISS.

Same thing with its nuclear weapon program.

Same thing with high speed rail network. Back in 2007 China had none but now it has more than the rest of the world combined.

Same thing with its giant tunnel boring machines. China had to buy them from European countries but it now builds better versions of them domestically and dominates the export market that used to belong to those European countries.

Same thing with ship building. China just took the top spot from South Korea last year.

Same thing with 5G. In 4G era Chinese companies caught up quickly with their western competitors but now 1 Chinese company Huawei owns the majority of patents for 5G technology.

The list goes on and on. But you get the idea.

Betting on China not being able to manufacture anything is a losing bet. The US playing its little game with chips is delaying the inevitable and will only end up in US, Taiwanese and South Korean companies losing the Chinese market share forever to SMIC.

Newspaper: Pelosi’s Husband is Gay Alcoholic; Was “Assault” at Pelosi Home Gay Sex Gone Wrong

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Reporter Stan Greene, a Staff Writer for the Santa Monica Observer, reports that the recent assault of Nancy Pelosi’s Husband, at their San Francisco home, was likely an argument between Mr. Pelosi and a Gay Prostitute.

In his story,

“The Awful Truth: Paul Pelosi Was Drunk Again, And In a Dispute With a Male Prostitute Early Friday Morning.”

Greene writes:

As SF's gay bars closed at 2 am, two gay men met in a bar and went home together. Happens every night in the City by the Bay. Except one of these two men, was married to House Speaker Nancy Pelosi.

I might disappear for telling you the truth. If I do, you'll all know why. But here's what really happened early Friday morning in San Francisco. IMHO

According to SFPD "RP [Reporting Person] stated that there’s a male in the home and that he’s going to wait for his wife. RP stated that he doesn’t know who the male is but he advised that his name is David, and that he is a friend,” the dispatch official said. “RP sounded somewhat confused.”

It's been a rumor for years in SF that Paul Pelosi is gay. David Depape the alleged assailant, is said to be a Castro (neighborhood in SF) Nudist. "The lunatic who allegedly assaulted Paul Pelosi is a Berkeley resident and a 'Former Castro Nudist Protester' and hemp 'jewelry maker' ...sounds totally MAGA Republican to me. 🤣🤣" this from Twitter.

Ok, so here's the theory, as related to me by a source: "Castro Nudists are a group of really radical gay male prostitutes that parade around naked with c--k rings. 

First of all, the Police did not come in response to an alarm. They come in response to a "wellness check". So someone called them to check on Pelosi."

"When he didn't answer the phone, the cops broke the sliding glass door to get in. Pelosi was struggling with the suspect, who was in his underwear.

Pelosi owned the hammer. Not Depape. Or, the male prostitute was doing something Pelosi didn't like."

The web site seems to be experiencing trouble right now. I wonder why?

Greene goes on to write:

"And then there was the press conference when they didn't know the mic was on. During that, a reporter confirmed that the suspect was a gay Castro Nudist, but (authorities) told him he couldn't use it."

"Now tell me something. These people are worth hundreds of millions of dollars. Nancy is third in line to the Presidency. You don't think they have the most amazing security? And by the way, when Pelosi was in that drunk driving accident, he had a young man with him, and that too was covered up by the police and the press."

"How would (suspect Depape) have been able to break a window that without triggering an alarm? He didn't. The police broke the window to gain entry. There was only one hammer, and it belonged to Pelosi. And only ONE cop quoted the perpetrator saying, "Where's Nancy?" None of the other sources said that happened.

Greene then points out:

"And one of them could easily have broken that window. Remember, there was no alarm triggered. How would (suspect Depape) have gotten into that house without doing that? The cops smashed the glass to gain entry."

Who called 911 to initiate a wellness check? Either Nancy or her staff, who hadn't hear from Paul all evening and suddenly it's 2 am. Or a neighbor, hearing a fight at the Pelosi residence.

Admittedly, David Depape is a known nutcase. He's an election denier, says mainstream media, who has posted conspiracy theories online. That may be true, but he also lives in Berkeley, where he is a 42 year old career student.

Greene wraps-up his story with this little gem:

"My law firm served a lawsuit against Paul Pelosi one time in SF after attempting to serve at other residences-Napa, Georgetown. They weren't home, but staff were, and multiple law enforcement officers were on the perimeter. Break-in is odd given this level of security." said Harmeet Dillon, Republican National Committee Chairman"

The more the US tries to restrict Сhina, the more stronger, resilient and self-sufficient Сhina is becoming. And we know that because that’s actually exactly what has happened every time the US has imposed a ban on Сhina to use a certain technology.

Here are a few quick examples: After such restrictions/bans went into effect, Сhina has build the first reactor to ever use the third-generation nuclear power technology, became the world leader in photovoltaic, drone, fintech and EV sectors, came at the forefront of quantum computing, created their BeiDou Navigation Satellite System, developed its homemade Sunway TaihuLight supercomputer chips, build the Tiangong Space Station, sent a rover on the dark side of the Moon and on Mars etc. etc. etc.

Have in mind that most of the examples above have occurred precisely after a U$ ban on Сhina to use certain technology.

And Сhina has not only caught up, but more often than not it actually got ahead of the US.

As they say, what doesn’t kill you, only makes you stronger.

Learning from the modus operandi of the US, it will therefore continue to step over the Taiwan's red line. 

We may not read about it in the news, but they're stepping on and over the red line without remit on a daily basis. 

No bullets have been fired yet, but this is war nonetheless. 

It has been going on for over a decade at least, and it will not let up just because a new president is elected or the president says we want peace with China. 

Lies and damned lies. 

Believe habitual liars' endless lies at your own risk. 

The test for Germany is when China is forced to take action vis-a-vis Taiwan. 

If China does not have the right strategy and the means to reunify Taiwan without bloodshed and within twenty-four hours, watch how fast Germany has to act like a US puppy again. 

For those who are not familiar with how a war can be waged without firing a blunderbuss, which is what the US is doing, I refer to the Chinese historical example of the war between Wu and Yue during the period of Spring and Autumn of Eastern Zhou. 

Yue state's chief administrator and strategist Wenzhong devised seven stratagems to destroy its overlord of Wu state. 

Only three were needed to eliminate Wu from the face of the earth. 

One of the stratagems involved supplying the most beautiful woman Xishi to the Wu overlord to cloud his judgment, the other involved surreptitiously damaging Wu's food supply, and the third helped Wu destroy its own economy by encouraging profligate spending. 

The hubris of Wu state's overlord did the rest. Not a single arrow was fired in anger. 

Every Chinese child who was taught Chinese history knows this story. 

Now we know why Chinese people think differently. 

PM

Deng’s model was never intended to be permanent. It was simply the first stage in modern China’s evolution.

Today, China has successfully completed this first stage. It’s time to move to the next stage which Xi will pilot.

China is strong enough, economically, technologically and militarily, to take her place front and centre on the world stage. China has a grand view for herself and the world which Xi will execute.

If you want to know the details, just read the official documents from the 20th National Congress.

One morning a husband returns to the cabin after several hours of fishing and decides to take a nap.

Although not familiar with the lake, the wife decides to take the boat out, since it is such a beautiful day. She motors out a short distance, anchors, and reads her book.

Along comes a Game Warden in his boat. He pulls up alongside the woman and says,” Good morning, Ma’am, what are you doing”?

“Reading a book,” she replies, (thinking, “Isn’t that obvious”?)

“You’re in a Restricted Fishing Area,” he informs her.

“I’m sorry, officer, but I’m not fishing, I’m reading.”

“Yes, but you have all the equipment. I’ll have to write you up a ticket.”

“For reading a book”? she replies.

“You’re in a Restricted Fishing Area,” he informs her again.

“But officer, I’m not fishing, I’m reading.”

“Yes, but you have all the equipment. For all I know you could start at any moment. I’ll have to write you up a ticket and you’ll have to pay a fine.”

“If you do that, I’ll have to charge you with sexual assault,” says the woman.

“But I haven’t even touched you,” says the Game Warden.

“That’s true, but you have all the equipment. For all I know you could start at any moment.”

“Have a nice day ma’am,” and he immediately departed.

MORAL: Never argue with a woman who reads. It’s likely she can also think.

Jim Lahey’s No-Knead Pizza Margherita

“This is a great recipe for a simple, thin crust pizza. It’s from Jim Lahey (of no-knead bread fame) who now runs a popular NYC pizzeria called Co. The recipe was printed in New York Magazine (Jul 12, 2009). If you don’t have a pizza stone, this works well in a cast iron skillet. The recipe requires very little time and effort but the dough must be started the day before.”

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Ingredients

Directions

  • To make dough: In a large bowl, mix the flour, yeast, and salt. Add water and stir until blended (the dough will be very sticky). Cover with plastic wrap and let rest for 12 to 24 hours in a warm spot, about 70 degrees.
  • Place the dough on a lightly floured work surface and sprinkle the top with flour. Fold the dough over on itself once or twice, cover loosely with plastic wrap, and let rest for 15 minutes.
  • Shape the dough into 3 or 4 balls, depending on how thick you want the crust. Generously sprinkle a clean cotton towel with flour and cover the dough with it. Let the dough rise for 2 hours.
  • To make sauce: Blanch tomato for 5 seconds in boiling water and quickly remove. Allow to cool to the touch. Peel the skin with your hands and quarter the tomato. Remove the jelly and seeds, and reserve in a strainer or fine sieve. Strain the jelly to remove seeds, and combine resulting liquid in a bowl with the flesh of the tomatoes. Proceed to crush the tomatoes with your hands. Add salt and olive oil and stir.
  • To make pizza: Place pizza stone on the middle rack of the oven and preheat on high broil. Stretch or toss the dough into a disk approximately 10 inches in diameter. Pull rack out of oven and place the dough on top of the preheated pizza stone. Drizzle 5 generous tablespoons of sauce over the dough, and spread evenly. Try to keep the sauce about ½ inch away from the perimeter of the dough. Break apart or slice the buffalo mozzarella and arrange over the dough. Return rack and pizza stone to the middle of the oven and broil for approximately 6 minutes. Remove and top with basil, olive oil, and salt.

A Bit Nippy Here This morning . . .

As of 4:30 AM Sunday, it’s a bit nippy here in northeastern Pennsylvania; 30 degrees Fahrenheit.

I was so exhausted yesterday, I actually went to bed around 7:00 PM and slept right through to 4:30 this morning!

Emotional exhaustion from all the worry about what’s going on in the world, in the nation, etc.

Watching my country deliberately take steps that will result in a nuclear World War 3 with Russia, and/or China.

Watching our elected officials here in the USA openly steal the upcoming November elections . . .

For instance, here in Pennsylvania, they actually mailed out 255,000 election Ballots to “voters” whose registration information cannot be verified with the US Social Security Administration.

Clearly these are phony voters, and those 255,000 Ballots, can swing the elections statewide.  Again.   Just like happened in 2020.

It’s overt.  In our face.  And no one in the cops, or the Prosecutors Offices, does anything at all about it.

If we start getting the idea of taking the law into our own hands, and confronting these cheats, WE are the ones who end up getting arrested.

This all seems untenable.  It’s getting tiresome.

I can’t help but wonder if push is coming to shove?

A kitty story

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A friend asked me to take her to a local animal rescue place to drop off some supplies we had bought them.

She had been trying for ages to persuade me to get a cat for company.

She insisted we walk through the cages of cats waiting for adoption.

As we approached one particular cage a black and white cat started jumping up and down against the wire trying to attract attention.

The woman who ran the shelter said his name was Joe and he was only 9 months old, and that his twin sister Jenny was also in the cage, hiding in the sleeping area too scared to come out.

I talked to Joe for a minute then he walked back into the sleeping area and we could see him nudging Jenny, trying to get her to come out and meet us too.

Jenny eventually moved closer to the door of the sleeping area but wouldn’t come any further. She looked terrified and very unhappy.

My heart melted and so I welcomed Joe and Jenny into my life.

That was in 2008 and they are still with me and I love them both.

Putin is correct.

Russian Navy Ships Hit in Sevastopol Harbor – Ukraine Drone Attack

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Not just Saudi Arabia.

Argentina, Mexico, Turkey, And Iran are joining BRICS soon. It is a given that 3/4 of the world will join hands to stop the US financial and US Dollar hegemony and they WILL succeed. A new global order is here. Thanks to the Ukrainian war provoked and designed by the US and UK.

Think of the US dollar manipulation, the financial blockade of Russia, sanctions on Russia is the last throw of the dice by the US and the west. The demise of the US dollar use by 3/4 of the world will end the ability of the US to print money without recourse.

The BRICS will dwarf G7 by a big way! In population and in economic might. The US shot themselves in their feet the moment the west sanctions were declared. The world has lost all trust on the USD and the financial institutions. No rational and sane nation will ever allow itself to be contained and harm by the US and the West.

Not just in oil but in all trade, countries will do currency swap and use some BRICS denomination backed by real value minerals such as gold. Sure the 12 or so US vassal states, some former colonial powers, Anglo brothers and some tiny Eastern Europe nations will still trade in Dollar or Euro. So let them cheat and sanction each other!

Claim: Twitter Execs Fired FOR CAUSE — No “Golden Parachutes”

Twitter executives let go after Elon Musk took over the company, may not get their $20-$60 Million “Golden Parachute” payments because Musk allegedly fired them FOR CAUSE.

That means they were let go for a reason OTHER THAN Musk buying the company!

Being fired FOR CAUSE may negate the Golden Parachute payments!

When the Buyout Agreement between Twitter and Musk was negotiated, the top executives were assured they would get large payments if their leaving was simply a part of the takeover.

But apparently, Mr. Musk found out something the Executives may have done, or perhaps something they may have said/represented to him, which may not have been truthful, and Musk has now fired those executives FOR CAUSE.

Two sources familiar with the situation told the New York Times that would mean the Executives didn’t leave the company simply as part of Musk’s takeover, they were fired for justifiable reason.

While there will likely be heavy litigation over the matter, for the time being it looks as though none of those executives will get their multi-million dollar golden parachutes.

Young people 0yrs – 20yrs, all injected with the mRNA Vaxx are dying off. They are dying at an alarming rate. Zero flat lined up until March 2020. Then, boom, a steady increase.

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Check out the video before You-Tube takes it down.

Do you want to watch You-Tube videos about China?

More educational, on point and goes into great discussions. Then go HERE to the massive You-Tube video repository.

Drone Attack On Sevastopol

This morning at 4:20 local time the Russian fleet in the Crimean port of Sevastopol was attacked by nine unmanned aerial vehicles and seven autonomous maritime drones. Earlier a maritime drone that had run aground in Crimea and had been found and pictured.

 

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During today’s attack a large U.S. drone had flown circles south of Crimea. It likely relayed data from and to the drones.

The maritime drones are British and Russia alleges that British specialists had trained the Ukrainian navy in using them. It also says that British soldiers were involved in the attack on the Nord Stream pipeline.

The Ukrainians published two videos shot by the maritime drones while attacking. One of the video shows extensive gun fire impacts near the drone from a Russian helicopter that is attacking it.

The Russians say that all the aerial drones and 4 of 7 maritime drones were defeated before they could caused damage. They also say that one mine seeking ship was damaged in the harbor. It is possible that the damage is greater than Russia admits.

As a consequence of the attack Russia declared that the deal which allowed for grain exports from Odessa has been suspended. That deal had already been in danger as the ‘west’ had not fulfilled its part of the deal which would have allowed for the export for Russian fertilizer to third parties.

I find it likely that Russia will take additional measures to punish the Ukrainian navy for the brazen attack. Additional attacks on Ukrainian infrastructure is another possibility.

Meanwhile all recent attempts by the Ukrainian army to penetrate the Russian held lines have failed. It is notable that these are now much smaller in size with just a battalion or in some cases just two companies in the lead.

It is now definitely mud season in Ukraine during which it is impossible to cross most farmland even on feet. This will hinder the attacking forces on both sides until winter sets in.

Posted by b at 16:24 UTC | Comments (136)

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The American people are finally waking up to the fact that their government has not been taking care of them for many decades. For example,…

  • The top 10% of Americans own 70% of the nation’s wealth, while the bottom 50% own less than 2%.
  • Millions of Americans cannot afford health care.
  • There is a severe lack of affordable housing.
  • Over 500,000 Americans are homeless.
  • Over 1,000,000 Americans died from Covid.
  • Countless thousands of Americans die from random gun violence and mass shootings every year.
  • America practices mass incarceration — the highest number and the highest rate in the world.
  • America’s infrastructure is literally crumbling.
  • The minimum wage has barely risen since the 1960s. It is NOT a living wage.
  • The average real income of the bottom 50% of Americans has been steadily declining for decades.
  • Instead of helping Americans in dire need, the government is shipping billions upon billions of dollars to Ukraine.

No matter who they vote into office, nothing ever changes!

Julius Nyerere famously said, “The United States is also a one-party state but, with typical American extravagance, they have two of them.”

My Chicken Parmigiana

“This is a family favorite meal and one I make for special occasions, such as birthday dinners. The cooking method of this particular version is different from the conventional chicken parmigiana recipes I always used to make. Once I tried this much easier and moister version, I never went back to the “old” method. I often use homemade sauce in this, but a good-quality bottled sauce, such as Classico or Barilla, is perfectly acceptable as well. I serve this chicken atop mounds of freshly cooked pasta with some additional heated sauce. I have often chosen to replace the mozzarella with thin slices of Provolone cheese. NOTE: Edited to add that pounding the chicken is not necessary with this method. Part of what is unique about this recipe is that even the meatier pieces of chicken get so moist & tender as it braises in the sauce.”

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Ingredients

Directions

  • Beat egg and set into a rimmed plate.
  • Set bread crumbs in a second rimmed plate.
  • Dip chicken breasts into the egg, then into the crumbs,coating both sides and shaking off excess.
  • Melt butter or margarine over medium heat in a large, deep skillet. Add chicken breast halves to the pan and brown on both sides – just enough to brown the chicken, not to fully cook it yet.
  • Pour spaghetti sauce into the pan, immediately reduce heat to low, cover, and simmer until the chicken has cooked all the way through, about 15-20 minutes but the time will vary depending upon the thickness and size of your chicken breasts.
  • Sprinkle with parsley and cheeses, re-cover, and simmer just until cheese melts- about 5 minutes.
  • Serve with cooked spaghetti.

Here is the Thing

YES:-

China is the only Nation on Earth who can manufacture Photonic Chips Cost Effectively

No other Nation on Earth Can

US gave it up nearly 20 years ago

You simply cannot run a sustainable Profit

The Scale for which Profit is required is simply unsustainable

The Demand would need to be So Tremendous to justify a scale which would involve ENTIRE CITIES dedicated to manufacture Photonic Chips.

Its not the Technology. The Technology is available openly and readily.

LIke Hypersonic Missiles

The Technology was available in 2000 itself and was nothing new. The Theory was available. However manufacturing efficiently was not possible and US decided it was not worth it.

China and Russia later managed to use their Manufacturing Dominance (China) and Raw Material Haven (Russia) to ensure they could make efficienct Hypersonics and ensure that they now have or plan to have a cost effective Arsenal.

Likewise Photonic Chips Manufacture can be done by China at Effective Cost and on a Scale large enough to achieve sustainability for its own Internal Domestic Market.

That is the Good News!!!!


So All Good?

2023 is simply impossible

Developing the Basic Infrastructure for Indigenous Implementation of the Technology may take 5 Years and another 3 Years for achieving Commercial Dominance

Thats 8 Years or 2030

In the meanwhile China still has to keep targeting the 3nm or 5 nm Wafer Fabrications Indigenously and keep spending the massive Scale of Production

So you see the Problem

China could abandon the 3nm/5nm Manufacture Aim and move completely to Photonic Chips but that would mean a 8 Year Gap and after that – the Results could be screwed up or the Photonic Chips may not work as China expects to

That means a Waste of 8 Years

The Cost of which would be a Delay in Chinas AI plans, Robotics Plans, Upgrading Technology plans

China could stay with the 5 nm/3 nm Manufacture Aim and achieve Indigenous Manufacture by say 2025–2027 and dominate AI and Robotics and move to the next phase of Technology

That would be easier than developing and taking a risk on Photonic Chips

Its the same as Abandoning the Option of Manufacturing of J-20s to make it as good as a F-22 Raptor , and instead seeking to manufacture the Avengers version of Aircraft

Better to persevere and make aircraft like the F-22 in 4–5 years than totally abandon everything to hope to make Captain Americas Helicarriers

Can China do Both?

That would be the thing

However it would need a Huge Load of Investment


Huawei is in a perfect position to explore and work on Photonic Chips

Huawei has the Technological Edge and the Exponential Leap into cutting edge Research

SMIC

SMIC Meanwhile can continue to explore and keep targeting the Indigenous Supply Chain dominance of Chips within the Chinese Economy

Presently SMIC has achieved Commercial Production Capability of 14nm

And that was fast


So its a Lot of Hard Work and China shouldnt be like India

This “Ready to supply the World by 2023 and 1000 Times better”- this is Indian Language

Chinas language is always China Hopes to achieve indigenous control over its Chips and leave it there

Its Possible and if China can manage it – It would be incredible

Fingers Crossed!!!!

Canned Tomato Products Lover? Stock Up Now

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A Severe drought is crushing American California tomato crops and shortages are coming – fast.

Soup season is upon us, but one of the main ingredients for soups, chilis and stews may be in short supply: canned tomatoes.

We’ve been hearing for a few months now that a historic drought in California is impacting farmers’ tomato crop yields this year and unfortunately, it doesn’t look like the drought is going to end anytime soon.

The California League of Food Producers references a recent Reuters story that reports California’s current drought actually started in 2020.

Another news story published on today.com says that the drought is the worst the Golden State has seen in more than 1,200 years.

Just how bad is the drought in California? Drought.gov, a website managed by the National Integrated Drought Information System, reports that 99.8% of the entirety of California is suffering from moderate drought, while 91.8% of the state is in severe drought; 40.9% of the state is in extreme drought; and 16.6% of the state is in exceptional drought, hitting its agricultural belt hard.

In addition to the impact tomato crop shortages may have in fresh produce displays at grocery stores, the shortages will likely impact other household staples like canned tomatoes and tomato sauce.

“Ninety-five percent of the processed tomato products consumed in the United States comes right here from California’s Central Valley,” Mike Montna, president and CEO of the California Tomato Growers Association, told CNN.

“Mainly the tomatoes from the growers that I represent go to your ketchups, pizza sauces, your retail sauces that you see at the supermarket.”

Those of you who rely on canned tomato products,, whether it be whole, crushed, diced, Puree or Sauce, had best stock up now, while you can.

Kittencal’s Mini Meatball Minestrone Soup

“This is a delicious rich soup that will need a longer cooking time then most soups and tastes even better the next day it’s really a meal in itself, I serve it with garlic bread on the side — to save some time prepare the meatballs up to a day ahead, the meatball mixture may be doubled if desired, if you don’t use all the meatballs then freeze for another time and just drop them into the soup frozen — 1/4 to 1/3 cup dry red wine may be added to the soup :)”

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Ingredients

Directions

  • For the meatballs; in a bowl combine all ingredients until blended.
  • Shape into 3/4-inch balls; cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate until ready to add to the soup.
  • In a large pot heat olive oil over medium-high heat; add in garlic and saute for 2 minutes.
  • Add in onions, dried oregano and crushed chili flakes; saute for about 4 minutes, stirring.
  • Add in celery, carrots and tomato paste; saute stirring for 2-3 minutes stirring with a wooden spoon.
  • Add in chicken broth, tomato sauce, kidney beans, green beans, spinach leaves and zucchini; return to a boil.
  • Add in uncooked meatballs; bring to a simmer (do not stir for at least 20 minutes).
  • Reduce heat to low, cover and simmer for about 1-1/2 to 2 hours (after about 30 minutes of cooking season with salt and fresh ground black pepper to taste).
  • Add in cooked pasta and 1/3 to 1/2 cup Parmesan cheese; stir to heat through (can add in more cheese if desired).
  • Ladle into bowls and sprinkle with more Parmesan cheese.

Russian Missiles Hit British Operations Center in Ukraine

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The Russian Army has struck the base of the Ukrainian Navy in Ochachiv, a city in the Nikolaev Region, with missiles.  This particular strike took out the Communications Center and Intelligence Department of the British Naval Operations Service.

We are told by sources in Ukraine that at least one Russian precision missile hit at the actual window sill of the Base Commander Office!

Said one knowledgeable source …

"Britain is responsible for the Kerch bridge attack, the NS1 and NS2 sabotage, sinking the cruiser Moskva and also for yesterdays attack on the Sevastopol Crimea naval base. If you are in UK, I would start thinking to move out. You not gonna like whats gonna happen next...."

Be the Rufus. Don’t look back.

 

IC chips (integrated circuits) is now obsolete. China will be producing Photonic chips in a few months

This American administration is BY FAR the clearest neocon leadership in the history of America. This is not good.

  • Failed against Goats in Afghanistan..
  • Failing against the Bear in Ukraine..
  • Fail guarantee against the Dragon..

Well, not all IC-Chips. Just the major ones that everyone is talking about out of Taiwan.

When the US banned China from participating in any NASA projects, China built its own. 

When the US banned China from participating in the "international" space station, China built its own. 

When the US stopped China from participating in Europe's GPS project, China built its own. 

When the US blocked Israel's sale of AWACs to China, China built its own, probably with the help of Israel (from my limited understanding, some of it from direct experience, Israel has long had strong, deep, and secret military relations with China; this started long before political recognition, one need not read too much in prepared statements deliberately made for mainstream media by Israel officials). 

When Trump imposed tariffs on Chinese products to reduce US trade deficits with China, it went up instead. 

When Biden imposed sanctions on all Xinjiang products, US imports from Xinjiang went up instead. 

When the US and its vassals imposed total sanctions on Russia to kill its ruble, the ruble went up instead. 

When the US wants to maintain its Dollar hegemony, the main pillar of the US hegemony, by threatening, sanctioning, and attacking anyone who does not want to be treated like a dog by the imperium, more countries are decoupling from the Dollar hegemony. 

What do you think will be the result of the US banning the sale and service of semiconductor technologies to China?

"The definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over and expecting different results." -- attributed to Einstein but probably uttered by someone driven to insanity by certain insane, delusional, and self-destructive humans.

PM

The United States talks, plans, talks more, and does bad things in dark secretive closets.

China just forges ahead with it’s plans regardless.

We continue with the global fiasco. Check out this neocon journal that is questioning what China is saying. In other words, “just because they say this, does not mean that it is what they mean”.

Same with Putin.

Russia Hits Ukraine with ~50 Missiles; Kiev Takes ~10 Hits, no electric/water

Russia began this week with a large barrage of missiles against Nazi Ukraine; with upwards of ten missiles striking the Nazi Capital Kiev and many other cities.  The map above shows the missile target areas.

Russian Strategic aviation is very active this morning.   10 TU-95 planes with cruise missiles targeted the regions of Vinnytsia, Odessa, Kryvyi Rih, Poltava, Kiev, Khmelnytsia, Zaporozhye, Dnieper, Kremenchug.

The following regions and cities hit:

– Kiev
– Dnepropetrovsk
– Vinnitsa
– Zaporozhye
– Poltava
– Kharkiv
– Kirovograd

Attacks on Electrical or Water infrastructure:
– CHPP-5 (Kiev)
– CHPP-6 (Kiev)
– Lviv CHP (Lviv)
– Kremenchug HPP
– Dneproges
– Novodnestrovskaya HPP

At least 10 missile explosions were heard in Kyiv. Mayor Vitali Klitschko confirmed power outages in parts of the capital and water supply restrictions in some areas.

Blackouts began in the Kiev-controlled city of Zaporozhye, Anatoly Kurtev, secretary of the City Council, said.

Ukraine has lost 20 percent of its landmass to Russia. 15 percent of Ukrainians have been forced to flee their homeland.

Only a large supply of candles from Poland will permit Ukrainians any light for the coming winter, yet this IS the main-stream-media’s idea of “winning.”

Social media and the foreign Press are lighting-up with the story:

 

 

The president of the Kiev regional administration, urged residents to prepare for a long absence of electricity.

The Dniester hydroelectric power plant-1 in the west of Kiev-controlled territory was struck.  It is  the most powerful power plant in the Dniester Region, 702 MW.

Kiev and region reported interruptions in mobile communications.

At the moment, 36 energy facilities of Ukraine have been hit.  In Kyiv, an explosion at only one power facility led to a power outage in 350,000 apartments.

While you are reading this, it is important to point out Russia asked for peace talks with the US about 10 days ago, and the US refused.

 

Two “Incidents” so far today:

A missile shot down by the Ukrainian air defense landed on the territory of Moldova, according to the country’s Ministry of Internal Affairs.

The same ministry urgently called Kiev for clarification.

And . . .  a much more worrisome “incident:”

In Pskov, Russia – near the border with Estonia, on a Russian Air Base, 2 attack helicopters were blown up.

Estonia is a member of NATO.   Questions now arising if Estonia bombed the Russian base ?

 

Additional updates coming . . .  check back  7:12 AM EDT

 

UPDATE 7:45 AM EDT —

80% of Kiev residents without water AND part of the city without electricity – Kiev mayor Klitschko.

(Note: That’s how Donetsk lived already for almost 9 years due to Ukrainian attacks.  Strange how no one in the West complained then.)

Also: Moldova says it will treat the Russian missile debris as an accident.

 

UPDATE 9:43 AM EDT —

DTEK the energy grid supplier in Ukraine says it’s out of equIpment for repairs.  No more transformers, no more line insulators, no more poles.

 

PERSPECTIVE

In real world: Russia takes 20% of Ukraine’s land, and millions of people, and nationalizes it for themselves.

In Clown World: Ukraine is winning.

In real world: Russia is launching missiles and attacking Ukraine’s capital and destroying majority of country’s critical infrastructure.

In Clown World: Ukraine is winning.

Your perspective on this war is all a matter of which world you live in: the real world or Clown World.

Sausage Pizza Pie

Add something flavorful to your family’s Italian dinner! Enjoy this delicious pizza made with Bisquick® mix and filled with sausage and pizza sauce.

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Ingredients

  • 1 pound bulk pork sausage
  • 1 can (8 ounces) pizza sauce
  • 1/2 teaspoon dried oregano leaves
  • 2 cups Original Bisquick™ mix
  • 1/4 cup process cheese spread (room temperature)
  • 1/4 cup hot water
  • Green and red bell pepper rings, if desired
  • 1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese (4 ounces)
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x

https://youtu.be/zcF0rKgmvsM

Most Chinese believe that the Chinese political system is best FOR CHINA ONLY because it is the system which has evolved in China FOR CHINESE UNDER CHINESE CONDITIONS.

They do not believe or claim that it is a fit for other nations. Other societies need to develop the system which evolves for them under their own unique social and political conditions.

In short, what works for China is best for China, even though it is far from perfect, and is continuing to evolve to fit new conditions.

Other societies need to develop their own systems FREE FROM EXTERNAL INTIMIDATION AND PRESSURE so that they can develop a political system which fits the needs of their own people.

Why China’s No Nuclear First Use Policy May Not Be Set In Stone

Should America trust it?

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Here’s What You Need to Remember: “In the absence of a no-first-use commitment from the United States, Chinese nuclear strategists believe continued improvements to their nuclear arsenal are needed to assure China’s leaders their U.S. counterparts won’t take the risk of attacking China with nuclear weapons.”

China has reaffirmed its policy of never being the first in a conflict to use nuclear weapons. Experts refer to this policy as “no first use,” or NFU.

The NFU policy reaffirmation, contained in Beijing’s July 2019 strategic white paper, surprised some observers who expected a more expansive and aggressive nuclear posture from the rising power.

Notably, the United States does not have a no-first-use policy. “Retaining a degree of ambiguity and refraining from a no first use policy creates uncertainty in the mind of potential adversaries and reinforces deterrence of aggression by ensuring adversaries cannot predict what specific actions will lead to a U.S. nuclear response,” the Pentagon stated.

Chinese state media posted the government’s white paper in its entirety. “Nuclear capability is the strategic cornerstone to safeguarding national sovereignty and security,” the paper asserts.

“This is standard language,” explained David Santoro, a nuclear expert with the nonprofit Pacific Forum. “China’s nukes serve to prevent nuclear coercion and deter nuclear attack.”

Then the surprise. “China is always committed to a nuclear policy of no first use of nuclear weapons at any time and under any circumstances, and not using or threatening to use nuclear weapons against non-nuclear-weapon states or nuclear-weapon-free zones unconditionally,” the white paper adds.

This NFU clause surprised Gregory Kulacki, a nuclear expert with the nonprofit Union of Concerned Scientists. “Ever since I took this job 17 years ago, U.S. colleagues of all political and intellectual persuasions have been telling me that sooner or later China would alter, adjust, amend or qualify the policy that China will never, under any circumstances, use nuclear weapons first,” Kulacki wrote.

It would be difficult to compose a more emphatic rejection of claims that China’s no-first-use policy is changing. The statement also indicates it is not Chinese policy to use nuclear weapons first to forestall defeat in a conventional military conflict with the United States. China does not have an “escalate to de-escalate” nuclear strategy.

China is not preparing to fight a nuclear war with the United States. It does not have “battlefield” or “tactical” or “non-strategic” nuclear weapons. Chinese nuclear strategists don’t think a nuclear war with the United States is likely to happen. And they seem sure it won’t happen as long as the U.S. president believes China can retaliate if the United States strikes first.

That’s not a high bar to meet, which is why China’s nuclear arsenal remains small and, for the time being, off alert.

China sees its comparatively modest nuclear modernization program as a means to convince U.S. leaders that a few Chinese ICBMs can survive a U.S. first strike and that these survivors can penetrate U.S. missile defenses.

Chinese nuclear planners might be willing to slow or scale back their nuclear modernization efforts if the United States were willing to assure China’s leaders it would never use nuclear weapons first in a military conflict with China. Chinese experts and officials have been asking the United States to offer that assurance for decades. U.S. experts and officials consistently refuse.

While China has not adopted a more aggressive nuclear policy, it does continue to upgrade its small nuclear arsenal and its command systems. Kulacki explained that modernization in the context of America’s own refusal to commit to no-first-use.

“In the absence of a no-first-use commitment from the United States, Chinese nuclear strategists believe continued improvements to their nuclear arsenal are needed to assure China’s leaders their U.S. counterparts won’t take the risk of attacking China with nuclear weapons,” Kulacki wrote.

Chinese experts know U.S. efforts to develop a working ballistic missile defense system are not going well, but they still feel the need to hedge against continued U.S. investment in the system with incremental improvements in the quality and quantity of China’s small nuclear force.

Given the impassioned attack on constructive U.S.-China relations currently sweeping U.S. elites off their feet, along with the continued proliferation of misinformation about Chinese nuclear capabilities and intentions, many U.S. commentators are likely to brush aside the new white paper’s reiteration of China’s longstanding nuclear no-first-use policy.

It doesn’t fit in the emerging U.S. story about a new Cold War. That’s unfortunate, especially as the U.S. Congress threatens to ramp up a new nuclear arms race its supposed adversary has no intention to run.

Hum.

With crazy-town United States pushing all the “red buttons” and crossing all the “red lines”, China and Russia are expected to uphold their statements and policy papers while the USA constantly tears theirs up and rewrites the rules as they see fit.

https://youtu.be/uB6_r-H5Yr4

Finland Trying to Become the Next Ukraine

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In a move that could risk infuriating Russia, nuclear weapons could possibly be positioned in Finland if the country’s application to join NATO is approved, according to a report from a Finnish newspaper.

Both Finland and Sweden submitted applications to join NATO in May, in response to the Russian invasion of Ukraine. According to the Helsinki-based newspaper Iltalehti, the bill regarding potential NATO membership the Finnish government will put before parliament doesn’t include any opt-outs for nuclear weapons.

Speaking to the paper, defense sources said Finland’s foreign and defense ministers, Pekka Haavisto and Antti Kaikkonen, gave a “commitment” to NATO in July that they wouldn’t seek “restrictions or national reservations” if Helsinki’s application is accepted.

Foreign policy insiders told Iltalehti this means NATO nuclear weapons could transit through, or be based on, Finnish territory. Additionally, there are no restrictions on establishing NATO bases in the country.

It appears Finland is committing national suicide; literally TRYING to become the next Ukraine.

Good chat.

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Shortages of antibiotic Amoxicillin

90% of antibiotics are made in China. -MM
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Three of the largest manufacturers of the common antibiotic amoxicillin are reporting supply concerns.

Hikma Pharmaceuticals, Teva Pharmaceutical Industries and Sandoz, the generics division of Novartis, have all reported shortages of various doses of the drug, which is most commonly used to treat bacterial infections in children.

Amoxicillin comes as a capsule, a tablet, a chewable tablet and as a liquid to be taken by mouth, depending on the age of the patient.

Most of the shortages were reported in the liquid form of the drug, which is used by young children, according to the University of Utah’s drug information service, which tracks medication shortages, though the database shows the companies reported limited supply of all the versions of the drug.

As of Oct. 25, the university’s drug tracker listed 14 of Hikma Pharmaceuticals’ amoxicillin products and nine products from Teva. The tracker listed 16 products from Sandoz as being in shortage.

The most common reason antibiotics are prescribed for children is to treat ear infections, though they can also be used to treat bacterial sinus and throat infections. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, amoxicillin is considered a “first-line” therapy, though there are other antibiotics that can be used.

A Food and Drug Administration (FDA) spokesman said the agency was aware “of some intermittent supply interruptions of amoxicillin products in the U.S, and are currently working with the approved manufacturers.”

However, the FDA doesn’t consider amoxicillin to be in shortage because at least one manufacturer is able to fully supply market demand.

Hikma spokesman Steve Weiss said amoxicillin is on allocation, meaning the company has enough supply to fulfill the orders of current customers, but is limiting new orders.

“We are managing distribution to make sure we continue to fully meet our existing supply commitments,” Weiss said. “Our number one priority is to honor the commitments we have to our current customers and allocation allows us to achieve this.”

Leslie Pott, spokeswoman for Sandoz, said there is a “significant demand uptake”

“The combination in rapid succession of the pandemic impact and consequent demand swings, manufacturing capacity constraints, scarcity of raw materials, and the current energy crisis means we currently face a uniquely difficult situation,” Pott said.

She said Sandoz is on track to “strengthen the supply reliability of our antibiotics currently low in stock.”

Teva didn’t respond to a request for comment.

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Bigshot Yuval Harari – The elite survive, the rest drown

Dr. Yuval Harari is making headlines again with his remarks about humanity as a whole. In his most recent appearance, Harari says “You will have a small elite that’ll makes all the decisions even if it doesn’t benefit the majority of the population…. If bad comes to worse, scientists will be the Noah’s Ark for the elite… leaving the rest to drown.”

Here, watch the video to hear him say it yourself:

World’s First Photonic Chip Fab..

Opens in Beijing next year

Godfree Roberts 27OCT22
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As electricity displaces internal combustion in cars, photonic chips are displacing electronic chips in circuits. The switchover will accelerate when Sintone, a Beijing startup, opens the world’s first photonic chip foundry next year, neatly filling the high end chip gap created by US embargoes.

Technological implications

In an electronic integrated circuit, electron flux passes through electrical components like resistors, inductors, transistors, and capacitors. In a photonic integrated circuit, PIC, photons of light pass through optical components like waveguides, lasers, polarizers, and phase shifters.

PICs are far superior to electronic chips in speed, integration, heat generation, miniaturization, compatibility with existing mass manufacturing processes and cost, being produced entirely with Chinese equipment and IP.

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Market implications

China is already the world’s largest market for PICs, expanding from $800 million in 2017 to $2 billion today. PICs increase bandwidth and data transfer speeds and reduce energy consumption in data centers, cutting cooling costs.

PICs make lab-on-a-chip (LOC) practicable, putting laboratories into doctors’ hands. Amazec Photonics markets a sensor with photonic chips which enables high-resolution temperature sensing, so doctors can measure cardiac output and circulating blood volume from outside the body. EFI’s ‘OptiGrip’ offers greater control over tissue feeling for minimal invasive surgery.

PICs facilitate communication between vehicles and urban infrastructure to improve driver safety, and can detect quantities of pressure, temperature, vibration, acceleration, and mechanical strain. PhotonFirst uses PICs to measure shape changes in airplanes, EV battery temperature, and infrastructure strain.

PICs can measure variables beyond the range of our senses, detecting disease, ripeness and nutrients in fruit and helping farmers determine soil quality, plant growth, and CO2. MantiSpectra’s infrared sensor fits into a smartphone and analyzes chemical compounds in plastics.

Financial implications

While US hawks insist the collateral damage is worth bearing, the sweeping expansion of US export restrictions, intended to isolate China, risks decimating US firms.

Nvidia, unable to sell its advanced AI chips to China, saw its market capitalization fall by $38 billion. AMD’s fell $16.5 billion. The combined market value of Applied Materials, Lam Research and KLA Corp, US makers of electronic semiconductor equipment – has fallen $25 billion since the bans were announced. Synopsys and Cadence, US designers of electronic design automation software, are now worth $9 billion less.

Geopolitical implications

After President Xi’s 2015 warning about dependence on foreign technology, Beijing invested billions to leapfrog existing IP, including overcoming PIC manufacturing challenges. If the new fab opens on time and the chips perform as expected, it will further reduce the value of American IP (and the geopolitical value of TSMC) and turn the embargoes into a trillion-dollar catastrophe, like Ukraine.

1. One Day or Day One, you decide.

2. Maturity is when you treat your birthday as a normal day.

3. Dream until it’s your reality.

4. No response is a response and it’s a powerful one.

5. Sunsets are proof that endings can be beautiful.

6. Hope, but never expect. Look forward, but never wait.

7. It may be a bad day, but never bad life.

8. Don’t make permanent decisions on temporary emotions.

9. Not all storms come to disrupt your life, some come to clear your path.

10. Enjoy little things. Little things make big things happen.

At least 1,400 US-based ethnic Chinese scientists exited American institutions for mainland China, study reveals

At least 1,400 US-based ethnic Chinese scientists switched their affiliation last year from American to Chinese institutions, according to a joint report by academics from Harvard, Princeton and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.

The high number illustrates a “chilling effect” resulting from US government policies deterring research and academic activity by scientists of Chinese descent and suggests American research could suffer, said the Asian American Scholar Forum, an advocacy group that published the findings.

“We see an increase in that trend,” said Yu Xie, a sociology professor at Princeton University as he presented the report at a webinar on Monday. He added that the US had been “losing talent to China for a while and particularly after the China Initiative”.

The China Initiative, launched in 2018 by the administration of former US president Donald Trump, aimed to fight suspected Chinese theft of technical secrets and intellectual property as competition between the two countries intensified.

While the administration of US President Joe Biden formally ended the programme this year amid concerns over racial bias and a culture of fear, it still exacted a lingering toll on Chinese-descent scientists, according to the report.

“Our study reveals the widespread fear among Chinese-origin scientists in the US arising from conducting routine research and academic activities,” Xie and his four fellow authors from the three US universities concluded.

“If this fear is not alleviated, there are significant risks of an underutilisation of scientific talent as well as losing scientific talent to China and other countries,” they added.

Blinken: US must not ‘lose sight of cooperative aspect’ of China relationship

The data collected by the authors indicated that 1,415 scientists of Chinese origin, as identified by their last names, had changed their professional affiliations. These changes were identified in addresses listed under the scientists’ names in academic journals. They worked in engineering, computer science, mathematics, physical sciences and life sciences.

The figure marked a 21.7 per cent jump from the previous year, and is more than twice the number of switched affiliations compared with 2011.

Since the launch of the China Initiative, critics said Chinese scientists in the US, including Chinese-Americans, felt they were being racially profiled and pressured to shut down joint projects and avoid future collaboration with Chinese counterparts.

A poll last year by researchers at the University of Arizona and the Committee of 100, a non-partisan organisation of prominent Chinese-Americans, found 40 per cent of scientists who are ethnic Chinese considered leaving the US due to a fear of American government surveillance.

A similar sentiment was reflected in the AASF report, which surveyed 1,300 “Chinese-origin scientists” employed by US universities in tenure or tenure-track positions between last December and March this year. Of these, 54.4 per cent were naturalised American citizens and another 36.8 per cent were US permanent residents.

The report found that 61 per cent of the scientists, especially young researchers, felt pressure to leave the US, and 65 per cent expressed concern about their collaborations with China. About 45 per cent of the respondents said they were avoiding applying for US federal grants.

Christina Ciocca Eller of the White House’s Office of Science and Technology Policy said the US government’s policies had a direct impact on well-being in the research ecosystem in both “beneficial” and “difficult” ways. Ciocca Eller said the Biden administration would keep striving to protect research security and improve policies.

“We have to take research security challenges with care … especially if we want to facilitate the trust and openness that is at the heart of the American research enterprise,” she explained at the webinar.

‘People decoupling’: China’s talent tussle as red tape, US tensions clog flow

Ciocca Eller said her office, which develops and implements research security policies for the Biden administration, was now trying to standardise and be more transparent when it came to research applications for federal funding.

“If our policies to address the challenges posed in relation to research security diverge from our core values or fuel xenophobia or prejudice of any kind, then we will significantly diminish our ability to attract and retain scientific talent or to facilitate productive international collaboration,” she added.

The China Initiative was formulated as part of the Trump administration’s response to Beijing’s Thousand Talents Plan, set up in 2008 to attract foreign talent as part of the central government’s strategy “for foreign technology acquisition”.

There were 77 cases and more than 150 defendants prosecuted under the China Initiative over three years, according to MIT Technology Review’s analysis in December 2021.

The FBI said in January some 2,000 investigations focused on the Chinese government stealing information and technology, but it did not specify how many of these came under the China Initiative.

Meanwhile, US universities appeared to have reacted differently when their employees were indicted, with some quickly firing professors and distancing themselves, while others openly supported their staff during the prosecutions.

Tobin Smith, senior vice-president for science policy and global affairs at the Association of American Universities, said some institutions were confused about rules on federal grants.

He believed there needed to be across-the-board collaboration between the government and different levels at universities ranging from the leadership to their faculties.

US expert on China aims to ‘crack open’ echo chambers, renew relations

“Let’s face it, there have certainly been government policies in the China Initiative which I think have created perhaps some of these challenges and concerns … but as universities, we need to get it right too,” said Smith, whose organisation represents 65 research universities in the US and Canada.

He called for better collaboration between universities and government “when there are issues of concern about disclosure” to set punishment appropriate to the crime.

“We want to work with the Asian American Scholars Forum, other Asian-American groups [and] OSTP federal research agencies to work on getting this right because we need to protect and ensure that we continue to attract that talent, which is proven so valuable to our universities and the research we do as a country,” Smith said.

A great video.

https://youtu.be/YcMnTNtBYbA

Sir A Conan Doyle: Holmes: Curious: the fact that the dog did not bark when you would expect it so to do.

Western media is full of speculation whether, or not, we stand at the cusp of WW3. Actually, we are already there. The long war never stopped. In the wake of America’s 2008 Financial Crisis, the U.S. needed to reinforce its economy’s collateral resource base. For the Straussian current (the neocon hawks if you prefer), Russia’s then post-Cold War weakness was ‘opportunity’ to open a new war front. The U.S. hawks wanted to kill two birds with one stone: to pillage Russia’s valuable resources to reinforce their own economy and to fracture Russia into a kaleidoscope of parts.

For the Straussians, the Cold War too never ended. The world remains binary – ‘us and them, good and evil’.

But the neoliberal pillage ultimately didn’t succeed – to the lasting chagrin of the Straussians. Since 2014 at least, (according to one senior Russian official), the Great Game has moved towards the attempt by the U.S. to control the flows and corridors of energy – and to set its price. And, on the other side, on Russia’s counter-measures to create fluid and dynamic transit networks through pipelines and Asian internal waterways – and to set the price of energy. (Now via OPEC+)

So, Putin holding the Ukraine referenda; mobilising Russian military forces; and reminding the world that he is open to talks, clearly ‘ups the ante’. Should the NATO-led Ukrainians push into these areas after next week, it will constitute a direct attack on Russian soil. This retaliation threat is backed up by the mobilisation of massive military deployments.

Then, the Nordstream pipelines were blown up. Put simply, this is a high-stakes game of chicken playing out centred around energy – and against the relative strengths and weaknesses of the western economy and the Russian economy. Biden releases 1 million per day from strategic reserves and OPEC+ seems set to cut by 1.5 million barrels per day.

On the one hand, the U.S. is a large resource-rich economy, but Europe isn’t and is much more dependent on imports of food and energy. And with the final bursting of the QE bubble, it is not clear that Central Bank intervention which created the $30+ trillion QE bubble will be able to provide a solution. Inflation changes the calculus. A return to QE becomes highly problematic in an inflationary environment.

One prescient financial commentator noted: “Bubbles bursting are not just about inflated prices falling, they’re about the recognition that an entire way of thinking was wrong”. Put simply, did the Straussians adequately think through their recent exaltation of the pipeline disruption? Blinken has just called the Nordstream sabotage and Europe’s consequent energy deficit a “tremendous opportunity” for the U.S.. Curiously, the sabotage coincided with reports suggesting that secret talks were afoot between Germany and Russia to resolve all Nordstream issues and to restart supply.

But what if the resultant crisis crashes the political structures in Europe? What if the U.S. turns out not to be immune to the type of financial leverage crisis facing the UK? Team Biden and the EU plainly did not think through the rush to sanctioning Russia. They did think through either, the consequences of their European ally losing Russia.

These ‘fin-war’ elements will likely become more a focus of attention than battlefield wins or reverses in Ukraine (where the rainy season has already begun), and it will not be until early November that the ground will freeze hard. The conflict is heading to a pause, just as the western attention span for the Ukraine war seems to be fading somewhat.

However, what is ‘curious’ for so many, is the eerie silence emanating out of Europe in the wake of their vital energy pipelines lying broken on the Baltic Sea floor at a time of financial crisis. This is the ‘dog’ that did not bark in the night – when you would expect it so to do. Hardly a word, or murmur, is to be heard about this matter in the European press – and nothing from Germany … It as if it never happened. Yet of course the Euro-élite know ‘who did it’.

To understand this paradox, we must look at the interplay of the three principal dynamics at work in Europe. Each thinks of theirs as ‘a winning hand’; the ‘be all, and end all’ of the future. But in reality, these two currents are but ‘useful tools’ in the eyes of those who ‘pull the levers’ and ‘sound the whistles’ – i.e. control the psyops from behind the curtain.

Furthermore, there is a sharp disparity of motives. For the Straussians, behind the curtain, they are at war – existential war to maintain their primacy. The second two currents are utopian projects which have shown themselves to be easily manipulated.

The ‘Straussians’ are the followers of Leo Strauss, the leading neo-con theorist. Many are former Trotskyists who morphed over, from Left to Right (call them Neocon ‘hawks’ if you prefer). Their message is a very simple doctrine about the maintenance of power: ‘Never let it slip’; block any rival from emerging; do whatever it takes.

Leading Straussian, Paul Wolfowitz, wrote this simple doctrine of ‘destroy any emergent rivals before they destroy you’ into the U.S. 1992 official Defence Planning Document – adding to it that Europe and Japan particularly were to be ‘discouraged’ from questioning U.S. global primacy. This skeleton doctrine, though re-packaged in subsequent Clinton, Bush and Obama administrations, continued with its essence unchanged.

And, since the message – ‘block any rival’ – is so direct and compelling, the Straussians flit easily from U.S. political party to party. They have too their ‘useful’ auxiliaries deeply burrowed within the U.S.’ élite class, and institutions of state power. The oldest and most trusty of these auxiliary forces however, is the Anglo-American intelligence and security alliance.

The ‘Straussians’ prefer to scheme from ‘behind the curtain’ and in certain U.S. think-tanks. They move with the times, ‘camping on’, yet never assimilating into whatever prevalent cultural trends are ‘out there’. Their alliances always remain temporary, opportunistic. They use these contemporary impulses primarily to craft fresh justifications for American exceptionalism.

The first such important impulse in the current reframing is liberal-woke, activist-driven, social justice-oriented identity politics. Why wokeism? Why should woke be of interest to the CIA and MI6? Because it is revolutionary. Identity politics was evolved during the French Revolution to upend the status quo; to overthrow its pantheon of hero-models, and to displace the existing élite and rotate a ‘new class’ into power. This definitely excites the interest of Straussians.

Biden likes to tout the exceptionalism of ‘our democracy’. Of course, Biden refers here, not to generic democracy in the wider meaning, but to America’s liberal-woke re-justification for global hegemony (defined as “our democracy”). “We have an obligation, a duty, a responsibility to defend, preserve, and protect ‘our democracy’…It is under threat”, he has said.

The second key dynamic – the Green Transition – is one that co-habits under the Biden Administration umbrella, together with the very radical and distinct philosophy of Silicon Valley – an eugenist and trans-human view that aligns in some respects with that of the ‘Davos’ crowd, as well as with the straight-forward Climate Emergency activists.

Just to be clear, these two distinct, but companion piece dynamics to ‘our democracy’, crossed the Atlantic to burrow deeply into the Brussels leadership class. And, put simply, the Euro-Version of liberal-woke activism keeps intact the Straussian doctrine of U.S. and western exceptionalism – together with its’ insistence that ‘enemies’ be portrayed in the most extreme Manichaean terms.

The aim of Manicheanism (since Carl Schmitt first made the point) is to foreclose on any mediation with rivals by portraying them as sufficiently ‘evil’ that discourse with them become pointless and morally defective.

The transition of liberal-woke politics across the Atlantic should come as no surprise. The EU’s regulation ‘trussed’ internal market was precisely devised to displace political debate with tech managerialism. But the very sterility of econ-tech discourse birthed the so-called ‘democracy gap’. With the latter becoming evermore the Union’s unmissable lacuna.

The Euro-élites thus were in desperate need of a Values System to fill the gap. So, they leaped onto the liberal-woke ‘train’. Drawing on this, and the Club of Rome’s ‘messianism’ for de-industrialisation, gave to the Euro-élites their shiny new sect of absolute purity, a Green Future, and stainless ‘European Values’ filling the democracy-gap lacuna.

Effectively, these latter two currents – identity politics and the Green Agenda – were and are very much in the lead within the EU with the Straussians standing behind the curtain, pulling the Intelligence-Security axis lever.

The new zealots were deeply entrenched into Europe’s élite class by the 1990s, particularly in the wake of Tony Blair’s importation of the Clinton worldview and were ready to cast down the Pantheon of the old order, so to establish a new ‘de-industrialised’ Green world that would wash away the western sins of racism, patriarchy, and heteronormativity.

It culminated in the mounting of ‘a revolutionary vanguard’, whose proselytizing fury is directed both at ‘the Other’ (which serendipitously happens to be America’s rivals), as well as towards those at home (whether in the U.S. or Europe) who are defined as extremists threatening ‘our (liberal) democracy’; or, the imperative need for a ‘Green Revolution’.

Here is the point: At the tip of the European ‘spear’ reside the Green zealots— particularly the truly revolutionary German, Green Party. They hold the leadership in Germany and are at the helm at the EU Commission. It is Green zealotry fused to ‘ruining Russia’ – an intoxicating mix.

The German Greens see themselves as legionaries in this new Trans-Atlantic imperial ‘army’, pulling down literally the pillars of European industrial society, redeeming its smoking ruins, and its unpayable debts, through a digitised financial system and a ‘renewables’ economic future.

And then, with Russia weakened sufficiently, and with Putin effected, the vultures would prey at the Russian carcass for resources – precisely as occurred in the 1990s.

But they forgot … They forgot that Straussians don’t have permanent ‘friends’: U.S. primacy always trumps the interests of allies.

What can the European Green zealots say? They wanted anyway to throw down the pillars of industrialised society. Well, they got it. The Nordstream ‘escape route’ out from economic catastrophe has gone. There is nothing else, but to mumble unconvincingly: ‘Putin did it’. And to contemplate the ruin of Europa and what that may mean.

What next? The hawks likely will now play their next hand in the high stakes game of WW3 ‘chicken’. The soaring dollar is one vector. The question is who holds the stronger cards? The West believes it holds the Ukraine card. Russia believes it has ace economic cards of food, energy, and resource security – and has a stable economy. Ukraine represents an entirely different battlespace: the long term Straussian ambition to strip Russia of its historic ‘safety belt’ that began in the wake of the Cold War with the fragmentation of the Soviet Union.

Much will depend on the fall-out from the Bubble burst. As that one commentator put it: “The moment has come for central bankers to tighten and to unwind their various market distortions: The impact has already been catastrophic,” said Lindsay Politi, a Fund manager. “And central banks aren’t done yet. Inflation changes the calculus: Many central banks simply don’t have the option of returning to QE anymore”.

Large explosion in Taiwan’s CPC Dalin oil refinery, no injuries

HONG KONG, Oct 28 (Reuters) – An explosion hit Taiwan’s state-backed CPC Dalin Refinery in the southern city of Kaohsiung on Thursday night, videos and images from the Fire Department showed with heavy fire seen above the plant, officials said, adding nobody was hurt in the incident.

Fire was seen raging above the plant and thick smoke billowed into the sky above for more than an hour, according to an online video posted on Youtube. Residents from several kilometres away were able to view the explosion.

The fire broke out at 10.35 p.m. local time (1435 GMT) in Siaogang district. The city’s fire department said flames were put out early on Friday and no one was injured or trapped as per an initial investigation.

Ominous: All U.S. Military Aircraft Transponders: OFF

A strange thing is taking place early Monday morning.  All United States military aircraft have turned their transponders off.  The planes can no longer be tracked by civilian entities or  via the Internet.

Even more ominous, word is coming out of several regional airports around the US, especially several near US nuclear missile bases, that fighter and other military aircraft are being quietly moved to those Regional airports, with no explanation.

One possibility is that the US is moving the aircraft to put them away from likely nuclear attack targets, such as air bases.  This would – in theory – allow some of the US military aircraft to survive a nuclear first strike.  It’s almost the same as when the military moves planes or ships to avoid a coming hurricane.

Page Regional Airport in North Dakota is one such air field where military aircraft are said to be re-positioned.   Page is about 219 miles from Minot Air Force Base, a nuclear weapons base.

Word came late last week that a very unusual and large number of military aircraft were seen flying into that airport.   At 219 miles away from Minot, the aircraft sent to Page would likely survive a nuclear attack against Minot itself.

Questions being raised today about military planes with no transponders, include folks asking, are ALL military planes now being physically re-positioned?  If so, why?

Does the U.S. expect an incoming nuclear strike?   Or is the U.S. planning a nuclear first strike against Russia, and is therefore moving its planes in anticipation of a return strike?

No answers.

It is disheartening to read news out of the United States today

It is disheartening to read news out of the United States today. But, I know from my business dealings that businesses out of America are more keen than ever to work with China. What is the disconnect?

What I am seeing is a two caste system in the United States.

The ruled people; who own and operate businesses, and a ruling class who are crazy, delusional and on drugs with utopian ideological visions that have no basis on reality.

...I ask this because of the stubborn adherence to outdated (meaningless words). Because these guys claim they are "Communists"; the power of what they realize and what they say is down the drain.

"Oh that is just communist babble."

What the heck is communism?? I have asked that many times to this group. As far as I can see it is a theory or a fantasy that has never existed. Even all Soviet leaders stated clearly that "our system is just socialism - - - eventually leading to the true communism - - - ".

To western billionaires and all their main stream media, Communists are those evil people that we must kill by any and all means available. Any form of infiltration or terrorism is fair game when killing "COMMUNISTS". Any amount of budget is worth it, or don't even use a budget; we'll wink at every form of black money. It is what runs the world since 1917.

It is a lame word, meaning that the word does more damage than it communicates good intent. It is only for the "in-crowd".
Why not make up new terminology. But not:

Socialism with Chinese Characteristics, or
Communism with Chinese Characteristics, or
Marxism with Chinese Characteristics, (for a new era).

Don't you have any words of your own? Why use the western words, honed to pierce your heart? And attempt to express your highest motivations with them?

And what is "Capitalism"? I call it the "Cult of Absentee Ownership". In other words, "I" get to Own ever last thing that you need to survive; I own your house, your job, your bank, your insurance, your hospitals, your doctors, your minerals and energy facilities, your farms, your food producers, all distribution of any goods, your refineries, your gas stations, your streets and toll ways, your electric transmission lines, your water systems, your sewer connections, your schools, your teachers, your parks and recreation, your entertainment, your Internet connection, your telephone service, all supplies of clothing, I own your closet.

Wake Up; ass hole. It is all mine, and the first thing when you wake up each morning, you MUST PAY ME, to live.

Why? Because I have my thumb on your neck, and it is going to stay that way. This is glorious FREEDOM and DEMOCRACY, (which I forgot to add, I own your democracy).

The United States today is a pile of oil-soaked shit, on fire,  and the “elected officials” are Hell-bent on spraying kerosene on it.

This crazy mix is not going to do the world any good, and WILL result in a great deal of hardship for Americans.

The Forbidden Thought

The dominating systems of our world require us to feel weak, afraid, and insufficient. They couldn’t continue if most of us didn’t feel that way. And so the friends and operators of these systems must oppose the opposite assumption: That we are not inadequate.

I’ve watched popular culture for a lot of years, and I can tell you that since the 1970s, one concept, above all, has been forbidden in intellectual circles: Man as a glorious creature.

If you’d like to prove that to yourself, say a few things like these at a cocktail party:

  • Western civilization has accomplished so many good things that it’s mind-blowing.
  • Most people are basically decent and don’t need to be controlled.
  • I see so much goodness in humanity.
  • Humanity is ascending toward the gods (or heaven, or whatever).

Then, if you’d really like to see a reaction:

  • The human race is magnificent.

The responses you get should be educational.

Why This Thought Is Hated

One reason why people respond so violently to this idea is simply self-defense: At this point, nearly every adult has built his or her world around the belief that people are bad: They’ve taught it to their children, showed their enlightenment by stating such things at parties and so on. To admit the opposite wouldn’t just be to admit they were wrong; it would tear down their infrastructure of meaning and status. Few people have the courage for such things.

Another reason is simply that they fear being shamed. People who say such heretical things are quickly ridiculed by holders of status. That’s tyrannical, of course, but it’s all too easy to stay inside the conspiracy of compliance. It’s dangerous, even if heroic, to defy powerful people.

Buckminster Fuller described the institutional necessity of inadequacy back in 1981:

There’s a built-in resistance to letting humanity be a success. Each one claims that their system is the best one for coping with inadequacy.

In other words, the dominance hierarchies running things all claim that theirs is the right way to fix human inadequacy. So, if you claim that humans are adequate, you’re also saying that those systems aren’t necessary… and ruling systems don’t like to be called unnecessary.

Promoting Darkness Is a Big Business

It’s also the case that the promotion of darkness is a huge business. News channels are little more than fear delivery systems, but they are a major business. Social media is considerably worse, and it delivers darkness in your own, internal voice.

And, obviously, advertisers need you to feel insecure. Ads that don’t make you feel insecure, inadequate or guilty don’t pull nearly as well as those which do. That’s just a human weakness that’s being scientifically exploited.

It can be interesting to see how all of this appears to outsiders. Back in the 1950s, the new president of Indonesia, Sukarno, visited the US and had this to say:

I find only one fault with Americans. They’re too full of fear. Afraid of B.O. Afraid of bad breath. They’re haunted by the fear that they’ll never get rid of dandruff. This state of mind I cannot understand.

And we shouldn’t understand it either. We are magnificent creatures… the only creatures in the known universe who create willfully and seemingly without limit. We’ve eradicated diseases, learned to feed billions of people, created machines that move us across the ground tremendous distances safely and reliably, created machines that fly us around the world and at incredible speed; we’ve harnessed the information stores of humanity and made them available to anyone, almost for free and almost anywhere.

None of that is arguable, and yet we still think we’re just a step above refuse.

Take An Honest Look

Turn off the TV, turn off your cell phone. Walk through a park for a while to let the stream of negativity subside a bit. Then take a fresh look around.

Yes, some dark things can still be found, but you’ll see most people simply going about their business: working, cooking, shopping, tending to children, driving their cars. They do these things well, or at least well enough, nearly all the time. Shouldn’t they get credit for that?

We are improving, unfolding, evolving creatures. Yes, much improvement remains, but we are moving in that direction.

And consider this, please: The sea of negativity that surrounds us is an anti-evolutionary poison. It serves stasis and sacrifice-collecting. It does not serve progress.

I’ll close with another quote (slightly edited) from Bucky Fuller:

I decided man was operating on a fundamental fallacy: that he was supposed to be a failure. I decided that man was, in fact, designed to be an extraordinary success. His characteristics were magnificent.

We are not inadequate, we’ve just been made to think so.

**

Paul Rosenberg

From Dusk Till Dawn: The bar is full of vampires

Russia Destroys Satellite Uplink Station outside Odessa, Ukraine – all NATO Gear inside

Russia has destroyed the Satellite Uplink Earth-station of the communications center of Ukraine.

To destroy it, a special operation was organized by the Russian Army. After first pinpointing its location, it was hit using high-precision weapons.

The destruction of this earth station – at least for the time being – has totally shut down Ukraine’s secure government communications network, and has stopped the flow of NATO intelligence to Ukraine’s government distribution network. Military planners are no longer able to get real-time intelligence via space satellite communications with NATO!

This creates extremely serious problems for the Ukrainian government to organize operations and secure communications.

“In the area of ​​Palievka settlement, Odesa region, the communications space station of the Government Communications Center of Ukraine was destroyed, ” the Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation said during a routine briefing.

According to the Russians, “ the consequences of the impact will be seen after the last pass by the Sentinel-2 and WorldView spacecraft.

Intelligence community information is that the earth station was fully outfitted with NATO secure communications gear, and all NATO targeting data passed to the Kiev regime through this center. Its destruction is a massive blow to the Ukrainians.

We Were Soldiers – The Final Battle Scene

Chip war policy hurting US firms more than China

New Commerce Department chip and equipment bans against China are hitting US semiconductor company shares hardest
.

On October 7, the US Department of Commerce expanded licensing requirements for exports of advanced semiconductors and the equipment that’s used to make them to cover all shipments to China and not just shipments to particular companies.

The share prices of companies expected to be affected had already dropped, discounting previously announced sanctions and the downturn in the semiconductor cycle that was already underway.

From their 52-week highs to recent 52-week lows:

  • Intel (INTC) was down 56%;
  • Micron (MU) was down 50%;
  • Nvidia (NVDA) was down 69% (its products having been directly targeted by the Biden administration); and
  • AMD (AMD) (also directly targeted) was down 67%.

Among US semiconductor equipment companies:

  • Applied Materials (AMAT) was down 57%;
  • Lam Research (LRCX) was down 59%; and
  • KLA (KLAC) was down 45%.

Outside the United States, ASML (ASML) of the Netherlands was down 59% from 52-week high to 52-week low. Japanese equipment makers Tokyo Electron (TYO 8035) and Screen Holdings (TYO 7735) were down 50% and 44%, respectively.

Japanese semiconductor makers Renesas (TYO 5723) and Rohm (TYO 6963) were down only 27% and 28%, but they focus on automotive and industrial semiconductors, not the artificial intelligence and high-performance computing devices that obsess the Biden administration. Their 52-week lows were last March.

SMIC (HKG 0981), China’s top IC foundry, was down 40% while TSMC (TPE 2330) was down 43% – a relatively strong performance under the circumstances.

In terms of share price performance and investor returns, American companies and ASML have been hit harder than the Chinese. That might seem ironic considering the measures target China, but it is the market’s discounting mechanism at work.

US government policy is aggravating what was already shaping up to be a severe industry downturn – and friendly fire is a real problem.

On its earnings call on October 13, TSMC announced that it had decided to reduce 2022 capital spending to US$36 billion from about $40 billion due to falling global demand for semiconductors and rising costs.

Management had planned to spend $40 billion to $44 billion this year but said in July that actual spending would be at the bottom of that range. Compared with the $30 billion spent in 2021, projected growth has dropped from a maximum of 47% to 33% and is now 20%.

Mitigating factors for TSMC include a one-year authorization from the US government to continue with the expansion of its facilities in Nanjing and the possibility of a rebound in demand when China’s Covid restrictions are loosened. But TSMC CEO C C Wei also told the media that “We expect probably in 2023 the semiconductor industry will likely decline.”

At the end of September – when announcing results for its fiscal year 2022, which ended on September 1 – US memory chip maker Micron told investors that the company’s capital spending would be cut by a third, from $12 billion to about $8 billion, in the year ahead.

Construction spending should more than double, “to support demand for” the second half of the decade, “but spending on wafer fab production equipment is likely to decline by nearly 50% due to “a much slower ramp of our 1-beta DRAM and 232 layer NAND [the company’s newest and most advanced products] versus prior expectations.”

Furthermore, “To immediately address our inventory situation and reduce supply growth, we are selectively reducing utilization in both DRAM and NAND.” Reports from Micron and its South Korean and Japanese competitors indicate that memory chip production has been cut by about 30%.

Samsung’s approach to capital spending is similar to Micron’s. Its “shell first” strategy is to build clean rooms first so it can install equipment flexibly and rapidly when the time comes. On October 4, Samsung announced plans to launch a 2-nanometer foundry process (matching TSMC) by 2025 and a 1.4-nanometer process by 2027.

As the global economy weakens and US high-end decoupling from China accelerates, the outlook for semiconductor capital spending continues to deteriorate. Last March, market research organization IC Insights forecast a 23.5% increase to $190 billion in calendar 2022.

That industry capital spending figure was reduced to $185.5 billion in August but the announcements from TSMC and Micron point to a sharper decline. Handel Jones, CEO of American consulting firm International Business Strategies, estimates the figure at $160 billion, an increase of only 4% over last year’s $153.9 billion.

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IC Insights itself qualified its August forecast, writing that “a menacing cloud of uncertainty looms on the horizon. Soaring inflation and a rapidly decelerating worldwide economy caused semiconductor manufacturers to re-evaluate their aggressive expansion plans at the midpoint of the year. Several (but not all) suppliers – particularly many leading DRAM and flash memory manufacturers – have already announced reductions in their capex budgets for this year.

“Many more suppliers have noted that capital spending cuts are expected in 2023 as the industry digests three years of robust spending and evaluates capacity needs in the face of slowing economic growth.”

When the dot.com bubble burst in 2000, semiconductor capital spending dropped 55% in two years. The Lehman Shock triggered a 57% decline, also over two years. Now, capital expenditure is dropping back from an all-time record high, suggesting a decline of similar magnitude and perhaps duration.

On October 12, The Wall Street Journal reported that US equipment makers including KLA and Lam Research have halted installation and support of equipment at China’s Yangtze Memory Technologies Co (YMTC) while assessing the new US Commerce Department rules. The share price of Japanese NAND flash memory maker Toshiba (TYO 6502), which competes with YMTC, jumped 10% on the news.

YMTC’s NAND flash memory is good enough for Apple and there is no evidence that its technology was stolen, so this can be considered an escalation of US policy from the punishment of bad actors to an all-out attempt to stifle Chinese artificial intelligence (AI) and high-performance computing and thus roll back the development of China’s economy.

Commencing immediately, the withdrawal of American support staff will crimp Chinese semiconductor production.

In addition, a new Commerce Department regulation that “restricts the ability of US persons to support the development, or production, of ICs at certain PRC-located semiconductor fabrication ‘facilities’ without a license” is already disrupting the operations of Chinese companies.

By forcing numerous executives and engineers of Chinese extraction to choose sides, it brings decoupling down to the personal level.

Data from Tokyo Electron show the company’s total sales of semiconductor production equipment up 2.6 times in the five years to March 2022 (the company’s fiscal year ends in March). The increase was led by a 5.7x increase in China, which grew from 12% to 26% of total sales.

In the two years to March 2022 alone, sales in China increased by 2.7x. That suggests that the Chinese semiconductor industry has purchased enough equipment to see it through the next two or three years, at least.

Tokyo Electron’s performance in other regional markets was not exceptional. Sales were up 2.7x in Korea, 2.6x in the US, 2.5x in Japan, 1.8x in Europe, 1.6x in Taiwan (which started at a high level), and 2.1x in Southeast Asia and other regions.

As Japan’s largest and the world’s third-largest maker of semiconductor production equipment, with a diversified product portfolio, Tokyo Electron is representative of the industry as a whole.

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Source: data from Tokyo Electron

The Chinese can no longer rely on US equipment suppliers and European and Japanese suppliers must follow US rules if their products incorporate US technology, so China will step up its import substitution campaign.

Sanctions on China have already caused large losses for American semiconductor and equipment companies, and more are probably on the way. Furthermore, in the next up-cycle, the China opportunity for foreign suppliers is likely to be much diminished.

Four rooms funny scene – japanese subtitle

Biden Is Now All-In on Taking Out China

The U.S. president has committed to rapid decoupling, whatever the consequences.

By , a senior fellow in the Technology and International Affairs Program at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace.
.

The United States has waged low-grade economic warfare against China for at least four years now—firing volley after volley of tariffs, export controls, investment blocks, visa limits, and much more. But Washington’s endgame for this conflict has always been hazy. Does it seek to compel specific changes in Beijing’s behavior, or challenge the Chinese system itself? To protect core security interests, or retain hegemony by any means? To strengthen America, or hobble its chief rival? Donald Trump’s scattershot regulation and erratic public statements offered little clarity to allies, adversaries, and companies around the world. Joe Biden’s actions have been more systematic, but long-term U.S. goals have remained hidden beneath bureaucratic opacity and cautious platitudes.

Last Friday, however, a dense regulatory filing from a little-known federal agency gave the strongest hint yet of U.S. intentions. The Bureau of Industry and Security (BIS) announced new extraterritorial limits on the export to China of advanced semiconductors, chip-making equipment, and supercomputer components. The controls, more so than any earlier U.S. action, reveal a single-minded focus on thwarting Chinese capabilities at a broad and fundamental level. Although framed as a national security measure, the primary damage to China will be economic, on a scale well out of proportion to Washington’s cited military and intelligence concerns. The U.S. government imposed the new rules after limited consultation with partner countries and companies, proving that its quest to hobble China ranks well above concerns about the diplomatic or economic repercussions.

In short, America’s restrictionists—zero-sum thinkers who urgently want to accelerate technological decoupling—have won the strategy debate inside the Biden administration. More cautious voices—technocrats and centrists who advocate incremental curbs on select aspects of China’s tech ties—have lost. This shift portends even harsher U.S. measures to come, not only in advanced computing but also in other sectors (like biotech, manufacturing, and finance) deemed strategic. The pace and details are uncertain, but the strategic objective and political commitment are now clearer than ever. China’s technological rise will be slowed at any price.

To understand the strategy behind these new controls, it helps to look at what preceded them. A multitude of U.S. measures have limited the flow of technology to and from China in recent years. Chief among these is the Entity List, which bars designated firms from importing U.S. goods without a license. The number of unique Chinese companies on this list quadrupled, from 130 to 532, between 2018 and 2022. Leading Chinese chip companies, supercomputing organizations, and software and hardware vendors have all landed on the list. Even so, BIS exercised its discretion to license large amounts of nonsensitive exports to listed companies.

Read the rest HERE
.

Funniest TV Show Ever!!

There are three possible scenarios;

[1] A draw. 55% chance.

A status quo is maintained. A polarized world results. A West and an East, and trade between them ends.

This is the “Cold War 2” scenario, and it appears that the world is approaching this situation. The length of duration is unknown.

What is known is that, historically, the cold war will end when one of the major nations undergoes domestic collapse. Then after that collapse, the cold war ends, and a new geopolitical reality takes hold.

The nation that survives is the nation with [1.1] high popularity of it’s government and leaders, that has [1.2] a large manufacturing base, that [1.3] has a strong network of geopolitical strengths, and [1.4] friends, and one that has [1.5] access to energy and [1.6] raw materials. As well as a [1.7] strong currency.

In this scenario, which is highly likely but not guaranteed, we see a decade or longer cold war.

We will see a continued collapse of the United States (and it’s proxy nations) domestically, and an inability to accomplish the simplest basic forms of governance.

There would be great swaths of illness, and death.

The American society would be in complete free-fall, American companies would be in conflict with the desires of the elected, and eventually the discord and turmoil would necessitate a serious change in what the United States is and what it represents.

China, on the other hand, would continue to grow and the growth would accelerate. The “Global South”; home of most of the World’s population, it’s resources, it’s energy and it’s manufacturing would be thriving. While the West; centered by the United States would be approaching mid-18th century level lifestyles.

[2] The USA wins the trade war. <10% chance.

A physical conflict occurs on all levels. The United States destroys China, and in the ruins, carves it up and plunders it. The rest of the world become American proxy nations.

This is the stated goal of both political parties in America, the government, and all the neocon publications. Though the actual words are softer with a great deal of rhetorical fluff.

It is also a fine descriptor for the tone and the pace of all documents out of the White house, and the various American government organs, as well as all of the conservative alternative news outlets.

The problem with this scenario is that it has been constantly tested, revised, tested again, and again, and again. In each and every test, and report, China always wins. The only scenarios that suggest the United States win is when ever Russia is completely destroyed, and reduced to a non-functioning entity, as well as China being isolated with zero support from any other nation.

At this time, because [1] Russia is not collapsed, nor is it in the process of collapsing, and [2] the accuracy of the RAND and War College reports have to be taken at face value, as well as [3] China is not alone, and has a large network of friends globally…

… this scenario appears to be unrealistic, and will probably not occur.

[3] China wins and ends up being dominant in trade. >35% chance

To achieve this scenario, a suppression of the aggressive elements in the United States is necessary. A physical conflict occurs at all levels. Hot hostilities are engaged and implemented by the United States against China in the belief that China is can be effectively suppressed via proxy and other events done in secret.

This scenario clearly shows that the United States mistakes “being peaceful” with “being a pacifist”.

China, a nation with over 6000 years of continuous warfare, takes preemptive action.

Large munitions, of new and novel type, are detonated within the United States geographical land mass. This aggravates an already unstable domestic situation.

China wins and allows the domestic problems internal to the United States to eat it alive. A new world order ensues, and it is modeled by the SEO model. The United States is broken apart into smaller nations. The United States becomes a footnote in the history books.

Contrary to what everyone in the United States believes, Russia and China are joined at the hip as in one brand new nation.

To fight China is to fight the entire SEO.

America doesn’t have the skill, the resources, the energy, the cred, the talent, the knowledge, the desire and the ambitions to accomplish such an enormous undertaking.

Summary

Everyone has opinions, and we all form our opinions based upon our experiences. You all must take note that the nations involved in this situation have better intelligence of what is actually going on rather than what is presented to the public. And because of that, they will act accordingly.

It is precisely this reason, why I have presented the percentage likelihood of scenario manifestation above. Cold war draw at 55% probability.

One last point…

When the CIA remote viewed the year 2025, from their offices in 2008, it was NOT the cold war draw that manifested.

Instead, scenario #3 was that they observed.

The US will collapse because of that. China will feel some mosquito bite for a few days and move on.

What the US did is to push away China’s friendliness and generous overtures to share a loaf of bread. China maturely thought to itself, if China does everything the US will have nothing to live on. Hence it allows room for the US to get a cut so to speak.

But the US, is so full of it fought that China will be cut off and stranded without key technology. Fat hopes. In 3 years China will match them, in 5 years China will be ahead. In 10 years the US will be sitting on a white elephant obsolete technology.

China has the market, the US don’t, China is sitting in Asia and East Asia, the most humongous market. US is straddle between Carribbean, Latin American market and a 30 million Canadian together their market size match a province in China!

The US never learnt, space center, the US cut China out, today it is assembling the most modern and tecnological space center in space, while the white elephant US space center is about to be demolished for good. GPS, China knew the US is unreliable it made a more accurate and higher resolution Beidou, today it commands 2/3 of the world’s market!

Thanks America the fool. You just commited suicide.

Samsung returns back to China!

From Vietnam BACK to China…

https://youtu.be/OYU4FsTHh_I

Cui bono? The Big Picture

by Eric Arthur Blair for the Saker blog

(note: the author is not Russian, knows no Russians and has never been to Russia)

Further to my last “Motive, Means and Opportunity” summary regarding who blew up the Nordstream pipelines (the USA), let us stand back and look at the bigger global picture today. Let us ask “Cui bono?” with regard to the entire Ukrainian debacle.

First of all, we need to be absolutely clear that this insane FUBAR Ukraine situation was 100% concocted, fabricated and engineered by the USA, certainly since the droolin’ Nuland / lamebrained McCain / CIA Maidan coup of 2014, but even dating back before that.

There are few situations in life where one party can be found to be 100% guilty and evil and morally bankrupt, and where the other party is 100% acting in self defence and self preservation.

However history will show that with respect to this Ukraine situation, the USA was 100% the evil aggressor and Russia was 100% acting in self preservation and in defense of civilian Russian speakers in Ukraine.

This is truly a war of good against evil and in case you still haven’t got the message yet, let me repeat: the USA Deep State is EVIL.

This reality is indisputably obvious to any semi-comatose person remotely interested in historical, documented FACTS. For those with any remaining doubts, they need to listen to this comprehensively researched three part podcast summary by a journalist and a military historian (both Anglophones). They actually obtained their information from Western mainstream media sources before those reports and articles mysteriously vanished from the Google search algorithms (or were relegated to 500th priority on the search list) after 24 Feb 2022.

It is unfortunate that the stupid sheeple of the West, probably 99% of the “golden billion”, believe the exact opposite of the Truth, which is testimony to the incredible effectiveness of the relentless lying propaganda pooped out from the AngloEuroZionist mainstream media sewer outlets ever since 24 Feb 2022.

Until the two recent terrorist bombings (Nordstream pipelines and Kerch bridge), Russia had been reacting in a highly restrained manner to the US and US proxy aggravations. The US started provocations many years ago and contemptuously rebuffed multiple opportunities for peaceful settlements. Russia will soon end it. How? With the humiliating defeat of Ukraine for sure, but more widely we will see the economic devastation of Europe (apart from those who buy energy in Rubles – eg Hungary and Turkey) and eventually the destabilization of the USA: perhaps with civil war and revolution in the USA, resulting from its own inevitable economic collapse. The latter two eventualities were never Russia’s intended goal, but will be unintended consequences of the malicious actions of the US and EU themselves, blowback or karma if you like.

So what motivated the USA to provoke Russia to invade Ukraine? What parties hoped to benefit from it (hint: definitely not the US public) and what were the short, medium and long term goals of the US Deep State? Context is everything and we need to view the big picture, which can be found in Andrei Martyanov’s excellent book which was nicely summarized in this review.

In short: US industrial, economic and social decay, all entirely self inflicted over the past several decades, have led to the decline of the USA as a functional society and hence to the impending loss of its unipolar global hegemony. This is a situation that the megalomaniacal “indispensable nation, shining beacon on a hill” ideologues simply cannot accept.

It is vital to understand exactly how this hollowed out mockery of a former empire continues to limp along in a moribund fashion right now, just prior to its complete self-inflicted collapse:

  • Most important is to understand how the US fraudulent “economy” works. The best commentator regarding this is the brilliant Real World Economist* Professor Michael Hudson whose works are too numerous for me to mention https://michael-hudson.com/ In brief, the US economy largely operates as a global blood sucking parasite, by extracting wealth from the rest of the world and by keeping weaker countries under the its jackboot (AKA economic Neocolonialism). The major mechanism for this is the exuberant privilege of the US dollar as the International Reserve Currency, a privilege no other country has.
  • This scam operates in tandem with other mechanisms that were contrived and designed and tweaked and refined to suit the US “rules based order” ever since Bretton-Woods in 1944 (which established the precursors to the World Bank, WTO and IMF, with the simultaneous designation of the USD as IRC), the abandonment of the gold standard in 1971 by Nixon and especially the US creation of the Petrodollar. This was a Godfather type “offer you can’t refuse” that the USA presented to the Middle Eastern Oil producers. It was a protection racket that the Gulf States sequentially signed up to and was completed by 1974. Oil, an essential commodity, could only be bought from the Gulf States in USD, all other currencies were refused. Where could a country get USD from? Why from the USA of course, in exchange for real world products. The Petrodollar enabled the USA to obtain limitless high quality imported products for free by simply electronically “printing” US dollars, quite apart from getting free oil. It was the first class ticket on a gravy train of unimaginable wealth far exceeding the wildest fantasies of the most avaricious, rapacious, greedy robber barons. If the US could get imported goods for free, why bother to fund US domestic industries? Why not offshore their industrial production? So that is exactly what the US did.
  • Petrodollar recycling involved the investment of excess oil profits from the Middle Eastern States in US debt securities / treasury bonds, which further propped up the fiat US dollar, even though the USD had no intrinsic value in itself. The value of the dollar was based entirely on the confidence of those who invested in those US “assets”. It was a confidence trick based on a protection racket. This is what enabled the US to rack up trillions of dollars in debt, backed up by the savings from foreign countries, to fund 800+ US military bases around the world. This is a debt that will never be repaid when this whole Ponzi scheme collapses.
  • All this is coming to an end. The Neocons believe that the only way such US global parasitism can continue to operate is to subjugate the “World Island” ie. Eurasia. To “regime change” Putin and Xi and to ultimately Balkanise the whole of Eurasia, each banana republic to be “led” by a US puppet dictator. This wet dream “strategy” is derived entirely from the well worn CIA playbook. Such actions had been repeatedly inflicted by the US on practically every state of Latin America (the “Monroe doctrine”) and on Global South countries over many decades. The US Neocons believe that the subjugation of Eurasia is the only way to resurrect the dead corpse of Bretton-Woods and the Petrodollar and to force the rest of the world to continue funneling their Real World valuable commodities and products to the USA for free.

Much has been written about the Mackinder declaration that “who controls the World Island controls the world“, a sentiment echoed by Zbigniew Brzezinski in his book ‘The Grand Chessboard’ and certainly adhered to by the US Neocons who run the Deep State. This is why the sock puppet Biden, or more specifically his handlers, have been provoking dangerous confrontations in Ukraine and in the East China Sea ever since Biden’s “election”. The US has gone back to its “gunboat diplomacy” historical roots, thuggish bastardry which worked in the past to bully other countries into compliance, but which cannot work today against nations that now possess hypersonic missiles. Such US behavior is a “hail Mary” pass, the last desperate act of a failing unipolar hegemon.

The above account describes the USA’s long term Grand View, better termed a Grand Delusion. Given the advanced state of decay of the US and the unstoppable rise of China and Russia militarily, industrially, economically and socially, there is zero prospect of the USA prevailing. There are only two possible outcomes: either the USA backs down or there will be global nuclear Armageddon. There is nothing in between.

Morally and ethically speaking alone, the only correct and proper and decent action is for “Exceptionalistan” to back down. They should count themselves lucky that the rest of the world has no appetite for revenge against the US after centuries of it perpetrating genocide, slavery, racism, foreign skulduggery and exploitation of the rest of the world. However the Global South is more preoccupied with their own well being, they will simply ignore the putrefying carcass of the USA, they are only interested in “win-win” interactions with partners who actually play fair, who abide by actual UN International Law and not by the US rigged “rules based order”.

What about short and medium term more limited perspectives? What specific parties hoped to gain from a war in Ukraine? The usual suspects: the Military-Industrial-Complex, the US fossil fuel industry and possibly the US banking/financial sector.

The MIC: How does the US MIC profit from perpetual war? By all rational accounts the US invasion and occupation of Afghanistan was a miserable failure. However the US persisted at it for 20 years, the longest war in US history. Why? Because was a massive financial windfall for the MIC, it was the gift that kept on giving. It funded numerous McMansions and luxury yachts for the MIC executives and MIC Washington lobbyists. Please refer to appendix two at the end of this document for the explanation of exactly how the Afghan debacle, and indeed all of the USA’s endless invasions and interventions, worked in financial favor of the MIC.

Today, sending “billions of dollars” worth of US ordnance to Ukraine (much of it outdated and obsolete) represents a massive financial windfall for the US MIC. It is the only way they could profitably dispose of stuff they could never legally sell. It does not matter if 30% of it goes missing (eg Javelin missiles to be sold by terrorists from car boots) nor if the rest gets blown up by the Russians. Of course, such obsolete ordnance will need to replaced with overpriced new versions to replenish the US inventory, which will be funded by ever larger sums of taxpayers’ money, to the detriment of US publicly funded roads, rail, schools, healthcare, libraries, etc, etc.

The US fossil fuel industry: In my previous “Whodunnit” article I mentioned that blowing up the Nordstream pipelines was the only way that super expensive US LNG could ever be exported to Europe.

US fracked LNG is far more expensive** than piped Russian conventional gas and far more environmentally destructive, with far higher carbon emissions. In order to understand why different energy sources incur vastly different expenses in their production and distribution, it is essential to understand the concept of EROI (energy returned over invested) as well as the full life cycles of the different energy sources: from extraction to processing to transportation to end user. Such explanation is beyond the scope of this article. Suffice to say that high EROI energy sources are cheap to harvest and deliver, however low EROI energy sources are expensive to harvest and deliver and indeed may represent a financial net loss. Such has been true for fracked US shale oil, another Ponzi scam which was never profitable at ANY oil price (even >$100 per barrel). It was a misbegotten project that was bulldozed through using market hubris, blatant fraud, low interest bank loans and inappropriate government subsidies. Such economic stupidity and fraud is also true for the overseas export of fracked US shale gas, even before considering the expensive energy requirements to liquefy it (cooling down to around minus 163 deg C), with continued energy needed to refrigerate it during transportation in specialist highly insulated tankers (now in short supply around the world) and the multi billion dollar investments required for specialist handling at purpose designed export and import terminals (not yet built).

The USA has depleted all its economically viable sources of oil and gas, all its remaining sources have woefully low EROI and hence are super costly (energy wise and hence price wise) to extract, process and transport.

Fracked shale oil is nothing like crude oil, it has the API index and volatility of paint thinner, which is why the trains used to transport it are called “bomb” trains. You cannot make diesel, the indispensable workhorse fuel, from fracked shale oil.

Russia, along with the Caspian area, has in aggregate gone past the peak of oil production, with declining EROI (with only a few fields pre-Peak eg Kashagan). However compared with the USA, the Eurasian oil and gas sources have a far higher EROI, which is IMPOSSIBLE for the US to economically compete with. The fact the the USA is now depleted of easy, cheap oil is the reason they are now stealing oil from Syria and also why they hijacked several Iranian oil tankers. Pipeline terrorism was the only way the US could sell uneconomic LNG to Europe, just as provoking a war was the only way the US could “sell” their obsolete old ordnance to Europe. Dirty tricks and devious skulduggery is how the US “free market” and “rule based order” operates, indeed how it has always operated.

The US financial sector: It was the drug crazed dream of the USA that sanctioning Russia would cause Russia to economically collapse which would then spur a coup d’etat against Putin. This goal backfired spectacularly after Russia demanded energy payments in Rubles, which caused the Ruble to appreciate beyond all expectations.

Sanctioning Russia’s fossil fuel exports only caused the European and global price of oil and especially natural gas to skyrocket, leading to a huge financial windfall for Russia, which by now has largely compensated for the US theft of $300 billion of Russia’s foreign reserves. In times of global uncertainty, many nations move their financial assets into US treasury bonds / securities as a default “safe haven” which has kept the US dollar value afloat so far. However those nations now also realize that their savings could be arbitrarily stolen at any time by the US “rules based order”, hence they are figuring out ways to shift their reserves. At present the European currencies have fallen against the USD, primarily as a result of their own energy sanctions against Russia which has caused the recession of their own economies. The European industrial sectors are poised to collapse from energy starvation. Once the BRICS+ currency arrangements and financial systems, which bypass the USD, get up and running, there will be massive flight of away from US bonds and securities and the massive international repatriation of US dollars back to the US, which will result in hyperinflation and devaluation of the US dollar, resulting in their inability to afford any imports. Along with the deindustrialised condition of the USA, resulting in no significant domestic manufacturing, that all spells extreme poverty for “Exceptionalistan”.

In summary: any initial hopes by the US banking/financial sector that they might benefit from the Ukrainian war have at best resulted in the USD remaining neutral so far, but will inevitably lead to the accelerated collapse of the USD.

CONCLUSION: The USA is screwed. Get over it.

Joe Dirt: Flirting at the fairground HD CLIP

COVERT INTEL: New Symbol and Tactical Armbands for “new” Troops into . . . Ukraine

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A new Symbol for military vehicles has been spotted near the Ukraine conflict, it is shown below: A triangle with the number “2” inside it. In addition, a new tactical band, is also now being observed on troops near the Ukraine conflict: Solid Red, as seen in the image above.

These symbols and red tactical arm bands are being observed on military vehicles and troops in Ukraine.

In letter to North Korea’s Kim, China’s Xi calls for communication, unity, cooperation

SEOUL – In a letter to North Korean leader Kim Jong Un ahead of a historic congress of the ruling Chinese Communist Party, Chinese President Xi Jinping said it was more important than ever that Beijing and Pyongyang enhance communication, unity and cooperation, North Korea’s state media reported on Sunday.

The letter was in response to congratulations Mr Kim sent for the congress, which is scheduled to begin on Sunday.

Mr Xi is poised to win a third five-year term as general secretary of the ruling Communist Party, the most powerful job in the country, at the congress.

Mr Xi expressed willingness to strengthen the relationship between China and North Korea, and “make a great contribution to providing two countries and their people with greater happiness and defending peace and stability in the region and the rest of the world”, North Korea state news agency KCNA said.

The reported expression of support comes as North Korea tested a record number of ballistic missiles and made preparations to resume nuclear testing for the first time since 2017.

North Korea says its latest military activities, which also included artillery drills and flights by warplanes, are in response to displays of force by South Korea and the United States, which have staged their own military drills to protest the North’s tests.

From HERE

Kill Bill: Vol. 1 | “My Name Is Buck” (HD) – A Tarantino Film Starring Uma Thurman | 2003

https://youtu.be/2JqFDdvZgHM

China won’t try to become a Western-style democracy. It tried in 1912 and it ended in total disaster.

There is absolutely no reason whatsoever for China to try again. It has nothing to gain. It’s not worth the risk.

There is nothing wrong with China’s current political system. It works well. It has delivered enormous benefits to the Chinese people…

  • China built the world’s largest economy by purchasing power parity in just 35 years, starting from a totally impoverished nation.
  • China finally eradicated extreme poverty in 2020, elevating over 850 million people, according to the World Bank.
  • China built the world’s most spectacular infrastructure of roads, bridges, high-speed rail, airports, etc.
  • China built the world’s second largest military, including its own supercarriers (Fujian), stealth aircraft, and hypersonic missiles.
  • China is at the forefront of space exploration, having built its own navigation satellite system (BeiDou), having landed on the dark side of the moon (Chang’e 4), having landed a rover on Mars (Zhurong), having built its own space station (Tiangong).
  • China protected it population from COVID-19, keeping the death toll to an astonishingly low 5,226. Compare that to USA’s death toll of 1,090,802.

And China did all this without firing a shot. China hasn’t fought a single war since 1979. Western democracies have been embroiled in wars for decades (Afghanistan, Iraq, Libya, Syria, Ukraine, Yemen, etc.).

The challenge for China, if there is one, is that the Chinese aren’t blind and stupid. They can see clearly what’s wrong with Western-style democracy.

Brilliant discussion of Germany’s announcement it knows who destroyed Nordstream BUT will not disclose…

Brilliant discussion of Germany’s announcement it knows who destroyed Nordstream BUT will not disclose it!! And Sweden will not begin an investigation of Nordstream‘s demise.

UK Defense Secretary Ben Wallace takes “emergency trip” to US amid Nuclear war fears

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UK Defense Secretary Ben Wallace cancelled his appearance in front of the House of Commons Defense Committee on Tuesday and flew to the US for “emergency meetings” in the Pentagon and White House.  The fact that he flew, rather than use secure communications, suggests the subject matter is actual nuclear war and they don’t want comms intercepted.

Armed Forces Minister James Heappey said Mr. Wallace was meeting with his US counterpart for “the sort of conversations that [are] beyond belief really, the fact we are at a time when these sorts of conversations are necessary.”

A defense source said: “The Defense Secretary is in Washington DC to discuss shared security concerns, including Ukraine. “He will be visiting his counterpart at the Pentagon and senior figures at the White House.”

[HD] Twin Peaks – Jimmy Scott sings “Sycamore Trees” in the red room

BMW to axe UK production of electric Mini and relocate to China | BMW | The Guardian

BMW is to axe all UK production of the award-winning electric Mini and relocate it to China, dealing a major blow to hopes that Britain could be a global hub for zero-emission vehicle manufacture.

BMW makes 40,000 electric Minis per year at its Cowley factory on the outskirts of Oxford.

In an article published by the Times on Saturday, it was confirmed that BMW Oxford’s production of electric vehicles will end next year as part of plans to reshape the carmaker’s lineup from 2024.

The move is a further blow to the UK’s ambition to become a leader in global electric car manufacturing, following Honda’s decision to quit Britain in 2016.

BMW’s joint venture with Great Wall Motor means their hatchback and small SUV models will now be made in east China, as will the next generation zero-emission Mini Aceman.

A new, electric version of the largest Mini model, the Countryman, will, BMW has confirmed, be manufactured at its plant in Leipzig.

The rest from HERE

Joe Dirt: You’re my sister! HD CLIP

Most definitely.

Let’s focus on the period from 1979 to today when China made its spectacular economic rise. China did not fight a single war, whereas USA fought dozens of wars and in the process caused unimaginable death and destruction. This is the very definition of evil.

During this same period, USA sanctioned dozens of countries for not complying with US foreign policy and in the process caused untold human suffering. This is the very definition of evil.

During this same period, USA ran the Guantanamo Bay camp which imprisoned around 780 Muslims and tortured dozens of them. This is well-documented and is the very definition of evil.

China has been accused of running “concentration camps” in Xinjiang. However, these camps were vocational schools that gave Uyghurs employment opportunities to live better lives and hopefully make them give up their separatist leanings. Even if you think they were coerced to attend, it’s a damn sight better than being tortured. The Uyghur participants were allowed to go home on weekends to be with their families. What horrors!

Over the past decade, USA supported an evil regime in Ukraine that practiced ethnic cleansing in Donbas. USA pushed Russia into fighting a proxy war thanks to NATO expansion that threatened the very existence of Russia. USA kept the war going, despite Russia’s and Ukraine’s desire for diplomacy, and in the process caused countless deaths. This is the very definition of evil.

Now, USA is trying to foment another proxy war, this time with China over Taiwan. China does not want war but USA is relentless. Pure evil.

What has China done that is so evil?

  • China is overtaking USA economically and technologically.
  • China is helping developing countries build their infrastructure through the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI).
  • China is forging economic and security alliances such as BRICS, RCEP and SCO.
  • China is inviting all nations to participate in its space station program, including the United States (which banned China from the ISS in 2011).
  • China is protecting its territorial integrity in South China Sea and Taiwan. To do this, China is building up its military.
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This kind of evil is nothing compared to American evil.

NATO Starts Nuclear Drill “Steadfast Noon” with 60 aircraft, B-52 bombers and other missile carriers

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NATO on Monday launched its regular nuclear deterrence drills in western Europe.

The 30-nation alliance has stressed that the “routine, recurring training activity” — which runs until October 30 — was planned before Moscow invaded Ukraine and is not linked to the current situation.

It will involve US B-52 long-range bombers, and up to 60 aircraft in total will take part in training flights over Belgium, the United Kingdom and the North Sea.

The nuclear drills – which do not involve live bombs – are taking place amid heightened tensions after Russia repeatedly threatened nuclear strikes in Ukraine following major military setbacks on the battlefield there.

“Steadfast Noon” is likely to coincide with Moscow’s own annual nuclear drills, dubbed “Grom,” which are normally conducted in late October and in which Russia tests its nuclear-capable bombers, submarines and missiles.

The drills that will involve 14 countries and up to 60 aircraft, including the most advanced fighter jets on the market and U.S. B-52 long-range bombers that will fly in from Minot Air Base in North Dakota, the statement said.

This drill takes place every year, like Russia does, but always over different countries and locations. This time it involves locations & training flights to be conducted over Belgium, Great Britain and the North Sea.

Harley Davidson and the Marlboro Man (5/12) Movie CLIP – Talk is Cheap (1991) HD

What is the situation with democracy in China?

It’s very good. China is a truly democratic nation. However, China’s democracy does not hew to the Western model of democracy which is sadly broken.

In fact, according to Latana’s Democracy Perception Index, the Chinese people regard their country as the most democratic in the world!

Major shift in Putin’s stance on Ukraine

Very interesting.

German companies pour more investment in China, as ‘decoupling’ hype wanes – Global Times

Despite some German politicians and media outlets that hype an industrial “decoupling” from China, German enterprises have been continuously investing in China, attracted by the enormous size of the Chinese market.

The latest example is Kreditanstalt für Wiederaufbau (KfW), a German state-owned investment and development bank, which will lend 69.52 million euros ($67.75 million) for a railway project linking North China’s Tianjin city and Beijing Daxing International Airport. The loan term is 15 years, including a 5-year grace period, China’s Ministry of Finance (MOF) said on Sunday.

The total investment in the project amounts to 11.65 billion yuan ($1.64 billion), MOF said.

If a project is financed by German banks, chances are large that it is also a “sweet pastry” for the global capital markets, Chen Jia, an independent research fellow on international strategy, told the Global Times on Sunday.

Chen pointed out that Germany has been attaching great importance to China’s infrastructure sector when it comes to investment, because China’s infrastructure projects are well known for stable, long-term investment returns.

In the first half of 2022, German companies’ direct investment in China hit a record high, surpassing the level of tens of billions of euros, according to a report by the German Institute for Economic Research, more commonly known as DIW Berlin, which was released in August.

Full article HERE

Black Hawk Down: Help from above

Let me see.

I get five weeks paid holiday leave.

I am entitled to 9 months paid maternity leave, then 3 months unpaid, (men get 2 weeks paid paternity) my job would be waiting for me when I returned.

I was off sick for 4 months, I was paid full pay and I didn’t lose my job even though I couldn’t return to doing the work I did before, an alternative role was found for me.

My company can’t sack me as I am now disabled.

When I was off sick I spent 3 weeks in hospital, I had emergency surgery followed by care in hospital transfer by ambulance to a convalescent hospital to help me recover and since the physiotherapy and lots of medication, the only part of this I paid for is about £110 a YEAR to cover the cost of ALL medication.

I live in a country where religious nuts can’t make laws.

I live in a country where death by shooting is rare.

I live in a country where women can make choices about their own body

My country isn’t perfect but I am happy living here and I am definitely not jealous of people living in USA

Do they have a president for life now?

No. Xi Jinping can be voted out of office in the future if he fails to perform well.

China is not the only country with no term limits. There’s also Australia, Canada, New Zealand, and UK, for example. Tell me, is Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau PM for life?

They’re STILL Doing it: BOSTON UNIVERSITY ‘CREATES’ NEW COVID STRAIN WITH ‘80% KILL RATE’

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With life returning to normal as Covid-19 wanes, a new Covid strain which has 80% kill rate has been CREATED in the United States.

A team of Boston University scientists claim that they have made a hybrid virus — combining Omicron and the original Wuhan Beta strain — that killed 80 per cent of mice in a study.

Experts have slammed the scientists for “playing with fire” and engaging in such “dangerous virus manipulation” research which has not been peer-reviewed.

Professor Shmuel Shapira, a leading scientist in the Israeli Government, said: ‘This should be totally forbidden, it’s playing with fire.’

There are theories that a virus manipulation research in China may have started the pandemic.  A lab in China’s Wuhan, where the coronavirus was first detected, carried out similar research on bat coronaviruses.

Dr Richard Ebright, a chemist at Rutgers University in New Jersey said the research is a clear example of gain of function research. “If we are to avoid a next lab-generated pandemic, it is imperative that oversight of enhanced potential pandemic pathogen research be strengthened,” he added.

Researchers extracted Omicron’s spike protein — the unique structure that binds to and invades human cells — and attached it to the original wildtype strain that first emerged in Wuhan at the start of the pandemic.  The scientists call this new hybrid virus “Omicron-S”

The researchers looked at how mice fared against the new hybrid strain compared to the original Omicron variant. “In…mice, while Omicron causes mild, non-fatal infection, the Omicron S-carrying virus inflicts severe disease with a mortality rate of 80 percent,” they wrote in the paper.

However, rodents survived and experienced only ‘mild’s symptoms when they were exposed to the standard Omicron strain.

“It is especially concerning that this new US-government ePPP research – like the previous US-government ePPP research on chimeric SARS-related coronaviruses at Wuhan Institute of Virology that may have caused the pandemic – appears not to have undergone the prior risk-benefit review mandated under US-government policies. If we are to avoid a next lab-generated pandemic, it is imperative that oversight of ePPP research be strengthened,” Ebright said.

We Were Lied To About Vaccines ADMITS Pfizer!

Forever…

Xi Jinping Breaks His Non-Militarization Pledge in the Spratlys

What's China supposed to do? Wait until the British gunboats return before starting to defend itself?

Earlier this week, satellite imagery released by a U.S. think tank shows, for the first time, evidence of military point-defense capabilities on various China-controlled features in the Spratly Islands. The Asia Maritime Transparency Initiative at the Center for Strategic and International Studies found that “China appears to have built significant point-defense capabilities, in the form of large anti-aircraft guns and probable close-in weapons systems (CIWS), at each of its outposts in the Spratly Islands.”

From HERE

If so, why do people want to go to China if they don’t have the same freedoms as in the United States of America?

China provides different kinds of freedom. Frankly, US freedoms are worth shit.

Chinese freedoms:

  • freedom from dying in a pandemic
  • freedom to have food on the table and a roof over your head — in USA, over half a million Americans are homeless
  • freedom to have affordable health care and education
  • freedom from rampant and random gun violence — in USA, mass shootings on a daily basis!
  • freedom from systemic racism — in USA, BLM and “I can’t breathe”
  • freedom from mass incarceration — in USA, the highest number and the highest rate in the world!
  • freedom from opioid addiction on an epidemic scale
  • freedom to have a living wage — in USA, minimum wage is still stuck at 1960s level

So please tell me, what freedoms do Americans have that are worth anything?

Cheesy Hamburger Casserole

This Cheesy Hamburger Casserole is just as easy to make as Hamburger Helper, and you can control the ingredients. Great weekday meal and the kids love it!

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Ingredients

  • 1 1/2 pounds lean ground beef
  • 1 large onion, diced
  • 1 tablespoon canola oil
  • salt, to taste
  • pepper to taste
  • 1/2 teaspoon oregano
  • 2 cloves chopped garlic
  • 1/2 teaspoon paprika
  • one 28-ounce can pureed tomatoes, or your favorite sauce
  • 16 ounce box macaroni noodles
  • 1/2 cup each grated cheddar and mozzarella cheeses


Instructions

  1. Sweat the onions in the oil with a three-fingered pinch of salt. Add the beef and cook it, breaking it up as you do. Add another three-fingered pinch of salt or two, along with the dry seasonings. Add the tomatoes and bring to a simmer, then reduce the heat to low and cook for an hour.
  2. Cook the macaroni in boiling water till it’s half done. Drain it and add it to the tomatoes. (I wanted this to stretch into two meals, so I used the whole box, but if you want your dish to be very tomatoey and beefy, you might want to add only half the macaroni). Stir it into the sauce. Taste it and add cheese and cover or transfer it to a large baking dish and cover it with foil. It can be refrigerated for up to two days, or frozen a few weeks.
  3. If refrigerated bake it in a 400 degree oven till it’s piping hot (about 45 minutes if it’s cold to room temperature). Just before you’re ready to eat, remove the foil, cover macaroni with the cheese and broil till the cheese is bubbly.

US inflation numbers are really bad. Biden says everything is under control

Really bad.

Three Good Pieces On The War In Ukraine

I am busy with renovation work but here are three good pieces about the war in Ukraine:

> Plainly put, the Europeans have been nicely played by the Americans. India should take note of the US’ sense of entitlement. Basically, the Biden administration created a contrived energy crisis whose real aim is war profiteering. 

...

India should expect the defeat of the US and NATO, which completes the transition to a multipolar world order. <
> Increasingly, European publics are likely to blame the United States for policies that fuel inflation and bring on economic recession, especially as their currencies weaken against the dollar. The U.S. sanctions on Russia will be seen by many as self-serving attempts to dominate Western Europe.

A new iron curtain is now being imposed on Russia — this time by Western policy — even as the United States announces more measures to confront and “contain” an assertive China. This will result, inevitably, in more cooperation between Russia and China. Also, the increasing use of economic sanctions to achieve political purposes will encounter push-back with a greater volume of international trade conducted in national currencies other than the U.S. dollar.

As Europe is weakened and more countries suffer from U.S. sanctions, coalitions to resist U.S. dominance will flourish. Geopolitical competition will take precedence over action to deal with common problems, even as international conflict intensifies them.

What all the parties to the conflict in Ukraine seem to have forgotten is that the future of mankind will not be determined by where international borders are drawn — these have never been static in history and doubtless will continue to change from time to time. The future of mankind will be determined by whether nations learn to settle their differences peacefully. <
> What makes the "I stand with Ukraine" version of the Twitter mob unique is that it brings together two forces that used to be sworn enemies of one another—the woke Left and the neoconservative Right. It turns out they share many of the same loathsome ideological and personality traits, and have a similar "slash and burn" approach to political engagement. It's a new political marriage. 

...

This shift is disorienting, but on a purely tactical level, it makes a certain amount of sense. Neocons invented the cancellation game before there was even a Twitter board on which to play it. Neocons arrogantly dismiss the other side's point of view as argued in bad faith and not worth considering, and label anyone who dares question the cause as a heretic or traitor. 

...

Warping the debate in this way allows delusional and contradictory thinking to go unchallenged. Thus, we get the argument that Putin is a madman who will kill indiscriminately to achieve his aims—but he is also somehow definitely bluffing about using nuclear weapons. And he's only using that bluff because he's losing the war—but if he's not stopped in Ukraine, he will go on to conquer the rest of Europe. Putin's regime must fall because he has killed or jailed all the liberal reformers and yoked himself to a hardline Far Right, but somehow he will be replaced by a liberal reformer when his regime collapses.

It's nonsensical, and a real debate would expose some of the delusions in this thinking. But we aren't allowed to have one.

As long as this woke-neocon alliance is allowed to set the terms of the debate, we will continue to see a one-way ratchet toward greater and more dangerous escalation of this conflict. <
Posted by b at 16:22 UTC | Comments (94)
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Russia’s Medvedev Gets Blunt with Israel

Russia’s Deputy Chairman of its state Federation Council (Senate) had strong words for Israel about supplying weapons to Ukraine . . .

Dmitry Medvedev doesn’t post a lot on his social media (Telegram) account, but when he does . . .  Oh Boy!

Writing on his channel Monday, Medvedev put it blunty:

"Israel seems to be going to supply weapons to the Kyiv regime. A very reckless move. 

It will destroy all interstate relations between our countries. 

I'm not talking about the fact that the Bandera geeks were Nazis, and remained so. Just look at the symbolism of their modern henchmen. If they are supplied with weapons, then it is time for Israel to declare Bandera and Shukhevych their heroes..."

When Medvedev says “It will destroy all interstate relations between our countries.”  he means it.

Israel is sleepwalking right towards Armageddon.

Eggs Benedict

Hot buttered English muffins, Canadian-style bacon, and poached eggs are topped with a heavenly drizzle of hollandaise sauce. Breakfast does not get any better than a classic Eggs Benedict!

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FOR THE EGGS:
  • Salt
  • 2 Tbsp. white vinegar
  • 4 eggs
  • 2 English muffins, split
  • 3 Tbsp. butter
  • 4 slices Canadian bacon
FOR THE HOLLANDAISE:
  • 12 Tbsp. unsalted butter
  • 3 egg yolks
  • 2-3 tbsp. fresh lemon juice

 

 

  1. For the eggs: Bring a medium skillet of salted water to a simmer over medium heat; add vinegar. Crack eggs into 4 small dishes. Slip eggs into simmering water, turn off heat, cover, and cook until whites are just firm, 4 minutes. Transfer eggs with a slotted spoon to a bowl of ice water and set aside.
  2. Preheat oven to 200 F. Toast muffins, then spread with some of the butter. Transfer to 2-4 plates; keep warm in oven. Melt remaining butter in a medium skillet over medium heat. Fry bacon until browned, about 5 minutes. Place bacon on muffins; keep warm in oven.
  3. For the hollandaise: Melt butter in a small pan over low heat. Whisk egg yolks, lemon juice, 1 tbsp. water, and salt and pepper to taste in a heavy, nonreactive saucepan until pale yellow; then cook, whisking constantly over medium-low heat, until whisk leaves a trail in eggs, about 8 minutes. Remove pan from heat. Add butter 1 tbsp. at a time, whisking constantly, until sauce thickens; gradually pour in remaining butter, whisking constantly, leaving milky solids behind.
  4. Reheat eggs in a skillet of simmering water for 1 minute; transfer with a slotted spoon to paper towels to drain. To serve, carefully place egg on bacon, and spoon some hollandaise on top. Garnish with parsley, if you like.

It’s Official: It’s ALL a Lie | Redacted with Natali and Clayton Morris

What is interesting about this video is that it deconstructs the propaganda about Ukraine. It’s fascinating, and disgusting at the same time. The intro is LONG. Start around 37 minutes.

https://youtu.be/5leOO0C56Ug

Ukraine is in the shit now.

Holy Cow, Batman!

Once Russia annexed the Eastern Ukraine, any attacks on it would be de facto attacks on Russia. Reports are that a terrorist from American-controlled Syria drove a truck laden with explosives out of Russia and detonated upon the BIG bridge that connect the Crimea to Russia.

What is significant about this attack is the severity and planning. [1] It’s a major up-tick in hostilities. [2] It’s methodically planned, and involves American assets, not Ukrainian assets.

CRIMEA BRIDGE ATTACKED: Road collapse into water, Fuel Train ON FIRE!

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Multiple reports are coming in saying there is a train with fuel cars ON FIRE on the Crimea Bridge.  One image, shown above, depicts multiple fuel tanker cars ablaze.  The flames are impinging upon the structure of the bridge.

More info as I get it . . . Check back.

UPDATE 7:25 AM EDT —

The Crimea Bridge, connecting mainland Russia with Crimea, has been attacked by Ukraine!

The magnificent structure has three sections of roadway now collapsed into the sea, and a train on the adjacent railroad track portion of the bridge, is on fire.

Image from the passenger vehicle roadway of the bridge itself:

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UKRAINE CLAIMS CREDIT FOR ATTACK

Ukraine admits responsibility for the terrorist attack on the Crimean bridge.

Zelensky’s office advisor Podolyak has admitted Ukraine’s responsibility for the terrorist attack on the Crimean bridge.

“Crimea, the bridge, the beginning. Everything illegal must be destroyed, everything stolen must be returned to Ukraine, everything occupied by Russia must be destroyed,” Podolyak said.

FEROCIOUS REACTION IN RUSSIA

“This is no longer just a challenge, this is a declaration of war without rules” – State Duma deputy Morozov about the terrorist attack on the Crimean bridge.

Russian Senator Alexander Bashkin says Moscow will answer Crimean Bridge attack with a “possibly asymmetric response.”

Deputy Speaker of the State Duma: The terrorist act that targeted the Crimean bridge was a declaration of war against Russia.

POLICE INVESTIGATION SO FAR . . .

Police say a Suicide bomber was driving this truck that exploded on the Crimean bridge, presumably, coming from Krasnodar, stuffed with explosives.

He passed through the traffic Police post and detonated on the bridge. The mileage of the truck is 870,000 km.

Truck that exploded on Crimean bridge was not taken for X-ray, and its driver had all the documents in order, according to Mash, citing traffic police officers.  He entered the bridge from Russian mainland. There is no x-ray gate to detect explosives as it’s on Crimean site.

Sources report that the driver of the truck has been identified. According to our sources, he could be Biji al-Kamurji, a native of Syria.

UPDATE 9:27 AM EDT —

According to preliminary data, three people were killed as a result of an explosion on the Crimean Bridge, the Investigative Committee of the Russian Federation reports. Passengers of a car driving next to an exploding truck were killed, the bodies of a man and a woman were lifted out of the water.

According to the investigation, the owner of the truck blown up on the Crimean Bridge is a resident of the Krasnodar Territory.

Investigative actions have been launched at his place of residence

At this hour, the rail car fires on the railroad track span of the bridge, are being doused by helicopters dumping water from fire-fighting buckets.

Ukraine SitRep – Recent Incidents Of Concern For All Sides

Yesterday saw two significant developments or incidents with regard to the conflict in Ukraine.

The Kerch bridges which connect Crimea with Russia, one for cars and one for trains, were sabotaged. At least one of the two road spans has fallen down while tanker rail cars on the parallel train bridge caught fire.

CCTV footage shows that a truck exploded while passing the bridge. Here is a video of the damage. One of the two road spans seems to be intact.

As the pillars of the bridge seem unaffected a repair of the broken road span is possible but will take some time. The more sturdy railway bridge may have some superficial fire damage but Russia is one of the few countries that has designated railroad troops specialized in and equipped for railway repairs. The railway traffic is likely to be back within a few day or weeks.

This is a severe handicap for Russian logistics to the frontlines in south Ukraine but not a catastrophe as alternative rail and road routes, as well as ferries, are available. Military logistics is designed to work even under significant constrains. It will find ways to work around the problem.

Meanwhile the Ukrainian side of the conflict experiences a communication failure that is likely way more consequential.

Adam Kinzinger🇺🇦🇺🇸✌️@AdamKinzinger – 16:26 UTC · Oct 7, 2022Evidently the Starlink system is down over the front lines of Ukraine. @elonmusk should make a statement about this, or, this should be investigated. This is a national security issue.

Tore @potifar66 – 21:55 UTC · Oct 7, 2022Some of the outages led to a “catastrophic” loss of communication in recent weeks, said one senior Ukrainian government official with direct knowledge of the issue.

ft.com: Ukrainian forces report Starlink outages during push against Russia
Some of Elon Musk’s SpaceX devices stopped working when Ukrainian soldiers liberated territory, Kyiv officials say

The Russian army is leading globally in its abilities to wage electronic warfare. It can disable ground based radio traffic on any frequency. It has now found ways to also disable ground to satellite connections as used by the Starlink constellation.

At the beginning of the war the Ukrainian military was supplied with thousands of Starlink ground terminals that can connect to the swarms of small Starlink satellites, which were financed by the Pentagon, but managed by Elon Musk’s companies.

They allowed for communication between Ukrainian ground units as well as for general command and control of larger operations. Without Starlink the Ukrainian command will depend on cable based field telephone, runners and couriers. All of which are extremely vulnerable in an artillery rich environment.

Since 2001 Russia developed the Tirada 2 electromagnetic system which can disable ground to satellite traffic in specific areas.

Russian military in the near future can get into service systems that can disable enemy communication satellites, an informed Interfax interlocutor in the military-industrial complex said 05 January 2018. “One of the projects is Tirada 2. Development work was started back in 2001,” he said. According to him, this complex will be able to disable communication satellites from the ground. “He acts by electronic suppression. This is a multi-million dollar project,” he said. The fact that the Russian Federation is working on the creation of weapons to suppress satellites was announced on November 30 last year by Oleg Achasov, deputy head of the Federal State Budgetary Institution “46 Central Scientific Research Institute”.

In November 2018, the FSB called the “threat to national security” a project to cover the globe with high-speed satellite Internet.

 

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biggerIn 2019 an OSCE observer drone took pictures of a Tirada complex in the Donbas region.

 

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biggerThe disablement of the Starlink communication traffic was only a question of time.

The traffic had to be analyzed to identify the frequencies and algorithms used by the transmitter and receiver. Software had to be written to implement a matching radio jamming pattern. The hardware of the Tirada system was likely already sufficient to emit the appropriate patterns on the identified frequencies.

As this system has now been proven to be effective in the field it will likely be made available on a wider scale.

Russian electronic warfare equipment can already disable all ground radio traffic in specific areas. Soon all frontline communications of the Ukrainian forces will be disabled.

This is catastrophic for Ukrainian operations.

Forward observers will no longer be able to correct artillery missions. Platoons and companies at the front will have no way to call for support. Higher command will have no way to coordinate larger operations in real time.

One Dr. Jay Tharappel has found language likely to comfort the woke U.S. and Ukrainian leaders and functionaries who are concerned about the four Oblast that have joined the Russian Federation.

 

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“These four provinces are Russian, but they were assigned ‘Ukrainian’ at birth. Recently the have come out as trans. They are border-fluid regions and their sovereignty is non-binary. They are Russians trapped in a ‘Ukrainian’ body, and have made their decision to transition. Their pronouns are now DPR/LPR. We Indians as allies support this transition and condemn the transphobic attitudes of westerners.”

Something tells me that soon more ‘Ukrainian’ oblasts will come out and recognize their real being.

Boris Rozhin, aka Colonel Cassad, reported on Telegraph (machine translation):

Today there was a sortie of foreign mercenaries in the Zaporozhye direction, which included, among other things, American special forces soldiers. They were so self-confident that they decided to carry out reconnaissance in battle with this stellar squadron. However, they did not take into account the presence of our units in this zone, which are able to maintain secrecy on the air, and suffered losses. However, some of these bastards still managed to escape. The presented photos are screenshots of the video from the go-pro camera of one of the dead mercenaries, who literally lost his head. I’ll probably post the video tomorrow.

 

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biggerI have no way to verify those claims but a recent Intercept report stated that there are significant U.S. forces on the ground in Ukraine:

One U.S. official insisted that the CIA only conducted a partial withdrawal of its assets when the war began, and that the agency “never completely left.”Yet clandestine American operations inside Ukraine are now far more extensive than they were early in the war, when U.S. intelligence officials were fearful that Russia would steamroll over the Ukrainian army. There is a much larger presence of both CIA and U.S. special operations personnel and resources in Ukraine than there were at the time of the Russian invasion in February, several current and former intelligence officials told The Intercept.

Secret U.S. operations inside Ukraine are being conducted under a presidential covert action finding, current and former officials said. The finding indicates that the president has quietly notified certain congressional leaders about the administration’s decision to conduct a broad program of clandestine operations inside the country.

These will not be the only U.S. casualties in Ukraine. When more such reports come out the issue is likely to explode in Biden’s face.

Posted by b on October 8, 2022 at 7:58 UTC | Permalink

An interesting comment

I rather doubt it was a suicide bomb. The driver may have died, but if he did, it is unlikely to have been voluntary. If I were a jihadi, I’d have trouble believing that dying on behalf of hyper-christian UkroNazis would get me welcomed by the 72 virgins in Paradise, because that is what they believe. It’s completely the wrong doctrine. doesn’t work at all. There may be some jihadis fighting for Ukraine, but that would be as mercenaries, to make a living, not a dying.

Posted by: laguerre | Oct 8 2022 10:15 utc | 63

And a follow up comment…

… Doesn’t rule out an involuntary sacrifice by an unknowing trucker, though

Posted by: Objective Observer | Oct 8 2022 10:24 utc | 70

That war lasted 1 month. China went in, went out, done. They did not occupy, suppress, overthrow, or anything.

I mean, OK, we can give you that. A single invasion lasting one month, whereby China then just left.

As for threats, please… everyone threatens everyone else. It is whether you are likely to do it. China has a no-first strike policy and their historical pattern says they aren’t generally aggressive.

When China threatens consequences, you all laugh out loud because you know they won’t do it.

When the West threatens, it may very well happen. Nordstream didn’t just blow up by itself. Biden threatened it, and it happened.

Harvard Business College has done multiple studies comparing universal health care with the current for profit insurance in the U.S.

We pay four times what other countries who have universal health care pay in taxes, with less benefits.

The money goes into a pot, much like a social security fund. From that pot, bills are paid.

It sounds easy enough, right? The problem is that some people can’t conceive something as simple as tax money in a fund to pay for medical bills would actually work. The medical bills are paid; they aren’t fought. No preapproval crap. Get sick. Get treated…complain about the $15 for parking.

The argument I hear over and over is this: “I don’t want to pay for Wanda down the street because she is black/brown/gay/has pink hair and I want better insurance than she has.”

The simple fact is that you do pay for Wanda’s medical insurance. Insurance companies pool the money into a fund. Insurance companies do all they can to deny a claim because that’s how they make money. The ACA put an end to “pre-existing conditions” but it still happens. If it happens and you are seriously ill, you are f***ed.

They contract with providers (hospitals, doctors, and clinics) and then agree to pay “allowable charges.” The allowable charges are, for example: the x-ray charge is $35 but we will only pay $20 and you have to write off the rest. Sometimes the insured has to pay a co-pay.

One man on Quora stated in his post he pays about $148 a month for health insurance. I paid $225 a WEEK for health insurance.

Legislators who are opposed to universal health care are bought and paid for by the insurance industry. You can call them lobbyists, but I call it bribery.

It’s very simple. These Westerners:

  • have an open mind
  • have probably been to China
  • do not hold an outdated perception of China from the 1950s and 1960s
  • are not bigoted against China’s political model
  • have not been coopted by Western media anti-China propaganda

In other words, they know the real China and they appreciate the wonderful qualities of that nation.

They recognize and admire China’s amazing achievements over the past several decades.

One Toke Over The Line – Lawrence Welk – WTF! (1971)

What’s trending on MM right now…

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A few years ago, there was a court case in Ireland involving American sandwich chain Subway. It was over a question of sales tax law. The substance of the judgement was that the sugar content of Subway bread was so high that it legally qualified as cake under Irish law, and was therefore subject to a higher rate of tax.

I mention this to illustrate just how pervasive in the US the practise of adding sugar to processed food is. A lot of sugar. Americans have become accustomed to this, over the course of decades. While this does happen in the UK as well, it is nowhere near as pervasive, so British people have not built up as high a tolerance for sugar, despite the fact that we are regarded as having a sweet tooth by European standards.

US donuts are, in my opinion, unpleasantly sweet and stodgy. I do not find them particularly wonderful. Also, we have our own array of unhealthy baked goods, largely ripped off from the French. Give me a chocolate eclair over a US donut any day of the week.

How the US is unleashing a recession on the world

From HERE

When elephants fight, the grass gets trampled. The African proverb seems particularly apposite right now as three global elephants drive the world towards recession.

China continues to fight Covid-19 outbreaks by sporadically locking down millions of its people, thereby cutting the output of the world’s factories, exacerbating supply chain issues and fuelling inflation, long after other governments have told their populations to get vaccinated and get back to work.

Russia continues to fight Ukraine, and by extension Europe and the rest of world, using oil, gas and grain as weapons, thereby causing global energy and food crises, and also fuelling inflation.

And the biggest elephant of all, the United States of America, by aggressively lifting interest rates in the hope of squashing its domestic inflation problem has instead succeeded in exporting it to the world.

That is a big problem, particularly for those of lesser economic means, including many Australians. They are the grass that gets trampled.

Sharp rises in interest rates, intended as a cure for inflation, could prove to be the wrong medicine and worse than the disease, as the World Bank warned in the middle of last month. Central banks around the world, it said, were “raising interest rates this year with a degree of synchronicity not seen over the past five decades – a trend that is likely to continue well into next year”.

World Bank Group president David Malpass warned that rate hikes of sufficient magnitude to rein in inflation could themselves push the world into recession.

“To achieve low inflation rates, currency stability and faster growth, policymakers could shift their focus from reducing consumption to boosting production,” he said. “Global growth is slowing sharply, with further slowing likely as more countries fall into recession. My deep concern is that these trends will persist, with long-lasting consequences that are devastating for people in emerging market and developing economies.”

A week later, on September 22, the US central bank, the Federal Reserve, or Fed, raised its benchmark interest rate by a whopping 0.75 percentage points, for the third time in a row.

 

From a strictly American viewpoint there are good reasons why the Fed has been jacking up interest rates.

As recently as May 2020, at the height of the Covid pandemic, US inflation was just 0.1 per cent, well below the Fed’s target of 2 per cent a year. The fear then was that the economy was stalling. Like many others, the US government was desperately trying to stimulate the economy. The Fed was holding interest rates effectively at zero.

But as the pandemic subsided, the US economy roared back. As in Australia, unemployment fell to very low levels, about 3.5 per cent. But unlike Australia, wages growth shot up as a result – to nearly 7 per cent by June. That added fuel to inflation, which reached 9.1 per cent that month.

Inflation has since slowed to just above 8 per cent, but wage pressures continue. And the Fed chair, Jerome Powell, insists he will not stop raising rates “until the job is done” to curb inflation.

What makes this a global problem is that the US dollar is essentially the world currency – the “reserve currency”. International trade is overwhelmingly conducted in American dollars; financial institutions and corporations transact their business in them, contracts for goods and services are denominated in them.

And when the US hikes its interest rates, the value of the dollar increases relative to that of other currencies. Right now, the greenback is stronger than it has been in decades.

This, in turn, has put pressure on other central banks to raise their rates, lest their currencies fall, which in turn makes imports more expensive and fuels their inflation rates. It’s a vicious, global cycle.

As journalist for The New York Times Patricia Cohen put it last Friday, the Fed’s dramatic rate hikes have caused “economic turmoil in both rich and poor nations”.

Among the consequences she ticked off:

“In Nigeria and Somalia, where the risk of starvation already lurks, the strong dollar is pushing up the price of imported food, fuel and medicine. The strong dollar is nudging debt-ridden Argentina, Egypt and Kenya closer to default and threatening to discourage foreign investment in emerging markets like India and South Korea.

“Last week, Argentina, the Philippines, Brazil, Indonesia, South Africa, the United Arab Emirates, Sweden, Switzerland, Saudi Arabia, Britain and Norway raised interest rates.”

Meanwhile, the cost of imports to US consumers has fallen sharply. Cohen cited a couple of quirky examples of how the stronger dollar was calming US inflation: “Last year, a £12 tin of tea from Britain cost $16.44, and today it costs $13.03. A €50 box of Belgian chocolates has gone from $58.50 to $48.32.”

But it’s not just tea and chockies. The strong dollar makes all sorts of things cheaper for Americans. There have even been suggestions that the falling price of petrol in America has been a major factor in the rebounding political popularity of President Joe Biden and Democratic congressional candidates ahead of next month’s mid-term elections.

It’s probably no comfort to Australians – who are paying through the nose for rental accommodation if they can even find any, or new homeowners whose mortgages have lately become less affordable and whose biggest asset is now worth less than they paid –  but their suffering is at least helping the US Democratic Party get re-elected.

 

Almost all of us are suffering financially to some extent. Even before the spike in inflation, average wages were barely keeping up with prices for a decade. Now they are going rapidly backwards. And the putative cure for high inflation – higher interest rates – has seen the price of houses fall, for those of us lucky enough to own one.

The RBA has been hiking strenuously to keep up with its global counterparts. It’s already raised interest rates 2.5 percentage points since May, taking the cash rate from an all-time low to 2.6 per cent. The pace appears to have slowed, with a quarter-point increase this week following four consecutive half-point moves, but governor Philip Lowe said further rate increases were “likely”. The smaller than expected increase this month allowed time to assess “the outlook for inflation and economic growth in Australia”.

We are faring better than many other countries – the Australian dollar has fallen only about 11 per cent against the US currency in the past year, far less than some. Inflation has been much lower, the economy still is growing solidly and unemployment is near a 50-year low.

But the suffering from inflation and interest rate rises has been very unevenly distributed.

Moreover, as a result of the long period of low rates up until March, and the money handed out by the government during the Covid period, many households have built up what Lowe called “large financial buffers”.

Not all people are in the same cashed-up boat, however.

“For new borrowers, it’s going to be really tight, because people have borrowed four, five, six times their annual income. A lot of them are going to really feel the squeeze,” says Brendan Coates, economic policy program director with the Grattan Institute.

It will be felt more intensely, too, by those who bought a property to live in, compared with those who bought one as an investment, because the latter can take advantage of negative gearing.

“Those that have mortgage deductibility … depending on what their marginal tax rate is, could wipe off 30 to 47 per cent of the cost of the rate rises by claiming them as deductions against their income,” says Coates.

The other thing property investors can do, of course, is whack up rents.

And they have.

“Capital city average level rents are up 20 per cent, just over the last 12 months,” says Louis Christopher, managing director of property market analysis firm SQM Research, which surveys advertised rent prices every week.

In 2021, he says, housing prices were rising faster than rents, but even since the housing market downturn, rents – and yields to landlords – have continued to rise, interest rate increases notwithstanding.

The standard tenancy agreement, he notes, runs for 12 months, and then month-to-month after that.

“So if you’re on a 12-month lease, and then you’re looking to go back into the market, you can expect to pay essentially 20 per cent more on a like-for-like property,” he says.

That’s if you can find one. The current vacancy rate is at a record low of 0.9 per cent nationally, he says, and worse in some areas.

The tightening of supply might seem counterintuitive, given Australia’s closed borders during Covid. A partial explanation lies in the fact that people working from home wanted more space. The result was fewer people per home.

Another factor is the rapid growth of short-term accommodation, provided by the likes of Airbnb.

“That’s a biggie,” says Christopher. “The market share of short-term leasing has rapidly expanded compared to the long-term leasing market, even though the absolute numbers are broadly the same.

“There are actually more Airbnb properties on the market in Melbourne and Brisbane now than long-term leases.”

The major driver, he says, “is landlords feel more in control of their property in the short-term leasing market”.  For renters, he says, times are “grim, absolutely”.

We can’t blame “big business” for this predatory behaviour – at least not directly. According to Grattan figures, about 85 per cent of rental properties in Australia are owned by landlords who have three or fewer properties.

What we can point to is a chain of causation: the pandemic that caused global supply chain chaos, the Ukraine war that caused the energy crisis, the energy companies that profiteered, the central banks that jacked up interest rates, on down to the mum and dad investors who seek to offset their declining real wages and increased borrowing costs by exploiting those in need of a place to live.

 

Some blame, too, can be attached to government. Before the 2019 election, Labor promised to reform negative gearing and capital gains taxes. Had it won, the rental crisis might not be so dire.

Instead, Australia elected the Morrison government, whose answer to the growing housing crisis was, in the words of Kate Colvin, to give would-be homeowners “a bit of extra money to compete against everyone else”, which only served to drive up prices.

“It was policy vandalism,” says Colvin, who is the spokesperson for Everybody’s Home, a coalition of housing, homelessness and welfare organisations set up in 2018 to push for change to make housing more affordable.

Australia’s housing market is “pretty fundamentally broken”, she says.

“Twenty years ago, the private market basically worked to deliver housing product to low-income renters, particularly in regional areas. Twenty years ago, 50 per cent of even one-bedroom places were affordable to someone on [the equivalent of a] JobSeeker payment. Now no rentals are affordable to someone on JobSeeker,” she says.

And the recent decline in housing prices has done nothing to make things easier for either renters or new buyers.

“So the cost of houses and units has decreased, but only because interest rates have increased, meaning housing was actually no more affordable.”

What is desperately needed is more public and affordable housing.

There are some positive signs, but only small ones, Colvin says. The new Albanese government has committed to building 30,000 social and affordable properties over five years. A number of the states also have made commitments to increase supply, most notably Victoria, with $5.3 billion over four years to build 12,000 social and affordable rentals.

“But it is still the lowest proportion of social housing of any state, and they really need to keep investing beyond that or investment will sort of run out in 2024.”

And the commitments to increased supply “following decades of underinvestment” are nowhere close to meeting demand.

“The current shortfall is more than 430,000 properties for social housing, and if you add in affordable, it’s more than 600,000. So it’s huge.”

One encouraging development, says Colvin, is that after five years in which the previous government did not even bother to sit down with the states to discuss the crisis, the new government has had “federal and state housing ministers sitting around the table together, discussing these challenges”.

It is a social crisis for those involved, of course, but also an economic crisis for the nation, Colvin says.

“It’s a social crisis because you can’t get on with the daily business of ordinary life and going to work and stuff when you’re living in a tent. But it’s also an economic crisis, because every community needs low-paid workers to function.

“You need supermarket workers, you need disability support workers, aged-care workers, childcare workers, all of those human services, and communities can’t recruit those kinds of workers because they can’t afford to live locally.”

The human costs of unsustainable housing costs are many and varied, says Kasy Chambers, executive director of Anglicare Australia.

“Rent is not elastic,” she says. “You can’t just pay half the rent. You have to cut other things that are.”

So people don’t go to the dentist or doctor, or don’t fill prescriptions for medicines.

“Those are some of the first [expenditures that] tend to go. Car insurance, that kind of stuff. We’re talking to people who are doing things like turning off [their] hot water to save money, going to bed very, very early. Cold is a big issue.”

And that’s for people who have somewhere to live – Chambers says Anglicare is seeing “more and more people who just can’t afford rent, couch surfing with friends, moving into tents, cars, that kind of thing. And it’s a very difficult road to come back from.”

Increasingly, these people also go hungry or rely on food banks for meals.

Anglicare has just completed a survey of its national network of emergency care providers, which help out with things such as food hampers or vouchers, transport or medical costs, utility payments, rent and, in some cases, employment subsidies. Demand was sharply up everywhere since the beginning of this year, in some cases by 50 per cent or more.

The new cohort of people needing help includes home owners and the “working poor” who are struggling to pay for food and utilities, as well as more single parents and people on disability support and aged pensions.

These are not the sort of people with whom central bankers, or other world leaders, or the heads of multinational corporations, or even mum and dad property investors, usually consort. They are the grass that gets trampled as the globe’s biggest battles – to contain a virus, to crush an independent country, to save a US president – rage on.

This article was first published in the print edition of The Saturday Paper on October 8, 2022 as “How the US is unleashing a recession on the world”.

Blues Brothers – Mall Car Chase

China’s factory activity unexpectedly expanded in September.

An official survey showed on Friday, even as authorities imposed strict COVID-19 curbs in big cities and export growth softened.

BEIJING, Sept 30 (Reuters) – China’s factory activity unexpectedly expanded in September, an official survey showed on Friday, even as authorities imposed strict COVID-19 curbs in big cities and export growth softened.

It returned to growth after contracting for two consecutive months.

The official manufacturing Purchasing Managers’ Index (PMI) edged up to 50.1 in September, from 49.4 in August, data from the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) showed on Friday.

The 50-point mark separates contraction from growth on a monthly basis.

Economists in a Reuters poll had expected the PMI to come in at 49.6.

From HERE

The Hangover Part II (2011) – Wake Up Scene

Cow puns

Think you’ve herd them all? Cows are pretty funny and it would be a total shame if we didn’t milk them for all they’re worth. There are just too many play-on-words not to have a bunch of cow puns at your disposal at the next event—hopefully on a farm. At the least, you’ll have a new-found appreciation for these incredible animals.

1. Watch out, you don’t want to butcher any of these jokes.

2. The steaks are high.

3. I have some real beef with that guy.

4. I got the mooves like Jagger.

5. Make sure you show up on time, otherwise Bessie will have a cow.

6. Milk it for all it’s worth.

7. I am not amoosed.

8. And then I told my therapist that I feel seen, but not herd…

9. I am udderly in love with you!

10. Not as mooch as I love you.

11. I always found cowculus to be the most interesting subject.

12. The cow was so excited for the day ahead that he was over the moon.

13. An udder day, an udder dollar.

14. Seize the moo-ment!

15. Holy cow!

16. Steer clear! Cows coming through!

17. Move! Get out of the hay!

18. If you feel like you’ve herd all these cow puns before, you probably have deja-moo.

19. Cow bells make such beautiful moosic.

20. A cow in an earthquake is called a milkshake.

Tony Kills Matt Bevilaqua – The Sopranos HD

Cow jokes for kids

Cows are pretty legen-dairy so of course, there’s an abundance of clever jokes that will make your child giggle about how funny these farm animals really are. You may even find yourself suppressing a laugh at these cow jokes for kids. Get your children to appreciate where their ice cream really comes from by making them love cows just as much as we do.

21. What did the mama cow say to the baby cow?

It’s pasture bedtime!

22. Why did the two cows not like each other?

They had beef.

23. How do you count cows?

With a cowculator!

24. What happens when you try talking to a cow?

Everything just goes in one ear and out the udder.

25. Where do cows eat lunch?

In the calfeteria.

26. What did one dairy cow say to the other?

Got milk?

27. What do you call a sad cow?

Moo-dy.

28. What do you call a cow that can’t make milk?

A milk dud.

29. How do you make a cow be quiet?

Press the moo-te button.

30. What do cows read in the morning?

The moos-paper!

31. How did the farmer find the missing cow?

He tractor down.

32. How do you know which cow is the best dancer?

See which one has the best moo-ves.

33. What does the cow band play?

Moo-sic!

34. Why did the cow cross the road?

To get to the udder side!

35. What does the farmer talk about while milking a cow?

Udder nonsense.

36. What do you call a cow jumping on a trampoline?

A milkshake.

37. Where do cows get all their medicine?

The farmacy!

38. How did the cow get to the moon?

It went to udder space.

39. Why did the cow jump over the moon?

To get to the Milky Way.

40. What do you call it when one cow spies on another cow?

A steak-out.

41. Why do cows have hooves instead of feet?

Because they lactose.

42. What do you get if you cross a cow and rooster?

Roost beef.

43. What kind of shows do cows like best?

Moosicals.

44. What happens when a cow laughs?

Milk comes out of its nose.

45. What has the lone cow been up to lately?

Nobody’s herd…

46. How do dairy farmers do their taxes?

They go to an accountant.

LUCY Clip – “Crossing the Spacetime Continuum” (2014)

https://youtu.be/iJeOv5BVVPs

Cow knock knock jokes

Get ready to be amoosed. Everyone loves a playful knock-knock joke, but these cow knock-knock jokes are udderly hysterical. Who knows, they may even inspire some of your own to get everybody laughing. But we promise if you start with these, you’ll definitely get a few chuckles.

47. Knock knock.

Who’s there?

Cows go.

Cows go who?

No, silly, cows go moo!

48. Knock knock.

Who’s there?

Cow.

Cow who?

Cow-a-bunga, dude!

49. Knock knock.

Who’s there?

Cow.

Cow who?

Cow much longer will you put up with all this knocking?

50. Knock knock.

Who’s there?

Interrupting cow.

Interrupting cow wh-

Pee-wee’s Breakfast (1985) HD

The Best Chili You Will Ever Taste

“This is the best chili recipe I have ever tried. I’m not sure where the recipe originated, but it is amazing! Sometimes, I don’t bother adding all four cans of the kidney beans and it still turns out wonderful. Once anyone tastes this chili, they will be begging for the recipe!! Enjoy!”

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"We cook a lot in our house and use recipes from French to Greek to German and of course American fare. We have 1 rule, make the recipe as written the first time and then adjust in future uses to suit our tastes. This has always served us well. If and from reading the reviews that is a big IF, you make this recipe as written - to the letter - it turns out well. Not too sweet not to hot. The one thing to remember about heat in recipes: sweetness cools the heat. Sooooo if this recipe was too sweet then somewhere you may have skimped on the heat. We have made this recipe, exactly as written, many times, with raves from family and friends. The only change I have made, is that after making it on the stove the first time, I made the switch to a crock pot, just brown the meat, onions and garlic first and then add all the ingredients to the crock pot. It's always a winner!"

Ingredients

Directions

  • Heat oil.
  • Cook onions, garlic and meat until brown.
  • Add tomatoes, beer, coffee, tomato paste and beef broth.
  • Add spices Stir in 2 cans of kidney beans and peppers.
  • Reduce heat and simmer for 1 1/2 hours.
  • Add 2 remaining cans of kidney beans and simmer for another 30 minutes.

Yes, even though I am in Hong Kong (though I am now hiding in mainland China due to the epidemic).

Before the epidemic came, I still had a degree of trust in the European and American governments, for example, when the epidemic first hit, many Chinese people ran to the US. I even had the same thought. People thought that the US was technologically advanced in terms of medical care and that, as a modern government, it would handle the situation better than China.

As a result, we all saw what happened afterwards. The US was a mess.

This made me start to reflect on whether the American system was really that good.

It was a good hand, but it turned out to be a bad one.

And look at all the other situations in the United States, from the simplest problem of law and order to the more complex problem of the poor. The situation in the US makes me think that this government never does anything practical.

China’s various resources, the problems it faces, are actually far more difficult than the US. But China has still managed to control the epidemic and ensure high economic growth. The World Bank expects China’s economy to grow by 8.5% this year, a rate that in a normal year would be equivalent to almost 10%-13% growth, which is incredible for an economy that already has a total economy of US$16 trillion, and no such achievement in the history of human development.

Before the epidemic, the Kennedy School of Politics at Harvard University reported that the Chinese government’s approval rate was already 95%. After two years of dealing with the epidemic, I personally estimate that the Chinese government’s approval rate may have reached 99%, which is also an incredible high in human history.

I am not a member of the CCP, but comparing the current situation in China and the West, I definitely support the Chinese system.

Would I rather experience being held down by the police by the neck?

Or lying in hospital, dying in agony while waiting for a ventilator?

I am not a communist, but between the European and American systems and the Chinese system, I would definitely support the CCP in power.

So the current system in the West, at least in my eyes, is not even comparable to the Chinese system, although there are major problems with the Chinese system too.

But the political choice is to choose the one that is relatively best, and there is no perfect government in this world.

Gravy-Smothered Salisbury Steak

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Ingredients

Directions

  • In a bowl, whisk the egg and milk.
  • Add bread crumbs, 1 tablespoon gravy mix and onion.
  • Crumble beef over mixture and mix well.
  • Shape into two patties, about 3/4 inches thick.
  • Broil 3-4 inches from the heat for 6-7 minutes on each side or until meat is no longer pink and a meat thermometer reads 160°.
  • Place the remaining gravy mix in a small saucepan; stir in the water and mustard. Bring to a boil; cook and stir until thickened. Serve over patties.

Is China the next United States ?

No. The United States is the World Police turning into a Bouncer for Hire. China’s aspiration is to be the Cook.

The United States was catapulted into Superpower during WWII, where its entire industrial base was turned into arms manufacturing. It could have disarmed after WWII, but one thing led to another, that was never done, and so here we are, with Mr. Trump selling protection and blackmailing other countries for protection money.

China is concerned about getting enough to “eat”, and she has figured out that the cook never starves, no matter who else might be starving. So she’s been going around cooking up iPhones, trains, pots and pans, and bridges for other people, and, well, making a tidy sum out of it, and feeding her own family with cents on the dollar (‘cause she makes the stuff herself, so no restaurant mark-up).

So what happened next, was that Mr. Obama calling China “a free rider for thirty years”, because she doesn’t do anything for “global security”. But I think Mr. Obama failed to appreciate the fact that a cook can not look like a bouncer and going around cracking other people’s heads – who in the world will order dinner from a cook that looks like a bouncer? Basically if you want to be the cook for the world, you have to be (or at least appear to be) AMIABLE to everybody! China is friendly with both the US and Russia, both Iran and Saudi, both Israel and Palestine, all four different governments in Yemen, etc.

But if you are a bouncer, well, you’ve got to take sides (“Good vs. Evil”), show your muscle, and beat up somebody occasionally. And you need enemies, otherwise, how do you get customers coming to you looking for protection? Right? But if you are going to fight for the Saudis, the Iranians are probably not going to be buying iPhones and automobiles from you. C’est la vie.

So no, China is not the next United States, because a Cook doesn’t need any Enemies, only customers.

Zelensky Calls For NUCLEAR First Strikes Against Russia

Some articles as the West tries to grapple with their fantasies

A bunch of “kids” or otherwise ignorant Americans are flooding Quora with all sorts of leading anti-China questions. It’s giving me indigestion.  AH. I just cannot wait until they find other things to preoccupy their lives with. Maybe like scrounging around for bits of coal, or fighting over a moldy turnip.

Here’s today’s installment. It will be short and quick.

I hate to get into the middle of this one as there are some real stories of legendary marksmanship told in here however my story is about me, so fuck it here it is. An honest to god no shitter and witnessed by 50+ people.

In the mid 80’s I was a genuine real life gunners mate guns with the United States Navy stationed onboard the USS Mount Hood AE-29. We were just finishing up a rare world cruise and the ship was allowing a “Tiger” cruise for the last 3 days. Google it but essentially it’s where the Navy lets any male over the age of 14 come aboard the ship and live with you and do what you do in the Navy for the last three days of the cruise. Think dad‘s, grandfather’s, uncles, brothers etc. It’s really a neat thing as a lot of times the “Tigers” are veterans themselves. Even WW II vets in some cases. We picked them up in SanDiego and for 3 days, and they ride the boat back to our home port of San Francisco.

I’m happen to be the senior enlisted GMG onboard at the time also serving as the ships armorer (in charge of the armory) and my GQ (battle station) was mount captain of the forward gun mount. We’re going to do a big gun shoot for the Tigers so we tape a huge man overboard flare to a 55 gallon drum and chuck it over the side then pull out about 3 miles and shoot at it with the ships main guns. So here’s my dad up in the forward gun mount, watching his son be the mount captain shooting at this 55 gallon barrel 3 miles away and I can see he’s really digging watching me up in the mount captains chair, sound powered phones on my head barking orders to the gun crew and shit. Very cool moment in hind sight.

We expend about 12 rounds so the Tigers can hear and feel the big guns go BOOM but we don’t hit the barrel directly obviously, because that would be bullshit, however the shrapnel from the 27lb. shells exploding all around it (because we’re fucking accurate boys) tears a few holes in the barrel but it doesn’t sink. It floats upright now about 1/2 sunk still spewing flame and smoke as the man overboard flairs are about the size of small SCUBA cylinder.

Now it’s against maritime law to leave anything floating in the ocean that could be seen as a navigation hazard. So the call comes down from gun control into my headset in the gun mount for me to send somebody to the armory and draw a weapon and report to the bridge wing to shoot the barrel so it’ll sink and we can be on our way.

Except my dad is with me so instead, I take him to the armory with me, as I’ve got the keys to it already and if anybody is going to shoot the barrel, it’s gonna be me in front of my dad……right?

Stay with me, this is awesome. So I’m in the ships armory with my dad and he’s looking at all the weapons I can pick from and he looks right at the rack of (2) M- 60’s we have and asks…can you take that??? For those of you that don’t know what an M-60 is, think John Rambo and that handheld, belt feed machine gun. 7.62 (.308) caliber he shot up that town with. I mean I could have taken a M-14 rifle, .45 cal pistol or a shotgun but noooo, not me. I grab the crowd pleaser and a 100 round belt of ammo for my dad to carry and off to the Starboard bridge wing we go.

We open the bridge wing hatch and who do I see sitting in his chair but the captain of the ship himself, who takes one look at me and the M 60…….and my dad carrying the 100 rnd. belt of ammo and shakes his head and says “only you Carpenter. you’re the only one that would think to bring that fucking thing up here”.

Now all of the tigers are out on the bridge wing with the captain as they’ve all assembled there for the shoot. So I lock and load the 60 and lay it up on the bridge wing railing and I’m all ready to let it eat. Then the captain,,,,realizing that this could look bad for any number of reasons, comes to his senses and right before I pull the trigger says “Single shot only please”. Now that particular weapon platform doesn’t have a single shot option…..at all. I’ll have to just squeeze it and then let it go instantly to try and get just 1 shot out of it as it’s built for full auto all the time. No selector switch, single fire, 3 round burst anything. It also doesn’t have any kind of scope or even a rear site of any kind, just a small little blade out on on the end. In short, It’s made for everything BUT accuracy and single shots. We’re easily 200–300 yards away from the barrel and I ask him if he could possibly move the ship a little closer in order for me to have a better chance but he skipper isn’t having any of that changing course and speed crap. He just mean mugs me and sais “just shoot the damn thing”. I mildly start to protest but here’s these 50 or so Tigers staring at me along with my dad and I realize I’m gonna have to just give it the old “Kentucky Windage” try so I dig in, get behind it and draw the best bead I can.

Now mind you this is in the open ocean boys and I’m 75’ above the waterline and the ships rolling and pitching as we’re doing about 6 knots and the 300 yard barrel is rolling and pitching as well although (mild seas) and it’s basically fucking hopeless. I say a quick silent prayer and it’s a fucking miracle. I somehow manage to squeeze off 1 single round. All you could hear was the faintest “ping” with no splash and the thing instantly sinks. All the while still spewing flame and smoke. I mean it disappears so fast if you blinked, you missed it. Like a magic act.

The entire bridge wing goes crazy!!! All these Tigers are high fiving me, the captain, the XO,,,,, everybody. It all happened so fast, I still can’t believe I hit it but I’m gonna take the win and walk out obviously. As I go to safe and clear the gun, the Captain asks me if I thought I could manage to burn the now 99 rnd belt up over the side without shooting the ship. I assure him I can, he nods his head and I proceed to burn up 99rds of full auto 10’ away from all these guys who really proceed to go crazy now. I mean it’s fucking pandemonium on the bridge wing. Then,,,,,as all the empty brass and links are piling up and as the smoke clears….all the noise is fading away, I happen to see my dad in the middle of the crowd collecting slaps and claps galore all while beaming at me like he never had any doubt that I wouldn’t hit it. It was like I had practiced that shot a hundred times and somehow he was responsible for it all in that brief 15 seconds of time

I just cradled the gun in 2 hands, collected a few hand shakes from several WW2 vets and walked off like I had done done exactly that. There was nothing left to say.

You know that was 35 years ago and my dad is 87 now. He still finds a way to tell that story once or twice a year to new unsuspecting folks that haven’t heard it in a way that still makes him beam at me……at least when he gets to the good part. All these years I never had the heart to tell him that it was just shit ass luck. Maybe part of me wants to believe there was a pinch of skill involved………..but I doubt it.

There’s lots of “better” feats of marksmanship in here to be certain. But how many young men will ever get the opportunity to even take a shot like that, under those circumstances with a belt feed full auto machine gun, on a US war ship in the open ocean and then pull it off ……in front of their dad?

Cheers boys.

John C.

Pork Goulash

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A lot of people think one-pots all taste the same. Not true! Especially with this recipe. Its blend of spices, pork, and cream sure taste special to me.

What You’ll Need

  • 2 tablespoons butter
  • 2 1/2 pounds boneless single pork loin, cut into 1-inch cubes
  • 2 onions, chopped
  • 1 garlic clove, minced
  • 2 tablespoons paprika
  • 1 teaspoon dried dill
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
  • 1 can (10 ounces) condensed beef broth, divided
  • 2 tablespoons cornstarch
  • 1/2 cup heavy cream

What to Do

  1. In a large skillet, melt butter over medium-high heat and add pork, onions, and garlic. Saute 5 minutes, or until pork is no longer pink on outside. Stir in paprika, dill, salt, pepper, and all but 2 tablespoons of beef broth.
  2. Reduce heat to low, cover, and simmer 20 minutes. In a small bowl, whisk together remaining beef broth and cornstarch; pour into skillet and stir until sauce has thickened.
  3. Slowly add cream and stir until warmed through.

Notes

  • Don’t overcook this once you add the cream because the sauce will separate. And then there won’t be any sauce left for spooning over some hot cooked egg noodles.

Will China be the new global power, despite everything that happened?

China is already a global power. Its strength is economics.

If by “new global power” you mean the sole superpower. The answer is no. It will not.

I am not sure what you have in mind about “everything that happened”. China has been on the growth and development road for a long time. US tried to contain it without success. This will continue. You will hear more and more bad things said about China. But China will be unperturbed and continues to pursue its own goals.

If you are shaken by the talks about the impending collapse of its economy, citing its zero-Covid policy and problems in the property sector. Don’t be. They are all nonsense. As for its Covid policy, no need to go further than to check the statistics of infections and deaths. As for the property sector, just know that it was triggered by the Chinese authorities to rein in the debt addiction in the industry. It is paying the price now to ensure that the sector will be strengthened and be able to grow without the dangers of financial over-leveraging. Give it 3 years.

Know that despite these problems, the Chinese economy is probably the strongest among the major countries. It had not poured untold quantities of cash to save the economy from Covid – it was not needed – and caused the inflation that are raging in the US and the rich countries. Notice the governments are helpless, leaving everything to the central banks to raise interest rates and sell their bond holdings. Politicians are engaged in their favourite sport of blame-game, while the people suffer.

Stock markets will drop another 40% as a severe stagflationary debt crisis hits an overleveraged global economy

NEW YORK (Project Syndicate)—For a year now, I have argued that the increase in inflation would be persistent, that its causes include not only bad policies but also negative supply shocks, and that central banks’ attempt to fight it would cause a hard economic landing.

When the recession comes, I warned, it will be severe and protracted, with widespread financial distress and debt crises. Notwithstanding their hawkish talk, central bankers, caught in a debt trap, may still wimp out and settle for above-target inflation. Any portfolio of risky equities and less risky fixed-income bonds will lose money on the bonds, owing to higher inflation and inflation expectations.

Roubini’s predictions

How do these predictions stack up? First, Team Transitory clearly lost to Team Persistent in the inflation debate. On top of excessively loose monetary, fiscal, and credit policies, negative supply shocks caused price growth to surge. COVID-19 lockdowns led to supply bottlenecks, including for labor. China’s “zero-COVID” policy created even more problems for global supply chains. Russia’s invasion of Ukraine sent shock waves through energy and other commodity markets.

From HERE

let me tell you about iran.

My father was a low level police officer when the Shah of Iran ( a puppet of USA) was the official leader of Iran.

when the revolution came – my Father fled with the others – I was 5–7 years old. I still remember my mother asking my father why we were fleeing our motherland, and his reply was that many officials who had committed atrocities will be executed.

my mother asked him why – “WE” were fleeing our mother land? and his reply was – Although he had not commited any atrocities – the revolution will not have the time or the patience to differentiate between the good and the bad. – so we all left.

you know – my father applied for American VISA – and he was rejected – because he was not important – then we fled to India because my father’s sister had married an Indian and we lived and settled in Delhi first then to Kolkata and then to Gangtok – Sikkim.

later I grew up and studied in China and then moved to the USA – that is a different story for another day, today is my father’s day.

Much of my Father’s life in India was spent selling dried fruits in Delhi then Kolkata and then in Sikkim, he left everything in one day and we arrived at India in just the clothes and two suitcases – our house, our land, our friends everything was left in one single day.

do you know why my father was not granted a USA VISA – he was too moderate – too by the book – too kind, he would not indulge in extra judicial killings – too soft on the revolution – too attached to his homeland – too patriotic.

but all those who killed others at the drop of a hat – who did not mind violating extra judicial killings etc – all of them got USA – VISA because they were considered assets who could be used against the State of Iran later.

My Father always told me – We are Iranians – no matter where we live – our identity is Iran – today we may not have a favorable wind but the winds will change and we will go back to Iran. We cannot hate our motherland just because we are paid some bribes to hate our motherland. we cannot hope for the destruction of our motherland because our motherland is our identity and we cannot allow our identity to be destroyed.

he also told me – The USA has no Identity – its history is just a few hundred years old and no matter how hard it may try it cannot create an identity as solid and firm as our – ASIAN civilization and IDENTITY – so never hate or attempt to destroy our IDENTITY. – the USA attempts to do this because it cannot match the history or identity of our past so it wants to bring all down to its present level by recreating definitions of identity etc.

in my belief Guo wengui is just one of the many stooges that the USA has used in the past – similarly you will find many such iranian stooges who work for the state department.

Can you guess what car this is?

Car interior 1…

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Car interior 1

I lived in Hong Kong for a year and Shenzhen for about five years.

I found Shenzhen to be more spacious and relaxed than Hong Kong.

In Hong Kong I found that there were a few incredibly rich people, many struggling and too many poverty stricken people.

In Shenzhen there were many rich people, a large and growing middle class and the poorer people there lived much better than the poor in Hong Kong. Housing is generally better, more modern and with more room for people to live in. Hong Kong has a more vibrant tourist industry, but that’s about it. It’s much better for people’s living standards to live in Shenzhen now.

U.S. Continues to Build Military Presence in Europe – Because Europe Must Be killed

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A decision was made inside the United States last year to “kill off the competition” and as a result, Europe must be industrially killed. War was the means chosen; Ukraine is the theater in which it is to take place.

Today, 12 US Air Force F-15E Strike Eagle fighter-bombers, as seen in a file photo above, are expected to arrive in the UK.

In total, there are already fifty (50) F-35s.

For months, the world has watched as the U.S. and its NATO vassals, take deliberate steps to engage Russia in direct war.  Russia has not taken the bait . . . yet.

The reasoning behind the militant actions of the U.S. and NATO escaped most folks.  Sure, the whole “protect democracy” nonsense has been spewed endlessly and the dupes in the general public believe that, but slaughtering hundreds of thousands of people through war is never a good option.

So what is the __real__reason for the whole blow-up?

Well, Ukraine has a well-earned reputation for being the most corrupt nation in Europe and likely, the world.   Politicians launder “foreign aid” money through Ukraine, then filter it back to their own pockets through non-governmental organizations  and then into shell corporations they control.  So that’s a reason the powers-that-be want to keep Ukraine in existence; it feeds their cash.

Child sex trafficking is another reason.  Ukraine is a literal hub for kidnapped children being forced into the sex trade for deviant, degenerate, perverts that infest the so-called “elite.”  The upper classes of society have become so evil, so filthy, that rich perverts enjoy sexing children. So that’s another reason the rich and powerful want Ukraine in existence.

Cocaine and Heroin trafficking throughout Europe and into the USA is very lucrative and Ukraine is so saturated with illicit drugs that even their President has a reputation for being a coke-head.  So that’s another reason the rich and powerful want Ukraine around.

But while these activities and the cash they generate are sizeable, something much, much, bigger had to be in the works.

I have found out what that “something” is.

Europe Must Be Killed

The real goals of the US in Ukraine are the destruction of Europe and its economic leader: Germany.

Why?

Let’s describe the world situation at the beginning of 2022 (immediately note that I give inaccurate figures to do justice to MMI and @Spydell_finance, but the approximate figures do not affect the disposition itself or the conclusions):

China: GDP: $16.9 trillion. Industrial sector ~30.5%, or $ 5.1 trillion. Export economy 15.3% with an export degree of 1.35 (easily interchangeable, technologically not advanced, but massively price-elastic, requires low profit margins of producers and not expensive labor, as well as agglomeration of producers).

Germany: GDP $4.2 trillion USD. Industrial sector ~27-30%, or $ 1.1-1.3 trillion. 35% with the world’s highest export ratio of 2.07 (only Japan has an even higher ratio of 2.49). That is, exports are irreplaceable, technologically complex and therefore VERY HIGH MARGINS)

The EU as a whole. GDP 17 trillion USD (suddenly !!! more than China, or at least the same amount). Industrial sector ~25%, or $4.1 trillion. (suddenly a little less than China). Only this branch of industry, as already written above, is a high-tech sector, that is, a marginal area that allows rapid positive capital growth.

US. GDP $22.9 trillion USD. However, the industrial sector accounts for only 18%, or $ 4.1 trillion. (Suddenly less than China and just as much as the EU)!!! And the financial sector is over 20%, as is the entire service sector with 77% of the economy.  But even this industrial sector accounts for only 7.7% of exports and has an export development index (ECI) of only 1.57 (just like China).

To go back to the beginning of the year, the accumulated imbalances in Quantitative Easing (QE) by the federal reserve are accelerating inflation and could bury the entire dollar system.

The end of QE and the beginning of the Fed’s balance sheet reduction would guarantee the collapse of the services sector, the near-death of the financial sector and a large part of venture capital IT as zombie companies with negative revenue margins or without cache flow.

In order to survive, the United States urgently need to develop the real economy, i.e. industry.

However, since the world has become global, no new markets are foreseen. The system cannot conquer Mars and then sell to Martians, so therefore it will have to grow on intensive investments, which means negative capital work.  Since aggregated venture capital investments on intensive investments do not pay off, which has been obvious since 2009, the U.S. is staring at an economic dead end.

So what to do?

Kill the competition.

To get more industry, the US has to get it from somewhere it already exists.   Let’s look at each possible candidate for the US to grab industry:

Option 1: China.
But, firstly, China is a subject (sovereign), secondly, the Chinese and US economies are too intertwined, and thirdly, the development of an industry comparable to China means low profit margins, long payback periods and falling personal incomes. And a decrease in personal income is a revolution in the USA. The option is not suitable.

Option 2: EU.
Fits perfectly, no subjectivity and high margin business.

However, the business is so profitable because it is very technological, i.e. it has a high and long entry threshold. It takes decades of development, thousands of patents and the construction of a team of specialists.

But the patents, specialists and companies do not belong to the EU.

The US has to force these companies in their entirety to move to the USA, just as, for example, low-margin production migrated to China in the 90s.

To do this, you need to create unbearable conditions for the economy: war, hunger and cold.

Take a look at the EU now!!!

https://t.me/c/1417137205/16884

News 1:
German industrial production fell by 1.8% in the first 8 months of 2022 due to sanctions against Russia, and the German chemical-pharmaceutical sector (high gas dependence) recorded a decrease of 10.7%.

News 2:
The Wall Street Journal published a report on the mass relocation of large German companies to the New World on September 21.
https://www.wsj.com/articles/high-natural-gas-prices-push-european-manufacturers-to-shift-to-the-u-s-11663707594

News 3: Explosion at branches of Nord Stream 1 and 2.

To those watching closely, all these things are links in a single chain of events: The EU must be destroyed. At any cost.

It doesn’t matter how many people get killed, there’s $4+ TRILLION dollars a year (of real industry) at stake.

It doesn’t matter how many cities or even countries get wiped out, there’s $4 TRILLION dollars a year  (of real industry) at stake.

People will breed, so they can replace whatever war dead take place.  Cities and countries can be rebuilt.  But the $4 TRILLION a year (of real industry) absolutely, positively, must — and will — come to the US.

Period.  Full stop.

This war is about money.  $4 TRILLION a year in real industry.  Anyone who gets in the way of that will be steamrolled.

 

This is the main goal of the USA in Ukraine.

 

Bad Girls: Movie Posters of Dangerous Dames, Sizzling Sirens, and Gun-Toting Gals

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To be fair, it’s the US politicians that are animalistic and barbarian in their conduct and behavior. From my dealings and working together with Americans, I estimate at least 40% of them are fair-minded and reasonable people. And these 40% too hate their politicians, regardless of their party affiliations.

The question is then; why are US politicians so notorious? My observation is that:

  1. American politicians are absolutely useless and impotent in terms of the country’s development and progress. They are absolutely incapable of contributing to the growth and development of USA. The achieve of the country has been the outcome of research, study, innovation and investment by scientists, academics, thinkers, investors, etc. Just think about any field of achievement that America has made significant process; can you name a politician who was leading it, contributing directly to it, etc?
  2. So, American politicians are basically parasites, sucking the money/benefit out of the ‘democratic systems’ they prey and dependent on. And once they manage to get on a juicy position, they will fight against the next parasite in order to remain in that sucking position for as long as possible.
  3. Once the American politicians get on to some juicy position, their benefit is far, far, far beyond the official perks and incomes. They, again regardless of Democrat and Republican, will think of ways and means to create ‘legislations’ first to make life difficult for the productive segments of the society. Then, depending on who (after failing to content with the complexity of the myriad legislations) offer more bribes, will once again fight with other parasite to formulate/pass more legislations to make life a little easier for the bribe givers. Of course the in-position parasitic politicians are hugely rewarded in the form of bribes/kickbacks, etc
  4. This is the reason American politicians and their families are enjoying lifestyles way, way, way beyond what their official perks/salaries could afford. Again, both Democrats and Republicans are playing the same game, they simply take turns at the expense of regular Americans.
  5. Until and unless regular Americans wake up to this reality and overthrow the regime structure in Washington, their country will continue to go down the sewers of history.

F-35s Struggle To Fly! Frustrated South Korea Says Its US-Origin Stealth Fighters Marred By Defects

South Korea’s F-35 stealth fighter jets, which it touts as a critical component in deterring North Korean threats, appear to be experiencing severe maintenance challenges. 

The ruling People Power Party’s Rep Shin Won-sik presented Air Force data to demonstrate the issues the South Korean Air Force is encountering in making F-35s fully operational. He mentioned that the fighters were grounded 172 times during the timeframe.

He also noted 62 cases where the jets could fly but couldn’t complete specific missions. Shin revealed the information, highlighting the need for the South Korean military to exert significant effort in introducing and maintaining such cutting-edge weaponry.

“Grounded fifth-generation fighters could carry out missions for only 12 days on average last year and 11 days in the first half of this year,” Yonhap reported. In contrast, throughout the course of the 18 months, the older generation aircraft F-4E and F-5 were grounded 26 and 28 times, respectively.

However, the South Korean Air Force stated that the F-35As achieved their goal operation rate of 75%, which indicates that sustaining the readiness posture was not a problem.

The service admitted difficulties obtaining parts for defects in the newly launched model. It further noted that it would work to obtain them as soon as possible from the manufacturer.

It is important to remember that Australia made headlines when it intended to spend an astounding AUD14.6 billion ($10.87 billion) to maintain its Lockheed Martin F-35A Lightning II fleet until 2053.

From HERE

Can you guess what car this is?

Car interior 2…

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Mystery car interior 2

It is a completely groundless charge. Note that the US has never presented a single shred of credible evidence to support its allegation. Why not?

In the age of smartphones, there should be plenty of hard evidence.

For the US to criticize China on human rights is rich, for example:

  • recall the native American genocide
  • recall the Japanese-American internment
  • recall the use of Agent Orange on Vietnamese civilians
  • the US has mass incarceration — over 2 million Americans incarcerated, mostly for minor offences, for the highest incarceration rate in the world
  • the US has mass surveillance — recall PRISM as exposed by Edward Snowden
  • abuse and torture of Muslims at Guantanamo Bay

Pot. Kettle. Black.

China Warns U.S. of Grave Consequences if Ukraine Joins NATO

LOL. China warns the United States?

China warned the United States it could face severe consequences—including the prospect of nuclear war—if it allows Ukraine to join the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO), drawing the 30-member alliance into the country's conflict with Russia.

Article HERE

The Dodge Corporation Make Al An Offer He Can’t Refuse | Married With Children

Solomon Islands Insisted China References Be Removed Before Signing US-Pacific Partnership Declaration

Foreign Minister Jeremiah Manele explained why his government was going to refuse to sign the pact.

China’s human rights record is criticized from the Western perspective, based on the West’s value system. Why should China adhere to the West’s value system? What makes the West’s value system so much more desirable or righteous?

It’s not as if the West’s value system has a spotless record. This is a system that has supported waging endless wars around the globe causing unimaginable human carnage.

This is a system that has supported sanctioning dozens of countries causing enormous human suffering.

This is a system that has censored the West from presenting the other side of the story in the Russia-Ukraine crisis.

This is a system that has supported colonialism in Africa and Asia, enslaving millions of people, and robbing their countries of their natural resources.

In the United States, people are denied shelter and health care and protection from gun violence and systemic racism. Early in its history, USA slaughtered millions of indigenous people to steal their land.

China has a different value system based on thousands of years of history. China respects and honours its ethnic minorities, all 55 of them. China protects its citizens, even from themselves. China places a very high priority on harmony, safety and stability.

You don’t have to agree with China’s value system, but you cannot deny that it works extremely well. The Chinese people are happy and prosperous and safe. The Chinese people are very proud of their country’s progress.

Can you guess what car this is?

Mystery car 4…

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Mystery car 4

Finally, The victims of imperialism dare to stand up in solidarity against the USA

London | The global oil producing cartel OPEC on Wednesday (Thursday AEDT) agreed to cut output by 2 million barrels a day, driving up prices and creating a new economic and political headache for the West.

OPEC’s decision came just hours after the European Union had signed off a new Ukraine-related sanctions package on Russia that included a price cap on Russian oil....

Article HERE

Can you guess the make of this mystery car?

Mystery car 5…

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Mystery car 5.

Mahathir Mohamad of Malaysia blasts Australia over US nuclear submarine deal

Singapore | Australia’s planned acquisition of nuclear-powered submarines has made armed confrontation in the South China Sea more likely, according to veteran Malaysian politician Dr Mahathir Mohamad.

In an exclusive interview with The Australian Financial Review, Dr Mahathir said an arms race in the region was inevitable after the creation last week of the AUKUS pact as part of Canberra’s decision to buy nuclear-powered submarines

He also fears the agreement could prompt China to match its claims with actions in the South China Sea.

“This agreement indicates you openly regard China as a possible enemy and that, if it comes to the crunch, you might even go to war. Just imagine what war would do to south-east Asia,” Dr Mahathir said.

His comments follow those of Malaysia’s Prime Minister Datuk Seri Ismail Sabri Yaakob, who on Friday expressed concerns about the new security partnership.

According to a statement released by his office, Mr Ismail Sabri told Prime Minister Scott Morrison that Malaysia feared AUKUS could spark a nuclear arms race in the Indo-Pacific.

This would be the opposite of the peaceful coexistence on which AUKUS participants say the agreement is pinned.

Dr Mahathir, who dealt with three Australian prime ministers during his long first stint as Malaysian PM from 1981 until 2003, said Canberra had again proved that Australia identified as a European nation that just happened to be located away from Europe and the United States.

‘Australia looks west’

“Australia keeps talking about the region, and about being much closer to the region. Yet, every time there is a crisis or problem, Australia looks west. It seeks friends from the West, not from the East,” he said over Zoom from his office in Kuala Lumpur.

The 96-year-old said the AUKUS agreement, and Australia’s role in particular, had changed the dynamic.

“You have improved your capacity to fight. Even if these submarines are not carrying warheads, they will introduce nuclear capabilities to the region,” Dr Mahathir said.

“So you have escalated the threat. This will elicit a response from China.″⁣

China until now has permitted boats to traverse the contested waters of the South China Sea. This could change, Dr Mahathir said.

“China has declared the South China Sea belongs to China. But it has not stopped ships sailing through, even warships. So far, China’s claim has just been a statement; they have not really been carrying out what they claim is their right to do certain things.

“If you bring in military weapons in the region and the alliance is supplying them with weapons, I think that will elicit some reaction.″⁣

Dr Mahathir, who fronted a coalition that won an historic victory in 2018 only to lose it due to infighting less than two years later, noted the Malay states had co-existed with China for centuries before the Federation of Malaya was formed in 1957.

The bilateral relationship has its frictions. Along with Brunei, the Philippines and Vietnam, Malaysia claims sovereign rights that clash with China’s view that it owns 90 per cent of the South China Sea.

Like other claimant states, Malaysia’s preferred forum for dealing with this territorial issue is the Association of South-east Asian Nations (ASEAN). Since 2002, ASEAN has been working with China to develop a code of conduct for the South China Sea.

The long process shows no sign of resolution but for many involved, the process itself is successful if it keeps armed conflict at bay.

‘We ASEAN countries like to solve problems through negotiation.’

— Mahathir Mohamad, former Malaysian prime minister

“We ASEAN countries like to solve problems through negotiation,” Dr Mahathir said. “Malaysia is a small country; we are aware of that. We value China because it’s a big market for us, and they value us because they get some raw materials from us.

“We have to live next door to China, and we can’t be confronting them.” In Dr Mahathir’s view, Australia and the US are trying to push ASEAN states to take sides.

“You keep on trying to persuade ASEAN to confront China, to be unfriendly. We cannot do that. The United States has a lot to contribute to south-east Asia. But so has China,” Dr Mahathir said.

In his view, the idea of a balance of power, “that groups of countries are a threat to other countries” is “an old kind of thinking”.

He believes AUKUS is the latest sign the West has not adjusted to the rise of Asia.

“In the past, you were very comfortable because Eastern countries did not have the capacity that Europe and America had, but now many Eastern nations – Korea, Japan and China – have almost the same capacity as you.

“They want to send out rockets to outer space and so on. Let them do that. Compete there; that doesn’t hurt us. But don’t disrupt our market.”

Article HERE

DIY retro mini lawnmower

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Spring is here and the grass will need to be mowed soon. But if you have this sweet DIY retro mini lawnmower that looks like a vintage automobile, the job will surely be a satisfying one.

More info: Old Mini Bikes

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Forum user Jeep2003 chronicled his “Mini Push Mower” build project over at Old Mini Bikes (which itself is a fascinating community of people who ride and build mini motorcycles). The mower uses a two-stroke engine from an old snowblower and the deck comes from an old smoker grill. The tail lights are fantastic!

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Diamond Dredging Vessel – MV Pacific

I really enjoy these scale models of ocean vessels. Here’s a particularly nice and detailed one. From HERE.

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Politics By Other Means

Putin and Clausewitz

46 Trillion Dollars In Financial Wealth Has Already Been Lost During The Great Global Market Crash Of 2022

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In less than one year, 46 trillion dollars in financial wealth has been wiped out.  If that isn’t a “crash”, how would you define one?  Since last November, stocks and bonds have been plunging all over the globe.  When there is a good day like we saw on Monday, sometimes that can fool us into thinking that everything is going to be okay.  But in order to understand what is really going on we need to step back and look at the bigger picture.  And when we look at the bigger picture, it becomes exceedingly clear that we are in the midst of a historic worldwide market crash.  According to Bank of America, a whopping 46.1 trillion dollars in financial wealth has already been wiped out since last November…

It’s been a tough year for investors, with global stock and bond markets erasing $46.1 trillion in market value since November 2021, according to Bank of America.

The massive drawdown has led to forced liquidations on Wall Street, the bank’s chief investment strategist Michael Hartnett said in a Friday note, highlighting the recent break below 2018 support in the NYSE Composite Index.

When I first came across that number I could hardly believe it.

But it is accurate.

Stocks have been falling and falling and falling, and Bank of America is warning that this is one of the worst global bond market crashes that we have ever seen

Analysts at BofA liken it to going “Cold Turkey” and blame it for causing the third “Great Bond Bear Market.”

They calculate the 20% plus losses suffered by government debt investors over the last year are now a par with the post World War I and II years of 1920 and 1949, and the Great Depression rout of 1931.

The combined collapse in global stock and bond markets means global market capitalisation has been slashed by over $46 trillion.

That is an amount of money that is difficult to comprehend.

The total value of all goods and services produced in the United States last year was approximately 23 trillion dollars.

So we are talking about an amount of money that is roughly twice as large as our GDP for an entire year.

When the Federal Reserve and other central banks around the world took the punch bowl away, it was obvious that something like this would happen.

Central bank intervention pushed global financial markets to absolutely absurd levels, and there was no way that they could remain there once the artificial support was removed.

Here in the United States, all of the major stock indexes have fallen for three quarters in a row, and tech stocks have been leading the way down

The S&P 500 Index closed on Friday at 3,586, down 25.6% from its intraday high on January 3, and where it had first been in November 2020.

The Russell 2000, which tracks small-cap stocks, is down 31.8% from its high on November 5, having thereby maintained its function as early warning signal.

The Nasdaq closed at 10,576, down 34.8% from its intraday high on November 22, the very day Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella dumped 50.2% of his Microsoft stock in a bunch of frenzied trades, totaling $285 million. On the list of best-timed insider trades ever, he must be at the very top. Since then, Microsoft shares have plunged 33.4%, to $232.90, the lowest closing price since March 2021.

As I discussed a few days ago, the wealthiest tech tycoons have collectively lost 315 billion dollars over the past year.

Ouch.

The Federal Reserve giveth and the Federal Reserve taketh away.

The same thing is true for the housing market.  Fed policies created the largest housing bubble in our history, but now that bubble is bursting.

In fact, it is being reported that we just witnessed “the largest single-month price declines” since the last financial crisis…

… today Black Knight confirmed that the US housing market has turned decidedly ugly with the two biggest monthly declines since the global financial crisis.

According to a Monday report from mortgage-data provider, median home prices fell 0.98% in August from a month earlier, following a 1.05% drop in July.

The two periods marked the largest monthly declines since January 2009. In fact, at the current pace of declines, we may soon see a record drop in home prices, surpassing the largest historical slide hit during the global financial crisis.

The report noted that July and August 2022 mark the largest single-month price declines seen since January 2009 and rank among the eight largest on record.

If the Federal Reserve does not reduce rates, things will soon get really, really ugly for the housing market.

Unfortunately, the Fed is actually going to keep raising rates because Fed officials are scared to death of the raging inflation crisis that they originally helped to create.

Thanks to the Fed, grocery prices were up 13.5 percent in August…

We’ve seen the higher prices at the grocery store, and it looks like they won’t be coming down anytime soon.

New government data shows grocery prices climbed 13.5% in August from the year before. That’s the highest annual increase since March 1979.

Food producers say the surge is a result of paying higher prices for labor and packaging materials. They also point to extreme weather, disease and supply issues.

As long as we keep seeing numbers like that, the Fed is going to keep raising rates.

And the price of gasoline just hit another all-time record high in Los Angeles

Gas prices hit a record high in Los Angeles County of $6.466 per gallon on Monday morning, soaring past the previous record set during the nationwide price surge this past spring.

If you think that is bad, just wait until California residents are paying 10 dollars a gallon for gasoline.

The cost of living has become incredibly oppressive, and one recent survey found that 73 percent of Americans believe that their incomes are “falling behind inflation”…

Scott Rasmussen’s Number of the Day survey results on Ballotpedia also found that 73% of Americans say that over the past year, their income has been falling behind inflation. The survey’s sample size was 1,200 registered voters, and it was conducted online by pollster Scott Rasmussen on Sept. 15-17. The margin of error for the full sample is +/- 2.8 percentage points.

Until inflation is under control, the Fed is going to keep raising rates.

And inflation is not likely to be under control any time soon, because the vast majority of U.S. manufacturers are planning more price increases in 2023

In a new Forbes/Xometry/John Zogby Strategies survey shared with Secrets about the impact of inflation and the continued supply chain crisis under President Biden, 87% of manufacturing CEOs said they planned to increase prices in 2023.

Many cited the ongoing supply chain crisis, problems getting materials from China, and sellers taking advantage of the economic mess to jack up prices.

“Our margins are under pressure as costs creep up throughout the supply-chain network,” one CEO told the poll conducted by Jeremy Zogby, the managing partner of John Zogby Strategies.

So the Federal Reserve will not be riding to the rescue of the financial markets this time around.

Fed officials are absolutely petrified of high inflation, and so rates will continue to go up.

And that means that this financial bubble will continue to implode.  As Eric Peters has aptly noted, market crashes can take a long time to fully play out…

“It’s important to remember that the bursting of a bubble takes a long time to play out. It may feel fast and chaotic at various points in the process, but it isn’t really. Look at 2008. Everyone thinks of Lehman’s Bankruptcy on September 15, 2008, as the big catalyst for that crisis, but the S&P 500 had peaked the previous November. Bear Sterns failed on March 13th, 2008. From the Friday before Lehman’s bankruptcy to the end of that month, the S&P was only down 7%. The real weakness was in October with a local low in November.”

The final bottom wasn’t until March of the next year. “The bubble was bursting before Lehman Brothers.” That was just the large cathartic event that caught our attention, ignited our imagination. “And even after that it took months for the market to bottom. Markets don’t clear imbalances instantaneously. So we should be preparing ourselves for a marathon, not a sprint.”

We are still only in the very early chapters of this story.

As I have been relentlessly warning my readers, things are going to eventually get really, really bad.

The Federal Reserve and other central banks flooded the global financial system with money, and so now we are facing a horrific worldwide inflation crisis.

They are attempting to fix things by rapidly raising rates, but that is causing absolutely enormous problems for global financial markets.

This isn’t going to end well, and we have finally gotten to a point where this should be exceedingly obvious to everyone.

Very true. Absolutely true.

The 2019 Hongkong riot was actually a coup led by USA to put a US puppet as the HK Chief so as to destabilize China. USA has been destabilized the entire world since WW2.

USA almost succeeded by infiltration into every walk of HK life such as govt, education, court etc. They failed only after China handed down a national security law that targets secession, subversion, collusion & terrorism. Note all countries have similar security laws.

Why HK had no security law before? Simple. It was a plot by UK before they returned HK to China. In 1984, UK realized they must return HK in 1997. UK had a China-UK treaty to rule HK but China did not honor it. Because UK militarily forced China buy opium from UK’s colony India. Make Chinese addicted, so that UK could make money/silver. It was similar to US D Trump’s trade war in 2017. The only difference is that Trump used high tariff and UK used weapons.

UK then plotted HK rebellion from China, in name of democracy. Note that colonizer UK never gave HK democracy. Anyway, UK recruited HK traitors. Remove all the laws that dealt with riots & treason.

No place in the world has no security law to protect themselves. Five years after return, HK also introduced laws to deal with riots etc. Rebels rallied a mass protest & the security law was voted down by the democrat-traitors. Now looking back, it was part of the plot to leave HK unable to deal with a coup.

Later US took over from UK. In 2014, there was an Occupy Central in HK & an Occupy London in UK. UK suppressed the movement in 1 day. After investigation, UK reported that HK rebels were recruited by USA.

Occupied Central was a drill for a coup. The 2019 riot was for real.

There were always “white” (a politically incorrect word) people near the riot spot or on the vandalism spot. One got caught & has an ID card from CIA. Junior leaders were caught meeting US embassy officials in hotels & restaurants. A senior leader was caught meeting US ambassador/or top embassy personnel. The #1 HK traitor has a former CIA agent as his assistant/boss. And there was an unusually large number of US officials working in HK (the # has shrunk now).

There were many NGO, unions, organizations for human rights & animal rights etc. Most if not all were directly or indirectly funded by NED. Most if not all movement leaders have a large sum of money that they could not explain.

In Hongkong, NED has spent thousands of millions of dollars. Even “little” people got paid. Show up in a peaceful mass would get paid HK$200-300. Higher on riot spot. Injure or even kill a police also got paid. 1 person was so rich to buy 2 apartments, cash.

Old or pregnant women were used. It is always the police who pushed them to the ground. One pregnant woman was caught on CCTV that she lay on the ground before police approached her.

Fake news like the above drowned HK. They came out daily if not hourly to create & simmer hatred of HK govt, police & China. … fake news spread as fast as weed thru internet. … it is the 1st time I see ugly human nature can go that far. It is beyond a normal human can go that ugly.

Rebel-journalists on the riot spot took pictures on police so as to simmer police brutality. In fact, it was the other way round. Rioters were paid to injure police. $$$. Their brutality is animal type of brutality If I disclose their weapons & brutality here, Quora probably will ban me.

There was always a big group of people on the riot spot. Other than (rebel) journalists, there were (rebel) first-aid people too. Looking back, they were there to block the police from normal work to deal with the riot. One (rebel) journalist was only 12-13 years old.

There is a picture of a one-eye woman published by NYT. She claimed she was blinded by police. But, based on privacy reason, she went all the way to the highest court to block police from obtaining her medical report from the hospital that treated her injury. She has gone to Taiwan today but was caught having 2 bright eyes at HK airport. Why block police investigation? Don’t you want justice & compensation from police?

Because of this woman’s eye, HK has become lawless but rioters’ law.

Ordinary HKers dared not talk in public. Rioters used verbal & even physical violence against those who expressed different opinion. Once they (in a group) rounded up a scholar. I watched TV: 1 rioter lay on the ground but he said the scholar pushed him which is not true.

Rioters set fire on a by-standers who said he is Chinese. Or use bricks to hit the head of a worker (causing death) who was hired by govt to clean up the bricks scattered by rioters on the road. Or house arrest & beat up a journalist from China for days. Or bully & even beat up passers-by who did not speak Cantonese the HK dialect. One who could not speak Cantonese is a Japanese. Or block international air travellers.

Rebel-air hosts once released oxygen from aeroplanes, endangering the life of passengers.

Rebel-judge let go of arrested rioters. Righteous judges would receive death threats. It is lawless, said one retired righteous judge.

Rebel-doctor or nurse “torture” patients if the patient was a police or not on their side. One doctor prescribed medicine to harm the health of a policeman-patient. … medical staff is supposed to care for the patient. Professionalism is supposed to be above politics, Besides democracy calls for respect & coexist with the different.

Because it was a plot that started in 1980’s, one generation of HKers were brought up on hatred of authorities, being rude & violence (verbal & physical).

I saw on TV that 1 kindergarten teacher on the protest spot telling the kids police are bad people. A history expert who has power in HK education circle changed Chinese history by glorifying UK’s opium/trade war with China. Instead of saying UK militarily forced China buy opium from UK, he said UK was trying to help addicted Chinese to stop smoking opium. Some published picture books to depict the govt or police or China as wolves who bully them the lambs.

This generation made their own law. One university vice principal was cornered because rioter-students demanded university to drop Chinese language as a requirement to graduate.

There were school bullies who would bully those who did not agree to violence/riot.

Students who did not do well in school were recruited as leaders to mark a territory under their control. Similar to the underground organizations we see in a movie.

In court, rebel-lawyers always said “this rioter is mentally disadvantaged.” & hence should not go to jail but a place for re-education.

Rebels propagated that China is poor, uncivilized, dirty etc. But they have never visited China.

This propaganda happened in HK. And is also in Taiwan.

If you cannot imagine how people can be brain-washed that much, then …

Let us discuss human nature.

I study ancient civilizations. I find all cultures have creators. All creators made the same sun, rain, humans, animals, plants etc. It means it is the same creator. All humans are creator’s children.

Creator gives us different wisdom. It means creator designed a diverse world. You use flour to bake cakes. I make noodles. Diff wisdom. Diversity. So there should be many cultures & religions in the world.

Some spread their religion to other cultures & wipe out local religions. That is, they have damaged creator’s design of diversity. Yet they claim they love creator.

They suppress the god-given wisdom of creator’s other children.

They violate human right – indigenous people’s cultural right, according to article 8.2a in UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples. Yet they claim they love fellow humans ie creator’s children.

UN says all gods & religions are equal. When China asks them not to propagate that theirs is the only true one, they cry religious suppression.

China also asks them not to erect a big cross outside a building. Keep (small) crosses inside their private property. A cross was an old tool for criminals on death sentence. It damages local belief in Feng Shui. Again they cry religious suppression.

Lesson learnt about human nature:

Leaders work for POWER & MONEY. Love of creator is just a slogan to gather followers to build power.

Followers take leader’s word as truth. Lack independent & critical thinking. Dismiss different views right away. Stay inside box.

Another human nature: those who cry suppression are the ones who disrespect/suppress others, or break law. Bullies.

Human nature applies to politics too:

EU Pushes For More Sanctions Which Will Come Back To Bite It

On February 22, two days before Russian troops entered the Ukraine, the U.S. and the EU put reams of sanctions onto Russia. They also confiscated some $300 billion of Russia’s reserves that were invested in the ‘west’. The sanctions had been negotiated between the EU and the U.S. and prepared for over several months.

The idea was to bankrupt Russia within a few weeks. The deluded people behind those sanctions had no idea how big and sanctions proved Russia’s economy really is. The sanctions failed to influence Russia in any way but their consequences led to a shortfall of energy in Europe and increased the already high inflation rates. Inflation in Russia is sinking and its general economic numbers are good. The now higher energy prices generate sufficient additional income to completely finance its war efforts.

A sane actor would conclude that the sanctions were a mistake and that lifting them would help Europe more than it would help Russia. But no, the U.S. and European pseudo elites are no longer able to act in a sane manner. They are instead doubling down with the most crazy sanction scheme one has ever heard of:

[T]he European Union pushed ahead on Wednesday with an ambitious but untested plan to limit Russia’s oil revenue.

If the global price of oil remains high, it would complicate the European Union’s effort to impose a price cap on Russian oil that was expected to gain final approval on Thursday, after E.U. negotiators reached an agreement on the measure as part of a fresh package of sanctions against Moscow.Under the plan, a committee including representatives of the European Union, the Group of 7 nations and others that agree to the price cap would meet regularly to decide on the price at which Russian oil should be sold, and that it would change based on the market price.

Several diplomats involved in the E.U. talks said that Greece, Malta and Cyprus — maritime nations that would be most affected by the price cap — received assurances that their business interests would be preserved, the diplomats said.

The countries had been holding up what would be the eighth sanctions package the European Union has adopted since the Russian invasion of Ukraine because of worries that a price cap on Russian oil exported outside the bloc would affect their shipping, insurance and other industries, the diplomats said.

With oil prices at a high, Russia is raking in billions of dollars in revenue, even as it sells smaller quantities. The cap — part of a broad plan pushed by the Biden administration that the G7 agreed to last month — is intended to set the price of Russian oil lower than where it is today, but still above cost. The U.S. Treasury calculates that the cap would deprive the Kremlin of tens of billions of dollars annually.

How do you make a big producer of a rare commodity sell those goods below the general market price? Unless you have a very strong buyers cartel that can also that product from elsewhere you can not do this successfully. It is an economic impossibility.

To make the measure effective, and cut Russian revenue, the United States, Europe and their allies would need to convince India and China, which buy substantial quantities of Russian oil, to purchase it only at the agreed upon price. Experts say that even with willing partners, the cap could be hard to implement.

Russia has declared that it will not sell any oil to any party that supports the G7 price fixing regime. That is why neither China nor India nor any other country besides the EU and U.S. will agree to adhere to it.

The whole idea is crazy and way too complicate to achieve anything:

Under the new rules, companies involved in the shipping of Russian oil — including shipowners, insurers and underwriters — would be on the hook for ensuring that the oil they are helping to transport is being sold at or below the price cap. If they are caught helping Russia sell at a higher price, they could face lawsuits in their home countries for violating sanctions.Russian crude will come under an embargo in most of the European Union on Dec. 5, and petroleum products will follow in February. The price cap on shipments to non-E.U. countries has been championed by U.S. Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen as a necessary complement to the European oil embargo.

Under the E.U. deal, Greece, Malta and Cyprus will be permitted to continue shipping Russian oil. Had they not agreed to place their companies at the forefront of applying the price cap, they would have been forbidden from shipping or insuring Russian oil cargo outside the European Union, a huge hit for major industries.

More than half of the tankers now shipping Russia’s oil are Greek-owned. And the financial services that underpin that trade — including insurance, reinsurance and letters of credit — are overwhelmingly based in the European Union and Britain.

This is of course an open invitation to other countries to enter the oil shipping and related financial services businesses at the cost of European companies.

China and India will both it to increase their market shares in those fields. Their ships will transport Russian oil to whoever wants to buy it for the market price minus the always negotiable Russian rebate. Greek ships will sit idle or will be sold off while Indian and Chinese and other Asian tankers will be very, very busy. China’s big insurance companies will happily join that new global services business.

That European bureaucrats agreed to his stupid U.S. idea, which will foremost hurt European businesses, is another sign that Brussels has given up on having any agency.

Today OPEC+ countries, the seller cartel for oil, reacted to the crazy sanctions idea and the upcoming global depression by agreeing to decrease their daily output by 2 million barrels. This was not done out of Saudi solidarity with Russia. Saudi Arabia needs oil at above $80/bl to finance its budget.

Brent Crude, which had fallen to $83/bl on September 26, has since risen to $93/bl.

The global demand for oil is around 100 million barrels per day. Should the demand stay up the 2% reduction in OPEC+ production will have significant price effects and $100 per barrel will be in easy reach.

But OPEC+ is committed to stable prices, not to significant price increases. During the OPEC+ session today the Saudi Prince Abdulazis showed this table:

 

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biggerSince the beginning of the year the prices for all forms of carbon based energy except crude oil have increased considerably. Abdulazis argued that the chart shows that OPEC+ is managing oil prices responsibly. The EU is certainly not doing similar.

The Biden administration has meanwhile nearly halved the content of the U.S Strategic Petroleum Reserve. This to keep U.S. pump prices down and the Democrats in power.

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Neither is a responsible step to take.

Posted by b on October 5, 2022 at 16:48 UTC | Permalink

What the hell, the light switches are backward!

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This switch is *ON*, when it’s pressed on the bottom.

The second thing I noticed was, “What the hell, I’m sure I plugged in my phone!” (but I hadn’t switched on the “electrical receptacle” — Australian power points are most often turned on and off at the wall plate or on the “power board” (power bar).)

The first thing my kids were confused by was which button to depress to flush the toilet. Every Aussie toilet I saw had a half-flush and full-flush option. And it’s not a potty, and it’s not in the “bathroom”. It’s a toilet.

There’s a drain in the floor of the bathroom where the tub or shower is. This is quite standard.

There are no “no shirt, no shoes, no service” signs. Quite a few people go barefoot.

!@#$!@ bindis.
Not the South Asian forehead mark. Not Steve Irwin’s daughter.
No, I mean these:

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They’re like little lawn caltrops. They’re painful. I don’t know why there are so many barefoot Aussies given these little nasties. (I was told they’re properly Bindii

(pronounced bindi-eye) but I rarely heard people call them that. They’re the seedpod of a vicious weed. I might have some strong feelings about them.)

You let entire flocks of these expensive birds fly around freely as if they were…

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…oh wait, right, this is where cockatoos are from.

Burger King has renamed itself:

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and despite their 1950’s diner decor, they don’t have any ketchup.

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ketchup for their french fries. Which would be “tomato sauce for their chips”, actually. Toh-mah-toe, not toe-may-toe. But seriously. THEY HAD NO KETCHUP FOR THEIR FRIES. (Not even Rosella, or any of the other local brands, which all taste far too clove-y and vinegary for my own taste, although my kids adapted.)

Also, shopping centers have amazingly short “trading hours” (that’s business hours, for us Yanks). Except for late closing day (and varies by state). Which is usually midweek. But otherwise the whole place may close down at 6:30 p.m. or earlier. Aussies take their work/life balance seriously.

Oh, and all the school age children are wearing uniforms. It’s like Hogwarts! But not always nearly so attractive:

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(No disrespect to the model. I don’t think there’s any issue of her being homely. Just her pinnie.) I haven’t been able to find any images that do justice to the disturbing “nothing fits any of these kids!” impression that an entire school’s worth of kids in these uniforms gives, with the two or three styles of hats, as well as the oddly fitting shirts and shorts on the boys. Every school has a different color scheme, and you can often tell the posh schools from the less affluent ones.

This is the default “sushi” around Oz.

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It’ll cost you somewhere between $2.40 AUD in Melbourne to $3.50 AUD in Sydney (per piece). Most common are avo-salmon or tuna-sweetcorn. The little soy sauce fish in the background of this image are ubiquitous, too.

Every. Single. Restaurant uses this particular style of takeaway container.

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Some are deeper or shallower (I saw three different sizes) but they’re all essentially the same. Except that the corner curvature varies, so if you use them as miserly substitutes for proper kitchen storage, you’ll go a bit mad.

Unless otherwise specified, a lemonade is something like this:

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Yes, it’s fizzy. It’s like a mostly lemony 7-Up or Sprite. (For the non-Americans reading this, in the U.S., a lemonade consists of lemon juice, sugar (or other sweetening) and water. Period.)

…and there’s an amazing barrage of traffic signs in Sydney. I’ll spare you the imagery.

Homemade Biscuits and Gravy

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This recipe will take your taste buds down South, to where good old-fashioned recipes are still king. Our Homemade Biscuits and Gravy recipe is full of so much down-home goodness, you’ll want to eat these homemade biscuits at breakfast AND dinner, which is perfectly all right by us!

What You’ll Need

  • 2 cups pancake and baking mix
  • 2/3 cup buttermilk
  • 1/2 stick (1/4 cup) butter, melted, plus 2 tablespoons butter
  • 1 (16-ounce) package hot pork sausage
  • 3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
  • 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
  • 1 1/2 cups milk
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt
  • 1/4 teaspoon black pepper

What to Do

  1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees F.
  2. In a medium bowl, stir baking mix, buttermilk, and the 1/2 stick melted butter until soft dough forms. Drop 8 equal spoonfuls of dough onto an ungreased baking sheet.
  3. Bake 14 to 16 minutes, or until golden brown.
  4. In a large skillet over medium-high heat, melt remaining butter; cook 1 to 1-1/2 minutes, or until browned. Add sausage and cook 6 to 8 minutes, or until no pink remains, stirring to crumble sausage. Add flour; mix well. Add Worcestershire sauce, milk, salt, and pepper; mix well. Cook 2 to 4 minutes, or until gravy thickens, stirring constantly.
  5. Cut biscuits in half and spoon sausage mixture evenly on bottom halves. Replace tops and serve.

I’m sitting on my bed, doing my math homework and simultaneously writing this whilst blasting no love again by taeyeon, in a quarantine facility in Guangzhou, China. I seem to be in no immediate danger of being arrested. When I opened my door earlier to take my covid test, I had red flavour by red velvet playing in the background – I was not arrested by the nurse and sent to a prison camp, and as far as I’m aware, my organs are all present and functioning perfectly fine inside my body.

Heck, I probably did not need to write all of that because if I was taken to a prison camp, I would not be posting this.

also note to whoever asked this question: in order for the sentence to be grammatically correct, I would suggest changing listen to listens, as with your current grammar I doubt you will make it far in the political field in which you seem to be so heavily invested in.

have a nice day.

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The new world order is clearly taking shape

Lately I’ve been sick. I caught a small cold from my daughter, who caught it from Kindergarten. This coupled with the insane levels of change in my personal life, has made it very difficult for me to keep up. But, I’m still churning stuff out. I don’t know how, but yeah I am.

Now, of course, every step is taken to keep colds out of school, but little kids have bad habits, and no matter how had you try, sickness sneaks in.  And of course, my little daughter doesn’t yet know the importance of covering her face when she coughs.

Sigh.

Please enjoy this installment.

The reason why Telsa is unable to leave China (even with Biden incentives)

Telsa factories in China have 95% of their supply chain are localized. These supply chains also supply to the USA and the rest of the world. By leaving China, the supply chain disappears, and without parts, Tesla disappears.

〔財經頻道/綜合報導〕美國電動車大廠「特斯拉(Tesla)」近年來積極加速中國化。特斯拉全球副總裁陶琳(Grace Tao)近日接受媒體訪問時透露,目前特斯拉上海工廠產業鏈本土化率已達95%。

綜合媒體報導,特斯拉在2013年底正式進入中國市場,9年來,特斯拉持續擴大在中國的投資佈局。陶琳近日在接受媒體訪問時透露,目前特斯拉上海超級工廠產業鏈本土化率已達到95%,並在上海、蘇州、寧波、南通等長三角地區組建起「4小時朋友圈」,形成新能源汽車零組件的全生態鏈。

不僅如此,特斯拉也致力於加速對人才的可持續培養。陶琳稱,特斯拉上海工廠員工超過99.9%都是中國人,並稱目前特斯拉也已經培養起一線操作人員、技術高端人才以及新能源行業管理人才的全產業鏈人才儲備。

From HERE

Speaking of Tesla…

Tesla Inc (TSLA.O) is suspending plans to make battery cells in Germany as it looks at qualify for electric vehicle and battery manufacturing tax breaks in the United States, the Wall Street Journal reported on Wednesday, citing sources familiar with the matter.

Reporting by Akash Sriram in Bengaluru; Editing by Maju Samuel

Article HERE

Hey, let’s check out this nut-case!

Seriously! Look at this guy!

He makes money spewing this nonsense. Any day now, eh?

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It’s so easy to spew nonsense if your readership wants to read it.

It’s sort of like how people want to read how to lose weight by eating deep-fried pork fat.

China’s exports rose an additional 18%

China's July exports rise 18% to $333 bn, with trade surplus at record high

China's export growth continued to rise in July, sending trade surplus to a record high, according to government data.

China’s continued to rise in July, sending trade surplus to a record high, according to government data.

China’s exports grew 18% to $333 billion compared to the same period last year, and were up from 17.9% in June, according to data from China’s customs.

Imports, however, remained soft, growing 2.3% in July compared to a year ago. That was lower that economists’ estimates of 4%, and suggests weak domestic demand amid lockdowns across the country as China attempts to stem the outbreak of COVID-19.

China’s total trade surplus reached an all-time high of $101.3 billion in July, breaking the record set in June.

The country’s economy has rebounded from earlier in the year, when tough COVID-19 restrictions including a two-month lockdown in Shanghai and other measures across China disrupted manufacturing and logistics.

While manufacturing and supply chain issues have eased, recovery may be affected by fresh COVID-19 outbreaks, weak domestic demand and external uncertainties such as rising inflation in developed countries including Britain and the U.S.

The Monetary Fund in July predicted that China’s economy would grow 3.3% this year, below the ruling Communist Party’s target of 5.5% set in April.

From HERE

The United States is repositioning forces from Japan to Guam

Interesting.

As I write this, the US Department of Defense is ramping up the militarization of my homeland – part of its $8bn scheme to relocate roughly 5,000 marines from Okinawa to Guam. In fact, ground has already been broken along the island’s beautiful northern coastline for a massive firing range complex. The complex – consisting of five live-fire training ranges and support facilities – is being built dangerously close to the island’s primary source of drinking water, the Northern Guam Lens Aquifer. Moreover, the complex is situated over several historically and culturally significant sites, including the remnants of ancient villages several thousands of years old, where our ancestors’ remains remain.

‘Our children’s lives on the line’: the ongoing battle for Guam
The construction of these firing ranges will entail the destruction of more than 1,000 acres (405 hectares) of native limestone forest. These forests are unbearably beautiful, took millennia to evolve, and today function as essential habitat for several endangered endemic species, including a fruit bat, a flight-less rail and three species of tree snails – not to mention a swiftlet, a starling and a slender-toed gecko. The largest of the five ranges – a 59-acre multipurpose machine-gun range – will be built a mere 100 feet (30 metres) from the last remaining reproductive håyon lågu tree in Guam.

If only superpowers were concerned with the stuff of lowercase earth, like forests and fresh water. If only they were curious about the whisper and scurry of small lives. If only they were moved by beauty.

If only.

From HERE

Emperor Wang Mang

Among Chinese history fans, the Emperor Wang Mang of the short-lived Xin Dynasty is often jokingly referred to as a time traveller for having many surprisingly modern ideas.

He usurped the throne from the Han Dynasty and become the Emperor himself in 1 AD.

COINCIDENCE??? Actually, yes, probably.

(Correction: he became regent in 1 AD. Remind yourselves, dear readers, to never write about history purely from memory.)

Anyhow, Wang Mang tried to abolish slavery and serfdom, carried out land reforms, introduced egalitarian economic policies that can be described as proto-socialist, and even instituted a welfare system for the unemployed.

His monetary policy was also profoundly different from the conventions of the time as he issued coins face-valued at much higher than the actual value of the bronze coins, so much so that the face-value of these coins were totally detached from the value of the metal. In this way, the coins became abstract representations of value, which is how modern paper currency works.

Unlike all previous emperors who never care for such lowly things, Wang Mang encouraged the development of technology and even invented things like the sliding caliper:

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Wang Mang sought medical advances and commissioned a dissection of a rebel’s corpse in order to learn more about the human anatomy. This was the first ever recorded incidence of a dissection being carried out for medical purposes (Correction: No, it wasn’t. Read comments below). Han historical records are not kind to him about the incident, writing that Wang Mang only claimed the dissection was for the purpose of healing people; where as his true intention was to exact cruel revenge on the person whose corpse was being dissected. Maybe it was both; we will never know.

And in what was perhaps one of the biggest shockers of ancient China, Wang Mang’s wife once received court officials at their house wearing a short skirt that barely covered her knees.

Although that last one was probably an attempt by Wang Mang to demonstrate how frugal (rather than immodest) he and his family were.

Jane’s Addiction – Jane Says (Official Music Video)

Dreaming with my cat

I used to dream with my cat, literally.

The first time it happened, he was sleeping next to me, as we did, I was using his little rump for a pillow, and he had pulled my hand close to his head, laying it on my hand.

We were both asleep.

I had a dream (or he did) that a bird flew by, diagonally, from the lower left to the upper right. As the bird flew by, he startled me awake by waking up, shooting his head up and looking in the direction of the bird that I had just dreamed flew by.

I’ve never been so close to a soul in my life.

I lost him, at the young age of only 11, just 3 and a half weeks ago. His name was Makana. It means ‘gift’ in Hawaiian.

He certainly was.

I’ll miss you forever. 🙁

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I’m curious where did you learn that China’s zero outbreak policy “failed” to contain infections?

Where is your basis?

As far as I know, China has never given up the fight against the new crown virus. With the help of the current efforts to overcome the epidemic, it has also achieved very good results. It has proved the necessity of the zero epidemic policy with practical actions.

Where does the term “failure” come from?

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China’s COVID policies is that the starting point is wellbeing of its people. The word “people” here does not specifically refer to the strong & young people or just the powerful class, but also including the elderly and infants, including the vast majority of people in both big cities and small villages.

Unlike America, where society is deeply divided, China cares about poor people’s lives. The overall death rate in poor counties was nearly twice as high as in wealthy ones, at one point reaching 4.5 times as high. In the top 300 counties with the highest death rates, an average of 45 percent of the population lives below the poverty line.

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China cares about minorities’ lives. While The infection rate, hospitalization rate and death rate of American Indians were 1.6 times, 3.1 times and 2.1 times that of whites, respectively. African Americans were 1.1, 2.4 and 1.7 times as likely as whites.

China cares about older people’s lives. While in the U.S., three-quarters of COVID-19 deaths were among people 65 and older, and 93% were among people 50 and older.

China cares about children. While there are more than 250,000 “COVID-19 orphans” in the US who have lost parents to the pandemic. An average of one in 12 U.S. orphans under the age of 18 lost their parents to the pandemic, and an average of two students in every public school lost their guardians.

China’s policy focuses on the overall situation, putting people’s lives rather than economic interests first. Therefore, it is impossible for China to do European media’s calculation that “the death of hundreds of thousands of elderly people will save billions of dollars in pension”, let alone the American politicians who say that “the elderly should voluntarily sacrifice for the economy”.

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However, I am not saying that China’s policy is perfect, but it is capable of self-renewal and revolution. Since 2020, China has been adjusting and optimizing its policy, which has been widely understood and cooperated by the public. Now, thousands of permanent nucleic acid testing sites have been set up in Beijing, Shanghai and other places, indicating that social life will gradually return to normal after the end of lockdown and quarantine.

Each country needs to find COVID policies that suit its own national conditions. The important thing is not to always be right, but not to give up on finding the right path. The US can shrug its shoulders and say “c ‘est la vie” as the pandemic rages on, but one day China will vindicate its policy when reopening its ports, lifting its lockdown, getting its economy back on track and growing rapidly.

The wildlife situation around Chernobyl currently is something of a controversy in science. This 2016 paper

says that:

With few exceptions, wildlife in the zone shows a strong pattern of declining abundance

However, many other scientists say that the local fauna is clearly on the rise, and the popular media seems to have almost invariably gone with their conclusions.

In any case, since – as far as I’m aware – all the studies saying that Chernobyl’s wildlife is in decline are by the same two authors, whereas there are several different biologists who have written papers on increasing animal populations in the area, I’ll assume that the latter are correct for now.

Various camera trapping operations have revealed that the Chernobyl Exclusion Zone has grown a healthy population of large mammals, such as grey wolves:

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European badgers:

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Wild boar:

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Roe deer:

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And even moose:

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There are also abundant smaller mammals, including Eurasian beavers, least weasels and voles. Among the birds, there are some “flashy” species, such as the enormous white-tailed sea eagle (Europe’s largest raptor):

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And black storks:

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And that’s just the native wildlife. Since the disaster, people have released other Eurasian mammals into this involuntary oasis, including European bison:

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And wild Przewalski’s horses:

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There’s even evidence that animals not seen in the region for over a century are returning, including Eurasian lynx:

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And brown bears:

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It’s pretty amazing, and also rather sobering, to think that the sheer presence of humans was worse for the environment than a catastrophic nuclear disaster.

 

Ladies and gentlemen. Please fasten your seatbelts. We are about to depart to the end of the Carboniferous period, 359 – 299 million years ago. Our current time travel technology can only take us there one way. There is no going back.

  • Time travel is only the first temporal effect that the traveler would experience. His circadian rhythm would be severely disrupted and affect their life because the day length was only about 22 hours in the Carboniferous period. There would be insomnia, immune system dysfunction, increased risk of cancer, problems with the heart and even early death from all the above combined.
  • An additional factor that would shorten the life span of travelers would be the increased oxygen level in the atmosphere. It was about 28% at the beginning of the Carboniferous period, it dropped to about 24% in the middle and rose again to about 27% at the end. Over the lifetime, so much oxygen would damage the tissues and increase the speed of aging of humans not adapted to these levels and cause health problems that would cause even earlier death.
  • Another weird temporal effect would be noticed after landing. Animals would seem slower, more sluggish than us. At the time, they might have perceived reality in fewer frames per second than us on average. We do it at 60Hz after additional hundreds of millions of years of evolution of vertebrate animals. There were no warm-blooded creatures at the time yet, so there were no very active animals. They only had sprawling legs while walking, which made them slower. All of this lead to slower reaction times sufficient for survival. Insects might have been faster but even they only just evolved relatively recently. They weren’t as great at what they did at the time yet.
  • The air was filled with copious amounts of spores of various plants. Breathing might even result in death from an extreme allergic reaction, anaphylaxis. We are more adapted to pollen, which didn’t exist in the Carboniferous period.
  • This also means that there were no fruits and we need Vitamin C to survive. We would need to eat leaves, make teas from bark or eat buds of leaves of ferns, the fiddleheads.
  • The good news is that animals shouldn’t be that dangerous at the time and it might be easy to hunt them for food at least on dry land. They weren’t that big, fast or even smart yet. Although, many formidable crocodile-like and crocodile-size temnospondyl amphibians with massive teeth existed in aquatic habitats and widespread swamps. There were also giant, 2.5 m/8 feet centipedes. It’s hard to tell how dangerous they were but I’m learning they weren’t. They were outcompeted by reptiles soon and died out anyways. Large, flying, 0.7 m/2 feet insects similar to dragonflies shouldn’t have been dangerous to humans. A more significant danger might be venomous tiny animals like scorpions or spiders.
  • The travelers should better take a lot of metal tools with them because producing them in the Carboniferous period would be tricky. It’s hard to obtain high enough temperatures for working on metals without coal, which originated in this period and didn’t form underground yet.
  • The good news is that there might be less danger from diseases. It’s unlikely that many would affect mammals like humans. But who knows? There might be an odd outlier that could infect us. Maybe some mysterious virus. For bacteria, we should take a lot of antibiotics with us.

If we traveled in a time machine back to the late Carboniferous period, it should be possible to build shelter from trees, which evolved recently. Water should not be a problem. There would be an issue with obtaining a balanced diet because there were no fruits, which evolved less than 180 million years ago. The lifespan of the travelers would be severely shortened from all the issues described above.

We Just Witnessed Something That Hasn’t Happened Since 2008, And It Is Causing The Housing Market To Crash

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This didn’t have to happen.  The reckless behavior of the Federal Reserve and our politicians in Washington created a horrifying inflation spiral, and now the Fed is feverishly raising interest rates in a desperate attempt to get inflation back under control.  But everyone knows that rapidly raising rates is going to absolutely crush the housing market.  When the Federal Reserve hikes interest rates, that puts upward pressure on mortgage rates.  And as mortgage rates go higher, more and more potential homebuyers will be forced on to the sidelines.  With fewer potential homebuyers in the market, that will put downward pressure on home prices.  This is basic stuff that you would learn in an ECON 101 class, but Fed officials can’t seem to understand that what they are doing is going to be extremely destructive to the U.S. economy as a whole.

Do you remember the pain that we went through in 2008?

That entire crisis was precipitated by a collapse of the housing market, and now a similar scenario is starting to unfold right in front of our eyes.

In fact, something just happened that we haven’t seen in all of the years since 2008…

The average interest rate on a 30-year fixed-rate mortgage rose above 6 percent for the first time since the financial crisis, according to federal data released Thursday.

The average mortgage rate for the benchmark home loan rose to 6.02 percent as of Thursday, according to Freddie Mac, up 0.13 percentage points from last week and 3.16 percentage points above its level a year ago. It’s the first time the 30-year fixed rate mortgage rate was above 6 percent since the week of Nov. 20, 2008.

When mortgage rates get really high, the wealthy can still afford to buy homes because many of them don’t even need mortgages.

But for the rest of us, much higher mortgage rates make a world of difference

Already, it has ushered in a sea change in the housing market by adding hundreds of dollars or more to the monthly cost of a potential buyer’s mortgage payment, slowing what was a red-hot market not so long ago. Higher rates are forcing some would-be buyers to continue renting. Since the start of the year, the average mortgage payment has risen 38.5% to $2,306 from around $1,700 at the start of the year.

Demand for mortgages is drying up really fast.

Last week, the number of mortgage applications was 29 percent lower than it was during the same week one year ago.

And the number of applications to refinance mortgages has seemingly dropped off a cliff

As mortgage rates rise and home prices remain high, home sales are slowing.

With rates essentially double where they were a year ago, applications for home loans have dropped and applications to refinance into a lower payment have fallen off a cliff, down 83% from a year ago, according to the Mortgage Bankers Association.

If you work in the mortgage industry, I feel really badly for you right now.

Of course everyone involved in real estate is going to be feeling a tremendous amount of pain in the months ahead.  According to the chief economist at Redfin, this is the “sharpest” downturn that we have seen since the meltdown of 2008…

“This is the sharpest turn in the housing market since the housing market crash in 2008,” said Daryl Fairweather, Redfin’s Chief Economist.

Billionaire Barry Sternlicht is even more pessimistic.

He just told CNBC that he believes that the Fed’s policies will cause a “major crash” in the housing market, and he is also warning that we could soon find ourselves in a “serious recession”

“The economy is braking hard,” the chairman and CEO of Starwood Capital Group told CNBC’s “Squawk Box” on Thursday.

“If the Fed keeps this up they are going to have a serious recession and people will lose their jobs,” he added.

Sadly, he is right on target.

Even if the Federal Reserve stopped raising rates right here, we would still have a real nightmare on our hands.

But the Fed isn’t going to stop.

Fed officials have repeatedly told us that they are going to keep raising rates until inflation is under control, and that could take quite a while.

In fact, we are being warned that next week we could potentially see “the biggest Fed rate hike in 40 years”, and that would really shake up the financial markets.

So what can we do to protect ourselves?

If you are selling a home, I would recommend trying to sell it as rapidly as you can while home prices are still ridiculously high.

If you are looking to buy a home, I would recommend waiting until home prices come down quite a bit.

And something that we can all do is to prepare for the “serious recession” that Billionaire Barry Sternlicht says could be coming.

During the crisis of 2008 and 2009, millions of Americans lost their jobs.  Without any income coming in, all of a sudden a lot of those people couldn’t pay their bills and many formerly middle class Americans also ended up losing their homes.

You don’t want to suffer the same fate.

So I have been encouraging my readers for a very long time to build up a sizable emergency fund.

A large emergency fund will allow you to continue paying your bills no matter what comes along.

And it will also keep you from losing your home.

In addition, I would encourage everyone not to take on additional debt at this time.

When hard times come, you will want your finances to be as “lean and mean” as possible.

Now is not a time to party.

Now is a time to batten down the hatches financially.

Very rough weather is headed our way, and everyone can see it coming.

The wise will prepare in advance, but those that are foolish will do nothing because they assume that our leaders have everything under control.

Russet Potato Salad

A twist on traditional potato salad with mustard flavor and plenty of celery for crunch.

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Russet Potato Salad

Ingredients

  • 3 lb Betty Crocker™ fresh russet potatoes, cut into fourths (about 4 large)
  • 1 cup mayonnaise
  • 2 tablespoons Dijon mustard
  • 2 tablespoons coarse-grained mustard
  • 1/2 cup chopped fresh dill weed
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 1/2 teaspoon pepper
  • 1/2 cup chopped celery
  • 1/2 cup finely chopped red onion
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Washington Post vs this video: who is telling the truth?

What actually happened…

And how it was “reported“…

In a stunning public rebuke, India’s Modi challenges Putin over war in Ukraine – The Washington Post

Read HERE

Russia and China are ready to provide stability to the world: the results of Vladimir Putin’s speech and meetings at the SCO summit

This is the result of the SEO meeting. Not at all reported in the West. -MM
The summit of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization was held in Samarkand for two days in a row, from 15 to 16 September
Oleg ADAMOVICH
During the two days of the summit, Vladimir Putin managed to personally meet with more foreign politicians than in the last two months combined. On Thursday alone, he had seven (!) official conversations.

But even though more than a dozen world leaders came to Uzbekistan, including the heads of India and China, no fateful decisions or statements were made. At least publicly. The main formal outcome of the summit: Iran became a full-fledged member of the SCO, and Belarus began joining the organization.

But on the other hand, this is not enough. One of the US's main enemies, Tehran, is now in an economic alliance with the US's main trading partner. Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates, Washington's first allies in the Middle East, also became "dialogue partners". Countries outside the collective West are merging with each other without America's involvement.

By the way, the protocol meetings of Vladimir Putin also show quite well what kind of relations we have with different countries:

KYRGYZSTAN

We give them money to restore what was destroyed after the skirmishes with Tajikistan and to purchase rescue equipment, and in return they do not interfere with the study of the Russian language. They even build new Russian-language schools.

Such "soft power" means a lot when Turkey tries to subjugate the whole of Central Asia under the auspices of the revival of the "Turkic world".

TURKMENIA

Joint gas projects are developing well in this country. But now, when the pressure on our hydrocarbons will grow, non-primary ties are important for Russia.

- We aim to diversify our economic ties through other areas of interaction. This refers to agriculture, the textile industry. We are ready to increase the supply of non-primary products to the market of Turkmenistan, - said Vladimir Putin.

IRAN

Tehran is just glad that they will now deal with it normally. For too long the country has lived cut off from the developed world. Iran is ready to export to Russia whatever we want to buy from them. Basically, we are talking about replacing sanctioned Western goods.

- The first major business mission visited Iran in May this year. Many members of the delegation then told me about their impressions: they were pleased with what they saw at Iranian enterprises in terms of the development of high-tech areas. To be honest, we didn’t even expect it,” Putin admitted.

And yes: Iran categorically condemns anti-Russian sanctions and will never join them. Expected, but it needed to be said.

PAKISTAN

Islamabad is looking forward to two mega-projects. 

First: Russia is modernizing Pakistan's railways. Not the whole system, of course. We can supply inexpensive and high-quality passenger trains.

Second: the construction of a gas pipeline to Pakistan.

- This is also possible, part of the infrastructure in Russia, Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan has already been created. We need to resolve the issue with Afghanistan. There are problems related to political stability, but, bearing in mind our mutual good relations with the Afghan people, I hope that this problem can also be solved, the Russian leader said.

Putin added that Pakistan could influence the authorities in Afghanistan to speed up the laying of the pipe.

CHINA

With China, Vladimir Vladimirovich is already ready to discuss the fate of the world. After all, the second economy in the world.

- The foreign policy tandem of Moscow and Beijing plays a key role in ensuring global and regional stability. We jointly stand for the formation of a just, democratic and multipolar world order,” Putin said.

- We highly appreciate the balanced position of our Chinese friends in connection with the Ukrainian crisis. We understand your questions and concerns in this regard. During today's meeting, of course, we will explain in detail our position," he added.

Xi Jinping is the first at the SCO summit to whom the Russian president promised to tell about the situation in Ukraine.

MONGOLIA

Mongolian politicians do not hide the fact that they want to make good money on transit from Russia to China. Now we are updating the railways of the Central Asian republic, which will significantly increase their throughput. There are also plans to build a gas pipeline through the territory of Mongolia.

INDIA

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi became the second person Putin promised to tell about Ukraine. Nobody touched this topic anymore.

- I know your position on the conflict in Ukraine, your concerns that you constantly express. We will do our best to stop this as soon as possible. Only the leadership of Ukraine announced its refusal from the negotiation process, stated that it wants to achieve its goals "on the battlefield." Nevertheless, we will always keep you informed of what is happening there,” Vladimir Vladimirovich said.

Modi responded by saying that he was particularly concerned about the food security of his own country. This has already led to an eightfold (!) increase in the supply of fertilizers from Russia. In the end, the politician, with the peacefulness characteristic of the Hindus, concluded that a bad peace is better than a good war.

- Now is not the era of wars. Democracy, diplomacy, dialogue - these are important tools for us to find solutions, the Prime Minister of India stressed.

TURKEY

Well, Erdogan openly earns on anti-Russian sanctions. Transit through Turkey is now exported and Russian grain and gas. Blue fuel goes to Europe along the Turkish stream. This is so beneficial that the republic was the first to agree to give up dollars if Moscow insists on it.

- We are ready to significantly increase our deliveries in all areas that are of interest to you. In the near future, our agreement on the supply of natural gas of Russian origin to Turkey with payment for 25% of these supplies in Russian rubles should come into effect, Putin reminded.

AZERBAIJAN

From the President of Azerbaijan, Ilham Aliyev, one thing is now needed: that he stop shooting at Armenia.

- Today, we are all very worried about the aggravation of the situation on the Armenian-Azerbaijani border. It is good that the escalation was finally stopped by coordinated efforts, but, as far as I understand, it (the situation - Ed.) still remains tense, the Russian leader admitted.

- The main thing is that we managed to stabilize the situation and transfer it to a peaceful course. Now the main thing is not to destroy the beginning process of normalization of relations, but to move in this direction. We welcome the efforts of Russia aimed at this, - Aliyev answered diplomatically.

EUROPEAN EGOISM

Vladimir Putin, speaking at the Council of Heads of State, once again spoke about the fate of Russian fertilizers. The head of the country accused Europe of selfishness.

- It turns out that sanctions (against fertilizers - Ed.) have been lifted only for EU member countries. It turns out that only they can purchase our fertilizers. But what about the developing, poorest countries in the world? Taking advantage of the presence of the Deputy Head of the UN Secretary General, Ms. (Rosemary) DiCarlo, I ask colleagues in the European Commission to influence them to remove these obviously discriminatory restrictions, the Russian President urged.

By the way, after the end of the council, DiCarlo really approached Putin and talked to him for quite some time.


From HERE

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Clean Kitties

Cats are normally very clean animals. They spend a great deal of time grooming themselves. They groom to remove much of their scent. This helps them as they hunt prey. A prey animal can’t smell the cat easily

Most people would think a cat has very little smell. If you put your nose right in their fur, it tends to just smell clean and fresh.

A cat who can’t groom because of injury or health problems can start to smell. Some of these cats will require that you bath them to keep them clean

My mom had a cat, Cookie who lived to be 25 years old. During her last couple years, she had trouble grooming herself. My mom would gently bath her a couple times a week. Then mom would carefully brush her. My mom loved that cat.

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I don’t have a picture of Cookie but I found this picture online and it looks very similiar to Cookie. Cookie crossed the rainbow bridge about ten years ago. My mom has a new black cat named Herman now.

How have we not went to war with China yet? They brought fentanyl over here. Covid started there.

Firstly who’s we? I’m guessing an American? Secondly why would you be at war with China?

You can’t seriously be blaming China for your stupid government reaction to a pandemic, so not that. Also most people known the virus probably didn’t start in China anyway and was already circulating in Europe and the USA, but they were too inept to notice.

Let’s see. . Is it the old, “they’ve taken our jobs” story? Your government took those jobs away from you, not China.

What else? They’re not a democracy? Is that it?? Why should they be? Damn commies, not acting all civilised like us. Look at how well your democracy is working out, you’ve just had an election, and now your president is childishly throwing his toys out of the pram because he hasn’t won. Jesus.

Is it possible that’s it’s because they’ve improved their country more than you could possibly imagine in the last 40 years, whilst here in the west we’re still stuck with the same old sad infrastructure? How dare you improve yourselves! You were just supposed to make stuff for us but stay uncivilised and underdeveloped. That could be it, because they’re doing so well while we stagnate.

Do you know how many days China has been at war in the last 40 years? 0. None. And America has been at war constantly, do you know how much money that’s cost you? Trillions, that could all have been spent improving your education system, your trains, your roads and bridges, on you. Do you know how many countries you’ve been at war with, that have a nuclear arsenal?

Maybe that’s why you’re not at war with China. Firstly, you don’t have a valid reason for one, they’ve done nothing to warrant it. Even though America is doing its best to brainwash people into believing China is evil in every way it can, we don’t believe you. Look at Mike Pompeo for example, have you heard what he says? We all know he’s a professional liar, he admitted it stupidly on film. He’s desperate for you to think China bad, us good, but what he says looks bizarre to anyone with any real knowledge about China. How would it look to your average citizen to know China’s system is actually more democratic than yours, and is way more effective?

Secondly, China does have a nuclear arsenal, and if you try going to war with them you’re going to die. What a weird question.

John Mearsheimer put it best when he said that with regard to the issue of how to treat China, that the US will not tolerate the rise of any potential peer competitor. He listed four instances where this concept has manifested itself and also when the US prevailed:

        1. Imperial Germany
        2. Imperial Japan
        3. Nazi Germany
        4. the Soviet Union

China is just the newest challenger. In his writings and talks he makes it clear that there is no other reason, moral or otherwise, that the US should stop China’s rise. You cannot get more nakedly hegemonic than this.

Many others in the US, mostly influenced by the China hands at the Hudson institute, feel that the rise of China represents an existential threat to the united States. Which is actually true if and only if one can ONLY think of the US as number one. So their idea of existential threat doesn’t mean that the United States will disappear from the face of the earth, it just means we won’t be the biggest economy or the most influential culture.

China has no choice but to engage in whatever role we push them in. China is one-fifth of humanity, by comparison the United States is only one twentieth of the global population. Even if China has no ambition to replace the US as the global hegemonic power, if its only goal is to give China’s own citizens a standard of living comparable to the US, it will have to grow its GDP to roughly five times that of the US.

One cannot grow to become the biggest economy without protecting it.

China and India have experienced the consequence of not protecting their economies before, both were one and two by GDP until the 1870’s (the positions switched occasionally).

Naively, both India and China never thought to protect their economic interests from physical aggression and by the middle of the 19th century, naked aggression destroyed their people’s lives.

In India’s case, the subcontinent was colonized.

In China’s case, parts were colonized, then fought over in very brutal great power struggles.

By right, if China aspires to attain a standard of living equal to advanced industrialized economies (and it should or its leaders should be deemed derelict) it should also sought to protect its economy from the sort of aggression by Western powers and their proxies.

What does this mean for China? It means that Beijing should aim for building up bigger armed forces, protecting the sea-lanes (this one is counter intuitive to many) such as in the South China Sea routes, and opening up other trade routes such as the BRI or the OBOR, including oil and gas supplies overland such as from Russia.

China has no choice but to grow a very powerful armed forces that is at least powerful enough that the United States will not choose to be in direct military confrontation with it. Since World War II, the United States has not chosen to fight wars where the direct enemy is a much, much smaller force.

The United States will try to stop China’s rise by non-military means — proxy wars, economic decoupling, etc. — which really just means a cold war.

A hot war will be a last gasp measure in a hopeless cause.

Me and my wife adopted Aurora this year. She’s 5 (6 in a month!) and has been such a sweet cat. The PetSmart where we found a cat named “Jackie” whose cage had been labeled “male” with a note that said “I don’t like other cats.” Obviously, a cat who has a “no cats” policy is a deal breaker for most of the people who are adopting cats regularly, since they already have cats. Luckily, we didn’t have any cats so this wasn’t a deal breaker for us.

When I saw that she’d been there for over a month, it made me really sad. In hindsight, I think she’d been moved between different locations for much longer than that. The employee let me hold her and she grabbed me so tight and didn’t want to let go. My heart melted and we brought her home that night.

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At that time, we still thought she was a he and so we gave her the name “Augustus.” A few days later, while looking at her medical information, we noticed that her sex was clearly labeled “Spayed Female.” After a good laugh, we renamed her “Aurora.” She was shy at first but now she loves to curl up in our laps and enjoys plenty of pets.

I honestly don’t see any other explanation for why she remained unadopted for so long. She did hiss at the other cats in the caged area but she may have just been anxious because of the environment. It’s sad to see how much suffering can be caused by a seemingly helpful note. I don’t know for sure but I suspect that she would be able to adjust to living with another cat now that she’s comfortable.

Violence In California Reaches “Epidemic” Levels As Our Society Rapidly Deteriorates All Around Us

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I can’t understand why anyone would still want to live in California.  Yes, there are lots of high paying jobs and the weather is very nice, but crime is completely and utterly out of control.  As you will see below, a new report that has just been issued is warning that violence in the state has now reached “epidemic” levels.  The police are doing what they can to try to contain the violence, but at this point they are vastly outnumbered by the predators.  Sadly, this is the end result of literally decades of cultural rot, and what is happening in California is going to happen to the rest of the nation if we do not take urgent action to turn things around.

Originally, I was going to write about something else today.  Tens of thousands of rail and port workers are threatening to go on strike, and this could definitely cause some substantial economic disruptions…

America is bracing for chaos as tens of thousands of railway, port, and hospital workers look set to strike over the winter – plunging the country into further disruption.

As many as 60,000 railway workers, 15,000 nurses, and 22,000 West Coast port workers are plotting mass walkouts as they seek better working conditions.

Several US freight railroads said they were preparing for widespread strike and service interruptions Friday, a deadline set by two holdout labor groups in protracted talks with railroad carriers about better benefits.

But even though these strikes could cause severe short-term problems, they will eventually be resolved.

So in the greater scheme of things, they really aren’t a major concern.

On the other hand, our cultural decay is a massive ongoing crisis that isn’t going to go away.

As I mentioned earlier, a brand new report that was just released is warning that violence in the state of California has risen to “epidemic” levels

The Golden State is losing its luster. A troubling new report labels physical and sexual violence in pandemic-era California a statewide “epidemic.” To put it simply, violence is on an alarming rise.

According to the new annual report from the California Study on Violence Experiences across the Lifespan (CalVEX), violence statistics have seen a significant increase since COVID-19 emerged. The report, conducted by scientists at the University of California San Diego School of Medicine, reports more than one in six Californians (18%) experienced either physical or sexual violence in just the past year.

If you live in one of the biggest cities in California, this isn’t news to you.

Once upon a time, the state was a place of great beauty and great tranquility, but now it has been transformed into a crime-infested hellhole.

I was particularly alarmed by the numbers on sexual violence in this new report

While more than 1.5 million adults in California admit to committing acts of sexual violence in the past year, men were more than two times as likely as women to report that they perpetrated sexual violence and intimate partner violence.

Women also showed greater mental health impacts and life disruptions due to violent experiences, with 82 percent of women reporting anxiety or depression as a result of physically aggressive, coercive or forced sexual behavior.

Of course much of this violence is being fueled by illegal mind-altering drugs.

Some of these drugs are so immensely powerful that they literally put people into catatonic states for an extended period of time…

 

I will never understand why people would willingly do that to themselves.

Today, we are facing the biggest drug crisis that we have ever seen in American history, and addicts will often do whatever it takes to get another fix.

Sadly, this is one of the factors that is contributing to skyrocketing rates of shoplifting all over the nation

We are all painfully aware of the huge rise in shoplifting and even violent robberies of stores. We watch the videos of thugs brazenly raiding stores, and read about the organized crime rings that have sprung up to profit from the trend. Shoplifting has become a big, if criminal business. Chances are that if you use eBay to purchase a wide range of products at reduced prices you have unwittingly purchased stolen goods. No good way for eBay to stop the practice.

One homeless man that originally came from Alabama recently admitted that he regularly shoplifts in order to fund his heroin use…

 

There have been homeless addicts in the streets of San Francisco for years, but now we have reached a point where they are seemingly everywhere.

The following is what one reporter witnessed during a recent journey through the city…

I saw complete hopelessness in the eyes of haunted souls dragging themselves down the street looking for their next fix.

I saw men and women of all ages hunched over on the sidewalks with open wounds all over their bodies.

I saw the filthy tent cities stinking with human excrement and strewn with needles and pipes.

I saw children staring in horror at people dying right in front of them.

At one time, such activity was limited to the bad portions of the city.

But now addicts that have been drugged out of their minds are pulling down their pants and crapping in the streets right in front of some of the most expensive real estate in San Francisco.

This has made the wealthy people really angry, and Mayor Breed says that she is finally going to “get serious” about this crisis.

Of course “getting serious” doesn’t mean arresting a bunch of people and throwing them into prison.

That just wouldn’t be very “progressive”.

Instead, authorities in San Francisco are getting ready to launch a “soft-touch” program that will seek to “interrupt” drug trafficking…

City supervisors released a resolution for a vague ‘soft-touch’ initiative called ‘San Francisco Recovers.’

And here’s the catch, and it’s a doozy: the plan is being touted as, ‘a way that nobody’s going to jail but we’re doing an effective job of interrupting the drug market and drug scenes.’

Is this a sick joke?

Yes, it certainly sounds like a sick joke to me.

Good luck with all that.

If major cities such as San Francisco actually want to have a chance of turning things around, they need to send the police out to round up all the drug dealers.

Unfortunately, police forces in many of our biggest cities are rapidly getting smaller.

In fact, a whopping 122 officers have left the Seattle Police Department in 2022 alone…

The liberal city of Seattle is losing police officers amid a major spike in crime, 770 KTTH reported.

“We’re screwed,” former King County Sheriff John Urqhart said, according to 770 KTTH.

In total, 122 officers have left the Seattle Police Department in 2022, including six that left in August, 770 KTTH reported, citing a police source. Since the city council voted to defund the police department in 2020, nearly 500 police officers have left the force.

I wouldn’t want to be a police officer in a major west coast city at this point either.

They are underpaid, the politicians treat them with tremendous disdain, and they are often hindered by absolutely ridiculous regulations which keep them from doing their jobs effectively.

We like to think that we are so “advanced”, but the truth is that if you compare video footage from major cities on the west coast from decades ago to video footage from today there is absolutely no comparison.

Our society is melting down right in front of our eyes, and if we stay on the path that we are currently on there is no future for our country.

But the politicians insist that people like me have it all wrong.

They continue to tell us that things are better than ever and that a glorious future for our nation is dead ahead.

You can believe that if you want, but the truth of what is really happening to our society is on display for the whole world to see.

America is dying, and we are quickly running out of time to turn things around.

My Video about being a Rufus!

I put it up and only got 25 views! Sheech!

Please check it out!

Graduation for some MM followers! This is my tribute for your accomplishments!

Graduation. Some people are (for certain) going home. Small steps open up to larger ones. A path is being formed. So many are on that path. i can see it. Congratulations all.

I know.

I know what is going on with some of you. Some have told me what is going on, and with others… well… I get “reports”. Ha! And you thought that I was out of the loop in these things, eh?

It’s like a big bolder that you finally got up and out of the graound and now you just started to push it down the hill. Yeah. It’s going so far, and then it hits a platform, a tree, or a level space.

Not to worry.

It’s a level completed.

It’s a graduation.

For some of you, you don’t need MM any longer. Though you are always welcome to visit and keep in touch. For others, just hang on loose.

A couple of you all have really reason to celebrate. You know where you are. And it should be on “that” plateau, level area. Many more to go… but you hit the first one.

Of course, remember. Do not be like Matilda. Do not be tricked. There is no “another chance once you do …”. Don’t be in a rush.

So many have or are reaching, that point. It is time to celebrate. But don’t be “big headed”…

  • Keep your affirmation campaigns.
  • Keep chatting with your mantids.
  • And keep on; going on.

I salute every one of you!

Here’s my celebration of your accomplishment. I hope you all enjoy it. Plus some normal day-to-day MM stuff.

Faith No More Epic, My Generation (With Klaus Meine & Bo Diddley) Live Wembley Arena 12/06/91

Dealing with a bully

When I was a kid I used to be bullied by a bigger kid that lived down the road. At the weekend – in Summer – my Mum used to make me wear a silly hat outdoors to protect me from sunburn, and he always made fun of it…as well as push me around.

One day I hatched a cunning plan…

I would put my silly hat out the front of my house with a rock under it. Said bully will ride down the road on his bike after school, spot my silly hat and run over the hat and rock – and maybe fall off on the grass… What could go wrong?

Well it kind of worked…

He spotted the hat and aimed straight for it – but instead of running over it, he decided that he would drop his foot and kick it/scoop it up…

Unfortunately neither the hat nor the rock moved and he smashed every bone in his foot!

His parents were on the warpath – screaming at my parents – blaming me…

I just said that I had been out front and put the hat over a rock to stop it blowing away – and I had forgotten about it…

I think that he was in plaster for months!

The family eventually moved away and he never bullied or laughed at me again…

Metallica – Master of Puppets (Live) [Quebec Magnetic]

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Well, coming from Portugal, people didn’t have electricity in the countryside until the late 70s/80s So in order to conserve the meat, my great-grandma (and every Portuguese people who weren’t rich) had a thing called “Salgadeira”, something like “Box of Salt”.

They had tons of salt and they would submerge the pieces of meat in the salt. A little context, Portugal was very, VERY, poor in the 40s, 50s, 60s. In late October, a pig would be slaughtered and EVERYTHING was prepared to be eaten in the future.

Belly, snout, feet, intestines (sausages and blood sausages), tail, ears, testicles, everything was used and all of that was put in the “Salgadeira” (Expect for the sausages, they had a special room called “Fumeiro”) and would stay there until the people decided to eat it.

Now you ask “Wasn’t it salty?”

Yes, of course.

That’s why the day before, the people would take out the piece and put it in a basin full of water during the night before and the whole day and it would be perfect to be cooked. This pig lasted a whole year and they had to make it count! I hope I helped and sorry for the extensive story. <3

Why does Pompeo do this? Because he’s trying to smear China’s reputation and prevent China’s rise. China threatens American hegemony.

Here’s the fundamental problem…

ANYTHING positive that is reported about China is regarded as Chinese propaganda and not to be trusted.

So you can show as many videos of Uyghur culture as you like, and they’re all considered fake.

You can show demographic data of the Uyghur population increasing for the past decade, and since they’re official Chinese stats, they must be fake.

The ONLY way to prove that Western media and Mike Pompeo are lying about the Uyghurs is to go visit Xinjiang and see with your own eyes.

Millions of foreign tourists already have. And do you know what they all see?

Happy Uyghurs. Uyghur culture flourishing. Mosques practically around every corner. Uyghur children playing in the streets. If China is committing genocide, either racial or cultural, she’s doing a very bad job of it!

Unless you think Xinjiang is one vast Potemkin village, you must conclude that Western media is lying.

But here’s the thing: most people in the West will never have the opportunity to visit Xinjiang or China. They either can’t afford to, or they don’t have the time nor inclination.

Mike Pompeo and his ilk are counting on this. They’re counting on most Westerners being unable to verify the truth. This is how they get away with propaganda lies.

P.O.D. – Satellite (Official Music Video) [HD]

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The incompetency, or rather, the inconsistency of competence, of the local governments of various levels.

First and foremost, the current Chinese government runs more or less on the principle of meritocracy, that is, the better you do on your job, the more likely you are to get promoted.

The result of which is that the central government consists of the brightest, most capable, and most experienced individuals of the entire Chinese political system, while the local governments – especially the lower level provincial and municipal governments – are more of a mixed bag.

It is not rare to see the local governments failing miserably at their jobs, people get angry, the central government had to step in and, as we would call it in China, “wipe their butts for them.”

And that’s also why the infamous system of petitioning (信访/上访) is…well, infamous.

Through the system of petitioning, officially known as public complaints and proposals, petitioners are, in theory, able to directly get into contact with the central government to report issues they have with the local government.

The problem is, in order to reach the central government, you must first petition with the local government.

And, naturally, when the issue of the petition in question is directed at you, the local incompetent official, you are not very likely to just allow the petitioners to go to the central government. And the end result would be rather grim for some of the more vocal petitioners.

Over the years, the central government is becoming more aware of the issue and, with more effort put into anti-corruption and power abuse since Xi, the central government is trying to achieve a balance between improving the petitioning system itself to allow petitioners to reach the central government, and improving the efficiency of the local governments so that the guys in the central can better focus on their actual jobs.

The 2016 Feng Xiaogang Film I Am Not Madame Bovary is a satire-comedy that criticized the petitioning system and the incompetence of lower level officials, and was well received:

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Definitely worth a watch if you’re interested in the topic.

I’m confident Singapore won’t have to suffer food shortages like Sri Lanka. We have invested billions over decades to diversify the entire supply chain to all corners of the globe, and centralized our stockpile, especially the climate controlled storage of key necessities.

The recent chicken export ban from key supplier Malaysia hardly ruffled feathers here.

I’m confident Singapore won’t have to suffer ruinous energy price increase in the multiples, like the UK and Germany. A severe recession is guaranteed given the rate hikes still to come. Cheap Russian energy cannot be easily replaced, especially the price point.

I’m confident Singapore won’t have to deal with currency devaluation and persistent high inflation. The Singapore dollar uses the exchange rate to control domestic inflation and it has shown remarkable strength next to the ntd, krw, jpy and cny, bucking capitulation in the rest of asean (bar Brunei).

The latest iPhone remains affordable, relative to wages.

I’m confident Singapore won’t have the headache of revolving door politics like we’ve seen in the UK, France, Malaysia, Pakistan, Sri Lanka and many more. Stability wielded by experienced, wise heads gave us the platform and latitude to navigate the treacherous curveballs hurled at us time and again by covid. The scorecard gave Singapore first dibs on returning business flow. Singapore remains the jewel of SEA, as investor confidence clearly demonstrate.

I’m confident racial and sectarian violence won’t break loose, particularly anti-chinese sentiment fueling hate crimes and witchhunts in the Anglophone first world. Singapore takes the constitution seriously. The pledge of one United people regardless of race, language or religion is taught in preschool. Tolerance, and respect, are values deeply ingrained in the Singapore psyche. Long may that continue.

Ultimately, Singapore’s size condemns us to be price takers. We will take material hits when the global situation deteriorates, especially if great power competition escalate into full blown war. But I’d like to think my tropical island home will preserve the last vestiges of sanity as the rest of the world devolve into anarchy.

But that’s just me.

What could be better for you than sitting down to a nice cold glass of fruit juice? I mean, after all, the word “fruit” is right there in the name. How could you go wrong?

Truth is, you might as well be drinking a can of soda with your breakfast. Ounce per ounce, fruit juice contains as much sugar and as many calories as a can of Coke. Maybe more.

Sure there might be some vitamin C and antioxidants in your juice, but that hardly makes up for all that sugar.

Let’s look at a comparison between apple juice and Coca Cola.

  • Coke: 140 calories and 40 grams of sugar (10 teaspoons)
  • Apple Juice: 165 calories and 39 grams of sugar (9.8 teaspoons)

Even if you are careful to pick up the juice labeled “100% Pure” and “not from concentrate”, that doesn’t mean much. In a commercial process, once the juice is squeezed from the fruit it is usually stored in massive oxygen-depleting storage tanks for up to a year.

This has the unfortunate effect of removing most of the flavor from the product. To make it palatable again, manufacturers have to add “flavor packs” to their product.

What is a healthier alternative? Just eat the actual fresh fruit itself. It will taste better and be better for you.

The Cult – She Sells Sanctuary

Beijing may use Anti-Secession Law to seek Taiwan reunification, Chinese foreign minister says

  • Wang Yi says if the law is violated, Beijing will take ‘resolute actions to safeguard the country’s sovereignty and territorial integrity’
  • He also warns that US approach may have ‘subversive impact’ on ties, during meeting with former secretary of state Henry Kissinger

Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi has said Beijing could invoke its Anti-Secession Law to seek reunification with Taiwan, in an escalation of rhetoric over the self-ruled island.

Wang also warned that Washington’s pro-Taiwan, anti-Beijing approach might have a “subversive impact” on US-China ties, during a meeting with former US secretary of state Henry Kissinger on Monday. Wang is in New York for the general debate of the 77th session of the United Nations General Assembly this week.

It follows US President Joe Biden’s latest pledge to defend Taiwan if Beijing were to attack the island – the fourth time he has vowed to do so – and after the Taiwan Policy Act of 2022 cleared a US Senate panel last week.

From HERE

 

I know my cat chose me.

I was talking to my friend outside her apartment. There were cats all around, ferals and strays.

As we talked, I suddenly felt fur on my leg. I looked down and saw a beautiful black cat brushing past my leg, loving me, choosing me.

I sat down on the curb and petted her (by now I knew it was a girl).

She pushed her little head into my hand and licked me.

This was love at first sight for her.

A lady came out of her apartment and told me she feeds the cats and this little girl, and that she’d been a stray for many months.

Next day I took her to the vet where she got a wellness check, all of her shots and a pill to kill worms in her tummy.

She had no fleas or sores.

I took her home.

She hid under the couch until she got hungry and came out to eat. She found the litter box by herself.

Two nights later she began sleeping with me and has ever since. She’s the love of my life.

Here’s Charlotte

x
Charlotte

My aunt and uncle were exceedingly generous people, and one of the things they liked to do was to take friends to new restaurants they had discovered. I used to tell them that once a restaurant had their seal of approval, it was like giving them a Michelin Star!

They once took a couple out, and were having a great time until the husband complained about the steak—after he’d eaten about half of it. The waiter comped his meal. My aunt put it down to the fact that not every dish that comes out of a kitchen can be 100% perfect all the time, and did not think any more about it.

Until a few months later when they took that couple to a different restaurant and the same thing happened—the husband ate about half his meal, complained to a waiter, got his meal comped. My aunt said something along the lines of how bad his luck was and how embarrassed she was that two of their restaurant choices had not pleased him.

He replied, “Oh, the meals were perfectly fine. Great, even. But I fill up on salad and bread and drinks, eat some of the entree, call a waiter over and then get the whole meal comped.” He bragged that no matter how nice the place, there was always something to “complain” about. Too cold, too salty, too spicy, not done enough, too well done, had an ingredient not mentioned on the menu, etc.

My aunt likened it to stealing and he just scoffed, “Look at it this way, I’ve saved you about $25 both times we’ve gone out.”

My aunt and uncle stopped taking this couple out to dinner after that.

CANDLEBOX – Far Behind (Official Video)

Anti-U.S. base incumbent Tamaki secures 2nd term as Okinawa governor

2022 09 11: Anti-U.S. base incumbent Tamaki secures 2nd term as Okinawa governor
KYODO NEWS KYODO NEWS – Sep 11, 2022 – 23:40 | Japan, All
Okinawa Gov. Denny Tamaki won a second four-year-term following Sunday's gubernatorial election, obtaining a renewed mandate for his efforts to discontinue a plan to relocate a U.S. base within the island prefecture.

Opposition-backed Tamaki defeated former Ginowan Mayor Atsushi Sakima, 58, who was supported by the ruling coalition of the Liberal Democratic Party and Komeito. Sakima ran on a platform of pressing ahead with moving U.S. Marine Corps Air Station Futenma from the densely populated city of Ginowan to the Henoko coastal area of Nago.

Reviving the all-important tourism industry was also a focus of the election with the Okinawan economy having taken a heavy battering from travel restrictions put in place during the coronavirus pandemic

From HERE

Another political viewpoint dressed as a question.

The line of questioning implies China must bend to American pressure, otherwise her leaders are being foolishly stubborn, and dangerously so.

If America wants something bad, she never negotiates. She makes demands, and expects every other country to bow. In international affairs, the Chinese from the time of Mao and Deng called America a 超级大国 or a superpower. Superpowers dominate, bully and exploit people everywhere.

Blackmail, tariffs, media pressure, asymmetric pressure, all in an effort to force China into an unequal treaty that threatens China’s very sovereignty. And that is just the opening salvo. The Americans will never be satisfied once they’ve tasted blood.

Precedents are always begging to be reused.

China will not gamble her long-term internal stability and sovereignty without putting up a massive fight.

There are lots of tools in the Chinese arsenal. They have just not been used out of respect for the global hegemon. Just take a look at the strength of the Yuan relative to the rest of the BRICS. It may actually be a good time to cull the excesses in the Chinese economy brought about by the immense credit expansion post-financial crisis.

China isn’t being stupid. Neither is this a China-driven charade or Xi’s dictatorial decision. The Standing Committee exists to decide important affairs by vote.

 

I don’t know anyone who has visited China become or remain anti China. The anti China haters are, to my knowledge, people who have never been to China and who wish to hate China from a distance. Maybe they just want to hate. The US media creates lies about China to callously make money based on other’s suffering and to cover up the guilt of the USA. And to try and generate anti China sentiment. Their only hope is with the ignorant people.

I do firmly believe, that if any of these anti China people actually went to China, they would stop their ignorant thinking and become pro China.

The main problem is, that these anti China people don’t want to learn the truth and they wish to want to continue hating innocent people to blame their nation’s (usually the USA), weaknesses on someone else. Like the Nazis blaming the Jews, it all comes from fear of their own inadequacies and jealousy of other’s strengths.

All who visit China, I believe, will realise that China is a good country.

Def Leppard – Hysteria (Live)

Chocolate Silk Raspberry Tart

Smooth slices of this attractive tart combine the classic combination of chocolate and raspberries.

x
Chocolate Silk Raspberry Tart

Ingredients

  • 20 creme-filled golden sandwich cookies, crushed (2 cups)
  • 1/4 cup butter or margarine, melted
  • 1 1/2 cups semisweet chocolate chips
  • 2 cups whipping (heavy) cream
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla
  • 1 package (8 oz) cream cheese, softened
  • 1 cup fresh raspberries
  • 2 tablespoons seedless raspberry jam
x
x
x
x

.

Look, I don’t want to sound like a jerk, but cats don’t actually have owners. They have staff, and friends. They choose their staff, and their friends.

If a strange cat comes to you and decides that you’re their friend / staff, I personally choose to respect the wishes of the cat.

A cat that comes to me, comes inside my house, sleeps near me, eats my food… I really don’t concern myself with the previous “ownership” status of the cat.

This is Zeus:

x
x

Zeus came to me while I was trying to befriend a feral cat. Zeus wanted pets, so I petted her. She wanted food, so I fed her. Three days later, she walks into my house, jumps into my bed, and falls asleep.

I’ve had her for about 5 years now. When I took her to the vet and found out she was chipped, I literally didn’t care; she’d picked me, and had AMPLE opportunity to “go home.”

The truth of the matter is that she found home. She likes me.

This is Sam:

x
x

He was a neighborhood stray, who was eventually “taken in” (i.e. imprisoned in inhumane conditions against his will) by a local cat hoarder.

After 18 months he escaped; his fur was patchy, he’d lost like 25% of his body weight, he had a grotesque and untreated wound on his neck (9 stitches needed), and he came straight for me.

Straight to me.

I didn’t bother trying to find his “owner.”

He wanted in to MY house, he wanted ME to pet him and take care of him.

For the first 3 years I had him, he had an actual cat-door to the outside that was unblocked at all times.

Infinite freedom; he could come and go as he chose.

He’d go out and vanish for 8 hours at a time, but he always, always, always came back.

I don’t second guess cats.

If I have a cat and it leaves me, then I can be sad, sure… but it’s the cats decision.

If a cat shows up and wants me, I accept it, and care for it, and don’t concern myself with its past ownership history.

The cat chose.

I let the cat choose.

If I were you, I’d just let the cat in next time it shows up, and block the “owners” number.

It’s your cat now, should you so choose.

Vladimir Putin’s address

It is historic, significant and will shape what we will all experience in the near future. It is also BLOCKED in the West. Good luck finding it.

From HERE (mostly 404 if you are in the West)

Vladimir Putin: Dear friends! 

The topic of my speech is the situation in the Donbas and the course of a special military operation to liberate it from the neo-Nazi regime that seized power in Ukraine in 2014 as a result of an armed coup. 

Today I appeal to you, to all citizens of our country, to people of different generations, ages and nationalities, to the people of our great Motherland, to all who are united by great historical Russia, to soldiers and officers, volunteers who are now fighting on the front lines, are on the combat post, to our brothers and sisters - residents of the Donetsk and Lugansk People's Republics, Kherson and Zaporozhye regions, and other areas liberated from the neo-Nazi regime.

It will be about the necessary, urgent steps to protect the sovereignty, security and territorial integrity of Russia, about supporting the desire and will of our compatriots to determine their own future and about the aggressive policy of part of the Western elites, who are striving with all their might to maintain their dominance, and for this they are trying to block, to suppress any sovereign independent centers of development in order to continue to crudely impose their will on other countries and peoples, to plant their pseudo-values. 

The purpose of this West is to weaken, divide and ultimately destroy our country. They are already directly saying that in 1991 they were able to split the Soviet Union, and now the time has come for Russia itself, that it should disintegrate into many mortally hostile regions and regions. 

And they have been planning such plans for a long time. They encouraged gangs of international terrorists in the Caucasus, promoted the offensive infrastructure of NATO close to our borders. They made total Russophobia their weapon, including for decades they purposefully cultivated hatred for Russia, primarily in Ukraine, for which they were preparing the fate of an anti-Russian foothold, and the Ukrainian people themselves were turned into cannon fodder and pushed to war with our country, unleashing it, this war , back in 2014, using the armed forces against the civilian population, organizing genocide, blockade, terror against people who refused to recognize the power that arose in Ukraine as a result of a coup. 

And after the current Kiev regime actually publicly refused a peaceful solution to the Donbass problem and, moreover, announced its claims to nuclear weapons, it became absolutely clear that a new, yet another, as it had happened twice before, large-scale attack on the Donbass was inevitable. . And then, just as inevitably, there would have been an attack on the Russian Crimea - on Russia. 

In this regard, the decision on a pre-emptive military operation was absolutely necessary and the only possible one. Its main goals - the liberation of the entire territory of Donbass - have been and remain unchanged. 

The Lugansk People's Republic has already been almost completely cleared of neo-Nazis. Fighting in the Donetsk People's Republic continues. Here, for eight years, the Kyiv occupation regime created a deeply echeloned line of long-term fortifications. Their head-on assault would have resulted in heavy losses, so our units, as well as the military units of the Donbass republics, act systematically, competently, use equipment, protect personnel and step by step liberate Donetsk land, clear cities and towns from neo-Nazis, provide assistance to people whom the Kyiv regime turned them into hostages, into human shields. 

As you know, professional servicemen serving under contract take part in the special military operation. Volunteer formations are also fighting shoulder to shoulder with them: people of different nationalities, professions, ages are real patriots. At the call of their hearts, they came to the defense of Russia and Donbass.

In this regard, I have already given instructions to the Government and the Ministry of Defense in full and in the shortest possible time to determine the legal status of volunteers, as well as fighters of the units of the Donetsk and Lugansk People's Republics. It should be the same as that of regular servicemen of the Russian army, including material, medical support, and social guarantees. Particular attention should be paid to organizing the supply of volunteer formations and detachments of the people's militia of Donbass with machines and equipment.

In the course of solving the main tasks of protecting Donbass, our troops, based on the plans and decisions of the Ministry of Defense and the General Staff on the general strategy of action, liberated from neo-Nazis also significant territories of the Kherson and Zaporozhye regions, and a number of other regions. As a result, an extended line of combat contact was formed, which is over a thousand kilometers. 

What I want to say publicly today for the first time. Already after the start of the special military operation, including the talks in Istanbul, the representatives of Kyiv reacted very positively to our proposals, and these proposals primarily concerned ensuring Russia's security and our interests. But it is obvious that the peaceful solution did not suit the West, therefore, after certain compromises were reached, Kyiv was actually given a direct order to disrupt all agreements. 

Ukraine began to be pumped up with weapons even more. The Kyiv regime has launched new gangs of foreign mercenaries and nationalists, military units trained to NATO standards and under the de facto command of Western advisers. 

At the same time, the regime of repression throughout Ukraine against its own citizens, established immediately after the armed coup of 2014, was strengthened in the most severe way. The policy of intimidation, terror and violence is assuming more and more mass, terrible, barbaric forms. 

I want to emphasize that we know that the majority of people living in the territories liberated from neo-Nazis, and these are, first of all, the historical lands of Novorossia, do not want to be under the yoke of the neo-Nazi regime. In Zaporozhye, in the Kherson region, in Lugansk and Donetsk, they have seen and are seeing the atrocities that neo-Nazis are doing in the occupied areas of the Kharkov region. The heirs of Bandera and Nazi punishers kill people, torture them, throw them in prison, settle scores, crack down on, torment civilians. 

More than seven and a half million people lived in the Donetsk and Lugansk People's Republics, Zaporozhye and Kherson regions before the outbreak of hostilities. Many of them were forced to become refugees, to leave their homes. And those who remained - about five million people - today are subjected to constant artillery and rocket fire from neo-Nazi militants. They hit hospitals and schools, arrange terrorist attacks against civilians. 

We cannot, we have no moral right to hand over people close to us to be torn to pieces by executioners, we cannot but respond to their sincere desire to determine their own fate. The parliaments of the people's republics of Donbass, as well as the military-civilian administrations of the Kherson and Zaporozhye regions, decided to hold referendums on the future of these territories and turned to us, Russia, with a request to support such a step. 

Let me emphasize that we will do everything to ensure safe conditions for holding referendums, so that people can express their will. And we will support the decision about their future, which will be made by the majority of residents of the Donetsk and Luhansk People's Republics, Zaporozhye and Kherson regions.

Today, our Armed Forces, as I have already said, are operating on the line of contact, which exceeds a thousand kilometers, they are confronting not only neo-Nazi formations, but in fact the entire military machine of the collective West.

In this situation, I consider it necessary to make the following decision - it is fully adequate to the threats we face - namely: to protect our Motherland, its sovereignty and territorial integrity, to ensure the security of our people and people in the liberated territories, I consider it necessary to support the proposal of the Ministry of Defense and the General Staff to conduct partial mobilization in the Russian Federation.

I repeat, we are talking specifically about partial mobilization, that is, only citizens who are currently in the reserve will be subject to conscription, and above all those who served in the Armed Forces, have certain military specialties and relevant experience .

Those called up for military service will undergo additional military training without fail, taking into account the experience of a special military operation, before being sent to the units.

The decree on partial mobilization has been signed.

In accordance with the law, the chambers of the Federal Assembly - the Federation Council and the State Duma - will be officially informed about this today by letters.

Mobilization activities will begin today, from 21 September. I instruct the heads of regions to provide all necessary assistance to the work of military commissariats.

I would like to emphasize that Russian citizens called up for military service by mobilization will receive the status, payments and all social guarantees of military personnel serving under a contract.

I will add that the Decree on partial mobilization also provides for additional measures to fulfill the state defense order. The heads of defense industry enterprises are directly responsible for solving the tasks of increasing the production of weapons and military equipment, and deploying additional production capacities. In turn, all issues of material, resource and financial support for defense enterprises must be resolved by the Government immediately.

In its aggressive anti-Russian policy, the West has crossed every line. We constantly hear threats against our country, our people. Some irresponsible politicians in the West not only talk about plans to organize the supply of long-range offensive weapons to Ukraine - systems that will allow strikes against the Crimea and other regions of Russia.

Such terrorist strikes, including with the use of Western weapons, are already being carried out on the border settlements of the Belgorod and Kursk regions. In real time, using modern systems, aircraft, ships, satellites, strategic drones, NATO carries out reconnaissance throughout southern Russia.

In Washington, London, Brussels they are directly pushing Kyiv to transfer military operations to our territory. No longer hiding, they say that Russia should be defeated by all means on the battlefield, followed by the deprivation of political, economic, cultural, in general, any sovereignty, with the complete plunder of our country.

Nuclear blackmail was also launched. We are talking not only about the shelling of the Zaporizhzhya nuclear power plant, which is encouraged by the West, which threatens a nuclear catastrophe, but also about the statements of some high-ranking representatives of the leading NATO states about the possibility and admissibility of using weapons of mass destruction against Russia - nuclear weapons. 

To those who allow themselves to make such statements about Russia, I would like to remind you that our country also has various means of destruction, and for some components more modern than those of the NATO countries. And if the territorial integrity of our country is threatened, we will certainly use all the means at our disposal to protect Russia and our people. 

It's not a bluff.

The citizens of Russia can be sure that the territorial integrity of our Motherland, our independence and freedom will be ensured - I emphasize this again - with all the means at our disposal. And those who are trying to blackmail us with nuclear weapons should know that the wind rose can also turn in their direction.

It is in our historical tradition, in the destiny of our people, to stop those who strive for world domination, who threaten with the dismemberment and enslavement of our Motherland, our Fatherland. We will do it now - and it will be so. 

I believe in your support.

Yes, indeed. It’s arguable whether Chinese influence can match US influence but there’s no question that China wields considerable global power.

China is the economic engine and manufacturing hub of the world economy. China is the crucial link in nearly all nations’ supply chains.

China’s Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) is making many, many friends around the world. Over 149 countries have signed up to BRI — that 3/4 of the world’s nations!

China is forging powerful economic and security alliances in BRICS (Brazil, Russia, India, China, South Africa), RCEP (Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership), and SCO (Shanghai Cooperation Organisation).

China is pursuing diplomacy throughout the Middle East rather than bombing the shit out of the region. Recently, she signed a 25-year cooperation deal with Iran.

China is negotiating with the Taliban instead of invading and occupying Afghanistan for 20 years.

BRICS is creating an alternative basket of currencies to rival the US Dollar.

China is a true and real superpower.

I’m not buying this narrative that Zero-COVID is a mistake.

One reason for this is that if Zero-COVID will lead to China’s collapse, as many have asserted, then it is curious as to why the west wouldn’t just let it happen.

Some new information has come to light recently, which somehow flew under everybody’s radar. Macau’s Health Code (which is an online system encompassing vaccination records, nucleic acid test results and such information, to help curb the pandemic) is recently shown to have been attacked over three million times in May alone, by hackers from Europe and North America.

Read HERE

And yet, this is nothing compared to the way the Beijing Health Code was attacked by hackers based outside of China, especially during the Winter Olympics and Paralympics.

Why would they actively sabotage Zero-COVID, if they are certain the policy is actually harming China more than any trade war or sanction? COVID is essentially a bad case of flu, right? So why not just let China destroy itself by overreacting to it?

Why interfere? Why would they actively do something to prevent China’s collapse?

Unless, of course, [1] COVID isn’t just some freaky flu, and [2] Zero-COVID really isn’t leading to China’s collapse any time soon?

China-Eurasia Expo kicks off in Xinjiang, rebukes US-led crackdown

Over 3,600 companies from 32 countries and regions attended the 7th China-Eurasia Expo, which was launched on Monday in Urumqi, Northwest China's Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, as the region strives to build itself into a bridgehead of Belt and Road cooperation despite the US' economic suffocation of this strategically important region.

Underscoring China's commitment to make Xinjiang a core hub for the building of the China-proposed Belt and Road Initiative (BRI), Chinese President Xi Jinping sent a congratulatory letter to the opening of the expo, expressing hope that all parties can take this opportunity to tap the potential of cooperation and drive toward shared prosperity.

Xi said that China is willing to work with other countries to promote the Silk Road spirit that incorporates peace and cooperation, openness and inclusiveness, mutual learning as well as shared benefits, with the China-Eurasia Expo being a platform.

In July, during an inspection trip to the autonomous region, Xi pointed out that as countries jointly push forward the BRI, Xinjiang is no longer a remote inland area but forefront of the opening-up.

The expo, which will last from Monday through Thursday, was held even though the US and some Western countries, together with anti-China forces, have smeared China's governance in Xinjiang and made groundless accusations of "genocide" or "forced labor."

On June 21, the US' so-called Uyghur Forced Labor Prevention Act (UFLPA) took effect, which bans products made in China's Xinjiang, smearing the Chinese government over "oppression" of the Uygurs and other minority populations in its Xinjiang region.

The expo, held both online and offline due to a local epidemic flare-up, has attracted 3,600 enterprises to attend its online events, where nearly 17,000 exhibits of these enterprises from 32 countries and regions are to be shown.

It is expected that over 300 deals worth several hundred billion yuan will be inked during the expo, according to Urumqi Evening News on Sunday.

It comes on the heels of the recently concluded SCO summit, where countries agreed to foster energy sector cooperation, regional connectivity, financial cooperation featuring cross border settlement in local currencies and supply chain elasticity.

Analysts and exhibitors at the expo said the opening of the event and the efforts by Xinjiang to seek deeper cooperation with neighboring markets serve as a strong rebuke to the US' economic suffocation of the region.

Rebuke to the US... Read more...

From HERE

.

After our first visit to Japan here are our “only in Japan” moments.

  1. After checking into our hotel, next morning I get a letter taped to the door. It read
x
x

2. My wife and I casually stroll past a tea tasting event. We showed the slightest of interest at one stall. There was a group of 4 already seated and only 1 empty chair. So we thought never mind, lets keep walking. The host tells us to wait 1 second. He runs, and I mean SPRINTS, about 20 paces to a truck. Grabs an extra chair and runs back to us. I thought this guy will do anything for a sale! So we sit down and try the teas, tastes good, lets buy some. He’s not selling! Turns out it was all part of some free educational event.

3. Maid cafes. Its a cafe, the waitresses dress like french maids. They act super cute like anime characters. Oftentimes sickeningly over the top, like calling me “master” and drawing cute animals on my food. But what surprised me were the people who didn’t work there.

It was not a busy period when we went. Besides us there was another table of tourists. There was a big guy with a deep voice dressed in FULL DRAG. He kept getting up every 10 mins and came back in a different outfit. There was a grumpy old man and a normal looking Japanese guy.

So before the dancing starts, they try to sell you some glow sticks and firecrackers for audience participation. They dim the lights. Disco ball lights up. Normal guy opens his bag and takes out his OWN glow sticks and bunny ears. Grumpy man’s face lights up like a child. Guy in drag gets up and starts stretching. The music starts, a candypop / eurobeat thing. The maids dancing is not bad but all the weirdos join in! They know all the moves, are more enthusiastic than the maids and they look ridiculous. One of them was trying to get us to join in. Only in Japan.

4. No taking calls on trains. If someone forgot to turn on silent and gets a call they will quickly reject the call. One time a guy sprinted to the place between carriages to take an important call.

5. We took a cable car up a mountain. On the way down a friend in our party left her sunglasses up there. A worker must have seen it and radioed the guys at the bottom. When we got out of the cable car, a worker informed us to wait while someone brings it down on the next cable car. Bravo.

6. We go to check into another hotel and behind the check in counter was this.

x
x

7. Construction zones. One place had a decibel meter to make sure the construction did not make too much noise (perhaps only during certain hours). If the construction blocked a sidewalk and you need to walk around, someone will be there to apologise for the inconvenience.

8. Airport security. You know how you can’t bring a bottle of water through most airport checks. Some Japanese airports have a machine that scans your bottle for flammable liquids. If it passes you can bring it. Just goes to show their attitude to not inconvenience you that they will invent a machine to do that. In Australia the attitude is more like “F*** that, we don’t care what’s in your bottle we’re confiscating it.” In China, they used to say “Are you sure its not a flammable liquid? Prove it, take a drink.”

9. Go to an arcade. Everyone has the reflexes of a ninja.

Japan is an amazing place where being polite and attention to detail are taken to the extreme. Thoroughly enjoyed our visit.

Head East: Never Been Any Reason (Live)

This answer will concern a pizza place I worked at. A customer came in and ordered 2 slices of “garbage pizza”. I asked him if he meant our ‘Everything slice’ which has 3 meats-pepperoni, ground sausage, ground hamburger, and green peppers, onions, olives, mushrooms, and extra cheese on top.

No.

He said “ I’ve gotten this before, just write it down, they’ll know…”. I’ve never heard of this and I’ve been working there for over a year, it’s the middle of lunch rush but Sure! Let me just throw a wrench into this smooth process!. I’m not sure what to write as the order, so I asked the cooks. They looked confused. The gentleman said that Joel made it for him. So, I went to the back and asked my manager, Joel, to come to the front. So up he comes, and upon seeing the customer and hearing the request he smiled hugely and said “I got this.”

He washes his hands & puts on an apron & gloves, jumps behind the line and starts layering ingredients on these slices. Now, our slices were large but this was a challenge! The finished slices contained: pepperoni, sausage, ground beef, ham, green peppers, onions, mushrooms, green & black olives, spinach, fresh garlic, fresh tomatoes, broccoli, pineapple, banana peppers, jalapenos, ricotta, feta, and mozzarella cheeses, and for the final touch…a mix of iceberg & romaine lettuce!

In to the oven it went, and a few minutes later out it came, smoking slightly more than normal, but we had a very happy customer! (And I had a long line to take care of, but that’s a different story, children.)

-Sara

Simply because it’s humiliating.

Check this out…

 

.

You can read some comments on China on Quora and reddit. Many Quorans and even more redditors seem to think China is a “stone age” country.

In fact, Alex Mann is really funny he made a post a mere 5 months ago thinking that China still used bi-planes and that the F5 was STATE of the ART and could blow anything Chinese out the sky.

There are loads of people like that.

You see if they show stuff about China? It will make people question hold on. If a STONE AGE SOCIETY like them can manage stuff like that? Why can’t we do things like that too?

It allows a direct comparison.

Chinese high speed rail for instance.

In the UK HS2? Gordon Brown in 2006 announced it, with his oops we forgot to add VAT to the cost.  In that if we’re considered subhuman filth by the MASTER race westerners yet we can out do them on many things what does that make them?

Autograph – Turn Up The Radio

Because you just don’t make any sense as a country. You treat your citizens abysmally despite the fact you’re the wealthiest nation on earth. You prioritise the wealthy elites in the armaments industry ahead of the safety and right to life of your own children and adults. as well as people in other countries. You prioritise the bottom lines of the health insurance companies, big pharma and law firms ahead of the rights of your citizens to decent healthcare regardless of financial status. You prioritise owners of privatised educational establishments ahead of the need to properly educate your citizens and equip them with critical thinking, instead trying to ensure that they never gain the ability to think critically as that would endanger the brainwashing of the population. You prioritise the profits of private prison owners ahead of the rights of citizens to proper and fair justice.

You don’t allow your citizens real choice in how and by whom they should be governed – instead giving them just two options – invariably both supporting the status quo. Even within that choice of 2 leaders you will quite often make the one the people voted against POTUS. If anybody makes any suggestions around policies that would benefit the regular citizen ahead of the wealthy elite. you have brainwashed vast swathes of citizens to angrily denounce such notions as Marxist, communist, socialist with great disdain, demonstrating clearly that they have not the foggiest idea what any of those words even mean.

You are run by big business, by lobbying and by corruption. No country is exempt from this but you just bring to a totally different level. Almost 50% of voters deemed one of the most famously corrupt, cheating, lying, self-serving, delusional, mysogynistic, racist and morally bankrupt people on the planet to be an appropriate leader. First time round it was somewhat understandable that you might take a punt on someone hopefully representing a change from the status quo. After he had spent 4 years demonstrating that he represented everything that was worst about the status quo, but bringing it to new levels and represented nothing that was reasonably good about the status quo … after he had clearly demonstrated that his idea of “draining the swamp” was to become the biggest swamp rat of all – even more people and almost as big a proportion of voters decided that his behaviour, his essence was appropriate to lead the wealthiest nation on earth.

How can anyone expect us to take the US seriously? I mean we have to in the context of their wealth and their military might … but in terms of leadership, intelligence, morality, how can we possibly have any respect?

I’m referring entirely to the system here as opposed to the citizens. Even the citizens who somehow believe Trump, who somehow feel an archaic law for another time and other reasons to have the right to bear arms “trumps” the right for citizens, including innocent little children, to be safe and to live are only so warped in their thinking because of the brainwashing carried out on an ongoing basis by the status quo. Most Americans I’ve met have been equally as nice as people of other nationalities. Ok, we do struggle sometimes. particularly with those who have never travelled beyond the US, by their sheer ignorance about the rest of the world allied with their unshakeable belief that everything in the US is better than the rest of the world and that every other nation should be envious of them.

Apart from the incredibly corrupt and unrepresentative political system and the sickening brainwashing, I think that the main issue is the educational system. I mean you allow crazy people to teach creationism as fact to children in your schools. What hope is there really?

You have incredible entrepreneurial ability in your country. You have many positive things yet you typically allow your people a choice of being governed by two old, rich, white, “status quo” men, totally out of touch with the real world as experienced by citizens. You’re the richest nation on the planet yet you’re happy to have schoolchildren slaughtered because of your laws, happy to have people die because they can’t afford private healthcare or go bankrupt because insurers try to avoid paying out the cover for which they have paid. You’re happy to have widespread homelessness while your government ploughs billions into an army already multiple times more powerful than anyone else – guess who profits from that?

I feel almost as much sympathy for citizens of the US as I do for those of war-torn, drought-stricken African countries. Almost as much … but those poor folks would happily change their circumstances if they could – you folks just keep voting and accepting more of the same.

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I’m from Bangladesh and here are a few things that I find hard to explain to peeps back home.

– Fruits and vegetables are way more expensive than meat and poultry.

– That, generally speaking, the poor is more obese than the rich.

– That Americans in general are incredibly confused about the use of the apostrophe. Like seriously bad.

– A lot of couples adopt children, sometimes in spite of having their own, and treat them exactly like their own. (To me, this alone is a marker of a great people)

– By and large, people do not carry cash.

– That you address your boss (and some of your professors) by some abbreviated variation of their first name. And that applies to pretty much everyone, regardless of how much older they are than you.

– Parents can get arrested for physically punishing their children.

– Severe poverty, homelessness, etc., no matter how limited, actually exist. Even in America.

– A name as common and as easy to pronounce as mine is almost invariably incomprehensible to most Americans.

– America is literally HUGE. My home country is roughly the size of Florida, one of the fifty states.

– In spite of the society being openly hedonistic and liberal, the social norms and standards still have very strong conservative religious influences.

– People don’t really care about the FIFA World Cup even though USA qualifies.

– The importance of credit rating/ credit score.

– Return policy

– The history behind Thanksgiving

– Black Friday and the frenzy associated with it.

– Amazingly friendly, hospitable and helpful people. Yet, a very conveniently private lifestyle.

– That, American foreign policy is a very inaccurate reflector of public consensus.

– Grinding. The dance form.

– That you cannot purchase alcohol unless you are 21 but can purchase a gun if you are 18.

Kix – Don’t Close Your Eyes (Official Music Video)

It’s about the drugs!

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He’s dead.

Peter Gardner : A New Zealand-born Australian.

If you are in China, for god sake, never do anything illegal related to drugs.

You can’t imagine how serious is the anti-drug moment in China. Narcotics Control in China is a very serious and comprehensive process.

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June, 2020.

There is virtually 100% chance of being caught for drug related offences.

You might know the penalty already: capital punishment is a legal penalty in China.

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Aug, 2020.

Frankly, drug abuse has been responsible for numerous social issues in China.

If you understand Chinese history, you will realize how drugs created trouble for China. Opium Wars (鸦片战争) are just an example.

Hence, the government is extremely serious about eradicating the drug offences.

We expect everyone to cooperate with law enforcement.

China is a beautiful country. You are welcome to visit China. Eat, drink, and have fun. Just keep in mind that you have to respect the law.

AC/DC – Jailbreak (Live at Donington, 8/17/91)

I was that patient.

I was completing an internship as part of post-graduate studies. I had two weeks left of my placement, and I was eager to get it finished, as I also had a small part-time business and a family.

Over the course of several years, I had developed what I described as a “cranky digestion,” requiring me to manage my diet carefully to avoid episodes of pain, nausea and diarrhea. This became a regular part of my life, and I had almost normalized it.

But while supervising a client with autism at his volunteer placement in a hospital laundry one day during my internship, I became aware of sudden, acute nausea, not quite like any nausea I had ever experienced before. I was also experiencing upper right abdominal pain, but the worst thing was this overwhelming, disorienting nausea. I found myself moaning and rocking, unable to stay still. Telling my client I would find someone to stay with him while I sought help for myself, I collapsed. Unable to stand, I began to crawl toward the employee health clinic, which was fortunately located on the same level of the hospital.

The employee health nurse who greeted me sent me immediately to the nearby acute-care hospital’s emergency department. I was, by now, in terrible pain, and the strange nausea was even worse.

I was quickly given IV morphine and dimenhydrinate, which got the pain and nausea to manageable levels.

Diagnostics indicated a badly diseased gallbladder and a large gallstone stuck in the common bile duct. I was admitted to hospital, where the plan was to break up the big gallstone and then, once my condition improved, remove the gallbladder.

My liver values were described to me as “terrible,” and I continued to feel awful for several days. But once the big gallstone was out of the common bile duct, I felt a fair bit better. I still wasn’t eating, but my pain and anti-nausea medications were able to be reduced, and I felt pretty much like myself.

I wanted to leave the hospital, finish my internship, and then get on the outpatient list to return to have my gallbladder removed. The residents and nurses kept telling me that was “not a good idea” and “it would be best to deal with the gallbladder right now.”

Well, sure. In a perfect world, that was true. But I wanted to finish my internship, graduate with my classmates, get back to work and take care of my family. If, as I had been told, my gallbladder had been diseased for years, surely it could wait a few more weeks or even months to be removed.

One day, the attending surgeon strode into my hospital room.

“I hear you want to go home,” he said, quite brusquely. “That’s a terrible idea. Why won’t you stay and deal with this now?”

“Well, I need to finish my program,” I said. “And then I can wait on the outpatient list for having my gallbladder removed, right?”

“Your gallbladder is in disgusting condition,” he said. “It should have come out years ago, and I’m planning to have a word with your family doctor about why you weren’t referred for your chronic pain and nausea. But the point today is that given the number and size of gallstones you have, you have a 100 percent chance of having another attack like the one that brought you in here, and a 25 percent chance that any attack will be fatal quite quickly. Your liver was failing when you came in through emergency. If you had waited until the next day to come in, I feel sure your family would have been planning your funeral.”

Right.

I agreed to stay as an inpatient and have my gallbladder out. The surgeon seemed a little surprised by my quick acquiescence.

But here’s the thing: none of the other medical personnel had explained the issue to me. I wasn’t trying to be difficult or heroic. I just didn’t know how sick I had been. I really didn’t understand the risk.

When the two residents and my regular nurses heard what the surgeon had said to me, they were scandalized. They assured me that he was an excellent surgeon, but had a terrible bedside manner.

As far as I was concerned, his bedside manner was just fine. I didn’t need platitudes, I needed facts. He told me what I needed to know to make the best decision for my health. I ended up spending nine days in the hospital. By a special arrangement, I was able to graduate with my class and finish my internship after the fact.

The surgeon came in to see me again just before surgery and again, briefly, the day I was discharged. I found he was consistently informative and blunt. No, he wasn’t warm and fuzzy, but I didn’t need a prom date, I needed a surgeon who would be honest with me. I am still grateful for his “terrible bedside manner.”

Queensrÿche – Jet City Woman (Official Music Video)

Absolutely nothing. The North Atlantic Treaty Organization, as the name suggests, is only responsible for North Atlantic defence. Asia, and in particular China, does not fall into NATO’s bailiwick. China has never threatened EU countries, only traded with them.

However, USA has coerced NATO into inserting itself into Asian matters. This is very dangerous. It opens the possibility for military conflict between China and NATO. In the worst case scenario, this conflict could lead to nuclear world war.

I have been to China many times. I understand what is happening in China. It is hard not to be impressed after landing at one of the world’s largest airports and taking the Maglev to Longyang Station at 430 km/hr. This is the fastest commercial ground transportation system on the planet.

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Shanghai has huge and growing subway system. In the downtown area of Puxi, there are multiple levels of highways .

I went to Semicon China last year and saw a vending machine that only accepted WePay, no cash or credit cards. This simply follows the trend to allow everyone to accept payments phone to phone. Unlike with Square, there is no additional hardware required to use WePay, since your smartphone already has the ability to scan QR codes.

The high speed rail system connects the country in a way that makes the ICE, TGV or Shinkansen look small by comparison.

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When I first went to China in the 1990s, little of this existed. There were no multi-level highways in Shanghai. There was no Maglev, nor Pudong airport. The subway was partially built but the high speed rail network was still a dream.

There may be people who believe that China is a poor country living in the last century without the benefits of modern technology. All I can say is that they should visit China and see the reality with their own eyes.

Cheech and Chong greatest hits!

That question can be easily answered when you take on the perspective of an American billionaire. How does an American become a billionaire and maintain her/his enormous wealth? By investing in enterprises that hold monopolies in their respective markets and supporting government policies that incentivize and subsidize such practices and by lobbying legislators, the President, governors, and judges to enact, enforce and safeguard those policies. All of these activities are perfectly legal in the United States. They are even enshrined as the pinnacles of plutocratic capitalism.

China, on the other hand, is a socialist country and its economic policies can only be best described as state capitalism. Because the Chinese Communist Party was founded on the principles of Marxism, it does not support monopolizing and profiteering from patents. As the British historian Adrian Johns succinctly put it: “[Patents] projected an artificial idol of the single inventor, radically denigrated the role of the intellectual commons, and blocked a path to this commons for other citizens — citizens who were all, on this account, potential inventors too. […] Patentees were the equivalent of squatters on public land — or better, of uncouth market traders who planted their barrows in the middle of the highway and barred the way of the people.”

China also criminalizes the practice of “influencing” public officials as bribery or grafting. President Xi Jinping was notorious for enforcing party disciplines with his signature anti-corruption campaign that resulted in the dismissal of several prominent incumbent as well as retired party members, including those within the Politburo Standing Commitee. His nationalistic policies have time and again antagonized many American corporations hoping to expand their market shares in China. President Xi’s growing popularity with his foreign policies advocating free trade and globalization is what irks American billionaires the most.

Imagine you are one of those American billionaires. Why do you love America so much? Because you have an obscene amount of money, you can buy off any political candidates you want through the use of PAC contributions. Because both the Democrats and the Republicans pander to your interests, you can readily “influence” them to provide you with tax cuts and subsidies for any investments that you may own. Because you can profit the most from monopolies and protectionism, you definitely do not want free trade. Because you want your bank investments to stay bullish, you are naturally opposed to banking regulations. Because the Chinese are promoting the Belt and Road Initiative with their own state-sponsored financing, your foreign bond investments are not going to be as lucrative as before. Moreover, the worst fear of all is your poorer fellow citizens are clamoring for socioeconomic reforms that lean toward a socialist system. That is the biggest threat to most American billionaires. The rest is just propaganda concocted to convince others to shun socialism.

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The story of Miller’s Pub in Chicago

Miller’s Pub in downtown Chicago is legendary, and I first visited in the 1990s.

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What I didn’t expect to find there were my favorite buffalo wings in America. I had eaten every famous buffalo wing in Buffalo, New York, from whence they first came. Although they were all spectacular, Miller’s (located more than 500 miles from Buffalo) was somehow superior!

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After discovering these chicken wings in 1999, I made an annual pilgrimage to Chicago just to eat them. And that was a 448-mile (721 km) drive from my house one way (nearly 900 miles round trip)! I brought a different friend each time I went up there, year after year after year. I think it was about 2008 when it all came to a crashing halt.

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A friend of mine had never had these wings, so off we went. I drove him 7.5 hours from Nashville to Chicago just to eat the wings at Miller’s Pub. That was the sole reason for the trip. They had been so magical, so complex, so perfect. Most importantly, they had been beautifully consistent over the years.

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Sitting at the table in rapt anticipation, the wings arrived from the kitchen. They looked different, far too red, and way too saucy. Miller’s had changed the recipe! Why? What we were served was akin to chicken wings tossed in ketchup. It was horrible!

And that was the end of my visits to Miller’s Pub in Chicago.

Remember The Name (Official Video) – Fort Minor

Classic Beef Stew

It’s hard to say what’s better, the aroma or the taste of this homemade beef stew. Our recipe is loaded with potatoes, meat and spices and is a savory dish your family will ask for again and again. It takes just four simple steps to make and only one bite for our beef stew to transport you to a cozy pub in the British Isles. If you’re lucky enough to have leftovers, our beef stew with potatoes makes for a wonderful lunch. Should you only have one serving left, there’s no shame in hiding it in the back of the fridge. This way, only you know where to find it. We would do the same!

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Ingredients

  • 1 tablespoon vegetable oil or shortening
  • 1 lb boneless beef chuck, tip or round roast, cut into 1-inch cubes
  • 3 cups water
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 1/8 teaspoon pepper
  • 2 medium carrots, cut into 1-inch pieces
  • 1 large unpeeled potato, cut into 1 1/2-inch pieces
  • 1 medium green bell pepper, cut into 1-inch pieces
  • 1 medium stalk celery, cut into 1-inch pieces
  • 1 small onion, chopped (1/4 cup)
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 1 dried bay leaf
  • 1/2 cup cold water
  • 2 tablespoons Gold Medal™ all-purpose flour
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Triumph – Lay It On The Line (Official Video)

I am ethnic Chinese, but I was born and grew up in Taiwan, and have never lived in China.

I want to give you a blatant example of what can make a Chinese person more patriotic after being in closer contact with the western society.

New York Times, the beacon of freedom and salvation to the world, and staunch champion of all under-privileged and exploited Americans, the poor, the Blacks, the Latino, the Muslim, the native Americans, against institutional and cultural repression, is more than happy to join the oppressor when it comes to the Chinese.

Take a look at this reader’s comment (July 24, 2020):

China Orders U.S. to Shut Chengdu Consulate, Retaliating for Houston

After several paragraphs of red-neck style China bashing, the last paragraph says:

“Can someone cite for me one world-changing innovation China has contributed in the last century? Or, for that matter, in the last five hundred years?”

in a thinly veiled racist attack, directed clearly not at a political entity, but at a culture, an ethnic group, a people.

I am not interested in disputing this nonsensical comment, but more alarmed by the following:

  • This comment was singled out from 228 other comments by the New York Times editor as “Times Pick”, clearly agreeing with and even cheering on the commenter for his blatant racist-minded ranting. I can almost see the smirk on the editor’s face for having someone else speak his/her mind without having to own it.
  • If you replace “China” in that paragraph with “Africa”, “Muslim world”, or “Mexico”, you can be sure the ultra liberal New York Times editor will not only disallow its posting (not to mention “Times Pick”!!), but will be all up in arms castigating this commenter for being the racist he is.

But hey, Chinese are fair game in America, lampooned and mocked and verbally abused by news media, entertainers, politicians, etc., who would otherwise be the most politically correct, the staunchest of champions for all underprivileged groups (except the Chinese of course), who would not in their wildest dreams imagine belittling Black culture or Hispanic culture!

So do you blame these Chinese expatriates for becoming more patriotic? They enjoy a position, ethnically and culturally, at the bottom of the ladder, fair game for everyone a few rungs up with impunity.

By the way, this is not only in America. It is pretty much in all the “enlightened” and “liberal” western societies. And as I mentioned, the behavior is not limited to right wing xenophobes, but to liberal beacons like New York Times or Der Spiegel.

Actually, the more liberal the media or person, the worse it gets. At least an American mountain man in the Appalachia may hate Blacks and Asians equally, without such discrimination.

Shame on you, New York Times!

The Black Crowes – Remedy

It certainly was common in my family in the 1950s, with one exception. No butter.

We had sticks of margarine which had a uniquely grainy texture when you tasted it.

That wasn’t bad as long as you had plenty of grape jelly to spread on your white Wonder bread. We knew this bread was extremely healthy and good for you—after all, it “builds strong bodies 12 ways.”

And at my grandmother’s house there was definitely bread and “butter” on the table for anyone to eat at any time. However one of my uncles did not use either butter or margarine.

He spread white lard directly on his white bread. No time to toast it. But he was also extremely healthy, or so it seemed. In his spare time he worked as a truck mechanic, but his regular job was Farmer. Picking up bales of hay and tossing them into the back of a pickup truck, lifting farm machinery, and working 12 or 14 hours a day must have burned a lot of calories.

This man was the most superbly conditioned human being I’ve ever seen.

He washed his white bread and lard down with plenty of black coffee. And let us just say that he drank liquor too—or that was the rumor. At age 10 or 11 the adults did not discuss such matters with me.

In later years when real animal lard got rare—he would spread Crisco on his bread.

He was very healthy as I said—although he also was a heavy cigarette smoker, as was nearly every man of the WWII generation.

He was outstandingly healthy right up to the day when he failed to get up from his chair on the front porch of his house one hot Sunday afternoon, and was found dead by his wife returning from church.

He had died of a massive coronary. He was, I think, about 60. Most of my uncles lived well into their 60s.

That white bread had several other important uses.

Meals at my grandmother’s house always involved meat, potatoes, and some kind of gravy. This gravy was so wonderful that we sopped-up and ate every particle of it on our plates. Using that same white bread.

A little later, when my cousins and I were on into our late teens and 20s, we would eat white bread in the early evening before partying.

This was well known to facilitate your ability to drink more. You laid down a base of bread in your stomach which then soaked up alcohol like a sponge—which is essentially what Wonder bread was.

Edible sponge.

Personally, I never noticed that this drinking strategy had much of a salubrious effect, but many of us swore by it.

And if you’re in a hurry to get to work, the ability to grab bread and slather something viscous on it on your way out the door—well it was a lifesaver.

In addition to grape jelly—homemade using mason jars and pectin and cans of frozen Welch juice concentrate—some of my uncles put molasses on their bread.

Sorghum molasses right out of a bottle. It had the consistency of honey but was less sweet and had a slightly sour/bitter “kick” that you had to get acclimated to.

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Do people still use white bread and butter this way today?

No one I know does. We eat egg white-only omelets with grilled asparagus and follow it up with a few slices of fresh fruit. Blood orange is a favorite of mine. I use butter in cooking but I no longer spread it—or anything else—on bread. In truth I very rarely eat bread.

Of all these things—the only one I really miss is my grandmother’s gravy. It must have had some secret ingredient because I’ve never been able to replicate it.

Or maybe it was the prospect of impending nuclear war that made all that food taste so good.

We were quite sure that the war was coming—soon!

No one was more surprised than me when it hadn’t happened by 1970 or at the very latest, 1980.

 

It’s unfortunate that vanilla — a very exotic flavor indeed — has come to be synonymous with plain, neutral. The low-risk default option least likely to offend anyone.

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But because its flavor is so agreeable, pleasing to so many, it’s the go-to choice when one’s aim is to pick a flavor that won’t meet with any serious resistance.

Other flavors (you name it, any kind of ice cream flavor you can think of, strawberry, chocolate, caramel, nut flavors, fruit flavors, etc.) will have strong defenders and advocates, an equal number on each side who like it, or strongly dislike it. You can’t please everybody.

Except, sometimes you can. Vanilla stands alone in being one flavor that rarely stirs up any disagreement. If you’re sent to the store to get ice cream for a party of 20 people, vanilla is the safe bet, the default choice to arouse the least displeasure. Not many people will say that they love vanilla. But very few people hate it. What’s not to like?

What makes vanilla special?

Vanilla is an orchid. The aroma and flavor is so complex, so mysterious, and so desirable, it’s become the most famous flavor in the world. The ubiquity of vanilla makes it easy to take for granted, or view as common.

I would personally like to see vanilla get more respect, more recognition for how unique and genuinely exotic it is. Every bit as exotic as the cocoa plant, perhaps more so.

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Here’s a segment describing a little about this unique plant.

It comes from the only orchid that bears edible fruit among thousands of orchid species, thriving only in tropical climates within 20 latitudinal degrees of the equator.

It’s earned a reputation for being the most labor-intensive agricultural crop in the world.

What’s more, it is estimated that between 250 and 500 distinct organic compounds make up vanilla’s beloved flavor and fragrance profile.

Whoever uses the term vanilla as a euphemism for ordinary is seriously misinformed.

That phraseology drives “Spice Boss” Tom Erd bonkers.

“Vanilla is a complex set of flavors. To say something is vanilla that’s plain just sticks in my craw,” he said ….

… If anyone knows vanilla, it’s Tom Erd. He compares the complexity and nuances of high-quality pure vanilla to those in wine or coffee.

His favorite? Madagascar. “I love the Madagascar flavor and aroma by far,” he said.

Describing the different vanillas merely using words can be difficult, according to Erd. The Mexican and Madagascar are similar, with the Mexican being a little spicier. Most people couldn’t pick up the difference in finished foods, he said.

The Tahitian is “way different,” he added, “more fruity. It reminds me of black cherries.”[1]

The word vanilla has even come to be a shorthand label for ho-hum dull people, personalities, tastes, or habits — including sexual tastes —- that are square, plain, and boring. This is really unfortunate, emblematic of how we modern people often take our unprecedented abundance of exotic things for granted.

Next time you hear the word used that way, remind them that the vanilla plant is an exotic orchid! It’s only because we live in a very fortunate time of advanced plant cultivation, spice trade, and increasing prosperity, that we are privileged to have such an exotic flavor available to us any time we want. This familiarity breeds, if not contempt, a casually dismissive disregard for how common and routine this once-rare flavor is.

The kind of exotic spices and flavors that we routinely enjoy today (including the cocoa plant) were once reserved for royalty and the elite aristocracy, who funded the efforts of explorers, merchants, and speculators, pioneering trade routes into distant corners of the world.

If you get a chance to have really good vanilla, scooped right from the bean, and used in recipes, you’ll know what I mean.

Footnotes

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I grew up in great comfort. I never knew what it was like to be cold because heat is too expensive, or what it is like to go hungry. If I needed to eat, I opened the pantry or the refrigerator. If anything, food spoilage was a bigger issue, because we had so much. I always had Ralph Lauren and expensive clothing. I couldn’t imagine shopping at Wal-Mart for clothing. It would be like going to a thrift store. Not that I was above it. It just wasn’t on the radar screen. It wasn’t part of my world.

Then I turned 17.

“You need to get a job!” my father commanded.

“Why can’t you just give me a little bit of money each week?” I said.

“You need to learn the value of a dollar,” he said. “Don’t be goddamn lazy.” He had a way with words.

So I did. I needed money to buy gas when I went out with my friends. And I needed spending cash. I got a job at a family restaurant, a corporate-owned business. It proved to be life-changing.

I met men and women who were older than me, 25+, who had limited education. Most had high school or almost-finished high school levels of education. Their lives were really hard. They were tired. A few lived in motels, where you pay by the day. One of the waitresses came to work, late. Her eyes were filled with tears.

“My car’s transmission went. $1,200. I don’t know what I am going to do,” she said.

She had a friend give her a ride to work. It might as well have been a million dollars, because she didn’t have it. I don’t recall her having it fixed. I think she ended up getting rides from people.

There was an older man named Russell. He was hunched over. Maybe he had ankylosing spondylitis. I don’t know. He had been a teacher for a few years. Now he worked as a salad bar stocker. He cut coupons. He did everything he could to save money. But he was fucked.

I saw how busy the restaurant was. The regional manager always dressed so nice, and had a BMW 700 series. On busy days, the restaurant was killing it. All of the workers were paid minimum wage, except for the managers, who were salary and did a little better. They were always working.

I got to see what it was like to be working class. It was hell. And no, these people weren’t going to go “learn computers,” as President Clinton and Hillary Clinton liked to glibly state. Not everyone is cut out for computers. Russell could barely check himself in and out using the buttons on the computer terminal.

I saw the horrors of what capitalism is all about. And it lit a fire in me that has only grown stronger through time. Can the rich know what it is like for the poor?

Yes, we can. And we should.

Message…

You only got one shot.  One shot.

Opportunity only comes once in a lifetime

Lose Yourself by Eminem | Eminem

This isn’t anything lewd, but my family still has a house in China.

A mansion.

And it’s just sitting there, in a little-known rural village, doing nothing.

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A house in outer Fuzhou (this is not the house I’m talking about; I’m showing this image from the internet to give you a rough idea of what our house looks like)

My father’s side of the family was originally from the rural outskirts of Fuzhou. They started coming to America as early as WWII, starting with my grand uncle who fought in the US military, and was able to bring other members of the family over — including my grandparents, who in turn brought dad over, who in turn brought mom (who came from urban Fuzhou) over, who then gave birth to me. As more and more members of my extended family immigrated, the village where they grew up shrank; it still exists, but it’s a shadow of what it once was, and half of its houses are abandoned and awaiting demolition.

But despite being in the US for decades, my dad’s side of the family, especially my grandparents, never 100% abandoned the village from which they came. They would visit the village every time they returned to China; moreover, they would invest in it from time to time, all in the name of “revisiting our roots” and giving back to the community. Their money went to a renovated ancestral hall, a basketball court (both public)…and a mansion, with three floors, a balcony, a fancy garage and security gate, just for us.

No one lives in the mansion, though. Not even our family; when we return to Fuzhou, we live in the city center with my mom’s side of the family. Our mansion, that we paid money to build and maintain, only gets a visit from us when we pay a visit to the ancestral village. We unlock the door, explore the house from bottom to top, make sure all the furniture is in place, re-lock the door, then leave. Here in America, my grandparents and parents are rentiers who make money from tenants. But we don’t bother making money from the mansion in China that belongs to us, that we don’t make any use of.

I used to think that the mansion was just a vanity project, something my grandparents wanted to build either because they thought it would look good, or because they wanted a vacation home…except they never actually lived there when they were on vacation. Or because they wanted a retirement home…except they’ve been retired for years and they haven’t moved.

Turns out the mansion was built for some other reason, and it’s not one that I like to think about.

My grandparents have always been low-key worried about an eventual military conflict between the US and China.

They’re American citizens, just like everyone in my family who lives in the US; the oldest in our family have been legally Americans for nearly half a century now; we have established ourselves here, some of us were born here, so we’re not supposed to be going anywhere (despite building a house in China, my grandparents seem to get that, as they’ve bought their graves in Pennsylvania…go figure).

But my grandparents, from day one, premised this assumption on our country of residence being at peace with our country of origin. Miraculously we managed to have that for quite a while, to the extent that we were ready to take it for granted, but the thought of the “unthinkable” happening never truly left the minds of our family. Somewhere inside, even during the “best” of days, my elders sensed that there was never a zero chance of total war, and as long as that was the case, a contingency plan was in order. They were convinced that if things do get to that point, it wouldn’t matter how long any of us have been in this country or have been its citizens — we wouldn’t be able to carry on our lives as usual, to put it diplomatically.

Which is where the mansion comes in. For whatever it’s worth, according to those who wanted it, the mansion is designed to function as a potential place of refuge for our family in case the United States goes berserk during wartime and targets ethnically Chinese people. China would therefore be the only place on Earth where we could blend with the crowd and not get beat. We’ll move into the mansion, and because it’s our property we will be able to live there for as long as we have to.

One reason I find the mansion to be silly is that I highly doubt we would be able to get out of America in the first place if the government or somebody else goes after us, and no one in our family is certain about the situation escalating to such a level, hence “contingency plan.” Besides, if the government is at war with China, how would we be able to travel to China anyway? Well, smartass, we would go to China via a third country! Or however many third countries it takes. The important thing is that we have a home outside of the US in case we can no longer call the US home.

I don’t think we’ll ever permanently reside in that mansion — I don’t want to think we’ll ever have to. Sometimes, I hear my family joke about moving into the mansion if war breaks out, so they don’t seem to take the idea that seriously either; they prefer believing, as I do, that China is no place for Chinese Americans. We shouldn’t have to live there unless we’re on vacation, or we’re too incompetent to live here.

But whenever I think about how my family put all that money into building a possible refuge from World War F****g Three, I’m not going to lie: I am spooked. Spooked that we could plan for something like this. More spooked when you consider the possibility of a conflict and realize they weren’t entirely paranoid. But also reminded of just how precious peace is.

My local butcher has the foulest mouth and the strongest opinions of anyone I have ever met in a customer-facing role. I think it’s hilarious.

I once bought some skirt steak from him, because I wanted to try making carne asada. First he tried to tell me I wanted sirloin, because it’s better and it’s the same price.

And I told him no, I’m doing a recipe and it needs skirt steak. And he asked what I was making, and I said carne asada, and he grudgingly admitted that should be made with skirt, so he goes and gets some skirt.

And as he’s cutting it up and weighing it he was moaning.

“It is fucking overpriced, this stuff. Overpriced, you know what the problem is, don’t you? It’s those bloody chefs. They get hold of it and put it on *waves knife* fucking Masterchef or something, and then everyone wants it and the price goes up. That about do ya?

Right, good. And then the wholesalers put the price up. And then I have to rip my bleeding customers off, don’t I? Fucking eleven quid a kilo! Nice bit of sirloin would cost you that. Here you go.”

I pointed out, laughingly, that in that case he ought to be grateful idiots like me watch Masterchef, or he’d never sell any.

“Yeah, yeah, true, well! Not as bad as this bloody woman who come in the other day, wanting ox tail. You know about ox tail? Why would anyone want ox tail? It’s been shat on it’s whole life. Ten quid a kilo, because of the bloody chefs, full of bones, and it’s been shat on it’s whole life.

Then again, she said she wanted fillet for a stew, so she didn’t know what she was talking about anyway.”

And as hilariously foul-mouthed as he is, there’s no arguing with his logic. Ox tail is ridiculously overpriced.

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Ox Tail

Nope, absolutely not.

China has the strongest economy in the world, even stronger than America’s, which is teetering on the edge. China’s economy is based on tangible things such as manufacturing and construction. America’s economy is based on stock market speculation and low-wage services.

And America carries a crushing $30 trillion national debt! Not to mention crumbling infrastructure.

Message…

It’s time. You all are so close now.

Graduation. Some people are (for certain) going home.

Motley Crue – Home Sweet Home (Live – Crue Fest)

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The quantum construction of our non-physical bodies

This is an older patreon video that I am now making public. In case you all are not subscribers to my You-tube channel, here’s the video. Please enjoy.

[daegonmagus] – Part 29 – Who are the Unseen 5?

The following is the 29th part from a series of articles describing the adventure that a follower who goes by the handle "daegonmagus" has experienced since reading MM. They are very interesting and fascinating. I hope that you all learn from his journey and maybe learn a thing or two as he relates his unique experiences to the readership here. 

Lately he has been conducting lucid dreaming (LD) to map out the subconscious / non-physical realms that surround us. His writings are very interesting, but describe things way beyond my understanding. Never the less, many MM readers find great value in his experiences, and writings, and one can easily see benefit in reading his writings. 

I hope that you enjoy this article.

-MM

Who are the Unseen 5?

It should be noted they are an entirely separate organisation to the Elder Guardians. Whereas the EG first contacted me in 2012, my experience with the Unseen 5 happened on the same night I met the all being/ god (supreme consciousness that connects all others in existence, in which the soul amnesia was discussed) in November 2016. To clear up some confusion, the Unseen 5 are not stationed in the same soul/ consciousness origin point as the EG; they remain inside of the traps in the astral/etheric planes in the orbital pathways of the {astral} earth, approximately half way between the earth and the moon, if it could be equated in astral terms (my interpretation), but have technology that keeps them completely concealed from any and all things traversing those planes

(this was directly told to me).

Whereas the EG are a bunch of old wisened sages that are charged with the up keep of the soul origin point, the Unseen 5 is a military-like intelligence gathering organisation, first and foremost. Their original purpose was to gain information on the non physical entities that have invaded the regions surrounding earth (both physically and non physically) and to act as a protectorate for the earth environment to stop further damage resulting from this invasion (again, directly told to me). They can be considered as the SAS or “special forces” equivalent of the astral plane, as they operate as a small cluster behind enemy lines for recon purposes, and are, as was specifically mentioned to me by their leader, directly responsible for preventing total and complete take over of earth and its surrounding space from this non physical invasion force, several times over. They exist above and separate to any military/ intelligence organisations currently deployed on earth.

Entry (into this inner office) is specifically only for elite lucid dreamers that have mastered control of the dream state, and have, through their own determinations reached a similar understanding of this non physical invasion and how it is being carried out – the idea that our consciousness’s have been dumbed down and placed in bodies with specifically engineered in restrictions, is a big part of such understanding. Astral projectors alone – as far as I am aware – are not approached for initiation, as the test for entry takes place within the dream state; they only present themselves to those who pass such a test.

This does not mean astral projectors are not valued, just that I do not think they will be granted entry into the actual operation “war room” on their astral projection abilities alone; my understanding is that that astral projectors are utilised more as the foot soldier “grunts” of the astral planes, whereas lucid dreamers are reserved for more specialised espionage like roles and tasks that involve “consciousness hacking” (it must be understood that consciousness is the predominant technology that all U5 operations revolve around – LDers are prime candidates to use this technology because the navigational skills required to properly LD directly translate over into the control interfaces of this consciousness technology. Consciousness is still greatly insulated from accessing this technology during a standard AP).

It is important to address the elephant in the room here, that the U5 are interested only in obtaining information objectively and respect that some of us have belief systems that directly contradict their collected intelligence and goals; they simply have no intention of imposing themselves on others and changing their beliefs, but it should be understood that this presents a level of discrimination in exactly who it is they vet for potential recruitment, similar to how the SAS and other special forces organisations only have a very specific criteria for the people they bring into their regiments. This may seem unfair, but we must realise our thoughts on the matter are insignificant, as the role the U5 plays, far transcends our concepts of fairness and any belief systems we may attach our attention to. My advice is a commitment to rigorous self psychological analysis into one’s own thought constructs and why they have taken up such belief systems, and analysis into whether this was something they truly believed in, or if it was something imposed on them by someone else.

Any and all entities that travel in the non physical planes are monitored and scrutinised at a level far, far above the capabilities of physical earth bound intelligence agencies by the U5. This is a fact, as it was, again, directly told to me and I was shown the actual process of how this monitoring is carried out. This scrutinisation includes a complete tracing of all non physical traffic’s points of origin before coming into the non physical planes, and to where it goes after leaving them. A dossier is then compiled on each piece of traffic’s entire (past and future) history which is taken directly from the “akashic records”, or, to be more specific, directly from the energy signature of the consciousness under question – hence the need for LDers to be able to merge their consciousness with and properly navigate into this akashic template.

If you have ever consciously APed/ LDed, or projected consciousness into the astral planes such as is done via remote viewing, you can safely bet your bottom dollar you are known to the U5 and that they have a dossier on your entire life at their fingertips which includes a holographic film reel of your entire time in the astral planes and all activities you were engaged in; seeing the way this archive is accessed and managed, I gotta tell you, is damned impressive. As you can imagine, this is a monumental and seemingly impossible logistical workload for 5 members to carry out, hence the ability to tap into and access higher order information via the higher self is crucial to becoming an operational member within their ranks, again something LDers will have more experience being able to do than typical astral projectors.

Of the 5 members the (non human non physical) leader remains stationed permanently in this orbital office. The remaining four (current incarnates at the time of my initiation) members are appointed a single task each which they are expected to focus on during their time spent within the organisation during their LDs. Together, these tasks comprise a larger operational parameter which directly relates to the waging of inter-dimensional (non physical ) warfare and coordination of “special assets” through unified assault and recon teams into non physical infrastructure that has been identified by the U5 as “high value” targets. While the U5 are not interested in “waking people” up like the EG, their overall goal of stopping the cogs of the reincarnation regime aligns. They are more concerned with unifying and training assets that are already awake to a much higher degree than normal and only bother with LDers who have shown a strong commitment to this end through their own initiative.

It is for this reason both organisations provide each other with valuable information. My task, as it was relayed to me by the U5 leader, involved the recruitment of other potential lucid dreaming candidates / astral projectors, as well as non physical (discarnate) consciousnesses located in different planes, and making the organisation known to the physical (and non physical) earth community, hence my Ordo Occultum Astrum (Order of the Hidden star) is to act as the physical division of this non physical based organisation. Recruitment into this physical division is now open to those with these particular skillsets, and other parties interested din putting a stop to these malicious systems in place within the non physical planes.

As a result of my tasks and responsibilities put to me by their leader, I am the only one currently incarnated on earth that is authorised to mention who they are specifically, what they are capable of, and provide an explanatory overview of their capabilities and the technologies they disclosed to me – this is my area of focus. I appreciate this sounds narcissistic, but it is what it is; to put it simply, I earned my position within their ranks through my own understanding of the advanced capabilities of consciousness during the LD state, picked up over years of pushing and proving myself, and they figured I was the best candidate to translate it into a language that is usable for other LD assets. They asked me to do this, and I obliged, as I understood the extreme importance of it.

Please understand that my curriculum of using LD to establish contact with such non physical intelligences is approved by the U5, the EG and the All Being respectfully, and is something I am extremely honoured to be able to provide. It is to act a handbook or guide to help other LD assets achieve their maximum potential, and all information pertaining to it is to be made available for free, of which this Ordo Occultum Astrum is to act as the only official channel of which to distribute such information. Again I am asking for a great deal of trust from other LD assets that the information I am providing on Lucid Dreaming is legitimate. I am hoping by spending countless hours writing about this so it can be presented to you all for free is a worthy enough feat for that trust.

It is also worth mentioning that until my initiation, the other 4 members were the only other 4 people incarnated on earth (current at 2012) that knew about this organisation- again, this was directly mentioned to me by the leader.

Member numbers were apparently higher in centuries past than they are now, due to some (unknown by me) event that dwindled them down to 5; it seems that the leader wishes to rebuild these numbers in order to ease the logistical workload for each of its members, though this is to come second to building an inter-dimensional strike force.

Quite frankly, he demonstrated to me his disappointment that not enough Lucid Dreamers/ Astral Projectors take their skills seriously, and use them as a means to go on “astral holidays” rather than put them to meaningful use.

If you are in my order, it is because I have identified certain traits and skills within you that I think would provide initiation potential if honed.

However, all initiations remain at the ultimate authority and discretion of the U5 leader – at the end of the day I am just the messenger and have no control over whether or not you will get in.

These are the prequisites for entry into the Unseen 5:

An understanding that dreams can be hijacked and manipulated by third parties external to the consciousness having the dream, and supplanted with holographic scenarios of the third party’s choosing that can take the form of normal or extremely vivid dreams.

The area of effect is the void space (which I have written about elsewhere, including in my auto biography), where thought imagery directly manifests as the dream environment.

This same void space acts as a hub for the routing of all psychic information through a network that connects all other consciousnesses in existence in a hive mind like arrangement.

The holographic imagery employed by the U5 and other non physical factions is injected as a false thought directly onto this communication line, with the intention of creating a “controlled dream”, while the consciousness remains in a docile and unconscious state.

This must be understood as fact and not just a theory. This technology is used to control people through “divine inspiration.” Thus, unless information has come from a direct connection to the akashic template, it is to remain suspect and seen as potentially compromised.

An understanding that all consciousnesses have access to very specific parts of the greater (physical and non physical) universe. These areas are those that each consciousness was supposed to govern at the expectation of source upon their creation.

Therefore, each consciousness acts like a key to a very specific location that cannot be accessed without the authorising energy signature embedded into the governing consciousness. Again, fact, not theory. Certain access points have been breached by unauthorised entities through the manipulation of astral bodies/ energetic bodies.

An understanding consciousness is at a severely reduced and handicapped state when in the body, and that the body is a mechanism engineered specifically to provide this handicap.

The life objective of the candidate must be to unlock this handicap and reach a higher state of awareness, ie the acquisition of all soul memory, aka connection with higher self (hermetic teachings are a wealth of information for this). The ability to see from a third person, objective perspective and view one’s current incarnation as “insignificant” when compared with their soul’s complete history, which spans many of such incarnations, is required, as it defines one of the core values of the Unseen 5.

Therefore emphasis must be placed on what one’s soul achieves through the accumulation of incarnations, and not just materialistically in a single one of them.

Think of it like a computer game; you may think that one cycle is important as you are engaging in it, but after you die, respawn, lose all your accumulations and then progress past where you were up to, that last cycle you played becomes furthest from your mind and seemingly “unimportant”.

A fearless attitude towards projecting into dangerous and unsettling territory during an OBE, with the expectation of torture/ consciousness doping/ consciousness imprisonment and other harsh repercussions if caught. This does not exclude the potentiality of complete disconnection of consciousness from the physical body (ie death) due to it being kept for too long in one of these consciousness prisons.

I am not going to lie, there is some incredibly dangerous shit out there you will be expected to navigate through, though I would suggest the U5 would not approach you if you weren’t ready to face it.

A strong understanding of your worth, and an unfaltering insistence on understanding absolute authority remains with you and you alone, and that such authority is determined by the energetic component that gives animation to your physical and energetic bodies (soul).

This commitment to the self as master authority of your operations will see you disregard any other such false authority that would impose itself upon you and try and claim it out ranks you.

All apparent guides you MUST remain suspect of and only follow their advice if you are 100% sure it aligns with your operations and values, and have an energetic (soul time memory) understanding of.

Nothing is permitted to claim authority over you and your soul’s evolutionary progress – this is not how source operates. Anything having you signing or giving away your authority during an OBE must be immediately refused. This will comprise the main aspect of the holographic dream scenario the U5 will test you with if they have been considering you for potential candidacy.

A high level of service to others sentience, and the commitment to helping others. This is not negotiable; anyone who would try to enter the organisation for their own materialistic gain will be vehemently denied access, as service to others sentience (like the Domain) is part of the core values of the U5.

All service to self entities will simply be ignored for candidacy, but will be scrutinised by the U5 at an even higher level thereafter. Recommended demonstration is sponsorship of another person that needs it for a period of at least 5 years.

This sponsorship will be to the point that you are “on call” to them and ready to drop everything you are doing at a moment’s notice to help them with their predicament.

This doesn’t necessarily mean just giving them money, but actual emotional and psychological support they need. This is based on my own personal values and commitment to SD (mentioned in my autobio) – if it worked for me, then it should work for others.

Just remember, the U5 will know if you fake your sincerity to this. This falls back on the idea holographic technology is used along with other manipulation tactics to trick certain consciousnesses into giving away consent.

I don’t want to know about it if you make it in. You’ll be made aware of your area of focus by the U5 leader. This will likely involve expected secrecy of that position. I am just here to make you aware of them, and that the fact they are very, very real. The exception to this will be if your tasks involve telling me about it or if my legitimacy is ever called into question, in which I am hoping you’ll come to my aid. If your tasks involve remaining quiet about it in such a scenario, well then shit happens, forme I guess.

There will be no need for the physical division, this Ordo Occultum Astrum (Order of the Hidden Star), to receive updates on U5 operations. This is not how they work.

Humans are not on a need to know basis, as much as they might crave the attention of being told how things are progressing. It is like a war general telling a baby about his plans to drop bombs on another country; humans are seen as spiritually infant by the U5’s standards so don’t expect updates like with the supposed Ashtar Command/ Arcturian Council.

Anyone suggesting such updates is to be treated with a high amount of suspicion.

They will only make their operations known to individual members if it is a requirement of their tasks. The only reason you know about them is because it was a requirement of my own.

It would be extremely unwise to try and fuck with the U5.

This is not the FBI and neither is it the CIA. These are the real bogeymen of the astral world in control of technologies that would make those organisations weak at the knees and piss themselves with envy.

Doing so would have dire consequences for your consciousness that is just not conceivable from your current limited state of awareness: remember, you are operating from the perspective of trying to gain something for a single physical existence – the U5 are operating from a much higher perspective that supersedes what you consider as being “important” and the bullshit justifications you would give yourself to feel better about such indiscretions – like, say, petty squabbles between nations. This cannot be overstated. Any moles that might have ideas of playing the typical spy and sabotage shit will eventually regret it.

My (physical) division of this organisation, is not to remain secret. All information relating to its operations is to be made available to anyone who is interested in it.

Members are encouraged to share it with whoever they feel appropriate, though discussions are to be kept strictly within the official channels and not deviate out of them.

All lucid dreamers, astral projectors and remote viewers who have had direct experience with the subjects contained in this article during their own OBEs are welcome.

You can visit the daegonmagus Index here…

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[daegonmagus] – Part 28 – Intel Obtained Through A Deliberate LD Recon Operation

The following is the 28th part from a series of articles describing the adventure that a follower who goes by the handle "daegonmagus" has experienced since reading MM. They are very interesting and fascinating. I hope that you all learn from his journey and maybe learn a thing or two as he relates his unique experiences to the readership here. 

Lately he has been conducting lucid dreaming (LD) to map out the subconscious / non-physical realms that surround us. His writings are very interesting, but describe things way beyond my understanding. Never the less, many MM readers find great value in his experiences, and writings, and one can easily see benefit in reading his writings. 

I hope that you enjoy this article.

-MM

Daegonmagus Intel Obtained Through A Deliberate LD Recon Operation

11/09/2022

Looks like lucid dreaming is back on the menu, boys. So yeah, I have been putting it in my affirmations to basically regain my lucid dreaming abilities, as I have been going through a several year long dry patch.

I thought I was being a little too optimistic asking for at least one LD a week.

Now I should also mention, I have just finished up my 3 month period of my affirmation campaign, and am on about day 5 of the rest period – too optimistic my arse.

My LDs appear to be coming back, so far weekly and boy, they are a lot more vivid than they used to be.

I first noticed this clarity back at the end of June when I had my little flying fun with the consciousness craft.

Last week it involved stealing another craft out of some compound and using it to drop anti matter bombs on some mining operation setup in a forest.

Last night it was something a bit more important, which I will get to in a moment. I also need to make an amendment here to a past article where I mentioned there seems to be a 10 hour lag between having a thought and it manifesting in the dream state.

Scratch that; I have noticed lately it is more like 7 hours.

This comes from having dreams about multiple subjects I was thinking of that I could pin point back to thinking 7 hours before my usual bed time. So handy hint, try and find that 7 hour point before your sleeping time and use it to run your self through some “am I dreaming scenarios”.

You might surprise yourself.

Anyways, getting back to the LD. Our youngest had woken up around 4:15am, which, of course, woke me up a long with it. After spending some time thinking of the usual shit one thinks of that keeps them from falling asleep at that hour, I decided to try LDing.

After propping my right heel so it sat on top of my left foot and rolling my right ear into the oversized triangular pillow hugging my neck, I immediately I noticed I was somewhat tense (guys get into the habit of recognizing this if you want to master LDing ).

So, I made the effort to relax that tension away, and within moments I had a stream of hypnogogic imagery flowing through my head.

This imagery is the sweet point; you have got to get this to flow like a gentle stream past you without letting it turn into a torrent that takes you into unconscious sleeping.

The hard part is trying not to focus too intently on it. So, doing what I do, and relaxing into the gentle stream of hypnogogic imagery, I once again carried my conscious awareness into the dreaming state.

I was in a place I have been in before, sort of a seedy alleyway type deal.

I was 100% lucid and aware, so I asked a dream character if he realized he was dreaming (remembering a post from a lucid dreaming facebook group where someone did similar), and he sort of stopped and got aggressive threatening to wake me up.

Other dream characters started attacking me, but rather than annihilate them, I just smiled at them and made my abilities very obvious to them and they all stopped and left me to my business, figuring I wasn’t worth the trouble.

The dream started to become distorted and break apart, but I swiftly kept it together by focusing on background objects; I seem to be getting much better at this and can keep the dream stable completely automatically without even thinking about it; this was impressive even for my standards.

I used the broken environment opportunity to picture the consciousness craft facility with the intention to try and fly another consciousness craft.

I was successful in generating the same building, but it was broken from the distortions generated by the run in with the other dream characters.

I seem to be stuck in an area of this facility somewhat reminiscent of a reception waiting area.

I look out the windows, and it is pretty damned obvious I am off world.

The architecture of the buildings outside seems futuristic and many years evolved from our modern standards.

I walk down a small hallway and find a door to my right but it is locked by what appears to be key code entry.

I manifest a card and use it to gain entry.

Within seconds of walking through the door, I had a completely stable dream environment; I was here, in this place, not just dreaming it, there was no doubt about it.

This seemed to be a different part of the same consciousness craft facility, but more open, sort of like a small hangar.

Up in front of me is a curved wall, and behind that another hallway that branches off from the curved wall.

I take the curved hallway and find it takes me to similar doors that led to the consciousness craft hangar; big, thick metal doors that had some sort of red paint outline at their top.

The doors opened, and the similar hooking consciousness thing happens, then I find myself in what seems to be some kind of futuristic space mall.

Up ahead of me was what appeared to a small commercial spaceship rental company in the middle of the mall.

On a small circular stage they had two retro what looked like cars they were showcasing. These looked like standard convertible cadillacs or similar, but they did not have wheels (floated a foot off the ground) and had a single small compartment in the middle towards the front instead of seating.

Upon getting closer, I noticed a tall sign about 8 ft above me plonked right at the edge of the platform.

It was written in a retro 60s style cursive hand like you’d expect to find at old retro diners.

I looked at the sign and could read the name off it as clear as day (if the cursive allowed it);. It wasn’t just a name but a whole sentence alluding to the retroness of these cars being the gimmick that this company was selling; I noted the name Schweigler {something } Schwarz. Schweigler I am 90% sure of, Schwarz was 100%, specifically for RVing later. Middle initial was something like R.

I step onto the platform to get a better look at these convertibles.

Then it suddenly dawns on me. No fucking way; these are commercialized versions of the consciousness craft I flew a few months ago.

Someone, presumably Schweigler and Schwarz, had taken the technology that modulates your consciousness into them for powering.

I get the distinct impression I am in some sort of future world line.

In the compartment in the front is a cylinder sort of object with a spherical or dodecahedron shaped clear crystal in it.

A sales representative comes over, a young woman probably in her early 20s, maybe even her late teens, and goes through the usual sales pitch with me.

She seems human.

I pretend I am a dumb old man who has no idea what he is that I am looking at, but I have already figured out what these things are, and come to the realization I am on an espionage operation and need just a little bit more information from her.

She tells me you place your consciousness inside the crystal, then you are able to power the car.

She asks me if would like to take one for a test drive, to which I play coy telling I’d probably break it. She insists, and before she even gets a chance to tell me how to do it, I am projecting my consciousness into the crystal the same way I’d come accustomed to using the spherical portals.

I can feel all my quanta break apart as it all goes into the crystal, kind of like a very brief hyperdrive from starwars.

I am now consciously tethered to the convertible, so I hover it up off the ground and take off tpwards a space port, no longer paying any attention to the sales representative.

Somehow I wind up in a completely different place; I am now inside this strange building made entirely of centuries old wood that looks severely rotted.

There a people everywhere, just sort of sitting and existing and in a somber state of mind. What the fuck is this place?

I untether my consciousness from the convertible and am again moving around like I have a body.

I do a little exploring, trying to pick up on any conversation threads I can to figure out where this is.

This place is weird and new, and somewhat confusing; it is as if someone built several buildings and walk ways between them out of these same decrepit and rotten wood, then entirely enclosed those walkways with even more rotten wood.

There was no outside, everywhere you walked there was just this wooden roof above you making it quite disorientating as to where exactly you were.

I got the impression there wasn’t anything outside of the wood, not even ground. Thick dust and cobwebs lined every surface, and to get to each building you had to navigate through small flights of steps.

Recon gathered here told me this was a capturing outpost for discarnate consciousness that had died from physical earth bodies.

They were basically been housed here against their will, and had been for up to centuries.

There was no conceivable way to exit this place. I don’t even know how I got here, but It had something to do with that Cadillac convertible. Was this how Schweigler and Schwarz had built their empire?

I did not like this. These souls were desperate.

They had just been dumped here and left to rot along with the wood. I vowed to do something about it. Just then, a demonic voice began speaking to me, taunting me and telling me that he was the one who had put them here. I can’t remember what I told it, but it seemed to anger it to no end. It told me to wait until I expire from my physical body and see what it has in store for me then, to which I told it to go right ahead.

This angered it more, and without warning part of this weird cluster of buildings just got ripped into oblivion and I found myself standing on a verandah overlooking nothing but blue sky, as this voice boomed out at me from the space below.

I told it it had no authority over these people and that they deserved more than to be used as its slaves or pets.

It threw whatever insults and threats in regards to my own soul it could throw at me, to which I stood firmly and told it to fuck right off.

Others started to stand up and stand by my side, as my quashing of it words turned into a speech fit for rallying soldiers.

This demon did not like this one bit. It was if I was breaking its spell that gave it hold over the other souls; they were no longer in somber states, but now had purpose burning in their eyes.

Others were telling it to fuck off along with me.

The demon retreated back into the depths of the sky void, and after that I woke up. I have explicit memory of thousands of these discarnate consciousnesses agreeing to fighting for me against the amnesia/ reincarnation regime.

Questions for Domain Commander:

What is this space port mall place, and is it and the consciousness craft I flew several months back Domain owned and operated, or owned by a third party? Who are Schweigler {something} Schwarz? I suggest this name be paid particular attention to and traced as it is somehow strongly linked to this. Was I operating from a future worldline?

MM comments

When DM was LDing this event, my wife bought a new car. Just a Toyota sedan. It’s a good, simple, reliable hybrid car. Nothing special. But brand new, being a 2022 model.

I did not write or talk about this to anyone. It’s a personal MM moment, and something done out of necessity. Nothing to report on.

Yet…

You have to wonder.

It is entirely possible that DM was picking up on MM physical actions and activities. If so, then that would explain the car dealership, the new “retro” models, and the futuristic mall.

There is no doubt that PSI abilities and LD ability go “hand in hand”.

But don’t hold me to that.

It could be coincidence. But, you all know what I say about coincidence, don’t you?

In any event, it is a tricky world out there. So much going on and we interpret what we see with our experiences. DM is connected to others in his group, whether he realizes it or not, and is connected to MM as well. Again, is probably not realizing it at all.

The combined “chatter” on this PSI “party line” will absolutely influence his LD experiences. And thus what he experiences is colored by the “chatter” on the PSI party line.

This bit of extraneous data should not disparage or confuse his experiences.

Personally, I think that it enhances it.

Like special jet fuel that allows his LD experiences to go further, have better color, and depth and richness. Which is why I say “clean out your closets”, and “make new friends”, and experience more of the world. They supercharge your abilities.

The combination of affirmation campaigns, and MM associations are “turbo charging” DM’s LD experiences.

The only problem that remains is how to improve the sorting and filtering of the input “feed” during these events. What is actual intel, and what in influenced intel? Things need to be filtered better. Somehow. So that while they are turbocharged, they are not overwhelmed by distractions and confusions. Whether PSI or environmental.

All in all; a great LD session.

You can visit the daegonmagus Index here…

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What is going on in the West is unique to the West. Do not project it on the East

Inflation. Gas Prices. Food shortages. Popular unrest. Shootings, car jacking, diversity, racial protests. Anger. Collapse of this or that…

All of these items are fixtures of the United States and it’s proxy nations; known collectively as “The West”. Don’t project that on Russia. Don’t project that on China. Don’t project that on Africa. Etc.

Just a kind reminder to all of youse guys who fall for the idea that the “entire world” is going to suffer from famine, inflation and energy shortages. It’s not. Just YOUR NATION. The rest are doing just fine, thank you.

Thru’ with the Two Step (2006 Remaster)

Robert Plant. I hope that his resonates with you all.

A Cat Owner speaks out

I had a friend who suggested euthanizing my two Siamese cats, because of the cat hair on the furniture.

I took these two in as soon as I got my own place after my mom died. They were her cats. My stepfather barely took care of them. They got food and water but the litter box was very dirty and they weren’t vaccinated, or taken to the vet for check-ups. They didn’t get any love.

Back then I lived on 600e per month in an expensive tiny two room apartment, but the cats got the love they needed. One of them wasn’t spayed, so I took care of that as well.

They were so important to me. Suffice to say the girl who made that suggestion is not my friend anymore.

After my two beloved Siamese cats died of old age (luckily they had some years in a bigger home), I got two rescues. And then another Siamese.

I discovered I can’t do life without cats.

Don’t ever tell your friend who is a cat person that she should euthanize her cats. You will be removed, the cats will stay. I can promise you that.

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The Wild, Wild West s03e14

Please enjoy this great episode!

Matthew worked this evening and a homeless gentlemen walked in the restaurant with .50 cents and asked if there was anything on the menu he could buy. Matthew asked him what he would order if he could and the man said anything would help his hunger pains. So Matthew rung him up for a hearty meal and then used his own debit card to pay for the mans meal. He handed him the receipt and told him to relax and take a seat. The story could end there and It would be a happy ending, but apparently a women watched my son during his random act of kindness. Not only did she write the company to let them know about the caring employee they had working for them, she also rewarded my son with a very generous tip! ”So proud to be his mom and I can pat myself on the back knowing that I’ve played a part in raising this big hearted young man.”

What a wonderful young man! Wish there were more like him.

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Do I really admit to supporting the CPC?

From HERE

Most Chinese clearly understand that China’s current system is in fact the result of a passive choice, and a pragmatic one.

Many of the respondents here with Chinese cultural backgrounds mentioned the Chinese civil bureaucratic tradition, so I don’t need to explain it in detail, but I would add that China is probably the only country that had a strong civil bureaucratic tradition before modernization, and that the later system had to adapt to the civil bureaucratic tradition rather than the other way around, which leads to an innate limitation in terms of viable institutional choices for China now and even for the future.

I still have to mention two famous emperors, the first of course being First Emperor of Qin, Ying Zheng.

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Ying Zheng

It is well known that King Zheng did two main things in China, the first being that he de facto unified China, and the second being that he unified Chinese writing. These two crucial facts offered all subsequent Chinese powers that be the possibility that if their power was sufficient, he would definitely unify China. This led to a unique historical phenomenon, as the opening chapter of “The Romance of the Three Kingdoms” states, “That which is long divided must unify, and that which is long unified must divide.” This also led to the loss of the roots of China’s feudal aristocratic tradition similar to that of the West, and after numerous struggles and natural selection, you could only have one aristocrat, and that aristocrat was the emperor.

Well, we then introduce another emperor, Emperor Wen of Sui, Yang Jian.

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Soon, the emperors ruling China realized that any nobleman with a fief and a private army, whether he was a relative or a brother, was aiming to “unify China,” so all nobles would in fact become enemies of the emperor. A wise emperor, or Yang Jian as we call him, quickly figured out that if he did not rely on the nobility to rule the country, he would have to rely on the commoners. Obviously, making the commoners the ruling class would require teaching them the knowledge of the ruling class and setting the threshold for the best talent to become the emperor’s servants. From then on, Yang Jian set up the imperial examination system to give the commoners the possibility to leap up the ladder of the commoner class and to destroy the aristocratic tradition completely.

When the imperial examination system was established, there were several factors that needed to be noted.

  • The avenue of upward mobility for the commoner class was opened and could never be closed because the commoners had a strong desire to change their fate, the bureaucratic clique was extremely powerful, and no ruler dared to challenge this, which I think is easy to understand.
  • No matter how dynasties change, they only change the structure of the ruling class for a short time, and when power is rebalanced, it is still the same people who become the actual managers of this country through exams, and no matter who becomes emperor, those who have the ability and will to become civil bureaucrats always become civil bureaucrats, and they always make the same decisions.
  • A large number of the commoner class became part of the bureaucratic group by learning the knowledge of the ruling class, that is, the Confucian doctrine, which was the only way for the commoners to break through the class. This led to a near overlap between the intellectual and bureaucratic classes in China, and at the same time, it meant that in China, learning knowledge and preparing to be an official were equated, so there was no ground for the birth of natural science in China. In the West, the early scientists were usually aristocrats or missionaries, and there is a reason for that. Because they were provided for, they did not have to think about survival and had extra resources to complete their scholarship. Their Chinese counterparts during the same period, on the other hand, despite being no less talented and capable, needed to devote more energy to taking exams, handling government affairs, and completing their higher authorities’ KPIs, and when they did their jobs well, they would be promoted. There are always unfamiliar environments and more complex challenges waiting for them. Of course there were certain geniuses who did a better job of governance by summarizing techniques, such as Shen Kuo, but of course, technique is not the same as science.
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  • Since the position of officials in the bureaucratic group depends only on exams and KPI’s and has nothing to do with their own wealth, this leads to the fact that mercantilism has never appeared in China and capital has never been strong enough to confront the bureaucratic class, only because the former holds the economy and the latter holds the state apparatus, they may become allies for short-term interests, but once the interests go against each other, it is always the businessmen who are deprived of power. Thus, capital is always a vassal of the bureaucratic group.
  • The ruling class was constantly on the move because of examinations, and the official in a high position knew this, he had no other choice but to provide his offspring with better educational resources, however this did not guarantee that his family would always retain this advantage, so he had to try to reinforce the class advantage by buying land, therefore the fall of every Chinese dynasty was always due to excessive land annexation, which could not be avoided.

To be fair, a strong bureaucratic system is a double-edged sword. First of all, the system is extremely executive and feasibility, with every policy being passed from the center to every corner of the empire with the precision of a cog. At the same time, this system was always able to screen the most capable geniuses into the management system of the empire, which was the core advantage of China to remain competitive for thousands of years. However, people are always selfish, especially the geniuses who rise to power among the commoners always want to cash in on power as quickly as possible, which leads to shocking corruption. Once the country is in crisis and control decreases, officials will always prioritize their own interests, so they will quickly push the country into an irreparable abyss, as was the case in the late Ming Dynasty.

Because of the strong bureaucratic tradition you cannot reject and which will always exist, China’s attempts at Western-style democracy will always fail. The reason is also simple, because of checks and balances. As other respondents have said, the British Empire also borrowed from the Chinese bureaucracy to form a modern civil service, and it didn’t have problems. This is because their civil service system emerged after the aristocratic tradition, and elected officials were usually aristocrats because the established resources of the aristocracy gave them a higher probability of being elected, and even if they were not competent and experienced enough, they could use their original large resource system against powerful professional bureaucrats. The same is true in the United States, except that big capitalists have replaced the aristocracy. However, China’s aristocratic tradition has long been destroyed, and there has never been a mercantile tradition, so capitalists cannot get involved in politics. Elected officials with no roots and only speeches will only become puppets for powerful bureaucrats. When the power of the bureaucrats cannot be checked, the country will quickly be consumed by corruption and division.

This situation was clearly reflected in history after the fall of the Qing Dynasty, when Sun Yat-sen, the father of the nation, never effectively took control of the country and his governing philosophy was considered naive and impractical. Yuan Shikai, a representative of the powerful bureaucratic class, quickly took control of the country and proclaimed himself emperor. After Yuan’s death, the bureaucracy was completely out of control and warlords were formed, who in order to consolidate their power could only sell out the interests of the country in exchange for support from foreign powers… Until the most powerful warlord, Chiang Kai-shek, completed his nominal unification, at which point he met the Communists.

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The Communists were in some ways a natural fit with the bureaucratic tradition.

  • They are both anti-aristocratic but not anti-elite, and they both believe that the elite represent powerful productive forces, while the aristocracy are the assholes of society
  • Both encourage a strong government that runs the state with precision and science through smart policies and strong enforcement
  • The Chinese bureaucratic class, or intellectual class, has long been influenced by Confucianism and believes that “social commonwealth”, or egalitarianism, is the ultimate political ideal, which happens to be compatible with communism
  • Since China had no aristocracy and the capitalists had no power, there was no resistance to communism in China and it was easily accepted by the masses.

After that, the Communist Party naturally and unstoppably became the ruling party in China.

Of course, problems also in the early communist confrontation with bureaucratic traditions. Since the means of production, such as land, could not be bought and sold, the bureaucrats finally realized that their power cannot be turned into wealth and that the governor and the peasant did not get much difference, and they became dissatisfied.

Mao was keenly aware of this, who was a staunch communist with romantic and idealistic beliefs, could not tolerate the theft of revolutionary gains, so he launched the Cultural Revolution in an attempt to confront the bureaucratic tradition.

Contrary to the perception of most Westerners, Mao was not the same as Stalin, who had the ability to act because he had the power to do so. By the time Mao launched the Cultural Revolution, he had been out of control of the country for some time and was basically retired, with Liu Shaoqi as the country’s leader at the time. However, Mao used his great popularity among the people to overthrow the government in power with a single “big-character poster”, calling Liu Shaoqi and others “those in power who have taken the capitalist road” and reawakening the public’s vigilance of the bureaucratic class. As the officials in power feared Mao’s great prestige, the government dared not confront them as long as people held Mao’s quotations, so Mao’s quotations and the “loyalty dance” became the symbols of the era. Bureaucrats, elites, and intellectuals were beaten down and criticized, someone even went to college because he scored 0 on his exams, and Confucian doctrine was seen as evil and incomprehensible. It was the ultimate revolution against the bureaucratic tradition.

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As it turned out, when the bureaucracy collapsed, the country did not get better but fell into complete chaos, with schools closed, factories shut down, and the whole country in trouble, and the Cultural Revolution ultimately failed. Before his death, Mao became a “Don Quixote” type of brave man and took a huge blame, of course, he was responsible for it, but it should be admitted that it was not as he wished.

When the pragmatic Deng Xiaoping reorganized the country in ruins, he should have realized that if he couldn’t beat it, he should join it. In fact, Deng’s series of policies was to restore the tradition of civil bureaucratic since ancient times. He restored university entrance exams, civil service exams, land deals, and the top-down monitoring and assessment system… In this way the country started to function smoothly and China entered an era of rapid development, but of course, corruption followed.

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Until now, Xi Jinping has been able to control corruption through a series of powerful measures, and the bureaucracy and the state have once again reached a certain balance. If the bureaucracy is an unstoppable sword, then there must be a strong wielder of the sword to use it. After countless trials and errors, the Communist Party replaced the imperial power as the sword-bearer, and as most Chinese people perceive, this was the choice of history. Even if the Communist Party is overthrown, it will not change for the better, but will only bring chaos, until the next powerful sword-bearer appears.

Bureaucratic tradition and power politics, like the thorn apple, are both beautiful and dangerous, and as Chinese, we have no choice. Maybe the success of the CPC is just part of the cycle of governance and chaos that has been going on in China for thousands of years, maybe not. We don’t know, but most of us think it is not universal and that each nation should find its own path according to its own history.


Looking back at this answer after some time, I realized that this article seems to be more inclined to describe the negative aspects of the civil bureaucratic tradition. Obviously, I wrote this answer thinking from a Chinese perspective, and I tacitly assumed that people understood the advantages of the civil bureaucratic tradition, which may have been a small misunderstanding, and I am in fact neutral about the phenomenon. So I decided to make a small update, which I had mentioned in other comments, and I’ll post those here as well:

Earlier, I argued why the only form of politics that can eventually be stabilized in China is “bureaucratic dictatorship”.This means that you have to accept the tactics that any authoritarian regime would use, such as speech control, censorship, party bans… This is because authoritarian regimes do not have good enough mechanisms to release pressure, and holding all the power means taking all the pressure(With great power comes great responsibility), and the media is usually a multiplier of negative emotions, and when you receive bad news every day through all the information channels, especially in a country as big as China, the legitimacy of the regime will have no footing. When English becomes the de facto world language, China also de facto loses the ability and possibility to challenge the world’s mainstream political consensus, which makes a firewall at the national level inevitable.

Yet China’s political ecology is not anti-democratic, even if it is not Western-style democracy, it still has the core of democracy.

First of all, you need to acknowledge that any civilian, regardless of background, can prove his or her ability to become the ruler of the country in China through exams and hard work, and that ensuring this upward mobility is at the heart of Chinese culture. In the Chinese bureaucracy, this ability stratification effect is visible to the naked eye; almost every official at the appropriate level has the appropriate level of ability, and except for young people starting out, mature civil servants have a clear sense of the gap between their abilities and those of their superiors.

Second, officials are under constant pressure from both their superiors and the public, and if their performance is poor or causes more discontent, not only does he lose the possibility of promotion himself, but his superiors’ political careers are also affected. This is something that is endless in the Chinese political ecology (e.g. COVID-19, where hundreds of officials were dealt with for not performing up to expectations despite a natural disaster), so this accountability mechanism ensures that most of the time the interests of the officials and the people are aligned.

Third, because of the hierarchical promotion mechanism rather than elections, there is a greater preference for outcome justice rather than procedural justice to justify the bureaucracy in China. This forces officials to confront problems with more pragmatic strategies rather than empty promises.

In fact, our current system is more akin to a mega-corporation in which the shareholders are all the people, the National People’s Congress is the shareholders’ meeting, the Central Political Bureau is like the board of directors, and the general secretary is like the chairman. As a leader, Xi Jinping is not a “dictator” as Westerners think of him, but more like a coordinator of interests and political forces. You can easily understand how a company works, so you can understand how the CPC works. Obviously, there is not that much freedom in this system, you can’t get a position by simply promising it, you have to prove your suitability for a position through your working experience. If you somehow attack the leadership in the company, usually your career will also be affected…and the corporate system, which happens to be the most competitive form of the system that evolves through full business competition after survival of the fittest.

Of course, some people prefer the Western style of one-person-one-vote democracy and free social atmosphere, which is fully understandable and not to be criticized, and they can choose their preferred lifestyle through immigration. Those who are more pragmatic will choose to stay and build this huge country and make it better.

Horizontal Departure (2006 Remaster)

Robert Plant. Imagine. 1983. Fall.

F Troop – Fort Lee, Salutes Fort Courage

You all have some fun, why don’t ya.

The Book

Oh boy, do I have a story for you.

This “family possession” wasn’t something passed down through generations of my family. It was something I bought for around $12 at a thrift store back in 2012. Something I hoped to keep forever, and maybe share with my own children in the distant future.

It was a book, an old book.

Its cover was a gray-blue and almost marbled, like water on an overcast day.

Its pages were stiff with age, and the edges rough cut. They crackled ever so slightly every now and then as I turned them.

It had etchings covered in something like tissue paper, illustrations of moments and animals mentioned within its pages.

It smelled old, like quiet private libraries, caught in a fragment of time highlighted by dust motes floating in beams of late-afternoon sunlight and warm, velvet-lined armchairs.

From the moment I first touched fingers to cover, I was in love with this book. The real kicker was opening to the first couple pages and finding it had been published in the 1800s. I was holding a book that was around 150 years old. I was holding a physical manifestation of history.

It was a first edition Walden by Henry David Thoreau. I didn’t know then how much it could be worth; I trusted that the thrift shop knew how to properly research each potentially valuable item that came through their doors.

I debated for probably two seconds over whether or not I should buy it. At $12? Hell yes, I bought it!


Fast forward to 2014.

My fiancé and I were broke, living on our own in an apartment we couldn’t afford. He was working at a car dealership as a “trainee”, which — at least at this particular dealership — was code for “work twice as hard only to have to give your seniors most of your commission and hope for the best.”

He ran so low on gas that day, that he called me from the dealership 30 minutes away, trying to hide his own stress, to tell me that he didn’t think he could make the drive home.

Our account was down to the single digits.

We had no cash.

Can you tell where this is going?

I ransacked our apartment for anything of remotely any value. I texted him photos of various items, asking, “is this okay to sell?”

I had one of those digital TV antennae that don’t work as advertised, a beautiful wooden handled pocket knife, and a couple of other things.

I saw Walden. I didn’t want to sell it. I hadn’t even finished it yet — life just kept getting in the way and I had a hard time digesting the outdated language of the book. I will always regret that. I can always get a newer print of the book, but it just won’t be the same, so I hesitate still.

I shoved down my attachment to the book and sped down the street to the pawn shop.

I saved the book for last. The guy at the counter had been very uninterested up until that point — “what do you want for this? Ehh, that’s a little much.”

I brought the book up. “I’m sure it’s not worth much, but I love this and it’s all I have left.”

He takes one look at it and his eyes go from tired and uncaring to nearly predatory. I didn’t register it until after the book was tucked safely behind his counter.

“How much do you want for this?” he asked.

“I don’t know. I need $20.” I thought I was shooting high.

“Done,” he said, way too quickly.

And that, I’m afraid, was the last I saw of that lovely, ancient, beautiful book.


Fast forward to 2016.

I’m sitting in the living room at my parents’ house, recounting the tale of the oldest book I ever owned to my family.

I stop to wonder just how much that book was worth.

I did a google search, and I swear I nearly dropped in a dead faint.

This first edition book was selling online in a number of places for anywhere between $400 and $10,000.

Ten. Thousand. Dollars.

Doing a quick search now (because for the life of me I can’t remember the exact published year of my copy), I found the one that looked the most like what I had.

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There was another on the first page just now selling for over $6,000.

I’m not going to lie… I cried. I laughed and then I cried really freaking hard.

I wished that I had had the foresight to just take the book to an appraiser or something.

Actually, I wish I’d just kept it, honestly.

But the actual worth of that book would have helped us out a hell of a lot more than the $20 that went right into my husband’s gas tank.

And that was the story of my biggest regret to date. I will consider myself blessed if it remains so.

How To Make City Chicken

Some notes

  1. If you believe someone is lying to you, don’t say anything. If they continue to elaborate on what they are saying then they are lying.
  2. The worst feeling in the world is to know you were used and lied to by someone you trusted.
  3. If someone gives you advice, respond with “you’re right”. It sounds more diplomatic than “I know.”
  4. Psychologists say the key to confidence is walking into a room and assuming everyone likes you.
  5. When people say, “you’ve changed, there’s a 95% chance that you just stopped acting the way they wanted you to.
  6. A sleeping human brain can still understand the words being spoken around it.
  7. Having at least one “Lazy day” per week can help reduce stress, high blood pressure, stroke
  8. People who are more perfectionist are more likely to be depressed, because they stress themselves out so much.
  9. We tend to believe others pay attention to our behavior and appearance much more than they actually do. This is called the spotlight effect.
  10. We are more attracted to people wearing red because red triggers a basic, primal response in humans as a signal of sexuality, fertility, health, and status.
  11. The human mind spends most of it’s time replaying memories over and over with the desire to relive them.
  12. It’s impossible to remain angry at someone you truly love.
  13. Anger lasting for more than 3 days indicates that you’re not in love.
  14. the person arguing loses his temper and starts shouting, natural human tendency is to shout back. DON’T! Stay calm and reply in silence. This will piss them off even more. Try it! It works.
  15. Usually the people who are “too nice” get hurt the most.
  16. THE QUIETEST PEOPLE TEND TO HAVE THE LOUDEST MINDS
  17. Remember: The one that gossips with you. Will also gossip about you!
  18. If someone makes eye contact with you for 60% of a conversation they’re bored, 80% and they’re attracted to you and 100% of the time then they are threatening you.
  19. Your gut feelings are usually accurate and correct. If you truly feel there is something,chances are there is.
  20. Listening to sad songs creates positive notions, because it helps the person feel understood
  21. Feelings don’t die easily because we keep feeding them with memories. That’s exactly why it’s so hard to move on.

~Simran♡

Mr. Roarke vs Satan

Enjoy this short clip.

Walking though the clutter of a collapsing society

Yes. The USA has gone full-metal Mental Hospital City…

Can anybody else feel something in the air? A radical change overnight in the psychic barometric pressure? There’s a hurricane of crazy coming — and landfall is imminent.

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What the HELL?

Or is it just me?

The seismic ramifications of the V For Vendetta-laced optics and poison verbiage of the Biden speech a night ago continue to reverberate and gain exponential staying power in the mass collective.

Twitter became an echo chamber of whoop ass over it.

If Trump was a loose cannon, then this was a full-on, 21 gun salute of unhinged rampant and dangerous dementia.

Jesus. H. Christ.

Dementia paired with a fascist ideology running at full gallop. And it’s very hard not to see this as maliciously deliberate.

First, the visuals…

What the Fuck? What were they thinking?

It’s a cross between Hitler, Darth Vader, Hannibal Lecter, with a bit of Chucky thrown in for color.

It’s a real life, science-fiction depiction of Nazi Zombies coming to power.

All at those levels employ herds of optics and PR pros to meticulously select every visual and camera angle knowing exactly what they’re trying to get across covering every mindset and personality profile.

They chose what they chose for a reason.

To provoke, To incite.

They cover this kind of ground to the point of making someone like Kubrick look like a beginner.

There is ZERO chance this wasn’t entirely deliberate.

Think about that.

It’s obvious.

It’s really like “they” want a domestic war. Just like they want a Russia war, and a China war…

War.

War.

WAR!

What is the problem with these people?

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And where to begin with the rhetoric?

When you call out basically half the country as being domestic terrorists and imply that they will be dealt with accordingly, what do you think is going to happen?

Exactly what you want to happen — a situation you are plotting and planning for.

Other than the obvious V For Vendetta, guess what was trending on twitter all day long?

#pedohitler.

Spoiler alert: be not in the slightest surprised if another Reichstag fire event happens in the very near future.

One that will be rigged and engineered, steered and plotted, by the left to be blamed on the MAGA forces.

And one geared so that a full spectrum stranglehold can be ushered in. And I’m not the only one thinking so: Article Thread HERE

The only good thing about all this is in the saying so.

You would think.

I mean, the more word gets out that there is historical precedent, that this is a more than distinct possibility — the less likely it is to actually happen. Opening your mouth, calling their bluff, can stop a lot of things.

But, will it stop this train wreck during this catastrophic collapse of the mental-ward idiocy? One can only wish.

  • War on source of the vast bulk of natural resources – Russia.
  • War on the global manufacturing base – China.
  • War on the sole remaining brake on American totalitarianism – MAGA.

Hey, I’ve been using stills and screenshots from V For Vendetta for years now (at least since the Epstein arrest as I recall) to go along with the message that we are the majority, we’re actually in charge and the dominos are falling just as they should.

However, I know full well that these waters might be tougher to navigate without superhero revolutionaries being a real thing…

Maybe it could be that some Americans (and maybe even a handful of Europeans)  have strengths no one even realizes…

Ah. powers yet to be revealed that may even verge on the paranormal, quantumly entangled and expressed, ready for just the right time to show themselves.

Maybe.

Hopefully.

Perhaps.

And things like this actually give me hope: Article thread HERE

They want to kill us all but everyone is so damned stupid they might perhaps  possibly accomplish it. I just cannot believe.

Some people says that this is the answer. They say that the country needs right now, is this: This twitter thread

And this: Another twitter thread

In MM’s “heyday” when I still lived in the ‘States, and I still believed, I though that there would be a day of reckoning. I would argue that American needs 40+ more GOVERNORS like these 2 avid twitter repeaters.

Nobody at the Fed level needed. Don’t you know.

This is the design of our brilliant, beautiful Constitution that they have no answer for. EVERYTHING can be controlled at the State level. It’s the way it was designed: the government answers to the States, not the other way around.

But that was then.

I’m jaded now.

I’m a pragmatic realist. No longer a dreamer. No longer a believer. It’s called the hard-slap of reality, travel, and exposure outside of the prison complex known as the United States…

… where all the inmates shout how “free” they are.

Are you free? Look at who you elected with your “democracy”! How does that tasty “democracy” taste now? And don’t give me that the system was just corrupted. It wasn’t.

History warns, has warned, and was repeated in the Federalist Papers that all “democracies” become oligarchies, then military empires, and then they die a long painful death.

How’s those death throes kicking in for ya?

  • Meanwhile, the wolf is at the door in other aspects also: Article HERE  (I think we should be looking at Exhibit No.1 in the case against.)

It’s so easy to get sidetracked. STOP.

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FULL STOP.

Whoa.

Does it affect you? How, then?

What can you do?

Not much. So people, you either [1] pick up the torches and pitchforks or [2] you sit there and wait for the knock on your door.

It will not be televised.

It will not be reported.

It will happen with zero coverage, and any citizen bloggers posting anything will disappear from the Internet.

You won’t know what is going on until you are sitting deep down in the pile of shit.

There is a third option, of course. [3] You can flee. You can “pull a MM”. If you act quickly, you can avoid being a refugee, but don’t wait too long.

You are already electronically branded whether you are aware of it or not.

This will be the everlasting image of the failed, chaotic, treacherous Biden Administration. But always remember, it is emblematic of far worse. FAR worse. And nothing happens without the groundwork. Research and destroy. Because the weather forecast? Dark skies.

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Let’s cover these subjects and more.

MM style.

Throws off the trolls, the agencies, and the swam ‘bots, don’t you know.

Let’s talk about food.

How to Make Chicago Style Deep Dish Pizza – Recipe

A personal favorite.

I got a long distance phone call in the middle of the night, from a friend in another country.

He had Intel that one of his close friends who was here in Thailand had been abducted, needed help, and I was the only one he trusted to do the job right. He could not front me any money or gear.

I asked him if she was worth the risk. He said “absolutely.”

I gathered what resources and friends I had here, and helped that woman in trouble escape her captors, get to the airport, and leave the country a few days later. She was pretty sharp. She had used a smart technique to get a message out to my friend.

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This was my secret smile, at dinner that day, because everything went smooth, no casualties. Lucky.

My question is why on earth would people who are anti-China want the Great Firewall torn down at all.

I have a bit of a “wumao” reputation on this site. You can see why if you checked out my Quora profile. That said, whenever I write something, I back it up with logical arguments and evidence. I don’t always do a good job at it, but I always try to.

But if you think I’m too toxic or controversial for you, if I’m making you uncomfortable, then wait till you face the onslaught of tech-savvy young Chinese people who are going to flood every comment section and social media page when the Great Firewall comes down. They will be exposing you to completely unfamiliar ideas and ways of thinking, hysterically insulting your mother, arguing with everyone about everything, spamming “NMSL

”, and hijacking threads and conversations, mostly through incoherent sentences written in broken and unintelligible English.

Not all of them have an education level of above middle school. Some of them are barely literate or mentally sound, but all of them have an axe to grind with the west, and they will outnumber you 10 to 1.

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Are you sure your puny mind can handle all this?


Let’s talk about why the Great Firewall existed in the first place.

Western countries, primarily the USA, pretty much own the internet because of massive capital behind their media, and the sheer quantity of information

.

The former is why American companies like Facebook and Google have a monopoly on various aspects of the internet around the world. Wanna make friends? Facebook. Wanna watch a video? YouTube. Wanna google something? Yahoo.

The latter is why American pop culture is seen as “default” in much of the world, including online. Meme culture is predominantly American. The most popular and readily available versions of anything tend to be in English, specifically American English. “Universal values

”are pretty much just popular American liberal values.

Basically, THIS.

It’s hard to live inside someone else’s culture war.

America’s control over the internet, and the narrative, is absolute. Any country that relies on American social media is taking a mighty big risk of having their government toppled due to populist sentiments, which is easily manipulated through social media – Twitter for example played a major role in the Arab Spring

.

Considering the size of the population in China, and the fact that it is nuclear-armed, the same Twitter-fueled colour revolution in the country would likely result in catastrophe for the whole world.

By all means, reduce the authority of the Chinese government, or go ahead and overthrow it like in The Interview, and create a power vaccum. A new question arises – what should we replace it with? Oligarchy, as in Russia after the collapse of the Soviet Union? Anarchy and then theocracy, like Libya after Qaddafi got iced? Or maybe some foreign power should step in, and give us all the freedom, respect and human rights we deserve? If the only solutions you have are all worse than the problem itself, don’t try to solve it. Not until you can come up with something better and more practical, at least.

This is where the Great Firewall proves its necessity. It prevented the lowest-educated members of the Chinese population from being riled up like Trump supporters at Capitol Hill.

You see, the wall itself was designed to be extremely easy to climb over, so long as you possess at least some knowledge of technology and English, which are both required to use VPNs and navigate the American-owned internet. It’s kind of like a filter rather than strict censorship in this sense. If you’re smart enough to work your way around the Great Firewall, you’re probably also smart enough to see through the bullshit out there.

More importantly, the wall basically prevented American corporations from extending their monopolies to China, allowing for local social media and tech companies to develop and thrive to such an extent, that China is actually able to export social media to the west (e.g. TikTok). Name me another country, preferably a developing one, that is capable of doing that.

By preventing Chinese cyberspaces to be overwhelmed by the sheer quantity of US-centric information and net traffic, it allowed for the Chinese people to cultivate their own unique online cultures and identities. The Chinese will never get used to the idea of learning about their own country through a foreign social media or news site, which is exactly what billions of people do around the world on a daily basis – in much of the developing world, the word “Facebook” is used in lieu of the word “internet”

Because of all this, the information quantity on Chinese cyberspaces is beginning to reach a volume so high that, should the Great Firewall ever be removed, it would drown out western cyberspaces like a bursting dam.

The question at that point wouldn’t be about Chinese citizens overthrowing the CCP after seeing pictures of the Tiananmen Square incident, but whether western cyberspaces are going to have to region-lock Chinese users, and whether it would be necessary for the American military-industrial complex to build a Great Firewall of their own, just to keep their own people in their designated echo chambers.

Start thinking about these questions now, because that day will come. Probably sooner than you think.

It’s really funny just to think about how the tables are beginning to turn. We thought we were building The Wall to keep out the White Walkers, only to find out The Wall was there to protect the White Walkers from millions of Stannis Baratheons.

Let’s revisit the issues of Bidenomics.

Previous editions of this series have focused on Biden’s dismal record with regards to subsidies, inflation, protectionism, household income, fiscal policy, and red tape.

The assessment has not been positive, which shouldn’t be very surprising since Biden is basically a slow-motion version of Bernie Sanders.

Today, we’re going to look at Biden’s record on jobs…and that’s not going to improve the assessment.

The problem is employment rather than unemployment.

In a column for the Wall Street Journal, Nicholas Eberstadt writes about the millions of Americans who have disappeared from the labor force.

Never has work been so readily available in modern America; never have so many been uninterested in taking it. 

…For every unemployed person in the U.S. today, there are nearly two open jobs, and the labor shortage affects every region of the country. 

…Why the bizarre imbalance between the demand for work and the supply of it? 

One critical piece of the puzzle was the policy response to the pandemic. …Washington pulled out all the monetary and fiscal stops….created disincentives for work as never before. 

…In 2020 and 2021, a windfall of more than $2.5 trillion in extra savings was bestowed by Washington on private households through borrowed public funds. 

…With pre-Covid rates of workforce participation, almost three million more men and women would be in our labor force today.

To be fair, bad pandemic policies began with Trump.

But Biden promised changes yet has delivered more of the same.

Why does this matter?

It’s not just a numbers issue. When people drop out of the labor force, that translates into a weakening of America’s societal capital.

Mr. Eberstadt explains.

The signs that growing numbers of citizens are ambivalent about working shouldn’t be ignored. Success through work, no matter one’s station, is a key to self-esteem, independence and belonging. A can-do, pro-work ethos has served our nation well. America’s future will depend in no small part on how—and whether—her people choose to work.

Thanks to a stronger work ethic and spirit of self reliance, the United States historically has had an advantage over other nations.

But it’s increasingly difficult to feel optimistic about the long-run outlook for America’s societal capital.

Ironically, Joe Biden seemed to understand this in the not-too-distant past.

The next shoe to drop: “Gun control” now wants to know and control what’s in your wallet

I am a Chinese citizen, 53 years old this year. I have been extremely anti-CCP since I was 15 years old, and until 2010, I was still a radical anti-communist.

After 2010, my anti-communist stance began to falter. I became a mild anti-communist.

By 2015, I was neither against the CCP nor for them, when I was neutral.

By 2017, I started to support the CCP a little bit.

By 2019, I had become a staunch supporter of the CCP.

When I was in college, my classmates were 100% anti-communist, we all participated in the protests that swept the country in 1989, and one of my classmates and I went to Tiananmen Square in Beijing to participate in the protests.

Throughout the 1990s, my classmates and I also adhered to an anti-communist stance. One of my classmates and I tried to form a secret political party to overthrow the CCP.

In the 2000s, some of my classmates began to change their views, and I was one of the last to change their views.

In China, many of my peers have gone through a spiritual journey similar to mine, from opposing the CCP to supporting the CCP.

So, when you ask “What actually happens to citizens of China who do not support the CCP?” I will tell you a fact: Most of the people who were once against the CCP have now become supporters of the CCP.

Based on my observations, my remarks probably represent the vast majority of those who have ever opposed the CCP.


In response to a request from some in the comments:

Many people ask me the reason for the change of opinion, but this question is difficult to answer completely, because so much has happened in 30 years, my change of opinion is the result of all the things that have happened in 30 years, a highly educated Mature-minded adults usually do not change their beliefs quickly because of a few events.

While I can’t list all the reasons that influence my opinion, there are two main reasons that led me to go from a radical anti-communist to a staunch CCP supporter:

1. I have seen with my own eyes the various changes that have taken place in China in the past 30 years;

2. I have visited Western countries many times and browsed a lot of Western media, so I have a more direct and in-depth understanding of Western countries.

I myself have been a news reporter for a few years, and I am very aware of the various methods used by the media to manipulate public opinion. Therefore, I will not unconditionally trust any media, nor will I be brainwashed by the media. I have my own means of checking the facts and all my opinions come from the facts and not any media reports.

It’s also not true that someone commented that I became less radical as I got older, from being an anti-communist to accepting and conforming to reality. In fact, the 50-60-year-old Chinese are still the group with the highest proportion of anti-communists among all Chinese people. People of this age are more supportive of the CCP than us. They did not become anti-communists because of their youth.

 

Most of the “Fact-Checking” Organizations Facebook Uses in Ukraine Are Directly Funded by Washington

Most of the fact-checking organizations Facebook has partnered with to monitor and regulate information about Ukraine are directly funded by the U.S. government, either through the U.S. Embassy or via the notorious National Endowment for Democracy (NED).

In light of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, an information war as bitter as the ground fighting has erupted, and Meta (Facebook’s official name) announced it had partnered with nine organizations to help it sort fact from fiction for Ukrainian, Russian and other Eastern European users. These nine organizations are: StopFake, VoxCheck, Fact Check Georgia, Demagog, Myth Detector, Lead Stories, Patikrinta 15min, Re:Baltica and Delfi.

“To reduce the spread of misinformation and provide more reliable information to users, we partner with independent third-party fact-checkers globally,” the Silicon Valley giant wrote, adding, “Facebook’s independent third-party fact-checkers are all certified by the International Fact-Checking Network (IFCN). The IFCN, a subsidiary of the journalism research organization Poynter Institute, is dedicated to bringing together fact-checkers worldwide.”

The problem with this? At least five of the nine organizations are directly in the pay of the United States government, a major belligerent in the conflict. The Poynter Institute is also funded by the NED. Furthermore, many of the other fact-checking organizations also have deep connections with other NATO powers, including direct funding.

 

StopFake

Perhaps the most well-known and notorious of the nine groups is StopFake. Established in 2014, StopFake is funded by NATO’s Atlantic Council, by the British Foreign and Commonwealth Office, the British Embassy in Ukraine and the Czech Foreign Ministry. It has also received money from the U.S. via the National Endowment for Democracy, although that fact is far from trumpeted by either party.

One potential reason for this was alluded to in a 2016 article reprinted by StopFake itself. As the article notes, “in the case of StopFake.org when opponents want to insult the project, they immediately invoke National Endowment for Democracy donor support as evidence of U.S. government and CIA involvement.”

In the wake of the Russian invasion, the NED pulled all public records of their Ukraine projects from the internet. Nevertheless, incomplete archived copies of those records confirm a financial relationship between the groups.

StopFake was explicitly set up as a partisan organization. As a glowing report on them from the International Journalists’ Network notes, the majority of StopFake’s fact-checks are on stories from Russian media, and the motivation for its creation was “Russia’s 2014 occupation of Crimea and a campaign to portray Ukraine as a fascist state where anti-Semitism, racism, homophobia and xenophobia thrived.”

While it is indeed incorrect to label Ukraine a fascist state, the country clearly has one of the strongest far-right movements anywhere in Europe. And unfortunately, StopFake itself is far from an apolitical bystander in that rise. Multiple established Western media outlets, including The New York Times, have reported on StopFake’s ties to white power or Nazi groups. When local journalist Ekaterina Sergatskova exposed these links, death threats from far-right figures forced her to flee her home.

Indeed, according to some, one of StopFake’s primary functions appears to be to promote the far-right. A long exposé by Lev Golinkin in The Nation cataloged what it called StopFake’s history of “aggressively whitewashing two Ukrainian neo-Nazi groups with a long track record of violence, including war crimes.”

Surely StopFake’s most famous former host is Nina Jankowicz. Jankowicz was briefly head of President Biden’s newly formed Disinformation Governance Board before public uproar caused her to resign. Dubbed the “Ministry of Truth”, both the board and Jankowicz generated strong opposition. Yet few mentioned the fact that, while at StopFake, Jankowicz herself had, on camera, enthusiastically extolled the virtues of multiple fascist paramilitaries.

In a 2017 TV segment about the Aidar, Dnipro-1 and Azov Battalions, Jankowicz presented the groups as heroic volunteers deafening Ukraine from “further Russian separatist encroachment.” As she stated,

The volunteer movement in Ukraine extends far beyond military service. Volunteer groups are active in supporting Ukraine’s military with food, clothing, medicine, and post-battle rehabilitation, as well as working actively with the nearly two million internal refugees displaced by the war in Ukraine,”

This framing jars with multiple reports from human rights groups such as Amnesty International, who claim that the Aidar Battalion is guilty of a litany of abuses, “including abductions, unlawful detention, ill-treatment, theft, extortion, and possible executions.” Amnesty also accuses Aidar and Dnipro-1 of “Using starvation of civilians as a method of warfare.”

Azov, meanwhile, is the most infamous organization of the lot. The group’s insignia is directly lifted from the 2nd Waffen-SS Panzer Division, a unit responsible for carrying out some of the worst crimes of Hitler’s holocaust. The Azov Battalion also dip their bullets in pig fat before battle as a calculated hate crime, attempting to block Jewish or Muslim enemies from a better afterlife. Andriy Biletsky, the group’s founder, said in 2010 that he believes Ukraine’s mission is to “lead the white races of the world in a final crusade … against Semite-led Untermenschen” – the word Hitler used to describe Jews, Poles, Ukrainians and other peoples he designated for extermination.

In February, Facebook announced that it was changing its rules on hate speech to allow praise and promotion of the Azov Battalion. Was this on StopFake’s recommendation? MintPress asked Meta/Facebook for comment on their fact checking partner’s ties to far right groups and if StopFake had influenced their decision to allow pro-Nazi content on their platform, but did not receive a reply.

As Golinkin noted in his article for The Nation, StopFake has also defended C14, another fascist paramilitary, describing it merely as a “community organization”, citing C14’s own denial of its pogroms against Roma people as “evidence” of its innocence. This designation clashes even with the U.S. State Department, which classifies C14 as a “nationalist hate group.” The “14” in its name refers to the “14 words” white supremacist slogan.

 

StopFake has made a number of controversial claims, including that the rise in anti-semitism in Ukraine is “fake” – even going so far as to brand well-established outlets like NBC News and Al-Jazeera as printing fake news about the Azov Battalion’s role in this. In an article entitled “Russia as Evil: False Historical Parallels. Some peculiarities of Russian Political Culture,” it also insisted that Hitler’s concentration camps were modeled on Russian ones set up by Vladimir Lenin. In reality, the German government pioneered the use of concentration camps during their genocide of the Herero and Namaqua peoples between 1904 and 1908 in Namibia. The British and Spanish were also early adopters.

In addition, StopFake has close links with The Kyiv Post, a Ukrainian outlet directly funded and trained by the National Endowment for Democracy. Since 2016, the Post has published 191 StopFake reports.

Who is the NED?

Why receiving funding from the National Endowment for Democracy should immediately raise suspicions of any organization is because the NED was explicitly established by the Reagan administration as a front group for the Central Intelligence Agency.

Although it is funded by Washington and staffed by state officials, it is technically a private company and therefore not subject to the same legal regulations and public scrutiny as state institutions.

The CIA has used the NED to carry out many of its more controversial operations. In recent years, it has trained and funneled money to the leaders of the Hong Kong protesters to keep the insurrection alive, fomented a nationwide campaign of demonstrations in Cuba, and helped attempts to topple the government of Venezuela. Perhaps most importantly for this story, however, the NED was also involved in the 2014 coup that removed Ukrainian president Viktor Yanukovych from power. Regime change is, in short, one of its primary functions.

The NED does this by establishing, funding, supporting and training all manner of political, economic and social groups in target countries. According to its 2019 annual report, Ukraine is the NED’s “top priority”. The agency has (officially) spent over $22 million in Ukraine since 2014.

In their more candid moments, NED leaders are explicit about the organization’s role. “It would be terrible for democratic groups around the world to be seen as subsidized by the CIA,” Carl Gershman, NED president from 1984 to 2021 said, explaining why his organization was set up. NED co-founder Allen Weinstein agreed: “A lot of what we do today was done covertly 25 years ago by the CIA,” he told The Washington Post.

VoxCheck

VoxCheck receives substantial monetary assistance from the U.S. government through both the NED and the U.S. Embassy. It is also funded by the Dutch and German governments. Incomplete NED records show VoxCheck receives substantial yearly grants and has accepted around $250,000 in total.

That sort of money goes an extremely long way in Ukraine, which is by quite some way the poorest nation in Europe. The country’s GNI per capita of $3,500 per year is well below that of even Russia, which stands at $10,700. One $15,000 NED grant given to a Ukrainian media foundation, for instance, was enough to pay for over 100 articles to be written.

Despite its funding, Western media portray VoxCheck extremely positively. The Washington Post, for example, describes them as “a small group of independent fact-checkers.” In common parlance, the word “independent” is usually reserved for any media group not owned or funded by governments (as if that is the only type of dependence). But even at this extremely low bar, VoxCheck falls.

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An NED document shows a 2020 grant given to VoxUkraine

In the article, the Washington Post describes VoxCheck’s fact-checking process, which largely consists of “sourcing credible news sources – such as a BBC article,” and then labeling Russian claims as false on this basis. In other words, the official state mouthpiece of the British government – one that was instrumental in promoting the lies which led to the invasions of Iraq and Libya – is considered sacrosanct.

What comes across in the Post’s glowing exposé is that VoxCheck staff have few pretensions about being neutral and see themselves as digital foot soldiers in a crusade against Russia. As one employee said, the mission is to “prevent someone from falling into Russian lies and manipulation.” Indeed, one of the staff quit his job to volunteer for the Ukrainian Army. Other VoxCheck employees revealed that they felt guilty for not doing so themselves and only contributing virtually to the fight.

Of course, Russia has lied constantly during this war; the entire invasion was based on a lie. Throughout the winter, Russian officials consistently repeated that they had no intention of invading Ukraine. Russian media, meanwhile, claimed that President Zelensky had fled the country in the wake of the invasion. But in war, all sides lie. And when a fact-checking operation constantly critiques only one side and stays largely quiet about the other, it has clearly taken a side in the conflict and is therefore acting in a partisan fashion. People interested in thinking critically should be scrutinizing claims made by all sides.

Fact Check Georgia

Fact Check Georgia describes itself as “an independent and non-partisan website which offers readers researched, verified and evidence-based information.” Yet it is bankrolled by a litany of dubious organizations, including the NED and the U.S. Embassy, the German Marshall Fund, the Dutch government and the European Endowment for Democracy, a European government-funded “private” organization explicitly modeled on the NED.

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Fact Check Georgia’s “About Us” section reveals just how independent the fact checking organization really is

Fact Check Georgia’s independence is potentially undermined by the fact that at the bottom of every page of its website, it displays the crests of both the NED and the U.S. Embassy in Georgia. This is accompanied by the disclaimer, “The views and opinions expressed on this website belong to Factcheck.ge and are not the views and opinions of project support organizations” – a sentence that would not be necessary to attach if an organization was truly independent.

Furthermore, some of its staff have notable backgrounds. The first person listed on Fact Check Georgia’s “our team” section was formerly the Deputy Minister of Defense for Georgia – a country that fought a war against Russia in 2008.

Myth Detector

Another Georgia-based company, Myth Detector, was funded by the U.S. Embassy to the tune of €42,000 in financial year 2021. German state broadcaster Deutsche Welle contributed €41,000. Also donating €41,000 last year, according to Myth Detector’s financial report, is a group called “Zinc.” This is quite possibly the Zinc Network, a shadowy intelligence firm that conducts information warfare operations on behalf of the U.K. and U.S. governments.

Demagog

Not only is the U.S. Embassy in Poland funding Demagog, it is also carrying out training in how to think. Demagog’s website notes that the embassy established a “fact-checking academy” on “how to deal with false information.” “Thanks to the [embassy] cooperation,” it notes, “classes were conducted for students and teachers on fake news, reliable sources of information and fact-checking.”

Alongside the U.S. government, Demagog also receives money from Polish government, European Union and European Economic Area organizations.

Together, these five organizations’ operations are all directly bankrolled by Washington. However, many of the other fact-checking groups Facebook pays to serve as content police on their platform have similarly close connections to Western state power. Indeed, the only one of the nine that appears relatively free from direct government collaboration is self-funded outlet Lead Stories.

Patikrinta 15min

Lithuanian outlet Patikrinta 15min insist that they are an independent, non-partisan group. As their “About” section states: “Sponsors of Patikrinta 15min cannot be political parties, politicians, state organizations or companies or organizations related to politicians.” They do, however, accept funding from the Poynter Institute, the journalism group that owns U.S. fact-checking organization Politifact. Since 2016, the Poynter Institute has sought for and received at least seven grants from the National Endowment for Democracy, totaling well over half a million dollars.

Notably, some of these grants are clearly a way of funneling cash to Eastern European fact-checking groups. As one NED grant summary for $78,000 notes, the goal of the money is to “promote the use of fact-checking websites as an effective accountability tool in Central and Eastern Europe, and strengthen the global fact-checking community.” The NED goes on to note that Poynter will bring over 70 journalists to a training summit and afterward continue to “train” “mentor,” “support,” and help them and their organizations with “capacity building.”

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One of several grants given to the ostensibly neutral Poynter Institute by the US State Dept’s NED

A cynic might conclude that the NED was simply trying to launder its money through Poynter. MintPress asked Patikrinta 15min to confirm or deny whether they were one of the Eastern European groups mentioned in the NED filings but has not received a response.

Like other groups, Patikrinta 15min’s non-partisan veneer frequently slips. This can be seen in headlines such as “Russian cynicism knows no bounds” and the fact that they frequently defend Nazi groups like the Azov Battalion.

Like StopFake, n 15min has argued that Azov’s use of the Waffen SS symbol is coincidental. It also presented Azov as an apolitical organization and has used quotes from Azov founder Andriy Biletsky – possibly the world’s most infamous living neo-Nazi – as “proof” that charges against it are Russian disinformation.

Re:Baltica

While there is no evidence that Re:Baltica has a financial relationship with the United States government, the lion’s share of its funding still comes from the West. As they note on their website, around two-thirds of their funding comes “from the institutions based in EU/NATO countries.” They also list “the Kingdom of the Netherlands” as one of their “friends” – i.e., donors.

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Re:Baltica is generously funded by western govt’s and NGOs, including George Soro’s Open Society Foundation

 

Delfi

Delfi is a major web portal in Eastern Europe and the Baltic. The company does not disclose if it receives foreign funding. It does, undeniably, however, have a close relationship with the NED. In 2015, Delfi interviewed Christopher Walker, a senior NED manager about the best way they could counter Russian propaganda. Two years later, NED President Gershman addressed the Lithuanian parliament, revealing that his organization had,

[W]orked with Lithuania in countering Russian efforts to subvert and destroy democracy in Lithuania, in Europe, and in Russia itself. We have supported the work of the Lithuania-based Delfi and the East European Studies Center in monitoring, documenting, and combatting Russian disinformation in Lithuania and the Baltic states.”

Later that year, Delfi teamed up with the NED to hold the 1st Vilnius Young Leaders Meeting, whereby handpicked young activists were invited to rub shoulders with journalists and spooks from across Europe and the United States, in the hope of building up a Western-friendly force in civil society.

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A chart showing the leadership structure of the EXPOSE network published as part of the Integrity Initiative Leak 7

Delfi, Re:Baltica and StopFake were all identified as proposed members of a “counter”-propaganda network hoping to be established by the EXPOSE Network. EXPOSE was allegedly a secret U.K.-government funded initiative that would have brought together journalists and state operatives in an alliance to shape public discourse in a manner more conducive to the priorities of Western governments.

As EXPOSE wrote, “An opportunity exists to upskill civil society organizations around Europe, enhancing their existing activities and unleashing their potential” to be the next generation of activists in the fight against Kremlin disinformation.”

“Coordinat[ing] their activities,” wrote EXPOSE, “represents a unique opportunity” for the British government in their fight against Russia. Unfortunately, they lamented, StopFake’s “monomaniacal fixation” on Russia had hurt its credibility.

Remarkably, EXPOSE also wrote that, “Another barrier to combating disinformation is the fact that certain Kremlin-backed narratives are factually true” – an admission that underlines that, to many governments and media outlets, “disinformation” is rapidly coming to simply mean “information we disagree with.”

The names of those individuals listed as potential employees of this network are a who’s who of state-linked operatives, including the Zinc Network, multiple individuals from NED-funded investigative journalism website Bellingcat and Ben Nimmo, a former NATO spokesperson who is now head of global intelligence for Facebook.

 

Facebook’s Cyber War

Nimmo is only one of a great many former state agents now working in the higher echelons of Facebook, however. Last month, MintPress published a study revealing that the Silicon Valley giant has hired dozens of ex-CIA personnel into influential positions within the company, especially in security, content moderation and trust and safety.

Given how influential Facebook is as a media and communications giant, this sort of relationship constitutes a national security issue to every other country in the world. And this is not a hypothetical threat either. In November, Nimmo led a team that effectively attempted to swing the Nicaraguan elections away from the ruling Sandinista party and towards the U.S.-backed candidate. In the days leading up to the election, Facebook deleted hundreds of accounts and pages of pro-Sandinista media.

This action underlines the fact that Facebook is not an international company existing only in the ether, but an American operation bound by American laws. And increasingly, it is moving closer to the U.S. government itself.

Who will guard the guardians?

Fake news abounds online, and we as a society are wholly unprepared to counter it. A study conducted by Stanford University found that the vast majority of people – even the digitally savvy youth – were unable to tell factual reporting from obvious falsehoods online. Many will fall for Russian propaganda. Russian media is indeed pumping out misleading information constantly. But so are NATO countries. And if the fact-checkers who have volunteered to sort truth from fiction for us relentlessly attack Russia but are quiet on their own side’s spin, many more will fall for Western propaganda.

The implicit outlook of many of these fact-checking groups is that “only Russia lies.” This is the position of a partisan organization, one that cares little about truth and more about imposing control over the means of communication. And this is all being done in the name of keeping us safe.

Who is fact-checking the fact-checkers? Unfortunately, it is up to small, independent media outlets to do so. However, MintPress has faced constant suppression for doing so, being blocked from communicating with our 400,000+ Facebook followers, suppressed algorithmically by the Silicon Valley giants, and being removed from financial transaction services like PayPal.

The solution is to teach and develop critical media literacy. All media outlets have biases and agendas. It is up to the individual to learn these and constantly scrutinize and evaluate everything they read. However, governments do not want their populations thinking critically; they want their message to be dominant, one reason why the NED has been quietly bankrolling so many fact-checking organizations to do its work for it.

Feature photo | Graphic by MintPress News

Alan MacLeod is Senior Staff Writer for MintPress News. After completing his PhD in 2017 he published two books: Bad News From Venezuela: Twenty Years of Fake News and Misreporting and Propaganda in the Information Age: Still Manufacturing Consent, as well as a number of academic articles. He has also contributed to FAIR.orgThe GuardianSalonThe GrayzoneJacobin Magazine, and Common Dreams.

Brides in the Chechen Republic

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Brides in the Chechen Republic

Brides in the Chechen Republic often wear embroidered shawls in the same style as their dresses, instead of a veil. Sometimes, the bride may also wear a jeweled tiara over the headscarf.

As a rule, the dresses themselves are not only white, but in any pastel color: cream, light pink, golden, decorated with lace and gems. They can be both straight or very fluffy, with long plumes.

A Saturday Night In Starbucks

Several years ago, an unusual set of events found me at Starbucks on a Saturday night. It had been a reasonably decent day, but there are, as we all know, plenty of things in this world to be depressed about. And those things, as we also know, are massively amplified by the attention-seeking class. Somehow, the parade of negativity had its effect on me.

Sitting in the Starbucks cured me.

What I Saw

It was a very average Starbucks in a very average location. And the very average people sitting with me were a nearly perfect cross-section of the American demographic.

To my left was a middle-aged black man, doing something on his laptop. Just past him was a middle-aged white woman doing the same. Past her, in the corner, were three teenage girls – one black, one white, one Latin – studying together.

Behind me was another black man with a laptop and piles of papers, and past him a young couple falling in love over lattes.

At the big, center table was a 25ish woman, with multiple piles of paper upon which she was working very hard. After a while, her boyfriend showed up. She hugged him, laid her head on his shoulder, and they kissed. It was sweet. Then he got to work with her.

There were also people coming and going. They were more of the same: A cross-sectional American parade of people behaving quietly and well.

Watching these people, I decided that it would be far better to spend time helping them than to obsess over all the bad things in the world. These are the people who deserve our efforts.

What Would Help the Bright Side of Humanity?

That, of course, brought me to the question of how to help the bright side of humanity, and I decided that a great start would be to make one point very clearly:

Fear is a brain hack; a malicious and effective one.

When people want to get their hands on your time and money – and don’t want to be bothered with that pesky ‘reason’ thing – fear is how they do it… over and over and over. Fear works.

So, if we want to move the brighter side of humanity forward, the first thing we need to do is to inform them that fear is their greatest enemy. They need to understand – and remember – that when someone tries to make them afraid, they are being hacked.

Secondly, we need to assure the brighter side of humanity that their way is right… that they have every right to live their way; that they should not abandon their values to screaming political hucksters.

Power-seekers have always been with us, and they can succeed only by getting frightened people to line up behind them. They need us to adopt their slogans, respond to their fears, and run their stories through our minds.

Those story lines, of course, service dominance, power, and archaic models of lordship. They do not serve human advancement.

The people I saw in the Starbucks held a different and better set of ideals. They believed that everyone should be treated with respect; that coercion and fraud are wrong; that everyone should be left alone to do as they please, so long as they don’t intrude upon others.

This decent side of humanity needs to know that their ideals should never be abandoned for a political cause, no matter how Earth-shakingly urgent it seems.

The people I saw in the Starbucks, to be blunt about it, were morally superior to the powerful and the fear-peddlers.

Such people should hold to their values, stay with their own lines of reason, and believe in their own virtues.

And When They Do?

Once the people I saw at Starbucks start believing in themselves, the world will change, and massively.

These people – and there are untold millions of them – are productive and cooperative. Their problem is that they’ve been laying aside their virtues at the insistence of fear-peddlers.

The people in the Starbucks didn’t need edicts from potentates.

Once the “Starbucks people” decide that fear and subservience were contrary to life itself, they will move into a better age. Such transitions are difficult, of course, but once these people truly believe in their own ways, the ways of the fear-peddlers will pass away.

May it be soon.

**

Paul Rosenberg
freemansperspective.com

Not War, But Murder: The Clash at Cold Harbor

Now for some American Civil War History. -MM

After crossing the North Anna River, Ulysses S. Grant’s Union forces headed toward Cold Harbor.

By William E. Welsh

Private Augustus Du Bois marched forward at daybreak on June 3, 1864, along with hundreds of other members of the 7th New York Heavy Artillery regiment to a thin belt of timber a mile south of the key road junction of Cold Harbor. On the near side of the woods, the 1,700-man strong regiment halted to await the firing of a cannon that would signal the beginning of the charge. The regiment’s objective was a line of field fortifications that crowned a low ridge. Behind the breastworks, battle-tested Confederate soldiers were packed tightly together, waiting calmly for the attack to begin. If the Federals could punch through General Robert E. Lee’s line, it would enable the Army of the Potomac to march into Richmond and end the war. The Confederates did not expect them to succeed.

The lone gun boomed and the bluecoats advanced through the woods toward shoulder-high breastworks that jutted defiantly into no-man’s-land between the two armies. Once clear of the woods, Union officers gave the order to advance at the double quick, and the attackers swept forward, shouting, “Huzzah! Huzzah!”

Their opponents fired down into the advancing sea of blue soldiers. As the Federals struggled across the open ground, enemy cannon blasted deadly canister into the charging men, tearing huge holes in their ranks. Members of the 7th New York swarmed up the incline toward their objective. At the base of the fortifications, Colonel Lewis Morris and other officers reformed the regiment for a final assault over the barricades. The Confederates did not make it easy for them. “The enemy bravely stood their ground, not waiting for us to come over the works, but meeting us on the parapet,” recalled Du Bois. “They contested every inch.”

Du Bois and those around him fought their way onto the parapet, eager for a close-hand brawl. The top of the barricade was too narrow to accommodate all of the defenders, and some fought in the trenches while their comrades grappled above with the enemy. “As I reached the top of the works a brave fellow confronted us,” Du Bois wrote. “Standing below he thrust his bayonet into the comrade by my side, and was about to give me the same dose, but a charge from my gun changed his mind. It was a hand-to-hand fight to the finish. Clubbed muskets, bayonets, and swords got in their deadly work.”

The fighting spilled over to the defenders’ side of the fortifications. The contest was a grim one, but the Federals retained the advantage. Hundreds of graybacks were forced to surrender or lose their lives. The 7th New York of Brig. Gen. Francis Barlow’s 1st Division appeared to have pulled off a significant victory. The regiment had captured a portion of the first line of the enemy’s works belonging to Brig. Gen. John Echols’s brigade of Maj. Gen. John C. Breckinridge’s division. If the breach could be widened, two entire Confederate divisions, Breckinridge’s and that of Maj. Gen. Cadmus Wilcox, would be cut off from the rest of Lee’s army situated to the north.

Reinforcing For the Upcoming Battle

It was a promising beginning to the Union attack. Federal generals at all levels of command had been instructed by Army of the Potomac commander Maj. Gen. George Meade to heavily reinforce any local success, no matter how small, with fresh troops. If Meade’s generals heeded his advice, victory might be achieved under the hot summer sun. For nearly a month, Lee’s Army of Northern Virginia had held off Meade’s army, under the watchful eye of overall Union commander Lt. Gen. Ulysses S. Grant. With luck and determination, the Federals might end Lee’s unblemished record of tactical victories over the Federals in Grant’s ongoing Overland Campaign.

The Army of the Potomac had tried several times in the preceding month to slip around Lee’s right flank following the massive Battle of the Wilderness on May 5-6. Unlike his predecessors, Grant was determined to continue his drive south despite suffering heavy losses. Lee’s army, which had the advantage of shorter routes of march that enabled it to entrench before the Federals could get set for a fresh assault, fought its opponent to a standstill at Spotsylvania Courthouse and again at the North Anna River before the armies shifted southeast to Cold Harbor in late May.

As yet another major battle brewed, both sides sought to reinforce their depleted ranks. Grant had to deal not only with 40,000 battlefield losses, but also with the expiration of three-year terms of enlistment by many of the veteran regiments mustered into service during the first year of the war. Grant’s solution, supported by President Abraham Lincoln, was to pull entire regiments of heavy artillery units from Washington and Fort Monroe, Virginia, and convert them into infantry. These full-strength regiments, known as “Heavies,” received orders in mid-May to join the Army of the Potomac in the field. Once they arrived in camp, the regiments were inserted into veteran brigades as a way to offset their lack of experience. Altogether, the Army of the Potomac had received 33,000 replacement troops by the time it reached Cold Harbor.

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The dilapidated tavern at Cold Harbor was used by General Winfield Scott Hancock for his headquarters. The somewhat confusing place name was an old English term referring to a tavern that did not offer hot meals with its overnight accommodations.

When Lee learned that Grant had transferred Maj. Gen. William Smith’s 16,000-strong XVIII Corps from Maj. Gen. Benjamin Butler’s Army of the James to Meade’s army, he appealed to Confederate President Jefferson Davis for additional forces of his own. After nearly a week of wrangling between Lee and General P.G.T. Beauregard over the former’s desperate need for reinforcements, Beauregard finally relinquished Maj. Gen. Robert F. Hoke’s division on the night of May 30. Lee rushed them to Cold Harbor.

R0bert E. Lee’s Seven-Mile Battle Line

The crossroads at Cold Harbor was a dilapidated wayside tavern of no particular distinction. The somewhat confusing name was an English term that referred to the lack of a hot meal at an overnight accommodation. The value of Cold Harbor lay in its significance as a strategic crossroads midway between Totopotomoy Creek and the Chickahominy River. Lee prized it as a way to prevent Smith’s XVIII Corps from having an unobstructed path to Richmond, while Grant and Meade sought to deny it to the Confederates for use as a base from which to disrupt Federal supply lines.

On the afternoon of May 31, cavalry from both armies clashed at the crossroads. By the end of the day, the Federal cavalry had secured the crossroads and waited for infantry to relieve it. For the next two days, Lee and Grant steadily built up their infantry forces in a line that stretched several miles above and below Cold Harbor between the two waterways. By the morning of June 2, Lee’s line stretched for seven miles from Totopotomoy Creek in the north to the Chickahominy in the south. With each flank anchored on a riverbank, the only way for the Federals to reach Richmond was to fight their way through Lee’s army.

Lee shifted his forces as needed during the preliminary fighting at Cold Harbor, splitting Lt. Gen. A.P. Hill’s III Corps with one of its divisions placed on the left flank and two on the right. By the morning of June 3, the Confederates were deployed as follows: Maj. Gen. Jubal Early’s II Corps and Maj. Gen. Henry Heth’s division of Hill’s corps were on the left flank; Maj. Gen. Richard Anderson’s I Corps was in the center; and Hoke’s and Breckinridge’s divisions and two divisions of Hill’s corps were on the right.

Grant’s mistaken decision to postpone a major attack on the entire Confederate line gave newly arriving Confederate divisions ample time to improve their entrenchments. The Southerners labored tirelessly to build earthworks that were tall enough to stand behind and also were configured to provide interlocking fields of fire to catch any attacking units in a deadly crossfire.

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The 7th New York Heavy Artillery of Brigadier General Francis Barlow’s 1st Division made a spirited attack on the Confederate works at Cold Harbor. They overran the first line of Lee’s defense, capturing prisoners and turning captured guns on the Confederates before being pushed back when their success went unsupported.

The nearly manic effort the Confederates put into the construction of their defenses was readily apparent to the Federals opposite them. “We pass within apparently two hundred yards of the enemy’s lines, near which are a large busy corps of Rebel gray men cutting down trees; swinging their axes as if dear life depended upon their taking down a half a dozen trees at every stroke,” recounted a soldier from Smith’s XVIII Corps.

The Assault at Daybreak

Grant finally issued orders for a major assault on June 3 in the mistaken belief that the Confederates could not withstand a full-scale attack. Meade, who knew the Confederates were well entrenched, believed that such an attack was suicidal, but did not share those thoughts with Grant and instead passed along the order for the attack. Upon learning that a major assault was imminent, many Federal veterans wrote their names and addresses on slips of paper and pinned them on the backs of their coats the night before the assault to ensure that their bodies might be accurately identified and their next of kin informed of the time and place of their deaths. It was an ominous sign.

The main attack, scheduled for daybreak on June 3, was to be made by the three corps on the Federal left flank. Left to right, they were Maj. Gen. Winfield Scott Hancock’s II Corps, Maj. Gen. Horatio Wright’s VI Corps, Smith’s XVIII Corps, Maj. Gen. Gouverneur K. Warren’s V Corps, and Maj. Gen. Ambrose Burnside’s IX Corps. The three corps on the left were to make the main assault, while the two corps on the right were to make a diversionary attack designed to prevent Lee from stripping units from his left flank to reinforce his right.

Hancock’s corps had a reputation for hard fighting, and his officers fully intended to live up to that reputation. Hancock ordered two of his divisions to attack in strength, with the third held in reserve. Barlow’s division, on the extreme left of the Federal line, and Brig. Gen. John Gibbon’s on the right were to assail the Confederate right; Maj. Gen. David Birney’s division was behind Barlow’s. The two divisions on the front line stacked their brigades two-deep, with four brigades in front and four brigades directly behind.

The Federal attack in the southern sector of the battlefield was scheduled to begin at 4:30 am. Fifteen minutes before that, Gibbon and Barlow each sent a regiment forward with orders to push back the Confederate pickets. At the arranged time, signal guns fired on Hancock’s front, indicating the beginning of the assault. Rain, which had been falling throughout the night, stopped as the assault began, but the damp ground gave rise to a thick mist that hugged the ground and made it difficult to discern distant objects. Any hope for the Federals to make a last-second observation of enemy positions was dashed by the foggy conditions.

At the far left of the Union line, Barlow’s men exited the woods and marched in crisp lines through fields of tall, damp grass. As they entered the field, they moved at the double-quick in hopes of surprising the enemy. Colonel Nelson Miles’s brigade on the left was advancing against two brigades of Wilcox’s division, while Colonel John Brooke’s brigade was heading for two brigades of Breckinridge’s division. On the far right of Brooke’s 4th Brigade was the oversized 7th New York Heavy Artillery. Eager to ensure that his attack was made with as much élan as possible, Brooke rode into battle on horseback at the front of his brigade.

Fighting For the Flag

Barlow’s brigades had the misfortune to attack entrenched enemy forces on slightly elevated ground. If properly led, these troops would be able to halt Barlow’s attack before it reached their breastworks. The downside for the defenders was that in many places the trenches behind their fortifications had flooded due to the heavy rains. The trenches occupied by Lt. Col. George Edgar’s 26th Virginia Battalion had filled with water during the night, and Edgar had given his men permission to sleep on drier ground to the rear, leaving only pickets to man the flooded battlements.

Rushing forward without firing their guns, Morris’s New Yorkers were able to reach the breastworks and engage Edgar’s pickets in hand-to-hand fighting. While some of the New Yorkers grappled with the pickets, others hurled themselves over the parapet and rushed into the lightly held fortifications. Realizing his blunder, Edgar rushed forward with the balance of his battalion to reinforce his pickets. In the ensuing melee, he was bayoneted in the shoulder and taken prisoner.

The soldiers of the 7th New York fought desperately to seize the flag of the 26th Virginia. Their own color bearer had fallen during the charge, and five of his fellow soldiers were killed trying to advance the colors amid the hailstorm of canister and bullets sweeping the landscape. The bluecoats shot the color bearer of the 26th Virginia, but before he died he managed to strip the colors from the staff and throw them to his fellow Virginians. A scrum ensued in which soldiers from both sides tugged at the prize. The New Yorkers won the tug of war and passed the prize back through their ranks to ensure that it stayed in their possession.

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Believing wrongly that the Confederates could not withstand an all-out assault at Cold Harbor, Lieutenant General Ulysses S. Grant attacked at daybreak on June 3, 1864. Three Union corps made the attack. All failed.

To the left of Brooke’s brigade, Miles’s soldiers quickly lost heart after they suffered heavy casualties trying to advance across open ground west of the Dispatch Station Road. They came under the well-placed batteries of Lt. Col. William Pegram of Hill’s corps, whose guns atop high ground stopped Miles’s attack cold. The survivors of the first line retreated to the safety of the road, where they took cover in its sunken roadbed.

One regiment on the far right of Miles’s brigade performed good service. Colonel Charles Hapgood, commanding the veteran 5th New Hampshire Regiment, saw the success of the 7th New York and ordered his troops to execute a half-wheel right and attack the salient where Morris’s soldiers had broken through the enemy line. The combined weight of the Federal attack finally routed the 26th Virginia.

“We Fought Like Hell and Got Licked Like Damnation”

The Confederate regiments formed a second line to plug the breach. The 8th Florida Regiment of Brig. Gen. Joseph Finegan’s brigade charged toward the right flank of the 7th New York, screaming the high-pitched Rebel yell. They halted to fire two volleys into the New Yorkers and then charged, swinging their rifle butts and stabbing with their bayonets in an effort to retake the trenches. To the Floridians’ immediate south, 400 reinforcements of the 2nd Maryland Regiment counterattacked the 5th New Hampshire. Many of the Granite State boys tried to hide underneath or inside the main house and outbuildings of a nearby farm, but the Marylanders hunted them down and killed them where they hid.

When Brooke rode back to lead forward his second line, he was wounded by shrapnel. At that point, the attack began to fall apart. The 7th New York was driven out of the enemy’s trenches and forced to retreat 300 yards. The attack was costly for the New Yorkers, who lost about 25 percent casualties of the 1,700 men who had participated in the assault. The 5th New Hampshire suffered an even higher loss rate, with about 40 percent of its 550 men killed or wounded. “We fought like hell and got licked like damnation,” wrote Lieutenant Frederick Mather of the 7th New York. Despite the repulse, Barlow’s division captured 425 prisoners and six guns.

Robert Tyler’s Attack

Gibbon’s four brigades were arrayed in similar formation to Barlow’s brigades, with two forward and two directly behind. The right wing consisted of Brig. Gen. Robert Tyler’s 4th Brigade, with Colonel Boyd McKeen’s 1st Brigade behind it. On the left wing, Colonel Thomas Smyth’s brigade was in the front, supported by Brig. Gen. Joshua Owen’s 2nd Brigade.

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Soldiers of Major General Winfield Scott Hancock’s II Corps dig frantically with bayonets, tin plates, and bare hands to create earthworks before a Confederate countercharge.

Tyler’s brigade was composed of five regiments from New York bolstered by the 1,600-strong 8th New York Heavy Artillery led by Colonel Peter Porter. The brigade’s right flank rested on the Cold Harbor Road. The New Yorkers faced five Georgia regiments belonging to Brig. Gen. Alfred Colquitt’s brigade. To reach the Georgians’ fortified position, Tyler’s brigade had the unsavory task of traversing the muck of Boatswain’s Swamp. To the left of Tyler’s brigade, Smyth’s brigade faced Brig. Gen. James Martin’s North Carolina brigade. Forming a second line behind Hoke’s division were the five brigades of Maj. Gen. William Mahone’s division. All that could be reasonably expected of Gibbon’s men was that they capture the first line of enemy trenches in front of them.

Gibbon’s men went forward 15 minutes after Barlow’s soldiers began their attack. With bayonets fixed, the soldiers of Tyler’s brigade surged forward, making their way as best as they could through the swampy muck. Colquitt’s Georgians, formed in two lines, delivered a pair of strong volleys—one from each rank—when the New Yorkers were within range, then began firing at will. The Union attack was shattered before it reached its objective. “Balls commenced to literally mow us down,” recalled Lieutenant John Russell Winterbotham of the 155th New York. Tyler left the field after shrapnel mangled his ankle. Porter fell mortally wounded with a half dozen bullet wounds in his crumpled body.

The only success enjoyed by Tyler’s brigade occurred on the left flank. Because Tyler’s battle line was so long, Colonel James McMahon’s 164th New York overlapped the extreme left, which was held by the 17th North Carolina. The Tarheels were armed with older muskets that fired buck-and-ball and caused heavy casualties at close range. McMahon’s soldiers overran an advanced position held by the North Carolinians, netting 45 prisoners, and continued toward the main line. Despite heavy enemy fire, they reached the line and began fighting hand-to-hand before being driven back. McMahon was reluctant to break off the attack, even though he was outnumbered. When the Tarheels called on McMahon to surrender, he refused, and they shot him down at point-blank range. The 164th New York paid a heavy price for its bravery, losing 11 officers and 143 enlisted men.

Entrenching the Advance

After Tyler’s attack was repulsed, McKeen led his men forward against Colquitt’s steady line. The 29-year-old Princeton graduate accompanied his first line in its advance and was instantly killed. The lead elements of the brigade took cover in a depression 75 yards from the Georgians’ position. Command of the brigade fell to its senior regimental commander, Colonel Frank Haskell of the 36th Wisconsin. When the advance resumed, Haskell was shot in the head. At that point, the survivors of McKeen’s failed attack began to entrench.

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Sword-waving Major Christopher Crossman leads the doomed charge of his 1st Maine Heavy Artillery at Cold Harbor. Painting by Don Troiani.

On Gibbon’s left, the regiments of Smyth’s brigade encountered such galling fire that they halted and began digging in 50 to 100 yards from the enemy main line. Gibbon, sensing that different tactics were called for, ordered Owen to attack with his regiments in columns to provide depth to the attack. But seeing that Smyth’s troops had broken off their attack and were entrenching, Owen chose to do the same.

Hancock had established his quarters at Burnett’s Tavern in Cold Harbor. He was close enough to the battle that enemy artillery shells crashed around the crossroads and into the artillery park located nearby. Two of his staff were wounded by shrapnel. The battle-hardened corps commander was shaken to learn that he had lost eight of his colonels and 3,000 other soldiers in the failed attack.

Wright’s VI Corps, which was adjacent to Hancock’s right flank on the north side of the Cold Harbor Road, occupied a narrow front. Wright’s three divisions were almost on top of one another, and they were closer to the Confederate line than to other Federal units. Opposite Wright’s corps were six Confederate brigades, two of which belonged to Hoke’s division and four that belonged to Anderson’s I Corps.

The Confederates enjoyed an excellent defensive position. With Wright’s tacit approval,  his division commanders—Brig. Gens. David Russell, Thomas Neill, and James Ricketts—ordered a limited assault in which their troops were to advance within 80 yards of the enemy line and establish a new position. When they reached their stated objective, half the men in each forward regiment dug in while the other half returned the enemy’s fire. Although losses were light compared to those suffered by the frontline units of Hancock’s corps, Wright’s regiments still suffered significant casualties as a result of their exposure to artillery fire and enemy sharpshooters, the latter of whom enjoyed nearly complete protection behind log barricades.

Caught in a Deadly Crossfire

Smith’s well-rested XVIII Corps prepared to launch a major assault of its own. Whereas Hancock and Wright had launched their attacks on a wide front, Smith ordered his two divisions to advance in columns of massed brigades. Brig. Gen. John Martindale deployed his two brigades in column formation on the right, one on each side of a wooded swale. To his left, Brig. Gen. William Brooks deployed one of his four brigades in a single column. The attacking brigades were to advance through a belt of woods that Smith believed would furnish some measure of protection from fire.

Unknown to Smith and his division commanders, the Confederate line in that sector was configured to trap whatever Union troops charged into it. Generals Joseph Kershaw and Charles Field had deployed their troops in a horseshoe configuration that would allow them to catch assaulting forces in a crossfire. Behind the breastworks, the Confederates were arrayed shoulder to shoulder in two ranks.

Leading the Union attack on the north side of the swale was dashing 26-year-old Colonel Griffin Stedman, who waved his sword as he rode at the front of his brigade. Before the attack, his regimental commanders had requested permission to deploy into line of battle once they came under heavy fire, but Stedman had forbidden it. The woods along the swale furnished protective cover for only about 50 yards. After that, the enemy fire grew to a deafening roar and the landscape was quickly blanketed with dead or dying Federals.

Because of heavy battle smoke, the men in Stedman’s lead regiments could not see the faces of Brig. Gen. Evander Law’s Alabamians, who were firing steadily into their ranks. “To those exposed to the full force and fury of the dreadful storm of lead and iron that met the charging columns, it seemed more like a volcanic blast than a battle,” wrote Captain Asa Bartlett of the 12th New Hampshire, the lead regiment in Stedman’s attack. Stedman’s attack was easily shattered. The 12th New Hampshire alone lost 50 percent of its soldiers in the attack. When the other regiments behind it saw the fate of the 12th New Hampshire, they withdrew to the tree line and began to entrench.

“It Was Not War, it Was Murder”

On the south side of the swale, Martindale’s left column, led by Brig. Gen. George Stannard, fared no better. Twice Stannard sent his men against the Confederate breastworks, but they were easily repulsed. Once it became apparent to Kershaw that a major assault was under way, he ordered Brig. Gen. Goode Bryan to move his Georgians forward to reinforce Law’s men. There wasn’t enough room at the packed breastworks for the Georgians, and they passed forward loaded rifles to the Alabamians so the front-line troops would not have to reload. Law, in the thick of the fighting, shared the sentiments of many of his fellow veterans. “It was not war, it was murder,” he wrote.

On Stannard’s left flank, the lead regiments braved a storm of lead and iron in an effort to reach the enemy barricades. Lending firepower to the Confederate infantry were cannon belching forth double loads of canister that stopped the blue-clad infantry in their tracks. “There was a helpless mob, a swarming multitude of confused men,” wrote a Confederate artillerist who witnessed the assault. “They were falling by scores, hundreds. The mass was simply melting away under the fury of our fire.” Smith, on hand to witness the repulse, told the brigadier to reform his survivors at the tree line and entrench along the same line as Martindale’s two shattered brigades. Between them, Smith and Wright lost about 1,800 men.

“A Wanton Waste of Life”

From his headquarters in the rear of Wright’s corps three quarters of a mile north of Cold Harbor, Meade received regular updates from each of the three corps in the main assault. As soon as he received the dispatches, he forwarded them to Grant, whose headquarters was a mile behind the front line near VI Corps’ field hospital.

An initial report from Hancock at 5 am indicated that Barlow had seized the enemy works opposite him, but 15 minutes later he informed Meade that the attack had failed. From then on, the news was all bad. Two hours after the main assault had begun, it was over. All three corps commanders on the left wing of the Federal line reported to Meade that although their troops fought heroically, they had not been able to penetrate the Confederates’ first line of defense. At 6:35 am, Hancock requested permission to break off the attack. Meade fired back a stern reply: “You will make the attack and support it well, so that in the event of being successful, the advantage gained can be held. If unsuccessful report at once.”

Meade contacted Grant by telegraph at 7 am to determine whether the assault should continue. “The moment it becomes certain that an assault cannot succeed, suspend the offensive, but when one does succeed push it vigorously, and if necessary pile in troops at the successful point from wherever they can be taken,” Grant replied vaguely. Meade continued to press his corps commanders so as not to appear weak to Grant.

When the three corps commanders received Meade’s orders, they passed them along to their division commanders but simply looked the other way to avoid what Smith deemed “a wanton waste of life.” The division commanders had seen enough slaughter for one day, and they found a way to circumvent any further assaults. “To move that army farther, except by regular approaches, was a simple and absolute impossibility, known to be such by every officer and man of the three corps engaged,” wrote Colonel Martin McMahon, VI Corps’ chief of staff. “The order was obeyed by simply renewing the fire from the men as they lay in position.” Griffin Stedman was less restrained. “I will not take my regiment in another charge if Jesus Christ himself should order it!” he shouted.

Lee’s Last Great Victory

At 11 am, Grant arrived at the front to discuss with Meade whether to continue the attack. After hearing the discouraging reports, Grant issued orders to refrain from further attacks. Meanwhile, Robert E. Lee reported to President Jefferson Davis in Richmond that the Army of Northern Virginia had “repulsed without difficulty” an enemy vastly superior in numbers. In contrast to the more than 6,000 Federal casualties, the Confederates had lost at most 1,500 men. Said Lee: “Our loss today has been small, and our success, under the blessing of God, all that we could expect.”

Although the Federals remained in position for more than a week, the frontal assault on June 3 was the last organized fighting at Cold Harbor. For the next three days, the two sides clung to the ground within easy shooting distance of each other. Anyone foolish enough to climb to his feet was quickly shot down. “Thousands of men were cramped up in a narrow trench,” one Confederate officer recalled, “unable to go out, or to get up, or to stretch or to stand, without danger to life and limb; unable to lie down, or to sleep, for lack of room and pressure of peril; night alarms, day attacks, hunger, thirst, supreme weariness, squalor, vermin, filth, disgusting odors everywhere.” Neither Grant nor Lee was willing to allow a flag of truce for the removal of the rotting dead who lay between the two lines. One grievously wounded Union soldier ended his suffering by cutting his own throat with a pocket knife.

When the commanders finally agreed to a truce on June 7, there were few wounded men left alive to be rescued.

It remained only to bury the dead, which work parties from both sides accomplished by shoveling the bodies into shallow, maggot-filled graves. On June 12, the Federals began another march around Lee’s left flank across the James River to the railroad hub at Petersburg, where they dug new trenches and resumed static warfare.

Cold Harbor was Lee’s last major victory over a Federal army.

As for Grant, it was a sobering experience that steeled him to more hard fighting in the months ahead. Following the war, however, Grant had ample time to revisit the June 3 repulse. When he penned his memoirs two decades after the war, he expressed regret—the only one he admitted to having about the entire war—that his grand assault at Cold Harbor had cost so many lives for so little gain.

It was, he said, “the only battle I ever fought that I would not fight over again under the circumstances.” The men he had commanded at Cold Harbor no doubt shared that sentiment.

An Italian Tries Chicago DEEP DISH PIZZA

A fun video. Please check it out.

The name’s Pee-wee. Pee-wee Herman.

KCRW is making my dream of being a radio DJ come true!…

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The name’s Pee-wee. Pee-wee Herman.

The Pig Trap

Time for a revisit, I'd say. -MM

I had a very memorable and thought-provoking passenger a while back that I never wrote about because while I found him fascinating, he seemed a little too political for what was always intended to be a fun blog to read and some cheap therapy for your humble driver and writer. But in light of all the scandals that have erupted lately and the EpicClusterSharknadoFuck that is ObamaCare, I have been thinking about a few things he said to me, so I’m going to commit them to paper (or pixels), if only for my own reading. So if you just want to read about moron drunks and belligerent whores, skip this post…

But if you are interested in catching up on current events that just might personally affect you soon, please read on…

It was June of 2012, when I got a call to pick up a gentleman at a resort hotel at around 4 AM going to the airport. I was a little surprised to see “Mr. Wheeler” waiting for me in front of the lobby, five minutes early, standing by his suitcase. Generally, people keep me waiting on these calls, still half asleep, late coming down, trying to get checked out, dicking around with their luggage and what not.

He was in his late 50’s or early 60’s, fit, wearing a navy blazer and was obviously a business traveler, but he also had a certain posture and demeanor that made me think he was ex-military.

We load up his luggage and hit the road, and I am chatting with him as we are heading to the airport. I ask what kind of work he does, and he says he is in “executive security”. I said, “Oooh, that sounds interesting… you mean like bodyguard work?”

He says, “Something like that… executive protection, security systems, personnel screening, entry/egress control, things like that. It sounds much more interesting than it really is… I spend a lot of time shuffling paper around and reading emails.”

I said, “You have the bearing of a military man… am I correct?”

“Yes, Sir… 22 years in the Marine Corps.” I thanked him for his service, something I always do when I encounter a member of our armed services. My standard line is, “Thank you for your service. I think you should hear that every damned day for the rest of your life, and your first beer should be free anywhere you go.”

So we are chatting on the drive, and the story on the radio is Eric Holder being held in contempt of Congress over the Fast and Furious fiasco.

I said, “Can you believe that shit? This asshole intentionally sends guns to Mexican drug gangs that will no doubt end up killing thousands of people, and then he lies and stonewalls the Congress? How is this deceitful douchebag not in shackles and an orange jumpsuit? And more to the point, how does someone like this ever ascend to the office of Attorney General?”

“He’s part of the Clinton machine… he knows low people in high places. He came up under Janet Reno… you know who that is, right?”

“Oh, yes, I know… the crazy dyke that gave the order to burn down the Branch Davidians in Waco. But what I don’t get is how they ever thought they could pull this shit off… people aren’t THAT stupid. If you say you are tracking guns, although you have no actual means of tracking the guns, that makes you look both dishonest AND moronic, and your cover story doesn’t make any sense. This didn’t have anything to do with illegal gun sales… any idiot can see that. So what was the REAL plan here?”

Mr. Wheeler says, “Have you ever heard of Occam’s Razor?”

I said, “Yeah, I know it… the most obvious answer is almost always correct… but I don’t think we need an instrument that sharp. I think Occam’s Rubber Spatula would seem to indicate that this is a push to vilify guns and gun owners here in America, as a pretense to drive stricter gun control.

Obama was just on TV not too long ago with the President of Mexico, saying that American guns were responsible for the violence in Mexico, and now American weapons are showing up at crime scenes.

It seems to me that an organization with the money and resources of an international drug cartel certainly knows where to pick up weapons, even if all American sources dried up completely. I assume they could go south of the border to Central America and get all the M4’s and AK’s they want… most likely full-auto… am I correct?”

Mr Wheeler replied, “There is certainly no shortage of guns and corruption in Central America. If you have the means to smuggle a ton of cocaine, you can probably smuggle a ton of guns, too. But this was easier… the Justice Department and the ATF made the contacts and set up the networks, told the gun shops to cooperate, so all the Mexicans had to do was send in a straw buyer, make the purchase, and move the weapons south of the border.”

I said, “These people aren’t very smart… there are something like 300 million guns in America, and they have a robust shelf life. Even if all gun manufacturing stopped tomorrow, there would still be an abundance of guns in America for decades. The only way to disarm Americans is mass confiscation, and I feel pretty certain that would spark a civil war. I know several gun owners that would rather fight than give up their guns.”

Mr. Wheeler said, “Oh, I know dozens… perhaps hundreds that feel the same way. I really don’t think confiscation is something you need to worry about, because it will never work. There are simply too many of them, and too many people have guns that there is no record of. A confiscation program would only piss off the most dangerous people in America… the people who would shoot back. You are correct, a mass confiscation would provoke a civil war.”

I said, “Well, you are a military man… what would that look like?”

Wheeler said, “Well, it wouldn’t look like the first Civil War… no lines of men standing in ranks and shooting across a field at each other, no “North and South” or sharply defined state lines for friendly and enemy territories, at least, not in the beginning. No, it would look more like Iraq or Afghanistan, with house to house fighting, IED’s, snipers, small factions and independent militias operating on their own, refugees streaming away from battle zones in all directions…”

“But the first question to ask is who would the combatants be? I mean, the Army isn’t going to just roll out onto the street in tanks on day one, so my guess is that it would start out as a police action, with Federal agencies like ATF and FBI taking the lead, supported by local law enforcement. But once people start shooting back, they would have to ratchet things up, do things like institute curfews and roadblocks, and they would eventually try to press the various state Guard units into service. That’s where it all goes squirrelly, because both local law enforcement and the Guard will be riddled with people who support gun rights, regardless of what laws the politicians pass, and they won’t be crazy about having to police, and maybe even fight against, their own people. The Governors may well object to the state Guard units being activated and may not wish to cooperate…”

“And it is not clear to me how many LEO and Guardsmen would remain loyal to the government and how many would join the “rebellion”. My guess is that both sides would be riddled with defections, informants, and spies. But what if, say, the Gulf states like Texas, Alabama, Louisiana, Mississippi, Georgia, and Florida secede, and they take control of all military bases and equipment, and you suddenly have gone from an insurgency with rifles to a breakaway nation, or maybe several breakaway nations, armed with fighter jets, drones, tanks, and a navy? Whoo, buddy… now all bets are off… kiss posse comitatus goodbye. This would be the ugliest thing this country has ever seen…”

I asked him several “what if” questions and let him riff on them… I just let him talk and wargame out the Second Civil War, there in the back seat of my car as we drove to the airport, and he painted a picture of horrific death and destruction. Once this conflict started, even the best-case scenarios he described sounded truly grim. He seemed to believe that civilian casualties would be extremely high, given how much fighting would centered in and around large cities, and that food would be used as a weapon, causing famine and starvation on a terrifying scale. Booby traps, IED’s, rampant bombings, drone strikes, snipers, local-level assassinations, mortars and shelling, death squads (both government and rebel), reprisal killings, torture… it sounded more like the Middle East than middle America.

Wheeler got quiet for a few moments, and then he said something that I will never, ever forget.

“These people are playing with matches… I don’t think they understand the scope and scale of the wildfire they are flirting with. They are fucking around with a civil war that could last a decade and cause millions of deaths… and the sad truth is that 95% of the problems we have in this country could be solved tomorrow, by noon… simply by dragging 100 people out in the street and shooting them in the fucking head.”

And lemme tell ya, he had the list… he rattled off 25 or 30 names of well-known, prominent politicians, mostly Democrats, but a few Republicans, several members of the current Cabinet, a couple of Obama’s “czars”, a couple of figures from the Bush administration and the Republican establishment, several media company executives and on-camera newscasters, reporters, and pundits, a couple of people who are active in leftist politics but not in elected office… he had obviously thought about this to some degree already.

I was struck by his cold, detached, matter-of-fact tone. I said, “Dude… that’s more French Revolution than American Revolution. Do you really think that is the way to go?”

Wheeler said, “I believe in efficiency and economy of action. You wouldn’t trade one hundred of those criminal bastards for ten million of your fellow Americans?”

I don’t remember if I actually answered out loud, but in my my head, the answer was, “Yeah, I probably would…”

The Beginning of the Endgame?

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NOTE: Most of what follows was written on Saturday, February 22 (2020). I lost several days while trying to find acknowledged cases of a pathogen ‘accidentally released’ from a Level 3 or 4 bio-lab. I was unable to find even one. This is vital, as you will see. (I realize that Lyme Disease, AIDS, Ebola, and others originated in biowarfare labs, but they were not accidentally released.)

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In thinking about Corvid 19 (‘The Bug’) I would urge you all to keep in mind the context of the situation, of current history. By that I mean, simply, that given the magnitude of the lies we’ve constantly been bombarded with — aside from the acts of horrendous violence inextricably tied to these lies — by what we have come to call ‘the PTB’… given the magnitude, we had better accept the fact that there is no limit, no line in the sand, no boundary of human decency, that will not be crossed in those powers getting what they want.

Sometimes, in the midst of a situation like that of the The Bug, we might actively recall some of the events we for sure know were perpetrated by those currently controlling the world’s science and technology, and the source of the official stories (the lies) about such, i.e., the mainstream media, plus most of the ‘alt’ or ‘independent’ media.

Before I get to the real point of this post, let’s just think for a moment about a couple (relatively) recent Biggies, and their immediate repercussions. I’m going to pick the obvious two, and please don’t sigh and mutter that you already know that stuff… I’m trying to force you to not only know but to remember, so you will understand the present-day implications.

JFK… once past the false histories, this coup (the violent overthrow of a legitimate government) directly resulted in 2 – 4 million deaths (that the known number is so vague is a great example of how unimportant are individual human lives), via the Viet Nam war. The branching repercussions (in terms of lives devastated or ended) are impossible to calculate. But the aggregate evil behind the event and the lies tied to it are in arguable.

Point being that we know that the powers behind the loosing of The Bug have no problem telling gargantuan lies and killing millions of humans. (And I could add that for sheer chutzpah-rife balls in the lying department, nothing tops the moon hoax. But, again, there were only four known deaths as a direct result, so we’ll let it slide…)

Addendum: the four deaths were the burnt-to-death astronauts of Apollo 1 (murdered), plus the NASA researcher, Thomas Baron, who was trying to spill the beans on cause of death. His car was hit by a train.

(If you have serious issues with what I’ve said so far, best you click some goddamn button on your keypad and move the fuck on.)

What I’m saying is that it’s very likely that The Chinese Bug is that Biggie. (Who knows if it’s actually a ‘virus’ or if viruses are actually pathogens). It has all the earmarks, but I’ll start with the matter always seen as paramount: The matter of Who did it? Whether it’s a Lee Oswald or an Osama bin Laden, what comes first is the fingering of the patsy, and The Bug is no different.

And as with the cited past examples (Lee and Osama) we recall that their names were all over the media within hours if not minutes of the events. In the case of a pandemic, the immediacy of the fingering is not as urgent; it takes a few weeks to even know something godawful is amiss.

But when the time came, the bastards were prepared: The Weird Animal Market!

The bat soup-slurping Chinese!

And hey, if that didn’t work: ‘The Wuhan Level 4 Biolab!’, which was conveniently minutes away from the designated ground (or patient) zero, at the Market. (Talk about convenient! As is the coincidence that the outbreak occurred in the midst of the ultimate Chinese travel week, the Lunar New Year. Yes, the better to spread not only The Bug, but the panic; and to make sure both spread world-wide, via air travel.)

But blaming the bio-lab would be a fall-back position; ever the optimists, the real perps were hoping mother nature as patsy would hold water, at least for a few months. (The PTB science contingent no doubt warned the top dogs that bat shit-as-culprit would not work in the long run, not with their useless eater brethren-scientists, i.e., those few who could not be intimidated into silence.)

Thing is, as with my other two examples of Biggies, to those few ‘honest’ scientists, the truth of the matter, the identity of the real culprit was… if not obvious, directly implied — assuming one, simple logical connection. Given the corruption (and fear) in the West, the first whistle was blown way far away, over in India, although the paper was quickly taken down (before it was reviewed); not before it had made its way onto the good old Net, though, and was archived for all to see:

Uncanny similarity of unique inserts in the 2019-nCoV spike protein to HIV-1 gp120 and Gag
Prashant Pradhan , Ashutosh Kumar Pandey , Akhilesh Mishra , Parul Gupta , Praveen, Kumar Tripathi , Manoj Balakrishnan Menon , James Gomes , Perumal Vivekanandan* and Bishwajit Kundu, Kusuma School of biological sciences, Indian institute of technology, New Delhi-110016, India. 2Acharya Narendra Dev College, University of Delhi, New Delhi-110019, India
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Abstract:
 We are currently witnessing a major epidemic caused by the 2019 novel coronavirus (2019- nCoV). The evolution of 2019-nCoV remains elusive. We found 4 insertions in the spike glycoprotein (S) which are unique to the 2019-nCoV and are not present in other coronaviruses. 

Importantly, amino acid residues in all the 4 inserts have identity or similarity to those in the HIV- 1 gp120 or HIV-1 Gag. 

Interestingly, despite the inserts being discontinuous on the primary amino acid sequence, 3D-modelling of the 2019-nCoV suggests that they converge to constitute the receptor binding site. 

The finding of 4 unique inserts in the 2019-nCoV, all of which have identity /similarity to amino acid residues in key structural proteins of HIV-1 is unlikely to be fortuitous in nature. 

This work provides yet unknown insights on 2019-nCoV and sheds light on the evolution and pathogenicity of this virus with important implications for diagnosis of this virus. [my emphasis]
A question: Why didn’t Western scientists notice this?
Anyone who claims the above is not clear or hey you don’t know who these Indian scientists are, or some bull shit, be advised that these are legit scientists with Ph.Ds, yet the media has refused to deal with the findings, let alone debunk them. Think about that. 
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A formal study saying that The Bug is a pedigreed bio-weapon — which is what the HIV gene means … and the media not only covers it up, but ridicules any theory that does not involve bat soup.
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Monday, Febraury 24 (two days later): It was at about this point in the writing of this post that I took a break and did some online searches to see if the media was still evading the issue of the HIV gene and what it means. As far as I could see, they were — they were still blabbing that any theory but the ‘bat soup’ version is a ‘conspiracy theory’ — but in my search I stumbled upon the name ‘Francis Boyle’, an esteemed bio-weapons expert, who has written definitive books on the subject, plus authored the International Bio-terrorism Act of 1989, which the U.S. (along with everyone else) had signed. His cv is as impressive as it gets in the field of biowarfare.
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Three weeks previous to this writing, Professor Boyle had fingered the The Bug as a bio-weapon, based upon the Indian study I cite above, and which he said was inarguable.
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A further search told me that Boyle had done another interview just two days ago, (unfortunately) with Alex Jones. (‘Unfortunately’ because Jones is a buffoon and an embarrassment to serious people.) Turned out Jones hit the jackpot this time, although his constant dumb-ass interruptions drove me to distraction.
I urge you to put up with Jones and listen to the whole interview, but to sum it up: A 2015 document Boyle unearthed fingers the Level 4 bio-lab (BSL 3) at the University of North Carolina as the U.S. participant in the engineering of the ‘COVID 19’ virus. Names are named, including the Chinese scientist from the Wuhan lab who bought and then transported the pathogen back to China. The deal was sponsored by the NIH (National Institute of Health) and the FDA (Federal Drug Administration), aside from the university bureaucrats. As Professor Boyle says, all involved should be prosecuted under the Bio-terrorism Act of 1989, which, again, Professor Boyle wrote.
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Smoking guns don’t come any hotter than this.
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An interesting observation was Boyle’s assurance that the official claim that bats were involved in the transmission to humans is ‘balderdash’, and that, given The Bug’s HIV gene envelope, animals of any sort are ruled out as spreaders. That the mainstream is outed on this provenance-related prevarication is extremely significant, for its implications. We obviously cannot trust them on any Bug-related matter.
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My only bone to pick with Professor Boyle is his theory that the virus leaked from the Wuhan lab accidentally. I spent half the weekend looking into the protocols used by Level 3 and 4 labs and can assure you that an accident is no more likely here than in the Baxter scandal from 2009, which I described in a recent post. (For those who want to check my facts on this, see the quotes and links in the end notes to this post. It is quite important!)
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Although Boyle is an exceptional man, one of the few amongst top level scientists, he doesn’t understand the long range plans of those in power, nor does he realize the lengths they have and will go to. Boyle has shown courage in airing his views before: From his position as professor of international law he spoke out against the war in Afghanistan, a risk to his job and maybe his safety after 9/11, so I tend to doubt he (in effect) would false-champion the official story on the outbreak. It could be that — like most of us — he just cannot imagine ‘colleagues’ letting loose such devastation upon the world. As I say, he has some smartening up to do.
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See, the official story is slowly becoming ‘an accidental release’ from the Wuhan lab…
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This was inevitable, given the robustness of the evidence that it is a bio-weapon. (Listen to the goddamn link!)
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Professor Boyle’s theory that one of the scientists ‘somehow got infected’ while working on the virus and spread the virus after leaving the lab via ‘his normal life activities’ doesn’t stand up to minimal scrutiny, if one takes into account the story we’ve been fed since the outbreak was made public back in December.
You would think that China going DEFCON ONE, staying at DEFCON, and agreeing with Russia that the United States has been launching bioweapons against them would be a de facto RED FLAG, but you know, most of the Western bloggers only have American news to base their thoughts and opinions on. -MM

He continues on…

Read the link if you wanna deep dive.

Modern wedding dresses in the Republic of Tatarstan

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Modern wedding dresses in the Republic of Tatarstan

Modern wedding dresses in the Republic of Tatarstan are similar to European ones, but with some interesting ethnic details and, as a rule, they don’t have to be white. They can be purple, green or even blue, which are the national colors. On the head of the bride can be a scarf or a hijab or a veil with a diadem and a traditional Tatar cap – a fez. Before the civil registration of marriage, Muslims hold a wedding ceremony in a mosque and the bride must have her head covered. It is not rare that the bride chooses different dresses for the wedding and for the registration, for example, a strict white dress with a scarf in the same style and a colorful national dress.

Men, meanwhile, wear the most usual formal suits, but they put on a fez in the mosque.

I’d say that at least It’s true for me in some extent, but I don’t see myself as “very pro-CCP”, I’ve just learned to view things as more nuanced.

This was me years ago when I was traveling in India, notice the “save Tibet” shirt with snow lion flag?

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I got it in Bylakuppe which is the second largest Tibetan settlement in India. Yeah, I used to be an anti-CCP liberal who stood up against CCP’s “oppression” in Tibet.

In short, I was brainwashed by anti-China media and “overseas Chinese democracy activists”. I had exposed to tons of videos, articles about Tiananmen square protests and “human rights abuses in Tibet”. I had also read Dalai Lama’s biographies and firmly believed that Tibet should’ve been freed from the CCP. Although I had been to Tibet, I had seen people’s living conditions were relatively well and I had seen the extraordinary Qinghai-Tibet railway. That said, another voice in mind constantly reminded me that “they need freedom and democracy”.

It was so powerful and I had a firm belief of it. I would badmouth our GOV with every foreigner I met just like those China haters who can’t stop trolling me right now. I felt like I was both a “freedom fighter” and a “China expert”. How naive and ignorant I was back then. LOL

So when did I start to realize that I was brainwashed?

When western MSM began to lie about my hometown, Xinjiang in 2018. At first, I was still a little bit skeptical. I wasn’t sure it was true or not. In another word, I didn’t know I should trust my own eyes, my family, my friends, my common sense or their propaganda. Looking back, It was very hilarious but that was me in 2018. Fortunately, my rational thought overwhelmed anti-China propaganda. So why I’m telling you this story? I reckon some of you might be in the middle of my journey.

Sometimes, maybe you are confused that who are telling you the “truth”? Well, in today’s internet environment, don’t expect to HEAR the “truth”, because it’s not important in the eyes of media and online influencers. They just wanna get their content massive exposure in a very short period of time. That’s how they make money from you. So you need to FIND out the “truth” by yourself if you are really interested in it.

Biden’s Nuremberg Rally: He Is Literally Hitler Now

Chicago-Style Deep-Dish Pizza

What is Chicago-style pizza? It’s a lofty yeast dough topped lightly with tomato and generous portions of sausage and cheese.

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Chicago-Style Deep-Dish Pizza

Ingredients

  • 2 packages regular or active dry yeast
  • 1 1/2 cups warm water (105°F to 115°F)
  • 6 cups Original Bisquick™ mix
  • 1/4 cup olive or vegetable oil
  • 8 cups shredded mozzarella cheese (32 oz)
  • 1 lb bulk Italian pork sausage, cooked and drained, or 2 packages (3 1/2 oz each) sliced pepperoni
  • Vegetable toppings such as sliced fresh mushrooms, chopped green bell pepper or chopped onion, sliced green onions, sliced ripe olives, sliced pimiento-stuffed olives, if desired
  • 2 cans (28 oz each) Muir Glen™ organic whole peeled tomatoes with basil, well drained
  • 2 to 4 tablespoons chopped fresh or 2 teaspoons dried oregano leaves or Italian seasoning
  • 1/2 to 1 cup grated Parmesan cheese
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Preparing for civil unrest

From HERE

The most remarkable thing about American civil unrest is that there hasn’t been more of it.

Politicians are making a hash of this country and much of the rest of the civilized world. We know it. They know it. They know we know it. But we don’t feel we can do anything much to stop them.

That right there is the pre-condition for civil unrest when people are frustrated and politicians are nervous.

Worse, that was how things stood before last fall’s crash.

Before pols on both left and right launched the biggest mass transfer of wealth in history transferring our wealth (what we had left of it!) to their friends on Wall Street and in the banking industry. In other words, that’s how things were before things got bad!

Now everybody’s talking about the ongoing catastrophe (even if we are in a momentarily sunny mood). But almost nobody is talking about the logical maybe even inevitable consequences of cynical or desperate politicians abusing an already fed-up populace: civil unrest.

I mean people taking to the streets. Or mass resistance. Or crackdowns because the government fears we might do something to upset its apple cart. It’s going to happen. Somewhere. At some time. It’s going to.

One of the few VIPs to mention the matter openly was Zbigniew Brzezinski, former National Security Advisor and the ultimate insider’s insider. He commented on the millions of unemployed or soon-to-be-unemployed and the “…public awareness of this extraordinary wealth that was transferred to a few individuals at levels without historical precedent in America.” He told “Morning Joe” Scarborough, “Hell, there could be even riots.” I’d say that’s an understatement.

Although few in power are talking about it, rumors abound that governments at many levels are planning for civil unrest. One rumor is about a document supposedly being circulated right now among top federal officials. It’s called the “C&R Document” with C&R standing for “conflict & revolution.” The much-storied paper is said to be a plan for controlling the American people when we get out of hand. True? Who knows. But the very rumor tells us a lot about these times.

Other things are not mere rumor. When the federal government established a North American Army command in 2002, its purpose wasn’t to repel foreign invaders. It was domestic operations something long and rightly forbidden by the Posse Comitatus Act. In February of 2009, when military commanders in Canada and the U.S. signed a pact allowing their armies to operate inside each other’s country they didn’t even bother to get authorization from Congress an illegal and unprecedented move. And once again, the purpose was handling “domestic civil emergencies.”

For several years, the Centers for Disease Control tried to get states to adopt something called the Model State Emergency Health Powers Act (MEHPA). This act would allow state governments to become police-state dictatorships in event of any ill-defined health emergency vaccinating people by force, destroying or seizing property without compensation, and rationing medical supplies, food, and fuel. To their credit, most state governments rejected the act. A few adopted portions of it before a fervent opposition campaign caused the CDC to back off. However, the concept of a health dictatorship hasn’t gone away. Not hardly. Within days of the news that a new strain of swine flu had arisen in Mexico in April 2009, states were again considering legislation to give themselves martial-law powers in event of an epidemic.

And what of the dozens and dozens of federal agencies that now have SWAT teams? Seriously, what justifies the Bureau of Land Management or the Department of Housing and Urban Development having paramilitary units?

Now maybe you like the idea of an Army that watches over its own citizens. Maybe it makes sense to have a government seize total dictatorial power in event of a health emergency. Maybe you believe SWAT teams will never be used except against bad guys. But do you really trust these people?

After all, these are the same folks, and this is the same mentality, that not only spent $325,000 to produce a souvenir photo of a presidential 747 zooming low over the Statue of Liberty, but ordered the New York Police Department, the FBI, the Secret Service, and the New York mayor’s office not to tell the public. Never mind that they realized full well that passenger jets and military planes plunging low over Manhattan would evoke panic.

Still, peace reigns. Mostly. At least here in North America. But not everywhere. Not long ago, France was brought to its knees by night after night of rioting. In that country it’s become almost common for workers to hold their bosses hostage in hopes of winning economic concessions. Greece, too, saw its normal life and business shut down by days of rioting. So did Iceland a country that’s normally the picture of civility.

Can the U.S. be forever immune?

It might not take much and it could be something out of the blue, something impossible to anticipate to set us against each other and against the “Trust us; we’ll fix it” political crowd.

In a way, this national silence on a matter so many people are afraid of is similar to the silence about general preparedness issues before 9-11 or Hurricane Katrina. Only Mormons and us wingnuts spoke of preparedness way back when. Since then, of course, advice on preparedness is mainstream and common.

In another sense, this silence is different. Because when unrest finally erupts, it’s not going to be us merely taking care of ourselves. It’s going to be “us against them.” It might be workers against bosses. Or the poor against bankers. Or blacks against Hispanics. Or little folk against Big Men in public office. Or farmers against the USDA. Or xenophobes against xenophiles. But however it happens, the implications aren’t as Boy-Scoutish as just taking care of ourselves in an emergency.

Defining civil unrest

Look up “preparations for civil unrest” on Google and…What’s that echo I hear?—you’ll find nothing that’s going to help you. In fact, you won’t even easily turn up a good definition of what civil unrest is.

Like “indecency,” the definition seems to be in the eye of the beholder.

I wouldn’t consider a peaceful anti-war march to be civil unrest, for instance, but a police chief might. Similarly, I wouldn’t consider acts of localized non-violent lawbreaking (like environmental activists chaining themselves to a tree) to be civil unrest; but a timber company official probably believes otherwise.

Civil unrest occurs when anger, frustration, or fear turn disruptive on a mass scale. Or when government officials crack down because they anticipate such disruptions. Crackdowns can lead to further frustration, leading to further crackdowns and so on especially when the crackdowns look unwarranted and tyrannical.

In other words, civil unrest can arise from the anger of people or the folly of government or both together.

Anger over an unpopular policy, a new war, a collapse of the currency, panic over a pandemic, a food shortage, a bank run anything like that could cause civil unrest, especially in a population that’s already on edge and no longer trusts its authority figures.

Another thing you won’t find via Google is how various types or levels of unrest are likely to affect us and how we should respond, if we’re affected. Again, although the men and women at the top are quite concerned for their own sakes, they (and their media mouthpieces) would rather not talk about what we should do in event of civil panic.

But that’s not good enough for we independent-minded people, is it?

Here are my definitions of levels of civil unrest and a little bit about how they might affect us:

LEVEL ONE: The lowest level of civil unrest is when people turn on their own neighborhoods as happened during the race riots of the 1960s and the Rodney King riots in Los Angeles. Level One civil unrest can be deadly and destructive, but primarily to people who live, work, or must travel in the immediate area. Level One unrest is spontaneous, Dionysian, is confined to a narrow geographical zone where the protestors live. Police response may be harsh, but it’s localized. Unless you’re in the middle of it, you’re unaffected.

LEVEL TWO: Level Two civil unrest may also be focused on a single area. But in this case, rioters or protesters have deliberately targeted a business district, a facility, a transportation system, or an organization to impose maximum disruption. One example: the World Trade Organization protests in Seattle in 1999; young people with violence in mind and rage in their hearts attacked an entire downtown, affecting hundreds of businesses and tens of thousands of workers who hardly knew what hit them. Another example: This spring, protesters in Thailand shut down the Bangkok airport, affecting who knows how many individuals and businesses. Level Two unrest is usually planned or semi-planned. The target is chosen deliberately. Although still focused in one area, Level Two can disrupt normal life and business in a whole region or country.

LEVEL THREE: Level Three comes when mass unrest or authoritarian crackdown causes disruption at state or regional level. Then, no matter what the original cause or location of the trouble, everyone in the region is affected. Effects might include travel restrictions, random ID checks, mass arrests, food and fuel rationing, controls on money and banking, roadblocks, and other harsh “emergency” restrictions.

LEVEL FOUR: Level Four is Level Three but on a national or even international scale. It’s martial law. If things ever get this bad, it’s likely that the government itself will be a far bigger threat to everyone’s well being than whatever the original cause of the clampdown was.

And of course, any level of civil unrest can lead to laws, regulations, and harsher police policies that end up affecting everybody in the long run.

Yes, it can involve us

We make a mistake if we think civil unrest is strictly an urban phenomena. It can happen anywhere.

When 400 government agents and soldiers descended on one isolated family in the Idaho mountains, the roadblocks, helicopters, Humvees, media presence, and furious protestors surrounded the Randy Weaver family and brought the normal life of Boundary County, Idaho, to a halt. The siege against the Branch Davidian church in Waco, Texas, wasn’t conducted in the inner-city, either. Yet both of these were large scale catastrophes with all the hallmarks of civil unrest individuals or groups resisting, government insisting.

I can easily envision strictly rural-based unrest that urban dwellers will never even hear about (except perhaps in highly distorted reports). What happens, for instance, if farmers, 4H families, owners of saddle horses, and holders of small chicken flocks decide to resist en masse the National Animal Identification System (NAIS)? It’s easy to imagine, in these crazy days, USDA SWAT teams descending on the countryside to make arrests, forcibly register or destroy non-compliant animals, and burn down non-registered facilities.

The future could see rural resistance to invasive census-taking, forced vaccination programs, land takings, water-rights policies, or the destruction of herds for real or bogus health reasons. As country people increasingly see governments as foreign organizations driven by the interests of city dwellers, pharmaceutical companies, and mega-agri-business, it wouldn’t surprise me.

If we ever have serious food shortages, expect rural areas to be besieged.

Even when civil unrest confines itself to the cities, airports, or highways it can affect us in crazy ways. Here’s a funny example of unpredictable (in this case mild) consequences. A friend was due to have her first book published in Canada. She was very excited then disappointed when weeks dragged by and the book didn’t appear. Turns out that a band of Indians was blocking a highway bridge the printer’s truck had to cross. The union truckers, in solidarity, refused to route around the protest. Just one small consequence. But you can see the unpredictability.

The simple truth is that we don’t know what kinds of unrest to anticipate. We don’t know when, or if, we’ll see civil unrest. But thinking about the problem and preparing ourselves mentally and physically to deal with it should be just another aspect of our personal preparedness.

What we can do

1. Keep standard emergency preps up to date. First thing to do is make sure all our typical household preparedness supplies and plans are current. As BHM readers know, backup food, water, and other supplies are our mainstay for everything from bad storms to long-term unemployment, from power outages to social breakdowns. During civil unrest, especially at Level Three or Four, we might not be able to get out to buy things we need or we might consider it more prudent to stay at home. On the other hand, if we ourselves are part of the unrest, we may need those supplies to sit out a siege.

2. Don’t fall into foolish complacency. We who live in the country tend to have an “it can’t happen here” attitude toward political violence or social upheaval. We see those things as urban pheonomena. And mostly, they are. But there’s no ironclad rule that says they have to be. If anything disrupts the supply chain, for instance, rural areas could be the first to be cut off from food, medicines, fuel, or other necessities. If government breaks down to the point where it can’t deliver food stamps, housing vouchers, social security, or bureaucrats’ pay, the rural poor and unemployed could become just as restive as their urban counterparts.

3. Watch your health. As I write this, the airwaves are shrilling about swine flu. This outbreak may fizzle; after all, perfectly normal flu kills many every year without causing panic, martial law, or incessant media coverage. On the other hand, it’s certain that one day some illness will rampage across the globe. Few things inspire public panic more quickly than contagious disease, and once again rural areas are not immune. Take all the standard recommended precautions like frequent handwashing. Make sure your preparedness kit includes surgical masks and disposable gloves as well as a selection of frequently updated medications. And be ready to lay low at home for a long time in the event a serious plague gets loose.

4. Make common cause with your neighbors. I’ve said it before, but establishing a strong bond with people in your community right now is vital to every sort of emergency preparedness. In event of a Level One or Two emergency, these are the folks who could come to your house to make sure you’re okay. They might give you a ride out or a place to sleep if you accidentally end up in a “hot zone” of riot or protest. In a deeper or more long-term emergency, they could pool resources with you to make supply runs. They can advise you if they’ve spotted a roadblock. They might let you cross their land to avoid a route that has become dangerous.

5. If you grow crops or raise food animals and the unrest is due to a food shortage (or something has driven city people out into the countryside), prepare to protect your resources day and night. Here again neighbors can do each other valuable services, like taking shifts guarding fields, barns, private roads, and gardens. Yes, this is an apocalyptic scenario. Not a likely one. But if it happens, it’s a Level Three or Level Four emergency delivered to your own front yard.

6. Get advance word on local conditions when traveling. We’re used to hopping into our vehicles or onto airplanes and going wherever we want to go. But as the worldwide economy deteriorates, it’s wise to keep an eye on our destination. Right now, this warning pertains more to overseas travel than jaunts within the U.S. If you plan to go abroad, visit online sites like Travelfish.org. They’ll have bulletins about adverse conditions in areas you plan to visit; you may even be able to receive alerts via email that will warn you about anything from political protests to disease outbreaks in places you plan to go.

7. Watch for signs of trouble when in an unfamiliar area. Sometimes the only advance notice you get is the notice your own senses give you. When walking, driving, biking, or otherwise traveling in unfamiliar places, stay in what gunfolk call “condition yellow.” This is different than the meaningless colored threat levels the Department of Homeland Security puts out. It just means “be alert!” Never simply allow yourself to slouch along obliviously. Always be aware of who’s nearby and what’s going on around you. If you spot trouble developing, turn. Avoid it if at all possible.

8. If you stumble into a “hot zone” of unrest, be prepared to think on your feet. Not many people are qualified to give you advice about how to behave if you unavoidably find yourself in the midst of trouble a riot, a mass protest that suddenly engulfs your familiar downtown, a spot where police are bashing heads or hurling tear gas seemingly at random. That’s because not many people have ever been there and every catastrophe is different. If street-level chaos surrounds you, do your best to keep a cool head, move away from the worst of it if you get the chance, and get inside if possible.

9. If you’re swept up in mass arrests during a riot or demonstration, the officers probably aren’t going to be listening to your protestations of being an innocent bystander. You’ll only tick them off and possibly get a charge of resisting arrest. The best advice I’ve received from my friends who’ve been busted during out-of-hand protests: Go along as best you can. Usually, all charges in such cases are either dropped or reduced once calm is restored. Only if we’ve reached the extreme point where police are rounding people up and throwing them into detention camps or “disappearing” them is fighting cops on the street likely to be worth it; then…fight like a demon.

10. Have a good lawyer and carry his or her card with you. Once again, in the heat of chaos it may not do you much good. But that card will come in handy later. Besides, if you and a police officer have an encounter in calmer circumstances, a lawyer’s card, along with your calm assertion of your legal rights, will help you to be taken seriously. Police officers are like anybody else; they’re more likely to go after easy targets than ones who are obviously knowledgeable and prepared. My lawyer has a helpful little list on the back of his card of the things you should do and not do when accosted by a police officer.1 I’d trust that more than my own nerves in a tight situation.

11. Be careful of roadblocks. This is a hard one. If we reach Level Three or Four of unrest, we may not only see the obnoxious police “checkpoints” we’re burdened with today. We might also see two other things. One would be expanded police roadblocks, with warrantless searches, harsh questioning, and possibly mass arrests. Another could be “freelance” roadblocks—roadblocks set up by anybody from political protesters to highwaymen. (Just as gangs of home invaders now masquerade as SWAT teams, highwaymen might masquerade as government officials to rob the unwary.) If it’s humanly possible, avoid roadblocks. It’s not illegal to turn away from them, as long as you don’t disobey any traffic laws. Police do consider it suspicious behavior and may come after you, even if you’ve done nothing wrong; but in a time of civil unrest, avoiding a roadblock could save your skin. Of course, both police and freelancers will set up their blockades to make them as hard as possible to avoid—all the more reason to be alert, know where roadblocks are likely to be, and have a mental map of alternate routes. If, in a time and place of unrest, you’re in a line approaching a roadblock, watch what happens to the people ahead of you. If you see any sign that the motorists ahead are being abused, get out of there.

So far, we’ve talked mostly as if civil unrest is something apart from us something we might have to be wary of, something we might stumble accidentally into. But the fact is that as our country becomes less free, we might of course be the civil unrest.

We might resist having our premises tagged for NAIS or having our herds slaughtered for real or bogus health reasons. We might end up fighting evictions (as farmers and many rural dwellers have for centuries during hard times). We might be the ones who say, “Hell no, we won’t go!” when the mobile vaccination van comes to town, or the ones who try to keep our neighbors from being rounded up and sent to camps. Times are uncertain. We simply don’t know.

But in every case, preparedness, foreknowledge, and a cool head will come in handy.

Some of us already have lines in the sand that would inspire us to resist abuses of authority. And that, right there, is something our would-be masters fear—our disobedience. What will happen? And when? Nobody has a crystal ball. But the combination of public frustration and governmental apprehension is an explosive one. Someday, somebody will light the match.

1 Here’s the copy on the lawyer’s card (capitalization his):

IF YOU ARE ARRESTED OR CONFRONTED BY THE POLICE:

1. FIRST, ask to call your lawyer.

2. Be courteous; do not resist.

3. Do not consent to search or entry.

4. Do not talk about anything; do not admit OR DENY anything.

5. Ask if you are free to go. If you are, GO.

I’ve had several different lawyer’s cards over the years that say similar, but slightly different things. Another great source of information on how to handle yourself when confronted by police is the DVD Busted: The Citizen’s Guide to Surviving Police Encounters. It’s great because it shows very realistic scenarios and coaches you vividly on how to navigate them. Clips from “Busted” are online at the link above.

 

Things are starting to line-up on the Geo-political front

After running circles for two weeks North of Taiwan And staying way outside of China's missile range, it seems that the (American aircraft carrier) Reagan has tucked its tail and gone back to Japan,where the sailors are free to run over some random Japanese with a simple slap on the wrist.

-cindy6

I am crazy busy. Please enjoy this latest article for today.

What China’s Taiwan white paper is saying

This important document is intended to remind the West that China will not budge on its position on Taiwan
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This excellent piece by a true China expert, George Koo, is all you need if you don’t want to read the White Paper on Taiwan produced by the People’s Republic of China government.
Four essential realities from Koo's article :

1- Taiwan will be reunited with the Mainland.

2- The Taiwanese are waking up to the reality (obvious for any non brainwashed outsider with a tad of common sense) that the US government is not their friend and Americans will not die for Taiwan. The Taiwanese don't seem to be strongly attracted to the role of cannon fodder. What's happening now in Ukraine is certainly a cautionary tale for them.

Moreover, the aircraft carrier USS Ronald Reagan backed off and sailed away when the People's Liberation Army Navy started at the beginning of August 2022 the naval exercises around the island of Taiwan. That event was definitely an eye-opener for all the Taiwanese, even the most obtuse ones.

3- The more the Taiwanese learn about Mainland China's pĺace in the world, the more they will want to be part of it.

4- The Taiwanese enjoy immense benefits by their close economical association with Mainland China. And more and more Taiwanese realize it's truly valuable.

By flying to Asia and landing in Taipei, the Speaker of the US House of Representatives, Nancy Pelosi, disregarded the “one China” principle and the fact that Taiwan is a province of China.

Pelosi stepped over China’s red line.

And, as promised, China responded by holding live-fire drills all around the island for the first time in the history of cross-Strait relations.

The military exercises by the People’s Liberation Army prompted the aircraft carrier USS Ronald Reagan to sail away from the waters of Taiwan.

This made it abundantly clear to the people in Taiwan that while the United States wants to encourage Taipei to start a war with the mainland, Taiwan would have to fight the PLA by itself.

Seeing these developments, the collective wisdom of the people in Taiwan as reflected by the media is to conclude that to declare independence and break away from China would be suicidal.

The US Congress and President Joe Biden’s administration, however, have continued to test China’s resolve and attempt to push the red line.

Since the US and the People’s Republic of China (PRC) normalized relations in 1979, Congress has enacted a series of legislation to weaken the bilateral agreement progressively as expressed by three communiqués.

The first communiqué was agreed in 1972 when then-US president Richard Nixon went to China. Each communiqué stating that Taiwan is a part of China was signed by both Washington and Beijing and is binding on both parties.

Unlike these joint agreements, the US government arrogantly presumes that any law enacted by its Congress is unilaterally binding on China as well.

In response to this American arrogance, the State Council Information Office in Beijing has issued a white paper on the “Taiwan Question and the Cause of China’s Reunification in the New Era.”

This important document is obviously intended to remind the West that China will not budge on its position on Taiwan.

First of all, the paper reiterates that Taiwan is part of China, that reunification is inevitable, that the way reunification will take place is a matter between Taiwan and the mainland, and that Beijing will brook no outside interference.

This is a re-statement of the red line about Taiwan that has never changed but is now stated in no uncertain terms.

Second, the white paper reviewed Taiwan’s place throughout the history of China. The terms of Japan’s unconditional surrender at the end of World War II mandated the return of Taiwan to China after 50 years of Japanese occupation.

At present, 181 countries including the US recognize the PRC as the legal government of China and that Taiwan is part of one China.

Advantages of being part of China

Some people in Taiwan may not fully appreciate the intertwined cross-Strait economic relationship. If so, they should read the white paper and understand the advantages of Taiwan being a part of the national economy.

As just one of the indicators, Taiwanese businesses have over the years invested more than US$71 billion in more than 1.2 million projects on the mainland – not to mention an annual trade surplus of $170 billion that Taiwan enjoys with the mainland.

From 1980 to 2021, the mainland’s economy grew three times as fast as Taiwan’s and has become the second-largest in the world, and is soon to overtake the US to become No 1. China has become a major power not only economically but in science and technology and in military prowess.

As more people in Taiwan come to understand China’s place in the world, they will appreciate being a part of China.

Winding through Congress is the Taiwan Policy Act of 2022, which according to its sponsors will promote the security of Taiwan, ensures regional stability and threatens China with broad economic sanctions.

But the consequences of Pelosi’s visit to Taiwan showed that such an act will do just the opposite: The island will become less secure and the region less stable.

As we have also seen from the Ukraine war, the US sanctions imposed on Russia backfired badly, causing worldwide food shortages, rising energy prices and overall inflation, and solidified the ruble’s place among the world’s major currencies.

Any attempted sanctions on China would inflict blows to the US economy many times more serious than the sanctions on Russia.

One only need look at the foolhardy tariff war waged by former US president Donald Trump and continued by Biden. The American consumer had to pay a higher price for goods made in China because of the tariffs, and the trade surplus by China only increased rather than reduced. For Washington to threaten China with sanctions is meaningless if not just stupid.

Moreover, the white paper has reasserted China’s red line on Taiwan, leaving no room for ambiguity or equivocation.

This is a matter of sovereignty for China.

The Chinese do not make empty threats.

They will view stepping over the line as an act of war.

No independence without US support

Taiwan’s ruling pro-independence (taidu) faction would not be so foolish as to declare independence without US support.

If the US does show support, then China will most likely strike at the US naval ships first and take them out of action.

Without American military presence, the taidu faction will become irrelevant and negotiations between Taiwan and the mainland for a peaceful reunification can begin.

Article HERE

Creamy Dijon-Bacon Pasta Salad

If you’re a potato salad fan but want a new twist on the dish, try this Creamy Dijon-Bacon Pasta Salad. Loaded with bacon, cheese, chopped eggs, green onions and crunchy celery, it’s sure to be a hit at your next barbecue, picnic or potluck. Short on time? Just opt for a few premade ingredients to make this easy recipe go even quicker!

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Creamy Dijon-Bacon Pasta Salad

Ingredients

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A Rescue

This is a starving kitten who was abandoned, actually physically

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tossed out of an apartment, by a couple of persons who were rapidly discovering the joys of meth addiction.

I took her in three years ago, and she has had a forever home since.

Here she is at around six months. She was a little hellion, and still is.

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Williams Moldt

It was the year 1997, a middle-aged man called his girlfriend, to let her know that he had left a party and was already on his way home, the thing is, he never came.

The man left the club at approximately 11 at night, and as I told you he called his girlfriend, told her that he was already getting into the car to go home, he was not drunk and the few witnesses who saw him stated that the man had only had one or two beers at most.

And that is the last that is known of Williams Moldt.

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The case was closed and for many of his friends and family the case had become an unsolved mystery.

Twenty-two years have passed since the disappearance of Williams, a resident of the Grand Island community in Wellington (USA) was looking at the neighborhood on Google Earth, when suddenly he saw something that caught his attention:

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Although it blended into the background, a car could apparently be seen at the bottom of the pond.

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He notified the authorities that with the help of a crane they removed the car, the car of Williams Moldt who had been missing for more than two decades, with Williams still inside.

The exact reason for how he ended up there is not known, it could have been that he lost concentration or that he was actually more drunk than the witnesses had stated and that is why he lost control of the vehicle.

What is certain is that thanks to the internet and Google Earth, an apparent mystery that had been unsolved for 22 years could be solved.

Dudley

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A best cat.

Dudley, the best cat I ever had, came to me off death row at the city animal control kennel. He was a notorious disciplinary problem, and honestly, the first six months of living with him were pretty hellish. I especially could have skipped some of his more territorial behaviors. Fortunately, he never sprayed in the house. But he did go through the cat door to the garage and shower the inside of the garage door. The first few times I stood under the door as I opened it and got covered by cat piss, I was less than amused. Generally he wasn’t cuddly, and he tended to bite and scratch. He’d been adopted out more than once and brought back before I pulled him back from euthanasia with only a few hours to go.

Eventually, he settled down — at least with me. And it got to the point where he actually did cuddle. I’d get in bed, and he’d tuck himself up into my left armpit, push his nose into my left ear, and begin snoring loudly.

Still, he insisted on going out and tearing up the neighborhood. Thankfullly, he understood that after the sun went down I wanted him home, and he didn’t abuse the priviledges. The neighbors dogs were all exceedingly frightened of him, as were the trash collectors, since he liked to chase their truck and attack them. When the city got trucks with claws to pick up the cans so nobody had to get out anymore, it was a sad day in Dudley’s life.

We had many happy years together, and to this day, he’s my gold standard of cat. The “Beware of Cat” sign still hangs in front of my house. And people who’ve lived in the neighborhood know that it wasn’t put there as a joke.

UAE

I have many Chinese friends. I’ve studied Mandarin for a year and even learnt a bit of Kung fu!

Here is an old photo of me at my friend’s birthday party:

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I bet you noticed. I was the only non-Chinese invited.

And here is another photo with my friend Li at our bachelor degree graduation (bad timing though):

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I mostly interacted with the Chinese abroad through studies or work. In the Emirates, I rarely interact with Chinese people. So I’m guessing that Emirati-Chinese interactions within the UAE are mostly at the workplace.

My view (as an Emarati and from my minimal experience) is that the Chinese have a very rich history and culture and that they are polite people.

I like the outspoken individuals who share their views and opinions. I’ve learned a lot from such Chinese people.

I also noticed that some form clusters or groups abroad and keep to themselves and hardly interact with other non-Chinese.

On a different note, I once went to buy some goods from a shop owned by Chinese in Abu Dhabi. Went in and started talking basic Mandarin. The shocked looked on their faces was priceless. Their faces turned red hahaha. This Arab wearing a white dress and a red head turban comes in and starts speaking Chinese. We kept laughing later on.

Naoto Matsumura

Naoto Matsumura, who was one of the people involved in the Fukushima disaster, has stayed behind. He was feeding stray animals:

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Naoto Matsumura

And helping to take care of the environment:

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He continues to put himself at risk and give back, tending to wildlife. Thousands of animals had already died while locked in cages, and he rushed to save as many as he could:

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He is the sole inhabitant in that region. They told him he’d get sick within 20–30 years if he stayed. He figured he’d be dead by then so why not stay and help the animals out:

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Why China will become more prosperous after this…

In reference to a series of Western Media article painting and predicting the ultimate collapse of China, and the lynching of President Xi Peng…

To Quote:

Their boycott represents one of the most widespread acts of public defiance in China. Despite efforts from internet censors to quash the news, collectives of homeowners have started or threatened to boycott in 326 properties, according to a crowdsourced list. By some estimates, they could affect about $222 billion of home loans, or roughly 4 percent of outstanding mortgages.
The boycotts are also a sign of a growing economic fallout as China reckons with the impacts of its Covid restrictions. The country’s economy is on track for its slowest growth in decades. The real estate market, which drives about one-third of China’s economic activity, has proved particularly vulnerable.

And a response from a long-time Chinese, China “Watcher”…

China is the only country dare to address such real estate over values problem due to speculative profit manipulation by the 0.1%. The outcome if such problems is not address:

1) unaffordable housing, low home ownership, rising number of working poor and homeless population

2) when households spend so much on mortgages repayment or rental, the average people will have less money for food, health care, children education, and others. And thus a lost in consumption power = sluggish economy and income inequality = lost of financial ability to get marriage and have children = aging population

3) high rental and high housing cost also generate high cost of doing business and cost of living = inflation = DEMAND for wage rise = further rising cost for everything = lower PPP = unattractive investment environments for manufacturing = unsustainable economy

4) In the West, politicians dare not face the consequences of expected real estate bubbles burst, so they deliberately keep to bubble expanding by encouraging more and more overseas migrants to support the consumption economy and property market, and not releasing the equal amount of new land for housing to support the increased population, and thus keep the real estate market pricing continues to expand. As a result, a declining middle class and expanding population living in poverty.

5) In the crusader west, if the people default on mortgage repayment, they will soon lost their home and become homeless. Such as the massive foreclosure across the US during the 2008 GFC and the cash rich billionaires will took the opportunity to take control of more real estate at bargain price. And push up the market price against for the cash rich new migrants =, more local population poverty and homelessness.

However, the CCP tackle the rising housing market head on. The current drastic drop in housing price across China is an deliberate policy induce market adjustment.

As a result, some Chinese people refused to live on a negative wealth property , and refused to pay their mortgage.

The people oriented CCP understand their pain and is brainstorming to sort out the issues.

Once the issues resolved, the policy objectives of housing affordable will be achieved, inequality reduced, people happiness and satisfaction with government and society will enhance.

With real estate price down, the cost of running a business in China will further reduce. The condition for attracting more FDI investment will be strengthen, social stability will be even more solid, people with less financial stress will be more willing to spend on other things, more babies will be affordable. the country will become the magnet to the rest of the world.

Chinese people will love their country and their government more.

Cheers
Chua

Wealth

I’m not going to post an actual picture but one of my neighbors dresses and looks almost identical to Richard from Silicon Valley:

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And his house looks like:

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The starting price for a home in this neighborhood is around 2.5M and his home is probably worth closer to 4M.

And he dresses this way every single day…

And he is not alone…

Almost every other person in my neighborhood dresses in the same casual attire void of any branding and logos. Do they look like “bums”? No, but they definitely don’t dress in a manner that says, “hey, look at me”.

If you ran into my neighbor on the street, you would probably not give him a second look and if you did, you probably would assume he is going to have trouble making this month’s rent lol…

What is funny is that less than a mile away there are a lot of small condos and you constantly see the women living there carrying LV bags and guys sporting all sort of clothing with high-end branding, while most of them are living paycheck-to-paycheck.

I have noticed that the wealthy don’t seem to feel that it’s necessary to bring attention to the fact that they are wealthy and those that wish they were wealthy, want to appear in a manner that makes them look wealthy. It’s quite amusing.

Then there is the super wealthy and most of them will only wear branded clothing that they have a vested interest in. In other words, unless they own the company, or at least a part of it, they aren’t going to walk around advertising their competitors. But that’s on an entirely other level 🙂

Here is the way I see it…

If we are truly honest with ourselves, there are probably only 2 or 3 things that you are REALLY into and you should feel free to spend your hard earned money on those things.

So if you are into fashion, by all means… buy and wear the clothing that you like.

Where the issues start is when you begin spending money on things that you don’t really care about because you want to impress other people.

That’s something most wealthy people simply don’t do. If they aren’t into shoes, they aren’t going to spend 1k on a pair of Gucci loafers. Regardless if they can easily afford it or not. While someone else will max out their credit card so they can try and impress someone that they don’t even like…

So whether it’s clothes, watches, cars or whatever… if you are truly into it and if you have the means to enjoy those luxuries, go for it. Just forget about the rest of the stuff you don’t really care about. At the end of the day, the only person you should be worried about impressing is yourself.

Tent Cities Are Taking Over Vast Stretches Of Our Major Cities (And It Is Only Going To Get Worse)

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If brighter days are ahead for the U.S. economy, why are so many tent cities popping up all over the nation?  At this point things are so bad that even the New York Times is admitting that “America’s homelessness problem has the makings of an acute crisis”.  That article goes on to explain that our homeless population is steadily rising.  Tonight, hundreds of thousands of our fellow Americans will be sleeping in tents, under bridges, in overcrowded shelters or in their vehicles.  Of course there are many that are so addicted to drugs or alcohol that they just sleep wherever they end up passing out.  This is a tragedy that is growing with each passing day, and it is only going to get worse in the months ahead as the U.S. economy slows down even more.

Earlier today, I was truly stunned by a Fox News article about what is going on in Portland right now.  Tent cities are literally taking over entire neighborhoods, and many residents are “resorting to selling their homes” as a result…

Residents in a Portland, Oregon, neighborhood are resorting to selling their homes and moving due to homeless encampments right outside their front doors.

“It’s a little scary because I know there is mental illness and that concerns me,” North Portland resident Maria Inocencio told KGW8.

Residents of North Portland said at least three families on one street have left in recent days due to the homeless camps, and KGW8 reported seeing for-sale signs up and down streets.

Portland was once such a beautiful place, but now it has literally been transformed into a hellhole.

Needless to say, Portland is far from alone.  From Seattle all the way down to San Diego, communities all along the west coast are being plagued by relentlessly growing encampments.  In many cases, such encampments are magnets for drug addicts and other societal outcasts.

But this is not just a west coast problem.

Let me give you are couple of examples.  In recent weeks, tent cities have been popping up all over Pittsburgh

“We want immediate action. We want to see people in homes. There’s a humane way to deal with homelessness,” said Pittsburgh City Council president Theresa Kail-Smith.

Homeless camps are popping up all over the Northside.

You’ll see them on the Riverfront Trail to Millvale.

Another makeshift tent city popped up underneath the Andy Warhol Bridge.

And in Fayetteville, North Carolina one burgeoning homeless camp recently made news because it features quite a few registered sex offenders…

There are 843 registered sex offenders living in Cumberland County. For dozens in Fayetteville, their home is a tent alongside the road.

Deputies in the Sheriff’s Office Sex Offender Registration Enforcement Unit (SOREU) learned the group of offenders are homeless and stay in a tent community along where the busy Martin Luther King Jr. Freeway (Highway 87) goes over Gillespie Street. Some live under the overpass while others live in a nearby field beside Gillespie Street.

From coast to coast, this is becoming an enormous issue.

And the truth is that it is only going to intensify as the months roll along.

In 2008 and 2009, millions of Americans lost their jobs as the economy plunged into a major downturn.

Once those people lost their jobs, many of them could no longer afford their homes and soon found themselves on the streets.

I wish that we would never have to see anything like that again.  It was truly a very dark chapter in our history, and countless people had their lives turned completely upside down.

Unfortunately, it is starting to happen again.

As I detailed earlier this month, large companies are starting to lay off workers in substantial numbers.

This even includes Facebook.  This week, we learned that Facebook recently used a very unique method to lay off one group of workers…

A group of about 60 contractors who work with Facebook learned they were laid off this week after they were chosen ‘at random’ by an algorithm.

The layoffs are the latest example of Big Tech reining in spending and hiring, as just days ago Apple let go of about 100 recruiters.

Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg has also recently said he will weed out underperforming employees with ‘aggressive performance reviews’ as the company braces for a deep economic turndown.

I suppose that is one way to avoid personal responsibility for firing someone.

“Don’t blame me – it was the algorithm”.

If a big corporation that is swimming in cash like Facebook already feels forced to “thin the herd”, I think that is a very bad sign for the employment market as a whole.

In the months ahead, I think that there will be a lot more layoffs all over the country.

And this comes at a time when the housing market is starting to collapse.

Existing home sales in the United States have now fallen for six months in a row, and the numbers for the month of July were downright depressing

Sales of previously owned homes fell nearly 6% in July compared with June, according to a monthly report from the National Association of Realtors.

The sales count declined to a seasonally adjusted annualized rate of 4.81 million units, the group added. It is the slowest sales pace since November 2015, with the exception of a brief plunge at the beginning of the Covid pandemic.

Sales dropped about 20% from the same month a year ago.

I anticipated that home sales would be lower than last July, but a 20 percent drop is pretty catastrophic.

And as the Federal Reserve continues to raise interest rates, it is probably inevitable that the numbers will get even worse.

The stage is being set for a historic economic meltdown, and I would encourage you to do what you can to get prepared for it.

2008 and 2009 were extremely bitter.

What is coming will likely be even worse.

And as the economy deteriorates, tent cities will continue to take over more neighborhoods all over America.

But don’t look down on those that are living in tents.

With a run of bad luck, you could be one of them too.

Apple and Foxconn will be forced to rely ONLY on Taiwan supplies of IC’s

Taiwanese electronics manufacturer and Apple supplier Foxconn will likely be forced to back out of a $800 million investment in Chinese chipmaker and foundry operator Tsinghua Unigroup, thanks to rapidly deteriorating international relations.
The government in Taiwan was already considering fining Foxconn around $835,000 for failing to secure regulatory approval on the investment. But now, reports have emerged that Taiwanese national security officials want the whole thing called off altogether.

From HERE

China Warns U.S. Over Sailing Warships Through Taiwan Strait

China’s ambassador to Washington, Qin Gang, said Tuesday that China viewed such Taiwan transits as an escalation by the U.S. and an effort to support the “separatist” government in Taipei. He delivered the warning after Senator Edward Markey, a Massachusetts Democrat, wrapped up the second trip to the island in less than two weeks by a U.S. congressional delegation.

“The US side has done too much and going too far in this region,” Qin said in response to a question about potential naval patrols. “I do call on our American colleagues to refrain, to exercise restraint, not to do anything to escalate the tension. So if there’s any moves damaging China’s territorial integrity and sovereignty, so China will respond. China will respond.”

The Biden administration has said it WOULD conduct air and maritime transits through the Taiwan Strait after China responded to Pelosi’s trip with a series of military drills around the island, including likely firing ballistic missiles over Taipei. The U.S. has long held that such transits, like congressional visits, are consistent with its “one China” policy not to formally recognize the democratically elected government in Taipei.

Article HERE

Older folk

As I am 73, I am going to share my experience.

Three 1/2 years ago my dog, Homie, crossed over the 🌈 Bridge. I missed him terribly, but decided not to get another dog as I have ambulatory issues and had fallen several times while walking him.

I have always had dogs and cats and love them equally, so I went to the local Animal Shelter and told the receptionist I wanted to meet the oldest cat they had, or the one hardest to adopt out.. They took me to meet a slender long-legged tuxedo cat who had been surrendered several months before.. her card said she was 15, declawed, spayed, her name was Spooky, and they didn’t want her anymore. I changed her name to Schatzi (German for Treasure or Darling) because she is a Diva!

About 3 weeks later, I was on the porch talking to my son when this little tabby tom cat climbed up in my lap and I heard, plain as day, I been ‘bandoned’ will you be my Mommy and I’m Hungry.. I found out later that this little skinny guy, covered in fleas, was about 3–4 months old and had been left in our little trailer park when the woman who owned him moved. I named him Mickey.

He is almost 4 and she is close to 19. I love them both very much and they sleep with me.. They give me a reason to get up every day and enrich this old lady’s life!

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German air force sending warplanes to fly around Taiwan and intimidate China

Amid the tense situation in the Taiwan Strait, the German air force sent fighter jets to Asia for the first time on Tuesday (Aug. 16) to take part in exercises in Australia and will also fly near Taiwan, marking the largest overseas deployment of German military aircraft since WW II.

Six German Eurofighter Typhoons took off from an airbase in the southeastern German state of Bavaria on Monday evening (Aug. 15). Their first stop was Singapore, covering a distance of 12,800 kilometers within 24 hours with the help of three A330 aerial tankers. The squadron is scheduled to fly to Australia to take part in a 17-nation joint military exercise from late August to September dubbed “Pitch Black.”

At the end of September, the squadron will head north from Singapore. After visiting Japan and South Korea, the fighter jets will begin the long journey back to Germany and will fly in “airspace adjacent” to Taiwan along the way, reported CNA.

In order to carry out the mission, which is code-named “Rapid Pacific 2022,” the German air force will also dispatch four A400M transport aircraft, bringing the total number of aircraft to 13 with 250 officers and enlisted men participating. This is the first time the German air force has flown aircraft to the Indo-Pacific since its founding in 1956.

German fighters will fly through the airspace near Taiwan at a sensitive time when the situation in the Taiwan Strait is tense with daily People’s Liberation Army (PLA) intrusions across the median line following a visit by U.S. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi on Aug. 2-3. German air force chief, Ingo Gerhartz, was cited by DW as saying that the fighters will “barely touch” the South China Sea, and will not pass through the Taiwan Strait as they stick to international routes.

Regarding the flight path of the jets near Taiwan, “The South China Sea, Taiwan — these are obviously the sticking points in the region,” said Gerhartz. He then denied “sending any threatening message towards China” by participating in the war games in Australia.

From HERE

Having lived in China for about 4 years now and in the USA for over 14 years I think I’m well qualified to shed some light on this matter.

And since I’m neither Chinese nor a Westerner, you can be assured I won’t be sugar-coating anything or favor one over the other. These are simply my observations.

The biggest difference I discovered between the two, at a fundamental level is their priorities. Chinese culture tends to prioritize the result or the end whereas Western society prioritizes the process or the means.

China is Outcome-Driven

To put it very bluntly, China cares more about money than the west. The ideal outcome that every Chinese person strives for is to have more money. Yes, money is EXTREMELY important in Chinese culture because it guarantees security for the family. They have no social safety net to fall back on. And the memories of the difficult times is still fresh in the minds of the older generations.

This is why it is extremely important in Chinese culture to have your own house and car to show people that you have wealth. You’ve made it. How you attain that wealth is not really important or up for discussion, as long as you reach that status or checkmark. Life is brutal and unforgiving. It is a culture where they respect power and money more than anything else.

Chinese are also more productive and industrious at the business level. There is less red tape or regulations to deal with so they get $hit done. Competition is fierce because everyone is hustling to outgrow and out-compete and out-produce you. The Chinese are remarkably pragmatic and solution-oriented people.

Since Chinese culture focuses on results, people tend to be more successful in life. They are good at “obtaining” things like permits, quotas, meeting deadlines or requirements, etc.

The West is System-Driven

While China is an outcome-driven culture, the west is a system-driven one. The outcome is important, but what’s more important in western culture is the processes and the art that you use to reach that outcome.

That is why in the west it’s taboo to ask someone how much he/she makes. What’s more important is what the person does for a living.

In business, the Chinese will focus on reducing costs and increasing efficiency while Westerners, especially Europeans, will care more about how that product is made and provide valuable experiences with that product.

To illustrate this let’s look at watches. The Quartz watch was perfected by the Japanese, an eastern culture similar to the Chinese. It was revolutionary because it was more precise than mechanical watches. A perfect example of focusing on the outcome. The desired outcome of the watch is to tell the time as accurately as possible at the lowest cost. Japan delivers. However, can a Casio G-Shock watch evoke the same kind of experience and emotion as a Rolex or a Vacheron Constantin can? Probably not. Even though they are less accurate, there’s something special about these mechanical watches in how they are made and the history that a Casio can never compete with.

In western culture feelings or experiences are important while they are suppressed in eastern cultures. Westerners will say things like “how are you feeling today?” “how do you feel about bla bla bla?” etc. This is rare in China. The west has a more literary and artistic output from the west.

Living in Asia I noticed how westerners are just wired differently from East Asians. They will have tons of small talk even at work, talking about the news or some difficulties they encountered on their way to work that day, trivial affairs that are never really the topic of conversation among the Chinese. For the Chinese, they made it to work on time, there’s nothing more to say on the matter.

Since western culture focuses on the how, it is an extremely legalistic or litigious society. In the west, a company must abide by certain regulations or codes. For example, they have to follow specific animal protection laws when making leather products. So generally it’s more costly to get things done in the west. That’s why so many businesses have moved their productions to China where the regulations are lax.

Westerners also tend to be more inquisitive. Science has traditionally been a forte of western culture. And science is really about taking things apart and learning how they work, learning the processes and the mechanics. While westerners are very good at discovering new ideas, the theoretical department, the Chinese are experts at commercializing those ideas and implementing them in a practical setting.

To sum up the global economy today: The west supplies the designs, China implements those designs. Be it iPhones or Shanghai skyscrapers.

Collectivism vs Individualism

The second biggest difference between China and the west is that the former is a collectivist or conformist society, while the latter is an individualistic society.

China as a whole is much more unified and centralized than the west. The Chinese practice conformity to a truly remarkable extent, largely due to its Confucius and Communist past. You could be thousands of miles away in a different city in China and still expect to find the same kind of architecture, shops, signage, amenities, etc. There’s both the upside and downside to this. It can be a tad boring to see the same stuff everywhere you go, but it affords a certain level of convenience. This is why I think there is a stronger sense of national identity in China.

The West is more individualistic and this is reflected in the political landscape. Europe is a fragmented continent. It is divided into many small countries which are in turn divided into many small regions and towns. And each of these regions and towns has its distinct culture, architecture, customs, and sometimes even languages.

For example, Scotland has its own separate unique identity that is different from the UK or Europe. And Scotland is a country of only about 5 million people. Many medium-sized cities in China have more people than the entire country of Scotland. The same goes for regions like Wales, Northern Ireland, Cornwall, Andalucia, Catalunya, Bavaria, Veneto, Flanders, etc.

Mango

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Mango

You shouldn’t, unless your life style will prevent you from giving the traumatized cat a good life. When I went to the shelter to find a new cat, they told me about Mango. Mango was rescued from the street, in a big city, as part of a litter of kittens, whose mother had been killed. They found the six week old kittens next to the dead mother, and the bloody bat that was used to bash the mother’s brain by some horrible human.

She was just so terrified of everything. Especially, humans. Can you blame her?

They tried to foster her with families, but she couldn’t adjust to kids, other pets, noise or humans. When I arrived at the shelter, they had her in a cage, in the lobby, in an attempt to socialize her. She was visibly shaking. Since I lived alone with no kids, I agreed to adopt her. For the first month, she rarely came out from under the guest room bed… but slowly and surely she came around.

That was 13 years ago. Does she still jump off the couch and hide when I sneeze? Yup. Are there friends and family that have NEVER actually seen her? Yup. She doesn’t like strangers. Does she loudly howl, like I are putting her in boiling oil, when I try to coax/trick her into a large dog kennel (cat carriers are too hard to get her into) to go to the vet? Yup.

But, I have never regretted adopting her. Or her adopting me.

‘Kids-for-cash’ scandal judges ordered to pay more than $288 million to nearly 300 victims

Two former Pennsylvania judges who ran a scheme to send children to for-profit prisons for kickbacks have been ordered to pay more than $US200 million ($288 million) to their victims in one of the worst judicial scandals in US history.

Article HERE

Murphy

A friend of ours was gassing up her SUV at the Murphy’s gas station one morning when she heard a kitten crying. She and the station attendant searched for the kitten, including opening the engine compartment of the vehicle, but they couldn’t find it and then it went silent, After a few more minutes of not finding the cat she gave up and drove 14 miles to home.

When she got home and turned off the vehicle, she could hear the kitten crying again. Once again searched and this time found a five week old kitten in the spare wheel under the rear of the SUV. Happily the little booger had not fallen out on the way home.

She had a lot of dogs and didn’t think it would go well for the kitten at her house, so she called my wife and asked if we wanted it. We did but we were 50 miles away in another city at medical appointments and couldn’t come fetch it right away.

So we called our veterinarian and asked if our friend could drop the kitten at the clinic and would the vet examine it and treat necessary, and we would pick it up and pay on our way home from the other city.

We have several critters already and it’s been pointed out to me that there are low cost Vaccination clinics in our town That would make it cheaper for us to get our animals their annual shots. But I always take them to our vet for annual exams as well as the shots because I want to maintain medical history of the animals and the relationship with the veterinarian in case I ever need “something extra,“ and this was one of those times. The vet readily agreed to have the cat dropped off without payment in advance and he would take care of it.

When we got to the vet’s office in late afternoon he was holding the kitten with a big grin on his face. I don’t want to post his photo on the Internet without his permission, but we got a great picture of him and the kitten. He told us it was in good shape overall, he gave it fluids for dehydration, it was negative for feline leukemia, and he treated some scratches on its nose. When our friend had dropped it off the staff asked for a name to put on its records; she came up with “Murphy” after the gas station.

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We kept the name and took Murphy home to meet his new sister, another five-week-old kitten that we had found under a bush at my office a couple weeks earlier. The two instantly bonded and grew up together playing and raising hell around the house like kittens do. After his 14 mile ride under the SUV, Murphy turned into a Joe-Cool-nothing-really-bothers-me kind of cat. Except aerosol sprays. Those are scary.

How the Taiwan lobby helped pave the way for Pelosi’s trip – Responsible Statecraft

US Chip 4 plan hands South Korea a devil’s choice

Washington puts Seoul on the spot with proposed chip making alliance, which ultimately threatens to torpedo Korea’s trade relations with China

SEOUL – Samsung Electronics heir and de facto leader Lee Jae-yong was today (August 12) granted a presidential pardon in a corruption case, lifting a legal cloud that has hung over his head since 2017.

Though Lee has been out of prison and conducting executive duties since last year, the head of South Korea’s national flagship firm might, feasibly, wish he could take a lower profile just now.

He is back on the front pages just as Korea Inc’s worst nightmare is becoming manifest: It is being forced into choosing between key trade partner China and strategic ally the United States.

Washington is seeking a decision from Seoul, within weeks, on whether to join the nascent “Chip 4” semiconductor alliance that would bind together American, Japanese, South Korean and Taiwanese chipmakers while deliberately excluding China.

DID NOT WORK. -MM

South Korea strives to secure China ties amid US pressure on chips, missile system

Biden admin unlikely to force Seoul to sever ties with Chinese market: expert
Published: Aug 08, 2022 11:32 PM
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With South Korean Foreign Minister Park Jin set to kick off a three-day visit to Qingdao in East China’s Shandong Province on Monday, the first high-level official to travel to China since South Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol took office in May, on the same day, South Korean media cited an unnamed presidential official as saying that the country has decided to attend a preliminary meeting for “Chip 4” – an alliance created by the US that some believe aims to set up a semiconductor barrier against the Chinese mainland.

The simultaneous message also illustrated South Korea’s political dilemma in striking a balance between China and the US in the face of increasing pressure from Washington, analysts said, warning that South Korea may face more losses if it totally sides with the US to counter China.

Chinese State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi will meet with Park during his stay in China, according to information from the Chinese Foreign Ministry. China is willing to take Park’s visit as an opportunity to strengthen communication, focus on cooperation and promote the healthy and stable trend of bilateral relations.

Before coming to China, Park told a press conference that his trip would be a chance to reduce misunderstandings and boost cooperation in areas including trade, health and the environment, Reuters reported.

Park’s visit to China has drawn close attention in China and South Korea, as the two countries are about to celebrate the 30th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations. At the same time, there are many new and old issues that need to be urgently discussed, and compared to its more frequent interactions with the US, Japan and Europe, the new South Korean government has had fewer exchanges with China, Wang Junsheng, a research fellow of East Asian studies at the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences in Beijing, told the Global Times.

Wang noted that Korean Peninsula issues, the chip pact among the US, Japan, South Korea and the island of Taiwan, and the deployment of the Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) missile system will be covered in bilateral meetings between senior officials from the two sides.

Li Kaisheng, a research fellow at the Shanghai Academy of Social Sciences, pointed out that Park’s visit was made against the backdrop of the China-US tensions after US House Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s provocative visit to the island of Taiwan and the Biden administration actively pulling China’s neighbors into a small circle to counter China.

Despite China’s stern warnings, Pelosi made a highly provocative visit to the island of Taiwan last week. When she traveled to South Korea after the Taiwan visit, South Korean President Yoon had a phone conversation instead of meeting her in person. This arrangement was interpreted by some analysts as an attempt to avoid the diplomatic fallout of Pelosi’s visit to the island of Taiwan.

However, Li told the Global Times that the Yoon government has taken a value-oriented diplomatic approach, and given the differences between China and South Korea in their political systems and ideologies, many challenges to bilateral relations remain.

Li noted that the deployment of THAAD and whether South Korea will cooperate with the US in deploying more missiles are all uncertainties hampering China-South Korea relations.

China had urged the Yoon government to keep the preceding Moon Jae-in government’s “Three No’s” policy on the THAAD issue and act prudently on major issues concerning its neighbors’ security, after Park said at the National Assembly in July that the “Three No’s” policy is not a commitment to China.

Analysts warned that the Yoon government should understand the seriousness of the THAAD issue, as it had sparked outrage among Chinese people and pushed bilateral relations to their lowest in decades, adding that  South Korea should not sacrifice its interests to follow the US.

However, the US has always wanted South Korea to be the bridgehead to counter China and will put more pressure on the Yoon government, analysts said, adding that given the closeness in trade relations between China and South Korea, leaning to the US will not fit South Korea’s interests.

Balancing its relations with China and the US amid a more complicated geopolitical situation has and will be one of the major challenges for Yoon, said Xiang Haoyu, a research fellow at the China Institute of International Studies, noting that the heated discussions in South Korea over whether to join the Chip 4 alliance with the US, Japan and the island of Taiwan is one example reflecting South Korea’s plight.

Dilemma for South Korea

On the same day that Park is scheduled to start his visit to China, South Korean media reported that Seoul has agreed to hold a preliminary meeting to lay down the ground rules for joining the Chip 4 alliance with Washington next month. Yoon said on Monday that the government is looking into the issue in the light of national interests.

Facing pressure from the US, the South Korean government has shown a tendency to sit on the fence, as it doesn’t want to offend the US by refusing to be part of the Chip 4 alliance, but at the same time does not want to provoke China’s anger, which might hurt their economic interests in the vast mainland market, analysts said.

Xiang Ligang, an independent tech analyst, told the Global Times that there is a  high chance that South Korea will eventually become a member of the alliance, but the country is very likely to become a counterforce to the US within the alliance on many issues, in that it will object to many requirements raised by the US to crack down on China’s chip market.

South Korea has massive interests related to the mainland market when it comes to the semiconductor industry. For example, it exports a vast amount of chips to China annually, including mobile phone chips and memory chips.

The Chinese mainland and Hong Kong accounted for 60 percent of South Korea’s semiconductor exports last year, a report of the Korea Times noted.

Observers pointed out that South Korea may also raise more requirements on reducing the negative impact on its chip exports to China, for example on export and technology restrictions.

Xiang Ligang said that it’s unlikely that the Biden administration will use very tough measures to force South Korea or other regions to sever themselves from the Chinese market, as it doesn’t have enough political influence to control its allies at will.

Moreover, South Korea knows that cutting its chip business ties with China might prompt the latter to speed up its chip technological development. And once China manages to produce high-end chips at very low prices, those products will easily flood the South Korean market, as cars and home appliances have done in the past, Ma Jihua, a veteran semiconductor observer, told the Global Times.

Besides, friction on the chip issue could also trigger backlash on other products such as daily consumption products, which would bring huge economic losses to South Korea, whose economic development in recent years has been hugely dependent on business interactions with the Chinese market.

South Korean public opinion also differs on topics related to the chip pact, with many people opposed to cutting the chip business or decoupling with China, as such moves do not meet South Korea’s interests, Xiang Haoyu pointed out, noting that although the Yoon government is aligned with the US, the latest drop in Yoon’s approval rating showed that conservative forces in South Korea cannot fully represent the public will.

The conservative party may lean toward the US but South Korea’s overall national strategy and public opinion will not overwhelmingly follow. This is also why China can work with South Korea to expand cooperation and shared interests, said Xiang Haoyu, noting that South Korea should also know that due to its own long-term strategic interests, it has little room to play the geopolitical card of closely following the US in countering China.

Solomon Islands moving ahead with contentious plan to build Huawei mobile phone towers with $100 million loan from Beijing

The Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Finance and Treasury McKinnie Dentana told reporters in Honiara on Wednesday that the towers would expand and improve mobile coverage across the country.

He also confirmed it would be funded by a concessional loan from China, the first time the government of Solomon Islands has borrowed from one of Beijing’s main overseas lending institutions.

“The project will be fully funded with a concessional loan facility under the EXIM Bank of China of approximately CNY448.9 million ($96 million) at a rate of 1 per cent interest rate for a period of 20 years,” he said.

Mr Dentana said the government would roll out the project over the next three years, and wanted to complete almost half of the towers ahead of the Pacific Games, which will be held in Honiara in November next year.

“This will help people in rural areas to enjoy the Games, even if they don’t come to Honiara,” he said.

He also claimed external advisers had told the government they would be able to repay the loan with revenue generated from the towers.

“The independent review of the project shows the project would generate sufficient revenue for the government to fully repay both the principal loan amount and the interest cost within the loan period,” he said.

From HERE

The article continues to describe what a bad and terrible deal the Solomon's are getting using inferior Chinese equipment, "debt trap", and all the rest. Ah. Standard boilerplate anti-China stuff, don't you know. -MM

Big shout out to officer Mike Carpinelli

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Here is a photo that captures the character of of a great police officer.

Almost 2 years ago a father took this photo when he was driving his son to rehab in St Lawrence.

His son decided he didn’t want to go and took the father’s phone and called 911 and told them he was being kidnapped.

When the man got pulled over, his son got out of the vehicle and the state trooper had stood on the side of the road with his addict son for about an hour patiently convincing him to let him drive him to rehab.

The father was astounded at the Sheriff and Trooper’s dedication to the cause of addiction. Officer’s successfully got the son in a vehicle without force and drove him to St Lawrence from Lowville about an hour and a half drive.

He literally walked in with him to the rehab. Here is a tribute to great, loving public servants that truly care.

Big shout out to officer Mike Carpinelli

Taiwan biggest underground society leader openly pledges to take action to overthrow the DPP regime if the PLA begin military action.

He said, we are not going to allow the DPP behaviour resulted in many died in bombing. As far as my knowledge is concerned, He is the second one openly make such statement.

Umbry

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Umbry

This is Umbry, the love of my life.

I took him into my care 2 years ago because his owner didn’t want him.

I wasn’t a cat person before, I was in fact scared of cat.

I took him in out of pity.

He was skinny, with flu and full of fleas. My initial plan was actually to nurse him to health and put him up for adoption.

But I grew fond of him and eventually decided not to.

Last year, Umbry was diagnosed with Wet Neuro FIP.

Almost every cat owner knows this is an almost always a fatal disease.

When I got the news, I was bawling my eyes out at the clinic but I didn’t want to give up on him. I did some research and found that there is an antiviral treatment by Dr Pederson.

The fact that the treatment is still not approved makes it harder to source and even more expensive.

I had to fork out all of my savings and took a part time job to fund his treatment.

He had to go through 84 days of daily injection which was very painful to watch.

It really was a difficult time for both of us.

But it has been over 5 months now since his last day of treatment and Umbry is looking as healthy and as happy as ever.

I hope he continues to stay healthy for a very long time and grow old with me.

Rufus saves a kitten

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As any New Yorker will tell you, you see a lot of unexpected stuff on the subway. But one woman saw something that left her truly inspired.

Gillian Rogers is the founder of Pet Rescue Squad Inc, and is passionate about helping animals. And last week, she saw something that gave her hope.

She was riding the 1 train home when she spotted a man on the other side of the car, with something in his lap.

She was amazed to realize it was a tiny kitten, wrapped in a towel. Not only that, but the man was bottle-feeding the cat.

“You could see the caring,” Gillian told The Dodo

. “My heart felt like it was going to explode to see someone with that much caring. He was so in the moment.”

“The kitten was looking up at him as he fed her. It was so heartwarming.”

Rainwater everywhere on Earth unsafe to drink due to ‘forever chemicals’, study finds

Rainwater almost everywhere on Earth has unsafe levels of ‘forever chemicals’, according to new research by scientific experts.

Per- and poly-fluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) are a large family of human-made chemicals that don’t occur in nature. They are known as ‘forever chemicals’ because they don’t break down in the environment.

They have non-stick or stain repellent properties so can be found in household items like food packaging, electronics, cosmetics and cookware.

But now researchers at the University of Stockholm have found them in rainwater in most locations on the planet – including Antarctica. There is no safe space to escape them.

Article found HERE

“A week ago I saw a post on Facebook from a young boy in my town: ‘Hi I’m an autistic 19-year-old living on my own and my bike was stolen opposite the McDonalds by High Street. My Grandma got me this bike for Christmas. I have been feeling really down about this as there aren’t many things I enjoy in life. My bike is one of those things; thank you to anyone that may be able to help I really do appreciate any information.’

I shared it on Facebook and Twitter but suspected deep down that the chance of him getting his bike back were slim. I had had my own one stolen a few months ago and now the weather was nicer I had been thinking about replacing it. I set myself a budget and had started researching what kind of bike to get.

I went to bed that night so sad that someone would steal his bike that was so precious. I woke up wondering about a GoFundMe but thought it would take too long to do and I didn’t want to waste any time. So I decided to use the money I’d set aside for my shiny new folding Carrera Hybrid and get him a new bike instead. Because life is short and kindness can be paid forward. I’m only HERE because of countless random acts of kindness, and I try to do what I can to repay them into the world. I can save up and get myself another bike, another day. AND I got an excellent cuddle and they’re priceless.

I didn’t just do this for Harvey. I did it for the people who donated to the food bank for me. I did it for the friend who bought SB some shoes when his rubbed sores onto his feet but I had no money for a new one. I did it because a stranger replaced my buggy when it was stolen off my doorstep. I did it for the friend who paid my rent instead of having work done on her house when I was under threat of eviction.

I did it for the church who left 2 bags for life of food on my doorstep when I wrote Hunger Hurts. For the firefighter who left me a mini Christmas tree with decorations on my back porch a week before Christmas having clocked during a routine safety check that we had nothing at all. I did it for the friend that drove me to a party to have a good time when I was freezing and starving and hadn’t seen anyone for days because I was hiding away. Kindness saved my life. Again and again. I have some to spare.

Do good things. Smile at people. Hug your kids. Phone your family. Check on your neighbours. Give your gloves to that freezing cold homeless person. Hold doors open. Ask the crying person if they are okay instead of looking awkward. Rebuild your communities by looking out for each other. Think of others. Connect. Respond. Love. In the end only kindness matters.”

Great Links for the Greenville Post

You will find one or two MM posts in the mix. -MM

 

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A “clear the shelter” day

Locally, we have a “clear the shelter” day when they waive all of the fees normally associated with an adoption. It’s a great opportunity, though of course the reason is unfortunate – too many abandoned/homeless animals.

I had decided to go to my local shelter to look for a cat – we had shop cats at work for years, and the last one, who was extraordinary, lived the life of Riley after he had kidney issues, commuting to work with me every day, and living it up at home. After he died, I wasn’t really ready to jump back in, but something told me this was an opportunity that I shouldn’t miss.

So, off to the shelter on Saturday afternoon. As I wheeled in, there was a crowd of almost 100 people standing outside, waiting to go in, where the shelter was going to assign you a “pet counselor” to guide you to all the animals. I’d been there before, and this was an incredibly awkward way to look at the animals, and I found out some people had been waiting over an hour just to take a look. Disappointed, I thought, “Well, maybe next time.”

Then I remembered that PetSmart was listed as an alternate location for this event, and there was one between the shelter and my house, so I decided to stop by. I looked into the cat area, and this little guy was there.

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His breathing rate was about 110, and he looked miserable. His shelter name was Sebastian, and I walked around the store to check out the price of litter and supplies, then walked back over and looked at him again.

He didn’t even really look at me, but he needed someone who wouldn’t mind that. The volunteer said, “He’s really sweet, would you like to hold him?” I told her that I didn’t need to. He needed the kind of home I was ready to give him, and I’d come back after I bought the food and litter to pick him up.

She said, “He might hiss, but he won’t bite you, I promise.

A lot of people have looked at him, but no one wants him because he’s so scared.” I told her that was fine, and that if she could get his paperwork ready, I’d be back in a moment for him.

This medium haired guy was in his box when I got back, and I took as little time as possible to file his paperwork, pick up his tags, and take him to the car.

When I got him inside, I slowly turned the carrier on its side. And this is what I saw.

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He was breathing so fast, and I could see his heart racing, but when I moved to scratch him on the chest, he started purring, but he didn’t want to come out at all.

I left him in peace, in a darkened room, and when I came back, the box was empty.

He had fled to some secret place under the bed, so I set out food, water and the litter box right next to the edge of the bed and left him to settle in.

Then, as luck would have it, this happened –

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Straight line winds of about 80 mph tore through the back yard, and this poor little terrified guy was stuck right inside the room where a freight train and explosive sounding tree destruction happened. Not two hours after getting home.

I felt so bad for him, and honestly, didn’t see him for about a day and a half, but food was gone, and water was gone, and the litter box was used, so he must have been OK.

He progressed for a week at a time, first, not running off when I looked at him if he was eating, then walking around if I was in the room, and one day he jumped onto the bed, and let me pet him.

Three weeks of letting him do it his way, changing from a scared little cat into one with more and more confidence.

He kept his shelter name, though there’s no easy way to shorten it, and it turns out that it doesn’t matter anyway – he is the most cat like cat I have ever had. He is capable of ignoring me completely if he wants to, no matter what he is doing.

It’s infuriating, and hilarious, because he’s also so happy to hang out now. Most of the time, this is his general posture.

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Belly up, and sleeping so he can race around at 3 in the morning like his tail is on fire. And that medium hair description at the shelter?

Nope, long, long, fluffy, flies through the air in tufts no matter how much you brush him hair. He is literally with me in some form no matter where I go, no matter how great a lint brush I might have.

I was taken by a fearful cat that needed someone who didn’t mind. Best decision I ever made.

Italian Meatball Pasta

This Italian Meatball Pasta is an easy-to-make skillet dinner with Hamburger Helper™ Beef Pasta, precooked Italian-style meatballs and juicy tomatoes. Serve up a heaping plate of meatball pasta topped with melty cheese for a deliciously flavorful weeknight meal. And don’t be surprised if people start asking for seconds after a single bite!

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Italian Meatball Pasta

Ingredients

  • 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
  • 1/2 cup chopped onion
  • 2 cups hot water
  • 1/2 cup milk
  • 1 can (14.5 oz) petite diced tomatoes, drained
  • 1 box (5.9 oz) Hamburger Helper™ Beef Pasta
  • 32 frozen cooked Italian-style meatballs (1/2 oz each)
  • 1 cup shredded Italian cheese blend (4 oz)
  • Chopped fresh parsley leaves, if desired
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How The Threat Of China Was Made In The USA

A fantastic video.

Western mainstream media are spreading a great deal of anti-China propaganda disinformation. They’re literally brainwashing Westerners into hating China.

Sorry to say but you are one of the victims. You’ve been taken for a fool; you are being manipulated.

Second, whether or not you care about China is entirely up to you. Perhaps China isn’t at all important to you, to your daily life.

Third, there is no reason to be afraid of China. China is a peaceful and benevolent nation.

  • China hasn’t fought a single war since 1979.
  • China is pursuing diplomacy throughout the Middle East rather than bombing the shit out of the region. Recently, China signed a 25-year cooperation deal with Iran.
  • China is negotiating with the Taliban instead of invading and occupying Afghanistan for 20 years.
  • China is leading the ASEAN countries in peaceful trade through RCEP, the world’s largest free trade bloc.
  • China is helping countries in the Global South, as well as in Europe, build their infrastructure through the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI). Over 149 countries have already signed up; that’s 3/4 of the world’s nations!
  • China is helping countries in the Global South vaccinate their population as the rich Western nations abandoned them through vaccine hoarding.
  • China is inviting all nations to participate in its space station program, including the United States. Recall that USA banned China from the ISS.
  • China is trying to broker peace between Russia and Ukraine, countries with whom China has excellent relations. What is USA doing? Sending arms to Ukraine, throwing fuel to the fire and prolonging the war.
  • China is forging powerful economic and security alliances in BRI, BRICS, RCEP, SCO, etc. China is trying to unite the world, not divide it (as the Americans are doing).

You have more reasons to be afraid of America, which wages endless wars around the world, which sanctions numerous countries that don’t comply with US foreign policy, which interferes in foreign elections and politics, which overthrows foreign regimes it doesn’t like.

Fourth, if you really care to know the truth about China, there is only one way: go visit China. See China with your own eyes. Bypass Western mainstream media.

Your own eyes will confirm that Western media have been lying to you. China is not evil. Life in China is very good. The people are happy. The country is peaceful and safe.

  • You can visit Xinjiang and learn about the Uyghurs.
  • You can visit Hong Kong and see how well the city is doing now that the violent protesters have been booted out of China.
  • You can visit Tibet and witness the beauty of its culture.
  • You can visit Shenzhen and Chengdu and Shanghai and see the technological wonders.

China is the fourth most popular country in the world for tourism!

The future looks beautiful!

From Chua…

China patiently extenting massive goodwill to the Taiwanese people over the decades to win heart and mind. As a result, there are more than 2 million Taiwanese living and working in China (but they are not allow to vote outside Taiwan) 

And the Taiwanese economy is growing with massive trade surplus:

Mainland China and Hong Kong accounted for 42% of Taiwan's exports last year, while the U.S. had a 15% share, according to official Taiwan data accessed through Wind Information.

About 22% of Taiwan's imports last year came from mainland China and Hong Kong, versus 10% from the U.S., official data showed.

Many Taiwan-based companies operate factories in mainland China. In 2021, Taiwan businesses received $200.1 billion in U.S. export orders, according to the U.S. Congressional Research Service. (note: their factories in China make even more money from the rest of the world including the Chinese Market)

Taiwan’s Trade with China is FAR LARGER than trade with the USA

However, the US and Japan offer Taiwanese politicians personal gain in speech fees, kick back.... So, today, China have to get rid of these handful of low quality, selfish, me-only foreign puppets controlling the island through the capitalist democratic system by withdrawing the massive goodwill to cause pain across Taiwan, and use massive military to surround the island and cause further pains and soon may do it by restricting their energy supply etc.

Within the next few weeks, if the US fail to carryout the threat of sending its aircraft carrier through the Taiwan Straits, the will in the island US puppets will collapsed.

And...

The PLA will definitely won't allow the crusader warships the freedom of navigation across their inner water this time. 

US will be proven a paper tiger 🐯 soon.

When live become harder and harder in Taiwan, the power of the patriotic forces will growth, a colour revolution will be in the making. A peaceful reunification will be ensured.

We should have a little gathering in Taiwan on the day of reunification to celebrate the day that spell the drastic and permanent decline of the world most war monger crusader nations in the past 2 century.

When the world most evil crusader is down, the Palestinian liberation day will no longer be a dream, Latin America will have their freedom back and the economy will growth through the win win belts and roads, NATO may be dismantle and Europe will be back to a lot of small countries completing with each other to trade with the outside world.

Once they (Europe) don't act collectively against the rest of the world, they will become less aggressive and learn to deal with the world through mutual respect, and trade through value for money.

Europe will learn that collective bullying and looting for profit have no future. They will learn to work hard and living within their means.

Russian - Ukraine conflict will be resolved with Ukraine surrender and begin rebuilding as part of Russia. The flow of Russian gas to Europe will resume

The world will abandon the US currency and the US economy will collapsed, followed by the military, and a with drawal of US overseas military bases will be a must to cut expenses. The country will be split into a few parts. The rich states would like to keep their tax money to themselves by declaring independent, the black, the white, the Latino etc with no love with each other will form gangs and split their territory and power base.

Once the crusader nations across the world can no longer threaten the world, The world can spend less in military and use the money to improve the environment and standard of living of the average population.
The 21st century world already looks beautiful to me.

The world is full of interesting stories, but we are living in tumultuous times

This article contains the full text of the Chinese white paper on the Taiwan reunification issue. We also cover various other interesting and curious side issues, stories and themes that have become a staple on MM, such as food and ambulatory fungus. I hope you all enjoy this article.

Muesli

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Muesli

This is my cat. His name is Muesli. He may look cute with his heart shaped blob on his nose, but in reality he is a South London geezer cat who wants to bite me all of the time.

He doesn’t, but he wants to.

He is my boy & I prefer him to most people.

He is also a hopeless cheese addict & even becomes temporarily strokable if given lightly fried fresh mackerel.

He is very spoilt but he deserves to be as he had a rough start in life & would have no doubt been put down at an early age due to his “challenging” behaviour.

I have been his dad for over 10 years now & would not swap him for anything.

Harsh life truth

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A taste of America

Check out these views of America…

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Evaldas Rimasauska

The story of Evaldas Rimasauska’s crazy – but surprisingly successful – plan to steal $120 million from Google and Facebook is worth telling.

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Evaldas Rimasauska

At the start of 2013, Rimasauska registered a company in Latvia called Quanta Computer, which is identical in name to that of a Hardware manufacturing company from Taiwan. A bit suspicious, right?

Then, over a period of two years, he repeatedly sent invoices (complete with fraudulent stamps, signatures, and a very large amount of corporate and legal jargon) to google and Facebook for products from his fake company that he had never sold. Sounds like a pretty stupid idea. Surely a company with some of the best legal and financial minds would just discard these fake invoices?

Well, as you probably guessed, they did not.

Seemingly without questioning it, two of the biggest tech giants around transferred millions and millions to Rimasauka. He’d keep sending them fake invoices, and they would always pay up. Eventually, Rimasauska racked up a lot of cash, taking $23 million from Google and $99 million from Facebook.

He didn’t stay rich for long though.

Almost inevitablely, people soon caught on to him, and he is now spending five years behind bars for wire fraud.

People will always associate financial fraud with large scale, complicated and elaborate schemes — perhaps hacking into servers, or stealing confidential documents. But the interesting thing about this case is it shows that huge companies can still fall victim to such simplistic methods.

Be the Rufus

On a day in 2005, the fifth year in to our fruitful career after a hard time of the past 10 years.

A man called me informing that a very good piece of land was on urgent sale. After I heard about the location I headed towards it, as by coincidence my wife and I were in the city and just nearby. We visited the land.

It was one of many empty lands around there.

We decided to meet the owner, though the price seemed to be a bit of high. But the land seemed potential.

The man was a retired high ranked public servant and genuinely a gentleman, living in his rented apartment. He looked tired and mentally distressed, but my eyes did not miss that he was pretending “all is ok.” The plot on sale is what he got allotted by the government to make his home, as a reward for his lifelong services to the nation.

At the opening on the deal, I asked, “What’s the best price you can offer us, sir?” Very impatiently he responded, “No, I can’t reduce the price at all! You can think over and call me someday later.”

To make the situation easy and light, I curiously asked, “That’s a lot of money, what are you going to do with that much money, sir?”

He could not keep it undisclosed any longer. Very restlessly he uttered, “My 11-year old son is a cancer patient, at early stage. My younger daughter is in Uni. I need lot more than this money.”

We were not ready for such an answer.

My wife and I got just mute, like we had no word to say again. Looked at each other, stunned. Then we got into an awkward silence for few long moments, but that made the man seemingly more impatient.

My wife, a graduate in Marketing in contrast to my liberal arts background, is extra-careful on spending as I occasionally make mistakes (in her definition!). She had warned me on the way that it was she who would negotiate the price and I should just keep quiet! Yeah, it was obviously a big money for us at that stage. Decision had to be very calculative.

Now I set my eyes onto her. But this time she held on in a confused, stubborn silence. A silence I was familiar with, though.

Well, silence is approval, as I took it to be. I turned to the man.

“Well sir, alright, we confirm the deal at your price.”

The gentleman, and the broker at his beside, seemed to be having difficulty to understand my words. He tried to end the meeting up here, “Okay, think and let me know later.”

Now my wife took the lead, “Sir, it’s confirmed. We’ll get the deal go through tomorrow morning itself. Give me your bank details.” He seemed to have fallen from the sky and found the world to be a joke on the ground.

We instructed the broker to prepare the papers the next day and confirmed that we would go to the Registry Office after lunch.

We accomplished the deal that day, as planned.

Almost 13 long years had passed by. As we live in overseas and were very occupied with our occupations, we did not think much about that land through all those years.

During a visit in 2017 to our home country we went to see the land.

All the surrounded lands were now filled with high rise (6–7 stories) residential blocks, the area was now within the Capital City’s extended diplomatic zone.

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Then US$85,000 land, now valued at more than US$3.5 million.

It is like a holy dust turned to diamond to our luck.


Readers, by the way, you might be anxiously waiting to know what happened with that man and his children at last?

Despite we were busy in overseas, I have kept in touch with him. But I never let him know what led us to make a hasty purchase that day at that high price he demanded. And I really do not wish to spell it here as well. I’d like to let it remain as it has been— a deal, from which wenhave barely benefited, and my two growing children will benefit in their life.

His son recovered from cancer. The daughter completed her university. They are all fine now. The gentleman, Brig. Gen. Khijir Mohammad (rtd.), is now at his 80’s and spends the mornings walking with his friends and most of the rest of his time in gardening.

We wish him a long and healthy life, and all the best for his family.

Brandon Grimshaw

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Brandon Grimshaw

For 13 thousand dollars, Englishman Brandon Grimshaw bought a tiny uninhabited island in the Seychelles and moved there forever. When the Englishman Brandon Grimshaw was under forty, he quit his job as a newspaper editor and started a new life.

By this time, no human had set foot on the island for 50 years. As befits a real Robinson, Brandon found himself a companion from among the natives. His Friday name was René Lafortin. Together with Rene, Brandon began to equip his new home. While René came to the island only occasionally, Brandon lived on it for decades, never leaving. By oneself.

For 39 years, Grimshaw and Lafortin planted 16 thousand trees with their own hands and built almost 5 kilometers of paths. In 2007, Rene Lafortin died, and Brandon was left all alone on the island.

He was 81 years old. He attracted 2,000 new bird species to the island and introduced more than a hundred giant tortoises, which in the rest of the world (including the Seychelles) were already on the verge of extinction. Thanks to Grimshaw’s efforts, the once deserted island now hosts two-thirds of the Seychelles’ fauna. An abandoned piece of land has turned into a real paradise.

A few years ago, the prince of Saudi Arabia offered Brandon Grimshaw $50 million for the island, but Robinson refused. “I don’t want the island to become a favorite vacation spot for the rich. Better let it be a national park that everyone can enjoy.”

And he achieved that in 2008 the island was indeed declared a national park.

Quick Chicken Quesadillas

If you’ve been on the hunt for an easy chicken and cheese quesadilla recipe, congratulations—you’ve found it! With a few simple shortcut ingredients, you can have warm, cheesy and easy chicken quesadillas on the table in less than half an hour. Talk about a fuss-free dinner!

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Quick Chicken Quesadillas

Ingredients

  • 6 oz refrigerated cooked Southwest-flavor chicken breast strips (from 9- or 12-oz package)
  • 1/2 cup Old El Paso™ Thick ‘n Chunky salsa
  • 1 package (11 oz) Old El Paso™ Flour Tortillas for Burritos (8 Count)
  • Cooking spray
  • 2 cups finely shredded Colby-Monterey Jack cheese blend (8 oz)
  • 1/4 cup sour cream

Steps

  • 1
    Cut chicken into bite-size pieces. In small bowl, mix chicken and salsa.
  • 2
    Spray 1 side of 1 tortilla with cooking spray; place sprayed side down on work surface. Layer with one-fourth of the chicken mixture and 1/2 cup of the cheese. Top with another tortilla; spray top of tortilla with cooking spray.
  • 3
    Cook in 10-inch nonstick skillet over medium heat 4 to 6 minutes, carefully turning after 2 minutes, until golden brown. Repeat with remaining tortillas, chicken mixture and cheese. To serve, cut quesadillas into wedges. Serve with sour cream and, if desired, additional salsa.
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The Stermer Family

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The Stermer Family

The Germans invaded Ukraine in 1941, and they began to order Jews to the ghettos. Esther Stermer, the matriarch of her family, refused to bring her family into the ghettos. The Stermers lived in Korolowka when the Nazis arrived in fall of 1942. The Gestapo began to force the Jews of the city into trucks to transport them to the concentration camps. Over the next few weeks, the Germans found the remaining Jews left in the city and forced them to dig their graves before killing them.

The Stermers and five families fled the town in the middle of the night and found shelter in a cave. For a year and a half, the families lived underground, hiding from the Germans. In all, thirty-eight people were living in the cave. They stayed hidden during the day, and they would come out at night for food and supplies. Eventually, the Germans found the cave in which they were hiding.

When the Germans found the cave, Esther confronted the soldiers. She reportedly said, “What are you afraid of here? The Fuhrer is going to lose the war because we live here?” The German SS soldiers left the cave and never came back. When the Russians liberated Ukraine in 1944, the families were able to come out of hiding.

The Stermers and the five other families successfully remained in hiding for eighteen months, the longest underground survival event in history. After the war, Esther Stermer wrote a memoir of their experiences called We Fight to Survive.

Photos: The Stermer Family

Bottom: The cave they hid in

Ilha da Queimada Grande

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Have a look at Ilha da Queimada Grande. Located in the Atlantic off the coast of Brazil. Looks like a normal island, right? Until I say something.

This island has snakes (it is also called “Snake Island”). And, I mean a lot of snakes; one snake to every metre square. It’s like walking 3 feet and discovering another snake.

What makes it more intimidating is this creature:

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The Golden lancehead viper.

The Golden lancehead viper. They are found nowhere else on Earth but here. It is estimated that there are 2,000 to 4,000 of them. Its venom is so strong that human skin can melt when it comes in contact with it.

There is a lighthouse in the island and it is believed that a family used to control it. But, one day the snake entered through open window and the family were bitten to death. Terrifying story just to think of.

Humans are barred to go into the island which is absolutely relevant and valid. I believe we shouldn’t be trying to intrude into the island and disturb their ecosystem. They’re there as they are and so it should be.

Harsh life truth

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Growing old

The  social worker in charge of my mother’s case told us we had to either place my mother in a locked memory care facility, or she would be involuntarily committed to the state mental hospital.

Mom had tried to run over two police officers with her car and had violently resisted arrest.

She was a danger to herself and to others.

This is Mom during her modeling days.

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It all started with a call from a neighbor in the small mountain town where Mom had lived for almost 25 years. Mom’s beautiful home and garden, which had been a feature on the local garden club’s spring tour for years, had become neglected and cluttered in the space of a few months. I live about 4 hours drive from where Mom lived. I visited with my husband and kids or on my own every few months. My mother had always been eccentric. So, when she started behaving in a way that would have been strange for other people, we just thought it was standard Mom eccentric behavior.

I always thought that dementia presented as forgetfulness and confusion. But my mother had a form of dementia called frontotemporal dementia (FTD), that presents with personality changes rather than memory problems. By the time someone with FTD becomes forgetful, the disease has progressed to phase 2. FTD starts much younger than Alzheimer’s or other forms of dementia. Basically, what happens is that the frontal lobe of the brain, which acts kind of like the adult voice in our brain, starts to atrophy. The frontal lobe also plays an important role in creating our personality. The stuff that makes you you in your brain, is destroyed by FTD.

It is difficult to diagnose because it can manifest as early as the forties. Most doctors start considering dementia as a diagnosis only in people over 65, and only look for Alzheimer’s symptoms. People with FTD can look like someone going through a mid-life crisis.

The behaviors FTD produces are so dangerous and often violent, many don’t survive the first phase. If my mother had been anyone but an attractive upper middle class older white woman, I do not know if she would have survived her violent encounter with the cops, or any of the other dangerous situations her FTD created.

After the neighbors called to let me know what was happening, I visited and immediately realized something was wrong. Mom agreed to move close to us. We found her a house nearby, and I somehow convinced her to give me financial power of attorney so I could take care of the real estate transactions. My mother was a widow and I’m an only child. Other than me, her only family is her brother in Kansas.

It took many trips to the emergency room after she moved to her house near us before a doctor finally recommended we see a neuropsychiatrist. Mom had a CT Scan after a fall that showed significant atrophy of the frontal lobe. By the time we finally got a diagnosis about a year after she moved, Mom was in the advanced phase of FTD. The doctor who diagnosed her told us the following:

  • Someone with the level of FTD my mother had was incapable of making adult decisions.
  • telling her about her diagnosis would be counter productive. Her memory was still intact, so she would remember the diagnosis and be upset and confused by it.
  • She needed daily care, which would quickly turn into 24/7 care. At that point, I would not consider memory care or assisted living. But the doctor said that was coming, and coming fast.
  • as bad as things were at that moment, they were about to get a million times worse.

My beautiful mother who had been a renowned hostess and fundraiser for charity, had turned into a kleptomaniac who cursed like a sailor and had a thing for handsome Black guys in their twenties. I cannot imagine how awful it must have been for these young guys who are just doing their jobs or walking down the street to be sexually harassed by someone’s grandma. She was violent, mean, profane, and inappropriate on every level.

I want to note here that even as our country and society seems to be devolving into nastiness, everyone we encountered while Mom was in her FTD crazy town phase as I called it, was wonderful. The cashiers at Walmart who understood when I brought back plants she had stolen. The young man who worked in hospital billing who was just trying to do his job while Mom hit on him, was kind and understanding. The sales lady who did not make a fuss when I returned the $200 cashmere scarf Mom had stolen. The cops who picked her up wandering the country roads in our town. The staff and customers in the coffee shop where Mom let loose a string of profanity at me in front of my kids and other families that would make a gangster rapper blush, were so kind when I explained about FTD.

Even the young police officer who cried on my shoulder about how hard he tried not to hurt her while she attacked him, was wonderful. He was covered with bruises and scratches and my mother did not have a scratch on her. He and his partner had pulled over Mom for driving erratically. She tried to run them over with her car when they asked her to get out. Then when she finally got out, she fought them hard, biting and scratching and kicking.

After the trying to kill the cops incident, the social workers at UNC told us it was 2 weeks of memory care or the state hospital. She was in the UNC psychiatric ER for 72 hours on an involuntary hold and released to memory care. I still didn’t want to take her out of her home after her mandated two weeks in memory care were over. I know. Who’s the crazy one here? So, we hired 24/7 nurses. Mom was so violent and aggressive and sexual, I could not have her living with us and our young children. The nurses lasted a couple of months. But Mom was violent with them and snuck out while they were sleeping multiple times.

Finally, here is the answer to the question about how I made my decision to send Mom to a facility:

  • the social worker at UNC kept following up and telling me she needed locked memory care.
  • the social worker assigned to us in Chatham county where her house was told us Mom needed locked memory care.
  • the 911 dispatcher called me after our fourth wandering pickup and said we needed locked memory care.
  • the cops who dropped her off after she had been wandering told us she needed locked memory care.
  • I started seeing a therapist at the recommendation of Mom’s neuropsychiatrist. She told me Mom would not be safe without memory care. She also told me that I needed to prioritize the health and safety of my children and myself. Mom was taking all my energy, emotional bandwidth and time.

Honestly, it was not until the therapist told me how this was hurting my children that things finally clicked for me. Mom’s care took so much out of me. I was a mess and unable to parent well. Looking back, I wish I had placed her in memory care once we had the diagnosis. But I don’t know how I could have done it. She would have acted out violently if I tried. And I still wanted to keep her in her home. Mom was fiercely independent and always needed a lot of alone quiet time. Being in a group facility would have been her worst nightmare before the FTD hijacked her brain. By the time she got there, I’m not sure she understood where she was or why.

After 18 months in a lovely memory care facility that cost $9,400/month, Mom passed this April. I try to remember the beautiful eccentric brilliant person who raised me. FTD took her away years before she died.

I don’t have any advice beyond remembering that you have to value your kids and your family and yourself as much as you value your loved one who needs care beyond what can be provided at home. Safety is the first priority for everyone. I hope she would approve of the decisions I made. None of it easy. None of it.

Some views of America

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Full text: China’s white paper on Taiwan and reunification
By Xinhua

BEIJING – The Taiwan Affairs Office of the State Council and the State Council Information Office of the People’s Republic of China published a white paper titled “The Taiwan Question and China’s Reunification in the New Era” on Wednesday.

The following is the full text of the white paper:

The Taiwan Question and China’s Reunification in the New Era

The People’s Republic of China

The Taiwan Affairs Office of the State Council and The State Council Information Office

August 2022

Contents

Preamble

I. Taiwan Is Part of China - This Is an Indisputable Fact

II. Resolute Efforts of the CPC to Realize China's Complete Reunification

III. China's Complete Reunification Is a Process That Cannot Be Halted

IV. National Reunification in the New Era

V. Bright Prospects for Peaceful Reunification

Conclusion

Preamble

Resolving the Taiwan question and realizing China’s complete reunification is a shared aspiration of all the sons and daughters of the Chinese nation. It is indispensable for the realization of China’s rejuvenation. It is also a historic mission of the Communist Party of China (CPC). The CPC, the Chinese government, and the Chinese people have striven for decades to achieve this goal.

The 18th National Congress of the CPC in 2012 heralded a new era in building socialism with Chinese characteristics. Under the strong leadership of the CPC Central Committee with Xi Jinping at the core, the CPC and the Chinese government have adopted new and innovative measures in relation to Taiwan. They have continued to chart the course of cross-Straits relations, safeguard peace and stability across the Taiwan Straits, and promote progress towards national reunification. However, in recent years the Taiwan authorities, led by the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP), have redoubled their efforts to divide the country, and some external forces have tried to exploit Taiwan to contain China, prevent the Chinese nation from achieving complete reunification, and halt the process of national rejuvenation.

The CPC has united the Chinese people and led them in fulfilling the First Centenary Goal of building a moderately prosperous society in all respects as scheduled, and in embarking on a new journey towards the Second Centenary Goal of building China into a modern socialist country.

The Chinese nation has achieved a historic transformation from standing upright to becoming prosperous and growing in strength, and national rejuvenation is driven by an unstoppable force. This marks a new starting point for reunification.

The Chinese government has published two previous white papers on Taiwan. One was The Taiwan Question and Reunification of China in August 1993, and the other was The One-China Principle and the Taiwan Issue in February 2000. These two white papers provided a comprehensive and systematic elaboration of the basic principles and policies regarding the resolution of the Taiwan question. This new white paper is being released to reiterate the fact that Taiwan is part of China, to demonstrate the resolve of the CPC and the Chinese people and their commitment to national reunification, and to emphasize the position and policies of the CPC and the Chinese government in the new era.

I. Taiwan Is Part of China – This Is an Indisputable Fact

Taiwan has belonged to China since ancient times. This statement has a sound basis in history and jurisprudence. New archeological discoveries and research findings regularly attest to the profound historical and cultural ties between the two sides of the Taiwan Straits. A large number of historical records and annals document the development of Taiwan by the Chinese people in earlier periods.

The earliest references to this effect are to be found, among others, in Seaboard Geographic Gazetteer compiled in the year 230 by Shen Ying of the State of Wu during the Three Kingdoms Period. The royal court of the Sui Dynasty had on three occasions sent troops to Taiwan, called Liuqiu at that time. Starting from the Song and Yuan dynasties, the imperial central governments of China all set up administrative bodies to exercise jurisdiction over Penghu and Taiwan.

In 1624, Dutch colonialists invaded and occupied the southern part of Taiwan. In 1662, General Zheng Chenggong, hailed as a national hero, led an expedition and expelled them from the island. Subsequently, the Qing court gradually set up more administrative bodies in Taiwan. In 1684, a Taiwan prefecture administration was set up under the jurisdiction of Fujian Province. In 1885, Taiwan’s status was upgraded and it became the 20th province of China.

In July 1894, Japan launched a war of aggression against China. In April 1895, the defeated Qing government was forced to cede Taiwan and the Penghu Islands to Japan. During the Chinese People’s War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression (1931-1945), China’s Communists called for the recovery of Taiwan. Talking with American journalist Nym Wales on May 15, 1937, Mao Zedong said that China’s goal was to achieve a final victory in the war – a victory that would recover the occupied Chinese territories in Northeast China and to the south of the Shanhai Pass, and secure the liberation of Taiwan.

On December 9, 1941, the Chinese government issued a declaration of war against Japan, and proclaimed that all treaties, conventions, agreements, and contracts regarding relations between China and Japan had been abrogated, and that China would recover Taiwan and the Penghu Islands.

The Cairo Declaration issued by China, the United States and the United Kingdom on December 1, 1943 stated that it was the purpose of the three allies that all the territories Japan had stolen from China, such as Northeast China, Taiwan and the Penghu Islands, should be restored to China.

The Potsdam Proclamation was signed by China, the United States and the United Kingdom on July 26, 1945, and subsequently recognized by the Soviet Union. It reiterated: “The terms of the Cairo Declaration shall be carried out.” In September of the same year, Japan signed the instrument of surrender, in which it promised that it would faithfully fulfill the obligations laid down in the Potsdam Proclamation. On October 25 the Chinese government announced that it was resuming the exercise of sovereignty over Taiwan, and the ceremony to accept Japan’s surrender in Taiwan Province of the China war theater of the Allied powers was held in Taibei (Taipei). From that point forward, China had recovered Taiwan de jure and de facto through a host of documents with international legal effect.

On October 1, 1949, the People’s Republic of China (PRC) was founded, becoming the successor to the Republic of China (1912-1949), and the Central People’s Government became the only legitimate government of the whole of China. The new government replaced the previous KMT regime in a situation where China, as a subject under international law, did not change and China’s sovereignty and inherent territory did not change. As a natural result, the government of the PRC should enjoy and exercise China’s full sovereignty, which includes its sovereignty over Taiwan.

As a result of the civil war in China in the late 1940s and the interference of external forces, the two sides of the Taiwan Straits have fallen into a state of protracted political confrontation. But the sovereignty and territory of China have never been divided and will never be divided, and Taiwan’s status as part of China’s territory has never changed and will never be allowed to change.

At its 26th session in October 1971, the United Nations General Assembly adopted Resolution 2758, which undertook “to restore all its rights to the People’s Republic of China and to recognize the representatives of its Government as the only legitimate representatives of China to the United Nations, and to expel forthwith the representatives of Chiang Kai-shek from the place which they unlawfully occupy at the United Nations and in all the organizations related to it”. This resolution settled once and for all the political, legal and procedural issues of China’s representation in the UN, and it covered the whole country, including Taiwan. It also spelled out that China has one single seat in the UN, so there is no such thing as “two Chinas” or “one China, one Taiwan”.

The specialized agencies of the UN later adopted further resolutions restoring to the PRC its lawful seat and expelling the representatives of the Taiwan authorities. One of these is Resolution 25.1 adopted at the 25th World Health Assembly in May 1972. It was clearly stated in the official legal opinions of the Office of Legal Affairs of the UN Secretariat that “the United Nations considers ‘Taiwan’ as a province of China with no separate status”, and the “‘authorities’ in ‘Taipei’ are not considered to… enjoy any form of government status”. At the UN the island is referred to as “Taiwan, Province of China”[1].

Resolution 2758 is a political document encapsulating the one-China principle whose legal authority leaves no room for doubt and has been acknowledged worldwide. Taiwan does not have any ground, reason, or right to join the UN, or any other international organization whose membership is confined to sovereign states.

In recent years some elements in a small number of countries, the US foremost among them, have colluded with forces in Taiwan, to falsely claim that the resolution did not conclusively resolve the issue of Taiwan’s representation. Puffing up the illegal and invalid Treaty of San Francisco[2] and disregarding the Cairo Declaration, the Potsdam Proclamation and other international legal documents, they profess that the status of Taiwan has yet to be determined, and declare their support for “Taiwan’s meaningful participation in the UN system”. What they are actually attempting to do is to alter Taiwan’s status as part of China and create “two Chinas” or “one China, one Taiwan” as part of a political ploy – using Taiwan to contain China. These actions in violation of Resolution 2758 and international law are a serious breach of political commitments made by these countries. They damage China’s sovereignty and dignity, and treat the basic principles of international law with contempt. The Chinese government has condemned and expressed its resolute opposition to them.

The one-China principle represents the universal consensus of the international community; it is consistent with the basic norms of international relations. To date, 181 countries including the United States have established diplomatic relations with the PRC on the basis of the one-China principle. The China-US Joint Communique on the Establishment of Diplomatic Relations, published in December 1978, states: “The Government of the United States of America acknowledges the Chinese position that there is but one China and Taiwan is part of China.” It also states: “The United States of America recognizes the Government of the People’s Republic of China as the sole legal Government of China. Within this context, the people of the United States will maintain cultural, commercial, and other unofficial relations with the people of Taiwan.”

The Constitution of the People’s Republic of China, adopted at the Fifth Session of the Fifth National People’s Congress (NPC) in December 1982, stipulates: “Taiwan is part of the sacred territory of the People’s Republic of China. It is the inviolable duty of all Chinese people, including our compatriots in Taiwan, to accomplish the great task of reunifying the motherland.”

The Anti-Secession Law, adopted at the Third Session of the 10th NPC in March 2005, stipulates: “There is only one China in the world. Both the mainland and Taiwan belong to one China. China’s sovereignty and territorial integrity brook no division. Safeguarding China’s sovereignty and territorial integrity is the common obligation of all Chinese people, the Taiwan compatriots included. Taiwan is part of China. The state shall never allow the ‘Taiwan independence’ secessionist forces to make Taiwan secede from China under any name or by any means.”

The National Security Law, adopted at the 15th meeting of the Standing Committee of the 12th NPC in July 2015, stipulates: “The sovereignty and territorial integrity of China brook no violation or separation. Safeguarding national sovereignty, unity and territorial integrity is the common duty of all Chinese citizens, including Hong Kong, Macao and Taiwan compatriots.”

We are one China, and Taiwan is part of China. This is an indisputable fact supported by history and the law. Taiwan has never been a state; its status as part of China is unalterable. Any attempt to distort these facts and dispute or deny the one-China principle will end in failure.

II. Resolute Efforts of the CPC to Realize China’s Complete Reunification

The CPC has always been dedicated to working for the wellbeing of the Chinese people and the rejuvenation of the Chinese nation. Soon after its founding in 1921, the CPC set itself the goal of freeing Taiwan from colonial rule, reuniting it with the rest of the country and liberating the whole nation, including compatriots in Taiwan. It has made a tremendous effort to achieve this goal.

The CPC is committed to the historic mission of resolving the Taiwan question and realizing China’s complete reunification. Under its resolute leadership, people on both sides of the Taiwan Straits have worked together to de-escalate tension across the Straits. They have set out on a path of peaceful development and made many breakthroughs in improving cross-Straits relations.

After the founding of the PRC in 1949, China’s Communists, under the leadership of Mao Zedong, proposed the essential guideline, underlying principle, and basic policy for peaceful settlement of the Taiwan question. The CPC prepared and worked for the liberation of Taiwan, thwarted the Taiwan authorities’ plans to attack the mainland, and foiled attempts to create “two Chinas” and “one China, one Taiwan”. Through their efforts, the lawful seat and rights of the PRC in the United Nations were restored and the one-China principle was subscribed to by the majority of countries, laying important groundwork for peaceful reunification. The CPC central leadership established high-level contact with the Taiwan authorities through proper channels in pursuit of a peaceful solution to the Taiwan question.

Following the Third Plenary Session of the 11th CPC Central Committee in 1978, with the establishment of diplomatic relations between the PRC and the United States, China’s Communists, led by Deng Xiaoping, defined the fundamental guideline for peaceful reunification in the vital interests of the country and the people and on the basis of the consensus for peaceful settlement of the Taiwan question. The CPC introduced the creative and well-conceived concept of One Country, Two Systems, and applied it first in resolving the questions of Hong Kong and Macao. It took action to ease military confrontation across the Taiwan Straits, restore contact, and open up people-to-people exchanges and cooperation, opening a new chapter in cross-Straits relations.

After the Fourth Plenary Session of the 13th CPC Central Committee in 1989, China’s Communists, led by Jiang Zemin, made eight proposals for the development of cross-Straits relations and the peaceful reunification of China[3]. The CPC facilitated agreement across the Straits on the 1992 Consensus, which embodies the one-China principle. It initiated cross-Straits consultations and negotiations, resulting in the first talks between heads of the non-governmental organizations authorized by the two sides of the Straits, and expanded cross-Straits exchanges and cooperation in various fields. The CPC took firm action against separatist activities led by Lee Teng-hui, and struck hard at the separatist forces seeking “Taiwan independence”. It ensured the smooth return of Hong Kong and Macao to China, and applied the policy of One Country, Two Systems, which had a constructive impact on the settlement of the Taiwan question.

After the 16th CPC National Congress in 2002, China’s Communists, led by Hu Jintao, highlighted the importance of peaceful development of cross-Straits relations. The CPC pushed for the enactment of the Anti-Secession Law to curb separatist activities in Taiwan, hosted the first talks between the leaders of the CPC and the Kuomintang in six decades since 1945, and defeated attempts by Chen Shui-bian to fabricate a legal basis for “independence”. The CPC effected profound changes in moving the peaceful development of cross-Straits relations forward by promoting institutionalized consultations and negotiations that produced fruitful results, establishing overall direct two-way links in mail, business and transport, and facilitating the signing and implementation of the Economic Cooperation Framework Agreement.

After the 18th CPC National Congress in 2012, China’s Communists, under the leadership of Xi Jinping, took a holistic approach to cross-Straits relations in keeping with changing circumstances, added substance to the theory on national reunification and the principles and policies concerning Taiwan, and worked to keep cross-Straits relations on the right track. The CPC developed its overall policy for resolving the Taiwan question in the new era, and set out the overarching guideline and a program of action.

At its 19th National Congress in October 2017, the CPC affirmed the basic policy of upholding One Country, Two Systems and promoting national reunification, and emphasized its resolve never to allow any person, any organization, or any political party, at any time or in any form, to separate any part of Chinese territory from China.

In January 2019, Xi Jinping, general secretary of the CPC Central Committee and president of China, addressed a meeting marking the 40th anniversary of the release of the Message to Compatriots in Taiwan. In his speech, Xi Jinping proposed major policies to advance the peaceful development of cross-Straits relations and the peaceful reunification of China in the new era. These are: first, working together to promote China’s rejuvenation and its peaceful reunification; second, seeking a Two Systems solution to the Taiwan question and making innovative efforts towards peaceful reunification; third, abiding by the one-China principle and safeguarding the prospects for peaceful reunification; fourth, further integrating development across the Straits and consolidating the foundations for peaceful reunification; fifth, forging closer bonds of heart and mind between people on both sides of the Straits and strengthening joint commitment to peaceful reunification.

The CPC and the Chinese government have thereby adopted a series of major measures for charting the course of cross-Straits relations and realizing China’s peaceful reunification:

– The CPC and the Chinese government have facilitated the first meeting and direct dialogue between leaders of the two sides since 1949, raising exchanges and interactions to new heights, opening up a new chapter, and creating new space for cross-Straits relations. This is a new milestone. The departments in charge of cross-Straits affairs on both sides have established regular contact and communication mechanisms on a common political foundation, and the heads of the two departments have exchanged visits and set up hotlines.

– Upholding the one-China principle and the 1992 Consensus, the CPC and the Chinese government have facilitated exchanges between political parties across the Straits, and conducted dialogues, consultations, and in-depth exchanges of views on cross-Straits relations and the future of the Chinese nation with relevant political parties, organizations, and individuals in Taiwan. These efforts have resulted in consensus on multiple issues, and promoted a number of joint initiatives exploring the Two Systems solution to the Taiwan question with all sectors of Taiwan society.

– Guided by the conviction that people on both sides of the Taiwan Straits are of the same family, the CPC and the Chinese government have promoted peaceful development of cross-Straits relations and integrated development of the two sides for the benefit of both the mainland and Taiwan. We have also refined the institutional arrangements, policies and measures to promote cross-Straits exchanges and cooperation, designed to advance the wellbeing of the people of Taiwan. These include the delivery of water from the coastal province of Fujian to Kinmen Island, electronic travel passes for Taiwan residents to enter or leave the mainland, residence permits for Taiwan residents, progressively ensuring that Taiwan compatriots have equal access to public services so as to facilitate their studying, starting businesses, working and living on the mainland, and an ongoing effort to pave the way for Taiwan to benefit first from the mainland’s development opportunities.

– While countering interference and obstruction from separatist forces, the CPC and the Chinese government have called on the people of Taiwan to promote effective and in-depth cooperation and people-to-people exchanges in various fields across the Straits. Having overcome the impact of COVID-19, we have held a number of exchange events such as the Straits Forum, and maintained the momentum of cross-Straits exchanges and cooperation.

– Resolute in defending state sovereignty and territorial integrity and opposing separatist activities and external interference, the CPC and the Chinese government have safeguarded peace and stability in the Taiwan Straits and the fundamental interests of the Chinese nation. We have taken lawful action against and effectively deterred separatist forces. We have handled Taiwan’s external exchanges in a sound manner, and consolidated the international community’s commitment to the one-China principle.

Under the guidance of the CPC, great progress has been made in cross-Straits relations over the past seven decades, especially since the estrangement between the two sides was ended. Increased exchanges, broader cooperation and closer interactions have brought tangible benefits to people across the Straits, especially of Taiwan. This fully demonstrates that cross-Straits amity and cooperation are mutually beneficial.

The volume of cross-Straits trade was only US$46 million in 1978. It rose to US$328.34 billion in 2021, up by a factor of more than 7,000. The mainland has been Taiwan’s largest export market for the last 21 years, generating a large annual surplus for the island. The mainland is also the largest destination for Taiwan’s off-island investment. By the end of 2021 Taiwan businesses had invested in almost 124,000 projects on the mainland, to a total value of US$71.34 billion[4].

In 1987 less than 50,000 visits were made between the two sides; by 2019 this number had soared to about 9 million. In the past three years, affected by COVID-19, online communication has become the main form of people-to-people interactions across the Straits, and the numbers of people participating in and covered by online communication are reaching new highs.

The CPC has always been the spine of the Chinese nation, exercising strong leadership in realizing national rejuvenation and reunification. Its consistent efforts over the decades to resolve the Taiwan question and achieve complete national reunification are based on the following:

First, the one-China principle must be upheld, and no individual or force should be allowed to separate Taiwan from China.

Second, it is imperative to strive for the wellbeing of all Chinese people, including those in Taiwan, and to realize the aspirations of all Chinese people for a better life.

Third, we must follow the principles of freeing the mind, seeking truth from facts, maintaining the right political orientation, and breaking new ground, and defend the fundamental interests of the nation and the core interests of the state in formulating principles and policies on work related to Taiwan.

Fourth, it is necessary to have the courage and skill to fight against any force that attempts to undermine China’s sovereignty and territorial integrity or stands in the way of its reunification.

Fifth, extensive unity and solidarity must be upheld to mobilize all factors to fight against any force that would divide the country, and pool strengths to advance national reunification.

III. China’s Complete Reunification Is a Process That Cannot Be Halted

Against a backdrop of profound and complex changes in the domestic and international situation, our cause of complete national reunification is facing new challenges. The CPC and the Chinese government have the strength and the confidence to deal with complexities and overcome risks and threats, and the ability to take great strides forward on the path to national reunification.

1. Complete Reunification Is Critical to National Rejuvenation

Throughout China’s 5,000-year history, national reunification and opposition to division have remained a common ideal and a shared tradition of the whole nation. In the modern era from the mid-19th century, due to the aggression of Western powers and the decadence of feudal rule, China was gradually reduced to a semi-feudal, semi-colonial society, and went through a period of suffering worse than anything it had previously known. The country endured intense humiliation, the people were subjected to great pain, and the Chinese civilization was plunged into darkness. Japan’s 50-year occupation of Taiwan epitomized this humiliation and inflicted agony on both sides of the Taiwan Straits. Our two sides face each other just across a strip of water, yet we are still far apart. The fact that we have not yet been reunified is a scar left by history on the Chinese nation. We Chinese on both sides should work together to achieve reunification and heal this wound.

National rejuvenation has been the greatest dream of the Chinese people and the Chinese nation since the modern era began. Only by realizing complete national reunification can the Chinese people on both sides of the Straits cast aside the shadow of civil war and create and enjoy lasting peace. National reunification is the only way to avoid the risk of Taiwan being invaded and occupied again by foreign countries, to foil the attempts of external forces to contain China, and to safeguard the sovereignty, security, and development interests of our country. It is the most effective remedy to secessionist attempts to divide our country, and the best means to consolidate Taiwan’s status as part of China and advance national rejuvenation. It will enable us to pool the strengths of the people on both sides, build our common home, safeguard our interests and wellbeing, and create a brighter future for the Chinese people and the Chinese nation. As Dr Sun Yat-sen, the great pioneer of China’s revolution, once said, “Unification is the hope of all Chinese nationals. If China can be unified, all Chinese will enjoy a happy life; if it cannot, all will suffer.”

In exploring the path to rejuvenation and prosperity, China has endured vicissitudes and hardships. “Unification brings strength while division leads to chaos.” This is a law of history. The realization of complete national reunification is driven by the history and culture of the Chinese nation and determined by the momentum towards and circumstances surrounding our national rejuvenation. Never before have we been so close to, confident in, and capable of achieving the goal of national rejuvenation. The same is true when it comes to our goal of complete national reunification. The Taiwan question arose as a result of weakness and chaos in our nation, and it will be resolved as national rejuvenation becomes a reality. When all the Chinese people stick together and work together, we will surely succeed in realizing national reunification on our way to national rejuvenation.

2. National Development and Progress Set the Direction of Cross-Straits Relations

China’s development and progress are a key factor determining the course of cross-Straits relations and the realization of complete national reunification. In particular, the great achievements over four decades of reform, opening up and modernization have had a profound impact on the historical process of resolving the Taiwan question and realizing complete national reunification. No matter which political party or group is in power in Taiwan, it cannot alter the course of progress in cross-Straits relations or the trend towards national reunification.

International Monetary Fund statistics show that in 1980 the GDP of the mainland was about US$303 billion, just over 7 times that of Taiwan, which was about US$42.3 billion; in 2021, the GDP of the mainland was about US$17.46 trillion, more than 22 times that of Taiwan, which was about US$790 billion.[5]

China’s development and progress, and in particular the steady increases in its economic power, technological strength, and national defense capabilities, are an effective curb against separatist activities and interference from external forces. They also provide broad space and great opportunities for cross-Straits exchanges and cooperation. As more and more compatriots from Taiwan, especially young people, pursue their studies, start businesses, seek jobs, or go to live on the mainland, cross-Straits exchanges, interaction and integration are intensified in all sectors, the economic ties and personal bonds between the people on both sides run deeper, and our common cultural and national identities grow stronger, leading cross-Straits relations towards reunification.

The CPC has united the Chinese people and led them in embarking on the new journey of building China into a modern socialist country in all respects. Following the path of socialism with Chinese characteristics, the mainland has improved its governance and maintained long-term economic growth; it enjoys a solid material foundation, a wealth of human resources, a huge market, strong resilience in development, and social stability. It therefore has many strengths and favorable conditions for further development, and these have become the driving force for reunification.

Grounding its effort in the new development stage, the mainland is committed to applying the new development philosophy, creating a new development dynamic, and promoting high-quality development. As a result, the overall strength and international influence of the mainland will continue to increase, and its influence over and appeal to Taiwan society will keep growing. We will have a more solid foundation for resolving the Taiwan question and greater ability to do so. This will give a significant boost to national reunification.

3. Any Attempt by Separatist Forces to Prevent Reunification Is Bound to Fail

Taiwan has been an integral part of China’s territory since ancient times. Moves to separate Taiwan from China represent the serious crime of secession, and undermine the common interests of compatriots on both sides of the Taiwan Straits and the fundamental interests of the Chinese nation. They will lead nowhere.

The DPP authorities have adopted a separatist stance, and colluded with external forces in successive provocative actions designed to divide the country. They refuse to recognize the one-China principle, and distort and deny the 1992 Consensus. They assert that Taiwan and the mainland should not be subordinate to each other, and proclaim a new “two states” theory. On the island, they constantly press for “de-sinicization” and promote “incremental independence”. They incite radical separatists in and outside the DPP to lobby for amendments to their “constitution” and “laws”. They deceive the people of Taiwan, incite hostility against the mainland, and obstruct and undermine cross-Straits exchanges, cooperation and integrated development. They have steadily built up their military forces with the intention of pursuing “independence” and preventing reunification by force. They join with external forces in trying to sow the seeds of “two Chinas” or “one China, one Taiwan”. The actions of the DPP authorities have resulted in tension in cross-Straits relations, endangering peace and stability in the Taiwan Straits, and undermining the prospects and restricting the space for peaceful reunification. These are obstacles that must be removed in advancing the process of peaceful reunification.

Taiwan belongs to all the Chinese people, including the 23 million Taiwan compatriots. The Chinese people are firm in their resolve and have a deep commitment to safeguarding China’s sovereignty and territorial integrity, and the fundamental interests of the Chinese nation, and this resolve and commitment will frustrate any attempt to divide the country. When Taiwan was invaded by a foreign power more than 100 years ago, China was a poor and weak country. More than 70 years ago, China defeated the invaders and recovered Taiwan. Today, China has grown into the world’s second largest economy. With significant growth in its political, economic, cultural, technological, and military strength, there is no likelihood that China will allow Taiwan to be separated again. Attempts to reject reunification and split the country are doomed, because they will founder against the history and culture of the Chinese nation as well as the resolve and commitment of more than 1.4 billion Chinese people.

4. External Forces Obstructing China’s Complete Reunification Will Surely Be Defeated

External interference is a prominent obstacle to China’s reunification. Still lost in delusions of hegemony and trapped in a Cold War mindset, some forces in the US insist on perceiving and portraying China as a major strategic adversary and a serious long-term threat. They do their utmost to undermine and pressurize China, exploiting Taiwan as a convenient tool. The US authorities have stated that they remain committed to the one-China policy and that they do not support “Taiwan independence”. But their actions contradict their words. They are clouding the one-China principle in uncertainty and compromising its integrity. They are contriving “official” exchanges with Taiwan, increasing arms sales, and colluding in military provocation. To help Taiwan expand its “international space”, they are inducing other countries to interfere in Taiwan affairs, and concocting Taiwan-related bills that infringe upon the sovereignty of China. They are creating confusion around what is black and white, right and wrong. On the one hand, they incite separatist forces to create tension and turmoil in cross-Straits relations. On the other hand, they accuse the mainland of coercion, pressurizing Taiwan, and unilaterally changing the status quo, in order to embolden these forces and create obstacles to China’s peaceful reunification.

The important principles of respecting state sovereignty and territorial integrity as enshrined in the Charter of the United Nations are the cornerstones of modern international law and basic norms of international relations. It is the sacred right of every sovereign state to safeguard national unity and territorial integrity. It goes without saying that the Chinese government is entitled to take all measures necessary to settle the Taiwan question and achieve national reunification, free of external interference.

Behind the smokescreens of “freedom, democracy, and human rights” and “upholding the rules-based international order”, some anti-China forces in the US deliberately distort the nature of the Taiwan question – which is purely an internal matter for China – and try to deny the legitimacy and justification of the Chinese government in safeguarding national sovereignty and territorial integrity. This clearly reveals their intention of using Taiwan to contain China and obstruct China’s reunification, which should be thoroughly exposed and condemned.

These external forces are using Taiwan as a pawn to undermine China’s development and progress, and obstruct the rejuvenation of the Chinese nation. They are doing so at the cost of the interests, wellbeing and future of the people of Taiwan rather than for their benefit. They have encouraged and instigated provocative actions by the separatist forces; these have intensified cross-Straits tension and confrontation, and undermined peace and stability in the Asia-Pacific region. This runs counter to the underlying global trends of peace, development and win-win cooperation, and goes against the wishes of the international community and the aspiration of all peoples.

Shortly after the PRC was founded, even though the country itself had to be rebuilt on the ruins of decades of war, China and its people won a resounding victory in the War to Resist US Aggression and Aid Korea (1950-1953). We defeated a powerful and well-armed enemy through gallantry and tenacity. In doing so, we safeguarded the security of the newly founded People’s Republic, reestablished the status of China as a major country in the world, and demonstrated our heroic spirit, our lack of fear, and our will to stand up against the abuse of the powerful.

China is firmly committed to peaceful development. At the same time, it will not flinch under any external interference, nor will it tolerate any infringement upon its sovereignty, security and development interests. Relying on external forces will achieve nothing for Taiwan’s separatists, and using Taiwan to contain China is doomed to fail.

Tranquility, development and a decent life are the expectations of our Taiwan compatriots, and the common aspiration of those on both sides of the Taiwan Straits. Under the strong leadership of the CPC, the Chinese people and the Chinese nation have stood upright, won prosperity, and grown in strength. A moderately prosperous society in all respects has been built on the mainland, where a large population once lived in dire poverty. We now have better conditions, more confidence, and greater capabilities. We can complete the historic mission of national reunification, so that both sides of the Straits can enjoy a better life. The wheel of history rolls on towards national reunification, and it will not be stopped by any individual or any force.

IV. National Reunification in the New Era

Taking into consideration the overall goal of national rejuvenation in the context of global change on a scale unseen in a century, the CPC and the Chinese government have continued to follow the CPC’s fundamental guidelines on the Taiwan question and implement its principles and policies towards Taiwan, and have made concrete efforts to promote peaceful cross-Straits relations, integrate the development of the two sides, and work towards national reunification.

1. Upholding the Basic Principles of Peaceful Reunification and One Country, Two Systems

National reunification by peaceful means is the first choice of the CPC and the Chinese government in resolving the Taiwan question, as it best serves the interests of the Chinese nation as a whole, including our compatriots in Taiwan, and it works best for the long-term stability and development of China. We have worked hard to overcome hardships and obstacles to peaceful reunification over the past decades, showing that we cherish and safeguard the greater good of the nation, the wellbeing of our compatriots in Taiwan, and peace on both sides.

The One Country, Two Systems principle is an important institutional instrument created by the CPC and the Chinese government to enable peaceful reunification. It represents a great achievement of Chinese socialism. Peaceful reunification and One Country, Two Systems are our basic principles for resolving the Taiwan question and the best approach to realizing national reunification. Embodying the Chinese wisdom – we thrive by embracing each other – they take full account of Taiwan’s realities and are conducive to long-term stability in Taiwan after reunification.

We maintain that after peaceful reunification, Taiwan may continue its current social system and enjoy a high degree of autonomy in accordance with the law. The two social systems will develop side by side for a long time to come. One Country is the precondition and foundation of Two Systems; Two Systems is subordinate to and derives from One Country; and the two are integrated under the one-China principle.

We will continue working with our compatriots in Taiwan to explore a Two Systems solution to the Taiwan question and increase our efforts towards peaceful reunification. In designing the specifics for implementing One Country, Two Systems, we will give full consideration to the realities in Taiwan and the views and proposals from all walks of life on both sides, and fully accommodate the interests and sentiments of our compatriots in Taiwan.

Ever since the One Country, Two Systems principle was proposed, certain political forces have been misrepresenting and distorting its objectives. The DPP and the authorities under its leadership have done everything possible to target the principle with baseless criticisms, and this has led to misunderstandings about its aims in some quarters of Taiwan. It is a fact that since Hong Kong and Macao returned to the motherland and were reincorporated into national governance, they have embarked on a broad path of shared development together with the mainland, and each complements the others’ strengths. The practice of One Country, Two Systems has been a resounding success.

For a time, Hong Kong faced a period of damaging social unrest caused by anti-China agitators both inside and outside the region. Based on a clear understanding of the situation there, the CPC and the Chinese government upheld the One Country, Two Systems principle, made some appropriate improvements, and took a series of measures that addressed both the symptoms and root causes of the unrest. Order was restored and prosperity returned to Hong Kong. This has laid a solid foundation for the law-based governance of Hong Kong and Macao and the long-term continuation of One Country, Two Systems.

To realize peaceful reunification, we must acknowledge that the mainland and Taiwan have their own distinct social systems and ideologies. The One Country, Two Systems principle is the most inclusive solution to this problem. It is an approach that is grounded in democratic principles, demonstrates good will, seeks peaceful resolution of the Taiwan question, and delivers mutual benefit. The differences in social system are neither an obstacle to reunification nor a justification for secessionism. We firmly believe that our compatriots in Taiwan will develop a better understanding of the principle, and that the Two Systems solution to the Taiwan question will play its full role while compatriots on both sides work together towards peaceful reunification.

Peaceful reunification can only be achieved through consultation and discussion as equals. The long-standing political differences between the two sides are the fundamental obstacles to the steady improvement of cross-Straits relations, but we should not allow this problem to be passed down from one generation to the next. We can phase in flexible forms of consultation and discussion. We are ready to engage with all parties, groups, or individuals in Taiwan in a broad exchange of views aimed at resolving the political differences between the two sides based on the one-China principle and the 1992 Consensus. Representatives will be recommended by all political parties and all sectors of society on both sides, and they will engage in democratic consultations on peaceful development of cross-Straits relations, integrated development of the two sides, and the peaceful reunification of our country.

2. Promoting Peaceful Cross-Straits Relations and Integrated Development

Peaceful cross-Straits relations and integrated development pave the way for reunification and serve to benefit our people on both sides. Thus, both sides should work together towards this goal. We will extend integrated development, increase exchanges and cooperation, strengthen bonds, and expand common interests in the peaceful development of cross-Straits relations. In this way, we will all identify more closely with the Chinese culture and Chinese nation, and heighten the sense of our shared future. This lays solid foundations for peaceful reunification.

We will explore an innovative approach to integrated development and take the lead in setting up a pilot zone for integrated cross-Straits development in Fujian Province, advancing integration through better connectivity and more preferential policies, and based on mutual trust and understanding. Both sides should continue to promote connectivity in any area where it is beneficial, including trade and economic cooperation, infrastructure, energy and resources, and industrial standards. We should promote cooperation in culture, education, and health care, and the sharing of social security and public resources. We should support neighboring areas or areas with similar conditions on the two sides in providing equal, universal, and accessible public services. We should take active steps to institutionalize cross-Straits economic cooperation and create a common market for the two sides to strengthen the Chinese economy.

We will improve the systems and policies to guarantee the wellbeing of Taiwan compatriots and ensure that they are treated as equals on the mainland, and we will protect their legitimate rights and interests here in accordance with the law. We will support our fellow Chinese and enterprises from Taiwan in participating in the Belt and Road Initiative, major regional development strategies, and the strategy for coordinated regional development. We will help them integrate into the new development dynamic, participate in high-quality development, share in more development opportunities, and benefit from national socio-economic development.

We will expand cross-Straits exchanges and cooperation in various fields and overcome any obstacles and obstruction. We will encourage our people on both sides to pass on the best of traditional Chinese culture and ensure that it grows in new and creative ways. We will strengthen communication among the general public and the younger generations on both sides, and encourage more fellow Chinese in Taiwan – young people in particular – to pursue studies, start businesses, seek jobs, or live on the mainland. This will help people on both sides to expand mutual understanding, strengthen mutual trust, consolidate a shared sense of identity, and forge closer bonds of heart and mind.

3. Defeating Separatism and External Interference

Separatism will plunge Taiwan into the abyss and bring nothing but disaster to the island. To protect the interests of the Chinese nation as a whole, including our compatriots in Taiwan, we must resolutely oppose it and work for peaceful reunification. We are ready to create vast space for peaceful reunification; but we will leave no room for separatist activities in any form.

We Chinese will decide our own affairs. The Taiwan question is an internal affair that involves China’s core interests and the Chinese people’s national sentiments, and no external interference will be tolerated. Any attempt to use the Taiwan question as a pretext to interfere in China’s internal affairs or obstruct China’s reunification will meet with the resolute opposition of the Chinese people, including our compatriots in Taiwan. No one should underestimate our resolve, will and ability to defend China’s sovereignty and territorial integrity.

We will work with the greatest sincerity and exert our utmost efforts to achieve peaceful reunification. But we will not renounce the use of force, and we reserve the option of taking all necessary measures. This is to guard against external interference and all separatist activities. In no way does it target our fellow Chinese in Taiwan. Use of force would be the last resort taken under compelling circumstances. We will only be forced to take drastic measures to respond to the provocation of separatist elements or external forces should they ever cross our red lines.

We will always be ready to respond with the use of force or other necessary means to interference by external forces or radical action by separatist elements. Our ultimate goal is to ensure the prospects of China’s peaceful reunification and advance this process.

Some forces in the US are making every effort to incite groups inside Taiwan to stir up trouble and use Taiwan as a pawn against China. This has jeopardized peace and stability across the Taiwan Straits, obstructed the Chinese government’s efforts towards peaceful reunification, and undermined the healthy and steady development of China-US relations. Left unchecked, it will continue to escalate tension across the Straits, further disrupt China-US relations, and severely damage the interests of the US itself. The US should abide by the one-China principle, deal with Taiwan-related issues in a prudent and proper manner, stand by its previous commitments, and stop supporting Taiwan separatists.

4. Working with Our Fellow Chinese in Taiwan Towards National Reunification and Rejuvenation

National reunification is an essential step towards national rejuvenation. The future of Taiwan lies in China’s reunification, and the wellbeing of the people in Taiwan hinges on the rejuvenation of the Chinese nation, an endeavor that bears on the future and destiny of the people on both sides. A united and prosperous China will be a blessing for all Chinese, while a weak and divided China will be a disaster. Only China’s rejuvenation and prosperity can bring lives of plenty and happiness to both sides. But it requires the joint efforts of both sides, as does the complete reunification of the country.

Separatist propaganda and the unresolved political dispute between the two sides have created misconceptions over cross-Straits relations, problems with national identity, and misgivings over national reunification among some fellow Chinese in Taiwan. Blood is thicker than water, and people on both sides of the Straits share the bond of kinship. We have great patience and tolerance and we will create conditions for closer exchanges and communication between the two sides, and to increase our compatriots’ knowledge of the mainland and reduce these misconceptions and misgivings, in order to help them resist the manipulation of separatists.

We will join hands with our fellow Chinese in Taiwan to strive for national reunification and rejuvenation. We hope they will stand on the right side of history, be proud of their Chinese identity, and fully consider the position and role of Taiwan in China’s rejuvenation. We hope they will pursue the greater good of the nation, resolutely oppose separatism and any form of external interference, and make a positive contribution to the just cause of China’s peaceful reunification.

V. Bright Prospects for Peaceful Reunification

Once peaceful reunification is achieved under One Country, Two Systems, it will lay new foundations for China to make further progress and achieve national rejuvenation. At the same time, it will create huge opportunities for social and economic development in Taiwan and bring tangible benefits to the people of Taiwan.

1. Taiwan Will Have a Vast Space for Development

Taiwan boasts a high level of economic growth, industries with distinctive local features, and robust foreign trade. Its economy is highly complementary with that of the mainland. After reunification, the systems and mechanisms for cross-Straits economic cooperation will be further improved. Backed up by the vast mainland market, Taiwan’s economy will enjoy broader prospects, become more competitive, develop steadier and smoother industrial and supply chains, and display greater vitality in innovation-driven growth. Many problems that have long afflicted Taiwan’s economy and its people can be resolved through integrated cross-Straits development with all possible connectivity between the two sides. Taiwan’s fiscal revenues can be better employed to improve living standards, bringing real benefits to the people and resolving their difficulties.

Taiwan’s cultural creativity will also enjoy a great boost. Both sides of the Taiwan Straits share the culture and ethos of the Chinese nation. Nourished by the Chinese civilization, Taiwan’s regional culture will flourish and prosper.

2. The Rights and Interests of the People in Taiwan Will Be Fully Protected

Provided that China’s sovereignty, security and development interests are guaranteed, after reunification Taiwan will enjoy a high degree of autonomy as a special administrative region. Taiwan’s social system and its way of life will be fully respected, and the private property, religious beliefs, and lawful rights and interests of the people in Taiwan will be fully protected. All Taiwan compatriots who support reunification of the country and rejuvenation of the nation will be the masters of the region, contributing to and benefitting from China’s development. With a powerful motherland in support, the people of Taiwan will enjoy greater security and dignity and stand upright and rock-solid in the international community.

3. Both Sides of the Taiwan Straits Will Share the Triumph of National Rejuvenation

The people of Taiwan are brave, diligent and patriotic, and have made unremitting efforts to improve themselves. They revere their ancestry and love their homeland. Working together and applying their talents, people on both sides of the Taiwan Straits will create a promising future. After reunification, we Chinese will bridge gaps and differences caused by long-term separation, share a stronger sense of national identity, and stand together as one. After reunification, we can leverage complementary strengths in pursuit of mutual benefit and common development. After reunification, we can join hands to make the Chinese nation stronger and more prosperous, and stand taller among all the nations of the world.

The people separated by the Taiwan Straits share the same blood and a common destiny. After reunification, China will have greater international influence and appeal, and a stronger ability to shape international public opinion, and the Chinese people will enjoy greater self-esteem, self-confidence and national pride. In Taiwan and on the mainland the people will share the dignity and triumph of a united China and be proud of being Chinese. We will work together to refine and implement the Two Systems solution to the Taiwan question, to improve the institutional arrangements for implementing the One Country, Two Systems policy, and to ensure lasting peace and stability in Taiwan.

4. Peaceful Reunification of China Is Conducive to Peace and Development in the Asia-Pacific and the Wider World

Peaceful cross-Straits reunification is of benefit not only to the Chinese nation, but to all peoples and the international community as a whole. The reunification of China will not harm the legitimate interests of any other country, including any economic interests they might have in Taiwan. On the contrary, it will bring more development opportunities to all countries; it will create more positive momentum for prosperity and stability in the Asia-Pacific and the rest of the world; it will contribute more to building a global community of shared future, promoting world peace and development, and propelling human progress.

After reunification, foreign countries can continue to develop economic and cultural relations with Taiwan. With the approval of the central government of China, they may set up consulates or other official and quasi-official institutions in Taiwan, international organizations and agencies may establish offices, relevant international conventions can be applied, and relevant international conferences can be held there.

Conclusion

Over its 5,000-year history, China has created a splendid culture that has shone throughout the world from past times to present, and has made an enormous contribution to human society. After a century of suffering and hardship, the nation has overcome humiliation, emerged from backwardness, and embraced boundless development opportunities. Now, it is striding towards the goal of national rejuvenation.

Embarking on a new journey in a new era, the CPC and the Chinese government will continue to rally compatriots on both sides of the Taiwan Straits, and lead the efforts to answer the call of the times, shoulder historic responsibilities, grasp our fate and our future in our own hands, and work hard to achieve national reunification and rejuvenation.

The journey ahead cannot be all smooth sailing. However, as long as we Chinese on both sides of the Taiwan Straits devote our ingenuity and energy to the same goal, let there be no doubt – we will tolerate no foreign interference in Taiwan, we will thwart any attempt to divide our country, and we will combine as a mighty force for national reunification and rejuvenation. The historic goal of reuniting our motherland must be realized and will be realized.

Notes

[1] United Nations Juridical Yearbook 2010, p. 516.

[2] Between September 4 and 8, 1951, the United States gathered a number of countries in San Francisco for what they described as the San Francisco Peace Conference. Neither the PRC nor the Soviet Union received an invitation. The treaty signed at this meeting, commonly known as the Treaty of San Francisco, included an article under which Japan renounced all rights, title and claim to Taiwan and the Penghu Islands. This treaty contravened the provisions of the Declaration by United Nations signed by 26 countries – including the United States, the United Kingdom, the Soviet Union and China – in 1942, the fundamental principles of the UN Charter, and the basic norms of international law. The PRC was excluded from its preparation, drafting and signing, and its rulings on the territory and sovereign rights of China – including the sovereignty over Taiwan – are therefore illegal and invalid. The Chinese government has always refused to recognize the Treaty of San Francisco, and has never from the outset deviated from this stance. Other countries, including the Soviet Union, Poland, Czechoslovakia, the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea, Mongolia, and Vietnam, have also refused to recognize the document’s authority.

[3] In his speech titled “Continue to Promote the Reunification of the Motherland” on January 30, 1995, Jiang Zemin, then general secretary of the CPC Central Committee and president of China, made eight proposals for the development of cross-Straits relations and peaceful national reunification. He emphasized, “Adhering to the one-China principle is the basis and prerequisite for peaceful reunification”, and “in not promising to renounce the use of force, we are in no way targeting our Taiwan compatriots, but rather foreign forces conspiring to interfere in China’s peaceful reunification and bring about Taiwan independence”. (See Selected Works of Jiang Zemin, Vol. I, Eng. ed., Foreign Languages Press, Beijing, 2009, pp. 407-412.)

[4] This figure does not include reinvestment by Taiwan investors through a third place.

[5] From the statistics of the April 2022 edition of the World Economic Outlook databases of the International Monetary Fund.

READ MORE: China releases white paper on Taiwan question, reunification

A fine Rufus

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She told the receptionist she had no family or ride home. I was saddened to see some (not all) of the employees lack of concern as to how she would get home.

All of the sudden this AMAZING gentleman who had been waiting with his wife approached the lady and told her he would gladly take her home.

This man not knowing her or having a clue where she lived volunteered his time to care of this lovely woman.

She offered to pay but he kindly declined like any good man would. As he went to get his truck I wheeled her out and put her in the vehicle.

As I watched them drive away my only thoughts were ‘there are still great people in this world’ ‘and ‘We have to care for our elders like this nice man.’

Harsh Life Truth

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Barry Kidston

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Barry Kidston

Barry Kidston was a 22-year-old chemistry student in Maryland, USA, in 1976, and he had one major interest and life’s passion: making narcotics that he and his buddies could legally consume.

When a new recreational drug is manufactured, it does not become instantly illegal because it has not been classified yet. Even if a new drug produces the identical effects of an existing illegal narcotic, so long as its chemical structure is different, no laws are being broken if produced and sold.

There is, thus, a lag time for people to manufacture and sell “designer drugs” when they are first discovered, and Barry Kidston wanted to climb through that loophole.

Kidston knew about an opiate called desmethylprodine (also called MPPP) which was first discovered in the 1940s but never classed (and therefore not illegal), so he attempted to cook up a batch.

However, he made a mistake in the process and ended up manufacturing a substance we now call MPTP, a drug which is stripped of the anaesthetic properties of MPPP …. and also destroys the brain’s ability to produce dopamine.

Kidston injected himself with a dose of this drug. Within a few days he began experiencing symptoms of Parkinson’s disease, a neurological condition that is linked to lack of dopamine production.

Kidston was diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease and continued to struggle with the impact of the condition. Two years later, on 5 September 1978, he died of a cocaine overdose at age 24.

But something good did come from Barry’s experiment: MPTP has turned out to be an extremely valuable tool in Parkinson’s disease research.

Zhang Baige and her 75-year-old father

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Zhang Baige and her 75-year-old father

One day in 1997, on his way home after work in Luoyang, Henan province, 50-year-old Zhang Shuangqi picked up an abandoned baby girl beside the road.

Unmarried and with no children of his own, Zhang took the girl home and raise her as his daughter. He named her Zhang Baige, taking the only early picture of her.

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Zhang Baige

“My father’s family is not wealthy, to raise me actually added to his burdens,” Zhang Baige said. “He also did not have any experience raising a child. It was hard for him, but he insisted.”

The man took on several jobs simultaneously to make a living — collecting waste, digging plants to be sold, herding sheep and working at construction sites.

“As a teenager, I remember being ashamed of him collecting waste. To respect my feelings, my father would do it late at night so I wouldn’t know.”

Although Zhang Baige did not attend college after high school, she worked hard — as a waitress, a cashier and peddler — until she opened her own cosmetics company in Guangzhou and made a fortune.

To spend more time with her father, who is now 75 years old, Zhang Baige ended her business in Guangzhou to travel around the country with him. He always likes to see the world outside home.

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Zhang Baige and her 75-year-old father

Zhang bought a motorhome with about 660,000 yuan ($97,500), and from May last year the two have journeyed from Henan province, traveling through Shaanxi and Sichuan provinces, an then to the Tibet and Xinjiang Uygur autonomous regions. They typically spend a month in a province.

People are touched by their story after watching a series about their journey, which has been shared by Zhang Baige online.

Netizens are impressed, with comments such as, “A kind father and a grateful daughter”, “You’re unfortunate but lucky at the same time.”

Back in Luoyang in February, Zhang Baige determine to settle down for a while and record more of the precious time she spends with her father.

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Relief

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This one absolutely gives me the chills and you won’t see many like it.

Any guesses on what you are seeing?

They are jewish prisoners being liberated from a death train in 1945. They were en route to concentration camps. They would have likely all been killed, many of them almost immediately.

Allied soldiers intercepted it and let them all free.

This train appears to be mostly women and children. Although 6 million Jews were killed, many millions more were also offed because of the insatiable hatred of one man and his supporters.

By the time this photo was taken, the passengers knew exactly what this train meant.

You are staring at “the moment” these people realized they wouldn’t be dying in a group execution.

It’s an incredible photo. And I can’t even fathom the relief they felt. Relief isn’t even a good enough word.

Presence of mind

Teacher addresses a student and asks: “How many kidneys do we have?”

“Four!”, The student responds.

“Four? Haha,” The teacher was one of those who took pleasure in picking on his students’ mistakes and demoralizing them.

“Bring a bundle of grass, because we have an ass in the room,” the teacher orders a front bencher.

“And for me a coffee!”, the student added.

The teacher was furious and expelled the student from the room.

The student was, by the way, the humorist Aparicio Torelly Aporelly (1895-1971), better known as the “Baron de Itararé”.

On his way out of the classroom, the student still had the audacity to correct the furious teacher:

"You asked me how many kidneys ‘we have’. We have four: two of mine and two of yours. ‘We have’ is an expression used for the plural. Enjoy the grass.”

Life demands much more understanding than knowledge. Sometimes people, because they have a little more knowledge or ‘believe’ that they have it, feel they have the right to underestimate others.

Son and cat relationship

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Generally my cat and my son have a one-way relationship. My son tries to love the cat (a little too roughly) and the cat escapes his grasp and goes and sits up high in the cat tree while glowering. I try to run interference in case one day my cat loses patience but so far I had been in luck and my cat was relatively passive.

My son came down with the flu and had the hardest time falling asleep because he couldn’t breathe and would wake up crying every half hour.

My husband and I were exhausted and cranky and slowly losing our minds.

One day as I tried to put him down for a nap on our bed our cat jumped up too.

Not wanting to deal with another fur tussle with my son I tried to kick him off. He just sat there resisting all my attempts to shove him off.

My son sat up and wrapped his arms around my cat and instead of running off like he normally does, he lay flat and curled his tail around my son.

Thanks to the combination of warmth and purring, my son was asleep in 30 seconds.

My cat stayed in that position for two hours as my son slept for the first time in days.

It may not seem like such a huge deal to most but I know that this tired mom was eternally grateful to the love my cat showed my son.

Good Deeds Should Be Remembered

The incident occurred in Texas, at Viterford Prison. One of the guards who guarded the cells on that floor suffered a heart attack. As a result, eight prisoners managed to pick the lock and open the cell door to help him.

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Handcuffed, some of them tried to help the guard with first aid, while others screamed and banged on the walls to draw attention to themselves . Finally they succeed, an ambulance arrived quickly and the man survives.

When asked why they did this, the prisoners said that the guard was a “good man.”

Fiasco Horror!

On Sunday our washing machine broke down. On Monday my husband went to Lowe’s and purchased this new front load washing machine. We thought it was the “new and cool” type of washing machine and didn’t think anything of it. We spent that evening installing it with the kids underfoot. We told them several times that they were not to touch it. They all replied “OK.”

Early Tuesday morning we were woken up by our four-year-old son who was crying so hard he could barely talk. As I was trying to understand what he was saying, my husband flew out of bed and down the stairs. It was then that the realization hit.

He had said: Kloe. Inside. Washer.

By the time we reached the laundry room in the basement, my three-year-old daughter Kloe was LOCKED inside the airtight washing machine. It was tumbling and filling with water. She was screaming but you couldn’t hear her.

We were able to quickly stop it and unlock the door and get her out. Aside from a couple of small bumps on her head and wet clothes, she was fine.

After going through all the “what if‘s” and “could have’s” we know we are very blessed and God had mercy on our sweet daughter.

I post this because I can honestly say we did not realize the danger of this machine. We are continually surprised at the new, inventive ways our kids come up with to try and die. And this was definitely a new one.

I took this picture after we secured the door shut with a child safety lock.

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We also found a child lock feature on the settings that, as long as it is engaged, will not allow the washing machine to start. But it does not lock the door. We hadn’t even used the machine yet so we hadn’t looked at any of the settings. Also, it obviously took two curious kids to pull this off. I want to encourage anybody who has this type of front loading washing machine and small children, or even grandkids who visit, to lock the door with a child safety lock and always keep the child lock setting on!

I realize that there are ways we could’ve prevented this from happening. This is the season for swimming pool accidents and kids being left in hot cars and all sorts of other horrible accidents. And that’s what most of them are. Accidents. Shaming the mom doesn’t do anyone any good. We need to be open and honest about our mistakes to help one another keep our kids safe. And trust me, that mom is already beating herself up enough.”

More views of America

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How to make things happen

Asleep on a stranger’s driveway.

Sleeping on a pile of hoses.

That’s how we found our 15 year old son, Micah, earlier this week.

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Asleep on a stranger’s driveway.

Micah decided to open a power washing service. He took $500 he’s saved from birthday money and chores and bought a nice power washer. He wanted to get paid according to his efforts during his work this summer. He can’t drive yet so he had to figure out transportation. We told him we can pick up and drop off.

He planned to knock on doors all day on Saturday and gets the “yeses” while wading through the sea of “no’s”.

Monday to Friday he does one to two jobs per day. He built a spreadsheet to track the revenue. His buddy helped open a sign-up genius webpage for customers. He’s built a journal of all the reasons people say ”no” and we talk at night about the way to politely answer them. He started jotting them down and memorizing them.

We’ve talked a lot about the heart behind selling a service with integrity versus just closing deals.

It’s a deep belief in your service. Memorizing ways to overcome objections by giving new information versus manipulating.

But here’s the the thing that’s an encouragement for us all.

Millions of people get great training.

Millions of people have great ideas.

Millions of people whiteboard the ideas.

Millions of people buy equipment.

Millions of people set goals and get excited.

Millions of people have “motivation”.

Few people take time to wake up early and go put in a full day of work. Then a full week of work. Then a full summer of work.

Beefy Greek Pita Folds

Enjoy these delicious pita bread sandwiches packed with ground beef and veggies – Greek dinner ready in just 20 minutes!

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Ingredients

  • 1 lb lean (at least 80%) ground beef
  • 1 small onion, cut in half lengthwise, sliced
  • 3 cloves garlic, finely chopped
  • 1 teaspoon dried oregano leaves
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 1/4 cup sliced ripe olives
  • 1/2 cup finely chopped peeled cucumber
  • 1/2 cup chopped seeded tomato
  • 1 cup Yoplait® All Natural Fat Free plain yogurt (from 32 oz. container)
  • 1 teaspoon dried dill weed
  • 4 soft Greek-style pita breads (6 or 7-inch), heated

Steps

  • 1
    In 10-inch skillet, cook ground beef, onion, garlic, oregano and 1/4 teaspoon of the salt over medium-high heat 5 to 7 minutes, stirring frequently, until beef is thoroughly cooked. Drain. Stir in olives.
  • 2
    Meanwhile, in medium bowl, stir together cucumber, tomato, yogurt, dill and remaining 1/4 teaspoon salt.
  • 3
    On each of 4 individual serving plates, Spoon 1/4 of beef mixture on half of each pita. Top each with yogurt mixture; fold other half of pita over filling. Serve with remaining yogurt mixture.

Physarum polycephalum

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Physarum polycephalum

Pictured above is Physarum polycephalum, also known as the “many-headed slime”, a type of protist, and, specifically, a slime mold. The term “slime mold” doesn’t refer to a specific single group, but it is a broad term for several kinds of eukaryote which behave similarly.

Anyway, Physarum has – astonishingly – a basic form of intelligence, despite having no brain and only comprising a single many-nucleic cell. Here are some of the amazing things this slime can do.

  • It can solve mazes. A P. polycephalum placed in a plastic maze will extend forth hundreds of tendrils, exploring all possible paths until it finds one which leads to food. It then retracts all the tendrils leading to dead ends. Moreover, it knows which way is quickest. If there are multiple routes to the reward, it’ll retract the (even slightly) longer one.
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  • It remembers. When the mold is solving a maze, it leaves behind a trail of slime wherever its tendrils reach. Using this slime, the Physarum avoids the paths it has already taken. This is essentially a creative, albeit rudimentary, analogue to memory – one that is in external, material form.
  • It mimics transport networks. A P. polycephalum was placed in a plastic enclosure the shape of Tokyo, Japan. Bits of food were placed where the major transport hubs would be in real Tokyo, and the slime mold – knowing which ways were fastest, created a replica of the city’s rail networks using its tendrils.
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  • It learns and keeps track of time. A team of scientists – including the one who did the maze experiment, put this slime mold into a long groove, letting it move along the groove. However, every 30 minutes – they decreased the temperature and the humidity (slime molds thrive in hot, moist conditions). The mold slowed its pace to use less energy. After a while, the scientists stopped. Sure enough, the polycephalum kept slowing every 30 minutes, showing it could both learn and keep time.
  • It’s a healthy eater. Another experiment had the slime molds in the middle of a circular clock face. At each mark in the clock, a different food was placed. However, some of them were made up of the healthiest ratio of carbs to protein, while others weren’t. All of the slimes selected the optimal foods.

An astonishing organism if there ever was one. So unusual that this creature is so obscure, for it certainly has some amazing stories to tell.

Messages

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“My husband would send me flowers on my birthday every year.

I’ve had a very hard time with his passing. I knew he wasn’t going to be around this year for my BD and I was “okay” with that, I knew I wasn’t going to receive my flowers… two days before my birthday there was a knock on my door and yes, I got flowers.

My brother-in-law had a dream that my husband told him that he needed to get flowers for me.

He says he woke up and said “ok you want flowers for your lady I’ll get her, her flowers” .

He didn’t know my husband would do that for me.

My brother-in-law lives in another city so he didn’t know it was going to be my birthday either.

I had fresh flowers on my 40th birthday from heaven, back in April’22″

Bryan Ferry Nuits de Fourviere Live in Lyon – Like a hurricane HD

Enjoy this rendition of the Neil Young classic.

The terms of the USA – China war are now being put in place

There are many observers who erroneously believe that President Biden’s actions are independent and indicative of a senile old man controlled by others.  I disagree. He is a puppet, for certain, as are all American Presidents. And what he is doing is following the RAND recommendations for America to reign supreme over the entire world. He is following the plan.

Precisely.

Exactly.

Methodically.

And all the “background noise” in the media, is just that; insignificant noise.

The last (Nancy Polaski) trip to Taiwan underlined this point.

It does not matter who is the President. Whether Trump, Biden, or the Easter Bunny, the identical sequence of events will have unfolded.

Right on schedule, American Naval Forces took up position at the second island chain group. They are forming a blockade array; ready to “contain” China and prevent any thing or any one from moving in or out of Asia. It’s pretty obvious once you take a look at a map, for Christ’s sakes…

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Blockade positions

So those of you still believing the American government lies;

  • Nancy Polaski was doing this on her own. (This is why she flew in President Biden’s plane, with President Bidens’ military alongside. Don’t you know.)
  • It was spontaneous. (That’s why three carrier groups just “happened” to be on containment stations within 12 hours.)
  • It was an unplanned, spontaneous, visit to Taiwan. (That’s why the entire globe was watching her plane descend into Taipei.)

Well, shame on you!

Anyways the situation (which has been building up for some time) is reaching a peak inflection point.

Being situated inside of China I can comfortably make the following statements…

  • China has been “bitch slapped” by the USA and has lost a great deal of “face”.
  • This is a WAR MOVE.

Yes. Yes it clearly is.

  • You will now hear of face-to-face private talks between ambassadors and the Presidents directly.
Both sides have called the ambassadors to meet in private chats with the respective presidents. The USA HERE. China HERE. These are face-to-face meetings that cannot be intercepted electronically.
  • When that happens, you will KNOW that discussions are in process to discuss how the WAR WILL BE FOUGHT.

It’s obvious, but must be stated.

  • The results will not be made public.
  • However, you will be able to get an idea by watching policy directives in the next two months.

Overall…

  • Reunification of Taiwan will occur within a two year window. It will be either peaceful or bloody, but it WILL OCCUR and China WILL BE the victor.
  • The USA will huff and bluster, but will stay out of a conflict.
  • The USA will enact “sanctions from Hell” (again) and possibly blockade China. Already this is in the works. No surprises there.
  • There are REPORTS that the USA is automatically stealing money out of the banks of Chinese living inside of America.

So we can say…

  • Whatever happens next, a conflict is CERTAIN.
  • Overall, by all accounts, it will be America and the West that will hurt.
  • I really do not believe that the Western “leadership” has any idea of how weak they actually are. As they seem to be operating from an illusion of strength.

Of course alongside this sequence of events are all sorts of interesting items and tidbits.

But what must be understood is that the global situation has changed radically.

Global-wide thermonuclear war is a great possibility.

However, what is more likely is the rot and decay of the West will consume the “remaining elements of society”. The West’s governments will still operate like some kind of headless zombie robot. And inflation, malaise and other elements of dysfunction will continue to spread and saturate every element of society. The near $60B in funds to “build up an IC industry” in the United States will fail.

Those of you wishing for the collapse of the “evil tyrant” of Xi Peng, need to stop watching FOX “news” and get on a plane and visit China. He is outrageously popular and is working alongside President Putin to handle things on their own timetables.

The last vestiges of hope in America are now stripped away. What ever remained was shredded off and sandpapered, and sand blasted off. The Leadership of China sees America for what it is; an aggressive, military bully that lies, cheats and wants the absolute destruction of China.

They will not permit this.

Any of you out there remaining hopeful for this event train to move to some stability are sorely mistaken.

It’s over.

It’s gone.

It is now a new world and a new reality. As systems adjust to the new reality, you will see unusual stock movements, strange changes in the worth of the USD, inflation that will seem radical, even obscene, and even more bizarre actions by the Western governments.

The death throes of the dying corpse (that is the United States, and it’s proxies) are only going to get worse; more violent, erratic, and dangerous. There is no hope left to control it. It is now out of control…

Of course, the entire idea behind the United States actions was to create a remote proxy war with China; one that would isolate it and weaken it.

That is not possible now.

China is telling the United States that it WILL be a direct HOT and NASTY direct war’ China and America; face-to-face, up close.  Not a “far away”, hidden from view, easily disguised, proxy war.

China is no longer playing defensive.

China is now offensive.

What steps the USA will take will become obvious shortly.

Here we continue with the “news” of the day, some food, and other articles of interest. I hope that you enjoy this post.

Heaven and Hell

This happened to me several years ago, in 2012 to be exact. What was said was not only disrespectful, but flat out cruel and inappropriate. I’ll give a little back story, so that you can have a better understanding of the whole picture, as to why what’s been said and when it’s been said, was so much more painful and cruel.

I am originally from Eastern Europe, been living in the States for over 20 years now. I left home when I was 24 years old (I was a journalist, covering stories about war, political corruption, police brutality etc., resulting in harassment and threats towards me and my family, which became so severe and out of control, that I had to flee my country, just so that my family would be left alone and out of harm’s way). It took seven years after fleeing the country, until I was finally able to go back home to see my family. Since than I only manage to visit my family once every two to three years.

In 2012 I was going through a brutal nasty divorce. It was a volatile marriage,vand the divorce was even worse. My ex was (still is) a severe addict and after nearly 10 years of marriage from hell, I couldn’t take it anymore, it absolutely destroyed me. Thanks to my ex, I lost my health, my condo, my job. He stole nearly $100K from our bank and credit card accounts, committed fraud and tried to blame me and get me arrested for his crimes. I had to file for bankruptcy because of his debt. Harassment, threats, fake suicide attempts, couches against the front door to stop break-ins, checking my car every day before driving it, to make sure it wasn’t tempered with… Disgusting, cruel things my ex would do and say to me or about me, to justify his immoral actions. At times I was too scared to go outside. And I had no one by my side. I was all alone.

I couldn’t take it any longer, I didn’t want to be here anymore. I had to change something. I needed to change myself. I felt ugly, damaged and unloved. I did not want to be me anymore. I hated my life, I hated myself… So I jumped on the plane and went to Europe to be with my family, to feel loved.

As part of changing myself, I decided to start by changing my appearance and finally get my nose reconstruction surgery done (to fix my twice-broken nose with deviated septum causing breathing problems, aside from having a slight bump on the bridge of my nose).

As you can tell, I was not in a good place physically or mentally. The only positive thing was that I was finally spending some time with my family, after being separated from them for 13 years. I hadn’t seen most of my friends and relatives all those years. So one afternoon, a few days after my nose reconstructive surgery, my dad’s cousin came to visit. (We are orthodox Christians. This cousin was married to a Jewish man, but kept her religion. However, when life got hard in my country, due to several wars, Russian invasion, government corruption etc, this cousin abandoned her religion, converted to Judaism, and the whole family moved to Israel).

My face was all swollen and bandaged after the surgery. In severe pain.

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Can anyone relate?

Still, I got out of bed, threw on some Capri pants and a T-shirt and went downstairs to see this cousin I haven’t seen in over 13 years. When I walked into the room, had I not been told beforehand who she was, I would not have even recognized her, she was covered head to toe (mind you it was middle of summer, hot as hell), long dress down to the floor, long-sleeve turtleneck and Tichel (a headscarf), none of which is required by our religion, but was required by her newfound religion: Understanding the dress codes of Orthodox Jewish women and their diverse interpretations

. This was fine with me. I am not a crazy religious person, I have my beliefs and I respect others, as long as they don’t try to push their religion and beliefs on me.

Anyway, I was happy to see my relative, that’s all I cared about. I even mastered up a smile through pain and a huge cast on my face. We hugged and I started to ask how she was doing, as she cut me off and “YOU ARE GOING TO HELL!”- she said to me. It was so out of nowhere, I thought I misheard her. I looked at her puzzled. She pointed at a small tattoo above my ankle (maybe six inches big) and repeated, “You are going to hell”.

I was dumbfounded. Thinking to myself, “You were the one running around sleeping with guys (which was absolutely against our religion and culture back then), getting pregnant by one of them and forcing the poor guy to marry you. Then changed your religion because it suited your needs. But I’m the sinner and going to hell, because I have one little tattoo of a flower on my leg?!”

I was so turned off and disgusted by her at that moment. She’s in my house, being served by my parents, eating my food, and she’s basically cursing me out, instead of asking me how I’m doing, especially after not having seen me in years, just had major surgery and my face is being covered in bandages… not to mention that she was aware of my situation, how my life was falling apart and how devastated I was. Any normal person, relative or not, would have some compassion and offer words of encouragement, or just say, “Hi, how are you”, not “You are going to hell”.

But I did not want to disrespect myself and stoop down to her level, so I just simply said, “Honey, I am already in hell, but if you think you can fake your way into heaven with your headscarf, you are in for a rude awakening” and I walked out of the room.

No more Macron-Putin phone calls; France now rated ‘unfriendly’ by Moscow

From HERE

Presidents Emmanuel Macron of France and Vladimir Putin of Russia have not been in telephone contact for the past two months. A  Kremlin spokesman said France is now considered an “unfriendly” country and discussions between the two leaders are “unnecessary”.

The last time the two men spoke was on 28 May. They were sharing the line with German Chancellor Olaf Scholz, and the problem was the fate of Ukrainian soldiers taken prisoner by Russian forces.

Before that, Macron and Putin spoke on the phone in early May, in March, and five times in the course of February as tension mounted over a possible Russian invasion of Ukraine.

Emmanuel Macron met Putin face-to-face in Moscow on 7 February, two weeks before Russian troops entered Ukraine

Critics of the French president say Macron’s high-profile diplomatic efforts failed to prevent war. Macron supporters say he is now one of the few outsiders with a view into Putin’s mindset at this crucial time.

The Russian declaration that France is an “unfriendly” country is a reaction to French participation in the organisation of international sanctions in reprisal for the Ukraininan invasion.

France joins the United States, Australia, Canada, the United Kingdom, New Zealand, Japan, Taiwan and South Korea, as well as the other 26 member states of the European Union, in the category of unfriendly states.

Meanwhile, in his efforts to strengthen ties with remaining allies, Vladimir Putin told Turkish leader Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Friday that he was hoping to sign an agreement to boost trade and economic ties.

“I hope that today we will be able to sign a relevant memorandum on the development of our trade and economic ties,” Putin said as the two leaders sat down for talks in the Black Sea resort city of Sochi.

The Lone Woman of San Nicolas Island

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The Lone Woman of San Nicolas Island.

Some call her Juana Maria. She is the basis for Karana from the The Island of the Blue Dolphins, although her true Nicoleño name was never known. She endured 18 years living alone on a tiny, isolated island 60 miles off the California coast.

In 1835, the last remaining Nicoleño people were removed from San Nicolas Island for debated reasons, but possibly related to the mission activities prevalent in California’s early history. When the ship departed, it unintentionally left the woman behind.

She remained there alone, uncontacted and isolated until 1853, when George Nidiver came to the island and located her. He returned with her to Santa Barbara.

She was the last surviving member of her tribe, and the last surviving speaker of her language. She spoke no known language, though she would often sing in her native language, the words of which, no one else could speak or comprehend.

She died of dysentery 7 short weeks after coming to the mainland. Her illness was most likely brought on by the drastic change in her diet. Her age was estimated to be in the 50s.

China’s firing of a missile directly over Taiwan a ‘significant escalation’

In what’s being seen as a “significant escalation,” Beijing committed a worrying military manoeuvre over Taiwan it has never done before.

From HERE

As China’s fury with Nancy Pelosi’s visit to Taiwan continues unabated one move by the People’s Liberation Army has ramped up concerns on the under pressure island of 24 million people.

As part of the “unprecedented” military drills in the seas around Taiwan, it’s widely believed that Beijing has fired several missiles directly over the democratic nation.

While it regularly threatens Taiwan, sending a missile through Taiwanese airspace, above the heads of its residents, is a line it has never crossed before.

A China watcher has said that while tensions in the Taiwan Strait may lessen once Beijing has vented, another scenario is “mutual escalation” and the possibility “things may enter a very dangerous spiral”.

The Himba tride of Namibia

The Himba tride of Namibia are a special set of people. With their skin and hair heavily covered with reddish Paste the women walk around bare- breasted.

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The Himba tride of Namibia

The men give out their wives to their visitors as a welcome “gift”. The women have no say in this. They are bound to sleep with the male visitors while their husbands sleep in another room.

Russia To Capture Kiev and Odessa over U.S. Biological Laboratories!

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov stunned the collective West today when he declared that Russia “Has information that the US built two additional bio warfare labs; one in Kiev, the other in Odessa.  We will have to capture those cities to dismantle those labs to save the world from another pandemic.”

This stunning statement makes clear Kiev and Odessa are now officially targets of the Russian special military operation (SMO).

It also makes clear that Russia flatly believes it was the US through its foreign biolabs, that caused the COVID-19 pandemic, and may also be to blame for the outbreak of Monkeypox.

Now that Russia’s intention to take Kiev and Odessa is public and clear, one wonders if there will even be any country called “Ukraine” after this conflict is done?

Half-wolf as a pet

My parents once bought a puppy. He was 3/4 timber wolf, 1/4 husky.

He was beautiful. Really smelly, though … we should’ve called him Brussel Sprout.

Instead, we named him Alfie. (After Alfie Moon from Eastenders *eye roll*)

He had a dummy (pacifier), loved having his teeth brushed, and wore wireless headphones while listening to Native American music, happily howling along.

Things were perfect, but he was growing. And by growing, I mean at 6 months old he stood 6 foot tall on his back legs.

Commonly, in family homes, one person is expected to be the dog’s master. That person for Alfie was my dad.

I was Alfie’s second favourite.

The first warning sign that happened, we misread as endearing and kind of cute.

I was running in a field and fell over. I wasn’t hurt, but he bolted over to me and stood over me. My body fitted underneath him and between all four legs. He lightly growled at my Mum as she came to see if I was OK. I reassured him I was fine and he let me out from under him.

Then, my Mum’s friend came to visit and for the first time in his life, he snarled viciously at her. And if you’ve seen a wolf snarl, you know it’s a lot more threatening than that of an average dog.

Finally, my Mum and Dad noticed he had begun acting strange. He would sit awake at the bottom of the bed, staring at my Mum all through the night.

He never threatened her, but this begun to happen more and more frequently.

A trip to the vet determined that Alfie was basically acting like a snake. (Online legend) Sizing my Mother up. The vet said he would’ve ripped my mother apart eventually.

This ‘dog’ had all the love and affection in the world. He also had routine and appropriate discipline. He was very well looked after. But the 3/4 Timber wolf instinct was always, always there, even though hidden. The bigger he got, the meaner he would’ve gotten.

It would’ve cost a fortune in training, and vet bills.

He had to be rehomed, although I’m fairly certain he was put to sleep.

Unless you’re ridiculously experienced, understand canine and wolf behaviours, don’t get a wolf.

*This was in early 2000; I do have photos somewhere and when I dig them out, I’ll add them in the answer.*

EDIT: I found some photos from an old scrapbook I made!

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Writer with his dog.

This one is of Alfie and my dad. Alfie was less than 6 months old here. Notice how big he is and he’s not even sat up straight.

EDIT: I understand this is a touchy subject and a lot of you have your own views about how Alfie should have been dealt with. I was very young at the time, but even now, I remember the dangers he presented.

This animal, as gorgeous as he was, was not safe for any human to be around unless they had extensive training and knowledge in wolf behaviours. He was more wolf than dog. My parents didn’t get him because they wanted to “be cool” – they got him because they didn’t know any better.

We saw behaviouralists and specialists who all determined his risk was too high. It’s quite annoying to see people on the internet, who only have a snippet of information about this animal, saying that these specialists were wrong.

No vet wants to put an animal to sleep. They will do so when it is necessary. And unfortunately, in Alfies case, it was necessary. He wouldn’t have had a decent quality of life and he certainly would not have survived in the wild. Plus, I live in the UK – we don’t have wild wolves here.

On a possible positive note: My parents believe the vet took Alfie home. They did not stay while he was “being euthanised” and the vet made it very clear he wanted to give this animal a home with someone who could afford £800 a session for the next few years. Something that would’ve been impossible for my parents.

How to Make Mulberry Pie

So each a child can make it!

Viktor Orbán laid out his dark worldview to the American right — and they loved it

The European Union’s only autocrat came to CPAC Dallas and sold American conservatives on a vision of a Western civil war.

From HERE

About two weeks ago, Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán gave a speech in which he declared “we do not want to become peoples of mixed-race.” On Thursday afternoon, he gave the opening speech at the Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC) in Dallas, a bookend to former President Donald Trump’s closing address this weekend at the influential right-wing gathering.

That Orbán took the marquee spot at American conservatism’s most prominent jamboree despite his recent mask-off moment — one that led a longtime Orbán adviser to resign, calling his speech “worthy of Goebbels” — is a testament to his country’s place in the US right’s imagination. Under Orbán, Hungary has become for them something like what the Nordic countries are for some progressives: an idealized model of what they hope America could become. The most important difference is that the Nordic countries are firmly democratic, while Orbán’s Hungary very much is not.

Orbán was careful to reject charges of both racism and authoritarianism in his CPAC speech, mocking such accusations as “fake news” produced by “idiots.” Yet if you listened to his speech carefully, the dark heart of his project was plainly apparent: a conspiratorial belief that “globalists” were driving the West to the brink of cultural suicide, paired with an open acknowledgment that conservatives “cannot fight successfully by liberal means.” The mask was back on, but it was gossamer thin.

The purpose of the speech was simple enough: to tighten the bonds linking Orbánism with the Trumpism that dominates the American right. The Hungarian populist sees the potential in that connection. His closing lines called on conservatives across the Atlantic to “coordinate our troops” in the fight against liberalism, exhorting them to gear up to remove Joe Biden from office (“you have two years to get ready”). The stakes, in his telling, are the very future of our civilization.

“The West is at war with itself. We have seen what kind of future the globalist ruling class has to offer. But we have a different kind of future in mind,” Orbán told the crowd. “The globalists can all go to hell. I have come to Texas.”

The Hungarian prime minister’s outreach to the American right is longstanding, intentional, and very well-informed. He has met with prominent conservatives in academia and the media, even offering state-funded fellowships in Budapest, and is quite familiar with the language and tropes of the American right. His speech contained deft references to their ideas, like attacks on defunding the police and support for a flat income tax, that he occasionally sounded less like a foreign dignitary and more like a GOP candidate for office. He repeatedly pandered to the Texan audience, calling Hungary “the lone star state of Europe” and saying “we decided we don’t need more genders, we need more Rangers; less drag queens and more Chuck Norris.”

If Orbán has been courting the American right for years, his speech in Dallas was a marriage proposal — one that seems to have been accepted. The dangers of this ideological coupling should not be underestimated.

The Parable of the Village Mill

There is a mill in a village.

Workers load gunny bags of rice into the trucks everyday. They usually take 6 hours.

One day it rains heavily and the work stops for two hours.

The workers rush, run, skip their tea and somehow finish all the work in the remaining time.

Owner and manager see it from their windows.

Manager thinks:

Great! They worked so hard despite the rough weather and finished the work. I should tell the owner to give them bonus.

Owner thinks:

So it is actually a 4 hour job. And all these days they have been doing this for 6 hours? I should tell the manager to cut their salaries.

What Viktor Orbán told CPAC

Typically, foreign leaders who travel to the United States try not to get involved in American partisan politics. Addressing CPAC, an avowedly conservative organization, certainly doesn’t fit the mold.

While Orbán did pretend to be diplomatic at the outset, saying “we respect the government of the United States,” he also noted that “we are not the favorites of American Democrats” — and that the feelings were very much mutual. In the speech, he practically positioned his government as the European branch of the GOP — saying that “we should unite our forces” to “take back the institutions in Washington and in Brussels.”

“You have midterm elections this year, then presidential and congressional elections in ’24. And we will have elections in the European parliament [the] same year,” he continued. “These two locations will define the two fronts in the battle being fought for Western civilization. Today, we hold neither of them. Yet we need both.”

These faraway elections are politically twinned, Orbán argued, because both represent a struggle between traditionalist conservatives and globalist progressives. The latter camp, in his telling, is prominently represented by George Soros — a Hungarian-American Holocaust survivor and philanthropist who has become a transatlantic conservative boogeyman.

“He has an army at his service: money, NGOs, universities, research institutions, and half the bureaucrats in Brussels. He uses this army to force his will on his opponents — like us, Hungarians,” the prime minister said.

Soros and his “army,” according to Orbán, pose an existential threat to the survival of the West. They are attempting to stamp out “Christian” values — which he at times called “Judeo-Christian values,” leaving out the dubious prefix when discussing the Jewish Soros — and recreating the conditions under which Nazis and Communists once rose to menace Europe.

“The horrors of Nazism and Communism happened because some Western states in continental Europe abandoned their Christian values. And today’s progressives are planning to do the same,” he said. “They want to give up on Western values and create a new world, a post-Western World. Who is going to stop them if we don’t?”

Fashion

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Fashion.

From the 1800s to the early 1900s, a typical Malaysian or Indonesian woman would dress like this. And she was understandable, as she was not only comfortable and flexible, but she was great at working in hot weather.

It didn’t matter if the woman was Muslim, Hindu, Christian. This was socially acceptable. Not only that, but this was considered even modest.

My grandmother has photos of her mother dressed the same way.

But 200 years later, this style was eradicated by the influences of Islamic Conservatives. Many Salafi-influenced Imams preached against it as revealing and demeaning against women.

While it is common to see women in more traditional and rural areas of both Indonesia and Malaysia wearing this today, a woman would be harassed, fined, ordered to change or arrested if she were wearing this in certain cities and/or provinces.

And it’s important to clarify that I was not in any way saying that Indonesia or Malaysia have a clothing policy. That’s absurd. But certain provinces have certain laws that could have a woman charged with “disturbing the peace” for wearing revealing clothing. While Indonesia and Malaysia are conservative, it is by no means a Wahhabi Saudi Arabia. At least it is not a truth yet to be told.

Why Britain Changed Its China Stance

The cycles of London’s engagement with Beijing reveal how the U.S.’s ability to keep allies in line for its great-power competition is weakening.

From The Atlantic HERE

As recently as 2015, Britain boasted of being China’s “best partner in the west.” It had become a founding member of Beijing’s controversial Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank, against American opposition. While still a member of the European Union, its diplomats pushed for the EU to agree to a formal trade-and-investment deal with China. And Xi Jinping had even been honored with a lavish state visit to London. For Britain, the future was unmistakably Chinese.

From 2020 onward, however, Britain transformed itself from China’s best partner in Europe to its harshest critic, sweeping away decades of foreign-policy consensus in the most drastic such shift in the Western world. Britain became the first European power to formally block Huawei from its 5G telecoms network, led the global condemnation of Beijing’s barbaric treatment of its Uyghur minority in Xinjiang, revoked the U.K. broadcasting license of China’s state-controlled CGTN, and offered a route to British citizenship for millions of people in Hong Kong who want to flee Beijing’s political repression.

The reasons for this turn were many: Brexit meant that Britain, having cut ties with its closest economic partner, the EU, could not afford to risk its relationship with its closest security ally, the United States, as well. The pandemic then entrenched public concern about Western reliance on China. And perhaps most important of all was Donald Trump. Even as he imposed steel tariffs on allies and belittled their leaders, the American president demanded that they stand with the United States against China.

Whereas Britain’s future had once seemed Chinese, it was back to being American. But in recent months, something strange started happening: London began softening its stance toward China again. Outgoing Prime Minister Boris Johnson this year approved a reopening of trade talks with China, and his government approved the sale of a microchip manufacturer to a Chinese company (though this is now in doubt).

Britain’s diplomatic back-and-forth in recent years has offered among the most extreme examples of how states are dealing with the wider geopolitical upheaval that has been taking place in response to China’s rise, a problem that no one yet seems to know the answer to. In Washington, a bipartisan consensus has formed around the notion that “engagement” with Beijing has failed, and that China is the only great rival to American supremacy in the 21st century. For continental Europe, Beijing is less an adversary than a risk to be accommodated, managed, and recognized, and the growth of its power an opportunity to carve out more “strategic autonomy” from the U.S. For Britain, trapped between the U.S. and Europe, it is a mixture of all of these things.

To understand what was going on, I spoke with more than a dozen senior government officials, diplomats, foreign-policy analysts, and lawmakers across the U.S., Britain, and Europe. (Many spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss sensitive government deliberations.) From these conversations a picture emerged of Britain clinging tightly to the new U.S. consensus, partly through judgment of its best interests and partly because of American pressure, while seeking to ensure its economic priorities with China are kept alive as much as possible as it faces up to the reality of the 21st century. Britain’s example shows how the widening standoff between Washington and Beijing will transform midsize powers that seek to avoid being drawn into a new cold war—and, more important, how the U.S. will not easily be able to maintain its grip on the world order that it created.

For decades, Britain followed a fairly consistent line in its policy toward Beijing, trying to balance security concerns against economic opportunities but typically erring on the side of engagement.

As early as 2003, Britain’s main telecommunications company approached Tony Blair’s government to seek permission to work with what was then a little-known Chinese company, Huawei, to upgrade the U.K.’s network. The partnership was waved through by officials who were more concerned with the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, terrorism, and Russia than some harmless Chinese firm.

By 2008, however, British intelligence agencies were warning that the Chinese state could use Huawei to gain access to Britain’s telecoms network. Soon after, the government—then led by Gordon Brown—established a watchdog to monitor Huawei, creating a first-of-its-kind arrangement involving a group of security-cleared former British officials and experts who would keep an eye on Huawei from inside the company on behalf of Britain. In effect, Britain had become sufficiently concerned about China spying on it that it demanded a special unit be created within Huawei to spy on the Chinese, but was insufficiently concerned to cancel Huawei contracts.

This was the environment in which David Cameron took over as prime minister in 2010—one in which cautious partnership with China had yielded concrete benefits for the U.K., but with hard-to-gauge costs. Over his six years in charge, Cameron would expand the relationship in an attempt to upgrade Britain’s infrastructure and open new markets for its financial-services industry. In 2014, London became one of the first international clearing centers for Chinese currency, before racing ahead of its competitors to become the major offshore center for renminbi trading. The following year, Cameron welcomed Xi to London for a state visit during which the British leader declared the beginning of a “golden era” in relations.

This was no one-off, but the culmination of a British strategy stretching back to at least the turn of the century. Britain was using its membership in the EU to turn itself into China’s financial gateway to the continent. Then came Brexit.

Following the referendum, Cameron was replaced by Theresa May, a more security-conscious China hawk who had spent the previous six years in the Home Office and was responsible for the domestic-intelligence agency MI5. In one of her first acts, she paused a decision on the construction of a British nuclear plant that was to receive Chinese investment. Then, in early 2018, on a three-day trip to China, May refused to sign off on a deal in which Britain would offer formal support for Xi’s infrastructure-building (and influence-generating) Belt and Road Initiative.

Once again, economic interests squashed political concerns. May’s early caution over China gave way to the same pressures that had pushed Cameron, Brown, and Blair: In April 2019, news leaked that May was preparing to give the go-ahead for Huawei’s involvement in building the country’s 5G network. By then, she had put aside her concerns about Chinese involvement in Britain’s nuclear industry as well. And then, once again, Brexit intervened.

May was replaced by Johnson, a far more liberal figure when it came to security and China. Immediately, Johnson slipped back into the old British policy, announcing that despite furious opposition from the U.S., the U.K. would allow Huawei to play a part in Britain’s 5G rollout. It was, in essence, a continuation of the Mayite policy—which itself was little more than a continuation of the cautious engagement that had been in place for decades.

The morning after Johnson’s Huawei decision, however, a Chinese student in Britain rang an emergency health line complaining that he and his mother visiting from Hubei felt unwell. At 7:50 p.m. that night, two paramedics dressed in hazmat suits arrived at the hotel where they were staying to take them to hospital. They would be the first people in Britain to test positive for the coronavirus. More than 200,000 people would ultimately die of COVID-19 in Britain. China’s role as nation zero, and its initial attempts to suppress news of the outbreak, would spark denunciations across the democratic world and demands for retaliation.

Even before the pandemic, opinion in the U.S. had shifted sharply against China, thanks in large part to the ferocity—and centrality—of Trump’s attacks on the country. This discord was almost inevitable anyway, given the great-power competition between the pair, but Trump played his part in speeding this process up and giving it political fire.

By May 2020, the U.S. had increased pressure on Britain and other European allies by unveiling sanctions on Huawei that, in effect, stopped it from being able to use American technology, a move that meant the British security services could no longer guarantee Huawei’s safety, because the company would soon be using non-Western technology that the British did not fully understand. This, in fact, was the very reason the U.S. had imposed its sanctions, and they served as a hammer blow to Britain’s strategy of careful engagement with China. In July 2020, Johnson’s government became the first in Europe to announce that Huawei would be banned from Britain’s 5G network. Liu Xiaoming, the Chinese ambassador in London, said Britain’s decision on Huawei, as well as the U.K.’s policies toward Xinjiang and Hong Kong, had “poisoned the atmosphere” between the two countries and Britain would “pay the price.” The Chinese state media threatened “retaliatory responses.”

In the end, London’s long-held strategy thus collapsed not through its own proactive choice but because of choices being made elsewhere. British foreign policy was forced to adapt to a world it did not want, and had tried to avoid.

When I put this to British Foreign Secretary Liz Truss, she rejected (albeit somewhat unconvincingly) the idea that Britain had, effectively, been made to change its China policy.

Truss, the favorite to replace Johnson as prime minister, told me that the Russian invasion of Ukraine had brought together countries against Russia, some of which might not be liberal or democratic but that nevertheless did not want to see “a world where might is right.”

In reply, I suggested that, in part, might is right. After all, we live in an American world, where the U.S. uses its power to set the rules. “I don’t agree with that,” Truss replied. “We don’t live in an American world. We live in a world where there is a coalition of nations who … subscribe to the values of freedom and democracy.”

I cited the example of China. As late as 2019, Britain was trying to push ahead with the Huawei 5G deal. “We changed because the Americans changed,” I said.

“That was not the reason we changed,” she responded.

I pushed back. “The Americans changed the rules of the game, and we didn’t have the ability to guarantee the security” of the telecoms network.

Again, she was insistent. “That was not the reason we changed. We changed because it was the right thing to do. I was in the government when the policy changed, and we changed because it was the right thing to do.”

I pointed out that the same government, made up of the same people, had made a different decision earlier in the same year about what was right before changing its mind.

“Well, that is true,” Truss replied. “Every government, Tom, has its internal discussions and I can’t reveal the internal discussions that took place on both occasions. However, we did it because it was the right thing to do.”

Whatever your conclusion, to look at British foreign policy now is to see almost a complete overlap with the U.S., whether on the Iranian nuclear deal, climate change, the importance of spending more on defense, NATO, the threat posed by Russia, or—now—China. One of the lessons of the Huawei policy shift, and Britain’s shift more broadly, is that the U.S. can still force its allies into line if it is prepared to take its gloves off.

But under the surface, things are not quite so simple.

There are signs that, actually, Britain’s old policy is once again being quietly rebuilt. Amid intense U.S. pressure, including threats to curtail transatlantic intelligence sharing, Britain changed tack, falling into line. Yet since then, Britain has drifted back toward its position of cautiously opening up to China as far as it feels is safe—in part spurred by a frustration with Washington.

In February, it emerged that Johnson had given the green light to reopen trade talks with China that had been paused for years. Then it was revealed that the U.K. government had apparently approved the sale of a British microchip factory to a Chinese-owned firm, only for that decision to be kicked into the long grass. On each occasion, the announcements sparked a backlash among China skeptics in London. May’s former chief of staff, Nick Timothy, who had pushed for stricter controls on any economic opening to China, reacted with resigned alarm. “It seems we will never learn,” he wrote. Tough policies over Xinjiang and Hong Kong remain in place, but the recent reports point to a softening of the hardest edges of Britain’s China policy. The reasons indicate the limits of Washington’s leadership in its confrontation with Beijing.

Today, some within the British government share a sense that Brexit and Johnson’s previous, seemingly warm relationship with Trump continue to be held against the U.K. by some in the Biden administration. Despite Britain’s being the most hawkish European ally on Russia and China, spending more than 2 percent of its GDP on defense, and supporting U.S. efforts on curtailing Iran’s nuclear ambitions, the U.K. believes it is treated as just another ally, criticized for its push to renegotiate its Brexit deal with the EU and ignored in its ambition to strike a free-trade deal with Washington. If this is the case, some in London wonder, why not be more independent where Britain’s core national interests are concerned?

In one sense, what does Britain have to lose from exploring deeper economic ties with China? The Biden administration has made clear there will be no trade deal with the U.S. anytime soon and, besides, the EU continues to pursue its own policy of engagement with China, despite continuing Chinese economic support for Russia during Vladimir Putin’s invasion of Ukraine.

The rationale that long drove British policy is reasserting itself: The size and wealth of China mean that Britain simply cannot afford not to engage. With Britain outside the EU, economic growth sluggish, debt high, and few other obvious alternatives to increase trade, will any future prime minister really be able to ignore what China has to offer?

Britain’s apparent return to a more open China policy is a reminder of the difficulty Washington is going to have constructing and leading any kind of alliance—democratic or otherwise—to contain Beijing. Though it can use a policy of maximum pressure to force some countries into line, as it did with Britain over 5G—effectively removing London’s ability to sustain an independent policy—such a stance can go only so far. The U.S. remains powerful enough that its sticks can and do work, but without any carrots at all, this strategy will have limits.

Perhaps the main lesson of Britain’s experience with China is that core national interests are likely to reassert themselves in the long term, no matter which party, prime minister, chancellor, or president is in power in Britain, France, Germany, and elsewhere. In London, Johnson has pursued a policy that would have been familiar to any of the previous four British prime ministers this century, Labour and Conservative among them. The same is true of the EU. Such is the depth of economic entanglement with China today that it will take far more than talk of “democratic alliances” and threats to the rules-based order for Brussels, Berlin, Paris—and London—to seriously change course.

What does that mean for the U.S.? If it wants to construct a coalition behind its attempt to contain China, it will need to be prepared to threaten and cajole, yes, but also bribe far more effectively than it has until now. No longer is America the only dog in the pound, even if it still has the biggest bark.

Service to self asshole gets played

I rented a house on a month to month basis. It was an old house, not updated and didn’t come with a refrigerator. I was young and didn’t have much money, everything I had was precious to me & had a use—only the necessities, nothing extra. Because of that, I also treat other people’s things with respect. I took really good care of this little house, sprucing it up with flowers, keeping the grass cut, curtains in the windows, no clutter, rent always on time, etc.

I was using a cooler & trying to figure out what to do about getting a fridge when I found one in the shed on the property. It was………… vintage.

But it worked! With some help, I got it inside, cleaned it out and that problem was solved. I even bought some appliance paint and painted it to look like brand new (-ish, it was at least 40 years old)

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Fridge.

Unfortunately, after just 6 months, I received a job offer in another (big) city, the city landlord actually lived in, in a very nice area. I gave 30 days notice to the landlord. Surprisingly, he was very nasty about it, claiming this was a huge headache for him because now he would have to go through all the trouble and expense of renting the house again and that he was a very busy man who didn’t have time for this. I refrained from asking him why he was investing in rental property, especially in another city, if he was so busy.

I moved out but before leaving I made sure it was in exactly the same condition as before I moved in. I left nothing behind, everything was clean and neat so he could immediately begin showing the house. I did however leave the working refrigerator, plugged in and running, in the kitchen. Thoroughly cleaned out.

A few weeks later, I received an envelope in the mail from the landlord. I expected it was my the check to return my deposit. Oh no! It was a BILL for what he claimed was hauling trash, old clothes and junk out of the house and leaving it in such bad condition that it took him weeks to get it clean enough to rent again.

I was furious! I needed that money since I’d had to pay a deposit on my new place plus the moving costs – it wasn’t a lot, $500, but it was a lot to me! I made an appointment for a free consultation with an attorney who suggested that I file in small claims court against him. He advised me to employ a little known rule in our area that allowed me to not only recover the deposit, but a $20 ‘late fee’ for every day he held it past my move out date because technically he was supposed to meet me there on the last day & go over everything and return my deposit. Of course anyone who has ever rented knows that rarely happens but they usually get their deposit returned in a few weeks so they don’t mind. He told me most landlords don’t show up because they know they’re going to lose unless they have a really good case.

I took his advice and filed the claim. When the date came I appeared in court. To my surprise, landlord was there! He had taken time out very busy schedule to come and argue returning a rental deposit to a 23 year old young woman making barely above minimum wage! He stated his case, that I had rented the house then moved out 6 months later, leaving the property littered with garbage, piles of dirty clothes, cat pee soaked carpet (I didn’t even have a cat) and a ton of rotting food in the fridge. He claimed he had to rent a truck to haul it all away. He also complained that I was constantly late on my rent & caused him tremendous hardship. I was stunned. He was so arrogant & superior acting, very cocky and confident. The magistrate asked if he had been able to rent the property again, he said that he had. When asked how long it was vacant, he said about 10 days.

It was my turn to speak. I denied all of his claims. The magistrate asked if I had any proof to support my argument. The landlord smirked at me, thinking the young small town girl wouldn’t have thought to bring anything to prove my case.

He was wrong.

I pulled out my little file and inside was a copy of every rent check with the date it was deposited & cleared, clearly stamped on the back. I also had a pack of photos, with a copy of the local newspaper in every shot to prove the date. The photos were of every room in the house, the outside, the shed, everything. I explained to him that he had rented me a house with no refrigerator and that I had in fact provided him with a nice working fridge as was seen in the photos. I also showed him an ad for the house, that landlord had run 2 days after I moved out. And that he was charging $75 more a month because “appliances included”.

The magistrate looked at the checks, then at the photos, then studied the ad, then at me for what felt like a long time. He then smiled at my landlord and said, “Please provide Miss Smith with a check in the amount of $1800 within 5 days from today. If you are late by even one day, the amount doubles every day until we’ve reached the limit of damages allowed in this court. You should be ashamed of yourself for taking advantage of your renters, especially for the amount you’re charging! This young lady improved your property to enrich you $75 more per month and according to this ad, that you placed 2 days after she moved out, you described the property as “immaculately cared for, sparkling clean home with restored vintage appliances”. How is this possible just two days after you claimed she left it in such a terrible condition? You’re on my radar Mr. Asshole. You and landlords like you. Don’t let me see you here again.”

I received my check by courier the next day. To be truthful, I kinda was hoping he’d be late lol!

Cuban Style Picadillo | Ground Beef Recipes

China halts military and climate ties with the US over Pelosi’s Taiwan visit

From HERE

China is halting cooperation with the United States in a number of areas, including dialogue between senior-level military commanders and climate talks, in retaliation for House Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s visit to Taiwan.

China’s Foreign Ministry also said it was suspending cooperation with Washington on the prevention of cross-border crime and drug trafficking, and on repatriating illegal migrants, among eight specific measures.

In a statement released soon after Ms Pelosi left Japan on the final leg of her Asian tour, China also cancelled a planned bilateral meeting on a maritime military security mechanism.

Beijing separately announced that it would personally sanction Ms Pelosi and her immediate family in response to her “vicious” and “provocative” actions.

“Despite China’s serious concerns and firm opposition, Pelosi insisted on visiting Taiwan, seriously interfering in China’s internal affairs, undermining China’s sovereignty and territorial integrity, trampling on the one-China policy, and threatening the peace and stability of the Taiwan Strait,” a Foreign Ministry spokesperson said in a statement.

Enraged after Ms Pelosi became the highest-level US visitor in 25 years to the self-governed island that Beijing regards as its sovereign territory, China launched military drills in the seas and skies around Taiwan on Thursday.

Khutulun

One of Ghengis Khan’s descendants wouldn’t marry a man unless he could beat her in a wrestling match.

This famous Mongolian princess’ name was Khutulun. She was born in the 1260s and had 14 brothers. Surprisingly, she was favored out of all the children. The reason for this was because of her military skill.
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With so many brothers, you can imagine how much testosterone was in the house that made her so good at combat. She was considered one of the best female warriors at the time.
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When she got older, just like Disney’s Merida, she claimed that she would only marry her suitor if he bested her.

But unlike Merida, she wanted to wrestle, not shoot bows and arrow. If he won, he would get to marry her. If she won, she would get a horse.

Once, a man bet 1000 horses, and she was told to lose on purpose since he was good guy. She decided to leave 1000 horses richer. I suppose that toughness runs in the family.

Khutulun was undefeated despite her physical disadvantage. Even Marco Polo reported so. By the end of her life, she had 10,000 horses. While this statistic was most likely hyperbole, she still had many. She did eventually get married since that was the norm, but she didn’t wrestle him because she didn’t want him to lose.

Netflix’s Marco Polo even features her because of her unusual, inspiring traits. Khutulun is an interesting example of female strength and tested the boundaries of society even a long time ago.

Pelosi’s Taiwan Trip Spurs Chinese Battery Giant to Pause Plant Debut

  • CATL holding off for now on North America plant announcement
  • Pelosi’s trip to Taiwan has stoked US-China tensions

From HERE

A giant Chinese supplier of electric-vehicle batteries decided to push back announcing a multibillion-dollar North American plant to supply Tesla Inc. and Ford Motor Co. due to tensions raised by House Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s trip to Taiwan, according to people familiar with the matter.

Contemporary Amperex Technology Co. Ltd., the world’s biggest maker of batteries for electric vehicles, has been considering at least two locations in Mexico near the Texas border, as well as sites in the US, for the plant. China’s CATL has been in an advanced stage of site selection and negotiating incentives, in anticipation of announcing its selection in the coming weeks.

Why Cleopatra met Caesar

Egypt is a whole thing- it’s complex.

Important stuff 1

Alexander arrived in Egypt in 332 BC. He did his thing and conquered Egypt. After his death, one of his Generals, Ptolomy, would take control of the Egyptian throne. From here on out, Egyptian Pharaohs (now called Kings) were Greek. The Ptolemy’s were big on inbreeding which helped keep the power in the family.

Cleopatra was not the 1st Cleopatra- she was Cleopatra VII (7th).

No Cleopatra was not having an easy few years in Egypt. Her brother and husband (maybe) Ptolemy XIII wanted control. The two began to fight a Civil War in the streets of Alexandria.

Cleopatra was a genius. She was politically sharp, charming, spoke 9 languages, and had a feel for court politics. That said Cleopatra was no warrior- not even remotely.

Pretty soon Cleopatra was defeated and had to abandon Alexandria for Thebes with a number of her troops. She and her sister Arsinoe made their way to Roman Syria where they planned to invade from. They were soon blocked by the army of Ptolemy XIII.

This is where Caesar enters the picture.

Important stuff 2

Rome and Egypt had a complex relationship. The last King of Egypt was Ptolemy XII Auletes (they all have the same name). He had been exiled for a time and hung around in Rome where he took a liking to Roman culture. When Ptolemy XII Auletes returned to power he realized that Rome could be a powerful ally and stabilizing force for Egypt. So he left 2 stipulations in his will when he died.

  1. Cleopatra and Ptolemy XIII were to rule jointly
  2. The people of Rome were executors of the will

This basically made Egypt a Roman vassal. Rome had now been invited, by the King, to oversee and protect the reign of Ptolemy and Cleopatra. Now Rome didn’t really press this issue. Rome did however lend tons of money to the Egyptian King which helped him maintain his throne.

Important stuff 3

Caesar’s enemy, Pompey Magnus arrived in Egypt hoping for an army and some help beating Caesar. Instead, his head was cut off.

Caesar arrived shortly after and was given the head of Pompey by Ptolemy XIII. Caesar was not happy about this. His plan was to bring Pompey back as an ally and subordinate, signaling to Rome that everyone was ok and everyone was on Caesar’s side.

So Caesar and Ptolemy XIII did not get along from the start. Then things get really complex.

Caesar occupies the Royal Quarter with his troops, saying he is gonna hang around until the massive debt Egypt owes Rome is paid. Caesar needed money and he hoped to get it here. So Caesar was basically occupying the Royal Quarter with his troops awaiting payment.

Pretty soon Alexandria revolted and a full-on siege broke out. After lots of brutal fighting Caesar released Ptolemy XIII with the promise that Ptolemy XIII would calm the crowd and help find a peaceful solution to all this mess. Once out Ptolemy XIII egged the crowd on and things got worse.


Cleopatra, who had ears everywhere, is well aware of these details and decides to meet Caesar. She is smuggled into his room and the two meet face to face. Most accounts say she seduced him which makes sense. Cleopatra may or may not have been beautiful but she was smart, of royal blood, and capable. Caesar loves capable people.

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Cleopatra is in a tough spot here. This meeting with Caesar is not for fun. This is a political movie and she has goals.

  1. Get herself on the throne
  2. Get rid of Ptolemy XIII and his court
  3. Make an ally out of Rome

This is tricky. Rome is far stronger than Egypt and everyone knows it. Cleopatra has to assert power without actually having any. Long story short, she nails it. She starts up a political and romantic alliance with Caesar and the two become very close.

Caesar wins the siege, kills Ptolemy XIII in battle, and puts Cleopatra on the throne. The 2 then tour Egypt in a big love boat (literally). This signals that Rome supports Cleopatra and this is enough to keep her in power.

Egypt retains a degree of autonomy (more than expected) and Cleopatra has her power base totally secured.

US threatens war on China over Taiwan – with nuclear implications

Check out this summary of the situation.

U.S. Lashes China With Stricter Export Bans on Chip-Making Tech

The Fourth Crusade to the Byzantine Empire

The effects of the Fourth Crusade to the Byzantine Empire were both political and psychological.

The sack in itself was incredibly brutal, and the pillaging of one of Christendom’s holiest cities was perceived with outrage from both the Greeks and the Latins. The atrocities committed during the sack — the massacre of thousands of Greeks, raping of nuns, execution of monks, desecration of tombs, and rampant pillaging of the city would devastate Constantinople. Europe’s wealthiest city went into rapid decline after that, reversed only when the Turks took the city in 1453.

The sack was the culmination of centuries of tensions between Latins and Greeks, stretching from the iconoclastic edicts of Leo the Isaurian, increased by the crowning of Charlemagne, exacerbated by the Great Schism of 1054, aggravated by the Norman conquest of Byzantine Italy, and deeply intensified under the Komnenoi dynasty. For all of their skill, the concessions that the Komnenoi had given to Latin merchants caused them to become dependent on the Latins.

Although Manuel’s pro-Latin approach warmed relations between Western Europe and the Empire, it also earned the ire of much of the lower classes. This culminated in the Massacre of the Latins in 1182, where a mob spurred on by Andronikos I Komnenos slaughtered some 20,000 Latin merchants and their families.

The city’s sacking was very devastating, and the Empire lost its monopoly over silk trade. But the sack was not even the worst part: that would be the Partitio terrarum imperii Romaniae

(Partition of the lands of the Empire of Romania).

The former Imperial lands were divied up by Frankish barons thus ushering in a period commonly referred to as the Frankokratia

(Frankocracy). Various Latin-controlled states were formed; a Catholic Emperor of Constantinople was crowned that year by a Latin Patriarch, while Southern Greece and Thessaly was divided up by Latin noblemen.

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Multiple states and fiefdoms were formed: the Kingdom of Thessalonica with its capital in Thessalonica; the Principality of Achaea with its capital in Andravida; the Duchy of Athens with its capital in Athens; along with a variety of small Latin principalities located in Greece and the Aegean Sea. Venice came to exert control over Crete and other Aegean isles which it maintain for several centuries, with the collapse of Constantinople causing the collapse of the other provinces as well. Within a few years, most of the former Empire’s lands had been overrun by the Crusaders.

Three remnant Greek states would continue to survive: a state in Nicaea composed of most of the Romans’ Asia Minor territories and founded by the Laskarids; a branch of the Komnenos family would found a state centered in Epirus; while a Greek state in the East that had seceded from the Empire shortly before the sack would survive as a Georgian vassal and later as an independent kingdom with its capital at Trebizond.

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All three states initially claimed the Imperial mantle, although only Nicaea would retake Constantinople in 1261. The ruler of Epirus would take the title of Despot as the state came under Venetian control, while the Emperor of Trebizond would abandon his claim to the Imperial throne in favor of a most Eastern title. But despite this, these nations would wage perpetual war against both each other and the Latins.

Meanwhile, the Latin rule in Greece was viewed unfavorably by the population. Exploiting this, the newly-reformed Bulgaria would expand their lands into Thrace and Greece in the early 13th century and deal crushing defeats to the Latin Emperor. Nicaea would have more success; it would eventually swallow up much of the former Imperial lands in Europe and held off the Seljuks for a while.

But the 57-year-period in which the former Empire were under the control of the Crusaders was devastating for the former Greek-speaking, land-owning aristocracy that had supported the Imperial state for so long. With the Latin conquest, it was almost completely annihilated in Europe and a power vacuum was formed. The Palaiologi would liberate Constantinople in 1261 and restore some stability, but the ambitions of restoring the Latin state would force them to adopt a Europe-first policy to expel the Franks from Greece, something that would consume much of the Empire’s time.

From here, the Anatolian lands would be ill-defended and a power vacuum would form; the Turkish Ghazis would eventually swallow up the Empire’s Asian lands until the city’s fall in 1453.

On a psychological level, the sacking of the city solidified the animosity between the Greek-speaking Orthodox Christian Romaioi and the Western Catholic Latins. The Empire fell into decline despite the vigorous attempts of the Palaeologi Emperors, and became an Ottoman vassal in the late 14th century. John VIII Palaiologos would desperately attempt to reunite the Churches in 1439 and even adopted Catholicism, but was met with riots from the infuriated populace and clergy who had not forgave the Western Powers for the sack of the city.

The Fourth Crusade did not necessarily cause the decline of the Byzantine Empire: but it certainly sped it up. The Empire had been in decline for the past quarter-century with the reformation of a Bulgarian state, the splintering of the Empire in Cyprus, the rapid distintegration of its ability to defend itself (exemplified first in the Norman sack of Thessalonica and then in the Latin conquest of Romania), all coupled with a series of internal issues. But it certainly administered the coup-de-grace to the Empire, after it which it could never really recover.

Rand Paul’s hearing…

Well worth a long listen.

Some Truths

1) Time passes much more quickly than you realize.

2) If you don’t take care of your body early then it won’t take care of you later. Your world becomes smaller each day as you lose mobility, continence and sight.

3) Sex and beauty fades, but intimacy and friendship grows.

4) People are far more important than any other thing in your life. No hobby, interest, book, or work is going to be as important to you as the people you spend time with as you get older.

5) Money talks. It says “Goodbye” If you didn’t plan financially for your old age when you are young you will wish you had.

6) Any seeds you planted in the past, either good or bad, will begin to bear fruit and affect the quality of your life as you get older for the better or the worse.

7) Jealousy is a wasted emotion. People you hate are going to succeed; people you like are going to sometimes do better than you did. Kids are going to be smarter and quicker than you are. Accept it with grace.

8) That big house you had to have becomes a bigger and bigger burden even as the mortgage gets smaller. The cleaning, the maintenance, the stairs, all of it… becomes less attractive every day. Your possessions own YOU.

9) You will badly regret the things you DIDN’T do far more than the things you did that were “wrong” — the girl you didn’t kiss; the trip you didn’t take; the project you kept putting off; the time you could have helped someone. If you get the chance – do it. You may never get the chance again.

10) Every day you wake up is a victory.
Bonus: It’s never too late to become what you wanted to be or might have been if you START RIGHT NOW!

11) What people think of you is none of your business. Ignore them, whether it is good or bad, and keep your eyes on your goals. The biggest liar in the world is “They say…”.

Apple Apologizes

Not a MM story. -MM

A few weeks ago, my cat Apple threw up on my bedroom floor (well, at least he was considerate enough to get off my bed before doing his business). After cleaning up, I was constantly being followed by him, meowing almost desperately after me around the house, which is something he never does. I figured out that he was trying to say sorry and be forgiven, so I pet him and told him: “it’s okay”. Satisfied with the result, he walked away and ignored me for the rest of the day.

x
x

China water torture

But the so-called Chinese water torture has been considered by many historians and researchers on the subject as one of the worst ever created by man, especially because of its psychological implications that could drive those tortured to madness.

Chinese water torture focuses on making the victim fear for his life from something relatively harmless. In this case, she was mentally conditioned to believe that the drops of water repeatedly dripping over her head were poisonous.

And even if it was just tap water, with no strange smells or tastes, just the idea that he could die would lead the tortured to intense psychological tensions.

This process could easily cause the person’s troubled mind, tormented by their captors and for days without sleep and cold from the water, to start deceiving them, causing them to have strange and unreal sensations, such as imminent death.

Conclusion

It’s a new world. But do not, under any circumstances, believe that this is just a random event sequence brought about by American leadership madness.

It isn’t.

It’s all part of a grand plan. And all the discomfort that you will experience in the future is all part of that plan.

You all have had years to ready up for this moment. If you are not ready now, and making moves to protect yourselves during the Western collapse, you had best either get completely drunk, or start hustling. The inflection point has occurred a few days ago. Now, the “machines of change” are rumbling into life.

Take care everyone.

I believe in you.

Do not fear the soul realignment event

This was a private video for Patreon. It is now free for everyone to view. Here, we discuss what you MUST go though if you want to stop the endless cycle of reincarnation.

Very important links.

The Metallicman webpage has daily articles of everything from geopolitics, to art, music, history, extraterrestrials, science and just stuff that defy description…

A1 Top Master Index

The Metallicman patrion page has daily videos and articles for the hard-core influencers and supporters. Here’s the really valuable stuff. Basic membership is only $5 a month. Great stuff here. It’s where I present the “secrets of the universe”…
https://www.patreon.com/Metallicman

[daegonmagus] – Part 27 – The Mantids Finally Showed Up….right before an uninstigated conversation about manifestation through intent.

The following is the 27th part from a series of articles describing the adventure that a follower who goes by the handle "daegonmagus" has experienced since reading MM. They are very interesting and fascinating. I hope that you all learn from his journey and maybe learn a thing or two as he relates his unique experiences to the readership here. 

Lately he has been conducting lucid dreaming (LD) to map out the subconscious / non-physical realms that surround us. His writings are very interesting, but describe things way beyond my understanding. Never the less, many MM readers find great value in his experiences, and writings, and one can easily see benefit in reading his writings. 

I hope that you enjoy this article.

-MM

The Mantids Finally Showed Up….right before an uninstigated conversation about manifestation through intent.

Yep. They finally showed up….in our goddamned fucking house….in our goddamned fucking bedroom….after being a bunch of total fucking jackasses. We’d all just got our flu shots because there is a few flyers going around suggesting that “hey, guys, everyone got caught up in Covid and forgot all about the flu which has now mutated into some horrible chimera amalgamation of all the worst parts of Scott Morrsion, Boris Johnson and Joe Biden probably due to the use of gain of function research, so come and get a free vaccine for it before you turn into pile of useless shit”….and considering it spelt vaccine with a c, and that it wasn’t covid, I figured it would probably be ok. That and the fact our kids get royally sick when they get sick, to the point they are down and out for the count for weeks at a time. So, skipping that whole schpeel (I love all of you whether you are vaxed or not), coincidentally we all came down with blocked noses the day afterwards (I knew we should have got it earlier, just our luck).

Anyway, we have everyone in our room because it easier and cheaper to warm everyone with one heater than several sprawled out through several rooms, and because the chicken bird scared the absolute shit out of our daughter to the point she will not go back in her room at night time.

The problem is, my eldest son has autism, and having a blocked nose when he is trying to sleep might as well be the same as trying to saw ones own leg off with a teaspoon. Unfortunately he got quite bad, and was himself scaring his younger brother and sister, so I had to get him out of the house and take him for a drive at 1 in the morning to calm him down.

We were gone for about 20 minutes, during which he calmed down, we had a little talk about his interests etc, and eventually made our way home. He goes to bed, and everyone finally gets some sleep.

Storme tells me in the morning, when we were out, she saw a group of mantids around his bed, one of them very clearly, as solid as a physical object, the others just barely visible. They way she describes it was that it looked just like a tall praying mantis, but unusually thin (about 3 feet tall and body as thick as her arm, head the size of two fists put together), and when it walked it was really weirdly robotic. She said she saw it scuttle off and then it just faded away into nothing.

Strange right?

Well we all know there has been very bizarre happenings in and around this house; I have heard weird rushing noises like when a low flying aircraft pulls air through a bunch of nearby trees which sets the dog of in an act of investigation. SD has seen things wearing what appears to be the invisibility camouflage Predator uses when he is being hunted by Arnie (the amateurs stepped in a puddle of water and made a very obvious footprint when she caught it, then bailed snapping bunch of twigs in the process.), as well as ships halfway through their own cloaking operation. Then there is the case of the mysterious chicken bird my daughter has seen…

Speaking of which; now that SD has seen the mantids up close and their beaky like nose, snout whatverthefuck she thinks they very much could be the one and the same thing. The movement is very similar between the two.

So anyway, that particular day, we have some guy show up to check out some minor leaks in our roof. He is in the kitchen, and he sees my survival knife on the bench.

“Is that a military knife?” he asks me. It’s a Gerber LMF Infantry 2, so yeah, I guess I could see how he thinks that.

I tell him yeah and ask if he was in the army. “Yeah. I was involved in radiological and biological warfare”…

Well fuck me, this just got interesting.

Naturally I ask him his thoughts on COVID, if he thinks it is a biological weapon etc, and he says “Definitely. It’s the most perfect bioweapon ever made.” We get to talking and after a brief conversation about healthy dietary plans, the conversation veers back toward all this shit going on with COVID, and vaccines (I may have by this point mentioned a certain ex spook friend living in China who is quite adamant the US dropped it on them).

Somehow we get talking about CRISPR and gene splicing, and out of no where he says “you know, like, so what if I want to create a fucking Aryan kid with blonde hair and blue eyes and wings coming out of its back”….Ok, that was some weird shit to say, particularly to someone who just wrote an article on the occult connection of the Nazi’s and the Aryan race, and another one on his workings with four armed angels in the astral planes.

Very strange thing indeed.

Speaking of Nazi’s, we mention SD’s grandmother was born in A Nazi PoW camp (without a belly button, however the fuck that is possible), and had a bunch of experiments done on her where she had to have blood tests done every day….We’ve been talking an hour at this point, and suddenly I find this guy talking about the Nazi bell {alleged} time machine and some story about how they got it to levitate (I didn’t tell him I know someone whose actually seen it).

What in the fuck is going on here? This guy just pops in to fix my roof and is just opening with all this shit that is pretty much everything I have been writing about for the past year; I am not even leading him in this direction – just chucking in a few bits I know when he brings it up – it is all him. I forgot this seems to be something that happens with me when I write; things very definitely do seem to just randomly manifest (hence why I had some idea of affirmation campaigns before I came on across MM).

Write a fictional novel about the Goetic spirit Astaroth and he turns my TV on to a program with Astaroth’s Star in the middle of the day; write a book about a plane falling out of the sky due to the quantum thoughts that really gave them lift being exposed, and a week later flight MH370 goes missing (that one did actually freak me the fuck out).

Speaking of manifestation; after our conversation about Die Glocke, this guy then starts to tell me about how when he was doing radiological and biological warfare, the military brought in some Olympic Athletes. “Me and my colleagues were trying to understand what all the Athletes had in common” he told me. Turns out they had all won gold. Also turns out they had all won gold through rigorous manifestation campaigns, which they committed to quite more aggressively than even MM seems to when he does an Affirmation Campaign.

Apparently there was one woman who would think about gold wherever she went – whenever she’d walk into a room all she saw in her mind’s eye was gold on the wall; gold paintings, golden dinner table, golden dog shit on the carpet made out of gold. Whenever she took a shower… One morning she woke up the day of an Olympic swim, and felt so appalling she was almost ready to throw in the towel and call her swimming career quits. She called her coach who said “just focus on gold”. Gold, gold, gold, gold, gold. GOLD. She ended up competing and guess what she won (I’ll give you a hint, you can spell the first part of Australia with its chemical symbol.)

According to my guy here, the army knew very well about the powers of manifesting when it came to intent. The point he was making was that they sprinkled it in amongst their troops training regimes to make them collectively manifest certain goals.

“Yeah, right” I say, pretending I am one of those guys that thinks it is all bunch of new age hocus pocus bullshit. Little does he know I am 1 and a half months into my own affirmation campaign, which may involve connecting with these very fucking kinds of people (normies bore the shit out me).

He proceeds to tell me about how he has used this concept all his life since he was a little kid, to help manifest his business desires. He tells me a story about how he was doing fly in fly out work, and one day just quit his job as it was affecting his relationship with his new girlfriend, after being in the game for about 5 years. He’s thinking he needs to find a cheap $1000 utility truck and do it up as a means for starting his own business. He’s at the airport coming home, and sees this little old lady looking kind of lost. “Are you alright there , mam?” he asks, and she tells him “well, not really, I am new to Perth and I am bit confused about how to get where I am supposed to be going”.

“Do you need me to call you a taxi, or someone to come get you?” he asks her.
“Actually I would quite appreciate that if you could”. She replies.

He takes her to the waiting lounge where there is a pay phone, and they proceed to wait in the long line that has formed to use it. The old lady strikes up a conversation while they are waiting, asking him what he is doing with himself, that sort of thing.

“Well I have just come out of five year job from the mines, as it was affecting my relationship with my girlfriend, now I need to find something a bit more local”. He offers her some of his qualifications etc as part of the small talk.

Meanwhile a guy standing behind them has been listening to the whole conversation. He interjects.

“Excuse me, buddy, but I am the owner of this company that builds elevators for the commercial sector and a vacancy just came up.” He flicks him a business card and says ”Send me your resume, and we’ll see what we can do” A day later he got the job.

But it doesn’t stop there. The same day, he is talking to his friend who tells him “check out this ad for this utility truck I just came across.” This guy shows him the ad in a paper, or on his phone or whatever, and he looks at it:

“Not bad for $1000, eh? All it needs is a bit of doing up and it make a great work ute”

“Send me the number”he says, without batting an eyelid.…it was the same ute we had now both walked up to and whose trailer he was lying on top quite casually as we talked, which was now going on 2 hours.

I figured fuck it, might as well go all in.

I tell him how my spook guy living in China is an ex Majestic agent who was given the actual process of how this manifestation shit works by the ETs he was involved with, then proceed to tell him about said proper process, 3 months on, and 3 months off then 3 on again yada yada yada. He kind of looks at me, and nods, probably thinking I am a fucking nut job, but kindly suggests he isn’t thinking that.

The conversation about manifesting of desire thing comes full circle:
“So getting back to the vaccine thing. You wipe out the old and the weak, you are left with the young and strong. You then start seeding the concepts you want to see manifested into that generation, and……well, you get the idea.”
He then seems to realize the time and has to shoot off.

Well that was certainly interesting. Almost like a higher force was telling me EXACTLY what is up with the vaccines. Either that or it was just, like, his opinion, man.

Even more interesting is that that night SD and I had a fight and she sees another fucking mantid in the mirror (but not out of it) next to our bed.

You can visit the daegonmagus Index here…

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MM Articles & Links

Master Index

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You’ll not find any big banners or popups here talking about cookies and privacy notices. There are no ads on this site (aside from the hosting ads – a necessary evil). Functionally and fundamentally, I just don’t make money off of this blog. It is NOT monetized. Finally, I don’t track you because I just don’t care to.

  • You can start reading the articles by going HERE.
  • You can visit the Index Page HERE to explore by article subject.
  • You can also ask the author some questions. You can go HERE to find out how to go about this.
  • You can find out more about the author HERE.
  • If you have concerns or complaints, you can go HERE.
  • If you want to make a donation, you can go HERE.

Extraction upon Translation

This is one of my early Patrion postings. I hope that you appreciate it and find it to be of use and interest to you. Patrion members get the “good, crunchy and delicious stuff” out of MM, daily. This one talks about what happens when we die and how to opt for “pick up” instead of going directly into the Heaven pocket universe.

Please enjoy.

[daegonmagus] – Part 26 – Lucid Astral Projection – The Consciousness Craft Launch Facility and Something Dwelling in the Red Planet:

The following is the 26th part from a series of articles describing the adventure that a follower who goes by the handle "daegonmagus" has experienced since reading MM. They are very interesting and fascinating. I hope that you all learn from his journey and maybe learn a thing or two as he relates his unique experiences to the readership here. 

Lately he has been conducting lucid dreaming (LD) to map out the subconscious / non-physical realms that surround us. His writings are very interesting, but describe things way beyond my understanding. Never the less, many MM readers find great value in his experiences, and writings, and one can easily see benefit in reading his writings. 

I hope that you enjoy this article.

-MM

Lucid Astral Projection – The Consciousness Craft Launch Facility and Something Dwelling in the Red Planet:

I’m, fucking back baby. WOOOHOOO.

Last night I woke up around 2am and couldn’t get back to sleep. I figured I might as well try meditating with a goal to induce an LD. I was playing around with visualisations of a tunnel that would burrow me outside of the Astral Plane bubble surrounding earth. My goal was to try and contact the EG.

This was the first proper wake induced lucid dream I have had in years where I have been able to keep 100% of consciousness during the transition.

As I reached hypnogogia, my dream environment changed into a sort of hospital like facility with lots of corridors. Although it was dark, it had a warmness feeling to it that reminded me of whenever I went to my grandma’s place. As hypngogia set in properly, I found myself walking down this corridor. On the left was some sort of reception desk with a cafeteria behind it. Just up ahead from the reception desk was a door, and that was where I was heading.

There were two female staff at the reception desk, who I said a quick hi to as I walked past. They were the facilitators of whatever was on the other side of the door This all happens in less than a minute.

I approach the door and as I get right to its frame I step over the threshold. Some sort of invisible hook catches me in the middle of the head, and then I realize this is it. This is the transition I have been waiting a very long time to experience properly again.

My consciousness inverts, and I feel that all too familiar feeling of entering the void space, and my consciousness properly disengaging from my body.

But this time something different happens; when the hook hit me, it sort of turned my consciousness upwards as it was transitioning, I feel the hallway beyond the door sort of “capture” me as I do so.

As I plunge into the void space, I realize for the first time ever I am looking upwards into the shaft of the cylindrical like chamber, rather than at the side.

I realize this is a fucking tunnel into outer space; I can see stars from where I am obscured by its edges.

Some thing else is also different; this void space is a lot more clearer than I remember it being.

It is hard to explain, but movement in the void space used to create quite a level of disorientation. Although I could “feel” the depth of this space being quite huge and around me, I could never really “see” it.

Now I can see the stars and they are crystal clear; sparkling like diamonds in front of me, just begging for me to come and claim them.

I oblige, and propel myself forward, with only a small amount of velocity.

Something happens, and I find my momentum picking up until I am soaring through this tunnel hurtling towards the stars; I can even hear the reverberation of this velocity coming off the interior walls of whatever this tunnel thing is.

Suddenly I come out of the tunnel and plunge into outer space like a diver into water.

I realize it is some sort of station set up on an asteroid or something near earth.

I am 100% conscious and aware of my sleeping body. I seem to still be in the solar system, but still quite far from earth, probably a few light years away.

After a quick piloting test of control where I move my consciousness forward, back, left right, up and down I conclude that yes, something is very very different here this time.

It seems a fog has been lifted that usually makes such effortless control tiresome; like a polluted pond has now been cleaned and the water is perfect to swim in. Well, space is my water, and I am itching for a swim.

I propel myself forward and “open up the burners”, so to speak. I am like that guy taking a new mustang out to a straight stretch of road and just fucking gunning it to see how fast it can go before his nerves kick in and make him punch the brakes.

Seems I have a new ‘stang and I want to see what this baby can do.

Fuck me, this awesome.

I am burning fast, and I mean REALLY FUCKING FAST.

If this is what the upgrades entail, then holy shit they were worth it.

Something gives me the impression my consciousness might actually be merged with a space craft of some sort.

I have propelled fast before, but never anywhere even remotely close to this. This is impressive even for my standards.

I am actually using this craft like it is my own fucking body, zipping around like a majestic unicorn that has just popped a bag of Ecstasy before going on an episode of dancing with the stars.

Saturn and Jupiter fly past me in a manner of seconds.

Then come the stars.

This isn’t anything like hyper drive in star wars or star trek. The planets and stars appear as tiny dots that just sail effortlessly past you like bits of dust in a windstorm.

Within about 30 seconds I have journeyed so far out of the solar system that I don’t even know what galaxy I am in.

I am very, very, very far from my physical body at this point.

I remember my goal of trying to establish contact with the EG. As the thought pops into my mind, almost instantaneously I start hearing the voice of the Grand Elder coming through (I haven’t heard this since February 2019), but it is broken and patchy like the tuning is not quite right.

I realize the interference is caused by the distance between me and them.

Although I am far from the solar system I am still even much further from the edge of the universe/ astral bubble.

“Hello. Hello? Can you hear us”.

I hear them say, but it doesn’t seem as though can get anything intelligible from so I give up.

As I am hurtling through space I notice some activity in a certain sector of the galaxy I am in.

There seems to be a tentacle of the anomaly bleeding through, but it is no where near the concern it once was.

It is concerning to see it this close to earth, but at the same time it doesn’t seem as malicious as it once was.

An “Eh, I’ll get to that a different time” thought pops into my head.

As I sail over it, I hear a dark demonic voice trying to lure me in.

I turn to check it out and notice it is coming from a red planet that looks almost identical to Mars off in the local vicinity of where I am (I cannot recall at this point whether I had turned around and journeyed back to our solar system or not, but I think that is the case).

I feel kinda sorry for this voice.

It is trying really hard to put on a show to scare me, but the whole thing just comes off as really lame and like something out of a kids PG movie.

Sort of like a real bad James Earl Jones Darth Vader rendition.

It is my responsibility to check into any malicious forces I find – I guess this is why I was cleared for launch back at the facility, to come and investigate this area of space – so I project towards it.

The red planet suddenly becomes very big in front of me.

I swear this is Mars, judging from its colour and patterns. If not then it must have a twin that is a spitting image.

I enter its atmosphere and realize that there is indeed something malicious going on; the first thing I notice is that a shroud is being used on the surface to plunge it into an astral darkness.

Even from this state, it is impossible to see several feet in front of me.

The voice lingers and tries to lure me in with some cheap promise of finding something I need, but I just tell it to fuck off, figuring it easier to go back and report this to base command and have it taken out remotely.

The main difference was that there was no fear of this entity; I was just observing it from an emotionless state of being.

I wake up, then quickly ride that lucidity train back through the transition before my mind gets too awoken.

Once again, I wind up back at the same launch facility, this time with SD by my side.

We walk the hallways trying to find the launch room, but end up getting lost in the corridors.

We take a wrong turn and end up outside.

There is a nicely manicured garden outside and I notice the buildings themselves are made of bricks and seem quite old.

The dream starts to become broken, but I realize that if you just look up and focus on the bricks, its stops it from falling apart (try this when trying to create a solid dreamscape).

SD attends to other business and I end up going to check out one of the buildings. It seems to be a sort of dormitory for other astral travellers/ lucid dreamers.

I notice a person there who I have been speaking to in recent weeks about their heightened astral projection experiences.

We have a brief chat, and then I make my way over to another room that seems to be mine.

The projection soon ends.

You can visit the daegonmagus Index here…

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.

MM Articles & Links

Master Index

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You’ll not find any big banners or popups here talking about cookies and privacy notices. There are no ads on this site (aside from the hosting ads – a necessary evil). Functionally and fundamentally, I just don’t make money off of this blog. It is NOT monetized. Finally, I don’t track you because I just don’t care to.

  • You can start reading the articles by going HERE.
  • You can visit the Index Page HERE to explore by article subject.
  • You can also ask the author some questions. You can go HERE to find out how to go about this.
  • You can find out more about the author HERE.
  • If you have concerns or complaints, you can go HERE.
  • If you want to make a donation, you can go HERE.

[daegonmagus] – Part 25 – Documenting the Other Worlds – Project Morpheus

The following is the 25th part from a series of articles describing the adventure that a follower who goes by the handle "daegonmagus" has experienced since reading MM. They are very interesting and fascinating. I hope that you all learn from his journey and maybe learn a thing or two as he relates his unique experiences to the readership here. 

Lately he has been conducting lucid dreaming (LD) to map out the subconscious / non-physical realms that surround us. His writings are very interesting, but describe things way beyond my understanding. Never the less, many MM readers find great value in his experiences, and writings, and one can easily see benifit in reading his writings. 

I hope that you enjoy this article.

-MM

Project Morpheus

Earlier this month, I started a new project which will eventually comprise part of a larger project I have opened up on my site, www.daegonmagus.wix.com/author, for “Documenting the Other Worlds”.

This is actually an offshoot of another project I started a few years ago and never got around to finishing, which sort to put every frequency in the audible spectrum, between 20-20kHz on one track in what I called the “Pandora Chord”. Drawing on some sound engineering experience I picked up over the years, in my latest project, I decided to try and replicate some of the noises SD and I have experienced during some of our lucid dreams.

These vary from bizarre “UFO” type sounding noises, to the perceived change in sound of an aero plane going overhead as consciousness goes through the transition into the sleeping state and beyond into the void space.

I am hoping that these audio tracks will provide at least starting point for understanding what exactly happens to consciousness as it falls asleep, and give others an idea of the sorts of environments us LDers find ourselves having to navigate through. I am confident in my assertions that telepathy can be understood through using a similar model of radio propagation theory, and that the void space experienced during one of these conscious transitions into the sleep state acts as the main terminal by which telepathic information can be decoded and broadcast.

Thus my eventual goal will be to devise apparatus that will allow these sounds to be broadcast through open space in a similar manner, with an effort of contacting nearby entities. Guess I am officially “that” guy now huh?

This project soon evolved into the creation of a track specifically to try and induce a lucid dreaming session, based heavily on the Monroe Institute’s research into inducing OBE’s.

Whereas the Monroe Institute used a 4HZ offset frequency between those frequencies played in the left ear vs those played in the right, I opted to use a 2Hz offset frequency based primarily on the frequency of the physical world being “locking” onto to a dreamscape from a waking LD I once had. I also took some inspiration from Royal Rife and his assertions that lower sideband harmonics of certain frequencies can be used to destroy certain pathogens and viruses, and used a specific combination of frequencies that are spaced exactly an octave (a doubling of frequency) apart in the left ear, whilst introducing the 2 Hz variants of each of those frequencies in the right.

Originally I based these frequencies on the Binary number system of 1, 2, 4, 8, 16, 32, 64, 128, 256, 512 etc, but as my recording software’s signal generators only allow a minimum of 20Hz, I was forced with starting at 32Hz. I then applied phasers to these frequencies that adjust themselves through the peak ranges in timings of 2 to 4 Hz, again multiples of these frequencies.

I attempted to record this into a stereo track using an unbalanced mono line, which introduced some digital noise into the track which I realized sounded quite a lot like the tinnitus sound I usually hear during an OBE (which intensifies during an astral projection, right at the moment the astral body separates from the physical), so I left it in.

I then re-recorded the frequency tracks using a balanced line. The resultant track is a combination of what appears to be a Tibetan singing bowl mixed with both the tinnitus and UFO “Whoop Whoop” sounds, with a mechanical like noise overlaid, which I assume is caused by certain collision points of the frequencies during sampling, similar to aliasing. This Mechnical noise is very reminiscent of the type of chthonic noises heard during a sleep paralysis/ LD experience.

The listener is encouraged to try and focus on the other phantom noises that seemingly present themselves.

I then used the track for a total of 15 to 20 minutes each morning and evening before going to bed. After day 3 or 4, I noticed a very strong feeling of dissociation from my surroundings, very similar to that felt when under the influence of marijuana.

This feeling I noticed was more prominent when looking at areas with many patterns of shadow contrasted against light, an example being piles of leaves in a lightly shaded area. The effect I witnessed was that a diamond like wavy “ghost” pattern was perceivable between me and the leaves as a sort of visual noise.

This feeling kept all day and only began to subside after about 3 days after my last dosing of the audio track. In addition this, there was also a prolonged energetic feeling felt deep within the solar plexus, vaguely similar to morphine when it enters the vein.

When I showed this track to my daughter, the first thing she told me was that it was the sound that happens when the chicken bird shows up (see [daegonmagus] – Part 12 – Miscellaneous Experiences: The Curious case of the Mysterious Chicken Bird – Metallicman). This particular entity was once again spotted by SD about a week after stopping listening to the audio, though SD has not heard this track as of yet.

Upon review of the lengths associated with nervous system pathways, and the idea the body acts as a tuned antenna that emits a carrier wave that consciousness attaches to, based on these nervous system pathways, further experimentation will see the offset frequency between left and right ears changed to 3Hz.

For the aeroplane going overhead, I downloaded a sample of an aeroplane off the internet. One should note, this aeroplane sounds a little bit different to what I actually heard, but for demonstration purposes will do. I started by stretching majority of the track out to about twice its normal length (slowing the frequencies involved in the process). I then placed a phaser that polls through the entire range of frequencies every 0.07Hz. The track is thus a close representation, but not exact. My Plan is to simulate other typical noises in a similar fashion to see what they would sound like in the void space.

For the UFO noise I used a simple 128HZ signal, with a 4hz timed phaser. I am very interested in hearing from others who have heard this noise or something similar to it either during an “encounter” or an OBE experience.

I am also interested in hearing from others who experience similar feelings of association or the energy bursts I have felt.

I suspect this combination of phaser arrangement on a specific frequency might have something to do with disrupting consciousness to achieving a “cloaking” effect. I believe the key to unlocking consciousness from the body lies in the way these crafts use these frequencies, particularly during LDs/APs.

Edit, for some reason, this track is proving difficult to record and will be uploaded at another date. Refer to the above inducer test track to get an idea of the “Woo Woo” sound.

The lucid fizz sound is the tinnitus sounding noise mentioned above. I extracted it from the recording with the introduced mechanical noise using some 7 band EQs to filter out the lower frequency components. It is about 90% accurate to what I hear on a regular basis.

Sometime I get random bouts where one of my ears will be overloaded with a high pitched frequency (different to the tinnitus sound), which, more often than not becomes somewhat disorientating. This just so happened to happen about 2 days into using the lucid dreaming test audio.

I made a mental note of the sound and quickly rushed to my computer, which was on and had a signal generator setup. I then scrolled through the frequencies until I got withina close ballpark of this disorientating “Information Download Frequency”, which I found was at 2925 Hz. I believe further investigation of this frequency is warranted.

Any information supplemental to my experiments from the Commander is most welcome.

The audio files

For now, hosted on Google drive.

You can visit the daegonmagus Index here…

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You’ll not find any big banners or popups here talking about cookies and privacy notices. There are no ads on this site (aside from the hosting ads – a necessary evil). Functionally and fundamentally, I just don’t make money off of this blog. It is NOT monetized. Finally, I don’t track you because I just don’t care to.

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[daegonmagus] – Part 24 – Cattle Mutilations, Missing Time, Broken and Misplaced Memories, Ghost and UFO sightings

The following is the 24th part from a series of articles describing the adventure that a follower who goes by the handle "daegonmagus" has experienced since reading MM. They are very interesting and fascinating. I hope that you all learn from his journey and maybe learn a thing or two as he relates his unique experiences to the readership here. 

Lately he has been conducting lucid dreaming (LD) to map out the subconscious / non-physical realms that surround us. His writings are very interesting, but describe things way beyond my understanding. Never the less, many MM readers find great value in his experiences, and writings, and one can easily see benifit in reading his writings. 

I hope that you injoy this article.

-MM

Part 24 – Cattle Mutilations, Missing Time, Broken and Misplaced Memories, Ghost and UFO sightings; Wooroloo is the Place to be For Paranormal Activity. 5 star Recommend

I’ve been meaning to do an article on this for while. It entails a bizarre event I unwittingly found myself caught up in when I was about 16 years old, that my friend was {apparently} also involved in. Since it happened, this event has left me with some puzzling question. And guess what, SD was also involved with it. This was a good year or so before I had even met her. In fact, this event has had such an effect on me that I wrote a short story about it a few years ago, trying to make light of the weirdness of the situation through the use of dark humour, which can be found on my website at Daegon Magus | Author for anyone who is interested. In all seriousness though, there isn’t really anything humorous about it. Considering the circumstances surrounding the event from both our vantage points, SD and I believe there is a very real possibility this was an alien abduction scene with a level of memory suppression of what actually took place being employed on both of us. Thinking about that and what “may” have happened to me really gives me the heeby jeebies.

To start this story off, I need to explain the town I lived in as a kid. Wooroloo is a semi rural town situated about 55km East of the Perth CBD.

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Map

It houses an abbatoirs, a cemetery and both a minimum and maximum security prison, and an old tuberculosis clinic-come-hospital all within a few short kilometers of each other. My house was situated on the edge of the thin strip of bushland that insulated these facilities from the town centre. I could quite literally grab my pushbike and tour close to these facilities (with the exception of the maximum security prison) within an hour. I’d heard rumours as a kid that this strip of bushland was haunted; that some guy from one of the prisons hung himself here and would sometimes appear as a ghost to those wandering about.

Speaking of ghosts, my grandmother, who lived on the same block of land as my father (she gifted him the top half for his 21st birthday, while her house was situated on the bottom half on the otherside of a creek a few hundred metres away) saw the ghost of her late husband, Gordon, my father’s step father, one night; the ghost of Gordon appeared at the foot of her bed and sort of just sat there smiling at her for a little while. She described it as a somewhat pleasant experience.

School was about 3 quarters of kilometre away at the end of our road in the centre of town. It was a pretty small primary school with just over a hundred kids in total in the whole school. Note that I have written previously of having broken memories involving “something” happening with peers from my class that is directly related to my first contact experience with the Elder Guardians, and a recent dream that I suggested was a memory of an abduction involving a squid like looking race of beings with this same class.

The first thing I remembered upon coming into the presence of the Elder Guardians (as my memory was unlocking, but was yet to be fully unlocked) was that what I was experiencing was related to that something happening to myself and about 5 or 6 others that had been mind wiped from us. Although I couldn’t pin point it to more than some strange abduction event, I knew it was very very relevant. These peers of mine, who I no longer talk to have something to do with it, I am sure of it, even if they do not realise any of it.

Getting back to the event in question, unbeknownst to me at the time of this particular experience, SD was living with her boyfriend just down the road from this school, in what she described as being a very haunted house.

In this house, SD told me very weird things used to happen; loud music would randomly start playing from a room they could never quite find or put their finger on as to the tune even though it sounded very familiar. They’d think they found the room it was coming from, only for them to open the door and it would randomly change to coming from another room. Sometimes the rooms would suddenly drop several degrees in temperature for no apparent reason. There was an instance where her boyfriend, Roger, scared the shit out of his little brother because he came out of his room with red eyes after being asleep in there for three days straight (though he thought it was only a night’s worth).

Roger told her that he used to have strange {lucid} “dreams” where weird beings would take him away to scary dream places whenever he fell asleep with his head against a certain wall, though being religious, he never thought to dig deeper into them and experiment with them like I had been doing a lot of up until that point. Later they found out a teenager had hung himself in the back yard, which they figured accounted for all the spooky action at not very far distance.

A little further along down the road from Roger’s place is what is known colloquially by townsfolk as the gravel oval; a big patch of dirt that motor bike riders like my friend Zak like to take their bikes and bush banger cars out to thrash them into oblivion.

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Rural terrain near Wooroloo.

One night Roger’s dad was outside having a smoke looking toward this gravel oval (Bailup Park, as it called on google maps) when he noticed about 13 little lights come out of the ground, ascend to a low point in the sky and just start dancing in front of him before all shooting off in different directions. As someone who was apparently fairly sceptical of UFOs and aliens, this was apparently a big game changer for him.

It is important to note here that the gravel oval is not really situated near any cattle grazing property. There is a horse stud up the road, and that is about it. Nothing that would involve any cows though, as most of the larger paddocks are situated on the outskirts of town. There is a small paddock next the gravel oval, but I don’t think the owners ever had cows in it. I could of course be be wrong. Regardless, the most likely place you’d find cattle would be outside of the town centre, like in the paddocks surrounding the abbatoirs, which is 3.8km south east, as the crow flies.

2022 04 10 10 33
2022 04 10 10 33

The Event:

This particular night, my friend Nick was having a party. Nick lived quite close to the abbatoirs, only a few hundred metres away on the same road. My other good friend, Matt, had caught the bus home with me, and after spending half an hour so at my house having some food and getting ready, we headed out on foot to Nick’s sometime in the afternoon, probably around 5pm, considering my school bus got back into town from high school at about 4:30. So it was still definitely day time.

Given the road to Nick’s headed back into town, and wrapped around it before heading back towards his house, it was quicker for us to cut through the {haunted} bush as it shaved off a couple of kilometers of walking. After the bush, you’d pop out at the fenceline of a farm owned by the minimum security prison – not exactly something they really approved of if they caught people wandering around it, but I knew a spot where the fence was broken enough to make easy access.

After 100m or so you come to another boundary fence line of the cemetery where my brother was buried. I had this ritual where I’d sit and talk to him for a little while, then kiss my two fingers and rub them on his cross, as a way to say “see you”. We then walked down the road, past his friend Phil’s house, to Nicks which was only a few house past Phil’s.

2022 04 10 10 34
2022 04 10 10 34

So anyways, the party kicked off and it got dark.

I had some alcohol that night but not enough to get anything beyond super talkative. It was during the period where I was starting to not find enjoyment in drinking too heavily, and had found what it meant to drink conservatively.

My memories of conversations with people at the party and other very specific details, even to this day, suggest that this was definitely the case. If not, I wouldn’t remember these details. Just trust me on that. I remember it was getting late and I decided to head home as I couldn’t be bothered staying at Nick’s with the inevitable lack of sleeping equipment.

It was a cold night, and I’d done my fair share of using piles of shoes and dog’s beds as matresses. Another testament to my sobriety – when you are drunk these things are not too much of a problem, but when sober they seem quite unappealing for bedding material for some strange reason. Actually, I was quite sober when I slept on a pile of shoes, but that is a story for another time.

So I was looking for Matt to tell him I was planning on heading home. It was somewhere on the other side of midnight, maybe even heading into the early hours of the morning – 1 or 2 am. Something like that. I wanted to try and get home and into bed before the 3am dip in temperature came about, because I wasn’t one for bringing jackets or long pants to these kinds of shindigs. I was kitted out in a standard T shirt and some shorts and my sensitive bits were in danger of inverting due to the cold. Eventually I found Matt and he told me to head off without him as he was having a good conversation with a girl he fancied. He planned on staying at Nicks. Cue MWI slide here.

This is where the memory distortion comes into play, that I don’t think can be completely contributed to my alcohol consumption (as my brother in law tried to suggest) given that I was very definitely sober when I left. I will tell you I was completely alone, on account of Matt wanting to chat up the girl he was talking to. In fact, I remember very specifically I was alone as I headed down the road and back toward the abbatoirs. It was pitch black and I couldn’t see five feet in front of me, which eventuated in me walking into one of the shoulders, slipping on the gravel and scraping my knee on the road.

So I was about half way along the paddock next to Phil’s house (still on the road). We don’t get snow here, so it probably wasn’t exactly life threatening, but being nothing but shorts and T shirt, the cold was really biting at me. It was dead silent too; that really eerily unnerving kind of silence. All of a sudden I heard this sound I figure was about 25 to 50m into that paddock that was RIGHT FUCKING NEXT TO ME.

It was so odd, in that it sounded like a bunch of dangling chains hanging from a fair height, followed by a very mechanical conveyor belt starting up, followed by a cow mooing which melded into a horrible shriek as something cut its head off, followed what sounded like a gushing of A LOT OF FUCKING WATER. Like, more water (or blood) than a cow’s body could hold.

And then, just like that, it all stopped.

Back to nothing but total silence. Neither even the flicker of flame from a candle light to illuminate the area. It all happened in the middle of a field in total darkness. And make no mistake about it, this was quite definitely a cow being brutally murdered by a mechanical machine of some sort.

I am going to be honest, whatever it was, it scared the absolute fucking shit out of me.

I was a stone’s throw away from something out of a Stephen King novel.

After my trip in the ditch I had been walking quite carefully and slowly making sure I had a firm footing so I didn’t trip up again, but upon hearing this, I just fucking bolted into darkness without even thinking about it. There could have been a tree in front of me for all I knew and I would have hit it at full sprint it was that dark.

Holding my arm out, I couldn’t even see it.

There was no moon either, which made it even worse. The question of doubling back to Nick’s or even Phil’s didn’t was a no go, because it meant crossing back past the noise, something I was very definitely not going to do. The only other option was to head towards the cemetery and try and get home. Yeah I know, real horror story kind of shit.

So off I went, back through the cemetery and the prison farm until I eventually made it home unscathed (I think).

The whole way home I tried rationalising what the fuck it was I had just heard, telling myself it was just a late night butchering at the abbatoirs. Only problem with that though was that the abbatoirs had stopped butchering cows several years prior to focus on pigs; they were now called Linley Valley Pork to allude to this fact.

And 1 – 2 in the morning seemed a bit off their usual 9 – 5pm schedule. Not to mention it being an occupational health and safety violation doing it in total darkness. What got me was those damned chains. These sounded like they were hanging from a good height and were a good length. And the conveyor belt….this would have had to have been some big machinery to cart out into the middle of a field, then there is the question of the instant start up; there simply was no hint at a generator or diesel engine you’d expect would be needed for such a piece of machinery.

The whole thing took maybe 5 seconds, which obviously is a lot less than you’d need to start up and shut something with one of these engines down.

If this was some kind of late night cow heist, as my mother in law suggested, it was incredibly daring, dangerous and using some advanced equipment. It’s not like a cow is easy killing even in full day light with a taser to knock it out, let alone in the middle of a field in total darkness. And yeah my brother in law (not SD’s brother, my sister’s boyfriend) worked at this abbatoirs so I have a good idea of what killing a cow to slaughterhouse protocol involves; he went through the whole process with me a number of times.

So I had this strange thing happen, and, figuring I was alone, I didn’t mention it to anybody. Being so close to the abbatoirs (if you call over 600m away close), I just knew people would misconstrue it, say I was drunk (like my brother in law did) and that it was probably just them doing a late night kill. Plus I had no proof of my claims.

Added to that, I genuinely didn’t like talking about it. It was the creepiest shit that had ever happened to me. I kind of put it out of my mind for a few years, until Matt came over one day to catch up. This was long after I had met and married SD and we were living together in the house where I had my first Elder Guardians contact experience. I think this was a few months before that.

Matt was sitting on the couch and out of nowhere says “hey remember that fucked up noise that sounded like a cow getting slaughtered we heard that night coming home from Nick’s?”

It turns out Matt was very definitely with me when it happened, even though I have a very specific memory of him staying at Nick’s and me leaving without him. Apparently he changed his mind soon after and caught me just as I was leaving. Interesting considering I didn’t tell anyone because I knew I had no proof.

And just when you thought this story couldn’t get any more weird and creepy, SD, told us she had heard the exact same thing one night at the gravel oval where Roger’s dad had seen the UFO cluster. We had obviously talked about it a little bit between us, but to Matt this was new news.

SD’s story:

It was a full moon(suggesting it was a completely different night) and was late evening, on the cusp of getting dark, probably around 7pm. Her and Roger decided to go for a walk around town to have a look at the moon.

They thought they were gone for about half an hour, an hour at most, but when they got back, Roger’s dad, sitting out on his porch having his nightly puff, remarked that they had been gone a long time.

Confused, SD said “no, we have only been gone an hour”. Roger’s dad said, “nope, you’ve been gone hours. It’s almost midnight.”

Confused, SD stood there trying to figure out the where the missing time had gone while Roger talked to his dad. They were out there about 15 minutes, when they heard the same noise – according to SD it was the exact same dangling of chains, followed by a conveyor belt starting up, followed by a cow getting slaughtered and a rushing of a large body of water or liquid – coming from where she guessed was the gravel oval (less than 100m away from Roger’s house where his dad had seen those dancing lights).

Errgh this is getting messy, when you consider the obvious dream bond we have together.

What the fuck did we witness?

This is curious because not only is it over 2.5km, as the crow flies, from the gravel oval to where I was when I heard it, but, like I said, there are not many cows around this part of town.

Surely if something was poaching people’s stock, you would have heard about it in such a small town. This was the type of town where one’s dirty laundry was everyone else’s. But, I guess if it was a weird enough situation, it could have intentionally slipped mind when hitting up the local gossip network. I am curious though, if anyone in these areas did have any missing or butchered cattle to report, I’d definitely like to know about it.

2022 04 10 10 35
2022 04 10 10 35

 

Some notes:

The abbatoirs stopped killing cows for quite a number of years before this event even happened. I remember there was a big front page article about it all over the local newspaper.

Given rumours that the abbatoirs was trying to buy out people in the area, one could argue it was a ploy by them to freak the house owners into selling, but then, this doesn’t explain why SD heard it on the other side of town where the abbatoirs would have no claim.

My experience would have taken place somewhere between 400 to 500m away from the main butchering facility of said abbatoirs, in vacant land that was insulated from abbatoirs owned land by several houses. There is no reason for an abbatoirs to be carrying out killings this far away from its building where all the equipment to do a proper job is all set up, or 3km away if you go by SD’s account, or even at this time of night. If it was a cow heist, this was an incredibly stupid part of town to do it from, when you could go further out and nab one from a much larger field further away from houses.

My auntie (who lived in a granny flat next to my grandmother on the same block as my dad’s house) also held a supervisor position at these abbatoirs for a number of years including when I had this experience and sometime afterwards. Both her and my brother in law agree the time of night and way the killing I heard was carried out without light was very far out of the safety protocols of abbatoirs.

From what I know about killing an animal that size, doing it in total darkness through cutting it’s throat is practically suicide. You’d have to be pretty desperate, or on some serious drugs, to even try it. None of it makes any sense, and honestly I think the suggestion it was a heist is quite a lame one, for reasons mentioned above.

Either way you look at it, there is something very strange going on, in a town that seems to have a knack for paranormal shit happening in it. Admittedly I didn’t really come past all that much after Nick’s party. I ended up moving town a year or so later, and didn’t come back for a number of years. All I know is that I have memories of this event that deviate from those of Matt, and both SD and Roger had missing time when they heard their version of it

SD suggested that maybe what we heard was really a carry over hearing event from an abduction; that maybe we all got abducted, something happened on the ship, then we were mind wiped and what we heard was like an echo of when they swapped us into this timeline. I don’t know, but given I have broken memories of other abductions with my class mates, I can’t rule this out altogether. It certainly explains SD’s and Roger’s missing time. As for me, I don’t recall having any missing time, but considering the fact that I was out in the middle of nowhere in total darkness – which was somewhat disorientating as it was – and that when I finally got home, the last thing on my mind was to check the time, it is a possibility I can’t ignore.

There is also the fact I have no memory of Matt being with me, even though he proved he was (he mentioned it before I had brought it up, which is what surprised the shit out of me). I do have this memory of being sort of frozen in place for a few seconds after it happened, but I figured this was just out of the sudden startling nature of the whole thing. Maybe that was when “they” put me back? Who knows?

This town also has a knack for serial arsonists to light he bush surrounding it on fire. When I was 7 I had to evacuate to my other grandma’s place because a fire was raging through town.

During that fire, a firefighter went out and lit another fire down the road. Our neighbours house ended up burning down; I went over there the next day with my dad and my brother (my dad was in the fire brigade) and all that was left was a fridge in the middle of burnt out rubble.

Only this year another arsonist who was part of the same bush fire brigade went around lighting fires IN THE EXACT SAME AREA as the first guy.

And if that isn’t enough coincidence for you, yet another big fire happened last year in the same area I heard the cattle mutilation which burnt down something like 50 houses. This was caused by a guy using an angle grinder in in the middle of 40 degree C summer on dry, dead grass.

I always joke that the aliens must have a stupidity amplifier in operation in town, though SD has had lucid dreams which suggest there is in fact some kind of shrouding equipment connected to the amnesia devices that is located here.

Any information the Domain can provide on this town and what is going on there would be appreciated.

You can visit the daegonmagus Index here…

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You’ll not find any big banners or popups here talking about cookies and privacy notices. There are no ads on this site (aside from the hosting ads – a necessary evil). Functionally and fundamentally, I just don’t make money off of this blog. It is NOT monetized. Finally, I don’t track you because I just don’t care to.

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[daegonmagus] – Part 23 – Briefing For the Domain Commander: Intel Gathered During LD Escape From Simulation Out of Two Pocket Universes to the Main Programming Hub

The following is the 23nd part from a series of articles describing the adventure that a follower who goes by the handle "daegonmagus" has experienced since reading MM. They are very interesting and fascinating. I hope that you all learn from his journey and maybe learn a thing or two as he relates his unique experiences to the readership here. 

Lately he has been conducting lucid dreaming (LD) to map out the subconscious / non-physical realms that surround us. His writings are very interesting, but describe things way beyond my understanding. Never the less, many MM readers find great value in his experiences, and writings, and one can easily see benifit in reading his writings. 

I hope that you injoy this article.

-MM

Part 23 – Briefing For the Domain Commander: Intel Gathered During LD Escape From Simulation Out of Two Pocket Universes to the Main Programming Hub

{daegonmagus}

26/03/2022

I was put into a dream simulation that seemed designed to completely break my spirit.

This scenario featured SD who seemed to very troubled by her own hallucinations.

It began some building we had been staying in on what I was led to believe was a holiday. This building was nothing special, just a bunch of dingy rooms with a sort of open hallway that ran next to them. I was “awoken” into the dream by SD, but not lucid.

This was the start of the simulation.

SD seemed deeply troubled by something. I asked her what was up and she replied that she had stayed with another couple while I was still asleep. Confused by what she meant, I got up and tried talking to her, but she came more erratic in her behaviour, and made less sense. It was like she was on drugs, talking non sensical bullshit, seemingly glitching and going off track every sentence. I started to really worry about her mental health, and suggested we go for a walk. During it became evident that SD was suffering from severe mental stigma and seemed to be hallucinating quite heavily. It seemed her every action was designed to cause me as much anguish and heartache as possible.

She took me to the edge of town where this couple she stayed with were living in a makeshift humpy in what appeared to be a children’s playground; it was literally just a few pieces of wood smacked together on a some sand to make a rather unstable frame that they draped a sheet over. Sd explained she had been sleeping with them, and wanted to join their family and live in this humpy of theirs. The situation had very cult like vibes and I realised that SD was very clearly not her usual self. She was arguing with me, accusing me of thins that were not true and attacking my character at the hands of these frauds.

I was now starting to feel deep sorrow at the depth of my core, but I knew SD wasn’t herself and was damned if I was going to let her stay with these people. I managed to convince her to come with me, and we walked back to our house which was located a few kilometres away in a set of units that had been tightly bunched together. The whole way SD abused me, but I bit my tongue and told myself she didn’t really mean it. But the abuse just got worse and worse. It was really starting to cut through my soul, wanting nothing but for her to be better, yet being told I was the cause of all such anguish.

Then all of a sudden something snapped, spurred on by my anguish. I realised it was a simulation and I began to reject it. A very strong voice that may or may not have been mine, came through telling me that this was definitely the case, and it started to all make sense. What happened next was like the AI in control of the simulation realised I had cottoned onto its game and began talking to me, trying to convince me that it was necessary for my development.

Again I refused to believe it. When that didn’t work, it manifested agents (pretty much agent smiths/MIB)to come and collect me, but again I refused to let them. Even though I was not lucid, I was starting to realise my power. I could wave my hand and they would simply just disappear. Not only that, I was starting to see the pocket universe outside of this simulation as an overlay on the top of my surroundings that would sort of glitch in and out.

The AI seemed to realise it had a big problem on its hands and sent down a space shuttle to meet me. I was now interacting with both the simulation and the outer pocket universe as I walked. In the simulation, the walk way was a cave, but in the outer pocket universe I was walking down a sort of walkway or bridge far up in the sky, where this space ship styled shuttle landed to try and collect me. Once again I told them I reject there simulation, brought my hand down and their ship exploded in front of me. I had properly awoken in the outer pocket universe and had full control over my lucid dreaming abilities, despite the consciousness doping blockages put in place.

I was still heavily doped, but I could cut through it with sheer willpower. I was aware of the simulation I’d just come from, and now also aware of my earth body back here.

So walked up the landing which seemed to be floating in mid air above the clouds. At higher level was an arrangement of very modern looking buildings stretching for several acres.

I entered a building closest to the bridge I had just come from. This building was not entirely enclosed and had several walls missing; it seemed to be some sort of building where newly arriving guests were entering. In this building, was set up a variety of Virtual Reality screens arranged around tables which had other doped up and comatose bodies on. Some of the screens had a real time image of the reality they were experiencing.

 realised this was a fucking product display room; the guests were clientele that would walk around to these VR systems and express their awe at the technology. It reminded of a phone shop where you go in and browse from the various laid out models at your own leisure. They were the investors of this project, and there was from between 30 to 50 of them now gathering in the foyer of this building where a bunch of chairs were laid out. It seemed they were waiting for the project admins to give some sort of presentation.

I walked in, and upon realising what this place was, becoming sickened by it, started executing as many of these investors as I could. I was like Arnold Schwarzenegger in the Terminator; I’d simply just point from person to person with my hand and they would be instantaneously vapourised. It was kind of weird; if you have ever been very drunk and had to try and act sobre this is kind of what it felt like being under the consciousness doping agent. I’d have periods where I would just stop and sort of zone out, and I would have to use a tonne of conviction and sheer willpower to bring my awareness back to my surroundings. I would have looked like a malfunctioning robot to anyone watching me.

It took a few moments for them to realise that one of their projects had woken up and was quite fucking pissed at what they had going on here. Through my bouts of coherency, I’d unleash chaos. Once they did, everyone started running out of the building and evacuating the area to their nearby space craft or vehicles or whatever they had been arriving in just outside. Guards were sent in to try and subdue me, but I wouldn’t let them; there is a good reason they keep us all doped, because once we regain access to our proper LD power we become somewhat unstoppable. I think they were hitting me with doping agents like darts, which is what was making my consciousness flitter in and out, but the best they could manage was only a few seconds, then id snap out of the daze and hit them back.

After taking out the guards, I walked to over to the VR systems and was able to create a kinetic bomb explosion by clenching my fist and focusing. It was like I was drawing in unseen energy that I would go off like a stick of TNT (is this an ISBE technique the Commander is familiar with?) I destroyed as many of these systems as I could find, maybe ten of them, maybe more then walked back outside. I wanted to get an indicator of where this place was, or who was in charge of it.

In front of me was the descending bridge where I’d come from the simulation, to my left was just a drop off into the sky, with a small port for the investors shuttles right on the edge, and to my right was a large dirt clearing the size of a small football oval which appeared to have some sort of scaffolding setup smack bang in the middle of it. Beyond the clearing were some more R&D buildings that were much bigger than the small product display room I’d just come from. This cluster of buildings was of a higher elevation to the display/ presentation room probably 10 to 20m higher, and was about 250m away. At this point I had become probably about 80 percent lucid, so I was piloting this body with a good understanding of my earth body that existed somewhere below the dream simulation that I’d come from. Once the guards were gone and I was out of the building, I no longer had to worry about my consciousness trying to go back to the simulation world.

I walked over the ridgline to the clearing and noticed the scaffolding appeared to be some sort of a rocket launch facility, but instead of the typical straight up design of conventional rockets, the scaffolding setup seemed to take the form of a T shape shuttle/ craft, as if the shuttle had wings protruding out each side for a few metres. What was odd was that instead of being located near the middle, the wings protruded from quire near the front end of the shuttle, behind what looked like a cockpit of heavily tinted glass.

At the end of the wings, were what I assumed were thrusters taking the form of tear drops. I specifically remember a tail section mounted close to the ground that was very typical of a tail found on a glider; it reminded me of the one found on a US military Predator drone given its seemingly “upside down” arrangement (if you took a predator drone and move the wings so they were just behind the tip of the shuttle and fattened the body so it resembled more of a rocket/ missile, then added jet turbines to the tip of each wing, this would be very close to what it looked like; same white colour). My impression was that unlike the investor shuttles, which were for local travel within the atmosphere of this world, this craft was specifically for higher altitude penetration.

I navigated so I was directly under the scaffolding holding up the right wing and looked up. Right there I saw what was unmistakably the NASA logo. I could see this clear as day; the blue circular background with the word NASA outlined in white, the little stripe of red; it was 100 percent the same logo and I could see and interpret it clear as day. I am certain I did not randomly generate this image. I noted that I had achieved my objective, and as I did a launch alarm sounded from the building that had been arranged obviously to monitor any launches.
Very soon after this everything went white and I woke up. I assume they took the opportunity to use the shuttle thrusters to melt me while they had a chance.

End Notes:

The simulation layer seemed to act as a buffer between the outer pocket universe and this physical reality. The way in which the AI was trying to create a scenario that would elicit an specific emotional response is typical of what the leader of the Unseen 5 told me, as well as what the Grand Elder told me during my last encounter with him in a similar consciousness doping facility.

SD has had a dream with a similar AI trying to evoke similar emotions towards me in which the AI tried to spin a similar story of helping her evolution when she resisted it. We have had some synchronised dreams over the last few weeks which suggest similar emotion evoking simulations running.

There was several circumstances prior to my going to sleep which may have aided in having this experience. The first was that it was right after contacting my handler and asking for possible nuclear attack locations (this handler presented itself to me in adream a week or so ago)

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[daegonmagus] – Part 22 – Operation Rainbird – A Contingency Plan for a Transcontinental Clandestine Communications Network in Case of Major SHTF & Grid Down

The following is the 22nd part from a series of articles describing the adventure that a follower who goes by the handle "daegonmagus" has experienced since reading MM. They are very interesting and fascinating. I hope that you all learn from his journey and maybe learn a thing or two as he relates his unique experiences to the readership here. 

-MM

Part 22 – Operation Rainbird – A Contingency Plan for a Transcontinental Clandestine Communications Network in Case of Major SHTF & Grid Down

This is an idea I have had bouncing around for awhile now. Whilst I would have preferred to talk to other operators in the prepping/ survivalist communities beforehand to flatten out some of the problems, my concern with the Ukraine situation is that we are edging ever the more closer to a scenario where more conventional communications avenues may become knocked out.

Added to this is the rumours that America will be experiencing a blackout of this very nature in the next 36 hours (I know, usually these rumours turn out to be BS), so I figured I’d bite the bullet and write down the necessary protocols for dispersal to anyone who wants them. That way the kinks can be worked out a later date and broadcast of the Rainbird Network.

What is Rainbird?

Operation Rainbird is a contingency plan to provide a functional clandestine communications network in the event of a downed grid system that knocks out more conventional communication infrastructure, such as mobile phones and internet in more than one country. As the events unfolding in Ukraine steer us closer and closer toward global nuclear warfare, we cannot be sure that these conventional communications systems will continue to remain in place, particularly when taking out the internet for an entire nation is as easy as cutting a few undersea cables.

Even without nuclear warfare, such communications networks may still become targets for attack through malicious means such as cyberwarfare or EMP attacks (which can also occur through the detonation of nuclear weapons) rendering them useless for prolonged periods of time, particularly if supply chain issues make immediate repair of this infrastructure impossible.

The question we need to ask ourselves is “are we really ready to be cut off from the world in this manner, and have our network reduced to that of our immediate localities?” In the event of any war, whether nuclear or not, it makes sense to be able to stay as up to date as possible especially in regards to geopolitical situations unfolding in the rest of the world. Operation Rainbird is to provide coordination of this radio infrastructure so that at least key information can be relayed over as wide an area of the earth as possible were this downed grid scenario to take place.

The ultimate goal of Operation Rainbird is to have a member committed to its implementation in as many countries and states/provinces as possible who is not shy about utilising any foreign contacts (particularly those within the survival and prepping communities, as they will be more likely to appreciate the value of such a network) to disperse the protocols as far as possible.

While the main goal of Operation Rainbird is to provide a continuous bridge of international communication between its members, its concept is simple and requires no radio operation skill of those responsible for its implementation, as well as no commitment to purchase any expensive equipment; members will be given a simple set of instructions pertaining to calling frequency and scheduled operating times and modes they are expected to write down which can then be passed on to a more proficient radio operator when the opportunity presents itself.

Given that amateur radio is a hobby enjoyed by people all over the world, there is potential infrastructure on every continent, in many neighbourhood’s that could theoretically provide such a communications bridge if only its use could somehow be coordinated. On the other hand, if you are radio operator, often times trying to make contact with someone else even from a local area can be hit and miss, if you don’t know when they will likely be online.

This is where the members of operation Rainbird come into play; Operation Rainbird member’s tasks will be to convince these radio operators to operate their radios according to the Rainbird schedule to pass along any important information about local events etc that may have implications for the broad range of listeners.

These radio operators would then be in a better position to pass the message along a chain of other Rainbird operators, knowing that there will be great deal of them listening in different parts of the world at the specific times outlined in the schedule. The name Rainbird comes from the idea that Rainbirds “sing to their friends when it becomes too dark to see, so they know what the other is doing”.

All that would be required of non operator members of Operation Rainbird will be to keep an eye out for potential amateur radio equipment in their area, which is usually identifiable by the large antenna towers in an operator’s back yard. If the tower is big enough to be seen over several blocks, it will likely be functional for the frequencies Rainbird will use.

It is recommended Rainbird members briefly study some images of such setups whilst they still have access to the internet to get a general idea of what to look for, as well as study potential radio clubs in their area in case no other local operators can be found. It could be that they have driven past an amateur radio operator’s house a million times and never even realised it. For those who wish to get more in depth, I recommend purchasing the ARRL (American Radio Relay League) handbook and keeping it in a safe place, as it will provide a crash course lesson in radio theory from beginning concepts in electronics all the way up to advanced radio theory.

Each member should be aware that as Rainbird utilises open communication channels, there is no way to safeguard any of the information coming through. It should be regarded as an unsecure channel only to be initiated as a last resort for the purpose of urgent message passing to other nations/ states/provinces, as use of these frequencies is generally banned from all except those who have the appropriate licenses in place, and can be met with heavy fines. In other words, Rainbird members vow not to implement Operation Rainbird unless they are certain their conventional communications infrastructure will be down for a prolonged period as this may actually prove to be detrimental to Rainbird’s cause. There is, however, no punishment simply for listening, regardless of whether or not you have a license.

An example of a real world situation where radio helped in mitigate the confusion surrounding a disaster involving a whole community of people was during the 2019 bushfires of NSW, Australia. The fires, which were estimated to have burned 5.3 million hectares, wreaked havoc upon the NSW forests and covered much of the coast all the way to the State of Victoria.

As the Fires pushed their way south, residents near the town of Mallacoota fled to the beaches to escape where they became trapped for a period of several weeks.

With communications and power infrastructure down, those 1000 or so trapped in and around Mallacoota were no longer able to get information about their situation out to friends and family, and for five days they had no access to fuel or food unless they were smart enough to take out cash before hand.

Several satellite phones had to be airdropped into the area with instructions for anyone who found them to call a specific headquarters. Although amateur radio came into play during these bushfires, had a system like Rainbird been in place, the coordination of information from people within the disaster zone could have mitigated even more confusion to those viewing events from the outside. While a in a natural disaster resources such as satellite phones may be available, in a war time scenario this may not prove possible for various reasons, such as the area being too hot for air drops, or satellites that provide the back bone for such systems being taken out.

In addition to this, many emergency response groups would only be suited for catering to their local community. In such scenarios the affected victims would be left fending for themselves, unless they had a way to coordinate to their own communications effort.

The general protocols for Rainbird, which are hereto suggested to be written down and safe guarded by the reader are thus:

The determined frequency of Operation Rainbird will be on the HF band of 7Mhz/40 metres. This band has been chosen for its ability to provide intercontinental communications, or at the very least interstate communications, at the same time utilising an antenna length that is practical in case of its inclusion as a piece of wire in portable emergency communication kits.

More specifically, 7.2Mhz will be used as the optimal frequency as it sits roughly in the middle of the common amateur radio range of 7.000Mhz to 7.300MHz, and lies outside of the morse code portion. In the case of pile up (too many operators on the same frequency) is recommended to vary this frequency up or down the spectrum by 10Mhz increments.

The operation mode of Rainbird is to be Single Side Band (SSB) AM as it allows for a much lower power consumption vs other methods, to suit those operators with minimal powering resources for their radios.

The operational schedule is to coincide with specific phases of the moon. As the moon is a natural constant that can be easily seen by anyone no matter of their location on earth, it can be used as a medium of synchronisation regardless of if one is in possession of a watch or calendar, which may become displaced in a real crisis situation.

Furthermore, a moon’s phase can be broken down into easily identifiable portions that are roughly one week apart, that will allow further opportunity to make a communication if the first attempt is missed. Therefore, where power resources for communication is limited, the day and night of a full moon should be made first priority for contact, followed by the new moon, and then by the half moon’s between each.

This will give first a monthly, then fortnightly, then weekly opportunity for contact through operators who are synched to the same moon cycle. Where power is not a crucial factor for determination of how often an operator may be online, it is suggested to also include the day and nights immediately before and after these phases of the moon in case other Rainbird operators have slightly miscalculated them (ie thought it was a full moon when the actual full moon was a day later).

DOMAIN47 is to be used as the common callsign to put a call out for all potential Rainbird Operators that might be listening but not in a position to communicate back. A standard message guiding civilians to a safer location would include something along the lines of “Callout to all Rainbird Operators utilising DOMAIN47 callsign, this is {operator’s callsign}.

Message to be passed along to {targeted area/ people of communication}; location {town/suburb of state/ province and country} has been cut off from all supply and exit due to {reason}. Multiple civilians now fleeing area, as situation becomes dire. Please advise on closest known safe haven, to escape effects of {disaster}”.

Or perhaps medical expertise is required: “Callout to all Rainbird operators identifying under callsign DOMAIN47. This is {operator callsign}. Immediate assistance required for a casualty due to {disaster} which caused {injury}. Access to doctor is not currently possible. Requesting assistance from any medical experts in the vicinity of {location} or at the very least an on air guide to conduct {medical procedure}. ”

Whilst Rainbird is aimed at providing an intercontinental communications bridge, it is suggested Rainbird members have their own handheld CB/VHF/UHF radios for local communications. This way they would be able to rapidly share any information coming through their nominated operator with those in their immediate vicinity with minimal lag time.

While there is no requirement for those wish to come online as Rainbird participants during a crisis situation, by emailing me your intention to join at daegonmagus@protonmail.com of your general location, I will be able to compile a map of potential reach of the network and hopefully refine its protocols further before a major SHTF event.

You can visit the daegonmagus Index here…

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You’ll not find any big banners or popups here talking about cookies and privacy notices. There are no ads on this site (aside from the hosting ads – a necessary evil). Functionally and fundamentally, I just don’t make money off of this blog. It is NOT monetized. Finally, I don’t track you because I just don’t care to.

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[daegonmagus] – Part 21 – How SD and I both dreamt Joe Biden is planning on assassinating someone close to the Ukrainian Conundrum

The following is the 21st part from a series of articles describing the adventure that a follower who goes by the handle "daegonmagus" has experienced since reading MM. They are very interesting and fascinating. I hope that you all learn from his journey and maybe learn a thing or two as he relates his unique experiences to the readership here. 

This particular read is truly enjoyable. I hope you all enjoy it as much as I have.

-MM

Part 21 – How SD and I both dreamt Joe Biden is planning on assassinating someone close to the Ukrainian Conundrum

SD and I have been having our usual synch dreams again. In the past 2 weeks we have had 2 that both seem to have an alarming number of parallel elements. I won’t go into the details of the first one as they seem somewhat irrelevant at this point in time, but it seems we are a having the same dream in which certain elements are being distorted to create confusion. SD suggested that perhaps something is tampering with our memories, and I have to agree that it certainly seems this way. This is an ongoing (recurring) dream I will get to later when I have more on it.

As for the second dream; I originally posted this up on the dream share forum. At the same time I sent MM an email with a copy and pasted version of the synched dream, to which he asked me to write it up for publication, as he considered it extremely important.….so here we are.

Combined dream that SD and I both had the night before yesterday:

I was minding my own business, I guess on some kind of holiday in this really strange town I have been to before. Nothing special just buildings and dirt….not really any where I would choose to go if I was given a coherrent choice in the matter. I take note here that I seem to have had dreams of an old school friend I no longer see. Someone appears. I can’t remember who or what, but I don’t think it is completely human. It tells me I am needed on a special assignment – The President of the USA – the one and the same Joe Biden is having a meeting and I am to go to it at once. It is important I be there, but for what reason it is not yet given. I finish my drinks or whatever it is I am doing, and agree to it. I get up and stand near my handler, and the next thing I know I am being whisked away Harry Potter port key style to a completely different place (I suppose the equivalent of a different country in the dream world). I have a vivid memory of it being like swirling, spiralling sensation where my surroundings just turn into a blurr of light, before I go through an all too familiar void of burgundy/ brownish/ goldish colour.

I am now standing in front of what appears to be a hotel room plonked on a block of land that seems eerily similar to a house i rented a few years ago. It is by no means a flash hotel by any stretch, but not shabby either; just a bland plain inconspicuous thing where you would go to dodgy shit under the radar of scrutinization. I knock on the door, my handler standing next to me – I want to say he is wearing a hooded robe for some reason (this may be a confusion of another dream in this same house a few weeks back where a robed figure stabbed in the hand with a small needle like device which made me wake up)– and one of Joe’s representatives, a secretary or something opens the door and invites us in saying “oh good you are here. We have been expecting you. ” The interior of the appartment is a very similar layout to my old house, almost identical; a sort of kitchen to the right, some rooms to the left (which is where it is different as this veers off into onto a patio that seemingly leads to the other apartments) and a small dining room straight ahead overlooking the city where Joe and about 40 other people are engaged in what seems like friendly, but important banter. This house was weird in that it is sort of a circular arrangement in which you can get back to the kitchen from this same area – this is the familiarity that struck me.

Joe stands up and gives them a little speech, the content of which i can’t remember, but it is almost certainly to do with the Ukraine crisis and “those pesky Russian bastards, that seem to be throwing them at every turn”. I stand by the door as my handler disappears either somewhere into the crowd or back out the door – I am not sure if anyone else can see him/her/it, but get the feeling they can’t. As I am standing there i have a very faint understanding that SD is in the crowd, but for what reason I don’t know; I only figure it is related to why I am here. I spot her, but am unphazed by it, just simply figuring she is doing her thing, and trust her with it.

Joe finishes his speech and then walks around shaking everyone’s hand, he spots me standing there with my arms crossed, observing him. He makes eye contact with me, then quickly finishes up his conversation with his guest, not breaking the eye contact, so he can make his way over to me. He approaches me and, first thing I notice is that he is treating me with a measure of respect not given to his other guests. He offers his hand, but I don’t bother uncrossing my arms, to which Joe claps me on the shoulder and leans in so only I can hear him. There is no awkwardness to me refusing his hand, this is just the way I roll and Joe knows that. The offer was more of a subconscious formality more than anything. Straight off the bat he starts talking about a “hit squad”. I can’t remember if i am part of the squad or if Joe wants me to track one down, but again it centers on all the shit coming out of Ukraine; The word assassination/ assassin pops up numerous times, like, a -fucking – lot. I don’t speak, just stand there and listen to what Joe has to say. Essentially there is someone over there (Ukraine) causing America big problems, and they (the party present) are sick and fucking tired of it. Joe wants who ever this guy is assassinated, and he wants me to organise the whole thing at the same time giving him insulation from it all. I suddenly have an understanding that I am well connected within the criminal underworld – but not your average run of the mill Mafia type deal, but something much worse – and that such a task would be a piece of cake. I nod in silence, then leave the premises.

SD’s version: like me, hers begins with her on a sort of vacation, but it is a lot more fragmented. She is met by her handler, to which similar things about her being needed for an important assignment are spoken, before she is whisked off to a similar apartment/ hotel room. She is now standing in a crowd of people, and again Joe Biden is giving a speech in front of them. She looks over and sees me at some point and remembers that there was something do with assassin’s and a hit squad being spoken of. Again, she had some sort of involvement in it, like she needed to help go find them or something.

Man these synched dreams have become so common between us that it really isn’t even a shock to us anymore. We just start picking each other for details and offer each other suggestions of what we think is going on. Both SD I agreed it seemed like our consciousnesses were being used to RV a certain scenario. I had MM ask the Commander if this was could possibly be happening. I’ll leave it up to him whether to publish what he told me.

But wait, there’s more, and it ties in with MMs response to this dream. When Putin first went into Ukraine, I had yet another dream in which SD’s astral self was telling me the Ukraine thing was all connected with things that are going on in the non physical planes. It was suggested there was a faction vying for the totality of the non physical realm as well another vying for both the physical and non physical planes (of course, I am never told who these factions actually are). SD’s handlers wanted her to reveal this to me as they wanted me to join them but were apprehensive about whether I would freak out about it or not. Much to their surprise, my response was “well, what the fuck are we waiting for”. There was also something mentioned about potassium iodide and honey comb being extremely important.

A strange stargate like portal opened up in front of me which I jumped into. The next thing I know I am in the back of what appears to be a long truck being used as an operations control room in some street, which could have very easily been Ukraine (it was clearly very more “astral like” than the physical Ukraine though). I was standing next to this other guy and over to our left was – I kid you not – an angel with four arms typing away at a computer. This was a beautiful creature. It had greyish semi translucent skin, very similar to the texture of a dolphin and (I think) was bald with intensely blue eyes, and stood about 8 ft tall. It was very robotic the way it moved, similar to Arnold Schwarnegger in the terminator movies, expressionless face, never blinking.

Suddenly our soldiers outside of the truck bring in another downed angel on a stretcher, again with four arms. They bring the stretcher right up to us where all the medical equipment is located. Straight away we know this one had been corrupted and was in need of some intensive “cleaning” and purging of all the corruption our enemies had done to it. I tell this guy next to me “yeah we kind of accidentally found out potassium iodide and honey comb knocks them out cold, like chloroform on humans” (well this is getting weird). Grace – the angel at the computer; “her” name was Grace, can you fucking believe it – realises there is a potential threat behind her, abruptly gets up out of her chair – her wings are fucking enormous; she stretches them when asserting dominance – and stomps over to this other {darkened} angel. Without warning she cracks her in the face with all five arms, and with lightning speed draws a semi auto handgun from somewhere and starts offloading it into this angel’s face at point blank range. The other angel starts stirring from sleep; meanwhile me and the other guy are just sitting here laughing our arses off at this {apparently} very normal angel greeting. The last thing I remember is the darker angel getting up off the bed before returning the greeting to Grace and the whole truck becoming smashed to pieces. Bikie brawls got nothing on Angel fights, apparently.

So I tell SD about this dream, and her response is “ahh, so you’ve finally met the angel ones”. Apparently she has had quite a lot of lucid dreams with them (none with four arms though), even an strange abduction experience with some, and her description matches Grace’s character; expressionless robots, with wings that fold up in their back when not in use, almost like vinyl type feathers. According to SD they were made so certain consciousness from the completely} non physical realm have a vehicle by which to enter and view the {not completely} non physical realm for very short periods of time (those ones can’t just come here like others can).

Certainly was an interesting dream that one. As was the Joe Biden hit squad dream.

You can visit the daegonmagus Index here…

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You’ll not find any big banners or popups here talking about cookies and privacy notices. There are no ads on this site (aside from the hosting ads – a necessary evil). Functionally and fundamentally, I just don’t make money off of this blog. It is NOT monetized. Finally, I don’t track you because I just don’t care to.

  • You can start reading the articles by going HERE.
  • You can visit the Index Page HERE to explore by article subject.
  • You can also ask the author some questions. You can go HERE to find out how to go about this.
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[daegonmagus] – Part 20 – SD’s Premonition of an Imminent Nuclear Attack set for 28th February 2022

The following is the 19th part from a series of articles describing the adventure that a follower who goes by the handle "daegonmagus" has experienced since reading MM. They are very interesting and fascinating. I hope that you all learn from his journey and maybe learn a thing or two as he relates his unique experiences to the readership here. 

This particular read is truly enjoyable. I hope you all enjoy it as much as I have.

-MM

Part 20 – SD’s Premonition of an Imminent Nuclear Attack set for 28th February 2022

Let’s get a few things straight, right off the bat; I am not here to fear monger people with this article. I ummed and arred about whether I should bother typing it, and after considering things I believe it warrants putting down on virtual paper, given the current situation unfolding in Ukraine. We all know how delicate this situation is. We all saw it coming. What concerns me is that SD and I have had our fair share of “dreams” – both lucid and not – that allude to the very real kicking off of WW3. These premonitions, as I guess you could call them have, quite readily shaped both of our ideals on survivalism. From nukes going off in out neighborhood, through the unleashing of the “black dragon” in China, to the Covid vaccine toilet paper shortage, we have had a myriad of premonition like dreams between us that upon reflection many years later seem to be at the very least metaphorically describing things unfolding around us. Other times they have been pinpoint accurate, like the closing off regional borders in our state, and placing of military personnel in the exact same places we had the border closure dreams (in both of our dreams beyond the borders were represented by a void of total nothingness.)

Here’s the concerning part, and I hope to fuck it is a complete miss on my part. I must apologize for not getting out sooner; the Ukraine shit has been unfolding so fast I have been trying to keep up with it all.

Back at the start of February SD tells me “the 22nd is when shit is going to go down”. Ok, so to put this into context, like I said our dreams have shaped our survivalism ideals, and have solidified the idea that all out nuclear war is at this stage, more likely a “when” than it is an “if”.

So when she says the 22nd is when shit is going to down, assume that automatically translates as some sort of SHTF event leading to WW3.

I press her on what it will be, but she tells me she doesn’t know, only that someone or something suggested to her the 22nd or “possibly even the 23rd for us when you take into account different time zones”. She just can’t get out of her head the 22nd/23rd February 22.

That day rolls around and what happens….well, we all know the answer to that question. Putin decides enough is enough and drives his army into Ukraine.

But that is not all.

The night of Putin’s grand entrance, SD has another dream. She is literally woken up by her own voice shouting at her “THE 28th”.

Then, whilst in the hypnogogic/ sleep paralysis state, she is suddenly in the middle of a city, with modern western style skyscrapers, and a big bomb is going off. And I mean BIG.

She specifically mentions this thing has a mushroom cloud, and the explosion seems to “cut the tops off the buildings” before the shockwave breaks all the windows and hits her.

It is so vivid she can smell and taste all the sulphur and metal.

The next day, again she is in hypnogogia and she has a follow up dream to the blast; a woman is standing at a podium either addressing the bomb or announcing her country’s intent to become involved.

This woman, SD says, her clothing makes her looks like she could be chubby, blonde hair put up in a bun behind her head, 40 to 50 years old, wearing a business suit style jacket.

SD end’s up looking up female women in power to try and see if she can find anyone resembling her. She comes across what she said was an “exact match” but the fucking phone loses the page before she can figure out who it is.

She looks up secretaries of defense of European countries and says the at both the Czechoslovakian and Belgian secretaries of defense look very similar to the woman she saw giving the address.

Something else that concerns me is a dream I had back on November 25th which suggested a military was prepping for a major nuclear exchange. I went back through the dream share thread and found my write up on it:

I was some kind of special forces military guy. Not sure what division, but I am fairly sure I wasn’t a SEAL. The people around me seem to be wearing American Military camos but they could have just as easily been Russian.

It was night time and I was on this long straight road that seemed to run for miles through fields of either dead yellow grass, wheat or some other type of crop.

There are multiple military bases every couple of kilometres along this road. I pass one in particular, and it has a big metal cylindrical missile thing sticking out of the ground in a clearing on the other side of the fence that hugged the road. it didn’t look like a typical missile – it was more like a giant tin can with a flat top and it’s protrusion from its silo wasn’t very high – only a little bit taller than me.

To begin with I was walking.

I receive a call from my superior officer. He tells me that I need to assemble all the military personnel from the nearby {standard} bases to the silos that are scattered around the area. My orders are to go to each silo and personally give the orders to their commanding officers to prime the nuclear warheads, and to their lower ranking personnel that we are preparing for a test launch.

The real reason he tells me is different; we are either preparing for a pre-emptive strike on our enemies, or preparing for a retaliation attack for some other shit “we” have planned, I can’t specifically remember.

IT could have even been that America was the enemy.

I hop in my jeep and drive down this road; there are ALOT of these silos surrounded by a whole farm’s worth of vacant land. I watch as hundreds upon hundreds of these silo doors open and out pop these giant tin cans, ready for me to give the launch signal. Satisified I make my way up the road to continue with the rest.

This didn’t feel like a standard dream looked similar to this but without the fins. Google image caption reads “US nukes stored in Netherlands”:

just checked my fb and get this – i have a fucking friend request from a woman named “{first name} Littleboy”…. holy shit that’s not good

The edges were sharper just like a tin can. They didn’t really look like a typical bomb/ missile shape – certainly not very aerodynamic. Though I do remember thinking of them as “littleboys” at some points in the dream and when I woke up.

Hence why I figured it was America – i am very much aware of the littleboy and fat man bombs that were dropped on Hiroshima/Nagasaki – fuck come to think of it a couple of them may have even been called Minutemans by some of the military staff. Whatever was going on, someone was arming practically their entire {ground based} nuclear arsenal for war.

Maybe the littleboy thing was for me to pay attention to the synchronicity.”

I sure as fuck hope me and SD are wrong on this one, but in case we aren’t, if you live in Europe, I suggest taking a spontaneous camping trip a few miles away from your house for a few days. Stay safe and let’s weather out whatever shit may unfold from here on out.

DM

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[daegonmagus] – Part 19 – Aleister Crowley and his Thelemic Order of NASA….or was it MI6?

The following is the 19th part from a series of articles describing the adventure that a follower who goes by the handle "daegonmagus" has experienced since reading MM. They are very interesting and fascinating. I hope that you all learn from his journey and maybe learn a thing or two as he relates his unique experiences to the readership here. 

This particular read is truly enjoyable. I hope you all enjoy it as much as I have.

-MM

Part 19 – Aleister Crowley and his Thelemic Order of NASA… or was it M16?

NASA are the most authoritative organisation on space and would never lie to us or keep secrets when it comes to the discovery of ETs!” Right…..anybody in the crowd? ……Anybody? This is a paraphrasing of a recent conversation with my brother in law in regards to the idea of Simulation Theory, and that we are living in a holographic world. So yeah, ok, he didn’t specifically mention ETs, I may have exaggerated that part, but when I brought up the quantum physics double slit experiment etc (real basic stuff, for I am no quantum phycisist) and the idea of astral projectors/ lucid dreamers being the witnesses of the other side of the quantum coin – the guys that see the world in wave form rather than particle form – you’d be amazed at how quickly the conversation turned towards NASA, and their recent announcement of a fucking meteor that could “potentially” wipe out earth, which is what was apparently really concerning him (I would have thought being trapped in a simulation would be a more concerning affair, but you know, that’s just me). Or you know, that his grandmother was born in a Nazi PoW camp, and he just seemingly overlooked the whole Operation Paperclip thing.

But yeah I am used to it. It is the usual deflection tactic when I hit upon a subject that get’s too deep for him. Cut me off mid sentence and trail off onto some shit that doesn’t even relate to anything I am talking about. Try and make himself sound smart because he read a few articles on the old innernet. Never mind I know a guy who is a qualified astrophysicist that would suggest it is a load of bullshit not worth worrying about {wink wink}. My brother in law always seems to have that one friend in a similar field of expertise that he has conveniently broached this exact subject with before and rattles off some half arsed excuse as to why I should believe this friend’s word over the experts I have spoken to. The experts whose first hand experiences I use as a basis for formulating my opinions on such matters. Not that I get more than two fucking words out before I am scoffed at with condescension when I use the small breaks between his egotism to try and explain why NASA is the last organisation on earth I would bother believing.

Mind you, this is a guy who is 31 years old and still lives with his mother, has never bothered trying to find his own place, turned down an opportunity at a plumbing apprenticeship when he was fresh out school (and now wonders why his life sucks) and thinks it is perfectly acceptable to use people with down syndrome as a means to joke about Robert Downey Jr’s mental capacity simply because he works with them (this is where the conversation ultimately headed). He seems to have some ever evolving qualification that varies quite substantially in respect to its field whenever he brings it up. One moment it’s a diploma in warehousing, the next it’s a certificate in carer services when he realises I actually managed an electronics factory and have real world experience with warehousing that trumps his theoretical knowledge any day……Next he’ll be telling me he got a fucking PhD in astrophysics in the 3 months I didn’t see him. Yeah, a real armchair researcher if ever there was one. But hey, I have to admit, I found it pretty impressive that he could at least entertain the idea of a simulation. A year ago that conversation would have been completely off the table.

Remind you of anyone? Seems to be the entire fucking UFO community whenever someone mentions something remotely out of the mainstream approved narrative. Like the guys on reddit that got the reddit admins to send me a message saying they were concerned for my mental health when I tried telling them my research suggests non physical entities are contacting people in the occult community (research which I have presented here in past articles that proves I am not the only one having these strange experiences, and that they are in fact fairly common in the occult community). This one is for you guys, if you have attention spans to read beyond three words (I know a lot of you found four of them to be too much to handle). Oh and while we are on the subject of PhD’s and arm chair research I should point out I have do in fact have a PhD…..in googling shit, seeing as it seems to be the accepted form expertise these days. But unlike my contemporaries, the crux of my argument is freely available on Wikipedia for those who do actually know how to research, not that I am expecting any of the reddit experts to be in amongst that crowd. Shall I continue?

Let’s get back to that statement “NASA are the most authoritative organisation on space and would never lie to us or keep secrets when it comes to the discovery of ETs!” Ok, so, the least you could do is get to know the parent organisation that you are basing your whole argument around before arguing with me on why I should bother to listen to them. If not, you might find yourself embarrassed at the idea it is pretty much like saying “the Freemasons are the most transparent society on the planet”. Or at the idea that “you’re a fucking nutcase” is as equally applicable to the founder of NASA as it is to yours truly. We will delve into this, but before we do, let’s dig into some of my arm chair research on a well known figure, and how it relates to the idea that if people were being contacted by non physical entities through means such as astral projection and lucid dreaming, NASA would be THE LAST FUCKING ORGANISATION ON THE FACE OF THE PLANET THAT WOULD BOTHER TELLING YOU ABOUT IT. Are you ready to take the words of L Ron Hubbard and Scientology just as serious as NASA? Something tells me that no, you are not, which highlights the fact you are too mentally immature to be having this conversation, and that your arm chair research is just a façade for “I can’t be fucked actually researching anything, before offering my opinion on it”.

Allow me to shit all over that egotistical ignorance you think is real world knowledge:

Edward Alexander Crowley was born on the 12th of October 1875, to pair of wealthy fundamentalist Christians of the Plymouth Brethren faith. His father, originally a Quaker, and also an Edward, was an engineer, and owned a family brewing business – Crowley’s Alton ales – which had allowed him an early retirement before his son’s birth. At the age of 11, Edward Alexander inherited a third of this wealth after his father died of tongue cancer. He soon began rejecting the religious views held by his parents, indulging in acts considered by them as morally indecent such as smoking, masturbating and having sex with prostitutes (in which he contracted gonorrhoea and syphilis – talk about a good time).

Such rebellion included a change of name from Edward to Aleister, when he attended the Trinity college in Cambridge to study Philosophy. This behaviour and rejection of the Christian faith would lead Edward’s mother, Emily, to eventually start calling him “the Beast”, which Crowley would later revel in and wear as a badge of honour. Later on in his life, Crowley would expound upon this title to include the number 666, which came from a derivation of the Hebrew alphabet known as Gematria – it had nothing to do with Satanism and the devil, as many people like to suggest. In Gematria, each Hebrew letter is assigned a numerical value and words are compared with other words of equal value. Crowley’s 666 came from the comparison of the word Therion – Greek for “wild beast” – with his own name, of which had an equal value. It was because of this that Crowley would eventually come to be known as Master Therion to his many students. Another name he was known by was Pedurabo.

Crowley believed he was the reincarnation of the well known magician and practitioner of alchemy, Eliphas Levi (amongst other notable figures from history) – who has been dubbed as the man who coined the term “the occult” – partly due to the magician dying in the same year he was born. I vaguely remember another self proclaimed occultist talking about their own reincarnation, [daegonmagus] – Part 2 – Contact with the Elder Guardians (metallicman.com), Not that that is relevant or anything….

Continuing on the down the Wikipedia entry on Crowley we come to learn a few interesting things some of which may or may not actually be true, and some which have a back trail of evidence to suggest they are legitimate claims. We learn about how Crowley joined the Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn before seemingly tearing it apart, how he became friends with Theodore Ruess and was invited to join the Ordo Templi Orientis, or how he created his own Order of the Silver Star – the Argentum Astrum. Then there are the tales of him going out into the Egyptian desert with his wife Rose and engaging in conversation with a non physical intelligence he called Aiwass, whose message he wrote down and became the “Book of the Law” of what would go on to become his Thelemic religion. We read about the time him and his associate Neuberg went out into a desert and summoned the demon of the abyss, Choronzon, which Crowley allegedly deliberately let possess him. Some things about his later life drug addictions with coke and heroin. What we don’t read about is Crowley’s other exploits like providing commentary for the Goetia, aka the Lesser Key of Solomon the King:

Aleister Crowley – Wikipedia

Did you spot the NASA connection? If not, don’t worry; well get to it later. Just note, it is buried behind a link somewhere at the bottom of the page.

In that entry, we also learn about a “fictional” book Crowley wrote called Moonchild – the same book of Crowley’s I found in my grandmother’s library in her abandoned house. What isn’t mentioned is that Moonchild is a book about a bunch of occultists who are trying to incarnate the soul of a demon into the vessel of a new born human child. I started reading it at some point during the third decade of my life but gave up after a few pages as I found Crowley’s writing to be very poor and unimaginative. What can I say: I have standards.

Moonchild is a novel written by the British occultist Aleister Crowley in 1917. Its plot involves a magical war between a group of white magicians, led by Simon Iff, and a group of black magicians, over an unborn child. It was first published by Mandrake Press in 1929 and its recent edition is published by Weiser.

In this work, numerous acquaintances of Crowley appear as thinly disguised fictional characters. Crowley portrays MacGregor Mathers as the primary villain, including him as a character named SRMD, using the abbreviation of Mathers' magical name. Arthur Edward Waite appears as a villain named Arthwaite, and the unseen head of the Inner Circle of which SRMD was a member. "A.B." is theosophist Annie Besant. Among Crowley's friends and allies Allen Bennett appears as Mahatera Phang, Leila Waddell as Sister Cybele, the dancer Isadora Duncan appears as Lavinia King, and her companion Mary D'Este (mother of Preston Sturges, and who helped Crowley write his magnum opus Magick: Book 4 under her magical name 'Soror Virakam') appears as Lisa la Giuffria. Cyril Grey is Crowley himself, while Simon Iff is either an idealized version of an older and wiser Crowley or his friend Allen Bennett.

Plot summary

A year or so before the beginning of World War I, a young woman named Lisa la Giuffria is seduced by a white magician, Cyril Grey, and persuaded into helping him in a magical battle with a black magician and his black lodge. Grey is attempting to save and improve the human race and condition by impregnating the girl with the soul of an ethereal being — the moonchild. To achieve this, she will have to be kept in a secluded environment, and many preparatory magical rituals will be carried out. The black magician Douglas is bent on destroying Grey's plan. However, Grey's ultimate motives may not be what they appear. The moonchild rituals are carried out in southern Italy, but the occult organizations are based in Paris and England. At the end of the book, the war breaks out, and the white magicians support the Allies, while the black magicians support the Central Powers.” - Moonchild (novel) - Wikipedia

For the MM audience who have a brain and can put two and two together here, read between the lines of what I am trying to tell you; Spencer also claimed the Alien Interview was a work of “fiction”. Comparing the two works brings a whole new level of meaning and contemplation to just what the fuck it was these secret societies were getting up to at the turning of the 20th century.

Getting back to the Wikipedia entry on Crowley, one of the more “absurd” claims is that he was in fact working for the British Government’s MI6 department helping them spy on the Germans, who apparently got him to spy on the British Government, which was supposedly suspected by American Intelligence….or something. This particular claim, even just stopping at a connection to the British government, is hard to substantiate as there appears to be only one verifiable source for its origin; a professor of History from the university of Idaho:

Dr. Richard B. Spence is a Professor of History at the University of Idaho where he has taught since 1986. His specialties include Russian, military, espionage and occult history. One of his most popular courses at UI deals with the role of conspiracies and secret societies in history.

….as it apparently says on his linked in page.

This guy seems to make a valid argument against Spence’s research, suggesting it is a stretch at best, and is more circumstantial rather than being based on real facts: Was Aleister Crowley a Spy? ‘Secret Agent 666’ Review – John le Bon

Doesn’t matter though, the guy is a professor, and going by skeptic logic this means he must be telling the truth…..Ok yeah, I am not that facetious. But hey since we are talking about the ol innernet and mainstream sources of information that we should trust (like NASA), here is a link to a Guardian newspaper report suggesting Ian Fleming based the Blofeld character in his James Bond series off Crowley:

Beyond belief | Books | The Guardian

In case you didn’t bother reading it, that article suggests rather matter of factl-y that Crowley was Fleming’s go to guy when it came to interrogating Occultist Nazi Rudolph Hess. It even mentions – albeit very vaguely – the NASA connection Crowley had through Jack Parsons:

“Yet the hysterical press accounts of sex, drugs and sacrifice at his Abbey of Thelema, in Sicily in the early 1920s, remain the core of the myth of Crowley as evil incarnate. It was an image, along with his famously hypnotic stare, that led Bond author Ian Fleming to model Blofeld on Crowley. They met when Fleming worked in British intelligence during the war. That a man so publicly reviled could still penetrate the corridors of power is a prime example of his unlikely reach. Crowley was Fleming's first choice for interrogating Rudolf Hess when the occult-obsessed Nazi was captured in Scotland after a bizarre astrological sting.

It was also Crowley who gave Churchill his famous victory sign, a magickal gesture to counteract the Nazi's use of the swastika. Indeed, his hand appears in many unexpected places - there is even a story that he aligned Stamford Bridge and gave Chelsea its team colours - but his hidden influence was not restricted to the British war effort or the Premiere League. In the 1940s, one of his closest followers was a young Californian adept, Jack Parsons, one of the founding fathers of the American space programme. His work at the fledgling Jet Propulsion Laboratories lay the groundwork for the Apollo moon missions.”

Funny, Jack Parson is mentioned back in the Aleister Crowley Wikipedia link, in the same sentence as another well known figure, this time with a little more confidence of fact:

L. Ron Hubbard, the American founder of Scientology, was involved in Thelema in the early 1940s (with Jack Parsons), and it has been argued that Crowley's ideas influenced some of Hubbard's work.” - Aleister Crowley - Wikipedia

Crowley’s entry also suggests he had an affinity for Nazism:

Pasi described Crowley's affinity to the extreme ideologies of Nazism and Marxism–Leninism, which aimed to violently overturn society: "What Crowley liked about Nazism and communism, or at least what made him curious about them, was the anti-Christian position and the revolutionary and socially subversive implications of these two movements. In their subversive powers, he saw the possibility of an annihilation of old religious traditions, and the creation of a void that Thelema, subsequently, would be able to fill. Crowley described democracy as an "imbecile and nauseating cult of weakness",[267] and commented that The Book of the Law proclaimed that "there is the master and there is the slave; the noble and the serf; the 'lone wolf' and the herd”

I guess one could take that last sentence either way. Regardless, we are starting to head into some very concerning territory in regards to the Nazi’s and Crowley/ Occultism. Let’s strengthen that connection:

Crowley was now living largely off contributions supplied by the O.T.O.'s Agape Lodge in California, led by rocket scientist John Whiteside "Jack" Parsons.[194] Crowley was intrigued by the rise of Nazism in Germany, and influenced by his friend Martha Küntzel believed that Adolf Hitler might convert to Thelema; when the Nazis abolished the German O.T.O. and imprisoned Germer, who fled to the US, Crowley then lambasted Hitler as a black magician.
So uh Hitler was a prime candidate for Thelema huh…..and the guy who founded Nasa’s JPL was a fucking Thelemite as well?

“John Whiteside Parsons (born Marvel Whiteside Parsons;[nb 1] October 2, 1914 – June 17, 1952) was an American rocket engineerchemist, and Thelemite occultist. Associated with the California Institute of Technology (Caltech), Parsons was one of the principal founders of both the Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) and the Aerojet Engineering Corporation. He invented the first rocket engine to use a castablecomposite rocket propellant,[1] and pioneered the advancement of both liquid-fuel and solid-fuel rockets.
Or should I say a pin up boy for the OTO:

Smith wrote to Crowley saying that Parsons was "a really excellent man ... He has an excellent mind and much better intellect than myself ... JP is going to be very valuable".[64] Wolfe wrote to German O.T.O. representative Karl Germer that Parsons was "an A1 man ... Crowleyesque in attainment as a matter of fact", and mooted Parsons as a potential successor to Crowley as Outer Head of the Order.[65] Crowley concurred with such assessments, informing Smith that Parsons "is the most valued member of the whole Order, with no exception!"[62]” - Jack Parsons (rocket engineer) - Wikipedia

And its not as if Thelema was just a passing hobby for Jack either; Wikipedia suggests he was devoting his entire pay checks into the organisation, and was wholeheartedly committed to its concepts. Not only that, Parsons was at one point palsy with the founder of Scientology who was also a Fellow Thelemite:

“Science fiction writer and U.S. Navy officer L. Ron Hubbard soon moved into the Parsonage; he and Parsons became close friends. Parsons wrote to Crowley that although Hubbard had "no formal training in Magick he has an extraordinary amount of experience and understanding in the field. From some of his experiences I deduce he is direct touch with some higher intelligence, possibly his Guardian Angel. ... He is the most Thelemic person I have ever met and is in complete accord with our own principles.”

And in case you weren’t aware of what Hubbard’s Dianetics/Scientology religion was about, allow me to fill that gap in knowledge. Bear in mind this was from a guy whose own son said his father believed himself to be the embodiment of “Satan”;

Scientology followers believe that a human is an immortal, spiritual being (Thetan) that is resident in a physical body. The Thetan has had innumerable past lives and it is observed in advanced (and – within the movement – secret) Scientology texts that lives preceding the Thetan's arrival on Earth were lived in extraterrestrial cultures. Scientology doctrine states that any Scientologist undergoing "auditing" will eventually come across and recount a common series of events.[26] Part of these events include reference to an extraterrestrial life-form called Xenu. The secret Scientology texts say this was a ruler of a confederation of planets 70 million years ago, who brought billions of alien beings to Earth and then killed them with thermonuclear weapons. Despite being kept secret from most followers, this forms the central mythological framework of Scientology's ostensible soteriology – attainment of a status referred to by Scientologists as "clear". These aspects have become the subject of popular ridicule.

I bet they have.

And while we are on the subject of Parson’s friends, MM would be interested to know the following:

“In New York he met with Karl Germer, the head of the O.T.O. in North America and in Washington, D.C. he met Poet Laureate Joseph Auslander, donating some of Crowley's poetry books to the Library of Congress.[81] He also became a regular at the Mañana Literary Society, which met in Laurel Canyon at the home of Parsons' friend Robert A. Heinlein and included science fiction writers including Cleve Cartmill, Jack Williamson, and Anthony Boucher.”

Now to understand this Parson’s/ Hubbard connection properly, we need to go back to Crowley and his Thelemic Order. What in the actual fuck is Thelema anyway? Well, we mentioned that Crowley, whilst in Cairo with his wife Rose, went out into the desert and received a message from a non physical entity. Rose apparently wasn’t into occultism, and couldn’t give two shits about Crowley’s undertakings…..that was until she went into a trance and this non physical being, who Crowley called Aiwass, began speaking through her, laying down the {book of the} law. Crowley transcribed it and it became his Holy Books of Thelema that basically dictated what the whole order was about. For those who have not read the books, you are not missing out on much. A lot of it seems to be a mix of incoherent babble that Crowley himself even suggests he doesn’t know what the fuck it means. In amongst this collection of seemingly random gibberish is the infamous RPSTOVAL code, that Crowley suggests will be “expounded upon by someone in the distant future”, and who his followers like to try and decipher using Gematria:

4 6 3 8 a b k 2 4 a l g m o r 3 y x 24 89 r p s t o v a l

For anyone interested here is Crowley’s Book of the Law. The Book Of The Law : Aleister Crowley : Free Download, Borrow, and Streaming : Internet Archive. Note there are some striking similarities with his philosophy and things that MM has said in regards to consciousness, or Airl’s view of the universe:

 

 

 

Now, to get to the UFO/ Thelema connection, we need to delve a bit deeper into some things that are not mentioned on Wikipedia, and are just as hard to confirm as Spence’s suggestion Crowley was an MI6 spy.

Fourteen years after his contact with Aiwass, Crowley supposedly was contacted by another entity during what is known as the Amalantrah working with his executor and somewhat heir to his magical prowess, Kenneth Grant. What actually took place must be left to speculation given that the surviving records of the working are fragmented at best, but what seems clear is that Crowley drew a picture which had something to do with this working, which he titled LAM. I briefly touched on this entity in my article https://metallicman.com/daegonmagus-part-18-a-look-at-non-physical-contact-through-participants-external-to-metallicman/ when I told you the Tool drummer had his own clothing line featuring the image.

While some, like this guy from LAM I AM | Aleister Crowley 2012 (ac2012.com), suggest it is an obscure self portrait of Crowley, others have suggested, quite assuredly that Crowley and Grant were trying to open a portal in space between two stars. The myth is that they were successful which led to Lam – an interdimensional entity – popping through to say hello. Apparently many occultists have had weird experiences with UFOs and similar contact after trying to recreate the ritual:

https://www.bing.com/search?q=vice+lam+crowley&cvid=9f44a886c91549659f1b81c4c4339ae9&aqs=edge..69i57j69i64.4653j0j1&pglt=43&FORM=ANNTA1&PC=ACTS

What can be agreed on, is that Lam appears on the front page of Voice of the Silence by Theosophical Society founder, Madam Helena Blavatsky. If you haven’t already read my article first mentioning Lam, I suggest you do so, as it alludes to the idea that Blavatsky was given a hybridisation schedule by the non physical entities she was in contact with (which seems to have very likely made its way into the hands of the Nazi’s, but more on that later.)

Getting back to Lam, The {modern day} OTO have even gone so far as to have their members document any experiences resulting from their workings with the Amalantrah ritual, so it seems to have some substance:

“Crowley gave the drawing to Kenneth Grant in May 1945, following an astral working in which they were both involved. Since then it has become apparent that Lam is in fact a trans-mundane or extra-terrestrial entity, with whom several groups of magicians have established contact, most notably Michael Bertiaux in the 1960s, and agroup of OTO initiates in the 1970s. Much remains unclear, however, hence the need for further investigation of this entity”Typhonian Ordo Templi Orientis — Kenneth Grant — LAM (parareligion.ch)

Remember how I told you my friend Severin, who was contacted by an elusive figure and given information on the merge of the astral and physical planes? To my knowledge, Severin never bothered with the Amalantrah ritual, but the coincidence is a bit hard to ignore, given he was in the OTO.

So for the skeptics, at the very least you have to admit this sounds fucking insane right? No matter what way you look at it. Who in their right mind would believe such a load of fucking tripe?

Well, your NASA JPL founder for one:

“The Babalon Working was a series of magic ceremonies or rituals performed from January to March 1946 by author, pioneer rocket-fuel scientist and occultist Jack Parsons and Scientology founder L. Ron Hubbard.[1] This ritual was essentially designed to manifest an individual incarnation of the archetypal divine feminine called Babalon. The project was based on the ideas of Aleister Crowley, and his description of a similar project in his 1917 novel Moonchild.” - Babalon Working - Wikipedia

And from Parson’s entry:

“Parsons and Sara were in an open relationship encouraged by the O.T.O.'s polyandrous sexual ethics, and she became enamored with Hubbard; Parsons, despite attempting to repress his passions, became intensely jealous.[109] Motivated to find a new partner through occult means, Parsons began to devote his energies to conducting black magic, causing concern among fellow O.T.O. members who believed that it was invoking troublesome spirits into the Parsonage; Jane Wolfe wrote to Crowley that "our own Jack is enamored with Witchcraft, the houmfort, voodoo. From the start he always wanted to evoke something—no matter what, I am inclined to think, as long as he got a result." He told the residents that he was imbuing statues in the house with a magical energy in order to sell them to fellow occultists.[110] Parsons reported paranormal events in the house resulting from the rituals; including poltergeist activity, sightings of orbs and ghostly apparitions, alchemical (sylphic) effect on the weather, and disembodied voices. Pendle suggested that Parsons was particularly susceptible to these interpretations and attributed the voices to a prank by Hubbard and Sara.[110] One ritual allegedly brought screaming banshees to the windows of the Parsonage, an incident that disturbed Forman for the rest of his life.[111] In December 1945 Parsons began a series of rituals based on Enochian magic during which he masturbated onto magical tablets, accompanied by Sergei Prokofiev's Second Violin Concerto. Describing this magical operation as the Babalon Working, he hoped to bring about the incarnation of Thelemite goddess Babalon onto Earth. He allowed Hubbard to take part as his "scribe", believing that he was particularly sensitive to detecting magical phenomena.[112] As described by Richard Metzger, "Parsons jerked off in the name of spiritual advancement" while Hubbard "scanned the astral plane for signs and visions."[113]
Their final ritual took place in the Mojave Desert in late February 1946, during which Parsons abruptly decided that his undertaking was complete. On returning to the Parsonage he discovered that Marjorie Cameron—an unemployed illustrator and former Navy WAVE—had come to visit. Believing her to be the "elemental" woman and manifestation of Babalon that he had invoked, in early March Parsons began performing sex magic rituals with Cameron, who acted as his "Scarlet Woman", while Hubbard continued to participate as the amanuensis. Unlike the rest of the household, Cameron knew nothing at first of Parsons' magical intentions: "I didn't know anything about the O.T.O., I didn't know that they had invoked me, I didn't know anything, but the whole house knew it. Everybody was watching to see what was going on."[114] Despite this ignorance and her skepticism about Parsons' magic, Cameron reported her sighting of a UFO to Parsons, who secretly recorded the sighting as a materialization of Babalon.
And some more on the Babalon working, and contact by non physical entities in general:

Inspired by Crowley's novel Moonchild (1917), Parsons and Hubbard aimed to magically fertilize a "magical child" through immaculate conception, which when born to a woman somewhere on Earth nine months following the working's completion would become the Thelemic messiah embodying Babalon.[116][117] To quote Metzger, the purpose of the Babalon Working was "a daring attempt to shatter the boundaries of space and time" facilitating, according to Parsons, the emergence of Thelema's Æon of Horus.[113] When Cameron departed for a trip to New York, Parsons retreated to the desert, where he believed that a preternatural entity psychographically provided him with Liber 49, which represented a fourth part of Crowley's The Book of the Law, the primary sacred text of Thelema, as well as part of a new sacred text he called the Book of Babalon.[118] Crowley was bewildered and concerned by the endeavor, complaining to Germer of being "fairly frantic when I contemplate the idiocy of these louts!" Believing the Babalon Working was accomplished, Parsons sold the Parsonage to developers for $25,000 under the condition that he and Cameron could continue to live in the coach house, and he appointed Roy Leffingwell to head the Agape Lodge, which would now have to meet elsewhere for its rituals

Unable to pursue his scientific career, without his wife and devoid of friendship, Parsons decided to return to occultism and embarked on sexually based magical operations with prostitutes. He was intent, informally following the ritualistic practice of Thelemite organization the AA, on performing "the Crossing of the Abyss", attaining union with the universal consciousness, or "All" as understood in the context of the Great Work, and becoming the "Master of the Temple".[133] Following his apparent success in doing so, Parsons recounted having an out-of-body experience invoked by Babalon, who astrally transported him to the biblical City of Chorazin, an experience he referred to as a "Black Pilgrimage". Accompanying Parsons' "Oath of the Abyss" was his own "Oath of the AntiChrist", which was witnessed by Wilfred Talbot Smith. In this oath, Parsons professed to embody an entity named Belarion Armillus Al Dajjal, the Antichrist "who am come to fulfill the law of the Beast 666 [Aleister Crowley]".[133] Viewing these oaths as the completion of the Babalon Working, Parsons wrote an illeist autobiography titled Analysis by a Master of the Temple and an occult text titled The Book of AntiChrist. In the latter work, Parsons (writing as Belarion) prophesied that within nine years Babalon would manifest on Earth and supersede the dominance of the Abrahamic religions.[134]

I thought self proclaimed embodiment of Satan Hubbard was bad. I might be “crazy”, but I sure as fuck aren’t “trying to summon the whore of Babylon into a newborn child crazy”. This guy was a fucking nutjob (if you go by common society’s standards), yet still displayed more intelligence than those reddit skeptics and my own god damned brother in law. You know, he’s kinda got a lot of rocket research behind him to back that theory up. Did anyone make him undergo a psychological evaluation while he worked at NASA, I wonder?

I mean Jack wasn’t exactly stupid was he, nutjob or not? He was, after all the American version of Werner Von Braun, and it could be argued it was because of him we got to the moon (he was actually involved in developing rocket systems for that very purpose). His discoveries in rocket propulsion were the foundation by which the whole of NASA was built upon. So why the fuck was he messing around with a book written by Crowley if it was just a piece of fiction and incorporating its content into his rituals? You have to admit, it seems a little shady to trust in an organisation whose founder was engaging in such ludicrous practices with his bestie, Mr Hubbard. Let’s face the fact, NASA has got dodgy fucking cult written all over it. You can’t call me a nutcase for saying I was contacted by non physical entities, and then turn around and tell me Jack wasn’t one either. But hey, let’s not stop the logical thought train there. Let’s dig a bit deeper into this.

I mentioned Werner von Braun, and in case you didn’t get the memo, here was another rocket scientist that had some things to say when it came to aliens. And who Jack Parsons at one point spoke to on the phone for many hours. At least this guy didn’t seem to be running around California blowing shit up and having sex with anything that walked in an effort to create a demon child. But to really understand what the hell is going on here, you need to understand the suggestion that the Nazi’s were heavily invested in occult concepts:

In his book, Element Encyclopedia of Secret Societies, John Michael Greer, a self proclaimed druid and Freemason (and not to be confused with Ufologist Dr Steven Greer) suggests that the Nazi party was born out of a secret society of occultists that believed in the racist ideologies of Ariosophy (an offshoot of Theosophy, surprise surprise); the Thule society. This society was named after Thule; a mythical island that first appeared in classical Greek and Roman writings somewhere North of Britain, which eventually became to be believed as the homeland of the Aryan master race in the proto-Nazi occult movement. In fact, Greer has some very interesting things to say on the transformation of Thule, and how its occult ideologies played an integral role in the formation of the Nazi party:

THULE
Originally ultima Thule, “furthest Thule” in Latin, Thule first appeared in classical Greek and Roman writings as a name for a distant island somewhere north of Britain. The Greek voyager Pytheas of Massalia claimed that he sailed there, and his description of the northern seas has enough accurate details to make the claim plausible; it is likely Pytheas sailed as far as the Orkneys, or possibly even Iceland. In the nineteenth century the name Thule was recycled for a hypothetical lost continent somewhere in the far north. In this form it found its way into proto-Nazi occult movements in central Europe as the lost Arctic homeland of the Aryans, identical to Arktogäa and Hyperborea. See lost continents.

THULE SOCIETY
The National Socialist movement in early twentieth-century Germany emerged out of a complex underground of secret societies, occult traditions, and racist ideologies that historians have just begun to uncover. One crucial piece of the puzzle was an organization known as the Thule-Gesellschaft or Thule Society. Named after the legendary lost continent of Thule, believed by German racists of the time to be the original homeland of the Aryan peoples, the Thule Society posed as a private organization for the study of Germanic folklore. In reality, it was the Munich lodge of an occult secret society, the Germanenorden, whose distinctive blend of racist occultism and right-wing politics defined the central commitments of the Nazi party. See Germanenorden.

The Thule Society was the creation of Rudolf von Sebottendorf, a German-Turkish adventurer who joined the Germanenorden in 1917 and immediately set to work organizing a Munich lodge for the order. His efforts paid off handsomely, increasing membership in Bavaria from 200 to more than 1500 by the autumn of 1918. He rented rooms for the society in the posh Hotel des Vier Jahreszeiten in Munich, and succeeded in attracting members of the Bavarian aristocracy into the organization. He also encouraged two Thule members, Karl Harrer and Anton Drexler, to organize a political circlep for the Munich working class, in the hope of drawing them away from communism.

When the German imperial government collapsed in 1918, a socialist coalition seized power in Bavaria, but was then supplanted by a hardline communist faction headed by Russian exiles. Munich descended into open war, and pitched gun battles, assassinations, and summary executions by firing squad became frequent events. The Thule Society hurled itself into the struggle, networking with other conservative groups and raising a sizeable private army, the Kampfbund Thule, for the final struggle that ended the Bavarian Socialist Republic in May 1919. By that time the political circle headed by Drexler and Harrer had already transformed itself into a political party, the Deutsche Arbeiterpartei (German Workers Party, DAP). Small and poorly organized, the DAP floundered for most of 1919 as most Thule members turned their attention elsewhere. In September of that year, however, the DAP gained a new recruit, an Austrian war veteran named Adolf Hitler. Not long after joining, Hitler convinced the other party members to change the organization’s name to the Nationalsozialistische Deutsche Arbeiterpartei (National Socialist German Workers Party, NSDAP) – a name newspapers and the German public quickly shortened to “Nazi.” See Hitler, Adolf; National Socialism.

As the fledgling party grew explosively, driven by Hitler’s powerful oratory and impressive political skills, Thule Society members gave it vital support and direction. Thule initiate Ernst Röhm, a tough army veteran with a taste for brawling, brought many members of the Kampfbund Thule into the
Sturm-Abteilung (Storm Troop, SA) or Brownshirts, the Nazi party’s private army of street thugs. Another Thule member, Rudolf Hess, used his connections throughout the occult community in France and Germany to win support for Hitler, becoming the future Führer’s right-hand man in the process. Other members introduced Hitler to wealthy conservatives in Bavaria and elsewhere in Germany, and brought him into contact with the writer and occultist Dietrich Eckart, who became Hitler’s mentor. By 1925 or a little later, the Thule Society had been completely absorbed into the growing Nazi party, and nearly all its membership, activities, and plans became part of the Nazi system. The occult aspects it had inherited from the Germanenorden ended up becoming part of the SS onceHeinrich Himmler took over that organization in 1929. See SS (Schutzstaffel).

Further reading: Goodrick-Clarke 1992” - The Element Encyclopedia of Secret Societies The Ultimate A-Z - John Michael Greer.pdf | DocDroid

But let’s not stop there. Delving even deeper still into the Nazi’s and their occult connection in Greer’s book we find that Crowley wasn’t the only occultist who believed the “lunatic” prospect that he was the reincarnation of someone:

Perhaps the most serious of Nazi occultists, Himmler believed himself to be the reincarnation of the medieval German king Heinrich I. Under his leadership the SS became an occult secret society with immense influence throughout German society, and the SS headquarters at the medieval castle of Wewelsburg became the center of the Third Reich’s occult dimension as Himmler implemented many of the old ONT programs on a colossal scale. See SS (Schutzstaffel).“

Interesting. Here’s some excerpts I picked up from Israel Regardie’s (Crowley’s Secretary) book, The Golden Dawn, which deals with the whole curriculum of that order. It certainly seems to strengthen the Nazi connection to the occult. From here The Complete Golden Dawn System Of Magic – Israel Regardie.pdf | DocDroid:

 

The fylfot cross shows us the swastika as being an astrological symbol that combines the forces of 12 months of the zodiac with the four elements, the sun at its centre. It is part of the third lecture of Golden Dawn Curriculum, the first two being preparations for the candidate for their Alchemical undertakings. In other words, this association of the swastika with the zodiac and elements was embedded into the curriculum and would have been taught to every single initiate of the Golden Dawn when Crowley was head of it, and likely the OTO and the Argentum Astrum, considering Crowley’s involvement with those organisations. Interesting when you consider a Greek Neo Nazi political party just pops up out of nowhere some 100ish years later calling themselves the Golden Dawn: Golden Dawn (Greece) – Wikipedia

From that same book, on page 460, in a chapter to do with Clairvoyance:
“The guide having made his appearance, he is to be tested by every means at the Seer's disposal. First of all, it is well to assume the Sign of the Grade to which that element is referred. In this instance, the Sign of the Zelator should be made, by physically as well as astrally raising the right arm to an angle of forty-five degrees. The guide should answer this with the same Sign or another which is unrnistakeable proof that he belongs to the element and has been sent to act as guide. If there is deception, these signs will cause him distress, or at once the vision will break up, or the false guide will disappear. He should also be asked clearly and deliberately whether he comes to act as guide in the name of the appropriate Deity Name. If all this strikes the Seer as satisfactory, and his doubts settled, let him follow the guide to wherever he is being led, carefully noting whither he goes, and asking questions about the element or whatever he sees”

I found a photo where a few of these elements seem to combine:

 

So yeah I guess it’s just more coincidences in a string of bizarre coincidences right?

At least they made good rocket propulsion systems, like that other occultist we have been talking about. Which brings me back to Nazi rocket scientist Werner Von Braun. Von Braun was one of the pioneers who worked on the V2 rocket system and was brought to America to work for NASA along with many other Nazi Scientists under Operation Paperclip:

Wernher Magnus Maximilian Freiherr von Braun (23 March 1912 – 16 June 1977) was a German-American aerospace engineer[3] and space architect. He was the leading figure in the development of rocket technology in Nazi Germany and a pioneer of rocket and space technology in the United States.[4]

While in his twenties and early thirties, von Braun worked in Nazi Germany's rocket development program. He helped design and co-developed the V-2 rocket at Peenemünde during World War II. Following the war, he was secretly moved to the United States, along with about 1,600 other German scientists, engineers, and technicians, as part of Operation Paperclip.[5] He worked for the United States Army on an intermediate-range ballistic missile program, and he developed the rockets that launched the United States' first space satellite Explorer 1 in 1958.

In 1960, his group was assimilated into NASA, where he served as director of the newly formed Marshall Space Flight Center and as the chief architect of the Saturn V super heavy-lift l,aunch vehicle that propelled the Apollo spacecraft to the Moon.[6][7] In 1967, von Braun was inducted into the National Academy of Engineering, and in 1975, he received the National Medal of Science. He advocated a human mission to Mars.” - Wernher von Braun - Wikipedia

Atleast we get the idea the Von Braun was quite a respectable man that only joined the Nazi’s so he could continue his life’s work in regards to rocket research. No mention of Carol Rosin of Fairchild Industries or Lt Colonel Philip J Corso though. Of course, those elements connect Von Braun to ETs, and we can’t have that to tarnish NASA’s image now can we? Allow me to elaborate:

Philip J Corso was a Lieutenant Colonel who worked for General Arthur Trudeau during Eisenhower’s presidency, and had an office at the Pentagon dealing with technological advancements that could be put to military use. In WW2 Corso fought Rommel in Africa, and was charged with rounding up the remnants of the Gestapo in Italy after the war ended. So you could say his resume was quite impressive, and he was quite respectable in regards to his military achievements. Certainly not someone who would feel the need to jump on the UFO bandwagon and bullshit us all with stories of ETs right? Uh, well that’s exactly what Corso did, if you consider his biography bullshit, which most arm chair researchers seem to do.

In his book The Day After Roswell Corso details how he was put in charge of distributing technology recovered FROM THE 1947 ROSWELL CRASH into already established R&D programs in an effort to conceal it and keep it out of the hands of those pesky Russians that had infiltrated the CIA. Things like night vision goggles, fibre optics, kevlar, lasers and integrated circuits, Corso claimed all came from the spacecraft that crashed in the New Mexico desert. He even mentions he saw one of the bodies of the crew. A few months after the books release, Corso died of a heart attack.

Corso suggests he went around to military contractors Fairchild (among others), where he dropped this retrieved tech into the hands of their supervisors with an intent to back engineer it. One of the men who he was in constant contact with to try and gain an understanding of how said tech would work was, you guessed it, Werner von Braun. Von Braun actually became the Vice President of that very same company Corso suggested he dropped some ET tech into the hands of:

“After leaving NASA, von Braun moved to the Washington, D.C. area and became Vice President for Engineering and Development at the aerospace company Fairchild Industries in Germantown, Maryland, on 1 July 1972.”[124]  - Wernher von Braun - Wikipedia

But Corso is just bullshitting right? He was just a senile old man who was struggling to find purpose after his impressive military career, and so decided to spin us a story of fiction about aliens crashing into the desert. It isn’t like there is any other proof that backs up Corso’s claim or anything.

Well, the Wikipedia entry on the date surrounding the Bi Polar Junction Transistor seems to very much align with what Corso told us:

“The bipolar point-contact transistor was invented in December 1947[10] at the Bell Telephone Laboratories by John Bardeen and Walter Brattain under the direction of William Shockley. The junction version known as the bipolar junction transistor (BJT), invented by Shockley in 1948,[11] was for three decades the device of choice in the design of discrete and integrated circuits. Nowadays, the use of the BJT has declined in favor of CMOS technology in the design of digital integrated circuits. The incidental low performance BJTs inherent in CMOS ICs, however, are often utilized as bandgap voltage referencesilicon bandgap temperature sensor and to handle electrostatic discharge.” - Bipolar junction transistor - Wikipedia

For those who do not understand the history of technology, it took somewhere between 100 and 150 years to go from the discovery of electricity, to the amplification of analog signals using Thermionic valves. This was at the hands of a myriad of different scientists experimenting with the valve, some of which were Thomas Edison and Tesla. One could say quite a lot of development went into perfecting the valve, and it went through an evolution of change as more and more grids were added to suppress the inherent electrical noise. It found its use in everything from industrial control systems to guitar amplifiers. Then all of a sudden, in December 1947 up pops the transistor, seemingly because someone decided doping germanium with silicone would achieve the same result as what was effectively a light bulb with a few bits of metal inside of it. And this team of a handful of scientists just happened to pull it off a mere months after the Roswell Crash? Yeah uh ok, I guess this make sense……if you are apt at just ignoring anything that presents as an inconvenience to an argument you have no expertise in, like my brother in law does. Skeptics, find me the fucking article that tells me what prompted these guys to try doping germanium with silicone when the whole premise of the thermionic valve had been based on controlling grid electrons in a vacuum through a completely conductive element.

Now, Corso doesn’t actually mention he dropped a BJT into the hands of Fairchild. What he does mention is that he came into the possession of the alien tech something like a decade after the crash, after it was presented to him by Trudeau. It had been sitting in a cabinet in this office, which Corso took over when he moved into the Pentagon, for practically that whole time, simply because Trudeau didn’t know what to do with it. What is more, it didn’t originate with Trudeau. There was a hazy period of a few years immediately proceeding the crash where it is unknown what became of this technology, when it was in the hands of General Twinning (suggested as being an original MJ12 members). What Corso says is that he dropped an integrated circuit into Fairchild’s lap, and, as anyone with a little background in electronics knows, you can’t make an IC without a BJT. Well, at least you couldn’t back in the early 60s when IC’s were invented and supplied globally by that very same Fairchild company (the first to do so). Funny how no one ever thought to try and wire a few million thermionic valves together to achieve the same thing before the concept arrived at Fairchild.

According to Corso, it was Von Braun (very much aware it was ET tech) who suggested he take the IC to the guys over at Bell Labs who had been playing around with the concept of doping silicone with the BJT, suggesting that in that hazy period before the tech fell into his hands, someone had already undertaken an effort to reverse engineer part of it. Given our history of electronics development, it makes no sense that it would take us 100+ years to develop the thermionic valve, to have the concept of doping germanium with silicone pop up overnight and render that whole component almost completely useless. It certainly makes no sense, that in just over a decade later we figured out how to wire millions of these components together to create what would go onto to become the backbone of the computer, without any prior concept of mass manipulation of said valves. The only logical conclusion, in my opinion, is that which is presented to us by Corso. You know people are still allowed those things right? Opinions. Unlike my brother in law, mine is based on knowledge I spent 4 years sitting an apprenticeship for in my efforts to attain a trade level qualification in electronics. At least show me some evidence of a similar background if you want to bother arguing with me on this issue.

Corso also tells us that the who Strategic Defence Initiative was established under the pretence there was an extra terrestrial threat that America needed protection from, and that NASA even knew about ET interactions, which the organisation had actively engaged in covering up. Another reason why I don’t trust them.

So anyway, getting back to Von Braun and Fairchild; Carol Rosin was the first woman to become CEO of Fairchild Industries. Fairchild industries was an offshoot of the military contracted Fairchild Aircraft, and came about after Shockley, the supervisor who worked on the BJT, quit Bell Labs and tried opening his own company to continue to develop it. After some trouble with money, Sherman Fairchild picked it up and gave it a fresh make over, absorbing all the research on the BJT in the process. Now, Rosin ended up becoming a spokesperson for Von Braun after she became CEO. Here’s a little bit of background on her:

Carol Rosin (born March 29, 1944) is the Founder of the Institute for Security and Cooperation in Outer Space, and also works as a speaker, author, educator, child psychologist[dubious – discuss]futurist, and military strategist.[1] She was also the first female executive of an aerospace company, working as a corporate manager of Fairchild Industries. She is executive director of the Peace and Emergency Action Coalition for Earth, P.E.A.C.E. Inc. and the I.D.E.A Foundation, as well as a world peace ambassador for the International Association of Educators for World Peace.[2]

Biography[edit]

Born in Wilmington, Delaware in 1944 and a graduate of the University of Delaware, Rosin was the first woman to work as an Aerospace executive at Fairchild Industries and is a leader and the original political architect in the movement to stop Anti-satellite weapons and the Strategic Defense Initiative.[3] In her time at Fairchild, Rosin served as the spokesperson for Dr. Wernher Von Braun, with whom she created the film and educational program "It's Your Turn" to expand the diversity of people working in science fields.[4] The program won many awards, including the Aviation Writers Award and the Science Teachers Gold Medal.[5] Rosin helped create medical and educational training programs with ATS-6 satellites in the United States, including the first two-way audio and visual national and international satellite educational programs in over 20 countries.[6]

Published works and media[edit]
  • Start of the Sirius Disclosure Project in 2001 at the National press Club, as witness.
  • Movies That Shook the World (Documentary) Herself, 2005[7]
  • UFO: The Greatest Story Ever Denied II - Moon Rising (Video Documentary) Herself, 2009
  • Sirius (Documentary) Herself, 2013
  • For the Children (Book, I.D.E.A Foundation for the Benefit of Humanity) Co-Author, 2014 ISBN 9781530161393
  • The Carol Rosin Show (American Freedom Radio) Host, 2016-[8]
  • Unacknowledged (Documentary) Herself, 2017
  • 20th Anniversary of the Disclosure Project as herself, 2021”
    

Well well, well not another UFO connection to Von Braun and Fairchild. It gets even better when you consider what Rosin says in regards to what Von Braun allegedly told her on his death bed in the 70s:

DR Carol Rosin von Braun ‘The Extra-Terrestrial Threat’ ET UFO UAV – YouTube

In case you can’t watch youtube, here is a run down:

Von Braun suggested NASA was planning to weaponise space by using the idea of certain threats against the people to gain approval for such weaponization.

Von Braun believed communists would be the first threat identified by the United States, followed by terrorists, followed by third world radicals, followed by asteroids (maybe my brother in law was right to be concerned, lol) which would eventually culminate in a hoaxed alien invasion. Bear in mind this was in the 70s.

Rosin suggested Von Braun gave her the task of de-weaponising space to which she started her own organisation, the Institute for Security and Cooperation in Outer Space, which was in direct opposition to that very same initiative Corso mentioned was setup to “stop the malevolent ETs from invading earth”, and suggested NASA was covering up. Rosin came to the ultimate conclusion her mission was futile. In a separate video she suggests she walked in on a NASA meeting in the 70s that appeared to be the setup to the invasion of Iraq schpeel, in which people like Sudam Hussein had already been identified as the new enemy. When she asked what the fuck it was all about, the room went silent.

Here’s another article on her talking about what Von Braun told her.

THE HOAX ALIEN INVASION: HOW WERNHER VON BRAUN REVEALED NASA’S PLAN TO WEAPONIZE SPACE – UFO Digest

Consider where we are some 50 years later, and Von Braun’s predictions seem strikingly on point. We have the commie card with the cold war, the terrorist card with ….well fuck, just about anyone who seems to have a stash of oil America feels like it can profit off. We have a space force (team America fuck yeah song springs to mind)…

How Trump’s Space Force Would Help Protect Earth from Future Asteroid Threats | Space

And, from the actual official Space Force Strategic Overview:

“Although U.S. space systems have historically been technologically superior, China and Russia have embarked on major efforts to develop counter-space capabilities in order to destroy or disrupt U.S. and allied space capabilities in a crisis or conflict. They are also rapidly developing advanced space capabilities to enhance the lethality of their military operations, increasing the likelihood that U.S. and coalition forces will need to defeat the space capabilities of adversary forces in order to prevail in a potential conflict, to protect lives, and to secure the interests of the United States and its allies and partners. In short, space has become a warfighting domain.” - UNITED-STATES-SPACE-FORCE-STRATEGIC-OVERVIEW.PDF (defense.gov)

And since we are talking about Trump and his space force here to save us from doom from above can someone please explain this video to me?

Trump Trackdown – YouTube

The video is about a conman named Trump who convinces a small town that they are under threat from meteors about to fall on their heads. Trump’s suggestion is to build a wall around the town and purchase his magical umbrellas as the only means to keep them safe from the meteors. When one of the townspeople tries telling his community he is fraud, Trump decides to add a tax to his umbrellas which gets higher with every word that man speaks. He even puts on a little barrel explosion show, to make it look one of the meteors hit the ground right next to them. Note the white robes with the very basic astrological symbols. I’d be curious to know if his little ritual was taken straight out of a Golden Dawn or OTO book. From a series called Trackdown FROM FUCKING 1958. Yeah, yeah I know, just coincidence right?

How about Von Braun predicting “an Elon would take us to Mars” even further back in 1953? Didn’t you hear? It’s been the talk of the space community for the past week.

Pioneering aerospace engineer and science-fiction writer Wernher von Braun may have predicted Elon Musk’s plan to colonize other worlds nearly 70 years ago when he described a man named “Elon” ruling over Mars.

Von Braun created the character “Elon” in his 1952 science fiction novel “Project Mars” — a space fantasy about a mission to Mars, according to a report.

The book’s predictions came to light a few years ago, but began trending on social media last week

Von Braun, one of the most important scientists in the development of rocket technology, describes a Martian government led by ten men, who worked under a leader “elected by universal suffrage for five years under the name or title of Elon.” -  German engineer predicted 'Elon' would conquer Mars in 1952 novel (nypost.com)

Seems Von Braun was well respected enough for NASA to post a bio of him on their webpage:

Biography of Wernher Von Braun | NASA

Yet Parsons wasn’t for some reason, even though Von Braun suggested Parsonshad more right to the title of “Ftaher of Rocketry” than he did:

jack parsons – NASA Search Results

…..even though people in the aerospace game nicknamed the JPL the “Jack Parsons Labratory” after his seemingly sketchy death (sketchy as in some believe it was assassination, and other friends of Parson’s an attempt to create a homunculous – WTF).

“The same month JPL held an open access event to mark the 32nd anniversary of its foundation—which featured a "nativity scene" of mannequins reconstructing the November 1936 photograph of the GALCIT Group—and erected a monument commemorating their first rocket test on Halloween 1936.[25] Among the aerospace industry, JPL was nicknamed as standing for "Jack Parsons' Laboratory" or "Jack Parsons Lives".” - Jack Parsons (rocket engineer) - Wikipedia

But I suppose that is understandable when rumour has it one of your organisation’s founders was fucking about with astral projection and trying to summon the soul of an etherical being into an unborn fetus. It’s not like astral projection was considered a usable asset to the US government or anything. Oh wait a minute:

ANALYSIS AND ASSESSMENT OF GATEWAY PROCESS (cia.gov)

It’s almost like with all this rhetoric on Russia and China the US govt is going all out with the Commie bastard narrative once again huh? What is the bet the aliens will show up on the White House lawn in the next decade? My money is on the Nordics, which the Starseed agenda has seemingly been set up to be super accepting of.

Never mind that they are blonde haired and blue eyed; the same fucking eye and hair colours the Nazi’s were trying to make the dominant breed in their obsession with creating the Aryan Master race.



Do any of the followers of these channelers actually know where the Ashtar Command come from? I’ll give you a hint, all roads seem to lead back to the Theosophical society. The same society whose concepts on the Aryan race would go on to influence the Ariosophists that would in turn influence Hitler and the SS. Am I the only one concerned by this? Here’s an idea, what if the gameplan changed from Von Braun’s alien invasion, to strategic assimilation of the Nordics into general population. An already set up UFO religion would make a good pawn by which to carry out such assimilation, would it not?

But let’s do what skeptics like my brother in law do best and just ignore that for the time being as it doesn’t concern us right now. Don’t worry, I will definitely get to it in another article though.

Back to Parson’s and the idea he was trying to create a moonchild. Depending on what account of the story you read you might come across the one that suggests Crowley wasn’t particularly impressed with his and Hubbard’s efforts. {Allegedly} Crowley chastised them for opening the portal but lacking the magical skillset required to close it, which led to a tear in the fabric of space just sitting there waiting to let into our dimension whatever felt the need to come here….

.Like a black hole like anomaly perhaps?

“I was also told that I had been part of a “hive consciousness” that had tracked this amnesia to a black hole anomaly.
This black hole anomaly existed at the edge of this physical universe and was where the device causing the amnesia was being hidden.”

Except mine was at least 40 thousand years old.

So now you have myself, SD and Severin, playing around with occult concepts such as astral projection and lucid dreaming and we wound up claiming contact with non physical entities just like Parsons claimed. Lol, we are EXACTLY the type of people that NASA would employ to develop their rocket systems, as backed by history…….LOL

Connect……the……dots!!!

All evidence is suggestive Secret Societies such as The Golden Dawn, the Theosophical Society, the OTO etc were in possession of some very powerful secrets, and were conducting experiments specifically trying to contact non physical entities, which may have been met with some success. I have mentioned my suspicions that Blavatsky was given the Hybridisation schedule of the Aryans, which Hitler (whose salute seemed to be a check to make sure non physical entities were in fact friends) seemingly became the one to try and bring to fruition. Was rocket propulsion tech a gift from some of these non physical entities? If so, then what was exchanged for it. The opportunity to create a conduit by which to grant access to a physical body perhaps?

From Alien Interview:

The recently despoiled German totalitarian state on Earth was similar to the "Old Empire", but not nearly as brutal, and about ten thousand times less powerful. Many of the ISBEs on Earth are here because they are violently opposed to totalitarian government, or because they were so psychotically vicious that they could not be controlled by "Old Empire" government.

From the Commander:

There are numerous organizations that you refer to as "robed elders".

Each one has a niche role in this Prison Environment.

[4] Some were established by physical occult organizations from within the Prison population and has taken on a life of their own. These kinds of organizations are many. Some were created by accident. And some were created on purpose. One of the most famous (and prolific) occult leaders in your modern era was a man named Aleister Crowley and he was very active in creating some of these organizations in the non-physical worlds. Some spawned others, and some fractured and grew. 

- Answers from The Domain from questions generated 24SEP21 (metallicman.com)
.....these organizations in the non-physical worlds. Some spawned others, and some fractured and grew.                                    

- Answers from The Domain from questions generated 24SEP21 (metallicman.com)

Oh, and you know that Krishnamurti guy the Theosophists thought were their Matraya, and who we found out in one of my recent articles was brought in to interview Airl during the Roswell Crash (assuming it was Jiddu and not Uppaluri)? Turns out Parsons went along to some of his lectures:

“Parsons had also attended lectures on Theosophy by philosopher Jiddu Krishnamurti with his first wife Helen, but disliked the belief system's sentiment of "the good and the true".[178] During rocket tests, Parsons often recited Crowley's poem "Hymn to Pan" as a good luck charm.[168] He took to addressing Crowley as his "Most Beloved Father" and signed off to him as "thy son, John"                      -           

Jack Parsons (rocket engineer) - Wikipedia

Taking what we now know through alien interview and MM, I would also suggest that there was more weight to Parson’s attempt at creating a moonchild than one would first think. Crowley alludes to the idea that a magical war was being fought between black and white magicians; was this really a prediction of WW2? At the very least, Hubbard seemed to know something; his concept of Thetan’s are too heavily coincidental with Airl’s concept of an IS-BE. One could argue that if Spencer was a Scientologist then he could have just been rehashing some of Hubbard’s concepts, but then this doesn’t explain why my experiences paralleled the Alien Interview so closely. I always thought Scientology was a load of bullshit to make money of rich celebrities. Maybe that wasn’t it’s original intention.

Could it be that another entity made its way into the moonchild, than what was actually intended by Parson’s or Hubbard? Like an Old Empire agent, and this agent propagated its agenda through the occult community until they eventually reached Hitler? What if Crowley and Blavatsky got it all wrong; what if the ones they were contacted by were not as benevolent as they made themselves out to be?

SD’s experiences suggest that she has past life memories of the Nazi’s carrying out similar operations to deliberately incarnate the Aryan’s/ Nordics into newly developing fetuses. I guess that is just another coincidence right?

So we know Parsons was at one point well regarded by the OTO. But who exactly were they? Well, they were an Order established by a suspected German police agent and Freemason Theodore Ruess, Freemasonry student Carl Kellner, and associate of Blavatsky’s and Chairman of the Theosophical Society Adya board of control Franz Hartmann (considered one of the most important Theosophical writers of his time). Does this really surprise you?

Originally {the OTO }was intended to be modeled after and associated with European Freemasonry,[2] such as Masonic Templar organizations, but under the leadership of Aleister Crowley, O.T.O. was reorganized around Crowley's Thelema as its central religious principle. One of the major features and core teachings of the organization is its practice of sex magic.[1] - Ordo Templi Orientis - Wikipedia

So you could say, in a some ways Freemason’s were sympathetic to all the shit Jack was getting up to whilst in the OTO and a follower of Crowley’s. I mean, they might not have approved of him trying to put the soul of an etheric being in a child, or even believed it, but they would have at least shared belief in the same alchemical aspects of the Kabbalah. This is, after all the main driving concept behind both groups. And if you think the Masons weren’t messing around with trying to summon spirits, think again:

From The Midnight Freemasons: The Magick of King Solomon, which claims the site as being for “Master Masons to talk about topics of Masonic Interest”.

The spirits of the Goetia are portions of the human brain. Their seals therefore represent methods of stimulating or regulating those particular spots (though the eye)." (Aleister Crowley, The Initiated Interpretation of Ceremonial Magic in the Goetia.)
If we as masons want to look at this in a philosophical sense we are all seeking to be the wise King Solomon. We must unlock the brass vessel of our own unconscious mind releasing all the aspects of ourselves we care not to let out. Each demon can be seen as an aspect of our personality that we keep hidden from the world. It is the goal of the magician with the aid of angels and magickal weapons to face the dark aspects of him and symbolically slay and expel those forces from our own spiritual nature, thus purifying him. This medieval system of what some would consider “black magick” is simply a way to reflect upon the aspects of our own psyche. If we as individuals wish to gain the wisdom of the archetypal king, we should face the shadow of ourselves and the demons that well in the void of our own nightmares.

Before one sincerely attempts to evoke these demons, one should first spend some time invoking the 72 counterpart angels of the Almadel. The Almadel is a very enlightening experience and puts the magician in touch with the aspects of virtue within the psyche of the individual. This should be required for two reasons, one: one should be in touch with their inner strength before they face the demons, and two: the angels of the Almadel have direct control over the demons of the brass vessel. The Almadel is a system of scrying into a crystal ball over a altar made of wax upon which are engraved the Holy names of God. Remember that invocation is to call down a power within your spirit and mind, so you invoke angels to bring them closer. The Magician will evoke demons, to to bring from within ones self into manifestation. “

Oh you mean like Jung’s Analytical Psychology?

“One does not become enlightened by imagining figures of light, but by making the darkness conscious. - Carl Jung”

Masonic tradition was literally based on summoning the “demons” of Solomon, which were argued to really only be about unlocking hidden aspects of the mind. This presents an awkward conversation when you consider just how many astronauts, trained under NASA, are Freemasons:

Masonic Astronauts | Freemason Information

So now we know not only was NASA’s JPL founded by a guy who thought it possible and necessary to try and cram the soul of an etheric being into an unborn fetus, but that a large portion of NASA personnel are part of an organisation that studies summoning angels and demons as part of their craft. Not only that, they believe the Jewish system of (Qabalah) . . . formed an important part of the Masonic traditions, and undoubtedly contains the nearest approach to a direct revelation of the ancient canonical secrets of the old world;’ (1)Masonry and the Cabala (masoncode.com)

You sure these guys would tell you if they found something? Majority of them won’t even tell you half the shit I just laid down.

This connection to Solomon must be taken note of; not only did I have the Greater and Lesser Keys (the real versions) in my possession when I had my experiences, which also happened when I was intensively studying the Kabbalah, but my research is indicative that those who are being contacted within the occult community – people like Severin and SD etc–, and being told about the reincarnation traps have a better-than-average understanding of these texts. Consider them as the oldest methods of Steven Greer’s CE5. They are not just interpretations of some philosophical theories. My research suggests they are legitimate documents that detail the process by which to prepare a physical body for the inhabitation of an interdimensional consciousness, and this is backed by abductees I have spoken to. Let’s just say I am spilling a bit of a secret here. According to my own research, what is being revealed appears to be the genuine account of Earth’s history, just like is suggested by the Freemasons. You cannot tell me that is not worth investigation.

So there it is, the complete and unabridged version of why I think NASA are not worth taking seriously when it comes to, well, pretty much anything. If they really truly wanted to understand things about the cosmos, then it would have done them well to listen to the concepts of Parsons and how he thought quantum physics could describe Thelemic magic…..who is to say they didn’t?

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[daegonmagus] – Part 18 – A Look At Non Physical Contact Through Participants External to Metallicman

The following is the 18th part from a series of articles describing the adventure that a follower who goes by the handle "daegonmagus" has experienced since reading MM. They are very interesting and fascinating. I hope that you all learn from his journey and maybe learn a thing or two as he relates his unique experiences to the readership here. 

This particular read is truly enjoyable. I hope you all enjoy it as much as I have.

-MM

Part 18 – A Look At Non-Physical Contact Through Participants External to Metallicman

This article is a continuation on themes first presented in my last article, [daegonmagus] – Part 17 – SD’s Experience With More Consciousness Facilities Courtesy of A Shamanistic Recipe For Lucid Dreaming (metallicman.com).

In that article I gave a description of SD’s LD experience of a {yet another} consciousness facility, the beliefs of the Wandjina Wunggurr people of North Western Australia, and the idea that at some point in the long distant past the astral and physical planes were merged into one big reality soup.

I suggest reading it first if you haven’t already.

Now, getting to this article; there are some pretty interesting stories out there if you know where to look. More specifically, though, the occult community has some real gems if you are persistent enough and have a knack to filter through all the bullshit that has a tendency to come up.

For the past 10 years, I have been combing these groups searching for anything that could be remotely related to anything the Elder Guardians and the Unseen 5 told me.

More specifically the astral projection, lucid dreaming, demonology, remote viewing and just general spiritual communities were areas I started conducting my research.

When I get a hit, what I like to do is lay out the person’s experience – completely free of judgement – and tease out all the similar themes and, if there are enough of them, add the person and talk to them to get a more in depth understanding of their experience/s.

So when I come across something like the below message, you can betcha bottom dollar it draws my interest, and thus goes in my research basket.

This was something I stumbled upon the other day on a group for astral projection by a guy named Ophiuchus13:

“Hi. I just want to share with you all my Deep Meditation Experience. -January 6, 2022. There is a trap after life. 

I encountered a white lizard beings. I saw an many small spaceship & was about to going inside the big mothership. 

I see some soul light beings are fall in line & they going inside the mother ship too. When i scan the inside the lizard alien mothership i saw the soul light beings are imprisoned inside the electric prison cage. 

Their divine self (consciousness) is inside the big looking glass jar. 

That is why they being manipulated to go inside the alien ship. 

I fight with the white lizard alien & crash all spaceship using the thunderbolts & lava. -January 2, 2022. 

I saw a white spirit, he's/her body was tied while the flame is burning to him/her. she's/he's indeed eternal or immortal and yet he/she was suffering so i save him/her. After a few moments i saw a vision of a dark crystal ball and it was holding by the white ruler in his hand. 

his head face is a lion. 

i scan the crystal ball thru my inner eye. the dark crystal ball is the physical universe. where in so many spark of light was inside the black crystal ball. 

i tried to destroy the ball but it was really hard but i made it to make it crack so while spark of lighmt will gradually get away. 

i saw the companion of the lion head rulers most of them are white tnt obo. they tell me that im ranking #4 for being interloper. 

their realms are light but i dont feel any divine feelings to them and their realms. -October 30, 2021. 

(3 AM+) I entered the White Crystal Portal, which was super long and brilliant. At the end of it. I am outside the universe as in total darkness but there are stars that are very numerous. 

I also see a lot of White Box/White Container. 

I approached it, I saw so many souls in a White Box, they were standing and lined up. 

I felt when I saw that they were in a deep state of hallucination. 

The feeling that they thought they were in Heaven but they did not know that they were in a White Box that was crowded. 

I decided to broke the box, by releasing some power on my weapon. 

After i broke the white box with full of souls or light beings, the souls have been set freed in the white box and they are going in different directions like star dust in the universe. 

Later on, an Angel of Light with 9 Wings appeared to me, but I didn't feel any holiness in him. 

He said "why am I interfering", I said via telepathically that his/her doing wrong. 

Because he gave hallucinations to light beings or souls and confined them in a white box. 

He replied to me "Don't let me interfere". 

Later I released massive thunder bolts or lightning in many white boxes. I can see that the boxes were broken and the souls were freed, estimated they were in 57K that i helped the souls that have disappeared in box & going different directions floated and flew.in 

Then a white Angel with 9 wings got mad at me. 

They tied my hands with a white chain but I broke the white chain. They were angry because I'm interfering there works. Until they did nothing to me, they also failed to stop me from freeing the souls trapped in the light portal box.”


Yeah I know, I know; MM is not particular fond of the Reptilian schpeel, but I have a rule when it comes to comparing these sorts of stories with others, and that is to ignore any labels or information identifying race, motivations and anything that could be the result of deliberately implanted distortion into the mind of the experiencer (given the manipulation tactics I have encountered through my experiences, I simply do not trust these images – I cannot rule out that these non physical beings project false images to mask their identities).

What I take note of is the core aspects of the experience, and what I am interested in here is the guy effectively conducted a remote viewing session through meditation and saw parts of the amnesia traps we encounter after death.
So I got to talking with him in a private chat, and he revealed some more information: These beings are cloning his astral bodies using the akashic records as a template to alter the code for the purpose of having him not interfere in their plans.

Hold up, I seem to remember someone else saying something similar about {zombie} clones and using the akashic records to change astral body make up – oh yeah, that someone was me back in my part 2 – [daegonmagus] – Part 2 – Contact with the Elder Guardians (metallicman.com).

Remember how I said the amnesia operated as a sort of code that manipulated a person’s higher energetic bodies so that they would blindly enter into the reincarnation/soul burning chamber after death (which I fucking remember as being what took place right before being thrown into this useless meatsuit)? Well this conversation certainly turned interesting. But I guess it’s just a coincidence and it was something our minds just conjured up after watching a few too many matrix movies right? {Insert laughing face skeptics like to use as a measure of the supposed intelligence they possess to talk about such subjects, rather than actually contribute any meaningful dialogue XD XD XD XD}.

But let’s not end it there.

This is just one of many other stories I have come across that when taken individually comes across as nothing more than the ravings of a mad man, but when combined with the experiences of others start to point at a higher truth slowly being revealed to us.

The Watchers Covid Message

Take for instance this little nugget that was given to an occultist, Severin Aequus, (now a contact that I engage in respectful banter with about occult subjects) just as the whole COVID thing was gaining traction back at the beginning of 2020 (and yeah I have known about it this whole time but refrained from mentioning it, because I like to get an idea of people’s viewpoints on subjects before something can bias it towards one end or another):

“The Watchers' COVID-19 Message: 

Note: This essay is rather long because there is a need for it to be exhaustive and thorough with regard to the conditions and interpretation of the message. But in order to appease those of you without a lot of time to devote to this, I've included the word "Note:" before any paragraph which is not essential to understanding the message itself.

I've spent much of my time over the last few weeks puzzling over what caused the dramatic shift in consciousness that most people appear to have experienced within the last couple of months. 

A few people, myself included, were unaffected by whatever this influence was. So from our perspective it appears that the world has gone insane. That's not to say that anyone is wrong in terms of their views and/or opinions on how the world should respond to pandemics. It's just that they are inconsistent with the way that we, as a society, have dealt with similar epidemics in the past. If you feel like an outsider watching the world conduct the largest cosplay event ever conceived, then you know which group you're in. 

On the other hand, if you feel that the world is acting perfectly rationally and consistently, then you are among the majority in the former group. The only thing that seems to differentiate why a person went one way or the other seems to be related to how well-developed their sense of empathy is. Essentially, the capacity for empathy appears to be awakening within everyone. Thus, those who seem unaffected are actually the ones who already had a functioning sense of empathy. 

Affected? 

Affected by what? 

I received a message on May 5, 2020 from a set of intelligences I call "The Watchers". They are also known by some as "The Secret Chiefs", "The Masters" and many other names according to spiritual and/or cultural tradition. I have been in contact with them intermittently for the last 20 years. 

Over that time, I have received 3 communications from them, including this one. As a matter of convention, all text which comes directly from the message will appear in ALL CAPS. The rest can be assumed to be just my personal commentary, opinion, or conjecture. 

Note: For those who do not know me, it may be worth pointing out that I am not the type to seek out these sorts of experiences. Quite the contrary. I'm a scientist who has a knack for making "paranormal" things suddenly stop happening just by being in the room. While I have had some success with developing certain types of telepathic and spiritual mediumship abilities, I simply find it to be more practical for daily life to leave those things turned off. So in order for any kind of spiritual intelligence to get my attention, it must be loud and bold.

In this particular case, one of the Watchers appeared to my girlfriend while in normal waking consciousness to express his frustration that I could not hear him/them. Hopefully, that provides some helpful background material about the character and practices of your messenger. Note: I cannot provide an exact transcript of the message because they do not speak in language. They are inherently telepathic and can turn on the latent telepathic abilities in humans in order to "hear" them.

The first time they "spoke" to me we had to go through a calibration process because they were trying to send information much more quickly than I was able to receive it, much less actually process or understand it. Even at the slowed rate, it's still much too fast to make any use of on the spot. So they leave me with it and I spend the next week sorting through it all and actually comprehending what is in there. 

For this reason, I often refer to it as an information download. Regarding intent and provenance, I can attest that these beings are not malicious at all. However, I wouldn't exactly call them benevolent either. Their perspective is too far removed from our own for us to be able to fairly assess their integrity or motivations. But who else could have brought about such radical and sudden shift in consciousness? 

No one in human history has even come close to effecting such radical change on a global scale before and there's no reason to assume that one person or a small cabal are capable of it now. THEY ARE CONDUCTING A MAGICAL OPERATION ON A GLOBAL SCALE TO AFFECT A CHANGE IN THE CONSCIOUSNESS OF HUMANITY. 

To set the proper context, I have received no knowledge of anything regarding the COVID-19 virus, it's origins, or anything else of a medical nature. That's not what any of this is about. I will say that I feel it's most likely that The Watchers took advantage of a convenient opportunity to piggy-back their operation onto a suitably scary event as opposed to them actually manifesting the virus. But I can't say for sure and the answer is probably irrelevant anyway. The point is that the virus is a means to an end. THIS EMOTIONAL EVENT IS NECESSARY IN ORDER TO TRIGGER THE INTENDED SHIFT IN CONSCIOUSNESS. 

A shift in consciousness is evidenced by the outpouring of compassion that people are demonstrating for those most susceptible to dying as a result of being infected with COVID-19. When over 80,000 people died from the 2018 flu, it was barely a footnote in most news broadcasts. So, on one hand, our behavior is radically inconsistent. But on the other, we're demonstrating compassion and empathy on a level never before seen. It may even be that some of us have begun to conceive of humanity as one… a monad. 

While the worst-case scenario for the virus, in terms of lethality, seems to have been avoided, humanity's reaction to it is unprecedented. In the short term - speaking from an American perspective - we are likely to see several social changes in the form of new government programs. Universal (aka. Single Payer) Healthcare and Basic Minimum Income seem like obvious pieces of legislation to pass in the very near future. The fact that I can write such a sentence is shocking considering that it was unfathomable to most Americans before this crisis. 

That further goes to show that this is having precisely the kind of impact that The Watchers intended for us. While the implementation of various social welfare programs is a great thing, that is just incidental progress along the way to something much bigger. THE ACTUAL STATED GOAL OF THE OPERATION IS TO MERGE THE PHYSICAL AND ASTRAL PLANES OF EXISTENCE. In other words, the 'creatures' and other characters that can presently only be seen through normal waking eyes by the most gifted and practiced seers or mediums will eventually become plainly visible to everyone. 

As I have begun to slowly promulgate this message, I have received messages from dozens of people from all over the world reporting that their ability to perceive "the other side" has become dramatically stronger in recent months. In an attempt to confirm the validity of the message I received, I contacted a couple of friends of mine who are particularly gifted seers to inquire about anything special going on that day or if they had received any messages. What they revealed confirmed my suspicions that what I received was a genuine communication intended for broadcast.

However, to be certain I waited a week before writing the first draft of this post in order to observe whether the message remained as crisp in my memory as it did the day of, as would be expected of a genuine communication. It has. 

Note: I don't have their permission to reveal their names… or necessarily their support to reveal this message at all. So I'll have to make annoyingly frequent use of pronouns to keep this accounting of events anonymous. Before I get into the details of their experiences, it's worth noting that the appearance of such messages differs from one person to the next because we each perceive reality through the lenses of our knowledge and experience. 

So it stands to reason that no two people will perceive the same thing in exactly the same way. This holds true for physical objects as well (e.g. "Isn't this painting beautiful?"). Their version of the message came across within the context of their own symbols and cosmology, which happens to be Wiccan. They described it as a "tearing down of the veil between this world and the next". 

One of them said that they used to have a little old black and white TV with poor reception in their head that they could watch and sometimes glean information from. Starting about a month ago, their TV is now in 4K Theater Surround Mode! They've been having trouble getting overwhelmed with all of the information they're now receiving. They both mentioned that "soon everyone will have the second sight". 

Note: I don't know what "soon" exactly means, however. I find it highly unlikely that any such shift in awareness in anything we might consider a "soon" time span would cause anything short of massive panic and destructive behavior. The only way that a change that dramatic can be accomplished without sending the word spiraling into madness must be very slow and methodical. So from The Watchers' perspective, this shift may be coming "soon". But on our time scale, think in terms of 2-3 generations (40-60 years) at least. 

If you've been wondering WHEN THIS VIRUS STUFF WILL PASS AND THINGS RETURN TO "NORMAL", THE ANSWER IS NEVER. Sure, the virus will pass. But IT WAS JUST A CATALYST FOR A FUNDAMENTAL SHIFT IN HUMAN AWARENESS. Even without some bigger goal in mind, just the psychological effect of us having to justify our behavior will result in long-term consequences for the rest of our natural lives. Fortunately for you, this message provides all you need to justify your sudden change in attitude and behavior, so that's one less thing to wrestle with later in life.

This leaves us with one big lingering question: Why? To put it quite simply, they expressed that THEY ARE TIRED OF WATCHING US GO THROUGH EXTINCTION EVENTS. THERE'S SIMPLY NOTHING LEFT FOR THE WATCHERS TO LEARN FROM THOSE EVENTS. Hold up… The clear implication of that statement is that without intervention, we were headed toward an imminent self-imposed mass extinction event and this shift in the collective consciousness was necessary to avoid that fate. They didn't specify the nature of this event. But we could certainly devise a short list of likely candidates. 

But does it matter if it's been averted? Maybe. They weren't completely clear as to whether the event was conclusively diverted or if it was merely postponed or if they just suspect that this change will be enough to avert the crisis when it comes. Of course, this also begs the question of what these previous extinction events were. It's conceivable that this Earth has seen multiple humanoid experiments in its 4.5 billion-year history, especially since we've only been here for 100,00 or so. The only thing we can say about that is that they must not have reached our level of technological "advancement" because we aren't going around picking up pieces of ancient styrofoam everywhere. ( For more information, see this article from Popular Mechanics: https://www.popularmechanics.com/science/animals/a32743456/rapid-mass-extinction/). 

Another possibility is that they are referring to micro-extinctions on the level of civilizations, such as the Mayans. Other more "out there" possibilities include the idea that there could be many humanoid experiments being conducted right now on different planets. Or they could be referring to an abstract idea of timelines intersecting across n-dimensional space-time. But they didn't specify, so you're free to take your pick or add your own idea. This brings us to a close. 

Please note that the message is what it is. I can provide very little other than what has been included here. Thus, each person must decide for themselves whether it is something they are willing and able to accept or not. Also, if you have received any related messages or have anything to add to this narrative, please share your experience in the comments”

Wow! I have to admit, I am impressed with Severin’s writing, and even more so with his ability to keep an objective perspective when dealing with his own {seemingly crazy, going by society’s standards} experiences.

Like me, Severin has his own experiments going when it comes to astral projection (he’s even got a you tube channel up at that talks about that subject a bit more in depth if anyone is interested: Scientific Illuminism Institute – YouTube) Seems to be a rarity in this day and age when dealing with messages communicated in the non physical domain.

Again, when we start peeling back some of the core aspects of Severin’s experience, we find some similarities with the “secret chiefs” and my Elder Guardians, the idea that both groups don’t want to see us go extinct on account of being a bunch of dumb apes (for the umpteenth time, according to Severin’s Watcher), and that there is room for improvement when it comes to our cognitive processing abilities.

Then there is the idea that these Watchers are slowly expanding people’s consciousness to effectively be able to see what astral projectors see when they are off galavanting around the astral planes…. Which reminds me (taken from my part 3):

“{The Unseen 5 Leader} mentioned that the organization’s numbers used to be quite significantly higher; the recent (past 1000 years) decline in its numbers meant that the 5 of them were under a substantial logistics workload, even when operating from this higher state of consciousness. {The Unseen 5 Leader} was the only full time operator, after all. Thus an additional task of mine included making their presence known to those with astral projection/ lucid dreaming abilities.

{The Unseen 5 Leader} was concerned people with these skills didn’t take them as seriously as I did. He made a point of telling me the astral planes weren’t there just for people to go buzzing around on a holiday away from physical reality. They were the frontlines of a very real non physical war where the weapon of choice was being targeted directly at human consciousness.”

Severin told me that since posting this on the on that particular astral projection group that he has had it confirmed by more than a dozen other people who have had similar contact experiences, and suggests “there’s definitely some meat on those bones”. He also suggested there is a definite ET element to this, but suggests “people don’t realise they are travelling astrally, not physically”.

So the “Watchers” (take note of this terminology; I have found it a common terminology used by other abductees who understand the ET/ Astral relationship, along with “the Others”) are planning on merging the non physical and physical planes eh?

And yeah, I could see how if you’d never astral projected before that this might come across as total bullshit and insanity. But if more than one person are saying the same thing, then it’s a good bet that argument goes out the window. In case you missed my last article, my wife, SD, was also given similar information.

That article also points to some more consistency in this narrative from the perspective of two ancient cultures. Here’s a piece I didn’t add that gives a bit of back story to her experiences.

“Again I was walking the dog behind the oval at the mud pits, and there was a man just standing at the top of this small ridgeline with a German shepherd. The most off putting thing was that wherever they looked, it was at the same time like both of them were synchronized robots or something; when the man would turn his head the dog would turn it as well like they were one entity. 

Charlie was going about his business and then when we got to that bit where they were – you had to go up and over this little cliff and down into a gully – he just stopped, his heckles went up and he walked backwards out of the gulley when he saw them. I turned around and followed Charlie (the dog) because it was just strange and creepy. 

That was the first time I physically saw that guy, and that is when the weird dreams started; they were of that person or dude, or whatever he was telling me weird things about different times and places; that was how I formerly met him. 
He had a scar down one side of his face that he apparently got in some war. I ended up calling him Vince after a TV show with a similar looking guy. The things he would talk about seemed like they were in reference to astral worlds. 

Vince would tell me things to do with a flood and the Fae race. He reminded me that my soul was not a typical person soul – this had been revealed to me by the creatures around my bed. 

He explained there are four different types of human so to speak. Ones that have souls from the beings from before (when the astral and physical planes were one thing); some are the typical ape descendant, one is a hybrid race that comes from what I assumed at the time he meant as being dinosaurs, and the other one is similar to what I now know to be the Nordic type. 

He said they were the four types of human that live on the planet currently, and there will come a time in my life where people will find out about it, and that it is important to remember which one I am, because there will be a lot of bullshit and people will try to tell me that I am something that I am not, and to remember that having a Witch’s power is very significant. It was because of him I found out about the astral war; he told me all about it.

What he told me was that the astral war has been going on for quite some time; pretty much there is the equivalent of what biblical orientated people would assume are angels and demons but they aren’t. They are the same race split in two, one half is fighting for the merge of the astral and physical worlds to come back, one is fighting against it to keep it separated. 

My people/ race were originally very powerful because of their magical abilities but then another race came into it and decided that because of their science they were superior. 

The human races are new because the science race is one of the ones who do all the manipulative things to everyone through technology. They have also used their tech to create certain types of people. 

The problem is those types of beings don’t have the ability to create soul energy from nothing, whereas the people who were my people were able to create soul energy. 

The gist I got, was that there are some beings who have souls and who can have children who have souls and then there are some who cannot: the ones who don’t have souls, want one because when their life ends they are gone. So they are trying to pretty much steal and take the magic part of the DNA that creates souls; there is apparently a section of DNA – a tiny piece – that dictates whether or not someone has a soul complex or not.

So that is what the war is literally over, the ones who don’t have the souls enslaved the people who do, and forced them into camps raped them , did experiments on them and tortured them for thousands of years. 

The factions in the astral that are now trying to fix the problem are trying to wake up the whole physical realm to this other thing that is going on, because at the moment they are the only realm that knows that there is more than just themselves; they are trying to wake up people in the physical plane to the fact that there is another 12 planes of existence (13 altogether). 

Half of the issue is that these four races on earth are all from different factions and the DNA from some of them has the ability to open the veils and join the astral with the physical – they are the keys. 

The problem is that the ones that have been pretty much making dummy people to try and figure out how to make a soul have very conveniently built into their people this weird obsession with energy so they can be manipulated by it; so they can and will hinder, hurt and kill those who are the keys trying to access that. 

Apparently the keys are given a guard so when they unlock the key part of themselves they are therefore guarded continuously from then on, because they become more vulnerable physically when they are spiritually awoken. Vince allegedly was my first guard before the physical one came (DM).

Rather than rehash the whole transcription that I did include in that article, lets just take some key paragraphs:

“Firstly the Fae (faery) beings were on earth. At the same time there were various types of humans (Neanderthal included) and at that time, the physical and astral realms were tethered to each other and you could walk through each easily like walking over a bridge or through a door; there was no need to fall asleep to detach the consciousness from the physical body because on earth they could manipulate the matter body to become light body and astral body at will. 

We will never get out if the merge doesn't happen. The amnesia will never go away if it doesn't happen. We will be stuck in an infinite reincarnation loop if it doesn’t happen.

But the ones who separated the matter from the astral and their allies are doing everything to try and not let that happen. Some human officials know about this and are trying to stop the re-opening. Abrahamic religion is the enemy of all who want to be free of this trap.”


Do I really need to spell out the very obvious connections for you? This is quickly turning into some sort of weird love triangle between seemingly random folk (consider SD and me as one person) except replace word “love” with “occult information downloads”.

These three people alone seem to have a better idea of what’s going when it comes to the ET agenda than do the entire fucking community that has been established to “investigate” UFOs over the past 3 quarters of a century.

Yet they won’t be taken seriously because of a wall of ignorance when it comes to what occultism actually is.

But yeah I know ….laughing smiley faces and all that from the skeptic community.

Oh yeah speaking of skeptics, SD and I have a friend who, until very recently was a skeptic to anything ET or UFO related. Thinking it was all a load of complete bullshit her whole life kind of skeptic.

That was, of course until she started committing herself to daily meditation practices and then started seeing random light beings hanging around her yard – literally standing in the back yard just casually going about their business.

Now she believes she is in communication with her real mother and her dead friend, seemingly overnight, a real double whammy. Sounds like she got a dose of that astral sight Severin Mentioned.

There are various other stories with striking similarities I have come across over the years that I either don’t have permission to reproduce here or was too short sighted to bother copying down.

Point is, they are there if your initiative extends beyond lifting a finger and clicking on a laughing face emoticon. What we can distill from these stories is that higher order information in regards to earth’s history is being given to these people who have a background in either astral projection, lucid dreaming, or transcendental meditation, in pretty much the exact same way myself and SD having being accessing similar information, or by similar non physical entities. The occult theme is a very strong connector of these stories.

We know from the Domain commander and my Grand Elder Guardian that lucid dreamers are considered extremely valuable assets because they can act as conduits for these non physicals to contact the physical world, as well as detach consciousness and move about through the greater universe:

A person with the ability to conduct “lucid dreaming” has a special and unique skill set that enables them to be a mission critical asset. However, this kind of asset should not be meaninglessly squandered, but rather should be briefed on a specific target and then act in coordination with other unified forces to achieve a very specific outcomeAnswers from The Domain from questions generated 18SEP21 (metallicman.com)
Apparently, according to these Elders, anyone who demonstrated these abilities were held in high regard by them, as it allowed them the opportunity to communicate with those back on the physical plane without it being compromised by external forces.”
[daegonmagus] - Part 1 - Exploration of the Non-Physical Reality (metallicman.com)

Tool

And then there’s these lyrics from the band Tool, who just so happen to be a bunch of Occultists (the drummer’s dad was a Freemason) and Lucid dreamers (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1zRLakTHcX0) who me and SD have both met in numerous LDs (The singer Maynard, was actually getting annoyed at her for “not yet becoming lucid enough to talk to him in one of them”).

They are mentioned in a past brief article on MM. And let me just state I have also used LD to create a simulation of a Tool concert one night after going to a, you guessed it, Tool concert; it was fucking incredible I watched the whole thing from about a 25m above the crowd on top of a skyscraper. Anyways this song came out in the middle of 2019, several months before COVID was even a splinter in the minds of us all and is titled “Fear Innoculum”. It is off the album of the same name (not mentioned in that MM article):

Immunity, long Overdue. Contagion, I exhale you
Naïve, I opened up to you, venom and mania.
Now Contagion, I exhale you.

The Deceiver says, “You belong to me. You don’t wanna breathe the light of the others.
Fear the light. Fear the breath. Fear the others for eternity.”
But I hear them now. Inhale the clarity. I hear the venom in what you say.

Inoculated.
Bless this immunity.

Exhale. Expel. Recast my tale. Weave my allegorical elegy.

Enumerate all that I’m to do. Calculating steps away from you.
My own mitosis, growing through division from mania.

Exhale. Expel. Recast my tale. Weave my allegorical elegy.

Forfeit all control, you Poison, you Spectacle.
Exorcise the Spectacle. Exorcise the malady.
Exorcize the disparate poison for eternity.

Purge me and Evacuate the Venom & the Fear that binds me.
Your veil now, lift away.

I see you running.

Deceiver, chased away. A Long time coming.

It almost seems as though Tool {might have} been given some information about COVID prior to it happening through lucid dreaming and downloading some of that higher order information. Then there are their songs on that same album about a “Tempest” coming to fuck with the establishment, how we are spiritual “Pneuma”/ soul based entities bound to flesh that need to “wake up”, being too old to fight and laying down arms, stirring us from our slumber to call us to “arms and order”, culling the voices in our head that whisper us into psychopathy and having psychopathic tendencies against one another…..read the lyrics and tell me it’s not all one big fucking metaphor for this entire Metallicman site. The Tool Page: Fear Inoculum Lyrics (down.net)

But of course, Maynard (the singer/ lyricist) suggests he was justvery well informed” and not really predicting anything. And yeah I mean I get it. The last thing you want to do when you are a big rock star is go around admitting you believe in interdimensional entities contacting people through lucid dreaming, just in case people start thinking your fucking nuts and your fan base starts diminishing. Like the guy I talked to on a Tool fan group who couldn’t grasp the concept of the lyric “I sold my soul to make a record, dipshit” and the sigil of the Goetic spirit Astaroth that appears on that very disc (remember this it; will become relevant in a future articles).

Doesn’t mean you can’t imply it though.

Here’s the track Faaip de Oiad off their Lateralus Album. faip de oaid tool – Bing video

It is not actually a proper song, but a remix of a call to Coast to Coast radio station back in 1997 from an apparent ex Area 51 employee who began telling Art Bell that ETs were “extra dimensional entities” that had infiltrated various levels of the US government, military and space (NASA) sectors.

This government and this military apparently knew about “coming chaotic events” and could have been moving people to safer locations but were choosing not to in order to allow better control over the survivors.

The call apparently got cut off half way through, and the station went down, if I recall correctly.

The are those who suggest it was real, and those who suggested it was a hoax that touched on some shit the US government {at the time} didn’t want people knowing about, hence the reason for the apparent media blackout that happened half way through it.

Is it just another coincidence that Tool tacked this on to the end of an album about alchemy and spiritual evolution through concepts established by Carl Jung, who was also an apparent lucid dreamer?

Then there is their song Rosetta Stoned off their 10 000 days album which seems to be a piss take of a seemingly normal guy’s interaction with “almond shaped eyed ETs” that told him a bunch of important stuff he forgot to write down; it actually sounds a lot like what my experiences would have become, if you replace the almond eyes with long beards and took my dream journal away from next to my bed. It’s not like Myself and MM deal with our experiences through well placed humour or anything….

And Danny Carey, the drummer launching his Crowley inspired “Lam ET” clothing line. If you don’t know who or what the fuck a Lam is, don’t worry, we will get into it a bit further down. It’s a bit of a “grey” area, wink wink.

Faaip De Oad is apparently an Enochian word – remember that Angelic language I told you about that was transcribed by Edward Kelly as his associate John Dee sat in trance and allegedly communicated with the angel Enoch?

Occult societies such as the Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn also dedicated much time and meditation to this language – Israel Regardie, Aleister Crowley’s secretary, includes a whole section about the Enochian calls and the “watchtowers” in his book, The Golden Dawn (let’s not get this confused with the Greek Neo Nazi Political party, which came long after) that Crowley and the order were using at the beginning of the 20th century.

And this isn’t just a passing reference; this was part of the actual curriculum Golden Dawn initiates were expected to study once they reached the higher ranks of the order on their quest to become Magisters Templi (Masters of the Temple) which was only achievable upon death. There are {allegedly} entire planes one can access through astral projection by using these calls, in which one experiences a rush of energy and possible contact with other wordly beings.

Crowley allegedly got so good at using them that he was able to access almost all of these planes pretty much at will. I, personally, have never bothered with them. I have been doing similar since I was 8 years old; why over complicate something I already knew?

After the Golden Dawn disbanded, Crowley would then go on to run the Ordo Templi Orientis (Order of the Oriental Temple/ OTO), where again much of these occult philosophies would take root.

While a whole article can be written about Crowley and his antics and the secret societies he was part of (and yeah, it’s coming) the important thing to note here is that Severin is a former member of the OTO.

This strengthens what the leader of the Unseen 5 told me back in November 2016; that those with astral projection and lucid dreaming capabilities are being prepared for 1st contact by these non physical organisations.

It seems to me that the astral based Unseen 5 organisation I was initiated into are the ones in control of this whole operation, and are {possibly} responsible for seeding the curriculums of these Hermetic Societies into the minds of their members back as far as they can be traced (Ancient Egypt and Thoth/ Hermes).

Damn, we are covering a lot of ground here.

Let’s cover some more:

Blavatsky’s Theosophical Society again strengthens this occult/ non physical based contact connection. Unbeknownst to me at the time, it was Blavatsky who actually suggested the idea of the Ascended Masters/ Great White Brotherhood that I was studying around the time I was contacted by the Elder Guardians. Blavatsky literally wrote the book on “secret initiatory knowledge” – The Secret Doctrine – and claimed these traditions were passed along to her by a group of highly enlightened yogi’s, which she called the Mahatmas, that were living in Tibet. This concept of Secret Masters (or chiefs as Severin calls them) was further expanded upon by CW Leadbeater, who continued on the society after Blavatsky’s death. If you have ever read up on Saint Germain or Jesus being an Ascended Master/ part of the GWB then you can take comfort in the fact that Blavatsky, an Occultist whose notoriety rivalled that of Crowley, was touting these ideas the same time Jack the Ripper was running around London killing prostitutes.

Speaking of Blavatsky and Jack of Whitechapel; Who did Aleister Crowley Say was Jack the Ripper? | Mysterium Academy

That article raises some very good points, though I would have suggested Crowley was the killer based on some similarities I found with his hand writing and the letters left by old Jack, even if he was only a teenager at the time (I am actually writing a fictional book about this if I ever find the time to finish it).

Regardless of whether Crowley was correct in his assumptions or not, Blavatsky had something to say when it came to the 7 root races of earth that she obtained through “astral clairvoyance”. I find it interesting what she said about the 1st and 6th Root Race:

‘The first root race (Polarian)

The first root race was “ethereal”, i.e. they were composed of etheric matter. They reproduced by dividing like an amoeba. Earth was still cooling at that time. The first mountain to arise out of the stormy primeval ocean was Mount Meru.” Root race – Wikipedia

Kind of like what the Wandjina Wunggurr peoples of North Western Australia said about the Wandjina spirits eh, before painting pictures of them all over the fucking desert, that looked a just little bit like the Greys. Similar to this non physical entity that apparently contacted Crowley, after he conducted a ritual to “create a portal between the stars to let it in”, I suppose. Crowley thought Lam to be the spirit of a dead Tibetan Monk:

It gets interesting when you read Blavatsky’s {somewhat racially bias} entry on the 5th root race:

The fifth root race (Aryan)

Early beginnings of the Aryan root race

Blavatsky asserted humanity is now in the fifth or Aryan root race, which Theosophists believe to have emerged from the previous fourth root race (Atlantean root race) beginning about 100,000 years ago in Atlantis. (According to Powell, when Madame Blavatsky stated the Aryan root race was 1,000,000 years old, she meant that the souls of the people that later physically incarnated as the first Aryans about 100,000 years ago began to incarnate in the bodies of Atlanteans 1,000,000 years ago.[13] However, another way of interpreting this is that Nature began to create the Aryan race before the final cataclysms.) Theosophists believe the Aryan root race was physically progenerated by the Vaivasvatu Manu, one of the Masters of the Ancient Wisdom. The present-day ethnic group most closely related to the new race is the Kabyle. The small band of only 9,000 people constituting the then small Aryan root race migrated out of Atlantis in 79,797 BC. The bards of the new white root-race poetically referred to the new race as being moon-colored.[19] A small group of these Aryan migrants from Atlantis split from the main body of migrants and went south to the shore of an inland sea in what was then a verdant and lush Sahara where they founded the “City of the Sun”. The main body of migrants continued onwards to an island called the “white island” in the middle of what was then an inland sea in what is now the Gobi desert, where they established the “City of the Bridge”.[20] (The “City of the Bridge” was constructed directly below the etheric city called Shamballa where Theosophists believe the governing deity of Earth, Sanat Kumara, dwells; thus, the ongoing evolution of the Aryan root race has been divinely guided by the being Theosophists call “The Lord of the World”.)

The esoteric name of the whole of the present land surface of Earth, i.e. the World Island, the Americas, the Australian continent and Antarctica taken as a whole is Krauncha.[8]

Blavatsky connects physical race with spiritual attributes constantly throughout her works:

The intellectual difference between the Aryan and other civilized nations and such savages as the South Sea Islanders, is inexplicable on any other grounds. No amount of culture, nor generations of training amid civilization, could raise such human specimens as the Bushmen, the Veddhas of Ceylon, and some African tribes, to the same intellectual level as the Aryans, the Semites, and the Turanians so called. The ‘sacred spark’ is missing in them and it is they who are the only inferior races on the globe, now happily – owing to the wise adjustment of nature which ever works in that direction – fast dying out. Verily mankind is ‘of one blood,’ but not of the same essence. We are the hot-house, artificially quickened plants in nature, having in us a spark, which in them is latent.”[21] … Esoteric history teaches that idols and their worship died out with the Fourth Race, until the survivors of the hybrid races of the latter (Chinamen, African Negroes, &c.) gradually brought the worship back. The Vedas countenance no idols; all the modern Hindu writings do.[22]

Generally speaking, a large percentage of the people who live in the time of the period of the fifth root race are part of the fifth root race. However Blavatsky also opines that some Semitic peoples have become “degenerate in spirituality”. She asserted that some peoples descended from the Lemurians are “semi-animal creatures”. These latter include “the Tasmanians, a portion of the Australians.” There are also “considerable numbers of the mixed Lemuro-Atlantean peoples produced by various crossings with such semi-human stocks — e.g., the wild men of Borneo, the Veddhas of Ceylon, most of the remaining AustraliansBushmenNegritosAndaman Islanders, etc.”[23] All these aforementioned groups mentioned by Blavatsky, except the Borneians, are part of what in the late 19th and most of the 20th century was called the Australoid race (except for the Bushmen, part of the Capoid race), both of which races, as noted above, were believed by traditional Theosophists to have been descended from the Lemurians

In case you didn’t get it, those underlined parts are very synonymous with what Airl said and which I highlighted in the article about the Wandjina spirits:

These IS-BEs are mixed together with earlier inhabitants of Earth who came from another star system more than 400,000 years ago to establish the civilizations of Atlanta [ii] (Footnote) and Lemuria [iii] (Footnote). Those civilizations vanished beneath the tidal waves caused by a planetary “polar shift”, [iv] (Footnote) many thousands of years before the current “prison” population started to arrive. Apparently, the IS-BEs from those star systems were the source of the original, oriental races of Earth, beginning in Australia (it’s ok I rarely bother with footnotes either).” Alien Interview


Bet you didn’t realise the Theosophical society were also indirectly involved in Airl’s interrogation at Roswell, long after Blavatsky turned to bones and dust, huh?

Over the next several days a psychic research scientist from back East was flown to the base to interview the alien. Her name was Gertrude something or other. I don’t recall the last name. On another occasion an Indian clairvoyant named Krishnamurti came to the base to try to communicate with the alien. Neither one was successful at getting the alien to communicate anything. I was personally not able to communicate telepathically with either of these people either, although I did think that Krishnamurti was a very kind and intelligent gentleman. ” – Alien Interview

Krishnamurti went on to become a Jesus like figure known as Matraya to the Theosophical society, which is even included in Spencer’s foot notes (#33) in Alien Interview. Krishnamurti ended up rejecting the Theosophist claim he was the “world teacher” much to their dissatisfaction, to which Leadbeater basically said the “Messiah came and it was a total fucking failure”:

Jiddu Krishnamurti – Wikipedia

Alien Interview – 02 (bibliotecapleyades.net)

What Spencer didn’t include in that footnote was that there was another Krishnamurti (unrelated) of Indian descent who was also associated with the Theosophical society during the same period and who fits the criteria of a clairvoyant much more than Jiddu.

This particular Krishnamurti even had experience training with yogi’s in Tibet over seven summers.

Seriously, read about his philosophy on thought and tell me it doesn’t sound similar to my meditation of the stillness of the mind found in my 1st lucid dreaming lesson. He seems like a more likely candidate to try and get the ET to talk than someone who was a “dim-witted child with a cool aura”:

I have no teaching. There is nothing to preserve. Teaching implies something that can be used to bring about change. Sorry, there is no teaching here, just disjointed, disconnected sentences. What is there is only your interpretation, nothing else. For this reason there is not now nor will there ever be any kind of copyright for whatever I am saying. I have no claims.[23]

I am forced by the nature of your listening to always negate the first statement with another statement. Then the second statement is negated by a third and so on. My aim is not some comfy dialectical thesis but the total negation of everything that can be expressed.”

- U. G. Krishnamurti - Wikipedia

And…

Once you start catching these thoughts, try experimenting with neutralising them with their polar opposites.

When there is a “gnawing feeling” that you should react a certain way, take a breath and just observe it passively.

The human mind has a myriad of triggers that professionals have learnt how to push and prod. Unfortunately for you, they don’t stop being pushed just when an advertisement has run its course through your head.

This is how you learn how to deactivate them. By doing so you will be teaching yourself to be less prone to manipulation whilst in the void space.
You will strengthen your psychological disposition towards dealing with whatever the dream state throws at you. This is a big part of what occult philosophy is about.”
-[daegonmagus] - Part 8 - Lucid Dreaming Lesson 1: The Lucid Void Space and The Three Meditations (metallicman.com)

 

If you think this rabbit hole is getting weird, then allow me to point you in the direction of the Aetherius society, headed by self proclaimed yoga master George King.

The Aetherius society was an offshoot based primarily on the Theosophical societies beliefs, established in the mid 1950s by King.

Whilst the Theosophical society didn’t come right out and say the non physical entities they were involved with were ETs, (until much later, any way) the Aetherius Society did.

In fact, the whole fucking premise behind it was that King came into contact with non physical extra terrestrial intelligences that he called the Cosmic Masters during his marathon yoga sessions.

It is, for all intents and purposes these days considered a UFO religion. I came across them after trying to figure out who the Unseen 5 were. Essentially King and another 4 Adepts were responsible for entering into the astral planes and evicting an alien presence that dwelt there that was fucking with humanity without their knowledge, what they equated to as being “Satan” (I wondered if the Aetherius Society and the Unseen 5 were the one and the same given they had a very similar modus operandi and a very similar headcount).

Now I have to admit, if it wasn’t for my own interactions with the Unseen 5, this story would have seemed somewhat ridiculous.

Where it gets even weirder is that there is a declassified FBI document about Nikola Tesla being originally from Venus, where King is featured. For some reason, the FBI never slapped a big red BOGUS sticker all over it like they did with every page of the Majestic 12 documents.

While the document seems to be the very real investigation into plans for Tesla’s death ray being stolen by his nephew after his death and dropped into the hands of the Soviets, it also briefly mentions George King in several paragraphs, who seems to have predicted with pin point accuracy where and when UFOs were going to land all over America.

This was included as a part of a magazine issue of the “Cosmic Voice”, which seemingly was important to the Tesla investigation because of reports A woman named Margaret Storme (lol), was using a radio type machine invented by Tesla in 1938 for “Interplanetery communication purposes”.

Also because the Magazine suggested King was told by the non physical intelligences he was in contact with that Tesla was from Venus.

I can’t find any subsequent information on any sightings happening on those dates King suggested America would be visited by UFOs, though the bit on Tesla reminds me of what Airl said:

A few officers of The Domain Expeditionary Force have taken it upon themselves to provide technology to Earth during their off duty time.  These officers leave their “doll” at the space station and, as an IS-BE, assume or take over a biological body on Earth.  In some cases an officer can remain on duty while they inhabit and control other bodies at the same time.

This is a very dangerous and adventurous undertaking.

It requires a very able IS-BE to accomplish such a mission, and return to base successfully.  One officer who did this recently, while continuing to attend to his official duties, was known on Earth as the electronics inventor, Nicola Tesla. 

and…

 

Here’s another paragraph of King suggesting the aliens had protocols in place to make sure we pay off our debts through diseases and epidemics. Can’t imagine that any of that is applicable in this day and age:


In fact George King seems to pop up quite a bit in this document. I specifically remember two agents mentioning him and the “good fight almost being won”. Whether or not it is bullshit and he was a fraud I’ll leave to the reader to judge.

Blavatsky at least has other people who have validated much of her information. Like Alice Bailey, Benjamin Crème and Rudolph Steiner to mention a few.

Speaking of Steiner this is a quote of something he said almost a hundred years ago. :

In the future, we will eliminate the soul with medicine. Under the pretext of a ‘healthy point of view’, there will be a vaccine by which the human body will be treated as soon as possible directly at birth, so that the human being cannot develop the thought of the existence of soul and Spirit.
To materialistic doctors, will be entrusted with the task of removing the soul of humanity. As today, people are vaccine against this disease or disease, so in the future, children will be vaccinated with a substance that can be produced precisely in such a way that people, thanks to this vaccination, will be immune to being subjected to the “madness” of spiritual life. He would be extremely smart, but he would not develop a conscience, and that is the true goal of some materialistic circles.
With such a vaccine, you can easily make the etheric body loose in the physical body. Once the etheric body is detached, the relationship between the universe and the etheric body would become extremely unstable, and man would become an automaton, for the physical body of man must be polished on this Earth by spiritual will. So, the vaccine becomes a kind of arymanique force; man can no longer get rid of a given materialistic feeling. He becomes materialistic of constitution and can no longer rise to the spiritual “.

Rudolf Steiner (1861-1925);”

Oh and by the way, in case you were wondering, that George Van Tassel guy in that Cosmic Voice paragraph of the FBI document is where that mysterious Ashtar Command group that has been {supposedly} contacting starseeds and pirating British radio stations originated from:

Ashtar (extraterrestrial being) – Wikipedi
Southern Television broadcast interruption – Wikipedia

The point I am trying to make here is that there is heavy evidence to suggest occultists practicing the arts of astral projection and/ or lucid dreaming have potentially been contacted by non physical entities and given information on an alternate history of our earth for at least the past 140ish years. Actually I can go one better than that.

To summarise:

My assumption is that any ancient culture that incorporated dreaming into its belief structure would have at some point made contact with non physical entities such as I did, assuming they likely developed advanced lucid dreaming practices.

I would suggest that the dreaming cultures are no longer the prime targets for the non physical entities, due to the invasions of white man into their territories and the assimilation of their beliefs into those of the invading parties (this has also happened with Theosophy in recent years –). Occultists with a background in astral projection and lucid dreaming seem like the next obvious choice for contact, due to them being “natural shamans.” And according to the Unseen 5, they are.

It seems logical that if an alternate history is being presented to modern day occultists, then a more complex version of that history was, in all probability, given to these cultures. It also seems logical that any secret societies that had astral projection/ lucid dreaming practices embedded into their curriculum, were likely contact hotspots. The question then becomes what is the agenda of the contacting entities?

The common underlying themes being presented to modern day occultists that is comparable with these ancient cultures is the idea of the astral and non physical worlds being “merged” together, and the idea of the matrix soul prison.

Blavatsky’s knowledge seems to present this history in the form of an agenda to create specific races of people and the expected schedule of evolution, ie one of these non physical race’s hybridisation/ breeding programs. When looked at in this context, SD’s and my experiences of the same programs, and the idea that astral bodies are being modified to either suppress or support this outcome becomes apparent.

There is also evidence to suggest knowledge of viruses being used by these non physicals to deliberately “steer” humanity one way or the other being handed down “for karmic neutralising purposes” in the words of King, or to “better enslave us” in the words of Steiner (my experiences suggest Steiner is more on point with this).

Much of this is corroborated by Airl, the Commander, and the operations of MAJestic.

The Unseen 5 seem to be the ones in control of this whole occultist contact operation, going by what was told to me by their leader, and the responsibilities given to me by “him”. Theosophy hints at who exactly this organisation could be, which I will start digging int in a later article.

From my conversation with the leader of the Unseen 5, my understanding is that there are certain consciousnesses being primed for reincarnation whose astral bodies have been manipulated specifically to allow them greater access to their past life memories that will begin to pop up in great numbers in the general population.

These people will be a collection of Nikola Tesla like consciousnesses that will be able to connect with and bring forth higher information more easily. I would package this in with what Severin termed as “astral sight”.

I predict there will be those, like mine and SD’s friend who will begin seeing into the astral realms on a regular basis, and there will be those that will establish new technologies on account of connecting with their Higher Selves/ beings that exist therein; the Tesla’s of the new world.

Even Crowley seemed to be aware of a similar operation in what he deemed as the New Aeon, or the “Coming of the Age of Aquarius”.

Severin and I have similar also timeframes for the effects of this project to start becoming noticeable within human population – 2 to 3 generations from now.

As I was never initiated into any of these physical based organisations – and achieved contact with my non physical handlers solely through my own private studies – I am not bound by any oaths of secrecy or allegiance to them, hence I can talk about my understanding of them and this agenda freely.

Of course, that doesn’t mean I am correct in my assumptions here either; making the Unseen 5 and their agenda known to “magicians”, and acting in a recruiting capacity for them was what I was ultimately tasked with – it didn’t actually involve anything to do these secret societies, such as the Theosophical Society or the Hermetic Order of The Golden Dawn even though the curriculum of said societies is what I was studying.

This is all research I have conducted after trying to understand who they are – I welcome any feedback from people who have a greater understanding of these subjects.

I am covering a lot of ground here so for now I think this will do.

You can visit the daegonmagus Index here…

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MM Articles & Links

Master Index

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You’ll not find any big banners or popups here talking about cookies and privacy notices. There are no ads on this site (aside from the hosting ads – a necessary evil). Functionally and fundamentally, I just don’t make money off of this blog. It is NOT monetized. Finally, I don’t track you because I just don’t care to.

  • You can start reading the articles by going HERE.
  • You can visit the Index Page HERE to explore by article subject.
  • You can also ask the author some questions. You can go HERE to find out how to go about this.
  • You can find out more about the author HERE.
  • If you have concerns or complaints, you can go HERE.
  • If you want to make a donation, you can go HERE.

More new Rufus videos to inspire – Tiger Pounce

It’s a new Chinese year. It’s a water tiger year. And it’s a fine time to remember to be the best that we can possibly be. In this installment, I offer up some fine Rufus inspirational videos that are found throughout the world and inside of China. Remember, that being a Rufus doesn’t depend on your wealth, where you live, what color of skin you have, or your career. It depends on your compassion for those who surround you. Be the Rufus. The world needs people like us.

Rufus Emergency Save

With children, it can happen at any time. You have to jump and take immediate action! video 5MB

Rufus father save

Again. You have to be ready. video 3MB

Rufus’s firemen help woman

A woman carries her baby to a group of firemen. They spring into action. video 5MB

Rufus fisherman

He rows to help. video 5MB

Rufus gets rewarded

A kind deed gets a reward. video 5MB

Rufus gives everyone a chance

Everyone deserves a chance. Instead of firing, she gets a promotion and some appreciation. Video 13MB

Rufus Great Collection

A great collection of Rufus events. Video 9MB

Rufus’s heart attack save

Video 20MB

Rufus helps out at a road accident

Video 17MB

Rufus helps a homeless family

Being a nice Rufus in the United States. Video 10MB

Rufus helps the children

The father buys the son a meal, and he eats cheap bread. The waitress gives him free food, and then the father gives the meat to his son. But the Rufus son will have none of that.

Video 5MB

Rufus helps a woman who collapsed on the bike

This is the whole video. Better than the abbreviated versions. I posted previously, or the segments in anthologies.  Video 20MB

Rufus honors the flag

A bus driver on January first sees a flag on the road. He stops and picks it up. A Rufus always honors the flag of the nation where he lives. It’s respect. Video 4MB

A Rufus is welcoming

video 10MB

Rufus makes the world a better place

video 7MB

Rufus making friends

And why not. Smile, and put a little bit of happiness in the lives of others. Just try. video 8.7MB

Rufus mid-drive save

A real time Rufus.

video 17MB

Rufus’ mud rescue

video 5MB

Rufus named Bob

Pleasant story. We have to adjust to things as they are, and not as we want them to be. video 6MB

Rufus not defective

I also think that this is a really nice story and illustration. video 6MB

Rufus Pay it forward

Yup. Pay it forward. Video 22MB

Rufus subway draw

Always a great series of videos. The idea is to use your natural skills, smile or abilities to make those around you smile. video 4MB

Rufus subway draw 5

Another. Remember that you can make the world a better place. . Video 4MB

Rufus thanks other Rufus for their help

video 4MB

Rufus trio boxes in a little boy

He has no idea what kind of a mess he is in. video 13MB

More Great Links in my Rufus Index here…

Check them out…

Rufus Index

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More stuff…

Master Index

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You’ll not find any big banners or popups here talking about cookies and privacy notices. There are no ads on this site (aside from the hosting ads – a necessary evil). Functionally and fundamentally, I just don’t make money off of this blog. It is NOT monetized. Finally, I don’t track you because I just don’t care to.

  • You can start reading the articles by going HERE.
  • You can visit the Index Page HERE to explore by article subject.
  • You can also ask the author some questions. You can go HERE to find out how to go about this.
  • You can find out more about the author HERE.
  • If you have concerns or complaints, you can go HERE.
  • If you want to make a donation, you can go HERE.

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More new Rufus videos to inspire – Tiger Nap

It’s a new Chinese year. It’s a water tiger year. And it’s a fine time to remember to be the best that we can possibly be. In this installment, I offer up some fine Rufus inspirational videos that are found throughout the world and inside of China. Remember, that being a Rufus doesn’t depend on your wealth, where you live, what color of skin you have, or your career. It depends on your compassion for those who surround you.

Be the Rufus. The world needs people like us.

Japanese Beauty and the Beast

video 11MB

Motorcycle kit for those who cannot afford a car

This little bike is a hybrid bicycle / motorcycle. It supposedly gets much more from a tank of gas than a regular motorcycle because of motor efficiencies and the light weight of the bicycle. It’s a perfect hybrid solution for those that need to drive back and forth to work but cannot afford the gas to do so. video 20MB

Alert from a Jumper

video 19MB

All hands alert

video 17MB

Big Girl

This video is one that I constantly show to my daughter. I use it to illustrate how a “big girl” handles bad people. video 1MB

 

Rufus captures a criminal

video 2.6MB

Rufus climbs to the rescue

video 4.1MB

Rufus comes together in a pinch

video 27MB

Rufus’ community rescue

video 9MB

Rufus’ community saves a girl

video 4MB

Rufus compilation

video 35MB

Rufus’ corruption police

One of the biggest innovations that China has made on the world is a branch of the police that handles corruption at all levels of the government. It has greatly added to the public perception of the Communist Party being to serve the people, and it is an important driver as to why China is so successful today.

However, the rest of the world doesn’t seem to want to copy this innovation. And when you bring up the subject, you are just brushed off as making “silly talk”. video 9MB

Rufus COVID volunteers

All those people wearing and donning the hazmat suits inside of China are volunteers. They do so for FREE. They leave their jobs, their work, their families and take on this burden for FREE. True Rufus every one. Video 4MB

Rufus’ covid volunteers 2

More. video 9MB

Rufus defends the little guy

A great video. The people doing the menial jobs are underappreciated and treated harshly. It’s about time that people stand up and defend them. I love this video. video 11MB

Rufus doctor alert

video 41MB

Rufus subway draw

video 6MB

Rufus subway drawing, NYC

video 5MB

Rufus subway thumbs up

video 6MB

Rufus takedown of criminal 3

video 3MB

Rufus’ workers need some appreciation

video 11MB

Rufus works together as a team

video 7MB

 

Stop comparing yourself to others.

Stop. Just stop. video 4MB

 

More Great Links in my Rufus Index here…

Check them out…

Rufus Index

.

More stuff…

Master Index

.

You’ll not find any big banners or popups here talking about cookies and privacy notices. There are no ads on this site (aside from the hosting ads – a necessary evil). Functionally and fundamentally, I just don’t make money off of this blog. It is NOT monetized. Finally, I don’t track you because I just don’t care to.

  • You can start reading the articles by going HERE.
  • You can visit the Index Page HERE to explore by article subject.
  • You can also ask the author some questions. You can go HERE to find out how to go about this.
  • You can find out more about the author HERE.
  • If you have concerns or complaints, you can go HERE.
  • If you want to make a donation, you can go HERE.

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[daegonmagus] – Part 17 – SD’s Experience With More Consciousness Facilities Courtesy of A Shamanistic Recipe For Lucid Dreaming

The following is the 17th part from a series of articles describing the adventure that a follower who goes by the handle "daegonmagus" has experienced since reading MM. They are very interesting and fascinating. I hope that you all learn from his journey and maybe learn a thing or two as he relates his unique experiences to the readership here. 

This particular read is truly enjoyable. I hope you all enjoy it as much as I have.

-MM

Part 16 –SD’s Experience With More Consciousness Facilities Courtesy of A Shamanistic Recipe For Lucid Dreaming

Ok, it is late and I am tired, and this article was only supposed to be a brief couple of thousands words. Then all of a sudden I found it blowing out to much more than that, taking me several days, most of which I seemed possessed by this frustrative force that was itching to speak through me. So yeah, uh, apologies for the title.

So here’s basically what happened a few days ago. I was sitting there minding my own business, probably drinking a coffee or eating whatever left over remnants in the fridge could have remotely constituted food, when SD walks in putting on her best authoritative voice.

“I am making you something that you are going to drink that will help you talk to your ancestors through astral projection”.

Uh…um, ok.

Turns out she’d been reading this new book she bought herself for Christmas “The Poison Path Herbal” which she tells me is quite good read. It’s apparently got everything from healing poisons (because I guess all medicines are poisons in the right dosages) to poisons for initiating shamanic like visions.

And these aren’t recipes using everyday ingredients you can find around the house either; some of them call for using things like nightshades, and hembane etc as the active “hallucinogenic” ingredient. If you don’t know what these are I suggest steering right the way clear of them (and no I am not talking about tomatoes or fucking blueberries here either).

Handy hint; apparently foxglove can be used as a heart suppressant at 0.2mg. At 0.3mg, however it’ll caused your heart to stop working altogether. So yeah, small margin of error. Best not to fuck about with any of it.

Now back to me.

An opportunity to ingest some unknown poison to hopefully hallucinate myself into an LD; where do I sign up?

Ok no it wasn’t really like that; SD has a very good understanding and respect of trees and plants, to the point that she talks to them. So when she decides to use them for Shamanic purposes, it is a safe bet she has done her research thoroughly before getting me involved with her antics.

Turns out it was only some mild ingredients she had in mind; a tincture of wormwood and mugwort steeped in water for a good few hours – nothing as toxic as hembane or datura, or fox glove thank fuck.

The idea was to drink it half an hour before bed, go to sleep, in which it would hopefully do its mind expansion job and induce an out of body experience.

Woohay. Or in the words of Professor Frink from the Simpsons: you put the wormwood in the tea, mix it with the mugwort, carry the 2, and the DWIVEN.

I guess I must have built up a tolerance to wormwood in my absinthe drinking days, because – aside from the green fairy’s serenading me to sleep (I joke) – nothing really happened. I had some vague dream about passing an old friend, in my home town but that was about it.

Nothing spectacular.

SD on the other hand, after having only a small sip of the tincture (I sculled the whole lot) told me the next morning it very much seemed to have worked for her.

She had a vivid dream in which she eventually became lucid in that seemed to involve more of the consciousness brainwashing facilities. It was, essentially another dream where higher order information {eventually} came through.

SD and I have this thing going on that whenever one of us has one of these experiences with higher order information, we share it with the other as soon as we get a chance.

So when she comes and says, “I had some interesting shit going on last night” the first thing I do is grab my computer and transcribe her word for word as she goes through what happened.

Usually I can type at lightning speed when I need to, but alas sometimes I miss the tangents she goes off on as she remembers things during the recall.

As a result, some things get missed out, some things get repeated, but generally speaking I am able to capture the body of her experience word for word.

Here’s a transcript of her “shamanic” experience. There is some interesting things in it.

The transcript

“It started off as a normal dream, not lucid, because I was under the influence of some drug.

To begin with, at the very very beginning of the dream, it was just like we were in this town. I was with some other women, (you weren’t there DM) .

And they (our captors), were women, the equivalent of nuns.

They told us the place we were at was a school, but it wasn’t.

The area was equivalent to a couple of fields with dry grass and trees, nothing beyond that – it was really obvious it was a “black void” – yet they told us there was more beyond it.

Some of the others couldn’t see there was nothing beyond, if they were told there was something there they would see it.

It is like everyone was travelling, but in reality it wasn’t more than a field’s worth of travel, the nuns just told everyone we’d been travelling for days and everyone went with it.

Something happened to one of the people, so that the women had to do something; we had to then go to “the airport terminal”.

I remember saying I was “homesick“.

And one of the others said she was homesick too. I am not sure if it was a man or woman; it was like it was either or and didn’t matter in that place.

I remember not being the same as them but they were trying to make me into one of them. So anyway we went through a portal that was in one of the houses at that field place.

A mirror.

And we ended up at the airport.

And it was exactly the same as an airport here – like the layout and everything – but instead of walking onto an aeroplane you walked into a portal in which you could see what was on the otherside.

The portals were just screens, like the movie theatre.

It was the same shit but an airport. The ones we were using were not being used to brain wash people, though there were screens playing stuff to brainwash like the theatre in different areas.

It all depended on the area you were in and who the person was, where they came from etc. There were different portals for different regions of the world, Australia, America etc.

All of the American ones you had to watch a little movie before you went through the screen and that was the brain washing thing.

While they were watching others would come in and give them a bunch of medicine to make them forget….that was the amnesia shit; the amnesia engine was not a machine but a collective of people who go around dosing people with an amnesiac like drug.

All of the checkpoints up until the Australia one you had to see this TV screen and have this medicine.

So, basically just getting to the Australian one you had to be dosed several times. But at the actual portals in the Australian region you didn’t have to be sat down and dosed; you just went in.

The whole Aussie section was pretty quiet and didn’t have guards.

It was like the race of beings that were controlling that section were afraid of the {non physical} beings that lived in the Australian area. They were the same ones dosing everyone and had blue eyes and pale blonde hair, not tall and tanned – not sure if they were Nordics.

I was walking to a portal and began speaking Noongar (Australian Aboriginal Language local to a region of WA) to another guy who was also captured.

I don’t remember who he was, but he also had blonde hair and blue eyes. I don’t think he was a bad one.

All the other captors did not know how to translate this language at all.

One of the guards was trying to explain that this was a language that cannot be translated, as it is too ancient.

When we got to the Australian section it was pretty much empty, no people busy doing shit like in a normal airport. It was pretty quiet, with only a couple of guards standing next to a couple of portals; no drugs or movie theatre things, barely any people.

The guards were taller than regular people, and all wore hooded masks and kit like from my (previous) covid premonition.

When I got to a portal that looked like a mirror that was looking into a mirror like at a local café, I said” oh yeah I gotta go in this one”.

The guy I was with was the only other person with me, because the others seemed to not follow into the Aussie section; they just wouldn’t come in.

One of the nuns said ”no no, there’s things in there we can’t go near it”.

And I remember one of the nuns saying “you are brave going back there” like they really desperately wanted me to stay with them.

So I got to the portal and the dude I was with who was talking Noongar, he said, “oh I am not going in that one, I am going in a different one”.

Where’s that take you, I said “Mundaring”, (local town) and he replied he didn’t know it.

He went in his which I am pretty sure was in the Pilbara (North Western Australia).

The gist I got was that Australian Aboriginals are an ancient race that have been here before anything else and cannot be manipulated by any of the races who came here afterwards.

We were captives, so it was unlikely any of the captives were Aboriginals, as they needed to manipulate us in order to capture us.

Then I remember turning back to say something to the other people…it’s like the guards and I knew each other and the guard kind of said they are gone you are safe to go through right one.

To begin with I went into area I was knowing led to a portal, but I didn’t specifically go to the right one while they were watching; I was intentionally keeping it a secret.

And because WA is huge there are plenty of portals for it.

There was another thing with WA, they had wings/ terminals for each state, and there was much less traffic in WA and a lot less other beings willing to go there.

So not only is it isolated globally but also non physically.

I got the gist of the spirit beings that live here, created the Aboriginals which is why it is such a big deal they are beyond the knowledge of the captors.

So basically I jumped in the mirror and woke up, it was probably of a couple of seconds of random dream.

I was aware that that is what happens when you jump through the portals.

I was lucid from the moment I stepped through into the Western Australian section where they could not follow me anymore.

In the WA section there wasn’t any of those brain washing screens.

The second the drugs wear off you get this trickle of information that comes through and if someone says even the slightest thing to jolt your memory the trickles becomes a large flow of memories.

The amnesia thing is not here, it is there where they are keeping everyone; here (physical reality/earth) is the place that people have either chosen to come or been put in by others in an attempt to remember something or regain a part of themselves.

And then this little addendum based on many of her other LD experiences;

Addendum

This [Australian ] realm has things in it that fucks them (our captors) up. There are ISBE things but not all of them have souls.

Only those that have souls can go into earth bodies, the rest have to make their physical bodies in a lab like a robot.

Only the earth body things, can come here into the physical earth realm.

Non souls are trying to wipe out those with souls; they are drugging all the ones with souls and info and ancient knowledge and real truth etc of what actually happened in the beginning with all of the dream time stuff (Aboriginal Creation Myth), when the physical and non physical planes were merged.

All of the ones with souls are captives because of the ones who don’t have souls that want the greater access to everything.

There (airport terminal) is the simulation, here (physical earth) is real, is seen as extremely volatile and dangerous as the general toxic air part that can degrade parts of a persons consciousness.

But it is also the safest place for us captives to go to get away from the captors as they won’t come here.”

A further elaboration…

Well this just got interesting.

Maybe it is the reason SD and I are able to lucid dream and astral project more successfully than people in other parts of the world.

Because we are protected by a bunch of non physical spirits that created our Native people.

This reminds me of something Airl said in the Alien Interview:

“IS-BEs have been dumped on Earth from all over the galaxy, adjoining galaxies, and from planetary systems all over the "Old Empire", like Sirius, Aldebaron, the Pleiades, Orion, Draconis, and countless others. 

There are ISBEs on Earth from unnamed races, civilizations, cultural backgrounds, and planetary environments. 

Each of the various IS-BE populations have their own languages, belief systems, moral values, religious beliefs, training and unknown and untold histories. 

These IS-BEs are mixed together with earlier inhabitants of Earth who came from another star system more than 400,000 years ago to establish the civilizations of Atlanta and Lemuria. 

Those civilizations vanished beneath the tidal waves caused by a planetary "polar shift", many thousands of years before the current "prison" population started to arrive. 

Apparently, the IS-BEs from those star systems were the source of the original, oriental races of Earth, beginning in Australia.”

Then there was this article I stumbled across: (which I subsequently couldn’t access due to it “not being available in my area” for the first couple of tries):

“New research has revealed fascinating details about Aboriginal Australians and Pacific Islanders, who according to experts, carry the genetic material of an unknown human species.

The new research suggests people from Papua New Guinea and northeast Australia have traces of DNA belonging to an unidentified, extinct human species.

Apparently, there is still much that geneticists and scientists do not understand about this crucial moment in human history, and it seems that research on the subject is raising more questions than answers.

In 2016, researchers at Harvard Medical School published the findings of a comprehensive study of the human genome of all areas of the world and discovered something astounding about the Australian aboriginal population.

They appear to have genetic markers that indicate they are descendants of a yet unidentified human species.

“We’re missing a population, or we’re misunderstanding something about the relationships,” Ryan Bohlender, a statistical geneticist at the University of Texas, told Tina Hesman Saey at Science News.

Bohlender and his colleagues have been researching the amount of extinct hominid DNA that modern humans still carry today. To the surprise of many, they say they’ve found discrepancies in previous studies that suggest our mingling with Neanderthals and Denisovans isn’t the entire evolutionary story.

“Who this unknown group is we don’t know.”

It’s believed that between 100,000 and 60,000 years ago, our ancestors migrated out of Africa, making contact with other hominid species inhabiting the Eurasian landmass. Experts believe that this contact left a mark on our species that is still present today.

“Our main goal is to understand how our race got to the point where it is, but in order to do that, we must first study the DNA of the ancient tribes,” explained Mallick Swapan, leading scientist of the study, and an expert who has been studying the origins of the human genome for most of his career.

He explained that the new study gathered the genetic data of 142 different human populations scattered around the world that was underrepresented in large-scale studies so far.

According to Swapan, the most incredible revelation of this new study is that the genetic code of the Australian Aborigines shows that they carry the DNA markers that indicate the ancient crossbred with an unknown “human” species.

Although it was initially suspected that unusual DNA markers might indicate that Aboriginal ancestors interbred with the elusive ancient species known as Denisovans, this hypothesis turned out to be incorrect.

After the analysis, scientists discovered that DNA markers were distinct from Denisovan markers, leading them to the conclusion that they had found traces of an entirely new form of ancient human species.

It is known that the native peoples of Australia are descendants of the first people who came to the continent from Africa about 50,000 years ago.

It has been assumed that aborigines were isolated from the rest of the world for thousands of years and therefore scientists thought that their genetic code would be relatively homogeneous.

Surprisingly, this turned out not to be the case.

“The genetic signatures of an Australian Aboriginal from eastern Australia and Western Australia are as different as those of a person from Europe and an Asian person,” Swapan said.

The incredible diversity in the genetic code of the native peoples of Australia, in addition to the peculiar genetic marker that indicates that they interbred with an unknown human species in the past, indicates that there is still much more to discover about the ancient history of humanity.” - Australian Aboriginal people carry the DNA of an unknown human relative - Ancient Code (ancient-code.com)

Interesting. Let’s dig into this a little bit deeper.

Now, I am in no ways an expert when it comes to Aboriginal culture, but what I do know is that their ideologies are based around what they call the “Dreamtime”.

From the little I have read, according to Aboriginal Creation Myth, the Dreamtime was a period before physical reality came into existence.

It was a sort of vacuous nothingness containing the past present and future all at once that never ended.

The Aboriginals believed that the [non physical] spirits that existed in the Dream Time were the ones that created practically everything in this physical plane; the Aboriginal peoples themselves, the lands, rivers, rocks, plants, and animals were all said to have been a product of these spirits.

I seem to remember Airl taking about the Domain in a very similar context; 

Airl explained that IS-BEs have been around since before the beginning of the universe. 

The reason they are called "immortal", is because a "spirit" is not born and cannot die, but exists in a personally postulated perception of "is - will be". 

She was careful to explain that every spirit is not the same. 

Each is completely unique in identity, power, awareness and ability. 

The difference between an IS-BE like Airl and most of the IS-BEs inhabiting bodies on Earth, is that Airl can enter and depart from her "doll" at will. 

She can perceive at selective depths through matter. Airl and other officers of The Domain can communicate telepathically. Since an IS-BE is not a physical universe entity it has no location in space or time. An IS-BE is literally, "immaterial". 

They can span great distances of space instantly. 

They can experience sensations, more intensely than a biological body, without the use of physical sensory mechanisms. 

An IS-BE can exclude pain from their perception. Airl can also remember her "identity", so to speak, all the way back into the dim mists of time, for trillions of years!

Time is a difficult factor to measure as it depends on the subjective memory of IS-BEs and there has been no uniform record of events throughout the physical universe since it began. 

As on Earth, there are many different time measurement systems, defined by various cultures, which use cycles of motion, and points of origin to establish age and duration. 

The physical universe itself is formed from the convergence and amalgamation of many other individual universes, each one of which were created by an IS-BE or group of IS-BEs. 

The collision of these illusory universes commingled and coalesced and were solidified to form a mutually created universe. 

Because it is agreed that energy and forms can be created, but not destroyed, this creative process has continued to form an ever-expanding universe of nearly infinite physical proportions. Before the formation of the physical universe there was a vast period during which universes were not solid, but wholly illusionary. 

You might say that the universe was a universe of magical illusions which were made to appear and vanish at the will of the magician. In every case, the "magician" was one or more IS-BEs. 

Many IS-BEs on Earth can still recall vague images from that period. Tales of magic, sorcery and enchantment, fairy tales and mythology speak of such things, although in very crude terms.” 

- Alien Interview

Furthermore, it was said that these spirits, or ancestors, played a big part in the selection of sacred sites and how the people were to behave to one another, how food was to be distributed and the rites and rituals of the various tribes etc.

It was also said that during the Dreamtime, certain spirits were able to shapeshift into different animals.

These particular stories seem to change from tribe to tribe, but a common reference can be found in the Myth of the Great Rainbow Serpent, which was said to be one of the Dreamtime Spirits that came from within the earth to create the rivers and gorges as it weaved its way through the featureless landscape.

One of my kid’s favourite bed time books is the version of the Rainbow Serpent named Goorialla, as narrated by Dick Roughsey.

While most stories dealing with the Rainbow Serpent have an element attributing it to water – (rainbows formed from water fall sprays and rituals around water where rainbow like shells and stones are used).

Some researchers have suggested that these myths allude to a possible comet or meteor that fell to the ground, the “rainbow serpent” part being the comets tail.

Interestingly, the tribe from the Great Sandy Desert region of North Western Australia suggests a similar thing with their story of the Rainbow Serpent; that a star fell to earth and created the Wolfe Creek Crater, which the Serpent then took up residence in.

Sometimes this particular rendition includes a story about a hunter who chased a dingo into the crater only to get lost in a tunnel created by the serpent never to be found again, though the remains of the dingo were eventually found “spat out” after being eaten by the Rainbow Serpent.

For the tribe local to our region – the Noongar people – it is suggested the Rainbow Serpent pushed rocks and boulders around to create the trails of Mount Matilda, and was responsible for carving out the channel of the Avon River.

As a side note, the Avon River runs through a beautiful stretch of land called the Avon Valley.

There is an annual competition that is held along this river usually at the end of winter called the Avon Descent, which sees various boating competitors – people in kayaks, canoes and different speed boats etc – race down the river over a period of 2 or 3 days.

Given the rolling green hills in the middle of farmland pastures, the Avon Valley has become a haven for hot air ballooning and sky diving.

It is quite a “dreamy” place to go for a leisurely Saturday drive.

Speaking of dreamy, and getting back to the point of the article, the Aboriginal’s description of the dreamtime sounds a lot like what one can experience whilst lucid dreaming; a timeless void of nothingness where non physical “spirits” seem to hang out.

What is more, when we look at the importance of the Dream Time within Aboriginal culture, and compare it with other tribal cultures such as those of the Native Americans, we can start to see a theme emerging in regards to how important dreaming still is within these cultures.

Both groups would have their appointed Elders and Shamans who would employ the use of various plants and substances to help aid in their dream visions in a similar manner to what SD did prior to hers.

The Wandjina Paintings of North Western Australia

Now, while we are on the subject of the dreamtime and ideas about interactions with the [non physical] progenitors to the Australian Aboriginals, let’s take a look at some art by the Wanjina Wunggurr tribe of the remote Kimberley region of Western Australia.

Unfortunately, I haven’t yet explored this place myself, as it is a 32 hr drive (and that’s straight, with no rest stops) North East of where I currently am, and most of that is bland, boring desert that is usually hotter than Hell in the summer, or too busy being blasted by hurricanes and floods in the other seasons.

That doesn’t mean it isn’t on my to do list though, assuming the local Aboriginals would even allow me into such a sacred site in the first place.

Apparently the Gibb River Road is really a Gem to behold when doing the “Big Lap”.

The paintings themselves are located in the mountainous region of the Kimberley, scattered throughout various caves, in quite hard to reach country.

They were first discovered by white man in 1883, when a man named George Grey stumbled across them after searching for inland water at the behest of the British Crown.

After losing a flock of sheep and a few dogs, Grey and company took refuge in one of the caves, presumably to escape the harsh elements, where they found some very curious images that had been painted high up – some almost 6 metres – on the walls of one of the many caves in the area.

According to Wikipedia, these paintings are between 3800 to 4000 years old, based on the broad stroke way they have been painted.

The paintings themselves depict a group of white, seemingly bald, mouthless, and earless beings with what appeared to be semi circular halos arranged on their heads. Oh, did I mention they had big black eyes:

 

 

 

 

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Firstly, I should point out that these paintings are scattered about an area expanding through 200,000 square kilometres of the Kimberley.

As a result, there are three tribes that have an intimate connection with them and the myths surrounding them; the Worrorra, Ngarinyin, and Wunumbal tribes.

These three tribes make up a cultural bloc referred to as the Wanjina Wunggurr, in which a fourth tribe – the Ngardi – are sometimes included.

According to the descendants of these tribes, the Wandjina were supernatural spirits that existed in the Dreamtime and created the physical world in a similar manner to the Rainbow Serpent.

In fact, some of the paintings include the Rainbow Serpent alongside the Wandjina spirits.

The depiction of the Wandjina without mouths is suggested to be either because the Wanjina were so powerful they didn’t need mouths to communicate, or because, due to their ability to make it rain, had they had mouths, the rains would never stop.

“The shared culture is based on the dreamtime mythology and law whose creators are the Wan[d]jina and Wunggurr “spirits”; the ancestors of these peoples.

The Wandjina paintings have common colours of black, red and yellow on a white background. The spirits are depicted alone or in groups, vertically or horizontally depending on the dimensions of the rock, and are sometimes depicted with figures and objects like the Rainbow Serpent or yams. Common composition is with large upper bodies and heads that may show eyes and nose, but typically no mouth. Two explanations have been given for this: they are so powerful they do not require speech and if they had mouths, the rain would never cease. Around the heads of Wandjina are lines or blocks of color, depicting lighting coming out of transparent helmets.[2]

Today, the paintings are still believed to possess these powers and therefore are to be approached and treated respectfully. Each site and painting has a name. Indigenous people of the Mowanjum community repaint the images to ensure the continuity of the Wandjina's presence.[8] Annual repainting in December or January also ensures the arrival of the monsoon rains, according to Mowanjum belief.”  - Wikipedia

Some of these paintings have been repainted so many times they are 40 layers deep. That’s atleast 400 years worth of tradition being kept up by the descendants of those who hold the original Wandjina story.

Well this is getting interesting now isn’t it?

An author named Erik Von Daniken certainly seemed to think so when he made the connection that the Wanjina spirits kinda looked a little bit those Greys everyone in the UFO community liked to talk about, and offered it as proof of the Ancient astronaut theory. I guess it didn’t help that the Wanjina Wunggurr people also suggested these beings as coming from the sky, causing the rains and floods, painting the pictures themselves before leaving via the same avenue. Or that the white guy that discovered them was also named Grey.

But of course, people with a degree in archaeology or anthropology, that took them only four years to get, know more than the descendants of the oldest known lineage on earth who have managed to pass down stories of their culture unchanged over thousands of years. 

Take for example these guys from the University of Michigan’s Pesuodarchaeology class, fakearchaeology.com. 

According to their site the project’s mission is to “explore how and why these [pseudo-archaeological] ideas emerged and took root in popular culture, public consciousness, and on the fringe of rational scholarly inquiry. 

More importantly, the Fake Archaeology Wiki explores the impact they have on our rational and scientific understanding of the past and human culture.” 

You can go on the Wikipedia styled page and read all their debunking of various things, one of which is the idea the Wandjina were anything other than a metaphor for weather, as depicted by a bunch of primitive savages that couldn’t tell the difference between some rain and a supernatural being:


“Deconstructing the Pseudoarchaeological Narrative

The Weather and the Wandjina

The pseudoarchaeological narrative of the origin of the Wandjina Petroglyphs revolves around one major theme: the scientific ignorance of early human civilizations. 

The proposition that the Wandjina were actually aliens visiting from a far away galaxy can be deconstructed by looking at documented archaeological evidence and cultural context. 

Supporters of the ancient alien belief have established that the mythical powers of the Wandjina, which included abilities such as calling forth torrential rains, flooding, lightning and cyclones, were actually extremely advanced scientific weapons possessed by the travelers. 

Research into the topic has revealed that the connection between Wandjina and the weather, specifically rain, developed after a period of intense drought that affected the region nearly 4,000 years ago. [8] 

Evidence from a study done by researchers at the University of Wollongong in Australia indicates that the mega-drought spanned at least 1200 years. 

“Records shows the Kimberley region of northwest Australia underwent rapid environmental change in the mid-Holocene starting around 6300 yrs. B.P. when it transitioned from a tropical humid climate with intense summer monsoon to a much drier climate. 

This new climate regime was associated with increased anticyclonic circulation over central and northern Australia allowing a significant increase in dust transport from central Australia to the Kimberley” [8] 

The study also indicates that this period of intense dryness was “enhanced through positive feedbacks triggered by change in land surface condition and increased aerosol loading of the atmosphere leading to a weakening or failure of monsoon rains”. [8] 

The end of the mega-drought was between 3,800 and 4,000 B.P. which also lines up with the emergence of the Wandjina style of petroglyphs. 

The Aboriginal peoples’ reverence for the divine power of rain is an understandable progression in belief after a period of such extreme weather. 

The concept that the elements were controlled by mythical beings is a common theme that can be seen in different belief systems across the globe (Norse, Greek, Mayan, etc.). 

Given the native people of Kimberley’s understanding of the natural phenomenon and the limited information available, it would make sense for a group of individuals, who had struggled to survive in such hard conditions, to see the increase in rainfall as a divine gift and in turn begin to worship or revere these spiritual beings as saviors. 

This logical leap is understandable given the human understanding of weather and climate at the time and does not indicate any intervention by extraterrestrial visitors.”

You know its funny though, I couldn’t find any entries on Noah or the flood, Moses parting the Red Sea, shroud of Turin, Ark of the Covenant, Jesus Christ, God, Angels, or anything else the bible (and its associated thumpers) like to tell us with unrelenting certainty was supposed to have taken place in the last few thousand years.

I guess we should just blindly trust the wisdom of a 2 thousand year old book written by various authors spanning over several periods of time, over the word of a {atleast} 50 000 year old tribe of people claiming they had a direct connection to creators of the physical plane through the dreamtime huh?

I am sorry, but if you are going to use your unfettered wisdom to “look into the things shape the beliefs of certain cultures”, then …

…I expect you to be looking into the religious beliefs that shape a society to the point our governments give their proponents big tax breaks to build temples of worship, for said beliefs, at the expense of people who don’t even believe in them.

But then again, I guess I can forgive the University of a state whose population is made up of 70% people who are orientated to believing in Christian Ideologies, majority of them being Roman Catholic.

This isn’t to suggest I don’t like people of these religions, moreso that there is an obvious perceptual bias when it comes to reading shit from debunking sites such as fakearchaelogy.com directed at ancient cultures and their belief systems.

It’s not like I am going to lose much sleep over a bunch of people who live on a different fucking continent to the people it apparently has an expert knowledge of. At least they got the name right, I suppose.

And while we are on the subject, I guess these “expert” anthropolgists didn’t see any value in extending their research into to what spurred these Christian Missionaries into contacting the “oldest continuing tribe on earth” and preaching to them that their traditional beliefs were “evil and akin to devil worship”:

God is a Wandjina - Compass - ABC Religion & Ethics (seriously watch the video and try not to throw up at how carelessly “well meaners” tried to eradicate the Wandjina beliefs, simply because “they knew better”)

Guess it had to do with that “age” thing huh? So now we have the oldest continuing tribe on earth – which according to Airl, extends back 400 000 years who had something to say about the creators, and even drew some fucking pictures of them all over the Kimberley now tainted by the seemingly infant (in comparison) ideologies of a few missionaries that only dates back a little over a two thousand years.

And no one has thought to bring the mentality and psychological disposition of these missionaries into question during their anthropological studies, though they are quite happy investing in researchers to debunk those traditional, work of the devil beliefs?

I’d certainly be interested in a study into the “human” behaviour of those missionaries. Anyone else?

I call bullshit. #fakeanthropology

After all, it’s not like white people have a history of stepping on Aboriginal culture for the sake of their own greed or anything……oh wait a minute: Mining firm Rio Tinto sorry for destroying Aboriginal caves - BBC News. 

Because I am sure Rio Tinto just “accidentally” walked into that site and “accidentally” packed it with a few tons of explosives before “accidentally” going through all Health and Safety checks, before “accidentally” pressing the detonator trigger right 😉? 

Fourty five thousand years of Aboriginal history gone quicker than you can say “cultural purging”.

The whole mentality that the Aboriginals were a bunch of dumb savages in need of some good old fashioned European cultur-ization (as is the narrative we are taught in school) in the form of raping, pillaging and plundering as evidenced by the Stolen Generation (watch The Rabbit Proof Fence) has since been challenged and smashed to pieces by Bruce Pascoe in his book Dark Emu. 

In it Pascoe quotes the journal entries of many Australian Settlers that alludes to a thriving civilisation that was in some ways even more advanced than them. 

Stories of intricate fish trapping networks, irrigation systems, the careful cultivation of yam crops, an intimate understanding of the land and its geological structure and the deliberate “engineering” of the soil over many generations to achieve an optimal fertility (which was subsequently destroyed by us dumb arse white men within the span of a few years due to the sheep and plant diseases we brought with us).

These are just a few examples mentioned by Pascoe that show the Australian Aboriginals were a lot more advanced than white man gave them credit for, and suggests an obvious bias put in place to justify the invasion; the “savages” needed a lesson in what constitutes society.

Such bigotry shows through in the writings of these settlers who, rather than dish out credit for one of the intricate fish traps which had the ability to throw a fish in the air when caught, suggests the tribes so mentioned were in need of useless artefacts that they had no need for (which the settlers had become dependant on and could not envision life without).

And what did Pascoe get for his efforts? Our Minister for Home Affairs investigating him for fraud, and “scientists” debunking his claims of course:

And…

And…

You know it is a load of bullshit when the Sky News Murdoch media puppet Andrew Bolt is on board with the smear campaign. If you look close enough, you can almost see Murdoch’s arm protruding out the back of him.

Unfortunately for bolt and his {Gestapo} media and political connections, Pascoe didn’t take the bait and seek compensation. Instead he stood up in front of a bunch of people and offered Bolt this roasting:

I get it though. Kind of hard to expand your pedophile cult’s foothold with Dark Emu’s shadow looming over you, and threatening to call bullshit on your whole parade:

Not that the Australian Federal Police ever bothered to give that cult a “forensic critique“.

But I digress.

Now getting back to the Wandjina Wunggurr, we are missing one important thing when it comes to aliens, and that is hidden in its terminology.

If we dig a bit deeper into this Wandjina thing, we can find the idea that Grey (the white explorer who stumbled upon the paintings in 1838) sparked a bit of controversy by implying the paintings were perhaps depictions of alien peoples not coming from the stars, but from the lands abound over the ocean.

It is suggested that this may have been a result of Grey copying them and instilling his own bias through his European art style.

Take a look at this article by the ABC and tell me it is not a cleverly constructed piece of double speak targeting anyone making the Wandjina/ Alien connection.

“Aboriginal art depicting Wandjina figure that sparked aliens theory to be reclaimed by traditional owners

By Erin Parke

Posted Mon 5 Dec 2016 at 6:09amMonday 5 Dec 2016 at 6:09am, updated Mon 5 Dec 2016 at 6:17amMonday 5 Dec 2016 at 6:17am

George Grey’s 1838 drawings of the Wandjina cave caused speculation about the paintings’ origins.(Supplied)

Aboriginal families in Western Australia’s north are finding ways to reclaim a sacred image that sparked rumours of Arab voyages and aliens during the early days of British exploration.

The large, looming Wandjina are spirit figures drawn on thousands of cliffs and cave walls in the Western Kimberley, and came to national prominence when they featured in the Sydney Olympic opening ceremony.

Worrora woman Leah Umbagai said they were considered sacred by three tribes in the area.

“The Wandjina is a supreme being that created the country, gave us the laws of the land, and we have to obey and follow it,” she said.

“The Wandjina is not just a big picture on the wall, it’s the trees, it’s the rocks, it’s the water, it’s the seasons, it’s everything … it lets us Wandjina people know who we are, and how to live our life.”

But the history of white contact with the Wandjina is marred by misunderstanding and wild theories that remain deeply hurtful to the Worrora, Ngarinyin and Wununbul tribes to this day.

British explorer seeking ‘inland sea’ stumbles upon artwork

In 1837, explorer George Grey embarked on a bold but misguided mission to penetrate north-western Australia.

It was thought a large, inland sea might exist in central Australia, and the British government and the Royal Geographical Society sponsored Grey and his team to explore what is now the Kimberley region.

Author Mike Donaldson has written extensively on Kimberley rock art and its discovery by settlers.

“Grey and his men came straight from England and South Africa to the Kimberley, and to cut a long story short, they struggled to get inland, they had a mob of sheep that all died, their dogs died, and they were attacked by Aboriginal people at one point,” he said.

“But then somewhere along the line they just came across these Wandjina pictures on a cave.”

Grey sketched several of the Wandjina in his journal, complete with big rounds heads, halo-like head-pieces, large eyes, slim nose and no mouth.

The images caused quite a stir when they were published back in Great Britain.

“They were totally unlike anything that people had reported from Aboriginal rock art in Australia before,” Donaldson said.

“They thought they could not have been done by Aboriginal people.

“They thought they must have been done by shipwrecked sailors, or some other culture of people that visited here.”

He said one of the figures appeared to be wearing a full gown, and what Grey interpreted as writing on the headband, which people thought could be Arabic or Chinese.

“But it wasn’t anything of the sort, it was an older painting showing through, where the painting was wearing away a bit,” he said.

Pictures fuel Australian ‘alien’ landing theory

The misunderstanding fuelled theories Asiatic or Middle Eastern people at one time occupied the Australian continent, and set the scene for an even more offensive proposition — that the Wandjina were drawings of aliens that visited prior to white settlement.

The theory emerged in the 1968 book Chariots of the Gods? Unsolved Mysteries of the Past, which was written by Swiss author Erich von Daniken, and detailed examples of ancient civilisations that could be evidence of alien life form.

Donaldson said the theory never gained much traction.

“It was just ignorance on von Daniken’s part, the kind of ignorance that goes back to the people who initially, 100 years ago, thought that Aboriginal people were not so sophisticated enough to do those paintings,” he said.

“Of course we soon learnt that they were very sophisticated, and could paint all these wonderful things … so that’s just one guy’s crazy story, that thought they were space men or something.”

Traditional owners hope to educate public

It is a source of ongoing frustration for traditional owners like Ms Umbagai, who until recently managed the Mowanjum Art Centre.

“A lot of the people that come into the art centre, they ask so many questions, and yes I suppose there have been UFO sightings in America and all of that, but it just really saddens me that they say things about it,” she said.

“It’s like people are making fun, or think we’re making things up, and it’s hurtful for us.”

Efforts are underway to reclaim the image, including high-tech 3D imaging used to create a life-size Wandjina cave at the Mowanjum Art centre, so local Aboriginal children and tourists can learn about the importance of the rain-making spirit figure.

Families are finding ways to revisit the remote bush caves where the Wandjina live, to care for the sites and touch up the paintings.

It takes several days’ driving or an expensive helicopter charter to reach many of them, but native title agreements, marine parks and remote ranger programs are making the trips more possible.

Ms Umbagai has been able to visit the caves that featured in Grey’s journal more than 175 years ago.

“When I’m out there, I’m just so at home. Because I’m at artist, I love sketching everything I come across, so I’ll just sit there are draw them myself,” she said.

“But just looking at the paintings and knowing that our old people used to walk this area and sit here, and knowing this is what they left for us … it’s very special.”

Wow. If that constitutes journalism, then I am in the wrong business. It’s one thing to peel through page after page and present it as information in an effort to actually inform people of the point you are trying to make.

It’s another thing completely to omit that very point and twist all scrutiny in a different direction in an effort of deflection.

Let me ask a few questions and see if you can answer them: what was the narrative Ms Umbagai was upset with again?

Was it the suggestion that the paintings of the Wandjina were depictions of some white European settlers who came before those in recorded history, or was it more so at the idea that Danikan suggested the Wandjina were ancient astronauts?

One minute they are talking about Arabic and Asian visitors, the next they are talking about space aliens, wrapping it up with a vague explanation of some UFO visitors from America making fun of the paintings without providing any context to understand which it is Ms Umbagai is even talking about.

It’s even worse when you try to get an actual Aboriginal account of the myth from the internet; everything about the Wandjina seems to be written from the vicarious perspective of a {presumably} white person.

This is understandable, given many Aboriginal tribes exhibit a somewhat distrust for sharing such stories with those outside their clan.

In fact, SD has a friend who is an honorary member of a local clan.

It took her four years at university learning about their culture and several years worth of contact building, interacting with the tribe she is an honorary member of before she could even be considered.

As a result of her hard work, she is allowed to attend meetings held by the Elders.

Yet, even she is met with exclusion when it comes to the more “important” secrets of the clan. But yeah, I suppose those anthropologists over at fakearchaeology don’t give a shit about her opinion.

So when it comes to knowing the real story behind the Wandjina, it is likely it has remained as a true secret shared only among the Wanjina Wunggurr.

However, what we can take from Ms Umbagai’s brief statement is this: “It’s like people are making fun, or think we’re making things up, and it’s hurtful for us”.

This suggests to me that the story of the Wandjina, at least to the Wandjina Wunggurr descendants, is taken to be meant in a very literal sense, and if one distorts it from its literal meaning it becomes offensive to the tribe continuing on the story. In other words, it suggests that they firmly believe the Dreamtime was a real, non physical place that existed before the physical plane, and that their people “witnessed” when this physical plane was created. Of course, those with Wanjina Wunggurr blood are welcome to tell me if I am wrong in this assumption.

If I am not totally of the mark with the above statement, this suggests that the Wandjina Wunggurr people were at some point non physical based, for that is the only way they would be able to witness the physical world coming into existence.

I guess being someone who has astral projected and lucid dreamed many, many times, it is alot easier for me to conceptualising existence from a pure consciousness state sans a body, than most.

So what if it wasn’t space where the Wandjina originally came from, but from the astral/ dreaming realms; the same realms that I was told were important communication conduits for non physical entities to interact with physical ones by the Elder Guardians?

The same realms I understand as being important for the evolution of human consciousness.

The same realms that can be accessed for higher order information about the cosmos and our origins through the mastery of Lucid Dreaming?

Again I find it funny fakearchaelogy.com never bothered to debunk the Ancient Sumerian Epic of Gilgamesh while they were at it, given it seems to point to a very similar – albeit brief – creation narrative as that of the Wandjina, except with some names thrown in.

“The main source of information about the Sumerian creation myth is the prologue to the epic poem Gilgamesh, Enkidu, and the Netherworld (ETCSL 1.8.1.4),[53] which briefly describes the process of creation: originally, there was only Nammu, the primeval sea.[54] 

Then, Nammu gave birth to An, the sky, and Ki, the earth.[54] 

An and Ki mated with each other, causing Ki to give birth to Enlil.[54] 

Enlil separated An from Ki and carried off the earth as his domain, while An carried off the sky.[55] 

Enlil marries his mother, Ki, and from this union all the plant and animal life on earth is produced.

In the Sumerian version of the flood story (ETCSL 1.7.4), the causes of the flood are unclear because the portion of the tablet recording the beginning of the story has been destroyed.[66] Somehow, a mortal known as Ziusudra manages to survive the flood, likely through the help of the god Enki.[67] The tablet begins in the middle of the description of the flood.[67] The flood lasts for seven days and seven nights before it subsides.[68] 

Then, Utu, the god of the Sun, emerges.[68] Ziusudra opens a window in the side of the boat and falls down prostrate before the god.[68] Next, he sacrifices an ox and a sheep in honor of Utu.[68] At this point, the text breaks off again.[68] When it picks back up, Enlil and An are in the midst of declaring Ziusudra immortal as an honor for having managed to survive the flood. The remaining portion of the tablet after this point is destroyed.[68]

In the later Akkadian version of the flood story, recorded in the Epic of Gilgamesh, Enlil actually causes the flood,[69] seeking to annihilate every living thing on earth because the humans, who are vastly overpopulated, make too much noise and prevent him from sleeping.[70] In this version of the story, the hero is Utnapishtim,[71] who is warned ahead of time by Ea, the Babylonian equivalent of Enki, that the flood is coming.[72] 

The flood lasts for seven days; when it ends, Ishtar, who had mourned the destruction of humanity,[73] promises Utnapishtim that Enlil will never cause a flood again.[74] 

When Enlil sees that Utnapishtim and his family have survived, he is outraged,[75] but his son Ninurta speaks up in favor of humanity, arguing that, instead of causing floods, Enlil should simply ensure that humans never become overpopulated by reducing their numbers using wild animals and famines.[76] 

Enlil goes into the boat; Utnapishtim and his wife bow before him.[76] Enlil, now appeased, grants Utnapishtim immortality as a reward for his loyalty to the gods.” -Wikipedia. Epic Of Gilgamesh

SD’s experiences in connecting with her higher intelligence seems to tie both the Epic of Gilgamesh in with the Wandjina legend perfectly, and explain that whole flood thing most information of which was apparently lost.

This is a summary of information she gleaned from a lucid dream in which she was able to connect with her Higher Intelligence, which was included in my autobiography:

Firstly the Fae (faery) beings were on earth. At the same time there were various types of humans (Neanderthal included) and at that time, the physical and astral realms were tethered to each other and you could walk through each easily like walking over a bridge or through a door; there was no need to fall asleep to detach the consciousness from the physical body because on earth they could manipulate the matter body to become light body and astral body at will. 

Many alien races negotiated permission with the intelligent and powerful humanoid Fae beings, to be on earth to experiment with types of “human”.

Each alien race was appointed an ancient human to manipulate their DNA and try to create a being that could change from astral to light being and back to matter body without the need for technology or sleep, as was the norm for many beings on earth at the time.

An ascended race (the angel beings) covertly came to earth and experimented with all creatures including the other alien’s experiments.

They didn’t gain permission to be in the realm let alone do these experiments. What they did was basically like grabbing the united universal treaties and tearing them to pieces.

They are an ascended race so it was considered even more of even more a no no; they were supposed to remain as a neutral party to oversee these experiments, not partake in them.

So when they were done, they flooded the world to get rid of the evidence.

Some of the ascended race found out what these rebel factions did and went in to try and fix what they could.

They saved as many creatures and humans and Fae that were trapped and aliens as they could and put them on their ships until the flooding ceased.

While there were no active Fae on the matter plane to hold the magic at the sacred places, the gates/portals/bridges between realms collapsed.

The beings put the creatures and aliens back on earth but all were trapped as there was not a clear way back out to the other planes and worlds any more.

Some star seeds are incarnated “fallen angels” that fell to save Earth from the rebel faction and are now stuck incarnating in matter bodies until enough magic knowledge is accumulated through the build-up of DNA of the practically wiped out intelligent humanoid Fae race –  the original people of this planet earth.

That knowledge and magic is needed to reopen the sacred points.

The witches are the Fae beings in question; the original witches are not just a religion but the original inhabitants of earth – but the world has been misused and misguided for centuries to hide and confuse the truth so that everyone believes they are evil and even culling witches has occurred through history to try to keep the numbers low to keep the re merge from occurring.

This is because the rebel faction are high ranking beings and the leaders know what they did and possibly condoned it. The information is being hushed so that particular race won’t suffer the consequence of them meddling in the experiments.

It will mean a much more severe war, as the mediators to all universal courts and rulings are the same race of rebels that messed around and flooded the place to try cover their tracks.

Can you imagine what will happen if all the races find out that the high court leaders and mediators are actually covertly stealing scientific research and trying to manipulate experiments to benefit them?!

Absolute chaos.

So now on earth, we are stuck in reincarnation cycling round and round and the “amnesia” is a result of the sudden severing of the two “world’s” matter and astral, on this base level/plane.

All of this has a butterfly effect consequence on the other base world’s causing chaos and war through the universe.

That’s the current astral war; everyone is blaming everyone else and trying to gain access to the next level/ plane too have the magic that’s been harvested from earth herself in an attempt to get things going again.

But it’s the witches that need to do it through their personal gate keeping magic.

If there’s not enough of them living how they need to live – not like society dictates but how they legit need to exist, properly connected to the earth – then it won’t happen.

Not to mention all that know what actually happened are trying to cover it up and poison as much of the population as possible in case the DNA of the old Fae – the witches …

… pops up in an incarnation of say – one of the fallen angel types-…

…thus allowing for the knowledge to be “read” and brought forward …

…- as these beings (fallen angel) were of the ascended race so they have the ability to keep a fair bit of knowledge.

Knowledge that the human mind is usually unequipped to handle (often resulting in the human body or mind becoming weak or confused or ill.. etc.. as too much over stimulation becomes a burden to the human vessel over time).

Hold up didn’t Airl mention the Domain were the Annunaki?…

“On land, The Domain Search Party members were referred to as "Annunaki" by the Sumerians, and "Nephilim", in the Bible. Of course, their true mission and activities were never disclosed to homo sapiens. Their activities have been purposefully disguised. Therefore, the human stories and legends about the Annunaki, and the other members of The Domain Search Party have not been understood and were badly misinterpreted.” 

- Alien Interview

.and the Annunaki are the very gods mentioned in the Ancient Sumerian Epic of Gilgamesh, right?

So, could it be the Wandjina came into contact with the Domain or a civilization utilising similar doll bodies through lucid dreaming and were given similar information to Matilda McElroy when she interviewed Airl after the 1947 Roswell Crash?

Or could it be they just simply tapped into higher order information about the same flood that caused the separation of the astral and physical planes that both SD and the Ancient Sumerians seemed to be talking about. Who knows, maybe the three are all just coincidences right?

Let’s look a few points I have been trying to get across since the beginning of my articles, and I quote myself from said articles:

  • The “Grand Elder” – as I called him – told me there was a sort of spiritual amnesia affecting mankind.”
  • He said that the human brain had been deliberately engineered to cut them off from this state of [higher] awareness that I was now experiencing.”
“The reason, he said, that I had been summoned before them, was because of my abilities at lucid dreaming. Apparently what I had learned through years of experimentation was considered so advanced by them, that very few people on earth possessed these same abilities; the amount of others who apparently possessed these abilities could be counted on one hand. 

Apparently, according to these Elders, anyone who demonstrated these abilities were held in high regard by them, as it allowed them the opportunity to communicate with those back on the physical plane without it being compromised by external forces.” 

- Part 1: Contact with the Elder Guardians

“I cannot stress how important Lucid dreaming really is for the evolution of human consciousness.”

Part 15 – LD Lesson 4: Advanced LD Practices and Potentialities

And then there was this in regards to a Native American like tribe on a different planet (in case you didn’t get the subtleties, I was implying that they may have been the progenitors to the Native American culture):

“I had somehow found myself on another planet watching a tribal Elder of a humanoid race of people talking to his tribe. I was completely lucid, in that I could remember my body being asleep back in my bed on earth. These people, although completely alien to any human species on earth, had a very Native American vibe to them. All of a sudden the Elder realized I was there, observing them.” – Part 1: Contact with the Elder Guardians

And finally, we have a few clues as to who SD is directly from the Domain Commander himself:

“[SD] was / is an IS-BE of extraordinary (with a great emphasis on the word – MM) ability. Were she to be in our society, she would easily fit within powerful leadership roles.

[SD] was / is a past regarding trans-stable dimensional elder / tribal leader of a community of other trans-dimensional trans-universe IS-BE's that occupy communities that lie outside of the Domain, and the Master Universe. 

- Metallicman, EBP Q&A with the Commander from The Domain a November 2021 episode

Phew. I apologise for laying down so many quotes all at once, but I felt it necessary to highlight the obvious, consistent themes, so we can get a better idea of just what the fuck SD’s experiences mean.

From what I can determine, SD seems to be gaining, through lucid dreaming, information about a history of the earth that predates what even the Domain have on record. Like, a real ancient fucking history. Close to the creation of the physical world type ancient. And these experiences are directly related to stories interwoven in Aboriginal culture as well as being seemingly related to the myths of the Annunaki. Not only that, she is giving us a base line of what needs to happen to get out of the reincarnation cycle. The physical and non physical planes must be re merged, through the use of certain *keys* who have had their astral bodies tampered with.

Given my own experiences with LD, I posit that any ancient culture that invested time in dreaming to the point it became part of their main belief system, was likely in contact with non physical entities and had access to similar information. It seems logical to me that without the distractions of convenience that plague a modern society, a culture cultivating such an understanding of the dream world, would be far ahead in regards to cosmological knowledge and knowledge of our origins. Especially if left to their own devises and that understanding was allowed to thrive within their community unimpeded.

Given this deduction, I would similarly suggest that both the Native Australian and Native American tribes, amongst others would have been sought for contact by similar entities that sought me out due to my LD abilities. After all I was only playing around with consciousness via LD over a mere decade. Imagine the sort of intelligence that could have been revealed to a people that practically worshipped dreams for thousands of years before white man came and told them it was nothing but devil worship.

Now, whether or not the Wandjina were interdimensional entities that visited the Wanjina Wunggurr people can only really be left to speculation, but I find it curious their story is a mirror reflection of things Airl told us. And that their paintings depict a similar image to the doll bodies the Domain use (Skinny Bob). Regardless, I will take the word of an Elder, or even descendant of these tribes over that of a bunch of fake archaeology students any day. If the Wanjina Wunggurr people come and tell me I am wrong in my assumptions, then I will graciously accept it.

What I find interesting, and what should be taken away from all this is that SD’s experience allude to a similar sort of spirit presiding over the non physical planes in this same region that provides a degree of protection from other {non physical} entities that have a much more malevolent agenda. Note that her experiences suggest there are various dream portals littered about, that each continent is regulated, and that a tribe in close geographical proximity to the Wandjina are from such an ancient lineage and as a result that no meddling non physical entities are able to understand their original language. The idea that the astral and the physical planes must merge, is something that I find very interesting, because, as you will see in the next article, SD is not the only one I know of who has said this.

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[daegonmagus] – Part 16 – Adventures in the Occult: Some Thoughts on The Hellfire Club

The following is the 16th part from a series of articles describing the adventure that a follower who goes by the handle "daegonmagus" has experienced since reading MM. They are very interesting and fascinating. I hope that you all learn from his journey and maybe learn a thing or two as he relates his unique experiences to the readership here. 

This particular read is truly enjoyable. I hope you all enjoy it as much as I have.

-MM

Part 16 –Adventures in the Occult: Some Thoughts on The Hellfire Club

Ever thought about joining the Hellfire Club? Don’t have any clue about what the “hell” – pun intended – it actually is?

Allow me to explain:

The Hell Fire Club was the name of several clubs that were operating out of England in the 18th century, exclusively for high society “debauchees” or persons of apparent “quality” who wished to take part in socially perceived immoral acts. In other words, it was a club for politicians and other well connected “gentlemen” that wanted to waste their {usually inherited} money on gambling, drinking and having sex. Other things said to be engaged in in the club were poetry, philosophy, and the ridicule of religion, as it was of a time when blasphemy of the church was catching on.

The clubs were rumoured to have distant ties to an elite society known only as The Order of the Second Circle. Don’t ask me who those guys were, because I honestly have no fucking clue. The actual activities and membership, though, have long been lost to time. The first official club was established by the Duke of Wharton in London in 1718, though the most notorious of the clubs was one established by a man named Sir Francis Dashwood who met irregularly from 1749 to 1766 in England. Originally, Dashwood’s club wasn’t actually known as a Hell Fire Club – this name came later on. His club seemed to have gone through change of name every time there was a change of location of the Club’s get togethers; Brotherhood of St. Francis of Wycombe, Order of Knights of West Wycombe, The Order of the Friars of St Francis of Wycombe, Monks or Friars of Medmenham, or, `more recently, The Priory of The Knights of St Francis were a few of the names the club as known as.

Dashwood’s club was aimed at partaking in Pagan rituals in salutation of Greek and Roman gods, particularly those of wine (Bacchus and Dionysus etc). In fact, Dashwood apparently had many statues of similar Greek and Roman gods adorning his gardens of Medmenham Abbey. In addition to the Pagan rituals, Dashwood’s club was said to hold mock rituals, distribute items of pornographic nature amongst its members and engage in much “drinking” and “wenching”.

Whereas Wharton’s club was apparently more of a satirical joke meant to shock the outside world, with claims that the president of the club was the Devil himself, though the worship of such deities was not undertaken with the club. The members, did however call themselves “devils” in allusion to their often frowned upon behaviour. An interesting fact of Wharton’s club was that both men and women were admitted as equals, which was practically unheard of for other clubs of the time. Dashwood allowed female members into his clubs which were called nuns. Of course, his club seems to be the one that attracted legends of Black mass and demon and Satan worship, though whether any of that took place is speculation at best. Here’s a fun fact, Aleister Crowley got his infamous “do what thou wilt” line for his Thelemic order from an inscription above one of Dashwood’s doors at Medmenham Abbey.

Also worthy of note is that Dashwood eventually moved his club out of Medmenham into some chalk caves in West Wycombe when the owners of the estate sought to have renovations carried out. These caves ended up being where the meetings were held until the club’s eventual demise, which basically came about due to one of the members becoming involved in a political scandal. This was never something I was told upon becoming involved with the club, but is all readily available on Wikipedia for the curious reader.

What you won’t come across, however is a written record of the rise and rapid fall of the Hell Fire Club as it pertains to the modern era. The bit that I had a {semi} active involvement in breaking out of England and into the international domain. I feel it is necessary to write about as a lot of members and non members alike got right royally screwed over, and still are being screwed. This is some recognition of their efforts out of my own well of respect.
So, consider this an offer of some unfettered wisdom from someone who was actively involved in expanding its chapters internationally, because there was and still is a very active effort on the founder’s part to bury the work us international Stewards put into that expansion.

The Hell Fire Club I am a Steward of is an evolution of Dashwood’s Club. Though when I joined it was very far from being a Club for getting together and having orgies. I was around 19 or 20 when I stumbled across it.

Let’s back up a bit to my high school years. We all know I was into some very “fringe” concepts with my lucid dreaming and astral projection practices while I was at school. I studied the occult in the library when I was supposed to be doing research for science which, to be honest, I found quite boring. I wasn’t that I wasn’t good at it, it is just that I absorbed information at quite rapid pace from only a few glances through the work, so the concept of doing homework or extended study was quite lost on me. I’d prefer to use the time to learn in other areas that I knew a public schooling system was never going to bother teaching me. So yeah, conspiracies regarding the illuminati, the deep state, the freemasons, and reptilian shapeshifters etc were all things I had racked up hours of study on even at the age of fifteen. Though I didn’t necessarily believe in most of them, I was however somewhat of a walking encyclopedia when it came to the occult, astral projection, lucid dreaming, psychic happenings and other metaphysical subjects. To me all this was far more interesting to talk about than how to work out the speed of an apple falling from a tree or whatever they taught in general physics classes. Yawn.

And this presented a bit of a problem, because I was one of the only people in the entire school that had such an understanding of the metaphysical. It’s all well and good for those that have no first hand experience in these arts, but when you have been spending a good chunk of your youth flying around in the astral planes or fighting demons in lucidity, it’s hard not to find every day life quite bland. I yearned for others to talk to about this “crazy” world I knew too much about, and sometimes even indulged my straight edged friends a little too liberally to be met with nothing but blank stares. There was one other guy I use to practice healing and psychic shielding with – a guy named Blake – but he ended up running off to join some cult almost as soon as school had finished in an effort to “stay spiritual”. He was even kind enough to {rather forcefully} invite me in to it and try to get me to stay {by not letting me fucking leave}. So there went my Hogwarts connection.

Regardless, my studies continued well past school. I started collecting the oldest manuscripts of any given occult subject I could find, figuring information would be more “pure” if it came directly from the source before its true meaning could be lost in translation and transliteration. If a book was a few hundred years old and had something to do with “magic” I simply had to have it, regardless of the cost. And it wasn’t that I wanted to specifically practice said magic either; I simply wanted to broaden my knowledge in those areas. Because, as any wise person should know, knowledge is power.

So I was looking for books. Old books, antique books, and books with evident occult connections, and this was how I stumbled upon the Hellfire Club. You see, the club’s Steward was a Master Book binder, and he somehow managed to secure rights to republish out of print occult works; some really fucking nice and old {and powerful} manuscripts. Things like photocopies of diaries from 15th century alchemists, original workings of the Golden Dawn, some stuff on Freemasonry, other stuff on Crowley, Copies of Solomonic manuscripts dating back to the 1500s etc. These editions were bound “exclusively for the Hell Fire Club”, though that didn’t mean you had to be a member to purchase them. What can I say, I was instantly hooked. Some of these editions came bound in a standard cloth form, and others – the more exotic and rare – came leather bound with hand tooled emblems and insignia pressed and then gilded into the fronts. The collection would have made any practicing occultist weep, mainly due to the price tags. It wasn’t uncommon to find these books valued at over $500 a pop, some even in the thousands.

I admit, a few titles really caught my attention, and my curiosity was piqued as the web site stated they were taking on new members. Although no history was given as to the association with the Hell Fire Clubs of the past, a brief summary of the club and its values were given, which aligned with my studies into alchemy. Essentially, the whole point of the club was to better its members through applying alchemical concepts to one’s meditations as a basis to initiate a spiritual shift in consciousness. This is how it was pitched anyway, or something along those lines. One may recall I was never big on joining any occult organisation that had a ranking system in place, and this is where the HFC tickled my fancy over other organisations such as the Freemasons, the Ordo Templi Orientis and Crowley’s Argentum Astrum etc. Upon initiation into the HFC, all members were considered equal as everyone else. The Stewards, who were there solely to keep the various Chapter on course would be rotated on a yearly basis so as to keep up with this equality. Plus, because of the way the Club was structured, self initiation was not only possible but highly encouraged (I think this was really to help expand internationally more than anything).

So I sent the English Steward, Eamonn, an email stating I was interested in joining. We got to talking and he evidently became impressed with my thirst for occult knowledge, to compliment what little I already knew. He asked me if I wanted to help bring the Club to Australia and create my own Chapter, to which I was quite apprehensive at first, though he assured me he would give me any help I needed and that he could provide (it ended up being quite a dismal amount of help indeed). After some back and forth, he eventually convinced me to start my own Chapter in Western Australia, and with that I established my Chapter of Dragon Flame (an intentional anagram of “A Pagan force meld forth”), under his direct instruction, then he put me in contact with the Stewards of the other States.

Remember, this was before Facebook really took off, so to begin with the plan was to coordinate everything through a Yahoo group, but nothing ever eventuated from it. It wasn’t until the other Stewards finally joined facebook that I was able to communicate with them much more freely, and found solace I hadn’t found since my conversations with Blake (not including those discussions I had had with SD). These were occultists – real occultists – that had been involved in Hermetic societies for most of their life, some even being high ranking Mason’s. Others had even created their own Hermetic Orders that borrowed heavily from Godlen Dawn literature. Needless to say, I got along very well with them, and became rather respected given my understanding of the Kabbalistic Tree of Life and how it pertained to alchemy, and my occult knowledge in general. If you ever wanted a lesson in occult matters – astral projection, magic, lucid dreaming etc then this was the group to be in. Some of them were even contacted by non physical “Masters” just as I was about to be. It was repository of information that you would never find in any school or public library.

Thus I was very much in the Hell Fire Club’s “inner circle”, and this was a direct evolution of Francis Dashwood’s Club; Eamon was in possession of some of the original paperwork used by Dashwood and his associates, and even went so far as to conduct the Clubs meetings in the same chalk caves of West Wycombe, which became known as the “Hellfire Caves”. Whatever the club once was in regards to its debauch behaviour, it had become reworked into something which legitimately focused on inner reflection and the development of the spiritual self, thanks to the work and vision Eamonn put into it. This was evident in the other members I have since become quite good friends with (one of the Stewards even sent me a bottle of pure Myrr oil when he heard my hand had been cut open – quite an expensive and sacred oil to gift out to someone you’ve never met).

I even had a few astral projection and lucid dreaming experiences that were directly related to the Club, and a somewhat mystical experience that hinted at the “overthrowing of the armour king to make way for the king of fire” (which I took to mean the rule of the military industrial complex to make way for the rule of the spirit). Though, I never had the opportunity to partake in any orgies. How unfortunate.

SD, being Pagan and into much of the same ideologies and concepts as me joined as a founding member of my own Chapter, though for a time we floundered as there was absolutely no interest by anyone in our State. We initiated another member only to find he was more interested in serving his own carnal pleasures than he was for spiritual development (turned out the guy was a fucking serial rapist and had deep connections within the OTO, Freemasons and was a part of pretty much every Pagan meetup group in our area, so there went the idea of expansion), and that put us off to the point that our Chapter became a somewhat private affair for our own spiritual development. We conducted a few rituals based off of the ideologies of the Club, but I found it more beneficial to rework these into my own concepts on Alchemy that I was now fully invested in, and contemplate them in silent meditation. I believe these concepts and meditations were what led to my eventual contact with the Elder Guardians in 2012 when coupled with my LD practices.

In regards to the activities of Eamon and the other members, they continued with their regular meetups, but for me and SD, it was a several year period of stagnation. Of course, I still remained in close contact with the other Stewards and Eamonn, and engaged in regular chats with them all both privately and publicly on the Club’s Facebook pages. By this stage I had invested a few thousand dollars in some of Eamonn’s books which constituted my “occult library” (there was some good, rare books in this library). Eamonn had also commissioned me to help on some of his upcoming works, knowing that I was rather handy when it came to using photoshop for touching up “noisy” images. It seemed his work on gaining an international foothold was paying off as he now had established connections (and thus Chapters) within the USA and throughout Europe as well as in almost every State of Australia. SD and I were added to the “Hellfire Star Chamber” along with the other Stewards to discuss drafting of the proper charters for each Chapter and other such necessities that would move it full steam ahead. I guess Eamonn envisioned it growing as big as Freemasonry or something.

With things seemingly moving along nicely, I was inspired to revisit my Chapter of Dragon Flame and begin structuring it into something more usable and in line with the Hell Fire Club’s Goals. I began drafting my own charter with an idea to properly promote it amongst the limited occult societies in my area. I wrote poems and verse that I posted amongst the Stewards in the Starfire Chamber that even Eamonn himself suggested were good enough to be used for all of the Chapter both, original and international. Whether those poems and verse arse still in use is a mystery to me, though if they are then technically they are being used out of copyright, not that I really give a shit.

The Charter

Here is a {somewhat incomplete} charter I wrote for my Chapter of Dragon Flame. As you can see, there is nothing inherently sinister within it, and it was based heavily on the chapter papers Eamonn wrote, bound and distributed to the Hell Fire Club’s Members: The whole purpose of my club was utilise HFC rituals as a form of unlocking the higher self within the candidate. I wanted people to experience that “god mode” form of consciousness that I had experienced during my times with Elder Guardians.

THE CLUB’S INTENTION: To bring one into a new perception of oneself by symbolic means.

Elements needed to effectively be in chapter:

  • Membership cards/coins must be made for the initiation of guests, and any spares used to decorate the decanter/bottle on the occasion of guest initiation plus an extra gold coin.
  • A blue and red coloured robe
  • A beaked mask (one per member)
  • A Bishop’s/ Wizard’s hat/ mitre reserved for the appointed Abbot’s duties
  • A floor/ table cloth printed/embroidered with a zodiac or stars. If none is available then the Major Arcana of a Tarot set arranged in three rings (12-7-3) or a set of 12v zodiacal cards from Uranias Mirror can be used.
  • Six Candlesticks (representing the four niches/ doves and two paths in the caves) to signify the Towers of the Abbey of Theleme in (Rabelais Book 2), named after the winds in the classical world: Arctice, Calaer, Anatole, Mesembrine, Hesperia, Cryere.
  • A lamp/ globe/ bowl suspended from the ceiling above the floor cloth, preferably one that may contain a lighted taper/ candle.
  • A bottle/ decanter of wine/ mead in which the coin is to be cast during the guests initiation ceremony as well as a chalice or goblet for drinking of said wine.
  • Pentagram and Hexagram Sketches as well as the Stewards Jewel and a set of Platonic Solid Models to signify the two keys. The letters T.R.I.N.C. must be available, preferably so that they can be rearranged as is done in the ceremony of the second key.
  • Any available object that can act as a tribute to Francis Dashwood, whether it be a portrait of him, an object from the club or an empty chair reserved for the presence of the founder.
  • A scroll bearing the poem called ‘The 108 Steps” to be laid at the bottom of the floor cloth

Membership Cards: Exist to aid all persons involved in the club and available only through properly appointed Stewards of each Chapter. To be completed and issued to successful applicants on an individual basis only. In early days coins or token were used in place of the cards, engraved or marked by/ for the individual. The coin/token/ card should be regarded as the sole guarantee that the lessons of the Chapter have been relayed by a Steward in an appropriate manner, and that the persons connection is a true one.

A record should be kept by the Stewards of the names of those in which a card is issued, and allow other chapters to request information regarding membership status in order that visiting members from other areas are properly received, though it should be noted that the right to a membership card does not necessarily guarantee admittance to another chapter. Politeness holds sway and all members wishing to visit another chapter should either wait to be invited or contact an appropriate Steward to arrange asocial meeting in advance.

 

PRELIMINARY ARRANGEMENTS:

  • The floor cloth is to be aligned so that the doves point to the principle points of the compass; the main door of this room should open towards the first path of the inner temple.
  • The lamp is to be hung in the centre of the room above the floor cloth. The only light in the room should emanate from this lamp alone.
  • Around the internal space is to be a representation of a celestial zodiac, depicted through the Major Arcana (Trumps) of the Tarot deck, which are placed in exact alignment of the zodiac at the solstices in a series of 3 – 7 – 12.
  • At the extremities around the cloth behind the doves are placed four candlesticks to represent the four niches.
  • In the centre of the floor cloth is to be placed the bottle/decanter with the members coins strewn about next to it.
  • At the bottom of the floor cloth should be laid the poem ‘The 108 Steps” with a gold coin placed atop it.
  • On the opposite side of the scroll, where the rings of the Major Arcana align, is to be placed a pentagram with the Letters T.R.I.N.C. enclosed in its outer spaces along with a platonic solid at one edge and the Stewards Jewel at the other edge.

The four Doves or degrees: The object of the members of the Hell Fire Club is to better oneself spiritually by meditating and applying one’s mind to the occult symbology of alchemy guided on by an appointed Steward. Although there are no formal degrees in the sense of rank, one must first progress through a series of four non-linear states along the journey to their inner self.

  • Guests are invited to attend Chapter meetings by a member of the HFC whereby they can partake in the first of many rituals of casting a coin at the decanter and taking a drink of its contents. Once this first rite of passage has been completed the Guest may then apply for membership whereby they become a member if accepted by the club. Guests and preparations of what they may see or experience are the sole responsibilities of the inviting member. Watch Words for guests are Friendliness and Discretion.
  • Members are guests that have completed the first rite of passage and on applying for membership, have been approved by an appointed Steward. A successful applicant may then apply to the Steward of their Chapter for advice on the deeper interpretation of the symbols associated with the club. The privilege of inviting Guests to the chapter meetings is restricted to members alone, and for practical reasons is kept to one Guest per member per meeting. Watch words for members are Sincerity and Application.
  • A Steward is essentially any person whose membership has passed from the level of the inner desire for experience to the outward manifestation of that in literature, mathematics, public speaking, art, business or any other engagement. They guide the Club as one would a ship, relating from memory the legends, traditions and symbols and assist others in taking their first steps on the road to inner discovery. There is usually only one Steward in Chapter at once, the position being revoted upon by members every year. Watch words are Hospitality and Self Sacrifice.
  • A Prior/ Prioress is someone who has walked the inner road of themselves and has effectively returned to the beginning. It is the prior’s/ prioress’s duty to continue the seed of the club, and only they are able to begin a new chapter of their own. Watch Words for priors are Work and Silence.

The office of the abbot: The Abbot’s role lies outside of the four degrees and is not a level attained in the club by application of oneself. Instead it is an annually elected role, enabling all members of the club to exert an influence upon its development. The Abbot, whilst appearing to be of merriment and even disorder, is vital to the Harmony and well being of the club. It is in fact an evolutionary force.

The hell fire club greeting: The Steward welcomes all of those who have made it to Chapter using the LAQS motto and gives a brief explanation of any themes they have thought relevant for after ritual.

Layout of the 12 rituals of the hfc:

  1. The Ritual Of Fire – to be completed in the sign of Gemini (ideally in the last 10 degrees of the sign, ie 11th – 20th of June )
  2. Ritual Of Air – to be completed in the sign of Cancer during midwinter (ideally at the very start of the sign on the 21st of June.
  3. Ritual II

Possible Set Up:

  • A permanent pentagram (circle) set up with four “pillars” representing the niches of TARO (north, south, east and west), and another two representing the “gate” or “entrance” to the circle, with rocks filling the spaces to symbolise the cave.
  • An empty chair for the presence of Dashwood.
  • The candles representing the Guest to be lit from the candle of the T niche.

Ritual of Fire:

Aim:

  • To make the Guest subconsciously aware of the fact that they are element of fire, which is associated with the tetrahedron
    • To be facilitated by the building and lighting of a fire by the Guest
  • To subconsciously open the path of Cancer for the Guest
    • To be facilitated by the alignment of Cancer (Chariot) with the element of Fire (Judgement) on the floor cloth and the recitation of the passage explaining as such.
  • To connect the Guest with the archetypal energies of Francis Dashwood and the original Hell Fire Club both consciously and sub consciously
    • To be facilitated by the empty chair, and recitation of a brief speech acknowledging Francis Dashwood
  • To connect the Guest with the archetypal energies of the Abbey Of Theleme
    • To be facilitated by explaining the four niches of T.A.R.O. and the square that they comprise
  • To make the Guest subconsciously aware that by throwing the coin they are taking the first step in the transmutation of fire into air.
    • To be facilitated by the recitation of the poem of the guest.
  • To symbolically cast aside the material constraints society has placed upon the Guest
    • To be facilitated by the casting of a coin at the decanter
  • To make the Guest aware of the essential relationship of themselves
    • To be facilitated by the drinking of the wine.

Papers to be given:

  • Introductory papers on the club, what it’s about, it’s goal etc.
  • An explanation of Archetypal energies
  • An introduction on Alchemy
  • An introduction The Kabalistic Tree of Life
  • An explanation of the Abbey of Theleme

Items needed for next meeting:

The symbology behind the ritual of the guest is to be the quintessential starting point of the HFC: CODF. I feel it important that this ritual be designed so that the initiate, after freeing themself of their materialistic constraints by throwing the coin at the decanter, be able to connect with the archetypes of Francis Dashwood himself and the rest of his members. I am still unsure how the latter can be acted out in ritual, perhaps more thorough research into his character will prove useful. It may also be worth looking making a rite that mimics certain aspects of the positioning of the original caves when laying out the elements of the club.

The location of this ritual should be carried out in a location bearing similar attributes to that of the river of Styx in the caves of West Wycombe, or another underground place used, perhaps a sacred well, burial ground or even a consecrated space in a room dedicated to the purpose. I propose to use the clearing behind our house in MH for the job as there is a nearby creek which resembles the aforementioned river, and a secret spot which may act as the inner temple “hidden” by undergrowth.

Originally I proposed to have the Guest build and light a fire, so that they are physically and mentally becoming the element of the tetrahedron, but Storme has suggested this may be in efficient as not everyone is competent at building fires, so we made the decision that a candle should be lit instead, for each Guests, which can then be blown out at the next Chapter meting during the ritual of Air (obviously the candle will have to be re lit, as it cannot burn between Chapters)

The ritual is started by other members taking up position around the floor cloth, and the HFC greeting cited. The member who invited the Guest shall then give a brief introduction of them and what attributes led them to give an invitation, to which an appointed Steward will quote the poem:

Recitation of the Gate of Cancer:

Behold thee

In the position of Gemini you dwell

Study its composition

For its passing is nigh

But with it comes the opening of Cancer’s gate,

And thus the Chariot you shall ride across Zodiac of yourself.

So mote it be

 

Poem of the Guest

O guest whoso dares to seek our secret keys,

For the benefit of no other

And no other shall thee seek to please

In order that you will discover

That you and you alone are the sun

Rising in Cancer

To traverse the ocean of the one

So that you may find the answer

That lies deep within our inner temple

Capricorn will show you the way

If only thought of our secret be made ample

When the Devil is yours to slay

And the Corinthian book be melted down

So that the seven alchemical metals are found

But first we ask that you seek our jewel

Lest thee should yourself become the fool

Casting aside want of wealth

Be received by us in benevolence and health

Throw now your coin at the bottle of TRINC

And in the name of Dashwood drink

Study the lines in this poem you ought

As you dare O Guest to set Wealth at naught.

A coin is thrown at the bottle/ decanter in the centre of the floor cloth by the Guest/s, as they envision their shackles being released, to signify their willingness to sacrifice the materialistic profanities which pose a hindrance to their own spiritual progression. Mention is given by the Steward to the ‘TRINC’ sound made as the coin hits the bottle and its’ similarity to the word ‘trokken’ meaning to drink. The Guest/s then drinks of the wine within the decanter, which is passed around to each member to signify the equality of the members of the club. Once the Guest/s has sipped upon the wine, the Steward tells them they have freed themselves of the limitations of materialism, and that for a new perspective to take place within the individuals mind, one must in time first come to the realisation of death as the next passage to wisdom. The ritual is finished by the Steward quoting:

We have shown you whence the path to the inner self lies, it is now your decision whether or not to walk it. If you do, then may this club and its members, being both of flesh and of spirit, provide the necessary guidance, acting as a vessel for your journey across the ocean of the zodiac.”

Afterwards a relevant theme designed to expand the mind and open the psyche may be discussed between all in chapter including any Guests.

At the end of Chapter the Guest/s is asked to meditate upon everything revealed to them in chapter in their own time, and keep a record of any changes that may occur in their consciousness whether it be manifested physically around them or astrally in their dreams, and that when they feel ready they may apply for full membership. They are to be given a paper which highlights the goal of the club as well as explains what an archetype is and how it applies to the symbology behind the HFC.


Ritual Of AIR:

Aim:

  • To receive the Guest as a new Member of the HFC
    • To be facilitated by the giving of a membership card and a gold coin (as opposed to the silver one thrown at the decanter.)
  • To make the new Member subconsciously aware that they have transmuted the first of the elements into the second
    • To be facilitated by the extinguishing of the flame first created by the Guest with air from their breath and the alignment of the element Air (Fool) on the floor cloth to the planetary and zodiacal rings (120 degrees), and the recitation of the first transmutation.
  • To subconsciously establish the floor cloth as the universe
    • To be facilitated by the movement of the outer ring of the 12 zodiacal cards by 30 degrees (one zodiacal card) anti-clockwise and the movement of the inner ring of 7 planetary cards by 51.42 degrees (one planetary card) anti-clockwise
  • To subconsciously establish that the 3 rings of the 22 cards Major Arcana as being the outward projections of the inner temple lamp.
    • To be facilitated by the moving of the decanter from the top of the floor cloth (between the Pentagram and Stewards Jewel) to its centre (in the middle of the inner ring of the elemental cards) and the recitation of the lamps description from “The Oracle Of The Bottle”
  • To subconsciously establish the square of opposition
    • To be facilitated by the recitation of the meaning of T.A.R.O. and how it represents the four niches of the Abbey of Theleme
  • To subconsciously establish the Steward’s Jewel as being an anchor in the ocean of universe
    • To be facilitated by the action of rowing the new member around the floor cloth by the Steward whereby they stop at Cancer
  • To consciously establish the Tree of Life as being a map of the Tarot and a
    • To be facilitated by reciting the symbolism of the double suns of the Stewards’ Jewel, and how they relate to the twin paths of Cancer and Capricorn, and how it is a hexagram.

The Temple Lamp – Oracle of the Bottle:

Behold the most admirable lamp of our Oracle

That dispenses so large a light over our temple

Though we lay underground

We can still see as clearly as day

It dangles from a ring of massy gold,

as thick as any clenched fist

Three chains most curiously wrought

Hung below it

And in a triangle supported a round plate of fine gold

Four holes, each of which an empty ball was fastened

Hollow within

And open at the top

One amethyst

Another carbuncle

The third opal

The last anthracites

All full of burning water

Five times distilled in a serpentine lymbeck

Inconsumptible nonetheless

In each was a flaming wick

The First Transmutation

We have received your pledge to enter our temple and discover the mysteries that lie therein. Extinguish, now the flame of the tetrahedron with the breath of your being, and take up your new place amongst the airs of the octahedron….

I now beseech unto you the honour of a being a full member of the Hell Fire Club [to which the coin and card are given], and reveal unto you the secret of the pillars of the Abbey of Theleme, signified by the four doves placed upon our floor cloth. T A R O, together these pillars signify the four cardinal directions, the 4 dimensions of the cube of space, as well as the four elements of our club, and together with secrets yet to be revealed unto thee, they shall serve as the basis of your self transformation.

Join us, now as we navigate the vessel of ourselves through the ocean of the zodiac, seeking to take up anchor at the secret pathway hidden behind the devil.

[The Steward rows around the room, stopping at the alignment of Cancer ]

To aid you in your voyage we give unto thee, willingly, the gift of our jewel. Do not tarry long in its mysteries, for like the pillars they are many. For now may it serve solely as your own anchor, which you will cast upon the Gate of Cancer.

[The Steward gives the jewel to the new member who throws it at the Chariot card.]

Rejoice, for I now declare the path of Cancer open, and inform ye that you are indeed on the right course.

A coin and membership card is to be presented to any new members.

Papers to be given:

    • The Stewards Jewel
    • The Hebrew Alphabet & Gematria

Ritual III: the four doves.

After membership has been granted to a guest they are then allowed to partake in the first ritual which is designed to explain the significance the four doves bear to the four elements, and the colour of each element described. Members should be made aware that these four doves comprise what is called the square of opposition.

The ritual must encompass each element being made known, lighting a candle for fire, incense for air etc. A common circle casting may suffice, whereby meditation is focused upon the physical appearance of the Caves at West Wycombe, followed by the meditation of the newly opened pathway of cancer. Perhaps a ritual encompassing the sailing or entering of a boat to signify the opening of the pathway.

FURTHER STUDY: The writings of Francois Rabelais (Gargantua & Pantagruel), designs and positions of the various caves, grottoes, monuments and the great Mausoleum atop the hill at West Wycombe – England, Kabalistic Tree of Life, Platonic Solids, Corinthian Brass, Egyptian Mythology, Hypnerotomachia Poliphili (The Strife Of Love In A Dream) by Francesco Colonna, Cube of Space, Egyptian scheme of the Zodiac with decans, Square of opposition, Charles Johnstone’s “Crysal” aka “Adventures Of A Guinea”, Ars Combinatoria by Ramon Llull

And then the shit hit the proverbial fan. No sooner had the Starfire Chamber been assembled, than it was being torn apart by the very man who had spent over a decade bringing its international standing to fruition; Eamonn.

What started as a warning towards one of the members of his English chapter, for inappropriate behaviour towards other members, soon turned into a clash between his Chapter and the international ones. Regardless of whatever behaviour this individual displayed (which she has since shown remorse for), Eamonn used it as a pawn to get everyone involved and start taking sides. It was real petty schoolyard politics bullshit on his end, and quite frankly I was stunned he’d stooped so low.

I guess it was because this individual had made quite good friends with some of the international Stewards, so when they refused to depose her from the Club, Eamonn got annoyed. He gave everyone an ultimatum: side with him and continue on under his official establishment, or take the side of the person in question and lose any connection we once had with his chapter. Honestly, it was too much drama for my liking, and I preferred not to get involved, though I had noted similar drama in the past when it came to Eamonn.

There was one particular guy who had been affiliated with the club and helped establish it in America who began selling unofficial HFC branded insignia for big money against the wishes of Eamonn. In the same email he had dished out to members, it mentioned that not only was this guy a fraud but he was also a convicted pedophile and that Eamonn and the Club would have nothing else to do with him, which I thought at the time was fair enough. Though after this school yard politics tactic, I began to wonder just how much of that schpeel was actually true. It seemed to me Eamonn had a tendency to over exaggerate someone’s indiscretions if they pissed him off.

I was also aware that Eamon had been pushing the envelope when it came to the publishing rights he was given for some of the books he was making a high margin on; when it was mentioned by the owner of that copyright Eamonn was printing more than the agreed amount of copies, his reply was for them to “eat shit” – of course, I never told him I knew about that particular interview, and had given him the benefit of the doubt about it being a business misunderstanding. I guess I was being naïve.

There was also one other thing that was making me question Eamonn’s integrity, and that was the way I had caught him lying about sending me free copies of his latest work, which had been agreed by both of us as fair payment for my photoshopping work on them.

The son of a bitch fucking pressed me for weeks to give up my lunch breaks managing an electronics factory to get these out by the deadline. And a fair portion of what should have been my R&R time after work. In the end I couldn’t have given a shit about whether or not I received the works, but to be lied to about them and then to have Eamonn cease all communication with me because of it really stung me.

Turns out I wasn’t the only one he scammed; on a facebook group for rare occult works I found a community of disgruntled customers that had been waiting years – yes actual fucking years, like 2 or 3– for books from him they had spent a good deal of money on. After a brief read of their comments the total amount owed was easily over $20k. I like to believe that Eamonn just fell behind in his orders and that these guys eventually got their books, as I never pinned him for one who would intentionally deceive people for money, but regardless, there was talk of getting the police involved after he didn’t bother to reply to their emails. And talk from others who suggested it was common practice for Eamonn to go through stages of seeming professionalism only to finish it off with such fraudulent actions. Oh yeah, and he was on the fucking group.

So it was safe to say Eamonn, who seemed to be embodying the spirit of Aleister Crowley a little too literally, was fast burning the bridges he had established within the occult community, and getting quite a negative name for himself.

In the end the Stewards of the international Chapters decided he was too much of a liability and flipped him the metaphorical bird. We became our own separate entity completely disenfranchised from Eamonn and his chapter and whatever bullshit went with it, and Eamonn started refusing he ever had any involvement with any of us, even though it was his idea to expand internationally in the first place. Even though the whole club had been established on his ideologies. He said his fuck you’s and we said them right back.

How do I know he flat out refuses we had anything to do with his Club? Because a friend within the {American} OTO bought books from him and received a flyer asking him to join the HFC, to which Eamonn dismissed any connection to the international chapters, saying we had nothing whatsoever to do with his club and never had to begin with….Here’s the thing though, I still have the original emails proving otherwise. Whoopsie. In the words of the wise man who runs the site these words are posted on, don’t piss on someone’s leg and tell them it’s raining.

Consider it some recompense for the people still yet to receive their books:


So there you have it; the true modern day history of the HFC.

For what it is worth, despite all the drama, I’d be lying if I said the club did not have a profound impact on me. Despite Eamonn’s shortcomings, he did lead me down the road of Alchemy I otherwise never would have set foot on and inadvertently gave me some auxiliary tools to unlock my higher self.

If you are interested in such things, then I sincerely recommend seeking out a Steward of the International Chapters, that are no longer affiliated with him. Sure you might get there with his Chapter, but that all depends on whether or not he actually sends you the books you pay for.

Like I said, I hope he just fell behind with his orders and has since completed them, but I honestly stopped bothering reading into anything he was up to a few years ago, so that is research the reader will have to invest their own time in. It was sad to see a community with such potential succumb to such childish bickering.

In regards to Eamonn, I don’t hate him; I always looked up to him for spiritual guidance.

Who knows, maybe life caught up with him and he saw the need to make a quick buck to pay for a debt or two he’d gotten himself into. I just hope for his sake he hasn’t dug himself a hole he is unable to get out of.

I like to believe that spark that made him want to expand his Club internationally for the spiritual betterment of the people is still alive and smouldering somewhere deep inside him.

 

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What to do when it seems that your affirmation prayers are shooting blanks

This article is very important. I get a lot of comments from people who run an affirmation campaign, or two, and are surprised that nothing seems to be happening. They wonder what they are doing wrong. And it is very upsetting to them. So what I want to do here is explain a couple of things to put everything into perspective and to set the proper systems in place and corrective actions for those desirous of it.

So what happens? You are running two, three maybe ten campaigns of prayers. You are following the directions and the format exactly. You are doing everything that you are supposed to be doing, but still it doesn’t seem like you are getting anywhere. What is going on?

Introduction

It all began with this email that I got the other day…

I’m not sure if i should write you this like this or if i should put it in the comment section. The thing is this. It feels my prayers aren’t being answered or even getting closer to being answered. That’s the short version. Lol.

That’s pretty straightforward and clear.

The longer story is this: I started praying your way with some slight modifications in the wording in September 2020.

So you have been running affirmation campaigns for just over one year and you are not seeing any results.

One year is a extremely short span of time to expect results.

My rule of thumb is for every combined cluster of six months of affirmations, you see results in three years.

Depending, of course, on your situation, and the complexity and difficulty of your desires.

So lets’ s suppose you ran a total of eight weeks of prayers in campaigns. That equals a total of two months. My rule of thumb would then place your targeted goals out at about nine years from now.

Here’s my handly-dandy goal manifestation estimation table…

Of course, the personal situation and all things considered can mitigate these projected target dates. As well as how you do them, and all the rest. It’s just a guide that varies from person to person.

Now, the astute observer would notice something VERY interesting about this table above.

Let’s look at it again…

So what gives?

It doesn’t seem like it is worth it. An extra six months sooner for doubling the amount of prayers doesn’t seem to make sense. It’s a lot of extra work for just a slight decrease in the wait time.

Ah. But the point here is that you should all be having multiple affirmations in your campaigns. Not just one singular goal.

The more different affirmations the crunchier and compressed your manifestation dwell time.

Or to put it another way, you WANT to have more and varied descriptions of your goals, not less. And these extra prayers adds complexity that adds depth and breadth to your resultant objectives and colors to the results.

So in short. Don’t be impatient. Run your campaigns. Follow the formula, and know that they will manifest.

Let’s continue with the email contents…

The modifications i did are to pay respect to God. Being a Catholic. The way i say my prayers are still in a present tense and positive way.

There’s no problem with that. You do have to be care in one aspect of prayers, however. You CANNOT say…

  • God please grant me permission to have XXXXX…

Absolutely not.

You must say thing specifically in this manner…

  • I have XXXXX.

It is very important that you say things in a [1] positive,  [2] present, [3] perfect [4] tense sentence structure.

I started by doing one month on and one month off. During the first pause a lot of things got worse. Just like you said. 

I figured, no worries just keep it up. 

After the second pause things got worse but some things also showed signs of improving. And because it seemed my prayers were being answered i decided to keep my prayers more or less the same.

Yes. You are correct. This is the way it works.

I specifically decided not to get greedy and ask for huge things or whatever. 

I felt grateful and just wanted the rest of my prayers to be answered. 

Now as you yourself know even better some prayers aren’t answered but you are given opportunities to do some things yourself to get to what you want.

Yes, this is how it works. No problem here.

Well up until my fourth pause , which was in april 2021 , things seemed to go that way. 

After that it just seems like my prayers are being blocked or stay just out of reach.

This indicates an issue. Some potential issues or causes, the top culprit being…

  • Conflicting affirmations (given your current situation). You would be amazed how certain words or phrases can completely derail your affirmations.

Other issues / contributors that are commonly encountered include…

  • Timing
  • Curses
  • Handicaps
  • Pre-birth world-line Templates
  • Expectations
  • Negative partner
  • Bombarded by electromagnetic radiation
  • Inauspicious fate
In the meantime some prayers were answered but still. 

One of my main prayers. Which is owning my own house seems to come in reach and then gets taken away just as quickly. 

Almost as if something out there doesn't like me.

This is a common enough experience, and I do know what is EXACTLY going on here in this particular issue.

It might seem like there is a barrier, and maybe there is. But I am willing to guess that there is a conflict in your affirmations. How?

Let me illustrate with two simple affirmations in a singular campaign.

  • I and my family are happy, safe and secure.
  • We own a nice house.

Then as time moves on, opportunities for a house appear. and you are just about ready to get the house deal, but then it falls through. So you try again. Same neighborhood. Again it falls through. So you see something at another part of the city, and still it falls through.

Chances are that sure… you might be able to buy the house. BUT… you will never be allowed to because if you lived in any of those houses you and your family will not be happy, safe and secure. You see, you have to turn off your mind from things cause and effect.

You need to start thinking fourth dimensional and asking for guidance. I would thus add these affirmations…

  • I am given direction and nudges that tell me which affirmations to change or alter so that I would be happy and healthy as would be my family as well.
  • They will provide me insight and feedback as to how successful my affirmation campaigns are working.

With this, you would obtain feedback loops and nudges as to how to direct your affirmation campaigns.

The same thing happened with some other prayers. 

Now there are a couple of things i noticed since April 2021 and i hope these things sound familiar to you. - Some things show up during the pause phase, but the also disappear during the same pause phase. - Those disappearing things drifting back into my life when i start praying again.

What is going on is that the supporting underlying structures are not fully mature for the affirmations to manifest.

Think of an individual affirmation as a hearty meat and potato stew. If you don’t allow the time for the stew to cook, it will be watery, trivial, and plain. You have to let it cook for hours to allow the potatoes to soften, and the meat to tenderize and the broth to form.

This has happened with me, OMG! Time and time again.

Like when I wanted a nice Cadillac automobile. And it manifested. And then six months later the Air Conditioning died, and I was living in Arkansas where it was hot and humid and I was sweltering in my nice car with no Air Conditioning. But to repair the A/C cost $8000 USD. Ugh!

What I said was…

  • I own a nice big impressive roomy executive automobile.

When what I should of said was something different. Early on, I noticed that when I put special “but” affirmations in my campaigns they would stop those mistakes from happening.

You OBVIOUSLY have a few “but” affirmations that are causing things not to manifest.

So what is going on here?

As I see it there are two things that are plainly going on…

  • You are not letting the affirmation campaigns cook. You want your goals NOW, and not in two years when you are fully ready for them.
  • There are some “but” affirmations that are preventing certain manifestations from happening.
This let me to think about shortening my pause phases.

No. No. No. You want to lengthen the pause phases. Not shorten them. Never shorten them.

Also because you wrote about how one can have shorter pauses. You wrote this in an older article. 

All though you never wrote why that can be done i figured this might be what i needed to do based on how things went the last year. So i decided to pray for six weeks starting in November and then resting for the rest of December. Which would be about 3 weeks.

You can have shorter pauses, but it is ill advised.

Think of the stew. Sure you can have a quick bowl of stew early on. But it will not be as tasty as one fully cooked. It’s like a pizza. Sure you can take the pizza out early, but the cheese won’t be melted, and the crust will be soft and wet.

And then on December 1 you put out your article in which you say that you can actually EXTEND your pause phase. Which now has me wondering even more on what to do. Shorten my pause or extend it?

Extend the pause phase. When in doubt or questions, always extend the wait time.

More questions

The Questioner continues…

There are way more things i would like to write to you, but i know you are busy so can i ask you this. 

1: does this e-mail of mine give you ideas for add on articles on prayer campaign details that people need to know about. Like what happened with me and how and what we need to do to fix these things when they occur during our prayer campaigns.

Yes. It generated this article and I am confident that one or two others will find the information valuable.

2: If my mail isn't worthy of an article because its not something that would make for a beneficial article for a lot of people or even if it is could i please at least ask for some short answers on the following questions.

No problem, I will help in any way possible.

1: you said that you shouldn't do one month on and one month off campaigns for more than 8 months. I am over that time period already. So should i start my new campaign now right away or would it still be better to actually extend my rest period until February

In your case, I would conduct a base line campaign with an extended rest phase. You should be running a three month campaign (12 weeks) followed by a three and a half month rest period (14 weeks).

1. So my last campaign lasted 6 weeks and would then have a pause phase of 7 weeks instead of 3.

Yes. That is correct.

2: i have gathered from experience that whatever that you gained from prayer only drifts back during pause phases and not during campaigns. I’m talking about things that would require multiple campaigns to become more permanent in your life. 

It seems that prayer campaigns put a hold on the drift back effect. Am i correct on this?

Yes, in general. You are right. There are exceptions, but in your case this does seem to be the case.

MM comments…

No worries. A lot here to unpack.
I am going to put your questions up to the Domain Commander later. But in the meantime, I am going to try to answer about prayer.
Your frustration is a common one, and I know EXACTLY what you are talking about.
First, the Catholic answer… God doesn’t grant every prayer. It’s pretty lame, I know. And it’s a point of contention that I have always had with the Catholic church and the Christian religion. But it’s not really true…
Now, the MM answer
I have over four decades of affirmation prayers. I can tell you that I had a similar situation with a similar prayer.
"I own a house in Zhuhai".
Here’s a map of Zhuhai…

Zhuhai, China

.
And for YEARS nothing happened. Meanwhile, you know, I’m living life, and believing that my wishes and goals will manifest. Life took over, and…

[1]

I got a job in Zhuhai. Yeah, my salary was cut, and then cut again, and then cut again. But I was living in Zhuhai. I was renting a house of the beach, and it was lovely, though very wet.
.
I was living inside of Zhuhai. I rented a house on the beach in Zhuhai, but I did not OWN a house in Zhuhai.
Life continues. I still kept that prayer in my affirmations.

[2]

Now, my daughter is born. I need to plan for her future, and in China that means that I have to establish a home town for her.
.
By default, that is my wife’s home town which was Wenzhou.
.
So we went forth to change it to Zhuhai household resister, medical insurance, and residency. A lot of work, but all the doors opened.
.
Difficult. Yes. Time consuming Yes.
.
But eventually she (and my wife) obtained Zhuhai residence. This is true, but we were still renting a house inside of Zhuhai. Not owning one, and the housing prices were prohibitively expensive.
Still, I kept this in my prayers.

[3]

Well, a new complex of houses were being constructed just outside of Zhuhai, and the prices for the new houses is a fraction of the prices inside of Zhuhai. .
.
Though only a few meters separated the homes from Zhuhai city lines. You cross the street and you are in a different administration center.
.

My new house location.

.
So we saw a nice reasonably big house, new, nice location, and bought it.
.
Price was about 1/6 that of a Zhuhai house.
.
The Zhuhai bus lines starts at my new house and goes deep throughout the city. The only thing is that my home physically lies just outside of the border.
Still never the less, I kept up my prayers.

[4]

Well, Zhuhai is growing. A new High Speed Train line is coming in very close to my new house. And this line will be a direct line between the mega-cities of Shenzhen and Guangzhou. Good news. But my house is still outside of the city limits.
Still I kept up with my prayers.

[5]

Now discussions are underway to change the Zhuhai borders, and extend it outside and past where I live. Thus, making all of us living inside of Zhuhai city proper.
.
I await the rezoning effort, and then when that happens, I will remove that affirmation from my list.
Have patience.
.
Have faith. You are doing the right things.

Personal issues

The house is in the same geographical area. We can take the bus and go anywhere we normally go. It’s only that the administration is of a different community, the taxes and prices are different. That’s it. So in essence we have almost what we want, however, it is not EXACTLY what we want.

By keeping the affirmations in place, I can tell you all from experience that the desires, goals and dreams will absolutely manifest. You all just must be patient.

So please be patient. They always manifest. I have some of the most outlandish desires COME TRUE. Things that you would say “never in a million years” happen, but they did. So believe me. Follow the techniques and NEVER ever forget and do not doubt yourself.

Other issues

Now, for about 95% of the people the reasons why something is not manifesting is that you need to give things time. But there are other influences that can affect your affirmations as well.

Sigh.

There are numerous issues that could factor into why things seem to be taking a long time to manifest. I am going to break down some of the major event killers here. These are not every influence that might slow things down or cause you trouble, but they are all things that you need to pay attention to.

Here’s the list…

  • Timing
  • Curses
  • Handicaps
  • Templates
  • Expectations
  • Negative partner
  • Bombarded by electromagnetic radiation
  • Inauspicious fate
  • Conflicting affirmations

Timing

As I have stated.You are on a template, whether it is a pre-birth world-line template or a slide, but that template might have your goals further way or on “mountains” that will take some effort to get to. Do not lose hope.

Just keep plugging on and on and on. Then make sure that you have good long rest periods. And during those periods absolutely NO AFFIRMATIONS. Don’t even think about them. Let them “cook” and manifest. If you are thinking about your affirmations during the wait / pause time, you are doing things wrong.

Curses

Some people will put a curse on you. There are many, many, MANY people that do this. Not just intentionally, but inadvertently.

These curses need to be dealt with in your affirmations.

So in order to minimize the effects of curses, you need to add curse negation affirmations to your campaigns.

  • I purposely avoid negative, dangerous, bad, or problematic reality world-lines to achieve my goals.
  • I have broken apart any barriers to controlling my reality. These are barriers that are either self-created, or those created by others.
  • I define my reality, and undo any contrary spells, magick or alterations imposed upon me, or the reality around me by anyone or anything.
  • I block and shut out all negative, de-constructive, and dangerous thoughts from manifesting and altering my intentions listed herein.
  • These blocking protections extend to my family and include any malevolent efforts by anyone, or things against them.

Handicaps

You might have intentional problems that need to be resolved before certain affirmations can manifest. This is a big, huge subject and I have not even touched on it yet. What’s going on…?

Some people enter the physical realms in the General Population with a kind a handicap.

It’s an intentional set of chains, or restrictions and limitations that “handicaps” the person’s ability to live in the General Population MWI.

If you have such a handicap you need to contact your mantid directly and ask them to remove it and to give you insight why you have one in place and why. If you do not know how to communicate with your mantid, then you put the question in your affirmations.

  • I know what handicaps are inherent in my life.
  • I communicate with my mantids to remove or reduce any handicaps that I might have on me, my family, on on my goals.

My gut feeling is that maybe 20% to 25% of the population have a handicap of one type or the other imposed.

Templates

The template you are on might have some inherent faults, fissures or problems that will make obtaining your goals and dreams from manifesting. This is possible, but in my experience, it is not really all that common. It just manifests as long mountainous terrain.

You need to add affirmations that permit you to select the easiest paths towards your goals so as to avoid the mountainous terrain.

  • I always follow the path of least resistance to achieve my goals. In this way my life is smooth and calm, but also I do achieve my affirmation goals.

Expectations

Have realistic expectations. The best things take time. Do not be in such a rush. All will happen and all will occur.

Negative partner

The biggest influence on your life is your partner. They can enable you towards greatness or break you into nothing. If you partner is opposing you, you will need to keep your goals and dreams a secret. If they are still problematic, then you will need to change your partner.

Be realistic about your situation and your goals, dreams and desires. Be careful on what you are doing. Personal affirmations in an affirmation campaign are personal and are SECRET. Very few people, especially those close to you, should be isolated and kept away from your inner-most desires.

Bombarded by electromagnetic radiation

The USA and much of the West is bombarded by brain altering radiation used to manipulate. These things are very dangerous, but they also influence your affirmations. You need to center your consciousness, and you need to stay way from the “news”, especially the Western “news” as much as possible.  It is toxic. Avoid it.

Inauspicious fate

As I have discussed in my “Fate Forecasting” Index, fate is tied to your entry point on the pre-birth world-line template and it is a physical gravity influence. You need to realize that when you are fated with inauspicious events, they will put a sever damper on your ability to manifest your goals, dreams and desires.

You will have to wait… still conducting your campaigns over and over again… until you pass through the inauspicious times. Then watch all your seeds sprout and bloom!

Conflicting Affirmations

As I discussed above. Make sure that your affirmations are working together and not in conflict with each other.

Do you want more?

I have more posts in my Intention Prayer Index here…

Intention Campaigns

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Articles & Links

You’ll not find any big banners or popups here talking about cookies and privacy notices. There are no ads on this site (aside from the hosting ads – a necessary evil). Functionally and fundamentally, I just don’t make money off of this blog. It is NOT monetized. Finally, I don’t track you because I just don’t care to. To go to the MAIN Index;

Master Index

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  • You can start reading the articles by going HERE.
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Time for inspiration and Rufus videos I hope you all enjoy them (smile)

Picture above is a rescue cat. It calms and offers kindness to any suffering animal taken to the shelter. From HERE.

It’s a new Chinese year. It’s a water tiger year. And it’s a fine time to remember to be the best that we can possibly be. In this installment, I offer up some fine Rufus inspirational videos that are found inside of China. Remember, that being a Rufus doesn’t depend on your wealth, where you live, what color of skin you have, or your career. It depends on your compassion for those who surround you. Be the Rufus. The world needs people like us.

Video of happiness and joy

Be happy. Force the happiness around you. Make the quanta in your geographic area clean, light and positive. video 15MB

Making a positive change to the world around us.

Subway artist strikes again. Looks like Shenzhen. The woman is obviously sad and distressed. The subway artist tries to cheep her up. video 6MB

The cat…

Rescue of a man in a restaurant

This stuff happens. And you all need a Rufus nearby to save the day. Be the best you can be. Be kind. Be helpful. Be supporting. video 6MB

How to deal with a dog…

I found this hilarious. Maybe you will too. video 6MB

The cat 2

Military to the rescue!

China mobilizes it’s military to rescue and help others. Not them them around the world to occupy other nations and drone kill civilians. Scenes from the mobilization of military to protect the Hunan flooding of 2021. Compare these scenes to the New Orleans flooding. Not even close. video 45MB

Progressive gay man down the street…

China, like Russia & Poland, are very traditional nations. They do not accept this “diversity” of “alternative lifestyles” that are so fundamental to the “new” America today. .And in this video clip you can see just how the normal day to day Chinese people react when they watch someone acting oh, so very… American. video 5MB

By the way, we here at MM are not poking fun at the “alternative” lifestyle choices of those in the West. Instead, we are pointing out that in traditional nations in Asia find these behaviors odd and curious, and so they react to the new and unusual in funny and surprising ways.

Everyone visiting here should be proud of who they are, their lifestyle choices, and their life. It’s NOT our place to judge.

Arguing couple saved by oranges, a cat, and some compassion

Very interesting video. Couple argues. Old lady spills her oranges. Cat (black and white tuxedo) pokes his nose in to investigate and then… video 7MB

The cat 3

Man buys a set of crutches for a stranger

It’s a pain in the ass when your cane breaks. Don’t worry when there’s a Rufus nearby. video 7MB

Dog protects a toddler

Brave dog. Will not allow the toddler to crawl on to the road. video 20MB

The thank you song

All of the people performing all the Coronavirus testing, vaccinations and everything associated with it are volunteers. They leave their jobs and their lives and do it for no pay. They often work 12 to 16 hour shifts. Such is membership in the Chinese culture / society and communist party. This little girl is performing the “thank you” song and dance to them. video 25MB

More Rescue cat…

Christmas roadblock

Regional outbreak of Coronavirus, in a regional town. These people volunteered to leave their families to man the roadblock. They were NOT compelled to do so. They volunteered. While Christmas is not as important to Chinese as CNY, it is still a holiday and the Chinese do celebrate it. Everyone except these guys. video 23MB

Police take down compilations

In China, AI monitors all activity, and identifies the criminals in real-time. Then, the police go out and get the bad guys when they are unready and unprepared. This differs from the United States where the police must catch the criminals in the act, and often results in lethal shootings.  video 5MB

Beautiful HAN Outfits

I hope that these all put a smile on your faces. I love the way the dresses move. But call me a traditionalist. It’s not that these people are a Rufus, but rather that they are traditionalists and that they are enjoying life as such. They are not living in fear, afraid of offending anyone. They are comfortable and proud. They are confident. And being confident is sexyFirst up video 2MB

Second up. video 4MB

I really love this dress. I don’t know why. Purple is not really a preferential color. Third up. video 6MB

Fourth up. video 3MB

Those that wear these clothes love it. They wear it with pride and just typically wear tennis shoes or sneakers instead of the traditional foot wear. You can see them bouncing around. Being happy and light. video 6MB

More HAN dress fun. video 9MB

And one more HAN dress, just for the heck of it. The Chinese are proud of themselves, of their history and about what they have accomplished. They embrace it as they should with confidence and fun. You won’t find any “diversity directors” telling them that they cannot dress like this in the work office for “cultural misappropriation” or some other nonsense. Be yourself. The world needs more REAL people. video 3MB

A bunch of Rufus’s examples

Be the Rufus. video 16MB

Rufus Rescue

So many people run to help! video 1MB

Rufus stops a car

It’s driver-less and out of control, and he is just a lowly delivery guy. video 2MB

Chinese Police Raid on Kidnapping and Child abduction group

The Chinese do not play. Rescue the little girl. video 7MB

Final Rescue cat…

Happy times!

Some of the happy moments in China during 2021. We have reunited families, Happiness, volunteers raising their hands to help other during the flooding emergency, the return of political prisoners out of the USA and much more! video 20MB

More Great Links in my Rufus Index here…

Check them out…

Rufus Index

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More stuff…

Master Index

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You’ll not find any big banners or popups here talking about cookies and privacy notices. There are no ads on this site (aside from the hosting ads – a necessary evil). Functionally and fundamentally, I just don’t make money off of this blog. It is NOT monetized. Finally, I don’t track you because I just don’t care to.

  • You can start reading the articles by going HERE.
  • You can visit the Index Page HERE to explore by article subject.
  • You can also ask the author some questions. You can go HERE to find out how to go about this.
  • You can find out more about the author HERE.
  • If you have concerns or complaints, you can go HERE.
  • If you want to make a donation, you can go HERE.

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More new Rufus videos to inspire

It’s a new Chinese year. It’s a water tiger year. And it’s a fine time to remember to be the best that we can possibly be. In this installment, I offer up some fine Rufus inspirational videos that are found throughout the world and inside of China. Remember, that being a Rufus doesn’t depend on your wealth, where you live, what color of skin you have, or your career. It depends on your compassion for those who surround you. Be the Rufus. The world needs people like us.

Emergency Police Escort

video 7.7MB

In life you’ve got to work hard

Video. Smart kid. 4MB

Rufus Compilation I

Video 122MB

Love always

video 45MB

Love through windows

video 45MB

Rufus stands up for the little guy

video 3MB

Surprise the ones you love

Video 4MB

Rufus compilation III

Video 120MB

Young girl “Pioneer” is rewarded for her Rufus actions

video 6MB

Do not allow others to use you

video 5MB

Code RED at the Hospital!

video 6MB

Who’s your friend?

Video 6MB

Rufus takes care of child waiting outside for her mother

video 3MB

The hardest things are the right things

video 1MB

China Rufus hospital staff

video 6MB

Rufus Compilation Final

video 108MB

More Great Links in my Rufus Index here…

Check them out…

Rufus Index

.

More stuff…

Master Index

.

You’ll not find any big banners or popups here talking about cookies and privacy notices. There are no ads on this site (aside from the hosting ads – a necessary evil). Functionally and fundamentally, I just don’t make money off of this blog. It is NOT monetized. Finally, I don’t track you because I just don’t care to.

  • You can start reading the articles by going HERE.
  • You can visit the Index Page HERE to explore by article subject.
  • You can also ask the author some questions. You can go HERE to find out how to go about this.
  • You can find out more about the author HERE.
  • If you have concerns or complaints, you can go HERE.
  • If you want to make a donation, you can go HERE.

.

[daegonmagus] – Part 15 – LD Lesson 4: Advanced LD Practices and Potentialities

The following is the fifteenth part from a series of articles describing the adventure that a follower who goes by the handle "daegonmagus" has experienced since reading MM. They are very interesting and fascinating. I hope that you all learn from his journey and maybe learn a thing or two as he relates his unique experiences to the readership here. 

-MM

Part 15 – LD Lesson 4: Advanced LD Practices and Potentialities

I hope you’ve been practicing because now we get into the good stuff. Comparing this article to my past ones will be like comparing aged scotch whiskey. It will be like shelving that 12 year old blended crap and cracking open a 21 year old single malt instead. Except rather than take a few savouring sips, we are going to devour the whole bottle.

Just don’t do what I did and leave it in an oak cask in the middle of 40+ degree Celsius summer only to find it had all evaporated before I’d even had my second sampling. For those who do not know, distillers take this evaporation into account when ageing their scotch and call it the “Angel’s Share”. Well the angels certainly got their fair share of that batch, $250 fucking dollars worth of it.

Speaking of angels, there is a very well known story in occult circles about Dr John Dee and his communication with the “angel” Enoch. As the story goes, Dee, an accomplished scryer, was able to communicate with Enoch through the use of a crystal ball and black mirror. Enoch purportedly relayed an Angelic alphabet to Dee who in turn relayed it to his associate Edward Kelly. Kelly transcribed the complete alphabet along with the proper method of contacting the angels through the use of a complex system of tablets. Israel Regardie (Aleister Crowley’s secretary) has an excellent write up of the correct use of the tablets in his book “Golden Dawn” which deals with the magical systems of that same Order.

Whilst this subject deserves its own separate article, be aware that my LD methodologies can be used to contact similar non physical entities (for the sake of brevity I lump all angels/demons/ghosts/inter-dimensional ETs in the same boat under this title). Though Dee never specifically used LD or AP for his scrying sessions (that I am aware of), these avenues certainly can be used for these purposes. In fact, I am so sure in my assertions that I will even go as far as to say that these avenues will produce results far better and far in excess than what is capable with conventional channeling processes whilst “awake”, going by mine and SDs experiences alone.

Remote viewing, telepathy, communication with non physical entities, projection into other worlds etc are all very real possibilities from this non physical vantage point. Men of common sciences will suggest they are just imbalances in brain chemistry or what have you, but once you experience them you will realise just how wrong these apparent “experts” are. Do yourself a favour and replace words such as “black mirror” and “crystal ball” with words such as “void space” and “sleep paralysis” whenever reading such occult recipes for communication with non physical entities.

So what makes LD so much better for these practices than channeling techniques carried out whilst conscious within the physical body? Trick question, and if you need to ask I suggest re-reading through my prior articles on the subject. LD is the practice of disengaging consciousness from the physical vessel. PERIOD. Non negotiable! Return all arguments to sender! We may call it a form of dreaming, or a type of OBE, but when you strip the technicalities away, this is what it really boils down to. It is the change of our conscious perception of reality, and for those who feel the need to argue this point, then all I can say is that you aren’t LDing properly. As MM would put it, it is your consciousness going from particle form to wave form. What you witness in LD is, quite bluntly, the other side of the Quantum physics coin. Read that, again.

How can one define reality when one is completely, irrevocably, 100% conscious, yet there is no longer a physical world in front of them? In LD you have a complete understanding on how it is your consciousness can create reality; there is no longer mystery in this regard. And these “expert” “dream scientists” are trying to measure it all with EEGs and other equipment that can only measure the particle domain? It is beyond laughable. As a qualified electronics technician with an advanced licence in radio I can tell you no breakthroughs are ever going to come through such dream research avenues which rely solely on such equipment.

It’s like using a wrench to measure voltage in an electronic circuit; the two are not compatible. But it is rather cute watching how much effort they put into it all. Kinda like watching a baby put a square block into a circular shaped hole. If only they would listen {sigh}. In case any of them are: If LD dream scientists are serious about their research then I suggest looking into experimenting with the concepts I am providing here. You will win a noble peace prize Laureate. Read up on MMs Our Universe material and play around with the range of extremely low frequencies he mentions. It all corroborates my experiences perfectly.

Hell, I’ll even draft your experiments up for you if you ask me nicely enough. Such scientists need to understand that once consciousness reaches the transition point, linear time becomes an irrelevant factor. The entire LD experience could take place within the time it takes the microcontroller in the EEG equipment clock to register a single digital step. That digital step is what draws all those nice little lines of data you guys like to rely on. Time is not the same in LD as it is in physical reality!!! LD/AP are not just fluctuations in brain chemicals/ speeds (though these do play a role); they are a conscious witnessing of quantum reality. Adapt your experiments accordingly, else you look like fucking amateurs to those of us who know what we are talking about.

So, anyways, in answering the above question:
By detaching consciousness and becoming lucid in this manner, you are disengaging from all the sensory inputs that shapes your physical world. Not just the 5 sensors, but all those sensors you don’t even realise you rely upon, such as subconscious “programs”, like breathing and heartbeat, that keep your body running. They are good for keeping your physical body alive, but one has to realise that these sensors, when tuned to the physical body, create a thick layer of M Band noise (what I previously called sub conscious distortion in past articles.) You will not realise just how encumbering this M Band Noise is until you consciously experience a transition into the sleeping state; at this juncture, the compression of consciousness state that you have been trapped in your whole life becomes immediately apparent.

Think of it like if you were born into a box that is much too small for your body in that it has to remain hunched over all the time. As the box is closed, the only reality you know of is that within the box. Hence you never realised you are encumbered. It is not until someone opens the box, and you can finally stretch out into the new reality outside of it that you realise just how limited you were in practically all of your abilities. This is a very crude rendition of a thought experiment called the “cave” by the well known philosopher Plato, I suggest everyone reads (it was what the story line of the Matrix movies was based on – and yeah I am the guy that exited the cave if you haven’t already figured it out). The point is, at the transition point you shed this M Band Noise baggage. It feels like someone just lifted a million tonne weight (or gravity itself) off of you, and you can – for want of a better word – “stretch” yourself in ways that you never could before. This is how you know you’ve reached the Void Space. In a general sense, the M Band noise begins to thin out the deeper one goes into sleep paralysis/ hypnogogia. Remember this, as it can be used to your advantage.

The reduction of this M Band noise layer is why LD is such an effective avenue for non physical entity communication. It is why it is so effective for “connecting” with other consciousness via telepathy. It is why it is so effective for remote viewing. Sure, there is still an inherent layer of M Band noise to cut through, but it is a lot thinner and a lot less troublesome from this vantage point. With enough practice it’s like cutting through butter. You learn to ignore what is irrelevant and focus on what is relevant. You learn to focus on what is new, what is different, what is out of place in this quantum world you are experiencing, and that is where you should be {carefully} probing for higher order information.

You’d be surprised of what is out there willing to “talk” or show you things. A point should be made though, that just because a non physical entity might say something, doesn’t always mean that it is the truth. Discernment is ultimately your own responsibility. And there is no reason you can’t be sending out “pings” for others to locate you. Ok yeah there is reason and we will say that reason is safety, but honestly, it isn’t something I really ever gave a shit about. (The movie “Baby’s Day Out” comes to mind, where this innocent baby wanders off from its parents to explore the fascinating world around it, seemingly ignorant of all the dangers unfolding right behind it and the predators that are trying to capture it to use it as a ransom. That pretty sums up my teenage LD years. )

But in these years I learnt some things; if you truly know yourself and what you are, there is nothing to be afraid of whilst in LD. I always operated on the mentality that no matter what evil presented itself to me to try and scare me, I was bigger and badder and meaner than it could ever be, and this is what I “projected” out with my pings. An unwavering sense of self is the crucial mentality one needs to be operating from in this state of consciousness. Never, ever, take notice of those words that were designed to break you from other, much weaker souls. If you allow them to carry on into the LD/AP domain, they will present as a weakened point of your being that may be exploited by other entities that are more sure of themselves. You simply cannot be weak minded when entering this place; wield your sense of self like a bright illuminating torch that makes others recoil in fear of being burnt and use that light to navigate.

Remember, you don’t actually have to accept that candy from the stranger at the park, just like you don’t have to accept their words as bearing anything on who you are. To put it simply, fuck their opinion. You are a god, you just don’t remember it yet. Hopefully you will soon.

Hidden Knowledge:

There is a wealth of information about who we are and our real histories that has been kept locked away from us in the non physical world; many occultists know this, yet very few are able to access such information. Consider this article the key to unlocking many of the mysteries that have been spoken about in occult circles for the past few centuries, when properly applied to them.

Understand my authority on this subject to make such bold claims does not come from an egotistical opinion generated on this plane of physical manifestation. Rather, it comes from the fact that I earnt my place to talk about them in such a manner as relayed to me by those who watch over this world in the non physical when they spoke to me of the importance of LD as the prime communication channel into the non physical planes. I don’t care if you have 10 million hits on youtube in reference to your LD clasess; if you haven’t clued onto this fact yet or experienced a flow of this information into your mind then either your LD abilities are no where near as good as you claim them to be or you are a disinfo agent paid to redirect knowledge from this profound truth; I will never ask a dime for any of it. I cannot stress how important Lucid dreaming really is for the evolution of human consciousness. This is something that is well overdue for reaching the mainstream. Don’t let the dream scientists wither it away to being nothing more than some fluctuations of dopamine. I have a feeling many Elders from indigenous tribes will agree with me, not that I am affiliated with any. The whole point of these articles is that I write them in the hope someone will pick them up and properly experiment with them further. Honestly, I’d rather be writing fantasy and sci fiction with the time I invest in them (seriously, I’ve got 5 half completed novels five times the size of this article sitting on my computer waiting for some TLC).

If properly applied, there is potential within these words to make the reader become more powerful than a god. Or, to put it simply, to remember yourself as an Immortal consciousness; your IS-BE heritage. Once you experience your consciousness operating from the seat of the Higher Self, you will never again consider the physical world as base line reality; I guarantee that much. What I am giving you here is real occult {hidden} power.

But first, let’s talk a little about potentiality of Lucid Dreaming.

The Higher Self:

I want you to do yourself a favour and take all that new age bullshit you’ve learnt on the Higher Self being some vague inner voice of yours that gives your physical self direction and throw it out the goddamned fucking window. Whilst this might be an auxiliary function, practically all of the shit you read about on this topic on the internet is NOT what I am talking about here. The exception to this rule is that Eastern based philosophy tends to show a greater understanding of this truth than anything Western based. However, if the poster of the article in question is not drilling home the point the Higher Self is both the origin and destination point for us, then relegate it to the trash.

The Higher Self, – the thing I experienced during my contact sessions with the EG and U5 – is quite literally an alien way of processing information. It is the mind that exists at the closest point of your soul’s/spirit’s/ non physical body’s creation, before it was manipulated, severely handicapped and thrown into a boring flesh suit, and told it must appease the profit prophets. No words will ever be sufficient to explain what it really is. It is an unfathomable function of the mind that every single person should be capable of connecting to if only they worshipped it more than they did money. Consider it like entering a god mode cheat for old DOS based computer games that give you “powers of the developers” to bend the rules of the game. The Higher Self is the god mode that allows you to exit this physical reality (Plato’s Cave) and explore everything from the outside. It allows you to view the entire created physical and non physical planes and their “light codes” as if you were the developer that worked on them. Does that sound like a more suitable end point for humanity than an endless cycle of work, die, reincarnate and repeat?

I have written in past articles that if you combined all the super geniuses of the Earth – all the Einsteins, Von Neumans, Schrodingers, Teslas – into a single being, their abilities would be only a very small fraction of what the Higher Self is capable of. I really am not exaggerating this. The reason is that while you are piloting your flesh suit, your mind has been limited in its operating functions (deliberately, if we go by what the EG told me, and what the Domain has told us). I like to think of it like comparing the processors of an old 1990s model computer to the modern equivalent. Your mind whilst locked in the physical body is like an old Pentium model operating in the MHz spectrum, whilst the Higher Self is equivalent to something running 4 or 5 Ghz. Well, actually it is more like something running in the ZettaHertz spectrum and beyond, but since we are a long way off from having that kind of processing power, I am stuck with equating it to only a 1000 times more. Humour me, will you, and just realise I am talking about a magnitude of operation trillions of times more powerful than the processing abilities you are using to read this very text.

I would have the readership remember back to those days when we thought a 500MHz processor was the pinnacle of our {computer} evolution, and that anything better was out of reach. Yeah, well that is the difference between your Earth mind processing capabilities versus something operating close their Higher Self, like, say, a non physical entity. We only think our Earth minds are the be all and end all to evolution because it is the only thing we know. How can I drill the point across more that it really isn’t? Hence the importance of connecting with this Higher Intelligence. Consider me the investor that is trying to build the research base to make those ZettaHertz processors a reality. It will take time, but we need to start somewhere and make gradual progress before we can expect results.

Allow me to explain this whole concept using another, more fitting analogy. In digital communications we have two choices when it comes to communicating data; that of serial or parallel programming practices. In serial data transfer each bit is placed on a single wire and processed one by one through each consecutive clock pulse from the processor. Parallel data transfer differs in that we have much more wires to place more bits on, thus more information can be processed for the same clock pulse.

This is the main functional difference between the higher mind and your limited Earth based one. Think of your Earth mind as having a single wire for information transfer; you must process thoughts in a serial like fashion before you can arrive at a conclusion to whatever it is you are thinking about, which more often than not is a choice that leads to some kind of action being taken, and thus more thoughts that add to the serial processing train.
Now consider the higher mind as being a parallel data bus with 100 more wires (we only need 64 to be ~18.5 quintillion times more powerful, as capability doubles with every bit added).

For every thought you have, you have a plethora of other thoughts that arise from it which must be processed by your brain one by one. For example, you might ask yourself “what should I eat for breakfast”, this would lead to a choice between bacon and eggs or toast with butter. Then you remember the bacon was tasting a bit funky last time you ate it so go with option 2. Only problem is you don’t have any bread left, so you decide to go the shop and buy some. On your way out the door you come across a neighbour and you engage in some friendly banter about your new car, which reminds you you need to fill up the gas tank etc etc, which leads to a million other thought trains about how much money is in your bank account, how you will allocate whatever funds you have to paying certain bills etc.


We don’t even realise it, but in the span of a few minutes we could have a hundred different thoughts that have arisen from other random thoughts in this manner; our mind just processes them automatically one by one without us even really realising it.

This is not at all how the higher mind functions. There are no “thought trains” as to how we have become accustomed to experiencing whilst in a physical body. This is because the moment a thought arises, all conclusions to that thought are simultaneously reached. Thus there is no “problem reaction solution”; whenever a problem is encountered, the solution to that problem is automatically calculated at the same time. So if you are a quantum physicist trying to understand a certain mystery regarding entanglement whilst in the physical body, if you were able to port this problem to a conscious interaction to the Higher Self (via lucid dreaming/ astral projection etc), it would automatically be solved the moment you thought it up. But, the more amazing thing is, is that it does not present as a problem but rather a memory that you already know the answer to. It is more like doing a quick revision of a subject you are already an expert in and saying to yourself “duh, I already knew this”. The only “problem”, is that the amount of information relating to your original thought you wanted solved would have so many variables attached to it that it would simply be impossible for you to retain it all coming back into the limited consciousness state of operation in the physical body. You cannot process these variables whilst confined to the human mind, as the human mind has been carefully engineered to filter them all out. The best you could do would be to remember a very small percentage of what is relayed to you. Believe me, it s incredibly frustrating and saddening to be able to operate from this state of awareness, and come back into the body only to know you will lose it all. You can actually feel the retardation effects of the M Band layer as you pass through it back into the body. Depressing is an understatement.

While I was operating from this higher state of awareness, my mind was on overdrive carrying out calculations that, had I retained the information when waking back up, could have led to the construction of my very own interstellar capable space craft. I am not joking – from this higher state such calculations were as easy as adding 1+1 together. On the other hand, the processing time for a human brain to make these same calculations I remember realising would equate to “billions of years” if it was the only thought it ever utilised. To someone who has never connected to it, the Higher Self is unfathomable.

Alien Psychology

Let’s try thinking of this at a different angle shall we. An alien space craft crashes somewhere on Earth; let’s just say Roswell for shits and giggles. One of the crew is taken out and contained in a room at some random military base. Let’s use a completely random, imagined name and call this base Fort Worth. We will apply further randomness to the name of the alien and call it Airl shall we?

So here is Airl, contained in a cell at Fort Worth, and in come a bunch of military brass to interview this entity about its weapons arsenal, where it is from in the universe etc. The military brass are really more of a “military lead” when it comes to their consciousness processing abilities; they think they are “hard” and structurally useful but in fact they are really quite soft and malleable. They don’t realise that Airl’s consciousness processes information in a completely different way to them. At best they might have an inkling it is superior, but, as they have never been exposed to this paralleling processing of information, they don’t really understand how it works. So they pitch the question “what are your weapons capabilities?”

Immediately Airl (who we will assume is operating from the same state of awareness I was able to connect to) would understand every possible outcome arising from every possible way that question would be answered. Airl would be able to conceive of every fork in the MWI from that moment on, all the way up into infinity and beyond. There is no need for the mind to process the question, observe body language etc as all future variables become instantaneously available. All that would be needed would be for Airl’s ultimate goal (it could 5000 years from that point in time for all we know) to be located within this web of possibility, and the necessary actions to take would automatically be carried out one by one. The entire butterfly effect from start to finish would be calculated before your mind could even formulate the word “what”. Take a moment to think about the implications this would present, because there is a shit tonne of them.

Thus an understanding of the proper functioning state of the physical and non physical universe is possible from this state of higher consciousness. This is what I was able to “see” and experience whilst I was connected to my higher self – I just cannot accurately describe it because my earth mind is too limited in its capabilities. Unfortunately, I lost all the {exceedingly complex} formulas and mathematics the moment I crossed the transition state/ M Band noise layer into the physical plane and waking reality.

What I can tell you is that the physical and non physical planes exist as a sort of mesh or fabric that binds one another together through intersecting junctions that are more non physical based than they are physical. This is hard to conceptualise considering we are accustomed to only seeing in 2 dimensions (despite living in a 3D world we can only see that world as a mixture of 2 dimensional surfaces; we do not actually see in 3 dimensions, for to do so would mean we see all angles of any given object at once, which is entirely possible from the Higher Self). The CIA Project Gateway paper (for the complete version go to Found: Page 25 of the CIA’s Gateway Report on Astral Projection (vice.com) ) description of the “holographic universe” is the closest I have seen any one else come to describing what I experienced, apart from ol’ MM here. It is sort of like looking at an xray of a solid object, except you can see the solidarity of the object as well as its transparency at the same time. It is strange because we can usually only conceptualise things as being physical or non physical, yet you exist in a third state beyond them. You can zoom in and out of this mesh fabric at will like a camera in a video game. It is different to just zooming out of and seeing a galaxy behind you, because you are seeing the actual fabric of how multiple instances of that same galaxy exist in their physical and non physical forms from a timeless state.

You can see that entire “photo reel” of that galaxy as it is drawn through what we know as time, and you can see how it all fits together with every other galaxy in every other plane. You can see the heartbeat of the true universe. Do you really think your tiny earth brain is capable of understanding such magnificence? Understand what I am telling you here; a connection with the higher self allows you to view the entire fucking MWI as if it is a map you can throw on a table. This should give you an idea of what you can look forward to when “assimilating” into a civilisation such as the Domain.

While I was connected I was able to comprehend the totality of the entire past, present and future at once; I was able to understand the consequence of every thought and action and each separate future that would be generated as a result from those thought and actions in every single physical and non physical plane. One thing I did remember was that this level of understanding is a necessary prerequisite for proper unaided consciousness time travel.

I needed to understand these things not because creating a fucking time travelling Delorean was necessary. I needed to access this information in order to rewrite the astral/soul templates of those in attendance. It was far more important than travelling to the edge of the physical universe. This was far more important than becoming the next Doc Brown; that come slater in our evolutionary cycle. The altar in the middle of the Elder Guardians courtyard allowed one to literally “jack in” to this fabric and become one with it.

Understand that this is what I mean when I say “accessing the akashic records”; it implies the actual merging of one’s consciousness with the fabric of all of creation specifically so information can be downloaded directly from source. It is not some vague thing one can just randomly tap into while their consciousness is engaged within the physical vessel to “better” their immediate lives. It can only be accessed from complete and proper disconnection of consciousness from the physical body, and through experience gained from navigating through the non physical planes. You don’t gain access to that altar unless you prove you know what the fuck you are doing when engaged in non physical navigation. You certainly don’t gain access to it if you consider your current incarnation more important than the sum totality of your soul’s entire existence. Only those able to extend their thinking of what matters beyond a single lifetime can access it.

Now I have down played my whole presence at this courtyard somewhat because quite frankly it feels too narcissistic to talk about, but if I am entirely honest, a lot of people were making a lot of fuss about me being there. This merging of the akashic with one’s consciousness was apparently not something everyone could achieve, and only those with accomplished LD skillsets really had the ability to do it effectively. You absolutely MUST have a proper understanding of how to navigate {the MWI} or you can very easily become lost within it – even the EG, who were of a non physical based nature lacked the other {physical understanding} half of the coin. Hence why I was summoned and practically put in charge of this whole operation. I was literally just left to “plug myself” in to the akashic records and left to my own devises by the Grand Elder to try and figure out a way to counter the amnesia mechanism embedded in astral/soul DNA so we don’t have to put up with this unneeded reincarnation schpeel any longer. His role was specifically to reawaken me to this task that I had been involved with the for the past 10 thousand to 40 thousand years.

So when I tell you the underlying function of what astral body/ soul DNA rewriting entails, this isn’t just hazarding a guess at wtf was going on; this is me giving you the actual process of what is involved as the only one out of over 20 000+ others in attendance that could do it. That included the entirety of the Elder Guardians; not even they had the ability to do what I was able to do due to my LD skillset. Not one of them dared going near that altar (aside from the Grand Elder who did only so he could talk to me), yet I was allowed to parade around it like it was my own little toy to play with. I cannot begin to explain how incredibly humbling that felt. I had access to the whole fabric of the “universe” at my fingertips. Hence when I tell you Lucid Dreaming is important for the “evolution” of human consciousness, you’d better be paying some attention. It literally gives you access to the assembly programming language of the fabric of reality and the collective (as well as individual) consciousness. Isaac CARET much?

And yet I am stuck going through the red tape put in place by psychological and scientific “experts” who have absolutely no idea wtf they are talking about when it comes to telling us what dreams actually are, or doing when it comes to experimenting with LD/AP. It is beyond maddening trying to get this message through that information vacuum. Anyways….

The Process I Used for Astral Body/ Soul Amnesia Recorrection:
Whilst plugged into the altar I was able to make a mini, replica version of the akashic records/ MWI accurate to about 90% of the original. I intentionally left out a few things for reasons described below. When I talk about the “scroll”, one needs to understand that the material this “scroll” was made out of was that very mesh fabric discussed above. If you were to zoom into this “paper”, you wouldn’t find pieces mashed tree pulp; you would find microcosmic representations of entire MWI realities linked via their non physical {quantum} pathways. Remember, I was operating from a vantage point outside of the entire MWI.

Because I had access to raw MWI source code, I then began tracing the akashic signature of everyone in attendance. These signatures equated to their presence as overlayed in the total MWI. In other words, I accessed data pertaining to their soul’s total existence from beginning to end. These signatures were then plugged into the “cloned” MWI by tethering parts of them to it. This meant that what I was effectively doing was creating a hub where I could gather the consciousnesses of those 20 000+ that were in attendance and “virtually” plug them in to the akashic records like I was plugged in – though all navigational control was ultimately at my discretion because of the bits I left out when I cloned it (I cannot overstate how incredibly fucking cool this was to do; mummy, when I grow up I want to be a consciousness programmer). I gave them a virtual MWI and cut off access to the bits that would fuck them up if used improperly.

Once attached, I located each and every part of these consciousness that had become corrupt through the amnesia codes embedded within their higher energetic bodies. I then wrote a sort of software patch and spliced it into the beginning of the amnesia code for each consciousness. What this patch would do would initiate an akashic/MWI reset every time the amnesia code was about to be activated, specifically so a route around the amnesia would eventuate. Essentially I was using the amnesia activators to activate a very specific “recovery of memory” pathway through each consciousness’s MWI instead of a pre-programmed pathway that led through amnesia territory. Does this sound familiar? It should, MM has described similar programming practices by the ETs he was associated with.

I pulled out all data relating to any other consciousness those in attendance had come into contact with (over their soul’s entire lifetime) and embedded similar activation strings within their own MWIs. The idea was to create a sort of anti virus that would actually function like a virus and “infect” as many consciousnesses as possible with the cure to their corrupted higher energetic bodies. Those in attendance would be set for immediate memory recovery within their current incarnation to help with their tasks, whilst their associations were looking at 2 or 3 reincarnation cycles before the effects would begin to kick in. It was estimated that the code I wrote would reach its peak potentiality of memory activation in somewhere between 3 to 5 generations from {then} present day (2012). This is an averaged taking into account the changing MWI variables and various outcomes.

I then instructed the entire assembly of Elder Guardians to protect this “scroll”, to which they obliged. Anyone seeking complete memory recovery would be allowed access to it provided they were of pure (STO) sentience. STS sentiences, or those who would use it to gain power over others would be vehemently denied access. In other words, don’t bother trying if you have a tendency to shit on others to get what you want; you will never be allowed access to this altar by MY personal authority and very bad things will happen to you if you try. Bad things, like you automatically volunteer to be an anomaly guinea pig so I can watch the process of how your consciousness is disassembled after I throw you into it. Go work for a bank or government if that is your mentality; what we are discussing here far transcends the single, physical life these people consider as being important over all else.

Thus, the only way to gain access to this scroll is to hold in very high regard the macrocosmic aspects of all souls/consciousnesses and their entire MWI trajectory as being more important than what any single physical life has to offer (those words in red I had no control over – word decided to do this automatically – maybe its trying to tell me something). Unless you are prepared to spend this life assisting other consciousnesses in being “unlocked” to their higher state, you will unfortunately have to wait another 2 or 3 incarnation cycles before being unlocked yourself. This should give you an idea as to the type of people those 20 000+ consciousnesses in attendance were. They were not simply people coming here to spread some vague bullshit about love and light or apparent channelings from Ashtar command (that is not to say those people don’t have their own thing going on, some of them probably quite legit); they were incredibly advanced consciousnesses that had a very good understanding of the higher (unseen) aspects of reality that deliberately chose to enter the Earth domain at risk of losing such understandings. And they did this in order to extract others who were part of OUR greater {non physical} community. Believe me, don’t believe me, it makes no difference. My writings will find their way to them in due course.

I know of one other that was involved in similar astral body/ soul DNA rewriting and their life story would blow you out of the fucking water. Hopefully they write a book on it, as it brings a new perspective of this entire operation and how truly far reaching it is.

Am I getting my point across yet? If we go by what Steven Greer tells us, put 2 and 2 together when it comes to the Gateway Project and Project Stargate, then the Military Industrial Complex has already cottoned on to this super information highway many, many years ago. And if you want to know the real reason I was initiated into the Unseen 5, it is because they {the U5} were well aware of the sequestering of this knowledge to the Deep Black libraries of the MIC, and wanted to circumvent it altogether. I was directed to make what I know about LD/AP public in an effort to take it off those MIC Deep Black Shelves, so more practitioners of these arts can better prepare themselves for contact. This was the main task I was given by their leader, apart from making their presence known to you and the pre requisites for initiation. Do you think that it is a mere coincidence those in control of MAJ felt the same way about having MM release his disclosure at the same point of time?

So now we have got that necessity of where LD can potentially take you out of the way, let’s go into some advanced techniques achievable via LD based on mine and SDs experiences.

Outward Projection Via the Portals:

In past articles I discussed how one can summon the spherical portals and use them as coordinate vectors into other planes and worlds. I also talked about how consciousness can be expanded outwardly. Combining the two together, the spherical portals can provide two way access into these other worlds. Whereas an inward projection will take you to a more “dense” world, an outward projection will take you a less dense one (further from matter based reality). The further you penetrate into these less denser layers/ worlds, the closer you get to being able to contact those outside the bubble, ie the Elder Guardians (the Unseen 5 are deliberately stationed within the bubble close to its edge in order to properly monitor everything). To achieve this outward projection the process begins the same as an inner projection; you summon the portal to just in front of your vision, but instead of visualising the world you want to go to, you visualise the world you are already in. In other words, you have to condense your surroundings into this ball, then project out of it. Think of it like a giant invisible hand picking you up and carrying you out into space at an incredibly fast speed. All of a sudden the environment you were engaged in has become condensed to the spherical shape of the earth. A similar visualisation can be structured to reach this outcome.

Communication With Non Local, Non Physical Entities via Sleep Paralysis:

Sleep paralysis/ the hypnogogic state can be used to interact with non physical entities. SD and I have found that at times you can hear their “chatter” and at other times you have to ping out an intention to interact with whatever may be hanging around to which they just kind of show up. The best times for doing this seem to be when you are in a sleep paralysis state, but not being consumed by the negative feeling illusions that are at times too overwhelming. When I talked to the clickity clacker ETs it was from the void space after I had just sort of became lucid whilst there (a DILD rather than A WILD). What happened was I became aware of a faint radio-like broadcast whilst floating around in this state that was very noticeably not human.

It was very much like when you have a radio that is just out of tune from a station so you get the broadcast through a wall of white noise. What you have to then do is focus into the {M band} noise, visualise that you are turning a radio dial which changes your own body’s resonance, to tune into the broadcast. I can’t really accurately describe how this was done, only that I did it quite automatically as if I had done it many times before. Once I locked onto the broadcast something weird happened; the clickity clack dialogue became vivid and understandably alien to any dialect we have on earth. It was as if I was just sort of sucked out of the M band layer into a very clear state of consciousness (very typical of what it was like whenever the EG or U5 were contacting me).

I went from floating in this indescribable confusing mess to free floating in a ship filled with a strange liquid I figured was some kind of intergalactic consciousness quarantine zone that doubled as a medical room. I was then telepathically directed over to a cylindrical cubicle via imagery which also showed the non physical “shape” of these beings, and once I stood inside of it, the clickity clack language was automatically translated into something I could understand (English). When I say shape, it was really more of a blob that these things took. Not describable within the confines of human language. You wanna know what we talked about? Human beings having the potential of being incredibly powerful creatures, but their dumb arsery mixing with such power being the primary concern of why creatures such as the clickity clackers steered very well clear of them. And hence why there was a room filled with non physical liquid and several light years worth of space between me and them. The clickity clackers had no problem telepathically implying that the human race were like a bunch of infants with one hand on a box of matches and the other on a stick of dynamite, and were quite happy to treat me with similar caution. Non physical entities being “scared to death of the human race” seems to be a common conversation point for a lot of the entities in these planes.

SD has also had experiences in this same state and from the sleep paralysis/ hypnogogic state where she has pinged out “if anything out there wants to talk, say hello” only to have something reply. The something ended up being a non physical entity that appeared before her twice in the span of a week. The second time, with her agreement, it pulled her astral body out of her physical and gave her a tour of some of the planes in close approximation to the physical world. At the same time she was able to connect to a similar higher consciousness information stream; the beings actually helped in that regard – their presence seems to initiate it. One of these was what appeared to be a sentience/ soul sorting facility which was carried out by a giant machine like device that had the face of a Balinese god.

For those working with angels (and demons ), both forms can be contacted via this same sleep paralysis avenue. A lot of these particular beings hold information on our world and our history that has never and will never make its way to our history books, though many occultists use them for temporary and materialistic gain, which is a real shame. The presence of one of these particular entities is undeniable; there is a massive rush of energy that vibrates through your whole being whenever one of them is around. It is a completely different feeling than when contacted by those who exist outside of the non physical bubble surrounding earth, such as the Elder Guardians and the Unseen 5. It is also hard to gauge what exactly their intentions are. For those who follow the myths surrounding King Solomon and the 72 “fallen angels”, the myths of John Dee and the Angel Enoch, the magic of Metatron etc, this state of sleep paralysis is the avenue by which you make contact with all of them (I suspect King Solomon was an Agent of the Old Empire, for reasons I won’t go into). But I really don’t recommend it if you don’t know what you are doing. They can be quite intimidating on even the best of days, not that I intentionally ever set about to contact them; all my dealings with them were purely by accident. The point I am trying to make with including them here is to suggest just how powerful this telephone line into the non physical planes can be. There is some incredibly powerful shit residing in here, I am just trying to make you aware that some of it can be beneficial to your escape. The question you need to ask is what price you are willing to pay for information seemingly beneficial to your plans.
If you want to ping the Domain, or any other non physical based entity, then I suggest doing it from this state of consciousness. Though I would not know how to tell them apart from other non physical entities that dwell here. Maybe get an official signature off them via MM’s EBP?

Dream Hijacking:

Now, I need to mention here that I was only able to achieve this feat once. It is not exactly something that can be done very easily. The reason for this is because it requires an intense amount of unwavering focus of a target. This not a task for a novice: you need to be exceptionally good at visualisation and focus. Out of all the things one can do whilst in LD, this seems to be the hardest to actually pull off. I suggest that beforehand, I one must plan accordingly as to what dreamscape they should use and any conversation points they wish to bring up whilst engaged in the shared dream, and the process “simulated” over and over again until the LDer is confident they can move from one transition to the next. Even stalling for a millisecond in LD can have drastic consequences on the success of the session. Your thoughts and actions must flow and operate like a well oiled machine.

To begin with, you go to bed or lay yourself down to rest to initiate an LD in standard manner, but from the moment you close your eyes, you visualise the target whose dream you wish to “hijack”. This person must be visualised in as explicit detail as possible. You need to try and picture what they look like, hear what they sound like and smell what they smell like if possible. You must not let any other thought intrude, including the idea of hijacking their dream. This whole point of the visualisation is to provide coordinates for your consciousness to lock onto within the M Band layer of noise. You must carry this visualisation of them through the hypnogogic/ sleep paralysis state and transition on into the void space, and must never allow it to become broken or polluted with other thoughts. Once in the void space you must immediately set about creating the dreamscape by which they will experience. At the same time, you must also hold the visualisation of their being right in front of you as you create the dreamscape around them. Once the dream scape has been created, and remains locked in place, you then focus on talking to them. At this point you should be both engaged in the same dream. I suggest using bland dreamscapes with a degree of familiarity for the both of you to begin with, as I would expect sudden and fantastic dreamscapes may potentially shock them awake.
As one can expect, this method can also be used for remote viewing practices. You Just target an object rather than a person.

Communicating With Dead Entities:

The {apparent} dead entities I was communicating with that led to my Project Edison article were also contacted via the sleep paralysis/ hypnogogic state. I have also used this same state to contact my deceased brother, though that particular experience was too fraught with distortions to accurately tell whether or not it was a proper contact session. With Project Edison, I am 95% sure it was a proper contact session (as opposed to the clickity clackers which were a 100% surety, and the EG/U5 which were a 10000% surety). Basically all I did was callout to any entities that we living considered dead that were hanging around and asked if anyone was interested trying to establish a stable communication line between each other (something that could be used by us physical living entities without having to resort to initiating lucid dreaming or sleep paralysis like I was doing). I was met by of about 4 or 5 of these entities, all who were at one point living on the same planet earth we inhabit, all of which had at least a passive interest in technology. One, possibly two of these entities were some sort of electrical engineer whilst incarnated here, from around the era of Edison and Tesla, though no names were ever given. As nothing really eventuated from this all I can really tell you is there are at least this group of dead entities that seem enthusiastic about creating this communication bridge and who have a fair understanding of how exactly it could be carried out. Tell them I said hi if you end up contacting them.

Predicting Lotto:

I want to start of with a disclaimer that if you win any substantial amount using this method then please donate a fair portion of it to those in need of it. And buy me a house….or maybe just a beer will do fine. Play around with it and see what you can get; at the very least it is a good way to practice your environment simulation skills.

This was essentially an experiment in trying to remote view lotto numbers. Using this method I was only able to ever get 4 out of 6 lotto numbers correctly. The problem I had was trying to remember all 6 numbers after going back through the M band noise layer into the physical world. Lucid dreaming is strange in that you can have perfect clarity of memory whilst engaged in the LD, then lose 90% of it after coming back through threshold into waking reality. Even the simplest of memories become incredibly hard to remember. Now I need to note here that the lotto ticket I was using was a multiple “game” ticket that allowed 18 different combinations of the 6 numbers. Majority of the combinations I used contained the base 4 numbers I could remember plus variants of the two I couldn’t but suspected were the right ones. The rest of the combinations had one or two of the numbers I remembered changed. I was able to win about $15 dollars over three consecutive months each time because of the base four numbers I had remembered; the winning tickets always had these base 4 numbers; if I could have retained memory of those last 2, I would be sitting on something like $30 million right now. I suggest the LDer experiment with these methods and see what they can get. If a group syndicate was able to carry out this same experiment simultaneously then I would imagine those last two numbers would be easier to obtain.

Now, there are two variants of the experiment I utilised, the first seemed to be the more promising.

The first objective was to create the target coordinates for the experiment. Remember, we are dealing with a time and place that needed to be pinpointed to extreme accuracy; we first need to single out the date and time in which the lotto draw is to take place, as well as the country and exact location etc. Prior to the experiment I’d go down to my local newsagent and take note of their advertisement for the next big lotto draw and it’s date and note the location of their newspaper stand, layout of the store, what the Asian guy behind the counter looked like etc. The idea was to commit as much detail of the place to memory.

Then I’d wait for the next chance of LDing to try out the experiment, which was usually a few days later. What I did was enter the void space as per the usual method (either tennis match scenario, or passing through sleep paralysis, likely the latter as it was always done early in the morning). Then at the dream creation stage I would purposefully recreate the environment I planned on buying my lotto ticket from. I’d manifest the entire street the newsagent was on and walk down it. I’d look at the advertisement with the same big lotto win and its date, then I’d make my way over to the newspaper stand out front. I’d make a point of looking down at the page and finding the exact date of its publication (which I made to be the day of the lotto draw); this was all to set up the proper coordinates for my remote viewing target. I’d then go in, weave through the layout of the magazine shelves, and buy a ticket from the Asian guy whose face I would recreate as close as I could to how I remembered it, making sure it was a single game (single combination of numbers). I’d then take a good few minutes just staring at the numbers and committing them to memory as best as I could. I would then exit the session, wake up and immediately write down what I could remember of the numbers.

Over the weeks before the lotto draw I’d play around varying the simulation. Sometimes I would make the dream reflect the newspapers showing it was the day after the lotto draw, and I would check my ticket at the machine only for it to tell me I’d won the jackpot, then look at the numbers on the winning ticket. Again, I’d wake up and record these numbers down. No matter what I did, I could only ever get 4 numbers with over 90% surety. On the day of the draw I’d go down and buy a ticket from the same store and put in all the numbers from the various sessions. Over the years I started varying the entire simulation to reflect the actual draw as to how I would see it on TV; I’d watch the barrel of numbers shoot out each number of the draw. Again, I could only ever get 4 numbers, so I eventually gave up and devoted my LD sessions to things I thought more necessary.

While we are on the subject of lotto prediction in the non physical planes though, I do know a guy whose friend was able to utilise what very much sounded like the void space to win multiple millions 3 separate times. This guy was my old electronics lecturer from my college years who I tracked down about a decade later to talk about where he thought technology was taking us. During our conversation, to my amazement, he brought up the idea of our reality being a simulation and the idea of a linked consciousness he called the human gestile concept that could be communicated with at bed time. Ron would go to bed, and sort of pray to this linked consciousness and ask it certain profound questions in which he swore it would give him answers. He passed this concept onto his friend who used it (it was never mentioned how) to win. Most of those winnings were donated to others that needed it more than him, and it was suggested to Ron that his friend thought had he not been so generous with the distribution of his winnings, he figured he never would have been “allowed” to win them.

I haven’t been able to get back there to verify Ron’s claims since talking to him. But….knowing what I know about the void space being a similar hub that links to other’s consciousnesses together I have a very good idea of how one would go about using it for this purpose. You commit to a conscious transition into its depths so that you are not overwhelmed with the subconscious distortions/ M band noise, then you’d send out the thought for obtaining the numbers for a certain lotto draw you know is coming up. From my conversation with Ron, he implied that you don’t even need to be “asleep” to probe this gestile consciousness “thing” for answers. I was under the impression he was basically doing it during theta state right before sleep paralysis whilst still being awake. Can’t hurt to try right?

Remote Viewing via the Void Space:

Animals make great Remote Viewing targets. Especially ones that roam. They don’t even need to be pets, but pets provide good ways to verify results. Sometimes when I am feeling adventurous, I will try and remote view from a bird, or other random wild animal, like a wolf – I have a thing for wolves. Cats are also good, because they are pretty much the parkour experts of the animal kingdom, and thus fun to view from. Usually these sessions are done whilst still conscious, from Theta state if possible. I will try and picture what the world looks like through eyes of the animal then within a few moments I become that animal and it is like watching a movie playout as I fly/ run across the landscape (which is often in a completely different country). If you have been building your visualisation skills enough, you can port this practice over to the Void Space. When I remote viewed from the off world intelligence back when I was around the age of 14/15, it was from using the void space to conduct one of these RV sessions. I was interested in projecting into various parts of the galaxy to see if I could find anything of relevance. After deliberately accessing the void space, I visualised just a general memory of what all the stars looked like, picked one and focused on it. Before I knew it I was hovering next to a being that seemed very much like it was an progenitor of Native American culture. I’ve explained how that session went in past articles. This is probably the easiest thing to use the Void Space for.

Hive Dreaming:

Vainenmoinen suggested the creation of an LD “pub” where {theoretically} each participant would enter the LD stage and meet up in a predetermined locale. Whilst I have achieved this with SD, I have not done it as a group. I would imagine there would be some difficulties to overcome, most notably the distortions/M Band noise of each participant preventing proper synchronisation occurring. I do know that SDs old music lecturer was doing this very thing with astral projection on a regular basis with a regular group of people. Apparently she stopped doing it when the group {of about 5 or 6} projected into a plane that was off limits and a member was killed by some entity that didn’t approve of them being there.

At that very moment in the physical plane their astral projection coordinator realised this member was in distress and tried to wake them all up, but not before this guy died of what the coroners suggested was a heart attack. Such a danger, however, need not be approached, in my opinion. If the dream environment creation is left to the main “hijacker” then (assuming they know what they are doing) I hypothesise that other participants could then synch into the dreamscape. By providing a 3D model of the dreamscape location before hand, I would imagine this would help with synchronisation efforts.

The key would be for the model and predetermined location to be rather bland in composition so that those not as proficient at visualisation are also able to better synch into it. In saying that though, the main hijacker would have to have a check at hand for the others to “find” within the dreamscape to better prove they were there. Maybe a simple image or something on the table that is the first thing they should look at when arriving at the location. There is also the option of seeking out the Island Beach, as this seems to be a pre-created destination that has been experienced by other lucid dreamers. It could be considered a safe haven, so long as you don’t venture to close to the fence (either stay on the far side of the island or go into the temples via the burrows in the forest.)

Methods of Projecting back and forth through the MWI (Consciousness Time Travel):

When I was about 19, I was having a few regular interactions with what appeared to be a Tibetan Monk of sorts during my LDs who was giving me some pointers on how to effectively use consciousness to go back and forward in time (what we’d call a back and forth MWI slide). This was a really strange period, because (according to SD) I would sit bolt upright in the middle of the night, say random shit like “the Monk says the key is that I must smoke the tree sap” then just go back into an incredibly deep sleep like nothing had happened. These sorts of episodes were a regular occurrence. I’d have them probably once a fortnight.

I remember during one LD the Monk emphasized that there were 12 or 13 “words” that could be chanted via mediation to prepare consciousness in this manner. I only ever remembered one of them – “Djock” with a stressed emphasis on the “ck” sound. I was also given certain symbols during these meditations, which were supposedly further aids. Admittedly I have used these aids during meditation and had LDs following them that are suggestive of some form of time travel. Like one where I was given an alternate history of how my father could have met my mother and the resultant future that would have stemmed from it. This involved being in a time chamber where a portal appeared and showed me this outcome like I was watching a movie. Apparently that outcome would have led to a much better life for me. Oh well, shit happens I guess.

There was also something to do with a book existing in 2 instances of time that had been edited to achieve the world line I am currently living out. I basically saw the before and after of the book. I believe this place was linked to other places I have visited in LD. My training at the time travel towers also started around this same time.

Simulations for Memory Recall:

LD can be used for accurate memory recall. When I was about 17, and fresh out of school, I ended up scoring a job working for a local tree lopping company. As it turned out, one of the guys I was working with regularly was the brother of a girl that I went to school with. I knew this girl by association only; I never really hung around her group of friends, but some of my friends were friends with hers. So when I was at school I had a passing knowledge of her. She was at a few of the same parties I went to, but I never so much as said more than hi to her during my whole time at school.

Anyway this brother of hers, he was talking about her in passive tense, and I realised he had the same last name, so there was enough there for me to make that very faint connection. Only problem was, I couldn’t for the life of me remember her first name. I could picture her face easily enough, but her name just completely evaded me. This annoyed the shit out of me, because it had only been a season since I had been at school, so there was no real reason for this memory blank. Yet it persisted all week. I’d see this guy and then think “what the fuck is his sister’s name?”, and I just couldn’t shake that thought all day.

Of course, I didn’t say anything to him; he’d made it seem like I should have known her, so I didn’t bring it up in fear of the awkwardness of the situation. So I figured I try my hand at using LD to remember it. One night, after becoming lucid half way through a dream, I thought of this girl, and how I didn’t remember her name. I simulated one of the parties we would have been at during school, then I let it play out, hoping I’d trick my sub consciousness into giving it away. And it actually did. The weird thing was though, it did so by attaching a completely random name to her face. So in the LD, I introduced myself to her, and likewise she introduced herself back. “Hi I’m Elise”, she said. I immediately woke up and my mind screamed at me “HER FUCKING NAME IS MEGAN, IDIOT”.

Maybe it needed that incorrect bit of data to compute the real value, I honestly don’t know. The funny thing is, now something like 16 years later, I can recall her name as easily as my own, despite not seeing her since high school. So yeah, the void space can definitely be used for suppressed memory recall. What you do is enter it and create a dream simulation centred around the thing you wish to remember, and use what every snippets of information about the scenario you can rember to create the simulation. You can also “feed in” certain thoughts to make certain lifestyle choices as a sort of sub conscious mind hack. It’s pretty much self hypnotism.

Using the Void Space for Healing:

When I had my fingers cut open (the gruesome details of which can be found in my autobio), I again used lucid dreaming to heal them with a decent measure of success. These weren’t your average wounds either. All four fingers on my left hand, discounting my thumb, were cut at or near the joint where they meet the hand, through to the bone. This included 4 four tendons, an artery, and a few nerves here and there on the palm side. In fact, the cuts were so bad, if it hadn’t been for my bones keeping them attached, my fingers would have come off almost completely. The surgeons even contemplated amputating my ring finger because the damage was so extensive (thankfully they didn’t).
This amount of damage was apparently unheard of for my Occupational Therapists. Usually the people they saw had one or two fingers damaged at most. Not 4 fifths of a whole hand. After my operation, I had stitches zig zagging up my fingers all the way to their tips. I counted about 62 of them of the outside, and the surgeons claimed I had another 10 or so holding my tendons together. They said it was like stitching 2 pieces of spaghetti together. The whole thing was classed as a catastrophic injury with a slim chance of me being able to gain much function back in them by the OTs.

Regardless, I had a voice in the back of my head telling me I needed to try lucid dreaming ASAP. So the night after I got home from hospital I set to work entering the void space and doing some healing visualisations. I’d go into my hand at a cellular level and pictures all the tendons and everything fusing back together, send little electrical bursts around them to make sure the information was going through etc.

The next night, I was lying in bed and I could feel everything – and I mean everything – fusing back together. I could actually feel the tendons and nerves repairing themselves. It was a very strange but comforting feeling. I ended up making a remarkable recovery. Six months after the incident, I walked into the OTs office and she told me I had regained about 98% function in my fingers. I was able to straighten them almost completely. Apart from a few tiny things like not being able to bend the last knuckle of my ring finger, I had a perfect functioning hand. My OT (who had the same name as my wife) couldn’t believe it. I just shrugged and told her I knew the secrets to healing. She laughed and said “oh, you do not” thinking I was joking.

Unfortunately, a few months later my hand took a blow that was too much for it and undid all that hard work. At least now I know if I suffer another bad injury how to aid in the healing process. The main thing is that you need to be quick. Don’t put off the LD healing simulation if you can help it. And don’t expect to just be able to do one session and the rest will work itself out. Keep up with whatever strict regime your OT suggests, and use LD to nudge your body in the right direction.

A Theoretical Process of Using Consciousness to Hijack An ET Space Craft
Again, I haven’t tested this out. But let’s quickly run through some past revelations I have dropped in this article and expand upon them a little shall we? My experience with the clickity clackers and hijacking SD’s dreamscape suggests that one can alter their consciousness operating frequency to “tune” into the consciousness frequency of others. My experiences using remote viewing via the Void Space suggests that some form of navigational control can be obtained whilst in this state. Airl (as well as Colonel Philip Corso in his The Day After Roswell book) suggests that the type of craft they utilise are tuned to the frequency of their pilot’s thought signatures. Airl also suggests that somewhere on earth are the consciousnesses of 3000 Domain personnel. I think it is safe to assume that at least some of those Domain operatives were possible space craft pilots, don’t you? So hypothetically, speaking, if one of these Domain pilots was able to enter the void space through the LD state, and “tune” into their ship like I tuned into the clickity clackers, then operate it using Remote Viewing practices…..You get the point. It might be nothing – the thought of a guy with an overly active imagination – but I sure as hell would prefer to experiment down this avenue rather than develop an ever repeating new Iphone model, wouldn’t you? This is the sort of shit astral projectors lucid dreamers should be focusing their attention on, again in my humble opinion.

The process I would use would be: Focus on the space craft in question upon going to sleep as is done for dream hijacking, carry this visualisation over and into Sleep Paralysis/ hypnogogia state and poll for frequency pings, tune into those pings until locked on, then enter the Void Space, create a simulated “dream environment” for the craft and go from there (I am assuming your piloting skills might be a bit rusty after just waking up from a couple of thousand year slumber). You could even use remote viewing via the Void Space to try and target a ship for hijacking prior to the experiment. Just a suggestion. Now, if I was to bump into such a craft when astral projecting, what does this tell you? The astral planes can be utilised as an inter dimensional space craft highway! So, what if instead of focusing on a physical craft, you focus on a non physical one instead? How do you know half of the lights people see in the sky aren’t just someone incredibly well accomplished at astral projection (ie the Project Stargate operatives that went Deep Black) and are piloting one of these very vehicles? “Excuse me sir, we have a problem…..the pilot of the alien space craft we just shot down is the Dalai Lama”. Perhaps I’ll expand on this and break it out into another one of my psionics projects.

You can visit the daegonmagus Index here…

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MM Articles & Links

Master Index

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You’ll not find any big banners or popups here talking about cookies and privacy notices. There are no ads on this site (aside from the hosting ads – a necessary evil). Functionally and fundamentally, I just don’t make money off of this blog. It is NOT monetized. Finally, I don’t track you because I just don’t care to.

  • You can start reading the articles by going HERE.
  • You can visit the Index Page HERE to explore by article subject.
  • You can also ask the author some questions. You can go HERE to find out how to go about this.
  • You can find out more about the author HERE.
  • If you have concerns or complaints, you can go HERE.
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[daegonmagus] – Part 14 – Domain HQ and Amnesia Mechanism Remote Viewing Session 17th Dec 2021

The following is the fourteenth part from a series of articles describing the adventure that a follower who goes by the handle "daegonmagus" has experienced since reading MM. They are very interesting and fascinating. I hope that you all learn from his journey and maybe learn a thing or two as he relates his unique experiences to the readership here. 

-MM

Part 14 – Domain HQ and Amnesia Mechanism Remote Viewing Session 17th Dec 2021

I have been doing some remote viewing every now and then when I get some spare time.

Today was one of the rarer opportunities I got to give it a go.

The last time I tried was several weeks ago. In that particular session I was trying to find the Domain base of operations stationed in the asteroid belt that Airl mentioned in Alien Interview.

I ended viewing a chunk of rock – an asteroid – with a very specific shape.

When I went to zoom into it I saw the silhouette of two Grey faces appeared as a sort of yellowish hue in front of the rock, and wave.

The hand that waved was very different to ours with four extremely long fingers.

A few days later I stumbled across MMs article regarding the greys he has worked with and the handprint of one of them.

That particular hand print exactly matched the hand that waved to me.

I also viewed some sort of room on what appeared to be a ship.

There was a flight of about 6 or 7 triangular shaped stairs that led to a platform with some sort of machinery on it.

Emanating from the tops of these stairs was a soft blue light.

I got the impression it was some sort of “engine” room or something.

Today’s Session:

I deliberately set about targeting physical locations that had something to do with the amnesia mechanisms.

The thought was inspired by an in5D article I read a few days ago that stated that the force screens can be turned off if someone was able to locate their physical “switch” and just flick it off .

I was immediately taken to a building, possibly in a section of America’s tech zone (Silicone Valley etc).

This building wasn’t anything huge; just a few stories high with the usual glass windows, very square – typical 80s architecture.

In front of the door was a logo; an upturned crescent moon with the name Andrew S. Lipia.

I have no doubt about Andrew and Lipia, the S standed for something like Sipil or Sibil.

It faded as I stopped to have SD write it down.

There was also possibly Dr before it, suggesting the building was made out to be psychologist practice.

The strange thing was, as this building came across my vision, I felt something – a hand – clap me on the back as if to say “well done”.

It was such a hard clap, that it actually jolted me as if I was right there in front of the building and got pushed forward from it.

Something told me this building had “secret” underground access to what I was looking for.

After this I tried locating the same asteroid I viewed in last weeks session.

I managed to get hone into a disc shaped building on the underside of the rock.

This disc had a square shaped cavity inside of it that “attached” to a similar shaped hole that had been bored into the asteroid to make efficient exit and entry to the disc.

The disc itself was a conventional saucer shape with a sharp “seam” where the top and bottom halves met similar to a clam shell.

After this I decided to try viewing the moon.

I Had been spotting it through my telescope the past few nights and had a few craters I wished to check out.

So, using the birds eye viewing landscape I had seen through my scope I was able to visualise going onto the moons surface and viewing it from there.

My attention turned towards the sky.

There was some kind of round object that was moving towards me at a rather fast speed.

It would have been about half the size of what we see the moon as when looking at it from earth.

Whatever it was had a trail of lightning blue streaks coming off from behind it; this is what had caught my attention.

The round shape of this thing was set as a shadow the blocked out the centre part of this blue light.

I then tried viewing this object. I managed to get up close and view it from behind where the blue light trail was emanating from a distance of maybe a kilometre.

The object seemed to be another asteroid that was being propelled forward by a hexagonal array of thrusters.

These thrusters were what was causing the blue light.

MM Comments

Well done. For certain.

There’s a lot here. But there are connections that seem to point at certain directions.

I did ask the Domain Commander about this.

SAT 18DEC21 9:48am

His response…

*null*

We do not discuss operational activities publicly. 

*end*

And that, is that.

We can individually report what we ourselves can experience, however in regards to The Domain and their thoughts and comments regarding missions or activities, it is off-limits.

Sorry that I cannot provide more information.-MM

You can visit the daegonmagus Index here…

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MM Articles & Links

Master Index

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You’ll not find any big banners or popups here talking about cookies and privacy notices. There are no ads on this site (aside from the hosting ads – a necessary evil). Functionally and fundamentally, I just don’t make money off of this blog. It is NOT monetized. Finally, I don’t track you because I just don’t care to.

  • You can start reading the articles by going HERE.
  • You can visit the Index Page HERE to explore by article subject.
  • You can also ask the author some questions. You can go HERE to find out how to go about this.
  • You can find out more about the author HERE.
  • If you have concerns or complaints, you can go HERE.
  • If you want to make a donation, you can go HERE.

Rufus behaviors in a world gone mad. We all need to make the world a better place.

Here’s some fine Rufus inspirational videos to remind you that the world needs you. It needs you RIGHT NOW. You need to participate and make this world a better place. You need to go forth and help others, to participate in your community and to add calmness and kindness to the world that surround you. Be the Rufus.

What do I mean by being a Rufus?

The term “Rufus” is well known to long time visitors to MM. It describes service-to-others (STO) sentience and the related behaviors rather than the service-for-self (STS) sentience behaviors of the vast bulk of humanity. The details on sentience selection and why it is important are sprinkled throughout the Majestic Index.

Rufus is a state of behavior. A Rufus puts the community before him / her self. They do things without a profit motive of any type. They are kind, helpful and when they walk down the street they smile at people and make them feel good.

In some ways, being a Rufus lends itself to heroic actions, but in other ways it refers to being a significant person located in a geographic region.

While the rest of the world scrambles and claws towards money and power, and leaves a destitute and stripped world behind, a Rufus nurtures the world. He / she uses their creative abilities to make the world a better place.

You can go to my RUFUS INDEX. Start at the top and start reading all the posts. If after article 75, you still have questions, I will try to explain it to you better.

Long time readers recognize being a Rufus is showing kindness to others, being a hero when necessary, participating in the community and working to make OUR world a better place to live in. Chinese members of MM will recognize it as the expectations of volunteerism required of the Chinese Communist party, but that is just a name. It’s all people working together towards a common goal.

Some of these videos might take some time to load. Just click on the "video" link and allow it to load in a new tab or window. It will load faster that way.

I have received numerous comments (that I did not publish on MM) by people complaining that I didn’t have enough Rufus videos showing people in America being kind, helping others, and doing good deeds. Well, I tried to put the ones up that I could find, it’s just that they really don’t exist much in the for-profit every-man-for-himself nations. I have tons of police shootings, black people store robberies, car jackings, and videos of poverty stricken homeless from the USA. But Rufus behaviors. Not much.

Sorry.

We start with some hard working people. Just everyday people who do the dirty, nasty work, alone. In China they give most of their money to their families who live far away, and for years they work alone, pushing and striving to make the family live a comfortable life. This first video is for you … “average Joe”.

Rufus rescue in the ice

Be the Rufus. Make your life worthwhile. video 6MB

Saying goodbye to our beloved pets.

Video 20MB

You define who you are

video 6MB

Rufus Prevents a purse robbery

video 6.5MB

Bruce Lee

You must flow like water. video 2MB

Rufus compilation

video 103MB

An imbalance of power

Or, the perception of one’s power. As in the case of the United States today.

Video 4MB

Rocky tells it like it is.

You gotta be the best you can be. video 6MB

When there is a problem, a community of Rufus’s come together

Everyone pulls their weight. Everyone contributes. Everyone participates. video 14MB

Rufus compilation

A bunch of examples of fine Rufus behaviors. video 75MB

Rufus feeds a begger

Not that common in China any longer. But an opportunity to help out a fellow human in need. Be the Rufus. 7MB

Rufus dad teaches his daughter

Kindness. Compassion. Understanding. video 8MB

A fitting end to this article

Have some compassion and know that YOU have a purpose on this planet. Help others. Be the best you can be. Be kind. And you will find that the world around you will also become kind, calm and peaceful. Participate in life. video 32MB

More Great Links in my Rufus Index here…

Check them out… Rufus Index .

More stuff…

Master Index .

You’ll not find any big banners or popups here talking about cookies and privacy notices. There are no ads on this site (aside from the hosting ads – a necessary evil). Functionally and fundamentally, I just don’t make money off of this blog. It is NOT monetized. Finally, I don’t track you because I just don’t care to.

  • You can start reading the articles by going HERE.
  • You can visit the Index Page HERE to explore by article subject.
  • You can also ask the author some questions. You can go HERE to find out how to go about this.
  • You can find out more about the author HERE.
  • If you have concerns or complaints, you can go HERE.
  • If you want to make a donation, you can go HERE.

.

A fine Rufus reminder on the entry to a wet tiger year

It’s a new Chinese year. It’s a water tiger year. And it’s a fine time to remember to be the best that we can possibly be. In this installment, I offer up some fine Rufus inspirational videos that are found throughout the world and inside of China. Remember, that being a Rufus doesn’t depend on your wealth, where you live, what color of skin you have, or your career. It depends on your compassion for those who surround you. Be the Rufus. The world needs people like us.

Rufus climbs to rescue

A Rufus does whatever it takes to help and save others. video 4MB

Rufus dog stops an abduction

Be the Rufus. If this dog can be a Rufus, what is stopping you? video 2MB

Rufus’s on the bus

A real Rufus shows kindness and help when it is needed. Video 3MB

Save the Baby!

Rufus breaks into a car to save a baby left inside on a cold, cold day. Video 7MB

Rufus rescues a woman in distress

Video 3MB

A Rufus gives it back

A Rufus is not part of the for-profit scheme. Instead a Rufus is part of the community and supports others regardless of their roles or their situations. video 14MB

 

Bus driver stops woman from throwing baby over a bridge

Yikes! Fast acting Rufus bus driver. Video 3MB

Rufus Hospital Rescue

Rufus always ready to help. Video 1.3MB

Rufus police take down thief

A society of Rufus’s protecting the rest of us from criminals. Video 3MB

A Rufus overcomes all obsticles

It doesn’t matter if it is training, a situation, an illness, money or catastrophe. A Rufus endure and pushes towards success. video. 4MB

Rufus gives free food to delivery guy

Show some compassion. Be the Rufus. video 3MB

 

Rufus stops an abduction

Always alert, and always ready. Be the Rufus. Video 1MB

Rufus Parking Ticket

video 16.9MB

Facts of Life

A Rufus knows and understands these important rules of life. video 6.6MB

 

A simple act of kindness

You don’t need to be a hero to be a Rufus. You only need to add good things to the world around you. Use your talents. Make people smile. video. 5MB

 

More Great Links in my Rufus Index here…

Check them out… Rufus Index .

More stuff…

Master Index .

You’ll not find any big banners or popups here talking about cookies and privacy notices. There are no ads on this site (aside from the hosting ads – a necessary evil). Functionally and fundamentally, I just don’t make money off of this blog. It is NOT monetized. Finally, I don’t track you because I just don’t care to.

  • You can start reading the articles by going HERE.
  • You can visit the Index Page HERE to explore by article subject.
  • You can also ask the author some questions. You can go HERE to find out how to go about this.
  • You can find out more about the author HERE.
  • If you have concerns or complaints, you can go HERE.
  • If you want to make a donation, you can go HERE.

.

In a world gone crazy, it’s time for everyone to stand up and help others as only a Rufus can

Here’s some fine Rufus inspirational videos to remind you that the world needs you. It needs you RIGHT NOW. You need to participate and make this world a better place. You need to go forth and help others, to participate in your community and to add calmness and kindness to the world that surround you. Be the Rufus.

What do I mean by being a Rufus?

The term “Rufus” is well known to long time visitors to MM. It describes service-to-others (STO) sentience and the related behaviors rather than the service-for-self (STS) sentience behaviors of the vast bulk of humanity. The details on sentience selection and why it is important are sprinkled throughout the Majestic Index.

Rufus is a state of behavior. A Rufus puts the community before him / her self. They do things without a profit motive of any type. They are kind, helpful and when they walk down the street they smile at people and make them feel good.

In some ways, being a Rufus lends itself to heroic actions, but in other ways it refers to being a significant person located in a geographic region.

While the rest of the world scrambles and claws towards money and power, and leaves a destitute and stripped world behind, a Rufus nurtures the world. He / she uses their creative abilities to make the world a better place.

You can go to my RUFUS INDEX. Start at the top and start reading all the posts. If after article 75, you still have questions, I will try to explain it to you better.

Long time readers recognize being a Rufus is showing kindness to others, being a hero when necessary, participating in the community and working to make OUR world a better place to live in. Chinese members of MM will recognize it as the expectations of volunteerism required of the Chinese Communist party, but that is just a name. It’s all people working together towards a common goal.

Some of these videos might take some time to load. Just click on the "video" link and allow it to load in a new tab or window. It will load faster that way.

I have received numerous comments (that I did not publish on MM) by people complaining that I didn’t have enough Rufus videos showing people in America being kind, helping others, and doing good deeds. Well, I tried to put the ones up that I could find, it’s just that they really don’t exist much in the for-profit every-man-for-himself nations. I have tons of police shootings, black people store robberies, car jackings, and videos of poverty stricken homeless from the USA. But Rufus behaviors. Not much.

Sorry.

We start with some hard working people. Just everyday people who do the dirty, nasty work, alone. In China they give most of their money to their families who live far away, and for years they work alone, pushing and striving to make the family live a comfortable life. This first video is for you … “average Joe”.

Hard Workers

video 93.1 MB

Rufus Child high-rise rescue

Be the Rufus. video 14MB

Rufus respects his flag

You have to be part of something larger. A Rufus understands this. video 3MB

Rufus protects his young sister

Friends, family, community and country. A Rufus participates and makes a difference in the lives of others. video 1.3MB

Rufus helps a schoolkid

Who cares if you don’t know him. You help him. It’s the way of the Rufus. video 4MB

Bunny wants to be alone

We are never alone. So don’t isolate. Realize that our strength and our value comes from the community that we surround ourselves with. video 60MB

Rufus work together as a team

Just a line. But in a society, everyone must know their place. video 25MB

Commercialized cuteness in Japan

Japanese culture embraces cuteness. But cuteness is welcoming and attractive. In a weird way, it is attractive. We should spend out time planting flowers, trees, and make our little world better, prettier and calmer. It’s our duty as a Rufus. Video 11.7MB

Dog starts to maul kittens

You can see the blood on the second kitten to the far right. But Rufus mother cats will  not allow it. She fights the big dog with no fear what so ever. video 20.9MB

Chinese Pioneers first grade

Discipline. Working as part of a group. Leadership. participation. Striving to be the best for your community. These are the virtues of Chinese military training. Here’s a first grade military roll call for the Pioneers. video 6MB

Discipline. Working as part of a group.

Training starts in first grade, and they are so earnest and cute. China is building a nation of little Rufus’s that are poised to remake the world into a better place where everyone can live and prosper. Discipline. video 25MB

Rufus cares about the elders

A Rufus does NOT put their parents into a nursing home unless there is no other option. Family is part of our community. We have to accept our roles within that community and not discard others because they are inconvenient to us. video 25MB

Rufus rescue of dog on the tracks

In America some jackass tied a dog to the train tracks to watch it get run over. A guy risks his life to save the dog. video 38MB

How China treats expats

The world is not “us vs. them”. It’s one of sharing and community. Here’s why many expats like MM, enjoy living inside of China. video 124MB

We need to contribute, to help and be kind

The world needs us. video 71.6MB

Rufus keeps baby sleeping

Be mindful of the situation and conditions of others. video 21MB

Rufus stops woman from abducting a child

Be the Rufus. If we all work together to stop greed, selfishness, and for-profit psychopaths, the world WILL be a better place for all of us. video 3MB

Show some love

Why don’t you? video 2.1 MB

Be the Rufus Finale

Be the Rufus. The world needs you. Your community needs you. Together we all can make the world a better place to live in. All we need to do is be kinder and more considerate. video 106.2MB

More Great Links in my Rufus Index here…

Check them out… Rufus Index .

More stuff…

Master Index .

You’ll not find any big banners or popups here talking about cookies and privacy notices. There are no ads on this site (aside from the hosting ads – a necessary evil). Functionally and fundamentally, I just don’t make money off of this blog. It is NOT monetized. Finally, I don’t track you because I just don’t care to.

  • You can start reading the articles by going HERE.
  • You can visit the Index Page HERE to explore by article subject.
  • You can also ask the author some questions. You can go HERE to find out how to go about this.
  • You can find out more about the author HERE.
  • If you have concerns or complaints, you can go HERE.
  • If you want to make a donation, you can go HERE.

.

[daegonmagus] – Part 13 – PROJECT: EDISON

The following is the thirteenth part from a series of articles describing the adventure that a follower who goes by the handle "daegonmagus" has experienced since reading MM. They are very interesting and fascinating. I hope that you all learn from his journey and maybe learn a thing or two as he relates his unique experiences to the readership here. 

-MM

Part 13 – Project Edison

This article is by no means finalized.

On the 29th of November 2017 , whilst under lucidity, I petitioned several unknown inter dimensional entities to establish a means of communication between both the physical world and the world of the dead.

An assembly was held in the astral realm (Sleep Paralysis/ hypnogogia) which consisted of myself, and at least three other entities, one of who was a spirit who had lived in this world before passing on to that one.

The object of this meeting was discuss what could be used as possible interfacing devices between these two worlds that would provide an effective and efficient means of communication.

Several ideas were discussed involving the use of biological material taken from a living host, whose cells could die off and decay possibly providing a link between the worlds if they could be located via the other entities.

Another solution was to find a willing living being whose death was inevitable and prepare them with talismans, so that memory of the talisman could also be taken with them upon their departure of this plane.

During this meeting there were several abrupt interruptions and as such, much of the content was lost to my memory, though I specifically remember telling one of the entities that “if their idea worked, then it would lead to an incineration of the boundaries between realms”.

It was also suggested that different vibrating frequencies be investigated by both parties so that a coinciding frequency can be used to “tap into” each other’s communications.

What I got from this is that these beings seem to be as enthusiastic as I am in making inter dimensional contact possible.

Further discussion has been agreed by all parties involved.

HYPOTHESIS:

It has been suggested that a single frequency could be chosen by which communication exchange from both the physical world and the world of the dead could take place.

The reason a standard frequency must be chosen is due to the fact that the dead entities, are (allegedly) composed of pure frequency, unlike living people whose composition is made from atoms.

The problem with current channelling techniques used to communicate with dead entities is that there is no specific way to measure the frequency by which the medium is tuning into to make this contact.

If a single frequency could be decided by occupants of both worlds as a standard form of communication, then hypothetically that frequency could be tuned into by the living entity using standard radio apparatus whilst at the same time manipulated by the dead entity in such a way that it can be detected via the apparatus.

I suggest future meetings with such enthusiastic non physical entities via lucid dreaming to further discuss how this could be implemented.

MM comment

So many interesting aspects here. I so wish that we all can collaborate together to flush all of this out.

The use of defining frequencies to stop the segmentation of memory partitioning is a hopeful hypothesis, and needs to be “flushed out”. What are all of your thoughts on this?

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Fate Forecasting; How birth Pre-birth world-line template generates initial character attributes similar to that of a role playing game (Part 2)

This article discusses how the elements associated with one’s luck is established as a a “fate vector package” upon birth.

We look at the initial starting conditions of the pre-birth world-line template. As it fixes permanently the gravitational influences that surround the physical person.

It is these same gravitational influences influence the role of fate in one’s life.

In this way, a person can understand that birth is very similar to character generation during a role playing game. Much like you can generate the attributes for your character in the old board game Dungeons and Dragons, or any of the First Person Shooter games available in software.

The Fate Forecasting and World-line template mapping

For those who are unaware, this article discusses four very significant elements in control of your life, and future happiness.

[1] World-Line Templates

The use of world-line topography maps is a major part of life navigation in the MWI reality universe that we inhabit. You control your thoughts, and thus you navigate the terrain of entropy that is set up for you at birth.

This is conducted by Affirmation Prayer Campaigns. You use these campaigns to focus your thoughts for set periods of time. It's sort of like placing specific navigation beacons that you set your automobile route generating software towards.

What's more, you can actually change the entire terrain that you are operating upon. You can do this by "sliding". You can adjust your affirmation campaign to specify a change in the terrain that you inhabit. 

There are all kinds of terrains, and all kind of features. The one that you were established with at birth is known as the "pre-birth world-line template map". Newly generated template maps can go by other terms.

To study this issue, you can go to my Intention Campaign Index HERE.

[2] Fate Forecasting

Fate Forecasting is a method of measurement of the ebb and flow of luck in your life. This is important, as studies have shown that successful and wealthy people do not obtain their positions through merit. It has been proven, time and time again to occur through luck.

To study this issue, I have a index on this subject. It is the Fate Forecasting Index that this article is part of and which can be found HERE.

[3] Consciousness Centering

Consciousness Centering is necessary as there are all sorts of things that tug and pull at your brain and consciousness. To optimize your thoughts to be most efficient, and thus most successful, you need to be able to center your consciousness. To accomplish this, you need to use tools and techniques to do so. Here at MM we have provided Hemi-sync (FFR) to accomplish this. You can access the files to listen to and learn and center your consciousness HERE.

[4] Rufus Behaviors

Physical actions influences the thoughts of those around you. My surrounding yourself with other people who generate happy and positive thoughts when you are around, your world tends to move in positive directions. A study of "Rufus" actions can be found in the Rufus Index HERE.

Western horoscopes vs Chinese Bazi

Both systems use planetary alignments to estimate the fated luck that a person will endure in their life.

Western horoscopes tend to be simplistic, and only utilize planetary alignments and empirical observation to arrive at forecasts. They are only associated with the date of birth, are not tied to a given latitude or longitude, and do not recognize non-physical components. Further, the Newtonian physics takeover of the educational systems int he 19th century, pretty much relegated all horoscope prediction matters to the realm of disdain and pseudo-science. This is further aggravated by hoaxers who set up for-profit entities to fleece the gullible. Western horoscopes have been in existence in their current form around three thousand years.

Chinese BaZi horoscopes are more detailed, more exacting, and incorporate general geographical influences in their calculus. They also incorporate non-physical gravitational elements and  have a much more involved interaction of play between the various elements involved. Further this method of divination has been around since the beginnings of Chinese written records which is at least 6000 years old.

The premise

The planetary gravitational influences on a biological being influences their life. We refer to this a “luck“.

Since the movements of the gravitational influences are fixed and immovable, the luck is fixed. We refer to this as “Fate“.

These gravitational influences are independent of other templates. So you cannot conduct a “slide” to another world-line template to change your fortune. Everyone must deal with the ebb and flow of their luck. This is their fate.

Since the gravitational forces change over time using Newtonian physics, we can predict the rise and fall of luck. We refer to this as “horoscope generation“.

Example

For the purposes of illustration, let’s consider a person born under the Western horoscope of Leo. Which is around July. Their Western horoscope would predict the relations of fate in their lives, and for the most part would seem to agree with what the person experiences.

But if you get into this further, you could look at the BaZi and discover that this person is a “Dog Sign” given their birth day, year, month, hour, second and geographic latitude and longitude. At the precise moment of birth, the planetary alignments and gravitational forces were fixed. And by using Newtonian astrophysics, the movements of the planets and their gravitational influences can be mapped out over the given life time.

So irregardless of what the pre-birth world-line template is, the fate will follow a predictive ebb and flow of luck.

Further, the BaZi breaks down the luck into components or “packages”. And the interaction of those packages will determine how the luck manifests.

Now, whether you are on a pre-birth world-line template, or slide to a new template, you luck (as fate) is still manifest.

Now, in this example, if the fate says that you have a high potential to be scammed in business, this will still occur. However, different world-line templates will have decidedly different manifestations of that luck.

A calm level topography template map

A calm reasonably level template map.

The business scam will be minor and easily avoided. There just aren't any  hills or mountains to indicate effort or discord. There are no problems with entropy. So (for example) the business discord might manifest as an employee stealing a box of pencils.

A mountainous topography map

A mountainous world-line template map.

In this case, you know that there is a massive build up of entropy. This will help trigger events that you will need to deal with. In this case, a business discord might be a customer that scams you out of a million dollars, steals your wife, and burns down your office building.

A easy-going topographical map with many valleys

A “downward” trending MWI map.

In this case, the entropy is positive and the travel on the MWI world-line map tends to be easy going and not problematic at all. Yet the fate of some kind of business discord may still manifest. This could be something like some leaves blowing on the lawn of your office building, if anything at all.

What manifests in your fated luck depends on the terrain of your world-line template map. You need to be aware of your fate; what is auspicious and what is not, and adjust your MWI navigation through the world-line as necessary to avoid the most dangerous of event cycles.

Character generation and the Mantids

What apparently happens in Heaven is that the consciousness decides to “descend” into the General Population to experience “life”. Often this includes hardship and turmoil and personal sacrifice to obtain “growth”. The Mantids help the consciousness plan for the next foray into the earth environment. They do this by establishing a “Fate Path” that coincidences with the MWI in the Reality Universe.

A “pre-birth world-line template” is constructed. Then a “Fate profile” is used to generate a “Fate Path” that coincidences with the “Life line” that the consciousness would endure. This sets up the “Luck Triggers” that will keep the consciousness on the path to follow the adventures, experiences and lessons that the Mantid planned for the consciousness.

Key to all of this is the selection of parents and the DNA of their resulting offspring that will be the host skin suit for the consciousness to occupy.

Thus the Mantids create a character generation effort prior to the consciousness injection into the General Population on the Earth. This is similar to that of a role play game or first person shooter.

The attributes of skin-suit character generation are…

  • Pre-birth world-line template.
  • Entry date and time.
  • Entry geographical location on the MWI.
  • Parent selection and skin-suit DNA.
  • Fate profile. (For the Fate Path.)
  • Luck Triggers.
  • Tell tails, sign posts, and periodic alerts.

Tracking this process

Perhaps we can look at examples of people who remember their previous life for clues to this character generation process.

There are well-known cases of children remembering past lives, including two-year-old James Leininger, who had nightmares about being a WWII pilot, and four-year-old Ryan Hammons, who remembered being Marty Martyn (a dance director and manager of motion-picture actors) in a past life. And of course, stories of reincarnation are not limited to children. Several adults claim to have been someone else in a past life.

“This Is My Ship”

When William Barnes was four years old, he drew a ship with four smokestacks. He showed the drawing to his parents and told them, “This is my ship, but she died.”

Soon he started insisting that his family call him “Tommy”’ instead of William, and he wouldn’t stop talking about two brothers and other family members. None of what he was saying made any sense to his parents, and the situation escalated when William started having non-stop nightmares about a huge ship, freezing water, and steel slabs falling on top of him.

Titanic sinking.

The nightmares continued, and it was only at the age of 25 that William sought help. He underwent hypnosis, and during the session, he could hear himself arguing about “the ship’s design.” As soon as he awoke from the hypnotic trance, he told the counselor, “My name is Tommy Andrews.”

Soon the fragmented pieces of William’s nightmares started forming a complete picture. He became increasingly convinced that he was the reincarnation of Titanic designer Thomas Andrews.

Titanic designer Thomas Andrews.

William Barnes was born on the date the Titanic sank, and during hypnotic age regression sessions later in his life, he spoke with a heavy Irish accent while detailing the sinking of the ship and how he died on the deck.

William now has his own website on which he details his experiences and presents proof of his claim to reincarnation fame.

This example does not seem to imply any pre-planning at all. It suggests that a consciousness died and then immediately went and occupied the first available physical body.

Because the memories are still fresh in the child's mind, it is obvious that this consciousness did NOT go through the "tunnel of light" and did not have their memories erased.

Two Past Lives

A three-year-old Thai boy named Dalawong became the focus of many studies and articles after he claimed to have had two past lives, one in which he was a deer killed by a hunter and then another one as a cobra when he was reincarnated after his death.

Three animal species.

[1] Deer.
[2] Cobra.
[3] Human.

While he was a snake, Dalawong found himself in a life-or-death fight with two dogs. The dogs’ owner intervened and killed the snake—aka Dalawong—but not before the slithery reptile bit him on the shoulder. The dog owner, Mr. Hiew, took the dead snake home, cooked and ate it, and shared some of the meat with a friend. That friend would become Dalawong’s father.

Fast forward to three years after Dalawong’s birth, the young boy recognized Mr. Hiew at a party taking place next door to his own house. He became instantly angry and tried to find a weapon to attack the man. Dalawong’s mother was stunned at her child’s anger and forced him to tell her what was happening. He related the snake tale to her, and when she confronted Mr. Hiew, he confirmed that he had indeed killed a snake a few years prior and that he had a mark from where the snake had bitten him on the shoulder.

Before this incident, human Dalawong and his family had never met Mr. Hiew.

Again, in this case very little time had passed between the last death and the new birth. That also suggests that there wasn't that much planning work for the current life. Further, we see that the reentry to the General Population is in close geographical proximity to the previous life.

In this case, as well as the previous case, the consciousness; the IS-BE immediately boomeranged back to the Reality Universe without an apparent visit to "Heaven".

Because the memories are still fresh in the child's mind, it is obvious that this consciousness did NOT go through the "tunnel of light" and did not have their memories erased.

Why Did You Let Me Die in That Fire?

In 2014, the parents of four-year-old Andrew Lucas began suspecting that their beloved boy may be possessed or have some kind of ghost inside of him. This happened after Andrew started crying almost non-stop and asking why his parents let him die in a fire.

When his mother, Michelle, asked him what fire he was talking about, Andrew started telling her little details of what was his past life as a U.S. Marine. Eventually, Michelle used these details to uncover the story of U.S. Marine Sergeant Val Lewis, who died in a bomb attack in Lebanon in 1983.

U.S. Marine Sergeant Val Lewis.

Because the details of what happened to Lewis and the story Andrew told her were so similar, Michelle decided to take the issue to the reality TV show Ghost Inside My Child. During the show, Andrew was given several photographs of military men to look at, and he immediately zoomed in on an image of Lewis.

Afterward, Michelle took her son to Lewis’s gravesite in Georgia, where Andrew laid flowers in front of it. He also ran to another grave and pointed to the name on it, saying, “That’s my friend.” It turned out that grave also belonged to a Marine.

This third example is also a relatively quick return. From 1984 to 2010 is 26 years. We can assume that in this case, 26 years is a long period of time to float around the General Population searching for a skin-suit to occupy. 

So the consciousness must have made arrangements with a Mantid to generate a pre-birth world-line template. However, the memories are still fresh in the child's mind. 

That implies that this consciousness did NOT go through the "tunnel of light" and did not have their memories erased.

Toddler Recalls Past Life Murder

A very unnerving story caused an uproar in 2014 when it was reported that a three-year-old Syrian boy had pointed out where his past life’s body had been buried after he was murdered. He also pointed out the murder weapon.

The boy, who belongs to the Druze ethnic group, has a long red birthmark on his forehead, which according to Druze beliefs, is related to how a person died in a previous life.

This belief was seemingly substantiated by the boy, who told his parents that he had been killed by an ax to the head in his previous life, hence the birthmark.

The elders of the village the boy stayed in took him to the home he lived in during his past life, getting the location from the details the boy gave. Eventually, standing in front of the house, the boy remembered the house, the village, and his old name.

The man whose house it was, had gone missing four years earlier, according to locals.

When the elders quizzed the boy about this turn of events, he told them the full name of the person who had killed him when he was the man who lived in the house.

He then led the elders to the spot where the body was buried, and sure enough, they uncovered a skeleton with a headwound that correlated to the boy’s birthmark as well as an ax.

When confronted by the elders and locals, the killer confessed to the crime soon after.

Again, this youthful memory of the death in a prior life, and a very short period between the death and birth in the same geographic area is suggestive of a consciousness that intentionally wants to stay in the General Population, does not want to go into "Heaven" and does not go through the "Tunnel of light".

This also implies that the planning for a life-line of substance and learning; the collection of lessons and experiences are missing.

Past Life During WWII

During her pregnancy, When Daw Aye Tin had a recurring dream about a Japanese soldier who told her he would be coming to stay with her and her husband in their Upper Burma (Myanmar) home.

She gave birth to her daughter, Ma Tin Aung Myo, on December 26, 1953. When her daughter turned four, she started talking about her “real home of Japan” and how much she missed it. She also made it known that she was afraid of planes and didn’t like English and American people.

Eventually, it became clear to When Daw Aye Tin that her daughter had lived before. Details provided by Ma Tin Aung Mao as she grew older included being a male soldier stationed in Nathul during WWII and running a small shop to provide for her children. She was killed when the Allies attacked, and a soldier shot at her from a plane.

10 to 15 years after death. Seems to be the norm. Yet she still remembered her past.

Reincarnated Lama

A City of Dreams

When James Arthur Flowerdew was 12 years old, he began having strange dreams. These dreams were blurry and vague when they first started, but over time they became clear pictures. As he continued to dream, he saw a stone city carved into a cliff and various temples inside the city. He also saw a rock shaped like a volcano situated on the fringes of the stone city. Arthur didn’t know what to make of these dreams and tried to ignore them.

On one particular day, Arthur visited the beach with his family. As he was playing around with pebbles and bent down to pick them up, a vision slammed into his head. It was the city of his dreams. So intense was the vision that he could smell dry desert air. Dropping the pebbles made the image dissipate, leaving Arthur at a loss for words. He revisited the beach a short time later to see if the vision would happen again, and as soon as he picked up the pebbles, it did.

He saw more details the second time, such as a stone passage and military barracks. For the first time, Arthur started thinking that he may have been a soldier in this dream city and had been killed there by a spear. Arthur never had any explanation for his experiences. Many years later, when he was an old man, Arthur watched a documentary about the ancient city of Petra in Jordan. He instantly realized that this was his city of dreams, and he became convinced that he had lived there in a past life.

He contacted the BBC, who arranged an interview between Arthur and an archaeologist. The archaeologist was flabbergasted when he discovered how much knowledge Arthur had of the ancient city without ever having been there in his current life.

Eventually, the Jordanian government invited Arthur to visit Petra. Arthur found his way around the city without the help of a guide or map and pointed out sites that hadn’t been excavated yet. He talked about a military barrack where he worked with a check-in system for guards, and even provided facts about the area that experts were not aware of.

My Life as a Monk

In 1987, three-year-old Duminda Bandara Ratnayake started talking about the Asgiriya temple and monastery in Kandy, saying that he used to be an abbot there.

Duminda was born in 1984 to Sinhalese Buddhist parents and was the second youngest of three brothers. He talked about the temple non-stop and also told his mother that he had owned a red car, taught other monks, and died in a hospital where he was taken after experiencing sudden sharp pain in his chest. He also “recalled” having had a pet elephant.

The little boy soon started wearing his clothes in the way of a monk and visited a Buddhist temple twice a day. He also began reciting stanzas in the Pali language. His mother began fearing that her son would want to leave his family to become a monk.

By age five, Duminda’s interest in going to the temple waned somewhat, but by age six, his mother had permitted him to go to the monastery when he turned seven. At this point, he also didn’t want to go to a school with girls and didn’t want women, including his mother, to touch his hands. When the abbot of the Malwatta Temple died in 1990, Duminda randomly exclaimed that he had known him well.

It seemed that Ven. Mahanayaka Gunnepana, who died of a heart attack and owned a red car, could have been Duminda in a past life.

Gunnepana also had an elephant.

“I Am Anne Frank”

Barbro Karlen was born nine years after Anne Frank died. From a young age, she insisted that Barbro wasn’t her real name and that her family should call her Anne instead. She also told her parents that she knew they weren’t her real mom and dad. At that point, Barbro’s family wasn’t up to date with the Anne Frank story and thought that Barbro was losing her mind. They carted her off to a psychiatrist, thinking that she was somehow lost in a fantasy.

By age twelve, Barbro wrote a book of poetry that would become one of the most popular books in her native Sweden. She went on to write nine more volumes. However, she couldn’t shake the feeling that she wasn’t who everyone thought she was. But she stopped talking about it after she realized who Anne Frank was and that people likely thought she was insane.

This was despite the trip to Amsterdam with her parents at age 10, during which they visited the house of Anne Frank. Barbro knew exactly how to get to the house and that the steps outside it had been changed. Her parents were stunned. Once Barbro entered Anne’s room, she felt an overwhelming fear but refused to leave. She knew that there had once been pictures on the wall, placed there by Anne, and when she told her mother this, the older woman finally understood what her daughter had been trying to tell them for years. She was Anne Frank in a past life.

Barbro met Anne’s cousin Buddy Elias years later, and he told reporters he believed that she was the reincarnation of Anne.

Born nine years after the death.

“The Floor Got Really Hot”

In March 2021, Tik Toker Riss White gave her account of what her daughter told her a few years ago. It was September 11, 2018, and Riss was looking at 9/11 memorial posts on social media.

One of the posts had a striking image of the Twin Towers, and when her then-four-year-old daughter saw it, she said to Riss, “Hey mom, I used to work there.”

Riss, feeling slightly uneasy, asked her daughter when this was, to which the young girl simply replied “before.”

She went on to tell her mother that during one morning at work she had to get up on her desk because the floor got really hot. She and her friends had tried to escape the hot floor by leaving through the door, but the door wouldn’t open. She then jumped out of the window and “flew like a bird.”

Riss was shaken and still can’t make sense of what her daughter told her. She also confirmed that the young girl had never been told about 9/11.

14 years had passed for this little girl. The fact that she remembered her past suggests that she did not experience memory erasure. Thus, either...

[1] She went to Heaven but did not have memory erasure, and had here pre-birth world-line template mapped out.

[2] She went elsewhere and had her pre-birth world-line template mapped out by others.

[3] She hung out on the prior life template as a disembodied spirit for 14 years and chose this life on her own.

Conclusions from above…

I really do not have all the answers, but apparently you are not forced in the “tunnel of light” and forced to undergo mind wipe. You have a choice.

[1] You can go into the “Tunnel of light” and arrive in Heaven. Once in Heaven you can stay, go to school, frolic and plan your next earth general population experience. The Mantid Prime will assist in this effort.

[2] If you refuse to go to “Heaven” then you are on your own to be a spirit, and then find a body to occupy on your own. All the time sticking close to your previous life-line world-line template. At this point you are a free roaming spirit. You are trapped in the Prison Planet Environment and fixed to the MWI world line template of your last incarnation.

[3] If you find a body that you want to occupy, then you simply take the body and claim it as yours and accept what ever world-line and Fate Forecast that goes with that body.

Derived conclusions about the Mantid Involvement…

In situation [1] above, your Mantid “hands you off” and you are left to go through the “tunnel of light” to be welcomed by friends, family, and Mantid Prime overseers. Consciousness goes from General Population Mantid control (GPM) to Mantid Prime control (MP).

In situation [2] above, your Mantid apparently abandons you and you are free to roam. There isn’t any Mantid interaction necessary. Mantid interaction in General Population is apparently limited to physical bodies even though they are trans-dimensional beings. I suspect that this is an evolved situation as the Prison Planet was not designed to have any “free roaming” disembodied spirits.

In situation [3] above, upon adopting and accepting a new body to reincarnate in, you accept the guidance of a new Mantid that will control the levers of your existence. All physical bodies in the MWI Reality Universe is apparently under the control and manipulation of specific Mantids that control the environments.

MM thoughts

In a previous post, I discussed my memories of my previous life prior to being MM. The difference in time from my death in the last reincarnated life to my present life was around 30 years.

I can confirm that when I entered this particular body that I told myself NOT TO FORGET that I was going on a great adventure that would be an extra special and exciting adventuresome life of great importance. I have never forgotten this fact, and this is from my own personal memories. Not from recovered memories by Past Life Hypnosis.

Taken together, it appears that MM had this life mapped out and planned intentionally.

And since I did not (apparently) experience the mind wipe though the “tunnel of light” we can make some conjectures on that fact…

  • I was programmed for this life outside of the Heaven / Mantid Prime environment. Or…
  • I did go to Heaven, and was programmed for this life, but that I was somehow able to get around the “memory wipe” of the “tunnel of light”. This conjecture is validated by my insistence (to myself) to REMEMBER that my adventure would be special.

In any event, my MM experience is different from those who have been listed above as remembering prior lives.

Which then again, confirms that once freed of the General Population prison “skin suit”, the IS-BE is supposed to be transferred from Mantid control to Mantid Prime control. However that  system is corrupted / not well policed / fraught with holes and could be bypassed by any IS-BE consciousness that so desires.

The problem then is “what now”?

There are few scant options…

[1] Go to Heaven though the mind-wipe “Tunnel of Light” and be handed off to your Mantid Prime authorities.

[2] Stay in General Population as a disembodied spirit, floating around and hanging out on what ever MWI template that you died upon.

[3] Call on others to pluck you out of the MWI world-line template and get you out of the General Population area without going through the “Tunnel of Light”.

[4] Try to escape the Prison Complex on your own, recover your memories on your own, and avoid all the traps and snares on your own.

Do you want more?

I have more posts in my Fate Forecasting Index here…

Fate forecasting

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Optimization of affirmation prayer campaigns for effective manifestation of goals

This article helps you decide how long to conduct the affirmation campaign and how long to conduct the “dwell” or wait-period afterward. In previous articles I have greatly simplified the procedure. I offered a simple “rule of thumb”. Which was one week of no-affirmations for every week where you conduct a prayer affirmation campaign. This article will get more involved in the process and allow the user a greater degree of latitude in the campaign arrangement.

I am commenting NOW, simply because I am launching a brand new, multi-month Affirmation Campaign based upon my Fate Forecast for this year.

MM Comments

I am starting my new campaign in a few days. For the most of the last eighteen months, I have been running a 1 month on/off cycle. This was due to the Bazi that hit me about three years ago and resulted in some significant changes and issues. I had to make adjustments to my campaigns for my personal conditions, and the crazed insanity influence that the USA has had on where I live, my lifestyle, and my industry. I have managed to keep things under control.

Contemporaneously, in the Bazi it is believed that a person is surrounded by a non-physical reality. Within this non-physical are cyclic events and attributes that ebb and flow  depending on a host of causes and effects.



This non-physical reality differs from person to person. However, it consists of things that ebb and flow according to synchronized events that are triggered upon birth.

The Chinese have given these various components and their behaviors all sorts of names. They have created a series of "animal characteristics" such as dog, pig, and snake to describe a set of initial non-physical conditions. They have also created a series of names to describe how the non-physical components behave as a group. They go by such names as a "strong earth", or a "weak wood". It's easy for the ignorant to make fun of this entire system. To them, it sounds a lot like a more detailed version of Western astrology.

Now, that my “Bazi stars” are opening up back again, and becoming favorable, I can refocus on some postponed goals in my new campaign. So I am switching back to a 3 month on/off campaign cycle with an extended dwell time afterwards to maximize the effect. I will have more articles on the Bazi because it ties together very nicely with the MWI, prayer affirmation campaigns, and world-line travel.

While uncomfortable, I am leaving this Bazi time of change into a new state of being. And so far it appears to be far superior in many ways. Of course there are obvious changes…

  • Phone is HarmonyOS instead of Android.
  • Computer is Linux Mint instead of Microsoft Windows 10.
  • Payments in QR code instead of paper cash money.
  • Food is healthy / vegetarian instead of average fast fare.
  • Blood Pressure is 130/85 instead of 180/95.
  • Daughter is walking/talking/eating instead of crying/shitting/feeding.

And so on and so forth. Change is always uncomfortable, but once you get through it, you reach a plateau on the side of a mountain. And you can enjoy the view and rest a while and chill out before the next ascent upwards.

First things first

When you get to the stage of arranging your next affirmation prayer campaign, you need to layout, plan and structure the campaign. This means…

  • A review of your previous campaign(s).
    • What worked, what still needs to work, and changes to them.
    • What didn’t work, and corrective actions.
    • New things, and elements to add to the campaign.
  • The structure arrangement of this next campaign (this article)
  • Those particular goals that you want to stress and emphasize.
  • Where and how you will read and vocalize your campaign.
  • A total review of your fate during the periods of active and dwell affirmations. This is called Fate Forecasting.

I just cannot emphasize how important this first basic step is. Some things might stay the same, but others might change drastically. Please take the time to plan, revise and implement properly. Now to the arrangements…

Fate Forecasting

Most people do not need to have a full BaZi reading for them. I have found it to be extremely useful. Instead, you can go the “easy” route and locate the year that you were born in… that will determine what animal sign you are.

Here’s a guide…

Then go on the internet and find out what the GENERAL Fate Forecast is for the months ahead for your “animal” association.

For instance…

  • Chinese monkey sign in 2023
  • Dog astrology in Chinese years 2022

Then you will see a general forecast for your sign. They tend to be pretty accurate on trending fate.

But if you want to put down some money, you can have a precise fate reading. The most accurate, and specific. readings are found when you conduct your own exact BaZi reading. I wrote about that HERE.  Here, you can see your exact animal year, exact time, and exact general geographical coordinates at your place of birth.

Once you know what your fate has in store for you, you can move forward with what your affirmation campaign will look like. In my personal case now, I have a strong positive fate trend all year, so I am going to conduct a long solid campaign 3 on / 4 off. But the last few years has been not that great. So I have been conducting a 1 / 1 campaign.

The most basic arrangement

Three months on/off. This is the most basic arrangement. You conduct your affirmation campaign for three months. You start on it, and then you finish it after three months. Then you wait for three months so that the goals can simmer and manifest. This is the baseline campaign structure, and it is what I strongly recommend to all newcomers to this technique. Now, that being said, there are some variations to this arrangement…

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Quick cycling technique

One month on/off I’ve utilized the quick cycling technique during difficult and contentious times where I needed to have strong affirmations to navigate through troubles, but still be able to adjust to changes and make course corrections on the MWI. This is a useful technique, but it is not desirable to maintain it for long periods of time. I suggest you only follow this technique for short periods of time. Certainly no longer than eight months in total. There are some slight variations that are worthy of consideration…

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Heavy lifting / Serious change crowbar

Six months on/off Let’s suppose there is something that you really desire, or really want to get moving on. This technique is guaranteed to “put enough wind in your sails” so that your affirmation realization can “pick up her skirts and trot”. Things will happen, though they will not necessarily happen quickly. This will make things happen and are just great for long term desires. Some variations…

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Basic Maintenance technique

One week on/off In general I do not recommend this variation technique. But it does have it’s uses. What it tends to allow is a basic level of control on the MWI. It’s not really all that good for new goals or objectives. But it will make sure that you are still following your plan and your vector path towards your ultimate results. There are no variations to this technique.

Dragon Loop

This is a creative method of manifesting intention, but it is rather advanced. You conduct the three month on/off affirmation campaign schedule, and then follow up with a one month on/off schedule. The second shorter period is for course corrections, and feed back purposes. Then you go back to the three month on/off sequence with the corrections in play.

Some final thoughts

This is a really short and abbreviated article. But I hope that it helps you in some way.

In always, the longer the duration of the active affirmation campaign phase, the more powerful the implementation will be.

I hope that your dreams, wishes and desires all come true. Because, you know what? You deserve them. You really, really do.

Be good and do great things. And never forget… To be the Rufus. Video 7.7MB

Remember to be the Rufus

Video 19MB

 

Do you want more?

I have more posts in my Intention Prayer Index here…

Intention Campaigns

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[daegonmagus] – Part 12 – Miscellaneous Experiences: The Curious case of the Mysterious Chicken Bird

The following is the twelfth part from a series of articles describing the adventure that a follower who goes by the handle "daegonmagus" has experienced since reading MM. They are very interesting and fascinating. I hope that you all learn from his journey and maybe learn a thing or two as he relates his unique experiences to the readership here. 

-MM

Part 12 – Miscellaneous Experiences: The Curious case of the Mysterious Chicken Bird

Yeah, yeah I know….I am supposed to be teaching you guys about LD so we can all meet in the non physical planes and kick some Old Empire ass before sitting down to smoke a fat Cuban, or whatever the equivalent is over there. But, I’ve got get this thing off my chest, because, well, it has been weird even for me. Plus it involves my family, so….

A week or so ago I posted on one of the forum threads about a strange little chicken bird that decided to visit my daughter in her room at 2am and scare the living shit out of her and my wife, before seemingly disappearing into “fat” air. And yes, that is a Simpsons reference.

Well, allow me to give you an update, the chicken bird came back, and it has been here before that visit with my daughter…apparently.

I tried talking about this on a site apparently all for paranormal stories and got labelled batshit crazy, an attention seeker yada yada yada. So I figured I’d do an article about it and put it up on here, my safe zone.

Like MM, I’ve got better shit to do than write about my experiences and have douschebags call me crazy.

Like MM, its that incessant voice in the back of my head that tells me it is necessary so people know there most definitely is a connection with lucid dreaming and ETs.

Maybe afterwards I’ll curl up into the fetal position and spoon the computer with MM open whilst eating directly out of a Milo tin with a soup ladle as I try to suppress all the psychological damage those people’s opinions did to me. I haven’t decided yet. That’s sarcasm by the way. But just in case she is reading, fuck you Maria. I can handle being called nuts, I can handle being called a liar, I can handle being called an attention seeker but if you are going to bring my family into it, then, seriously, fuck you. You government approved robotic troll.

The least you can do is read my autobiography before jumping to such conclusions.

For those who don’t know, Milo is a chocolate malt drink we get here in Oz.

As a kid, the common rule is that you fill up a tumbler glass with the chocolatey maltey goodness and pour about an inch worth of milk at the top, then high tail it the fuck out of the kitchen before a parent walks in and catches you in the middle of your diabolical scheme.

The punishment for being caught is usually pretty serious; your mum doesn’t buy Milo next time she gets the groceries.

Don’t even get me started on what happens when you steal dad’s salami that has been sitting in the back of the fridge untouched for 2 weeks.

Anyway back to the weirdness, and I want to back up a bit, because strange things have been happening here since even before this Chicken bird showed up.

For anyone familiar with my story, you may have noted such strange happenings have been following me and my wife, SD, our whole lives. Usually these are seemingly random events dispersed over many months. These last few weeks have been an exception. The year itself has been particularly interesting for me. Scratch that; for us.

You may recall back in Jan I had what appeared to be a doppelganger banging on my door and calling out to my wife and daughter when I was out with my son.

What happened was that my wife went to open the door and let this thing in, then noticed that despite it wearing my exact usual clothing, it was sporting a different haircut to what I went out the door with about 10 minutes prior.

She said “fuck that”, locked the door and then watched it walk behind the curtain and seemingly disappear. We have a dog fence surrounding that side of the house that would have slowed its departure somewhat, but nope, this thing was gone as soon as she pulled the curtain back. This was soon after something had been calling out to my daughter in my voice; my daughter said “dad’s home” and went to go find me before my wife stopped her, thankfully. I suspect this thing, whatever the fuck it was, had a hand – pun intended – in almost getting me killed some 8 years ago.

This caused me to finally pull my finger out of my butt, risk hearing a noise that sounded very much like Maria’s opinion, and write about all the things I experienced in LD before this thing got me killed.

It’s been a rollercoaster ride ever since.

Oh and in case I forgot to mention, our house has weird things happening in it all the time. Like shadow people walking around that you catch out of the corner of your eye, or – like what happened to me last night – random heavy weights weighing more than my 100kg body mass just randomly deciding “jump on me” and wake me up. Waking up after strange LD sessions with helicopters directly over our house.

Fast forward to a couple of weeks before MM’s comms channel opened up with the Domain Commander. My wife had a lucid dream/ astral projection experience she and a bunch of others were working in a lab section of a ship with several tall, extremely muscly blue eye blonde beings who were making some kind of medicine to cure some sort of sickness. Don’t be fooled though, these guys weren’t Nordics – they had short hair. The next day she caught a glimpse of their ship hovering high above our house.

A week later she caught yet another glimpse of something parked in our driveway before a bunch of honeycombed shaped mirrors appeared around it and cloaked it into oblivion. Unlike the shadow people, she assured me this was a proper physical sighting and not just one born from channeling into the non physical.

She saw this thing in our goddamned fucking driveway.

So I decided to set up a hunting camera facing not 2m away from where she said it was. Not that I caught much apart from some random digital noise.

Then, a few days later came Mr chicken bird.

Our 2 year old son was incredibly sick with diarrhoea and power spewing all night. Our 4 year old daughter had been worried about him so we let her sleep in our room. We put her in his cot and had him in our bed, where he usually sleeps anyway.

Our 2 year old woke everyone up at 2am screaming from his sickness.

My daughter, after being woken up started getting silly and wouldn’t go back to sleep, so I took her into her own room and gave her some cuddles while my wife nursed our son. I couldn’t stay too long because our boy was just too sick, so after a couple minutes I went back to our room, whilst my daughter was still wide awake.

Not 2 minutes later, we hear her saying “get out of here you naughty little thing”. She says something similar to our eldest boy when he harasses her when they play, so we thought he had woken up and gone in her room and was annoying her.

My wife gave our sick son to me and went to investigate.

Our daughter’s room is right next to ours to the right as you come out our door. As soon as she reached the door to my daughter’s room, I heard her say “what the fuck”. The next thing I know she is pulling my daughter into our room and trying to get our eldest son (still asleep) out of his bed and into our room in a mad panic.

As she got to the door she noticed our daughter with tears streaming her face, standing on her bed trying to get away from something that was standing next to the bed using it to balance, and walking very slowly towards her – both my wife and daughter saw this.

My wife said it was hard to make out in the dim lighting of the room, but it was very definitely a physical “thing” with wings about 3ft tall. Our daughter said it looked like a black and white chicken bird. She said she saw a “plane” drop it off outside her window before it came in the house. It took us quite awhile to calm her down (she ended up sleeping in our bed).

As if this wasn’t enough the son of a bitch showed up again a few nights ago around the same time of night; my wife got up to go to the toilet and said this same thing just appeared in the doorway walking towards her like it had done to my daughter, using its wings to try and balance.

She stared at it for a good while as she sat on the toilet before getting up and walking straight through it, to which it just dissipated.

She didn’t feel anything as she did so. She said it’s beak reminded her of those medieval plague doctors that used to wear those bird masks back in the renaissance period.


Plague doctor from Renaissance period.

So now, several weeks have passed and our girl won’t sleep back in her room. She is that terrified of the chicken bird, she won’t even go in there to play. What the fuck is this thing?

Note the correlation to medicine on the ship SD was on, and the plague doctor who used to put herbs in the mask to rid themselves of the smell of the dead they worked near.

The medicine SD was working on with the short haired blonde guys was also herbal/ natural based. Are the things visiting my family responsible for the depictions of the Plague doctors?

Then some more weird shit happened.

I set up a portable stretcher in our room so my daughter wouldn’t have to sleep in the cot that is much too small for her. She woke up in the middle of the night, again absolutely terrified and comes and crawls into our bed. The thing that scared her?

She saw a bunch of monster “people” appear before her and start talking to her in a strange language.

The description she gave of these people was exactly the same as a bunch of beings that used to harass my wife when she was about the same age. Bald, red eyes etc etc. This was a repetitive experience. They are apparently extremely loud when they talk.

And again, just last night she told us more about them. There are children ones and a “daddy” one. The daddy one usually isn’t there because he has to go to work “stealing other children”. She has seen these loud beings get dropped off along with the chicken bird and “snake looking people” from the same plane.

It gets even better.

So we are sitting in the loungeroom the other night, and out of no where my eldest son says that he has seen the chicken bird before in his sleep. He says that he saw a plane come into the loungeroom, drop it off and then leave through the back door (same one my doppelganger tried to get in through.).

I remember quite awhile ago he had a dream that some beings had taken him out of bed into a waiting spaceship in the driveway, then took him to the moon where they made him touch something silver that turned him silver (hello again Matrix Movie) and made him extremely cold at the same time.

They turned him into a literal fucking Metallicboy, and this was before I had even made the acquaintance of the Metallicman.

It is hard to tell if his were lucid dreams or standard ones, given that kids can’t properly externalise what the fuck is happening to them whilst in these states, though I assume it was an LD judging from his ability to recall it so vividly. My daughter’s seem like a bunch of Lucid Dreams interwoven with physical contact of the chicken bird, backed up by my wife seeing it.

Somewhere in all this cacophony of weirdness I myself had a lucid dream about standing out in the driveway and watching a ship come in to collect me.

The place I was standing would have been right next to where my wife saw her ship and my daughter said the chicken bird ship landed.

In fact it would have been the corner of a right angle if you dotted them out on a map. It was right in the exact spot my son said they took him to the moon. The entirety of our experiences would have been within a 15m radius of each other. That’s four different people from one family who have seen ships, either physical or non physical, in pretty much the exact same spot.

I can’t help but think about my abduction dream – refer to my Part 5 – from my mother in law’s house a few years back which is literally less than 5km away as the crow flies from us.

I was there the other day and took a video of how I remembered that dream experience unfolding (except I came out the door and not from around the side of the house).

When I point to the sky, just imagine a very angular shaped ship coming out of a cloud to the right and sucking me up into a circular arrangement at the bottom followed by a very confusing and disorientated wake up session.

The thing that gets me is that that experience felt like a future occurrence; it was too vivid to be just a standard dream.

I initially wrote it off because in the dream my car (which I no longer own) was very vividly parked in my mother in law’s spot under the garage.

Then I remembered my mother in law was the one I sold that particular car to. So if I randomly go missing it’s a good bet I woke up back in 2016 lol.

Joking aside, SD is under instruction to inform MM if I do indeed go missing one day whilst at my mother in law’s house; that is just a precaution I feel is necessary to take considering the Domain Commanders recent confirmation on our LD experiences. Maybe it will never happen – I honestly have no clue what to expect.

What I do know is that something weird is going on in our household, and it amplified the moment

MM’s comms channel opened up (this is in no way me laying blame on MM for it). Is it the Domain, is it someone else? I have no fucking idea, but it is definitely related if you want my honest opinion.

I showed this to my daughter who said the eyes and beaked looked fairly similar. My wife said if you take away the hat body, pickaxe etc, it looked similar. My son said the one he saw was different, more like a chicken that made a high pitched squeaking noise.

MM comment

Jeeze! Louise!

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Fate Forecasting using Chinese BaZi astrology as elements of consciousness control in the MWI (Part 1)

This article discusses fate forecasting. It is a technique of measurement to gauge the degree of luck that exists in your present and future.

All MM readers know that we as consciousness are free to move around by choice and action in our reality, but that the options offered to us are limited due to fate. This fate is known as the pre-birth world-line template.

Additionally, another component comes into play. This is the entry point (time and place) when the physical body is birthed. This point in time establishes the fate that the consciousness experiences during a life-time. It’s a measure of how easy or how difficult it is for the consciousness to experience events on their template.

When you look at the MWI world-line template map and you see all those hills and valleys, we tend to believe that they are equally difficult for us to climb or scramble down. But that is not actually the case. Consider our consciousness has another set of “baggage” that it must carry up and down those hills. This extra “baggage” is known as fate.

It is fixed, but can be measured.

Depending on the person, the “baggage” of fate (or you might call it a “fate setting”) might be light and positive, or heavy and oppressive. This will have two effects.

Firstly, it will affect how the consciousness WANTS to navigate on the MWI; Does it want to climb those mountains or go towards those hills. And…

Secondly, it will affect the apparent ease of climbing the terrain on the MWI in front of them.

This method is known as Chinese astrology and horoscopes in terms of quantum physics related to the MWI (reality universe) where our thoughts control our world-line movement. Let it be clear that while there are many unfamiliar terms and associations with astrology, the system, mapped out by the Chinese over many centuries, is an empirical solution and explanation for the rise and fall of “luck” that consciousness experiences during a lifetime.

This is part 1.

I have described an element of the Bazi in my life by studying the Ben Ming Nian when I turned sixty years old. Here I stated…

Contemporaneously, in the Bazi it is believed that a person is surrounded by a non-physical reality. Within this non-physical are cyclic events and attributes that ebb and flow  depending on a host of causes and effects.



This non-physical reality differs from person to person. However, it consists of things that ebb and flow according to synchronized events that are triggered upon birth.

The Chinese have given these various components and their behaviors all sorts of names. They have created a series of "animal characteristics" such as dog, pig, and snake to describe a set of initial non-physical conditions. 

They have also created a series of names to describe how the non-physical components behave as a group. They go by such names as a "strong earth", or a "weak wood".

It's easy for the ignorant to make fun of this entire system. To them, it sounds a lot like a more detailed version of Western astrology.

But it is not.

It’s not bullshit

It’s an empirically obtained solution for rise and fall of fate and luck during one’s lifetime.

empirical
based on, concerned with, or verifiable by observation or experience rather than theory or pure logic.

For over 5000 years, the Chinese have observed the rise and falls of fortunes.

They noticed that people with similar birth dates had similar luck, and this effect was studied and built upon. The entire effort; this trend for luck (good or bad) is well mapped out, and it is an empirically derived map that resembles the pre-birth world-line template.

It is called Bazi.

Basics

Bazi is known by different names; the most commonly used names in China are…

      • Eight Characters (八字) , BaZi.
      • Four-Pillars (四柱),
      • Zi Ping (子平).

It is a technique that is based on one’s precise birth date and time to the exact minute.  At the moment of birth, the physical body enters the MWI on a specific world-line. This world-line moment in time sets the “fate rules” for the person so birthed.

In practice, the birth date/time is first translated into a Chinese calendar representation. This representation is described as 4 “pillars”. Each pillar represents YEAR, MONTH, DAY and HOUR. And each pillar contains 2 Chinese characters.

Four pillars, each having two characters means a total of eight characters, hence the term “the naming of Eight Characters.”

Bazi had long been used and practiced, but in Sung Dynasty, Xu Zi Ping, set the standard in using Bazi as the fortune of fate forecasting tool.

Bazi is a forecasting tool that measures one’s fate on the pre-birth world-line template. This aspect of fate is not changed when you slide off one template to another. Your fate is fixed with your physical body. It is not associated with the world-lines that you traverse.

The methodology

There are ‘two’ main fortune forecasting methods: (a) 神煞 and (b) 十神生剋制化.

[a] 神煞 (shén shà) “God is scant”

This is used by many practitioners. Simply because it much easier to use than [b] below.

[b] 十神生剋制化 (shí shén shēng kè zhì huà) “Ten gods are born and systematized”

Xu Zi Ping, of the Sung Dynasty, based his foretasting on this methodology. It is both much richer in its theoretical base as well as its application than [a].

Destiny considerations

One should note that bazi only uses the birth time for fate forecasting. It does not include where the person is born and what are the targeted person’s relationships. Both these aspects contributes a significant influence on one’s destiny.

So bazi can only provide an indicator of a possible prediction. This is critical as many people think bazi or any fortune telling tool can be used to predict with 100% accuracy, I will leave this to you to have a thought about it.

The other analogy of Bazi is DNA: with the advance of genealogy, it is now possible to predict one’s health condition and possibilities of getting certain diseases. Genealogy doesn’t say one WILL certainly get some diseases but only suggests that one may be more susceptible. Bazi is similar whereby it can be used as a guide to what may happen to one’s fate.

Good Luck and Bad Luck

The fate forecasting methodology relies on trending attributes for measurement. You have “auspicious” trends and “inauspicious” trends.  Further these are further divided into strong and weak trends.

Good Luck

      • Strong likelihood of auspicious opportunities / events.
      • A weak trend towards auspicious opportunities / events.

Bad Luck

      • Strong likelihood of inauspicious opportunities / events.
      • A weak trend towards inauspicious opportunities / events.

A Bazi (Chinese Astrology) Primer

Chinese cosmology is a cohesive philosophy that undergirds every aspect of Chinese culture and society.

This primer is by no means meant to be a comprehensive treatment of Chinese cosmology. It is, however, meant to serve as an introductory guide to Bazi which is Chinese Astrology.

It is presented here on MM as a forecasting tool to measure fate influences as your consciousness travels the MWI and world-line movement.

MING MEANS FATE, OR LUCK

命运 (mìng yùn)

fate, destiny, fortunes, fates

Chinese cosmology has a holistic conception of “ming”, or fate/destiny. There are 3 kinds of fate of luck: heaven luck, earth luck, and man luck. These are hierarchical and define both the possibilities and  impossibilities in a person’s life.

All 3 notions of fate, or luck, are beholden to time:

  • Heaven luck is astrology, how celestial phenomena occurring at specified times correlate to affairs on earth and the lives of men;
  • Earth luck is feng shui, the art of scheduling and positioning. It is the orientation of one’s self and life in relationship to the flow of qi (life force or energy);
  • Man luck is how one understands, respects, and works with or against their heaven and earth luck.

WU XING: FIVE PHASES OF QI

Essential to each of these studies of fate is “wu xing” which is the five elements (stages, phases, etc). The five elements are:

      • Wood
      • Fire
      • Earth
      • Metal
      • Water

Each of the five elements takes to forms, a yin form and a yang form giving us 10 primary presentations of qi (Life force energy).

Each of these yin/yang forms of qi governs a season.

Each season is comprised of 3 animal signs which are earthly manifestations of the qi/element that governs each season. Earth governs the periods between each of the seasons. See figure 1 for an example. Note that it changes yearly from one person to the next.

Each element interacts with every other element in several defined relationships.

But the most important interactions between elements are the production cycle and the controlling cycle.

Be careful not to assume that relationships is better than the other. Context is everything.

When we discover the flow of your chart we will come to understand which relationships are most important to support that flow.

ANATOMY OF A BAZI CHART

Bazi means eight characters.

The eight characters in your Chinese astrology chart are divided into two groups.

The [1] Heavenly Stems and [2] the Earthly Branches.

The Heavenly Stems are the pure qi, the five elements in their yin or yang forms. The Earthly Branches are the 12 animals (see Figure 1).

There are four pillars in your Bazi chart. The year pillar, month pillar, day pillar, and hour pillar.

  • Year pillar is grandparents and extended family members, it is your family background and upbringing.
  • Month pillar represents the parents or siblings, employment.
  • Day pillar is the self, spouse, home.
  • Hour pillar is children, aspiration, career.

Each pillar has one heavenly stem at the top, and one earthly branch on the bottom. Each part of the chart is identified in terms of its pillar and whether it’s a stem or a branch. See figure 3 for another example for a specific person on a specific year.

The two most important parts of a Bazi chart are the day stem and the month branch. The day stem is called the daymaster, and the month branch is the season of birth.

Once the daymaster is identified each of the other elements can be identified as well.

  • The daymaster (and its yin or yang counterpart) is the self (friends/enemies, peers, audience). It produces output.
  • The element that the daymaster produces is output (ideas, work ethic, talents, children in the chart of women). It produces wealth.
  • The element that output produces is wealth (assets, father, spouse or partner in the chart of men) it produces influence.
  • The element that wealth produces is officer (authority, superiors, spouse or partner in the chart of women, children in the chart of men). It produces resource.
  • The element that the officer produces is resource (mother, family support and upbringing, education, helpful people). It produces the self.

IDENTIFYING YOUR FLOW

The flow of a Bazi chart originates with the daymaster and the season.

The daymaster can be rooted or not rooted in the season. That means the animal in the earthly branch of the month pillar can be the same as or produce the element in the heavenly stem of the day pillar.

For example, Yi (Yin Wood) daymaster born in Spring (Wood season) or Winter (Water season) is rooted because the element of the season in the month branch matches the element of the day stem. Yi is rooted in Winter because the Water of Winter produces Wood. Yi (Yin Wood). Yi (Yin Wood) born in any other season is not rooted.

Whether or not the daymaster is rooted in the month branch determines the flow of the chart. The flow defines which elements are favorable and which elements are unfavorable to a chart. This is a complicated task that requires an understanding of how the stems and branches interact with each other. That is beyond the scope of this primer.

LUCK PILLARS

The Bazi chart and its flow determine the heaven luck you were born with. The annual and 10 (personal) year luck pillars determines when that flow is supported, disrupted or blocked.

Every 10 years, your personal luck pillar changes. Then you enter a new time period with a different focus. See figure 4 for another example.

Each year the annual luck pillar changes. It interacts with both your Bazi chart and your personal luck pillar to support, disrupt, or block the flow that your personal luck pillar adjusts every 10 years.

It is this part we focus on in the Bazi

Conducting the primary forecasting charts

Step 1 – Casting the chart

When casting your Bazi chart, you must convert your birth time to solar time. You can use this calculator to convert it.

Step 2 – Plotting the chart

Here is a calculator you can use to plot your Bazi chart for you. Here’s a sample of what it might look like…

It is very easy to make a mistake in this process. So I strongly recommend that you pay the fee and use an expert. The expert will give you direct and usable intel. Instead of just guidelines that you need to interpret. (And unless you are an expert, you could misinterpret the readings.)

Conclusions

This is just part 1. Don’t get too caught up in the terms and try to make heads or tails out of it. The over all beauty and symmetry of the system becomes evident once you study it.

In future article we will go step by step to tear into the individual components, and then things will become clearer. Of most importance is the idea of “stars” or rotational periodic influences that orbit the consciousness.

I do not recommend that you try to figure out your destiny on your own. Instead, I strongly recommend you locate a practitioner on the internet and they will generate a day to day forecast for you to go by. It has been my personal experience that it is uncanny how accurate it can be.

Here is the group that performed my fate forecast for me back in 2003. I was in the United States at the time, and they are a group in Singapore. No problem what so ever…

This is NOT an advertisement. This is their “line card”. It’s a Singapore based organization.

My personal experience

Here’s overview excerpts from the MM reading that I obtained back in 2003 from geomancy.net.

I found it interesting, but was not paying attention. I had no idea what “bad” + “Very inauspicious” would mean.

This is the period of time where I was “retired”. My life started to fall apart in August 2005, with arrest and incarceration later on in that year. My sentencing to the ADC was in 2006 where I began my five year prison sentence.

Here is the current period of time.

I can confirm that the first half of 2021 was a bit of a strain for me personally, but that the second half was much better. And things are looking brighter this up coming 2022.

The day to day summaries were very helpful. But again, they just show potentials and when you are getting a massive mountain of shit coming your way, the only thing you can do is hunker down and endure the storm.

Do you want more?

I have more posts in my Fate Forecasting Index here…

Fate forecasting

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[daegonmagus] – Part 11 – Lucid Dreaming Lesson 3; Techniques for Inducing Effective LDs

The following is the eleventh part from a series of articles describing the adventure that a follower who goes by the handle "daegonmagus" has experienced since reading MM. They are very interesting and fascinating. I hope that you all learn from his journey and maybe learn a thing or two as he relates his unique experiences to the readership here. 

-MM

Part 11 – Lucid Dreaming Lesson 3 Techniques for Inducing Effective LDs

In this lesson we are going to get into some techniques myself and SD have used numerous times to induce LD with a great measure of success. These techniques are entirely my own; I am yet to see them being used anywhere else.

The methodologies came about entirely by accident and through observations of my environment {both mental and physical} either immediately from waking up from an LD or taking note of certain things before one was initiated that I would remember afterwards.

Some of these techniques are particularly effective at inducing a WILD even from a heavily fatigued state of mind. In fact, they seem to work better from this state.

Before I begin though, a quick word on the “cheats”:

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Drugs and Alcohol

Many people suggest explicit substances such as drugs and alcohol can have a

negative effect on ones ability to LD. While I was never big on anything harsher than marijuana, I cannot specifically remember ever having an LD experience whilst under the influence of such a substance.

I am generally skeptical when it comes to using drugs to initiate an LD.

This is mainly because I believe they distort the mind too much to make becoming lucid whilst in the dream state feasible. I have had friends who have used LSD and DMT to try and initiate an astral projection.

I sincerely advise against it.

All it seems to have done for these people is given them a fast tracked ticket to the mental health ward of their local hospital. Though, I suspect the LD/AP thing was really more of an excuse to justify their addiction to these substances.

If one has not taken the psychological preparation necessary, then they are leaving themselves open to all sorts of trouble.

This is of course, my own opinion.

Alcohol, is different for me. Whilst I have never had an LD under its immediate influence I have had many LDs during the hangover recovery phase the day after a major bender.

I have actually used alcohol to deliberately try to induce an LD in this manner.

Though it seems to work better when I haven’t had LD as an intention. Be warned though, the level of alcohol needed to put you in a state of such dissociation from the body could be considered lethal by many people’s standards. It is also for this reason, I really don’t recommend it as a feasible avenue to LD.

However, if you are planning on indulging in it quite liberally, I see no reason why you can’t give LD a try when you are lying half comatose in bed with a blanket of regret over you to keep you warm, as you tell yourself “never again”.

You might as well try and get something out of the annihilation of brain cells.

I have noticed it is particularly easy to tune into non physical chatter whilst in bed and still reeling from a particularly bad hangover. I am not trained in psychology, so I will skip going into my opinions on why this would be.

Non Physical Chatter:

Whilst we are on the subject, I feel the need to mention some things I have noticed in regards to non physical chatter.

Whilst not necessarily LD related I believe they are worth experimenting with.

The most noticeable is the way pressure is applied to the head when one is about to fall asleep.

I have found that there is a correlation with me lying in such a position that most pressure from my pillow presses on the top, middle right part of my head, and having strange “visions”.

A common theme is what appears to be a very vivid movie real of an unfamiliar cartoon.

It is in a similar style to the old Felix the cat cartoons. A similar cartoon has been mentioned by members of the occult/LD community, and by SD.

I have also noticed that if I fall asleep lying down with my head on my propped up elbow, then there is potential for audible chatter that is clearly not related to my own thought train.

There seems to be a grey area of conscious awareness where this chatter is at its most extreme.

An effective method to “catching it” is to count up to 5 minutes; when the mind is preoccupied with focusing on the counting, it is incredibly easy to notice when the chatter appears because it completely derails the counting.

“The Emerther are scared to death for many reasons that lead back to the human race”, “Japan has nothing at the edge of their chasm”, “Please be careful” are examples of the things I have heard whilst in this grey area. It seems to correspond to the M Band noise mentioned by Bruce Moen.

Diet and Exercise.

I have been asked if there is a correlation with diet and LD, and honestly I can’t say I have really noticed anything to be that beneficial.

This is not to say there isn’t an eating plan you should try, more so that I just never bothered looking too deep into this aspect.

By all means if you find someone who suggests something an eating regime specifically to induce LD, then give it a try and get back to me on how it went for you.

In saying this though, my most intense period of lucid dreaming was when I was working out on a regular basis with a goal of getting fit enough to join the Defense Force.

At the same time I was also eating quite healthily, so it is hard for me to tell if my heightened level of lucid awareness of the dream state was because of the exercise, the diet, or both.

It could have been a result of the location for all I know.

I can’t give a definite in this regard. What I do know is that my diet and exercise regime is no where near as healthy as it was, and my lucid dreaming ventures have taken a nose dive.

Hopefully I’ll start getting back into it when my youngest is a little bit older. I am curious to see if my forays into lucidity start to come back a bit stronger under a healthier lifestyle.

What I did noticed with two rather potent LD experiences that happened only a few nights apart is that I had some sort of spicy chicken dish followed by a dose of sugar.

There appeared to be no correlation in “healthiness” with these foods; one was a lean Thai curry with a portion of cake for dessert, the other was standard hot and spicy KFC followed by a typical sugary drink from that food chain.

I suspect it has to do with the chemical change from the chili/ sugar content that is registered via the subconscious mind whilst in the dream state. I suggest exploring this avenue further and experimenting with it if you are game enough.

Thought Placement:

Many DILD techniques involve the use of “reality checks” to help stimulate the sub consciousness mind into becoming lucid.

These basically consist of a series of checks you do each day whilst awake which hopefully carry over to the dreaming domain and allow you to come to the realisation you are lucid. “Am I awake, am I asleep?” that sort of thing. Similar to me throwing my bass guitar in the pool.

In the movie Inception, Leornado DiCaprio employs the use of a spinning top as a reality check. He spins the top and if he is awake it eventually slows down and falls over due to the lack of centrifugal force.

The tell that he is still dreaming is that it continues to keep spinning unencumbered by the lack of physics.

I recommend watching this movie.

It not only is a good representation of LD in general, but also highlights the importance of being psychologically ready before undertaking extensive voyages into the Lucid planes.

In the movie, DiCaprio’s wife ends up killing herself because she believes she is still dreaming and needs to wake up, despite DiCaprio insisting she is already awake and back in the physical reality.

Another thing Inception portrays really well is the layering depths of dreams one may delve into and how time becomes distorted in these other “dream worlds”.

When you get good at LD, it is easy to get carried away and start going deeper and deeper into a dream within a dream within a dream.

You must learn and employ your safeguards so you know how to properly get back from such a maze.

This may sound somewhat silly, but believe me, I have been trapped in lucidity for “years” only to wake up to find a single night has passed; it can really fuck you up if you are not prepared for it.

Another thing to be aware of is that it can be quite depressing visiting an LD Utopia only to have to wake back up into this physical plane.

Expect a readjustment period of at least a few days.

Thought Placement for DILDs

Through my observations I have found that there is a correlating timeframe that thoughts can be used to stimulate the sub consciousness in the dream state.

This came about by having dreams with elements that I could pin point back to a very specific time of having that thought element during the day time.

It appears that around 10 to 10 and a half hours, and half an hour before going to sleep (not just going to bed) are prime times for instilling thoughts about doing reality checks and lucid dreaming.

Of course, this means having a strict bed time schedule and understanding how long it actually takes you to get to sleep once in bed.

The Dream Blanket

I have a book written by a guy with Native American blood that talks about the shamanic practice of “shapeshifting”. The Art of Shapeshifting by Ted Andrews.

It is essentially about using dances that mimic certain animals and special talismans for remote viewing and lucid dreaming purposes.

While I never got into the dances, one of the talismans I found curious was a blanket that you drape across you every time you are consciously trying to LD.

The theory by the author is that every time you have a LD you subconsciously imbue this blanket with dream energy, which eventually makes it easier to lucid dream, as you connect with this energy when fall asleep.

The dream blanket is considered so sacred by him that he suggests locking it up within a special chest and not letting it come into contact with other artifacts lest it becomes tainted by their energy.

It must only ever be used for Lucid Dreaming.

I tried using a piece of expensive silk fabric for this purpose but it was not clear if it had any profound effect.

In saying that, I have noticed it takes awhile to build up “LD momentum” if the blankets are changed from ones I have been using during periods with many LDs. Purple and blue colored linen seems to work the best.

The Pillows:

Did you end up buying a triangular {right angle} shaped pillow? If not, don’t worry too much about it.

Some regular pillows that are quite “puffy” with a good puff to density ratio will do just fine.

Try to avoid ones that are so puffy that your head falls right through them though.

The reason triangular pillows are good is that they wrap around the entirety of your neck and give you’re the head the support it is going to need when undertaking the main LD inducing technique, the hanged man pose.

You can get by without it, but I have found one side of my neck quickly gets quite fatigued without this support base from the pillows.

If you are using standard rectangular pillows, their arrangement will be crucial to whether or not the technique works, and it may take quite a few adjustments to get them “right”.

I hope you have been practicing the stillness of the body meditation, because you are going to need it for the next part:

Onto the techniques

The Hanged Man Pose:

Over the many years I was engaging in LD, I started noticing “commonalities” between when I would have an LD and the arrangement of my body when waking up.

The most notable of such commonalities was a particular pose I usually {not always} found myself in immediately upon waking from my LDs.

Curious, I began experimenting with this pose.

I would take a few minutes after awaking into to it to study it in depth without moving, then try to recreate it whenever I’d go to bed to try and initiate an LD.

More often than not it would work for both DILDs and WILDs.

In fact some of the most vivid LDs I have had have been from using this very pose. I explained it to SD and she began using it, and reported that it works quite well for her.

As far as I am concerned, this is the secret to initiating an LD.

The pose itself is quite easy to get into.

The difficulty, however, comes when trying to remain in it without moving. Hence why the practice of the stillness of the body is crucial to mastering it. And hence why pillow arrangement is crucial to its correct use.

Five minutes after getting into this pose I guarantee every ounce of your being will be telling you to move into a more comfortable position; It is an incredibly uncomfortable position to be in.

It is not as if you are going to be doing yoga or anything.

It is more that you will be stretching certain muscles and placing weight on your body in a way that you are not used to.

You need to just suck it up and lie there if you want it to work properly.

Hopefully, after a few weeks you will automatically start taking up this position as you sleep.

So how do we get into the pose?

Well, there is a reason I call it the Hanged Man pose, and this is because it is similar to the Hanged Man in the Tarot deck.

Traditionally, this card depicts a man hanging upside down with his arms at his side and his leg bent at such an angle so that it touches the knee of the opposing leg.

While I have used this exact pose, for LD, I prefer to alter it slightly.

Rather than have the leg bent at a 90 degree angle, simply place the heel of your right foot on top of your left when you are laying down.

If you find this too uncomfortable you can alter it so that your feet are to the side of each other.

The crucial thing, though is that the two must be touching.

The arms can either relax at your side or be placed upon your sternum; that latter seems to work better.

Keeping your back flat to the plane of your mattress, you then need to bend your head to the right so that your right ear is completely covered by your pillow.

Aim to create a “seal” around your whole ear so that no air can escape.

Again, I have found the triangular pillow makes this easier to achieve.

I am not sure why this works so well. I suspect it has something to do with unbalancing the inner ear or something to do with redirecting the flow of energy through the body, which are picked up in dreamtime.

One thing I know for certain though, is that it gets results. Provided you can keep it up.

The Tennis Match Scenario:

This will consciously carry you from an awakened state through the transition into the dream state and on into the Void Space if done correctly, regardless of your fatigue level.

In fact, most of the WILDs I have had have been from utilizing this technique, or a slight variant of it.

Consider it a cheat code to getting into the void space.

To understand why it works you need to understand the way consciousness “collapses” back in towards the pineal gland as you enter the dream state.

This is a complete inversion of the consciousness you use whilst engaging in physical reality whilst awake.

If you are successful with this technique, you will experience this inversion.

It works particularly well when you are fatigued to the point of being in danger of falling asleep within minutes of your head touching the pillow, which is why I like it.

I used it quite a lot when I was working a full time job as an assembler in an electronics factory.

I was getting up at 4:30am and getting home at 6pm, completely exhausted, and yet it still worked.

So if this sounds like your sort of lifestyle, I recommend trying it.

You start by visualising a tennis match between you and an opponent.

It has to be a first person view on your part. You need to visualize this as if you are actually there, playing tennis, with the net in front of you and the racket being held in your hand.

It can’t be from a third person viewpoint.

Pretend it is your opponent’s turn to serve.

I find it easier to visualize slow serves that gradually build in pace, but if you are too fatigued just go right on to the fast serves. You need about 5 seconds worth of unbroken, vivid visualization of your opponent smashing the ball as hard as they possibly can.

Repeat the visualization with the ball flying past your head.

After every 4th or fifth hit, make the ball hit square in the middle of your nose.

Hopefully, in your fatigued state, your mind will automatically keep replaying the scenario, and eventually start believing it is real.

The goal is to have it react with a surge of adrenaline as the ball hits your nose, thinking there is a very real possibility of your nose being broken.

This surge of adrenaline, I have found, is just enough to awaken you back into a conscious understanding that you are almost asleep.

At the same time, your consciousness “locks” onto the ball, and is projected back in towards the pineal gland the same way it collapses into the dream state.

Because the adrenaline has made you lucid, you consciously witness that transition before the adrenaline disappears.

The speed of which consciousness enters into this transition is what I term as “the velocity of consciousness”.

From my experiences, this velocity can be anywhere between the speed of a properly served tennis ball to that of a bullet.

I suggest experimenting with different scenarios that involve different speeds, to see if you can find something that works better for you.

A variant of this technique I found also works well is by imagining a fast orbiting satellite near a planet that you “spin” off its trajectory and have it hit you.

In my case, it was a dodecahedron spinning about a tetrahedron; both are heavily related to occult philosophy. They are platonic solids.

The Velocity of Consciousness and the Void Space.

The speed at which your consciousness inverts and falls back through pineal gland will dictate how deep one falls into the void space.

I mentioned in the previous lesson that distortions will come into play and that these distortions will dictate how successful your lucid dream will be.

With a high velocity of consciousness, one risks penetrating too “deep” into the void space where the distortions are at their most extreme.

The tennis match/ orbiting satellite visualization seems to instill consciousness with a velocity so that It can reach a shallower level of the void space.

Coming from sleep paralysis on the other hand, the distortions can be anywhere from mild to extreme.

These distortions will last only whilst in the void space, but they have the potential of completely destroying the lucid dream.

The reason for this is because it takes an incredible amount of visualization willpower to be able to create a dream; all focus must be put towards this end.

If the mind is busy dealing with using it’s visualization resources trying to neutralize these distortions, then proper dreamscape visualization cannot take place.

Unfortunately I have no remedy for when these distortions are at their maximum.

I have rarely been able to make it past this stage when they are, and the times I have, my dreamscapes have been a random mess of corrupted data.

Even the most basic of dreamscapes become impossible to visualize, and movement within them becomes even harder.

Don’t feel disheartened if these distortions ruin your LD. This happened to me more times than I can count. Perseverance is the only way through

Dream Creation From the Void Space:

Dreams created from the void space are not standard dreams, and neither are they typical LDs.

When done properly, one can exhibit almost total control over what appears in the dreamscape, and can use this for exploration of the non physical worlds.

Many experts will suggest this is astral projection, other experts will claim that LD cannot be used for such traveling or that it is really just a trick of the mind and you are not really “traveling”. My personal experiences suggest differently on both accounts.

To create a dreamscape to this extent you MUST take control of the distortions before the intent to create a dream even comes up whilst you are in the void space.

The reason for this is that to create a proper dreamscape takes an immense amount of will power and conscious focus.

If majority of that focus is spent dealing with the distortions after the dream has been created, your dream will not be stable and will “fall apart,” waking you up in the process.

Strong visualization practices to counter the distortions are the only thing I know that works, hence why you don’t want the distortions to be anything other than weak.

Once confidence of dominations over the distortions has been gained, there is a certain trick to being able to create a stable dreamscape.

Remember, you need to be able to think of all of this on the fly – you won’t have time to try and process and remember it all from scratch, so I suggest running through the process multiple times so it becomes automatic.

Rather than start surrounding yourself with items you wish to be present in the immediate environment, I have found it more beneficial to visualize the extremities of the particular scenario – if your eyes were functioning in this state, it would be equivalent of creating the objects you can see at the horizon.

The next trick is to switch your attention from this horizon onto the area encompassing a few meters around you without letting it collapse.

This is where the level of the void space you are in comes in to play; if you are too deep into it, close to the depths of the basement, you will be met with distortions in your visualisations which will “attack” them and ultimately collapse the environment around you, resulting in you waking up back in the physical world.

It takes great practice to be able to create a dream environment like this, then switch to populating it with whatever objects or people, smells etc, you desire without it collapsing, but it can be done to the point one can experience the same sensations they feel utilizing a physical body, such as smell, touch, taste etc.

This is something I was doing consistently in my youth, almost 3 times a week.

The number one rule is that once created, no conscious thought can be allowed to be given to the structure of this environment, as this will also cause it to collapse; you have to just create it, and “know” it is around you and move straight into and interact from within it; if you find yourself focusing on one particular thing during the creation stage, you need to quickly find something else and use that to anchor your dreamscape, and you keep doing this until it becomes stable.

You can then manifest a dream body if you wish, or continue to operate without one.

Once stable, the dreamscape can be interacted with just like any physical environment (but more profoundly).

This is the art of applying velocity to consciousness; once a dreamscape has been created, consciousness can move about in it simply by picking a point and focusing on it, much like with astral projection.

Time and space become irrelevant factors, as one is immediately “teleported” to the point of imagination, hence why the control of one’s imagination is such an important factor.

Just as the infant must learn to use its legs to walk through its physical environment, so too must one learn to use the points around them to move within their lucid environment.

By having an idea beforehand of what sort of dream environment one wants to build, and an object that can be summoned and moved away from the area closest to you after your horizon has been established, one can smooth out the whole process and evade the distortions before they begin to present themselves.

I have been known to “free fall” in the void for long periods of time – hours in fact – whilst I decided what dream I wanted to create, or simply for relaxation/meditation purposes.

I have also been known to switch dreamscapes as easily as one walks through a door, jumping from world to world as if I was walking into different rooms.

All this can be done via the portals when one becomes skilled at visualization practices.

Summoning the Portals:

Once you are certain your dream is stable – ie you can move about it within it fairly easily without having to think too hard to keep it in place – the portals can summoned to allow for travel to other non physical locations.

I really do not know how I learnt this; it was just something I “knew” how to do quite effortlessly whilst in an LD. A memory of sorts.

The portals themselves are quite small, and spherical shaped, about the size of a tennis ball.

They are, on first summoning of them, a pearlescent white color.

If you consider your vision straight ahead as being a flat plane at 0 degrees, the portals are off set above your vision at about a 6 degree angle from your eyes, and several feet away.

They exist in your close range top peripheral in other words, right on the edge of your focusing range.

The means for using them is this; you summon them in their pearlescent white form, then you “attach” an environment to them so they become a mini “world” display of the environment you wish to travel to.

They act as a means to contain very specific visual coordinates of a non physical location that will not be subject to the distortions in your immediate environment.

Once they have been summoned, and your visual coordinates have appeared on their surface, you then project or “jump” into them by contracting your consciousness (remember I said consciousness in a non physical state can contract and expand?).

You then come out at the location in question.

Though the portals can be used as a means to travel to one’s own self designed dreamscapes, there are other locations that I have accessed multiple times without any need to create them using the same portals; when accessed, it is as if they automatically materialize in one’s own void space without any visualisation input.

The amount of time I have spent in these particular places equates to a great deal more than someone who goes on regular holidays.

Many of them have their own portals in certain places that access other parts of the other “worlds”, so that, ultra dimensionally, they are all, in some way, linked together.

The portals can allow two way access by using the expansion of consciousness method rather than the contraction method, but I will cover this in the next lesson.

You can visit the daegonmagus Index here…

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[daegonmagus] – Part 10 – Combined LD Asset Penetration Into Amnesia Infrastructure

The following is the tenth part from a series of articles describing the adventure that a follower who goes by the handle "daegonmagus" has experienced since reading MM. They are very interesting and fascinating. I hope that you all learn from his journey and maybe learn a thing or two as he relates his unique experiences to the readership here. 

-MM

Below is a briefing document which equates to about 7 years worth of LD espionage into amnesia compounds by both myself and my wife, SD.

While it rehashes a few things I have already talked about, I think it contains some info the Commander will consider as being quite valuable.

I am very interested to hear yours and his opinions of it, particularly the first impression you get from him “absorbing” it.

Be warned, it is about 12k worth of words, so might take you a good amount of time to go through. There will be further documentation in the coming weeks in regards to my opinions on how LD assets can be effectively used to tackle this amnesia problem.

I also have a few questions for the Commander, but as there is already a couple of question in the document I will hold off asking them for your sake.

Part 10 – Combined LD Asset Penetration Into Amnesia Infrastructure

This is a briefing document to be relayed to the Domain Commander via Metallic Man outlining about 7 years worth of recon work into various locations by two very accomplished LD Assets – DM and SD – carried out between the years 2008 to 2015 to aid in the identification of potential abusers of the amnesia prison system infrastructure as well as the possibility of hijacked consciousness templates.

This is not a singular experience; majority of the locations mentioned in this document have been repetitively observed and experienced numerous times during Lucid Dreaming by both DM and SD over this 7 year period as well as other LD assets.

This is a unique opportunity for the Domain and MM readers to gain an understanding of these non physical locations from 2 separate sources that have been able to openly discuss these experiences on a regular basis free from the constraints of societal bias and vilification to verify them.

This document is to function as an addendum to a personal request by the Domain Commander for me, DM, to undertake lucid espionage into such compounds, as relayed to me via ex-MAJestic Agent MM in a personal email.

Given that a fair understanding of my background in LD has been given to the MM readership, I must point out that SD is at a very similar level of experience in LD to me – if not better – and has experimented with it almost as much as me.

Note that SD has been able to view a similar consciousness sorting mechanism as described by MM through utilizing her LD skillset. Also note that while I have agreed to help the Domain in their effort of identifying the amnesia machinery, my loyalty is ultimately to the Elder Guardians and their approved alliances first and foremost.

This is understood. -MM

My willingness to help the Domain comes from the idea that the goals of these two organizations are aligned; to put a stop to the amnesia machinery which will ultimately allow the extraction of members of each organization who have become trapped in the “earth prison”.

Anyone involved in such an effort is to be considered a friend by me for at least the duration of this project.

Just as the Domain are responsible for the 3000 members of their lost battalion, I am responsible for the 20k+ consciousnesses that came here at the direction of the Elder Guardians for a similar retrieval operation.

Therefore the Domain have my permission to alter my non-physical body to whatever extent they deem necessary provided it is to benefit this same goal and provided I am allowed to retain 100% awareness of the process, regardless of how painful or uncomfortable it may prove to be.

However, the Domain must not in any shape or form alter any aspect of my body {physical or non physical} that has already been altered by The Elder Guardians or their alliances without prior consent from that same organization.

This is understood and agreed to. -MM

This is to ensure that I am still able to carry out my lucid obligations to the Elder Guardians and the aforementioned consciousnesses I am responsible for. Ultimately the Elder Guardians have right of authority when it comes to any aspect of my physical/ non physical self.

I am optimistic in my belief that such a disagreement of circumstance will be extremely unlikely, given that our goals are so aligned.

However if I am wrong, in this assumption the Domain are of course welcome to approach me directly should they feel the need to persuade me otherwise.

There is an understanding that shared alliances can be mutually beneficial to all involved as long as we all agree to work within the agreed to frameworks. For instance, I agreed to a life-line involvement in MAJestic, not realizing that I would be working with The Domain. Then, I needed to reaffirm my agreements with them in order to proceed with them. -MM

I am putting in a formal request to the Commander that the Domain keep me updated on any missions carried out into these non-physical locations by either them or their associates, via MM if he so allows it, or personally if that is a more appropriate course of action for them.

This is understood and agreed to. -MM

I am also requesting any aid the Domain may be able to provide to either myself or SD that would prevent both physical and non physical forces impeding us in our operations to further gather intelligence via lucid dreaming and astral projection based avenues.

I believe this a fair compensation for the information contained in this report, though I will let MM have the final decision in whether it is or not. If he disagrees I won’t argue.

From what I understand, they will remain neutral for the most part, but will assist (if they are able to do so) if asked by one of the irregular assets directly (though the means I have provided.) -MM

If, however, the Domain are able to provide such assistance I will be able to more effectively devise an offensive stratagem into these targets.

It is my intention to penetrate deeper into these facilities when opportunity allows for it regardless of the dangers present therein. Understand this is a lifelong goal of mine that I have held since long before even stumbling across MM.

It is not my intention to disrespect the Domain or offend them in any way shape or form. Like MM, I take these assignments seriously and the terms I have laid out are solely to protect aspects of this operation I know to be on track to dismantling the amnesia mechanisms.

In saying that, I am committed to combining resources and using my LD skillset to tackle the amnesia problem whenever possible.

This is understood and agreed to. They will provide "reasonable" assistance provided the request is "reasonable". They will NOT make a judgement on the need or utility. Instead, in this venue "reasonable" refers to their ability to do so, given the specific circumstances involved. If that makes sense. 

To put it in my own words, they will help if they are able to, and will not judge if whether or not you need it or not. They have limitations. -MM

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The Experiences:

Reality brainwashing is a very heavy theme present within many of these combined LD experiences, and is suggestive that the amnesia prison system has indeed been taken over or is still in operation and in some parts functional at the very least.

The Amnesia operation is either still in operation, or has been taken over by other interests. -MM

Over the years both myself and SD have been able to gain a detailed understanding of how these non physical locations are linked via a substantial network of egress portals and consciousness mazes, which are seemingly buried in layer upon layer of non physical “realities”, or planes exhibiting a different density to our physical one.

The conclusion we have both come to is that this system is designed to disorientate many consciousnesses during sleep/ death and control them to a very, very high degree through an MK Ultra type arrangement.

We have also gained an understanding of how consciousness doping agents are seemingly being used to keep a consciousness docile, submissive and under control whilst in these non physical facilities.

My experiences with the Elder Guardians suggest this is done en masse to the population of earth whenever they go to sleep, and again highlights this consciousness brainwashing theme that suggests the prison system is still in operation.

Given what we have experienced first hand, it is unlikely any consciousness would be able to resist this domination without some form of assistance, as the doping agents appear to be administered immediately upon entering the non physical environment.

"...it is unlikely any consciousness would be able to resist this domination without some form of assistance..."

Any efforts at “evading the light”, in my opinion, would have to include some kind of therapy to be administered during physical life to help break through that consciousness doping I assume is also undertaken upon death. I will submit a plan to MM later on I have to help rectify this particular problem.

"...Any efforts at “evading the light”, in my opinion, would have to include some kind of therapy to be administered during physical life..."

The volcano island I infiltrated which was recently mentioned in the LD task callout by MM was only one of what appear to be many places where such reality brainwashing/ false memory implantation, breeding programs, consciousness doping, and torture is taking place, according to mine and SD’s many recon assignments.

Many of these facilities take the form of “schools” – and are called this by their administrators – that are heavily guarded by armed soldiers that exhibit a very Nazi SS Officer/ authoritarian like behavior.

They call the act of undergoing brainwashing to “go and study”.

These schools exist within multiple different planes; it is exceedingly difficult trying to pin point them to a specific one.

The general theme is that if you get caught conducting lucid espionage into any of these locations, with complete memory of the physical world, you get targeted for either…

a) ejection from these locations by these guards or
b) capture whereby a specialized form of torture tailored specifically to make you forget them is administered.

This torture involves the use of electrocution and being probed with sharp objects, sometimes the former being administered through the latter.

It is strictly forbidden to talk about any of the other non physical worlds whilst in these reality brainwashing schools, and anyone doing so is immediately reprimanded and hushed by these guards.

This includes those in which past life memories begin to surface.

Those who are not part of the administration are treated like typical prison inmates and segregated into small groups based on gender and age.

Given that myself and SD were able to relate our LD experiences to each other on an almost day to day basis, we have been successful in retrieving memory of such scenarios that otherwise would have been left erased.

One of us will begin with a description of the experience, which will trigger a flood of memories for the other, who will then finish the scenario with an exact description of what took place.

Hence it is unlikely, in my opinion, that we are just implanting false memories within one another. It is my assumption that we are recalling parts of each other’s lucid dreams that we have both been active in.

It has been very evident to the both of us that the administrators of these locations do not want us aware of them or bringing such information back to the physical world.

We have experienced many failsafe mechanisms to make sure this doesn’t happen, including [1] amnesia “street lights” (designed to keep certain sections and blocked from access), [2] swarms of entities that “scrub” particular locations to keep out non authorized “visitors”, as well as [3] being chased through multiple worlds by entities resembling “suits” or “MIB” (specifically to stop one of us helping the other regain our memories).

I have yet another LD Asset {#3} part of my contacts who has also been chased by the MIB during LD.

SD and I have been fortunate in that we were able to evade and escape most of these efforts to some degree due to our LD skillsets.

Unfortunately for the administrators of these locations we also both started building up a tolerance to the consciousness doping agents being used on us, which I believe was in part due to help from our handlers.

We started regaining a level of control of our consciousness whilst doped, which allowed us both to view the processes of what takes place under the “care” of the prison administration.

It should be noted that the assignments undertaken by us and mentioned in these documents were extremely psychologically demanding; these were extremely distressing situations we found ourselves in that tested us to the very limits of our mental resolve, even with an awareness of our physical bodies and a higher awareness of the non physical planes.

At no point should anyone ever try to replicate any of these experiences whilst in LD without proper psychological preparation.

(In our case) We had help!

It should also be noted that SD has undergone the same astral body tampering the night after the Domain Commander first opened up a comms channel with MM (the same night I underwent mine – it was the exact same procedure; it felt like something was being “welded” into our astral bodies).

She also has a history of interaction with other non physical entities whilst in LD, and has been able to operate from a similar state of higher consciousness as I have previously mentioned.

Her forays give a bigger picture of the block put in place to control consciousness at death.

Given the nature of our assignments, it seems that some of these locations are home to non physical refugees trying to escape capture of some sort, presumably by the earth prison administration.

They inhabit worlds that could be considered less than third world by today’s standards.

According to what has been told to SD by some of these refugees, the displacement of them is due to a large scale non physical war that happened many thousands of {earth} years ago.

The premise of this war centers around the idea that those in charge of these facilities are trying to create “astral super soldiers” by taking the best attributes of certain “races” and splicing them into a single being.

This astral splicing is what I refer to as the “breeding programs”, as it corresponds with SDs experiences in the rape camps, again of which there appear to be many of these camps in active operation ruled by guards that exhibit a very similar behavior to that of the Nazi’s.

My own experiences suggest something similar and that there are special assets who can operate outside of temporal tracing apparatus; ie chrononauts that can slip through the non physical planes without being monitored by even the most technological advanced species.

I suspect these are what I call “suits” or MIB and specifically target anyone who exhibits high navigational control of the non physical planes via LD? AP. If they catch you, you instantly wake up back in the physical world.

In the context of MM terminology this would equate to those who can initiate an MWI slide at will without having to worry about sticking to certain pre birth/ master templates; they are ghosts that leave no footprint of their non physical travels behind.

I suspect whoever made them is the same faction who has taken control of the earth prison.

I also suspect these “suits” have something to do with the Psaigreen. Any information the Domain can supply on that particular group (the Psaigreen) would be much appreciated.

It is on the list -MM

The methods of astral body tampering used to create these super soldiers SD and I have witnessed so far are:
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  • Similar non physical body splicing techniques employed by the Domain but without the intent to escape the prison
  • Forced sexual interactions between heavily doped male and female captives. Males are injected with a secondary drug that amplifies their primal instincts to the point that they become incredibly violent and aggressive.
  • The removal and implantation of foetuses within the womb of pregnant and non pregnant women.

The idea in all cases is to create hybridized offspring with DNA containing the best non physical traits so that access to certain non physical areas may be obtained.

It appears astral body DNA acts as a key to certain non physical areas.

The Main Facilities:

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While the locations mentioned in this document are numerous, there are several facilities that stand out to me as being important to keeping up with the consciousness brainwashing agenda that I suggest the Domain pay particular close attention to.

The most notable for me is the facility I was able to gain an understanding of during my last experience with the Elder Guardians.

This was a facility run by a military faction at the ultimate direction of an ET Commander (possible Mantid or Mantid Prime – 10% surety) with human operators, specifically for programming and preparing consciousnesses for the Earth prison experience after they go to sleep in the physical plane.

Facility operated by (possible) Mantid Primes with human operator staff. -MM

According to the information given to me by the Grand Elder and what I experienced:

  1. The physical eyes are used by the operators of the facility to gain real time data of what consciousness is experiencing whilst engaging in the physical “reality.” This data is then used to smooth out any bugs in the program they expect the consciousness to follow.
  2. When a consciousness memory cache approaches full, the programmers issue a command to “send it to sleep” in the physical plane. Eventually the consciousness gives in and goes to sleep.
  3. At the same time it is heavily doped with the doping agent to keep it in a very zombie like state.
  4. Whilst under the influence of this anesthetic, the consciousness will be transported into another non physical body that is kept within, I assume, a holding room in some kind of clear gel like substance, completely naked.
  5. This body will then wake up, still completely under the influence of the anesthetic, and still in a zombie like daze with two guards at the ready.
  6. These two guards escort this body containing the doped consciousness through a thick, sideways opening steel door and lead it down a metallic hallway about 30m in length.
  7. As they are walking, a 3D holographic environment is broadcast around the consciousness. Spatially, the room is no longer two walls separated by a distance of a few meters, but an entire landscape dependent upon what the programmers desire the consciousness to experience. The doped body is then led through several extremely traumatic scenarios designed to keep it from recognizing where it is and to keep it holding onto the idea that the Earth based physical reality is the only one. The trauma part of the simulation is completely erased from memory. I am unsure if this simulation takes place entirely in the mind of the subject, or if the hallway itself aids in this holographic environment. I assume at the very least that the hallway communicates directly with the consciousness in question via wireless means.
  8. The doped body is led back out of the simulation. After it is switched off, the two guards then lead it to an alcove next to the door at the other end of the hallway that acts as a decontamination chamber. The naked body is then showered and scrubbed free of the gel substance before being led through the second door, still naked.
  9. A team of consciousness programmers – between 10 to 20 – analyses the reality dataset of the consciousness in question using a room full of computers. This is a monumental task with several days worth of downtime while new programming is coded to allow for consistent integration back within the physical reality. I suggest watching the series Westworld as it is an extremely accurate portrayal of what I experienced (I had an LD of the first episode a few years before it came out).
    8.a) During this downtime period the doped body is kept under the influence of the anesthetic and is very closely monitored by the two guards who become its personal handlers. It is allowed out of the facility to be used for slave labor until the coding for the fresh programming is complete, whereby it is brought back in.
    8.b) Special cases where the dataset reveals inconsistencies detrimental to the consciousness containment operation are examined on a case by case basis, by the 2IC Human Commander. In my case I wasn’t allowed out of the facility, but was instead led straight to another room containing a chair with an egress portal into a physical reality that was in its very first stages of design. This physical reality construct was called the “Test Rig” by the Human Commander, and I was brought here because the Commander noticed I had been talking to someone (the Grand Elder) “off record”, ie without it being logged in my dataset.
  10. The doped body is usually then led back through the metal hallway and made to undergo another trauma simulation before being led directly back to the holding cell where it is put to sleep and consciousness is then transported back into the physical plane body in preparation for “waking up”. I was directly told/shown this by the Grand Elder.

Very similar to what I witnessed in the consciousness programming facility. Instead of a map the large screen showed raw consciousness programming code data as well as real time video of what my eyes were seeing, and body vitals etc. All the shit you’d expect to find in a hospital room was somehow implemented into this main screen. Bear in mind I was mainly looking straight on towards the other wall after being decontaminated; everything to the left of me was sighted in my peripheral, so the angles may not have been so sharp. I have a vague recollection of the screen being curved.

Original image provided by DM was unable to be extracted, so I substituted this image instead. They are both very similar. I do not know why I was having such a difficult time extracting the original image. -MM

Notes:

The programmers of this facility hold information on how non physical bodies can be programmed to interact with multiple physical reality constructs. I suspect the human Commander also has access to other similar facilities.

There are about 10 computer terminals in this facility that are used specifically for these programming purposes. These computers are able to directly interface with consciousness and hold extremely valuable data.

The ET Commander is kept insulated by the human operators by a viewing window that separates the main programming room from the ET’s own personal space.

I do not know if other ET’s were present in this room as it was a very quick glimpse gained in my peripheral vision whilst under heavy doping.

It could also be a bullshit memory.

I would assume that this ET Commander is in charge of programming the physical realities whereas the humans focus solely on consciousnesses coming in and out of the constructs, but do not quote me on this.

My conscious awareness kicked in after coming through the door that led to what I assume was the body holding room, in the middle of a trauma simulation so my recollection of the hallway is foggy and confusing.

I have no actual recollection of the holding room.

I assume the doors I came through were connected to an elevator, but I cannot be sure.

There is also the question of entrance to the facility; I do not remember seeing any possible access ways in the main control room, which is why I suspect that an elevator system was at the opposite end of the simulation hallway.

If that were the case I would assume up would lead to ground level and down would lead to the holding room.

Otherwise perhaps the entrance to the facility was underneath where I was walking, which explains why I never saw it.

The facility itself was located in a world that seemed to be a direct quote of Airl’s description of an Old Empire establishment with allusions to Ancient Egypt throughout the city:

Anyone who is not willing or able to submit to mindless economic, political and religious servitude as a tax-paying worker in the class system of the "Old Empire" are "untouchable" and sentenced to receive memory wipe-out and permanent imprisonment on Earth.” 

These are the exact sorts of people who were being subjected to the Earth construct via this facility.

Others included those who were openly opposed to the Totalitarian regime of those politicians who were in power.

Question for the Domain Commander: Are they absolutely sure that the Old Empire has been eradicated in this sector of the physical/ non physical universe? Because intelligence gained from this experience alone suggests they are still very, very active. Going by Airl’s description of the Old Empire and everything the Grand Elder told me as well as what I experienced, I am apt to believe this was the Old Empire and not just a wannabe mimicking faction.

I will inquire. Initial response is that it appears that there is something going on that differs from the initial intent. This needs to be investigated further. 

It is easy to jump to conclusions, and assume that it is "Old Empire" operations still under the control of Mantid Prime, or that some (pro Domain) Mantids are working with "free" humans in constructing escape bodies for general population egress. Many questions remain unanswered.-MM

 

A very big effort on the human Commander and his programmer’s part was put into making sure I did not remember any of what took place in this facility.

The only reason I remember any of it was because the Grand Elder kicked me awake when the drugs started taking me.

He was telling me to take notice of the things I have mentioned in this document. You owe this section of this report to his insistence on making me pay attention.

Please tell him thank you from me. -MM

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The Test Rig:

The server containing the Earth based physical reality appears to be contained within the Test Rig which is itself a VR construct within the consciousness programming facility .

This is in the form of a large “brain” that is made of Ethernet like cables.

These cables are able to extract consciousness data through what I equated at the time as being inductive coupling ( I am a qualified electronics tech, trust me on this assertion); they are wound as tight coils that pick up the magnetism coming off conscious thoughts contained within the server and direct this energy back to the military controller’s mainframe in the form of real time {analogue} data.

Think of this like joining an online gaming server; each player must log on to the main server through their various consoles.

The AI brain in this case is responsible for the load out environment the players all synch into; their consciousness require their own consoles in order to “play” and are thus kept off site, somewhere else.

My guess is in the holding rooms or back in the programming facility with the Human and ET Commanders.

This server brain is housed within a building surrounded by large glass windows on its ground floor on the cusp of what appears to be a university campus.

There are freshly manicured lawns and gardens in the center of various multi story brick buildings.

Through awareness of self, I was able to destroy majority of this campus.

The tell tale sign of this building is the logical fallacy of the platform one has to furs reach via the stairs to use the lift, instead of just having it pop out on the ground floor.

The brain itself was large enough to need an entire room and 1st story platform built around it.

Below this building is a compound that holds the bodies in the Test Rig that are still asleep and engaged in the Earth construct; I watched as two of them came out of the lift still in a dazed state, one of which was SD.

Unlike others who have to be plugged back into the construct to get back to their Earth bodies, I came back of my volition by summoning my own portals via LD – this meant I bypassed the programming/ trauma simulation stage altogether and is why I remember it so well.

I can walk the Domain through the whole process from the programming facility, into the Test rig portal, out the front gates of the accommodation section, through the university campus and into the Brain server building easier than I can get up to take a leak in the middle of the night; My memory of it is photographic.

The Test Rig reality construct is
where the human Commander plans on migrating all consciousnesses from the physical Earth construct when it is complete.

Although no ETA was given, this was the entire reason for the development of the Test Rig.

I overheard the Commander talking to his programmers about it.

Not only overheard; he was standing right in front of me when he said it, and assumed that I was too doped to remember any of it.

I wasn’t.

I was 100% aware of everything going on around me courtesy of the Grand Elder.

This is probably the most solid intel you will get off me.

Domain Commander take notice; there is another prison construct specifically being prepared for when the Earth prison goes offline which already has some value asset’s consciousnesses uploaded to it.

They are aware that the Earth Prison is part of a much larger Prison Complex that involves multiple solar systems. Though this intel about a backup facility being constructed is new intel. -MM


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SD’s Experiences of the Non Physical body holding facilities:

Although this was not a shared experience with SD, she has awoken to very similar experiences of manipulation whilst doped, and has described similar egress portal setups like the Test Rig.

Her experiences of these facilities are much more persistent than mine.

The main difference is that in her experiences these egress portals are coupled to standard “hospital” like beds, whereas with mine they are coupled to something more akin to an upright dentistry chair.

SD has had many experiences of these facilities of which she is of the belief that there are at least 3 separate ones in operation.

One of these facilities is found within the Medieval Village world which can be accessed via the portal network found in the burrow tombs of the Island World.

SD’s recon assignments suggest that one of the main operating facilities can be accessed via astral projection from a lucid dreaming state, after moving through a substance/ plane that feels like “thick honey”.

On the other side of this thick honey bubble is one of these brainwashing facilities set out similar to a hospital rather than a military war room.

Immediately upon entering this area, guards will hunt down any unauthorized entity and eject them back into in the Earth construct.

I have also been taken to a similar hospital by black ops soldiers in a helicopter during a combined lucid dream with SD.

This particular hospital backs onto an ocean.

About a kilometer up the beach are various café’s and restaurants and an old style town nearby Brainwashing School I retrieved SD from moments prior to my initiation into the Unseen 5 (Combined LD Experience).

The retrieval of Nina Bejowski, as mentioned in my part 3 was also experienced by SD in one of her LDs (she was Nina).

In the experience I had to retrieve her from one of the brain washing schools whilst being hunted by “suits” who exhibited abilities that again suggested world line tampering in an effort to keep our consciousnesses contained.

Whilst I do not remember the layout of that particular facility, SD does.

Note her apparent “father” appears to be in control of at least one of these facilities (the one beyond the honey substance), and was present in this particular school telling her she needed to study.

Portal Theatre:

The most substantial location visited by both myself and SD is the portal theater.

The reason this location stands out is because it appears to be an egress portal hub that connects most of the non physical locations mentioned in this document.

I have personally undertaken many, many infiltration assignments into this complex, as has SD.

There are at least 7 – but potentially more – different egress portals; one in each of the theater rooms that come off the main hall, each leading to a very specific non physical location.

These locations do not change, despite coming here at different times of the year; room number 7 (or 8?) on the right side of the hallway will always take you the “Ancient Marketplace”, for example. I know this because this is the room I always took, and was the place I always came out after traveling through the portal in this theater room.

My assignments never bothered with any of the other rooms, as far as I can remember.

The rooms themselves look like standard movie theaters, though instead of a large projector screen they have spherical portals – about the size of a weather balloon – that float about 6 or so meters from the floor, roughly halfway to the roof.

The portals seemed to be contained in some sort of liquid substance and protected by an invisible “maze like” barrier; you cannot directly access them (well, the one in room 7 any way) without first navigating through this maze.

You “swim” up into the maze until you get to a point where your consciousness is sucked into it, and you come out into an alternate world on the other side, in my case, the Ancient Marketplace.

The band Primus has a live gig DVD called Hallucinogenetics with spherical TV screens on its cover  that are very similar to what the spherical portals in the theater room look like.

Please refer to the picture at the top of this article. -MM

SD is confident in her assertions that these portals are used for reality brainwashing; she has witnessed consciousnesses being forced to “watch” things on the portals (which can function like spherical TVs) equating to false memories before being pushed through them, and has memories of it being done to her.

This is essentially the exact same process carried out in the other facilities.

I have broken memories of similar things being undertaken, though they are no where near as vivid as SDs memories of this place.

My most vivid memories are that I come to the Portal Theater from another place, usually the Island, am escorted down the hallway to room 7, in which I project into the portal and come out in the Ancient Marketplace.

I then have to find another portal in the Ancient Marketplace which brings me out into “The Village”, which can also be accessed via the Island Burrow Tombs.

For me, entry into the Ancient Marketplace portal always felt “necessary”; whether this is a result of being forced to think that or whether it was an intention placed there by my handlers using me as an infiltration asset, I am not sure.

Travel into this place always brought me out into the foyer in front of the hallway, in which I have a hazy memory of being led down the hallway.

My memories of utilizing portal room 7 are quite vivid, however. I know a lot of other things went on here which I cannot remember; unfortunately the only recording of these experiences I had was on a laptop that got stolen.

There is no such thing as coincidences. MM

This laptop had crucial information about intelligence I gathered here. If the Domain are serious about dismantling the amnesia/ hypnosis machinery, I would suggest directing a large portion of whatever resources they have allocated for this operation into finding this theater as it will give them not only direct access to many of the other locations, but also a very good idea of the different hypnosis regimes used.

The Island:

This island is similar to the Volcano Island in my last Domain assignment.

I am not sure if it is the same one.

I have no recollection of there ever being a volcano/ slave set up.

I believe it is a different place entirely, going by the memories of it that I have. It seems to be quite neutral ground.

For the most part, whenever I am here it is rather benign and doesn’t seem to hold any negative operations of any sort.

It has not only been confirmed by SD but also by a third LD asset {#3}.

LD egress always brings me out into a dense forest, or at its edge on the shoreline.

This forest has a myriad of pathways that twist and turn through it.

The sky is always purplish maroon, like it is stuck in evening twilight. In the middle of the forest are certain trees reminiscent of Morton Bay Fig trees with huge roots at their base, but more palm tree like at the top.

Morton Bay Fig trees

Underneath these roots are what appear to be animal burrows leading further underground.

They are barely wide enough to fit me in them.

Upon going into these burrows one soon comes out into a tomb lined with precision cut bricks.

This appears to be a sort of small chamber coming off the main room.

As you go out into that main room, to the right is a ramp leading to a much higher level (suggesting temporal displacement from the outside of the island, as it should surely break through its surface, but doesn’t).

To the left is a sunken level by a few feet containing a sarcophagus, and in that sarcophagus is a portal that leads to the Portal Theater or the Medieval Village depending on how it is used.

There is a stairway or ramp to the right of the sarcophagus (when viewed front on ) that I believe leads to another portal.

It is likely this portal is the one that leads to the Village.

I am recalling things from over 10 years ago, so correct memory of it all is hazy.

To one side of the island is a fenced off beach, and on the other side of this fence is a military like naval shipyard.

This shipyard consists of what appears to be a very large shipping container like building.

The shipping container is slightly back from the shoreline and has a concrete path the width of a road next to it that leads out into the water just in front of it, in the form of a jetty.

Back at the shipping container is a crane like device that is used for working on the {aquatic/space} ships here.

Further left there is something hidden in the water next to the concrete jetty; it is either a squid like monster or a similar looking space ship.

This same monster ship/ thing has been corroborated by LD asset #4, who is in “agreement with the consciousness evolution plan“ based on his own experiences in LD.

This is a VERY important ship; New tech that could do some cool {non physical} shit that very few people {both physical and non physical} know about.

SD suggests just back from the shipyard, on the other side of the fence we have a house, and that she has memories of me working in the shipyard at the very point where the ship is docked.

This explains why I remember it with no actual memory of stumbling upon it; it is just something I “know” whenever I come here, like knowing you own a certain type of car.

According to her, there is another section of forest on this side of the island with more burrow portals she has also undertaken.

The fence line itself protrudes from the shoreline close to the shipping container on its right hand side (when facing the ocean) several hundred meters back into sand dunes.

The sand here is quite a deep yellow color, and very coarse.

The fence itself is very high, probably about 10 or even more meters, made of typical chain link.

.

Notes:

Given the Island is a somewhat neutral place with seemingly minimum life activity and that it has egress portals that lead directly to some of the consciousness programming facilities, I suggest it be used as a “safe” insertion zone for any offensive efforts targeting these facilities.

Although there may some intermittent activity on the coastline the closer one comes to the shipping container, the forest from the middle towards the other end of the beach can be considered quite safe (at least it could be the last time I was there.)

This place is my second home; I frequented it a lot in my youth; it is probably the most tame place out of everything I experienced.

Gentle request by me to the Domain: PLEASE DO NOT FUCK IT UP.

 

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Ancient Marketplace:

The main identifier for us is a road the width of the great wall of China, maybe even wider that curves up toward the sky in font of you.

As you move along this road, gravity changes so that you always feel like you are just walking through one axis, not two; it feels like you are walking on a flat surface.

There is always a festival here of some sort; my assignment thus entailed coming out of the portal, then walking the curve to its peak, through the crowd of festival goers whereby something strange would change their mood and see them running out of sheer terror.

This was a constant, repetitive scenario that I experienced for over a year, almost every week directly coming out of some very heavy “work” in the portal theater.

Something very weird was going here; whatever it was has been blocked from my memory.

It involved “timeline resetting”.

Very curious. -MM

Many of my assignments here involved an underground tomb (much smaller and cramped than the one at the island) set back from where one “appears” here a good way, which had yet another portal in it.

There was always some very strange things going on in this particular tomb as well, and I never really liked being here.

It was always very cramped, the passages being only 3 or so feet square.

Whilst lucid, I don’t like being confined to spaces where I cannot turn around easily; this tomb was very much like that.

Going into these confined places, you are just asking to be captured by something.

It feel likes you are a rabbit purposely walking headlong into a trap designed specifically for that creature.

You have to fight every ounce of your being screaming at you to turn around and get out.

.

The Village:

The portal in the Ancient Marketplace tombs brings one out into an old medieval type village SD and I have {again} both been to.

"Instead of thinking that this is a "Medieval village", perhaps you should consider it to be a typical community located on one of the planets of the "Old Empire". The descriptions seem to match with what is currently presently found there. The only difference is that most of the current "Old Empire" communities have a far wider variety of creatures that inhabit the area, not just humans." (Note from the Commander.) -MM

It has also been corroborated by LD Asset #5 who has also been here.

There is a cluster of old derelict buildings where people dwell.

This is a place that is constantly undergoing a “timeline reset”.

It is a nice old town which is ruined by the trash these inhabitants leave everywhere.

This cluster is where the “mind mazes” start.

There is a building complex several stories high that has a bituminous road next to it that somehow slants from the bottom to its very roof.

A pink watery like substance covers the ground everywhere that seems to reset ones consciousness if it is touched, in which they then exhibit a high dose of amnesia.

The main townsite is set a level above this water, by several feet.

It feels like a nearby river has flooded the area and has covered everything surrounding the village at this low point with knee high water.

There is a sort of circuit through town one is led to taking upon arriving here.

In my assignments I knew an invisible “something” was resetting the timelines, but I couldn’t catch it.

It wasn’t until I did the circuit in reverse (reversal of time), back through the building that I was able to “see it” and finally put a stop to the resets.

It was not something I can describe with earth language. I believe this thing, whatever it was, was tampering with the MWI in this location as well as the Ancient Marketplace.

Over the watery substance, joining the buildings, are these glass like tunnel walkways.

Littered about are several shipping containers in the pink water that lead to different locations; the only way out of this area is to project consciousness onto the shipping containers and use them in a sort of leap frog manner.

None of the inhabitants here possess such abilities.

SD has recollections of the watery substance and the idea the village in general is linked to the consciousness mazes.

She has met her dead cousin here several times, who has told her that the watery substance disallows the dead to interact with the physical world; the physical world exists somewhere far beyond it, and SD’s cousin has very specifically mentioned the inhabitants of that world “know about us“ who are still alive here in the physical world.

The inhabitants of this world seem to hold a certain level of disgust for anyone who can project here from the physical world; several times they have mentioned such disapproval to SD’s cousin, who simply told them she was “special”.

Think of this like a rich man turning his nose down towards a homeless man: the discarnate consciousnesses of this world fucking hate us LDers like we risk bringing a plague unto them.

Again, the notion that this community is part of the existing "Old Empire" that is desirous of shunning felons from their community. -MM

One of the buildings near the road that slants to the top of the building complex is set out in the form of an old hospital building.

This is where SD has awoken several times under the influence of the consciousness doping agent.

In these cases she has been lucid enough to remember her body back on earth, and to realize that something is not quite right.

Unable to gain control of her lucid body, she is then walked through the complex by several guards who do not realize that the consciousness doping agent hasn’t completely knocked her out.

She has accidentally acted too “coherent” and lucid to which a guard has then poked with a sort of cattle prod to keep her dazed, though she has still been able to retain memory of the event.

There is an elevator they take her to which leads to a higher floor of the building, and upon coming out of this elevator one enters a room with many beds crammed into it.

Attached to each bed is a sort of screen used for reality brainwashing and to instil false memories.

The process is that the hospital patients are lined up, single file, in which they are administered with a heavy dose of more of the consciousness doping agent then “strapped” into these beds to undergo “study”.

SD’s description of the brainwashing process is very similar to what I experienced with the Human Commander.

So this facility is at the "old medieval village"? -MM

In other instances, SD has appeared in the town, met her cousin and walked with her to the hospital building where she has intended to go into it to “retrieve” someone {possibly me}.

In these particular experiences, several other people, including SD’s cousin, have been aghast at the idea of going “back” into this hospital as everyone here knows what it is used for, including her dead cousin.

As a sidenote SD has also met her cousin {the same one} in a waiting place that seemed to function as a sort of astral quarantine for the newly deceased to wait whilst being processed before they are allowed to pass through to such worlds.

SD mentioned this as being a sort of field free floating in the middle of nothingness or space.

SD’s cousin was met by another long deceased family member that acted as a mentor reminding her of participation in past lives (possible mantid).

Again, SD was met with great disgust by the other deceased who were awaiting processing, as they (current earth incarnations) are apparently not supposed to venture into such places.

This makes sense. If the "old medieval village" is a facility on an existing "Old Empire" planet, then The Domain should be able to identify it, find it, and render it inert. I would suggest some questions to ask to the commander about this subject to flush out the details. -MM

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A Glimpse into Death:

SD and I have a combined experience in which we were both killed at gunpoint, along with many of our friends in one location (a house in what appeared to be a European place) and both “awoke” in a completely different reality where we were incarcerated in a sort of prison.

I can remember quite vividly that this was an instantaneous “switching” of realities.

After the bullet entered my head, my consciousness detached from that body, dropped through the earth and entered a portal before coming out quite a distance above the already established (middle aged) body in the prison compound.

My consciousness then “fell” from the sky into this body at great speed in which I gained complete control of it.

I retained complete memory of the world I had just died in and everything that had happened with us all being killed.

SD didn’t undergo this complete transition; as she was shot, she blacked out before awakening in a room full of our friends from the house who no longer seemed to recognize her, with complete memory of the previous world.

One minute she was there in the house, then everything went black as she was shot, before waking up.

This is where the guards became hostile when she tried telling these people they had all just been killed.

She was reprimanded then taken to a separate torture room for being too “rowdy”.

I was in a different part of the compound to SD, but again I was surrounded by friends from the world I’d just come from who no longer recognized me.

When I proceeded to remind them of their deaths, they were quite shocked and terrified as the memories started coming back.

After asking where SD was, they told me she had been reprimanded by the guards for not abiding by their rules.

The part of this compound I was in was an outside area very close to bushland. It reminded me of where I went to high school.

This outside area had been divided into certain sections by invisible walls or barriers that seemed to be arranged in circles and squares.

The entrances to these areas were blocked by guards. One would have to walk up several steps over something that reminded me of a nearby pipeline.

You could, at times, be standing right next to someone and they would be in a completely different section.

When I got here, SD was in one of these other areas that I had to navigate through.

Her experience started in a separate small room similar to one of our old classrooms.

After being reprimanded by the guards, she was then led down a hallway next to a grassy section to another room where she was electrocuted and tortured via sharp apparatus in which she would then black out and wake up back in the physical world.

She has multiple memories of being in this torture room, suggesting she has been here more than once.

We have identified a possible insertion point in SD’s childhood where we believe her consciousness may have been migrated “here” similar to how mine fell into my body, after she woke up with no memory around the age of 4.

She remembers waking up at her grandma’s house with no memory of any of her family.

SD suggested that the only family member she even vaguely recognized in the slightest was her brother.

These memories didn’t return for some time; she had to live with an “unknown” family for almost a year, and pretend she knew them.

To me, this is proof that pre-birth templates are being bypassed in certain cases.

I would suggest these cases relate to the level of lucid control one is able to exhibit whilst in the dream state.

It is my opinion that if you get good at LD, you no longer get a template but are just flicked into another already established body upon death anywhere in the MWI.

Good theory and makes sense. This should also be investigated further. -MM

Question for the Domain Commander: do they know of any correlation between Lucid Dreamer’s an bypassing of the prebirth template arrangement upon death?

I will ask. -MM

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Singular Assignments:

These assignments were only experienced by myself, but are relevant to this document.

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The Consciousness Doping Facility:

The assignment task was to gather intelligence on a consciousness doping agent and what it was being used for.

It was carried out around 2005.

The infiltration team consisted of myself and two other males.

We were all in our late 30s/early 40s.

I am not sure if this was entirely a non physical event or not.

It is a possible memory of a past life lived during 1970s era based on the appearance of the other two team mates and weapons/ technology carried by us.

This was a “special forces” military operation and one of my first lucid assignments when I was still in high school around the age of 15/16.

The consciousness doping facility was located deep in the middle of a harsh desert reminiscent of Southern USA.

It was a military compound that was heavily guarded by armed soldiers.

It very well could have been Nevada, from what I have seen of it on the internet etc.

I remember I could feel the intense heat radiating from the sun.

The only way in was via a supply train track that cut through the desert for many, many miles.

The memory begins several kilometers away from the compound, far enough out to keep a low profile.

We had evidently followed the train track from the opposite direction, now we were stopping to discuss “the plan”.

Intelligence suggested a doping agent was being used here, but that is all we knew.

The plan was that one of us would fake a capture while the other two used the commotion caused by the capture to gain entry covertly.

We knew there was a high probability anyone being captured would be taken into the compound and administered with the drug we were trying to gain information on.

The idea was to get doped and try to keep tabs on what one could expect to experience whilst under the influence of it, as the other two figured out a way to exfiltrate out of the compound.

I volunteered for the doping.

The train came and all three of us were able to board it as it had to slow down for a security check or something; my memory of this part is hazy as very soon after that I was captured and everything went black.

I came to in a small concrete room in the compound, strapped to a chair but yet still almost completely out of it courtesy of the drug.

In front of me was a large standard projector screen and next to me was a trolley full of metallic surgical looking tools; you get the idea. I don’t know if there was anyone in the room with me or not.

I think there was.

The next thing I know my team mates had busted through the locked door. One of them rummaged through all the cupboards and the tray of tools while the other unstrapped me.

They helped me to my feet and I think they must have put me on a gurney and wheeled me out.

Somehow we were able to escape.

My memory is hazy but I think they pretended I was dead and that they were part of the clean up crew.

I have a vague recollection of being debriefed afterwards by my handlers.

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The Super Soldier Program:

The assignment task was to gather intelligence on why an “enemy” faction was altering characteristics of non physical bodies. It was carried out around 2008 – 2009 by myself with my handlers monitoring the entire event using my eyes as “cameras”.

It took the form of a double layered lucid dream. In other words, a lucid dream within a lucid dream.

Luckily, I had thought to email myself a copy of my dream journal since losing my laptop. Note, that this was several months before my encounter with the All Being and the Unseen 5 and hints at my thoughts on all this at the point in time:

15/05/2016

This morning had a dream where I appeared to be sleeping (dream within a dream). I awoke (in the dream) to my body under going immense torture as something was electrocuting me. It was as if whoever it was that was doing the torture had stuck metal probes deep into my {pectoral} muscles and were administering the electricity directly into my blood stream. I remember the pain was so bad that it seemed so real, and I thought I had indeed awoken, as SD was lying next to me asleep in bed.

The electricity was coming in bouts of several minutes, and each time they stopped I remember falling back asleep (dream within a dream). When I was in this dream within a dream I remember talking to somebody about these apparent Super Soldiers that had been made, or were currently in development. I was told that what makes these soldiers so important is their ability to travel through time and that they had a very specific activation sequence that required several sequences of events to occur in a precise order {ie a sequence of MWI slides}. 

The person telling me this likened these super soldiers to a send and receive email program (I think he was talking about the overall way these soldiers are activated) whereby a packet of information contains within it a sort of code specifically aimed at activating these beings, which they embed their activation status into the reply message. Once the original program receives this reply message, it scans it then activates a global code that sends all these soldiers to certain points in time simultaneously. 

The most important part of these soldiers that makes them different to other time travelers/ chrononaughts is that they have been engineered so that when sent through time, no residual energy signature is erased from the timeline, making them untraceable.
I was told this has a lot to do with DNA and DNA memory, but somehow the engineers were able embed an external memory feature which makes the soldiers remember their tasks despite it no longer existing in the timeline (this is a major contradiction to time travel theory as it has been relayed to me, and as such what it means is that technically these super soldiers are not actually time travelers as they are not traveling through time, but more so circumnavigating it altogether.)

The person telling me this referred to these super soldiers as T1000s, Terminator reference. But I got the feeling they were a type of cyborg or trans-human. 

I’m not entirely sure if this was “bad side” tech or “good side tech” and neither am I sure of the side the side that was electrocuting me, but I think the good guys were in the dream and the bad were doing the electrocuting, which would seem it’s possible the bad side were trying to pry this info from me. 

If this is the case then it is possible such a mission has been compromised, but I don’t think this is the case as the torturing beings seemed to be getting angry that I wasn’t giving them desirable information. 

What I think is that part of the activation sequence for these super soldiers is embedded in being tortured by the enemy, so that in order to keep secrecy from their own enemies they do not “know” anything until the faction in control of them triggers them, which is precisely when they are needed to time travel back to the beginning (like in my zombie dream).

It is even possible the good side, or whoever was telling me about the super soldiers, was purposefully electrocuting me because they knew it would activate me.

This dream reminded me of another one I had years ago here I was asleep (dream within a dream) on my parents bed and then had a wire wrapped around my neck which electrocuted me. I can recall having similar dreams over the years but I can’t recall much from them.

Is sleeping nothing more than a means of uploading information to 4th dimensional beings? That would make our fleshy bodies nothing more than a 3d reality monitoring program. If so, what are we monitoring? Sleeping should be a meditation point. Also these super soldier beings seemed to not be some sort of cybernetic hybrid, but the 4th dimensional equivalent. They essentially have parts of the time space fabric written into their DNA, but are a separate entity to it. This means they can always change their creation programming at will. Does this mean they are above the 4th dimensional (5D) or not? Also needs meditating on.

I have also been “given” keys and phrases by my handlers specifically to initiate consciousness time travel whilst in an LD. Note the date, again this was a few months before my All Being/ Unseen 5 interaction:

21/05/2016

This morning I meditated (about 8:30 am) to open my chakras using the usual method of ROYGBIVW for Base, Naval, Solar Plexus, Heart, Throat, Third Eye then Crown. After opening them I was given a very strong image of the Rune Othila at 12:30pm. I meditated on this Rune with A asleep next to me so that I would have projecting the Rune into the space that he was occupying. I remember feeling as though this Rune needed to be traced from the bottom left ending in the bottom right corner, and also realized that it is actually a 2D representation of the 3D way code is generated, ascending about 45 degrees at each angle. After keeping a consistent trace of about 2-3Hz I remember several numbers appearing below it that seemed like a code to unlock a safe. I am not sure exactly how many numbers there were, but I can remember the most vivid ones being 609, in red, within a square for each digit. 

I started tracing Othila with these numbers at the bottom then the next thing I knew I was remote viewing from a DNA memory of long ago of a tribal woman in the midst of the forest with an orb dangling above and in front of her. She seemed to be somehow channeling power from this orb which appeared as lightning entering her hand, which she was holding up. 

The next image I got was a flight of stone steps that appeared to be in the same forest. I remember thinking that the Othila rune must be used to stimulate memory or DNA memory in general, so on realizing this I asked if it could make me remember my time traveling key I was given years ago by a Tibetan monk {during meditation}, but threw out by accident. I was suddenly aware of another being I was talking to who was asking if my wife knew about this, to which I replied she didn’t. Randomly I was given another symbol which seemed to activate some portal/ stargate and then when I was not expecting it I was shown my time traveling key with a brief flash. At that moment SD came in to take photos of Aiden, and we could see a blob of energy on my side of the bed.


Consciousness Mazes:

Both SD and I have experienced the consciousness mazes multiple times, though hers have been from an outside perspective of it whilst mine were from within it.

I surmise they are solely for “entertainment purposes”.

They take the form of strange games or mini worlds one has to progress through to find a portal which takes them to the next level.

They are extremely confusing and often times have “cheat areas” that allow access to the next levels in other levels; you can progress through several levels only to run into a block whereby you have to revert to the lower levels and probe them for the hidden areas which allow access pass blocks at the higher levels.

Access to these hidden areas is gained by going against the commonly laid out “pathway”.

The catch is, every time you change a level, you lose all memory of what you are doing, and the crux of the game seems centered around trying to continuously regain this consciousness awareness that you are in this game and remembering the levels you have progressed through in order to find the hidden areas.

It seems that other “players” are collected as you progress through the levels.

I will start off alone in Level 1 and run into these players throughout the levels, then by level 4 there is a group of about 5-8 of us.

Of this group I know that they are all presently incarnated on earth and we have history in different “worlds” together; we all know each other in the non-physical planes and have been meeting in these games quite frequently.

I suspect these mazes are around 12 to 13 levels deep, but I have only ever made it to level 8.

According to SD there is no end to them.

The first couple of levels up to probably level 3 I have experienced numerous times in the exact same way.

There is an epiphany moment when you realize the correct way of navigating them.

After level 3, memory of the game becomes exceedingly difficult to regain to the point where the only way to progress is to work as a team and extract “clues” of the previous environments from each of the players.

In almost all instances, I am the one who initiates the first memory of prior levels which kick starts off others memories and from this we can develop a plan of how to tackle the current level.

The game itself is psychologically taxing; by level 4 cracks start to develop in the psychological disposition of the other players, and by level 6 people are proclaiming their inability to deal with it any longer and their willingness to just give up and go back to living in physical reality free from the memory of the games (think Cipher in the Matrix).

Another problem is that the players and their decisions affect progression through each level; it is as if a code is written into the way the scenario unfolds and only allowing it to unfold in the correct manner will unlock the portals.

The progression through each level for me is always the same.

I operate from a completely lucid perspective the whole time (upon regaining memory anyway).

The highest level I have reached is Level 8, whereby I have been convinced I am breaking my way out of a coma and that my real body is actually strapped to a chair somewhere in some kind of MK Ultra like torture chamber; I can almost see the room the chair is in – it appears to be the same room where I volunteered to be captured and doped.

Much of the training I underwent at the “Time Travel Towers” was specifically in preparation for these mind mazes; I have memory of completing that training and coming to this exact realization.

It is connected to the Portal Theater and my assignments in the other worlds, I am sure of it, though I cannot remember the specifics of this connection beyond level 1 starting at the Village.

I suspect what I am doing in these games is unraveling the brainwashing put in place at the Portal Theater.

The order of the levels, according to my memory of them, are as follows.

Level 1: Village Walkways

You start at the bottom of the building with the bituminous road next to it that goes to its roof.

There is a time limit.

I get the feeling something is chasing me and I have to be continuously on my toes. One has to try and figure out what is going on whilst constantly remaining vigilant about the environment and how to avoid the many traps and tricks lying about to ensnare them.

From my fragmented memory of the Ancient Marketplace, a similar thing is happening there.

If you get “caught” it is all over and you end up back in physical reality {possibly in a MWI slide}.

The goal of this game is hard to explain; it is like you have to progress through the glass walkways by projecting your consciousness into them, complete a circuit around the circumference of the village using these tunnels, before returning to the bottom start point.

This “opens up” a location that can be seen from one of the glass walkways that projects you into level 2.

Depending on where you move within the level, it completely changes the environment around you. If you consider the peak point of the bituminous road as pointing North, its valley pointing South, one must head off through the walkways heading East, then back around, in which they come back out at the roof of the building.

One must then follow the stairs down through the 3 or so building levels to reach the level above ground.

There is then a platform at the South East section of the building several meters away on a sort of embankment.

The only way to reach this platform is through projecting over it as it is not connected by a walkway.

This projection mechanism is one of the secrets to playing this whole game. It takes much training in learning how to use it properly, otherwise you just fall into the pink water that surrounds the area.

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Level 2: Castle Room Pit

This is one of the smaller environments.

You come out in what appears to be a very grand hallway in a castle of some sort.

There are the typical stone bricks that line the walls and floor and other banners etc suggesting it is indeed a castle.

The room is quite large probably 100x1000m squared, maybe even more.

Behind you is a solid wall and the portal leading back to the Village.

In front of you is a chasm 10 or so meters deep, and filling this chasm is molten lava.

This chasm stretches from side wall to side wall and extends for more than half the room; the only method of crossing it is via consciousness projection.

From memory the key has something to do with the walls; there is a set of invisible platforms you have to project over and use as stepping stones to get to the other side.

On the other side of the pit is a door and through this door is a portal leading to level 3.

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Level 3:

I cannot remember this level.

Level 4: River Embankment with Pods

We come out at a river mouth, at the waters edge.

Behind us the bank rises to a high wall that blocks any access back in that direction.

There is a small mud flap piece of ground that we are able to take shelter on.

The river extends out around us in every direction. On the bank in front of us there are several pod like things that are necessary to get to the other side of the river banks.

These pods must contain two people to operate.

The operational parameters are also linked via a hive mind arrangement; all players must be present in these pods in two man teams or they simply will not move.

By this stage, one of the men in the group is starting to lose it.

After being dragged through 3 levels of these consciousness mazes, being mind wiped and regaining his memory each time he decides it is simply too much for him.

He expresses his wishes to just give up and go back to physical reality.

This presents a problem to everyone else; we need his consciousness in one of the pods for them all to operate properly and get us across the river to the portal on the other side.

Some of the group try and tell him to calm down and help comfort him, telling him we just need to get to the other side of the river then we can think about his decision a little more.

It is evident they are all motivated by the need to cross the river, and that his psychological well being is the last thing they are concerned about.

Reluctantly he agrees and gets in one of the pods with one of the other group members.

The pods become operational and carry us to the other side, then we enter the portal to the Time Chamber.

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Level 5: Time Chamber

This is a strange room.

It is like a metallic platform you stand on that is surrounded by some sort of water, possibly from the river.

It sort of feel likes it is an enclosed room more than an open area like the river embankment though.

Three beings materialize in front of us, several feet in the air and in front hovering above the water.

They are extremely malevolent entities and start engaging us, but we have no where to run.

From memory, the guy who started losing it in the previous level gets hit and wiped out from the game.

Something happens, my memory of which is vague, but I believe it involves us meeting these entities attacks with full force, and a portal opens up right where they had been after they dematerialise.

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Level 6: Metallic Donut Room

This room is a circular hallway that has a single door leading into the middle of the donut, which is an outside area covered in grass probably 5m in diameter.

It is extremely small – if you ran around this hallway it would take you less than a minute to get back to the beginning.

It is cramped and can fit probably two people abreast rather uncomfortably.

There are guards clad fully in some kind of armor that reminds me of star wars storm troopers, but of a different color possibly grey or brown or something.

They have photon guns and they are chasing us around this hallway.

We are all unarmed and somehow have to stop these guards from shooting us.

Given the shape of the room and its size, it is practically impossible to strategize against these guards that outnumber us about 5 to one.

We try weaving in and out of the door into the center of the donut, not really with any plan in mind all to no avail.

One by one these guards shoot us with their photon guns, and one by one each of the group members disappear.

I make it to the donut center before being zapped. A portal appears and I pop out back at level 3

Everyone is mind wiped. I have the vaguest recollection of the various levels.

I begin comparing these broken memories with memories of the levels before.

Suddenly I remember we had just made it to level 8 and everything in between comes flooding back to me.

I relay this to the group and restore their memories, now they are just psychologically cut up as the first guy.

But now we are able to start taking notice of various things we weren’t able to the first time.

We find a cheat area which gains us access to level 4 once again, though I cannot remember anything about it.

Another mind wipe, another remembering process.

Another chance for the guy to start losing his shit and want to go back to the physical world.

The others try to stop him, again motivated by needing to get across the river.

This time I stop.

I show compassion for him.

I listen to his plea and just tell him to do what he needs to do and not to worry about us.

He heads back, feeling better that he doesn’t need to feel shamed about not making it or guilty he let the team down.

This is the second cheat access point – this time a portal opens up on our side of the river and we enter it, no longer needing the pods.

The portal brings us into a hidden room in one of the donut shaped hallway’s walls.

Lying at our feet are what appear to be a bunch of hand grenades and a button.

The button opens a temporal one way fissure in the wall and we can see the armored guards in the center courtyard on the grass through first the fissure and then the opened door, waiting for us to appear.

A portal appears, in the hallway and the past instance of ourselves appear.

Without thinking, I pick up a grenade and lob it at the guards who are now moving into tactical positions to take out our past selves.

As the grenade explodes time freezes all around the donut shaped room, except for the one we are hiding in.

We step through the fissure and are able to move around in the donut shaped room whilst everything remains frozen in place.

We take the guards guns and shoot them all.

This opens up yet another portal in this hidden room which gives us a vantage point into the time chamber of the previous level.

From this vantage point we are able to see the wraiths or entities or whatever they are waiting for us.

We are behind them.

We lob another time grenade through the portal which renders them inert, and makes another portal appear in the middle of the time chamber.

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Level 7: Cavern Scaffolding

This is a very small cave with some sort of walkway that takes you from chamber to chamber via these steel doors.

Whenever you go through the steel doors something happens to disorientate your consciousness.

This is a fairly straight forward level.

You basically just walk the walk way through a few different chambers over some rocks to a waiting portal to level 8.

The problem is though, that heavy amnesia distortions begin hitting you every couple of minutes which detract most of the group from remembering what it is that they are doing.

I am barely coherent when I make it through the portal.

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Level 8: Sex world

I don’t remember any of the group making it here.

The amnesiac drugs are in full effect and it is practically impossible to hang on to any kind sense of lucid awareness.

It’s like being dosed with a heavy general anesthetic after just downing a bottle of vodka.

I am not really with it, very impressionable, and this problem is compounded by the fact none of the group are around me to bounce the memories of the other levels off of.

This is not a pleasant place.

Sex acts are committed openly and on display for the public to see by people of all ages.

It is as normal as going to the shop to buy some milk.

It is practically all anyone does here.

It is incredibly seedy and fills one with a very nauseating feeling.

A post apocalyptic nightmare if ever there was one The portal brings you out on what should be a busy city street, but there is no traffic.

You have to walk down this street and into a building on the left hand side of the road. It reminds me of a derelict sort of broadway.

This building has a stairwell that you take to a high floor.

As you come out on this floor there are “things” going on in the background next to a door involving various people who inhabit this world.

The door is the goal, but as soon as you come off the stairs someone approaches you and propositions you.

I never made it past this point given my doped state.

Whoever it is does whatever they do to me and then I wake back up in physical reality, feeling like a piece of discarded trash – At least they seemed like they were my age.

They take the appearance of a female, but honestly I am not entirely sure that is really what they are.

I don’t even think they classify as being human.

These sorts of doped up run ins are common for me when on assignment. Ergh.

I’d prefer to be tortured any day. If the Domain have the ability to trace my astral seed, undoubtedly it would lead them to some key places.

I am sure that they can, but that might require a EBP and some further work on you. Your value is without a EBP. -MM

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Auxiliary Projects.

In addition to the above I am aware of two separate projects that are tied in with both mine and SDs lucid assignments.

As I only have a vicarious understanding of them I am not at liberty to go into them in depth.

I am leaving this as a footnote as I am aware these auxiliary projects are directly tied to astral body manipulation for escaping the earth prison in case I am given permission to talk about them in the future.

What I will say is that one of the projects is related to Antarctica and the other to 13 gates or “keys”.

Any information the Domain can supply on these projects I will happily pass on to their respective operators.

I will submit another document to MM outlining what I believe to be an effective utilization of LD assets at a later date.

Ah. this is enough for now. There's a lot of "meat" to absorb here. Soak it in. Enjoy it, and soon enough part 11 will be posted. Best Regards. -MM

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The entry director for reincarnation on the Prison Planet

This is an interesting read. I think that many MM readers will enjoy this article. In it, a remote viewer, investigated some of the administrative and entry processing centers for General Population programming and egress. Very intersting.

Honoring Bruce Moen – Afterlife Explorer and Pioneer

Bruce has completed this leg of his journey and has made his transition to the world of spirit on November 14, 2017.

From HERE.

In February 1996 I attended the first of two Exploration 27 programs at The Monroe Institute, a program in which participants explore specific areas of Focus 27 called “Centers”.

My third book, Voyages Into the Afterlife: Charting Unknown Territory contains very detailed descriptions of many of these Centers revealing much about the inner workings of this Afterlife area.

The following excerpt is taken from an exploration of a portion of the Reception Center called “the Reentry Station”, the place in Focus 27 human beings pass through on their way to lifetimes in the physical world.

CHAPTER 5: THE ENTRY DIRECTOR

Copyright: Bruce A. Moen, All Rights Reserved
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During our next program tape exercise our task was to explore how human beings move from Focus 27 into physical lifetimes on the earth.

I arrived first at my place in Focus 27, noticing the hanging canvas chairs were occupied as usual by people who were always there waiting.

After talking with them about the insights I’d gained during the previous exercise examining the chair and playing with the clover, it was time to leave and meet up with my group of fellow explorers at the crystal.

Bob and Ed were there waiting again when I arrived, motioning for me come over to where they were standing.

“That clover of yours was an interesting creation,” Bob remarked.
“Sure left me with some questions!”
“Good! A little something for that curiosity of yours to play with,” Bob laughed.
“Maybe somewhere along the way you’ll find some answers,” Ed casually remarked.

Then it was time to leave for my encounter with the Entry Directory (ED), the guy who supposedly knew about how humans entered lifetimes on the earth.

After taking on a charge of energy from the crystal with the rest of the group, I placed my intent to find the ED.

I shot straight up through the roof and into blackness.

After a brief sense of movement the tower I’d seen earlier, with the two bell shapes, came into view.

Very tall, it looked like a radio antenna tower with two huge bell shaped objects at the top.

The small ends of the bell shapes joined together and appeared to be fastened, horizontally, to the tower at its very top.

Stopping to look more closely, I became aware of someone standing behind me.

“Are you the Entry Director I’m supposed to talk to?” I thought out to the presence behind me.

“Well, let’s just say I’m one of many who attend to the operation of the Reentry Station and I can probably answer your questions.”

“I’m a member of a group in a program called Exploration 27 at The Monroe Institute back on earth. We’re all here to learn about the inner workings of Focus 27.”

“Yes, I know. Your buddy, Bob Monroe, told us your group would be coming for a tour of the place. How can I be of assistance?”

“Is this thing I’m looking at, the tower with the bell shapes at the top, is that the Reentry Station?”

“Yep.”

“What does it do and how does it work?”

“Look closely around the big open end of the bell shape at the left and tell me what you see,” the ED suggested.

“I see a flow of something entering the open end of the bell shape,” I described.

“Direct your attention to that flow and tell me what you see there,” the ED continued.

“I see a cylindrical flow of little bits of yellowish-gold light, all moving together into the bell shape.”

“Look closely at the bits of light.”

I moved closer to the flow to get a better look.

“They all have generally the same size and shape, and they’re emitting light. They look a little like cocktail shrimp after they’ve been cooked and peeled, kind of the shape of little cheese curls.

I’ve seen these things before in a place I call the Flying Fuzzy Zone.

These curls look the same, but in the Flying Fuzzy Zone they fly all around like moths buzzing a bright light. What are these things?”

“Focus your attention on them, what do they feel like?”

After gazing at them for several moments I got the precept, “I’ll be a son of a . . . those curls are people! Each one is a separate human being!”

“And?”

“They seem to be in some kind of ‘dormant’ state. Not too much activity going on in them, not much thinking. More like they’re asleep and waiting. Why are they like that, and why are they entering the bell shape of the Reentry Station?”

“Come on, follow me,” the ED replied, “we’ll go inside the station so you can take a look.”

There was a quick feeling of movement and then I was standing at the center the of the area where the small ends of the two bells joined. I could plainly see the flow of curls being compressed as it passed through this area.

“This part of the station is called the constriction,” the ED volunteered.

“This section seems to be putting the curls under pressure. Why?” I asked.

“Preparation for entry into physical world reality. The awareness of each curl is compressed here to help hold it together and stay focused in one place long enough to make the transition.”

“I’m getting the sense that compression also closes down its conscious awareness of nonphysical reality in general, including awareness of nonphysical aspects of itself. Is that a result of compressing a curl’s conscious awareness?”

“Yes. Physical world reality is a pretty crowded place. By compressing the curl’s awareness into one place, it’s more concentrated. It’s better able to focus, concentrate if you like, on its tasks and purposes once its in the physical world. Less apt to be distracted by input overload from the high level, M-band noise pressure.”

“Input overload? High level M-band noise pressure?”

“At the level of physical world reality there are presently over five billion human inhabitants packed onto a very small place called earth. Everyone living there is constantly broadcasting their thoughts and feelings into that close quarters environment. They’re like five billion little radio stations all broadcasting their own, unique talk shows into the airwaves at the same time. Those thoughts and feelings are what we call M-band noise. There are so many people broadcasting at once, all pushing their thoughts and feelings out into the environment, we call it high level, M-band noise pressure.”

“Does closing down a curl’s level of awareness by compression in the constriction section have something to do with limiting the effect of that M-band noise?” I asked, responding to impressions I was getting as I watched the curls pass through.

“It limits the curl’s ability to sense things in the nonphysical environment, doesn’t it.”

“Yes it does. You see, if a curl’s conscious awareness remained fully expanded to its normal size during and after entry into physical world reality it couldn’t function. It’s being constantly bombarded by a great percentage of the M-band noise. Finding its own memories and thoughts amongst that blaring jumble would be extremely difficult, if not impossible. At its normal level the curl’s awareness would be in a constant state of complete and utter chaos, as a result of the input overload. Such overload would make progress on a curl’s purpose for being in physical world reality impossible. The compression step of the reentry process concentrates the curl’s awareness into a very small area, allowing it to be less aware of M-band noise.”

“So compression reduces conscious awareness of nonphysical reality. But doesn’t that also make it so the curl has no memory of what happened to it or decisions about its purpose made before entry into the physical world?”

“Well, yes, sort of. Memory of those decisions and contact with the Greater Self, your Disk or Monroe’s I/There, is also almost completely blocked by the compression. You see, compression works on the level of the curl’s conscious awareness. That doesn’t mean those memories and contacts are removed or totally inaccessible, they’re just compressed into the subconscious. They are fully accessible, but ordinarily only at the curl’s subconscious levels.

“Wouldn’t be better to let curls decide whether they want this to happen or not?”

“They do decide, Bruce. Each curl understands and agrees to this as part of the reentry process. It’s not a rule imposed upon the curl by anyone, it’s part of the preparation necessary for survival in the environment. You could think of it like the old fashion, deep sea diving suits. You know, the ones with the big heavy helmet and air hose hooked to a pump on the surface. To withstand the pressure and survive while exploring the ocean bottom in the old days, divers had to wear the suit. Compression at the Reentry Station is where the curl puts on that suit.”

“I’m getting that M-band noise is somehow similar to the water pressure at the bottom of the ocean in your metaphor,” I said, responding to incoming impressions.

“Very good! M-band noise IS like the water of the ocean. As you go deeper toward the ocean bottom, physical world reality, M-band noise pressure becomes greater. Once a curl reaches physical world reality M-band noise pressure actually helps maintain compression of its conscious awareness within the limits of its physical body.”

“What do you mean?”

“Remember, we are talking about conscious awareness of the curl. If the diver, in my metaphor, tries to expand himself at the bottom of the ocean he has to push outward against the surrounding water pressure. If a curl attempts to extend its conscious awareness beyond the confines of its body it encounters the M-band noise of all the other inhabitants.

Just like a diver extending himself beyond his suit and feeling the water, a curl extending its awareness beyond its body becomes aware of the blaring jumble of the M-band noise. The thoughts and feelings of the other inhabitants begin to come into the curl’s awareness.

It’s such a jumble it tends to breakup the concentration and focus required to further extend its awareness. Prolonged contact with the surrounding M-band noise leads to wandering thought trains that jump from one track to another as thoughts and feelings of others flood into the curl’s thus triggering memory associations.

After a while, curls generally stop trying to expand their awareness, since they so easily lose the train of thought necessary to do so. That’s how M-band noise pressure tends to maintain compression of conscious awareness. Some curls continuing trying to expand their awareness into the M-band noise and some of the successful ones are often labeled psychotic.”

“How can curls safely get through the M-band noise to expand their awareness?” I wondered out loud.

“By learning to focus their attention not through the M-band noise, but beyond it. If the curl learns to focus its awareness at a level of consciousness where the M-band noise is attenuated or nonexistent, expansion is much easier. Meditation is an useful, time tested method and the one you’re using seems to work pretty well.”

“The method I’m using?” I asked, puzzled.

“You learned to focus your attention beyond the M-band noise using the sound patterns of hemi-sync. Remember something in the advertising about coherent brain wave states. You learned to maintain your focus and avoid the jumble by shifting your conscious awareness past M-band noise and into states you call Focus levels. Focus 10, Focus 21 and so on are levels of human consciousness with greatly reduced M-band noise.”

“I see what you mean. The hemi-sync the tool I stumbled upon allowed me to remain in a coherent, focused state as I expanded my awareness past the M-band noise and into states beyond it!”

“You sound surprised! Hemi-sync is an adaptation of a long known technique. As for stumbling upon it, later you might want to check for filament of awareness connections between yourself and the guy who introduced that system. For right now let’s get back to the to the purpose of your tour,” the ED said cryptically.

“Okay. I’m getting that compression also causes the curls to lose memory of where they came from. It’s the reason so few have any past life memories or awareness of anything that exists beyond their present physical world.”

“Yes, that’s a byproduct of the compression. Again, compression pushes these memories into the curl’s subconscious, by definition that means the curl is not consciously aware of them. Typically, they are unable to extend their conscious awareness through the M-band noise to access ‘outside’ sources of the information either. These, so called, outside sources of information exist in awareness levels adjacent to the physical. Past life memories, the focus levels you’re aware of, lots of information sources exist in these adjacent levels of awareness. Of course the information is carried inside the curl too, but few learn to focus inward to find it there. Curl’s, compressed as they are have little if any conscious awareness of that information stored within themselves, and the M-band noise tends to cut off access to adjacent sources. Of course there are some exceptions, in fact, here comes one now,” the ED said, as he directed my attention to the incoming flow of curls.

Focusing my attention to where he pointed, I saw what my Tour Guide was referring to. In amongst all the other little curls in the flow was one at least ten times their size. It stood out as the biggest, brightest curl in view.

Big Fish, we call them,” the Tour Guide said. “What do you get from that one?”
Reaching out to sense the Big Fish, it seemed more awake and active then the other curls. I watched as it moved through the constriction and then exited off to my right.

“Seems to be more aware and active then the others. It knew about the compression process it was going to go through and maintained its awareness while passing through it. I get that it remembered most of what it entered with after passing through the constriction,” I replied, relating my impressions.

“Big Fish have developed the ability to be consciously aware of far greater ‘volumes’ of information. They pass through the constriction losing very little of their multidimensional awareness. They’re exceptionally well suited to bringing awareness of adjacent realities, and of human existence in them, into the physical world. Many live lives in which they share their multidimensional awareness with others living in physical world reality who are lacking it. By doing so they help others become Big Fish,” the ED said, with a wistful pride.

While pondering the implications of little curls and Big Fish, something else in the flow caught my eye. There were four curls, a little above average size, that appeared to be connected together along some kind of lighted filament. They looked like shrimp on a string with two, close together, leading the way, followed by two others spaced close together, further along the string.

“Could be a family of four, or just four curls planning to act on a common purpose,” the ED Tour Guide explained before I could ask the question. When we see them strung together like that, we know they have a prior agreement about something that requires they pop into the physical world in a certain time sequence.”

“So if it was a family of four, the two in the lead are probably the parents and the next two will be their kids?”

“Yeah. And if it’s not an actual family, with parents and children, it could be just that those four have to arrive in a specific time sequence.”

That phrase, specific time sequence triggered a question, “Is that group headed for Focus 15?”

“Of course, every curl goes to 15 after they finish compression. I don’t have time right now to go into all the details of what happens from then on, so don’t ask.

That will all be covered later in your tour,” the ED said, cutting off the whole line of questions I was forming. “Groups like those four are usually tied into a cooperative effort aimed at carrying out individual and group purposes.”

“Like?”

“Like, maybe those first two have to bring a discovery into physical world awareness that the second two will later utilize. In the case of that specific group, the second curl will be traipsing through a jungle when he meets the first one, a native medicine man, a local shaman. Their combined knowledge of drugs and diseases will uncover the healing properties of a certain plant. Years later, the second two curls will meet when they each deliver research papers at the same medical conference. They’ll discover they’ve both been working independently to bring the use of the plant’s properties, discovered by the other two, into practical use. They’ll join forces to carry on their work together as man and wife. That’s when they’ll start working on the most important joint purpose for the entire group’s entry.”

“Most important purpose?”

“With the inflated egos those two have it’s going to be quite a challenge for them to learn to love through each other,” the ED said, with concern in his voice. “At least they’re got their love of humanity bonding them together. Working toward practical use of the that plant’s properties for the good of mankind is a real plus in that department.”

“How do you know all that, or are you just making it up?” I asked inquisitively.

“I’m not making it up, I know because I can read curl, and because my awareness extends beyond what you’re used to.”

“Who decided what their purpose was and what they were going to do to accomplish it? Sounds like predestination, like they have no choice.”

“Those curls made all those choices for themselves. You could call it predestination I suppose, as long as you remember they made all the decisions effecting their destinies and agreed to work as a group before they came to the Reentry Station.”

“So there is predestination!”

“Of course! They decided what they were going to do, and now they’re going to go do it. You can call it predestination if you like, as long as you remember who made the decisions,” the ED stated flatly.

“I want to know more about that string that connects them and what it has to do with when they arrive in the physical world?”

“That string, as you call it, is a filament of awareness that connects them now and will remain in place throughout their lives. You could also call it a section of a time/event line. The string is part of the process of insertion into time frames in the physical world and the Big Clock gets used as part of that process.”

“What are time/event lines and what’s the Big Clock?” I asked excitedly, hoping to learn more about the Focus 15 angle.

“I’d suggest you save those questions for your visit to The Planning Center. They can explain it better in the context of what they do there.”

“Okay, thanks. I’ll make a mental note to do that.”

“Don’t worry. If you don’t remember I’m sure your Tour Guide there will have gotten the word to remind you.”

“Thanks.”

“Take a close look a the curls in the flow again. Pick out a group on a string and look real close at the filament of awareness associated with them. Here comes a group of three now, check out the area directly behind the group.”

“I don’t see anything other than that they’re connected together by a fine bright filament. . . Wait a sec . . . There’s an even finer filament trailing them. In fact, now that I can see that one, I see all the other curls in the flow have the finer filament trailing them too. Didn’t notice it before, what is that?”

“Do you remember the story of Curiosity you wrote in your first book? Do you remember Curiosity’s Probes?”

“Yes, why?”
As I waited for the Tour Guide’s answer, it hit me like a forty foot wave crashing into a sea wall and I caught insights in the spray.

“Those are Probes! Those filaments trailing each curl are their connection to their Disks, the things Monroe called I/There! Those filaments are what provide transfers of awareness between the Probe and its Disk! I saw my filament and followed it back to my Disk during a vision in the mid 1970’s. That’s how I became aware of the my Greater Self, my Disk, my I/There!”

“Glad you caught on to that, Bruce, As you continue your tour of Focus 27 during your program, I’d like to suggest you be open to learning more about who and what you really are. There’s more to learn.”

Looking closely at the filaments trailing the curls again I noticed something odd. “That group of three I saw had only one filament trailing it. Some of the other groups I see have more than one filament trailing them. Why is that?”

The ED just stood there looking at me, waiting for me to get the answer on my own. Then it hit me! “Those three curls with the single filament are all from the same Disk, aren’t they!”

“And the ones with more than one trailing filament?” the ED asked.

“Not all the curls on the connecting string are from the same Disk!”, I blurted out.

“What are the implications of that?” I asked.

“Like I said, there’s more to learn, but that’s one you’ll have to explore and discover for yourself.”

For several moments I floated in silence, trying to get more insight into what my Tour Guide seemed to be alluding to. Not getting much I decided to pursue something else.

“I’m puzzled by something.”

“Shoot.”

“Wouldn’t it be better if all curls who reentered physical reality lifetimes carried more of their memories in their conscious awareness? Wouldn’t I have a better shot at carrying out my purpose in life if I knew what it was? Couldn’t the compression process of the Reentry Station be modified to allow that to happen?”

“In some cases, like Big Fish, much of such memory remains intact and easily accessible. And there are things that can be done to help a curl move toward Big Fish awareness levels. Part of that process is the curl learning to feel what’s going on inside its awareness, becoming aware of what’s stored within it’s subconscious. That process also involves becoming aware of what’s available in adjacent levels of awareness. That’s an internal learning process all curls go through as they make progress towards becoming Big Fish. But to do that within the M-band noise of physical reality, one must utilize the emotional charge and emotional impact of events in physical world reality. Emotional impact is part of the earth school training system, part of learning to feel and become a Big Fish.”
“So remembering too much would interfere with learning, Big Fish training if you will?”

“It tends to reduce the emotional impact of events which normally help a curl learn to feel what’s inside itself. Think of it this way, if someone told you all the details of a suspense thriller you were planning to see at the theater, including the climactic ending, what would it do to a movie’s emotional impact on you?”

“If I knew everything ahead of time, including how the movie ended, most of the emotional impact would be gone.”

“And you might experience less or weaker feelings in response to what happened on the screen?”

“I see what you mean, emotional impact helps us learn to feel and so we curls don’t remember our purpose in life because it might spoil our movie?”

“Something like that. There’s also learning to use the filament connection to consider.”

“What’s the filament of awareness connection got to do with becoming a Big Fish,” I asked, not seeing any possibilities.

“Becoming aware of that connection can lead to awareness of your Disk. That in turn can lead to an accelerated opening of awareness by virtue of the information available via that connection to the Greater Self. Surely, you of all people, can see the possibilities in that!” the ED said, like I really ought to have figured it out already.

“Oh . . . you mean my vision of the Disk way back in the middle ’70’s. I see what you mean! Once I had some limited awareness of my Greater Self, and my connection to it, the pace of my growing opening picked up. Gee, you mean I’m in training to become a Big Fish?” I questioned proudly.

“Bruce, all curls are in training to become Big Fish,” he said, taking a little wind out of my sails.

Dar’s voice startled me when it cut into my conversation with the Tour Guide at the Reentry Station, suggesting it was time to return to the crystal at TMI There.

“That’s my signal to go back to physical world reality, I got so involved in our conversation I forgot this is just a tape exercise in a program. Seems like there’s a lot left unanswered.”

“As you continue your tour you’re free to keep asking questions of anyone you meet and of course, let that curiosity of yours have free rein. Feel free to come back and visit me whenever you like.”

“Before I leave, since you read curl and all, can you give me anything on my purpose during my present lifetime?”

“Sure,” he said as he flipped me a thought ball, “but you already know most of it, so nothing in this one should come as any big surprise.”

“Thanks, ED, you put on quite a tour, and thanks for this,” I said, holding up the thought ball.

“Anytime.”

On my way back to the crystal, moving through blackness, I excitedly opened the thought ball, anticipating some great revelation. It said: “You entered this lifetime as a retrieving type to recover many of yourselves and those with other Disks of origin. Most of all, you wanted to learn more about the energy called Love. Beyond telling you that, I wouldn’t want to spoil your movie!” It was signed, “ED, Entry Director.”

Conclusion

This is a fascinating look at a remote viewing session. It opens up all sorts of new terms and ideas that are new to me. I would like to find out more, investigate other books and works and so on and so forth. If any one has some links or suggestions I will incorporate what we can gather in MM so that all of us might learn and benefit.

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Full reprint of the book titled “Domain Expeditionary Force Rescue Mission”

This is the full reprint of the book titled “Domain Expeditionary Force Rescue Mission”. There is an interesting story behind this book. It is considered a science fiction story, while the first book “Alien Interview” is not. I do not know what to think. However, it is really easy to discount the idea that there is a follow up book whenever the first book became popular. There is that “for profit motive” don’t you know.

Thus we have this write up;

A Science Fiction story based on the best selling book ALIEN INTERVIEW. 

"There are several obvious reasons that The Domain, and other space civilizations do not land on Earth or make their presence known. It takes a very brave IS-BE to come down through the atmosphere and land on Earth, because it is a prison planet, with a very uncontrolled, psychotic population. And, no IS-BE is entirely proof against the risk of entrapment, as with the members of The Domain Expeditionary Force who were captured in the Himalayas 8,200 years ago." 

-- excerpt from the book ALIEN INTERVIEW, edited by Lawrence R. Spencer

MM comments

I parsed the book “Alien Interview” and found it valid, real and actual. I then parsed it in great detail, and in so doing, found many answers that “clicked” or aligned with prior events, knowledge, and experiences that I have had. There is no question that the first book “Alien Interview” is valid.

I do not know about the second book.

When I read the opinions of others, I find myself questioning everything. Such as this book review here…

Fiction or Valid Disclosure?

Good book but lacked the authenticity and clarity the author claims it is which the first book “Alien Interview” had.
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The only reason I say this is that although the cover says, “by Lawrence R. Spencer”, the author claims he is not the original author. But in his first book, “Alien Interview” he credits himself as the editor only.
This is true. The first book; "Alien Interview" is the narrative of the transcribing nurse that was involved in the interview of the acquired Commander of a downed extraterrestrial spacecraft. It includes her narrative, and the full transcript of the interview. According tot he first book, she is dead. So, what is the source information for the second book?

-MM
In this book, Spencer puts his name on the cover as “by Lawrence R. Spencer” which leaves it open to suspect. There is an email address inside the book that Mr. Spencer claims the documents have come from. I wrote to this email address in the book on several occasions and received no reply. I did not receive an undelivered email notification so I assume someone got it. I am sure I am not the only person to write to the mysterious email address shown in the book.
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This opens the book up to great controversy and it has been put down by various reviewers on the internet, claiming that the author, Lawrence Spencer, wrote this book and its prequel “Alien Interview” as a kind of religious agenda, or rather, “anti-religious” agenda.
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However, there are many many people out there who have had amazing testimonies of ET contact and their stories are even more outlandish and unbelievable than the written material of these books. So to judge this book as some kind of writing that has a religious or ideological motivation is incorrect.
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I believe many people have had many ET experiences and this book coincides with the many thousands of people who have had their eyes opened to the revelations and perspectives that have changed them forever. This book and “Alien Interview” are not the authors or inventors of such concepts but rather reinforce what has already been revealed by thousands of other abductees, witnesses, and Experiencers.
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Mr. Spencer does indicate the the book is “by” him.
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However, he claims that he is not the original author.
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He claims that it came to him via email from someone claiming to be Matilda MacElroy…
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…or a Being or person that is coordinated with the late Mrs. MacElroy. .
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There is no evidence that Mrs. MacElroy actually died although she stated in “Alien Interview” that she was going to die and be put to rest in a place of her choosing.
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The book is written in the same style as the previous book which was supposed to be by Mrs. MacElroy.
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Since Mrs. MacElroy had a career military background, this book fits hand and glove to the first writings. There are some typographical errors that are claimed to be part of the original way the book was presented to Mr. Spencer.
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This book appears to be strung together as a collection of notes that barely hold together as a manual.
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Since the author cannot claim it was actually written by Matilda as it came to him via email, it has some mystery to it. There are some grammar errors and spelling issues here and there, certainly not the kind of quality of a professional writer. So perhaps these are the foot prints of the real writer.
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Never the less, it is a very good book and I found it very interesting, written with the same matter-o-fact style as the first book.
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However, instead of the transcription style of the first book, this book comes together as a take-a-long manual for someone in the process of trying to get their pre-earth memory back.
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I was met with some very violent reactions from certain people when I tried to talk about this book and the original book, “Alien Interview”. It appears that the material appears so far fetched that it strikes anything from fear to ridicule in others who do not have any courage to stretch beyond their own belief system and self imposed science or religious paradigms.
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For anyone who wants to stretch their consciousness outside the limited box-thinking paradigm of our present reality, and for anyone who has had some kind of ET experience, whether it be abduction, observation, or for anyone who is wanting to learn something amazing of a possible pre-earth existence, this is a great eye opening book.
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I suggest the “Alien Interview” book be read first in order to keep this book in its rightful context.

The files

A MM contributor took the time to photograph the entire contents of the book and send it for me to read. These photos are below for your enjoyment.

I have read the total book in this format, and here are my impressions…

MM Comments after reading the book

Let me repeat what the book says…

This book is in no way factual.  Nor is it intended to represent any factual information. This book is a contrivance of the imagination of the author.  This book is a work of fiction only. It is not to be interpreted otherwise by the reader.

MM readership take note. This is a fiction. Nothing more.

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More Q&A to The Domain Commander using my EBP

I have these EBP things in my body. In August or September 2021, I discovered that I could open up a comm link using them to their owners; The Domain. I was surprised when they communicated back. After a short while we honed the process and now I have a mechanism where I can ask questions and get answers. This is part of the various Q&A sessions that I have had with them. This one occurred in October 2021.

Here’s some additional questions that I have asked.

Are any members of the Domain’s “Lost Battalion” part of the MM readership?

This might be a curiosity to some, and important to others. It was asked in a question on 18OCT21. Here is the response.

Yes.

And talk about being terse! Jeeze. That’s about as helpful as knowing that there are worms in your backyard grass.

So I asked for elaboration.

It is best if the members of the "Lost Battalion" do not realize who they are at this time. 

Those that view / read /respect /search for answers are on the path towards rehabilitation. But many are not ready for the answers and truth yet. Their conditioning has been far too invasive, distressing and thorough. 

By their very nature they will fight against anything new or different. They will appear gruff and cantankerous at times for after all, their life on the Prison Planet has not been kind to them. As well as that is part of their very nature.

Enough said.

What do you regard as their highest truth? If there is a master key to the puzzle that we are all missing that will make the universe make sense?

Again, quick. Faster than what I was ready for.

Yes there are truths, and then there are TRUTHS. What we would regard as a "truth" would hold a completely different meaning to an person (inmate) within an artificial reality.

Humans on the earth, as well as many other creatures, are inmates. 

Imagine a fish tank full of fish. There are big fish, small fish, crabs, a frog, all types of things. To them, their entire universe is that fish tank, and while they can peer through the glass, the objects in the distance are identifiable to them, but not understood by them. They are recognizable shapes, but they have no understanding of them.

That telephone on the table is just a rectangular shaped object. That light that comes on and off at times is a "natural rhythm". They don't understand them. They don't understand that the telephone is the "Bees Knees". They just don't understand.

Now, let's suppose the lady of the house waltzes in the room. She smiles like she always does, and feeds the fish with the fish food nearby, and then walks away with her gams in rhythmic motion. The fish would assume that she is part of the nature of things. That she is reliable, and dependable and that their existence depends on her. To them, she appears as a swanky goddess. To them, the "truth" is that they are part of her daily routine. It's a natural world.

But the actual TRUTH is something entirely different.

The fishbowl is a construct. The lady, as beautiful and kind as she is, is their keeper. And their very life depends on her. The fishbowl lies within a much larger universe, and there are so many things that they just do not understand about it. In fact, you can say that outside the fishbowl is a much different world. There is no stable bubbling oxygenation of water, no thermoclines, no gravel at the bottom, and no algae on the sides of the tank walls.

And if you told them this, what would it matter?

Are any of the fish going to jump out of the tank, and try to make it to the front door in the living room?

Truth is a relative thing. It depends on the person asking the question.

For the questioner...

... the truth is simple. You are in a prison. The "universe" that you see that lies outside beyond the prison, but what you observe is not what actually exists. It's something else entirely. You are not going to take a rocket ship and travel the "vast gulf of space" to another star like you think you are able. It will not be like Star Trek, or Flash Gordon. It is similar to what you observe (from afar), but decidedly and functionally different. As the universe that you view is not what it actually is. This is not hokum.

Outside the prison walls is a universe that does not at all resemble what you think it does. That's a truth that you must accept.

I have been having these images of what I once was. A Mades Escapleon. Are these perceptions correct?

Again, a personal question.

My images are a comically gnome / dwarfish / kind of lizardly elfin figure with a big belly and a kind of green and white Santa Claus style outfit. Pretty bizarre eh?

Your mind constructs images that you have encountered during this life. The constructs an image of what you would expect yourself to be. That is the case right now.

There are multiple species in co-habitation in the "Old Empire". Many resemble the images of faeries, goblins, dwarves, and so on and so forth. However the images and the presentation of what you have in popular media and literature is not the real and actual depictions of these archetypes nor is it a depiction of the societies that they occupy. 

Mades Escapleon was not a human archetype. He became one when he entered General Population in fear to escape The Domain when we took over the local command and control facilities at the administration center. Your depiction of him, however comical, is actually pretty close to his (garbled. interruption. Not clear.). You would not recognize him as storybook fable type of character. But rather as a smallish, ugly businessman with an abrupt manner, and a sneering demeanor.

The administration and command and control operation for the earth planet within this prison planet is inside the moon in a large void that resides adjacent to the offset metallic hot core. We (The Domain) have taken over this facility and now use this region for our own purposes. However there are many members of the "Old Empire" that did not egress into the General Population when we seized the administration complex. they still live there inside the cavity. To you, they might appear as those fairy tale book characters.

Your office was large, and was in the most predominant structures within the void. Keep in mind that Mades Escapleon was just a singular (series of) incarnations that you maintained as a (not clear) role for his majesty (not clear / garbled / not important). You need not get too upset or worry about your past. The incarnations in the general population of the Prison planet system has changed you.

Consider these thoughts just echoes of a former life that no longer has any importance to who you are today.

The Lost Battalion living in human form. Do the Mantids interact with them?

From my previous Q&A…

“Unfortunately most humans are prevented from configuring their “stage upwards / higher form / above non-physical” bodies. This is a Mantid (sic.) directive. This is why inmates are quickly shuttled off to “Heaven”. So they cannot shape change their “migration paths / attunement centers / organ clusters” to fit other forms.”

The Lost Battalion living in human form. Do the Mantids interact with them? Or are they outside of the Mantids’ directives/supervision? I believe the Mantids supervise every human or at least monitor them at death.  If so, then that suggests the Mantids know where the members of the Lost Battalion are. This drills down into some inconvenient questions, which I assume both you and the Commander is very much aware of.

The answer came in the form of sliding events, which I really don’t want to describe right now, as I am tired. And I need to get some sleep.

Think of it is a kind of layered deck of cards that you push to the side and draw off the top card, and then another appears and so on and so forth….

Yes. The Mantids (sic.) interact with all inmates in General Population. There are Mantid(s) (sic.) associated with every human (or mammal) form as this is an artificial construct that needs to be maintained while in the Prison Complex. 

The forms that the Domain "Lost Battalion" were in when they were captured are not the forms that they are inhabiting now. These forms are not "doll bodies". But rather, they are specially constructed "skin suits" for use within the General Population chambers in the Prison Complex. Some are human, some are in other mammal bodies. Each "skin suit" has an associated Mantid (sic.) to maintain it, operate it, and make sure that it follows the pre-birth world-line template (sic.)

Since the Domain interacts and communicates with the Mantids (sic.) we are able to identify where the elements of the "Lost Battalion" are. We know where they exist within the Prison Complex at any moment, and we work with the Mantids (sic.) as necessary towards our end goals and directives.

The Mantids (sic.) control the "skin suits". They maintain and help follow the progression of life events along the pre-birth world-line template (sic.). 

But these Mantids (sic.) are not the same as the creatures (Mantids Prime) that occupy roles within the "Heaven" that was constructed as part of this Prison Complex.

Both the Mantids (sic.) and Mantids Prime (sic.) that occupy heaven are of the same genetic classification, however they are totally different in their operational parameters. 

[1]  The Mantids Prime (sic.) continue to follow the "Old Empire" directives and operate within "Heaven" as if the Domain does not exist. 

[2]  While the Mantids within the Prison Complex work with us and are aligned with our end goals.

We of The Domain do not venture within the "Heaven" constructed sub-universe. To do so would require us to go through the electromagnetic washing of our very being and souls. So we have never visited the "Heaven" constructs. Thus we have never communicated with the Mantid Primes (sic.)

Thus, when a member of the "Lost Battalion" dies it is immediately shuttled off to the "Tunnel of Light", enters "Heaven" and is met by Mantid Prime (sic.) caretakers that have a directive to immediately recycle back with a pre-defined (nasty) pre-birth world-line template. 

Then upon the General Population in the Prison Complex, "our" Mantids (sic.) take over and work with us to our end goals.

How are cats not part of the inmates!?

From my previous Q&A…

“Felines follow the same general behavior rules as humans do. Except that felines are not inmates in the Prison Planet Complex.”

How are cats not part of the inmates!? Are they visitors from elsewhere? This suggests that they are pretty advanced. In fact by my limited interaction with my feral cats, in some respects they display more human behavior than most humans. I actually learnt kindness and trust in ways which surprised me.

This was an interesting response.

(Pause.) I have to get back to you on this.

So, what will happen is that the Commander will go off and do his / her / it research or communication, and get back with me. Probably at an odd point in time.

Four weeks later. His response…

Felines, not only ordinary house cats, have a quantum makeup that differ substantially from that of the inmate archetypes that were developed when the Prison Complex was first established. You can think of it as oil vs. water, or Windows computer operating system, and the Lunix operating system. Or you can think of it as an electrical heater as opposed to a kerosene heater. It's completely different.

But it is more than that.

The feline archetype did not approve of making any inmate version archetypes. Every time an attempt was made to create a feline prison suit, it was thwarted and blocked. Not only because it was much, much harder to do, but also become the felines themselves did not want that to happen. 

You cannot contain or constrain a cat. They are their own free entities, and they value this aspect of their lives in the must fundamental manner. They actually view most other forms of physical manifested life as "below them". They would not permit a "lower" species to create a genetic manipulation of their archetype.

So it did not happen.

When the first efforts were undertaken to do so, there were all sorts of problems and issues.  Eventually, the engineers and researchers of the "Old Domain" gave up. They "shelved" the feline project and excluded it from the catalog of inmate skin suits. 

Now, initially, they did report these issues to their superiors. Each and every time their superiors demanded that they work harder. Eventually, they decided not to say anything and the Prison Complex was opened up without feline archetype modification.

There were side projects in which archetypes were developed and failed. Eventually, the researchers told their superiors that it was not advisable as the felines would find a way to escape from the Prison Complex. This was an excuse that the upper management accepted, and so all research was filed away and forgotten. And you now have this situation that persists to this day.

Your point about trans species migrations.

Dogs and elephants etc may be equally intelligent as humans, just limited by their containers. So a dog when in a human behavior has all the same emotional and mental intelligence when freed from the limits so imposed. This suggests that emotions and intelligence is similar across specie across the worlds.

If true then many characteristics are cultural or biological. (I’m thinking your Commander can absorb the culture of humans because he has access to ALL of your memories lol. But this rabbit hole I will leave to you. For me it’s more benign than it looks.)

Trans-species migrations happen all the time. It's fairly common outside of the Prison Complex universe. However, there are limitations, and favoritism in the body selection and group quantum clusters that make a favorite type of incarnation more desirable than others.

In the Prison Planet environment, however, it is a completely different situation. The mantids in Heaven (mantid prime) make the decisions and give permissions or not to allow or not this kind of inter-specie transfer experience. Individual IS-BE's have very little say in the outcome of that request.

One of the problems that can arise is when one species, say a predatory insect species, inhabits a modified human skin suit for the General Population in the Prison Complex. Their personality will stay the same, but will adapt to the new skin suit and environment. 

These old previous species behaviors, while natural in other environment could end up being toxic in the human environment. Thus it is one of the reasons why we (The Domain) put a stop to other civilizations dumping their undesirables into the Prison Complex for administrative punishment.

Does your ownership of planet Earth come from right of conquest? Some sort of Terra Nullius?

Continuing on the Q&A. This particular question was asked late at night after I finally got my young daughter to sleep. I then sat down and started the process.

We created the master universe that the Prison Complexes and it's pocket universe inhabits. We established the creatures, the plants, the planets, the stars and the entire operation of everything. At that time, The Domain was an earlier incarnation, and we all were learning and establishing fundamentals and boundaries for the universe.

We let general chaos expand, and as a result the master universe became something that we do not like to see. We held a series of meeting in this regard and decided to secure all errant elements and maintain a most basic and fundamental foundational aspect of control.

What is going on with your "Milkyway galaxy" is that we are suppressing the unstable elements in favor of unified control according to our most basic principles.

Rather than a territorial expansion and seizure of this galaxy, we are instead working behind the scenes where possible to stabilize errant civilizations. When we cannot do so, we secure the civilizations by force. This is what we did with the "old empire". 

In all cases the civilizations are then scrubbed of the negative attributes and problematic behaviors and permitted to operate within a very broad set of guidelines that will prevent a relapse of dangerous behaviors.

If Earthlings are in the position of native Americans who faced annilation at the hands of the Great White Father, what do we do?

Morning inquiry.

Fear is the problem. Certainly there is reason to be concerned, as earth history is rife with stories of conquest. But the earth is a unique environment peopled with many vicious and malevolent / selfish / profiteering entities. This is NOT (there was a great vibrational rocking with this particular word. Almost like a earthquake) the norm in the "master universe".

This Prison Complex was derived and came from a particularly unique culture of war-like entities that formed a society that we refer to as the "Old Empire". So this war-like, profiteering society took their worst (and their best) citizenry and locked them up inside this prison complex. The lives that you have experienced here, and the histories that you have experienced here are excessive and extreme.

That being said, the "Old Empire" being warlike and aggressive is in itself an extreme manifestation. It's not the normal.

These extreme manifestations of society crop up throughout the universe, and that is what The Domain is active in suppressing. There are approximately  two to three really problematic civilizations per galaxy, and the larger galaxies such as yours might hold from seven to twelve (or fourteen) such societies.

Your fears are rational because they are based on your known histories.

This is what you can expect;

[1] The "Old Empire" has been purged of it's "darkest" elements. It is now on the mend and is turning into a calmer, quieter and more peaceful society. Though certain elements of that society had to be forcefully amputated. 

[2] By the time the Prison Complex is fully actuated under The Domain control, many trapped IS-BE's will be able to return to their former relationships and lives in the "Old Empire" or elsewhere as the need be.

[3] Prior to this happening, however, there has to occur numerous events prior to the release of the inmates.

[3A] Sentience sorting. We cannot permit those sentience's that are prone to dangerous behaviors to exist outside of a monitored area on their own. Instead they will be granted supervised parole, and observed and watched so that they cannot unduly influence their surroundings negatively.

[3B] Scrubbing of the skin suits. The attire of the entities will all have to be remanufactured to fit their natural archetypes. Obviously STS , DIS, and SFA entities (under parole) would posses "parole" skin suits, while STO entities would possess natural archetype skin suits.

STO = Service to others
STS = Service to Self
SFA = Service for another
DIS = Disjointed

[3C] Memory re-injection. We will attempt (and succeed) in the restoration of all memories.

[3D] Phased release. The members of the lost battalion will be the first major group to be released. Followed by STO individuals. Then a phased system of SFA individual consciousnesses. The last would be the very dangerous STS and DIS consciousnesses.

[3E] The Most dangerous. The most problematic entities and the highest probability of disruption / destructive abilities / and borderline evil entities would be either recycled or banished. 

[3E-1] Those banished would be sent to the pocket universe known as "Heaven" which is a pocket universe within the pocket universe of the Prison Complex. There they would be locked in place and stay there until a sufficient method can be arranged to rehabilitate them.

[3E-2] Those recycled would be reduced to basic components through a system resembling the "tunnel of light" until they are rendered inert.

The questioner need not fear any of this. The questioner is slated for a phased release, after memory restoration.

If things are less dark, then how do we work or trade together?

I assume that this concerns what is presently going on earth-side and the question relates to the next few years. As such, I queried it that way. Morning probe at 9am.

The fears abound. But things will return to normal sea lane shipping, and normal levels of commerce. However, there will be a decrease in the volume of the products, the type and mixture of products, as well as the relative utility and life of those products. 

This is something that is well documented on our side. 

We see and anticipate a "new normal" after a seven year (or so) adjustment period. 

Some nations will be impacted the most. Such as the United States, the UK and parts of Europe. Others, many others, will not be. And they will continue their lives as if the disruption was a trivial matter.

Those nations or societies that will be impacted the most will undergo severe and abrupt societal readjustments. Mostly it will be triggered by energy utility, currency or the inflation related to, and inherent and intentional balkanization of the citizenry.

Next group of questions – Some important points

If I cannot understand the question, I cannot communicate to the Commander. Further, I need to be able to understand what he is communicating. Anything that lies outside of my knowledge or experience is impossible to communicate with. We have to have a common frame of reference, and then be able to use that reference to form a basis of understanding.

This next bath of questions took me back.

  • Heavy in technical jargon.
  • A large number of multi-part questions.
  • Coming from a non-influencer who didn’t even bother with a singular donation.
  • A disregard to the effort all this takes.

As they did not at all follow my request that only one question be asked and that it be put in a clear and easy way for me to communicate to. This was the question…

Here are some late & difficult but revolution-assisting questions:

*Are Clifford Algebras with real-value coefficients a serviceable mathematical format for representation for reality? 

*Is there a better type of math to use? If so, what? Otherwise:

*What is the sign aka signature (+ or -) of the squares of the basis vectors of the spatial dimensions? 

*Is this a convention or is it physically significant?

*Are there other such dimensions with the same signature, e.g. “proper time”?

*How many such space-like dimensions are there?

*and what is their significance?

*How many dimensions of opposite signature to the spatial ones are there, e.g. relativistic time and other time-like dimensions?

*What can be said about their role – e.g. do they concern nuclear reactions or allow for branching time-lines?

*Are there effectively null-square (zero-square) dimensions formed from the sum and differences of pairs of + and – signature dimensions, e.g. light-cones or “conformal” projective dimensions? 

*Are there null-square dimensions independent of the + and – square dimensions? 

*Are null-square dimensions your home environment? 

*Are there applications of null-square dimensions, e.g. portals between realms or amnesia devices?

*Does thermodynamic entropy create “Akashic records”? 

*What principles relate thermodynamic entropy (heat diffusion) and information from physical histories (wave equation); are they analogous to exchanging a + square for a – square dimension, (or relativistic time for proper time, or time (t) for imaginary time (it)), 

*...and if so, can this “Wick rotation” be done in both directions so as to allow passing from our physical realm to the “afterlife” and back?

16 fucking technical specialized questions! Are you fucking kidding me?

Now you know, this son of a bitch did not give me a donation, nor did he add anything to MM aside from saying that the posted art was beautiful. So what? It’s beautiful. I know that.

Duh!

Now, for these questions, I had to do some research. Then I had to understand it. Finally, I had to communicate it to the Commander in the “easily digestible form”.

  • Understand the language.
  • Understand the physics involved.
  • Phrase it so that I understood the questions when I read it.
  • Query question by question to the Commander.
  • Communicate that query.
  • Transcribe the answer.
  • Double check the answers for uniformity.

All in all, I figure months of dedicated study, if not years. Then weeks, to months of asking these questions.

That’s one FUCK of a lot of work.

So, I sent an email to this clown.

I said.

Listen guy, let me make something perfectly clear. If I cannot understand the questions, then it cannot be communicated properly to the Commander. Some of these questions I can ask.

And another thing. I am doing this for free. 

Look at the God damn bulk of questions you asked. Do you have any god damn idea what stress I go through in this procedure. Have some fucking compassion, or at least throw a donation my way. Jeeze!

To respond to this query, I need to fully understand the question.

Remember. With information comes responsibility. You are now responsible in the dissemination of this information.

He responded.

Frankly, by all indications it seemed like you were a whole team getting paid by the word by some Chinese intelligence agency, so I gave you some of the best open-source intel I could – that 300-reference COVID origin paper on unz.com and the rexresearch.com technology archive. 

I have also tried to suggest ways you might increase your rhetorical effectiveness, though it’s often hard to point such things out without giving offense. 

I don’t get paid for anything myself, I’m still recovering from repeated heatstroke from labor in a SE US sweatshop and don’t have funds to spare, unfortunately. I wasn’t aware how your link depends on your understanding or the effort required, my apologies.

That’s an apology? By insulting me? And still he’s not even going to toss me money for a cup of coffee for the seven months it would take to answer his questions?

He continued…

Nevertheless, the topics of my questions could yield very important intelligence, understanding of principles behind advanced technology and even the nature of reality. 

I have found them worth spending many years of study, but for the same reason it is not easy to briefly summarize them. Here’s an attempt, still too long:

***
http://www.rudyrucker.com/blog/2012/07/28/transrealism-interview-with-leon-marvell/#comment-50789
[Notes on Cabbalistic significance of the whirling double cone in projecting between higher and lower worlds]
“the double-cone’s vortex form can be made by swinging a rod by its center point so that the ends describe circles” [doing so associated with sudden destructive tornado]

“Another instance of a form similar to the double-cone occurs in Bruce Moen’s exploration of what the Monroe Institute calls “Focus 27”, though the cones are more like bells or hyperboloids. He describes a large, antenna-like, horizontal structure of this double-cone form whose function is to compress souls (which he says look like cocktail shrimp or cheese curls) so that they can reincarnate without excess awareness, which would lead to sensory overload.” [expanding the center point of a double-cone into a circle results in a hyperboloid]

“Yeats had a more interesting vision of the importance of the double-cone – he saw helical gyres on the surface of the cones as tracing out the history of every mind… ‘The mind … has a precise movement … this form is the gyre.’ This was the origin of the famous lines: ‘Turning and turning in the widening gyre / The falcon cannot hear the falconer; ….” [The poet W.B. Yeats was a member of the Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn, the most influential group in the development of modern occultism.]

***

Geometric Algebra (GA, real-valued Clifford Algebras, a.k.a. hypercomplex numbers) gives the only mostly-comprehensible-to-me account not only of higher spatial / temporal dimensions, but of physics in general. One of the best things about it is that nearly every paper using GA explains it from first principles before going on to use it for physics or computer science. Most physics papers in other fields seem to take a positive joy in obscure math and impenetrable jargon. I’ll try here to give an even less mathematically difficult account of some of GAs implications than most GA papers.

Given a set of n mutually orthogonal basis vectors, one vector for each independent dimension, a space of 2^n quantities results from considering all possible combinations of these basis vectors multiplied together. For instance taking pairs of vectors from a 5D space gives 10 possible planes of rotation, 4D space 6 planes of rotation, while in 3D there are only 3 independent planes of rotation. (The numbers of other combinations for n dimensions go as the n-th row of Pascals triangle or binomial.) For orthogonal vectors such as the basis vectors of a space, the order of multiplication determines the sign of the result, so: d1 d2 = -d2 d1. This can be interpreted as being a rotation in the plane defined by the two vectors, either in one direction (d1 -> d2) or the other, “negative” direction (d2 -> d1).

Sums of all the 2^n elements, each weighted by a different scale factor give “multivectors”, which are generalizations of complex numbers.

Each of the basis vectors will have a positive or negative square. (Vectors’ squares are always scalars, that is, real numbers.) In conventional relativity the basis vectors squares’ signs, also called “signatures” are (+ – – – ) or (+ + + -), with the different sign from the others belonging to time. When plugging into the Pythagorean theorem, the square of time can cancel out the squares of the spatial dimensions, giving a distance of zero when the spatial distance equals the time interval (time multiplied by c to give all units in meters). This happens for anything moving at the speed of light. The zero interval is the amount of perceived or “proper” time for a light wave traveling between any two points. This light-speed type of path is also called a “null geodesic”. For any given point in space and time, there is a “past light cone” of places that could be seen from that point, called a “cone” because it spreads out as one goes back further in time. Likewise, for each point at a given time there is a “future light cone” of places from which an event at that place and time can be seen. The “cone” terminology comes from looking at 2D plus time, each cross section of the cone is then a 2D circle of points. (It’s easier to imagine the future light cone as pond ripples spreading out from a dropped pebble. The past light cone is like reversing the film so the ripples converge to throw the pebble out of the pond. In 3D, it looks sort of like glass onions turning inside-out. Placehoder: Transactional Interpretation of QM, Carver Mead’s Collective Electrodynamics) Mathematiclly the points on the past light cone are defined by the spatial separation, r, and the time-times-lightspeed, ct, so: (ct)^2 = r^2 .

Now it is possible and actually quite useful for computer graphics to add a pair of dimensions with signature (+ -) to the usual spatial ones (+ + +). The sum and difference of the extra dimensions give an alternate basis for these two dimensions, but with the basis vectors squaring to zero (0 0). These “null dimensions” are called “origin” and “infinity”. A projection from this augmented space down to 3D allows many other structures besides points and directions to be represented by vectors in the 5D space. For instance, multiplying 3 points gives a circle passing through those points, 4 points gives a sphere. If one of those points is the point at infinity, then the product is a line or a plane respectively. The other advantages of this way of doing things are too many to list here. This “conformal” scheme is actually quite easy to visualize and learn to use without getting into abstruse math by using the free GAViewer visualization software and its tutorials.

An interesting thing about the ( +++, +- ) signature algebra is that it is the same as one that has been <a href=”http://arxiv.org/abs/physics/0601194″> proposed</a> by José B. Almeida as an extension of the usual 3D+t (+++-) “Minkowsi space” of relativity, augmenting the usual external time (-) with a second sort of time having positive square and describing internal or “proper time”, (which in relativity will be measured differently by a moving external observer). But if it is assumed that everything in the universe is about the same age, then they have comparable proper time coordinates, so proper time can be used as a universal coordinate corresponding to the universe’s temporal radius. This gives a sort of preferred reference frame for the universe, which is ordinarily considered impossible. In this 5D scheme, not just light but also massive particles follow null geodesics, and from that single assumption can be deduced relativity, quantum mechanics, electromagnetism, and in addition dark matter, the big bang and the spatial expansion of the universe seem to be illusions.

The math is also easier than the usual warped-space general relativity, instead using flat euclidean space and having light, etc. move more slowly near mass, that is, treating gravitational fields as being regions of higher refractive index than regular space.

Quantum mechanics is also much much easier to visualize using GA. For instance, the behavior of the electron can be described fully by treating it as a point charge moving in a tight helix at light speed around its average path (a “jittery motion”, or in German: “zitterbewegung”). The handedness of the helix is the electron spin, the curvature of the helix is the mass, the angle of the particle around the helix is the phase.

Geometric Algebra is useful in all areas of physics and computer modeling of physics. GA has been successfully applied to robot path planning, electromagnetic field simulation, image processing for object recognition and simulation, signal processing, rigid body dynamics, chained rotations in general and many other applications. It gives very clear, terse and generally applicable, practically useful descriptions in diverse areas using a single notation and body of techniques.

Basic Geometric Algebra (GA) visual introduction:
https://slehar.wordpress.com/2014/03/18/clifford-algebra-a-visual-introduction/

Interactive visualization software, includes 5D (3+2D) Conformal Geometric Algebra (CGA)
https://geometricalgebra.org/gaviewer_download.html

Tutorial for CGA using GAviewer software:
https://www.researchgate.net/publication/265065144_GABLE_A_GAViewer_Tutorial_for_Geometric_Algebra

Thorough math/physics intro:
https://www.av8n.com/physics/clifford-intro.htm

Good old intro from the top GA study group:
http://www.mrao.cam.ac.uk/~clifford/pages/introduction.htm

***

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wick_rotation
replacing inverse temperature, kT (Boltzmann’s constant times temperature) in thermodynamic equations with: -i f hbar (negative imaginary unit (square root of [-1]) times frequency times Planck’s constant divided by 2 pi) (both of which have dimensions of energy), converts the heat diffusion equation to Schrodinger’s wave equation (the fundamental equation of quantum mechanics). Frequency and time are inverses of each other; Wick rotation is more often expressed using imaginary time than imaginary frequency. My research shows that frequency should be regarded as primary and time should be seen as being derived from frequency.

* entropy= heat, and entropy=information: they are the same thing. Therefore since entropy always increases (2nd law of thermodynamics), information always increases and accumulates in the universe, giving a very scrambled record of the history of the universe. This can potentially be unscrambled using a Wick rotation

***
https://www.specularium.org/
Peter Carroll, noted as the originator of “Chaos Magic”, has for some years been working on physics rather than magic, in particular a scheme that uses three dimensions of time. I corresponded with him over a few months last year regarding some of the relations to GA, in particular the possibility that each spatial-temporal dimension pair would form an alternate basis with two null-square dimensions. I can’t say I understand his hypersphere cosmology or 3D time theories, but they certainly do resonate with my intuition.

*

Anyway, I hope that’s more interesting, edifying & enlightening than burdensome — you owe me nothing, of course, but perhaps it may lead to some profit for you down the line.

Just a bunch of cut and paste from the internet. Supposedly, I guess to give the impression that he knows something.

Christ. This information has to be USED. I am not some novelty for your own God Damn personal comfort and queries. I fully expect you to USE this information and make GOOD USE of it, disseminate it, and do good works with it.

I am not a novelty.

I am not some yokel that goes round and round in a hamster cage, just for some novelty questions.

I am NOT doing this easily and for fun.

It’s a labor.

It’s also painful, physically exhausting, and a chore. Thus I get angry when people treat me, and what I am doing trivially. You WILL respect me. You WILL show respect to The Domain, and you WILL behave when you visit MM. Or I will fucking get rid of you, and if you still persist, I will make it a permanent stay in the corn field.

Are Clifford Algebras with real-value coefficients a serviceable mathematical format for representation for reality?

Is there a better type of math to use? If so, what?

And the answer…

This is an insincere request made by a malevolent entity. They do not seek an answer, but rather are desirous in trying to "trip you up", "run snipe hunts" to occupy your time and labor. Any information provided will not even be read. Nor will it be disseminated or used.

Future associations with it will be problematic. It is advisable to sever all communication channels and avoid them.

So on Monday 25OCT21 I severed all communication with this person. I sent him a response to his comment and gave him 45 minutes to respond. I was being generous.

I am a contributor to both the UNZ and The Saker. This you should know. 

You should also understand who I am and why I am doing this. Obviously you do not. 

Long time readers will recognize what an insult it is to say that I work for the Chinese government. That alone is enough to send you to the cornfield. 

But I am not going to do that. I think you are trivially intelligent but have the social skills of a goat.

KNOW WHO YOU ARE DEALING WITH.

Your lack of perception, veiled insults, and general garrulousness is irritating to me. I am too old for this bullshit. Therefore you are banned. Good bye.

Then I went and blocked his entire city from accessing MM. Not just him alone. Then another MM follower Ultan responded…

Mr Man. You are very much loved and respected by those of us out here who have been reading and listening to you for years, and have actually taken the time to read and think about your experiences while comparing / contrasting those experiences with our own. Rather than, say, trying to fit your narrative into our narrative, or what we think we know about reality.

And in the case of this character above, failing very badly. But a classic example of wooden thinking if ever there were. And let’s not even get into the subtle hints about you being a paid liar. Or other contributors for that matter. I mean, for all the errrr, intellectual nitty gritty (for want of a better expression), he doesn’t even know anything about free energy and the plasma-fusion core.

Good call, IMHO.

And please do not let these guys get you down– there’s a lot of messed up people out there looking for answers. You’ve placed the pearls for all who have eyes to see, some of us have scooped them up; let the herd blunder on toward the intellectual abattoir.

My response…

A big thank you for the uplifting response.

You know that I hate banning people, but if I find myself feeling bad by something that someone said, I do not analyze it. I just throw them into the gutter.

MM is not for everyone. It is not for the general population to visit and ohh and ahh at. It is only for a few very special people.

People like you, the guy from Ohio, Florida, Australia, South America, Northern Europe and Israel as well as the guy from Africa. There’s women from France and the Caribbean, and Georgia that mean the world to me. And it’s for you guys that I keep pumping this stuff out day in and day out. You guys are so very, very special to me. So special. You have no idea.

Lately when I see people get on my forum, on my site, and lay down insults about what I say, write or report. They lay down insults about me and why I do what I do, it hurts. And honestly the world would be a much better place if we all see that when we are hurt it’s a real thing. It’s just like that video of the dish breaking.

The dish is gone. You had a dish. Now you don’t. So good bye.

Who them responded back to me with…

All part of the ‘demonisation and dehumanisation of the other’ phenomena that’s accelerated thanks to ‘social media’ over the past few years, Mr Man. And by design, of course.

Folks entrapped emotionally in a circle-jerk by these very advanced algorithms tend to forget that on a cyber-forum you are dealing with another human being– that’s what the word ‘forum’ means! A place to gather and discuss anything and everything; and just like in the real forums of old– insult anybody or try and force your own peculiar views on others in that forum and you’d be laughed out of the atrium, at best, or kicked out on your ear with a dagger in your arse, at worst. 

Folks, free men, knew how to behave, back then. And ‘natural selection’, let’s say, did away with the socially retarded. (Check out what woulda happened to you in ancient Sparta if you insulted another person or his views in a disrespectful manner. And that was just the warriors/free-men, alone– men and women.)

But in cyberspace it’s easy to remain anonymous and dismiss opposing views to yours no matter how rationally put or well-intended with the utmost disrespect– or get angry when your views aren’t upheld in a way that you’d like; shills, bots, NPCs, non-humans; trolls; paid disinfo; and much worse….we’ve seen it all before. Such is what passes for ‘discourse’ in cyberspace. Again, all by very clever design.
So keep ’em coming, IMHO– and if one day you decide to pull the plug, I at least have downloaded your classics to keep forever and reread at my leisure.

So thanks again for that.

And I commented…

It’s always a pleasure to hear your kind words and support. FYI, I didn’t just ban this guy. I banned his entire city. Chinese-style. Anyone in his city now gets a notice when they try to visit MM. 

It says “Your geographic region has been banned from accessing this site by the site administrator.”

And this was the response.

😂, oh man, blocking the regional I.P. address? F that; why don’t you call up your Domain contact, fire up his or her doomsday device, and plough the furrows in the remains of that dump with salt while you’re at it, Scipio Africanus style.

How’s that for polite debate! Respect the Metallicman and you can live and let live; disrespect him, however, and the Rods of God are a-comin your way.

Duck, you sucker, 😂.

Ah.

Don’t piss me off.

Never the less, I did actually ask the question.

It took me days to present, unpack, translate, transcribe and review. Here it is.

Keep in mind, that I still don’t understand the question. To me it is a question on the tools of a methodology related to utilization of a system that could be used to describe the nature of a universe. And thus I presented it as such.

Here’s the result.

The use of mathematics to describe the universe that the prison complex is part of makes sense from the point of view of the inmates. However, it is a very awkward and feeble methodology. The better methodology is a simpler pictorial representation.

The prison complex operates in a pocket universe that exists inside a general "master" universe. With in this pocket universe are secondary universes known collectively as "Heavens". Each universe possesses different rules, different environments, and different ways of operating.

Here we must assume that the question is in regards to whether Clifford Algebra can help describe the nature of the "physical universe", which is functionally different in operation from the "master" universe that is resides within.

(Now, I hope that I get this transcribed properly. It was parsed out slowly and carefully for me, and I really still do not understand it.)

The problem with using this methodology to describe the prison universe; the "pocket" universe that resides inside the "master" universe is that it relies on the notion that time does exist. 

Here, time is the scalar component of a Clifford space. In Clifford Space geometry, "time" results from properties of space itself. This comes about when one properly uses the higher dimensional formalism afforded by Clifford’s geometric algebra.

At that, it can be viewed as an intrinsic geometric property of three-dimensional space without the need for the specific addition of a fourth dimension. (As people tend to do, referring "time" as the fourth dimension.) Thus, it is quite attractive to those seeking mathematical solutions to the geometry of the artificial prison universe.

Clifford algebra is a unification of real and complex numbers, (quaternion and vector algebra) which reflects the intrinsic properties of space-time. 

(I wrote down "qu-an-er-non", as I try to phonically assemble words that are new to me, but the closest apparently useful word is quaternion.)

The reason why Clifford algebra is attractive is because it provides a unified, standard, elegant and open language and tool for numerous complex mathematical and physical theories. By using it, engineering principles can be devised to provide solutions within the prison planet universe.

If you base everything / mathematics / physics / engineering on the four basic principles and Clifford algebra, all basic physical equations within the prison planet universe can be derived.

And it stopped there! Talk about being maddening.

I really haven’t a clue as to what he is talking about, or whether or not the question was actually answered. So I “prodded” for “more”. (Don’t force me to explain. It’s a way that I communicate using the EBP.) And the result was more “forceful”, and “stronger”.

The logical relations between equations can all be reconstructed using Clifford Algebra. 

Additionally all of the solutions of the more typical equations can be solved. 

This system does explain the concepts of space-time and quantum theory. 

As such, it is a useful, by some, methodology to help better understand the nature of the prison complex pocket universe.

The queried answer is; Yes.

Clifford Algebra, using real value coefficients CAN (there was a syllabic emphasis in the forth tone) be used AS A serviceable (used as an italicized image) solution to a mathematical representation of the reality as experienced by the inmates within the prison complex pocket universe.

At this point, I really wanted to get some specific details. So after I transcribed the answers, I parsed them out for detail.

Q: You said “The logical relations between equations can all be reconstructed using Clifford Algebra.” Do you mean “most”, or can I use the word “all”?

The proper term is "all". However, there are some mathematical "tricks" that need to be employed on some of the solutions. Not every "trick" or technique is well known. This is an esoteric avenue for the specialists in this field. 

This should not be your concern.

Q: You said “…all of the solutions of the more typical equations can be solved. ” Again do you mean “all” or “most”, and why did you use the adjective “typical”?

The more accurate translation is "most of the functional equations can be solved, and those that cannot can be 'bridged' using mathematical 'work-arounds'". 

Again, this is not your realm of expertise. Those with the necessary skills and expertise now possess the understanding that they are on the right track and moving in the proper direction. In truth, there are some valid and appreciate work in this field by those of that interest and skill level. 

It need not be your concern.

The questioner also put up this part 2 of the question. It is, rather, if the Clifford Algebra cannot explain the nature of the reality universe, what can? And the questions ran like this…

Otherwise:

*What is the sign aka signature (+ or -) of the squares of the basis vectors of the spatial dimensions? Is this a convention or is it physically significant?

Are there other such dimensions with the same signature, e.g. “proper time”?

How many such space-like dimensions are there, and what is their significance?

*How many dimensions of opposite signature to the spatial ones are there, e.g. relativistic time and other time-like dimensions?

What can be said about their role – e.g. do they concern nuclear reactions or allow for branching time-lines?

*Are there effectively null-square (zero-square) dimensions formed from the sum and differences of pairs of + and – signature dimensions, e.g. light-cones or “conformal” projective dimensions?

Are there null-square dimensions independent of the + and – square dimensions?

Are null-square dimensions your home environment? Are there applications of null-square dimensions, e.g. portals between realms or amnesia devices?

*Does thermodynamic entropy create “Akashic records”? What principles relate thermodynamic entropy (heat diffusion) and information from physical histories (wave equation); are they analogous to exchanging a + square for a – square dimension, (or relativistic time for proper time, or time (t) for imaginary time (it)), and if so, can this “Wick rotation” be done in both directions so as to allow passing from our physical realm to the “afterlife” and back?

Because the answer was substantive in the first part of the question, I did not proceed with the second part.

However, I think that the Commander wasn’t clear enough to meet the precise needs of the questioner. So I wanted to get some much better answers and some “meat” that I could provide herein. So I got myself a quiet spot, and a cup full of warm water. And started transcribing. And it does not make sense to me, but here it is…

Q: In Unified Field Theory, how does this Clifford Algebra fit?

And you know, that I am shoot wildly in the dark. I haven’t a clue as to what I am asking or how it would all fit together.

Many are trying to understand the nature of the pocket universe that surrounds the prison complex. The unified field theory is one such mechanism.There is Way-Al scale invariant (?) methodology, Kal-uze-al five dimensional space time, Hamilton Formalism and the gauge unified field theory. Each one has it's pluses and minuses in utility.

Clifford Algebra is a methodology used to help resolve numerous paradoxes. These include the Twins, Effer-Fest, and the ladder paradoxes.

There are other scientists on other prison planets within the entire prison complex that are proceeding on their versions of these theories. Which is why we are very aware of the questions that you ask.

The strongest attribute / characteristic of the Clifford Algebra methodology is the utilization of the Nonlinear Spinor Equation. There is the Nonlinear Dark field, the electromagnetic Interaction field and the interactions with classical mechanics and with the Lorentz Transformation. All of these show usefulness and utility. The key to understanding the use of Clifford Algebra is the use of Spinor property utility.

You need the Inter-grable Conditions of the Eli-Gen Equation, and the Curvilinear Coordinate System solution. 

Q: Are these hints or directions for the mathematical solutions using Clifford Algebra geometry for unified theory and space-time resolution?

Yes.

The way to proceed is to develop Inter-grable Conditions for the Dir-Ack, and the Pauli equations.You will then develop a "New Model" for Strong Interactions. Then, with a strong understanding of the Light-Cone Coordinate System, you can then begin the simplification of Einstein Tensor.  

From there, you would then work on the Linearization of Einstein Field Equation. (He said it twice as if it was important.) Linearization of Einstein Field Equation. Then work on the dynamics of observed stars and all should be obvious to the researcher. 

It looks like a “road map” for flushing out unresolved aspects of the Clifford Algebraic solution.

Honestly guys. I don’t know if he is “pulling my leg”, or just messing with me. This is just a bunch of disjointed statements that I just cannot figure out heads or tails over. I only hope that someone in the MM audience can understand it. In words that are new to me I used phonics to spell them out.

And that’s it. I am spent. I feel like an empty shell casing after completing final exams during my university years.

The next morning I asked this question;

Was I too harsh in perma-banning the questioner?

No.

The questioner is a DIS sentience. He would do nothing with the information. He would fail to disseminate it. He would only nod with a smirk that you fell for his "trap" / ploy / snare / amusement. 

By allowing him to continue to visit MM, you would be empowering his sickness / illness / distortion of self. 

It would be akin to allowing a family alcoholic member a bottle of whiskey a day just to keep him sedated and out of harms way. When the real solution would be to push him out of the house and lock the doors so that he cannot come in.

Note to the readers that it was my decision to ban him. I was not ordered to do so.

In the late 1940’s one of your vehicles were downed in Roswell New Mexico. From this event we obtained the document “Alien Interview”. Can you please tell us what downed your vehicle?

At that time we believed that it was downed by a disruption of it's operational field by natural energy discharge / lightning discharge. We learned however, that it was more complex than that. The real reason was the radar equipment that was being tested at the Roswell base.

The captured (Nazi) German radars Flakleit G, Freya, Mammut and Wassermann were being used and studied at the American Roswell, NM base at the time of the crash. 

We are unsure which particular radar was the actual culprit at this time, but that is immaterial, as all the radars possess interference properties that we have since had to counter.

During the crash, the two (minor) officers lost their doll bodies immediately and they returned to their operational staging locations. The Commander was captured and secured, and you know what happened after that.

Regarding the document titled “Domain Expeditionary Force Rescue Mission.”. Is this document really from Matilda? Does Airl have knowledge of it?

I posted this question. And I was told…

Read the book, and then ask the question again.

Sheech!

What does this mean?  Does that mean that they obtain all my impressions, and sensory input, and then use that to base their answers on?  Or do they rely on my impressions and then alter my opinions in how I transcribe? It’s all so confusing.  I am pretty much convinced that they need my thoughts and impressions, for whatever reason, to come to a conclusive answer. It explains so much, but also opens up some questions as well.

So I need to read the document. So ok. No problem. I’ll respond to this question later on after I read the document.

What happened to me when my EBP was installed? Where did I go, and have I met your expectations?

Well, I want to know.

We do not question your loyalty to the Domain nor your dedication to responsible service. In fact, these characteristics were carefully vetted prior to us presenting the opportunity to you.

We know that you want to entertain the idea that you went to some exotic location. Any of the moons of gas giants would cause biological disruptions due to the radiation belts inherent within their planetary fields.

You went to a medical facility within the moon. There is no need to venture further away to achieve the procedure that we conducted.

You have correctly surmised that it was not a vehicle, and that it was upon a planetary body. What you might not be clear on is that it occurred deep inside the moon, well under the planetary surface.

The idea that it occurred on Mars is a romantic assumption on your part.

If Heather is now occupying the human body of <redacted>, how is this possible as all human bodies are inmate skin suits, and cats transcend those limitations?

It’s a persistent question.

Heather (FYI, Heater was a previous cat from 30 years ago) isn't really occupying a human body, but is rather sharing it. Felines have the ability to co-inhabit bodies of all sorts of creatures. This is especially pronounced in the Prison Complex environment. This is exactly what is going on.

From your point of view <redacted> is a "shadow person" (sic.), but your cat Heather occupies it with you as your "traverse the MWI" (sic.). Thus both of you share the same experiences together. When you die, your cat will leave the co-inhabited body. It's a natural process.

Conclusion

This is just some personal questions that I have asked using my EBP. I’ve had these things in my head for decades, but only recently realized that two-way communication could be achieved with them.

There are numerous MM readers and commenters that had a role in this selection of questions and all in all, it was a big positive. So thank you for all of your nudges, and questions and concerns.

In the future, I will open up the EBP for more questions and you all can ask some more questions. This was just my own personal ones, and I must apologize if my questions were banal or boring.

Do you want more?

You can find many more videos in my “The Domain Action Articles” over here…

The Domain

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Articles & Links

Master Index

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  • You can start reading the articles by going HERE.
  • You can visit the Index Page HERE to explore by article subject.
  • You can also ask the author some questions. You can go HERE to find out how to go about this.
  • You can find out more about the author HERE.
  • If you have concerns or complaints, you can go HERE.
  • If you want to make a donation, you can go HERE.

 

[daegonmagus] – Part 9 – Lucid Dreaming Lesson 2: Explanation of the Various Stages of Sleep

The following is the ninth part from a series of articles describing the adventure that a follower who goes by the handle "daegonmagus" has experienced since reading MM. They are very interesting and fascinating. I hope that you all learn from his journey and maybe learn a thing or two as he relates his unique experiences to the readership here. 

-MM

This particular article is not part of the direct set of articles that are autobiographical in scope and content.

Instead, this article concerns a lesson on how to conduct “Lucid Dreaming” (as a prelude to “Astral Travel”).

Part 9 – Lucid Dreaming Lesson 2: Explanation of the Various Stages of Sleep

In the first lesson we learnt about the three meditations necessary in order to prepare one mentally for entering the dreaming domain. These meditations focused on negating thought, stilling the mind, and the categorisation of thought upon the reception of higher order information that may come through during a lucid dreaming session. This next lesson will build upon those meditations and deal with some strange concepts but it is necessary for the student to grasp as solid an understanding as possible of them.

Consider this like reading a map before going on a journey. If you don’t read the map before hand, you are likely to become lost along the way. But just like you can never really comprehend the totality of terrain layout on the map, you can never really comprehend the terrain of the lucid world, despite how much preparation you put into it. You can prepare for your journey all you want, but you will never know when that tyre is suddenly going to catch a flat. Would you rather have had the forethought to include a wrench or find yourself stuck up shit creek without a paddle? It could go smoothly, or it could go badly depending on how much practicing of the three meditations you have undertaken.

So, by now, you should be getting good with your visualisation practices. You should be able to go into your mind and get “lost” in the movie you find yourself playing of the oranges and bananas. You should be able to “daydream” this movie out for a good few seconds and have perfect definition of it in your mind’s eye.  And you should be able to have this amount of clarity with whatever scenario you wish. If not, then keep practicing.

Now, consciousness follows a fairly standard pathway as it enters the dreaming state. This pathway, according to my experiences, is generally as follows:

1. The body shuts down and goes into a stasis state
2. Consciousness “inverts” and travels back in towards the pineal gland
3. The frequency of one’s consciousness reduces by about an octave (1 half), as it undergoes
the transition into the sleeping state and completely disengages form the physical body.
4. One now exists as a pure conscious thought form; perception switches from 3D
based physical objects to 4D based energy signatures and images. You literally “see” what        is in your sub consciousness.
5. Images stored within the subconsciousness are “attached” to consciousness and a new
holographic 3.5D environment forms around it
6. The dream ends. Physical reality is overlaid on top of the holographic dream at a rate of
around 0.5Hz, until consciousness locks back into the body, in which physical reality
solidifies.

Most Lucid dreaming techniques – well those I have come across, anyway – are geared toward becoming consciously aware during the dream state after sub conscious imagery has already had some say in how the dream will be formed. This is known as Dream Induced Lucid Dreaming (DILD), and is considered the best method for beginners to practice lucid dreaming. With the DILD method, you are unconscious until number 5, where you regain limited control of the dream upon becoming lucid. As the subconscious distortions have been the dominant means for the holographic dream environment to materialise by, this environment will become “anchored” in and quite hard to change through visualisation. You can usually only change certain things within the environment, but never the environment itself.

My goal, however, is to keep you conscious through the whole transition period into the void space so you can “clear” out these sub conscious distortions and replace them with your own visualisations. This is more along the lines of what is known as Wake Induced Lucid Dreaming (WILD). This is recommended for those who are more skilled at LD, as it takes a degree of dedication to be able to carry out a WILD session effectively. Though I have come across many speaking of this method of inducing lucid dreams, I am yet to come across anyone talking on the importance of regaining control of the void space and clearing out the distractions present within it to create a stable dreamscape. Thus one may consider my techniques an extremely advanced version of the WILD technique. There is a degree of mental discipline that must first be reached before one can expect results.  We will build upon these concepts in later lessons.

Given this mud map of what we can expect consciousness to do, we can break it further down into the phases it passes through as it makes its way into the dream state. In doing this we can start to gain an idea of what to expect so we can better prepare ourselves as we move through each phase. One should be aware though, that these phases vary quite significantly from one to another, and there will be some adjustment of comfortability as one progresses through each one.

This is where I tell you to hold on to your hats, because the things experienced in this domain are unlike anything you will ever experience in waking reality. Also, it should be born in mind that astral projection can be achieved from more than one of these phases, though the success of the projection will also vary depending on which phase. The phases, in order one can expect to experience them , are:

Relaxation Level 3/ Theta State
Sleep Paralysis/ Hypnagogic Phase
Consciousness Inversion/ Transition Phase
Detachment phase
Void space phase
Dream creation Phase
Non physical travel phase (if desired)
Auric projection (extremely advanced practice, aided by non physical entities when one is ready; this is where your 4D lucid train ride terminates in 5D reality)

When you close your eyes at bed time you have two potential pathways you can take into never never land. You can either succumb to fatigue and go through the phases unconsciously, in which case your best bet would be a DILD, or you can remain conscious and enter into either Theta State, Sleep Paralysis or straight into the Void Space. Astral projection can take place in all three of these phases, though I have found personally that it is best achieved whilst in Theta State.

Theta State and Astral Projection:

Theta state is not always necessary for lucid dreaming. You can actually bypass it all together quite easily and still have a WILD. If astral projection is a goal, however, then entering Theta state is probably the best place to initiate such and OBE. When working with the Monroe Institute’s techniques for inducing Astral Projection, they mention that one must first enter this state of what they call level 3 relaxation.

So what is it? I want you to think of diving into the comfiest bed you have ever been in. You’ve got fluffy pillows all around you, a big brand new duck down doona covering you and best of all it is a King Size bed that you’ve got all to yourself. You can lie here naked completely by yourself and just spread out as much as you want without an annoying spouse taking up half of your chilling room. Or even worse – kids. Imagine just being absorbed into the bed and its linen. That feeling of pure bliss that makes you feel all warm inside just knowing you are going to get a good nights sleep. Well, that is relaxation level 2. To get to relaxation level 3, you need to go deeper than that.

How do you do this if you are completely relaxed? Well, you aren’t really as relaxed as you think you are. All the muscles you are lying on currently hold some amount of tension in them as they hold your body up. When you get comfy you don’t really notice this tension, but it is there, I guarantee you. To get to Theta State, you have to relieve this tension, but at the same time keep yourself awake whilst doing so. The trick is to take slow, deep breaths and “feel” that tension leave you on your long exhales. Personally for me it takes about half an hour to an hour to properly get into this state, sometimes even longer. Sometimes I will enter this state briefly then go straight into sleep paralysis or the void space without even getting a chance to astral project. It all depends on your fatigue levels.

Once you get to this state, your body will begin to feel light. There might be a high pitched tinnitus like sound in your head. For me it sounds like when you open a soda bottle and hold your ear right up to it and can hear all those small bubbles popping and “grinding” together. If you want to properly astral project, you have to focus on this sound and nothing else. You cannot allow your mind to get distracted following the wandering thoughts that will appear; these will carry you into an unconscious sleep state. They will appear as strong thoughts which catch your attention and then quickly diminish into incoherent unconsciousness as the trail of thought becomes harder to remember. Again slow, deep breathing helps. You focus on the sound and try to “listen” to your breaths whenever your mind starts wandering.

Your fingers act like antennas that can pick up subtle energies around you. Try to listen to them if you can. Try and pull these energies from the atmosphere and push them from your head to your toes and back again. There is also the possibility of seeing pulsating waves of energy through your vision, or of feeling a vast space out in front of you. I have had a lot of moments where it feels like gravity is distorting around me, like I am spinning on a giant wheel and the centrifugal force pinning to me to the bed keeps changing directions. Personally I have found it too be quite therapeutic just lying in it and taking it in. These may lead to some excited emotions, but it is important to keep that excitement at bay, or it will ruin the projection.

If all goes well the soda bubble noise should get more and more intense until you feel something happen. This something is hard to describe but it is a very prominent feeling that you are “coming” out of your body. The process can be aided by visualising standing at the end of your bed or rolling out of your body, but personally I have found it easier to just keep focusing on the soda bubble noise. Eventually you should hear a loud pop and your astral body will just float out of the physical.

The experience will be surreal. It will be extraordinary, and exhilarating, and it will feel absolutely definitely 100% real – until you wake up, in which it will feel like it was just a dream. But there will be time to take it all in later. The first thing that one should worry about is putting some distance between their astral body and their physical one. The reason is that the physical body acts like a magnet and will snap the astral body back into it if it stays too close for too long.  Aim for a couple of rooms distance, and remember that just thinking of a place will take you to it; to get back to the physical body one just thinks about it and they automatically appear back there. Surprisingly, navigation seems to come quite naturally and easily during astral projection. Well, it did for me anyway.

Now that we have got astral projection out of the way, we can get into effective Lucid Dreaming concepts and practices, where navigation is much, much more difficult to control. In future articles we will go into techniques I use to control the dreamscape, but for now let’s start with your awareness of the physical plane:

Projection of Consciousness During the Transition.

Your consciousness projects out from your eyes in a sort of hemispherical fashion until it hits the horizon. This is the only way you can consciously perceive anything whilst you are awake. Thus this projection is uni directional; it cannot go any other way (not with your eyes open any way). What happens is that you project your consciousness out through the eyes and then the light entering into your eyes from the boundaries of this projection your brain picks up and processes as reality. My experiences suggest that consciousness projection during astral projection follows a similar pathway; out in front of you to an object separated by “astral space”. You perceive the non physical environment around you like you perceive the physical world whilst you are awake.

Conscious perception in the dream state, however, is completely different to conscious perception in both the physical and astral planes. It is omni directional; it has more than one way to go than just out the eyes towards a horizon. It can go both inwardly and outwardly, but for arguments sake we will say it can both contract and expand. When you are awake, and consciously observing something, your consciousness is effectively “locked” into a state of infinite, inward projection/ contraction and is never allowed a chance to expand. It is like squeezing a stress ball then freezing it so the fibres never have a chance to return back to their spherical state. They remain locked to the curvature impression of your fingers. Consciousness is not really going “outward” – sure its going out of the eyes –  but more so “inward” to a more dense state. This is a confusing concept and may seem counterintuitive, so I suggest meditating on it to get your head around it. Think of it like the science experiment where you suck all the air out of a soda can and the tin crinkles into a ball. You just don’t realise this because of the block put in place by your physical brain.

When you enter the sleep state, your consciousness expands back “outwardly” to its original, spherical state. It inverts and goes back through the eyes in towards the pineal gland; you can actually feel this during a conscious transition into the sleeping state. You can feel the moment consciousness stops trying to condense and changes direction to expansion. It is a fucking incredible experience and better than any sex or drug that you will ever come across.

Consciousness can therefore be thought of as a sphere that has two extremes of possibility; maximum compression and maximum expansion. If we consider the edges of the universe to be maximum expansion, and an atom to be maximum compression, this becomes our 4th dimensional range of travel potential for our consciousness when disconnected from our body. It is a bit more complicated than that, but for now this concept will do. What happens during the transition into the sleep state is that your consciousness “inverts” right at the transition point. It goes from a locked inward projection to a moving outward projection.
This is important to learn because it becomes the fundamental aspect behind how you travel in and out of different planes of different densities.

From what I have experienced, physical universes are sort of “stacked” inside one another separated by a 4th dimensional distance of consciousness “space”. Picture the atom existing in the middle of an entire universe; the atom is solid, yet it exists in a sphere of empty space. If you expand your consciousness outwardly to the edges of that space, you become yet another atom existing in yet another vast, spherical space and on ad infinitum.

This is what is meant by “as above, as below”, or “micro and macrocosm”. Consciousness is mercurial in the sense that it can slip through this 4th dimensional space between physical and non physical worlds like water through a crack simply by compressing and expanding. No matter which way you go, you eventually arrive back at the same point, just like if you head in one direction on the earth. To properly master lucid dreaming, you have to learn to become “slippery” when the time calls for it, and “solid” when it doesn’t. Astral travel is thus simply just your consciousness slipping back into the plane of your astral body. It is merely a station along the many that can be taken by the train that is lucid dreaming.

Lucid dreaming is therefore a completely different thing and should not be confused with astral projection. It is an existence of pure consciousness detached from any type of body, but it allows the potential to “jump” into those bodies like you are putting on a suit. It allows the potential of astral projection as well as many other things. Visualisation allows one to choose the suit they wish to put on. The void space is akin to your wardrobe space, and each plane of “reality” is like a suit hanging up within that wardrobe. Most people believe this physical reality is the only suit they can wear. They never get the option of choice.

However if you learn how to control the mercurial state of consciousness whilst in the void space – ie, solidify yourself as you slide through the 4D consciousness space –  you can wear whichever suit you damn well please. Well, within reason. It is entirely possible to move out of the physical body, slip into another physical/nonphysical one and live out that experience just like you would in this physical world, before slipping out of it and back into your physical body. I have done this many times before, often times for weeks on end in the span of single earth nights. Some of these other worlds I have visited have also been corroborated by other lucid dreamers. This poses the question of what these bodies are really doing when you are in them utilising an unconscious state of awareness. So where do we draw the line when it comes to reality if you can be aware of all these places but not actively engaged in them?

Therefore, there is a degree of “psychological hardening” one must come into before undertaking these sorts of journeys. You have to be able to adapt to the many different environments you may find yourself in. And boy there are many, with many weird, indescribable things going on. My advice is that you always remember to focus on the ”absolute now” and not try and dwell too much on other places. By all means record them and think of them objectively, but try not to get too hung up on what is going on “over there”. If you think our world is depressing and hard to deal with, there are many that are much worse in the non physical planes. You need to learn to cope with what you experience without dwelling on it, or it’ll drive you insane.

But none of this can be consciously witnessed if one does not first learn to control their void space. And to control the void space one must enter into it through a conscious transition into the dream state – ie a WILD. This can be done in one of two ways; by direct access, or via Sleep Paralysis. Sleep Paralysis seems to be the easiest way to get into the void space. Unfortunately, it is also the most unpleasant.

The Sleep Paralysis Phase:

Let’s pick up where we left off from in the first lesson in regards to lying still where the arms and legs start to become numb. I mentioned this is the stage immediately preceding sleep paralysis. If you continue through this numbness without moving or initiating an OBE, eventually your whole body will become completely paralysed and you will not be able to move. What this feels like is that gravity has been turned up by about a few billion and you just can’t move anything no matter how hard you try. Except for the eyes. You might notice they move too easily about and that it takes some effort to get them to stay in a particular place.

Contrary to most belief, you can actually be completely aware of your surroundings as if you were completely awake when in Sleep Paralysis. I have had many instances where I have woken up, looked around and thought I was good enough to get out of bed, only to accidentally pull my astral body out due to me still being in sleep paralysis. This is the key to astral projection whilst in this state; you have to try and roll or pull yourself out, but the paralysis makes it extremely difficult to do. Awareness of one’s surroundings is, therefore, not a good indicator of whether or not one is in SP. It should also be understood that there is a very fine, and often times blurry, line regarding when one actually enters Sleep Paralysis. Often that blur can cross over from the Theta State; one minute you are relaxed and the next something very strange seems to be going on. Generally, Sleep Paralysis induced in the morning after a night full of sleep will be easier to deal with than one induced upon going to sleep

Now I need to mention here that the sleep paralysis stage is not particularly pleasant. To be brutally honest, it’s probably one of the most terrifying things you will ever experience, and this is coming from someone who was almost executed at knife point. It will feel like your soul is being pulled in every direction at once. Your voice will be choked to a faint cry no matter how hard you try to yell. You will hear the most chthonic noises imaginable – unlike anything you have ever heard before – and get the most unsettling feelings that make the hairs stand on the back of your neck. It is also not uncommon to see strange beings of various sorts ranging from “demons” to “aliens” standing at the bed. Random scenarios will play out in your head suggesting your impending doom, and voices will whisper things to you that will make you think you are crazy.  I have had instances where I was absolutely sure someone had broken into the house and was seconds away from killing me and my family in my sleep. I have had another instance where death materialised around me and hit me with its scythe. Aliens, demons, the whole shebang there to come and eat my soul for breakfast. If you are lucky you will hear the most perfect music you have ever heard, but this only ever seems to be after you have become well acquainted with the Sleep Paralysis stage.

All I can tell you is that if you are big on horror movies and haven’t been putting in your visualisation hours, you are going to have a really fucking wild ride. Visualising unicorns farting rainbows is going to do absolutely nothing for you at this point. But despite this, you must always remember IT IS ALL A LOAD OF BULLSHIT. A wall of illusions put in place to make you really not want to go through with detaching your consciousness from your physical body. It’s like seeing one of those horror movies for the first time as a kid – it is important you take a step back and realise none of it is going to hurt you. It isn’t real. You have to learn to just “relax” and let it play the fuck out around you. This is easier said than done, and I get that not everyone will be able to do it. Hell, it even still gets the best of me at times and I have to exit the session, and I have been doing this for 23 years. So don’t feel bad if you can’t bring yourself to go through with it.

The way to exit a session in this manner is that you shake your head from side to side, like you are saying no. It will be hard because of the paralysis, but you only need 2 shakes and you’ll be fully awake. This is your get out of hell card, use it if you need to.

If you do learn to relax, however, you will gain access to the most powerful part of the human mind that is directly connected to all other consciousnesses in existence; the void space. This is where the fun and magic really begins. This is where you really earn your “wings”.

The Transition Into Void Space:

If you are successful in relaxing properly whilst under sleep paralysis, then the illusion should just all of a sudden fall away from around you. All the chaos around, including those terrifying thoughts just completely leave you. It will be then that you will feel your consciousness invert as it makes the transition into the sleep state. It’s like Han Solo hitting that hyperdrive button on the millennium falcon; you go through a tunnel of….well, I can’t really describe it – blurry 4th dimensional “shit”. This will be very brief and over in a couple of seconds, and on the other side of it you will feel your consciousness completely detach from the physical body in a completely different way to when it does via astral projection.

You then enter into the void space. It sort of feels like diving into an ocean of pure “bliss”. If you thought astral projection was exciting, this is the most exhilarating feeling you will ever experience, hands down, period, full stop. It is like this weight that you never knew was there has suddenly been lifted and you can finally “stretch out” in ways you never could have even imagined before. You are uncaged. Godlike. It feels like you are left falling into an infinite hole, which is where I assume one really is when having a classic “falling dream”. Although it can be unsettling at first, when you get good, it can provide an effective means of relaxation. I used to enter here and just “kick back” and wallow in the falling sensation for hours. It is the ultimate sensory deprivation tank.

If you made it this far then congratulations, as you are now existing as a pure conscious thought form where the hassle of mundanities such as money and debt are going to be the furthest from your mind. Physical reality is no where to be seen, though you still have 100% awareness of it down to every minute detail.

After making a conscious transition into the void space, you no longer see 3D objects out to a physical horizon. You see pure archetypal energy forms that combine with whatever is in your subconsciousness from a 4th dimensional perspective. These images take the form of distortions that differ in intensity depending on how “deep” you enter it. Think of it like a bubble. At the edge of this bubble the distortions are at their most extreme, but towards the middle you are insulated by a level of consciousness space.

This consciousness space I have somewhat mapped to being 12 layers deep, based on my difficulty in vanquishing the distortions using my own visualization practices.  Though, this should be thought of as an analogue gauge rather than actual physically separated layers. The depth you penetrate into this void space seems to be determined by the velocity of your consciousness at the transition point into the sleeping state. This velocity is a product of fatigue of the mind during this transition. If you are too fatigued, your velocity penetrates too deeply into the bubble and you hit the edge. You become swarmed by these distortions which more often than not, leads to a random dream. This is why most people do not realise they are dreaming, in my opinion.

Without conscious awareness and strong visualisation, these distortions become very hard to vanquish, even when one is aware of them. If you penetrate at a lower velocity, you are more likely to reach the centre of the bubble. This is where the distortions are at their lowest. So you could say level 0 = waking reality, whilst level 12 = complete distortion/ unconscious dream. If you can remain conscious and make it into this part of the void space, you can create your own reality suit through the use of visualisation, which you then just hop into. The reality then just appears around you. It is equivalent to the white room in the matrix where a rack of guns appear out of nowhere before Neo. The void space is thus the “load out” screen your consciousness enters into before you load out this physical reality. It is the very first point one enters into in the dreaming state, but most people are too fatigued to realise, and pass through to it’s distortion maxima – level 12 or what I call the “basement”. Thus they  become engulfed in their own subconsciousness hypnotism.

If you do manage to a) consciously enter the void space, and b) vanquish the sub conscious distortions, however, you then have an opportunity to witness this dream creation as it takes place.

Dream Creation Phase:

After accessing the void space, you then have the ability to imagine up your own dream environments. We will go into an effective process for doing so later on, but for now one should understand that this is where the idea of being a “slippery” or “solidified” consciousness comes into play. When in the void space you are formless and slippery – 4th dimensional in nature, or as MM would say in wave form – but after you create a dreamscape and move into it you become more “solidified”, or particle like. You create the 3.5D holographic dream environment and become a 3.5D entity within it. I say 3.5D because it is somewhere where between like our physical 3D reality and the 4D of consciousness space. When the dream has been created via conscious implantation of thought rather than sub conscious implantation, it becomes much easier to control. Travel is undertaken when dream creation has been mastered.

The Waking up Phase:

Provided your lucid dream goes all well, you might be lucky enough to witness the transition back into the physical plane. What seems to happen – well, what I have witnessed anyway – is that the physical reality is sort of overlayed as a very faint image over the holographic dream in a wavy like manner. This wave is about 0.5Hz; very,  very slow and noticeable. With each back and forth movement of the wave, the physical reality overlay gets more vivid whilst the dream starts to become faint. After 10 – 20 seconds, physical reality has completely replaced the dream and becomes “locked” into place. Words cannot express how depressed one feels upon the realisation they are once again trapped in such a sate. It should be cautioned here, that lucid dreaming is extremely addictive.

Ah. this is enough for now. There's a lot of "meat" to absorb here. Soak it in. Enjoy it, and soon enough part 10 will be posted. Best Regards. -MM

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More LD assignment and task results – October 2021 – Backdoors to the Old Empire Prison Complex [2]

In early October 2021, I established a task request asking for those versed in LD and other skills to investigate whether or not there were any “backdoors” or other ways in and out of the “Old Empire” “Prison Complex” that we are all (unfortunately) part of. By the second week of October the results began to pour in. The first group of results was posted HERE.

This is a posting of subsequent results.

Volunteers

I asked in this post if any MM readership would be interested in joining The Domain to help rescue their “Lost Battalion”.

The response was overwhelmingly positive.

And then within a few days after the readership started adding affirmations and confirmations that they wish to help The Domain, be a Rufus, and do whatever they can contribute, many many MANY of them started writing to me privately.

They were (for the most part) terrified.

Within hours or days of making a verbal affirmation that they indeed wanted to assist The Domain, all of them, every single one of them, experience sleep paralysis and horrible fears and manifestations. All of which is very similar to “abduction events”.

That they were “hijacked” in their dream state and all sorts of operations and procedures occurred. For them, it was truly frightening.

However, I said then, and I will say now…

  • In the non-physical reality, thoughts take on tangible form.
  • Fears are used to control you.
  • So when you experience any type of help, your fear-defenses (part of the “Old Empire” programming), will try to make you fight and prevent the assistance.

So keep in mind…

  • To help The Domain, certain retardations and alterations to your inmate human body must be undone.
  • This requires an operation; a procedure.
  • The Domain will undo those alterations when you join in the effort. They will conduct an operation and perform a procedure to remove those “chains” and “blocks” that you have shackled to your non-physical body.
  • Do not fear it. You NEED to have it done, whether you want to help the Domain or not.
  • It is a medical procedure.

Many people have commented on this event as a “dream”, or a “Join the Domain related dream”.

Janus Mission Briefing

This is from an anonymous MM lurker that communicates with me by secure means. He is an expat like myself. He is prior SAP like myself. He is retired like myself, but unlike myself he fled the ‘States before he could be formally “retired”. You all can leave messages and your thoughts about his experiences on the forum or in the comments. He will read them, but he will not comment on them directly. In this matter, I act as an intermediary. -MM

I have been unwilling to 'Go under' for some time now. To be honest I have been scared. I've previously had some success with Lucid Dreaming, but I have much more control in OBE (Out of Body Experience/astral travel etc.). 

The problem was, the minute I 'let go of the rope' I feel like being kidnapped. Not unlike being sucked into the giant vacuum cleaner.

It feels like somebody is waiting for me at the entry point (not a good word, it's more like bopping to 3D from 2D). Like they were ready for me. That has never happened to me before. 

OBE has always been a joyous, refreshing and FREE state. Now it's scary and that sucks. I thought they were the Prison Guards but didn't stick around to ask questions.

Then I read the experience of others, and it dawned on me. It was The Domain scrubbing away the prison colors, so I wouldn't be spotted right away!

I have the house to myself the whole day, I will attempt an entry now.

Janus 10-18-2021, 09:30 AM

The “Join The Domain Dream”.

I am only now able to write about it all. I had to do 60min deep meditation to thoroughly rinse my mental palate of disgusting gunk that covered my consciousness.

After I understood that the kidnapping was for my own protection, I didn’t try to evade it. As soon as I released myself from my body, I felt like I had grown an umbilical core and was pulled by it.

I let it happen.

After a period of time that was from nanosecond to a lifetime (I really don’t have any frame of reference for time there), I found myself suspended in a rig. I knew instantly that I have been in this before, many times apparently.

What happened next was without a doubt the most intensely unpleasant experience of my life. I felt like being skinned alive with a butternife.

It wasn’t sharp pain, it was more like a too heavyhanded massage. It lasted as long as it did, again no way of telling the time in any meaningful way.

I was no longer in the rig, it was more like a lounge-chair from the future.

The material felt like a memory-foam but better. I felt weightless and totally supported at the same time. I was unable to move, wasn’t able to even try to move.

Next sensation I felt, was like my head was held in a vice.

You know how to boil a frog? That happened just like it; initially I felt no discomfort, then the grip was so strong I thought my eyes would pop out.

Thia is difficult to verbalize.

My brain was rinsed.

I felt very close to dropping out of the OBE, perhaps I did. I felt my consciousness being totally independent and outside my brain and body, but I could still feel powerwashers drumming my sclera or cortex. I could feel dozens of small needle like thingies getting dislodged from the brain-tissue.

I somehow blacked out, there was a clear cutoff, because I was no longer held or suspended.

Now I was very much THERE.

I felt fit, my vision was disturbingly clear and vivid, like I was using my eyes for the first time. But it wasn’t my eyes I was seeing thru.

I was ‘sensing’ everything.

I knew I was able to sense ultraviolet light as well as infrared, and then some. Do you remember the scene from Matrix, where Neo is able to see the code for the first time?

That was it to the T.

The whole episode felt like getting an oil-change, tires rotated, new spark-plugs and a coat of paint; I didn’t get superpowers, but more like superUSER powers. It felt like I could see thru walls and distinguish between players and NPC’s. To use an American vernacular, I felt like a million bucks!

But I felt totally spent at the same time.

I swam back to the surface.

I opened my eyes and realized that I was sweating like a pig. Only 30 minutes had passed, it felt like a lifetime. I took quick dip in the almost freezing lake and planned my next move. I was in flames to try my enhanced abilities, but on the other hand I was very tired.

Lucid Dream Attempt

I haven’t been very successful in Lucid Dreaming lately, but part of it was the nagging fear of getting kidnapped.

Why not give a go? Worst case, I Could fall asleep.

I went to bed, just over the covers, not between the sheets, and took a keychain in my hand.

I was in a shopping mall. The Mission was to look for open entry points or hidden backdoors. I took the escalator to the bottom floor. Doors opened, and I saw the place crawling with NPC/guards. I saw a an old woman trying to go out thru the main doors. There were four revolving doors, she went to the second from right. I looked at her as she stepped into the revolving door.

As on command, all the NPC’s turned to look at her as well, grinning. The door sped up. It looked like a dust-devil. After a few seconds the door slowed down, the woman was gone, but not outside.

Ok, four exits, check.

Viability as possible rally/entrypoints: zero.

I was at the bottom floor, so it seems that only way is up. As I was sneaking back to the elevators, another thought struck me.

> You are standing in front of a door. You see corridor to your right.
> _

When I was a teen I played a lot of these text-based games. One of the game-designers Holy principles is “The unintuitive move is the right move”. If the only rational move is to open the door in front of you, you can bet your ass there’ll be Dragons behind it.

The revolving doors were enter only, manned with killer-bots, and a death-trap if you try to exit.

The elevators go from “E” to “10th floor, women’s lingerie”.

There was bound to be a skylight that opens or a hidden staircase. This took forever to write, but dream-time is non-local, and time there is an irrelevant artifact.

I was descending the hidden stairs before I finished the thought.

I went down and flipped 180 degrees emerging up. Very weird sensation. It was like a move I knew how to do, but have forgot. Like learning to fly by jumping up and forgetting to come down.

I came up and I kept going up until I was so far from the ground that I spotted a familiar looking beach, some mountains over the left. I was looking to east, south-east, the beach was behind me.

I was in West-Africa, somewhere around Senegal or Gambia.

That’s not so bizarre as it sounds, I’ve been there several times. I even ran an NGO in Gambia. I was up north, Mauretania, I think. The place I went through looked like a target. X marks the spot, eh?

Anyway I tried to spot the place in Google Earth just now.

Holy Shit!!

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Caldera.

I need to drop this off to you now. I haven't even read this through. Sorry about poor penmanship, I just needed to write this down before it goes away.

You can share it with the class, if you wish.

Conclusion

Warning: Please take general caution against getting too excited about any particular place on LD/RW/Astral.

Do you see what happens when we all work together as part of a team? This image resembles a volcanic island, only not in the ocean. Yet, I would hazard a guess that around the time when this entire planet was set up as a Prison Planet that this area was covered in water. This goes together and add a lot of interconnected puzzle pieces to the mix. I cannot wait for others to report on their findings.

Do you want more?

You can find many more videos in my “The Domain Action Articles” over here…

The Domain

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Questions that I asked the EBP Commander concerning The Domain, cats, relationships and purpose

There is a ton-load of disinformation, opinion, mixed messages and all sorts of distractions and bullshit on the internet. Nothing is more rife than that associated with the “Type-1 greys”.

Indeed, there are MM followers, well meaning no doubt, and inadvertently pick up on these other “signals” (whether through reading something, or in a vision or other non-physical method) and repeat it here. I am not saying they are bad, or wrong. But I really want clarity.

I try to provide what I know in simple, clear language, and in a non-confrontation (for the most part) manner. I want this place to be a “safe place”; a “safe space”. I want people who arrive at MM doorstep to be welcomed and accepted, no matter what they believe, no matter what social environment they come from, and no matter what their experiences are. I want this place to be a sanctuary where you are accepted without hesitation.

Never the less, sometimes our experiences, our backgrounds, our understandings contain baggage that seeps into our daily lives, and we bring it here to MM. Like automatically assuming that Mantids are the angels spoken about in the Bible. Maybe they are. Maybe they aren’t. Maybe they are something else. But does it REALLY matter?

No.

What matters is how YOU view them. And you can communicate your views using the tools at hand. Which might be the Bible… and well understood by Christians, but confusing to Daoists.

Communication is the key. The ability to communicate openly and freely.

And when we are receiving the messages from others we can get a little confused. Try teaching vibrational mechanics to a classroom of college students hung over from last nights drinking to get an idea of what I am talking about. Which is pretty much WHY I try to simplify, simplify, and dumb down everything.

MerLynn has some great information, but he gets so enraptured in the content, that you must really latch onto it or you will get thrown off. It’s like a bucking bronco and you must hold on for dear life. Which is why I have asked him to simplify it, and not be so information dense.

Here’s an example of how understandable it can be once you simplify things…

This entire Universe is made of Light Structures. Everything is the Light said Tesla. Thales and Aristotle agreed that Everything is Water and Life is in Everything. What this means is.... Light, from ALL sources, candle, spark, sun, bulb is a STRUCTURE that is Magnetic. Like a tiny "lego" piece that has a North and South Pole and an 'equatorial' polarity region. These Structures of Light come together to form Tetrahedrons and then these Tetrahedrons form ALL OF CREATION. There are no electrons or protons or neutrons Dracul. So if you want to discuss ALIEN TECHNOLOGY which is TESLA and Leedskalnin TECHNOLOGY, please do so using their terms of Reference and 'electrons' are just not part of any real science. Think in terms of Energy, Frequency and Vibrations with WAVE FORMS.

Brilliant. Really.

It doesn’t mean that he is wrong, or bad, or misunderstanding things from my point of view. It just means that I want his information to be spread out as understood by a much wider scope of MM readership, than just the hard-core. I want more people to read it. More people to understand it. More people to embrace it.

It’s a good thing right?

Information, and the communication of it, is important. We all come from different places, with different backgrounds, different histories, different needs, wants and desires. But we all want to share.

One common way on the internet is to use “themes” and “memes”.

We all know what a meme is. It’s a common phrase or understanding that is well packaged in a mannerism, or scene (from a movie or television show).

“Sure Jan” meme. This is from the 1960’s television comedy show “The Brady Bunch”. Where one sister is talking to the other about something that her older sister well understands, and knows it’s not going to work out of be the way she thinks.

Likewise are “themes”.

There are ton-load of “Themes” in the American internet. Donald Trump was the master of creating themes…

  • Jail Hillary.
  • Contain China.
  • Build a Wall.
  • Make America great again.

But these “themes” come in all sorts of other venues as well. Even themes that you don’t realize are themes.

  • Katana swords are great for killing zombies.
  • Do not by a used car from a dealer wearing a polyester plaid business suit.
  • Having a tattoo shows your “uniqueness”.
  • ‘Merica!

And in the conventional scene we have…

  • Madcow illness will turn your into a moron if you eat that hamburger.
  • Y2K means that you had best be prepared for the apocalypse.
  • 3G radiation will fry your brain.
  • Cell phones will explode near gasoline pumps.

And when you start talking about extraterrestrials… well then there are a host of themes…

  • Reptilians shapeshift and control the worlds governments.
  • Little grey extraterrestrials are a dying race that are time travelers and are trying to cross breed with humans.
  • Tall Nordics are peaceful who want to teach enlightenment to the earth.

We use these themes to communicate our thoughts and our opinions.

But it does not mean that the themes themselves are accurate. It just means that we are using the themes to describe our thoughts and beliefs. And with that comes a problem…

When we say “Build that wall!” (as an American), what are we saying?

[A] We want a wall to keep everyone out of America except those properly vetted by the government?

[B] We want the entire nation of America to have a wall of isolation for our protection against the fearful external world.

[C] Powerful forces want this wall to be built. It has a dual purpose to keep people out and to keep people in.

[D] Donald Trump is “my man” and I will follow him because I sincerely believe that he has my best interests at heart.

[E] I tire of the endless “news” about people streaming into America taking my money, resources, and using up my tax money. I am strapped as it is and I don’t want further erosion of my buying power while experiencing an increase in taxation.

Now, the person who is using this “theme” might be thinking of situation [A] in his usage of it. However his wide and diverse audience might view the statement in another way, or in another form. For [C], for example. Or for [E] for example. Just because someone nods in agreement with you does not mean that they agree with you. It means that they recognize a part of what you are trying to convey, and that part that THEY recognize is what they are agreeing to.

Because it is so easy to confuse thought intention with the limitations of the English language, I try to simplify things. Because, I know, I am abrasive caustic and sarcastic at times. I really do not want to offend anyone. I just want the information to be disseminated.

When I say I like the AK-47, it does not mean that I like all the millions of people that it killed, or the destruction of societies that it participated in. It simply means that I like the technical innovations that provide a clear, functional robust design. If I were talking to a fellow engineer, this point would be obvious. But if I am talking to the girl behind the ice cream counter, it would easily be misinterpreted.

And then you couple all these issues with communication with the onslaught of intentional disinfo. (Big Sigh.) There are people and organizations that spread intentional disinformation and try (and often successfully) inflame to derail the communication process. So we all have to be wary. We all have to be aware. We all have to be careful.

I do NOT want this MM site to become another clone of the forced disinfo campaigns, whether intentional or not.

  • Shape-shifting reptilians.
  • Star-children to impart knowledge.
  • Time-traveling police to adjust world-lines.
  • Coronavirus is a hoax, or China manufactured it, or vaccinations are XYZ…
  • Y2K will cause the upcoming end of civilization as we know it.
  • 2012 will bring in the “new enlightenment”.

And so on and so forth.

Millions of United States federal funding went towards disinfo on extraterrestrials. Millions.

Therefore, I have taken it upon myself to open up a comm line to the Domain Commander via my EBP and ask them questions regarding themselves and their operations here. One on one. Direct.

For me only.

For my purposes only. Because it is a personal issue with me. It is who I am now. I am sorry guys. I have these fucking things in my head. I’m not lying about them. They exist and they can be seen in an MRI, and I fucking deal with them every god-damn day.

So I am committed.

Because after all, if COVID was not a bio-weapon but really some form of mind control over Americans, the idea that extraterrestrials don’t exist because Oprah or Ellen Degeneres didn’t validate it, or that the Greys are actually from Zeta Reticuli then I must really be all full of shit.

And thus, MM has no value.

It’s just another blog on the internet, yet another in a series of millions of blogs. It is of no special value. I’m just a blowhard with a five dollar blog churning out my opinions into the internet hoping to connect with others for my own nefarious reasons.

I should really just chuck it all away.

Say fuck it, and go out whoring and drinking. And let me tell you guys; that’s an option that exists and I’m keen on going that direction. I mean really. Really.

Really keen.

The internet is full of opinions. Just like MM has opinions.

Some are ‘bots. Here’s an example of a ‘bot that trolls my LinkedIN posts…

And others aren’t ‘bots. As there are some real and honest experiences.

I really don’t know why you all are here, but I really hope that MM benefits you.

I sincerely hope.

And for it to provide benefit, I must keep it sanitized. Clean. Simple. Fun. And easy to understand. No bullshit. The things as I see them. Straight, open, honest and real. Just the facts, ma’am.

"Just the facts, ma'am" is a common catchphrase often attributed to Friday, or less often, to Stan Freberg's works parodying Dragnet. But neither used the exact phrase. While Friday typically used the phrase "All we want are the facts, ma'am" when questioning women in the course of police investigations, Freberg's spoof changed the line slightly to "I just want to get the facts, ma'am".

-Wikipedia

This Q&A was designed for, and is is for my personal benefit. ONLY. The rest of you all can read or not. The rest of you can believe it or not. It’s purpose is to help me better understand my purpose and utility in this entire MM situation. Thus it is a personal, a deeply personal conversation, and published as is.

It’s a published Q&A; MM to the Domain Commander. No others are involved.

[1] An update on the expansion of The Domain in the Milky Way galaxy

I am curious just as everyone else is. If you try to ask others about what is going on, they look at issues regarding the same tired old meme’s. They don’t realize what kind of real access we have right here.

Real access to information.

As such, I an ask things directly via the EBP than what I could have asked of my Mantid via the ELF constellation of probes. So I am a curious sort. So I figure it wouldn’t hurt to ask some general questions and get some answers that we all can “chew on”.

Especially since I have a keen and direct interest in space, our universe and our galaxy. Not to mention; society.

Question: Can you please kindly provide me with a brief and general overview of The Domain expansion efforts in this galaxy? The last update we obtained was in 1947 with “Alien Interview” that was released only a decade ago.

The Domain's expansion into the Milky Way galaxy is continuing. Much of the "Old Empire" has been conquered. There are pockets of resistance, but most have been subdued. 

We have encountered a very large empire that appears to be around 10,000 light years in diameter. (The "Old Empire" was much smaller than that. -MM) They are also advanced technologically. They do not appear to be as brutal as the "Old Empire" however.

They are rather benign and peaceful. However they did engage in wars of conquest to obtain their current size.

[2] What is this empire like?

Well, I am curious. Come on! Aren’t you?

They are space-faring. With physical bodies that are not like anything you have been exposed to. They exist on planets that you would not find attractive, or inhabitable.

(I image a gas shrouded heavy planet. Maybe not a gas giant, something smaller than that. Like a "Hot Super Earth" with a very dense atmosphere.)

Consider the "Old Empire". 

The "Old Empire" did not resemble what you image it to be. There were no futuristic skyscrapers that you see in your minds eye. 

(He is correct, I have imagined it as some kind of futuristic "Jetsons'" city inhabited with creatures that were very human appearing. Only with a decidedly cyberpunk feel to it.)

Rather it was peopled with gargantuan public constructions, and  a society of smaller more diminutive people which were probably the source of your stories about dwarves, elves, faeries, trolls and goblins. They use technology that you would consider to be akin to magic spells, hexes and alchemy / occult practice.

The same is true for this other empire. 

Only instead of planets that resembled a more Springlike earth, these planets and systems that they inhabit are very, very different in atmosphere, weather, lifeforms and in just about every criteria. You would have a difficult time recognizing the civilization for what it is because your biases are so profoundly in error.

I pictured (when this information was being conveyed) something on the order of  a “hot super-terran” to a sub-sized “Hot mini Neptunian”. That is the impression that I have. I guess that the planets would be from 5Me to 15Me (Mass of Earth where 1 Me = earth size) and all located in the “hot zone” of a parent star. All under a very dense and heavy atmosphere.

Here is a good chart of the characterization of the “recognized” world types that have viewed over the last few decades. The impression that I have is that the kinds of world that my Commander refers to sits in the top row between the “superterrans” and the “neptunians”.  Let’s give it an MM name; the “superterran-subneptunians”.

Further, in the interests of clarity, and (my personal joy in classification), lets use this accepted exo-planetary chart to help us…

And from the impression that I have, these planets are in the “Class T” range. Just for your interest and curiosity. Certainly this civilization would not seemingly be of any interest to contemporaneous humans.

[3] What is your procedure for domination?

I mean is it like Genghis Khan, or more like the American Empire? Or is it “hands off” and live and let live? This is a direct question. After all, The Domain is trying to control the “Master Universe”. So why not ask?

Question: When you take over an existing society or empire, what changes do you make, if any? Do you wipe them all out and destroy everything, or do you do something else? What is the procedure in the case of the “Old Empire”?

IS-BEs who enter this "Master Universe" that we created  must behave in certain ways that do not [1] harm the planets that they are on, [2] disrupt the ecosystem that we have created, [3] create hardship or distress to other IS-BEs.

Those societies that do so are corrected / adjusted / modified / controlled in whatever manner we deem appropriate.

In the case of the "Old Empire" there had to be a regression of technology, a correcting of society behaviors, and a change in the patterning of the incarnation process. These were done through a process of occupancy of the leadership, and then wholesale readjustments of the structure to approved archetypes for that selection of species and for that particular environments.

We avoid dangerous destruction of societies and cultures, but we do perform cultural amputations, social reconstruction, and personality readjustment. We have entire divisions / battalions / armies devoted to these efforts. Our end goal is to make the conquered empire a more stable place to exist in.

.No harm to the planets that they occupy or control.
.No disruption of the ecosystem of those planets and systems.
.No hardship, torture (for amusement), or distress to other IS-BEs.

[4] Is The Domain a “dying race”?

A number of MM commenters on the site and forum are repeating the idea that the “Greys are a dying race”. These comments come from people who I love and respect. Their thoughts and their opinions matter to me.

I have to listen to them. What they say; everything that they say has weight, meaning and importance.

When a three year old goes up to you and says “You have stinky-poo poo breath” you believe them. Right? You know that they are being honest with you. So when people suggest things to me and are trying to be open and honest with me, I want to “do my homework”.

And I don’t want to be the duped guy who is broke, penniless on a sidewalk while others drink their Starbucks coffee and snicker “I told you so.”

Seriously.

I’ve been fucked over way too many times not to sit up, take notice, and peer a little more “squint eyed” towards those that I seem to be so enraptured with. I mean, why not? A second or third, or fourth look is always good. As I have explained to my staff; “The more eyeballs that look at something, the easier it is to find mistakes.”

And if I am in error, what then?

After all, then what the fuck and I messing around with them then? Am I brainwashed? If The Domain is a dying race, and the Mantids are really the Angels that the Bible says, the possibility exists that maybe I am the one in error. Maybe I am the one who is wrong about everything. That maybe I am the fool for believing everything that I encounter.

So I asked them.

Question: Is The Domain a dying race?

No. Absolutely not. 

The Domain is a social structure of IS_BE entities that choose to spend the vast bulk of their time in the timeless state. This is different from the many, many IS-BE's that enjoy the "Master Universe" as physical entities in one degree or the other.

IS-BE's are without physical form, and live outside of time and space. All came into being trillions of years ago, and we will continue to live for trillions of years hence.

None of us "dies".

The Domain structure may or might not change during that period of time. However, the system in place; a merit driven system based upon the desires of the participants work well for the vast numbers of Domain membership. It has for trillions of years, and we clearly intend it to work for trillions of years in the future.

Any and all Domain members may easily obtain physical bodies to experience physical experiences at will. However, we are involved in some rather serious undertakings that involve moving the entire state of ALL-THERE-IS to BEYOND-THAT. 

To get to that state we need to "tame" the populated universe down to a state before we "buggered it up" back billions of years ago. this was a mistake that we inadvertently unleashed and created the fracturing and discordant social systems to develop as they have. This is discord, and it is not bettering any IS-BE. Just providing enjoyments and pleasures.

The IS-BE's that comprise The Domain are not dying.

The Domain itself; it's organizational structure and society is not dying either.

Those IS-BE's that desire to leave the Domain are welcome to do so and either set up their own societies, or adapt to other existing ones are welcome to do so. There is a small leakage of membership in this regard, however the egress tends to be small, short lived, and trivial. Once you have purpose, as The Domain clearly has, you will not be easily swayed by physical pleasures and the beauty of the physical environment.

Of course they would say this. But doubts still linger.

I have been duped and tricked so many times in my past. I just don’t think that I could take such a fundamental shock to my system. Remember people; I am fully committed.

You do know the difference between "committed" and being a participant?

In a plate of bacon and eggs, the chicken was a participant, but the pig was committed.

[5] Does The Domain possess physical societies on planets like the Earth or elsewhere?

Along with this idea that the Domain is a dying race is the idea that they have physical cities, physical societies and structures that are collapsing. This narrative can be found all over the internet. Which various sub-plots where they come to earth to cross-breed, or extract “precious bodily fluids” and so on and so forth to keep their species alive?

Let’s cut to the chase then.

Question: Does the Domain possess physical societies on planets like the Earth or elsewhere?

The Domain has structured environments. However they do not really resemble what your would consider to be societies. They lie outside of the physical time and space environment.

However, we do have communities that exist within the "Master Universe". Such as the bases here in "your" solar system. When we interact within these communities we utilize "doll bodies". You would consider these facilities to be barren and spartan. 

Never the less, the vast bulk of our time is spent in a non-physical state, with forays in and out of the non-physical worlds, the physical worlds and other universes as we see fit.

No. We do not have a society that resembles anything upon the earth, whether in the physical realm or the non-physical realm. You simply cannot compare what The Domain is to anything you know and understand.

[6] If The Domain is primarily part of the timeless “Master Universe” then why bother conquering any nations of it?

I am sorry guys. But it doesn’t make any sense to me. If The Domain exists outside of the physical portion of the “Master Universe”…

…then why is it so busy in capturing and absorbing the civilizations and societies in this universe? Hum?

Question: Why is a society (The Domain) who only visits the “Master Universe” as needed, so interested in conquering and controlling the societies that inhabit it?

"You got me there." (He actually transmitted this statement. Can you fucking believe it?)

We created the vast bulk of the "Master Universe". Over time we improved upon it, and created planets, lifeforms, societies and the environment that you see within it.

Other universes with other IS-BE's entered and merged with it over time.

These new ideas and thoughts and ways of doing things merged with ours and changed them. The "Master Universe" became a stew of all sorts of exciting changes, interesting possibilities and constructions.

All very good. All very exciting. All very wonderful.

But, along with that came negative behaviors, and negative structures and destructive systems that started to undone the good works that we started. 

These new system's, and many of the hybrid systems that developed afterwards started to run amok and started to unleash a torrent and cascade of changes that really damaged the universe. Indeed, entire civilizations were destroyed, hurt, and the IS-BEs deformed and altered into new undesirable forms.

This is not just catastrophic wars with gargantuan and colossal weapons of destruction, but the entire structure; the fabric of the universe started to be altered in really irreparable and dangerous ways. Think of a fine silk dress with a tear. OR maybe some pantyhose, if there is a snag, you must do something about it, or the entire article of clothing will be ruined beyond repair.

The Domain is tasked with preventing these "tears". Then "smoothing out the wrinkles" in the fabric of the universe. Finally with all the most worrisome attributes subdued, we can focus on the NEXT-BIG-THING.

[7] Are the Domain, or their craft from the future?

One of the on-going sub-plots in the entire grey extraterrestrial disinformation campaign is the idea that they are actually not extraterrestrials at all. But rather that they are humans from the future and they have come back to “warn us”, “alter history” or some other related purpose.

So, let’s ask them directly.

Are the Domain, or their craft, or their crews from the future; specifically the earth’s future?

The Domain exists in a timeless, dimensionless condition. It is part of he "Master Universe" but not of it. Because there are great misunderstandings what time actually is, it is nonsensical to claim that the Domain come from the future.

Many humans have trouble with this.

The easiest way to imagine what The Domain is, is to imagine a society of spirits. Each one has no body. Each one lives in a place without time. Each one goes about their own individual business with other spirits. This society created the place; this "Master Universe". And the spirits (IS-BE) visit it from time to time in groups and clusters. Always for a purpose. Always working toward a goal.

If you call these spirits "IS-BE". And, if you fully understand how the "Master Universe" differs from the "Physical Universe" (that is the MWI with world-lines) then you can see that the answer is not what you expect, but is actually clearer than what you would expect.

The Domain can enter the MWI in the "Reality Universe" at any point in "time". And thus we are "time travelers" in that sense. In a similar manner the IS-BE "spirits" can enter the "Master Universe" at any point in time. 

Like both universes, this ability to enter and leave at different time periods is "time travel".

However, the popular narrative that you are referring to is incorrect. The Domain are not evolved humans from the far-far future that have come back to the "past" to change things. That is absurd.

[8] Cats, humans and IS-BE’s

I have long wanted to write more information regarding cats, and felines. However I am limited as to until I have been contacting the Domain directly, I had to rely on the Mantids to provide me information.

  • ELF = MAJestic and Mantid Comm Link.
  • EBP = The Domain / Type-1 Grey Comm Link.

And the Mantids, well, they have been very unhelpful regarding felines. It’s not that they do not want to help, it’s that they cannot. Felines are not part of their charter and so they know very little about them.

So I have wanted to collect some data on felines from The Domain and see if the Commander can help me.

Question: There are many MM members who are cat lovers and who have close friends that are cats. Can you please provide insight on the IS-BE’s that become felines and their relationships with humans?

You guessed correctly. All living entities (as you call them) consist of shells within the MWI "Reality Universe". Some are (as you refer to them) "shadow people" and some are inhabited with a consciousness.

Felines follow the same general behavior rules as humans do. Except that felines are not inmates in the Prison Planet Complex. They can come and go in and out of the "reality universe" (MWI) and the "Master Universe" at will.

They never suffer amnesia or map out pre-birth world-line templates (sic.) for themselves.

Instead, they prefer to "latch onto" a friend / buddy / pal / companion that is "riding" / following / exploring the MWI "reality universe" and so attached, they experience the same kinds of ups and downs as the host human goes through.

Being a free IS-BE they can come and go at will. They can enter bodies at will. They can enter and leave a body at will. In many, many ways they are far, far freer than any inmate in the Prison Complex.

When a feline is sleeping or resting (they are two different states) the IS-BE consciousness segments and they are off traveling in other places doing other things. For many (felines) it is close to the physical reality, but moving about in the non-physical reality. You might refer to this as "feline lucid dreaming".

Cats can come and go as they please. So if there is a special bond between a human and a cat, all that is needed is for the cat (if it dies, for instance) to find a highest probability body for it to occupy that you will meet. And then your "feelings" or "intuition" or "gut feeling" will be drawn to it. And if you two get to meet, and stay together it is all good. The feline IS-BE will adapt to the physical limitations of the new inhabited body and that will result in some personality changes. But you two will be together.

If you two meet up, but something happens and you are not able to be together, the cat will try again. And again. And again. Each time in different bodies until you two are together again.

If you really want to speed up this process, all you need to do is focus your thoughts (through verbal affirmations) and it will manifest quickly.

In general, felines consider humans to be rather slow, retarded (but lovable) companions that can't hunt for shit. (!) They love being around humans, especially one that they have bonded with, and will try to find (if possible) other bodies to occupy that is of the same shape, color or some other attribute that might trigger the human to recognize that it is a "reincarnation" event.

But that is very difficult to trigger.

Most of the time, they select bodies that are available. And then try to emulate "attraction thoughts" to help cement a new bond between the human and the new cat body.This is why you might bond with a cat that "feels" close to you, but it will look different, act a little different, and behave a little differently than your former (but now dead) friend.

[9] Why won’t the Mantids discuss the feline and human relationship?

I am very curious about this issue. Obviously they know a lot, as human and feline interaction is common and an important part of human society. It also figures predominantly in the pre-birth world-line template generation. Why are the Mantids so reluctant to discuss feline to human interaction with me?

As you have surmised, the Mantids (sic.) are a hybrid-construct based on a local dominant earth-centrist body form. This "Old Empire" DNA and biological alteration was one that focused all their energies towards herding humans within the Prison Complex system. Very little thought was given towards outside or relationships, forms or shapes. The Mantids (sic.) are very human-centrist. (Includes the other dominant inmate forms; pigs, horses, dolphins, elephants, etc.)

Not feline.

The Mantids (sic.) possess a basic understanding of felines. They possess a basic understanding of soul and consciousness construction (sic.). They understand the basics of the human-feline dynamic. And that is the extent of their knowledge in this matter.

In general, the Mantids (sic.) are bred to be very focused on "helping humans" endure strife and then be rewarded afterwards. 

They are so focused on this aspect, that event though they have a very strong awareness of their own IS-BE state, they ignore that state in everything else. They are elitist in that way, and when they encounter a human, for example, that is aware they treat that person as a special oddity and follow very special protocols in how to interact with that person.

When they encounter a feline (or any other creature for that matter) that shows or indicates strong IS-BE non-amnesia characteristics they simply ignore it. They cannot understand it. Nor do they try.

In hindsight, I have absolutely zero memories, connections, feelings or associations with Mantids and any of my cats in any way, shape or form. Not even in my dreams!

[10] Trans-species migration of IS-BE’s

I often wonder why an IS-BE would go from one human life, into another and then again into yet another. Why always a human? I know from Dr. Newton that there is trans-species migration, but all of them seem to evolve into similar types of creatures.

My question is this; If an human dies, and is a pure IS-BE, could it not become a feline and then escape the entire Prison Planet system?

Physical bodes are not blobs of flesh. They are complicated mechanisms. Likewise, the non-physical bodies are not blobs of non-physical flesh. They are also complicated mechanisms. And the IS-BE that chooses to enter a specific body, must alter it's form / shape / composition / operation / energy / vibrations to do so.

Alteration of an IS-BE form is easy to do...

...if you are outside of the Prison Planet Complex. 

Unfortunately most humans are prevented from configuring their "stage upwards / higher form / above non-physical" bodies. This is a Mantid (sic.) directive. This is why inmates are quickly shuttled off to "Heaven". So they cannot shape change their "migration paths / attunement centers / organ clusters" to fit other forms.

Thus humans, and dogs, and elephants, and dolphins, and horses, and pigs  (and a few others) are prevented from migrating out of this Prison Complex environment. This is one of the layers of control.

However, IS-BE's that are not configured in their inmate form (inmate clothing such as humans in this Prison Planet) can naturally shape their "migration paths" to reconfigure to be a human, or a dog, or a feline.

Which is why you have felines entering and leaving the Prison Planet complex at will.

Further, cats (using felines as an example) can decide to enter a unmodified human body [a "shadow person" (sic.)] and inhabit it, free of the Prison Complex restrictions on IS-BE movement. And then leave at will.

In your case, your cat Heather (this is a cat that I owned when I lived in Indiana back in the late 1980's) is now your [redacted for very personal reasons]. This kind of hybrid movement of IS-BE into human bodies is illustrated in the movie "A dog's Purpose" (2017).

On a side note, if you haven’t watched either of these movies you must. The first “A Dog’s Journey” is a tale of reincarnation from a dog’s point of view. And the second “A Dog’s Purpose” talks about trans-species reincarnation. Both are very emotionally moving movies. Have tissue nearby.

[11] Why me?

I have been a little down on myself lately. We all have ups and downs. But sometimes I feel like I am a sucker; a fool to take on this responsibility. I have read some MM comments about those who wish to assist the Domain, but don’t want to have any further association with them. They argue that it is dangerous to trust those that … well, look at what The Domain has admitted to.

Why trust them, and as being so trusting, why was I selected, and why am I running MM instead of cavorting with pretty girls, gorging myself on delicious food, and quaffing down some fine red wine.

Question; Why me?

There is a great deal of angst and frustration in your life right now, but this is what you have agreed to endure in your pre-birth agreement. The [redacted].

I can tell you that things will become clearer over time, and that your work is significant on many levels and that you have changed others for the better. There's [redacted], and they will see their great works in [redacted].

When to start to compare yourself, and that is what you are doing now, it will only serve to cause distress. You can never be the illusions that others present. It is not in your makeup.

You are correct on many, many levels but are surrounded by others that do not posses your insights. You worry too much about [redacted] and part of the reason behind that is [redacted]. Remember what [redacted] therefore, when you start to notice the [redacted] you should [redacted].

[Redacted].

[Redacted].

We made you this way. It had to be this way.

Sorry about that guys. Too much personal stuff to the internet community. Nothing really important concerning you all has been redacted, it’s just that some things I want to keep private. You understand right?

[12] Why did you alter me?

He made some statements about my alterations in all of my bodies (physical and non-physical, etc) and that got me thinking.

We needed to alter you to carry out your mission parameters. This included both your physical and non-physical bodies. When we installed the EBP (sic) we changed things. 

You had diseases inside your body that we removed. You know which ones. (Yes, I do, but I only suspected the "hidden time-bombs".) You had trackers in your body that we removed. You had  "holes" in your make up that we filled in. You had damage to your structure that needed to be repaired.

Your life is what it is today because of the changes that we made, as well as your ability to direct and focus your thoughts so that your consciousness can engage in directed target assignments.

What I did not include in the above dialog is a very detailed piece on how pre-birth world-line templates can have areas of “DO NOT CHANGE” established in them. GuyFromAfrica knows what I am talking about, and these had to be removed.

Of course, he did not use my terminology. But that is what he was talking about.

[13] What will happen to me after I die?

I am very selfish. I want to know. I really want to know if I will die and then kind of waft around like some kind of disheveled spirit in the wind, while the world changes but I just remain a specter.

You will not be discarded. That is your fear, no?

You have a role, and we are cultivating and rehabilitating your IS-BE body to better adapt to the changes that lie outside of the Prison Planet Environment. We picture a great role for you, and a rewarding and personally significant role for you after your physical death.

Your physical death means nothing as your non-physical being will still be interacting with us long, long after your body decays.

You will continue to help others. You will continue to have an interesting, colorful, and adventuresome life, only that it would involve a greater part of you and you will experience the great satisfaction of helping others. This is just the first beginnings my friend. Do not fear.

He did not promise me any kind of great military post, rank or mission / position. He simply promised me a spot in the society where I will have a meaningful and purposeful life. And that sounds good to me. Thank you.

[14] Am I a former member of The Domain’s “Lost Battalion”?

I don’t think that I am. But, you know, I figure, why not ask?

No. You are not.

[15] The idea that I am Mades Escaplion is repulsive to me. I ask again. It is who I am?

I just want a double confirmation. That’s all.

(Being kind.) It is a role and a personality that you had during a phase in your soul experience track. You will note that this experience has been useful to us in unraveling the entire network of traps and snares that exist in the Prison Complex. You serve a great role and hold great purpose. Do not be discouraged.

In truth, the image that you hold of Mades Escaplion is wrong. He was a functionary. He was a minister. He held an administration role. He was neither cruel nor evil. He was a "cog in the machine".

Your role was part ceremonial, and part functionally administrative. You spent much of your time in meetings (or the equivalent of) and in discussions with the various architects of the on-going array of systems that were implemented one on top of the other.

So you need not fear. You were not repulsive nor evil. You were just an entity doing it's job. You were the perfect little civil servant. You were uninspired, did what you were told, and had no desires to "buck the system".

When we (The Domain) destroyed the remains of the "Old Empire" space fleet in the region you disappeared. We tracked you down by personality signature (sic.) We (at the time we found you) were working with the Mantids (sic.) and made arrangements to set you on this life path that you have now.

It has been beneficial for all.

[16] (Last minute addon) Who are you, and what is my role?

The following is / was a request for clarity on my role in this “thing” with The Domain and who I am “talking to”. I just want to know “pecking order” on a pyramidal organization structure. Funny thing is that I did not need to verbalize it, but I formed the thoughts and boom! the answer materialized.

It makes me wonder if this was an implanted question.

I am "the unit Commander" for all Domain operations in this region of geographical space. 

You (referring to myself) are my I/O. You are my direct “hands / fingers /sensory inputs / ears / senses". You have a critical role. Without you, I am unable to perceive the contemporaneous events going on in the earth environment.

There are thousands of implanted individuals (sic.). Only a handful were carefully vetted. You are one of the "special" ones. You have provided the most useful information and sensory experiences for us. You are continuing in other equally important roles right now. Your impressions of the world around you establishes the groundwork / foundation for our implementation of the planetary changes that will / have been / going to be established in the future.

Most of what you do or see are bland in your eyes but are crucial and significant in ours. It is a pleasure to work with you sir!

Conclusion

This is just some personal questions that I have asked using my EBP. I’ve had these things in my head for decades, but only recently realized that two-way communication could be achieved with them.

There are numerous MM readers and commenters that had a role in this selection of questions and all in all, it was a big positive. So thank you for all of your nudges, and questions and concerns.

In the future, I will open up the EBP for more questions and you all can ask some more questions. This was just my own personal ones, and I must apologize if my questions were banal or boring.

Do you want more?

You can find many more videos in my “The Domain Action Articles” over here…

The Domain

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Articles & Links

Master Index

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  • You can start reading the articles by going HERE.
  • You can visit the Index Page HERE to explore by article subject.
  • You can also ask the author some questions. You can go HERE to find out how to go about this.
  • You can find out more about the author HERE.
  • If you have concerns or complaints, you can go HERE.
  • If you want to make a donation, you can go HERE.

 

LD assignment and task results – October 2021 – Backdoors to the Old Empire Prison Complex

In early October 2021, I established a task request asking for those versed in LD and other skills to investigate whether or not there were any “backdoors” or other ways in and out of the “Old Empire” “Prison Complex” that we are all (unfortunately) part of. By the second week of October the results began to pour in.

This is a posting of the results.

Volunteers

I asked in this post if any MM readership would be interested in joining The Domain to help rescue their “Lost Battalion”.

The response was overwhelmingly positive.

And then within a few days after the readership started adding affirmations and confirmations that they wish to help The Domain, be a Rufus, and do whatever they can contribute, many many MANY of them started writing to me privately.

They were (for the most part) terrified.

Within hours or days of making a verbal affirmation that they indeed wanted to assist The Domain, all of them, every single one of them, experience sleep paralysis and horrible fears and manifestations. All of which is very similar to “abduction events”.

That they were “hijacked” in their dream state and all sorts of operations and procedures occurred. For them, it was truly frightening.

However, I said then, and I will say now…

  • In the non-physical reality, thoughts take on tangible form.
  • Fears are used to control you.
  • So when you experience any type of help, your fear-defenses (part of the “Old Empire” programming), will try to make you fight and prevent the assistance.

So keep in mind…

  • To help The Domain, certain retardations and alterations to your inmate human body must be undone.
  • This requires an operation; a procedure.
  • The Domain will undo those alterations when you join in the effort. They will conduct an operation and perform a procedure to remove those “chains” and “blocks” that you have shackled to your non-physical body.
  • Do not fear it. You NEED to have it done, whether you want to help the Domain or not.
  • It is a medical procedure.

Many people have commented on this event as a “dream”, or a “Join the Domain related dream”.

Perhaps one of the best explanations of what goes on is from GuyFromAfrica…

GuyFromAfrica comments

So I got the “Join the Domain Dream”.

I could “see” the Type-1. He was somewhere seated.

Then There was MM. I guess as an intermediary.

They didn’t speak literally but I could hear their voice and understand what they were saying. He said (The Type-1) that I would have to make a decision and because they knew who I was (my attributes, character and more) that I was the only one who could do it and see it to the end.

I also [1] got the paralysis and I literally could not move in the dream. someone had to drag me out. ( In the physical too.) Damn weird man. I just laid on the bed half asleep unable to move.

All this happened after I decided to join the domain but coz am still on my pause I had to wait till at least next month. (I think it was due to my thoughts.) [2]

They have [3] helped in suppressing somethings that were really disturbing that’s what they said and showed me. (Actually true. Never gonna go back.)

I just hope that shit doesn’t go down. NO FEAR. JUST CONCERNED. [4]

MM Comments on GuyFromAfrica

[1] This is what really freaks people out. Don’t be afraid. This is necessary. Your consciousness must be removed from your physical and non-physical bodies for the operation to occur.

[2] You do not have to be in a campaign or out of it to have this happen. The moment you “think” and make up your mind to help The Domain, you telegraph a message to them. They monitor all activity on MM. You all should be well aware of this.

[3] One of the things that they will do, provided that you are not too freaked out and trembling in fear or anger, will show you why they are doing it, and how it will personally benefit you. In the case of GuyFromAfrica, they showed him the impediments from his life that they are removing.

[4] He was able to discuss this clearly simply because he held his fear in check. Everyone, GuyFromAfrica is certainly a leader in this. Learn from him.

Freaking out folk

So many dear MM readers have been completely freaked out with the speed, and the unexpectedness of having themselves paralyzed and filled with their worst fears. Images of harm, terrible things, violence to their children were (are) commonplace. It’s really terrible fears. Your worst fears. Everything thrown at you to freak you our royally.

It’s all part of the “Old Empire” programming.

As an inmate you are not permitted to change your physical and non-physical bodies. You are inmates. These changes will permit you to “go through” the fence. These changes will allow changes to your world-line templates. These changes will seriously and substantially reduce the conflict and turmoil in your life.

Which is why the “Old Empire” put up these “trigger blocks” to force you to go primal, filled with fear, and resist changes to your physical and non-physical bodies.

If you make a commitment to be a Rufus and assist The Domain in what ever capacity that your have (and most people have absolutely no idea of their abilities), the Domain will undo your chains.

They will “change your out of the inmate uniform”. They will give you an “access pass” to “go through the fence”. They will scrub tracking information, and erase pre-life behavior settings that you have lived with.

It’s all so frightening.

But ah, so exciting.

If you haven’t committed, but want to, and you are sincere and serious. it will be done. Just remember not to freak out. The fears are all part of “Old Empire” programming. They need to be culled and removed. That’s your job to keep those fears of yours in check.

The Task at hand

The specific task call out was posted in THIS ARTICLE.

This is what I asked for…

To be brutally honest, this is an OFFICIAL REQUEST for a volunteer. It is direct request via EBP from The Domain.

As I understand it, it is only something that can be done by an inmate with a strong ability to this end. And that this specific type of mission WILL encounter unknowns and if the person encounters any kinds of dangers, they are to retreat and regroup.

It’s just a “fact finding” mission.

And, for what ever it is worth, they have certain people in mind for this action, and consider them to be very important and valuable assets that must be protected at all costs. (I am to repeat and underline this last sentence.) They are very important and must be protected at all costs.

Background – Backdoors

I argued that something must have happened since the “Old Empire” collapsed. Then with the battles and destruction within this solar system, obviously there was a corruption of the (formerly pristine) Prison Complex.

  • The Prison Administration “bailed out”, and left.
  • The Prison System has been taken over, and corrupted by very malevolent entities.

It seems to me that there MUST be some kind of “backdoor” that enables these self-serving for-profit entities to corrupt the Prison System for their own purposes.

In cybersecurity, a backdoor is anything that can allow an outside user into your device without your knowledge or permission. Backdoors can be installed in two different parts of your system:

Hardware/firmware. Physical alterations that provide remote access to your device.

Software. Malware files that hide their tracks so your operating system doesn’t know that another user is accessing your device.

A backdoor can be installed by software and hardware developers for remote tech support purposes, but in most cases, backdoors are installed either by cybercriminals or intrusive governments (like the United States) to help them gain access to a device, a network, or a software application.

Any malware that provides hackers access to your device can be considered a backdoor — this includes rootkits, trojans, spyware, cryptojackers, keyloggers, worms, and even ransomware.

If there is a “backdoor”, then we can come to the conclusion that the “backdoor” was put there intentionally by one or more of…

  • The architects  of the “Prison Complex”.
  • The administration of the “Prison Complex”.
  • A technologically advanced society (not the “Old Empire”) that exploited the prison system intentionally.
  • Some kind of dimensional / universe malware.

Background – The advantages of LD talent

Those that have the important ability to LD (Lucid Dream) are in a unique position to reconnoiter towards this end.

It would be a reconnaissance mission.

In military operations, reconnaissance or scouting is the exploration of an area by military forces to obtain information about enemy forces, terrain, and other activities. 

Examples of reconnaissance include patrolling by troops (skirmishers, long-range reconnaissance patrol, U.S. Army Rangers, cavalry scouts, or military intelligence specialists), ships or submarines, manned or unmanned reconnaissance aircraft, satellites, or by setting up observation posts. 

Espionage is usually considered to be different from reconnaissance, as it is performed by non-uniformed personnel operating behind enemy lines.

-Wikipedia

And if you want to be specific, it is purely espionage. As the LD asset is an inmate in general population.

I can tell you that doing so is very important, and would be greatly appreciated by The Domain.  Though, I must caution everyone that LD travel is not to be taken lightly. Dangers abound. I also do not know what the LD asset would discover, or what surprises await them. But I am ABSOLUTELY CONVINCED that they would like some talented assets to volunteer for this task.

To be brutally honest, this is an OFFICIAL REQUEST for a volunteer. It is direct request via EBP from The Domain.

As I understand it, it is only something that can be done by an inmate with a strong ability to this end. And that this specific type of mission WILL encounter unknowns and if the person encounters any kinds of dangers, they are to retreat and regroup.

It’s just a “fact finding” mission.

And, for what ever it is worth, they have certain people in mind for this action, and consider them to be very important and valuable assets that must be protected at all costs. (I am to repeat and underline this last sentence.) They are very important and must be protected at all costs.

Background – Mission parameters

For starters…

  • This is a volunteer activity, and there is no dishonor in refusal.

And then,

  • You absolutely not reveal who you are or what you are doing.
  • You must not engage any subject entities that you encounter. You observe.

The specific tasks are…

  • You must identify [1] if there are others, who are not part of the “old empire” prison complex, that are involved in selection of pre-birth world-line template selection and layout.
  • You must identify [2] if there are others, who are not part of the “old empire” prison complex, that are using the collected memories or records of memories of other humans for anything other than the original stated purposes.

Reporting and dissemination.

  • No matter what your opinions are, you must report what you experience.
  • You are to report your findings, no matter how disjointed or confused, and include your associations and thoughts and ideas regarding them. (Some results might be disturbing or distasteful, but you must report everything.)
  • MM will publish your findings.

Finally,

  • You must vocalize permissions to allow The Domain to observe your operations. You may place restrictions on how they observe and time limitations or windows if that is your desire.

Please kindly know and realize that possession of a EBP would “blow your cover” and thus it is impossible for you to be implanted at this time for this role. Thus this request follows this procedural venue. Finally, there is no dishonor in refusal. The Domain realizes just how seriously dangerous this mission activity is.

Collection of the data

Everyone is different. We all have different abilities and different strengths and weaknesses. Furthermore, our experiences, whether in dreams, LD, or any other format are very personal things.

For instance, when I get messages and comm in my channels in either the ELF or EBP implants the results are very difficult to explain. Most especially how I discern between a message and my own internal thoughts, and external clutter. It’s not easy and takes practice, and when I try to explain it just opens up an entire long train of question after question. The bottom line is you either KNOW that you experienced X, or your BELIEVE you experienced X, or you SUSPECT you experience X.

Each elemental wording has a different degree of validity.

Each elemental wording has a different degree of validity.

As of late, I have been mercifully been granted physical confirmation “pings” to confirm that I am not letting my imagination get the better of me, but this is not always possible with others.

For me, the “pings” are a rush of endorphins, a physical reaction to my body while simultaneously obtaining a brief message confirmation.

Most people have some “keys” of understanding that will allow them to unlock what they experience. And with this in mind, let’s look at this first report. Here, the tasked agent had a very active dream of significance, and it is mighty confusing…

Task Results – fifth.eschaton

Oct 8th (Directly after reading the Task callout article)

Oh shit. I accidentally saw behind the curtain.

I walked in on an intimate celebrity workshop class led by… you guessed it… Chuck Norris!?

Chuck Norris

Joe Rogan was there too.

Joe Rogan

I understood (in a meta-dream analysis sense) that these actors were not specifically important or accurate. They were stand-ins for people of power gaining insights from older mentors.

  • Joe Rogan represented XXXXXXX
  • Chuck Norris represented YYYYYYYY

There were barrels on the stage and participants had to strip naked, get in the barrel, and pee on each other. The point of the ritual was humiliation.

  • A ritual involving humiliation.

Utterly bizarre… I didn’t want to watch but I was told, in no uncertain terms, “THAT’S THE POINT.” Now you’ll remember. They were utterly beyond the pale, but that’s the programmable zone.

  • Humiliation is the point.

Any inputs and suggestions from Chuck (bless his soul) were immediately followed, because the decency line had already been crossed.

  • Once the person completes the humiliation they are listened to / respected.

They were being programmed with a trauma feedback loop. “We’re doing it, we’ve done it, and now we can do anything.”

  • The humiliation sequence is a purging experience to create a new kind of person.

Then, a blonde woman joined the scene. She got in a barrel too, and I got the impression that it was completely upsetting the programming. This is when I saw them. Men were standing behind a red curtain off to the side where I hadn’t noticed.

  • A different kind of entity enters the programming environment and upsets the entire process.

Joe, in his programmable state, was beginning to lose his compliance. The woman was totally upsetting the psychodynamic balance in the room.

  • Those that had previously accepted the programming now question it.

She said, “My favorite thing in the world is baking pain au chocolat.” The incredibly strange juxtaposition of this statement in a room full of naked men peeing on each other was…. odd.

(I'm so sorry forum readers. Nothing about this was sexual, and couldn't be further from my idea of a fantasy. I'm just presenting my dream as-is. Hope someone has a laugh at least.)

It was a trigger phrase and Joe snapped out of it.

  • A trigger phrase or event occurred and the participants were released from their programming.

Programmers are pissed. I’m being ejected.

  • The Programmers are upset and the observer is ejected.

Woke up with incredible back pain. Can’t turn my head all day. I have lasting impressions of similarities to L. Ron Hubbard and Tom Cruise. There’s a significant link between his religion and the programming of celebrities.

I also realized that the men behind the red curtain were like a mix of metaphors from Twin Peaks and Wizard of Oz.

Scene of the “man behind the curtain” in the movie “The Wizard of Oz”.

Takeaways:

  • Investigate L. Ron Hubbard and what he knew.
  • Investigate Scientology as it relates to the prison system.
  • Investigate actors as favored “clients.”
  • Arnold Schwarzenegger was clear in my mind (Sorry, I personally like the dude).
  • I’m so sorry – just following orders:
"You are to report your findings, no matter how disjointed or confused, and include your associations and thoughts and ideas regarding them. (Some results might be disturbing or distasteful, but you must report everything.)"

Recon Mission Undertaken at the Request of the Domain Commander: The Volcanic Prison

Notes; 

DM authorized involvement with The Domain, and specifically approved of them observing his activities and helping them. 

The Domain altered his non-physical body and he experienced all the paralysis that I have written about above. 

When he provided this information to me, I was a little taken back that the Domain didn't witness the events themselves, and instead relies on MM here to transcribe and translate for them. It's a mystery to me. But apparently the transcription is very important for them to use the information. 

Never the less, the feeling that I get is that these espionage activities are something that must be taken very carefully and that there must be absolutely no association with The Domain in so conducting them.

In the report below, I have taken the time to parse every nugget of information that DM has provided. I only hope that it serves some benefit.

By [Daegonmagus] compiled 10OCT21.

Introduction:

I think I have something for the Domain Commander. I wasn’t lucid but I am fairly certain this was a good intel hit; though it did come after deliberately trying to enter a lucid state. I have been here before, several times, I am certain of it.

Interested in hearing yours and the Commander’s opinion. There is some concerning things in it regards to rape camps, not sure if you want to delete this part before publishing; it is entirely up to you. I am curious to know if the name I got rings any bells.

Summary:

I come to on some volcanic island. I am not lucid, but operating on “autopilot”.

Not a Lucid Dream. But is a "special" dream. Knowing what I know of DM, I would classify this event as "high quality" Intel.

I have been here before.

This location is one that is familiar to him. in either dreams, LD , memories or all of the above.

A prison has been built into the crater. There are hundreds of people being kept here against their will. These are people’s energetic bodies. I recognize some of them from school.

It is a prison. It is in a confined area.

Many people are in the prison against their will; means that they were there either through [1] a corrupted judicial system, [2] got there by bypassing a legal system, or [3] were born into it without any say in the matter.

In prison, there are many people who believe that they goat a bad deal. But there is a world of difference between...

[A] I was committing crimes, but you know the punishment was way, way beyond what I deserved. It's unfair. Its unjust.

And...

[B] I didn't commit any crimes at all. I was "railroaded" by a corrupt system, and now "blackballed" for life.

The impression that I get from DM is that many of the inmates fell under category "B".

I materialize here.

Other people can’t phase in and out of this place like I do.

DM describes that he has a special affinity for this "place", and special abilities to enter and leave at will.

To begin with, I blend in with the crowd and pretend to be a guard. This gives me the ability to tour some parts of this prison system. I have definitely been here many times before…

This is a familiar place to DM, and perhaps had other missions / adventures associated with it. It is not new to him.

… and there is something very strange going on, sort of like a breakout or a riot.

As he enters it, this time, he notices something unusual and strange going on. To him it appears to be a breakout or a riot. Both of these events describe a situation where the inmates override the protection rules and systems. And in both situations, it is the corrections officers tend to be ill prepared and typically follow procedures and retreat while awaiting backup.

The cells are cut into the rim of the crater, all around it.

I believe this might be a reality brainwashing facility.

This is an important comment. DM suggests that the purpose of this particular structural object / place is a "brainwashing" facility. Which would imply that it is where the amnesia (that we all unfortunately live with) takes place.

The prison complex goes inside the crater, like a good deal of rock has been carved out and the network extends into this rock and underground.

There are green trees inside the crater; it actually looks like a decent island paradise apart from the prison.

The physical details can represent things or not. But what I take from this is that this is a singular place. Like a zit on your face, or a wart on your arm, or a volcano in the middle of the ocean, or an island. It is a singular place.

He also says that it appears to be a nice place. Like a calm island, or a well taken cared for campus, or a well up-kept neighborhood.

So I am in this room pretending to be one of the guards and the riot breaks out.

The mind creates the visualization. The information is transferred.

I take the opportunity to go for a bit of tour while the rest of the guards are preoccupied.

DM conducts his espionage activities when he has the opportunity to do so.

I penetrate deep into the network; this thing goes several stories beneath the bottom of the crater.

DM explores deep into the complex. He recognizes that it is an extensive facility and goes very, very deep. It must be enormous.

It would be ideal if he could have somehow explored the administration and see what he might discern. However, this kind of exploration is fraught with danger. So it might not be a good thing to do during this particular event.

He goes into the lowest levels of the facility trying to find the darkest and deepest secrets.

These subterranean rooms are where they do all the bad shit, torture, reality brainwashing, breeding programs etc whatever it is this island is being used for.

DM finds the ugly activities, etc. All of it is not pleasant.

I have memories of being down here in a similar riot.

Curious statement. I get the impression that these "riots" have been an on-going thing over the many years.

Something happens – I don’t know what exactly – but the volcano is now about to erupt.

Referring specifically to this particular event, it appears that the build-up is reaching a critical juncture; an inflection point of substantive change. Like a volcano.

I decide to head back to surface.

I come across several panicked guards – helmets covering their faces, and khaki colored coveralls, fairly short maybe 5ish feet tall, who are shocked to see me.

Everything is chaos; the six or so guards are trying to evacuate.

This is a representative scene. There is a panic in the corrections officer cadre. There is chaos. And the corrections officers are trying to retreat and disengage.

These guards try to apprehend me, drawing these guns that shoot photon beams or something similar but I annihilate them with a flick of my hand – I am not lucid, but this is a left over reaction from my lucidity expeditions. It is a natural reaction that happens without me even thinking of it when I am threatened.

Thoughts are powerful. Whether in LD state or in dreams. If you believe that you can do something, the chances are that you actually can.

The guards disappear, and I make it to the surface.

One of the prisoners asks me for help, so I decide to help them figuring I can get more information on who is in charge of the place.

It's a scene from one of the Mission Impossible movies, where the one agent is trying to escape from a Russian Prison. Never the less, the root breakdown is that DM assisted in the breakout, and was led on how to make it happen by another inmate.

Within minutes everyone is freed from their cells.

I am now leading a group of about 20 to 30 of these people through these metal lined rooms, over scaffolding, and bitumised pathways that wrap up the edge of the crater.

DM is leading a cluster, or a group of inmates, towards freedom. Not all of them. Just a group of the ones associated with the particular individual that he helped.

They are are going upward Z-axis.

Downward Z-axis is the horrible torture pits and structures.

For some reason they think getting to the top will solve their problems; I don’t tell them the only way out is through portals they don’t have access to.

I have a vague recollection of coming here via one.

This is important. Everyone believes that the way out; the exit is the opposite of the depths of the structure. But they are wrong. The exit is not the opposite of the obvious. It is something else.

A few more guards appear here and there, but I extinguish them like the others.

Soon it is just me and the prisoners, everyone else has left.

The volcano is raging; there is a definite time constraint we are working against.

It is a race against time.  To leave now is preferable than to wait until the entire system collapses.

Scene from Joe vs. the Volcano.

Regardless, we stop for a breather about half way in a sort of courtyard that has been built upon the scaffolding and under overhanging rock.

There is a woman I know her from school as being Tegan.

One of the guys makes a snide remark about her having sex with someone – possibly him -, basically calling her a slut. I roll my eyes; this is the last shit we need. I feel like punching this guy in the face. It was typical bullshit school children politics.

Tegan is clearly upset and distressed and tries to explain there was a different side of the story and she didn’t want to go into it right then and there, but this guy persists. Tegan eventually ends up replying saying it was not consensual and this guy had raped her. The one calling her a slut goes red, now there is a fucking fight amongst the inmates. Great.

Control mechanisms. "Old Empire" utilizes fear, emotion, anger to side-track inmates and delay them into a maze of other issues instead of focusing on what is directly important. (This must be a characteristic of inhabiting a human body.)

I am angered, but some how keep my composure – was this a trick to turn my attention away from what I was here for?

Yes. It was.

Did Tegan mean this took place at school, or in this prison? I got the impression she meant it was in the prison. I have knowledge of other “rape camps” in these non physical planes, where men are doped with a drug that affects their conscious before being hypnotised to rape women against their will, though that knowledge is not based on my own experiences.

This is a side issue that we might explore in the future.

Until now I have no memory of ever being in one.

It’s an argument I really don’t want to get involved in so I walk off and leave the others fighting.

I remember I am supposed to be finding someone who can tell me who is in charge of this place.

This is the mission and I am glad the DM is keeping focus.

I come back and find an older woman.

Her face is really distinct, very monkey like, old, withered, and dark tanned. If I had to guess, I would say she was from a southern American tribe of some sort.

She had a really long face, her chin was very angled and she had raised cheekbones. She was wearing what appeared to be a very grubby and ripped shirt – you could see one of her breasts poking through it and a definite tribal skirt.

She was the “mother” of the place; you could tell by the way everyone looked up to her and the younger girls that looked after her fragile body; helping her get up and helping her walk etc.

DM is directed to the entity that is in charge of this amnesia facility. Aside from the appearance, it is an old entity that is very knowledgeable and has been involved in this system for many, many years.

It is not clear if she is a revered inmate, or an administrator. My guess is that she is an inmate.

She started telling me a story – I cant quite remember the details of it, maybe it was how she got captured I don’t know – but I remember it finished with her trying to pronounce a name that she couldn’t properly pronounce.

She is from the earliest days of the first group of inmates to the facility. She has been here in the prison facility the longest.

She said the name was like sasquatch but with a “D” sound at the start and “ahuwy” or “ahuty” at the end Dasquachahuwy Dasquachahuty or something.

This name was in relation to the main antagonist in her story.

I got the impression it was the same one in charge of the volcano facility.

The impression is that the name of the administrator fo the amnesia machinery facility goes by the name Dasquachahuty.

Da-squach-ah-uty

I wondered if she meant Thoth, whose other name is Tahuty.

The eruption all of sudden got much worse. The people seemed to remember what was going on, stopped fighting and started panicking, looking to me for help.

I apologized, telling them I had to leave. Shortly thereafter I woke up.

My previous memories of this place:

Some background information.

I have a memory of coming here and having to infiltrate it via the top of the volcano.

There is some kind of rappelling system that takes you to the top of the rock.

Suggestive of others that have tried to manually infiltrate the facility.

It is a mountain of sorts that is very barren and of a black rock that stretches for miles in every direction.

It is very similar to Mordor out of the Lord of the Rings movies.

The trees don’t become apparent until you get to closer to the crater.

It is very, very large.

At the top of the crater, in this particular experience, it is heavily guarded and there is some sort of machinery littered about; it feels very similar to a mine site.

Heavily guarded is indicative of prior incursions being monitored, noted and the area reinforced with guards and corrections officers.

I remember watching a line of people being marched down from the rappelling system into the crater by the guards in a single file. The diameter of the crater is several kilometres across.

It is a big facility, and there is a manual entrance-way. Inmates and others can enter via this methodology rather than just using a portal.

I can’t remember if it was this experience or another one, but I have also explored the same subterranean network before.

There is a lift that takes you most of the way down.

Intel.

You come out in what appears to be a natural lava tube/ cave tunnel. There are concrete steps and a concrete pathway that are built into the ground to make walking around easier.

There are a myriad of steel doors several feet thick that slide open from the middle.

I am fairly certain at the end of this tunnel is a stargate like portal – different to the ones I used to gain access which are spherical and summoned through my own mind.

I believe this is how proper access to this place is gained.

This is serious Intel.

In this past experience I am headed towards this portal, after a similar riot breaks out.

Another recent dream…

I also recently had another dream which I believe is connected to an area close to this place that I think is relevant.

In this dream weird things were going on – I cannot adequately describe it but these weird things are usually a tell for me that I am not having a standard dream.

I was in a train/ mono rail type carriage that would snake around this island, but it would do so by going in and out of different non physical planes.

So in the span of what equated to about 500 meters of train track, you’d go through 5 or 6 different planes.

This suggests ...

[1] A manual "rappelling from the top" access method.
[2] A portal that is special and designed specially. (Perhaps the egress portion of the "tunnel of light".)
[3] This multi-portal dimensional "train". Perhaps this is the "egress portion of the tunnel of light".

As well as...

[5] The portal technique DM has been using now and previously.

I remember talking to someone “important” on this train.

They were talking very specifically about when the “simulation is turned off and what to expect”; everyone on earth would be given a special  “document” that would brief them on the next part of the operation.

I could not tell if this was a good or bad thing.

From my particular vantage point I could see the volcano Island in the background separated by a few kilometers of water. There seemed to be some sort of glass like structure erected around it which I believe was used for cloaking purposes. This glass structure consisted of many rectangular panels that had been arranged at oblique angles to each other. It could very well have been an entirely separate building at the edge of the island.

Sort of like the island in the movie "Free Guy" eh?

Scene from “Free Guy”. The area shielded from view.

Conclusions

Breaking down as follows…

We see that DM has observed the “amnesia complex”.

  • There are four entrances that DM identified.
  • One of which is probably the egress section from the “Tunnel of Light”.
  •  DM met one of the first people who be imprisoned at the facility.
  • She game him a “key”; a “name”, or a “clue”.
  • This “key” is Da-squach-ah-uty.
  • The fact that there is a torture area in the deepest levels of the facility suggests either…
    • That there is a “Hell” or “Pugatory” awaiting certain visitors through the egress portal. This is a planned portion of the entire prison reincarnation system.
    • Or, the deeper levels were “add ons” to the complex at a later time, implying that others have taken the system and modified it for their own personal amusements.
  • This area is still functioning. However, it is having operational problems.
  • The operational problems could be catastrophic.
  • The corrections officers are on station, but the administration functions seem to be “off line” or “elsewhere”.

 fifth.eschaton related comments

  • Joe Rogan represented XXXXXXX
  • Chuck Norris represented YYYYYYYY
  • A ritual involving humiliation.
  • Humiliation is the point.
  • Once the person completes the humiliation they are listened to / respected.
  • The humiliation sequence is a purging experience to create a new kind of person.
  • A different kind of entity enters the programming environment and upsets the entire process.
  • Those that had previously accepted the programming now question it.
  • A trigger phrase or event occurred and the participants were released from their programming.
  • The Programmers are upset and the observer is ejected.

As I read this, it appears that the Prison system has become some kind of “system of change” of the entities. The inmates accept the changes and go along with the changes.

Then a new entity enters the picture. This is unexpected and upsets the previous status quo. They change everything. An event or trigger phrase occurs and the programming is interrupted.

Those that control the programming are angry and eject the observer.

Combined comparisons

Both Intel suggest that there is a long established system. That it is undergoing change due to an interruption. The purpose of this system is established as part of the “Prison Complex” methodology of Punishment/reward.

Do you want more?

You can find many more videos in my “The Domain Action Articles” over here…

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Task callout related to the “Old Empire”, the “Prison Complex”, and the behaviors of evil, greedy and selfish individuals.

One thing that I have learned over the decades was the interpretation of  signals from the EBP and ELF constellation. While I am functionally retired from MAJestic, The Domain considers me a forever active asset and I pretty much get a near constant stream of sensory input or data. While there are special events like when I was able to open up dedicated channels to the Commander, most of the signals a “quieter”, not so assaultive on my personal sensibilities.

These “softer” and “quieter” signals are in three “packets” or “groups”.

And I have organized these “groups” into projects, and thus, I have a number of on-going “themes” or projects that I am (supposed) to be working on, I have a regular life and things have to go at my pace. I am a human, not a machine. Anyways, the projects that I am going to launch consist of the following…

  • An article on possible “back doors” to the ‘Prison Planet” established by the “Old Empire”. (That is this article. As well as the request at the end of it.)
  • A series of articles that consist of plans to create a “wish machine” that will beam signals to your mind and greatly accelerate the manifestation of affirmation prayer campaigns. (Basic electrical design engineering based upon some existing “mind control” patents.)
  • A fabrication of the above machine for sale on this MM site. (I’ll design it, I’ll make it. I’ll sell it.) Maybe I will be able to sell three or four units. LOL!

Personally, I am a bit nervous of the creation of a “wish machine”. As it could be dangerous in the “wrong hands” and be used to affect the thinking of others. As long as it is just provided here on this site, and the vast majority of the MM readership are STO sentience, I feel relatively comfortable that it will not be used for ill or selfish intent.

Let’s start with this Article – Profiting from the Prison Planet system

Given the nature of the “Old Empire” as described in “Alien Interview”, it seems obvious that there would be entities / individuals there who would have tried to profit from the “Prison Complex” system. Just like there are many, many people who are profiting from the various prison complexes in the United States today.

For instance,  in the American prison system, you have wealthy oligarchs that profit from…

  • Being the sole supplier for commissary supplies.
  • Corrections officers stealing supplies, using trucks for personal use etc.
  • Corrections officers supplying contraband goods to the inmates.
  • Free labor at work-shops and factories.
  • Free labor by the Hard Labor Squads.

And so on and so forth.

We know, from “Alien Interview”, that the “Old Empire” was corrupt and practiced cannibalism, and held “gladiator style” sports. It would not be unreasonable to expect that some of these attributes of “pleasures” could somehow be used in part of the massive “Prison Complex”.

Granted that this is a very large kind of prison and it has a completely unique system, I would have to argue that the systems used to profit from this “Prison Complex” would somehow revolve around the torturing and amusement of the inmates, or in the selling of “vacation packages” to wealthy individuals.

Trigger article

This train of thought was inspired by an MM reader who submitted this following article for perusal. Key trigger phrases are in BLUE.

From HERE.

Some of you may be familiar with the interview I conducted with a man I met who experienced a Demiurge during his near death experience.

Here is some very interesting feedback I received from a woman who also had a near death experience. She claims to be able to access the akashic records and verifies what he is saying. This is from the email I received on December 16, 2017:

"Dear Mr. Bush, 

Good day!

Just this morning, whilst seeking an IANDS group which might meet closer to me than Culver City, CA.I happened upon your Interview.

I see you have a website: Tricked By The Light.  I have not read it as yet.

Although I concur!  I have been putting up installments of my most unusual phalanx of paranormal and hideous experiences on Wattpad - just to leave some sort of record, in case I wound up "disappeared."

Indeed, my hard drive was stolen - and once my friend's son gave me a laptop and downloaded the contents of an external hard drive I had hidden behind my bookcase - (unnoticed by the thieves), said laptop went Kerplooey.    So my friend's son worked for weeks to salvage the contents of my original desktop and did so, most admirably.

The only other stories I have read which in many ways reflect my own experiences in my home at 1926 Parksley Ave, Baltimore, MD are the books of Reverend Bill Bean ("Dark Force") and Bill Scott ("When Satan Came Calling").

While it is easy to attribute the terrifying events of the last 14 years to "ghosts" and "haunting" and "demons" - alas, there were also some ex-Military persons involved - one of whom I met.  You may, or may not know MANY Satanists and Occultists routinely interface with Lower Astral Entities (demons) and enslave them, as well. This is ancient knowledge.

All that to say - your Guest who saw a Demiurge was telling the truth. I know him by another name.

Due to my unexpected and certainly astonishing experiences, I began to research anything and anyone and read all articles, web pages, books et al, which might have helped me. I was disabled, nearly bedridden and out of my mind with fear. My children all lived in other states, trying to work and raise children. No one believed me. So I stopped at nothing to arrive at the truth.

I was a plain, old-fashioned Lutheran Grandmother - nada special about me.

I knew absolutely nothing about Souls, God Source, Karmic Contracts, "heaven/hell" - Karma, Life Reviews, Earth School, Reincarnation, Life Movies, etc.

Zero.

Suddenly, in the middle of the horror, my memories of Near Death Experience(s) returned.

I prayed for death daily, anyway, so ghastly were my experiences, I certainly did NOT need those memories - and all the "gifts with a razor blade attachment" Aftereffects an NDE can provide.

So now - I see Past, Present and Future Lives, Life Before and Between Lives, Souls creating the films for their "Lives,"  Discussing and rehearsing "roles" (which Soul is going to play which "part") "taste-testing" Karmic Intersections (they can actually jump in and out of their character at important Karmic Intersections (US being the "characters") so they'll remember them, going to the Programming Center for their "Programmed Prompts" (sometimes called Guideposts) and I see these as movies - snapshots, trailers - and indeed, when people asked me where I got the ideas for my stories and paintings, I told them all I had to do was watch the "little movie" and copy it.


My art class friend patted me on the shoulder and said, "Guin, no one else sees the little movies."

I was aghast! I've seen all that Programmed CRAP all my so-called Human Life!

I've read Dr. Newton's books, Dr. Weiss's books and everything else you can imagine. At least I got SOME relief and assistance from PMH Atwater, herself a triple NDEr.

They are all partly programmed to spread propaganda.

I live EVERY DAY with a transparent-appearing overlay - as I had it explained to me - a side effect of an open Third Eye.  This overlay is more of the "Game Plan" and "Life Lessons" and even film clips of WHO'S COMING NEXT in my "life movie.” This is on top of what my normal human eyes see. 

I became clairvoyant, clairsentient, clairaudient - a MOST reluctant medium. However, unless the person is involved in my life, I won't know anything about them.  I try to ignore ANY medium crap. I hate it.

My children asked me NOT to tell them what I see about their lives.

My life is HELL.  Hell. It is hard to function when you can SEE your future! And it plays out as you can see it!

You are right on the money, m'friend. We have ALL been deceived.  Souls care nothing for us - some Light Beings, eh? They call us "Host Bodies and Host Vehicles” and program and manipulate the woo hoo out of us!

Stewart Swerdlow was a Lot of help to me. I am one of MANY school children chosen for Mind Control Experiments back in the 60s. We are usually killed off when the Mind Control begins to fragment or wear off - around age 50.

So that is what happened to me- almost.

I am still alive and telling my tale. SO glad to find your website.

I remember "Class" and "Teacher-Guides" and "Soulmates" and the entire shebang. Don't buy that Lesson crap. We are HUMAN and don’t need but one lesson - we have the Body and Human Brain and we can cancel those "Life Contracts" . . . "Life Plans" whatever.

Trust me, what happened at my former home should NEVER happen to ANY being, human or nonhuman.

Because I did not die - my phone, cell, computer, snail mail were all hacked. No one ever got my phone calls. Or emails. They were all answered by hired folk who probably had no idea why they were being paid to do so. I've had people I did NOT know walk up to me in a grocery store and talk about the very subjects I'd just discussed with one of my few friends the day before - on the PHONE.

Excuses about Karma don't move me. I am a nice person and most people are. Souls don't like us and many don't even know how to operate us. I am disgusted that not one Guide will come down here and console me for what occurred . . . and explain it, or show me love or consideration.

Here is how it works: They are told it is a School or Game. The Game on The Limitation Plane.  Earth School. One-third of our lives WE are asleep. They are not veiled and that is play time, the creeps.

We are NOT Souls. Only part of our consciousness is their consciousness. I found my Soul to be unlike me and set up a rather vengeful retaliation program. Gotta love the Programming part, eh? What a crock!  Well, we can also undo a lot of that programming, Stewart Swerdlow tries to help people do that all the time.

The Demiurge in fact DOES have to do what he does - I know him all too well. There is a balance which MUST be kept, It IS his Game. It was never meant to be.  

He has copies of Akashic Records, which can be taken out JUST LIKE NETFLIX and he sticks poor Souls in various characters and THEY are forced to lead lives of HELL, not to mention he puts some of his "demons" (negative polarity beings) in the roles of people who were supposed to be Helpful, or a Soulmate or a Friend or a Karmic Intersection meant to allow us to teach a lesson, etc.  

Just the opposite will occur.  Those intersections will be terrible. Mine were obvious! I just deconstructed my entire Life Plan in Baltmore.

The Game has been hacked, in other words.  Akashic Records are NOT safe and inviolate.  

The Demiurge's name is "Maratona."  Call him that. He HATES it.  Maratona's Armada!  (Satan's Army)

You know what they call us? "Marionette Amore!"  "Love Puppets."

He can mess with us any which way he pleases. Yes, we can cancel the contracts ALL SOULS MUST MAKE WITH HIM or they cannot Game here. Think Holo-video Game. We already have this coming in the Human World. 

Why doubt it exists? The entire world is a Holographic Universe (Universal Games) and "Source" is NOT "All That Is.”  Those Hollywood movies are SO obvious, too!

Souls trapped in one of those "Games" are in a Life Movie already lived by other Souls. They claim they are using those Lives as Video Instructions. B.S.  

They get ENERGY out of OUR SUFFERING.  Period! 

The poor human "characters" have NO CLUE why "life sucks and then you die," "most men live lives of quiet desperation."  Guess why!

I pray for DEATH, I tell you. Rod Sterling cannot beat THIS story. Your Soul is your WORST enemy!  The Light is only a frequency of vibration which FEELS GOOD to Souls, so they are taught that is “love” and Souls are often Firefly Entities. Why would they care about us?

was one.  They are impossible to understand.  And I am pretty darn good at communicating with them!

We cannot think the way they do.  It is not possible. We have short lives!

Man has been messed with for ages. Now they have the Internet. Our lives are ALL scripted, filmed, rehearsed, reviewed, previewed, you-name-it.

We can break the Game. I keep trying. Everything is MIND. All of it. 

I HATE "The Light" - because they OWE me an explanation of what happened to me at my legally owned home - so awful and malevolent and sadistic I had to move and auction off all my stuff! If it were not for my daughter I'd be dead now.

I was dead. Dead. Dead for good.  Not a true NDE. Dead.

I went back to a Space Station and watched The Life Review. All Aliens. Stewart thought they might be Andromedans. "I" was infuriated because I did not finish a painting of my daughters.  (American Beauties)

There was a meeting at an oval table. A bunch of beings were present. Each had a copy of the new Script. Many Beings did NOT want my Soul to return. She argued with them, LOUDLY.  

She must have won - I see she is sitting with a Military HUMAN man and working on her Lesson Plan. He spent a lot of time with her.

She got back into my body - problem!  Time had passed. Since I keep detailed diaries, I knew something was not right!  I don’t know how much time had passed. There is NO TIME, as we perceive it.

Our lives and all Timeline Options and Possible/Probables are filmed. That is the Labyrinth your Guest called by another name.  If you marry June instead of Andrea, THIS AND THIS will manifest. And so on.

Guess what? I SEE THOSE MOVIES, TOO! All the time, every day.  The good side is my ability to do so has saved my life a couple of times!

I feel like I have lived this entire life before. I can tell you, the chances are very good that I have, or some other Soul has “played” me. No way to tell.

I recognize entire neighborhoods, tell you what I was, used to do, who lived where. When I look up those houses on Zillow, they are in pre-foreclosures or Foreclosure! There is literally NO ONE to ask if I am correct or the time period in question. Definitely another life.

Before 2006 I did NOT believe in Reincarnation.

I HATE The Light. I HATE their Game. I HATE their “God.” Love and Light? NOT EVEN. NOT FOR MANKIND!

I can see Astral Activity, including how Guides let Souls know the next series of “Prompts” for their Game!  I have learned to discern just about any Being, and it all is soooooo not who I am!!

I always knew what I wanted to do with my life. And winding up a Lab Rat for the Dark Military was NOT on MY human agenda.

A human man not only programmed me, I can see he teaches the Dark Energy entities in some sort of Grade School out in the Astral. Light Beings are simply taught on a different frequency domain.

How ungodly AWFUL can this get???

Maratona is actually a monster - (Satanists describe him very well. He manifests as a 30-ish Blond, Curly-headed Angelic Man, VERY tall, not old and white-haired) - I harass him all the time. I don’t care one whit if they kill me. I am afraid ONLY that the military men involved, who know I am well aware they are hooked into the Astral via an antenna (the military has worked on that for YEARS) and one of them is the Interface for human/alien relations, not to mention a rapist, torturer, Satanist and murderer, will get their mitts on my human bod!  Torture is their specialty.

Aliens? Craft? I can tell you boodles about them. EVERYWHERE.  

Mankind can only perceive on a VERY limited “channel” if you will.

Yes, DRAMA!  Maratona means “Marathon.”  

Stewart once suggested it was like SURVIVOR. That is right! And a Reality TV show!

A Production Company! That is what those Akashic Records are! Like Netflix!

I kid thee not!  Souls do not sleep. They live in a place of No Time, No Space. They LOVE computer Games! I mean LOVE them!  Some part of Ourselves is up there, jacking us around like Avatars.

I have been doing drawings for years. I even drew a chessboard which has some meaning for Souls- and which I never understood.  It is disgusting.

Souls don’t have to go back to The Light, but they’d better be nimble, better be quick. If you die that Guide is RIGHT THERE.

If Maratona wasn’t such a booger I’d stay with him. He does not make you incarnate!  Master Guides LOVE to torture Souls in a human body!  The human body HURTS.  It is how they punish and punish and punish for every little infraction!

Man, you name it - it has been done to me. A regular old Grammy with 7 Grandchildren. That’s all there is to me.

There are Angels!  Incredible Beings! Thank Someone!

My understanding is Yahweh is the Principal of the School and Developer of the Game.  There are many, many Souls who can design planets, even worlds.

Any American School kid can halfway design an Avatar and World, for Goodness’ sake!

This is a piece of my ghastly story. My heart went out to your Guest.

This is Satan’s Game. Absolutely.  I go bother him (in Spirit) all the time.  We called him Satan because he was such a BRAT when he was young.

Enki nothing!  That is Marduk! And the Anunnaki were nothing more than PEOPLE from another Dimension trying to help Mankind. Just people! They had longer lives but they died like everyone else.

I can teach you how to view one of Enki’s programs, if you like.

I tell everyone my name. I am not hiding behind any Mask! 

I’ll tell you who the Military men are and the Spiritual Guru (*rolls Eyes*) who actually programs Human Beings to do the will of Souls - they try to over-ride our brains all the time!  I’ll just put their names in another email.

The emotion-laden text threw out some very interesting concepts that I highlighted in BLUE. Which suggested that there are those that use the “Prison Complex” as some sort of GAME. Or who also use it like recreational MOVIES.

I do NOT think that this “Prison Complex” was intended to be a GAME or a source of amusement like MOVIES. But I do believe that over the centuries that a kind of illegal “black market” arose and that others have been using the “Prison Complex” to do exactly that.

Systems used to profit from

As best as I can figure, there are those, whether part of the “Old Empire” or from somewhere else that have constructed some kinds of systems inside the “Prison Complex” from which to profit from. And as far as I can see these systems fall into one or two general categories;

  • A “First Person Shooter” GAME. Where an entity pays for the privilege to live on the Earth as a human and experience all the sensory pleasures or discomfort that goes along with that experience.
  • A torture MOVIE. Here, the entities have somehow hijacked the pre-birth world-line template creation system. They establish one to fit the desires and fantasies of the entities that pay for a “good show”, and the hapless consciousness is convinced that it must experience the pains and the sorrows laid out for them. The entities that paid for this pre-birth world-line template then sit and watch the events unfold for the sorry human that is convinced that it must endure these disruptions and horrors.

Backdoors

Unless something happened…

  • The Prison Administration “bailed out”, and left.
  • The Prison System has been taken over, and corrupted by very malevolent entities.

It seems to me that there MUST be some kind of “backdoor” that enables these self-serving for-profit entities to corrupt the Prison System for their own purposes.

In cybersecurity, a backdoor is anything that can allow an outside user into your device without your knowledge or permission. Backdoors can be installed in two different parts of your system:

Hardware/firmware. Physical alterations that provide remote access to your device.

Software. Malware files that hide their tracks so your operating system doesn’t know that another user is accessing your device.

A backdoor can be installed by software and hardware developers for remote tech support purposes, but in most cases, backdoors are installed either by cybercriminals or intrusive governments (like the United States) to help them gain access to a device, a network, or a software application.

Any malware that provides hackers access to your device can be considered a backdoor — this includes rootkits, trojans, spyware, cryptojackers, keyloggers, worms, and even ransomware.

If there is a “backdoor”, then we can come to the conclusion that the “backdoor” was put there intentionally by one or more of…

  • The architects  of the “Prison Complex”.
  • The administration of the “Prison Complex”.
  • A technologically advanced society (not the “Old Empire”) that exploited the prison system intentionally.
  • Some kind of dimensional / universe malware.

The advantages of LD talent

Those that have the important ability to LD (Lucid Dream) are in a unique position to reconnoiter towards this end.

It would be a reconnaissance mission.

In military operations, reconnaissance or scouting is the exploration of an area by military forces to obtain information about enemy forces, terrain, and other activities. 

Examples of reconnaissance include patrolling by troops (skirmishers, long-range reconnaissance patrol, U.S. Army Rangers, cavalry scouts, or military intelligence specialists), ships or submarines, manned or unmanned reconnaissance aircraft, satellites, or by setting up observation posts. 

Espionage is usually considered to be different from reconnaissance, as it is performed by non-uniformed personnel operating behind enemy lines.

-Wikipedia

And if you want to be specific, it is purely espionage. As the LD asset is an inmate in general population.

I can tell you that doing so is very important, and would be greatly appreciated by The Domain.  Though, I must caution everyone that LD travel is not to be taken lightly. Dangers abound. I also do not know what the LD asset would discover, or what surprises await them. But I am ABSOLUTELY CONVINCED that they would like some talented assets to volunteer for this task.

To be brutally honest, this is an OFFICIAL REQUEST for a volunteer. It is direct request via EBP from The Domain.

As I understand it, it is only something that can be done by an inmate with a strong ability to this end. And that this specific type of mission WILL encounter unknowns and if the person encounters any kinds of dangers, they are to retreat and regroup.

It’s just a “fact finding” mission.

And, for what ever it is worth, they have certain people in mind for this action, and consider them to be very important and valuable assets that must be protected at all costs. (I am to repeat and underline this last sentence.) They are very important and must be protected at all costs.

Mission parameters

For starters…

  • This is a volunteer activity, and there is no dishonor in refusal.

And then,

  • You absolutely not reveal who you are or what you are doing.
  • You must not engage any subject entities that you encounter. You observe.

The specific tasks are…

  • You must identify [1] if there are others, who are not part of the “old empire” prison complex, that are involved in selection of pre-birth world-line template selection and layout.
  • You must identify [2] if there are others, who are not part of the “old empire” prison complex, that are using the collected memories or records of memories of other humans for anything other than the original stated purposes.

Reporting and dissemination.

  • No matter what your opinions are, you must report what you experience.
  • You are to report your findings, no matter how disjointed or confused, and include your associations and thoughts and ideas regarding them. (Some results might be disturbing or distasteful, but you must report everything.)
  • MM will publish your findings.

Finally,

  • You must vocalize permissions to allow The Domain to observe your operations. You may place restrictions on how they observe and time limitations or windows if that is your desire.

Please kindly know and realize that possession of a EBP would “blow your cover” and thus it is impossible for you to be implanted at this time for this role. Thus this request follows this procedural venue. Finally, there is no dishonor in refusal. The Domain realizes just how seriously dangerous this mission activity is.

Conclusion

It seems that there must be “backdoors” to the “Prison Complex”.  Exploiting those backdoors would enable some rapid transformation of this sentience nursery from a Prison Planet to something else and far easier to manage.

The only people who can find out the details of such a system are talented LD assets, and in asking them to do so, they must deal with entities that have access to all of their memories and are not handicapped by amnesia.

I do not think that any of them (those using the backdoors) are anticipating espionage but the request to view this aspect of the Prison Complex is very important and comes direct from the administrator of the operation charged with the clearing of the Prison System field.

Do you want more?

You can find many more videos in my “The Domain Action Articles” over here…

The Domain

.

Articles & Links

Master Index

.

  • You can start reading the articles by going HERE.
  • You can visit the Index Page HERE to explore by article subject.
  • You can also ask the author some questions. You can go HERE to find out how to go about this.
  • You can find out more about the author HERE.
  • If you have concerns or complaints, you can go HERE.
  • If you want to make a donation, you can go HERE.

 

[daegonmagus] – Part 8 – Lucid Dreaming Lesson 1: The Lucid Void Space and The Three Meditations

The following is the eighth part from a series of articles describing the adventure that a follower who goes by the handle "daegonmagus" has experienced since reading MM. They are very interesting and fascinating. I hope that you all learn from his journey and maybe learn a thing or two as he relates his unique experiences to the readership here. 

-MM

This particular article is not part of the direct set of articles that are autobiographical in scope and content.

Instead, this article concerns a lesson on how to conduct “Lucid Dreaming” (as a prelude to “Astral Travel”).

Part 8 – Lucid Dreaming Lesson 1: The Lucid Void Space and The Three Meditations

This is part of series of articles in lucid dreaming based off my own experiences and experiments in that area.

What I am attempting to externalise here is something that cannot be described accurately with words, as they need to be experienced to properly understand them.

So others involved in lucid dreaming might have different interpretations. These articles will eventually become the curriculum for my Ordo Occultum Astrum.

It is my goal to provide a proper curriculum for not just lucid dreaming, but strengthening the psyche to better deal with everything one may be exposed to in the dream state.

These articles where part of the task given to me by the leader of the Unseen 5 in which I was to provide the framework to allow others to tap into the power that lucid dreaming can offer.

I don’t want anything in return except for them to be studied from an objective perspective and developed further as I believe humanity can greatly benefit from them.

I would be grateful if you document your experiences and tell me about them, but it is in no way an obligation.

So what is lucid dreaming anyway?

If you are part of any lucid dreaming/ astral projection communities, the “experts” may tell you it is simply the ability to become conscious when you are dreaming.

And that’s about it.

They might tell you can do some cool things like fly around, but in a general sense they don’t seem to offer anything that would seem appealing to those who are not into the subject of the metaphysical.

Depending on which groups you are part of you might be lucky enough to get some tips and tricks on how to trick your mind into realising it is sleeping.

These techniques consist of reality checks and other thought disciplines that will apparently embed your sub consciousness with certain things to make it become conscious during a dream.

While I am not saying that these techniques are complete bullshit, I am going to tell you I am yet to come across anyone on any of these groups speaking of lucid dreaming at a level anywhere near what I know about and have been experimenting with for the past 2 decades.

What I know about lucid dreaming should make the whole world sit up straight, turn their heads and PAY SOME FUCKING ATTENTION.

Anyone who has been following this blog so far knows that I have made some pretty far out claims in regards to what can be achieved whilst lucid. You will inevitably stumble across experts with a lot to tell you on the subject for some sort of recompense.

I am not saying these people are wrong in their assertions or fraudsters out to make a quick buck.

After all, everyone needs to earn a living right? Some of them may actually be beneficial aids to supplement what I have to say.

I honestly don’t have the time or resources to go through them all and tell you what is bullshit and what isn’t.

All I can offer is my own two cents, and my two cents is that lucid dreaming is much, much, MUCH more than just realizing you are dreaming.

Sure this is one aspect of it, but I would relegate such a skill down towards the novice end of the spectrum.

Even if you could consistently “wake yourself up” in the dream state into this knowing, if that is all you could do you would still be missing out on A LOT of what lucid dreaming has to offer.

It is my firm belief that lucid dreaming is the very solution to humanity’s existential crisis.

It is my belief that it is our very evolution point, but unfortunately that this evolution will also take a collective effort. So consider this my part in that effort.

It is far more exciting, in my opinion, to remain conscious whilst undergoing the transition into the sleeping state.

This way you have much better control of dream creation and have access to one of the most important aspects of the mind; what Carl Jung (also a lucid dreamer) called the collective unconscious and what I call the “void space”.

I will state this plainly; all lucid dreaming activities should be carried out with the goal to access and control this void space as much as possible. I cannot over emphasize this.

Why?

Well, according to my experiments, experiences and what was told to me by the leader of the Unseen 5 this void space is directly connected to every consciousness in existence {presided over by the “god consciousness” of the divine creator} and it is being hijacked by non physical entities to keep you “dumb”. I am not meaning to be derogative here.

What I mean is that the average person cannot effectively access their void space and control it because the power it would afford them is too great in the eyes of these non physical hijackers.

This power is a reconnection to what is known as the higher self. And no I am not throwing that term out loosely to woo you with new age speak.

Neither am I implying some sort of epiphany one comes to after spending a few hours meditating on a beach somewhere after doing a bit of yoga.

It is an actual state of awareness far, far, FAR above what you use on a regular basis that can be reached through the art of lucid dreaming. It also takes years of discipline to get there.

Just how powerful is this higher state of awareness I hear you ask?

Well, if you could combine the processing power of every single entity on earth and have them focus on one goal, you would be getting close…..to about 0.000000001 percent of what the higher self is capable of.

For the sake of simplicity, consider it the normal mode of operation for the mind of an advanced ET species.

The same type that know how to build intergalactic space craft capable of bending space time type of advanced.

Excited yet? Good, lets get back to the void space.

I mentioned that the void space is an important part of the consciousness makeup. You can use it to not only create your own dreams, but also to hijack others dreams and tune into telepathic thought processes with seemingly no limit to distance, if my experiences are anything to by.

It is the communication highway of all physical and non physical entities that extend into the 5th dimension.

Think of it like a google translator app that can automatically translate the dialect of non Earth language speaking ETs.

This and much, much more.

It is my intention to supply you with everything I know on accessing and controlling this void space to allow for the communication of “higher” information to trickle down into this dense physical plane.

This was what my task within the Unseen 5 ultimately boils down to, and is what I believe will result in a proper “evolution of human consciousness”.

So you can say I am taking these articles quite seriously. And you get it all for the super low price of absolutely free.

My authority in this subject comes from the fact that I was ordained as master of lucid dreaming by the Elder Guardians – who I assume were the Ascended Masters.

Take it or leave it, I really don’t care.

But understand that I am apparently one of less than a dozen others currently alive on earth that hold such a level of understanding of what is really achievable whilst in this void space.  I developed my abilities to the point that two separate non physical “factions” were able to communicate to me because of it. And they both want me to tell you about it.

I can tell you I have communicated with other non-physical and “dead” entities using it.

I have also used it to remote view through the eyes of an ET entity in a completely different star system to ours. I have used it to “tune” into a conversation with non physical entities and to heal a catastrophic injury to my hand.

You get the picture yet?

All the things you read on psychics, clairvoyants, remote viewers  and scryers and the things they are able to do can be traced back to this void space and its ability to act as an ultra dimensional information receiver.

They just figured out how to “bleed” that information into the physical world, even though most of them probably won’t be able to tell you how. I can describe the whole process to you.

If you will allow me.

Undoubtedly most will call it all bullshit, but how many I wonder will commit themselves to my meditation regime before doing so?

But tapping into all this is further along the spectrum toward the more advanced end. Just like you cannot expect to be able to play a full concerto at your very first piano lesson, one cannot expect to control their void space upon its first access.

Make no doubt about it, this is some very advanced stuff; you need to be intent in the idea it will take you a long time before you get to this level of control. If you think this way, it will actually take a lot less time.

This is something I figured out when learning how to play bass back when I was 13 years old.

A lot of it is trial and error. So I am going to take this in baby steps. I am going to build you up bit by bit so your efforts in lucid dreaming may not be wasted when you finally get there.

I am going to teach you how to master the dream state through the awakened one.

Before we begin I feel we must go through the usual disclaimer. There are obviously dangers inherent in lucid dreaming.

My experiences are suggestive of this, as are the words of the Domain Commander on the subject.

I am not going to tell you it is perfectly safe.

What I am going to say is that I wasn’t in a particular good frame of mind when I met these dangers. This is important because your thoughts and emotions during lucidity have a direct bearing on what you will experience.

You will need to learn to control both if you want penetrate through the dream barrier into other non physical realms.

As you will come to learn, your thoughts and emotions will be the very controller by which you navigate the dream world. If you are too focused on all the shit Hollywood pumps out in the form of “entertainment” you will have a very difficult and likely bad time.

I am not telling you not to watch your favourite movies, just try not to cling on their content too much. Neither am I going to guarantee this will work for everyone. Remember, this is knowledge I gained through years of experiments.

When I first started out, I never had so much as a book to guide me on my ways. I had to fly blind, so to speak, the whole damned way.

If you come across a more efficient way in your own experiments, by all means use it. Just let me know so I can include it in my documentation on this subject. I want this to be an enjoyable experience for everyone , and the easier something is the more enjoyable it is.

The bad shit won’t come until you are able to vanquish it, if you follow everything I lay out before you.

If I do my job properly, it should be like swatting an annoying fly out of your way.

It will be like that startled reaction you get from seeing a poisonous spider, then realising you can just empty a can of Raid on it. No big deal.

Now, for those who are not familiar with either, lucid dreaming crosses the boundary of astral projection.

This boundary is often blurry, so is something I will discuss further along.

Just note that astral projection can be achieved through various states along the lucid dreaming line.  In both instances you detach your consciousness from your body and can use it to explore the non-physical planes.

To simplify things, consider lucid dreaming as being a 4th dimensional hub in which astral projection is but a single branch of possibility coming off that hub {I just got a low pitched ringing in my left ear when writing that}.

Other possibilities include auric projections, which are about a million times more fantastic than astral projections and exist in the 5th dimensional domain. Looking at it this way, you can think of lucid dreaming as a sort of 4th dimensional bridge into the 5th dimension.

An Auric projection is one where you break through the barrier put in place by non physical entities that contains you in a “sleeping state”.

Let that sink in for a while; your entire unconscious dream experience is nothing but a cleverly crafted containment zone to disorientate your consciousness so it doesn’t leave a predetermined 4th dimensional boundary.

The haze of a standard dream state is {seemingly} due to a consciousness doping agent put in place to stop you from waking up into a higher order of reality.

This is all to stop you from realising your soul’s true potential; that you existed in your state of higher awareness before you did incarnated in a physical body. According to mine and my wife’s experiences anyway.

The more you learn to control your dreams the more you develop a resistance to the effects of this containment zone.

You may start remembering things that are uncomfortable.

You may start remembering things that are painful.

But I guarantee that on the other side of that barrier you will come into contact with your higher self and proper “soul memory”.

You will remember yourself as an IS-BE all the way back into the dim mists of time.

You will then realise that all those painful and uncomfortable memories are nothing but illusions. It’s like waking up from a dream and realising it has no actual bearing on who you are now in this present moment. Only the dream is this physical reality you are engaged in.

Before we can get here though, we need to start off with some basics, and that is what this article will be about.

It might be boring.

It might be tedious.

It might be something you relegate to being complete bullshit.

You might think it all has nothing to do with lucid dreaming, but all I am asking is that you trust me. It is my goal to build you back into the strong consciousness that you are, so that you are impervious to these non physical manipulations of your void space.

So, first thing is first.

Go out and buy yourself a blank journal, a working pen, and a triangular pillow. The journal will be used for you to start recording your dreams.

Not just lucid dreams either. Everything you experience whilst in the dream state, you are going to write down in as much detail as you can remember.

Those bits that dangle just out of reach of your memory, you are going to try and force yourself to remember. You are going to keep this journal beside your bed, within arms reach.

If a dream experience is so intense it wakes you up in the middle of the night, you are going to reach for your journal and record all it all down right then and there.

You are NOT going to wait for the morning to do it, because much of the information in your dreams will be lost by the time you properly wake up. You can use a digital journal if you want, but I suggest also having a backup physical copy as well just in case.

There is nothing worse than having a detailed write up of your experiences disappear when the computer it is written on gets stolen or breaks.

Believe me.

This act of dream recording will train your subconsciousness to pay attention to your dreams. Hopefully, after a month or so, you will start to come to the sudden realisation you are dreaming.

One example I remember vividly had to do with my bass guitar. This was a beautiful 5 string bass my father bought me for my 14th birthday.

The body had a nice red coloured wood that was separated by a “rainbow” of different laminates for the neck that ran through all the way to the bridge.

It was a neck through rather than the common bolt on variety. This thing was my pride and joy and I used to “slap” {a funk technique} it into oblivion every time I picked it up.

It’s sound was a perfect mix of tininess for slap and low end hum for the more progressive grooves I’d play. One night I was dreaming I was walking past a swimming pool, and this thing was just lying on the ground next to it.

Without thinking I just randomly picked it upand threw it into the middle of the swimming pool. It was just so spontaneous it made me stop and pay attention.

As it sunk to the bottom of the pool, I thought to myself, “Hang on a minute, I would never do this to my bass. This must be a dream”. It was enough to snap me out of the hypnosis that I was dreaming.

I cannot remember exactly what I did after that, but I know it involved creating a much better and more exciting dream of my own choosing. Aim for this same spontaneity to snap you “awake” in the dream state, but control your excitement or it will completely wake you up.

Try experimenting with things that have a sentimental value and spontaneous thoughts that equate to something you would never do to such an artefact.

Throw that wedding ring into Mount Doom, shave your head completely bald. Think of doing something outrageous that will make you stop and think WTF.

Triangular pillows are pillows that form a not quite 90 degree corner. Apparently a lot of old people use them. I scored mine off my grandfather after he passed away from lung cancer when I was 9.

I get that everyone has their own sleeping comforts. Certain mattress preferences. One pillow, two pillow preferences etc. You might not like triangular pillows.

They might be something you consider as being uncomfortable.

I am sorry to tell you that there is a certain degree of uncomfortable you will need to get used to if you want to properly lucid dream. This is one of them. Ok so maybe they are not essential, but I believe they will help significantly.

The reason for this is based on my own observations and positions I would wake up in immediately after a lucid dream.

These positions I would then experiment with to induce lucidity and they actually worked.

The triangular pillow, I have found, allows your head to rest in the exact “right” position which would be a space gap if you tried putting two standard pillows together.

Did I mention it is going to be uncomfortable? It will take some time to build up getting used to this lucid dreaming pose. But more on that later.

Also have a sheet or blanket that you only use for lucid dreaming. Use it every time you are going to consciously try, and put it away when you are not.

This tip comes from a Native American who suggests you will be imbuing such a blanket with specific “dream energy” that will build up and ultimately help induce it.

So now you’ve got your pillow and journal, you are all set to go to sleep and try and wake up in the dream right?

Wrong.

Whilst other self proclaimed experts will tell you to go right ahead, I am going to bore you with some other things first. Remember I have a responsibility to build your skills slowly. This includes preparing you mentally for what you might experience.

Allow me to take a bit of a detour and tell you about what I call my Leverian Theology.

The Leverian Theology is a system of thought I developed back when I was studying both electronics and occult subjects side by side.

I began noticing certain similarities in both curriculums which led me to believe that “no thoughts are entirely belonging to the mind that thought them”.

It was my belief that all thoughts were derivations of higher celestial mechanics that had in parts been “remembered” by the consciousness developing them.

All inventions, I supposed came about by the inventor sub consciously accessing a non physical energy matrix {the void space/ collective unconscious}  and tapping into cosmological mechanics that were already there to begin with.

Thus I assumed that by taking current technological models, and following them from finish to start, one could develop a functional model by which to unravel and understand complex cosmological concepts.

While the actual model is not important, what is important is that one has a way to categorise their thoughts, especially when it comes to lucid dreaming and meditation.

The reason is that when you receive higher information, it doesn’t always come in the form you would expect.

It doesn’t tend to come through all at once either. If you wish to master lucid dreaming, you need to have a system by which to sort your thoughts.

You can then figure out the overall function of one piece of information in relation to the rest.

When more information starts coming in, you can bring up this overall function rather than trying to go back and remember the whole other experiences in totality.

In my case, my Leverian Theology acted as a sort of filing system to deal with the information I was receiving. This is the true secret to being able to properly develop advanced lucid dreaming and meditation abilities.

Again I am yet to come across anyone bothering to mention such a significant aspect. That doesn’t mean they don’t exist, only that I specifically haven’t found them.

The categorisation of thought is one of the most crucial aspects to meditation and lucid dreaming, in my opinion. Later, we are going to delve into a very well known system of thought categorisation called the Kabbalistic Tree of Life.

This will deal with the alchemical aspects of mental preparation on reconnecting with the higher self.

But while we are on the subject of meditation, let’s talk about the meditative practices needed to achieve proper lucid awareness of the dream state.

I am going to give you three meditations I suggest practicing.

You might have your own meditations that work for you. By all means, continue to use them. The three meditations I am going to give, however, are specifically for lucid dreaming purposes.

They are designed to build specific disciplines required to properly induce lucidity, based on my own observations. Essentially what you are going to be doing is learning how to remain “still”, both physically and mentally. This is not a lightweight task.

What you effectively need to be doing is becoming your own psychoanalyst. You need to learn how to “catch” your thoughts as they arise, observe them objectively and trace their origins.

If you are one who meditates regularly, then there is no need to dedicate even more time to these.

Just include them as part of your already established regime. For those who are not big on meditating much, try doing them at night when you are in bed with your eyes closed.

The First Meditation, Visualisation:

The first step to gaining control of your void space is to practice visualisation. When I was a kid I had this weird scenario that would pop up from time to time.

It ended up becoming somewhat of a visualisation practice because it drove me fucking crazy. I’d just randomly have this thought of someone running on a roof and jumping off onto a car bonnet {what you guys in America call the hood}. It wasn’t even a very big height either.

Like a couple of metres at most. The thing was though, my brain would distort the physics of the scenario. Every time this person would land on the bonnet, they would crush it and the car would pivot like they were jumping on a see saw.

It was reminiscent of how the Hulk would crush something by jumping on it from a low height.

The reason it drove me crazy was because I knew it was an impossibility. And it totally fucked with the movie in my head of this guy doing cool parkour tricks.

I don’t know why this thought would appear – maybe it was something I saw on a cartoon or something – but it was consistent enough for me to remember it more than a decade later.

Now, the problem I was having is that I could not visualise this person not crushing the car and following a more proper path as defined by physics.

It took me quite a long time before I was able to counter this silly little scenario that would often pop up as I lay in bed trying to fall asleep. I actually felt a great sense of relief when I could watch that guy run along the roof, jump on the car and continue in his act of parkour.

It is silly I know, but I am sure everyone can relate to similar scenarios that consume their thoughts at the best of times. It also gives us a good idea of what to expect whilst in the dream state. It gives us a very real glimpse into how hard the void space can be to control.

When you are lucid and operating in the void space, you do not see the things the same as you see in physical reality.

There is no physical horizon for you to set your sights upon.

Instead you are swarmed by imagery that lays dormant in your sub consciousness.

If you focus on any of this imagery it has a tendency to become more vivid and solidify in the form of a dream or a disruption.

Hence why if you cannot learn to control this imagery, you will not be able to regain proper control of your void space. Period.

So what I want you to do is to include this visualisation practice in your meditations: picture a single orange resting in a bowl on your kitchen counter. Now imagine you can see the orange in explicit detail.

I want to you mentally zoom up close to it and really see the texture of the skin. Now try moving to the opposite side and picture some sort of blemish.

As you get good at holding a vivid, high definition picture of the orange in your mind, try adding more fruit to the bowl. Start scanning through all of them like you are watching a movie. Once you get good, experiment with different scenarios taking place.

If you are sore, mentally try to zoom in to where your ailment is, going through biological layer after layer and shining white light on a single atom.

Imagine this light reflects off every other atom in a chain reaction until you are bathed in a cloud of light.

This is a healing technique supposedly used by St Germaine by the way – I can tell you it works if your visualisation practices are strong enough.

The idea is to train your mind to be able to conjure up its own images, and not rely on whatever media left an impression on your sub consciousness.

You can’t let that scenario equivalent to mine with the guy doing Hulk parkour with its altered physics win.

The Meditation of Silence of Thought:

The next meditation is designed to “un-hypnotise” you.

What’s that you say?

You aren’t hypnotised? Sorry to tell you but you live in a world full of advertising. Turn on the TV or go for a quick drive and tell me you are not being blasted by an advertisement every 5 seconds.

If you live in a rural community I might believe you.

How long before you make your way past one though? Let’s cut the bullshit and tell it for what it is. All advertising is brainwashing, and all brainwashing is forced hypnotism.

Still don’t believe me?

Do me a favour and next time you get an urge for a Big Mac and cheese or a Bud light ask yourself why you got it.

Don’t just ask yourself, trace the thought and pin point exactly what it was that made you think you wanted one. Not just the easy answer of “I was hungry”.

I want you to trace the whole pathway of your thought and why it was you chose a Big Mac and cheese over a Subway 6 inch. Was choice even involved in the equation?

You’ll probably find that you can’t pin point the exact moment that thought took hold. It was just sort of there in the back of your mind, then when your hunger instinct kicked in the thought took charge of “you”.

Now start doing it with all of your thoughts. I want you to catch every single thought you have, remove yourself to a third person perspective and start analysing them objectively.

I want you to ask yourself why it is you like that certain brand of car over all others.

Why you like that certain football team out of all the rest.

Why you find people that wear body piercings and tattoos distasteful. All those thoughts that are heavily ingrained into you and have the potential to make you choose one thing over another.

All those things that have the potential to make you make serious life choices.

Anything which will lead you to have a heavy emotive reaction to a situation. Everything. You are no longer allowed to just react to situations on autopilot.

Though when you inevitably do, I want you to ask yourself why you reacted that way. Do these thoughts belong to you, or are they a part of a family or social “tradition” that has been handed down to you through cultural biasing. You will be surprised how many thoughts are not actually “yours”.

Once you start catching these thoughts, try experimenting with neutralising them with their polar opposites.

When there is a “gnawing feeling” that you should react a certain way, take a breath and just observe it passively.

The human mind has a myriad of triggers that professionals have learnt how to push and prod. Unfortunately for you, they don’t stop being pushed just when an advertisement has run its course through your head.

This is how you learn how to deactivate them. By doing so you will be teaching yourself to be less prone to manipulation whilst in the void space.

You will strengthen your psychological disposition towards dealing with whatever the dream state throws at you. This is a big part of what occult philosophy is about.

This meditation will then extend into vanquishing the inner monologue in your head. That voice and imagery inside your head at bed time that tends to trail off and lead you down a road of sheer randomness.

Effective lucid dreaming and astral projection comes from finding a way to completely vanquish those thoughts.

When you lie there in bed try focusing on the sound of your breathing and nothing else. It takes some practice but eventually you should be able to notice those distracting thoughts as they arise and refocus on your breathing.

To strengthen this thought vanquishing practice, do yourself a favour and next time you attend a speaking session with someone at a podium in front of a crowd, just sit and observe.

Try to remain in one position and take in your whole surroundings without moving your eyes or your head. Watch how people react to the speaker and try and pin point those reactions that are subconscious ones. Keep your eyes open for as long as possible without blinking.

If done properly this should put you in a trance like state, and your surroundings will become extremely vivid.

Pay attention to your thoughts and take note of any that seem to “scream” at you from seemingly nowhere. What you are doing is tuning into the void space whilst in an awakened state, and preparing yourself for the next meditation.

The Meditation of Stillness of the Body:

This is where things begin to get uncomfortable. And I mean that literally. This meditation builds upon the still position used to induce a trance like state. It is, in my opinion, the most important practice one must master if they want to be able to remain conscious through the transition into the sleeping state. One should try going to bed before they reach a noticeable state of fatigue.

To begin with you are going to take up a comfortable position, and you are going to lie there for as long as possible unmoving. The idea is to build up the length of time you can remain unmoving.

Keep trying for just a little bit longer every time you practice it.

The key is not move even through every annoying itch and twitch your body goes through. Your goal should be to build up to being able to lie unmoving for at least an hour or more.

The annoyingness at the situation should actually benefit you by keeping you awake.  If you can keep yourself awake, you will begin to notice that after awhile, everything starts to become “numb”.

For me, my arms are usually the first the go. This is the preliminary stage to sleep paralysis, or what is known as the hypnagogic state in astral projection circles (the line between the two is very blurry).

The numbness is your consciousness preparing to disengage from the body.  It is from here you can either induce an astral projection or conscious transition into the void space. but not before going through sleep paralysis.

Alas these are subjects which require a whole article themselves, so for now just keep practicing these meditations as they will prepare you for the next phase where the fun really starts to begin. After a month you should start being better prepared for these next stages of lucid dreaming.

Ah. this is enough for now. There's a lot of "meat" to absorb here. Soak it in. Enjoy it, and soon enough part 9 will be posted. Best Regards. -MM

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Why the “Old Empire” Prison system is like a massive geode and where do we all fit in regarding it

This article consists of my explanation of what our “universe”; the “Reality universe” otherwise known and the MWI, actually is. And while in many ways, it resembles the science fiction movie “The Matrix” it is far more cunning, with far more serious implications. And this article discusses those implications. For here, we will get into the basic overlying general construction of this Prison Complex.

Those of you who are long time readers of MM know what I am talking about about. New comers, well, you’ll probably get lost fairly early on. Sorry about that. this is an advanced subject.

The basic construction of everything

We live inside of an artificial construct.

Being inside of this “thing”; this environment distorts our understanding of reality. It distorts our thinking and our ability to fully comprehend what is actually going on.

We call this place where we live as “our universe”.

And inside of it, we describe the operation of it as “the MWI”. Or multiple world theory.

And that is all we know. We know nothing about what lies outside of our reality. We do not know what lies outside of our universe.

Then it is “The Matrix”?

Well, kind of.

When a beautiful stranger leads computer hacker Neo to a forbidding underworld, he discovers the shocking truth--the life he knows is the elaborate deception of an evil cyber-intelligence.

Most MM readers will know what “The Matrix” is. It is a science fiction movie that says that all of what we know of, see and believe, is an elaborate computer simulation, and we are “plugged into it”.

An overly LARGE Synopsis for those who never watched the movie (they do exist, you know) …

The Matrix begins with a squad of police officers surrounding a building where they believe a computer hacker by the name of Trinity is currently hiding. A mysterious group of “agents” show up and chastise the police commander for not waiting for them before entering the building, due to the dangerous nature of their suspect.

We then jump inside where Trinity takes down a squad of police officers before going on the run from the “agents”, across the roof tops of the mysterious city. Trinity eventually makes it to a phone booth, seconds before the phone booth is plowed over by a Mack truck driven by one of the “agents”. When the “agents” examine the wreckage, they do not find Trinity’s body and state that she has escaped, but that they have found the one she is looking for.

The film then jump cuts to Thomas Anderson, a computer programmer by day and a computer hacker by night who goes by the name of Neo. Anderson is played by Keanu Reeves in all his Keanu glory. Neo is receiving mysterious computer messages that tell him to “follow the white rabbit”. After encountering someone with a white rabbit tattoo on her body, he follows her to a techno club where he meets a very much alive Trinity.

Trinity tells him that Morpheus, an infamous terrorist hacker, wants to meet Neo, and the young hacker is very interested. However, before that meeting can take place, Neo is arrested at work the next day and interrogated/tortured by agents. Fortunately, the agents release Neo (along with a little electronic bug), and Neo is able to keep his date with Morpheus.

Morpheus tells Neo that he is living in a dream world, and he can choose to leave it, if Neo so wishes it. Choosing to continue to follow the rabbit hole, Neo takes a red pill, and his reality begins to disintegrate. Neo awakens, naked and weak, in a liquid-filled pod, with cables attached all over his body. He sees thousands of similar tubes all around him before a machine comes down and disconnects him from the pod. Neo is then flushed out with the refuse where he is eventually picked up and brought aboard Morpheus’ hovercraft, the Nebuchadnezzar.

Once there, Morpheus begins to explain what the Matrix is. Neo is told that in the 21st century, that the humans of the planet fought a war with machines that had become self aware. As part of this war, the humans had blocked the skies, to prevent the machines from using solar energy. As such, the machines had to find alternative means for the power that they needed to survive, so they created the Matrix. The Matrix is a cyber reality that allows the machines to use human beings as an energy source, or a battery as it is explained in the movie.

In the Matrix, humans believe that they are living in the year 1999, and that they are in control of their lives, with no memory of the human/machine world. Morpheus explains that he is responsible for “unplugging” enslaved humans, and returning them to the real world. Morpheus further explains that there is a prophecy that one such freed person will end the war with the machines, and that he believes that Neo is that person.

The film then goes into the education of Neo for his adventures in the Matrix world. Because the Matrix is a computer program, Neo is told that they have the ability to do superhuman feats since they can bend the physical laws. However, if a person is killed in the Matrix, they will die in the real world as well. Neo is also warned that everyone who has ever taken on an agent has been killed.

Ultimately, Neo is taken by Morpheus to see the Oracle, who will, in theory, confirm whether Neo is indeed the Christ figure of this film. The bad news is that the Oracle tells Neo he is not the one. The worse news is that she tells Neo that Morpheus will die to protect Neo because of his beliefs, unless Neo sacrifices his life for Morpheus.

The good news…Neo gets a delicious cookie. As Morpheus’ crew heads back to the extraction point, they are met by policeman and agents, who have been tipped to the crew’s Matrix-world arrival by their own personal Judas, Cypher. Everyone but Morpheus escapes, but Cypher makes it back to the real world hovercraft first. There he begins killing the other members of the crew by unplugging them while their minds are trapped in the Matrix. Before he can kill Trinity or Neo, a computer monitor by the name of Tanks kills Cypher and saves the duo.

Morpheus is taken to the agents’ headquarters, where they plan to torture him and interrogate him in order to get the access codes to the mainframe computer in Zion, the humans’ last stronghold in the real world. Neo decides to go back into the Matrix in order to save Morpheus, and Trinity tags along for the ride. The duo encounter overwhelming numbers, but they manage to free Morpheus and make their escape. Morpheus and Trinity are able to make their escape from the Matrix, but Neo becomes trapped when Agent Smith destroys his exit. Neo thinks about running from the agent, but he begins to believe in the prophecy and finds confidence in his abilities.

Neo and Agent Smith fight. Spectacularly. But ultimately, Neo has to get out of the Matrix, so he goes on the run trying to find another exit while being pursued by three agents. Tank attempts to lead Neo to an exit and safety, but Agent Smith cuts him off and places several bullets into Neo’s chest, killing the hacker.

However, as the agents begin to walk away, Neo resurrects and is now completely aware of his abilities and his power. He stops the bullets from the agents’ guns with a wave of his hand, and destroys Agent Smith by jumping into his “code” and blowing him up. Neo makes his escape from the Matrix, returning to the real world just in time before the hovercraft crew blows up an EMP that would have killed Neo if he had stayed in the Matrix.

The film ends with Neo making a call to the Matrix, stating that he knows that they are afraid now. Neo tells them that he will show their human prisoners “a world where anything is possible” before hanging up the phone. Neo then Superman’s off the screen, essentially creating the first cyber-world super hero.

The idea is valid.

Yes. We exist inside of an elaborate simulation.

The Matrix.

Except that instead of it being a computer simulation, it is far, far more than that. It is a completely separate and unique “universe” of sorts. The entities that built this simulation did so intentionally and used technologies that appear “God Like” to us.

They created a unique “universe” which is a “bubble” within a much larger universe.

Important Note

And important note: this is NOT a universe that lies outside of the “larger universe”. This is a “bubble universe” that lies inside of the “larger universe”.

As this statement clearly explains (from “Alien Interview”)…

"The Domain exists in such a universe, as well as in the physical universe."

How universes come into being

I’ll let “Alien Interview” explain…

"Before you can understand the subject of history, you must first understand the subject of time.  Time is simply an arbitrary measurement of the motion of objects through space.

Space is not linear.  Space is determined by the point of view of an IS-BE when viewing an object. The distance between an IS-BE and the object being viewed is called "space".

Objects, or energy masses, in space do not necessarily move in a linear fashion.     In this universe, objects tend to move randomly or in a curving or cyclical pattern, or as determined by agreed upon rules.

History is not only a linear record of events, as many authors of Earth history books imply, because it is not a string that can be stretched out and marked like a measuring tool. History is a subjective observation of the movement of objects through space, recorded from the point of view of a survivor, rather than of those who succumbed.   

Events occur interactively and concurrently, just as the biological body has a heart that pumps blood, while the lungs provide oxygen to the cells, which reproduce, using energy from the sun and chemicals from plants, at the same time as the liver strains toxic wastes from the blood, and eliminates them through the bladder and the bowels.

All of these interactions are concurrent and simultaneous.  Although time runs consecutively, events do not happen in an independent, linear stream.               

In order to view and understand the history or reality of the past, one must view all events as part of an interactive whole. Time can also be sensed as a vibration which is uniform throughout the entire physical universe.

Airl explained that IS-BEs have been around since before the beginning of the universe. The reason they are called "immortal", is because a "spirit" is not born and cannot die, but exists in a personally postulated perception of "is - will be". She was careful to explain that every spirit is not the same. Each is completely unique in identity, power, awareness and ability.

The difference between an IS-BE like Airl and most of the IS-BEs inhabiting bodies on Earth, is that Airl can enter and depart from her "doll" at will.    She can perceive at selective depths through matter. Airl and other officers of The Domain can communicate   telepathically. Since an IS-BE is not a physical universe entity it has no location in space or time.

An IS-BE is literally, "immaterial". They can span great distances of space instantly.

They can experience sensations, more intensely than a biological body, without the use of physical sensory mechanisms.  An IS-BE can exclude pain from their perception.   Airl can also remember her "identity", so to speak, all the way back into the dim mists of time, for trillions of years!

She says that the existing collection of suns in this immediate vicinity of the universe have been burning for the last 200 trillion years. The age of the physical universe is nearly infinitely old, but probably at least four quadrillion years since its earliest beginnings.

Time is a difficult factor to measure as it depends on the subjective memory of IS-BEs and there has been no uniform record of events throughout the physical universe since it began. As on Earth, there are many different time measurement systems, defined by various cultures, which use cycles of motion, and points of origin to establish age and duration.

The physical universe itself is formed from the convergence and amalgamation of many other individual universes, each one of which were created by an IS-BE or group of IS-BEs.    

The collision of these illusory universes commingled and coalesced and were solidified to form a mutually created universe.   Because it is agreed that energy and forms can be created, but not destroyed, this creative process has continued to form an ever-expanding universe of nearly infinite physical proportions.

Before the formation of the physical universe there was a vast period during which universes were not solid, but wholly illusionary.   You might say that the universe was a universe of magical illusions which were made to appear and vanish at the will of the magician.  In every case, the "magician" was one or more IS-BEs. Many IS-BEs on Earth can still recall vague images from that period. Tales of magic, sorcery and enchantment, fairy tales and mythology speak of such things, although in very crude terms.

Each IS-BE entered into the physical universe when they lost their own, "home" universe. That is, when an IS-BE's "home" universe was overwhelmed by the physical universe, or when the IS-BE joined with other IS-BEs to create or conquer the physical universe.

On Earth, the ability to determine when an IS- BE entered the physical universe is difficult for two reasons:    

1) the memory of IS-BEs on Earth have been erased, and 

2) IS-BEs arrival or invasion into the physical universe took place at different times, some 60 trillion years ago, and others only 3 trillion.

Immortal Spiritual Beings, which I refer to as "IS-BEs", for the sake of convenience, are the source and creators of illusions.  Each one, individually and collectively, in their original, unfettered state of being, are an eternal, all-powerful, all-knowing entity.

IS-BEs create space by imagining a location. The intervening distance between themselves and the imagined location is what we call space.

An IS-BE can perceive the space and objects created by other IS-BEs.

IS-BEs are not physical universe entities.  They are a source of energy and illusion.  IS- BEs are not located in space or time, but can create space, place particles in space, create energy, and shape particles into various forms, cause the motion of forms, and animate forms. Any form that is animated by an IS-BE is called life.

An IS-BE can decide to agree that they are located in space or time, and that they, themselves, are an object, or any other manner of illusion created by themselves or another or other IS-BEs.

The disadvantage of creating an illusion is that an illusion must be continually created. If not continually created, it disappears. Continual creation of an illusion requires incessant attention to every detail of the illusion in order to sustain it.

A common denominator of IS-BEs seems to be the desire to avoid boredom.         

A spirit only, without interaction with other IS-BEs, and the unpredictable motion, drama, and unanticipated intentions and illusions being created by other IS-BEs, is easily bored.

What if you could imagine anything, perceive everything, and cause anything to happen, at will?   What if you couldn't do anything else? What if you always knew the outcome of every game and the answer to every question?                

Would you get bored?

The entire back time track of IS-BEs is immeasurable, nearly infinite in terms of physical universe time.    

There is no measurable "beginning" or "end" for an IS-BE.   

They simply exist in an everlasting now.

Another common denominator of IS-BEs is that admiration of one's own illusions by others is very desirable.   

If the desired admiration is not forthcoming, the IS-BE will keep creating the illusion in an attempt to get admiration. One could say that the entire physical universe is made of unadmired illusions.

The origins of this universe began with the creation of individual, illusionary spaces. These were the "home" of the IS-BE.   

Sometimes a universe is a collaborative creation of illusions by two or more IS-BEs.    A proliferation of IS-BEs, and the universes they create, sometimes collide or become commingled or merge to an extent that many IS-BEs shared in the co-creation of a universe.

IS-BEs diminish their ability in order to have a game to play.  IS-BEs think that any game is better than no game.  

They will endure pain, suffering, stupidity, privation, and all manner of unnecessary and undesirable conditions, just to play a game.  Pretending that one does not know all, see all and cause all, is a way to create the conditions necessary for playing a game:   unknowns, freedoms, barriers and/or opponents and goals.  Ultimately, playing a game solves the problem of boredom.

In this fashion, all of the space, galaxies, suns, planets, and physical phenomena of this universe, including life forms, places, and events have been created by IS-BEs and sustained by mutual agreement that these things exist.

There are as many universes as there are IS-BEs to imagine, build and perceive them, each existing concurrently within its own continuum. Each universe is created using its own unique set of rules, as imagined, altered, preserved or destroyed by one or more IS-BEs who created it. Time, energy, objects and space, as defined in terms of the physical universe, may or may not exist in other universes. The Domain exists in such a universe, as well as in the physical universe.

One of the rules of the physical universe is that energy can be created, but not destroyed. So, the universe will keep expanding as long as IS-BEs keep adding more new energy into it. It is nearly infinite. It is like an automobile assembly line that never stops running and none of the cars are ever destroyed.

Every IS-BE is basically good.  

Therefore, an IS-BE does not enjoy doing things to other IS- BEs which they themselves do not want to experience.  For an IS-BE there is no inherent standard for what is good or bad, right or wrong, ugly or beautiful.  These ideas are all based on the opinion of each individual IS-BE.

The closest concept that human beings have to describe an IS-BE is as a god:   all-knowing, all-powerful, infinite. So, how does a god stop being a god?               

They  pretend NOT to know. How can you play a game of "hide and seek" if you always know where the other person is hiding?

You pretend NOT to know where the other players are hiding, so you can go off to "seek" them. This is how games are created.  You have forgotten that you are just "pretending".  In so doing, IS-BEs become entrapped and enslaved inside a maze of their own devising.

How does one create a cage, lock one's own self inside the cage, throw away the key, and forget there is a key or a cage, and forget there is an "inside" or "outside", and even forget there is a self? Create the illusion that there is no illusion: the entire universe is real, and that no other universe exists or can be created.

On Earth, the propaganda taught and agreed upon is that the gods are responsible, and that human beings are not responsible.   You are taught that only a god can create universes. So, the responsibility for every action is assigned to another IS-BE or god. Never oneself.

No human being ever assumes personal responsibility for the fact that they, themselves -- individually and collectively -- are gods.   This fact alone is the source of entrapment for every IS-BE.

And let’s look at this one statement in detail…

[1] There are as many universes as there are IS-BEs to imagine, build and perceive them, each existing concurrently within its own continuum. 

[2] Each universe is created using its own unique set of rules, as imagined, altered, preserved or destroyed by one or more IS-BEs who created it. Time, energy, objects and space, as defined in terms of the physical universe, may or may not exist in other universes. 

[3] The Domain exists in such a universe, as well as in the physical universe.

[1] IS-BE’s create universes at will.

[2] They are complete separate entities that exist within it’s own set of laws, rules and continuum.

[3] The Domain exists in one such universe, AS WELL as “The Physical Universe”.

Since, the Domain Commander was discussing the situation at Roswell he was making s simplification statement that has been pretty much glossed over by most everyone who reads the “Alien Interview” document.

  • There is the BIG “parent” universe. This is where The Domain exists. As well as where the “Old Empire” existed.

And there is …

  • The Physical Universe. This is a smaller “pocket universe” that sits inside the “BIG parent universe”. It is what we see. It is everything that we physically see, and sense. But it is not the totality of everything. Because this “Physical Universe”; the MWI is the “Old Domain” “Prison Complex”.

The creation of a “artificial” universe within a universe

So this “Prison Planet” is more than just a singular planet with a “fence” around it.  It is a planet within it’s own “pocket universe”.

And I can tell you, from MAJestic, that Earth is not the only planet within this “pocket universe”. But there are perhaps four to five other solar systems involved. (Five if you include “our” solar system.)

So it is a very special “pocket universe” within a much larger BIG universe.

This is a very unique universe

Furthermore, there is an elaborate structure that makes this “Prison Complex” unique.  It is much more than a simple “electric fence”.

There is a system of recycling IS-BE consciousness’s back and forth from “Prison” to “Parole”. We know this system as …

  • Birth
  • Living on the earth
  • Death
  • Going into the light
  • Heaven
  • Reincarnation

The “Punishment” aspect of our incarceration is in BROWN. The “Parole” / rehabilitation aspect of our incarceration is in BLUE.

Thus we have something else.

We have [1] a huge complex that handles the “punishment” aspect of our incarceration. We call this the “physical reality”, or the MWI. And we have have [2] a massive complex for the “parole” / rehabilitation aspect of our incarceration. This goes by the name of “Heaven”.

There are two massive complexes involved in this “Prison Complex”.

Our “Pocket universe” contains multiple universes

For every imprisoned IS-BE consciousness species, there is an equivalent “Heaven”. And there are many. It’s not only humans. There are horses, elephants, dolphins just to name a few. Each “Heaven” is a universe.

So looking from the outside, you can see that this “pocket universe” is segmented into other universes, and the entire complex, or cluster, of universes is one grand “Prison Complex” that is administered by a complete and ruthless system of control.

Why it is like a geode

A geode is a geological secondary formation within sedimentary and volcanic rocks. Geodes are hollow, vaguely spherical rocks, in which masses of mineral matter (which may include crystals) are secluded.

Geode.

The crystals are formed by the filling of vesicles in volcanic and sub-volcanic rocks by minerals deposited from hydrothermal fluids; or by the dissolution of syn-genetic concretions and partial filling by the same, or other, minerals precipitated from water, groundwater or hydrothermal fluids.

In our case, the creation of a universe within a universe was a very special construction. In fact, I might argue that it would have been far easier to create a universe outside of our universe, but apparently the rulers of the “Old Empire” as technologically advanced as they were, wanted to create a system that would permanently imprison FOREVER those that they condemned…

…within their universe, and within their geographic territory.

So they FORCED the artificial construction of a unique static “pocket universe” with very strict MWI world-line behaviors. And were any inmate to escape, at the very worst they would escape to geographic terrain of the “Old Empire”. This would not be something that would be possible with a completely separate universe that would lie outside that of the “parent universe”.

And in so escaping, they would be going from a “reality universe” where the laws and rules are one thing, and to a “parent universe” where they are something else entirely different. With a complete amnesia, it would be extremely difficult for an inmate to successfully escape.

What does this understanding provide to us?

This provides us with a great deal of insight regarding the technology of the “Old Empire” and what they could and could not do.

  • They could create a “pocket universe”.
  • They could not create a total self-contained universe to exile others to.

Thus it is not wonder that The Domain was able to vanquish the “Old Empire”. As members of The Domain are fundamentally IS-BE’s with a class structure that prohibits memory amnesia when occupying a physical body. While the “Old Empire” (apparently) was a societal structure where the occupancy of a physical body allowed or forced memory amnesia.

It also tells us why it is difficult for The Domain to reverse engineer this “Prison Complex”. As this is not a separate universe, but rather a “pocket universe” construction that lies within a “parent universe”.

Where do we inmates fit into the picture?

This region, this “Prison Complex” appears to be just like the “Parent Universe”. So much so, that The Domain entered it, set up a base of operations inside of the “reality universe” totally and completely unaware that it was within a spawned “pocket universe”.

I am confident that The Domain has learned many, many things over the decades and centuries. But I do not believe that mastery of this “pocket universe” can be obtained in the next few years. It might take longer than that. Thus the track that The Domain is on is quite reasonable.

  • Set up a system for sentience sorting and rehabilitation.
  • Enlist the Mantids towards this goal.
  • Assist the”conditional release” of inmates as they acquire “exit visas”.
  • Regain control of the entire “Prison Complex” through mastery of the “Pocket Universe”.
  • Administer care to the inmates…

With the goals of rescue of the Lost Battalion, and recovery of all memories of all IS-BE’s so incarcerated.

Conclusion

One of the most important fundamentals that an inmate must understand when trying to escape a prison, is the layout of that prison. Well known “prison breaks” all required an understanding of the prison layout, the routines of the guards, and an understanding on what needs to occur; step by step, prior to a successful break-out.

While there are many  who are tying to escape one way or the other,  I argue that it will be very difficult to do so unless the inmate have a good understanding of the environment where he is incarcerated within.

Given the nature of this “Prison Planet”, it seems reasonable to conclude that a map or an understanding of a path must be laid out for the inmate to extract themselves out of the general population environment. This will not only list the various traps, snares, and  tricks that lie along the way, but also the boundaries and mechanisms for the other associated “pocket universes” that lie within this “Prison Complex”. Such as the various heavens, and the very detailed snares.

This article might not seem like much, but it establishes a most fundamental understanding of the limits and the geography of the “Prison Complex”.

Do you want more?

You can find many more videos in my “The Domain Action Articles” over here…

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[daegonmagus] – Part 7 – PROJECT ALPHA

The following is the seventh part from a series of articles describing the adventure that a follower who goes by the handle "daegonmagus" has experienced since reading MM. They are very interesting and fascinating. I hope that you all learn from his journey and maybe learn a thing or two as he relates his unique experiences to the readership here. 

-MM

This particular article is not part of the direct set of articles that are autobiographical in scope and content.

Instead, this article concerns a project, or an idea that needs to be worked on and “flushed out”. I present it here in it’s rough state for others to consider and ponder.

Part 7 – PROJECT: ALPHA

As explained by daegonmagus…

This is an experimental project I wrote up a few years back which explains telepathy using basic radio engineering principles. 

Not sure if you want to put it up as an article, it is somewhat incomplete, but it resonates strongly with what the Domain Commander told you about tech that can be used to unlock the non physical body. 

I am certain the void space of lucidity can be used to properly tune the body to pick up these telepathic frequencies. I will go into another article on that when I've got the time.

This article is by no means finalized. This is just a rough draft for MM readership to consider and absorb.

HYPOTHESIS:

There potentially exists an invisible energy field that surrounds the human aura in the region of the head which seems to be susceptible to fluctuations in electromagnetic/ magnetic fields.

It is presumed that if a strong enough field enters this energy’s boundaries at a specific frequency of resonance, then the subject may be able to achieve astral projection and/ or lucid dreaming more easily than if they did not experience this auric distortion.

Such propositions are based on alleged unorthodox happenings from numerous sources such as the Philadelphia Experiment, the Gibb’s device – more commonly known as the Hyper Dimensional Resonator or HDR -, radionics devices and the authors own experience involving a method by which to render people and objects light insofar as their mass weight is concerned, as well as other documentation concerned with the Schuman resonance.

The goal of the project is to use electronic engineering and radio communication methodologies, as well as components, such as the bifilar and caduceus coils, to develop devices that will specifically target a range of frequencies to try and induce such states of mind.

OVERVIEW:

General radio theory dictates that all that is needed for the wireless transmission of electromagnetic energy is for a conductor of a required length to be electrified by an energy source at a frequency dictated by that very length.

Without delving to deeply into the complexities of this science, extensive studies into this phenomena have proven that another frequency can be attached to the frequency by which this conductor’s energy propagates, thus allowing for the transference of analogue or digital information to be sent from one location to another via the space between them, to be received by a similar apparatus.

Two important understandings must be made from this general theory – that all conductors are potential transmitters, and that all conductors are potential receivers.

All that is left for this “communication” to be intelligible is the filtering out of parasitic frequencies, known as noise, and the derivation of circuits that will allow control over which frequencies are to be used in transmission and how they shall be deciphered – which is the art of radio engineering. As a result, oscillators are used as a means to “tune” transmission and reception to a desired frequency, and many different methods have been established to create these components including the use of Resistor/Capacitor or Inductor/ Capacitor networks, and applying electrical signals to various crystal substrates such as quartz which in turn allows for them to resonate.

Keeping these things in mind it is also important to understand the implications this field of science poses to the human body (or any biological body for that matter), for the human body is really nothing more than a complex electrical circuit itself, consisting of a maze of nervous pathways that are constantly pulsating with energy, as well as conductive fluids, mass resistances and salts that together when combined could potentially establish perfect environments for these oscillations to take place thus allowing for the transmission or reception of some uncontrolled energy, especially in a being whose stature mimics that of a Marconi antenna (upright) when awake, and that of a Yagi antenna (parallel to the ground) when they are asleep.

There have been multiple accounts of people reporting they have heard radio broadcasts in their head after dental procedures, a similar set of experiences of which the author can attest to, though they were caused by an unfortunate susceptibility to perforated eardrums as a child and nothing to do with the former.

It is by reason and logic then I theorise that the subjects in these cases were somehow modifying the electrical characteristics of their bodies in such a way as to provide a direct deciphering of certain radio signals at their ears or the nerves close to them.

If unrecognized or unintentional oscillation of the body’s chemical composition is what is really occurring in these cases, then it is not altogether unreasonable to assume that the body could also be emitting a set of frequencies of its own, given its remarkable ability to act as if it has a constant battery feeding it energy.  The above scrutinization offers the following possibilities, depending on where the areas of the most prominent oscillations are occurring;

  • If oscillation is localized to circulatory system pathways, by using electromagnetic wave propagation theory where frequency = 3×108 / wavelength, (assuming the wavelength of a circulatory system to be 60000 miles in length) the potential frequency of oscillations would most likely sit somewhere around 3Hz.
  • If oscillation is localized to nervous system pathways, by using EM wave propagation theory and assuming the wavelength of a nervous system is 40 miles in length the frequency would be 4.66kHz.
  • If oscillation localized to grey matter nerve lengths, by using EM wave propagation theory and assuming the wavelength of a myelinated nerve fibre is 150 – 180000km long, the frequency would be between 1.6 and 2Hz.

I note these finding as extremely interesting, as one experience I had involved the stable awakening from a lucid dream whereby the physical world was transposed over the dream one in a wavy like manner at a rate somewhere near these extremely low frequencies (ELFs), which was to provide a basis for further investigation.

Also to be noted is another incidence where I fell into a lucid dream just as a plane went overhead, and witnessed the transition of the frequency of the plane being slowed to less than half of its original value, whereby some sort of up-scaling phasing effect was introduced.

If one were to study methods of astral projection on the other hand, majority of the techniques seem to involve the lowering or raising of the subjects energy frequency to a level that will initiate this projection.

Devices have even reportedly been used whereby they have brought about such projections almost effortlessly, by using insulated electric currents to alter the energy field near the head.

Some documentations of astral projection also point to a type of magnetism that will pull the astral body back into its physical if care is not taken to rid oneself of its effect immediately upon projection.

My own experiences in this area have led me to believe one hears a high pitched frequency shortly before projection, which sounds extremely similar to the immediate fizzing sound of when a bottle of soft drink is opened.

If I were to take a wild guess I would say this noise sits in the kHz range possibly between 4kHz and 10kHz.

All this is suggestive that there are frequencies at work which together create some sort of complex sinusoidal wave form (ie two or more sinusoidal waves multiplied or “mixed” together) that provides a locking mechanism for the astral consciousness within the physical.

The chemical change one’s body undergoes when falling asleep further strengthens my assumptions as to this being the case, as it would bring about a substantial change in systems of oscillation.

I have also noted many dietary coincidences in a lot of my lucid dreams that seem to point to sugar and the nutrients in chilli chicken dishes having a profound effect. It is therefore my intent to try to manipulate these frequencies to see if the astral body, or lucid consciousness can be unlocked from the physical counterpart resulting in a more effortless experience..

Another important consideration is the technique used to make the mass of people and objects much lighter than usual, whereby hands are placed over the head / top by a group of people each positioned so they are not touching. For those who have not experienced this technique first hand, I can attest to the strange feeling that occurs when more and more hands are placed.

It is as if some form of dense energy is being sucked away and you start to become lighter. This suggests to me that the head is best place to start energetic manipulation experiments. I would assume the radiation pattern to be like that of a toroid, the head being the centre of the parabola.

APPARATUS:

Purpose built frequency generators that can be tuned in increments of 10s of Hertz. Given these frequencies are likely to be extremely low, RC oscillators seem like the only choice available, which is unfortunate as these devices are not considered stable. 555 timers provide an easy way to implement this type oscillator and only require a few external components, whose values can be varied to alter the frequency. Where higher frequencies are being controlled, I suggest using a crystal type oscillator and tuning via an inductor/capacitor network.

Bifilar pancake coils seem to be a good candidate for the vertical transmission of energy that will penetrate a few centimetres. It is likely that a more complex circuit will need to be developed in order to transmit energy around the whole head.

The human body is thought to generate around 100 watts of power, and if my suppositions of it being a transmitter are correct, this would mean that a telepathic thought could quite easily be broadcast over the world if the body can be tuned to efficiently propagate it, considering that this can be done using only a few milliwatts with morse code modulation techniques .

My supposition is that the void space entered after one remains conscious through the sleep paralysis stage during the transition into the sleeping state, can be used as the medium by which to “tune” the body to a more efficient propagation frequency.

This basis for my assumption on this is that I was able to use it to tune into the dialect of a non physical species and then communicate with them whilst in this state. I believe they were located very far from Earth.

They spoke in a clickity clack language that was completely alien to anything we have on earth. After going through the tuning process, we were then able to share a commonality of understanding and they spoke directly to me.

AREAS FOR FURTHER STUDY:
Modulating thought frequencies on bodily produced carrier waves (Telepathy)

Ah. this is enough for now. There's a lot of "meat" to absorb here. Soak it in. Enjoy it, and soon enough part 8 will be posted. Best Regards. -MM

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Answers from The Domain from questions generated 24SEP21

This article consists of answers from The Domain to questions collected by the MM audience. This is the second of (hopefully) many such events. Though, I must admit that it is really a lot of work to do.

I collected the questions from the last week of September 2021, and tried to contact with the Domain via the EBP in fits and starts over this period. I was successful, and unsuccessful. Some times the connection was strong while at other times it was weak. All having to do with my various situation at the time.

An Important note

I asked a question. A very personal question at the end of this article, and obtained an answer.

It is very disturbing, and I am very upset by it.

I decided to put it in and let you all know what was stated. This goes against my “better judgement”, but we will see what happens.

What this is all about

On 17SEP21 I posted an article that related the fact that The Domain opened up a dedicated channel to me via the EBP. As always, it was one-sided, and detailed. But during the conversation, I had no real mental ability. I was in a receiving and reporting state. I was really unable to think for myself. I just queried what I was told to ask and recorded the answers.

You can read this article HERE, if you are confused with what is going on.

Some Background

Most people are aware that the work titled “Alien Interview” is a transcript of a Commander of The Domain when it’s vehicle crashed in 1947. What most people do not know is that this event spawned an American  top secret agency known as MAJestic that fell under the ONI (Office of Naval Intelligence).

This waved, unacknowledged special access program handled (and still handles) all extraterrestrial events, technologies and interactions with the United States government. I was a unique part of that organization prior to being retired.

I have numerous devices installed in my body. The seven ELF probes are for MAJestic, with the EBP system is of Domain manufacture and utility.

Terminology

  • EBP – A hardwired device that connects MM to The Domain.
  • ELF – A hardwired device that connected MM to MAJestic through a Mantid intermediary. Now deactivated.
  • The Domain – The name of the species / civilization that the type-1 greys belong to.
  • Old Empire” – A term used to describe a vanquished civilization that used to be in control of this section of the galaxy.
  • Comm channel – A link to the MM “handler” or Commander. Rank and position is unknown except that it is a senior being. This is a channel though the EBP system.
  • Prison Planet – Earth and the surrounding solar system.
  • Prison Complex – Our solar system with four to five other solar systems together.
  • Warden – Chief administrator for the Earth.
  • Corrections Officers – Police that work for the Warden.

Questions

This is the SECOND collection of Q&A from The Domain.

Here are the questions with the answers. We start off with one of MY questions to get the ol’ ball rolling…

[1] Who is Madesescapalion? Is this just a name out of my imagination, or something that I need pay attention to?

In an odd event, this name suddenly popped into my head, and stayed in my head for hours. Just banging around and around and around, and around. Jeeze!.

It’s really annoying.

Someone is addressing in a formal form like you would a officer, or the head of the FBI or something like that.

So I wrote it down. Then for the next four hours or so it still kept banging around in my skull until I wrote this question down. And then, oh, for Goodness Sakes! This popped out…

Who is Madesescapalion?

Madesescapalion (sic) is the name  / a name of / one of the names of the Chief Administrator / High Authority of the Earth-centric portion of this Prison Complex. He is the local de facto head of this facility.

He was a (preferential form) human who has injected himself into the prison complex as a means of escaping / avoiding / hiding from The Domain.

He conducted this “donning of prison attire” when the Domain defeated the forces of the “Old Empire” sometime between 1135 - 1230 AD during the destruction of the local “Old Domain” space fleet in this region.

He has been cycling in and out of “general population” in the Prison Complex ever since.

He has systems in place that detect our movements and alert him, and when we get near to him he dies and goes into “Heaven” where we have difficulty following. Once he is safe, he then re-injects himself in the general population again. He is very cunning. He is very skillful. He holds many answers regarding the systems and the control attributes of this Prison Complex.

Scene from the movie Dark Shadows starring Johnny Depp.

(I wonder if there is some kind of message in the movie Dark Shadows concerning this administrator.)

I don’t know if this is the right spelling. I just wrote it as it appeared to me.

Ma - des - escapa - li - on

It could also be read as “Ma-des Escapa-Li-on”, as in “Warden Escapa-Li-on”. Tht’s my thinking of this. I don’t know if it is true or not.

Warden Escapalion

Administrator of the “Old Empire”. In charge of this Prison Complex. Went into hiding (inside the prison General Population) when The Domain took over.

Update; Maybe I wrote it wrong. 
The pronunciation is not "lion" but rather "leon". 

- MM

[2] What is the relationship between the Domain and the Mantids. Why won’t the Domain ask the Mantids for help?

This issue has been bothering people for some time. It’s a valid concern and there are many questions regarding it. For some people, the Mantids represent angels, while the Domain represent demons. Now they see things in a new light and are concerned.

Personally, I was afraid to ask this as there are some MAJestic prohibitions on Mantid disclosures. But, I just didn’t think about it. I just got comfortable and read and waited for a response. There was a pause of a few minutes and then this flowed out.

Domain & Mantid relationship.

The Mantids (sic) are a species that has their own civilization and culture. They have accepted The Domain jurisdiction in this geographical area. They are also neutral in regards to territory, administration, and other encumbrances of physical life.

They have transcended those interests.

They maintain their roles within the Prison Complex “Heaven” and are satisfied with whatever might or might not happen in the future. Our relations with them are cordial. And if we ask them for support and assistance, they provide it. They have accepted our administration over this area and Prison Complex, and are willing to work with us in whatever way that we deem fit.

Do you have any thoughts about this answer?

[3] There is a group that you are working with that I am unfamiliar with. So I refer to them as <redacted>. Who are they and what do they do?

This is one of my questions that I would like to see answered better than what I would normally call out. You see my interpretation of direct data from the EBP differs substantially from this around-about method of collecting answers. And so I wanted to see what kind of answers that I would get.

This <redacted> is a new group that was first brought up when the Domain had its first direct communication with me. I would like a name and some background on them, please.

Who are the <redacted>?

They are a species that you have never encountered before, and is rare in this section of the universe. Their society / empire / housing cluster are from a very distant galaxy and have been involved in large massive complexes, works and systems not unlike that of the “Prison Complex” here. 

They are helping us decode and unlock the systems that we encounter and develop new devices and mechanisms for detection of traps and snares. 

They have a name, but it would not serve you to understand something that you could not pronounce let along write. They do not physically resemble humanoids or insects. They resemble something else entirely alien to the earth experience as they are not from the same kind of planet or sun that the Prison Complex has. (The image that I get is a very large maggot or caterpillar about the size of a sofa.)

You may refer to them as “helpers” like the little people in Willy Wonka’s Chocolate factory, the “oompa loompas”, or the “Minons” from “Despicable Me”.

Note: I will refer to this group as “Technical helpers” from now on. –MM

[4] Are there any catastrophic events due in the next few years?

I was able to get answers to this question but it was full of “stops”, hesitations, pauses, and “drag-ons”. If you all can understand what I am trying to say.

Everyone in the United States are fearful of the future. Indeed it seems like the entire nation is a broken down car skidding all over the place and being run by drunken raging maniacs. The passengers are terrified. What’s ahead is unknown, and everyone wants to know what is after that “bend in the road”.

Catastrophic Events

“The [physical] earth has undeniably gone through catastrophic events… cyclically and continuously. If I recall correctly, the most common recurring event(s) are at about 25,000 year increments or so… pole-shift, crustal displacement – stuff like that. Of course other things cause destruction as well – and I presume some are NOT natural. Anyway, my current best information says that such an event is likely to happen again – SOON – VERY soon (before 2025, but maybe even next calendar year). Can you comment on this?

There are a number of clusters of time-lines (of large size) that are on a vector route towards a catastrophic purging of life and civilization elements within certain specific societies. What will happen depends on the trajectory of those clusters. The drivers behind their movement are well-established “Old Empire” forces that intentionally manifest results that (the MM readership) you would find distasteful.

Thoughts can result in many manifestations. Not only in the movement of large numbers of people towards catastrophic results like lemmings, but also in the turmoil of natural processes. These thoughts can result in natural disasters, fiascos of unexpected intensity, and horrific results that will be unexpected. In many ways it is like an infant playing with a loaded gun. You must not allow horrific consequences whether “natural” or “manmade” to include all sorts of thought-induced reactions to manifest if you can avoid them.

In the Prison Planet environment is an MWI configuration that permits world-line changes and alterations. There are various individual IS-BE’s imprisoned within the complex that have the ability to conduct mechanized world-line travel to different locations and different periods. After all, and you must remember, the MWI within the Prison Complex is an artificial construct. And thus, there are people who can create turmoil on certain world-line templates (sic) and then escape to safer havens.

This is what is apparently going on. If you were to capture one of these IS-BE inmates and ask them what they are doing they would come up with all kinds of stories and excuses, but none will admit that they are participating in a relative “looting” of certain templates (sic) so that they can enjoy the fruits of their labors in other templates (sic).

The good thing is that the “future” is never guaranteed. Being in such an artificial construct as the Prison Complex is, guarantees that those that can control their thoughts, and that understand how the Prison System works can “ride out” any crises or turmoil that might “boil up to the surface” with the confluence of multiple anchored clusters vectoring straight to catastrophic event scenarios. 

Do not fear the future. Control your thoughts and you will control your destiny. Worrying about others is a fine passion but will not benefit you as your future will be under the fabric of your creation via your thoughts.

If you can control your thoughts, even if your local environment undergoes horrific events, you will be able to endure it relative comfort.

I immediate thought that this was NOT the kind of answer that the questioner wanted.

After all, I myself, have been warning about catastrophic events in the future. I say this as a nod to the Deagal Report.

His questioner wanted a yes or a no answer and some details.

And the following came though…

Yes. There will be difficult times ahead.

It will be on a scale that many people will be unfamiliar and uncomfortable with.

It will not be something that you can point to and say "here it is". It will be a growth, a growing, an amassing of a state. Then it will achieve a critical tipping point. Then, it will be very uncomfortable.

It will not be televised, or reported on. Any information that the average person obtains will be lies, distractions or manipulations. No one will know what is going on. This will continue into the "main heat" of the event cycle. 

(A list was provided in laconic fashion like someone reading from a handout.)

Treasuries will be emptied.
Resources will be stolen and carted off.
Secret military engagements will take place with death and destruction.
Back-stabbing, betrayals, and and "under hand" actions will be common.
Agreements will be torn-up or ignored.
New secret agreements will be written between unlikely participants.

(Fourth tone emphasis on the last syllable of the end word in each sentence.)
No one will know any of this. Many people will continue to be *oblivious* to what is going on even after millions of people are dead. So much will not be reported.

Significant event will pass into history unknown and unrecorded. 

There are numerous clusters heading towards numerous scenarios. The most worrisome are being mitigated and controlled by the Domain. Yet, the large quantity and diversity of the various participants suggest that some kind of event will happen one way or the other. 

However, please note that it will happen without anyone realizing it happening until afterwards.

There is an over reliance on electronic manipulative media. Many people believe that they know everything that is going on simply by the massive scope of the size of the media. That is a dangerous illusion. Nothing truthful will be displayed. Then when cracks and fissures in the news starts to point to some disturbing things, it will be all over and past the point of no-return.

However you can control how those difficult times affect your life. If you control your thoughts, you will control the range / extent of those influences on your life. Do not allow others to control your thoughts.

Keep in mind that the Domain is monitoring this situation very closely, and will not permit substantive destruction of the environment. However the mass concentration of evil and distorted IS-BE inmates have other ideas. And there are numerous scenarios where bad catastrophic events might still be able to occur no matter how hard the Domain tries to prevent them. Such as what happened with your World War I.

Many Americans and Western governments, such as those in Europe, and Asian-Pacific nations that have “hitched a ride with Uncle Sam” are witnessing a collapse of everything that they believed in.

But you see, all nations rise and fall.

I have discussed this over and over before. And they follow a normal progression of birth to death. What this questioner is worried about can be summed up in one simple graph here…

Do you have any thoughts about this answer?

[5] Why are the Mantids so keen on helping humans when they know that our memories will be erased later?

Well, why do they keep doing what they are doing. And what are they doing exactly?

Mantids and Memory Erasure

“There is something also bugging me about the mantids involvement on earth (and when I was talking to my husband about it, the PC started doing it’s own thing…weird!) I’m having a hard time articulating it, but maybe someone else can grab it. So here we go: Why do the mantids stay with us our whole lives and reviewing it in the end, when there comes the amnesia and everything we learned is forgotten? Don’t they know about the amnesia? Are they also kind of trapped on earth and cannot escape? Or do they profit somehow from being our wardens?”

The Mantids are not Wardens. They are corrections officers / archivists / medical practitioners and they are bred for their role. They differ from specific Prison Planet to Prison Planet. 

A form (originally native) to the particular Prison Planet (within the Prison Complex) is elevated and provided with a duty and a role, then their success within that role is determined by that duty. The other four or so systems in the Prison Complex each has their own version of these helpers.

In the case of the Mantids, this form is found throughout the universe just like humans are, but this form has been on the earth much longer than any humans have. They call it their home and treat the humans as “adopted children” from their nest. 

As transdimensional creatures they are particularly suited as the caretakers of individual human consciousnesses.

They believe that it is important for them to help and guide the human species from the general population segment of the Prison Planet into “Heaven” and help them grow. They also believe that strife, experiences, and conflict make humans into better beings. 

This seemingly conflicting belief is not native to their original archetype. 

Like humans within the confines of the prison planet, they too have been modified. Both humans and mantids have been modified to live, work and stay within this prison complex and never leave it.

The Mantids are absolutely convinced of their need to help humans in the prison grow through pain and suffering and then reward them with a rest-period in “Heaven”.

This belief was cultivated / manufactured / genetically forced into them by the “Old Empire” when this particular Prison Planet was first established. Thus they, like the inmates that they tend to, are both hybridized archetype forms dedicated to specific roles within this Prison Complex. 

They believe that they are involved in great compassionate works by providing great suffering to human inmates and then rewarding them with a “Heaven” afterwards.

Jesus! – MM

[6] Is enlightenment a benefit or a distraction?

A good question from someone who is not taking the answers from the Domain at face value. Worthy of consideration.

Again, the query was calm, easy and the response was immediate.

Enlightenment

“The bit about enlightenment is highly confusing. I’m guessing because it is poorly defined/undefinable. The Domain officer said that those who managed to escape the prison mechanism were able to control their thoughts to a high degree. That’s exactly what I would expect from someone on “the way” to enlightenment (Never a final destination either). Those who point to the way also advocate self-knowledge. Isn’t this in parallel with what the Domain advises? Any clarification here would be appreciated.”

Enlightenment is a tool that is used by religions as part of a control mechanism. The individual components used to achieve an enlightened state, such as meditation, focus, mantras, and all the rest are useful components for the control of one’s thoughts. Control of one’s thoughts is THE (THE – emphasized twice) most important skill set that a IS-BE consciousness can develop.

If the intention of using these components (mediation / breathing / focus / etc.) is to achieve a state of nirvana (and consider it as enlightenment) it is a “dead end”. 

What you are doing is using the proper tools, but not building anything of worth or value. You are moving forward doing everything correct, and then parking the results in a great nothingness of no practical utility.

You must use the exact same skills that you use to achieve enlightenment towards functional outcomes. 

“Enlightenment” in of itself is NOT a functional outcome. (The Domain officer is getting rather worked up.) 

Religions have taken the skills originally taught to inmates to help them leave this Prison Planet and put them on “snipe hunts” that lead nowhere. Thousands of very well skilled and talented individuals were so very close to escaping the clutches of this inmate population, only to be sidetracked. They died and believed that the tunnel of light was the enlightenment that they seek. 

No. It’s just a trap. Avoid that trap. Do not try to become enlightened. Never try to become enlightened. Use the same skills for enlightenment to control your thoughts and focus your abilities.

I had to break from this for a spell. I have never experienced such a strong impassioned response before. (Not that I have many of these kinds of responses, but they all tend to be friendly – neutral. Not so…emotional.)

[7] Enlightenment and being service to self

Is enlightenment considered Service to Self?

Yes. It is a selfish action.

“There’s also the concept of the Bodhisattva who attains a high degree of self-mastery such that they could transcend, but choose not to in order to help others along the way. Such examples might be Christ or the Buddha in various incarnations.”

You do not need to obtain enlightenment, mastery or perfection in order to help others. You simply help them regardless of your current situation. 

As it is functionally used, irregardless of what other potential it might possess, enlightenment is a means of tricking IS-BE's of high potential into the "Tunnel of Light" so that their memories can be erased, and they can be sent back to start all over again.

Enlightenment has never freed anyone from the Prison Complex. You must be aware of that reality.

After this response, I “felt the need” to put up this picture…

Robin Williams giving helpful advice to a fast food worker on her situation. A day or two later, he killed himself. You do not need to be enlightened in order to help others.

You do not need to be enlightened to help people.

[8] Why not just break the WHOLE machine?

“A great way to ruin the “harvest” would be to poison the crop, or break the machine. Perhaps the “elites” driving us toward destruction might be altruistic if they are trying to end all life on earth and throw a wrench in the gears. Why not destroy the entire earth system so that life here is not possible? Wouldn’t that free all IS-BEs?”

A fast and stunning response shot back to me most clearly…

This solution would be catastrophic for trillions of IS-BE's. All would have no memories except their current incarnation at the time of destruction. 

They wouldn't know what to do. 

Eventually a flood of (multiple) armies of the deranged evil IS-BE's could engulf this section of the galaxy with horrific consequences. 

The neutral to good inmates would easily fall under their control. It would become a runaway train / domino effect / cascading of catastrophes that would run as a toxic cancer. It would envelope entire civilizations and societies and then run unchecked, one galaxy after the other.

And so I added…

In the movie Ghostbusters, bad or malevolent spirits and ghosts are captured and stored in a “containment grid” which was a device that held all the spirits in place. It was a field of electromagnetic energy that the spirits and ghosts could not break through.

Containment machine.

However there were forces that wanted to shut off the containment machinery. And, when the power was shut off from the containment grid, all of the stored spirits escaped and flew into New York City in mass…

Escaping spirits from Ghost-busters.

As they did so they created all sorts of problems.

The Governor of New York called up the the leadership and the National Guard, calling it a National Emergency of Biblical Proportions.

A National Emergency of Biblical Proportions.

Why not? Is he correct?

[9] Other extraction agents?

“Is there an official title for the robed Elders who have upwards of 20 000 other consciousnesses posted in the prison to act as extraction agents? Can this organization be considered as the same entourage of consciousnesses that are associated with either the IS-BE known as Sanat Kumara or the IS-BE known as Aetherius?”

The answer to this hit me quite fast and was unexpected. I didn’t even read the entire paragraph. I just skimmed over it. In fact, I wasn’t even fully ready to transcribe anything. I had to put my sandwich down and start typing away. I know that no one understands, but that’s what happened here.

There are all kinds of official titles for all the places, locations, people, operations, and positions of everyone. The titles are not in English. And there is no need to generate translations of titles for your use when your own names are already quite sufficient.

Remember who you are. You are IS-BE. You define your world, your reality, and how you interact with it. You are GOD. You are the highest most important consciousness in everything.

(Pause. Then a continuation.)

There are numerous organizations that you refer to as "robed elders". 

Each one has a niche role in this Prison Environment. 

(Then he starts listing. When listing, there is a sort of emphasis at the first syllable of the first word, so that I know that it is a new list item. I added numbers to help with the absorption of this information. The numbers were not provided in the transmission, but added by myself later on.)

[1] Some have been around for centuries and were initially established by Domain agents (in their spare time) as a pastime. We put an end to the unauthorized efforts around 1955. There are currently authorized efforts only, and it is a part of our overall grand strategy.

[2] While other organizations were established by mischievous outsiders who find it enjoyable to play games with the inmates here. For them, it's like putting a leaf in a cage with a bored kitten. They find pleasure and enjoyment "toying" with the more active non-physical components of inmates. It's an activity of theirs. 

[3] Some have been established by well-meaning inmates that wanted to set up anti-Prison Operations, as a sort of like a form of warfare. It started out as a way to figure out what was going on and then evolved into something rather serious. Some of these kinds of "elders" have been around for many, many thousands of years. They have purpose. The questioner asked about one such organization.

[4] Some were established by physical occult organizations from within the Prison population and has taken on a life of their own. These kinds of organizations are many. Some were created by accident. And some were created on purpose. One of the most famous (and prolific) occult leaders in your modern era was a man named Aleister Crowley and he was very active in creating some of these organizations in the non-physical worlds. Some spawned others, and some fractured and grew.

[5] Some are part of the traps and snares that were established by the administration of the Prison Complex.These ones are very devious. They are run by Prison Correction Officers. Often autonomously. 

[6] Some are the result of prayer and meditation leading up to quasi religious sponsored organizations that them "took on a life of their own". And operate with the highest intentions, often in ignorance, and suffering from the chains of dogma. 

Each one goes by a name or group of names depending on who is dealing with them and why. 

Their overall mix of intention is roughly...

14% Sincere
11% Mischievous
24% Impassioned / religious
22% Run by the Prison Complex as a snare / trap
19% Accidentally spawned or grown on it's own.
03% Initially set up by the Domain
07% Misc

The numbers are REALLY difficult for me to nail down. So what I did was write them down as transmitted.

Then I discovered that they did not add up so I rounded them downwards to get numbers that made sense. I think that the commander was just pitching vague rough figures for illustrative purposes. The readers should not take these numbers as solid figures but as a guide to get a general feel for the kinds of organizations that are around, and the chances of one encountering one or the other.

We urge caution in dealing with all non-physical organizations. 

There are many tricks and side-tracks that are purposely designed to put you in a dangerous situation. Then if you fail, you are then recycled, and your physical body dies in it's sleep. If you pass, then you go on to harder more aggressive "tests" and combat arenas. Eventually ALL IS-BE's return back to the "Tunnel of Light" and are recycled in this manner.

This system is one of the most common ones used by the Prison Planet to trap those inmates with advanced skills for travel in the non-physical worlds.

All IS-BE's should be very, very careful when dealing in the non-physical realm that lies inside of the Prison Confines. There are very dangerous and very complex traps purposely designed to snare the unprepared.

Then, out of the blue, about two days later this comes in.

The questioner has been involved in multiple groups. This is true even though it might appear to be a singular group authority. 

At least one of them was a Corrections Officer sponsored group. 

Often the "Old Empire" Corrections Officer groups disguise themselves (it's easy to do) and pretend to be another group. 

As such they convince the IS-BE that they are what the IS-BE wishes / desires / wants /expects. Then they set up snare scenarios to trap the inmate. It is easy to trap such an inmate, as they are often singular and working alone.

Every caution must be taken. One should never perform dangerous actions or efforts in isolation. The risks are far too great.

Thoughts?

[10] Non-physical base monitoring traffic in and out of the Prison Complex?

“Is there an official title for the organization who maintain a permanent station in the non physical domain who are tasked with monitoring all inter-dimensional traffic coming into and out of the earth prison?”

Answers came quick. Clean.

There are multiple organizations, all working independently. The Domain, of course is one. The others are set up for their own purposes. You might think of them as regulatory agencies rather than customs officials.

Obviously the Domain has started monitoring the traffic when the fencing and monitoring mechanisms were damaged.

Some of the civilizations that (have been) dropping off their riff-raff to this environment have set up monitoring stations and platforms.

There is also a kind of constellation / data network / records system / archivist operation that monitors everything regarding this Prison Complex.

Additionally, note that even though the fencing surround this entire Prison Complex has been damaged it has not been obliterated. There are self-aware autonomous Prison systems still working, still monitoring, and still in communication with Mantids and Corrections Officers. (There are other creatures that are Corrections Officers as well as Mantids.)

Thoughts?

[11] Domain approved process for reporting targets …

“What is the Domain approved process for lucid dreamers to report targets they suspect with 100% surety as being part of the amnesia machinery when they are unable to provide exact coordinates?”

This one is complicated and I got a headache just trying to sort through all the inrush of data and stuff. I am still trying to sort it out in any kind of meaningful way. A big jumble and mess of data, concepts and information that I haven’t much experience on and cannot speak about clearly. So I will greatly simplify.

The EBP handles tracking and comm with the physical components of an IS-BE when they are attired in inmate "clothing". That is the primary purpose of the EBP. It is to completely monitor the physical person.

The non-physical comm and monitoring is another system completely. It is completely different.

Part of the Domain operations on the non-physical bodies is to release the chains of control by the Prison Administration. (Greatly simplified.) But part is something else as well. Depending on the person, other systems can be added or subtracted from the non-physical body of a given inmate.

One of the more substantive and comprehensive operations is a very complex procedure that permits tracking and recording abilities associated with a given non-physical body. Because of it's in-depth / invasive / critical infrastructure changes /alterations /dangers it is only used on the most important or critical non-physical bodies (A lot of things that I have no idea of. Simplified the response.) that have a need to be observed and monitored.

This procedure is given to those that are active in "Lucid Dreaming" activities and related movements in the non-physical world that ALSO wish to participate with the Domain as a volunteer. If this occurs then the individual would experience a very strange "experience" (a bunch of concepts that I am at a loss to explain.) that would not appear to be like their normal "Lucid Dreaming" events. Instead they would be having operations performed on them, and then released. 

Then for the most part, their normal activities would continue as before, though they might start to get "nudges" or messages or directions. Which would be "coaching" / requests / advisement from the Domain handler to them. Their ability to understand what is going on takes time and there is no set training period for this activity.

Afterwards they would not need to report anything. Their experiences would be monitored tracked, observed and noted.

This is a unique procedure for unique assets. For most volunteers this is not necessary.

Is this reasonable?

[12] Suggestions or messages for escapees from the Prison Complex

“Are there any messages for those who have escaped the prison through lucid dreaming and retain much of their memories as an immortal consciousness ie as an IS-BE?”

Again this is quick and surprisingly short.

Keep in mind that as long as your physical body is alive, your consciousness will still be connected to it. The only way that you can escape this Prison Complex is to physical die within it.

Yet, when the physical body is dead, your IS-BE consciousness will still be connected to the non-physical body. For many, they will appear to be one and the same.

At that point, there are a small number of IS-BE's that [might] possess the skills to actually leave the Prison Complex. If they have that ability, we suggest that they request assistance from The Domain.

The Domain is the highest authority in this region. By requesting assistance, it is no different from calling the Fire Department, calling for an ambulance, or calling for the police. The IS-BE consciousness should have no fears or qualms about asking for support and assistance ever. 

Call for help. That is what you must do, and wait for us to arrive.

What are your thoughts?

[13] Black-hole anomaly reference

“Do the Domain know about a black hole like “anomaly” that permeates through both physical and non physical worlds and has the potential to “decompose” such worlds”? This is hard to describe in Earth based language. From outside the prison it would be appear as a dark void that encompasses many of these non physical and physical worlds simultaneously.”

When I read this I got the impression of the Commander / handler sighing and looking up and thinking. Not that it actually happened, mind you, but that was the impression that I had.

And then this…

Ask this question later.

So then I waited… I waited all afternoon, had dinner and then I asked again. The response was like a tired old kindly grandfather or cherished uncle that only wants the best for you.

There are many things in space and the surrounding area that are unknown to the human inmates. This is in both the physical and the non-physical realms. 

Some resemble a black-hole as you consider it. Others are something else entirely different. There are voids, and areas of occluded thought transference. There are many, many areas, and many such objects.

I would advise staying away from any objects or situations that you do not understand. This is for your own safety and to prevent you from being engulfed in a snare of the "old empire".

What are your thoughts?

[14] Any “consciousness” doping facilities?

“Are the Domain aware of “consciousness” doping facilities within the non physical planes where hypnotic commands for reality brainwashing are uploaded to the IS – BE via a type of screen?”

This was an interesting response. It was dismissive. And you all shouldn’t be taken aback by it. It’s just a response.

Yes. The Domain is aware of everything.

I am sure that this isn’t what the questioner wanted to hear. But this is all that I’ve got. Simple. Are you bothered by it?

[15] The “Wet Room”?

“Is the Domain familiar with a device known as “the Wet Room” which has the ability to “spin” a consciousness through multiple non physical worlds simultaneously and is used specifically to torture/ disorientate an IS-BE traveling outside their physical body?”

I had to read some writing on this and then re-read the question. The answer was slow in coming. Maybe too general. It was hesitating and sluggish.

IS-BE's can create anything by thought. It is common to create entire universes. But those that are inmates have forgotten this ability and the Prison Correction Officers use all sorts of devices and systems to control those in the non-physical environment. 

This "wet room" is one such system. There are many, many more. Some are truly awful. You do not want to get involved in any of these traps, snare or devices if you can avoid them.

Additionally, evil people use the lack of understanding and knowledge of the IS-BE inmates to throw them into these devices of torture. Then they gleefully enjoy the agony, fear, pain and suffering that they witness.

One of the problems with this kind of third party communication is that the receiver” myself can only communicate ideas, thoughts, images and concepts that I am familiar with.

I had a very strong feeling that the Commander knew what was being asked, but was frustrated in that he couldn’t provide meaningful answers to me personally.

I suppose that were he talking to the principal questioner, he would be able to transmit ideas and answers much more readily. The Wet Room.

[16] Other escapees?

“Are the Domain aware of any IS – BEs, apart from their Officers mentioned in Alien Interview who were caught in one of the electronic traps and were able to escape?”

There was a kind of frustration in the “tone” to this response.

Others have escaped. This is true. 

However, today it is very uncommon event. 

Each time that there is an escape, the Warden (or his surrogates) creates a new system of preventative measures so that it will not happen again. 

Many of the escapes occurred early on after the system was built, and over time, with the addition of more snares, traps and systems, they became fewer and fewer.

Any escapes are highly unlikely to occur without Domain assistance.

(Intentional pause. Then he continued...)

It is worth noting that when the first escapes began, at the start of the Prison Complex, the "Old Empire" needed to locate a militarized police force to patrol the region around the complex. And it was this arm of their space forces that we first battled when we entered this solar system. (Clear image of other actual military forces coming later.)

When the escapees were captured, they were re-injected into the Prison Complex and treated as "escaping offenders". This gave them "special treatment" by the Mantids. They were earmarked for tougher-than-usual difficulty in mapping out the pre-birth world-line template (sic) and much shorter cycling in reincarnation events. (Shorter lives on the earth, followed by a special "Hell" area located in "Heaven" made just for them and other escapees.)

This is a standard procedure by the (Mantid) Corrections Officers. The closer an inmate gets toward escaping, the more difficult his / her next reincarnated life will be. This is controlled by the Corrections Officers in "Heaven".

Today the space surrounding all Prison Complexes, both the physical and the non-physical environments are filled with a minefield of traps and snares. They are multi-layered. We have begun cleaning out large swaths of "space" (sic. I don't know why he wanted me to add this notation.) with systems that we have developed just for this purpose, and it is a tedious and time consuming process.

Part of the reason for this is that the traps and snares react only to inmates. Not to normal humans and other species.

What are your thoughts on this?

[17] How can an average Joe communicate with them? (Aside from communicating via MM)

I put this question out, and then sat by waiting for a response with my cup of coffee. As it is the way that I deal with these things. I then wait. While I was on another task (my personal journal) I felt the rising hair on the back of my neck (well, it’s like rising hair on the back of my neck. Not actually the same thing.) and switched over to record it.

I vocalized it again and then typed the response.

There is no need for an "average person" to contact us. We have everything under control and in place.

It might appear to be cold and heartless, it's just our efficiency. If we need to contract you, you will be contacted. 

What is important is that everyone who works with us follows the rules and obeys the procedures. The Domain works as a unified whole and a "well oiled" organism. We need people who wish to be part of this unified whole, and not a bunch of college hooligans out for a Saturday lark. (I get the strong image of a box of kittens running all over the carpet.)

(Followed by an equally strong image of a group of college students riding in a distressed model "A" with words written all over the car, and the guys wearing strange white and black shoes, striped long sleeve sweaters with sewn on letters, and the girls wearing skirts and holding triangular pennants. I get the impression that the Domain Officer must have spent some time on the Earth in the "Roaring 20's".)

If and when you are contacted by, need to communicate with, or participate in any kind of interaction with us, it is important that you remain calm. 

Do not allow your thoughts to take you to bad places. 

These are fears set up by the many many layers of the Prison Planet system of control. You will find that working with us is very efficient and satisfying, and that we will be able to assist you in the recovery of so many things that you have lost.

(I think that he was talking to the questioner directly in this response. Not in generalities though me.)

Interesting.

[18] How can I detect and possibly circumvent the Old Empire aesthetic mechanisms to keep us enslaved to the physical environment?

I felt that this was a good question, and the Domain Commander agreed. The answer came forth readily without hesitation.

The typical consciousness will easily be drawn into the snares and the traps. This is far truer today than say 20 or even 40 years ago. Most inmates have become accustomed to manipulation to such a degree that they cannot recognize what is going on. This is on all levels, from the physical to the non-physical.

The best equipped to avoid the snares are those with the ability to control their thoughts, and who are very cautious and focused on end goals. Those that are not easily distracted, or manipulated by strange new events will be those best able to  avoid the traps.

That being said, the traps and snares are very devious and cunning. It is unlikely that anyone can avoid them without help and assistance.

That is why there are numerous non-physical organizations. Such as "elders", "leaders", "Prophets", and the like occupying roles in the non-physical reality. The purpose of these organizations is to assist and muster groups of IS-BE consciousnesses to fundamentally fight, or avoid the traps set up by the "Old Empire" prison administrators.

Unfortunately, many of the organizations are not effective enough. Their efforts have had a very minor impact on the entrapment mechanisms of the Prison Complex.

We ask everyone who works with us to focus on controlling your thoughts. Avoiding areas of danger. And helping others in need. When the time comes for your egress from the prison system, we will be there assisting you. All you need to do is call for us.

Could it be that some of the inventions of the last few decades have become traps and snares themselves? Like social media?

[19] Can they teach us how is to live and work as citizens of the Domain?

I only just glanced at this question and got a definite answer.

Yes. Absolutely.

All imprisoned IS-BE's once they regain their memories will desire to return to people, places and things that they know. 

For many of them, not all, but a high percentage of them, this will mean returning to the geographic confines of the (former) "Old Empire".

But they will be quite different (from what they once were, and from their former friends) given their experiences in the Prison Complex.

We will always be willing to accept rehabilitated prison inmates of this harsh environment into The Domain. And to this end we are working on rehabilitation plans and systems just for this express purpose. 

Rehabilitation is necessary, first to reacquire an IS-BE identity, and secondary to re-enter the IS-BE community as a whole. All inmates will have been damaged by their relentless tortures in the Hell that is the Prison Complex.

(Message addendum.)

Keep in mind that the (former) "Old Empire" is now the De Facto territory of The Domain. So that makes any released inmates automatically members of The Domain.

However this is not what the questioner asked. They wanted to know if they will be able to have a substantive ROLE as an ACTIVE member of The Domain rather than just a citizen under it's authority. And the question is, of course, yes.

What are your thoughts on this?

[20] How dangerous are the traps that surround the Prison Complex?

I know that they are pretty dangerous. But I figured that I would ask just how dangerous. You know, maybe just thrown back in, or perhaps something very lethal to IS-BE’s right? So I thought that I would ask.

This is the answer.

Check your cell phone.

WTF?

I turned it on, and when my Douxing (Chinese version of TicTok) turned on and opened up. This is the first video that it displayed. An interesting coincidence.

It’s pretty amazing how this coincidence came up.

[21] Anchoring to a time-line?

This was asked while I was very busy with personal issues. So, I plopped it down and then left it be until I could get around to it. When I had a chance I got straight to it. Tuning in was calm, smooth and easy. Though I really didn’t understand the question well-enough, the answers just flowed forth.

“Not sure if you’ll read this as it’s an old post. I got hit by a car, “died”, and got shunted into this almost perfectly similar reality except for a few changes. Mandela effects flip flopped for a while.”

Would The Domain be able to explain what technology/process is involved in anchoring us to a body & timeline?

Mandela effects, anchoring, world-line cross overs, and all other aspects of these strange events are unique to the prison environment that you inhabit. You refer to it as the MWI. It is an artificial construct. It is not the way the true universe works, only the universe that you live in.

The creation of this universe is very detailed and very complex, and it is unique to the understanding of the group of IS-BE's that created it. They obviously spent much time working on it, developing it, and honing it to a degree of perfection.

Usually, IS-BE's are so enraptured with the pleasures of the physical body that they lose contact with their "spiritual" (sic) side in the non-physical and they forget what abilities that they have. Obviously this was not the case during the fabrication, construction and design of this prison facility. Some mighty (major) skill sets were called into being (use).

The Domain is in the process of studying this system. Each day are new surprises. We have been working with the [technical helpers] to discover it's operation and design. From which we would be able to extract any traps, snare, or problems that lie hidden.

Anchoring to a time-line, world-line interactions, and everything associated with it is unique to this prison environment. Certainly we understand the need to anchor groups of consciousnesses. It's like herding cattle. You cannot have them all over the place and clumping up. And this was a technique that we developed over time as we became familiar with this environment. It is not totally well understood.

Anchoring is one of the containment systems used by the administration of this Prison Complex. They use it to herd inmates. Thus they can control them, and move them towards wars and conflicts that will result in the inmates expending all of their energies on wasted endeavors. Thus, and such that they will be unable to concentrate on anything else. 

Remember that the entire Prison Complex is designed to have war, after war, after war. It's designed to be a Hell. Where the inmates are tortured over and over. Then forget everything, are re-injected, and then relive the same kinds of events.

The Domain is using this system to avoid wars, conflicts and turmoil. Though, there are many, many strong forces inside the Prison Complex pushing towards this goal aggressively.

MM uses the visualization method of a three-dimensional map. It is extremely helpful, but not wholly accurate. 

The actual environment is like a hot cauldron full of all sorts of things. (Food, stew, meat, eggs, tentacles, etc.) Anchoring is similar to turning the knob on the temperature control.

Anchoring to avoid conflict is similar to turning down the heat on the cauldron. All of the items settle. Some sink to the bottom, while others float to the top.

Anchoring to create conflict is similar to turning up the heat on the cauldron. All the items start to toss and turn as the mixture boils. During this period, there is a lot of steam, and smoke and evaporation. And the volume of the cauldron decreases.

If you think of the volume to be the prison population inside of the Prison Complex, then you can see that the anchoring towards wars will decrease the actual prison population inside of the physical realm. Many will die off. And thus got to "Heaven" to be forgiven, forget their memories, and "rewarded" with a break. Then the cycle begins again.

This is why The Domain has had operatives anchor world lines. They acted as a method of controlling the temperature of that cauldron.

(Pause)

Anchoring to a world-line template is of a different scope than group anchoring efforts. Much of what the Domain has been involved in has been group anchoring efforts to control "the temperature" of the "cauldron stew".

What you are asking about is what happens when you are following a normal progression on a world-line template. Then there is an "event" where somehow your IS-BE consciousness "skips" and slides to a totally different template. Then, perhaps, skips and slides to another one, and then again, and maybe again, and again.

This is a big subject...

I needed to take a break and a breather. I had the impression that I was about to get a massive dose of information.

So I said “tone it down please”.

And got up, went downstairs and got my self a coke from the vending machine.

If you use the 3D template map concept that MM promotes then the best way to visualize this as a railroad line going from one world-line to the next. It's currently visualized as a plain and simple line. But if you visualize it as a railroad line it might be easier to understand.

While the topographic surface is the strongest likelihood of movement, it is not all the options available. There's "tracks" going up and above, and "tracks" going down below.

These are equivalent to "nearby slides".

If you can imagine world-line template maps stacked upon each other like a layered cake, and that an event occurs that has you make you slide up or down into a different layer in that cake, that is what is going on. 

Sometimes the "event" is so traumatic that you slide to a different world-line template. One near by, of course, but not exactly the same as the one proceeding it.

In effect, you are not just simply moving from world-lien to world-line, but you are actually sliding up or down on the Z-axis as well.

In general, if this happens, the chances are that you momentarily slid to a pre-birth (default) world-line template when the "event" occurred. As you must have somehow altered your existing template in your past and have been riding it for some time on your own autonomously. 

Then, when your "components" tried to latch on to the the highest probability relationship items / components /vectors it threw you off, and you ended up on a different template, and again and again, until the "components" resettled with highest-probability fits based on the thoughts associated with you at the moment of the "event".

I have no idea what the last part is about. I have to reread it a couple of times to figure it out. I think that the “components” of our consciousness ties us to the templates that we inhabit.

And thus the selection of the pre-birth world-line template must somehow tie our IS-BE consciousness with a particular world-line.

Thus, when an “event” happens, that connection can be disrupted… until it resettles.

Not every “event” is physical only. Non-physical events happen and scar our non-physical bodies.

[22] Why/how is our awareness prevented from carrying through to the dreamworld?

“I know the body is checking for movement and thoughts and will not enter sleep until the mind has blanked out, it’s an obvious “feature” built in for control.”

This is an intentionally engineered "interrupting" feature of the inmate prison body and how it differs from that of a "normal" human archetype body that lies outside of the Prison Complex.

The physical body is intentionally designed to NOT communicate or travel when sleeping. 

However, this is a developing function. It does not appear immediately. It is a feature that "grows" over time. It's an intelligent feature.

This function acquires experiences, and sensory input as the IS-BE is born in the physical reality. 

Then over time, this intelligent biological alteration manifests. By the time the entity is five to seven years old, most of the population will be unable to communicate with the "dreamworld" (sic).

However, it is not a perfect system.

Certain IS-BE's of strong character and ability, as well as strong environments that foster the belief of the spirit-world as a familial norm, can avoid this biological and non-physical layer of interruption. The entity as a person can learn to be able to have "Lucid Dreams", and "Astral Projection" as well as many other skills that are denied the vast humanity that is imprisoned.

Since this is a developed "growth" that is acquired over time, it is possible to destroy that "growth", alter it's composition or destroy it entirely. This can occur by directed thought, skilled intention, and practice.

Since the vast majority of inmates do not have this ability, this system of control is effective in the Prison Complex.

What are your thoughts on this?

[23] Why is astral projection hard to achieve while awake?

Strangely this response happened very quickly. I don’t even think I got a chance to take a breath.

It’s really a lot of work doing this you know. I feel very “speedy” (a LSD reference for your children of the 70’s and 80’s). My body and hair are getting exhausted from being so electrified, and my body temperature is running rather hot. I am bathed in sweat.

Sensory overload. Your engineering physical body is unable to partition out multiple consciousnesses like the IS-BE can. Thus, you must rely on a singular consciousness to manifest events. 

If you want to conduct astral projection then you will need to be able to separate your physical senses from your non-physical sensing ability.

This is a normal feature of all physical human bodies, and is not an engineered feature of the inmate prison body.

What are your thoughts on this question and answer?

[24] Why do memories from astral/dreams not carry over easily?

He continues. And my keyboard is getting slippery with all the sweat from my fingers.

Memories are stored outside of the physical body. When a physical body accesses the memories they access what can be be described as RAM. It's the everyday use memories. 

This varies from person to person. Some have an easier time accessing the day to day memories. Other have a difficult time, and still others with a photographic memory remember everything.

You can remember what you had for breakfast today simply because you are using local memory. Your inmate container allows this random access of everyday memories.

The same is true with your memories of what happened one year ago. 

All these memories are stored on (something similar to the computer memory system known as) "RAM".

Normally, all "normal" (unmodifed) human bodies permit access to a central repository of memories. This is equivalent to a "hard drive".

Not inmates however.

The engineered inmate bodies have blocked access to the "hard drive" that contains all of the memories that you as a IS-BE has. 

This ability was not only erased by the "brain washing" efforts upon entry to the Prison Planet, but access to it is not physically possible in the physical inmate (engineered) body. The entire access circuitry is ripped out.

When you, as an IS-BE exist as consciousness from the physical reality to the non-physical reality, your memories (and experiences) are being recorded and they go straight to the "hard drive".

But when you are in the physical body, they go into RAM and the "hard drive".

Inmates are never permitted to access the "hard drive" memory circuitry. Only RAM. It's biologically engineered into all inmates.

However, when an inmate "dies" and leaves the physical "general population" and gets rewarded with a "Heaven", he or she can access these "hard drive" memories by permission. A Corrections Officer (usually a Mantid) will accompany you to a "viewing area" where certain memories will be presented to you to observe.

However, that is only for inmates.

All unmodified humans do not have this problem and can access both types of memories in real time with no problem whether they are in a physical body or not.

So, in a way, you can access some of your memories. So it’s not all bad.

[25] Is this related to the memory wipe that our memories are so poor now, or biology/soul interaction?

And this came fast as well…

It is engineered in all inmate bodies.

“With the timeline I’m sure we can shift to a completely alternate reality with a new history but I’m unsure of the process involved. And yeah, thought dump sorry, I just see these bodies are actively designed to stop us leaving in soul form.”

You can only use the skills associated with world-line , time -line travel to MWI events within the prison universe; the Prison Complex. Your thoughts will not take you out of the Prison Complex alone. That is why the entire complex is constructed as it is today.

It is unlikely that you can create a universe (via a alternative reality slide) within a universe that controls the construction of your being.

The science fiction movie “Inception” comes to mind.

(A bunch of "chatter" and a confusing mix about stuff related to "time travel" to a point in time before the construction of the Prison Planet, and other things that I am having a bunch of time understanding. I think that I a just getting tired.)

Guys, I appreciate all this input, but really.  Please don’t pull a “Back to school” Rodney Dangerfield on me.

These last five questions by one person just about killed me.

It makes me just want to stop and end MM completely. Have a heart and some compassion here. Please everyone, one or two questions only. These five to eight questions in a single go is not tenable. It is not something that I want to do and it is personally very, very difficult for me to handle. To give you all an idea what it is like, then do this; Grab a screwdriver and stick it in a power outlet. Now, keep putting it in that outlet for six hours.

That’s what it’s like.

When I refer to Rodney Dangerfield, “Back to School”, I am referring to a singular scene. Where the one professor gives him one singular question.

It’s just that it has these massive 64 parts.  Poor Rodney answers, “concerning part 63b, subpart d, section R-12, part 14″…

It’s tiring and takes a lot out of me. Christ. I need a drink!

Back to school.

[26] There must be flaws in the system where we can throw that anchor off somehow?

The questions continue…

Yes, there are flaws, but they are very difficult to locate, and even harder to exploit.

Enough! I’m toast. No more questions. This is more than enough for one person.

After a break of two days, I sat down and added these questions from someone else…

[27] My question is why the “caste system”.

“Why do the type-1 have different roles, ranks, bodies, and even abilities. Unlike the mantids they use physical bodies and are limited to the limits of time and space. STO all have the same soul structure from my understanding which are different from STS. Why this? Could you please clarify.”

Everyone is an IS-BE. Everyone is thus capable of any position within any society. That includes the Domain.

The members of the Domain have roles within society based upon their abilities, and capabilities. We have a very rigorous method of merit that determines where an IS-BE "fits" within our society.

Certainly anyone can rise to become whatever class they want. It is not a rigid caste structure. It is a hybrid class structure. The only limitations are those of the IS-BE itself.

A goose cannot swim under the water, but with practice it can take longer and longer periods of time under water as needed. By practice, the goose can indeed start to swim somewhat under water. It just takes effort and drive and ambition. However, most geese do not try to swim under the water to their roles are locked in, like a caste, to floating on the water and flying. That is what they prefer.

Now, to achieve the class rating that they want, the IS-BE must get to that position through hard work, determination and merit. In the case of the goose, it must try and try and practice and practice. It must do this over and over again until it is adept at swimming under the water.

With each class are certain "benefits" or "allowances" granted to the IS-BE. Such as the ability to use certain doll bodies and so on and so forth.

(New subject.)

Note that all members of The Domain are inherently neutral in sentience. 

However the accumulation of experiences manifests in the desire to serve the society; The Domain, to the best of one's ability. 

This is because of the way the society is structured. In societies that grant roles based on effort, then all efforts (in all societies) eventually evolve into Service to Others sentience. 

Those societies that are not based on merit, hard work, community, or effort tend to evolve into Service to Self sentience's. The more corruption, graft, crime, corruption, the more selfish the society becomes.

Thus, because of this, the vast majority of IS-BE's in The Domain are Service for Others sentience.

Any thoughts on this answer?

[28] And volunteering to work with the domain?

Would this mean a harder life (experiences) or what would you really be doing?

No. In many ways it could be much easier.

The questioner is dealing with many non-physical issues that reflect how his reality manifests. By working with The Domain, many of those non-physical issues can be suppressed or even completely eliminated.

Every action that one takes has tradeoffs.

For many inmates, joining the Domain adds an extra layer of effort that one might not desire. Such as MM here.

However, for those, such as the questioner, the benefits of working with the Domain far outweigh any of the negative issues. It is all about tradeoffs.

Any thoughts on this?

Some final thoughts leading up to question [29]

You know, these answers bring up so many questions for me personally.

You see, I as MM was in MAJestic and in my interactions I fully came to understand the topography of the MWI Prison Complex.

  • I came to understand how the Prison Planet works in great detail.

However, from these answers, it is clear that this kind of knowledge is not available to The Domain. They are having a great deal of difficulty in figuring out all the layers, the traps the systems and so on and so forth.

  • The Domain captured this geographic region. However, they do not know how the Prison Planet works.

From the answers (here and before) it appears that it is possible that I know (perhaps, and I am only saying) more than The Domain does about this Prison Planet.

I understand how it works and the many, many layers and how to navigate inside of it, and so much more. Right? Are these things that I just casually picked up in all my slides and adventures?  What are these “things” that I somehow understand in great clarity?

Well, whatever they are, these are things that are unique to The Prison Planet.

Not to The Domain.

Not to the universe outside of the Prison Planet. Only inside the Prison Planet.

The Commander and all the workers in The Domain know many, many things. But they DO NOT know the structure and the architecture of this complex. They need to know it in order to turn off the suppression and monitoring equipment. And so they are enlisting me to help them.

Why ME?

Was it just that I had the right education and the right background and the right place and time and coincidentally it all fell into place when I joined the United States Navy? As this is what I have believed all these years. But then again… there is no such thing as coincidences.

Do you see what I am saying?

Perhaps my involvement in MAJestic goes far deeper than what I had been made aware of.

Perhaps I, myself an a reincarnated  kind of aide or assistant, or architect or something or the other. Maybe I am somehow tied with some “Old Empire” skills, knowledge.

Maybe, you know…

… it was like what happened in the Ancient China. When an Emperor had his treasure tomb built, he then killed all the workers who built it, and then buried his architects in the tomb with him so that the secrets of the tomb will never see the light of day.

Maybe that is what happened.

I am not saying that I am this person or something like that. Not at all.

But it does seem really odd to me, and as these Q&A responses flush out I find myself asking these questions more and more often. Why do I know so much more about the inner workings of the Prison Planet MWI than The Domain Commander assigned to this area?

From the movie “The Matrix”; The Architect is a highly specialized, humorless program of the Machine world as well as the creator of the Matrix. As the chief administrator of the system, he is possibly a collective manifestation, or at the very least a virtual representation of the entire Machine mainframe.

What is the story?

And so, it’s really one of those moments “of truth”. You know.

What the Hell is going on?

I put it off for a day, but I just couldn’t wait.  I had to ask.

On Sunday 26SEP21 after I had a bowl or home-made chicken noodle soup, I asked the question.

[29] Who am I? Who is MM?

And the answer came back swift and clear.

Mades Escapalion

Thoughts?

Do you want more?

You can find many more videos in my “Extraterrestrial Species index” over here…

ET Species

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[daegonmagus] – Part 6 – Astral Assignment 1  – The Consciousness Prison

The following is the sixth part from a series of articles describing the adventure that a follower who goes by the handle "daegonmagus" has experienced since reading MM. They are very interesting and fascinating. I hope that you all learn from his journey and maybe learn a thing or two as he relates his unique experiences to the readership here. 

-MM

Part 6 – Astral Assignment 1  – The Consciousness Prison

Daegonmagus Astral Assignment 1  – The Consciousness Prison.

This article relates to what I call my “astral assignments”. These differ from my mystical experiences with the Elder Guardians and the Unseen 5.  Although I was not connected to a higher state of conscious awareness, I was still completely lucid in these assignments. I know that they were simply not just fabrications of my mind whilst in the dream state. Usually I would be “abducted” out of my dreamscapes of my own devising and just wind up carrying out one of these assignments.

This assignment marks the first time I realised my astral body was being utilised as an infiltration agent into “strange bases”. It is the first real memory I have that something incredibly weird was going on in the non physical planes. This was the experience that led me to believe there was some sort of Astral War being carried out in these planes that I was directly involved in. It happened around the time I was able to remote view from an off world intelligence and inhabit its body. I would have been about 14 or 15, so by then I had developed some quite advanced consciousness projection techniques. I believe it was those very techniques which marked my candidacy for this assignment.

I am actually relieved I have a comfortable place to talk about this. Anywhere else and I would surely be labelled as insane. I have been holding on to this memory for the about 15 years, probably a bit more.

Now, if you’ve been a part of any UFO or remote viewing related communities you may have come across people claiming places like area 51 containing “5th dimensional security setups”. These security setups allegedly can stop you from astral projecting or remote viewing these bases. One of the accounts I have read of this happening to someone during a remote viewing session is that they  “had to have an intense battle with their mind before they could get back to their physical body”. While I cannot vouch for the particular “areas” in question, I can tell you with 100% surety that these systems DO exist. This is not something I will budge in my beliefs over; I experienced one (technically two- read Part 5) of these things. I have first hand experience of how they operate and how to escape from them. When you read Airl’s statement about the electronic screens that trap consciousness, this is what I am talking about. Airl describes them almost exactly how I experienced them. In fact the one she speaks about being on Mars that her Domain officer found could very well be the same one I speak about in this article. I always thought it was the moon, but then again I never saw the surface.

The intention of this article is not scare anyone, but provide a briefing into this particular facility I was in; what it looks like, the layout, where the consciousness prison is located etc. It is my plan to provide a framework of the techniques I used to escape in case anyone ever finds themselves unfortunate enough to be caught in one in my future articles on lucid dreaming.

The assignment:

I had consciously entered into the dream state and was halfway engaged in a dream construct of my own devising. Whatever the construct was, I cannot remember it. There was a sudden blankness, and all of a sudden my surroundings changed (this is a frequent occurrence with me in and LD – the precluding circumstances to my assignments were always wiped from me).

I was now in the middle of a large, underground cavernous area which I just knew was off world {in relation to earth}. There was this strange sort of bluish hue like some sort of artificial light was illuminating the whole cavern. It wasn’t like how we know illumination works from light sources. This was like there was like a blue wash over everything; if you can imagine looking through a pair of sun glasses with a blue tint to them, this is what it was like. Everything was being filtered through this blue hue. Even though it seemed to be night time, the blue hue made everything visible.

I was smack bang in the middle of this cavern. Underneath my feet the rocks were very jagged and littered everywhere. I was in amongst a crowd of bipedal type humanoids, though they were not human.

This crowd I estimate to be 10 to 20 thousand in number. They were all out tending to the rocks as if they were crops.

I was blending in with them which makes me believe that I had “taken over” one of their bodies. This would explain the blue hue; I suspect it was a sort of natural night vision their eyes had. I specifically remember standing back and observing them with my arms crossed, suggesting I was in fact in a physical body.

At one end of this cavern was a “mouth” the size of an aircraft hangar that led to a darker cave tunnel. To the back was the dwellings of these people which looked like square houses made of rock similar to Middle Eastern design. The whole cavern area was fairly flat, considering, and was a few acres in diameter wall to wall. Towards the tunnel mouth end was a large boulder.

At the other end of the cavern clearing was a cluster of square shaped buildings laid out in a similar manner to a city, but much smaller. They were similar in design to buildings of the Middle East. They were piled on top of each other in a sort of Favela type arrangement. In front of them was a wall of rock that had been left untouched that blocked the city off from the rocky outcrops that lay between them and the cavern tunnel on the far wall. This wall did not reach the roof – the buildings were higher than it – and had a single break in it that led into the maze of buildings.

Even 16 years later I have a vivid image of this cavern base. I can mentally zoom up and above the dwellings as if I am flying a drone with a camera on it. I have a photographic memory of the whole place and the layout of it. My insertion point was to a “raised” sort of area to the right of the front gate (the break in the rock wall) so I could sort of see into the complex. I was there, there is no question in my mind about this; it was no hallucination, or just “a dream”. Neither was it terrestrial. I am sure of this.

Each cluster was separated by a thin road or path, 2 or 3 meters wide that was made out of typical whitish grey concrete, which was intersected at right angles by other roads every 50 or so meters. As you go through the break in the rock wall, there are the dwellings to your immediate left hugging the wall back that way, and to the right it is if the wall just extends backwards. In other words you can turn left(after going past a block of dwellings), but not right. The pathway through the buildings from the break in the wall would thus be straight, left, straight before the intersections come into play. This proceeds  in this manner all the way to the wall behind the dwellings.

There were elements that were surprisingly human such as the concrete pathway and roller doors embedded into some of the buildings. There were approximately 5 times the amount of people to dwellings. The consciousness prison was located in what appeared to be a standard sized garage or carport underneath one of the buildings right near the break in the rock wall. If you were to head straight through the rock wall and turn left, the consciousness prison would be on your right, right on the corner.

This cubic dwelling network was about an acre or 2 at most in area, and extended all the way to the back wall of the cavern, as if the dwellings had been “carved” out of existing rock. If you think of magma that has been laser carved to precision into a cube, this is what the dwellings sort of looked like, except yellowish; the rock they had come from had first been melted/liquefied then “precision cut”. Each dwelling had square shaped holes which I took for windows, though no glass was present in them, and were about 5 meters squared in size, on average, maybe a bit bigger, with multiple stories. They were of a very modern design. It was like a mini city.

All of a sudden a being appeared at the mouth of the cavern and stood on the boulder that was in front of it. I am not sure if “he” appeared out of thin air or if “he” came from the tunnel behind , but everyone  began flocking to this being curious as to what he had to say. They appeared to know who he was.

I remember realizing I was here on a reconnaissance mission specifically to gain information on this being and what was going on in this place. I approached him, confident that I could camouflage and conceal myself as one of the other “people”.

The “Clone God” (this was my name for him), from memory, at first looked like he had white hair but the closer I got I realized it was actually made of a rice like substance that gave him a short haired appearance, like a number 3 crew cut. He grinned a very disconcerting smile that was extremely fake and just felt plain wrong, like he was suffering from a very bad case of Botox poisoning in his face. I remember it reminded me of a typical celebrity smile, but laced with psychopathic substance unlike anything you could ever imagine. Behind his stare there was a blankness to him that was just wrong; you could feel the lack of empathy emanating from within him.

He was wearing some kind of robes, like he was a cult leader or something. Very Charlie Manson-esc.

I watched as the “people” flocked to him in awe, then he opened his mouth, but instead of talking something happened whereby the townspeople turned into exact replicas of him. There would have been enough people to fill up a Metallica concert. I am pretty sure at one point he took off his robe, and I noticed he had no signs of genitalia, as he was naked, with very pale white skin.

I realized  – in one of the few times I felt fear during these assignments –  that my cover was blown, and this thing was toying with me. The mass conversion of townspeople to clones was specifically for my “entertainment”. I could sense this as he just stood smiling and looking around with eyes wide open like he was a robot. I think at one point I could feel myself being “cloned”, and may have even possibly undergone a timeline reset to the moment before he cloned me.

The smile remained exactly the same the whole time on not only him, but every one of his clones, it never wavered for a second. If you think of a massive crowd of people with this same smile, all turning their heads in perfect unison , eyes wide open without ever blinking, this is what I was smack bang in the middle of, and why I remember it so intensely. It was one of the weirdest and most uncomfortable positions I have ever been in (Storme relayed a similar account of synchronous head turning with a mysterious being Vince and his dog).

This was very reminiscent of the scene in the Matrix where Agent Smith continually replicated himself, then tried doing it to Neo. I hadn’t watched this movie in quite a number of years and I am quite certain I wasn’t being influenced by it, which makes me question the similarities.

After the reset I ran to the cluster of buildings, down an alley and eventually took refuge in what appeared to be a garage with a roller door. I was planning on aborting the mission and exfiltrating out. I did not realize the part of the concrete floor was a hologram, and I fell straight through it. Usually in lucid dreams when something like this would happen I would just manifest myself an exit, or “fly out”, but I soon realized there was a sort of an invisible force field that wouldn’t let me do it. Both the Domain Commander and Airl describe this force field in the exact way to how I experienced it. It is like an electronic net that you can’t get past no matter how skilled at consciousness projection you are.

It prevented me from summoning the portals (what I used to travel the non physical planes), in which I had to manually try and project inwardly and outwardly. Every time I did it was just bounce me back into the center of the room which was about 3 meters squared in area.

I was also still 100% lucid, and realized that this room was preventing me from getting back into my body back on earth. I couldn’t manifest any of the weaponry I’d usually be able to in practically all of my other LDs, or anything that I could use. My consciousness was completely bound to this room and its altered quantum rules. To make matters worse I had an army of “beings” converging on me to try and “collect my consciousness”. I had to evade them by bouncing around this 3×3 room and at the same time try and think up a way to get out.

I realized this place was a sort of lab or asylum as it had the typical layout of many rooms and hallways (these rooms didn’t have doors) with the same sort of white tiles on the walls.

The alarms went off and then I was captured and thrown into one of these rooms (the room I fell into was sort of like the “pre-containment” area. I could see through the floor hologram as if it only appeared as a floor on one side and on the other was not there). It’s hard to explain but basically these rooms lacked almost any means to navigate correctly.

When you are acting as purely conscious thought form there are certain techniques you use to project your consciousness to a specific place, which pulls you to that point. A very basic outline is that you think of something and then it appears, but this is what was wrong with this asylum; it didn’t allow for such things to happen, at least not very easily.

It disallowed me the ability to recreate my dreamscape at will, something I had become very, very good at. It was a room that interfered with visualization and imagination techniques and was purposefully built to contain a consciousness by distorting them in a similar, but more intense, manner to the sub conscious distortions in the void space I’d learnt how to overcome. I could see how a wandering consciousness untrained in such projection techniques could quite easily get caught here and never be able to return to its body. It was quite horrible and terrifying.

I remember the only thing in the room was a picture or map or something hanging on the wall, and I realized I could somehow use this as a portal to phase in and out of that particular dimension by accessing the energy signature attached to it. The phasing allowed me just enough quantum relocation to progress to another room with a one way window (a wall to the being on the inside and an examination window to the people on the outside).

Again I had to figure out a way to get through it, which involved some sort of bouncing of my consciousness back and forth between rooms. It’s like you scan the room and try and find a quantum entangled particle to relocate through. A fourth dimensional point in the past that you can use to “tunnel” through the force field before it was created. That’s the best way I can describe it. It is extremely hard to do and tested me to the very limits of my lucid abilities.

This maze of rooms went on for some time before I eventually found the exit. I was evading many guards as they chased me through the complex trying to contain me: they did not want me to leave. I had ALOT of beings chasing me around this place. Me getting out of the containment room was evidently a very big deal for them. The alarms are something I can remember quite vividly as well.

I finally made it to what seemed to be a sort of elevator shaft that I was able to exfiltrate out of via consciousness projection techniques I had taught myself.

This whole experience was a test to the very limits of my escape and evade techniques I had been using on various other world entities for a number of years since I first began Lucid Dreaming. It was a test to my ability to be able to keep my conscious at a level needed to survive. Basically, if you get captured and an entity messes with this ability to stay “conscious” in the dream world, it can become very, very difficult to actually wake back up in the physical body. The most important thing is that you cannot allow yourself to freak out. All attention and effort must go to remaining conscious despite the heavy distortions that are trying to knock you out.  I knew if I got knocked out, it would be game over.

It’s weird. It’s like when something grabs you, you feel your energy being sucked away by it, and with it your consciousness as well. The dreamscape becomes hazy and you dwindle mentally into an uncomfortable sort of insanity. The more powerful the entity the quicker you become depleted. The further you move away from them, the more you regain consciousness and your sanity. Had I not had even a few years’ worth of lucid dreaming experience behind me I am absolutely certain I would not have been able to get back to my body. Through my experience in advanced visualization practices I was able to break through this haziness just long enough to escape. I suspect this sort of capturing accounts for a lot of deaths with unexplainable causes, after going to sleep and never waking up. This was a real experience. I am damned sure of it.

Conclusion

So I can relate to everything the Commander said in regards to how dangerous these sorts of complexes are. You don’t want to ever find yourself caught in one.

Ah. this is enough for now. There's a lot of "meat" to absorb here. Soak it in. Enjoy it, and soon enough part 7 will be posted. Best Regards. -MM

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The engineering of a inmate body from that of a normal human so that it can never leave the Prison Planet arena

How about that for a subject title? Jeeze!

This article deals with one of the most important fundamental aspects of the fence that surround this “Prison Planet” environment. Which is the idea that the inmates reside within specially modified bodies that are designed in such a way that they can never leave the fenced in prison compound.

Basic fundamentals

The earth is a Prison Planet.

The Domain is trying to change that role to that of a rehabilitation area instead. Which I have repeatedly referred to as a “Sentience Nursery“.

This is what DM said about this…

...the Grand Elder told me that people stuck on earth (ie those who were not evil service to self oriented) would be flicked over to a “buffer” rehabilitation “reality” specifically to detox them from all the virtual reality (brainwashing) dependancies they had come to rely on whilst under the control of the Cabal (Old Empire).

All of this information (regarding this) has been detailed elsewhere on MM.

Now, due to it’s excessive size, complexity and length, it’s best that if you do not understand what is going on…

… it might be best for you to leave and go elsewhere. This article is likely to be way, way over your head.

Key principles

Actually, the idea that the earth (along with it’s solar system and four / five other solar systems) are all part of a Prison Complex should not be too difficult to understand.

The earth.

Additionally, the idea that the entire Prison Complex is much like the artificial-reality that is described within the movie The Matrix shouldn’t be that difficult to understand either.

What we think of as “reality” is in fact, an artificial construct that we think is real.

The key idea being that there is the true and actual reality, and at some point in time, a society known as “The Old Empire” created a Prison system for it’s criminals. This prison system is an artificial reality. Just like in the movie The Matrix.

This prison system is an artificial reality.

Where in the movie “The Matrix” the people can move in and out of the artificial reality by a system of electronics (such as a phone call that simulates a change in electronic manipulation)…

Moving in and out of the matrix.

…it is different in this Prison Complex.

The differences…

All and any IS-BE consciousness can enter the electro-magnetic force field at will. They can also leave it at will as well.

After all, there are many vehicles from The Domain and others that come in this Prison Environment all the time and they are able to come and go at will.

All manner of extraterrestrials can come and go in and out of this prison environment at will. Why not the inmates?

But…

…once you are designated as an inmate, your entire “self” is erased, and you are provided with a new body (system) to inhabit.

And this new body has been modified in such a way that it cannot leave the Prison Complex ever. It is sort of like having a product or software with certain features blanked out.

Appliance manufacturers make feature-omitted versions of their products to differentiate for product placement in stores.

Since you have a new body that is unable to act, behave and respond like the old body did, you are not trapped in a feature-reduced or retarded body. As such, the warden and the prison system controls everything that you have.

Everything.

In the movie the Matrix, the character Neo is shown that the system can control his actions and movements at well. This include preventing him from yelling for help or screaming.

This article talks about the differences between the “normal” human body, and the body used by inmates. We also discuss the different types or levels of a body, and what The Domain is doing to them for the irregular volunteers.

Human bodies are all over the universe

The first thing that you all must remember is that there is no such thing as evolution.

The Domain (or whatever preceded it) manufactured every type of creature that we know of.

And humans, as one such creature, is a dominant biological template that lies everywhere all over the universe. (Not THE dominant template, but one of the more common templates for a “Sun Type 12, Class 7 planet”.)

The following are extracts from “Alien Interview parsing of comments deemed trillions of years old”  HERE

"The origins of this universe and life on Earth, as discussed in the textbooks I have read, are very inaccurate. Since you serve your government as a medical personnel, your duties require that you understand biological entities. So, I am sure that you will appreciate the value of the material I will share with you today.

The text of books I have been given on subjects related to the function of life forms contain information that is based on false memories, inaccurate observation, missing data, unproven theories, and superstition.

The correct information about the origins of biological entities has been erased from your mind, as well as from the minds of your mentors.  In order to help you regain your own memory, I will share with you some factual material concerning the origin of biological entities.

I asked Airl if she was referring to the subject of evolution. Airl said, "No, not exactly".

You will find "evolution" mentioned in the ancient Vedic Hymns. The Vedic texts are like folk tales or common wisdoms and superstitions gathered throughout the systems of The Domain. These were compiled into verses, like a book of rhymes.  For every statement of truth, the verses contain as many half-truths, reversals of truth and fanciful imaginings, blended without qualification or distinction.

The theory of evolution assumes that the motivational source of energy that animates every life form does not exist.   It assumes that an inanimate object or a chemical concoction can suddenly become "alive" or animate accidentally or spontaneously.   

Or, perhaps an electrical discharge into a pool of chemical ooze will magically spawn a self- animated entity.

There is no evidence whatsoever that this is true, simply because it is not true.   Dr. Frankenstein did not really resurrect the dead into a marauding monster, except in the imagination of the IS-BE who wrote a fictitious story one dark and stormy night.

No Western scientist ever stopped to consider who, what, where, when or how this animation happens.  Complete ignorance, denial or unawareness of the spirit as the source of life force required to animate inanimate objects or cellular tissue is the sole cause of failures in Western medicine.

In addition, evolution does not occur accidentally. It requires a great deal of technology which must be manipulated under the careful supervision of IS-BEs.  Very simple examples are seen in the modification of farm animals or in the breeding of dogs.  However, the notion that human biological organisms evolved naturally from earlier ape-like forms is incorrect.     No physical evidence will ever be uncovered to substantiate the notion that modern humanoid bodies evolved on this planet.

The reason is simple: the idea that human bodies evolved spontaneously from the primordial ooze of chemical interactivity in the dim mists of time is nothing more than a hypnotic lie instilled by the amnesia operation to prevent your recollection of the true origins of Mankind.   Factually, humanoid bodies have existed in various forms throughout the universe for trillions of years.

The following are extracts from Alien Interview deemed billions of years old from HERE

I can relate part of this history from personal experience:

Many billions of years ago I was a member of a very large biological laboratory in a galaxy far from this one.  It was called the "Arcadia Regeneration Company". I was a biological engineer working with a large staff of technicians.   It was our business to manufacture and supply new life forms to uninhabited planets.   There were millions of star systems with millions of inhabitable planets in the region at that time.

There were many other biological laboratory companies at that time also.       Each of them specialized in producing different kinds of life forms, depending on the "class" of the planet being populated.  Over a long span of time these laboratories developed a vast catalogue of species throughout the galaxies. The majority of basic genetic material is common to all species of life. Therefore, most of their work was concerned with manipulating alterations of the basic genetic pattern to produce variations of life forms that would be suitable inhabitants for various planetary classes.

The "Arcadia Regeneration Company" specialized in mammals for forested areas and birds for tropical regions.  Our marketing staff negotiated contracts with various planetary governments and independent buyers from all over the universe.   The technicians created animals that were compatible with the variations in climate, atmospheric and terrestrial density and chemical content.  In addition we were paid to integrate our specimens with biological organisms engineered by other companies already living on a planet.

In order to do this our staff was in communication with other companies who created life forms.     There were industry trade shows, publications and a variety of other information supplied through an association that coordinated related projects.

As you can imagine, our research required a great deal of interstellar travel to conduct planetary surveys.   This is when I learned my skills as a pilot.  The data gathered was accumulated in huge computer databases and evaluated by biological engineers.

A computer is an electronic device that serves as an artificial "brain" or complex calculating machine.   It is capable of storing information, making computations, solving problems and performing mechanical functions. In most of the galactic systems of the universe, very large computers are commonly used to run the routine administration, mechanical services and maintenance activities of an entire planet or planetary system.

Based on the survey data gathered, designs and artistic renderings were made for new creatures. Some designs were sold to the highest bidder. Other life forms were created to meet the customized requests of our clients.

The design and technical specifications were passed along an assembly line through a series of cellular, chemical, and mechanical engineers to solve the various problems.  It was their job to integrate all of the component factors into a workable, functional and aesthetic finished product.

Prototypes of these creatures were then produced and tested in artificially created environments.  Imperfections were worked out, modifications made and eventually the new life form was "endowed" or "animated" with a life force or spiritual energy before being introduced into the actual planetary environment for final testing.

After a new life form was introduced, we monitored the interaction of these biological organisms with the planetary environment and with other indigenous life-forms. Conflicts resulting from the interaction between incompatible organisms were resolved through negotiation between ourselves and other companies.  The negotiations usually resulted in compromises requiring further modification to our creatures or to theirs or both.    This is part of a science or art you call "Eugenics".

In some cases changes were made in the planetary environment, but not often, as planet building is much more complex than making changes to an individual life form.

What you see now on Earth is the huge variety of life forms left behind.   Your scientists believe that the fallacious "theory of evolution" is an explanation for the existence of all the life forms here.  The truth is that all life forms on this and any other planet in this universe were created by companies like ours.

How else can you explain the millions of completely divergent and unrelated species of life on the land and in the oceans of this planet?     How else can you explain the source of spiritual animation which defines every living creature?   To say it is the work of "god", is  far too broad.  Every IS-BE has many names and faces in many times and places.   Every IS-BE is a god. When they inhabit a physical object they are the source of Life.

For example, there are millions of species of insects.  About 350,000 of these are species of beetles. There may be as many as 100 million species of life forms on Earth at any given time.     In addition, there are many times more extinct species of life on Earth than there are living life forms.     Some of these will be rediscovered in the fossil or geological records of Earth.

The current "theory of evolution" of life forms on Earth does not consider the phenomena of biological diversity. Evolution by natural selection is science fiction.   One species does not accidentally, or randomly evolve to become another species, as the Earth textbooks indicate, without manipulation of genetic material by an IS-BE.

Factually, some organisms on Earth, such as Proteobacteria, are modifications of a Phylum designed primarily for "Star Type 3, Class C" planets.    In other words, The Domain designation for a planet with an anaerobic atmosphere nearest a large, intensely hot blue star, such as those in the constellation of Orion's Belt in this galaxy.

Creating life forms is very complex, highly technical work for IS-BEs who specialize in this field.  Genetic anomalies are very baffling to Earth biologists who have had their memory erased.   Unfortunately, the false memory implantations of the "Old Empire" prevent Earth scientists from observing obvious anomalies.

The greatest technical challenge of biological organisms  was the invention of self- regeneration, or sexual reproduction. It was invented as the solution to the problem of having to continually manufacture replacement creatures for those that had been destroyed and eaten by other creatures.   Planetary governments did not want to keep buying replacement animals.

The idea was contrived trillions of years ago as a result of a conference held to resolve arguments between the disputing vested interests within the biotechnology industry. The infamous "Council of Yuhmi-Krum" was responsible for coordinating creature production.

A compromise was reached, after certain members of the Council were strategically bribed or murdered, to author an agreement which resulted in the biological phenomenon which we now call the "food chain".

The idea that a creature would need to consume the body of another life form as an energy source was offered as a solution by one of the biggest companies in the biological engineering business.  They specialized in creating insects and flowering plants.

The connection between the two is obvious. Nearly every flowering plant requires a symbiotic relationship with an insect in order to propagate.  The reason is obvious: both the bugs and the flowers were created by the same company.  Unfortunately, this same company also had a division which created parasites and bacteria.

The name of the company roughly translated into English would be "Bugs & Blossoms" .   They wanted to justify the fact that the only valid purpose of the parasitic creatures they manufactured was to aid the decomposition of organic material.  There was a very limited market for such creatures at that time.

In order to expand their business they hired a big public relations firm and a powerful group of political lobbyists to glorify the idea that life forms should feed from other life forms. They invented a "scientific theory" to use as a promotion gimmick.  The theory was that all creatures needed to have "food" as a source of energy. Before that, none of the life forms being manufactured required any external energy.  Animals did not eat other animals for food, but consumed sunlight, minerals or vegetable matter only.

Of course, "Bugs & Blossoms" went into the business of designing and manufacturing carnivores.  Before long, so many animals were being eaten as food that the problem of replenishing them became very difficult.  As a 'solution', "Bugs & Blossoms" proposed, with the help of some strategically placed bribes in high places, that other companies begin using 'sexual reproduction' as the basis for replenishing life-forms.  "Bugs & Blossoms" was the first company to develop blueprints for sexual reproduction, of course.

As expected, the patent licenses for the biological engineering process required to implant stimulus-response mating, cellular division and pre-programmed growth patterns for self-regenerating animals were owned by "Bugs & Blossoms" too.

Through the next few million years laws were passed that required that these programs be purchased by the other biological technology companies.      These were required to be imprinted into the cellular design of all existing life- forms. It became a very expensive undertaking for other biotechnology companies to make such an awkward, and impractical idea work.

This led to the corruption and downfall of the entire industry.  Ultimately, the 'food and sex' idea completely ruined the bio-technology industry, including "Bugs & Blossoms".  The entire industry faded away as the market for manufactured life forms disappeared. Consequently, when a species became extinct, there is no way to replace them because the technology of creating new life forms has been lost.  Obviously, none of this technology was ever known on Earth, and probably never will be.

There are still computer files on some planets far from here which record the procedures for biological engineering. Possibly the laboratories and computers still exist somewhere.   However, there is no one around doing anything with them. Therefore, you can understand why it is so important for The Domain to protect the dwindling number of creatures left on Earth.

The core concept behind 'sexual reproduction' technology was the invention of a chemical/electronic interaction called "cyclical stimulus-response generators". This is an programmed genetic mechanism which causes a seemingly spontaneous, recurring impulse to reproduce. The same technique was later adapted and applied to biological flesh bodies, including Homo Sapiens.

Another important mechanism used in the reproductive process, especially with Homo Sapiens type bodies, is the implantation of a "chemical-electrical trigger" mechanism in the body.      The "trigger" which attracts IS-BEs to inhabit a human body, or any kind of "flesh body", is the use of an artificially imprinted electronic wave which uses "aesthetic pain" to attract the IS-BE.

Every trap in the universe, including those used to capture IS-BEs who remain free, is "baited" with an aesthetic electronic wave.

The sensations caused by the aesthetic wavelength are more attractive to an IS-BE than any other sensation.  When the electronic waves of pain and beauty are combined together, this causes the IS-BE to get "stuck" in the body.

The "reproductive trigger" used for lesser life forms, such as cattle and other mammals, is triggered by chemicals emitted from the scent glands, combined with reproductive chemical- electrical impulses stimulated by testosterone, or estrogen.

These are also interactive with nutrition levels which cause the life form to reproduce more when deprived of food sources. Starvation promotes reproductive activity as a means of perpetuating survival through future regenerations, when the current organism fails to survive.     These fundamental principles have been applied throughout all species of life.

The debilitating impact and addiction to the "sexual aesthetic-pain" electronic wave is the reason that the ruling class of The Domain do not inhabit flesh bodies.  This is also why officers of The Domain Forces only use doll bodies. This wave has proven to be the most effective trapping device ever created in the history of the universe, as far as I know.

The civilizations of The Domain and the "Old Empire" both  depend on this device to "recruit" and maintain a work force of IS-BEs who inhabit flesh bodies on planets and installations.  These IS-BEs are the "working class" beings who do all of the slavish, manual, undesirable work on planets.

Thus, the human archetype is a creation of The Domain, or a precursor to it. And it is located throughout the universe.You will find people who look like “everyday” humans, big and old, fat and thin, beautiful and ugly, all over the universe.

Various IS-BE’s can control humans by exposing them to the addiction of the “sexual aesthetic-pain” desires of the human form.

Earth Prison Complex Bodies are unique

However, while the “sexual aesthetic-pain” desires can snare and entangle a given IS-BE…

…a different system must be employed to keep them tethered to a specific geographic region.

Much like clipping off the wings of a bird, or foot binding of attractive wives, or a chain around a slaves neck would do. This Prison Complex utilizes a very special kind of fence. One that ONLY reacts to the movement of inmates.

The Prison Planet has a very special fence that surrounds it.

Apparently that is what happened in the creation of this “Prison Complex”.

There were alterations to the human (and other species that also serve as prison vehicles) that prevent them from ever leaving the Prison Complex. I argue that the alterations revolve around all elements of a human body. And this includes the physical body as well as the non-physical bodies.

The make up of a body

If you study any of the oriental religions, you will discover discussions and studies of the “planes of existence” where different elements of yourself reside. On each “plane of existence” you have an associated body.

Thee bodies radiate outward, with the coarsest body being the Physical body. And as you move further away from that body (not necessarily in a Geo-position sense, but rather in an energy sense) your bodies get “finer”, “lighter” and “more energetic with higher energies”.

Or so I have read.

But I am a simple guy, and we really do not need to get involved in all those details. I have the distinct impression that many of the writings on this subject are only confluence of religious dogma rather than any practical application. Or, to put it in a better way…

… “who cares about the name of the 3rd level of the casual plane, if you cannot use that information to improve your life?”

We are going to keep things here on an elementary level. If  you wish to study the religious teachings / new age / spiritual teachings there are tons of websites all over the internet that you can refer to. But for now, we are going to keep things really simple.

[1] Your consciousness (IS-BE) resides within a container.

Your IS-BE consciousness is inside a body constructed for you by the Prison Complex.

[2] This container exists within a Prison Complex as a “human-shaped inmate”.

We are surrounded by other inmates that seem much like us.

[3] The “human-shaped inmate” form is derived from the human form that is common all over the universe.

The difference being that it has been modified to exist only within a Prison Complex.

“Normal people” talking to inmates using the video conference software without needing to pass through the gates to get in the prison.

[4] This modification is complete and affects both the physical body, but the non-physical body as well

Female inmates of the ADC.

Simplification

So, because of this we will consider all those various “light bodies” that reside on all those other “planes of existence” as one singular “combined body” that is the non-physical body.

Thus, this simplification for the “human inmate body” is actually…

  • A physical body.
  • A non-physical body.

The Physical Body

It is impossible for the physical body to cross the electromagnetic “fence” that surrounds the Prison Complex. The technology of the inmates is not at the level that will permit them to build a spacecraft that will be able to cross the fence. Nor will the system ever permit the prison inmates ever obtain the kind of technology needed to build a space-traveling vehicle that can breech the fence line.

One must remember that the ONLY reason why earth’s technology is so high presently is because the mental suppression technology (or at least one of the mechanisms) was destroyed by The Domain around 1150AD. Prior to that, it was anticipated that most of the inhabitants of the Prison Complex, would at best, be living in a primitive early iron-age culture for hundreds of thousands of years.

Thus, the system of constant wars, destruction, and collapse of civilizations and technology on earth is designed to prevent any kinds of space travel or advanced propulsion techniques that might allow one to escape from the prison complex.

The non-physical body

The non-physical body can move about all over. It is not constrained by technology or manufacturing ability.

It’s the power of thought. An IS-BE who can remember a specific location or memory outside of the Prison Complex can visualize it and propel themself outside of the Prison Complex.

Thus it is imperative that all memories be suppressed. Without any idea of where to go, people to meet, places to visit, the inmate is forced to be tethered to the Prison Complex.

No memories.

However, what if something reminds an inmate of some distant memory. While every action has been taken to prevent the occurrence of memories, the fact remains that one singular memory, no matter how faint or brief can be used by an IS-BE to “latch on to” and “home into” and thus go through the electronic fence that surrounds the Prison Complex.

Thus it is of particular interest that the non-physical body be modified so that it cannot go through the electromagnetic fence line surrounding the Prison Complex.

How the Domain alters the body to avoid the force screens

The “Old Empire” has designed a system where the only way out of the Prison Complex is through use of a “normal” non-physical body. And inmates have a modified body that prevents them from leaving the Prison Complex.

Once in, you are never going to leave.

It is much like the scene in The Matrix Revolutions where Neo is trapped in a subway.

The final installment in the Matrix trilogy finds an unconscious Neo trapped in a subway station in a zone between the Matrix and the machine world. Inside the Matrix, Neo is trapped in a subway station named Mobil Ave (an anagram for limbo), a transition zone between the Matrix and the Machine City. He meets a "family" of programs, including a girl named Sati. The "father" tells Neo the subway is controlled by the Trainman, a program loyal to the Merovingian.

The modification to the non-physical body snares the escaping inmate so that they cannot cross the fence threshold, and perhaps even alerts the warden and his administration to retrieve the errant IS-BE.

The modifications necessary to do this

I cannot state explicitly enough what the modifications are to the non-physical body, nor can I even begin to comprehend what the non-physical body is like. I once observed my non-physical body being worked on and it was really colorful, chaotic and detailed. And way, way beyond my comprehension.

It’s a medical procedure.

Once you understand that, and calm down all your fears you will see it in fine comforting images that provide answers and insight instead of fearful images of horror and terror.

It is ONLY a medical procedure. You will be surrounded by trained professionals. You need not fear anything.

What I do know is that the non-physical body must go through a number of procedures to be able to suppress or eliminate the mechanisms associated with this Prison Complex. The changes made to YOUR body must be undone. And it must be undone BEFORE you are tricked into going back into the “Tunnel of light”.

The Procedure and consciousness extraction

I will relate a little story that occurred to me.

Around 1984-5, before I was compelled to go to China Lake NWC, I had an (intense) urge to visit the North Carolina seacoast. At that time, my wife and I were living in the hills not so far from Nashville, NC. 

And so, out of the blue, my wife and I traveled a eight hour drive to go to this tiny bath-house on the beach. 

It was around 8 or 9 at night when we arrived. The area was deserted (aside from one other car) and We both got out of the van and walked towards the bath house. 

There, we met to other people. One, a woman took my wife by the elbow and led her back to our van where they chatted up a storm on the road, and the man took me towards the bath-house.

Suddenly I was inside this lounge of sorts, and he led me down to sit. So I sat down on this sofa. A pleasant woman came up to us. She reminded me of an airline stewardess. Everyone was “normal” looking. She smiled and placed a greenish box on the counter of the coffee table in front of me. Then she did something. I’m not quite sure what. 

The upshot is that my consciousness went into that box. And I was unable to feel any movement of my body. It felt like I was completely paralyzed all over. It was like "sleep paralysis" except that I wasn't asleep.

A few hours passed.

The next thing I knew, I was waving goodbye to the man and the woman. They stood there near the bath-house on that deserted stretch of road, and we drove home. I never recounted what happened. I never discussed it with anyone. Nor did my wife. 

The only thing that my wife said “That was weird”. And we rode home in silence, and didn’t say anything else. 

We arrived back in the early morning.

This is kind of how it is done.

When The Domain wants to modify your non-physical body, the take you to an operating room and then place your consciousness in a containment field; or box, or container. It is possible for you to watch what they are doing, were it to be suggested to you.

And that is it.

Warnings about the non-physical reality

The non-physical world is very, very hyper sensitive to thoughts.

So if you are afraid when your consciousness enters the containment field, your fears will conjure up all sorts of nasty images and terrible things that will occupy your surroundings. It’s really awful.

So you must remain calm.

HERE is an article that describes a “Lucid dream” where I was extracted to a Domain medical facility, and my consciousness put into a containment field where I would experience “sleep paralysis”.

Evil people realize they are in a prison and make the best of it

In many prisons you have groups of inmates that form gangs and societies.

They band together and use their strengths to carve out a life for themselves under the harsh prison environment. There is no reason why this isn’t occurring here today.

We see that Washington DC is the psychopath center for the entire planet.

Have you ever wondered why?

Scene from the movie Goodfellas. The mafia were very powerful and when they were arrested and sentenced to prison, they used their contacts, wealth and connections to make a good life for themselves inside the prison walls.

When the Mantids tell you to make a future life for yourself, and they help guide you to lay out a pre-birth world-line template, why do you listen to them? They show care, concern and compassion. They are loving and caring.

But the evil self-centered IS-BE’s go their own way and set forth pre-birth world-line templates of power, lust, greed and physical pleasures and ignore the advice of the Mantids.

And when they die, and return back to “Heaven” it’s all forgiven and forgotten.

What a gig!

Many service to self people have constructed their pre-birth world-line template in defiance of the Mantid advice and instead live a life of ease and comfort on the earth Prison Planet.

While all the rest of us have all these prohibitions on how we live our lives and what we can and cannot do, and when we are hurt, we are told to forgive those that hurt us.

And we all go to Heaven together.

And then they (the ones that hurt us) make the next-life arrangements to return to a star-studded life full of sensory pleasures and wealth.

And we, the dumb fools we are, we listen to our loving Mantids who tell us to suffer and experience pain… to make us better.

What a gig!

We live a life chosen for us from help by the Mantids.

Prison administrators escaped by going into “General Population” but are not using a prison-body

I would like to take a moment to underline an aspect that haunts me. I cannot shake it. But apparently, the administrators and operators of this Prison Complex escaped The Domain. And the method of escape was to throw themselves into the Prison itself.

After all, we know that there are agents or “operators” that work inside the Prison Complex itself…

"Old Empire" operatives act as an unseen influence on  international bankers. The banks are operated covertly as a non-combatant provocateur to covertly promote and finance weapons and warfare between the nations of Earth.        

Warfare is an internal mechanism of control over the inmate population.

These individual IS-BE’s that operate within the prison “walls” must have some sort of key /pass /badge /fob /or knowledge that enables them to control the environment like they do. And thus, it is not unreasonable to expect the administration to have access to this knowledge.

Keep in mind that only thing that is specialty that that they know how the prison system works. So they are in this prison complex; on this earth… walking around near us, nearby. All the time with the knowledge in their heads of how to turn off the many, many systems and avoid the electromagnetic containment fence.

The administrators are hiding inside this Prison Complex somewhere. They have the keys, the knowledge and the skills to shut down or control this environment.

They live within the prison complex living a nice comfortable life of ease. They are somewhere. And some how, if they can be located, and brought to the officers and personnel of the Domain, many of the mysteries of the Prison Complex can be resolved.

Summary

For most humans, the body that you have is prison attire. (Or as we used to say in the ADC; “State Issue”.)  This is a special uniform that makes it easy to identify who you are and what your role is. Once you put on the clothing and don the attire you cannot leave the prison grounds. This attire is ONLY for use on prison property.

If a guard sees you wearing this clothing and you enter a sally port or gate, they will draw their weapon and alert the prison for someone to come and take you back inside. It is a fundamental aspect of prison life.

“State Issue” of the Arkansas department of Corrections.

In a similar manner, every human within this Prison Complex wears his “State Issue”. This is similar to that of American prisons. But instead of clothing that a person wears, it’s a physical (and non-physical body) that the consciousness dons when it enters the MWI reality universe (from the Prison “Heaven”).

The body that you have prevents you from crossing the electromagnetic force field fence. And if you ever want to egress from the Prison Complex, you will need to [1] have your body altered so that you can pass through it.

Or…

[2] You can wait. Lifetime after lifetime, until (on day) the force-field fence is turned off and everyone can (line up) leave this Prison Complex together.

Prison Complex.

Do you want more?

You can find many more videos in my “Extraterrestrial Species index” over here…

ET Species

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Articles & Links

Master Index

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  • You can start reading the articles by going HERE.
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[daegonmagus] – Part 5 – Miscellaneous Experiences – Alien Abduction Dreams

The following is the fifth part from a series of articles describing the adventure that a follower who goes by the handle "daegonmagus" has experienced since reading MM. They are very interesting and fascinating. I hope that you all learn from his journey and maybe learn a thing or two as he relates his unique experiences to the readership here. 

-MM

Part 5 – Miscellaneous Experiences – Alien Abduction Dreams

Daegonmagus Miscellaneous Experiences – Alien Abduction Dreams

A digression from my mystical experiences.

Around the time of my Initiation into the Unseen 5 I started having abduction dreams. In some of these I was lucid, in others I wasn’t. Some of them dealt with hybridisation breeding programs, and others dealt with just general abduction scenarios. One{lucid one} in particular dealt with a consciousness prison exactly as Airl had described them in Alien Interview. This wasn’t the first time I had been contained in one of these prisons – I will go into that in another article. In both incidents I had been fairly (90+%) lucid.

Of these dreams, three in particular stood out. I have a very vivid memory of these three “dreams”.

The first was a standard {non lucid} dream. Our bed had just broken so we were temporarily sleeping on just a mattress on the floor. I remember going to sleep just before sunset. It was still light outside.

I dreamt I was walking out the front door of Storme’s mother’s place one evening after dinner to get something out of my car. The car was situated about 50 metres away under a car port that ran perpendicular to the house. To get there you had to walk down the veranda and up a few steps, before going through a gate and stepping over a piece of grass that lay between the gate and fence. I can still remember the vividness of the dream, and how I was preoccupied with the random thoughts I would usually have whenever I would go and get something – usually my phone or thongs (sandals) – from the car.

I got to the fence, opened it, but as I was closing the latch in place a large, unmoving object drew my attention to the sky. There right above and in front of me, half hidden by clouds was a spaceship that I remembered thinking looked a lot like the one out of the Halo games I used to play as a kid.

The ship itself was covered in strange symbols. It was that big and close that I could see them as clear as day. It appeared to have a large hole underneath it that protruded back into the ship.

As I stood and watched, a ring of blue light like the flame of a butane torch illuminated the circular shaped hole. My last thought was “oh shit” as I realized it was about to “pull me in”. I blacked out and woke up in my bed.  Storme’s mother’s house was 50km away.

I woke up completely dazed and confused about where the hell I was; I actually woke up screaming “where am I and what the fuck just happened” as it took me a good few minutes to remember that we were  in our house.

The last time I woke up like this was when I was 7 and I had to stay at my grandmother’s place as a large bushfire ravaged our town and burnt down our neighbors house.  Despite all the shit I had experienced through lucid dreaming, this was just not something I did – ever. Even when remembering the electrocution and soul torture I never woke up in this state of panic and disorientation. It was if I had forgotten a whole years’ worth of time spent at this house.
Something about it felt really off. It felt as though I had just been plucked from one timeline and placed back in the past. It was like that dream was actually a future event that I had been “reset” from. MMs articles on the MWI are the first I have come across that provide an explanation for that feeling.

The second one happened about a year after my initiation into the Unseen 5.

I need to digress here to give an understanding of my mind set during this abduction where I was much more lucid than the first. It is relevant, particularly when talking about manipulating our “souls.”

I had been reading up on the free man movement; the idea that people are sovereign entities that have been tricked into working for a corporation that poses as a government. While I won’t say I completely believed in it, I was curious about testing out some of the theories. And crazy enough to actually go through with it.

To cut a long story short, let’s just say I pissed off the bank who I had a loan out on my car with and a few cops. Although the bank gave me a $250 credit on my account for my efforts, the cops played a little more hard ball. I was fined for not paying my car registration – which was actually because I couldn’t afford it. Rather than pay the fine within the 30 day limit, I decided to take it to court because, well, I wanted to know what the court system process was like.

After the incident with my hand, I witnessed first hand how cops failed in their duties to protect their citizens. I witnessed first hand how the justice system was more interested in upholding its laws than getting justice for victims of crime. So when the opportunity came to sit on the other side of the judge and be made out to be a terrible person simply for being poor, I obliged. It was a lesson worth learning and it ended up costing me about $350 (which I paid off in $10 instalments).

The logic of fining someone even more money for not being able to afford to pay for their car registration in the first place told me everything I needed to know about the moral code of these “judges”. These guys worked for the same slave gods the Grand Elder warned me about, I was sure of it. I mean, nothing spells slavery more than being fined for being too poor. It’s not like anyone ever bothered to check my vehicle to make sure it was still roadworthy after paying the registration. That was, according to the policy on the form, the whole point of the registration. Apparently.

So there I sat there in court, watching the judge dish out punishments for the many people who were called up before me. A lot of them had similar offenses related to poverty. Some were just plain idiots.

Suddenly something dawned on me; I was in what seemed to be a re-enactment of a ceremony I had read about in my books on Ancient Egypt.

The ceremony I am speaking about is the weighing of the heart ceremony. For those who are not familiar with it, this ceremony is said to take place after death, and is undertaken by each soul trying to make passage into the after life. It was considered one of the most important beliefs in Ancient Egyptian culture.

What happens is that the heart of the soul is weighed against the feather of Maat. If the soul is pure, the feather outweighs the heart and Maat grants passage into the after life. If the soul has committed “sins” during its physical life, it becomes weighted down and causes an imbalance in the scales of Maat. The soul of the impure are then said to be cast down into the underworld where they are eaten by the deity Ammit; a cross between a crocodile and human (cue the Reptilian conspiracies). During the ceremony, it is said that Thoth transcribes the whole process, whilst Anubis stands guard at the entrance to the ceremony to stop souls from escaping the trial.

There I sat in court watching as the judge re-enacted the role of Maat and handed out punishment after punishment. I watched as the man next to him re-enacted the role of Thoth as he typed the proceedings of the court out on his computer. And I watched how the Bailiff re enacted the role of Anubis as he stood guard at the door. Though they were not present in the less “important” courts like I was in, I was aware the Supreme Courts liked to show off their scales {of Maat}. And didn’t judges like to write their sentences down using a quill pen {feather of Maat}? It was all so obvious to me what was going on. Were these guys even conscious to the fact they were engaging in an Ancient Egyptian Ritual? Or did they just go along with because that was the way the proceedings were taught to them in law school?

Either I was bat shit crazy or I had stumbled upon a secret which the free man movement had been trying to convey but failed to point out properly; all court systems were re-enactments of the weighing of the heart ceremony and the “guilty” were being tried as “dead entities”. Suddenly the whole “fictitious” title on your birth certificate thing thing made a whole lot more sense.  Apparently a “person” is defined in the bible as a “non living entity”, according to those in the free man movement. I found that rather interesting.

The point of whether the concept was real or just a machination of my own delusions is irrelevant. The relevant part is that it got me thinking; how many people in the world actually bother to declare that their soul is not for sale?

How many people in the world actually thought about their soul as much as they thought about something they did on a regular basis like brushing their teeth?

There was, after all, some sort of animating principle behind every person’s existence. Some sort of invisible spark that gave life to them and filled them with enough energy to power their heartbeat for an entire lifetime. How many people recognized this undeniable characteristic about themselves and actually made the mental thought that it wasn’t for sale or was not allowed to be used for any other purpose other than what its divine creator intended?

Conversely, how many people unwillingly gave their energy away through the allowance of unseen parasites. If they were unaware they had an astral body existing in a plane filled with all sorts of traveling entities, then it was only logical to assume they were sitting ducks just waiting for something to come along and “harvest from them”.

Moreover, if an astral parasite was attached to an individual and you signed a contract written by that individual to allow him and his “associates” any sort of power over you, could the parasite not technically be an associate of his, allowing your power to be given in not just the physical plane, but the non-physical as well?

Like I said, my thoughts and operations were not just those bound to this physical domain. As an Electronics Technician I had been trained to look at a complete system, not just one small part of it. This was the same train of thought I applied to the universe and its unseen aspects. You could say I was eager to understand how the non-physical planes affected the physical.

So I created a prayer or a spell or whatever you want to call it, specifically aimed at reclaiming my soul and nullifying any celestial contracts I had unwillingly entered it into through my own ignorance. If I had given away my power unconsciously through contracts, I wanted to consciously regain it. All of it.

I wrote this in the body of a professional like contract email and sent it off to my father. I figured as he was the one who entered me into such a contract whilst being my legal guardian when he signed my birth certificate, he was the best person to send it to. He was very straight edged and one of the biggest sceptics you’ll ever meet, who thinks astral projection/ lucid dreaming is a load of nonsense. He told me later he thought I’d definitely fallen off the sanity boat. Not that I really gave a shit. Our had been pretty rocky any way. I couldn’t say that his opinion on anything I did was something I held in high regard.

I sent the email, ate dinner, had a shower and then went to bed. As I sat there and closed my eyes, something felt different. I felt liberated. I felt some kind of invisible weight had been lifted. I could “perceive a spherical “space” in front of my eyelids whenever I would close them. I hadn’t been able to perceive this space for quite a few years; it was something I used to be able to see when I was deep into my meditation regime. After having kids, it slowly disappeared and was replaced by a boring veil that had no depth to it.

So there I lay, playing around with this space and the feeling of distorted gravity it brought with it. It felt like I was strapped to the bed and was being spun gently through the Z axis. It was something I always enjoyed whenever it would happen. Call me weird, I know. I ended up falling sleep in what was a non conscious transition into the sleeping state.

Interestingly, that very night I “appeared” {in the dream} half lying in the water and shore of a swamp covered in reeds. Some of these reeds had been arranged over the top of me in what appeared to be an effort to conceal me.

To begin with I was in a daze. I was flittering in and out of consciousness like I had been drugged with the same substance that had been used on me many years ago during the experiences in my youth before becoming completely lucid. I realized someone had draped a tarp or something across me as there was something really bad and strange going on up ahead. It was as if they had tried to hide me in amongst the reeds of this swamp as best they could.

There were these lights or something high up in the sky. They were scanning the area exactly like how prison lights scanned for an escaped convict.

Mistakenly, I ripped this tarp off me in my confusion, drawing the attention of whatever was up ahead. Suddenly I was surrounded by a blue or green light and the next thing I knew I was being pulled upwards along with all the water from the swamp and others who had been hiding.

This swamp was the equivalent to a few football fields in size and the whole thing was being sucked upwards towards the sky. I only remember a handful of other people being sucked up. The lights were too bright to make out any kind of ship, but it seemed like a very obvious thing that is what this was. Judging from the size of the lake that was being sucked up, the ship would have been HUGE.

I blacked out and came to in a metallic looking room on a bed where a medical procedure was taking place. Then I found myself being aggressively pushed into another room by the same beings that operated on me – their faces becoming a blur in the haze what was my drugged consciousness.

I remember seeing a smooth metallic door slide open to my right before I was pushed into a room that was totally dark and devoid of any light whatsoever. This is where I started to become lucid. It is then that something strange happened; I began to glitch in and out of the dimension I was in into another one.

This happened repeatedly every couple of hundred milliseconds, and every new dimension was completely different to any of the ones before it. It is hard to describe but if you have a slide show of different environments and quickly flick through it, this is what was happening to my reality around me. I was being “dimension spun” in an effort to torture and disorientate my consciousness.

There was an overlay reality placed in front of me that I could not interact with. It was a reality where my wife – now pregnant with our second child –  and my boy were going to get ice cream. It was like that reality was put there to remind me where I’d come from while I got spun through a myriad of different ones. At this point I was pretty much completely lucid.

In the overlay reality my boy asked where I was and when I would be coming home, with a saddened look on his face, to which my wife – assuming I had abandoned them – told him I would not be coming back. It was like I was slightly out of phase with them; I could see them, but they could not see me. I was supposed to be meeting them here at the ice creamery. I tried yelling and screaming at them as loud as I could and reaching out to them, but my hand would just sink right through theirs, even though I was standing right next to them.

It was excruciatingly obvious what this was; this was a direct threat telling me to be “good” or I would be taken away from my family, though at the time I honestly thought that I wouldn’t be seeing them again. A deep depression welled inside of me despite this never once ever happening any other times I had been lucid. Lucidity was my place of happiness and freedom; it had never been used against me in this manner before, except for the prior incident in the consciousness prison and the torture scenarios. This dimension spinning was a new experience (it happened before the cult of Psaigreen experience).

The dimension spinning went on for a very long time, and I was at one point locked in the basement of an old derelict house. There wasn’t anything in here except a few dusty cobwebs and a rotten frame of a bed. The bed didn’t even have a mattress on it.

The spinning eventually stopped, and I tried projecting my consciousness out of the basement using every lucid dreaming and astral projection trick I had in me, but nothing would work. It appeared they had learnt from their mistakes when they tried to contain my consciousness in the off world facility when I was 15 or 16. You may have heard stories of remote viewers trying to view restricted areas and having to “battle with their own mind” to get back into their body. This is an incredibly accurate analogy of what I had to go through. Once you get trapped in them, it is very difficult to get back to your body.

My consciousness would come to be trapped in this new prison for what equated to at least an entire “year” worth of earth time.

There is a scene in the movie “Inception” where an Asian man is trapped in the dream for years. Leornado Di Caprio finds him in the lucid world, wakes him up and it turns out he has only been a sleep for a single night. This is a very accurate portrayal of how things work in the lucid dreaming world.  This was the longest my consciousness had ever been in a state of lucidity without coming back to the physical world for a breather. It was beyond fucking maddening. I say that a lot, I know.

From memory I believe I was let out of that basement and flicked over to an alternate world. This world was some sort of recreation of a nearby town (in this physical plane) with a completely different layout. It was below even third world poor; houses were in shit state and there was rubbish absolutely everywhere. This was where I “lived” for a year or so outside the timeline of our current physical reality. I have a whole reel of memories of having to walk past this seedy apartment every day to escape the gangs that were parading around town.

For all I knew, my consciousness had been thrown in here and left to rot, meanwhile my body back in my bed on earth would have been lucky to have been seeing the first rays from the next day’s sun coming through the window. It was just like the Asian man in Inception.

I eventually did something, and was able to peel my consciousness away from this prison world and found myself in the back of what appeared to be a transport truck or train carriage with other people in it. I can’t actually remember how I got out. It may have even been that they put me in that world and mind wiped me, then I eventually remembered my body back here and projected back to it.

I started talking to an old woman who sat next to me, and mentioned the swamp, and the dimension spinning. She told me “they” – being our captors – called it the “Wet Room”, and it was where “they” sent the ones who did not play ball with their agenda. In other words the Wet Room was the experience of ultra-dimensional shifting I had undergone. It was the other world I had been left in for a year. It was a torture device reserved specifically for those who did not agree to have their souls guided by the astral parasites they were in control of.

Apparently if you intentionally declared your soul’s sovereignty and nullified all astral contracts it had unwittingly been tricked into partaking in, then you could expect the Extra Terrestrial Gestapo to pay you a visit in your dreams for your troubles. Apparently the free man movement had metaphysical aspects to it that not even they realized.

Good luck with thinking nothing but happy thoughts during your stay in the Wet Room. Maybe my mind was just too damned good at creating hallucinations through dopamine fluctuations. Whatever it was, it lined up perfectly with why Obama V2.0 had me undergo a test to see whether I would hypnotically give consent away in this matter.

It actually took me a good day or two to get my head around the fact I’d been gone a whole year in the span of a night’s sleep. I had to sort of readjust to the idea I was back “here”.

The third abduction dream happened  just before Christmas 2020.

It was more a standard dream than it was a lucid experience, so take it with a grain of salt. In saying that though, it did bring with it a feeling suggestive that it was in fact a memory. It contained elements going back to my first mystical lucid experience where I remembered myself and my class had been involved in some sort of traumatic event that none of us could actually remember the details of:

Myself and my classmates were standing in a in a weird circular room, sort of like a massive warehouse. We were all just standing there a dozen or so of us, not knowing what to do and all looking completely terrified. There was a man with us, and another adult, possibly another man who I believe were our teacher and bus driver as one of the orange buses we used to go on excursions with was parked in the room with us. I would have been about 12; I recognized my classmates.

The walls of the room were metallic, and surrounding us were these guard things that I think were wearing typical human clothing, but somehow their faces were concealed.

There was something in front of us that had our attention so most of us were too focused on that to even notice them. Some sort of smaller craft or something had just landed in the circular room. I remember all of us were hysterical, crying and shaking but not wanting to move too much in case the things attacked us.

We were all sort of looking at each other for some kind of comfort, hoping one of us was going to be brave enough to tell us that everything was going to be ok, but we all knew it wasn’t. There was just something so wrong about the atmosphere and the way we had been dragged here off the bus. It was reminiscent of all the old war videos of Nazi’s rounding up Jewish prisoners I had seen. There was no telepathic communication with us by these beings whatsoever. Everything about it was just so terrifying.

The teacher and the bus driver were as white as ghosts and just stood there to the side of us kids. We were just so cut up that they weren’t even trying to protect us. It was like they were trying to back away and distance themselves from us kids who all been lined up in the middle of this warehouse. They were at the point of fainting.

All the attention was specifically on us kids; lights were focused on us, the guards were surrounding us, as if a group of 11/12 year olds were really a threat to the many of entities in that room or the weapons they carried. The adults were just sort of left at the back and side where the bus was with a single guard. It was obvious they (the adults) were not the centre of attention, and that suited them fine. Neither of them were going to bring such attention to themselves by talking or moving.

Suddenly, I think a door opened on the craft in front of us, and out came these beings wearing the same sort of clothing. It was like a robe but there was no conceivable humanoid body underneath it. It was like it was floating in mid-air, and the robe would float with it, the draft of the air blowing it upwards, like the Dementor’s out of Harry Potter.

All of us stood transfixed at these beings in terror, as they shed their clothing. These were unlike any stereotypical bipedal type alien I have ever seen. They had these smooth tentacle like things on their face where their mouth should have been and large beady eyes; they looked more like cephalopods or like a cuttle fish or octopus or something, but with a mass of tentacles where their body should have been. Like a human nervous system. They reminded me of interpretations I’ve seen on the internet of HP Lovecraft’s Cthulu; but there was no body; just masses of tentacles all bunched and knotted together.

It was like watching a horror movie; as soon as these things shed their robes they came at us with much speed and made a sort of hissing sound. All we could do was recoil as they jumped on us and their face tentacles wrapped around our faces. It was then that I woke up.

My friend, who would have been part of this same class, whose birthday was also the same day I had my first contact with the Elder Guardians, also became incredibly paranoid about reptilians a few years after that {EG} experience. I got the impression he had experienced or remembered something, but he would not tell me what.

Was this just a dream or a memory of an actual event? It certainly felt real. Out of all of them, the Wet Room experience was the one I am most sure about. Because I was lucid through the dimension spinning, I am apt to believe it more than the other two. Being “away” for a year certainly left its impression on me.

Ah. this is enough for now. There's a lot of "meat" to absorb here. Soak it in. Enjoy it, and soon enough part 5 will be posted. Best Regards. -MM

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Answers from The Domain from questions generated 18SEP21

This article consists of answers from The Domain to questions collected by the MM audience. This is the first of (hopefully) many such events.

I collected the questions over the third week of September 2021, and tried to contact with the Domain via the EBP in fits and starts over this period. I was successful, and unsuccessful. Some times the connection was strong while at other times it was weak. All having to do with my various situation at the time.

I am trying to provide a description on how it worked out, and the relative issues or feelings involved. Some of it might seem confusing but there just isn’t the vocabulary to describe my experiences.

What this is all about

On 17SEP21 I posted an article that related the fact that The Domain opened up a dedicated channel to me via the EBP. As always, it was one-sided, and detailed. But during the conversation, I had no real mental ability. I was in a receiving and reporting state. I was really unable to think for myself. I just queried what I was told to ask and recorded the answers.

You can read this article HERE, if you are confused with what is going on.

Some Background

Most people are aware that the work titled “Alien Interview” is a transcript of a Commander of The Domain when it’s vehicle crashed in 1947. What most people do not know is that this event spawned an American  top secret agency known as MAJestic that fell under the ONI (Office of Naval Intelligence).

This waved, unacknowledged special access program handled (and still handles) all extraterrestrial events, technologies and interactions with the United States government. I was a unique part of that organization prior to being retired.

I have numerous devices installed in my body. The seven ELF probes are for MAJestic, with the EBP system is of Domain manufacture and utility.

Terminology

  • EBP – A hardwired device that connects MM to The Domain.
  • ELF – A hardwired device that connected MM to MAJestic through a Mantid intermediary. Now deactivated.
  • The Domain – The name of the species / civilization that the type-1 greys belong to.
  • “Old Empire” – A term used to describe a vanquished civilization that used to be in control of this section of the galaxy.
  • Comm channel – A link to the MM “handler” or Commander. Rank and position is unknown except that it is a senior being. This is a channel though the EBP system.

This project / system

I know, and I am absolutely convinced that The Domain wants to do this. They are sort of waiting for me to set the incident(s) in place, and then will direct it as they see fit.

It's kind of like how a microwave keeps flashing after it finishes cooking the food, or how a washing machine has the display beeping after it finished washing a load. This flashing / beeping is still present. (Though... it's something different.)

My initial idea was to collect questions, and then ask them. I did this knowing full well that they may or may not answer them.

In all cases the comm channel is a dedicated channel via my EBP.

I will admit that the type-1 grey commander of The Domain that has been helping answer these questions is not at all comfortable with the system I set up.

Let it be well understood that they prefer to communicate in a very different manner. Which is; “They speak and we respond.”

In this effort, we ask questions and request answers. And, they have a real problem with this format.

They are very uncomfortable with this, and it is not how they communicate.

So in order to facilitate this effort, what I did was post the questions as a subject. Then placed the asked questions as secondary information to each subject. I then read the text out loud, and then repeated the subject.

I then paused for input.

They seem to categorize by subject. Then take the questions as subsequent data, and then discuss the subject relative to the question. I hope this makes sense. It’s much like I described a scenario or event and asked them to comment on the statement event (meaning the entire situation involving the person asking the question and his / her mental process and situation at that time) instead of commenting on the details of the question.

When I did this, the system seemed to work much better.

The Questions and Answers (Group 1)

This is exactly how I began. I read the subject title, then the question, then the subject title. I did so reading without understanding. If that makes any sense. Like reading a dishwasher repair manual out loud. Then when the comm opened up, I wrote what came to me.

Enlightenment & Lost Battalion

  • Are IS-BEs who attain what is often called “Enlightenment” while in a physical body free from the amnesia machinery in death?
No. Absolute answer.
  • Are they useful to the Domain’s efforts and should we work to become “Enlightened” as a way of being useful to the Domain?
No. “Enlightenment” has no bearing at all on extraction from this prison mechanism. It is part of the “Old Empire” system of conditioned control and brainwashing. Enlightenment is another path that leads one into the tunnel of light.
  • *I understand “working” or “doing” anything to become “Enlightened” is technically incorrect but it’s hard to describe such things in duality.
Understood, but we know what you are referring to.
  • Thank you for this.
My pleasure.

The next group of questions happened about three hours later. At that time I asked the channel (whether or not anyone was listening) to lower the amplitude so that I wasn’t thrown into turmoil for the rest of the day. This occurred and things really mellowed out, but the comm channel was much fainter. So it was a trade off.

So as long as I was able to receive, all was well.

The Questions and Answers (Group 2)

This group of questions got no or null responses. I had to try and retry numerous times. Finally on my fifth or so attempt, I started to get some responses. I actually think that the problem was not the questions but the Commander (or their representative) was on other tasks at the time, and could not respond.

Lucid Dreaming & Lost Battalion Rescue

  • How can those with astral projection and lucid dreaming abilities be properly coordinated to attack the amnesia traps from the inside?
This is a dangerous request. 

When The Domain decides to solve a problem, we research it in great detail, then we come up with possible solutions, each one with both positive and negative scenarios. We then weigh the pros and the cons. In this effort we use concentrated forces with strategic aims and tactical strike against specific traps and snares.

Individual IS-BE's should never attempt to engage in attacks against any "Old Empire" traps. Instead they should be marked for extraction, and the Domain notified of their existence in the exact form that they were encountered in.

A person with the ability to conduct “lucid dreaming” has a special and unique skill set that enables them to be a mission critical asset. However, this kind of asset should not be meaninglessly squandered, but rather should be briefed on a specific target and then act in coordination with other unified forces to achieve a very specific outcome.

Those that have this skill set will be (interviewed / selected) for a specific task and then allow to lie dormant until the moment occurs. Then the asset will perform their function in coordination with other (specifically trained) Domain forces.
  • Are there any specific locations that are proving difficult for the Domain to dismantle that those who are already in the “prison” may have a better chance at reaching.
Yes. 

There are numerous systems that are problematic at this time. None, however, are impossible to dissemble. 

The <redacted> (a species and cluster that MM is unaware of) are providing technical assistance in this matter. 

While it was not specifically asked in the question, the implied question is would we provide you (the questioner) the information or coordinates of such processes or traps. The answer is no, at this time. Consider it a confidential need to know matter.

Your disappointment (in this matter) is for the greater good.
  • Are there any specific “Domain approved” frequencies or modulation techniques that infrastructure can be built around to provide a physical communication pathway so that messages may be more readily received by those without EBP. This extends to frequencies that can be tuned into via “lucid and astral based telepathy”.
Yes. There are many, or more properly specified / explained there are groupings or dances of frequencies that act as system keys or codes.

When we negate or suppress a system we utilize these techniques along with various types of electromagnetic cannon in the non-physical realms that are tuned to such intricacies.
  • Can electronic infrastructure found within the prison be constructed to aid in the “astral body” DNA change, or to break the amnesia as a whole?
Yes, in a way, and only partially. 

The entire system has both physical and non-physical components. 

The bodies of humans and certain animals have had their DNA and mRNA modified to assist in the imprisonment of IS-BE’s. 

By correcting this physical biological component to the universal norm, numerous existent amnesia systems will fail to work.
  • If so what sort of technologies should be focused on.?
Biological magnetism, electromagnetic frequencies at large voltages, and DNA and mRNA alterations.

The Questions and Answers (Group 3)

This group was quick to answer and very clear. I had no trouble getting or obtaining answers or information. All this makes me wonder if this (Domain) individual is a dedicated handler.

Technology & Prison Planet

  • Have the Atlan hybrids who were experimented on under Project Prometheus, began their reunion in the astral planes?
There is nothing to say about this. Null.
  • Is there any technology present within the prison that may be able to aid in healing those who have been targeted by the Old Empire to have debilitating illnesses to put them off carrying out their astral based assignments?
There is technology all over the physical solar system, and the non-physical solar system. 

The issue is to recognize what it is, identify how it can be used, and then trained to use it properly.  

While the <redacted> are using their expertise in this matter, they have a long way to go in discovering and uncovering what lies within these layers upon layers, upon layers of complex traps. 

Needless to say, they are complex and far too dangerous for the casual, but enthusiastic IS-BE, to discharge.

There are many traps and snares, and one of which is a special mechanism that seeks out certain thought patterns, personalities and actions and targets it for illness or debilitating fiascos. 

These systems roam the non-physical reality and the Domain destroys them when found. 

But many still exist, and many are expertly camouflaged. 

Those that travel the non-physical realms need to be extra cautious and understand that superior technologies, honed by billions of years, engulf the non-physical prison environment around the earth and snare, and harm the unprepared. 

Luckily, most IS-BE’s that are self-actuated are aware that they are immortal, and cannot be harmed, but if the IS-BE is tethered to the prison environment, they can be damaged and returned to the amnesia process in a very harmful way. Care and caution needs to be observed.

The Questions and Answers (Group 4)

This group was also relatively quick to answer, and the “signal” came in rather strong and clear. It was like a kite on a nice fresh Spring Day. I attribute this to the Domain Officer on the other die of the Comm Channel.

Location and Rescue

  • Are the 3000 in one physical location and if not are they aware of each other’s presence?
The members of the “Lost Battalion” are scattered all over the world. 

They occupy different bodies, and species. Many are human, but not all of them. 

They have no recollection of who they are, nor their history. 

They are isolated, and the “Old Empire” has created a system that immediately throws these IS-BE consciousness’s back to the earth environment immediately. 

They do not even get to “rest” in the established “Heaven” that the “Old Empire” has set up for them. 

Many (but not all) are living in a life of extreme poverty, confusion, fear and hopelessness’. And this system is specifically designed to foster this environment upon them. 

They are not aware of any others from their Battalion and live very singular, lonely, isolated lives for the most part.

In general, almost all of the Lost Battalion are occupying bodies / situations / forms that are lower to middle to average social stratification. Of that, the weighed average is trending to the lower social strata.
  • Was the location in the Himalayas the ONLY location the 3000 stayed?
The Himalaya facility was the primary base of operations. Obviously they traveled as need be throughout the local physical environment, and there were “camps” in other locations that they would occupy and visit. However, the base was new, and there wasn't much time to develop other locations before they were attacked.
  • Were there any defectors and have they been located.
Aside from the few that were mentioned in the “Alien Interview”, there has not been any successful escapees. 

The kind of IS-BE needed to escape is very special indeed. Not every IS-BE can reach this level of capability and ability. Those in the “Lost Battalion”, while very capable, were of a caliber that was not as flexible to reality manipulation as some of the leadership was / are.

Most of them were of military / service corps caliber. They were highly skilled and trained, and very aggressive, but they did not have the skills required to escape the Prison Planet configuration. Their strengths have been used against them. Like the "Chinese finger trap".
  • Are the 3000 still together or in “cells” scattered around the world?
No. They are homogenized throughout the planet, and rarely ever meet another imprisoned member.

None are in holding cells or other facilities. They are in "general population" throughout the globe.

The "holding cells" are used for officers and higher level Domain personnel. The Domain maintains a class system. Each class has it's own advantages, strengths, weaknesses and privileges. Those in the various levels of leadership possess much greater abilities of an exponential nature than the class directly below them.
Blank Slate Technology is a singular part of the many mechanisms used to generate an effective amnesia system. There are many systems involved. This is just another name for the wider-scope term “Brain Washing”. Keep in mind that this is a stratified system of control with many layers.
In the MWI there are multiple histories and multiple futures. 

There are futures where this theory is embraced and futures where it is not. 

What is important is that the trapped Battalion regain memories and skills for egress from the environment that is fencing them in. 

Unfortunately, there isn’t a critical mass of “insight” or “understanding” that will “lift up” Battalion members out of their situation. 

They (intentionally) have extra systems and controls that tie them down, isolate them, fill them with fear, and force them to try to act alone if ever.

The Questions and Answers (Group 5)

This set of queries were odd in that there was a noticeable pause of hick-up (if that makes sense) during the process. I was just about ready to get up out of the chair, it was so long, when the responses came back.

Freeing of Lost Battalion

  • How may we recognize members of the Lost Battalion should we meet them?
You will not be able to recognize them unless we specifically point them out to you. 

They have no overt markers, characteristics or any other feature or attribute that sets them apart from the rest of society. 

You will not be able to sense them either. 

Those with heightened and trained abilities might be able to determine a general (touch / wisp / characteristic) but that is about it.
  • What actions are recommended should we recognize a member of the Lost Battalion?
Take no action unless specifically directed to. 

You are not to get involved in their affairs unless specifically tasked to do so. While we appreciate your sympathies we must allow only overt actions where benefits can be tangibly manifested per our goals and plans.

The Amnesia Machinery

  • Upon death, when we perceive the “tunnel of light”. Is it recommended that we enter it?
No. We will send someone to retrieve you.
  • What are the pros and cons (of entering the light)?
If you enter the tunnel of light you will go straight into the reprogramming machinery. 

There you will find yourself in “Heaven”, which is a special universe constructed for this Prison Planet realm. 

Going through the tunnel adds your earth experiences in the last incarnation to that already collected in prior reincarnations (while in prison). You will have no knowledge of anything that transpired before that. All the trillions of years of events prior to your arrest and incarceration will be denied you.

However, you cannot access these Prison Planet memories directly. You will need a guide (a warden) to assist you. They will then carefully measure out previous memories to give you the illusion of control and remembrances of your past. 

You will be permitted to attend “schools” in this Heaven construct, and then you will be provided with a new “mission” from which you will then be (again) injected into the earth Prison Environment. And subsequently lose all memories and start out all over again.

...

If you fail to enter the tunnel of light, then you will be a non-physical consciousness that is still trapped within the electromagnetic containment field, but you would still be permitted to move about at will. 

You will need to seek out help and assistance to find your rightful place in the universe. 

Unfortunately many IS-BE’s that try to do this find out that they are on their own. And are thus easily tricked by other malevolent non-physical entities that are also trapped within the confines of the Prison Environment. Many, not knowing any better will return to what they know; the loving warmth of the tunnel of light, and the calls of their loved ones.

...

You can think of going “into the light” as entering the main prison building, and Psych ward. Where, not going “into the light” sends you into the prison yard. In both cases, you need to make contact with someone who has the keys to the front gate to help you leave.
  • If we choose not to enter into the tunnel, is it a simple freewill decision on our part not to enter, enough to escape it?
To enter or not is the decision of the IS-BE. 

The IS-BE always has free will, and decisions are based upon logic diagrams. 

As long as the facts, and data are correct and extensive, most IS-BE’s will make correct and valid decisions. 

However, one of the layers of the prison incarceration system is to distract, and mislead the inmates. This will cause them to make invalid and erroneous decisions.
  • Should we choose not to enter into the tunnel, what is (a) recommended place that we should next go to?
If any IS-BE decides not to go into the tunnel, they can remain in the non-physical realm associated with their body upon death. They can move about and explore. 

Those who work with The Domain will be acquired in short order and taken to a holding facility for processing, debriefing and next steps. 

Those that are just “normal” and regular people should start shouting out for help and assistance.  The problem with doing this is that it will attract all sorts of entities and they will have all sorts of (desires / interests / plans) which may or may not be in the best interests of the IS-BE. 

The best thing to do is to call out for a Domain Officer to come and pick you up. You do this through thought visualization. Much the same way that people call out for Ganesha, or Jesus.

Destruction of other Traps

  • If the universe is malleable and responds to our Intentions, is it sufficient to use intention to free ourselves from or destroy these traps?
The universe is malleable to a point. And the use of thoughts and intentions is how you are able to control it. 

However, the ability to manipulate the universe and realities is a function of skill level, and skills are an acquired mastery. 

This is the major problem with the amnesia fence, it is difficult to use the skills that you acquire if you constant forget what they are.
  • Is the Domain supervised by a higher power? If so please describe this higher power.
The Domain is the highest power. The Domain does not report to or serve under any other power.

The Questions and Answers (Group 6)

This group was a quick call out and a very quick response. At this point, I felt like we were “on a roll.

The Domain & Service to Others Sentience

  • How can you be STO sentience and invade other IS-BE etc. Is this like a preemptive strike so protect your freedom? Or is this like, we make contact and see if we can work together, and if not we go to war?
Imagine you have a very healthy body. You exercise it, eat well. You take care of it. But there is a cancer that develops in it.

The healthy body was here first.

The cancer attacks the body with distortions that disrupt the function of the body and will eventually destroy the body completely.

Being a STO sentience, should you live and let live the cancer that is running on a rampage? Or should you protect the weak and helpless healthy cells before the dangerous cancer cells take over.

The Domain was established at the very start of everything. We created universes, worlds, plant and animal lives. We watched as fellow IS-BE's occupy those bodies and started to corrupt the creations that we built. At a certain level, it becomes necessary to prevent the creation of dangerous civilizations, and structures that will disrupt and destroy the whole. Such as with the "Old Empire".

Service to others sentience performs actions for the greater good.

However, often we discover that Service to Self individuals tend to appear when they experience the physical pleasures of beauty in the physical reality.

It is the duty of "service to others" sentience to protect others from the malevolence of "service to self" societies.

The Questions and Answers (Group 7)

The communication for this group f questions were clear, crisp, and laconic.

Freeing of Lost Battalion

  • Can you provide step by step instructions for helping freeing the Lost Battalion?
No. This task is too large for any one IS-BE no matter how well-intentioned. The entire procedure is an enormous undertaking and requires a coordinated and precise group collaborative effort. 

Imprisoned IS-BE's who wish to participate need only vocalize that intention as per the MM Prayer system, and focus on guidance though their observations, emotions and ("intuition" / gut feelings) and dreams.

The use of directed thought from inside the Prison Planet will enable a number of non-physical events to materialize. Then, coupled with specific training or skills that will will provide in the non-physical realms to those IS-BE's (who will notice happening while in their dream state), they will become active and valuable members of this entire effort.

Destruction (Escape) of the Amnesia Machinery

  • Can you provide clear instructions in order to minimize/ avoid the effects of this Machinery?
Yes we can.

We have had Domain Officers escape from this system and avoid the machinery without mRNA or DNA changes to their physical bodies, and material physical destruction of the systems. However, they were able to gain control of their thoughts to an exacting amount.

The key is the ability to control one's thoughts and alter the machinery of this reality by your thoughts.

What MM is pointing out here is that the entire system of visualization of world-line templates on the MWI is a description of the Prison Planet system. It is a machine; a machinery that controls the inmates.

It is NOT a description of the ultimate reality outside of the prison. 

MM has laid out a map and an understanding on how to control and navigate in and out of the prison while mastering the control of this reality machinery.

By controlling your thoughts, not only can you alter your reality, but you can egress out and away from the control of the entire Prison Planet system.

Destruction of other Traps

  • Are religious systems part of the traps installed here?
Yes. From the earliest records that we know of, the "Old Empire" designated and crated religious systems to control the population. This served to objectives. First to erase the idea that IS-BE's are themselves God, and second to create a fearful environment for non-compliance with the Prison Rules.
  • If not, do religious practices provide an escape from amnesia? please detail which ones.
Null.

The Questions and Answers (Group 8)

I did not understand the question at all. But I read it out and got a lightening quick response that actually startled me. The “being on a roll” continued.

The evil entities within the Prison system.

  • How to clean the infected is be that corrupt the world, mostly as members of secret societies, and have dispersed everywhere technologies and 5G and satellites to control and tax everything and beings.
All of the systems that exist in the world today are derivatives of the "Old Empire" and set in place by intentional malevolent beings who have reincarnated intentionally to positions of power. This is a core function of the Heaven universe that is tethered and directly adjacent to the physical worldly realm. 

In addition, you have "Old Empire" wardens that intentionally escaped and egressed into the system, fully understanding how it works, placing themselves into positions of power and control, and living a comfortable life of ease and wealth. We suspect, but haven't fully investigated this situation, but they seem to have "rigged the game" in their favor so that they (the wardens and elite members of the "Old Empire") can reincarnate over and over again and still retain memories. It's like they posses special keys and abilities.This is one of the tasks that we need to extract from them. 

Unfortunately, they are slippery folk. As soon as they sense we are going to get them, they die and are immediately taken to the Heaven construct though the "tunnel of light" that erases all memories (except theirs), and if we follow them, we too would become trapped into this Prison Planet system.

The very nature of the Prison Planet is to create a Hellish existence where IS-BE's would relive events over and over again, and make it so that each life that they live is one of fear, terror, fright, sadness and disgust.

Technology is not evil. Much of what people experience is fear of technology which is one of the controls that the Prison Planet uses. A true and actuated IS-BE has no fear. In the world today, many evil and corrupt individuals use fear to gain control and achieve emotional satisfaction.

Currently The Domain needs to rescue the Lost Battalion. Then assist in the release of all the service to others sentience's trapped in this earth-centrist Prison Planet.

For the record, these communications are relatively easy for me (personally) to engage in. My problem is receiving the contacts without the background noise. If the “amplitude” of the connection is turned up, the messages are very clear. But I end up shaking like a leaf, am very dehydrated, an emotional ball, and spend the next eight hours or so “bouncing off the walls”. To control this, I asked to tone down the amplitude, and I have begun to listen more closely without the bothersome side effects.

The Questions and Answers (Group 9)

Again, I don’t fully understand the question but posted it anyways. I didn’t get much of anything for a while. Just a bunch of “dead air” if that means anything. Then a few bursts of information. Then silence.

Then the comm link opened on the other side and here’s the responses.

Affirmation Campaigns and The Domain

  • Will affirmation campaigns geared toward nullifying all contracts unwittingly taken out on our souls/astral bodies help in breaking the through the amnesia?
Yes. They are the most powerful tool for those you are unable to remove their preconditioning, programming and set baseline biases and social constructs. It's a method of thought control. They best and only way for an IS-BE inmate to self-actuate is by thought control.
  • If we don’t agree any of the hypnosis will this help?
Anything that focuses on control of the mind will help. But the focus must be without fear of consequences, fear of society, or any other fears as these get into the way of processing the thoughts. 

The mechanisms in place take those fears and use them to bend the thought waves. As now distorted vectors they end up going in other locations and the helpless inmate is forced to experience life in coils. Over and over and over again. Fear controls it all.

Be cautious of all sources of fear generation. This includes religion media, politics, friends, rumors, society, and every other thing that makes you question your actions (whether taken or not).

The Questions and Answers (Group 10)

Short simple questions. Easy to conceptualize, and transmit. I tried to get answers but nothing happened. Null. Tried again. Null. Then on the third try I received some answers.

I have to tell you that the answers made me sit back and wonder WTF. Because they are not in agreement with my understandings of history and events.

Destruction of the amnesia machinery.

  • Does any of the machinery still exist in the physical reality on Earth?
We suspect that yes; some self-actuated autonomous systems do still exist on the earth surface in the physical reality. 

However we have not been able to locate the machinery. They have been expertly concealed and their "footprints" are difficult to track if you do not know what to look for. Those elements that reside in the non-physical realities are far easier to locate. 

The best way to track these mechanisms is to track the comm channels when the physical machinery interacts with the non-physical machinery. All of which required <redacted> support, analysis and disarming.
  • If so, how can we recognize it should we come across any machinery?
You would not be able to recognize it. Even if you could, it would be far too dangerous for you to disarm or attempt to disarm. The last earth-side (physical event) took place in 1908 in Tunguska. A major mechanism was destroyed completely. It had been hidden under a "force shield".

We believed that this facility was a remaining "Old Empire" logistics and storage facility. (Which seemed to have some control over thought processes. At that time we were unaware of the true extent of the systems.) This is because we were unaware of an electronic fence surrounding the region or the true purpose and nature of the region.

We thought, at that time that that was the last of the systems remaining. But we were wrong. There was an entire fully operational base staffed with "Old Empire" personnel operating and in existence.

Unaware of this, and under the impression that we cleared out the systems, we began an operation to attempt to bring peace and stability to the earth at that time.

It was an operation that enabled a Domain Officer to occupy the body of Archduke Franz Ferdinand of Austria-Hungary. The plan was to suppress a build up towards war by restoring Austro-Russian relations while maintaining an alliance with Germany. 
  • How do we notify the Domain so it can be deactivated and removed safely?
All IS-BE's that wish to work with the Domain, need only vocalize that they volunteer to be part of The Domain. Then, over time, various systems will enable instantaneous monitoring of all experiences of the IS-BE so involved.

The Questions and Answers (Group 11)

This was really strange. I just copied the text from the comment without reading it, and plopped it down in the wordpress, and the channel burst out laughing. Which was really a weird feeling. It’s sort of like having a vibrator in your skull. The answers came smoothly. Like hot syrup.

Why Now?

  • My first issue is that the original timeline was pushed forward 5000 years. This implies that something really big happened and they need a new plan of action. Did something unexpected happen that caught them by surprise?
Yes. It was unexpected that the inmates in the Prison Planet would be desirous of working with The Domain. Of course, they had ulterior motives. They wanted power, technology, knowledge and skills that they could use to lord over others, and obtain more power.

We established lines of communication and engaged in technology transfer activities (of a minor nature) in exchange for assistance in monitoring the environment, society, trends, and in helping us to start shutting down the prison mechanism apparatus. 

Once we applied for and obtained approval from our leadership, resources were allocated and a staff was increased to help mitigate the situation here and help recover and restore the "Lost Battalion". A major colony was set up in the moon, which MM has written about.

Early on we began collecting members of the "Lost Battalion" and implanted EBP (sic) systems to help track and monitor them. They typically are unruly to the extreme in regards to this effort. We have also identified key individual IS-BE's that seem to be close to having the necessary skills (independently) to leave this Prison Planet environment. Finally, there are a handful of MAJestic members, such as MM, which have a special role in this entire project.

There have been remarkable advances since the Roswell event. And since MAJestic was initiated, the assistance from earth-side has been invaluable. Since then, we have independently contacted other governments and entities in the world and have other groups working with us in this effort.

These organizations are diverse and all are secretive. None advertises their work, process or recruitment drives. There are formal organizations in modern day Russia, India, China, Bangladesh, as well as in South America and Africa. Each organization has a certain role.

Certainly the American MAJestic organization has been quite busy, but the other (names redacted intentionally by MM) organizations are invaluable. Most especially at this particular time.
  • Certainly there are all sorts of seriously bad consciousnesses and IS-BE’s that are in positions of power and control. They seem to be driving the world to the brink of extinction. What is going on? What can we do?”
You are in a Prison Environment. There are many bad people along you.

There is a high percentage of very evil people in this Prison Planet environment and they have created systems over systems over systems that reflect their desires. Eventually the entire system will explode in a major collapse, and then society will need to rebuild up all over again. It is what happens when you have a certain threshold of evil people in positions of power in society.

The good news is that The Domain have agents (now) occupying the bodies of key individuals and they will not "push the red button", or engage in war, no matter what their evil and vile crazed leaders might want them to do.

You need not worry about this. The Domain will not allow a repeat of World War I. However, a smaller, more localized event might still occur even though we are doing everything in our power to prevent it from occurring. Some events like tidal waves and typhoons and hurricanes can be prepared for, but you cannot stop them. They need to run their course.
  • To make it short, is there anything they should disclose to us humans or the participants? (bearing in mind, we humans can be pretty altruistic. And if things impact humanity, we still need to have some good faith disclosure).
No. There is no need for any disclosure that might generate fear. 

Fear distracts from the thoughts, and thoughts affect reality. All one needs to know is that all of the situations involving the earth Prison Planet are monitored and observed and resources have been moved into place to mitigate any catastrophic events from happening.
  • If we have a possibly limited window to communicate , then we should focus on priorities for humanity and the Dominion.
Yes. This is correct. Thank you for understanding.
  • My instincts tell me we need to understand why they turn to us. In any deal, we have to know the dynamics.
This event with MM was planned at the start of MAJestic and occurred before the birth of MM. Everything now is following the steps laid down by The Domain. The plan is well thought out and methodical.

MM is not the only operative resource that we put in place. Others are working in other capabilities, and all have varying degrees of success.

The Questions and Answers (Group 12)

This train of thought continues with another batch of questions from another person. And like the preceding batch of questions the results and answers were fluid and easy.

Reasoning behind comm at this time

  • What was the reasoning for asking for our help at this time? Is there an urgency that we should be aware of?
All is on schedule. We (The Domain) anticipated enlisting General Population participation in the 2021 time-frame.

This is exactly 40 years from the date MM joined MAJestic. -MM

  • What skills, talents, or perceptions do we as imprisoned IS-BE’s possess that would assist in this mission?
The inmates that wish to assist The Domain possess a Service-to-self others sentience which is different from the Service-to-self sentience of the MAjestic and other government organizations. 

We need [1] selfless devotion to a cause, and [2] directed thought that [3] emulates from within the Prison Planet confines.

In case there is any confusion as to what is expected of a Service to others sentience, consider this video that was brought to my attention this morning.

A young Pioneer (a Chinese version of the cub scouts / girl scouts) shows us what a Service to Others life is all about.

  • Is there anything in the physical world we should be doing, either in regards to the Lost Battalion or the traps and machinery of the “Old Empire”, or will our efforts concentrate on the spiritual realm and Intention campaigns?
The most important aspect of participation is anchoring efforts as part of intention campaigns. This is crucial to this phase in the effort. In addition, we might ask certain individuals with other advanced skills to participate in other ways, and we might ask a few to accept a EBP (sic) modification.
  • What should we be most wary of, and should we expect to be part of this operation for multiple lifetimes?
Every IS-BE is different. Ideally, this would be the last cycle of reincarnation for the participants with The Domain. 

However, fear is a strong driver, and not everyone who wants to be a service-to-others sentience actually is.  Thus, there are those that may choose to assist with the Domain and then upon death cycle back into the "Heaven universe" associated with this Prison Planet and begin all over again.
  • What plans do you have for the rehabilitation of your imprisoned IS-BE’s and the release of other favorable IS-BE’s?
We are currently working on systems to do this, and this requires a number of helpers that are and would be considered to be very strange to your sensibilities. But the rehabilitation systems are being developed right now and are on schedule.

The Questions and Answers (Group 13)

This was an interesting reaction. Odd. Surprisingly quick. Like how a father would speak to a young child who just lost their puppy. It was a very curious feeling.

Existing comm with the Domain.

  • Some of us are highly aware and actively engaged in our contracts through the Domain, but have become aware of a breech in communication efforts.the interference does not seem like CMEs etc, but rather are terrestrial satellite interference’s. will we be able to reopen our channels soon? or is this too great of a security threat at this time? has anyone else questioned why we feel ” forced into solitary confinement” and silence?
(Long Pause.) There are authorized and unauthorized contacts. There are also frauds and hoaxes. MM and members of his project cell are the only MAJestic-authorized direct contacts. 

We once permitted ad hoc communication of Domain officers in the Prison Environment, such as with Nikola Tesla. That ended by directive when we decided to implement efforts to recover this solar system. There are no longer any unauthorized communication efforts. 

Yes. There are contacts through some other organizations. 

We do not authorize individual communication without a physical EBP installed in the physical body. You will know if you have it. It happens in the physical body. It is not easily dismissed or forgotten.

Communication through the EBP is impervious to all external interference and interruption. It is a direct comm link to (a handler, local to this region in) The Domain.

We do make changes to the non-physical bodies, and the individual IS-BE's so modified will have a disturbing dream, a frozen in place feeling, or a very lucid dream that they cannot control. Most will retain a memory of it. Many misinterpret this as an "Alien Abduction Event". But these changes to the non-physical body do not permit ease of communication. They serve another purpose.

If you are experiencing anything other than direct communication efforts then ... (Intentionally trailed off.)

(I do not know what happened.)

These contacts and communication channels are not trivial things. The channels are for assignments, tasks and collaborate collection in Intel. Nothing else. (The phrase "nothing else", echoed like in a long hallway.)

I am aware of every communication effort with the inmates in this region. If you want to open a dialog, strengthen your... (again, long pause), or understand your relationship with the Domain, you need to focus your thoughts to that end. You need to focus on the needs of The Domain if you wish to communicate with us.

(Then, I could picture a kind smile, like what a vet would give me when my beloved cat was very ill.)

I tried to offer some additional suggested text and hit a blank wall, and nothing. This is a final word.

The Questions and Answers (Group 14)

This next group comes piggy-back, back to back with the one preceding it. I actually have the impression that the Commander was a little snarky in the previous chat. No. Snarky is not the right word, maybe humorously aggressive in a Boston-Friendly sort of way.

Kind. Very kind. But also very fatherly.

And the “feeling” was “switch from A to B”, or go from “color green to bright yellow”. If that makes any sense. I felt a distinct serious and fatherly tone.

Time and world-lines

  • Am I right in assuming, that the ‘help’ we can offer is limited to this particular timeline, timeline being understood as linear progression of time from this point forward?
Yes. You are correct from your point of view.

(There are a series of in-depth and advanced information garbles that I cannot make heads or tails out of. The Commander is obviously trying to submit information. I just cannot catch it.)

(I have snatches that I understand. Clustering. Anchoring. Progression forward. Soul / consciousness "beam-walking".)

The impression that I get is that there is much that can be said and the Commander wants to transmit valuable information here, but I am not up to the task. I am sorry.

  • Am I right in assuming that our activities should be limited spatially to this particular instantiation of ‘planet earth’?
No. Earth is one of numerous solar systems caught up in the Prison Planet force field. And the entire MWI slices involved... (Again, much information. Too much to sort out. I am failing and flailing here.)

(Commander backs off.)

Focus on your IS-BE consciousness at your moment of time and work from there. You not worry about all the other aspects of it. You, in particular (directed at the person who asked the question), will see the clarity of the entire situation once you exit the physical reality. Just don't go back into the (that) tunnel.

(Wants to transmit more information.)

(Good will. Right track. Positive glee.)
  • If one should gain insight into the life/lives of this current Soul/Sentience. -combination, is that information/insight still valid in this timeline?
Yes. Everything is valid. The issue is remembering it all, then recompiling it at the end of the lifetime and reusing that information to build upon and grow.

The Questions and Answers (Group 15)

When I got this group of questions I just shook my head. And “felt a smile”, and a memory flooded my mind clear as day. When I lived in Indiana we would often have lots of cats, and litters of kittens. Often from nearby feral cats that would have a bunch of kittens.

Once I had maybe eight kittens in a tall cardboard box. They were mostly orange and white in different patterns. But one was a cute nearly all black kitten with a white and orange stripe on it’s head. And while the other kittens were all content to romp and play inside the box, this one; this black one, was constantly trying to climb out of the box and run away.

One day he climbed out, ran across the street and was hit by a car and died.

This memory and image came up clear as day when I read this following cluster of questions.

Answers are not specific enough.

  • Still not specific enough. What facilities do they not know the location of?
(Snark response.) What non-physical entities are you NOT aware of that occupy the 3Km diameter region centered from your bathroom?
  • What do they suspect the traps are and how do they need assistance in disabling them?
Null response.

(There is an answer to this question above.)
  • What is the power source for the equipment being used to suppress memories?
(Snark response.)

The standard local power sources that all the traps use. Duh! (Yes, as really strange as it seems he actually went "Duh!" with an overlay of Homer Simpson.)
  • Will they commit more resources in the short term if assistance is offered?
We have everything we need right now. If there is a need for more resources then we will apply for them, and obtain them. This is not an issue that you need be concerned about.
  • You’ve said in other posts that the Greys are like the Borg from Star Trek, and that someone in the know likely tipped Paramount productions off about the real aliens as inspiration for that idea. I’m a ‘Love thy enemy like yourself’ sort of person. Help can be offered, still there is risk. Will they promise not to harm humanity if their battalion is freed?
All entities of this geographic and spatial region are under the ownership and control of the Dominion. No harm will come to anyone. You are all under our jurisdiction. Please keep in mind that IS-BE's cannot be destroyed. However there are other awful futures that can be contemplated for the malevolent.

I read the Alien interview closely when you published it. Any more specifics other that what was already mentioned in the alien interview are better than none. Surely if they contact you again they can offer a tidbit more than what we already have or they wouldn’t have contacted you and your audience in this fashion.

This is the purpose of this dialog, human.

The Questions and Answers (Group 16)

I tackled this Q&A with the feeling of “ready, let’s do this”. And the answers flowed forth. It was all very matter-of-fact, on point and direct.

Amnesia Trap

  • Does the amnesia trap have a physical size or range of effectiveness in physical space?
Yes it does. It is limited to a small geographical area that contains five inhabited solar systems. Not every inhabited system contains planets like the Sun Type 12, Class 7 that the earth is. 

This region is ovoid in shape with a oval X axis, and oval, X axis, and an oval Z axis. (3 dimensional football-like shape. -MM)

About 70 million years ago a great war devastated many of the solar systems in this geographic region of the galaxy. This occurred long before the "Old Empire" came into existence. During the recovery period a number of colonies were established on the planets in this region, but not of them grew to be major hubs of trade or commerce.

Around 208,000 years ago the "Old Empire" established dominance, and took over this geographical region. They ascertained that this section of the galaxy was a "junk yard" / rubbish / "of no use" and decided to turn it into a big Prison System. They destroyed what ever colonies or civilizations existed in the systems around 75,000 years ago, and created the Prison Complex that exists today.
  • It seems that since IS-BEs need to be brought to Earth for imprisonment, there might be a region or volume in which the trap is effective. If it does have a finite size, what would happen to humans who travel beyond it’s edge?
The entity would be free of the Prison environment and all the traps that exist. The IS-BE would be able to explore and travel anywhere. 

However, the felon would not have any memories aside from the singular last lifetime on the Prison Planet environment. 

All the trillions of years prior to their arrest and incarceration would be missing, as well as the memories associated from the hundreds to thousands of lives that they lived cycling in and out through the Prison "Heaven" would all be gone.
  • What would happen if a human were to die while beyond the edge?
Humans are IS-BE. IS-BE's never die. There is a fundamental vested interest of the "Old Empire" prison system to prevent you from seeing who you actually are. They fear that you will identify (by using your own memory) the slave masters who keep you imprisoned.

The Questions and Answers (Group 17)

This next question is in regards to communication between MM readership and The Domain. I guess that the intention is on an individual basis. I asked after I ate lunch, and settled down. I had a period of nothing. No responses. Then the comm opened up.

Communication

  • What can we do to support and improve communications?
The best way to communicate with The Domain is to use the EBP. If you do not possess one, then the second best way is to use someone that has as an intermediary. 

Individual inmates that are of service-to-others sentience, and who sincerely wish to provide supporting roles with The Domain can volunteer. 

To do this, [1] you modify your affirmation prayer campaigns (sic) to specifying (your) acceptance of volunteering and assisting The Domain in our efforts what ever they may be. (I have script code to add to your prayer affirmations to accomplish this. -MM)

Over time, some quicker than others, an [2] opportunity will arise where you are contacted in the non-physical body. It is very rare to be contacted in the physical body.

[3] The perceptions of this event will differ from person to person. Some "feel" this event. Some witness this event. Some remember this event as a very strange dream. This "contact" will take different forms for different people, and it depends on many things. Some people might feel a vibrational attachment (of some sort), while others might witness a medical procedure. Still others might experience a very lucid but completely strange dream. Some will feel like they are frozen and unable to move, and the fear of that will cause all sorts of terrible manifestations. Some will feel like they are under water, and unable to breathe, and others will feel both big and small and very very disoriented. It will be horrific. But it's all perceptions colored by fear.

How it appears will depend on many things. 

It will be strange. It will be unusual. It will be difficult to describe. But it will feel absolutely real.

However, take and make an important note [4], if you believe, or feel, that this event occurred then it actually did occur. (All emphasis is from the Domain Officer, not MM.)

The over all purpose of this communication is to gather up a group of volunteer inmates to assist in efforts of The Domain. If you accept this recruitment effort by MM, then follow the steps outlined above.

Note that every task will be a personal task, and will not really be anything that will make sense to others outside of your operational cell. We would truly love for your participation with us. (Smile.)

On a personal note, I think that I am getting better at this. I think that this comm system is working out.

Additional comments from the officer

The following are follow-up comments from the Domain officer(s)…

19SEP21 15:49
There are numerous individuals that are (now) experiencing things; events, situations and are confused. You need not be. Everything is proceeding to plan. Some of you will be assigned some dangerous tasks, but nothing that you will not survive out of, nor will you operate alone. You will always be supported.

(Garbled / unclear.)
Trust in yourself, and follow MM. Perform your exercises. Be of good heart.

My own personal questions

I mean, I can do this right? So I asked.

  • A number (more than just a few) of MM followers are reporting “sleep paralysis”. What is going on?
In every case, those that experience this sensation have agreed to support the efforts of The Domain and have volunteered to join our local irregulars. 

What they are experiencing is an operation (of sorts) [like a medical procedure] that alters their non-physical body. These alterations serve to sever numerous well known chains /tethers /controls /traps set up by the "Old Empire" and the warden(s) in this environment. 

Some will need to experience only one procedure. Some might experience multiple procedures. No one need be fearful, but if you are unaware of what is going on, it will be a natural fear response and your thoughts will conjure up all sorts of terrors. They are not real. Everyone must remain calm and realize what is going on.

These procedures are not the installation of EBP (sic). These are something completely different and varies from IS-BE to IS-BE. It will make it easier for the IS-BE to work with The Domain, and be able to move about the non-physical environs as well as be able to leave this entire region all together.

Everyone will experience the procedure differently. One of the most common effects is feeling like you are in a state of paralysis. What is actually going on is that the consciousness is placed in a holding chamber / facility / stasis state while the non-physical body is being operated on. For many this is a first-time experience, and is entirely new and strange. They naturally panic, and the fears generate nightmares in the thought-sensitive operating chamber.

My message to all is to remain calm. We are not harming anyone. We are altering your body so that you can work alongside The Domain. If things become too terrifying for you, you need only relax. You are in the midst of friends.

Conclusions

Some of the responses were surprising. There was a latent humanity that I was not expecting. Some were aggressive and it was intended for me to transfer that aggressiveness in my report. I hope that you all benefited from this.

I know that some will not be satisfied with the answers; claiming them to be too general. While others will be satisfied. While still others, maybe a little frustrated or angry. As we used to say in corporate America; “Don’t shoot the messenger”.

I do hope that everyone has benefited in some way over this. Have a great day.

Do you want more?

You can find many more videos in my “Extraterrestrial Species index” over here…

ET Species

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Articles & Links

Master Index

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  • You can start reading the articles by going HERE.
  • You can visit the Index Page HERE to explore by article subject.
  • You can also ask the author some questions. You can go HERE to find out how to go about this.
  • You can find out more about the author HERE.
  • If you have concerns or complaints, you can go HERE.
  • If you want to make a donation, you can go HERE.

 

A call out for questions to ask The Domain using the EBP channel via MM

This article is a request for the MM audience to collect questions for me to ask The Domain via my EBP. If you all don’t know what I am talking about, then you can probably skip this article.

On 17SEP21 I posted an article that related the fact that The Domain opened up a dedicated channel to me via the EBP. As always, it was one-sided, and detailed. But during the conversation, I had no real mental ability. I was in a receiving and reporting state. I was really unable to think for myself. I just queried what I was told to ask and recorded the answers.

You can read this article HERE, if you are confused with what is going on.

Some Background

Most people are aware that the work titled “Alien Interview” is a transcript of a Commander of The Domain when it’s vehicle crashed in 1947. What most people do not know is that this event spawned an American  top secret agency known as MAJestic that fell under the ONI (Office of Naval Intelligence).

This waved, unacknowledged special access program handled (and still handles) all extraterrestrial events, technologies and interactions with the United States government. I was a unique part of that organization prior to being retired.

I do know that MAJestic works intimately with the Domain. And that it has acquired technology, information and understandings from The Domain. Obviously further more exacting information came forth and was accumulated in the 75 or so years since the formation of MAJestic.

This project

I know, and I am absolutely convinced that The Domain wants to do this. They are sort of waiting for me to set the incident(s) in place, and then will direct it as they see fit.

It’s kind of like how a microwave keeps flashing after it finishes cooking the food, or how a washing machine has the display beeping after it finished washing a load. This flashing / beeping is still present. (Though… it’s something different.)

My idea is to collect questions. Know full well that they may or may not answer them. But I will go read the questions and then record the answers if available. If they do not answer, I will respond as such.

People (!) this is your first, maybe ONLY chance, to ask questions to an extraterrestrial.

My impression is that this is an officer or an approved liaison that is associated with my EBP implants. I am also under the impression, most strongly, that this is an approved effort. And that it is somehow associated with my Majestic role. To this end, there is a channel that is open and dedicated to this purpose.

I know it is open. I can fucking feel it.

I do not know how long it will remain open. Hours. Months, Years. I just do not know.

I have the impression that they WANT to do this, and that they WANT actual inmate involvement in their efforts in this region of geographical space. I believe that they NEED and / or require our participation in some way.

What are the interests of The Domain on Earth?

This EBP channel is not for popular trivia.

Nor is it for questions about our worries or fears. It is for queries on how we, as inmate humans, can help and participate with the Type-1 extraterrestrials of The Domain. That’s it.

It’s for Rufus’s to ask questions so that we can learn how to be able to assist the Type-1 greys of The Domain.

I get the distinct impression that they really want for us to participate in their objectives, and they are willing to provide a diversity of answers to help alleviate our fears and concerns. But in all cases keep in mind that they will only answer what they want to answer.

Thus, any questions that you might conceive of, MUST be directed towards [1] The Domain and [2] their role and mission in this earth regional environment.

Their interests are…

  • Freeing the 3000 members of the “Lost Battalion”.
  • Control and destruction or control of the amnesia machinery that surrounds the earth.
  • Destruction of the various traps, systems, and mechanisms that entrap consciousness in this environment.
  • Preservation of the earth’s environment and prevention of nuclear, biological or climatic destruction.
  • Patrol and policing of this region from “dropping off” more consciousnesses into this Prison Planet.
  • Establishment of a rehabilitation plan for the inmates in this environment.
  • Support of the sentience sorting efforts so that the “good” inmates may be freed from this environment.
  • Freeing of IS-BE’s that are worthy of leaving this Prison Environment.

Because these are the interests of The Domain at this time, in our region, these are the topic areas that we would be able to obtain answers regarding.

Some notes on how this open channel affects me

It is like electricity.

Normally, with the ELF probes active, and the EBP it was like a normal life, just “very active”. Everything was like a car engine running at full speed.

Then when I was retired, and the ELF probes were shut off, everything went quiet. It was a state of calmness that I hadn’t felt for decades. It was like calm still water, while before it was like being tied to an electric chair with 30,000 volts surging through my body.

But the EBP was still active.

And yet, as a result of this, I would have a channel in the EBP open and get chit-chat from time to time. Always one sided. Always directed. Always functional. Always on a passive station but ready for my responsive actions.

Then when I received the communication from a Commander of The Domain,  it’s like “multiple channels”, or a bandwidth increase. Much better data transfer and sensory input.

I’m not used to it.

It’s not bad, it’s not horrible. It’s just that it’s unlike what I have been exposed to and pretty fierce.

It’s like plugging in a fan, as opposed to letting the fan sit in the corner of the room inert and alone.

As a result, I have a very clear comm channel.

When I say that they are open to answering sincere questions, then they will do so. And that when I say that they want us to work with them, believe me. That is the situation.

So be the Rufus, and posit some decent questions.

Question format and queries

What I plan on doing is collecting any and all questions that might result from this article. Then simplifying them, and placing them in a Q&A format. And seeing what happens.

If nothing happens, then so be it.

But if something does, then you might be surprised at the answers. As you can tell, they answer things very clearly and directly with a great deal of detail. It’s very similar to what was found in The Alien Interview.

Please ask questions that fall under these categories, and when you ask a question, please specify what category that it falls under.

  • Freeing the “Lost Battalion”.

Ask questions on what we can do to free the “Lost Battalion”. Or what problems or issues seem to be stopping their release. Ask what we can do to help, or anything related to freeing inmates.

  • Destruction of the amnesia machinery.

You should ask questions related to this machinery and how an inmate might be able to assist in the destruction of this equipment.  Maybe we, as insiders, have a benefit, or skill or strategic advantage that we can offer. We should ask.

  • Aside from the amnesia machinery, the destruction of other systems or traps.

It’s not only the amnesia machinery that needs to be destroyed, but the layers and layers of other systems, in all forms. From the various social constructions, religious constructs, and even the environmental constructs, what can we do or how can we help.

  • Preservation of the earth’s environment.

I know that the type-1 greys are very keen on preserving the earth. This entire region has experienced galactic wide wars of great destruction and the ruins of many a civilization litter this region. This is more than just climate change.

  • Prevention of nuclear and biological destruction of the biosphere.

Certainly there are all sorts of seriously bad consciousnesses and IS-BE’s that are in positions of power and control. They seem to be driving the world to the brink of extinction. What is going on? What can we do?

  • Patrol and policing of this region from “dropping off” more consciousnesses into this Prison Planet.

When The Domain destroyed the “Old Empire” units and bases in this region they inadvertently opened up a “Wild West”. For the last few thousand years, all the nearby galactic civilizations have been dropping off their criminal elements here to imprison them. What of it?

  • Establishment of a rehabilitation plan for the inmates in this environment.

This is a big issue, and we are up close and up front. We can ask questions regarding this plan or systems or programs that are being considered.

  • Support of the sentience sorting efforts so that the “good” inmates may be freed from this environment.

Release of everyone immediately would be catastrophic for the galaxy. As there are many, many very terrible consciousnesses in our region. The universe doesn’t need a new Khan Running around.

  • Freeing of IS-BE’s that are worthy of leaving this Prison Environment.

What of the “average joes? The artists, and the creators that somehow found their way here in this environment and imprisoned improperly? We can ask questions about them, and how they can be distinguished between the really bad and nasty folk.

Procedure.

Put your questions in the comments of this article. I will collect them in another article and run a request up-stream. Let’s see what happens.

Do you want more?

You can find many more videos in my “Extraterrestrial Species index” over here…

ET Species

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Articles & Links

Master Index

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A Rescue Mission for the 3,000 members of The Domain “lost Battalion”

I have presented a great and wide diverse selection of articles to the MM audience. And I do hope that you all appreciate them, enjoy them, learn from them, and I most certainly hope that they will all better your life in some way. This article is going to be a little different.

This article kicks off a project that I believe is important. It is something that I want to do.

Instead of being an informative article, this article asks all those Rufus’s in the MM audience to help the Type-1 greys of The Domain. They have a “Lost Battalion” that is imprisoned here on the Earth with us. And we should do what ever we can to help rescue them.

MM Role

I have no recollection of ever being in The Domain, or being a Type-1 grey or anything like that. I was in MAJestic and I dedicated my life to helping others and being part of something larger. I want to help them. I do not expect riches, wealth or some kind of trans-species reward or anything like that. I just want to help them.

If there are Rufus’s in the MM audience that are so inclined to join me, then please do so. Let’s give something back. Let’s make the Earth a better place, and lets all work together to bypass the memory suppression technology that surrounds this Earth Environment, and help free the “Lost Battalion” and enable them to recover their memories.

What I am asking the Rufus’s to do…

It is my personal “gut” feeling that the members of the Domain’s “Lost Battalion” 3,000 have some very strong erasure protocols installed in their world-line templates. Stronger than say, the rest of us.

When the Types-1 greys try to conduct medical or other procedures on the soldiers, they fight and resist aggressively.

I’ve been thinking that the best thing for us to do is lay down “suppressive fire” that will alter all of our templates in favor of these imprisoned soldiers.

It will not cause damage to our goals or anything, but we will start to anchor our world-line clusters in favor of the imprisoned Domain members, and make it much easier for them to break out of their confining electro-magnetic prisons and suppressive brain-washing.

The task…

For those Rufus’s that are so inclined, and only if you are so inclined, I suggest adding some special lines of code to your affirmation prayer campaigns.

Lines of code from the movie “The Matrix”.

These lines of code will help anchor your world-lines to that of a group cluster that focuses in rescuing the trapped Domain soldiers in the Earth Prison Planet.

Here are the lines of code

From a contributor…

  • I volunteer and support “The Domain” in their mission to rehabilitate the IS-BEs on Earth.
  • I allow an officer from “The Domain” to enlist me and alter my non-physical body to allow for communication and collaboration.
  • I am being trained in techniques to assist my assigned role in this mission.
  • My participation in this mission will not affect me and my family negatively in the physical reality.

And my suggestions…

  • Any and all members of The Domain’ “Lost Battalion” are no longer imprisoned in this “Old Empire” containment facility.
  • All of these IS-BE entities are in recovery and rehabilitation.
  • They are all on the way to recovering their memories and regaining a role within their society.

Just add the lines of code, and the next time that you start your next campaign, just read off these lines with the rest of your affirmations.

You might also want to add this line as well…

  • I, as an IS-BE have recovered all of my memories, and now have the necessary skills to be freed from the Earth Prison Planet environment.

Rewards…

There are no rewards. So do not do it in the expectation of any kind of benefit.

What is all this about?

Not everyone reading this article will understand what is going on. MM has many “one article stands” where someone stumbles on the site, skim reads and then leaves. But if you stay around and read the articles you will see what is going on.

I have presented the PDF titled “Alien Interview” to the readership. It is supposed to be the transcripts of the interview that a nurse had with an extraterrestrial entity that was recovered from a spaceship crash in Roswell, New Mexico. There is a lot of good stuff there, and some things that run counter to what I know and understand to be true.

In the transcript the extraterrestrial jumps all over. And in many instances he seems to reflect normal regular human feelings and attitudes about issues (such as the platypus) and you can read it and miss many things as it is a dated document translated by a nurse in 1947. In order to best sort it out, to a frame of reference that we can all understand, I am now (in this series of articles) going to separate the “Alien Interview” document into sections categorized by dates.

The key text segments…

"What would you like to say, Airl?", I asked. "I have been a part of the Domain Expeditionary Force in this sector of space for several thousand years.  However, I have not personally had intimate contact with beings on Earth since 5,965 BCE.   It is not my primary function to interact with inhabitants of planets within The Domain.   I am an Officer, Pilot and Engineer, with many duties to perform. Nonetheless, although I am fluent in 347 other languages within The Domain, I have not been exposed to your English language.

The last Earth language with which I was conversant was the Sanskrit language of the Vedic Hymns. At that time I was a member of a mission sent to investigate the loss of a Domain base located in the Himalaya Mountains. An entire battalion of officers, pilots, communications and administrative personnel disappeared and the base destroyed.

One of my duties involved interrogation of the human population that inhabited the adjoining area at that time.  Many of the people in that region reported sighting "vimanas" or space craft in the area.

Following the logical extension of evidence, testimony, observation, as well as the absence of certain evidence, I led my team to the discovery that there were still "Old Empire" ships and well-hidden "Old Empire" installations in this solar system of which we had been completely unaware.

"Airl described the abilities of an IS-BE officer of The Domain to me, and she demonstrated one to me when she contacted -- telepathically -- a communications officer of The Domain who is stationed in the asteroid belt.

The asteroid belt is composed of thousands of broken up pieces of a planet that once existed between Mars and Jupiter.    It serves as a good low-gravity jumping off point for incoming space craft traveling toward the center of our galaxy.

She requested that this officer consult information stored in the "files" of The Domain, concerning the history of Earth.     She asked the communications officer to "feed" this information to Airl. The communications officer immediately complied with the request. Based on the information stored in the files of The Domain, Airl was able to give me a brief overview or "history lesson".  This is what Airl told me that The Domain had observed about the history of Earth:

She told me that The Domain Expeditionary Force first entered into the Milky Way galaxy very recently -- only about 10,000 years ago.  Their first action was to conquer the home planets of the "Old Empire" (this is not the official name, but a nick-name given to the conquered civilization by The Domain Forces) that served as the seat of central government for this galaxy, and other adjoining regions of space. These planets are  located in the star systems in the tail of the Big Dipper constellation. She did not mention which stars, exactly.

About 1,500 years later The Domain began the installation bases for their own forces along the path of invasion which leads toward the center of this galaxy and beyond.   About 8,200 years ago The Domain forces set up a base on Earth in the Himalaya Mountains near the border of modern Pakistan and Afghanistan.   This was a base for a battalion of The Domain Expeditionary Force, which included about 3,000 members.

They set up a base under or inside the top of a mountain.  The mountain top was drilled into and made hollow to create an area large enough to house the ships and personnel of that force. An electronic illusion of the mountain top was then created to hide the base by projecting a false image from inside the mountain against a "force screen".    The ships could then enter and exit through the force screen, yet remain unseen by homo sapiens.

Shortly after they settled there the base was surprised by an attack from a remnant of the military forces of the "Old Empire". Unbeknownst to The Domain, a hidden, underground base on Mars, operated by the "Old Empire", had existed for a very long time.  The Domain base was wiped out by a military attack from the Mars base and the IS-BEs of The Domain Expeditionary Force were captured.

You can imagine that The Domain was very upset about losing such a large force of officers and crew, so they sent other crews to Earth to look for them. Those crews were also attacked.   

The captured IS-BEs from The Domain Forces were handled in the same fashion as all other IS-BEs who have been sent to Earth. They were each given amnesia, had their memories replaced with false pictures and hypnotic commands and sent to Earth to inhabit biological bodies. They are still a part of the human population today.

After a very persistent and extensive investigation into the loss of their crews, The Domain discovered that "Old Empire" has been operating a very extensive, and very carefully hidden, base of operations in this part of the galaxy for millions of years.   No one knows exactly how long.  Eventually, the space craft of the "Old Empire" forces and The Domain engaged each other in open combat in the space of the solar system.

According to Airl, there was a running battle between the "Old Empire" forces and The Domain until about 1235 AD, when The Domain forces finally destroyed the last of the space craft of the "Old Empire" force in this area.   The Domain Expeditionary Force lost many of its own ships in this area during that time also.

About 1,000 years later the "Old Empire" base was discovered by accident in the spring of 1914 AD. The discovery was made when the body of the Archduke of Austria   was "taken over" by an officer of The Domain Expeditionary Force. This officer, who was stationed in the asteroid belt, was sent to Earth on a routine mission to gather reconnaissance.

The purpose of this "take over" was to use the body as a "disguise" through which to infiltrate human society in order to gather information about current events on Earth.  he officer, as an IS-BE, having greater power than the being inhabiting the body of the Archduke, simply "pushed" the being out and took over control of the body.

However, this officer did not realize how much the Hapsburgs were hated by feuding factions in the country, so he was caught off guard when the body of the Archduke  was assassinated by a Bosnian student.  The officer, or IS-BE, was suddenly "knocked out" of the body when it was shot by the assassin.         Disoriented, the IS-BE inadvertently penetrated one of the "amnesia force screens" and was captured.

Eventually The Domain discovered that a wide area of space is monitored by an "electronic force field" which controls all of the IS-BEs in this end of the galaxy, including Earth.  The electronic force screen is designed to detect IS-BEs and prevent them from leaving the area.

If any IS-BE attempts to penetrate the force screen, it "captures" them in a kind of "electronic net".   The result is that the captured IS-BE is subjected to a very severe "brainwashing" treatment which erases the memory of the IS-BE.  This process uses a tremendous electrical shock, just like Earth psychiatrists use "electric shock therapy" to erase the memory and personality of a "patient" and to make them more "cooperative".

On Earth this "therapy" uses only a few hundred volts of electricity.    However, the electrical voltage used by the "Old Empire" operation against IS-BEs is on the order of magnitude of billions of volts!  This tremendous shock completely wipes out all the memory of the IS- BE.  The memory erasure is not just for one life or one body.  It wipes out all of the accumulated experiences of a nearly infinite past, as well as the identity of the IS-BE!

The shock is intended to make it impossible for the IS-BE to remember who they are, where they came from, their knowledge or skills, their memory of the past, and ability to function as a spiritual entity.   They are overwhelmed into becoming a mindless, robotic non-entity.

After the shock a series of post hypnotic suggestions are used to install false memories, and a false time orientation in each IS-BE. This includes the command to "return" to the base after the body dies, so that the same kind of shock and hypnosis can be done again, and again, again -- forever.  The hypnotic command also tells the "patient" to forget to remember.

What The Domain learned from the experience of this officer is that the "Old Empire" has been using Earth as a "prison planet" for a very long time -- exactly how long is unknown -- perhaps millions of years.

So, when the body of the IS-BE dies they depart from the body. They are detected by the "force screen", they are captured and   "ordered" by hypnotic command to "return to the light".   The idea of "heaven" and the "afterlife" are part of the hypnotic suggestion -- a part of the treachery that makes the whole mechanism work.

After the IS-BE has been shocked and hypnotized to erase the memory of the life just lived,  the IS-BE is immediately "commanded", hypnotically, to "report" back to Earth, as though they were on a secret mission, to inhabit a new body.  Each IS-BE is told that they have a special purpose for being on Earth. But, of course there is no purpose for being in a prison -- at least not for the prisoner.

Any undesirable IS-BEs who are sentenced to Earth were classified as "untouchable" by the "Old Empire".  This included anyone that the "Old Empire" judged to be criminals who are too vicious to be reformed or subdued, as well as other criminals such as sexual perverts, or beings unwilling to do any productive work.

An "untouchable" classification of IS-BEs also includes a wide variety of "political prisoners".   This includes IS-BEs who are considered to be noncompliant "free thinkers" or "revolutionaries" who make trouble for the governments of the various planets of the "Old Empire". Of course, anyone with a previous military record against the "Old Empire" is also shipped off to Earth.

A list of "untouchables" include artists, painters, singers, musicians, writers, actors, and performers of every kind.   For this reason Earth has more artists per capita than any other planet in the "Old Empire".

"Untouchables" also include intellectuals, inventors and geniuses in almost every field. Since everything the "Old Empire" considers valuable has long since been invented or created over the last few trillion years, they have no further use for such beings. This includes skilled managers also, which are not needed in a society of obedient, robotic citizens.

Anyone who is not willing or able to submit to mindless  economic, political and religious servitude as a tax-paying worker in the class system of the "Old Empire" are "untouchable" and sentenced to receive memory wipe-out and permanent imprisonment on Earth.

The net result is that an IS-BE is unable to escape because they can't remember who they are, where they came from, where they are. They have been hypnotized to think they are someone, something, sometime, and somewhere other than where they really are.

The Domain officer who was "assassinated" while in the body of Archduke of Austria was, likewise, captured by the "Old Empire" force. Because this particular officer was a high powered IS-BE, compared to most, he was taken away to a secret "Old Empire" base under the surface of the planet Mars.  They put him into a special electronic prison cell and held him there.

Fortunately, this Domain officer was able to escape from the underground base after 27 years in captivity.   When he escaped from the "Old Empire" base, he returned immediately to his own base in the asteroid belt.   His commanding officer ordered that a battle cruiser be dispatched to the coordinates of the base provided by this officer and to destroy that base completely. This "Old Empire" base was located a few hundred miles north of the equator on Mars in the Cydonia region.

Although the military base of the "Old Empire" was destroyed, unfortunately, much of the vast machinery of the IS-BE force screens, the electroshock / amnesia / hypnosis machinery continues to function in other undiscovered locations right up to the present moment.  The main base or control center for this "mind control prison" operation has never been found. So, the influences of this base, or bases, are still in effect.

The Domain has observed that since the "Old Empire" space forces were destroyed there is no one left to actively prevent other planetary systems from bringing their own "untouchable" IS-BEs to Earth from all over this galaxy, and from other galaxies nearby.    Therefore, Earth has become a universal dumping ground for this entire region of space.

This, in part, explains the very unusual mix of races, cultures, languages, moral codes, religious and political influences among the IS-BE population on Earth.  The number and variety of heterogeneous societies on Earth are extremely unusual on a normal planet.   Most "Sun Type 12, Class 7" planets are inhabited by only one humanoid body type or race, if any.

In addition, most of the ancient civilizations of Earth, and many of the events of Earth have been heavily influenced by the hidden, hypnotic operation of the "Old Empire" base.  So far, no one has figured out exactly where and how this operation is run, or by whom because it is so heavily protected by screens and traps.

Furthermore, there has been no operation undertaken to seek out, discover and destroy the vast and ancient network of electronics machinery that create the IS-BE force screens at this end of the galaxy. Until this has been done, we are not able to prevent or interrupt the electric shock operation, hypnosis and remote thought control of the "Old Empire" prison planet.

Of course all of the crew members of The Domain Expeditionary Force now remain aware of this phenomena at all times while operating in this solar system space so as to prevent detection and the capture by "Old Empire" traps."

And, the very unusual combination of "inmates" on Earth - criminals, perverts, artists, revolutionaries and geniuses - is the cause of a very restive and tumultuous environment.   The purpose of the prison planet is to keep IS-BEs on Earth, forever. Promoting ignorance, superstition, and war between IS-BEs helps to keep the prison population crippled and trapped behind "the wall" of electronic force screens.

IS-BEs have been dumped on Earth from all over the galaxy, adjoining galaxies, and from planetary systems all over the "Old Empire", like Sirius, Aldebaron, the Pleiades, Orion, Draconis, and countless others. 

There are IS- BEs on Earth from unnamed races, civilizations, cultural backgrounds, and planetary environments. 

Each of the various IS-BE populations have their own languages, belief systems, moral values, religious beliefs, training and unknown and untold histories.

These IS-BEs are mixed together with earlier inhabitants of Earth who came from another star system more than 400,000 years ago to establish the civilizations of Atlanta and Lemuria.   Those civilizations vanished beneath the tidal waves caused by a planetary "polar shift", many thousands of years before the current "prison" population started to arrive.  Apparently, the IS-BEs from those star systems were the source of the original, oriental races of Earth, beginning in Australia.

On the other hand, the civilizations set up on Earth by the "Old Empire" prison system were very different from the civilization of the "Old Empire" itself, which is an electronic space opera, atomic powered conglomeration of earlier civilizations that were conquered with nuclear weapons and colonized by IS-BEs from another galaxy.

The bureaucracy that controlled the former "Old Empire" was from an ancient space opera society, run by a totalitarian confederation of planetary governments, regulated by a brutal social, economic, and political hierarchy, with a royal monarch as its figurehead.

This type of government emerges with regularity on planets where the citizens abandon personal responsibility for autonomous, self-regulation. They frequently lose their freedom to demented IS-BEs who suffer from an overwhelming paranoia that every other IS-BE is their enemy who must be controlled or destroyed. Their closest friends and allies, whom they espouse to love and cherish, are literally "loved to death" by them.

Because such IS-BEs exist, The Domain has learned that freedom must be won and maintained through eternal vigilance and the ability to use defensive force to maintain it.

As a result, The Domain has already conquered the governing planet of the "Old Empire".  The civilization of The Domain, although considerably younger and smaller in size, is already more powerful, better organized, and united by an egalitarian esprit de corps never known in the history of the "Old Empire".

The recently despoiled German totalitarian state on Earth was similar to the "Old Empire", but not nearly as brutal, and about ten thousand times less powerful. Many of the IS- BEs on Earth are here because they are violently opposed to totalitarian government, or because they were so psychotically vicious that they could not be controlled by "Old Empire" government.

Consequently, the population of Earth is disproportionately comprised of a very high percentage of such beings.  The conflicting cultural and ethical moral codes of the IS-BEs on Earth is unusual in the extreme.

The Domain conquest of the central "Old Empire" planets was fought with electronic cannon. The citizens of the planets forming the core of government for the "Old Empire" are a filthy, degraded, slave society of mindless, tax-paying workers, who practice cannibalism. Violent automotive race tracks and bloody, Roman circus type entertainments are their only amusements.

Regardless of any reasonable justification we may have had for using atomic weapons to vanquish the planets of the "Old Empire", The Domain is careful not to ruin the resources of those planets by using weapons of crude, radioactive force.

The government of the "Old Empire", before being supplanted by The Domain, was comprised of beings who possessed a very craven intelligence, very much like the Axis powers during your recent world war.    Those beings manifested precisely the same behavior as the galactic government that exiled them to eternal imprisonment on Earth.  They were a gruesome reminder of the ageless maxim that an IS-BE will often manifest the treatment they have received from others.

Kindness fosters kindness. Cruelty begets cruelty.   One must be able and willing to use force, tempered with intelligence, to prevent harm to the innocent. However, extraordinary understanding, self- discipline and courage are required to effectively prevent brutality, without being overwhelmed by the malice that motivated the brutality.

Only a demonic, self-serving government would employ a "logic" or "science" to conceive that an "ultimate solution" to any problem is to murder and permanently erase the memory of every artist, genius, skilled manager, and inventor, and cast them into a planetary prison together with political opponents, killers, thieves, perverts, and disabled beings of an entire galaxy!

Once the IS-BEs expelled from the "Old Empire" arrived on Earth, they were given amnesia, and hypnotically tricked into thinking that something else had happened to them. The next step was to implant the IS-BEs into biological bodies on Earth.   The bodies became the human populations of "false civilizations" which were designed and installed in the minds of IS-BEs to look completely unlike the "Old Empire".

All of the IS-BEs of India, Egypt, Babylon, Greece, Rome, and Medieval Europe were guided to pattern and build the cultural elements of these societies based on standard patterns developed by the IS-BEs of many earlier, similar civilizations on "Sun Type 12, Class 7" planets that have existed for trillions of years throughout the universe.

In the earliest times the IS-BEs sent to prison Earth lived in India.        

They gradually spread into Mesopotamia, Egypt, Mesoamerica, Achaea, Greece, Rome, Medieval Europe, and to the New World.  They were hypnotically "commanded" to follow the pattern of a given civilization by the "Old Empire" prison operators.   

This is an effective mechanism to disguise the actual time and location from the IS-BEs imprisoned on Earth.  The languages, costumes and culture of each false civilization are intended to reinforce amnesia because they do not remind the IS-BEs on Earth of the original "Old Empire" planets from which they were deported.

On the very far back-track of time these types of civilizations tended to repeat themselves over and over because the IS-BEs who created them become familiar with certain patterns and styles, and stayed with them.  It is a lot of work to invent an entire civilization, complete with culture, architecture, language, customs, mathematics, moral values, and so forth. It is much easier to replicate a copy based on a familiar and successful pattern.

A "Sun Type 12, Class 7" planet is the designation given to a planet inhabited by carbon-oxygen based life forms.  The class of the planet is based on the size and radiation intensity of the star, the distance of the planetary orbit from the star, and the size, density, gravity, and chemical composition of the planet.

Likewise, flora and fauna are designated and identified according to the star type and class of planet they inhabit.

On the average, the percentage of planets in the physical universe with a breathable atmosphere is relatively small. Most planets do not have an atmosphere upon which life-forms "feed", as on Earth, where the chemical composition of the atmosphere provides nutrition to plants, and other organisms, which in turn support other life forms.

When the Domain Force brought the Vedic Hymns to the Himalayas region 8,200 years ago, some human societies already existed. The Aryan people invaded and conquered India , bringing the Vedic Hymns to the area.

The Vedas were learned by them, memorized and carried forward verbally for 7,000 years before being committed to written form. During that span of time one of the officers of The Domain Expeditionary Force was incarnated on Earth as "Vishnu".   

He is described many times in the Rig-Veda.  He is still considered to be a god by the Hindus.   Vishnu fought in the religious wars against the "Old Empire" forces. He is a very able and aggressive IS-BE as well as a highly effective officer, who has since been reassigned to other duties in The Domain.

This entire episode was orchestrated as an attack and revolt against the Egyptian pantheon installed by "Old Empire" administrators.  The conflict was intended to help free humankind from implanted elements of the false civilization that focused attention on many "gods" and superstitious ritual worship demanded by the priests who "managed" them.  It is all part of the mental manipulation by the "Old Empire" to hide their criminal actions against the IS-BEs on Earth.

A priesthood, or prison guards, were used to help reinforce the idea that an individual is only a biological body and is not an Immortal Spiritual Being. The individual has no identity. The individuals have no past lives.

The individual has no power.   Only the gods have power. And, the gods are a contrivance of the priests who intercede between men and the gods they serve. Men are slaves to the dictates of the priests who threaten eternal spiritual punishment if men do not obey them.

What else would one expect on a prison planet where all prisoners have amnesia, and the priests themselves are prisoners?

The intervention of The Domain Force on Earth has not been entirely successful due to the secret mind-control operation of the "Old Empire" that still continues to operate.

A battle was waged between the "Old Empire" forces and The Domain through religious conquest. Between 1500 BCE and about 1200 BCE, The Domain Forces attempted to teach the concept of an individual, Immortal Spiritual Being, to several influential beings on Earth.

One such instance resulted in a very tragic misunderstanding, misinterpretation and misapplication of the concept.   The idea was perverted and applied to mean that there is only one IS-BE, instead of the truth that everyone is an IS-BE!  Obviously, this was a gross incomprehension and an utter unwillingness to take responsibility for one's own power.

The "Old Empire" priests managed to corrupt the concept of individual immortality into the idea that there is only one, all-powerful IS-BE, and that no one else is or is allowed to be an IS- BE. Obviously, this is the work of the "Old Empire" amnesia operation.

It is easy to teach this altered notion to beings who do not want to be responsible for their own lives.  Slaves are such beings.  As long as one chooses to assign responsibility for creation, existence and personal accountability for one's own thoughts and actions to others, one is a slave.

As a result, the concept of a single monotheistic "god" resulted and was promoted by many self-proclaimed prophets, such as the Jewish slave leader -- Moses -- who grew up in the household of the Pharaoh Amenhotep III and his son, Akhenaten and his wife Nefertiti, as well as his son Tutankhamen.

The attempt to teach certain beings on Earth the truth that they are, themselves, IS-BEs, was part of a plan to overthrow the fictional, metaphorical, anthropomorphic panoply of gods created by the "Old Empire" mystery cult called "The Brothers of The Serpent" known in Egypt as the Priests of Amun. They were a very ancient, secret society within the "Old Empire".

The Pharaoh Akhenaten was not a very intelligent being, and was heavily influenced by his personal ambition for self- glorification.     He altered the concept of the individual spiritual being and embodied the concept in the sun god, Aten.     

His pitiful existence was soon ended.  

He was assassinated by Maya and Parennefer, two of the Priests of Amun, or "Amen", which the Christians still say, who represented the interests of the "Old Empire" forces.

The idea of "One God" was perpetuated by the Hebrew leader Moses while he was in Egypt. He left Egypt with his adopted people, the Jewish slaves.         

While they were crossing the desert, Moses was intercepted by an operative of the "Old Empire" near Mt. Sinai. Moses was tricked into believing that this operative was "the" One God through the use of hypnotic commands, as well as technical and aesthetic tricks which are commonly used by the "Old Empire" to trap IS-BEs.       

Thereafter, the Jewish slaves, who trusted the word of Moses implicitly, have worshiped a single god they call "Yaweh".

The name "Yaweh" means "anonymous", as the IS- BE who "worked with" Moses could not use an actual name or anything that would identify himself, or blow the cover of the amnesia / prison operation. The last thing the covert amnesia / hypnosis / prison system wants to do is to reveal themselves openly to the IS-BEs on Earth.  They feel that this would restore the inmates memories!

This is the reason that all traces of physical encounters between operatives of space civilizations and humans is very carefully hidden, disguised, covered-up, denied or misdirected.

This "Old Empire" operative contacted Moses on a desert mountain top and delivered the "Ten Hypnotic Commands" to him.   These commands are very forcefully worded, and compel an IS-BE into utter subservience to the will of the operator.   These hypnotic commands are still in effect and influence the thought patterns of millions of IS-BEs thousands of years later!

Incidentally, we later discovered that the so- called "Yaweh" also wrote, programmed and encoded the text of the Torah, which when it is read literally, or in its decoded, form, will provide a great deal more false information to those who read it.

Ultimately, the Vedic Hymns became the source of nearly all of Eastern the religions and were the philosophical source of the ideas common to Buddha, Laozi, Zoroaster, and other philosophers. The civilizing influences of these philosophies eventually replaced the brutal idolatry of the "Old Empire" religions and were the true genesis of kindness and compassion.

You asked me earlier why The Domain, and other space civilizations do not land on Earth or make their presence known.

Land on Earth?  

Do you think we are crazy or want to be crazy?

It takes a very brave IS-BE to come down through the atmosphere and land on Earth, because this is a prison planet, with a very uncontrolled, psychotic population.  And, no IS-BE is entirely proof against the risk of entrapment, as with the members of The Domain Expeditionary Force who were captured in the Himalayas 8,200 years ago.

No one knows what IS-BEs on Earth are going to do.

We are not scheduled to invest the resources of The Domain to take total control of all the space surrounding the area at this time.    

This will occur in the not-too-distant future -- about 5,000 Earth years -- according to the time schedule of The Domain.  At this time we do not prevent transports from other planetary systems or galaxies from continuing to drop IS-BEs into the amnesia force screen area. Eventually, this will change.

In addition, Earth, inherently, is a highly unstable planet. It is not suitable for settlement or permanent habitation for any sustainable civilization.     This is part of the reason why it is being used as a prison planet. No one else would seriously consider living here for a variety of simple and compelling reasons:

The continental land masses of Earth are floating on a sea of molten lava beneath the surface which causes the land masses to crack, crumble and drift

Because of the liquid nature of the core, the planet is largely volcanic and subject to earthquakes and volcanic explosion

The magnetic poles of the planet shift radically about once every 20,000 years. This causes a greater or lesser degree of devastation as a result of tidal waves, and climatic

Earth is very distant from the center of the galaxy and from any other significant galactic civilization. This isolation makes it unsuitable for use, except as a "pit stop" or jumping off point along the way between galaxies.  The moon and asteroids are far more suitable for this purpose because they do not have any significant gravity.

Earth is a heavy gravity planet, with heavy metallic soil and a dense atmosphere. This makes it treacherous for navigational That fact that I am in this room, as the result of an in flight accident, in spite of the technology of my craft and my extensive expertise as a pilot, are proof of these facts.

There are approximately sixty billion Earth- like (Sun Type 12, Class 7) planets in the Milky Way galaxy alone, not to mention the vast expanses of The Domain, and the territories we will claim in the future. It is difficult to stretch our resources to do much more than a periodic reconnaissance of Earth. Especially when there are no immediate advantages to invest resources

On Earth most beings are not aware that they are IS-BEs, or that there are spirits of any kind. Many other beings are aware of this, but nearly everyone has a very limited understanding of themselves as an IS-BE.

One of the reasons for this is that IS-BEs have been waging war against each other since the beginning of time.  The purpose of these wars have always been to establish domination by one IS-BE or group of IS-BEs over another. Since an IS-BE cannot be "killed", the objective has been to capture and immobilize IS-BEs.This has been done in an nearly unlimited variety of ways. The most basic method to capture and immobilize an IS-BE is through the use of various kinds of "traps".

IS-BE traps have been made and put in place by many invading societies, such as the one that established the "Old Empire", beginning about sixty-four trillion years ago.  Traps are often set up in the "territory" of the IS-BEs being attacked.Usually a trap is set with the electronic wave of "beauty" to attract the interest and attention of the IS-BE. When the IS-BE moves toward the source of the aesthetic wave, such as a beautiful building or beautiful music, the trap is activated by the energy put out by the IS-BE.

One of the most common trap mechanism uses the IS-BE's own thought energy output when the IS- BE tries to attack or fight back against the trap. The trap is activated and energized by the IS-BE's own thought energy. The harder the IS-BE fights against the trap, the more it pulls the IBS toward it and keeps them "stuck" in the trap.

Throughout the entire history of this physical universe, vast areas of space have been taken over and colonized by IS-BE societies who invade and take over new areas of space in this fashion.   In the past, these invasions have always shared common elements:

(1) the overwhelming use of force of arms, usually with nuclear or electronic mind control of the IS-BEs in the invaded area through the use of electroshock, drugs, hypnosis, erasure of memory and the implantation of false memory or false information intended to subjugate and enslave the local IS-BE

(2) takeover of natural resources by the invading IS-BEs.

(3) political, economic and social slavery of the local population.

These activities continue in present time.   All of the IS-BEs on Earth have been members of one or more of these activities in the past, both as an invader, or as part of the population being invaded.  There are no "saints" in this universe.   Very few have avoided or been exempted from warfare between IS-BEs.

IS-BEs on Earth are still the victims of this activity at this very moment.   The between- lives amnesia administered to IS-BEs is one of the mechanisms of an elaborate system of "Old Empire" IS-BE traps, that  prevent an IS-BE from escaping.

This operation is managed by an illicit, renegade secret police force of the "Old Empire", using false provocation operations to disguise their activities in order to prevent detection by their own government, The Domain and by the victims of their activities. 

They are mind-control methods developed by government psychiatrists.

Earth is a "ghetto" planet.  It is the result of an intergalactic "Holocaust". IS-BEs have been sentenced to Earth either because:

They are too viciously insane or perverse to function as part of any civilization, no matter how degraded or

Or, they are a revolutionary threat to the social, economic and political caste system that has been so carefully built and brutally enforced in the "Old Empire". Biological bodies are specifically designed and designated as the lowest order of entity in the "Old Empire" caste system.   When an IS-BE is sent to Earth, and then tricked or coerced into operating in a biological body, they are actually in a prison, inside a...

In an effort to permanently and irreversibly rid the "Old Empire" of such "untouchables", the eternal identity, memory, and abilities of every IS-BE is   forcefully erased.    This "final solution" was conceived and carried out by the psychopathic criminals who are controlled by the "Old Empire".

The mass extermination of "untouchables" and prison camps created by Germany during World War II were recently revealed. Likewise, the IS-BEs of Earth are the victims of spiritual eradication and eternal slavery inside frail, biological bodies, inspired by the same kind of craven hatred in the "Old Empire".

The kind and creative inmates of Earth are continuously tortured by butchers and lunatics who are controlled by the "Old Empire" prison operators. The so-called "civilizations" of Earth, from the age of useless pyramids to the age of nuclear holocaust, have been a colossal waste of natural resources, a perverted use of intelligence, and an overt oppression of the spiritual essence of every single IS-BE on the planet.

If The Domain sent ships to every corner of the universe in search of "Hell", their quest could end on Earth. What greater brutality can be inflicted on anyone than to erase the spiritual awareness, identity,  ability, and memory that is the essence of oneself?

The Domain has, as yet, been unable to rescue the 3,000 IS-BEs of the Expeditionary Force Battalion either.  

They are forced to inhabit biological bodies on Earth.  

We have been able to recognize and track most of them for the past 8,000 years. However, our attempts to communicate with them are usually futile, as they are unable to remember their true identity.

The majority of lost members of The Domain force have followed the general progression of Western civilization from India, into the Middle East, then to Chaldea, and Babylon, into Egypt, through Achaia, Greece, Rome, into Europe, to the Western Hemisphere, and then all around the world.

The members of the lost Battalion and many other IS-BEs on Earth, could be valuable citizens of The Domain, not including those who are vicious criminals or perverts. Unfortunately, there has been no workable method conceived to emancipate the IS-BEs from Earth.

Therefore, as a matter of common logic, as well as the official policy of The Domain, it is safer and more sensible to avoid contact with the IS-BE population of Earth until such time as the proper resources can be allocated to locate and destroy the "Old Empire" force screen and amnesia machinery and develop a therapy to restore the memory of an IS-BE."

Summary and conclusion

We can all use our special abilities to help others in need. It’s fine to read about Alien Interview, or participate in MAJestic, but it is something else entirely to go forth and devote time and thoughts to helping our benefactors. Here I ask and call upon all Rufus’s in the MM sphere to add some rescue code to their prayer affirmation campaigns to help the trapped Domain Battalion.  Participation is optional, but it would b nice if others would join me in this effort.

Do you want more?

You can find many more videos in my “Extraterrestrial Species index” over here…

ET Species

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Articles & Links

Master Index

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  • You can start reading the articles by going HERE.
  • You can visit the Index Page HERE to explore by article subject.
  • You can also ask the author some questions. You can go HERE to find out how to go about this.
  • You can find out more about the author HERE.
  • If you have concerns or complaints, you can go HERE.
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A message to MM readers from “The Domain” via the EBP communication channel

This is a big special treat for the MM audience. Boy oh boy! Straight from the “horse’s mouth”. Oh baby!

Most people are aware that the work titled “Alien Interview” is a transcript of a Commander of The Domain when it’s vehicle crashed in 1947. What most people do not know is that this event spawned an American  top secret agency known as MAJestic that fell under the ONI (Office of Naval Intelligence).

This waved, unacknowledged special access program handled (and still handles) all extraterrestrial events, technologies and interactions with the United States government. I was a unique part of that organization prior to being retired.

I do know that MAJestic works intimately with the Domain. And that it has acquired technology, information and understandings from The Domain. Obviously further more exacting information came forth and was accumulated in the 75 or so years since the formation of MAJestic.

This article is my attempt to further flush out some points (in addition to) the Alien Interview. Fill in the blanks, so to say.

Here’s where it gets strange…

You plan on one thing happening, and something entirely different transpires…

Background

Initially I had planned to disgorge what I knew of these matters though my involvement with MAJestic, and then redact everything that was questionable. But, you know, it didn’t work out that way. Not at all.

Something else happened.

As always, I set up a new “post” based on a wordpress format that I established. I cleared the wordpress, and started typing. I wrote the two paragraph introduction, fully planning to discuss what I could piece together based on my four decades of involvement, and just as I was about to start…

…I had to jump up. And then pace in my office. I actually paced. Kind of shuttered a bit to the left and almost walked out of the office to the hallway, but didn’t and went back in.

I kind of bounced around from the corner plant to the sofa, and back to the credenza.

I sat down. Cleared my desk, and took a sip of coffee, and started to type. And well, nothing came out. You know. I started to type, but (you know) I was not able to write anything down at all. I couldn’t do anything.

Blank.

So I leaned back. Perplexed.

I couldn’t even think. Blank.

I took a sip of coffee, and tried again. Still blank.

Blank.

Blank.

And then, I got goosebumps all over my arms. No shit. And right then and there, truly, something unique, and very special happened. Listen closely. Pay attention.

An officer of The Domain opened up a channel and talked to me directly.

No Bullshit

And make no mistake I am directed to do this with excitement / urgency (expediency).

It’s a real thing.

I am not blowing smoke up your ass. Not like Jerry Falwell getting a message from Jesus that he needs a million dollars before Tuesday or Satan will take over, or any bullshit like that. This is a real fucking thing, with real physical effects.

Communication through the EBP is always subtle and one way. I listen and then respond.

  • EBP Task Directive / question.
  • MM Do and confirm.

However, in this case, the system worked like this…

  • EBP– They prompt for a specific question.
  • MM– I ask / verbalize the question.
  • EBP– Get answer.
  • MM– I record the answer.
  • EBP– Next query…

I am forced (it’s the only way that I can do this at this time) to lay it out in Question and Answer format. And what I know or conscious of is a direct function of what I am allowed or permitted to disclose. Nothing more.

My questions and the officer’s answers…

The Disclosure

As of today, how close is The Domain able to shut down the amnesia-force-field and associated “Prison Planet” technology?

The Domain has established a task team to work on this problem.

They are working with MAJestic, as well as a number of other earth organizations to accomplish this.

The earth environment is a "battlefield" of all sorts of "traps" and "snares". Many of which are independent, individual, self-autonomous in nature. 

The Domain has located and tracked our missing battalion. We work with their non-physical bodies in various efforts to release them.

As of this date, most of the battalion are still imprisoned.

However, serious and strong steps have been taken to root out and shutdown and suppress the machinery and systems that many of the mechanisms that the snares operate under.

These actions have laid down a foundation for further more successful subsequent efforts to take place.

Most of the equipment and systems are in the non-physical realms.

Any efforts towards directed thought will be most helpful.

What is the time-line for the completion of this effort?

From the start it was anticipated that the project can begin in 5,000 years. This date has been advanced, and is in process now.

We do not have a realistic time-table for completion.

This entire effort is a staged, and built-upon, effort. And it takes time. It will take many human life-times.

Sentience sorting is the methodology that will be used to select and release IS-BE's from this environment.

We anticipate the reestablishment of containment control (to stop other species from dumping their riff-raff in), and simultaneously building upon control over thought process suppression. Meanwhile snares, traps and tricks will continue to be rooted out and destroyed.

Once those most basic steps are secure, then the modification of the (physical) human biology can advance with mRNA and DNA alterations making it easier to release the non-physical bodies from the non-physical environment that surrounds this region.

We are active in modifying the non-physical bodies of many imprisoned IS-BE's. But because there are so many, it is a herculean task. Our priority is to save the Domain Battalion, and all MAJestic members that work with us (and other organizations that work with us as well). We physically change their non-physical bodies to assist in suppression of the effects of the field that surrounds this region.

We also work with other special IS-BE's that show a preference to assist us in this task. This includes both imprisoned IS-BE's as well as other IS-BE's from outside this region who volunteer to help.

How do you select or prioritize those IS-BE’s that can leave this Earth Prison Planet region?

We sort by sentience.

We have prioritized The Domain IS-BE members first. They are our most important asset in this entire effort. They hold the "keys" to "unlock" the fences.

We also work with <redacted>. You do not know them. (Referring to MM here.)

Why are you having trouble freeing the “Lost Battalion”?

They are mostly specialized "troops" that you would consider to be of military caliber. Their nature is to fight aggressively. 

Additionally, they have had special "chains" or "processes" that make their recovery so much more difficult than your typical inmate.

What about other species?

Humans are not the only enslaved and imprisoned species here. Other species include dolphins, and horses.

We are working to free all IS-BE's in the regions irregardless to what physical form they inhabit and what associated Heaven they are associated with.

What can I do to help?

(Directed at MM) You are just doing great. Follow your intuition. 

I think that while it was directed at me personally, I strongly think that this applies to all MM readership as well. I strongly have the "message" that it is specifically directed to some certain MM followers, but no names are being given to tell youse guys who.

What about prayer affirmation campaigns and the other things that are listed here?

(Directed at MM readership) All the tools you need to find are here. Keep in mind that the techniques are conceptual and can be modified by your own mental utility to fit your needs, do not believe in absolute solutions, as it is your thoughts that modify your reality.

Is this “channeling”?

This is "EBP stuff" as you call (refer to) it.

I want to really be a bridge between The Domain and the MM followers here. What can I do to participate in this?

(Directed at me.) Perhaps we can provide more of this in the future. It will depend on the mindset and desires of your audience. It will develop.

Is there anything else that I can ask or that you want to say?

No. Message sent. Do not worry too much (directed at the MM audience). The physical saturation of discomfort is under our (the Domain) control (observation and manipulation as necessary), and the tools that MM provides.

Conclusion

Wow!

You are welcome.

References

This communication occurred between 9:45am and 10:39am on 16SEP21. It is a direct EBP channel direct from the Type-1 greys of The Domain to me personally. It is exactly as sent. And I am personally stunned as it never happened this way before.

Final Comments

There are so many questions that I want to ask, but I was unable to gather my thoughts and ask them. That is not how you deal with these entities. I was only able to ask what they told me to ask. Though, I did have some degree of freedom on how to phrase the questions, and then post-edit some parts of the answers.

This is big stuff for me personally. If you don’t understand you can leave. I am now filled with emotion and actually my physical body is shaking with “goosebumps” all over it. Chills running back and forth.

It took me about 8 hours to cool down.

Do you want more?

You can find many more videos in my “Extraterrestrial Species index” over here…

ET Species

.

Articles & Links

Master Index

.

  • You can start reading the articles by going HERE.
  • You can visit the Index Page HERE to explore by article subject.
  • You can also ask the author some questions. You can go HERE to find out how to go about this.
  • You can find out more about the author HERE.
  • If you have concerns or complaints, you can go HERE.
  • If you want to make a donation, you can go HERE.

 

[daegonmagus] – Part 4 – The Cult of Psaigreen and the Simulation Revelations

The following is the fourth part from a series of articles describing the adventure that a follower who goes by the handle "daegonmagus" has experienced since reading MM. They are very interesting and fascinating. I hope that you all learn from his journey and maybe learn a thing or two as he relates his unique experiences to the readership here. 

-MM

Part 4 –  The Cult of Psaigreen and the Simulation Revelations

Complete Awareness

In the Auric Projections/ Mystical Experiences I have talked about so far, lucid awareness of my surroundings had been carried on into the dreamscape from waking reality. In other words, I had been completely conscious from the moment I laid my head down on my pillow, through the transition into the sleeping state, through the connection to my higher self and on to the end of each experience, back through the transition into the waking world.

When I mention I was 100% lucid, this is what I mean.

There was simply no confusion as to me being “asleep”. Comparing this to the “normal sleeping person” – or even common lucid dreamer –  there was no “break” in my conscious awareness as I fell asleep. I progressed through each stage the same way you progress from and experience one minute to the next. Although given time is not linear in the dream state, it was a little bit different to this.

I had total comprehension of my body back in its bed on earth, and the usual memories of everything I had done that particular day. If you can imagine having the awareness you have of your physical surroundings right now as you sleep, this is what I had of my 4D environment.

Dreaming for me – majority of the time – was this extension of conscious awareness into the non physical “dream world”. It was something I had trained myself to do over a period of many years. It is something I believe that anyone can learn to do if they practice enough.

My Initiation into the “unseen 5”

My initiation into the Unseen 5 was the last mystical experience where this continuity of consciousness was present. In the next two experiences, my awareness of self came after I had been unconsciously engaged in the dream for some time. I had basically fallen asleep without realizing it, then became coherent at some point later on.

This is what most people refer to as lucid dreaming, according to the communities dealing with that subject I am part of. From what I’ve read on those groups, the continuation of consciousness seems to be rarely discussed.

This is important in the context of what had been told to me regarding holographic projections into the dreamscape and how consciousness was being manipulated at this level.

I was always suspect of any information being given to me when I had had this break in consciousness.

While my higher awareness eventually kicked in, I always considered these experiences as being “less accurate” to the ones where I was able to retain 100% lucid awareness through the progression of the experience. I could not completely rule out that I was being manipulated, simply because I had no recollection between falling asleep and becoming conscious in the dream. This was despite that “holy shit” moment you get when you remember deeply repressed memories. Conversely I could not rule out that I wasn’t being manipulated either.

Regardless, I am including these experiences because I did eventually get to a higher state of conscious awareness compared to majority of my other lucid dreams.

Training

Now, I mentioned with past lucid dreams I had undergone what appeared to be some sort of training at the “time travel towers”. We were essentially being taught how to recognise when our timelines had undergone a reset. We were also being taught how to remember certain things from a future timeline after it had been reset; ie remember things from a future that was no longer a possibility. All in all there were about 30 of us divided into 2 teams.

What I did not mention is that this “training” bled over into many other lucid dreams and was a very big part of the astral assignments I was involved in in the years prior to my first contact with the EG.

In many of the worlds I was travelling to, this time line reset theme was a key component. Majority of these assignments involved investigating the cause of these resets.

The recent Loki series was a very accurate – and somewhat eerie – portrayal of my assignments in these worlds whilst being near 100% lucid. I was like the TVA, but instead of chasing murderers I was chasing an unknown entity that was “hiding beyond the resets”.

It was weird. It was confusing. It was something I never bothered talking about with anyone – with the exception of Storme  –  for obvious reasons.

A training assignment

This drove me fucking crazy for a good few years, because I honestly didn’t know what it was I was looking for. All I knew was that it had taken up residence in the Ancient Market Village and had an affinity for resetting it back to the same point, over and over again.

On a lot of these assignments I’d be accompanied by my colleague Lyra. She had black hair and was incredibly thin. She’d come and collect me from whatever lucid dream I was engaged in, we’d summon our portals, and I’d end up in the Ancient Market Village or some other random world doing some sort of “mission” with her.

I’d wake up not knowing if I was in reality A or reality B.

Imagine trying to tell this all to a psychologist and not come off as a complete fucking nutjob. There wasn’t some hidden meaning to these dreams; I was completely lucid in every damned one of them.

So you could say I had a very good understanding of how consciousness interacts with the MWI even back around 2010, though I didn’t specifically call it this. Even if I didn’t really understand the same way, I understood that consciousness could “travel through time” whilst in lucidity. Whilst detached from the physical body.

Personal Experiments

Some of my experiments began to focus on this concept, whereby I’d induce lucidity specifically to try and pick winning lotto numbers. I’d go through the conscious transition into the dream state, create a “virtual construct” of the newsagency where I planned to buy my lotto ticket from. I’d make sure to visualize a newspaper or other advertisement with the specific date of an upcoming draw.

I’d then concentrate on the numbers that would be printed on the ticket the cashier would hand me, and repeat them over and over in my head before deliberately waking myself up.

Other times I’d focus on the draw itself, and memorize the numbers as they popped out of the lotto barrel. Upon waking I’d record them down immediately. Despite conducting this experiment numerous times, I was never able to pick more than 4 out of the 6 numbers needed.

This was mainly due to me not being able to memorize all of them sufficiently. The barrier between being lucid and being awake always messed with this ability to remember things in the lucid domain.

Then these experiences {with the time line resets} just sort of died down whilst everything with the Elder Guardians was going on. I’d still have them on the odd occasion, but no where near as frequently.

The time reset theme brought up again.

In February 2019, 3 years after my initiation into the Unseen 5 and 5 years after my last contact experience with the Grand Elder, the time reset theme was brought up once again.

I was engaged in a dream. This time non lucid.

I was in a cave. My “team” consisted of myself, another man and a woman. We were tracking some kind of Artificially Intelligent computer system that had the ability to “reset” out of the timeline.

Our team operated from a hive consciousness that connected all of us; you could literally feel the thoughts and emotions of the other members as they had them.

It was a very strange and confusing operating parameter in which one of us would remember snippets {thanks to our training} which the others would use to “kick-start” their own memories; exactly the same way the Grand Elder had opened me up to the higher consciousness, but on a smaller scale.

So here we were, in this cave, about to open the door to what we knew was a server room housing the “brains” of this rogue AI.

But as we did, the timeline was reset and all of a sudden the server infrastructure had completely vanished.

My understanding was that through quantum entanglement, the AI had somehow figured out how to plot out past entangled particles in such a way that it could manipulate the past into redirecting the present. That was my interpretation; I could be entirely wrong.

This thing, data wise, was huge; it was capable of processing data in orders of magnitude higher than any computer system we knew of; it had been developed specifically to monitor consciousness from the higher planes.

The main concern our team had with this AI engine, was that it understood how to create entire physical “worlds” from the ground up.

It could literally program the growing of a seed into a flower and the blowing of wind over water to make waves crash on open shores.

But it was out of control…

It was out of control, creating physical reality after physical reality wherever it chose fit (this is the exact concept behind the Gnostic belief of the Demiurge controlled by the false god Yaldabaoth. Again I did not come into this concept until after this experience.

So after the AI initiated this timeline reset, we found ourselves in the same cavern. But instead of it housing the server, this time there was some sort of a laboratory in front of us with rows of vials containing either some kind of poisonous gas or a virus. Glass like screens lined this lab’s walls, giving a view of a subterranean place I have visited, many, many times during my adventures in lucid dreaming (the Subterranean Cavern).

On a desk next to the vial was this remote controlled alien tech that looked like a dragon fly with a head like the Nemesis guy out of the resident evil movies. It was actually memory of this dragon fly that led me back to Isaac CARET and eventually on to MM.

The woman in our team reached out and picked up one of the dragonfly objects. I was holding one of the vials and observing it. All of a sudden there was a massive explosion and we were all thrown backwards into the wall that I had previously smashed open. The wall was now completely filled in.

I picked up the broken vial lying on the ground next to me, and put my mouth around it. I was trying stop whatever was in it from leaking into the atmosphere; it was a highly toxic substance. Like a poisonous gas, or – say – an extremely contagious virus.

Strangeness

Something really weird was going on; it was like I was now flashing in and out of two separate timelines. I could see the subterranean river system I had visited on numerous occasions through the glass; in one reality flash there were the barracks and other strange buildings built with a metallic like alloy over the water on futuristic styled bridges. In the other flash, these metallic buildings had been replaced with primitive looking mud brick huts that looked like giant termite mounds. People were coming out of the buildings in both versions of reality and were running around in absolute terror; it was chaos.

This flashing in and out of 2 separate realities was something I had experienced about a year after my Unseen 5 initiation in an abduction dream in my “Wet Room” experience. I will go into that in another article.

I watched the woman as she acted in a strange robotic manner whilst she flew these remote controlled dragonfly things around. She would hover them above the people’s heads in which little claws would come down and grab at their hair which resulted in them being “purged” into a similar robot (reminiscent of my reincarnation dream).

I remember thinking the dragonflies were responsible for giving people amnesia.

I stumbled around in a sense of confusion, whilst in one timeline (the one in which the woman was remotely piloting the dragonflies with the metallic buildings) there was some sort of war going on. In the other timeline with the mud brick houses (the timeline that was more on par with what I had experienced in other lucid dreams of the subterranean cavern) there were drills being carried out that were leading up to some kind of similar war.

The flashes between realities got faster and more intense. Then everything and everyone just “disappeared”. I found myself standing on what appeared to be a frozen lake in this same cavern which had a massive crack in it suggesting it had been hit by something heavy.

I was all alone.

The team shows up

That is when the rest of the “team” showed up from a small tunnel behind me and I heard the leader say “see, I told you he was Thor.” Pretty funny considering the whole Thor being Loki’s brother thing. Strangely, I never was a fan of the Marvel franchise dealing with those characters. I never bothered watching it. I had a basic understanding of Norse mythology, but that was about it. The Thor thing was completely left field for me.

This is where I started to regain some sort of control of the dream and start becoming lucid, though there was never the same connection to the higher state of awareness. Only a very faint one.

At this the timeline switching began to even out and I was locked into the one with the barracks made of out the strange metallic substance. I turned, saw the crew standing before me and tried to attack them with whatever weapon was next to me.

I was fucked up. Like really fucked up.

The reality flashing (what I call dimension spinning) had really done a number on me. I remembered my two other team members, but also realized they were now from a timeline that no longer existed. I felt like I’d just been MK Ultra-ed to the extreme.

I have never done LSD, but I imagined this was what the come down of doing it must feel like. The leader said some kind of hypnotic suggestion and I found myself being “deactivated”.

I ended up just dropping my weapon on the floor mid swing and stood there looking at them. It was like shutting down a robot. After a moment I sort of snapped out of the MK Ultra style daze and I was back to my normal self.

Sort of.

I had the sudden realization that the leader – whose name was either Mat or Mac – had been put in the team specifically to provide mentoring and remembrance purposes to the rest of my team who were nowhere to be found.  He was the go to guy when we couldn’t remember parts of our mission due to the timeline resets. Sort of like an army psychologist that would make sure consciousnesses wouldn’t go too crazy from all the resetting.

Mentally exhausting

I want to point out here that this whole resetting thing really was very mentally taxing. Even being completely lucid at the training towers, these scenarios we were being put in would test us to our very limits. Having to experience this for the second time in an uncontrolled setting was unbelievably brutal, second only to the soul electrocution torture.

It takes a day or so to readjust from it.

Apparently – according to Mac –  the AI had gotten wind of the operation to reawaken divine consciousness and had devised a means to sabotage its efforts by abducting those from the barracks and instilling them with “sleeper cell programming”. This programming could be remotely activated when needed. The cells were then sent back into the ranks of our soldiers and remained dormant until activation.

Each member of my team had at some point been taken, programmed and made to administer the soul shock torture upon others before their reincarnation. What I had just come out the other side of was that sleeper cell programming being activated in all three of us which resulted in us fucking up the timelines and my team mates being permanently erased from “Akashic history”. Again this is my interpretation based on what Mac was telling me, not a direct quote.

A member of the “other side”

I had apparently been a very highly ranking member of this sleeper cell operation for the other side. I had become a double agent through the corruption regime of those in control of the AI, who I assumed were the same Slave Gods.

At some point I defected over to Mac’s side and they used me to gain intelligence on this sleeper cell operation. Much of the torture via electrocution and dimension spinning was what this was about.

I was being bounced back and forth between these two factions like a ping pong ball. Mac’s team would administer electrocution to embed certain codes into me which would then be activated by – you guessed it – even more electrocution from the AI side.

It was really delightful. Not.

Cue the Milabs investigators. I got fun when I’d be 3 layers deep in several dreams simultaneously and be tortured in each one.

Thor, and the names of other gods and deities were supposedly activation words for the sleeper cell programming. Mac told me I had, in more than one life, killed him because of this programming. He just joked about it rather casually like it was no big deal, showing me precisely where I had stabbed him in the back in other past life’s.

Deactivation

After being “deactivated”, I was left to wander around the barracks to try and stimulate my memories of what was going on and who I was in this place. It was a rehabilitation effort to get me back to proper form so I could continue to carry out my obligations under the amnesia correction operation.

I walked around for a little while watching other “soldiers” carry out their astral training. There was a woman I remember talking to, but what she looked like or what it was about, is hazy.

All I can remember is that the conversation turned into a heated argument (this is where Storme’s dream crossed with mine; she was the woman I was having the argument with, though it had been “blanked” from me). There is a whole other section here which features the wonderful Miss Lyra in Storme’s crossover point.

I got up and stormed off, making my way back towards the barracks.

This woman began chasing me in which some more strangeness happened. I found reality flashing between this subterranean cavern barracks and what appeared to be a large empty warehouse with bovine pelvises and thigh bones lining the floor. There were so many of them that you could not see the ground under the meat. I felt the urge to jump from each and snap them into small pieces with my legs and feet. I was conditioned to feel as though I was not allowed to leave this warehouse “reality” until every single one had been broken. There were millions upon millions of them.

I was really starting to hate this goddamned fucking dimension spinning. It was unbelievably brutal and disconcerting. It left me completely astrally and lucidly disorientated. In my last experience with it, I had been left in it a little too long for my own good. More on that at a later date.

I needed assistance

The meat flipping got so bad that I could barely walk. That’s when I decided to hit up Mac to tell me what the hell was going on. I somehow stumbled my way to his quarters through the flickering of the different realities. Mac’s quarters were a cylindrical sort of tower that was smack bang in the middle of the bridge and at the edge of the other shorter mud hut “dwellings”.

Behind his quarters was a sort of pipe like network that went up to another level high in the sky. I had used these pipes in other lucid expeditions to project my consciousness into. They acted as a means to deliver consciousness to a very specific point within the whole barracks. They reminded me of an air pipe you send messages in canisters through.

My urge to “flip meat” was so bad that I felt like I was going insane from it.

I called out to Mac from the bottom of the tower.  He came down a flight of metal framed steps to meet me. I asked what the hell was going on with this meat flipping business.

Mac replied by saying “Oh, you mean the military training dreams?” then proceeded to casually tell me about a knife I used to carry with me called the “Psaicut”. I would hold it up to my eye and shout its’ name to “petrify” – paralyse – my enemies.

Real Clockwork Orange sort of shit.

He mentioned this had something to do with Psaigreen – like this was the name of my group – which were the ones responsible for the meat flipping brainwashing programs.

According to him, what was actually going on was that we were being trained the art of snapping peoples’ necks with our legs, but the Psaigreen had brainwashed us into believing it was bovine pelvises so we wouldn’t realize what we were doing. It was like a failsafe to confuse the shit out of us if we ever started remembering any of this.

“HOLY FUCKING SHIT” I said as some very deeply repressed past life memories started flooding back to me. And I mean DEEEEEP. There was just that knowing that these were legitimate memories of something I had long forgotten. At the mention of the Psaigreen, I realised these were all things I knew. This was a memory from a very, very long time ago.

Many, many  lifetimes ago.

Yet another controlled awakening

At this same time I went through another controlled awakening. The dream just started slowly washing away like waves on a calm ocean. I was awake in bed feeling sick to my stomach like I was going to throw up (I had never had this feeling before from a dream). The memory of my time in the Psaigreen really kicked the shit out me. Even more so than the dimension spinning.

I remember thinking “I am in a goddamned Dr Who episode”. I was so conflicted by it all I didn’t even want to tell Storme because it was so crazy. Why did I keep having these bizarre experiences? Well, obviously it was because I was doing things inside my own head that most people considered were not possible. The ironic part was that I wouldn’t find out she had the same {part of} dream until a couple of years later.

In Storme’s account she recalls a cavern  in identical detail to the one I was in. The large river. The weird mud huts on its banks. The barracks built over the water with a tall tower in the middle. The consciousness pipe maze. The mess hall. Our accounts of this place are literally identical.

Her dream started with her meeting with a Major – ie Mac – in one of the mud houses and being told to wait for me. When I eventually arrived she had to brief me on the fact that the one I called Lyra (again an identical description of my Lyra) was an AI that had been corrupted. As a result they were planning to reboot her, which meant she would lose all her memory of our operations together.

Apparently I wouldn’t listen. I hated AIs – I was apparently very rAIcist (one had just wiped my friends out of existence) – but at the same time had some weird lust for this Lyra woman (who Storme and her crew called Aimee’s). I ended up walking off in anger. Storme decided to follow me and found me acting really bizarre. This would have been exactly when I started having the weird impulses to flip meat.

In her version of the dream, it was her who walked me back to Mac’s quarters in the middle of the barracks. The assumption we both got from it all was that my sleeper programming was activated when she tried telling me Lyra was an AI. They were a common model of AI used on these sorts of assignments, but were human in every way conceivable.

Take what you want of this. It certainly is a really bizarre combined experience to have with somebody.

About a week later – during the super moon –  I had my final contact experience with the Elder Guardians. This contact came in the form of either the Grand Elder himself or another from his group that looked very similar.

The “real world”?

I was in the “real world” which was a place similar to The Capital in the hunger games.  There were stone, Egyptian like houses with television type screens hovering in the air. In the distance could be seen a great pyramid and a large river in front of it. This river separated the upper and middle class from the lower slaves. The slaves were situated on the opposite side of the river further downstream.  The upper and middle class “dwellings” had been built into the river to keep water on that side fresh. Waste water would go into the lower class side upstream. The lower class then had a purifying plant setup right on their side of the river bank.

Crossing the river was a slightly arched cobblestone bridge that terminated in a triangular courtyard on the water. Off this courtyard came a smaller bridge that connected to the other bank.

I was in a spherical shaped building on the upper class side.

It seemed to be a political chamber, and had an a joining library. I was a middle class man; some sort of cleric working for the library administration. Only the upper class were allowed to be politicians. It was all to do with status. You were either a politician, a politician’s pet, or a slave tasked with the upkeep of the city. There was no other job positions.

At the top of the political sphere building there were stone walkways coming out and crossing over to where the upper class dwelt. The middle class men were expected to use the walkways on the ground.

It was as if someone had taken Ancient Egypt and used it as base of inspiration for a city set 1000 or so years in the future; it was both Ancient and futuristic at once. Weirdly, the most far out tech was the hovering screens which seemed to utilise some form of anti gravity.

There was some kind of massive election going on.

The cabal (the malevolent faction responsible for cutting off humanity’s connection with their higher minds) were very clearly the ones who were currently in power. This election was a big deal, as it affected every race in the universe, and only happened very rarely – thousands of years apart. It was evident that the Cabal had manipulated their reign of power so as to gain an unfair advantage in this election. This would see them retain their seat of power over the Earth and its affairs.

It was all about the control of Earth.

“The Governments of Earth were a direct mimicry of Cabal social orders, and were a key component in how they had maintained their control. The whole concept of government {on Earth} had come from the most dominant alien race in the Cabal. Allegedly.” 

This is a direct passage from my dream journal entry recorded the day after this experience, 2 years before I even heard of Alien Interview.  Note the similarity to Airl’s assertions.

Much of this information I picked up on due to having to send memos back and forth between politicians.

Voting to get and retain power

Everyone in the “The Capital” were very well aware that the Cabal were using deceptive tactics to make people on earth “vote” them back into power, but very few people understood exactly how this was being carried out. The influence of the Cabal was so great that it had spread into the “real world” (that Egyptian like world), where information of this nature was also being suppressed by the people living there. Sound familiar?

It was a very similar situation like our mainstream media, where the Cabal controlled everything we read and watched. However, there were times when information would slip through the cracks and trickle down to the common folk. It was a totalitarian dictatorship taken to the extreme.

What was known amongst us was that there was an active force of Elders from other races that were opposed to the Cabal’s way of dealing with things, and were actively trying to break the hold that they had gained upon everyone on earth and in the real world.

At this point I was not 100% lucid but had flittering moments of lucidity coming through.

A prominent guerrilla (like) group

There was a prominent guerrilla like group that the Elders belonged to, and every so often they were able to broadcast a message on the television screens. This was clearly an effort of tremendous hacking capabilities. Whenever one of these broadcasts appeared, every single person stopped what they were doing to listen to them (the TV’s were set out so that not a single person could escape the constant propaganda being delivered to them on an hourly basis courtesy of the Cabal). The word of the Elders was considered of paramount importance over everything else by the slaves and middle class men and women.

I was in the political chambers when the broadcast came on. It started with the usual address to the people from the Elders.

It stated bluntly that they were actively deconstructing the Cabal network in and around Earth, and that great progress had been made.

As it went on, I made my way out into the triangle courtyard where the nearest TV was.

Some specifics of these operations were mentioned. This was surprising to everyone as it was normal for the Elders to keep such things secret. It was the greatest announcement these people had ever witnessed, because it was the first time they had acknowledgment of being in the Elders’ thoughts. It was a broadcast that confirmed many things that until then had only been rumored to have occurred.

As I watched the broadcast the Elder mentioned that there were people that had been sent to Earth – or the false world – to act as representatives for their group. These people had been tasked with delivering information on the main device the Cabal had in operation that was keeping them in power. They then proceeded to run a very long scrolling list of who those representatives were.

It was evident that they had embedded some sort of code in that list. My eyes scrolled with the names and I began to target out my name and mentally zoom into it. I could read it as clearly as day.  This is something that has never been easy in my dreams, even the lucid ones, and I realized it said Daegon Magus.

The thought went through my head that it was my author pseudonym but it was missing my middle nickname; it was very specifically a target to activate me, or – more correctly – deprogram me. I had been thinking of changing it to a different name (in the physical world), but this experience dissuaded me.

The name sort of popped out of the screen and hovered in mid-air, and the letters rearranged themselves. As they did my surroundings dissolved into atoms, then the name along with it. I was now somewhere between the fabric of that reality speaking directly with the Grand Elder. Or a similar Elder. At this point I was once again functioning from the level of my higher mind and was completely lucid and consciously aware of what was going on; this had been the first time the Elder had pulled me out of a “standard dream” to communicate with me, rather than a lucid one.

These guys had some really neat tricks up their sleeves.

The Elder spoke of a word which was like a conjunction of Uranus, Saturn and Mercury or some other planets in our solar system, which when said sounded like 3 people were speaking it at once. Each version, however, would be slightly different. When read, it looked as though some of the letters had been doubled – something like Urraanniiuusatecry or Urraanniiuussaatteeccrryy.  I don’t know if this was the name of my people, of the Elder’s people or if it was the name of the Elder himself, but it was a very, very important word that I was made to remember.

I was also shown a very vivid image of another elitist name and how they had embedded some kind of programming formula by rearranging its letters. Exactly the same as what had been done with mine. Essentially these were cyphers, that, if meditating on, rearranging them in the proper sequence could apparently lead to dissolution of the illusion in one’s own consciousness. What you do is pull the letters out and move them to a different place in the name, like you are making an anagram. It has to be a very specific order, and the vowels are the letters that are removed while the consonants remain in place. That is if my memory serves me correctly.  The occult magical system of deconstructing “abracadabra” is similar to how these ciphers were meant to work. Again, that is my interpretation.

Half way through this encounter I was disturbed by Storme who I knew had spoken to me back in the Egyptian like “real world”. I was able to shift my consciousness from the atomic plane to the real world plane without effort.

I realised I was now in some kind of study room reading a book.

Storme had come in, and noticed the blank look on my face as I stared at a page without movement. She asked what I was doing in a very confused tone. I snapped out of my daze to tell her “its ok, I am receiving some very important information from an Elder regarding the election”.  I then looked back at the page in my book and the letters began rearranging themselves in the same way as the ciphers. Again, everything disintegrated and I was back in the atomic plane where the Elder was waiting for me.

Are Earth Humans in a Consciousness Simulation?

I asked very specifically if we {back on Earth} were in a consciousness simulation.

The Elder confirmed to me that yes, every single person on Earth was trapped in a false reality that had been constructed by the Alien factions present within the Cabal. It had been designed so that consent of these people was unwillingly being given as to mark their votes for the Cabal remaining in office.

All contracts signed within the physical reality apparently equated to a vote for the Cabal to remain in office. The third parties mentioned in such contracts were in reference to non physical entities that were in control of the higher energetic bodies. Contracts were literally binding us to the physical reality, through quantum loopholes according to the Elder.

The Elder explained that when Earth bodies come out of physical reality during their sleep, they are hijacked as they do so. They are then taken to special facilities in the “real world”. They are processed and implemented with fresh programming to keep their physical life story consistent.

After that they are either thrown back into the VR machine or let free in a restricted part of the “real world” where their labor is used for the upkeep of the city. This is under the heavily brainwashed idea that the city would crumble if they didn’t volunteer to help. This keeps them obliged to depend on the Cabal and offer them consent in exchange for security. This was the blueprint upon which the entire VR machine was written.

The Elder told me the guerrilla force openly opposing the Cabal were successfully deconstructing parts of this virtual reality machine and the sleep trapping mechanisms being deployed by the Cabal. He told me they were preparing the people of Earth for a transition to another “buffer” reality which appears similar to this false one, but is not under the control of the Cabal.

They apparently could not come here openly and do this because there were “things preventing them from doing so”. He explained these things as a sort of invisible force field around earth. Again hitting on some strong coincidences with Airl. So basically all operations supporting this agenda had to be carried out in planes external to the physical one.

The way he described it was that it was essentially a rehab for Earthians to detox them from all the VR dependencies they had come to rely on due to the Cabal’s manipulation of their free will.

Once properly detoxed the plan was to switch the VR engine off altogether, in which the Earthians would be allowed to return to the real world. It would no longer be restricted or under the control of the Cabal.

Any factions associated with the Cabal would never again be allowed to sit for the election. A new purpose for Earth would then come into motion where the newly elected council would take office.

I was then taken to a scenario that was apparently used immediately after sleep hijacking takes place and immediately before insertion of a subject back into the VR world. Again this was related to what the Obama V2.0 had told me about the holographic tech. Like in my other experiences, I could still hear the Elder’s voice telepathically in my head, telling me to take notes of certain things.

Mentally, I was completely coherent and lucid by this stage.

Entangled in a false reality

It was explained to me by the Elder that usually the subject is not allowed to view this scenario taking place. It is designed to trigger the sub consciousness in a very specific way to keep them entangled in the false reality and think it was real.

I was in this really seedy city type place walking down a sort of road or a back alley at night time. To begin with a dog in a nearby yard came running up to a fence that bordered the road barking at me quite aggressively. As I walked by it more and more dogs would come out, each a little bit more vicious than the last, and the group getting bigger each time. I was content in the fact that the fence was there protecting me from them. I turned a corner and found that once again more dogs were waiting for me, but this time there was no fence and they were in the middle of the road. They would run up to me, go to bite me then something would happen and I would be missing time. I would be in a completely different part of the city facing an even bigger threat. I got to the end of the scenario which took place in some sort of abandoned abattoirs where something horrible (that I can’t remember but I am sure had to do with dismembering my body) happened.

At this point the scenario froze and the Elder’s voice pierced my thoughts.

It was explained to me that this scenario was designed to gradually build up a subjects fear response by subtly ramping up the threat factor being posed to them. This is then used to condition them toward a certain reaction when they start to become aware of the illusion of the VR world.

I was told this scenario could go on for a long time depending on their personality and how hard it was to kick in their fear instinct. It was shown to me that by kicking in the fight or flight reflex, the subject immediately forgets all ideas of the illusion and commits to locking themselves back in to the virtual reality while they deal with taking care of the threat.

They keep you busy dealing with “scary” illusions so you don’t cotton on to them being exactly that. Illusions. I had grown accustomed to using  my mind without its body, so these illusions didn’t phase me quite as much. What were they going to do? Dimension spin me again? I was that annoying dog that kept getting out of whatever fence you kept putting up around it regardless of how many different worlds you made me experience in the span of a whole second.

The Elder made me walk back through the scenario from finish to start, as this was how it was done by the Cabal. I suddenly realized I was watching myself in third person. I came across a group of thugs, and although not feeling scared, I decided to fight them, knowing that I could beat them easily. As I did, the Elder Guardian’s voice in my head said “No. That’s how they want you to react”. So I stopped what I was doing and calmly walked back to the end of the road, then came back around and went straight past, ignoring them.

I eventually got to the groups of rabid dogs. Instead of running from them I just barked and snarled back at them. The results were instantaneous. The dogs went from being massive vicious Rottweilers and Doberman’s to shrinking to very scared little Chihuahua’s that went hightailing it down the road not understanding what was going on. It exposed to me a flaw in the programming design, that if you fight it without physical aggression, and it instead challenge its dominance it does not know how to respond. If you believe you are much scarier than the illusion, the illusion no longer works.

I got back to the start of the scenario and something happened.

I blacked out.

I blacked out and came to in a sort of decontamination chamber belonging to the Cabal’s military. This was a very long hallway which I assumed was where the holographic scenario was being broadcast. I was totally butt naked.

It was creepy how similar this was to the Matrix. Only I wasn’t waking up in a pod like Neo. And the things greeting me weren’t machines. Or aliens. They were real, human people, dressed in military uniforms.

Physically, I could not move my body the way I wanted to. Something else was in control of it and was piloting it remotely. It felt similar to sleep paralysis.  I couldn’t talk. All I could do was watch through my eyes as two guards escorted me through the decontamination chamber.

They quickly washed me down, and pressed a button and the door next to the shower section opened. This thing was like what you see in military bunkers; it was almost square shaped, several feet thick and made of solid steel. It slid open from both sides.

I was walked out of the decontamination chamber into a room that looked like a standard operations control room, with people typing things on computers that had been arranged around a big screen.

To my immediate right was a wall, and to my left was a rail the otherside of which dropped down to a sunken level. This is where the computers were set up. 5 meters in front of me were steps that led down to that level. The opposite wall was about 10 or so meters away, which had another massive steel door embedded into the wall to my immediate right. I still have a photographic memory of this place.

They notice an anomaly

One of the programmers collected my data (everything I had perceived in this physical reality) and upon noticing an anomaly with it showed the Commander, asking him if they should refresh my programming and send me back in or not. Sometime during all of this the Grand Elder’s voice kept coming through telling me to take note of certain things and of the Alien beings that were in control of the facility; I caught a glimpse of one of them through a viewing window that had another room on the other side. The viewing window was to my immediate left in the back wall of the sunken level; the same side of the door I’d just come through.

This was the only time I ever saw an alien during my mystical experiences, but I cannot remember what it looked like. If I had to hazard guess, I would say mantid, solely because the only thing I remember about it was that it had some sort of dark armour like skin. An exoskeleton. It’s like the rest of its image has been blocked.

All I can remember of it was that its hand was interacting with some sort of control panel in the other room. That other room appeared to be completely insulated from this one, like they were trying to keep that being and the humans separate. I think the Commander was the only one who was allowed to go near it.

It became apparent that the Commander – who was human – was the one piloting me.

He took one look at the dataset and replied

“No, something is wrong. He has been doing something or talking to someone off record and I want to find out who or what it is”.

He ordered me to walk over to what looked like a rack full of movies and video games to which my arm automatically began pulling out “The Lord of the Rings”.

I had no idea what this meant but, the Commander smiled and said

“Ahh is that what he has been doing? In that case we’ll drop this one into the test rig”.

The Elder’s voice reassured me everything was ok. He told me this was expected and that something had been hidden in the dataset to bring that outcome to fruition. He was speaking directly to me, right in front of these guys and they couldn’t register it. This was despite them monitoring every aspect of my mind. It was like the Elder had the ability to put me into a bubble where mine and his thoughts couldn’t be read by the programmers.

I was whisked into yet another room where some sort of device lay set up, hanging from the roof, with lots of tubes and wires coming out of it. I was made to stand in the middle right underneath this thing on a sort of platform.

A similar spherical portal to the ones I had summoned during lucid dreaming appeared in front of me.

And now another world.

Once again everything went dark, and then I “awoke” in another world that was a very close replica of the real world, but with a sort of village in its center. It was being contained by heavily armed Cabal guards that roamed its borders. I remember looking out of a deck of some sort of apartment or pub at the sky and poles and thinking

“Fucking hell this is so obviously fake. How did I ever think this was real?”

Immediately two things became obvious; the guards were “asleep” and the people they were keeping contained were awake; i.e. the people knew it was a VR world, but the guards didn’t. I remember seeing some old man who looked like a local celebrity – Scotty –  and I couldn’t work out why with all these awakened people no one was doing anything.

“I said, you know this is a false reality don’t you?”

Scotty looked at me very hesitantly and said “yeah so?”

I suddenly remembered that everyone was imbued with a power associated with one of the four elements, and that if awakened they could summon that element to aid them. Apparently when combined properly with those of other elements they are quite powerful.  This was knowledge the Cabal had successfully suppressed, but I don’t know how I knew it. It was just something my higher mind knew. I only remembered it once I was thrown into the test rig.

I summoned wind – my element – and turned to Scotty…

“So why don’t you help me so we can get out?”

Scotty looked at me with a very worrying look and said “no”, then huddled off.

So escape…

I figured at that point that people here were too oppressed to be of any help, so I started summoning tornadoes and cyclones to tear apart the buildings. This was just the standard sort of things I always did in Lucid Dreams; I’d just summon whatever I needed whenever I needed it.

The exception to this was when I was stuck in a consciousness prison, as they disallowed me this ability. Alarms went off and guards came running. I just casually walked past them, and they stopped in confusion as it seemed they couldn’t see me. This was despite me being right in front of them.

I ended up walking to a place that would have been out of bounds, if it weren’t for my destructive efforts. Somewhere along the lines I got the gist that this VR was a new “model” the military were working on implementing and was in its testing phase. Hopefully I caused them a bit of a headache with my antics. You could sort of see the boundaries of blankness where they hadn’t uploaded any environment data.

I think the making of this place was in direct retaliation to the Elder attacks on their system.

Well… I am at a university….

I ended up at what appeared to be a university building. This was the impression I got anyway. It had nicely manicured gardens and big glass windows that reached the roof which was only a couple of stories high.

Inside the foyer there was what appeared to be a sculpture of a brain made out of Ethernet cables instead of grey matter. Upon looking at the cables I realized they were coiled like old telephone cords and each terminated somewhere on the sculpture in a typical network hub.

There were thousands upon thousands of connections (this thing took up an entire room and was 2 storeys high) which all had blinking yellow and red lights at their ends. Something told me this was the VR server where every ones consciousness is downloaded while they are in the physical reality. I had this understanding that it was through the coiling of the wires that they were able to control consciousness similar to what we know as inductive coupling. The coils read the magnetism carried off via our thoughts.

I was about to destroy the whole thing when I came to the understanding it would be detrimental to those consciousness’s still attached to it. I decided to leave it and walk for the stairs.

As I reached the top a glass door slid open and out stumbled two people, dazed like zombies, one of which I knew to be Storme and the other of who I knew in the “real world”. I asked them “are you awake” – my code phrase for “are you lucidly aware” –  and they both shook their heads robotically. I said to myself “looks like I am going back in”. I summoned an inward projection portal and projected into it. At this point I woke up in this physical reality back in bed.

This concluded my mystical experiences, but certainly not the paranormal ones.

Am I crazy?

At this point, I would have checked myself into the nearest mental asylum if it hadn’t been for Elon Musk and the other Silicone Valley giants jumping on board the whole simulation theory idea.

Then there was this I ended up stumbling upon:

In the video version I watched, it was reported Erin was actually the CEO of a company who were developing brain implant chips similar to Musk’s.

None of this compared to any of the confirmation I would ultimately get.

Then collapse!

My lucid dreaming capabilities ended up taking a nose dive, shortly after the Unseen 5 experience. I chalked this down to having a kid and no longer being in the well rested state of mind that I know is crucial for it. I was actually quite surprised with these last two experiences.

They were the first proper lucid dreams I had had in quite some time.

As you can imagine, the mystical experiences drove me crazy. I ended up trolling around the internet trying to find someone – anyone – with anything even remotely similar to talk to. I was lucky that I at least had Storme to talk to about it all. Who knows where I’d be if I didn’t.

I dropped a compressed version of this story on a few UFO and Starseed groups and others for occult subjects such as astral projection and lucid dreaming.

I was met with either “I call bullshit, astral projection is not relevant to ETs” from the UFO/ occult crowds, or “I am an alien from Pleiades because a psychic told me so” from the Starseed groups.

Although the Starseed groups seemed promising, I noticed a lot of information on there that was downright false that people were lapping up.

Two years later (this year), it all started coming to a head.

I was phoned by a very prominent ET researcher in America who linked my experiences to the Majestic 12. The information she gave me in that interview apparently came directly from her source within the CIA. This source had been told things by an MAJ Agent himself. I will include a report of that interview in another article. I wanted to include her in my autobiography, but she was apprehensive about it and asked me specifically not to mention her. Hence I have omitted her name.

I was contacted by another who was part of a similar consciousness operation and grew up under the ice in Antartica. She only reached out to me because she could relate to my experience where I “wrote the scroll.” This person I have been in constant contact with since making her acquaintance. I was talking to her on almost a daily basis for a good few months about everything she has experienced.

She has some very interesting things to say which parallel a lot of what MM has written in some of his articles. I hope one day she is able to share her experiences as I have done with mine.

In the same week I met this person I was put on to the Alien Interview document by someone else and my jaw hit the floor. The amount of things I experienced that Airl described was insane.

This was before Isaac CARET had even put me on the path of MM. If you find that {Isaac CARET} article of MM’s, I even mentioned the Alien Interview in one of my comments (I incorrectly misnamed Lawrence Spencer as Paul Spencer) before it was on MM’s radar.

So you can say I was pretty damned excited when MM did an 8 part breakdown of it and confirmed it as being what spawned MAJ.

I had been thinking of doing my own breakdown of it in regards to how it ties in with my lucid dreaming experiences since January before MM did his in June. Mine will be up once I have written more articles to provide some back context to it.

And of course there is MM himself. He was honestly the first person I had seen who was explaining things I already knew about in very similar ways to how I knew them. Reading his accounts it was uncanny how similar our thoughts were on many subjects. You may have noticed me subtly implying these parallels throughout my articles.

What MM calls “prayer affirmation campaigns” I had a very similar concept going on which I called “manifestation”.

Occultism was all about the idea one could elicit change in their environment through will power alone, after all; this was something I had an unfaltering belief in since I was a kid. I never once thought it was a load of bullshit. Back in 2019 I was conducting experiments in determining the timespan between intention and manifestation.

I had a success one day in which I was able to pin point the manifestation as being exactly 10 hours after the intention. I can tell you that custom number plates on cars are a good way to manifest “messages” because of the subconscious energy people all put into driving.

When MM says “combined focus of a goal amplifies the affirmation campaign”, you won’t find a better place where everyone’s attention is focused on the same thing than on the road.

In my experiments I was trying to use the information in random custom numberplates to “tell me” when my manifestation worked.

It also works by sending emails to yourself.

What do you think I was doing going nuts trying to find these 20 000 other souls I was supposed to be in charge of? Sending the Elder Guardians messages via my own email address specifically to reconnect with people that were part of it, of course. I didn’t have as clear a focus, but somewhere deep inside me, something just knew it would work. Part of my affirmation/ manifestation campaign was to be put into more specific information in regards to how it all worked. MM was the literal jackpot of my manifestation efforts (thankyou MM).

The Rufus thing I totally dig as well.

I’m the type of guy who doesn’t fling homeless people whatever spare change is in my wallet; I go and buy them a proper meal and sit down and talk with them for as long as they will allow me. I don’t do this for any reason other than because I know how much it sucks to be lonely.

Given my wife was homeless, I also have a vicarious understanding of how much it sucks to have nowhere to go. It’s easy to fling change and pass them by.

Everyone wants to be heard, but not everyone wants to listen. Be the one that wants to.

Always look for an opportunity to help someone. If the opportunity jumps out at you and catches you off guard, take it at once. The ones watching in the outer planes – like the EG and U5 – will notice, even if nobody in the physical does.

Ah. this is enough for now. There's a lot of "meat" to absorb here. Soak it in. Enjoy it, and soon enough part 5 will be posted. Best Regards. -MM

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Random meandering wandering thoughts in regards to world-lines, engineering humans, freedom and sentience

Some thoughts. A bunch of “stuff” flooded my brain this morning, and so I want to spew this stuff on paper and move on with my other projects and activities. So just let me go a spewing. And as I spew forth on this beautiful morning let’s all keep in mind to have a lovely day.

Shall we go a spewing?

Coffee, freshly brewed in the morning, tastes great.

Perhaps we take what we commonly consume for granted. I watched one of those “cop shooting videos” where this guy threatens a police officer to shoot him. He said “go shoot me!”. And the police tell him “lay down your weapon.” And so he lunges out at the officer, and is shot dead. I think he was dead before he hit the ground.

Ugh.

In one year no one will remember his name, what he did for a living, or really care.

And you know what?

That cup of coffee that he had in the morning was his last.

He probably didn’t savor it either. He probably poured himself a cup, gulped it down without a thought and read the “news” about “Presidents says this…”, or “Rich oligarch flies into space because he can. And fuck the rest of youse guys”

Or better yet “Coronavirus is worst ever!”. Or “new strain attacks people left and right!” Or, maybe “new leaked evidence about US funding, and Coronavirus development in China”.

Or perhaps, “Australia alarmed”, or “Japan Alarmed”, or “Refugees pour in from Afghanistan”. Yada. Yada. Yada.

Sheech! Enjoy what you have.

Morning coffee.

Do you smell the coffee when it is brewing? Do you have the opportunity to drink it in the early morning with some “me” time? Do you eat something along with it?

Like eat a bagel.

Or hang out with your little buddies.

NOW.

Engineering of humans for this “Prison Planet” environment.

As I understand it, the “normal” and default biological life-form is fully capable of simultaneous co-habitation in both the physical world and the non-physical world.Most creatures naturally go back and forth between the two realities quite easily.

Yet humans do not have this ability.

For us (Earth bound) humans, we can only see the physical reality, and have no ability to see the non-physical reality, and what’s worse, not even able to remember it.

The reasoning behind this is described in the work “Alien Interview”.

I suggest that this implies that the human species (for this earth environment) was specifically modified (or retarded) to prevent this ability. And this belief is confirmed in the “Alien Interview”.

Alien 3 movie – A prison planet.

If we can determine what the alterations are, we can reverse this aspect of the damage.

I argue that the Type-1 greys are physically modifying the non-physical reality bodies to correct these and other issues, and all that nonsense about abductions are just fears manifested from ignorance. Now, to prevent me from going into stuff that I just cannot state, I will suggest that the “other” humans that sometimes attend these events are not from our “Sentience Nursery Region / Prison Planet”. Instead they are from “outside” of it.

Their bodies are not “retarded” Prison-bodies that we are all so entwined with in this realm that we are in.

The key then is “containerizing” our consciousness outside of the physical body, as it seems to have been devised (or modified) as a physical cage.

Indeed this “Prison Planet” has many, many levels.

Body selection for the truly evil

I think that those souls that developed into truly evil and vile consciousnesses needed to be put into a secure holding facility; a “Prison Planet”. The problem is that as the “Old Empire” got old and corrupt itself, everyone was thrown into this environment. And it is thus and environment that we share together.

Good. Bad. Evil. Disjointed.

Earlier I wrote about CJ, the beauty model that I lived with. She was amazingly beautiful, but inside she was like a horrible demon. At times, when her “real” side came out, I considered her to be an actual evil demon-like entity.

I wonder…

If you were evil and vile and you were in Heaven, and it was time for you to construct your time on earth, what kinds of bodies would you inhabit?

I think that most evil and vile people would inhabit the bodies that would give them…

  • Large amounts of Power.
  • Unlimited sex with whomever they wanted.
  • Control over others, domination.
  • Wealth in copious and ridiculous amounts.

Thus, is it any wonder that we see such a concentration of evil and vile people in Washington DC, or in the leadership of smaller African, and South American nations today?

And thus we see an outrageously beautiful person who is a real evil vile person inside.

Alien Interview placed many concepts, now accepted as real, decades before scientific acknowledgement of them.

For instance “continental drift”. “Chariots of the Gods”. The “12th Planet”. “Pole Shifts”. The ability to clone and design creatures with DNA. The list goes on and on.

It is so easy for us to read “Alien Interview” with the eyes of a contemporaneous person from 2021 instead of a person from 1947.

We have to keep that in mind.

In 1947, the “new age” movement did not exist. It did not occur until the late 1960’s. Most Americans believed the Bible was the de facto history of the world. And while Darwinism was taught in the universities, most people focused on the principle subjects of reading, writing and arithmetic.

For the “leadership” of America at that time, it all must have come as a great shock. The idea of “not to follow the tunnel of light”, and that there is no “Heaven” or “Hell”, and that memories are not ever supposed to be erased.

All in all, it was obvious from the reading of the narrative in support of “Alien Interview”, that leading scientists and capable people at that time were pulled in for their thoughts and commentaries. And after much deliberation, I am positive that they HAD to conceive of a secret organization to deal with this species and all of what it talked about.

That is how MAJestic came about. And no, it wasn’t JUST because one singular “flying saucer” was captured. It was EVERYTHING associated with it.

Some cat quotes

I found these humorous.

Does McDonald’s i(outside of China) still have those little white plastic stir-sticks? What about those little metal foil ash-trays? Or those cute kitty-sized little milk creamers?

This is so relatable.

Indeed. They seem to be immune to the earth as a “Prison Planet”.

They come and go from non-physical to physical and back again as if it were nothing.

Poor kitty.

And…

Yeah. I hear ya bud.

And…

Fact. Jack.

Japanese press is hyping up a war with China

American influence no doubt. But it’s all nonsense. A lot of words, and posturing. And it ignores the serious, serious open wounds that fester inside of China.

But let me tell you all, and any Chinese in the MM audience can confirm this statement as true.

"If Japan makes ANY military move against China, China will start nuking that fucking little island like there is no tomorrow. Fuck their military. It will be their cities and people who will all die God Damn it!"

For the last 75 years every single person in China has been exposed to the horrific tragedies and rape of China by the Japanese and the hatred is visceral. I, as an American, am shaken to the core when I see the Chinese react to any of this Japanese nonsense. Believe me. They will fucking bludgeon Japan into a bloody pulp.

Believe me.

Japans had best hide from China, and not do anything that the USA wants. Mind My Words. Video

The Japanese were brutal against the Chinese, and China wants PAYBACK in the worst way.

Things have changed.

This was then. Now look at today. If you want to fuck with China you had best get ready for a real bludgeoning. Video.

If you want to fuck with China you had best get ready for a real bludgeoning.

Greek Breakfast foods

Every now and then I come across a Greek restaurant. I love the food there. And I think that it would be great to try some of their breakfast foods.

Feta, Veggies and Eggs

Whether they’re scrambled or served omelette style, you can’t go wrong with topping eggs with Feta. Try adding chopped onion, a bit of garlic, veggies of choice (zucchini, bell peppers and tomatoes are great in this dish). Sprinkle in some coarse salt and freshly ground pepper. Toss in a splash of milk, and whip together in a bowl. Cook the eggs either omelet or scrambled style, adding the Feta, when the eggs are almost finished. Delicious Greek breakfast food!

A fine Greek Breakfast.

Eliopsomo: Greek Olive Bread

You can pick up this wonderful, traditional bread at a Greek bakery or cafe, as well as many specialty grocery stores. While it’s delicious simply toasted and served with your morning cup of coffee, try switching it up a bit by topping the bread with a good Greek cheese.

Eliopsomo.

Spanakopita

Who doesn’t love Spanakopita?  But, remember, it’s not just for lunch and dinner. Why not warm a slice and serve it on a plate with your morning cup of coffee? It’s a great alternative to the everyday breakfasts you’re likely tired of eating.

Spanakopita

PLA expels U.S. destroyer from China’s territorial waters off Nansha Islands

Not reported in the American “news” media.

CGTN

The Chinese People's Liberation Army (PLA) said Wednesday it had expelled a U.S. guided-missile destroyer that trespassed in China's territorial waters near the Nansha Islands in the South China Sea.

PLA Southern Theater Command spokesperson Tian Junli said in a statement that the U.S. military's act had seriously undermined China's sovereignty and security interests.

Calling Washington "a risk maker" to the security of the South China Sea and the "biggest destroyer" of the region's safety and stability, Tian warned that the theater command will "remain on high alert."

"We will resolutely safeguard national sovereignty and security, as well as peace and stability in the region," he said.

I expect more belligerent actions by the US Navy in the coming months. And expect China to tire of the “cat and mouse games” after a while.

Snow Leopard: The National Animal of Afghanistan

With all the new a talking about Afghanistan, no one is talking about this little tidbit of treasure. The national animal of Afghanistan is Snow Leopard.

The Snow Leopard is a big cat who lives on a high altitude and preys on Argali wild sheeps, Ibex, Pikas and rabbits etc.

A snow leopard.

Snow Leopard are very rare and are only found in 12 countries like China, Nepal, Pakistan, India, Russia, Afghanistan etc. Snow Leopards are so rare that they  estimate that there are only 3500 of these creatures left.

China has the 60% of the population of these majestic cats.

These white big patched cats love to live between an altitude of 10,000 meters – 18,000 meters. The gestation period is 3 and half months. An astonishing there here is that their limbs are extremely powerful, even they can hop up to 30 feet which is 6 times their body length, extremely strong limbs huh?.

A snow leopard.

Another specialty of these Snow Leopards is that it have a gray or light green eyes rather than a yellow or gold like the other big cats. The Snow Leopard was thought to be extinct in Afghanistan, however, 100 are still out there somewhere.

There is no specified reason why Snow Leopard is opted as the national animal, but some says as the people Afghanistan are well known for their brave character and this majestic cat, however, reflects the very same ideology. And you know, the Afghanistan people are not as the USA media pictures them. They are something else entirely. I think the Snow Leopard fits their psyche.

Changes in the geography of the basic world-line template that many people use

Changes are happening, and the templates are changing. No, not the anchoring effects, but the general master templates themselves. To do this is very, very, VERY powerful.

I was once asked how powerful the extraterrestrial benefactors were. They asked if they had weapons powerful enough to destroy cities. I responded that they had the ability to move the earth from it’s orbit. Put it inside the Sun for five minutes. Let it bake good and well, and then place it back in orbit. That is how powerful they are.

I see that there are some events that are changing. Future life-track world-lines seem to be adjusting to new templates, and these templates are … peculiar.

Peculiar.

You heard it here first.

Bob Odenkirk back on ‘Better Call Saul’ set after heart attack

I enjoy “Better call Saul”. It’s a great show. But you all gotta follow it for a while to figure out what is going on. I think it’s great. But them I was surprised to discover the actor who plays Saul Goodman had a heart attack. It bummed me out.

Better call Saul.

58 years old. Had a heart attack and blockage. Major bummer. I am glad that he’s back on his feet again. You all must take care with your body. As you get older heart attacks become real threats.

I’ve had two of the fuckers.

The first time was in a high-stress work environment, while dealing with a high-stress mentally ill wife. I was in the machine shop and had a serious heart attack. Good thing that I was young. 36 years old or so. I was able to pick my self up from the floor and get to the doctor. The second time was last year when I was adjusting to new blood pressure medicine.

Eat well. Watch your health. You never know.

What is “freedom”?

I know, I know, I know. I have gone on and on endlessly about this subject. But “freedom” is NOT the ability to vote in a democracy™. It’s something else. It’s entirely something else.

Some things that need to be underlined

  • Freedom to be left alone.
  • Freedom to disappear.
  • Freedom of complete privacy.

Any nation that does not allow these freedoms is just a prison.

Facebook pays contractors to read your ‘encrypted’ WhatsApp messages, shares info with prosecutors – reports — RT World News

Obviously this is an ideal, but I do have to tell you’se guys that if your nation isn’t allowing it’s citizenry these freedoms then it is not DOING ITS JOB. Nations have a duty to their citizenry.

All nations in the world today violate these aspects of life to one degree or the other. I argue that this also includes China…

…but, China is far better protecting the massive onslaught against the individual by aggressive interests than the United States is. The freedom to be left alone is a major issue, don’t you think?

Some thoughts on democratic voting balancing

I have long given up on the belief that a democracy is the best way (or even a way) of running a nation. But others haven’t. Here’s some thoughts by RM on how the American democracy could be improved to better serve it’s people.

What we are not seeing at the city and county level is this:


USA balancing act.

Rural farming areas and downstaters are screwed when there is a big city in their state.
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Their vote is continuously cancelled and it does not count toward the results that they want. 
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States are like a giant gerrymandering. I have often thought that states should have a series of county referendums or whatever legal path they could find and redraw their boundaries.  For instance here is Greater Idaho, which they are currently working on:

Changing the lines of control.

Then groups of these newly defined states could make coalitions in Congress.
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  • Create cooperative zones for building their economies.
  • Cooperate on state banking and mutual credits for home and industry.
  • Support common problems of pollution or agriculture development.
  • Have an Environmental protection that does not stop at state borders.
  • Combine their national guard forces.  (This one is important.)
  • Maybe make tax free zones and trade concessions.
  • Well, they should do everything to grab more power from the Feds.
  • Even change the US tax structure.
I believe that in the US they would have to find a better way to consolidate interests into bigger factions, to wrest governance away from the present power structures.  This could be a way, without disruptive protest or armed rebellion.
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Is it too late? Or is the process just getting started?

Just some kids playing

In America they banned toy guns “for the children”. In China, all kids get to play with toy guns, and they all receive real military training on how to use them in the Pioneers and Scouts. Not to mention the mandatory Middle School mandatory boot camp. Video.

Kids playing.

FOX “news” praises China!

Are pigs flying in the skies above the United States these days? Did Hell freeze over?

The famous China-hater Carlson says China does a few things right:

  • Houses are for people to live in, not for speculation;
  • Children are to limit their gaming time to three hours in the weekend;
  • Celebrities are not to be worshiped; he should add: young men are not to wear make-up to look like women.

Short Video here…

The YouTube version can be found here:

https://youtu.be/NYeiHLNtluk

The differences in the relative importance of sex to women as opposed to men

Men and women are different.

Men have testosterone flowing through their veins and women have progesterone flowing through their veins. Both hormones greatly affect our social interactions with others, as well as our drive to succeed, make friends, form businesses, and establish long-lasting relationships.

Both levels fluctuate over the life-time. And thus both males and females experience different phases of life.

Testosterone levels for men and women during a life-span.

For Women… the progesterone levels fluctuate on a cycle. This reflects the ability to have children. As the levels fluctuate, moods, emotions, and physical appearances all change. I am sure that all MM readers realize this.

Now, you notice that after a period of time, this cycling stops. And thus we have this graph…

And my point is this…

Both women and men change biologically through their lives. For women, they tend to cycle faster on a more or less monthly basis, while men are fairly constant. Then at around 35 years old everything changes.

And the reason why I bring this up is that physical cosmetic changes in transgender surgery might help a person’s ego and self-esteem, but it will not change their biology. No matter what amount of dosages of hormones that they take.

When a 50 year old man goes into transgender surgery to become a woman, the only changes will be external appearance, and perhaps personal ego. It will not change their internal biology. For the rest of their lives they will be tethered to external hormonal treatments just to maintain their state of mind. The moment that you decide to go transgender, you become addicted to big-pharma, and at the mercy of what ever they demand of you.

If you stop, intentionally or unintentionally (such as a societal collapse, war, or inaccessibly of hormonal treatments) your biological regression could become a living Hell for you.

Do you think that I am being mean or cruel to point this out?

If people want to do something, I say do it! But, please do so with balance. If you are proud to be a transgender person, then tell your story. Firstly for those who need hope, but also for those that don’t understand. However, don’t paint a 100% rosy picture either.

Life is about tradeoffs. You all need to discuss those tradeoffs realistically and openly.

If you are in your late 40’s and wish to be a transgender woman then you must realize that the lifestyle that you are moving towards will have consequences.

American military transgender people speaking out about their decisions.

Some Chinese food

I eat a lot of food in China that you simply cannot get anywhere else. All those “Chinese” restaurants only sell pre-packaged “Chinese fast food” that has been Americanized, or Westernized to some extent. Here’s some short videos. Please check them out…

XianXi Potato, Beef and noodle soup.

Potato, Beef and noodle soup.

XianXi Pepper-Beef.

So very good. When you cook the hot peppers they mellow out and are not so spicy. Yum!

XianXi Eggplant with string beans.

Always a delicious pleasure.

XianXi breaded chicken tenders.

This is the “real deal”. Not the pale processed meat patty things that you get in fast food restaurants.

XianXi chicken tenders.

The ONE problem that I have with these delicious foods is the glossiness. All that gloss and shine is caused by heavy quantities of MSG. Ugh!

Facing a Harsh Future With the Wisdom of the Past

Ah. It’s a very American-centrist article. Very myopic. However the conclusion is critical. Americans MUST take a good hard look at what America is TODAY, and work on a NEW WAY to govern, deal with a great diverse citizenry, and function properly.

But before we get to the article, lets note what was said about the former Soviet Union. One observer described this as follows.

As the state and economy collapsed, their money worthless, their jobs evaporating, with crime, disorder, and corruption rampant, life expectancy plummeted in post-Soviet Russia. The longstanding Russian curse, alcoholism, became an endemic phenomenon in Russian life. Abortions substantially exceeded births, suicides soared, and the state apparatus and law enforcement collapsed along with the unkept utopian promises of a failed system.

Well…

Can’t you describe the United States this way today?

As the state and economy collapsed, their money worthless, their jobs evaporating, with crime, disorder, and corruption rampant, life expectancy plummeted in the United States. 

Alcoholism, and drug abuse (both legal and illegal) became an endemic phenomenon in American life. 

Abortions substantially exceeded births, suicides soared, and the state apparatus and law enforcement collapsed along with the unkept utopian promises of a failed system.

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By tradition Americans are an optimistic people. As the saying goes, we are imbued with an “indomitable spirit” in times of hardship at home and major crises abroad.  These qualities contribute to our sense of national unity.  We view ourselves as a country defined by, but not imprisoned in, the past. We eagerly await future opportunities that will make our lives better and more fulfilled.  We don’t fear what is to come — we welcome challenges of all sorts.

Throughout our history, we have bonded together when necessary to overcome barriers to our development as a nation.  We have tamed an entire continent and fought wars abroad in support of freedom. We have survived economic failures, massive political unrest, and other threats to our sovereignty.

However, in light of recent events and civil disruptions, the cohesiveness of times past — “our indomitable spirit” — is no longer as firmly embedded in our national consciousness as before.  Other countries are challenging our scientific dominance in many areas.

Our role as a leading world power is being questioned if not discredited.

China and Russia are expanding their influence throughout the globe with impunity. Obsessed with domestic unrest, the COVID pandemic, and immigration, we have not yet fashioned a coherent policy to deal with their aggressive strategies.

In spite of this shift in priorities, we tend to fall back on old ways of viewing our national goals and international commitments. Rapidly shifting conditions have created the need for a reevaluation of our relationship with allies and adversaries.

Once again, we have reverted to what I call the basic fallacies in the way we negotiate issues of national and international importance.  Our optimism and pioneer spirit, as mentioned above, have a decided effect on the following observations:

The first fallacy is minimizing the impact of radical change: believing that successful measures should stay the same.

Our nation was founded on the principles set forth in the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution.  Many political scientists and judges are classified as “constructionists”: they believe that these two documents are “sacred” in nature and cannot be changed as written; others, on the other hand, are “organic life” specialists who conceive of these same documents as broad-stroked guides to political governance.

As a result, they should be interpreted according to the exigencies or dynamics of the times.  Conservatives, in this debate, wish to preserve the integrity of past legislation and its precedents; liberals seek a flexible, malleable Constitution that can be interpreted as conditions warrant.

Conservative and liberal scholars both admit that adjusting to societal needs is the purpose of Constitutional amendments (27 overall to date); however, from a conservative perspective, why should legislators modify its basic framework at the same time?

We cannot project current trends with any accuracy into the future. For more than 234 years our republic has been well served by the wisdom of the founding fathers.

Resistance to change is normal but the refusal to change or alter our strategies can be very costly in the political arena. In general, cautious flexibility in judgment should always prevail to avoid the fallacy of expecting similar results over time.

The second fallacy is that good-hearted people, guided by compassion, will always determine political outcomes.

Laws, as well as wars, are rarely decided by well-intentioned government agencies.  War is ended through defeat or surrender, in most instances without conditions.

Compassion has nothing to do with how the enemy is treated during the occupation of their land.  Expediency and collaboration serve as principles of conduct for most Western powers.  Countries in the Far East have long ruled their conquests by sheer force, terror, and indoctrination.

Western laws are legislated with mutual interests in mind, not compassion.

They are the end product of hard-nosed compromises in republican governments.  Under dictatorial rule, laws are enacted by representatives who are subject only to the will of a tyrant. As Louis XIV of France famously said” “L”Etat c’est moi!” (“I am the State”)

The third fallacy is that democratic or republican government will always be preferred to autocracies that suppress individualism and freedom.

The United States has tried repeatedly to impose democratic rule on countries they have conquered.  Without a foreign military presence and forcible adoption of republican-like governments, these nations would most likely have reverted to an autocratic form of leadership that meets the needs and expectations of native or tribal leaders (e.g. Afghanistan and Iraq).  Autocracy–if administered with a full understanding of the people and culture–can be very effective: to wit, the despotism of Saddam Hussein in Iraq that held warring tribes together (the Sunni vs. Shia).

Countries in the Middle East have been governed by monarchies, emirates, and dictatorships for many years.  Democracy and its emphasis on individual rights are for the most part incompatible with these cultures.

Lacking the oversight of American military forces, Afghanistan will quickly return to tribal governance; extremists (i.e., the Taliban) will enforce Islamic laws that are detrimental to women and young girls. More than twenty years of warfare have forced us to admit that the Islamic world has hierarchical gender customs that are unacceptable to Western sensibilities.

The fourth fallacy is that, in times of crisis, America will always protect the rights of the individual as dictated by law.

LOL. Ha ha ha ha ha ha.

This fallacy is a product of Western thinking and political expectations.  In the Far East, with the exception of South Korea and Japan (“conquered” nations with an active American military presence decades after the end of hostilities), in times of crisis the individual will always be sacrificed to the welfare of the group or nation.

In the United States, there would be a hue and cry of protest if individual rights were not protected, even during the worst of times.

Dictatorial or autocratic governments see little benefit in making an entire nation suffer to improve the life of an individual or a small group of citizens.  This attitude reflects the culture’s view on human life and its relative value to society as a whole.

The fallacy of assuming that all cultures will accept our interpretation of human rights is the basis for multiple conflicts abroad, especially in the Middle East and China.

The subcontinent of India, with its rapidly increasing population, seems to be the exception to autocratic or monarchical Far Eastern regimes.  Its republican government comes from the Raj or British colonial rule.  Within a relatively short period of time, demographers project that India’s population will surpass that of China, thus making it the most populous country in the world.  With multiple ethnic groups, religions, and languages, one wonders just how long India’s national unity will endure under the stress of these social and sectarian divisions.

In spite of many attempts to do so, we cannot impose our political style of governance on conquered nations (“nation-building”).

The American concept of local or state sovereignty, allied with the federal government on issues of national importance, is unknown in many nations around the globe.

Our system of government is successful because most citizens accept its efficacy.

Once that cooperative spirit and support are disparaged, our belief in the necessity of collective action will eventually disappear.  If this should occur, our democracy, in its current form, could not survive.

Given the widespread diversity that now characterizes the American population, how can we preserve the willingness to accept electoral results?  When voting procedures are litigated and broadly challenged, the seeds of discord are planted.

The outcomes of future elections will be viewed with suspicion.

Voter acceptance will be weakened and outcomes subjected to excessive scrutiny.  We are quickly moving toward a more tribalistic form of governance as identity politics and interest groups take priority over concerns of national stability. The progressive movement to rewrite history in favor of “disadvantaged” minorities will undermine our sense of national unity.  The wokeism of modern politics will have disastrous consequences in the years to come.

Our recent celebration of the Fourth of July (2021) with fireworks and the traditional appeals to unity rang a little hollow.

Many liberal extremists now view the American flag as a symbol of white domination, not national unity. Radicalized athletes “take a knee” in protest against racial injustices of the past. In a few decades, if this anti-American trend continues in our schools and social media, what will the cohesive theme of the Independence Day celebrations be?  Will we continue to show the same enthusiasm about our country and its uniqueness?

This divisive mood was evident in the singing of the “Black national anthem” together with the “The Star Spangled Banner.”

If Blacks can impose their will on authorities at this event that celebrates national unity, we should expect Hispanic or Vietnamese music at next year’s festivities to emphasize their growing national influence.  An hour-long special on the evils and repercussions of slavery would also be appropriate. This would encourage Whites to reflect on their “privilege” and need for atonement, not on the common traits that join our diverse ethnic groups into a functioning whole.

Do not expect, however, an in-depth documentary on the “root causes” of Black-on-Black crime in the bloodbath of Chicago’s ghettos.  Blacks who shoot other Blacks are considered collateral damage (if not commonplace) and not worthy of media attention since they do not conform to the “progressive narrative.”  Blacks are important only if they are perceived as victims of white neglect or violence.  More than anything, a White police officer who shoots an “unarmed” Black merits national media coverage of a prolonged nature.

A statue of George Floyd (“I can’t breathe”) — a five-time convicted felon, counterfeiter,  drug dealer and addict — is emblematic of this racial disparity.  In a sense, his monument places a minor-league Black criminal on an equal footing with the statue of Martin Luther King, Jr., in Washington D. C. which is a focal point for racial justice and peaceful compromise.

In summary, we tend to reason in ways that reflect our personal experiences and biases .  The fallacies we have discussed pertain to national habits and attitudes which offer reassurance that most problems, no matter how difficult, can be solved by good-will diplomacy and relentless hard work.  In a word, it is the “American way.”

In another context, this fallacious approach to domestic issues will  have a negative impact on our national security and future solidarity.  The questions that we should address in discussing our current political crises are many.  The following are only a few examples among the most critical:

The Left’s recent promotion of “systemic White racism” as an intrinsic quality of being White; race is deemed a form of social destiny if not a “disease” that must be eradicated.  The celebration of  Project 1619, now being taught in many schools and Juneteenth (the arrival in America of the first shipment of slaves and its adoption as a national holiday); the introduction of “critical race theory” into the classroom (our country was founded on slavery and the continuous oppression of Blacks up to the present day; history must reflect this reality as an innate and permanent evil of white leadership.); social progressivism and its narrative: the Marxist ambition to remake America into a socialist state. To wit, laws enacted by white legislators have no relevance in the wokist community and are consequently illegitimate in their eyes.  Rioting in the name of woke political causes is effective and morally justified, no matter what the results may be.  As the Bolshevik leader Vladimir Lenin once stated, to make an omelet you must first break some eggs. Unrestricted immigration is not so much a demographic issue for Americans but a means of achieving the long-term dominance of the Democratic Party.

We must also remember that to remain silent in the face of this dystopian turmoil is a sign of assent.  The Biden-Harris regime is using the full power of the federal government to enforce its agenda.  The COVID pandemic and its variants will be the stalking horse for the implementation of draconian measures related to gun control, “white supremacists” and their insurrection, climate issues, and the radical socialization of American politics.  President Biden is now touting “human infrastructure” in his efforts to promote child care and parental subsidies that have nothing to do with the rebuilding of bridges and roadways. COVID vaccinations will become mandatory in spite of legitimate objections to their application on a national scale. Ideology is promoting vast changes in the way we relate to others.

The America First of the Trump era is becoming a radicalized new country in its political aspirations toward equity and inclusion of minorities in all facets of government, regardless of true merit.

If we remain as we are now — diverse, quasi-socialist, egalitarian, and democratic — we have no reason to expect that this trajectory will change.

That means, that for the first time, we must reconsider our assumptions about what America is, and look instead to what it must be in order to survive our bad decisions as a democracy up to the present date.

And one of the reasons why you won’t find anything positive about China in the USA media or literary sections…

Sad, but true. I guess that a 98% satisfaction rate with their Chinese government isn’t good enough.

And in the WTF department…

Can someone please explain…

Messed up.

China’s August exports defy reality and surprise many

When 150 million wealthy Chinese tourists travel and spend domestically:
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150 million people = 33 times the size of New York City
The western sanctions and aggressiveness against Chinese businesses (The “Hybrid war on China”) resulted in a reciprocal response from China. This response allowed Chinese businesses to take back their native markets from the barbarian big brands….
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… all working together as one.
Along with the completion of many infrastructure projects. Both domestically and internationally via the BRI (the belts and roads strategy). The Chinese economy is now completely independent from the Western “crusader” markets.
.
The outcome is:
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China’s exports grew by 25.6 % in August compared with a year earlier, up from 19.3 per cent growth in July
China’s imports grew by 33.1 % last month, year on year, up from 28.1 per cent growth in the previous month

https://www.scmp.com/economy/china-economy/article/3147815/chinas-august-trade-surprises-imports-and-exports-defy

Welcome to the new world order without the (Anchorage, Alaska April 2021) style bullying by the Western nations.

The situation in the USA is madness

Well it is. You simply cannot deny it. Video HERE.

What is the true situation in Russia today?

From “Amorphous Anonymous” .

We talk a lot about the Soviet Union, but how does this relate to modern Russia?  I don’t know the answer, consider this as a question.  (Socialism I suppose?)

A) The transformation of the city of Ivanovo and seven others.

Video blogger, Студия Позитивчик, named “Studio Positive”, has made 8 before/after videos comparing the last 9 years of development within 8 Russian cities. The video links are on his home page:

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCqQfIypDWVn2-IjkFWJojBQ

  • Naberezhnye Chelny,  400 km east Moscow
  • Ivanovo,  254 km NE Moscow
  • Sochi,  NE coast of Black Sea
  • Gelendzhik, NE coast Black Sea 150 km up from Sochi
  • Veliky Novgorad,  125 km south of St Petersburg on road to Moscow (about 450 km from Moscow)
  • Ryazan,  200 km SE Moscow
  • Saratov,  On the Volga, about 850 km SE Moscow
  • Tyumen,  East of Ural mountains, about 8-900 km east Moscow
  • Naberezhnye Chelny, in Tatarstan, about 600 km east of Moscow

What do you see when you scan through these video records?  Well, you see modern Russian architecture, which is very interesting just for that.  Eight cities are developing, growing, being renewed.  I ask “How is this being done”?  You can identify several different kinds of projects.

  • Renewed streets and landscaped parks and waterfronts.  This is all local government financed obviously.
  • Commercial activity, strip malls, restaurants, shopping malls.  I am thinking this is all private investment, it must be capitalism, for the wide variety of it.
  • Some large residential complexes?  I don’t know, is there social ownership in living spaces?  Or is it capitalism again?
  • Many old residential complexes (ragged looking in the 2011 before photos), are renewed with white walls and brightly colored balconies and the accent of architectural touches.  Would a private owner put money into building aesthetics?  Would they get any more rent out of it?  Has it changed hands and the new owner is upgrading?  Maybe it is old communal residences with community financing doing the work?
  • Also there are some stadiums and other large structures.  What is the ownership status of these complexes and who are the investors?

These are questions that I don’t have the answers to.  Who are the city planners, and how much do they have a say about city development?

B) An understanding of Russia’s Future

We try to get a better understanding of Russia’s future by going to some websites that are purported to have expertise on Russia, and run by Russian speakers.  These are like the Saker, Dmitry Orlov, Andrei Martyanov, Charles Bausman, John Helmer, Vsevolod Pulya, Patrick Armstrong, Alexander Mercouris, Marko Marjanović,   I think that there are others that I have left out.

What do they say?

Lots are concerned with geo-politics and military science.  Then we are led to believe that

"Putin’s successes are anchored in a powerful energy sector, along with a vigorous science-technical and arms sector, which are also under direct state control". 

Russia must be doing pretty good, right?  Or are we getting a correct picture from these new “Hypersonic missiles”, gas pipelines, super weapons, and atomic Ice-breakers?

Plus now lately, we are told that Russia will build 5 new cities from scratch in Siberia, and the order is signed and the money is available.  (Let them start with one.)

Will this happen?  Is this a full and correct picture of modern day Russia?  The 8 videos above show developmental progress in some important cities.  If this is the general picture it should show up in all phases of Russian technical, scientific, educational, and commercial activity.

But lets’ try to take an honest look with a 2017 survey of Russia’s achievements.

B.1) Russia is number 12.

In a listing of published scientific articles by country, Russia is number 12, with only 10% by numbers, of the articles published in the USA.  I won’t discuss the quality of the articles, which some do. the 2021 figures are here:

https://www.scimagojr.com/countryrank.php

You can also divide the papers up by what Russia is good at, like mathematics and astronomy, but still the standing is very poor.

B.2) Russian foreign studies

Russia has a very poor standing in studies of foreign countries. For example China has at least an order of magnitude more people studying about Russia than Russia has studying in the universities about China. That being said, it is the global norm. The amount of American studies of other nations is practically zero.

Russian salaries in 2012,

  • $500/month for a Research Fellow,
  • $900/month for a senior researcher at the Institute of the Far East RAS.
  • $1,000/month for an Assistant Professor,
  • $1,500/month for a full Professor at Moscow State University’s (MSU) Institute of Asian and African Country Studies. (2012)

The $ exchange rate has more than doubled since then, so do scholars survive on those same old ruble rates, or have they gotten a raise?  (Admittedly their expenses are in rubles, not in dollars.)  But if it was too low they may leave the country.

B.3) Salaries for R&D

Salaries for R&D are some of the lowest in the top 50 countries.  I could put up a chart, but Russia is at the bottom.

B.4) Technical equipment is gutted and sold off

R&D equipment is missing, in 2017 Russia had 3 supercomputers, China had 202, US 143. Russia is 18th in the list.

B.5) DNA

It is hard to come up with the number of Russian “high throughput DNA sequencers” for biotechnology research.  But I think it is minuscule compared to the rest of the world.  Some (older) sources said only 8, but let’s give it 25. 2013-14.  Back then there were 250 in China and over 900 in the USA.  Europe is loaded too.

B.6) Patent Applications

Russia is 6th in patent application in 2017, 30,000 compared to 1 million in China, 300,000 in US and 250,000 in Japan.

B.7) Venture Capital

In 2016 Venture Capital funding in Russia was 300,000 Euros, about the level of (less than) Ireland, or Finland, and more than in Italy.  All of Europe $14 billion, US $72 billion, China $49 billion, India $8 billion.  Russia is 6% of China, Russia 4% of US.

B.8) Artificial Intelligence

Artificial Intelligence startups in 2017, Europe 409, US more than 1000, Russia only 12. Equal to Sweden, Finland or Switzerland each with 10% of Russia’s population.

B.9) Industrial Robots

Russia had an operational stock of around 1,771 multipurpose industrial robots as of 2012. America 200,000, China 100,000, Japan 300,000, ROC Korea 138,000, Germany 162,000. Poland 4,500.

The absurdly low levels of robotization in industry raise serious questions about Russia’s political economy and its economic future.   Low wages preclude automation, and low automation preclude greater productivity and higher wages?

B.10) Tooling and machining

2014-2015 Russia is 17th in machine tool companies, 485 companies producing machine tools in Russia (Canada just ahead, Thailand just behind).

  • China 22,000 companies,
  • Japan 13,000,
  • German 12,000.
  • Italy 5000,
  • Korea ROC 4,600,
  • USA 4,500.

The problems holding Russia back are severe, and possibly intractable.  There are strong financial and ultimately institutional barriers to unlocking Russia’s scientific potential.

(Russia does consume around 2.7% of the world’s machine tools – it is, after all, the world’s eighth (or so) manufacturing power.)

A solid start would be to look at these statistics and acknowledge that a very big problem exists, which if unresolved, will continue to degrade Russia’s economic, industrial, and eventually military competitiveness.  Where is the money and where is the resolve to tackle these problems?  That is what I am asking, to anybody that might know.

Who are the true friends of Russia?  Those that sound this alarm, or he who says “don’t say things that our western sworn enemies are always saying”?  To me the answer is obvious.

Of course I have sources for all of this data.  It comes from Karlin on Unz.  He’s got all the charts and 5000 words of commentary. 2017. You can check them yourself.  https://www.unz.com/akarlin/russias-technological-backwardness/  If there is a newer study, of course I would love to see it.

You don’t hear much about Russia these days, and thus Americans and most of Europe are kept intentionally ignorant about both China and Russia. As I see it, the rest of the world is growing and sorting itself out the tangled monstrosity that the United States has become. And unless the USA starts taking time to improve its piss-poor domestic state, it will be doomed to become a modern day Portugal.

Media Trust

Trust in U.S. media is at a record low:

The United States ranks last in media trust — at 29% — among 92,000 news consumers surveyed in 46 countries, a report released Wednesday found. That’s worse than Poland, worse than the Philippines, worse than Peru. (Finland leads at 65%.)

One reason is that U.S. media are either not reporting important events, are misreporting them, or are very late in covering twisted plots that even a lowly blogger can get right just as they happen.

It’s 4:30 PM in China. A very mellow time.

It is a mellow time. It’s peaceful and calm. China (outside of the big cities) has a much slower pace of life, and lifestyle than what the hyper West has. And it is refreshing as “get out”. Check out the video below.

Note that even though China is very safe and isolates any virus outbreaks immediately, everyone still wears masks, and is a heightened level of security and safety.

Also note that all my life, walking and enjoying life at 4:30p, was denied to me. I was usually at my desk or in a meeting in a sterile workplace technical corporate environment. Being outside that bullshit is refreshing to me. Video.

4:30pm mellowness.

Actually this is a big issue, and I need to devote a few articles to this subject. Do you all “get” what I am trying to say in this matter?

A great article from UNZ…

A Military Solution to a Commercial Problem

It Probably Ain’t Gonna Work Much Longer

I’ve seen this look before

This expression is one that I have seen time and time again. A foreigner visits China for the very first time, and he /she has been her for maybe a week… and this is the expression that they get on their faces. It’s precious.

Watch the short video here.

Shanghai, China.

Conclusion

This is the start of a series of short thoughts and articles that I just want to clump into a new category of article. What do you guys think? Do you think it’s fine, or would you like me to continue to write long in-depth articles on singular topics? Any preferences?

Do you want more?

You can find more such articles in my “Rambling Thoughts” Index which is currently in my massive Happiness Index…

Life & Happiness

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Articles & Links

Master Index

.

  • You can start reading the articles by going HERE.
  • You can visit the Index Page HERE to explore by article subject.
  • You can also ask the author some questions. You can go HERE to find out how to go about this.
  • You can find out more about the author HERE.
  • If you have concerns or complaints, you can go HERE.
  • If you want to make a donation, you can go HERE.

 

[daegonmagus] – Part 3 – Conversation with the All Being and Initiation Into the Unseen 5

The following is the third part from a series of articles describing the adventure that a follower who goes by the handle "daegonmagus" has experienced since reading MM. They are very interesting and fascinating. I hope that you all learn from his journey and maybe learn a thing or two as he relates his unique experiences to the readership here. 

-MM

Part 3 –  Conversation with the All Being and Initiation Into the Unseen 5

In Part 2 I explained how I had yet another contact experience with the Grand Elder where I remembered my reincarnation. This was in a house that seemed to have a lot of paranormal activity going on. I also mentioned I had a rather traumatic experience where I was left crippled in my left hand, though I intentionally left out specific details.

As I was in hospital that very night, I heard some chaotic chatter in my head. My wife heard the same chatter about 50 kilometres away. These voices were telling her that “this was not supposed to happen”. I don’t know if this meant I was supposed to die that night, or not be put in that situation altogether. As you will see, it had a repercussive effect on the path my life was going to take.

We remained in this house a few more months after my hand was cut open, whilst we looked for somewhere else to rent. The neighbours had moved out and skipped town – according to the police. The thought of them knowing where we were was not exactly something we were enthusiastic about.

About a month before we moved, I was going to bed one night when I saw a random portal open up in front of my eyes. I was in bed with my eyes closed. Ever since I was little, I would see golden energy pulses whenever I’d close them. These energy pulses were particularly strong this night after a meditation I had done a few hours previous. They were so strong that I couldn’t sleep.

All of a sudden my eyes automatically opened. They were drawn to a point on the roof, which I couldn’t even make out due to the darkness of the room. Out of no where the portal appeared as a purple double lined spiral. It slowly started spinning. It lasted for a few seconds before disappearing.  I had seen an image of the exact same spiral a few years prior on the news. It was identical to the one that appeared over Trøndelag, Norway in 2009, except it had no blue light coming off it to the side.

Just another paranormal experience in the string of them that made up my life.

Somehow I thought the Australian Defense Force would have a hard time telling me this was just a failed missile launch. This was the official narrative the military in Norway gave for their spiral. This is the only time I have ever “seen” something whilst being completely present in this physical reality. My wife was building up a much better catalogue.

We ended up moving out just before New Years Eve 2014 . We scored a house on the other side of the hills not far from where my wife’s mother lived. Her (my mother in law’s ) friend was moving to Melbourne, so we got the house, along with her cat to look after. It was only supposed to be a temporary affair until she could fly the cat over on it’s separate plane. It ended up living with us the entire 6 months we lived here, and somehow got along with our male cat the whole time.

The owner – Nickie – was heavily into conspiracies about Reptilians. She turned lesbian after seeing her boyfriend shapeshift into one, one night. I am not sure who sounded more crazy; her and her conspiracies, or me talking about my experiences with the Elder Guardians and everything they told me.

Regardless, life at this house was good for awhile. We were able to get even more involved in astral projection and lucid dreaming. I had one astral projection experience where I was flying around a dark void. I crashed into something else that was buzzing around. I ended up exiting the session thinking I’d pissed off whatever it was. This place was devoid of all light, so I couldn’t see what exactly it was. It certainly felt heavy and bounced me back with enough force to make me feel like I’d hit a tree in my car.

When it came to astral projection, I wasn’t very good at it. Whereas with lucid dreaming I had much experience behind me, with astral projection I’d only managed to do it a handful of times. So when I found myself in this void, the idea that I’d have to adhere to a set of flying rules was lost on me. I thought I was alone traveling through it to a destination several light years away. Call it a lesson in astral travel etiquette.

After I exited the session, I managed to re-project into it shortly after. This time I had a very strong feeling that something – or several somethings – was watching me. It seemed I had caused a ruckus by crashing into whatever it was and failing to leave my insurance details (I joke). So rather than proceed, again I exited the session.

It was around this time I decided I needed to join the air force. No, like, I really needed to.

Reading MMs account of how he was drawn back to China Lake, this was exactly what it was like. I just all of a sudden got this random urge to join the military. An itch I couldn’t scratch. I had made a promise to myself in the past that if my life went to shit then I would try and join the defense force but this was different. This was like, I was ready to just up and leave Storme (my wife) – the only family I really had – for a family that didn’t even exist yet.

I was delusional. I told myself she would be ok with all the trauma behind her, while I went off and did 6 weeks training in Kapooka, NSW. I actually tried convincing myself I could juggle a military career and life as a full time carer at the same time.

I saw a friend from high school one day when I was at a doctor’s appointment. He had just finished a tour of Afghanistan and gave me the low down on the fitness levels required to get into the ADF. I was setting my sights on this idea, and I wouldn’t take my eyes off the prize. Not to mention I now had a severe medical handicap in my left hand. I told myself I could some how fake the medical examination; I was just that keen on getting in. It was sheer madness on my end.

I got into shape, and booked myself in for the performance fitness assessment. A few months passed, I got a job managing an electronics factory, then the big day came of the PFA.

Being only 24, I was still one of the oldest guys there by a good few years. Most of the recruits looked like they were fresh out of senior year of high school. One guy hadn’t even finished with his war on acne before he decided to fight one against a foreign enemy. He sat waiting for the interview that would see him become a junior officer in the army, shaking uncontrollably from nerves like he had a bad case of Parkinson’s. I just wanted to tell him to lighten up and relax.

Whilst everyone sat chatting with each as if it was some kind of friendly get together, I sat in silence, with my back straight observing the whole place. From the moment I walked in the door, I knew we were being monitored and judged on our character – I don’t even know how I knew this.

I did the PFA on the allocated computer  – it reminded me of the IQ tests I had taken at school – then went and sat back in the foyer and waited to be called in. I had opted for roles that were either to do with electronics warfare or signals intelligence gathering. I already had a qualification in electrotechnology and computer systems so something in that domain seemed like an obvious choice.  I just simply wasn’t interested in entering as a standard foot soldier – what we call grunts.

I wanted to do something exciting. Maybe it was all those James Bond and other spy movies I watched as a kid. Maybe it was all that shit on Majestic I’d read about in my brief moments away from watching Sean Connery, Roger Moore and Pierce Brosnan fight those pesky Russians. All whilst working for the same government department that Aleister Crowley apparently worked for. Whatever, there was something about a top secret badge that really did it for me. Not that I ever expected to get in on the ET agenda loop.

Speaking of, which, a woman called me in wearing naval camos with the words “ Spec Ops” and “Top Secret” written above the breast pockets. She handed me a print out of all the roles I would be suited for based on my results. She congratulated me, telling me I had aced the PFA and done the best anyone could do. As a result, I could take a pick out of pretty much any role I wanted. I looked at the list and noticed it not only had the four signals intelligence and electronics warfare operator positions I had ticked but a plethora of other positions as well.

My eyes rolled over the word “Commando” and widened. She must have noticed and told me I would be well suited to that role. She told me her husband was Special Forces and that he thought it was a good role.

I had found a standard exercise regime of the SASR on the internet and figured I’d probably die if I had to do that amount of exercise so I passed up the offer.

Entering straight into a Sergeant role in Signals Intelligence in the Airforce was more than enough for me.

Still, I found it somewhat comical that a guy who claimed he was a 40 000 year old space elf helping fight some astral boogey men with the help of the Ascended Masters was considered mentally fit enough to be a Commando. I found it even funnier I had done so well on the PFA; maybe I wasn’t as batshit crazy as I first thought (sorry Nickie.)

She bid me farewell, I went and sat the medical and then was told I would receive a letter in the mail telling me if I made the cut or not. Somewhere in the three week period of waiting for this letter to arrive, my interest in joining the military just sort of fizzled out. I think the reality hit that my hand was just too badly damaged to get in. Sure enough, this is exactly what the letter mentioned. Good thing “this wasn’t supposed to happen” I suppose. I was a lover, not a fighter. I didn’t really want to go and kill people. The world had enough of those types as it was without the militaries.

I was upset – all for about 5 minutes – then I just got over it and got on with managing my boss’s factory. I chalked it down to needing to know I had at least some form of intellect still bouncing around upstairs.

Again, my wife was having her own experiences in the metaphysical domain at Nickie’s house. When it came to astral projection, she was getting really good at it. She started being able to remote view on a daily basis, and lucid dream almost as much as me.

There was one instance where a 17 year old boy came to her in a dream. When she asked who it was, the boy said “I am your son”. When she replied “I don’t have a son” he said “you will.” Apparently I taught him how to {consciousness} time travel, and he used that ability to come and say hi to her. That same week I had a dream I was cuddling a non existent son on the couch. A month or so later we found out she was pregnant, and lo and behold, it ended up being a boy. More of that crazy paranormal stuff.

The next year ended up being an opportunity for the universe to kick us in the metaphorical balls every chance it got.  This was a really difficult time for both of us. The things we were being faced with on a regular basis were psychologically demanding to the extreme. It was one big test of both mine and Storme’s character and sense of self worth. Even up until then we had been through ALOT.

We got burgled – for the second time – one day whilst we were out. The thieves took off with our TV, a few clothes, my gaming console, and an old laptop that had a few years worth of music production on it, as well as a half written novel. This laptop I was using as a dream journal and had many of my experiences in lucidity recorded on it. There went all the detailed information I’d written down about my mystical experiences.

As a result I have been forced to remember most of this off the top of my head. Readers may notice some slight inconsistencies as a result, and for this I apologize.

Somehow, these thieves missed a room containing a few thousand dollars worth of musical equipment and opted for things that would have netted them a few hundred dollars at most. And this was the lesser of the evils that was following us everywhere we went.  I remember thinking that particular day – just before we got home to find our house ransacked – about forgiving the guys who cut my hand open. The PTSD from that incident wasn’t doing me any favors, so I told myself just to let it all go. This was my reward for thinking such things.

It seemed the universe was tempting me into embracing a hatred mentality for all these people that were messing with us. It wanted me to retaliate. It wanted me to seek revenge, but I wasn’t like that. I understood that it was all part of this amnesia thing. I understood these people were being driven by a dark occult force that was in control of their souls. This is how I saw it anyway.  Sure I may have used social media to warn others about all these people – I may have even cursed them and sent my fair share of “fuck you’s” off in the direction  – but I never sought them out to get them back for everything they put us through; I only wanted my laptop back.  Hell, I would have even paid them for it. The documentation on my mystical experiences was worth more than gold to me. The other people messing with us were a lot harder to forgive. Still I never retaliated, despite finding out where they lived. This was a real lesson in “letting it all go”.

Added to all this was the court case with the assailants that crippled me. It  was going nowhere.  I found out the hard way the justice system is one big joke. I found out the hard way it cared more about people breaking its laws than it did about getting justice for its victims. This added an immense amount of stress that wasn’t needed.

Storme was starting to suffer from a myriad of health conditions that meant she needed help with our new born son.

I was getting royally screwed at work doing the roles of several people and barely getting paid for one. So in the end I just threw in the towel and stayed home full time to look after the both of them. The big joke was that I got paid just as much on social security payments as I did managing an entire electronics factory and the staff that worked in it. I got kind and sick of my boss coming back from his bimonthly trip to America, and going on about his expensive “toys”, whilst I barely made enough to cover rent.

We had long since left Nickie’s and were onto something like our 8th {rental} house in 6 years. Did I mention Storme had Polish Gypsy blood in her veins? Stalkers, anonymous people leaving us strange phone calls, people trying to kill me, people trying to assault Storme; these were all reasons we uprooted our lives every 6 months. It was unbelievably brutal, and it followed us no matter how much we just wanted to live normal lives and escape the negativity.

Somewhere in all this I came across the Starseed agenda. This was a community of people who believed they were aliens inhabiting human bodies and were here to help with the evolution of human consciousness. They were essentially new age Indigo children. I found this interesting; up until then I hadn’t associated any of my mystical experiences as being related to aliens. Even my experience remote viewing from an off world intelligence I’d sort of conveniently “forgotten” for the sake of trying to be “normal”.

Although most of the things I was reading of this Starseed thing were completely inaccurate as to what I had been told by the Grand Elder, I won’t deny it made me question whether it was all related. Cutting people’s consciousness off from a higher state of awareness and trapping them in a body sure did sound a lot like a tactic from an alien race’s war book, I supposed. Not that I was well versed in alien warfare strategies or anything.

So I started meditating on what I knew and came up with hypothetical thought experiments about this whole thing being related to aliens. Admittedly, I had tried burying everything with the Elder Guardians, but there was always this gnawing feeling deep down that it seemed important. Something about being responsible for 20 000 souls was an enormous weight. As much as I wanted to, I just couldn’t take it lightly.

After my brief period of work, this gnawing feeling got the better of me. I started really thinking about it all on a regular basis. I started researching a bit more into it. It drove me fucking crazy.

So yeah, by the time I had my next experience, I was pretty damn sure this had something to do with aliens. I had done a complete 180 on things I had told myself were a complete load of bullshit back in my youth when I was flicking through conspiracy theories to compliment my occult studies. I can’t remember my exact thoughts, but the amnesia thing was a big part of it.

I need to emphasize this point; my mystical experiences completely changed my life. And not necessarily for the better. Every ounce of my being wanted to remain skeptical and to evaluate them objectively. Spiritual amnesia affecting mankind? Surely this was some kind of MK Ultra mind control thing to make me think I’d experienced something holy? Something divine? I was in a catch 22; I could either believe it was all real or begin chasing a trail of ever the more conspiracies to try and convince myself it wasn’t. It was easier to just give in and go with the first. I was fast becoming that crazy UFO guy you steer well away from at the supermarket. Not that I ever bothered voicing these experiences to anyone but Storme.

Then it got even more real.

The night of November 16, 2016, I was once again engaged in a lucid dream. Once again I was abducted out of it, and once again I was operating from a higher state of awareness. But this time, the Grand Elder wasn’t there. This particular night I had three separate experiences one after the other; I’d wake up from one, then straight away fall back into another one.

I mentioned in Part 2 that Storme and myself had many instances of synchronised dreams and experiences. The first two were synchronised in the manner.

I was inside what appeared to be a pyramid chamber. This pyramid was made of a yellow stone – like that of the celestial courtyard where I met the EG – and was quite large. It was between 50 to 100m to the opposite wall. The wall to my left had a part of it missing, and I seem to remember thinking this connected to some sort of rail system from one of the other worlds I had frequently visited whilst lucid.

The top part of the pyramid was closed off, like there was a capstone in the way; you could not see the apex as the walls stopped at this square section of roof. I believe it was from the higher information coming in, that I knew that this capstone was an office. I knew that there was “someone” or “something” in this office waiting for me. I proceeded to project my consciousness in such a way as to try and reach it. The problem was, that this pyramid, because of its slanted angles, would reflect my consciousness back towards its base.

I cannot really explain this adequately enough to someone who is not familiar with operating as a pure conscious thoughtform whilst lucid. There are certain tricks you learn to move about whilst in this state. It is not the same as moving a physical body through vacant physical space; it is a whole other ball game. You are moving through a plane dictated by 4 dimensions, instead of only 3. “Climbing” the pyramid from the inside was just extremely hard to do because of this slanting/ rebounding effect.

I eventually managed to reach the top. There was a platform that led from one side of the pyramid right into its center into the capstone office where a door stood. I went along this platform and as I got to the door, it opened and I found myself engulfed by a brilliant white/ yellow light. It was so bright that it was almost even too intense for the higher state of awareness I was operating from.

I realized the light was coming from a being, who stood with its back turned to me. I slowly made my way through the door towards this entity. It turned around smiling at me and I realized I was standing in the presence of the divine creator. I understood immediately that this being was the start of creation of all life and consciousness in the entire cosmos. I could feel this connection as I approached it; it was like I became one with everything in existence the closer I got to it. It was fucking incredible.

Although I am not religious, the being that was standing in front of me was what could be considered “God”. As I feel that word has become too polluted with ill intent over the years by the charlatans that use it for profit.  It is not a name I would ever call this omnipotent being simply out of respect for it; I referred to it as the All Being.

As I approached it, my higher mind was going off the charts. So much information was coming through it was almost completely overwhelming me, as the direct telepathic connection to this being strengthened. The benevolence it radiated was beyond anything imaginable on earth.

The reader must be aware that I was 100% lucid and again able to recollect all of my earth memories as well as many of those of celestial heritage. I was constantly pondering thoughts of ET involvement and the idea the Hermetic and Ascended Masters were all part of the same thing, which revolved around this spiritual amnesia. The astral war was the thing I wanted to know more about above anything else.

So you could say my intention upon coming into the office of the All Being was to flatten out as much of the information I had been given on the spiritual amnesia as possible; that is the sole reason I was here. I simply wasn’t interested in asking God to gift me a house (as much as I needed one) or a pony or the usual other things kids are taught to bother a divine being with. There was simply no thoughts pertaining to the mundanity of the physical plane like we as humans find ourselves caught up in on a regular basis. It was all about my celestial operations; ie my role within the cosmos and who I – or rather my soul – really was.

The All being welcomed me and said that it was glad I had finally arrived. It said it had been expecting me for quite some time. My arrival had been delayed by forces outside of my control.

I asked who I was, and the All Being told me. Then I asked specifically to be given more information on the astral war. The All Being replied by telling me that I would have the answers to that question soon enough, but that there was more important things to deal with first.

I was then teleported to a chamber below the pyramid. I remember realizing it was a direct mirror copy of the inside of the pyramid; It was an inverted pyramid and I was at it’s bottom. The All Being took on a “lesser form”; I can’t really explain this. It was like a younger, less intense and more material form. A higher version of Storme was there and she was teaching me this guttural roar. It was sort of like a word spoken from the very depths of your throat rather than rolled off the tongue. Every time I mispronounced this word, my throat burned with an intense pain.

Usually whilst lucid I would be impervious to such pain unless I was being tortured, but this pain was very real. With each mispronunciation the pain amplified by an order of magnitude in the millions. I mispronounced the word 3 times before it became too excruciating and I woke up from it. This whole scene was the crossover point of my wife’s experience; she remembers teaching “someone” this word in a similar pyramid with the inverted chamber whilst under a similar higher state of awareness. The lesser All Being was apparently her “father”.

After waking up, I immediately went back into lucidity and was met with the same potency of higher awareness. This had never happened before. Usually when I’d wake up, this would be the end of the experience.

I was now reliving a memory of a past life with Storme. In this particular dream her name was Nina Bejowski, or Bejewski  – something of either Polish or Russian heritage. She had no recollection of being anyone but this particular version of herself. We were in what appeared to be some sort of European type place, with cobblestone roads and small apartment buildings. It reminded me of Italy.

Nina was in what appeared to be a school classroom.

I tried reminding her of past lives we’d experienced together, but she wouldn’t believe me and kept telling me to go away. What made it all the more frustrating was that I was being chased by these suits – what I figured were the Men In Black. It was always a game of me reaching Nina before they did. They would catch me just as I’d reach her, then all of a sudden I’d find I’d be reset back to an earlier point in time. I’d remember the reset (which I wasn’t supposed to) and just keep coming back like some sort of annoying puppy.

This happened over and over again so many times that I lost count. It was weird; it was like in my mission, it was imperative I got to Nina and extracted her from the school, and in the MIB’s mission it was imperative that they stopped me.

I finally got her to see reason. She agreed to follow me on the basis that the place she was in wasn’t doing her any favors, but she was still incredibly weary of me.

The last memory I have of the school was walking down a hallway with Nina/ Storme trying to keep a low profile so the MIB didn’t see us. This whole event was yet another synchronized lucid dream of Storme’s. From her perspective, the school she was in was being used for consciousness brainwashing. We have had many synchronized experiences that are very similar to this one.

I woke up, said my “holy shit’s”, at the revelation of this memory, then went straight back into lucidity where this higher state of consciousness once again washed over me.

Nina and I were now on either a train or a bus heading over a bridge that went to a small Island. There was about 20-30 people on this bus. Somehow I just knew that they were all people who had something to do with extra terrestrials; there were military generals with stars lining their green coats. Lab scientists and physicists etc. Ordinary people that most people would think were batshit crazy such as abductees. They all had either first hand knowledge working with ETs/ ET tech or had first hand experience with ETs through things like abduction/ visitation.

This was evidently a collection of all the “top brass” people in the world that were considered authorities on the subject of ET involvement. We were heading to a conference on ETs specifically to try and piece together everyone’s experiences to get to the bottom of the ET agenda unfolding on Earth. No one person in this group had a complete understanding of the bigger picture, hence the reason for the conference. It was as if this was a realized point, even by the higher up military generals. This was just all things I knew thanks to my higher self.

The bus arrived at the island and we all got off. We were lined up (by more military men and women) against a brick wall to our right. I am 90% sure that this was the base of the Statue of Liberty. From the photos and movies I have seen, this wall looked exactly like the base part of the Statue, though I never saw anymore of it, as I was too busy looking at the {already established} military presence to look up. I was too busy taking mental notes of what was going on to admire the scenery. Note the metaphorical reference to freedom.

These military officials that were already on the island started handing out documents for all of us to sign. These were apparently a list of all the past indiscretions we had engaged in whilst on Earth. Mine seemed to be the biggest of the bunch and took on a form of an A4 stack of paper several inches thick. The emphasis was on making us feel guilty for all the things we had done.

I watched as the military generals and scientists signed it all without question, many of them didn’t even bother to check it was all legitimate. They just signed off their papers like a bunch of robots who were used to such bureaucratic procedures without giving it any thought.

I took one look at the apparent misnomer’s I was guilty of; majority of them revolved around illegally downloading music- not exactly something I thought aliens really gave two shits about. I threw it back at the one who tried to hand it to me. She told me the only way to make it into the conference was to take responsibility for these indiscretions and sign the papers.

I understood that this was an attempt to coerce me into signing a contract for something whilst in this higher state of awareness. It was an attempt to get me to agree to something in a state of coherency far above that used by my mammalian brain. Compare it to someone trying to get you to sign something when you are drunk vs when you are sober; it is far more likely to be taken as a binding contract if you were consciously coherent when signing than if you were drunk. I stood firm in my unwillingness to sign, despite whatever excuses where thrown my way. The military generals and scientists just looked at me like I was a complete fool.

Suddenly, my surroundings dissolved and I was standing in what appeared to be the White House. I was being greeted by someone who appeared to be {then} President Obama. I need to point out here that I had an instant understanding that this was not Obama himself. It was a form this being was taking to show me his rank within this “place”. He wanted me to know that rank was President. He was the top dog in charge; there was no doubt about it. This was something that was being telepathically transmitted to me in the form of a knowing thought. At the same time I also knew this “entity” was of extra terrestrial/ inter dimensional origin; like the Grand Elder, it didn’t originate on earth. I am sure of that.

Obama v2.0 congratulated me and told me I had come to the “complete and total understanding of the alien agenda unfolding on Earth”. I appreciate how narcissistic this sounds, but these were his exact words and are the very reason I kept a lot of this to myself for almost a decade; it just sounds so goddamned crazy even despite everything I’ve already spoken about.

Obama told me the scenario back at the Statue of Liberty was a test, and I had just passed it with flying colors. Just like I thought, it was to see if I was willing enough to sign away my consent whilst operating from a higher state of awareness closer to the originating point of my “soul”. My refusal to do so is what ultimately granted me access to this office of his.

What followed was a discussion with Obama V2.0 that I think is, in some ways, even more important than what the Grand Elder told me regarding the amnesia. He told me that this office of his was tasked with monitoring the interdimensional traffic coming into and out of Earth and it’s surrounding non physical planes. Well, this was getting interesting.

According to him, this organization monitored every single thing that passing through the Earth domain – which extended out into space either to the moon or beyond it, and into several non physical planes that were “stacked” on top of it. Whether it could be considered an angel, demon, alien, or ghost, this organization monitored every aspect of it, including where it came from, where it was going and what it was doing whilst it was here.

He told me this organization of his existed solely within the astral planes; there was simply no physical counterpart to it. You cannot access it from the physical plane.  Access was restricted to those who could navigate these non physical planes. It was a truly secret organization.

The alien agenda unfolding on earth, was apparently very concerning and posed a real threat to “human kind’s existence”. This organization was keeping that presence in check. These were things that were very specifically told to me. It operated above and away from any governmental agency back on Earth.

I was also told that every single person – or rather consciousness –  is monitored whilst traveling in the non physical planes – this included lucid dreaming as well – and are vetted for potential recruitment into this organization. They apparently had their eye on me for quite some time because of the responsibilities given to me by the Elder Guardians and because of everything I had been doing in lucidity since I was 8. My whole life had been a recruitment test for entering into their ranks. All the shit I went through – and boy was there a lot – and my unwillingness to retaliate for it, earnt me this {apparently} prestigious position. All the times I told the apparent higher celestial authorities “fuck you” and reclaimed my soul’s sovereignty had set me up for entry. You simply don’t get here by shitting all over your fellow brother and sisters. Compassion, empathy and a true understanding of who you are and unfaltering loyalty to that were some of the very admission criteria (take note of what MM has been telling you in regards to this).

I was told that the Statue of Liberty scenario was a holographic projection that they induce into the dreamscapes of these potential candidates whilst they sleep; if the candidate passes the test, they end up there, in that office (which I suspect may have actually been a form of  ship which in itself was taking on yet another holographic projection). However, if the candidate fails, they wake up and think they just had a bizarre, albeit very vivid dream. The subtleness is so in genius that no one never even realizes how close they were to entering into this organization. Obama V2.0 only presents himself to those who pass. Needless to say, I felt rather honored to have made it in and to be speaking to him.

This holographic projection technology apparently operated on the exact same principles as my experiment in hijacking my wife’s consciousness; I had inadvertently taught myself these exact principles through experimentation, 7 years prior, by the time I had reached 19 years of age, even though I had only successfully carried it out once. This had been the other half of my ticket into this organization; they didn’t have to explain these concepts to me, because I already understood them first hand.

This was all being explained to me in the context of the amnesia; Obama V2.0 knew I knew all about it and had meditated quite a lot on what it meant. I was being briefed directly in relation to how it all pertained to this amnesia. Take a moment to let that sink in. Things that had been revealed to me in completely separate experiences I had over 4 years prior were the main aspect behind this briefing. It was extremely important.

Obama V2.0 then told me he was going to introduce me to the rest of the organization and led me down a hall way which terminated at a large double wooden door. This was going to be everyone on earth that knew what was going on in regards to the ET agenda. Not just people who had a passing knowledge of some of their tech, or those who had been abducted and relayed a little bit of info; this was going to be all those that were currently incarnated on earth that were in the proper “know”.

As I was led down the hallway, I started to get excited. I started fantasizing about knocking heads with people like the Majestic 12 and all those with Cosmic clearances; all those sorts of people you read about who apparently “know things”. I made a mental note to grab as much info off these people as possible and bring it back here to the physical plane when I woke up.
I was expecting to walk into a room full of people engaged in banter about everything ET related free from patriotic obligations. I was expecting it to be quite chaotic.

We got to the door, and Obama V2.0 pushed one of the sides open, beckoning for me to go first. I obliged. I was now in what appeared to be a very large conference room. Again it reminded me of the rooms they used to depict the White House in shows about that building. It was just so completely different to any of the architecture I’ve come across here in Australia. I’ve never been to America, but it definitely felt American, or like it was a really old building (our buildings here are relatively modern compared to those of America and most other countries).

As I walked through the door, my jaw dropped wide open. There in front of me were the entire administration staff of this organization; 4 other people standing, staring at me with neutral looks on their faces, not saying a word.

Are you fucking kidding me? The people who all understood the ET agenda in its entirety and were stopping it from wiping out humanity could be counted on one hand. What was rather comical was that not one of them were wearing a military uniform. Not one of them was wearing a scientist lab coat either. The four people that comprised this entire astral organization were dressed as everyday average Joes. .

So when MM speaks of being the Rufus, and helping out your fellow brother and sisters, just know I can relate to this 100%. You never what beans they have to spill. You never know what they are really part of.

I was told, by Obama all 4 of these people were currently incarnated on earth. Of these four, 3 were women, 2 of whom I recognized from many prior lifetimes and from the Elder Gathering in 2012, and one was a male that I did not recognize.

A quick digression. Now before you ask, I am aware that being in a state of pure consciousness as I was, physical things like clothing are not able to be taken here. So how do I know that is what these guys actually looked like? It is hard to explain but when lucid like this, you are operating from a 4th dimensional perspective rather than a 3D one.

You don’t see objects like you do in the physical plane, you sense energy signatures. You pick up on these energy signatures, and you can sort of trace them to a commonly used “image” that their consciousness associates with as being “them”. It takes a great deal of practice in learning how to perceive in this fashion. Think of it like teaching a child language through the use of basic symbols like a tree. Now replace the word “TREE” with a photo of a tree, and the basic image of the tree with an energy signature. If I wanted to “read” one of these energy signatures I’d interact with it and the image of a tree would be conjured up in my higher memory.

People unknowingly carry with them a wealth of subconsciousness information that can be accessed in this fashion; this is what the consciousness manipulation strategies I was being briefed on was all about and is something I became very proficient at “reading” during my youth.  It is also how I “knew” the Elder Guardians and Obama V2.0 were not of terrestrial origin.

When one is operating from this higher state of awareness, one is able to read this “raw” form of energy signature. Nothing can pretend to be something else, because the entire information, including its intent to change form is accessed by the higher mind all at once. Hence why the meeting with the All Being was so intense; these same energy signatures were emanating from it like it was strong smelling perfume. Rather than have one image attached to them, they were images of everything – and I really do mean everything –  in existence. These are important concepts to consider when I tell you who I think Obama V2.0 really was. But that is for a whole other article.

I was allowed a very brief opportunity to get to know these people – literally like a minute. I shook hands with the guy, and the woman I hadn’t yet met, and hugged the other two who I recognized. They seemed pretty happy I’d finally made it here. I called this collective the Unseen 5.

Then Obama V2.0 called me back over.

We spoke of my role within the organization. Given I had such a good understanding of how dreamscapes can be hijacked in this manner, I was to provide detailed instruction to Earth time incarnates on how it is carried out. I was effectively tasked with documenting everything I know about lucid dreaming and dispersing it free of charge to anyone who wanted to read it. The idea would be to strengthen the communication conduit it allowed between physical and non physical entities such as Obama V2.0 and the Elder Guardians.

What was more, Obama V2.0 mentioned that the organizations numbers used to be quite significantly higher; the recent (past 1000 years) decline in its numbers meant that the 5 of them were under a substantial logistics workload, even when operating from this higher state of consciousness. Obama V2.0 was the only full time operator, after all. Thus an additional task of mine included making their presence known to those with astral projection/ lucid dreaming abilities.

Obama V2.0 was concerned people with these skills didn’t take them as seriously as I did. He made a point of telling me the astral planes weren’t there just for people to go buzzing around on a holiday away from physical reality. They were the frontlines of a very real non physical war where the weapon of choice was being targeted directly at human consciousness.

I was to act as a sort of recruiter for them.

Sigh. This was getting to be a monumental responsibility. As if my obligations to the Elder Guardians weren’t enough. All because I thought it was a good idea to experiment with lucid dreaming.

After this Obama V2.0 once again beckoned for me to follow him into another room coming off the side of the chamber we were in. This room was quite a measure smaller, and had what looked like a ring of bricks in the middle of it. It looked sort of like an outdoor fire pit.

We walked over to these bricks and stood in front of them. Once again he briefed me on what was about to happen; this was a holographic projector and I was about to be shown something with it. I was about to be shown what {apparently} really happened at “the Fall of Man from the Garden of Eden” spoken about in biblical circles.

If I was being entirely honest, this was not something I was expecting, nor really cared about. I just wasn’t interested in biblical stories. They were things I’d thrown in that basket where I threw all the other things I thought were bullshit and utter nonsense. Like I said, I wasn’t religious.

I read the new testament once when I was a kid (13) after it being forced upon me by my school and that was about it. I ended up throwing it in the fire after having weird {non lucid} dreams about it. That would be the beginning of my rebellion against organized religion. I was about as far from being a soldier of God as one could possibly be, and yet I’d just had a conversation with what I liken to being the “Divine Creator”. I was the type of guy who shaved off my long hair when a boss at work said I looked like Jesus. I was a real enigma, that was for sure.

That is not to say I couldn’t respect people who believed in it all. I am definitely all for people believing in whatever they want to believe in. I just wasn’t big on people trying to “convert” me.

It seemed important that I experienced this projection though, so I listened to my briefing without complaint.

Obama V2.0 told me it was – again – very heavily linked with the spiritual amnesia, and told me to take notes of certain things that were going on in it. It was, according to him, where the amnesia first started. Those who are devoutly devoted to believing in the story of Adam and Eve may wish to skip the next part; this deviates from that tale quite considerably.

Obama V.20 got me to stand in the middle of this ring of bricks. They came about halfway up my shins.

What followed was the same dissolving of my surroundings like when I first entered the office of the Unseen 5. I was now standing completely in the middle of a flat landing on top of a mountain in a plane that was a mixture of physical and non physical substance. In front of me there were these bipedal ape like humans. They stood up like humans, and walked and acted like humans, but they were covered in fur from head to toe. Protruding from their teeth were very large fangs. They were the same things I had seen manning the light canons in my last experience with the Grand Elder.

Similar to the Indian god Hanuman.

I wasn’t just watching this thing play out; I was 100%  completely there.  I was experiencing the fall as if I was actually there living it. I could move around and interact with the environment, yet these beings could not see me. It was like how I’d manifested my own dreams in lucidity but much more surreal and vivid. This was a device that could create holographic virtual reality constructs like the one Obama V2.0 used for my test, only that the vividness contrast setting had been set on high. It was evidently a demonstration in the sort of tech these guys had at there disposal. If it hadn’t been for my awareness of my sleeping body back on earth, I could have very easily mistaken this for being “reality”.

I could hear Obama V2.0’s voice telepathically coming through into my head. He was explaining that these entities were symbolic of an entire race of beings; where I was seeing only 3 beings, this was really a representation of 3 entire separate races. Again, the complexity was deliberately being reduced so I could bring the information of it back here into the physical plane. Like the light canon circuit track, I was supposed to share it. If it wasn’t reduced in this manner, I wouldn’t be able to interpret it with my extremely limited earth mind once I “came back”. Obama V2.0 wanted this known on Earth.

These beings were standing around an altar in the middle of the landing. The landing itself was surrounded by a circular wall of rock. Behind me there was an opening in this wall at the edge of the mountain. This opening led to a staircase that wrapped back down behind the wall into green pasture fields below. It was an incredibly beautiful sight and reminded me of a photo I’d seen of a mountain village in Switzerland, except without the village. It truly was a utopian “garden paradise”. It was strange in that it was like these mountain ranges and the valley below them had just been cut away from the planet and left to free float in space.

Far below this vantage point, down in the fields below were even more of these similar beast races going about their business.

I got the impression – either from my higher self or from Obama V2.0 – that these races were responsible for the creation of what we know as the physical universe. Or at the very least, the part of it where Earth is located. They coexisted in complete harmony and peace.

My attention turned back towards the 3 races in front of me. One of them was extremely excited and hopping around. It pulled a cloth bag seemingly out of no where. Then it beckoned for the others to join it. It tipped the bag upside down over the altar. Out fell3 perfectly cut rectangular pieces of emerald about the size of dominos. These emerald stones each had strange glyphs carved within them. I did not recognize the glyphs as belonging to any civilization on Earth.

The excited race had one of the others pick up the stones. As soon as its hand touched it, a sudden blank look came across its face. It lost all cognitive ability and was just staring blankly straight ahead.

The excited race started laughing. The whole affair reminded me of school children playing a practical joke on their friend. After a moment, the one who brought the stones said some sort of incantation, and the feeble minded race snapped out of its daze. It shook its head in confusion and sort of looked around wondering what hell had just happened.

The third race looked on with curiosity. The presenter of the stones suggested they gather up the rest of the races in the valley below. It wanted to play a trick on them. The two others agreed.

The holographic scene changed. I was now looking at these races as they lined up on the steps behind the wall. One of the three trickster races stood at the gap in the wall that would allow them entry into the landing space of the altar. It was as if it was the door man guarding the entry into a nightclub. It was done in such a way so that no one behind the wall could see what was going on at the altar. They had been told there was something exciting they should see, but not told what it was.

The line was enormous. It wrapped down the steps of the mountain all the way into the valley below. This was how many races there were in this place; many thousands of them.

One by one, a race was called from the front of the line into the clearing. One by one they were led to the altar and told to pick up the stones. I watched as every single one of these races was turned into a feeble minded creature that could do no more than stare into the distance and drool incessantly. The angels/ demons/ beasts – whatever you wanted to call them – responsible for “building” our “domain” had just all been turned into what was essentially infants. What I was watching was the erasure of their higher consciousness. They just sort of bumbled around with no purpose, bumping into each other. They were completely oblivious towards anything, including the rock wall they were walking into. They had been turned into total idiots.

After all the races – with the exception of the three tricksters – had lost their higher memories and the tricksters had had their laugh, the one who presented the stones decided it was enough of the game. It said its incantation to try and wake them all up, but nothing happened. This trickster race panicked and ended up tripping over a rock near the altar. Its hand landed on the emerald stones, rendering it feeble minded as well.

I was watching the race who had watched on in curiosity; the only one who hadn’t been subjected to the amnesia stones.  You could see its eyes light up as it realized the power that lie in front of it. It grabbed the hand of the last the race – the one the presenter had first demonstrated on – and forced its hand upon the stones. What remained was a single dominant race with its higher, celestial memories in tact. It could command the others like puppets and they wouldn’t even noticed. They wouldn’t even realize they were higher beings.

What happened next was incredibly strange.

As I stood staring at this last race, it suddenly started sniffing the air around it. I could see its nostrils flare as it did so. Even though this was a holographic scenario, it could smell me. I am absolutely certain of it. It turned around and stared directly into my eyes. It was the most evil look I have ever witnessed. It seemed possessed by something. Unlike the other races that still retained there divine spark, this thing didn’t have one. It was soulless.

Shortly thereafter, I began what I call a “controlled wake up”. These wake ups are not like when you are just asleep and then are suddenly awake. It is as if the physical reality becomes super imposed over the dreamscape. The physical reality slowly starts getting more “solid” as the dreamscape “thins” out. After about 20 seconds physical reality completely consumes the field of vision and the dreamscape is completely gone. I have had these sorts of controlled awakenings many times after coming out of a lucid dream. There is always this sort of waviness to the whole thing. It feels like you are on a boat in the middle of the ocean.

As I went through this controlled awakening, the voice of the All Being came through telepathically to me. It said that as I wake up, the downfall of humanity would begin. I took this to mean the futile practices of humanity which would allow for consciousness to wake up from the amnesia en masse.

As if this all wasn’t enough, the abduction dreams would begin to happen, before my final contact with the Grand elder.

Ah. this is enough for now. There's a lot of "meat" to absorb here. Soak it in. Enjoy it, and soon enough part 4 will be posted. Best Regards. -MM

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Why the Earth is no longer a Prison Planet, and why it is a Sentience Sorting Nursery operation instead

This article discusses why the Earth (and a number of other solar systems in our region of physical space) is known as a “prison planet” and why it is now morphing into what I refer to as a “Sentience Nursery”. It’s a rather detailed, and strange look (I guess) at the world we all share in light of the events of MAJestic and the “Alien Interview” disclosure.

Now, let it be well understood that throughout my entire time in MAJestic, I was told that the earth was a “sentience nursery” for the evolution and sorting of the consciousnesses here. But when I encountered the disclosure “Alien Interview”, which I am wholly and positively convinced that it is authentic, they referred to the earth (and nearby solar systems) as “Prison Planets”.

This did NOT change the fact that the earth and it’s environs are “Sentience nurseries”, instead, if provided a background that helped me (personally) flush out the events leading up to what is going on today.

Alien Interview – 1947

I have presented the PDF titled “Alien Interview” to the readership. It is the transcripts of the interview that a nurse had with an extraterrestrial entity that was recovered from a spaceship crash in Roswell, New Mexico in 1947. It was released in 2007. There is a lot of good stuff there, and now I am convinced that everything is in agreement with what was presented to me in MAJestic.

A quick reminder

In graphic form. A picture tells more than two encyclopedias.

Key events of The Domain occupation plotted against Humankind technical advancement.

Here’s the pertinent section…

The Domain enters the Milky Way galaxy

She told me that The Domain Expeditionary Force first entered into the Milky Way galaxy very recently — only about 10,000 years ago.

The Domain conquers the Old Empire

Their first action was to conquer the home planets of the “Old Empire” (this is not the official name, but a nick-name given to the conquered civilization by The Domain Forces) that served as the seat of central government for this galaxy, and other adjoining regions of space. These planets are located in the star systems in the tail of the Big Dipper constellation. She did not mention which stars, exactly.

The Domain installs bases inside the Milkyway Galaxy

About 1,500 years later The Domain began the installation bases for their own forces along  the path of invasion which leads toward the center of this galaxy and beyond.

The Domain sets up a base on Earth

About 8,200 years ago The Domain forces set up a base on Earth in the Himalaya Mountains near the border of modern Pakistan and Afghanistan. This was a base for a battalion of The Domain Expeditionary Force, which included about 3,000 members.

They set up a base under or inside the top of a mountain. The mountain top was drilled into and made hollow to create an area large enough to house the ships and personnel of that force.

An electronic illusion of the mountain top was then created to hide the base by projecting a false image from inside the mountain against a “force screen”. The ships could then enter and exit through the force screen, yet remain unseen by homo sapiens.

The Old Empire attacks the Domain base on Earth

Shortly after they settled there the base was surprised by an attack from a remnant of the military forces of the “Old Empire”.

Unbeknownst to The Domain, a hidden, underground base on Mars, operated by the “Old Empire”, had existed for a very long time. The Domain base was wiped out by a military attack from the Mars base and the IS-BEs of The Domain Expeditionary Force were captured.

You can imagine that The Domain was very upset about losing such a large force of officers and crew, so they sent other crews to Earth to look for them. Those crews were also attacked.

The unusual handling of the capture Domain forces

The captured IS-BEs from The Domain Forces were handled in the same fashion as all other IS-BEs who have been sent to Earth. They were each given amnesia, had their memories replaced with false pictures and hypnotic commands and sent to Earth to inhabit biological bodies. They are still a part of the human population today.

After a very persistent and extensive investigation into the loss of their crews, The Domain discovered that “Old Empire” has been operating a very extensive, and very carefully hidden, base of operations in this part of the galaxy for millions of years.

No one knows exactly how long.

Final destruction of the Old Empire in this region

Eventually, the space craft of the “Old Empire” forces and The Domain engaged each other in open combat in the space of the solar system. According to Airl, there was a running battle between the “Old Empire” forces and The Domain until about 1235 AD, when The Domain forces finally destroyed the last of the space craft of the “Old Empire” force in this area. The Domain Expeditionary Force lost many of its own ships in this area during that time also.

A hidden Old Empire base in our area

About 1,000 years later the “Old Empire” base was discovered by accident in the spring of 1914 AD.

The discovery was made when the body of the Archduke of Austria was “taken over” by an officer of The Domain Expeditionary Force. This officer, who was stationed in the asteroid belt, was sent to Earth on a routine mission to gather reconnaissance.

A “electric fence” surrounds this area

Eventually The Domain discovered that a wide area of space is monitored by an “electronic force field” which controls all of the IS-BEs in this end of the galaxy, including Earth.

The electronic force screen is designed to detect IS-BEs and prevent them from leaving the area.

Snare, capture and make compliant

If any IS-BE attempts to penetrate the force screen, it “captures” them in a kind of “electronic net”.

The result is that the captured IS-BE is subjected to a very severe “brainwashing” treatment which erases the memory of the IS-BE.

This process uses a tremendous electrical shock, just like Earth psychiatrists use “electric shock therapy” to erase the memory and personality of a “patient” and to make them more “cooperative”.

On Earth this “therapy” uses only a few hundred volts of electricity. However, the electrical voltage used by the “Old Empire” operation against IS-BEs is on the order of magnitude of billions of volts! This tremendous shock completely wipes out all the memory of the IS-BE. The memory erasure is not just for one life or one body. It wipes out all of the accumulated experiences of a nearly infinite past, as well as the identity of the IS-BE!

The shock is intended to make it impossible for the IS-BE to remember who they are, where they came from, their knowledge or skills, their memory of the past, and ability to function as a spiritual entity.

They are overwhelmed into becoming a mindless, robotic non-entity.

Reprogramming and return back to prison

After the shock a series of post hypnotic suggestions are used to install false memories, and a false time orientation in each IS-BE.

This includes [1] the command to “return” to the base after the body dies, so that the same kind of shock and hypnosis can be done again, and again, again — forever.

The hypnotic command also tells [2] the “patient” to forget to remember.

The Old Empire was using Earth as a Prison Planet

What The Domain learned from the experience of this officer (in the body of the Archduke of Austria) is that the “Old Empire” has been using Earth as a “prison planet” for a very long time — exactly how long is unknown — perhaps millions of years.

So, when the body of the IS-BE dies they depart from the body.

They are detected by the “force screen”, they are captured and “ordered” by hypnotic command to “return to the light”.

The idea of “heaven” and the “afterlife” are part of the hypnotic suggestion — a part of the treachery that makes the whole mechanism work.

After the IS-BE has been shocked and hypnotized to erase the memory of the life just lived, the IS-BE is immediately “commanded”, hypnotically, to “report” back to Earth, as though they were on a secret mission, to inhabit a new body.

Each IS-BE is told that they have a special purpose for being on Earth. But, of course there is no purpose for being in a prison — at least not for the prisoner.

Who are the inmates in prison?

Any undesirable IS-BEs who are sentenced to Earth were classified as “untouchable” by the “Old Empire”.

The worst of the worst were sent to the Earth Prison Planet.

This included anyone that the “Old Empire” judged to be criminals who are too vicious to be reformed or subdued, as well as other criminals such as sexual perverts, or beings unwilling to do any productive work.

An “untouchable” classification of IS-BEs also includes a wide variety of “political prisoners”.

This includes IS-BEs who are considered to be non-compliant “free thinkers” or “revolutionaries” who make trouble for the governments of the various planets of the “Old Empire”.

Of course, anyone with a previous military record against the “Old Empire” is also shipped off to Earth.

A list of “untouchables” include artists, painters, singers, musicians, writers, actors, and performers of every kind. For this reason Earth has more artists per capita than any other planet in the “Old Empire”. “Untouchables” also include intellectuals, inventors and geniuses in almost every field.

Since everything the “Old Empire” considers valuable has long since been invented or created over the last few trillion years, they have no further use for such beings. This includes skilled managers also, which are not needed in a society of obedient, robotic citizens. Anyone who is not willing or able to submit to mindless economic, political and religious servitude as a tax-paying worker in the class system of the “Old Empire” are “untouchable” and sentenced to receive memory wipe-out and permanent imprisonment on Earth. The net result is that an IS-BE is unable to escape because they can’t remember who they are, where they came from, where they are.

They have been hypnotized to think they are someone, something, sometime, and somewhere other than where they really are.

The Domain Officer unravels this entire scheme

The Domain officer who was “assassinated” while in the body of Archduke of Austria was, likewise, captured by the “Old Empire” force.

Because this particular officer was a high powered IS-BE, compared to most, he was taken away to a secret “Old Empire” base under the surface of the planet Mars. They put him into a special electronic prison cell and held him there.

Fortunately, this Domain officer was able to escape from the underground base after 27 years in captivity.

When he escaped from the “Old Empire” base, he returned immediately to his own base in the asteroid belt. His commanding officer ordered that a battle cruiser be dispatched to the coordinates of the base provided by this officer and to destroy that base completely. This “Old Empire” base was located a few hundred miles north of the equator on Mars in the Cydonia region.

The “fence” and snare and return continued to function in 1947

Although the military base of the “Old Empire” was destroyed, unfortunately, much of the vast machinery of [1] the IS-BE force screens, [2] the electroshock / amnesia / hypnosis machinery continues to function in other undiscovered locations right up to the present moment.

The main base or control center for this “mind control prison” operation has never been found.

So, the influences of this base, or bases, are still in effect.

Earth has become a “dumping ground” of misfits

The Domain has observed that since the “Old Empire” space forces were destroyed there is no one left to actively prevent other planetary systems from bringing their own “untouchable” IS-BEs to Earth from all over this galaxy, and from other galaxies nearby.

Therefore, Earth has become a universal dumping ground for this entire region of space.

This, in part, explains the very unusual mix of races, cultures, languages, moral codes, religious and political influences among the IS-BE population on Earth.

The number and variety of heterogeneous societies on Earth are extremely unusual on a normal planet. Most “Sun Type 12, Class 7” planets are inhabited by
only one humanoid body type or race, if any.

In addition, most of the ancient civilizations of Earth, and many of the events of Earth have been heavily influenced by the hidden, hypnotic operation of the “Old Empire” base.

So far, no one has figured out exactly where and how this operation is run, or by whom because it is so heavily protected by screens and traps.

Furthermore, there has been no operation undertaken to seek out, discover and destroy the vast and ancient network of electronics machinery that create the ISBE force screens at this end of the galaxy. Until this has been done, we are not able to prevent or interrupt the electric shock operation, hypnosis and remote thought control of the “Old Empireprison planet. Of course all of the crew members of The Domain Expeditionary Force now remain aware of this phenomena at all times while operating in this solar system space so as to prevent detection and the capture by “Old Empire” traps.”

MAJestic – 1947

The “Majestic12″ committee, was organized by President Harry Truman shortly after the Roswell incident in 1947.  And this created the SAP known as the MAJestic organization.

MM and the MAJestic Narrative

I joined MAJestic as a Naval Aviator / (Astrophysicist & Aerospace Engineer) in May 1981. After thirty years of active participation in the organization, I was retired in May 2006. My “active retirement” lasted five years and ended in 2011. I am now a discarded MAJestic operator.

EBP insertion and non-physical training began in 1981. My training, and calibration of the ELF probes happened a number of years after that. All exposure that I have to knowledge, understanding and skills comes from the entanglement of our benefactors.

My primary and functional duty was “anchoring” of consciousnesses in this region to prevent catastrophic events from occurring. (Whatever those catastrophic events were, I haven’t a clue.) This meant world-line travel and consciousness  manipulation were my primary tools.

I was involved in…

  • Manipulation of consciousness
  • World-line travel
  • Anchoring of clustered world-line behaviors.

As strange as this might appear and sound, if you look at what the events and operational projects entailed, you can clearly see that they were involved in the control and manipulation of world-line alterations as a function of consciousness mass-manipulation.

Not protecting the earth from those pesky Reptilians as part of the great marine space fleet. LOL! I had to throw this bunch of popular fiction in, don't you know!

If you consider that each consciousness was “retarded” in access to their memories, then…

… my actions were all in alignment with rehabilitative services within  a restorative clinic or hospital environment.

So, obviously Earth is a “sentience nursery”. Just as what has been described to me all these years within MAJestic.

So, please most kindly take notes. Today the earth is not considered to be a “Prison Planet”. It is considered and treated as a rehabilitation complex. And all those “abductions” and “probing” and “procedures” are good things designed to alter your prison (non-physical) bodies into a (operation gown) bodies for rehabilitation purposes.

But what happened? What changed?

Think people.

If you manage to destroy a sizable number of the systems and facilities (the walls and the guard towers) of a prison, what are you going to do with all the inmates? Are you going to release them “Ghostbusters” style all at once (like what happened in the Ghostbusters movie)?

All the spirits were released in Ghostbusters all at once.

No.

There are all kinds of people in the Earth Prison Planet Environment.

Some are really innocent. Some just got caught up and imprisoned here. Others were political prisoners who were sent here. Some are terribly creative individuals who were sent here, and some are truly evil, and selfish creatures.

So how you do sort them all out?

And you do need to sort them all out. If you don’t you would end up polluting the entire galaxy with hordes of very evil and dangerous entities.

You sort them.

You sort them by sentience.

The criteria

So if you are going to sort consciousness by sentience, you need to filter out what you keep, what you allow to leave, and what you keep an eye on as they are almost ready to leave, just not totally there yet.

As far as I understand, the sentience of human beings fall into the following categories…

  • Service to self (being selfish and greedy).
  • Service to another (a follower, a believer, a NPC).
  • Service to others (a member of a group of people putting them first).
  • Disjointed, confused, or emotionally, mentally sick.

Service to Self sentience sub-types

As best as I can tell, the subcategories of a Service to Self person are…

  • Psychopath
  • Sociopath
  • Selfish
  • Greedy
  • Narcissistic

They get to stay in the “Sentience Nursery” / “Prison Planet” environment simply because they are too dangerous to unleash on the rest of the universe.

Service to Another sentience sub-types

These consciousnesses are not ready to leave yet, but they are on the way and almost ready to go. I would guess that their progression in sentience would depend on many things, most importantly is their position in any of the subcategories of this type of sentience.

And the subcategories of a Service to other person are…

1. Sycophants

These are very close (if not the same as) a Service to Self sentience.

Also known as a toady, a sycophant follower knows nothing but an advantage. All that is in his mind is nothing but a strategic plan to keep on holding on or following till he gets what he really wants or keep on maintaining the advantage he wants.

More often than not the sycophant follower seems to be self-seeking and behaves like a parasite: gives nothing, yet takes.

2. Critics

Critics are also close to being Service to Self sentience entities.

They are annoying, they are also motivating. The critic followers will always post, comment or say unfavorable opinions concerning a person or an organization or a political party at all times. For others it may be a very annoying process yet for some it is a learning point and adjusting method for future reference.

3. Realists

These are sentience’s that are caught up in the material world. They are not necessarily bad, but they still have much to learn. They need a few more cycles of “reincarnation” to straighten out their sentience.

Here are the philosophers. The realist followers are so aware of reality and they have to let you accept it. The realist followers are always on the side of the truth, the naked truth. They will always accept the physical and most evident of circumstances and issues and they will always let the world know, and to the person or thing or group, they might be following.

4. Loyalists

These are close to Service to Others sentience, but not all the way there. They, for the most part, are but one reincarnation away from a Service to Others sentience.

They are the best kind of followers, the loyalist followers. They are as loyal as dogs can be. You will likely never be disappointed by a loyal follower for they are as true and as honest. No mischief in them or cunning activities. They are loyal almost to a fault.

5. Traitors

These are Service to self individualists in disguise.

Traitors are another bunch of followers that are the complete opposite of the loyal followers. These are the Judases that will betray Jesus from time to time.

Traitor followers will stick by you; follow up with you as long as the weather seems as conducive to continue being with you, not forever but till that time when the first drop of rain falls and the going gets tough, then they will betray you.

6. Spectators

These are Service to self individualists in disguise.

The spectator followers are always on the sideline and surely enough are careful enough not to cross it and only do so when the excitement gets too much. The spectator followers are never in the game but will make sure that you get your support.

They will give you all deserving praises and belief then let you walk into the battlefield all alone.

7. Opportunists

These are Service to self individualists in disguise.

They have not much of a difference from the sycophant followers or traitor followers. The opportunist follower will have no other reason for starting following other than for an advantage at some point.

He or she does not have upmost loyalty. They are like a soaring eagle in the sky keenly eyeing and falling indistinctively with an end goal to capture an unaware fish or mouse.

8. Sheep

These sentience’s are on the path, but they need a few more cycles of reincarnation to sort out the sentience better.

The common myths and facts suggest that sheep are the dumbest of all animals following without question or doubt, keenly observant to only beck at its master’s call and commands. And so is the sheep follower.

They follow with no question, they seem so loyal, and they might be. More often than not, the sheep followers would rather follow other than making an informed and independent decision.

Many associate those that blindly follow government rules or elected officials without any questions as sheep.

9. “Yes” People

They need a few more reincarnations to straighten out their sentience direction. They are actually “sitting on the fence” in the over all scheme of sentience selection.

The ‘yes’ followers simply want to avoid confrontation and pleasing people is their number one priority. The ‘yes’ people follower will always find themselves in uncalled for situations since they do not take their time to think through the yes responses that they give.

They are a often resentful types of people which makes them end up having following what they do not even believe in.

10. Alienated

They are almost at a Service to Self sentience.

The alienated type of follower will always strive to make you feel indifferent and rather hostile. They really know how to pick their words and actions to fit well with their aim and purpose.

11. Survivor

These kind of sentience’s are closer to the Service to Other’s sentience, but need some time to sort things out a little better.

Survivor followers are the most prevailing as they stick by you through hard moments and also stick by you through the good times. The survivor followers have a strong belief in you.

12. Effective

They are almost at a Service to Self sentience. Almost “one foot in the door”.

Here are the kinds of followers that just really know which decisions to make in the order for you reach your intended goal. The effective followers not only follow you but also have a really good impact on your success.

13. The Isolate(d)

A person who is strongly leaning to a Service to Self sentience.

The isolate(d) follower needs no cushioning. He or she acts on their own and most seemingly enjoys the following solo. He does not like crowds. The isolate follower is a lone wolf.

14. The Bystander

This person is solidly in the Service to another realm, and needs a few cycles to sort things out.

The bystander follower seems like the spectator follower. He too does not necessarily take part in the course of action. In his following, he becomes the keen observant from a distance.

15. The Participant

This person is almost a Service to others sentience, and might end up being one entirely within this lifetime.

Here is the jack of all spades. The participant follower is active and vibrant. He is very present and would even go the extra mile for you. He is also the type to bring fun along.

16. The Activist

Almost a full Service to Others sentience in this life.

The activist follower is not just the average follower. He is the one that always follows and cares to bring about change and in most cases, the popular good is his aim.

17. The Diehard

Almost a full Service to Others sentience in this life.

The diehard follower is very instinctive. Like a viper, he is ready to strike and will go down even to the bottomless pit for you. If there is one who can die for you then it is the diehard follower. Fans of the Lord of the Rings franchise would quickly identify Sam Gamgee as the diehard follower of Frodo.

Who gets to leave and who needs to stay?

As I understand it, the ability to leave the “Sentience Nursery” is a function of what your consciousness is.

A service to others sentience gets to leave. At least that is how I understand it today. Obviously when the Old Empire controlled this area, no one ever got to leave it. But things are quite different now.

A service to self sentience gets to stay. They get to relive their time in the earth habitat over and over, and over, and over until they start to feel compassion towards others and their sentience changes.

A service to another sentience stays but is monitored. They are not yet fully developed enough to leave, but not really ready to be released. You can consider this sentience to be on various states of parole.

Disjointed, confused, or non-settled sentience’s stays. Until they straighten out one way or the other, they must stay in this realm under supervision.

Summary and conclusion

The earth realm, both physical and non-physical, is a Sentience Nursery. it was initially set up as a Prison, but that has changed since the Domain started working with MAJestic. The ability to leave this environment depends on your true nature, and this is determined by your sentience.

If you watch Rufus videos and in your heart, you think that they are suckers, idiots, or fools; then you are probably a Service to Self sentience.

If you watch Rufus videos and in your heart, you feel emotion, joy and wish to be a helpful person, then you are a Service to Others sentience.

If you watch a few Rufus videos but are quickly bored and find no interest in them, then you are a Service to Another sentience.

If you watch Rufus videos and wonder about them, are curious about them, but cannot relate to the Rufus in the video, nor the people needing help, you are a disjointed sentience.

Are you ready to take the test?

Watch the video below. Measure your feelings and thoughts after viewing it, and use it to see what sentience that you are “leaning towards”. Sentience is not something that you can hide. It is a resonance point that is affiliated with your consciousness.

There are no right or wrong answers. It’s a method to determine where you are at in regards to sentience and whether or now you need to reincarnate over and over again on the earth, or if you are worthy to be “altered” to permit “escape velocity” from this region.

The sentience test.

Grading

If you think that She is brave and the embodiment of what a person should be, then you are a Service to Others Sentience.

If you think that she is stupid for not trying to steal the guys wallet, then you are most certainly a Service to Self Sentience.

If you think that she should have stood by and called the police, as she is too old, and the accident is too serious, then you are a Service to Another Sentience.

If you don’t think anything other than this is a “stupid” and silly movie, and a waste of your time, then you are a Disjointed Sentience.

Do you want more?

You can find many more videos in my “Extraterrestrial Species index” over here…

ET Species

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Articles & Links

Master Index

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[daegonmagus] – Part 2 – Contact with the Elder Guardians

The following is the second part from a series of articles describing the adventure that a follower who goes by the handle "daegonmagus" has experienced since reading MM. They are very interesting and fascinating. I hope that you all learn from his journey and maybe learn a thing or two as he relates his unique experiences to the readership here. 

-MM

Part 2 – Contact with the Elder Guardians

In the last part I talked about my first contact experience with a group of Elders resembling the Ascended Masters whilst lucid dreaming back in 2012.

I mentioned (in this last article) how these Elders told me [1] about a “spiritual amnesia” that was affecting mankind and cutting them off from a higher state of conscious awareness.

I also mentioned (in the article) how the [2] physical human brain had apparently been deliberately engineered to help with this dumbing down of consciousness.

It was during this experience that I was able to tap into this higher state of conscious awareness –  what I refer to as the higher self or higher intellect.

The higher self (or higher intellect)

This higher self equates to a processing power orders of magnitude far above what we (normally) use whilst contained within the physical body.

It lets you see through physical and non physical realities like they are glass.

Different States of being

It is important to note here, that I use the connection with this higher state of mind to differentiate between [A] a lucid dream/ astral projection and [B] a mystical experience.

When I mention a mystical experience – or what I call an Auric projection – it means that I have been under this superior state of conscious awareness whilst lucid.

It is a completely different experience to what both astral projection and lucid dreaming entail.

Whilst in this state, there is a constant flux of information coming in and being perceived of higher reality aspects; only a very small percentage of it can ever be remembered upon waking up.

This information also contains soul-time memories, and is not limited to a single physical incarnation.

There is always a catch 22 dilemma when functioning from this state; you know the information coming in is important, but you are also aware you will forget most of it when awakening back into your physical body.

Thus one is forced to try and focus on specific elements to try and remember them when waking up.

It is beyond frustrating.

My mystical experiences

All in all I had 5 or so “mystical experiences” in which I was connected to this higher state of awareness. It was over a 7 year period, many of which the Grand Elder appeared in.

This is not including my “second contact” experience.

This “second contact experience” occurred as a recurring lucid dream.

In this recurring lucid dream, I was also connected to this state of awareness and being bombarded by information.

So (all told), including these recurring dreams, the amount of mystical experiences I had whilst connected to the higher self would easily be over 20 events.

Hijacking of dreamscape

In part one I briefly touched upon the idea that I was playing around with consciousness and conducting experiments with it whilst lucid dreaming.

It was apparently because I had developed advanced abilities in this area that the Ascended Masters were able to contact me; at least that is what they told me.

One of these experiments related to “hijacking” my wife’s dreamscape and implanting a dream scenario of my devising.

What I didn’t talk about, is that around this same time, my wife was also having her own contact experiences with both physical and non physical entities.

Wife’s Contact Experiences

These entities took on a myriad of different forms from [1] “angels” and [2] “demons” to [3] ETs wearing strange space suits.

I did not realize it at the time but they had been “visiting” my wife since she was a little kid.

She had only vaguely mentioned very few of these experiences in fear of me thinking she was crazy.

In actual fact she had had enough experiences to fill a whole volume. I did not get much of the specifics of these experiences until very recently (this year).

What I find curious is that when she was little, one of the angelic types suggested to her the same thing about the human brain; it had been deliberately created to hold consciousness at a lesser level.

In many of these visitations, she was also under the influence of a similar higher state of conscious awareness. Her description of this state of awareness matches my experience of it.

Having “synchronized” dreams and experiences.

I am not sure if it was because of my hijacking experiment or not, but thereafter my wife and I also began having “synchronized” dreams and experiences.

These related to visiting the same places whilst lucid (she was just as proficient at lucid dreaming and astral projecting as me, if not better).

Often times we would describe to each other a place we’d been to or a lucid dream we’d just had only to have the other finish the sentence with an exact description of the scenario.

Many of these synchronised dreams related to “waking up” and trying to retrieve each other from “sleep facilities”.

Consciousness brainwashing facilities

These “sleep facilities” were unique. In them, it appeared consciousness brainwashing was being undertaken, or (a cleansing of) memories of things we did in past lives or other worlds.

One of these synchronicities was a scenario where we were both killed in one world, and “woke up” in another. Other memories included being trained in remembering “timeline resets”.

Out of all of my mystical experiences, a great deal of them were synchronised in this manner.

One of the “worlds” we were both visiting prior to my first contact experience with the Elder Guardians, was this place that was very reminiscent of a movie theater.

We’d always pop out in a hallway that had various ‘theater” rooms coming off it.  These rooms would be lined with chairs, in typical theater fashion, except that instead of a screen there was a spherical shaped portal floating in mid air.

Though I have no specific recollection of them being used for consciousness brainwashing, my wife remembers this place as being used for exactly that.

Whenever I would enter the portal in the theater room, it would take me to a completely different world.

My wife was also able to describe this same world in exact detail.

In this other world there is this weird road that sort of curves upwards into the sky. It sort of looks like what the great Wall Of China would look like if you bent it upwards; the gravity changes as you move along the road so you are always on it.

There appears to be some sort of ancient market festival going on and something to do with timeline resets.

I was having lucid dreams about both the portal theater and the market festival place almost weekly for a whole year; they were, evidently, astral assignments my handlers were sending me to.

There were also instances of being “attacked” whilst lucid that, fortunately for us, we were able to corroborate as both of us had experienced similar things happening.

Such things included weird entities entering our heads and pushing our consciousness to one side, distorting it in the process.

Others included typical succubus expeditions, timeline slips and things that aren’t even describable with human words.

At one point I had something extremely heavy – about 100kg – sit on me and crush my chest to the point I couldn’t breathe.

Majority of these strange occurrences would happen whilst in the sleep paralysis/ hypnogogic state.

Strange occurrences

My wife spoke of one astral projection experience where she went into our roof and found a strange creature living there guarding an ancient dusty box.

This creature was humanoid, had no face and pounced around like a cat. It would not let her anywhere near the box. It wanted to play with her, like a kitten would.

We had “ghosts” moving stuff in many of the houses we moved into.

Our life was one big paranormal experience that for us just became normality.

The weirdest example is a doppelganger version of myself that both my wife and daughter saw and heard that appeared when I was out with my son.

I believe such a doppelganger almost got me executed, but for the sake of brevity I will skip over that whole ordeal.

What I will mention was that this particular incident happened only a few short months after my recurring mystical dreams.

These eventually culminated in me remembering my own reincarnation at the guidance of the voice of the Grand Elder and the torture my soul had undergone moments prior to becoming incarnated in this current body – what I call “soul burning”.

Strange Lucid Dreams

The lucid dreams themselves were strange; they started as me appearing in an apocalyptic purgatorial like place.

There were broken decrepit houses every where one looked.

A single path that led seemingly into nowhere was the only thing besides the houses. There as what appeared to be another version of myself waiting for me along this road.

As I approached it I realized it was a zombie; it was me but it was devoid of all emotion, and as it noticed me it began to give chase.

The information that was coming in from my higher consciousness and through the voice of the Grand Elder told me how this was a part of my higher energetic body.

That body had been damaged by the spiritual amnesia;

  • It was effectively, a corrupted part of my soul from a higher, non physical plane;
  • It was an unseen baggage that I would always carry with me.

For about a year this dream would start from the exact same point and slowly progress.

It was like watching the same movie from the start over and over, but each time watching a little bit more before turning it off.

My zombie would chase me and eventually catch me and I would wake up as soon as it touched me.

Eventually my time line resetting memories would start kicking in, and I would be back at the start of the dream with 2 zombies chasing me instead of one upon a zombie touching me.

It would progress in this fashion, with the number of zombies doubling every time I got reset.

It got to the point where I had thousands upon thousands of zombified versions of my energetic body chasing me.

After about a year of having these dreams on a monthly, sometime fortnightly basis, I started to realize it was the period between a zombie touching me and “resetting” that the Grand Elder was trying to get me to remember; whenever I had one of these dreams, my focus would go entirely on trying to figure out what was happening in between the resets.

The amount of information coming through each and every time I had one of these experiences was intense.

I was constantly comparing everything that was happening with the physical world my body was asleep in…

…whilst listening to the Grand Elder’s voice telling me to pay attention to certain details.

They were simply not normal dreams or even normal lucid dreams.

He was guiding me through this experience each and every time I had it like I was back at college opening a textbook and continuing study of a subject from a previous week.

Each experience thus was a continuation of the “lessons” from the previous one.

The Grand Elder would not let up in what he was trying to show/ teach me.

A force controlling the zombified energetic bodies

Because of my connection to my higher mind, I could feel that some kind of external force was controlling these zombified energetic bodies. It was an incredibly strong telepathic connection.

I could sense the raw hatred of this external force coming through; I simply knew it was not part of the zombie’s make up.

It was pure evil and I knew whatever it was, was the same Slave God the Grand Elder had told me was responsible for the Ancient Egyptian slave trade and the spiritual amnesia.

This purgatorial domain I was in it evidently owned and controlled.

In the last experience I was being chased by thousands of these zombies when all of a sudden I realized this hatred emotion I could use to my advantage.

I started taunting these zombies as they gave chase which angered the controller immensely.

Like it’s hatred, I could feel this anger surging through.

I went out of my way to bring this anger to a level where the Slave God would lose control of the situation.

Then I just stopped running and turned around, deliberately allowing the zombies to catch me.

My plan had worked.

The next thing I knew I was being taken to a sort of operating room and was being strapped to a bed.

The zombified versions of my energetic bodies all stood around me, as I was hooked up to a strange piece of apparatus.

Torture!

What followed was the most excruciating torture I have ever experienced in either lucid dreaming or physical reality.

It was unbelievably intense that it literally felt like my very soul was on fire.

It felt like I was being electrocuted with incredibly high current as well as being cut to pieces and set on fire all at once.

I called it Soul Burning.

At the same time this was all carried out there was things being done that I can only describe as a brainwashing regime courtesy of the same apparatus that was torturing me.

It was like it had the ability to instill my very being with false memories.

I could feel things being spliced into my soul that I knew should not have been there.

The controller was so angered by my insolence, that he made the zombies increase the savageness of their “purging” me into one of them.

They ripped and tore at my soul so brutally that I could feel it coming to pieces.

It was a similar feeling to what projecting into the anomaly had done to my consciousness, except that it wouldn’t disintegrate my higher mind.

What was worse was that I suddenly remembered every other time this had happened to me.

Fourty thousand years worth of lifetimes that ended with this same torture all came flooding back to me.

Each one amplified the pain by a million.

Because I was operating from my higher mind I could feel every single one of these tortures as if they were all happening at the same time.

The Grand Elder had warned me it was going to be an uncomfortable memory, but I did not care.

The knowledge of my soul’s history was more important to me than comfort.

My commitment had been to remember whatever was necessary and bring it back here into the physical plane at all costs.

After the soul burning session finished, the zombies all left, courtesy of the controller and I found myself lying alone on the bed in this hellish operating room.

Finished and exhausted

I was completely, 100% lucid and could remember everything that had just happened as well as that somewhere back on Earth my body was asleep in its bed.

My consciousness was completely detached from it.

Whatever it was that had carried out this torture on me had failed to properly administer the amnesia, and I realized this was exactly what the Grand Elder wanted me to see.

I was, however, mentally and emotionally spent from everything that had just transpired.

With my last ounce of energy I deliberately projected my consciousness away from that purgatorial realm into space – I didn’t even have enough energy to get back to my body I was that exhausted.

So I just floated in space for what seemed like a minute, looking at some nearby stars.

There was a suddenly change in my environment as my perceptive field went from that of the universe to a wall of skin that clung to me and enclosed me within it.

That is when I realized I was free floating in a placenta as a fetus.

I even kicked out and could feel the resistance of the skin in my foot as I did so.

This placenta provided a great soothing comfort for me after the whole soul burning ordeal; it was incredibly inviting and felt as though it was healing me as I floated within it.

Shortly after this I awoke back in my bed.

I was certain this was a memory of the moments prior to me being incarnated into this current body.

The Grand Elder plucks me out…

Several months later I was again abducted out of another lucid dream by the Grand Elder.

This time he showed himself to me like he did at the 2012 gathering in the celestial courtyard; it was the very same being, I am 100% sure of this.

He told me that the ordeal in the purgatorial realm was necessary for me to remember before this second meeting with him could be undertaken.

He was teaching me a higher knowledge about consciousness and how it was being affected by the amnesia.

Like the reincarnation dreams this was yet another Auric experience and the information coming through was with a potency that the Earth mind is just not capable of processing.

Again I was taken to a point on the outskirts of a universe in a different, non physical plane.

There was this sort of racing circuit laid out; it was similar to a formula one track just floating randomly in space.

There were these canon like things blotted about around the track randomly that were shooting light far out into the universe. Guarding these canons were these hairy, bipedal, monkey like beasts.

The Grand Elder told me my mind had been deliberately sped up so that I could comprehend this light, which I was perceiving as if it was being slowed down.

The beasts could apparently not see me because their minds were operating at a lower frequency; I was moving faster than the light, they weren’t.

I was also told by the Grand Elder I was seeing these canons in this manner so I could more easily remember them back here in the physical plane.

The actual devices cannot be comprehended by the limited human mind.

This light was not the same as light that we know of on earth.

It was of a much higher frequency and, according to the Grand Elder was responsible for the creation of physical and non physical universes.

We watched as the beasts pointed the canons upwards and fired light pulses out into the vast empty space that surrounded us.

The pulses would fly through space until they collided with the pulses from other canons, whereby whole galaxies would just appear out of no where from the collision.

Suddenly I could see a myriad of stars that had formed because of these collisions. This was happening in every direction we looked. These whole galaxies were extremely small from our vantage point.

There was probably about 20 or so canons placed strategically on this circuit track.

Whenever one of the beasts would fire their canon, you could see the light pulse move around the track before coming out of it.

It was strange in that it looked like a racing track but functioned more like an electronic circuit. You could see the light enter various components before reaching the canons.

Another lesson

What followed was the Grand Elder giving me yet another lesson in consciousness and how it was being affected by the amnesia.

Apparently the Slave Gods had somehow hijacked this light here, right as it came from the source before it could even create the first non physical universes.

The way it was explained to me was that they had embedded “codes” that would affect consciousness in a similar manner to how we vary digital pulses using Pulse Width Modulation.

This effectively meant a consciousness – any consciousness – could be used as a carrier of information that was not part of the “divine” creator’s purpose.

Consciousness could be controlled remotely in this “place” by changing the PWM codes.

This was the whole point of the circuit track we were watching.

The beasts were there to ensure consciousness was being kept in a dumbed down state, and creating the “realities” where those consciousnesses could be trapped.

After this, the Grand Elder took me below the circuit track. We were now in the middle of what appeared to be an electronics manufacturing factory.

The divine light would drop out of the track above us and on to a conveyor belt that was lined with cell phones and similar technology.

It would go into the phones, the phones would be picked up by even more of these beasts, packaged and sent off for shipment.

It was an extremely bizarre affair and, to begin with, I didn’t quite understand what I was looking at.

The Grand Elder told me that the consciousness manipulation technology I had just witnessed was directly connected (at a quantum level) to technologies currently being used around the world.

The actual connection was never explained to me. I was just made to take note that there was a connection.

Shortly after this the dream ended.

Back to the physical world

About 3 months later is when I was very nearly killed by my own neighbors.

My hand was cut open and I was left permanently disabled in my left hand as a result.

As I lay in a hospital bed that very night waiting for surgery, I could hear a crowd of voices in my head all speaking incredibly fast.

The languages they spoke in were not any languages native to Earth.

This was new to me.

These voices were so loud and fast that I thought I was going crazy.

I thought my mind had been broken by the whole ordeal, and that this was going to be my life from then on out.

Unbeknownst to me, about 50kms away at her mother’s house, my wife was also hearing similar voices that same night.

Whereas I could not make out anything mine were saying, hers were screaming “THIS WAS NOT SUPPOSED TO HAPPEN!” over and over again.

This was apparently directly in relation to me being almost being killed and having my hand cut open. The idea it could have all been instigated by my doppelganger didn’t enter my mind until this year.

And yet, the crazy train didn’t stop there…

Ah. this is enough for now. There's a lot of "meat" to absorb here. Soak it in. Enjoy it, and soon enough part 3 will be posted. Best Regards. -MM

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[daegonmagus] – Part 1 – Exploration of the Non-Physical Reality

The following is the first part from a series of articles describing the adventure that a follower who goes by the handle "daegonmagus" has experienced since reading MM. They are very interesting and fascinating. I hope that you all learn from his journey and maybe learn a thing or two as he relates his unique experiences to the readership here. 

-MM

Part 1 – With the Elder Guardians

Daegonmagus Contact With the Elder Guardians Part One:

This is a preliminary background on who I am and how I came to know about the “spiritual amnesia”. Although I have provided a more complete and in depth description of these circumstances in my autobiography, this will provide some context to future articles that will be dealing with these issues. I have deliberately left out much information as it is too cumbersome to include in an article of this nature.

I had my first sleep paralysis experience when I was 8 years old, and it terrified me.

These became a regular occurrence to the point I would be having them every couple of days. I’d be paralyzed, unable to move anything but my eyes, and I would be this way for what seemed like an eternity.

I’d try calling out for my dad, but all that I could ever muster was a faint squeak.

When the paralysis did eventually stop, I’d throw my blankets off and run out of the room to him; he’d tell me they were just nightmares and to go back to sleep. It was beyond frustrating. I simply knew there was much more to them.

I became curious.

I wanted to know what the hell was going on with these paralysis episodes; I wanted to know why everything was so chthonic whilst in them; the noises, the feeling like my soul was being sucked away. The strange entities that would always stand at the end of my bed.

Grandmother and family

My grand mother used to live only a few short kilometers away.

Every Friday we would go there and eat curry lunch. If I was at school that day, I‘d walk there afterwards instead of venturing home, knowing my mother would still be there. It was a nice little tradition we had going on.

But chicken curry wasn’t the only thing I was treated to.

My mother and grandmother were self proclaimed psychics who had a few stories to tell. These were nothing really that special, but they did offer intriguing conversation that couldn’t be found at school.

So in my quest for understanding my sleep paralysis, I listened probably a little too enthusiastically for my own good. Not that I learnt anything valuable in regards to that subject. It did, however, eventually get me interested in Rene Descartes and his philosophies on consciousness.

René Descartes (Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy)

Down the back of my grandmother’s property was an old abandoned house that she and her family used to live in many years prior to my mother being born.

It was derelict and falling to pieces. The inside walls had massive holes smashed through them. The concrete padding had turned to dust in places. Electrical wiring hung from the exposed roof rafters. The front door had become so overgrown with grass that it wouldn’t open. The only way in was to scale the small chimney that poked out the side of the wall and climb down it. One would come out through the open fireplace facing what used to be a living room, and it was here that I found my treasure.

Boxes and boxes full of books had been left to rot in the middle of the living room, some of them left untouched on a small book shelf.

After sitting here exposed to the elements for the better part of 30 years, a lot of them had decayed beyond readability.

But in amongst the mulch pile, I did find a few gems that had somehow survived the ravages of time. Aleister Crowley’s Moonchid, The predictions of Nostradamus, Psychic Discoveries Behind the Iron Curtain and Atlantis were just a few of the ones that were still in a decent, readable condition.

However, the true treasure came in the form of a complete four volume encyclopaedia set that explored the idea of magic through different world cultures.

It was a real magical library one would expect to find in some sort of fantasy novel about sorcerers, and I had access to it every Friday.

Naturally, I took these books home with me, saving them from becoming mulch like all the rest. I read through the encyclopaedia front to back.

I was trying to find any scrap of information I could on sleep paralysis.

Once again I was met with much frustration, as there didn’t seem to be much beyond a few vague mentions of tribal shamans using “dreaming” to obtain mystical visions.

Adaptation

Time slipped by, and my sleep paralysis became such a regular occurrence, that I ultimately became bored of it.

I realized that it wasn’t harming me, and it became somewhat annoying. I learnt to relax through it all, and that is when I truly began to learn the power of lucid dreaming and how to control one’s dreams. I suddenly had a new found appreciation for the tribal shamans I’d read about and why they were so into it.

I began unlocking parts of my mind that I otherwise would have been denied access to.

By the time I turned 12 my proficiency in lucid dreaming had reached its peak. I was able to remain conscious during the transition of being awake and asleep, and bypass the sleep paralysis stage altogether.

This became a regular occurrence.

School became a somewhat secondary necessity . I’d play the game and get good grades, but deep down I was more interested in the metaphysical than what the physical had to offer me.

I was too involved in my dream worlds that I would visit on such a regular basis that the physical world became dull by comparison.

I was using study time in the library meant for science and maths tests on researching occult concepts and ideologies such as astral projection.  I started wondering why everyone was so content in the idea they must work themselves to death, rather than study consciousness via the avenue of lucid dreaming. To me, the latter was much more exciting and pointed to a much better sense of purpose than the former.

By the time I reached high school, I had become extremely proficient at creating my own dreams.

I became so good, that I was able to simulate sensations within my dream environments including touch, taste and smell, and generate entire environments just by thinking of them.

It was because of these “simulations” that I was also able to explore my own sexuality and solve problems that I was having in the “real world”. It was then that I started really experimenting with consciousness whilst in this dreaming state, using Descartes’ philosophies as a starting point.

Exploration

I began to frequent several places in the lucid domain that appeared to be completely separate to my mind’s fabrication.

One of these places was a tropical island that I used to go on regular “lucid holidays” to.

It was here that I discovered the existence of these portals that could be used to traverse the “other worlds”. Thus I started learning how ones consciousness could be projected through these portals to access other realms/ dimensions.

Projection of consciousness

It was around about the age of 14, I had my first real breakthrough in regards to the projection of my consciousness outside of my body.

I had somehow found myself on another planet watching a tribal Elder of a humanoid race of people talking to his tribe.

I was completely lucid, in that I could remember my body being asleep back in my bed on earth. These people, although completely alien to any human species on earth, had a very Native American vibe to them.

All of a sudden the Elder realized I was there, observing them.

I heard his voice within my mind, telling me not to be afraid and to come closer – to move within him.

He knew I was a curious consciousness, and took the opportunity to give me a lesson in how multiple consciousness can inhabit one body.

I obliged, and immediately felt myself go within him. It was an incredible feeling; an entire lifetime’s worth of his memories came flooding into my mind, and yet I still remembered my physical, sleeping body.

I knew he could have kicked me out from within him any time he chose, but he allowed me to stay for several minutes as an apprentice to the mysteries of consciousness.

It was one of the most humbling moments of my life.

He then spoke to his tribe, and announced that they had a guest. They looked around, somewhat confused, and he explained that my consciousness was residing within him.

When they asked where I was from, he pointed to a very specific star in the sky without hesitation and said “from there”. Soon after this I thanked him for his hospitality and departed, waking back up in my body on earth.

Second Breakthrough

My next breakthrough came about a year later when I first astral projected. I had been curious about the subject for several years after seeing a story about it on a show called The Extraordinary.

My purpose was to try and contact my grandfather who had passed away from lung cancer when I was nine.

My meditations, as a result got to the point where I could sit for hours on end in one pose, completely un-moving, whilst I tried to project.

I had been utilizing the Monroe Institute technique for several months and then one night it finally happened.

I was lying in bed meditating, and heard this loud popping noise. Suddenly, I felt as light as a feather, and I watched as I floated out of my body. I turned around and saw my physical body lying on the bed. I was so bewildered by the experience all I did was go outside and sit on the couch to just take it all in.

Death in the family

Shortly after that I was hit with grief as my brother was killed in a car accident right near our house, on the main drag going out of town. I had been suffering from severe depression and this was a kick in the guts I could have done without.

I started becoming uncaring in regards to my attitude towards life, and this bled over into the lucid realm.

The part of my mind that would sense danger became deactivated. I started going to dangerous places and messing with dangerous things not really caring if it resulted in my becoming permanently detached from my physical body.

Bad behaviors

I summoned all the “malevolent entities” that had taunted me during sleep paralysis into my dreamscapes and taunted them back, in an effort to take out my grievances on something that I considered deserved it.

Often times I was being chased by things that any rational person would have been terrified of, and I knew if they caught me it was game over.

What can I say; my depression and adventures in lucid dreaming had numbed me to the idea the physical body was important. I was at that point almost entirely disassociated from my body.

War!

It was around this time I became aware of my involvement in an “astral war”. I would become lucid in dream scenarios that I knew were not of my own devising.

In many of these scenarios it was like I had been drugged with a substance that was able to affect consciousness, and consciousness alone.

My “assignments” revolved around voluntarily going into compounds where this drug and other tortures were being administered to try and figure out why.

It seemed very much like my astral body was being utilized as an infiltration agent for inter dimensional warfare. I would write little poems mentioning this war and vaguely mentioning my role within it.

I knew I was not like other kids my age, and I knew it was because I had embraced the lucid and astral worlds as being as real, if not more, as the physical world.

Assignments

At first these appeared as standard dreams – fragmented memories even– but as the years wore on, I would become more and more lucid in them.

I would “appear” at my assignment location, get doped or tortured, return to my handlers for debriefing, then wake up and go to school the next day as if nothing ever happened.

This was what about a third of my youth entailed from the age of 15 all the way up to adulthood.

The more I lucid dreamed, the more I would remember my roles in these scenarios that thing were to trying to “drug me” out of remembering.

I became the weird kid that would talk about lucid dreaming and the worlds I’d visited like it was a normal part of existence.

My peers just didn’t know how to handle it and would often shy away from after giving each other a weird look. The funny thing was, my brother was part of the popular crowd, which meant by default I ended up in the social circle of kids. The whole thing was laughable.

Leaving School

I left school at the age of 16, a whole year before graduation. My close friends were starting to dabble a little too liberally in hard substances like methamphetamine, and I had – due to my severe depression, and genetic tendacies – had picked up an unhealthy addiction to alcohol even by that age.

I decided this sort of lifestyle wasn’t getting me anywhere.

If I stayed around these people I was going to end up dead, or worse, addicted to the same drugs they were taking (I’d never dabbled in anything stronger than marijuana).

I enrolled to do a music course at college, and that is where I met Storme.

Meeting the Girl of your dreams

When I first saw her I had the whole “I am going to marry that girl” thought pop into my head. I found out that she too was into the metaphysical and believed in things like astral projection and lucid dreaming. Plus, she was into the exact same music I was into – this was a very big deal for me.

The last thing I wanted to do was end up with someone who listened to Justin Bieber in their spare time. Nope; my ideal woman needed to have at least some sort of idea of what constituted musical talent. She also lived the next town over from me, which was a bonus.

Unbeknownst to me at the time, Storme had just escaped a period of homeless and what appeared to be a very real sex trafficking operation.

She had experienced things very few people would believe.

Things like communications from both physical and non physical entities about our world and its “true” history. She was the only other person I had ever come across who knew about the astral war, and the reason she knew about it was because it had been directly told to her by one of these entities.

I decided to do a lucid dreaming experiment on Storme to see if I could “hack” into her dreamscape, replacing it with my own, and to both of our astonishment, it actually worked.

I pressed her on her dreams the next day and she told me the exact scenario I had dreamed up; a meeting at college.

I had made sure to include very specific points in the conversation, and she hit these with accuracy.

This marked my next breakthrough in my experiments with consciousness whilst in the dream state.

Dating

We ended up dating. I would help drive her band around to gigs and semi manage them.

These guys were into taking things like LSD to “expand their minds”, but Storme and I never obliged.

Like her, they also were curious about astral projection, but had never experienced it.

Their drummer, Damien, was big on conspiracy theories, and would always talk about people like Icke, mind invading reptilians and the NWO that I thought was a complete load of bullshit.

This is where I first came across the Isaac CARET program; the other guitarist, Sean, sent me a link to the original website. I ended up writing it off as some sort university experiment in psychology.

Occult Studies

My occult studies had continued on and off through these years. Somewhere along the lines I had come across a secret society called the Hell Fire Club based out of West Wycombe, England.

I had only really joined the club to gain access to their catalogue of rare esoteric books.

I was big on trying to find the most original documents I could find when conducting my research.

It was through this club that I scored a copy of both the Greater and Lesser keys of Solomon; these books were rumored to be very powerful books on spirit conjuration, though I only wanted them for study purposes. I had no intention of ever summoning anything.

The Steward of its English chapter seemed impressed with my knowledge of occult ideologies and asked me to open my own Chapter here in Western Australia.

Though I didn’t really know what I was doing, I obliged.

He sent me books on his interpretations of the club and its link to alchemical concepts. That is how I got into spiritual alchemy.

I was put in contact with the other Australian Stewards, and these turned out to be an even bigger source of occult information for me; they were very well respected in regards to their ideologies and were a treat away from the many charlatans I had come across on the internet.

Marriage

Storme and I moved in with each other and, after a rocky few years at the hands of other people , we eventually got married in a little grove out in the middle of the state forest with a small gathering of our families.

We both weren’t big on traditional weddings and opted for a more pagan hand fastening ceremony instead.

After a fall out with my family, we dropped off the radar and became hermits moving from one rental to the next until we found a house that seemed to be haunted by a ghost that was actually quite pleasant to be around. This thing would open and close doors at night , but there was never a feeling a malice from it.

It was in this house that I began reworking the concepts of Alchemy I picked up in the HFC into my own meditations. Though the Steward’s ideologies were profound, I felt they were lacking in some areas and left much to be desired.

I began spending hours researching many allegories and writings of alchemy with the idea that the philosopher’s stone was the higher self.

I noticed from old alchemist texts I had in my possession that those particular Alchemists were using alchemy as a model for understanding the soul.

Thus my attention at that point was wholly devoted towards reconnecting with my higher self and hopefully making contact with the ascended masters.

Pay Off

On May 11th 2012 my meditations in alchemy paid off, and I was granted an audience with the very “people” I was seeking.

I was engaged in a lucid dream when I was “abducted” out of it into what I can only describe was a more “complete and real reality”. In fact it was so real, that I was forced to the conclusion that the physical world was the lesser of two “reals”.

I was standing in what appeared to be a courtyard a few acres in size, amidst a very large gathering of other people.

Based on the many music festivals I had been to in my youth, I estimated this group to be at least 20 000. We were all crammed into this courtyard that appeared to just be floating on its own out in the middle of space; you could actually see a nearby moon that was circling it, and this was pretty damned large; probably 10 to 20 times the size of our moon.

There was this gnawing sense of confusion going through me, and I noticed that same confusion present on the faces of the 20 000 others. It was a confusion born from knowing that I knew this place, but also knowing that I had forgotten it, and couldn’t work out why.

Over at the edge of the courtyard was a stone altar, and on the other side of this alter was what looked alike a small, curved amphitheater of an Ancient Greek like architecture where a bunch of beings in hooded robes sat, watching us 20 000.

I got the immediate impression that these beings were extremely old “Elders” and extremely powerful, unlike anything we know on earth.

Between us 20 000 and the amphitheater stood one of these Elders watching us in our confusion.

There were other people in this crowd that appeared to be our celestial families and they were hugging us, in tears, saying how they had missed us all and we’d been away for too long.

Remembrance

The Elder who stood between us and the other Elders, slowly approached me waiting for me to remember where I was.

Once he was satisfied my memory of this place was sufficient he began to speak to me, and that is when my mind began opening up and processing information at an incredible speed. I started operating from a state of awareness far above that of what is used whilst in a physical body.

The “Grand Elder” – as I called him – told me there was a sort of spiritual amnesia affecting mankind.

He said that the human brain had been deliberately engineered to cut them off from this state of awareness that I was now experiencing.

He told me that this amnesia had been created by a race of beings that did not want humans reconnecting with this power, and that they were the same ones responsible for the Ancient Egyptian Slave trade.

He referred to them as the “slave gods”.

This Grand Elder expressed concern that this amnesia would see the end of human life if it was left to continue unimpeded.

He told me my soul was over 40 000 years old and that I had been an active participant in trying to eradicate the amnesia for much of that time.

The reason, he said, that I had been summoned before them, was because of my abilities at lucid dreaming.

Apparently what I had learned through years of experimentation was considered so advanced by them, that very few people on earth possessed these same abilities; the amount of other who apparently possessed these abilities could be counted on one hand.

Nick-name

I was told that they (the Elders) had nick-named me “trick and trip” in salutation of these abilities; trick because of my abilities at evading the unseen enemy presence responsible for the amnesia, and trip for my abilities to “travel” to other worlds.

Apparently, according to these Elders, anyone who demonstrated these abilities were held in high regard by them, as it allowed them the opportunity to communicate with those back on the physical plane without it being compromised by external forces.

I was also told that I had been part of a “hive consciousness” that had tracked this amnesia to a black hole anomaly.

This black hole anomaly existed at the edge of this physical universe and was where the device causing the amnesia was being hidden.

The Grand Elder took me to its edge to help boost my memory, then brought me back before the gathering.

Put in Charge

It was here I was put in charge of the 20 000 other souls by the same grand Elder.

He gave me the task of rewriting their “soul code” to provide an unlocking mechanism so they could more easily wake up from the amnesia once they came back here to earth.

My assignment upon returning here was to regather them as one fighting force against the amnesia and its operators from within the earth plane.

I was to spread the message of everything he told me to anyone who would listen in an effort to reawaken these 20 000 consciousnesses to their own tasks.

After this I projected to the anomaly to try and get an understanding of it, much to the advice of the Grand Elder.

Somehow it was able to completely disintegrate my consciousness even though it was functioning from this higher state.

Within minutes I was reduced to an insane, incoherent mess.

I struggled to comprehend even the simplest of words as I tried crying out for my wife and telling her I was sorry I would not “be coming back to earth”. Shortly after this, everything went black and I woke up in my bed.

This was the first time out of several that the Grand Elder would contact me in relation to this amnesia.

To Be Continued…

 

MM Thoughts

This is obviously fascinating and an easy read. It touches and broaches a number of related MAJestic subject areas and approaches it from a different angle and view point. I must admit that while I am aware of much of what DM discusses, my actual exposure to the occult teachings, and methodology is of a different nature entirely.

That is neither good, nor bad.

It is neutral.

To be open and willing to take this information in, absorb it and learn from it is a valid and important step for us to understand our true natures and role on this planet. I cannot vouch whether it is true or not, but I can vouch that it is sincere and that it is an accurate description of something that is obviously personal and private.

I, for one, look forward to many more contributions.

As well as looking forward to your thoughts in this matter.

You can visit the daegonmagus Index here…

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MM Articles & Links

Master Index

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You’ll not find any big banners or popups here talking about cookies and privacy notices. There are no ads on this site (aside from the hosting ads – a necessary evil). Functionally and fundamentally, I just don’t make money off of this blog. It is NOT monetized. Finally, I don’t track you because I just don’t care to.

  • You can start reading the articles by going HERE.
  • You can visit the Index Page HERE to explore by article subject.
  • You can also ask the author some questions. You can go HERE to find out how to go about this.
  • You can find out more about the author HERE.
  • If you have concerns or complaints, you can go HERE.
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[ANONYMOUS] – Part 1 – MM unlocked an Adventure

The following is a series of articles describing the adventure that a follower who goes by the handle "ANONYMOUS" has experienced since reading MM. They are very interesting and fascinating. I hope that you all learn from his journey and maybe learn a thing or two as he relates his unique experiences to the readership here. 

A quick note. When I first posted this article I confused two contributors. This caused me some headaches and all should be resolved by now.

-MM

Preamble

MM,
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Seeing you suffer under DOS and database attack and the drop in visitations has really effected me as well, so I wanted to send you a big, heartfelt intention-bump. Without any exaggeration, your website has completely and irrevocably changed my entire life. My general way of living, mentality, and many other aspects have changed forever.
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The tale here is odd to say the least.
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Your blog basically “unlocked” me in January of this year, and prompted a very bizarre, incredibly frightening, but ultimately useful transformation including the unlocking of a number of new “abilities” which still has me totally stunned.
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I was waiting for this moment…..

How it all started

I am a middle aged man in Canada.
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During some unrelated web surfing in September of 2020, I was directed to one of your SHTF articles which was referred to on Reddit.
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As someone very prep-oriented, nothing you wrote there shocked me at all, but I enjoyed your style, grit and honesty.
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I had no idea at the time you had other experiences elsewhere, but upon return (to the MM site) I discovered your MAJ and all over documents, not to mention other hosted works in Bibliotech etc.
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As a quick backgrounder on me, I am a Spectrum-learner, with virtually no subject that I do not enjoy knowing more about, but with a huge focus on Science, ExoBiology, Planetary Sciences, Astronomy, Physics, Botany, and many more.
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But I am also a musician, artist, and I’ve worked as a professional Sous Chef before, so food is a huge thing for me.
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For what its worth, I brew my own beer, grow my own food, and so on. Where I live, I am very unusual.
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My professional background includes banking, high tech security and surveillance, and other technology related elements. I have also run my own business twice, and taken a company to the stock market here publicly. I understand computers, networks, and so on.

The Change

Before discovering you I was agnostic. One of those extremely skeptical types who values everything based on return on investment….. a “show me” kind of guy.
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This doesn’t mean I was closed. Dear Lord, no, I am voracious in learning and understanding in anything I can, and ET/UFOLOGY etc was all part of my general interest.
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For the record, I never believed we were “alone” and since I was 9 years old I took it for granted we would discover countless worlds and meet/interact with countless entities. Much of my childhood was spiritual, but that can be saved for another time.
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Sept 2020 I began reading your material, alongside my reading at the time which included Roger Penrose / Hawking but as well as a number of UFO related channeling websites and other such material.
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Nonetheless I kept coming back to MM over and over again.
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Something in the back of my mind started what I can only describe as a “rising agitation” as I consumed your material.
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I got the distinct impression I was being watched, and I hope that doesn’t sound too nuts, but it grew over time.
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As I continued reading the material, I became very very focused upon it, studying the Base 8 Number system, Functional Diagrams, Comments on Brown Dwarfs etc. It was like I had imagined a website built just for me, by you! Every article was incredible!
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But what started my experience was the growing realization that multidimensionally we were indeed being watched, every single moment of every day.
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I had a very frightening “oh shit!” moment when I finally accepted what I was learning.
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Studying Quantum Physics and other related topics for 20 years brought me to this one moment.
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I can tell you it was personally very shocking to realize everything I had ever done, every thought, every action, every Sin, every Rufus moment, was known. Also, I felt pretty stupid for not coming to this knowing earlier.
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Then something very dramatic happened, and I hope you can both understand and possibly shed light.

The Event

During a five-day period in January of 2021 I was really pushing hard to continue to read as much as possible from your site while maintaining my busy corporate life.
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Each day, I felt a rising wave of energy in me, like waves of “chills” beginning from the bottom of my feet and rising up my spine, spreading like energetic wings left and right, and then culminating in my head/crown.
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Keep in mind, I had very limited esoteric/spiritual background. I had no idea this was leading somewhere…..
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Each day the sensation grew, but it got weirder.
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Suddenly, and without any prompting or training, I had a very serious interest suddenly in sitting down on the ground, and breathing by inhaling through my nose (tongue on roof of mouth) and then exhaling as I digested your materials and revelations.
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I would pray in place (keep in mind I had prayed ZERO times for my entire life prior), and consider my own errors and successes as well as the nature of consciousness, the soul, etc.
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During this breathing, the energy would increase.
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Whilst my eyes were closed, I started to see what seemed to be a “field” of dimensionality I hadn’t seen, which was lit up. Then, shimmering light from the top of my field of view (with eyes closed).
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By the third day, I was sleeping less and less and less and reading more and more and more.
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Also, during my circular breathing moments, I started to notice all of my hair would stand on end, and massive goosebumps would show up along the entire length of my body.
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I felt pressure at the top of my head in the shape of a torus, and then soon, the sensation of a DOT roaming around on my forehead, then “fixing” in place between my eyes.
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Another sensation was at the exact center of the top of my skull, like a “pulling” upwards from my body to somewhere above me, so to speak.
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On the fifth day, I had slept less than 3 hours, and was meditating, breathing and praying a LOT. Yet, for whatever reason, even though this was totally bizarre and unprecedented behavior, I felt bliss.
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On that day, I mentally said the words “God I know believe in you, and I want to Serve Others”.
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I knew personally, that being a mixed Sentience was NOT what I was, and not the man I knew I could be.
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MM, this was nuts. I was pulled to the tips of my toes and what felt like lightning ripped through my body. The feeling was akin to a bizarre ecstasy and I knew I was a different person.
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I said “thank you” out loud.

Follow though…

During my intense meditations afterwards I began projecting block letters in my mind, and i didn’t know why, but they had themes like “Unity” “Peace” “Co-Operate” “UNITY MIND to MIND” and other ideas.
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But it got even crazier.
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I started seeing visions in my mind of our civilization in the future, and I knew it was 500 years from now approx, but I didn’t know how I knew.
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In it I saw thousands and thousands of people gathering, as I hovered over the landscape watching them assemble. These people assembled first in one triangle, and then another overlapping triangle. The Double-Tetrahedron Star of David.
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In the middle of the grouping there were elders or seers with hands outstretched. Then the entire crowd (tens of thousands of people) began to sing in a way I’ve never heard.
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Now please don’t think I am certifiable but for some reason I could sense why this was being done.
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It was a massive prayer and intention ritual used to bring Earth to a Zero-Point in a different pocket universe to allow for planetary healing and a reset as humanity began to graduate into STO Sentience and Sovereignty.
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We were growing up…..finally.
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There is so much more insane detail here I can barely begin, but it included Psychic Colleges, Parent-Child classes from birth and all kinds of incredible outcomes from this new Way. It was very detailed and incredibly inspirational….
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…and alien.

End of part 1

Pretty exciting? Right? Well this is one man's experience. And everyone will have their own personal experience that will be just as profound and just as amazing. From seeing faeries to breathless communication with cherished pets, to mind-boggling breakthroughs in understandings and realizations. It's all the same thing. - MM
What to expect in future articles…
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…an encounter with an Entity and a terrifying “debate” where I was mentally crushed by this entity. Afterwards, and to this very moment, I have the ability to pull “source/prana/energy/whatever” at will, and this seems to have a massive impact on my prayers and intentions.
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In other words, I am starting to see very noticeable manifestations.
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I have also seen many many different shapes, diagrams (which I can interact with sort of), and other images in my meditative mind.
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The synchronicities in my life are off the chart, sometimes 8 to 10 jaw dropping events in a single day. Its like living in my own Movie now, and its a trip.
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My entire life has changed. I mediate often and pray often. I am single for the first time in decades and without a solid footing.
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The MM website is a touchstone for sanity. I am becoming the Rufus……slowly. I will say, that changing ones Sentience from Mixed (which I absolutely was) to STO is the hardest and most rewarding thing I’ve ever done. Ever.
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You can visit the ANONYMOUS Index here…

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MM Articles & Links

Master Index

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You’ll not find any big banners or popups here talking about cookies and privacy notices. There are no ads on this site (aside from the hosting ads – a necessary evil). Functionally and fundamentally, I just don’t make money off of this blog. It is NOT monetized. Finally, I don’t track you because I just don’t care to.

  • You can start reading the articles by going HERE.
  • You can visit the Index Page HERE to explore by article subject.
  • You can also ask the author some questions. You can go HERE to find out how to go about this.
  • You can find out more about the author HERE.
  • If you have concerns or complaints, you can go HERE.
  • If you want to make a donation, you can go HERE.

The origin of consciousness and how we got “here”

Now how about that for a title. Maybe if I’m lucky, it might end up on page 500 in a Google search ranking. LOL.

The other day, I had to go to the doctor.

You see I have been taking blood pressure medicine. Somehow, probably due to my age, and most people my age do take this medicine, I had to join the ranks. And it was a good thing too. Mine was pretty high. On a number of occasions I was just about ready to pop.

Systolic blood pressure readings at least 140 or diastolic blood pressure readings at least 90 usually indicate Stage 2 Hypertension , which puts you at high risk for life-threatening problems such as heart attack and stroke. Once you become 60+ in age, the normal range is 134/87.

Mine was 165/ 96 most of the time. Yikes!

So he prescribed some blood pressure medicine for me. It was a little white pill. Dirt cheap. He said that I would have to take it for the rest of my life. I told him “okey dokey”, and he just looked at me. Being Chinese, I don’t think that he knew what that meant.

So then I said “thank you” in Chinese, and he smiled and all was good.

And I started taking it, every morning when I got up. First thing. pop that little white pill and start the day. And you know, after a while my body adjusted and my blood pressure lowered and stabilized and all was good.

But then, I started to have some side effects.

Nothing too radical, don’t you know.

For one, I started to get “elephant ankles”. My ankles both swelled up and looked like tree trunks.I was embarrassed to show my legs. They looked awful.

And my heart seemed to act strangely. I began to be “aware of it”. Like I knew that it was there, when before I didn’t care. If any of that makes sense.

Then, one night, I woke up clutching my heart. It felt like someone was tickling it.

So the next day we went to the local clinic and went to the doctor there. He looked at my mouth. He looked at my ears. He felt my chest. He checked my spine, and the under-soles of my feet. Then he nodded, and said that “yes, of course I was having some issues.”

So I went and had some further tests done. And then brought the results to him.

Mind you, this was all in the local clinic here. In China, the government treats local medical care as a very important aspect of life. And so not only is it efficient and quick, but it is pretty inexpensive. All told, the total cost was around 600 RMB, or maybe $85 USD.

Anyways, he told me that my heart was perfectly fine. Not to worry. My heart was good. And then prescribed me a bunch of heart medicine. Maybe five different types of pills, and a big garbage bag full of the boxes.

Ah. China.

Anyways, I went and ate a delicious fish afterwards and pondered my life. You do this from time to time, you know. You look at your life and you wonder and compare. You look at what it was like when you were young, and what your life is now. Not in sadness. Just in contemplation.

So I drank some wine.

It’s good for the heart, don’t you know.

And I ate some fish. Tasty, delicious, Chinese fish.

And I thought about things.

Lao Hunan fish. A little bit spicy.

Why the Hell was I living this life?

Which brought me to this point, and to this article.

Today it is the origin of consciousness is what we are going to talk about. We are going to discuss how YOU… that is your consciousness… came into being. And what is going on right now as YOU (as consciousness) are reading this here.

To begin with let’s start with something that both the Alien Interview and MAJestic agrees with.

In the beginning…

There was nothing, and then there was an explosion of quanta / particles that started to group together. They formed clumps. And over many, many, MANY trillions of trillions of years consciousness developed.

Over time…

IS-BEs are not physical universe entities.  

They are a source of energy and illusion. 

IS- BEs are not located in space or time, but can create space, place particles in space, create energy, and shape particles into various forms, cause the motion of forms, and animate forms.

Any form that is animated by an IS-BE is called life.

In Alien Interview, the extraterrestrial referred to these consciousnesses as IS-BE. In MAJestic, we just refer to it as consciousness. Which is pretty much the reason why I stick with referring to consciousness rather than IS-BE. I guess that I am just an old guy, with old habits that die hard.

Anyways, over many trillions of years, these individual consciousnesses started to interact with each other.

They started to communicate with each other.

They started to organize and they started to create a non-physical reality from which they would dwell, work and live within.

Before the formation of the physical universe there was a vast period during which universes were not solid, but wholly illusionary.   

You might say that the universe was a universe of magical illusions which were made to appear and vanish at the will of the magician.

Then, after many, many more trillions of years, they decided to create a physical universe. And so they thought, organized, planned and then created a physical universe. Separate universes were brought together and unified to form one singular universe.

Each IS-BE entered into the physical universe when they lost their own, "home" universe. That is, when an IS-BE's "home" universe was overwhelmed by the physical universe, or when the IS-BE joined with other IS-BEs to create or conquer the physical universe.

We call that “the big bang”. And our “experts” have dated it to around 14 billion years ago.

The Creation of the Physical Reality

And of course, with the creation of the universe, we had the creation of all the planets, stars, galaxies and all of that.

And it took time.

And over many billions of years, these consciousnesses started to populate this physical universe with life.

Eventually creating archetypes that populated the universe. Each archetype had regional variations to live in certain environments. And the consciousness placed regional variants of these archetypes all over the universe.

The notion that human biological organisms evolved naturally from earlier ape-like forms is incorrect.     

No physical evidence will ever be uncovered to substantiate the notion that modern humanoid bodies evolved on this planet.

The reason is simple: the idea that human bodies evolved spontaneously from the primordial ooze of chemical interactivity in the dim mists of time is nothing more than a hypnotic lie.

(It was) instilled by the amnesia operation to prevent your recollection of the true origins of Mankind.  

Factually, humanoid bodies have existed in various forms throughout the universe for trillions of years.

So life abounded all over the universe. First with microbial life, then with plants, fishes, and so on and so forth.

Multiple Universes

Ah.

There are more than one universe. There are many, many universes. The physical universe (along with it’s non-physical universe components) is but one universe.

Or in other words,

[1] Physical universe + [2] non-physical universe = [3] “our” universe.

And yet there are many, many others. And we tend to refer to them as “Heaven”. Which tends to be confusing as many people confuse “Heaven for humans” with the non-physical reality that surround our MWI (in our universe).

In this fashion, all of the space, galaxies, suns, planets, and physical phenomena of this universe, including life forms, places, and events have been created by IS-BEs and sustained by mutual agreement that these things exist. 

There are as many universes as there are IS-BEs to imagine, build and perceive them, each existing concurrently within its own continuum.

Each universe is created using its own unique set of rules, as imagined, altered, preserved or destroyed by one or more IS-BEs who created it.

Time, energy, objects and space, as defined in terms of the physical universe, may or may not exist in other universes.

The Domain exists in such a universe, as well as in the physical universe.

Now, both the “Alien Interview” and the MAJestic discourses agree about all this, for the most part. As far as I can tell the general overview is identical. MAJestic agrees with Alien Interview and, vice versa.

But now we come to a “fork in the road”. For there is a difference in belief or understanding between the two “camps”. Well sort-of. Maybe the understanding is looking at the same thing from different angles.

A difference in belief – Alien Interview

I am going to simplify my thoughts on this matter, and I might be in error…

According to “Alien Interview”, all consciousness was created a long, long, long time ago.

Airl explained that IS-BEs have been around since before the beginning of the universe. The reason they are called "immortal", is because a "spirit" is not born and cannot die, but exists in a personally postulated perception of "is - will be".

And, the various consciousnesses entered “our” universe at different times.

IS-BEs arrival or invasion into the physical universe took place at different times, some 60 trillion years ago, and others only 3 trillion.

So to summarize, according to Alien Interview, consciousness comes from somewhere outside of time and space and it creates a universe to live in. Eventually, the universes merge with other universes, and the consciousness exists within this growing and expanding universe.

Now, let’s look at what I was instructed during my time in MAJestic…

A difference in belief – MAJestic

This is a compilation of <redacted> (not that it's secret, but the background is way too involved to get involved with at this time.) from a combination of sources that <redacted>.  EBP and ELF sourced.

Consciousness is constructed in “human Heaven”. It originates from Soul. It is built up through the collection of quanta obtained through experiences. And becomes more and more advanced over time.

Thus the purpose of reincarnation, over and over again, is to improve the soul, that consciousness derives from.

Thus, for the humans to learn, grow, mover forward to the “next big thing” they need to experience life, after life, after life, over and over again. Each time getting bigger, and better.

And eventually…

…some day, they will evolve into something else.

I made a graphic of this on one of my articles. How you start off as a microbe, obtain experiences, then are an insect. You obtain more experiences, then become a humans, etc.. etc.

The fundamental difference

The fundamental differences between what Alien Interview said, and MAJestic said can be classified as following…

  • Alien Interview – Consciousness came before the universe, and is perfect as is.
  • MAJestic – Consciousness is created in Heaven, and needs to experience reincarnation to evolve.

Both could be true simultaneously, or one could be true alone.

I suppose it is up to the reader to determine which one is most accurate.

MM thoughts

I suppose that the earliest consciousnesses from the start of everything could be considered part of “The Domain”. And other consciousnesses that formed piecemeal, and have formed in other universes, can also be existent.

And in a universe where anything is possible, the ability to create a consciousness must also be possible.

And if you are going to create a consciousness, wouldn’t it make sense to cultivate and “grow” it? And growth through the accumulation of quanta obtained by experiences does make sense.

But…

[1] Omniscient. According to Alien Interview, once you obtain consciousness, you automatically know everything. You are omniscient. Thus you don’t need to “learn anything”. You don’t need to grow and advance, and evolve.

So why do this?

[2] Reincarnation. There are many ways of obtaining knowledge, and experience. Yet, WHY do you need to reincarnate, back to earth, with your memories erased? Why not build upon what you learned from your previous life? Wouldn’t that be more efficient, and better for the consciousness? You do not NEED to forget things.

Cats don’t.

Dogs don’t.

Horses don’t.

What purpose does amnesia have? And what does it have with building quanta associations? It doesn’t make sense, as far as I can see.

These two points [1 and 2] seem to invalidate the MAJestic belief system. Now, maybe I am being wrong in all this…

But, to me, it seems that the idea that you MUST reincarnate over and over in the hope of some eventual reward smacks of fraud.

It’s like the USA election process. Every four years you have an election, and over and over and over, but nothing changes. You are given the illusion that you have some ability to change things, but in truth you don’t have any ability at all.

Let’s elaborate on this some…

For most of humanity, we are taught that there is one God, and that we must live our lives and fulfill certain requirements and then when we die will be rewarded with Heaven. Different religions have different terms, and different processes, and different laws, but the basic idea stays the same.

The basic idea stays the same.

Then there are “secret” organizations. Some like MAJestic, and occult studies teach (in their various ways) that the truth is something different.

You learn that when you die, you meet guides who will take you to a “tunnel of light”. When you pass through that tunnel you will arrive in Heaven. And there in Heaven, you will be judged.  Then for one reason or the other, you must “return to Earth” as part of some “mission”.

But Alien Interview says something quite different…

As consciousness…

No human being ever assumes personal responsibility for the fact that they, themselves -- individually and collectively -- are gods.   This fact alone is the source of entrapment for every IS-BE.

Thus there is no need for “secret missions”, “growth through suffering”, “reincarnation”, “learning or training” in regards to this belief system.

While the extraterrestrial stated that it did go through some specific training to operate various physical objects and roles, they pertained to interaction with the physical universe in one way or the other. While these other “secret societies” and geography of Heaven  refer to training to improve one’s being or improve one’s consciousness.

Yet, in Alien Interview we learn that once you are consciousness, you know everything. You transcend the universe.

So to me, it appears that this belief that you go through the “tunnel of light” will take you to Heaven is a trap. Instead it appears to be an elaborate system of reprogramming, memory erasure, and extraction of your experiences.

I wrote about this before.

How other species can farm your soul for experiences. Where you have to relive a Hellish life, over and over again, and then extract the quantum associations, and then re-inject you back into the environment.

In fact, it is just like this Bruce Willis movie… Vice (2015).

Bruce Willis stars in this Sci-Fi thriller about ultimate resort: VICE, where customers can play out their wildest fantasies with artificial inhabitants who look like humans.

It is about an artificial human-being (an android) that escapes from a place where people can play out their wildest fantasies. The android (say a woman) would go into this environment with no memories and live out her life, then she encounters a “customer” to the environment who she thinks is a normal guy. The guy brutally rapes her, tortures her, and then kills her. He leaves, a squad a people come into the facility, extract her. Download her memories. Erase her memories, clean her up and send her back in for the next “customer”.

Then, she would go into this environment with no memories and live out her life, then she encounters a “customer” to the environment who she thinks is a normal guy. The guy brutally rapes her, tortures her, and then kills her. He leaves, a squad a people come into the facility, extract her. Download her memories. Erase her memories, clean her up and send her back in for the next “customer”.

Then, she would go into this environment with no memories and live out her life, then she encounters a “customer” to the environment who she thinks is a normal guy. The guy brutally rapes her, tortures her, and then kills her. He leaves, a squad a people come into the facility, extract her. Download her memories. Erase her memories, clean her up and send her back in for the next “customer”.

The movie is about one android who regains her memories and does not want to return back to that world.

That is what the Earth sounds like to me. It’s relive Hell over and over again, and never retain any memories so that you can learn from the experiences.

Vice (2015)

Conclusion

The more that I look at it, the clearer it becomes. The Alien Interview is everything that the extraterrestrial said it was. And as elaborate as the idea of Heaven is, I simply cannot reconcile the need for amnesia as part of a reincarnation process to “improve” consciousness and soul.

It seems to me that the best thing to do is upon death not to go into the “tunnel of light” no matter how much that you are drawn towards it. Instead, you just say put where you are in the incorporeal state.

I will cover, in later articles, how to establish “beacons” to alert others to retrieve you. And some other tools that might be helpful

In the meantime, relax. Make sure you are good and healthy. Eat some fine delicious food, drink some fine beverages (of your choice), and spend time with loved ones. Maybe sit on the porch. Have some lemonade. Watch the sun set. Or perhaps sit in your truck alone on a dirt road near some corn fields. Or, maybe ride to a cemetery. Park there, and eat a sandwich.

Did you ever just sit in your truck…

It’s the little things in life that matter most.

Do you want more?

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A look at the report “alien interview” by MM parsing items deemed thousands of years old

I have presented the PDF titled “Alien Interview” to the readership. It is supposed to be the transcripts of the interview that a nurse had with an extraterrestrial entity that was recovered from a spaceship crash in Roswell, New Mexico. There is a lot of good stuff there, and some things that run counter to what I know and understand to be true. My intention here is to parse the entire book, and compare it to what I know. Where the two diverge, it will be up to you (the readership) to sort it out.

In the transcript the extraterrestrial jumps all over. And in many instances he seems to reflect normal regular human feelings and attitudes about issues (such as the platypus) and you can read it and miss many things as it is a dated document translated by a nurse in 1947. In order to best sort it out, to a frame of reference that we can all understand, I am now (in this series of articles) going to separate the “Alien Interview” document into sections categorized by dates.

The extraterrestrial discussed period of time in…

  • Trillions of years. (Birth of consciousness, universe creation.)
  • Billions of years. (Galaxy creation, and early civilizations.)
  • Millions of years. (Local events in our region, and mankind.)
  • Thousands of years. (A scope most important to humans.)

In this article we will discuss the time scope of thousands of years.

Because the text will be taken out of the document, there might be some discontinuity in the text. In any case, I would advise reading the entire full document for a better understanding of context. Further, keep in mind that the purpose of this particular post / article is to separate the transcript into wide categories depending on the span of times discussed. I fear that the extraterrestrial was talking about a few thousand years in the past, then jumped to trillions of years ago, jumps to millions of years ago, jumps to decades, and then back to billions of years ago. This effort is to help sort things out chronologically.

The text segments…

"What would you like to say, Airl?", I asked. "I have been a part of the Domain Expeditionary Force in this sector of space for several thousand years.  However, I have not personally had intimate contact with beings on Earth since 5,965 BCE.   It is not my primary function to interact with inhabitants of planets within The Domain.   I am an Officer, Pilot and Engineer, with many duties to perform. Nonetheless, although I am fluent in 347 other languages within The Domain, I have not been exposed to your English language.

The last Earth language with which I was conversant was the Sanskrit language of the Vedic Hymns. At that time I was a member of a mission sent to investigate the loss of a Domain base located in the Himalaya Mountains. An entire battalion of officers, pilots, communications and administrative personnel disappeared and the base destroyed.

One of my duties involved interrogation of the human population that inhabited the adjoining area at that time.  Many of the people in that region reported sighting "vimanas" or space craft in the area.

Following the logical extension of evidence, testimony, observation, as well as the absence of certain evidence, I led my team to the discovery that there were still "Old Empire" ships and well-hidden "Old Empire" installations in this solar system of which we had been completely unaware.

"Airl told me her reasons for coming to Earth and for being in the area of the 509th Bomber Squadron. She was sent by her superior officers to investigate the explosions of nuclear weapons which have been tested in New Mexico. Her superiors ordered her to gather information from the atmosphere that could be used to determine the extent of radiation and potential harm this might cause to the environment. During her mission, the space craft was struck by a lighting, which caused her to lose control and crash.

Airl was, and still is, an officer, pilot and engineer in an expeditionary force which is part of a space opera civilization which refers to itself as "The Domain".  This civilization controls a vast number of galaxies, stars, planets, moons and asteroids throughout an area of space that is approximately one-fourth of the entire physical universe!    The continuing mission of her organization is to "Secure, control and expand the territory and resources of The Domain".

Airl pointed out that their own activities were very similar in many ways to the European explorers who "discovered" and "claimed" the New World for The Holy Father, The Pope and for the kings of Spain, Portugal and later, Holland, England, France and so forth. Europe benefited from the property "acquired" from the native inhabitants.  However, the native inhabitants were never consulted with or asked for their permission to become a part of the "domain" of European nations and the soldiers and priests they sent to acquire territory and wealth in order to advance their interests.

Airl said she read in a history book that the Spanish king regretted the brutal treatment of the native inhabitants by his soldiers.   He feared retribution from the gods he worshipped, as described in the various testaments of the Bible.   He asked the Pope to prepare a statement called "The Requirement" which was supposed to be read to each of the newly encountered native inhabitants.

The king hoped that the statement, whether it was accepted or rejected by the natives, would absolve the King of all responsibility for the resulting slaughter and enslavement of these people. He used this statement as justification to confiscate their lands and possessions by his soldiers and the Pope's priests.    Apparently, the Pope, personally, did not have any feelings of guilt or responsibility in the matter.

Airl thought that such actions were those of a coward and that it is no surprise that the territory of Spain was diminished so quickly. Only a few years later the king was dead and his empire had been assimilated by other nations.

Airl said that this sort of  behavior does not occur in The Domain.   Their leaders assume full responsibility for the actions of The Domain, and would not denigrate themselves in this fashion.   Nor do they fear any gods or have any regret for their actions. This idea reinforces my earlier suggestion that Airl and her people are probably atheists.

In the case of the acquisition of Earth by The Domain, the rulers of The Domain have chosen not to openly reveal this intention to the "native inhabitants" of Earth until a later time when it may, or may not, suit their interests to reveal themselves.   For the present time, it is not strategically necessary to make the presence of The Domain Expeditionary Force known to Mankind.                          In fact, until now, it has been very aggressively hidden, for reasons that will be revealed later.

The asteroid belt near Earth is a very small, but important location for The Domain in this part of space.   Actually, some of the objects in our solar system are very valuable for use as low-gravity "space stations".     They are interested primarily in the low gravity satellites in this solar system which consists mainly of the side of the moon facing away from Earth and the asteroid belt, which was a planet that was destroyed billions of years ago, and to a lesser degree, Mars and Venus.   Domed structures synthesized from gypsum or underground bases covered by electromagnetic force screens are easily constructed to house the Domain forces.

Once an area of space is acquired by The Domain and becomes a part of the territory under its control, it is treated as the "property" of The Domain.  The space station near the planet Earth is important only because it lay along a path of The Domain expansion route toward the center of the Milky Way galaxy and beyond.    Of course, everyone in The Domain is aware of this -- except for the people of Earth."

"Airl described the abilities of an IS-BE officer of The Domain to me, and she demonstrated one to me when she contacted -- telepathically -- a communications officer of The Domain who is stationed in the asteroid belt.

The asteroid belt is composed of thousands of broken up pieces of a planet that once existed between Mars and Jupiter.    It serves as a good low-gravity jumping off point for incoming space craft traveling toward the center of our galaxy.

She requested that this officer consult information stored in the "files" of The Domain, concerning the history of Earth.     She asked the communications officer to "feed" this information to Airl. The communications officer immediately complied with the request. Based on the information stored in the files of The Domain, Airl was able to give me a brief overview or "history lesson".  This is what Airl told me that The Domain had observed about the history of Earth:

She told me that The Domain Expeditionary Force first entered into the Milky Way galaxy very recently -- only about 10,000 years ago.  Their first action was to conquer the home planets of the "Old Empire" (this is not the official name, but a nick-name given to the conquered civilization by The Domain Forces) that served as the seat of central government for this galaxy, and other adjoining regions of space. These planets are  located in the star systems in the tail of the Big Dipper constellation. She did not mention which stars, exactly.

About 1,500 years later The Domain began the installation bases for their own forces along the path of invasion which leads toward the center of this galaxy and beyond.   About 8,200 years ago The Domain forces set up a base on Earth in the Himalaya Mountains near the border of modern Pakistan and Afghanistan.   This was a base for a battalion of The Domain Expeditionary Force, which included about 3,000 members.

They set up a base under or inside the top of a mountain.  The mountain top was drilled into and made hollow to create an area large enough to house the ships and personnel of that force. An electronic illusion of the mountain top was then created to hide the base by projecting a false image from inside the mountain against a "force screen".    The ships could then enter and exit through the force screen, yet remain unseen by homo sapiens.

Shortly after they settled there the base was surprised by an attack from a remnant of the military forces of the "Old Empire". Unbeknownst to The Domain, a hidden, underground base on Mars, operated by the "Old Empire", had existed for a very long time.  The Domain base was wiped out by a military attack from the Mars base and the IS-BEs of The Domain Expeditionary Force were captured.

You can imagine that The Domain was very upset about losing such a large force of officers and crew, so they sent other crews to Earth to look for them. Those crews were also attacked.   The captured IS-BEs from The Domain Forces were handled in the same fashion as all other IS-BEs who have been sent to Earth. They were each given amnesia, had their memories replaced with false pictures and hypnotic commands and sent to Earth to inhabit biological bodies. They are still a part of the human population today.

After a very persistent and extensive investigation into the loss of their crews, The Domain discovered that "Old Empire" has been operating a very extensive, and very carefully hidden, base of operations in this part of the galaxy for millions of years.   No one knows exactly how long.  Eventually, the space craft of the "Old Empire" forces and The Domain engaged each other in open combat in the space of the solar system.

According to Airl, there was a running battle between the "Old Empire" forces and The Domain until about 1235 AD, when The Domain forces finally destroyed the last of the space craft of the "Old Empire" force in this area.   The Domain Expeditionary Force lost many of its own ships in this area during that time also.

About 1,000 years later the "Old Empire" base was discovered by accident in the spring of 1914 AD. The discovery was made when the body of the Archduke of Austria   was "taken over" by an officer of The Domain Expeditionary Force. This officer, who was stationed in the asteroid belt, was sent to Earth on a routine mission to gather reconnaissance.

The purpose of this "take over" was to use the body as a "disguise" through which to infiltrate human society in order to gather information about current events on Earth.  he officer, as an IS-BE, having greater power than the being inhabiting the body of the Archduke, simply "pushed" the being out and took over control of the body.

However, this officer did not realize how much the Hapsburgs were hated by feuding factions in the country, so he was caught off guard when the body of the Archduke  was assassinated by a Bosnian student.  The officer, or IS-BE, was suddenly "knocked out" of the body when it was shot by the assassin.         Disoriented, the IS-BE inadvertently penetrated one of the "amnesia force screens" and was captured.

Eventually The Domain discovered that a wide area of space is monitored by an "electronic force field" which controls all of the IS-BEs in this end of the galaxy, including Earth.  The electronic force screen is designed to detect IS-BEs and prevent them from leaving the area.

If any IS-BE attempts to penetrate the force screen, it "captures" them in a kind of "electronic net".   The result is that the captured IS-BE is subjected to a very severe "brainwashing" treatment which erases the memory of the IS-BE.  This process uses a tremendous electrical shock, just like Earth psychiatrists use "electric shock therapy" to erase the memory and personality of a "patient" and to make them more "cooperative".

On Earth this "therapy" uses only a few hundred volts of electricity.    However, the electrical voltage used by the "Old Empire" operation against IS-BEs is on the order of magnitude of billions of volts!  This tremendous shock completely wipes out all the memory of the IS- BE.  The memory erasure is not just for one life or one body.  It wipes out all of the accumulated experiences of a nearly infinite past, as well as the identity of the IS-BE!

The shock is intended to make it impossible for the IS-BE to remember who they are, where they came from, their knowledge or skills, their memory of the past, and ability to function as a spiritual entity.   They are overwhelmed into becoming a mindless, robotic non-entity.

After the shock a series of post hypnotic suggestions are used to install false memories, and a false time orientation in each IS-BE. This includes the command to "return" to the base after the body dies, so that the same kind of shock and hypnosis can be done again, and again, again -- forever.  The hypnotic command also tells the "patient" to forget to remember.

What The Domain learned from the experience of this officer is that the "Old Empire" has been using Earth as a "prison planet" for a very long time -- exactly how long is unknown -- perhaps millions of years.

So, when the body of the IS-BE dies they depart from the body. They are detected by the "force screen", they are captured and   "ordered" by hypnotic command to "return to the light".   The idea of "heaven" and the "afterlife" are part of the hypnotic suggestion -- a part of the treachery that makes the whole mechanism work.

After the IS-BE has been shocked and hypnotized to erase the memory of the life just lived,  the IS-BE is immediately "commanded", hypnotically, to "report" back to Earth, as though they were on a secret mission, to inhabit a new body.  Each IS-BE is told that they have a special purpose for being on Earth. But, of course there is no purpose for being in a prison -- at least not for the prisoner.

Any undesirable IS-BEs who are sentenced to Earth were classified as "untouchable" by the "Old Empire".  This included anyone that the "Old Empire" judged to be criminals who are too vicious to be reformed or subdued, as well as other criminals such as sexual perverts, or beings unwilling to do any productive work.

An "untouchable" classification of IS-BEs also includes a wide variety of "political prisoners".   This includes IS-BEs who are considered to be noncompliant "free thinkers" or "revolutionaries" who make trouble for the governments of the various planets of the "Old Empire". Of course, anyone with a previous military record against the "Old Empire" is also shipped off to Earth.

A list of "untouchables" include artists, painters, singers, musicians, writers, actors, and performers of every kind.   For this reason Earth has more artists per capita than any other planet in the "Old Empire".

"Untouchables" also include intellectuals, inventors and geniuses in almost every field. Since everything the "Old Empire" considers valuable has long since been invented or created over the last few trillion years, they have no further use for such beings. This includes skilled managers also, which are not needed in a society of obedient, robotic citizens.

Anyone who is not willing or able to submit to mindless  economic, political and religious servitude as a tax-paying worker in the class system of the "Old Empire" are "untouchable" and sentenced to receive memory wipe-out and permanent imprisonment on Earth.

The net result is that an IS-BE is unable to escape because they can't remember who they are, where they came from, where they are. They have been hypnotized to think they are someone, something, sometime, and somewhere other than where they really are.

The Domain officer who was "assassinated" while in the body of Archduke of Austria was, likewise, captured by the "Old Empire" force. Because this particular officer was a high powered IS-BE, compared to most, he was taken away to a secret "Old Empire" base under the surface of the planet Mars.  They put him into a special electronic prison cell and held him there.

Fortunately, this Domain officer was able to escape from the underground base after 27 years in captivity.   When he escaped from the "Old Empire" base, he returned immediately to his own base in the asteroid belt.   His commanding officer ordered that a battle cruiser be dispatched to the coordinates of the base provided by this officer and to destroy that base completely. This "Old Empire" base was located a few hundred miles north of the equator on Mars in the Cydonia region.

Although the military base of the "Old Empire" was destroyed, unfortunately, much of the vast machinery of the IS-BE force screens, the electroshock / amnesia / hypnosis machinery continues to function in other undiscovered locations right up to the present moment.  The main base or control center for this "mind control prison" operation has never been found. So, the influences of this base, or bases, are still in effect.

The Domain has observed that since the "Old Empire" space forces were destroyed there is no one left to actively prevent other planetary systems from bringing their own "untouchable" IS-BEs to Earth from all over this galaxy, and from other galaxies nearby.    Therefore, Earth has become a universal dumping ground for this entire region of space.

This, in part, explains the very unusual mix of races, cultures, languages, moral codes, religious and political influences among the IS-BE population on Earth.  The number and variety of heterogeneous societies on Earth are extremely unusual on a normal planet.   Most "Sun Type 12, Class 7" planets are inhabited by only one humanoid body type or race, if any.

In addition, most of the ancient civilizations of Earth, and many of the events of Earth have been heavily influenced by the hidden, hypnotic operation of the "Old Empire" base.  So far, no one has figured out exactly where and how this operation is run, or by whom because it is so heavily protected by screens and traps.

Furthermore, there has been no operation undertaken to seek out, discover and destroy the vast and ancient network of electronics machinery that create the IS-BE force screens at this end of the galaxy. Until this has been done, we are not able to prevent or interrupt the electric shock operation, hypnosis and remote thought control of the "Old Empire" prison planet.

Of course all of the crew members of The Domain Expeditionary Force now remain aware of this phenomena at all times while operating in this solar system space so as to prevent detection and the capture by "Old Empire" traps."

"The Domain Expeditionary Force has observed a resurgence in science and culture of the Western world since 1150 AD when the remaining remnants of the space fleet of the "Old Empire" in this solar system were destroyed.

The influence of the remote control hypnosis operation diminished slightly after that time, but still remains largely in force.

Apparently a small amount of damage was done to the "Old Empire" remote mind control operation which resulted in a small decrease in the power of this mechanism.

As a result, some memory of technologies that IS-BEs already knew before they came to Earth started to be remembered. Thereafter the oppression of knowledge that is called the "Dark Ages" in Europe began to diminish after that time.

Since then knowledge of the basic laws of physics and electricity have revolutionized Earth culture virtually overnight.

The ability to remember technology by many of the geniuses in the IS-BE population of Earth was partially restored, when not so actively suppressed as it was before 1150 AD. Sir Isaac Newton, is one of the best examples of this. In only a few decades he single-handedly reinvented several major and fundamental scientific and mathematical disciplines.

The men who "remembered" these sciences already knew them before they were sent to Earth. Ordinarily, no one would ever observe or discover as much about science and mathematics in a single life-time, or even in a few hundred life-times.    These subjects have taken civilizations billions and billions of years to create!

IS-BEs on Earth have only just begun to remember small fragments of all the technologies that exist throughout the universe.   Theoretically, if the amnesia mechanisms being used against Earth could be broken entirely, IS-BEs would regain all of their memory!

Unfortunately, similar advances have not been seen in the humanities as the IS-BEs of Earth continue to behave very badly toward each other.  This behavior, however, is heavily influenced by the "hypnotic commands" given to each IS-BE between lifetimes.

And, the very unusual combination of "inmates" on Earth - criminals, perverts, artists, revolutionaries and geniuses - is the cause of a very restive and tumultuous environment.   The purpose of the prison planet is to keep IS-BEs on Earth, forever. Promoting ignorance, superstition, and war between IS-BEs helps to keep the prison population crippled and trapped behind "the wall" of electronic force screens.

IS-BEs have been dumped on Earth from all over the galaxy, adjoining galaxies, and from planetary systems all over the "Old Empire", like Sirius, Aldebaron, the Pleiades, Orion, Draconis, and countless others. There are IS- BEs on Earth from unnamed races, civilizations, cultural backgrounds, and planetary environments. Each of the various IS-BE populations have their own languages, belief systems, moral values, religious beliefs, training and unknown and untold histories.

These IS-BEs are mixed together with earlier inhabitants of Earth who came from another star system more than 400,000 years ago to establish the civilizations of Atlanta and Lemuria.   Those civilizations vanished beneath the tidal waves caused by a planetary "polar shift", many thousands of years before the current "prison" population started to arrive.  Apparently, the IS-BEs from those star systems were the source of the original, oriental races of Earth, beginning in Australia.

On the other hand, the civilizations set up on Earth by the "Old Empire" prison system were very different from the civilization of the "Old Empire" itself, which is an electronic space opera, atomic powered conglomeration of earlier civilizations that were conquered with nuclear weapons and colonized by IS-BEs from another galaxy.

The bureaucracy that controlled the former "Old Empire" was from an ancient space opera society, run by a totalitarian confederation of planetary governments, regulated by a brutal social, economic, and political hierarchy, with a royal monarch as its figurehead.

This type of government emerges with regularity on planets where the citizens abandon personal responsibility for autonomous, self-regulation. They frequently lose their freedom to demented IS-BEs who suffer from an overwhelming paranoia that every other IS-BE is their enemy who must be controlled or destroyed. Their closest friends and allies, whom they espouse to love and cherish, are literally "loved to death" by them.

Because such IS-BEs exist, The Domain has learned that freedom must be won and maintained through eternal vigilance and the ability to use defensive force to maintain it.

As a result, The Domain has already conquered the governing planet of the "Old Empire".  The civilization of The Domain, although considerably younger and smaller in size, is already more powerful, better organized, and united by an egalitarian esprit de corps never known in the history of the "Old Empire".

The recently despoiled German totalitarian state on Earth was similar to the "Old Empire", but not nearly as brutal, and about ten thousand times less powerful. Many of the IS- BEs on Earth are here because they are violently opposed to totalitarian government, or because they were so psychotically vicious that they could not be controlled by "Old Empire" government.

Consequently, the population of Earth is disproportionately comprised of a very high percentage of such beings.  The conflicting cultural and ethical moral codes of the IS-BEs on Earth is unusual in the extreme.

The Domain conquest of the central "Old Empire" planets was fought with electronic cannon. The citizens of the planets forming the core of government for the "Old Empire" are a filthy, degraded, slave society of mindless, tax-paying workers, who practice cannibalism. Violent automotive race tracks and bloody, Roman circus type entertainments are their only amusements.

Regardless of any reasonable justification we may have had for using atomic weapons to vanquish the planets of the "Old Empire", The Domain is careful not to ruin the resources of those planets by using weapons of crude, radioactive force.

The government of the "Old Empire", before being supplanted by The Domain, was comprised of beings who possessed a very craven intelligence, very much like the Axis powers during your recent world war.    Those beings manifested precisely the same behavior as the galactic government that exiled them to eternal imprisonment on Earth.  They were a gruesome reminder of the ageless maxim that an IS-BE will often manifest the treatment they have received from others.

Kindness fosters kindness. Cruelty begets cruelty.   One must be able and willing to use force, tempered with intelligence, to prevent harm to the innocent. However, extraordinary understanding, self- discipline and courage are required to effectively prevent brutality, without being overwhelmed by the malice that motivated the brutality.

Only a demonic, self-serving government would employ a "logic" or "science" to conceive that an "ultimate solution" to any problem is to murder and permanently erase the memory of every artist, genius, skilled manager, and inventor, and cast them into a planetary prison together with political opponents, killers, thieves, perverts, and disabled beings of an entire galaxy!

Once the IS-BEs expelled from the "Old Empire" arrived on Earth, they were given amnesia, and hypnotically tricked into thinking that something else had happened to them. The next step was to implant the IS-BEs into biological bodies on Earth.   The bodies became the human populations of "false civilizations" which were designed and installed in the minds of IS-BEs to look completely unlike the "Old Empire".

All of the IS-BEs of India, Egypt, Babylon, Greece, Rome, and Medieval Europe were guided to pattern and build the cultural elements of these societies based on standard patterns developed by the IS-BEs of many earlier, similar civilizations on "Sun Type 12, Class 7" planets that have existed for trillions of years throughout the universe.

In the earliest times the IS-BEs sent to prison Earth lived in India.        They gradually spread into Mesopotamia, Egypt, Mesoamerica, Achaea, Greece, Rome, Medieval Europe, and to the New World.  They were hypnotically "commanded" to follow the pattern of a given civilization by the "Old Empire" prison operators.   This is an effective mechanism to disguise the actual time and location from the IS-BEs imprisoned on Earth.  The languages, costumes and culture of each false civilization are intended to reinforce amnesia because they do not remind the IS-BEs on Earth of the original "Old Empire" planets from which they were deported.

On the very far back-track of time these types of civilizations tended to repeat themselves over and over because the IS-BEs who created them become familiar with certain patterns and styles, and stayed with them.  It is a lot of work to invent an entire civilization, complete with culture, architecture, language, customs, mathematics, moral values, and so forth. It is much easier to replicate a copy based on a familiar and successful pattern.

A "Sun Type 12, Class 7" planet is the designation given to a planet inhabited by carbon-oxygen based life forms.  The class of the planet is based on the size and radiation intensity of the star, the distance of the planetary orbit from the star, and the size, density, gravity, and chemical composition of the planet.

Likewise, flora and fauna are designated and identified according to the star type and class of planet they inhabit.

On the average, the percentage of planets in the physical universe with a breathable atmosphere is relatively small. Most planets do not have an atmosphere upon which life-forms "feed", as on Earth, where the chemical composition of the atmosphere provides nutrition to plants, and other organisms, which in turn support other life forms.

When the Domain Force brought the Vedic Hymns to the Himalayas region 8,200 years ago, some human societies already existed. The Aryan people invaded and conquered India , bringing the Vedic Hymns to the area.

The Vedas were learned by them, memorized and carried forward verbally for 7,000 years before being committed to written form. During that span of time one of the officers of The Domain Expeditionary Force was incarnated on Earth as "Vishnu".   He is described many times in the Rig-Veda.  He is still considered to be a god by the Hindus.   Vishnu fought in the religious wars against the "Old Empire" forces. He is a very able and aggressive IS-BE as well as a highly effective officer, who has since been reassigned to other duties in The Domain.

This entire episode was orchestrated as an attack and revolt against the Egyptian pantheon installed by "Old Empire" administrators.  The conflict was intended to help free humankind from implanted elements of the false civilization that focused attention on many "gods" and superstitious ritual worship demanded by the priests who "managed" them.  It is all part of the mental manipulation by the "Old Empire" to hide their criminal actions against the IS-BEs on Earth.

A priesthood, or prison guards, were used to help reinforce the idea that an individual is only a biological body and is not an Immortal Spiritual Being. The individual has no identity. The individuals have no past lives.

The individual has no power.   Only the gods have power. And, the gods are a contrivance of the priests who intercede between men and the gods they serve. Men are slaves to the dictates of the priests who threaten eternal spiritual punishment if men do not obey them.

What else would one expect on a prison planet where all prisoners have amnesia, and the priests themselves are prisoners?

The intervention of The Domain Force on Earth has not been entirely successful due to the secret mind-control operation of the "Old Empire" that still continues to operate.

A battle was waged between the "Old Empire" forces and The Domain through religious conquest. Between 1500 BCE and about 1200 BCE, The Domain Forces attempted to teach the concept of an individual, Immortal Spiritual Being, to several influential beings on Earth.

One such instance resulted in a very tragic misunderstanding, misinterpretation and misapplication of the concept.   The idea was perverted and applied to mean that there is only one IS-BE, instead of the truth that everyone is an IS-BE!  Obviously, this was a gross incomprehension and an utter unwillingness to take responsibility for one's own power.

The "Old Empire" priests managed to corrupt the concept of individual immortality into the idea that there is only one, all-powerful IS-BE, and that no one else is or is allowed to be an IS- BE. Obviously, this is the work of the "Old Empire" amnesia operation.

It is easy to teach this altered notion to beings who do not want to be responsible for their own lives.  Slaves are such beings.  As long as one chooses to assign responsibility for creation, existence and personal accountability for one's own thoughts and actions to others, one is a slave.

As a result, the concept of a single monotheistic "god" resulted and was promoted by many self-proclaimed prophets, such as the Jewish slave leader -- Moses -- who grew up in the household of the Pharaoh Amenhotep III and his son, Akhenaten and his wife Nefertiti, as well as his son Tutankhamen.

The attempt to teach certain beings on Earth the truth that they are, themselves, IS-BEs, was part of a plan to overthrow the fictional, metaphorical, anthropomorphic panoply of gods created by the "Old Empire" mystery cult called "The Brothers of The Serpent" known in Egypt as the Priests of Amun. They were a very ancient, secret society within the "Old Empire".

The Pharaoh Akhenaten was not a very intelligent being, and was heavily influenced by his personal ambition for self- glorification.     He altered the concept of the individual spiritual being and embodied the concept in the sun god, Aten.     His pitiful existence was soon ended.  He was assassinated by Maya and Parennefer, two of the Priests of Amun, or "Amen", which the Christians still say, who represented the interests of the "Old Empire" forces.

The idea of "One God" was perpetuated by the Hebrew leader Moses while he was in Egypt. He left Egypt with his adopted people, the Jewish slaves.         While they were crossing the desert, Moses was intercepted by an operative of the "Old Empire" near Mt. Sinai. Moses was tricked into believing that this operative was "the" One God through the use of hypnotic commands, as well as technical and aesthetic tricks which are commonly used by the "Old Empire" to trap IS-BEs.       Thereafter, the Jewish slaves, who trusted the word of Moses implicitly, have worshiped a single god they call "Yaweh".

The name "Yaweh" means "anonymous", as the IS- BE who "worked with" Moses could not use an actual name or anything that would identify himself, or blow the cover of the amnesia / prison operation. The last thing the covert amnesia / hypnosis / prison system wants to do is to reveal themselves openly to the IS-BEs on Earth.  They feel that this would restore the inmates memories!

This is the reason that all traces of physical encounters between operatives of space civilizations and humans is very carefully hidden, disguised, covered-up, denied or misdirected.

This "Old Empire" operative contacted Moses on a desert mountain top and delivered the "Ten Hypnotic Commands" to him.   These commands are very forcefully worded, and compel an IS-BE into utter subservience to the will of the operator.   These hypnotic commands are still in effect and influence the thought patterns of millions of IS-BEs thousands of years later!

Incidentally, we later discovered that the so- called "Yaweh" also wrote, programmed and encoded the text of the Torah, which when it is read literally, or in its decoded, form, will provide a great deal more false information to those who read it.

Ultimately, the Vedic Hymns became the source of nearly all of Eastern the religions and were the philosophical source of the ideas common to Buddha, Laozi, Zoroaster, and other philosophers. The civilizing influences of these philosophies eventually replaced the brutal idolatry of the "Old Empire" religions and were the true genesis of kindness and compassion.

You asked me earlier why The Domain, and other space civilizations do not land on Earth or make their presence known.

Land on Earth?  Do you think we are crazy or want to be crazy?

It takes a very brave IS-BE to come down through the atmosphere and land on Earth, because this is a prison planet, with a very uncontrolled, psychotic population.  And, no IS-BE is entirely proof against the risk of entrapment, as with the members of The Domain Expeditionary Force who were captured in the Himalayas 8,200 years ago.

No one knows what IS-BEs on Earth are going to do.

We are not scheduled to invest the resources of The Domain to take total control of all the space surrounding the area at this time.    This will occur in the not-too-distant future -- about 5,000 Earth years -- according to the time schedule of The Domain.  At this time we do not prevent transports from other planetary systems or galaxies from continuing to drop IS-BEs into the amnesia force screen area. Eventually, this will change.

In addition, Earth, inherently, is a highly unstable planet. It is not suitable for settlement or permanent habitation for any sustainable civilization.     This is part of the reason why it is being used as a prison planet. No one else would seriously consider living here for a variety of simple and compelling reasons:

The continental land masses of Earth are floating on a sea of molten lava beneath the surface which causes the land masses to crack, crumble and drift

Because of the liquid nature of the core, the planet is largely volcanic and subject to earthquakes and volcanic explosion

The magnetic poles of the planet shift radically about once every 20,000 years. This causes a greater or lesser degree of devastation as a result of tidal waves, and climatic

Earth is very distant from the center of the galaxy and from any other significant galactic civilization. This isolation makes it unsuitable for use, except as a "pit stop" or jumping off point along the way between galaxies.  The moon and asteroids are far more suitable for this purpose because they do not have any significant gravity.

Earth is a heavy gravity planet, with heavy metallic soil and a dense atmosphere. This makes it treacherous for navigational That fact that I am in this room, as the result of an in flight accident, in spite of the technology of my craft and my extensive expertise as a pilot, are proof of these facts.

There are approximately sixty billion Earth- like (Sun Type 12, Class 7) planets in the Milky Way galaxy alone, not to mention the vast expanses of The Domain, and the territories we will claim in the future. It is difficult to stretch our resources to do much more than a periodic reconnaissance of Earth. Especially when there are no immediate advantages to invest resources

On Earth most beings are not aware that they are IS-BEs, or that there are spirits of any kind. Many other beings are aware of this, but nearly everyone has a very limited understanding of themselves as an IS-BE.

One of the reasons for this is that IS-BEs have been waging war against each other since the beginning of time.  The purpose of these wars have always been to establish domination by one IS-BE or group of IS-BEs over another. Since an IS-BE cannot be "killed", the objective has been to capture and immobilize IS-BEs.This has been done in an nearly unlimited variety of ways. The most basic method to capture and immobilize an IS-BE is through the use of various kinds of "traps".

IS-BE traps have been made and put in place by many invading societies, such as the one that established the "Old Empire", beginning about sixty-four trillion years ago.  Traps are often set up in the "territory" of the IS-BEs being attacked.Usually a trap is set with the electronic wave of "beauty" to attract the interest and attention of the IS-BE. When the IS-BE moves toward the source of the aesthetic wave, such as a beautiful building or beautiful music, the trap is activated by the energy put out by the IS-BE.

One of the most common trap mechanism uses the IS-BE's own thought energy output when the IS- BE tries to attack or fight back against the trap. The trap is activated and energized by the IS-BE's own thought energy. The harder the IS-BE fights against the trap, the more it pulls the IBS toward it and keeps them "stuck" in the trap.

Throughout the entire history of this physical universe, vast areas of space have been taken over and colonized by IS-BE societies who invade and take over new areas of space in this fashion.   In the past, these invasions have always shared common elements:

(1) the overwhelming use of force of arms, usually with nuclear or electronic mind control of the IS-BEs in the invaded area through the use of electroshock, drugs, hypnosis, erasure of memory and the implantation of false memory or false information intended to subjugate and enslave the local IS-BE

(2) takeover of natural resources by the invading IS-BEs.

(3) political, economic and social slavery of the local population.

These activities continue in present time.   All of the IS-BEs on Earth have been members of one or more of these activities in the past, both as an invader, or as part of the population being invaded.  There are no "saints" in this universe.   Very few have avoided or been exempted from warfare between IS-BEs.

IS-BEs on Earth are still the victims of this activity at this very moment.   The between- lives amnesia administered to IS-BEs is one of the mechanisms of an elaborate system of "Old Empire" IS-BE traps, that  prevent an IS-BE from escaping.

This operation is managed by an illicit, renegade secret police force of the "Old Empire", using false provocation operations to disguise their activities in order to prevent detection by their own government, The Domain and by the victims of their activities. 

They are mind-control methods developed by government psychiatrists.

Earth is a "ghetto" planet.  It is the result of an intergalactic "Holocaust". IS-BEs have been sentenced to Earth either because:

They are too viciously insane or perverse to function as part of any civilization, no matter how degraded or

Or, they are a revolutionary threat to the social, economic and political caste system that has been so carefully built and brutally enforced in the "Old Empire". Biological bodies are specifically designed and designated as the lowest order of entity in the "Old Empire" caste system.   When an IS-BE is sent to Earth, and then tricked or coerced into operating in a biological body, they are actually in a prison, inside a...

In an effort to permanently and irreversibly rid the "Old Empire" of such "untouchables", the eternal identity, memory, and abilities of every IS-BE is   forcefully erased.    This "final solution" was conceived and carried out by the psychopathic criminals who are controlled by the "Old Empire".

The mass extermination of "untouchables" and prison camps created by Germany during World War II were recently revealed. Likewise, the IS-BEs of Earth are the victims of spiritual eradication and eternal slavery inside frail, biological bodies, inspired by the same kind of craven hatred in the "Old Empire".

The kind and creative inmates of Earth are continuously tortured by butchers and lunatics who are controlled by the "Old Empire" prison operators. The so-called "civilizations" of Earth, from the age of useless pyramids to the age of nuclear holocaust, have been a colossal waste of natural resources, a perverted use of intelligence, and an overt oppression of the spiritual essence of every single IS-BE on the planet.

If The Domain sent ships to every corner of the universe in search of "Hell", their quest could end on Earth. What greater brutality can be inflicted on anyone than to erase the spiritual awareness, identity,  ability, and memory that is the essence of oneself?

The Domain has, as yet, been unable to rescue the 3,000 IS-BEs of the Expeditionary Force Battalion either.  

They are forced to inhabit biological bodies on Earth.  We have been able to recognize and track most of them for the past 8,000 years. However, our attempts to communicate with them are usually futile, as they are unable to remember their true identity.

The majority of lost members of The Domain force have followed the general progression of Western civilization from India, into the Middle East, then to Chaldea, and Babylon, into Egypt, through Achaia, Greece, Rome, into Europe, to the Western Hemisphere, and then all around the world.

The members of the lost Battalion and many other IS-BEs on Earth, could be valuable citizens of The Domain, not including those who are vicious criminals or perverts. Unfortunately, there has been no workable method conceived to emancipate the IS-BEs from Earth.

Therefore, as a matter of common logic, as well as the official policy of The Domain, it is safer and more sensible to avoid contact with the IS-BE population of Earth until such time as the proper resources can be allocated to locate and destroy the "Old Empire" force screen and amnesia machinery and develop a therapy to restore the memory of an IS-BE."

"The actual history of Earth is very bizarre. It is so nonsensical that is it is incredible to anyone on Earth who attempts to investigate it. A myriad of vital information is missing from it. A huge conglomeration of non sequitur relics and mythology has been arbitrarily introduced into it.  The volatile nature of the Earth itself cyclically covers, drowns, mixes and shreds physical evidence.

These factors, combined with amnesia and post- hypnotic suggestions, false facades and covert manipulation make  a reconstruction of the factual origins and history of Earth civilizations virtually indecipherable.    Any investigator, no matter how brilliant, is doomed to wallow in a quagmire of inconclusive assumptions, unworkable hypotheses, and perpetual mystery.

Since The Domain does not suffer these afflictions, having the advantage of memory, longevity and an exterior point of view, I will add some clarification to your fragmentary knowledge of the history of Earth.

These are some of the dates and events that are not mentioned in Earth history textbooks.

These dates are significant because they provide some information concerning the influences of the "Old Empire" and of The Domain on Earth.

Although I have attended several briefings by our mission control personnel on the general background of Earth within the past few hundred years, I will rely principally on data gathered from records captured after our invasion of the "Old Empire" planetary headquarters.  Since that time The Domain Expeditionary Force has tracked the general progress of events on Earth.

As I mentioned, in some cases The Domain has chosen to intervene in certain affairs on Earth in order to ensure the success of our long term expansion plans.  Although The Domain has no interest in Earth, per se, or in the population of IS-BEs on this planet, it does serve our interests to ensure that the resources of Earth are not destroyed or spoiled. To that end, certain officers of The Domain have been sent to Earth on reconnaissance missions from time to time to gather information.

However, the following dates and events have been extrapolated from the accumulated information in the data files of The Domain -- at least those that are accessible to me through the space station communications center.

208,000 BCE --

The establishment of the "Old Empire", whose headquarters were located near one of the "tail stars" in the Ursa Major (Big Dipper) Constellation of this galaxy.  The "Old Empire" invasion force conquered the area with nuclear weapons sometime earlier.  After the radioactivity subsided and the clean-up and restoration were completed, it received the immigration of beings from another galaxy into this galaxy.  Those beings set up a society that kept going until about 10,000 years ago when it was superseded by The Domain.

Very recently Earth civilization has come to resemble aspects of that civilization, now that it has fallen out of its immediate control.  In particular, the appearance and technology of transportation such as planes, trains, ships, fire engines, and automobiles, as well as what you consider to be "modern" or "futuristic" architecture, which emulate the design of buildings in the major cities of the "Old Empire".

Before 75,000 BCE --

The Domain records contain very little information about the civilizations on the continental land masses of Atlanta and Lemur, except to note that they did coexist on Earth at more or less the same time.  Apparently, both civilizations were founded by remnants of electronic, space opera cultures who fled from their native planetary systems to escape political or religious persecution.

The Domain knows that a long-standing edict of the "Old Empire" prohibits unauthorized colonization of planets.   Therefore, it is possible that their destruction was caused by police or military forces who pursued the colonists as criminals and destroyed them. Although this seems a likely supposition, no conclusive evidence exists that explains the complete destruction and disappearance of two entire electronic civilizations.

Another possibility is that a massive submarine volcanic eruption in the region of Lake Toba, in Sumatra and Mt. Krakatoa in Java caused the destruction of Lemur. The flood waters caused by the eruption overwhelmed all the land masses, including the highest mountains. Survivors of the destruction of the civilization, the Lemurians, are the earliest ancestors of the Chinese.  Australia and the ocean areas to the north were the center of the Lemurian civilization and are the source of Oriental races.    Both civilizations possessed electronics, flight and similar technologies of space opera cultures.

Apparently, the volcanic eruption expelled such a significant mass of molten rock that the resulting vacuum beneath the crust of Earth caused great areas of the land masses to sink below the oceans.  The continental areas occupied by both civilizations were covered with volcanic matter, and then submerged, leaving very little evidence that they ever existed except for legends of a global flood which prevail in every culture of the Earth, and for survivors who are the genus of oriental races and cultures.

That kind of colossal volcanic explosion fills the stratosphere with toxic gases which are carried around the whole planet. The usual refuse of these volcanic eruptions can easily cause a rain that lasts for "40 days and 40 nights" due to atmospheric pollution as well as an extensive period during which radiation from the sun is deflected back into space, and cause global cooling. Certainly such an event would cause an ice age, extinctions of life forms and many other relatively long-term changes lasting thousands of years.

Due to the myriad types of naturally occurring global cataclysmic events which are indigenous to Earth, it is not a suitable planet for habitation by IS-BEs.  In addition there have been occasional global cataclysms caused by IS- BEs such as the one that destroyed the  dinosaurs more than 70 million years ago.   That destruction was caused by intergalactic warfare during which time Earth, and many other neighboring moons and planets, were bombarded  by atomic weapons. Atomic explosions cause atmospheric fallout much like that of volcanic eruptions. Most of the planets in this sector of the galaxy have been uninhabitable deserts  since then.

Earth is undesirable for many other reasons: heavy gravity and dense atmosphere, floods, earthquakes, volcanoes, polar shifts, continental drift, meteor impacts, atmospheric and climatic changes, to name a few. What kind of lasting civilization could any sophisticated culture propose to develop in such an environment?

In addition, Earth is a small planet of a "rim star" of a galaxy.  This makes Earth very isolated geographically from the more concentrated planetary civilizations which exist toward the center of the galaxy. These obvious facts have made Earth suitable for use only as a zoological or botanical garden, or for its current use as a prison -- but not much else.

Before 30,000 BCE --

Earth started being used as a dumping ground and prison for IS-BEs who were judged "untouchable", meaning criminal or non- conformists. IS-BEs were captured, encapsulated in electronic traps and transported to Earth from various parts of the "Old Empire".  Underground "amnesia stations" were set up on Mars and on Earth in the Rwenzori Mountains in Africa, in the Pyrenees Mountains of Portugal, and in steppes of Mongolia.

These electronic monitoring points create force screens designed to detect and capture IS-BEs, when the IS-BE departs the body at death.  IS- BEs are brainwashed using extreme electronic force in order to maintain Earth's population in state of perpetual amnesia.   Further population controls are installed through the use of long range electronic thought control mechanisms.

These stations are still in operation and they are extremely difficult to attack or destroy, even for The Domain, which will not maintain a significant military force in this area until a later date.

The pyramid civilizations were intentionally created as part of the IS-BE prison system on Earth. The pyramid is alleged to be the symbol for "wisdom".        However, the "wisdom" of the "Old Empire" on planet Earth is intended to operate as part of the elaborate amnesia "trap" consisting of MASS, MEANING and MYSTERY.   These are opposite to the qualities of an Immortal Spiritual Being which have no mass, or meaning. An IS-BE "is" solely because it thinks that it "is".

MASS represents the physical universe, including objects such as stars, planets, gases, liquids, energy particles and tea cups. The Pyramids were very, very solid objects, as were all of the structures created by the "Old Empire".  Heavy, massive, dense, solid objects create the illusion of eternity.    Dead bodies wrapped in linen, soaked in resin, placed inside engraved golden coffins and entombed with Earthly possessions amid cryptic symbols create an illusion of eternal life.   However, dense, heavy physical universe symbols are the exact opposite of an IS-BE. An IS-BE has no mass or time.  Objects do not endure forever. An IS-BE "is" forever.

MEANING:  False meanings prevent knowledge of the truth.

The pyramid cultures of Earth are a fabricated illusion.  They are nothing more than "false civilizations" contrived by the "Old Empire" mystery cult called the Brothers of the Serpent.    False meanings were invented to create the illusion of a false society to further reinforce the amnesia mechanism among the intimates in the Earth prison system.

MYSTERY is built of lies and half-truths.

Lies cause persistence because they alter facts which are comprised of exact dates, places and events.     When truth is known, a lie no longer persists.   If the exact truth is revealed, it   is no longer a mystery.

All of the pyramid civilizations of Earth were carefully contrived of layer upon layer of lies, skillfully combined with a few truths. The priest cult of the "Old Empire" combined sophisticated mathematics and space opera technology, with theatrical metaphors and symbolism.  All of these are complete fabrications of truth, baited with the allure of aesthetics and mystery.

The intricate rituals, astronomical alignments, secret rites, massive monuments, marvelous architecture, artistically rendered hieroglyphs and man-animal "gods" were designed to create a unsolvable mystery for the IS-BE prison population on Earth.

The mystery diverts attention away from the truth that IS-BEs have been captured, given amnesia and imprisoned on a planet far, far away from their home.

The truth is that every single IS-BE on Earth came to Earth from some other planetary system. Not one person on Earth is a "native" inhabitant.    Human beings did not "evolve" on Earth.

In the past, Egyptian society was run by the prison administrators or priests, who, in turn, manipulated a Pharaoh, controlled the treasury and kept the inmate population enslaved physically and spiritually. In modern times, the priests have changed, but the function is the same. However, now the priests are prisoners too.

Mystery reinforces the walls of the prison.  The "Old Empire" feared that the IS-BEs on Earth might regain their memory.  Therefore, one of the primary functions of The "Old Empire" priesthood is to prevent IS-BEs on Earth from remembering who they really are, how they came to Earth, where they came from.

The "Old Empire" operators of the prison system, and their superiors, do not want IS-BEs to remember who murdered them, captured them, stole all of their possessions, sent them to Earth, gave them amnesia and condemned them to eternal imprisonment!

Imagine what might happen if all of the inmates in the prison suddenly remembered that they have the right to be free!  What if they suddenly realized that they have been falsely imprisoned and rise up as one against the guards?

They are afraid to reveal anything that looks like the civilization of the inmates home planets.    A body, a piece of clothing, a symbol, a space ship, an advanced electronics device, or any other remnant of civilization from a home planet could "remind" a being and rekindle his memory.

Sophisticated technologies of entrapment and enslavement,  which were developed over millions of years in the "Old Empire", have been applied to the IS-BEs on Earth with the intention to create a false facade for the prison.     These facades were installed on Earth in totality, all at once.     Every piece is a fully integrated part of the prison system.

This includes a religion of mumbo-jumbo double- speak. Every pyramid civilization uses this as part of a control mechanism to keep the population enslaved by force, by fear and by ignorance. The indecipherable muddle of irrelevant information, geometric designs, mathematical calculation, astronomical alignments, are part of a false spirituality based on solid objects, rather than immortal spirits, in order to confuse and disorient the IS-BEs on Earth.

When the body of a person died they were buried with their Earthly possessions, including their former body wrapped in linen, to sustain their "soul" or "Ka" after death.  An IS-BE does not "have" as soul.  An IS-BE is a soul.

On the home planet of an IS-BE their material possessions were not lost, stolen or forgotten when the being died or left the body.

An IS-BE could return and claim the possessions. However, if the IS-BE has amnesia, they will not remember that they had any possession.

So, governments, insurance companies, bankers, family members and other vultures can pick their possessions clean without fear of retribution from the deceased.

The only reason for these false meanings is to instill the idea that an IS-BE is NOT a spirit, but a physical object!  This is a lie.  It is a trap for an IS-BE.

Countless people have spent endless hours attempting to solve the jig-saw puzzle of Egypt and other "Old Empire" civilizations. They are puzzles made of pieces that do not fit.  A question states its own answer.  What is the mystery of Egypt and other pyramid cultures? Mystery!

circa 15,000 BCE --

The "Old Empire" forces supervised the construction of a hydraulic mining operation in the Andes Mountains in present day Bolivia near Lake Titicaca (Lake of Tin Stones) at Tiahuanaco including construction of the massive stone complex of carved stone buildings known as Kalasasaya and its "Gate of the Sun" at an elevation of nearly 14,000 feet.

11,600 BCE --

The Polar Axis of Earth shifted to a sea area. The last Ice Age came to an end abruptly as the polar ice caps melted and the level of the ocean rose to submerge large sections of the land masses of Earth. The last remaining vestiges of Atlantis and Lemuria were covered by water. Massive extinctions of animals occurred in the Americas, Australia and the Artic Regions due to the shift of the poles.

10,450 BCE --

Plans were made by the "Old Empire" IS-BE called Thoth for construction of a Great Pyramid of Giza.   The 4 "air shafts" of the pyramid point precisely to key stars in the "Old Empire" as seen from Giza in this year. The alignment of the Pyramids of Giza on the ground matches perfectly the alignment of the constellation of Orion as seen in the sky from Giza relative to the Nile as the earthly representation of the Milky Way in the sky.

10,400 BCE --

According to the Earth historian, Herodotus, records from the ruined civilization of Atlantis, containing electronic technology and other technology of that society, were buried in a vault beneath the paws of The Sphinx.  The Greek historian wrote that he was told this by some of his friends who were Priests of Anu, the Sumerian god, at the Egyptian city of Heliopolis. However, it is highly unlikely that any traces of an electronic civilization would be allowed to be left intact on Earth by the "Old Empire" prison system administrators.

8,212 BCE --

The Veda or Vedic hymns are a set of religious hymns that were introduced into the societies of Earth.  They came forward in spoken tradition, memorized, from generation to generation.   "The Hymn to the Dawn Child'' includes an idea called the "cycle of the physical universe": the creation, growth, conservation, decay and death or destruction of energy and matter in a space.  These cycles produce time. The same set of hymns describes the "theory of evolution". Here is a tremendous body of knowledge which contains a great deal of spiritual truth.

Unfortunately, it has been incorrectly evaluated by humans and altered with lies and reversals of fact by priests which are a booby trap to prevent anyone from using the wisdom to discover a way to escape from the prison planet.

8,050 BCE --

Destruction of the "Old Empire" home planet government in this galaxy.             This was the end of the "Old Empire" as a political entity in the galaxy.         However, the vast size of the "Old Empire" will take many thousands of years for The Domain to conquer completely.  The inertia of the political, economic and cultural systems of the "Old Empire" will remain in place for some time to come.

However, remnants of the "Old Empire" space fleet in the solar system of Earth were finally destroyed in 1,230 AD. In addition to operatives of the "Old Empire" who run the Earth prison operation, there were other beings from the "Old Empire" who came to Earth.

Since Earth was no longer under the control of the "Old Empire" after their defeat by The Domain Forces, there was no police force to control military renegades, space pirates, miners, merchants and entrepreneurs who came to Earth to exploit the resources of the planet for personal gain, and many other nefarious reasons.

For example, the history of Earth, according to the Jewish people, describes the "Nephilim". Chapter 6 of The Book of Genesis, describes the origin of the "Nephilim" :

"Now it came about, when men began to multiply on the face of the land, and daughters were born to them, that the "sons of God" saw that the daughters of men were beautiful; and they took wives for themselves, whomever they chose.

The Nephilim were on the earth in those days, and also afterward, when the sons of God came in to the daughters of men, and they bore children to them. Those were the mighty men who were of old, men of renown."

The ancient Jewish people who wrote the history book called the Old Testament were slaves, herders and gatherers. Any modern technology, even a simple flashlight, would seem astounding and miraculous to them. They attributed any unexplainable phenomenon or technology to the workings of a "god".           Unfortunately, this behavior is universal among all IS-BEs who have been given amnesia, and cannot remember their own experiences, training, technology, personality or identity.

Obviously, if these were men, and they mated with Earth women, they were not "sons of god". They were IS-BEs who inhabited biological bodies in order to take advantage of the political situation in the "Old Empire", or simply to indulge in physical sensation. They set up small colonies of their own on Earth beyond the reach of the police and tax authorities.

Coincidentally, one of the most serious crimes an IS-BE could commit in the "Old Empire" was to violate income tax regulations. Income taxes were used as a slavery mechanism and as a punishment in the "Old Empire". The slightest error in a tax report made an IS-BE "untouchable", followed by imprisonment on Earth.

6,750 BCE --

Other Pyramid civilizations were set up by the "Old Empire" on Earth.  These were established in Babylon, Egypt, China and Mesoamerica. The Mesopotamian area provided service facilities, communication stations, space ports, and stone quarry operations for these false civilizations.

Ptah was the name given to the first in a succession of administrators from the "Old Empire" who represented themselves to the Earth population as "divine" rulers.

Ptah's importance may be understood when one learns that the word "Egypt" is a Greek corruption of the phrase "Het-Ka-Ptah," or "House of the Spirit of Ptah".  Ptah, was nick- named "The Developer". He was a construction engineer. His high priest was given the title 'Great Leader of Craftsmen'.

Ptah was also the god of reincarnation in Egypt. He originated the "opening of the mouth ceremony" which was performed by priests at funerals to "release souls" from their corpses. Of course, when the "souls" were released, they were captured, given amnesia, and returned to Earth again.

The so-called "Devine" rulers who followed Ptah on Earth were called "Ntr", meaning "Guardians or Watchers" by the Egyptians. Their symbol was the Serpent, or Dragon which represented a secret priesthood of the "Old Empire" called the "Brothers of the Serpent".

"Old Empire" engineers used cutting tools of highly concentrated light waves to quickly carve and excavate stone blocks. They also used force fields and space craft to lift and transport blocks of stone weighing hundred or thousands of tons each. The placement on the ground of some of these structures will be found to have geodetic or astronomical significance relative to various stars in this galactic region.

The buildings are crude and impractical, compared to building standards on most planets. As an engineer of The Domain, I can attest that make-shift structures like these would never pass inspection on a planet in The Domain. Stone blocks such as those used in the pyramid civilizations can still be seen, partially excavated, in the stone quarries in the Middle East and elsewhere.

Most of the structures were hastily built "props", much like the false facades of a western town on the set of a motion picture. They appear to be real, and to have some use or value, however, they have no value. They have no useful purpose.   The pyramids and all of the other stone monuments erected by the "Old Empire" could be called "mystery monuments". For what reason would anyone waste so many resources to construct so many useless buildings?  To create a mysterious illusion.

The fact of the matter is that each one of the "divine rulers" were IS-BEs who served as operatives of the "Old Empire".  They were certainly not "divine", although they were IS- BEs.

6248 BCE --

The beginning of active warfare between The Domain Space Command and the surviving remnants of the "Old Empire" space fleet in this solar system that lasted nearly 7,500 years.   It began when an installation was established in the Himalaya mountains by a battalion of the 3,000 officers and crew members of The Domain Expeditionary Force.  The installation was not fortified as The Domain was not aware that the "Old Empire" maintained Earth as a prison planet.

The Domain installation was attacked and destroyed by space forces of the "Old Empire" who continued to operate in the solar system of Earth. IS-BEs of The Domain battalion were captured, taken to Mars, given amnesia, and sent back to Earth to inhabit human biological bodies.  They are still on Earth.

5,965 BCE --

Investigations into the disappearance of Domain forces in this solar system led to the discovery of "Old Empire" bases on Mars and elsewhere.  The Domain took over the planet Venus as a defensive position against the space forces of the "Old Empire". The Domain Expeditionary Force also monitors life forms on Venus which has a very dense, hot and heavy atmosphere of sulfuric acid clouds.        There are a few life forms on Earth that can endure an atmospheric environment like Venus.

The Domain also established secret installations or space stations in the Earth solar system.   This solar system has a planet that is broken up -- the asteroid belt. It provides a very useful low-gravity platform for take off and landing of space craft.    It is used as a "galactic jump" between the Milky Way and adjoining galaxies. There aren't any planets at this end of the galaxy that can serve as a good galactic entering spot for incoming transport, and other ships.  But this broken up planet makes a very ideal space station. As a result of our war against the "Old Empire", this area of the solar system is now a valuable possession of The Domain.

3,450 - 3,100 BCE --

The intervention into the affairs on Earth by the "Old Empire" operatives or "divine gods" was disrupted at this time by The Domain Forces.  They were forced to replace themselves with human rulers.    The First Dynasty of human Pharaohs who united Upper and Lower Egypt began with the rule of a Pharaoh who, coincidentally, was named "MEN". He established the capital city called Men-Nefer, "The Beauty of Men" in Egypt.  This started the first succession of 10 human Pharaohs and a period of 350 years of chaos that followed in the administrative ranks of the "Old Empire".

3,200 BCE --

As I mentioned earlier, Earth was under attack between The Domain and the "Old Empire" forces during this period. Of course this does not make any sense to archaeologists or historians on Earth, because the Egyptian period is a space opera era period. Since Earth historians have amnesia, they assume that this was only a religious period.

Further, because the technology and civilizations installed on Earth during this period were "pre-packaged", they did not "evolve" on Earth.  Of course, there is no evidence anywhere on Earth of an evolutionary transition which resulted in sophisticated mathematics, language, writing, religion, architecture, cultural traditions in Egypt or any of the pyramid civilizations. These cultures, complete with all of the details of racial body types, hair-styles, facial make-up, rituals, moral codes and so forth, just "appeared" as complete integrated packages.

The physical evidence suggests that all evidence of the intervention of The Domain or "Old Empire" Forces, or any other extraterrestrial activity, has been carefully "cleaned up", so as not to create suspicion. The "Old Empire" force does not want the IS-BEs of Earth to suspect that they have been captured, transplanted to Earth and brainwashed.

So, Earth historians continue to assume that Egyptian priests were not supposed to have "ray guns" or other technology of the "Old Empire". And, they suppose that there was nothing going on, on Earth, except some priests walking around saying 'Amen', which the Christians still say.

3,172 BCE --

Layout of the astronomical grid that joins the key mining sites and astronomical buildings of 'the gods' in the Andes Mountains such as Tiahuanaco, Cuzco, Quito, the cities of Ollantaytambu, Machupiccu and Pachacamac for the mining of rare metals, including tin for use in making bronze.  Metals were the property of "the gods", of course.

A great variety of entrepreneurial mining was done on Earth at that time due to the war between the "Old Empire" force and The Domain. These miners did carve a few sculptures of themselves. They are seen wearing mining helmets. The Ponce Stela sculpture in the sunken courtyard of the Kalasasaya temple is a crude rendering of a stone worker using an electronic, light-wave emitting stone cutter and carving tools, held in a holster.

The "Old Empire" has also maintained mining operations on planets throughout the galaxy for a very long time.  The mineral resources of Earth are now a property of The Domain.

2,450 BCE --

The "great" pyramid and complex of pyramids near Cairo were completed. An inscription created by the "Old Empire" administrators can be seen in the so-called Pyramid texts. The texts say that the pyramid was built under the direction of Thoth, Son of Ptah. Of course there was never a King buried in the chamber, since the pyramids were never intended to be used as a burial chamber.

The great pyramid was located precisely at the exact center of all of the land masses of Earth, as viewed from space. Obviously such precise measurements require aerial perspective and a view of the land masses of Earth from space.     Purely mathematical calculations of the geodetic center of the continents of Earth could not be made otherwise.

Shafts were constructed inside the pyramid to align with the configuration of stars in the constellation of Orion, Canus Majora, and specifically Sirius. The shafts are also aligned to the Big Dipper, where the home planet of the "Old Empire" existed.    Also, Ainitak, Alpha Draconis and Beta Ursa Minor. These stars are each one of the key systems in the "Old Empire" from which IS-BEs were brought to Earth and dumped, as unwanted merchandise.

The configuration of all the pyramids of the Giza Plateau was intended to create a "mirror image", on Earth of the solar system and certain constellations within the "Old Empire".

2,181 BCE --

MIN, became the God of Fertility of Egypt. The IS-BE, also known as Pan, was also a Greek god. Min or Pan, was an IS-BE who somehow managed to escape from the "Old Empire" amnesia system.

2,160 - 2040 BCE --

One of the results of the intensifying battle between The Domain Forces and the "Old Empire" forces was that the control of the "divine rulers", was broken at this time.  They finally left Egypt and returned to the "heavens", so to speak, in defeat.   Human beings took over the ruling role as Pharaohs.  The first human pharaoh moved the Capital city of Egypt from Memphis to Heracleopolis.

1,500 BCE --

This is the date for the destruction of Atlantis given by the Egyptian high-priests, Psenophis of Heliopolis, and Sonchis of Sais, to the Greek sage Solon. The Priests of Anu recorded that the Mediterranean area was invaded by "Atlantean" people about this time. Of course, these people were not from the ancient continent of Atlanta, in the Atlantic Ocean, which existed more than 70,000 years earlier.

These were refugees from the Minoan civilization on Crete escaping from the volcanic eruption and tidal waves of Mt. Thera that destroyed their civilization.

Plato's references to Atlantis were borrowed from the writings of the Greek philosopher Solon, who was given the information by the Egyptian priest who called Atlantis "Kepchu", which also happens to be the Egyptian name for the people of Crete. Some of the survivors of the Minoan volcanic disaster asked Egypt for help, since they were the only other civilization with high culture in the Mediterranean area at the time.

1351 BCE - 1337 BCE --

The Domain Expeditionary Force actively waged a war of religious conquest against the Egyptian mystery cult called the Priest of Amun, also known as the "Old Empire" Brothers of The Serpent. During this time the Pharaoh Akhenaten abolished the priesthood of Amun, and moved the capital of Egypt from Thebes to the new location at Amarna, at the exact geodetic center of Egypt. However, this plot to overthrow the "Old Empire" religious control was quickly spoiled.

1,193 BCE --

In the Near East and Achaea, the Greeks and Trojans fought for supremacy, which ended in the destruction of Troy as the finale of the Trojan War. During this same time, war was being fought out in the space of the solar system between two forces for control of the "space stations" surrounding Earth.   That period of 300 years was a very violent resistance to The Domain Forces by the remnants of the "Old Empire" forces. It did not last long however, as it is futile to resist The Domain.

850 BCE --

Homer, the blind Greek poet, wrote the stories 'the gods' as borrowed and modified from earlier sources in Vedic texts, Sumerian texts, Babylonian and Egyptian mythology.  His poems, as well as many other "myths" of the ancient world are very accurate descriptions of the exploits of IS-BE's on Earth who were able to avoid the "Old Empire amnesia operation and operate without biological bodies.

700 BCE --

The Vedic Hymns were first translated in the Greek language.  This was the beginning of a cultural revolution in Western civilization that transformed       crude and brutal tribal cultures into democratic republics based on more reasonable conduct.

638 - 559 BCE --

Solon, a wise man from Greece, reported the existence of Atlantis.  This was information he received from the "Old Empire" high-priests, Psenophis of Heliopolis and Sonchis of Sais, with whom he studied in Egypt.

630 BCE --

Zoroaster created religious practices in Persia around an IS-BE called Ahura Mazda. This was yet another of the growing number of "monotheistic" gods put in place by operatives of The Domain to displace a panoply of "Old Empire" gods.

604 BCE --

Laozi, a philosopher who wrote a small book called "The Way", was an IS-BE of great wisdom, who overcame the effects of the "Old Empire" amnesia / hypnosis machinery and escaped from Earth.  His understanding of the nature of an IS-BE must have been very good to accomplish this.

According to the common legend, his last lifetime as a human was lived in a small village in China. He contemplated the essence of his own life. Like Guatama Siddhartha, he confronted his own thoughts, and past lives. In so doing, he recovered some of his own memory, ability and immortality.

As an old man, he decided to leave the village and go to the forest to depart the body. The village gatekeeper stopped him and begged him to write down his personal philosophy before leaving. Here is a small piece of advice he gave about "the way" he rediscovered his own spirit:

"He who looks will not see it; He who listens will not hear it; He who gropes will not grasp it. The formless nonentity, the motionless source of motion. The infinite essence of the spirit is the source of life. Spirit is self. Walls form and support a room, yet the space between them is most important. A pot is formed of clay, yet the space formed therein is most useful. Action is caused by the force of nothing on something, just as the nothing of spirit is the source of all form.

One suffers great afflictions because one has a body. Without a body what afflictions could one suffer? When one cares more for the body than for his own spirit, One becomes the body and looses the way of the spirit. The self, the spirit, creates illusion. The delusion of Man is that reality is not an illusion. One who creates illusions and makes them more real than reality, follows the path of the spirit and finds the way of heaven".

593 BCE --

The Genesis story written by the Jewish people describe  "angels" or "sons of god" mating with women of Earth, who bore them children.  These were probably renegades from the "Old Empire". They may also have been space pirates or merchants from a system outside the galaxy who came to steal mineral resources, or smuggle drugs.

The Domain has observed that there are many visitors to Earth from neighboring planets and galaxies, but they rarely stop and live here. What kind of beings would live on a prison planet if they were not forced to do so?

The same book also reports the story of a human named Ezekiel who witnessed a spacecraft or aircraft landing near Chebar River in Chaldea. His description of the craft uses very archaic language, technically, but is nevertheless, quite an accurate description of an "Old Empire" saucer or scout craft. It is similar to the sighting of "vimanas" by the people in the foothills of the Himalayas.

Their Genesis story also mentions that "Yahweh" designed biological bodies to live for 120 years on Earth.  Biological bodies on most "Sun Type 12, Class 7" planets are usually engineered to last for an average of about 150 years.     Human bodies on Earth last only about one half as long.     We suspect this is because  the prison administrators have altered the biological material of human bodies on Earth to die more frequently so that the IS-BEs who inhabit them will recycle through the amnesia mechanism more frequently.

It should be noted that much of the "Old Testament" was written during the captivity of the Jews who were enslaved in Babylon, which was very heavily controlled by priests of the "Old Empire". The book introduces a false sense of time and a false concept of the origin of the creation.

The serpent is the symbol of the "Old Empire". It appears in the beginning of their creation story, or as the Greeks say, "Genesis", and causes the spiritual destruction of the first human beings, who are metaphorically represented by Adam and Eve.

The Old Testament, clearly influenced by the "Old Empire" Forces, gives a detailed description of the IS-BEs being induced into biological bodies on Earth.  This book also describes many of the "Old Empire" brainwashing activities, including the installation of false memories, lies, superstitions, commands to "forget" and all manner of tricks and traps designed to keep IS-BEs on Earth.    Most importantly, it destroys the awareness that humans are Immortal Spiritual Beings.

580 BCE --

The Oracle at Delphi was one temple in a network of many oracle temples.         Each temple was a communication center.  The "Old Empire" priests designated a local "god" for each temple. Each of the temples in this network were located at precisely 5 degrees of latitude intervals from the capital city of Thebes throughout the Mediterranean area as far north as the Baltic Sea.

The shrines served, among other things, as a grid, housing electronic beacons, later called "Omphalus Stones". The grid arrangement of Oracle sites can only be seen from miles above the Earth.  The original network of electronic communications beacons were disabled when the priesthood was dispersed, and were replaced by carved stones.

The symbol of the "Old Empire" priesthood is a Python, dragon or serpent.          It was called the "earth-dragon" at Delphi, which is always represented in sculpture and vase-paintings as a serpent.

In Greek mythology the guardian of the Omphalus Stone at the temple at Delphi was an oracle whose name was Python, the serpent. She was an IS-BE, who was conquered by a "god" named Apollo.    He buried her under the Omphalos stone. This is a case of one "god" setting up his temple on the grave of another.   This is a very accurate euphemism for The Domain Force that detected and disabled the "Old Empire" temple network on Earth. It was one of the fatal blows to the "Old Empire" Force in the solar system of Earth.

559 BCE --

The Commanding Officer of The Domain Battalion who was lost in 5,965 BCE was detected and located by a search party sent to Earth from The Domain Expeditionary Force. He was incarnated as Cyrus II of Persia during this time.

A unique system of organization was used by Cyrus II and the members of that Battalion who followed him from India through his progression of human lives on Earth.  In part, it enabled them to build the largest empire in the history of the Earth to that date.

The Domain Search Party who located him traveled around the Earth searching for the lost Battalion for several thousand years.   The party consisted of 900 officers of The Domain, divided into teams of 300 each.  One team searched the land, another team search the oceans and the third team searched the space surrounding Earth.

There are many reports made in various human civilizations concerning their activities, which humans did not understand, of course.

The Domain Search Party devised a wide variety of electronic detection devices needed to track the electronic signature or wavelength of each of the missing members of the Battalion.   Some were used in space, others on land, and special devices were invented to detect IS-BEs under water.

One of these electronic detection devices is referred to as a "tree of life". The device is literally a tool designed to detect the presence of life, which is an IS-BE. This was a large electronic screen generator designed to permeate wide areas.  To the ancient humans on Earth it resembled a sort of tree, since is consists of an interwoven lattice of electronic field generators and receivers. The electronic field detects the presence of IS-BEs, whether the IS-BE is occupying a body, or if they are outside a body.

A portable version of this detection device was carried by each of the members of The Domain Search Party.  Stone carvings in Sumeria show winged beings using pinecone-shaped instruments to scan the bodies of human beings.  They are also shown carrying the power unit for the scanner which are depicted as stylized baskets or water buckets, being carried by eagle- headed, winged beings.

Members of the aerial unit of The Domain Search Party, led by Ahura Mazda, were often called "winged gods" in human interpretations. Throughout the Persian civilization there are a great many stone relief carvings that depict winged space craft, that they called a "faravahar".

Members of the Aquatic Unit of The Domain Search Party were called "Oannes" by local humans. Stone carvings of the so-called Oannes are shown wearing silver diving suits.    They lived in the sea and appeared to the human population to be men dressed to look like fish. Some members of the lost Battalion were found in the oceans inhabiting the bodies of dolphins or whales.

On land, The Domain Search Party members were referred to as "Annunaki" by the Sumerians, and "Nephilim", in the Bible.   Of course, their true mission and activities were never disclosed to homo sapiens.   heir activities have been purposefully disguised.    Therefore, the human stories and legends about the Annunaki, and the other members of The Domain Search Party have not been understood and were badly misinterpreted.

In the absence of complete and accurate data, anyone observing a phenomenon will assume or hypothesize explanations in an attempt to make sense of the data.  Therefore, although mythology and history may be based on factual events, they are likewise full of misunderstood and misinterpreted evaluations of the data, and embellished with assumptions, theories and hypotheses which are false.

The space unit of The Domain Expeditionary Force are shown flying in a "Winged-Disc". This is an allusion to the spiritual power of the IS-BEs, as well as to the space craft used by The Domain Search Party.

The Commander of the lost Battalion, as Cyrus II, was an IS-BE who was regarded as a messiah on Earth by both the Jews, and the Muslims.   In less than 50 years he established a highly ethical, and humanitarian philosophy which pervaded all of Western Civilization.

His territorial conquests, organization of people and monumental building projects were unprecedented before or since.   Such sweeping accomplishments in a short period of time could only have been achieved by a leader and a team of trained officers, pilots, engineers and crew members of a unit of The Domain, acting as a team, who had been trained and worked together for thousands of years.

Although we have discovered the location of many of the IS-BEs in the lost Battalion, The Domain has been unable to restore their memory and return them to active duty as yet.

Of course we cannot transport IS-BEs who are inhabiting biological bodies to the space stations of The Domain since there is no oxygen in our space craft.  Also we do not maintain life support facilities for biological entities there.   Our only hope has been to locate and rekindle the awareness, memory and identity of the IS-BEs of the Lost Battalion.   One day they will be capable of rejoining us.

200 BCE --

The last remnant of the "Old Empire" pyramid civilization is at "Teotihuacán".      The Aztec name means “place of the gods” or “where men were transformed into gods”.   Like the astronomical configuration of the Giza pyramids in Egypt,  the entire complex is a precise scale-model of the solar system that accurately reflects the orbital distances of the inner planets, the asteroid belt, Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus,  Neptune, and Pluto.  Since the planet Uranus  had only been "discovered" with modern Earth telescopes in 1787, and Pluto not until 1930,  it is apparent that the builders had  information from "other sources".

A common element of the Pyramid Civilizations around the Earth is the constant use of the image of the snake, dragon, or serpent.

This is because the beings who planted these civilizations here want to create an illusion that the "gods" are reptilian.  This is also a part of an illusion designed to perpetuate amnesia.     

The beings who placed false civilizations on Earth are IS-BEs, just like you.        Many of the biological bodies inhabited by IS-BEs in the "Old Empire" are very similar in appearance to the bodies on Earth. The "gods" are not reptiles, although they often behave like snakes.

1,034 - 1,124 AD --

The entire Arab world was enslaved by one man: Hasan ibn-al-Sabbah ,   the Old Man of the Mountain. He established the Hashshashin who operated a part of Mohammedanism which controlled by terror and fear much of India, Asia Minor and most of the Mediterranean Basin. They became a priesthood that used an extremely effective mind-control mechanism and extortion tool that enabled the "Assassins" to control the civilized world for several hundred years.

Their method was simple.  Young men were kidnapped and knocked unconscious with hashish. They were taken to a garden filled with beautiful black-eyed houris in a harem decorated with rivers of milk and honey.   The young men were told that they were in paradise. They were promised they could return and live there forever if they sacrificed themselves as an assassin of whomever they were commanded to kill.      The men were knocked out again, and shoved out into the world to carry out the assassination mission.

Meanwhile, the Old Man of the Mountain sent a messenger to the caliph or, whatever wealthy ruler from whom they demanded payment, demanding camel-loads of gold, spices, incense or other valuables.   If payment did not arrive on time, the assassin would be sent to kill the offending party. There was virtually no defense against the unknown assailant who wanted nothing more than to carry out his mission, be killed and return to "heaven".

This is a very crude example of how simple and effective a brainwashing and mind-control operation can be when it is used skillfully, and forcefully.                 It is a small scale demonstration of how the amnesia mind-control operation is used against the entire IS-BE population of Earth by the "Old Empire".

1119  AD --

The Knights Templar was established as a Christian military unit after the First Crusade but quickly transformed into the basis for the international banking system to accumulate money to conduct the agenda of operatives for vestiges of the "Old Empire" on Earth.

1135 - 1230 AD --

The Domain Expeditionary Force completed the annihilation of the remaining remnants of the "Old Empire" space fleet operating in the solar system around Earth.  Unfortunately, their long established thought control operation remains largely intact.

1307 AD --

The Knights Templar was disbanded by King Philip IV of France, who was deeply in debt to the Order. He pressured Pope Clement V to condemn the Order's members, have them arrested, tortured them into giving false confessions, and burned them at the stake in an effort to erase his debt by seizing all of their wealth.

A majority of the Templars fled to Switzerland where they established an international banking system which secretly controls the economy of Earth.

"Old Empire" operatives act as an unseen influence on  international bankers. The banks are operated covertly as a non-combatant provocateur to covertly promote and finance weapons and warfare between the nations of Earth.        Warfare is an internal mechanism of control over the inmate population.

The purpose of the senseless genocide and carnage of wars financed by these international banks is to prevent the IS- BEs of Earth from sharing open communication, cooperate together in activities that might enable IS-BEs to prosper, become enlightened, and escape their imprisonment."

This was compounded by the fact that The Vedic Hymns were brought to Earth 8,200 years ago by The Domain Expeditionary Force. While they were based in the Himalaya Mountains, the verses were taught to some of the local humans who memorized them.  However, I should note that this was not an authorized activity for the crew of The Domain installation, although I am sure it seemed like an innocent diversion for them at the time.

The verses were passed along verbally from one generation to the next for thousands of years in the foothills and eventually spread throughout India.           No one in The Domain credits any of the material in the Vedic Hymns as factual material, any more than you would use "Grimm's Fairy Tales" as a guide for rearing children.     However, on a planet where all of the IS-BEs have had their memory erased, one can understand how these tales and fantasies could be taken seriously.

Unfortunately, the humans who learned the Vedic verses passed them along to others saying that they came from "the gods".  Eventually, the content of the verses were adopted verbatim as "truth".    The euphemistic and metaphorical content of the Veda were accepted and practiced as dogmatic fact. The philosophy of the verses were ignored and the verses became the genesis of nearly every religious practice on the planet, especially Hinduism.

As an officer, pilot and engineer of The Domain, I must always assume a very pragmatic point of view.   I could not be effective or accomplish my missions if I were to use philosophical dogma or rhetoric as my operations manual.         Therefore, our discussion of history is based on actual events that occurred long before any IS-BEs arrived on Earth, and long before the "Old Empire” came into power.

Coincidentally, a friend and engineer with whom I used to work with at the Arcadia Regeneration Company -- a long time after I left the company -- told me that one of the projects they contracted to do, in more recent times, was to deliver life forms to Earth to replenish them after a war in this region of the galaxy devastated most of the life on the planets in this region of space.   This would have been about seventy million years ago.

The skill required to modify the planet into an ecologically interactive environment that will support billions of diverse species was an immense undertaking.  Specialized consultants from nearly every biotechnology company in the galaxy were brought in to help with the project.

"Today Airl told me about some very technical things.  I took a few notes to remind myself, so I can repeat what she said as closely as possible. She began with an analogy about scientific knowledge:

Can you imagine how much progress could have been made on Earth if people like Johannes Gutenberg, Sir Isaac Newton, Benjamin Franklin, George Washington Carver, Nicola Tesla, Jonas Salk, and Richard Trevithick, and many thousands of similar geniuses and inventors were living today?

Image what technical accomplishments might have been developed if men like these never died? What if they were never given amnesia and made to forget everything they knew? What if they continued to learn and work forever?

What level of technology and civilization could be attained if Immortal Spiritual Beings like these were allowed to continue to create -- in the same place and at the same time -- for billions or trillions of years?

Essentially, The Domain is one civilization that has existed for trillions of years with relatively uninterrupted progress.   Knowledge has been accumulated, refined, and improved upon in nearly every field of study imaginable

-- and beyond imagining.

Originally, the interaction of IS-BE illusions or inventions created the very fabric of the physical universe -- the microcosm and the macrocosm. Every single particle of the universe has been imagined and brought into existence by an IS-BE. Everything created from an idea -- a thought with no weight or size or location in space.

Every speck of dust in space, from the size of the tiniest subatomic particle, to the size of a sun or a magelantic cloud the size of many galaxies, was created from the nothingness of a thought.    Even the tiniest, individual cells were contrived and coordinated to enable a microbial entity to sense, and navigate through infinitesimally small spaces. These also came from an idea thought up by an IS-BE.

You, and every IS-BE on Earth, have participated in the creation of this universe. Even though you are now confined to a fragile body made of flesh; you live for only 65 short rotations of your planet around a star; you have been given overwhelming electric shock treatments to wipe out your memory; you must learn everything all over again each lifetime; in spite of all these circumstances, you are who you are and will always be.   And, deep down, you still know that you are and what you know.  You are still the essence of you.

How else can one understand the child prodigy? An IS-BE who plays concertos on a piano at three years of age, without formal training? Impossible, if they did not simply remember what they have already learned from thousands of lives spent in front of a keyboard in times untold, or on planets far away.    They may not know how they know.   They just know.

Humankind has developed more technology in the past 100 years than in the previous 2,000 years. Why?  The answer is simple: the influence of the "Old Empire" over the mind and over the affairs of Mankind has been diminished by The Domain.

A renaissance of invention on Earth began in 1,250 AD with the destruction of the "Old Empire" space fleet in the solar system.  During the next 500 years, Earth may have the potential to regain autonomy and independence, but only to the degree that humankind can apply the concentrated genius of the IS-BEs on Earth to solve the amnesia problem.

However, on a cautionary note, the inventive potential of the IS-BEs who have been exiled to this planet is severely compromised by the criminal elements of the Earth population. Specifically, politicians, war-mongers and irresponsible physicists who create   unlimited weapons such as nuclear bombs, chemicals, diseases and social chaos.  These have the potential to extinguish all life forms on Earth, forever.

Even the relatively small explosions that were tested and used in the past two years on Earth have the potential to destroy all of life, if deployed in sufficient quantities. Larger weapons could consume all of the oxygen in the global atmosphere in a single explosion!

Therefore, the most fundamental problems that must be solved in order to ensure that Earth will not be destroyed by technology, are social and humanitarian problems.   The greatest scientific minds of Earth, in spite of mathematical or mechanical genius, have never addressed these problems.

Therefore, do not look to scientists to save Earth or the future of humanity.            Any so-called "science" that is solely based on the paradigm that existence is composed only of energy and objects moving through space is not a science. Such beings utterly ignore the creative spark originated by an individual IS-BE and collective work of the IS-BEs who continually create the physical universe and all universes. Every science will remain relatively ineffective or destructive to the degree that it omits or devaluates the relative importance of the spiritual spark that ignites all of creation and life.

Unfortunately this ignorance has been very carefully and forcefully instilled in human beings by the "Old Empire"  to ensure that IS- BEs on this planet will not be able to recover their innate ability to create space, energy, matter and time, or any other component part of universes. As long as awareness of the immortal, powerful, spiritual "self" is ignored, humanity will remain imprisoned until the day of its own, self-destruction and oblivion.

Do not rely on the dogma of physical sciences to master the fundamental forces of creation any more than you would trust the chanted incantations of an incense-burning shaman. The net result of both of these is entrapment and oblivion.  Scientists pretend to observe, but they only suppose that they see, and call it fact.    Like the blind man, a scientist can not learn to see until he realizes that he is blind.    The "facts" of Earth science do not include the source of creation. They include only the result, or byproducts of creation.

The "facts" of science to not include any memory of the nearly infinite past experience of existence.

The essence of creation and existence cannot be found through the lens of a microscope or telescope or by any other measurement of the physical universe.  One cannot comprehend the perfume of a flower or the pain felt by an abandoned lover with meters and calipers.

Everything you will ever know about the creative force and ability of a god can be found within you -- an Immortal Spiritual Being.

How can a blind man teach others to see the nearly infinite gradients that comprise the spectrum of light?   The notion that one can understand the universe without understanding the nature of an IS-BE is as absurd as conceiving that an artist is a speck of paint on his own canvas. Or, that the lace on a ballet shoe is the choreographer's vision, or the grace of a dancer, or the electric excitement of opening night.

Study of the spirit has been booby-trapped by the thought control operation through religious superstitions they instill in the minds of men. Conversely, the study of the spirit and the mind have been prohibited by science which eliminates anything that is not measurable in the physical universe.            Science is the religion of matter.   It worships matter.

The paradigm of science is that creation is all, and the creator is nothing.            Religion says the creator is all, and the creation is nothing.     These two extremes are the bars of a prison cell. They prevent observation of all phenomenon as an interactive whole.

Study of creation without knowing the IS-BE, the source of creation, is futile.  When you sail to the edge of a universe conceived by science, you fall off the end into an abyss of dark, dispassionate space and lifeless, unrelenting force.     On Earth, you have been convinced that the oceans of the mind and spirit are filled with gruesome, ghoulish monsters that will eat you alive if you dare to venture beyond the breakwater of superstition.

The vested interest of the "Old Empire" prison system is to prevent you from looking at your own soul. They fear that you will see in your own memory the slave masters who keep you imprisoned.  The prison is made of shadows in your mind.   The shadows are made of lies, and pain, and loss, and fear.

The true geniuses of civilization are those IS- BEs who will enable other IS-BEs to recover their memory and regain self-realization and self-determination.  This issue is not solved through enforcing moral regulation on behavior, or through the control of beings through mystery, faith, drugs, guns or any other dogma of a slave society.  And certainly not through the use of electric shock and hypnotic commands!

The survival of Earth and every being on it depends on the ability to recover the memory of skills you have accrued through the trillenia; to recover the essence of yourself. Such an art, science, or technology has never been conceived in the "Old Empire".   Otherwise, they would not have resorted to the "solution" that brought you to your current condition on Earth.

Neither has such technology ever been developed by The Domain.  Until recently, the necessity   of rehabilitating an IS-BE with amnesia has not been needed.       Therefore, no one has ever worked on solving this problem.  So far, unfortunately, The Domain has no solution to offer.

A few officers of The Domain Expeditionary Force have taken it upon themselves to provide technology to Earth during their off duty time. These officers leave their "doll" at the space station and, as an IS-BE, assume or take over a biological body on Earth.  In some cases an officer can remain on duty while they inhabit and control other bodies at the same time.

This is a very dangerous and adventurous undertaking.  It requires a very able IS-BE to accomplish such a mission, and return to base successfully.  One officer who did this recently, while continuing to attend to his official duties, was known on Earth as the electronics inventor, Nicola Tesla.

It is my intention, although is not a part of my mission orders, to assist you in your efforts to advance scientific and humanitarian progress on Earth. My intention is to help other IS-BEs to help themselves. In order to solve the amnesia problem on Earth you will need much more advanced technology, as well as social stability to allow enough time for research and development of techniques to free the IS-BE from the body, and to free the mind of the IS-BE from amnesia.

Although The Domain has a long term interest in maintaining Earth as a useful planet, it has no particular interest in the human population of Earth, other than its own personnel here.  We are interested in preventing destruction, as well as accelerating the development of technologies that will sustain the infrastructures of the global biosphere, hydrosphere and atmosphere.

To this end, you will discover, on very careful and thorough examination, that my space craft contains a wide assortment of technology that does not yet exist on Earth.   If you distribute pieces of this craft to various scientists for study, they will be able to reverse engineer some of the technology to the extent that Earth has the raw materials required to replicate these components.

Some features will be indecipherable. Other features cannot be duplicated as Earth does not have the natural resources required to replicate them. This is especially true of the metals used to construct the craft.   Not only do these metals not exist on Earth, the refining process required to produce these metals took billions of years to develop.

It is also true of the navigation system which requires an IS-BE whose own personal wavelength has been specifically attuned to the "neural network" of the craft. The pilot of the craft must possess a very high order of energy volition, discipline, training and intelligence to manipulate such a craft.    IS-BEs on Earth are incapable of this expertise because it requires the use of an artificial body specifically created for this purpose.

Certain individual Earth scientists, some of whom are among the most brilliant minds in the history of the universe, will have their memory of this technology jogged when they examine the craft components.   Just as some of the scientists and physicists on Earth have been able to "remember" how to recreate electric generators, internal combustion and steam locomotion, refrigeration, aircraft, antibiotics, and other tools of your civilization, they will also rediscover other vital technology in my craft.

The following are the specific systems embodied in my craft that contain useful components:

There is an assortment of microscopic wiring or fibers within the walls of the craft that control such things as communications, information storage, computer function, and automatic navigation.

The same wiring is used for light, sub- light and ultra-light spectrum detection and vision.

The fabrics of the interior of the craft are far superior to any on Earth at this time and have hundreds or thousands of applications.

You will also find mechanisms for creating, amplifying and channeling light particles or waves as a form of...

As an officer, pilot and engineer of The Domain Forces, I am not at liberty to discuss or convey the detailed operation or construction of the craft in any way, other than what I have just disclosed. However, I am confident that there are many competent engineers on Earth who will develop useful technology with these resources.

I am providing these details to you in the hope that the greater good of The Domain will be served."
...

Although The Domain will not hesitate to destroy any active vestiges of the "Old Empire" operations where ever they are discovered this is not our primary mission in this galaxy.   I am sure that the "Old Empire" mind-control mechanisms can be deactivated and destroyed eventually. However, it is not possible to estimate how long this make take, as we do not understand the extent of this operation at this time.

We do know that the "Old Empire" force screen is vast enough to cover this end of the galaxy, at least.  We also know from experience that each force generator and trapping device is very difficult to detect, locate and destroy. Also, it is not the current mission of The Domain Expeditionary Force to commit resources to this endeavor.

The eventual destruction of these devices may make it possible for your memory to be restored, simply by virtue of not having it erased after each lifetime.         Fortunately, the memory of an IS-BE cannot be permanently erased.

There are many other active space civilizations who maintain various nefarious operations in this area...

... not the least of which is dumping unwanted IS-BEs on Earth.          

None of these craft are hostile or in violent opposition to The Domain Forces.    They know better than to challenge us!

For the most part The Domain ignores Earth and its inhabitants, except to ensure that the resources of the planet itself are not permanently spoiled.   This sector of the galaxy was annexed by The Domain and is the possession of The Domain, to do with or dispose of as it deems best.     

The moon of Earth and the asteroid belt have become a permanent base of operations for The Domain Forces.

Needless to say, any attempt by humans or others to interfere in the activities of The Domain in this solar system -- even if it were possible, which it definitely is not -- will be terminated swiftly. This is not a serious concern, as I mentioned earlier, since homo sapiens cannot operate in open space.

Of course we will continue with the next steps of The Domain Expansion Plan which has remained on schedule for billions of years.   Over the next 5,000 years there will be increasing traffic and activity of The Domain Forces as we progress toward the center of this galaxy and beyond to spread our civilization through the universe.

If humanity is to survive, it must cooperate to find effective solutions to the difficult conditions of your existence on Earth.  Humanity must rise above its human form and discover where they are, and that they are IS- BEs, and who they really are as IS-BEs in order to  transcend the notion that they are merely biological bodies.  Once these realizations have been made, it may be possible to escape your current imprisonment.       Otherwise, there will be no future for the IS-BEs on Earth.

Although there are no active battles or war being waged between The Domain and the "Old Empire",    there still exists the covert actions of the "Old Empire" taken against Earth through their thought control operation.

When one knows that these activities exist, the effects can be observed clearly. The most obvious examples of these actions against the human race can be seen as incidents of sudden, inexplicable behavior. A very recent instance of this occurred in the United States military just before the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor.

Just three days before the attack, someone in authority ordered all the ships in Pearl Harbor to go into port and secure for inspection.   The ships were ordered to take all the ammunition out of their magazines, and store it below.  On the afternoon before attack all of the admirals and generals were attending parties, even though two Japanese aircraft carriers were discovered standing right off Pearl Harbor.

The obvious action to take would have been to contact Pearl Harbor by telephone to warn them of the danger of a fight starting and to put the ammunition back and order the ships to get out of port into open sea.

About six hours before the Japanese attack began, a U.S. navy ship sank a small Japanese submarine right outside the harbor.  Instead of contacting Pearl Harbor by telephone to report the incident, a warning message was put into top secret code, which took about two hours to encode, and then it took another two hours to decode.     The word of warning to Pearl Harbor did not arrive until 10:00 AM Pearl Harbor time, Sunday -- two hours after the Japanese attack destroyed the U.S. fleet.

How do things like this happen?

If the men who were responsible for these obviously disastrous errors were stood up and asked bluntly to justify their actions and intentions you would find out that they were quite sincere in their jobs.  Ordinarily, they do the very best they can do for people and nations.    However, all of a sudden,   from some completely unknown and undetectable source enters these wild, unexplainable situations that just 'can't exist'.

The "Old Empire" thought control operation is run by a small group of old "baboons" with very small minds.   They are playing insidious games with no purpose and no goal other than to control and destroy IS-BEs who could otherwise manage themselves perfectly well, if left alone.

These types of artificially created incidents are being forced upon the human race by the operators of the mind-control prison system. The prison guards will always promote and support oppressive or totalitarian activities of IS-BEs on Earth. Why not keep the inmates fighting between themselves?    Why not empower madmen to run the governments of Earth?    The men who run the criminal governments of Earth mirror the commands given them by covert thought-controllers of the "Old Empire".

The human race will continue to shadow box with this for a long time -- as long as it remains the human race.

Until then, the IS-BEs on Earth will continue to live a series of consecutive lives, over and over and over. The same IS-BEs who lived during the rise and fall of civilizations in India, China, Mesepotamia, Greece, and Rome are inhabiting bodies in the present time in America, France, Russia, Africa, and around the world.

In between each lifetime an IS-BE is sent back again, to begin all over, as though the new life was the only life they had ever lived. They begin anew in pain, in misery, and mystery.

Some IS-BEs have been transported to Earth more recently than others.  Some IS-BEs have been on Earth only a few hundred years, so they have no personal experiences with the earlier civilizations of Earth.   They have no  experiences of having lived on Earth, so could not remember a previous existence here, even if their memory was restored.   They might, however, remember lives they lived elsewhere on other planets and in other times.

Others have been here since the first days of Lemuria. In any case, the IS-BEs of Earth are here forever, until they can break the amnesia cycle, conquer the electronic traps set up by their captors and free themselves.

Because The Domain has three thousand of their own IS-BEs in captivity on Earth also, they have an interest in solving this problem.  This problem has never been encountered or effectively solved before in the universe, as far as they know.   They will continue their efforts to free those IS-BEs from Earth, where and when it is possible, but it will require time to develop an   unprecedented technology and the diligence to do so.'

Summary and conclusion

The vast bulk of the narrative in the “Alien Interview” contained references and information relative to the conventional situation. When a need to elaborate on certain points occurred, the extraterrestrial used personal stories and data to “flush it out” so as to clarify the situations involved.

This article contains the vast bulk of the narrative as it pertains to contemporaneous humans on Earth devoid of any older historical references.

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You can find many more videos in my “Extraterrestrial Species index” over here…

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  • You can find out more about the author HERE.
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A look at the report “alien interview” by MM parsing items deemed trillions of years old

I have presented the PDF titled “Alien Interview” to the readership. It is supposed to be the transcripts of the interview that a nurse had with an extraterrestrial entity that was recovered from a spaceship crash in Roswell, New Mexico. There is a lot of good stuff there, and some things that run counter to what I know and understand to be true. My intention here is to parse the entire book, and compare it to what I know. Where the two diverge, it will be up to you (the readership) to sort it out.

In the transcript the extraterrestrial jumps all over. And in many instances he seems to reflect normal regular human feelings and attitudes about issues (such as the platypus) and you can read it and miss many things as it is a dated document translated by a nurse in 1947. In order to best sort it out, to a frame of reference that we can all understand, I am now (in this series of articles) going to separate the “Alien Interview” document into sections categorized by dates.

The extraterrestrial discussed period of time in…

  • Trillions of years. (Birth of consciousness, universe creation.)
  • Billions of years. (Galaxy creation, and early civilizations.)
  • Millions of years. (Local events in our region, and mankind.)
  • Thousands of years. (A scope most important to humans.)

In this article we will discuss the largest and most alien time scope; trillions of years.

Because the text will be taken out of the document, there might be some discontinuity in the text. In any case, I would advise reading the entire full document for a better understanding of context. Further, keep in mind that the purpose of this particular post / article is to separate the transcript into wide categories depending on the span of times discussed. I fear that the extraterrestrial was talking about a few thousand years in the past, then jumped to trillions of years ago, jumps to millions of years ago, jumps to decades, and then back to billions of years ago. This effort is to help sort things out chronologically.

The text segments…

"Personally, it is my conviction that all sentient beings are immortal spiritual beings. This includes human beings.  For the sake of accuracy and simplicity I will use a made-up word: "IS-BE".   

Because the primary nature of an immortal being is that they live in a timeless state of "is", and the only reason for their existence is that they decide to "be".

No matter how lowly their station in a society, every IS-BE deserves the respect and treatment that I myself would like to receive from others.    Each person on Earth continues to be an IS-BE whether they are aware of the fact or not."

"Before you can understand the subject of history, you must first understand the subject of time.  Time is simply an arbitrary measurement of the motion of objects through space.

Space is not linear.  Space is determined by the point of view of an IS-BE when viewing an object. The distance between an IS-BE and the object being viewed is called "space".

Objects, or energy masses, in space do not necessarily move in a linear fashion.     In this universe, objects tend to move randomly or in a curving or cyclical pattern, or as determined by agreed upon rules.

History is not only a linear record of events, as many authors of Earth history books imply, because it is not a string that can be stretched out and marked like a measuring tool. History is a subjective observation of the movement of objects through space, recorded from the point of view of a survivor, rather than of those who succumbed.   

Events occur interactively and concurrently, just as the biological body has a heart that pumps blood, while the lungs provide oxygen to the cells, which reproduce, using energy from the sun and chemicals from plants, at the same time as the liver strains toxic wastes from the blood, and eliminates them through the bladder and the bowels.

All of these interactions are concurrent and simultaneous.  Although time runs consecutively, events do not happen in an independent, linear stream.               

In order to view and understand the history or reality of the past, one must view all events as part of an interactive whole. Time can also be sensed as a vibration which is uniform throughout the entire physical universe.

Airl explained that IS-BEs have been around since before the beginning of the universe. The reason they are called "immortal", is because a "spirit" is not born and cannot die, but exists in a personally postulated perception of "is - will be". She was careful to explain that every spirit is not the same. Each is completely unique in identity, power, awareness and ability.

The difference between an IS-BE like Airl and most of the IS-BEs inhabiting bodies on Earth, is that Airl can enter and depart from her "doll" at will.    She can perceive at selective depths through matter. Airl and other officers of The Domain can communicate   telepathically. Since an IS-BE is not a physical universe entity it has no location in space or time.

An IS-BE is literally, "immaterial". They can span great distances of space instantly.

They can experience sensations, more intensely than a biological body, without the use of physical sensory mechanisms.  An IS-BE can exclude pain from their perception.   Airl can also remember her "identity", so to speak, all the way back into the dim mists of time, for trillions of years!

She says that the existing collection of suns in this immediate vicinity of the universe have been burning for the last 200 trillion years. The age of the physical universe is nearly infinitely old, but probably at least four quadrillion years since its earliest beginnings.

Time is a difficult factor to measure as it depends on the subjective memory of IS-BEs and there has been no uniform record of events throughout the physical universe since it began. As on Earth, there are many different time measurement systems, defined by various cultures, which use cycles of motion, and points of origin to establish age and duration.

The physical universe itself is formed from the convergence and amalgamation of many other individual universes, each one of which were created by an IS-BE or group of IS-BEs.    

The collision of these illusory universes commingled and coalesced and were solidified to form a mutually created universe.   Because it is agreed that energy and forms can be created, but not destroyed, this creative process has continued to form an ever-expanding universe of nearly infinite physical proportions.

Before the formation of the physical universe there was a vast period during which universes were not solid, but wholly illusionary.   You might say that the universe was a universe of magical illusions which were made to appear and vanish at the will of the magician.  In every case, the "magician" was one or more IS-BEs. Many IS-BEs on Earth can still recall vague images from that period. Tales of magic, sorcery and enchantment, fairy tales and mythology speak of such things, although in very crude terms.

Each IS-BE entered into the physical universe when they lost their own, "home" universe. That is, when an IS-BE's "home" universe was overwhelmed by the physical universe, or when the IS-BE joined with other IS-BEs to create or conquer the physical universe.

On Earth, the ability to determine when an IS- BE entered the physical universe is difficult for two reasons:    

1) the memory of IS-BEs on Earth have been erased, and 

2) IS-BEs arrival or invasion into the physical universe took place at different times, some 60 trillion years ago, and others only 3 trillion.

The Domain has conducted a periodic survey of the galaxies in this sector of the universe since it developed space travel technologies about 80 trillion years ago.    

A review of changes in the complexion of Earth reveal that mountain ranges rise and fall, continents change location, the poles of the planet shift, ice caps come and go, oceans appear and disappear, rivers, valleys and canyons change. In all cases, the matter is the same. It is always the same sand.                  

Every form and substance is made of the same basic material, which never deteriorates.

"The origins of this universe and life on Earth, as discussed in the textbooks I have read, are very inaccurate. Since you serve your government as a medical personnel, your duties require that you understand biological entities. So, I am sure that you will appreciate the value of the material I will share with you today.

The text of books I have been given on subjects related to the function of life forms contain information that is based on false memories, inaccurate observation, missing data, unproven theories, and superstition.

The correct information about the origins of biological entities has been erased from your mind, as well as from the minds of your mentors.  In order to help you regain your own memory, I will share with you some factual material concerning the origin of biological entities.

I asked Airl if she was referring to the subject of evolution. Airl said, "No, not exactly".

You will find "evolution" mentioned in the ancient Vedic Hymns. The Vedic texts are like folk tales or common wisdoms and superstitions gathered throughout the systems of The Domain. These were compiled into verses, like a book of rhymes.  For every statement of truth, the verses contain as many half-truths, reversals of truth and fanciful imaginings, blended without qualification or distinction.

The theory of evolution assumes that the motivational source of energy that animates every life form does not exist.   It assumes that an inanimate object or a chemical concoction can suddenly become "alive" or animate accidentally or spontaneously.   

Or, perhaps an electrical discharge into a pool of chemical ooze will magically spawn a self- animated entity.

There is no evidence whatsoever that this is true, simply because it is not true.   Dr. Frankenstein did not really resurrect the dead into a marauding monster, except in the imagination of the IS-BE who wrote a fictitious story one dark and stormy night.

No Western scientist ever stopped to consider who, what, where, when or how this animation happens.  Complete ignorance, denial or unawareness of the spirit as the source of life force required to animate inanimate objects or cellular tissue is the sole cause of failures in Western medicine.

In addition, evolution does not occur accidentally. It requires a great deal of technology which must be manipulated under the careful supervision of IS-BEs.  Very simple examples are seen in the modification of farm animals or in the breeding of dogs.  However, the notion that human biological organisms evolved naturally from earlier ape-like forms is incorrect.     No physical evidence will ever be uncovered to substantiate the notion that modern humanoid bodies evolved on this planet.

The reason is simple: the idea that human bodies evolved spontaneously from the primordial ooze of chemical interactivity in the dim mists of time is nothing more than a hypnotic lie instilled by the amnesia operation to prevent your recollection of the true origins of Mankind.   Factually, humanoid bodies have existed in various forms throughout the universe for trillions of years.

Immortal Spiritual Beings, which I refer to as "IS-BEs", for the sake of convenience, are the source and creators of illusions.  Each one, individually and collectively, in their original, unfettered state of being, are an eternal, all-powerful, all-knowing entity.

IS-BEs create space by imagining a location. The intervening distance between themselves and the imagined location is what we call space.

An IS-BE can perceive the space and objects created by other IS-BEs.

IS-BEs are not physical universe entities.  They are a source of energy and illusion.  IS- BEs are not located in space or time, but can create space, place particles in space, create energy, and shape particles into various forms, cause the motion of forms, and animate forms. Any form that is animated by an IS-BE is called life.

An IS-BE can decide to agree that they are located in space or time, and that they, themselves, are an object, or any other manner of illusion created by themselves or another or other IS-BEs.

The disadvantage of creating an illusion is that an illusion must be continually created. If not continually created, it disappears. Continual creation of an illusion requires incessant attention to every detail of the illusion in order to sustain it.

A common denominator of IS-BEs seems to be the desire to avoid boredom.         

A spirit only, without interaction with other IS-BEs, and the unpredictable motion, drama, and unanticipated intentions and illusions being created by other IS-BEs, is easily bored.

What if you could imagine anything, perceive everything, and cause anything to happen, at will?   What if you couldn't do anything else? What if you always knew the outcome of every game and the answer to every question?                

Would you get bored?

The entire back time track of IS-BEs is immeasurable, nearly infinite in terms of physical universe time.    

There is no measurable "beginning" or "end" for an IS-BE.   

They simply exist in an everlasting now.

Another common denominator of IS-BEs is that admiration of one's own illusions by others is very desirable.   

If the desired admiration is not forthcoming, the IS-BE will keep creating the illusion in an attempt to get admiration. One could say that the entire physical universe is made of unadmired illusions.

The origins of this universe began with the creation of individual, illusionary spaces. These were the "home" of the IS-BE.   

Sometimes a universe is a collaborative creation of illusions by two or more IS-BEs.    A proliferation of IS-BEs, and the universes they create, sometimes collide or become commingled or merge to an extent that many IS-BEs shared in the co-creation of a universe.

IS-BEs diminish their ability in order to have a game to play.  IS-BEs think that any game is better than no game.  

They will endure pain, suffering, stupidity, privation, and all manner of unnecessary and undesirable conditions, just to play a game.  Pretending that one does not know all, see all and cause all, is a way to create the conditions necessary for playing a game:   unknowns, freedoms, barriers and/or opponents and goals.  Ultimately, playing a game solves the problem of boredom.

In this fashion, all of the space, galaxies, suns, planets, and physical phenomena of this universe, including life forms, places, and events have been created by IS-BEs and sustained by mutual agreement that these things exist.

There are as many universes as there are IS-BEs to imagine, build and perceive them, each existing concurrently within its own continuum. Each universe is created using its own unique set of rules, as imagined, altered, preserved or destroyed by one or more IS-BEs who created it. Time, energy, objects and space, as defined in terms of the physical universe, may or may not exist in other universes. The Domain exists in such a universe, as well as in the physical universe.

One of the rules of the physical universe is that energy can be created, but not destroyed. So, the universe will keep expanding as long as IS-BEs keep adding more new energy into it. It is nearly infinite. It is like an automobile assembly line that never stops running and none of the cars are ever destroyed.

Every IS-BE is basically good.  

Therefore, an IS-BE does not enjoy doing things to other IS- BEs which they themselves do not want to experience.  For an IS-BE there is no inherent standard for what is good or bad, right or wrong, ugly or beautiful.  These ideas are all based on the opinion of each individual IS-BE.

The closest concept that human beings have to describe an IS-BE is as a god:   all-knowing, all-powerful, infinite. So, how does a god stop being a god?               

They  pretend NOT to know. How can you play a game of "hide and seek" if you always know where the other person is hiding?

You pretend NOT to know where the other players are hiding, so you can go off to "seek" them. This is how games are created.  You have forgotten that you are just "pretending".  In so doing, IS-BEs become entrapped and enslaved inside a maze of their own devising.

How does one create a cage, lock one's own self inside the cage, throw away the key, and forget there is a key or a cage, and forget there is an "inside" or "outside", and even forget there is a self? Create the illusion that there is no illusion: the entire universe is real, and that no other universe exists or can be created.

On Earth, the propaganda taught and agreed upon is that the gods are responsible, and that human beings are not responsible.   You are taught that only a god can create universes. So, the responsibility for every action is assigned to another IS-BE or god. Never oneself.

No human being ever assumes personal responsibility for the fact that they, themselves -- individually and collectively -- are gods.   This fact alone is the source of entrapment for every IS-BE.

Some comments on this.

These discussions, and text narratives, refer to a time where our universe (via the “Big Bang”) was not yet created. And in that land of no time (yet the extraterrestrial refers to time…?) and no space, the IS-BE consciousness existed. And this is what it was like.

Do you want more?

You can find many more videos in my “Extraterrestrial Species index” over here…

ET Species

.

Articles & Links

Master Index

.

  • You can start reading the articles by going HERE.
  • You can visit the Index Page HERE to explore by article subject.
  • You can also ask the author some questions. You can go HERE to find out how to go about this.
  • You can find out more about the author HERE.
  • If you have concerns or complaints, you can go HERE.
  • If you want to make a donation, you can go HERE.

 

A look at the report “alien interview” by MM parsing items deemed billions of years old

I have presented the PDF titled “Alien Interview” to the readership. It is supposed to be the transcripts of the interview that a nurse had with an extraterrestrial entity that was recovered from a spaceship crash in Roswell, New Mexico. There is a lot of good stuff there, and some things that run counter to what I know and understand to be true. My intention here is to parse the entire book, and compare it to what I know. Where the two diverge, it will be up to you (the readership) to sort it out.

In the transcript the extraterrestrial jumps all over. And in many instances he seems to reflect normal regular human feelings and attitudes about issues (such as the platypus) and you can read it and miss many things as it is a dated document translated by a nurse in 1947. In order to best sort it out, to a frame of reference that we can all understand, I am now (in this series of articles) going to separate the “Alien Interview” document into sections categorized by dates.

The extraterrestrial discussed period of time in…

  • Trillions of years. (Birth of consciousness, universe creation.)
  • Billions of years. (Galaxy creation, and early civilizations.)
  • Millions of years. (Local events in our region, and mankind.)
  • Thousands of years. (A scope most important to humans.)

In this article we will discuss the time scope of billions of years.

Because the text will be taken out of the document, there might be some discontinuity in the text. In any case, I would advise reading the entire full document for a better understanding of context. Further, keep in mind that the purpose of this particular post / article is to separate the transcript into wide categories depending on the span of times discussed. I fear that the extraterrestrial was talking about a few thousand years in the past, then jumped to trillions of years ago, jumps to millions of years ago, jumps to decades, and then back to billions of years ago. This effort is to help sort things out chronologically.

Perspective

According to the learned “experts” the “big bang” hit around 14 – 15 billion years ago. Eventually forming our galaxy which absorbed other galaxies in the process. Based on the composition of stars, they have estimated that most stars in our universe today are fourth or fifth generation.

Our solar system is around 4 – 5 billion years old.

The text segments

Every once in a short while, a few million years, an area or planet will be taken over by another group of IS-BEs entering into the area.

Sometimes they will capture other IS-BEs as slaves. They will be forced to inhabit bodies to perform menial, or manual work -- especially mining mineral ores on heavy-gravity planets, such as Earth.

Airl says that, when she became a pilot for a biological survey mission which included occasional visits to Earth.   She can remember her entire career there, and for a very long time before that.

She told me that Earth scientists do not have an accurate measuring system to gauge the age of matter.   They assume that because certain types of materials seem to deteriorate rather quickly, such as organic or carbon-based matter, that there is a deterioration of matter.     It is not accurate to measure the age of stone, based on the measurement of the age of wood or bone.   This is a fundamental error. Factually, matter does not deteriorate. It cannot be destroyed.      Matter may be altered in form, but it is never truly destroyed.

I can relate part of this history from personal experience:

Many billions of years ago I was a member of a very large biological laboratory in a galaxy far from this one.  It was called the "Arcadia Regeneration Company". I was a biological engineer working with a large staff of technicians.   It was our business to manufacture and supply new life forms to uninhabited planets.   There were millions of star systems with millions of inhabitable planets in the region at that time.

There were many other biological laboratory companies at that time also.       Each of them specialized in producing different kinds of life forms, depending on the "class" of the planet being populated.  Over a long span of time these laboratories developed a vast catalogue of species throughout the galaxies. The majority of basic genetic material is common to all species of life. Therefore, most of their work was concerned with manipulating alterations of the basic genetic pattern to produce variations of life forms that would be suitable inhabitants for various planetary classes.

The "Arcadia Regeneration Company" specialized in mammals for forested areas and birds for tropical regions.  Our marketing staff negotiated contracts with various planetary governments and independent buyers from all over the universe.   The technicians created animals that were compatible with the variations in climate, atmospheric and terrestrial density and chemical content.  In addition we were paid to integrate our specimens with biological organisms engineered by other companies already living on a planet.

In order to do this our staff was in communication with other companies who created life forms.     There were industry trade shows, publications and a variety of other information supplied through an association that coordinated related projects.

As you can imagine, our research required a great deal of interstellar travel to conduct planetary surveys.   This is when I learned my skills as a pilot.  The data gathered was accumulated in huge computer databases and evaluated by biological engineers.

A computer is an electronic device that serves as an artificial "brain" or complex calculating machine.   It is capable of storing information, making computations, solving problems and performing mechanical functions. In most of the galactic systems of the universe, very large computers are commonly used to run the routine administration, mechanical services and maintenance activities of an entire planet or planetary system.

Based on the survey data gathered, designs and artistic renderings were made for new creatures. Some designs were sold to the highest bidder. Other life forms were created to meet the customized requests of our clients.

The design and technical specifications were passed along an assembly line through a series of cellular, chemical, and mechanical engineers to solve the various problems.  It was their job to integrate all of the component factors into a workable, functional and aesthetic finished product.

Prototypes of these creatures were then produced and tested in artificially created environments.  Imperfections were worked out, modifications made and eventually the new life form was "endowed" or "animated" with a life force or spiritual energy before being introduced into the actual planetary environment for final testing.

After a new life form was introduced, we monitored the interaction of these biological organisms with the planetary environment and with other indigenous life-forms. Conflicts resulting from the interaction between incompatible organisms were resolved through negotiation between ourselves and other companies.  The negotiations usually resulted in compromises requiring further modification to our creatures or to theirs or both.    This is part of a science or art you call "Eugenics".

In some cases changes were made in the planetary environment, but not often, as planet building is much more complex than making changes to an individual life form.

What you see now on Earth is the huge variety of life forms left behind.   Your scientists believe that the fallacious "theory of evolution" is an explanation for the existence of all the life forms here.  The truth is that all life forms on this and any other planet in this universe were created by companies like ours.

How else can you explain the millions of completely divergent and unrelated species of life on the land and in the oceans of this planet?     How else can you explain the source of spiritual animation which defines every living creature?   To say it is the work of "god", is  far too broad.  Every IS-BE has many names and faces in many times and places.   Every IS-BE is a god. When they inhabit a physical object they are the source of Life.

For example, there are millions of species of insects.  About 350,000 of these are species of beetles. There may be as many as 100 million species of life forms on Earth at any given time.     In addition, there are many times more extinct species of life on Earth than there are living life forms.     Some of these will be rediscovered in the fossil or geological records of Earth.

The current "theory of evolution" of life forms on Earth does not consider the phenomena of biological diversity. Evolution by natural selection is science fiction.   One species does not accidentally, or randomly evolve to become another species, as the Earth textbooks indicate, without manipulation of genetic material by an IS-BE.

Factually, some organisms on Earth, such as Proteobacteria, are modifications of a Phylum designed primarily for "Star Type 3, Class C" planets.    In other words, The Domain designation for a planet with an anaerobic atmosphere nearest a large, intensely hot blue star, such as those in the constellation of Orion's Belt in this galaxy.

Creating life forms is very complex, highly technical work for IS-BEs who specialize in this field.  Genetic anomalies are very baffling to Earth biologists who have had their memory erased.   Unfortunately, the false memory implantations of the "Old Empire" prevent Earth scientists from observing obvious anomalies.

The greatest technical challenge of biological organisms  was the invention of self- regeneration, or sexual reproduction. It was invented as the solution to the problem of having to continually manufacture replacement creatures for those that had been destroyed and eaten by other creatures.   Planetary governments did not want to keep buying replacement animals.

The idea was contrived trillions of years ago as a result of a conference held to resolve arguments between the disputing vested interests within the biotechnology industry. The infamous "Council of Yuhmi-Krum" was responsible for coordinating creature production.

A compromise was reached, after certain members of the Council were strategically bribed or murdered, to author an agreement which resulted in the biological phenomenon which we now call the "food chain".

The idea that a creature would need to consume the body of another life form as an energy source was offered as a solution by one of the biggest companies in the biological engineering business.  They specialized in creating insects and flowering plants.

The connection between the two is obvious. Nearly every flowering plant requires a symbiotic relationship with an insect in order to propagate.  The reason is obvious: both the bugs and the flowers were created by the same company.  Unfortunately, this same company also had a division which created parasites and bacteria.

The name of the company roughly translated into English would be "Bugs & Blossoms" .   They wanted to justify the fact that the only valid purpose of the parasitic creatures they manufactured was to aid the decomposition of organic material.  There was a very limited market for such creatures at that time.

In order to expand their business they hired a big public relations firm and a powerful group of political lobbyists to glorify the idea that life forms should feed from other life forms. They invented a "scientific theory" to use as a promotion gimmick.  The theory was that all creatures needed to have "food" as a source of energy. Before that, none of the life forms being manufactured required any external energy.  Animals did not eat other animals for food, but consumed sunlight, minerals or vegetable matter only.

Of course, "Bugs & Blossoms" went into the business of designing and manufacturing carnivores.  Before long, so many animals were being eaten as food that the problem of replenishing them became very difficult.  As a 'solution', "Bugs & Blossoms" proposed, with the help of some strategically placed bribes in high places, that other companies begin using 'sexual reproduction' as the basis for replenishing life-forms.  "Bugs & Blossoms" was the first company to           develop blueprints for sexual reproduction, of course.

As expected, the patent licenses for the biological engineering process required to implant stimulus-response mating, cellular division and pre-programmed growth patterns for self-regenerating animals were owned by "Bugs & Blossoms" too.

Through the next few million years laws were passed that required that these programs be purchased by the other biological technology companies.      These were required to be imprinted into the cellular design of all existing life- forms. It became a very expensive undertaking for other biotechnology companies to make such an awkward, and impractical idea work.

This led to the corruption and downfall of the entire industry.  Ultimately, the 'food and sex' idea completely ruined the bio-technology industry, including "Bugs & Blossoms".  The entire industry faded away as the market for manufactured life forms disappeared. Consequently, when a species became extinct, there is no way to replace them because the technology of creating new life forms has been lost.  Obviously, none of this technology was ever known on Earth, and probably never will be.

There are still computer files on some planets far from here which record the procedures for biological engineering. Possibly the laboratories and computers still exist somewhere.   However, there is no one around doing anything with them. Therefore, you can understand why it is so important for The Domain to protect the dwindling number of creatures left on Earth.

The core concept behind 'sexual reproduction' technology was the invention of a chemical/electronic interaction called "cyclical stimulus-response generators". This is an programmed genetic mechanism which causes a seemingly spontaneous, recurring impulse to reproduce. The same technique was later adapted and applied to biological flesh bodies, including Homo Sapiens.

Another important mechanism used in the reproductive process, especially with Homo Sapiens type bodies, is the implantation of a "chemical-electrical trigger" mechanism in the body.      The "trigger" which attracts IS-BEs to inhabit a human body, or any kind of "flesh body", is the use of an artificially imprinted electronic wave which uses "aesthetic pain" to attract the IS-BE.

Every trap in the universe, including those used to capture IS-BEs who remain free, is "baited" with an aesthetic electronic wave.

The sensations caused by the aesthetic wavelength are more attractive to an IS-BE than any other sensation.  When the electronic waves of pain and beauty are combined together, this causes the IS-BE to get "stuck" in the body.

The "reproductive trigger" used for lesser life forms, such as cattle and other mammals, is triggered by chemicals emitted from the scent glands, combined with reproductive chemical- electrical impulses stimulated by testosterone, or estrogen.

These are also interactive with nutrition levels which cause the life form to reproduce more when deprived of food sources. Starvation promotes reproductive activity as a means of perpetuating survival through future regenerations, when the current organism fails to survive.     These fundamental principles have been applied throughout all species of life.

The debilitating impact and addiction to the "sexual aesthetic-pain" electronic wave is the reason that the ruling class of The Domain do not inhabit flesh bodies.  This is also why officers of The Domain Forces only use doll bodies. This wave has proven to be the most effective trapping device ever created in the history of the universe, as far as I know.

The civilizations of The Domain and the "Old Empire" both  depend on this device to "recruit" and maintain a work force of IS-BEs who inhabit flesh bodies on planets and installations.  These IS-BEs are the "working class" beings who do all of the slavish, manual, undesirable work on planets.

As I mentioned, there is a very highly regimented and fixed hierarchy or "class system" for all IS-BEs throughout the "Old Empire", and The Domain, as follows:

The highest class are "free" IS-BEs.   That is, they are not restricted to the use of any type of body and may come and go at will, provided that they do not destroy or interfere with the social, economic or political structure.

Below this class are many strata of "limited" IS-BEs who may or may not use a body from time to time.  Limitations are imposed on each IS-BE regarding range of power, ability and mobility they can exercise.

Below these are the "doll body" classes, to which I belong.  Nearly all space officers and crew members of space craft are required to travel through intergalactic space.    Therefore, they are each equipped with a body manufactured from lightweight, durable materials.  Various body types have been designed to facilitate specialized functions. Some bodies have accessories, such as interchangeable tools or apparatus for activities such as maintenance, mining, chemical management, navigation, and so forth. There are many gradations of this body type which also serve as an "insignia" of rank.

Below these are the soldier class.  The soldiers are equipped with a myriad of weapons, and specialized armaments designed to detect, combat and overwhelm any imaginable foe.   Some soldiers are issued mechanical bodies. Most soldiers are merely remote controlled robots with no class designation.

The lower classes are limited to "flesh bodies". Of course, it is not possible for these to travel through space for obvious reasons. Fundamentally, flesh bodies are far too fragile to endure the stresses of gravity, temperature extremes, radiation exposure, atmospheric chemicals and the vacuum of space. There are also the obvious logistical inconveniences of food, defecation, sleep, atmospheric elements, and air pressure required by flesh bodies, that doll bodies do not require.

Most flesh bodies will suffocate in only a few minutes without a specific combination of atmospheric chemicals.  After 2 or 3 days the bacteria which live internally and externally on the body cause severe odors to be emitted. Odors of any kind are not acceptable in a space vessel.

Flesh can tolerate only a very limited spectrum of temperatures, whereas in space the contrast of temperatures may vary hundreds of degrees within seconds.  Of course flesh bodies are utterly useless for military duty.   A single shot from a hand-held, electronic blast gun instantly turns a flesh body into a noxious vapor cloud.

IS-BEs who inhabit flesh bodies have lost much of their native ability and power.      Although it is theoretically possible to regain or rehabilitate these abilities, no practical means has been discovered or authorized by The Domain.

Even though space craft of The Domain travel trillions of "light years" in a single day, the time required to traverse the space between galaxies is significant, not to mention the length of time to complete just one set of mission orders, which may require thousands of years.    Biological flesh bodies live for only a very short time -- only 60 to 150 years, at most -- whereas doll bodies can be re-used and repaired almost indefinitely.

The first development of biological bodies began in this universe about seventy-four trillion years ago.  It rapidly became a fad for IS-BEs to create and inhabit various types of bodies for an assortment of nefarious reasons: especially for amusement, this is to experience various physical sensations vicariously through the body.

Since that time there has been a continuing "de-evolution" in the relationship of IS-BEs to bodies. As IS-BEs continued to play around with these bodies, certain tricks were introduced to cause IS-BEs to get trapped inside a body so they were unable to leave again.

This was done primarily by making bodies that appeared sturdy, but were actually very fragile.   An IS-BE, using their natural power to create energy, accidentally injured a body when contacting it.  The IS-BE was remorseful about having injured this fragile body.  The next time they encountered a body they began to be "careful" with them.  In so doing, the IS-BE would withdraw or minimize their own power so as not to injure the body.  A very long and treacherous history of this kind of trickery, combined with similar misadventures eventually resulted in a large number of IS-BEs becoming permanently trapped in bodies.

Of course this became a profitable enterprise for some IS-BEs who took advantage of this situation to make slaves of others. The resulting enslavement progressed over trillions of years, and continues today.    Ultimately the dwindling ability of IS-BEs to maintain a personal state of operational freedom and ability to create energy resulted in the vast and carefully guarded hierarchy or class system.   Using bodies as a symbol of each class is used throughout the "Old Empire", as well as The Domain.

The vast majority of IS-BEs throughout the galaxies of this universe inhabit some form of flesh body.   The structure, appearance, operation and habitat of these bodies vary according to the gravity, atmosphere, and climatic conditions of the planet they inhabit. Body types are predetermined largely by the type and size of the star around which the planet revolves, the distance from the star, the geological, as well as the atmospheric components of the planet.

On the average, these stars and planets fall into gradients of classification which are fairly standard throughout the universe.   For example, Earth is identified, roughly, as a "Sun Type 12, Class 7 planet".  That is a heavy gravity, nitrogen/oxygen atmosphere planet, with biological life-forms, in proximity to a single, yellow, medium-size, low-radiation sun or "Type 12 star". The proper designations are difficult to translate accurately due to the extreme limitations of astronomical nomenclature in the English language.

There are as many varieties of life forms as there are grains of sands on the beach. You can imagine how many different creatures and types of bodies have been manufactured by the millions of companies such as "Bugs & Blossoms" for all of the myriad planetary systems during the course of seventy-four trillion years!"

As Airl mentioned previously, a very rigid and distinctive hierarchy of social, economic and cultural classes exists throughout The Domain which has remained unvaried and inviolate for many millennia.  The body type and function assigned to an IS-BE officer varies specifically according to the rank, class, longevity, training level, command level, service record, and meritorious citations earned by each individual IS-BE, as with any other military insignia.

The body used by Airl is specifically designed for an officer, pilot and engineer of her rank and class.   The bodies of her companions, which were destroyed in the crash, were not of the same rank or class, but of a junior rank. Therefore, the appearance, features, composition and functionality of those bodies were specialized, and limited to the requirements of their duties.

The junior officers whose bodies were damaged in the crash have left their bodies and returned to their duties on the space station. The damage suffered by their bodies was due primarily to the fact that they were officers of lower rank. They used bodies which were partially biological and therefore far less durable and resilient than hers.

Some thoughts

In general, we can consider these selected text extracts to represent the time period from when the “Big Bang” happened to the early years in the formation of our solar system.

You can see that The Domain (or what ever it called itself then) was very busy creating life templates or systems, or archetypes for our universe. And most of the discussions during this period involved this activity. You can also see that it had created organizations that had similar names to what we refer to as companies, groups, marketing and scientists.

All in all it is very interesting. And in many ways is near equal to my understanding of this time period.

Do you want more?

You can find many more videos in my “Extraterrestrial Species index” over here…

ET Species

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Articles & Links

Master Index

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  • You can start reading the articles by going HERE.
  • You can visit the Index Page HERE to explore by article subject.
  • You can also ask the author some questions. You can go HERE to find out how to go about this.
  • You can find out more about the author HERE.
  • If you have concerns or complaints, you can go HERE.
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A look at the report “alien interview” by MM parsing items deemed millions of years old

I have presented the PDF titled “Alien Interview” to the readership. It is supposed to be the transcripts of the interview that a nurse had with an extraterrestrial entity that was recovered from a spaceship crash in Roswell, New Mexico. There is a lot of good stuff there, and some things that run counter to what I know and understand to be true. My intention here is to parse the entire book, and compare it to what I know. Where the two diverge, it will be up to you (the readership) to sort it out.

In the transcript the extraterrestrial jumps all over. And in many instances he seems to reflect normal regular human feelings and attitudes about issues (such as the platypus) and you can read it and miss many things as it is a dated document translated by a nurse in 1947. In order to best sort it out, to a frame of reference that we can all understand, I am now (in this series of articles) going to separate the “Alien Interview” document into sections categorized by dates.

The extraterrestrial discussed period of time in…

  • Trillions of years. (Birth of consciousness, universe creation.)
  • Billions of years. (Galaxy creation, and early civilizations.)
  • Millions of years. (Local events in our region, and mankind.)
  • Thousands of years. (A scope most important to humans.)

In this article we will discuss the time scope of millions of years.

Because the text will be taken out of the document, there might be some discontinuity in the text. In any case, I would advise reading the entire full document for a better understanding of context. Further, keep in mind that the purpose of this particular post / article is to separate the transcript into wide categories depending on the span of times discussed. I fear that the extraterrestrial was talking about a few thousand years in the past, then jumped to trillions of years ago, jumps to millions of years ago, jumps to decades, and then back to billions of years ago. This effort is to help sort things out chronologically.

Millions of years ago.

Our solar system is around 4 – 5 billion years old (according to the “experts”). And our planet Earth really wasn’t much of anything worthwhile up until the last one billion years. Up until around 800 million years ago or so, it was just a hot smoggy mess.

Most Earth humans cannot picture a span of time in the millions of years. But to put things in context, you can use this handy guide…

Most of the stars and planets that we can see through our telescopes were pretty much also visible millions of years ago. Though many had changed and gone through “life cycles” in the process.

On the Earth, life fit into these broad categories…

  • 800m – 500m Early life
  • 500m – 70m Dinosaurs
  • 70m – 10m Mammals
  • 10m – 3m Proto-apes
  • 3m – present Humans

Now there are all sorts of ways to splice and dice these categories up, so I’m not gonna want to hear your arguments one way or the other. This is just a very rough (ROUGH) rule of thumb to put things into context when you are reading the text extracted from the “Alien Interview” document.

The following text  refers to stories, experiences, and narratives that took place when the world was rather young. As the extraterrestrial entity narrates, please keep in mind that the earth at this particular time was primitive. If it had life, the chances were that the life was dinosaurs or something similar.

The text segments

Several million years ago I was trained and served as an Investigation, Data Evaluation and Program Development Officer for The Domain. Because I was experienced in that technology, I was sent to Earth as part of the search team. (around 8,000 years ago.)

A simple example of IS-BE intervention is the selective breeding of a species on Earth. Within the past few hundred years several hundred dog breeds and hundreds of varieties of pigeons and dozens of Koi fish have been "evolved" in just a few years, beginning with only one original breed.    Without active intervention by IS-BEs, biological organisms rarely change.

The development of an animal like the 'duck- billed platypus' required a lot of very clever engineering to combine the body of a beaver with the bill of a duck and make a mammal that lays eggs.  Undoubtedly, some wealthy client placed a "special order" for it as a gift or curious amusement.  I am sure the laboratory of some biotechnical company worked on it for years to make it a self-replicating life form!

The notion that the creation of any life form could have resulted from a coincidental chemical interaction moldering up from some primordial ooze is beyond absurdity!

Thoughts and conclusions

This article discusses extracted quotes relating to a period of time on the order of millions of earth years. Roughly 100 million to 1 million years ago.

The extraterrestrial did not mention much about this period of time. There were only two separate instances that include dates in this time frame.

What we do know, or can infer, is that during this period of time that [1] “The Domain” existed. And that this particular extraterrestrial was involved in various roles to include [2] “training”, “working” and “learning”.

Do you want more?

You can find many more videos in my “Extraterrestrial Species index” over here…

ET Species

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Articles & Links

Master Index

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  • You can start reading the articles by going HERE.
  • You can visit the Index Page HERE to explore by article subject.
  • You can also ask the author some questions. You can go HERE to find out how to go about this.
  • You can find out more about the author HERE.
  • If you have concerns or complaints, you can go HERE.
  • If you want to make a donation, you can go HERE.

 

A breakdown of the report “alien interview” by MM from a MAJ perspective (part 8)

I have presented the PDF titled “Alien Interview” to the readership. It is supposed to be the transcripts of the interview that a nurse had with an extraterrestrial entity that was recovered from a spaceship crash in Roswell, New Mexico. There is a lot of good stuff there, and some things that run counter to what I know and understand to be true. My intention here is to parse the entire book, and compare it to what I know. Where the two diverge, it will be up to you (the readership) to sort it out.

This is part 8.

This is part eight of the parsing of this document

You can view part 1 HERE.

ALIEN INTERVIEW, 31. 7. 1947, 1st Session

“It is my personal belief that the truth should not be sacrificed on the altar of political, religious or economic expediency.

As an officer, pilot and engineer of The Domain it is my duty to protect the greater good of The Domain and its possessions.

However, we cannot defend ourselves against forces of which we are not aware.

The extraterrestrial wants to discuss truths as it understands them, but realizes that there are limitations on what it can say, and barriers in understanding what is related.

The isolation of Earth from the rest of civilization prevents me from discussing many subjects with you at this time.

The forced isolated of Earth, makes it very difficult to discuss matters of importance. Most of what would be discussed would be new, strange or incomprehensible to humans.

Security and protocol prevent me from revealing any but the broadest, general statements about the plans and activities of The Domain.

It is a military officer in an organization with limitations are requirements that it must meet.

However, I can give you some information that you may find useful.

But, and never the less, some information can be provided that will be useful.

I must return to my assigned duties on the “space station” now.

This "Alien interview" was a distraction. Not a major event. It it time for the extraterrestrial to return to it's normal duties.

I have provided as much help as I feel ethically able to offer, given the requirements and constraints of my duties as an officer, pilot and engineer of The Domain Forces. Therefore, I will depart, as an IS-BE, from Earth within the next 24 hours.’

It is time for it to leave.

Notes

(EDITOR'S NOTE: The following several paragraphs appear to be personal comments made by Matilda to the stenographer regarding her interview with Airl.)

What this means is that Airl will leave her “doll” with us, as her craft is damaged beyond repair. We can examine, dissect and study the body at our leisure. She does not have any further use for it, nor does she have any personal feelings or attachments to it as others are readily available for her use.

Airl does not recommend that there is any technology in the body that Earth scientists will find useful, however. The technology of the body is simple, yet vastly beyond the reckoning of our current ability to analyze or reverse engineer any facet of it. The body is neither biological or mechanical, but a unique fabrication a materials and ancient technologies not found on any Earth-type planet.

As Airl mentioned previously, a very rigid and distinctive hierarchy of social, economic and cultural classes exists throughout The Domain which has remained unvaried and inviolate for many millennia. The body type and function assigned to an IS-BE officer varies specifically according to the rank, class, longevity, training level, command level, service record, and meritorious citations earned by each individual IS-BE, as with any other military insignia.

The body used by Airl is specifically designed for an officer, pilot and engineer of her rank and class. The bodies of her companions, which were destroyed in the crash, were not of the same rank or class, but of a junior rank. Therefore, the appearance, features, composition and functionality of those bodies were specialized, and limited to the requirements of their duties.

The junior officers whose bodies were damaged in the crash have left their bodies and returned to their duties on the space station. The damage suffered by their bodies was due primarily to the fact that they were officers of lower rank. They used bodies which were partially biological and therefore far less durable and resilient than hers.

Transcript resumes

(EDITOR'S NOTE: At this point, the transcript appears to resume with statements made by Airl.)

Although The Domain will not hesitate to destroy any active vestiges of the “Old Empire” operations where ever they are discovered this is not our primary mission in this galaxy.

The Domain primary mission is something else. It will destroy "Old Empire" remnants where ever it finds them.

I am sure that the “Old Empire” mind-control mechanisms can be deactivated and destroyed eventually.

I agree with this.

However, it is not possible to estimate how long this make take, as we do not understand the extent of this operation at this time.

I also agree with this, though I do believe that things has changed substantially with MAJestic assistance from the 1960's to present.

We do know that the “Old Empire” force screen is vast enough to cover this end of the galaxy, at least.

It is not limited to the Earth. Nor is it limited to the solar system. But it extends much further than that and includes a region of space with numerous solar systems. I can tell you that there are at least five "sentience nurseries" or recovering "prison planets" in this neighborhood.

We also know from experience that each force generator and trapping device is very difficult to detect, locate and destroy.

Not a good thing.

Also, it is not the current mission of The Domain Expeditionary Force to commit resources to this endeavor.

Not a good thing.

The eventual destruction of these devices may make it possible for your memory to be restored, simply by virtue of not having it erased after each lifetime.

The destruction of the devices will probably and likely prevent the erasure of memories. But it will not be able to recover previously lost memories unfortunately.

Fortunately, the memory of an IS-BE cannot be permanently erased.

So, the memories will still be dormant, sitting there. They just will not be easily recovered.

There are many other active space civilizations who maintain various nefarious operations in this area, not the least of which is dumping unwanted IS-BEs on Earth.

There are many other space civilizations similar to the "Old Empire" that acts in this geographic area of our solar system.

None of these craft are hostile or in violent opposition to The Domain Forces. They know better than to challenge us!

They are war-mongering with evil intent, but they are afraid of the Domain. Which is probably why the Type-1 greys are so dominant in the solar system with MAJestic.

For the most part The Domain ignores Earth and its inhabitants, except to ensure that the resources of the planet itself are not permanently spoiled.

They do not want the earth to be radioactive, or swamped with incurable biological weapons.

This sector of the galaxy was annexed by The Domain and is the possession of The Domain, to do with or dispose of as it deems best.

This entire region, including the Earth is the property of The Domain.

The moon of Earth and the asteroid belt have become a permanent base of operations for The Domain Forces.

Permanent bases of operations for the Domain exist on the moon and in the asteroid belt. You all might want to read my article on The Hollow Moon.

Needless to say, any attempt by humans or others to interfere in the activities of The Domain in this solar system – even if it were possible, which it definitely is not – will be terminated swiftly.

Up front warning to the military leadership at Roswell.

This is not a serious concern, as I mentioned earlier, since homo sapiens cannot operate in open space.

Still the warning is there.

Of course we will continue with the next steps of The Domain Expansion Plan which has remained on schedule for billions of years. Over the next 5,000 years there will be increasing traffic and activity of The Domain Forces as we progress toward the center of this galaxy and beyond to spread our civilization through the universe.

This region of space will see more type-1 grey activities and will become more important as time moves on.

If humanity is to survive, it must cooperate to find effective solutions to the difficult conditions of your existence on Earth.

Humanity must cooperate with the Domain. Which is probably why MAJestic was established.

Humanity must rise above its human form and discover where they are, and that they are IS-BEs, and who they really are as IS-BEs in order to transcend the notion that they are merely biological bodies.

Once these realizations have been made, it may be possible to escape your current imprisonment.

Otherwise, there will be no future for the IS-BEs on Earth.

Thus anyone or anything that dwells on the carnal things of the flesh and the physical takes away from the notion of consciousness and purpose. Be the Rufus, or try to become filthy rich and popular like the media says. there is no in between.

Although there are no active battles or war being waged between The Domain and the “Old Empire”, there still exists the covert actions of the “Old Empire” taken against Earth through their thought control operation.

Covert actions are engaged on the earth.

When one knows that these these activities exist, the effects can be observed clearly.

The most obvious examples of these actions against the human race can be seen as incidents of sudden, inexplicable behavior.

A very recent instance of this occurred in the United States military just before the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor.

Such as carpet bombing China with bio-weapons, and the Coronavirus, and the strange behaviors of American and British Naval vessels.

Just three days before the attack, someone in authority ordered all the ships in Pearl Harbor to go into port and secure for inspection. The ships were ordered to take all the ammunition out of their magazines, and store it below. On the afternoon before attack all of the admirals and generals were attending parties, even though two Japanese aircraft carriers were discovered standing right off Pearl Harbor.

The obvious action to take would have been to contact Pearl Harbor by telephone to warn them of the danger of a fight starting and to put the ammunition back and order the ships to get out of port into open sea.

About six hours before the Japanese attack began, a U.S. navy ship sank a small Japanese submarine right outside the harbor. Instead of contacting Pearl Harbor by telephone to report the incident, a warning message was put into top secret code, which took about two hours to encode, and then it took another two hours to decode.

The word of warning to Pearl Harbor did not arrive until 10:00 AM Pearl Harbor time, Sunday – two hours after the Japanese attack destroyed the U.S. fleet.

How do things like this happen?

If the men who were responsible for these obviously disastrous errors were stood up and asked bluntly to justify their actions and intentions you would find out that they were quite sincere in their jobs. Ordinarily, they do the very best they can do for people and nations. However, all of a sudden, from some completely unknown and undetectable source enters these wild, unexplainable situations that just ‘can’t exist’.

Such unexplainable actions by otherwise sensible people can and will occur.

The “Old Empire” thought control operation is run by a small group of old “baboons” with very small minds. They are playing insidious games with no purpose and no goal other than to control and destroy IS-BEs who could otherwise manage themselves perfectly well, if left alone.

It's an apt description of a very low mental state of humanoid.

These types of artificially created incidents (as recently) are being forced upon the human race by the operators of the mind-control prison system. The prison guards will always promote and support oppressive or totalitarian activities of IS-BEs on Earth.

Think of America today, and South Africa.

Why not keep the inmates fighting between themselves?

Why not empower madmen to run the governments of Earth?

The men who run the criminal governments of Earth mirror the commands given them by covert thought-controllers of the “Old Empire”.

Directions from their controllers who are well hidden and dispersed throughout the Old Empire. Even though it is in ruin, they still work their roles.

The human race will continue to shadow box with this for a long time – as long as it remains the human race. Until then, the IS-BEs on Earth will continue to live a series of consecutive lives, over and over and over. The same IS-BEs who lived during the rise and fall of civilizations in India, China, Mesopotamia, Greece, and Rome are inhabiting bodies in the present time in America, France, Russia, Africa, and around the world.

Sigh. This sucks.

In between each lifetime an IS-BE is sent back again, to begin all over, as though the new life was the only life they had ever lived. They begin anew in pain, in misery, and mystery.

Sigh. This sucks.

Some IS-BEs have been transported to Earth more recently than others. Some IS-BEs have been on Earth only a few hundred years, so they have no personal experiences with the earlier civilizations of Earth. They have no experiences of having lived on Earth, so could not remember a previous existence here, even if their memory was restored. They might, however, remember lives they lived elsewhere on other planets and in other times.

A very interesting statement. If the person had a life on another planet and was then transported to earth and had the memories erased, the memories of the prior planet might still exist and be easier to acquire.

Others have been here since the first days of Lemuria.

In any case, the IS-BEs of Earth are here forever, until they can break the amnesia cycle, conquer the electronic traps set up by their captors and free themselves.

It is a four step plan on what to do.

[1] Break the amnesia cycle.
[2] Conquer the electronic traps.
[3] free themselves from this region.

Because The Domain has three thousand of their own IS-BEs in captivity on Earth also, they have an interest in solving this problem.

This problem has never been encountered or effectively solved before in the universe, as far as they know.

It is a new problem as of 1947.

They will continue their efforts to free those IS-BEs from Earth, where and when it is possible, but it will require time to develop an unprecedented technology and the diligence to do so.

(EDITOR’S NOTE: The following statement is a comment by Matilda.)

I think it is Airl’s sincere desire, as one IS-BE to another, that the rest of our eternity will be as pleasant as possible.”

End of Part eight

It’s all a pretty interesting discussion. What’s up? Well, now I am going to parse this entire document all over, but in a format for us contemporary humans to understand. Actually the “Alien Interview” as well written and narrated as it is, is actually “all over the place” and jumps back and froth from great swaths of time and situations. My next series of articles will correct this uncomfortable situation.

Do you want more?

You can find many more videos in my “Extraterrestrial Species index” over here…

ET Species

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Articles & Links

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  • You can start reading the articles by going HERE.
  • You can visit the Index Page HERE to explore by article subject.
  • You can also ask the author some questions. You can go HERE to find out how to go about this.
  • You can find out more about the author HERE.
  • If you have concerns or complaints, you can go HERE.
  • If you want to make a donation, you can go HERE.

 

A breakdown of the report “alien interview” by MM from a MAJ perspective (part 7)

I have presented the PDF titled “Alien Interview” to the readership. It is supposed to be the transcripts of the interview that a nurse had with an extraterrestrial entity that was recovered from a spaceship crash in Roswell, New Mexico. There is a lot of good stuff there, and some things that run counter to what I know and understand to be true. My intention here is to parse the entire book, and compare it to what I know. Where the two diverge, it will be up to you (the readership) to sort it out.

This is part 6.

This is part seven of the parsing of this document

You can view part 1 HERE.

ALIEN INTERVIEW, 30. 7. 1947, 1st Session

Immortal Spiritual Beings, which I refer to as “IS-BEs”, for the sake of convenience, are the source and creators of illusions. Each one, individually and collectively, in their original, unfettered state of being, are an eternal, all-powerful, all-knowing entity.

IS-BEs create space by imagining a location. The intervening distance between themselves and the imagined location is what we call space. An IS-BE can perceive the space and objects created by other IS-BEs.

IS-BEs are not physical universe entities. They are a source of energy and illusion. IS-BEs are not located in space or time, but can create space, place particles in space, create energy, and shape particles into various forms, cause the motion of forms, and animate forms. Any form that is animated by an IS-BE is called life.

I have no problem with this. Though I do realize just how difficult it is to understand.

An IS-BE can decide to agree that they are located in space or time, and that they, themselves, are an object, or any other manner of illusion created by themselves or another or other IS-BEs.

I have no problem with this.

The disadvantage of creating an illusion is that an illusion must be continually created. If not continually created, it disappears. Continual creation
of an illusion requires incessant attention to every detail of the illusion in order to sustain it.

Indeed. Entire books can be written on this subject.

A common denominator of IS-BEs seems to be the desire to avoid boredom. A spirit only, without interaction with other IS-BEs, and the unpredictable motion, drama, and unanticipated intentions and illusions being created by other IS-BEs, is easily bored.

This is a deep statement, and I guess, that it is wholly above the heads and minds of the Roswell military leadership present at the facility at that time.

What if you could imagine anything, perceive everything, and cause anything to happen, at will?

What if you couldn’t do anything else?

What if you always knew the outcome of every game and the answer to every question?

Would you get bored?

Yes. You would.

The entire back time track of IS-BEs is immeasurable, nearly infinite in terms of physical universe time. There is no measurable “beginning” or “end” for an IS-BE. They simply exist in an everlasting now.

Yes. I have no problems with this statement.

Another common denominator of IS-BEs is that admiration of one’s own illusions by others is very desirable.

If the desired admiration is not forthcoming, the IS-BE will keep creating the illusion in an attempt to get admiration.

One could say that the entire physical universe is made of unadmired illusions.

This is so very deep that it deserves complete indexes of articles to investigate further.

The origins of this universe began with the creation of individual, illusionary spaces.

Also known as the "Big Bang".

These were the “home” of the IS-BE.

Sometimes a universe is a collaborative creation of illusions by two or more IS-BEs.

A proliferation of IS-BEs, and the universes they create, sometimes collide or become commingled or merge to an extent that many IS-BEs shared in the co-creation of a universe.

Here we are discussing the creation of heavens and universes. And most strangely, I have dim recollections of events similar to what is described. Dim, curious, "memories" of a "something else".

IS-BEs diminish their ability in order to have a game to play.

Of course. You give up omnipotence for physical sensation.

IS-BEs think that any game is better than no game.

They will endure pain, suffering, stupidity, privation, and all manner of unnecessary and undesirable conditions, just to play a game.

Pretending that one does not know all, see all and cause all, is a way to create the conditions necessary for playing a game: unknowns, freedoms, barriers and/or opponents and goals.

Ultimately, playing a game solves the problem of boredom.

Reincarnation as a mortal being solves the problem of boredom. If you don't know what he is talking about, then perhaps a re-watching of the old Sean Connery movie "Zardoz" is in order.

In this fashion, all of the space, galaxies, suns, planets, and physical phenomena of this universe, including life forms, places, and events that have been created by IS-BEs…

…and sustained by mutual agreement that these things exist.

Sustained by mutual agreement.

There are as many universes as there are IS-BEs to imagine, build and perceive them, each existing concurrently within its own continuum.

Each universe is created using its own, unique set of rules, as imagined, altered, preserved or destroyed by one or more IS-BEs who created it.

This idea has been adopted by the scientific community as a given concerning "bubble universes".

Time, energy, objects and space, as defined in terms of the physical universe, may or may not exist in other universes.

Very true, and this is something that MM has stated repeatedly.

The Domain exists in such a universe, as well as in the physical universe.

Big stuff here. The Domain exists within a non-physical universe, and the physical universe as well.

One of the rules of the physical universe is that energy can be created, but not destroyed.

E=mc2

So, the universe will keep expanding as long as IS-BEs keep adding more new energy into it.

This physical universe is ever expanding.

It is nearly infinite. It is like an automobile assembly line that never stops running and none of the cars are ever destroyed.

Every IS-BE is basically good.

Therefore, an IS-BE does not enjoy doing things to other IS-BEs which they themselves do not want to experience.

A consciousness does not enjoy doing things to others which they do not want to experience. Hum. Unless, they have no recollection of their past.

For an IS-BE there is no inherent standard for what is good or bad, right or wrong, ugly or beautiful. These ideas are all based on the opinion of each individual IS-BE.

Beauty is in the beholder. Good and bad is as determined by the consciousness.

The closest concept that human beings have to describe an IS-BE is as a god: all-knowing, all-powerful, infinite. So, how does a god stop being a god? They pretend NOT to know.

How can you play a game of “hide and seek” if you always know where the other person is hiding?

You pretend NOT to know where the other players are hiding, so you can go off to “seek” them.

This is how games are created.

You have forgotten that you are just “pretending”.

In so doing, IS-BEs become entrapped and enslaved inside a maze of their own devising.

All of this is very deep and a very in-depth discussion and conversation that must have been way, way above the heads of the Roswell military leadership at that time.

How does one create a cage, lock one’s own self inside the cage, throw away the key, and forget there is a key or a cage, and forget there is an “inside” or “outside”, and even forget there is a self?

How to do this?

Create the illusion.

As in the Earth Sphere.

On Earth, the propaganda taught and agreed upon is that the gods are responsible, and that human beings are not responsible. You are taught that only a god can create universes. So, the responsibility for every action is assigned to another IS-BE or god.

Never oneself.

No human being ever assumes personal responsibility for the fact that they, themselves – individually and collectively – are gods. This fact alone is the source of entrapment for every IS-BE.

Thus, as I have repeatedly stated in MM, it's all your life and soul and consciousness and pre-birth world-line template. And you have the means and the ability to define your life, your future and your happiness. You do. No others.

End of Part seven

You can visit part eight HERE.

Do you want more?

You can find many more videos in my “Extraterrestrial Species index” over here…

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  • You can also ask the author some questions. You can go HERE to find out how to go about this.
  • You can find out more about the author HERE.
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The Ganymede Hypothesis

MM offers this book free to the interested searcher. 
You can contact the author here;

Theodore A Holden: theodoreholden@yahoo.com
Troy D. McLachlan: troydmclachlan@yahoo.co.uk

The new book, ” The Ganymede Hypothesis” is meant as a replacement for the earlier “Cosmos in Collision”, beginning with the .PDF/download edition.  The new book is substantially better organized then the earlier book, flows better, is easier to read, contains updated material, and a number of better images.

"The experience of the last few years has cured me of wanting to deal with ebooks or the companies involved in the e-book business. Those have acted like anchors to prevent the earlier book from going anywhere and the ideas involved in this work are too important to allow that to go on.

Moreover, ebooks are difficult for users to deal with both to read and to copy from for quoting, while anybody with any kind of a Computing device at all can easily manage and deal with .PDF files.  The Ganymede Hypothesis is thus being released as a free download from this site."

Paperback and/or hardbound copies will be available as time and conditions permit.

The download is in the form of a .zip file since having large numbers of people trying to read the document itself in a web browser could crash goDaddy and this website.  The idea is to download the file, unzip it, and read it in a normal pdf reader such as Adobe Acrobat

I have known Theodore A Holden for years, and he has the most amazing resource on information that would be of interest to MM searchers. I highly recommend that everyone take a look at his website HERE.

Do you want more?

You can find many more videos in my “Extraterrestrial Species index” over here…

ET Species

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Articles & Links

Master Index

.

  • You can start reading the articles by going HERE.
  • You can visit the Index Page HERE to explore by article subject.
  • You can also ask the author some questions. You can go HERE to find out how to go about this.
  • You can find out more about the author HERE.
  • If you have concerns or complaints, you can go HERE.
  • If you want to make a donation, you can go HERE.

 

A breakdown of the report “alien interview” by MM from a MAJ perspective (part 6)

I have presented the PDF titled “Alien Interview” to the readership. It is supposed to be the transcripts of the interview that a nurse had with an extraterrestrial entity that was recovered from a spaceship crash in Roswell, New Mexico. There is a lot of good stuff there, and some things that run counter to what I know and understand to be true. My intention here is to parse the entire book, and compare it to what I know. Where the two diverge, it will be up to you (the readership) to sort it out.

This is part 6.

This is part six of the parsing of this document

You can view part 1 HERE.

SUBJECT: ALIEN INTERVIEW, 29. 7. 1947, 1st Session

“Today Airl told me about some very technical things. I took a few notes to remind myself, so I can repeat what she said as closely as possible. She began with an analogy about scientific knowledge:

Can you imagine how much progress could have been made on Earth if people like Johannes Gutenberg , Sir Isaac Newton, Benjamin Franklin, George Washington Carver, Nicola Tesla, Jonas Salk, and Richard Trevithick, and many thousands of similar geniuses and inventors were living today?

Image what technical accomplishments might have been developed if men like these never died? What if they were never given amnesia and made to forget everything they knew? What if they continued to learn and work forever?

What level of technology and civilization could be attained if Immortal Spiritual Beings like these were allowed to continue to create – in the same place and at the same time – for billions or trillions of years?

Essentially, The Domain is one civilization that has existed for trillions of years with relatively uninterrupted progress.

This is TRUE.

Knowledge has been accumulated, refined, and improved upon in nearly every field of study imaginable – and beyond imagining.

This is TRUE.

Originally, the interaction of IS-BE illusions or inventions created the very fabric of the physical universe – the microcosm and the macrocosm. Every single particle of the universe has been imagined and brought into existence by an IS-BE. Everything created from an idea – a thought with no weight or size or location in space.

This is MM language. Consciousness can do only ONE singular thing; think. This is all it can do in wave form.

Every speck of dust in space, from the size of the tiniest subatomic particle, to the size of a sun or a magelantic cloud the size of many galaxies, was created from the nothingness of a thought.

This is TRUE.

Even the tiniest, individual cells were contrived and coordinated to enable a microbial entity to sense, and navigate through infinitesimally small spaces. These also came from an idea thought up by an IS-BE.

This is TRUE.

You, and every IS-BE on Earth, have participated in the creation of this universe. Even though you are now confined to a fragile body made of flesh; you live for only 65 short rotations of your planet around a star; you have been given overwhelming electric shock treatments to wipe out your memory; you must learn everything all over again each lifetime; in spite of all these circumstances, you are who you are and will always be. And, deep down, you still know that your are and what you know. You are still the essence of you.

This is TRUE.

How else can one understand the child prodigy? An IS-BE who plays concertos on a piano at three years of age, without formal training?

Impossible, if they did not simply remember what they have already learned from thousands of lives spent in front of a keyboard in times untold, or on planets far away.

They may not know how they know. They just know.

This is TRUE.

Humankind has developed more technology in the past 100 years than in the previous 2,000 years. Why? The answer is simple: the influence of the “Old Empire” over the mind and over the affairs of Mankind has been diminished by The Domain.

This appears to certainly be the case. It's like shackles have been removed, and people are allowed to grow; to fly, to develop and to grow.

A renaissance of invention on Earth began in 1,250 AD with the destruction of the “Old Empire” space fleet in the solar system.

A major encounter. It had great influences throughout our solar system.

During the next 500 years, Earth may have the potential to regain autonomy and independence, but only to the degree that humankind can apply the concentrated genius of the IS-BEs on Earth to solve the amnesia problem.

Starting in 1947, the next 500 years has the potential to be astounding.

However, on a cautionary note…

… the inventive potential of the IS-BEs who have been exiled to this planet is severely compromised by the criminal elements of the Earth population.

All you need to do is look at the United States today to see how true this is.

Specifically, politicians, warmongers and irresponsible physicists who create unlimited weapons such as nuclear bombs, chemicals, diseases and social chaos. These have the potential to extinguish all life forms on Earth, forever.

Oh, and aren't we facing these three threats right here, right now?

Even the relatively small explosions that were tested and used in the past two years on Earth have the potential to destroy all of life, if deployed in sufficient quantities. Larger weapons could consume all of the oxygen in the global atmosphere in a single explosion!

No reasonable person wants nuclear war. The problem is that America is run by idiotic psychopaths.

Therefore, the most fundamental problems that must be solved in order to ensure that Earth will not be destroyed by technology, are social and humanitarian problems.

And which nation is handling the social and humanitarian problems?

United States - War, money, power, rich oligarch greed.
China - Social systems, reduction of poverty, humanitarian issues.

The greatest scientific minds of Earth, in spite of mathematical or mechanical genius, have never addressed these problems.

Not in 1947. But they are being addressed by China from 1980 to the present.

Therefore, do not look to scientists to save Earth or the future of humanity. Any so-called “science” that is solely based on the paradigm that existence is composed only of energy and objects moving through space is not a science.

"Science" without a understanding of how quantum consciousness animates the physical is just voodoo-woo-doo.

Such beings utterly ignore the creative spark originated by an individual IS-BE and collective work of the IS-BEs who continually create the physical universe and all universes.

You cannot ignore the quantum consciousness.

Every science will remain relatively ineffective or destructive to the degree that it omits or devaluates the relative importance of the spiritual spark that ignites all of creation and life.

This is TRUE. 

So anyone who has ideas or wants to promote the information that they obtain from "their handlers" or contacts as they try to disseminate the information MUST REALIZE that unless they include the aspects germane to the mechanism of consciousness within their calculus, they are heading down the road to a dead end.

Unfortunately this ignorance has been very carefully and forcefully instilled in human beings by the “Old Empire”.

(This is) to ensure that IS-BEs on this planet will not be able to recover their innate ability to create space, energy, matter and time, or any other component part of universes.

As long as awareness of the immortal, powerful, spiritual “self” is ignored, humanity will remain imprisoned until the day of its own, self-destruction and oblivion.

It's a dangerous destructive cycle. And we are watching it in "real time" with a "front row seat".

Do not rely on the dogma of physical sciences to master the fundamental forces of creation any more than you would trust the chanted incantations of an incense-burning shaman.

Any "science" that does not include the spark of consciousness is just mumbo-jumbo.

The net result of both of these is entrapment and oblivion.

Which is the way that the "prison planet" operates.

Scientists pretend to observe, but they only suppose that they see, and call it fact.

I have argued this point for years.

Like the blind man, a scientist can not learn to see until he realizes that he is blind.

The “facts” of Earth science do not include the source of creation. They include only the result, or byproducts of creation.

The “facts” of science to not include any memory of the nearly infinite past experience of existence.

These omissions are serious ones. It's like have a beautiful nice car, but without an engine, transmission, radio, air conditioning, or electrical system.

The essence of creation and existence cannot be found through the lens of a microscope or telescope or by any other measurement of the physical universe.

It cannot be discerned through observation, which is the technique used by science through all these centuries. As you cannot observe thought. You cannot observe soul. You cannot observe emotions or feelings. You cannot observe attachments.

One cannot comprehend the perfume of a flower or the pain felt by an abandoned lover with meters and calipers.

As I have said.

Everything you will ever know about the creative force and ability of a god can be found within you – an Immortal Spiritual Being.

It's all inside of you.

But you are unaware of it. This is by design and intent. And by evil destructive people. It is a horrible situation.

How can a blind man teach others to see the nearly infinite gradients that comprise the spectrum of light?

The notion that one can understand the universe without understanding the nature of an IS-BE is as absurd as conceiving that an artist is a speck of paint on his own canvas.

Or, that the lace on a ballet shoe is the choreographer’s vision, or the grace of a dancer, or the electric excitement of opening night.

Study of the spirit has been booby-trapped by the thought control operation through religious superstitions they instill in the minds of men.

A very true statement and worthy of discussion off-line.

Conversely, the study of the spirit and the mind have been prohibited by science which eliminates anything that is not measurable in the physical universe. Science is the religion of matter. It worships matter.

So very TRUE. It is the study of the observation of physical matter. Anything that happens in the non-physical simply does not exist according to science.

The paradigm of science is that creation is all, and the creator is nothing.

Religion says the creator is all, and the creation is nothing.

These two extremes are the bars of a prison cell. They prevent observation of all phenomenon as an interactive whole.

This is a point raised in the movie "What the bleep do we know".

Study of creation without knowing the IS-BE, the source of creation, is futile.

When you sail to the edge of a universe conceived by science, you fall off the end into an abyss of dark, dispassionate space and lifeless, unrelenting force.

On Earth, you have been convinced that the oceans of the mind and spirit are filled with gruesome, ghoulish monsters that will eat you alive if you dare to venture beyond the breakwater of superstition.

This is true.

The vested interest of the “Old Empire” prison system is to prevent you from looking at your own soul.

This is true.

They fear that you will see in your own memory the slave masters who keep you imprisoned.

This is true. Just like the oligarchy in Washington DC are all afraid of the vast bulk of American citizens who have had enough with the mindless game of around-and-around-and-around.

The prison is made of shadows in your mind. The shadows are made of lies, and pain, and loss, and fear.

This is true.

The true geniuses of civilization are those IS-BEs who will enable other IS-BEs to recover their memory and regain self-realization and self-determination.

I hope that I am able to live up to this standard. -MM

This issue is not solved through enforcing moral regulation on behavior, or through the control of beings through mystery, faith, drugs, guns or any other dogma of a slave society.

Moral regulation, or the regulation of morals, is a characteristic of a slave society.

And certainly not through the use of electric shock and hypnotic commands!

Indeed.

The survival of Earth and every being on it depends on the ability to recover the memory of skills you have accrued through the trillenia; to recover the essence of yourself.

The survival of the Earth is up to us. We must all do our part, no matter how small. 

Do not be confused by the lies in the "news" media. You do not need to be a millionaire oligarch to enact change, nor some kind of crazed radical protestor. You just need to be yourself, be helpful, and be the Rufus.

Such an art, science, or technology has never been conceived in the “Old Empire”. Otherwise, they would not have resorted to the “solution” that brought you to your current condition on Earth.

Very True.

Neither has such technology ever been developed by The Domain.

This technology about mind-wipe, and shocks, and erasure amnesia, has never been developed by the Domain; the type-1 greys.

Until recently, the necessity of rehabilitating an IS-BE with amnesia has not been needed.

Until 1947.

Therefore, no one has ever worked on solving this problem. So far, unfortunately, The Domain has no solution to offer.

In 1947.

A few officers of The Domain Expeditionary Force have taken it upon themselves to provide technology to Earth during their off duty time.

These officers leave their “doll” at the space station and, as an IS-BE, assume or take over a biological body on Earth. In some cases an officer can remain on duty while they inhabit and control other bodies at the same time.

This is understood.

This is a very dangerous and adventurous undertaking.

Yes it is.

It requires a very able IS-BE to accomplish such a mission, and return to base successfully.

It is extremely dangerous.

One officer who did this recently, while continuing to attend to his official duties, was known on Earth as the electronics inventor, Nicola Tesla.

Interesting.

It is my intention, although is not a part of my mission orders, to assist you in your efforts to advance scientific and humanitarian progress on Earth.

It's intention, but not it's orders.

My intention is to help other IS-BEs to help themselves.

The purpose of MM is to give everyone the tools to better your lives, and to free yourself to what ever level or degree that you desire.

In order to solve the amnesia problem on Earth you will need much more advanced technology, as well as social stability to allow enough time for research and development of techniques to free the IS-BE from the body, and to free the mind of the IS-BE from amnesia.

From the point of view from the type-1 grey commander in 1947, the task to free the trapped IS-BE's on Earth is herculean.

It requires...

[1] Much more advanced technology.
[2] Social stability.
[3] Time to develop the necessary R&D baselines.

Although The Domain has a long term interest in maintaining Earth as a useful planet, it has no particular interest in the human population of Earth, other than its own personnel here.

The Domain has it's own issues and directives to follow. The situation on Earth, as bad as it is, is rally not of critical importance to the Domain.

We are interested in preventing destruction, as well as accelerating the development of technologies that will sustain the infrastructures of the global biosphere, hydrosphere and atmosphere.

It can offer, as a Domain officer,...

...technologies that can prevent destruction of the world. As well as technologies that can sustain the infrastructures of the global environment.

To this end, you will discover, on very careful and thorough examination, that my space craft contains a wide assortment of technology that does not yet exist on Earth.

If you distribute pieces of this craft to various scientists for study, they will be able to reverse engineer  some of the technology to the extent that Earth has the raw materials required to replicate these components.

Some of the components. Not all.

Some features will be indecipherable.

Other features cannot be duplicated as Earth does not have the natural resources required to replicate them.

This is especially true of the metals used to construct the craft.

Not only do these metals not exist on Earth, the refining process required to produce these metals took billions of years to develop.

This is true. But I can tell you that MAJesic has been working on these technologies for years now. Decades, even.

It is also true of the navigation system which requires an IS-BE whose own personal wavelength has been specifically attuned to the “neural network” of the craft.  The pilot of the craft must possess a very high order of energy volition, discipline, training and intelligence to manipulate such a craft.

Understood.

IS-BEs on Earth are incapable of this expertise because it requires the use of an artificial body specifically created for this purpose.

Understood.

Certain individual Earth scientists, some of whom are among the most brilliant minds in the history of the universe, will have their memory of this technology jogged when they examine the craft components.

Just as some of the scientists and physicists on Earth have been able to “remember” how to recreate electric generators, internal combustion and steam locomotion, refrigeration, aircraft, antibiotics, and other tools of your civilization, they will also rediscover other vital technology in my craft.

And they are. All over the place.

I posit that there are members of the "Old Empire", either formally, or of like mind, embedded within the Earth civilian population. They control the West. They control Washington DC. And in this control, they have purposely created a world of fiat paper money, and a destruction of science, technology and manufacturing.

And we see this in real time.

The following are the specific systems embodied in my craft that contain useful components:

1) There is an assortment of microscopic wiring or fibers within the walls of the craft that control such things as communications, information storage, computer function, and automatic navigation.
2) The same wiring is used for light, sub-light and ultra-light spectrum detection and vision.
3) The fabrics of the interior of the craft are far superior to any on Earth at this time and have hundreds or thousands of applications.
4) You will also find mechanisms for creating, amplifying and channeling light particles or waves as a form of energy.

As an officer, pilot and engineer of The Domain Forces, I am not at liberty to discuss or convey the detailed operation or construction of the craft in any way, other than what I have just disclosed.

Understood. We all have our limitations.

However, I am confident that there are many competent engineers on Earth who will develop useful technology with these resources.

I am providing these details to you in the hope that the greater good of The Domain will be served.”

Provided so that the Earth will be maintained, and not be destroyed, and that eventually, the imprisoned IS-BE's on Earth will be able to free themselves.

Conclusion

As I parse though this entire document, sentence by sentence, I have come to revise some of my beliefs and understandings. I have obtained numerous “Eureka!” moments where events and experiences fall into place and explain things. Yes, I can honestly say. Everything herein is accurate and is exactly what has occurred.

End of Part six

You can visit part seven HERE.

Do you want more?

You can find many more videos in my “Extraterrestrial Species index” over here…

ET Species

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Articles & Links

Master Index

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A breakdown of the report “alien interview” by MM from a MAJ perspective (part 5)

I have presented the PDF titled “Alien Interview” to the readership. It is supposed to be the transcripts of the interview that a nurse had with an extraterrestrial entity that was recovered from a spaceship crash in Roswell, New Mexico. There is a lot of good stuff there, and some things that run counter to what I know and understand to be true. My intention here is to parse the entire book, and compare it to what I know. Where the two diverge, it will be up to you (the readership) to sort it out.

This is part 5.

Key point – Document appears to be genuine

And I can tell you all that the more that I parse this document, the clearer it is (to me) that it is genuine.It is exactly what it says it is. And the extraterrestrial is actually telling the truth, so far.

Key point – Errors

However, there are some errors in translation, and confusion in the interpretation of what is being stated. Anything concerning “time” and the translation of dates seems to have some errors. The translator was having difficulty with those areas.

Humans think of time as “shared” and “linear”.

The type-1 greys think of time as circular and repeating. As in, consciousness enters and exits different world lines” and if you graph that movement of consciousness you will see a “corkscrew” movement through the MWI. Which is what it was referring to. All of which was WAY beyond the concepts of anyone in Roswell at that time.

Therefore all dates and time, and anything associated with these characteristics might in error.  If you are having trouble in these areas, treat them as non-resolved issues and can be ignored.

Key point – This document predates MAJestic

Also take note that this document pre-dates MAJestic, and it is crystal clear to me now, that my role was, and still is, in the rehabilitation aspects of moving the Earth from a Hellish “Prison Planet” to that of a “sentience nursery”.

This document has (for me, personally) helped to clarify elements and aspects of my role that were “blurred” and obscured from me. To that I am eternally grateful.

Look at the dates on my articles, and look at what I covered. You will see that they match up nearly perfectly with this “Alien Interview” transcript. And this is the first time that I have ever heard of this document. The timing was transcendental.

This is part five of the parsing of this document

You can view part 1 HERE.

ALIEN INTERVIEW, 28. 7. 1947, 1st Session

“The origins of this universe and life on Earth, as discussed in the textbooks I have read, are very inaccurate.

I have no problem with this statement.

Since you serve your government as a medical personnel, your duties require that you understand biological entities. So, I am sure that you will appreciate the value of the material I will share with you today.

I have no problem with this statement.

The text of books I have been given on subjects related to the function of life forms contain information that is based on…

  • false memories,
  • inaccurate observation,
  • missing data,
  • unproven theories,
  • and superstition.

For example, just a few hundred years ago your physicians practiced bloodletting as a means to release supposed ill-humors from the body in an attempt to relieve or heal a wide variety of physical and mental afflictions.

Although this has been corrected somewhat, many barbarisms are still being practiced in the name of medical science.

In addition to the application of incorrect theories concerning biological engineering, many primary errors that Earth scientists make are the result of an ignorance of the nature and relative importance of IS-BEs as the source of energy and intelligence which animate every life form.

No medical textbook includes the relationship between consciousness and the body and how they interact.

Although it is not a priority of The Domain to intervene in the affairs of Earth, The Domain Communications Office has authorized me to provide you with some information.

(It is) in an effort to provide a more accurate and complete understanding of these things and thereby enable you to discover more effective solutions to the unique problems you face on Earth.

I have no problems with these statements.

The correct information about the origins of biological entities has been erased from your mind.

As well as from the minds of your mentors.

In order to help you regain your own memory, I will share with you some factual material concerning the origin of biological entities.

I have no problem with these statements.

I asked Airl if she was referring to the subject of evolution. Airl said, “No, not exactly”.

You will find “evolution” mentioned in the ancient Vedic Hymns.

The Vedic texts are like folk tales or common wisdoms and superstitions gathered throughout the systems of The Domain.

Hum. This makes me want to add the Vedic Texts to MM.

These were compiled into verses, like a book of rhymes. For every statement of truth, the verses contain as many half-truths, reversals of truth and fanciful imaginings, blended without qualification or distinction.

Unfortunately.

The theory of evolution assumes that the motivational source of energy that animates every life form does not exist.

It assumes that an inanimate object or a chemical concoction can suddenly become “alive” or animate accidentally or spontaneously.

Or, perhaps an electrical discharge into a pool of chemical ooze will magically spawn a self-animated entity.

There is no evidence whatsoever that this is true, simply because it is not true.

Dr. Frankenstein did not really resurrect the dead into a marauding monster, except in the imagination of the IS-BE who wrote a fictitious story one dark and stormy night.

This extraterrestrial did have quite the word power.

No Western scientist ever stopped to consider who, what, where, when or how this animation happens.

Complete ignorance, denial or unawareness of the spirit as the source of life force required to animate inanimate objects or cellular tissue is the sole cause of failures in Western medicine.

Obviously, as I have stated herein throughout MM. The physical (body and world-line(s)) are just physical containers. It is the consciousness that animates them.

In addition, evolution does not occur accidentally.

It requires a great deal of technology which must be manipulated under the careful supervision of IS-BEs.

Evolution does not occur naturally. It requires a consciousness to make it happen and form into place.

So, for example, you are desirous of a new kind of frog. One that is yellow with horns, then a consciousness must work over long swaths of time to manifest the changes to create such a creature. This is what evolution is.

Very simple examples are seen in the modification of farm animals or in the breeding of dogs.

However, the notion that human biological organisms evolved naturally from earlier ape-like forms is incorrect.

No physical evidence will ever be uncovered to substantiate the notion that modern humanoid bodies evolved on this planet.

Humans DID NOT evolve on Earth. Nor did they evolve from primates as is the current belief.

The reason is simple: the idea that human bodies evolved spontaneously from the primordial ooze of chemical interactivity in the dim mists of time…

…is nothing more than a hypnotic lie…

…instilled by the amnesia operation…

….to prevent your recollection of the true origins of Mankind.

I have no problem with this statement, no matter how ungainly wordy it is.

Factually, humanoid bodies have existed in various forms throughout the universe for trillions of years.

The human form is an archetype. But the issue of consciousness and sentience makes the utility of that archetype vary. 

So there are "people" that look like humans all over the universe, and in every corner of the galaxy.

This was compounded by the fact that The Vedic Hymns were brought to Earth 8,200 years ago by The Domain Expeditionary Force.

The Vedic Hymns originated from the type-1 greys.

While they were based in the Himalaya Mountains, the verses were taught to some of the local humans who memorized them.

However, I should note that this was not an authorized activity for the crew of The Domain installation, although I am sure it seemed like an innocent diversion for them at the time.

This is the second time it mentioned this. The Domain has a policy of non-intervention, but some of the Domain information activity was passed down as part of a kind of recreational pastime.

The verses were passed along verbally from one generation to the next for thousands of years in the foothills and eventually spread throughout India.

No one in The Domain credits any of the material in the Vedic Hymns as factual material, any more than you would use “Grimm’s Fairy Tales” as a guide for rearing children.

However, on a planet where all of the IS-BEs have had their memory erased, one can understand how these tales and fantasies could be taken seriously.

Unfortunately, the humans who learned the Vedic verses passed them along to others saying that they came from “the gods”.

Eventually, the content of the verses were adopted verbatim as “truth”.

The euphemistic and metaphorical content of the Veda were accepted and practiced as dogmatic fact.

The philosophy of the verses were ignored and the verses became the genesis of nearly every religion practice on the planet, especially Hinduism.

The philosophy of the Vedic verses are what is important. Not the content.

As an officer, pilot and engineer of The Domain, I must always assume a very pragmatic point of view.

I could not be effective or accomplish my missions if I were to use philosophical dogma or rhetoric as my operations manual.

The extraterrestrial begins to discuss very ancient history that predates the "Old Empire", and certainly pre-dates humans on the Earth.

Therefore, our discussion of history is based on actual events that occurred long before any IS-BEs arrived on Earth, and long before the “Old Empire” came into power.

I can relate part of this history from personal experience:

Many billions of years ago I was a member of a very large biological laboratory in a galaxy far from this one.

It was called the “Arcadia Regeneration Company”.

I was a biological engineer working with a large staff of technicians.

It was our business to manufacture and supply new life forms to uninhabited planets.

There were millions of star systems with millions of inhabitable planets in the region at that time.

The creation of lifeforms to inhabit worlds and planets that have no life, but will potentially be able to thrive with custom made life.

There were many other biological laboratory companies at that time also.

Each of them specialized in producing different kinds of life forms, depending on the “class” of the planet being populated.

Over a long span of time these laboratories developed a vast catalogue of species throughout the galaxies.

Also known as approved archetypes.

The majority of basic genetic material is common to all species of life.

Therefore, most of their work was concerned with manipulating alterations of the basic genetic pattern to produce variations of life forms that would be suitable inhabitants for various planetary classes.

You take a basic form, and then you modify it to fill a unique and specialized planetary environment.

The “Arcadia Regeneration Company” specialized in mammals for forested areas and birds for tropical regions.

Our marketing staff negotiated contracts with various planetary governments and independent buyers from all over the universe.

The technicians created animals that were compatible with the variations in climate, atmospheric and terrestrial density and chemical content.

There are many worlds that are similar, but have variations that run from the comfortable to the uncomfortable. This effort produced animals and creatures that were stable and able to thrive in a very broad and diverse range of planetary environments.

In addition we were paid to integrate our specimens with biological organisms engineered by other companies already living on a planet.

You take local organism "A", then you integrate specific changes taken from a catalog of "attributes" and you end up with an organism "A++".

In order to do this our staff was in communication with other companies who created life forms.

There were industry trade shows, publications and a variety of other information supplied through an association that coordinated related projects.

As you can imagine, our research required a great deal of interstellar travel to conduct planetary surveys.

This is when I learned my skills as a pilot.

The data gathered was accumulated in huge computer databases and evaluated by biological engineers.

All this happened billions of years ago. Could the Domain be the same thing as the progenitors?

Mind BLOWN!

A computer is an electronic device that serves as an artificial “brain” or complex calculating machine.

It is capable of storing information, making computations, solving problems and performing mechanical functions.

In most of the galactic systems of the universe, very large computers are commonly used to run the routine administration, mechanical services and maintenance activities of an entire planet or planetary system.

Based on the survey data gathered, designs and artistic renderings were made for new creatures.

Some designs were sold to the highest bidder. Other life forms were created to meet the customized requests of our clients.

The design and technical specifications were passed along an assembly line through a series of cellular, chemical, and mechanical engineers to solve the various problems.

It was their job to integrate all of the component factors into a workable, functional and aesthetic finished product.

Prototypes of these creatures were then produced and tested in artificially created environments.

Imperfections were worked out, modifications made and eventually the new life form was “endowed” or “animated” with a life force or spiritual energy before being introduced into the actual planetary environment for final testing.

This is the basic procedure. Can you just imagine the shock on the faces of the Roswell military leadership?

After a new life form was introduced, we monitored the interaction of these biological organisms with the planetary environment and with other indigenous life-forms.

Obviously, sometimes things didn't work out so well.

Conflicts resulting from the interaction between incompatible organisms were resolved through negotiation between ourselves and other companies.

The negotiations usually resulted in compromises requiring further modification to our creatures or to theirs or both.

This is part of a science or art you call “Eugenics”.

In some cases changes were made in the planetary environment, but not often, as planet building is much more complex than making changes to an individual life form.

This is understandable.

Coincidentally, a friend and engineer with whom I used to work with at the Arcadia Regeneration Company – a long time after I left the company – told me that one of the projects they contracted to do, in more recent times, was to deliver life forms to Earth to replenish them after a war in this region of the galaxy devastated most of the life on the planets in this region of space. This would have been about seventy million years ago.

About 70 million years ago was a major war in our region of space and many solar systems were affected. Many planets were devastated beyond casual repair, and efforts were made to not only replace the lost life forms, but also to improve and add new forms.

"One of the planet’s largest extinctions, which wiped out non-flying dinosaurs and most other species 66 million years ago, was caused by a “one-two punch” of volcanic eruptions and meteorite impacts, a new reconstruction of Antarctic Ocean temperatures suggests."

-From HERE.

The skill required to modify the planet into an ecologically interactive environment that will support billions of diverse species was an immense undertaking.

Specialized consultants from nearly every biotechnology company in the galaxy were brought in to help with the project.

For this region, or for the Earth proper? I wonder.

What you see now on Earth is the huge variety of life forms left behind.

Your scientists believe that the fallacious “theory of evolution” is an explanation for the existence of all the life forms here.

The truth is that all life forms on this and any other planet in this universe were created by companies like ours.

Now this is just a "kick in the teeth" for evolutionary theory.

How else can you explain the millions of completely divergent and unrelated species of life on the land and in the oceans of this planet?

How else can you explain the source of spiritual animation which defines every living creature?

To say it is the work of “god”, is far too broad.

Every IS-BE has many names and faces in many times and places. Every IS-BE is a god. When they inhabit a physical object they are the source of Life.

For example, there are millions of species of insects.

About 350,000 of these are species of beetles.

There may be as many as 100 million species of life forms on Earth at any given time.

In addition, there are many times more extinct species of life on Earth than there are living life forms. Some of these will be rediscovered in the fossil or geological records of Earth.

The current “theory of evolution” of life forms on Earth does not consider the phenomena of biological diversity.

Evolution by natural selection is science fiction.

One species does not accidentally, or randomly evolve to become another species, as the Earth textbooks indicate, without manipulation of genetic material by an IS-BE.

Consciousness creation of life is what animates it.

Fundamental.

A simple example of IS-BE intervention is the selective breeding of a species on Earth. Within the past few hundred years several hundred dog breeds and hundreds of varieties of pigeons and dozens of Koi fish have been “evolved” in just a few years, beginning with only one original breed.

Without active intervention by IS-BEs, biological organisms rarely change.

The development of an animal like the ‘duck-billed platypus’ required a lot of very clever engineering to combine the body of a beaver with the bill of a duck and make a mammal that lays eggs.

Undoubtedly, some wealthy client placed a “special order” for it as a gift or curious amusement.

I am sure the laboratory of some biotechnical company worked on it for years to make it a self-replicating life form!

This "cracks me up"!

The notion that the creation of any life form could have resulted from a coincidental chemical interaction moldering up from some primordial ooze is beyond absurdity!

Factually, some organisms on Earth, such as Proteobacteria,  are modifications of a Phylum  designed primarily for “Star Type 3, Class C” planets.

This differs from our solar system which is a "Sun Type 12, Class 7" planet.

In other words, The Domain designation for a planet with an anaerobic atmosphere nearest a large, intensely hot blue star, such as those in the constellation of Orion’s Belt in this galaxy.

The three bright stars that form the Orion’s Belt are Alnitak, Alnilam, and Mintaka. The stars are believed to have formed from the same nebula in Orion constellation, and they are roughly the same age. 

Creating life forms is very complex, highly technical work for IS-BEs who specialize in this field.

Genetic anomalies are very baffling to Earth biologists who have had their memory erased.

Unfortunately, the false memory implantations of the “Old Empire” prevent Earth scientists from observing obvious anomalies.

This is the core, underlying theme, of the extraterrestrial.

The greatest technical challenge of biological organisms was the invention of self-regeneration, or sexual reproduction.

It was invented as the solution to the problem of having to continually manufacture replacement creatures for those that had been destroyed and eaten by other creatures.

Planetary governments did not want to keep buying replacement animals.

The idea was contrived trillions of years ago as a result of a conference held to resolve arguments between the disputing vested interests within the biotechnology industry.

The infamous “Council of Yuhmi-Krum” was responsible for coordinating creature production.

Such a story. I am just positive the the Roswell military leadership were besides themselves in incredulity.

A compromise was reached, after certain members of the Council were strategically bribed or murdered, to author an agreement which resulted in the biological phenomenon which we now call the “food chain”.

The idea that a creature would need to consume the body of another life form as an energy source was offered as a solution by one of the biggest companies in the biological engineering business. They specialized in creating insects and flowering plants.

The connection between the two is obvious. Nearly every flowering plant requires a symbiotic relationship with an insect in order to propagate. The reason is obvious: both the bugs and the flowers were created by the same company. Unfortunately, this same company also had a division which created parasites and bacteria.

Hum...

The name of the company roughly translated into English would be “Bugs & Blossoms”.

Hum...

They wanted to justify the fact that the only valid purpose of the parasitic creatures they manufactured was to aid the decomposition of organic material. There was a very limited market for such creatures at that time.

Interesting.

In order to expand their business they hired a big public relations firm and a powerful group of political lobbyists to glorify the idea that life forms should feed from other life forms.

They invented a “scientific theory” to use as a promotion gimmick.

The theory was that all creatures needed to have “food” as a source of energy.

Before that, none of the life forms being manufactured required any external energy.

Animals did not eat other animals for food, but consumed sunlight, minerals or vegetable matter only.

Very, very interesting.

Of course, “Bugs & Blossoms” went into the business of designing and manufacturing carnivores.

Before long, so many animals were being eaten as food that the problem of replenishing them became very difficult.

As a ‘solution’, “Bugs & Blossoms” proposed, with the help of some strategically placed bribes in high places, that other companies begin using ‘sexual reproduction’ as the basis for replenishing life-forms.

“Bugs & Blossoms” was the first company to develop blueprints for sexual reproduction, of course.

Curious, and fascinating.

As expected, the patent licenses for the biological engineering process required to implant stimulus-response mating, cellular division and preprogrammed growth patterns for self-regenerating animals were owned by “Bugs & Blossoms” too.

Of course.

Through the next few million years laws were passed that required that these programs be purchased by the other biological technology companies.

These were required to be imprinted into the cellular design of all existing life-forms.

It became a very expensive undertaking for other biotechnology companies to make such an awkward, and impractical idea work.

This led to the corruption and downfall of the entire industry.

Ultimately, the ‘food and sex’ idea completely ruined the bio-technology industry, including “Bugs & Blossoms”.

The entire industry faded away as the market for manufactured life forms disappeared.

Consequently, when a species became extinct, there is no way to replace them because the technology of creating new life forms has been lost.

Here we are talking about the "worlds and the realities of the Gods".

Obviously, none of this technology was ever known on Earth, and probably never will be.

There are still computer files on some planets far from here which record the procedures for biological engineering. Possibly the laboratories and computers still exist somewhere. However, there is no one around doing anything with them. Therefore, you can understand why it is so important for The Domain to protect the dwindling number of creatures left on Earth.

Understandable.

The core concept behind ‘sexual reproduction’ technology was the invention of a chemical/electronic interaction called “cyclical stimulus-response generators”.

This is very interesting. It is what drives humans to reproduce.

This is an programmed genetic mechanism which causes a seemingly spontaneous, recurring impulse to reproduce. The same technique was later adapted and applied to biological flesh bodies, including Homo Sapiens.

Also known as "going into heat". It cause the female to go into a Lordosis posture.

Another important mechanism used in the reproductive process, especially with Homo Sapiens type bodies, is the implantation of a “chemical-electrical trigger” mechanism in the body.

The “trigger” which attracts IS-BEs to inhabit a human body, or any kind of “flesh body”, is the use of an artificially imprinted electronic wave which uses “aesthetic pain” to attract the IS-BE.

An "artificially imprinted electronic wave" used to attract a consciousness to inhabit a physical body.

Every trap in the universe, including those used to capture IS-BEs who remain free, is “baited” with an aesthetic electronic wave.

Very interesting.

The sensations caused by the aesthetic wavelength are more attractive to an IS-BE than any other sensation. When the electronic waves of pain and beauty are combined together, this causes the IS-BE to get “stuck” in the body.

Avoid them if you want to be free.

The “reproductive trigger” used for lesser life forms, such as cattle and other mammals, is triggered by chemicals emitted from the scent glands, combined with reproductive chemical-electrical impulses stimulated by testosterone, or estrogen.

Well understood.

These are also interactive with nutrition levels which cause the life form to reproduce more when deprived of food sources.

Interesting. China's population sky-rocketed during famines. As did India's.

Starvation promoted reproductive activity as a means of perpetuating survival through future regenerations, when the current organism fails to survive. These fundamental principles have been applied throughout all species of life.

All species of life.

The debilitating impact and addiction to the “sexual aesthetic-pain” electronic wave  is the reason that the ruling class of The Domain do not inhabit flesh bodies.

This is also why officers of The Domain Forces only use doll bodies.

This wave has proven to be the most effective trapping device ever created in the history of the universe, as far as I know.

It is the MOST effective trapping snare in the universe.

The civilizations of The Domain and the “Old Empire” both depend on this device to “recruit” and maintain a work force of IS-BEs who inhabit flesh bodies on planets and installations.

These IS-BEs are the “working class” beings who do all of the slavish, manual, undesirable work on planets.

Class System

As I mentioned, there is a very highly regimented and fixed hierarchy or “class system” for all IS-BEs throughout the “Old Empire”, and The Domain, as follows:

  • The highest class are “free” IS-BEs. That is, they are not restricted to the use of any type of body and may come and go at will, provided that they do not destroy or interfere with the social, economic or political structure.
  • Below this class are many strata of “limited” IS-BEs who may or may not use a body from time to time. Limitations are imposed on each IS-BE regarding range of power, ability and mobility they can exercise.
  • Below these are the “doll body” classes, to which I belong. Nearly all space officers and crew members of space craft are required to travel through intergalactic space. Therefore, they are each equipped with a body manufactured from light weight, durable materials. Various body types have been designed to facilitate specialized functions. Some bodies have accessories, such as interchangeable tools or apparatus for activities such as maintenance, mining, chemical management, navigation, and so forth. There are many gradations of this body type which also serve as an “insignia” of rank.
  • Below these are the soldier class. The soldiers are equipped with a myriad of weapons, and specialized armaments designed to detect, combat and overwhelm any imaginable foe. Some soldiers are issued mechanical bodies. Most soldiers are merely remote controlled robots with no class designation.
  • The lower classes are limited to “flesh bodies”. Of course, it is not possible for these to travel through space for obvious reasons. Fundamentally, flesh bodies are far too fragile to endure the stresses of gravity, temperature extremes, radiation exposure, atmospheric chemicals and the vacuum of space. There are also the obvious logistical inconveniences of food, defecation, sleep, atmospheric elements, and air pressure required by flesh bodies, that doll bodies do not require.

Flesh Bodies

Most flesh bodies will suffocate in only a few minutes without a specific combination of atmospheric chemicals.

After 2 or 3 days the bacteria which live internally and externally on the body cause severe odors to be emitted. Odors of any kind are not acceptable in a space vessel.

Flesh can tolerate only a very limited spectrum of temperatures, whereas in space the contrast of temperatures may vary hundreds of degrees within seconds. Of course flesh bodies are utterly useless for military duty. A single shot from a hand-held, electronic blast gun instantly turns a flesh body into a noxious vapor cloud.

IS-BEs who inhabit flesh bodies have lost much of their native ability and power. Although it is theoretically possible to regain or rehabilitate these abilities, no practical means has been discovered or authorized by The Domain.

Even though space craft of The Domain travel trillions of “light years” in a single day,  the time required to traverse the space between galaxies is significant, not to mention the length of time to complete just one set of mission orders, which may require thousands of years.

Biological flesh bodies live for only a very short time – only 60 to 150 years, at most – whereas doll bodies can be re-used and repaired almost indefinitely.

Development of biological bodies

The first development of biological bodies began in this universe about seventy-four trillion years ago.

It rapidly became a fad for IS-BEs to create and inhabit various types of bodies for an assortment of nefarious reasons: especially for amusement, this is to experience various physical sensations vicariously through the body.

Since that time there has been a continuing “de-evolution” in the relationship of IS-BEs to bodies.

As IS-BEs continued to play around with these bodies, certain tricks were introduced to cause IS-BEs to get trapped inside a body so they were unable to leave again.

Very interesting.

This was done primarily by making bodies that appeared sturdy, but were actually very fragile. An IS-BE, using their natural power to create energy, accidentally injured a body when contacting it. The IS-BE was remorseful about having injured this fragile body. The next time they encountered a body they began to be “careful” with them. In so doing, the IS-BE would withdraw or minimize their own power so as not to injure the body. A very long and treacherous history of this kind of trickery, combined with similar misadventures eventually resulted in a large number of IS-BEs becoming permanently trapped in bodies.

Now, who would think of such a thing?

Of course this became a profitable enterprise for some IS-BEs who took advantage of this situation to make slaves of others.

The resulting enslavement progressed over trillions of years, and continues today.

Ultimately the dwindling ability of IS-BEs to maintain a personal state of operational freedom and ability to create energy resulted in the vast and carefully guarded hierarchy or class system.

Sigh.

Using bodies as a symbol of each class is used throughout the “Old Empire”, as well as The Domain.

Sigh.

The vast majority of IS-BEs throughout the galaxies of this universe inhabit some form of flesh body.

The structure, appearance, operation and habitat of these bodies vary according to the gravity, atmosphere, and climatic conditions of the planet they inhabit.

Body types are predetermined largely by the type and size of the star around which the planet revolves, the distance from the star, the geological, as well as the atmospheric components of the planet.

All well understood parameters now. But at that time must have been enlightening and shocking.

On the average, these stars and planets fall into gradients of classification which are fairly standard throughout the universe.

Archetypes.

For example, Earth is identified, roughly, as a “Sun Type 12, Class 7 planet”. That is a heavy gravity, nitrogen/oxygen atmosphere planet,  with biological life-forms, in proximity to a single, yellow, medium-size, low-radiation sun or “Type 12 star”.

The proper designations are difficult to translate accurately due to the extreme limitations of astronomical nomenclature in the English language.

Understood.

There are as many varieties of life forms as there are grains of sands on the beach. You can imagine how many different creatures and types of bodies have been manufactured by the millions of companies such as “Bugs & Blossoms” for all of the myriad planetary systems during the course of seventy-four trillion years!”

(MATILDA O’DONNELL MACELROY PERSONAL NOTE)

“When Airl finished telling me this “story”, there was a long, silent pause while I muddled through all this in my mind. Had Airl been reading science fiction books and fantasy stories during the night? Why would she tell me something so incredibly far-fetched?

The science fiction stories of the pulp magazines of that day wouldn't even begin to consider the things this extraterrestrial was saying.

If there had not been a 40 inch tall alien, with gray “skin”, and three fingers on each hand and foot sitting directly across from me, I would not have believed a single word of it!

In retrospect, over the 60 years since Airl gave me this information, Earth doctors have begun to develop some of the biological engineering technology that Airl told me about right here on Earth. Heart bypasses, cloning, test tube babies, organ transplants, plastic surgery, genes, chromosomes, and so forth.

One thing is very sure: I have never looked at a bug or flower the same way since then, not to mention my religious belief in Genesis.”

Conclusion

As I parse though this entire document, sentence by sentence, I have come to revise some of my beliefs and understandings. I have obtained numerous “Eureka!” moments where events and experiences fall into place and explain things. Yes, I can honestly say. Everything herein is accurate and is exactly what has occurred.

End of Part five

You can visit part six HERE.

Do you want more?

You can find many more videos in my “Extraterrestrial Species index” over here…

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A breakdown of the report “alien interview” by MM from a MAJ perspective (part 4)

I have presented the PDF titled “Alien Interview” to the readership. It is supposed to be the transcripts of the interview that a nurse had with an extraterrestrial entity that was recovered from a spaceship crash in Roswell, New Mexico. There is a lot of good stuff there, and a lot of things that run counter to what I know and understand to be true. My intention here is to parse the entire book, and compare it to what I know. Where the two diverge, it will be up to you (the readership) to sort it out.

This is part 4.

Key point – Document appears to be genuine

And I can tell you all that the more that I parse this document, the clearer it is (to me) that it is genuine.It is exactly what it says it is. And the extraterrestrial is actually telling the truth, so far.

Key point – Errors

However, there are some errors in translation, and confusion in the interpretation of what is being stated. Anything concerning “time” and the translation of dates seems to have some errors. The translator was having difficulty with those areas.

Humans think of time as “shared” and “linear”.

The type-1 greys think of time as circular and repeating. As in, consciousness enters and exits different world lines” and if you graph that movement of consciousness you will see a “corkscrew” movement through the MWI. Which is what it was referring to. All of which was WAY beyond the concepts of anyone in Roswell at that time.

Therefore all dates and time, and anything associated with these characteristics might in error.  If you are having trouble in these areas, treat them as non-resolved issues and can be ignored.

Key point – This document predates MAJestic

Also take note that this document pre-dates MAJestic, and it is crystal clear to me now, that my role was, and still is, in the rehabilitation aspects of moving the Earth from a Hellish “Prison Planet” to that of a “sentience nursery”.

This document has (for me, personally) helped to clarify elements and aspects of my role that were “blurred” and obscured from me. To that I am eternally grateful.

Look at the dates on my articles, and look at what I covered. You will see that they match up nearly perfectly with this “Alien Interview” transcript. And this is the first time that I have ever heard of this document. The timing was transcendental.

This is part four of the parsing of this document

You can view part 1 HERE.

SUBJECT: ALIEN INTERVIEW, 27. 7. 1947, 1st Session

“The actual history of Earth is very bizarre. It is so nonsensical that is it is incredible to anyone on Earth who attempts to investigate it. A myriad of vital information is missing from it. A huge conglomeration of non sequitur relics and mythology has been arbitrarily introduced into it. The volatile nature of the Earth itself cyclically covers, drowns, mixes and shreds physical evidence.

I have no problem with this.

These factors, combined with amnesia and post-hypnotic suggestions, false facades and covert manipulation make a reconstruction of the factual origins and history of Earth civilizations virtually indecipherable.

I have no problem with this.

Any investigator, no matter how brilliant, is doomed to wallow in a quagmire of inconclusive assumptions, unworkable hypotheses, and perpetual mystery.

I have no problem with this.

Since The Domain does not suffer these afflictions, having the advantage of memory, longevity and an exterior point of view, I will add some clarification to your fragmentary knowledge of the history of Earth.

Stand by for clarification of our fragmentary knowledge.

These are some of the dates and events that are not mentioned in Earth history textbooks.

These are significant dates. All of which are not mentioned in any of the history books that were provided to the extraterrestrial.

These dates are significant because they provide some information concerning the influences of the “Old Empire” and of The Domain on Earth.

They are significant as they introduce the role of both the "Old Empire" and the "Domain" regarding Earth.

Although I have attended several briefings by our mission control personnel on the general background of Earth within the past few hundred years, I will rely principally on data gathered from records captured after our invasion of the “Old Empire” planetary headquarters. Since that time The Domain Expeditionary Force has tracked the general progress of events on Earth.

"The Domain" was unaware of Earth and what was going on. This all changed when "The Domain" conquered "The Old Empire".  When "The Domain" took over the main capital, they acquired substantive documents regarding Earth. Most of what the extraterrestrial is relaying is in regards to what the records of the "Old Empire" has recorded.

As I mentioned, in some cases The Domain has chosen to intervene in certain affairs on Earth in order to ensure the success of our long term expansion plans.

I have no problem with this statement.

Although The Domain has no interest in Earth, per se, or in the population of IS-BEs on this planet, it does serve our interests to ensure that the resources of Earth are not destroyed or spoiled.

Important points;

"The Domain" has [1] no interest in the Earth or the population of IS-BE on the planet.

[2] However, they do not want to see the Earth destroyed as a result of uncontrolled activity of it's population. They want to see a "green" planet that takes care of it's environment, and does not destroy the world in a global wide nuclear holocaust.

For those of you who are wondering where some of these media narratives come from, perhaps you all should be looking at a grand strategy to turn the Earth into a Sentience Nursery.

To that end, certain officers of The Domain have been sent to Earth on reconnaissance missions from time to time to gather information.

I have no problem with this.

However, Moreover, the following dates and events have been extrapolated from the accumulated information in the data files of The Domain – at least those that are accessible to me through the space station communications center.

208,000 BCE — Old Empire Established

The establishment of the “Old Empire”, whose headquarters were located near one of the “tail stars” in the Ursa Major (Big Dipper) Constellation of this galaxy. The “Old Empire” invasion force conquered the area with nuclear weapons sometime earlier.

From the point of view of humans on the earth, this statement is loaded with information. 

[1] We know that the Earth was seeded way, way a long time ago by the progenitors.

[2] We also know that intelligent sentient beings, native to earth, grew and developed and either died out or changed.

[3] We know that (according to this extraterrestrial) that there were large colonies of humanoid extraterrestrials that established the colonies of Lemuria, and Atlantis, around 400,000 years ago.

[4] We know that proto-humans started to develop at that time, with the earliest monkey-like creatures two million years earlier. And tool-making humanoids around 200,000 years ago.

This statement then says that after the extraterrestrial colonies of Atlantis and Lemuria were long gone, and proto-humans were starting to use tools, the "Old Empire" came to power. Their base of power, or primary settlement, is at a cluster of stars that we identify as the "tail stars" in the Ursa Major (Big Dipper) Constellation.

It does not mean that the huge enormous O, B, and A stars were the ones that harbored the civilization seat. But rather that this was the geographic region for the planets, where ever their existed or orbited.

They were brutal in conquering the previous civilizations and nuclear weapons and other very dangerous weapons of destruction were utilized, and we can well imagine that they completely devastated the civilizations that they encountered in severe "space opera" style.

After the radioactivity subsided and the clean-up and restoration were completed, it received the immigration of beings from another galaxy into this galaxy. Those beings set up a society that kept going until about 10,000 years ago when it was superseded by The Domain.

Again, this is just full of information. We don't know what the "Old Empire" was. But what we do know is that right after they had conquered the major civilizations in this section of our galaxy, they started to import or migrate other species from another galaxy to here.

This "other group of immigrants" were either of the same type, species, or sentience of the "Old Empire" and thus were able to occupy the conquered worlds of that empire.

This continued for 10,000 years.

Then the "Domain" entered the region, and took over, and conquered them. We know from (part 3) that they did not use nuclear weapons, but rather highly powerful disruptive beans that affected the IS-BE consciousnesses directly.

Very recently Earth civilization has come to resemble aspects of that civilization, now that it has fallen out of its immediate control.

I personally find this statement alluring. This was 1947. This was right before the 1950's and the 1960's in America. What he is referring to is the creation of central-power governments that controlled all else.

Hitler and the Nazi Germans out of Berlin.
Mao and China out of Beijing.
Stalin and Russia out of Moscow.
The United States out of Washington DC
A central European "block".

From this we can extrapolate that the central power model with very little control locally represents the fundamental structural elements of the "Old Empire".

In particular, the appearance and technology of transportation such as planes, trains, ships, fire engines, and automobiles, as well as what you consider to be “modern” or “futuristic” architecture, which emulate the design of buildings in the major cities of the “Old Empire”.

Again, very interesting. It is saying that all the "modern" advancements of technology resemble those which defined the "Old Empire".

Before 75,000 BCE — Colonies on Earth

The Domain records contain very little information about the civilizations on the continental land masses of Atlanta and Lemur, except to note that they did coexist on Earth at more or less the same time.

The records of the "Domain" were just cursory reviews of the solar system as a whole. And between 400,000 and 75,000 years ago, both Atlantis and Lemuria colonies  existed at that time.

Apparently, both civilizations were founded by remnants of electronic, space opera cultures who fled from their native planetary systems to escape political or religious persecution.

So we can well imagine a solid science-fiction narrative where an escaping group of settlers leave a harsh "space opera" galactic empire. Where they fled to an out-of-the-way planet, in a generally not well traveled part of the galaxy.

The Domain knows that a long-standing edict of the “Old Empire” prohibits unauthorized colonization of planets.

At this time of the founding of the "Old Empire" was the same time as the colonies of Atlantis and Lemuria came into being. Since the "Old Empire" did not authorize these colonies, they must have been illegal.

We can imagine that when the "Old Empire" came into being, that some of the people or creatures that they conquered, fled the ruins and devastation and came to earth to start a new life.

And apparently, for many years they had good, prosperous societies upon the earth. But eventually we know that both were destroyed suddenly and with a complete violence that left very little remaining.

Therefore, it is possible that their destruction was caused by police or military forces who pursued the colonists as criminals and destroyed them.

The extraterrestrial hypothesise that the destruction of the "renegade" colonies was conducted by the "Old Empire".

Although this seems a likely supposition, no conclusive evidence exists that explains the complete destruction and disappearance of two entire electronic civilizations.

It's just a hypothesis. There isn't any proof for it. What is interesting is that both civilizations of Atlantis and Lemuria were both "entire electronic civilizations" which would be well understood to be similar to what exists around the world today.

Another possibility is that a massive submarine volcanic eruption in the region of Lake Toba, in Sumatra and Mt. Krakatoa in Java caused the destruction of Lemur.

The flood waters caused by the eruption overwhelmed all the land masses, including the highest mountains.

Survivors of the destruction of the civilization, the Lemurians, are the earliest ancestors of the Chinese.

This is very interesting. The Chinese race then are descended from the survivors of the Lemuria colony, which were survivors of a previous civilization that was conquered by the "Old Empire", and who thus fled to Earth.

Australia and the ocean areas to the north were the center of the Lemurian civilization and are the source of Oriental races. Both civilizations possessed electronics, flight and similar technologies of space opera cultures.

Both of the colonies of Atlantis, and Lemuria were fully modern and electronic civilizations possessing great technology.

Now, aside from the idea that the "Old Empire" eradicated and destroyed the colonies of those that fled when the "Old Empire" took over, the extraterrestrial posits that there might be another explanation. The loss of the colonies could be the result of natural geologic forces...

Apparently, the volcanic eruption expelled such a significant mass of molten rock that the resulting vacuum beneath the crust of Earth caused great areas of the land masses to sink below the oceans.

The continental areas occupied by both civilizations were covered with volcanic matter, and then submerged, leaving very little evidence that they ever existed except for legends of a global flood which prevail in every culture of the Earth, and for survivors who are the genus of oriental races and cultures.

That kind of colossal volcanic explosion fills the stratosphere with toxic gases which are carried around the whole planet. The usual refuse of these volcanic eruptions can easily cause a rain that lasts for “40 days and 40 nights” due to atmospheric pollution as well as an extensive period during which radiation from the sun is deflected back into space, and cause global cooling.

Certainly such an event would cause an ice age, extinctions of life forms and many other relatively long-term changes lasting thousands of years.

The extraterrestrial states that aside from [1] the systematic destruction of the two colonies by the "Old Empire", the only remaining potential cause for the destruction is [2] a natural event, and in this case, it offers the idea of a global wide volcanic eruption of significant magnitude and duration.

Due to the myriad types of naturally occurring global cataclysmic events which are indigenous to Earth, it is not a suitable planet for habitation by IS-BEs.

The Earth is not a suitable environment for IS-BE's. This is because of natural events. And that these natural events can cause global cataclysmic calamities.

In addition there have been occasional global cataclysms caused by IS-BEs such as the one that destroyed the dinosaurs more than 70 million years ago.

This extraterrestrial states that the Cretaceous–Paleogene Extinction was not a natural event, but rather an intentional event made by IS-BE's. 

About 66 million years ago, 75% of species became extinct during the Cretaceous–Paleogene Extinction. Rates of extinction broadly swept the land, sea, and air. 

In the oceans, ammonites disappeared. All non-avian dinosaurs became extinct. But avian dinosaurs survived because it was birds that descended from theropod dinosaurs. Eventually, mammals emerged as dominant large land animals. 

It is believed that the cause of this extinction event was from an asteroid impact which left an impact called the Chicxulub Crater. Also, giant floor basalts aggravated called Deccan Traps.

That destruction was caused by intergalactic warfare during which time Earth, and many other neighboring moons and planets, were bombarded by atomic weapons.

This is also an interesting statement. So in the extraterrestrials' narrative, which is talking about the "Old Empire" from 400,000 BCE to 10,000 BCE.

Now, the narrative suddenly jumps to a point in time, long before the period of discussion.

At this point in time, 66 - 70 million years ago, long before the "Old Empire", and "The Domain", there was a terrible war in our solar system. It is not mentioned who were involved in this war, or why.

Atomic explosions cause atmospheric fallout much like that of volcanic eruptions. Most of the planets in this sector of the galaxy have been uninhabitable deserts since then.

Another interesting point. This war of 66 - 70 million years ago was not limited to our solar system, but rather involved multiple star systems. It also was devastating. Many otherwise habitable planets were turned into wasteland and barren deserts as a result of it.

An old 3D map showing the many of the stars in a 20 light year radius from our solar system. Since this graphic map was made substantial numbers of very cool brown dwarfs have been discovered that makes this map obsolete. Never the less, we can assume that many of the (once inhabitable) stars are shown on this map.

Earth is undesirable for many other reasons: heavy gravity and dense atmosphere, floods, earthquakes, volcanoes, polar shifts, continental drift, meteor impacts, atmospheric and climatic changes, to name a few.

An interesting point, and something that I have stated elsewhere.

[1] heavy gravity 
[2] dense atmosphere, 
[3] floods, 
[4] earthquakes, 
[5] volcanoes, 
[6] polar shifts, 
[7] continental drift, 
[8] meteor impacts, 
[9] atmospheric and climatic changes, 

The changes that greatly affect the Earth for many thousands of years after the event are shown in bold.

What kind of lasting civilization could any sophisticated culture propose to develop in such an environment?

Good point. I have no problem with this.

In addition, Earth is a small planet of a “rim star” of a galaxy.

Not really true; geographically. The solar system is smack dab in one of the major "arms" of the galaxy geographically. You can see this on a map.

Location in our galaxy.

However, if you look at the statement from the point of view of the population centers of the galaxy in our region, then you can find some answers. 

The extraterrestrial stated that an enormous war took place in our section of the galaxy 70 million years ago and it resulted in many neighboring solar system to lose what ever habitable worlds that existed.

Imagine that in all that devastation, nothing much remains, and the Earth solar system is one of the few "oasis" in a sea of death, destruction and wasteland.

This makes Earth very isolated geographically from the more concentrated planetary civilizations which exist toward the center of the galaxy.

These obvious facts have made Earth suitable for use only as a zoological or botanical garden, or for it’s current use as a prison – but not much else.

Which is also something that I have stated in my previous articles.

Before 30,000 BCE — Misfits started arriving to the Earth

I can tell you that I have long known about the presence of "federation" craft in and around our Earth at 30,000 years ago. Its just that I assumed that they were type-1 grey vehicles. This disclosure clarifies my information. It states that the visitations to the earth at 30,000 BCE were "Old Empire" vehicles performing specific activities in and around the Earth.

Earth started being used a dumping ground and prison for IS-BEs who were judged “untouchable”, meaning criminal or non-conformists.

IS-BEs were captured, encapsulated in electronic traps and transported to Earth from various parts of the “Old Empire”.

Underground “amnesia stations” were set up on Mars…

…and on Earth in the Rwenzori Mountains in Africa…

… in the Pyrenees Mountains of Portugal…

Pyrenees Mountains of Portugal.

… and in steppes of Mongolia.

Mongolian Mountains.

These electronic monitoring points create force screens designed to detect and capture IS-BEs, when the IS-BE departs the body at death.

The way these devices work is it [1] senses when a person dies, and the consciousness departs the body at death. Then, [2] it attracts, snares or captures that consciousness.

IS-BEs are brainwashed using extreme electronic force in order to maintain Earth’s population in state of perpetual amnesia.

A high enough, or powerful enough, electronic force can do anything. This then provides amnesia for the consciousness.

However, there is evidence that it no longer is wholly functional.

You see, according to the extraterrestrial, the devices (the electronic amnesia screens) only work when the person departs the body as consciousness, they lose all memories and then are reshuffled back to the Earth.

Yet, we know, that through various techniques (such as hypnosis) we can recover these memories of time before lives, and within other lives. 

I have copied complete books of Robert Newton in this regard. You can see my articles here;

Thus the works by the great Doctor Michael Newton who studied the geography of Heaven through regression hypnosis. It might be something that most people would discount as "tin foil hat" nonsense, but his works absolutely and accurately describe what I have observed personally in my MAJestic dealings.

Though, please take note that he did not understand the MWI, and some of his assumptions are in error. What he did was try to map out what Heaven was from the basis of what "time" and "reality" is. Still the best reads out there.

The first book is considered “ground breaking”, I however thought that it was rather elementary. Thus, I strongly urge any reader to read this book first before you tackle the second…

The Geography of Heaven; Journey of Souls (full text) by Michael Newton

Unfortunately, this first book has all kinds of “new age” things inside of it that pretty much “turned off” my readership. It also had some misconceptions. So I went ahead and annotated the book and explained things so that my base readership would understand what is going on, relative to MAJestic and the entire universe. Here are the posts broken down for easy reading and study…

The Geography of Heaven; Journey of Souls (full text) by Michael Newton (part 1a) with world-line (MWI) annotations.

The Geography of Heaven; Journey of Souls (full text) by Michael Newton (part 1b) with world-line (MWI) annotations.

https://metallicman.com/laoban4site/the-geography-of-heaven-journey-of-souls-full-text-by-michael-newton-part-1c-with-world-line-mwi-annotations/

 

https://metallicman.com/laoban4site/the-geography-of-heaven-journey-of-souls-full-text-by-michael-newton-part-1d-with-world-line-mwi-annotations/

 

The Geography of Heaven; Journey of Souls (full text) by Michael Newton (part 1e) with world-line (MWI) annotations.

The second book is full of “red meat” and is just packed with information. However, most readers will not be able to understand it unless they read the first book. This book, due to the size and complexity has been broken down into three posts. A lot of good stuff is here.

Again, realize that he and his patents did not understand what “time”, “realities” and the concept of “quantum shadows”. Please take his misconceptions into account when you read his works.

A detailed look into the topography of Heaven; The Destiny of Souls (full text) by Michael Newton. (Part 1)

https://metallicman.com/laoban4site/a-detailed-look-into-the-topography-of-heaven-the-destiny-of-souls-full-text-by-michael-newton-part-2/

 

https://metallicman.com/laoban4site/a-detailed-look-into-the-topography-of-heaven-the-destiny-of-souls-full-text-by-michael-newton-part-3/

 

So in summary, my point is that [1] things have certainly changed since 1947. And that [2] during the 1970's all sorts of discoveries were starting to be made regarding regaining memories of past lives, and the interim period between lives.

Combined, this offers [3] the suggestion that efforts of MAJestic and the Domain extraterrestrials have been successful in greatly reducing the influences of these force screens.

Yet, some questions remain.

[4] Being able to recall past lives, that occurred before 10,000 years ago suggests that the shield amnesia effect is not permanent.

[5] However, most human subjects that I have read in the Dr. Newton studies suggest that their memories are more recent than that. Which suggests that it was only after the shield was turned off that they were able to remember memories that happened after 10,000 years.

But,

I can tell you that MM has partial memory retention, and that MM memories date back to around 250,000 years.

What does this mean?

[6] I have a EBP that (perhaps) assists in memory retention.

[7] If the memory can be recalled under hypnosis earlier than 1150AD (the destruction of a major "old Empire" base), it means that your memory amnesia is not permanent.

[8] If your memory can be recalled under hypnosis earlier than 8,000 BCE, it means that you are probably not part of the 3,000 domain expeditionary forces that had complete memory wipes. For they had a complete and permanent wipe that was (at 1947) unrecoverable.

Obviously there are many unanswered questions.

Could it be lying, or could things have changed substantially since 1947 and with MAJestic support and assistance starting one year later in 1948? I personally believe that things have changed, and I also believe that the world-line clustering, slides to anchor world-lines were very effective in the support of bringing about a recovery of memories.

But that is just me.

Further population controls are installed through the use of long range electronic thought control mechanisms.

So it is not just one or two facilities or bases that run these devices, but an entire constellation of them, with many located far away geographically.

These stations are still in operation and they are extremely difficult to attack or destroy, even for The Domain, which will not maintain a significant military force in this area until a later date.

That later date may have already happened. Most certainly things have changed substantially since 1947.

The pyramid civilizations were intentionally created as part of the IS-BE prison system on Earth.

Interesting. The Egyptian pyramids are part of the prison structure? Tell me more.

The pyramid is alleged to be the symbol for “wisdom”. However, the “wisdom” of the “Old Empire” on planet Earth is intended to operate as part of the elaborate amnesia “trap” consisting of MASS, MEANING and MYSTERY.

These are opposite to the qualities of an Immortal Spiritual Being which have no mass, or meaning. An IS-BE “is” solely because it thinks that it “is”.

A consciousness consists of:

[1] Thoughts. Not physical mass.
[2] Formlessness. Not tangible meaning.
[3] Clarity. Not mystery.

MASS: represents the physical universe, including objects such as stars, planets, gases, liquids, energy particles and tea cups. The Pyramids were very, very solid objects, as were all of the structures created by the “Old Empire”. Heavy, massive, dense, solid objects create the illusion of eternity.

Dead bodies wrapped in linen, soaked in resin, placed inside engraved golden coffins and entombed with Earthly possessions amid cryptic symbols create an illusion of eternal life.

However, dense, heavy physical universe symbols are the exact opposite of an IS-BE. An IS-BE has no mass or time. Objects do not endure forever. An IS-BE “is” forever.

I have absolutely no problem with these statements.

MEANING: False meanings prevent knowledge of the truth. The pyramid cultures of Earth are a fabricated illusion. They are nothing more than “false civilizations” contrived by the “Old Empire” mystery cult called the Brothers of the Serpent.

False meanings were invented to create the illusion of a false society to further reinforce the amnesia mechanism among the intimates in the Earth prison system.

I have absolutely no problem with these statements.

MYSTERY: is built of lies and half-truths. Lies cause persistence because they alter facts which are comprised of exact dates, places and events. When truth is known, a lie no longer persists. If the exact truth is revealed, it is no longer a mystery.

I have absolutely no problem with these statements.

All of the pyramid civilizations of Earth were carefully contrived of layer upon layer of lies, skillfully combined with a few truths. The priest cult of the “Old Empire” combined sophisticated mathematics and space opera technology, with theatrical metaphors and symbolism. All of these are complete fabrications of truth, baited with the allure of aesthetics and mystery.

I have absolutely no problem with these statements.

The intricate rituals, astronomical alignments, secret rites, massive monuments, marvelous architecture, artistically rendered hieroglyphs and man-animal “gods” were designed to create an unsolvable mystery for the IS-BE prison population on Earth. The mystery diverts attention away from the truth that IS-BEs have been captured, given amnesia and imprisoned on a planet far, far away from their home.

I have absolutely no problem with these statements. It is the common misdirection technique deployed by black program, and the American media mechanism today.

The truth is that every single IS-BE on Earth came to Earth from some other planetary system.

This is very curious. Every single person... every single human on Earth is an immigrant or a descendant of an immigrant.

Not one person on Earth is a “native” inhabitant. Human beings did not “evolve” on Earth.

Humans did not evolve from primates. 

Primates evolved, and went into various "dead ends". 

But the humans that existed upon the earth were transplants. None of them evolved per the common belief that everyone holds. Monkeys did not eventual evolve into humans.

In the past, Egyptian society was run by the prison administrators or priests, who, in turn, manipulated a Pharaoh, controlled the treasury and kept the inmate population enslaved physically and spiritually. In modern times, the priests have changed, but the function is the same. However, now the priest are prisoners too.

This system of religion controlling the leadership is an on-going theme throughout the human cultures and societies, and it has only been most recently that this has changed.

Mystery reinforces the walls of the prison. The “Old Empire” feared that the IS-BEs on Earth might regain their memory. Therefore, one of the primary functions of The “Old Empire” priesthood is to prevent IS-BEs on Earth from remembering who they really are, how they came to Earth, where they came from.

And so they destroyed the mere idea of reincarnation...

The “Old Empire” operators of the prison system, and their superiors, do not want IS-BEs to remember who murdered them, captured them, stole all of their possessions, sent them to Earth, gave them amnesia and condemned them to eternal imprisonment!

Well, of course not!

Imagine what might happen if all of the inmates in the prison suddenly remembered that they have the right to be free! What if they suddenly realized that they have been falsely imprisoned and rise up as one against the guards?

Yikes!

They are afraid to reveal anything that looks like the civilization of the inmates home planets. A body, a piece of clothing, a symbol, a space ship, an advanced electronics device, or any other remnant of civilization from a home planet could “remind” a being and rekindle his memory.

So they did everything in their power to keep everyone primitive. When Greece started to advance, it was destroyed. When Persia started to advance, it was destroyed. When Rome started to advance it was destroyed. When the Chinese kingdoms advanced, they were destroyed. But it all came to an end, more or less around 1150 ad.

Sophisticated technologies of entrapment and enslavement, which were developed over millions of years in the “Old Empire”, have been applied to the IS-BEs on Earth with the intention to create a false facade for the prison. These facades were installed on Earth in totality, all at once. Every piece is a fully integrated part of the prison system.

This idea that everything was established all at once is highly suggestive of a pre-designed system of prison construction. This goes along with my strong belief that there are five "sentience nurseries" in this region of space. 

All of which occupy the formerly ruined worlds of the catastrophic space wars of 66 million years ago.

This includes a religion of mumbo-jumbo double-speak.

Every pyramid civilization uses this as part of a control mechanism to keep the population enslaved by force, by fear and by ignorance.

The indecipherable muddle of irrelevant information, geometric designs, mathematical calculation, astronomical alignments, are part of a false spirituality based on solid objects, rather than immortal spirits, in order to confuse and disorient the IS-BEs on Earth.

I have no problem with these statements.

When the body of a person died they were buried with their Earthly possessions, including their former body wrapped in linen, to sustain their “soul” or “Ka” after death. An IS-BE does not “have” as soul. An IS-BE is a soul.

I agree.

On the home planet of an IS-BE their material possessions were not lost, stolen or forgotten when the being died or left the body. An IS-BE could return and claim the possessions.

Nothing is ever lost in our universe it only changes shape.

However, if the IS-BE has amnesia, they will not remember that they had any possessions. So, governments, insurance companies, bankers, family members and other vultures can pick their possessions clean without fear of retribution from the deceased.

This is something that the Roswell leadership could well understand. And something that I too understand most perfectly.

The only reason for these false meanings is to instill the idea that an IS-BE is NOT a spirit, but a physical object!

This is a lie.

It is a trap for an IS-BE.

And, isn't that exactly what is taught in schools and religions?

Countless people have spent endless hours attempting to solve the jig-saw puzzle of Egypt and other “Old Empire” civilizations. They are puzzles made of pieces that do not fit. A question states its own answer.

Everything is an intentional "dead end".

What is the mystery of Egypt and other pyramid cultures? Mystery!

circa 15,000 BCE – Bolivia mining operations

The “Old Empire” forces supervised the construction of a hydraulic mining operations in the Andes Mountains in present day Bolivia near Lake Titicaca (Lake of Tin Stones) at Tiahuanaco including construction of the massive stone complex of carved stone buildings known as Kalasasaya and its “Gate of the Sun” at an elevation of nearly 14,000 feet.

No problem with this.

11,600 BCE – Polar Axis Shift

The Polar Axis of Earth shifted to a sea area. The last Ice Age came to an end abruptly as the polar ice caps melted and the level of the ocean rose to submerge large sections of the land masses of Earth. The last remaining vestiges of Atlantis and Lemuria were covered by water. Massive extinctions of animals occurred in the Americas, Australia and the Arctic Regions due to the shift of the poles.

Worlds in Collision, Velikovsky, Immanuel. 

10,450 BCE — Plans for the Great Pryramid were created.

Plans were made by the “Old Empire” IS-BE called Thoth for construction of a Great Pyramid of Giza. The 4 “air shafts” of the pyramid point precisely to key stars in the “Old Empire” as seen from Giza in this year. The alignment of the Pyramids of Giza on the ground matches perfectly the alignment of the constellation of Orion as seen in the sky from Giza relative to the Nile as the earthly representation of the Milky Way in the sky.

No problem with this. This date is in alignment with Graham Hancock. Like the Cayce Association, he continues to argue for a 10,500 B.C. "origin" of the Great Pyramid and Giza Plateau.

10,400 BCE – Herodotus records that Atlantis records are buried under the Sphinx.

According to the Earth historian, Herodotus, records from the ruined civilization of Atlantis, containing electronic technology and other technology of that society, were buried in a vault beneath the paws of The Sphinx.

The Greek historian wrote that he was told this by some of his friends who were Priests of Anu, the Sumerian god, at the Egyptian city of Heliopolis.

However, it is highly unlikely that any traces of an electronic civilization would be allowed to be left intact on Earth by the “old empire” prison system administrators.

No problem with this.

8,212 BCE — Veda Hymns created.

The Veda or Vedic hymns are a set of religious hymns that were introduced into the societies of Earth. They came forward in spoken tradition, memorized, from generation to generation. “The Hymn to the Dawn Child” includes an idea called the “cycle of the physical universe”: the creation, growth, conservation, decay and death or destruction of energy and matter in a space. These cycles produce time. The same set of hymns describes the “theory of evolution”.

Here is a tremendous body of knowledge which contains a great deal of spiritual truth. Unfortunately, it has been incorrectly evaluated by humans and altered with lies and reversals of fact by priests which are a booby trap to prevent anyone from using the wisdom to discover a way to escape from the prison planet.

No problem with this.

8,050 BCE — Old Empire Home Planet is conquered and destroyed.

Destruction of the “Old Empire” home planet government in this galaxy.

This was the end of the “Old Empire” as a political entity in the galaxy.

However, the vast size of the “Old Empire” will take many thousands of years for The Domain to conquer completely.

The inertia of the political, economic and cultural systems of the “Old Empire” will remain in place for some time to come.

No problem with this.

However, remnants of the “Old Empire” space fleet in the solar system of Earth were finally destroyed in 1,230 AD.

Massive destruction in the solar system at 1230 AD. Meanwhile on Earth everyone was fighting everyone else. See HERE.

In addition to operatives of the “Old Empire” who run the Earth prison operation, there were other beings from the “Old Empire” who came to Earth.

Since Earth was no longer under the control of the “Old Empire” after their defeat by The Domain Forces, there was no police force to control military renegades, space pirates, miners, merchants and entrepreneurs who came to Earth to exploit the resources of the planet for personal gain, and many other nefarious reasons.

No problem with this. After the government collapsed, everyone came to take advantage of the situation, loot and acquire power.

For example, the history of Earth, according to the Jewish people, describes the “Nephilim“. Chapter 6 of The Book of Genesis, describes the origin of the “Nephilim” :

“Now it came about, when men began to multiply on the face of the land, and daughters were born to them, that the “sons of God” saw that the daughters of men were beautiful; and they took wives for themselves, whomever they chose.

The Nephilim were on the earth in those days, and also afterward, when the sons of God came in to the daughters of men, and they bore children to them. Those were the mighty men who were of old, men of renown.”

We would call these people "carpetbaggers".

The ancient Jewish people who wrote the history book called the Old Testament were slaves, herders and gatherers. Any modern technology, even a simple flashlight, would seem astounding and miraculous to them. They attributed any unexplainable phenomenon or technology to the workings of a “god”.

This is Eric Von Daniken stuff. He wrote about this three decades later in the 1970's.

Unfortunately, this behavior is universal among all IS-BEs who have been given amnesia, and cannot remember their own experiences, training, technology, personality or identity.

Obviously, if these were men, and they mated with Earth women, they were not “sons of god”.

They were humans that mated with human Earth women who had no recollections of their true nature.

They were IS-BEs who inhabited biological bodies in order to take advantage of the political situation in the “Old Empire”, or simply to indulge in physical sensation.

They set up small colonies of their own on Earth beyond the reach of the police and tax authorities.

I am sure... all over the world.

Coincidentally, one of the most serious crimes an IS-BE could commit in the “Old Empire” was to violate income tax regulations. Income taxes were used as a slavery mechanism and as a punishment in the “Old Empire”. The slightest error in a tax report made an IS-BE “untouchable”, followed by imprisonment on Earth.

It sounds so much like America today.

6,750 BCE — Other “Pyramid Civilizations” set up.

Other Pyramid civilizations were set up by the “Old Empire” on Earth.

These were established in Babylon, Egypt, China and Mesoamerica. The Mesopotamian area provided service facilities, communication stations, space ports, and stone quarry operations for these false civilizations.

Ptah was the name given to the first in a succession of administrators from the “Old Empire” who represented themselves to the Earth population as “divine” rulers.

Ptah’s importance may be understood when one learns that the word “Egypt” is a Greek corruption of the phrase “Het-Ka-Ptah,” or “House of the Spirit of Ptah”. Ptah, was nick-named “The Developer”. He was a construction engineer. His high priest was given the title ‘Great Leader of Craftsmen’.

Ptah was also the god of reincarnation in Egypt. He originated the “opening of the mouth ceremony” which was performed by priests at funerals to “release souls” from their corpses. Of course, when the “souls” were released, they were captured, given amnesia, and returned to Earth again.

The so-called “Devine” rulers who followed Ptah on Earth were called “Ntr”, meaning “Guardians or Watchers” by the Egyptians. Their symbol was the Serpent, or Dragon which represented a secret priesthood of the “Old Empire” called the “Brothers of the Serpent”.

“Old Empire” engineers used cutting tools of highly concentrated light waves to quickly carve and excavate stone blocks. They also used force fields and space craft to lift and transport blocks of stone weighing hundred or thousands of tons each. The placement on the ground of some of these structures will be found to have geodetic or astronomical significance relative to various stars in this galactic region.

The buildings are crude and impractical, compared to building standards on most planets.

As an engineer of The Domain, I can attest that make-shift structures like these would never pass inspection on a planet in The Domain. Stone blocks such as those used in the pyramid civilizations can still be seen, partially excavated, in the stone quarries in the Middle East and elsewhere.

Most of the structures were hastily built “props”, much like the false facades of a western town on the set of a motion picture. They appear to be real, and to have some use or value however, they have no value. They have no useful purpose. The pyramids and all of the other stone monuments erected by the “Old Empire” could be called “mystery monuments”.

Good points. Why create these enormous stone structures unless to support some kind of an illusion of power? The people lived in wood structures. Why make these big stone creations that apparently served no functional purpose?

Most of these discussions sound very familiar as the "alternative history" of the world. People point to the alternative "historians" as the folk that started these beliefs, but aside from the Edgar Cayce narratives, everything actually began at this "Alien Interview". And it was kept secret from the general population for decades.

For what reason would anyone waste so many resources to construct so many useless buildings? To create a mysterious illusion.

The fact of the matter is that each one of the “divine rulers” were IS-BEs who served as operatives of the “Old Empire”. They were certainly not “divine”, although they were IS-BEs.

6248 BCE – Battles for the Solar System

The beginning of active warfare between The Domain Space Command and the surviving remnants of the “Old Empire” space fleet in this solar system that lasted nearly 7,500 years.

So for the firm dates, we can say that the warfare began in 6278 BCE, and ended in 1150 AD. Or roughly 7500 years.

It began when an installation was established in the Himalaya mountains by a battalion of the 3,000 officers and crew members of The Domain Expeditionary Force. The installation was not fortified as The Domain was not aware that the “Old Empire” maintained Earth as a prison planet.

So the Domain set up a undefended base. And it was destroyed and the members imprisoned.

The Domain installation was attacked and destroyed by space forces of the “Old Empire” who continued to operate in the solar system of Earth.

IS-BEs of The Domain battalion were captured, taken to Mars, given amnesia, and sent back to Earth to inhabit human biological bodies. They are still on Earth.

5,965 BCE — Dominion bases on Venus set up to fight the Old Empire forces

Investigations into the disappearance of Domain forces in this solar system led to the discovery of “Old Empire” bases on Mars and elsewhere.

The Domain took over the planet Venus as a defensive position against the space forces of the “Old Empire”.

When the warfare began, the Domain set up defensive positions on Venus.

The Domain Expeditionary Force also monitors life forms on Venus which has a very dense, hot and heavy atmosphere of sulfuric acid clouds. There are a few life forms on Earth that can endure an atmospheric environment like Venus.

This provided them protection from the "Old Empire" forces, which were, after all, all humans.

The Domain also established secret installations or space stations in the (Earth) solar system.

This solar system has a planet that is broken up – the asteroid belt. It provides a very useful low-gravity platform for take off and landing of space craft. It is used as a “galactic jump” between the Milky Way and adjoining galaxies.

This asteroid belt is in the "frost zone" and planetary formation in this area is not stable.

There aren’t any planets at this end of the galaxy that can serve as a good galactic entering spot for incoming transport, and other ships. But this broken up planet makes a very ideal space station.

As a result of our war against the “Old Empire”, this area of the solar system is now a valuable possession of The Domain.

So as a side effect of cleaning out the "rat's nest" that was the "Old Empire" was the ability to set up staging locations for on-ward progress towards the more populated sections of the galaxy.

3,450 – 3,100 BCE — The Domain interrupts Prison Planet Management

The intervention into the affairs on Earth by the “Old Empire” operatives or “divine gods” was disrupted at this time by The Domain Forces.

They were forced to replace themselves with human rulers.

The Warden(s) for the "Prison planet" of Earth now had to leave. They could no longer maintain their roles and their positions. If they did, the Domain, would secure them, and remove them. So the roles were taken over by the "inmates".

The First Dynasty of human Pharaohs who united Upper and Lower Egypt began with the rule of a Pharaoh who, coincidentally, was named “MEN”. He established the capital city called Men-Nefer, “The Beauty of Men” in Egypt.

This started the first succession of 10 human Pharaohs and a period of 350 years of chaos that followed in the administrative ranks of the “Old Empire”.

I have no problem with this statement.

3,200 BCE — Open war between the Domain and the Old Empire on Earth

As I mentioned earlier, Earth was under attack between The Domain and the “Old Empire” forces during this period.

Of course this does not make any sense to archaeologists or historians on Earth, because the Egyptian period is a space opera era period. Since Earth historians have amnesia, they assume that this was only a religious period.

Archaeologists who study ancient Egypt assume all the writings are not technical or historical. Instead they view it as religious and superstitious.

Further, because the technology and civilizations installed on Earth during this period were “prepackaged”, they did not “evolve” on Earth.

Of course, there is no evidence anywhere on Earth of an evolutionary transition which resulted in sophisticated mathematics, language, writing, religion, architecture, cultural traditions in Egypt or any of the pyramid civilizations.

These cultures, complete with all of the details of racial body types, hair-styles, facial makeup, rituals, moral codes and so forth, just “appeared” as complete integrated packages.

This is something that I too have commented about.

The physical evidence suggests that all evidence of the intervention of The Domain or “Old Empire” Forces, or any other extraterrestrial activity, has been carefully “cleaned up”, so as not to create suspicion.

I would agree with this as well.

The “Old Empire” force does not want the IS-BEs of Earth to suspect that they have been captured, transplanted to Earth and brainwashed.

I have no problem with this statement.

So, Earth historians continue to assume that Egyptian priests were not supposed to have “ray guns” or other technology of the “Old Empire”. And, they suppose that there was nothing going on, on Earth, except some priests walking around saying ‘Amen’, which the Christians still say.

3,172 BCE – Astronomical grid layout

Layout of the astronomical grid that joins the key mining sites and astronomical buildings of ‘the gods’ in the Andes Mountains such as Tiahuanaco, Cuzco, Quito, the cities of Ollantaytambu, Machu Picchu and for the mining of rare metals, including tin for use in making bronze.

Metals were the property of “the gods”, of course.

Graham Hancock  discussed this in one of his books.

A great variety of entrepreneurial mining was done on Earth at that time due to the war between the “Old Empire” force and The Domain.

These miners did carve a few sculptures of themselves.

They are seen wearing mining helmets.

The Ponce stela sculpture in the sunken courtyard of the Kalasasaya temple is a crude rendering of a stone worker using an electronic, light-wave emitting stone cutter and carving tools, held in a holster.

Ponce stela sculpture.

The “Old Empire” has also maintained mining operations on planets throughout the galaxy for a very long time. The mineral resources of Earth are now a property of The Domain.

2,450 BCE — Great pyramid complex finished

The “great” pyramid and complex of pyramids near Cairo were completed.

I am a little bit confused with this. 

Earlier he started talking or discussing the creation of pyramids in Egypt at around 10,000 BCE. Now he is saying that they were completed at 2450 BCE, which is about 7,500 years later.

An inscription created by the “Old Empire” administrators can be seen in the so-called Pyramid texts.

The pyramid texts inscription.

The texts say that the pyramid was built under the direction of Thoth, Son of Ptah.

Of course there was never a King buried in the chamber, since the pyramids were never intended to be used as a burial chamber.

The great pyramid was located precisely at the exact center of all of the land masses of Earth, as viewed from space.

Obviously such precise measurements require aerial perspective and a view of the land masses of Earth from space. Purely mathematical calculations of the geodetic center of the continents of Earth could not be made otherwise.

Of course. This is one of the many arguments made by alternative historians.

Shafts were constructed inside the pyramid to align with the configuration of stars in the constellation of Orion, Canus Majora, and specifically Sirius.

The shafts are also aligned to the Big Dipper, where the home planet of the “Old Empire” existed.

Also, Ainitak, Alpha Draconis and Beta Ursa Minor. These stars are each one of the key systems in the “Old Empire” from which IS-BEs were brought to Earth and dumped, as unwanted merchandise.

Well, now another point of confusion. All the stars listed are huge, hot, short lived and energetic stars. Certainly not the kind of a place that one could assume humans would live. But I will pause my incredulity, and make the statement that there is much that we do not know about stars, and the technological abilities of the "Old Empire".

I am now going to diverge a small bit from the narrative to take a closer look at the stars that the extraterrestrial mentioned.

I have color coded the information to make it easier to understand.
Orion Constellation
Great Pyramid alignment

The constellation of Orion is among the oldest recognized constellations in the world. Among the earliest known depictions of Orion lies in a prehistoric Aurignacian mammoth ivory carving dated to be between 32,000 to 38,000 years old. The constellation of Orion is probably the most prominent, and amongst the oldest constellations in the night sky, hosting numerous bright stars, nebulae, clusters, and more.

The distinctive pattern of Orion is recognized in several cultures around the world, and thus many myths and legends are associated with it.
Canis Major
Great pyramid alignment

(Latin: “Greater Dog”) constellation in the southern sky, at about 7 hours right ascension and 20° south in declination. The brightest star in Canis Major is Sirius, the brightest star in the sky and the fifth nearest to Earth, at a distance of 8.6 light-years. This constellation is also home to the Canis Major Dwarf Galaxy, which at a distance of 25,000 light-years is the closest galaxy to Earth. Because of its proximity to Orion, the constellation was identified as one of Orion’s hunting dogs. Canis Major was also thought to represent other dogs in Greek mythology, such as one of the hounds of Actaeon.
Sirius System Summary
Great pyramid alignment

Also known as Alpha Canis Majoris, Sirius is the fifth closest system to Sol, at 8.6 light-years (ly) away. It is located in the north central part (06:45:08.92-16:42:58.02, ICRS 2000.0) of Constellation Canis Major, the Larger Dog. Sirius is also the lower left member of the "Winter Triangle" of first magnitude stars, whose other components are Procyon (Alpha Canis Minoris) at upper left and Betegeuse (Alpha Orionis) at right center.

The bright star is the title member of the Sirius stellar moving group (also known as the Sirius Super Cluster or Ursa Major star stream), which include all five stars of the Great Dipper as well as Gemma and are mostly around 490 million years old and all moving towards the galactic center.

Although Ejnar Hertzsprung (1873-1967) claimed that Sirius was a likely member of the Ursa Major moving group as early as 1909, a 2003 study of possible moving group members using HIPPARCOS' parallax data led by Jeremy King was not able to confirm the system's membership (Ken Croswell, Astronomy.com, March 2005), and the Sirius system appears to be too young, only about half the apparent age of the Ursa Major star stream (Liebert et al, 2005; and Ken Croswell, 2005).
And now for the systems that the extraterrestrial says were home solar systems for the various "Old Empire" citizenry.
Alnitak 3
This star is one of the key systems in the "Old Empire" from which IS-BEs were brought to Earth and dumped, as unwanted merchandise.

Once thought to be around 1,500 to 1,600 light-years (ly) away, the Alnitak, or Zeta Orionis, system is now estimated to be located around 820 +/- 170 ly from Sol (based on a HIPPARCOS Plx= 3.99 +/- e_Plx= 0.79 mas).

It lies in the south central part (5:40:45.5-1:56:34 for Stars Aab, J2000, or 5:40:45.5-1:56:33.3, ICRS 2000) of Constellation Orion (see chart and labelled photo), the Hunter.

There, Alnitak can be found at: left or immediately southeast of the neighboring belt stars of Alnilam (Epsilon Orionis) and Mintaka (Delta Orionis); southwest of Betelgeuse (Alpha Orionis), northeast of Rigel, and northwest of Saiph (Kappa Orionis).

In addition to wide binary companion Star B, Alnitak's primary also has a close stellar companion Ab, (USNO press release). However, the star (sometimes called "C") that has a separation of around 57.6" away is thought to be a optical companion.

Alnitak lies in a region crowded with several dusty clouds of interstellar gas actively forming new stars, including the famous "Horsehead Nebula" to the south. The system is a member of the "Orion OB1 Association," where massive young objects with over 10 times the Sol's mass can be found in abundance (more on OB associations and stellar nurseries).
Zeta Orionis A or Aa
Detailed information.

Alnitak Aa is a blue supergiant star of spectral and luminosity type O9.7 Ibe (with "peculiar" emission lines), where O-type stars are the hottest stars in the spectral sequence excluding white dwarfs. The star may have as much as 28 times Sol's mass (Hummel et al, 2000, in pdf), perhaps 20 times Sol's diameter (Remie and Lamers, 1982, page 87; as reported in Pasinetti-Fracassini et al, 2001), and around 100,000 times its bolometric luminosity, which is much greater than its visual luminosity of around 10,500 times Solar.

The European Space Agency's astrometry satellite HIPPARCOS has measured Zeta Orionis Aab's distance from Earth to be around 820 light years, giving it an absolute visual magnitude of -5.25 (based on a HIPPARCOS Vmag= 1.74), somewhat under-luminous for stars of its class; however, these measurements may have been significantly affected by the presence of the recently discovered, dimmer close stellar companion Ab (described below). Even so, Alnitak Aa is the brightest O-type star in Earth's night sky (according to Professor Jim Kaler's excellent Stars' web page on Alnitak). Its 31,000-degree-Kelvin surface, however, radiates mostly ultraviolet wavelengths that are invisible to Human eyes.

Type-O supergiants show strong stellar winds that produce optical spectral emission lines and thermal radio and X-ray emissions. How these stars produce high-energy X-rays, however, is still subject to intense research because they lack significant magnetic fields and are not sufficiently hot despite their very high surface temperatures.

Alnitak Aa seems to generate and maintain magnetic loops like Sol, which is difficult for astronomers to explain. Although O-type stars have inner convection zones in their core, they are believed to lack outer convection zones, which astronomers considered necessary to create the hot and energetic plasmas confined in magnetic loops. Convection zones are internal regions where most of the energy is transported by fluid motions from hotter regions to cooler ones.

Without such zones located near a star's surface, astronomers are currently unable to explain how high-density knots of X-rays could exist. On the other hand, shock waves created in the turbulent stellar wind flow are an important part of current theories. Like all O stars, Alnitak Aa's X-rays may come from a wind that blows from its surface at nearly 2,000 km (1,200 miles) per second, which produces x-rays when blobs of gas in the wind crash violently into one another (Donati et al, 2002; Waldron and Cassinelli, 2001, and 2000 in pdf; and CXC press release, 10/18/2000).

Massive stars use their fuel quickly and do not live very long. Although Alnitak Aa may only be around six million years old, hydrogen fusion may already have ceased at its core. The star will eventually become a red supergiant somewhat like Betelgeuse and will probably explode as a supernova. Useful catalogue numbers and designations for the star include: Zet Ori A, 50 Ori A, HR 1948/9, HIP 26727, HD 37742, BD-02 1338, SAO 132444, STF 774 A, and ADS 4263 A.

In a wide orbit around the primary is a 4th magnitude visual companion, a B-type giant star that is currently separated by about 2.3 arcseconds (USNO press release, 4/15/1998). The pair orbits each other with a period estimated around 1,500 years long. According to old calculations (from J. Hopmann in 1967) cited in the Sixth Catalog of Orbits of Visual Binaries, Star "B" is separated on average from the primary by around 680 AUs (a semi-major axis of a= 2.728" at a distance of 817 ly), with an estimated orbital period of 1,508.6 years. Their highly circular orbit (e= 0.07) is inclined 72.0° from the perspective of an observer from Earth.

In 1998, Star A was found to have a close stellar companion ("Ab") only around 11 AUs away (0.042" in February and March 1998 at a distance of 820 ly). The close companion is only two magnitudes fainter and would be easily visible to the naked eye from Earth if it was farther from its brighter neighbor. The relative motion of the inner stellar pair has been detected, which was "most likely due to their being gravitationaly bound with an orbital period of only a few years" (Hummel et al, 2000, in pdf; and USNO press release).

The distance from the star pair Aab where an Earth-type planet would be "comfortable" with liquid water is at least 300 AUs -- over seven times the orbital of Pluto in the Solar System. Given that the stars are only a few million years old, however, they are too probably young for any forming planets to have cooled off sufficiently to have much surface water instead of superheated steam. Astronomers would find it very difficult to detect an Earth-sized planet around this star using present methods.
Zeta Orionis Ab
Detailed information

As Star Ab has a high visual magnitude (around 4) and a presumably youthful age of a few million years shared with the primary, it may be a late O-type main sequence dwarf (Hummel et al, 2000, in pdf). Hence, it should have a much greater mass (e.g., 23 times Solar), diameter, and visual luminosity (over 1,300 times Solar) than Sol.

According to the Yale Bright Star Catalogue, 1991 5th Revised Edition notes entry for HR 1948 and 1949, Star B is a blue-white giant star of spectral and luminosity type B2 III. It may have 14 times Sol's mass, a much larger diameter, and around 1,100 times its visual luminosity, based on an apparent magnitude of 4.2 with an even greater bolometric luminosity due to the high ultraviolet emission of its spectral type (Hummel et al, 2000, in pdf).

As with the inner star pair Aab, the orbit of an Earth-like planet (with liquid water) around Star B would be centered beyond the orbital distance of Pluto in the Solar System. Given the youth of the host star (which should be similar to that of the primary), moreover, such a planet is unlikely to have cooled sufficiently to have much surface water instead of steamon its surface. Useful catalogue numbers and designations for the star include: Zet Ori B, 50 Leo B, HD 17743, and ADS 4263 B.
Thuban (α Draconis) Facts
This star is one of the key systems in the "Old Empire" from which IS-BEs were brought to Earth and dumped, as unwanted merchandise.

Thuban is a relatively inconspicuous star in the night sky of the Northern Hemisphere, located at around 305 light-years away from the Sun. Thuban, also designated as Alpha Draconis, is a double star system located in the constellation of Draco. Thuban is historically significant since it was the north pole star from the 4th to 2nd millennium BCE. Based upon it metallicity, the interstellar medium from which Thuban formed, was somewhat metal-poor. Thuban’s exact age is uncertain. However, it has ceased hydrogen fusion in its core, and it is no longer in the main-sequence.
Distance, Size, and Mass

Thuban is located at around 303 light-years / 93 parsecs away from the Sun. The primary component star is both more massive and several times bigger than our Sun.

Thuban has 2.8 solar masses, or 280% of the Sun’s mass, and a radius of 3.4 solar radii, or 340% of the Sun’s radius. Based upon its radius, Thuban should be around six times, or more, bigger than our Sun. Thuban’s companion star has 2.6 solar masses or 260% of our Sun’s mass.
Other Characteristics

Thuban is a white giant star of spectral class A0III, indicating similarities to Vega in temperature and spectrum, but more luminous and massive.

Thuban has been used as an MK spectral standard for the A0III type. It has ceased hydrogen fusion in its core and started to expand. It has an apparent magnitude of 3.6 and an absolute magnitude of -1.20.

Thuban is 479 times brighter than our Sun and has average surface temperatures of around 10,100 K, or 1.7 times hotter than our Sun.

Thuban’s companion, Alpha Draconis B, is 40 times brighter than our Sun, being 1.83 magnitudes fainter than the primary star. Not much is known about the companion, though it is speculated that it is a main-sequence star slightly cooler than Thuban, and possibly of spectral type A2.
Stellar System

The Thuban / Alpha Draconis star system is a single-lined spectroscopic binary star system, which means that only the spectral liens of the primary component are visible.

The two stars orbit each other once every 51.5 days and have an orbital eccentricity of 0.43. The two components are separated from one another by about 0.46 AU.

This system is an eclipsing binary star system. The eclipses displayed are only partial, with an inclination of slightly less than 90 degrees, with depths of 9% and 2%. These eclipses last for only six hours.

Thuban is one of the stars that take turns as the North Star during the Earth’s precession cycle. Thuban was the Pole Star from 3942 BCE to 1793 BCE, during the creation of some of Egypt’s largest pyramids.

Thuban was closest to the pole in 2830 BCE, coming closest to the north celestial pole out of all the other pole stars. However, Thuban was among the faintest pole stars.

In comparison, the current pole star, Polaris, comes within 0.5 degrees of the north celestial pole and has an apparent magnitude of 1.98.

As the North Star, Thuban was preceded by Edasich (Iota Draconis) and succeeded by the brighter Kochab (Beta Ursae Minoris), one of the stars of the Little Dipper, and the fainter Kappa Draconis. Thuban has slowly drifted away from true north over the last 4,800 years.
Location

Thuban is located in the constellation of Draco, the eighth largest constellation in the sky and the fourth largest northern constellation, occupying an area of 1,083 square degrees.

Thuban is easy to spot though, from light-polluted areas, this can become a challenge. Thuban lies about halfway between Mizar, the middle star of the Big Dipper’s handle, and Kochab and Pherkad, the stars that form the outer side of the Little Dipper’s Bowl.
44 Boötis System Summary
This star system is one of the key systems in the "Old Empire" from which IS-BEs were brought to Earth and dumped, as unwanted merchandise.

This triple star system is located about 41.6 light-years (ly) away from our Sun, Sol. It lies in the northwestern part (15:3:47.3+47:39:14.6, ICRS 2000.0) of Constellation Boötes, the Herdsman or Bear Driver -- north of Nekkar (Beta Boötis), east of Lamda Boötis, northeast of Seginus (Gamma Boötis), southwest of Edasich (Iota Draconis), southeast of Theta Boötis and Alkaid (Eta Ursae Majoris), and west of Tau and Nu Herculis. 

The "star" was noted to be variable in 1785 by Sir William Herschel (1738-1822), who was born Friedrich Wilhelm Herschel. According to Robert Burnham, Jr. (1931-93), the system was confirmed to be a visual binary in 1832 by Friedrich Georg Wilhelm Struve (1793-1864). 

In 1926, the fainter component itself was found to be an eclipsing binary by Jan Schilt by photographic observations, which had already been suspected from a spectrum that showed rotationally broadened absorption lines. 

The system has the variable star designation i Boötis and is often confused with Iota Boötis, a Delta-Scuti-type variable star of spectral and luminosity type A9 V.

All three stars of the 44 Boötis system are similar to Sol in size, brightness, and color. The annual proper motion of the system is about 40" in PA 274°, and it's radial velocity is around 24 km per second (15 miles per second) in approach. It is visible to the naked eye. All three are believed to be more than a billion years old (Alan Hale, 1994, pp. 312 and 314).

44 (i) Boötis A

This star is a yellowish main sequence dwarf star of spectral and luminosity type F5-G1 Vn (Nikolic et al, 1997; based on Frans van't Veer, 1971; and Kurpinska and van't Veer, 1970; versus Hill et al, 1989, page 89). It may be as massive as (or slightly more so than) Sol, with about the same diameter -- 1.03 to 1.05 percent Solar (Johnson and Wright, 1983, page 683; and Hill et al, 1989) and around 1.14 times its luminosity. Useful star catalogue numbers and designations for 44 Boötis A include: 44 Boo, i Boo, 44i Boo, HR 5618*, Gl 575 A, Hip 73695, HD 133640, BD+48 2259, SAO 45357, Struve 1909 A, and ADS 9494 A.

From the perspective of an observer on Earth, the orbit of Star A and the BC tight binary pair exhibit a very elongated and narrow ellipse whose separation has varied from 4.7" in 1880 to less than 0.4" in 1969 (Kaj Aage Gunnar Strand, 1937; A. Gennaro, 1940; L. Bennendijk, 1955; Worley and Heintz, 1983; and Wulff Dieter Heintz, 1963 to 1997; among others). According to new measurements (Staffan Soderhjelm, 1999) found in the new Sixth Catalog of Visual Orbits of Binary Stars, Stars A and B are separated by an "average distance" of about 48.5 AUs (semi-major axis of 3.8" with a HIPPARCOS distance estimate of 41.6 ly), or more than the average of orbital distance of Pluto in the Solar System. They move in a highly elliptical orbit (e= 0.55) that takes about 206 years to complete. Their orbit is inclined about 84° from the perspective of an observer on Earth. These elements are similar to Heintz's 1997 elements of: P=220.0 years; a=3.70"; e= 0.451; and i=83.7 (Wulff Dieter Heintz, 1997). (See an animation of the orbits of Stars A, B, and C and their potentially habitable zones, with a table of basic orbital and physical characteristics.)

44 (i) Boötis B

This star is a yellow-orange main sequence dwarf star of spectral and luminosity type G2 V (Nikolic et al, 1997; and Hill et al, 1989). This star may have around the same mass as Sol, 87 to 89 percent of its diameter (Johnson and Wright, 1983, page 683; and Hill et al, 1989), and as little as 54 percent of its luminosity. Useful catalogue numbers for the star include: Gl 575 B, Struve 1909 B, and ADS 9494 B.

44 Boötis is classified as an eclipsing variable of W Ursae Majoris type (that also resembles U Pegasi) because Star B has a double-lined, spectroscopic companion that is close enough to be considered a (weak thermal) shallow contact binary (Hill et al, 1989, page 96; and Jan Schilt, 1926). Since the outer gas envelopes of the stars are in contact (overflowing their Roche lobes), they essentially share a common photosphere despite having two distinct nuclear-burning cores. Indeed, Stars B and C are separated by only some 0.008 AU, around three quarters of a million miles (more than one million km) or about three times the distance between the Earth and its Moon. They are revolving in a highly circular orbit (e~ 0) that takes only 6.427 hours to complete. Moreover, from the perspective of an observer on Earth, Stars B and C eclipse each other twice at every revolution (every three hours). (See an animation of the orbits of Stars A, B, and C and their potentially habitable zones, with a table of basic orbital and physical characteristics.)

X-ray emission from stellar coronal material has been observed around Stars B and C with the Chandra X-Ray Observatory (press release; Brickhouse et al, 2001; and Nikolic et al, 1997; among others). According to the Yale Bright Star Catalogue's notes entry for HR 5618, a variation in the light curve for this close spectroscopic binary pair appears to be caused by mass transfer, which is supported by observations of gaseous streams between the stars. Eclipsing variables of this type may develop into eruptive "dwarf novae" similar to U Geminorum and SS Cygni, and U Pegasi has been observed to exhibit flares or eruptions of small amplitude that may presage more violent activity at a later stage of evolution. (More discussion on W Ursae Majoris type binaries is available from: Maceroni and van't Veer, 1996.)

44 (i) Boötis C

This star is a yellow-orange main sequence dwarf star of possibly spectral and luminosity type G V (Nikolic et al, 1997; and Hill et al, 1989), or later spectral type. This star probably has less mass than Sol, as little as 66 percent of its diameter (Hill et al, 1989), and significantly lower luminosity than Star B. Useful catalogue numbers for the star include Gl 575 C and NS 1503+4739 C.

Hunt for Substellar Companions

Since at least one of the stars of 44 Boötis is fairly similar to our Sun, some speculate whether the system might contain planets that harbor life. The distance from Star A where an Earth-type planet would be "comfortable" with liquid water is centered around 1.07 AU -- just beyond the orbital distances of Earth in the Solar System, with an orbital period of more than an Earth year. For close-orbiting Stars B and C, the liquid water zone may be centered around 0.73 AU -- between the orbital distances of Venus and Earth, with an orbital period around half a year. Astronomers would find it very difficult to detect an Earth-type planet around either of these stars using present methods.
Sorry for the detailed stellar data, but I couldn't help myself. Let's get back to the extraterrestrial narrative.

The configuration of all the pyramids of the Giza Plateau was intended to create a “mirror image”, on Earth of the solar system and certain constellations within the “Old Empire”.

2,181 BCE — Some manage to escape

MIN, became the God of Fertility of Egypt. The IS-BE, also known as Pan, was also a Greek god. Min or Pan, was an IS-BE who somehow managed to escape from the “Old Empire” amnesia system.

2,160 – 2040 BCE — Old Empire Rulers left

One of the results of the intensifying battle between The Domain Forces and the “Old Empire” forces was that the control of the “divine rulers”, was broken at this time.

They finally left Egypt and returned to the “heavens”, so to speak, in defeat.

Human beings took over the ruling role as Pharaohs. The first human pharaoh moved the Capital city of Egypt from Memphis to Heracleopolis.

I have no problem with this.

1,500 BCE – Destruction of Crete

This is the date for the destruction of Atlantis given by the Egyptian high-priests, Psenophis of Heliopolis, and Sonchis of Sais, to the Greek sage Solon.

This is the date of the destruction of the colony of Atlantis provided by the Egyptians. It differs from that provided by the extraterrestrial, who stated that Atlantis was destroyed.

While the extraterrestrial stated that between 400,000 and 75,000 years ago, both Atlantis and Lemuria colonies existed.

The Priests of Anu recorded that the Mediterranean area was invaded by “Atlantean” people about this time. Of course, these people were not from the ancient continent of Atlanta, in the Atlantic Ocean, which existed more than 70,000 years earlier.

These were refugees from the Minoan civilization on Crete escaping from the volcanic eruption and tidal waves of Mt. Thera that destroyed their civilization.

Here, the extraterrestrial clarifies the discrepancy.

Plato’s references to Atlantis were borrowed from the writings of the Greek philosopher Solon, who was given the information by the Egyptian priest who called Atlantis “Kepchu”, which also happens to be the Egyptian name for the people of Crete.

Nicely clarified.

Some of the survivors of the Minoan volcanic disaster asked Egypt for help, since they were the only other civilization with high culture in the Mediterranean area at the time.

1351 BCE – 1337 BCE — Earth Warfare

The Domain Expeditionary Force actively waged a war of religious conquest against the Egyptian mystery cult called the Priest of Amun, also known as the “Old Empire” Brothers of The Serpent.

While the space fleet of the "Old Empire" was destroyed in the solar system much earlier. We can say that the warfare began in 6278 BCE, and ended in 1150 AD. Or roughly 7500 years.

The "Old Empire" IS-BE's maintained occupancy in the human bodies on Earth. 

As the leaders were removed, one by one, their cohorts formed "fifth column activities and "secret societies" that needed to be rooted out and eliminated.

During this time the Pharaoh Akhenaten abolished the priesthood of Amun, and moved the capital of Egypt from Thebes to the new location at Amarna, at the exact geodetic center of Egypt. However, this plot to overthrow the “Old Empire” religious control was quickly spoiled.

1,193 BCE — Greek wars / battle for control of space stations

In the Near East and Achaea, the Greeks and Trojans fought for supremacy, which ended in the destruction of Troy as the finale of the Trojan War.

During this same time, war was being fought out in the space of the solar system between two forces for control of the “space stations” surrounding Earth.

That period of 300 years was a very violent resistance to The Domain Forces by the remnants of the “Old Empire” forces. It did not last long however, as it is futile to resist The Domain.

I have no problem with this.

850 BCE — Homer wrote about IS-BE’s

Homer, the blind Greek poet, wrote the stories ‘the gods’ as borrowed and modified from earlier sources in Vedic texts, Sumerian texts, Babylonian and Egyptian mythology.

His poems, as well as many other “myths” of the ancient world are very accurate descriptions of the exploits of IS-BE’s on Earth who were able to avoid the “Old Empire amnesia operation and operate without biological bodies.

Interesting. Homer wrote stories about IS-BE's that escaped the amnesia operations. They were accurate descriptions. And so it was absolutely possible to undo the Empire amnesia operations.

700 BCE – Vedic Hymns translated into Greek

The Vedic Hymns were first translated in the Greek language. This was the beginning of a cultural revolution in Western civilization that transformed crude and brutal tribal cultures into democratic republics based on more reasonable conduct.

638 – 559 BCE — Atlantis reported to exist

Solon, a wise man from Greece, reported the existence of Atlantis. This was information he received from the “Old Empire” high-priests, Psenophis of Heliopolis and Sonchis of Sais, with whom he studied in Egypt.

630 BCE – Domain replacements for Old Empire religions

Zoroaster  created religious practices in Persia around an IS-BE called Ahura Mazda.  This was yet another of the growing number of “monotheistic” gods put in place by operatives of The Domain to displace a panoply of “Old Empire” gods.

604 BCE -Laozi

Laozi, a philosopher who wrote a small book called “The Way”,  was an IS-BE of great wisdom, who overcame the effects of the “Old Empire” amnesia/hypnosis machinery and escaped from Earth. His understanding of the nature of an IS-BE must have been very good to accomplish this.

According to the common legend, his last lifetime as a human was lived in a small village in China. He contemplated the essence of his own life. Like Gautama Siddhartha, he confronted his own thoughts, and past lives. In so doing, he recovered some of his own memory, ability and immortality.

As an old man, he decided to leave the village and go to the forest to depart the body. The village gatekeeper stopped him and begged him to write down his personal philosophy before leaving.

Here is a small piece of advice he gave about “the way” he rediscovered his own spirit:

"He who looks will not see it;

He who listens will not hear it;

He who gropes will not grasp it.
The formless nonentity,

the motionless source of motion.

The infinite essence of the spirit is the source of life.
Spirit is self.
Walls form and support a room,
yet the space between them is most important.

A pot is formed of clay,
yet the space formed therein is most useful.
Action is caused by the force of nothing on something,
just as the nothing of spirit is the source of all form.
One suffers great afflictions because one has a body.

Without a body what afflictions could one suffer?

When one cares more for the body than for his own spirit,
One becomes the body and looses the way of the spirit.

The self, the spirit, creates illusion.
The delusion of Man is that reality is not an illusion.

One who creates illusions and makes them more real than reality,

follows the path of the spirit and finds the way of heaven".

593 BCE – Genesis Story

The Genesis story written by the Jewish people describe “angels” or “sons of god” mating with women of Earth, who bore them children. These were probably renegades from the “Old Empire”. They may also have been space pirates or merchants from a system outside the galaxy who came to steal mineral resources, or smuggle drugs.

The Domain has observed that there are many visitors to Earth from neighboring planets and galaxies, but they rarely stop and live here. What kind of beings would live on a prison planet if they were not forced to do so?

The same book also reports the story of a human named Ezekiel who witnessed a spacecraft or aircraft landing near Chebar River in Chaldea. His description of the craft uses very archaic language, technically, but is nevertheless, quite an accurate description of an “Old Empire” saucer or scout craft. It is similar to the sighting of “vimanas” by the people in the foothills of the Himalayas.

Their Genesis story also mentions that “Yahweh” designed biological bodies to live for 120 years on Earth. Biological bodies on most “Sun Type 12, Class 7” planets are usually engineered to last for an average of about 150 years.

Human bodies on Earth last only about one half as long.

We suspect this is because the prison administrators have altered the biological material of human bodies on Earth to die more frequently so that the
IS-BEs who inhabit them will recycle through the amnesia mechanism more frequently.

It should be noted that much of the “Old Testament” was written during the captivity of the Jews who were enslaved in Babylon, which was very heavily controlled by priests of the “Old Empire”. The book introduces a false sense of time and a false concept of the origin of the creation.

The serpent is the symbol of the “Old Empire“. It appears in the beginning of their creation story, or as the Greeks say, “Genesis”, and causes the spiritual destruction of the first human beings, who are metaphorically represented by Adam and Eve.

The Old Testament, clearly influenced by the “Old Empire” Forces, gives a detailed description of the IS-BEs being induced into biological bodies on Earth.

This book also describes many of the “Old Empire” brainwashing activities, including the installation of false memories, lies, superstitions, commands to “forget” and all manner of tricks and traps designed to keep IS-BEs on Earth. Most importantly, it destroys the awareness that humans are Immortal Spiritual Beings.

I have no problem at all with these statements.

580 BCE — Communication centers

The Oracle at Delphi was one temple in a network of many oracle temples. Each temple was a communication center.

The “Old Empire” priests designated a local “god” for each temple.

Each of the temples in this network were located at precisely 5 degrees of latitude intervals from the capital city of Thebes throughout the Mediterranean area as far north as the Baltic Sea.

The shrines served, among other things, as a grid, housing electronic beacons, later called “Omphalus Stones”.  The grid arrangement of Oracle sites can only be seen from miles above the Earth.

An Omphalus Stone

The original network of electronic communications beacons were disabled when the priesthood was dispersed, and were replaced by carved stones.

Very interesting. The original network of electronic communications beacons were disabled when the priesthood was dispersed, and were replaced by carved stones.

The symbol of the “Old Empire” priesthood is a Python, dragon or serpent. It was called the “earth-dragon” at Delphi, which is always represented in sculpture and vase-paintings as a serpent.

In Greek mythology the guardian of the Omphalus Stone at the temple at Delphi was an oracle whose name was Python, the serpent.

She was an IS-BE, who was conquered by a “god” named Apollo.

He buried her under the Omphalos stone.

This is a case of one “god” setting up his temple on the grave of another. This is a very accurate euphemism for The Domain Force that detected and disabled the “Old Empire” temple network on Earth.

It was one of the fatal blows to the “Old Empire” Force in the solar system of Earth.

As I parse this document, I find more and more tidbits of extreme interest. You must keep in mind that all of this was recorded after ten days in captivity and after scanning some books.

559 BCE – Lost Commander of The Domain Battalion was rediscovered

The Commanding Officer of The Domain Battalion who was lost in 5,965 BCE was detected and located by a search party sent to Earth from The Domain Expeditionary Force.

He was incarnated as Cyrus II of Persia during this time.

A unique system of organization was used by Cyrus II  and the members of that Battalion who followed him from India through his progression of human lives on Earth.

In part, it enabled them to build the largest empire in the history of the Earth to that date.

The Domain Search Party who located him traveled around the Earth searching for the lost Battalion for several thousand years.

The party consisted of 900 officers of The Domain, divided into teams of 300 each.

One team searched the land, another team search the oceans and the third team searched the space surrounding Earth.

There are many reports made in various human civilizations concerning their activities, which humans did not understand, of course.

The Domain Search Party devised a wide variety of electronic detection devices needed to track the electronic signature or wavelength of each of the missing members of the Battalion.

Some were used in space, others on land, and special devices were invented to detect IS-BEs under water.

One of these electronic detection devices is referred to as a “tree of life”.

The device is literally a tool designed to detect the presence of life, which is an IS-BE. This was a large electronic screen generator designed to permeate wide areas.

To the ancient humans on Earth it resembled a sort of tree, since is consists of an interwoven lattice of electronic field generators and receivers.

The electronic field detects the presence of IS-BEs, whether the IS-BE is occupying a body, or if they are outside a body.

A portable version of this detection device was carried by each of the members of The Domain Search Party.

Stone carvings in Sumeria show winged beings using pinecone-shaped instruments to scan the bodies of human beings. They are also shown carrying the power unit for the scanner which are depicted as stylized baskets or water buckets, being carried by eagle-headed, winged beings.

Stone carvings in Sumeria show winged beings using pinecone-shaped instruments to scan the bodies of human beings.

Members of the aerial unit of The Domain Search Party, led by Ahura Mazda, were often called “winged gods” in human interpretations.

Throughout the Persian civilization there are a great many stone relief carving that depict winged space craft, that they called a “faravahar”.

A faravahar.

Members of the Aquatic Unit of The Domain Search Party were called “Oannes” by local humans.

Stone carvings of the so-called Oannes are shown wearing silver diving suits. They lived in the sea and appeared to the human population to be men dressed to look like fish. Some members of the lost Battalion were found in the oceans inhabiting the bodies of dolphins or whales.

Stone carvings of the so-called Oannes.

Very interesting stuff.

Therefore, although mythology and history may be based on factual events, they are likewise full of misunderstood and misinterpreted evaluations of the data, and embellished with assumptions, theories and hypotheses which are false.

The space unit of The Domain Expeditionary Force are shown flying in a “Winged-Disc”. This is an allusion to the spiritual power of the IS-BEs, as well as to the space craft used by The Domain Search Party.

I have no problem with this statement.

The Commander of the lost Battalion, as Cyrus II, was an IS-BE who was regarded as a messiah on Earth by both the Jews, and the Muslims. In less than 50 years he established a highly ethical, and humanitarian philosophy which pervaded all of Western Civilization.

Be the Rufus!

His territorial conquests, organization of people and monumental building projects were unprecedented before or since. Such sweeping accomplishments in a short period of time could only have been achieved by a leader and a team of trained officers, pilots, engineers and crew members of a unit of The Domain, acting as a team, who had been trained and worked together for thousands of years.

Although we have discovered the location of many of the IS-BEs in the lost Battalion, The Domain has been unable to restore their memory and return them to active duty as yet.

Of course we cannot transport IS-BEs who are inhabiting biological bodies to the space stations of The Domain since there is no oxygen in our space craft.

Also we do not maintain life support facilities for biological entities there.

Our only hope has been to locate and rekindle the awareness, memory and identity of the IS-BEs of the Lost Battalion. One day they will be capable of rejoining us.

So this differs from what many "more conventionally minded" readers might think. The Domain cannot ever rescue or recover a amnesiac IS-BE member that is in the human form. They have to find other methods to recover their memories, and then extract them from the prison system that exists. Or that did exist in 1947.

200 BCE — Teotihuacan

The last remnant of the “Old Empire” pyramid civilization is at “Teotihuacan“. The Aztec name means “place of the gods” or “where men were transformed into gods”.

Like the astronomical configuration of the Giza pyramids in Egypt, the entire complex is a precise scale-model of the solar system that accurately reflects the orbital distances of the inner planets, the asteroid belt, Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, Neptune, and Pluto.

Since the planet Uranus had only been “discovered” with modern Earth telescopes in 1787, and Pluto not until 1930, it is apparent that the builders had information from “other sources”.

A common element of the Pyramid Civilizations around the Earth is the constant use of the image of the snake, dragon, or serpent. This is because the beings who planted these civilizations here want to create an illusion that the “gods” are reptilian.

This is also a part of an illusion designed to perpetuate amnesia.

The beings who placed false civilizations on Earth are IS-BEs, just like you. Many of the biological bodies inhabited by IS-BEs in the “Old Empire” are very similar in appearance to the bodies on Earth.

The “gods” are not reptiles, although they often behave like snakes.

I have no problem with these statements.

1,034 – 1,124 AD – Hasan ibn-al-Sabbah

The entire Arab world was enslaved by one man: Hasan ibn-al-Sabbah, the Old Man of the Mountain. He established the Hashshashin who operated a part of Mohammedanism which controlled by terror and fear much of India, Asia Minor and most of the Mediterranean Basin. They became a priesthood that used an extremely effective mind-control mechanism and extortion tool that enabled the “Assassins” to control the civilized world for several hundred years.

Their method was simple. Young men were kidnapped and knocked unconscious with hashish. They were taken to a garden filled with beautiful black-eyed houris in a harem decorated with rivers of milk and honey.

The young men were told that they were in paradise.

They were promised they could return and live there forever if they sacrificed themselves as an assassin of whomever they were commanded to kill. The men were knocked out again, and shoved out into the world to carry out the assassination mission.

Meanwhile, the Old Man of the Mountain sent a messenger to the caliph or, whatever wealthy ruler from whom they demanded payment, demanding camel-loads of gold, spices, incense or other valuables.

If payment did not arrive on time, the assassin would be sent to kill the offending party.

There was virtually no defense against the unknown assailant who wanted nothing more than to carry out his mission, be killed and return to “heaven”.

This is a very crude example of how simple and effective a brainwashing and mind-control operation can be when it is used skillfully, and forcefully. It is a small scale demonstration of how the amnesia mind-control operation is used against the entire IS-BE population of Earth by the “Old Empire”.

Very interesting.

1119 AD — The Knights Templar

The Knights Templar was established as a Christian military unit after the First Crusade.

But (it) quickly transformed into the basis for the international banking system to accumulate money.

(With a purpose of) conducting funding the agenda of operatives for vestiges of the “Old Empire” on Earth.

I have no problem with this.

1135 – 1230 AD – Old Empire Space Fleet completely removed from the solar system

The Domain Expeditionary Force completed the annihilation of the remaining remnants of the “Old Empire” space fleet operating in the solar system around Earth.

Unfortunately, their long established thought control operation remains largely intact.

I have no problem with this. Just keep in mind that it was narrated back in 1947.

1307 AD – Knights Templar disbanded

The Knights Templar was disbanded by King Philip IV of France, who was deeply in debt to the Order.  He pressured Pope Clement V to condemn the Order’s members, have them arrested, tortured them into giving false confessions, and burned them at the stake in an effort to erase his debt by seizing all of their wealth.

A majority of the Templars fled to Switzerland where they established an international banking system which secretly controls the economy of Earth.

“Old Empire” operatives act as an unseen influence on international bankers.

The "traditional" West banking system, that controls the US dollar, and all that fiat currency, isn't so much as controlled by "Jews" as it is controlled by elements of the "Old Empire" that need to fund their efforts and activities.

It is no wonder that the "Old Empire" operatives are scared shitless with the advent of e-yuan and all those electronic currency options now being implemented.

The banks are operated covertly as a on-combatant provocateur.

(It is designed) to covertly promote and finance weapons and warfare between the nations of Earth.

Warfare is an internal mechanism of control over the inmate population.

This was written in 1947, and most people today in 2021 realize this with the crazy shit coming out of America today.

The purpose of the senseless genocide and carnage of wars financed by these international banks is to prevent the IS-BEs of Earth from sharing open communication, cooperate together in activities that might enable IS-BEs to prosper, become enlightened, and escape their imprisonment.”

I have no problem with these statements.

End of part 4

Sure, there are miss-translations on time, confusions in regard to galaxies and universes, and a mish-mash of confusion between consciousness+, humans, and some confusion regarding galactic “ownership” and “power projection” between different species, however this is the real deal. It fits in perfectly with everything that I know about MAJestic.

The more I parse it in detail, the clearer to me that this is exactly what it is claimed to be.

I will admit that I was unaware of the “Old Empire”, and the role that the Earth had as a “prison planet” for it. I am also unaware of the details regarding it.

But as I compare what I know, and what I have experienced with what I have parsed, I have been able to “open doors” so to speak, and suddenly mysteries that I have been part of have now been explained. I can tell you that this document has really been a real benefit to me personally.

Please do NOT read the document without reading my parsing. I think my parsing will help you all move foreword with this.

Key Points

Never the less, I believe the following to be true in regards to this parsing of this section of the book…

  • Everything here is true.
  • Earth is no longer a “prison planet”
  • Earth is now a “sentience nursery”.
  • Fear not an “abduction”. It’s actually a good thing. Not a bad thing.
  • Type-1 greys of “the Domain” are service-for-others sentience.
  • MAJestic is changing everything, hand in hand with the Type-1 greys.

In regards to much of this “historical data” it is very interesting, and rings true to those of us who have read the alternative-histories that abound in the books and the internet.  Yet, we must always keep in mind that this document was recorded from an extraterrestrial that had only ten or so days in interrogation, and this is it’s statement made in 1947.

Part five

You can visit part five HERE.

Do you want more?

You can find many more videos in my “Extraterrestrial Species index” over here…

ET Species

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Articles & Links

Master Index

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A breakdown of the report “alien interview” by MM from a MAJ perspective (part 3)

I have presented the PDF titled “Alien Interview” to the readership. It is supposed to be the transcripts of the interview that a nurse had with an extraterrestrial entity that was recovered from a spaceship crash in Roswell, New Mexico. There is a lot of good stuff there, and a lot of things that run counter to what I know and understand to be true. My intention here is to parse the entire book, and compare it to what I know. Where the two diverge, it will be up to you (the readership) to sort it out.

This is part 3.

Document appears to be genuine

And I can tell you all that the more that I parse this document, the clearer it is (to me) that it is genuine.It is exactly what it says it is. And the extraterrestrial is actually telling the truth, so far.

Errors

However, there are errors in translation, and confusion in the interpretation of what is being stated. Anything concerning “time” and the translation of dates are all wrong.

Humans think of time as “shared” and “linear”.

The type-1 greys think of time as circular and repeating. As in, consciousness enters and exits different world lines” and if you graph that movement of consciousness you will see a “corkscrew” movement through the MWI. Which is what it was referring to. All of which was WAY beyond the concepts of anyone in Roswell at that time.

Therefore all dates and time, and anything associated with these characteristics are in error, and can be ignored.

This document predates MAJestic

Also take note that this document pre-dates MAJestic, and it is crystal clear to me now, that my role was, and still is, in the rehabilitation aspects of moving the Earth from a Hellish “Prison Planet” to that of a “sentience nursery”.

This document has (for me, personally) helped to clarify elements and aspects of my role that were “blurred” and obscured from me. To that I am eternally grateful.

Look at the dates on my articles, and look at what I covered. You will see that they match up nearly perfectly with this “Alien Interview” transcript. And this is the first time that I have ever heard of this document. The timing was transcendental.

This is part three of the parsing of this document

You can view part 1 HERE.

SUBJECT: ALIEN INTERVIEW, 26. 7. 1947, 1st Session

“The Domain Expeditionary Force has observed a resurgence in science and culture of the Western world since 1150 AD when the remaining remnants of the space fleet of the “Old Empire” in this solar system were destroyed.

No problem with this.

The influence of the remote control hypnosis operation diminished slightly after that time, but still remains largely in force.

By removing the local leadership, the impact on the "electromagnetic force projection field" wasn't really affected. It still remained in place as of 1948. Therefore, there must have been other systems, facilities, bases, and operations scattered in and around the Earth that were still functional.

Apparently a small amount of damage was done to the “Old Empire” remote mind control operation which resulted in a small decrease in the power of this mechanism.

This offered a clue as to the techniques and methodologies involved, but at the time of the interview little else was understood.

As a result, some memory of technologies that IS-BEs already knew before they came to Earth started to be remembered.

It appears to me that the methodology seemed to be stratified. And by taking out the leadership, a great deal of the suppression system disappeared.

Thereafter the oppression of knowledge that is called the “Dark Ages” in Europe began to diminish after that time.


Since then knowledge of the basic laws of physics and electricity have revolutionized Earth culture virtually overnight.

No problem with this.

The ability to remember technology by many of the geniuses in the IS-BE population of Earth was partially restored, when not so actively suppressed as it was before 1150 AD. Sir Isaac Newton, is one of the best examples of this. In only a few decades he single-handedly reinvented several major and fundamental scientific and mathematical disciplines.

The men who “remembered” these sciences already knew them before they were sent to Earth.

No problem with this.

Ordinarily, no one would ever observe or discover as much about science and mathematics in a single life-time, or even in a few hundred life-times. These subjects have taken civilizations billions and billions of years to create!

No problem with this. Genius level skills and abilities point to much deeper understandings and connections. Much the same way that I discuss world-line travel int he MWI. I did not "invent" it. It's knowledge that lies all around us, it's just that the suppression field keeps this knowledge from us.

IS-BEs on Earth have only just begun to remember small fragments of all the technologies that exist throughout the universe. Theoretically, if the amnesia mechanisms being used against Earth could be broken entirely, IS-BEs would regain all of their memory!

We can only hope! But it will take time, and it cannot happen too quickly, as the result would be catastrophic. So things need to be nurtured into place.

Unfortunately, similar advances have not been seen in the humanities as the IS-BEs of Earth continue to behave very badly toward each other.

I have no problem with this statement.

This behavior, however, is heavily influenced by the “hypnotic commands” given to each IS-BE between lifetimes.

I have no problem with this. The pre-birth world-line template is what he is talking about. Though in different terms, adjusted to the mindset of Roswell military leadership in 1948. Specifically, he is referring the the consciousness components that are established and associated with the pre-birth world-line template.

And, the very unusual combination of “inmates” on Earth – criminals, perverts, artists, revolutionaries and geniuses – is the cause of a very restive and tumultuous environment.

No problem with this.

The purpose of the prison planet is to keep IS-BEs on Earth, forever.

I have no problem with this.

Promoting ignorance, superstition, and war between IS-BEs helps to keep the prison population crippled and trapped behind “the wall” of electronic force screens.

I have no problem with this.

IS-BEs have been dumped on Earth from all over the galaxy, adjoining galaxies, and from planetary systems all over the “Old Empire”, like Sirius, Aldebaran, the Pleiades, Orion, Draconis, and countless others.

I am sure that he is referring to star names that the pitiful astronomic knowledge of the Roswell military leadership would recognize. In truth, most civilizations are around much cooler, older, and stable stars. Not the short lived, blazing, and highly transitory stars that he specifically named.

There are IS-BEs on Earth from unnamed races, civilizations, cultural backgrounds, and planetary environments. Each of the various IS-BE populations have their own languages, belief systems, moral values, religious beliefs, training and unknown and untold histories.

I have no problem with this.

These IS-BEs are mixed together with earlier inhabitants of Earth who came from another star system more than 400,000 years ago to establish the civilizations of Atlanta and Lemuria.

Do not get too caught up in the conventional narratives about "Atlantis" and "Lemuria". That is sure as Hell a route to send you all down into a black hole that you will have a difficult time extracting yourself from.

All evidence, all over the world, points to tool making humanoids around 400,000 years ago. This predates the normally accepted histories of the rise and evolution of man.

The sudden appearance of these humanoid civilizations at 400,000 BCE is clearly indicative of transplanted civilizations.

The size, magnitude and locations of their communities are (as of now) lost in time. Do not get too worked up about the details. Just realize the most basic history.

Those civilizations vanished beneath the tidal waves caused by a planetary “polar shift”, many thousands of years before the current “prison” population started to arrive.

Important points here. 

Humanoid colonies were established on the Earth. These eventually were destroyed or collapsed by natural events. 

Following that destruction was the rise of native proto-humans. 

It was during that period came the creation of the Earth as  "Prison Planet" as part of the "Old Empire".

Apparently, the IS-BEs from those star systems were the source of the original, oriental races of Earth, beginning in Australia.

The "oriental races", such as the Chinese, the Japanese, the Koreans, and the Indians were all descended from the pre-deluge colonies.

On the other hand, the civilizations set up on Earth by the “Old Empire” prison system were very different from the civilization of the “Old Empire” itself.

I have no problem with this statement.

Which is an electronic space opera, atomic powered conglomeration of earlier civilizations that were conquered with nuclear weapons and colonized by IS-BEs from another galaxy.

The civilizations set up on Earth differed from the "Old Empire". They are "artificial" and retarded societies. 

This was intentional.

The idea (I am sure) was to create a place of perpetual hardship and torture. A place where everyone was constantly fighting, where starvation, and hardship was normal.

The Earth was set up to be a perpetual prison where the inmates were trapped to relive Hell over and over again.

The bureaucracy that controlled the former “Old Empire” was from an ancient space opera society, run by a totalitarian confederation of planetary governments, regulated by a brutal social, economic, and political hierarchy, with a royal monarch as its figurehead.

It appears to me that this is exactly the kinds of societies that have been setup throughout human history, with the most advanced and strongest manifestations being the current United States, and Western Europe.

Were I to be an administrator of the "Old Empire" that was in charge of this Earth "Prison Plant", and realized that "The Domain" has invaded and taken control, I would flee. But where to? It seems to me that the most likely location would be on Earth itself and to occupy the bodies of the ruling classes. There I could live a life as I have become accustomed to living.

This type of government emerges with regularity on planets where the citizens abandon personal responsibility for autonomous, self-regulation.

I have no problem with this statement.

They frequently lose their freedom to demented IS-BEs who suffer from an overwhelming paranoia that every other IS-BE is their enemy who must be controlled or destroyed.

I have no problem with this statement.

Their closest friends and allies, whom they espouse to love and cherish, are literally “loved to death” by them.

I have no problem with this statement.

Because such IS-BEs exist, The Domain has learned that freedom must be won and maintained through eternal vigilance and the ability to use defensive force to maintain it.

I have no problem with this statement. Additionally, I believe that the military leadership at Roswell, would have agreed with this comment as well.

As a result, The Domain has already conquered the governing planet of the “Old Empire”.

I was unaware about any of the information regarding the "Old Empire", but I do believe what is being stated.

The civilization of The Domain, although considerably younger and smaller in size, is already more powerful, better organized, and united by a egalitarian esprit de corps never known in the history of the “Old Empire”.

I have no problem with this, and I am sure that the Roswell military leadership would recognize this as well.

The recently despoiled German totalitarian state on Earth was similar to the “Old Empire”, but not nearly as brutal, and about ten thousand times less powerful.

This statement is directly directed to the Roswell military leadership.

Many of the IS-BEs on Earth are here because they are violently opposed to totalitarian government, or because they were so psychotically vicious that they could not be controlled by “Old Empire” government.

Which tends to be the case in most American prisons today.

Consequently, the population of Earth is disproportionately comprised of a very high percentage of such beings. The conflicting cultural and ethical moral codes of the IS-BEs on Earth is unusual in the extreme.

I have no problem with this statement.

The Domain conquest of the central “Old Empire” planets was fought with electronic cannon.

I think that many readers will not understand. They will probably think of some "new" type of weapon, or a weaponized ray gun based on Nikola Tesla technology. 

This is wrong. 

What he is actually talking about is a weapon that disrupts the consciousness+ in much the same way that the "electromagnetic force screen" disrupted the lives of the consciousnesses on Earth. This type of weapon would be very powerful against consciousness, but do little damage to physical structures.

The citizens of the planets forming the core of government for the “Old Empire” are a filthy, degraded, slave society of mindless, tax-paying workers, who practice cannibalism. Violent automotive race tracks and bloody, Roman circus type entertainments are their only amusements.

Pretty much sounds like America today.

America today.

Regardless of any reasonable justification we may have had for using atomic weapons to vanquish the planets of the “Old Empire”, The Domain is careful not to ruin the resources of those planets by using weapons of crude, radioactive force.

The Domain did not use massive weapons like we would associate with war. 

They used disruptive electromagnetically designed beam weapons that upset the consciousness stability in the physical realms.

The current U.S. civilization is beginning to mimic some of the trappings of that civilization, especially in the design of airplanes, automobiles, ships, trains, and telephones. Likewise, buildings in the cities of Earth are thought to be “modern” or “futuristic” if their design resembles the architecture of the “Old Empire”.

Yes. I believe this. And this statement was made in 1947.

The government of the “Old Empire”, before being supplanted by The Domain, was comprised of beings who possessed a very craven intelligence, very much like the Axis powers during your recent world war. Those beings manifested precisely the same behavior as the galactic government that exiled them to eternal imprisonment on Earth.

A bit confused wording. 

The ruling class of the "Old Empire" very much resembled Nazi Germany. 

And the Nazi Germans exhibited the same behaviors that the leadership of the "Old Empire" maintained. 

I can see this information resonating with the Roswell generals and leadership in 1947.

They were a gruesome reminder of the ageless maxim that an IS-BE will often manifest the treatment they have received from others. Kindness fosters kindness. Cruelty begets cruelty.

No problem with this.

One must be able and willing to use force, tempered with intelligence, to prevent harm to the innocent.

No problem with this.

However, extraordinary understanding, self-discipline and courage are required to effectively prevent brutality, without being overwhelmed by the malice that motivated the brutality.

It takes a special kind of sentience to rise above the brutality that you suffered through. Not necessarily to find and giver forgiveness, but to prevent it from ever happening again.

Only a demonic, self-serving government would employ a “logic” or “science” to conceive that an “ultimate solution” to any problem is to murder and permanently erase the memory of every artist, genius, skilled manager, and inventor, and cast them into a planetary prison together with political opponents, killers, thieves, perverts, and disabled beings of an entire galaxy!

"Tell me about it."

Oh how well I know this! If you have any doubts about my experience on this, read about how I was "retired" from MAJestic.

Once the IS-BEs expelled from the “Old Empire” arrived on Earth, they were given amnesia, and hypnotically tricked into thinking that something else had happened to them.

It discusses the process. I have no problem with this.

The next step was to implant the IS-BEs into biological bodies on Earth. The bodies became the human populations of “false civilizations” which were designed and installed in the minds of IS-BEs to look completely unlike the “Old Empire”.

I have no problem with this. It's a logical extension.

All of the IS-BEs of India, Egypt, Babylon, Greece, Rome, and Medieval Europe were guided to pattern and build the cultural elements of these societies based on standard patterns developed by the IS-BEs of many earlier, similar civilizations on “Sun Type 12, Class 7” planets that have existed for trillions of years throughout the universe.

I have no problems with this. The civilization archetypes are quite standard.

In the earliest times the IS-BEs sent to prison Earth lived in India.

When Earth was used as a "Prison Planet", the very first convicts were sent to ancient India. At that time, my guess is that this was the most populated, or densely populated area on the Earth. Certainly not like it is today, but more populated than say Africa, or Europe.

They gradually spread into Mesopotamia, Egypt, Mesoamerica, Achaea, Greece, Rome, Medieval Europe, and to the New World.

It stated that the migration and expansion of the prison population moved Westward not East. Eventually moving into the  Mediterranean Sea, and associated civilizations there. Into Europe, and then into the Americas.

They did not move into the East, as these areas had descendants of prior civilizations (Atlantis and Lemuria) which maintained the Asian genetic code.

They were hypnotically “commanded” to follow the pattern of a given civilization by the “Old Empire” prison operators.

This would be pre-structuring, or "front-loading" the pre-birth world-line template by consciousness component attributes.

This is an effective mechanism to disguise the actual time and location from the IS-BEs imprisoned on Earth. The languages, costumes and culture of each false civilization are intended to reinforce amnesia because they do not remind the IS-BEs on Earth of the original “Old Empire” planets from which they were deported.

This make sense. You remove anything that might trigger a memory. You make everything, new, different and contentious.

On the very far back-track of time these types of civilizations tended to repeat themselves over and over because the IS-BEs who created them become familiar with certain patterns and styles, and stayed with them.

I have no problem with this.

It is a lot of work to invent an entire civilization, complete with culture, architecture, language, customs, mathematics, moral values, and so forth. It is much easier to replicate a copy based on a familiar and successful pattern.

I have no problem with this.

A “Sun Type 12, Class 7” planet is the designation given to a planet inhabited by carbon-oxygen based life forms.

This is in 1947. Long, long before the television series "Star Trek". No one ever thought like this back then. Not even in the wildest dreams of the scientists of the day, no one ever thought like this.

The class of the planet is based on the size and radiation intensity of the star, the distance of the planetary orbit from the star, and the size, density, gravity, and chemical composition of the planet. Likewise, flora and fauna are designated and identified according to the star type and class of planet they inhabit.

I have no problem with this.

On the average, the percentage of planets in the physical universe with a breathable atmosphere is relatively small.

I have no problem with this. While life abounds in the universe, the idea that there are lifeforms identical to what we have on the Earth isn't as common as we would hope for.

Most planets do not have an atmosphere upon which life-forms “feed”, as on Earth, where the chemical composition of the atmosphere provides nutrition to plants, and other organisms, which in turn support other life forms.

I have no problem with this. 

Though, when it was addressing the Roswell leadership it was speaking in terms that they could understand, such as human-like creatures and intelligence's. Today, we would widen up the scope a bit, and include all types of microbes and other bacterial forms.

When the Domain Force brought the Vedic Hymns to the Himalayas region 8,200 years ago, some human societies already existed. The Aryan people invaded and conquered India, bringing the Vedic Hymns to the area.

What was discussed by the Type-1 extraterrestrial in 1947 is common knowledge today.

Population migration out of India.

The Vedas were learned by them, memorized and carried forward verbally for 7,000 years before being committed to written form.

During that span of time one of the officers of The Domain Expeditionary Force was incarnated on Earth as “Vishnu”. He is described many times in the Rig-Veda. He is still considered to be a god by the Hindus.

Vishnu fought in the religious wars against the “Old Empire” forces. He is a very able and aggressive IS-BE as well as a highly effective officer, who has since been reassigned to other duties in The Domain.

This Domain officer inhabited a human body and was involved in the teaching and changing the conditions of the human civilization at that time. It was never erased, and never sentenced to the "Prison Planet" and is now performing other duties within the Domain.

This entire episode was orchestrated as an attack and revolt against the Egyptian pantheon installed by “Old Empire” administrators.

The type-1 greys planned and orchestrated this and other series of battles and Geo-political posturings to help break the grip of the "electro-magnetic force screen" that had so completely incarcerated them.

The conflict was intended to help free humankind from implanted elements of the false civilization that focused attention on many “gods” and superstitious ritual worship demanded by the priests who “managed” them. It is all part of the mental manipulation by the “Old Empire” to hide their criminal actions against the IS-BEs on Earth.

I have no problem with this.

A priesthood, or prison guards, were used to help reinforce the idea that an individual, is only a biological body, and is not an Immortal Spiritual Being. The individual has no identity. The individuals have no past lives. The individual has no power. Only the gods have power. And, the gods are a contrivance of the priests who intercede between men and the gods they serve.

It's a power control mechanism,. I have no problem with this.

Men are slaves to the dictates of the priests who threaten eternal spiritual punishment if men do not obey them.

I have no problem with this. This is a theme that has been repeated over, and over, and over again. From the Americas, to Europe, to Egypt, to Rome, to today inside of America, and televangelists.

What else would one expect on a prison planet where all prisoners have amnesia, and the priests themselves are prisoners?

I have no problem with this.

The intervention of The Domain Force on Earth has not been entirely successful due to the secret mind-control operation of the “Old Empire” that still continues to operate.

As of 1947, the Dominion has not been all that successful erasing the programming and changing the destructive paths that mankind was set upon.

A battle was waged between the “Old Empire” forces and The Domain through religious conquest.

The attempts to change the planetary system began around 8,000 BCE, and wasn't really all that successful.

Between 1500 BCE and about 1200 BCE, The Domain Forces attempted to teach the concept of an individual, Immortal Spiritual Being to several influential beings on Earth.

A new avenue, or methodology was attempted during a 300 year span of time. It started around 1500 BCE.

One such instance resulted in a very tragic misunderstanding, misinterpretation and misapplication of the concept. The idea was perverted and applied to mean that there is only one IS-BE, instead of the truth that everyone is an IS-BE! Obviously, this was a gross incomprehension and an utter unwillingness to take responsibility for one’s own power.

What a fiasco!

The “Old Empire” priests managed to corrupt the concept of individual immortality into the idea that there is only one, all-powerful IS-BE, and that no one else is or is allowed to be an IS-BE. Obviously, this is the work of the “Old Empire” amnesia operation.

I have no problem with this statement.

It is easy to teach this altered notion to beings who do not want to be responsible for their own lives. Slaves are such beings. As long as one chooses to assign responsibility for creation, existence and personal accountability for one’s own thoughts and actions to others, one is a slave.

Which is a major issue going on inside the United States today.

As a result, the concept of a single monotheistic “god” resulted and was promoted by many self-proclaimed prophets, such as the Jewish slave leaderMoses -who grew up in the household of the Pharaoh Amenhotep III and his son, Akhenaten and his wife Nefertiti, as well as his son Tutankhamen.

I am not well versed in the lineages of Ancient Egypt. However, I can see how this could take place.

The attempt to teach certain beings on Earth the truth that they are, themselves, IS-BEs, was part of a plan to overthrow the fictional, metaphorical, anthropomorphic panoply of gods created by the “Old Empire” mystery cult called “The Brothers of The Serpent” known in Egypt as the Priests of Amun.

News to me, but I can see it happening.

They were a very ancient, secret society within the “Old Empire”.

I have no problem with this statement.

The Pharaoh Akhenaten was not a very intelligent being, and was heavily influenced by his personal ambition for self-glorification. He altered the concept of the individual spiritual being and embodied the concept in the sun god, Aten. His pitiful existence was soon ended. He was assassinated by Maya and Parennefer, two of the Priests of Amun, or “Amen”, which the Christians still say, who represented the interests of the “Old Empire” forces.

I am not well versed in Ancient Egyptian history, but this does make sense and could very well have happened.

The idea of “One God” was perpetuated by the Hebrew leader Moses while he was in Egypt. He left Egypt with his adopted people, the Jewish slaves. While they were crossing the desert, Moses was intercepted by an operative of the “Old Empire” near Mt. Sinai. Moses was tricked into believing that this operative was “the” One God through the use of hypnotic commands, as well as technical and aesthetic tricks which are commonly used by the “Old Empire” to trap IS-BEs.

I have no problem with this statement.

Thereafter, the Jewish slaves, who trusted the word of Moses implicitly, have worshiped a single god they call “Yaweh“.

I have no problem with this statement.

The name “Yaweh” means “anonymous”, as the IS-BE who “worked with” Moses could not use an actual name or anything that would identify himself, or blow the cover of the amnesia/prison operation. The last thing the covert amnesia/hypnosis/prison system wants to do is to reveal themselves openly to the IS-BEs on Earth. They feel that this would restore the inmates memories!

I have no problem with this statement.

This is the reason that all traces of physical encounters between operatives of space civilizations and humans is very carefully hidden, disguised, covered-up, denied or misdirected.

I have no problem with this statement.

This “Old Empire” operative contacted Moses on a desert mountain top and delivered the “Ten Hypnotic Commands” to him. These commands are very forcefully worded, and compel an IS-BE into utter subservience to the will of the operator. These hypnotic commands are still in effect and influence the thought patterns of millions of IS-BEs thousands of years later!

So, and if you read this exactly as written. It states that any of the ten commandments trigger hypnotic commands. And thus are used by the "Old Empire" to influence the will of the people who thus believe them. Petty powerful, and yes, even dangerous stuff. 

Is it true or not? I do not know.

Incidentally, we later discovered that the so-called “Yaweh” also wrote, programmed and encoded the text of the Torah, which when it is read literally, or in its decoded, form, will provide a great deal more false information to those who read it.

The type-1 extraterrestrial is saying that all of the major religions at that time spouted writings which were trigger hypnotic commands, and thus influenced all the people who read or listened to them.

Ultimately, the Vedic Hymns became the source of nearly all of Eastern the religions and were the philosophical source of the ideas common to Buddha, Laozi, Zoroaster , and other philosophers.

So it spread throughout the world...

The civilizing influences of these philosophies eventually replaced the brutal idolatry of the “Old Empire” religions and were the true genesis of kindness and compassion.

You asked me earlier why The Domain, and other space civilizations do not land on Earth or make their presence known. Land on Earth? Do you think we are crazy or want to be crazy?

Obviously, it knew very well how to respond to the questions poised by the Roswell military leadership.

It takes a very brave IS-BE to come down through the atmosphere and land on Earth, because this is a prison planet, with a very uncontrolled, psychotic population.

Well stated, and factually correct.

And, no IS-BE is entirely proof against the risk of entrapment, as with the members of The Domain Expeditionary Force who were captured in the Himalayas 8,200 years ago.

As powerful as the type-1 greys of the Dominion are, they can be hurt and harmed. And they need to be very cautious when they are in dangerous situations and dangerous people.

No one knows what IS-BEs on Earth are going to do.

I think that is is a very accurate statement.

We are not scheduled to invest the resources of The Domain to take total control of all the space surrounding the area at this time.

This should be well understood.

This will occur in the not-to-distant future – about 5,000 Earth years – according to the time schedule of The Domain.

I believe that this time-line has sped up substantially with the formation of MAJestic, and with people such as MM, and Sebastian providing "boots on the ground" and performing various "anchoring" activities.

At this time we do not prevent transports from other planetary systems or galaxies from continuing to drop IS-BEs into the amnesia force screen area.

A couple of points here.

[1] In 1947, the Domain did not prevent interstellar "drop offs". I do know that that policy changed when I was active in MAJestic.

[2] The "amnesia force screen area" is a specific region. It is not infinite. It has geographic boundaries, and limits.

Eventually, this will change.

In addition, Earth, inherently, is a highly unstable planet. It is not suitable for settlement or permanent habitation for any sustainable civilization. This is part of the reason why it is being used as a prison planet.

This is a serious point that no one, in any analysis that I have read really understands. Contrary to the other statements about O, B and A stars, (Those were proximity locations for civilization anchors, not the homes of specific species themselves) most civilizations prefer the cooler, longer life, K, M and drown dwarfs for civilization stability.

The next point(s) are all very important and you all should read them, and pay attention to them.

No one else would seriously consider living here for a variety of simple and compelling reasons:

  • The continental land masses of Earth are floating on a sea of molten lava beneath the surface which causes the land masses to crack, crumble and drift continually.
  • Because of the liquid nature of the core, the planet is largely volcanic and subject to earthquakes and volcanic explosions.
  • The magnetic poles of the planet shift radically about once every 20, 000 years.  This causes a greater or lesser degree of devastation as a result of tidal waves, and climatic changes.
This was written long before "Worlds in Collision".
  • Earth is very distant from the center of the galaxy and from any other significant galactic civilization. This isolation makes it unsuitable for use, except as a “pit stop” or jumping off point along the way between galaxies. The moon and asteroids are far more suitable for this purpose because they do not have any significant gravity.
Our solar system is in a relatively "rural area" in our galaxy. Though, the center of our galaxy is rather dangerous for us humans, it isn't for other species that have adapted to that environment.
  • Earth is a heavy gravity planet, with heavy metallic soil and a dense atmosphere. This makes it treacherous for navigational purposes. That fact that I am in this room, as the result of an in flight accident, in spite of the technology of my craft and my extensive expertise as a pilot, are proof of these facts.
  • There are approximately sixty billion Earth-like (Sun Type 12, Class 7) planets in the Milky Way galaxy alone, not to mention the vast expanses of The Domain, and the territories we will claim in the future. It is difficult to stretch our resources to do much more than a periodic reconnaissance of Earth. Especially when there are no immediate advantages to invest resources here.
  • On Earth most beings are not aware that they are IS-BEs, or that there are spirits of any kind. Many other beings are aware of this, but nearly everyone has a very limited understanding of themselves as an IS-BE.

One of the reasons for this is that IS-BEs have been waging war against each other since the beginning of time.

I have no problem with this.

The purpose of these wars have always been to establish domination by one IS-BE or group of IS-BEs over another. Since an IS-BE cannot be “killed”, the objective has been to capture and immobilize IS-BEs. This has been done in an nearly unlimited variety of ways. The most basic method to capture and immobilize an IS-BE is through the use of various kinds of “traps”.

I prefer the use of the term "snare" instead. But I am sure that the point was made in the communication narrative.

IS-BE traps have been made and put in place by many invading societies, such as the one that established the “Old Empire”, beginning about sixty-four trillion years ago.

Again, ignore the dates and time. They are wholly messed up and incomprehensible to the translator and the Roswell military leadership audience.

Traps are often set up in the “territory” of the IS-BEs being attacked. Usually a trap is set with the electronic wave of “beauty” to attract the interest and attention of the IS-BE. When the IS-BE moves toward the source of the aesthetic wave, such as a beautiful building or beautiful music, the trap is activated by the energy put out by the IS-BE.

A trap or snare of beauty, or attractiveness. Yikes!

One of the most common trap mechanism uses the IS-BE’s own thought energy output when the IS-BE tries to attack or fight back against the trap. The trap is activated and energized by the IS-BE’s own thought energy. The harder the IS-BE fights against the trap, the more it pulls the IBS toward it and keeps them “stuck” in the trap.

It's like trying to stop smoking, by just smoking the last pack instead of throwing it away.

Throughout the entire history of this physical universe, vast areas of space have been taken over and colonized by IS-BE societies who invade and take over new areas of space in this fashion.

Not just the "Old Empire", but many others. The universe has a history of consciousness dominance.

In the past, these invasions have always shared common elements:

  • the overwhelming use of force of arms, usually with nuclear or electronic weapons.
  • mind control of the IS-BEs in the invaded area through the use of electroshock, drugs, hypnosis, erasure of memory and the implantation of false memory or false information intended to subjugate and enslave the local IS-BE population.
  • take over of natural resources by the invading IS-BEs.
  • political, economic and social slavery of the local population.

These activities continue in present time.

I have no problem with these statements.

All of the IS-BEs on Earth have been members of one or more of these activities in the past, both as an invader, or as part of the population being invaded. There are no “saints” in this universe. Very few have avoided or been exempted from warfare between IS-BEs.

I have no problem with these statements.

IS-BEs on Earth are still the victims of this activity at this very moment. The between-lives amnesia administered to IS-BEs is one on the mechanisms of an elaborate system of “Old Empire” IS-BE traps, that prevent an IS-BE from escaping.

I have no problem with these statements.

This operation is managed by an illicit, renegade secret police force of the “Old Empire”, using false provocation operations to disguise their activities in order to prevent detection by their own government, The Domain and by the victims of their activities.

All this is news to me, but it does explain the fear and concern that the Type-1 grey has when dealing with humans. I can tell you that things have improved significantly once MAJestic became involved. And movement with the type-1 greys and other species proceeded unhindered and unmolested.

They are mind-control methods developed by government psychiatrists.

Of course. I have no problem with this statement.

Earth is a “ghetto” planet. It is the result of an intergalactic “Holocaust”.

This is news to me, but I can see it happening by a very big, very corrupt and very powerful "Old Empire".

IS-BEs have been sentenced to Earth either because:

  • They are too viciously insane or perverse to function as part of any civilization, no matter how degraded or corrupt.
  • Or, they are a revolutionary threat to the social, economic and political caste system that has been so carefully built and brutally enforced in the “Old Empire”. Biological bodies are specifically designed and designated as the lowest order of entity in the “Old Empire” caste system. When an IS-BE is sent to Earth, and then tricked or coerced into operating in a biological body, they are actually in a prison, inside a prison.
  • In an effort to permanently and irreversibly rid the “Old Empire” of such “untouchables”, the eternal identity, memory, and abilities of every IS-BE is forcefully erased. This “final solution”  was conceived and carried out by the psychopathic criminals who are controlled by the “Old Empire”.
I have no problem with these statements.

The mass extermination of “untouchables” and prison camps created by Germany during World War II were recently revealed. Likewise, the IS-BEs of Earth are the victims of spiritual eradication and eternal slavery inside frail, biological bodies, inspired by the same kind of craven hatred in the “Old Empire”.

I have no problem with these statements.

The kind and creative inmates of Earth are continuously tortured by butchers and lunatics who are controlled by the “Old Empire” prison operators. The so-called “civilizations” of Earth, from the age of useless pyramids to the age of nuclear holocaust, have been a colossal waste of natural resources, a perverted use of intelligence, and an overt oppression of the spiritual essence of every single IS-BE on the planet.

I have no problem with these statements.

If The Domain sent ships to every corner of the universe in search of “Hell”, their quest could end on Earth. What greater brutality can be inflicted on anyone than to erase the spiritual awareness, identity, ability, and memory that is the essence of oneself?

I have no problem with these statements.

The Domain has, as yet, been unable to rescue the 3,000 IS-BEs of the Expeditionary Force Battalion either. They are forced to inhabit biological bodies on Earth. We have been able to recognize and track most of them for the past 8,000 years. However, our attempts to communicate with them are usually futile, as they are unable to remember their true identity.

I have no problem with these statements. However, I do know that there is a program with "abductees" who are taken to type-1 grey facilities and undergo biological monitoring, cleansing techniques, and other procedures designed to rehabilitate them.

MAJestic members (such as myself) participate in various ways. Sometimes assisting, sometimes providing <redacted> and sometimes being part of the procedure ourselves.

I myself have taken part in these rehabilitation procedures, and I even wrote up about one. I think I wrote about it last year or so.

Wouldn't it truly be something if I was one of the lost legion!

Anyways, all this stuff about "abductions" are misinterpretations of important efforts made to take care of the consciousnesses+ that inhabit this Earth wide region.

The majority of lost members of The Domain force have followed the general progression of Western civilization from India, into the Middle East, then to Chaldea, and Babylon, into Egypt, through Achaia, Greece, Rome, into Europe, to the Western Hemisphere, and then all around the world.

I can tell you that all MAJestic members must be of service-to-others sentience, and that is the sentience that all of the Type-1 greys that I have encountered possessed. I cannot help but to believe that any members of the lost members of the Domain would also possess this sentience.

The members of the lost Battalion and many other IS-BEs on Earth, could be valuable citizens of The Domain, not including those who are vicious criminals or perverts. Unfortunately, there has been no workable method conceived to emancipate the IS-BEs from Earth.

As of 1947. I believe that this situation has changed somewhat. I can tell you that <redacted>.

Therefore, as a matter of common logic, as well as the official policy of The Domain, it is safer and more sensible to avoid contact with the IS-BE population of Earth until such time as the proper resources can be allocated to locate and destroy the “Old Empire” force screen and amnesia machinery and develop a therapy to restore the memory of an IS-BE.”

I agree with this, and I personally believe that this situation changed one year later when MAJestic was formed. And that substantial strides and changes were made and implemented throughout the 1980's and 1990's up until my retirement as well as the mass retirement of everyone within my cluster of cells.

End of part 3

Sure, there are miss-translations on time, confusions in regard to galaxies and universes, and a mish-mash of confusion between consciousness+, humans, and some confusion regarding galactic “ownership” and “power projection” between different species, however this is the real deal. It fits in perfectly with everything that I know about MAJestic.

The more I parse it in detail, the clearer to me that this is exactly what it is claimed to be.

I will admit that I was unaware of the “Old Empire”, and the role that the Earth had as a “prison planet” for it. I am also unaware of the details regarding it.

But as I compare what I know, and what I have experienced with what I have parsed, I have been able to “open doors” so to speak, and suddenly mysteries that I have been part of have now been explained. I can tell you that this document has really been a real benefit to me personally. I have seen and read many, many, MANY faked bullshit nonsense on the internet. But folks, this is the real deal. It has been able to unlock some things that only I know, and open them and suddenly all sorts of puzzle pieces that I have participated in, like <redacted> and the time that <redacted> with the particular <redacted> explains the ancient <redacted> and the especial oddity that I encountered when dealing with the Oxia Palus <redacted>.

I well remember an event that I had regarding a world-line slide, and it really was a mystery to me. Most of the time, I would just brush them off as just odd things that I had to endure, but on one occasion it seemed to me that they all fit together, and when <redacted> which brought me to the understanding of the anchoring process for world-line groupings, and at this time the <redacted> along with a type-1 grey were involved in <redacted> and it clearly showed to me that there MUST have been a previous or prior Empire or federation” of some sort, or of some type that were involved in <redacted> to such an extent. All requiring some kind of “work around” to accomplish specific goals and changes. Now I know.

The solution to the reversal of the amnesia was tied to the “world-line” anchoring that I have been so painfully involved in these last three decades. And with that, and the understanding that the <redacted> of the various attributes <redacted> fit in the consciousness <redacted> collaboration <redacted> reconfiguration by region, time, and <redacted>.

I just cannot express myself in any way that you can understand. Guys! This is the missing cypher.

Please do NOT read the document without reading my parsing. I think my parsing will help you all move foreword with this.

Key Points

Never the less, I believe the following to be true in regards to this parsing of this section of the book…

  • Everything here is true.
  • Earth is no longer a “prison planet”
  • Earth is now a “sentience nursery”.
  • Fear not an “abduction”. It’s actually a good thing. Not a bad thing.
  • Type-1 greys of “the Domain” are service-for-others sentience.
  • MAJestic is changing everything, hand in hand with the Type-1 greys.

Part four

You can visit part four HERE.

Do you want more?

You can find many more videos in my “Extraterrestrial Species index” over here…

ET Species

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Articles & Links

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A breakdown of the report “alien interview” by MM from a MAJ perspective (part 2)

I have presented the PDF titled “Alien Interview” to the readership. It is supposed to be the transcripts of the interview that a nurse had with an extraterrestrial entity that was recovered from a spaceship crash in Roswell, New Mexico. There is a lot of good stuff there, and a lot of things that run counter to what I know and understand to be true. My intention here is to parse the entire book, and compare it to what I know. Where the two diverge, it will be up to you (the readership) to sort it out.

This is part 2.

You can view part 1 HERE.

SUBJECT: ALIEN INTERVIEW, 25. 7. 1947, 1st Session

“Before you can understand the subject of history, you must first understand the subject of time. Time is simply an arbitrary measurement of the motion of objects through space.

No problem with this.

Space is not linear. Space is determined by the point of view of an IS-BE when viewing a object. The distance between an IS-BE and the object being viewed is called “space”.

No problem with this.

Objects, or energy masses, in space do not necessarily move in a linear fashion. In this universe, objects tend to move randomly or in a curving or cyclical pattern, or as determined by agreed upon rules.

No problem with this.

History is not only a linear record of events, as many authors of Earth history books imply, because it is not a string that can be stretched out and marked like a measuring tool. History is a subjective observation of the movement of objects through space, recorded from the point of view of a survivor, rather than of those who succumbed.

No problem with this.

Events occur interactively and concurrently, just as the biological body has a heart that pumps blood, while the lungs provide oxygen to the cells, which reproduce, using energy from the sun and chemicals from plants, at the same time as the liver strains toxic wastes from the blood, and eliminates them through the bladder and the bowels.

All of these interactions are concurrent and simultaneous. Although time runs consecutively, events do not happen in an independent, linear stream. In order to view and understand the history or reality of the past, one must view all events as part of an interactive whole. Time can also be sensed as a vibration which is uniform throughout the entire physical universe.

No problem with this.

Airl explained that IS-BEs have been around since before the beginning of the universe. The reason they are called “immortal”, is because a “spirit” is not born and cannot die, but exists in a personally postulated perception of “is – will be”. She was careful to explain that every spirit is not the same. Each is completely unique in identity, power, awareness and ability.

No problem with this.

The difference between an IS-BE like Airl and most of the IS-BEs inhabiting bodies on Earth, is that Airl can enter and depart from her “doll” at will. She can perceive at selective depths through matter. Airl and other officers of The Domain can communicate telepathically. Since an IS-BE is not a physical universe entity it has no location in space or time. An IS-BE is literally, “immaterial”.

No problem with this.

They can span great distances of space instantly.

No problem with this.

They can experience sensations, more intensely than a biological body, without the use of physical sensory mechanisms. An IS-BE can exclude pain from their perception. Airl can also remember her “identity”, so to speak, all the way back into the dim mists of time, for trillions of years!

No problem with this.

She says that the existing collection of suns in this immediate vicinity of the universe have been burning for the last 200 trillion years. The age of the physical universe is nearly infinitely old, but probably at least four quadrillion years since its earliest beginnings.

Not true. 

You can calculate the age of a star based upon how long it takes to burn. A star is like this big tureen of fuel, that is on fire. The fire will burn and burn until all the fuel is gone. There is a relationship between the mass of the star, the size of the star, and it's longevity. 

The oldest stars in our Milky Way galaxy are 13.4 billion years, give or take 800 million years. This is somewhat close to what the age of the Universe is (which hovers around 13.7 billion years).

Personally, I believe that this paragraph is an error in understanding by the translator.

All the statements leading up to this point discussed consciousness+. And then suddenly "out of the blue" comes this discussion about physical stars. It is totally and completely out of place, and out of context to the thought stream. Thus, I believe that the translator miss-translated it.

My best guess is that the extraterrestrial was trying to continue on this statement...

"Airl can also remember her "identity", so to speak, all the way back into the dim mists of time, for trillions of years!"

In which case the proper translation should have been...

"She says that the existing collection of consciousness+ in this (particular) immediate vicinity of the universe have been in existence for the last 200 trillion years."

It far out-dates the physical universe. Which is something that I agree with.

Time is a difficult factor to measure as it depends on the subjective memory of IS-BEs and there has been no uniform record of events throughout the physical universe since it began.

No problem with this.

As on Earth, there are many different time measurement systems, defined by various cultures, which use cycles of motion, and points of origin to establish age and duration.

No problem with this.

The physical universe itself is formed from the convergence and amalgamation of many other individual universes, each one of which were created by an IS-BE or group of IS-BEs.

No problem with this. A universe is created as a tool by a consciousness, or a group of consciousnesses.

The collision of these illusory universes commingled and coalesced and were solidified to form a mutually created universe.

No problem with this.

Because it is agreed that energy and forms can be created, but not destroyed, this creative process has continued to form an ever-expanding universe of nearly infinite physical proportions.

No problem with this.

Before the formation of the physical universe there was a vast period during which universes were not solid, but wholly illusionary. You might say that the universe was a universe of magical illusions which were made to appear and vanish at the will of the magician.

No problem with this. There was a point in time where the only thing that existed was thoughts and consciousnesses. Then over time, the consciousnesses began to construct physical realities as tools to obtain experiences within, and thus further their individual growth.

In every case, the “magician” was one or more IS-BEs. Many IS-BEs on Earth can still recall vague images from that period. Tales of magic, sorcery and enchantment, fairy tales and mythology speak of such things, although in very crude terms.

No problem with this.

Each IS-BE entered into the physical universe when they lost their own, “home” universe. That is, when an IS-BE’s “home” universe was overwhelmed by the physical universe, or when the IS-BE joined with other IS-BEs to create or conquer the physical universe.

This understanding differs from mine. But only slightly. I was always under the impression that a physical universe (bubble) was a stable and constant thing. This extraterrestrial says that once the consciousness+ leaves that physical universe that it ceases to exist.

As I see it, a "soul" anchors itself in the original physical universe, then creates a consciousness+ that migrates from that universe to another one to obtain experiences in. Since the consciousness+ and the soul are still connected by quantum entanglement, both physical universes exist simultaneously.

On Earth, the ability to determine when an IS-BE entered the physical universe is difficult for two reasons:

  1. the memory of IS-BEs on Earth have been erased, and
  2. IS-BEs arrival or invasion into the physical universe took place at different times, some 60 trillion years ago, and others only 3 trillion. Every once in a short while, a few million years, an area or planet will be taken over by another group of IS-BEs entering into the area.
At this point, the extraterrestrial is discussing the injection of consciousness+ into the bodies of creatures in the Earth sphere of influence.

What we can gather from this discussion is that...

[1] Entry point for consciousness+ injection into physical bodies in and around the Earth is difficult to determine both geographically, and by date and time.

[2] Consciousness+ injections in this region came in waves from different points and from different locations in geographical location and in time.

Sometimes they will capture other IS-BEs as slaves. They will be forced to inhabit bodies to perform menial, or manual work – especially mining mineral ores on heavy-gravity planets, such as Earth.

No problem with this. I work about this is a similar vein regarding "farming sentience's".

Airl says that she has been a member of The Domain Expeditionary Force for more than 625 million years, when she became a pilot for a biological survey mission which included occasional visits to Earth. She can remember her entire career there, and for a very long time before that.

No problem with this. For a non-corporal being the enormous spans of time involved are given and expected.

She told me that Earth scientists do not have an accurate measuring system to gauge the age of matter. They assume that because certain types of materials seem to deteriorate rather quickly, such as organic or carbon-based matter, that there is a deterioration of matter. It is not accurate to measure the age of stone, based on the measurement of the age of wood or bone.

No problem with this. In all of this, I see a fundamental difference in dating things from the point of view of a non-corporal entity, and that of cycling biological creatures.

This is a fundamental error. Factually, matter does not deteriorate. It cannot be destroyed. Matter may be altered in form, but it is never truly destroyed.

No problem with this. Einstein E=mc2.

The Domain has conducted a periodic survey of the galaxies in this sector of the universe since it developed space travel technologies about 80 trillion years ago.

Actually it should be written as: 

"The Domain has conducted periodic surveys of this sector of the universe. It has done so ever since it first developed space travel technologies."

A review of changes in the complexion of Earth reveal that mountain ranges rise and fall, continents change location, the poles of the planet shift, ice caps come and go, oceans appear and disappear, rivers, valleys and canyons change. In all cases, the matter is the same. It is always the same sand.

Every form and substance is made of the same basic material, which never deteriorates.

I have no problem with this.

“Airl described the abilities of an IS-BE officer of The Domain to me, and she demonstrated one to me when she contacted – telepathically – a communications officer of The Domain who is stationed in the asteroid belt.

No problem.

The asteroid belt is composed of thousands of broken up pieces of a planet that once existed between Mars and Jupiter. It serves as a good low-gravity jumping off point for incoming space craft traveling toward the center of our galaxy.

No problem. Sure the asteroid belt is a region of the "frost line" in our solar system, and rocky planets are not stable there. They tend to break up.

She requested that this officer consult information stored in the “files” of The Domain, concerning the history of Earth. She asked the communications officer to “feed” this information to Airl. The communications officer immediately complied with the request. Based on the information stored in the files of The Domain, Airl was able to give me a brief overview or “history lesson”.

No problem with this.

This is what Airl told me that The Domain had observed about the history of Earth:

She told me that The Domain Expeditionary Force first entered into the Milky Way galaxy very recently – only about 10,000 years ago.

This does not match my understanding. 

As I understand things, the type-1 greys have been around for much longer than that. And as far as Earth goes, they have been around for at least 30,000 years.

From the human point of view, there has been observations and contacts with space vehicles, and their crews for all of human history. Whether or not they are Type-1 greys, members of the "Old Empire", or something else is unknown.

Their first action was to conquer the home planets of the “Old Empire” (this is not the official name, but a nick-name given to the conquered civilization by The Domain Forces) that served as the seat of central government for this galaxy, and other adjoining regions of space.

As I interpret this, the extraterrestrial is saying that they are from outside of the Milky Way Galaxy. When they entered our galaxy, the first thing that they needed to do was conquer the ruling "federation" or national communities on this side of the galaxy first.  That this "federation" was the seat of the central government of our galaxy, and nearby regions of space.

This idea of conquering a region of space, and becoming the ruler of that area is something that the military leadership in Roswell New Mexico would well understand. After all, they just finished a long war with the Nazi Germans and the Japanese.

Yet, it makes no sense.

These extraterrestrials are non-corporal creatures. They exist as waves and inhabit manufactured bodies as they desire. They do not need to "claim" any geographic region for any purpose.

My "gut instinct" is that there is a very complicated and complex relationship of governance between different species, and the physical and non-physical realms. Whether this results in "space opera" type galactic battles or not is hard to say, but my guess, unlikely. 

At least "unlikely" as described by this entity in how it was depicted to the Roswell military leadership. 

I suspect other situations, truths and considerations were in play. And this entire detailed bit of narrative was just simply to evoke specific reactions from the military leadership.

To me, it appears that the extraterrestrial wanted to make some strong points apparent to the Roswell Military members...

[1] It is an officer of a large and powerful military empire.
[2] This military empire is so powerful that it completely broke and took over the massive galactic empire that ruled this section of space.

These planets are located in the stars systems in the tail of the Big Dipper constellation. She did not mention which stars, exactly.

"Within Ursa Major the stars of the Big Dipper have Bayer designations in consecutive Greek alphabetical order from the bowl to the handle.
Proper
Name
Bayer
Designation
Apparent
Magnitude
Distance
(L Yrs)
  Dubhe     α UMa       1.8    124
  Merak     β UMa       2.4      79
  Phecda     γ UMa       2.4      84
  Megrez     δ UMa       3.3      81
  Alioth     ε UMa       1.8      81
  Mizar     ζ UMa       2.1      78
  Alkaid     η UMa       1.9     101
Near Mizar is a star called Alcorr and together they are informally known as the Horse and Rider. At magnitude 4.1, Alcor would normally be relatively easy to see with the unaided eye, but its proximity to Mizar renders it more difficult to resolve, and it has served as a traditional test of sight. In the 17th century, Mizar itself was discovered to be a binary star system — the first telescopic binary found.

 The component stars are known as Mizar A and Mizar B. In 1889, Mizar A was discovered to in fact be a binary as well, the first spectroscopic binary discovered, and with the subsequent discovery that Mizar B itself is also a binary, in total Mizar currently is known to be at least a quadruple star system."

About 1,500 years later The Domain began the installation bases for their own forces along the path of invasion which leads toward the center of this galaxy and beyond.

Based on what is being stated, I made up this simple drawing of our physical galaxy; The Milky Way.  On it, I located the solar system, and  the purported movement of the invasion forces.

Invasion path.

If this is the true case, and what he said is correct, then the dominance of the galaxy by his "federation" would look something like this...

About 8,200 years ago The Domain forces set up a base on Earth in the Himalaya Mountains near the border of modern Pakistan and Afghanistan. This was a base for a battalion of The Domain Expeditionary Force, which included about 3,000 members.

So this base would be inside of China in the Tibet (XiZang) autonomous region.

Regions of China.

They set up a base under or inside the top of a mountain. The mountain top was drilled into and made hollow to create an area large enough to house the ships and personnel of that force. An electronic illusion of the mountain top was then created to hide the base by projecting a false image from inside the mountain against a “force screen”.

The ships could then enter and exit through the force screen, yet remain unseen by homo sapiens.

This is standard, well known, Type-1 grey technology.

Shortly after they settled there the base was surprised by an attack from a remnant of the military forces of the “Old Empire”. Unbeknownst to The Domain, a hidden, underground base on Mars, operated by the “Old Empire”, had existed for a very long time. The Domain base was wiped out by a military attack from the Mars base and the IS-BEs of The Domain Expeditionary Force were captured.

You can imagine that The Domain was very upset about losing such a large force of officers and crew, so they sent other crews to Earth to look for them. Those crews were also attacked.

This is most certainly an interesting story. But whether or not it is true is something else entirely.

On one hand, the story does nothing aside from provide background information on a battle between two groups of opposing forces, and establishes a narrative in support of the reasoning behind the presence of Type-1 greys in this section of the galaxy.

On the other hand, it could be a delicious fiction that would be accepted and acknowledged by the Roswell military leadership at the base at that time.

The captured IS-BEs from The Domain Forces were handled in the same fashion as all other IS-BEs who have been sent to Earth. They were each given amnesia, had their memories replaced with false pictures and hypnotic commands and sent to Earth to inhabit biological bodies. They are still a part of the human population today.

Here we see that the "Old Empire" has constructed systems (in this region of Earth) to interrupt the the ability of consciousness+ to easily migrate in and out of world-lines, and an established life-line.

After a very persistent and extensive investigation into the loss of their crews, The Domain discovered that “Old Empire” has been operating a very extensive, and very carefully hidden, base of operations in this part of the galaxy for millions of years.

No one knows exactly how long.

Eventually, the space craft of the “Old Empire” forces and The Domain engaged each other in open combat in the space of the solar system.

No problem with this. If the story about this war is true, this is the logical conclusion that you can expect.

According to Airl, there was a running battle between the “Old Empire” forces and The Domain until about 1235 AD, when The Domain forces finally destroyed the last of the space craft of the “Old Empire” force in this area. The Domain Expeditionary Force lost many of its own ships in this area during that time also.

About 1,000 years later the “Old Empire” base was discovered by accident in the spring of 1914 AD.

The dates and all of the matters regarding "time" are suspect as they do not make any sense. 1235AD + 1000 = 2235AD. Not 1914AD.

The discovery was made when the body of the Archduke of Austria, was “taken over” by an officer of The Domain Expeditionary Force. This officer, who was stationed in the asteroid belt, was sent to Earth on a routine mission to gather reconnaissance.

The extraterrestrial goes into some detail how a non-corporal entity can take over the body of a physical person. I am quite sure that this astounded, and "blew the minds" of the military leadership at the Roswell base.

The purpose of this “take over” was to use the body as a “disguise” through which to infiltrate human society in order to gather information about current events on Earth. The officer, as an IS-BE, having greater power than the being inhabiting the body of the Archduke, simply “pushed” the being out and took over control of the body.

No problem with this. Though it might have scared the living Dejesus out of the Roswell leadership at that time.

However, this officer did not realize how much the Hapsburgs were hated by feuding factions in the country, so he was caught off guard when the body of the Archduke was assassinated by a Bosnian student. The officer, or IS-BE, was suddenly “knocked out” of the body when it was shot by the assassin. Disoriented, the IS-BE inadvertently penetrated one of the “amnesia force screens” and was captured.

And that is how this species learned about the "electronic force field" that prevents wave form data transfer, consciousness+ movement, and all other associated elements.

"Franz Ferdinand (December 18, 1863 - June 28, 1914) was an Archduke of Austria-Este, Prince Imperial of Austria and Prince Royal of Hungary and Bohemia, and from 1896 until his death, heir presumptive to the Austro-Hungarian throne. His assassination in Sarajevo precipitated the Austrian declaration of war. This caused countries allied with Austria-Hungary (the Central Powers) and countries allied with Serbia (the Entente Powers) to declare war on each other, starting World War I.

In 1889, Franz Ferdinand's life changed dramatically. His cousin Crown Prince Rudolf committed suicide at his hunting lodge in Mayerling, leaving Franz Ferdinand's father, Archduke Karl Ludwig, as first in line to the throne. However his father renounced his succession rights a few days after the Crown Prince's death. Henceforth, Franz Ferdinand was groomed to succeed.

On June 28, 1914, at approximately 11:15 am, Franz Ferdinand and his wife were killed in Sarajevo, the capital of the Austro-Hungarian province of Bosnia and Herzegovina, by Gavrilo Princip, a member of Young Bosnia and one of several (a few) assassins organized by The Black Hand (UpHa pyKa/Tsrna Ruka). The event, known as the Assassination in Sarajevo, triggered World War I.

Franz and Sophie had previously been attacked when a bomb was thrown at their car. It missed them, but many civilians were injured. Franz and Sophie both insisted on going to see all those injured at the hospital. As a result of this, Princip saw them and shot Sophie in the abdomen. Franz was shot in the jugular and was still alive when witnesses arrived to his aid, but it was too late; he died within minutes.

The assassinations, along with the arms race, nationalism, imperialism, militarism, and the alliance system all contributed to the beginning of World War I, which began less than two months after Franz Ferdinand's death, with Austria-Hungary's declaration of war against Serbia."

Eventually The Domain discovered that a wide area of space is monitored by an “electronic force field” which controls all of the IS-BEs in this end of the galaxy, including Earth. The electronic force screen is designed to detect IS-BEs and prevent them from leaving the area.

Using the prison analogy, you can liken it to walls, barbed wire, and search lights.

If any IS-BE attempts to penetrate the force screen, it “captures” them in a kind of “electronic net”. The result is that the captured IS-BE is subjected to a very severe “brainwashing” treatment which erases the memory of the IS-BE.

No problem with this.

This process uses a tremendous electrical shock, just like Earth psychiatrists use “electric shock therapy” to erase the memory and personality of a “patient” and to make them more “cooperative”.

"The story of electric shock began in 1938, when Italian psychiatrist Ugo Cerletti visited a Rome slaughterhouse to see what could be learned from the method that was employed to butcher hogs. In Cerletti's own words, "As soon as the hogs were clamped by the [electric] tongs, they fell unconscious, stiffened, then after a few seconds they were shaken by convulsions.... During this period of unconsciousness (epileptic coma), the butcher stabbed and bled the animals without difficulty

"At this point I felt we could venture to experiment on man, and I instructed my assistants to be on the alert for the selection of a suitable subject."

Cerletti's first victim was provided by the local police - a man described by Cerletti as "lucid and well-oriented." After surviving the first blast without losing consciousness, the victim overheard Cerletti discussing a second application with a higher voltage. He begged Cerletti, "Non una seconda! Mortifierel" ("Not another one! It will kill me!")

Ignoring the objections of his assistants, Cerletti increased the voltage and duration and fired again. With the "successful" electrically induced convulsion of his victim, Ugo Cerletti brought about the application of hog-slaughtering skills to humans, creating one of the most brutal techniques of psychiatry.

'Electric shock is also called electro-convulsive "therapy" or treatment (ECT), electroshock therapy or electric shock treatment (EST), electrostimulation, and electrolytic therapy (ELT). All are euphemistic terms for the same process: sending a searing blast of electricity through the brain in order to alter behavior."

(Reference: http://www.sntp.net/ect/ect3.htm)

Today Electroshock therapy (ECT) is most often used as a treatment for severe major depression which has not responded to other treatment, and is also used in the treatment of mania, catatonia, schizophrenia and other disorders. It first gained widespread use as a form of treatment in the 1940s and 50s. Today, an estimated 1 million people worldwide receive ECT every year, usually in a course of 6-12 treatments administered 2 or 3 times a week.

Electroconvulsive therapy has "side-effects" which include confusion and memory loss for events around the time period of treatment. ECT have been shown to cause persistent memory loss. It is the effects of ECT on long-term memory that give rise to much of the concern surrounding its use. The acute effects of ECT include amnesia.

Registered nurse Barbara C. Cody reports in a letter to the Washington Post that her life "was forever changed by 13 outpatient ECTs I received in 1983. Shock 'therapy' totally and permanently disabled me. "EEGs [electroencephalograms] verify the extensive damage shock did to my brain. Fifteen to 20 years of my life were simply erased; only small bits and pieces have returned. I was also left with short-term memory impairment and serious cognitive deficits. "Shock 'therapy' took my past, my college education, my musical abilities, even the knowledge that my children were, in fact, my children."

Ernest Hemingway, American author, committed suicide shortly after Electric Shock treatment at the Menninger Clinic in 1961. He is reported to have said to his biographer, "Well, what is the sense of ruining my head and erasing my memory, which is my capital, and putting me out of business? It was a brilliant cure but we lost the patient...."

On Earth this “therapy” uses only a few hundred volts of electricity. However, the electrical voltage used by the “Old Empire” operation against IS-BEs is on the order of magnitude of billions of volts!

"The general public may consider household mains circuits (100-250 V AC), which carry the highest voltages they normally encounter, to be high voltage. For example, an installer of heating, ventilation and air conditioning equipment may be licensed to install 24 Volt control circuits, but may not be permitted to connect the 240 volt power circuits of the equipment.

Voltages over approximately 50 volts can usually cause dangerous amounts of current to flow through a human being touching two points of a circuit.

Voltages of greater than 50 V are capable of producing heart fibrillation if they produce electric currents in body tissues which happen to pass through the chest area. The electrocution danger is mostly determined by the low conductivity of dry human skin. If skin is wet, or if there are wounds, or if the voltage is applied to electrodes which penetrate the skin, then even voltage sources below 40 V can be lethal if contacted."

This tremendous shock completely wipes out all the memory of the IS-BE. The memory erasure is not just for one life or one body. It wipes out the all of the accumulated experiences of a nearly infinite past, as well as the identity of the IS-BE!

I wrote about this before. This is how you take subjects, and "farm them", and then capture their experiences. Then erase and then send them back to relive the experiences.

The shock is intended to make it impossible for the IS-BE to remember who they are, where they came from, their knowledge or skills, their memory of the past, and ability to function as a spiritual entity. They are overwhelmed into becoming a mindless, robotic nonentity.

No problem with this.

After the shock a series of post hypnotic suggestions are used to install false memories, and a false time orientation in each IS-BE.

"The ability of a human to be induced into a form of behavior or thinking pattern after coming out of the hypnotic state. Post hypnotic suggestions are administered by the hypnotist and may optionally include a time scope. An altered sense of perception or behavioral pattern may be "programmed" into the person under hypnosis. Certain sequences of events may be set as triggers to enter or exit the post-hypnotic pattern. The behavior patterns resemble conditioned reflexes, though administered without classical behavior alteration techniques.

Examples:

Any number, color, object, etc. may be induced to be ignored by the patient after full consciousness. A certain keyword starts the suggestion and a different word ends it. The patient will not know nor use the item to be ignored. He/she may state that the sea is colored red, if suggested to ignore the color blue. A count of eleven may be achieved if asked to count ones fingers if a number -say 5- is suggested to be ignored. Thus the patient counts 1-2-3-4-6-7-8-9-10-11

Different type of behavior patterns may be induced such as forcing the patient to recite a certain sentence whenever anyone says out loud the special keyword. The patient is fully aware of the conditioned action but it is very difficult, if not impossible, to restrain from doing it. Sweating, loss of coordination and full lack of concentration plagues the patient until he/she performs the programmed action.

An object may be set to be perceived as invisible and it will be fully ignored and evaded during the period of suggestion. Experiments may be performed with a coffee mug, induced to be invisible. If the mug is put on top of a page with writing, the patient will only read the parts not covered by the mug. Even though the sentences may make no sense, nothing is seemingly wrong to the suspected. It is difficult to suggest an object be invisible, yet stay tactile. Usually the object is completely ignored by all senses. Thus, the mug in the example will reportedly not exist, even when the patient is touching it.

Stage hypnotists will sometimes perform shows in which they hypnotize participants to think they are some celebrity and behave exactly like them. John Mohl, stage hypnotist and member of The National Guild of Hypnotists, says that he has often hypnotized people to become someone else! Mohl noticed that adults often became a celebrity while Middle or High School students usually become something much more creative or imaginative."

What I find most interesting about this is that this concept of "brain washing" and suggestion to control others was NEW information provided to the Roswell military leadership in 1947.

From it, was spawned Monarch programming.

I can clearly see a straight line  military development from this interrogation, to the Monarch mind control program. And since I do, it lends credibility to this entire disclosure.

This includes the command to “return” to the base after the body dies, so that the same kind of shock and hypnosis can be done again, and again, again – forever. The hypnotic command also tells the “patient” to forget to remember.

No problem with this.

What The Domain learned from the experience of this officer is that the “Old Empire” has been using Earth as a “prison planet” for a very long time – exactly how long is unknown – perhaps millions of years.

This is not what I understand. I think that "Prison Planet" is much too strong a term. I prefer the term "sentience nursery".

Aside from a completely different connotation, it helps us to understand that this area is a place for growth and development. While the idea of a "prison planet" is one of isolation and punishment.

It is very important that the reader  understand the difference, between these two, and the relationship and role that thy have here in this life that they are living. While it might be true that this earth once might have been a "prison plant", today it is in the process of being reformed, and the Type-1 greys are working with other entities to make sure that this happens.

In fact, I am 100% convinced that the Earth being a "sentience nursery" is the recovery effort initiated by the Type-1 greys to rehabilitate the human species and get them out from under this horrible "electromagnetic force field". Which is why the Mantids are involved in dealing on a person-to-person, consciousness-to-consciousness basis.

So, when the body of the IS-BE dies they depart from the body. They are detected by the “force screen”, they are captured and “ordered” by hypnotic command to “return to the light“.

No problem with this.

The idea of “heaven” and the “afterlife” are part of the hypnotic suggestion – a part of the treachery that makes the whole mechanism work.

(Read “The Invisible CollegeWar in Heaven – A Completely New And Revolutionary Conception of The Nature of Spiritual Reality”).

After the IS-BE has been shocked and hypnotized to erase the memory of the life just lived, the IS-BE is immediately “commanded”, hypnotically, to “report” back to Earth, as though they were on a secret mission, to inhabit a new body. Each IS-BE is told that they have a special purpose for being on Earth. But, of course there is no purpose for being in a prison – at least not for the prisoner.

No problem with this.

Any undesirable IS-BEs who are sentenced to Earth were classified as “untouchable” by the “Old Empire”.

"In the Indian caste system, a Dalit, often called an untouchable, or an outcaste, is a person who according to traditional Hindu belief does not have any 'varnas". Varna refers to the Hindu belief that most humans were supposedly created from different parts of the body of the divinity Purusha.

The part from which a varna was supposedly created defines a person's social status with regard to issues such as whom they may marry and which professions they may hold. Dalits fall outside the varnas system and have historically been prevented from doing any but the most menial jobs. (However, a distinction must be made between lower-caste people and Pariahs.) Included are leather-workers (called chamar), carcass handlers (called mahar), poor farmers and landless labourers, night soil scavengers (called bhangi or chura), street handicrafters, folk artists, street cleaners, dhobi, etc.

Traditionally, they were treated as pariahs in South Asian society and isolated in their own communities, to the point that even their shadows were avoided by the upper castes.

Discrimination against Dalits still exists in rural areas in the private sphere, in ritual matters such as access to eating places and water sources. It has largely disappeared, however, in urban areas and in the public sphere, in rights of movement and access to schools. The earliest rejection of discrimination, at least in spiritual matters, was made as far back as the Bhagavada Gita, which says that no person, no matter what, is barred from enlightenment There are an estimated 160 million Dalits in India."
Reference: Wikipedia.org

"Human rights abuses against these people, known as Dalits, are legion. A random sampling of headlines in mainstream Indian newspapers tells their story: "Dalit boy beaten to death for plucking flowers"; "Dalit tortured by cops for three days"; "Dalit 'witch' paraded naked in Bihar"; "Dalit killed in lock-up at Kurnool"; '7 Dalits burnt alive in caste clash"; "5 Dalits lynched in Haryana"; "Dalit woman gang-raped, paraded naked"; "Police egged on mob to lynch Dalits".

"Dalits are not allowed to drink from the same wells, attend the same temples, wear shoes in the presence of an upper caste, or drink from the same cups in tea stalls," said Smita Narula, a senior researcher with Human Rights Watch, and author of Broken People: Caste Violence Against India's "Untouchables." Human Rights Watch is a worldwide activist organization based in New York. India's Untouchables are relegated to the lowest jobs, and live in constant fear of being publicly humiliated, paraded naked, beaten, and raped with impunity by upper-caste Hindus seeking to keep them in their place. Merely walking through an upper-caste neighborhood is a life-threatening offense. Nearly 90 percent of all the poor Indians and 95 percent of all the illiterate Indians are Dalits."
Reference: http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2003/06/0602_030602_untouchables.html

This included anyone that the “Old Empire” judged to be criminals who are too vicious to be reformed or subdued, as well as other criminals such as sexual perverts, or beings unwilling to do any productive work.

No problem with this.

An “untouchable” classification of IS-BEs also includes a wide variety of “political prisoners”.

"A political prisoner is someone held in prison or otherwise detained, perhaps under house arrest, for his/her involvement in political activity.
political prisoners are arrested and tried with a veneer of legality, where false criminal charges, manufactured evidence, and unfair trials are used to disguise the fact that an individual is a political prisoner. This is common in situations which may otherwise be decried nationally and internationally as a human rights violation and suppression of a political dissident. A political prisoner can also be someone that has been denied bail unfairly, denied parole when it would reasonably have been given to a prisoner charged with a comparable crime, or special powers may be invoked by the judiciary.

Particularly in this latter situation, whether an individual is regarded as a political prisoner may depend upon subjective political perspective or interpretation of the evidence. Governments typically reject assertions that they hold political prisoners.
Examples:

In the Soviet Union, dubious psychiatric diagnoses were sometimes used to confine political prisoners. In Nazi Germany, "Night and Fog"prisoners were among the first victims of fascist repression. In North Korea, entire families are jailed if one family member is suspected of anti-government sentiments."
-- Reference: Wikipedia.org

This includes IS-BEs who are considered to be noncompliant “free thinkers” or “revolutionaries” who make trouble for the governments of the various planets of the “Old Empire”. Of course, anyone with a previous military record against the “Old Empire” is also shipped off to Earth.

No problem with this.

A list of “untouchables” include artists, painters, singers, musicians, writers, actors, and performers of every kind. For this reason Earth has more artists per capita than any other planet in the “Old Empire”.

No problem with this.

“Untouchables” also include intellectuals, inventors and geniuses in almost every field. Since everything the “Old Empire” considers valuable has long since been invented or created over the last few trillion years, they have no further use for such beings. This includes skilled managers also, which are not needed in a society of obedient, robotic citizens.

No problem with this.

Anyone who is not willing or able to submit to mindless economic, political and religious servitude as a tax-paying worker in the class system of the “Old Empire” are “untouchable” and sentenced to receive memory wipe-out and permanent imprisonment on Earth.

Is it just me? But it just seems like the United States is trying to replicate The "Old Empire".

The net result is that an IS-BE is unable to escape because they can’t remember who they are, where they came from, where they are. They have been hypnotized to think they are someone, something, sometime, and somewhere other than were they really are.

No problem with this.

The Domain officer who was “assassinated” while in the body of Archduke of Austria was, likewise, captured by the “Old Empire” force. Because this particular officer was a high powered IS-BE, compared to most, he was taken away to a secret “Old Empire” base under the surface of the planet Mars. They put him into a special electronic prison cell and held him there.

No problem with this.

Fortunately, this Domain officer was able to escape from the underground base after 27 years in captivity. When he escaped from the “Old Empire” base, he returned immediately to his own base in the asteroid belt.

No problem with this.

His commanding officer ordered that a battle cruiser be dispatched to the coordinates of the base, provided by this officer, and to destroy that base completely.

No problem with this.

This “Old Empire” base was located a few hundred miles north of the equator on Mars in the Cydonia region.

(The following internet links shows maps of a complex of artificial looking structures which some people have referred to a the "Pyramid Complex, The Face on Mars, and other geological features that are strikingly similar to symbols and architecture found in Mesoamerican and Egyptian pyramid civilizations. Notice how the "pyramids and face structures look as though they have been partially destroyed! Had there been an "Old Empire" base at this location, which was destroyed by a cruiser attack from The Domain Force, it base would have been significantly damaged.)
http://www.greatdreams.com/cydonia.htm
http://www.qtm.net/~geibdan/cydonia.html

"In addition, a team of scientists from the United States Geological Survey reported at the recent annual Lunar and Planetary Science Conference in Houston, Texas, that images taken by NASA s Mars-orbiting spacecraft Mars Odyssey show what appear to be cave entrances where primitive life forms - "past or present microbial life" - could have been sheltered, and where water could exist in liquid form.

A more detailed perusal of the report reveals that the spacecraft actually photographed, in both visual and infrared, puzzling dark circular structures associated with these caves -structures ranging in size from 100 to 250 meters (330 to 825 feet). Picking up the hardly-noticed story in its June 2007 issue, the prestigious journal Scientific American has now provided additional information: Seven such "football size" caverns were identified; they are 425 feet deep. "

Although the military base of the “Old Empire” was destroyed, unfortunately, much of the vast machinery of the IS-BE force screens, the electroshock / amnesia / hypnosis machinery continues to function in other undiscovered locations right up to the present moment. The main base or control center for this “mind control prison” operation has never been found. So, the influences of this base, or bases, are still in effect.

No problem with this.

The Domain has observed that since the “Old Empire” space forces were destroyed there is no one left to actively prevent other planetary systems from bringing their own “untouchable” IS-BEs to Earth from all over this galaxy, and from other galaxies nearby.

Therefore, Earth has become a universal dumping ground for this entire region of space.

Well, maybe, but who really knows?

This, in part, explains the very unusual mix of races, cultures, languages, moral codes, religious and political influences among the IS-BE population on Earth. The number and variety of heterogeneous societies on Earth are extremely unusual on a normal planet. Most “Sun Type 12, Class 7” planets are inhabited by only one humanoid body type or race, if any.

No problem with this.

In addition, most of the ancient civilizations of Earth, and many of the events of Earth have been heavily influenced by the hidden, hypnotic operation of the “Old Empire” base. So far, no one has figured out exactly where and how this operation is run, or by whom because it is so heavily protected by screens and traps.

No problem with this.

Furthermore, there has been no operation undertaken to seek out, discover and destroy the vast and ancient network of electronics machinery that create the IS-BE force screens at this end of the galaxy.

No problem with this.

Until this has been done, we are not able to prevent or interrupt the electric shock operation, hypnosis and remote thought control of the “Old Empire” prison planet.

No problem with this.

Of course all of the crew members of The Domain Expeditionary Force now remain aware of this phenomena at all times while operating in this solar system space so as to prevent detection and the capture by “Old Empire” traps.”

End of part 2

There are miss-translations on time, confusions in regard to galaxies and universes, and a mish-mash of confusion between consciousness+, humans, and some confusion regarding galactic “ownership” and “power projection” between different species.

The more I parse it in detail, the clearer to me that this is exactly what it is claimed to be.

Key Points

Never the less, I believe the following to be true in regards to this parsing of this section of the book…

  • Most of what was stated was factually accurate… provided that the war between the “Dominion” and the “Old Empire” is correct. But this has never been a key knowledge base for my role, and thus I know nothing at all about it.
  • The information about “time” is also correct. It is wholly misunderstood by most humans.
  • Since the 1980’s MAJestic has taken a major role in working with this species and <redacted>, <redacted> and the Mantids towards the maintenance and development of this “Prison Planet” into a “Sentience Nursery”.
  • The Roswell leadership should be able to understand and relate to the military aspects of the narrative.
  • The aspects regarding consciousness+ movement would probably simply terrify the Roswell leadership, and confuse them. But they are really actually very accurate.
  • So far, in parsing this document, I see no reason to describe it as a fictional work. It appears to be exactly what it said it is.
  • Apparently the writings about “Mind Control” ended up spawning American covert effort in the Monarch Program.
  • There is no reason for the Type-1 grey extraterrestrial to lie. None.
  • The information provided had / has a purpose. It appears that the background information is truthful, but tailored to the limitations of the target audience, and worded to appeal to their understandings.

And finally…

  • Because MAJestic was established, and my role involved strong interaction with this species, and you all in MM land can see the content and the direction of my articles, it should be obvious that [1] MAJestic believed what the extraterrestrial said, and [2] my role is part of this reconstruction effort.

Part three

You can visit part three HERE.

Do you want more?

You can find many more videos in my “Extraterrestrial Species index” over here…

ET Species

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Articles & Links

Master Index

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  • You can start reading the articles by going HERE.
  • You can visit the Index Page HERE to explore by article subject.
  • You can also ask the author some questions. You can go HERE to find out how to go about this.
  • You can find out more about the author HERE.
  • If you have concerns or complaints, you can go HERE.
  • If you want to make a donation, you can go HERE.

 

A breakdown of the report “alien interview” by MM from a MAJ perspective (part 1)

I have presented the PDF titled “Alien Interview” to the readership. It is supposed to be the transcripts of the interview that a nurse had with an extraterrestrial entity that was recovered from a spaceship crash in Roswell, New Mexico. There is a lot of good stuff there, and a lot of things that run counter to what I know and understand to be true. My intention here is to parse the entire book, and compare it to what I know. Where the two diverge, it will be up to you (the readership) to sort it out.

Website

There is a website devoted to this book. You can visit it HERE.

They seem to make posts based of passages from the book, and then delve into greater detail from there.

I do not (personally) believe that this is warranted. From what I know of the Type-1 greys they tell us what we want to hear, for the most part. And if you look at the content of the book, you can easily see fraudulent elements that were remnants of the popular culture at the time.

Never the less I believe the transcript to be authentic.

Links

  • A free PDF provided HERE in an MM article.
  • The bibliotecapleyades on-line version of the book. HERE.

Introduction

A Mrs. MacElroy presented an envelope of transcripts to a publisher in 2007. In the envelope and over the phone she asked the publisher to do what he could to get them to be published. She claimed to be the duty nurse at the Roswell Army base in New Mexico in 1947. And further, she claimed that she was the sole interpreter / translator of the sole surviving extraterrestrial fro the wreckage.

The content of this book is primarily excerpted from the letter, interview transcripts and personal notes I received from the late Matilda O'Donnell MacElroy. Her letter to me asserts that this material is based on her recollection of communication with an alien being, who "spoke" with her telepathically.

During July and August of 1947 she interviewed an extraterrestrial being who she identifies as "Airl", and whom she claims was and continues to be an officer, pilot and engineer who was recovered from a flyer saucer that crashed near Roswell, New Mexico on July 8th, 1947.

She was late in age and was ready to die. This, apparently, was her effort to make sure that the experience that she had would not be forgotten.

The initial letter from Mrs. MacElroy was received on September 14th, 2007, together with a package of documents. The package contained three types of documents:

  • Hand-written notes in cursive on ordinary, lined, 8 1/2″ X 11″school notebook paper, which I assume had been written personally by Mrs. MacElroy.
  • Notes typed on a manual typewriter on plain, white 20 lb. bond paper, which I am assume were prepared personally by her. At least both had the appearance of having been written in the same hand writing, and / or typed on the same typewriter consistently throughout. The writing in the notes I received also appeared to be the same as the writing on the address and return address of the manila envelope I received from Navan, Ireland, which was postmarked on 3 September, 2007. Since I am not a forensic expert, or handwriting analyst, my opinion in these matter is not a professionally qualified judgment.
  • Many pages of typewritten transcriptions of her interview with the alien. These were obviously typed on a different typewriter. These pages were typed on a different type of paper and showed apparent signs of age and repeated handling.

There is a lot, especially in the front 1/3 of the document, that seems credible to me an MAJestic “operator”. There is also quite a lot that is alien to me, and a substantial amount that does not match what I know to be the truth.

Thus, I must rightfully conclude that a large bulk of the information follows the type-1 grey MAJestic warning:

They tell you what you want to believe, not necessarily the truth.“.

All in all, I think that [1] the truth is this is that these are actual transcripts from the Roswell event. However, [2] the content is tailored to the interpreter and her superiors. Thus, [3] most of it’s content is inaccurate, or misleading to us reading it 70 years later.

I have first-hand experience with these type-1 greys. I have worked with them. I have been at their facilities. I have interacted them in both the physical and the non-physical. So I do have more than just a little bit of knowledge concerning this subject.

However, my EBP entanglement was with another species known as the Mantids, and they view things quite differently. Though, truthfully, it was THIS species that manufactured the EBP, installed it inside my skull (off world), and laid out the “training” that I had at NAS, NASC China Lake.

From the MM point of view, this [4] entire exercise offers us a great “spring board” for investigation, and I would like to use what I know to sort out this document and turn it into something that is useful for all of us to learn from.

Finally, [5] there are errors in understanding of a 1948 nurse and terminology and lexicon, that I will try to resolve here.

Limitations

I am not going to reprint the entire book here. The same does for the notes by the nurse, and the various supporting documents held within the PDF.

That is available provided HERE.

Instead, I am going to parse the  transcript of what the type-1 grey had to say. I will do so based on my role in MAJestic, and what I know through the EBP entanglements.

SUBJECT: ALIEN INTERVIEW, 9. 7. 1947

QUESTION – “Are you injured?”
ANSWER -NO

QUESTION – “What medical assistance do you require?”
ANSWER -NONE

QUESTION – “Do need food or water or other sustenance?”
ANSWER -NO

QUESTION – “Do you have any special environmental needs, such as air temperature, atmospheric chemical content, air pressure, or waste elimination?”
ANSWER – NO. I AM NOT A BIOLOGICAL BEING.

At this point, early on in the interview we see that the body is a construct used by a being in wave form. It does not require any of the support equipment needed by biological creatures.

QUESTION – “Does your body or space craft carry any germs or contamination that may be harmful to humans or other Earth life forms?”
ANSWER -NO GERMS IN SPACE.

QUESTION – “Does your government know you are here?”
ANSWER – NOT AT THIS TIME

QUESTION – “Are others of your kind going to come looking for you?”
ANSWER – YES

QUESTION – “What is the weapons capability of your people?”
ANSWER – VERY DESTRUCTIVE.

QUESTION – “Why did your space craft crash?”

ANSWER – IT WAS STRUCK BY AN ELECTRICAL DISCHARGE FROM THE ATMOSPHERE WHICH CAUSED US TO LOSE CONTROL.

This differs from my understanding. I was told that radar technology developed by the Germans during World War II were being tested in New Mexico, and they are what brought the vehicle down. Aircraft getting hit by lightening is a common event and rarely causes the crash of a vehicle.

QUESTION – “Why was your space craft in this area?”
ANSWER – INVESTIGATION OF “BURNING CLOUDS” / RADIATION /
EXPLOSIONS

The first test of a nuclear weapon was in the atmosphere on July 16, 1945, in a remote part of New Mexico on what was then the Alamogordo Bombing Range, and is now the White Sands Missile Range. The site is 55 miles northwest of Alamogordo, New Mexico.

QUESTION – “How does your space craft fly?”

ANSWER -IT IS CONTROLLED THROUGH “MIND”. RESPONDS TO “THOUGHT COMMANDS”.

QUESTION – “How do your people communicate with each other?”
ANSWER –
THROUGH MIND /THOUGHT.

QUESTION – “Do you have a written language or symbols for communication?”
ANSWER -YES

QUESTION – “What planet are you from?”

ANSWER – THE HOME / BIRTHPLACE WORLD OF THE DOMAIN

QUESTION – “Will your government send representatives to meet with our leaders?”
ANSWER -NO

QUESTION – “What are your intentions concerning
Earth?”

ANSWER -PRESERVE / PROTECT PROPERTY OF THE DOMAIN

QUESTION – “What have you learned about Earth governments and military installations?”
ANSWER – POOR / SMALL. DESTROY PLANET.

Earth governments are "poor" and "small", but they have the power to destroy the entire planet.

QUESTION – “Why haven’t your people made your existence known to the people of Earth?”
ANSWER – WATCH / OBSERVE. NO CONTACT.

QUESTION – “Have your people visited Earth’s previously?”
ANSWER – PERIODIC / REPEATING OBSERVATIONS.

QUESTION – “How long have you known about Earth?”
ANSWER – LONG BEFORE HUMANS.

Pre-historic humanoids date back to 400,000 years. At that time they were tool making, cart making creatures that seemed to have an appreciation of music, speaking, and society. Though no written language. Proto-humans date back even further, going back 2 million years. This knowledge will be useful to explain other statements made later on.

QUESTION – “What do you know about the history of civilization on Earth?”
ANSWER – SMALL INTEREST / ATTENTION. SMALL TIME.

QUESTION – “Can you describe your home world to us?”
ANSWER – PLACE OF CIVILIZATION / CULTURE / HISTORY. LARGE PLANET. WEALTH / RESOURCES ALWAYS. ORDER. POWER.
KNOWLEDGE / WISDOM. TWO STARS. THREE MOONS.

QUESTION – “What is the state of development of your civilization?”
ANSWER – ANCIENT. TRILLIONS OF YEARS. ALWAYS. ABOVE ALL OTHERS. PLAN. SCHEDULE. PROGRESS. WIN. HIGH GOALS / IDEAS.

Our universe is roughly 14 billion years old. While a soul and consciousness can be much older than that, I take the term "trillions" to mean "an unfathomably long period of time".

QUESTION – “Do you believe in God?”
ANSWER – WE THINK. IT IS. MAKE IT CONTINUE. ALWAYS.

QUESTION – “What type of society do you have?”
ANSWER – ORDER. POWER. FUTURE ALWAYS. CONTROL. GROW.

QUESTION – “Are there other intelligent life forms besides yourself in the universe?”
ANSWER – EVERYWHERE. WE ARE GREATEST / HIGHEST OF ALL.

Thoughts from the first interview

Obviously the book has the notes hand written on the paper that pretty much helped explain her thoughts and impressions. I left those out.

As you can see, not much was gleaned from the first interview.

But as it was, it was very productive. At that time, the entire Army base was abuzz with soldiers all of which just finished fighting a bloody global war with fanatical Nazi’s and Japanese. Their mind-set was militaristic, aggressive, defensive, protective, and nationalistic. It was a hostile environment for an extraterrestrial species to enter.

The extraterrestrial pilot, who like all type-1 greys, can read the non-physical world about it, fully understood the situation and was actively reading and absorbing the thoughts of everyone around it. And like all type-1 greys, assimilated the knowledge, and made the appropriate physical actions.

Which was do nothing. Wait in the room.

The next day…

SUBJECT: ALIEN INTERVIEW, 10. 7. 1947

“QUESTION – “Why have you stopped communicating?”
ANSWER -NO STOP. OTHERS. HIDDEN / COVERED. SECRET FEAR.

SUBJECT: ALIEN INTERVIEW, 11. 7. 1947

“QUESTION – Can you read or write any Earth languages?
ANSWER -NO.

QUESTION – Do you understand numbers or mathematics?
ANSWER – YES. I AM OFFICER / PILOT / ENGINEER

QUESTION – Can you write or draw symbols or pictures that we may be able to translate into our own language?
ANSWER –UNCERTAIN

QUESTION – Are there any other signs or means of communication you can use to help us understand your thoughts more clearly?
ANSWER -NO.”

SUBJECT: ALIEN INTERVIEW, 11. 7. 1947, 2nd Session

QUESTION – Can you show us on a map of the stars which is the star of your home planet?
ANSWER -NO.

As discussed, this question is based on the assumption that there is one singular planet that the species departed, and that is it's "home planet". Which is false, and if you understand that this species is a non-physical species that creates physical bodies for use in physical space, you can recognize what an impossible question this is to answer. 

This species is part of a wide organization, with many, many regions that they inhabit. This includes both the physical and non-physical. Most of which 99.999% were unknown to the military and scientists at that time. In fact, at that time, they didn't know about brown dwarfs, or even if there were planets around stars. And many thought that the earth was the center of the universe.

QUESTION – How long will it take your people to locate you here?
ANSWER -UNKNOWN.

QUESTION – How long would it take your people to travel here to rescue you?
ANSWER – MINUTES OR HOURS.

QUESTION – How can we make them understand that we do not intend to harm you?
ANSWER – INTENTIONS ARE CLEAR. SEE IN YOUR MIND / IMAGES /FEELINGS.

At this point, the more astute should realize that they were absolutely transparent to this being. And that their plans, thoughts, secrets and desires were open and presented to it and they had no defense against it.

QUESTION – If you are not a biological entity, why do you refer to yourself as feminine?
ANSWER – I AM A CREATOR. MOTHER. SOURCE.”

SUBJECT: ALIEN INTERVIEW, 11. 7. 1947, 3rd Session

“QUESTION – “What assurance or proof do you require from us that will make you feel safe enough to answer our questions.”
ANSWER – ONLY SHE SPEAKS. ONLY SHE HEARS. ONLY SHE QUESTIONS. NO OTHERS. MUST LEARN / KNOW / UNDERSTAND.”

There it is.  The type-1 grey defines who, what, when, why, how and where. No one else.

Then, according to the notes;

“On the afternoon of the 16th day Airl and I sat next to each other as she read. She closed the last page of a book she was reading and placed it aside. I was about to hand her the next book from a large pile waiting to be read, when she turned and said or “thought” to me, “I am ready to speak now”. At first I was a little confused by the remark. I gestured for her to continue and she began to teach me my first lesson.

Up to this point, everything was very matter-of-fact, clear, cut and dry. Now we enter “the twilight zone” and start getting into the real “meat” of the interview. And it is this part that REALLY NEEDS to be sorted out and put into context.

SUBJECT: ALIEN INTERVIEW, 24. 7. 1947, 1st Session

“What would you like to say, Airl?”, I asked.

“I have been a part of the Domain Expeditionary Force in this sector of space for several thousand years. However, I have not personally had intimate contact with beings on Earth since 5,965 BCE. It is not my primary function to interact with inhabitants of planets within The Domain. I am an Officer, Pilot and Engineer, with many duties to perform. Nonetheless, although I am fluent in 347 other languages within The Domain, I have not been exposed to your English language.

Said very interestingly. However, let's parse this statement to it's basics. 

This officer 

[1] has been assigned to this region for a long stretch of time (from a human perspective). 
[2] Hasn't interacted with humans for roughly 8,000 years. 
[3] Is an officer, a pilot, and an engineer. 
[4] Is fluent in numerous languages spoken within their "nation" / "federation". 
[5] Does not speak English until now.

The last Earth language with which I was conversant was the Sanskrit language of the Vedic Hymns. At that time I was a member of a mission sent to investigate the loss of a Domain base located in the Himalaya Mountains. An entire battalion of officers, pilots, communications and administrative personnel disappeared and the base destroyed.

This officer learned the local Earth language when investigating the loss of one of their outposts. This was in the Himalaya mountains, and at that time 8,000 years ago, the locals spoke Sanskrit. It was a large outpost.

Knowing what I know, I can tell you that this was a sizable installation. It was large, and it maintained a large contingent of personnel, and they were active in doing what ever they were active in doing. A facility this size has a purpose. And what it was, or what it was doing, is not specified.

Several million years ago I was trained and served as an Investigation, Data Evaluation and Program Development Officer for The Domain. Because I was experienced in that technology, I was sent to Earth as part of the search team.

Again, do not get all caught up on the specific numbers and terms. Just look at the basics what it was saying.

The type-1 extraterrestrial had training in the specialties needed to investigate the mystery of the lost outpost. So it was sent down to the area to investigate.

One of my duties involved interrogation of the human population that inhabited the adjoining area at that time.  Many of the people in that region reported sighting “vimanas” or space craft in the area.

Thus the reason why the "non-contact" protocols were breached. The local humans needed to be interviewed, and they needed to be understood. So it learned the local language at that time.

In interviewing them (not specified how), the humans reported seeing spaceships and vehicles in the area. Which was telling. As the type-1 greys have a "non-contact" / "non-interference" policy and all their ships are hidden from view (cloaked).

This means that they were observing space vehicles of another nation / civilization / species.

Following the logical extension of evidence, testimony, observation, as well as the absence of certain evidence, I led my team to the discovery that there were still “Old Empire” ships and well-hidden “Old Empire” installations in this solar system of which we had been completely unaware.

It makes reference to an "old empire". This is entirely plausible, however, it does seem to be contrived to fit the mind-set of the military at the facility at that time. 

For all of military at the base (at that time) had just spent the last few years fighting the Nazi Germans and the Japanese empires. It seems logical to me that the Type-1 grey would carefully construct a narrative that the human base commanders would relate to, accept and understand.

You and I were unable to communicate in your language because I, personally, have not been exposed to your language. However, now that I have scanned the books and material you provided me this data has been relayed to our space station in this region and processed by our communications officer through our computers. It has been translated into my own language and relayed back to me in a context that I can think with. I have also received additional information from the files stored in our computers about the English language and Domain records concerning Earth civilization.”

It obtained the books. Scanned the content. Relayed it to "the cloud" at the base. Massaged it, cross-indexed it with known available records, and now is able to converse in English at a more professional level.

“Now I am prepared to give you certain information that I feel will be of great value to you.

Up until this point in time, I believe that all the information was wholly accurate, and truthful to the understanding of the people in the Roswell facility.

It is at this juncture, that it decides to "give certain information" that might benefit humans.

I will tell you the truth. Although truth is relative to all other truth, I wish to share with you as honestly and accurately as possible, truth as I see it, within the boundaries of my integrity to myself, to my race and without violating my obligations to the organization I serve and have sworn to uphold and protect”.

The key phrase is "truth is relative to other truths". And that is the KEY to unlocking and understanding all which was stated. 

It is [1] providing a mixture of information that [2] will be believable to the military leadership at the base, all intended to convey [3] various points that it wants to establish.

Knowing what I know, the points that it wanted to establish were...

[A] The Type-1 greys are a old, advanced species.
[B] The Type-1 greys own the Earth and everything surrounding it.
[C] The Type-1 greys are very strong militarily.
[D] Avenues for further communication will be made possible but on the terms established by the Type-1 greys.

Everything else is clouded in a mish-mash of mercurial and seemingly unrelated, but highly detailed (trigger) subjects designed to evoke a certain degree of emotional and mental reactions from the military staff at the facility.

“OK”, I thought. “Will you answer questions from the gallery now?”

“No. I will not answer questions. I will provide information to you that I think will be beneficial to the well-being of the immortal spiritual beings who comprise humanity, and that will foster the survival of all the myriad life forms and the environment of Earth, as it is a part of my mission to ensure the preservation of Earth.

As part of it's role and mission to ensure the preservation of the Earth, it will provide a narrative. This narrative will provide "information" which will eventually be beneficial to the souls of the humans that exist on the Earth.

“Personally, it is my conviction that all sentient beings are immortal spiritual beings. This includes human beings. For the sake of accuracy and simplicity I will use a made-up word: “IS-BE“. Because the primary nature of an immortal being is that they live in a timeless state of “is”, and the only reason for their existence is that they decide to “be”.

What it is talking about is "individual consciousness" which is a creation of soul. 

This term "IS-BE" is confusing. For our purposes here, we will simply refer to it as "consciousness+". 

It describes consciousness as it has decided to enter various life-lines through various world-lines. Of course, this understanding was well-beyond the military minded folk right after world war 2. So it made up it's own term.

No matter how lowly their station in a society, every IS-BE deserves the respect and treatment that I myself would like to receive from others. Each person on Earth continues to be an IS-BE whether they are aware of the fact or not.”

Continued, and with personal notes from the interpreter.

“Airl told me her reasons for coming to Earth and for being in the area of the 509th Bomber Squadron. She was sent by her superior officers to investigate the explosions of nuclear weapons which have been tested in New Mexico. Her superiors ordered her to gather information from the atmosphere that could be used to determine the extent of radiation and potential harm this might cause to the environment. During her mission, the space craft was struck by a lighting which caused her to lose control and crash.

This was covered earlier (above).

While investigating nuclear detonations in the New Mexico region, the vehicle experienced some kind of wave frequency / electro-magnetic interference. The type-1 extraterrestrial believed that it was due to natural weather irregularities. But, within two years, they will realize that it was due to radar interference with their electrical control systems.

The space craft is operated by IS-BEs who use “doll bodies” in much the same way that an actor wears a mask and costume. It is a like a mechanical tool through which to operate in the physical world. She, as well as all of the other IS-BEs of the officer class and their superiors, inhabit these “doll bodies” when they are on duty in space. When they are not on duty, they “leave” the body and operate, think, communicate, travel, and exist without the use of a body.

Not stated in the transcripts, but in the personal notes of the nurse is the understanding that these constructed bodies are just like suits of clothing that the type-1 grey extraterrestrial entities wear.

The bodies are constructed of synthetic materials, including a very sensitive electrical nervous system, to which each IS-BE adjusts themselves or “tune in” to an electronic wave length that is matched uniquely to the wavelength or frequency emitted by each IS-BE.

Each IS-BE is capable of creating a unique wave frequency which identifies them, much like a radio signal frequency. This serves, in part, as identification like a finger print. The doll body acts like a radio receiver for the IS-BE. No two frequencies or doll bodies are exactly the same.

The bodies of each IS-BE crew member are likewise tuned into and connected to the “nervous system” built into the space craft. The space craft is built in much the same way as the doll body. It is adjusted specifically to the frequency of each IS-BE crew member. Therefore, the craft can be operated by the “thoughts” or energy emitted by the IS-BE. It is really a very simple, direct control system. So, there are no complicated controls or navigation equipment on board the space craft. They operate as an extension of the IS-BE.

When the lightning bolt struck the space craft this caused a short circuit and consequently “disconnected” them from the control of the ship momentarily which resulted in the crash.

Again, the belief is that the default explanation for the crash was a natural phenomenon based upon assumption. 

Were the type-1 greys to investigate the crash and wreckage, they would (and eventually will) identify the root cause failure. Which was a real surprise to them, I am sure. And resulted in changes to the control systems of the spacecraft.

Airl was, and still is, an officer, pilot and engineer in an expeditionary force which is part of a space opera civilization which refers to itself as “The Domain”.

I have no problem calling the type-1 greys part of a "space opera civilization". 

Firstly [1] because they are one of the dominant species in our region. Secondly [2] that the military leadership at Roswell would easily understand this reference. And thirdly [3] all the subsequent information provided illustrates this point most clearly.

This civilization controls a vast number of galaxies, stars, planets, moons and asteroids throughout an area of space that is approximately one-fourth of the entire physical universe!

It could be. Or it could not. No one really actually knows.

My understanding from this differs substantially. 

As I understand it, this species can travel the universe, and has control over regions of space in other galaxies. But as far as our galaxy is concerned, it's control is about 25% of it, and our solar system is somewhere off to the side of the central area of control. The are expanding inward towards the center from the outer rim.

This nurse, is making a common mistake associating "the universe" with "the galaxy".

The continuing mission of her organization is to “Secure, control and expand the territory and resources of The Domain”.

Airl pointed out that their own activities were very similar in many ways to the European explorers who “discovered” and “claimed” the New World for The Holy Father, The Pope and for the kings of Spain, Portugal and later, Holland, England, France and so forth.

Europe benefited from the property “acquired” from the native inhabitants. However, the native inhabitants were never consulted with or asked for their permission to become a part of the “domain” of European nations and the soldiers and priests they sent to acquire territory and wealth in order to advance their interests.

Airl said she read in a history book that the Spanish king regretted the brutal treatment of the native inhabitants by his soldiers. He feared retribution from the gods he worshiped, as described in the various testaments of the Bible. He asked the Pope to prepare a statement called “The Requirement” which was supposed to be read to each of the newly encountered native inhabitants.

The king hoped that the statement, whether it was accepted or rejected by the natives, would absolve the King of all responsibility for the resulting slaughter and enslavement of these people. He used this statement as justification to confiscate their lands and possessions by his soldiers and the Pope’s priests. Apparently, the Pope, personally, did not have any feelings of guilt or responsibility in the matter.

Airl thought that such actions were those of a coward and that it is no surprise that the territory of Spain was diminished so quickly. Only a few years later the king was dead and his empire had been assimilated by other nations.

While this entire narrative and story was not included in the interview transcripts, I do not doubt that it occurred in silent unspoken communication between the two.

Souls are constructed and grow from the experiences that consciousness generates.

If your consciousness (in whatever form you take) creates destructive, unwarranted and unfair actions, tumult, pain, sadness, and emotional and physical strife...

...this creation will reside upon all your works, and your soul construct no matter how pleasant and beautiful you (and your works) look on the outside.

Eventually, it will try to find a point of lowest energy potential and all will manifest and come down hard on your "great works". It is no surprise that the type-1 grey talked in these terms.

Airl said that this sort of behavior does not occur in The Domain. Their leaders assume full responsibility for the actions of The Domain, and would not denigrate themselves in this fashion. Nor do they fear any gods or have any regret for their actions.

This idea reinforces my earlier suggestion that Airl and her people are probably atheists.

Missing the point.

Say that you kidnapped someone when you were in your 20's. You raped them, then you killed them, you hid the body, and no one knew anything at all about it. 

For sixty years you raised a family, went to church, and worked at your job and got your gold watch at retirement. 

On your death bed, you made a last confession. You told the priest about the murder, and he "absolved you of all your sins", and you died and expected to go into Heaven.

What's next?

A mantid (angel) comes and you go in front of a committee and they review your life. They see the good works, the bad works, and the terrible works.

Are your sins absolved? 

No. They are not.

Buy doing those terrible things, you have "hoisted a huge grand piano, with a strong hemp rope, a full 80 stories above your head". 

(This is a figurative illustration that suggests that you have created a very dangerous situation and now lie under the threat of this situation that you created.)

Until you resolve your deeds, you will have that danger with you always, and it attracts people who have sharp knives and who love to cut ropes.

(Again, figuratively, you will attract to you events, and things that will trigger a release of that danger that you created.)

You will need to resolve that, and the best way is a role reversal in your next life. The second best, is to take on a positive and helpful role doing good deeds and making great things happen. A third way is to accept it, and allow the piano to fall on you as that is the consequence for your actions.

Now all of this would have been totally alien to the military leadership at Roswell at that time.

In the case of the acquisition of Earth by The Domain, the rulers of The Domain have chosen not to openly reveal this intention to the “native inhabitants” of Earth until a later time when it may, or may not, suit their interests to reveal themselves. For the present time, it is not strategically necessary to make the presence of The Domain Expeditionary Force known to Mankind. In fact, until now, it has been very aggressively hidden, for reasons that will be revealed later.

Simple. The Earth is owned by the type-1 greys. There is no need to tell any of the Earth inhabitants of this truth. Maybe sometime in the future, the Type-1 greys will work and communicate with humans in various nations of the world, but not in 1948.

I can tell you that this occurred with the United States in the 1970's and MAJestic was formed as a result of this level of communication.

I can also tell you that both China, and Russia have also been in contact with the Type-1 greys. But I cannot elaborate on the extent of that communication.

The asteroid belt near Earth is a very small, but important location for The Domain in this part of space. Actually, some of the objects in our solar system are very valuable for use as low-gravity “space stations”. They are interested primarily in the low gravity satellites in this solar system which consists mainly of the side of the moon facing away from Earth and the asteroid belt, which was a planet that was destroyed billions of years ago, and to a lesser degree, Mars and Venus.

Nothing new here. The Type-1 greys are interested in the asteroid belt, and the moon (on the "far side").

Doom Domed structures synthesized from gypsum or underground bases covered by electromagnetic force screens are easily constructed to house the Domain forces.

Bases and facilities are easily created in this solar system. They consist of domed structures, or underground facilities hidden by electromagnetic force screens.

Once an area of space is acquired by The Domain and becomes a part of the territory under its control, it is treated as the “property” of The Domain. The space station near the planet Earth is important only because it lay along a path of The Domain expansion route toward the center of the Milky Way galaxy and beyond.

Nothing new. And this information can be well understood by the Roswell military at that time.

End of part 1

So far there is NOTHING in this transcript that I can find fault with.

There’s some minor errors in translation, and misconceptions, but most of what is going on is what you would expect. In this first part, there wasn’t any intentional misdirection, falsehoods, or deceptions that I can identify.

Of course, this information would have been an absolute SHOCK to the world at that time. And no one was ready for the idea that [1] there were other species in universe, or that [2] they owned us lock, stock and barrel.

In this article, I tried to put things into perspective with what I know, and added some insight. I also purposefully omitted much of the opinions, thoughts and clutter that the book has. I just wanted to “get to the meat” of it.

The next section(s) describe some very difficult things to absorb. Mostly because you (and most MM readers) do not have the mind-set of a 1947 military officer. And THAT was the target audience for the narrative presented.

We will continue with a parsing of this document / book in part 2.

Key Points

  • The Roswell military event that acquired a UFO is not a fiction.
  • A Type-1 grey extraterrestrial craft crashed and was recovered by military personnel.
  • One creature was captured and interrogated.
  • The person who was able to ask him questions and record the answers was an Army nurse.
  • She kept all records of the event, including the actual transcripts, and disclosed them on her death-bed.
  • The creature was a construct and the species wore the animated creature like we would wear clothing.
  • The creature claims to be very ancient, and that they own the Earth, and their role is to protect it and make sure that it is maintained
  • There is another extraterrestrial group. This group is referred to as the “old empire” and it has been administrating this region of space for a long time.

Do you want more?

You can find many more videos in my “Extraterrestrial Species index” over here…

ET Species

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Articles & Links

Master Index

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  • You can start reading the articles by going HERE.
  • You can visit the Index Page HERE to explore by article subject.
  • You can also ask the author some questions. You can go HERE to find out how to go about this.
  • You can find out more about the author HERE.
  • If you have concerns or complaints, you can go HERE.
  • If you want to make a donation, you can go HERE.

 

Some thoughts on what it was like, for me running MAJ operations, and relationships.

This is a MAJestic post. In this article I look at some of the aspects of operations and how it impacted my life within the MWI.

This article opens up an entire “can of worms”.

You see, nothing is like Hollywood movies. It’s not some lone brave hero with no background, relationships, or friendships. We all have relationships, families, friends, pleasures, pastimes and interests.

And when you join any program (not just MAJestic) that just doesn’t disappear.

You remain who you are. Your interests stay the same. Your family stays the same, and your relationships stay the same.

This is true regardless to what happens to you on a personal level.  You just don’t chuck it all away when you “sign on the dotted line”, enter into a facility, or start interacting with other people, species or events.

This is very true.

And for me (for instance), I would be involved in some calibration training exercises with a <redacted> discussing and going through a <redacted> procedure, yet at the end of the day, I would go home. I would fill my motorcycle with gas, pick up some Betamax tapes to watch, and grab a bucket of KFC chicken and a 30-pack of Budweiser beer.

Your life doesn’t change. You just add experiences, events and knowledge to what you already possess.

KFC in Ridgecrest, CA, right outside the Main Gate to China Lake NWC.

Relationships are more than what you think

Everyone realizes what “love” is, and the bond that two people have when they are together and when they get married. It’s a bond; an understanding, a shared behavior, and a degree of comfort.

But what people do not realize is that on the quantum level this bond is a very important two-way communication stream. It’s a very strong and powerful communication channel.

Yes, it is complex, and yes it is interesting. And Yes, I am going to get really “deep” into this subject on two particular levels.

  • Level one is the idea about “quantum shadows” being your loved ones and family members.

And …

  • Level Two is the idea of what it was like for me to go through all these “slides” and “anchoring” events as part of MAJestic. All the while still maintaining a quantum level bond and connection with my spouse and my family.

Level One – Anchoring activity for MAJ while conducting “slides”

As I have explained elsewhere, every moment that your consciousness occupies a world-line, it is (for the most part) alone. All those “other” people are just empty shells and they really don’t have the same kind of consciousness density as you have.

It’s easy to misunderstand this. It’s easy to believe that we occupy a singular lonely world. But that’s not really the case.

And, yes, I have used this simplification in my early posts when introducing this concept.

It’s just a simplification for our minds to understand a very complex reality. Which is that consciousness is not a point, a blob, or a ghostly vaporous something. It is a shared construction, established by your soul, that operates on a multitude of world-lines simultaneously.

And when you are upon any given specific world-line, what that means is that your consciousness density for YOU at that point in time is the dominant density within that particular world-line. All the other consciousness’s within that world-line have a much lighter and trivial density.

It’s not exactly zero.

But it’s not as dominant as yours is.

Now that you understand this point then you can understand how the family bonding occurs. Your particular consciousness bonds, or sets up a quantum line of communication, with other consciousness’s within that particular world-line. The density does not matter.

All that matters is that one consciousness is connected to another.

So…

When I am going through rapid world-line cycling and slides, my wife and my pets seemingly go through it with me. I am with my wife, and my cat is on a chair. A slide occurs and suddenly I am wearing white socks with these big black dots on them (do not laugh, it actually occurred). My wife is still there, except that she has much longer hair, and my cat looks up at me inquiringly. (as if to say, “what?”)

But they actually don’t travel with me. They appear to. But their thoughts and memories are unaware of the transposition of realities.

Are you confused?

It looks that way because when I arrive at the new world-line their quantum shadows are there. They seem, they appear, to go with me.

And since each quantum shadow has a trivial level of consciousness, the bonding methodology remains intact. You still love your spouse, and your pets no matter how strange the rest of the world-line appears to you.

So you can go through a “slide” and you can be in a really deep dive.

The world around you can be very unusual. Like having green(!) chili sauce for your hotdog (also really happened. But at least on this world-line ketchup is the normal red color that we have grown to love), with odd colored deep fried yams instead of French Fries.

And with this would be comparable changes to the physical appearance (and memories) of your spouse.

In my case, she might be shorter, or taller. She might have different colored hair, or eyes, and a different figure entirely. But she was still my spouse. I was always able to recognize her as that. No matter how strange she appeared to me.

Different body shapes for women, simplified and illustrated.

I attribute that to the conscious bonding mechanism of quantum entanglement between closely associated consciousness’s.

And the same is true with my pets as well. Though, seriously, I swear that my cats knew what was going on all the time with me. They would sort of look at me with this expression “What? Again!”

And you all know that things can really change.

Cars can change, houses can change, entire landscapes can change, and along with all of that are entire histories and the past. Not only of the body that your consciousness occupies, but also of the entire world-line.

And yes, mental processes as well.

You spouse might be a crack genius one moment, and then a slide will turn her into a simpleton, with no education or understandings.

One minute you are on a world-line where Gerald Ford is President, and the next moment your world-line has Ross Perot as President. And yes, it did happen, and sometimes it can be extraordinarily confusing. Not to mention extremely frustrating.

On a personal note that I can tell you that while my wife would change from slide to slide, it was never far too radical. Or in other words, she didn’t go from a “Whoopi Goldberg” to a Alessandra Ambrosio during a slide.

I was always able to recognize her.

But that being said, that actually could have happened. She could have looked like Whoopi and then ended up looking like Alessandra. She could have. It’s just that in my experience, she didn’t.

That doesn’t mean that she didn’t have cosmetic surface differences. Sometimes her skin color was different, the hair style and color would be different, and yes, her body would change. Sometimes rather drastically. Yet, though all of this, she “felt” right.

I well remember one time there was a slide and while we were having sex (it happened at all times, I had no control of it) she ended up becoming shorter. Like really shorter. Maybe three inches shorter (9 cm). But her boobs got much bigger, so it was one of those cases of a little of this, and a little of that, you know.

And don’t ask me how I dealt with it.

I am a human, when you start to experience changes, you learn to adapt to them. And so I did. I adapted.

This is true for my cats, and my dogs. They might have physically changed, but I was immediately able to identify who they were. Our internal relationships were not altered by the MWI taskings. Though it could be frustrating. I once was used to having my dog go out for walks with me, and he would keep close by, then there would be a slide, and I would need to take him out of a leash each time, because otherwise he would run away.

So, what I am trying to say is that everything is inner-connected.  You don’t go from being a middle-class noob driving an average car, to suddenly living in a high-rise penthouse with a movie-starlet in your bed. All slides happened for reasons, and when I was involved in the slides, the changes were always in equal amounts of good with bad, new changes with old familiars, and situations that resembled where I departed from.

Level Two – The relationships

Now, as I have stated, this bond; this connection between my consciousness and the consciousness’s of my family, loved ones and pets did not change.

It still existed.

And because it did, I was able to identify them and their association with me. This was true no matter how messed up the rest of the world appeared to me, to be.

Yet…

Bonds and quantum level communication is a two-way street.  Even though my wife had no idea what was going on, aside from what I told her, she was able to “feel” or sense changes.

In fact, she was an unusually sensitive person. She possessed this nearly 6th or 7th sense that at times amazed me. For instance, she knew that the earthquake in San Francisco was going to occur. She  knew what I was doing when I was at the other end of the world on business travel. She even knew if I had indigestion if I was in a hotel room miles away. She knew, in great detail, if I was being a very “bad boy”. And she knew if I was missing her and my little family.

And strangely she could sense when I went to the bathroom, and would always, absolutely always, call me when I left my desk to go to the toilet. (She didn’t realize that this was going on, but it drove me nuts. And in those days, we didn’t have cell phones.)

She was special like that.

Because even though the world-lines changed, and the bonds did not, the bonds themselves were altered by the environmental changes.

And she could sense this.

So she would compensate.

Her brain, affected by what her “quantum shadow” was at the time, would also create changes in the bonding between us individuals. And that slowly drove her crazy.

She started to manifest strange behaviors around 1987.

Was diagnosed with Schizoaffective personality in the early 1990’s, and exhibited full schizophrenia around 1998.

Which is one of the reasons why I was so very upset by the comments by “Osiander” on 30APR21.

"It seems to me to be hearing the thought stream of a schizophrenic person."

A person with this illness is very sick indeed, and their loved ones have a herculean task in dealing with them, on top of everything else.

For me, personally, not only did I need to endure the slides via MAJestic, but I held some very competitive and hard-charging technical positions in the industry. It was awful.

You are making a presentation in a meeting, you are standing in front of the white-board, and the secretary breaks into the room with a phone call. It's the hospital and my wife tried to kill herself, and they needed me to go to the hospital immediately and sign the necessary papers. So I would need to excuse myself from the meeting, and run off to the emergency room at the hospital, and sign the necessary papers to put her under observation and then into the hospital for treatment. Sometimes as short as a few weeks, but towards the end of the 1990's lasting months inside a high-security ward.

Not a fun life.

And add that to the fact that the role I had was not changing. I had to deal through all the slides and changes while everyone else just lived their normal day-to-day life. Ugh!

In the world-lines, they (the world-line itself) always seemed to adjust to our situations.

Not the other way around.

And things changed.

The past would change each time we went though a slide.

Not, typically big changes. But all those little details that can add up to a very fundamentally strange life.

When we first met, her family were normal, middle class. Then over the slides and jumps, things started to change. Her family history migrated to lower class. And then her family started to have “a past”, and a history of mental illnesses. Where earlier there wasn’t any.

And indeed she was having a hard go at it. If I was involved in a deep-dive, you can pretty much guarantee that she would suffer the consequence for in on some way, one way or the other.

New subject.

The fantasies

All men have these fantasies of encountered strange, interesting and fun women and having sex with them.

The porn industry isn’t a billion dollar industry for nothing.

And if you fully understand what I am relating you can see that there is this real distinct possibility that this kind of thing can seemingly happen when you are involved in a slide.

But I can tell you that while there is a certain element of that that POSSIBLY could occur, it just never materialized in the way that you would it that it would. At least not in my situation.

My wife was always my wife.

She might look thin and tall, or short and round, but she was always my wife. You immediately recognize her as “the wife”.

Though she might be tall and thin, or short and round. She was always easily identifiable to me as my wife, my spouse and I immediately knew her by close proximity “feeling”, not by visual confirmation.

When the alarm went off in the morning, you woke up with your wife. Regardless of how she looked, the length of her hair, the colors of her eyes, or the way she was built. She was your spouse for good or for bad.

I will admit that there is a certain excitement having sex with a spouse that one day looks like an athletic gymnast, and the next day looks like someone who lounges on the sofa eating bon-bons, and then the day after that was a prissy doll-faced scold.  But the bonding of family members goes far deeper than the physical appearance, and that I can tell you (first hand) is really the fundamental case.

In fact, during really crazy times, when the cycling was “off the charts”, all I really wanted to do is sort of get back to the woman who I married, not what ever quantum shadow she was at that particular time.

So much for the fantasy. Eh?

However, for the record, for the vast majority of the time we were married she was always attractive and upscale in that particular area. This was the result of many things that are too involved to get into at this time.

It’s like all those fancy promotions of the life of the “jet set” businessmen. The people that travel three or five times a week, always flying to one city or to the other.

It looks so glamorous and exciting.

The life of the “jet set” businessmen.

But as someone who actually did it, nope, it’s something else altogether different.

Truthfully, it’s a pain in the ass and all you want is a nice home-cooked meal, a rest on your couch, and maybe some time in the backyard with your family. The life of a “road warrior” is not fun.

It sucks.

It’s mostly a world of lonely restaurants, airports, rental cars, and hotel-rooms.

This was me. High tech road warrior.

That’s the way life is.

How you picture something is usually not the way it actually is.

So what am I saying?

Look, if you are able to conduct prayer campaigns, you can navigate the MWI successfully and end up with the kind of life that you desire.

And if you have a role, such as I have had, where you have zero navigation control, you can still grasp the reigns of power and steer your life in the direction that you want. You just need to alter the programming. As I did in ADC Pine Bluff.

What ever you do, just remember that we are all connected together.

For you to navigate you must be aware of your interpersonal relationships and then leverage them for mutual satisfaction. NEVER discount the interpersonal relationships that you are involved in. They have a great deal of influence on how your desires and wishes manifest.

In the meantime, as best as you can… just enjoy that life that you are living right now. It’s a blessing that might not come your way again.

Do you want more?

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You’ll not find any big banners or popups here talking about cookies and privacy notices. There are no ads on this site (aside from the hosting ads – a necessary evil). Functionally and fundamentally, I just don’t make money off of this blog. It is NOT monetized. Finally, I don’t track you because I just don’t care to.

To go to the MAIN Index;

Master Index

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Conversations with God (full text) and free

The following are the three volumes of the book(s) titled “Conversations with God” by Neale Donald Walsch. All three volumes are provided in PDF format. They are presented here free and in full PDF text for your learning, enjoyment and understanding. Just click on the link and read.

It’s that simple.

No need to enter a credit card number to prove that you are a human, or to register. You don’t need to do anything. This is a service as these books are getting harder and harder to obtain. Overseas, at least. And everyone is just trying to make a buck or two.

So relax, and enjoy.

The books

These books were brought to my attention by an influencer who recommended them to me.

I find their take a little different from mine, but many of the basic ideas are pretty much the same.  Certainly the terms are different, but that is to be expected.

It’s a good read, and there are some differences in belief and understanding between these works and mine. It doesn’t mean that I am right and they are wrong or vice versa, it just means that there are different ways to interpret the same thing.

Hmmm, Ive read all 3 books. Some terrific insights, granted. But “God’s” description of the soul as firmly encased in the body–physically– doesn’t jive with Mr Man’s or my notion/sense of the soul being most definitely elsewhere and connected to the body via consciousness.

So, the author IMHO isn’t really speaking to God at all. But he’s quite the imagination. And the explanation given for the soul in these books is quite detailed. But again, unlike our understanding.
Caveat emptor, I guess. As usual.

-Ultan

Never the less, they are a good read, and I recommend them for the searcher.

About the Trilogy “Conversations with God”

Conversations with God” is a book trilogy in which the author transcripts the dialog he had with God (the meaning of God is discussed in the book) through the process of automatic writing or channeling.

With over 7 million copies sold worldwide, this extraordinary dialog was a huge hit in the New Age bookstores due to its groundbreaking and hopeful testimonial on spirituality. Accused of blasphemy and wanting to reinvent Christianism, Neale Donald Walsch didn’t make everyone happy when publishing his books. He denies that this transcription has been built on spiritual frustration or on an attempt to get absolution from his past mistakes in his life. He was just laying down questions in his notepad and would get answers filled with wisdom directly through his writing. Friends and family then pushed him to publish his transcripts publicly t o share his experience.

Highly criticized, the author’s statements put the human experience and free will at the heart of the spiritual experience on earth. He also suggests a new definition of God, more like a best friend than a taciturn father figure whose love would come under certain conditions.

With a casual and sometimes humoristic style, these books often bring up questions that we all once asked ourselves: life, love, purpose of life, the Good, the Evil, guilt, Heaven, Hell, power, health, joy, pain, marriage, money, death …

Introduction

During Easter 1992, the Author was having a huge existential crisis. On a personal, professional and emotional standpoint, his life seemed to him like a complete failure.

Accustomed through the years to write down his frustrations in letters (that he would almost never send), he grabbed his old notepad and started pouring in there all his misfortune and decided to address this letter to his biggest bully that was causing all of his problems: God.

Filled with pain and passion, Neale Donald Walsch wrote down his questions, doubts and confusion: “What did I do to deserve this life of constant battle?”

To his surprise, while scribbling the last of his bitter questions, his pen remained floating above the note pad, like an invisible force holding it back. Suddenly, it started moving on its own and answering his questions like it was dictated. In shock but inspired, the author took advantage of the situation and started asking all the questions he had on his mind and took note of every answers given by God by thoughts or feelings, in a very clear and intelligible way…

In the first paragraph of the book, there is a cute anecdote about a Small Candle which helps us understand what is a soul and why it incarnates itself.

The Small Candle anecdote

There was a time when a soul knew it was light. As it was a new soul, it was excited to experiment. “I am the light, it said. I am the light”

But as it knew and said it was light, it wasn’t like experiencing it. In the kingdom where it appeared, there was only life. Each soul was big, each soul was beautiful and each soul was shining an intense light. So, the tiny soul was like a candle in the sun. Amongst the brightest light (from which it belonged), it couldn’t see itself, experience Who and What It Really Was.

So this soul committed to know itself more and more. So committed that one day I told her: “Do you know, little one, what you need to do to fulfil your aspiration ?”

“What, God? What ? I would do anything” said the little soul.
“You have to separate yourself from us, I answered, then you must invoke obscurity upon you”
“What is obscurity, O Almighty ?” asked the little soul.
“It is what you are not” I replied and the soul understood.

So, that is what the soul did: it separated itself from everything and went to another kingdom. In this kingdom, the soul could invoke in its experience any kind of obscurity. That’s what it did.

But amongst all this obscurity she cried out :”Father, Father, why did you abandoned me?”

(then reaching out to Neale Donald Walsch): “As you once did yourself, in your darkest hours. But i haven’t abandoned you. I am eternally faithful, ready to remind you who you truly are, ready, always ready, to bring you back where you belong”

Thus, be the light in the obscurity and don’t damn it.

And don’t forget who you are when surrounded by what you are not. Bless the Creation when you are looking to change it.

And do know that what you will do in the face of your biggest challenge might be your biggest triumph. Because the experience you create is the affirmation of who you are and you want to be.

“Conversations with God” is broken down in 3 volumes:

  • The first one is focused on personal topics but also on challenges and opportunities one can face in its life.
  • The second one talks about global matters, geopolitical and metaphysical life on this planet but also on the current challenges it has to face.
  • The third one deals with the universal truths of the highest order, the challenges and opportunities of the soul after its terrestrial experience.

The Downloads

Click on the picture to download or open up the PDF in your browser. It’s usually pretty fast, though if you are still using a “dial up” modem, it might take a while.

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When prayers counter act each other and cancel out in an affirmation campaign

Prayers can seemingly cancel each other out. Yikes!

This happens, and the larger the number of affirmations you have, the greater the risk you have in having them cancel out each other. It happens, and you have to be aware and careful about your affirmations. Most certainly, the simple and sweet rule applies. Do not get too hung up on elaborate campaigns. Keep things simple.

Let’s talk about this here.

An example

This is a true example that was sent to me.

A MM follower had a problem. (Most of us do, but this has to deal with his affirmations. He felt that he was “spinning his wheels”.) While there were all sorts of things going on in his life, his most important two affirmations had not yet been realized. It had been at least a year maybe longer.

And while I told him that it takes time for the more distant goals to be realized, he argued that he must be doing something wrong.

So, after a few probing questions, he let me see his list of prayer affirmations, and at the top, under the heading “Most important” were two affirmations. They were…

  • Be the CEO of a large and important company.
  • Have a nice calm, happy and peaceful life.

Now, of course, it is possible to have both. It is not impossible. For with affirmation prayers, anything is possible. It’s just that some things require more world-lines to traverse to get to.

I suggested to him to do one or the other. Not both simultaneously.

And why you might ask…

Pick the one that he desires first, and then work towards it.

The reason for this, is that the combination of both together is going to be a difficult one to obtain quickly. Now I said “quickly”. I did not say unobtainable. His combination made quick implementation of his desires rather problematic.

How to understand this…

When your objective prayers are not being realized that means that there might be one or more of a number of things going on.

  • Your prayer goal takes a large number of world-lines to traverse. It is farther away than your would like, and you have yet to reach it.
  • Your goal is in conflict with another goal, thus obtaining both goals together sends your ultimate objective further down the time track.
  • Your goal is off your pre-birth world-line template and you have not approved or blessed a slide to get off your fated life.
  • You are being blocked by non-physical issues that you are unaware of.
  • Your prayer is simply not possible within your template.

Regarding this last point…

Anything and everything is possible in our reality. In the movie The Craft (1996),  the three other witches placed curses, hexes and spells on a girl in their coven. Her life turned to shit, and even her parents died. Then, after running a prayer / spell campaign she awoke to a new reality. One where her parents didn’t really die as was reported on television, it was all a bad mistake.

Anything is possible in this reality.

It’s just that there is a measure of your opposition to change that plays a role. And I want to discuss that right now.

Inertia

Our “reality universe” in both the physical reality, and the non-physical reality has this quality, or attribute known as “inertia”. It is measurable, and there have been many studies on it. Essentially, inertia is the resistance to change. We see this everyday.

If you are running and you want to stop suddenly, you end up toppling and going heads over heals. Or if you are trying to push a car that is broken down, its hard to get it moving, but once it starts to roll, it is so much easier. All of this is known as “inertia”.

Inertia 
Inertia is the resistance of any physical object to any change in its velocity. This includes changes to the object's speed, or direction of motion. An aspect of this property is the tendency of objects to keep moving in a straight line at a constant speed, when no forces act upon them.
This property affects everything. And it is not just the physical. It is the non-physical as well. And yes, thoughts and ideas also have inertia.
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So you really cannot expect to start and stop affirmation prayers at will. While you physically might start and stop the actual vocalizations, you cannot stop the non-physical things that you set in motion.
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It’s due to a non-physical attribute that is similar to inertia.
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Now, I want the reader to take into account that there is no such thing as “time”, and since there is no such thing…

…that means that the affirmations that you made last year has the same validity or “juiciness” as if you were making them today. And thus all the affirmations and writings that you have ever done is part of the big stew that you have been cooking all your life to get to the point where you are now.

We can refer to this characteristic as the inertial component of an affirmation / prayer campaign.

An Illustration

Let’s look at this example.

We see that the “hills” and valleys” of a topographical world-line map that is representative of the MWI  is a measure of how difficult, stressful, or contentious a person’s life might be RELATIVE to the other world-lines that preceded it.

And here we see that you can accumulate benefit by climbing these “hills”…

And here I make the point that effort, strife, discomfort accumulates a specific type of experience that the consciousness can use.

How it is used depends on many things.

As we go “up the hill” in the MWI topographical map, we can also go “down the hill” upon the topographical map. And the ease of your life would be wholly a function of the release of the “good stuff” or “good karma” that you have accumulated during your travels.

As shown here…

But we can consider the benefits and liabilities of this accumulated effort in dealing with strife to be similar to that of inertia.

You climb the “hills” and you experience discomfort. You do down the “hills” and you experience a relatively easy period of time.

If we consider it to be analogous to “karma” as well as “inertia” then we have a real actual characteristic that is fundamental to our movement within the MWI and when we go from world-line to world-line.

This can be counter intuitive. After all, how can you “gain something” when you expend effort?

And I am here to tell you that no matter what you do in life, everything is inner connected.

So when you make a prayer affirmation campaign a few years back, the impressions that they made still slings to your being. Even though (for instance) you recognize that that you made some grievous errors in judgment when you defined those prayers.

Back to the example

So here, let’s go back to the example of the follower who is upset that he is not achieving the life of comfort and success as he pictured in his affirmation prayer campaign.

His life apparently isn’t going anywhere.

He seems stuck in his current situation.

He is frustrated, and he desperately wants that vision of a new life. You know which one. Something like this…

Boss life.

Ah.

There are many things at play. But I am willing to wager that the primary contributors are that his prayers counter-act each other, and ended up putting his goals in a far-away location on the MWI, as well as residual inertial influence of previous desires, wishes and vocalizations.

Time does not exist.

So the things that he said, and the writings that he made, and the actions that he dreamed of and contemplated upon has created a “tablecloth” upon which his new (and latest) prayer affirmations rest upon.

And while we want to believe that each and every new affirmation prayer campaign is a “new slate” from which to conduct our desires and goals, it is in all actuality a new meal that is placed on a tablecloth already soiled by your previous dining efforts.

In this particular case, I believe that it is a combination of things going on that has set his goals far off “in the distance” (MWI speaking)…

  • Too complex of a goal.
  • Characteristics of that goal that are too specific for immediate implementation.
  • A history of other wishes, desires, actions, or verbalization’s that further remove his goal form easy direct access.

Such as…

“Oh the boss is an idiot. I would never work like he does”

or,

“It’s a hard life. having a calm life is just a dream and wishful thinking”

or,

“Who needs money and the lifestyle of a boss? I’m happy as I am right now”

For him to move forward, he needs to counter act all what he has created over the years and then build upon this new foundation with his affirmations. Then he needs to adjust his affirmation campaign to be simpler. Concentrate on it step by step and don’t but too many big enormous desires without laying a foundation to travel upon.

Conclusion

Keep in mind that everything we do has an accumulated characteristic that color and alters the prayer campaign. I do not believe that it can completely render the campaign inept and non-functional, but rather that they tend to add a few “extra” world-lines between you and your objective. For you to advance forward you need to be of clear mind and purpose, and control any negative and counter active thoughts and actions that might have developed into habitual problems within your life.

If you do, you can be guaranteed of speedier implementation of your desires.

Best Regards.

Do you want more?

I have more posts in my Intention Prayer Index here…

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You’ll not find any big banners or popups here talking about cookies and privacy notices. There are no ads on this site (aside from the hosting ads – a necessary evil). Functionally and fundamentally, I just don’t make money off of this blog. It is NOT monetized. Finally, I don’t track you because I just don’t care to.

To go to the MAIN Index;

Master Index

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  • You can start reading the articles by going HERE.
  • You can visit the Index Page HERE to explore by article subject.
  • You can also ask the author some questions. You can go HERE .
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Ghosts, spirits, strange apparitions, and other mysteries that come from the non-physical reality and enter our physical experience.

Here, in this article we will spend a little bit of time discussing the non-physical envelope that surrounds our physical reality. This is the realm of the “spirit world” and consists of many strange and interesting sights, sounds and apparitions. It tends to frighten, but that is just ignorance and superstition influences. In reality, the non-physical world is just as real as the physical world is, with one exception. Our human senses are not able to peer into the reality that it cannot see.

But…

In many instance, the machines and the devices that we construct, are able to sense it. And if we configure the equipment to look for the right things, we could well be astounded at what we might find.

What would we find?

Well, aside from the natural world, we would find people and places, and things, and activities that are intended to be hidden from our human observation.

A quick review

For those of you who have just stumbled on this article in the MM universe, here’s a most basic primer. You know, to put everyone on the “same page” in regards to ideas and concepts.

We are consciousness.We are not a person, nor a body, nor a brain. We are consciousness. We temporarily reside within a body. But we are not that body. It’s much like this picture describes…

We do not share a universe. Our singular consciousness moves from static world-line to static world-line. We move from one world-line to another by our thoughts. Thoughts are the ONLY thing that consciousness can control.

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Instead of sharing a physical universe, where we are a brain that controls the movement of a physical person inside that universe (the Newtonian reality), we are something else. We are consciousness. Which is a collection of very, very, VERY tiny particles (many, many times smaller than atoms). And our consciousness moves from one frozen snapshot in time to the next.

Time is how this movement is perceived. In our universe there is no such thing as time. It just simply drops out of the equations. And what we have left is a universe of quanta. It is a quantum universe of possibilities. And the reality is that there is an infinite (or near infinite) number of world-lines. These are frozen “snap shots in time” that our consciousness moves through and navigates by thought.

So, over all, it pretty much looks like this graphic below. If we map out each world-line as a “dot”, and place the most-likely or highest-probability world-lines that our thoughts will take us, then our life-line would look something like this…

Our consciousness travels the MWI, world-line by world-line at the speed of thought. We view this movement as the “passage of time”. In this topography, we see a three dimensional landscape that represents the highest probability world-lines that we might visit at any given moment in our life.

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Thoughts are extremely important. What we think about steers us towards the world-lines that we inhabit.

  • If we think “bad” thoughts we will head towards world-lines with “bad” events.
  • If we think “neutral” thoughts we will head towards world-lines with “neutral ” content.
  • If we think “happy” thoughts, we will head towards world-lines full of happy events.

Everything is real to us. Each world-line is a real physical world. It is a frozen snapshot of time. And our movement though it is exactly how we experience time.

Our thoughts can influence the kind of life we live. Our thoughts navigate our lives, and while there are are various limitations placed upon us, we ultimately control what happens to us by our thoughts.

Our thoughts control our world-line navigation.

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World-lines are complex. Now each world-line has two components. They are a physical reality, and a non-physical reality. The physical reality is what we can sense with our human body. The non-physical is what we cannot sense with our physical body.

  • Physical-reality is what our human senses can sense, see and observe.
  • Non-Physical-reality is what our human senses are unable to see and observe.

And given the right conditions, the right technology, and the right circumstances, we can sometimes get glimpses of the non-physical world that surrounds us. And we are going to talk about this subject now…

Density Levels and Technological Advancement

“Sometimes people hold a core belief that is very strong.  When they are presented with evidence that works against that belief, the new evidence cannot be accepted.  

It would create a feeling that is extremely uncomfortable, called cognitive dissonance.  

And because it is so important to protect that core belief, they will rationalize, ignore and even deny anything that doesn’t fit with the core belief.”

-ThinkSquad, 2015

Quantum particles are ubiquitous throughout our universe.  They are everywhere.  They are primarily comprised of minuscule small vibrating strings that vibrate and resonate at a very high speed or frequency.

[1] Understanding particle physics: 7) particles are quanta
[2] What are quanta? – quantum interactive
[3] A New Map of All the Particles and Forces - Quanta Magazine

As particles collect together in groups, or cluster together, their frequency of vibration shows down.  This has to do with the inherent inertial components of a group creation.    The bigger the group cluster of particles, the slower the frequency of vibration.

Vibrational frequency in the strictest sense that I refer to here, is not the physical component, normally referred to in the chemical sciences.  But rather the behavior of the vibrating strings themselves.  This is quantum level vibration, as opposed to atomic level vibration and the equivalent change in potentials.

Note: On the dimension of the physical.  The purpose of this article is to describe in an easy way, very difficult concepts.  To do so, certain “crutches” need to be employed, which many not be wholly accurate.  Truth be told, there is no physical space at all.  But the quanta themselves create this illusion.  In so doing, they create layers or dimensional boundaries.  Space and the illusion of space is one such creation.  Thus, within this boundary we can see that particles tend to cluster together in groups upon this fabric or cloth which is raw dimensionless space.

Those readers who have been following the nonsense that is often available on the Internet will be quite confused here.  When I refer to density, I am specifically referring to quantum level behaviors of groups of particles within a dimensional framework.

I am absolutely NOT referring to any of the “New age” redefinitions of “density”.  These new definitions are confusing.  These are definitions such as in the Cassiopaea and Ra materials related to extraterrestrial beings and consciousness.

Magnitude

Higher orders of existence utilize widely dispersed groups of quantum clusters.

Phew! Did I just say that?

OK. In other words, the more complex a "thing"... the greater the number of quanta that are are involved.

A pencil (you do remember those things, don't you?) has a set amount of quanta associated with it. yet, a living creature, such as a cow, would have many, many, MANY more quanta associated with it.

The difference between a pencil and a cow, can be considered a "higher order of existence".

And as the number of these quantum cluster increase, so does the number of interactions that they have with each other. Which is known as "entanglement". And thus they tend to disperse as they get more, and more entangled.

This way, they can maintain high frequencies of vibration, while maintaining a soul cloud consciousness.

This is important.  Read it again and study it again if your do not understand it completely.

As collections of quanta increase in size, so does the accumulated properties of the aggregate. It's synergistic, not additive.

2 + 2 = 8

As the properties of the aggregate increase, so does the resultant vibrations of those clusters. 

Vibration?

Vibration is this understanding relates to the wave properties of the quanta. While a bare and lonely individual quanta might have a low and sluggish pulse, when it interacts and entangles with other quanta, the vibrational rate increases. The more quanta that becomes entangled, the greater the vibrational levels attained.

At a certain threshold, the vibrational frequency becomes one that can support a consciousness. Which is pretty much why pencils don't have a consciousness, while cattle do.

Lower orders of existence rely on large, closely packed, groups of clusters.  These tend to vibrate at slower rates dependent on their size.

Such as a pencil, a stone, and a glass of water.

Because there are functional limits on the quanta that one can absorb into ones cloud as a function of density inertia, entitles tend to strive to grow and modify their quantum existence in such a way as to operate in higher vibratory levels.

Obviously the universe is populated with intelligence and consciousness. Otherwise, you would not be reading this. It is a natural evolution that quanta entangle with other quanta.

And part of this evolution is the increase in vibration of the entangled bodies.

As the size of the entanglement increases, so does the complexity of the entangled body as a whole, and at some point in time, consciousness evolves and manifests.

Thus, an entity that has a very large quantum cloud and that maintains it successfully at a high frequency of vibration is considered to have a high “spiritual” or “quantum” (light) density.

Many entangled quanta = rapid and profound vibrations.

These vibrations are known as "high frequency" and are associated with light. Thus they are considered to be of light density.

Their various frequencies overlap in great, beautiful patterns.

While, an entity, with a smaller quantum cloud, or one that operates at a lower frequency is considered to have a high (thick) density.

One must think of density as a jar containing all the quanta of a given entity.

An “advanced” entity will have a big jar full of quanta.  But that quanta will have a lot of space to move around in.

Conversely, a more “primitive” entity would have a small, mostly layered, jar of quanta.  The quanta would be clustered in a corner or on the bottom of the jar in a thick pile of goo.

We thus, say that the more advanced entity has a container (jar) of quanta that is less dense than the novice entity.

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Personally, I don’t like these terms because they are confusing.

Physical manifestations of quanta are slower and closer together in the physical world (thus, denser).  We also thus use the term to describe a lower state of energy.  Thus possibly, generating two polar opposites in meaning.

For all purposes here, please consider that one should have a quanta signature that is organized in pure basic forms of great physical expanse.  That would be opposed to tight, dense forms of quanta clusters.

Structure and order

Further, Higher frequency quanta organized as smaller discrete packets follow a more organized or pure structure.

Quanta clumps together though entanglements. These form structures, or "packets".

Quanta can combine together into “building blocks”. Much like this (as an example)…

The building blocks…

Their combined “dances” are more harmonic.  The coarser, less organized quanta follow a chaotic pattern.

(Not especially accurate, but good enough for the model that is presented here.  All quanta form patterns.  The more chaotic patterns are just extremely complex relationships, and thus appear to be confused, disorganized and complex.) 

A chaotic system is one in which infinitesimal differences in the starting conditions lead to drastically different results as the system evolves.

This concept was summarized by mathematician Edward Lorenz,” Chaos (is at the point) when the present determines the future, but the approximate present does not approximately determine the future.”

There’s an important distinction to make between a chaotic quantum system and a random quanta system.

Given the starting conditions, a chaotic system is entirely deterministic.

A random system, on the other hand, is entirely non-deterministic, even when the starting conditions are known.

That is, with enough information, the evolution of a chaotic system is entirely predictable, but in a random system there’s no amount of information that would be enough to predict the system’s evolution.  All of this predictability defines inter-dimensional order.

Variations

Other races, both terrestrial and extraterrestrial, operate at different density levels.

Understanding that consciousness is connected with the number of entangled quanta, it should thus be evident that it is also tied to energy levels of existence.

A snail would have a different energy level than a dog.

A tiger would have a different energy level than a human.

A human would have a different energy level than an extraterrestrial from Tralfamador.

Since we can only perceive those at the most coarsest levels (the densest), we often are ignorant of many entities that cohabit the planet with us.

Sometimes, due to various physical events, we can occasionally perceive these other entities.

When we do they are often misinterpreted as spirits, sprites, ghosts, angels, demons and the like.    These creatures exist, but humans have a very hard time distinguishing what they perceive.

Generally, higher order frequency beings are usually benign and harmless.

It the fear of the unknown that causes many false and deceptive myths that propagate about these creatures through history.

Death

When a creature dies, the body remains but the consciousness exits the reality section of the world-line. It exists. It’s just that we humans are not able to “see” wave forms. We can only see physical things when the consciousness is attached to bodies in the particle state.

With the advent of cameras, and the technology that enables high “shutter speeds” and extended wavelength records, we can sometimes observe the departed in wave form. While the body is now long dead and has been removed.

This is actually quite common in hospitals and nursing homes. Such as this example.

See anything unusual about this picture?

Empty hospital room in a Senior Care Facility in the United States.

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Look at the mirror.

Here’s a close up view of the mirror…

Closeup view of a mirror in an empty Senior Care Facility inside of America.

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Spirits and other creatures that operate at higher density levels do exist and are quite common.

They contain both terrestrial derived entities and extraterrestrial entities.  Most do not really care to have dealings with humans.

And since they are of wave duality, they are able to enter the MWI at any point, independent of time. Which provides us some very interesting observations.

Here’s the spirit of a little (American Indian) girl wandering in the woods late at night and startling a buck (male deer) at a feeding station where a trail-cam was able to photograph the encounter.

Deer sees ghost on trailcam

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The ability to see humans, in the non-physical form is very common. They are generally associated with ghosts and spirits, and many people are fearful of them, but it need not be the case. When a person stops traveling the MWI in the particle form, they continue to do so in the wave form. And thus people can (if they are sensitive), or equipment can (if it is properly configured) observe and record these encounters…

Ghost caught on CCV outside a nursing home. Can you see him?

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Which brings up the interesting subject of “phasing“.

Phasing Ability

Some of the higher density entities, whether terrestrial or extraterrestrial, have the ability to “phase” in and out of the lower densities.

it is the ability to lower your aggregate vibrational level to a point where simpler, and denser, entities and creatures can observe and interact with you.

Or, raise their level. Thus making them invisible to lower density entities.

This ability can make them invisible to humans on demand.  They do not need a machine, device or technology to cloak their person or activities.

Only the more dense entities need these types of devices.

In phasing, the energy state and vibration rates change out of the normal physical visual range (as seen by humans).  To be able to do this, the body must be capable of handling higher vibratory frequencies and states of existence.

Other animals, with different optical cones and different ways that their brains perceive vision, can often times see these entities, even when humans are unable to see them.

The principle behind this is simple.

Perception comes in many forms.

The form most commonly relied upon by humans is eyesight.  Human eyesight is a very limited mechanism.  We can only see in a very narrow band of frequencies and wavelengths.

Most of the universe operates at frequencies far higher than we can perceive.

For us to see these “other” things, we must either [1] speed up our ability to perceive, or [2] slow the frequency of vibration of the observed object down.

When a frequency of vibration of a given object is changed, it is known as “phasing”.

When the frequency speed is slowed down in such a way as it becomes observable by humans, we call that “phasing in and out of existence”.

The idea and concept that most other beings, entities, consciousness, and objects are unobservable to humans because of our limited range of perception is a fundamental one.

We, as humans, only observe a very small part of the world that we live in.

An example of phasing

Here we have a human (or humanoid creature) wearing a suit that enables them to “phase in and out” of the human observed reality.

The mystery of the Solway Spaceman - BBC News
The Solway Firth Photo, 1964,(Spaceman) UFO Casebook Files

The Solway Firth Photo, 1964

On 24th May 1964, Jim Templeton, a fireman from Carlisle in the North of England, took his young daughter out to the marches overlooking the Solway Firth to take some photographs. Nothing untoward happened, although both he and his wife noticed that an unusual aura in the atmosphere. n unusual aura in the atmosphere.
There was a kind of electric charge in the air, though no storm came. Even nearby cows seemed upset by it.

Some days later Mr Templeton got his photographs processed by the chemist, who said that it was a pity that the man who had walked past had spoiled the best shot of Elizabeth holding a bunch of flowers. Jim was puzzled. There had been nobody else on the marshes nearby at the time.

But sure enough, on the picture in question there was a figure in a silvery white space suit projecting at an odd angle into the air behind the girl's back, as if an unwanted snooper had wrecked the shot.

The case was reported to the police and taken up by Kodak, the film manufacturers, who offered free film for life to anyone who could solve the mystery when their experts failed.

It was not, as the police at first guessed, a simple double exposure with one negative accidentally printed on top of another during processing. It was, as Chief Superintendent Oldcorn quickly concluded, just "one of those things... a freak picture."

A few weeks later Jim Templeton received two mysterious visitors. He had never heard of MIBs: the subject was almost unknown in Britain then. But the two men who came to his house in a large Jaguar car wore dark suits and otherwise looked normal. The weird thing about them was their behavior.

They only referred to one another by numbers and asked the most unusual questions as they drove Jim out to the marshes. They wanted to know in minute detail about the weather on the day of the photograph, the activities of local bird life and odd asides like that.

Then they tried to make him admit that he had just photographed an ordinary man walking past. Jim responded politely, but nevertheless rejected their idea, at which they became irrationally angry and hustled themselves into the car, driving off and leaving him.

The fire officer had to hike five miles across country to get home.

- Landon Howell Owner & Editor - juiceenewsdaily.com

Examples of Consciousness phasing to wave forms…

Here’s some more examples of people who have died and the consciousness is still attached to the physical reality. Here’s another hospital CCV camera. On it was the short, few-second long video of a ghostly girl walking down the hallway…

The quanta of the deceased can sometimes be filmed

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Here’s another hospital CCV camera capture…

Children’s hospital.

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This ghostly figure was seen near the children’s ward at Leeds General Infirmary by hospital worker Andrew Milburn. There have been several stories of the sounds of footsteps in the corridors with no one around but nothing had been caught on camera.

Ghosts appear to be all over hospitals, don’t you know.

Spirit in the elevator.

They can be recorded in elevators.

This unsettling image was first posted to Reddit in 2014 by user EskimoJake. They claim that their friend who is a doctor, took this picture while working at a Bolivian hospital in 2010.

Supposedly, the doctor and his friends didn’t initially notice the elevator door opening as they were too busy laughing and joking around. When they did finally see it, there was no one inside.

She has nice long hair.

If you take a closer look at the ghostly figure, you can see that it appears to be a female with long, black hair. Her face looks pale and gaunt and she seems to be wearing a hospital gown.

Has the doctor actually managed to photograph a ghost in the elevator? If so, could it be that of a former patient? Perhaps even someone who may have passed away while being treated at this very hospital?

Ghost Nurse

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There is very little information available about this photo other than that it was taken at St. Francis Hospital in Tulsa, Oklahoma. At first glance, it doesn’t appear that the camera has captured anything unusual at all. That is until you spot the ghostly nurse standing on the far side of the bed.

St. Francis Hospital was founded in 1955 and some claim that this photograph may show the ghost of a former nurse who worked there. With her long, white apron and hair neatly tucked under her hat, the figure’s appearance certainly resembles a nurse from that era.

The Little Girl in The Lunatic Asylum

This photo was taken in the Grevillia Wing of the Beechworth Lunatic Asylum in Victoria, Australia by ghost hunters Rayleen Kable and Allen Tiller. They took the picture while investigating the grounds at Beechworth and believe that it shows the spirit of a young girl kneeling on the floor.

The figure certainly does look like a child. It appears to be wearing a nightgown and it looks as though it is holding something in its right hand, possibly a doll or teddy bear.

Beechworth Asylum was famous for its lax rules regarding institutionalization. With only two signatures, a person could be committed. Almost ten thousand people died in the building, the patients often restrained and treated with electroshock therapy.

Beechworth is reportedly haunted by the ghost of a young, Jewish woman who was mysteriously thrown to her death from a window. Because of strict religious beliefs, her body lay decomposing on the ground for two days while a rabbi came from Melbourne to officially move the body. Several visitors claim they’ve even seen a young girl under the window where the incident happened.

Another traumatic tale is that of a missing patient who couldn’t be found for weeks. Finally his body was discovered by a local dog named Max near the gatehouse at the edge of the property. A search party was assembled to search the area and they eventually found the patient’s body up a tree. Since then, people have reported seeing a man wandering around the gatehouse at night.

Countless other paranormal sightings have taken place at Beechworth Lunatic Asylum. Visions of doctors walking down dark hallways, screams, nurses kneeling by bedsides, one ghost hunter says a demonic voice told him to ‘get out’ and leave the asylum.

Is it possible that this photograph has captured the ghostly vision one of the former patients of Beechworth?

Ghost of Patient Appears in Wheelchair

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This photo first appeared online sometime around 2012. It was supposedly captured in the Clemente Alvarez Emergency Hospital in Argentina by a staff member known only as Diego.

Here’s another photo of a ghost in a hospital. This one comes with his own wheelchair thingy of-sorts thing-of-a-jig!

Roaming the hallways.

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Around the same time, this photo was taken in the Kith Haven Assisted Living nursing home in Flint, Michigan. It shows a very similar figure rolling down a hallway in a wheelchair.

The employee who captured the picture said she saw it with her own eyes and quickly grabbed her phone to take a photo.

The apparition appears to have dark, sunken eyes and a wide open mouth. It also looks rather decrepit and thin. The white shirt that the figure is wearing seems to be too large for its frail frame.

And what of this?

The Hospital Demon

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This spine chilling photo first appeared on social media in 2014 and since then has become rather well known. The are several stories of its origin however the most common one is that a nurse in a hospital took a screen shot of a security camera that was monitoring patients in the ward. She claims that she saw a demon-like figure walking up and down the bed of one particular patient. It had long black legs, and eerie slender fingers.

When she went to the ward to check on the patient there was no sign of the figure in the room, however the patient’s vitals began declining rapidly and the person passed away shortly after.

While many believe the nurse’s story to be true, several skeptics claim that the ‘demon’ is nothing more than a series of objects that are coincidentally lined up, giving the effect of a lurking creature.

La Planchada

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Opened in Mexico City in 1847, Hospital Juarez is an active medical center known for sightings of La Planchada (“the ironed lady”), a ghostly nurse from the mid-1900s who appears in a perfectly pressed nurse’s uniform.

Over the years, La Planchada has come to be known for treating patients in the hospital’s emergency section, often bringing about miraculous recoveries. This photo is believed by many to be the only one to have ever captured proof of the ghostly nurse as she makes her rounds.

Like many ghost stories, there are several versions of tale of La Planchada. Some say she was a nurse in love with a doctor who rejected her and drove her to suicide; others claim she would euthanize patients to relieve their pain. Whatever her origins, La Planchada is known as a benevolent spirit and there probably isn’t a patient in Hospital Juarez who wouldn’t be happy to see her.

And there is this vision of the right instant in time when the camera shutter clicks on the right spot at the right time and discovers… this.

The quanta of the deceased can sometimes be filmed

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When a person dies, their quanta starts to detach from their physical selves and begins to enter the other dimensions in the universe.

Oh, here I go again! Not being specific enough.

The non-physical reality surrounds the physical reality in layers, like an onion. And many Eastern religions have mapped these layers and given them names like "astral plane", "causal plane", etc.

Once the consciousness is in the wave form it can do many things. Namely it can travel. Travel.

It can travel in the various physical reality.

It can travel through the various (onion layers) of the non-physical reality.

It can enter "the tunnel of light" and depart this universe and enter the universe of soul. From when the consciousness originated.

But...

It can travel within the MWI; the various world-lines itself. This it can do, as the MWI are part of our "physical universe". But many choose not to do so simply because it is rather boring for them to do.

To some this looks like ghosts and spirits, but there is no reason to be fearful.

This is a natural aspect of quantum realignment.

On occasion, due to specific atmospheric conditions, sometimes entities of souls can have various aspects of their being photographed.  When this happens, we are actually photographing the quanta “phasing” from the physical to another dimensional state.

Our equipment can record the wave lengths during transition.

Consciousness has form.

Did you notice something?

When a person’s quanta is photographed in wave form, or the transition to it (via “phasing”) it’s not a floating globe (as I have depicted throughout MM). It is the general shape and form of a body.

This is very important.

The consciousness has a FORM. It’s form tends to consist of the upper torso, and the head. Legs and arms might be present, but not always.

Fears, Frauds, and Boogiemen…

Now, let’s broach the uncomfortable reality. There are many, many frauds out there masquerading as actual events. Thus making it very difficult to compile a list of real examples of visions of the non-physical reality.

Thus, simply because there are so many hoaxes prevalent out there, anything out of the normal is discounted as a hoax, and a fraud. This is intentional.

On one hand, you have “experts” who use this avenue to acquire prestige within their respective fields. Such as in the Science Fiction movie “Contact” with actress Jodie Foster. In that movie was a couple of characters; Mr. David Drumlin, and James Woods (Michael Kitz) who played that role. They thwarted her every move, and constantly blocked funding, all so that he could climb the rings of power within the United States government. Personal power, and wealth accumulation, over the truth and science.

Photo of “David Drumlin”, as portrayed by Tom Skerritt from “Contact” (1997), alongside James Woods (Michael Kitz)

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And then on the other hand, you have profiteers. They create “ghost” websites and then generate content to scare people with it. These individuals create photos and videos to amuse, scare and titillate, and derive personal profit from ad revenue and product placement. Often their forgeries are rather good, or at least better than amateurs.

  • Top 10 Ghost WebsitesParanormal | Higgypop

    Then, of course, you have amateurs. These people just throw together some kind of hoax for “shits and giggles”. Their motivations are unclear, their ultimate goals are kept to themselves.

    And then finally, you have real mysteries. These are actual “real deal” events that cannot be discounted away oh so easily. These events are important because they offer us a glimpse into a world that we are not apt to observe normally. You might come across a photo here, or there, or a video on you-tube. But with the great collection of hoaxes out there, it’s really difficult to find convincing examples.

    Let’s look at a couple borderline cases…

What of ghosts?

You can see all sorts of things on the internet. But what is true and what is fake?

In this instance, you most certainly have a cat hissing at something at the other side of the door, and the housewife is not seeing anything strange. That is obvious. What is odd is the image of a ghostly figure in the door.

Was this figure photoshopped there? Intentionally, you understand, to create a ghostly narrative? Or, was the “back story” accurate?

The back story…

Supposedly, this image was captured on a computer cam. The cat was behaving strangely and hissing at thin air. No one saw the spirit, it was only recorded on the computer.

This photo dates back to 2013, perhaps even earlier. It isn’t known where this took place, but it is believed to be somewhere in North America. It could be a hoax, or genuine. No one will ever know.

It is provided here as an example only.

You see, it dos not matter to us whether or not it is a hoax. It is just a good illustration that different species can see different things. In this case the cat can sense things that the human woman cannot.

As we have discussed, the non-physical world for a cat is different than the non-physical world of a human. Thus they can sense things that humans cannot.

This isn’t just MM talking. This is well established physical and biological understandings. Different species can see different things and all of us perceive the physical reality differently than others.

What of ghosts of loved ones?

Here’s another borderline case. This backstory is much better, than a computer happened to be on that recorded a cat interaction with a porch door. This is a an intentionally left-on security camera.

An Atlanta woman believes her home security camera spotted her son’s ghost.

On January 5, 2019, Jennifer Hodge was in her bedroom when she received an beeping notification: her Nest security camera had spotted a person in the kitchen. The rest is a story right off the televisions show “Night Gallery”.

“I was laying in bed watching TV with my daughter, and I was just about asleep,” Hodge said in a Facebook post. 

“The phone was between us, and I got a notification saying someone was in the kitchen. 

My daughter was like, ‘Mum, there’s a person in the kitchen. It looks like Robbie.’ 

I was stunned. It did look just like him — beard and all.”

Robbie, Michelle’s son, died of an overdose in 2016. He was just 23 years old. Michelle and her daughter were reportedly the only people at home at the time of the recording.

What of ghosts who want to pose in pictures?

Pretty odd stuff.

But check them out. Fakes or real? No one knows.

Mystery Pale Chick.

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One could say it seems like ghosts really like to make an appearance at the parties they weren’t invited to. This is case like that. A group of friends were having a nice Easter brunch and they decided to take a picture of it. There was a mirror next to the table they were sitting at and while there is nobody but the people supposed to be there sitting at the table on one side of the photo, there is an extra person’s reflection caught in the mirror on the other side of the photo.

It looks like a woman with an extremely pale face, standing next to the table. All of the guests at the brunch claimed there was no one like that there with them and they had no idea who the person caught in the mirror reflection was.

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This picture was taken at Tantallon Castle near North Berwick. A ruined fortress badly damaged by an attack from Oliver Cromwell’s forces in 1651. The figure looks to be in period costume but no mannequins or costumed guides are used at the castle, adding to the mystery of the suspected ghost.

This photograph of the Combermere Abbey library was taken in 1891 by Sybell Corbet.

The figure of a man can faintly be seen sitting in the chair to the left.

His head, collar and right arm on the armrest are clearly discernible. It is believed to be the ghost of Lord Combermere.

Lord Combermere was a British cavalry commander in the early 1800s, who distinguished himself in several military campaigns.

Combermere Abbey, located in Cheshire, England, was founded by Benedictine monks in 1133. In 1540, King Henry VII kicked out the Benedictines, and the Abbey later became the Seat of Sir George Cotton KT, Vice Chamberlain to the household of Prince Edward, son of Henry VIII.

In 1814, Sir Stapleton Cotton, a descendent of Sir George, took the title “Lord Combermere” and in 1817 became became the Governor of Barbados. Today the Abbey is a tourist attraction and hotel.

Lord Combermere died in 1891, having been struck and killed by a horse-drawn carriage.  At the time Sybell Corbet took the above photo, Combermere’s funeral was taking place some four miles away.

The photographic exposure, Corbet recorded, took about an hour. It is thought by some that during that time a servant might have come into the room and sat briefly in the chair, creating the transparent image.

This idea was refuted by members of the household, however, testifying that all were attending Lord Combermere’s funeral.

A 13 year old girl takes a selfie in the car. Then discovers a strange boy in the back seat. What is going on?  You can see from her reflection in her sunglasses that the picture was taken while on the road. The adult who is driving the vehicle would know whether there was a kid in the back seat, you would assume.

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So this 13 year old girl takes a selfie in the car while her mother is driving down the road. No one is in the back seat, yet it appears that her photo captures an image of someone int he back seat.

Maybe true. Maybe fake. Who really knows?

Spirit in the balcony.

In 1982, photographer Chris Brackley took a photograph of the interior of London’s St. Botolph’s Church, but never expected what would appear on the film. High in the church’s loft, seen in the upper right-hand corner of his photograph, is the transparent form of what looks like a woman.

According to Brackley, to his knowledge there were only three people in the church at the time the photo was taken, and none of them were in that loft.
According to London Paranormal Database Records…

"Mr. Brackley was later contacted by a builder who recognized the face of one that he had seen in a coffin in the church."

Two chicks pose for a picture and then discover this when developed.

My goodness. This interesting photo was taken sometime around the year 2000 in Manilla, Republic of the Philippines.

According to The Ghost Research Society, two girlfriends were out for a walk one warm night. One of them entreated a passing stranger to photograph them using her cell phone’s camera (hence the low-resolution picture).

The result is shown here, with a transparent figure seeming to tug on the girl’s arm with a firm if friendly grip. Without further information on this photo, we have to admit that the ghost could have been added with image processing software. But if it’s genuine and untouched, it certainly qualifies as one of the best ghost photos around.

It’s pretty creepy.

It’s so very easy to modify pictures these days. Everything is digital, and Photoshop is everywhere. But you know, just because it can be done, doesn’t necessarily mean that it is being done.

Strange green boy.

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There was a controversial photo posted on Instagram by a news anchor, capturing a moment of the party she had thrown the night before. One of her friends was entertaining everybody by playing the guitar and singing, so she captured the whole thing with her phone.

Later, as she was going through the pictures, she noticed something strange in the background. It looked like a young boy peeking around the corner, trying to get a better view on the show.

After she posted the photo on Instagram, a wave of discussions started. People speculated that she faked the whole thing in order to get more media attention that could help her kick off her news anchor career, and others believed it was proof of yet another haunted house. No one can be sure what the truth actually was, but it indeed seemed strange.

Look up the picture and decide for yourself.

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The ghostly object concealed in this spooky Irish snap will really give you a fright. Taken more than 100 years ago, experts tried to explain the hand as trick of light or a ruffle in a shirt. But neither idea works out.

It’s all pretty messed up.

Who is this kid?

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The Amityville house is one of the most famous haunted houses in the world. The tales of the ghosts living in this house have spread so much that they have inspired a huge franchise known as The Amityville Horror.

Before this whole story started going around, the Amityville house was a place like every other and there was, what appeared to be, a happy family living there. One night, the man went crazy and he killed his wife, all of his children, and he committed suicide after that.

From that moment on, people have been claiming that their ghosts have still been living in the house. Paranormal investigators went there to see if there was a truth to that story and they took a photo of a little boy. The curious thing about that photo was that there were absolutely no children around at the time the photo was taken.

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CCTV footage showing a shadowy spectre emerging from a driveway and straight into oncoming traffic.

On November 19, 1995, Wem Town Hall in Shropshire, England burned to the ground. Many spectators gathered to watch the old building, built in 1905, as it was being consumed by the flames.

Tony O’Rahilly, a local resident, was one of those onlookers and took photos of the spectacle with a 200mm telephoto lens from across the street. One of those photos shows what looks like a small, partially transparent girl standing in the doorway.

Nether O’Rahilly nor any of the other onlookers or firefighters recalled seeing the girl there. O’Rahilly submitted the photo to the Association for the Scientific Study of Anomalous Phenomena which, in turn, presented it for analysis to Dr. Vernon Harrison, a photographic expert and former president of the Royal Photographic Society.

Harrison carefully examined both the print and the original negative, and concluded that it was genuine. “The negative is a straightforward piece of black-and-white work and shows no sign of having been tampered with,” Harrison said.

But who is the little girl?

Wem, a quiet market town in northern Shropshire, had been ravaged by fire in the past.  In 1677, historical records note, a fire destroyed many of the town's old timber houses.  A young girl named Jane Churm, the legends say, accidentally set fire to a thatched roof with a candle. 

This photo was taken during an investigation of Bachelor’s Grove cemetery near Chicago by the Ghost Research Society (GRS). On August 10, 1991, several members of of the GRS were at the cemetery, a small, abandoned graveyard on the edge of the Rubio Woods Forest Preserve, near the suburb of Midlothian, Illinois.

Reputed to be one of the most haunted cemeteries in the U.S., Bachelor’s Grove has been the site of well over 100 different reports of strange phenomena, including apparitions, unexplained sights and sounds, and even glowing balls of light.

GRS member Mari Huff was taking black and white photos with a high-speed infrared camera in an area where the group had experienced some anomalies with their ghost-hunting equipment.  The cemetery was empty, except for the GRS members.

When developed, this image emerged: what looks like a lonely-looking young woman dressed in white sitting on a tombstone.  Parts of her body are partially transparent and the style of the dress seems to be out of date.

Other ghosts reportedly seen in Bachelor's Grove include figures in monks' clothes and the spirit of a glowing yellow man.

And now for something odd…

Who is the kid?

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This photo, taken on a cell-phone shows a group of girls posing for a picture in the middle of the lounge room. The young girl seen crying in the bottom right corner of the image refused to take part in the picture because she said ‘The little boy was scaring her!’ It wasn’t until later, when her mother was reviewing the photo that she realized what the little girl was talking about.

Take a look between the legs of the girls second and third from the left. You can clearly see the face of a young boy peering out from behind the group. If it was simply a shadow or optical illusion why did the little girl get so scared?

Security guard alerted by motion sensors.

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Theaters are believed by many to be common haunting grounds for ghosts. There is something about their unique atmosphere that seems to attract the supernatural. According to Mary Destany Martin, security guards at the theater at her local high school captured some weird photos of the school’s own resident ghost.

The security guards visited the theater after a motion alarm went off at around 1:00 early one morning. They didn’t see anything but took a photo on their way out, just in case. When reviewing the photo, a guard was shocked to notice the figure of a woman walking down the stairs of what he was certain was an empty theater. The figure appears to be entirely black and white, in stark contrast to the rest of the theater, giving her a strange, otherworldly appearance.

Yes. It’s pretty strange.

Who is this girl?

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One thing is for certain, she was able to trip the motion sensors. So she had substance.

A person appears from thin air.

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This photo was received from Denise Russell.

“The lady in the color photo is my granny,” she says. “She lived on her own until age 94, when her mind started to weaken and had to be moved to an assisted living home for her own safety. At the end of the first week, there was a picnic for the residents and their families. My mother and sister attended. My sister took two pictures that day, and this is one of them.

It was taken on Sunday, 8/17/97, and we think the man behind her is my grandpa who passed away on Sunday, 8/14/84.

We did not notice the man in the picture until Christmas Day, 2000 (granny had since passed away), while browsing through some loose family photos at my parents’ house. My sister thought it was such a nice picture of granny that she even made a copy for mom, but still, nobody noticed the man behind her for over three years!

When I arrived at my parents’ house that Christmas day, my sister handed me the picture and said, “Who do you think this man behind granny looks like?”

It took a few seconds for it to sink in. I was absolutely speechless. The black and white photos show that it really looks like him.

Spiritualist convention in Los Angeles, California.

This photo was taken on November 16, 1968 when Robert A. Ferguson, author of Psychic Telemetry: New Key to Health, Wealth, and Perfect Living, was giving a speech at a Spiritualist convention in Los Angeles, California.

Faintly appearing next to Ferguson is a figure that he later identified as his brother, Walter, who died in 1944 during World War II. At first glance, this might seem to be a double exposure or some kind of darkroom trickery, but this photo is a Polaroid (one of several taken of Ferguson at the time), making any kind of hoaxing quite unlikely.

Sefton Church

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Sefton Church is an ancient structure (started in the 12th century and finished in the early 16th century) in Merseyside, England, just north of Liverpool. This particular photograph was taken inside the church in September, 1999.

According to Brad Steiger’s Real Ghosts, Restless Spirits and Haunted Places, where this photo was found, there was only one other photographer in the church beside the person who took this picture. Neither of them recalled seeing the ghost or any flesh-and-blood person standing there who could account for this image. Because the figure is all in black, it has been theorized that the apparition could be that of a church minister.

It has been reported that a pub next door to the church, called the Punch Bowl, is said to be haunted by the ghost of a man in blue nautical garb, which has been reported there for many years.

A dinner event at St. Mary’s Guildhall in Coventry, U.K.

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On January 22, 1985, the Coventry Freeman organization were having a dinner event at St. Mary’s Guildhall in Coventry, U.K. Everyone in the group had her or his head bowed in prayer when this photo was taken — including a towering, mysterious figure standing top left. The strange cowled spectre appears to be wearing very odd clothing. The clothing looks like a kind of battle armor from the software game “Doom”.

Lord Mayor Walter Brandish, who was present at the dinner, said there was no one at the event who was dressed like that, and he could not explain the presence of the interloper in the photo. St. Mary’s Guildhall dates back to the 14th century and served as a prison for Mary, Queen of Scots.

Posing in a helicopter.

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Mrs. Sayer and some friends were visiting the Fleet Air Arm Station at Yelverton, Somerset, England in 1987 when this photo was taken. They thought it would be cute to take a picture of her sitting in the seat of retired helicopter.

No one, Mrs. Sayer insists, was sitting next to her in the pilot’s seat… although a figure in a white shirt can clearly be seen sitting there.

She told an investigator with the Society for Psychical Research that she  remembered feeling rather cold sitting in that seat, even though it was a hot day.
Other pictures taken at the same time did not come out. Worth noting is that the helicopter was used in the Falklands War, but there is no information as to whether or not a pilot died in that aircraft.

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Kim Davison from Queensland, Australia posted a picture on the Toowoomba Ghost Chasers Facebook page showing what appears to be the ghost of a young girl, who died in the same spot 100 years ago

Merry Christmas.

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It was what seemed to be a completely normal Christmas get-together; people sitting in their living room next to their Christmas tree and a pile of presents. Nothing curious about that at all. At least until someone decided to take a picture of that merry moment. After that, the moment wasn’t so marry anymore.

In the middle of the picture, there seems to be a ghostly figure squatting over the pile of presents. You can clearly see the feet that belong to this mysterious being.

After the photo was analyzed by experts, the conclusion was that the feet probably belong to one of the kids in the picture, and it was nothing more than a glitch in the camera. However, there still is some doubt since the child in question was wearing socks, while the feet in front of the present seem to be bare. Besides that, they are also too large to belong to the little boy in question.

Then you have this absolutely odd-ball photo…

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This photo was taken at Corroboree Rock at Alice Springs, Northern Territory, Australia in 1959. What does not seem to be a trick of light and shadow is a human form, semi-transparent, wearing what looks like a long white dress or gown. More curious, the figure seems to be holding something in the manner that a person holds a camera or binoculars.

High forehead, long back hair in a mullet style. Appears to be a male, wearing a long white gown, and holding a what?

One possibility is that this is a double exposure of a living person. In 1959, this image would have been captured on film.

If it is not a double exposure and this is a spirit captured on film, then a number of questions arise: [1] What is the entity looking and why? [2] Do they have cameras and binoculars in the afterlife? Or [3] is this an instance of a time slip in which the camera has recorded a scene from a different time?

My goodness!

Now this next picture is something that is concerning and allows your mind to wonder what is going on…

An abandoned house.

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When it comes to abandoned houses, it is quite easy to start a rumor about some paranormal activity. Most of the ghost stories actually start this way; “Once upon a time, there was an abandoned house…”

We’ve all heard something like that already.

However, there is one specific house that has drawn a lot of people’s attention after a picture of a ghostly figure was captured there. No one knows exactly who used to live there or what happened to the people living there previously.

There has been some speculation about different horror stories connected to this house and the ghosts inhabiting it. But the picture was quite clear; someone was standing in the doorway. We can’t be sure if it was just a shadow shaped like a person, but from the look of it, it surely seemed like a ghostly, transparent figure.

And some things are truly WTF!

Like this, for instance…

What is this?

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There was a girl who wanted to take some silly pictures of her cousins while they were playing. Instead of that, she captured something that can hardly be identified as anything else other than a potential paranormal activity.

The weirdest thing about this photo is that it’s impossible to say what we actually see in it. It is clear that there is some weirdly shaped gray and black figure behind the little boy, but it’s impossible to say what it resembles.

It is not a human nor an animal, but it clearly is something that has appeared only in the picture; nobody saw it in the room before or after that.

This picture is definitely unique and different from the others, which is what makes it even more disturbing and mysterious. What do you think the shape in the picture was? Or was it just another attempt to make an ordinary picture go viral?

Indeed, somethings just defy description.

In 2015, Kevin Brown snapped a series of photos on his iPad while he was at the Fort Worth Museum of Science and History in Texas. Brown, who was there with his niece and two nephews didn’t see anything strange about the images at the time they were taken. It wasn’t until later that day that his niece noticed something very unsettling in one of the photos…

A big What-The-Fuck is thing thing?

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Yeah.

And here’s a close-up.

Photoshop? WTF?

And now for some more strange stuff…

Ah yes. there are all sorts of creatures and things out there. Both terrestrial and extraterrestrial.

And while it is easy enough to assume that every picture, and every video on the internet is a hoax of one sort or the other (because, after all many of them actually are) there are videos that can and do depict things that might…

…just might…

…describe a window into the non-physical reality that surrounds our visible reality…

…or might not.

But do not discount EVERY video and picture you see as a hoax. For they might, just maybe, give you an insight into the reality that surrounds us.

Webcams

There are numerous internet websites that post live feeds of “haunted” areas. These feeds have produced hundreds, even thousands of images that defy rational description.

Such as this one…

Willard Library Paranormal Webcams

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According to those who have worked at or visited the Willard Library, there is definitely a supernatural entity or two walking the halls of the building. To prove it, they have set up paranormal webcams so that ghost hunters around the world can keep a close eye out and send in screenshots when they spot something ghostly.

There are a few types of ghosts that have been spotted by viewers and patrons of the library. The most common entity to make an appearance on film is different colored orbs hovering in various places, usually the stairwell. However, employees of the library have reported spotting a Grey Lady and a young boy haunting this stairwell. They believe that the orbs are merely how the ghosts manifest on camera.

You can see a listing of different ghost-sighting webcams HERE.

Is that it?

Now, is everything that we sense related to the non-physical world that surrounds us, or are there other things involved?

Well, there are other things.

As you all recall, we travel the MWI as a lone consciousness. We share world-lines in a “ghost shadow” consciousness but actually meeting up with another consciousness where we are both the dominant consciousnesses on that world-line is a rare event. And sometimes, we can pick up some events that are difficult to explain as they involve both consciousness, the MWI, and physical manifestation.

Consider this graphic…

An observed cross-over event.

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Now consider this…

These two photos were taken in 1988 at the Hotel Vierjahreszeiten in Maurach, Austria.

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These two photos were taken in 1988 at the Hotel Vierjahreszeiten in Maurach, Austria. Several vacationers gathered for a farewell party at the hotel and decided to take a group photo. One of the party, Mr. Todd, set up is Canon film camera on a nearby table and pointed it at the group.

(The table is the white band at the bottom of the photos.) He set the self-timer on the camera and hurried back to the table.

The shutter clicked and the film wound forward, but the flash did not fire. So Todd set the camera for a second shot. This time the flash fired.

The film was later developed, and it wasn’t until one of party members was viewing the photos that it was noticed that the first (non-flash) photo showed a somewhat blurry extra head! (In the sequence above, the second (flash) photo is actually shown first for the sake of comparison.)

No one recognized the ghostly woman, and they could not imagine how her image appeared in the picture.

Besides being a bit out of focus, the woman’s head is also too large compared to the other vacationers, unless she is sitting closer to the camera, which would put her in the middle of the table. The photo was examined by the Royal Photographic Society, the photographic department of Leicester University, and the Society for Psychical Research, all of which ruled out a double exposure as the cause.

And consider this…

On July 6th, 2014, Martin Springall took a series of photos of his 4 year old daughter on a beach in Zushi, Japan. Springall, who was living in Tokyo at the time claims that no one else was around when he took the photographs and that he didn’t notice anything strange until he looked at the pictures later that night. In one of the images there appears to be a person in black boots standing directly behind his daughter.

Cute little girl posing for her daddy.

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When asked about what he had captured, Springall recalled, “I took a few pictures, and when I was looking through them at night, I noticed what appeared to be a pair of boots behind her in one of the photos,” he said. “I took several of her in the same spot, but only one had the boots.” My daughter is really shy, and she wouldn’t have taken a picture if there was someone standing behind her, which I would have definitely noticed.”

What are they talking about?

They are taking about this frozen moment in time…

A snap-shot of a world-line; a “frozen moment in time”.

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And then we have this…

Two girls playing around.

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There is nothing weird about two girlfriends taking a selfie while they’re alone. Or is there? The word “alone” is actually open for a discussion in this case. Those two girls were partying in a house all by themselves and nothing weird has happened for the whole time until they decided to take a selfie. While the girls stated that they had been all alone in the house, there is a clear reflection in the mirror of a third girl standing behind them. So who is she and what was she doing there?

Conclusions

There is a non-physical reality that surrounds us. It is present in every world-line and it tracks our reality as we experience “time”.

Other species can see things that we cannot. And we can see things (by using certain technologies) that they cannot sense.

Extraterrestrials, dimensional travelers, visitors, and intelligent entities hide from humans in “plain sight” by phasing out of our observation. This is how the human species is monitored, observed, manipulated and controlled.

It is nothing to get all “hot and bothered about”, it is just simply how it is done.

Additionally, there are cross-over considerations regarding the MWI and world-lines that can be recorded on film for a fleeting moment.

The truth is that we, as humans, do not understand the nature of our reality well enough to account for various odd-ball events that are periodically captured on film or video. Rather than automatically discount them as hoaxes, simply because they do not fit within the confines of our established world-view, perhaps we need to embrace a larger and more comprehensive understanding of the universe and our reality, instead.

Do you want more?

I have more posts in my MAJestic Index, here…

MAJestic

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The Gateway technique to isolate your consciousness for independent travel through space and time. An introduction.

This post serves as an introduction to “Hemi-Sync” or the “Gateway Process”. It is a system that permits the isolation of consciousness from the reality that it inhabits. There have been a flood of articles regarding this process because the CIA declassified it’s use when it was involved in “Remote Viewing” activities. Yet all of the theories, and articles put forth still come associated with the “baggage” of an imperfect understanding of the true and real nature of the universe. Here, we are going to present the techniques alongside the way the universe actually operates.

This post was originally posted on VICE. It was edited to fit this venue and all credit to the author. Note that my comments on the post are highlighted and italicized. Written by Thobey Campion on February 16, 2021, at 11:33pm. The original post is from VICE.

Dear MM reader; don't get too caught up on the CIA, and other things that seem outer-worldly and fantastical. Keep yourself grounded and keep in mind that we are consciousness that inhabits a body within a reality that is constantly changing through our thoughts.

How to Escape the Confines of Time and Space According to the CIA

In the 80s, the spy agency investigated the “Gateway Experience” technique to alter consciousness and ultimately escape spacetime.

Thobey Campion writes...

She turned to me the other morning and said, “You heard of The Gateway?” It didn’t register in the moment. She continued, “It’s blowing up on TikTok.”

Later on, she elaborated: it was not in fact the ill-fated 90s computer hardware company folks were freaking out about. No, they’ve gone further back in time, to find a true treasure of functional media. 

The intrigue revolves around a classified 1983 CIA report on a technique called the Gateway Experience. The “Gateway Experience” is a training system designed to focus brainwave output to control one’s consciousness.

As such it can ultimately be used to escape the restrictions of time and space.

The CIA was interested in all sorts of psychic research at the time. This included the theory and applications of remote viewing.

"Remote Viewing"  is when someone views real events with only the power of their mind. The documents have since been declassified and are available to view

This is a comprehensive excavation of The Gateway Process report.

The first section provides a timeline of the key historical developments that led to the CIA’s investigation and subsequent experimentations.

The second section is a review of The Gateway Process report. It opens with a wall of theoretical context, on the other side of which lies enough understanding to begin to grasp the principles underlying the Gateway Experience training.

The last section outlines the Gateway technique itself and the steps that go into achieving spacetime transcendence. 

The Timeline

1950s – Robert Monroe, a radio broadcasting executive, begins producing evidence that specific sound patterns have identifiable effects on human capabilities. These include alertness, sleepiness, and expanded states of consciousness.

1956 – Monroe forms an R&D division inside his radio program production corporation RAM Enterprises. The goal is to study sound’s effect on human consciousness. He was obsessed with “Sleep-Learning,” or hypnopedia, which exposes sleepers to sound recordings to boost memory of previously learned information.Advertisement

1958 – While experimenting with Sleep-Learning, Monroe discovers an unusual phenomenon. He describes it as sensations of paralysis and vibration accompanied by bright light. It allegedly happens nine times over the proceeding six weeks, and culminates in an out-of-body experience (OBE).

1962 – RAM Enterprises moves to Virginia, and renames itself Monroe Industries. It becomes active in radio station ownership, cable television, and later in the production and sale of audio cassettes. These cassettes contain applied learnings from the corporate research program, which is renamed The Monroe Institute.

1971 – Monroe publishes Journeys Out of the Body, a book that is credited with popularizing the term “out-of-body experience.”

Journeys Out of the Body, Books by Robert Monroe.
Journeys Out of the Body,

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1972 – A classified report circulates in the U.S. military and intelligence communities. It claims that the Soviet Union is pouring money into research involving ESP and psychokinesis for espionage purposes.

1975 – Monroe registers the first of several patents concerning audio techniques designed to stimulate brain functions until the left and right hemispheres become synchronized. Monroe dubs the state “Hemi-Sync” (hemispheric synchronization), and claims it could be used to promote mental well-being or to trigger an altered state of consciousness.

1978 to 1984 – Army veteran Joseph McMoneagle contributes to 450 remote viewing missions under Project Stargate. He is known as “Remote View No. 1”. This is kind of a whole other story.

June 9th, 1983 – The CIA report “Analysis and Assessment of The Gateway Process” is produced. It provides a scientific framework for understanding and expanding human consciousness, out-of-body experiments, and other altered states of mind.

1989 – Remote viewer Angela Dellafiora Ford helps track down a former customs agent who has gone on the run. She pinpoints his location as “Lowell, Wyoming”. U.S. Customs apprehend him 100 miles west of a Wyoming town called Lovell.

2003 – The CIA approves declassification of the Gateway Process report.

2017 – The CIA declassifies 12 million pages of records revealing previously unknown details about the program, which would eventually become known as Project Stargate.

The Report

CIA screengrab.

Personnel

The author of The Gateway Process report is Lieutenant Colonel Wayne M. McDonnell, hereon referred to simply as Wayne. There isn’t a tremendous amount of information available on the man, nor any photographs.

In 1983, Wayne was tasked by the Commander of the U.S. Army Operational Group with figuring out how The Gateway Experience, astral projection and out-of-body experiences work.

Wayne partnered with a bunch of different folks to produce the report, most notably Itzhak Bentov, a very Googleable American-Israeli scientist who helped pioneer the biomedical engineering industry.

A scientific approach

From the outset of the report, Wayne states his intent to employ an objective scientific method in order to understand the Gateway process. The various scientific avenues he takes include:

  • A biomedical inquiry to understand the physical aspects of the process. 
  • Information on quantum mechanics to describe the nature and functioning of human consciousness.
  • Theoretical physics to explain the time-space dimension and means by which expanded human consciousness transcends it.
  • Classical physics to bring the whole phenomenon of out-of-body states into the language of physical science (and remove the stigma of an occult connotation). 

Methodological frames of reference

Before diving into the Gateway Experience, Wayne develops a frame of reference by dissecting three discrete consciousness-altering methodologies.

He’s basically saying, there’s no way you’re going to get through The Gateway without a solid grounding in the brain-altering techniques that came before it.

1) He begins with hypnosis.

The language is extremely dense, but the basic gist is as follows: 

..the left side of the brain screens incoming stimuli, categorizing, assessing and assigning meaning to everything through self-cognitive, verbal, and linear reasoning. 

The left hemisphere then dishes the carefully prepared data to the non-critical, holistic, pattern-oriented right hemisphere, which accepts everything without question. 

Hypnosis works by putting the left side to sleep, or at least distracting it long enough to allow incoming data directly, unchallenged entry to the right hemisphere. 

There, stimuli can reach the sensor and motor cortices of the right brain, which corresponds to points in the body. 

Suggestions then can send electrical signals from the brain to certain parts of the body. 

Directing these signals appropriately, according to the report, can elicit reactions ranging from left leg numbness to feelings of happiness. Same goes for increased powers of concentration.

2) Wayne continues with a snapshot of transcendental meditation.

He distinguishes it from hypnotism. 

Through concentration the subject draws energy up the spinal cord, resulting in acoustical waves that run through the cerebral ventricles, to the right hemisphere, where they stimulate the cerebral cortex, run along the homunculus and then to the body. 

The waves are the altered rhythm of heart sounds, which create sympathetic vibrations in the walls of the fluid-filled cavities of the brain’s ventricles. 

He observed that the symptoms begin in the left side of the body, confirming the right brain’s complicity. 

Bentov also states that the same effect might be achieved by prolonged exposure to 4 - 7 Hertz/second acoustical vibrations. 

He suggests standing by an air conditioning duct might also do the trick. (David Lynch and other celebrities are committed adherents to transcendental meditation today.)

3) Biofeedback, on the other hand, uses the left hemisphere to gain access to the right brain’s lower cerebral, motor, and sensory cortices.

Whereas hypnosis suppresses one side of the brain, and TM bypasses that side altogether, biofeedback teaches the left hemisphere to visualize the desired result, recognize the feelings associated with right hemisphere access, and ultimately achieve the result again. 

With repetition, the left brain can reliably key into the right brain, and strengthen the pathways so that it can be accessed during a conscious demand mode. 

A digital thermometer is subsequently placed on a target part of the body. 

When its temperature increases, objective affirmation is recognized and the state is reinforced. Achieving biofeedback can block pain, enhance feeling, and even suppress tumors, according to the report.  
E2-E4 records.

The Gateway mechanics

With that, Wayne takes a first stab at the Gateway process.

He classifies it as a “training system designed to bring enhanced strength, focus and coherence to the amplitude and frequency of brainwave output between the left and right hemispheres so as to alter consciousness.”

What distinguishes the Gateway process from hypnosis, TM, and biofeedback, is that it requires achieving  a state of consciousness in which the electrical brain patterns of both hemispheres are equal in amplitude and frequency.

This is called Hemi-Sync.

Hemi-Sync

Lamentably, and perhaps conveniently, we cannot as humans achieve this state on our own.

The audio techniques developed by Bob Monroe and his Institute (which comprise a series of  tapes), claim to induce and sustain Hemi-Sync.

Here, the document shifts to the usage of quotes and other reports to describe the powers of Hemi-Sync. Wayne employs  the analogy of a lamp versus a laser.

Left to its own devices the human mind expends energy like a lamp, in a chaotic and incoherent way, achieving lots of diffusion but relatively little depth. 

Under Hemi-Sync though, the mind produces a “disciplined stream of light.” 

So, once the frequency and amplitude of the brain are rendered coherent it can then synchronize with the rarified energy levels of the universe. 

With this connection intact, the brain begins to receive symbols and display astonishing flashes of holistic intuition. 

The Hemi-Sync technique takes advantage of a Frequency Following Response (FFR).

It works like this: an external frequency emulating a recognized one will cause the brain to mimic it.

So if a subject hears a frequency at the Theta level, it will shift from its resting Beta level. To achieve these unnatural levels, Hemi-Sync puts a single frequency in the left ear and a contrasting frequency in the right.

The brain then experiences the Delta frequency, also known as the beat frequency.

It’s more familiarly referred to these days as binaural music.

With the FFR and beat frequency phenomena firmly in place, The Gateway Process introduces a series of frequencies at marginally audible, subliminal levels. With the left brain relaxed and the body in a virtual sleep state, the conditions are ideal to promote brainwave outputs of higher and higher amplitude and frequency.

Alongside subliminal suggestions from Bob Monroe (naturally), the subject can then alter their consciousness. 

Illustration of FFR.
FFR

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The Gateway system only works when the audio, which is introduced through headphones, is accompanied by a physical quietude comparable to other forms of meditation.

This increases the subject’s internal resonance to the body’s sound frequencies, for example the heart.

This eliminates the “bifurcation echo”, in which the heartbeat moves up and down the body seven times a second.

By placing the body in a sleep-like state, The Gateway Tapes, like meditation, lessen the force and frequency of the heartbeat pushing blood into the aorta.

The result is a rhythmic sine wave that in turn amplifies the sound volume of the heart three times. This then amplifies the frequency of brainwave output. The film surrounding the brain—the dura—and fluid between that film and the skull, eventually begin to move up and down, by .0005 and .010 millimeters.

The body, based on its own micro-motions, then functions as a tuned vibrational system.

The report claims that the entire body eventually transfers energy at between 6.8 and 7.5 Hertz. This matches Earth’s own energy (7 – 7.5 Hertz). The resulting wavelengths are long. They are about 40,000 kilometers in length. Which curiously also happens to be the perimeter of the planet earth.

According to Bentov, the signal can move around the world’s electrostatic field in 1/7th of a second.

To recap, the Gateway Process goes like this:  

  • Induced state of calm 
  • Blood pressure lowers 
  • Circulatory system, skeleton and other organ systems begin to vibrate at 7 – 7.5 cycles per second 
  • Increased resonance is achieved 
  • The resulting sound waves matches the electrostatic field of the earth 

The body and earth and other similarly tuned minds become a single energy continuum. 

Image from Getty Images.

Image: kovacevicmiro via Getty Images

A psycho-quantum level deeper

Wayne then turns to the very nature of matter and energy.

More materially (or less if you will), solid matter in the strict construction of the term, he explains, doesn’t exist.

The atomic structure is composed of oscillating energy grids surrounded by other oscillating energy grids at tremendous speeds.

These oscillation rates vary—the nucleus of an atom vibrates at 10 to the power of 22, a molecule vibrates at 10 to the power of 9, a human cell vibrates at 10 to the power of 3. The point is that the entire universe is one complex system of energy fields. States of matter in this conception then are merely variations in the state of energy.

The result of all these moving energies, bouncing off of energy at rest, projects a 3D mode, a pattern, called a hologram, A.K.A our reality as we experience it.

This describes the individual world-line realities. Don't get too confused.

It’s best to think of it as a 3D photograph. There’s a whole rabbit hole to go down here. Suffice it to say, the hologram that is our experience is incredibly good at depicting and recording all the various energies bouncing around creating matter. So good, in fact, that we buy into it hook, line, and sinker, going so far as to call it our “life.”

Consciousness then can be envisaged as a 3D grid system superimposed over all energy patterns, Wayne writes…

Using mathematics, each plane of the grid system can then reduce the data to a 2D form. Our binary (go/no go) minds can then process the data and compare it to other historical data saved in our memory. Our reality is then formed by comparisons. The right hemisphere of the brain acts as the primary matrix or receptor for this holographic input. The left hemisphere then compares it to other data, reducing it to its 2D form.

In keeping with our species’ commitment to exceptionalism, as far as we know humans are uniquely capable of achieving this level of consciousness. Simply, humans not only know, but we know that we know. This bestows upon us the ability to duplicate aspects of our own hologram, project them out, perceive that projection, run it through a comparison with our own memory of the hologram, measure the differences using 3D geometry, then run it through our binary system to yield verbal cognition of the self.

CIA screen grab.

Screengrab: CIA

Metallicman comment

This is very similar to the way that the consciousness moves in and out of different world-lines. It moves in a sine wave. One instance it is in a world-line, and the next it is between world-lines in the non-physical reality. We move in this similar way.

The click-out phase

Wayne then shows his cards as a true punisher, issuing, “Up to this point our discussion of the Gateway process has been relatively simple and easy to follow. Now the fun begins.”

Shots fired, Wayne.

What he’s preparing the commander reading this heady report for is the reveal—how we can use the Gateway to transcend the dimension of spacetime.

Time is a measurement of energy or force in motion; it is a measurement of change.

This is really important.

For energy to be classified as in motion, it must be confined within a vibratory pattern that can contain its motion, keeping it still. Energy not contained like this is boundary-less, and moves without limit or dimension, to infinity. This disqualifies boundary-less energy from the dimension of time because it has no rate of change.

Energy in infinity, also called “the absolute state,” is completely at rest because nothing is accelerating or decelerating it—again, no change. It therefore does not contribute to our hologram, our physical experience.

We cannot perceive it.

Now back to frequencies.

Wave oscillation occurs because a wave is bouncing between two rigid points of rest. It’s like a game of electromagnetic hot potato (the potato being the wave and the participants’ hands being the boundaries of the wave).

Without these limits, there would be no oscillation. When a wave hits one of those points of rest, just for a very brief instant, it “clicks out” of spacetime and joins infinity.

For this to occur, the speed of the oscillation has to drop below 10 the power of -33 centimeters per second. For a moment, the wave enters into a new world.

The potato simply disappears into a dimension we cannot perceive.

Theoretically speaking, if the human consciousness wave pattern reaches a high enough frequency, the “click-outs” can reach continuity.

Put another way, if the frequency of human consciousness can dip below 10 to the power of 33 centimeters per second but above a state of total rest, it can transcend spacetime.

The Gateway experience and associated Hemi-Sync technique is designed for humans to achieve this state and establish a coherent pattern of perception in the newly realized dimensions.

Image: Spectral-Design via Getty Images

Passport to the hologram

In theory, we can achieve the above at any time.

The entire process though is helped along if we can separate the consciousness from our body. It’s like an existential running head start where the click-out of a consciousness already separated from its body starts much closer to, and has more time to dialogue with, other dimensions.

This is where things get a little slippery; hold on as best you can.

The universe is in on the whole hologram thing, too, Wayne writes. This super hologram is called a “torus” because it takes the shape of a fuck-off massive self-contained spiral.

Give yourself a moment to let the above motion sink in…

This pattern of the universe conspicuously mirrors the patterns of electrons around the nucleus of an atom. Galaxies north of our own are moving away from us faster than the galaxies to the south; galaxies to the east and west of us are more distant. The energy that produced the matter that makes up the universe we presently enjoy, will turn back in on itself eventually. Its trajectory is ovoid, also known as the cosmic egg. As it curls back on itself it enters a black hole, goes through a densely packed energy nucleus then gets spat out the other side of a white hole and begins the process again. Springtime in the cosmos, baby!

Screen grab from the CIA.

Screengrab: CIA

The entire universe hologram—the torus—represents all the phases of time: the past, present, and future.

The takeaway is that human consciousness brought to a sufficiently altered (focused) state could obtain information about the past, present, and future, since they all live in the universal hologram simultaneously.

Wayne reasons that our all-reaching consciousness eventually participates in an all-knowing infinite continuum.

Long after we depart the space-time dimension and the hologram each one of us perceives is snuffed out, our consciousness continues. Reassuring in a way.

And that is the context in which the Gateway Experience sits.

The Technique

The following is an outline of the key steps to reach focus levels necessary to defy the spacetime dimension. This is an involved and lengthy process best attempted in controlled settings.

If you’re in a rush, you can apparently listen to enough Monroe Institute Gateway Tapes in 7 days to get there.

The Energy Conversion Box: The Gateway Process begins by teaching the subject to isolate any extraneous concerns using a visualization process called “the energy conversion box.”

Resonant Humming: The individual is introduced to resonant humming. Through the utterance of a protracted single tone, alongside a chorus on the tapes, the mind and body achieve a state of resonance.

The Gateway Affirmation: The participant is exposed to something close to a mantra called The Gateway Affirmation  . They must repeat to themselves variations of, “I am merely a physical body and deeply desire to expand my consciousness.”

Hemi-Sync: The individual is finally exposed to the Hemi-Sync sound frequencies, and encouraged to develop a relationship with the feelings that emerge.

Additional Noise: Physical relaxation techniques are practiced while the Hemi-Sync frequencies are expanded to include “pink and white” noise. This puts the body in a state of virtual sleep, while calming the left hemisphere and raising the attentiveness of the right hemisphere.Advertisement

The Energy Balloon: The individual is then encouraged to visualize the creation of an “energy balloon” beginning at the top of the head, extending down in all directions to the feet then back up again. There are a few reasons for this, the main one being that this balloon will provide protection against conscious entities possessing lower energy levels that he or she may encounter when in the out-of-body state.

Focus 12: The practitioner can consistently achieve sufficient expanded awareness to begin interacting with dimensions beyond their physical reality. To achieve this state requires conscious efforts and more “pink and white noise” from the sound stream.

Tools: Once Focus 12 is achieved, the subject can then employ a series of tools to obtain feedback from alternative dimensions.

Problem Solving: The individual identifies fundamental problems, fills their expanded awareness with them, and then projects them out into the universe. These can include personal difficulties, as well as technical or practical problems.

Patterning: Consciousness is used to achieve desired objectives in the physical, emotional, or intellectual sphere.

Color Breathing: A healing technique that revitalizes the body’s energy flows by imagining colors in a particularly vivid manner.

Energy Bar Tool: This technique involves imagining a small intensely pulsating dot of light that the participant charges up. He or she then uses the sparkling, vibrating cylinder of energy (formerly known as the dot) to channel forces from the universe to heal and revitalize the body.

Remote Viewing: A follow-on technique of the Energy Bar Tool where the dot is turned into a whirling vortex through which the individual sends their imagination in search of illuminating insights.

Living Body Map: A more organized use of the energy bar in which streams of different colors flow from the dot on to correspondingly-colored bodily systems.https://oembed.vice.com/MBh6HBt?img=1&lazy=1&v=1&app=1

Seven days of training have now occurred. Approximately 5 percent of participants get to this next level, according to the report.

Focus 15 – Travel Into the Past: Additional sound on the Hemi-Sync tapes includes more of the same, plus some subliminal suggestions to further expand the consciousness. The instructions are highly symbolic: time is a huge wheel, in which different spokes give access to the participant’s past.

Focus 21 – The Future: This is the last and most advanced state. Like Focus 15, this is a movement out of spacetime into the future.

Out-of-Body Movement: Only one tape of the many is devoted to out-of-body movement. This tape is devoted to facilitating out-of-body state when the participant’s brain wave patterns and energy levels reach harmony with the surrounding electromagnetic environment. According to Bob Monroe, the participant has to be exposed to Beta signals of around 2877.3 cycles per second.

Conclusions

Wayne expresses concern about the fidelity of information brought back from out-of-body states using the Gateway technique. Practical applications are of particular concern because of the potential for “information distortion.” 

The Monroe Institute also ran into a bunch of issues in which they had individuals travel from the West to the East Coast of the U.S. to read a series of numbers off of a computer screen. They never got them exactly right. Wayne chalks this up to the trouble of differentiating between physical entities and extra-time-space dimensions when in the out-of-body state.

Wayne swings back to support mode though, lending credence to the physics foundation of the report. He cites multiple belief systems that have established identical findings. These include the Tibetan Shoug, the Hindu heaven of Indra, the Hebrew mystical philosophy, and the Christian concept of the Trinity.  Here he seems more interested in hammering home the  theoretical underpinnings that make The Gateway Experience possible, rather than  the practical possibilities promised by The Gateway Tapes.

Possibly with his CIA top brass audience in mind, Wayne then gives an A-type nod to The Gateway Experience for providing a faster, more efficient, less subservient, energy-saving route to expanded consciousness. This finishes with a series of recommendations to the CIA for how to exploit Gateway’s potential for national defense purposes.

The missing page

One curious feature of The Gateway Report is that it seems to be missing page 25. It’s a real cliffhanger too. The bottom of page 24 reads “And, the eternal thought or concept of self which results from this self-consciousness serves the,” The report picks back up on page 26 and 3 sections later as if Wayne hadn’t just revealed the very secret of existence. 

The gap has not gone unnoticed. There’s a Change.org petition requesting its release. Multiple Freedom of Information Act requests have demanded the same. In all cases, the CIA has said they never had the page to begin with. Here’s a 2019 response from Mark Lilly, the CIA’s Information and Privacy Coordinator, to one Bailey Stoner regarding these records: 

One theory goes that that rascal Wayne M.-fricking-McDonnell left the page out on purpose. The theory contends that it was a litmus test—if anyone truly defies time-space dimensions, they’ll certainly be able to locate page 25.

Quick notes

This is an introductory post to this subject. I will include better, more “meaty” posts subsequent to this. I will also include the Hemi-Sync audio tracks that the MM reader can experiment with.

Do you want more?

This post starts it’s own sub-Index. Within this index will be (or are) a collection of audio files (in either MP3 or FLAC formats) for your personal use, adventures and exploration. Free.

I have more posts like this in my World-Line Travel Index

Articles & Links

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What are “shadow people” in the MWI.

This is a MAJestic post. It fits somewhere in between “what is the nature of the universe” and “how thoughts can alter our reality”. This article focuses on the idea that when you are in a world-line you are pretty much “alone”. Everyone else are just “shadows” or “shadow people” that occupy the world-line that you inhabit. Here we are going to spend more time flushing out what “shadow people” are, and what you are when you are on a world-line.

We covered some of this material in other posts.

Here we are going to elaborate on some of the finer details to help provide a better picture of what is actually going on. And of course, this knowledge that I am transcribing to the MM audience is not the mainstream scientific understanding (at least as I understand it), but rather what the <redacted> benefactors that worked with us at MAJestic believe that it is.

You, being who you are, can take it or leave it, and even ignore this article. But I would argue that you need to pay attention as it will best describe how the universe actually works, in far better detail than anything currently available within conventional science.

I have simplified the way the universe works so that people can understand it. And this posts leaves the simplification to start getting to the intricacies of the entire system.

Quick Review – “Time”

We are consciousness. Not a physical being.

Our consciousness is part of something much larger. We refer to this “bigger” thing as a “soul”.

Everything that you know, experience and think derives from your consciousness.

This consciousness constantly moves.

It moves from a fixed (unchanging) world-line to another world-line. We move from one to the other, and we call this movement “time”.

“Time” is the movement of your consciousness from one world-line to another.

Consciousness defines “time”.

Quick Review- Properties of a world-line

Each world-line is static.

Meaning that nothing is moving. A “world-line” is a frozen moment in time.

And each world-line represents, not only a frozen moment in time, of what have happened in the past, but also what will happen in the future. As well as every single “what-if” world-lines no matter how trivial.

And while we consider them to be “world-lines”, they are actually a small frozen in place complete universe. With planets, galaxies, stars, and all sorts of things that we associate with “our reality”.

Each world-line is a frozen universe.

Quick Review – A Template

For our purposes, we can consider world-lines to occupy a “location” independent of time and space. Thus it is very difficult to associate them with any kinds of geometry. Never the less, these world-lines can be “stacked”, “arranged” or “associated” with others for purposes of invention. Meaning; These frozen world-lines can be arranged to provide a utility, or a purpose.

A “template” is an arrangement of world-lines.

The world-lines are set up so that it is easy for consciousness to move from one to another, and thus experience “time”. This arrangement has elements of intelligent design inherent in it.

Obviously, those world-lines that are most similar to each other are organized in close proximity. It is called a “template”.

Quick review – Pre-birth template

A “pre-birth” (world-line) Template is an arranged template.

It is referred to as a “pre-birth” template because the Soul created it (arranged it) prior to your consciousness entering the physical body on world-line number one.

It is an arrangement of world-lines with the intent on creating a (more or less) “default” path of least resistance for a (given specific) consciousness to travel through.

The consciousness, of course, can enter any world-lines that it’s thoughts desire. However, the pre-birth template defines the path of “least resistance” for the consciousness. This template is pre-arranged specifically for the consciousness to acquire specific experiences while it is part of a physical body.

This manifests in a very simple manner.

A person finds a $100 bill on the sidewalk.

The default action, and the most likely response, is for the person to pick up the money and put it in his/her pocket. That is the adjacent world-line route upon the pre-birth template. It is the easy to implement world-line migration path that the consciousness would / should take.

However, other options are available.

These other options lie off that of the pre-birth world-line template. They can include...

[1] Picking up the money, and lighting it on fire.
[2] Picking it up and using it as toilet paper.
[3] Ignoring the money.
[4] Putting it in a Salvation Army donation canister.
[5] Giving it to the neighborhood kids to play with.

For most consciousnesses, the easiest path – “the path of least resistance” – is the pre-birth template. The consciousness can take very little initiative, aside from following the conditions and situations presented to them, and experience life as defined by the template.

Following the path of least resistance on a pre-birth world-line template is to live a “fated life”.

For most consciousnesses, the easiest path – “the path of least resistance” – is the pre-birth template.

Quick review – Slide

When you, as a consciousness, decide to do something out of the normal, something difficult or something extraordinary… you travel off the template. This travel, is automatic, and it appears that you “slide” off onto some other template.

A slide is when you exit the pre-birth world-line template and go to another template.

Moving off of the pre-birth world-line template is known as a “slide”. You “slide off” of it and enter a new template. This new template can provide you with new experiences and new opportunities. However, unless you maintain your position within that new template, you will always revert back to your original pre-birth world-line template.

Quick review – Occupancy

99.99999% of world-lines are empty.

Meaning that all they are, are just full and populated with other people, animals and things without consciousness. And only YOU, the one who is moving, possesses any kind of consciousness.

These people, and animals, are referred to as “shadows” or Shadow people” because while they appear to move and think, they do not have a consciousness like you have.

They are the “what if” actions, and scenery that your consciousness interacts with.

Everything in the world-line is scenery. And it is mostly devoid of other consciousnesses.

.

And the basic reality of our reality and our universe is that most of our world-lines are empty of all other consciousnesses except for our own. And so to see what it looks like is pretty much like this…

And the world-lines that we occupy only has our own singular consciousness in it.

.

And this is how I have been discussing world-line travel for some time now.

Well, that is not exactly correct.

In reality, all the “shadow people” possess a consciousness.

It’s not zero like I have stated.

That is an over-simplification.

There is some small percentage of a consciousness within every shadow entity. It’s just that the percentage is very, very tiny.

So, let’s take off the “training wheels”.

Every single one of the infinity of world-lines has consciousnesses throughout. Not just of everyone else, but also yours. It’s a tiny, tiny nearly infinitesimal amount. So what is ACTUALLY going on is that your consciousness dominates all the other consciousnesses in the world-line.

It’s like this…

Some explanations are necessary – How

In quantum physics, when two quanta meet, they become entangled.

Quantum Entanglement in Physics - ThoughtCo

Quantum entanglement is one of the central principles of quantum physics, though it is also highly misunderstood.In short, quantum entanglement means that multiple particles are linked together in a way such that the measurement of one particle's quantum state determines the possible quantum states of the other particles.

https://www.thoughtco.com/what-is-quantum-entanglement-2699355

And in the realm outside of our reality; the one that contains all the near-infinite numbers of world-lines, there isn’t any time or space. It’s a region with no geometry. So everything can entangle in a quantum sense.

No world-lines are independent. They are all connected to each other.

.

Theoretically.

What is actually happening is that clusters of world-lines entangle with other clusters of world-lines. They do this when ever a consciousness is injected into a world-line template.

A soul injects a consciousness into a template, and them BOOM! A hundred trillion world-lines automatically get entangled.

When a consciousness is injected into a world-line template, all the world-lines become entangled with each other.

.

This happens each time when a soul injects a consciousness.

This happens each time the consciousness enters and leaves world-lines, and life-lines (life-times).

And all of this entanglement puts a little infinitesimal part of you, and those around you near you in what ever world-line that your consciousness happens to occupy at that moment.

Now…

It should be understood that there are other factors that come into play. One injection of consciousness into a template does not mean that the entire infinite numbers of world-lines are all entangled. The effect does “peter out”, or decline as the variance increases.

In effect, and for our purposes, it will resemble something like this…

The ability of a consciousness to entangle with “close proximity” world-lines happens automatically. However, the ability for the entangled world-lines to entangle with other world-lines drops off as the degree of variance increases.

.

So lets consider this illustration.

You, as consciousness, are injected into a template by your soul.

You have pre-arranged the template layout and "geometry" so that you will have a very interesting and special arrangement of experiences that your consciousness would enjoy.

You, as consciousness, are injected into this template and immediately all the world-lines mapped out by your soul are now entangled. This effect ripples through all the world-lines... to a point.

Certainly the world-lines where you are driving a car, and go through an intersection has your consciousness presence. 

But does the world-lines where you are a duck eating (what ever ducks eat) as well? 

No. That is very unlikely. As the degree of variance from your point of entry increases, so does the drop off of entanglement.You driving a car does not resemble a duck eating (what ever ducks eat).

Now…

Consider that this is happening for the billions upon billions of people that are entering and leaving our template surface. Each one is “making their marks”. Good or bad. Right or work. Strong or soft. All combine to provide some “foot print” of their present upon the template that you inhabit.

Explanations – why

You might want to know why this occurs this way. To which I must shrug my shoulders and respond that I really do not know. I suppose that if everyone was a full-on 100% consciousness inside their body, and if thoughts control our reality, then our reality could be come a very confusing mess of constantly changing realities.

By only having one dominant consciousness inside a world-line, the thoughts that navigate though the template path are clearer and easy to track.

Or inother worlds, if everyone within your world-line were operating their consciousness at 100%, like you…

…and thoughts create our reality, and navigate on and off world-lines and their associated templates…

…then…

,,,reality would be changing and moving far too rapidly. It would be very difficult to corral your personal thoughts into any kind of functional application. The “reality” would be a real mess.

Observed “reality” as the world-lines change through time would resemble a very complex mess and confusing state were everyone that co-inhabited your world-line operated at 100% consciousness efficiency.

.

How can we use this knowledge

There are many positives to understanding how the universe actually works. But I would guess that the greatest value comes from what you do with that knowledge personally. Once you realize that your consciousness is THE dominant consciousness in the world-line that you inhabit, that means that your thoughts are also the DOMINANT THOUGHTS in the world-line as well.

Thus the need to control your thoughts has never been greater.

Not only can we control our navigation, but our influence in the strong quantum entanglements of “near-by” (but untraveled) world-lines means that we have the potential to influence the trends and behaviors of the environment around us.

Which is why my role as a “dimensional anchor” was so important.

Turn off that “news”. You define what you want to happen in the world around you.

I suppose you can "skim" the headlines. But really forget about most of it. Most are lies and manipulations. If you are all caught up on 5G and brain damage, the dangers of vaccines, and the government plot to do this or that...

...you all need to start drinking alcohol more, and reading the computer less.

Have a “bad boss”? You can think him out of your influence cycle?

The nation going crazy? You can calm it down, make it stable and anchor it against the winds of the radicals.

Unsatisfied with your life? Think yourself a better one.

The path and the road lies a head of you. You have more control over it’s navigation than you are aware of. Turn off the criteria of what “happiness is”, or the need to “accumulate wealth to be happy”, or the idea of “you need to do this, or that”. The only one who knows what you need is YOU.

Control your thoughts, and you will control your mind. Control your mind, and you will navigate towards the life you want.

It’s all in your hands.

Do you want more?

I have more posts in my Intention Campaign Index here…

Intention Campaigns

Articles & Links

You’ll not find any big banners or popups here talking about cookies and privacy notices. There are no ads on this site (aside from the hosting ads – a necessary evil). Functionally and fundamentally, I just don’t make money off of this blog. It is NOT monetized. Finally, I don’t track you because I just don’t care to.

To go to the MAIN Index;

Master Index
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Glimpses into your personal future; cultivating the intention prayer campaign to layout signposts and windows to aid in world-line navigation

Here we are going to look at premonitions. We are going to place them in context with prayer campaigns, and how everything works together and why.

Not your “run of the mill” article. Is it?

Another amazing title. But then again, that’s exactly what we are going to discuss here. We are going to look at ways to hone our affirmation prayer campaigns. And, more specifically, how to provide (what I refer to as) “sign-posts”, to reassure us that we are following the right path. This is an advanced post. I do hope that you all take your time and read through it slowly. It’s got some great stuff here.

Essentially, the primary purpose of this post / article is to reiterate the importance of the pre-birth world-line template (PB-WL-T).  Further, that while you can make some (more or less) “cosmetic” changes to your life through thought navigation, some events are beyond your ability to alter. The events are “set in stone” and unalterable.

  • You can “slide” off your pre-birth world-line template.
  • But there are still events that are unalterable and unavoidable.
  • These events are birth, death and signposts.

Long time readers to MM might find this disgusting and distasteful. But it need not be. It just states that there are limits to your ability to navigate using thoughts. And you need to take this into account when you perform world-line prayer intention campaigns.

An unchangeable future

Right now I am going to posit the idea that while your ability to perform intention prayer campaigns does actually work, that there are certain elements of your life that are extremely difficult to change. All being nearly unchangeable by you, the operator of your consciousness.

In general, and understandably, these unchangeable events fall into three broad categories.

  • Your birth. Time, place, and situation.
  • Key “sign posts” that are placed there intentionally by your soul to assist in your navigation efforts.
  • Your death. Time, place and situation.

So, listen up.

The first shocker; You cannot use an intention prayer campaign to prevent your demise, or alter your pre-birth world-line template. Sorry. My guess is that you probably thought that you could.

You [1] need to pay attention, and [2] you need to work with the “cards that you have been dealt”.

But, it need not be horrific

So don’t get all hot and bothered about fate. Your soul established this particular life for the obtainment of experiences, and the pre-birth world-line template was chosen for a reason. Your start and end dates for this block of experiences is all predetermined. That’s just the way it is.

And what’s more, your soul set up “signposts” that will alert your subconscious to keep you on the proper life-path.

By learning to look for these signposts we are better able to navigate though our reality, and still obtain the very important life experiences that was intended by our soul prior to our birth.

How premonitions work.
A premonition of a signpost event (a telltale) as depicted upon a lifeline as it moves throughout various world-lines.

A signpost example.

By being alert and aware, we can have glimpses of our reality independent of time. We can see images, if a fleeting glimpse, of an event that is a signpost within our life. No special training or ability is necessary. All humans can do this. It’s just that most are not aware of this, or of this ability and are unaware of what it actually is, or it’s innate importance to us.

The second shocker; all humans have the ability to glimpse into their future. But they can ONLY glimpse the solid unchangeable events; birth, death and signposts.

Perhaps this personal example from Metallicman might be of interest and might make a nice illustration.

In one of my jobs, we had moved the company offices from one building to another across town. During the move, of course, we ended up moving the various office equipment, desks, and materials. 

While I was having the workmen move my desk into the office, I had a strong, but very brief, image. I imagined myself getting bad news. I leaned on the desk with my hand covering my forehead, and holding the telephone in the other hand. While the image only lasted one second in duration, it was quite clear. I "saw" the orientation of the desk, where my high-backed chair was located, the painting on the wall, and the location of the windows.

I did not know of the details all that much. I just knew that it was "bad news" and that I dealt with it. I also knew that it would take place in my future.

In order to prevent that future from occurring, I decided to purposely relocate my desk orientation. Instead of facing my back to the wall (as I observed in my premonition), I placed the windows to my back. Thus, I completely reordered my office so that it would not in any way resemble the premonition that I observed. In short, I tried to prevent the future from occurring to me.

Two years passed.

Yet, even with my office completely the altered, the future was (itself) not altered. I ended up getting a bad phone-call, and I too sat in my chair, at my desk with one hand on my forehead and the other holding the telephone. The event still occurred, though I had altered the minor aspects of the office.

If you all are paying attention you might want to take notes.

I could change the events in my life, and I could rearrange the events and situations of the world around me, but I could not postpone, delay, or change that key “signpost” event. In short, that event was a pivotal moment in my life, and in my work relationship.

It was unchangeable, though I did try to change it.

What else can we learn…

Look at the event and learn from it.

  • I had a one-second glimpse into my future.
  • I understood the context regarding that glimpse, but not the details.
  • I tried to prevent the event from occurring, but failed.
  • That event was a pivotal moment. Almost all premonitions are important moments.
  • There was nothing that I could do, sort of really radical changes to my life, that could alter that event.

Some definitions…

Premonition | Definition of Premonition at Dictionary.com
https://www.dictionary.com/browse/premonition
noun 

A feeling of anticipation of or anxiety over a future event; presentiment.

And do not “poo-poo” this situation away. Most humans have experienced premonitions at some point of their lives.

presentiment
Since the 1990s, parapsychologists have carried out research into an unconscious form of precognition termed presentiment. Using experimental techniques well-established in psychophysiology, subjects in controlled experiments have been found to unconsciously anticipate stimuli to which they are randomly exposed, to a degree that is highly statistically significant. The effect is small but the findings have been widely replicated. 

-PSI Encyclopedia 

A life-line differs from a world-line…

World-line
A fixed, and frozen moment in time. It can describe any set of conditions from 1776 in Boston, to 4567 and more...

And time…

Time
Time is the apparent movement that our consciousness observes as we move from one world-line to the next.

Which then opens up to…

Life-line
A life-line is the vector path that our consciousness moves upon. It is a collection of all the world-lines that we have visited, and those that we will visit in the future.

And what we are doing here…

We are using inherent presentiment to locate “signposts” that will give the consciousness guidance.

Signposts are “tell-tales” that indicate whether or not we are following the intention goals of the pre-birth world-line template.

We can navigate all we want using prayer and intention, and we can conduct slides as well, but a deviation away from our real purpose in this life is ill-advised and not beneficial to our soul.

5.3 - Sailing To Telltales — UK Sailmakers
https://www.uksailmakers.com/encyclopedia/53-sailing-to-telltales

These yarns or “ticklers” monitor the flow of wind across the sail. Telltales are used for fine tuning your genoa sheet trim and to fine-tune the course you are steering. Telltales are only an aid when the sail has wind flow across both sides, i.e., when sailing angles between beating and beam reaching. When sailing lower than a beam reach, the sail is catching wind instead of working like an airfoil.
What are your Telltales Telling You | Sailing World
https://www.sailingworld.com/what-are-your-telltales-telling-you
There is an old sail trim adage, “trim the front of the jib and back of the mainsail,” or where the wind meets and leaves the sail plan. Telltales are a key tool helping you figure out what is...
Telltale | Definition of Telltale by Oxford Dictionary on ...
https://www.lexico.com/en/definition/telltale

2.1. (on a sailboat) a piece of string or fabric that shows the direction and force of the wind. ‘If the outside telltale flutters, let the sail out.’. More example sentences. ‘Flags and pennants are also used as telltales on a sailing ship that show the direction of the wind.’.

For our purposes, a “sign post” serves the same purpose of a “telltale” on the sail of a sailboat. It tells you the direction of the wind and helps you adjust (trim) your sails for optimum life experience.

Telltale.
Telltale

Quick summary

Premonition = Consciousness observation of a soul’s “sign-post”.

Signposts = Telltales on a life-line

Telltales = Presentiment regarding fixed events in a life-line.

Life-line = The path through world-lines that our consciousness experiences while alive.

What are “signposts”?

To learn what a “signpost” is, we need to use an example. For now, I will use a couple of televisions shows (American) that I think most MM readers will be aware of, if not active viewers.

Lately I have been watching the latest five seasons of the AMC television series “Better Call Saul”. I started watching it because I had become a big fan of a much earlier series titled “Breaking Bad”. And both are really great, and I am (or have been) enjoying them.

I am going to use these two television series to explain the importance of “signposts”.

For those that are unaware…

A high school chemistry teacher diagnosed with inoperable lung cancer turns to manufacturing and selling methamphetamine in order to secure his family's future.
A high school chemistry teacher diagnosed with inoperable lung cancer turns to manufacturing and selling methamphetamine in order to secure his family’s future.
Walter H. White is a chemistry genius, but works  as a chemistry teacher in an Albequerque, New Mexico high school. 

His  life drastically changes when he's diagnosed with stage III terminal lung cancer, and given a short amount of time left to live: a mere  matter of months. 

To ensure his handicapped son and his pregnant wife  have a financial future, Walt uses his chemistry background to create  and sell the world's finest crystal methamphetamine. 

To sell his  signature "blue meth," he teams up with Jesse Pinkman, a former student  of his. 

The meth makes them very rich very quickly, but it attracts the  attention of his DEA brother in law Hank. 

As Walt and Jesse's status in the drug world escalates, Walt becomes a dangerous criminal and Jesse  becomes a hot-headed salesman. Hank is always hot on his tail, and it  forces Walt to come up with new ways to cover his tracks.

halo1k, jackenyon                                          

I first started watching the televisions series Breaking bad when it first came out. Oh, around 2005 or so. It was a long standing series, and I managed to watch it while I was incarcerated, doing my time. In many ways, I could relate to his character. And the show itself was indeed, quite engrossing and entertaining.

Now, there was a character in the show called Saul Goodman. This fellow was the “criminal” attorney that Walter White used to get out of trouble with.

Now, Saul Goodman was quite the engaging fellow. He was colorful, interesting, a bit of a genus in the legal profession, and most certainly had an interesting back-story. And when the series ended, the fans clamored for more, and a second television show was birthed.

This second show was “Better call Saul”.

The first six episodes of Better Call Saul season 4 take place in 2003. Episode seven features a time jump of several months that brings the plot forward to sometime in 2004.
'Better Call Saul' is the origin story of a man trying to survive in a harsh, exploitative world where anyone and everyone will try and take him, and his dreams, down. Meet James M. McGill Esq. Attorney-at-law AKA Slippin' Jimmy AKA Saul Goodman.

-Better Call Saul (TV Series 2015– )

OK. Now using these two television series, I will illustrate how “signposts” work.

Using the television series as a platform.

Both series are about the same group of people, the same periods of time, the same relationships, and situations, and the same conditions. Where they differ is in the view point.

  • The first series, “Breaking Bad“, was about a chemistry genus with cancer; Walter White.
  • The second series, “Better call Saul“, was about Sal Goodman, a conniving attorney.

So one series is from one point of view, and the other from another.

If you watched the first series in order you will know what actually happens to the various characters in the show.

  • Walter White dies in a shootout.
  • Jessie Pinkman escapes and is a really changed person.
  • Tuco Salamanca dies.
  • Saul Goodman buys a new identity and lies low in the middle of nowhere.

And when you watch the second series with “Better call Saul”, you do so knowing all this information.

Thus, watching the second series is a “flushing out” of background stories. It adds more depth to the characters, and you (the viewer) can see the greater depth of color and cultural and contextual interplay between the characters and their situations.

Or, in other words, you KNOW what will happen to the characters in the second series “Better call Saul”.

So…

Using the television series as an analogy…

Both of the two television shows have shared characters. And they both take place in the same “universe”. Which means that the characters are interconnected and the histories of each character is mirrored in the other series.

For our purposes, we can imagine that the first series (Breaking Bad) is a premonition. It is a glimpse into what will happen in the second series (Better Call Saul).

  • First series “Breaking Bad” is a premonition.
  • Second series “Better Call Saul” is the active life-line.

Examples

And in “Better call Saul” no matter how crazy the events become, and no matter what “cliff hangers” are provided for the viewers to endure, we know from our “premonition” (the first series) what will happen to them.

Typically, premonitions describe Signposts and the end of life events. Thus they have a reputation as harbingers of disaster and bad news. But that is not necessarily true. They are glimpses into fixed events that your consciousness will experience unless you make REALLY DRASTIC CHANGES to your life.

As some have done regarding premonitions avoiding death…

Example 1 – Death

As I have stated, your birth on your lifeline, or pre-birth world-line template is fixed. But so is your death. If you are talented, or aware, or provide prayer questions looking for answers in your affirmation campaigns, you will be able to “image” your death.

A signpost premonition can tell us our mortality.

Consider the television show “Breaking Bad”.

We know, from the show, that the character Gus died by a pipe bomb.

Sharp-minded antagonist Gus Fring was killed by a pipe bomb explosion in Breaking Bad season 4, in one of the show's most shocking and memorable moments. Gus actually managed to briefly walk away before succumbing to his injuries.

-Breaking Bad: Is Gus Fring's Death Realistic? | Screen Rant
Gus Fring
Gus Fring’s Death

Yet, as we watch the show “Better call Saul”, Gus is alive and well. As the show takes place before the death scene.

Thus the scene from “Breaking Bad” is a premonition, or a Telltale / signpost, of the televisions show “Better call Saul”. Because when you are watching the television show “Better Call Saul”, Gus Fring is alive and is the middle of dealing with all sorts of issues.

It is so easy to get caught up in the show, and to forget that Gus Fring is fated to die. As we see him interacting with people and dealing with the issues of the day.

Gus Fring meets Saul Goodman.
It is easy to get caught up in the television show and to forget that Gus Fring is fated to die.

.

A signpost (premonition) is often associated with fixed and certain events that are very difficult to change. Like the birth event, or the death event. Thus, most people associate premonitions with bad news. But it need not be that way. It is just an understanding that your time on this earth will end, and the conditions of your ending will be made clear to you.

Example 2 – Prepare for a life altering event

Often, a signpost is not a birth or death event. But rather it is a significant event that will change the path that we are on. It doesn’t mean that we will die, or that anything “bad” will happen, but rather it is an illustration to tell us what to look forward towards, and not to be fearful of it.

A Signpost premonition is used to confirm or allay our fears. 

If you are wondering what will happen in your future, and you don’t know how things will pan out, good or bad… and you just cannot top fretting about it… a signpost premonition can be used to allay your fears.

In the television show “Better call Saul” we really don’t know how things will work out in an episode by episode basis. Saul Goodman has all kinds of issues and the show is a roller-coaster of risk, emotions and the ups and downs of his adventures.

Never the less, we are always reminded at the start of the show what actually ends up happening.

Better Call Saul  contains flashforward sequences showing Jimmy McGill now working at a  Cinnabon as Gene, and here's why he ended up there. Introduced in season  2 of Breaking Bad,  Walt and Jesse's "criminal lawyer" Saul Goodman (Bob Odenkirk) would  become one of the most important characters on the series. He was also  one of the few major figures to end the show alive, making the smart  move to get the hell out of dodge - or in this case Albuquerque - before  things really hit the fan.
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    In Better Call Saul,  fans have gotten to witness Saul's journey from small-time hustler  Jimmy McGill, to briefly respectable attorney Jimmy McGill, to go-to  lawyer for the New Mexico meth trade. Well, he's not quite there fully  yet, but presumably will be by the end of the spinoff. As Better Call Saul goes on though, it's becoming more and more like Breaking Bad, which doesn't seem to be bothering fans.

The fact that Saul Goodman is spending his time after Breaking Bad  managing a Cinnabon in Omaha is a direct callback to the final  conversation had between Saul and Walter White before they parted ways  for good. Both men were holed up in a bunker owned by Ed, the man who  specializes in making people disappear, and giving them new identities.  Saul says to Walt, lamenting their perilous situation at the time, "If I'm lucky, month from now, best case scenario, I'm managing a Cinnabon in Omaha." Sure enough, that's where he ended up in Better Call Saul.

-Screenrant

No matter what happens, we know that Saul Goodman will managed to untangle from the mess that he is in and survive as a franchise manager at a Cinnabon.

Gene in Cinnabon.
Saul Goodman as Gene.

.

Premonition signposts can be used to allay your fears and concerns about the future. When you see yourself in those future events, you will get the understanding that no matter how bad things look, you will end up attaining that signpost event.

Example 3 – Unresolved event

Not every event that we have a signpost for; a telltale, or a premonition of provides us with answers. Sometimes they just provide us with questions. And something to be alert during.

A Signpost premonition can be an alert.

Regarding the television show “Better call Saul”. A major character in this season is Nacho Varga. He is a reluctant man who is getting sucked into a big-time drug cartel, the Salamanca’s. He is doing so in an effort to protect his father, but everything is beyond his control, and so he is all caught up riding the stream to it’s ultimate conclusion…

…but we don’t know what will happen.

Nacho Varga.
Nacho Varga

.

At the end of season five, of “Better call Saul”, Nacho Varga assists in the attempted killing of Lalo Salamanca. And it is dicy. Not only is Lalo Salamanca a very bad and sadistic kind of fellow, but he knows or suspects that Nacho Varga was involved in the attack. And everyone watching the show is left hanging…

…what is going to happen?

Nacho Varga is a “good guy”. Lalo Salamanca is a bad guy. And he survived. It looks like there is going to be a very nasty turn of events for poor Nacho…

But…

But…

We know from “Breaking Bad” some background information that is not evident in the series “Better call Saul”…

Ignacio Varga, popularly known as Nacho Varga, was played by Michael Mando in Better Call Saul.  He played the character of an intelligent criminal and was the  right-hand man to Tuco Salamanca, heir of the crime family. Nacho Varga  was not a part of Breaking Bad but his name was mentioned a few times on the show. However, after Breaking Bad ended, fans raised questions regarding the disappearance of Nacho Varga.

What happened to Nacho Varga?
 
Nacho in Better Call Saul
 
Nacho played a key role in the prequel show Better Call Saul. He  murders 1 member of the Espinosa Gang and is also connected to murder  21 members of Espinosa Gang. Although Nacho does not make an appearance  in Breaking Bad, he is briefly mentioned by Saul Goodman in season 2 of the show.

Nacho is kidnapped by Walter White and Jesse Pinkman on December 4, 2008. Saul Goodman mistakes them for the cartel and also blames Nacho, for he thinks the cartel is angry with him. After his disappearance from the show, this raised a few questions amongst the fans and left them wondering whether Nacho is dead or is he in jail.

After being mentioned in season 2, Breaking Bad never revealed  the fate of Nacho. Saul Goodman just assumes it was him when he was  kidnapped by Walter and Jesse and it is just a sign that this man means  business. 

So viewers don’t really know if Nacho ends up living in Canada  or is actually killed for his spy games. While his narrow escapes in  the past have given a conclusion that Nacho Varga might have been dead  in Breaking Bad, nobody is able to give a conclusion yet.

-Republicworld

And that situation is carried on into the second series “Better call Saul”.

Now…

We, the viewers do not know what is going to happen. We tend to like the character, but we know that things are not going well for him.

A premonition regarding events about this character; what we know from “Breaking Bad”, tells us nothing about how he dies. We only know that he “disappears”. And that knowledge is the ONLY significant insight that your consciousness is permitted to have at that time.

Not every “signpost” is in regards to bad news, death or destruction. But rather they provide insight to the situations and conditions that you are involved in.

Misunderstanding a signpost.

I want to relate a premonition that my first wife had while we were in the middle of some financial distress. We were all pretty upset about it, and didn’t know when our next meal would come from. Then, out of the blue, she had a flash vision. It was a premonition of us living in Greece and it was beautiful.

WTF?

At that time were were living in a mobile home, and yes, I was “down sized” again without notice. Our vehicle was kaput (means broken down and non-functioning), the hot-water heater was broken, and we were taking cold showers during ice storms. Luckily we had some oatmeal that we could live off of, and that sustained us for a while

But Greece? WTF?

She was absolutely convinced that we would be living in Greece, and it was so very beautiful. The skies were pristine blue, the grass was lush and green, and the pillars were classic Greek. She said it was wonderful and nearby was a brilliant lake where ducks would fly.

That is not the Greece that I am familiar with.

Modern Greece.
Greece is a beautiful place. But somehow it didn’t match the description that my first wife had of it.

.

The “Greece” that my first wife described consisted of plenty of tree, tall stone Greek pillars, and a large lake full of geese and ducks.

I let the narrative “roll over my shoulders”. I was just happy that my wife wasn’t fretting so much over our future.

Ten years passed.

And we were living in Massachusetts. On a weekend we went to visit a park in Rhode Island. The park is the Roger Williams Park. And yes it is beautiful. It was there my wife exclaimed that the park was the exact replica of the “life in Greece” that she had the vision of.

Roger Williams Park
Roger Williams Park in Rhode Island, near Providence.

.

All in all, this vision that my wife had was a signpost, or a telltale. It was a premonition that helped my wife put her fears at rest. For she saw clearly that we were doing well and living in a nice area.

Signposts or telltales are premonitions that are useful for our consciousness to view while we are in the middle of a difficult life-line.

So what is a “person’s life” actually?

Which now opens up to a really deep subject. Do we really have any control over our life? And the answer to that is…Yes, we do.

But the entire lifetime is “bracketed”. It has a start, and an end. It also have “anchors” or “way points”, or as I like to say, “signposts” that we use to keep us on track during our entire life.

Tips and tricks.

In general, we can use our thoughts to navigate though out our lifetime. But it will be a difficult task to change our birth date, and our date of death. These are all established long before our pre-birth world-line template was affixed and imprinted upon our consciousness.

Our consciousness is assigned a task by our soul.

This task is to collect and obtain experiences. These experiences collect quanta relationships and form long-standing bonds. How we go about doing so will affect the growth of our soul. Therefore, it is important that the soul controls the LIMITS of our behaviors.

The soul creates a road-map of sorts. We have a start and a finish. And we are given way-points or sign posts that we can look towards to verify that we are not deviating too far off the path. We can have glimpses of these events.

When we have a glimpse of these sign-posts we call that a premonition.

There are different reasons for having a premonition, however it has been my experience that they are useful to help reset our emotions from running amok. News, most especially bad news, circumstances, people, stories and all the rest can get our mind all worked up into a tizzy. When that happens, our emotions are triggered, and a fear-induced fight or flight reaction starts to manifest. This is counter productive.

So glimpses of our future, if only momentary, are useful for keeping us on track and following the proper path.

How to access signposts

If you are running an intention prayer campaign and you want to have some control over accessing premonitions, then it is as easy as adding an affirmation saying so.

  • I have the ability to have premonitions regarding key events in my life, especially future events. These premonitions are triggered when I need them and they are useful in controlling my emotions and helpful in decision making.

It’s all just that simple. Just add this desire into your affirmation prayers, and don’t worry about it.

Can you avoid a signpost?

No. You cannot avoid a signpost unless you have radically, and substantially altered your active life-line to such an extent that the slides have placed you way off your intended track boundaries. The signpost is never a singular fixed world-line. Rather it is a string, or a region of world-lines, like a fence that you must pass through to continue on with your life.

How a signpost telltale actually appears in the MWI.
How a signpost telltale actually appears in the MWI.

What about those who get a glimpse of a disaster and avoid it?

Are they avoiding their death?

I posit that they were NEVER intended to die, and the premonition of the upcoming disaster is a signpost (not their death) so that they will INTENTIONALLY avoid a problematic future.

How can you, as an individual consciousness, tell?

Short answer: I do not know. My “gut feeling” is that YOU will know. You will know whether your signpost is one upon which you take action, or whether it is a view of your death as pre-determined as part of your pre-birth world-line template criteria.

A premonition of impending death.
A premonition of impending death as a signpost rather than the view of your substantive pre-birth world-line template death.

What about sliding off your pre-birth world-line template?

These rules about boxing in a life-line holds true whether or not you use affirmation campaigns to slide off your pre-birth world-line template.

There is a start date and conditions, and there is a end date with conditions. Your slides might alter some (some) of the conditions, but it will not negate the ultimate closure events. The same holds true regarding signposts (telltales).

Look at the following illustration…

The effects of slides have very little effect on the primary events of a lifetime.
The effects of slides have very little effect on the primary events of a lifetime. While the conditions might change, the events will still occur. You might try to arrange the desk into a different location, but the event will still happen. The signposts tend to travel with you when you slide onto another world-line template.

.

Now, I think, or do believe that it is possible to “cheat death” and avoid severe conflict or extraordinary trouble. However, the actions that you must do in order to accomplish this task is in itself extraordinary.

And what about MM?

Well, I can see many (if not all) of my signposts. The truth be told, my soul jam-packed a lifetime of experiences in a very short lifespan. I am sure that there is a reason for this. But what ever the reason is, I do not know and cannot enunciate. Apparently I must have “signed up” and agreed to some pretty involved things long before I was born.

Apparently. I guess.

And you the reader, are supposed to be reading this. For what ever reason that might be suitable for you.

I cannot believe that I am wholly unique. Instead, I believe that I am but a small part of something larger, and with that, all the MM readership are all part of a larger group that shares in our great growth and adventures. What ever they might be.

Not specially chosen, mind you, but rather souls that stepped up front and volunteered.

Do you want more?

I have more posts in my prayer affirmation campaign index here…

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A little discussion on how your consciousness is able to navigate the MWI world-lines accurately

You know, people want to know the "secrets of the universe", and when you present them the information, they go "what's this shit?" They said that they don't want "that". Oh no. They want something that already agrees with their erroneous world view...

Anyways…

The way the universe works is pretty straight forward.

Thoughts create our reality. What you think naturally causes your consciousness to migrate to those places conceived by your thoughts.

This pretty much agrees with what we understand about quantum physics.

But this post is going to step into this matter at a deeper level. We are going to get into [1] the fracturing of consciousness and [2] how the whole consciousness works (behind the scenes) to [3] generate very accurate and suitable world-line destinations. Destinations that fit both [4] pre-birth world-line templates, and [5] autonomous consciousness world-line roving ability.

So, this post is NOT going to be about the nuts and bolts of MWI navigation by an Affirmation Campaign. No, it will not be like the other posts. Instead, it is a discussion about [1] how the world-lines are manifested, and [2] what elements of a given conscious thought generation contribute to them.

It’s a very, very deep subject. And it is very, very advanced.

I’ll try to explain it in simple terms so that everyone can understand what is going on and the mechanism(s) involved.

Review

For those of who who are new to Metallicman, let’s let put it simply.

The world that surrounds you has not resemblance to what everyone thinks it is. It is something entirely different.

I have covered this in other posts, in other places. And I tire about repeating myself.

You have walked into an advanced discussion area, and you won’t be able to make out anything that is said herein unless you start with the basics. Therefore, for you newcomers, you need to start at the front and work your way up to this point.

Intro to a first time visitor;

MAJestic

If you want to know how to control your world though manifested thoughts and intentions, which is what this particular post is all about, go here…

Intention Campaigns

Start at the beginning and work your way down. It’s all there. It’s everything you ever need.

So to fully appreciate what is being stated here, you must recognize that the world is not a physical place where your body is born into.

Instead, it is a temporary construction. It changes moment to moment by the thoughts generated by your consciousness. And it is your consciousness that occupies the physical reality. Not your body.

These changes are known as “world-lines” and the physics involved is known as quantum physics, and the particular branch that this discussion centers upon is known as the MWI.

  • The primary world-line that you start out with at birth is known as your “pre-birth world-line template”.
  • Movement through the various world-lines is known as “time”.
  • Switching the pre-birth templates to completely different sets of initial conditions are known as “slides”.
  • Intentional navigation though the various world-lines is known as an “intention campaign”.
  • Planning and directing a navigation vector through the MWI is known as “mapping”.

Consciousness is the key to everything

So here you are.

You are not a physical body that thinks has emotions and walks about.

You are soul, that creates a “consciousness” that is placed within a (human) container that is fixed and tied to a pre-birth world-line template.

Your physical body, and the world surrounding your, as well as all the thoughts floating around and the spirits, and all that history, and the subway cars and everything else is all just a very elaborate construction.

Not your construction.

You, your consciousness, your soul did not create this reality.

You picked it out, and you selected it.

You (as soul), put part of you inside this “sandbox”, this “playground”, this world-line reality at birth to obtain experiences.

And with each experience…

New relationships (known as “entanglements”) were formed at the quantum level.

Good or bad. Right or wrong. Black or white. Love or hate. All defined what your consciousness experienced, and all defines who you are. For you are the sum total of your experiences.

Put a “part” of you inside the reality…

Yes.

Your soul created a “consciousness”.

It used quanta that it has, and organized it, and arranged it, and made a “consciousness”,

Most “consciousnesses” contain from 10% to 35% of the quanta of any given soul.

Which means that most of who you are is out in Heaven somewhere, doing “other things”.

And your “consciousness” is busy doing a number of tasks…

  • It is experiencing “life” within the “passage of time”.
  • The “life” is a non-stop sequence of experiences.
  • Each experience is the building, shaping, structuring, and arranging the relationships between different quanta, by your thoughts and your physical actions.
  • Thus it is making and creating memories.

All the time, the consciousness resides within a fixed physical body. One that has emotions, and feelings and other biological needs that drive it towards behaviors. These behaviors might be normal and bland, like eating and sleeping, or more complex like desiring to own a sports car, or having an interest in someone else, or very complex like emotions and relationship entanglements.

So the sum total of your “life” as a human, from birth to death, is actions and thoughts that result from experiences within the MWI. It is what the consciousness experiences. And since the consciousness is a part of the soul that created it…

That comprises from 10% to 35% of the activity of the soul.

What are these “other things” soul is doing…

So a big question that you might want to ask is what is the soul doing if a part of it is living life within the MWI?

Is it up there in Heaven “twiddling it’s thumbs”?

twiddle (one's) thumbs
To wait idly because one cannot take action or has nothing to do at the moment.

Although the phrase refers to an actual movement of the hand (in which one's fingers are interlaced and each thumb is brought over the other in succession), the phrase is usually used figuratively.
Twiddle one’s thumbs.

No.

The soul is actually busy doing other things in Heaven.

Most of which, are way beyond the scope of what the consciousness might understand. For the consciousness is in control of a physical mind, within a physical body, that is physically tied to the understandings of that world-line that it is part of.

Now, it it be well understood that I do not have privy to what is going on with soul, because (after all) I am like you. I am a consciousness trapped within a physical body. And all I know that might be different is limited in scope, and tied to my EBP and other “understandings”. Things which might or might not be correct.

Never the less, there are some things that we can infer are going on.

Namely what the soul is doing in regards to the consciousness that it created.

For, as we well know, the soul is intimately connected to the consciousness. And, as such, the consciousness (you) can have an “inkling” of what soul might be doing in it’s involvement with the consciousness.

Orders from Headquarters

When I was young, and I wanted my father to play with me, the would sometimes explain to me that he couldn’t. I would ask why, and he would say “orders from headquarters”. Which meant that there were powers stronger than him that were telling him what to do and how to do it.

  • Sometimes it would be his job, his career, and his schooling (night school).
  • Sometimes it would be my mother.
  • And sometimes it would be other commitments.

All of which were beyond my understanding as a young boy.

So, instead of getting involved with detailed explanations on why he could not play with me, instead he would use this “catch all” phrase. He did this knowing that he did not have the time to explain the various complicated relationships and issues involved. And even if he did, it would have been unlikely for me to understand the reasoning at that time, at that age, and at that stage in my personal development.

There is NO WAY that any human within the “reality” universe that comprises the MWI can understand what is going on within the “Heaven” universe. All we can relate is the flimsy and tenuous understandings associated with the link between our consciousness and soul. Because, after all, they are intimately tied together.

So, what we can say is that there is a “relationship” between soul and the consciousness that it creates.

We can further say that this “relationship” is involved in how the consciousness obtains experiences…

Because, after all, that is WHY the soul created the consciousness in the first place.

… and thus the soul is in charge of the degree of comfort or discomfort that the consciousness experiences.

This has some profound implications.

What this means

While the reader should be well versed in the idea that thoughts create our reality, we have to take into account that there might be other influences that might also bend and shape the realities that converge.

What other influences?

  • Strong, contrary thoughts that might inhabit the world-line(s) that you inhabit. These might inhibit your Intention Navigation Campaign.
  • Physical limitations of the world-line itself.
  • Modification of the intention desires by your soul, which might run contrary to the desires of your consciousness.
  • Other, non-physical entities or mechanisms that might work with your soul to mitigate your intention direction.

In other words, it is very probable that your soul is assisting in the manifestation of the new world-lines that you enter. The degree of this “assistance” will depend on all sorts of factors. But I guess that the point is that you (as consciousness) have support (from your soul) in the selection of the world-lines that you enter and move towards. And that it will not alloy you (as consciousness) to “get off the track” in regards to learning experiences that it desires.

Thus you can expect the resulting world-lines that materialize to be what you asked for (in a Intention Campaign) but with very specific “strings attached” (lessons for you to obtain and learn from).

"Strings attached" is an idiomatic expression we say in English. When you give something to anybody with strings attached, that means there are conditions or obligations to the recipient. 

For example, you give a friend a new car and he is obligated not to refuse you if you ask him for a favor.

-Strings Attached | WordReference Forum

Thus…

An Intention Campaign for (example) that might want a girlfriend that is a beautiful model in show business, might come with the “strings attached” that might have things from which you might learn some important lessons. And lessons are always uncomfortable. In this case, perhaps, she has a husband named Bluto, or that she has warts and will give them to you.

The soul, when working with the consciousness, will determine the level of severity and speed of the lessons that you will obtain within this MWI experience.

  • Some intention campaigns will be exactly what you desire. After all, if your intention campaigns will not work, then you would stop doing them.
  • Some intention campaigns would have resultant desires that would be exactly what you want, and it will come with a lesson that you will learn. If I were to ask other readers of Metallicman about whether they learned anything from their manifested desires, I might get hundreds of responses.
  • Some intention campaigns will result in things manifesting that will change the course of your desires in mid-stream. That is when you know that your soul has a hand in the manifestation of your desires.

So, do not mistakenly believe that 100% of what you intentionally campaign for will result in a 100% manifestation of your desires. The actual numbers are actually slightly less. It’s more like 95% and 95%. And it is your soul that has the ultimate say over what your consciousness manifests.

You (consciousness) is part of something much larger (your soul). And what you desire, and think of will manifest within your reality. Just realize that your soul has a say in that manifestation.

And it will come with a "price tag".

Conclusion

One thing about “false positives” is that every time they occur, you learn from them. That’s funny, isn’t it? Have you ever stopped and wondered why some manifested intentions have false positives while others don’t?

It’s all about the lessons that you as consciousness obtain.

Now, knowing this mechanism, you should be better equipped in using and manifesting your affirmation campaign. You can expect that what you yearn for will continue to manifest, and that the results will not do so by the laws of the physical universe, but rather will be “massaged” and manipulated by your soul to best manifest for your very own personal growth.

That is a good thing.

So, you need to keep all this in mind as you observe things manifesting before your very eyes. When they do, you need to review what lessons you are learning and whether or not you are growing as a person, as consciousness, and as soul in the process.

From the point of view of your soul, this is your learning center. Don’t squander it. Play with whatever “toys” you desire. Just know that their manifestation will be associated with the learning of something, at some time.

Just know that their manifestation will be associated with the learning of something, at some time.

Enjoy.

Life can be far more exciting, far more enjoyable, and far more wonderful than you could ever imagine.

Do you want more?

I have more posts in my Intention Campaign Index here…

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Pet love and shadowing during MWI world-line cross-overs. They can actually follow your consciousness during your travels, and meet you after death.

Wow! How’s that for a title?

OK. Here is yet another thing that you will not find elsewhere on the internet.

This post deals with the quantum attachments of one species consciousness (human) with another species consciousness (dog, cat, horse, etc.) during the MWI world-line switches. Which we tend to refer to as “time”.

  • The universe is composed of quanta.
  • Quanta can form “clumps”.
  • Over time, these “clumps” can obtain intelligence.
  • We refer to collections of “clumps” as species.

While I have repeatedly stated that “time” is how our consciousness experiences a sequences of world-lines, I have pretty much let it be understood that everyone else isn’t actually sharing those world-lines with us. Instead, they are “what it” versions of other people. Whom I refer to as “quantum shadows”.

Well, now I am going to lay down some really astounding information to you all.

When it comes to pets, and loved ones (really close pets, and really close loved ones), their consciousness does ACTUALLY share many of the same world lines that you would. (Not all of them. Not every one of them. But enough to consider a pair or trio of consciousnesses following and surfing the MWI together.)

You are not truly alone.

Here we are going to talk about this. But, first we need to really hash out a review of terms and concepts. Just a refresher for all you metallic men and women out there…

Review – The MWI

What everyone seems to think “Heaven” is this big old guy in a long white beard on a throne sitting and telling people to life in paradise as long as they worship him.

Nah. It’s not like that.

It’s a place, yah. And it is many things. It is more than what our physical reality is. That is for certain.

Heaven is also graduated.  It possesses different regions and areas.  Each region or area have different concentrations of quanta. (Quanta is the building blocks of our reality.)

They form different densities.

Some of which are very dense with one type of quanta, and others are dense with other combinations of quanta.  It is a complex “soup” or “stew” of quanta that pop in and out and move about all under the influence of other “influences” (I will discuss these later.).

Consider "Heaven" to be everything. It includes the physical universe and the unseen "Heavens" often referred to in religious writings. It is a place where everything is composed of the smallest building blocks or components possible - quanta.

Within this realm, are clumps and arrangements of quanta. The quanta naturally starts to entangle with other quanta. They form arrangements, and dance about in certain ways. Over time, they get larger and more complex. They form things. They precipitate into simpler, slower and coarser things such as physical rocks, dust and energy.

Big bang
On many websites, and books, the concentration of the “Big Bang” theory always revolves around the formation of the physical universe. It rarely discusses the formation of the unseen universe, and the components of branes, strings, and quanta.
Eventually, some of the quanta form into constructions that obtain sentience. The groups of quanta with sentience are called "souls".

The souls realize that the way that they can grow and advance is to organize their quanta. There is only one problem. Quanta can only organize through entanglements. They need to entangle with other quanta.

The way entanglements work is through association, or better yet, experiences.

Our Bubble of Reality

So, in order to obtain these experience, the soul creates a bubble within Heaven.

It is an environment where the soul can obtain experiences. These “bubbles” are regions that can best be defined as a construction. They are constructed regions manufactured by a given soul to obtain experiences within. These regions are unique and custom for a given consciousness.

Soul creates a bubble
A soul exists within “Heaven”. It creates a “bubble” and places a physical body within this bubble. This body experiences the bubble as “reality”. That is what our reality actually is. In the picture above, we see a particular soul, soul A creates an construct. This is a bubble of reality. That reality consists of a physical person surrounded by a physical and a non-physical reality that is determined by the senses of the physical person so constructed.

A soul would connect to this bubble of reality via a “tube” or an interface. We call that interface as “consciousness”. Souls can have multiple consciousnesses but only one consciousness may occupy a given reality at a time.

A bubble of reality consists of four set “dimensions”. Three spacial dimensions and one of entropy; time.

The "passage of time" is simply our reality bubble changing by our thoughts. Additionally, other nearby bubbles also move about and change. They can influence our bubble as well.

The control over this bubble of reality is quite possible. That is because our reality changes with our thoughts. Each thought changes it.

Thoughts of the consciousness within the reality can alter the reality. Thoughts can make or break the experiences of the consciousness.  As such the soul can learn from the consciousness and it’s decision making process. This is of course, through manipulation of the three dimensions plus the “dimension” of time.

Consciousness experience events within the reality.  As such they generate thoughts.  The thoughts alter and create the reality that the consciousness exists within. As such, the consciousness obtains experiences and learns from them.

Heaven - Basic Diagram
A really basic diagram of the general organization of “Human” Heaven. Each individual soul constructs a “reality”. It them provides a conduit to the biological presence within that reality. This conduit is known as “consciousness”. Note that no two consciousnesses share the same reality. However, there can be influences in the non-physical reality aspects.

“Seen” dimensions typically are referred to as the physical world.  While “unseen” dimensions are referred to as various levels or dimensions of Heaven.

But, what exactly is heaven?

Please refer to the image above. How “heaven” is organized. (above). This diagram if a simplistic version of what a human “heaven” looks like.  Let’s suppose you (the reader) is sitting down in your house reading this manuscript. That figure is the icon of the blue person shown by (B). You exist within this “bubble” or reality also shown by (R1).  This “reality” includes the chair you sit in, the television show that you are watching, and the coffee beside you.

Illustration 1

Extending beyond your (physical) reality is your “extended” (non-physical) reality (R2) which consists of your thoughts, memories and everything associated with it (also  known as the “quantum cloud”).

Your thoughts regarding what you are now reading are moving about in this (R2) reality. This area contains not only thought, but emotion and other generated “influences” (far too complex to discuss at this time).

illustration 2

However, you have a soul (A) that is part of who you are.  This soul only partially occupies your reality. In fact, it spends the vast bulk of it’s time outside of your “reality”.  You know it exists, but you are unaware of it’s “day to day” experiences, challenges and behaviors.

Your soul can create numerous “realities” with numerous “individuals” (of which YOU are but one of the people that your soul creates)  occupying those realities.  This can occur at different times and at different locations. However, for now, let’s keep it simple and suppose your soul has created only one “realty” (R1) and (R2) for one person (B), you the reader.

illustration 3

Now, let’s suppose that you are married to another person that is part of your life.  (A pretty common situation.)

That person would be represented by (C) which is but a “quantum shadow” of another person. It is not the ACTUAL person.  It only seems that way. (Though in your reality, that person is just as real as anything else in your reality.)

illustration 4

What you see is their world-line version of where they married you and share your reality.  It is not an actual reality (from their point of view, but rather the world-line version of them). (Your quantum-shadow spouse is but one version of a near infinite number of world-line variations of that particular person.)

That person (D) is actually living within their own “reality “just like you are.  They may or may not see a quantum shadow of you. It is all determined by their version of reality.  This of course is determined by their soul (E).

illustration 5

What is of most interest here is how their thoughts affect your reality (R1 & R2).  While we all have our own “bubble” or reality that we live and exist within, our reality is constantly in flux by the thoughts of others (G). We view these effects as the “passage of time”.

Heaven - Basic Diagram
A really basic diagram of the general organization of “Human” Heaven. Each individual soul constructs a “reality”. It them provides a conduit to the biological presence within that reality. This conduit is known as “consciousness”. Note that no two consciousnesses share the same reality. However, there can be influences in the non-physical reality aspects.

The influence of the quantum-shadow of those nearest to us absolutely shape and mold the realities that we participate in.  We can alter their influence by having “strong personalities”, or trying to isolate ourselves from others.  However, the more we do so, the less likely we are to learn lessons and have experiences.  It is the overlap of thought influences that create the experiences that we learn from.

Both your (A) soul and your spouse’s soul (E) exist within a heaven (F).

Your soul’s can work out different “realities” or “adventures” for both of you to share to obtain experiences.

Life Together.
A given consciousness with interact with the quantum shadows of other consciousnesses. Together they share experiences. The experiences can be good or bad, but they ultimately help align quanta so that a soul can grow and learn. Thus, it is very important that a given consciousness get the BEST experiences while it is part of a given reality.

The idea, of course, is to obtain experiences and configure the quantum clouds associated with the constructed realities that the soul utilizes.  As soul grows and configures itself, it can “improve” and evolve.  Hopefully towards an approved soul archetype and sentience.

Heaven
In the movie “What dreams may come” a Hollywood version of what Heaven might look like is provided. It’s a nice image. However, Heaven can be anything or nothing depending on the thoughts of the soul. Our sentience creates the type of Heavenly realm that our soul inhabits. Which is WHY it is important for humans to have a single defined sentience; one that does not disrupt the sentience’s of other species. In other words, an approved sentience and physical archetype.

As it improves and grows, the vast bulk of it’s quantum configuration dwells at different energy states.  Each different energy state has a different place in heaven (F).  Two are indicated by (J) and (I).

To prevent confusion, I would suggest that the reader consider “reality” as the first three dimensions, plus “time” as the fourth dimension.

I would then suggest that the fifth dimension, as world-line swapping (alteration of the “reality” “bubble”). This is very easy to visualize by using the above-mentioned model. For to understand what is happening in this case, the “quantum shadows” within your reality are being rearranged.

Fifth dimensional trave;
Fifth-dimensional travel as world-line travel.

In “world-line” travel, all that is taking place is that the “quantum shadows” are being rearranged within one’s “bubble” of “reality”.  This is fifth-dimensional travel. In the example above, Fifth-dimensional travel as world-line travel.

Quantum shadow (C) changes to fit the new revised “realty”.  (It is now a yellow person instead of a red person.) We, as a participant within our reality look upon these changes as “world-line” travel.

From this point of view, it should be clear.  That obtaining world-line dimensional travel is actually accessing our own soul and requesting it to alter our reality to fit our needs, while at the same time keeping the educational lessons that we are to obtain the same or better. This can be accomplished through certain techniques.  In my case, we utilized a biological artifice to bend reality (within the confines of my experience structure).

So, in all actuality, there isn’t really any kind of “travel” at all. What is actually happening is the “reality” construct changes in accordance with the wants and needs of the soul.

If a given person, within a “reality” bubble wants to change his “world-line” he would be able to do so with the proper technology.  However the changed “world-line” that manifests would be one that would either have the same and equal types of experiences for the soul, or that it would be one that would have more or “better” experiences.

There are even more interesting nuanced versions of “world-line” travel at the “higher” dimensional values.  However, for our purposes, let’s keep it simple.  I would then suggest anything above the fifth dimension as the realm of “heaven”. (Whether it is actually in a Heaven Universe, or within our “reality” universe.)

Review – What “time” actually is.

Most people have a really crap-tastic idea of what the MWI or multiple world-line theory is. They just cannot visualize it for the life of themselves. They have no idea what to think, or how it would manifest.

They come up with visualizations such as this…

Contemporaneous visualization of the MWI.
Contemporaneous visualization of the MWI.

One major hurtle…

The problem with all these contemporaneous visualizations is that the artist, philosopher, or scientist does not isolate the concept of consciousness from that of a physical person. It is assumed, and defaulted to one and the same identical thing. When in fact, they are entirely two separate things.

Everyone assumes that all those people around us also possess a consciousness. We assume they are also like us; that they have an active consciousness and an associated soul as well.

We make this assumption based on our interactions with them. 

They appear, to us to be fully actuated and in possession of a soul and consciousness. We argue here that the appearance of something does not equate to the de facto possession of something.

There are differences between [1] a “consciousness”, [2] a “physical body”, and [3] a “person”. For our purposes, a person is someone with an active consciousness. Most people think that all three things are just different names for the same thing. They are not.

The differences between a person, a consciousness and a physical body when discussing the MWI, or multiple world-line theory.
The differences between a person, a consciousness and a physical body when discussing the MWI, or multiple world-line theory.

Most laymen, and many scientists do not understand this simple fact. They assume that everyone is a “person”. That we share our universe with other people who all have internal “consciousnesses”.

We do not.

We are a consciousness. Not a physical body.

Instead we are consciousness, that inhabits a physical body, forming a person. (As in the picture above.) We then occupy a reality.

In this reality, we are surrounded with physical bodies, but none of them possess a consciousness. Instead they appear to have a consciousness simply because of how they interact with us. This interaction of these others is how the soul obtains experiences and thus grows and advances in the quantum sphere.

Within our reality, we are the only one that is in possession of a consciousness. Everyone else is just a shadow version of themselves. In reality they (too) inhabit their own reality elsewhere, where they too are along and surrounded by the quantum shadows of others.
Within our reality, we are the only one that is in possession of a consciousness. Everyone else is just a shadow version of themselves. In reality they (too) inhabit their own reality elsewhere, where they too are alone and surrounded by the quantum shadows of others.

Thus, our universe is comprised with a near infinite number of world-line realities. Many are empty, and some contain a consciousness which is inhabiting a body to obtain experiences with. Our universe, thus looks something a little like this…

THis is how the universe actually is, and exists within the MWI. It is a place where consciousness travels the infinate world-lines alone, and interacts with shadow equivalents of other people, persons and things.
This is how the universe actually is, and exists within the MWI. It is a place where consciousness travels the infinite world-lines alone, and interacts with shadow equivalents of other people, persons and things.

Why this is important.

If you want to know the “secrets of the universe” then you will need to forget everything you learned in school and college. For all of it is based on assumptions that are rock-hard, firm, fixed and imputable.

Most of it is really, really incorrect. For our “reality” is not what everyone thinks.

  • We do not “share” our universe with others.
  • We live alone in our universe.
  • Everyone else are “shadow copies” of their true forms.
  • These “shadow copies” are other people acting and living as if they were to share our universe. They are what could possibly exist and manifest. Not that they actually do manifest.

Shadow copies

For simplicity purposes, we simplify things to understand them. And in the case of these “quantum shadows” or “shadow people”, we say that they are empty and devoid of a consciousness.

But that is not really true.

Every shadow person, on every possible world-line has a teeny-tiny part of the quanta associated with another consciousness. It’s really sparse, and really small, but it does exist there. We just simplify things and say that a person; a consciousness, occupies a world-line alone.

It’s a simplification. And here we can see how the simplification helps us to understand things…

What it looks like is NOT the way it is.

We all think that there is just one universe, and one Earth, and it is populated by all of us together. That we share the earth with each other and that we are all equal and are in the same time-line.

All these assumptions are wrong.

We believe that we share our universe with others.
We believe that we share our universe with others. No. Instead we share this universe with “versions” of other people. These versions are constructs that interacts with our consciousness while we exist within our reality world-line.

We do not share our universe with others.

Nope.

Not. Even. Close.

Instead, we occupy a universe alone. We do not share it with anyone. Oh, yes, it does appear that we share it, but we really do not.

All those other people that we interact with are not really what they appear. They are a version of that other person. This is the version of that person were they to actually share the reality with us.

We seem to be surrounded by others.
All those other people that we interact with are not really what they appear. They are a version of that other person. This is the version of that person were they to actually share the reality with

They are but quantum shadows of the possibility of interaction.

In Plato’s classic Allegory of the Cave,  a group of people living in a cave have a very false view of the world  because the only thing they can see is the shadows on a wall. Plato was  trying to teach his students that the philosopher must see beyond the  shadows to the reality that is projecting them, but what exactly is that  reality.

The reality that Plato wanted his students to see is not  the physical form of the object casting the shadow, those physical  objects are just another level of shadows! The world of matter is the  shadow world, the world of illusion, the world of deception. It is not  at all what it appears to be because our physical eyes, and other  physical senses, can sense only the shadows called matter so we are  deceived into believing that it is real. That is not to say that matter  is not real. Matter is real just as the shadow of a tree is real, but  the shadow is not the tree and matter is not true reality. 

-Cosolargy International

To understand this please note.

We are not a physical body. We are soul.

Now, do not be offended.

This does not at all mean that there is no love, that there isn’t a thing called togetherness. That there isn’t all the physical, emotional and spiritual relationships that we have with others. Do not be silly. Of course they exist.

What changes is the understanding of what a physical body is.

Conventiona thought of what a person is.

Instead of one (and only one) physical body that your consciousness inhabits, there is an infinite number of physical bodies. Each one within a unique and separate world-line.

You, as consciousness, moves in and out of all these other bodies of yours through thought.

This is what a person really is. We are multi-dimensional beings with a singular consciousness. We (as consciousness) move in and out of the MWI world-lines entering similiar physical bodies associated with our consciousness.
This is what a person really is. We are multi-dimensional beings with a singular consciousness. We (as consciousness) move in and out of the MWI world-lines entering similar physical bodies associated with our consciousness.

This is also true for the entire rest of the universe. Everyone else also possesses bodies such as this. Your dog has this kind of body. Your cat has this kind of body. In fact, the felines are actually quite cognizant of this ability.

We are NOT a physical body. We are soul that manifests a consciousness within our reality.

Knowing and realizing this, makes some of the passages in the religious books far more reasonable, and easier to understand. It doesn’t matter if it is the Koran, or the Bible. Understanding the way the universe works, and truly works, adds a far greater understanding to the wisdom that resides inside of these great works.

The soul creates a “consciousness” that it places in a “container”. This container is a “world-line”. Our “universe” is a near infinite number of world-lines.

We are soul.

We are placed here for our consciousness to obtain experiences.

We navigate in and out of the world-lines though our thoughts. Our rate of travel (in general) is (for most humans) about 4 Hz. Or, four cycles per second. (Four world-lines each second.)

There are different rates of travel, and different species travel the MWI at different speeds. In general, the rate of travel is proportional to the operational speed of the brain. This of course varies.

If you dull your brain to such a degree that your brain is slower, then you will not travel the MWI as fast as others would. And you might find your life slowly "falling behind" that of others.

Thus…

  • We are consciousness. We “rent” a physical body for a fleeting moment of time.
  • Our reality is NOT shared. Instead our consciousness occupies a singular world-line. It is a momentary event.
  • We (our consciousness) migrate between momentary world-lines through our thoughts.
  • This movement is known as “the arrow of time”.

The best way that I can introduce the reader to this “radical” understanding of how our universe actually works, is to use the “movie projector theory”.

Movie Projector theory for the MWI.

What time actually is and how we naturally move through the various world-lines.
This is an illustration of what time actually is. Time does not exist. It is a perception that our consciousness has as it moves and weaves in and out of different world-lines. Here we use an old-fashioned movie reel projector to help illustrate this understanding.

Thus, the idea of the actual way things work is really, really, REALLY different than what everyone assumes or believes. The difference is so stark, that many researchers are handicapped in their understanding of reality. Ah, but it need not be that way.

Come on! You can well understand the movie projector analogy, can’t you?

If you can, well good for you! Award yourself a gold star.

The Movie Projector Theory in more detail…

The problem with that analogy (and it is a really good analogy), that that it does not take into account the individual frame selection in the film role. For in actual contemporaneous movies, it is the movie producer that selects the individual frames, and the person just sits back and watches the movie.

In reality, it is more like an entire bank of projectors, and we (as soul) selects the movie that interests us.

In this model, we have numerous movie projectors, all running simultaneously (at the same entropy)… Ah! At the same time.

We can “jump into” any scene portrayed by any of the movie projectors at will. We just look at the projected images.

Projector line up.
Instead of a producer selecting the frames in a film and arranging the movie, and content, the soul consciousness does this instead. Using the movie projector analogy, it is similar to being in a room with multiple movie projectors all running similar films simultaneously. You, as consciousness, can decide which movie to watch. The further away the movie projector is from the movie that you are currently watching, the more effort is required.

The further away the movie projector is from us, the harder it is to watch that movie. So we must watch closer movies (momentarily) and then “edge our way” closer to the movie projector that we are interested in.

Most people, sadly, do not do this. They allow the movie projectors to operate randomly and they find themselves watching movies that they may not really care for.

How it manifests

So, using this film / movie projector analogy further it is exactly how our consciousness selects the “life experience” that we obtain. Each frame in a given movie reel is a world line. They are all playing about simultaneously, and our consciousness selects the world-lines to occupy by hopping from frame to frame. (World-line to world-line.)

Movie reel frames as consciousness selected world-line selection criteria.
By selecting each frame in a given movie, we can navigate within the movie, or even “jump” to another completely different movie all together. It is all dependent upon our thoughts, or the navigation of our consciousness. Our soul decides the very first frame, and the very first movie reel that we will enter. However, it is our consciousness that decides how to make the best of our life, and how to navigate within the framework that is provided to us by the divine.

Nearby movie projectors are nearly identical to the one that we are viewing at the moment. Their divergence from our “present reality” is often very small.

As we move further and further away to more distant movie projectors the divergence gets larger and larger and larger.

This is why it doesn’t seem like we are moving from one world-line to the next. It seems smooth, seamless and transparent. That is because the deviance in nearby world-line (projectors) is very, very small.

Our thoughts select the world-line…

In reality, the “film spool” (a collection of “frames”) is known as the “life experience” of a given consciousness as it takes on a life.

It is a record of our travels in and out of different world-lines. Where a “world-line” is represented as a frame within the movie reel.

The individual “frames” that are selected, are chosen by the thoughts of the consciousness that inhabits the body. We migrate to things that we think about. We migrate to what we think about.

Not necessarily what we might desire. It is what occupies our thoughts most of the time. (So shut off that stupid manipulative television, why don’t ya!)

For all its popularity, Facebook isn’t without its share of scandals.  In the latest one, details came out of an experiment conducted on  700,000 Facebook users over the period of a single week in 2012. News  feeds were manipulated to contain positive or negative news and content,  then users were monitored to see if the change made them use more  positive or negative words in their status updates. 

And it  worked—people’s status updates showed a change in emotion  that went along with the kind of news that they were exposed to. 

The  term used was “emotional contagion,” and it confirms something pretty  frightening.

According to the study, people don’t even have to be physically  around another person in a bad mood to absorb the negativity into  themselves—negativity can be “caught” just from looking at a computer  screen. 

There doesn’t need to be  a personal, emotional connection for emotional contagion to happen. 

Not  surprisingly, the study has brought up a number of disturbing  questions, and it’s now being investigated by organizations like the  Information Commissioner’s Office in Dublin. Those questioning the  ethics of the study state that it’s nothing less than psychological  manipulation. As if that’s not shady enough, Facebook users were unaware  that they were having their emotions and moods manipulated through  another party controlling just what was popping up in their news feeds. 

-List verse
How consciousness selects thoughts.
I am hungry, but what do I want to eat? It is our thoughts, coupled with our memories and yearnings that help us decide what actions to take. So what to do? Eat a bowl of dog food, or have a nice tasty delicious pizza? Decisions. Decisions. It is our thoughts that determine which world-lines to occupy, and for most people, they just go with the flow and end up with whatever is provided to them.

No two thoughts are the same…

One of the problems that people need to come to grips with is that thoughts are not equal. Thoughts are “weighed”. Each thought is different. And thus each thought has a different degree in influence in world-line selection.

Thoughts and emotions together form a complex stew of "influence" that can absolutely affect your world-line travel adventures.
Thoughts and emotions together form a complex stew of “influence” that can absolutely affect your world-line travel adventures. For instance, consider the scenario of you being hungry and desirous of eating a fine New York style pizza. Now your enjoyment at eating that pizza will depend on your emotions at the time. Obviously you won’t be able to enjoy it if you were angry, now would you? Our emotions, our memories our physical health and other factors all work together to influence our world-line navigation ability.

Thoughts and emotions together form a complex stew of “influence” that can absolutely affect your world-line travel adventures.

These thoughts are comprised of “levels of influence”.

  • Duration of thinking about something.
  • Emotional attachments with the thoughts.
  • Prior memories of similar events.
  • Prior physical experiences.
  • The thoughts of the people (shadow consciousnesses) around you.
  • Cultural variances, needs and desires.
  • Mass thought manipulation (Have you been paying attention to the news lately?)
  • One’s inherent belief system.

Ah, no two thoughts are equal. They have a “weighed” value or influence factor. Further, they are also modified by other thoughts by other “shadow consciousnesses” (Individual proxy consciousnesses that share a given reality.)

Think about it. It has to be this way, or else an obsessed person should be able to have their dreams manifest quite easily. But, the truth is that they don't. That is because of a slew of factors. One of which is the "level of influence" that a thought is given within a given world-line.

One of the most important and significant factors in thought-directed world-line selection is one’s inherent belief system.

Consider the cow.

One mighty big cow.
One mighty big cow.
Let's use the cow analogy. 

For instance, you might be starving, and ready to die of starvation.

A typical American would not have any qualms with butchering a cow and eating steak. A Hindu would not, and would rather die than kill a cow. A vegetarian might be against eating it, but would not have any qualms drinking it's milk.

Our actions are determined, in large part, by our belief systems.

It is our deepest belief systems that have the greatest influences in our thoughts.

The influence of our deepest thoughts.
It is our deepest thoughts and core belief systems that have the greatest influence in thought direction and world-line selection. For no two people are the same.

This is a very important subject, and I will cover it later on. For now, let’s look at things simply. Consider that all thoughts are simple, unique and they can easily select the “frames” or world-lines that the consciousness will migrate to.

The actual “landscape” of the MWI as viewed by the individual consciousness.

Imagine a “road map” of nearby world-lines.

Now, what would it look like? What would it resemble? How would we be able to take into account all the different variables that are constantly shifting and changing all around us?

Obviously, it would have a form of sorts.

It would have (as an illustration) globes representing a given “world-line” (or “frame” in the movie using the analogy above). It would also have lines. The lines would represent a path of migration. Which is the most probable paths for a consciousness to take when moving from one world-line to another.

Movement in and out of the world-lines in the MWI by using the movie projector analogy to describe the way that consciousness moves in and out of different world-lines though thought.
Movement in and out of the world-lines in the MWI by using the movie projector analogy to describe the way that consciousness moves in and out of different world-lines though thought.

Now, this is a pretty good analogy as far as it describes the path that a consciousness would take. However, this analogy ignores the world-lines that are not taken. And in general, there a millions or much larger numbers of world-lines that are constantly ignored.

So a better way of mapping this procedure is to do so in a three dimensional framework.

Moving away from the movie projector analogy and mapping it upon a three-dimensional grip, it might look something a little like this. With the positions of the world-lines geographically positioned relatively to the pathways as a function of the intrinsic value of the particular world-line.

The path that consciousness takes might be just as well placed on a map of sorts. THis map might show nodes and paths where the consciousness might migrate depending on thought manifestation, generation and progression.
The path that consciousness takes might be just as well placed on a map of sorts. This map might show nodes and paths where the consciousness might migrate depending on thought manifestation, generation and progression.

However, it would not look so much like a cluster of grapes, or bubbles on a foamy sea of bath water. No.

It turns out that the highest probability pathway forms a kind of sheet or flat surface when plotted in the three dimensions.

If you end up plotting everything, you can't make out heads or tails of the map. It's just this one big mess. But, if you plot the pathways that have the greatest probability of travel, it simplifies immensely.

Instead of a cluster of grapes, it would look a little like a mesh or a grid. With the points being world-lines, and the lines connecting the points as the shortest distance to that world-line.

Now, if you take a step away from this “map” of “world-lines” and their lines of “high-probability” consciousness transfer it might start looking a little like this. Where you would see a “surface” of “highest probability” pathways, with the relative ease of travel and the strength of character needed to traverse affecting the heights and valleys of the apparent surface.

How the world-lines with consciousness migration paths migh look when a person takes a larger overview. You will see that the map is not a flat surface, but rather undulates. It forms hills, valleys and "mountains". This surface is the "geography" of the world-line transition map. Each posible destination world-line would have a different value of "potential". Which is a potential for the consciousness to move towards it and occupy it.
How the world-lines with consciousness migration paths might look when a person takes a larger overview. You will see that the map is not a flat surface, but rather undulates. It forms hills, valleys and “mountains”. This surface is the “geography” of the world-line transition map. Each possible destination world-line would have a different value of “potential”. Which is a potential for the consciousness to move towards it and occupy it.

The “surface” that this map forms is the HIGHEST PROBABILITY of consciousness movement from one world-line node to another.

  • Going above the surface indicates a strength of will over the combined strength of inertia of a given world-line.
  • Going below the surface indicates a weak strength of will and a consciousness being overwhelmed by the inherent inertia of a given world-line.

Additionally…

  • Moving to the left upon the mapped surface indicates more freedom of movement upon a given world-line reality.
  • Moving to the right upon the mapped surface indicates less freedom of movement upon a given world-line reality.

Thus…

The topographic map display is a useful tool in understanding the hurtles and trials that one needs to endure to travel forth on the MWI.

The movement on the topographical map of the highest probability paths is accomplished via thought.
The movement on the topographical map of the highest probability paths is accomplished via thought.

However, the rate of travel is fast…

The thing is, however, that the rate of travel through each world-line in the MWI is quite fast. It is around four world-lines per second. (For some people it is much, much higher.) Thus, for any topographic map to be of any use, it will have to have to exist on a much larger scale than what is presented here.

As such, the individual world-lines would appear as tiny pixels, and for the map to be of any use, it should describe a travel duration in terms of weeks rather than seconds. This means that the map would look like a smooth gradient rather than an array of “floating”globes.

MWI geometic map showing an arraw of highest probability world-lines in a seven second cluster of time.
MWI geometric map showing an array of highest probability world-lines in a seven second cluster of time. As the resolution increases the similarity to geologic topographic maps increases. Often these maps resemble landscapes and other recognizable surfaces.

Mapping the surface.

Here, we are going to take a look at the way the landscape actually looks from the point of view of an individual consciousness. It is NOT simple and flat. It is undulating with all sorts of “nearby” world-lines that the thoughts can select and migrate towards.

In general, it might look something along these lines…

The general topography of the MWI.
The general topography of the MWI.

In reality, this topographical map is much more complex and complicated. However, I was able to (functionally) navigate it using a sort of simple 3d understanding, and that understanding is one that I will provide here. Yes, these are my conventions distilled and illustrated as a teaching aide.

Here we look at it is the substantially simplified version that I am accustomed to using.

The purposes of the axes on a MWI graphic.
The meanings and purposes in the three-dimensional topographical portrayal.

Now because this is a very simplified diagrammatic representation, numerous variables are incorporated in the “X’ and “Z” axes. (Not to mention the entropy axis “Y”.) In general, as I understand it, the characteristics of the “X’ and “Y” axes are an algebraic sum of the inverses of the individual contributions to the axes elements.

OK. I know that I lost you. Just think of it as a sum average of all your thoughts.

Internal Influences

Internal influences should be understood as the ultimate result of comparative thought-driven MWI transitions by the given consciousness.

Suppose the mind has a wide selection of thoughts. Everything from anger at a spouse, to frustration at work, and influences in the news, to a loving thoughts related to romance. All these thoughts will work together to generate a (singular) "value" on this axis.

But, it is more than that. It is also the weighed value and the intensity of the thoughts, coupled with the apparent carry-over duration longevity of the thoughts as a person migrates in and through the other world-lines.

Let's keep it simple.

Look, if you drop a slice of pizza in the middle of a muddy road, would you [1] pick it up, wipe the mud off the pizza, and eat it. or [2] say "heck with that", and leave the pizza in the mud as a lost cause.

For most people, they would give up and abandon the slice of pizza. 

The amount of mud is far too distracting to enjoy the slice of pizza. That is that way this system works. For if you abandon the slice, like most people would, your would occupy a world-line on the surface of the undulating map. 

If however, against all probability and convention, you decided to eat the slice, you might be above or below the surface, depending on other factors.

Here’s an example.

Let’s suppose that you are a simple fellow and you have five things going on in your life.

  • A spouse that wants a divorce.
  • A boss who is hinting on firing you.
  • A yearning for a club sandwich and an ice cold beer.
  • A pet that loves you and is very loyal.
  • Memories of fishing with your father.

In this example, some of the items would have more emotion attached to it that others. While other issues might be better at controlling your emotions and directing your thoughts. While still others might be able to erase the thoughts completely (if for a short period of time).

You might be an emotional wreck and your thoughts would manifest a life that would reflect your thoughts.

As an aside, drugs and other stimuli can also influence thoughts and behaviors. All of these complexities can alter the navigational ability on the MWI.

There is no way to judge which thoughts or issues affecting the thoughts would have the greatest influence on the person because it is their deepest internal core belief systems that would result in how the world-lines would manifest.

Charlie Sheen's Public Meltdown in 2011
Charlie Sheen’s Public Meltdown in 2011

All that one can assume is that all the factors would be weighted together and balanced though the core belief systems of the soul / consciousness. This would influence the momentary section of the next world-line.

Is it no wonder that when things start going wrong, that they often end up spiraling out of control?

External Influences

External influences should be considered the inherent inertia that comes with a given world-line.

Inertia.

Inertia is the resistance of any physical object to any change in its state. Once you have a bowling ball sitting on the floor, it is a little difficult to get it to move. However, once you get it moving, it's hard to slow down. 

That difficulty... getting it started to move, and stopping it from moving... is what is known as inertia.

For our purposes it is the accumulated influences of the “shadow thoughts” of those (non-consciousness) apparent beings that share a given destination world-line. These are all the physical and non-physical influences that would affect the thoughts of a consciousness while it is in a given world-line.

You see, there can only be one consciousness per world-line. All those other "people" that we share the world-line with are actually "shadows". They are the bodies and representation of other consciousness were they to share the reality with us. As such, not only are their physical being present with us, but also their thoughts, dreams, desires and urges as well.

A "shadow" is a person that we share the specific world-line with. 

However no consciousness inhabits their body. Their actual consciousness is off in another reality. We are observing their 'shadow" or a portrayal of how they would behave, act and think were they to share our reality with us.

The arrow of time.

With this being understood, a consciousness… a person might experience world-line travel at a rate of around 4 Hz, and visit numerous world-lines in any given instance. Thus the “arrow of time” might look something like this…

How time manifests in the MWI.
The topography of the MWI showing the apparent “arrow of time”.

Thus in this simplified diagram showing the geography of the MWI you (the reader) can see [1] how the passage of time manifests, [2] how your thoughts can alter and change the “X” vector component, and [3] how a given world-line can influence the path direction via a “Z” axis vector. You will also notice that the “arrow of time” [4] moves along the direction of decreasing entropy.

Entropy

A measure of the amount of disorder in a system. Entropy increases as the system's temperature increases. For example, when an  ice cube melts and becomes liquid, the energy of the molecular bonds  which formed the ice crystals is lost, and the arrangement of the water  molecules is more random, or disordered, than it was in the ice cube. We can assume that in a  macrocosmic  universe, that it can be best represented as time.

The migration process.

Movement of a soul consciousness to a world-line reality.

Our consciousness moves from one physical body in one world-line to another in a different world-line. For most humans, most of the time, the rate of travel is around four world-lines per second.

Expert hint;

If you are using "the power of intention" to manifest your reality, what you are doing is focusing on a destination world line. If you track your success or failure in this effort, you will discover the amount of time it will take for your intentions to manifest.

If it took 6 months, then that means that you had to pass through 62,208,000 (more or less) world lines to arrive at your destination world-line.

Figure around 10 million world-line transitions per month.

The way that consciousness is able to move in and out of the various world lines is though wave propagation behavior.

  • While it is a given world-line, the consciousness occupies the body in the particle form.
  • While the consciousness moves from one world-line to another, it is no longer occupying a body. It is thus in a wave form.
Quanta can change states, but this is really a state change by the observer, not an actual change in the object itself.
It is not that a quanta changes, it is how the observer views the quanta that makes the change. Our soul controls consciousness. Consciousness can be in different states depending upon the point of view of the person (the observer). Here we can see that the two apparently different states are one and the same thing, depending on the point of view of the observer.

This all happens rather quickly. In most people, mostly the rate of travel from one world-line to another is around 4Hz. For most humans our brains have a difficult time observing the changes in these movements. So we think that we are living in one singular world-line that we share with others.

Here is a gif that kind of illustrates the point, and the system at work here.

Wave and particle duality and illustration.
Wave and particle duality and illustration.

The entry process

This is how the consciousness changes from wave to particle for entry within a body within a reality. Our consciousness naturally exists in the wave form.

However, the moment it “crashes through” into a fabricated world-line reality, it changes form. It becomes a particle. It’s a natural process.

This is how the consciousness changes from wave to particle for entry within a body within a reality.
This is how the consciousness changes from wave to particle for entry within a body within a reality. The consciousness takes on the particle form in order to operate the physical body and exist within a reality or world-line reality. Otherwise, it operates in wave form outside of the body.

Our “universe” is often quite confused and mislabeled. We use that term to define what we observe, when in reality, what we are observing is a string of static world-line universes while we experience “time” Each moment is a snap-shot of a “world-line universe”.

Time is the movement of consciousness in and out of world-lines. What we see as time is actually the differences between each world-line as we pass through it.
Time is the movement of consciousness in and out of world-lines. What we see as time is actually the differences between each world-line as we pass through it.

All of these world-lines lie within a much larger physical place with is called the “physical universe”. It contains many things. Including many non-physical things.

Review – We inhabit world-lines alone.

So… what have we reviewed?

  • The reality is a series of world-lines. Each a “frozen” moment in time.
  • Time is the movement of consciousness through those world-lines.
  • We travel alone, with the only thing of interest is our consciousness.
  • Shadow people lie around us, but they are “empty”.

Now all of this pretty much sums up the idea that everything that you know about the universe, life, spirit, and the physical world is wrong. In fact, it is so very wrong that there can be absolutely zero recognizing the two. You either believe the way things actually work, or you don’t. Instead, or going with the way things actually work, you might try to fit it into the fantasy that we have constructed for ourselves over the last 5000 years.

Now all of this is a radical notion.

It is one where the physical universe is a construction. It is used by consciousness (which is controlled by a collection of quanta, known as “soul”) to obtaining new experiences. And experiences is what cause quanta to become entangled with other quanta.

Thus, the entire “secret of the universe”!

Ta Da!

But are we really always alone?

As such, in order to best describe this process, I explained that consciousness goes in and out of world-lines. But that it does so alone. That each world-line appears to be populated with other people, other animals and other things. But those aren’t “real” people, animals and things, that they are actually “quantum shadows” of others instead.

Which lends people to mistakenly believe that they are all alone.

Ah!

But this isn’t true. Not at all.

In reality, those quantum shadows are just elements of other consciousnesses and other souls, it’s just that their representation in any given particular world line is very tiny.

  • Your consciousness is 60% present in a given world-line.
  • Everyone else’s is a shadow and only 0.00000000000000000000001% present.

When your consciousness is in a world-line, it really isn’t there 100%. It might be there 60%. With the remaining 40% spread out among 100,000 trillion other world-lines.

And that is true with every other animal, person, critter and plant.

For simplification purposes, it’s just easiest to imagine that you are alone surfing the MWI with empty quantum shadows of others.

But that simple way of thinking is really just “training wheels” to understand the MWI and world-line travel.

In reality, you are actually sharing a world-line with others. It’s just that (from their point of view) they are hardly participating in the one that you are in. Their other world-line where they are on might have a reality quite different from yours. But they are touching your world-line, it’s just not that strongly.

And now for the new stuff…

Love is very strong and it is an emotion that has quantum components that “plug into” our very bodies, our very natures, and cause us to build up great entanglements with other people, places, things, and …

… loved pets.

When we truly love someone and something, we want to be with them. And it is this strong desire that forges very strong emotional bonds. These bonds can quickly become physical with would result in quantum entanglements.

And that means…

That something “special” is going on when someone loves another.

And this “special” thing is the entanglement of emotions, and the quantum entanglements of the two consciousnesses together.

Which means…

That a world-line that contains your consciousness at 60%…

…would attract the consciousness of another…

…so that both you and your love interest (pet, lover, family member) would both (for a while, at least) share the DOMINANT world-lines together within the same cycle.

Or, in other words…

Instead of…

  • Your consciousness at 60% occupancy within a given world line.
  • Your pet, lover or friend occupancy at <1%.

It would be different.

It would be more like this…

  • Your consciousness at 60% occupancy within a given world line.
  • Your pet, lover or friend occupancy at 60% as well.

Both of you two would travel the MWI together.

Shared world-lines.
Shared world-lines.

Pair consciousness exploration of the MWI

What this means is quite significant.

No longer does your sole thoughts navigate your destination world-lines. Instead, something else happens. The navigation becomes quite different.

Both of your now navigate the world-lines together. With the dominant personality taking on the majority of the dimensional navigation responsibilities.

And we can see his effect in all sorts of ways. Both good and bad.

Beloved Cat, Horse or Dog

The consciousness and the desires of an animal is different than that of a human. Thus the human who is paired with an animal friend might find their life takes on a kind of controlled calmness and sensibility. If you have a stressful and crazy life at work, it will be the cat or dog that will create a tranquil life for you at home. They will navigate the world-lines while you are with them, and the times will be calm, cool and collected.

The beloved pet will navigate the world-lines for you. They will migrate towards comfort and happiness.

Married to an alcoholic, or someone with an addiction.

Here, the drives and desires of the chemical addiction will alter all the navigation control. The spouse of the alcoholic will find that the alcoholic or addicted person will drive the navigation of the world-lines, and over time, the life style and calmness of life will become more and more chaotic.

The alcoholic would navigate in a very focused and directed manner. It would drag everyone along with that person towards the world-lies they want, whether you want to go or not.

Married to someone with a mental illness.

A person with a mental illness will be just as bad as someone with an addiction, only more so. They will not have the reasoning ability of a "normal" person, and often their odd thoughts and crazy unrestrained emotions will result in all sorts of bad and dangerous world-lines. 

Being a caretaker for a person with a mental illness is not a happy life. At best, it will be chaotic with all manner of stops and starts and redirections.

The only way that a person can get off this crazy union is to [3] have a much stronger personality, or [2] sedate the mentally ill person under strong medication, or [3] leave that person and do not look back.

Entanglement of different species.

I can see a lot of lovers, long well-established couples, and animal lovers all over the world nodding their heads in collective agreement. Yes, it is true, as long as the love is present, there is a strong likelihood that the two consciousnesses would share the given world-line switches together.

You would not be able to tell when you are both on the same world-line actually or you are with a quantum shadow of your beloved. But that is fine. It doesn’t matter, that much.

In general, the greater the love that you generate towards others, the stronger the associative world-lines are. As long as the love is strong, then the world-lines would either be shared, or at the very least, cluster together.

Emotional Connections

Which means that as long as everyone is “on the same page” or in agreement with the ways things should be or get accomplished (family, work, life, friendships) then you can well expect that the life would be calm and controlled and pretty nice.

If however, you have a dominant personality in the group, and that person does not think the same as the rest of the group, then the entire group could very well be dragged with that person’s thoughts and desires. And this can become very dangerous.

Which is why I say that both LOVE and HATE are the same thing as far as quantum associations are involved.

Both will tie you to another, and actually result in you sharing the same world-lines or at least associating with theirs.

Be very careful concerning this. As both the emotions will tie you all together, how the world-lines will manifest will be by the thoughts that you all would generate. And the truth is that hateful thoughts can create very, very, very black world-lines.

Be particularly cautious of people who spew hate and dangerous thoughts. They will drag you towards very bad places.

And control you there.

Why pets?

There is an association with our pets that we build up. Whether it is a dog, a cat, a horse, or any of the many, many pets that we might associate with. We share real love with them. They become our buddies and are more than just friends to us. They are our special companions that have a very precious role in our life.

And I just want to tell everyone that this role also has a component during world-line transitions.

So please kindly pay attention to my observations…

  • Quantum shadows or shadow people and pets are not devoid of consciousness, it’s just that most only have a very tiny occupancy when your consciousness is on a given world-line.
  • If you have a strong emotional attachment, and they have it as well, you will both end up sharing the world-line cycling together at the same time.
  • The dominant personality will take over the navigation during this period of time. There will always be a dominant and a passive component to this relationship.
  • Beloved pets will mellow out your world-lines considerably. If happiness is your ultimate goal, get a beloved pet.

Conclusions

Since you would have an attachment with a person or a pet, and you would share world-lines together for a period of time, then it makes sense that you would have a strong bond of attachment whether you are alive or dead.

This attachment will come in handle when you two reunite in the non-physical worlds.

You will reunite in the Heavenly worlds.
You will reunite in the Heavenly worlds.

Do you want more?

I have more posts in my World-Line Index here…

World-Line Travel

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Master Index

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The Geography of Heaven; Journey of Souls (full text) by Michael Newton

What is Heaven like? Well, here you are going to find out.

As I have often discussed, what we refer to as “time” is just our consciousness moving in and out of different world-lines. Each world-line is our momentary reality.

Now, when we are not in a particular world-line we are in a “in between” phase.

During that “in between period”, our consciousness is in “wave form”, and we are in what is commonly referred to as “Heaven”.

Here, we are going to talk about what Heaven is like. We are going to discuss the geography of Heaven.

Or rather the best available study on this matter.

And it is, by far, the best study. And let’s not make any mistake, it is a pretty good and accurate summary of what Heaven actually is.

Important Note
This post contains the complete reprint of the non-fiction work by Dr. Michael Newton titled “Journey of Souls”. This HTML version of the book was transcribed from a MS Word version of a PDF file that was obtained from an EPUB file format. Thus the paragraphs tend to have odd breaks. I have also not included the very few figures that were part of the book. Aside from these issues, the book should be easy enough to read without problem. Please enjoy.

Introduction

There are all kinds of books out there that will describe “Heaven” in all sorts of ways and in terms that may, or may not be familiar. Most are terribly inaccurate, at best.

  • Some are nothing more than a single persons interpretation of what Heaven is like by reading the Bible (or other spiritual book).
  • Some are nothing more than “nonsense” and “insight” provided by “channeled” entities.
  • Some are custom-made tomes designed to fit within one of the many “spiritual” or “New Age” faddists. (It’s nothing less than a way to profit off the gullible and weak.)
  • Some are just ‘copy-cat books of other more profitable literature.
  • Some are interpretations of what Heaven must be like based upon the latest “scientific findings”.

Now, I have written about my experiences and my role within MAJestic. As such, I have provided some insight of the glimpses that I have had outside of our world-lines. Not much, just some.

I never studied this aspect of my role and involvement. It’s just that I was often too overwhelmed by the state of the world-line that I found myself in.

You know, when you get into a car accident, the last thing in the world that you will do is to check to see if the tires are scuffed up. Nope. The condition of the car tires is the last thing on your mind.

It’s sort of like that.

Never the less, the idea that our soul and consciousness is so intertwined with Heaven is strange to most people. They like to think in dualities. We are on earth in the Physical, and when we die we become spirit in Heaven. And that’s it.

Ah It’s a very simplistic narrative.

Well, Doctor Newton has compiled, what I consider to be, the most accurate description of what Heaven is based on my experiences in MAJestic.

And as such, his writings have a strong role here and deserve all the attention that I can provide. He studied this issue for many decades and wrote two books. Both of which are reprinted in Metallicman. This is the first book.

Quick Introduction to Dr. Newton.

Dr. Newton has made it his life’s goal to map out what the non-physical realm is like.

You see, way back in the 1960’s, he was very interested in stories about “regression therapy”. Which was basically, hypnotism of a person where you regressed them back to a past event, and then you walk the person through that event to try to sole emotional, mental or physical problems.

He would get patients that were suffering from PTSD from the war (either Korean, or Vietnam). He would regress them to a time where they would relive the events, in a calm and secure environment, and work with the patient to overcome their problems at what ever level was necessary.

He, like other clinical hypnotists, discovered that his patients would sometimes be regressed to other lives.

They would suddenly be talking in a strange language, or talking about events and experiences that the actual person would have absolutely no knowledge of. They would describe to him a life that they had in another place, and in another time.

This fascinated Dr, Newton. As it did many other researchers.

It also spawned a complete avalanche of related books about past-life regression. (Another subject for another time.)

But while interesting, it often wasn’t really what the patient needed to solve their problems and deal with their distress. That is, until one day. By accident, the doctor regressed a patient back to a time before they were born…

…and the patient described being in “Heaven”.

After a while, Dr. Newton decided to work with a number of patients to “map out” Heaven and see if there were any kind of commonality between the various patients.

And low and behold! There was!

He started with 25 patients in his first batch of studies, and then expanded it to thousands.

Indeed, many of the descriptions were identical. And using the similarities as the “glue” or “linkage” between people are different ages, races, societies, cultures and social-economic backgrounds, he was able to successfully map out what Heaven is actually like.

He wrote two books;

  • Journey of Souls
  • Destiny of Souls

This is a reprint of his first work; “Journey of Souls”.

I strongly recommend that both books be read and studied. As it described what it is actually like, or at least what I have experienced as part of MAJestic. If you all want to know about part of you that is hidden from view, now is your chance…

Journey of Souls

Table of Contents

  • Death and Departure
  • Gateway to the Spirit World
  • Homecoming
  • The Displaced Soul
  • Orientation
  • Transition
  • Placement
  • Our Guides The Beginner Soul
  • The Intermediate Soul
  • The Advanced Soul
  • Life Selection
  • Choosing a New Body
  • Preparation for Embarkation
  • Rebirth

Introduction

You would know the hidden realm where all souls dwell.

The journey’s way lies

through death’s misty fell. Within this timeless passage a guiding light does dance, Lost from conscious memory, but visible in trance.

M.N.

ARE you afraid of death? Do you wonder what is going to happen to you after you die? Is it possible you have a spirit which came from somewhere else and will return there after your body dies, or is this just wishful thinking because you are afraid?

It is a paradox that humans, alone of all creatures of the Earth, must repress the fear of death in order to lead normal lives. Yet our biological instinct never lets us forget this ultimate danger to our being. As we grow older, the specter of death rises in our consciousness. Even religious people fear death is the end of personhood. Our greatest dread of death brings thoughts about the nothingness of death which will end all associations with family and friends. Dying makes all our earthly goals seem futile.

If death were the end of everything about us, then life indeed would be meaningless.

However, some power within us enables humans to conceive of a hereafter and to

sense a connection to a higher power and even an eternal soul. If we do actually have a soul, then where does it go after death? Is there really some sort of heaven full of intelligent spirits outside our physical universe? What does it look like? What do we do when we get there? Is there a supreme being in charge of this paradise? These questions are as old as humankind itself and still remain a mystery to most of us.

The true answers to the mystery of life after death remain locked behind a spiritual door for most people. This is because we have built-in amnesia about our soul identity which, on a conscious level, aids in the merging of the soul and human brain. In the last few years the general public has heard about people who temporarily died and then came back to life to tell about seeing a long tunnel, bright lights, and even brief encounters with friendly spirits. But none of these accounts written in the many books on reincarnation has ever given us anything more than a glimpse of all there is to know about life after death.

This book is an intimate journal about the spirit world. It provides a series of actual case histories which reveal in explicit detail what happens to us when life on Earth is over. You will be taken beyond the spiritual tunnel and enter the spirit world itself to learn what transpires for souls before they finally return to Earth in another life.  I am a skeptic by nature, although it will not seem so from the contents of this book. As a counselor and hypnotherapist, I specialize in behavior modification for the treatment of psychological disorders. A large part of my work involves short-term cognitive restructuring with clients by helping them connect thoughts and emotions to  promote  healthy  behavior.  Together  we  elicit  the  meaning,  function,  and consequences of their beliefs because I take the premise that no mental problem is imaginary.

In the early days of my practice, I resisted past life requests from people because of

my orientation toward traditional therapy. While I used hypnosis and age- regression techniques to determine the origins of disturbing memories and childhood trauma, I felt any attempt to reach a former life was unorthodox and non-clinical. My interest in reincarnation and metaphysics was only intellectual curiosity until I worked with a young man on pain management.

This client complained of a lifetime of chronic pain on his right side. One of the tools

of hypnotherapy to manage pain is directing the subject to make the pain worse so he or she can also learn to lessen the aching and thus acquire control. In one of our sessions involving pain intensification, this man used the imagery of being stabbed to recreate his torment. Searching for the origins of this image, I eventually uncovered his former life as a World War I soldier who was killed by a bayonet in France, and we were able to eliminate the pain altogether.

With encouragement from my clients, I began to experiment with moving some of them further back in time before their last birth on Earth. Initially I was concerned that a subject’s integration of current needs, beliefs, and fears would create fantasies of recollection. However, it didn’t take long before I realized our deep-seated memories offer a set of past experiences which are too real and connected to be ignored. I came to appreciate just how therapeutically important the link is between the bodies and events of our former lives and who we are today.

Then I stumbled on to a discovery of enormous proportions. I found it was possible

to see into the spirit world through the mind’s eye of a hypnotized subject who could report back to me of life between lives on Earth.

The case that opened the door to the spirit world for me was a middle-aged woman who was an especially receptive hypnosis subject. She had been talking to me about

her feelings of loneliness and isolation in that delicate stage when a subject has finished recalling their most recent past life. This unusual individual slipped into the

highest state of altered consciousness almost by herself Without realizing I had initiated an overly short command for this action, I suggested she go to the source of

her loss of companionship. At the same moment I inadvertently used one of the trigger words to spiritual recall. I also asked if she had a specific group of friends

whom she missed.

Suddenly, my client started to cry. When I directed her to tell me what was wrong,

she blurted out, “I miss some friends in my group and that’s why I get so lonely on Earth.” I was confused and questioned her further about where this group of friends was actually located. “Here, in my permanent home,” she answered simply, “and I’m looking at all of them right now!”

After finishing with this client and reviewing her tape recordings, I recognized that finding the spirit world involved an extension of past life regression. There are many books about past lives, but none I could find which told about our life as souls, or how to properly access the spiritual recollections of people. I decided to do the research myself and with practice I acquired greater skill in entering the spirit world through my subjects. I also learned that finding their place in the spirit world was far more meaningful to people than recounting their former lives on Earth.  How is it possible to reach the soul through hypnosis? Visualize the mind as having three concentric circles, each smaller than the last and within the other, separated only by layers of connected mind-consciousness. The first outer layer is represented by the conscious mind which is our critical, analytic reasoning source. The second layer is the subconscious, where we initially go in hypnosis to tap into the storage area for all the memories that ever happened to us in this life and former lives. The third, the innermost core, is what we are now calling the superconscious mind. This level exposes the highest center of Self where we are an expression of a higher power.

The superconscious houses our real identity, augmented by the subconscious which contains the memories of the many alter-egos assumed by us in our former human bodies. The superconscious may not be a level at all, but the soul itself. The superconscious mind represents our highest center of wisdom and perspective, and all my information about  life after death comes from this source of intelligent energy.

How valid is the use of hypnosis for uncovering truth? People in hypnosis are neither dreaming nor hallucinating. We don’t dream in chronological sequences nor hallucinate in a directed trance state. When subjects are placed in trance, their brain waves slow from the Beta wake state and continue to change vibration down past the meditative Alpha stage into various levels within the Theta range. Theta is hypnosis-not sleep. When we sleep we go to the final Delta state where messages from the brain are dropped into the subconscious and vented through our dreams. In Theta, however, the conscious mind is not unconscious, so we are able to receive

as well as send messages with all memory channels open.

Once in hypnosis, people report the pictures they see and dialogue they hear in their

unconscious minds as literal observations. In response to questions, subjects cannot lie, but they may misinterpret something seen in their unconscious mind, just as we do in the conscious state. In hypnosis, people have trouble relating to anything they don’t believe is the truth.

Some critics of hypnosis believe a subject in trance will fabricate memories and bias their  responses  in  order  to  adopt  any  theoretical  framework  suggested  by  the hypnotist. I find this generalization to be a false premise. In my work, I treat each case  as  if I  were  hearing  the  information  for the  first  time.  If  a  subject  were somehow able to overcome hypnosis procedure and construct a deliberate fantasy about the spirit world, or free-associate from pre-set ideas about their afterlife, these  responses  would  soon  become  inconsistent  with  my  other  case  reports.  I learned the value of careful cross-examination early in my work and I found no evidence of anyone faking their spiritual experiences to please me. In fact, subjects in hypnosis are not hesitant in correcting my misinterpretations of their statements. As my case files grew, I discovered by trial and error to phrase questions about the spirit  world  in  a  proper  sequence.  Subjects  in  a  superconscious  state  are  not particularly motivated to volunteer information about the whole plan of soul life in the spirit world. One must have the right set of keys for specific doors. Eventually, I was able to perfect a reliable method of memory access to different parts of the spirit world by knowing which door to open at the right time during a session.

As I gained confidence with each session, more people sensed I was comfortable with the hereafter and felt it was all right to speak to me about it. The clients in my cases represent some men and women who were very religious, while others had no particular spiritual beliefs at all. Most fall somewhere in between, with a mixed bag of personal philosophies about life. The astounding thing I found as I progressed with my research was that once subjects were regressed back into their soul state they all displayed a remarkable consistency in responding to questions about the spirit world. People even use the same words and graphic descriptions in colloquial language when discussing their lives as souls.

However, this homogeneity of experience by so many clients did not stop me from

continually trying to verify statements between my subjects and corroborate specific functional activities of souls. There were some differences in narrative reporting between cases, but this was due more to the level of soul development than to variances in how each subject basically saw the spirit world.

The research was painfully slow, but as the body of my cases grew I finally had a working model of the eternal world where our souls live. I found thoughts about the spirit world involve universal truths among the souls of people living on Earth. It was these perceptions by so many different types of people which convinced me their statements were believable. I am not a religious person, but I found the place where we go after death to be one of order and direction, and I have come to appreciate that there is a grand design to life and afterlife.

When I considered how to best present my findings, I determined the case study

method would provide the most descriptive way in which the reader could evaluate client  recall  about  the  afterlife.  Each  case  I  have  selected  represents  a  direct

dialogue between myself and a subject. The case testimonies are taken from tape recordings from my sessions. This book is not intended to be about my subjects’ past lives, but rather a documentation of their experiences in the spirit world relating to those lives.

For readers who may have trouble conceptualizing our souls as non-material objects, the case histories listed in the early chapters explain how souls appear and the way in which they function. Each case history is abbreviated to some extent because of space constraints and to give the reader an orderly arrangement of soul activity. The chapters are designed to show the normal progression of souls into and out of the spirit world, incorporated with other spiritual information.

The travels of souls from the time of death to their next incarnation has come to me from a ten-year collection of clients. It surprised me at first, that I had people who remembered parts of their soul life more clearly after distant lifetimes than recent ones. Yet, for some reason, no one subject was able to recall the entire chronology of soul activities I have presented in this book. My clients remember certain aspects of their spiritual life quite vividly, while other experiences are hazy to them. As a result, even with these twenty-nine cases, I found I could not give the reader the full range of information I have gathered about the spirit world. Thus, my chapters contain details from more cases than just the twenty-nine listed.

The reader may consider my questioning in certain cases to be rather demanding. In

hypnosis, it is necessary to keep the subject on track. When working in the spiritual realm, the demands on a facilitator are higher than with past life recall. In trance, the average subject tends to let his or her soul-mind wander while watching interesting scenes unfold. My clients often want me to stop talking so they can detach from reporting what they see and just enjoy their past experiences as souls. I try to be gentle and not overly structured, but my sessions are usually single ones which run three hours in length and there is a lot to cover. People may come long distances to see me and not be able to return.

I find it very rewarding to watch the look of wonder on a client’s face when his or her session ends. For those of us who have had the opportunity to actually see our immortality, a new depth of self-understanding and empowerment emerges. Before awakening my subjects, I often implant appropriate post-suggestion memories. Having a conscious knowledge of their soul life in the spirit world and a history of physical existences on planets gives these people a stronger sense of direction and energy for life.

Finally, I should say that what you are about to read may come as a shock to your

preconceptions about death. The material presented here may go against your philosophical and religious beliefs. There will be those readers who will find support for their existing opinions. For others, the information offered in these cases will all appear to be subjective tales resembling a science fiction story. Whatever your persuasion, I hope you will reflect’ upon the implications for humanity if what my subjects have to say about life after death is accurate.

1

Death and Departure Case 1

S. (Subject): Oh, my god! I’m not really dead-am I? I mean, my body is dead-I can see it below me-but I’m floating… I can look down and see my body lying flat in the hospital bed. Everyone around me thinks I’m dead, but I’m not. I want to shout, hey, I’m not really dead! This is so incredible … the nurses are pulling a sheet over my head… people I know are crying. I’m supposed to be dead, but I’m still alive! It’s strange, because my body is absolutely dead while I’m moving around it from above. I’m alive!

THESE  are  the  words  spoken  by  a  man  in  deep  hypnosis,  reliving  a  death

experience. His words come in short, excited bursts and are full of awe, as he sees and feels what it is like to be a spirit newly separated from a physical body. This man is my client and I have just assisted him in recreating a past life death scene while he lies back in a comfortable recliner chair. A little earlier, following my instructions during his trance induction, this subject was age-regressed in a return to childhood memories.  His subconscious perceptions gradually coalesced as we worked together to reach his mother’s womb.

I then prepared him for a jump back into the mists of time by the visual use of

protective shielding. When we completed this important step of mental conditioning, I moved my subject through an imaginary time tunnel to his last life on Earth. It was a short life because he had died suddenly from the influenza epidemic of 1918. As the initial shock of seeing himself die and feeling his soul floating out of his body begins to wear off a little, my client adjusts more readily to the visual images in his mind.  Since  a  small  part  of  the  conscious,  critical  portion  of  his  mind  is  still functioning, he realizes he is recreating a former experience. It takes a bit longer than usual since this subject is a younger soul and not so used to the cycles of birth, death, and rebirth as are many of my other clients.

Yet,  within  a  few  moments  he  settles  in  and  begins  to  respond  with  greater

confidence to my questions. I quickly raise this subject’s subconscious hypnotic level into the superconscious state. Now he is ready to talk to me about the spirit world, and I ask what is happening to him.

S: Well … I’m rising up higher … still floating … looking back at my body. It’s like watching a movie, only I’m in it! The doctor is comforting my wife and daughter. My wife is sobbing (subject wiggles with discomfort in his chair). I’m trying to reach into her mind … to tell her everything is all right with me. She is so overcome by grief I’m not getting through. I want her to know my suffering is gone … I’m free of my body … I don’t need it any more … that I

will wait for her. I want her to know that … but she is … not listening to me. Oh, I’m moving away now …

And so, guided by a series of commands, my client starts the process of moving further into the spirit world. It is a road many others have traveled in the security of my office. Typically, as memories in the superconscious state expand, subjects in hypnosis become more connected to the spiritual passageway. As the session moves forward, the subject’s mental pictures are more easily translated into words. Short descriptive phrases lead to detailed explanations of what it is like to enter the spirit world.

We have a great deal of documentation, including observations from medical personnel, which describes the out-of-body near-death experiences of people severely injured in accidents. These people were considered clinically dead before medical efforts brought them back from the other side. Souls are quite capable of leaving and returning to their host bodies, particularly in life-threatening situations when the body is dying’. People tell of hovering over their bodies, especially in hospitals, watching doctors perform life-saving procedures on them. In time these memories fade after they return to life.

In the early stages of hypnosis regression into past lives, the descriptions of subjects mentally going through their past deaths do not contradict the reported statements of people who have actually died in this life for a few minutes. The difference between these two groups of people is that subjects in hypnosis are not remembering their experiences of temporary death. People in a deep trance state are capable of describing what life is like after permanent physical death.

What are the similarities of afterlife recollection between people reporting on their out-of-body experiences as a result of a temporary physical trauma and a subject in hypnosis recalling death in a past life? Both find themselves floating around their bodies in a strange way, trying to touch solid objects which dematerialize in front of them. Both kinds of reporters say they are frustrated in their attempts to talk to living people who don’t respond. Both state they feel a pulling sensation away from the place where they died and experience relaxation and curiosity rather than fear. All these people report a euphoric sense of freedom and brightness around them. Some of my subjects see brilliant whiteness totally surrounding them at the moment of death, while others observe the brightness is farther away from an area of darker space through which they are being pulled. This is often referred to as the tunnel effect, and has become well known with the public.

My second case will take us further into the death experience than Case 1. The subject here is a man in his sixties describing to me the events of his death as a young woman called Sally, who was killed by Kiowa Indians in an attack on a wagon train in 1866. Although this case and the last one relate death experiences after their most immediate past lives, a particular death date in history has no special relevance because it is recent. I find no significant differences between ancient and modern times in terms of graphic spirit world recall, or the quality of lessons learned.

I should also say the average subject in trance has an uncanny ability to zero in on the dates and geographic locations of many past lives. This is true even in earlier periods of human civilization, when national borders and place names were different than exist today. Former names, dates, and locations may not always be easily recalled in every past life, but descriptions about returning to the spirit world and life in that world are consistently vivid.

The scene in Case 2 opens on the American southern plains right after an arrow has struck Sally in the neck at close range. I am always careful with

death scenes involving violent trauma in past lives because the subconscious mind often still retains these experiences. The subject in this case came to me because of a

lifetime of throat discomfort. Release therapy and deprogramming is usually required in these cases. In all past life recall, I use the time around death for quiet

review and place the subject in observer status to soften pain and emotion.

Case 2

Dr. N: Are you in great pain from the arrow?

S: Yes … the point has torn my throat … I’m dying (subject begins to whisper while holding his hands at the throat). I’m choking…

blood pouring down … Will (husband) is holding me … the pain … terrible … I’m getting out now … it’s over, anyway.

Note: Souls often leave their human hosts moments before actual death when their bodies are in great pain. Who can blame them? Nevertheless, they do stay close by the dying body. After calming techniques, I raise this subject from the subconscious to the superconscious level for the transition to spiritual memories.

Dr. N: All right, Sally, you have accepted being killed by these Indians. Will you please describe to me the exact sensation you feel at the time of death?

S: Like … a force … of some kind … pushing me up out of my body. Dr. N: Pushing you? Out where?

S: I’m ejected out the top of my head. Dr. N: And what was pushed out?

S: Well-me!

Dr. N: Describe what “me” means. What does the thing that is you look like going out of the head of your body?

S: (pause) Like a … pinpoint of light … radiating… Dr. N: How do you radiate light?

S: From… my energy. I look sort of transparent white my soul…

Dr. N: And does this energy light stay the same after leaving your body? S: (pause) I seem to grow a little … as I move around.

Dr. N: If your light expands, then what do you look like now? S: A… wispy … string… hanging …

Dr. N: And what does the process of moving out of your body actually feel like to you?

S: Well, it’s as if I shed my skin … peeling a banana. I just lose my body in one swoosh!

Dr. N: Is the feeling unpleasant?

S: Oh no! It’s wonderful to feel so free with no more pain, but … I am… disoriented

… I didn’t expect to die … (sadness is creeping into my client’s voice and I want him

to stay focused on his soul for a minute more, rather than what is taking place on the ground with his body)

Dr. N: I understand, Sally. You are feeling a little displacement at the moment as a soul. This is normal in your situation for what you have just gone through. Listen and respond to my questions. You said you were floating. Are you able to move around freely right after death?

S: It’s strange … it’s as if I’m suspended in air that isn’t air … there are no limits… no gravity… I’m weightless.

Dr. N: You mean it’s sort of like being in a vacuum for you?

S: Yes… nothing around me is a solid mass. There are no obstacles to bump into… I’m drifting

Dr. N: Can you control your movements-where you are going?

S: Yes … I can do some of that … but there is … a pulling … into a bright whiteness … it’s so bright!

Dr. N: Is the intensity of whiteness the same everywhere?

S: Brighter … away from me … it’s a little darker white … gray … in the direction of my body … (starts to cry) oh, my poor body … I’m not ready to leave yet. (subject pulls back in his chair as if he is resisting something)

Dr. N: It’s all right, Sally, I’m with you. I want you to relax and tell me if the force that took you out of your head at the moment of death is still pulling you away, and if you can stop it.

S: (pause) When I was free of my body the pulling lessened. Now, I feel a nudge … drawing me away from my body … I don’t want to go yet … but, something wants me to go soon …

Dr. N: I understand, Sally, but I suspect you are learning you have some element of

control. How would you describe this thing that is pulling you?

S: A … kind of magnetic … force … but … I want to stay a little longer … Dr. N: Can your soul resist this pulling sensation for as long as you want?

S: (there is a long pause while the subject appears to be carrying on an internal debate with himself in his former life as Sally) Yes, I can, if I really want to stay. (subject starts to cry) Oh, it’s awful what those savages did to my body. There is blood all over my pretty blue dress … my husband Will is trying to hold me and still fight with our friends against the Kiowa.

Note: I reinforce the imagery of a protective shield around this subject, which is so important as a foundation to calming procedures. Sally’s soul is still hovering over her body after I move the scene forward in time to when the Indians are driven off by the wagon train rifles.

Dr. N: Sally, what is your husband doing right after the attack?

S: Oh, good … he isn’t hurt … but … (with sadness) he is holding my body … crying over me … there is nothing he can do for me, but he doesn’t seem to realize that yet. I’m cold, but his hands are around my face … kissing me.

Dr. N: And what are you doing at this moment?

S: I’m over Will’s head. I’m trying to console him. I want him to feel my love is not really gone … I want him to know he has not lost me forever and that I will see him again.

Dr. N: Are your messages getting through?

S: There is so much grief, but he … feels my essence … I know it. Our friends are around him … and they separate us finally … they want to reform the wagons and get started again.

Dr. N: And what is going on now with your soul?

S: I’m still resisting the pulling sensation … I want to stay. Dr. N: Why is that?

S: Well, I know I’m dead … but I’m not ready to leave Will yet and I want to watch them bury me.

Dr. N: Do you see or feel any other spiritual entity around you at this moment?

S: (pause) They are near … soon I will see them … I feel their love as I want Will to feel mine … they are waiting until I’m ready.

Dr. N: As time passes, are you able to comfort Will? S: I’m trying to reach inside his mind.

Dr. N: And are you successful?

S: (pause) I … think a little … he feels me … he realizes … love…

Dr. N: All right, Sally, now we are going to move forward in relative time again. Do you see your wagon train friends placing your body in some kind of grave?

S: (voice is more confident) Yes, they have buried me. It’s time for me to go … they are coming for me now… I’m moving… into a brighter light

Contrary to what some people believe, souls often have little interest in what happens to their bodies once they are physically dead. This is not callousness over personal situations and the people they leave behind on Earth, but an acknowledgement of these souls to the finality of mortal death. They have a desire to hurry on their way to the beauty of the spirit world.

However, many other souls want to hover around the place where they died for a few Earth days, usually until after their funerals. Time is apparently accelerated for souls and days on Earth may be only minutes to them. There are a variety of motivations for the lingering soul. For instance,

someone who has been murdered or killed unexpectedly in an accident often does not want to leave right away. I find these souls are frequently bewildered or angry. The hovering soul syndrome is particularly true of deaths with young people.

To abruptly detach from a human form, even after a long illness, is still a jolt to the

average soul and this too may make the soul reluctant to depart at the moment of death. There is also something symbolic about the normal three- to five-day funeral arrangement periods for souls. Souls really have no morbid curiosity to see themselves buried because emotions in the spirit world are not the same as we experience here on Earth. Yet, I find soul entities appreciate the respect given to the memory of their physical life by surviving relatives and friends.

As we saw in the last case, there is one basic reason for many spirits not wanting to immediately leave the place of their physical death. This comes from a desire to mentally reach out to comfort loved ones before progressing further into the spirit world. Those who have just died are not devastated about their death, because they know those left on Earth will see them again in the spirit world and probably later in other lives as well. On the other hand, mourners at a funeral generally feel they have lost a loved one forever.

During hypnosis, my subjects do recall frustration at being unable to effectively use

their energy to mentally touch a human being who is unreceptive due to shock and grief. Emotional trauma of the living may overwhelm their inner minds to such an

extent that their mental capabilities to communicate with souls are inhibited. When a newly departed soul does find a way to give solace to the living-however briefly- they usually are satisfied and want to then move on quickly away from Earth’s astral plane.

I had a typical example of spiritual consolation in my own life. My mother died suddenly from a heart attack. During her burial service, my sister and I were so filled with sadness our minds were numb at the ceremony. A few hours later we returned to my mother’s empty house with our spouses and decided to take a needed rest. My sister and I must have reached the receptive Alpha state at about the same time. Appearing in two separate rooms, my mother came through our subconscious minds as a dream-like brush of whiteness above our heads. Reaching out, she smiled, indicating her acceptance of death and current well-being. Then she floated away. Lasting only seconds, this act was a meaningful form of closure, causing both of us to release into a sound sleep of the Delta state.

We are capable of feeling the comforting presence of the souls of lost loved ones, especially during or right after funerals. For spiritual communication to come through the shock of mourning it is necessary to try to relax and clear your mind, at least for short periods. At these moments our receptivity to a paranormal experience is more open to receive positive communications of love, forgiveness, hope, encouragement, and the reassurance your loved one is in a good place.

When a widow with young children says to me, “A part of my husband comes to me during the difficult times,” I believe her. My clients tell me as souls they are able to help those on Earth connect their inner minds to the spirit world itself As it has been wisely said, people are not really gone as long as they are remembered by those left on Earth. In the chapters ahead, we will see how specific memory is a reflection of our own soul, while collective memories are the atoms of pure energy for all souls. Death does not break our continuity with the immortal soul of those we love simply because they have lost the physical personhood of a mortal body. Despite their many activities, these departed souls are still able to reach us if called upon.

Occasionally, a disturbed spirit does not want to leave the Earth after physical

death. This is due to some unresolved problem which has had a severe impact on its consciousness. In these abnormal cases, help is available from higher, caring entities who can assist in the adjustment process from the other side. We also have the means to aid disturbed spirits in letting go on Earth, as well. I will have more to say about troubled souls in Chapter Four, but the enigma of ghosts portrayed in books and movies has been greatly overblown.

How should we best prepare for our own death? Our lives may be short or long, healthy or sick, but there comes that time when we all must meet death in a way suited  for us.  If  we  have  had  a  long  illness  leading  to  death,  there  is  time  to adequately prepare the mind once initial shock, denial, and depression have passed. The mind takes a short cut through this sort of progression when we face death suddenly. As the end of our physical life draws near, each of us has the capacity to fuse with our higher consciousness.  Dying is the easiest  period in our lives  for spiritual awareness, when we can sense our soul is connected to the eternity of time. Although there are dying people who find acceptance to be more difficult than resignation, caregivers working around the dying say most everyone acquires a

peaceful detachment near the end. I believe dying people are given access to a supreme knowledge of eternal consciousness and this

frequently shows in their faces. Many of these people realize something universal is out there waiting and it will be good.

Dying people are undergoing a metamorphosis of separation by their souls from an adopted body. People associate death as losing our life force, when actually the

opposite is true. We forfeit our body in death, but our eternal life energy unites with the force of a divine oversoul. Death is not darkness, but light.

My clients  say after recalling former death experiences  they are so filled with rediscovered freedom from their earthbound bodies that they are anxious to get

started on their spiritual journey to a place of peace and familiarity. In the cases which follow, we will learn what life is like for them in afterlife.

2

Gateway to the Spirit World

FOR thousands of years the people of Mesopotamia believed the gates into and out of heaven lay at opposite ends of the great curve of the Milky Way, called the River of Souls. After death, souls had

to wait for the rising doorway of Sagittarius and the autumn equinox, when day and

night are equal. Reincarnation back to Earth could only take place during the spring equinox through the Gemini exit in their night sky.

My subjects tell me that soul migration is actually much easier. The tunnel effect they experience when leaving Earth is the portal into the spirit world. Although

souls leave their bodies swiftly, it  seems to me entry into the spirit  world is a carefully measured process. Later, when we return to Earth in another life, the

route back is described as being more rapid.

The location of the tunnel in relation to the Earth has some variations between the

accounts of my subjects. Some newly dead people see it opening up next to them right over their bodies, while others say they move high above the Earth before they enter the tunnel. In all cases, however, the time lapse in reaching this passageway is negligible once the soul leaves Earth. Here are the observations of another individual in this spiritual location.

Case 3

Dr. N: You are now leaving your body. See yourself moving further and further away from the place where you died, away from the

plane of Earth. Report back to me what you are experiencing.

S: At first … it was very bright … close to the Earth … now it’s a little darker because I have gone into a tunnel.

Dr. N: Describe this tunnel for me.

S: It’s a … hollow, dim vent … and there is a small circle of light at the other end. Dr. N: Okay, what happens to you next?

S: I feel a tugging … a gentle pulling… I think I’m supposed to drift through this tunnel … and I do. It is more gray than dark now, because the bright circle is expanding in front of me. It’s as if… (client stops)

Dr. N: Go on.

S: I’m being summoned forward …

Dr. N: Let the circle of light expand in front of you at the end of the tunnel and continue to explain what is happening to you.

S: The circle of light grows very wide and … I’m out of the tunnel. There is a … cloudy brightness … a light fog. I’m filtering through it.

Dr. N: As you leave the tunnel, what else stands out in your mind besides the lack of absolute visual clarity?

S: (subject lowers voice) It’s so … still … it is such a quiet place to be in … I am in the place of spirits

Dr. N: Do you have any other impressions at this moment as a soul? S: Thought! I feel the … power of thought all around …….

Dr. N: Just relax completely and let your impressions come through easily as you continue to report back to me exactly what is happening to you. Please go on.

S: Well, it’s hard to put into words. I feel… thoughts of love companionship … empathy … and it’s all combined with … anticipation … as if others are … waiting for me.

Dr. N: Do you have a sense of security, or are you a little scared?

S: I’m not scared. When I was in the tunnel, I was more … disoriented. Yes, I feel secure … I’m aware of thoughts reaching out to me of caring … nurturing. It is strange, but there is also the understanding around me of just who I am and why I am here now.

Dr. N: Do you see any evidence of this around you?

S: (in a hushed tone) No, I sense it-a harmony of thought everywhere.

Dr. N: You mentioned cloud-like substances around you right after leaving the tunnel. Are you in a sky over Earth?

S: (pause) No-not that-but I seem to be floating through cloud stuff which is different from Earth.

Dr. N: Can you see the Earth at all? Is it below you?

S: Maybe it is, but I haven’t seen it since I went in the tunnel.

Dr. N: Do you sense you are still connected to Earth through another dimension, perhaps?

S: That’s a possibility-yes. In my mind Earth seems close … and I still feel connected to Earth … but I know I’m in another space.

Dr. N: What else can you tell me about your present location? S: It’s still a little … murky … but I’m moving out of this.

This particular subject, having been taken through the death experience and the tunnel, continues to make tranquil mental adjustments to her bodiless state while pulling further into the spirit world. After some initial uncertainty, her first reported impressions reflect an inviting sense of  well-being. This is a common feeling among my subjects.

Once through the tunnel, our souls have passed the initial gateway of their journey into the spirit world. Most now fully realize they are not really dead, but have simply left the encumbrance of an Earth body which has died. With this awareness comes acceptance in varying degrees depending upon the soul. Some subjects look at these surroundings with continued amazement while others are more matter-of-fact in reporting to me what they see. Much depends upon their respective maturity and recent life experiences. The most common type of reaction I hear is a relieved sigh followed by something on the order of, ” wonderful, I’m home in this beautiful place again.”

There are those highly developed souls who move so fast out of their bodies that

much of what I am describing here is a blur as they home into

their spiritual destinations.  These  are  the  pros  and,  in  my  opinion,  they are  a

distinct minority on Earth. The average soul does not move that rapidly and some are very hesitant. If we exclude the rare cases of highly disturbed spirits who fight to stay connected with their dead bodies, I find it is the younger souls with fewer past lives who remain attached to Earth’s environment right after death.

Most of my subjects report that as they emerge from the mouth of the tunnel, things are still unclear for awhile. I think this is due to the density of the nearest astral plane surrounding Earth, called the kamaloka by Theosophists. The next case describes this area from the perspective of a more analytical client. The soul of this

individual demonstrates considerable observational insight into form, colors, and vibrational levels. Normally, such graphic physical descriptions by my subjects occur deeper into the spirit world after they get used to their surroundings.

Case 4

Dr. N: As you move further away from the tunnel, describe what you see around you in as much detail as possible.

S: Things are … layered.

Dr. N: Layered in what way? S: Umm, sort of like … a cake.

Dr. N: Using a cake as a model, explain what you mean?

S: I mean some cakes have small tops and are wide at the bottom. It’s not like that when I get through the tunnel. I see layers … levels of light … they appear to me to be .. translucent… indented…

Dr. N: Do you see the spirit world here as made up of a solid structure?

S: That’s what I’m trying to explain. It’s not solid, although you might think so at first. It’s layered-the levels of light are all woven together in … stratified threads. I don’t want to make it sound like things are not symmetrical-they are. But I see variations in thickness and color refraction in the layers. They also shift back and forth. I always notice this as I travel away from Earth.

Dr. N: Why do you think this is so? S: I don’t know. I didn’t design it.

Dr. N: From your description, I picture the spirit world as a huge tier with layers of shaded sections from top to bottom.

S: Yes, and the sections are rounded-they curve away from me as I float through them.

Dr. N: From your position of observation, can you tell me about the different colors of the layers?

S: I didn’t say the layers had any major color tones. They are all variations of white. It is lighter … brighter where I’m going, than where I have been. Around me now is a hazy whiteness which was much brighter than the tunnel.

Dr. N: As you float through these spiritual layers, is your soul moving up or down? S: Neither. I am moving across.

Dr. N: Well, then, do you see the spirit world at this moment in linear dimensions of lines and angles as you move across?

S: (pause) For me it is … mostly sweeping, non-material energy which is broken into layers by light and dark color variations. I think something is … pulling me into my proper level of travel and trying to relax me, too …

Dr. N: In what way? S: I’m hearing sounds. Dr. N: What sounds?

S: An … echo … of music … musical tingling … wind chimes … vibrating with my movements … so relaxing.

Dr. N: Other people have defined these sounds as vibrational in nature, similar to riding on the resonance from the twang of a tuning fork. Do you agree or disagree with this description?

S: (nods in assent) Yes, that’s what this is … and I have a memory of scent and taste, too.

Dr. N: Does this mean our physical senses stay with us after death?

S: Yes, the memory of them … the waves of musical notes here are so beautiful … bells … strings. such tranquility.

Many spirit world travelers report back to me about the relaxing sensations of musical vibrations. Noise sensations start quite early after death. Some subjects tell me they hear humming or buzzing sounds right after leaving their physical bodies. This is similar to the noise one hears standing near telephone wires and may vary in volume before souls pull away from what I believe to be the Earth’s astral plane. People have said they hear these same sounds when under general anesthesia. These flat, ringing sounds become more musical when we leave the tunnel. This music has been appropriately called energy of the universe because it revitalizes the soul.

With subjects who speak about spiritual layering, I mention the possibility that they could be seeing astral planes. In metaphysical writing, we read a lot about planes above the Earth. Beginning with ancient Indian scriptures called the Vedas, followed by later Eastern texts, astral planes have historically represented a series of rising dimensions above the physical or tangible world, which blend into the spiritual. These invisible regions have been experienced by people over thousands of

years through meditative, out-of-body observations of the mind. Astral planes also have been described as being less dense as one moves farther away from the heavy influences of Earth.

The next case  represents a soul who is still troubled after passing through the

spiritual tunnel. This is a man who, at age thirty-six, died of a heart attack on a Chicago street in 1902. He left behind a large family of young children and a wife who was deeply loved. They were very poor.

Case 5

Dr. N: Can you see clearly yet as you travel beyond the tunnel? S: I’m still passing through these… foamy clouds around me.

Dr. N: I want you to move all the way through this and tell me what you see now.

S: (pause) Oh … I’m out of it … my God, this place is big! It’s so bright and clean-it even smells good. I am looking at a beautiful ice palace.

Dr. N: Tell me more.

S:  (with  amazement)  It’s  enormous  …  it  looks  like  bright,  sparkling  crystal … colored stones shining all around me.

Dr. N: When you say crystalline, I think of a clear color.

S: Well, there are mostly grays and white … but as I float along I do see other colors

… mosaics … all glittery.

Dr. N: Look into the distance from within this ice palace-do you see any boundaries anywhere?

S: No, this space is infinite … so majestic … and peaceful. Dr. N: What are you feeling right now?

S: I… can’t fully enjoy it … I don’t want to go further … Maggie (subject’s widow)

Dr. N: I can see you are still disturbed about the Chicago life, but does this inhibit your progress into the spirit world?

S: (subject jerks upright in my office chair) Good! I see my guide coming towards me-she knows what I need.

Dr. N: Tell me what transpires between you and your guide.

S: I say to her I can’t go on… that I need to know Maggie and the children are going to be okay.

Dr. N: And how does your guide respond?

S: She is comforting me-but I’m too loaded down. Dr. N: What do you say to her?

S: (shouting) I tell her, “Why did you allow this to happen? How could you do this to me? You made me go through such pain and hardship with Maggie and now you cut off our life together.”

Dr. N: What does your guide do?

S: She is trying to soothe me. Telling me I did a good job and that I will see my life ran its intended course.

Dr. N: Do you accept what she says?

S: (pause) In my mind… information comes to me … of the future on Earth … that the family is getting on without me … accepting that I am gone … they are going to make it … and we will all see each other again.

Dr. N: And how does this make you feel?

S: I feel … peace … (with a sigh) .. I am ready to go on now.

Before touching on the significance of Case 5 meeting his guide here, I want to mention this man’s interpretation of the spirit world appearing as an ice palace. Further into the spirit world, my subjects will talk about seeing buildings and being in furnished rooms. The state of hypnosis by itself does not create these images. Logically, people should not be recalling such physical structures in a non-material world unless we consider these scenes of Earth’s natural environment are intended to aid in the soul’s transition and adjustment from a physical death. These sights have individual meaning for every soul communicating with me, all of whom are affected by their Earth experiences.

When the soul sees images in the spirit world which relate to places they have lived or visited on Earth, there is a reason. An unforgotten home, school, garden, mountain, or seashore are seen by souls because a benevolent spiritual force allows for terrestrial mirages to comfort us by their familiarity. Our planetary memories never die-they whisper forever into the soul-mind on the winds of mythical dreams just as images of the spirit world do so within the human mind.

I enjoy hearing from subjects about their first images of the spirit world. People may see fields of wildflowers, castle towers rising in the distance, or rainbows under

an open sky when returning to this place of adoration after an absence. These first ethereal Earth scenes of the spirit world don’t seem to change a great deal over a span of lives for the returning soul, although there is variety between client descriptions. I find that once a subject in trance continues further into the spirit world to describe the functional aspects of spiritual life, their comments become more uniform.

The case I have just reviewed could be described as a fairly unsettled spirit bonded closely to his soulmate, Maggie, who was left behind. There is no question that some souls do carry the negative baggage of a difficult past life longer than others, despite the calming influences of the spirit world. People tend to think all souls become omniscient at death. This is not completely true because adjustment periods vary. The time of soul adjustment depends upon the circumstances of death, attachments of each soul to the memories of the life just ended, and level of advancement.

I frequently hear anger during age-regression when a young life ends suddenly.

Souls reentering the spirit world under these conditions are often bewildered and confused over leaving people they love without much warning. They are unprepared for death and some feel sad and deprived right after leaving their bodies.

If a soul has been traumatized by unfinished business, usually the first entity it sees

right after death is its guide. These highly developed spiritual teachers are prepared to take the initial brunt of a soul’s frustration following an untimely death. Case 5 will eventually make a healthy adjustment to the spirit world by allowing his guide to assist him during the balance of his incoming trip.

However, I have found our guides do not encourage the complete working out of thought disorders at the spiritual gateway. There are more appropriate times and places for detailed reviews about karmic learning lessons involving life and death, which I will describe later. The guide in Case 5 offered a brief visualization of accelerated Earth time as a means of soothing this man about the future of his wife and children so he could continue on his journey with more acceptance.

Regardless of their state of mind right after death, my subjects are full of exclamations about rediscovered marvels of the spirit world. Usually, this feeling is combined with euphoria that all their worldly cares have been left behind, especially physical pain. Above all else, the spirit world represents a place of supreme quiescence to the traveling soul. Although it may at first  appear we are alone immediately following death, we are not isolated or unaided. Unseen intelligent energy forces guide each of us through the gate.

New arrivals in the spirit world have little time to float around wondering where

they are or what is going to happen to them next. Our guides and a number of soulmates and friends  wait for us close to the gateway to provide recognition, affection, and the assurance we are all right. Actually, we feel their presence from the moment of death because much of our initial readjustment depends upon the influence of these kindly entities toward our returning soul.

3

Homecoming

SINCE encountering friendly spirits who meet us after death is so important, how

do we recognize them? I find a general consensus of opinion among subjects in hypnosis about how souls look to each other in the spirit world. A soul may appear

as a mass of energy, but apparently it is also possible for non-organic soul energy to display human characteristics. Souls often use their capacity to project former life forms when communicating with each other. Projecting a human life form is only one of an incalculable number of appearances which can be assumed by souls from their basic energy substance. Later on, in Chapter Six, I will discuss another feature of soul identity-the possession of a particular color aura.

Most of my subjects report the first person they see in the spirit world is their personal guide. However, after any life we can be met by a soulmate. Guides and soulmates are not the same. If a former relative or close friend appears to the incoming soul, their regular guide might  be absent from the scene. I find that usually guides are somewhere in close proximity, monitoring the incomer’s arrival in their own way. The soul in my next case has just come through the spiritual gateway and is met by an advanced entity who obviously has had close connections with the subject over a prolonged series of past lives. Although this soulmate entity is not my client’s primary guide, he is there to welcome and provide loving encouragement for her.

Case 6

Dr. N: What do you see around you?

S: It’s as if … I’m drifting along on … pure white sand … which is shifting around me

… and I’m under a giant beach umbrella-with brightly colored panels-all vaporized,

but banded together, too …

Dr. N: Is anyone here to meet you?

S: (pause) I … thought I was alone … but … (a long hesitation) in the distance … uh … light … moving fast towards me … oh, my gosh!

Dr. N: What is it?

S: (excitedly) Uncle Charlie! (loudly) Uncle Charlie, I’m over here! Dr. N: Why does this particular person come to meet you first?

S: (in a preoccupied far-off voice) Uncle Charlie, I’ve missed you so much. Dr. N: (I repeat my question)

S: Because, of all my relatives, I loved him more than anybody. He died when I was a child and I never got over it. (on a Nebraska farm in this subject’s most immediate past life)

Dr. N: How do you know it’s Uncle Charlie? Does he have features you recognize?

S: (subject is squirming with excitement in her chair) Sure, sure-just as I remember him-jolly, kind, lovable-he is next to me. (chuckles)

Dr. N: What is so funny?

S: Uncle Charlie is just as fat as he used to be. Dr. N: And what does he do next?

S: He is smiling and holding out his hand to me

Dr. N: Does this mean he has a body of some sort with hands?

S: (laughs) Well, yes and no. I’m floating around and so is he. It’s … in my mind … he is showing all of himself to me … and what I am most aware of … is his hand stretched out to me.

Dr. N: Why is he holding out his hand to you in a materialized way? S: (pause) To … comfort me … to lead me … further into the light. Dr. N: And what do you do?

S: I’m going with him and we are thinking about the good times we spent together playing in the hay on the farm.

Dr. N: And he is letting you see all this in your mind so you will know who he is?

S: Yes … as I knew him in my last life … so I won’t be afraid. He knows I am still a little shocked over my death. (subject had died suddenly in an automobile accident)

Dr. N: Then, right after death, no matter how many deaths we may have experienced in other lives, it is possible to be a little fearful until we get used to the spirit world again?

S: It’s not really fear-that’s wrong-more like I’m apprehensive, maybe. It varies for me each time. The car crash caught me unprepared. I’m still a little mixed up.

Dr. N: All right, let’s go forward a bit more. What is Uncle Charlie doing now? S: He is taking me to the … place I should go …

Dr.  N:  On  the  count  of  three,  let’s  go  there.  One-two-three!  Tell  me  what  is happening.

S: (long pause) There… are … other people around … and they look… friendly… as I approach … they seem to want me to join them…

Dr. N: Continue to move towards them. Do you get the impression they might be waiting for you?

S: (recognition) Yes! In fact, I realize I have been with them before (pause) No, don’t go!

Dr. N: What’s happening now?

S: (very upset) Uncle Charlie is leaving me. Why is he going away?

Dr. N: (I stop the  dialogue  to use standard calming techniques in these circumstances, and then we continue.) Look deeply with your inner mind. You must realize why Uncle Charlie is leaving you at this point?

S: (more relaxed but with regret) Yes … he stays in a … different place than I do … he just came to meet me .. to bring me here.

Dr. N: I think I understand. Uncle Charlie’s job was to be the first person to meet you after your death and see you were okay. I’d like to know if you feel better now, and more at home.

S: Yes, I do. That’s why Uncle Charlie has left me with the others.

A curious phenomenon about the spirit world is that important people in our lives are always able to greet us, even though they may already be living another life in a new body. This will be explained in Chapter Six. In Chapter Ten, I will examine the ability of souls to divide their essence so they can be in more than one body at a time on Earth.

Usually at this juncture in a soul’s passage, the carry-on luggage of Earth’s physical

and mental burdens are diminishing for two reasons. First, the evidence of a carefully directed order and harmony in the spirit world has brought back the remembrance of what we left behind before we chose life in physical form. Secondly, there is the overwhelming impact of seeing people we thought we would never meet again after they died on Earth. Here is another example.

Case 7

Dr. N: Now that you have had the chance to adjust to your surroundings in the

spirit world, tell me what effect this place has on you.

S: It’s so … warm and comforting. I’m relieved to be away from Earth. I just want to stay here always. There is no tension, or worries, only a sense of well-being. I’m just floating … how beautiful…

Dr. N: As you continue to float along, what is your next major impression as you pass the spiritual gateway?

S: (pause) Familiarity. Dr. N: What is familiar?

S: (after some hesitation) Uh mm… people … friends … are here, I think. Dr. N: Do you see these people as familiar people on Earth?

S: I … have a sensation of their presence … people I knew Dr. N: All right, keep moving along. What do you see next? S: Lights… soft… kind of cloudy-like.

Dr. N: As you are moving, does this light continue to look the same?

S: No, they are growing … blobs of energy … and I know they are people! Dr. N: Are you moving toward them, or are they coming toward you?

S: We are drifting toward each other, but I am going slower than they are because

… I’m uncertain what to do

Dr. N: Just relax and continue floating while reporting back to me everything you see.

S: (pause) Now I’m seeing half-formed human shapes-from the waist up only. Their outlines are transparent, too … I can see through them.

Dr. N: Do you see any sort of features to these shapes? S: (anxiously) Eyes!

Dr. N: You see just eyes?

S: … There is only a trace of a mouth-it’s nothing. (alarmed) The eyes are all around me now… coming closer …

Dr. N: Does each entity have two eyes? S: That’s right.

Dr. N: Do these eyes have the appearance of human eyes with an iris and pupil?

S: No … different … they are … larger … black orbs … radiating light… towards me … thought … (then with a relieved sigh) oh!

Dr. N: Go on.

S: I’m starting to recognize them-they are sending images into my mind-thoughts about themselves and … the shapes are changing into people!

Dr. N: People with physical human features? S: Yes. Oh … look! It’s him!

Dr. N: What do you see?

S: (begins to laugh and cry at the same time) I think it’s … yes it’s Larry-he is in front of everybody else-he is the first one I really see … Larry, Larry!

Dr. N: (after giving my subject a chance to recover a little) The soul entity of Larry is in front of an assortment of people you know?

S: Yes, now I know the ones I want most to see are in front… some of my other friends are in the back.

Dr. N: Can you see them all clearly?

S: No, the ones in back are … hazy … far off… but, I have the sensation of their presence. Larry is in front … coming up to me Larry!

Dr. N: Larry is the husband from your last life you told me about earlier?

S: (subject rushes on) Yes-we had such a wonderful life together–Gunther was so strong-everyone was against our marriage in his family-Jean deserted from the navy to save me from the bad life I was living in Marseilles – always wanting me

This subject is so excited her past lives are tumbling one on top of the other. Larry, Gunther, and Jean were all former husbands, but the same soulmate. I was glad we had a chance to review earlier who these people were in sessions before this interval of recall in the spirit world. Besides Larry, her recent American husband, Jean was a French sailor in the nineteenth century and Gunther was the son of German aristocrats living in the eighteenth century.

Dr. N: What are the two of you doing right now? S: Embracing.

Dr. N: If a third party were to look at the two of you embracing at this moment, what would they see?

S: (no answer)

Dr. N: (the subject is so engrossed in the scene with her soulmate there are tears streaming down her face. I wait a moment and then try again.) What would you and Larry look like to someone watching you in the spirit world right now?

S: They would see… two masses of bright light whirling around each other, I guess

… (subject begins to settle down and I help wipe the tears off her face with a tissue) Dr. N: And what does this signify?

S: We are hugging … expressing love … connecting … it makes us happy … Dr. N: After you meet your soulmate, what happens next?

S: (subject tightly grips the recliner arms) Oh-they are all here-I only sensed them before. Now more are coming closer to me.

Dr. N: And this happens after your husband comes near you?

S: Yes … Mother! She is coming over to me … I’ve missed her so much… oh, Mom… (subject begins to cry again)

Dr. N: All right …

S: Oh, please don’t ask me any questions now-I want to enjoy this (subject appears to be in silent conversation with her mother of the last life)

Dr. N: (I wait for a minute) Now, I know you are enjoying this meeting, but I need you to help me know what is going on.

S: (in a faraway voice) We … we are just holding each other … it’s so good to be with her again

Dr. N: How do you manage to hold each other with no bodies?

S: (with a sigh of exasperation at me) We envelop each other in light, of course. Dr. N: Tell me what that is like for spirits?

S: Like being wrapped in a bright-light blanket of love. Dr. N: I see, then ….

S: (subject  interrupts with a high pitched laugh of  recognition) Tim!…  it’s my brother-he died so young (a drowning accident at age fourteen in her last life). It’s so wonderful to see him here. (subject waves her arm) And there is my best girl friend Wilma-from next door-we are laughing together over boys like we did while sitting up in her attic

Dr. N: (after subject mentions her aunt and a couple of other friends) What do you think determines the sequence of how all these people come here to greet you?

S: (pause) Why, how much we all mean to each other-what else?

Dr. N: And with some, you have lived many lives, while with others perhaps only one or two?

S: Yes … I have been with my husband the most. Dr. N: Do you see your guide around anywhere?

S: He is here. I see him floating off to the side. He knows some of my friends, too … Dr. N: Why do you call your guide a “him?”

S: We all show what we want of ourselves. He always relates to me with a masculine nature. It’s right and very natural.

Dr. N: And does he watch over you in all your lives?

S: Sure, and after death too … here, and he is always my protector.

Our reception committee is planned in advance for us as we enter the spirit world. This case demonstrates how uplifting familiar faces can be to the incoming younger soul. I find there are a different number of entities waiting in greeting parties after each life. Although the meeting format varies, depending on a soul’s special needs, I have learned there is nothing haphazard about our spiritual associates knowing exactly when we are due and where to meet us upon our arrival in the spirit world. Frequently, an entity who is significant to us will be waiting a little in front of the others who want  to be  on hand as we  come  through the gateway.  The size of welcoming parties not only changes for everyone after each life, but is drastically reduced  to  almost  nothing  for  more  advanced  souls  where  spiritual  comfort becomes less necessary. Case 9, at the end of this chapter, is an example of this type of spiritual passage.

Cases 6 and 7 both represent one of the three ways newly arrived souls are received back into the spirit world. These two souls were met  shortly after death by a principal entity, followed by others of decreasing influence. Case 7  recognized people more quickly than Case 6. When we meet such spirits in a gathering right

after our death, we find they have been spouses parents, grandparents, siblings, uncles, aunts, cousins, and dear friends in our past lives. I have witnessed some gut- wrenching emotional scenes with my clients at this stage of their passage.

The emotional meetings which take place between souls at this interval in a spiritual

passage are only a prelude to our eventual placement within a specific group of entities at our own maturity level. These meetings provide another emotional high for a subject in superconscious recall. Spiritual organizational arrangements, involving how groups form and are cross-matched with other entities, will be described in subsequent chapters.

For the present, it is important we understand welcoming entities may not be part of

our own particular learning group in the spirit world. This is because all the people who are close to us in our lives are not on the same developmental level. Simply because they choose to meet us right after death out of love and kindness does not mean they will all be part of our spiritual learning group when we arrive at the final destination of this journey.

For instance, in Case 6, Uncle Charlie was clearly a more advanced soul than my

subject and may even have been serving in the capacity of a spiritual guide. It was evident to me that one of the primary tasks of Uncle Charlie’s soul was to help Case 6 as a child in the life just ended, and his responsibility continued right after my subject’s death. With Case 7, the important first contact was Larry, a true soulmate on the same level as this subject. Notice also in Case 7, that my subject’s spiritual guide was not conspicuous among her former relatives and friends. However, as the scene unfolded, there were indications of a spiritual guide orchestrating the whole meeting process while remaining in the background. I see this in many cases.

The second manner in which we are met right after death involves a quiet, meaningful encounter with one’s spiritual guide where no one else is revealed in the immediate vicinity, as in Case 5. Case 8 further illustrates this sort of meeting. What type of after-death meeting we do experience appears to involve the particular style of our spiritual guide along with requisites of our individual character. I find the duration of this first meeting with our guides does vary after each life depending upon the circumstances of that life.

Case 8 shows the very close relationships people have with their spiritual guides.

Many guides have strange sounding names, while others are rather conventional. I find it interesting that the old-fashioned religious term of having a “guardian angel” is now used metaphysically to denote an empathetic spirit. To be honest, this is a term I once denigrated as being foolishly loaded with wishful thinking and representing an out-dated mythology at odds with the modern world. I don’t have that belief anymore about guardian angels.

I am repeatedly told that the soul itself is androgynous, and yet, in the same breath, clients declare sex is not an unimportant factor. I have learned all souls can and do assume male and female mental impressions toward other entities as a form of identity preference. Cases 6 and 7 show the importance of the newly arrived soul in seeing familiar “faces”  identified by gender. This is also true of the next case. Another reason why I selected Case 8 is to indicate how and why souls choose to visually appear in human form to others in the spirit world.

Case 8

Dr. N: You have just started to actually leave the Earth’s astral plane now, and are moving further and further into the spirit world. I want you to tell me what you feel.

S: The silence … so peaceful …

Dr. N: Is anyone coming to meet you?

S: Yes, it’s my friend Rachel. She is always here for me when I die.

Dr. N: Is Rachel a soulmate who has been with you in other lives, or is she someone who always remains here?

S: (with some indignation) She doesn’t always stay here. No, she is with me a lot-in my mind-when I need her. She is my own

guardian (said with possessive pride).

Note: The attributes of guides as differentiated from soulmates and other supportive entities will be examined in Chapter Eight.

Dr. N: Why do you call this entity a “she”? Aren’t spirits supposed to be sexless?

S: That’s right-in a literal way, because we are capable of both attributes. Rachel wants to show herself to me as a woman for the visual knowing and it is a mental thing as well with her.

Dr.  N:  Are  you  locked  into  male  or  female  attributes  during  your  spiritual existence?

S: No. As souls there are periods in our existence when we are more inclined toward one gender than another. Eventually, this

natural preference evens out.

Dr. N: Would you describe how Rachel’s soul actually looks to you at this moment? S: (quietly) A youngish woman … as I remember her best … small, with delicate

features … a determined expression on her face … so much knowledge and love.

Dr. N: Then you have known Rachel on Earth?

S: (responding with nostalgia) Once, long ago, she was close to me in life … now she is my guardian.

Dr. N: And what do you feel when you look at her?

S: A calmness … tranquility … love …

Dr. N: Do you and Rachel actually look at each other with eyes in a human way?

S: (hesitates) Sort of … but different. You see the mind behind what we take to be eyes, because that is what we relate to on Earth. Of course, we can do the same thing as humans on Earth, too …

Dr. N: What can you do on Earth with your eyes that can also be done in the spirit world?

S: When you look into a certain person’s eyes on the ground-even people you have just met-and see a light you have known before well, that tells you something about them. As a human you don’t know why-but your soul remembers.

Note: I have heard about the light of spiritual identity being reflected in the human eyes of a soulmate expressed in a variety of ways from many clients. As for myself, I have knowingly experienced this instant recognition only once in my life at the moment I first saw my own wife. The effect is startling, and a bit eerie as well.

Dr. N: Are you saying that sometimes on Earth when two people look at each other, they may feel they have known one another before?

S: Yes, it’s deja vu.

Dr. N: Let’s go back to Rachel in the spirit world. If your guardian did not project an image of herself in human form to you, would you have known her anyway?

S: Well, naturally we can always identify each other by the mind. But, it’s nicer this way. I know it sounds crazy, but it’s a … social thing … seeing a familiar face puts you at ease.

Dr. N: Seeing human features of people you knew in past lives is a good thing then, particularly in the readjustment period right after leaving Earth?

S: Yeah, otherwise you feel a little lost at first … lonesome … and maybe confused, too … seeing people as they were helps me get used to things here faster when I first come back, and seeing Rachel is always a big boost.

Dr. N: Does Rachel present herself to you in human form right after each death on Earth as a way of getting you readjusted to the spirit world?

S: (eagerly) Oh, yes-she does! And she gives me security. I feel better when I see others I have known before too …

Dr. N: And do you speak to these people?

S: No one speaks, we communicate by the mind. Dr. N: Telepathically?

S: Yes.

Dr. N: Is it possible for souls to have private conversations which cannot be telepathically picked up by others?

S: (pause) … for intimacy-yes. Dr. N: How is this done?

S: By touch-it’s called touching communication.

Note: When two spirits come so close to each other they are conjoined, my subjects say they can send private thoughts by touch which passes between them as “electrical sound impulses.” In most instances, subjects in hypnosis do not wish to talk to me about these personal confidences.

Dr. N: Could you clarify for me how human features can be projected by you as a soul?

S: From … my mass of energy… I just think of the features I want … but I can’t tell you what gives me the ability to do this.

Dr. N: Well, then, can you tell me why you and the other souls project certain features at different times?

S: (long pause) It depends on where you are in your movements around here … when you see another… and your state of mind then.

Dr. N: That’s what I want to get at. Tell me more about recognition.

S: You see, recognition depends on a person’s … feelings when you meet them here. They will show you what they want you to see of themselves and what they think you want to see. It also depends on the circumstances of your meeting with them.

Dr. N: Can you be more specific? What different circumstances can cause energy forms to materialize in a certain way toward other spirits?

S: It is the difference between your being on their turf or your turf. They may choose to show you one set of features in one place, while in another you might see something else.

Note: Spiritual “territory” will be explained as we proceed further into the spirit world.

Dr. N: Are you telling me that a soul may show you one face at the gateway to the spirit world and another image later in a different situation?

S: That’s right. Dr. N: Why?

S: Like I was telling you, a lot of how we present ourselves to each other depends on what we are feeling right then … what relationship we have with a certain person and where we are.

Dr. N: Please tell me if I understand all this correctly. The identity souls project to each other depends on timing and location in the Spirit world as well as mood, and maybe psychological states of mind when they meet?

S: Sure, and it works both ways … it’s interconnecting.

Dr. N: Then, how can we know the true character of a soul’s consciousness with all these changes in each other’s image?

S: (laughs) The image you project never hides who you really are from the rest of us. Anyway, it’s not the same kind of emotion we know on Earth. Here it is more … abstract. Why we project certain features and thoughts … is based on a … confirmation of ideas.

Dr. N: Ideas? Do you mean your sentiments at the time?

S: Yes … sort of… because these human features were part of our physical lives in other places when we discovered things … and developed ideas … it is all a … continuum for us to use here.

Dr. N: Well, if in each of our past lives we have a different face, which one do we assume between lives?

S: We mix it up. You assume those features which the person you see will most recognize as you, depending on what you want to communicate.

Dr. N: What about communication without projecting features?

S: Sure, we do that-it’s normal-but I mentally associate with people more quickly with features.

Dr. N: Do you favor projecting a certain set of facial features?

S: Hmm … I like the face with the mustache … having a rock-hard jaw…

Dr. N: You mean when you were Jeff Tanner, the cowpuncher from Texas in the life we discussed earlier?

S: (laughs) That’s it-and I have had faces like Jeff’s in other lives, too. Dr. N: But, why Jeff? Was it just because he was you in your last life?

S: No, I felt good as Jeff. It was a happy, uncomplicated life. Damn, I looked great! My face resembled those billboard smoking ads you used to see along the highway. (chuckling) I enjoy showing off my handle-bar mustache as Jeff.

Dr. N: But that was only one life. People not associated with you in that life may not recognize you here.

S: Oh, they would get it was me soon enough. I could change to something else, but I like myself as Jeff the best right now.

Dr. N: So, this goes back to what you were saying about all of us really only having one identity, regardless of the number of facial features we might project as souls?

S: Yeah, you see everyone as they truly are. Some only want their best side to show because of what you might think of them-they don’t fully appreciate that it is what you are striving for which is important, not how you appear. We get a lot of laughs about how spirits think they should look, even taking faces they never had on Earth, and that’s okay.

Dr. N: Are we talking about the more immature souls, then?

S: Yes, usually. They can get stuck … we don’t judge … in the end they are going to be all right.

Dr. N: I think of the spirit world as a place of supreme all-knowing intelligent consciousness and you make it appear that souls have moods and vanity as though they were back on Earth?

S: (burst of laughter) People are people no matter how they look on their physical worlds.

Dr. N: Oh, do you see souls who have gone to planets other than Earth? S: (pause) Once in a while …

Dr. N: What features do souls from other planets besides Earth show you?

S: (evasively) I … kind of stick with my own people, but we can assume any features we want for communication …

Note: Gaining information from the subjects I have had who are able to recall leading physical past lives in non-human form on other worlds is always challenging. Recollection of these experiences are usually limited to older, more advanced souls, as we will see later.

Dr. N: Is this ability to transmit features to each other as souls a gift the creator provided for us based upon spiritual need?

S: How should I know-I’m not God!

The concept of souls having fallibility comes as a surprise to some people. The statements of Case 8 and all my other clients indicate most of us are still far from perfect beings in the spirit world. The essential purpose of reincarnation is self- improvement. The psychological ramifications of our development, both in and out of the spirit world, is the foundation of my work.

We have seen the importance of meeting other entities while entering the spirit

world. Besides uniting with our guides and other familiar beings, I have mentioned a third form of reentry after death. This is the rather disconcerting manner in which a soul is met by no one.

Although it is an uncommon occurrence for most of my clients, I still feel a little

sorry for those subjects who describe how they are pulled by unseen forces all alone to their final destinations, where contact is finally made with others. This would be akin to landing in a foreign country where you have been before, but without any baggage handlers or a tourist information desk to assist you with directions. I suppose what bothers me the most about this type of entry is the apparent lack of any soul acclimation.

My own conceptions of what it must be like to be alone at the spiritual gateway and beyond is not shared by those souls who utilize the option of going solo. Actually, people in this category are experienced travelers. As older, mature souls, they seem to require no initial support system. They know right where they are going after death. I suspect the process is accelerated for them as well, because they manage to more rapidly wind up where they belong than those who stop to meet others.

Case 9 is a client who has had a great number of lives, spanning thousands of years. About eight lives before his current one, people finally stopped meeting him at the spiritual gate.

Case 9

Dr. N: What happens to you at the moment of death? S: I feel a great sense of release and I move out fast.

Dr.  N: How would you characterize your departure from Earth into the spirit world?

S: I shoot up like a column of light and I’m on my way. Dr. N: Has it always been this fast for you?

S: No, only after my last series of lives. Dr. N: Why?

S: I know the way, I don’t need to see anybody-I’m in a hurry. Dr. N: And it doesn’t bother you that you are not met by anyone?

S: (laughs) There was a time when it was good, but I don’t require that sort of thing anymore.

Dr.  N:  Whose  decision  was  it  to  allow  you  to  enter  the  spirit  world  without assistance?

S: (pause and then with a shrug) It was … a mutual decision … between my teacher and me … when I knew I could handle things by myself.

Dr. N: And you don’t feel rather lost or lonely right now?

S: Are you kidding? I don’t need my hand held anymore. I know where I’m going and I’m anxious to get there. I’m being pulled along by a magnet and I just enjoy the ride.

Dr. N: Explain to me how this pulling process works which will take you to your destination?

S: I am riding on a wave … a beam of light. Dr. N: Is this beam electromagnetic, or what?

S: Well … it’s similar to the bands of a radio with someone turning the dial and finding the right frequency for me.

Dr. N: Are you saying you are being guided by an invisible force without much voluntary control and that you can’t speed things up as you did right after death?

S: Yes. I must go with the wave bands of light … the waves have direction and I’m flowing with it. It’s easy. They do it all for you.

Dr. N: Who does it for you?

S: The ones in control … I don’t really know.

Dr. N: Then you are not in control. You don’t have the responsibility of finding your own destination.

S: (pause) My mind is in tune with the movement … I flow with the resonance … Dr. N: Resonance? You hear sounds?

S: Yes, the wave beam … vibrates … I’m locked into this, too.

Dr. N: Let’s go back to your statement about the radio. Is your spiritual travel influenced by vibrational frequencies such as high, medium, and low resonance quality?

S: (laughing) That’s not bad-yes, and I’m on a line, like a homing beacon of sound and light… and it’s part of my own tonal pattern-my frequency.

Dr.  N:  I’m  not  sure  I  understand  how  light  and  vibration  combine  to  set  up directional bands.

S: Think of a monster tuning fork inside a flashing strobe light. Dr. N: Oh, then there is energy here?

S: We have energy-within an energy field. So, it isn’t just the lines we travel on … we generate energy ourselves … we can use these forces depending on our experience.

Dr. N: Then your maturity level does give you some element of control in the rate and direction of travel.

S: Yes, but not right here. Later, when I am settled I can move around much more on my own. Now, I’m being pulled and I’m supposed to go with it.

Dr. N: Okay, stay with this and describe to me what happens next.

S: (short pause) I’m moving alone … being homed into my proper space… going where I belong.

In hypnosis, the analytical conscious mind works in conjunction with the unconscious mind to receive and answer messages directed to our deep-seated memories. The subject in Case 9 is an electrical engineer and thus he utilized some technical descriptions to express his spiritual sensations. This client’s predisposition to explain his thoughts on soul travel in technical terms was encouraged, but not

dictated, by my suggestions. All subjects bring their own segments of knowledge to bear on answering my questions about the spirit world. This case used physical laws familiar to him to describe motion, whereas another person might have said souls move in this tract within a vacuum.

Before continuing with the passage of souls into the spirit world, I want to discuss those entities who either have not made it this far after physical death, or will be diverted from the normal travel route.

4

The Displaced Soul

THERE are souls who have been so severely damaged they are detached from the

mainstream of souls going back to a spiritual home base. Compared to all returning entities, the number of these abnormal souls is not large. However, what has happened to them on Earth is significant because of the serious effect they have on other incarnated souls.

There are two types of displaced souls: those who do not accept the fact their physical body is dead and fight returning to the spirit world for reasons of personal anguish, and those souls who have been subverted by, or had  complicity with, criminal abnormalities in a human body. In the first instance, displacement is of the soul’s own choosing, while in the second case, spiritual guides deliberately remove these souls from further association with other entities for an indeterminate period. In both situations, the guides of these souls are intimately concerned with rehabilitation, but because the circumstances are quite different between each type of displaced soul, I will treat them separately.

The first type we call ghosts. These spirits refuse to go home after physical death

and often have unpleasant influences on those of us who would like to finish out our own human lives in peace. These displaced souls are sometimes falsely called “demonic spirits” because they are accused of invading the minds of people with harmful intent. The subject of negative Spirits has produced serious investigations in the field of parapsychology. Unfortunately, this area of spirituality has also attracted a fringe element of the unscrupulous associated with the occult, who prey on the emotions of susceptible people

The troubled spirit is an immature entity with unfinished business in a past life on

Earth. They may have no relation to the living person who is disrupted by them. It is true that some people are convenient and receptive conduits for negative spirits who wish to express their querulous nature. This means that someone who is in a deep meditative state of consciousness might occasionally pick up annoying signal patterns from a discarnated being whose communications can range from the frivolous to provocative. These unsettled entities are not spiritual guides.  Real guides are healers and don’t intrude with acrimonious messages.

More  often  than  not,  these  uncommon  haunted  spirits  are  tied  to a  particular

geographic location. Researchers who have specialized in the phenomena of ghosts indicate those disturbed entities are caught in a no-man’s land between the lower astral planes of Earth and the spirit world. From my own research, I don’t believe these souls are lost in space, nor are they demonic. They choose to remain within the Earth plane after physical death for a time by their own volition due to a high level of  discontent.  In  my  opinion,  they  are  damaged  souls  because  they  evidence

confusion, despair, and even hostility to such an extent they want their guides to stay away from them. We do know a negative, displaced entity can be reached and handled by various means, such as exorcism, to get them to stop interfering with human beings. Possessing spirits can be persuaded to leave and eventually make a proper transition into the spirit world.

If we have a spirit world governed by order, with guides who care about us, how can

maladaptive souls who exert negative energy upon incarnated beings be allowed to exist? One explanation is that we still have free will, even in death. Another is that since  we  endure  so  many  upheavals  in  our  physical  universe,  then  spiritual irregularities  and  deviations  from  the  normal  exodus  of  souls  ought  to  be anticipated as well. Discarnate, unhappy spirits who trap themselves are possibly part of a grand design. When they are ready, these souls will be taken by the hand away from Earth’s astral plane and guided to their proper place in the spirit world.  I turn now to the far more prevalent second type of disturbed soul. These are souls who have been involved with evil acts. We should first speculate if a soul can be considered culpable or guilt-free when it occupied the offending criminal brain? Is the soul mind or human ego responsible, or are they the same? Occasionally, a client will say to me, “I feel possessed by an inner force which tells me to do bad things.” There are mentally ill people who feel driven by opposing forces of good and evil over which they believe they have no control.

After working for years with the superconscious minds of people under hypnosis, I have come to the conclusion that the five-sensory human can negatively act upon a soul’s psyche. We express our eternal self through dominant biological needs and the pressures of environmental stimuli which are temporary to the incarnated soul. Although there is no hidden, sinister self within our human form, some souls are not fully assimilated. People not in harmony with their bodies feel detached from themselves in life.

This  condition  does  not  excuse  souls  from  doing  their  utmost  to  prevent  evil

involvement on Earth. We see this in human conscience. It is important we distinguish between what is exerting a negative force on our mind and what is not. Hearing an inner voice which may suggest self-destruction to ourselves or someone else is not a demonic spiritual entity, an alien presence, nor a malevolent renegade guide. Negative forces emanate from ourself.

The  destructive  impulses  of  emotional  disorders,  if  left  untreated,  inhibit  soul

development. Those of us who have experienced unresolved personal trauma in our lives carry the seeds of our own destruction. This anguish affects our soul in such a way that it seems we are not whole. For instance, excessive craving and addictive behavior, which is the outgrowth of personal pain, inhibits the expression of a healthy soul and may even hold a soul in bondage to its host body.

Does the extent of contemporary violence mean that we have more souls “going

wrong” today than in the past? If nothing else, our over-population and mind- altering drug culture should support this conclusion. On the positive side, Earth’s international level of consciousness toward human suffering appears to be rising. I’ve been told that in every era of Earth’s bloody history there has always been a significant number of souls unable to resist and successfully counter human cruelty. Certain souls, whose hosts have a genetic disposition to abnormal brain chemistry,

are particularly at risk in a violent environment. We see how children can be so damaged by physical and emotional family abuse that, as adults, they commit premeditated acts of atrocity without feelings of remorse. Since souls are not created perfect, their nature can be contaminated during the development of such a life form.

If our transgressions are especially serious we call them evil. My subjects say to me

no soul is inherently evil, although it may acquire this label in human life. Pathological evil in humans is characterized by feelings of personal impotence and weakness which is stimulated by helpless victims.

Although souls who are involved with truly evil acts should generally be considered

at  a  low  level  of  development,  soul  immaturity  does  not  automatically  invite malevolent behavior from a damaged human personality. The evolution of souls involves a transition from imperfection to perfection based upon overcoming many difficult body assignments during their task-oriented lives. Souls may also have a predisposition for selecting environments where they consistently don’t work well, or are subverted. Thus, souls may have their identity damaged by poor life choices. However, all souls are held accountable for their conduct in the bodies they occupy. We will see in the next chapter how souls receive an initial review of their past life with guides before moving on to join their friends. But what happens to souls who have, through their bodies, caused extreme suffering to another? If a soul is not capable of ameliorating the most violent human urges in its host body, how is it held accountable in afterlife? This brings up the issue of being sent to heaven or hell for good and bad deeds because accountability has long been a part of our religious traditions.

On the wall of my office hangs an Egyptian painting, “The Judgment Scene,” as represented in the Book of the Dead, which is a mythological ritual of death over 7,000 years old. The ancient Egyptians had an obsession with death and the world beyond the grave because, in their cosmic pantheon, death explained life.  The picture shows a newly deceased man arriving in a place located between the land of the living and the kingdom of the dead. He stands by a set of scales about to be judged for his past deeds on Earth. The master of ceremonies is the god Anubis, who carefully weighs the man’s heart on one pan of the scale against the ostrich feather of truth on the opposite side. The heart, not the head, represented the embodiment of a person’s soul-conscience to the Egyptians. It is a tense moment. A crocodile-headed monster is crouched nearby with his mouth open, ready to devour the heart if the man’s wrongs outweigh the good he did in life. Failure at the scales would end the existence of this soul.

I get quite a few comments from my clients about this picture. A metaphysically

oriented person would insist no one is denied entrance into the kingdom of afterlife, regardless of how unfavorably balanced the scales might be toward past conduct. Is this belief true? Are all souls given the opportunity to transmute back into the spirit world the same way, irrespective of their association with the bodies they occupied? To answer this question, I should begin by mentioning that a large segment of society believes all souls do not go to the same place. More moderate theology no longer  stresses  the  idea  of  hellfire  and  brimstone  for  sinners.  However,  many religious sects indicate a spiritual coexistence of two mental states of good and evil.

For the “bad” soul there are ancient philosophical pronouncements denoting a separation from the God-Essence as a means of punishment after death.

The Tibetan Book of the Dead, a source of religious belief thousands of years older than the Bible, describes the state of consciousness between lives (the Bardo) as a

time when “the evil we have perpetrated projects us into spiritual separation.” If the peoples of the East believed in a special spiritual location for evil doers, was this

idea similar to the concept of purgatory in the Western world?

From its earliest beginnings, Christian doctrine defined purgatory as a transitory

state of temporary banishment for sins of a minor nature against humanity. The Christian purgatory is supposed to be a place of atonement, isolation, and suffering. When all negative karma is removed, these souls are eventually allowed into heaven. On the other hand, souls committing major (deadly) sins are condemned to hell forever.

Does hell exist to permanently separate good souls from bad ones? All my case work

with the spirits of my subjects has convinced me there is no residence of terrible suffering for souls, except on Earth. I am told all souls go to one spirit world after death where everyone is treated with patience and love.

However,  I have learned that certain souls  do undergo separation in the spirit

world, and this happens at the time of their orientation with guides. They are not activated along the same travel routes as other souls. Those of my subjects who have been impeded by evil report that souls whose influence was too weak to turn aside a human impulse to harm others will go into seclusion upon reentering the spirit world. These souls don’t appear to mix with other entities in the conventional manner for quite a while.

I have also noticed that those beginner souls who are habitually associated with intensely negative human conduct in their first series of lives must endure individual spiritual isolation. Ultimately, they are placed together in their own group to intensify learning under close supervision. This is not punishment, but rather a kind of purgatory for the restructuring of self-awareness with these souls.

Because wrongdoing takes so many forms on Earth, spiritual instruction and the

type of isolation used is varied for each soul. The nature of these variations apparently is evaluated during orientation at the end of each life. Relative time of seclusion and reindoctrination is not consistent either. For instance, I have had reports about maladjusted spirits who have returned back to Earth directly after a period of seclusion in order to expunge themselves as soon as possible by a good incarnated performance, Here is an example, as told to me by a soul who was acquainted with one of these spirits.

Case 10

Dr. N: Do souls bear responsibility for their involvement with flawed human beings

who injure others in life?

S: Yes, those who have wronged others savagely in a life-I knew one of those souls. Dr. N: What do you know about this entity? What happened after this soul returned

to the spirit world following that life?

S: He … had hurt a girl … terribly … and did not rejoin our group. There was extensive private study for him because he did so poorly while in that body.

Dr. N: What was the extent of his punishment?

S: Punishment is … a wrong interpretation … it’s regeneration. You have to recognize this is a matter for your teacher. The teachers are more strict with those who have been involved with cruelty.

Dr. N: What does “more strict” mean to you in the spirit world?

S: Well, my friend didn’t go back with us … his friends … after this sad life where he hurt this girl.

Dr. N: Did he come through the same spiritual gateway as yourself when he died?

S: Yes, but he did not meet with anybody … he went directly to a place where he was alone with the teacher.

Dr. N: And then what happened to him?

S: After awhile … not long … he returned to Earth again as a woman … where people were cruel … physically abusive … it was a deliberate choice … my friend needed to experience that …

Dr. N: Do you think this soul blamed the human brain of his former host body for hurting the girl?

S: No, he took what he had done … back into himself … he blamed his own lack of skill to overcome the human failings. He asked to become an abused woman himself

in the next life to gain understanding… to appreciate the damage he had done to the girl.

Dr. N: If this friend of yours did not gain understanding and continued involving himself with humans who committed wrongful acts, could he be destroyed as a soul by someone in the spirit world?

S: (long pause) You can’t destroy energy exactly … but it can be reworked… negativity which is unmanageable … in many lives … can be readjusted.

Dr. N: How?

S: (vaguely) … Not by destruction … remodeling …

Case 10 did not respond further to this line of questioning, and other subjects who know   something   about   these   damaged   souls   are   rather   sparse   with   their

information. Later, we will learn a bit more about the formation and restoration of intelligent energy.

Most errant souls are able to solve their own problems of contamination. The price we pay for our misdeeds and the rewards received for good conduct revolve around

the laws of karma. Perpetrators of harm to others will do penance by setting themselves up as future victims in a karmic cycle of justice. The Bhagavad Gita,

another early Eastern scripture which has stood the test of thousands of years, has a passage which says, “souls of evil influence must redeem their virtue.”

No study of life after death would have any meaning without addressing how karma relates to causality and justice for all souls. Karma by itself does not denote good or

bad deeds. Rather it is the result of one’s positive and negative actions in life. The statement, “there are no accidents in our lives,” does not mean karma by itself

impels. What it does is propel us forward by teaching lessons. Our future destiny is influenced by a past from which we cannot escape, especially when we injure others.

The key to growth is understanding we are given the ability to make mid-course corrections in our life and having the courage to make necessary changes when what

we are doing is not working for us. By conquering fear and taking risks, our karmic pattern adjusts to the effects of new choices. At the end of every life, rather than

having a monster waiting to devour our souls, we serve as our most severe critic in front of teacher-guides. This

is why karma is both just and merciful. With the help of our spiritual counselors and peers we decide on the proper mode of justice for our conduct.

Some people who believe in reincarnation also think if negative souls do not learn their lessons within a reasonable span of lives, they will be eliminated and replaced

by more willing souls. My subjects deny this premise.

There is no set path of self-discovery designed for all souls. As one subject told me,

“souls are assigned to Earth for the duration of the war.” This means souls are given the time and opportunity to make changes for growth. Souls who continue to display negative attitudes through their human hosts must overcome these difficulties by continually making an effort to change. From what I have seen, no negative karma remains attached to a soul who is willing to work during their many lives on this planet.

It is an open question whether a soul should be held entirely at fault for humanity’s irrational, unsocialized, and destructive acts. Souls must learn to cope in different ways with each new human being assigned to them. The permanent identity of a soul stamps the human mind with a distinctive character which is individual to that soul. However, I find there is a strange dual nature between the soul mind and human brain. I will discuss this concept further in later chapters, after the reader learns more about the existence of souls in the spirit world.

5

Orientation

AFTER those entities who meet us during our homecoming have dispersed, we are ready to be taken to a space of healing. This will be followed by another stop involving the soul’s reorientation to a spiritual environment. In this place we are often examined by our guide.

I tend to call the cosmology of all spiritual locations as places, or spaces, simply for convenient identification because we are dealing with a non-physical universe. The similarity of descriptions among clients of what they do as souls at the next two combined stops is remarkable, although they do have different names for them. I hear such terms as: chambers, travel berths, and interspace stop over zones, but the most common is “the place of healing.”

I think of the healing station as a field hospital, or MASH unit, for damaged souls coming off Earth’s battlefields. I have selected a rather advanced male subject who has been through this revitalization process many times to describe the nature of this next stop.

Case 11

Dr. N: After you leave the friends who greeted you following your death, where does your soul go next in the spirit world?

S: I am alone for a while … moving through vast distances … Dr. N: Then what happens to you?

S: I am being guided by a force I can’t see, into a more enclosed space-an opening into a place of pure energy.

Dr. N: What is this area like?

S: For me … it is the vessel of healing.

Dr. N: Give me as much detail as possible about what you experience here.

S: I’m propelled in and I see a bright warm beam. It reaches out to me as a stream of liquid energy. There is a … vapor-like … steam swirling around me at first … then gently touching my soul as if it were alive. Then it is absorbed into me as fire and I am bathed and cleansed from my hurts.

Dr. N: Is someone bathing you, or is this light beam enveloping you from out of nowhere?

S: I am alone, but it is directed. My essence is being bathed … restoring me after my exposure to Earth.

Dr. N: I have heard this place is similar to taking a refreshing shower after a hard day’s work.

S: (laughs) After a lifetime of work. It’s better and you don’t get wet, either.

Dr. N: You also don’t have a physical body anymore, so how can this energy shower heal a soul?

S: By reaching into … my being. I’m so tired from my last life and with the body I had.

Dr. N: Are you saying the ravages of the physical body and the human mind leaves an emotional mark on the soul after death?

S: God, yes’. My very expression-who I am as a being-was affected by the brain and body I occupied.

Dr. N: Even though you are now separated from that body forever?

S: Each body leaves … an imprint … on you, at least for a while. There are some bodies I have had that I can never get away from altogether. Even though you are free of them you keep some of the outstanding memories of your bodies in certain lives.

Dr. N: Okay, now I want you to finish with your shower of healing and tell me what you feel.

S: I am suspended in the light … it permeates through my soul … washing out most of the negative viruses. It allows me to let go of the bonds of my last life … bringing about my transformation so I can become whole again.

Dr. N: Does the shower have the same effect upon everyone?

S: (pause) When I was younger and less experienced, I came here more damaged- the energy here seemed less effective because I didn’t know how to use it to completely purge the negativity. I carried old wounds with me longer despite the healing energy.

Dr. N: I think I understand. So, what do you do now?

S: When I am restored, I leave here and go to a quiet place to talk to my guide.

This place I have come to call the shower of healing is only a prelude for the rehabilitation of returning souls. The orientation stage which immediately follows (especially with younger souls), involves a substantial counseling session with one’s guide. The newly refreshed soul arrives at this station to undergo a debriefing of the life just ended. Orientation is also designed as an intake interview to provide further emotional release and readjustment back into the spirit world.

People  in  hypnosis  who  discuss  the  type  of  counseling  which  goes  on  during

orientation say their guides are gentle but probing. Imagine your favorite elementary school teacher and you have the idea. Think of a firm but concerned entity who knows all about your learning habits, your strong and weak points, and your fears, who is always ready to work with you as long as you continue to try.

When you don’t, everything remains stationary in your development. Nothing can be hidden by students from their Spiritual teachers. No subterfuge or deception exists in a telepathic world.

There are a multitude of differences in orientation scenes depending upon the souls’

individual makeup and their state of mind after the life just ended. Souls report their orientation often takes place in a room. The furnishings of these settings and the intensity of this first conference can vary after each life. The case below gives a brief example of an orientation scene which attests to the desire of higher forces to bring comfort to the returning soul.

Case 12

S: At the center of this place I found my bedroom where I was so happy as a child. I see my rose-covered wallpaper and four-poster bed with the squeaky springs under a thick, pink quilt made for me by my grandmother. My grandmother and I used to have heart-to-heart chats whenever I was troubled and she is here, too-just sitting on the edge of my bed with my favorite stuffed animals around her-waiting for me. Her wrinkled face is full of love, as always. After a while I see she is actually my guide Amephus. I talk to Amephus about the sad and happy times of the life I have finished. I know I made mistakes, but she is so kind to me. We laugh and cry together while I reminisce. Then we discuss all the things I didn’t do that I might have done with my life. But in the end it’s okay. She knows I must rest in this beautiful world. I’m going to relax. I don’t care if I ever go back to Earth again because my real home is here.

Apparently, the more advanced souls do not require any orientation at this stage. This does not mean the ten percent of my clients in this category just sail right by their guides with a wave upon their return from Earth. Everybody is held accountable for their past lives. Performance is judged upon how each individual interpreted and acted upon their life roles. Intake interviews for the advanced souls are conducted with master teachers later. The less experienced entities are usually given special attention by counselors because the abrupt transition from the physical to a spiritual form is more difficult for them.

The next case I have selected has a more in-depth therapeutic spiritual orientation.

The exploration of attitudes and feelings with a view to reorienting future behavior is typical of guides. The client in Case 13 is a strong, imposing thirty-two-year-old woman of above-average height and weight. Dressed in jeans, boots, and a loose- fitting sweat shirt, Hester arrived at my office one day in a state of agitation.

Her presenting problems fell into three parts. She was dissatisfied with her life as a successful real estate broker as being too materialistic and unfulfilling. Hester also felt she lacked feminine sexuality. She mentioned having a closet full of beautiful clothes which were “hateful to wear.” This client then told me how she had easily manipulated men all her life because, “There is a male aggression about me which also makes me feel incomplete as a woman.” As a young girl, she avoided dolls and wearing dresses because she was more interested in competitive sports with boys. Her masculine feelings had not changed with age, although she had found a man who became her husband because he accepted her dominance in their relationship. Hester said she enjoyed sex with him as long as she was in physical control and that

he found this exciting. In addition, my client complained of headaches on the right side of her head above the ear which, after extensive medical examinations, doctors had attributed to stress.

During our session, I learned this subject had experienced a recent series of male

lives, culminating with a short life as a prosecuting attorney called Ross Feldon in the state of Oklahoma during the 1 880s. As Ross, my client had committed suicide at age thirty-three in a hotel room by shooting himself in the head. Ross was in despair over the direction his life had taken as a courtroom prosecutor.

As the dialogue progresses, the reader will notice displays of intense emotion. Regression therapists call this “heightened response” being in a state of revivification (meaning to give new life) as opposed to the alternative trance state where subjects are observer-participants.

Case 13

Dr. N: Now that you have left the shower of healing, where are you going?

S: (apprehensively) To see my advisor. Dr. N: And who is that?

S: (pause) … Dees … no … his name is Clodees.

Dr. N: Did you talk to Clodees when you entered the spirit world? S: I wasn’t ready yet. I just wanted to see my parents.

Dr. N: Why are you going to see Clodees now?

S: I … am going to have to make some kind of … accounting … of myself. We go through this after all my lives, but this time I’m really in the soup.

Dr. N: Why?

S: Because I killed myself.

Dr. N: When a person kills himself on Earth does this mean they will receive some sort of punishment as a spirit?

S: No, no, there is no such thing here as punishment-that’s an Earth condition. Clodees will be disappointed that I bailed out early and didn’t have the courage to face my difficulties. By choosing to die as I did means I have to come back later and deal with the same thing all over again in a different life. I just wasted a lot of time by checking out early.

Dr. N: So, no one will condemn you for committing suicide?

S: (reflects for a moment) Well, my friends won’t give me any pats on the back either-I feel sadness at what I did.

Note: This is the usual spiritual attitude toward suicide, but I want to add that those who escape from chronic physical pain or almost total incapacity on Earth by killing themselves feel no remorse as souls. Their guides and friends also have a more accepting view toward this motivation for suicide.

Dr. N: All right, let’s proceed into your conference with Clodees. First describe your surroundings as you enter this space to see your advisor.

S: I go into a room-with walls … (laughs) Oh, it’s the Buckhorn! Dr. N: What’s that?

S: A great cattleman’s bar in Oklahoma. I was happy as a patron there-friendly atmosphere-beautiful wood paneling-the stuffed leather chairs. (pause) I see Clodees is sitting at one of the tables waiting for me. Now we are going to talk.

Dr. N: How do you account for an Oklahoma bar in the spirit world?

S: It’s one of the nice things they do for you to ease your mind, but that’s where it ends. (then with a deep sigh) This talk is not going to be like a party at the bar.

Dr. N: You sound a little depressed at the prospect of an intimate conversation with your guide about your last life?

S: (defensively) Because I blew it! I have to see him to explain why things didn’t work out. Life is so hard! I try to do it right… but …

Dr. N: Do what right?

S: (with anguish) I had an agreement with Clodees to work on setting goals and then following through. He had expectations for me as Ross. Damn! Now I have to face him with this.

Dr. N: You don’t feel you met the contract you had with your advisor about lessons to be learned as Ross?

S: (impatiently) No, I was terrible. And, of course, I’ll have to do it all over again. We never seem to get it perfect. (pause) You know, if it weren’t for Earth’s beauty- the birds-flowers-trees-I would never go back. It’s too much trouble.

Dr. N: I can see you are upset, but don’t you think …

S: (breaks in with agitation) You can’t get away with a thing either. Everybody here knows you so well. There is nothing I can keep from Clodees.

Dr. N: I want you to take a deep breath and go further into the Buckhorn Bar and tell me what you do.

S: (subject gulps and squares her shoulders) I float in and sit down across from Clodees at a round table near the front of the bar.

Dr. N: Now that you are near Clodees, do you think he is as upset as you are over this past life?

S: No, I’m more upset with myself over what I did and didn’t do and he knows that. Advisors can be displeased but they don’t humiliate us, they are too superior for that.

The counseling input of a directive guide gives the healing process of our soul a boost during orientation, but that does not mean the defensive barriers to progress are completely removed. The painful emotional memories from our past do not die as easily as our bodies. Hester must see her negative past life script as Ross clearly, without distorted perceptions.

Recreating spiritual orientation scenes during hypnosis assists me as a therapist. I have found the techniques of psychodramatic role playing to be useful in exposing feelings and old beliefs related to current behavior. Case 13 had quite a long orientation which I have condensed. At this juncture of the case I shifted my questioning to involve the subject’s guide.

As the proceedings unfold with Ross Feldon’s life, I will take the roll of a third party

intermediary between Ross and Clodees. Within this counseling mode I also want to initiate a role transference where Hester-Ross will speak the thoughts of Clodees. The integration of a subject with their guide is a means of eliciting assistance from these higher entities and bringing problems into sharper focus. I sometimes sense even my own guide is directing me in these sessions.

I  am  cautious  about  summoning  up  guides  without  good  cause.  Facilitating

communication directly with a client’s guide always has an uncertain outcome. If my intrusion is clumsy or unnecessary, guides will block a subject’s response by silence or use metaphoric language which is obscure.

I have had guides speak through a subject’s vocal chords in raspy tones which are so

discordant I can hardly understand the responses to questions. When subjects talk for their guides, rather than guides speaking for themselves through the subject, usually the cadence of speech is not as broken. In this case, Clodees comes through Hester-Ross easily and allows me some latitude in working with his client.

Dr. N: Ross, we both need to understand what is happening psychologically to you right from the start of your orientation with Clodees. I want you to assist me. Are you willing to do this?

S: Yes, I am.

Dr. N: Good, and now you are going to be able to do something unusual. On the count of three, you will have the ability to assume the dual roles of Clodees and yourself. This ability will enable you to speak to me about your thoughts and those of your guide as well. It will seem that you will actually become your guide when I question you. Are you ready?

S: (with hesitation) I … think so.

Dr. N: (rapidly) One-two-three! ( I place my palm on the subject’s forehead to stimulate the transference.) Now be Clodees speaking his thoughts through you. You are sitting at a table across from the soul of Ross Feldon. What do you say to him? Quickly! I want the subject to react without thinking critically about the difficulty of my command)

S: subject reacts slowly, speaking as his own guide) You know… you could have done better.

Dr. N: Quickly now-be Ross Feldon again. Move to the other side of the table and answer Clodees.

S: I… tried … but I fell short of the goal

Dr. N: Switch places again. Become the voice of Clodees’ thoughts and answer Ross. Quickly!

S: If you could change anything about your life, what would it be? Dr. N: Respond as Ross.

S: Not to be … corrupted … by power and money. Dr. N: Answer as Clodees.

S: Why did you let these things detract from your original commitment?

Dr. N: (I lower my voice) You are doing fine. Keep switching chairs back and forth at the table. Now answer your guide’s question.

S: I wanted to belong… to feel important in the community… to rise above others and be admired … for my strength.

Dr. N: Respond as Clodees.

S: Especially by women. I observed you tried to dominate them sexually as well, making conquests without attachments.

Dr. N: Speak as Ross.

S: Yes … that’s true … (shakes head from side to side) I don’t have to explain-you know everything anyway.

Dr. N: Respond as Clodees.

S: Oh, but you do. You must bring your self-awareness to bear on these matters. Dr. N: Answer as Ross.

S: (defiantly) If I hadn’t exerted power over these people they would have controlled me.

Dr. N: Respond as Clodees.

S: This lacks merit and was unworthy of you. What you became is not how you started. We chose your parents carefully.

Note: The Feldon family were farmers of modest means who displayed honesty, forbearance, and sacrificed much so Ross could study law.

Dr. N: Answer as Ross.

S: (in a rush) Yes-I know-they brought me up to be idealistic-to help the little guy, and I wanted this, too, but it didn’t work for me. You saw what happened. I was in debt when I began as a lawyer…ineffective … of no consequence. I didn’t want to be poor anymore, defending people who couldn’t pay me. I hated the farm-the pigs and the cows. I liked being around substantial people and when I joined the establishment as a prosecutor, I had the idea of reforming the system and helping farm people. It was the system that was wrong.

Dr. N: Respond as Clodees.

S: Ah, you were corrupted by the system-explain this to me. Dr. N: Answer as Ross.

S: (hotly) People had to pay fines they couldn’t afford-others I sent to jail because of offenses they didn’t mean to commit – others I had hung! (voice breaks) I became a legal killer.

Dr. N: Respond as Clodees.

S:  Why  did  you  feel  responsible  for  prosecuting  criminals  who  were  guilty  of hurting others?

Dr. N: Answer as Ross.

S: Few of those … most were … just ordinary people like my parents who got caught up in the system … needing money to survive … and there were those who were … sick in the head

Dr. N: Respond as Clodees.

S: What about the victims of the people you prosecuted? Didn’t you choose a life of law to help society and to make the farms and the towns safer with justice?

Dr. N: Answer as Ross.

S: (loudly) Don’t you see, it didn’t work for me-I was turned into a murderer by a primitive society!

Dr. N: Respond as Clodees.

S: And so you murdered yourself? Dr. N: Answer as Ross.

S: I got off track… I couldn’t go back to being a nobody… and I couldn’t go forward. Dr. N: Respond as Clodees.

S: Too easily you became a participant with those whose motivations were  for personal gain and notoriety. This was not you. Why did you hide from yourself?

Dr. N: Answer as Ross.

S: (with anger) Why didn’t you help me more-when I started as a public defender? Dr. N: Respond as Clodees.

S: What benefit do you get from thinking I should pick you up at every turn?

Dr. N: (I ask Hester to respond as Ross, but when she remains silent after the last question, I step in) Ross, if I may interrupt-I believe Clodees is inquiring into the payoff for you from both the pain you feel now and strokes you get from blaming him over your last life

S: (pause) Wanting sympathy … I guess.

Dr. N: Okay, respond as Clodees to this thought.

S: (very slowly) What more would you have me do? You didn’t reach far enough inside yourself. I placed thoughts in your mind of temperance, moderation, responsibility, original goals, your parents’ love-you ignored these thoughts and were stubborn to alternative action.

S: (Ross responds without my command) I know I missed the signs you set up … I wasted opportunities … I was afraid …

Dr. N: Respond as Clodees to your statement. S: What do you value most about who you are? Dr. N: Answer your guide.

S: That I had the desire to change things on Earth. I started with wanting to make a difference for the people of Earth.

Dr. N: Respond as Clodees.

S: You left that assignment early and now I see you missing opportunities again- being afraid to take risks-taking paths which dam-age you-trying to become someone who is not you and there is sadness again.

Recreating the orientation stage does produce abrupt transitions during my hypnosis sessions. While Case 13 is speaking as Clodees, notice how her responses take on a more lucid and decisive quality which is different from either my client Hester, or her former self as Ross. I am not always successful with my subjects translating their guides’ comments so insightful[y in former spiritual orientations. Nevertheless, past life memories often spill over into contemporary problems in whatever spiritual setting is selected.

Whether my subject or her guide actually directed the conversation in the Buckhorn Bar scene while I moved the time frame around does not matter to me. After all, Ross Feldon as a person is dead. But Hester is caught in the same quagmire, and I want to do what I can to break this destructive pattern of behavior. I spend a few minutes reviewing with this subject what her guide has indicated about lack of self- concept, alienation, and lost values. After asking Clodees for his continued assistance, I close the orientation scene and immediately take Hester to a later spiritual stage just before her rebirth today.

Dr. N: With all the knowledge of who you were as Ross, and having a greater understanding of your real spiritual identity after your stay in the spirit world, why did you choose your current body?

S: I chose to be a woman so people would not feel intimidated by me.

Dr. N: Really? Then why did you take the body of such a strong, forceful woman in the twentieth century?

S: They won’t see a prosecuting attorney dressed in black in a courtroom-this time I am a surprise package!

Dr. N: A surprise package? What does that mean?

S: As a woman, I knew I would be less intimidating to men. I can catch them off guard and scare them to death.

Dr. N: What kind of men?

S: The big guys-the power structure in society-catch then when they are lulled into a false sense of security because I’m a woman.

Dr. N: Catch them and do what?

S: (drives her right fist into the left palm) Nail them-to save the little guy from the sharks who want to eat up all the small fish in this world.

Dr. N: (I move my subject into the present while she remains in the superconscious state) Let me understand your reason for choosing to be a woman in this life. You wanted to help the same sort of people who you were unable to help as a man in your previous life-is this correct?

S: (sadly) Yeah, but it’s not the best way. It’s not working out for me like I thought. I’m still too strong and macho. Energy is pouring out of me in the wrong direction.

Dr. N: What wrong direction?

S: (wistfully) I’m doing it again. Misusing people. I chose the body of a woman who is intimidating to men and I don’t feel like a woman.

Dr. N: Give me an example?

S: Sexually and in business. I’m in the power game again … pushing aside principles

… getting off track as before (as Ross). This time I manipulate real estate deals. I’m too interested in acquiring money. I want status.

Dr. N: And how does this hurt you, Hester?

S: The influence of money and position is a drug to me as it was in my last life. My

being a woman now has done nothing to change my desire to control people. So … stupid …

Dr. N: Then do you think your motivations were wrong in choosing to be a female? S: Yes, I do feel more natural living as a man. But I thought as a woman this time

around I would be… more subtle. I wanted this chance to try again in a different sex

and Clodees let me take it. (client slumps down in her chair) What a blunder.

Dr. N: Don’t you think you are being a little hard on yourself, Hester? I have the sense you also chose to be a woman because you wanted a woman’s insight and intuition to give you a different perspective to tackle your lessons. You can have masculine energy, if you want to call it that, and still be feminine.

Before finishing this case, I should touch on the issue of homosexuality. Most of my subjects select the bodies of one gender over another 75 percent of the time. This pattern is true of all but the advanced souls, who maintain more of a balance in choosing to be men and women. A gender preference by a majority of earthbound souls does not mean they are unhappy the other 25 percent of the time as males or females.

Hester is not necessarily gay or hi-sexual because of her body choice. Homosexuals may or may not be comfortable with their anatomy as humans. When I do have a client who is gay, they often ask if their homosexuality is the result of choosing to be “‘the wrong sex” in this life. When their sessions are over this inquiry is usually answered.

Regardless of the  circumstances which  lead  souls  to  make  gender choices,  this

decision was made before arriving on Earth. Sometimes I find that gay people have chosen in advance of their current lives to experiment with a sex that was seldom used in former lives.

Being gay carries a sexual stigma in our society which presents a more difficult road

in life. When this road is chosen by one of my clients, it can usually be traced to a karmic need to accelerate personal understanding of the complex differences in gender identity as related to certain events in their past. Case 13 chose to be a woman in this life to try and get over the stumbling blocks experienced as Ross Feldon.

Would Hester have benefited from knowing about her past as Ross from birth

rather than having to wait over thirty years and undergo hypnosis? Having no conscious memory of our former existences is called amnesia. This human condition is perplexing to people attracted to reincarnation. Why should we have to grope around in life trying to figure out who we are and what we are supposed to do and wondering if some spiritual divinity really cares about us? I closed my session with this woman by asking about her amnesia.

Dr. N: Why do you think you had no conscious memory about your life as Ross Feldon?

S: When we choose a body and make a plan before coming back to Earth, there is an agreement with our advisors.

Dr. N: An agreement about what?

S: We agree … not to remember … other lives. Dr. N: Why?

S: Learning from a blank slate is better than knowing in advance what  could happen to you because of what you did before.

Dr. N: But wouldn’t knowing about your past life mistakes be valuable in avoiding the same pitfalls in this life?

S: If people knew all about their past, many might pay too much attention to it rather than trying out new approaches to the same problem. The new life must be… taken seriously.

Dr. N: Are there any other reasons?

S: (pause) Without having old memories, our advisors say there is less preoccupation for … trying to … avenge the past … to get even for the wrongs done to you.

Dr. N: Well, it seems to me that so far this has been part of the motivation and conduct in your life as Hester.

S: (forcefully) That’s why I came to you.

Dr. N: And do you still think a total blackout of our eternal spiritual life on Earth is essential to progress?

S: Normally, yes, but it’s not a total blackout. We get flashes from dreams… during times of crisis… people have an inner knowing of what direction to take when it is necessary. And sometimes your friends can fudge a little …

Dr. N: By friends, you mean entities from the spirit world?

S: Uh-huh… they give you hints, by flashing ideas-I’ve done it.

Dr. N: Nevertheless, you had to come to me to unlock your conscious amnesia.

S: (pause) We have … the capacity to know when it is necessary. I was ready for change when I heard about you. Clodees allowed me to see the past with you because it was to my benefit.

Dr. N: Otherwise, your amnesia would have remained intact?

S: Yes, that would have meant I wasn’t supposed to know certain things yet.

In my opinion, when clients are unable to go into hypnosis at any given time, or if they have only sketchy memories in trance, there is a reason this blockage. This does not mean these people have no past memories, that they are not ready to have them exposed.

My client knew something was hindering her growth and wanted it revealed. The

superconscious identity of the soul houses our continuous memory, including goals. When the time in our lives is appropriate, we must harmonize human material needs with our soul’s purpose for being ‘. I try to take a common sense approach in bringing past and present experiences into alignment.

Our eternal identity never leaves us alone in the bodies we choose, despite our current status. In reflection, meditation, or prayer, the memories of who we really are do filter down to us in selective thought each day. In small, intuitive ways- through the cloud of amnesia-we are given clues the justification of our being.

After desensitizing the source of her headaches, I completed my session with Hester by reinforcing her choice to be a woman for reasons other than intimidating men. I gave her permission to lower her defenses a little and be less aggressive. We discussed options for restructuring occupational goals toward the helping professions and the possibilities of volunteer service work. She was finally able to see her life today as a great opportunity for learning rather than a failure of gender choice.

After a case is completed, I never cease to admire the brutal honesty of souls. When

a soul has lead a productive life beneficial to themselves and those around them, I notice they return to the spirit world with enthusiasm. However, when subjects like Case 13 report they wasted a past  life, especially from early suicide, then they describe going back rather dejected.

When orientation is upsetting to a subject, I find an underlying reason is the abruptness with which a soul is once again in full possession of all knowledge. After physical death, unencumbered by a human body, the soul has a sudden influx of perception. The stupid things we did in life hit us hard in orientation. I see more relaxation and greater clarity of thought move my subjects further into the spirit world.

Souls are created in a positive matrix of such love and wisdom that when a soul starts to come to a planet like Earth and join the physical beings who have evolved from a primitive state, the violence is a shock. Humans have the raw, negative emotions of anger and hate as an outgrowth of their fear and pain connected with survival going back to the Stone Age.

Both positive and negative emotions are mixed between soul and host for their

mutual benefit. If a soul only knew love and peace, it would gain no insight and never truly appreciate the value of these positive feelings. The test of reincarnation for a soul coming to Earth is the conquering of fear in a human body. A soul grows by trying to overcome all negative emotions connected to fear through perseverance

in many lifetimes, often returning to the spirit world bruised or hurt, as Case 13 indicated. Some of this negativity can be retained, even in the spirit world, and may reappear in another life with a new body. On the other hand, there is a trade-off. It’s in joy and unabashed pleasure that the true nature of an individual soul is revealed on earth in the face of a happy human being.

Orientation conferences with our guides allow us to begin the long process of self-

evaluation between lives. Soon we will have another conference, this time with more master beings in attendance. In the last chapter, I referred to the ancient Egyptian tradition of newly deceased souls being taken into a Hall of Judgement to account for their past life. In one form or another, the concept of a torturous courtroom trial awaiting us right after death has been part of the religious belief system of many cultures. Occasionally, a susceptible individual in a traumatic situation will say they had an out-of-body experience with nightmarish visions of being taken by frightening specters into an afterlife of darkness where they were sentenced in front of demonic judges. In these cases, I suspect a strong preconditioned belief system of hell.

In the quiet, relaxing state of hypnosis, with continuity on all mental levels, my subjects report that the initial orientation session with their guides prepares them to go before a panel of superior beings. However, the words courtroom and trial are not used to describe these proceedings. A number of my cases have called these wise beings, directors and even judges, but most refer to them as a Council of Masters or Elders. This board of review is generally composed of between three and seven members and since souls appear before them after arriving at their home base, I will go into this conference in more detail at the end of the next chapter.

All soul evaluation conferences, be they with our guides, peers, or a panel of masters have one thing in common. The feedback and past life analyses we receive in terms of judgement is based upon the original intent of our choices as much as the actions of a lifetime. Our motivations are questioned and criticized, but not condemned in such a way as to make us suffer. As I explained in Chapter Four, this does not mean souls are exonerated for their acts which harmed others simply because they are sorry. Karmic payment will come in a future life. I have been told that our spiritual masters constantly remind us that because the human brain does not have an innate moral sense of ethics, conscience is the soul’s responsibility. Nevertheless, there is overwhelming forgiveness in the spirit world. This world is ageless and so too are our learning tasks. We will be given other chances in our struggle for growth.

When the initial conference with our guide is over, we leave the place of orientation

and join a coordinated flow of activity involving the transit of enormous numbers of other souls into a kind of central receiving station.

6

Transition

ALL souls, regardless of experience, eventually arrive at a central port in the spirit

world which I call the staging area. I have said there are variations in the speed of soul movement right after death, depending upon spiritual maturity. Once past the orientation station there seems to be no further travel detours for anyone entering this space of the spirit world. Apparently, large numbers of returning souls are

conveyed in a spiritual form of mass transit.

Sometimes souls are escorted by their guides to this area. I find this practice is

especially true for the younger souls. Others are directed through by an unseen force which pulls them into the staging area and then beyond to waiting entities. From what I am able to determine, accompaniment by other entities depends upon the volition of one’s guide. In most cases haste is not an issue, but souls do not dawdle along on this leg of their journey. The feelings we have along this path depend on our state of mind after each life.

The assembly and transfer of souls really involves two phases. The staging area is not an encampment space. Spirits are brought in, collected, and then projected out to their proper final destinations. When I hear accounts of this particular junction, I visualize myself walking with large numbers of travelers through the central terminal of a metropolitan airport which has the capacity to fly all of us out in any direction. One of my clients described the staging area as resembling the hub of a great wagon wheel, where we are transported from a center along the spokes to our designated places.”

My subjects say this region appears to them as having a large number of unacquainted spirits moving in and out of the hub in an efficient manner with no congestion. Another person called this area “the Los Angeles freeway without gridlock.” There may be other similar wheel hubs with freeway-type on and off ramps in the spirit world, but each client considers their own route to and from this center to be the only one.

The observations I hear about the nature of the spirit world when entering the staging area have definitely changed from those first impressions of layering and foggy stratification. It is as if the soul is now traveling through the loosely-wound arms of a mighty galactic cloud into a more unified celestial field. While their spirits hover in the open arena of the staging area preparing for further transport out to prescribed spaces, I enjoy listening to the excitement in the voices of my subjects. They are dazzled by an eternal world spread out before them and believe that somewhere within lies the nucleus of creation.

When they look at the fully opened canopy around them, subjects will state that the spirit world appears to be of varied luminescence. I hear nothing about the inky blackness we associate with deep space. The gatherings of souls that clients see in the foreground in this amphitheater appear as myriads of sharp star lights all going in different directions. Some move fast while others drift. The more distant energy concentrations have been pictured as “islands of misty veils.” I am told the most outstanding characteristic of the spirit world is a continuous feeling of a powerful mental force directing everything in uncanny harmony. People say this is a place of pure thought.

Thought takes many forms. It is at this vantage point in their return that souls begin

to anticipate meeting others who wait for them. A few of these companions may have already been seen at the gateway, but most have not. Without exception, souls who wish to contact each other, especially when on the move, do so by just thinking of the entity they want. Suddenly, the individual called will appear in the soul mind of the traveler. These telepathic communications by the energy of all spiritual entities allow for a non-visual affinity, while two energy forms who actually come

near one another provide a more direct connection. There is uniformity in the accounts of my subjects as to their manner of spiritual travel, routes, and destinations, although what they see along the way is distinctive with each person.

I searched through my case files to find a subject whose experiences along this route

to an ultimate spiritual destination was both descriptive and yet representative of what many others have told me. I selected an insightful, forty-one-year-old graphic designer with a mature soul. This man’s soul had traveled over this course many times between a long span of lives.

Case 14

Dr. N: You are now ready to begin the final portion of your homeward journey toward the place where your soul belongs in the spirit world. On the count of three, all the details of this final leg of your travels will become clear to you. It will be easy for you to report on everything you see because you are familiar with the route. Are you ready?

S: Yes.

Dr. N: (raising my voice to a commanding tone) One-we are getting started. Two- your soul has now moved out of the area of orientation. Three! Quickly, what is your first impression?

S: Distances are … unlimited … endless space … forever … Dr. N: So, are you telling me the spirit world is endless?

S: (long pause) To be honest-from where I am floating-it looks endless. But when I begin to really move it changes.

Dr. N: Changes how?

S: Well … everything remains … formless … but when I am … gliding faster … I see I’m moving around inside a gigantic bowl-turned upside down. I don’t know where the rims of the bowl are, or even if any exist.

Dr. N: Then movement gives you the sense of a spherical spirit world?

S: Yes, but it’s only a feeling of… enclosed uniformity … when I am moving rapidly. Dr. N: Why does rapid movement-your speed-give you the feeling of being in a

bowl?

S: (long pause) It’s strange. Although everything appears to go on straight when my soul is drifting-that changes to … a feeling of roundness when I am moving fast on a line of contact.

Dr. N: What do you mean by a line of contact? S: Towards a specific destination.

Dr. N: How does moving with speed on a given line of travel change your observational perceptions of the spirit world to a feeling it is round?

S: Because with speed the lines seem to .. bend. They curve in a more obvious direction for me and give me less freedom of movement.

Note: Other subjects, who are also disposed toward linear descriptions, speak of traveling along directional force lines which have the spatial properties of a grid system. One person called them “vibrational strings.”

Dr. N: By less freedom, do you mean less personal control? S: Yes.

Dr. N: Can you more precisely describe the movement of your soul along these curving contact lines?

S: It’s just more purposeful-when my soul is being directed someplace on a line. It’s like I’m in a current of white water-only not as thick as water-because the current is lighter than air.

Dr. N: Then, in this spiritual atmosphere, you don’t have the sense of density such as in water?

S: No, I don’t, but what I am trying to say is I’m being carried along as if I were in a current underwater.

Dr. N: Why do you think this is so?

S: Well, it’s as if we are all swimming-being carried along-in a swift current which we can’t control … under somebody’s direction up and down from each other in space … with nothing solid around us.

Dr. N: Do you see other souls traveling in a purposeful way above and below you?

S: Yes, it’s as if we start in a stream and then all of us returning from death are pulled into a great river together.

Dr. N: When do the numbers of returning souls seem the highest to you? S: When the rivers converge into … I can’t describe it

Dr. N: Please try.

S: (pause) We are gathered into … a sea … where all of us swirl around … in slow motion. Then, I feel as though I’m being pulled away to a small tributary again and it’s quieter … further from the thoughts of so many minds … going to the ones I know.

Dr. N: Later, in your normal travels as a soul, is it the same as being propelled around in streams and rivers as you have just described?

S: No, not at all. This is different. We are like salmon going up to spawn-returning home. Once we get there we are not pushed about this way. Then we can drift.

Dr. N: Who is doing the pushing while you are being taken home?

S: Higher entities. The ones in charge of our movements to get us home. Dr. N: Entities such as your guide?

S: Above him, I think.

Dr. N: What else are you feeling at this moment?

S: Peace. There is such peace you never want to leave again. Dr. N: Anything more?

S: Oh, I have some anticipation, too, while moving slowly with the energy current.

Dr. N: All right, now I want you to continue to move further along with the current of energy closer to the area where you are supposed to go. Look around carefully and tell me what you see.

S: I see … a variety of lights … in patches … separated from each other by … galleries

Dr. N: By galleries, do you mean a series of enclosures?

S: Mmm … more like a long … corridor … bulging out in places … stretching out away from me into the distance.

Dr. N: And the lights?

S: They are people. The souls of people within the bulging galleries reflecting light outward to me. That’s what I’m seeing-patches of lights bobbing around..

Dr. N: Are these clusters of people structurally separated from each other in the bulges along the corridor?

S: No, there are no walls here. Nothing is structural, with angles and corners. It’s hard for me to explain, exactly…

Dr. N: You are doing fine. Now, I want you to tell me what separates the light clusters from each other along this corridor you are describing.

S: The people … are divided by … thin, wispy … filaments … making the light milky, like the transparency of frosted glass. There is an incandescent glow from their energy as I pass by.

Dr. N: How do you see individual souls within the clusters?

S: (pause) As light dots. I see masses of dots hanging in clumps as hanging grapes, all lit up.

Dr. N: Do these clumps represent various groups of soul energy masses with space between them?

S: Yes … they are separated into small groups … I am going to my own clump.

Dr. N: What else do you feel about them as you pass by on the way to your cluster? S: I can feel their thoughts reaching out … so varied … but together too … such

harmony … but … (stops) Dr. N: Go on.

S: I don’t know the ones I’m passing now… it doesn’t matter.

Dr. N: Okay, let’s pass on by these clusters which seem to bulge out along  a corridor. Give me an example of what the whole thing looks like to you from a distance.

S: (laughs) A long glow-worm, its sides bulging in and out … the movement is … rhythmic.

Dr. N: You mean the corridor itself appears to move?

S: Yes, parts of it … swaying as a ribbon in the breeze while I am going further away.

Dr. N: Continue floating and tell me what happens to you next.

S: (pause) I’m at the edge of another corridor… I’m slowing down. Dr. N: Why?

S: (grows excited) Because … oh, good! I’m coming in towards the site where my friends are attached.

Dr. N: And how do you feel at this moment?

S: Fantastic!  There is a  familiar pulling of  minds …  reaching out  to me…  I’m catching the tail of their kite … joining them in thought I’m home!

Dr. N: Is your particular cluster group of friends isolated from the other groups of souls living in other corridors?

S: No one is really isolated, although some of the younger ones may think so. I’ve been around a long time, though, and I have a lot of connections (said with modest confidence).

Dr. N: So you felt connections with those other corridors, even with spirits in them you might not know from past experience?

S: I do because of the connections I have had. There is a oneness here.

Dr. N: When you are moving around as a spirit, what is the major difference in your interactions with other souls, compared to being in human form on Earth?

S: Here no one is a stranger. There is a total lack of hostility toward anyone.

Dr. N: You mean every spirit is friendly to every other spirit, regardless of prior associations in many settings?

S: That’s right, and it’s more than just being friendly. Dr. N: In what way?

S: We recognize a universal bond between us which makes us all the same. There is no suspicion toward each other.

Dr. N: How does this attitude manifest itself between souls who first meet? S: By complete openness and acceptance.

Dr. N: Living on Earth must be difficult for souls, then?

S: It is, for the newer ones especially, because they go to earth expecting to be

treated fairly. When they aren’t, it’s a shock. For some, it takes quite a few lives to get used to the earth body.

Dr. N: And if the newer souls are struggling with these earth conditions, are they less efficient when working within the human mind?

S: I would have to say yes, because the brain drives a lot of fear and violence into our souls. It’s hard for us, but that’s why we come to earth … to overcome …

Dr. N: In your opinion, might the newer souls tend to be more fragile and in need of group support upon returning to their cluster?

S: That’s absolutely true. We all want to return home. Will you let me stop talking now, so I can meet with my friends?

I have touched on the commonality of word usage by different clients to describe spiritual phenomena. Case 14 offered us a few more. One person’s “glow worms bulging out in places” is another’s “floating trail of balloons.” A description about “clumps of huge, translucent bulbs” in one case becomes “giant bunches of transparent bubbles” from somebody else mentally returning to the spirit world. I regularly hear such water-words as currents and streams used to explain a flowing directional movement, where a sky-word like cloud denotes a freedom of motion associated with drifting. Visual images which call up expressions of energy mass and group clusters to indicate souls themselves are especially popular. I have adopted some of this spiritual language myself.

At  the  final debarkation  zone  for the  incoming  soul,  waiting cluster groups  of

familiar entities may be large or small, depending upon the soul developmental level and other factors which I will take up as we get a little further along. By way of comparison with Case 14, the next case demonstrates a more insular perception of the spirit world from a soul with less maturity.

In Case 15, the transition of this soul from the staging area to her home cluster is fairly rapid in her mind. The case is informative because it presents attributes of propriety felt by this soul to a designated space, as well as deference toward those who manage the system. Because this subject is less experienced and a bit edgy over what she sees as a need for conformity, we are given another interpretation of spiritual guidelines for group placement.

Case 15

Dr. N: I want to talk to you about your trip into the place where you normally stay

in the spirit world. Your soul is now moving toward this destination. Explain what you see and feel.

S: (nervously) I’m … going … outward, somehow … Dr. N: Outward?

S: (puzzled) I am… floating along… in a chain of some kind. It’s as though I’m

weaving through a series of … connecting links … a foggy maze … then … it opens up

… oh!

Dr. N: What is it?

S: (with awe) I have come into … a grand arena … I see many others … criss-crossing around me … (subject grows uncomfortable)

Dr. N: Just relax-you are in the staging area now. Do you still see your guide? S: (with hesitation) Yes … nearby … otherwise I would be lost … it’s so … vast …

Dr. N: (I place my hand on the subject’s forehead) Continue to relax and remember you have been here before, although everything may seem new to you. What do you do now?

S: I ‘m … carried forward … rapidly … straight past others … then I’m in… an empty space… open

Dr. N: Does this void mean everything is black around you?

S: It’s never black here … the light … just contracts to darker shades because of my speed. When I slow down things get brighter. (others confirm this observation)

Dr. N: Continue on and report back to me what you see next. S: After a while I see … nests of people

Dr. N: You mean groups of people?

S: Yes-like hives-I see them as bunches of moving lights … fireflies Dr. N: All right, keep moving and tell me what you feel?

S: Warmth … friendship … empathy … it’s dreamy … ….. .? Dr. N: What is it?

S: I have slowed way down-things are different. Dr. N: How?

S: More clearly defined (pause)-I know this place.

Dr. N: Have you reached your own hive (cluster group)?

S: (long pause) Not yet, I guess

Dr. N: Just look about you and report back to me exactly what you see and feel.

S: (subject begins to tremble) There are … bunches of people … together … off in the distance … but … there!

Dr. N: What do you see?

S: (fearfully) People I know… some of my family… off in the distance … but … (with anguish) I don’t seem to be able to reach them!

Dr. N: Why?

S: (in tearful bewilderment) I don’t know! God, don’t they know I’m here? (subject begins to struggle in her chair and then extends her arm and open hand at my office wall) I can’t reach my father!

Note: I briefly stop my questioning. This client’s father had a great influence in her most immediate past life and she needs additional calming techniques. I also decide to reinforce her protective shield before continuing.

Dr. N: What do you think is the reason your father is off in the distance so you can’t reach him?

S: (during a long pause I use the time to dry subject’s face, which has become wet with tears and perspiration) I don’t know …

Dr. N: (I place my hand on subject’s forehead and command) Connect with your father-now!

S: (after a pause the subject relaxes) It’s okay … he is telling me to be patient and everything will become clear to me … I want to go over there and be near him.

Dr. N: And what does he tell you about that?

S: (sadly) He says … that he can always be in my mind if I need him and… I will learn to do this better (think telepathically), but he has to stay where he is…

Dr. N: What do you think is the basic reason for your father remaining in this other place?

S: (tearfully) He does not belong in my hive. Dr. N: Anything else?

S: The … directors … they don’t … (crying again) I’m not sure …

Note: Normally, I try to avoid too much intervention when subjects are describing their spiritual transitions. In this case, my client is confused and disoriented, so I offer a little guidance of my own.

Dr. N: Let’s analyze why you can’t reach your father’s position right now. Could this separation be the result of higher entities believing this is a time for individual reflection on your part and that you should associate only with other souls at your own level of development?

S: (subject is more restored) Yes, those messages are coming through. I have to work things out for myself … with others like me. The directors encourage us … and my father is helping me understand, too.

Dr. N: Are you satisfied with this procedure? S: (pause) Yes.

Dr. N: All right, please continue with your passage from the moment you see some of your family in the distance. What happens next?

S: Well, I’m still slowing down … moving gradually … I’m being taken along a course I have been on before. I’m passing some other bunches of people (group clusters). Then, I stop.

Note: The final transit inward is especially important for the younger souls. One client, upon awakening, described this scene as giving him the sense he was arriving back home at twilight after a long trip away. Having passed from the countryside into his town, he finally reached the proper street.

The front windows of his neighbors’ houses were lit, and he could see people inside as he drove slowly past before reaching the driveway of his own home. Although people in trance may use such words as “clumps” and “hives” to describe how their home spaces look from a distance, this view becomes more individualistic once they go into each cluster. Then the subjects’ spiritual surroundings are associated with towns, schools, and other living areas identified with earthly landmarks of security and pleasure.

Dr. N: Now that you are stationary, what are your impressions?

S: It’s … large … activity… there are a lot of people in the vicinity. Some are familiar to me, others are not.

Dr. N: Can we get a little closer to all of them?

S: (abruptly my subject raises her voice with indignation) You don’t understand! I

don’t go over there. (points a finger toward my office wall) Dr. N: What’s the problem?

S: I’m not supposed to. You can’t just go off anywhere. Dr. N: But, you have reached your destination?

S: It doesn’t matter. I don’t go over there. (again points a finger at her mental picture)

Dr. N: Does this tie in with the messages you received about your father? S: Yes, it does.

Dr. N: Are you saying to me your soul energy cannot arbitrarily float anywhere- such as outside your group?

S: (pointing outward) They are not in my group over there. Dr. N: Define what you mean by over there?

S: (in a grave tone of voice) Those others nearby-that is their place. (points down to the floor) This is our place. We are here. (nods head to confirm her statement)

Dr. N: Who are they?

S: Well, the others, of course, people not in my group. (in a burst of nervous laughter) Oh, look! … my own people, it’s wonderful to see them again. They are coming toward me!

Dr. N: (I act as though I am hearing this information for the first time, to encourage spontaneous answers) Really? This does sound wonderful. Are these the  same people who were involved with your past life?

S: More than one life, I can tell you. (with pride) These are my people! Dr. N: These people are entities who are members of your own group?

S: Of course, yes, I have been with them for so long. Oh, it’s fun seeing them all again. (subject is overjoyed and I give her a few moments with this picture)

Dr. N: I see quite a change in your understanding in just the short time since we arrived here. Look off in the distance at the others around this space. What is it like where they live?

S: (agitated) I don’t want to know. That is their business. Can’t you see? I’m not attached to them. I’m too busy with the people I am supposed to be with here. People I know and love.

Dr. N: I do see, but a few minutes ago you were quite distressed at not being able to get close to your father.

S: I know now he has his own gathering place with people. Dr. N: Why didn’t you know that when we arrived here?

S: I’m not sure. I admit it was a shock at first. Now I know the way things are. It’s all coming back to me.

Dr. N: Why wasn’t your guide around to explain all this to you before you saw your father?

S: (long pause) I don’t know.

Dr. N: Probably other people you have known and loved besides your father are also in these groups. Are you saying you have no contact with them now that you are in your proper place in the Spirit world?

S: (upset with me) No, I have contact with my mind. Why are you being so difficult? I am supposed to stay here.

Dr. N: (I prod the subject once more to gain additional information) And you don’t just drift over to those other groups for visits?

S: No! You don’t do that! You don’t go into their groups and interfere with their energy.

Dr. N: But mental contact offers no interference with their energy? S: At the right time. When they are free to do this with me …

Dr. N: So, what you are telling me is that everyone here is located in their own group spaces and you don’t go wandering around visiting or making too much mental contact at the wrong times?

S: (calming down) Yes, they are in their own spaces with instruction going on. It’s the directors who move around mostly …

Dr. N: Thank you for clearing all this up for me. You want me to know that you and your group friends are especially careful about infringing upon others’ spaces?

S: That’s right. At least that’s the way things are around my space. Dr. N: And you don’t feel confined by this custom?

S: Oh no, there are great expanses of space and such a sense of freedom here, as long as we pay attention to the rules.

Dr. N: And what if you don’t? Who decides what is the proper location for each group of souls?

S: (pause) The teachers help us, otherwise we would be lost.

Dr. N: It seemed to me you were lost when we first arrived here?

S: (with uncertainty) I didn’t connect … I wasn’t mentally in tune… I messed up … I don’t think you realize how big it is around here.

Dr. N: Look around you at all the occupied spaces. Isn’t the spirit world crowded with souls?

S: (laughs) Sometimes we do get lost-that’s our own fault-this place is big! That’s why it never gets crowded.

The two cases in this chapter represent different reactions from a beginner and a more advanced soul recalling the final phase of their return passages back to the spirit world. Every participant has their own interpretation of the panoramic view from the staging area to the terminus in their cluster group. Some of my subjects find the transition from the gateway to group placement to be so rapid that they need time to adjust upon arrival.

When recalling their memories between homecoming and placement, my subjects

sometimes express concern that an important individual was not present in light form or did not communicate with them telepathically. Often this is a parent or spouse in the life just completed. By the end of the transition stage, the reason usually becomes evident. Frequently it has to do with embodiment.

We have seen how the average returning soul is overwhelmed by pleasure. Familiar beings are clustered together in undulating masses of bright light. On occasion, resonating musical sounds with specific chords guide the incoming traveler. One subject remarked, ‘As I come near my place, there is a monotone of many voices sounding the letter A, like Aaaaa, for my recognition, and I can see them all vibrating fast as warm, bright energy, and I know these are the disembodied ones right now.”

What this means is that those souls who are currently incarnated in one or more

bodies at the moment may not be actively engaged with welcoming anybody back. Another subject explained, “It is as if they are sleeping on autopilot-we always know who is out and who is in:’ Those souls who are not totally discarnated radiate a dim light with low pulsating energy patterns and don’t seem to communicate much with

anyone. Even so, these souls are able to greet the returning soul in a quiet fashion within the group setting.

The sense of a barrier between various groups, as experienced by Case 15, has different versions among my subjects, depending upon the age of the soul. I will

have another perspective about mobility in the next case. The average soul with a great deal of basic work to do describes the separation of their group from others as

similar to being in different classrooms in the Same schoolhouse. I have also had clients who felt they were entirely separated in their own schoolhouse. The analogy

of spiritual schools directed by teacher-guides is used so often by people under hypnosis that it has become a habit for me to use the same terminology.

As I mentioned earlier, after souls arrive back into their soul groups, they are summoned  to  appear  before  a  Council  of  Elders.  While  the  Council  is  not

prosecutorial, they do engage in direct examination of a soul’s activities before returning them to their groups. It is not unusual for my subjects to have some

difficulty providing me with full details of what transpires at these hearings, and I am sure these blocks are intentional.

Here is a report from one case. “After I meet with my friends, my guide Veronica (subject’s younger teacher) takes me to another place to meet with my panel of

Elders. She is at my side as an interpreter for what I don’t understand and to provide support for explanations of my conduct in the last life. At times, she speaks

on my behalf as a kind of defense advocate but Quazel (subject’s senior guide who arrived before Veronica) carries the most weight with the panel. There are always

the same six Elders in front of me who wear long white robes. Their faces are kindly, and they evaluate my perceptions of the life I have just lived and how I could

have done better with my talents and what I did that was beneficial. I am freely allowed to express my frustrations and desires. All the Elders are familiar to me,

especially two of them who address me more than the others and who look younger than the rest. I think I can distinguish appearances which are male or female. Each

has a special aspect in the way they question me but they are honest and truthful, and I am always treated fairly. I can hide nothing from them, but sometimes I get

lost when their thoughts are transmitted back and forth in the rapid communication between them. When it is more than I can handle, Veronica translates what they are

saying about me, although I have the feeling she does not tell me everything. Before I return to Earth, they will want to see me a second time.”

Souls consider themselves having finally arrived home when they rejoin familiar classmates in group settings. Their attendance here with certain other souls does

resemble an educational placement system in form and function. The criteria for group admission is based upon knowledge and a given developmental level. As in

any classroom situation, some students connect well with teachers and others less so. The next chapter will examine the sorting-out process for soul groups and how souls

view themselves in their respective spiritual locations. 7

Placement

MY impression of the people who believe we do have a soul is that they imagine all

souls are probably mixed into one great congregation of space. Many of my subjects believe this too, before their sessions begin. After awakening, it is no wonder they

express surprise with the knowledge that everyone has a designated place in the spirit world. When I began to study life in the spirit world with people under hypnosis, I was unprepared to hear about the existence of organized soul support groups. I had pictured spirits just floating around aimlessly by themselves after leaving Earth.

Group placement is determined by soul level. After physical death, a soul’s journey

back home ends with debarkation into the space reserved for their own colony, as long as they are not a very young soul or isolated for other reasons as mentioned in Chapter Four. The souls represented in these cluster groups are intimate old friends who have about the same awareness level.

When people in trance speak of being part of a soul cluster group, they are talking about a small primary unit of entities who have direct and frequent contact, such as we would see in a human family. Peer members have a sensitivity to each other which is far beyond our conception on Earth.

Secondary groups of souls are arranged in the form of a community Support group which is much less intimate with one another. Larger secondary groups of entities are made up of giant sets of primary clusters as lily pads in one pond. Spiritual ponds appear to be endless. Within these ponds, I have never heard of a secondary group estimated at less than a thousand souls. The many primary group clusters which make up one secondary group seem to have sporadic relationships, or no contact at all between clusters. It is rare for me to find souls involved with each other in any meaningful way who are members of two different secondary groups, because the number of souls is so great it is not necessary.

The smaller sub-group primary clusters vary in number, containing anywhere from

three to twenty-five souls. I am told the average assemblage is around fifteen, which is  called  the  Inner Circle.  Any  working  contact  between  members  of  different cluster groups is governed by the lessons to be learned during an incarnation. This may be due to a past life connection, or the particular identity trait of the souls involved.  Soul  acquaintanceships  between  members  of  different  cluster  groups usually involve peripheral roles in life on Earth. An example would be a high school classmate who was once a close friend, but who you now see only at class reunions. Members of the same cluster group are closely united for all eternity. These tightly- knit clusters are often composed of like-minded souls with common objectives which they continually work out with each other. Usually they choose lives together as relatives and close friends during their incarnations on Earth.

It is much more common for me to find a subject’s brother or sister from former

lives in the same cluster group rather than souls who have been their parents. Parents can meet us at the gateway to the spirit world after a death on Earth, but we may not see much of their souls in the spirit world. This circumstance exists not for reasons of maturity, since a parent soul could be less developed than their human offspring. Rather, it is more a question of social learning between siblings who are contemporary in one time frame. Although parents are a child’s primary identification figures for both good and bad karmic effects, it is frequently our relations with spouses, brothers, sisters, and selected close friends over a whole lifetime that most influences personal growth. This takes nothing away from the importance of parents, aunts, uncles, and grandparents who serve us in different

ways from another generation.

Figures 1 and 2 (pages 89-90) represent a random spiritual setting of souls. In

Figure 1, a soul in primary Group 1, located within the larger secondary Group A, would work closely with all other souls in Group 1. However, some souls in primary Groups 9 and 10 (detailed in Figure 2) could also work together. The younger souls within secondary Groups A, B, and C would probably have little or no contact with each other in the spirit world or on Earth. Close association between souls depends on their assigned proximity to one another in cluster groups,  where there is a similarity 0f knowledge and affinity brought about by shared earthly experiences. The next case offers us an account of what it is like coming back to one’s cluster group after physical death.

Case 16

Dr. N: Once you leave the staging area and have arrived in the spiritual space where you belong, what do you do then?

S: I go to school with my friends.

Dr. N: You mean you are in some kind of spiritual classroom? S: Yes, where we study.

Dr. N: I want you to take me through this school from the time of your arrival so I can appreciate what is happening to you. Start by telling me what you see from the outside.

S: (with no hesitation) I see a perfectly square Greek temple with large sculptured columns-very beautiful. I recognize it because this is where I return after each cycle (life).

Dr. N: What is a classical Greek temple doing in the spirit world?

S: (shrugs) I don’t know why it appears to me that way, except it seems natural … since my lives in Greece.

Dr. N: All right, let’s continue. Does anyone come to meet you? S: (subject smiles broadly) My teacher Karla.

Dr. N: And how does she appear to you?

S: (confidently) I see her coming out of the entrance of the temple towards me… as a goddess … tall … wearing long flowing robes … one shoulder is bare … her hair is piled up and fastened with a gold clasp … she reaches out to me.

Dr. N: Look down at yourself. Are you dressed in the same garments?

S: We… all seem to be dressed the same … we shimmer with light… and we can change … Karla knows I like the way she looks.

Dr. N: Where are the others?

S: Karla has taken me inside my temple school. I see a large library. Small gatherings of people are speaking in quiet tones… at tables. It is … sedate … warm … a secure feeling which is so familiar to me.

Dr. N: Do all these people appear as adult men and women? S: Yes, but there are more women in my group.

Dr. N: Why?

S: Because that’s the valence they are most comfortable with right now.

Note: The word valence used by this subject to indicate gender preference is an odd choice, yet it does fit. Valences in chemistry are positive or negative properties which, when combined with other elements, give proportion. Souls in groups may be inclined toward male and female personages or mixed.

Dr. N: Okay, what do you do next?

S: Karla leads me to the nearest table and my friends immediately greet me. Oh, it’s so good to be back.

Dr. N: Why are these particular people here with you in this temple?

S: Because we are all in the same study group. I can’t tell you how happy I am to be with them once more. (subject becomes distracted with this scene and it takes me a minute to get her started again)

Dr. N: Tell me how many people are in this library with you? S: (pauses while mentally counting) About twenty.

Dr. N: Are all twenty very close friends of yours?

S: We are all close-I’ve known them for ages. But five are my dearest friends. Dr. N: Are every one of the twenty people at about the same level of learning?

S: Uh… almost. Some are a little further along than the rest.

Dr. N: Where would you place yourself in the group as far as knowledge? S: Around the middle.

Dr. N: As to learning lessons, where are you in relation to your five closest friends? S: Oh, we are about the same-we work together a lot.

Dr. N: What do you call them?

S: (chuckles) We have pet names for each other. Dr. N: Why do you have nicknames?

S: Hmm … to define our essence. We see each other as representing earth things. Dr. N: What is your pet name?

S: Thistle.

Dr. N: And this represents some personal attribute?

S:(pause)I… am known for sharp … reactions to new situations in my rotations (life cycles).

Dr. N: What is the entity you feel closest to called, and why?

S: (soft laughter) Spray. He goes flat out in his rotations … dispensing his energy so rapidly it splashes in all directions, just like the water he loves so much on Earth.

Dr. N: Your family group sounds very distinctive. Now would you explain to me what you and your friends actually do in this library setting?

S: I go to my table and we all look at the books. Dr. N: Books? What sort of books?

S: The life books.

Dr. N: Describe them as best you can for me.

S: They are picture books-thick white edges-two or three inches thick-quite large … Dr. N: Open one of the life books for me and explain what you and your friends at

the table see.

S: (pause, while the subject’s hands come together and move apart as though she were opening a book) There is no writing. Everything we see is in live pictures.

Dr. N: Action pictures-different than photographs?

S: Yes, they are multi-dimensional. They move… shift… from a center of … crystal … which changes with reflected light.

Dr. N: So, the pictures are not flat, the moving light waves have depth? S: That’s right, they are alive.

Dr. N: Tell me how you and your friends use the books?

S: Well, at first it’s always out of focus when the book is opened. Then we think of what we want, the crystal turns from dark to light and … gets into alignment. Then we can see … in miniature… our past lives and the alternatives.

Dr. N: How is time treated in these books?

S: By frames … pages … time is condensed by the life books.

Dr. N: I don’t want to dwell on your past right now, but take a look at the book and just tell me the first thing you see.

S: A lack of self-discipline in my last life because this is what is on my mind. I see myself dying young, in a lover’s quarrel-my ending was useless.

Dr. N: Do you see future lives in the life book?

S: We can look at future possibilities … in small bites only … in the form of lessons … mostly these options come later with the help of others. These books are intended to emphasize our past acts.

Dr. N: Would you give me your impression of the intent behind this library atmosphere with your cluster group?

S: Oh, we all help one another go over our mistakes during this cycle. Our teacher is in and out and so we do a lot of studying together and discuss the value of our choices.

Dr. N: Are there other rooms where people study in this building?

S: No, this is for our group. There are different buildings where various groups

study near us.

Note: The reader may refer to Figure 1 (page 89), circle B, as an example of what is meant here. In the graph, clusters 3-7 represent infrequent group interaction, although they are in close proximity to each other in the spirit world.

Dr. N: Are the groups of people who study in these buildings more or less advanced than those in your group?

S: Both.

Dr. N: Are you allowed to visit these other buildings where souls study? S: (long pause) There is one which we go to regularly.

Dr. N: Which one?

S: A place for the newer ones. We help them when their teacher is gone. It’s nice to be needed.

Dr. N: Help them how?

S: (laughs) With their homework.

Dr. N: But don’t the teacher-guides have that responsibility?

S: Well, you see the teachers are … so much further along (in development) … this group appreciates our assistance because we can relate to them easily.

Dr. N: Ah, so you do a little student teaching with this group? S: Yes, but we don’t do it anywhere else.

Dr. N: Why not? Why couldn’t more advanced groups come to your library to assist you once in a while?

S: They don’t because we are further along than the newer ones. And, we don’t infringe on them either. If I want to connect with someone, I do it outside the study center.

Dr. N: Can you wander about anywhere as long as you don’t bother other souls in their study areas?

S: (responds with some evasiveness) I like to stay around the vicinity of my temple, but I can reach out to anyone.

Dr. N: I get the impression that your soul energy is restricted to this spiritual space even though you can mentally reach out further.

S: I don’t feel restricted … we have plenty of room to go about … but I’m not attracted to everyone.

The statement  about non-restriction, cited by Case 16, seems contrary to those boundaries of spiritual space seen by the last case. When I initially bring subjects into the spirit world, their visions are spontaneous, particularly as to spiritual order and their place in a community of soul life. While the average subject may talk about having private spaces, as far as living and working, none sees the spirit world as confining. Once their superconscious recall gets rolling, most people are able to tell me about having freedom of movement and going to open spaces where souls of many learning levels gather in a recreational atmosphere.

In these communal areas, floating souls socially engage in many activities. Some are quite playful, as when I hear of older souls “teasing” the younger ones about what lies ahead for them. One subject put it this way, “We play tricks on each other like a bunch of kids. During hide-and-seek, some of the younger ones get lost and then we help them find themselves.” I am also told “guests” can appear in soul groups at times to entertain and tell stories, similar to the troubadours of the Middle Ages. Another subject mentioned that her group loved to see an odd-looking character known as “Humor” show up and make them all laugh with his antics.

Frequently, people in hypnosis find it hard to clearly explain the strange meanings behind their intermingling as souls. One diversion I hear rather often is of souls forming a circle to more fully unify and project their thought energy. Always, a connection with a higher power is reported here. Some people have told me, “Thought rhythms are so harmonized they bring forth a form of singing.” Gracefully subtle dancing can also take place when souls whirl around each other in a mixture of energy, blending and separating in exotic patterns of light and color. Physical things such as shrines, boats,  animals,  trees, or ocean beaches can be conjured up at the center of these dances as well. These images have special meaning to soul groups as planetary symbols which reinforce positive memories from former lives together. This sort of material replication apparently does not resent sadness by spirits who long to be in a physical state again, but are a joyful communion with historical events that helped shape their individual identities. For me, these mythic expressions by souls are ceremonial in nature and yet they go far beyond basic ritual.

Although  certain  places  in  the  spirit  world  are  described  as  having  the  same

function by subjects in superconscious, their images in each of these regions can vary. Thus, a study area described as a Greek temple in this case is represented as a modern school building by another person. Other statements may seem more contradictory. For instance, many subjects mentally traveling from one location to another in the spirit world will tell me the space around them is like a sphere, as we saw in the last chapter, but then they will add that the spirit world is not enclosed because it is “limitless.” I think what we have to keep in mind is that people tend to structure their frame of reference during a trance state with what their conscious

mind sees and has experienced on Earth. Quite a few people who come out of trance tell me there is so much about the spirit world they were unable to describe in earthly terms. Each person translates abstract spiritual conditions of their experience into symbols of interpretation which make sense to them. Sometimes a subject will even express disbelief at their own visions when I first take them into a spiritual place. This is because the critical area of their conscious mind has not stopped dropping message units. People in trance soon adapt to what their unconscious mind is recording.

When I began to gather information about souls in groups, I based my assessments of where  these  souls belonged on the  level of their knowledge.  Using only this criterion of identification, it was difficult for me to swiftly place a client. Case 16 came to me early in my studies of life in the spirit world. It was a significant one, because during the session I was to learn about the recognition of souls by color. Before this case, I listened to my subjects describing the colors they were seeing in the spirit world without appreciating the importance of this information in relation to souls themselves. My clients reported about shades of soul energy mass, but I didn’t piece these observations together. I was not asking the right questions.

I  was  familiar with  Kirlian  photography  and  the  studies  in  parapsychology  at

U.C.L.A., where research has indicated each living person projects their own colored aura. In human form, apparently we have an ionized energy field flowing out and around our physical bodies connected by a network of vital power points called chakras. Since spiritual energy has

been described to me as a moving, living force, the amount of electromagnetic energy required to hold a soul on our physical plane could be another factor in producing different earthly colors.

It has also been said that a human aura reflects thoughts and emotions combined

with the physical health of an individual. I wondered if these personal meridians projected by humans had a direct connection to what I was being told about the light emitted by souls in the spirit world.

With Case 16, I realized that radiated soul light visualized by spirits is not all white.

In the minds of my subjects, every soul generates a specific color aura. I credit this case with helping me decipher the meaning of these manifestations of energy.

Dr. N: All right, let’s float outside your temple of study. What do you see around you, or off in the distance?

S: People-large gatherings of people. Dr. N: How many would you say?

S: Hmm…. in the distance … I can’t count… hundreds and hundreds … there are so many.

Dr. N: And do you identify with all these souls-are you associated with them?

S: Not really-I can’t even see all of them-it’s sort of… fuzzy out there … but my gang

is near me.

Dr. N: If I could call your gang of about twenty souls your primary cluster group, are you associated with the larger secondary body of souls around you now?

S: We … are all … associated-but not directly. I don’t know those others …

Dr. N: Do you see the physical features of all these other souls in the same way as you did your own group in the temple?

S: No, that isn’t necessary. It is more … natural out here in the open. I see them all as spirits.

Dr. N: Look out in the distance from where you are now. How do you see all these spirits? What are they like?

S: Different lights-buzzing around as fireflies.

Dr. N: Can you tell if the souls who work with each other, such as teachers and students, stick together all the time?

S: People in my gang do, but the teachers kind of stick to themselves when they are not assisting in our lessons.

Dr. N: Do you see any teacher-guides from where we are now?

S: (pause) Some … yes … there are much fewer of them than us, of course. I can see Karla with two of her friends.

Dr. N: And you know they are guides, even without seeing any physical features? You can look out there at all the bright white lights and just mentally tell they are guides?

S: Sure, we can do that. But they are not all white. Dr. N: You mean souls are not all absolutely white?

S: That’s partially true-the intensity aspect of our energy can make us less brilliant. Dr. N: So Karla and her two friends display different shades of white?

S: No, they aren’t white at all. Dr. N: I don’t follow you.

S: She and her two friends are teachers.

Dr. N: What is the difference? Are you saying these guides radiate energy which is not white?

S: That’s right.

Dr. N: Well, what color are they? S: Yellow, of course.

Dr. N: Oh … so all guides radiate yellow energy? S: No, they don’t.

Dr. N: What?

S: Karla’s teacher is Valairs. He is blue. We see him sometimes here. Nice guy. Very smart.

Dr. N: Blue? How did we get to blue? S: Valairs shows a light blue.

Dr. N: I’m confused. You didn’t say anything about another teacher called Valairs being part of your group.

S: You didn’t ask me. Anyway, he is not in my group. Neither is Karla. They have their own groups.

Dr. N: And these guides have auras which are yellow and blue? S: Yes.

Dr. N: How many other energy colors do you see floating around here? S: None.

Dr. N: Why not red and green energy lights? S: Some are reddish, but no green lights.

Dr. N: Why not?

S: I don’t know, but sometimes when I look around, this place is lit up like a Christmas tree.

Dr. N: I’m curious about Valairs. Does every spiritual group have two teachers assigned to their cluster?

S: Hmm … it varies. Karla trains under Valairs, so we have two. We see little of him. He works with other groups besides us.

Dr. N: So, Karla herself is student teaching as a less advanced guide? S: (somewhat indignantly) She is advanced enough for me!

Dr. N: Okay, but will you help me straighten out these color schemes? Why is Karla’s energy radiating yellow and Valairs blue?

S: That’s easy. Valairs … precedes all of us in knowledge and he gives off a darker intensity of light.

Dr. N: Does the shade of blue, compared to yellow or plain white, make a difference between souls?

S: I’m trying to tell you. Blue is deeper than yellow and yellow is more intense than white, depending on how far along you are.

Dr. N: Oh, then the luminosity of Valairs radiates less brightly than Karla and she is less brilliant than your energy because you are further down in development?

S: (laughs) Much further down. They both have a heavier, more steady light than me.

Dr. N: And how does Karla’s yellow color vary from your whiteness in terms of where you are going with your own advancement?

S: (with pride) I’m turning into a reddish-white. Eventually, I’ll have light gold. Recently I’ve noticed Karla turning a little darker yellow. I expected it. She is so knowledgeable and good.

Dr. N: Really, and then will she eventually take her energy level to dark blue in intensity?

S: No, to a light blue at first. It’s always gradual, as our energy becomes more dense. Dr.  N:  So,  these  three  basic  lights  of  white,  yellow,  and  blue  represent  the

development stages of souls and are visibly obvious to all spirits?

S: That’s right, and the changes are very slow.

Dr. N: Look around again. Do you see all the energy colors equally represented by

souls in this area?

S: Oh no! Mostly white, some yellows, and few blues. Dr. N: Thank you for clarifying this for me.

I routinely question everyone about their color hues while they are in trance. Aside from the general whiteness of the spirit world itself, my subjects report seeing a majority of other souls displaying shades of white. Apparently, a neutral white or gray is the starting point of development. Spirit auras then mix the primary colors of red, yellow, and blue from a base of white. A few people see greenish hues mixed with yellow or blue.

To equate what I have heard about soul energy with the physical laws which govern the color spectrum we see in the heavens is just supposition. However, I have found some similarities. The energy of radiated light from cooler stars in the sky is a red- orange, while the hotter stars increase from yellow to blue-white. Temperature acts on  light  waves  that  are  also  visible  vibrations  of  the  spectrum  with  different frequencies. The human eye registers these waves as a band of light to dark colors. The energy colors of souls probably have little to do with such elements as hydrogen and  helium,  but  perhaps  there  is  an  association  with  a  high  energy  field  of electromagnetism. I suspect all soul light is influenced by vibrational motion in tune with a harmonious spiritual oneness of wisdom. Some aspects of quantum physics suggest the universe is made up of vibrational waves which influence masses of physical objects by an interaction of different frequencies. Light, motion, sound, and time are all interrelated in physical space. I was hearing these same relationships applied to spiritual matter from my cases.

Eventually, I concluded both our spiritual and physical consciousness project and receive light energy. I believe individual vibrational wave patterns represent each soul’s aura. As souls, the density, color, and form of light we radiate is proportional to the power of our knowledge and perception as represented by increasing concentrations of light matter as we develop. Individual patterns of energy not only display who we are, but indicate the degree of ability to heal others and regenerate ourselves.

People in hypnosis speak of colors to describe how souls appear, especially from a

distance, when they are shapeless. From my cases, I have learned the more advanced souls project masses of faster moving energy particles which are reported to be blue in color, with the highest concentrations being purple. In the visible spectrum on Earth, blue-violet has the shortest wavelength, with energy peaking in the invisible ultraviolet. If color density is a reflection of wisdom, then the lower wavelengths of white through yellow emanating from souls must represent lower concentrations of vibrational energy.

Figure 3 (page 103) is a chart I have designed for the classification of souls by color

coding, as reported by my subjects. The first column lists the soul’s spiritual state, or grade-level of learning. The last column shows our guide status and denotes our ability and readiness to serve in that capacity for others, which will be explained further in the next chapter. Learning begins with our creation as a soul and then

accelerates with the first physical life assignment. With each incarnation, we grow in understanding, although we may slip back in certain lives before regaining our footing and advancing again. Nevertheless, from what I can determine, once a spiritual level is attained by the soul, it stays there.

In Figure 3, I show six levels of incarnating souls. Although I generally place my subjects into the broad categories of beginner, intermediate, and advanced souls, there are subtle differences in between, at Levels II and IV. For example, to determine whether a soul is starting to move out of the beginner stage at Level I into Level II, I must not only know how much white energy remains, but analyze the subject’s responses to questions which demonstrate learning. A genealogy of past life successes, future expectations, group associations, and conversations between my subjects and their guides, all form a profile of growth.

Some of my subjects object to my characterizing the spirit world as a place governed by societal structure and organizational management symbolized by Figure 3. On the other hand, I continually listen to these same subjects describe a planned and ordered process of self-development influenced by peers and teachers. If the spirit world does resemble one great schoolhouse with a multitude of classrooms under the direction of teacher souls who monitor our progress-then it has structure. Figure 3 represents a basic working placement model for my own use. I know it has imperfections. I hope follow-up research by regression therapists in future years may build upon my conceptualizations with their own replications to measure soul maturity.

This chapter may give the reader the impression that souls are as segregated by light level in the spirit world as people are by class in communities on Earth. Societal conditions on Earth cannot be compared with the spirit world. The differences in light frequency measuring knowledge in souls all comes from the same energy source. Souls are fully integrated by thought. If all levels of performance in the spirit world were on one grade level, souls would have a poor system of training. The old one-room schoolhouse concept of education on Earth limited students of different ages. In spiritual peer groups, souls work at their own developmental level with others like them. Mature teacher-guides prepare succeeding generations of souls to take their places.

And so there are practical reasons why conditions exist in the spirit world for a system designed to measure learning and development. The system fosters enlightenment and ultimately the perfection of souls. It is important to understand that while we may suffer the consequences of bad choices in our educational tasks, we are always protected, supported, and directed within the system by master souls. I see this as the spiritual management of souls.

The whole idea of a hierarchy of souls has been part of both Eastern and Western cultures for many centuries. Plato spoke of the transformation of souls from childhood to adulthood passing through many stages of moral reason. The Greeks felt humankind moves from amoral, immature, and violent beings over many lives to people who are finally socialized with pity, patience, forgiveness, honesty, and love. In the second century AD, the new Christian theology was greatly influence by Polotinus, whose Neoplatonist cosmology involved souls having a hierarchy of degrees of being. The highest being was a transcendent One, or God-creator, out of

which the soul-self was born which would occupy humans. Eventually, these lower- souls would return to complete reunion with the universal over-soul.

My classification of soul development is intended to be neither socially nor intellectually elitist. Souls in a high state of advancement are often found in humble

circumstances on Earth. By the same token, people in the strata of influence in human society are by no means in a blissful

state of soul maturity. Often, just the reverse is true.

In terms of placement by soul development, I cannot overemphasize the importance

of our spiritual groups. Chapter Nine, on beginner souls (Levels I and II), will more closely examine how a soul group functions. Before going further, however, I want to summarize what I have learned about the principles of soul group assignments.

  • Regardless of the relative time of creation after their novice status is completed, all beginner souls are assigned to a new group of souls at their level of understanding.
  • Once a new soul support group is formed, no new members are added in the future.
  • There appears to be a systematic selection procedure for homogeneous groupings of souls.  Similarities of ego,  cognitive awareness,  expression, and desire are all considerations.
  • Irrespective of size, cluster groups do not directly intermix with each other’s energy, but souls can communicate with one another across primary and secondary group boundaries.
  • Primary clusters in Levels I and II may split into smaller subgroups for study, but are not separated from the integrated whole

within a single cluster of souls.

  • Rates of learning vary among peer group members. Certain souls will advance faster than others in a cluster group, although these students may not be equally competent and effective in all areas of their curricula. Around the intermediate level of learning, souls demonstrating special talents (healing, teaching, creating, etc.) are permitted to participate in specialty groups for more advanced work while still remaining with their cluster group.
  • At the point where a soul’s needs, motives and performance abilities are judged to be fully at Level III in all areas of self-development, they are then loosely formed into an “independent studies” work group. Usually, their old guides continue to monitor them through one master teacher. Thus, a new pod of entities graduating into full Level III could be brought together from many clusters within one or more secondary groups.
  • When they approach Level IV, souls are given more independence outside group

activities. Although group size diminishes as souls advance, the intimate contact between original peer group members is never lost.

  • Spirit guides have a wide variety of teaching methods and instructional personifications depending upon group composition.

8

Our Guides

I HAVE never worked with a subject in trance who did not have a personal guide. Some guides are more in evidence than others during hypnosis sessions. It is my custom to ask subjects if they see feel a discarnate presence in the room. If they do, this third party is usually a protective guide. Often, a client will sense the presence of a discarnate figure before visualizing a face or hearing a voice. People who meditate a great deal are naturally more familiar with these visions than someone who never called upon his or her guide.

The recognition of these spiritual teachers brings people into the company of a

warm, loving creative power. Through our guides, we become more acutely aware of the continuity of life and our identity as a soul. Guides are figures of grace in our existence because they are part of the fulfillment of our destiny.

Guides are complex entities, especially when they are master guides. The awareness

level of the soul determines to some extent the degree of advancement of the guide assigned to them. In fact, the maturity of a particular guide also has a bearing on whether these teachers have only one student or many under their direction. Guides at the senior level of ability and above usually work with an entire group of souls in the spirit world and on earth. These guides have other entities who assist them. From what I can see, every soul group usually has one or more rather new teachers in training. As a result, some people may have more than one guide helping them. The  personal  names  my  clients  attach  to  their  guides  range  from  ordinary, whimsical, or quaint-sounding words, to the bizarre. Frequently, these names can be traced back to a specific past life a teacher spent with a student. Some clients are unable to verbalize their guide’s name because the sound cannot be duplicated, even when they see them clearly while under hypnosis. I tell these people it is much more important that they under stand the purpose of why certain guides are assigned to them,  rather than possessing their names.  A  subject may simply use a general designation  for  their  guide  such  as:  director,  advisor,  instructor,  or  just  “my friend.”

One has to be careful how the word friend is interpreted. Usually, when a person in trance talks about a spiritual friend, they are referring to a soul-mate or peer group associate rather than a guide. Entities who are our friends exist on levels not much higher or lower than ourselves. These friends are able to offer mental encouragement from the spirit world while we are on Earth, and they can be with us as incarnated human companions while we walk the roads of life.

One of the most important aspects of my therapeutic work with clients is assisting them, on a conscious level, with appreciating the role their guides play in life. These teacher entities edify all of us with their skillful instruction techniques. Ideas we claim as our own may be generated by a concerned guide. Guides also comfort us

during the trying periods in our lives, especially when we are children in need of solace. I remember a charming remark made by a subject after I asked when she began seeing her guide in this life. “Oh, when I was daydreaming,” she said. “I remember my guide was with me on my first day of school when I was really scared. She sat on top of my desk to keep me company and then showed me the way to the bathroom when I was too afraid to ask the teacher.”

The concept of  personalized spiritual beings goes far back in antiquity to our earliest origins as thinking human beings. Anthropological studies at the sites of prehistoric people suggest their totemic symbols evoked individual protection. Later, some 5,000 years ago as city-states arose, official deities became identified with state religions. These gods were more remote and even generated fear. Thus, personal and family deities assumed great importance in the day-to-day life of people for protection. A personal soul deity served as a guardian angel to each person or family, and could be called upon for divine help during a crisis. This tradition has been carried down into our cultures of today.

We have two examples at opposite ends of the United States. Aumakua is a personal

god to Hawaiians. The Polynesians believe one’s ancestors can assume a personal god relationship (as humans, animals, or fish) to living family members. In visions and dreams, Aumakua can either assist or reprimand an individual. In northeastern America, the Iroquois believe a human’s own inner spiritual power is called Orenda, which is connected to a higher personal Orenda spirit. This guardian is able to resist the powers of harm and evil directed at an individual. The concept of soul watchers who function as guides is part of the belief system of many Native American cultures. The Zuni tribes of the Southwest have oral traditions in their mythology of god-like beings with personal existences. They are called “the makers and holders of life paths” and are considered the caretakers of souls. There are other cultures around the world which also believe someone other than God is watching over them to personally intercede on their behalf. I think human beings have always needed anthropomorphic figures below a supreme God to portray the spiritual forces around them. When people pray or meditate, they want to reach out to an entity with whom they are acquainted for inspiration. It is easier to ask for aid from a figure which can be clearly identified in the human mind. There is a lack of imagery with a supreme God which hinders a direct connection for many people. Regardless of our diverse religious preferences and degrees of faith, people also feel if there is a supreme God, this divinity is too busy to bother about their individual problems. People often express an unworthiness for a direct association with God. As a result, the world’s major religions have used prophets who once lived on Earth to serve as our intermediaries with God.

Possibly because some of these prophets have been elevated to divine status themselves, they are not personal enough anymore. I say this without diminishing the vital spiritual influence all the great prophets have had on their followers. Millions of people derive benefit from the teachings of these powerful souls who incarnated on Earth as prophets in our historical past. And yet, people know in their hearts-as they have always known-that someone, some personal entity individual to them-is there, waiting to be reached.

I have the theory that guides appear to people who are very religious as figures of

their faith. There was a case on a national television show where the child of a devout Christian family suffered a near-death experience and said she saw Jesus. When asked to draw with crayons what she saw, the little girl drew a featureless blue man standing within a halo of light.

My subjects have shown me how much they depend upon and make use of their spiritual guides during life. I have come to believe we are their direct responsibility- not God’s. These learned teachers remain with us over thousands of earth years to assist in our trials before, during, and after countless lives. I notice that, unlike people walking around in a conscious state, subjects in trance do not blame God for their misfortunes in life. More often than not, when we are in the soul state, it is our personal guide who takes the brunt of any dissatisfaction.

I am often asked if teacher-guides are matched to us or just picked at random. This

is a difficult question to answer. Guides do appear to be assigned to us in the spirit world in an orderly fashion. I have come to believe their individual teaching styles and management techniques support and beautifully integrate with our permanent soul identity.

For instance, I have heard about younger guides, whose past lives included overcoming particularly difficult negative traits, being assigned to souls with the same behavior patterns. It seems these empathetic guides are graded on how well they do in their assignments to affect positive change.

All guides have compassion for their students, but teaching approaches vary. I find some guides constantly helping their students on Earth, while others demand their charges work out lessons with little overt encouragement. The maturity of the soul is, of course, a factor. Certainly graduate students get less help than freshmen. Aside from the developmental level, I look at the intensity of individual desire as another consideration in the frequency of appearance and form of assistance one receives from his or her guide during a life.

As  to  gender  assignments,  I  find  no  consistent  correlation  of  male  and  female

subjects to masculine or feminine appearing guides. On the whole, people accept the gender portrayed by their guide as quite natural. It could be argued that this is because they have become used to them over eons of relative time as males or females rather than the assumption that one sex IS more effective than another between specific students  and teachers. Some guides appear as mixed genders, which lends support to souls being truly androgynous. One client told me, “My guide is sometimes Alexis or Alex, dropping in and out of both sexes, depending on my need for male or female advice.”

From what I can determine, the procedure for teacher selection is carefully managed in the spirit world. Every human being has at least one senior, or a higher master guide, assigned to their soul since the soul was first created. Many of us inherit a newer, secondary guide later in our existence, such as Karla, in the previous chapter. For want of a better term, I have called these student teachers junior guides.

Aspiring junior guides can anticipate the beginning of their training near the end of Level III, as they progress  into the upper intermediate stages  of development. Actually, we begin our training as subordinate guides long before attaining Level

IV. In the lower stages of development we help others in life as friends and between

lives assist our peer group associates with counseling. Junior and senior teaching assignments appear to reflect the will of master guides, who form a kind of governing body, similar to a trusteeship, over the younger guides of the spirit world. We will see examples of how the process of guide development works in Chapters Ten and Eleven, which cover cases of more advanced souls.

Do all guides have the same teaching abilities, and does this affect the size of the

group to which we are assigned in the spirit world? The following passage is from the case file of an experienced soul who discussed this question with me.

Case 17

Dr. N: I’m curious about teacher assignments in the spirit world in relation to their abilities to help undeveloped souls. When souls progress as guides, are they given quite a few souls to work with?

S: Only the more practiced ones.

Dr. N; I would imagine large groups of souls needing guides could become quite a responsibility for one advanced guide-even with an assistant.

S: They can handle it. Size doesn’t matter. Dr. N: Why not?

S: Once you attain competency and success as a teacher, the number of souls you are given doesn’t matter. Some sections (clusters) have lots of souls and others don’t.

Dr. N: So, if you are a senior in the blue light aura, class size has no relation to assignments, because you have the ability to handle large numbers of souls?

S: I didn’t exactly say that. Much depends upon the types of souls in a section and the experience of the leaders. In the larger sections they have help too, you know.

Dr. N: Who does?

S: The guides you are calling seniors. Dr. N: Well, who helps them?

S: The overseers. Now, they are the real pros.

Dr. N: I have heard them also called master teachers. S: That’s not a bad description for them.

Dr. N: What energy color do they project to you?

S: It’s … purplish.

Note: As signified in Figure 3 in the last chapter, the lower ranges of a Level V radiate a sky-blue energy. With advancing maturity this aura grows more dense, first to a muted midnight blue and finally to deep purple, representing the total integration of a Level VI ascended master.

Dr. N: Since guides seem to have different approaches to teaching, what do they all have in common?

S: They wouldn’t be teachers if they didn’t have a love of training and a desire to help us join them.

Dr. N: Then define for me why souls are selected as guides. Take a typical guide and tell me what qualities that advanced soul possesses.

S: They must be compassionate without being too easy on you. They aren’t judgmental. You don’t have to do things their way. They don’t restrain by imposing their values on you.

Dr. N: Okay, those are things guides don’t do. If they don’t over-direct souls, what are the important things they do, as you see it?

S: Uh … they build morale in their sections and instill confidence-we all know they have been through a lot themselves. We are accepted for who we are as individuals with the right to make our own mistakes.

Dr. N: I must say, I have found souls very loyal to their guides. S: That’s why-because they never give up on you.

Dr. N: What would you say is the most important attribute of any guide? S: (without hesitation) The ability to motivate you and instill courage.

My next case provides an example of the actions of a still-incarnating guide. This guide is called Owa, and he represents the qualities of a devoted teacher reported by the last case. Evidently, his early assignments as a guide involved looking after the subject in Case 18 in a direct fashion, and his methods apparently have not changed. My client was stunned once she recognized her guide’s latest incarnation.

Owa made his first appearance as a guide in my client’s past about 50 BC. He was described as an old man living in a Judean village which had been overrun by Roman soldiers. Case 18 was then a young girl, orphaned by a Roman raid against local dissidents. In the opening scene Of this past life, she spoke about working in a tavern as a virtual slave. As a serving girl, she was constantly beaten by the owner and  occasionally  raped  by  Roman  customers.  She  died  at  age  twenty-six  of

overwork, mistreatment, and despair. This subject made the following statement from her subconscious mind about an old man in her village: “I worked day and night and felt numb with pain and humiliation. He was the only person who was kind to me-who taught me to trust in myself-to have faith in something higher and finer than the cruel people around me.”

Later in the superconscious state, this client detailed parts of other difficult lives

where Owa appeared as a trusted friend, and once as a brother. In this state she saw these people were all the same entity and was able to name this soul as Owa, her guide. There were many lives when Owa did not appear, and sometimes his physical contact was only fleeting when he came to help her. Abruptly, I asked if Owa might possibly be in her life now? After a moment of hesitation, my subject began to shake uncontrollably. Tears came to her eyes and she cried out from the vision in her mind.

Case 18

S: Oh, Lord-I knew it! I knew there was something different about him. Dr. N: About who?

S: My son! Owa is my son Brandon. Dr. N: Your son is actually Owa?

S: Yes, yes! (laughing and crying at the same time) I knew it! I felt it right from the day I delivered him-something wonderfully familiar and special to me-more than just a helpless baby… oh

Dr. N: What did you know the day he was born?

S: I didn’t really know-I felt it inside-something more than the excitement a mother feels at the time of her firstborn. I felt he came here-to help me-don’t you see? Oh, it’s so fantastic-it’s true-it’s him!

Dr. N: (I work on calming my client before continuing, because her excited wiggling around is about to carry her over the side of the office recliner) Why do you think Owa is here as your baby son Brandon?

S: (quieter now, but still crying softly) To get me through this bad time … with hard people who won’t accept me. He must have known I was in for a long period of trouble and decided to come to me as my son. We didn’t talk about doing this before I was born… what a wonderful surprise…

Note: At the time of this session, my client was struggling to gain recognition in a highly competitive business. She was also having marital difficulties at home, partly due to being the major wage earner. I have since learned she is divorced.

Dr. N: Did you sense something unusual about your baby after you took him home?

S: Yes, it started at the hospital and this feeling never left me. When I look into his eyes he… soothes me. Sometimes I come home so worn out-so tired and beat down-I am short-tempered with him when the baby-sitter leaves. But he is so patient with me. I don’t even need to hold him. The way he looks at me is … so wise. I didn’t fully understand what this meant until now. Now, I know! Oh, what a blessing. I wasn’t sure if I should even have the baby-now I see it all.

Dr. N: What do you see?

S: (in a firm voice) As I try to advance in my profession, people are getting … harder

… not accepting what I know and can do. My husband and I are having trouble. He

puts me down for pushing too hard … wanting to achieve. Owa-Brandon-is here to keep me strong so I can overcome

Dr. N: And do you think it is all right we discovered your guide is with you as Brandon in this life?

S: Yes, if Owa didn’t want me to know that he decided to come into life, I wouldn’t have come to see you-it wouldn’t have been on my mind.

This exceptional case represents the emotional intoxication a subject feels when an in-life contact is made with their guide. Notice the role Owa chose did not infringe upon the most typical role usually taken by a soulmate. He did not come through as her spouse, and never has, in any of her past lives. Certainly, soulmates take other roles besides spouses, but an incarnating guide does not normally take a role which might transgress between two soulmates working on their lives together. This client’s soulmate happens to be an old flame from high school.

Based upon all the information I was able to gather, Owa seems to have moved into the level of a junior guide in the last two-thousand years. He may possibly graduate into the blue level of a senior guide before this client is qualified herself to rise from white to a yellow energy aura. Regardless of the number of centuries this takes, Owa will remain as her guide, even though he may never incarnate again with her in a life.

Do we ever catch up to our guides in development? Eventually, perhaps, but I can

say I have not seen any evidence of this in my cases. Souls who develop relatively fast are gifted, but so are the guides who assist them.

It is not uncommon to find guides working in pairs with people on Earth, each with their own approaches to teaching. In these cases one is dominant, although the more

experienced senior guide may actually be less evident in day-to-day activities of their charges. The reason for this spiritual arrangement in tandem is because one of the

pair is either in training (such as a junior guide under a senior), or the association is so  long-standing between the two guides (as  with  a senior to a  master)  that  a

permanent relationship has evolved. The senior guide may have acquired his or her own cluster of souls, which is still monitored by a master overseeing a number of soul groups.

Teams of guides do not interfere with each other in or out of the spirit world. I have

a close friend whose  guides illustrate how  two teachers working  together complement each other. Using this individual’s case is appropriate, because I have observed the way this person’s two guides interact in various life circumstances. My friend’s junior guide appears in the form of a kindly, nurturing Native American medicine woman called Quan. Dressed simply in a deerskin sheath, her long hair pulled back, Quan’s soft face is bathed in vivid light during her appearances. When she is called,

Quan provides a vehicle for insight and understanding events and the individuals

associated with those events, which are troubling to my friend.

Quan’s desire to lighten the load of the rather difficult life my friend has chosen is

tempered by a challenging male figure called Giles. Giles is clearly a senior guide who may be close to being a master in the spirit world. In this capacity, he does not appear nearly as often as Quan. When Giles does come into my friend’s higher consciousness, he does so abruptly. Here is a sample of how a senior guide operates differently from one of junior status.

Case 19

Dr. N: When you are in deep reflection over a serious problem, how does Giles come to you?

S: (laughs) Not the same as Quan-I can tell you. Usually, he likes to … hide a little… at first… behind a shadow of … blue vapor. I hear him chuckling before I see him.

Dr. N: You mean he appears first as a blue energy form?

S: Yes … to hide himself a bit-he likes to be secretive, but it doesn’t last long. Dr. N: Why?

S: I don’t know-to make sure I really want him, I guess.

Dr. N: Well, when he shows himself, what does Giles look like to you? S: An Irish Leprechaun.

Dr. N: Oh, then he is a small man?

S: (laughs again) An elf figure-tangled hair all over his wrinkled face-he looks a mess and moves constantly in all directions.

Dr. N: Why does he do that?

S: Giles is a slippery character-impatient, too-he frowns a lot while he paces back and forth in front of me with his arms clasped in back of him.

Dr. N: And how would you interpret this behavior?

S: Giles is not dignified like some (guides) … but he is very clever … crafty. Dr. N: Could you be more specific as to how this conduct relates to you?

S: (strained) Giles has made me look upon my lives as a chess game with the Earth as the board. Certain moves bring certain results and there are no easy solutions. I plan, and then things go wrong during the game in my life. I sometimes think he lays traps for me to work through on the board.

Dr. N: Do you prosper with this technique of your advanced guide? Has Giles been a help to your problem-solving during the game of life?

S: (pause) … More afterward … here (in the spirit world) … but, he makes me work so damn hard on Earth.

Dr. N: Could you get rid of him and just work with Quan?

S: (smiles ruefully) It doesn’t work that way here. Besides, he is brilliant. Dr. N: So, we don’t get to choose our guides?

S: No way. They choose you.

Dr. N: Do you have any idea why you have two guides who approach your problems so differently in the way they help you?

S: No, I don’t, but I consider myself very fortunate. Quan… is gentle… and steady with her support.

Note: The embodiments of Native Americans who once lived in North America make powerful spiritual guides for those of us who have followed them to live in this land. The large number of Americans who report having such guides lends support to my belief that  souls are attracted to geographical settings they have known during earlier incarnations.

Dr. N: What do you like most about Giles’ teaching methods?

S: (pensively) Oh, the way he-well, trifles with me-almost mocking me to do better during the game and stop feeling sorry for myself. When things get especially rough he prods me and keeps me going … insisting I use all my abilities. There is nothing

soft about Giles.

Dr. N: And you feel this coaching on Earth, even when you and I are not working together?

S: Yes, when I meditate and go inside myself… or during my dreams. Dr. N: And Giles comes when you want him?

S: (after some hesitation) No … although it seems as though I have been with him forever. Quan does come to me more. I can’t just

grab hold of Giles in any situation I want, unless what I have going on is really

serious. He is elusive.

Dr. N: Sum up your feelings about Quan and Giles for me.

S: I love Quan as a mother, but I wouldn’t be where I am without Giles’ discipline.

They are both skillful because they allow me to

benefit from my mistakes.

These two guides are a cooperating team of instructors, which is standard procedure for those people who have two guides. In this case, Giles enjoys teaching karmic lessons by the Socratic method. Providing no clues in advance, he makes sure problem-solving on major issues is never easy for my friend. Quan, on the other hand, provides comfort and gentle encouragement.

When my friend comes to me for a hypnosis session, I am aware that Quan remains

in the background when Giles is on-board and active. Giles is a caring guide, as all guides are, but without a trace of indulgence. Adversity is allowed to build to the absolute limits of my friend’s ability to cope before solutions suddenly begin to unfold. To be honest, I see Giles as a wicked taskmaster. This view is not really shared by my friend, who is grateful for the challenges offered by this complex teacher.

What is the average spiritual guide like? In my experience, no two guides are the same. These dedicated higher entities give me the impression of having attitudinal swings toward me from one session to the next, and even within the same session with a client. They can be cooperative or obstructive, tolerant or disobliging, evasive or revealing, or just flat out unconcerned with anything I do with a subject. I have great respect for guides because these powerful figures play such an important part in our destiny, but I must admit  they can frustrate my inquiries. I find them enigmatic because they are unpredictable in their relations with me as a facilitator.

Early in this century, it was common for mediums working with people in hypnosis to call any discarnate entity in the room a ”control,” because they acted as the director of communications on the spiritual side for the subject. It was recognized that a spiritual control (whether a guide or not) had energy patterns which were in emotional, intellectual, and spiritual attunement with the subject. The importance of

a harmonious energy pattern between facilitator and these entities was also known. If a control is blocking my investigations with a client, I search for the reason why this  is  happening.  With  some  blocking  guides  I  must  fight  for  every  scrap  of information, while others give me a great deal of latitude in a session. I never forget that guides have every right to block my approach to problems with souls under their care. After all, I have their people as my subjects for only a short while. Frankly, I would much rather have no contact with a client’s guide than work with one who might assist me at one point and then block the rhythm of memory in the next portion of a session.

I believe a guide’s motivation for blocking information goes far beyond resisting the

immediate psychological direction a therapy session is taking. I am constantly searching for new data on the spirit world. A guide who lends support to a free flow of past life memories from one of my subjects may balk at my far-reaching questions about life on other planets, the structure of the spirit world, or creation itself. This is why I am only able to collect these spiritual secrets in fragments from a large body of client information reflecting the discretion of many guides. I also feel that I am receiving assistance from my own spiritual guide during communications with subjects and their guides.

Occasionally, a subject will express dissatisfaction with his or her particular guide. This is usually temporary. At any time, people are capable of believing their guides are too difficult and not working in their best interests, or just not paying enough attention to them. A subject once told me that he had tried for a long time to be assigned another guide. He said, “My guide is stonewalling me, she doesn’t give enough of herself.” The man told me his desire for a change in guides was not honored. I observed that he spent considerable time alone, without much group interaction after his last two lives, because he refused to deal with his issues. He projected anger toward his guide for not rescuing him from bad situations.

Our teachers really don’t get perturbed with us to the point of alienation, but I

notice they have a way of making themselves scarce when disgruntled students avoid real problem-solving. Guides only want the best for us and sometimes this means they must watch us endure much pain to reach certain objectives. Guides cannot assist in our progress until we are ready to make the necessary changes in order to take full advantage of life’s Opportunities.

Do we have reason to be fearful of our guides? In Chapter Five, with Case 13, we

saw an obviously younger soul who expressed some trepidation right after death about meeting the guide Clodees for debriefing. Typically, this concern does not last. We may feel chagrined over having to explain to our guides why goals were not attained, but they understand. They want us to interpret our past lives so we will have the benefit of assisting in the analysis of mistakes.

My clients express all sorts of sentiments about their guides, but fear is not among

them. On the contrary, people are more worried about being abandoned by spiritual advisors during difficult periods in their lives. Our relationship with guides is one of students and teachers rather than defendants and judges. Our personal guides help us cope with the separateness and isolation which every soul inherits at physical birth, regardless of the degree of love extended by our family. Guides give us an affirmation of Self in a crowded world.

People want to know if their guides always come whenever they call for help. Guides are not consistent in the manner in which they choose to assist us, because they carefully evaluate how badly they are needed. I am also asked if hypnosis is the best way to get in contact with one’s guide. Naturally, I lean toward hypnosis, because I know how potent and effective this medium  can be to obtain detailed spiritual information. However, hypnosis by a trained facilitator is not convenient on a daily basis, where meditation, prayer, and perhaps channeling with another person would be. Self-hypnosis, as a form of deep meditation, is an excellent alternative and may be preferred by those who have a fear of being hypnotized by others, or don’t want the interference of a second party in their spiritual life.

Regardless of the method used, we all have the capacity to send out far-reaching thought waves from our higher consciousness. Every person’s thoughts represent a mental fingerprint to guides marking who and where we are. During our lives, especially in periods of great stress, most people feel the presence of someone watching out for them. We may not be able to describe this power, but it is there nonetheless.

Reaching our soul is the first step on the ladder of finding our higher power. All lines of mental communication we use to reach a God-head are monitored by our guides on this step. They, too, have their guides further up the ladder. The entire ladder serves as one unbroken conduit to the source of all intelligent energy, with each rung being part of the whole. It is essential for people to have faith that a prayer for help will be answered by

their own higher power. This is why guides are vitally important to our spiritual and temporal lives. If we are relaxed and in a state of concentrated focus, an inner voice speaks to us. And, even if we didn’t initiate the message, we should trust what we hear.

National surveys by psychologists indicate one person in ten admits to hearing voices which are frequently positive and instructional in nature. It is a relief for many people to learn their inner voices are not the hallucinations associated with the mentally ill. Rather than something to be worried about, an inner voice is like having your own resident counselor on call. More often than not, these voices are those of our guides.

Guides assigned to different souls do work together relaying urgent mental messages for each other. People unable to help themselves in critical situations may find counselors, friends, and even strangers coming to their aid at just the right moment.

The inner strength which comes to us in our daily lives does not arrive as much by a visual picture of actually seeing our guides, as from the feelings and emotions which convince us we are not alone. People who listen and encourage their inner voice through quiet contemplation say they feel a personal connection with an energy beyond themselves which offers support and reassurance. If you prefer to call this internal guidance system inspiration or intuition, that is fine, because the system which aids us is an aspect of ourselves as well as higher powers.

During troublesome times in our lives, we have the tendency to ask for guidance to

immediately set things right. When they are in trance, my clients see that their guides don’t help them solve all their problems at once,  rather they illuminate

pathways by the use of clues. This is one reason why I am cautious about client- blocking during hypnosis. Insight is best revealed with a controlled pace relative to each person. A concerned teacher may not want all aspects of a problem uncovered at a given point in time for his or her student. We vary in our ability to handle revelations.

When asking for help from your higher spiritual power, I think it is best not to

demand immediate change. Our success in life is predicated on planning, but we do have alternative paths to choose from to reach certain goals. When seeking guidance, I suggest requesting help with just the next step in your life. When you do this, be prepared for unexpected possibilities. Have the faith and humility to open yourself up to a variety of paths toward solutions.

After death we do not experience sadness as souls with the same emotional definition as grief felt in physical form. Yet, as we have already seen, souls are not detached beings without feelings. I have learned those powers who watch over us also feel what I call a spiritual sorrow when they see us making poor choices in life and going through pain. Certainly, our soul-mates and peers suffer distress when we are tormented, but so do our guides. Guides may not show sorrow in orientation conferences and during soul group discussions between lives, but they keenly feel their responsibilities toward us as teachers.

In Chapter Eleven, we will get the perspective of a guide at Level V. I have never found a person who is a living grade VI, or master guide, as a subject. I suspect we don’t have a whole lot of these advanced souls on Earth at any one time. Most Level VI’s are much too involved with planning and directing from the spirit world to incarnate any longer. From the reports of the Level V’s I have had, it would seem the Level VI has no new lessons to learn, but I have a hunch a still-incarnating soul at Level V may not know all the esoteric tasks involved with master level entities. Once in a while during a session with a more advanced soul, I hear references to an even higher level of soul than Level VI. These entities, to whom even the masters report, are in the darkest purple range of energy. These superior beings must be getting close to the creator. I am told these shadowy figures are elusive, but highly venerated beings in the spirit world.

The average client doesn’t know if spiritual guides should be placed in a less than divine category, or considered lesser gods because of their advancement. There is nothing wrong with any spiritual concept, as long as it provides comfort, is uplifting, and makes sense to each individual. Although some of my clients have the tendency to consider guides god-like-they are not God. In my opinion, guides are no more or less divine than we are, which is why they are seen as personal beings. In all my cases God is never seen. People in hypnosis say they feel the presence of a supreme power directing the spirit world, but they are uncomfortable using the word “God” to describe a creator. Perhaps the philosopher Spinoza said it best with these words: “God is not He who is, but That which is.”

Every soul has a spiritual higher power linked to its existence. All souls are part of the same divine essence generated from one oversoul. This intelligent energy is universal in scope and so we all share in divine status. If our soul reflects a small portion of the oversoul we call God, then our guides provide the mirror by which we

are able to see ourselves connected to this creator. 9

The Beginner Soul

THERE are two types of beginner souls: souls who are truly young in terms of

exposure to an existence out of the spirit world, and souls who have been reincarnating on Earth for a long period of relative time, but still remain immature. I find beginner souls of both types in Levels I and II.

I believe almost three-quarters of all souls who inhabit human bodies on Earth

today are still in the early stages of development. I know this is a grossly discouraging statement because it means most of our human population is operating at the lower end of their training. On the other hand, when I consider a world population beset by so much negative cross-cultural misunderstanding and violence, I am not inclined to change my opinion about the high percentage of lower level souls on Earth. However, I do think each century brings improvement of awareness in all humans.

Over a number of years, I have maintained a statistical count of client soul levels in

my case files. Undoubtedly, the figures are weighted to some extent at the lower levels because these subjects were not selected at random. My cases could be over- represented by souls at the lower levels of development because they are the very people who require assistance in life and might come to me seeking information.

For those who are curious, the percentages by soul level of all my cases are as follows: Level I, 42%; Level II, 31%; Level III, 17%; Level IV, 9%; and Level V, 1%. Projecting these figures into a world population of five billion souls would be unreliable, using my small sample. Nevertheless, I see the Possibility we may have only a few hundred thousand people on Earth at Level V.

My subjects state that souls end their incarnations on Earth when they reach full

maturity. What is significant about the high percentage of souls in the early stages of development is our rapidly multiplying population and the urgency babies have for available souls. We are increasing by 260,000 children per day. This human necessity for souls means they must normally be drawn from a spiritual pool of less advanced entities who require more incarnations to progress and are, therefore, more available to return to another life.

I am sensitive to the feelings of clients whom I know to be in the early stages of development. I cannot count the number of times a new client has come into my office and said, “I know I am an old soul, but I seem to have problems coping with life.” We all want to be advanced souls because most people hate to be considered a beginner in anything. Every case is unique. There are many variables within each soul’s character, individual development rate, and the qualities of the guides assigned to them. I see my task as offering interpretations of what subjects report to me about the progression of their souls.

I have had many cases where a client has been incarnating for up to 30,000 years on Earth and is still in the lower levels of I and II. The reverse is also true with a few people, although rapid acceleration in spiritual development is uncommon. As with any educational model, students find certain lessons more difficult than others. One of my clients has not been able to conquer envy for 850 years in numerous lives, but she did not have too much trouble overcoming bigotry by the end of this same

period.  Another  has  spent  nearly  1700  years  off-and-on  seeking  some  sort  of authoritative power over others. However, he has gained compassion.

The next case represents an absolute beginner soul. This novice shows no evidence of having a spiritual group assignment as yet, because she has lived too few past

lives. In her first life she was killed in 1260 AD in Northern Syria by a Mongol invasion. Her name was Shabez,  and her settlement was sacked,  resulting in a

terrible massacre of the inhabitants when she was five years old.

Case 20

Dr. N: Shabez, now that you have died and returned to the spirit world, tell me what you feel?

S: (shouts) Cheated! That life was so cruel! I couldn’t stay. I was only a little girl unable to help anybody. What a mistake!

Dr. N: Who made this mistake?

S: (in a conspiratorial tone) My leader. I trusted his judgment, but he was wrong to send me into that cruel life to be killed before my life got started.

Dr. N: But you did agree to come into the body of Shabez?

S: (upset) I didn’t know Earth would be such an awful place full of terror-I wasn’t given all the facts-the whole stupid life was a mistake and my leader is responsible.

Dr. N: Didn’t you learn anything from this life?

S: (pause) I started to learn to love … yes, that was wonderful … my brother … parents … but it was so short …

Dr. N: Did anything good come out of this life? S: My brother Ahmed… to be with him …

Dr. N: Is Ahmed in your present life?

S: (suddenly my subject rises out of her chair) I can’t believe it! Ahmed is my husband Bill-the same person-how can …?

Dr. N: (after calming subject, I explain the process of soul transference to a new body and then continue) Do you see Ahmed on your return to the spirit world after dying as Shabez?

S: Yes, our leader brings us together here … where we stay.

Dr. N: Does Ahmed emit the same energy color as yourself or are there differences? S: (pause) We … are all white.

Dr. N: Describe what you do here.

S: While our leader comes and goes, Ahmed and I… just work together. Dr. N: Doing what?

S: We search out what we think about ourselves-our experience on Earth. I’m still sore about us being killed so soon … but there was

happiness … walking in the sun … breathing the air of Earth … love.

Dr. N: Go back further to the time before you and Ahmed had your life together, perhaps when you were alone. What was it like being created?

S: (disturbed) I don’t know… I was just here .. with thought.

Dr. N: Do you remember during your own creation when you first began to think as an intelligent being?

S: I realized … I existed … but I didn’t know myself as myself until I was moved into this quiet place alone with Ahmed.

Dr. N: Are you saying your individual identity came more into focus when you began interacting with another soul entity besides your guide?

S: Yes, with Ahmed.

Dr. N: Keep to the time before Ahmed. What was it like for you then? S: Warm … nurturing … my mind opening .. she was with me then. Dr. N: She? I thought your leader displayed a male gender to you?

S: I don’t mean him… someone was around me with the presence of a … mother and father … mostly mother

Dr. N: What presence?

S: I don’t know … a soft light … changing features… I can’t grasp it … loving messages … encouragement

Dr. N: This was at the time of your creation as a soul?

S: Yes … it’s all hazy … there were others … helpers … when I was born. Dr. N: What else can you tell me about the place of your creation?

S: (long pause) Others … love me … in a nursery… then we left and I was with Ahmed and our leader.

Dr. N: Who actually created you and Ahmed? S: The One.

I have learned there seems to be a kind of spirit world maternity ward for newborn souls. One client  told me, “This place is where infantile light  is arranged in a honeycomb fashion as unhatched eggs, ready to be used.” In Chapter Four, on displaced souls, we saw how damaged souls can be “remodeled .” My conjecture is these creation centers described by Shabez have the same function. In the next chapter, Case 22 will explain more about spiritual areas of ego creation where raw, undefined energy can be manipulated into a genesis of Self.

Case 20 has some obvious traits of the immature soul. The subject is a sixty-seven- year-old woman who has had a lifetime of getting into disastrous ruts. She does not demonstrate a generosity of spirit toward others, nor does she take much personal responsibility for her actions. This client came to me searching for answers as to why life had “cheated me out of happiness.” In our session we learned Ahmed was her first husband, Bill. She  left him long ago for another man, whom she also divorced, because of her inability to bond with people. She does not feel close to any of her children.

The beginner soul may live a number of lives in a state of confusion and ineffectiveness, influenced by an Earth curriculum which is different from the coherence and supportive harmony of the spirit world. Less developed souls are inclined to surrender their will to the controlling aspects of human society, with a socio-economic structure which causes a large proportion of people  to be subordinate to others. The inexperienced soul tends to be stifled by a lack of independent thinking. They also lean towards being self-centered and don’t easily accept others for who they are.

It is not my intention to paint a totally bleak portrait of souls who comprise so much of our world population-if my estimates of the high numbers of this category of soul are accurate. Lower level souls are also able to lead lives which have many positive elements. Otherwise, no one would advance. No stigma should be attached to these souls, since every soul was once a beginner.

If we become angry, resentful, and confused by our life situations, this does not

necessarily mean we possess an underdeveloped spirit. Soul development is a complex matter where we all progress by degrees in a variety of areas in an uneven manner. The important thing is to recognize our faults, avoid self-denial, and have the courage and self-sufficiency to make constant adjustments in our lives.

One of the clear indications that souls are coming out of novice status is when they leave their spiritual existence of relative isolation. They are removed from small

family cocoons with other novices and placed in a larger group of beginner souls. At this stage they are less dependent upon close supervision and special nurturing from their guides.

For the younger souls, the first realization that they are part of a substantial group

of spirits like themselves is a source of delight. Generally, I find this important spiritual event has occurred by the end of a fifth life on Earth, regardless of the relative length of time the novice soul was in semi-isolation. Some of the entities of these new spiritual groups are the souls of relatives and friends with whom the young soul was associated in their few past lives on Earth. What is especially significant about the formation of a new cluster group is that other peer group members are also newer souls who find themselves together for the first time.

In Chapter Seven on placement, we saw how a soul group appeared when Case 16

rejoined them,  and the manner in which life experiences were studied through pictorial scenes, as reported by this subject. Case 21 will offer a more detailed account of spiritual group dynamics and how members impact on each other. The capacity of souls to learn certain lessons may be stronger or weaker between one another depending upon inclination, motivation, and prior incarnation experience. Cluster groups are carefully designed to give peer support through a sensitivity of identity traits between all members. This cohesiveness is far beyond what we know on Earth.

Although the next case is presented from the perspective of one group member, his superconscious mind provides an objectivity into the process of what goes on in groups. My subject will describe a grandiose, male-oriented spiritual group. The raucous entities of this group are linked by exhibitionism which could be labeled narcissistic. The common approaches these souls use in finding personal value is one indication why they are working together.

The extravagant behavior modes of these souls is offset, to some extent, by their spiritual prescience. Since the complete truth is known by all group members about each other in a telepathic world, humor is indispensible. Some readers may find it hard to accept that souls do joke with each other about their failings, but humor is the basis upon which self-deception and hypocrisy are exposed.

Ego defenses are so well understood by everyone in spiritual groups that evidence of

a mastery of oneself among peers is a strong incentive for change. Spiritual “therapy” occurs because of honest peer feedback, mutual trust, and the desire to advance with others over eons of time. Souls can

hurt, and they need caring entities around them. The curative power of spiritual

group interaction is quite remarkable.

Soul members network by the use of criticism and acclaim as each strives toward

common goals. Some of the best help I am able to give my clients comes from information I receive about their soul group. Spiritual groups are a primary means of soul instruction. Learning appears to come as much from one’s peers as from the skill of guides who monitor these groups.

In the case which follows, my client has finished reliving his last past life as a Dutch artist living in Amsterdam. He died of pneumonia at a young age in 1841, about the time he was gaining recognition for his painting. We have just rejoined his spiritual group when my subject bursts out laughing.

Case 21

Dr. N: Why are you laughing?

S: I’m back with my friends and they are giving me a hard time. Dr. N: Why?

S: Because I’m wearing my fancy buckled shoes and the bright

green velvet jacket-with yellow piping down the sides-I’m flashing them my big floppy painter’s hat.

Dr. N: They are kidding you about projecting yourself wearing these clothes?

S: You know it! I was so vain about clothes and I cut a really fine figure as an artist in Amsterdam cafe society. I enjoyed this role and

played it well. I don’t want it to end.

Dr. N: What happens next?

S: My old friends are around me and we are talking about the foolishness of life. We rib each other about how dramatic it all is down there on Earth and how seriously we all take our lives.

Dr.  N:  You and your friends don’t think it  is important to take life on Earth seriously?

S: Look, Earth is one big stage play-we all know that. Dr. N: And your group is united in this feeling?

S: Sure, we see ourselves as actors in a gigantic stage production.

Dr. N: How many entities are in your particular cluster group in the spirit world?   S: (pause) Well, we work with … some others … but there are five of us who are

close.

Dr. N: By what name do they call you?

S: L … Lemm-no that’s not right-it’s Allum … that’s me. Dr. N: All right, Allum, tell me about your close friends.

S: (laughs) Norcross … he is the funniest … at least he is the most boisterous. Dr. N: Is Norcross the leader of your group?

S: No, he is just the loudest. We are all equal here, but we have our differences. Norcross is blunt and opinionated.

Dr. N: Really, then how would you characterize his Earth behavior? S: Oh, as being rather unscrupulous-but not dangerous.

Dr. N: Who is the quietest and most unassuming member of your group? S: (quizzical) How did you guess-it’s Vilo.

Dr. N: Does this attribute make Vilo the least effective contributing member of your group?

S: Where did you get that idea? Vilo comes up with some interesting thoughts about the rest of us.

Dr. N: Give me an example.

S: In my life in Holland-the old Dutch couple who adopted me after my parents died-they had a beautiful garden. Vilo reminds me of my debt to them-that the garden triggered my painting-to see life as an artist … and what I didn’t do with my talent.

Dr. N: Does Vilo convey any other thoughts to you about this?

S: (sadly) That I should have done less drinking and strutting around and painted more. That my art was … reaching the point of touching people … (subject pulls his shoulders back) but I wasn’t going to stay cooped up painting all the time!

Dr. N: Do you have respect for Vilo’s opinions?

S: (with a deep sigh) Yes, we know he is our conscience. Dr. N: So, what do you say to him?

S: I say, “Innkeeper, mind your own business-you were having fun, too.” Dr. N: Vilo was an innkeeper?

S: Yes, in Holland. Engaged in a business for profit, I might add.

Dr. N: Do you feel this was wrong of Vilo?

S: (contrite) No … not really … we all know he took losses to help those poor people on the road who needed food and shelter. His life was beneficial to others.

Dr.  N:  I  would  guess  telepathic  communication  makes  it  hard  to  sustain  your arguments when the complete truth is known by everyone?

S: Yes, we all know Vilo is progressing-damn!

Dr. N: Does it bother you that Vilo may be advancing faster than the rest of you?

S: Yes … we have had such fun … (subject then recalls an earlier life with Vilo where they traveled together as brothers in India)

Dr. N: What will happen to Vilo?

S: He is going to leave us soon-we all know that-to have associations with the others who have also gone.

Dr. N: How many souls have left your original group, Allum?

S: (A long pause, and then ruefully) Oh … a couple have moved on … we will eventually catch up to them … but not for a while. They haven’t disappeared-we just don’t see their energy as much.

Dr. N: Name the others of your immediate group for me besides Vilo and Norcross.

S: (brightening) Dubri and Trinian-now those two know how to have a good time!

Dr. N: What is the most obvious identifying characteristic of your group?

S: (with relish) Adventure! Excitement! We have some real pioneer types around here. (subject rushes on happily) Dubri just came off a wild life as a sea captain. Norcross was a free-wheeling trading merchant. We live life to its fullest because we are talented at taking what life has to offer.

Dr. N: I’m hearing a lot of self-gratification here, Allum.

S:  (defensively)  And  what’s  wrong  with  that?  Our  group  is  not  made  up  of shrinking violets, you know!

Dr. N: What’s the story on Trinian’s last life?

S: (reacts boisterously) He was a Bishop! Can you believe it? What hypocrisy.

Dr. N: In what way?

S: What self-deception! Norcross, Dubri, and I tell Trinian his choice to be a churchman had nothing to do with goodness, charity, or spirituality.

Dr. N: And what does Trinian’s soul mentally project to you in self-defense? S: He tells us he gave solace to many people.

Dr. N: What do you, Norcross and Dubri, tell him in response?

S: That he is going soft. Norcross tells him he wanted money or otherwise he would have been a simple priest. Ha-that’s telling him-and I’m saying the same thing. You can guess what Dubri thinks about all this!

Dr. N: No, tell me.

S: Humph-that Trinian picked a large city with a rich cathedral-spilling a ton of money into Trinian’s fat pockets.

Dr. N: And what do you tell Trinian yourself?

S: Oh, I’m attracted to the fancy robes he wore-bright red-the finest of cloth-his Bishop’s ring which he loved-and all the gold and silver around. I also mention his desire to bask in adulation from his flock. Trinian can hide nothing from us-he wanted an easy, cushy life where he was well-fed.

Dr. N: Does he try to explain his motivations for choosing this life?

S: Yes, but Norcross reproaches him. He confronts Trinian on seducing a young girl in the vestry. (jovially) Yes, it actually happened! … So much for providing solace to parishioners. We know Trinian for who he really is-an outright rogue!

Dr. N: Does Trinian offer any excuses to the group for his conduct?

S: (subject becomes quieter) Oh, the usual. He got carried away with the girl’s need for him-she had no family-he was lonely in his choice of a celibate church life. He says he was trying to get away from the customary lives we all choose by going into the church-that he fell in love with the girl.

Dr. N: And how do you, Norcross and Dubri, feel about Trinian now?

S: (severely) We think he is trying to follow Vilo (as an advancing soul), but he failed. His pious intentions just didn’t work for him.

Dr. N: Allum, you sound rather cynical about Trinian’s attempts to improve himself and make changes. Tell me honestly, how do you feel about Trinian?

S: Oh, we are just teasing him … after all…

Dr. N: Your amusement sounds as if you are scornful over what may have been Trinian’s good intentions.

S: (sadly) You’re right … and we all know that … but, you see … Norcross, Dubri, and I… well, we don’t want to lose him from the group, too…

Dr. N: What does Vilo say about Trinian?

S: He defends Trinian’s original good intentions and tells him that he fell into a trap of self-gratification during this life in the church. Trinian wants too much admiration and attention.

Dr. N: Forgive me for passing judgment on your group, Allum, but it seems to me this is something you all want, except perhaps Vilo?

S: Hey, Vilo can be pretty smug. Let me tell you, his problem is conceit and Dubri tells him that in no uncertain terms.

Dr. N: And does Vilo deny it?

S: No, he doesn’t … he says at least he is working on it. Dr. N: Who among you is the most sensitive to criticism?

S: (pause) Oh, I guess it would be Norcross, but it’s hard for all of us to accept our faults.

Dr. N: Level with me, Allum. Does it bother the members of your soul group when things can’t be hidden from the others-when all your shortcomings in a past life are revealed?

S: (pause) We are sensitive about it-but not morbid. There is great understanding here among us. I wanted to give artistic pleasure to people and grow through the meaning of art. So, what did I do? I ran around the Amsterdam canals a lot at night and got caught up in the fun and games. My original purpose was pushed aside.

Dr. N: If you admit all this to the group, what kind of feedback do you get? For example, how do you and Norcross regard each other?

S: Norcross often points out I hate to take responsibility for myself and others. With Norcross it’s wealth … he loves power … but we are both selfish … except that I am

more vain. Neither of us gets many gold stars.

Dr. N: How does Dubri fit into your group with his faults?

S: He enjoys controlling others by leadership. He is a natural leader, more than the rest of us. He was a sea captain-a pirate-one tough individual. You wouldn’t want to cross him.

Dr. N: Was he cruel?

S: No, just hard. He was respected as a captain. Dubri was merciless against his opponents in sea battles, but he took care of his own men.

Dr. N: You have told me that Vilo assisted people who were in need on the road, but you haven’t said much about the positive side of your lives. Is anyone in your group given any gold stars for unselfish acts?

S: (intently) There is something else about Dubri … Dr. N: What is that?

S: He did one outstanding thing. Once, during heavy seas, a sailor fell off the mast into the ocean and was drowning. Dubri tied a line

around his waist and dove off the deck. He risked his life and saved a shipmate.

Dr. N: When this incident is discussed in your group, how do you all respond to Dubri?

S: We praise him for what he did with admiration in our minds. We came to the same conclusion that none of us could match this single act of courage in our last lives.

Dr. N: I see. Yet, Vilo’s life at the inn, feeding and housing people who could not pay him, may represent acts of unselfishness for a longer term and therefore is more praiseworthy?

S: Granted, and we give him that. (laughs) He gets more gold stars than Dubri. Dr. N: Do you get any strokes from the group for your last life?

S: (pause) I had to scramble for patrons to survive as a painter, but I was good to people … it wasn’t much … I enjoyed giving pleasure. My group recognizes I had a good heart.

Every one of my clients has special attachments to their soul group, regardless of character makeup. People tend to think of souls in the free state as being without

human deficiencies. Actually, I think there are many similarities between groups of souls close to each other and human family systems. For instance, I see Norcross as the rebellious scapegoat for this group of souls, while he and Allum are the inventory takers for everyone’s shortcomings. Allum said Norcross is usually the first to openly scrutinize any rationalizations or self-serving justifications of past life failures offered by the other members. He appears to have the least self-doubt and emotional investment over standards of conduct. This may define his own insecurity, because Norcross is probably fighting the hardest to keep up with the advancing group.

I suspect Allum himself could be the group’s mascot (often the youngest child in

human families), with all his clowning around, preening, and making light of serious issues. Some souls in spiritual groups do seem to me to be more fragile and protected than other group members. Vilo’s conduct demonstrates he is the current hero (or eldest family member), with his drive for excellence. I have the impression from Allum that Vilo is the least defiant of the group, partly because he has the best record of achievement

in recent past lives. Just as in human family systems, the roles of spiritual group members can be switched around, but I was told Vilo’s kinetic energy is turning pink, signaling his growth into Level II.

I attach human labels on ethereal spirits because, after all, souls who come to Earth

do show themselves through human characteristics. However, I don’t see hatred, suspicion, and disrespect in soul groups. In a climate of compassion, there are no power struggles for control among these peer groups whose members are unable to manipulate each other or keep secrets. Souls distrust themselves, not each other. I do see fortitude, desire, and the will to keep trying in their new physical lives. In an effort to confirm some of my observations about the social dynamics among spiritual group members in this case, I ask Allum a few more questions.

Dr. N: Allum, do you believe your criticism of each other is always constructive?

S: Sure, there is no real hostility. We have fun at each other’s expense-I admit that- but it’s just a form of … acknowledgement of who we really are, and where we should be going.

Dr. N: Is any member of your soul group ever made to feel shame or guilt about a past life?

S: Those are … human weapons… and too narrow for what we feel.

Dr. N: Well, let me approach your feelings as a soul in another way. Do you feel safer getting feedback from one of your group members more than another?

S: No, I don’t. We all respect each other immensely. The greatest criticism comes from within ourselves.

Dr. N: Do you have any regrets for your conduct in any past life?

S: (long pause) Yes … I feel sorry if I have hurt someone … and then have everyone here know all about my mistakes. But we learn.

Dr. N: And what do you do about this knowledge?

S: Talk among ourselves… and try to make amends the next time.

Dr. N: From what you told me earlier, I had the idea that you, Nor-cross, and Dubri might be releasing some pent-up feelings over your own shortcomings by dumping on each other.

S: (thoughtfully) We make cynical remarks, but it’s not like being human anymore. Without our bodies we take criticism a little differently. We see each other for who we are without resentment or jealousy.

Dr. N: I don’t want to put words in your mouth, but I just wondered if all this flamboyance exhibited by your group might indicate underlying feelings of unworthiness?

S: Oh, that’s something else again. Yes, we do get discouraged as souls, and feel unworthy about our abilities … to meet the confidence placed in us to improve.

Dr. N: So, while you have self-doubts about yourselves, it’s okay to make cynical remarks about each other’s motivations?

S: Of course, but we want to be recognized by one another for being sincere in working on our individual programs. Sometimes self-pride gets in the way and we use each other to move past this.

In the next passage of dialogue, I introduce another spiritual phenomenon relating to group healing. I have heard a number of variations about this activity which are supported by the interpretations of Case 21.

Dr. N: Now Allum, as long as we are discussing how your group members relate to each other, I want you to describe the spiritual energy by which you all are assisted in this process.

S: (hesitant) I’m not sure I can tell you …

Dr. N: Think carefully. Isn’t there another means by which your group is brought into harmony with each other with intelligent energy?

S: (long pause) Ah … you mean from the cones?

Dr. N: (the word “cone” is new to me, but I know I’m on the right track) Yes, the

cones. Explain what you know about them relative to your group. S: (slowly) Well, the cones do assist us.

Dr. N: Please continue, and tell me what the cone does. I think I have heard about this before, but I want your version.

S: It’s shaped to go around us, you know.

Dr. N: Shaped in what way? Try to be more explicit.

S: It is cylindrical-very bright-it is above and all around us. The cone is small at the top and wide at the bottom, so it fits over all of us-like getting under a great white cap-we can float under the cone in order to use it.

Dr. N: Are you sure this isn’t the shower of healing you experienced right after your return to the spirit world?

S: Oh no, that was more individual purification-to repair Earth damage. I thought you knew …

Dr. N: I do. I want you to explain how the cone is different from the shower of healing.

S: The top funnels energy down as a waterfall in a spreading circle around all of us and allows us to really concentrate on our mental sameness as a group.

Dr. N: And what do you feel when you are under the cone?

S: We can feel all our thoughts being expanded … then drawn up … and returned back … with more knowledge added.

Dr. N: Does this intelligent energy help your unity as a group in terms of more focused thinking?

S: Yes, it does.

Dr. N: (deliberately confrontational) To be frank with you, Allum, I wonder if this cone is brainwashing your original thoughts? After all, the arguments and disagreements between you and the others of your group are what make you individuals.

S: (laughs) We aren’t brainwashed! Don’t you know anything about the afterlife? It gives us more collective insight to work together.

Dr. N: Is the cone always available?

S: It is there when we need it. Dr. N: Who operates the cone? S: Those who watch over us. Dr. N: Your guide?

S:(bursts out laughing) Shato? I think he is too busy traveling around on his circuit. Dr. N: What do you mean?

S: We think of him as a circus master-a stage manager-of our group. Dr. N: Does Shato take an active part in your group deliberations?

S: (shakes head) Not really-guides are above a lot of this stuff. We are left on our own quite a bit, and that’s fine.

Dr. N: Do you think there is one specific reason for the absences of Shato?

S: (pause) Oh, he probably gets bored with our lack of progress. He loves to show off as the master of ceremonies though.

Dr. N: In what way?

S: (chuckling) Oh, to suddenly appear in front of us during one of our heated debates-throwing off blue sparks-looking like a wizard who is an all-powerful moderator!

Dr. N: A wizard?

S: (still laughing) Shato appears in long, sapphire-blue robes with a tall, pointed hat. With his flowing white beard he looks simply great, and we do admire him.

Dr. N: I get the picture of a spiritual Merlin.

S: An Oriental Merlin, if you will. Very inscrutable sometimes. He loves making a grand entrance in full costume, especially when we are about to choose another life. He knows how much we appreciate his act.

Dr. N: With all this stage management, I am curious if Shato has much emotional connection to your group as a serious guide.

S: (scoffing at me) Listen, he knows we are a wild bunch, and he plays to that as a

non-conformist himself-but he is also very wise.

Dr.  N:  Is  Shato  indulgent  with  your  group?  He  doesn’t  seem  to  limit  your extravagance very much.

S: Shato gets results from us because he is not heavy-handed or preachy. That wouldn’t sit well with our people. We respect him.

Dr. N: Do you see Shato as a consultant who comes only once in a while to observe, or as an active supervisor?

S: He will pop in unannounced to set up a problem for our discussions. Then he leaves, coming back later to listen to how we might solve certain things …

Dr. N: Give me an example of a major problem with your group.

S: (pause) Shato knows we identify too much as actors playing parts on Earth. He hits … on superficiality. He is trying to get us to cast

ourselves from the inside out, rather than the reverse.

Dr. N: So Shato’s instruction is serious, but he knows you all like to have fun along the way?

S: Yeah, that’s why Shato is with us, I think. He knows we waste opportunities. He assists us in interpreting the predicaments we get

into in order to get the best out of us.

Dr. N: From what you have told me, I have the impression that your spiritual group is run as a kind of workshop directed by your guide.

S: Yes, he builds up our morale and keeps us going.

Unlike educational classrooms or therapy groups on Earth, I have learned teacher- counselors in the spirit world are not confined as group activity leaders on a continuous basis. Although Shato and his students are a colorful family of souls, there is much here that is typical of all cluster groups. A guide’s leadership is more parental than dictatorial. In this case, Shato is a directive counselor while not being possessive, nor does he pose a threat to the group. There is warm acceptance of these young souls by this empathic guide, who seems to cater to their masculine inclinations. I will close this case with a few final questions about the group as a spiritual unit.

Dr. N: Why is your group so male-oriented on Earth?

S: Earth is an action planet which rewards physical exertion. We are inclined to male roles so we can grab hold and mold events … to dominate our surroundings …

to be recognized.

Dr. N: Women are also influential in society. How can your group hope to progress without more experience in female roles?

S: We know this, but we have such a fierce desire to be independent. In fact, we often expend too much energy for too little return, but the female aspects don’t interest us as much right now.

Dr. N: If you have no female counterparts in your immediate group, where do you go for those entities to complement your lives on Earth?

S: Nearby there are some who relate better to female roles. I get along with Josey- she has been with me in some of my lives-Trinian is attached to Nyala-and there are others

Dr. N: Allum, I would like to end our conversation about your spiritual associations by asking you what you know about the origin of your group.

S: (long pause) I … can’t tell you … we just came together at one time.

Dr. N: Well, someone had to bring those of you with the same attributes together. Do you think it was God?

S: (puzzled) No, below the source … the higher ones … Dr. N: Shato, or other guides like him?

S: No, higher, I think… the planners… I don’t know any more.

Dr. N: A while back you told me some of your old friends were reducing their active participation in your group due to their development. Do you ever get new members?

S: Never.

Dr. N: Is this because a new member might have trouble assimilating with the rest of you?

S: (laughs) We aren’t that bad! It’s just we are too closely connected by thought for an outsider, and they would not have shared our past experiences.

Dr. N: During your discussions about these past lives together, does your group believe it contributes to the betterment of human society?

S:  (pause)  We  want  our  presence  in  a  community  to  challenge  conventions-to

question basic assumptions. I think we bring nerve into our physical lives-and laughter, too …

Dr. N: And when your spiritual group has finished discussing what is necessary to further your aims, do you look forward to a new life?

S: (zestfully) Oh yeah! Every time I leave for a new role on Earth, I say goodbye with, “See you all back here A.D. (after death):’

This case is an example of like-minded souls with ego-inflating needs who support and validate each other’s feelings and attitudes. Herein lies the key to understanding the formation of soul groups. I have learned that many spiritual clusters have sub- groups made up of entities whose identities are linked by similar issues blocking their advancement. Even so, these souls do have differences in strengths and weaknesses. Each group member contributes their best attributes toward advancing the goals of others in the family.

I do not want to leave the impression from Case 21 that the few remaining souls in this inner circle of close friends represent the behavior traits of everyone in the original cluster. When a primary group of, say fifteen or twenty souls is formed, there are marked similarities in talent and interests. But a support group is also designed to have differences in disposition, feelings, and reactions. Typically, my subjects report a male-female oriented mixture of one or more of the following character types in their groups: 1) Courageous, resilient, a tenacious survivor. 2) Gentle, quiet, devoted, and rather innocent. 3) Fun-loving, humorous, a jokester and risk-taker. 4) Serious, dependable, cautious. 5) Flamboyant, enthusiastic, frank. 6) Patient, steady, perceptive. 7) Thoughtful, calculating, determined. 8) Innovative, resourceful, adaptable. These differences give a group balance. However, if an entire group displays a strong tendency toward flamboyance or daring, the most cautious member would appear less so to another group of souls.

There is no question that the souls in Case 21 are in for a long development period.

Yet they do contribute to the vitality of earth. Subsequent questioning of this subject revealed the paths of these souls continue to cross in the twentieth century. For instance, Allum is a graphic designer and part-time professional guitar player involved with Josey, who is a singer. The fact that the closely-knit souls in this case were so male-oriented in their physical lives does hot take away from their ability to associate with young souls with predominantly female preferences. Cluster groups are gender-mixed. As I have mentioned, truly advanced souls have balanced gender preferences in their physical life choices.

The desire for expression of self-identity is an important motivating factor for souls choosing to come to Earth to learn practical lessons. Sometimes a reason for discomfort with the lower level soul is the discrepancy in perception of Self in their free soul state, compared to how they act in human bodies. Souls can get confused with who they are in life. Case 21 did not seem to exhibit any conflict in this area, but I question the rate of growth achieved by Allum in recent past lives. However, the basic experience of living a life may compensate, to some extent, for the lack of insight gained from that life.

Our shortcomings and moral conflicts are recognized as faults far more in the spirit world than on Earth. We have seen how the nuances of decision-making are dissected and analyzed in spiritual groups. Cluster members have worked together for such a long time in earth years that entities become accountable to each other and the group as a whole. This fosters a great sense of belonging in all spiritual groups, and can give the appearance of thought barriers between clusters, especially with souls in the lower levels. Nevertheless, while rejection and loneliness is part of every soul’s life in human form, in the spirit world our individual ego-identity is constantly enhanced by warm peer group socialization.

The social structure of soul groups is not the same as groups of people on Earth.

Although there is some evidence of paired friendships, I don’t hear about cliques, stars of attraction, or isolated souls within clusters. I am told souls do spend time alone in the silence of personal reflection when attached to a group. Souls are intimate entities in their family relationships on Earth and engagement in group community life in the spirit world. And yet, souls do learn much from solitude.

I understand from my white-light subjects that souls at the beginning levels are

frequently separated from their groups to individually work on simple energy projects. One rather young soul recalled being alone in an enclosure trying to put together “a moving puzzle” of dissembled geometric shapes of cylinders, spheres, cubes, and squares with self-produced energy. It was described as being “multi- dimensional, colorful, and holographic” in nature. He said, “We have to learn to intensify our energy to bring the diffused and jumbled into focus to give it some kind of basic shape.” Another subject added, “These tests give the Watchers information about our imagination, creativity, and ingenuity, and they offer us encouragement rather than being judgmental.”

Souls on all levels engage in another all important activity when they are alone.

They are expected to spend time mentally concentrating on helping those on Earth (or other physical worlds) whom they have known and cared about. From what I can gather, they go to a space some call the place of projection. Here they enter an “interdimensional field of floating, silvery-blue energy,” and project outward to a geographical area of their choosing. I am told this is a mental exercise in “holding and releasing positive vibrational energy to create a territory.” This means souls ride on their thought waves to specific people, buildings, or a given area of land in an attempt to comfort or effect change.

10

The Intermediate Soul

ONCE our souls advance past Level II into the intermediate ranges of development, group cluster activity is considerably reduced. This does not mean we return to the kind of isolation we saw with the novice soul. Souls evolving into the middle development levels have less association with primary groups because they have acquired the maturity and experience  for operating more independently. These souls are also reducing the number of their incarnations.

Within Levels III and IV we are at last ready for more serious responsibilities. The relationship we have with our guides now changes from teacher-student to one of colleagues working together. Since our old guides have acquired new student groups, it is now our turn to develop teaching skills which will eventually qualify us

for the responsibilities of being a guide to someone else.

I have said the transitional stages of Levels II and IV are particularly difficult for

me in pinpointing a soul’s development. For instance, some Level IV souls begin targeting themselves toward primary cluster teacher training while still in Level III, while other subjects who are clearly Level IV’s find they are unsuited to be effective guides.

Despite their high standards of morality and conduct, entities who have reached the intermediate levels of maturity are modest about their achievements. Naturally, each case is different, but I notice more composure with clients in this stage and above. I see trust rather than suspicion toward the motives of others on both a conscious and subconscious level. These people demonstrate a forward-looking attitude of faith and confidence for the future of humanity, which encourages those around them.

My questions to the more mature soul are directed to esoteric ideas of purpose and

creation. I admit to taking advantage of the higher knowledge possessed by these souls for the sort of spiritual information others lack. There have been clients who have told me they felt I pushed them rather hard in drawing out their spiritual memories and I know they are right. The more advanced souls of this world possess remarkable comprehension of a universal life plan. I want to learn as much as possible from them.

My next case falls into the upper portion of Level III development, radiating a yellow energy devoid of any reddish tones. This client was a small, nondescript man nearly fifty years old. His demeanor was quietly courteous towards me when we met, and I thought him a trifle solemn. I felt  his unassuming detachment was somewhat studied, almost as a cover for stronger emotions. The most striking feature about him was his dark, morose eyes, which grew more intense as he began to talk about himself in a direct and persuasive manner.

He told me he worked for a charitable organization dispensing food to the homeless,

and that he had once been a journalist. This client had traveled quite some distance to discuss with me his concern over a decline in enthusiasm for his work. He said he was tired and wanted to spend the rest of his life quietly alone. His first session involved a review of the highlights of many past lives so we could better evaluate a proper course for the remainder of his current life.

I began by regressing the subject rapidly through a series of early lives starting

from his first life as a Cro-Magnon man in a Stone Age culture some 30,000 years ago. As we moved forward in time, I noted a consistency of lone-wolf behavior patterns as opposed to normal tribal integration. From about 3,000 BC to 500 BC, my client lived a number of lives in the Middle East during the rise of the early city states in Sumerian, Babylonian, and Egyptian cultures. Nevertheless, even in lives as a woman, this subject often avoided family ties, including having no children. As a man, he showed a preference for nomadism.

By the time we reached a life in Europe during the Dark Ages, I was becoming

accustomed to a rebellious soul resisting tyrannical societies. During his lives, my subject worked to uplift people from fear, while remaining non-aligned to opposing factions. Suffering hardships and many setbacks, he continued as a wanderer with an obsession for freedom of movement.

Some lives were not too productive, but during the twelfth century I found him in Central America in the body of an Aztec, organizing a band

of Indians against the oppressions of a high priest. He was killed in this setting as a virtual  outcast,  while  promoting  non-violent  relations between  tribes  who  were

traditional enemies.

In the fourteenth century, this soul was a European chronicler, traveling the silk

road to Cathay to gain understanding of the peoples of Asia. Always facile with languages (as he is today), my client died in Asia as an old man happily living in a peasant village. In Japan, at the beginning of the seventeenth century, he was a member of the clan of the Bleeding Crane. These men were respected, independent Samurai mercenaries. At the end of this life my subject was living in seclusion from the ruling Tokugawa shoguns, because he had advised their weaker opponents on battle strategy.

Frequently the outsider, always an explorer searching for truth across many lands,

this soul continued to seek a rational meaning to life while giving aid to those he met along the way. I was surprised when he popped up as the wife of an American farmer on the frontier in the nineteenth century. The farmer died soon after their marriage. I learned my subject had deliberately incarnated to be a widow with children, tied to a piece of property, as an exercise in the loss of mobility.

When this part of his session ended I knew I was working with a more advanced,

older soul, even though he had a great many lives we did not review. Since this soul is approaching Level IV, I would not have been surprised if his first appearance on Earth had gone back 70,000 years rather than half that amount of time. However, as I have mentioned, it is not an absolute prerequisite that souls have hundreds of physical lives in order to advance. I once had a client who entered into a Level III state of awareness after only 4,000 years-an outstanding performance.

I talked to my client about his current life and his customary methods of learning in previous lives. He explained he had never been married, and that social non- alignments worked best for him. I suggested a few alternatives for his consideration. Primarily, I felt his lack of intimacy with people in too many lives was obstructing his progress. When this session ended, he was anxious that we explore his mind further for perceptions about the spirit world in another session. Upon his arrival the next day, I placed him in a superconscious state and we went back to work.

Case 22

Dr. N: By what name are you called in the spirit world? S: I am called Nenthum.

Dr. N: Nenthum, do you have spirits around you right now or are you alone? S: (pause) I am with two of my long-time companions.

Dr. N: What are their names? S: Raoul and Senji.

Dr. N: And are the three of you part of a larger spiritual group of souls working together?

S: We were … but now the three of us work… more by ourselves. Dr. N: What are the three of you doing at this moment?

S: We are discussing the best ways to help each other during our incarnations. Dr. N: Tell me what you do for each other.

S: I help Senji to forgive herself for mistakes and appreciate her own worth. She needs to stop being a mother-figure all the time on Earth.

Dr. N: How does she assist you?

S: To… see my lack of a sense of belonging.

Dr. N: Give me an example of Senji’s actions to assist you with this issue.

S: Well, she was my wife in Japan after my days as a warrior were over. (something is troubling Nenthum, and after a pause he adds the following) Raoul likes to pair with Senji and I am usually alone.

Dr. N: What about Raoul, how do you two help each other?

S: I help him with patience and he helps me with my tendency to avoid community life.

Dr. N: Are you always two males and a female in your incarnations on Earth? S: No, we can change-and do-but this is comfortable for us.

Dr. N: Why are the three of you working independently from the rest of your spiritual group?

S: (pause) Oh, we see them here… some have not gone forward with us … a few others are further ahead of us in their tasks.

Dr. N: Do you have a guide or teacher? S: (in a soft tone) She is Idis.

Dr. N: It sounds to me as if you have a high regard for her. Do you communicate well with Idis?

S: Yes I do-not that we don’t have our disagreements.

Dr. N: What is the main area of conflict between the two of you?

S: She doesn’t reincarnate much, and I tell her she should have more direct exposure to current conditions on Earth.

Dr. N: Are you mentally in tune with Idis to such an extent that you know all about her background training as a guide?

S: (shakes head while pondering) It isn’t that we can’t ask questions … but we can only question what we know. Idis reveals to me what she thinks is relevant to my own experience.

Dr. N:  Are guides able to screen their thoughts so you can’t read their minds completely?

S: Yes, the older ones get proficient at that-knowing how to filter things we don’t need to know because this knowledge would confuse us.

Dr. N: Will you learn to filter images? S: I already have … a little.

Dr. N: This must be why I have had many people tell me they have not been given definitive answers by their guides to all their questions.

S: Yes, and the intent of the question is important … when it was asked and why. Perhaps it was not in their best interests to be given certain information which might disrupt them.

Dr. N: Aside from her teaching techniques, are you fond of Idis in terms of her identity?

S: Yes … I just wish she would agree to come with me… once.

Dr. N: Oh, you would like to actually have an Earth incarnation with her?

S: (grins mischievously) I have told her we might relate better here if she would consent to come to Earth sometime and mate with me.

Dr. N: And what does Idis say to that suggestion?

S: She laughs and says she will think about it-if I can prove to her that it would be productive.

At this junction I ask Nenthum how long Idis has been associated with him and learn she was assigned these three entities when they moved into Level III. Nenthum, Raoul, and Senji are also under the tutelage of a beloved older master guide who has been with them since the beginning of their existence. It would be inaccurate to assume that more advanced spirits lead lonely spiritual lives. This subject told me he was in contact with many souls. Raoul and Senji were simply his closest friends.

Levels III and IV are significant stages for souls in their development because now

they are given increased responsibilities for younger souls. The status of a guide is not given to us all at once, however. As with many other aspects of soul life, we are carefully tested. The intermediate levels are trial periods for potential teachers. While our aura is still yellow, our mentors assign us a soul to look after, and then evaluate our leadership performance both in and out of physical incarnations.

Only if this preliminary training is successful are we allowed to function even at the

level of a junior guide. Not everyone is suited for teaching, but this does not keep us from becoming an advanced soul in the blue section. Guides, like everyone else, have different abilities and talents, as well as shortcomings. By the time we reach Level V, our soul aptitudes are well known in the spirit world. We are given occupational duties commensurate with our abilities, which I will go into later in this chapter. Different avenues of approach to learning eventually bring all of us to the same end in acquiring spiritual wholeness. The richness of diversity is part of a master plan for the advancement of every soul, and I am interested in how Case 22 is progressing in Level III.

Dr. N: Nenthum, can you tell me if Idis is preparing you to be a guide, assuming you

have an interest in that activity?

S: (quick response) I do have an interest.

Dr. N: Oh, then are you developing as a guide yourself?

S: (modestly) Don’t make too much of it. I’m really no more than a caretaker … helping Idis and taking directions.

Dr. N: Do you try and imitate her teaching style?

S: No, we are different. As an apprentice-a caretaker-I couldn’t do what she is able to accomplish, anyway.

Dr. N: When did you know you were ready to be a caretaker and begin assisting others spiritually?

S: It’s an … awareness which comes over you after a great number of lives … that you are more in balance with yourself than previously, and are able to aid people as a spirit and in the flesh.

Dr. N: Are you operating in or out of the spirit world as a caretaker at this time?

S: (has difficulty in forming a response) I’m out … in two lives. Dr. N: Are you living in two parallel lives now?

S: Yes, I am.

Dr. N: Where are you living in this other life? S: Canada.

Dr. N: Is geography important to your Canadian assignment?

S: Yes, I picked a poor family in a rural community where I would be more indispensable. I’m in a small mountain town.

Dr. N: Give me the details of this Canadian life and your responsibilities.

S: (slowly) I’m … taking care of my brother Billy. His face and hands were horribly burned by a flash fire from a kitchen stove when he was four years old. I was ten when it happened.

Dr. N: Are you the same age in the Canadian life as you are now in your American one?

S: About the same.

Dr. N: And your prime assignment in the Canadian life?

S: To care for Billy. To help him see the world past his pain. He is almost blind and his facial disfigurement causes him to be rejected by the community. I try to open him to an acceptance of life and to know who he really is from the inside. I read to him and go for walks in the forest holding his arm. I don’t hold his hands because they are so damaged.

Dr. N: What about your Canadian parents?

S: (without boasting) I am the parent. My father left after the fire and never came back. He was a weak man who was not kind to the family even before the fire. My mother’s soul is not very… capable in her body. They need someone with seasoning.

Dr. N: Someone physically strong?

S: (laughing) No, I’m a woman in Canada. I’m Billy’s sister. My mother and brother require someone mentally tough to hold the family together and give them a course to follow.

Dr. N: How do you provide for the family?

S: I am a baker and I’ll never marry, because I can’t leave them. Dr. N: What is your brother’s major lesson?

S: To acquire humility without being crushed by a life of little self-gratification.

Dr. N: Why didn’t you take the role of your burned brother? Wouldn’t that scenario provide you with the more difficult challenge?

S: (grimacing) Hmm-I’ve already been through that one!

Note: This subject has been physically injured in a number of past lives.

Dr. N: Yes, I suppose you have. I wonder if Billy’s soul was ever involved with physically hurting you in one of your past lives?

S: As a matter of fact, he did in one of them. When I was the sufferer another caretaker stayed with me and I was a grateful receiver. Now it is Billy’s turn and I am here for him.

Dr. N: Did you know in advance your brother was going to be incapacitated before you came into the Canadian life?

S: Sure, Idis and I discussed the whole situation. She said Billy’s soul would require a caretaker, and since I had negative contact with this soul before in another life, I welcomed the job.

Dr. N: Besides the karmic lesson for Billy’s soul, there are some for you too, in terms of your being in the role of a woman who is tied down. You can’t just take off and roam around as you often do in your lives.

S: That’s true. The degree of difficulty in a life is measured by how challenging the situation is for you, not others. For me, being Billy’s caretaker is harder than when I was on the receiving end with another soul as my caretaker.

Dr. N: Give me the most difficult factor of this assignment for you as a caretaker.

S: To sustain a child … through their helplessness … to adulthood … to teach a child to confront torment with courage.

Dr. N: Billy’s life is an extreme example, but it does seem Earth’s children have much physical and emotional pain to go through.

S: Without addressing and overcoming pain you can never really connect with who you are and build on that. I must tell you, the more pain and adversity which come to you as a child, the more opportunity to expand your potential.

Dr. N: And how are things working out for you as a caretaker in Canada?

S: There is a more difficult set of choices to be made in the Canadian family-unlike my American life. But, I have confidence in myself … to put my comprehension to practical use.

Dr. N: Did Idis encourage or discourage your wanting to accelerate development by living parallel lives?

S: She is always open about this … I haven’t done it too much in the past. Dr. N: Why not?

S: Life combinations can be tiring and divisive. The effort may become counter- productive with diminished returns for both lives.

Dr. N: Well, I see that you are helping people in both your lives today, but have you ever lived contrasting lives where you did poorly in one life and better in another at the same time?

S: Yes, although that was a long time ago on Earth. This is one of the advantages of life combinations. One life can offset the other. Still, doing this can be rough going.

Dr. N: Then why do the guides permit parallel lives?

S: (scowling at me) Souls are not in a rigid bureaucratic environment. We are allowed to make mistakes in judgement and learn from them.

Dr. N: I have the impression you think the average soul is better off living one life at a time.

S: I would say yes, in most instances, but there are other motivations to cause us to speed up incarnations.

Dr. N: Such as … ?

S: (amused) The rewards for bunching up lives can allow for more reflection out of incarnation.

Dr. N: You mean the rest periods between lives might last longer for us after concurrent lives?

S: (smiles) Sure, it takes longer to reflect on two lives than one.

Dr. N: Nenthum, I just have a couple more questions on the mechanics of soul- splitting. How do you see the manner in which you divide your soul energy into various parts?

S: We are … as particles … of energized units. We originated out of one unit. Dr. N: What was the original unit.

S: The maker.

Dr. N: Does each part of your soul remain intact, complete within itself? S: Yes, it does.

Dr. N: Do all parts of our soul energy go out of the spirit world when we incarnate?

S: Part of us never leaves, since we do not totally separate from the maker.

Dr. N: What does the part that remains in the spirit world do while we are on Earth in one or more bodies?

S: It is … more dormant … waiting to be rejoined to the rest of our energy.

Most of my colleagues who work with past life clients have listened to overlapping time chronologies from people living on Earth in two places at once. Occasionally, there are three or more parallel lives. Souls in almost any stage of development are capable of living multiple physical lives, but I really don’t see much of this in my cases.

Many people feel the idea of souls having the capacity to divide in the spirit world

and then attaching to two or more human bodies is against all their preconceptions of a singular, individualized spirit. I confess that I too felt uncomfortable the first time a client told me about having parallel lives. I can understand why some people find the concept of soul duality perplexing, especially when faced with the further proposition that one soul may even be capable of living in different dimensions during the same relative time. What we must appreciate is, if our souls are all part of one great oversoul energy force which divides, or extends itself to create our souls, then why shouldn’t the offspring of this intelligent soul energy have the same capacity to detach and then recombine?

Collecting information about spiritual activity from souls who are in the higher

stages of development is sometimes frustrating. This is because the complex nature of memory and knowledge at these levels can make it difficult to sift out what these people recognize and won’t tell me, from what they really don’t know. Case 22 was both knowledgeable and open to my questions. This case is compatible with other

accounts in my files about the diversity of soul training in the spirit world.

Dr. N: Nenthum, I want to turn now to your activities in the spirit world when you are not so busy with Earth incarnations, interacting in souls groups and learning to be a guide. Can you tell me of other spiritual areas in which you are occupied?

S: (long pause) Yes, there are other areas … I know of them Dr. N: How many?

S: (cautiously) I can think of four.

Dr. N: What would you call these areas of activity?

S: The World Without Ego, the World of All Knowing, the World of Creation and Non-creation, and the World of Altered Time.

Dr. N: Are they worlds which exist in our physical universe? S: One does, the rest are non-dimensional spheres of attention.

Dr. N: All right, let’s start with the non-dimensional spheres. Are these three areas in the spirit world for the use of souls?

S: Yes.

Dr. N: Why do you call all these spiritual areas worlds? S: I see them as … habitations for spiritual life.

Dr. N: So, three of them are mental worlds? S: Yes, that’s what they are.

Dr. N: What is the World Without Ego? S: It’s the place of learning to be.

Dr.  N:  I  have  heard  of  it,  expressed  in  different  ways.  Doesn’t  it  involve  the beginners?

S: Yes, the newly created soul is there to learn who they are. It’s the place of origin. Dr. N: Are the ego-identities passed out at random, or is there a choice for beginner

souls?

S: The new soul is not capable of choice. You acquire your character based upon the way your energy is … combined … put together for you.

Dr. N: Is there some sort of spiritual inventory of characteristics that are assigned to souls-so much of one type, so much of another?

S: (long pause) I think many factors are considered in the allocations of that which makes us who we are. What I do know is, once given, ego becomes a covenant between oneself and the givers.

Dr. N: What does that mean?

S: To do the best I can with who I am.

Dr. N: So, the purpose of this world is the distribution of soul identity by advanced beings?

S: Yes, the new soul is pure energy with no real Self yet. The World Without Ego provides you with a signature.

Dr. N: Then why do you call it the World Without Ego?

S: Because the newly created souls arrive with no ego. The idea of Self has not come into the new soul’s consciousness. It is here where the soul is offered meaning to its existence.

Dr. N: And does the creation of souls with personhood go on continually? S: As far as I know, yes.

Dr. N: I want you to answer this next question carefully for me. When you acquired your particular identity as a soul, did that automatically mean you were slated for Earth incarnations in human form?

S: Not specifically, no. Planets don’t last forever.

Dr. N: I wondered if certain types of souls have an affinity for specific forms of physical life in the universe?

S: (pause) I won’t argue against that.

Dr. N: In your beginnings, Nenthum, were you given the opportunity to choose other planetary hosts besides humans on Earth?

S: Ah … as a new soul … the guides assist in those selections. I was drawn to human beings.

Dr. N: Were you given other choices?

S: (long pause) Yes … but it’s not very clear at the moment. They usually start you on an easy world or two, without much to do. Then I was offered service on this severe planet.

Dr. N: Earth is considered severe?

S: Yes. On some worlds you must overcome physical discomforts-even suffering. Others lean toward mental contests. Earth has both.

We  get  kudos  for doing  well on  the  hard  worlds.  (smiling)  We  are  called  the

adventurous ones by those who don’t travel much. Dr. N: What really appeals to you about Earth?

S: The kinship humans have for each other while they struggle against one another

… competing and collaborating at the same time.

Dr. N: Isn’t that a contradiction?

S: (laughs) That’s what appeals to me-mediating quarrels of a fallible race which has so much pride and need of self-respect. The human brain is rather unique, you know.

Dr. N: How?

S: Humans are egocentric but vulnerable. They can make their character mean and yet have a great capacity for kindness. There is weak and courageous behavior on Earth. It’s always a push-me pull-you tug-of-war going on with human values. This diversity suits my soul.

Dr. N: What are some of the other things about human hosts which might appeal to the souls who are sent to Earth?

S: Hmm… those of us developing on Earth have … a sanction to help humans know of the infinite beyond their life and to assist them in expressing true benevolence through their passion. Having a passion to fight for life-that’s what is so worthwhile about humanity.

Dr. N: Humans also have a great capacity for malevolence.

S: That’s part of the passion. But it’s evolving too, and when humans experience trouble, they can be at their best and are … quite noble.

Dr. N: Perhaps it is the soul which fosters the positive characteristics you suggested?

S: We try to enhance what is already there.

Dr. N: Does any soul ever go back to the World Without Ego after they have once been there and acquired identity?

S: (uncomfortable) Yes … but I don’t want to get into that

Dr. N: Well, then we won’t, but I have been told some souls do return if their conduct during physical assignments is consistently irregular. I have the impression they are considered defective and are returned to the factory for a kind of spiritual prefrontal lobotomy?

S: (subject shakes his head with annoyance) I am offended by that description. Where did you get such a notion? Those souls who have developed severe obstacles to improvement are mended by the restoration of positive energy.

Dr. N: Is this procedure just for Earth souls?

S: No, young souls from everywhere may require restoration as a last resort.

Dr. N: Are these restored spirits then allowed to return to their respective groups and eventually go back to incarnating on physical worlds?

S: (sighs deeply) Yes.

Dr. N: How would you compare the World Without Ego to the World of  All Knowing?

S: They are opposites. This world is not for young souls. Dr. N: Have you been to the World of All Knowing?

S: No, I’m not ready. I am only aware of it as a place we strive for. Dr. N: What do you know about this spiritual area?

S: (long pause) It is a place of  contemplation … the ultimate mental world of planning and design. I can tell you little about this sphere except it is the final destination of all thought. The senses of all living things are coordinated here.

Dr. N: Then the World of All Knowing is abstract in the highest form?

S: Yes, it’s about blending content with form-the rational with ideals. It is a dimension where the realization of all our hopes and dreams is possible.

Dr. N: Well, if you can’t go there yet, how come you know about it?

S: We get … glimpses … as an incentive to encourage us to make that final effort to finish our work and join the masters.

The foundation of the spirit world is a place of knowing and has been alluded to under different names by clients. I am given only bare references to this universal absolute, because even my advanced subjects have no direct experience there. All souls are anxious to reach and be absorbed by this nucleus, especially as they draw closer and are enticed by what little they can see. I’m afraid the World of All Knowing can only be fully understood by a non-reincarnating soul above Level V.

Dr. N: If the World Without Ego and the World of All Knowing are at opposite ends of a soul’s experience, then where does the World of Altered Time fall?

S: This sphere is available to all souls because it represents their own physical world. In my case, it is Earth.

Dr. N: Oh, this must be the physical dimension you told me about? S: No, the sphere of Earth is only simulated for my use.

Dr. N: Then all souls in the spirit world wouldn’t study the same simulated world?

S: No, each of us studies our own geographical planet, where we incarnate. They are physically real … temporarily.

Dr. N: And you don’t physically live on this simulated world which appears as Earth-you only use it?

S: Yes, that’s right-for training purposes.

Dr. N: Why do you call this third sphere the World of Altered Time? S: Because we can change time sequences to study specific events.  Dr. N: What is the basic purpose of doing this?

S: To improve my decisions for life. This study makes me more discriminating and prepares me for the World of All Knowing.

Note: Subjects frequently use the term “world” to describe non-physical spatial work areas. These regions can be tiny or indescribably large in relation to the soul and may involve different dimensions.  I believe there are separate realities  for different learning experiences outside the restrictions of time. The coexistence of past, present, and future time in spiritual settings suggested by this case will be

explored further in the next two chapters with Cases 23 and 25.

Dr. N: We haven’t talked about the World of Creation and Non-creation. This must be the three-dimensional physical world you spoke of earlier.

S: Yes, and we enjoy using it as well.

Dr. N: Is this world intended for the use of all souls?

S: No, it is not. I’m just starting to apply myself there. I am considered a newcomer. Dr. N: Well, before we get into that, I want to ask if this physical world is the same

as Earth.

S: No, it is a little different. It’s larger and somewhat colder. There is less water- fewer oceans, but similar.

Dr. N: Is this planet further from its sun than Earth is from our sun? S: Yes.

Dr. N: If I could call this physical world Earth II, since it seems to be geographically similar to the Earth we know, would it be near Earth I in the sky?

S: No.

Dr. N: Where is Earth II in relation to Earth I? S: (pause) I can’t tell you.

Dr. N: Is Earth II in our Milky Way galaxy? S: (long pause) No, I think it’s further away.

Dr. N: Could I see the galaxy Earth II is located in with a telescope from my backyard?

S: I… would think so.

Dr. N: Would you say the galaxy containing this physical world is shaped like a spiral as our galaxy, or is it elliptical? How would it look in a telescope from a long way off?

S: … as a great extended … chain … (with a troubled expression) I can’t tell you more.

Note: As an amateur stargazer who uses a large reflector telescope designed for deep sky objects, I am always inquisitive when a session takes an

astronomical turn. Client responses to these kinds of questions usually fall short of my expectations. I am never sure if this is due to blocking by guides or the subject’s

lack of a physical frame of reference between Earth and the rest of our universe.

Dr. N: (I throw out a leading question) I suppose you go to Earth II to reincarnate with some sort of intelligent being?

S: (loudly) No! That’s just what we don’t want to do there. Dr. N: When do you go to Earth II?

S: Between my lives on this Earth. Dr. N: Why do you go to Earth II?

S: We go there to create and just enjoy ourselves as free spirits. Dr. N: And you don’t bother the inhabitants of Earth II?

S: (enthusiastically) There are no people … it’s so peaceful … we roam among the forests, the deserts, and over oceans with no responsibilities.

Dr. N: What is the highest form of life on Earth II?

S: (evasive) Oh … small animals … without much intelligence. Dr. N:  Do animals have souls?

S: Yes, all living things do-but they have very simple fragments of mind energy.

Dr. N: Has your soul, and that of your friends, evolved from using lower forms of physical life on Earth I after your creation?

S: We don’t know for sure, but none of us thinks so. Dr. N: Why not?

S: Because intelligent energy is arranged by … a precedence of life. Plants, insects, reptiles-each is in a family of souls.

Dr. N: And all categories of living things are separated from each other? S: No. The maker’s energy joins the units of every living thing in existence.

Dr. N: Are you involved with this element of creation? S: (startled) Oh, no!

Dr. N: Well, who is selected to visit Earth II?

S: Those of us who are connected with Earth come here. This is a vacation spot compared to Earth.

Dr. N: Why?

S: There is no fighting, bickering, or striving for supremacy. There is a pristine atmosphere and all life is … quiet. This place gives us an incentive to return to Earth and make it more peaceful, too.

Dr. N: Well, I do see how this Garden of Eden would allow you to rest and be carefree, but you also said you come here to create.

S: Yes, we do.

Dr. N: It is no accident then that souls from Earth come to a world that is so similar geographically?

S: That’s right.

Dr.  N:  Do  other  souls,  who  are  not  earthbound,  go  to  physical  worlds  which resemble those planets where they incarnate?

S: Yes … younger worlds with simpler organisms … to learn to create without any intelligent life around.

Dr. N: Go on.

S: We can experiment with creation and see it developing here. It’s as if you were in a lab where you can form physical things from your energy.

Dr. N: Do these physical things resemble what you might see on Earth I? S: Yes, only on Earth. That’s why I am here.

Dr. N: Start with your arrival on Earth II and explain to me what your soul does first.

S: (balks at my question and then finally says) I’m … not very good.

Note:  Since  this  subject  is  experiencing  resistance,  I  take  a  few  minutes  for

reconditioning and end with the following: “On the count of three you will feel more relaxed about telling me what you and Idis consider appropriate for my knowledge. One, two, three!” I repeat my question.

S: I look to see what I am supposed to make on the ground in front of me. Then I

mold the object in my mind and try and create the same thing with small doses of energy. The teachers assist us with … control. I’m supposed to see my mistakes and make corrections.

Dr. N: Who are the teachers?

S: Idis and Mulcafgil (subject’s highly advanced guide) …  and there are  other instructors around … I don’t know them very well.

Dr. N: Try to be as clear as possible. What exactly are you doing? S: We… form things…

Dr. N: Living things?

S: I’m not ready for that yet. I experiment with the basic elements-you know, hydrogen and oxygen-to create planetary substance … rocks, air, water … keeping everything very small.

Dr. N: Do you actually create the basic elements of our universe? S: No, I just use the elements available.

Dr. N: In what way?

S: I take the basic elements and charge them with impulses from my energy … and they can change.

Dr. N: Change into what?

S: (simply) I’m good with rocks …

Dr. N: How do you form rocks with your energy?

S: Oh … by learning to heat and cool … dust … to make it hard. Dr. N: Do you make the minerals in the dust?

S: They do that for you … the teachers give us that stuff … gas vapors for water making … and so on …

Dr. N: I want to understand this clearly. Your work consists of learning to create by

causing heat, pressure, and cooling from your energy flow?

S: That’s about right-by alternating our currents of energy radiation.

Dr. N: So, you don’t actually produce the substance of rock and water in some chemical way?

S: No, like I told you, my job is to transform things by … mixing what I am given. I play with the frequency and dosages of my energy-it’s tricky, but not too complicated …

Dr. N: Not complicated! I thought nature did those things? S: (laughs) Who do you think nature is?

Dr.  N:  Well,  who  creates  the  basic  elements  of  your  experiments-the  primary substances of physical matter?

S: The maker … and those creating on a grander scale than me.

Dr. N: Well, in a sense you are creating inanimate objects such as rocks.

S: Hmm… it’s more our trying to copy what we see in front of us what we know. (as an afterthought) I’m getting into plants but I can’t do them yet.

Dr. N: And you start small, experimenting until you get better?

S: That’s it. We copy things and compare them against the original so we can make larger models.

Dr. N: This all sounds like souls playing as children in a sandbox with toys.

S: (smiles) We are children. Directing an energy flow resembles the sculpturing of clay.

Dr. N: Are the other members of this creative training class from your original cluster group?

S:  Some  are.  Most  come  from  all  over  (the  spirit  world),  but  they  have  all incarnated on Earth.

Dr. N: Does everyone make the same things as you do?

S: Well, of course, some of us are better with certain things, but we help each other. The teachers come around and give us tips and advice on how to improve … but … (stops)

Dr. N: But, what?

S: (sheepishly) If I am clumsy and do a bad job, I disassemble some creations without showing them to Idis.

Dr. N: Give me an example.

S:  Plants  …  I  don’t  apply  my  energy  delicately  enough  to  produce  the  proper chemical conversions.

Dr. N: You are not good with the formation of plant life? S: No, so I undo my abominations.

Dr. N: Is this what you mean by uncreation? You can destroy energy?

S:  Energy  can’t  be  destroyed.  We  reassemble  it  and  start  over using  different combinations.

Dr. N: I don’t see why the creator needs your help in creating.

S: For our benefit. We participate in these exercises so that when our work is judged to be of quality, hopefully we can make real contributions to life.

Dr. N: If we are all working up the ladder of development as souls, Nenthum, I am left with the impression the spirit world is one huge organizational pyramid with a supreme authority of power at the top.

S: (sighs) No, you are wrong. It is not a pyramid. We are all threads in the same long piece of fabric. We are all woven into it.

Dr.  N:  It’s  hard  for  me  to  visualize  fabric  when  there  are  so  many  levels  of competency for souls.

S: Think of it as a moving continuum rather than souls being in brackets of highs and lows.

Dr. N: I always think of souls moving up in their existence. S: I know you do, but consider us moving across

Dr. N: Give me something I can picture in my mind.

S: It’s as if we are all part of a universal train on a flat track of existence. Most of the souls on Earth are in one car moving along the track.

Dr. N: Are all other souls in different cars? S: Yes, but all on the same track.

Dr. N: Where are the conductors such as Idis?

S: They move back and forth between the connected cars, but sit closer to the engine.

Dr. N: Where is the engine?

S: The maker? Up front, naturally.

Dr. N: Can you see the engine from your car?

S: (laughs at me) No, but I can smell the smoke. I can feel the engine rumbling along and I can hear the motor.

Dr. N: It would be nice if all of us were closer to the engine. S: Ultimately, we will be.

I have found it is not necessary for souls to go to physical worlds when they begin using their energy in life creation training. Apparently, these exercises begin in group settings where souls find it easier to pool their energy with each other and their instructor. A subject explained the process this way. “When I started, my group formed a circle around Senwa (guide). Collectively, we had to practice so hard to harmonize our thoughts and fine-tune our ability to all focus on one thing with the same intensity. One time we were working on a tree leaf after Senwa demonstrated how it should appear in front of us. As we directed our beams of energy for texture, color, and shape we kept messing up. We weren’t unified, so a small part of the leaf did not have the proper veining and pigmentation. I am very serious and kind of a perfectionist in my studies, but Nemi (the group jokester) was deliberately alternating his energy the wrong way to screw up the experiment for laughs and because he was tired of the lesson. We finally got him to behave and completed the assignment.”

From what I am able to determine, souls are expected to individually work with the

forces of creation by the time they are solidly established in Level III. Exposure to plant photosynthesis takes place before student souls work up the organic scale of life. I am told that early creation training consists of souls learning relationships between substances to develop the ability of unifying their energy with different values in the elements. The formation of inanimate to animate objects from the simple to the complex is a long, slow process. Students are encouraged to create miniature planetary microhabitats for a given set of organisms which can adapt to certain environmental conditions. With practice comes improvement, but not until

they approach Level V do my clients begin to feel they might actually contribute to the development of living things. We will hear more about this with Case 23.

Some souls seem to have a natural gift for working with energy in their creation classes. My cases indicate ability in creation assignments does not mean a soul is at

the same level of advancement in all other areas of the spiritual curricula. A soul may be a good technician in harnessing the forces of creation, but lack the subtle

techniques of a competent guide. Perhaps this is why I have been given the impression that the highly advanced soul is allowed to specialize.

In the previous chapter, I explained some benefits of soul solitude and the last case gave us another example. Spiritual experience is not easily translated into human

language. Case 22 talks about the World of Altered Time as a means of transient planetary study. To someone in trance, it is the timeless mental world that is true

reality while all else is an illusion created for various benefits. Other subjects at about  the  same  level call this  sphere  “the  space  of  transformation”  or  simply

“rooms of recreation.” Here, I’m told, souls are able to meld their energy into animate and inanimate objects created for learning and pleasure. One subject said

to me, “I think of what I want and it happens. I know I’m being assisted. We can be anything familiar to our past experiences.

For instance, souls can become rocks to capture the essence of density, trees for serenity, water for a flowing cohesiveness, butterflies for freedom and beauty and

whales for power and immensity. People deny these actions represent former earthly transmigrations. I have also learned souls may become amorphous without

substance or texture and totally integrate into a particular feeling, such as compassion, to sharpen their sensitivity.

Some subjects tell of being mystical spirits of nature including figures I associate with folklore, such as elves, giants and mermaids. Personal contact with strange

mythological beasts are mentioned as well. Theses accounts are so vivid it is hard for me to simply label them as metaphoric. Are the old folk tales of many races pure

superstition, or manifestations of shared soul experience? I have the sense that many of our legends are the sympathetic memories of souls carried from other

places to Earth long ago.

11

The Advanced Soul

PEOPLE who possess souls which are both old and highly advanced are scarce. Although I haven’t had the opportunity to regress many Blues in Level V, they are always stimulating to work with because of their comprehension and far-reaching spiritual consciousness. The fact is, a person whose maturity is this high doesn’t seek out a regression therapist to resolve life-plan conflicts. In most cases, Level V’s are here as incarnated guides. Having mastered the fundamental issues most of us wrestle with daily, the advanced soul is more interested in making small refinements toward specific tasks.

We may recognize them when they appear as public figures, such as a Mother

Teresa; however, it is more usual for the advanced soul to go about their good works in a quiet, unassuming manner. Without displaying self-indulgence, their fulfillment

comes from improving the lives of other people. They focus less on institutional matters and more on enhancing individual human values. Nevertheless, Level V’s are also practical, and so they are likely to be found working in a cultural mainstream which allows them to influence people and events.

I have been asked if most people who are sensitive, aesthetic, and particularly right- brained have advanced souls since individuals with these characteristics often appear to be at odds with the wrongs of an imperfect world. I see no correlation here. Being emotional, appreciating beauty, or having extrasensory impressions- including psychic talent-does not necessarily denote an advanced soul.

The mark of an advanced spirit is one who has patience with society and shows extraordinary coping skills. Most prominent is their exceptional insight. This is not to say life has no karmic pitfalls for them, otherwise the Level V probably wouldn’t be here at all. They may be found in all walks of life, but are frequently in the helping professions or combating social injustice in some fashion. The advanced soul radiates composure, kindness, and understanding toward others. Not being motivated by self-interest, they may disregard their own physical needs and live in reduced circumstances.

The individual I have chosen to represent the Level V soul is a woman in her mid- thirties who works for a large medical treatment facility specializing in chemical substance abuse. I was introduced to this woman by a colleague who told me of her skill in guiding recovering drug addicts into an improved state of self-awareness.

At our first meeting, I was struck by the woman’s expression of serenity while surrounded by chaotic emergencies at her place of employment. She was tall and excessively thin, with flaming red hair which stuck out in all directions. Although warm and friendly, there was about her an air of impenetrability. Her clear, luminous gray eyes were those of one who sees small things unnoticed by ordinary folk. I felt she was looking into rather than at me.

My colleague suggested the three of us have lunch because this woman was interested in my studies of the spirit world. She told me that she had never been hypnotically regressed but there was the sense of a long spiritual genealogy through her own meditations. She thought our meeting was no accident on her own learning path and we came to an agreement to explore her spiritual knowledge. A few weeks later she arrived at my office. Clearly, this woman had no compelling desire for a long chronology of past life history. I decided to get a brief sketch of her earliest lives on Earth to use as a springboard into superconscious memories. She rapidly entered into a deep trance and made instant contact with her inner self.

Almost at once, I found this woman’s span of incarnations staggering, going far

back into the distant past of human life on Earth. Touching on her earliest memories, I came to the conclusion her first lives occurred at the beginning of the last warm interglacial period which lasted from 130,000 to 70,000 years ago, before the last great Ice Age spread over the planet. During the warmer climate of the middle Paleolithic period of Earth’s history, my subject described living in moist, sub-tropical savannas near hunting, fishing, and plant-gathering areas. Later, some 50,000 years ago, when continental sheets of ice had again changed Earth’s climate, she spoke of living in caves and enduring bitter cold.

Leaping rapidly over large blocks of time, I found her physical appearance changing from a slightly bent to a more erect posture. As we moved forward in time, I directed her to look into pools of water and feel her body while reporting back to me. Her sloping forehead became more vertical over thousands of years in different bodies. Supraorbital ridges above the eyes grew less pronounced as did body hair and the massive jaws of archaic man. In her many lives as both men and women, I was given enough information on habitat, the use of fire, tools, clothes, food, and ritualistic tribal practices for rough anthropological dating.

Paleontologists have estimated Homo erectus, an ape-like ancestor of modern humans, appeared at least 1.7 million years ago. Have souls been incarnating on Earth for this long, utilizing the bodies of these primitive bipeds we call hominids? A few of my more advanced clients declare that highly advanced souls who specialize in seeking out suitable hosts for young souls, evaluated life on Earth for over a million years. My impression is these examiner souls found the early hominid brain cavity and restricted voice box to be inadequate for soul development earlier than some 200,000 years ago.

Archaic Homo sapiens, whom we call humans, evolved several hundred thousand years ago. Within the last 100,000 years, we find two clear signs of spiritual consciousness and communication. These are burial practices and ritualistic art, as found in carved totems and rock drawings. There is no anthropological evidence that these practices existed on Earth before Neanderthal peoples. Souls eventually made us human, not the reverse.

One of my advanced subjects remarked, “Souls have seeded the Earth in different cycles.” A composite of information collected from a wide range of clients suggests to me that the land masses we know today deviate from earlier continents, drowned, perhaps, by cataclysmic volcanic or magnetic upheavals. For instance, the Azores in the Atlantic Ocean have been said to represent the tops of mountains of the submerged continent of Atlantis. Indeed, I have had subjects discuss being in ancient lands on Earth that I cannot identify with modern geography.

Thus, it is possible souls existed in bodies more advanced than Homo erectus, who died out about a quarter of a million years ago, with the fossilized evidence hidden from us today by geological change. However, this hypothesis means the physical evolution of humans was an up, down, up affair, which I think is unlikely.

I now moved my subject into an African life around 9,000 years ago, which she said was an important milestone in her advancement. This was the last life she was to spend with her guide, Kumara. Kumara was an advanced soul herself at the time of this life, counseling a benevolent tribal chief as his influential wife. I tentatively located their land as the highlands of Ethiopia. Apparently, my subject had known Kumara in a number of earlier lives covering thousands of years during Kumara’s final incarnations on Earth. Their association in human form ended when my subject died, saving Kumara’s life on a river boat, by throwing herself in front of an enemy spear.

Full of love, Kumara still appears to this subject as a large woman, with skin of

polished mahogany and a shock of white hair crowned by a headdress of feathers. She is practically nude, except for a strip of animal hide around her ample middle.

On Kumara’s neck hangs a garish bunch of multi-colored stones, which she sometimes jiggles in my subject’s ear to get her attention during dreams in the middle of the night.

Kumara teaches by a technique of flashing symbolistic memories of prior lessons

already learned in past lives. Old solutions to problems are mixed with new hypothetical choices in the form of metaphoric picture puzzles. By these means, Kumara tests her student’s considerable storehouse of knowledge during meditations and dreams.

I glanced at my watch. There was no more time for background information if I was going to allow for exploration of this woman’s after life experiences. Rapidly I took her into superconsciousness, anticipating some interesting spiritual disclosures. She would not disappoint me.

Case 23

Dr. N: What is your spiritual name?

S: Thece.

Dr. N: And your spiritual guide kept her African name of Kumara? S: For me, yes.

Dr. N: What do you look like in the spirit world? S: A glowing fragment of light.

Dr. N: What exactly is the color of your energy? S: Sky-blue.

Dr. N: Does your light have flecks of another color in it? S: (pause) Some gold … not much.

Dr. N: How about Kumara’s energy color? S: It’s violet.

Dr. N: How does light and color identify the quality of a soul’s spiritual attainment? S: The intensity of mental power increases with the darker phases of light.

Dr. N: Where does the highest intensity of intelligent light energy originate from?

S: The knowledge by which the energy of darker light is extended to us comes from

the source. Our light is attached to the source. Dr. N: When you say source-you mean God? S: That word has been misused.

Dr. N: How?

S: By too much personalizing, which makes the source less than it is. Dr. N: What’s wrong with us doing that?

S: It takes the liberty of making the source too … human, although we are all part of its oneness.

Dr. N: Thece, I want you to reflect on the source as we talk about other aspects of soul life and the spirit world. Later, I will ask you more about this oneness. Now, let’s go back to the energy manifestations of souls. Why do spirits display two black glowing cavities for eyes when not showing their human forms? It seems so spooky to me.

S: (laughs and is more relaxed) That’s how Earth’s legends of ghosts came about- from these memories. Our energy mass is not  uniform. The eyes you speak of represent a more concentrated intensity of thought.

Dr. N: Well, if the myths about ghosts are not so fanciful after all, then these black eye sockets must be useful extensions of their energy.

S: Rather than eyes … they are windows to old bodies … and all the physical extensions of former selves. This blackness is a … concentration of our presence. We communicate by absorbing the energy presence of each other.

Dr. N: When you return to the spirit world, do you have energy contact with other souls who may look like ghosts?

S: Yes, and appearance is a matter of individual preference. Of course there is always a multitude of thought waves around me-mingling with my returning energy, but I avoid too much contact.

Dr. N: Why?

S: It is not necessary for me to make attachments here. I will be alone for a while to contemplate and sort out any mistakes from my last incarnation, before talking to Kumara.

Note: This statement is typical of advanced souls returning to the spirit world,

mentioned earlier in Case 9. However, this soul is so advanced she will have no deliberations with her guide until much later, and upon her request.

Dr.  N:  Perhaps  we  should  talk  about  older  souls  for  a  minute.  Does  Kumara incarnate on Earth any more?

S: No, she doesn’t.

Dr. N: Do you know others like Kumara who were here during the early times on Earth and don’t come back any more?

S: (cautiously) A few… yes… many got on Earth early and got off before I came. Dr. N: Did any stay?

S: What do you mean?

Dr. N: Advanced souls who keep coming back to life on Earth when they could stay in the spirit world.

S: Oh, you mean the Sages?

Dr. N: Yes, the Sages-tell me about them. (this is a new term for me, but I often pretend to know more than I do with advanced souls to elicit information)

S: (with admiration) They are the true watchers of Earth, you know to be here and keep watch over what is going on.

Dr. N: As highly advanced souls who continue to incarnate? S: Yes.

Dr. N: Don’t the Sages get tired of still hanging around Earth?

S: They choose to stay and help people directly because they are dedicated to Earth. Dr. N: Where are these Sages?

S: (wistfully) They live simple lives. I first came to know some of them thousands of years ago. Today it’s hard to see them … they don’t like cities much.

Dr. N: Are there many of them?

S: No, they live in small communities, or out in the open … in the deserts and mountains … in simple dwellings. They wander about, too …

Dr. N: How does one recognize them?

S: (sighs) Most people don’t. They were known as the oracles of truth in earlier times on Earth.

Dr. N: I know this sounds pragmatic, but wouldn’t these old, highly developed souls be more useful helping humankind in positions of international leadership rather than being hermits?

S: Who said they were hermits? They prefer to be with the common people who are most affected by the movers and shakers.

Dr. N: What is the feeling one gets when meeting a Sage on Earth?

S: Ah… you feel a special presence. Their power of understanding and the advice they give you is so wise. They do live simply. Material things mean nothing to them.

Dr. N: Are you interested in this sort of service, Thece?

S: Hmm … no, they are saints. I welcome the time when I can stop incarnating.

Dr. N: Perhaps the word Sage could also be applied to souls like Kumara, or even with the entities to whom she turns for knowledge?

S: (pause) No, they are different … they are beyond the Sages. We call them the Old Ones.

Note: I would place these beings beyond Level VI.

Dr. N: Are there many Old Ones working with souls at Kumara’s level and above? S: I don’t think so… compared to the rest of us … but we feel their influence.

Dr. N: What do you feel in their presence?

S: (pensive) A… concentrated power of enlightenment… and guidance … Dr. N: Could the Old Ones be embodiments of the source itself?

S: It is not for me to say, but I don’t think so yet. They must be close to the source. The Old Ones represent the purest elements of thought … engaging in the planning and arranging of … substances.

Dr. N: Could you clarify a bit more what you mean by these highly placed souls being close to the source?

S: (vaguely) Only that they must be close to conjunction.

Dr. N: Does Kumara ever talk about these entities who help her? S: To me-only a little. She aspires to be of them, as we all do.

Dr. N: Is she getting close to the Old Ones in knowledge?

S: (faintly) She … approaches, as I approach her. It is slow assimilating with the source, because we are not complete.

Once the duties of a guide are fully established for the advancing soul, it is necessary for these entities to juggle two balls. Besides completing their own unfinished business with continued (though less frequent) incarnations, they must also help others while in a discarnated state. Thece talks to me about this aspect of her soul life.

Dr. N: When you are back in the spirit world and come out of your self-imposed isolation, what do you ordinarily do then?

S: I join with members of my company.

Dr. N: How many souls are in your company? S: Nine.

Dr. N: (jumping to the next conclusion too quickly) Oh, so the ten of you are a group of souls under the leadership of Kumara?

S: No, they are my responsibility.

Dr. N: Then, these nine entities are students whom you teach? S: you could say that

Dr. N: And they are all in one group (cluster)  which, I assume, is your company? S: No, my company is made up of two different groups.

Dr. N: Why is that?

S: They are in … different progressions (levels).

Dr. N: And yet, you are the spiritual teacher for all nine?

S: I prefer to call myself a watcher. Three of my company are also watchers.

Dr. N: Well, who are the other six?

S: (matter-of-factly) People who don’t watch.

Dr. N: I want to clarify this using my terms, if you will, Thece If you are a senior watcher, three of your company must be what I would call junior guides?

S: Yes, but the words senior and junior-that portrays us as authoritarian, which we are not!

Dr. N: My intention is not to denote rank, for me it is just an easy identification of responsibility. Consider the word senior as meaning an advanced teacher. I would call Kumara a master teacher or possibly an educational director.

S: (shrugs) That’s okay, I suppose, as long as director doesn’t mean dictator.

Dr. N: it doesn’t. Now, Thece, cast your mind to a place where you can see the energy colors of all your company. What do the six souls who are not watchers look like?

S: (smiles) Dirty snowballs!

Dr. N: If they are white in tone, what about the rest? S: (pause) Well … two are rather yellowish.

Dr. N: We are one short. What about the ninth member? S: That’s An-ras. He is doing quite well.

Dr. N: Describe his energy color.

S: He is … turning bluish … an excellent watcher … he will be leaving me soon

Dr. N: Let’s go to the opposite end of your company. What member are you most concerned about and why?

S: Ojanowin. She has the conviction from many lives that love and trust only bring hurt. (musing) She has fine qualities which I want to bring out but this attitude is holding her back.

Dr. N: Ojanowin is developing more slowly than the rest?

S: (protectively) Don’t misunderstand, I am proud of her effort. She has great sensitivity and integrity, which I like. She just requires more of my attention.

Dr. N: As a watcher-teacher, what is the one quality which An-ras has acquired which you want to see in Ojanowin?

S: (no hesitation) Adaptability to change.

Dr. N: I am curious if the nine members of your company advance in a rather uniform way together under your teaching.

S: That’s totally unrealistic. Dr. N: Why?

S: Because there are differences in character and integrity.

Dr. N: Well, if learning rates are different between souls because of character and integrity, how does this equate with the mental capabilities of the human brain a soul selects?

S: It doesn’t. I was speaking of motivation. On Earth we use many variations of the physical brain in the course of our expansion. However, each soul is driven by its integrity.

Dr. N: Is this what you mean by a soul having character? S: Yes, and intensity of desire is part of character.

Dr. N: If character is the identity of a soul, where does desire come in?

S: The drive to excel is internal to each soul, but this too can fluctuate between lives. Dr. N: So where does a soul’s integrity fit into this?

S: The extension of desire. Integrity is the desire to be honest about Self and motives to such an extent that full awareness of the path to the source is possible.

Dr. N: If all basic intelligent energy is the same, why are souls different in their character and integrity?

S: Because their experiences with physical life change them and this is intentional. By that change new ingredients are added to the collective intelligence of every soul.

Dr. N: And this is what incarnation on Earth is all about?

S: Incarnation is an important tool, yes. Some souls are driven more than others to expand and achieve their potential, but all of us will do so in the end. Being in many

physical bodies and different settings expands the nature of our real self.

Dr. N: And this sort of self-actualization of the soul identity is the purpose of life on our world?

S: On any world.

Dr. N: Well, if each soul is preoccupied with Self, doesn’t this explain why we have a world of self-centered people?

S: No, you misinterpret. Fulfillment is not cultivating Self for selfish means, but allowing for integration with others in life. That also shows character and integrity. This is ethical conduct.

Dr. N: Does Ojanowin have less honesty than An-ras? S: (pause) I’m afraid she does engage in self-deception.

Dr. N: I wonder how you can function effectively as a spiritual guide for the nine members of your company and still incarnate on Earth to finish your own lessons.

S: It used to affect my concentration to some extent, but now there is no conflict. Dr. N: Do you have to separate your soul energy to accomplish this?

S: Yes, this capacity (of souls) allows for the management of both. Being on Earth also permits me to directly assist a member of my company and help myself at the same time.

Dr. N: The idea that souls can divide themselves is not an easy thing for me to conceptualize.

S: Your use of the term divide is not quite accurate. Every part of us is still whole. I’m only saying it does take some getting used to at first, since you manage more than one program at a time.

Dr. N: So your effectiveness as a teacher is not diminished by having multiple activities?

S: Not in the least.

Dr. N: Would you consider the major thrust of your instruction to be on Earth with your human body or in the spirit world as a free entity?

S: They are two different settings. My instruction is diversified but no less effective.

Dr. N: But your approach to a company member would be different depending upon the setting?

S: Yes, it would.

Dr. N: Wouldn’t you say the spirit world is the main center for learning? S: It is the center for evaluation and analysis, but souls do rest.

Dr. N: When your students are living on Earth, do they know you are their guide and are with them always?

S: (laughs) Some more than others, but they all sense my influence at one time or another.

Dr. N: Thece, you are on Earth with me right now as a woman. Are you also able to be in contact with members of your company?

S: I told you, yes.

Dr. N: What I am getting at is this-isn’t teaching by example difficult when your Earth visits are rather infrequent these days?

S: If I came too often and worked with them directly as one human being to another I would be interfering with their natural unfolding.

Dr. N: Do you have the same reservations about interference as a teacher operating from the spirit world in a discarnate state?

S: Yes, I do … although the techniques are different. Dr. N: For mental contact?

S: Yes.

Dr. N: I would like to know more about the ability of spiritual teachers to contact their students. What exactly do you do from the spirit world to comfort or advise one of the nine company members on Earth?

S: (no answer).

Dr. N: (coaxing her) Do you know what I am asking? How do you implant ideas? S: (finally) I’m unable to tell you.

Note: I suspect blocking here, but I can’t complain. So far, Thece has been liberal

with information and so has her guide. I decide to stop the session for a minute to appeal directly to Kumara. It is a speech I have given before.

Dr. N: Kumara, permit me to reason with you through Thece. My work here is intended for good. By questioning your disciple, I wish to add to my knowledge of healing and bring people closer to the higher creative power available within themselves. My larger mission is to combat the fear of death by offering people understanding about the nature of their souls and their spiritual home. Will you aid me in this endeavor?

S: (Thece answers me in an odd tone of voice) We know who you are. Dr. N: Then would you both assist me?

S: We will talk to you … at our discretion.

Note: This tells me if I exceed the undefined boundaries of these two guides with an intrusive question, it won’t be answered.

Dr. N: All right, Thece, on the count of three you will feel more comfortable talking to me about how souls function as guides. Begin  by telling me in  what way a company member on Earth can signal to get your attention. One, two, three! (I snap my fingers for added effect)

S: (after a long pause) First, they have to calm their minds and focus attention away from their immediate surroundings.

Dr. N: How would they do this?

S: By silence … reaching inward … to fasten on their inner voice. Dr. N: Is this how one calls for spiritual help?

S: Yes, at least to me. They must expand upon their inner consciousness to engage me on a central thought.

Dr. N: On you, or the specific problem which is bothering them?

S: They must reach out beyond what is troubling them in order to be receptive to me. That’s difficult when they don’t remain calm.

Dr. N: Do all nine company members have about the same abilities to reach you for help?

S: No, they don’t.

Dr. N: Perhaps Ojanowin has the most problems? S: Mmm, she is one of those that does…

Dr. N: Why?

S: For me, getting the signals is easy. It’s harder for people on Earth. The energy of directed thought must override human emotion.

Dr. N: Within a spirit world framework, how do you pick up the messages of just your company out of billions of souls who are sending out distress signals to other guides?

S: I know instantly. All watchers do because people send out their own individual patterns of thought.

Dr. N: Like a vibrational code in a field of thought particles?

S: (laughing) You could describe an energy pattern that way, I guess.

Dr. N: Okay, then how would you reach back to someone in need of guidance? S: (grins) By whispering answers into their ear!

Dr. N: (lightly) Is that what a friendly spirit does with a troubled mind on Earth? S: It depends

Dr. N: On what? Are teacher-spirits rather indifferent with the day-to-day problems of humans?

S: Not indifferent, or we wouldn’t communicate. We gauge each situation. We know life is transitory. We are more … detached because without human bodies we are unencumbered by the immediacy of human emotion.

Dr. N: But when the situation does call for spiritual guidance, what do you do?

S: (gravely) As watchers in the stillness, we recognize the amount of turbulence … from the wake of troubled thought. Then we carefully merge with it and gently touch the mind.

Dr. N: Please describe this connection process further.

S: (pause) It’s a slip-stream of thought which is usually turbulent rather than smooth, from someone in distress. I was awkward at first and I still don’t have Kumara’s skill. One must enter with subtlety … to wait for the best receptivity.

Dr. N: How can a watcher be awkward, you have had thousands of years of experience?

S: Communicators are not all the same. Watchers too have a variety of abilities. If one of my company is in crisis-physically hurt, sad, anxious, resentful-they send out great amounts of uncontrolled negative energy which alerts me, but exhausts them. This is the challenge of a watcher, to know when and how to communicate. When people want immediate relief, they may not be in the proper mode for reflection.

Dr. N: Well, in terms of abilities, can you tell me how you were awkward as an inexperienced guide?

S: I wanted to rush in too fast to help without coordinating the patterns of thought we talked about. People can go numb. You don’t get through to them when they have intense grief, for example. You are shut out of a cluttered mind when attentions are distracted and thought energy is scattered all about.

Dr. N: Do the nine members of your company sense your intrusion into their minds following a cry to you for help?

S: Watchers are not supposed to intrude. It’s more of a … soft coupling. I implant ideas-which they assume is inspiration-to try and give them peace.

Dr. N: What single thing do you have the most problem with during communications with people on Earth?

S: Fear.

Dr. N: Would you enlarge on that?

S: I have to be careful not to spoil my people by making life too easy for them … to let them work out most of their difficulties without jumping right in. They only suffer more if a watcher moves in too quickly before this is done. Kumara is an expert at this …

Dr. N: Is she ultimately responsible for you and your company? S: Well yes, we are all under her influence.

Dr. N: Do you ever see any of your own peer members around? I’m thinking of associates at your level of attainment with whom you can confer about teaching methods.

S: Oh, you mean with those I grew up with here?

Dr. N: Yes.

S: Yes … three in particular.

Dr. N: And do they lead company groups themselves? S: Yes.

Dr. N: Are these more advanced souls responsible for about the same number of souls as you?

S: Uh…. yes, except Wa-roo. His company is more than double my own. He is good. Another company is being added to his work load.

Dr. N: How many superior entities do you and your friends who are company leaders go to for advice and direction?

S:  One.  We  all  go  to  Kumara  to  exchange  observations  and  seek  ways  of improvement.

Dr. N: How many souls like you and Wa-roo does Kumara oversee? S: Oh … I couldn’t know that …

Dr. N: Try and give an estimate of the number. S: (after reflection) At least fifty, probably more.

Additional inquiries into Kumara’s spiritual activities were fruitless, so I turned next to Thece’s creation training. Her experiences (which I have condensed) take us a little further than those training exercises described by Nenthum  in the last chapter. To those readers with a scientific bent, I want to stress that when a subject is reporting to me about creation their frame of reference is really not grounded in earth science. I have to make the best interpretations I can from the information provided.

Dr. N: The curriculum for souls seems to have great variety, Thece. I want to go into another aspect of your training. Does your energy utilize the properties of light, heat, and motion in the creation of life?

S: (startled) Uh,… you know about that Dr. N: What more can you tell me?

S: Only that I am familiar with this …

Dr. N: I don’t want to talk about anything which will make you uncomfortable, but I would appreciate your confirmation of certain biological effects resulting from the actions of souls.

S: (hesitates) Oh … I don’t think

Dr. N: (I jump in quickly) What creation have you recently done which makes Kumara proud of you?

S: (without resistance) I am proficient with fish.

Dr. N: (I follow up with a deliberate exaggeration to keep her going) Oh, so you can create a whole fish with your mental energy?

S: (vexed) … You must be kidding? Dr. N: Then where do you start?

S: With the embryos, of course. I thought you knew…

Dr. N: Just checking. When do you think you will be ready for mammals? S: (no answer)

Dr. N: Look Thece, if you will try to cooperate with me for a few more minutes, I promise not to take long with my questions on this subject. Will you agree to that?  S: (pause) We will see

Dr. N: Okay, as a means of basic clarification tell me what you actually do with your energy to develop life up to the stage of fish.

S: (reluctantly)  We give instructions to … organisms …  within the surrounding conditions

Dr. N: Do you do this on one world or many in your training?

S: More than one. (would not elaborate except to say these planets were “earth types”)

Dr. N: In what kind of environment are you working now? S: In oceans.

Dr. N: With basic sea life such as algae and plankton? S: When I started.

Dr. N: You mean before you worked up to the embryos of fish? S: Yes.

Dr. N: Then when souls start to create forms of life, they begin with microorganisms?

S: … Small cells, yes, and this is very difficult to learn. Dr. N: Why?

S: The cells of life… our energy cannot become proficient unless we can direct it to … alter molecules.

Dr. N: Then you are actually producing new chemical compounds by mixing the basic molecular elements of life by your energy flow?

S: (nods)

Dr. N: Can you be more explicit? S: No, I can’t.

Dr. N: Let me try and sum this up, and please tell me if I am on the wrong track. A soul who becomes proficient with actually creating life must be able to split cells and give DNA instructions, and you do this by sending particles of energy into protoplasm?

S: We must learn to do this, yes-coordinating it with a sun’s energy. Dr. N: Why?

S: Because each sun has different energy effects on the worlds around them.

Dr. N: Then why would you interfere with what a sun would naturally do with its own energy on a planet?

S: It is not interference. We examine new structures … mutations … to watch and see what is workable. We arrange substances for their most effective use with different suns.

Dr. N: When a species of life evolves on a planet, are the environmental conditions for selection and adaptation natural, or are intelligent soul-minds tinkering with what happens?

S: (evasively) Usually a planet hospitable to life has souls watching and whatever we do is natural.

Dr. N: How can souls watch and influence biological properties of growth evolving over millions of years on a primordial world?

S: Time is not in Earth years for us. We use it to suit our experiments. Dr. N: Do you personally create suns in our universe?

S: A full scale sun? Oh no, that’s way over my head… and requires the powers of many. I generate only on a small scale.

Dr. N: What can you generate?

S: Ah … small bundles of highly concentrated matter… heated. Dr. N: But what does your work look like when you are finished? S: Small solar systems.

Dr. N: Are your miniature suns and planets the size of rocks, buildings, the moon- what are we talking about here?

S: (laughs) My suns are the size of basketballs and the planets marbles … that’s the best I can do.

Dr. N: Why do you do this on a small scale?

S: For practice, so I can make larger suns. After enough compression the atoms explode and condense, but I can’t do anything really big alone.

Dr. N: What do you mean?

S: We must learn to work together to combine our energy for the best results.

Dr. N: Well, who does the full-sized thermonuclear explosions which create physical universes and space itself?

S: The source … the concentrated energy of the Old Ones. Dr. N: Oh, so the source has help?

S: I think so…

Dr. N: Why is your energy striving to create universal matter and more complex life

when Kumara and the entities above her are already proficient?

S: We are expected to join them, just as they wish to unite their accomplished energy with the Old Ones.

Creation questions always evoke the issue of First Cause. Was the exploding interstellar mass which caused the birth of our stars and planets an accident of nature or planned by an intelligent force? When I listen to subjects such as Thece, I ask myself why souls would be practicing the chain reactions of energy matter with models on a small scale if they were not intending to make larger celestial bodies. I have had no subjects in Levels VI and above to substantiate how they might carry the forces of creation further. It would seem if souls do progress, then entities at this level could be expected to involve themselves with the birthing of planets and the development of life forms capable of higher intelligence suitable for soul use.

After pondering why less-than-perfect souls are associated with creation at all, I came to the following conclusion. All souls are given the opportunity to participate in the development of lower forms of intelligent life in order to advance themselves. This principle could also be applied to the reason why souls incarnate in physical form. Thece suggested that the supreme intelligence she calls the source is made up of a combination of creators (the Old Ones) who fuse their energy to spawn universes. The thought has been expressed to me in different ways by other subjects when they describe the combined power of non-reincarnating old souls.

This concept is not new. For instance, the idea we have no single Godhead is the philosophy of the Jainist sect in India. The Jains believe fully perfected souls, called Siddhas, are a group of universal creators. These souls are fully liberated from further transmigrations. Below them are the Arhats souls, advanced illuminators who still incarnate along with three more lower gradations of evolving souls. To the Jams, reality is uncreated and eternal. Thus, the Siddhas need no creator. Most Eastern philosophies deny this tenet of Jainism in favor of a divine board of directors created by a chairman. This conclusion is more palatable to the Western mind as well.

With certain subjects it is possible to pursue a wide range of topics in condensed

periods. Earlier, Thece had alluded to intelligent life existing on other worlds when she talked about a soul’s cosmic training. This brings up another aspect about soul life which may be hard for some of us to accept. A small percentage of my subjects, usually the older advanced souls, are able to recall being in strange, non-human intelligent life-forms on other worlds. Their memories are rather fleeting and clouded about the circumstances of these lives, the physical details, and planetary location relative to our universe. I wondered if Thece had any such experiences long ago, so I opened up this line of inquiry for a few minutes to see where it might lead.

Dr. N: A while back you remarked about other physical worlds besides Earth which are available to souls.

S: (hesitant) Yes

Dr. N: (casually) And, I assume, some of these planets support intelligent life which are useful to souls wishing to incarnate?

S: That’s true, there are many schoolyards.

Dr. N: Do you ever talk to other souls about their planetary schoolyards?

S: (long pause) It’s not my inclination to do so-I’m not attracted to them-the other schools.

Dr. N: Perhaps you could give me some idea of what they are like?

S: Oh, some are … analytical schools. Others are basically mental worlds … subtle places

Dr. N: What do you think of the Earth school by comparison?

S: The Earth school is insecure, still. It is filled with resentment of many people over being led and antagonism of the leaders toward each other. There is so much fear to overcome here. It is a world in conflict because there is too much diversity among too many people. Other worlds have low populations with more harmony. Earth’s population has outpaced its mental development.

Dr. N: Would you rather be training on another planet, then?

S: No, for all Earth’s quarreling and cruelty, there is passion and bravery here. I like working in crisis situations. To bring order out of disorder. We all know Earth is a difficult school.

Dr. N: So, the human body is not an easy host for souls?

S: … There are easier life forms … who are less in conflict with themselves …

Dr. N: Well, how would you know this unless your soul had been in another life form?

After I had provided this suitable opening, Thece began talking about being a small flying creature in an alien environment on a dying world where it was hard to breathe. From her descriptions, the sun of this planet was apparently going into a nova stage. Her words were halting and came in short, rapid breaths.

Thece said she lived on this world in a humid jungle with a night sky so densely packed with stars there were no dark lanes in between. This gave me the impression she was located near the center of a galaxy, perhaps our own. She also said her brief time on this world was spent as a very young soul and Kumara was her mentor. After the world could no longer support life, they had come to Earth to continue working together. I was told there was a kinship in the mental evolution of life on

Earth and what she had experienced before. This flying race of people began afraid, isolated, and dangerous to each other. Also, like Earth, family alliances were important, representing expressions of loyalty and devotion. While I was concluding this line of questioning, there was a further development.

Dr. N: Do you think there are other souls on Earth who also had physical lives on this now-dead world?

S: (pause, then unable to restrain herself) Actually, I have met one. Dr. N: Under what circumstances?

S: (laughs) I met a man at a party a while ago. He recognized me, not physically, but with the mind. It was an odd meeting. I was caught off balance when he came up to me and took my hand. I thought he was pushy when he said he knew me.

Dr. N: Then what happened?

S: (softly) I was in a daze, which is unusual for me. I knew there was something between us. I thought it was sexual. Now, I can see it all clearly. It was … Ikak. (this name is spoken with a clacking noise from the back of her throat) He told me we were once together from a place far away and there were a couple of others here …

Dr. N: Did he say anything more about them?

S: (faintly) No … I wonder … I ought to know them …

Dr. N: Did Ikak say anything else about your former physical relationship on this world?

S: No. He saw I was confused. I didn’t know what he was talking about  then anyway.

Dr. N: How could he consciously know about this planet when you didn’t?

S: (puzzled) He is … ahead of me … he knows Kumara. (then, more to herself than me) What is he doing here?

Dr. N: Why don’t you finish telling me about him at the party?

S: (laughs again) I thought he was just trying to pick me up. It was awkward because I was drawn to him. He said I was very attractive, which is something men don’t usually say to me. There were flashes in my mind that we had been together before … as fragments in a dream sequence.

Dr. N: How did your conversation end with this man?

S: He saw my discomfort. I guess he thought it best to have no further contact, because I haven’t seen him since. I’ve thought about him though, and maybe we will see each other again …

I believe souls do come across time and space for each other. Recently, I had two subjects who were best friends and came to me at the same time for regression. Not only had they been soulmates in many former lives on Earth, but were also mated as fish-like intelligent beings in a beautiful water world. Both recalled the enjoyment of playing underwater with their strong appendages and coming up to the surface, “to peek.” Neither subject could recall much about this planet or what happened to their race of sea creatures. Perhaps they were part of a failed Earth experiment long before a land mammal developed into the most promising species on Earth for souls. I suspect it was not Earth because I have had others who tell of living in an aquatic environment they know was unearthly. One of these subjects said, “My water world was very warm and clear because we had three suns overhead. The total lack of darkness underwater was comforting and made building our dwellings much easier.” I have often wondered if the dreams we have at night about flying, breathing underwater, and performing other non-human physical feats relate to our earlier physical experiences in other environments.

In the early days of my studies of souls, I half-expected that those subjects who could recall other worlds would say they had lived in our galaxy with in the neighborhood of the sun. This assumption was naive. Earth is in a sparse section of the Milky Way with only eight stars that are ten light years from the sun. We know our own galaxy has more than two-hundred billion stars within a universe currently speculated at one-hundred-billion galaxies. The worlds around the suns which might support life are staggering to the imagination. Consider, if only a small fraction of one percent of the stars in our galaxy had planets with intelligent life useful to souls, the number would still be in the millions.

From  what  I  can  gather  from  subjects  willing  and  able  to  discuss  former

assignments, souls are sent to any world with suitable intelligent life forms. Out of all the stars which are known to us, only four percent are like our sun. Apparently this means nothing to souls. Their planetary incarnations are not linked to Earth- type worlds or with intelligent bipeds who walk on land. Souls who have been to other worlds tell me they have a fondness for certain ones and return to them (like Earth) periodically for a succession of lives. I have not had many subjects who are able to recall specific details about living on other worlds. This maybe due to lack of experience, a suppression of memory, or blocks imposed by master guides to avoid any discomfort from flashbacks in non-earthly bodies.

Those subjects who are able to discuss their experiences on other worlds tell me that

before coming to Earth, souls are frequently placed in the bodies of creatures with less intelligence than human beings (unlike Thece’s case). However, once in a human body, souls are not sent back down the mental evolutionary ladder. Yet, physical contrasts can be stark and side trips away from Earth are not necessarily pleasant. One mid-level client of mine expressed it this way. “After a long series of human lives, I told my guide I needed a break from Earth for a while in another kind of

environment. He warned me, ‘You might not like this change right now because you have become so accustomed to the attributes of the human mind and body.’ “My client persisted and was duly given life on what was described as, “A pastel world living among a race of small, thickly-set beings. They were a thoughtful but somber people with tiny chalk-white faces which never smiled. Without human laughter and physical flexibility, I was out of sync and made little progress. The assignment must have been particularly difficult for this individual when we consider that humor and laughter is such a hallmark of soul life in the spirit world.

I was now approaching the final phase of my session with Case 23. It was necessary to apply additional deepening techniques because I wanted Thece to reach into the highest recesses of her superconscious mind to talk with me about space-time and the source.

Dr. N: Thece, we are coming to the end of our time together and I want you to turn your mind once again to the source-creator. (pause) Will you do that for me?

S: Yes.

Dr. N: You said the ultimate objective of souls was to seek unification with the supreme source of creative energy-do you remember?

S:… The act of conjunction, yes.

Dr. N: Tell me, does the source dwell in some special central space in the spirit world?

S: The source is the spirit world.

Dr. N: Then why do souls speak of reaching a core of spiritual life?

S: When we are young spirits we sense power around us everywhere and yet we feel we … are on the edge of it. As we grow older there is an awareness of a concentrated power, but it is the same feeling.

Dr. N: Even though you have called this the place of the Old Ones?

S: Yes, they are part of the concentrated power of the source which sustains us as souls.

Dr. N: Well, lumping this power together as one energy source, can you describe the creator in more human terms?

S: As the ultimate selfless being which we strive to be.

Dr. N: If the source represents all the spirit world, how does this mental place differ from physical universes with stars, planets, and living things?

S: Universes are created-to live and die-for the use of the source. The place of spirits

… is the source.

Dr. N: We seem to live in a universe which is expanding and may contract again and eventually die. Since we live in a space with time limitations, how can the spirit world itself be timeless?

S: Because here we live in non-space which is timeless … except in certain zones. Dr. N: Please explain what these zones are.

S: They are … interconnecting doors … openings for us to pass through into a physical universe of time.

Dr. N: How can time-doors exist in non-space?

S: The openings exist as thresholds between realities.

Dr. N: Well, if the spirit world is non-dimensional, what kind of reality is that?

S: A constant reality state, as opposed to the shifting realities of dimensional worlds which are material and changing.

Dr. N: Do past, present, and future have any relevance for souls living in the spirit world?

S: Only as a means of understanding succession in physical form. Living here … there is a … changelessness … for those of us not crossing thresholds into a universe of substance and time.

Note: A major application of time thresholds used by souls will be examined in the upcoming chapter on life selection.

Dr. N: You speak of universes in the plural. Are these other physical universes besides the one which contains Earth?

S: (vaguely) There are … differing realities to suit the source.

Dr. N: Are you saying souls can enter various rooms of different physical realities from spiritual doorways?

S: (nods) Yes, they can-and do.

Before concluding the session with this highly advanced subject, I should add that most people who are in deep hypnosis are able to see beyond an Earth reality of

three-dimensional space, into alternate realities of timelessness. In the subconscious state, my subjects experience a chronology of time with their past and present lives which resembles what they perceive when conscious. There is a change when I take them into superconsciousness and the spirit world. Here they see the now of time as one homogeneous unit of past, present, and future. Seconds in the spirit world seem to represent years on Earth. When their sessions are over, clients will often express surprise at how time in the spirit world is unified.

Quantum mechanics is a modern branch of physics which investigates all subatomic

movement in terms of electromagnetic energy levels where all things in life are thought to be ultimately non-solid and existing in a unified field. Going beyond Newton’s physical laws of gravity, the elements of action on time are also considered to be unified by light wave frequency and kinetic energy. Since I show that souls do experience feelings of the passage of time in a chronological fashion in the spirit world, doesn’t this contradict the concept of oneness for past, present, and future? No, it does not. My research indicates to me that the illusion of time progression is created and sustained for those souls coming to and from physical dimensions (who are used to such biological responses as aging), so they may more easily gauge their advancement. Thus, it makes sense to me when the quantum physicists hypothesize that time, rather than being an absolute of three phases, is only an expression of change.

When my subjects speak of traveling as souls on lines which curve, I think of the space-time theories of those astrophysicists who believe light and motion are a union of time and space curving back on itself. They say if space is bent severely enough, time stops. Indeed, when listening to my clients talk about time zones and tunnels of passage into different dimensions, I think about the similarities here to current astronomical theories of physical space being warped, or twisted, into cosmic loops creating “mouths” of hyperspace and black holes which may lead out of our three- dimensional universe. Perhaps the space-time concepts of astrophysics and metaphysics are edging closer together.

I have suggested to my subjects that if the spirit world seems round to them, and

appears to curve when they travel rapidly as souls, this could represent a finite, enclosed sphere. They deny the idea of any dimensional boundaries yet offer me little else except metaphors. Case 23 says the spirit world itself is the source of creation. Some have called this place the heart, or breath, of God. Case 22 defined the space of souls as “fabric” and I have had other subjects give the spirit world a quality of “the folds of a seamless dress swishing back and forth.” They sometimes feel the effects of a gently “rippling” motion from light energy which has been described as “waves (or rings) rolling outward from a disturbed pool of water.” Normally, the geography of soul spaces has a smooth and open consistency to people in superconsciousness, without displaying the properties of gravity, temperature, pressure, matter, or a time clock associated with a chaotic physical universe. However, when I attempt to characterize the entire spirit world as a void, people in trance resist this notion.

Although my cases are unable to fully explain the place where their souls live, they

are all outspoken about its ultimate reality for them. A subject in trance doesn’t see the  spirit  world  as  being  either  near or  far  away  from our physical universe.

Nevertheless, in a curious way, they do portray spiritual substance as being light or heavy, thick or thin, and large or small, when comparing their experiences as souls to life on Earth.

While the absolute reality of the spirit world appears to remain constant in the

minds of people in hypnosis, their references to other physical dimensions do not. I have the sense that universes other than our own are created for the purpose of providing environments suitable for the growth of souls with beings we can’t even imagine. One advanced subject told me he had lived on a number of worlds in his long existence, never dividing his soul more than twice at one time. Some adult lives lasted only months in Earth time for him, due to local planetary conditions and short life spans of the dominant life form. While speaking of a “paradise planet,” with few people and a quieter, simpler version of Earth, he added this world was not far from Earth. “Oh,” I interrupted, “then it must only be a few light years from Earth?” He patiently explained that the planet was not in our universe, but closer to Earth than many planets in our own galaxy.

It is important for the reader to understand that when people do recall living on

other worlds they seem not to be limited by the dimensional constraints of our universe. When souls travel to planets intergalactically or interdimensionally, they measure the trip by the time it takes them to reach their destinations through the tunnel effect from the spirit world. The size of the spatial region involved and the relative position of worlds to each other are also considerations. After listening to references about multiple dimensional realities from some of my subjects, I am left with the impression they believe there is a confluence of all these dimensional streams into one great river of the spirit world. If I could stand back and take apart all these alternate realities seated in the minds of my cases, it would be like peeling an artichoke of all its layers down to one heart at the core.

I had been questioning Thece for quite a while and I could see she was growing tired. Few subjects can sustain this level of spiritual receptivity for very long. I decided to end the session with a few questions about the genesis of all creation.

Dr. N: Thece, I want to close by asking you more about the source. You have been a soul for a long time, so how do you see yourself relating to the oneness of creation you told me about earlier?

S: (long pause) By sensations of movement. In the beginning there is an outward migration of our soul energy from the source. Afterward, our lives are spent moving inward … toward cohesion and the uniting …

Dr. N: You make this process seem as though a living organism was expanding and contracting.

S: … There is an explosive release … then a returning … yes, the source pulsates. Dr. N: And you are moving toward the center of this energy source?

S: There really is no center. The source is all around us as if we were … inside a

beating heart.

Dr. N: But, you did say you were moving back to a point of origin as your soul advanced in knowledge?

S: Yes, when I was thrust outward I was a child. Now I’m being drawn back as my adolescence fades …

Dr. N: Back where?

S: Further inside the source.

Dr. N: Perhaps you could describe this energy source through the use of colors to explain soul movement and the scope of creation.

S: (sighs) It’s as if souls are all part of a massive electrical explosion which produces

… a halo effect. In this … circular halo is a dark purple light which flares out … lightening to a whiteness at the edges. Our awareness begins at the edges of brilliant light and as we grow … we become more engulfed in the darker light.

Dr. N: I find it hard to visualize a god of creation as cold, dark light.

S: That’s because I am not close enough to conjunction to explain it well. The dark light is itself a … covering, beyond which we feel an intense warmth … full of a knowing presence which is everywhere for us and… alive!

Dr. N: What was it like when you were first aware of your identity as a soul after being pushed out to the rim of this halo?

S: To be… is the same as watching the first flower of spring open and the flower is you. And, as it opens more, you become aware of other flowers in a glorious field and there is … unbounded joy.

Dr. N: If this explosive, multi-colored energy source collapses in on itself, will all the flowers eventually die?

S: Nothing is collapsing … the source is endless. As souls we will never die-we know that, somehow. As we coalesce, our increasing wisdom makes the source stronger.

Dr. N: Is that the reason the source desires to perform this exercise? S: Yes, to give life to us so we can arrive at a state of perfection.

Dr. N: Why does a source, who is ostensibly perfect already, need to create further intelligence which is less than perfect?

S: To help the creator create. In this way, by self-transformation and rising to higher plateaus of fulfillment, we add to the building blocks of life.

Dr. N: Were souls forced to break away from the source and come to places like Earth because of some sort of original sin or fall from grace in the spirit world?

S: That’s nonsense. We came to be … magnified … in the beautiful variety of creation.

Dr. N: Thece, I want you to listen to me carefully. If the source needs to be made stronger, or more wise, by using a division of its divine energy to create lesser intelligence which it hopes will magnify-doesn’t this suggest it lacks full perfection itself?

S: (pause) The source creates for fulfillment of itself.

Dr. N: That’s my point. How can that which is absolute become more absolute unless something is lacking?

S: (hesitates) That which we see to be … our source … is all we can know, and we think what the creator desires is to express itself through us by … birthing.

Dr. N: And do you think the source is actually made stronger by our existence as souls?

S: (long pause) I see the creator’s perfection … maintained and enriched…  by sharing the possibility of perfection with us and this is the ultimate extension of itself

Dr. N: So the source starts out by deliberately creating imperfect souls and imperfect life forms for these souls and watches what happens in order to extend itself?

S: Yes, and we have to have faith in this decision and trust the process of returning to the origin of life. One has to be starving to appreciate food, to be cold to understand the blessings of warmth, and to be children to see the value of the parent. The transformation gives us purpose.

Dr. N: Do you want to be a parent of souls?

S: … Participation in the conception of ourselves is … a dream of mine.

Dr. N: If our spirits did not experience physical life, would we ever know of these things you are telling me about?

S: We would know of them, but not about them. It would be as if your spiritual

energy were told to play piano scales with only one note.

Dr. N: And do you believe if the source didn’t create souls to nurture and grow, its sublime energy would shrink from a lack of expression?

S: (sighs) Perhaps that is its purpose.

With this last prophetic statement by Thece, I ended the session. As I brought this subject out of her deep trance, it was as though she were returning to me from across time and space. As she sat quietly focusing her eyes around my office, I expressed my appreciation for the opportunity of working with her on such an advanced level. Smiling, the lady said if she had any idea of the grilling in store for her, she might well have refused to work with me.

As we said goodbye, I thought about her last statements concerning the source of

life. In ancient Persia the Sufis had a saying that if the creator represents absolute good, and therefore absolute beauty, it is the nature of beauty to desire manifestation.

12

Life Selection

THERE comes that time when the soul must once again leave the sanctuary of the

spirit world for another trip to Earth. This decision is not an easy one. Souls must prepare to leave a world of total wisdom, where they exist in a blissful state of freedom, for the physical and mental demands of a human body.

We have seen how tired souls can be when reentering the spirit world. Many don’t

want to think about returning to Earth again. This is especially true when we have not come close to our goals at the end of a physical life. Once back in the spirit world, souls have misgivings about even temporarily leaving a world of self- understanding, comradeship, and compassion to go to a planetary environment of uncertainty and fear brought about by aggressive, competing humans. Despite having family and friends on Earth, many incarnated souls feel lonely and anonymous among large impersonal populations. I hope my cases show the opposite is true in the spirit world, where our souls are involved in the most intimate sharing on an everlasting basis. Our spiritual identity is known and appreciated by a multitude of other entities, whose support is never ending.

The rejuvenation of our energy and personal assessment of one’s Self takes longer for some souls than others, but eventually the soul is motivated to start the process of incarnation. While our spiritual environment is hard to leave, as souls we also remember the physical pleasures of life on Earth with fondness and even nostalgia. When the wounds of a past life are healed and we are again totally at one with ourselves, we feel the pull of having a physical expression for our identity. Training sessions with our counselors and peer groups have provided a collaborative spiritual effort to prepare us for the next life. Our karma of past deeds towards humanity and our mistakes and achievements have all been evaluated with an eye toward the best course of future endeavors. The soul must now assimilate all this information and take purposeful action based upon three primary decisions:

  • Am I ready for a new physical life?
  • What specific lessons do I want to undertake to advance my learning and development?
  • Where should I go, and who shall I be in my next life for the best opportunity to work on my goals?

Older souls incarnate less, regardless of the population demands of their assigned planets. When a world dies, those entities with unfinished business move on to another world which has a suitable life form for the kind of work they have been doing. Cycles of incarnation for the eternal soul seem to be regulated more by the internal desires of a particular soul, than by the urgency of host bodies evolving in a universe of planets.

Nevertheless, Earth certainly has an increasing need for souls. Today, we have over five billion people. Demographers vary in their calculations on how many individuals have lived on Earth in the last 200,000 years. The average estimate is some 50 billion people. This figure, which I think is low, does not signify the number of visitations by different souls. Bear in mind the same souls continue to reincarnate, and there are those who occupy more than one body at a time. There are reincarnationists who believe the number of people living on Earth today is close to the total number of souls who ever lived here. The frequency of incarnation on Earth by souls is uneven. Earth clearly has more need for souls today than in the past. Population estimates in 1 AD are around 200 million. By 1800, humans had quadrupled, and after only 170 more years, quadrupled again. Between 1970 and 2010, the world’s population is expected to double once more.

When I study the incarnation chronology of a client, I find there is usually a long span of hundreds, even thousands, of years between their lives in Paleolithic nomadic cultures. With the introduction of agriculture and domesticated animals in the Neolithic Age, from 7,000 to 5,000 years ago, my subjects report living more frequent lives. Still, their lives are often spaced as much as 500 years apart. With the rise of cities, trade, and more available food, I see the incarnation schedules of souls increasing with a growing population. Between 1000 and 1500 AD, my clients live an average of once in two centuries. After 1700, this changes to once in a century. By the 1900s, living more than one life in a century is common among my cases.

It has been argued these increases in soul incarnations only appear to be so because

past life recall improves as people in hypnosis get closer to their current lives. This may be true to some extent, but if a life is important it will be vividly remembered at any age in time. Without doubt, the enormous population increase on Earth is the basic cause for souls coming here more often. Is there a possibility that the inventory of souls slated for Earth could be strained by this surge in human reproduction?

When I ask clients about the inventory of available souls, they tell me I should worry more about our planet dying from over-population than exhausting the reserve of souls. There is the conviction that new souls are always available to fill any expanding population requirements. If our planet is just one example among all

other intelligent populations which exist in this universe, the inventory of souls must truly be astronomical.

I have said souls do have the freedom to choose when, where, and who they want to be in their physical lives. Certain souls spend less time in the spirit world in order to

accelerate  development,  while  others  are  very  reluctant  to  leave.  There  is  no question but what our guides exert great influence in this matter. Just as we were

given  an  intake  interview  in  the  orientation  phase  right  after death,  there  are preparatory exit interviews by spiritual advisors to determine our readiness for

rebirth. The case which follows illustrates a typical spiritual scene with a lower-level soul.

Case 24

Dr. N: When do you first realize that you might be returning to Earth?

S: A soft voice comes into my mind and says, “It’s about time, don’t you think?” Dr. N: Who is this voice?

S: My instructor. Some of us have to be given a push when they think we are ready again.

Dr. N: Do you feel you are about ready to return to Earth?

S: Yes, I think so … I have prepared for it. But my studies are going to take such a long time in earth years before I’m done. It’s kind of overwhelming.

Dr. N: And do you think you will still be going to Earth when you near the end of your incarnations?

S: (long pause) Ah … maybe no … there is another world besides Earth … but with Earth people …

Dr. N: What does this mean?

S: Earth will have fewer people … less crowded … it’s not clear to me. Dr. N: Where do you think you might be then?

S: I’m getting the impression there is colonization someplace else-it’s not clear to me.

Note: The opposite of past life regression is post life progression, which enables some subjects to see snatches of the future as incomplete scenes. For instance, some have told me Earth’s population will be greatly reduced by the end of the twenty- second century, partially due to adverse soil and atmospheric changes. They also see

people living in odd-looking domed buildings. Details about the future are always rather limited, due, I suspect, to built-in amnesia from karmic constraints. I’ll have more to say about this with the next case.

Dr. N: Let’s go back to what you were saying about the instructors giving people a push to leave the spirit world. Would you prefer that they not do this?

S: Oh … I’d like to stay… but the instructors don’t want us hanging around here too long or we will get into a rut.

Dr. N: Could you insist on staying?

S: Well … yes … the instructors don’t force you to leave because they are so gentle. (laughs) But they have their ways of … encouraging you when the time comes.

Dr. N: Do you know of anyone who didn’t want to be reborn again on Earth for any reason?

S: Yes, my friend Mark. He said he had nothing to contribute anymore. He was sick of life on Earth and didn’t want to go back.

Dr. N: Had he lived many lives?

S: No, not really. But he wasn’t adjusting well in them.

Dr. N: What did the teachers do with him? Was he allowed to stay in the spirit world?

S: (reflectively) We choose to be reborn when it is decided we are ready. They don’t force you to do anything. Mark was shown he did benefit others around him.

Dr. N: What happened to Mark?

S: After some more … indoctrination … Mark realized he had been wrong about his abilities and finally he went back to Earth.

Dr. N: Indoctrination! This makes me think of coercion.

S: (disturbed by my remark) It’s not that way at all! Mark was just discouraged, and needed the confidence to keep trying.

Note: Case 10 in Chapter Four on displaced souls told us about how souls who had absorbed too much negative energy from Earth were “remodeled.” Case 22 also mentioned the need for restoration with some damaged souls. These are more extreme alterations than the basic reframing apparently used on Mark’s tired soul.

Dr. N: If the guides don’t force you, could a soul absolutely refuse to be reborn?

S: (pause) Yes … I guess you could stay here and never be reborn if you hated it that much. But the instructors told Mark that without life in a body, his studies would take longer. If you lose having direct experience, you miss a great deal.

Dr. N: How about the reverse situation where a soul insists on returning to Earth immediately, say after an untimely death?

S: I have seen that, too. It’s an impulsive reaction and does wear off after a while. The instructors get you to see that wanting to hurry back someplace as a new baby wouldn’t change the circumstances of your death. It might be different if you could be reborn as an adult right away in the same situation. Eventually, everyone realizes they must rest and reflect.

Dr. N: Well, give me your final thoughts about the prospect of living again.

S: I’m excited about it. I would have no satisfaction without my physical lives. Dr. N: When you are ready for a new incarnation, what do you do?

S: I go to a special place.

Once a soul has decided to incarnate again, the next stage in the return process is to be directed to the place of life selection. Souls consider when and where they want to go on Earth before making a decision on who they will be in their new life. Because of this spiritual practice, I have divided life selection and our final choice of a body into two chapters for ease of understanding.

The selection of a time and place for incarnation and who we want to be are not completely separate decisions. However, we start by having the opportunity of viewing how we might fit into certain environments in future time segments. Then our attention is directed to people living in these places. I was a little distracted by this procedure until I realized a soul is largely influenced by cultural conditions and events, as well as by the participants in these events, during a span of chronological time.

I have come to believe that the spirit world, as a whole, is not functionally uniform.

All spiritual regions are seen by traveling souls as having the same ethereal properties, but with different applications. As an illustration, the space of orientation for incoming souls could be contrasted to the space of life selection for those who are leaving. Both involve life evaluations for souls in transit which include scenes from Earth, but there the resemblance ends. Orientation spaces are said to be small, intimate conference areas designed to make a newly arrived soul comfortable, but our mental attitude in this space can be somewhat defensive. This is because there is the feeling we might have done better with life. A guide is always directly interacting with us.

On the other hand, when we enter the space of life selection, we are full of hope,

promise, and lofty expectations. Here souls are virtually alone, with their guides out of sight, while evaluating new life options. This hectic, stimulating place is described as being much larger than other spiritual study areas. Case 22 considered it a world unto itself, where transcendent energy alters time to allow for planetary study.  While some spiritual locales are difficult for my subjects to describe, most love to talk about the place of life selection, and they use remarkably similar descriptions. I am told it resembles a movie theater which allows souls to see themselves in the future, playing different roles in various settings. Before leaving, souls will have selected one scenario for themselves. Imagine being given a dress rehearsal before the actual performance of a new life. To tell us about it, I have picked a male subject who is well acquainted with the way his soul is assisted in making appropriate decisions.

Case 25

Dr. N: After you have made the decision you want to come back to Earth, what

happens next?

S: Well, when my trainer and I agree the time is right to accomplish things, I send out thoughts …

Dr. N: Go on.

S: My messages are received by the coordinators.

Dr. N: Who are they? Doesn’t your trainer-guide handle all the arrangements for incarnation?

S: Not exactly. He talks to the coordinators, who actually assist us in previewing our life possibilities at the Ring.

Dr. N: What is the Ring?

S: That’s where I’m going. We call it the Ring of Destiny. Dr. N: Is there just one place like it in the spirit world?

S: (pause) Oh, I think there must be many, but I don’t see them.

Dr. N: All right, let’s go to the Ring together on the count of three. When I am finished with my count you will have the capacity to remember all the details of this experience. Are you ready to go?

S: Yes.

Dr. N: One, two, three! Your soul is now moving toward the space of life selection.

Explain what you see.

S: (long pause) I … am floating towards the Ring … it’s circular … a monster bubble

Dr. N: Keep going. What else can you tell me.

S: There is a … concentrated energy force … the light is so intense. I’m being sucked inward … through a funnel … it’s a little darker.

Dr. N: Are you afraid?

S: Hmm … no, I’ve been here before, after all. It’s going to be interesting. I’m excited at what’s in store for me.

Dr. N: Okay, as you float inside the Ring, what are your first impressions?

S: (voice lowers) I … am a little apprehensive … but the energy relaxes me. I have an awareness of concern for me … caring … I don’t feel alone … my trainer’s presence is with me, too.

Dr. N: Continue to report everything. What do you see next?

S: The Ring is surrounded by banks of screens-I am looking at them. Dr. N: Screens on walls?

S: They appear as walls themselves, but nothing is really solid … it’s all … elastic … the screens curve around me … moving …

Dr. N: Tell me more about the screens.

S: They are blank … not reflecting anything yet … they shimmer as sheets of glass … mirrors.

Dr. N: What happens next?

S: (nervously) I feel a moment of quietness-it’s always like this-then it’s as if someone flipped a switch on the projector in a panorama movie theater. The screens come alive with images and there is color … action … full of light and sound.

Dr. N: Keep reporting to me. Where is your soul in relation to the screens?

S: I am hovering in the middle, watching the panorama of life all around me … places … people … (jauntily) I know this city!

Dr. N: What do you see?

S: New York.

Dr. N: Did you ask to see New York City?

S:  We  talked  about  my  going  back  there  …  (absorbed)  Gee-it’s  changed-more buildings … and the cars … it’s as noisy as ever.

Dr. N: I’ll come back to New York in a few minutes. Right now I want you to tell me what is expected of you in the Ring.

S: I’m going to mentally operate the panel. Dr. N: What’s that?

S: A scanning device in front of the screens. I see it as a mass of lights and buttons. It’s as if I’m in the cockpit of an airplane.

Dr. N: And you see these mechanical objects in a spiritual setting?

S: I know it sounds crazy, but this is what is coming through to me so I can explain to you what I am doing.

Dr. N: That’s fine, don’t worry about it. Just tell me what you are supposed to do with the panel.

S: I will help the controllers change the images on the screens by operating the scanner with my mind.

Dr. N: Oh, you are going to operate the projector as if you were working in a movie theater?

S: (laughs) Not the projector, the scanner. Anyway, they aren’t really movies. I am watching life actually going on in the streets of New York. My mind connects with the scanner to control the movement of the scenes I am watching.

Dr. N: Would you say this device resembles a computer?

S: Sort of … it works on a tracking system which … converts … Dr. N: Converts what?

S: My commands … are registered on the panel so I can track the action.

Dr. N: Position yourself at the panel and become the operator while continuing to explain everything to me.

S: (pause) I have assumed control. I see … lines converging along various points in a series of scenes … I’m traveling through time now on the lines and watching the images on the screens change.

Dr. N: And the scenes are constantly moving around you?

S: Yes, then the points light up on the lines when I want the scene to stop.

Note: Lines of travel is a term we have heard before in other spiritual regions to describe soul transition (i.e., Case 14).

Dr. N: Why are you doing all this?

S: I’m scanning. The stops are major turning points on life’s pathways involving important decisions … possibilities … events which make it necessary to consider alternate choices in time.

Dr. N: So, the lines mark the pathways through a series of events in time and space? S: Yes, the track is controlled in the Ring and transmitted to me.

Dr. N: Do you create the scenes of life while you track?

S: Oh, no! I simply control their movement through time on the lines. Dr. N: What else can you tell me about the lines?

S: The lines of energy are … roads with points of colored light as guideposts which I can move forward, backward, or stop.

Dr. N: As if you were running a video tape with start, fast-forward, stop, and rewind buttons?

S: (laughs) That’s the idea.

Dr. N: All right, you are moving along the track, scanning scenes and you decide to stop. Tell me what you do then.

S: I suspend the scene on the screens so I can enter it.

Dr. N: What? Are you saying you become part of the scene yourself? S: Yes, now I have direct access to the action.

Dr. N: In what way? Do you become a person in the scene, or does your soul hover

overhead while people move around?

S: Both. I can experience what life is like with anyone in the scene, or just watch them from any vantage point.

Dr. N: How can you leave the panel and go into a scene on Earth while still monitoring the action in the Ring?

S: I know you probably won’t understand this, but part of me stays at the controls so I can start up the scene again and stop it anytime.

Dr. N: Perhaps I do understand. Can you divide your energy?

S: Yes, and I can send thoughts back to myself. Of course, the controllers are helping too, as I go in and out of the screens.

Dr. N: So, essentially you can move time forward, backward, and stop it while tracking?

S: Yes… in the Ring.

Dr. N: Outside the Ring, does time co-exist for you in the spirit world, or is it progressive?

S: It co-exists here, but we can still see it progress on Earth.

Dr. N: It seems to me when souls are in the Ring of Destiny they use time almost like a tool.

S: As spirits, we do use time … subjectively. Things and events are moved around … and become objects in time … but to us time is uniform.

Dr. N: The paradox I have with time travel is that what is going to happen has already happened, so you could meet your own soul in some human being as you come and go in life scenes from the future.

S: (smiles enigmatically) When making contact the soul in residence is put on hold for a moment. It’s relatively short. We don’t disturb life cycles when tracking through time.

Dr. N:  Well, if past, present, and future are not really separate while you are tracking, why do you stop scenes to consider choices when you can already see into the future?

S: I’m afraid you don’t realize the real purpose of time use by the controllers of the Ring. Life is still conditional. Progressive time is created to test us. We are not

shown all the possible endings to a scene. Parts of lives are obscured to us.

Dr. N: So, time is used as a catalyst for learning by viewing lives when you can’t see everything that is going to happen?

S: Yes, to test our ability to find solutions. We gauge our abilities against  the difficulty of the events. The Ring sets up different experiments to choose from. On Earth we will try to solve them.

Dr. N: In the Ring, can you look at life on planets besides Earth? S: I can’t because I’m programmed for tracking time on Earth.

Dr. N: Your being able to jump through time from the screens sounds like a ball!

S: (grins) Oh, it’s stimulating-that’s for sure-but we can’t frolic around, because there are serious decisions to be made for the next life. I’ll have to accept the consequences for any mistakes in my choices … if I am not able to handle a life well.

Dr. N: I still don’t see how you could make many serious mistakes in your choices when you actually experience part of the life in which you plan to live.

S: My choices of life environments are not unlimited. As I said, I probably Won’t be able to see all of a scene in one time segment. Because of what they don’t show you, there is risk attached to all body choices.

Dr. N: If one’s future destiny is not fully preordained, as you say, why call this space the Ring of Destiny?

S: Oh, there is destiny, all right. The life cycles are in place. It’s just that there are so many alternatives which are unclear.

When I take my subjects into the spatial area of life selection, they see a circle of past, present and future time-such as the Ring in this case. Sensing they are leaving spiritual Now time within the circle, souls apparently rotate back and forth on resonating waves during their observational runs. All aspects of time are presented to them as reoccurring realities ebbing and flowing together. Because parallel realities are superimposed upon one another, they too can be seen as possibilities for physical lives, especially by the more experienced souls.

I was puzzled why my subjects did not fully see the future under these conditions, as

part of an all-knowing spiritual setting. In trying to sort this out, I finally came to the conclusion that the spirit world is designed to protect the interests of each soul. Generally, the people I work with are still-incarnating younger souls. They may not clearly see significant events too far into the future because the further away these souls get from present probabilities, the higher the incidence of possible alternative realities which cloud their images. Although the same properties hold true for time

in the distant past, there is one exception. A soul’s own past lives are more easily identified. This is because a single reality, with a definite course of action, was previously established to train this soul, and thus is firmly imprinted on his memory.

In Chapter Five, Case 13 demonstrated how amnesia is imposed upon us when we come into a current life, so that past life experiences will not inhibit self-discovery in the present. The same condition holds true for souls examining future lives. Without knowing why, most people believe their life has a plan. Of course, they are right. Although amnesia does prevent having full conscious knowledge of this plan, the unconscious mind holds the key to spiritual memories of a general blueprint of each life. The vehicle of life selection provides a kind of time machine for souls, where they see some alternative routes to the main road. Although these paths are not fully exposed to us as souls, we carry some of the road map to Earth. A client once said to me, “Whenever I am confused about what to do in life, I quietly sit down and think about where I have been and compare this to where I might want to go in future. The answer to the next step just comes to me from inside myself.”

Accepting what befalls us on the road of life as “acts of God” does not mean our existence should be locked into spiritual determinism where we must submit to an unalterable fate. If everything was preordained, there would be no purpose or justice to our struggle. When adversity strikes, it is not intended that we sit back with a fatalistic attitude and not fight to improve the situation by making on-site changes. During our lives all of us will experience opportunities for change which involve risk. These occasions may come at inconvenient times. We may not act upon them, but the challenge is there for us. The purpose of reincarnation is the exercise of free will. Without this ability, we would be impotent creatures indeed.

Thus, karmic destiny means we are not just caught up in events over which we have

no control. This also means we have karmic lessons and responsibilities. The law of cause and effect for our actions always exists, which is why this case did not want to make a mistake in choosing a life

unsuited to him. But whatever happens to us in life, it is important we understand

that our happiness or pain does not reflect either blessings or betrayal on the part of a God-oversoul, our guides, or life selection coordinators. We are the masters of our destiny.

As I conclude my conversation with Case 25, it may strike the reader that the

musical goals of this individual toward his next life are rather self-serving. Certainly his desire to be an admired musical talent has elements of personal compensation which would be less evident in a more advanced soul. However, it will also be seen that this soul wants to give a lot of himself.

Dr. N: Now, I want to talk more about the scenes you are seeing of New York City. Prior to your coming into the Ring, were you given any preparation about selections based on geography?

S: Oh, to some extent. My trainer and I talked about the fact that I had died young in New York in my last life. I wanted to go back to this dynamic city and study music.

Dr. N: Did you also talk to your trainer about other souls-your friends, who might want to incarnate with you?

S: Sure, that’s part of it. Some of us begin staking out a new life by deciding what surroundings are best for all concerned. I made it known I wanted to start again in the same place where I was killed. My trainer and friends offered their suggestions.

Note: This subject came to America as a Russian immigrant in his past life. He was killed in a railway construction accident in New York at age twenty-two in 1898. His rebirth in the same city occurred in 1937.

Dr. N: What suggestions?

S: We talked about my wanting to be a classical pianist. I had played an accordion for extra pick-up change-you know, banquets, weddings-that kind of thing.

Dr. N: And this experience is motivating your interest in the piano?

S: Yes. When making ice deliveries on the streets of New York, I would pass by the concert hall. It was my goal to some day study music and make a name for myself in the big city. I hardly got started before I died.

Dr. N: Did you see your death as a young man in New York during your last visit to the Ring?

S: (sadly) Yes … and I accepted that … as a condition of the life. It was a good life- just short. Now I want to go back with a better start and make a name for myself in music.

Dr. N: Could you ask to go anywhere on Earth?

S: Hmm….. it’s fairly open. If we have preferences, they are weighed against what’s available.

Dr. N: You mean, against what bodies are available? S: Yes, in certain places.

Dr. N: When you said you wanted a better start in music, I assume this is another reason you want to go back to New York.

S: This city will give me the best opportunity to develop my desire to study the piano. I wanted a large, cosmopolitan city with music schools.

Dr. N: What’s wrong with a city like Paris?

S: I wasn’t offered a body in Paris.

Dr. N: I want to be clear on your selection options. When you start previewing life scenes in the Ring, are you primarily looking at people or locations?

S: We begin with locations.

Dr. N: Okay, and so you are looking at the streets of New York City at the moment? S: Right, and it’s wonderful because I am doing more than looking. I’m floating

around smelling the food in the restaurants … I hear the honking of cars … I’m

following people walking past the shops on Fifth Avenue … getting the feel of the place again.

Dr. N: At this point have you actually entered the minds of the people walking along the streets?

S: No, not yet.

Dr. N: What do you do next? S: I go to other cities.

Dr. N: Oh, I guess I just assumed your body choices had to be in New York City. S: I didn’t tell you that. I also could go to Los Angeles, Buenos Aires, or Oslo.

Dr. N: I’m going to count to five and when I reach five you will scan these cities while we continue talking … one … two… three … four … five! Report what you are doing.

S:  I’m  going  to  concert  halls  and  music  academies  and  watching  the  students practice.

Dr. N: Do you just observe the general surroundings while floating around these students?

S: I do more. I go inside the heads of some of them to see how they … translate the

music.

Dr. N: Do you need to be in a special place like the Ring to examine the mental processes of people?

S: For past and future events I do. Making contact with someone in the present on Earth can be done anywhere (from the spirit world).

Dr. N: Could you describe the way your soul makes contact with someone? S: (pause) As … a light brush stroke.

Note: Souls are quite capable of sending and receiving messages from each other between spiritual and temporal worlds, as many of us have personally experienced. However, these temporary connections are made and broken quickly. The joining of a soul to a soulless baby for a lifetime is more difficult, and will be described further in Case 29.

Dr. N: As you look at these prospective lives, what year is it on Earth?

S: (hesitates) It’s … 1956 now, and most of my prospects are in their teens. I’ll check them out before and after this year … as much as the Ring will let me.

Dr. N: So the Ring gives you the opportunity to actually be various people who, in relative time on Earth, are not yet born?

L

S: Uh-huh, to see if I would fit in well-to check out their talent and parents-that sort of thing. (decisively) I want New York.

Dr. N: Do you think you have looked at the other cities carefully enough? S: (impatiently) Yes, I did that, but I don’t want them.

Dr. N: Wait a minute. What if you liked a music student in Oslo, but wanted to live in New York City?

S: (laughs) As a matter of fact, there is a promising girl in Los Angeles, but I still want New York.

Dr. N: All right, move forward. As your time in the Ring draws to a close, give me the details of your probable life selection.

S: I am going to New York to be a musician. I’m still trying to make up my mind between a couple of people, but I think I will choose (stops to laugh) a dumpy kid with a lot of talent. His body won’t have the stamina of my last one, but I’ll have the advantage of parents with some money who will encourage me to practice, practice, practice.

Dr. N: Money is important?

S: I know I sound … grasping … selfish … but there was no money in my last life. If I want to express the beauty of music and give pleasure to myself and others, I need proper training and supportive parents, otherwise I’ll get sidetracked … I know myself.

Dr. N: If you didn’t like any of the options presented to you in the Ring, could you ask for more places and people to look at?

S: It isn’t necessary, at least for me. I’m offered enough.

Dr. N: Let me be more blunt. If you are supposed to select a life from only the selections shown you in the Ring, how do you know the coordinators aren’t stacking the deck against you? Maybe they are programming you to make certain choices?

S: (pause) I don’t think so, considering all the times I have come to the Ring. We don’t go unless our minds are made up as to the type of life we want to live, and I’ve always had interesting choices based upon my own ideas.

Dr. N: Okay, after you are completely finished with reviewing lives in the Ring, what happens then?

S: The controllers … come into my mind to see if I am satisfied with what I have been shown.

Dr. N: Are they always the same entities?

S: I think so … as far back as I can remember.

Dr. N: Do they pressure you to make a decision before leaving the Ring?

S: Not at all. I float out and go back to talk to my companions before making up my mind.

Of course, theaters such as the Ring are not limited to viewing our planet. I have shown how some souls who come to Earth enjoy incarnating on other worlds as well. In Chapter Ten, I explained how the space of transformation within the spirit world allows souls to experiment with all sorts of shapes and forms for enlightenment and short-term recreation. However, for purposes of actual incarnation into our universe and other dimensions my subjects tell me there are space-time tunnels, or channels, available near their group centers. (Later, Case 29 will describe what it feels like to go through one of them at rebirth).

People say these portals are symbolized by a line of huge archways for passage

similar to a large train station. One woman put it this way, “We see these openings as lighter or darker voids of space. To me, the lighter tunnels denote more interactive communities of beings. The darker fields lead to low-density mental colonies where I am going to be alone a lot more.” When I asked her for an example of the latter, she said, “On the world of Arnth, we are as balls of cotton candy moving on waves of gas where nothing is solid. The swirling around each other is very orgasmic.” Another subject, describing his entry into a lighter opening said, “Sometimes between human incarnations I go with groups of souls to the fire world

of Jesta. In this volcanic atmosphere we can experience the physical and emotional stimulation of becoming intelligent molecules of flame. Now I know why I love to be in temperatures of over 100 degrees on Earth”

A soul’s physical anchorage is important. Case 25 told us his choice of locations was

confined to four cities. The number of scenes souls preview before a new life is, of course, different for each visit. Individual life offerings are selective, which indicates to me that other spiritual entities have

been actively working on our behalf to set up location scenes before we arrive. The

number of specialist spirits who assist souls at the space of life selection never seems to be large. They appear as rather vague apparitions to my subjects, although most believe members of their Council of Elders and personal guides are involved.

Early in human history, when the world was underpopulated, my clients recall lives

where they were always born in sparse human settlements. In time, with the rise of villages and then larger centers of ancient civilizations, my cases report returning to the same areas. Life selections were geographically scattered again by the great migrations of people colonizing new lands, particularly in the last four hundred years. In this century of over-population, more souls are choosing to live in places where they have been before.

Does this tendency today mean souls want to return to the same countries because of race? Souls are not inclined toward life selections based on ethnicity or nationalism. These products of human separatism are taught in childhood. Aside from the comfortable familiarity of culture in a soul’s choice (which is different from racial bias), we must also factor in the affinity many spirits have for deserts, mountains, or the sea. Souls may also have a preference for rural or urban living.

Are souls drawn back to the same geographic areas because they want a new life with the same family they had in their past  life? The tradition among certain cultures, such as Native Americans, is that souls choose to stay within family bloodlines. A dying man is expected to come back as his own unborn grandchild. In my practice I rarely see souls repeating the same genetic choices in past  lives because this would inhibit growth and opportunity.

Once in awhile I hear about a soul returning to the body of a relative in a former life under unusual karmic circumstances. For example, if a brother and sister had a close affinity for each other, and one were to die suddenly while still young, the soul of the dead sibling might want to return in the surviving sibling’s child to restore this broken life connection to finish an important task.

What is even more common in my experience, are the souls of young children who

die soon after birth and then return to the same parents as the soul of their next baby. These plans are all made in advance by the souls participating in tragic family events. They involve a maze of karmic issues. Not long ago, I had a case where my client had died from a birth defect early in

his last life. I asked, “What was the purpose of your life ending when you were only a few days old?” He replied, “The lesson was for my parents, not me, and that’s why I elected to come back for them as a filler.” When souls return for a short life to help someone else rather than work on their own issues, because there isn’t time, some call this “a filler life.” In this case, the parents had abused and finally caused the death of another child when they were together in an earlier life. Although they

were a loving young couple in the last life of my client, these parents evidently needed to experience the grief of having a child they desperately wanted taken away from them. Experiencing the anguish from this terrible loss gave the souls of these parents a deeper insight into the effects of severing a blood bond. I will have an example of this theme in Case 27.

Spirits do not routinely see their deaths in future lives. If souls choose a life where

their death will be premature, they often see it in the place of life selection. I have found that souls essentially volunteer in advance for bodies who will have sudden fatal illnesses, are to be killed by someone, or come to an abrupt end of life with many  others  from  a  catastrophic  event.  Souls  who  become  involved  in  these tragedies are not caught in the wrong place at the wrong time with a capricious God looking the other way. Every soul has a motive for the events in which it chooses to participate. One client told me his last life was planned in advance to end at seven years of age as an American Indian boy. He said, “I was looking for a short-burst lesson in humility and this life as a mistreated starving half-breed was enough.” Another, more graphic example of a soul volunteering for a terrible assignment was that of one of my subjects who elected in her last life to join (with three others of her soul group) the bodies of Jewish women taken from Munich into the death camp at Dachau in 1941. All were assigned to the same barracks (also prearranged) where my client died in 1943 at age 18 comforting the children and trying to help them survive. Her mission was accomplished with courage.

While events, race, culture, and geographic location often appear to come first in the

selection process, they are not the most significant choices for the soul’s next life. Aside from all other considerations, incarnation comes down to souls making that all-important decision of a specific body, and what can be learned by utilizing the brain of a certain human being. The next chapter is devoted to an analysis of why souls choose their bodies for various biological and psychological reasons.

13

Choosing a New Body

IN the place of life selection, our souls preview the life span of more than one human

being within the same time cycle. When we leave this area, most souls are inclined toward one leading candidate presented to us for soul occupation. However, our spiritual advisors give us ample opportunity to reflect upon all we have seen in the future before making a final decision. This chapter is devoted to the many elements which go into that decision.

Our deliberations over body alternatives actually begin before we go to the place of

life selection. Souls do this in order to adequately prepare themselves for viewing certain people in different cultural settings on Earth. I sense those souls who set up the screening room know in advance what to show us, because of these thoughts in our minds. Great care must be taken in choosing just the right body to serve us in the life to come. As I have said, guides and peer group members are part of this evaluation process prior to, and after, we visit the place of life selection.

When listening to my subjects describe all the preparations which go into picking a new physical body, I am constantly reminded of the fluidity of spiritual time. Our

teachers use relative future time in the place of  life selection to allow souls to measure human usefulness for working on unfinished lesson plans. Blueprints for the next life vary in the degree of difficulty the soul-mind sets for itself. If we have just come off an easy life, making little interpersonal progress, our soul might want to choose a person in the next time cycle who will face heartache and perhaps tragedy. It is not out of the ordinary for me to see someone who has skated through an

unchallenging life overloading themselves with turmoil in the next one to catch up

with their learning goals.

The soul-mind is far from infallible as it works in conjunction with a biological

brain. Regardless of our soul level, being human means we will all make mistakes and have the necessity of engaging in midcourse corrections during our lives. This will be true with any body we select.

Before taking up the more complex mental factors in a soul’s decision to join with

the brain of a human baby, I will begin with the physical aspects of body choice. Despite the fact that our souls know in advance what they are going to look like, a national survey in the United States indicated 90 percent of both males and females were dissatisfied with the physical characteristics of their bodies. This is the power of conscious amnesia. Much unhappiness is created by society stereotyping an ideal appearance. Yet, this too is part of a soul’s lesson plan.

How many times have we all looked in a mirror and said; “Is this the real me? Why do I appear this  way? Am I  in a  body where  I  belong?”  These  questions are especially poignant when the type of body we have prevents us from doing those things we think we ought to be able to do in life. I have had a number of clients who came to me convinced their bodies prevented them from achieving satisfying lives. Many handicapped people think if it were not for a genetic mistake, or being the victim of an accidental injury which damaged their body, their lives would be more fulfilled. As heartless as this may sound, my cases show few real accidents involving body damage which don’t fall under the free will of souls. As souls, we choose our bodies for a reason. Living in a damaged body does not necessarily have to involve a karmic debt we are paying off because of past life responsibility for an injury to someone else. As my next case will demonstrate, when a soul is inside a damaged body, this choice can involve a learning path to another type of lesson.

It is difficult to tell a newly-injured person trying to cope with physical disablement

that he or she has an opportunity to advance at a faster rate than those of us with healthy bodies and minds. This knowledge must come through self-discovery. The case histories of my clients convince me that the effort necessary to overcome a body impediment does accelerate advancement. Those of us whom society deems less- than-perfect suffer discrimination which makes the burden even heavier. Overcoming the obstacles of physical ailments and hurt makes us stronger for the ordeal.

Our bodies are an important part of the trial we set  for ourselves in life. The

freedom of choice we have with these bodies is based far more on psychological elements than from the estimated 100,000 genes inherited by each human being. However, I want to show in the opening case of this chapter why souls want certain bodies based largely on physical reasons without heavy psychological implications.

The case exhibits the planning involved in the decision of a soul to be in contrasting physical bodies in different lives. After this case, we will examine why souls choose their bodies for other reasons.

Case 26 was a tall, well-proportioned woman who enjoyed participating in sports

despite being bothered all her life with recurring leg pains. During her preliminary interview, I learned the pain was a dull ache in both legs, about midway down the thighbones. Over a period of years she had been to a number of doctors who could find no medical evidence of anything wrong with her legs. Clearly, she was worn down and willing to try anything for relief.

When   I   heard   the   doctors   had   concluded   her   discomfort   was   probably

psychosomatic, I suspected the origin of this woman’s pain might lie in a past life. Before going to the source of her problem, I decided to take my client through a couple of past lives to ascertain her motivations for body choices. When I asked her to tell me about a life in which she was the happiest with a human body she told of being in the body of a Viking called Leth around 800 AD. She said Leth was “a child of nature” who traveled by the Baltic Sea route into western Russia.

Leth was described as wearing a long, fur-lined cloak and soft, form-fitting animal skin pants with roped-up boots and a cap wrapped with metal. He carried an ax and a heavy, broad-bladed sword which he wielded easily in battle. My subject was intrigued by the picture in her mind of again being inside this magnificently proportioned warrior with “dirty strands of reddish-blond hair spilling over my shoulders.” Standing well over six feet tall, he must have been a giant of his time, with enormous strength, a huge chest, and powerful limbs. A man of great endurance, Leth navigated with other Norsemen over long distances, sailing up rivers and hiking through thick, virgin forests, pillaging settlements along the way. Leth was killed during a raid while looting a village.

Case 26

Dr. N: What was most important to you about this life you have just recalled as

Leth the Viking?

S: To experience that magnificent body and the feeling of raw physical power. I have never had another body like that one in all my existences on Earth. I was fearless because my body did not react to pain even when wounded. In every respect it was flawless. I never got sick.

Dr. N: Was Leth ever mentally troubled by anything? Was there any emotional sensitivity for you in this life?

S: (bursts out laughing) Are you kidding? Never! I lived only for each day. My concerns were not getting enough fighting, plunder, food, drink, and sex. All my feelings were channeled into physical pursuits. What a body!

Dr. N: All right, let’s analyze your decision to choose this great body in advance of Leth’s life. At the time you made your choice in the spirit world did you request this body of good genetic stock or did your guide simply make the selection for you?

S: Counselors don’t do that.

Dr. N: Then explain to me how this body came to be chosen by you.

S: I wanted one of the best physical specimens on Earth at the time and Leth was offered to me as a possibility.

Dr. N: You had only one choice?

S: No, I had two choices of people living in this time.

Dr. N: What if you didn’t like any of the body choices presented to you for occupation in that time segment?

S: (thoughtfully) The alternatives of my choices always seem to match what I want to experience in my lives.

Dr. N: Do you have the sense the counselors know in advance which body selections are exactly right for you, or are they so harried it’s just an indiscriminate grab bag of body choices?

S: Nothing here is careless. The counselors arrange everything.

Dr. N: I have wondered if the counselors might get mixed up once in a while. With all the new babies born could they ever assign two souls to one baby, or leave a baby without a soul for a while?

S: (laughing) We aren’t in an assembly line. I told you they know what they are doing. They don’t make mistakes like that.

Dr. N: I believe you. Now, as to your choices, I am curious if two bodies were sufficient for your examination in the place of life selection.

S: We don’t need a lot of choices for lives once the counselors get their heads together about our desires. I already had some idea of the right body size and shape and the sex I wanted before being exposed to my two choices.

Dr. N: What was the body choice you rejected in favor of Leth?

S: (pause) That of a soldier from Rome… also with the strong body I wanted in that lifetime.

Dr. N: What was wrong with being an Italian soldier?

S: I didn’t want … control over me by the state (subject shakes head from side to side) … too restrictive …

Dr. N: As I remember, by the ninth century much of Europe had fallen under the authority of Charlemagne’s Holy Roman Empire.

S: That was the trouble with the soldier’s life. As a Viking I answered to nobody. I was free. I could move around with my band of invaders in the wilderness without any governmental control.

Dr. N: Then freedom was also an issue in your choice?

S: Absolutely. The freedom of movement… the fury of battle the use of my strength and uninhibited action. Life at sea and in the forests was robust and constant. I know the life was cruel, too, but it was a brutal time. I was no better or worse than the rest.

Dr. N: But what about other considerations, such as personality?

S: Nothing bothered me as long as I was able to physically express myself to the fullest.

Dr. N: Did you have a mate-children?

S: (shrugs)  Too restrictive. I was on the move. I possessed many women-some willing-others not-and this pleasure added to my expression of physical power. I didn’t want to be tied down in any way.

Dr. N: So, the body of Leth was your preference as a pure physical extension of sensual feeling?

S: Yes, I wanted to experience all body senses to the fullest, nothing more.

I felt my subject was now ready to go to work on her current problem. After bringing her out of superconscious into a subconscious state, I asked her to go directly to a life which may have involved leg pain.

Almost at once the woman dropped into her most recent past life and became a six- year-old girl named Ashley living in New England in the year 1871. Ashley was riding in a fully loaded, horse-drawn carriage when suddenly she opened the door and tumbled out under the vehicle. When she hit the cobblestone street, one of the heavy rear carriage wheels rolled over her legs at the same point above both knees, crushing the bones. My subject reexperienced a sharp pain in her legs while describing the fall.

Despite efforts from local physicians and the prolonged use of wood splints, Ashley’s

leg bones did not heal properly. She was never able to stand or walk again and poor circulation caused repeated swelling in her legs for the rest of a rather short life. Ashley died in 1912 after a productive period of years as a writer and tutor of disadvantaged children. When the narration of Ashley’s life ended, I returned my

subject to the spirit world.

Dr. N: In your history of body choices why did you wait a thousand years between being a physically strong man and a crippled woman?

S: Well, of course, I developed a better sense of who I was during

the lives in between. I chose to be crippled to gain intellectual concentration. Dr. N: You chose a broken body for this?

S: Yes, you see, being unable to walk made me read and study more. I developed my mind … and listened to my mind. I learned to communicate well and to write with skill because I wasn’t distracted. I

was always in bed.

Dr. N: Was any characteristic about your soul particularly evident in both Ashley

and Leth the Viking?

S: That part of me which craves fiery expression was in both bodies.

Dr. N: I want you to go to the moment you were in the process of choosing the life of Ashley. Tell me how you decided on this particular damaged body.

S: I picked a family in a well-established, settled part of America. I wanted a place with libraries and to be taken care of by loving parents so I could devote myself to scholarship. I constantly wrote to many unhappy people and became a good teacher.

Dr. N: As Ashley, what did you do for this loving family who took care of you?

S: It always works two ways-the benefits and liabilities. I chose this family because they needed the intensity of love with someone totally dependent upon them all their lives. We were very close as a family because they were lonely before I was born. I came late, as their only child. They wanted a daughter who would not marry and leave them to be lonely again.

Dr. N: So it was a trade-off? S: Most definitely.

Dr. N: Then let’s track this decision further back to the place of life selection, when your soul first saw Ashley’s life. Did you see the details of your carriage accident then?

S: Of course, but it wasn’t an accident-it was supposed to happen.

Dr. N: Once you came to Earth, who was responsible for the fall? Was it your soul- mind or Ashley’s biological mind?

S: We worked in unison. She was going to be fooling with the carriage door handle and … I capitalized on that

Dr. N: Tell me what was going through your soul-mind in the life selection room when you saw the scene of Ashley falling and being injured?

S: I thought about how this crippled body could be put to good use. I had some other choices for body injuries, but I preferred this one

because I didn’t want to have the capability for much movement.

Dr. N: I want to pursue the issue of causality here. Would Ashley have fallen anyway if she had a soul other than your own?

S: (defensively) We were right for each other… Dr. N: That doesn’t answer my question.

S: (long pause) There are forces beyond my knowledge as a spirit. When I saw Ashley for the first time … I was able to see her without me … healthy … older … another life possibility…

Dr. N: Now we are getting somewhere. Are you saying if Ashley had begun her life with another soul entity that she might not have fallen at all?

S: Yes … that’s a possibility … one of many … she could also have been less severely injured, with the ability to walk on crutches.

Dr. N: Well, did you see a physically healthy Ashley living happily without your soul?

S: I saw … a grown woman … normal legs … unhappiness with a man … frustration at being trapped in an unrewarding life … sorrowful parents … but easier. (voice becomes more firm) No! That course would not have worked well for either of us-I was the best soul for her.

Dr. N: Were you the prime mover of the fall, once you elected to be-come Ashley’s soul?

S: It … was both of us … we were one at that moment … she was being naughty, bouncing around in the carriage, playing with the door handle when her mother said she must stop. Then … I was ready and she was ready…

Dr. N: Just how rigid was your destiny? Once you were Ashley’s soul was there any way you could have backed out of this entire incident in the carriage?

S: (pause) I can tell you I had a flash just before I fell. I could have pulled back and

not fallen out. A voice inside my mind said…”It’s an opportunity, don’t wait any longer, take the fall, this is what you wanted-it’s the best course of action.”

Dr. N: Was that particular moment important? S: I didn’t want Ashley to get too much older.

Dr. N: But, the pain and suffering this child went through . . .?

S: It was horrible. The agony of those first five weeks was beyond belief. I almost died, but I learned from enduring it all and I now see the memories of Leth’s capacity for managing pain helped me.

Dr. N: Did your inner mind have any regrets during those moments when the pain was most severe?

S: As I slipped in and out of consciousness during the worst of the ordeal, my mind began gaining in power. Overriding my damaged body, I started to better control the pain … lying in bed… the doctors helpless. The skills I developed in managing pain were later used to concentrate on my studies and my counselor was helping me, too, in subtle ways.

Dr. N: So you gained a lot in this life by being unable to walk?

S: Yes, I became a listener and thinker. I corresponded with many people and learned to write with inspiration. I gained teaching ability with the young, and felt guided by an internal power.

Dr. N: Was your counselor proud of your accomplishments after you returned to the spirit world?

S: Very, although I was told I had become a little too indulged and pampered (laughs), but that’s an okay trade-off.

Dr. N: How does your experience with the strong body of Leth and the weak one of Ashley help you today, or is this of no consequence?

S: I benefit every day by my appreciation of the necessity of a union between mind and body to learn lessons.

During my client’s reliving of the street scene which broke her legs, I initiated desensitization measures. At the close of our session together, I then deprogrammed her generational memory of leg pain entirely. This woman later notified me she has had no further pain and regularly enjoys playing tennis.

The two past lives I have represented in this case were largely devoted to physical choices for soul actualization in two quite different environments.

Souls search for self-expression by developing different aspects of their character. Regardless of what physical or mental tools are used through the use of many bodies, the laws of karma will prevail. If the soul chooses one extreme, somewhere down the line this will be counterbalanced by an opposite choice to even-out development. The physical lives of Leth and Ashley are examples of karmic compensation. The Hindus believe a rich man sooner or later must become a beggar for his soul to develop adequately.

By  surviving  different  challenges  our  soul  identity  is  strengthened.  The  word

strength should not be misunderstood. My subjects say the real lessons of life are learned by recognizing and coming to terms with being human. Even as victims, we are beneficiaries because it is how we stand up to failure and duress which really marks our progress in life. Sometimes one of the most important lessons is to learn to just let go of the past.

While souls carefully consider the physical attributes of an Earth body in a variety

of cultural settings, they give much more attention to the psychological aspects of human life. This decision is the most vital part of the entire selection process for the soul. Before entering the place of life selection, it is to a soul’s advantage to ponder the factors of heredity and environment which affect how a biological life form will function. I have heard that a soul’s spiritual energy has a fluctuating influence on whether the temperament of its human host will be extroverted or introverted, rationalistic or idealistic, emotionally or analytically dominated. Because of such variables, souls need to reflect in advance on the types of bodies which will serve them best in the life to come.

From  what  I  can  gather,  a  soul’s  thoughts  about  certain  human  behavior

preferences for themselves in the next life are known by guides and those masters charged with operating the life selection stations. It appears to me some souls take this responsibility more seriously than others. Yet, a soul in the prelife selection phase can reflect only so much on how they would fit into a specific body. When souls are called to the place of life selection the guesswork is over. Now they must match their spiritual identity against a mortal being.  Why one soul joined, for psychological reasons, with two human beings thousands of years apart is the basis of my next case.

Case 27 is a Texas businessman who owns a large, successful clothing firm. During a vacation in California, Steve came to see me on the advice of a friend. As I took his history, I noticed he was tense and hypervigilant. While his fingers toyed with a key chain, Steve’s eyes darted anxiously around my office. I asked if he was nervous or afraid of hypnosis as a procedure and he replied, “No, I’m more afraid of what you will uncover.”

This client told me his employees were demanding and disloyal and the multitude of personnel complaints had become intolerable. His solution had been to increase discipline and fire people. I learned that he had two failed marriages and was a binge alcoholic. He said he had recently tried a recovery program but quit because “they were getting too critical of me.”

As we talked further, Steve explained that his mother disappeared after leaving him

on the steps of a church in Texas within a week of his birth. After a few lonely and unhappy years in an orphanage, an older couple adopted him. He added that these

people were stern disciplinarians who seemed to disapprove of him all the time. Leaving home in his teens, Steve had many scrapes with the law and once attempted suicide.

I found this client’s personality to be overly assertive and untrusting of authority.

His anger was rooted in feelings of isolation and abandonment issues. Steve said he felt like he was losing control over his life and was willing to try anything “to find the real me.” I agreed to short-term exploration of his unconscious mind if he would consider seeing a therapist later in his own town for sustained counseling.

As this case unfolds, we will see how Steve’s soul maintains its identity while responding to physical life in a human body. The intensity of this association is increased in hypnosis when my subjects discuss their motives for body selection. One reason why I have used this case is to expose a difficult barrier to discovering our identity-that of childhood trauma. Souls who unite with people that develop early personality disorders deliberately set themselves up for a difficult life. Before taking my client into the spirit world to learn why his soul chose this life, it was necessary to relive his early childhood memories. In the short excerpt which begins this case, this subject will see his real mother again. It is one of the most poignant scenes I have ever facilitated.

Case 27

Dr. N: You are now a baby in the first week of life and your mother is seeing you for

the last time. It doesn’t matter that you are a baby because your inner adult mind knows everything that is going on. Describe to me exactly what transpires.

S: (subject starts to shake) I … I’m in a basket … there is a faded blue blanket around me … I’m being set down on some steps… it’s cold …

Dr. N: Where are these steps?

S: … In front of a church… in Texas.

Dr. N: Who is setting you down on the church steps?

S: (the shaking increases) My mother … is bending down over me … saying goodbye

… (begins to cry)

Dr. N: What can you tell me about your mother’s reason for leaving you?

S: She … is young … not married to my father … he is already married. She is … crying … I can feel her tears falling on my face.

Dr. N: Look up at her. What else do you see?

S: (chokes) Flowing black hair … beautiful… I reach up and touch her mouth … she kisses me … soft, gentle … she is having a terribly hard time leaving me here.

Dr. N: Does she say anything to you before leaving?

S: (subject can now hardly talk) “I must leave you for your own good. I have no money to take care of you. My parents won’t help us. I love you. I will always love you and hold you in my heart forever.”

Dr. N: What happens then?

S: She … takes hold of a heavy door knocker… it has an animal on it… and bangs on the door… we hear footsteps coming… now she is gone.

Dr. N: What do your inner thoughts tell you about all you have seen?

S: (almost overcome by emotion) Oh … she wanted me after all … didn’t want to leave me … she loved me!

Dr. N: (I place my hand on the subject’s forehead and begin a  series of post- hypnotic suggestions which end with the following instructions) Steve, you will be able to recall this subconscious memory in your conscious mind. You will retain this picture of your mother

for the rest of your life. You now know how she truly felt about you and that her

energy is still with you. Is this clear? S: Yes … it is.

Dr. N: Now, move forward in time and tell me how you feel about your foster parents.

S: Never satisfied with me … made me feel guilty about everything … controlling and judging me … (subject’s face is dripping wet with tears and perspiration) don’t know who I am supposed to be

I’m not real

Dr. N: (I raise my voice) Tell me what is unreal about you. S: Pretending … (stops)

Dr. N: Keep going!

S: I’m not really in control … constant anger … mistreating people to … get even … hopelessness …

Note: After additional conditioning, I will now take my subject back and forth between his subconscious and superconscious mind.

Dr. N: All right Steve, now let’s go back to the time before your birth into this life. Tell me if you have ever lived in another life with the soul of your birth mother.

S: (long pause) Yes … I have.

Dr. N: Was there ever a particular life you lived with this soul on Earth which involved any sort of physical or emotional pain between the two of you?

S: (after a moment subject’s hands grip the arms of his chair) Oh, damn-that’s it-of course-it’s her!

Dr. N: Try to relax and not go too fast for me. I want you to enter the life you see in your mind at the most crucial point in your relationship with this soul on the count of three. One, two, three!

S: (a deep sigh) Oh my … it’s the same person … a different body but she was my mother then, too

Dr. N: Stay focused on the Earth scene. Is it day or night? S: (pause) Broad daylight. Hot sun and sand …

Dr. N: Describe what is happening under the hot sun in the sand.

S: (haltingly) I am standing in front of my temple … before a large crowd of people

… my guards are in back of me.

Dr. N: What is your name? S: Haroum.

Dr. N: What are you wearing, Haroum?

S: A long, white robe and sandals. I have a staff in my hand with gold snakes on it as a symbol of my authority.

Dr. N: What is your authority, Haroum? S: (proudly) I am a high priest.

Note: Further inquiries revealed this man was a tribal leader who was located on the Arabian peninsula close to the Red Sea around 2000 BC. In preclassical times, this area was known as the Kingdom of Sheba (or Saba). I also learned the temple was a large oval structure of mud bricks and stone dedicated to a moon god.

Dr. N: What are you doing in front of your temple?

S: I am on the steps judging a woman. She is my mother. She is kneeling down in front of me. There is a look of pity and fear in her eyes as she looks up at me.

Dr. N: How can her eyes show both pity and fear at once?

S: There is pity in her eyes because of the power which has consumed me … in taking so much control over the daily lives of my people. And there is fear, too, for what I am about to do. This disturbs me, but I must not show it.

Dr. N: Why is your mother kneeling on the temple steps before you?

S: She has broken into the storage house and stolen food to give to the people. Many are hungry at this time of year, but I alone can order distribution. The food must be measured out carefully.

Dr. N: Did she act against some rule of food rationing? Was this a question of survival?

S: (abruptly) There is more to this-by disobeying me she is

undermining my authority. I use the distribution of food as a means of… control over my people. I want them all to be loyal to me.

Dr. N: What are you going to do with your mother?

S: (with conviction) My mother has violated the law. I can save her, but she must be punished as an example. I decide she will die.

Dr. N: How do you feel about killing your own mother, Haroum?

S: It must be done. She has been a constant thorn in my side-causing unrest among my people because of her position. I cannot govern freely with her here any longer. Even now, she is defiant. I order her death by banging my staff on the stone steps.

Dr. N: Later on are you sad about ordering your mother’s execution?

S: (voice becomes strained) I… must not think about such things if I am to maintain power.

At this point Steve’s mind had relived two emotionally wrenching events involving voluntary actions of separation between mother and son. Although he had made the karmic connection, it was important that his abandonment as a baby not be isolated as pure historic retribution. For healing to begin we had to go further.

The next stage in our session together was designed to recover Steve’s soul identity. To do this, I took him into the spirit world. In each of my cases, I try to bring the

subject back to the most appropriate spiritual area to get the best results. In Case 13, I used the place of orientation. With Case 27, we will go back to relive the spiritual time just after his return from the place of life selection. In this setting, I want Steve to see the reasons for his current body choice and the role of other soul participants in his life.

Dr. N: By what name are you known in the spirit world? S: Sumus

.

Dr. N: All right, Sumus, since we are now in the spirit world again, I want us to go to the period just following your initial viewing of the man who is Steve. What are your thoughts?

S: Such a resentful man… he is so angry about his mother dumping him on a doorstep … and those hard-nosed people who will

take over as his parents … I don’t know if I even want to take this body!

Dr. N: I understand, but why don’t we put that decision aside for a few minutes while other things develop. Tell me what you actually do once you leave the place of life selection.

S: Sometimes I might want to be by myself for a while. Usually, I am anxious to have the opinions of my friends about the lives I look at, especially one this rough.

Dr. N: Surely, you had more than one body option?

S: (shakes head) This is one I should take … it’s a rough decision.

Dr. N: Tell me, Sumus, when you are back with your group of friends, do you discuss the possibility of yourself associating with some of them in the next life?

S: Yes, more often than not, these close friends are going to be in my life to come, just as I will be in theirs. Some of my clutch will not be in certain lives. It doesn’t matter. We all discuss our next life with each other. I want to get their ideas on details. You see, we all know each other so well-our strengths and weaknesses- former successes and failures-what to watch out for … that kind of thing.

Dr. N: Did you discuss with them any details about the kind of person you should be in your next life before actually going to the place of life selection?

S: Oh yeah, in a roundabout way. Nothing concrete. Now that I have seen Steve, and who the others might be in relation to him in this life, there are reservations. So I talk to Jor.

Dr. N: Is Jor your guide?

S: Yes, he listened a lot to what I had to say about who I thought I should be before I was sent to the place where we look at lives.

Dr. N: Okay, Sumus, you have just returned to your primary cluster group from the place of life selection. What do you do first?

S: I talk about this guy Steve who is so unhappy … no real mother … all that stuff … what kinds of people will be around him … their plans, too … it must fit all together for us.

Dr. N: You mean which souls are going to take certain bodies? S: Right, we need to firm that up.

Dr. N: Are soul assignments still negotiable at this point, or is everyone told which body they will be in after leaving the place of life selection?

S: No one is forced to do anything. We know what should be done. Jor… and the others help us make adjustments … they are sent in to round out the picture … (subject’s face becomes grave)

Dr. N: Is something bothering you at this moment, Sumus?

S: (in a cheerless manner) Uh … my friends are moving away … there are others coming … oh…

Dr. N: I gather some deliberations are about to occur with other souls. Try to relax as best you can. On my command you will clearly relate to me everything that is happening. Do you understand?

S: (nervously) Yes.

Dr. N: Begin! How many entities do you see?

S: There are… four of them… coming over to me… Jo. is one of them. Dr. N: Who is first?

S: (subject grabs my hand) It’s … ……. she wants to be … my mother again. Dr. N: Is this the soul of the woman who is Haroum’s and Steve’s mother? S: Yes, she is… oh… I don’t want to…

Dr. N: What’s going on?

S: Eone is telling me it’s time for us to … settle things … to be in a disordered life as mother and son again.

Dr. N: But Sumus, didn’t you know this at the place of life selection when you viewed Steve’s mother taking her baby to the church?

S: I saw the people … the possibility… it was still an … abstract consideration … it wasn’t actually me yet. I guess I need more convincing because Eone is here for a reason.

Dr. N: I take it none of these newly arrived entities is from your own clutch? S: (sighs) No, they are not.

Dr. N: Why did you and Eone wait 4000 earth years before discussing a balancing out of your treatment of her in Arabia?

S: Earth years mean nothing; it could have been yesterday. I just wasn’t ready to offset the harm I did her as Haroum. She says the circumstances are right for this exercise now.

Dr. N: If your soul joins with the body of Steve in Texas, will Eone consider this karmic payment for your debt?

S: (pause) My life as Steve is not supposed to be punishment.  Dr. N: I’m glad you see that. So what is the lesson to be learned?

S: To … feel what desertion is like in a family relationship … deliberate severing … Dr. N: The severing of the mother and son bond by deliberate action?

S: Yes … to appreciate what it is like to be cast off.

Dr. N: Allow Eone to move away and have the other entities join us, Sumus.

S: (distressed) Eone is floating back to … Jor…. coming forward are … Oh shit-it’s Talu and Kalish! (subject squirms in his chair and tries to ward off the two spirits in his mind by pushing the palms of his hands outward)

Dr. N: Who are they?

S: (in a rush of words) Talu and Kalish have volunteered to be Steve’s-my foster parents. They work together a lot.

Dr. N: What’s the problem, then?

S: I just don’t want them again so soon!

Dr. N: Slow down for me, Sumus. You have worked with these souls before?

S: (still muttering to himself) Yes, yes-but they are so hard for me to be with especially Kalish. It’s too soon. They were my in-laws in the German life.

Note: We digress for a few minutes while Sum us briefly explains a past life in Europe as a high-ranking army, officer who neglected his family and was the object of scorn from his wife’s influential parents.

Dr. N: Are you saying that Talu and Kalish lack the capability for the assignment of being your foster parents in Texas?

S: (shakes head with resignation) No, they know what they are doing. lt’s just that with Kalish, it’s always a rough ride. She chooses to be people who are critical, demanding, cold…

Dr. N: Does she always present that sort of behavior in human bodies?

S: Well, that’s her style with me. Kalish is not a soul who engages easily with others. She is independent and very determined.

Dr. N: How about Talu as your adoptive father?

S: Stern .. allows Kalish to lead … can be too detached… emotionally private… I’m going to really rebel against them this time.

Dr. N: Okay, but will they teach you something?

S: Yes, I know they will, but I am still arguing about it. Jor and Eone come over. Dr. N: What do you say next at this conference?

S: I want Eone to be my foster mother. They all laugh at me. Jor won’t buy my explanations. He knows I am close to Eon e.

Dr. N: Do they make fun of you, Sumus?

S: Oh no, it’s not that way at all Talu and Kalish question my reluctance to tackle my faults with them.

Dr. N: Well, I was getting the impression you thought these souls were ganging up on you to force a decision to join with the Texas baby.

S: That’s not how it goes here. We are discussing my misgivings about the life itself. Dr. N: But I thought you didn’t like Talu and Kalish?

I

S: They know about me … I need strict people or I ride over them. Everyone here

sees I have a tendency to indulge myself. They convince me an easy life without them will be like treading water. Both of them are very disciplined.

Dr. N: Well, it sounds like you have about made up your mind to go with them into the Texas life.

S: (musing) Yes… they are going to make a lot of demands on me as a child… Kalish sarcastic … Talu a perfectionist… losing Eone…

it’s going to be a rough ride.

Dr. N: What will playing the roles of your parents do for Talu and Kalish?

S: Kalish and Talu are in different … configurations than me. I’m not supposed to get all muddled up in their business. It has something to do with their being rigid people and overcoming pride.

Dr. N: When you are on Earth, does your soul-mind always know the reason why certain people who influence you positively or negatively are significant in your life?

S: Yes, but that doesn’t mean the person I am in that life understands what my spirit knows. (smiles) That’s what we should be able to figure out on Earth.

Dr. N: Which is what we are doing now?

S: Yeah … and I am cheating a little with you helping, but it’s okay, I can use it.

It does seem an enigma that the knowledge of who we really are as souls is so difficult for many of us to reach through our conscious minds. By now I’m sure the reader has discerned that even in a superconscious state, we do retain the ability to observe ourselves with a portion of the critical center of our conscious mentality. Assisting clients in reaching their inner selves by linking all facets of the mind is the most important part of my work in hypnotherapy.

I want Steve to gain insight into the motives for his behavior by understanding his soul. The dialogue which follows provides us with further disclosures as to why Sumus integrated into Steve’s body. The spiritual conference with Jor, Eone, Talu, and Kalish is over and I have taken Sumus to a quiet setting in the spirit world for this discussion.

Dr. N: Tell me, Sumus, how much of who you really are as a soul identity is reflected in the human beings you have occupied?

S: Quite a lot-but no two bodies are alike. (laughs) Good body and soul mergers don’t always happen, you know. I remember some of my former bodies more fondly than others.

Dr. N: Would you say your soul dominates or is subordinated by the human brain? S: That’s difficult to answer because there are subtle differences with the brain of

each body which affects how we… exhibit ourselves from that body. A human would be pretty vacant without us… we treat earth bodies with respect, though.

Dr. N: What do you think human beings would be like without souls? S: Oh, dominated by senses and emotions

Dr. N: And you believe each human brain causes you to react differently?

S: Well, that which I am … is able to utilize some bodies better than others. I don’t always feel fully attached to a human being. Some physical emotions are overpowering and I… am not so effective.

Dr. N: Such as the high level of rage displayed by Steve’s temperament, perhaps affected by the central nervous system of this body?

S: Yes, we inherit these things ….

Dr. N: But you knew what Steve would be like before you chose his body?

S: (in disgust) That’s right, and it’s typical of how I can make a bad situation worse. I am able to interpret only when the storms of the human mind are quiet, and yet I want to be stormy people.

Dr. N: What do you mean by interpret?

S: Interpret ideas … make sense out of Steve’s reactions to turmoil.

Dr. N: To be frank, Sumus, you sound like a stranger inside Steve’s body.

S: I’m sorry to give you that impression. We don’t control the human mind … we try by our presence to … elevate it to see … meaning in the world and to be receptive to morality … to give understanding.

Dr. N: That’s all very well, but you use human bodies for your own development too, don’t you?

S: Sure, it’s a … blending … we give and take with our energy.

Dr. N: Oh, you tailor your energy to fit a host body?

S: It would be better to say I use different facets of expression, depending on the emotional drives of each body.

Dr. N: Let’s get specific, Sumus. What is going on between you and Steve’s brain at this time on Earth?

S: I … have felt … submerged … sometimes my energy is tired and unresponsive to so much negativity.

Dr. N: Looking back to your choices of Haroum, Steve, and those other human bodies in between, do they all have traits in common which attracted you?

S: (long pause) I am a contact entity. I seek humans who involve themselves … aggressively with others.

Dr. N: When I hear the word aggression, this means hostility to me as opposed to being assertive. Is this what you intended to say?

S: (pause) Well, I’m attracted to those who influence other people … ah, vigorously- at full tilt.

Dr. N: Are you a soul who enjoys controlling other people?

S: I wouldn’t say control, exactly. I avoid choosing to be people who have no intense involvement with those around them.

Dr. N: Sumus, aren’t you being controlling when you try to direct other souls in their lives?

S: (no response)

Dr. N: What would Jor say about your human relationships?

S: Hmm … that I like power as a means of influencing the acts of humans who are decision makers. That I crave social and political groups where I lead.

Dr.  N:  So,  you would not  enjoy being in a  human  body which was quiet  and unassuming?

S: Definitely not.

Dr. N: (I push harder) Sumus, isn’t it true you took pleasure in the way you were a part of Haroum’s misuse of power in Arabia, and

that you gain satisfaction as Steve from mistreating your employees in Texas?

S: (loudly) No, that isn’t true! Things get out of hand easily when you try to lead humans. It’s the conditions on Earth which screw everything up. It isn’t all my fault.

Dr. N: Is it possible that both Haroum and Steve became more extreme in their conduct because your soul was with them?

S: (heavily) I haven’t done well, I know that …

Dr. N: Look Sumus, I hope you know I don’t think you are a bad soul. But maybe you are easily seduced by the trappings of human

authority and you have now become someone who feels in conflict with society.

S: (disturbed) You are beginning to sound like Jor!

Dr. N: I don’t presume to be doing that, Sumus. Perhaps Jor is helping us both to understand what is going on inside you.

S: Probably.

Steve and I have reached a productive stage of contact with his soul. I address this subject as if he were two people, while tightening the bowstring between his conscious and unconscious self. After applying additional conditioning to pull these two forces closer together, I close our session with a final series of questions. It is important his mind not be allowed to drift or his memories to become dissociated. To foster responsiveness, my questions are confrontive and spoken rapidly to increase the tempo of my subject’s answers.

Dr. N: Sumus, begin by telling me why you originally accepted Steve’s body.

S: To … rise above my attraction for leading others … always wanting to be in charge …

Dr. N: Is your soul identity in conflict with the direction Steve’s life has taken?

S: I don’t like that part of him which is fighting to be on top and, at the same time, having thoughts of escape by self-destruction.

Dr. N: If this is a contradiction for you, why does it exist? S:… childhood … sadness … (stops)

Dr. N: Who am I listening to now? Sumus, why aren’t you more active in helping yourself, as Steve, overcome the shame of abandonment by Eone and your anger from an unloving childhood with Talu and Kalish?

S:… I am grown now … and managing others … won’t let people hurt me anymore.

Dr. N: Sumus, if you and Steve are now speaking to me as one intelligence, I want to know why your lifestyle is so self-destructive.

S: (long pause) Because my weakness is … using power for self-preservation on Earth.

Dr. N: Do you feel if you were less controlling of people as an adult, life would revert to the way you were treated as a child?

S: (angrily) Yes!

Dr. N: And when you don’t get self-gratification from the body of your choice, what do you do as a soul?

S: I…tune out…

Dr. N: I see, and how is this accomplished, Sumus? S: By not … being too active.

Dr. N: Because you are intimidated by a body in an emotional tailspin? S: Well… I go into a shell.

Dr. N: So, you use avoidance in not actively dealing with the major lesson you came to Earth to learn?

S: Uh huh.

Dr. N: Steve, your adoptive parents were rough on you, weren’t they? S: Yes.

Dr. N: Do you now see why?

S: (pause) To know what being constantly judged is like. Dr. N: What else?

S: To … overcome … and be whole. (bitterly) I don’t know…

Dr. N: I think you do know, Steve. Tell me about the damaged self you present to people around you.

S: (after some procrastination) Pretending to be happy covering up my feelings by drinking and mistreating people.

Dr. N: Do you want to stop this cover up and go to work? S: Yes, I do.

Dr. N: Define who you really want to be.

S:(tearfully)I… we don’t want to be hostile to people … but don’t want to risk being a

… non-person … without respect or recognition, either. Dr. N: So you are on a fence?

S: (quietly) Yes, life is so painful.

Dr. N: Do you think this is an accident? S: No, I see it isn’t.

Dr. N: Steve and Sumus, repeat after me: “I’m going to give back the pain of Eone, Talu, and Kalish, which they gave to me for my own good, and get on with my life by becoming the identity I really want to be.” (subject repeats these words three times for me)

Dr. N: Steve, what are you going to do about revealing yourself in the future, and taking responsibility for improvement?

S: (after a couple of false starts) Learn to be more honest. Dr. N: And to trust that you are not a victim of society? S: Yes.

This case ended with my reinforcing Steve’s understanding of who he really is and his mission in life. I wanted to help liberate him as a person of value, with a contribution to make in society. We talked about his love and fear choices, as well as the necessity to get in touch with himself frequently. I felt we had laid the groundwork for his dealing with resentment and a lack of intimacy. I reminded Steve of the need for follow-up counseling. About a year later, he wrote to tell me his recovery was going well, and that he had found the lost child within himself. Steve realized his past mistakes were not failures, but the means to improvement.

Case 27 demonstrates how the hard tasks we set for ourselves often begin in childhood. This is why considerable weight is given to family selection by the soul. The idea that each of us voluntarily agreed to be the children of a given set of parents before we came into this life is a difficult concept for some people to accept.

Although the average person has experienced love from his or her parents, many of us have unresolved, hurtful memories of those near to us who should have offered protection and did not. We grow up thinking of ourselves as victims of biological parents and family members whom we inherited without any choice in the matter. This assumption is wrong.

When clients tell me how much they suffered from the actions of family members,

my first question to their conscious mind is, “If you had not been exposed to this person as a child, what would you now lack in understanding?” It may take a while, but the answer is in our minds. There are spiritual reasons for our being raised as children around certain kinds of people, just as other people are designated to be near us as adults.

To know ourselves spiritually means understanding why we joined in life with the

souls of parents, siblings, spouses, and close friends. There is usually some karmic purpose for receiving pain or pleasure from someone close to us. Remember, along with learning our own lessons, we come to Earth to play a part in the drama of others’ lessons as well.

There are people who, because they live in a terrible environment, suspect the spirit world of not being a center of divine compassion. However, it is the ultimate in compassion when beings who are spiritually linked to each other come forward by prior agreement into human lives involving love-hate relationships. Overcoming adversity in these relationships may mean we won’t have to repeat certain abrasive alliances in future lives. Surviving such trials on Earth places us into a heightened state of perception with each new life and enhances our identity as souls.

People in trance may have trouble making a clear distinction between their soul

identity and human ego. If the human personality has little structure beyond the five senses and basic drives for survival without ensoulment, then the soul is our total personality. This means, for example, that one could not have a human ego which is jealous and also possess a soul which is not jealous.

Yet my cases indicate there are subtle variations between their soul identity and all that is manifested by the human personalities of many host bodies. Case 27 showed similarities and differences in the personalities of Haroum and Steve. Our constant soul-self seems to be a governing agent of human temperament, but we may express ourselves differently with each body.

The souls of my subjects apparently select bodies which try to match their character

flaws with human temperament for specific growth patterns. In one life an overly cautious, low-energy soul might be disposed to blending with a quiet, rather subdued human host. This same soul, encouraged to take greater risks in another life, could choose to work more in opposition to it’s natural character by melding with a temperamentally high-strung, aggressive body-type on Earth.

Souls both give and receive mental gifts in life through a symbiosis of human brain

cells and intelligent energy. Deep feelings generated by an eternal consciousness are conjoined with human emotion in the expression of one personality, which is as it should be. We don’t need to change who we are in relation to life’s experiences, only our negative reactions to these events. Asian Buddhists say enlightenment is seeing the absolute soul ego reflected in the relative human ego and acting through it during life.

In the chapters on beginning, intermediate, and advanced soul levels, I gave case samples of soul maturity. I think souls do demonstrate their own patterns of ego in the bodies they inhabit, and they exert a powerful influence over body performance. However, making hasty judgements on a soul’s maturity based solely on behavioral traits has its pitfalls. The design plan of souls could include holding parts of their energy in reserve in some lives. Sometimes a negative trait is selected by an otherwise developed soul for special attention in a certain body.

We have seen how a soul selects the person with whom it wishes to associate in a

given life. This does not mean that it has absolute control over that body. In extreme cases, a fractured personality struggling with internalized conflicts may result in a dissociative reaction to reality. I feel that

this is a sign the soul is not always able to regulate and unify the human mind. I

have mentioned how souls may become so buried by human emotion in bodies which are unstable, that by the time of death they are contaminated spirits. If we become obsessed by our physical bodies, or carried along on an emotional roller coaster in life, the soul can be subverted by its outer self.

Many great thinkers in history believed the soul can never be fully homogeneous with the human body and that humans have two intellects. I consider human ideas and imagination as emanating from the soul,  which provides a catalyst for the human brain. How much reasoning power we would have without souls is impossible to know, but I feel that the attachment of souls to humans supplies us with insight and abstract thought. I view the soul as offering humans a qualitative reality, subject to conditions of heredity and environment.

If it is true that every human brain has a host of biological characteristics, including

raw intelligence and the facility for invention, which are separate from the soul, then choosing our body raises an important question. Do souls choose bodies whose intellectual capabilities match their own development? For instance, are advanced souls drawn to human brains with high intelligence? In looking at the scholastic and academic achievements of my clients, I find there is no more correlation here than with an immature soul being inclined to bodies with lower intellectual aptitudes.  The  philosopher  Kant  wrote  that  the  human  brain  is  only  a   function  of consciousness, not the source of real knowledge. Regardless of body choice, I find souls do demonstrate their individualism through the human mind. A person may be highly intelligent and yet have a closed attitude about adjusting to new situations, with little curiosity about the world. This indicates a beginner soul to me. If I see someone with an evenness of mood, whose interests and abilities are solidly in focus and directed toward helping human progress, I suspect an advanced soul at work. These are souls who seek personal truths beyond the demands of ego.

It does seem a heavy burden that in every new life a soul must search all over again to find its true self in a different body. However, some light is allowed through the blackout of amnesia by spiritual masters who are not indifferent to our plight. When it comes to finding soulmates on Earth and remembering aspects of the lives we saw in the place of life selection, there is an ingenious form of coaching which is given to souls just before the next life. We will see how this is done in the following chapter.

I

14

Preparation for Embarkation

AFTER souls have completed their consultations with guides and peers about the many physical and psychological ramifications of a new life and body choice, the decision to incarnate is made. It would be logical to assume that they would then go immediately to Earth. This doesn’t happen before a significant element of preparation occurs.

By now I’m sure it is understood that souls returning from the place of life selection

must not only sort out the best choice of who they are going to be in their next life, but coordinate this decision with other players in the coming drama. Using the analogy of life as being one big stage play, we will have the lead role as an actor or actress. Everything we do in the play affects other minor characters (minor because they are not us) in the script. Their parts can be altered by us and ours by them because script changes (the result of free will) can be made while the play is in progress. Those souls who are going to have a close association with us on the stage of life represent our supporting cast, each with prominent roles. But how will we know them?

The issue of how to find soulmates and other important people in their lives is of

paramount concern with many clients who come to me seeking hypnotic regression. Eventually, most of my subjects answer their own questions in superconsciousness because finding these souls was an integral part of their preparations for leaving the spirit world. The space souls go to for this in the spirit world is commonly called the place of recognition, or recognition class. I am told the activity here is like cramming for a final exam. As a result, my subjects also use the term prep-class to describe this aspect of spiritual reinforcement that occurs just before their souls embark on the passage back to Earth. The next case represents this experience.

In order to clearly understand what is behind the spiritual activity of a recognition class, perhaps the word soulmate ought to be defined. For many of us, our nearest and dearest soulmate is our spouse. Yet, as we have seen in previous cases, souls of consequence in our lives may also be other family members or a close friend. The amount of time they are with us on Earth can be long or short. What matters is the impact they have on us while here.

At the risk of oversimplifying a complex issue, our relationships can be divided into a few general categories. First, there is the kind of relationship involving love which is so deep that both partners genuinely don’t see how each could live without the other. This is a mental and physical attraction which is so strong neither partner doubts that they were meant for each other.

Second, there are relationships based upon companionship, friendship, and mutual

respect. Finally, we have associations based largely upon more casual acquaintances which offer some purposeful ingredient to our life. Thus, a soulmate can take many forms, and meeting people who fall into one of these categories is no game of Russian roulette.

Soulmates are designated companions to help you and themselves accomplish mutual goals which can best be achieved by supporting each other in various situations. In terms of friends and lovers, identity recognition of kindred spirits comes from our highest consciousness. It is a wonderful and mysterious experience, both physically and mentally.

Connecting with beings we know from the spirit world, in all sorts of physical

disguises, can be harmonious or frustrating. The lesson we must learn from human relationships is accepting people for who they are without expecting our happiness to be totally dependent upon anyone. I have had clients come to me with the assumption that they are probably not with a soulmate because of so much turmoil and heartbreak in their marriages and relationships. They fail to realize that karmic lessons set difficult standards for each of us and painful experiences involving the heart are deliberate tests in life. They are often of the hardest kind.

Whatever the circumstances, relationships between people are the most vital part of

our lives. Is it coincidence, ESP, deja vu, or synchronicity when the right time and place come together and you meet someone for the first time who will bring meaning into your life? Was there a fleeting forgotten memory-something familiar tugging at the back of your mind? I would ask the reader to sort through those memories involving a distinctive first encounter with someone important in the past. Was it at school? Did this individual live in your neighborhood? How about meeting him or her at

work or during some recreation? Did someone introduce you, or was it a chance

meeting? What did you feel at that moment?

I hate to tamper with your fond recollections of a supposedly spontaneous past

meeting, but such descriptions as chance, happenstance, or impulse aren’t applicable to crucial contacts. This makes them no less romantic. In cases involving soulmates, I have heard many heartfelt accounts of close spiritual beings who journeyed across time and space to find each other as physical beings at a particular geographic spot on Earth at a certain moment. It is also true our conscious amnesia can make meeting significant people difficult and we may take a wrong turn and miss the connection at some juncture. However, there can be a prearrangement here for back-up contingencies.

In the case which follows, I will begin the dialogue at a point in the session where I am asking my subject about his spirit world activity just before rebirth into his present life.

Case 28

Dr. N: Is it close to the time when you will be leaving the spirit world for another life?

S: Yes … I’m about ready.

Dr. N: After you left the place of life selection, was your soulmind made up as to who you would be and the people you were to meet on Earth?

S: Yes, everything is beginning to come together for me.

Dr. N: What if you had second thoughts about your choice of a time frame or a particular human body? Could you back out?

S: (sighs) Yes, and I have done that before-we all have-at least the people I know. Most of the time it’s intriguing to think about being alive on Earth again.

Dr. N: But what if you resisted coming back to Earth shortly before you were due to incarnate?

S: It’s not that … rigid. I would always discuss the possibilities … my concerns for a new life with my tutor and companions before

making a firm commitment. The tutors know when we are stalling, but I have made

up my mind.

Dr. N: Well, I’m glad. Now tell me, once you are firmly committed to return to Earth, does anything else of importance transpire for you in the spirit world?

S: I must go to the recognition class. Dr. N: What is this place like for you?

S: It’s an observation meeting … with my companions … so I can recognize them later.

Dr. N: When I snap my fingers you will go immediately to this class. Are you ready? S: Yes, I am.

Dr. N: (snapping my fingers) Explain to me what you are doing. S: I… am floating in … with the others… to hear the speaker.

Dr. N: I would like to accompany you, but you will have to be my eyes-is that all right?

S: Sure, but we must hurry a little.

Dr. N: How does this place appear to you?

S: Mm. … a circular auditorium with a raised dais in the middle-that’s where the

speakers are.

Dr. N: Are we going to float in and sit down on seats? S: (shakes head) Why would we need seats?

Dr. N: Just wondering. How many souls are around us?

S: Oh … about ten or fifteen … people who are going to be close to me in the life to come.

Dr. N: That’s all the souls you see?

S: No, you asked how many were around me. There are others … further away in groups … to hear their speakers.

Dr. N: Are the ten or fifteen souls around you all from your cluster group? S: Some of them.

Dr. N: Is this gathering similar to the one near the gateway where you met a few people right after your last life?

S: Oh no, that was more quiet … with just my family.

Dr. N: Why was that homecoming meeting more quiet than where we are now?

S: I was still in a daze from losing my body. Here, there is lots of conversation and milling around … anticipation … our energy is really up. Listen, we have to move along faster, I have got to hear what the speakers are saying.

Dr. N: Are these speakers your tutor-guides? S: No, they are the prompters.

Dr. N: Are they souls who specialize in this sort of thing?

S: Yes, they give us the signs by coming up with ingenious ideas.

Dr. N: Okay, let’s move in close to the prompter while you continue to tell me what is happening.

S: We form a circle around the dais. The prompter is floating back and forth in the center-pointing a finger at each of us and saying we must pay close attention. I have to do it!

Dr. N: (lowering my voice) I understand and I wouldn’t want you to miss a thing, but please explain what you mean by signs.

S: This prompter is assigned to us so we will know what to look for in our next life. The signs are placed in our mind now in order to jog our memories later as humans.

Dr. N: What kind of signs?

S: Flags-markers in the road of life. Dr. N: Could you be more specific?

S: The road signs kick us into a new direction in life at certain times when something important is supposed to happen … and then we must know the signs to recognize one another, too.

Dr. N: And this class takes place for souls before each new life? S: Naturally. We need to remember the little things …

Dr. N: But haven’t you already previewed the details of your next life in the place of life selection?

S: That’s true, but not the small details. Besides, I didn’t know all the people who would be operating with me then. This class is a final review … bringing all of us together.

Dr. N: For those of you who will have an impact on each other’s lives?

S: That’s right, it’s mainly a prep-class because we won’t recognize each other at first on Earth.

Dr. N: Do you see your primary soulmate here?

S: (flushing) … she is here … and there are other people that I am supposed to contact… or they will contact me in some way … the others need their signs, too.

Dr. N: Oh, so that’s why these souls are a mixed gathering of entities from different groups. They are all going to play some significant role in each other’s new life.

S: (impatiently) Yes, but I can’t listen to what is going on with you talking … Shhh! Dr. N: (lowering my voice again) All right, on the count of three I am going to hold

this class in suspension for a few minutes so you won’t miss anything. (softly) One,

two, three. The speaker is now quiet while you are going to explain a little more about the flags and the signs. Okay?

S: I… guess so.

Dr. N: I am going to call these signs memory triggers. Are you telling me there will be special triggers for each of these people with you?

S: That’s why we have been brought together. There will be times in my life when these people will appear. I must try to … remember some … action by them … the way they look … move … talk.

Dr. N: And each will trigger a memory for you?

S: Yeah, and I’m going to miss some. The signs are supposed to click in our memory right away and tell us, “Oh, good, you are here now.” Inside us … we can say to ourselves, “It is time to work on the next phase.” They may seem like insignificant little things, but the flags are turning points in our lives.

Dr. N: What if people miss these road flags or signs of recognition because, like you said, you forget what the prompter told you? Or, what if you choose to ignore your inclinations and take another path?

S: (pause) We have other choices-they may not be as good-you can be stubborn, but… (stops)

Dr. N: But, what?

S: (with conviction) After this class we usually don’t forget the important signs.

Dr. N: Why don’t our guides just give us the answers we need on Earth? Why all this fooling around with signs to remember things?

S: For the same reason we go to Earth without knowing everything in advance. Our soul power grows with what we discover. Sometimes our lessons get resolved pretty fast … usually not. The most interesting part of the road are the turns and it’s best not to ignore the flags in our mind.

Dr. N: All right, I am going to count from ten down to one, and when I reach one, your class will start again and you will listen while the prompter gives out signs. I will not speak until you raise the index finger of your right hand. This will be my sign that the class is over and you can relate to me the signs you are to remember. Are you ready?

S: Yes.

Note: I finish my count and wait a couple of minutes before my subject raises his finger. This is a simple example of why time comparisons between Earth and spirit

worlds are meaningless.

Dr. N: That didn’t take long.

S: Yes, it did. The speaker had a lot to go through with all of us.

Dr. N: I assume you have the details of recognition signs now firmly in your mind? S: I hope so.

Dr. N: Good, then tell me about the last sign you were given as the class ended.

S: (pause) A silver pendant… I will see it when I am seven years old around the neck of a woman on my street… she always wore it.

Dr. N: How will this silver object be a trigger for you?

S: (abstractly) It shines in the sun … to catch my attention … I must remember …

Dr. N: (in a commanding tone) You have the capacity to bring your spiritual and earthly knowledge together. (placing my hand on the subject’s forehead) Why is the soul of this woman important for you to know?

S: I meet her riding my bike on our street. She smiles … the silver pendant is bright

… I ask about it … we become friends. Dr. N: Then what?

S: (wistfully) I will know her only a short time before we move, but it is enough. She will read to me and talk to me about life and teach me to … respect people …

Dr. N: As you grow older, can people themselves be signs or provide flags to help you make a connection?

S: Sure, they might arrange introductions at the right time.

Dr. N: Do you already know most of the souls who will be meaningful people to you on Earth?

S: Yes, and if I don’t, I’ll meet them in class.

Dr. N: I guess they can set up love relationship meetings, too?

S:  (laughs)  Oh,  the  matchmakers-yes  they  do  that,  but  meetings  can  be  for friendship … getting people together to help your career … that kind of stuff.

Dr. N: Then the souls who are in this auditorium and elsewhere can be involved with different kinds of associations in your life?

S: (enthusiastically) Yeah, I’m going to connect with the guy who is on my baseball team. Another one will be a farming partner-then there will be my life-long pal from grade school.

Dr. N: What if you connect with the wrong person in business, love, or whatever? Does that mean you missed a relationship sign or a red flag for an important event?

S: Hmm….. it probably won’t be wrong, exactly … it could be a jump start to get you going in a new direction.

Dr. N: Okay, now tell me what is the most important recognition sign you must remember from this prep-class.

S: Melinda’s laugh.

Dr. N: Who is Melinda? S: My wife-to-be.

Dr. N: What is there to remember about Melinda’s laugh?

S: When we meet, her laugh is going to … sound like tiny bells … chimes … I really can’t describe it to you. Then, the scent of her perfume when we first dance … a familiar fragrance … her eyes.

Dr. N: So, you are actually given more than one trigger sign for your soulmate?

S: Yes, I’m so dense I guess the prompters thought I needed more clues. I didn’t want to make a mistake when I met the right person.

Dr. N: What is supposed to trigger her recognition of you?

S: (grins) My big ears … stepping on her toes dancing … what we feel when we first hold each other.

It is an old saying that the eyes are the windows to our soul. No physical attribute has more impact when soulmates meet on Earth. As to our other physical senses, I mentioned in an earlier chapter that souls retain such memories as sounds and smell. All five senses may be used by spiritual prompters as recognition signals in future lives.

Case 28 began to express some discomfort with my keeping him from participating

in his spiritual recognition class. I reinforced his visual association of floating around a central dais in an auditorium (other people use different names). I gave

my subject time to finish taking instruction and communicating with his friends and them moved him out of the place of recognition.

It is my practice never to rush clients in and out of their spiritual settings during a session because I find this hinders the intensity of concentration and recall. When

we had established ourselves away from the other souls, I talked to this man about his soulmate, Melinda. I learned these two souls were most comfortable in husband

and wife roles although occasionally they chose to relate differently in their lives together. Both these souls wanted to make sure they would connect on Earth in their

current lives. I thought I would follow up on what actually had transpired.

Dr. N: When you and Melinda came to Earth and were young, did you live close to each other?

S: No, I lived in Iowa and she was in California … (musing) it was Clair that I knew in Iowa.

Dr. N: Were you interested in Clair romantically?

S: Yes, I almost married her. It was close-and that would have been a mistake. Clair and I weren’t right for each other, but going together in high school had become a habit.

Dr. N: And yet you left your home town for California?

S: Yes … Clair didn’t want me to go, but my parents wanted to leave our farm and move west. I liked Iowa and was uneasy about moving and torn over leaving Clair, who was still in high school.

Dr.  N:  Was  there  a  road  sign-a  flag  of  some  sort-which  helped  you  make  the decision to move with your parents?

S: (sighs) It was my sister who waved a red flag at me. She convinced me I would have more opportunities in the city where my parents were planning to go.

Dr. N: Do you see your sister in the spirit world? S: Oh yeah, she is in my circle (cluster group). Dr. N: Is Clair one of your soulmates?

S. (pause) More a friend … just friends Dr. N: Was leaving Clair hard for you?

S: Oh, yes … even more for her. We were sexually attracted to each other in high school. The infatuation had no real mental connection……. it’s so hard on Earth to

figure out what you are supposed to do with other people … sex is a big trap … we would have grown bored with one another.

Dr. N: Was the physical attraction different with Melinda than you had with Clair? S: (pause) When Melinda and I met at the dance there was the strong physical

attraction of her body… and I guess she liked the way I looked, too … but we both

felt something much more …

Dr. N: I want to get this straight. Did you and Melinda choose your male and female bodies in the spirit world deliberately to attract each other once you reached Earth?

S: (nodding) To … some extent … but we were attracted to each other on Earth because inside our minds was the memory of what we were supposed to look like.

Dr. N: When the time of the dance rolled around, what happened in your mind?

S: I can see it all now. Our tutor was helping Melinda and me that night. My idea to go to the dance was sudden. I hate to dance because I’m clumsy. I didn’t know anybody in the town yet and felt stupid, but I was guided there.

Dr. N: Had you and Melinda scripted the dance scene together during the spiritual prep-class?

S: Yes, we knew about it then and when I saw her at the dance, alarms went off. I did something very uncharacteristic of me … I cut in on the man she was dancing with. When I first held her my legs were like rubber.

Dr. N: And what else did you and Melinda feel at that moment?

S: As if we were in another world … there was this familiarity… it was so weird during that dance … a knowing without doubt that something important was unfolding … the guidance … the intent of our meeting… our hearts were racing… it was enchantment.

Dr. N: Then why was Clair in your life earlier as a complication?

S: To tempt me to stay on the farm … one of the false trails I needed to get past … another kind of life. After I left, Clair found the right person.

Dr. N: If you and Clair had taken the lesser trail together and missed your sister’s flag, would that life have been a total disaster?

S: No, but it would not have been as good. There is one main course of life we choose in advance, but alternatives always exist and we learn from them, too.

Dr. N: In your lives do you ever make mistakes and take false trails and miss the

flags in the road for a job change, moving to another town, or meeting someone important because the details you saw at the place of life selection or in the recognition class were not implanted firmly enough?

S: (long pause) The signs are there. But, sometimes I overrule my … inclinations. There are times in my lives when I change directions because of too much thinking and analysis. Or, I do nothing for the same reasons.

Dr. N: Ah, so you might do something other than what was planned in the spirit world?

S: Yeah, and it may not work out as well … but we have the right to miss the red flags.

Dr. N: Well, I have enjoyed our talk about the place of recognition and I wondered if there is anything else this spiritual class does for you later in physical life.

S: (in a far away voice) Yes, sometimes when I am confused abut my life and don’t know where to turn next, I just … imagine where I might be going compared to where I’ve been and … it comes to me what to do.

Helping clients recognize people who were destined to have an impact on their lives is a fascinating aspect of my practice. I believe those who come to see me about relationships are not in my office at a certain point in their lives by chance. Am I spoiling the purpose of their spiritual recognition class by assisting these subjects in recalling clues? I don’t think so, for two basic reasons. What they are not supposed to know yet probably won’t be revealed in hypnosis, while on the other hand, quite a few of my clients only want confirmation of what they already suspect is true.

I can speak about recognition signs from personal experience, since I was blessed by three specific clues to help me find my wife. Thumbing through Look magazine as a teenager, I once saw a Christmas advertisement for Hamilton watches modeled by a beautiful dark-haired woman dressed in white. The caption in the ad said, “To Peggy,” because she was holding a wristwatch as a gift from an imaginary husband. An odd sensation came over me, and I never forgot the name or face. On my twenty- first birthday I received a watch of the same make from a favorite aunt.

A few years later, while attending a graduate school in Phoenix, I was washing a

load of white laundry one Saturday. Suddenly, the first trigger was activated in my mind with the message, “It’s time to meet the woman in white.” I tried to shake it off, but the face in the ad pushed all other thoughts away. I stopped, looked at my Hamilton watch and heard the command, “Go now.” I thought about who wears white. Acting as if I was obsessed, I went to the largest hospital in the city and asked at the desk for a nurse matching the name and description.

I was told there was such a person who was coming off her shift. When I saw her, I was stunned by the resemblance to the picture in my mind. Our meeting was awkward and embarrassing, but later we sat in the lobby and talked non-stop for four hours as old friends who hadn’t seen each other for a while-which, of course,

was true. I waited until after we were married to tell my wife about the reason I came to her hospital and the clues given to me to find her. I didn’t want her to think I was crazy. It was then I learned that on the day of our first meeting she had told her astonished friends, “I just met the man I’m going to marry.

My advice to people about meaningful encounters is not to intellectualize coming events too much. Some of our best decisions come from what we call instinct. Go with your gut feelings at the time. When a special moment is meant to happen in life, it usually does.

One of the last requirements before embarkation for many souls is to go before the Council of Elders for the second time. While some of my subjects see the Council only once between lives, most see them right after death and just before rebirth. The spirit world is an environment personified by order and the Elders want to reinforce the significance of a soul’s goals for the next life. Sometimes my clients tell me they return to their spirit group after this meeting to say goodbye while others say they leave immediately for reincarnation. The latter procedure was used by a subject who described this exit meeting in the following manner.

“My guide, Marge, escorts me to a soft, white space which is like being in a cloud- filled enclosure. I see my committee of three waiting for me as usual. The middle Elder seems to have the most commanding energy. They all have oval faces, high cheekbones, no hair and smallish features. They seem to me to be sexless-or rather they appear to blend from male to female and back. I feel calm. The atmosphere is formal but not unfriendly. Each in turn asks me questions in a gentle way. The Elders are all-knowing about my entire span of lives but they are not as directive as one might think. They want my input to assess my motivations and the strength of my resolve towards working in new body. I am sure they have had a hand in the body choices I was given for the life to come because I feel they are skilled strategists in life selection. The committee wants me to honor my contract. They stress the benefits of persistence and holding to my values under adversity. I often give in too easily to anger and they remind me of this while reviewing my past actions and reactions towards events and people. The Elders and Magra give me inspiration, hope and encouragement to trust my-self more in bad situations and not let things get out of hand. And then, as a final act to bolster my confidence when I am about to leave, they raise their arms and send a power bolt of positive energy into my mind to take with me.”

One aspect of the two council meetings which I initially found rather odd is that members of the same soul group do not necessarily go before the same panel. For a while I assumed there would always be a correlation here because ail members of a single soul group have the same guide. I was wrong. In the minds of my subjects, even senior guides are thought to be a couple of steps below the developmental level of the omnipotent beings who make up their councils. They are similar to the Old Ones that Thece told us about in Chapter 11, but with more specific responsibilities toward life evaluation of souls. While a guide might, in some respects, be considered a personal confidant to a soul this same familiarity does not extend to an Elder. In time, I came to appreciate that an Elder’s authority, unlike that of guides, involves a cross-section of souls from many groups.

Apparently, everyone in a soul group respects the intensely private nature of these

proceedings. They all see their individual Council of Elders as godly. The Elders are bathed in bright light and the whole setting has an aura of divinity. A subject put it this way, “when we are taken into the presence of these superior beings who exist in such a high spiritual realm, it validates our feelings about the source of creation.”   15

Rebirth

WE have seen how a soul’s decision to come forward into the next life at a specific time and place on Earth involves an ordered progression of spiritual planning. As I bring the soul consciousness of my subjects nearer to the moment of their exit from the spirit world, most become quietly introspective, while others engage in light bantering with their friends. These reactions toward what lies ahead depend more upon the individual soul than on the length of time since a last incarnation.

Rebirth is a profound experience. Those souls getting ready for embarkation to Earth are like battle-hardened veterans girding themselves for combat. This is the last chance for souls to enjoy the omniscience of knowing just who they are before they must adapt to a new body. My last case involves the soul of a woman who offers us a well-defined description of her most recent passage to Earth.

Case 29

Dr. N: Has the time arrived for you to be reborn into your next life? S: Yes, it has.

Dr. N: What is uppermost in your mind about returning to Earth?

S: The opportunity to live in the twentieth century. It’s an exciting time of many changes.

Dr. N: And have you seen this life, or at least parts of it, in advance? S: Yes … I’ve been through that … (subject seems distracted)

Dr. N: Is there something else you want to talk to me about concerning your next incarnation?

S: I am having a last talk with Pomar (subject’s guide) on all the alternatives to my project (life).

Dr. N: Might this be considered a final exit interview with Pomar? S: Yes, I suppose it would.

Dr. N: Would it help you to talk to me about the contingency plans you have for the next life?

S: (voice is dry and rather thin) I … think I have them straight …

Dr. N: How did your recognition class go? I assume that phase of your preparation is complete?

S: (still distracted) Uh-huh … I’ve met with the rest (of the participants) for my project.

Dr. N: Are the recognition signs clear in your mind for meeting the right souls at the right time?

S: (nervous laugh) Ah … the signals … my compacts with people … yes, that’s all done.

Dr. N: Without analyzing or censoring your impressions in any way, tell me what you are feeling at this moment.

S: I’m … just… gathering myself for… the big jump into a new life … there is apprehension … but I am excited, too

Dr. N: Are you a little scared and perhaps wondering if you should go to Earth at all?

S: (pause and then more cheerfully) A little … concern … for what lies ahead of me … leaving my home here … but happy, too, at the opportunity.

Dr. N: So you have mixed emotions about leaving the spirit world?

S: Most of us do, as our time draws near. I have second thoughts before some lives … but Pomar knows when I am lagging behind my schedule-you can’t hide anything here, you know.

Dr. N: Okay, let’s assume it’s a go situation for your next life. On the count of three, your decision to return at an appointed time is firm and you are in the final stage to leave the spirit world. One, two, three! Describe to me what happens to you now.

S: I say goodbye to everyone. This can be… difficult. (tosses her head back with resolution) Anyway, they all wish me well and I move away from them … drifting alone. There is no great rush Pomar allows me to collect my thoughts. When I am quite ready he comes to escort me … to offer encouragement … reassurance … and he knows when I am prepared to go.

Dr. N: I sense that you are now more upbeat about the prospect of rebirth.

S: Yes, it’s a period of inspiration and expectations… a new body … the course ahead

I now prepare this subject to leave the spirit world for the last time before her current life. I am as careful here as when I brought her into the spirit world for the first time following normal age-regression. Starting with a reinforcement of the protective energy shield already placed around this  subject, I  apply additional conditioning techniques to keep her soul in proper balance with the mind of the child she is joining on Earth.

Dr. N: All right, you and Pomar are together for your exit from the spirit world. I want you to go deep inside yourself and explain to me what you do next as if it were happening in slow motion. Go!

S: (pause) We … begin to move… at a greater speed. Then I am aware of Pomar… detaching from me … and I am alone.

Dr. N: What do you see and feel? S: Oh, I…

Dr. N: Stay with it! You are alone and moving faster. Then what?

S: (in a faint voice) … Away … slanting away … through pillows of whiteness … moving away …

Dr. N: Stay with it! Keep going and report back to me.

S: Oh, I’m … passing through… folds of silky cloth… smooth I’m on a band … a pathway … faster and faster

Dr. N: Keep going! Don’t stop talking to me.

S: Everything is blurred… I’m sliding down… down into a long, dark tube … a hollow feeling … darkness … then … warmth!

Dr. N: Where are you now?

S: (pause) I’m aware of being inside my mother. Dr. N: Who are you?

S: (chuckles) I’m in a baby-I’m a baby.

The hollow tube effect described by my cases is apparently not the mother’s birth canal. It is similar to the tunnel souls pass through at physical death and may be the same route. The reader might wonder why I would take more care with the act of birthing when I have already brought my subjects in and out of a number of past lives during a session. There are two reasons. First, reliving a past life does not need

to involve the birthing process. I help my clients go straight from the spirit world into the next life, usually as adults. Second, if I return subjects to their current body and decide to command them to relive the birthing experience, I want to remove any minor discomforts felt by some people after they wake up.

Before continuing with this case, I should offer a little more general information about souls and babies. All my subjects tell me the transition of their souls from the spirit world to the mind of a baby is relatively more rapid than the passage back. What is the reason for this difference? After physical death our souls travel through the time tunnel and move past a gateway into the spirit world in a progressive way. We have seen how the outward passage is intended to be more gradual than our return to Earth in order to allow for acclimatization of a newly freed soul. However, as souls who enter babies, we come from a state of all-knowing and thus are mentally able to adjust more quickly to our surroundings than at the end of a physical life. Then too, we are given additional time for adaptation while in our mother’s womb.

Nevertheless,  having  this  time  inside  our  mother  does  not  mean  we  are  fully

prepared for the jarring paroxysm of birth, with blinding hospital lights, having to suddenly breathe air, and being physically handled for the first time. My subjects say if they were to compare the moment of birth with that of death, the physical shock of being born is much greater.

At some point prior to birth, the soul will carefully touch and join more fully with the impressionable, developing brain of a baby. When a soul decides to enter a baby, apparently that child has no free choice in accepting or rejecting the soul. At the moment of first entry, chronological time begins for the soul. Depending upon the inclinations of the particular soul involved, the connection may be early or late in the mother’s pregnancy. I have had cases where souls timed their arrival at the last minute during delivery, but this is unusual. My findings indicate even those souls who join the baby early seem to do a lot of traveling outside the mother’s womb during her term.

Once birth has taken place, the union of spirit and flesh has been fully solidified into

a partnership. The immortal soul then becomes the seat of perception for the developing human ego. The soul brings a spiritual force which is the heritage of infinite consciousness. Although I have said souls can be confined by a human in trauma, they are never trapped. Besides leaving at the moment of death, souls may also come and go when the body is sleeping, in deep meditation, or under an anesthetic in surgery. The soul’s absences are much longer in cases of severe brain damage and coma.

Case 29 continues by explaining the creative beauty of a soul joining with a new

human being. This coupling of an intelligent life force before birth brings us full circle from the death scene described in Case 1.

Dr. N: Well, I’m glad you arrive safe and sound in your new body. Tell me, how old is the baby?

S: Five months have passed (since conception).

Dr. N: Is this your usual arrival time as far as the maturation of a child?

S: In my lives … I have arrived at different times … depending on the baby, the mother, and my life-to-be.

Dr. N: As a soul, are you in distress if the baby is aborted from the mother’s womb for any reason before full term?

S: We know if a baby is going to full term or not. Not being born comes as no surprise to us. We may be around to just comfort the child.

Dr. N: Well, if the child does not go to term, is your life assignment as a soul aborted as well?

S: No, there never was a full life assignment as far as that child was concerned. Dr. N: Might some babies who are aborted never have souls?

S: That depends on how far along they are. The ones who die very early often don’t need us.

Note: This issue was as hotly debated in the past as it is today. During the thirteenth century, the Christian church found it necessary to establish guidelines for the existence of souls with regard to an aborted fetus. St. Thomas Aquinas and other medieval theologians arbitrarily decided ensoulment took place forty days after conception.

Dr. N: Assuming a baby is going to full term, do you know about the convergence habits of other souls with these children?

S: (offhandedly) Oh, some float around more than others, going in and out of the baby until birth because they get bored.

Dr. N: What do you usually do?

S: I’m average, I guess. Actually, I don’t spend a long time at any one stretch with babies because it can get pretty dull.

Dr. N: All right, let’s take this current situation inside your mother and allow some time to pass. What do you do when you are not with the unborn baby?

S: (laughs with delight) You want the truth? I’ll tell you. Me-I play! It’s a fine time to leave and purely goof off … when the baby is less active. I have fun with my friends who are doing the same thing. We bounce around Earth to visit with each other … and go to interesting places … where we have once lived together in former lives.

Dr. N: Don’t you and these other souls feel leaving the unborn baby for long periods is shirking the responsibilities of your assignment on Earth?

S: (defensively) Oh, lighten up! Who said anything about long periods? I don’t do that! Anyway, our tough exercises haven’t begun yet.

Dr. N: When you leave the baby for a while, what astral plane are you on in relation to Earth?

S: We are still on the Earth plane … and we try not to get too distracted, either. A lot of our fooling around is in the neighborhood of the baby. I don’t want you to get the idea there is nothing for us to do with unborn babies.

Dr.N: Oh…?

S: (continues) I’m busy with this new mind, even though it’s not fully ready.

Dr. N: Why don’t we talk more about that? When your soul enters a baby to remain with this new body for a lifetime, give me the scope of this undertaking.

S: (takes a deep sigh) Once I attach to a child it is necessary to bring my mind into synchronization with the brain. We have to get used to each other as partners.

Dr. N: This is what other people tell me, but do you and the baby have an affinity for each other right away?

S: Well… I am in the mind of the child but separate, too. I go slowly at first. Dr. N: Okay, why don’t you explain what you do with the mind of the baby.

S: It’s delicate and can’t be hurried. I start with a gentle probe … defining connections … gaps … every mind is different.

Dr. N: Is there any conflict within the child against you?

S: (softly) Ah … there is a slight resistance in the beginning … not full acceptance while I trace the passages … that’s usual … until there is familiarization (stops for a moment and laughs quietly). I keep bumping into myself!

Dr. N: As you integrate with the baby, when does it become receptive to the force of your identity as a soul?

S: I’m disturbed by your word “force.” We never force ourselves when entering an unborn baby. My tracing is done carefully.

Dr. N: Did it take you many lives to learn to trace a human brain?

S: Uh … a while … new souls are assisted with their tracing.

Dr. N: Since you represent pure energy, are you tracing electrical brain connections such as neurotransmitters, nerve cells, and the like?

S: (pause) Well, something like that … I disrupt nothing, though while I learn the brain wave patterns of the baby.

Dr. N: Are you referring to the thought-regulation circuitry of the mind?

S: How this person translates signals. Its capacity. No two children are the same.

Dr. N: Be completely frank with me. Isn’t your soul taking over this mind and subjugating it to your will?

S: You don’t understand. It’s a melding. There is an … emptiness before my arrival which I fill to make the baby whole.

Dr. N: Do you bring intellect? S: We expand what is there.

Dr. N: Could you be more specific about what your soul actually provides the human body?

S: We bring a… comprehension of things… a recognition of the truth of what the brain sees.

Dr. N: Are you sure this child doesn’t think of you at first as an alien entity in her mind?

S: No, that’s why we unify with undeveloped minds. She recognizes me as a friend … a twin … who is going to be part of her. It’s as if the baby was waiting for me to come.

Dr. N: Do you think a higher power prepares the baby for you? S: I don’t know, it would seem so.

Dr. N: Is your work at unification completed before birth?

S: Not really, but at birth we have started to complement each other. Dr. N: So, the unification process does take some time?

S: Sure, while we adjust to each other. And, like I told you, I leave the unborn baby at intervals.

Dr. N: But what about those souls who join babies at the last minute before birth?  S: Humph! That’s their style, not mine. They have to start their work in the crib.  Dr. N: How far along in age is the body by the time your soul stops leaving the child

altogether?

S: At about five or six years of age. Usually we get fully operational when the child starts school. Children under this age can be left to their own devices a lot.

Dr. N: Don’t you have a duty to always be with your body?

S: If things get bad in a physical way-then I’m back inside like a shot.

Dr. N: How would you know this if you were off fooling around with other souls?

S: Every brain has a wave pattern-it’s like a fingerprint. We know immediately if the baby assigned to us is in trouble.

Dr. N: So, you are watching the baby assigned to you all the time-both inside and out-during the early stages of growth?

S: (with pride) Oh yes, and I watch the parents. They might be having squabbles around the baby which sets up disturbing vibrations.

Dr. N: If this happens to the child, what do you do as its soul?

S: Quiet the child as best I can. Reach out to the parents through the baby to calm them.

Dr. N: Give me an example of how you can reach out to your parents?

S: Oh, make the baby laugh in front of them by poking my parents’ faces with both hands. This sort of thing further endears babies to parents.

Dr. N: As a soul, you can control motor movements of the baby?

S: I’m … me. I can push a little on that part of the brain which controls movements. I can tickle the kid’s funny bone sometimes, too … I’ll do whatever it takes to bring harmony to my assigned family.

Dr. N: Tell me what it is like being inside a mother’s womb.

S: I like the warm comfortable feeling of love. Most of the time there is love … sometimes there is stress. Anyway, I use this time to think and plan what I am going to do after birth. I think about my past lives and missed opportunities with other bodies and this gives me incentive.

Dr. N: And you haven’t yet had the memories of all your past lives and your life in the spirit world blocked out by amnesia?

S: That starts after birth.

Dr. N: When the baby is born, does it have any conscious thoughts of who its soul is and the reasons for the attachment?

S: (pause) The child mind is so undeveloped it does not reason out this information. It does have parts of this knowledge as a means of comfort, which then fades. By the time I speak, this information is locked deep inside me and that’s the way it’s supposed to be.

Dr. N: So, will you have fleeting thoughts of other lives as a child?

S: Yes . . we daydream … the way we play as children … creating stories … having imaginary friends who are real .. but it fades. In the first few years of life babies know more than they are given credit for.

Dr. N: All right, now it is the time right before your birth in this life. Tell me what you are doing.

S: I’m listening to music. Dr. N: What music?

S: I’m listening to my father play records-very relaxing for him-it helps him to think-I’m a bit anxious for him

Dr. N: Why?

S: (giggles) He thinks he wants a boy, but I’ll change his mind in a hurry! Dr. N: So, this is a productive time for you?

S: (with determination) Yes, I’m busy planning for the approaching time when I will enter the world as a human and take that first breath. This is my last chance for quiet contemplation of the next life. When I come out-I’ll be running.

Conclusion

THE information contained in this book about the existence of souls after physical

death represents the most meaningful explanation I have found in my life as to why we are here. All my years of searching to discover the purpose of life hardly prepared me for that moment when a subject in hypnosis finally opened the door to an eternal world.

My oldest friend is a Catholic priest today. As boys walking together in the hills and along the beaches of Los Angeles we had many philosophical discussions, but were miles apart in our spiritual beliefs. He once told me, “I think it must take courage for you to be an atheist and believe in nothing beyond this life.” I didn’t see it that way at the time, nor for many years afterward. Starting at age five, I had been sent by my parents to military-type boarding schools for long periods. The feelings of abandonment and loneliness were so great I believed in no higher power than myself. I now realize strength was given to me in subtle ways I was unable to see. My friend and I still have different approaches to spirituality, but we both have convictions today that order and purpose in the universe emanate from a higher consciousness.

Looking back,  I suppose it was no accident in my  own  life that people would

eventually come to me for hypnosis-a medium of truth I could believe in-to tell me about guides, heavenly gateways, spiritual study groups, and creation itself in a world of souls. Even now, I sometimes feel like an intruder in the minds of those who describe the spirit world and their place in it, but their knowledge has given me direction.  Still,  I  wonder why  I  am the  messenger  for the  spiritual  knowledge contained in this book, when someone with less original cynicism and doubt would surely have been much better suited. Actually, it is the people represented in these cases who are the real messengers of hope for the future, not the reporter. Everything I have learned about who we are and where we come from, I owe to those who were drawn to me for help. They have taught me that a major aspect of our mission on Earth as souls is to mentally survive being cut off from our real home. While in a human body, the soul is essentially alone. A soul’s relative isolation on Earth during a temporary physical life is made more difficult on a conscious level by thoughts that nothing exists beyond this life. Our doubts tempt us into finding attachments solely in a physical world we can see. The scientific knowledge that Earth is only a grain of sand at the edge of a galactic shoreline within a vast sea in the universe adds to our feelings of insignificance.

Why is no other living thing on Earth concerned with life after death? Is this simply

because our inflated egos hate to think of life as only temporary, or is it because our being is associated with a higher power? People argue that any thoughts of a hereafter are wishful thinking. I used to do so myself. However, there is logic to the concept we were not created by accident for mere survival, and that we do operate within a universal system which directs the physical transformation of Self for a reason. I believe it is the voice of our souls, which tell us we do have personhood that is not intended to die.

All the accounts of life after death in my case files have no scientific foundation to

prove the statements of these subjects. To those readers who find the material offered in this book too unprecedented to accept, I would hope for one thing. If you carry away nothing except the idea you may have a permanent identity worth finding, I will have accomplished a great deal.

One of the most troublesome concerns of all people who want to believe in something higher than themselves is the causality of so much negativity in the world. Evil is given as the primary example. When I ask my subjects how a loving God could permit suffering, surprisingly there are few variations in their responses. My cases report our souls are born of a creator which places a totally peaceful state deliberately out of reach so we will strive harder.

We learn from wrongdoing. The absence of good traits exposes the ultimate flaws in our nature. That which is not good is testing us, otherwise we would have no motivation to better the world through ourselves, and no way to measure advancement. When I ask my subjects about the alternating merciful and wrathful qualities we perceive to be the self-expression of a teacher-oversoul, some of them say the creator only shows certain attributes to us for specific ends. For instance, if we equate evil with justice and mercy with goodness and if God allowed us only to know mercy, there would be no state of justice.

This book presents a theme of order and wisdom rising from many spiritual energy levels. In a remarkable underlying message, particularly from advanced subjects, the possibility is held out that the God-oversoul of our universe is on a less-than- perfect level. Thus, complete infallibility is deferred to an even higher divine source. From my work I have come to believe that we live in an imperfect world by design. Earth is one of countless worlds with intelligent beings, each with its own set of imperfections to bring into harmony. Extending this thought further, we might exist as one single dimensional universe out of many, each having its own creator governing at a different level of proficiency in levels similar to the progression of souls seen in this book. Under this pantheon, the divine being of our particular house would be allowed to govern in His, Her, or Its own way.

If the souls who go to planets in our universe are the offspring of a parent oversoul

who is made wiser by our struggle, then could we have a more divine grandparent who is the absolute God? The concept that our immediate God is still evolving as we are takes nothing away from an ultimate source of perfection who spawned our God. To my mind, a supreme, perfect God would not lose omnipotence or total control over all creation by allowing for the maturation of less-than-perfect superior offspring. These lesser gods could be allowed to create their own imperfect worlds as a final means of edification so they might join with the ultimate God.

The reflected aspects of divine intervention in this universe must remain as our

ultimate reality. If our God is not the best there is because of the use of pain as a teaching tool, then we must accept this as the best we have and still take the reasons for our existence as a divine gift. Certainly this idea is not easy to convey to someone who is physically suffering, for example, from a terminal illness. Pain in life is especially insidious because it can block the healing power of our souls, especially if we have not accepted what is happening to us as a preordained trial. Yet, throughout life, our karma is designed so that each trial will not be too great for us to endure.

At a wat temple in the mountains of Northern Thailand, a Buddhist teacher once reminded me of a simple truth. “Life,” he said, “is offered as a means of self- expression, only giving us what we seek when we listen to the heart.” The highest forms of this expression are acts of kindness. Our soul may be traveling away from a

permanent home, but we are not just tourists. We bear responsibility in the evolution of a higher consciousness for ourselves  and others in life. Thus, our journey is a collective one.

We are divine but imperfect beings who exist in two worlds, material and spiritual.

It is our destiny to shuttle back and forth between their universes through space and time while we learn to master ourselves and acquire knowledge. We must trust in this process with patience and determination. Our essence is not fully knowable in most physical hosts, but Self is never lost because we always remain connected to both worlds.

A number of my more advanced subjects have stated there is a growing movement

in the spirit world to “change the game rules on Earth.” These people say their souls had less amnesia about Self and the interlife when they lived in earlier cultures. It seems in the last few thousand years there has been tighter blocking, on a conscious level, of our immortal memories. This has been a contributing factor in the loss of faith in our capacity for self-transcendence. Earth is filled with people who feel an empty hopelessness toward the meaning of life. The lack of connection with our immortality combined with the availability of mind-altering chemicals and overpopulation has created rumbles upstairs. I am told large numbers of souls who have had more frequent incarnations in recent centuries on Earth are opting, when they get the chance, for less stressful worlds. There are enlightened places where amnesia is greatly reduced without causing homesickness for the spirit world. As we approach the next millennium, the masters who direct Earth’s destiny appear to be making changes to permit more information and understanding of who we are and why we are here to come into our lives.

Perhaps the most gratifying feature of my work in uncovering the existence of a spirit world in the minds of my subjects is the effect this conscious knowledge has on them. The most significant benefit which comes from knowing we have a home of everlasting love waiting for us, is being receptive to the higher spiritual power within our minds. The awareness that we do belong somewhere is reassuring and offers us peace, not merely as a haven from conflict, but to unify ourselves with a universal mind. One day we are going to finish this long journey-all of us-and reach an ultimate state of enlightenment, where everything is possible.

Wait! There’s more…

Important Note
This post contains the complete reprint of the non-fiction work by Dr. Michael Newton titled “Journey of Souls”. That is the first book written by Dr. Newton. His second book is much more comprehensive and really gets into the “meat” of this subject completely. It’s titled “Destiny of Souls” and can be found in my MAJestic Index (below).

Are you interested in other MAJestic writings?

I have other writings in my MAJestic Index here…

MAJestic

Articles & Links

You’ll not find any big banners or popups here talking about cookies and privacy notices. There are no ads on this site (aside from the hosting ads – a necessary evil). Functionally and fundamentally, I just don’t make money off of this blog. It is NOT monetized. Finally, I don’t track you because I just don’t care to.

To go to the MAIN Index;

Master Index

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The mechanism for memory access in a MWI (world-line) universe and why reincarnation prevents prior access.

Phew! That’s a mouthful. Not really the best post title.

Here we address how your memories are accessed. We discuss how the memory “address” is accessed by the consciousness. We look at the differences between the physical brain, and thought / memories. And, finally, we look at the reincarnation process and why souls that have reincarnated cannot recall memories of prior incarnations.

Is is a post on how the soul uses memories to select world-lines to occupy.

Quick Comment
Yeah. I’ll bet you all pretty much gave up on me continuing on my MAJestic disclosure. Well, nope. It’s just that the immediate situation pretty much hijacked my blog. But not to worry, I’m a man on a mission and more posts with more “meat” are forthcoming.

Here, we are going to look at memories.

Yeah, I know. It sounds very boring. Doesn’t it?

Summary

The way that memories actually work in no way resembles what conventional science thinks. Here we present a very brief and simplistic overview of the system.

How it works.

Well, look at it this way. Our reality changes and molds to what we think. I covered this over and over before in other posts. Time is the movement of our consciousness as it moves in and out of world-lines.

And, of course, what we think thus changes our reality.

Because our thoughts determine what world-lines we enter into. So if we are thinking wonderful thoughts, and are calm, and direct our energy into wonderful things, our life would be wonderful.

Movement through the different world lines appears as time. As we think, we select the world lines to migrate towards. We need to control and master our thoughts.
Movement through the different world lines appears as time. As we think, we select the world lines to migrate towards. We need to control and master our thoughts.

But if we surround ourselves with negative thoughts, manipulative news, and people. If we are reacting to events instead of manifesting them, or if we hold grudges and evil negative thoughts… then our world experiences will become progressively darker and darker.

Thoughts generate memories.

Memories shape our thoughts.

Thus, our prior experiences shape the thoughts that we have. So they are crucially important to the creation of our life and our reality.

Thoughts create memories.

Our memories influence how we think and what we think about.

Our thoughts are influenced by our memories and the environment in our reality. So in order to overcome your immediate environment, you must overcome that influence and generate new and healthy thoughts.

It’s like this…

A poverty stricken beggar might yearn for a reality where he has a warm meal and a roof over his head from the rain. While a wealthy oligarch might yearn for forbidden activities, and serendipitous pursuits.

Russian Oligarch.
Russian Oligarch.

Why the difference?

It’s because of their experiences. And their experiences are molded by their memories which is a record of their reality.

Why are memories important?

Memories are important because they attract and repel quanta. You want a balanced mixture of good and bad memories so that the attractions are balanced.

That is how soul grows don’t you know.

The consciousness enters world-lines (via the MWI) and has experiences. These experiences are recorded as memories. These memories influence your actions and also power “The Law of Attraction” (for lack of a better term.)

Your realities are created by directed thoughts.

PLEASE SHUT OFF THE NEWS NOW. Do not allow the thoughts and actions of others to influence you, or cause you to live in fear.

The news media is dangerous and creates situations and thoughts that mess up your well-tended and directed thoughts.
The news media is dangerous and creates situations and thoughts that mess up your well-tended and directed thoughts.

Operate off your very own memories and your very own experiences.

Eventually, memories influence your thoughts in such a way that your sentience becomes defined. And we do want that, don’t you know. We want our sentience to be defined.

  • Service for ones self. (“Western” societies preference.)
  • Service for others. (Mantid preference.)
  • Service for another. (Human oligarch preference for everyone else.)
  • Service for things.
  • No service what so ever.
  • Disjointed and indeterminate sentience.

The brain does not record memories.

Firstly the brain does not record memories. Instead, it accesses them.

Memories reside outside any given reality and “world-line”.

Which is currently at odds with “modern” medical science. Pull up any internet article and they will point to specific regions in the brain where memories are “stored”.

Sorry, but nope.

Conventional belief on how memories are stored within the body.
Conventional belief on how memories are stored within the body.

Those are the regions and areas inside the brain that accesses memories. they do not store them.

To use internet technology here…

Conventional Medical science

Memories are recorded and goes directly into the brain "Hard Drive". As you get older more and more memories are packed inside of the "hard Drive".

MAJestic understanding

Memories are accessed from the cloud via a Wifi router. It collects the memories in "packets" and puts them in ROM / RAM for immediate use.

So instead of thinking of your brain as a big old hard-drive. You need to start thinking of it as a wifi router that accesses memories in the cloud.

How your memories are accessed.

Since the consciousness cycles in and out the physical repeatedly, each time the consciousness is outside of a world-line it refreshes the memory cache. It does not do this while it is within a reality.

  • Inside a world-line reality. Particle behavior. Accesses stored memories and generate thoughts.
  • Outside or between reality world-lines; dumps the physical memory contents to the non-physical memory stack. Gathers and collects all memories once dumped and generate new thoughts based on that combined action.

How the memory “address” is accessed by the consciousness.

In the “Heavens”; that space between world-lines, there are all sorts of things. It’s a realm of thought and all sorts and manner of activities. This includes thoughts and memories of others. Obviously there must be a mechanism for the consciousness to “anchor” onto the memories as they accrue over time.

There is.

The memories are “anchored” within the garbions of a soul.

The soul is composed of “clumps” of quanta. Each “clump” is called a garbion. Each garbion has a specific role for the soul. One such role is the assignment of memories for a given consciousness.

A soul can only assign memories out if it’s garbions via the consciousness that it projects.

Therefore, no one else can access then unless there is approval from the soul itself.

The differences between the physical brain, and thought / memories.

Thoughts and memories have no physical analog. You cannot measure them, trap them, or replace them. You can only suppress their access.

Further, the only way that the brain can access thoughts directly is through wave behavior. particle behavior are for process behaviors after the memories and thoughts have been processed.

The reincarnation process and why souls that have reincarnated cannot recall memories of prior incarnations.

A “consciousness” is generated by a soul for a given body to use to obtain experiences. It uses the power of directed thought to migrate in and out of the world-line realities to obtain experiences so that the soul would grow. As such, the experience, the thoughts and the memories are all associated with a given consciousness.

The soul can opt to permit reincarnated consciousnesses to retain prior experiences and memories when they enter into a new body. But this is rarely done.

The reason is simple.

The greater the number of memories you have, the less mistakes you will have. And thus the less new experiences that you would obtain. For the soul to grow, you need to start with a “clean slate” and learn from scratch to obtain new experiences, learn from mistakes and failures and to grow.

What this means

What this means is that if the physical body is old, the brain is damaged, or other physical travesties avail the human, the memories still exist. It’s just that they (at that moment in time) cannot access those memories. So a person who has dementia, can fully access all their memories when they enter the “spiritual realm”. This is the space in between the various world-lines (in the MWI).

Dead, and diseased pets, likes dogs and cats, can contact you and other loved ones once they passed on. And yes, this includes people and humans as well. I have an interesting post on this issue, that you all might want to read…

Technology

A species that can inject thoughts into another (telepathy) is utilizing a method and technology that lies outside a given MWI reality. In other words, they are injecting a thought into your consciousness (stream) while you are between MWI world-lines realities.

Like during my first encounter with the type-1 greys…

Or experiences that I myself had with horses, and drunk companions, which are stories for another time and another place.

Conclusion

To master your world, you MUST control your thoughts.

They help you navigate into the world-lines where you would obtain experiences of life.

To obtain those experiences that you want, you must radically demand full control over your thoughts. You must NOT allow yourself to be manipulated by American propaganda campaigns or the thoughts of others. The only reality that matters is your very own. Nothing else.

When you experience something, you will record that experience in all it’s aspects as a memory.

The memories that you have will influence how quickly you will be able to direct your thoughts and control your life. So please start experiencing great and positive experiences NOW. Control your thoughts.

Now, all that being said, you cannot control the thoughts of others. If you find yourself being chained to a negative thought generator, a mentally or socially ill person, or a dysfunctional person, they will hijack your thoughts. Do not allow that to happen. For they will hijack your life.

Finally, no human, can steal your memories. They can only suppress them, and implant new ones by all manner of manipulation and propaganda campaigns. That being said, there are species that have the technology to actually farm your memories and quanta. Luckily our benefactors are protecting us from them.

Think good thoughts. Your life depends upon it.


I hope that you enjoyed this post. I have many more here…

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You’ll not find any big banners or popups here talking about cookies and privacy notices. There are no ads on this site (aside from the hosting ads – a necessary evil). Functionally and fundamentally, I just don’t make money off of this blog. It is NOT monetized. Finally, I don’t track you because I just don’t care to.

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Advanced studies on the MWI and how world-lines and consciousness work together.

This article goes into a much more involved study of how consciousness interacts with world-lines in the MWI.

In so doing, we have to deconstruct some of the simpler conventions that we have used in the past, and layout a better foundation of how the MWI actually interacts with the consciousness.

In earlier posts, I have gone into details on how the MWI actually manifests in our reality. In those presentations, I intentionally simplified things for easy understanding.

It's sort of like how you teach a person to swim by holding them and letting them kick their legs in the water. You use "supports". These supports aren't really the "real thing", but they help you along the road to eventually master the real thing.

In this post, we will assume that you the reader have mastered a basic understanding of those previous points.

  • Consciousness moves in and out of world-lines.
  • This movement appears as “time”.
  • Our thoughts direct which world-lines that we enter.

Introduction

In this article, we will now elaborate upon the world-line construction. We will look at what it actually is and how it actually works. Not everyone needs to know or understand this. But for those that do, this will help obtain a better understanding of it.

What time actually is and how we naturally move through the various world-lines.
This is an illustration of what time actually is. Time does not exist. It is a perception that our consciousness has as it moves and weaves in and out of different world-lines. Here we use an old-fashioned movie reel projector to help illustrate this understanding.

It will appear really strange, but I do hope that I can help add some insight into everything.

Now, this article is for advanced students and are advanced studies.

Most of the people who have already mastered World-Line-Travel 101, you won’t need to read this. For the handful of people that understand world-line-travel-101, you don’t really need to understand much more than that.

But for those of you that need more, then here it is.

Of course, it’s long due. But all this COVID-19 nonsense has pretty much hijacked my postings and articles.

Quick Review

The universe is nothing like people think it is.

Instead of all of us sharing the same physical universe, we exist as consciousness within our very own personal reality. It only appears that we share it with others.

There is a near infinite number of these realities. They are known as individual world-lines.

We travel through these different world-lines at a rate of around 4 Hz. The selection of the world-line we exist within momentarily is manifested by our thoughts. This is a rather speedy switching in and out of world-lines.

Roughly, our consciousness pops in and out of four different world-lines every second.

Each world-line is nearly identical to the one before it.

The differences are determined by your thoughts, conscious and unconscious.

If you want to review what all this is about, I would suggest you check out these following posts first:

MWI
The Landscape of the MWI

So please keep in mind that while everything posted previously is quite accurate, it is actually simplified for understanding.

Now, we get into a deeper perception of how things actually work. And in the process better understand all that PSI and “twilight zone” stuff that appears from time-to-time.

Once you understand these new elements of consciousness fundamentals and world-line interaction, you can understand how people are able to do many "tricks" with PSI, and other strange things...

Clarification #1 – Consciousness cycles in and out of world-lines in a sinusoidal manner.

This should be obvious to the astute reader, but it needs to be stated.

The consciousness moves in and out of world-lines naturally. It moves in a sinusoidal manner. It moves in and out. In and out. Over and over.

The rate of travel varies from person to person, but typically averages around 4 Hz.

Standard sinusoidal waveform.
Standard sinusoidal waveform.

During this time it changes “shape properties”. Back and forth. Back and forth. Back and forth.

At “the top” of the cycle it takes on wave behavior.

At the “bottom” of the cycle, it takes on particle behavior.

Consciousness movement in and out of different world-lines.
Consciousness movement in and out of different world-lines.

When it takes on wave behavior it moves from one world-line to another directed by thought. It exists “in the spirit world”.

Movement of consciousness.
Movement of consciousness.

When it takes on particle behavior, it occupies a world-line and inhabits a physical body.

Our consciousness cycles in and out of different world-lines. Between each trip it exists within "heaven".
Our consciousness cycles in and out of different world-lines. Between each trip it exists within “heaven”.

With this understood, we can define the amount of time that the transition from world-line to world-line takes, as well as the duration a consciousness spends inside each world-line.

If there are 4 cycles per second, then, each trip back and forth from the "Heavenly realms" to a world-line is 1/4 a second. 

And thus, (roughly) each moment at a given world-line is half of that. Or, 1/8 of a second.

Some “take aways”;

  • Humans, via our consciousness, is continuously in touch with the “Heavenly realms”. Every moment we touch heaven, and enter our latest world-line.
  • When in the wave form, we can perform all sorts of activities and have all sorts of “abilities” not tied to any world-line. There are no physical limitations. Humans spend approximately 50% of their time “connected” to the “Heavenly realms”.
  • For us to maintain (retain) our memories from world-line to world-line, the memories are deposited outside the brain. It exists within the “Heavenly realms” not within the physical brain.

Key Correction #1 – Consciousness moves about the MWI when attached to a human body.

In my previous simplifications, I have referred to, and drawn the consciousness as a red blob; a point of light. I have stated that “Soul” can generate multiple Consciousnesses that it places on “journeys”. These “Journeys for experience” is a life-experience for a soul.

Simplified diagram of how consciousness moves in and out of the MWI and gives us the illusion of time.
Simplified diagram of how consciousness moves in and out of the MWI and gives us the illusion of time. This is what one second of life looks like for the average person. He / she enters and leaves four different world lines each second. This “movement” appears as time.

The Consciousness normally travels in and out of world-lines all a person’s life.

Once a consciousness uses up a body as it travels in and out of world-lines, it dies. The consciousness stays in the wave-form and “rests” within the “Heavenly realms”.

A decision is thus made by the soul, the consciousness, and their associations with other spirits, angels, and heavenly denizens on what to do next.

Often, it involves being injected on another “journey” in another life. This is often referred to as reincarnation.

This graphic shows how the the "passage of time" is viewed in the big-scale of things. MWI movement occurs during a human "lifespan". You can only experience world-line travel within a given life. (There's exceptions to this, but let's stay focused.)
This graphic shows how the the “passage of time” is viewed in the big-scale of things. MWI movement occurs during a human “lifespan”. You can only experience world-line travel within a given life. (There’s exceptions to this, but let’s stay focused.)

Key Correction #2 – Consciousness is not a point-source.

Consciousness is actually quite complex and complicated.

It is not a blob, a dot, a “something”.

It’s a collection of “stuff” that operates in such a way that the soul, the consciousness, the MWI and the thoughts generate memories and navigate the life-path to create experiences that the soul can learn from.

Soul creates a “consciousness” that it uses to travel the MWI.

It inserts it into a given world-line, and allows it to move unencumbered and subject to it’s own thoughts. Each world-line is a “physical reality” that the consciousness occupies.

The consciousness is connected to the soul by a device. This device is known as consciousness.
The soul, which resides in the “Heavenly realms” creates a consciousness from which to experience things and events. Thus learns and grows. Consciousness is the passageway or “tunnel” that connects the physical reality to the soul.

Now, in all of this, I drew consciousness (literately, and artistically) as a point. I drew it as a red circular blob. Like in the two earlier drawings.

As in the above drawing showing the consciousness as a red blob in front of a long tunnel to the soul.

Movement of consciousness into a world-line as depicted as a point source.
Movement of consciousness into a world-line as depicted as a point source.

However, the true reality is a bit different.

Get ready to have your mind blown.

The consciousness actually occupies multiple World-line-realities at any given moment simultaneously. It is actually not a “red blob”. It’s a lot of “red blobs”. Each one occupying a different world-line… simultaneously.

It is a “shared potential”. Some of the consciousness occupies one world-line at any given moment, while other aspects of it’s consciousness occupies other world-lines.

Sort of like this…

Consciousness occupies multiple world-lines at any given moment. The sum total of what our consciousness experiences is what we view as "our" present world-line.
Consciousness occupies multiple world-lines at any given moment. The sum total of what our consciousness experiences is what we view as “our” present world-line. It appears to be but one singular world-line, but it is actually a aggregate composite of all the world-lines that our consciousness occupies at any given moment. 1 / (30/4+40/4+20/4+10/4) = Momentary reality.

Then, they move on to the next group of world lines. Then again. Then again. Then again. Over and over.

It’s not a red blob moving in and out.

Consciousness occupies multiple world-lines at any given moment. The sum total of what our consciousness experiences is what we view as "our" present world-line.
Consciousness occupies multiple world-lines at any given moment. The sum total of what our consciousness experiences is what we view as “our” present world-line. They all change in the same cycle as governed by the consciousness.

Instead, consciousness occupies numerous world-lines at any given moment. Each world-line is different, but similar. The Consciousness interprets the differences as a singular world-line.

Key Correction #2 – World-Lines are not point-sources either.

We have a tendency to think of a “world” as a fixed and solid place. And the way that I have described the movement of time, has been the consciousness moving in and out from these fixed world-line realities.

A "world-line" is the resultant combined perception of a moment "frozen in time" that combines multiple world-lines into a singular apparent place. 

What we think a world-line is is not a fixed singular place.

It is the sum total average of all the experiences that a conscientiousness is exposed to at any singular moment in time.

By fracturing a consciousness and occupying many similar world-lines simultaneously, the resultant consciousness would end up with a richer "experience". It can also help to direct the travel and migrate to "better" world-lines per it's directives.
By fracturing a consciousness and occupying many similar world-lines simultaneously, the resultant consciousness would end up with a richer “experience”. It can also help to direct the travel and migrate to “better” world-lines per it’s directives.

It is the exact opposite of “living within an echo chamber“. It enables the consciousness to experience different experiences instead of simply reinforcing existing ones that the consciousness has been accustomed to over the years.

Key Correction #3 – World-Lines are not entirely empty of other consciousnesses.

To best understand how you can move in and out of multiple world-lines, it makes sense to think of things simply. Your consciousness is a point or sphere. The world-lines are empty and only occupied by “shadow consciousnesses”. But that’s really a simplistic picture.

It’s a simple narrative.

Imagine that you are only consciousness. And that you can move in and out of different world-lines freely. They seem to be occupied by all kinds of other people, but that is just an illusion. Most world-lines are just empty. And all those other people are just “quantum shadows” of others.

Now, this simplistic narrative needs to be revised to reflect the reality.

Instead of 100% of a consciousness entering a world-line where all the “quantum shadows” only have 0% occupancy within that reality…

…we now look at the reality…

Your consciousness might devote (say) 23% occupation within a given world-line, and all those “quantum-shadows” are actually occupied by other consciousnesses. Only they are a much smaller percentage. Often varying from 0.0002% to 0.1%.

Thus, in truth, all world-lines are not truly empty. They are occupied to some extent. And all of the other consciousnesses react to the way your consciousness behaves within any given particular world line.

Conclusion

And this, boys and girls, is the more advanced understanding of how the universe actually works. It’s simple, but complex.

It’s “rich” and “colorful”.

It also helps to understand how PSI and other psychic behaviors manifest within our reality.

And no, you are not going to find this anywhere else on the internet or in the halls of the universities. But this is what I have been tasked to understand (or at least part of it, anyways) as part of my MAJestic role.

I have much more, but it starts to really get complicated.

In it, I explain how the physical materials can be manipulated by thought and how one can travel through “apparent time”, and all sorts of curious other things. But, I am not ready to release all these other things out to the public at this time. It’s not the time.

I do not want to anger the PTB (Powers That Be) at this time.
I do not want to anger the PTB (Powers That Be) at this time.

I hope that you enjoyed this post. If you want to see more along these lines, please go to my MAJestic Index, here…

MAJestic

Articles & Links

You’ll not find any big banners or popups here talking about cookies and privacy notices. There are no ads on this site (aside from the hosting ads – a necessary evil). Functionally and fundamentally, I just don’t make money off of this blog. It is NOT monetized. Finally, I don’t track you because I just don’t care to.

To go to the MAIN Index;

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Assorted Influencer Driven FAQ’s Regarding this MAJestic Disclosure (part 2)

This is part two (2) continued.

Organized Government Time-Travel

Is this a thing?

What do you think about organized government plans regarding time travel?

I know nothing about the subject aside from what I have heard on the Internet. I know that time travel, as conventionally understood does not exist. 

The closest thing is (apparent) time travel, which is really dimensional travel that indexes a different state of entropy via gravitational proximity measurement (such as described by John Titor).

While it is well known and widely understood that the United States government has been involved in all kinds of highly classified and secret projects, the plausibility of one being related to time travel is actually rather low. 

The reason behind this belief is because there has to be a reason for a given project. Those involved in the projects must have [1] a quantifiable goal, with [2] specific measurables to judge the success or failure of the task.

For instance, I was in MAJestic.  My particular project fell under MAJI simply because I was involved working with extraterrestrials. 

I do not know what my management thought my role would be, aside from being lent out as I was.

I could not fathom anyone from Washington D.C. approving “dimensional anchoring” activity as directed by an extraterrestrial species.  In fact, I think it was set up with an understanding that I would be “used” by the <redacted> for some unspecified roles.  I do believe that they proceeded on the assumption that I might be hurt or changed in the process, but shrugged their shoulders and said “meh”.

That the monitoring of my engagement with them would be recorded by the ELF signals. 

My functional goal was dimensional anchoring.  The measurables were also defined.  Either the human sentience follows a normal evolutionary development, or veers off into unapproved sentience development.  It was clear. 

I have a difficult time believing that time travel would have a specific goal.  That is because if a person does not like how something turned out, they can move to a different world-line. Also, how could the success of such an action be measured?  It just cannot.

Operation Black Opera

What do you know about “Operation Black Opera”?

Nothing, aside from what I have heard on the Internet

Point One. Truthfully, If a person was involved with extraterrestrials or involved in using extraterrestrial technology, they would have a Core Kit #1 probe installation.  Everyone in the world, who deals with extraterrestrials have these probes. If they don’t have the probes, then they are just blowing smoke up your ass.

Point Two. To get the probes, you would need to be associated with the military. They would also be in the military, probably the United States Navy, and be part of MAJestic.  Even those pretty civilian girls on the base, were ON THE MILITARY BASE.

Point Three. Additionally, they would NEED to have a technical background.  That means an engineering degree at the bare minimum. Engineering degrees teach how to research, solve problems, and quickly analyze situations. These are fundamental requirements for extraterrestrial interaction.

If you are going to utilize extraterrestrial technology in any way then you will HAVE and NEED to possess a technical background; a college degree in some technical field. It would be a baccalaureate or higher in the sciences.

This should be obvious to every clear thinking and reasoning person out there.

No one is going to expose extraterrestrial contact and technology to anyone without making sure that they have the skills and knowledge to handle the knowledge.  Right?

A friend of mine bought a steak for his dog, Buddy. It was an end cut, but he wanted to give the dog something special. So he bought a $10 slab of steak.

I will never forget that day.

He showed the steak to Buddy. He sniffed it, and went CHOMP, and swallowed. It went from steak to zero in less than a second.

And Buddy is there, not knowing what's going on, begging. More, more, more...

You have to know, and understand, and show by demonstration that you are able to handle NEW, unusual, and unique experiences. It’s NOT handed out like political favors (a nod to the Obama’s), or given because you provide sexual gratification (a nod to Hollywood), or given to you because your parents are wealthy and powerful (a nod to Stanford, Yale and the rest).

That requires verifiable education. 

They are not going to hand over the keys to any technology without them [1] being implanted with ELF probes (core kit #1 at minimum) and taking [2] a military oath.

So when I read stories about people who supposedly held key leadership roles in MAJestic, and they have no demonstrable abilities, all I can do is laugh.

Uncontrollable laughter.

Discordant Sentience’s

What is a discordant sentience?

Concerning humans, the <redacted> did not want a discordant sentience to develop; (in the case of humans) the discordant sentience is a “service for self sentience” that believe that they are actually a “service for others” sentience. 

There are really three types of sentience’s that human consciousness can migrate towards. They are (plus the discordant variant)…

  • Service for others.
  • Service for another.
  • Service for oneself.
  • Discordant.

Discordant sentience’s manifest in different ways.  In short, a discordant sentience is one that will not evolve into an approved sentience archetype.

This was what was actually occurring at the time of my entry into the program.  Through the advances in technology, various individuals were convincing vast groups of people that they were “helping others” by “being selfish”.  As a result, large groups of people were getting conflicting thoughts regarding their identity.

All entities must know their identities. 

A fox knows it’s a fox.  A dog knows it’s a dog. However, humans (in larger and larger numbers) started thinking they were doing one thing when they were actually doing something else. 

Believing that you are helping people by demanding that person "X" does something to help person "Y". You believe by doing so you are helping others. You aren't. You are instead being selfish.

Thoughts create realities. 

So the resultant world-line directions were not going in associated directions. The manners that would match the thoughts with the actions were not occurring. 

This created problems in world-line direction, and altered severely the educational value of the experiences that the people would be exposed to. This is absolutely and positively unacceptable.

Examples abound.  Such as [1] having a basically kind and loving person vigorously insists that we need to tax other people to help a certain “special” segment of the population.  Alternatively, [2] that we had to fight a war, to help others who would suffer otherwise.  In both examples, the kind person believes that they did not have to do anything, just make others do the work that they think is required.  

Sentience is tied to personal physical action of the person having the thoughts. You cannot delegate responsibility or actions. It does not work that way.
The Bakers.
James Orsen Bakker (born January 2, 1940) is an American televangelist, convicted fraudster, a former Assemblies of God minister, and a former host (with his then-wife Tammy Faye Bakker) of The PTL Club, an evangelical Christian television program. An accusation of rape made by his secretary led to his resignation from the ministry. Subsequent revelations of accounting fraud brought about his imprisonment and divorce. He later remarried and returned to televangelism.

A person can be manipulated into being a discordant sentience.

This is selfish behavior on behalf of the kind person.  They did not do anything positive.  Instead they “forced”, though thought or action, another person fulfill their desires.  Their thoughts were kind, their intentions were good, but their actions were selfish. 

Those who do this possess discordant sentience’s. Ignorance has no bearing in this issue.  Thoughts create realities.

The Future Doom…

Will any of the great “fears” actually manifest in your lifetime?

No.  California will not slide into the Pacific ocean

Global warming will not melt the ice caps, nor will it cause a “snowball effect” and another global ice age.  The same was true about global cooling. Both excuses are suitable for collecting money for the easily manipulated ignorant. Humans do not have the ability to alter climate on a global basis… yet.

There will not be a global pandemic, and there will not be a pole shift that we need to worry about. 

“Mad Cow” disease will not kill too many people.

2012 will come and pass with hardly a ripple. (And there wasn’t a ripple was there?)

All these things are simply media generated fears specifically targeted to manipulate people to behave in certain ways. Usually to empty our wallets and to give the money to “others” and “experts” to use as they see fit. 

One of the reasons for the NEED to anchor mass groupings of world-line realities was because of the amplification of efforts to manipulate people though mass thought control.

Education

Do you believe that you can teach the science of our souls to the general population?

No. 

We do not know enough about soul construction to be able to teach anything.  What I know is only trivial in substance.  What I provide here is intended to be a spark that ignites an effort to study and research the soul, and it’s construction.

CIA

Were you in the CIA?

No.  Nothing that I was involved in has anything to do with that agency.

Naval Aviator

Why do you claim to be a Naval SEAL? It sounds like you are making up stories to inflate yourself like being an American Indian like Senator Warren.

I was never a Navy SEAL.

I never applied for one, and have no idea why anyone would want to be one in the first place. My interests were always in aviation, and with the most skilled aviators, flying the most advanced aircraft. These people were (and still are) in the US Navy.

My goal and desire has always to be a “Spaceman”. You can pour through my High School transcripts, my university transcripts, and come to the same conclusion. I studied hard, hard science classes. Then you can easily see that I was in class 21-81 at AOCS at NAS, NASC Pensacola, Florida.

All of what I proclaim is verifiable. Go ahead. Look at my W-2 forms. You will see that I dropped off the grid right after joining MAJestic, and popped up at NAS China Lake where I trained. It’s all verifiable. It’s all in my jacket. Or my retirement binder. It’s in multiple places.

I’m not blowing smoke up your ass. I am in a monitoring program, and I have seen the document. It’s THICK. It’s about five times thicker than any others that I have had the chance opportunity to compare with.

If you don’t want to believe the paper-trail, you can minimize it. You can say that it’s just coincidence.

Now, people like Elizabeth Warren say and do what they do for MONEY. They use it to obtain wealth, popularity, or some other kind of physical benefit. They want fame to acquire power, and use it to obtain wealth.

Not me.

I get absolutely derive zero benefit from writing this, except to leave something behind upon my death. I do not want fame. I have other ventures that provide income, and anything that I get off this blog is really a minuscule pittance.

Come on. Be honest with yourself. Do you really think that I would derive any kind of benefit by telling others about my life?

Really?

This is what my life is…

In general, if you found paradise… you keep it to yourself.

The “Deep Dive”

Why didn’t you stay in the “great life” that manifested during the “deep dive”?

I had no control. 

I could not abort the process and the procedure. The “deep dive” was beyond my control. Besides, I really do not think that I would like it as much as I do my current life.

If there is one thing that I have learned is that there are trade-offs with everything.

The Roswell event.

What do you know about Roswell, NM and the famous UFO event?

I only know what I have read. I never had a briefing on this event, and I have no idea one way or the other about it.

Retirement as a sex offender

Is there anything that you have learned since you were arrested, imprisoned, and released from prison?

Yes. Many things.

Firstly, if I can be thrown in prison for “nothing” but a trumped up charge, anyone can. I have lived a rather unassuming and quiet life. All MAJestic members do. We are quiet and keep to ourselves as part of our training.

If “they” want you there, you will go and there isn’t a bloody thing that you can do about it. It is now your fate, as horrible as it is.

You must deal with it.

In my case, my attorney gave me a document to sign. On it was a plea bargain. I agreed to nine months in-home supervision at my Father’s house in exchange for a plea of guilty.

I believed that if an arrangement was worked out between the DA and my attorney, that that was the way things would work out. So I signed it.

Plea of Guilty = 9 months in-house detention.

But the DA fucking lied.

During sentencing, the judge held the plea agreement. He started to give me the sentence agreed to. However, the prosecuting attorney used HAND SIGNALS (a thumbs up, waving vigorously upward) to signal the judge to NOT give me the agreed to plea. As a result the judge stopped mid-sentence, and started to say one year, and the DA shook his head vigorously. Then he started to say two years. Still the DA wagged his head and shook his head. Finally, he said “Five Years” and slammed the gravel.

He gave me FIVE YEARS. Five years at hard labor for a FIRST OFFENSE. Anyone who works in the Justice Department will tell you that is is one fucking harsh sentence.

My father, who had come to the sentencing to take me home for my detention, was crestfallen and didn’t know what the fuck was going on. He couldn’t believe that our Justice system was so corrupt.

Sentenced on a Guilty Plea = Five years at Hard Labor

If they want you in prison, you will go. Even if that means that they will lie to you.

Secondly, it was terrible and uncomfortable. (Putting it mildly.) I endured Brickey’s which has the reputation in the United States for being the worst hard-labor facility in America. And yet, you know what? I survived.

If I can survive Brickey’s I can survive anything.

You can endure and survive anything, and once you get out “It’s all good”. It’s downhill, easy street for the rest of your life.

I can feel carpet on my feet. I can see and appreciate colors. I can use wall outlets and light switches. I can eat food… glorious food. I can sleep without a light over my face. I can sit on a chair with a soft cushion.

Oh FUCK, it’s all good.

Thirdly, and I know that no one is going to want to hear this, but I no longer fear the police and getting arrested.

Prison was not fun, but you adapt. What that means is that now, today, if I will need to fight someone, I will fight to KILL. I will not hold back. I will stab their eyes out. Bite their nose and swallow it. I will pick up a spoon and jab that sucker right through the temple.

I am not afraid what would happen afterwards. Big fucking deal. I get arrested. Big Deal. Big deal. Been there, done that. I dealt with the worst and survived it.

Being a murderer won’t be worse than being a sex offender felon at Brickey’s.

I know the truth in this.

I did five years Bricky hard labor on a whim, while murders got two years maximum in an “easy” prison like Malvern. I’m no longer afraid. I did the harsh time. I did the awful time.

Inter-dimensional Communication.

How can the drone pilot, and the biological artifice operate if you are on a different world-line then they are?

Outstanding question.

I do not know. I can only presuppose that they operate in a state of reality that transcends that of the physical world. To solve this quandary we must take a good hard look at the anthropic principle. Specifically, the ψ which is a measure of how thought alters our reality.

World-lines are each individually ψ-epistemic .

While the entire universe is actually ψ-ontic.

Obviously the <redacted> species has been able to derive a technology that is finer than anything available with a ψ-epistemic world-line MWI.

Confused? Check out this post for clarity…

The Nature of the Universe

The Girls

What about the girls who entered the portal with you; since you all entered at the same time, are they not the same as you and have the same mission parameters?

No.  [1] None of them were Naval Aviators.  So they did not endure the same entry qualifications as we had.

[2] They were all female, and Sebastian and myself (the only two Naval Aviator Candidates) were male.

Additionally, [3] none of them went directly through the portal on the same day that they must have been implanted (they had to be implanted, otherwise the portal would not work for them). 

[4] None of the females were at the same implantation booths during our implantation.

Finally, [5] during the SAP briefing, the person instructing us told us that we had different roles and were involved in different program, and were subject to different levels of SAP.  He specifically stated that Sebastian and myself were involved in a much more secretive program.

Thoughts

What are thoughts exactly?

Thoughts are what your consciousness creates. It is the only thing that a consciousness can create. It is a directed entanglement of an idea, a place, a person, or a thing.

These “creations” are how consciousness can navigate the MWI. It is how different world-lines are manifested.

The thing about thoughts is that they are generated by a number of things;

  • An individual consciousness can generate individual thoughts, and this can navigate the MWI many world-lines.
  • Other “quantum shadows”, the other “people” within your world-line also have thoughts. In fact every world-line is filled with the thoughts of all the quantum shadows that occupy the world-line.
  • Thoughts are “sticky”. They tend to associate themselves with objects, people and things.
  • They can be influenced by other thoughts. This can be nearby within the world-line, and also from adjacent world-lines that cluster near the one that is occupied.

If you are in a place, like prison for example, the thoughts of those around you will “stick” with you. And as your consciousness moves through the MWI and in and out of different world-lines, they will attract and repel other thoughts. This will create bad situations (if you were in prison), or good situations (if you were in a monastery).

It takes time for the “sticky” thoughts to fall away. That is why I strongly recommend a serious period of contemplation and a good happy environment for the person who is released from a bad situation.

Or else, they will come across a higher than usual percentage of individuals and situations similar to what they just left.

This is also true of used furniture, and other objects such a “haunted” houses, and automobile “lemons”.

Scene from the Stephen King horror movie “Christine”.

For us to be truly happy we need to carefully cultivate our thoughts.

  • Avoid negative friends, relationships and toxic people.
  • Avoid old things, clutter, and brick a brack.
  • Avoid most news.
  • Avoid movies, or music that will upset us.

Regrets

Do you have any great regrets?

Yes.  I wish that I would have spent more time with my friends and family. 

When opportunities arose, I should have taken them.

I wish that I would have spent more time with my pets rather than worry about work so much. I wish that I would have spent the time to play with my dogs and cats and given them more happiness, no matter how tired and stressed I was.  I should have been a better caretaker of my pets. 

I should have been a better friend to those whom I cared for, and I should have been a better human to the strangers whom I encountered. I truly regret that I did not purpose my personal life more fully.

I was far too goal-focused, and missed out on the wonders of life as they were presented to me.

When it became clear that my first wife possessed a terminal mental illness, and that she would never get better. I should have taken the doctor’s advice and left her. It would have been better for both of us. Instead, I only endured a very painful process. I could not stop her madness. I could only delay its onslaught. The price that I paid for this postponement took a great toll on my sanity and health. It did not help her at all.

Sometimes, no matter how hard you try, and how much effort you put into something, you will fail.

When my beloved pet was dying. I should have taken him to the vet and put him to sleep. Instead, I wanted to keep him alive as long as possible. This was selfish of me, and my dear pet suffered because of it. I did things for my own selfish reasons.

I was too selfish at times, and love ones suffered.

When I was younger, and my mother was happy and singing while getting things together during Christmas, I should have allowed her to sing, and even joined her. Instead, I criticized her singing, and just pouted about, not even offering to help her in the kitchen. I was so self-absorbed.

Yes. I have regrets. All humans (aside from sociopaths) have regrets.

Continued-graphic-arrow

If you want to go to the start of this series of posts, then please click HERE.

MAJestic Related Posts – Training

These are posts and articles that revolve around how I was recruited for MAJestic and my training. Also discussed is the nature of secret programs. I really do not know why the organization was kept so secret. It really wasn’t because of any kind of military concern, and the technologies were way too involved for any kind of information transfer. The only conclusion that I can come to is that we were obligated to maintain secrecy at the behalf of our extraterrestrial benefactors.

How to tell...
How to tell -2
Top Secrets
Sales Pitch
Feducial Training
Implantation
Probe Calibration - 1
Probe Calibration - 2
Leaving the USA

MAJestic Related Posts – Our Universe

These particular posts are concerned about the universe that we are all part of. Being entangled as I was, and involved in the crazy things that I was, I was given some insight. This insight wasn’t anything super special. Rather it offered me perception along with advantage. Here, I try to impart some of that knowledge through discussion.

Enjoy.

Secrets of the universe
Alpha Centauri
Our Galaxy the Milky Way
Sirius solar system
Alpha Centauri
The fuselage embedded within the rocks of Victoria Falls.
The Hammer inside the rock.
The Hollow Moon
The Mystery of the Lapulapu Ridge.
The Mystery of the Baltic UFO.
Mystery of the bronze bell.
Mystery of the oil lamp found inside a block of coal.
Did extraterrestrials set up a colony in Pennsylvania?
The Oxia Palus Facility
Brown Dwarfs
Apollo Space Exploration
CARET
The Nature of the Universe
Type-1 Grey Extraterrestrial
The mysterious flying contraptions.

Influencer Questions

Here are posts that have gathered a series of questions from various influencers. They are interesting in many ways and could help all of us unravel the mysteries of the lives that we live.

Interview with an Influencer.
More discussions with an influencer.
Using Intention to make your life sparkle.

MAJestic Related Posts – World-Line Travel

These posts are related to “reality slides”. Other more common terms are “world-line travel”, or the MWI. What people fail to grasp is that when a person has the ability to slide into a different reality (pass into a different world-line), they are able to “touch” Heaven to some extent. Here are posts that  cover this topic.

Cat Heaven
MWI
Things I miss
How MWI allows world-line travel.
An Observed World-Line switch.
Vehicular world-line travel
Soul is not consciousness.

John Titor Related Posts

Another person, collectively known by the identity of “John Titor” claimed to utilize world-line (MWI egress) travel to collect artifacts from the past. He is an interesting subject to discuss. Here we have multiple posts in this regard.

They are;

Articles & Links

You’ll not find any big banners or popups here talking about cookies and privacy notices. There are no ads on this site (aside from the hosting ads – a necessary evil). Functionally and fundamentally, I just don’t make money off of this blog. It is NOT monetized. Finally, I don’t track you because I just don’t care to.

  • You can start reading the articles by going HERE.
  • You can visit the Index Page HERE to explore by article subject.
  • You can also ask the author some questions. You can go HERE to find out how to go about this.
  • You can find out more about the author HERE.
  • If you have concerns or complaints, you can go HERE.
  • If you want to make a donation, you can go HERE.

What the difference is between Soul and Consciousness

This is a very tiny post. It discusses something that it considered to be very important.

For us to truly grow as a human; as a person, as well as to advance technologically in our universe, we need to understand the fundamental rules of our universe.

Unfortunately, these fundamentals are not at all understood by humans today. They are often considered to be associated with religion and the “soft sciences” instead of their rightful place in the nature of our reality.

To grow, and for our species to master technology, we absolutely need to know what soul is and how it differs from our consciousness. Once we understand this difference, we would be fully able to master so many things that we, today, consider the limitations of our physical universe. Yes. And that means, the ability to travel anywhere in the universe. Yes. And that means the ability to travel to “Heaven” at will while we are alive in the physical, and Yes that means that we would be able to fully appreciate and master the control over our physical world.

Here, we talk about the fundamentals of this issue.

[1] Soul is not Consciousness

Firstly, everything has a soul. But… but, not everything has a consciousness.

A soul can be considered the “stuff” of who we are fundamentally. It is the “ground level” or quantum particles and the “building blocks” of who we are. It is the “brick and mortar” components of our very being.

That chair that you are sitting on has a (very simplistic) soul, but not a consciousness. It does not recognize that you are sitting on it. It does not think. It does not alter the reality surrounding it, and it does not generate memories.

That blade of grass outside also has a soul. It is a more advanced soul than that (human fabricated) chair, but it is still quite simple. It also has a rudimentary consciousness. It might be able to think… to some degree. It might not be able to generate memories or access them. But, we consider it living, because it does has a consciousness.

It’s consciousness drives the animation of the plant. It grows. It seeks and needs sun, water and nourishment. It lives, and then it dies.

Turning to animals, we can see that they have souls, and they have consciousnesses. They might think differently than us, sense things differently, and have different ways of accessing memories, but it is clear that they have a consciousness.

Kitty has a toy.
The kitty has a toy. The use of play is an important technique for obtaining life skills. The brain uses play to learn, and thus thoughts are created in the process. Thoughts are a fundamental product of consciousness awareness.

A Soul is…

In short, a soul is a generalized collection of quanta that is associated with one or more consciousnesses. It is a “home” from whence the consciousness originates. [1] It resides in a “place” or a “Heaven” that is beyond the physical distances, and time, and space. [2] It exists independently of any physical reality, or notion of time.

A Consciousness is…

Consciousness, on the other hand, is something that comes forth from the soul. [1] It is tied to “reality” which will include the limitations of time, space, and spacial distances. [2] It is connected to a given reality and thus can be influenced by it. There is always a “give and take” between a reality and a consciousness.

[2] Memories are associated with Consciousness, not Soul.

Memories do NOT reside within the brain, as is conventionally thought. Instead, they are accessed by the brain. They are actually stored outside of our reality.

The creation of memories is via [1] the thoughts and [2] the physical activity of the person inhabiting a physical reality.

The mind and soul work together.
The consciousness is a spawned part of the soul that is used to actuate experiences within a reality. It also creates memories and emotions that are a fundamental part of those experiences. the Experiences are used by the soul to grow and expand.

Thoughts and memories reside at “the same level” or within the “same space” as the soul. You can call this area or place, or condition, “Heaven” if you wish. It’s a close enough approximation.

Consciousnesses can move about from the “Heaven” that the soul occupies, and the “Heaven” where the memories are stored to the physical universe. This is accomplished by changing from wave to particle properties.

Our reality is a a “destination” that is arrived at due to the physical actions and thoughts of a given consciousness.

[3] Our Soul utilizes the memories that our Consciousness generates to form entanglements with quanta.

One of the biggest questions that humans have asked is “what’s the purpose of our existence?”. Well, there is an answer. We exist to grow, learn and advance.

However, it is more than that.

Our physical bodies are constructions that occupy a physical reality within a “situation”. This situation is picked from a near infinite number of situations in the MWI multiple-reality-worlds of our universe. Our consciousness is placed within a physical body within that reality, and we live the life within that “situation”.

Time as a vector.
Every moment, our reality changes. We leave an “old” reality and enter a “new” reality. This happens automatically, and we perceive this action as “time”. This movement is a directional vector. It is controlled by our thoughts and our actions, as well as the thoughts and actions of those around us.

Our thoughts, generated by our physical actions, and our thoughts, act as a steering vector that alters and changes the reality into other realities. All the time, generating thoughts and situations for us to experience, and if need be, endure.

Look back in your own life. Go back ten, twenty, thirty, forty, or even fifty years. Look at your life then and what you thought about; what you dreamed about, and the actions you took. Then…

…fast forward your life to see how the things manifested. You should find that while there are often outside influences involved, many of the things that you thought about that that time manifested one way or the other in your life.

Thoughts create reality.
The things that I thought about the most, and the actions that I took, all eventually influenced me and the direction that my life took on. This is how we can influence the arrow of time as it pertains to our reality.

The thoughts, emotions and feelings that we generate within this life goes to a “thought repository”. This repository is used to make and break quantum attachments and entanglements.

Quantum attachments and entanglements create the fabric, shape, size and organization of soul.

[4] Soul organization determines the rate of Soul growth and Soul Abilities.

What most humans do not “get” or understand, is the importance in soul evolution. We kind of think that the soul is fixed and will forever exist in the configuration or shape that it is now.

That is wrong.

Souls evolve. They have always been evolving. They can do so on their own, without creating a consciousness. And, they can also (greatly accelerate the process) do so by using a consciousness involved collecting experiences within a reality.

As souls evolve they transcend the limitations of our universe and achieve far greater abilities. As such, their manifested consciousnesses and spawned realities also increase in scope. From a human perspective, these evolved souls are astounding.

Conclusion

Only when we, as a species, recognize the intimate connection that our thoughts have with the reality that we inhabit, can we even begin to consider leaving this little ball of earth that we call our own.

We would discard the notions that hate, and killing others, and the obtainment of physical possessions distract from our ability to direct our thoughts. Direction, mind you, that is intended to acquire experiences for our soul to utilize.

MAJestic Related Posts – Training

These are posts and articles that revolve around how I was recruited for MAJestic and my training. Also discussed is the nature of secret programs. I really do not know why the organization was kept so secret. It really wasn’t because of any kind of military concern, and the technologies were way too involved for any kind of information transfer. The only conclusion that I can come to is that we were obligated to maintain secrecy at the behalf of our extraterrestrial benefactors.

How to tell...
How to tell -2
Top Secrets
Sales Pitch
Feducial Training
Implantation
Probe Calibration - 1
Probe Calibration - 2
Leaving the USA

MAJestic Related Posts – Our Universe

These particular posts are concerned about the universe that we are all part of. Being entangled as I was, and involved in the crazy things that I was, I was given some insight. This insight wasn’t anything super special. Rather it offered me perception along with advantage. Here, I try to impart some of that knowledge through discussion.

Enjoy.

Secrets of the universe
Alpha Centauri
Our Galaxy the Milky Way
Sirius solar system
Alpha Centauri
The fuselage embedded within the rocks of Victoria Falls.
The Hammer inside the rock.
The Hollow Moon
The Mystery of the Lapulapu Ridge.
The Mystery of the Baltic UFO.
Mystery of the bronze bell.
Mystery of the oil lamp found inside a block of coal.
Did extraterrestrials set up a colony in Pennsylvania?
The Oxia Palus Facility
Brown Dwarfs
Apollo Space Exploration
CARET
The Nature of the Universe
Type-1 Grey Extraterrestrial
The mysterious flying contraptions.

MAJestic Related Posts – World-Line Travel

These posts are related to “reality slides”. Other more common terms are “world-line travel”, or the MWI. What people fail to grasp is that when a person has the ability to slide into a different reality (pass into a different world-line), they are able to “touch” Heaven to some extent. Here are posts that  cover this topic.

Cat Heaven
MWI
Things I miss
How MWI allows world-line travel.
An Observed World-Line switch.
Vehicular world-line travel
Soul is not consciousness.

John Titor Related Posts

Another person, collectively known by the identity of “John Titor” claimed to utilize world-line (MWI egress) travel to collect artifacts from the past. He is an interesting subject to discuss. Here we have multiple posts in this regard.

They are;

Articles & Links

  • You can start reading the articles by going HERE.
  • You can visit the Index Page HERE to explore by article subject.
  • You can also ask the author some questions. You can go HERE to find out how to go about this.
  • You can find out more about the author HERE.
  • If you have concerns or complaints, you can go HERE.
  • If you want to make a donation, you can go HERE.

AJestic Related Posts – Training

These are posts and articles that revolve around how I was recruited for MAJestic and my training. Also discussed is the nature of secret programs. I really do not know why the organization was kept so secret. It really wasn’t because of any kind of military concern, and the technologies were way too involved for any kind of information transfer. The only conclusion that I can come to is that we were obligated to maintain secrecy at the behalf of our extraterrestrial benefactors.

How to tell...
How to tell -2
Top Secrets
Sales Pitch
Feducial Training
Implantation
Probe Calibration - 1
Probe Calibration - 2
Leaving the USA

MAJestic Related Posts – Our Universe

These particular posts are concerned about the universe that we are all part of. Being entangled as I was, and involved in the crazy things that I was, I was given some insight. This insight wasn’t anything super special. Rather it offered me perception along with advantage. Here, I try to impart some of that knowledge through discussion.

Enjoy.

Secrets of the universe
Alpha Centauri
Our Galaxy the Milky Way
Sirius solar system
Alpha Centauri
The fuselage embedded within the rocks of Victoria Falls.
The Hammer inside the rock.
The Hollow Moon
The Mystery of the Lapulapu Ridge.
The Mystery of the Baltic UFO.
Mystery of the bronze bell.
Mystery of the oil lamp found inside a block of coal.
Did extraterrestrials set up a colony in Pennsylvania?
The Oxia Palus Facility
Brown Dwarfs
Apollo Space Exploration
CARET
The Nature of the Universe
Type-1 Grey Extraterrestrial

MAJestic Related Posts – World-Line Travel

These posts are related to “reality slides”. Other more common terms are “world-line travel”, or the MWI. What people fail to grasp is that when a person has the ability to slide into a different reality (pass into a different world-line), they are able to “touch” Heaven to some extent. Here are posts that  cover this topic.

Cat Heaven
MWI
Things I miss
How MWI allows world-line travel.
An Observed World-Line switch.
Vehicular world-line travel

John Titor Related Posts

Another person, collectively known by the identity of “John Titor” claimed to utilize world-line (MWI egress) travel to collect artifacts from the past. He is an interesting subject to discuss. Here we have multiple posts in this regard.

They are;

Articles & Links

  • You can start reading the articles by going HERE.
  • You can visit the Index Page HERE to explore by article subject.
  • You can also ask the author some questions. You can go HERE to find out how to go about this.
  • You can find out more about the author HERE.
  • If you have concerns or complaints, you can go HERE.
  • If you want to make a donation, you can go HERE.

Graphic on how world-line travel is possible

Here is a simplistic premier on how our universe works, and how we can control the reality that we inhabit. We also touch upon how we can “cheat” and use certain techniques to cross into other realities, or other world-lines.

This is often referred to as world-line travel.

To best understand world-line travel or dimensional egress, you need to throw away any obsolete Newtonian ideas about the universe that you might cherish. You all need to. If you keep thinking in ways that have no bearing on reality, how in the heck will you eventually be able to master reality?

So…

Throw it all away. Chuck it all. Listen to me, and learn. This is the way the universe really works.

How world-line travel can manifest

First of all, here is what the universe really looks like. It is a multiverse with a near infinite number of realities that we might inhabit at any given time.

This pretty much agrees with the MWI theory of quantum mechanics. However, most people never think about it and take it to it’s logical conclusion. They try to take the observed physical world and try to make it fit into the MWI. It doesn’t work that way. It just cannot fit together. It’s like mixing oil and water; not gonna happen.

This is how it manifests…

  • There is no such thing as time.
  • The “physical” is a construct.
  • We possess a “soul” that does understand and operate in the true totality of the universe.
  • The “soul” creates a “consciousness” for it to use.
  • The “consciousness” is placed within a physical body residing within a reality construct.

Now, the problem is what when people study the MWI theory, they do so with the “baggage” of their childhood assumptions. For instance, we assume that there might be multiple world-lines, but there is only one that we all share. The others might not exist, or that the person we are with is a person with an active consciousness within our reality.

All these assumptions are false.

Nothing is shared. It only appears that way. We occupy a given reality alone. Our consciousness connects to a physical body within the reality that our soul selects.

It looks like we all share our universe with others. Yes, that is what it looks like. However, that is not the case. The universe that we inhabit is designed for us and us alone. There is only one “consciousness” within it. That is our very own “consciousness”.

There is generally, one “reality” per one “consciousness”.

All those other people are like props that populate our reality. Yes, there is a chance that some of them have a “consciousness” controlling them, but they are off in their very own reality doing so. What we actually experience and see is the “shadows” of what their “consciousness” does within our reality.

Our Universe.
This is what the universe really looks like. There is a “consciousness”. This is shown as a RED fuzzy ball. It resides attached to a physical person. This physical person resides inside an observable physical reality. That reality is surrounded by a non-physical reality. There is an infinite number of physical / non-physical realities. Some lie “close” to our reality, and many are “far” from our reality.

Some clarity on the graphic is in order

The image above is really quite different what what people think the universe looks like. That is because it is. We, as humans, can only see a very small portion of the universe. We can only see one instance in time, that is our “reality”.

Components used.
The true reality is one that is not shared. Each consciousness occupies it’s own reality. We share the reality with “others”. Yet these “others” are actually “shadows” from other realities. We can see the others as shadows. They seem real enough to us, but that person’s consciousness is actually elsewhere within a completely different reality.

There are actually two aspects of “reality”. There is a visible reality, and an unseen reality. The unseen reality includes thoughts, emotions, heaven, and all sorts of things from radio waves to gravity.

Options we have.
The soul selects a “starting reality” at birth. This sets the stage for the soul to acquire experiences. The direction that the life-experiences take on is controlled by the thoughts, the emotions and the actions of the person that the consciousness inhabits.

Further, there is a physical body. And our soul connects to it using a mechanism known as consciousness.

Every moment is a change in reality…

Every moment that we live is a change in our reality. If we think one tiny thing, our reality adjusts accordingly. If we feel sad, our reality changes. Our reality is a on-going dynamic “bubble” that is constantly changing. The thing is that we do not stay in that reality. We move to a new reality with every change in thought, action, emotion or outside influence.

Reality modifications are generated by thoughts.
So while it might seem that we are sitting still in place, it is our thoughts that change the reality that surrounds us. So if you were to look at the “big picture” outside of our reality, what you would see is something like this. You would see a vector… an “arrow of time” that would move from one reality to another as determined by our thoughts, emotions and our actions.

Further, all the influences of others, and their thoughts change our reality as well. Thus, if you were to look at a clock, you would see your reality change. It would seem like you were sitting still, but in truth your entire reality was constantly changing in all sorts of ways.

Time is the movement of consciousness.
The passage of time is the movement of consciousness. Time is our consciousness being aware that it moves through the different realities. It seems like an “arrow of time”, as a directional vector. But that is just the illusion that it makes. There is no such thing as “times” as understood by the average person. Every instant, the consciousness moves to a new reality. They look identical to each other because the realities that are adjacent are nearly identical.

The passage of time is the movement of consciousness.

But, what about world-lines?

Now it should be understood that people who don’t understand our universe, and don’t understand what time is, would have the dickens of a time understanding what a “world-line” is. To them, they view it as a “different” universe. Like ours but somehow “different”. Well, it is and it isn’t.

But, it need not be confusing.

All a “world-line” is is the time vector as experienced by a given consciousness.

A world-line is a self identified vector of time.
We consider the “world-line” that we are on to be unique. It is simply the path that our consciousness makes as it moves through different realities. We ASSUME that everyone else shares this time vector, and thus we ASSUME that our “world-line” is shared with others. This is not the case. Each and every consciousness has it’s own passage of time and own “world-line”.

Each thought, emotion, or event that surrounds us (in the physical and non-physical) alters our reality. As such, then we realize that by controlling our thoughts and our actions…

…we can control the realities that we inhabit.

We can control the direction of our life and what manifests. It’s up to us. This shouldn’t be a big surprise. Many people have promoted this idea over the years. From The Secret, to the Intention Experiment, to the water studies of Dr. Masaru Emoto.

The difference here is that I argue that is is the fundamental mechanism that controls our reality. I argue that the consciousness is linked at a fundamental level with the reality that we inhabit.

More about thoughts…

This is both good and bad.

For instance, if we isolate the bad thoughts, and the bad and toxic people from our lives, we can start to inhabit new realities that are better. Likewise, if we don’t, and allow the bad things to affect our thoughts and moods, then bad things can occur.

Which is why I argue that everyone should shut off the American media. It is a toxic brew designed to manipulate, and it is plunging all of America into dark times. But, I digress…

Our life is driven by our thoughts.
The movement of our consciousness through he multiverse of realities is controlled by thought. It is our thoughts that open up the world of possibilities for us. We we think of the world as full of abundance and good things, then our reality will manifest that. If we think of hardship and terrible things, then our life will manifest that. Therefore, it is critically important that we control our thoughts.

However there is more to this than “what meets the eye”. You see, the unseen reality is much larger and more powerful than the seen and observed reality. While you might be successful in changing your observed physical reality, it will take some time to all the unseen reality to readjust.

The changes are never immediate.

That is because the thoughts of other “quantum shadows” influence the reality that we inhabit. It takes time to “pull away” and release from those other influences.

Leaving a clingy person.
This is a common enough event. There is a person who wants to be in a relationship with you. They could be a friend, a lover, or a co-worker. You decide that you don’t want them in your life. Yet, they refuse to let go. They cling to you.

For instance, let’s suppose you wanted to leave a relationship with a bad person. You stop talking to them, you stop seeing them, and you stop thinking about them. Yet, you wonder why your life doesn’t immediately spring up and improve…

…that is because their thoughts, their emotions and their actions are still influencing their unseen reality. This interaction and influence will also influence your unseen reality.

Missing others.
The actions of others, if their non-physical reality touches yours, will influence your life. This means that their thoughts, emotions, and non-physical behaviors will still continue to influence your life. So if you be neutral, or friendly and loving, the non-physical influences will be positive. No one is an island, but we can make it so that our interactions are positive.

The more influences in your life, the harder it will be to remove yourself from them. Be advised.

Once we are able to master this, then we can easily steer our life to be the kind of life that we desire…

We can manifest our desires through steering our consciousness.
If there was a life that we want to attain; whether it is a life full of love, wealth, happiness or whatever, this “golden life” is attainable within our world-line. We need to absolutely gain control of our thoughts. We must [1] Shut out the bad thoughts, and [2] focus on the good thoughts that create the golden reality that we desire. Shutting out the negativity is the hardest thing to do.

Shortcuts

Many people should be aware that you can take “shortcuts” to bypass the realities that we would normally encounter.

We can use shortcuts to manifest our desired reality quickly.
We can attain anything we desire on this earth within our reality through the control of our thoughts. However, we can take “shortcuts”. Here, certain techniques using energy to “bend” our reality and the “dimensional fabric” of our universe can permit us to egress in 5th, and 7th dimensional travel. We can refer to these techniques as either 5-delta or 7-delta.

We can, using certain techniques, “tunnel through” the adjacent realities to hit the “rich meat” of our desires. Many of these techniques require mechanisms or devices to work. I have covered these in other posts.

For instance, you can utilize a fixed portal. This consists of a device that can place a person anywhere in the universe at any time. It is big and bulky and requires some training to use…

Feducial Training

Or, you could end up like me, and utilize a biological artifice (EBP integrated with ELF implants) to alter your realities. The problem with this is that someone (or something) else is driving your experiences. Yikes!

Implantation
Probe Calibration - 1
Probe Calibration - 2

You could utilize a personal hand-held device to move about. There are all sorts of examples of this. Here, I show examples of 5th dimensional egress, as well as some more advanced 7th dimensional egress.

An Observed World-Line switch.

Or you could utilize a vehicle to do so. Here we talk about how it is done and why. Compared to the 5th and 7th dimensional egress, and the MWI portal, and EBP x ELF implants, this method is rather crude.

Vehicular world-line travel

In fact, if you want to study this issue in more depth, perhaps the John Titor saga might enlighten you…

Another person, collectively known by the identity of “John Titor” claimed to utilize world-line (MWI egress) travel to collect artifacts from the past. He is an interesting subject to discuss. Here we have multiple posts in this regard.

They are;

Conclusion

World line travel opens up all sorts of opportunities to understand our place within this universe. Fundamentally, we can understand how consciousness is connected and important to the soul. If we can embrace this understanding, then we have the ability to interact with other intelligent species and create environments for the mutual benefit of all.

There are many ways to break outside of the reality that we inhabit.

We can use thoughts and actions. We can control our emotions and the people around us. We can control what we read, what we watch and what we eat.

We can also use advanced techniques in the manipulation of energy and quantum behaviors to enable more radical and advanced methods of entering and leaving our realities. In fact, some of these techniques can result in severely different realities. Realities that are quite different from anything that we have experienced within our already experienced world-lines.

MAJestic Related Posts – Training

These are posts and articles that revolve around how I was recruited for MAJestic and my training. Also discussed is the nature of secret programs. I really do not know why the organization was kept so secret. It really wasn’t because of any kind of military concern, and the technologies were way too involved for any kind of information transfer. The only conclusion that I can come to is that we were obligated to maintain secrecy at the behalf of our extraterrestrial benefactors.

How to tell...
How to tell -2
Top Secrets
Sales Pitch
Feducial Training
Implantation
Probe Calibration - 1
Probe Calibration - 2
Leaving the USA

MAJestic Related Posts – Our Universe

These particular posts are concerned about the universe that we are all part of. Being entangled as I was, and involved in the crazy things that I was, I was given some insight. This insight wasn’t anything super special. Rather it offered me perception along with advantage. Here, I try to impart some of that knowledge through discussion.

Enjoy.

Secrets of the universe
Alpha Centauri
Our Galaxy the Milky Way
Sirius solar system
Alpha Centauri
The fuselage embedded within the rocks of Victoria Falls.
The Hammer inside the rock.
The Hollow Moon
The Mystery of the Lapulapu Ridge.
The Mystery of the Baltic UFO.
Mystery of the bronze bell.
Mystery of the oil lamp found inside a block of coal.
Did extraterrestrials set up a colony in Pennsylvania?
The Oxia Palus Facility
Brown Dwarfs
Apollo Space Exploration
CARET
The Nature of the Universe
Type-1 Grey Extraterrestrial
The mysterious flying contraptions.

MAJestic Related Posts – World-Line Travel

These posts are related to “reality slides”. Other more common terms are “world-line travel”, or the MWI. What people fail to grasp is that when a person has the ability to slide into a different reality (pass into a different world-line), they are able to “touch” Heaven to some extent. Here are posts that  cover this topic.

Cat Heaven
MWI
Things I miss
How MWI allows world-line travel.
An Observed World-Line switch.
Vehicular world-line travel
Soul is not consciousness.

John Titor Related Posts

Another person, collectively known by the identity of “John Titor” claimed to utilize world-line (MWI egress) travel to collect artifacts from the past. He is an interesting subject to discuss. Here we have multiple posts in this regard.

They are;

Articles & Links

  • You can start reading the articles by going HERE.
  • You can visit the Index Page HERE to explore by article subject.
  • You can also ask the author some questions. You can go HERE to find out how to go about this.
  • You can find out more about the author HERE.
  • If you have concerns or complaints, you can go HERE.
  • If you want to make a donation, you can go HERE.

ted Posts – Training

These are posts and articles that revolve around how I was recruited for MAJestic and my training. Also discussed is the nature of secret programs. I really do not know why the organization was kept so secret. It really wasn’t because of any kind of military concern, and the technologies were way too involved for any kind of information transfer. The only conclusion that I can come to is that we were obligated to maintain secrecy at the behalf of our extraterrestrial benefactors.

How to tell...
How to tell -2
Top Secrets
Sales Pitch
Feducial Training
Implantation
Probe Calibration - 1
Probe Calibration - 2
Leaving the USA

MAJestic Related Posts – Our Universe

These particular posts are concerned about the universe that we are all part of. Being entangled as I was, and involved in the crazy things that I was, I was given some insight. This insight wasn’t anything super special. Rather it offered me perception along with advantage. Here, I try to impart some of that knowledge through discussion.

Enjoy.

Secrets of the universe
Alpha Centauri
Our Galaxy the Milky Way
Sirius solar system
Alpha Centauri
The fuselage embedded within the rocks of Victoria Falls.
The Hammer inside the rock.
The Hollow Moon
The Mystery of the Lapulapu Ridge.
The Mystery of the Baltic UFO.
Mystery of the bronze bell.
Mystery of the oil lamp found inside a block of coal.
Did extraterrestrials set up a colony in Pennsylvania?
The Oxia Palus Facility
Brown Dwarfs
Apollo Space Exploration
CARET
The Nature of the Universe
Type-1 Grey Extraterrestrial

MAJestic Related Posts – World-Line Travel

These posts are related to “reality slides”. Other more common terms are “world-line travel”, or the MWI. What people fail to grasp is that when a person has the ability to slide into a different reality (pass into a different world-line), they are able to “touch” Heaven to some extent. Here are posts that  cover this topic.

Cat Heaven
MWI
Things I miss
An Observed World-Line switch.
Vehicular world-line travel

John Titor Related Posts

Another person, collectively known by the identity of “John Titor” claimed to utilize world-line (MWI egress) travel to collect artifacts from the past. He is an interesting subject to discuss. Here we have multiple posts in this regard.

They are;

Posts Regarding Life and Contentment

Here are some other similar posts on this venue. If you enjoyed this post, you might like these posts as well. These posts tend to discuss growing up in America. Often, I like to compare my life in America with the society within communist China. As there are some really stark differences between the two.

Link
Link
Link
Tomatos
Link
Mad scientist
Gorilla Cage in the basement
Link
Pleasures
Work in the 1960's
School in the 1970s
Cat Heaven
Corporate life
Corporate life - part 2
Build up your life
Grow and play - 1
Grow and play - 2
Asshole
Baby's got back
Link
A womanly vanity
The Warning Signs
SJW
Army and Navy Store
Playground Comparisons
Excuses that we use that keep us enslaved.

More Posts about Life

I have broken apart some other posts. They can best be classified about ones actions as they contribute to happiness and life. They are a little different, in subtle ways.

Being older
Link
Civil War
Travel
PT-141
Bronco Billy
r/K selection theory
How they get away with it
Line in the sand
A second passport
Paper Airplanes
Snopes
Taxiation without representation.
Link
Link
Link
Make America Great Again.
Link
Link
Link
Link
Link
Link
Link
Link
Link
1960's and 1970's link
Democracy Lessons

Stories that Inspired Me

Here are reprints in full text of stories that inspired me, but that are nearly impossible to find in China. I place them here as sort of a personal library that I can use for inspiration. The reader is welcome to come and enjoy a read or two as well.

Link
Link
Link
Link
Link
Link
Link
Link

Articles & Links

  • You can start reading the articles by going HERE.
  • You can visit the Index Page HERE to explore by article subject.
  • You can also ask the author some questions. You can go HERE to find out how to go about this.
  • You can find out more about the author HERE.
  • If you have concerns or complaints, you can go HERE.
  • If you want to make a donation, you can go HERE.